The art of getting better

Chapter seven

'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me,

And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I can be,

Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet,

And you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street.

The man who can't be moved – The script

Lydia stormed into the room, her hand bag hanging from her bent elbow. "Sorry I'm late." She whispered with an apologetic glance in her husband's direction.

"Good morning Mrs. Stilinski." The light-haired teen greeted her. He was sat on a chair in front of Stiles's desk, hands clasped and messy hair. His eyes were screaming for help and his smile looked grateful to have a known face in front of him.

Kids had always liked Lydia.

"Hey." Stiles didn't seem surprised to see her, even if his voice was uncomfortable with the whole situation. She shouldn't have been there, and she knew it. But it was Jane they were talking about, she had to know.

"Keep going." The sheriff nodded towards the guy, who quickly started talking while Lydia was taking a chair to sit beside the man.

"I was... well, describing Jane." The junior explained to the teacher. "She's an amazing girl. Not the type guys stop to check out, but beautiful enough to have a few... suitors. She's around 5.6, not exactly skinny, but you can't define her chubby. Long wavy brown hair and brown eyes. Light brown, like caramel. Oh, and she has freckles on her nose and some on her arms too. I have a few pictures if you need them."

"They might come in hand, thank you." The woman Lydia had met just a few days earlier took the envelope the boy was holding. He looked unwilling to give them away and glanced at the blonde with suspect.

"Give them to Caleb, please. He'll check videos made by cameras in the area. If we're lucky we'll find her before leaving town, that would make tracking her a lot easier."

The girl nodded in her perfectly-ironed uniform. "Sure, sir." She replied before exiting the office.

"So you were saying-"

"She's missing." Stiles and Austin said at the same time.

The man looked at the guy in confusion.

"Jane. She's missing, right? That's why you wanted to talk to me."

Silence.

"Oh God. God, God why? Please tell me this is a joke. I mean it has to be a joke. She- she'd never do that. She has a family, friends, school... she has... me." Pain was scratching his throat like sandpaper, his voice rough and broken.

"Austin. Listen." It was Lydia talking, she had a reassuring smile lifting the corners of her lips. "You have to calm down, alright? Everything's gonna be okay. But we need your help."

The guy nodded hysterically with tears rolling down his cheeks.

The woman put a hand on the kid's shoulder. "We'll find her, okay? The man who's sitting in front of you isn't just a good man. He's a good sheriff too. A brilliant sheriff actually, and he'll help you."

She side-glanced at Stiles, who was shifting nervously on his chair, flattered at the redhead's compliment, but suspicious at the same time. She wasn't one for compliments and he knew it.

"When was it last time you saw her?" Stiles cleared his throat before asking.

"I told you. She was ill, so I brought her some snacks and we watched a movie. She seemed... fine. A bit tired, but fine. We watched Now you see me, we always watch that when she isn't feeling good. She really likes it and when credits started rolling she was a lot better. She even asked me to go for a walk. She doesn't live far away from the woods and we often hang out there. She really likes walking, she says it makes her feel free."