Ten Hours Until Dawn
One Year Later
A lone mountain range road was deserted. Trees covered both sides of the small road. The sky was just beginning to darken, the sun disappearing behind Blackwood Mountain. Snow feel from the sky in small flakes.
A bus drove passed. There was only one passenger on it. A beautiful girl, Lydia Martin, with bright strawberry blonde hair tied into a braid and chestnut brown eyes. She had her headphones in and was listening to the news podcast. The male radio host was talking about what happened last year around this time...
Today is the one-year anniversary of the dreadful tragedy that took place on Mount McCall.
Every so often, because Lydia was so buried in the trees, her signal cut out every so often.
Sheriff John Stilinski, who was in charge of the investigation…
Thanks for having me Daniel.
~!
Listeners an update on Lilly and Lucy McCall, the twins who are still missing.
One year ago tonight the McCall girls left the safety of their parents' lodge and headed out into a snow storm.
~!
Foul play?...
Not officially, no. There is one individual we're considering as a person of interest but his whereabouts are currently unknown. He has an interesting history with the McCall family… He had warned them against pursuing their construction project… and claimed the land was sacred to his forefathers.
You know, there is still the old Sanatorium on the mountain. Could he be hiding there?
My officers did search the grounds, but
~!
The girls themselves couldn't have made it that far.
Something about that mountain seems to breed tragic events.
More than you now Daniel.
Thank you for joining us, Sheriff…to all the McCall's' tonight…their son Scott on this, the anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Lilly and Lucy McCall.
Lydia sighed in her head. She couldn't believe she was doing this again. Coming back up here after what happened to the girls…She turned off the podcast and went to a video she had saved on her phone that Scott had sent out to everyone, inviting them back up to the Lodge where everything seemed to go wrong.
In the video, Scott was standing in the middle of the Lodge, in the living room. It was dark. The only light coming from outside through the windows.
"Well hello friends and fans…alright let's do that again…" Scott introduced on the video. He moved closer to the camera, adjusting the zoom and getting a bit closer. "Alright. Well hello, friends and fans!" He started again, "It's beyond awesome to have you guys all back together this year." He said. He licked his lips before continuing, "Um, first off, I gotta say I am super excited to welcome all my pals back to the annual Blackwood winter getaway!" He said, throwing his arms in the air and making a hushed 'crowd yell'. He gave a small laugh, "So um… Let me just let you know, let's take a moment to address the 'elephant in the room' for a second…"
Lydia closed her eyes for a brief moment. Scott was being brave, going back up there after his sisters…
"I know, you're all probably worried about me…and I know it's gonna be tough on all of us going back after what happened last year…" He said, pausing to take breath, "But – I just want you all to know… it means…it means so much to me that we're doing this. And I…" He bowed his head, before lifting it back up, "I know it would mean so much to Lilly and Lucy that we're all still together, thinking of them. I really want to spend some quality time with each and every one of you and um… and share some moments that we'll never forget, for…for the sake of my sisters, you know? Okay…so! Let's party like we're back in high school, and make this one a trip we will never forget, alright! Yes!" He finished, throwing his hands in the air.
Lydia pursed her lips, setting her phone down. She lifted her head and stared out the window at the snowy landscape around her.
She was almost there.
The bus eased on the brakes in front of the path that led up to the cable cars. Lydia was the only passenger on the bus, so once she was out, the bus took off right after. Her cashmere boots crushed the snow under her feet. While it may seem like she wasn't wearing much, she was actually pretty warm. She had on a simple purple long-sleeve sweater, a black leather jacket over that, a red scarf was tied around the neck, and she was wearing a red plaid skirt with thick black leggings that hugged her legs. Her boots were even fur-lined. There was also her favorite beanie on her head. And she also had on her backpack.
Lydia was a kind girl, she was probably the most popular when they were in school and she was voted best-dressed for their senior year. She was very close with Scott's younger sister, Lilly.
