Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it's long overdue update! Man, I'm so sorry everyone it's taken so long. On the bright side, besides the grammar mistakes (that I always seem not to catch), I am really proud of this chapter. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Special thanks to: k, YMCMBYoungin13, Guest(s), Lexi, Lydia, Jeph17, Wolfwind97, AngieStilinski, Aurora Abbot, Glarinetta and everyone else I forgot to mention!

Chapter 7: Misery Needs Company

Murder: The crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought.

A.K.A. the action that Stiles was about to commit if Greenberg clicked his purple pen one more goddamn time. Seriously, could this kid be any more annoying? Between the constant grinding of his stupid teeth and the clicking of his god awful purple pens, Stiles was going to lose it.

It was his first day back at school after the whole being a possessed by a demon-turned-werewolf fiasco and Stiles was hanging on by the thinnest thread every created. Every sound, breath, snort and chuckle was magnified in his ears and sent him spiraling into a mass of rage.

His skin itched with the overwhelming need to run, to get away from all of the foreign sounds. Focusing was impossible. The teacher had been talking for over half an hour and Stiles couldn't recall a single word she had said. He had had a hard enough time listening in class when he was human. How was he supposed to focus when his heart was beating a mile-a-minute and his mind was racing like a cheetah on steroids?

Stiles chanced a glance at Isaac, who was sitting at his side. The beta didn't even seemed fazed by Greenberg's antics. He just continued to jot down notes as if nothing was happening. As if Greenberg wasn't trying to create an orchestra out of bodily functions and writing utensils.

"Stiles!" snapped an aggravated voice.

Stiles whipped his head up and frowned.

"Sorry. I didn't catch that," he said numbly to the teacher. He was too busing trying to imagine stabbing Greenberg in the jugular with one of those purple pens of his.

In the corner, Stiles heard a few kids laugh.

The teacher, Mrs. Johnson, raised a thin eyebrow at him and gestured to the board behind her. "I was asking you about how the author demonstrates one of the following themes listed. You did read the book, didn't you?"

Stiles nodded. Of course he did. After a long day of being possessed by an evil, chaotic fox, he liked to sit down with a warm cup of tea and read an English book. It just made his fucking day.

"Well? How did the author demonstrate the theme?" Mrs. Johnson asked again irritably. The laughter in the room continued to grow and Stiles' shoulders tensed. Why couldn't she just leave him alone?

"I-"

"I heard his father put him in a mental hospital."

Stiles froze. Another perk about being a werewolf that he didn't expect to hate: you could hear everyone constantly talk shit about you.

"Poor guy. He must have snapped."

He gritted his teeth. Leave it to a bunch of teenagers who ignored him for the past six years to suddenly grow aware of his existence.

"I'm not surprised. We all knew it would happen eventually. Just like his mother. "

Now, that was crossing the line. Who were they to talk about his mother? They knew nothing about her!

Before he could snap at the idiots behind him, Isaac's hand shot up. "Mrs. Johnson? Stiles hasn't been here for a few weeks. He's hasn't read the stupid books," he said urgently.

Mrs. Johnson stiffened, whether from Isaac's ballsy comment or from her own ignorance, Stiles did not know. She had obviously forgotten about his absence.

"Of course. My apologies, Stiles," she said in fake remorse as she turned her attention to another student.

"Perhaps she gets off by humiliating teenagers. She wouldn't be the first one", Stiles thought to himself angrily.

The remaining period of the class didn't get much better. Stiles continued to bite his tongue as he listened to kids trash him and his family. Had they always been so cruel?

At some point, Isaac even had to remind to put the claws away.

"Stiles, it's going be real hard to convince people you're not crazy if you don't stop flashing us those pretty claws of yours."

Stiles growled. At the moment he really didn't give a damn about what people thought about him. "How the hell do you do it? It sounds a million foghorns going off! I'm about to explode."

Isaac snorted. "Really? I couldn't guess," he eyed Stiles up and down before shaking his head. "You need to talk to Scott, Stiles. You're losing it, man. He can help you with this kind of stuff. He's the alpha."

Stiles' stiffened again. Even the sound of former best friend's name put him on edge. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to Scott. Or Lydia. Or anyone in the pack for that matter.

He didn't need them. He didn't need anybody.

"Thanks for the advice but I'm going to pass. I'm done dealing with bullshit liars."

Isaac rolled his eyes. Between dealing with Stiles' current rebellion from the pack and Scott's constant bitching, he was more likely to lose his mind first. What happened to the good ol' days when Scott and Stiles were closer than two testacles? He missed the days when he felt like a freaken creeper for watching the two morons try to solve their problems.

