Stiles POV
I wake up, my body completely drenched in sweat with my bed sheets twisted around my legs and my pillows littered across my bedroom floor. Breathing heavily, I wipe the sweat from my forehead and look around my bedroom, glad to see that I was not in that damn hallway anymore. Pushing the bed covers aside I get up and head over to my bedroom door, inching open the door slowly to peer out into the hall. The lights were all off, meaning my dad finally must have gone to sleep. He’s been busy at the station lately, getting little to no sleep, and I don’t want to make his life any more difficult than it already is.
I make my was into the small bathroom and turn on the light. Looking into the large mirror above the sink I see that my face is paler than usual and covered in a fine sheen of sweat and my brown hair is disheveled and greasy. My fingers, still shaking slightly from the dream, twist on the tap for the cold water and I rinse my hands and face trying to clear my head of what had happened. That dream had felt so real; the school, the shadows, the voices. I had not felt fear like that since the end of the school year when facing off Gerard and the kanima. At least this time there was no naked Jackson, thankfully.
After rinsing my face, I towel it dry and retreat back to my bedroom. Lying back down on the bed, I stare up at my ceiling, memorizing the lines of white paint. The swirling white keeps my mind from wandering too far. Sleep would be absolutely futile now.
Selena’s POV
Well this is as good as it’s going to get. Brushing my hands through my long dark hair, I stare into the large mirror above my vanity. My eyes are bloodshot and show traces of dark circles, even after many applications of make-up.
It’s been a long few months for me. Moving in with Gran has really helped, but I still don’t feel like myself. Everything has just been a flurry of activity—not a lot of time for me to figure out how I am feeling.
“Selena, I need your help, dear!” I hear Gran shout from downstairs. Grabbing a hoodie, I scramble out my bedroom door and down the stairs. Walking into the kitchen, I see a disaster zone: ingredients everywhere, pots and pans upturned and on the floor, and the refrigerator door is wide open with my Gran’s bottom sticking out, swaying to the beat of some song she is humming. I can smell a horrid burning scent wafting through the room and notice that there is a little bit of something brown on the kitchen ceiling.
“What do you need Gran?” I say, slightly startling the elderly woman. She closes the fridge door and turns to look at me with her light gray eyes shining and quirky hair in disarray.
“Can you please run to the store and pick up butter! I can’t believe I have none!” She exclaims, running over to the stove to grab a pot that was bubbling over. She continues to mumble incoherently, moving at a dizzying pace around the room.
Laughing to myself, I grab my wallet, keys, and put on my brown boots. “Never fear! There shall be butter!” I laugh, heading to the front door.
One thing about my Gran is that she can always make me laugh, which is exactly what I need in my life. With her eccentric style and flaky attitude, she was a breath of fresh air. I had missed spending time with her the past few years, but never was able to see her. My parents felt that I was better off not knowing my Gran and her “magical mumbo-jumbo” as my father liked to call it. Apparently my Gran used to tell me stories about witches and magic and I would believe they were real. Once my dad found out, after I had screamed fake spells at Anita Williams because she stole my favorite headband in first grade, I didn’t get to spend much time with her anymore.
“Oh and Selena, can you stop across the hall at the Argents and ask for my cake pan? I really could use it dear, and give Mr. Argent my thanks for letting me borrow his mixer!” She shouted after me.
I had not yet met my Gran’s favorite neighbor, Mr. Argent, but apparently she is quite smitten with him. Maybe he reminds her of the good old days, I don’t really know. But I don’t know how much more I can take of her talking about how good his butt looks in his dark wash jeans.
Walking out the door, I turn and close it behind me. I glance over at the door across the hall, dreading having to knock on the door. I know Gran did this just so I would be uncomfortable. Or maybe she wants me to see the infamous bottom for myself.
This past summer I had practically given up all communication with others, with the exception of my Gran. I couldn’t bring myself to make friends or try to put on a smile for others when I felt like I was breaking in half.
I lift my hand and knock swiftly on the door. After a minute, the door opens, revealing a young girl about my age with light brown hair and dark red lips.
“Hi,” I say, tucking my hair behind my ears. “Uhm, I’m Selena, my Gran lives across the hall.” I point back towards my apartment’s door.
“Oh! It’s so nice to finally see you in the flesh! Your Gran has told my dad and me so much about you,” the girl says, smiling at me intensely. “I’m Allison, Allison Argent.”
“Yeah, I’ve been really busy getting ready for the school year and unpacking and whatnot,” I reply, shooting her a small smile. “Uh, well my Gran actually sent me over here because your dad has her cake pan or something?”
“Well he’s not here but I’m sure we can find it. Come on in.” Allison opens the door wider, allowing me to enter their apartment. The entryway to their apartment looked similar to ours: a coat closet and some shoes lined up neatly by the door. After this, however, nothing was even remotely close to looking the same.
Gasping, I take in the Argent’s living room. Where my home looks like it was raided by fortune-tellers, the Argent’s looked like it came straight from a fancy magazine. The rich colors of the furniture and the intricate art pieces on the walls left me in awe.
