WHY DID SUMMER ALWAYS GO BY SO FAST?
The best three months of the year seemed to fly by, filled with the most relaxing and fun activities. Enjoying the last break before senior year, Stiles spent every moment he could with his best friends.
When the county fair opened, Stiles urged Scott to help him be one of first people to buy tickets. He recalled the exhilarating feeling of riding the Scrambler, Sierra's squeals filling the air as she held onto his bicep tightly.
Or when Malia discovered cotton candy, causing her to go on a sugar high and pull everyone to multiple gaming booths in excitement.
Then there was Lydia surprising them all at the ring toss, not missing even once, while Scott won Kira a small stuffed bear from the High Striker.
His favorite moment of all though, had to be when Sierra dragged him over to the line in the Ferris Wheel. It seemed perfect; the sun setting just as they made it to the top. The beautiful colors and lighting made Sierra start to take goofy pictures with him, before he finally kissed her right as she snapped another.
Then, there was the night where a local business sponsored a Disney drive-in movie for a homeless shelter. Opening up the back of the Jeep and collapsing the seats allowed him to throw a mix of blankets and pillows for him and Sierra to rest on.
Snuggled up to his side, Sierra lazily tossed her arm over his stomach and laid her head on his shoulder while the opening credits to Up played. He remembered rubbing her back unconsciously, fiddling with her fingers and thinking there wasn't another place he'd rather be.
The fun nights began due to Scott and Sierra working during the day; Scott staying with Deaton at the animal clinic while Sierra applied for a job at the ice cream parlor downtown. Owned by a sweet, elderly couple, Sierra adored showing up to the store everyday. And her heart ached when she learned about who they really were.
Mr. Joe and Mrs. Edith Jackson loved having Sierra work with them; said she reminded them of their teenage granddaughter who passed away.
Stiles remembered the night Sierra came over with tear-stained cheeks, telling him she had broke down in the driveway as soon as she pulled in. A girl their age, who went to their school and had beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes, succumbed to the wounds of an animal attack.
Erica Reyes.
Knowing this information, Sierra wanted to work more for the couple and only took Sundays and Mondays off. Stiles understood; after all, Erica and Sierra had been good friends. That's why he started showing up on her lunch breaks, bringing food and spending the free time simply talking on one of the benches outside.
Sierra also wanted to work to save up for a car, and every shift plus the tip jar brought her closer and closer. Joe was very generous in offering her more than minimum wage, but she wanted to prove herself and earn it by showing up early and closing the store at night.
Stiles pulled into the parking lot of the Frozen Spoon towards the end of her shift, the bell ringing once he pushed open the door.
"I'll be with you in one moment!" A familiar voice called out.
Stiles grinned as his eyes landed on Sierra, whose back faced him while she finished making what looked like a chocolate sundae.
Absolutely stunning, he thought to himself, his grin widening from watching her work. Her dirty-blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, a black cap with the store's logo kept loose strands from falling into her face. A matching black shirt covered her torso and was neatly tucked into a pair of her favorite, light jean capris. And of course, the promise ring he gifted to her rested perfectly over her heart.
"And here you go!" Sierra smiled kindly as she faced the counter, holding the sundae in her hands. She didn't notice Stiles at first, focused on handing the treat over to an excited little girl, who practically bounced in joy.
"How much will it be?" The girl's mother asked, holding a small cup of coffee ice cream.
Sierra shook her head and held up her hand. "On the house today," she informed them, Stiles seeing her blue eyes twinkle. "It was great talking with you all." Her gaze drifted down to the six year-old and she stated, "And it was great seeing you, Allie. I hope you have a fantastic first day of school tomorrow!"
"Oh, thank you so much, Sierra," the mom smiled gratefully. "We've loved coming in here and seeing you. Enjoy your senior year, darling, it goes by in the blink of an eye!"
"I certainly will," Sierra promised with a laugh, waving to them as they headed for the door. "Have a nice day!"
