LYDIA'S P.O.V
*THREE MONTHS LATER*
"Come on Lyds. The stress of this can't be healthy for both you and your baby." Scott was trying too pull the pen from my grasp but I tightened it, keeping it near the map. "Lydia, give it up!"
"You're the one who kept bugging me too find him, so I'm going to find him!"
Scott gave up our tug of war and fell back onto the floor, sighing in defeat. I know he felt guilty, he thought it was his fault I was such a mess and even though I did just partially admit that, it wasn't. My hair was ratted and in knots and my hands were all warn and raw from working so thoroughly.
I was able to go to the hospital for regular checkups as Melissa, Scotts mother, was back in her rightful work place with the right equipment. All was good in the baby area. Melissa was even able too tell me the gender. My little heart had tweaked with joy as she told me, Scott himself even seemed too beam with happiness and pulled me into the tightest hug he has ever given. He had become more sentimental and loving towards me, as friends of course, as if he realised I lost both the most important people in my life and wanted to compensate for at least one of them, if not both.
"Will you help me?" I croaked out, pushing my scraggy hair back. The words sort of came out quiet, like I didn't want anyone to hear.
"What?" Scott pushed up onto his knees to sit next to me again. "Lydia, what?"
"I think... I think I need help. With this."
For one of the first times in my life - I felt dumb. As if Stiles finally did what he had promised to do at the start. Broke me. Taken away my smarts for himself.
Scott's hand was back on mine, I let him take the pen this time. He popped the cap on and pulled me up onto my feet.
"Before we start anything, you're going too brush your hair, you're going to get a bath or a shower and get into some fresh clothes. Take care of yourself first and then we'll take care of the rest, together." He pressed a kiss to my forehead and then guided me toward the bathroom. "Take as long as you need. I'll make you something to eat..."
It sort of hit me all at once then, something to eat.
"Oh my god Scott!"
"What! What is it? Are you okay?"
"Something to eat! How did I not think of this, this should've been the first thing I thought of. Stiles must be getting something to eat to survive, speaking upon the fact he's hopefully still alive, so where is he getting it from? If it's the supermarket, I could hack into the surveillance cameras. We could learn a lot from that, his clothing would indicate whether he's somewhere cold or somewhere warm. But if it's not the supermarket, it must be one of us... giving him supplies, if it's not the supermarket; somebody here knows where he is."
Scott said nothing, he just took in my words with deep consideration.
-------------------------------------------------------
I felt a lot better after a full bathe. It was needed.
There were a few of us gathered around the table, a fresh map of Beacon Hills in the middle. Yes, I followed Scott's instinct and worked upon it, Stiles had to be in Beacon Hills. He was so protective, he wouldn't leave fully.
A laptop sat in front of me and everyone was whispering theories and ideas to one another as I typed away, working on getting into the surveillance cameras in the supermarket.
"What about the public? The members of Beacon Hills that Stiles hired once you ran away from us Lydia, as spies. Technically, they signed a loyalty to Void not Stiles himself, we could usher them too report any sightings. If they haven't spotted him already." A girl named Erika voiced from the left of me. "We still have copies of the contracts they signed."
"Good suggestion." Scott commented, "I'll start with those on the other side of town if you stick to this side?"
With that, Erika and Scott were off on their own mission whilst I finally had access to the cameras and footage from up to five months ago.
"It could take me a while too analyse these all by myself, any volunteers with laptops I could forward some footage too?"
Hands shot up, they wanted Stiles back too. Of course they did, I could never replace him as a leader. He was meant for them, built for them. I sent out some of the footage and kept a chunk of it for myself, hell I was desperate and I wondered whether that was simply for the sake of my child or for myself as well.
The room seemed to silence as everyone begun their own kind of work, heads and eyes were down as hands scrawled on paper and heads and eyes were up, glaring at laptop screens with intent. It was peaceful even if stress lingered in the air.
For some reason, it took me a while to click the play button, always as if I needed to build up the confidence to do so. Possibly seeing his face again, even if on a screen, could trigger some old feelings, but also not seeing it would trigger some immense disappointment and not just my own.
"Lydia, there is a weekly reoccurring member of the public wearing a hat and hoodie. It seems too disguise any possible identifiable feature. This could be a lead." Liam turned his laptop around and played some of the footage, my eyes glanced at the man. Though he looked shady and seemed to want his identity private, his build, his walk and his mannerisms didn't remind me of Stiles. They weren't familiar too me at all. I gave Liam a weak half smile and shook my head is dismissal, his enthusiasm died and he turned his computer back around to face him and begun watching more.
Pulling out my phone, I tapped in Scott's number and put it too my ear. Waiting for him too answer, it didn't take him long and as soon as he did, I stepped out of the room.
"Everything alright? You found anything?" He asked right away, not even bothering to give a polite hello.
"Everything is fine and I was about to ask you the very same question. Anyone talked yet? Or do we need enforce?"
"No, no force should be applied whatsoever. That is what got us into this very mess in the first place."
"Yeah, yeah you're right. We're just chasing hopeless leads right now and it feels like we'll probably not get anywhere with them, like maybe if in the next month we don't find anything, we just give up and leave him be."
There was a moment of silence on the line.
"Scott? Is everything okay?"
"Have you tried tracing his credit card?"
"Yes it was the very first thing I did. There was only one really large withdrawal at a cashpoint somewhere on the side of town you're heading, but when I sent people to scan the place, they found nothing. Stiles is smart enough too use cash." I sigh, tapping my nails along the wall to occupy myself. "I guess we don't really use the shops and stuff over there a lot."
"Have you before?"
"Once but some time ago now. Before I was taken by William, Owen and my father." I chuckled at the memory not because it was amusing but because of how far I had come from then. "Me and Stiles stayed in the woods for a while and we needed some camping supplies. There's only one shop for that kind of stuff in this town."
"I remember, you took a car and drove out, I had too cover your tracks."
"We got so deep into the woods I thought we'd never find our way out, I thought nobody would ever find us... I don't think they would have either until I recklessly ventured out."
"Have you ever been back to that campsite? Ever collected the belongings you left?" Scott asked his hands clenched and rested under his chin as if he was piecing information together that I didn't quite grasp yet.
"We took nothing of importance worth going back for... I haven't returned there and from the last I saw of him neither did- oh."
It clicked. I could finally see the conclusion Scott was working towards. We had left a perfectly built camp site in the reserve with blankets, flashlights and anything else you'd need to survive in the woods. Survive for months even. Especially if you were alone. Just like Stiles was.
"I... I don't even know if I remember all the turns. I don't remember how to get there. It's been a few months."
"Then it looks like we're going on a hike."
