Melody POV
I stood in front of my closet, hands on my hips as I tried to decide what to wear for the first day of school tomorrow.
I was stuck between choosing two different tops when a loud noise suddenly came from outside, interrupting my internal debating. My eyes widened.
Quickly steeling my nerves, I grabbed the bat that I kept underneath my bed and made my way out of my room as quietly as possible.
I looked down the hall a bit to see Scott leaving his room as well, a bat in his hands.
"You heard it too?" he whispered, not wanting to alert whoever was out there of our presence.
"Yeah." I replied just as silently.
"Let me guess," he sighed, "You're coming with me no matter what I say?"
"Got that right." I confirmed.
The look on his face said he'd rather I stay up here, but he knew that I would just follow him anyways. No way in hell was I going to be one of those stereotypical damsels in distress that couldn't do anything. No, I liked the idea of kicking ass and taking names a whole lot better.
With that, we cautiously made our way downstairs, bats in hand. We walked out onto the porch, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary.
Suddenly, a figure dropped down from the roof, and I screamed while Scott yelled along with the figure. Just as I was about to brain the guy with my bat, I realized who it was.
"Stiles?!" I exclaimed, attempting to slow my heart beat.
"What the hell are you doing?" Scott's hand was clutched to his chest.
"Neither of you were answering your phones!" he responded, still hanging like a bat, "Why do you guys have bats?"
"I thought you were a predator." Scott admitted sheepishly.
"A pre..." Stiles trails off with a chuckle, then suddenly his expression becomes excited once more, "Look, I know it's late but you've got to hear this. My dad left twenty minutes ago, dispatch call. They're bringing every officer of the Beacon department, even the state police."
"For what?" I was extremely curious now.
Stiles gave me a grin, and I felt my heart flutter. Wait, what?
"They found a body in the woods." Stiles jumped down from the roof, and his words instantly distracted me from the odd feeling I had been getting.
"A dead body?" Scott questioned, and I sighed, practically feeling the sarcasm that Stiles was about to unleash.
"No, a body of water..." I snorted at Stiles' words, "Yes a dead body, dumbass!"
"You mean like murdered?" Scott looked nervous at the prospect.
"Nobody knows yet." Stiles admitted, facing him, "It was a girl, probably in her twenties."
"Hold up, if they found the body, then what are they looking for?" I inquired, and Stiles turned back to me with contagious excitement.
"That's the best part... they only found half!" the hyperactive boy revealed, "We're going."
"Alright, I'll be right back." the boys shot me two confused looks, and I rolled my eyes, "Do you honestly want me to go out like this?"
I was only wearing a loose white wife beater top with a black spaghetti strap tank top underneath and some short black shorts.
"Oh. Uh. Yeah. Er." Stiles began to stammer, looking everywhere but me, and I felt my cheeks stain with crimson.
"Okay." I shifted, "I'll just go change now."
With that, I hurried back into the house, not stopping until I was in my room. Leaning against the now shut door, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.
What's going on with me? I wondered.
I watched from the backseat of Stiles' jeep as we parked next to a sign that read 'BEACON HILLS PRESERVE: NO ENTRY AFTER DARK'.
I had changed into a grey top with three quarter sleeves and some dark skinny jeans, and I was wearing some red converse hi tops. Definitely more suited for trekking in the woods than my original clothing.
"So we're seriously doing this?" Scott checked as the three of us got out of the vehicle and grabbed some flashlights.
"Hey, you and Mel are the ones who always bitch that nothing ever happens in this town!" Stiles waved his arms a bit to emphasize his point.
"I was trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow." Scott sighed.
"That's great!" I sent my brother an approving smile.
"Right," Stiles not so helpfully added, "Because sitting on the bench is such a grueling effort!"
I hit him in the arm, shooting Stiles a look.
"No," Scott looked determined, "I'm playing this year. In fact, I'm playing first line."