"You too, dear!"
Sierra let out a content sigh, resting her hands on the counter. She really loved her job.
"So," a sudden voice made her jump, and she glanced over to see Stiles cheekily grinning at her with his hands in his pockets. "What do I have to do to get mine on the house?" He asked, stepping up to the counter and copying her stance.
"Don't we have to go meet Scott?" Sierra tilted her head knowingly.
"Yeah, but I'm not gonna starve," Stiles replied, and leaned forward to peck her nose. "Are you ready to go?"
"I just have clean the counter and grab my things from the back," she answered with a shrug. "Ms. Edith is in her office, so I'll let her know I'm heading out. I can meet you outside."
"But then who is going to help you clean up?" He countered, raising his eyebrows. "Pass me a rag, string bean!"
Sierra immediately shook her head to disagree. "Absolutely not; you already helped me close up yesterday by wiping down the tables. You don't need to, I swear, I can do it."
"Sierra—"
Sierra cut him off by placing her finger over his mouth, smiling at him in assurance. "Don't even start," she playfully narrowed her eyes, warning him. "Give me ten minutes and I'll meet you at one of the picnic tables. Okay?"
Stiles dramatically sighed, but nodded his head. "Fine, I'll go outside."
"Awe, that's my bub," Sierra teased, Stiles unable to hide the smile that spread across his face. She gently tapped his cheek before turning away, heading to the other side of the parlor to grab the cleaning supplies.
Knowing her back was facing him, Stiles carefully snuck some of the cash from his pocket into her tip jar. "Ten minutes!" He called to her, backing away towards the door. He finally left when he heard her hum in response, and headed to the picnic bench.
Every time he visited her on break, Sierra insisted that they went outside. "We're going to be stuck in snuffy classrooms soon," she always told him. "We need the fresh air."
And he secretly loved it. There was just something about seeing Sierra so relaxed, taking deep breaths between her giggles and the sun-kissed freckles sitting her nose made him fall in love with her all over again. He felt like the luckiest guy in the world, being the one she kissed and hugged so tightly.
Knowing there was a time where Stiles just wanted to be friends with her made him laugh. If only Stiles had been able to tell his past self how much more joyful he'd be with Sierra at his side...the fifteen year-old wouldn't have believed it. He couldn't imagine a world without her, and he didn't want to.
Thoughts of college and separation consumed him, like they had done the past few weeks. His fear made him want to go out with his friends more and not leave Beacon Hills after graduation. And the picture of living so far away from the girl he wanted to eventually marry....
Stiles let out a sigh, fiddling with the ring around his neck to distract himself. He hated bringing himself down with thoughts of the future; he wanted to focus on the present. That's what Sierra advised him anyways.
He jumped then, startled as arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind, the left hand holding out his favorite Oreo ice cream in a cup. Familiar lips pressed against his cheek, causing a wide smile to split his mouth apart. "Awe, what's this for?"
Sierra chuckled, squeezing him tighter for a moment before she asked, "You really think I didn't notice you slipping a twenty into the tip jar?"
"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about," Stiles feigned innocence. He accepted the ice cream as Sierra rolled her eyes.
"Mhm, sure."
She unwound herself from him and moved to sit on the other side of the table. "Edith heard your voice earlier and told me to tell you hello," she commented to make conversation. "She wouldn't let me stay and help her clean though."
Stiles took a bite of his ice cream and asked, "Why not?"
"Said that we start senior year tomorrow and didn't want to wear me out," Sierra replied with a smile, folding her arms on the table. "Even though I reminded her I'd only be working Wednesday's, she insisted."
"That was nice of her."
"Yeah," Sierra agreed with a small, relaxed sigh. "It was."
Stiles mixed his ice cream together with the plastic spoon, softening it before he scooped some up. He held it out to Sierra and said, "Open."
Sierra happily obliged, leaning forward to lick the ice cream. "It tastes weird without the peanut butter," she stated, her nose scrunching slightly. "How do you eat it like that?"
