Side By Side » Theo Raeken

Crashed

Edited.

When I was younger I liked to think humans were free creatures, some that could just run and live at the edge of things and because I always did what made me happy I realized I was a cool girl. Stiles agreed with me, he was too a cool boy. At the age of eight my cousin came up with the theory the reason we weren't much popular was because we were too cool for others, something related to our awesome bloodline.

I laughed at him, obviously. However, his words were the ones I held on to when my eyes suddenly started glowing blue. It was something I never told anybody, not even him or Patricia, but despite people not knowing about my particularity the feeling of being different never left my side. I was afraid people would find out and judge me or leave out of their lives - I didn't need that, I just needed peace and to feel loved. I wanted people to see me for who I truly was and not for having glowing blue eyes.

I had imagined lots of scenarios where people found about it, most of them ended up with me alone, dead, or as some experimental work organized by the government. None of them seemed pleasant to me.

My eyes would change its color at some particular times, sometimes unexpectedly and I had always to run and hide from those around me so they wouldn't see it. Eventually, I learned how to control them, still unaware of why they were like that, somehow I ended up getting used to it.

But that wasn't the only thing I was unaware of, I realized the second I opened my eyes. The light around me was extremely strong and the sound of water running made its way into my ears. I closed my eyes as a reflex and covered them with my arm.

"Alice Stilinski, right?" I heard a voice question, shaking my body. "I'm gonna have to take you."

I frowned at the words and blinked quickly, trying to see what was happening. The sunlight was blinding me and I felt weak and cold, like I had spent the night out.

"Easy there, man!"

Still confused and not being able to control my senses I slowly sat down. I looked at my body on the floor and realized I wasn't in my room. I gazed around to see I was in the woods.

"Alice." Startled, I snapped my head up. Theo and a deputy were standing in front of me, both holding a worried expression on their faces.

"Are you ok?" Theo asked, bending down. I looked at my surroundings and shook my head, not understanding what I was doing in there. "Alice?"

"What happened?" The boy in front of me shrugged with a frown.

"Are you feeling alright?" The deputy asked. I simply nodded. "Then I'm gonna have to take you."

Theo helped me stand once I was finally able to act on it and walked me to the police's car, claiming he would drive his car to the Sheriff's station. Still dazzled, I couldn't make up what was happening and as the deputy remained quiet the whole time I didn't make the effort of asking it either. As soon as I could talk to my uncle we'd fix it.

My head was exploding and my eyes hurt at the sight of the light, mostly for the amount of time I had slept. Why was I in the woods? I frowned at the weirdness of the whole situation, trying to understand what was going on, but quickly dropped it as my headache got stronger. I didn't remember getting out of the house the night before and certainly didn't know why I was in a car with a deputy, but something told me I was about to find out.

***

I sighed nervously as I looked at the floor. My leg jumped up and down and my heart was racing while Theo walked from side to side, his eyes drifting away from mine everytime I held them. We were both locked in one of the sheriff's department station's cell and deputy Parrish didn't bother telling us why although I felt Theo knew the reason.

Feeling off and tired about the situation I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the wall. "Can you please stop?"

I heard the sounds of the steps stop and Theo sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried, that's all." He said. I looked at him and watched as his body walked towards mine, sitting next to me.

"My uncle is going to get us out of here." I told him, giving him a 'I know this sucks' smile.

"I know, that's not what I'm worried about."

Confused, I shook my head and frowned. "Then what are you worried about? I don't know why we are here Theo but we didn't do anything wrong. There's no reason for you to be like that."

"What were you doing in the woods, anyway?" He asked, suddenly.

"I don't know." I answered honestly. "I probably had a somnambulism attack."

"Do you have those often?"

"Sometimes."

Theo nodded at my response and took a deep breath. I knew he was going to start speaking again but my uncle showed up, interrupting him.

"Theo, we need to talk." He said, looking straight at him.

The boy nodded and the Sheriff opened the cell, letting him out before both of them walking out of there and disappearing.

I don't know how long they took to get back, but it felt like hours. What was going on? Why was I in a cell? Why was my uncle talking to Theo? Why were they taking so long? What did they even have to talk about? Why was I even still there?

I took a deep breath and got up, starting to walk around in the cell like Theo had so annoyingly done before.

Why are you taking so long? I wanted to yell. Get me out of here!

"Alice."

I looked back at my uncle, who never called me Alice, and saw him walk in the cell with Theo.

"What's going on?"

The sheriff frowned nervous and looked at Theo, who nodded. "Please seat here." I did as he asked me to and both of them sat by my side.

"What's wrong?"

Theo wrapped his fingers around mine and pulled my hand in his lap. I loved how it felt, his hand in mine, like they were meant to fit each other from the very beginning. His touch was soft and has he caressed me and felt hypnotized, leaving me craving for more when his thumb stopped moving.

"What happened last night Skirt?" My uncle asked, making me shiver.

I fixed my look on Theo's hands, that cupped mine, and tried to remember the night before; but as I had done before, in search for the reason why I was in the woods, I came to nothing.

"I guess I just had a somnambulism attack again."

"Again? When did you last have one?" He asked, making me look at him.

I shrugged. "I don't know, Patricia usually helps me." My uncle closed his eyes, hiding the pain the instantly had hit him. "You can ask her about that." The man beside me didn't move or say a word for a while and I obliviously looked a Theo, hoping he would tell him what it was all about, but he wasn't facing me. Instead, he was lost watching our hands. "Uncle?"

With his eyes still closed, he took a deep breath, watching me attentively after. "Patricia is dead."