Playing with Claws (Teen Wolf)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Charlie's POV :

I watched his face change emotions, from stark fear to strict confusion. He was more perplexed than afraid, for some reason.

"You know this place?!" He shouted aloud, as if to compete with my alarming tone prior to his question.

"Uhh, of course!" I was all out of sarcastic come-backs. Honestly, I was tired of arguing with Stiles. That was all we had been doing the whole day, except for that heated, unexplainable "moment", which neither of us talked about.

"How?! This isn't the mall, Charlie! I don't expect you to come around this part of town just to chill!" He was starting to get angry and I could see his hands trembling and clenching into fists.

"You can't tell me what to do! Apparently, you still don't seem to understand that after all our petty quarreling today!" Tears were starting to form in my eyes.

Why was I doing this? He was definitely looking out for me. Stiles is one of the good guys! Don't you get it, Charlie!?

The voices in my head conflicted one another and tried hard to console me, but Stiles got to me first.

All of a sudden, he was so close, that I couldn't stop myself from thinking about the kiss we shared during the early hours of the day. I looked down, not wanting to make eye-contact with him because the anger I had inside of me was the only thing that stopped me from giving in.

The voices in my head couldn't stop yelling Isaac's name either.

Surprisingly, he planted a long, soft kiss on my forehead and held me in his embrace, his warm breath filling the holes of curiosity in my head.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. And all my pent up rage melted away.

"I'm sorry. It's just that ... You never give me the right answers ... It's always so vague, I feel like ... like you don't want ... you don't want me to know something ... I ... uh ... " I felt like I had too much to say as well as I didn't know what to say at the same time. There was so much I wanted to know, starting with Derek and what he wanted with me.

"Charlie, I wouldn't hide anything from you without good intentions. I mean, some things are better left undiscovered. Trust me." Stiles sounded reasonable.

"Then why did you bring me here?"

"Because, I have to be here and I made my friends a promise."

"A promise?! "

He just walked off towards the all-too familiar warehouse and I followed him. He raced up the broken stairs, as if he'd been here before and knew his way around.

I just ran after him, not knowing what to expect on the other end of the door, besides Derek of course.

Stiles knocked on the door in a peculiar pattern, the sound echoing in the awry silence.

Was this truly some secret lair?

Was Derek running an institution where he tortured high-school students for some ulterior hidden motive?

I cringed at the thought and quickly prayed that my intuitions were leading me astray.

"Stiles, I see you decided to ..."

His brilliant greyish-green eyes focused on me and his flow of words were suddenly at a halt.

He looked concerned of my presence and quickly erased that emotion with his fancy cocky grin.