Stiles stifled a laugh, finishing what was left on the spoon before he answered. "String bean, you are one of the only people I know who loves mixing peanut butter and Oreos. I'm eating it the normal way."
"Believe what you want to believe," Sierra waved him off with her hand, making him chuckle. "You're the one spoiling your dinner."
"It is not illegal to enjoy dessert before dinner," Stiles pointed out, feeding her another bite. "My dad may scold me about it, but he can't stop it. And okay, Ms. Smarty Pants, you're eating it too."
"If you didn't put money in the tip jar then I am not eating the ice cream," Sierra shrugged her shoulders, teasing him.
"You know, you gotta little bit of Oreo on ya," Stiles motioned to the side of her mouth, joking right back. "I can't take you seriously with ice cream on your face."
Sierra bit back a smile, but attempted to get it off. "There...did I get it?"
"No, the other side," he said, and started to laugh when she still didn't wipe it off.
"Where is it?" She couldn't help but giggle as well.
"You know what, I'll get it," Stiles told her, making her think he was going to use the napkin wrapped around the cup. Instead, he surprised her by leaning over the table and pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth briefly. Then he sat back with a smirk and announced, "I got it."
Sierra rolled her eyes, but stood up and didn't let her smile fade. "Okay, Mr. Flirt," she mocked him. "You ready to go? I have to change before we meet Scott at the reserve with Liam."
"And here I thought you were gonna kiss me back," Stiles pouted as he rose to his feet, moving to walk by her side towards the trash can.
"Nope!" Sierra shook her head jokingly, purposefully creating more space between them and heading to the passenger side of the Jeep. "Better luck next time!"
Stiles looked at her across the hood with a smirk.
"So there will be a next time?"
*^*^*^*^*
The Beacon Hills preserve held many memories for the pack, both good and bad.
For Scott, he remembered getting bitten by Peter. How scary the forest seemed, the tall trees looming their branches over his head. Then, when they had to isolate Jackson in the prison transport van so they could tell him he was the kanima, or when he found his roar to change Malia back into a human.
For Sierra and Stiles, going to the cliffs was their secret way of hanging out together. The windows rolled down, their favorite songs playing over the radio. Heart to heart conversations about everything going on...regarding their past or their futures. It was their little space in the big world, and Stiles didn't want to share it with anyone else.
So, when Scott informed them they needed to chain Liam somewhere isolated, Stiles felt hesitant to mention their special spot. Sierra coaxed him into the idea, promising they'd go to the forest but not by the cliffs. On the southern end, she knew of an area where the trees opened up towards the city, and Stiles agreed it was the best suggestion. Knowing how crazy their lives could get, they wanted their spot to stay hidden.
Scott liked their thoughts, and soon they all piled in the Jeep and headed in that direction. By now, the moon hung overhead with the rest of the night sky littered in bright stars. Even though Scott never knew how often his best friends came out to the preserve, he agreed on the peaceful scenery.
Sitting on top of the hood beside Sierra, who rested her elbows on her knees, Scott leaned back against his hands and crossed his ankles. Stiles stayed standing, leaning himself against the hood with a map spread in front of him. On it, red circles surrounded certain colleges and distances between each. The thoughts of the future once again made Stiles paranoid and he brought up the subject again without even realizing it.
"So I found some cool two bedrooms in the Mission district, but they're pretty expensive," Stiles stated, pursing his lips with a marker in his hand. "A couple in Haight and Ashbury...also expensive."
Scott asked but didn't turn his head, "What about Berkeley?"
Sierra found it sweet the boys wanted to live together during the next few years, even though they most likely would not attend the same college. Once Noah and Jemma made the couple swear they wouldn't move in together till after university, Stiles made it his mission to find complexes that held two bedroom apartments for himself and Scott. She on the other hand wanted to experience dorm life, to meet new people and expand her interests.
