Gather The Ashes || Stilinski || Book Three

Forty-Seven

Pulling out the key card, Stiles clutched it in his hand. Disgust flitted through him when he noticed his younger self beaming back in his direction.

Stiles closed his eyes, blinking back tears as his grip tightened. The card bent from the sheer force before slipping through his fingers. It fell into the trash bin beside him and he swallowed hard.

It should've been a weight lifted, a reason to prove the lie he told his dad. But now he only felt worse.

Stiles caught sight of a bathroom sign and he found his feet walking towards it. He burst through the door, instantly locking it behind him. Letting out a sigh, Stiles slid down to the ground and pulled his knees to his chest.

He could feel his heart pounding and his breath hitched.

Not here, he thought. Not now.

Stiles hurriedly pulled out his phone and kept pressing on the screen. His fingers trembled as he waited impatiently, deeply inhaling so his chest wouldn't tighten.

"Hey, you," Sierra's face appeared in front of him, making his tense shoulders relax. She wore a seat belt and from the way she kept looking upwards, Stiles knew she was driving. "Give me one sec, bub, I'm about to pull into Scott's driveway."

"Why, um," Stiles struggled to speak. "Why did you leave, uh, Scott's?"

"I needed to take Corey home," she explained, unaware that he was on the brink of another panic attack. "He helped us discover another possible location for Liam and Hayden. Theo went to check it out."

Stiles nodded and a moment passed before she said, "Okay, I'm parked. I can talk safely now." Her picture shifted as she picked up her phone from where it had been propped. "What's up?"

"Can you, um, do that thing that you do?" Stiles asked, leaning his back against the door.

Sierra looked at him, confused, but her face broke out into a smile. "What thing?"

Stiles sighed at the sight, feeling his body start to wind down. "Thank you. That's...that's all I needed."

"Okay," Sierra dragged out the word, forcing a chuckle. His odd behavior concerned her, but she let is slide. Then she squinted at him, her head tilting. "Wait, where are you?"

"Still at the hospital," he answered, running a hand through his hair. "I tried to get my dad to back off with the whole patrol guarding the body but he wouldn't listen."

Sierra pursed her lips with a nod. "Makes sense. After all, you got your stubbornness from him."

"You think he would trust me when it came to this stuff," Stiles commented. "I know he has a certain way of conducting investigations. But it's like he forgot that the supernatural world doesn't adhere to the city's laws. You know? Like the whole incident with Kira? He never should have called it in."

"He's just doing what he thinks is right," Sierra told him, her smile softening. "That's why you're there, Stiles. To help guide him in the right direction."

"How do I guide someone who won't let me help?"

"You've just got to be patient. Everything will work out eventually," she advised.

Stiles nodded, "Yeah, I know." A thought dawned on him and he added, "Are you feeling better from earlier? I know everything with Corey and Scott was kind of intense."

"Honestly, I am," Sierra replied to him. "I just keep reminding myself that we're in a do-or-die situation right now. If we were all smiling and happy all the time, then I'd be more concerned."