Slightly Amazing (Slightly series---Teen Wolf)

CHAPTER NINETEEN---Letharia Vulpina

I was  when I woke up in the morning.

Partly because I had realized that I had received yet another sedative that I didn't want.

And partly because Stiles, the Nogitsune, had disappeared again after he had successfully cut a hospital wire and made it completely kill a few people and totally hurt a lot of others--like, say, I don't know, Isaac.

Isaac was in the hospital now too, and I sniffled as Dad stood beside me.

"Anything from Stiles?" I asked.

Dad hesitated, not sure if he should answer until I looked over to him. He exhaled, shaking his head. "No. Nothing from Stiles."

"I know you don't believe me about what's happening to him." I scoffed softly, the scoff barely audible. "Hell, I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself."

"Stacie, it's not that I don't believe you--"

"Yes, it is, Dad. You don't want to believe me so hard that you actually don't. But that doesn't make it any less real and it doesn't make it any less terrifying."

Again, Dad exhaled with a sigh. "The doctors say . . . You both have it." I barely moved my head in a nod, knowing what 'it' meant. The dementia. Either way, we were gonna die. "But they're worried about so much more than that."

"They're worried that I'm losing my mind," I finished, looking toward him. "With the way things've been going with a homicidal, magical tree with suffering all of the things from all three of them, and my brother, your son, being possessed by a dark, evil, psychotic fox, and what's happened the last few days . . ." I shook my head. "I wouldn't say they're wrong." I looked at Dad. "Derek said that they could have me emitted without your permission if the case was bad enough. Is that true?"

Dad hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. It's true."

I looked away, looking down, scoffing again. "You know, Isaac even said I would be the first one to go crazy. I guess he was right."

"Stacie, you're not crazy," Dad told me as he sat down next to me. "You've just been through hell with all of the supernatural in your life."

I nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't say anything. All I could think of was Stiles. Where was he? How was he? Who was he--the Dark, Nogitsune Stiles or Funny Stiles? How could we get the Nogitsune out of him? Or was there a way to get it out of him? I needed answers to all of these things, and absolutely no one had an answer to give.

Dad clearing his throat brought my attention back to him. "Um, let's get another cast on that arm."

"I'm not wearing another cast," I said. "Just give me a sling or whatever, but don't make me wear another cast."

He nodded, looking deep in thought and sad, his voice in a forced bright tone as he said, "Okay, no more cast."

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"They're, uh, saying . . . "

He didn't finish, but the look on his face was so hurt . . . And I knew what it meant.

"They're really gonna do it, aren't they?" I asked. "They're gonna have me locked up in some mental home."

He still looked hurt. "It's not my decision, Stace. My hands are tied, they say I have no say in it. Doctor's orders."

I looked away, scoffing, standing up and pacing back and forth. "I'm not crazy."

"I know that," Dad said. "I do, but they . . . . "