The intoxicating smell of coffee paved the way towards the kitchen. The coffee gurgled as it brewed, dripping velvety dark liquid into the clear pot. Hollis smiled at the sight of it. Her eyes were tired and her face bore the signs of a troubled nights' sleep. She shuffled towards the cabinet where she pulled out her favorite mug and leaned against the counter, waiting for the coffee to be done.
Since the encounter at the school on Wednesday, sleep hadn't come easy for her. Even with school having been closed the day before and today, Hollis spent much of the night tossing and turning. The terror that she had felt had seeped into her skin and refused to let go. What little sleep she did get was filled with nightmares; images that left her gasping for breath. When she was awake, her brain was on autopilot...always thinking. That was why she turned to caffeine, her go-to drug as of late. The previous day, she had consumed more coffee than she had in a week. If her dad noticed, he hadn't said anything although she could feel him watching.
The last few drops of coffee dripped into the liquid. Hollis filled her cup up, mixed in some milk and sugar then went to sit at the island. Her eyes stared down into her hands, which were wrapped around the steaming cup of coffee. The heat burned but she didn't seem to notice. Instead, she lifted the cup to her mouth and took a tentative sip. The taste of caffeine on her tongue was bittersweet, electrifying her senses almost immediately.
"Did you get any sleep?" Grant's voice drifted into the room. He walked towards the pot of freshly brewed coffee before pouring himself a cup. As he drank it, he eyed her cautiously, worry etched onto his face.
"Yeah, I mean, kind of," Hollis answered. She put on a smile, trying to convince him of her answer.
He placed the cup down, his eyes never leaving her.
She averted his gaze, focusing all her attention on the drink before her. Her mind swam with thoughts that ranged from ideas to memories to questions until it rewound to the beginning.
"I know you didn't," Grant started, breaking through her thoughts. "You haven't slept right since Wednesday night."
Hollis wanted to argue that she had slept fine but knew he would be able to see right through it. She sighed audibly before she lifted her eyes to him. "I just have a lot on my mind."
Grant nodded understandingly. He crossed the kitchen and sat down opposite her, waiting for her to talk.
She stared at the faded design on the cup for a few seconds before she spoke. "You said that you know the Hale's well, right?" She asked, trying to pull her thoughts together, to put them into something other than the jumbled mess they currently were in.
"Yeah. I've known them for years," he answered. "After the fire..." he trailed off, his eyes becoming distant as if he was remembering that time. "After I...left," he eyed her, saying the word 'left' as gingerly as possible, "I lost touch with the family. Those who survived, I mean."
Hollis nodded, thinking over his words. It still stung when he brought up his leaving but that was all in the past.
He studied her over his coffee and asked, "Why do you ask?"
"I just.... Do you think Derek could have killed all those people?" She looked at her dad, wondering what he believed.
"Honestly, I don't know," Grant said. He scratched his chin, mulling over her question and his answer. "I knew him when he was just a kid but who knows what he's capable of now. People change." His eyes lost their focus as if remembering something that ought to have been forgotten. A hidden memory stirred behind his eyes, one that was strongly kept at bay. "Under the right circumstances, they can do almost anything," he said in a whisper.
Tilting her head, she narrowed her eyes. His answer unsettled her and she tried to read him, to get a look into what caused the sudden change in him. But she couldn't. Whether there was something there or not, she didn't know. Instead, she brushed it aside and blamed it on the lack of sleep. With another sigh, she nodded. "Yeah, I know all that but...I just want to know what you think."
"I'd like to believe that he's innocent. He was a good kid," he answered.
She didn't look satisfied at his answer, and it must have shown on her face because her dad asked, "What's really going on, Hollis?"
Hollis took a long sip of her coffee, trying to gather her thoughts. Ever since Scott had said that Derek was the killer, that he wanted to kill them all like he had all those other people, her doubts had started. She didn't believe it. Didn't think that he was to blame and didn't understand why Scott would throw him under the bus. At the moment, Hollis had accepted that due to their situation. Her main focus had been on surviving but, ever since they were rescued, she started to question it all.
"I don't think he killed anyone," she replied, watching her dad's reaction.
"Well, the cops seem to think he's guilty."