As Lydia headed down the path, she heard some noises behind her, like branches or twigs being stepped on. She paused, turning her head to look behind her, "Hello? Is someone there?" She hummed to herself. She couldn't see anyone…
Lydia
Path to cable car station
9:02 P.M
The path was dark, especially at night. There were no lights to, well, light the way, but Lydia had almost memorized where to step after walking down this path so many times. Nothing had changed on it in those years. She neared the entrance gate, a large black pad-lock gate. There was a dusting of snow over top of it, and at the top it read "Blackwood Pines". As she neared the gate she saw there was a piece of paper tapped to it.
"The gate's busted, Climb over!" – Stiles
"What?" Lydia said slightly upset. She groaned aloud, "Ugh, dammit." She walked over to the left side of the gate, where the rock wall was. She couldn't even count how many times Stiles and Scott climb this wall just for fun in the past. She decided to go the 'safe' way, instead of the way the boys usually went. It was just like a regular rock-wall course.
When she got to the top, she pulled herself up to her feet on top of the rock wall. Then jumped down and landed on her feet. She brushed her hands on her skirt, shaking some snow off of them. She continued down the path.
Finally, she made it to the cable car station, where she was meeting Stiles. The mountain range towered above her, and every time she came up here, she couldn't help but stop and stare at the sight around her. The mountain range was gorgeous during the day, but night brought something here that she couldn't explain. Every time, though, it always took her breath away.
She stared at the map of the range and scoffed. Someone had written over it in bright red spray paint.
"THE PAST IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL."
"Wow. Graffiti, all the way up here?" She thought to herself. She walked over to the door of the station, "Stiles?..." She said aloud, calling for the boy who was supposed to be here, "Are you here?" She said, she went over to where a couple benches were, and saw Stiles' backpack sitting on one under the light. His phone was sticking out of one of the pockets. "Your bag's here, where are you?" She whispered. She then smiled a bit, and talked a little louder, "You're not in the bag are you?!" She joked.
His phone suddenly lit up, he got a text message. "Hello, what do we have here…" She said. Lydia was always that person who took a quick peek at something, no matter who or what it was. She pulled Stiles' phone out and smirked. "Ah ha. Look who it is." She said. The message was from Malia.
All of a sudden, something touched her shoulder and spun her around, she gasped, but calmed herself when she saw it was only Stiles. "Hey nosey." He said, announcing his presence. Lydia clutched his phone to her chest, calming her breathing down. "Stiles." She gasped out. Stiles was a fun guy, always wanting to make everyone laugh and have a good time. He was a good detective, and always a good friend. He had a crush on Malia. Stiles had spike up short dark brown hair, with eyes equally as dark, yet light at the same time. He had a decoration of moles across his left cheek, a couple above his left eyebrow, and a few here and there on his right cheek, plus Lydia knew there were some across the back of his neck, which trailed down under his shirt collar. He appeared to be fully decked out, wearing a simple white t-shirt, a jean jacket over that, a zip-up jacket over that, and then a large blue winter coat with fur lined in the hood over that. He had black snow pants on, probably over regular jeans, and black combat boots on.
"You scared me." Lydia said. Stiles smirked, then stared at her, "I'm…I'm sorry, are you my secretary?" He asked her, gesturing to his phone which was still in her hands. She held it up, "It…it was buzzing-."
She started. He laughed, and held his hand out, "Cool. Well, thanks for letting me know. I can take it from here. He turned around and checked the message. Turning back, he glanced at her and went over and grabbed his backpack. "Oh! So, I found something kind of amazing." He begun.
"What?"
"I'm not gonna tell you, you gotta see for yourself. Come on. It's this way."
"Where?"
"Right around here," He said, going around the station, "Gonna blow your mind." He said, making a gesture of his head exploding with his hands. Lydia rolled her eyes, but nevertheless followed him around to the back of the station. Something caught her eye, a lone and old poster which was on the wall. She called Stiles back over to her, "Hey, check this out." The sign read it big white letters:
WANTED
Milgram, Victor
Sex: Male
Height: 6'2" (1.88m)
Last Known Address: Blackwood Pines
Last Seen: 03/16/1998
Wanted in connection with a first-degree arson offence, as well as various death threats.
Anyone with information regarding this dangerous criminal should contact the BPMC as soon as possible.
