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Chapter 23

"And…" Melissa paused.

Melanie flinched, sucking in a breath as there was another pinch in the middle of her back from the last stitch being pulled. It left an itch like the other stitches did. She rolled her shoulders then stretched her shoulder blades out and pressed them together, arching her back.

"There. That's it," Melissa said, smiling. She set aside her tweezers and surgical scissors on the metal tray beside her then pushed it out of the way.

Melanie hopped up from the hospital bed and ran into the bathroom. The automatic light flipped on. She blinked rapidly, adjusting to the brightness. Turning, she looked at her back. Three thin white slivers crossed over her skin. The longest one measured at the most two feet long. It splayed vertically over her shoulder blade down to her fifth rib over the back of her ribcage. The smallest one crested over her left shoulder by an inch and a half and stopped two inches beneath her armpit on her shoulder blade.

"Nice," she whispered, admiring all of them. The scars were smaller than she thought they'd be. They'd look killer with a nice deep, summer tan. New goal, stop getting injured, she thought to herself.

Melissa stood in the doorway, observing her. Her face was soft, disappointed even.

"We did the best we could."

"No, this is fine. It could look much worse. Plus, I look like I'm into rough kinkery. It'll add to my sex life," Melanie said and winked at her. The cream for the scarring really did do a good job. The width of the wounds could've made larger scars, but now they only seemed like slivers of the moon on her back. The skin wasn't even puckered. It was soft and smooth to the touch.

Melissa laughed, her face contorting with what Melanie imagined to be the worst visuals she'd ever have. Melissa rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"Stop getting yourself into bad situations," she said.

"Tell my friends to stop acting like complete morons," Melanie countered.

She chuckled and nodded, knowing her son was one of those morons. Melanie put her shirt back on, rolling her shoulders some more.

They weren't stupid all the time. Just most of the time. They acted on instinct first and thought second. It's what got all of them into really bad situations.

She left the hospital, fully healed and happy to be able to move her back without worrying that she'd rip a stitch. No more itching that she wasn't allowed to appease. No more prickling that caused her to twitch awkwardly in class. Nothing. Her subtle, Native American tan made the scars have a ghostly glow. Oh well.

"Thank you," Melanie said, her sarcastic demeanor replaced with gratitude.

"Of course," Melissa said, smiling. "You and Isaac should come over for dinner sometime."

"I'll see. There's a lot I don't know about this Darach. The quicker we find out who it is, the faster all of this dies down."

"Be careful, alright? It's easy to forget you're only a teenager," Melissa said.

Melanie noted the concern in her voice. It was sweet of her to be worried, but she was good at taking care of herself. She'd been doing it for a long while. It wasn't up to everybody else's standards. Nearly dying twice did that, but things were about to change.

Melanie's phone buzzed in her pocket. She fished it out. Danny texted her wondering where she was. There was a cross country meet and coach had conned her into going. He said her grade was low and if she wanted to boost it, she'd be his assistant coach at the meet. He said also said that it was because she had a bitchy attitude. She only acted like that because she hoped he would leave her alone. What a backfire, she thought.

"I have to go," Melanie said, looking at the time and darted out the door.

Melissa sighed.

"That girl never stops moving," she mumbled as she cleaned up her area. She tossed the lightly blood touched gauze in the violently red biohazard trash bin.

"Where is she?" Stiles asked, eyeing coach warily.

He was getting more agitated with every second.

"No idea, but coach is going to kill her," Danny said.

Ethan nudged him then nodded towards the bus. Danny followed him and found a seat in the middle. Scott and Stiles got on not long after and sat in the very back. Isaac sat three seats ahead with Aiden. He glanced around estranged as to why nobody was really sitting together.

Coach came on to the bus complaining about lateness. Melanie was behind him. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm here now," she whined. Her head hung back and stared up at the metal ceiling with annoyance. Her shoulders slumped as she sunk into the seat behind the bus driver, her back against the window. Coach took the seat opposite of her after kicking Jared out of it.

Melanie put her messenger bag on her lap and pulled out a book and opened it to her marked page.

The whole ride was relatively quiet until obnoxious beeps echoed through the bus. She peeked up from her book and looked back at Danny who's eyebrows were furrowed with annoyance. His jaw was tightly clenched. She avoided the glance Isaac sent her way.

"Are you going to get that," Ethan asked Danny.

Danny sighed and looked at his phone. He groaned and glared back at Scott and Stiles who hid behind the seat ahead of them. Stiles had sent a dozen texts asking about the Darach.

"It's nothing," Danny grumbled.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

He caught Melanie's stare. She went back to reading after a few seconds.