"Since when?" Hollis asked with a humorless laugh. "Dad, up until Wednesday, everyone thought it was a mountain lion. If they had believed it was a person, Derek, don't you think they would have had evidence to back that up by now?"
"I suppose," Grant said. "But didn't you say he was arrested for the first murder?"
She did remember that. Her hope had deflated at the reminder but then she remembered what the Sheriff had said at the Lacrosse game. "He was let go. There was animal hair on the body so, unless Derek can mysteriously turn into an animal then he's not guilty."
A shadow of an expression crossed Grant's face. But before Hollis could register it, it was gone. Somehow her words made her think of impossible things, theories that strangely made sense. The lack of sleep really affected her mind if she thought that such things were possible. Yet they nagged at her, making it all the more believable. The quick look that had crossed her dad's face made her risk believing it all the more.
"But what if that's it?" Hollis spoke up. She looked at her dad, trying to muster the courage to say those crazy words that were ready to tumble out of her mouth.
"What is?" Grant asked.
"The animal part. I researched all those myths you were telling me about how this town is some sort of beacon and—"
"Hollis, stop," he said but his words were ignored.
"I mean, it sounds crazy but maybe there's some truth to it. It could explain the animal attacks, and it could explain what I saw at the video store."
Grant didn't look impressed when she focused her attention on him. Sighing, he crossed his arms. "I told you those myths for fun. Not for you to start applying them to what's going on in town."
"Yeah, I know but –"
"None of that is true. You're just tired and stressed, Hollis." He could see that his words didn't sit well with her. "Besides, I thought you didn't believe in that stuff," he pointed out, interrupting her.
"I didn't. I don't," Hollis answered adamantly, shaking her head. She took a sip of her coffee, which had cooled down since their conversation started. "But...I don't know. In a weird way, it makes sense. It at least makes it so that Derek's not guilty. That there's another animal or something out there that's behind all this." With a shrug, she brushed a hand through her hair, untangling the knots that had formed.
"Hollis, you know that's nothing but folklore," he told her. "Like you said, that stuff only belongs in fiction. Whether Derek or some other animal are to blame for all this is not up to you to figure out. Let the police handle it."
Resting her head on her hand, she knew that what he said was true. Perhaps all the coffee minus the sleep messed with her mind to the point where she believed anything. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But –"
"No buts," Grant said. He stood up and placed a smile on his face, turning towards the stove. "What do you want for breakfast?"
The remainder of the morning had dragged on with internal questions, theories and other confusing issues that piled onto her over-exhausted mind. Although her theory was beyond ridiculous, Hollis couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. She was a skeptic for all things supernatural. Her dad had been right to point out that she didn't believe in that stuff but, then again, what other explanation could there be for all the crazy, unexplainable things that happened in Beacon Hills? Enough but none that satisfied her.
Her dad's reaction to her theory, however subtle, remained on her thoughts. It seemed as if it jarred a memory for him but he hadn't let it hang in the air for long. He had refused to humor her in her theories, forcing her to drop the subject. But once he left for work, her mind reeled back to those thoughts. Something was off about this town, about everything that happened since the first animal attack. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't let it rest.
Hollis sighed and turned her attention away from the mini-research she had been doing. All it did was confuse her more and make her certain that she was going crazy. Shutting the laptop, she sat in the deafening silence. It unsettled her to be alone with nothing but her thoughts. Not having been able to take the quiet and her active mind, she decided to go out and get some answers, or at least a confirmation that she wasn't insane.
"Stiles!" The Sheriff yelled up the stairs before he turned to face Hollis. "He'll be down in a minute. I think."
Hollis nodded with a smile as her eyes briefly drifted towards the stairs then back towards the Sheriff. "Ok, thanks."
"How are you doing after what happened at the school?" he asked.
"Good," she answered with a silent sigh. "I mean, as good as can be expected."
The Sheriff nodded understandingly. "I can't imagine what you kids went through," he said with a shake of his head. "Anyway," he said, pulling his jacket on as the minutes flew by. "You might as well go up. I need to get going before I'm late so just let him know...."
"I will," she informed him.
The Sheriff gave her one last smile and his eyes briefly went to the stairs before he went towards the door. The door opened and closed with a soft click, leaving Hollis alone.