Blackwood Provincial Mounted Constabulary
Police Montée Proviciale de Blackwood
July 1988
"Nice. You think we'll get a visit from America's most wanted?" Stiles joked, turning around and continuing to the back of the station. "Looks like someone thought so…" Lydia said, following him. Stiles stopped in front of a wooden shack looking counter, "Ta dah." He said, sticking his hands out and shaking them, "Pretty rad, right?" He smiled at her. Lydia rolled her eyes, "Yeah! Wow, Stiles." She said, sarcasm evident in her voice. Stiles whined, "Come on! Look at these beauties." Stiles said, pointing out beyond the counter. Lydia sighed, "Uh, 'beauties' is not the word that comes to mind. Why is this even here?" She asked, hands on her hips.
"What do you mean?"
"What the hell is a shooting range doing at the base of a ski lodge?"
"Uh, dude. Have you ever met Scott's dad?" Stiles asked, like it was a normal thing. Stiles picked up the hunting rifle that was holstered there. Lydia looked at Stiles questionably, silently wondering why that was a question, "Uh, yeah?" She said. "He thinks he's like, Grizzly Adams or something. Wanna try?" He explained, then asked.
"Uh, no. You go 'head, Grizzly." Lydia remarked, waving her hand at him.
Stiles
Cable Car Station
9:11 P.M
"Alright," Stiles said, getting ready with the gun, "Here goes." He said. He began shooting the things laid out in front of them. A couple of sand bags, and some plastic cans here and there. He hit every target. Not a lot of people knew about Stiles' ability to shoot a gun. After all his dad was the Sheriff of the town. When he lowered the gun, Lydia stepped forward, "Wow." She said, "Nice shooting." She complemented. Stiles then started to do a ridiculous dance, moving his legs in a shuffle and pumping his arms in and out with the gun, "Alright, I'm bad." He said, "I'm a bad-ass." He smirked. Lydia laughed at him, "I'm gonna go ahead and guess it was a mild case of beginner's luck."
Stiles shook his finger in the air at her, "Nah, I don't think so girl. I'm a pro." He said, confidently. He picked another target, a glass bottle, a bit further back than the rest of everything else. Lydia scoffed, riling him up, "Well, anybody and their brother could shoot a bottle that big, that close." Stiles gave her a look, then lined the gun up again, shooting one more of the sandbags. Lydia, finally, praised him. "Nice shot." She grinned. Stiles, giving her a grin himself, threw his hand in the air like he was telling someone off, "Your ass just got saacked!" He joked.
Lydia shoot her head. She heard the screech of the cable car that had finally graced them with its presence. "Hey, sharp-shooter, our ride is coming." She told Stiles, who was getting ready to line up another shot. He dropped the gun with a short whine, "Oh come on. I was starting to have fun." He said. Lydia started to walk away, "Come on, Stiles. The cable car!" She yelled back at him. "Alright, alright." He said, setting the gun back in its holster and following the strawberry blonde back to the front of the station.
It was silent as they made their journey around the small building, save for the small noises of the forest and the snow crunching beneath their boots. Stiles then spoke up, "Man it is…it's definitely weird coming back up here after a whole year." He said. Lydia agreed, nodding her head, "Yeah. I swear, the moment I got here, it all just came flooding back." She told him. When they reached the front entrance, Lydia attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, "Hey that's weird. Door's locked…" She said, turning around to face Stiles. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah. Scott wanted us to keep it locked, keep people out." He explained. Lydia stared at him, "He said that? What people?" She asked him. Stiles shrugged, but held the key to the door in his hand, "I…I don't know. He said they found people sleeping in the station one time." He explained more. Lydia clicked her tongue, "Creepy." She commented.
Stiles moved forward and unlocked the door, pushing it open and gesturing for Lydia to go first, "After you." He said. Lydia gave him an exaggerated smile, "Always a gentleman." She said. Stiles gave her a cheeky smile before shutting the door behind them and locking it again. Lydia walked toward the railing and stared out at the mountain range, seeing the cable car in the distance. She sighed, "Ugh, I thought the car was closer." Stiles shrugged, coming to stand by her side, "Guess we gotta wait." He said. Lydia leaned forward, "I'm starting to get the appeal of killing time at the shooting range. How long is this gonna take?" She asked.
