𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥 | 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐢

chapter 30

Scott exhales sharply, dragging a hand down his face, "We've already gone through this. If the answer was here, we would've found it."

I shake my head, not looking up, "No... the whispers told Lydia to find this journal, right? We had to have missed something."

"Or maybe..." Liam was hesitant as he spoke, "It's just not in there."

My head snaps up so fast it's a wonder I didn't break my own neck. I grab the journal from Lydia, slamming it shut with a resounding thud, "So what? Huh? We just give up? Call it a night? Maybe throw in a pizza while we're at it?"

Scott steps forward, holding up a hand, "No one is giving up, Stiles, but we need a real plan," his voice was calm, but firm as he spoke to me.

I open my mouth, struggling to find the right words, "She is the plan," my voice cracks slightly as I turn my eyes away from him.

Malia shifts uncomfortably with her arms crossed, "Stiles," she says my name like it's a warning, but also softer than usual. Like maybe she understands.

I shake my head again, running a hand through my hair with my breaths coming out too fast, "We're wasting time," my voice is barely above a whisper, despereate, "She doesn't have time."

"Then stop wasting yours," Derek cuts in, watching me carefully.

I felt Lydia slide the journal away from my fingers before I spoke, "I'm not the one who waited two weeks to get up and do something," I shot a glare at Scott.

He grimaced, like my words impacted him physically, "Stiles–"

"No, it's true. You all sat around and did nothing for two weeks. Now, we might not even be able to save her," my body started to heat up from my anger, "Two weeks–"

"I get it!" The veins in Scott's neck bulge as he balled his fists up at his sides, "I know I should've done more, but to be honest Stiles, this hurts me just as much as it hurts you."

"Really? Really?"

Lydia's hand on my shoulder snapped me out of my frustration, "Look," she says quiety.

The anger in the air disappears instantly as our eyes all shift to that pages in front of her. They looked like pages we've all seen before, but something feels very off. Lydia's fingers hover over a page and the ink ripples again. Like a drop of water disturbing the surface of a still pond. Her breath catches in her through and she jerks her hand back.

"Okay... that's new," she breathes out looking around at us.

"What is it?" Scott was alert immediately now, looking at Lydia intently.

Lydia doesn't answer right away. Instead, her fingers twitch at her sides as she stares down at the journal, searching for some sort of answer. I've seen a lot of supernatural phenomena over the years, but books don't usually fight back.

The edge of my frustration dulls as I pull the journal from in front of Lydia before anyone can react. I stare flipping through the pages wildly, my hands moving too fast and my breath coming out uneven.

As I flipped through, pages start disappearing, words start rearranging themselves, "No. Nope. That's not normal. That is definitely new."

Scott leans in, his expression darkening, "It's reacting to something."

"Not something," Lydia's voice was so quiet I'm surprised I heard her. I turn my head to meet her gaze, her eyes are wide, "Someone."

Derek steps closer now, "Rowan."

The weight of her name settles over all of us. It's not just some journal, it's her. It's Rowan. She's still tied to this, some way, some how. And if she's still tied to this... maybe she's tied to us too.