Long time, no see

I can't help but wonder if people can even be bothered with me anymore hahaha

I'm going to try and get back onto a weekly basis, but I'm sorry if I forget every now and then

So Season 3B will be the last part of this book, because wow there are so many chapters, but I'll make a second book for the rest of the seasons! I thought that would be easier because a lot of people had trouble finding the sequels to my last books

We have finally reached season 3 which, in my humble opinion, is one of the best overall seasons. Especially part B.

Also, a few things before we begin:

- Charlotte, if you're unable to remember, is Riley's half-sister from her father's first marriage. Her mum died during childbirth, and she is six years older than Riley.

- Charlotte is being played by Daisy Ridley

Thanks for those who are still reading, for reasons unknown to man.

As always comment, vote and stick around! And if I've made any typos, just point them out and I'll fix them right up!

So, let's dive straight in, shall we?

----------

The four months had went by painstakingly fast. My sister, Charlotte, and I were in the car on our way to Beacon Hills, a moving truck following not far behind.

After our mother's funeral she had taken me to live with her in Devonford to give us both time to be alone together to grieve. She had also made the decision to sell the house, believing that I didn't need to be surrounded by the bad memories. At first I had fought her on the subject until I was blue in the face, but she stood her ground.

I'm glad she did. After the funeral, I knew I never wanted to go back there again. I only went back to pack all of my things into boxes, and then I was gone.

My mother's funeral had been four days later. We kept it to close friends and family so that it wouldn't be crowded. Scott, Stiles, Isaac and Lydia had attended. I wanted Allison to be there, but she had left for France the day beforehand.

The three who did come tried to speak to me on multiple occasions, but I just couldn't bring myself to respond. I didn't even cry. I had just sat there; numb to every feeling. Stiles remained by my side the entire time, holding one of my hands in his and whispering words of empathy, relating back to when he had lost his mother.

Only the top half of her casket had been open for viewing; Charlotte had asked for this so that we didn't have to be reminded that she was stabbed. It wasn't exactly easy to forget, but she was trying.

Overall, it was a nice funeral. It just shouldn't have happened.

Lottie's apartment in Devonford had felt worlds away, like Beacon Hills didn't even exist. The peace was nice, but at times I felt like I was drowning in it. Stiles and Scott would call and text, but I never responded. I didn't need them feeling sorry for me and telling me that everything was going to be okay.

Nothing was okay. Ever since Scott had been bitten, everything had been a never ending shit-show. First he got bitten, then we were hunted by the Alpha whilst also dodging the hunters, then the Kanima, then Allison's crazy grandfather with the Kanima, and now this new pack who thinks they can murder my mother and just walk away.

Every waking second her death was replaying in my head. The Alpha. His pack. The man named Ennis who had killed my mother in cold blood. He wasn't going to get away with it. None of them were.

Ever since the moment I realised that I had been the one causing Kali to be unable to breath, and the Alpha saying that I had my mother's power, I had been trying to practise.

It had been really difficult to try and channel. It took me almost two months alone to summon it at will. I realised it was connected to my emotion and breathing, kind of like Scott with his claws and such. I hadn't been able to do much yet; the most I'd done was make it really windy in my room with the windows and doors shut.

It's like I hast some sort of connection to air, I think it's what caused Kali to choke that night. But I still didn't know what I was. The only people alive who seemed to know were Peter and Deucalion, and I doubted either of them were going to give that information up any time soon.

There'd been so many times where I'd wanted to tell Charlotte but she's not related to my mother by blood, meaning that she wont have this power and I don't want to put her in any danger. Especially if I go after Ennis and the rest of them. She was the only family I had left.

And yes, I know technically I have my father, but he lost that chance when he cheated on my mum. I couldn't forgive that.

"Hey, we're here," Charlotte announced, breaking me away from my thoughts.

I leaned forward and looked out of the car's windshield. We were parked in front of a small one-storey house with a dark brick exterior. There were a few windows on the front of the house whose panes were all painted the same white as the front door.

Charlotte sighed as she turned the car off. "I know it's nothing like home, but it's the best I can do for now. And besides, my boss has sent me to write a story which will hopefully turn out to be ongoing, so there's that."

Leaning back, I gave her a reassuring smile, "Lottie, it's great. More than I could've asked for. I'm just happy to have you back."

"And I'm happy to be back," she smiled. "Now, let's get some of this stuff unpacked."

♡♢♤♧

The remainder of the evening consisted of us going back and forth from the car or the moving truck and the house with boxes stacked in our arms. As we filled up what would eventually be the study and about half of the living room, we had moved everything out of the truck.

We didn't bring a lot with us. Just essentials and things we knew we could never leave behind; you know, photos and things like that. The movers had helped us carry in the couch and our disassembled bed frames were waiting in our bedrooms.