Stiles turned around and started exploring, "Well, it's a big mountain." He said, and Lydia just responded with a soft, "Yeah…" Inside the small station, Stiles was walking around, looking at all the posters and everything that there was to see, while Lydia talked out loud, "It's so beautiful in the day, but at night it just feels so menacing, like a sleeping giant." While she spoke, Stiles was inspecting one of the old posters which read:
Blackwood Pines
Hotel and Sanatorium
For a healthy body and mind
"What a crazy place to set up house," Stiles said to himself, "No matter how rich you are…" Lydia must've heard him, because she responded with a sarcastic response, "They're not so rich…They only bought a mountain!" She said. Stiles playfully rolled his eyes and continued to look around. He found a small TV which appeared to be like a security tape, flickering in and out of the picture.
He saw a quick look at what appeared to be a large bathtub, then the camera changed to right outside the station. Stiles saw a dark silhouette near the bottom of the screen, "huh?" He said to himself, but then whatever it was disappeared before the whole thing started to cut out. Stiles left just as the cable car pulled up. Lydia started walking toward it, "Finally." She said with relief, "You coming?" She asked him. Stiles faked a yawn, "Well, I was just gonna stay here and catch some Zzzz's, buuuut…. Ok." He said. Lydia entered the car with Stiles right behind her. Stiles took off his backpack and sat down next to her, "Hmm, just like going to the prom." He remarked.
The cable car waited for a few more seconds before closing the doors and heading off back up the mountain, "Here we go!" Lydia said, and Stiles glanced at her, "Right! Adventure begins!"
"Ah, I hope this was the right thing to do." Lydia said, interrupting the short moment of silence. "What do you mean?" Stiles asked. "You know," Lydia began, "Getting everyone together on the anniversary…" She continued, "I mean, Scott seemed really pumped about us all doing something didn't he?" She asked Stiles. Stiles completely agreed with her, "Yeah, no, he definitely did! I haven't seen him so excited about something in… forever."
Lydia found herself nodding, "Good…good." She said. "It's hard to tell with him and I…I've kind of been worried…" She said. Stiles interrupted her, "No, no. It was…It was a good idea." He said. "I hope everybody else feels the same way." Lydia said, pursing her lips. Stiles put a hand on his knee, "We're all here, aren't we?" He rhetorically asked her. Lydia suddenly smiled, over the somber mood. Stiles cut in, "You know what? Let's just… let's just stop talking about what happened and enjoy the trip."
"You know what? You're right." Lydia agreed. After a quick moment of silence, Stiles spoke up again, "Do you know how Scott and I met?" He suddenly asked. Lydia glanced at him, "No…?" She said, drawn out.
"Okay, 4 years old, right?" Stiles begun his story, "Me and Scott didn't even know each other existed. Until one day, during recess at school, Scott was playing by himself in the sandbox. Our teacher, Mrs. Honey, nicest teacher I've probably ever had, she told me to go and see if I could play with him, right? Cause I was alone too." He explained. "So I walk over there, and he completely ignores me. I got so mad at him, that I dropped my pants, and I peed all over his sandcastle. Just like that." Stiles said, smirking, while Lydia looked at him in shock, "You peed on his sandcastle?" She asked him, "Did he get mad?" She asked. Stiles shook his head, "Nah, after I did it, I really thought he was gonna hit me or something, but he busted out laughing." He finished. "And that, my dear friend, is how we met."
"And became friends. To this day."
"A match made in heaven."
"If it weren't for the fact that we happened to both be alone that one day," He blew a raspberry, "I mean, who knows? You could be riding alone in the cable car alone. Right now. Or talking to someone else entirely." Stiles continued his rant.
"Boom: Butterfly effect." He finished.
At the top of the mountain, on a bench outside the top cable car station, sat a girl with blonde hair tied in two pony-tail braids, with brown eyes. She was wearing a lilac winter coat that was zipped up, and regular blue jeans with knee high fur boots. This was Erica. She is Theo's new girlfriend after he dumped Kira. Erica had epilepsy ever since she was little, but after a surgery she had in high school she rarely had them now. She was a confident girl, but she also hid herself behind her popularity.
