return • theo raeken [2]

five. radio silence

I sniff around as Malia speaks, "Mine?  I've never been in this Jeep before."

"Neither have I," Scott says.

"Yes, we have," Lydia says.  "We just don't remember it."

"I thought we were done with that," Malia grumbles.  My eyebrows furrow.

"Done with what?" I ask, but they ignore me.

"Uh, yeah, Lydia.  Parrish checked the VIN number.  There's no record of owner," Scott adds onto what Malia had said.

Lydia defends herself, "The Jeep didn't just drive itself here."

Scott stares back at Malia.

"Whose side are you on?" Malia asks incredulously.

Scott glances back forth between the two girls.

He says, "I'm on everyone's side."

"Done with what?" I ask again, louder this time.

"Stiles," Malia answers.  "He's not real.  Trust me."  Lydia sighs and dives back in to the glove compartment.

"Stiles is real.  I believe it," I announce out loud.

Malia growls, "I've lost a lot of people in my life.  It's a long list and I don't feel like adding to it."

I continue, "I don't know how to explain it.  I just feel it in my gut that Stiles is real.  He was here."

I lean back into the seat and stare down at my fingers.  One of my fingers trace the two black rings, Scott's pack symbol I'd gotten tattooed, on the index of my left hand.  I turn to the window beside me and see Tara staring right back at me.

"You might not have to," Lydia says, referencing to what Malia had said.  "Not if we get him back."

Malia takes a piece of paper from Lydia's hands.  Scott takes it next.  I catch two very familiar scents as I lean forward to the passenger seat to look at the paper in Scott's hand.

"This is from '96," Scott states.  "And there's no name."

"But there's an address," Malia tells him and points down at the paper.  "129 Woodbine Lane."

Lydia declares, "I know that address."

"Guys."  Everyone turns to look at me, and Scott's eyes widen as he sees a slight panic in my eyes.  "I caught Liam's scent and-and-" I swallow the nerves, "and Theo's."

They all seem to flinch when I say his name and glance around the Jeep.  I take a deep breath in through my nose.  The smell of Theo's cologne hits my nose more strongly now that I'm looking for it, and I have to grab the side of the Jeep to calm myself down.  I haven't smelled his scent since he's been gone and I wasn't prepared to smell it now.  My eyes shut and I lean my head back, taking it in.  I can feel Theo's presence all around me as if he's holding me in his arms like the one day I'd cried to him about my family.  I can picture him in the passenger seat as we wait for the person who'd been taking the bodies show up.  But why wasn't I in the front seat?  Parrish tosses the Jeep over and causes a fire.  I remember someone coming out of the Animal Clinic and telling us something as I laid in his arms.  He-

"He sat right there!" I jump up, pointing at where Malia was sitting.  My breath seemed to leave my body as a very unclear image of someone sitting in the driver's seat that night enters my mind.  "Me-Me-Me and Theo were watching Josh's body to catch who was taking the bodies.  And I had to sit in the back.  I-I-I-I swear.  He was here."

The three of them glance at each other until all at once they look at me.

"Luna, are you sure?" Scott asks me.