Protect || Stiles Stilinski DISCONTINUED

Protect || Chapter Eighteen

          Katarina stared at her reflection in Lydia's full-length mirror on the back of her bathroom door.  She couldn't believe what she was wearing. "Lydia, I look ridiculous."

          Lydia groaned and stalked into the bathroom.  She stood behind Kat, adjusting her jean skirt so it was higher on her waist and shorter on her thighs. "No, you look hot.  And this is what you're wearing for our birthday party.  At least, for the first hour when everyone's arriving." Lydia moved back into her room and held up a light blue dress that had a thin silver belt around the waist. "This is what you'll be wearing the rest of the night."

          Kat laughed, "Why am I wearing two different outfits for the same party?"

          Lydia made a noise that Kat couldn't quite decipher as any kind of emotion. "Because I said so.  Besides, be glad I'm only making you wear two, I've got three planned for myself."

          The McCall girl sighed and looked over her outfit again.  She didn't hate it, but she didn't love it.  However, she didn't expect anything less than what Lydia had picked out for their party.  Since that first year when Lydia found out she and Kat shared the same birthday, she insisted that she and Kat throw the largest double-party of the year.  It was then that Lydia became Beacon Hills' best party-thrower.  Even her middle school birthday parties, complete with the largest bouncy house available and gift bags that rivaled the ones in movies, were the ones everyone wanted to attend.  This year was no exception, despite the giant rift that had formed in their friendship over the past few months.  Lydia could feel things changing, but still wanted something normal to hold onto.

          "Strip out of that and save it for tonight.  We're going over to Allison's so she can help us figure out my outfits." Lydia called into the bathroom, tossing in a hanger and Kat's clothes from earlier that day.  She had taken one of Stiles's shirts and hoodies when she left his house that morning.  Whenever she wore something of his, she felt safer and warmer than she was before.  After finding out Sam had died, she felt as if she couldn't get warm enough.  Almost as if Sam had taken her ability to warm up.

          Kat walked back into Lydia's bedroom, zipping Stiles's hoodie up over his shirt and pulling the sleeves over her hands.  Lydia was picking up shopping bag after shopping bag, all from Macy's, and handing a few to Kat before motioning for her to follow her out of her room.  As they slid into Lydia's car, the redheaded girl asked the question Kat knew was going to eventually come about.

          "Where was Annie when I stopped by earlier?  Her car was gone." Lydia backed out of her driveway and into the street, taking off down the boulevard that the rich of Beacon Hills resided on.

          Kat's eyes stayed trained on the expensive houses they passed as her mind returned to that morning.  When she and Stiles had woken up and gone downstairs, Annie was gone and the only thing left behind was a note addressed to Kat.

          Kat's eyes fluttered open, her vision filled with a blue wall.  She glanced down, finding Stiles's arms wrapped around her, securely holding her to him.  She smiled, turning around in his arms and snuggling her head into his chest.
          "Morning," she heard Stiles say, his voice raspy and deep with sleep.
          "Morning," Kat quietly said.
          "You hungry?" Stiles asked, pulling back and looking down at her.  She lifted her head from his chest, meeting his eyes.  She never noticed how beautiful they looked in the morning sun.  They looked like molten gold. "Kat?"
          She nodded, "Yeah, a bit."
          Stiles chuckled, sitting up and getting out of bed.  He pulled Kat up as well, holding her hand and starting towards his door. "I don't know what we have, but I'm sure I can find something."
          Kat smiled, "Or, we could go get something.  We haven't actually been on a real date yet, you know."
          Stiles stopped in his tracks, turning to look at his girlfriend.  His lips spread into a grin, "Oh, you mean trapping and then losing Jackson the kanima didn't count as a date?"
          The couple laughed and started downstairs again.  Stiles moved into the living room to grab his keys, but when he returned to the foyer, he came back with a folded piece of paper.  His face was dark, almost depressed, as he handed Kat the paper.
          "What's this?" Kat asked, taking the paper and unfolding it.  She read aloud, "Kat, I'm sorry.  I can't be here anymore.  I'm going back to San Francisco.  I'm going to meet up with Seraphina and Reyna.  I'm sorry I didn't tell you I knew who they were or where they are.  Don't hate me, please.  Love, Annie.  P.S. Happy birthday, Kitty Kat."