CHAPTER FIVE:
tension rising

I had imagined my first day of sophomore year going much differently.

I'd done everything right; covered all my bases in preparation. I'd stocked up on school supplies, completed all my summer reading assignments, and had stocked her closet full of a new wardrobe Lydia approved of. I'd imagined catching up with Mason, branching out a bit to make friends my own age, picking out a quirky John Green book from the library, and maybe an after school ice cream date with Liam.

I hadn't imagined avoiding Mason, meeting a girl from Liam's past, seeing Theo again, or spending my entire night tracking his every move.

As expected, Theo hadn't done anything out of the ordinary or incriminating in the past three hours we'd spent camped outside his house, but his normal teenage male behavior did nothing to ease Stiles' suspicions.

I still had my reservations about Theo, and my gut told me not to trust him, but we'd been following him through the woods for the past half hour and I wasn't dressed for a midnight hike through the preserve. I was so cold my teeth were starting to chatter and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with a cup of hot chocolate.

Theo parked his car and the three of us hid behind some shrubbery nearby as he exited the SUV. I stood between Stiles and Liam as we watched Theo walk around the car to grab something from the back. I couldn't decipher what the object was from our current distance.

"I told you he was up to something," Stiles whispered as Theo started to head deeper into the preserve.

"We just spent three hours watching this dude play video games in his bedroom," Liam responded in a similarly hushed voice. "He better be out here covering up a mass murder."

I had to silently agree.

"Let's find out," Stiles said.

With that, our mission to catch Theo in the act commenced once more, and we continued to follow him.

Stiles was leading the way — which was ironic since he was the least coordinated of all of us — with Liam directing him from behind, and me trailing after him. We travelled through the forest in silence, trying to be as quiet as possible to keep our presence undetected. I could barely see five feet in front of me, so I hugged myself in a feeble attempt to keep the cold away and stayed close to Liam, doing my best not to trip over anything.

My eyes wandered our surroundings before looking above me, where the moonlight filtered through the canopy of trees. I appreciated how pretty it was, but the preserve left me with an uneasy feeling anymore. I remembered the first night I'd ever come out here with Scott and Stiles, when we'd foolishly been searching for a dead body and Scott was bitten by Peter.

I shivered at the memory and tried to push the thought away. Instead, I wondered how on earth I was going to get my shoes clean after trekking through all the mud on the ground.

"Do you still have his scent?" Stiles asked.

"Don't need it," Liam responded, gesturing to the sneaker tracks imprinted on the forest floor.

We'd only gone a few more feet when I noticed Liam was distracted. He slowed down, hesitation evident on his face.

My eyebrows furrowed and I touched his arm. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot, I-I was supposed to meet Mason at the school gym," Liam said, looking at me with helpless eyes. Realization struck me as I recalled Mason telling me of the plans he'd made with my boyfriend tonight. I was actually meant to pick them up after they'd finished working out and then we were all going to study at Liam's for an upcoming history quiz. I ran a hand through my hair in distress, feeling like a terrible friend.

"Why didn't you just tell him?" Stiles questioned, unconcerned.

I could tell Liam was anxious by the way he dug his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt. "Tell him what?"

"Anything," Stiles responded, like it was as simple as that.

"I can't just tell him anything."

"Why not?"

"Because we haven't told him everything," I answered.

Stiles cast a confused look between me and Liam. "Still? We said it was okay."

"Yeah, I know, but it's not that easy," Liam said, dropping his gaze to the ground and becoming more worked up by the second. I kept my hand on his arm, hoping to console him with my touch instead of my words. I hadn't realized how much Liam was truly struggling with this. He was terrified of losing his best friend. "It's a lot to accept."

"He watched my dad blow up a berserker with a landmine. I think the groundwork has been pretty thoroughly laid for acceptance," Stiles reassured him. I nodded in agreement, thinking about all the people we kept in the dark for so long, and their reactions when they finally knew about the supernatural. "Scott, Joey, and I . . . we've have been through this, okay? More than once. It's just—it's always better when they know."

Stiles hesitated a moment before he turned to continue on our quest to follow Theo.

I looked at Liam, who had pulled out his phone. "Hey," I said softly, touching his face. His gaze met mine, his blue eyes shining like crystals in the moonlight. "I'll help you. We can tell him together."

Liam nodded, but I could still see he was worried. I gave him a light kiss on the cheek before I left him to catch up with Stiles. After a moment or two, I heard Liam start to follow.