The seconds seemed to stretch after the Sheriff left. Hollis looked towards the stairs and took them up to the second floor before proceeding towards Stiles' room. Music could be heard from the other side of the door, and she hesitated a moment before she knocked lightly. The music stopped abruptly, and the sound of footsteps sounded before the door swung open.
"What's up..." Stiles trailed off when he caught sight of her.
"Hey. Your dad let me up," Hollis said. "He left, actually. He had to get to work but he said I could come up," she explained.
"Oh, yeah, yeah." He looked behind her then focused his attention on her, still wide-eyed. "That's – that's cool," he stammered.
"Am I interrupting something?" She asked, breaking the awkward silence that followed his words.
"What? No. I'm just surprised to see you," Stiles told her.
"I know I should've called first or something but -"
"No!" He said, surprising them both. "I-I mean, no. I'm surprised but you know, happy. To see you. Like always." He said with a nod and paused. "Uh, did you want to come in?" He asked and opened the door wider.
"Sure," Hollis answered and stepped past him. The room was just as it had been during her last visit but she still looked around. She smiled at the band posters that hung up on the walls as a few of their songs popped into her mind. "How's Scott doing?" She asked, turning to face him.
"He's taking the breakup pretty bad."
Hollis frowned and sighed. "So is Allison." She noticed the look of surprise on his face and continued. "Yeah, I know but breakups suck either way." When he nodded, she continued. "I think she's just freaked out about what happened at the school. I mean, I really can't blame her. It was a crazy night."
"Yeah, it was," Stiles agreed.
"Everyone is, I think," she said then paused. Tilting her head to the side, she thought for a second before she spoke. "Well, Lydia and Jackson are pretending it didn't happen but I guess that's their way of dealing with it. Allison's just trying to make sense of it all and..." she trailed off with a shrug.
"What about you?" Stiles asked. He took a step closer and looked down at her with concern. "You look..."
"Like crap?" Hollis finished then nodded. "I know."
"I was going to say exhausted," he said. "Have you been sleeping?"
"I-yeah," she said. "Kind of. I got a few hours over the last couple days."
"A few hours?" Stiles asked, wide-eyed. "That's not good."
"I know," Hollis said with sigh. "The dreams I have don't exactly help me sleep."
"You mean nightmares?" Stiles asked and frowned when she nodded, the concern growing on his face. "Hollis, you could've called me. To talk." Looking down at her, he placed his hands on her arms. "You know you can always talk to me, right? I mean, if you want. I'm just a phone call away."
Hollis nodded, the sincerity of his words bringing a smile to her face. "Yeah, I do. Thanks." They stood like that for a few seconds, engulfed in silence. Her confusing feelings resurfaced and made the comfortable moment turn to one of awkwardness...at least for her. She stepped back and pulled out of his grasp before she sat down in one of the chairs. "I actually need to talk to you."
Stiles took the other chair and sat down. "Ok, yeah. What's up?"
"My mind just doesn't want to shut off," she started, feeling those thoughts trickle in one by one. They weaved themselves around her mind, much like they had for the last couple days.
"Because of Wednesday?" He asked.
"Because of everything. Going back to the first victim, Laura Hale, or even before that," she said. "Were you able to find anything out about my mom's car? The accident, I mean."
"Oh, uhm, no. There wasn't anything in there about the scratches or anything like that. I looked through the file and..."
"You looked through the file?" Hollis asked, surprised. "I thought you were going to ask your dad to look into it."
"I-I did," Stiles said, nodding. "Yeah."
Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her head. "Did you break into the police files?"
"Not really, no," he said with a shake of his head. "I mean, it's not really breaking in if I used my dad's key...without him knowing."
"Stiles! Are you serious?" Hollis asked with a sigh.
"Well-I...It's not like I stole anything. I read it and then I put it back. So it's not really a crime."
A look of disapproval flitted across her face before she shook her head. "But there wasn't anything in there? About the scratches or an animal?"
"No. Sorry, Hollis," he said, frowning.
"It's ok," she said, although she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Then again, if her theory was right (as crazy as it was), then she doubted it would even be reported.