"That's the spirit!" I cheered, happy that my brother was so confident.
"Yeah, everyone should have a dream." Stiles stated, "Even if it's a pathetically unrealistic one."
I hit him again, this time aiming for the back of his head.
"Ow!" the boy grimaced, "What was that for?"
"Don't be so negative." I warned, "I think he can do it."
"Thanks Mel." a goofy grin lit up Scott's face.
"No problem." I bumped his shoulder playfully, "It's kinda my job."
We walked through the woods in comfortable silence for a while before a question suddenly popped into my head. But, before I could voice it, Scott spoke up.
"So, just by curiosity," Scott tilted his head slightly, "Which part of the body are we looking for?"
Stiles stopped at that, his brows furrowed.
"Huh." he said after a few moments, "I didn't think about that."
"And what if the person who killed the body is still out here?" I added.
"Also something I didn't think about." Stiles admitted.
We started walking again, this time up a small hill. I was having a bit of trouble with it due to my cursefully short stature, but Stiles must've noticed because he grabbed my hand and helped pull me up.
I gave him a smile of gratitude, and he shot me a grin in response. I felt the same fluttering from earlier in my chest, which only confused me more...
"Well," Scott piped up, interrupting my train of thought, "It's real comforting to know that you planned this out with your usual attention to details."
"I know!" Stiles responded, and I chuckled.
I turned back to see Scott leaning against a tree, wheezing a bit, and I rushed over to his side. He pulled his inhaler out of his pocket, holding it to his mouth and taking a shot.
"I'm okay Mel." he assured me, seeing my worried expression, "Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, huh?"
Out of nowhere, lights began to filter through the dense foliage, and the sound of multiple voices shouting reached my ears.
Scott, Stiles, and I all ducked down to to the ground, making ourselves less visible.
Then, Stiles shoots up and begins to run, grabbing my hand and pulling me with him. I could hear Scott running somewhere behind us.
Suddenly, loud barking was heard and a large German Shepard tackled Stiles, pushing him to the ground. Sadly, Stiles was still gripping my hand, and I was pulled down with him.
"Hang on, hang on..." a familiar voice called off the dog, and I sat up on the forest floor, leaning on my elbows, "These little delinquents belong to me."
"Dad," Stiles exclaimed, "How're you doing?"
"Hey Mr. Stilinski." the sheriff turned his gaze back to me and gave me a smile before turning back to Stiles.
"So," he started, narrowing his eyes at his son, "Do you listen in on all my phone calls?"
"No!" Stiles exclaimed, then continued on, "Well... not the boring ones..."
"So, where is your other partner in crime?" the man questioned, glancing around.
"Who, Scott?" I stated innocently, "Scott's at home. he said he wanted to get a good night's sleep before the first day of school tomorrow."
"Scott, you out there?" the Sheriff shined his flashlight in the direction of the trees, peering into the darkness, "Scott?"
After a few moments of receiving no response, the Sheriff reached down and grabbed Stiles up by the neck.
"Well young man," Mr. Stilinski began, "We are going to walk both you and Melody over here back to your car, and you and I are going to have a discussion about something called violation of privacy."
I chuckled at that, and the Sheriff helped me up with one hand, keeping the other on his son's arm.
As we walked away towards the squad car, I suddenly felt a sudden chill go through me, and I spun around. Nothing.
"You coming?" Mr. Stilinsiki had paused his stride to look back at me, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
In hindsight, I should have raced back into the forest, for then, maybe I could have prevented what was about to happen. Maybe, I could have changed what was about to go down, and somehow stopped what would become the next few years of our lives. Maybe, I could have found Scott, and somehow escaped the fate that awaited us both, and instead we could have gone on, normal, unknowing, safe.
"Yeah." I replied, doing my best to shake off the creepy feeling as I turned back around and moved to catch up with the Sheriff and his son.
.
.
.
.
.
.
And that was my first mistake.