"But what if he freaks out?" Stiles glanced over at me with an exasperated expression at the sound of Liam's insistent voice, exhausted with the subject. "What if he doesn't want to talk to me? What if he tries to stab me with something silver? What if—"

Liam's voice cut off, followed by a loud rustling sound. Stiles and I both stopped abruptly, sharing a confused look before turning around. There was no sign of Liam, only a strange circular irregularity in the leaves.

Stiles and I hurried over to the edge of the hole and peered inside to be greeted by the sight of Liam brushing dirt from his light brown hair.

"What the hell are you doing?" Stiles questioned accusingly. Liam stared up at him incredulously and shrugged his shoulders the slightest bit. He obviously hadn't fallen in on purpose, but Stiles didn't seem too concerned either way. "I swear—" he stopped himself as he glanced over my shoulder. "There he is." His voice dropped to a whisper, though it probably didn't matter at this point. In my opinion, Theo was pretty bad at the werewolf thing if he still didn't know we were tailing him. "Hurry up, stop screwing around."

Stiles raced off toward a small stream a few yards away and I shook my head before I turned back to Liam. I watched as he pulled his phone from the muddy floor of the hole and wiped at the screen. He frowned down at it and I guessed he was reading messages from Mason.

Liam switched over to his flashlight application, lighting up his surroundings. He hesitated a moment, but I couldn't see why.

"Liam, what is it?" I asked, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

His gaze snapped up to meet mine. "Nothing," he dismissed, before standing and hopping out. I smiled at him; he was really coming into his abilities. "What?" he questioned as he got to his feet.

"Nothing," I mimicked him, earning myself a look. "Come on."

We eventually found Stiles, hiding behind a thick tree branch that was tucked into more bushes. He motioned for us to stay quiet as we approached him and I understood why as I noticed Theo just ahead on a bridge. His back was to us and his shoulders were a little hunched as he stood at the wooden railing.

"Try to get his scent," Stiles whispered. He only gave Liam a moment. "Get anything?"

"Soap," Liam answered quietly. "It's nice—it smells good."

I bowed my head and rolled my lips into my mouth to keep myself from laughing.

Stiles wasn't as amused. "Not his soap," he said. "His emotional state. Chemosignals, remember?"

"Oh—yeah. Okay." Liam nodded before trying to read Theo one more time. He hesitated, his eyebrows furrowing faintly. "He's sad."

"He's sad?" I questioned quietly, confused.

"Not just sad. It's more like . . . grief," Liam explained uncertainly.

"Grief?" Stiles echoed, just as baffled as me. Stumped by this information, we all continued to observe Theo in silence.

At a closer range, we could see what Theo had taken from his car; it was a package of some sort. He opened it up and pulled out a white flower – I thought it looked like a Lily, but I wasn't sure. He studied the flower for a moment, feeling the petals, before he held it out and dropped it into the water.

"Oh my God," Stiles squeaked from beside me, turning away. "Go, we have to go," he muttered, grabbing me and Liam by the shoulders to nudge us forward.

"What, why?" Liam questioned.

"Just go," Stiles said as he continued to steer us away from Theo.

Stiles barreled through the preserve, his longer legs carrying him faster than mine did me. I nearly had to jog to keep up with him and Liam as they kept a steady, brisk pace.

"That's the bridge where they found his sister," Stiles explained once he thought we were far enough away from Theo.

"What sister?" Liam and I asked at the same time.

"The one who got lost and died from exposure," Stiles said. "He's leaving a flower for her."

"That doesn't sound evil," Liam told him.

"I know."

Stiles came to an abrupt stop, followed by Liam, and I froze just about an inch from running into his back. Confused, I shot a glance between them before following their gazes upward. My's eyes widened in surprise, my mouth falling slightly agape as I stared at Theo Raeken, who stood on a tree branch high above us.

Scratch what I said about him being a bad werewolf.

I felt Liam's hand wrap around my elbow and pull me slightly behind him as Theo leaped down to the ground with little effort.

Double scratch what I said.

I suddenly wished I hadn't left my purse in the jeep — my handheld crossbow pointed at Theo's jugular would have made me feel a lot better right now.

I watched with apprehension as Theo straightened up to his full height, a little half smile pulling at the edges of his lips. "What are you guys doing?"

He made the mistake of stepping closer and Liam let out a low growl in warning, taking a more protective stance in front of both me and Stiles.

"Woah." Theo held his hands up in surrender, his smile twitching with amusement. "Why do I get the feeling this kid's tougher than he looks?"

I narrowed my eyes at him in both distrust and distaste.

