Sirens in Beacon Hills

Chapter Eight

The next day at school passed in a whirlwind of classes and fleeting moments. Morning dissolved into afternoon before I realized how quickly time had slipped away. As I strolled down the bustling hallways towards my locker, a familiar tension caught my attention. There, around the corner, was Stiles, his brow furrowed in deep concentration.

"What are you up to?" I inquired as I approached him. Startled, he reached out and pulled me aside, his eyes wide with urgency. With a finger pressed to his lips, he signaled for silence.

"Shh," he hissed softly, motioning for me to follow as he darted across the hallway to where Scott stood. "Tell us what's going on."

Scott turned to face us, his expression a mix of anxiety and determination. "There's a curfew because of the body," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. It all came rushing back to me then—the unsettling news of a body discovered in the woods just a week ago, coinciding with my arrival here.

The memory sent a chill down my spine. The initial shock and fear from the news hadn't completely subsided. It had hovered in the background, an unsettling reminder of the darker undercurrents in this otherwise ordinary town.

"Unbelievable," Stiles muttered, his frustration palpable in every word. "My dad's out there hunting for some rabid animal, and the real killer's just out there roaming free."

"Well, you know we can't exactly tell him the truth about Derek," Scott pointed out with a sigh.

"Derek?" I interrupted, my eyes widening with sudden realization. "You mean the guy who drove me and Allison home?"

"Yeah, him," Stiles confirmed, his voice tinged with gravity. "He's a werewolf too."

"Fantastic," I muttered sarcastically, shaking my head in disbelief. "So, we're dealing with multiple werewolves now?"

Stiles nodded solemnly, his expression shifting to one of steely resolve. "Yeah, but I can do something about it."

Scott raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Like what? What can we possibly do?"

"We find the other half of the body," Stiles declared firmly.

"Wait, are you serious?" I blurted out, feeling a surge of anxiety at the thought. The implications were chilling.

Stiles met my gaze with unwavering determination. "No, I'm dead serious. Finding the other half of the body could be our best shot at proving Derek's innocence."

Scott sighed heavily, his fingers raking through his hair in frustration. "It's risky, Stiles. We could get ourselves into serious trouble."

"But if it helps clear his name," Stiles countered, his voice tinged with urgency.

"We have to try," Scott conceded, his expression firm with resolve.

I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of their determination settling over me. "Okay," I agreed, my voice steady despite the unease fluttering in my chest. "Let's do it. But we need to be smart about this. No reckless moves."

Stiles and Scott exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging the gravity of our decision. "Agreed," Stiles finally said, his tone serious.

Scott nodded in agreement. "We'll plan it out carefully. Meet tonight?"

I nodded, a sense of purpose mingling with apprehension. "Tonight," I affirmed, already bracing myself for the perilous path ahead.

~~~

Scott left right after school ended, disappearing without a trace. Stiles and I searched everywhere on campus, but he was nowhere to be found. Eventually, we gave up and headed home separately: Stiles in his beat-up jeep, and me walking along a different route that I thought might give me better luck.