He looked over at Stiles. It was only first period and the guy had already tried to slash Greenberg's throat. How the hell was he going to survive the rest of the day? Better yet, how was Isaac going to survive the rest of the day listening to Scott and Lydia cry about Stiles?

"For the love of God get it together, Stiles. Can't you see the pack's falling apart without you?" Isaac wished he could say. He just wanted his friends back. The problem was, Stiles in a self-destructive storm that no one could seem to pull him out of.

Second Period: Econ.

Bad. Very, very bad. Who knew Finstock wore such nauseating cologne?

Third Period: History.

No Bueno. Stiles was pretty sure almost decking someone in the jaw was an unsuccessful attempt at being normal.

Fourth Period: Lunch.

Good…until it was wasn't. He forgot his lunch, which considering everything was normal but still, it sucked.

Stiles groaned and buried his head in his locker. His whole body was sore, even his freaken eyeballs, and he still had one more period to go. What was even worse, he had the class with Scott and Lydia. How was he going to pluck up the energy and act like everything was normal? He knew his pack. They'd see right through him the minute he entered the room.

"How are you doing?" a female voice suddenly asked him.

Stiles jumped up in fear. Immediate waves of pain shot through his head as it hit the metal locker with a loud 'smack'. Stiles cursed loudly.

He turned to look at his perpetrator, ready for a battle, and groaned. "What the hell, Malia? You can't just sneak up on people like that!" he complained as he rubbed his head. He could already feel the golf-size lump beginning to form.

Malia burrowed her brows in confusion and frowned like some lost puppy. "Aren't werewolves supposed to have advanced hearing or something?" she asked loudly, ignoring the dozens of kids walking to class.

Stiles quickly shushed her with his hand and looked around the hallway. "Malia, don't say that so loudly! People could hear you!" he warned.

Malia laughed. "Do you really think people are going to believe a word that comes out of two mental patient's mouths?"

She had a point. Stiles had a feeling that he could run around the school talking about how the sky is blue and the grass is green and people still wouldn't believe him. Everyone thought he was lunatic.

"Anyway," Malia said, interrupting Stiles' train of thought. "You never answered my question. How are doing, Stiles?"

Stiles turned to look at Lydia who was standing by her locker with Kira. He had felt her presence the minute he entered the hallway after lunch.

They hadn't talked since the night had ran out on her. Today, she was dressed in a short floral dress that showed off her toned legs. Her hair was up in an elegant braid and her green eyes sparkled in the light.

She looked like a freaken princess and it pissed Stiles off. Why did she always have to be so perfect?

Here he was with his heart in a million pieces and there she was, looking like an angel sent straight from heaven.

"I'm fine," he lied.

Malia followed his gaze and rolled her eyes. "You guys are like two stupid bunnies. You keep hopping around each other as if the other doesn't notice."

Stiles didn't respond. Having Malia scrutinize his relationship did not sound pleasant. She had been a werecoyote for half of her life. What did she know about relationships anyway?

"Well come on then," Malia said in a bored tone as she turned around and began walking towards the door.

Wait, what?

"Where are you going? Malia?" Stiles asked in confusion.

"Out," she explained, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "You coming or not?"

Stiles paused. "We have math next period," he said plainly.

Malia gave him a credulous look. "I hate math. It's pointless. Besides, when will I need to know how to solve a polynomial function?"

Stiles thought about it for a moment and shrugged. He couldn't name one time polynomial functions saved his life.

He looked at Lydia one more time. Just seeing her hurt his insides.

"Awh, fuck it," he said as he followed Malia out the school doors.

Stiles peeked at Malia from the corner of his eye suspiciously. He'd been driving for the past thirty minutes and they still had yet to reach their destination. Pretty soon, they'd veer off onto a dirt road.

"You know, this could be considered kidnapping," Stiles said.

Malia laughed before carelessly placed her feet on dashboard. Her shoes were covered in dirt and little chunks of dried mud. "You got into the car on your own freewill. Although I have to admit, I could be sending you to your death right now and you wouldn't even know it."

"First," Stiles said, pointing to her filthy shoes, "Get your feet off my dash. Second, I doubt you are going to kill me. If you did, why waste all of the gas along the way?"

Shrugging, Malia brought her feet down and began examining her nails. "You're probably right. If I wanted to kill you, I'd just do it behind the hospital. Considering all of the mishaps that have happened there, no one would even question it," she explained seriously.

Stiles chuckled. "You've clearly thought this through."

"Duh," Malia replied as she frowned at him. "Then again, you've been a real dickhead to everyone recently so conducting creative ways to kill you hasn't been that hard."

His jaw dropped. It may be hard to believe, but he never been called a dickhead before and having her outright tell him she'd be okay killing him actually hurt.

