Give Me Courage (Give Me Series #4)

20 - Tick Tock

The glass door to Eichen House swung open, wafting in a cool breeze from the night sky of Beacon Hills along with Isaac and Aiden, clad in ironically similar leather jackets. I waved the two forward with a simple gesture of my hand, shot a quick nod at the orderly behind the counter on the far wall, and led the way toward Meredith's room, knowing my friends couldn't have gotten too far since I walked away from them to meet up with these two.

Isaac moved closer to me as he eyes the male orderly behind the glass, who creepily watched us disappear down a hallway, thankfully out of sight. "How did you get in here in the first place? It has the highest levels of security."

"Parrish," I explained with a small smile, thinking of how he easily convinced the orderly to let us in. I turned my head to the right, gazing up at the side of my brother's face. "He flashed his lovely deputy badge and was able to get us right in. Just, uh-- if anyone asks, you're part of an investigation he is working on. All of us aren't exactly supposed to be here with him."

Aiden fell into step alongside of me on the other side. "I was prepared to sneak in."

"Not this time," I responded, chuckling. I led them down another hallway, remembering the way the orderly told us to go when we first arrived. "Thanks for meeting us here, by the way."

"I didn't feel, like, going to school anyways," Isaac stated, truthfully. His eyes narrowed into thin slits at something that caught his attention down the hallway.

Confused, I followed his gaze down the long hallway, quickly spotting Parrish, Lydia, and Stiles about twenty feet away with two orderlies standing right beside them. The first orderly was the one who originally agreed to take us to Meredith's room. My face fell once I realized who the second orderly was, a sinking sensation occurring in my stomach as hate bubbled underneath my skin. My pace quickened, knowing there would be nothing but trouble if Brunski was involved, especially since he personally hated Stiles. Aiden and Isaac effortless kept up with my long strides.

Parrish's voice carried down the hallway, loud enough for us to hear without needing to tap into our supernatural hearing. "-- need to talk to Meredith Walker. It involves a murder investigation."

The second orderly took one look at Brunski before he turned away from the group, rubbing his head. With a small opening available, I squeezed into the space between the wall and Brunski, arms folded over my chest, inserting myself into the conversation at hand. Stiles' eyes shifted away from the obnoxious orderly to meet my gaze for a brief second, the left side of his lips tugged upward before they fell back down to a straight line.

Brunski narrowed his beady eyes at me and then at Aiden and Isaac behind me, who stood intimidatingly tall, arms crossed over their own chests, heads held high. "This is not a party!" He loudly exclaimed, irritated. Brunski's heavy gaze fell back on Parrish. "You can talk to her all you want, but these two--" he aggressively pointed to Lydia and Stiles. "-- especially that one--"

My jaw clenched in anger at the finger pointed directly at Stiles. The hatred Brunski felt toward Stiles made me hate him more than I already did. Stiles told me how behind he was on his bills for when he stayed here during the whole mess of the nogitsune. As much I wanted to say something to Brunski, I bit my tongue and remained silent. I would only create more trouble for us if I were to get involved.

"-- and their three friends-- They're outta here."

Parrish glanced at all of us. "They're crucial witnesses in an ongoing investigation. I wouldn't have brought them here if it wasn't absolutely...crucial." Parrish grimaced as the final word left his mouth.

"Okay, Deputy." Brunski stepped closer to Parrish, intimidatingly. "How about you come back with a court order then I'll listen. As for you," Brunski swiveled his head around in Stiles' direction. "Mr. Stilinski, how about you come back with payment in full. That's right. Daddy may be the Sheriff, but he's late on the bills. I guess those government jobs aren't as reliable as they used to be, huh?"