"Yeah, a lot of students live around there," Sierra agreed, nodding her head as she kept her gaze focused to the city view. She noticed the storm clouds forming in the distance, but felt that herself and the boys were safe where they were for the moment.
Stiles let out a stressed sigh, "Yeah, yeah, we could try Nob Hill...but the Jeep would probably burn through a lot of clutches."
"You're bringing the Jeep?" Scott asked, finally looking at his best friend with raised brows.
Sierra stifled a laugh, "Come on, Scotty. You've heard him talk about the plan."
"No one gets left behind," Stiles reiterated the same sentence he had uttered to them multiple times before. "That's the plan, okay? Lydia isn't going to have a problem getting into Stanford and Kira's thinking USF. Berkeley or UCLA are already on the top of Sierra's list for international business and Malia...uh, she's gonna, she'll figure something out, okay? The plan is perfect."
"Or we could also wait until we get into college and then figure out where to live," Scott suggested wisely.
"I have a vision, dude," Stiles retorted, Sierra leaning forward to see him as he continued. "And it is a beautiful vision. Don't ruin the vision."
He looked back down at the map, Scott just shaking his head with a quiet laugh. "Okay, we can check out the East Bay. Haven't looked at Oakland yet, you know?"
Scott didn't respond, seeing how Sierra hadn't said anything regarding their future plans. She seemed lost in thought, her gaze locked on the night sky. He stared up at the moon as well and sighed. Senior year hadn't even started yet and he was already feeling the stress build on his shoulders.
Stiles spoke up at their silence, "Scott, are you okay? You starting to feel it?"
"No," Scott shook his head again to disagree. "Just thinking."
"About what?" Stiles pushed him slightly to open up and set down the red marker.
"Senior year," Sierra answered knowingly. When Scott looked at her in surprise she offered him a small smile and playfully bumped her shoulder into his. "Mind reader, remember?"
Scott chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, you're right. I was thinking about school."
"Senior year?" Stiles echoed and waved his hand in dismissal. "That's nothing. That's going to be easy."
"It's more like something Deaton told me once," Scott said as he sat up fully, flicking his eyes between his best friends. "Have you all ever heard of regression to the mean?"
Stiles and Sierra exchanged confused glances. None of them had ever heard of the phrase.
Scott went on to explain, "It was his way of saying that life can't ever be all bad or all good. You know, eventually things have to come back to the middle. So, think about the last few months. Things have been good, right?"
Stiles's gaze flickered over to Sierra momentarily, a smile on his lips as he agreed. "Yeah; things have been pretty good."
Scott continued his thought. "Right, but not amazing."
"Considering no one's tried to kill us in six months, I count that as amazing," Sierra countered, her cheeks still flushed from Stiles's comment. "But I guess you could say we've been in the middle for a while."
"Which means, at some point, the scale has to tip one way or the other," Scott added, nodding his head. "So, either things are about to get really good again..."
Stiles sighed, finishing his statement, "Or really bad."
Their conversation ended as thunder crackled from above, strikes of lightening fizzing between the dark clouds. Sierra squinted, before looking at the boys in concern. "I feel like we should leave before it starts pouring."
"As you're an empath who understands the earth, I agree," Scott said and hopped off the hood of the jeep. Stiles moved to extend a hand to his girlfriend, helping her climb down carefully.
"Do you think it's been long enough though?" Stiles questioned them, grasping Sierra's fingers with his own.
"Yes!"
Stiles rolled his eyes at the younger voice entering their ears. Sierra smiled in amusement as the trio turned towards a giant tree. Underneath the branches stood a very annoyed Liam, held back against the bark with metal chains. "We are trying to have an adult conversation here!" Stiles raised his voice at the sophomore.
Liam deadpanned, "You're two years older than me." He looked at Scott and Sierra with pleading eyes. "And I'm fine! Just let me go, please."
The three walked over to him, Stiles not leaving Sierra's side while Scott shoved his hand in his jacket pocket for the keys to the chains. "It's not that we don't trust you," Scott started to assure his beta.