Erica
Upper Cable Car Station
9:17 P.M.
"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. New people. Time to meet and greet." She said to herself, hearing the cable car make its way to the docking area. She walked over to the door. Something loud banged on the door, and she jumped back and yelped, "Ahh! What the hell?" She yelled. Stiles and Lydia were on the other side of the door,
"Eri! Hey!"
"Erica, over here!"
She walked over to them, "Uh, are you guys having a really weird stroke?" She asked. Stiles rolled his eyes, "We're stuck in this stupid thing." He remarked. Lydia stepped in, "Can you please let us out?" Not saying anything in response, Erica lifted her hand and pressed the green button on the left side of the door. It lit up and the door unlocked.
Once Lydia and Stiles were out, Stiles started being dramatic. Like usually. "Oh. My. God. I thought we were goners. Another ten minutes in there and I would have chew off my own leg." Lydia groaned, "Aw, gross, Stiles." She said. Stiles then got defensive, "Hey I might not be full of meat, but down here, "He said, pointing to his calves, "That's all muscle down there." He said.
Lydia nodded, "Yeah…Riiiight. Uh, huh." She said. All of a sudden, Stiles leaned forward and plucked the note in Erica's hand, "Bwip!" He said, making some noise. "Hey!" Erica said, and Lydia joined in, "Stiles!" Stiles grinned, he gestured to Lydia, "Hey, I'm just doing like Lydia taught me… Other people's private thoughts are my own person playground." He remarked. Lydia crossed her arms, "Do not be a jerk, I didn't even read it." She told him.
"My goodness." Stiles said, looking at the envelope in his hand and holding his free one up in the air. "Seems that someone has a lil' crush on our good friend and dear class president Theo Raeken." He began. Lydia tried to step in, "Stiles-." But he continued anyway, "Aand… what kind of sizzling secrets might our Erica be capable of imagining, I wonder…?" He finished, making a move to open the envelope, but paused when Erica started to speak.
"Theo and Kira split. We're together." She explained. Stiles stared at her, "Whoa. Drama." He said. "Not really," Erica explained, rolling her eyes, "Pretty clear cut, actually. Kira's out, I'm in." She finished. Lydia clicked her tongue, "Huh." She said, throwing a glance at Stiles. Erica walked closer to Stiles who held out the envelope. The blonde girl snatched her letter out of his hands. Stiles rubbed the back of his neck, "Alright alright, let's just get up to the ledge already. Getting tired of all this nature and junk." He said, starting to walk away. Erica faltered, "Uh, you guys go ahead. I'm just gonna wait here for a bit…see who else is coming…" Stiles turned his head, "You mean Theo?" He said, and Erica turned fast, "What?" She coughed, "I mean, you know." She said, "Whoever." She finished lamely.
"Uh huh, Lydia?" Stiles, said, trying to get the strawberry blonde's attention. She was over by the fencing, looking out over the dark mountain and looking at the haunting view. She sighed in awe, "Did you see this view?" She started, "I mean, holy cow. Sometimes I forget to just stop and take it all in."
"Seriously, couldn't they have built the lodge like right where the cable car ends?" Kira whined. Kira was Theo's ex. She had black hair and black eyes. She is the newest member of their little friendship group, having moved to Beacon Hills about 2 years ago now. He father is their History Teacher at school. She also tended to have information stuck up in her head and spewed it out at times. She was resourceful and very intelligent. She had on a grey turtle-neck long sleeve shirt with a fur-lined leather jacket over it, black jeans, and brown mid-calf fur boots on.
"I don't think it would have been, like, as pretty, you know?" Said Boyd, Kira's new boyfriend, who was slightly behind her following. He had shaved hair and brown eyes and dark skin. He had on his Letterman Jacket from school, a long sleeve shirt on under that, and grey sweatpants over regular blue jeans with snow boots on his feet. He was active, like Stiles and Scott, but he actually played football for BHHS, not lacrosse like Stiles and Scott. "And where's a bellboy when you need one!" She complained. Boyd sighed in his head, picking up their bags.