Mostly distaste.

"Only when we let him off his leash," Stiles said, hovering a hand over Liam's chest just in case he decided to lunge.

Theo's eyebrows furrowed. "Stiles, we were in little league together," he reminded him, then turned his gaze on me. "And Joey,"—I felt Liam tense as Theo addressed me—"we used to spend every day together. I remember sleeping on your bedroom floor during thunderstorms just because it made you feel better. Why are you both so suspicious of me?"

Feeling some of my hostility give way, I bit the inside of my cheek; an old nervous habit. I remembered everything Theo did for me and all the time we spent together growing up, but that was a different person. This Theo before me was different, and regardless, things just weren't the same anymore.

He left and circumstances changed.

"Because of these," Stiles eventually spoke up, pulling two pieces of paper — one white and one green — from his sweatshirt pocket. I immediately recognized them and my eyes widened in surprise. You're not supposed to show the suspect your evidence until you're sure he's guilty. Stiles handed them over to Theo, who slowly unfolded them and held them side by side. "One's a speeding ticket signed by your dad eight years ago, the other's a signature on a transfer form to Beacon High—they're different."

"Huh," Theo said as his eyes skimmed over both signatures. "Yeah, they . . . do look a little different."

"No, they're totally different," I spoke up, my tone more combative than I anticipated.

"Signed by two different people," Stiles added.

"So, my dad's not my dad?" Theo asked in an amused tone, flashing that stupid lopsided grin he probably thought was charming. It was, but he didn't need to know that. "Like he's an imposter?"

"Something like that," Liam chimed in.

Theo folded up the papers with a slight sigh, his softened gaze falling on me, no doubt on purpose. He thought I was the weak link. "Who do you think I am?"

"We don't know yet," Stiles answered truthfully.

"Do you want me to give you a DNA sample or something?"

"No," Stiles said seriously. "I don't have anything from the fourth grade to match it to."

Theo's expression turned noticeably solemn once he realized Stiles wasn't joking.

He bowed his head, quiet for a moment, before he met Stiles' eyes once more. "You know, Stiles, I came back here for Scott," Theo began, and at that moment, Stiles looked like he would rather be doing literally anything else than listening to what he had to say. "But I also came back for you and Joey; someone like you both. Someone who's willing to walk into the woods in the middle of the night to protect their friends." Theo paused, shaking his head a bit. "I don't have anyone like that. Scott does . . . you all do. I know I'm in the right place. I'm meant to be here. I'm meant to be a part of this pack."

What a load of bull.

"Do you believe him?" Stiles asked in a quiet voice.

"No," I answered simply.

We were on our way back to the jeep and I couldn't have been more relieved. I was eager to go home, shower, and crawl into bed with my laptop to watch an episode or two of The Vampire Diaries before I went to sleep. The day had been long and all I wanted to do was forget it. Forget Hayden, forget lying to Mason — and his shady comment about Brett — forget hiking through the woods, and most importantly, forget Theo.

Stiles and I walked side by side, our arms brushing every once and while. Liam lagged behind a few paces, most likely still worrying over how he was going to break the supernatural news to Mason. He'd planned to go to the school and tell him everything. I'd offered my assistance, but he insisted it was something he needed to do alone. I understood; Mason wasn't just Liam's best friend, he was one of the most important people in his life and this was about their relationship.

"I don't either," Stiles spoke.

"Theo's always had a way with words," I commented. "If he wanted you to forgive him, or believe him, or trust him–,"

"Or make you feel better," Stiles said knowingly.

I nodded in agreement. "He always knew the right things to say," I continued. "I used to admire that about him, but now it just makes me sick to my stomach."

Stiles started laughing, and despite all the craziness that had happened tonight, I smiled along with him.

"Find anything?"

Both Stiles and I sobered up almost immediately, our surprised gazes falling on my brother. Leaning against his motorbike, he stood with his hands tucked in his pockets and an eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Nope," Stiles answered shortly, heading straight for the safety of his jeep, keys jingling in his hand.

"I-I fell in a hole," Liam offered with a tentative smile.

I bit back a small laugh, but neither Scott nor Stiles acknowledged him.

Stiles hopped into his vehicle, trying to make a hasty escape.

"It was the bridge where his sister died, wasn't it?" Scott asked knowingly, walking up beside the driver's side door of the jeep.

