Disclaimer: Teen wolf does not belong to me in any way, shape or form. Anywayyyyyssss you know me, another story haha I just can't resist. I like exploring these AU/what if type of things, they're so fun. Hope you enjoy :)
'Body found buried in Beacon Hills Preserve'
Those big bold words splayed out across the screen of the diner they were sat in caught his eye as they waited for their deserts.
He glanced up, an invisible fist of fear suddenly clenching his heart, a cold sharp sweat seizing his skin.
Body? Beacon Hills Preserve?
No... surely not. There was no way... right?
The sound of the TV was mainly drowned out from the bustling noises of the kitchen and the customers, the small screen forgotten about behind the till.
He twisted around in the booth, leaning around the leather retro seats as he watched with baited breath as the news reporter, a pretty young woman no older than her mid twenties, held a heavy microphone and spoke into it, a serious frown etched between her brows. She was stood just in front of the police tape which cornered off a large wooded area, people in white protective gear surrounding a patch of ground directly underneath a tree.
"Stiles?" he heard Scott ask in worry, their friends suddenly falling silent, laughs dying in the back of their throats as they focused on him, wondering what had happened to suddenly make him look like the ground had opened up beneath him and swallowed him whole.
He paid no heed, pulling the napkin that was tucked into his shirt from his collar and discarding it to the table, shakily standing as he made his way the short distance to the till counter, squinting up at the small screen.
"Uh... can you... can you turn it up please?" he asked, his voice weak and barely above a whisper, his grip tightening around the edge of the counter top to keep himself stable.
The blonde woman standing behind the till, bored and tight lipped, simply reached for the remote and turned it up a few notches, the reporter's voice becoming more clear.
"-the remains, of what investigators believe to be a young female, have been found buried on private land within Beacon Hills Preserve. No further details have been given as to suspected cause of death, but police are treating it as suspicious"
He couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. What the hell was happening? Was it... was it...
Could it be...
No. Surely not. She wasn't meant to be found.
"For those of you just tuning in, our top news story this evening" the reporter nodded to the camera as it panned out, giving a wider view of the woods, police and investigators surrounding the area, "this afternoon, at approximately 4.30pm, demolition experts working on destroying a house wreckage by arson over seven years ago discovered a shallow grave. It is believed their equipment disturbed the ground, allowing the gruesome discovery to be uncovered"
"The workers alerted police, who got to the scene at approximately 4.55pm, and discovered the decomposing remains of what they believe to be a young female buried in the grave. Police have yet to make a statement, but the working theory is expected to be murder"
Oh god... it was... it was her.
"Beacon Hills has the highest crime rate in Beacon County, and is now creeping up to be the murder capital of the state of California. Just 300 yards to the right-" the reporter pointed her arm out to the side, the camera following her movement and zooming in on the once glorious Hale house, broken down into piles of burnt wood, "-ten members of the same family burned to death seven years ago in one of the worst tragedies of this small towns history. Last year, the now deceased Kate Argent, was found to be responsible for this crime, although her motives have remained unclear"
"Police are working to identify the remains and figure out cause of death. The FBI have also joined in on the case, with the question on everybody's lips being: who is in the grave? Sally Walters. Beacon Stations News"
Stiles hadn't breathed throughout that entire news segment, his lungs screaming out in agony as he begun to get dizzy, his nails scraping along the wooden counter top as he inhaled a shaky breath, biting back the sob that threatened to break free.
It had been nearly two months... two months and he was just starting to try and heal, to do normal things with his friends, and suddenly this happened?
Why couldn't she just get to rest in peace?
He didn't agree with the way they buried her, but at the time he was drowning in grief, unable to think clearly and resist to Derek's plan. Instead, he sat back and watched as they buried her in nothing but a white sheet, in a shallow four foot grave Isaac and Derek had dug.
How fucking sad.
He was teetering on the verge of completely falling apart, the news report flashing to cover another story as he turned around, meeting five pairs of shocked gazes, each one just as surprised and heartbroken as the last.
It was Scott who stood and took the few steps to walk towards him, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"We should go"
He numbly nodded at Scott's words, barely registering what was happening as his best friend begun to lead him from the diner, their friends following, until the news segment returned and cut through the next programme, proclaiming the words 'breaking news' with big bold letters across the screen.
"We return to you with breaking news" the reporter, Sally Walters, said grimly, her figure barely obscuring the flurry of activity behind her at the crime scene.
"At 4.30pm today, human remains were discovered buried in Beacon Hills Preserve by demolition experts. We can now confirm the remains, preliminary identified by a drivers license, are that of local teenager Kayla Hale"
Her name...
Hearing her name always came with great pain. He, himself, hardly able to say it. Losing her too fresh in his mind.
Except now her name was being plastered all over television, and greedy reporters were using it for their next 'big story'. It made him sick.
"Just seven years ago, and not far from the teenagers disposal site, ten members of the same Hale family were murdered in an Arson attack, with only one survivor"
The picture panned past the reporter to the buzz of activity behind her, zooming in on a black van with the back doors open, and two people loading a gurney with a body bag on top.
Disgust welled up in his stomach, the camera only getting a few seconds glimpse of it before the gurney disappeared and the doors shut but it was enough to be burnt into Stiles' brain forever.
He didn't know how, but the news broadcast managed to find a recent picture of Kayla - coincidentally, one that he had taken - and she was smiling at the camera, mid laugh, her eyes free from any worries. Oh, how he yearned to reach out and touch her...
"Due to decomposition, cause of death is difficult to determine at this time, but officials are noting trauma to the trunk of the body, particularly the chest, and will no doubt be keen to speak to Kayla Hale's close friends, family and others in the community that knew her, as she hasn't been reported missing. Unfortunately, another young life lost in this cursed small town. Sally Walters"
"We need to speak to your dad" Scott mumbled in shock, "get this sorted out"
"Oh god" Lydia whispered, "that whole site is a crime scene. Our DNA is all over her, and that place"
"Dammit" Isaac cursed, "we shouldn't have listened to Derek. This is bad"
"We've pretended she's been alive for the past two months" Lydia said tearfully, "there's going to be questions. Investigations. Post mortems. We're screwed"
Everyone looked at him, waiting for him to say something but he was silent, standing still in the diner as he quickly, and all at once, fell apart on the inside.
"Stiles...?" Scott said carefully, reaching out to cup his shoulder, "are you... okay...?"
He know what to say, his gaze slowly glazing over as he begun to feel weak, the edges of his vision beginning to blacken before he pitched forward into complete and never ending darkness.
A/N) Honestly, I love an AU haha I think it's interesting to explore if Kayla never came back, how her "murder" would've been found out and solved, especially because everyone was hiding it and how the pack could get blamed - irs exciting haha so hope you like this new fresh idea and I'll see you soon :)