- DISCLAIMER -

I do NOT own Teen Wolf

Chapter one; and so it begins. . .

Question of the Chapter - Who is your fav Teen Wolf character?

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A few months earlier

The wind whistled quietly outside the window, as if trying to crawl inside. The branches on the trees nearby tapped softly against the glass.

I had decided to turn on Supernatural, Season Five, one of my personal favourites out of them all.

"God, why are they all so pretty?" I muttered to myself as I swirled my spoon around the mug of hot chocolate that kept my hands warm in that late night weather. Why did Beacon Hills always have to be so damn cold? I swear, it felt like it was always like that.

Sam and Dean drove in the Impala having their usual broody heart-to-heart, before planning out their next hunt. Their lives were so interesting and adventurous, but I don't think I'd ever be able to pull that off. The whole idea of it was crazy, yet still so appealing.

After the episode finished, I turned the television off and just sat there, taking small sips of the chocolatey drink, wishing I had had some marshmallows for it.

That night had gone by like any other; tossing and turning until finally I ended up reaching for the remote and something sweet to go with it. It's a routine that I had perfected over the previous months.

Another night to add to the string of sleepless nights I had been having. I hadn't really been able to get a full night's sleep in ages. The worst part was that I started back up at school the next day. Because like it wasn't hard enough to try and get to sleep. New year, same problems.

Plus, my teachers probably wouldn't have been too happy if I started nodding off during their classes on the first day back.

Thankfully, I was only sixteen, so I hadn't gotten to all of the senior work pressure yet. I definitely wasn't looking forward to that.

I sat the mug down on the bedside table, throwing off the blanket and swinging my legs over the side of the bed. My head fell into my hands as I hunched over, rubbing my eyes.

A sigh escaped me as I stood up, walked over to my overnight bag and sifted through the clothes to find something warmer.

I stripped off the leggings I had on, and opted for a pair of black sweatpants and pulled a navy blue jumper over the singlet I was wearing, before heading towards the door of the bedroom.

Once in the hallway, I took a right and walked to the door that was two doors down from the one I had been staying in. Lightly rapping on the wood, my eyes travelled the hallways.

Dark hallways always creeped me out in the middle of the night. It always felt like there was something lurking. Or maybe it's just the darkness in general.

Like something straight out of 'The Shining', you know? I didn't want to turn around and see those freaky twins. Ever.

However, Melissa was pulling a late-night shift that next night, so I wasn't risking waking her up by making noise. She did so much for me, so I tried my best not to cause her any more grief than necessary.

"Come in" A muffled voice called from the other side of the door.

I pushed open Scott's door and walked into his bedroom which was illuminated by the overhead light. One sweep of the room, and I spotted the boy doing a few pull ups on a bar he had installed in the frame of his bathroom door several months beforehand. He dropped down, turning to look at me with a toothy grin.

"Hey, Riley. You alright?" He asked me, concern clear in his eyes. I smiled, not wanting to ruin the good mood he seemed to be in. I looked around his room, and saw his preparations for the coming day. Scott's lacrosse stick lay tightly strung on the bed.

The next morning, he was restarting lacrosse training, and he had been training so that he wouldn't get benched again; hence the pull-ups.

Usually when I couldn't sleep, I just called Scott or Stiles, so being in Scott's house that night made it a little easier. They're really great friends, I couldn't think of many other people who would let me call them at two A.M. complaining that I couldn't sleep and dream like a normal person.

Both of them would sit in their rooms as I sat in mine, talking to me until I was tired. They did that for me, because they know I would do the same for them.

Scott, Stiles and I had been friends since, well, basically as long as I could remember. They were my oldest friends, and I planned on keeping them around as long as possible. No matter how annoying they got sometimes.

"It's just one of those nights I guess" I shrugged my shoulders. My hair began to fall over my shoulder slowly, so I gathered all the strands in my hands and started to braid my hair so that it would stay out of my way, tugging one of the multiple hair ties off of my wrist to twist around the end and hold it all together.

I was one of those people who would always keep spare hair ties around their wrist. I knew it looked silly to some, but it was very functional; if I ever needed a hair tie, there it was. It annoys my mum because she thinks it doesn't look neat.

Scott nodded, before he walked back into his bathroom and began to brush his teeth.
"I think you should tell your mom, maybe she can take you to see someone. I'm pretty sure there's people who can help if you have problems sleeping. I think." He suggested, before spitting into the sink.

"Maybe, but I think it's just the nerves leading up to school. I slept fine during the holidays" I pointed out, letting go of the tie as I finished doing my hair.

"Yeah, I'm nervous too" Scott admitted to me. "I have lacrosse practice tomorrow." The thought of how the practise usually went for him resulted in a giggle escaping my lips.

Scott was never the best lacrosse player, he knew that. But he had trained a lot more this time around. He had worked so hard at it over the holidays, that I actually thought he might have a chance this year.

