CONTROL ➳ D. HALE [2]

30 ; which stiles do i punch?

30 ➳ WHICH STILES DO I PUNCH?

"Mom? Finally! I've tried calling everyone!" Elise sighed in relief as she held the phone to her ear. Her arm was propped against the open passenger window of the truck, her head resting in her hand.

"Elise? Where have you been?" Melissa responded, her voice somewhat shaky.

"It's... a long story," Elise replied quietly. "I'm on my way home now. Is everyone okay? Did you guys find Stiles?"

"Sort of," Melissa said. "It's a long story on this end, too. Maybe it would be best to wait until you get home to tell you everything."

"That'll just take longer," Elise insisted. She shifted slightly in the uncomfortable truck seat, trying to subtly cover her phone, as to not allow the driver to overhear their conversation. "Please, Mom, I need to know that everyone is alright."

"Yes, Elise, everyone is fine. For the most part at least."

"Mom, what does that mean? Who's hurt?"

Finally, Melissa set into a short account of what had happened while Elise was unconscious. Derek, Noah, and the Argents had found Stiles at the loft, but he'd escaped once the Oni had arrived after sunset. The next morning, seemingly right before Elise had been found by the driver, Lydia had stumbled upon Stiles' body in an empty parking lot.

Peter Hale had helped Lydia and Scott with a ritual to separate Stiles and the Nogitsune. The ritual had ended with the nogitsune being expelled form Stiles, but not in the way they'd expected. There was now a second Stiles on the loose and a chance that he'd kidnapped Lydia.

"Well," Elise said through gritted teeth. She raised a free hand, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Just tell me which Stiles to punch."

"That's the thing. We don't know which one is the real Stiles. One is here with me, but no one has been able to find the other one."

Elise frowned, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "And I thought that this day couldn't get any worse. I'll be home soon and we can sort this out."

Melissa agreed, offering a quiet goodbye before ending the call.

"Well, it seems like you've got a bit of an interesting life, don't cha, little lady?" The man in the driver's seat offered.

Elise grimaced, narrowing her eyes at the stranger. "Don't call me that."

"Right, sorry," he apologized.

Elise frowned slightly but deemed that the man's apology seemed sincere. "But, yeah, I guess you could say that my life has become a bit... complicated."

"Well, you know what they say," the man chuckled. "Truck drivers are great listeners!"

"No one says that."

"Well, they should," he shrugged. Elise turned to survey the man, running her eyes over his features. He had a long ginger beard flecked with grey and wrinkles around his grey eyes from years of smiling. "And it's still a bit of a ride until we get to where you're headed."

Elise sighed, leaning her head back against the aged headrest of the passenger seat. "My friend has just gotten himself into a bit of trouble lately and no one is really sure how to help him get out of it. It seems like every time we try we just make it a little worse."

"If you don't mind me asking, does this troubled friend of yours have anything to do with why I found you on the side of the road?"

"No," Elise breathed. "That was an... internal issue."

"Ah," the man sighed. "I know plenty about those. You'll pull yourself through it, you seem like a tough kid. And I'd bet this pal of yours is, too. Sometimes, you just gotta let people help themselves, ya know?"

Elise nodded slightly, turning her head toward the front window, catching sight of her house. "It's that one there," she instructed, prompting the man to pull onto the side of the road. She cracked open the door of the truck and hopped out, savoring the cool morning air on her skin. Elise turned back to look at the man once more. "Thanks for the ride..."

"Earl's the name."

"Well, thank's, Earl," Elise smiled.

➳

"Elise! There you are," Melissa sighed in relief as her daughter stepped into the house. "Now will you tell me what happened?"

"It's a really long story," Elise frowned. "All I know is that the next time a dead woman appears in front of my car, I am hitting that bitch head on." Melissa offered the girl a skeptical look, clearly hoping for more information.

The younger of the two was grateful when the front door burst open behind her, revealing Scott's silhouette. "Elise? How did you get here? Your car isn't in the drive."

"I got a ride from a truck driver that was either creepy or really socially awkward." Elise shrugged. "I think it was the second option."

"Well, it seems like your night might've been just as eventful as ours," Melissa sighed.

Elise nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly as she shook the memories from her daze out of her mind. She'd been knocked unconscious and had a nightmare. They couldn't have been visions, Elise reminded herself. Perry and Everett were dead, and she'd seen them. That meant that whatever she'd seen, it couldn't have been real.

The brunette shook her head slightly, her eyes widening as she turned to her mother. "Where is he? Where's Stiles?"

➳

I'm so sorry that this chapter was a week late and that in that extra week I didn't manage to make it any better or any longer than it was previously, but I just haven't been feeling great lately (scholarship essays, work, summer assignments, car/money troubles, etc.) But writing really makes me feel better! Speaking of, I've started working on an original story that I hope to send to an actual publisher! I've got the intro down and I sent it to my friend, so now I actually have to do it lmao. I'll keep you updated throughout the whole process. Also, It's my goal to finish this series before I graduate, and considering how short S4 is and that I already have everything planned out, I think that's an obtainable goal!
Words: 1042

Feedback is most appreciated <3