Boyd
McCall Lodge Grounds
9:24 P.M
The two walked down the path, nearing an old bridge. "Brr… Getting' chills." Kira commented, to which Boyd answered, "We're almost there-" He begun, but Kira shook her head, "No, I mean…getting' kinda creeped out." She finished. "Oh. Yeah." Boyd said. Once they got to the bridge, Kira spoke up again, "It's gonna be weird seeing everyone back up here again." She said and Boyd agreed, "Definitely not gonna feel like a regular party. I mean, what do you think-."
He was cut off abruptly, when something suddenly jumped out in front of the two. Both of them screamed, quite loudly, Boyd throwing his hands up ready to protect them if need be. Kira backed away, yelling, and Boyd dropped his hands when they saw who it was.
Theo Raeken.
"Whoa! Dude!" Boyd yelled, just as Kira yelled, "Jesus!" as Theo just laughed like there was no tomorrow. Theo was Kira's ex. He played on the lacrosse team with Stiles and Scott. He was dating Erica now. He was a joker, but not as much as Stiles. He was a good sport, but could also be a jerk, even when he didn't realize it.
"You guys." Theo said, still laughing. He bent over, hands on his knees. He was wearing one of his striped shirts, with a dark blue sleeveless puffer jacket over it, blue jeans, and regular sneakers. One would wonder how he wasn't cold.
"Theodore!" Kira yelled, obviously upset. Theo, ignoring his full name, carried on, "You really, really should have seen your faces right there." He said, making unnecessary gestures with his hands. Boyd rolled his eyes, "Dude, I almost clocked you just now." He said. Theo just grinned, "Nice one." He laughed. Kira crossed her arms, "Theo, you're a jerk." She said. Theo faltered, "Come on – guys. We're all friends here right? No need for violence, just a little harmless fun!" He started, "We're up in the woods! It's spooky! Come on, let's get into the spirit of things!" He finished. Kira glared at him, "The spirit of things? Seriously? What's wrong with you?" Kira sneered.
Theo looked slightly offended, "Just trying to lighten the mood, Ki." He said, "Don't be like that." He said, brushing it off. "Like what?" Kira said, staring at him. Theo sighed, "The way you're being. You always get like this." Theo started. Boyd then decided to come back into the conversation, before this one went any further, "Theo… I'm just gonna lay it out, otherwise this whole weekend's gonna suck ass for everyone." He begun, "Um. This is super awkward and we all know it. Let's just acknowledge it now and move on. Okay?" He finished. "Boyd-." Kira started, but Theo interrupted her, "I hear you, man. I get it. I don't wanna make this weird." He agreed. Boyd nodded, "Cool. So we're good?" He asked. Theo brushed his arms, "All good."
Kira had a hand on her hip, "You guys gonna make out now?" She asked, glaring at both of them. Theo suddenly put on an act of being a prissy girl, "Oh my god totally, we're sooooooo gonna make out!" He mocked. "Uh, no seriously, I'm gonna go check on the cable car back down the trail." He said, rowing his arms and walking between the two, headed back the way they came.
"See ya, man."
"See ya."
"Alright."
"See ya!" Theo finished, throwing his hands in the air and emphasizing the 'ya'. Once Theo was out of sight, Boyd bent down to pick up the bags once more, when Kira spoke up, "Ah, crap." She said. Boyd looked at her, "What?" He asked. "Hey, could you take these the rest of the way?" She asked him. "What, the bags?" He asked, and she nodded, "Yeah…just…all the bags." She slowly confirmed. "Uh, why?" He asked, looking at her. She pointing back behind them, "I need to go find Lydia." She said. Boyd stood there, "Okay…?" He said, not getting it. Kira sighed, "I'm sorry…I just, I really need to go find her. I totally forgot I needed to talk to her before we get all the way up there." She said.
Boyd glanced at her, "This really can't wait, I mean, we're almost there." He said with a small laugh, but she persisted, "It's important. Boyd. Please." She finished. But Boyd persisted too, "Ki, I really don't think you should head back down the trail by yourself…"
"Seriously?"
"It's cold out, and it's getting dark…"
"You're gonna protect me from it being dark out?"