I remember hoping. Hoping that if Stiles and Scott made first line, maybe that could be my adventure this year, having friends on the lacrosse team who actually played lacrosse. Seeing them playing on the field instead of moping on the sidelines might have made the games actually interesting.

Scott began to splash his face with water from the tap, as I stood there leaning against the door frame. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

He looked at me in the mirror, "Thanks, but I'm more worried about you right now. This has been happening for a while now. Are you sure it's not about something else, like your dad?"

I felt my whole body tense up as I stood straight and took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm sure. I told you, I'm not going to waste another breath on him."

My relationship with my dad was a bit complicated to say the least. Well, not really, actually. He cheated on my mum, she kicked him out, he was still living in Beacon Hills and kept trying to contact me, and I kept trying to ignore him.

"I know, but-" he didn't finish, freezing when we both heard a noise coming from outside of the house.

The noise we heard was hard to explain, like a heavy creaking sound, but there was definitely something on the McCall's roof.

Scott looked up from the sink, listening carefully. The noise came again. We both looked at each other, and panic washed over me. Was someone breaking in? Because emotional trauma was not something I needed right then; I'd get enough at school the next day.

Scott quickly ran to pull on a jacket, while I began to look around his room for a weapon. When I looked at Scott, he was already holding a baseball bat, and I frowned.
"You don't happen to have another one of those, do you?"

"Just stick close behind me," he whispered.

"Great, so now there might be a psycho outside of your house, and you're telling me that you're going to protect us both? No offense, but really, Scott? I mean, really?"

I'm going to die, was one thought that had crossed my mind at that point.

He gave me a frustrated look, and then picked up his lacrosse stick and threw it to me.

"Now we're talkin'," I smiled. "At least if I die, I won't be the typical damsel in the horror movie who depends on the boy."

"Great, now let's go," Scott whispered.

Quickly, yet carefully enough not to make a heap of noise, we reached the door, weapons at the ready.

Scott went first, opening the front door to his house and walking out. I followed him, but not too closely.

If he got stabbed or something, I didn't want his body falling on me and leaving me a sitting duck for the killer.

He's my friend, but I don't want to die at the hands of a serial killer. Scott would agree.

I think.

We walked up to the railing surrounding his house, when all of a sudden, someone was hanging upside down from the roof.

For a few seconds, the three of us were just screaming. Eventually, I forced myself to focus and actually see who had scared me half to death.

I stopped screaming and smacked Scott on the arm in hopes that he would do the same. He did, and his eyes widened when he made the same discovery I had just seconds ago.

"Stiles, what the hell are you doing?" Scott yelled at the boy with the buzz cut.

"Neither of you were answering your phones." Stiles replied as he waved his hands around. He looked us up and down. Or down and up. He was hanging upside down; I don't know how it works in that scenario.

I lowered the lacrosse stick a little, and looked Stiles dead in the eye. "That is when you use the front door bell, moron. You don't try to break in and give people a heart attack, Stiles!"

For such a smart guy, he really didn't think things through as much as he should have.

"Okay. Next time. Maybe. Why do you have a bat, Scott? And why do you have Scott's lacrosse stick?" The hanging boy questioned us, pointing to our weaponry.

"We thought you were a predator," Scott grumbled, looking over to me for help.

I released a sigh, before answering "I don't know. It's two in the morning, Stiles. We didn't have a plan for if we thought someone was going to come and kill us."

Stiles just scoffed at us, "A pre..." he just coughed, before changing the subject towards what he had actually come to discuss with us that day.

"Look, I know it's late, but you gotta hear this." I gave Scott a nervous glance, which he seemed to return, before we gave our attention back to Stiles.

How was all the blood not rushing to his head right now? He had been upside down for a while.

"I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called. They're bringing in every officer from the Beacon Department, and even the state police" He said rather quickly.

My eyebrows had creased in confusion. The police had never had to make a call like that before. At least, not as long as I've been alive. "What for, Stiles?"

"Two joggers found a body in the woods" He replied, before jumping down from the roof.

Scott still looked confused. "A dead body?"

And the dumbest question of the night was awarded to!

I looked towards him, eyebrows raised, giving him my best 'are you actually serious?' look.

Stiles stood up straight, only to display the same look. "No, a body of water" he scoffed in a sarcastic tone. He's such a smart ass, I thought as I smiled.
"Yes, dumb-ass, a dead body."

I laughed loudly at Stiles' reply, before clamping a hand over my mouth when it came out louder than I had planned. I noticed Scott glaring at me, and I just poked my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes and looked back over to Stiles.

The two boys discussed whether or not the person was murdered or not, and then, ding ding, Scott asked the million dollar question.

"Hold on, if they found the body, then what are they looking for?"

Stiles dropped his hands from his hips excitedly "That's the best part. They only found half." We all exchanged rather amazed reactions, before Stiles nodded.
"We're going."

No one said anything, and frankly, I'm not surprised. Stiles is always coming up with . . . interesting ideas.

