Kids in the Dark [S.S. Book One]

Thirty-Six

I woke up in a large white room with support posts that were spaced evenly in length. I saw fluorescent lights in the ceiling and what looked to be random areas of gray and white tiling. I stepped of of the tub and made my way to a large tree stump in the center of the room. I could only assume this was the Nemeton. I reached down to touch it and instantly was transported to the past.

I found myself in the woods the night that Scott was bit. I saw me and my two idiotic best friends. Weird.

"Are we seriously doing this?"

"You're the one always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town."

"Besides, Scott, this is gonna be good. You can't beat half a dead body."

"You're right. But seriously, I have practice tomorrow and I wanted to get a good night's sleep."

The flashback switched to when Stiles and I re caught by his dad. "Hang on, hang on. This little delinquent belongs to me. The girl is an accomplice."

"Dad, how are you doing? The girl is my friend and she has a name."

"Well, young man, I'm gonna walk you back to your car. And you will drive Alyssa home."

The four of us wake up, coughing. Scott looked around widely for a second. "I saw it. I know where it is."

"We passed it," Stiles added. "There's--There's a stump, this huge tree. Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big, though, very big."

"It was the night we were looking for the body."

"The same night Peter bit you," I said.

"I was there too, in the car with my mother," Allison informed. "We almost hit someone."

"It was me," Scott answered. "You almost hit me."

Allison let out a small gasp as Scott said hopefully, "We can find it."

"What?" Allison questioned Isaac.

"You guys were out a long time," Isaac stated.

"How long is a long time?" Scott asked worriedly.

"Sixteen hours," Deaton replied.

Scott's eyes widened. "We've been in the water for sixteen hours?"

Deaton nodded grimly. "And the full moon rises in less than four."

As they got out of the water, Stiles instantly came up to me and hugs me, despite his wet body. I didn't understand how he was warm when he's actually cold. Scott wanted to go back to the alpha pack and Stiles and I tried to talk him out of it. "No, dude, you are not going back with them."

Scott looked at us, almost as though he was afraid to tell us. "I made a deal with Deucalion."

Stiles frowned. "Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?"

Isaac shrugged. "Why does it matter, anyway?"

Scott sighed. "Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help."

Isaac stared at Scott. "So we're gonna trust him, the guy that calls himself death, destroyer of worlds? We're gonna trust that guy."

I fought back a laugh and Scott gave me a look. "I wouldn't trust him, no. But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait."

"The bait?" I asked. "What does that mean, Scott?"

"We have to use him to get to her," Scott explained.