After tipping the movers, we had ordered dinner and began to unpack some boxes. When it arrived, we joined each other in what was to be a small dining room which was connected to the kitchen.

We hadn't got around to setting up the stools yet, so we sat cross-legged on the hardwood floor across from each other quietly eating our Chinese.

Lottie looked up from her food every now and then to peer over at me. Something was clearly on her mind. With a sigh, I stuck my fork into the container of noodles and looked up at her. "What's up?"

Shaking her head, she swirled her fork around her food. "I was just surprised that Scott and Stiles didn't stop by to help us move in. I know I've been gone a while but from what I remember you three were as thick as thieves. Why haven't you told them we're back?"

"Things are just. . . complicated right now," I shrugged.

"How so?"

How to answer that question. I had already agreed with myself that the truth wasn't an option, but I couldn't always lie like I had with my mother. A lack of trust leads to separation and I don't want to risk that again.
"Scott broke up with his girlfriend so he's being a bit weird, and Stiles is just being. . . Stiles," I lied through my teeth.

Scott was working through his issues with Allison easier than I thought. Even when I didn't reply, he texted me every day to keep me in the loop. He had managed to avoid contacting her the whole time that she was away and I couldn't help but be proud of him. He had grown so much recently. I just hoped he doesn't down spiral.

And Stiles.

Well, that wasn't a lie at least. Stiles was just being Stiles. Caring, thoughtful, considerable of boundaries; how could I ask for more?

I couldn't understand how either of them were being so patient with me. I hadn't spoken to them since that night, yet they continued to speak to me anyway.

"Well, don't worry. They're your best friends. I'm sure it will all work out," my sister grinned. That's why they were so patient with me. They were my best friends.

I nodded with a small smile, "Yeah, I have no doubt that it will."

It was silent for a moment before Charlotte spoke up again. "So, do you think that you'll be right to go to school tomorrow?"

She looked really concerned. After the funeral, my father had tried to speak to me. He had had the same look on his face.

The only difference was that I trusted Lottie; she was my sister after all.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," I smiled. "Just need to take things one day at a time I guess."

She nodded, still staring at me with sad eyes. She tried to stay strong for me, but I knew she missed mum just as much as I did. We'd both been thrown into a situation we felt completely unprepared to deal with, but we had no choice but to make it work.

After finishing up my dinner and throwing the container out, I began to head towards my new room. "I'm going to go to bed. We'll unpack more when you get home from work?"

Charlotte grinned softly, "That sounds good. Make sure you try and get some sleep."

I chuckled lightly, "You sound just like mum."

Her smile dropped as she looked down. She looked like she was going to cry.

"Shit. Sorry," I muttered. "I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay," Charlotte said quickly. I was worried she was angry, but when I looked over she was smiling again. "I'm glad that I remind you of her."

I smiled at her, and neither of us said anything as I walked away. My room was down a hallway and across from Charlotte's. I hadn't had the chance to set up my bed yet, so right now it was just a heap of boxes and my mattress with some blankets and pillows.

As I began rummaging through the box labelled 'Riley's clothes', I heard my phone begin to ring. Pulling it out of my jacket pocket I saw Stiles' name written across the screen with the dorky photo I set for his contact in the background.

With a sigh, I set my phone down on the ground, letting the vibrations echo against the floorboards.

When it finally stopped I picked it back up and turned it over.

'1 Missed Call'

'1 New Voice Mail'

We'd been through this a few times throughout the Summer. He'd call, I'd consider answering, I wouldn't answer, he'd leave a message, I'd feel guilty, I'd do nothing and that was it.
Unsure of myself again, I clicked the voice mail and put it on speaker.

"Hey, Riley. Um. . . it's Stiles again - although I'm sure you know that - I just wanted to check that you're alright. . . again. Are you coming back to school tomorrow? Are you even back in Beacon Hills yet? I hope you are. I miss you."

And then the message ended. I missed him too. I just couldn't bring myself to answer the phone. The thought of going back to my crazy life was just so unappealing after what I saw. Between the Alpha and the kanima, seeing my mum killed by the Ennis definitely topped everything.

Devonford had been a nice change of pace, but I knew I didn't belong there. I always felt something dragging me back to Beacon Hills, and now, here I was.

Putting my phone back down, I decided I didn't want to deal with this. Again.

After getting ready for bed, I turned my phone off and went to sleep, knowing my first day back at school was not going to be easy.

♡♢♤♧

I woke up to a knocking on my door and the sun shining in through the window. Rolling over I looked up to see Charlotte leaning against my door frame, smiling. "You sure you're going to be okay?"

"No," I groaned tiredly, deciding it was best to be honest with her. Well, sort of honest. "But, I need to get back to some sort of normal."

"I understand that, but if you do need an extra day I can stay home and we can watch Netflix or something?" She offered.

