Not Quite The Same (Hiatus)

Chapter Eight

When Scott woke up that morning, he knew that today would be a sad day. 

Today was the last day in the anniversary week. It felt like the whole world had just gone quiet. The air felt light yet heavy at the same time; like it was too humid. Everything seemed to go still. 

Scott got up and looked at the clock. It was 7:05, pretty early. The sun would still be rising. He sighed then stood up and got dressed quickly. He wore mostly black, honoring the somber mood and setting. He put on some shoes and grabbed his jacket and bag. He didn't need it for today, but he tended to bring it with him everywhere. It had his work in it, yes, but also his inhaler. Now, usually, because of his werewolf abilities, he didn't need his inhaler. His asthma had gone away after he was bitten. No, he needed the inhaler because he tended to have panic attacks. 

Ever since Stiles disappeared, he had begun to have panic attacks. They were bad and Scott felt bad for Stiles, as he had experienced panic attacks on a daily basis after his mother had died. But Scott got the inhaler because he remembered what Stiles had said a couple years back. When he, Scott, had his first panic attack, back when Allison and he were "taking a break," Stiles had found him in the bathroom, having the panic attack. Stiles had quickly gave him the inhaler which had stopped the panic attack. He had explained to Scott that because he had thought that he was having an asthma attack, taking a puff of the inhaler stopped the panic attack. 

Scott walked out of his room and down the stairs. His mom had a shift at the hospital and the sheriff was at the station. He had been living with them after his mom had deemed it unsafe to leave him alone. Scott walked out to his dirt bike and climbed on. He drove to Allison's, where they had all promised to meet up. When he got there, he didn't even bother to knock on the door; Allison had been expecting him around this time. He walked into the kitchen, and spotted Allison sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey, Allison." he greeted quietly.

Her head snapped up and stared at him for a heartbeat before she got up and hugged him. He hugged her back tightly, closing his eyes. They parted and then kissed, Scott holding Allison's face delicately. When they parted, they held each other for a while longer before letting go. "The others should be here soon." Allison informed him, though she knew that he already knew that. 

And, as Allison had said, the others arrived soon after he did. They all hugged, even Derek then left for his old house. The car rides were silent and still, no one daring to say a word. They all went with separate people; Isaac with Derek, Aiden and Ethan with Lydia, Kira and Malia with Scott and Allison. Allison, Derek and Lydia were driving their respective cars. They all drove to the woods then through it to Derek's old, damaged house. They parked near the trees and all hopped out. They all gathered together and walked towards the house. Scott suddenly stopped as a strong waft of scents hit him. The scent of blood, medicines, the clean smell of a hospital, smoke, metal, lead, machinery. The same scents he had smelt when on the roof top. And the last scent was there as well.

The faint smell of Stiles' jeep.

The other stopped as well and stared at him. "Scott?" Allison asked tentatively. 

Scott raised his head, searching for where the scents were the strongest. He then caught strong patch of it, just ahead of them. He noticed a figure, lying there on the ground. He kept his eyes trained on the figure as he walked past the others. "Scott?" Allison asked again. 

He ignored her and continued towards the figure on the ground. The pack all shared a look but then followed after him. They noticed that once he stopped in front of something, he tensed up and stumbled back. They picked up their pace and went over to him. Allison went to go ask what had him so shaken but stopped once she looked down at the figure as well. 

The world seemed to stand still, the air seemed to be sucked from forest, and everyone's mind started to spiral. Scott couldn't believe it. He wanted to--God, he wanted to, but this... This seemed impossible. 

"Stiles?"