Howling to the Heart || Isaac Lahey

37.

"Please don't call child safety!" thirteen-year-old Neriah Hale cried to sheriff Stilinski at a bus stop in the middle of the night. "I can't go back! Y-You don't understand what my foster family are like!"

Even with the rain pouring down around them, he could still see each tear that fell from her fear filled eyes.

"I promise, I'll find somewhere else to stay! A-And I'll go t-to school every day!" she pleaded, shaking her head.

Sheriff Stilinski was stuck between being a father and being an officer. Neriah was far too young to be sleeping at a bus stop in the bad area of Beacon Hills and legally he would have to take her back to her foster home, but the fear in her eyes struck him like a blow. This girl was his son's best friend and he had only seen her in this state once, when her family tragically died.

Neriah was shaking, terrified of going back to her foster family who liked to punish her by locking her in the boot of their car for hours in the cold pitch black. She ran away a week ago with only a bag of clothes and a handful of food which ran out on the third day. She'd spent rarely any time sleeping, scared she would fall asleep and be found. Which exactly what happened moments ago.

"Kid," sheriff Stilinski sighed, shrugging his uniform jacket off. "I won't take you back, okay?" Neriah nodded her head, feeling relieved while still crying. "But you also can't stay out here. It's not safe with a murderer on the loose," he added, wrapping his jacket around her.

Neriah was frozen for a few minutes. Murderer. Oh, God. She felt beyond guilty for what she knew, and he didn't. For a freak accident that changed her eye color.

"Come on, kid," he said gently, walking her to the front seat of his police car. "I've got dinner at home and Stiles can sleep on the couch tonight, all right?"

Stiles laughed, sitting on the swings at a playground near his house with Neriah and Scott.

"I can't believe you actually beat him up because he punched us," Scott said again, staring at Neriah with admiration.

"You broke his arm! You have to teach me how you fought like that!" Stiles exclaimed, swinging forward and nearly toppling off.

Neriah laughed again, smiling at them both. "I mean, I'm not really sure what happened," she admitted shyly. "When I saw the crowd around you guys and then Jackson hitting you both...something just took over."

"Well, whatever it was—was awesome!" Stiles cheered, falling off the swing seconds later and landing in the sand with a groan.

Scott and Neriah shared a worried glance, before cracking up with laughter at their best friend.

Stiles rolled onto his back, gasping at the bright blue sky above him. But when he heard the hiccups following each giggle from Neriah, he seemed to be pulled back to earth, smiling at her from the ground.

"How you haven't gotten a concussion is beyond me," Neriah laughed harder, holding onto the swing as she leaned back.

Scott shook his head, calming down from his laughing. "He probably has three concussions right now and just doesn't know."

"Ha ha," Stiles said dryly with an annoyed look, pushing himself up on his elbows. "Let's make fun of the boy with a head injury."

Neriah covered her mouth with her hand, trying to contain her giggle fit, but Stiles could see her shoulders shaking, only making him burst out laughing with Scott.