But looking for a dead body? That's a whole other ball game. Even now he still comes up with those ideas.

I've got to give it to him though, he keeps things from getting boring. After all, I did ask for adventure.

"Well, let me be the first to say, that this is a very dumb idea" I began, crossing my arms over my chest. The boys were about to protest, when I cut them off by raising one of my hands. Their mouths fell shut slowly.

"Now, now. It is a stupid idea, but I am not being left out. Could be fun" I shrugged, as if we were discussing seeing a movie or something like that. "Scott, let's get some shoes on and go."

We did exactly that, and then rushed out to Stiles' powder blue Jeep, completely naïve to what was about to happen. To what was going to change our lives. Most likely, forever.

For good or for bad? That was still to be determined.

♡♢♤♧

As we got out of Stiles' Jeep, Scott began to complain. I always remembered him as being like that. He was constantly on the lookout for things that could go wrong; always taking things too seriously.

Instincts like his would be good at times, but he also needed to learn that it can be good not to worry about what was behind every corner.

"Come on Scottie, have some fun." I laughed, knowing he was not incredibly fond of that particular nickname.

"Seriously, Riley? Yeah, okay, all we're doing is searching for a dead body in the middle of the night, whilst the police also search. Not to mention, they might arrest us for tampering with evidence, but whatever." He said with a bit too much sarcasm.

I loved him to bits, but he needed to stop being such a buzz kill.

"Exactly. What part of that didn't sound like fun?" Stiles added. "Besides, you're the one always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town," he pointed out, shooting a sly smile my way.

"I was trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow" Scott whined, his red hood covering his mop of brown hair.

The boys played on the lacrosse team together, and putting this as nicely as possible, one could not have been better than the other.

"Right, 'cause sitting on the bench is such a gruelling effort" Stiles said to Scott. I swore, I could almost see the smoke seeping from his ears.

Coach Finstock always benched them both. Mostly because, well, they had to be the worst players on the team.

Besides Greenberg of course. Greenberg sucked.

They could be better if the coach were more willing to give them game time. I mean, between Scott and Stiles combined the previous year, they barely played half of a game in total; unless you were to count the times they were put on due to default.

Scott scoffed "No, because I'm playing this year. In fact, I'm making first line."
I laughed once again, unable to hold it back that time.

Moments later, however, I immediately felt bad as Scott turned towards me with that wounded dog expression on his face.

I tried to be supportive. Key word, equalled, tried. "Hey, that's the spirit" I grinned, trying not to laugh at him again.

Stiles nodded in agreement, "Everyone should have a dream, even a pathetically unrealistic one." Scott just shook his head and continued to walk through the dense forest, glaring at us both.

I held my hands up in defence, showing him I had meant no harm. "Hey now, no need for that. Besides, he said it. Not me."

I turned to Stiles, to see him frowning at my betrayal. Clicking my tongue, I said "Sorry, Stiles."
"Anyway," I continued between breaths. "Do you know which half of the body you've actually dragged us out here to find?"

Stiles stopped for a second, before continuing and saying that he had never even thought about that.

Scott had joined in on the questioning, "And, what if whoever killed the body is still out here?"

The other boy just cocked his head to the side. "Also something I didn't think about."

"Well, Stiles," I began as I climbed a small hill, "It's reassuring to know that you have planned this out with your usual attention to detail." He just laughed at my statement and agreed.

Scott stopped to lean against a tree, breathing for air. He pulled out his inhaler, saying he was fine, even though he happened to have severe asthma.

Once we reached the top of the small hill, we saw flashlights, so I quickly spun, grabbing an arm on each boy, and pulled them down to the forest floor. They began to protest, before they saw the lights also. We watched the police and police dogs search the area; also looking for the body.

All of a sudden, Stiles was up on his feet, running towards them.

Once again, smart kid, dumb ideas. I reached to grab him, but my fingers barely swiped the fabric of his jacket. Scott and I stood there telling him to get back in hushed whispers, but he didn't listen.

Scott pumped his inhaler once more, and we both got up and ran after him. We were close, when Scott called out Stiles's name.

Stiles stopped and turned towards us, only to fall over out of surprise at the confrontation he received from one of the police dogs and a flashlight.

I looked up to see Sheriff Stilinski, Stiles' dad, walking over and saying something to Stiles. He didn't look very happy. All of a sudden, he turned towards the trees where Scott and I were hidden.

"Scott, Riley, are you two out there?" He shouted, shining his police issued torch between the trees, narrowly missing my face. The Sheriff lowered the torch and faced Stiles, grabbing him by the back of his jacket and speaking to his son, whilst dragging him away.

I sighed loudly, as I slumped a bit on the trunk of the tree before I turned to face Scott.
"How are we supposed to get back to your house? Stiles has the keys to the Jeep, obviously."

"Yeah, I know. We'll just have to walk. Come on, let's go."