"I'll just leave our stuff here and come with you," Boyd said, setting the bags back down, "No one is gonna steal it."
"Boyd are you kidding me? You can't leave me alone for Five Minutes? You really think that little of me?" She ranted. Boyd put his hands up, "No, that's not what I meant-" He tried. "Why can't you just listen to me? Why do you have to question everything I say?" Kira said, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry! Kira, I'm just trying to be helpful." Boyd said, quick. Kira rolled her eyes, "If you wanna be helpful, then you can help get everything up to the lodge as quickly as you can, okay?"
Boyd sighed, "Um…okay. Fine, whatever you want." He said, defeated. Kira smiled, "Thank you. I'll see you up there after I find Sam." She said, turning around. Boyd walked the other way, "See you in a bit."
"Oh." Malia said, taking her eyes away from the telescope. Malia was the one who was crushing on Stiles. She had short brown hair and brown eyes. She had on a red beanie, a plain t-shirt with a fur-lined jean jacket over it, blue jeans, and brown uggs. There was also a ring on her finger. Malia would be described as forthright. She basically had no filter and spoke her mind when the time was right. She could be fearful at times, but was brave when needed. She was also very inquisitive.
Malia
McCall Lodge Grounds
9:32 P.M
"Whoa… Hello…" Malia whispered to herself, looking back through the telescope and seeing Kira with Theo. "Somebody's getting a little 'friendly'." She said, seeing how Theo stepped closer to Kira, putting his hands on her face. "And not in the 'friend-zone' kind of way." She remarked, when Kira put her hands on Theo's waist. "They might need to check the expiration date on their big breakup…"
She zoomed out on them, and all of a sudden, "AHH!" Someone yelled, popping up in front of the telescope. "God!" Malia yelled, backing away and putting her hand on her chest. It was Boyd, of all people. "Whoa! Sorry there… Sorry about that Mal, I didn't mean to scare you-" He started, trying to think of an excuse. "Holy crap, Boyd." Malia said, slightly angry. "Well, I did mean to scare you, 'sort of', scare you but not like for real scare you…" He said, trying to explain. "Oh my gosh… oh my gosh…" Malia said, moving closer and punching him on the shoulder. He gave a small laugh, "Hey, wow, man. I'm really sorry Mal, damn-"
She brushed him off, "It's okay…it's fine…it's fine." She said. He gestured to the telescope she was looking through, "What are you looking at? See anything juicy with that thing?" He asked. She faltered, trying to think of something to say. Boyd continued, "Let me check it out." Malia sighed in her head, but stepped back anyway, "Uh…sure, go ahead. Knock yourself out. I guess…" Boyd went up to, "Alright." He said, and Malia guessed that he saw Kira and Theo, because he said, "Aw, son of a bitch. Seriously, Kira? What the hell, man?" He said, angry. Malia stepped up, "Hey, listen – it's probably nothing…" She tried, and Boyd looked at her, "Nothing? You think?" He asked incredulously, "Well…yeah…" Malia tried once more, but Boyd wasn't having it, "Is it ever just nothing with Ki? Ever?" He glanced at her. She shook her head, "I don't kno-"
"Goddammit."
"Boyd…" Malia said, calling out for him when he started to walk away from her. She followed after him anyway.
Erica
Upper Cable Car Station
9:41 P.M
Erica sat patiently on the same bench where she was before Stiles and Lydia arrived. After the two had left she was once again by herself, waiting. She grabbed her phone and starting looking at it, when a snowball suddenly collided with the wall behind her, very close to her head, causing her to gasp, "Oh you did not just do that." She said, looking for the culprit. "Oh yeah? And what if I did?" Theo said, walking closer to her and making another snowball. Erica grinned, running over to one of the picnic benches, which got Theo's attention, "Ooh, sneaky, sneaky." He said, throwing the snowball at her, which she expertly dodged.
"Crap," Theo said, bending down and making another one. Erica laughed, "Gotta try harder than that." She sneered. She made a snowball and in a quick movement, hit Theo on his shoulder, "Whoa, ah, hey!" He exclaimed, "Bull's-eye!" Erica yelled. She dodged anther one of Theo's. After a quick round of snowball fighting, Erica yelled, "Okay, no more!" She said with a laugh behind her tone. Theo wasn't having it, "Oh yeah, oh 'more'! You're going down!" He yelled.