Stiles interrupted, lifting his free hand to comment, "It's that I don't trust you."
"But after that last full moon," Scott winced in remembrance of the incident.
Liam defended himself, "It was one slip up."
"Slip up?" Sierra raised her eyebrows and stifled a laugh. "You know I love you, little bro, but there were a dozen calls to the Sheriff's Department about a monstrous dog boy running around the streets of Beacon Hills naked. That's not just a slip up. You're lucky Scott and I were off work already to help Stiles find you."
Scott raised his gaze from the lock and tilted his head, confused. "Why were you naked?"
"It was really hot out that night," Liam admitted, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "Okay? Let me go."
"You sure you're okay?"
"It won't happen again," Liam promised, but Sierra knew better. She made a promise to herself to never read minds unless a dangerous situation called for it. But she didn't have to read Liam's mind to know he was struggling.
Back when she tutored him, she picked up on his tell when he didn't understand a topic after assuring her he did. Not only could she hear his heart jump, but there was a slight flinching of his right eye that gave him away every time.
"You're in complete and total control?" Scott mimicked Sierra's expression, wanting Liam to be honest. Liam couldn't trick them even if he tried.
"Yeah," Liam muttered, nodding his head. "Complete and total."
Scott and Sierra exchanged knowing glances, the girl shrugging her shoulders. Scott pursed his lips, looking back at Liam before letting out a sigh.
Within a few moments, the metal chains fell to the forest floor and Liam stretched his arms over his head. He had been held against the tree for a few hours and his body had gotten gotten sore. Stiles gathered the chains in a gym bag and headed back to the Jeep with Scott.
Sierra hung back to wait for Liam and tossed her arm around his shoulder. "You do realize we know when you lie to us right?" She asked quietly.
"How'd you know?" Liam mumbled, refusing to meet her gaze. "Did you read my thoughts?"
"I didn't have to," she replied honestly, walking with him towards the Jeep, where Scott and Stiles were patiently waiting. "You know I know you well enough to be able to tell when you're being honest or not."
"Are you mad at me?"
Sierra didn't answer at first, waiting to reply until they stood in front of the passenger side's doors. She stood across from Liam with her arms crossed. "Do you remember when you came to my house when we got home from Mexico?" She asked instead of giving him a straight answer.
Liam furrowed his brows together, wondering why she was bringing it up. "Yeah, I remember. Why?"
"You were apologizing to me and asked the same question," Sierra recalled accurately. "And I'll give you the same answer. I could never be mad at you, Liam. You're still very new to this. I can't be mad over something that isn't your fault. Okay?"
Liam nodded his head slowly and she sighed before patting his shoulder. "Come on then, we gotta pick up Malia. But between you and me, you might want to talk to Scott when we drop you off at the hospital."
Liam looked up at her with worried eyes. "Does he know too?"
"Little Bro, he's a True Alpha," Sierra replied honestly. "Of course he knows. But don't freak out about it, okay? You'll be fine. Now hop in."
*^*^*^*^*
Senior Scribe.
A special event the Beacon Hill Cyclones of the 1983 Class came up with all on their own. It left their mark on the school, literally, and they passed down the markers after they graduated to start a tradition. No one ever knew exactly what is was until a few weeks before senior year officially started, creating a buzz through the first three years of high school.
The other schools in the area held simple parties or did pranks, but Beacon Hills was different. The administration allowed you to write your initials within the bookcases of the library, offering a night of games and free food as well.
When Sierra got the text message, revealing the date, she felt like dancing. If you asked her during sophomore year, regarding if she would survive till the end, she would've sworn the AP tests knocked her out. Yet, despite all the school stress and supernatural issues, Sierra still made it.
She practically bounced in the Jeep's back seat as Stiles drove towards town, Liam only growing more curious from her behavior.
"Is it a party?" he questioned the three seniors, leaning forward between the seats.
Sierra shook her head, a giant grin spreading across her lips. "Nope. Not a party."
