Bend The Rules , Stiles Stilinski ² ✓

[ 5 ] the abandoned bank

THE ABANDONED BANK

                "I CAN'T BELIEVE we're bothering with something as stupid as finding an abandoned bank when Aspen's still missing." Stiles murmured under his breath as he and Scott roamed the internet, after finding out that not only was Erica dead, but that the alpha pack were hiding out in an abandoned bank building in town.

"She'll turn up..." Scott mumbled back, trying to reassure Stiles and himself, "Last year she fought off Isaac and Erica, it's not like she's defenceless."

"I know that," Stiles muttered defeatedly, "I just... I made her go to that party, you know? She said she didn't want to go, we should've just turned around and gone home."

"I guess it doesn't help that Derek's hiding so much, too." said the McCall boy.

Both boys sighed as they were filled with worry and fear, most importantly, just hoping that Aspen was okay. They flicked through pages of books, continued to research the whole bank-thing, but their minds were already too preoccupied.

And then there was a knock on Stiles' door, causing both boys to snap their heads in each other's direction, both of their eyes gleaming with hope that they prayed wouldn't be misplaced.

Stiles practically leapt out of his desk-chair, running to the wooden door.

What he saw when he opened it made him feel like weight was lifted off of his own heart, but at the same time, broke it too.

There she was, his brunette, standing at his door.

Tears streaming down her face.

He'd never seen her in such a solemn state. Even when she found out her parents were dead, she didn't look like this.

What was scaring him more is that when their eyes met, she'd never looked so defeated.

"Thank God you're okay." he whispered, wasting not a second before wrapping his arms around her, as she returned the gesture, crying into his chest.

Scott had sprung up from his chair the second he saw who was at the door as well, his heart breaking just as much when he saw the brunette in her state.

Aspen eventually was the one to pull away from Stiles' embrace, and she sniffled as she wrapped away a tear, turning to Scott who was looking at her with more pity than he ever had.

And they didn't even know why she was crying yet.

"What happened?" Scott's voice broke as he asked the dreadful question.

Aspen was still stood by the door frame as her emerald eyes flicked between the two boys who meant the world to her.

"It's Ace." she whispered, causing furrowed brows from both of them, not knowing what she meant.

"He's alive."

Scott and Stiles both fell even more silent, both of them swearing they must have heard her wrong. They remembered the day she found out her brother had died in an accident, they spent months by her side getting her through the grief. They went to his funeral, they grieved him too.

"He faked his death, he's been alive this whole time." she added in another broken whisper.

Scott and Stiles didn't know what to do or say.

What is one supposed to say when they find out someone faked their death?

What is the right response to such news?