He suddenly grabbed her from behind, and she twisted around, facing him, but she also lost her footing, causing them both to fall over into the snow. "Got'cha! It's done!" Theo yelled. "So, did I go down?" Erica questioned. Theo shook his head, "Ah, I don't think so." Erica smirked, "Mhmm… I think you'd know so if I did." Theo nodded, hating to agree with her, "Alright. Alright." He said. Erica's smirk got bigger, "My, my. So are we calling my favor, then?" She questioned.
"You're a worthy opponent, Mrs. Erica the Snowball Queen." Theo said, to which Erica responded, "Okay, that sounds vaguely dirty." She remarked. Theo winked at her, "My lady." Was all he said. Erica leaned up and kissed him, and he kissed her back. When they parted, Erica grinned, "Whoa, save some for later, buddy," She said. "Endless reserves." Theo said, "We should get up to the lodge."
"Yeah, but it's so nice out here though. Pretty breathtaking…"
"I mean, I could stay out her for pretty much… ever… Provided I was, making out with you the whole time." Theo said, the last part under his breath as he stood and helped Erica to her feet. Erica grinned, "Just making out?"
Theo didn't look at her, just put his hands in the air and said, "Quote, unquote."
"Well, I think we might freeze to death somewhere between those quotes." Erica remarked, following Theo down the path.
Dr. Hale stood by the window, hands behind his back as he stared at something. He turned his head, staring, "Hello again." He said, simply, "And how are we feeling?" He asked, making his way over to the desk. He turned on his light and placed both hands on his desk, leaning forward slightly, "It seems we hardly scratched the surface in our last session." He began, sitting down on his chair, "Let's go a little bit deeper this time…" He said.
He pulled a small book out of one of his drawers, "This time… we're going to try and understand the root of your anxiety." He explained. He set the book down in front of the mysterious person, "Now, pick up that book. Turn the pages. You will see a set of pictures and symbols. I want you to identify which image in each set makes you the most anxious." He explained, getting out his pen and clipboard.
The first picture was a man on the left and woman on the right.
"Women worry me."
The next page showed a plane on the left and a crowd of people on the right.
"Crowds scare me."
The next page showed a pair of shoes standing on the edge of a tall building, looking down on the left and a lone hand sticking above water on the right.
"I fear drowning."
Next was a snake on the left and a rat on the right.
"Snakes scare me."
On the next page was a gun on the left and a knife on the right.
"Guns are scary."
The next one had a snake again on the left and a cockroach on the right.
"I fear cockroaches."
Turning the page revealed a clown on the left and a scarecrow on the right.
"Clowns scare me"
The next showed a picture of blood in a puddle and a pile of organs in the blood and on the right showed a crow.
"Gore disgusts me."
Dr. Hale suddenly banged his desk hard, causing the person to look up. "Oh – did I startle you? So sorry… you're doing very well. Don't be nervous." He said. He reached into his desk again and pulled out a metronome, "Try to… speed up a bit. The more you rely on your instincts, the more honest your answers will be, and the more enlightening you will find this experience." He said, flipping the switch to turn it on. The steady beat filled the silence of the room.
Page turn. Cockroaches on left, spiders on right.
"I fear cockroaches."
Page turn. Gore or needles.
"Gore disgusts me."
Page turn. Clowns or Zombies.
"Clowns scare me."
Page turn. Gore or wolves.
"Gore disgusts me."
Page turn. Gore or storms.
"Gore disgusts me."
Dr. Hale stopped the metronome, "This is very interesting." He said, "Thank you, for answering so… diligently." He said, clicking his tongue. He began to name some things, "Cockroaches, clowns, and offal." He said, "That's some combination! Sounds like a good Friday night!" He said, giving off a wheezy laugh. "Ah…" He said, checking his watch, "Well, I'm afraid once again we're out of time… But I promise, we will talk again very soon." He finished.
He stood, placing his clipboard on his desk. He walked back over to the window and crossed his hands behind his back once more