Inspired by the Tv show of the same name.
This is the story of 9 high school students from around the country, who have been sent to Beacon of Hope, a boarding school for 'at risk' teens. They each have a past as well as closely guarded secrets and...
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Stiles couldn't remember the last holiday season he had actually enjoyed. That was until he had spent the rest of December and all of January shut up tight in the warm common room with his group mates. Derek was there and despite the hardship with his uncle and his uncle's lawyers, who always left him reeling, he was surprisingly jovial at times. His over-the-top Christmas birthday celebration from Melissa may have been a part of that.
Melissa, thinking it was best to distract her kids from their bleak realities, turned the holiday and New Years' time into a world learning experience. They partook in a wide range of culture traditions from all around the globe. Stiles, who admittedly enjoyed learning about different and new things, couldn't help but thrive when meeting these challenges. All in all, he was starting to feel a sense of security when in the presence of his...friends? A false sense of security, his brain reminded him daily.
That nagging doubt didn't stop him from accidentally smiling when he sat down on the rug in front of Boyd and Erica who clutched a handful of letters in their arms. Derek was in the chair behind him and automatically adjusted so that Stiles had a more comfortable back rest to lean into.
"Mail call!" Erica said brightly.
Stiles had received exactly one letter since joining Beacon of Hope six months ago (from Joe) so he was surprise when Erica tossed a thick envelope at his feet. Sure enough, his name was indeed on the front.
It was from the wolf sanctuary. Inside were twenty or so photos of all three of the rescued puppies; bouncing in the snow, tugging on a rope, and even one with them playing underneath a Christmas tree. They had doubled in size in the six weeks since leaving Beacon of Hope. Stiles automatically let out an 'awe' sound causing everyone to look at him in concern as they had probably never heard him make such a noise.
He felt his cheeks heat and knew he must be a little red in the face for letting the adorableness overtake his usually hard outer wall. Derek leant over his shoulder and told them all what Stiles was looking at. Isaac timidly saddled up to his side to look them over as well and Scott bluntly asked for a photo to keep. Stiles shared with everyone, even going out of his way to ask Lydia which one she wanted.
Lydia was reading a letter that she had received, several times by the jot of her eyes as they darted up and down the page, before she bothered to look up with a hazed expression. It would seem she had missed the entire exchange and was only falsely playing along as she plastered on a smile and plucked the first photo she could out of Stiles' outstretched hand.
Despite Lydia's odd behavior, the afternoon spent fireside was nice, calm, and ordinary. That was until Melissa came over with a lovely couple who were walking hand in hand. Stiles had never seen them before, but most of the others' recognized the pair. Everyone was staring at the Whittemores with their mouths hanging open. It was no secret that last parents' weekend Jackson's mom and dad had gotten into a shouting altercation because each had ordered the other not to come. Instead of spending the two days catching up with their son in turns, they had spent the first three hours 'talking' in John's office and the rest of the weekend causing a scene at the local hotel.