“What does your family do exactly?” I ask, staring at a particularly fancy-looking weapon on the mantel.
“Uh--, well my dad sells weapons and ammunition to the police and such,” Allison says, coming up to stand next to me at the mantel. “It pays the bills.”
Nodding, I follow Allison as she heads over to the kitchen.
“So you’re going to be a junior at Beacon Hills this year, right?” I hear Allison say as she begins riffling through cabinets. I walk over to a stool at the counter and sit down, watching Allison as she digs through a cabinet near the floor.
“Yeah, go Cyclones,” I say sarcastically, earning a laugh from Allison.
“It’s not too horrible, and if you want, I can show you around and help you find your locker,” she replies, closing the cabinet door and bringing a cake pan to the counter. She places it down in front of me and leans herself against the counter-top.
“That would be great,” I reply, smiling at her kindness.
I grab the pan from the counter and we walk towards the front door. “I have to go to the main office first thing if you want to meet me there?”
“Sounds good! I’m excited for you to meet everyone.” Allison opens the door for me and I step back out into the hallway. “I’ll see you then.”
Allison gives me a small wave and smile before closing the door. I walk back towards my apartment to leave the cake pan. Opening the door, I set the cake pan down in the foyer and swiftly close the door behind me, now excited to take my car for a spin, even if it is only to go to the store.
After taking the elevator and going through the lobby, I walk out of the complex doors and into the fresh California air. It was a drastic change from what I was used to in Chicago. Back home, the air was full of the sounds of car horns and the smell of city life. Here in Beacon Hills, it was quiet and calming.
Getting into my car, a new red hatchback, courtesy of my Gran, I turn it on and begin to drive towards the grocery store. Once I find a parking space, I get out and use my key fob to lock the doors. The parking lot is mostly empty since it’s almost closing time. I begin to walk towards the front doors when I notice that all the lights in the parking lot start to flicker. Cue the horror movie music.
I pause and watch as the lamps continue to flicker on and off. I can feel the hair on my neck standing on end. I turn quickly back towards the store entrance and practically sprint to the doors. I make it into the store swiftly and turn around to look at the parking lot once more. The lights had stopped flickering. Now all we need is some fog and creepy noises and it’ll be like a crappy knock off of Supernatural.
I walk through the aisles, looking for the dairy products. Finally coming upon the correct row, I open the fridge door and grab a tub of butter. As I shut the door, I am met with the sight of a tall woman, standing no more than a foot away from me. The woman turns her head to look at me with smile, her blindingly white teeth the main focus of her face. Her dark skin contrasted strikingly with them and she looked practically lethal.
“Lovely evening, isn’t it?” She asks me, raising her eyebrows a fraction.
“Uh, yes?” I reply, even though I sound like I have no idea what I’m talking about. “Well, have a good one.”
I walk away and head over to the register to pay. Heading out to my car, I make it inside and peel out of the parking lot, racing back home. I make it back through the front door just in time to see the blender shoot some chocolate mixture all over my Gran. Laughing, I walk into the kitchen and put the butter in the refrigerator.
“Oh for goodness sake!” she cries out, her grey hair now covered in chocolate.
“Well, I never thought you could pull off the brunette look so well, Gran,” I say, shooting her a smirk.
“I got your butter and your pan,” I continue, grabbing a towel and wiping off some of the mess on the counters. “I also met Allison from across the hall.”
“That’s lovely dear, I hope you two get to know each other,” Gran begins to say, but gets a faraway look in her eyes. Her hands drop to her sides and as her fingers begin twitching rapidly. “She will be of great importance.”
Wait, what? I look closely at my Gran and see her eyes glazed over and unfocused. “Gran? Gran!” I shout, snapping my fingers in front of her face. She suddenly intakes a heavy breath and looks at me quizzically.
“Oh what was I saying? Anyway, I hope you become great friends,” she smiles softly at me. “You could use some happiness sweetheart.”
She grabs some paper towels from the roll and begins to mop up the mess on the counters and floor.
I slowly nod my head not totally sure about what just happened.
“Well, I’m just going to go upstairs,” I shoot her a cautious glance. “Good night Gran.”
I make my way up the flight of steps to my bedroom shutting the door. Grabbing my pajamas, otherwise known as just a pair of leggings and my dad’s old t-shirt, I head into the bathroom to get ready. I brush my teeth and rinse my face, feeling some of my stress drip away with the cool water. As I am pulling my hair up in a ponytail, I notice out of the corner of my eye that the street lamp outside my window is flickering. Oh for the love of—what is up with the electricity in this town? Walking over to the window, I peek out looking down at the street.
What I see makes me jump back, clutching my chest in fright. A dark figure of what looked like a man was standing beneath the street lamp. I couldn’t see his face but I knew that he was looking right at me. Scrambling back to the window, I peek my head just above the sill to see if he was still out there, but all I see is an empty sidewalk.
Who the hell was that?
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[This chapter has been edited]
Changed a bit in this one! Let me know what you think! Also, new chapters will have roman numerals in the chapter title, just to let you know where I am at in the process!