"Yes, it was—very embarrassing, so we're going to leave now," Stiles said. He turned the keys in the ignition and the engine stuttered, refusing to start. I bit my lip as Stiles grew agitated, cursing under his breath. I hadn't seen him like this for a while. "Liam," he said as he emerged from the jeep once more. "Do me a favor and get in the car, turn the ignition when I say."

Liam obediently climbed into the car and I moved to the side, making sure I was out of the way as Stiles came barreling around to the front. As he popped the hood, I walked over to the driver's side of the jeep and closed the door behind Liam once he was seated inside. I then my folded my arms across my chest and leaned back against the door, preparing myself for a possible blowout.

"Stiles?" Scott said in a questioning tone.

"Be with you in a sec," Stiles replied distractedly. "Try it," he then called to Liam.

Liam did as he was told, leaning forward to twist the keys, but the engine only continued to splutter before it died out with a clinking sound.

"Stiles," Scott repeated, his voice conveying they needed to talk.

"Yes, okay." Stiles' cool composure snapped. "Liam, Joey, and I followed him out here. What do you want me to say, that I'm a stalker? That I'm crazy? Totally paranoid?" Stiles' voice raised significantly throughout his little outburst. "None of this is new information."

A small silence ensued, where he continued to toy with the machines under the jeep's hood.

"You're not going to at least try and give him the benefit of the doubt?" Scott asked.

"I give people the benefit of the doubt," Stiles defended lowly. "I've given a lot of benefit, to a lot of people."

Both Scott and I felt the weight behind his words.

"Like Derek?" Scott questioned calmly. "Kira? Liam?"

"Malia," I added softly.

Stiles glanced over at me and our gazes clashed for a moment before he half-heartedly began working on his jeep once more.

He let out a faint, tense sigh, knowing Scott had a point. "I was right about Peter," Stiles declared. "Try it again!" Liam turned the keys for a second time, but engine still wouldn't start, only fueling Stiles' turbulent state. "You know," he began, turning toward Scott. "I bet you still think there's something about him that can be saved."

"Maybe," Scott responded.

Instead of responding, Stiles released an exasperated breath. He was rapidly approaching his breaking point.

"Try it again!"

Liam twisted the keys, but the jeep refused to cooperate.

"Why can't you trust anyone?" Scott pressed.

"Because you trust everyone!" Stiles bellowed. His voice echoed in the night and birds scattered from the canopy of trees above us as he slammed his fist down against the engine with as much force as humanly allowed.

Liam and I both jumped.

"Are you okay?" Scott questioned worriedly, but with caution in his voice.

"I'm fine," Stiles told him.

"You could have broken it," I whispered, walking around to the front of the jeep.

"She's right," Scott agreed.

"It's not broken," Stiles argued, but his tone was softer.

"Let me see it," Scott said.

"I'm fine," Stiles repeated stubbornly.

"Stiles," I said exasperatedly. "Just please let him look at it."

Stiles looked like he wanted to resist some more, but as Scott inched closer to him, he let out a defeated sigh and slowly moved his shaky hand toward him. Scott carefully cradled Stiles' hand in both of his and I watched as the familiar black veins traveled up Scott's arm, disappearing under the sleeve of his shirt.

After my brother gently let go, Stiles wiggled and stretched his fingers, testing out how his hand felt. All his movements seemed normal and he didn't wince in pain, so I assumed Scott had successfully taken away all the pain.

The jeep suddenly rumbled to life, starting me as the headlights flickered on, shining on the three of us like a spotlight.

I glanced over at Scott. "Can we go home now?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE MONTH? Ha, it's definitely not as frequent as I used to upload, but it's a start. I'm really getting into this story again, making it much easier for me to write and I already have everything planned out so I'm super excited to keep rolling this out for you all.

So, we had more Theo in this chapter, more Liam and Joey (bless their hearts), and the big scene between Scott and Stiles, which was honestly really hard to write. I feel like it just doesn't give the same effect in writing as it does on the television, but I am pleased with how it turned out.

I know Joey really has that whole "inner monologue" thing going on in all these chapters, but it's essential to her development and growth as a character. Her sorting out her feelings and trying to make sense of what she feels is an important plot point. Also, sorry if you expected Joey to be there when Mason finds out Liam is a werewolf, but I just don't think she any reason to be. I don't want to try to force her into every scene that Liam is in and frankly, just because they're dating doesn't mean they have to spend every second together, ya feel?

Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Let me know your predictions and thoughts! I can't wait to get into these next few chapters, shit is going to hit the fan through episodes 3 (Dreamcatchers) and 4 (Condition Terminal), so I'm really going to work hard to crank out these chapters!