With a smile, I threw my blanket off. "Thanks, but I think I need to do this. Besides, I haven't spoken Scott and Stiles in a while. I think they're worried."

"Should they be?" Charlotte asked, cocking her head to the side.

I stood up and walked over to my sister, placing a hand on each of her shoulders, "I'm gonna to be fine. Go to work and I'll see you at dinner."

"Alright," she nodded. "But I'm taking you to school today."
I went to protest, but she was ready for it.
"No if, ands, or buts; I'm taking you. Just for today."

I knew my sister, and I knew how persistent she was, so I didn't bother arguing. "Fine, but if you're late for your first day don't go blaming me."

She smiled and then walked out the door.

She had asked her boss at the Devonford Paper to help her attain a job in Beacon Hills. It had taken a bit of convincing and a lot of 'good words' being put in but they managed to pull some strings, and voila, Charlotte had a job in Beacon Hills.

I, however, did not. Whenever I offered to get a job to help pay bills and such Lottie always turned me down, saying that I should be focusing on school. I had a lot of other stuff to focus on as well, but she didn't need to know about all of that.

I threw on a pair of jeans, shirt and a jacket and packed my bag before brushing my hair. Not wanting to look like a tired mess, I applied the lightest layer of makeup.

I knew I didn't look great, but it would do for one day. Besides, I only needed to go and sit there and learn; it wasn't like I was planning on interacting with many people. No doubt Stiles and Scott would try. Maybe luck would be on my side. And yet, I knew I would be unable to avoid them; we had too many classes together.

♡♢♤♧

The school looked exactly the same, as if a killer Alpha, followed by a man-lizard, hadn't torn apart multiple areas of the building. Even the blood stains were no where to be seen; I envied their cover-up skills.

If we were able to do that, I'm sure our lives would be a tiny bit less stressful to say the least. Or people could just stop trying to kill each other, as if that were too much to ask.

Although, to be fair, I wanted to kill Ennis, so I can see where they're coming from in that sense. Scott would never allow it though. He didn't understand what I was going through right now. I didn't want him to, either.

Stepping into the main hallway to the school, my heartbeat began to speed up. After my mother had been killed everything felt heightened. My senses, emotions and also my anxiety being back here after everything that had happened.

Taking a deep breath, I walked slowly through the hallways to my locker. Mine was near Stiles' and Scott's, so I hoped that they had already collected their books and headed to class. I quickly unlocked it and grabbed what I needed before making my way to my first class of the day; English.

One of the bells rang and the hallway was packed with students prepared to start the new semester. Some of them I recognised amongst many new faces. And then some faces that were all too familiar.

Allison and Lydia were leaning against a set of lockers, talking amongst themselves. I lowered my head and allowed some hair to fall over my face in hopes that they wouldn't notice me. I knew I would have to talk to my friends eventually, but even just a few more minutes of solitude would be preferred.

I managed to get past them without being noticed. At least, I thought I had. When I was about two metres past them, I began to hear Lydia calling my name. "Riley? Riley, is that you?"

"Shit," I muttered to myself. My anxiety levels heightened as I began to speed up my pace, not turning around for a moment. They wouldn't follow, they're smarter than that.

Walking into the class room, the first thing I noticed was Stiles. He was sitting there, laughing with Scott. His smile was all consuming, causing my stomach to twist into nervous knots and my heart to leap into my throat.

I turned to walk out of the classroom only to come face to face with Allison and Lydia. We all stared at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, to my surprise, Lydia leaned forward and wrapped me in a hug.

"I'm sorry about your mum," she whispered. She had been at the funeral and had apologised then, but she could tell I was still struggling.

I embraced her back, "I'm sorry about Jackson."
After everything had happened, his parents moved him to London. I hoped that with his new found werewolf powers he would become a better person. I hadn't seen him since the fight, and I didn't know if I'd ever see him again.

I didn't mind as much, I liked Jackson, but we weren't best friends or anything. No one was more torn up about it than Lydia.

Not that she would ever admit to that of course.

Before I even turned around, I could feel his eyes on me. "He's looking over here, isn't he?" Lydia and Allison both didn't respond, meaning the answer was yes. With a sigh, Lydia shrugged her bag higher up onto her shoulder before walking towards Stiles.

My stomach dropped at the sight. What was she doing?

Just when I was considering running over and telling her to stop whatever she was doing, she dropped herself down into the seat beside Stiles. I was confused as to why, until I realised that there had only been three seats remaining. One next to Stiles, one in front of Scott, and one behind Stiles.

We were all going to be stuck sitting near at least one of them.
Allison and I began to walk over slowly. If I sat in front of Scott, then at least I wouldn't have to see Stiles looking at me deciding whether to talk to me.

Unfortunately for me, Allison seemed to have the same idea as she beat me to dropping her books on the desk. She mouthed a quick sorry to me before taking her seat, I just rolled my eyes with a sigh and continued walking.