"Why are you thinking about all of this?" Stiles asked, breaking through her thoughts.
Hollis opened her mouth to reply, unsure of where to start. She knew she could tell him anything, no matter how insane it was but a part of her wasn't sure if she even believed in what she thought. "Honestly? I don't think Derek's guilty. Of anything."
"Hollis, he's –"
"I know I just... Just let me finish, ok?" Hollis pleaded.
He nodded, giving her a reassuring smile and waited for her to continue.
"I didn't see him at the school. I know you guys said you saw him but I didn't. Whatever it was that was chasing us wasn't Derek." She watched his face for a reaction but he just nodded to what she said, listening intently to her words. "I mean we've been down this road before. You guys thought Derek killed Laura but there wasn't any evidence. The cops let him go because of that. I find it hard to believe that everything is pinned on him all of a sudden. All the murders."
"Maybe they'll find new evidence against him," Stiles spoke after a minute, although he didn't sound convinced.
"I doubt it. Besides, how could Scott know all of that before the cops?" Hollis asked. All the thoughts that had been clinging to her mind were slowly pouring out and, even though she sounded unsure and crazy, she felt as if a weight was being lifted from her shoulders. "I don't believe it's Derek. Or a mountain lion."
"What do you think it is?" Stiles asked slowly, almost cautiously.
Hollis paused. Deep down, a scared part of her knew that there was more to her theory than a bunch of insanity. With one last final doubt, she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. Turning it on, she flipped through her pictures before she found the one she was looking for. Hollis placed it down, the image revealing La Bête; the same one that Allison had shown her just a few days ago. She didn't say anything, only pushed the phone towards him and waited.
Stiles remained quiet for a moment, taking in the picture. When he looked up, a flash of uneasiness flashed in his eyes. "What...where did you get this?"
"Allison. She's doing a project on her family for history class. She showed that to Lydia and me at lunch one day, after the whole thing at the video store happened. But...it looks almost exactly like what I saw." Hollis lifted her gaze from the phone to Stiles and watched him for a reaction. "So, I don't think it's a mountain lion. Or Derek."
Stiles briefly glanced at the phone again before he stood up. He paced the room, his footsteps the only sound in the quiet room. When he looked her way, it seemed that there was something he wanted to say but decided against it. Instead, he shook his head and sighed. "That – that's just a picture out of a book, Hollis," he said quietly.
"No, it's not!" Hollis said adamantly with a shake of her head. Standing up, she walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm to stop him from pacing. "You saw the video, Stiles," she said, peering up at him. "You can't tell me that it doesn't look like what was on the video."
He averted her gaze, looking past her as he thought. He looked conflicted, and Hollis could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. She held her breath, hoping he would admit that she was right or at least admit that there was something similar between the two.
"I...It could be anything," he told her, deflating all hope of, well, hope.
"But what about the red eyes?" She asked, not ready to let this drop. Her dad refused to entertain the idea and now the only person who could've believed her didn't. "I've seen those eyes more than once. At the video store, at the preserve, at..." she trailed off as a flicker of a memory flashed in her mind. It was short, just a quick flash but she saw enough to make her certain that it had been real. A pained, almost scared look crossed her face as she looked up at Stiles. "At the accident," she said softly as if afraid to break the memory.
Stiles looked down at her. "That accident?" He asked, concern threading the words.
Hollis nodded. "Yeah. I-I don't remember much but..."
"Did it cause the accident?" He asked.
"I don't know. I don't think so," Hollis said with a shrug. "I just remember hearing the nails, claws, whatever on the side of the car and then seeing those eyes." She looked up at him but couldn't determine if he believed her or if he thought she was crazy. The fact that he had seen the video, that he admitted that it could be something more than a mountain lion allowed for a trickle of hope to fill her again. She wished that he would just tell her what he knew, if he knew anything at all. "Look, I know I sound crazy. But I also know what I saw. I just need to know that –"
"I believe you," Stiles said, giving her a reassuring smile.
A smile tugged at her lips at hearing those words. "Really?"
"Yeah," he said gravely. "I mean, I'd never lie to you. I don't really know if it's Derek or a mountain lion or a bear but...if you think it's something else, then I believe you."
