𝕂𝕒𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕡𝕙𝕠𝕓𝕚𝕒 | 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬𝐢 [Teen Wolf] ²

𝕭𝖆𝖙𝖙𝖑𝖊𝖋𝖎𝖊𝖑𝖉

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ　Ｔｗｅｎｔｙ－Ｔｈｒｅｅ】

🀢 🀣 🀥

You know when you're drowning, you don't actually inhale until right before you blackout. It's called voluntary apnea. It's like no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your head's exploding. But then when you finally do let it in, that's when it stops hurting. It's not scary anymore. It's - it's actually kind of peaceful.

Ariel had been walking down the halls of Beacon Hills High, trying to find at least one of her friends. Everything had gotten worse after Matt died, if that was even possible. It seemed like everyone was slowly losing their minds, and Ariel wasn't sure if it was because she was surly crazy or because they just couldn't handle it anymore. Trying to save lives.

A reminder of their mortality.

Scott's got his own problems to deal with. I don't think he's talked to Allison either. But that might be more her choice, you know. Her mom dying hit her pretty hard. But I guess it brought her and her dad closer. Jackson? Jackson hasn't really been himself lately. Actually, the funny thing is, as of right now, Lydia and Ariel are the ones who seem the most normal. Although, I haven't really spoken to Ariel since that night.

Stiles, like the rest of her friends, had taken to isolating himself from the group. Ariel wished he wasn't, though. After the attack, she felt ready to tell him everything. The hallucinations, the night walking, and the drawings she had found shoved under her bed this morning, each with vivid depictions of the kanima. But now, it was Stiles's turn to recuse himself.

The brunette felt hypersensitive to it all. She could feel everyone's fear and anxiety building up as she watched them shy away from everyone around them. Maybe it was because Ariel had already been feeling that way, so it was easier for her to sort her emotions.

I'm fine. Yeah, aside from the not sleeping, the jumpiness, the constant, overwhelming, crushing fear that something terrible's about to happen. It's - it's like it's a panic attack. You know, like I can't even breathe.

Lydia was ironically the most open person she knew at the moment. After they found out about Allison's mother's death, they went to go visit her, but she quickly gave them the cold shoulder. Making Chris Argent the newest sweetheart of the family as he explained that she was taking it hard. Ariel had already tried to reach out to the boys to no avail, so that left her with a lot of time to spend with her sister.

It felt like she was the new girl all over again, with no friends. Just Lydia. Not that she minded, as it gave her the free time she needed to catch up with her sister and finally be open with her.

So if you're drowning, and you're trying to keep your mouth closed until that very last moment, what if you choose to not open your mouth? To not let the water in?