"Whatever…are we there yet or not?" he asked irritably. This car ride was becoming sourer by the minute.

Malia simply smirked before pointing to a sign and telling Stiles to park. Once they were out of the car, Stiles looked around his surroundings, hoping for something spectacular to jump out. Instead, all he saw were miles and miles of trees leading farther into the ravine.

"We have to walk the rest of the way there. It's not that far," Malia explained suddenly at his side. She was not looking at him but instead at the depths of the evergreen forest in front of her. "Follow me."

Stiles watched as the werecoyote made her way into the ravine, not even checking to see if he followed or not. Perhaps she already knew his curiosity would get the best of him.

Without warning, Malia suddenly broke out into a sprint, running through the coarse path of trees and bushes. It was as if she was in some kind of trace, the sounds of the life in the ravine leading her.

Stiles quickly urged his body to follow her, hoping not to lose sight of the girl. His feet stomped on the ground that was covered in bulky tree branches and roots. As he ran, he did not look around his surroundings. All he could focus on was keeping up with Malia as she began to run faster and faster.

His heart raced as he weaved through the thick trees, his flexes keeping his body upward. Stiles loved this kind of running. It was pointless and fun and exhausting. All around him, the world became a canvas of white nothingness. It was like his mind couldn't compete with his feet so it simply turned off.

Stiles watched as Malia began to slow down, her body beginning to shake from exhaustion. Her face was drenched in sweat and her knees wobbled precariously.

"That was pretty good," Malia chuckled as Stiles leaned against the nearest tree and huffed loudly. He was exhausted but the good kind of exhausted.

"Not too bad for a newbie," Stiles joked. He turned to look at where Malia had taken him and his eye's widened. "Holy shit."

They were not in the ravine anymore, or at least it didn't look that way. They stood in what seemed to be a hidden meadow, surrounded by the tallest evergreens Stiles had ever seen. In the corner, he could see a crystal blue river trickling out water from the east. Stiles could hear little fish weaving their way up stream. The entire place was enclosed by a warm yellow glow giving it a welcoming vibe. It was as if God himself had taken a little piece of heaven and placed it on earth.

"A few years ago I was running away from some hunters and I found this place," Malia explained, brushing her fingers softly against the trees. Her eyes gazed around the secret sanctuary peacefully. This place had held such fond memories for her. "I still come here when it all gets too hectic for me."

Stiles nodded. He had forgotten that Malia was still struggling to adjust to being human. A feeling of heavy guilt hit Stiles square in the chest. Everyone had been so focused on dealing with his bullshit that they probably forgot about Malia.

"When I'm here not a coyote or a human. I just…am," she said as she sat on the ground. She gestured for Stiles to sit down beside her and he happily obliged. He didn't want to leave this place. Like ever.

The two teens sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Malia looked at Stiles with a serious expression. "Talk to me, Stiles."

Stiles had thought about Lydia in that moment. How she had practically begged him to show her his soul and when he did, she tore it in half.

Would Malia do the same?

"I don't know who I am anymore," he confessed, his eyes glued to the little bird drinking water from the river. "I used to be the guy that figured it out and now, I'm just the guy who's so lost he doesn't even recognize his own shadow. I can't help anyone anymore…I can't even help myself."

That was the worst truth of it all. He had lost who he was. He couldn't be the guy Scott needed, the guy Lydia needed. He couldn't be the guy he wanted to be. He was stuck in a spiraling tornado and he didn't know how the hell to get out.

He felt Malia's soft hands touching his shoulder. Her expression was not filled with pity or understanding. It was filled with remorse. "Maybe you're going about this the wrong way. Maybe this isn't a problem you can fix by yourself. Your friends found you once, Stiles. Don't you think they could find you again?"

Stiles wasn't sure. After everything that happened, he wasn't sure he could handle trusting anyone ever again. His friends had betrayed him and although he now understand why they did it, it still hurt. Yeah, being alone sucked but it protected his heart.

"My advice to you is to stop trying so hard to fight your friends. Needing help doesn't make you weak, it makes you human. And as much as you refuse to believe it, you're still human, Stiles. You might be the most human werewolf of them all."

Maybe Malia wasn't as crazy as everyone thought.

So if it wasn't clear enough, I love Malia. I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about her character but I just think she's adorable. That being said, she will not be a love interest! Her relationship with Stiles is strictly platonic. There's going to be a lot of healing in the next few chapters and I hope you guys stick around long enough to see it!

Please review, follow, or message me. I love hearing your opinions.

Lastly, I just wanted to let you all know that I love you and appreciate you. I hope you have amazing New Years with your family, friends, etc. Wishing you a happy Holidays!

-neverforgetme12

Coming Soon…Chapter 8 "A Missing Piece"