Liam cinched his brows together. "Then what's at midnight?"
"Your bedtime," Stiles retorted, making the sophomore roll his eyes.
"Why aren't the other girls going?" Liam asked next.
Sierra answered, pulling him back against his seat, "They're meeting us there, little bro. Now put your seat belt on before you go through the windshield." But then she popped her head up beside Scott. "But seriously, you two aren't acting excited. Why am I the only one acting excited?"
Scott stifled a laugh, shaking his head in amusement. "Sisi, you might be too excited."
"How could I not be?" Sierra asked him rhetorically, dramatically falling back against her head rest. "I mean, we only get to do this once! Now, how are y'all wri--" Her eyes fell to Liam, who wanted her to continue. However, she quickly shut her mouth and started over. "I mean, I can't wait to go to a place and do a thing."
Scott snorted, "Nice save."
"Oh, come on," Liam huffed, his now buckled seat belt keeping him from completely turning towards the girl. However, he managed to poke her arm. "Sierra, you know you wanna tell me."
"No, I don't," Sierra disagreed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yes, you do." He poked her again, making her squirm. "I know you hate keeping secrets."
"Tell me about it," Scott spoke up, resting his right arm on the passenger door. "She practically blew Malia's surprise birthday party."
"Hey!" Sierra's lips tugged downwards before she defended herself. "That's not fair! I had to tell her what was going on because she thought we were keeping something from her."
"Babe, we were keeping something from her," Stiles reminded, keeping his eyes on the road. "It was a surprise party."
"She still had fun! Remember her reaction to the bracelet we bought her? She loved it!" Sierra argued, swatting Liam's hand that crept towards her cheek away. "Little bro, cut it out!"
"Then tell me," Liam begged, whining at this point. Scott dragged his fingers down his face, letting out a deep sigh once Liam continued to pester Sierra. Liam poked her leg repeatedly. "Come on, come on! Tell me, I promise I won't say anything!"
"I promise you're going to lose a finger if you don't watch your hands," Stiles warned, glaring at Liam through the rear view mirror. "Stop touching Sierra and stop asking questions about tonight. It's a senior event, meaning you'll find out when you're a senior."
Liam rolled his eyes, Sierra sticking out her tongue in his direction. He mimicked her expression, just before Scott spoke up.
"Hey, are you all having trouble with your phones?" he questioned, looking down at the device in his hand. He had pulled it out to message Kira, checking her location and simultaneously blocking out the bickering between his beta and his best friends.
Before anyone could reply, the Jeep's engine sputtered and spewed. The headlights flickered and eventually faded completely. Right in the middle of the street, the tired rolled to a slow stop. The teenagers exchanged baffled glances.
"String bean, now is not the time to play jokes," Stiles stated, turning his head to see her drop her jaw in defense.
"Me? Why would I do anything?"
"Because you were the one who short circuited the lacrosse scoreboard when Coach lost his temper against Greyfield," Scott smartly replied to her.
"Woah, I did everyone a favor," Sierra recalled the event. "Coach would've gotten kicked out of the game if it weren't for my 'glitch,' thank you very much."
"She does have a point," Liam remarked, nodding his head. "He was ready to rip that referee's head off."
"And don't even get me started on Greyfield's assistant coach," Sierra added.
Stiles himself scowled at the memory of the college-aged man, who flirted with his girlfriend every time the schools faced off against each other. "I rather we not talk about that jerk either," he commented, undoing his seat belt. "And I know I'm not out of gas, so knowing the Jeep it's probably an electrical problem. Most likely the alternator again."
Sierra moved to the front seat while Scott and Stiles climbed out, Liam leaning between the seats again. "I can give it a jump start again," she suggested, lifting her palm to reveal a hovering ball of red energy.
"No, it's okay," Stiles sighed, Scott lifting up the hood. "We'll get it sorted. You two stay in here, though. I think the storm may hit soon."
