moonlight.

4

☾

CHAPTER FOUR

HAVEN EXHALED AS she stepped inside the house, seeing scott and stiles screaming at the tv as they played video games. melissa stood in the kitchen, preparing dinner.

scott glanced at haven, giving her a warm smile before turning his attention back to the tv. she kicked off her shoes before walking into the kitchen.

"need any help?" haven asked, holding her hands behind her back shyly.

melissa turned around, staring at haven for a moment before a smile took over her features. she gave her a small nod. "you can cut the vegetables for the salad."

haven shyly smiled, moving over to the counter where a stack of vegetables lay near a knife and a cutting board. she began cutting and peeling the carrots, melissa glancing at the teen every few minutes.

"i hope you're settling in okay. i know it's not easy to be moving around a lot." melissa spoke up, continuing to cut the potatoes. "i just want you to know this is your home now and you don't have to keep a guard up. you're safe here."

haven kept her focus on slicing and peeling the vegetables, not knowing what to say. she exhaled softly, looking at melissa from the corner of her eye. "i was surprised to come here and find that there weren't any bars on the windows or that you wouldn't lock me in the bedroom."

melissa halted her movements, turning to face haven with a sad look taking over her features. "is that what happened in your previous foster homes?"

haven nodded, looking at melissa from the corner of her eye. "when you let me go on that walk alone, i didn't realize how much control and freedom i had now."

"listen if you want to run, which i really hope and pray that you don't, i can't stop you. i can only imagine how horrible things have been for you. i know you need space." melissa told her, turning her body to lean against the counter. "i just ask you to learn to trust me and come to me when you need something."

"why did you take me in?" haven asked, looking at melissa.

she didn't ask in a mean or an accusation way. she was genuinely curious as to why melissa would take her in, considering she had previously been in juvenile detention.

"i mean, i was in juvenile detention for the sixth time before here. why would you take someone like me in?"

melissa gave her a sad smile, crossing her arms across her chest. "you're not disposable, haven. and you're not a bad person. you just had bad things happen to you."

"i'm not entirely a good person either." she mumbled, turning her attention back to chopping the vegetables.

"haven–"

"hey mom, can stiles and i go out for a bit?" scott walked into the kitchen, stopping his mom from continuing on with what she was about to say.

"i suppose. just be back around seven. that's when dinner should be fully done." melissa told him.

"can haven come with us?"

melissa looked to haven, "as long as it's okay with her."

"sure." haven said, feeling slightly skeptical about her newly freedom.

she knew it would take some time to get used to and adjust to the new change. for not, until she suddenly gets moved again, she decided to make the most of it. though making friends was something she had always refused to do. but there was something different about this. something pulled her and gave her slight comfort.

haven took a glance at melissa before following scott and stiles out of the house and to the baby blue jeep that belonged to stiles. she did still feel a bit out of place but the reassuring smile scott gave her helped her.

both dark haired boys got into the front while haven shyly slipped into the back seat, sitting in the middle. stiles started up the engine before driving away from the house.

"so school begins in a few days." stiles began the conversation, breaking the slightly awkward silence. "are you going haven?"

"not sure. i would have to ask melissa." she replied quietly, looking out the window and avoiding stiles's stare on her through the mirror.

"how many schools have you been to?" scott asked her.

"six. seven if you count this one i might be attending."

scott gave her a shocked look. "wow. i can't imagine what its like to be moving around that much."

haven just shrugged it off, not wanting to get into much detail about her past. to her, it was no one's business except for hers and she didn't need the pity from everyone. she was perfectly fine without anyone.

"so where were you before here?" stiles asked.

scott noticed the way she shifted uncomfortably, her features hardening as she thought about juvenile detention as her last place. there was no way she was going to tell them that. she didn't want them to see her as a bad person. not that she cared what they thought anyway.

"just another foster home." she half-lied, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she felt the palms of her hands become sweaty.

it wasn't a total lie. she was in another foster home previously. just before juvenile detention. thinking about it triggered something in her and she felt extremely anxious. her blood ran cold yet her palms remained sweaty as memories flooded in her mind.

she could see stiles open her mouth to ask another question when she turned to scott with raised eyebrows, "so melissa is your biological mother?"

"yep." he simply replied, receiving a strange sense from haven but shook it off, assuming she didn't want the full attention on her.

"what about your parents? why were you put into the foster system?" stiles pushed another questioned, interested and curious of the new girl.

haven snapped her head to glare at stiles through the mirror, her eyes darkening at how blunt he asked the question. normally, people would slowly sugarcoat it or talk around it. stiles, however, said it with no problem which was different to haven. one she didn't like.

stiles felt her piercing glare and swallowed thickly, glancing at scott to see him with an annoyed look plastered on his best friend's features. stiles mumbled a quick apology, taking the hint it was too soon for her to be opening up.

scott decided to change the tone of the conversation by moving to a less touchy subject. "if you do go to our school, we'll be there with you the whole time."

"thanks." she mumbled, looking down as she gulped at the thought of going to yet another new school.

and she had a feeling that a whole new door would be opening for her. but not knowing if it was good or bad bothered her. she should be used to bad things constantly happening to her. so why was now any different?