Hollis relaxed visibly. The crazy theory of hers was out there, regardless of whether it was real or not. She knew there was some other explanation for it all but whether that was connected to the supernatural, she wasn't too sure. Yes, she had thought it, dwelled on it for the last few days (possibly weeks) but thinking it and believing it were two very different things. However, having told someone lifted the weight off of her shoulders. The fact that Stiles believed her also helped a great deal.
She didn't know what to say, other than a grateful 'thank you'. A few moments passed before Stiles suggested they watch a movie. Hollis agreed, more than ready to focus her exhausted mind on something other than a town full of weird occurrences. Even though she had brought up the topic, she was glad to leave it behind.
Minutes later, they made it into the living room and sat down on the couch. The TV came to life, sound filling the otherwise quiet room.
"What do you want to watch?" Stiles asked.
Hollis shrugged, unable to name anything. Her mind blanked, much like it did when put on the spot in class or when asked what her favorite song was. "I don't know. Anything, I guess," she told him before she added, "Just nothing scary. My minds already on freak-out mode."
Stiles grinned, nodding. "Alright," he said with a laugh.
It took a few minutes, but they decided on a movie. As it started to play, Hollis stared at the screen as if transfixed. It was an old movie, one she had seen several times but didn't mind repeating it. With her mind as jumbled as it was, she was happy not to watch anything new.
She tore her eyes from the screen, focusing her attention on Stiles. "Hey," she said quietly and placed her hand on his to get his attention. "Thanks. For believing me and not thinking I'm insane."
Stiles nodded. "Yeah, of course," he said, a smile spreading across his face.
Hollis returned the smile then looked back at the movie. The lines and scenes were almost memorized, which made the movie comforting rather than just predictable. As the minutes ticked by and the scenes passed, exhaustion started to seep back in. She felt her eyes growing heavy and, although she fought to stay awake, the need to close her eyes won in the end. When her mind started to drift away, Hollis welcomed the much-needed sleep.
She didn't know how long she had been out but, when she came to, she could hear the low sound of the television. The grogginess she felt from her much-needed nap made her want to keep her eyes closed and return to the dreamless sleep from before. But as her mind started to awaken, the memories of the day returned and she remembered where she was. Opening her eyes, Hollis blinked back the blurriness until her vision cleared. She stirred but realized that something pinned her down.
"Hey," a soft voice said, causing her to raise her head.
It was then that she realized the voice belonged to Stiles and that his arm was around her, holding her to his side.
"You awake?" He asked just as quietly but she could hear the smile in his voice.
"Uhm, yeah," Hollis answered, embarrassed. She moved some more, managing to sit up as his arm released its hold on her. "Sorry," she said with a sheepish smile, looking over at him. "For falling asleep...on you." She brushed her fingers through her hair, untangling some of the knots. "You should've woken me up."
"Why?" He asked. "I mean, you were exhausted and in need of sleep," he explained with a nod. "Besides," he added sheepishly, "I kind of fell asleep, too. Woke up a few minutes before you did."
Hollis looked at him with a bemused look before she laughed. "So much for watching a movie," she stated. "What time is it?"
Stiles looked around, his eyes resting on the clock. "Uh, it's around six," he answered.
Her eyes grew wide and she stood up abruptly. "Crap," she said with a sigh, reaching for her phone. The little screen lit up, exposing the many texts and missed calls from her dad. "Sorry to sleep and run but I need to go. My dad was at work when I left, and he doesn't really know that I left. I honestly thought I'd be back before he got home but, you know, I fell asleep."
He nodded understandingly as he stood up. "Yeah, that's fine," he told her. "Think he's mad?" He asked, nodding towards her phone.
Hollis looked down at the phone, the missed calls staring her in the face. "definitely," she answered. "He's been watching me like a hawk since the whole thing on Wednesday, and I'm pretty sure he'll send a search party if I don't get home soon."
Stiles chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised," he said. "Text me when you get home."
"Ali?" Hollis asked as she looked at her expectantly. It was Saturday afternoon, and she sat in Allison's room. Her dad hadn't been too eager to let her leave the house, especially after she had left the previous day without so much as a word to him. It had taken some time, some prodding, but he had relented eventually.