Stiles turned his head at Scott whistling lowly, the true alpha glancing at the Jeep's engine in concern. Almost every section seemed to be wrapped in duct tape.
"That's a lot of tape," he commented, Stiles pursing his lips and holding up his finger. Scott forced a smile on his lips, chuckling. "Kidding. Don't worry, we'll fix it."
Stiles let out another deep breath, lowering his voice so Sierra didn't overhear their conversation. "I know... it's just the last night of summer, you know, so I wanted to make sure everyone was there tonight."
"We'll make it," Scott assured him optimistically, noticing how Stiles didn't really seem focused on the Jeep.
Stiles's gaze remained on Sierra, his face softening from seeing her laugh while talking with Liam.
Scott spoke up again to keep him on track. "You got any tools?"
Stiles nodded his head, "Yep." He picked up the half-roll of duct tape and held it up to Scott, who simply shrugged his shoulders. Whatever got the Jeep working again.
"But I thought empaths were connected to nature?" Liam questioned Sierra inside the jeep, leaning his face against the palm of his hand.
Sierra couldn't help but chuckle at the bewildered expression on the young boy's face. "Just because I feel the power of the thunderstorms, Liam, doesn't mean I can control the weather! It's just a little rain, okay? It'll pass."
"Okay, so you can't control the weather."
Liam couldn't help but be slightly disappointed by the information. After all, Sierra could level a building with her seismic blasts, had telepathic abilities and used mental manipulation as well as psionic energy with force fields. Not to mention, Sierra held a natural gift with animals and people. Controlling the clouds didn't seem too out of the box in Liam's mind.
"But can you at least protect us with your force field if we get struck by lightning?" Liam asked.
"If we happen to get struck, yes, yes I can," Sierra swore and then raised her eyebrows. "But you do know the percentage of that actually happening right? Like one in seven hundred thousand." Her blue eyes flickered to the earbud Liam had stuck in his left ear. "You still listen to the playlist I made for you?"
"Every full moon," Liam nodded his head, his ears perked up from hearing the thunder rumbling.
Sierra picked up on it too, except her eyes stayed on her left hand. An electric buzz sparked at her fingers, the red light twitching across her skin. She lifted her gaze, confused from the strange feeling. Not even having to concentrate, Sierra sensed the electricity in the air.
Liam and Sierra both jumped back in their seats from seeing a lighting bolt suddenly strike the pavement, only twenty yards away. Liam gulped, glancing at the older girl. "You might wanna put up a force field now."
Sierra didn't listen and turned in her seat. Sticking her head out the window, she called out to the boys. "Can y'all hurry up, please?"
"Just a second," Stiles replied, him and Scott not noticing the phenomenon or the worry in Sierra's voice. "We're almost done, I swear!"
Scott spoke up in agreement, "Yeah, just stay in the car, okay?"
Sierra huffed, about to respond as Stiles ripped another piece of duct tape off from the roll with his teeth. However, her words never met the air as another lightning strike occurred a few mere feet from where Scott and Stiles were standing. Both of the boys whirled around, clearly startled.
They stared forward at the new mark on the road, their heart beats escalating from the scare. "That was... close," Scott stated slowly.
"Yeah," Stiles breathed out a heavy breath, trying to calm himself down. "Very close."
He jumped again as the Jeep sprung to life out of nowhere, the engine starting up perfectly. Confused, he looked to Scott, who was too busy shaking his head at Sierra. Stiles matched his expression from seeing the red tendrils swirling around Sierra's fingers, the True Empath smirking.
"Why couldn't you have done that before?" Scott asked her, annoyed as he headed towards the passenger side door.
Sierra scoffed, the energy dispersing with a small wave. "I couldn't completely destroy your dignity, could I? You wanted to be all manly with the duct tape and told me to stay in the car."
"And that's a lesson we should've known already," Stiles told Scott, a proud smile on his lips from Sierra's actions. Scott hummed in agreement, nodding his head.
"Never tell Sierra to stay in the car."