Bête Noire \\ Stilinski

\\ 01 \\

Kennedy frustratedly ran a hand through her hair as she walked up onto the bridge over Beacon Creek. She leaned her forearms on the handrail, hanging her head down. "Where are you, Matty?"

The water below her lapped, welcoming the sunrise as it slowly came to California.

Kennedy lifted her head, a chill running up her spine.

Something larger than driftwood rippled, the clear water making out a figure in stripes.

Kennedy hesitantly rose, making her way off the bridge. Her sneakers crushed leaves, every step like an explosion. She felt like she couldn't breathe as a light wave graced the toe of her shoe as she reached the small shore.

Matt floated in the creek, glossy eyes staring up at the dim morning sky.

"M-Matty?" Kennedy covered her mouth, falling to her knees in the shallow water. "No, no."

Matt sprang up, grabbing his sister by the throat and flipping her under him, holding her down until the urge to breathe become too strong and she-

Kennedy lurched up in her bed, her heart pounding in her chest like a hammer. She leaned forward, putting her head in her hands. She muttered a swear, still feeling like she couldn't catch her breath.

The bottle blonde sat up, reaching over to her bedside dresser and picking up a journal. She took the purple pen from the edge of the journal with an Army insignia on the cover and opened to the freshest page. With adjusted eyes, she scribbled down a phrase only she would understand and placed the journal on the small table.

The alarm clock flashed at 12:00, causing Kennedy to reach for her cell. She still hadn't reset it since the last power outage.

Ken winced against the light of the screen, barely seeing 06:02 before turning off the phone. She groaned but persisted to climb out of her big, warm bed.

Even if there were twenty more hours to sleep, she wouldn't want to.

The same thing always happens.

Kennedy went out of her room, in an Army hoodie and running shorts with no intention to run in them. She headed down the staircase and jabbed the coffee maker so it would start an hour earlier than usual. Climbing onto a bar stool at the island, she rested her chin on the marble and stared blankly like she did so frequently.

The very last thing expected by Kennedy happened. The landline rang.

Kennedy sat up straight, immediately suspicious. She climbed off the bar stool and grabbed the phone from the cradle. "Dad?"

"What are you doing up this early, Ken?" Robert 'General' Daehler asked with a light laugh. "It's only six something there, right?"

"I couldn't sleep," replied Kennedy as she leaned on the kitchen counter with the phone to her ear. "Are you still in Germany?"

"No, hon, I'm actually on a Navy ship, the USS Ronald Reagan in Japan."

There was barely a hesitance in her, "What are you doing in Yokosuka with the Navy?"

"I didn't even know where Yokosuka was until I got here, so consider me impressed." Rob got a laugh from his daughter before he sighed. "I can't tell you at the moment, you or your mother, but I wanted to let you know where I was at least. It's need to know only and about all I can say is location."

Kennedy smiled, "That's more than usual, Dad."

"I know," he replied with a sad smile in his voice. "I heard some weird stuff has been happening in Beacon."