Allison shook her head and turned her attention towards Hollis, a sheepish smile on her face. "Sorry," she said with a sigh. "I'm just...distracted, I guess."
"Don't worry about it," she told her gently, knowing just what was preoccupying her mind. "Did you talk to him at all?"
She shook her head with a sigh. "He called but, no. I can't talk to him. Not after he locked us in that room," Allison answered.
Hollis shifted on the bed. "I don't think he did it to hurt us, Ali." She saw the skeptical yet hopeful look on her face and continued to speak. "I mean, think about it. The whole time he was trying to do everything to keep us safe. He risked his life to get the key –"
"Which he used to lock us in," Allison interrupted.
"True but he was the one out there with whoever," she had almost said whatever, "was out there. Trying to kill us. In a way, we were kind of safe in that room, while Scott was out there unarmed."
Allison nodded slowly, the look of utter confusion growing on her face. She ran a hand through her hair and shrugged as her eyes lingered on the window. "I don't know, Hollis. I want to believe that what Scott did was to help us but...I'm so confused." She stayed quiet, lost in thought. "I can't help but think that maybe Jackson was right."
"Ali, please don't believe him," Hollis said and shook her head. "He's not right. Scott was just as freaked out as we were."
"I guess," Allison answered with a shrug. She stayed quiet for a second before resting her gaze on Hollis. She opened her mouth to speak but shut it as if she changed her mind. After a few seconds passed, she spoke. "Do you ever get the feeling that Scott knows something but isn't telling us? It just feels like him and Stiles are just, I don't know, keeping all these secrets."
She did get that feeling. A lot. It frustrated her beyond belief, especially when it felt like she only got a fraction of the story. There was clearly more to it but she couldn't even fathom what it could be. Hollis had confronted Stiles about it a couple times, to which he replied that he couldn't tell her. That it was complicated. But, the truth was, he had promised not to lie and she had promised not to force him to talk. It drove her crazy but that was their agreement. Rather than tell Allison that, Hollis simply shrugged. She didn't want to worry her anymore than she already was or add to the multitude of questions. "I don't think they're hiding anything. I wouldn't worry too much about it," she told her, giving her a reassuring smile for both their sakes.
Allison stayed quiet and nodded a few seconds later as if she accepted what Hollis had told her. Slowly, her lips stretched into an amused smile. "Can you believe Stiles punched Jackson?"
Her mind flashed to that moment and she laughed. "Right? That was – I didn't see that coming. I know Jackson was being a jerk but..."
"Are you kidding?" Allison asked. "He punched him for you."
"What? No, he didn't," Hollis said, shaking her head. "He did it because –"
"Because Jackson pushed you," Allison finished. She tilted her head, disbelief written on her face. "Oh, come on, Hollis. You're so blind."
Hollis opened her mouth to respond but shut it, not knowing how to respond to that. She tried to suppress the smile that tugged at her lips but failed. "Anyway," she said in an attempt to change topics.
"We're not done talking about this," Allison interrupted, a smile of her own grazing her face. "Seriously, Hollis, when are you going to tell him?"
She shrugged in her response. "Soon. I swear," she said once she noticed the unbelieving look on Allison's face. "I was going to on Wednesday but then that whole thing happened at the school and it didn't seem like the right time." She fidgeted with her necklace for a few seconds, tangling the delicate silver. "What's going on with you and Jackson lately? You two seem...friendly."
"We're just friends," Allison answered. "It's nothing like that but he apologized for being such a jerk all the time, and I don't know."
"Well, just be careful, Ali," she said, giving her a quick smile. "I think he means well but it's Jackson. At the end of the day, he's out for himself."
"I will," Allison told her with a nod. Her eyes flitted to the bedspread, where her eyes locked on something. Tilting her head and squinted her eyes. "You're still talking with Carter?" She asked, looking over at her then nodding towards Hollis's phone, which lay just out of reach.
Hollis looked towards it just as the screen turned black. "Oh, uhm, kind of. He said he wants to be friends," she answered sheepishly. She caught sight of Allison's disapproving look and nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, I know."
"Be careful, too, ok?" Allison said gently as the look of disapproval turned to one of concern.