Stiles looked out the back of the bus. He could see Allison's car through the dusty window.

"Why's nobody else worried about this," he asked.

Scott shrugged, looking out the window at the dry desert. A dreadful feeling sunk in his stomach. Derek told him to go. This cross country meet was a part of that whole normal life that Scott wanted. It was nothing more than a distraction from everything, but Stiles wasn't having it. Neither were Allison and Lydia who followed them. Mr. Harris's body was found two days ago.

Everybody was trying to distract themselves in one way or another. Stiles was trying to solve all of this. Derek and Cora were focusing on the town lines. The alpha pack wouldn't stay gone forever. Melanie had been training with Derek and Cora and stuffing her face in novels when she wasn't. She and Isaac have been growing more distant with each other and arguing constantly when they were around one another. He and Allison on the other hand were doing better. Her worries dissipated.

Something happened after Isaac woke up from the wolfsbane poisoning, something major, but nobody knew what. Deaton told Derek that he hadn't been poisoned, though. It was something else. None of them were talking about it. Danny and the twins were the only ones that seem to be distracted.

Scott looked over at Stiles, but he wasn't there. He'd gotten up and was making his way up the aisle.

"Stilinski, sit down," Coach yelled.

"Coach, I have to go to the bathroom.

Everybody turned in their seats. Coach got up and took a few steps toward him and blew his whistle.

"Coach, it's sixty miles to the next rest stop-"

Screeching whistle. Stiles huffed growing more and more irritated.

"Being cooped up for hours is not good, our bladders aren't exactly—"

More whistle blowing. Melanie smirked, letting out a huff of laughter at watching the exchange. Who says you don't get good entertainment out of bus rides, she thought. Isaac was chuckling too. His head hung, trying to keep it hidden. Scott sunk low into his seat. His eyes focused on the back of the seat in front of him, his cheeks heating up.

The arguing continued for a few more minutes.

"Coach-"

Whistle.

"Can you just-"

Whistle. This one lasted a bit longer than the other ones.

"Let me talk!" Stiles exasperated. His face scrunched angrily.

Coach blew his whistle hard, causing his face to turn a little pink.

"Get back to your seat, Stilinsk!"

"Okay!" Stiles yelled back.

He hung his head, his face scrunched together angrily. He shoved his hands into his pockets angrily and sat back down.

"Dude, seriously?" Scott said, his eyebrows rose.

"Shut up."

"Jared, again," Coach said distastefully. "Carsick. Every time. Why do you even get on the bus?"

Melanie covered her mouth. Her ribs ached she was laughing so hard. It had been a long while since she'd laughed so hard.

"Shut up, Rouxe!" Coach yelled.

She laughed harder laying her head back against the window.

"Jared!"

Melanie's mouth fell open and her eyes widened in disgust. A loud wrenching sound quieted the bus instantly.

"Ew," Melanie said.

She plugged her nose.

"Can we get off now," she asked.

Coach looked back at her with a dangerous glare. She just shrugged. He directed it back at Jared who puked everywhere. In the aisle, on the window. Everywhere near him except himself actually.

The bus stopped at a nearby motel.

"Don't get comfortable," Coach said as everyone filed off the bus.

He got on his cell phone.

"Look at that," Melanie said, seeing Allison's car coming into the lot.

She stood with Danny and Ethan. Allison parked a few spots down from the bus.

"Did the movie suck that bad or did ginger get kicked out with her cynical criticism," Melanie inquired. Her eyebrow quirked.

"Go shove it," Lydia snapped.

Melanie smirked. She shoved her book into her bag. She looked past the bus at the barren horizon. How did a hotel make it out here? The sun was an orangish glow. The ground lit up like a wildfire. It sucked up everything it touched, but didn't burn it to a cinder. The sky held various pinks and purples. A sight like this was common around here, but her eyes were taken with the sight. What she would give to be a bird that could touch it. She let out a soft content sigh.

"Alright, listen up," Coach said, shoving his phone in his pocket. "The meet has been cancelled. We'll be staying here tonight. The bus will be cleaned, and we'll be on the road in the morning. Pick a roommate, no coed and no funny business."

He looked at Allison and Lydia skeptically then went on to count heads. After getting the rooms, he handed out keys. Ethan roomed with Isaac, Allison with Lydia, Stiles with Scott, Aiden with Jared (he kept three feet of distance) and Melanie grinned gleefully at getting the last room key, having a room all to herself.

"No funny business," he repeated.

The sun disappeared behind the horizon.

Lydia looked up at the bright neon letters advertising the sleazy motel. Allison got off the phone with her Dad. He was on his way. There was some bad feeling in his gut he said. Allison brushed it off with an 'I love you'.

"It's just for a night," Allison said, catching the looks on Melanie and Lydia's face.

"A lot can happen in one night," Lydia said. Her voice sounded distant.

"Don't say stuff like that," Melanie said, hitting her in the arm. "Shit happens when you do."

"Ow!" Lydia yelled at her as she left her and Allison.

"Come on, nothing will happen," Allison said, following Melanie's lead.

"No, what I said won't get us killed, but what you just said will." Lydia said, pointing at her. Allison chuckled and shook her head.

Melanie rolled her eyes and walked off toward her room. It was on second the floor. Allison smiled softly at Isaac.

Melanie clenched her jaw tightly. Her stomach hurt like a bitch. I'm just hungry, she thought. It couldn't be anything else. It twisted and cramped even worse. Her period had been a week and a half ago. She let out a breath.

"You okay?"

Scott caught up with her.

"Yeah, my stomach hurts. I think a little food and sleep will help," she replied.

She pressed her fingers against her stomach, just below her belly button. The massaging circles relieved some of the stressful aching.

"This whole distraction might not be working out so well," Melanie said.

Scott looked back.

"It's working out for a few people," he said, looking back at Allison and Isaac who were hugging one another, their fingers intertwined intimately.

"Yay for the few, those bloody, happy few," she groaned.

Scott snorted. They parted ways as she got to her room. She set her bag by the bedside table then fell onto one of the beds after turning on the lights. It was harder than a rock. She could feel a headache forming at the back of her head. Freaking occipital and frontal lobe, I have to stop thinking so much, she thought.

She debated between getting a hot shower and grabbing something from the vending machine outside. A knock on the door broke her thoughts.

"Nobody's here," she called as she walked to the door.

She opened the door. Lydia stood there.

"What do you want," Melanie asked after several awkward moments.

"I'm staying here," she said.

She barged in, shoving Melanie aside.

"No, you're not. Get out," Melanie barked.

"I am. Isaac is staying with Allison and Danny is staying with Ethan," she said.

"This sucks," Melanie said, her face flat and emotionless like death had swept through her suddenly.

She kicked the dresser nearby and sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"Shut up," Lydia breathed, ignoring Melanie's small tantrum.

"Excuse me?" Melanie said sharply.

She spun and froze. Lydia had paled. Her lips quivered. She stared up at the vent in the corner of the room. Her eyes watered. She climbed up onto one of the beds, not taking her eyes from the vent.

"Do you hear that," Lydia asked, her voice quivering. She clenched her fists, trying to stop the shaking.

She crept closer to the vent by climbing up on Melanie's bed and grew more and more terrified. Melanie came up beside her and stared up at the vent. Her eyebrows scrunched together, trying to hear whatever it was she heard. Whatever she was hearing was lost on Melanie. There was no sound coming from the vent. Lydia jumped back, crying out. Her eyes glistened with tears as she held her hand to her mouth.

"What is it?" Melanie asked seriously, helping her off the bed.

"It was next door—" she cried out.

Lydia ran out the door.

"Fucking hell," Melanie grumbled. She ran after ginger.

She heard that Lydia went crazy last year. Maybe she was breaking again. Lydia rattled the door next to theirs. The doorknob didn't budge.

"Hey, what's up?"

Stiles stood at the vending machine, peering at them curiously. His hands gripped its corners. Neither girl answered. Melanie gave him an odd look then shook her head. Lydia twisted the door knob even more frantically than before. She whimpered. Stiles ran up behind them.

"What's going on," he asked. He looked from Lydia to Melanie expectantly.

"Move," Melanie ordered, shoving Lydia aside.

In two hard kicks, the door flew open and bounced against the wall and came back nearly hit them in the face. Stiles reached out from behind and stopped it. Lydia dashed into the dark room. Buckets of paint lay scattered across the room. The furniture was covered over with plastic tarp.

"Nobody's in here," Melanie said. She spun, facing Lydia. "What's going on? What did you hear?"

"I heard it. I'm not crazy," Lydia said, looking past her into the room. "There were two people, a couple. They shot themselves in the head. I heard it!"

Melanie looked around the room again. She shared a look with Stiles. He put an arm around Lydia and comforted her.

"Something is very wrong here," she said. Tears strolled down her cheeks.

Melanie closed the door.

"You just need some sleep. We're all worn out," Melanie said.

A high pitched buzzing sound started abruptly and caused the three of them to freeze. Looking at one another in horror, they looked down to the end of the walkway. It sounded like a power tool, a saw.

"Tell me, you guys heard that too," Lydia breathed.

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