Light The Fire || Stilinski || Book Two

Three

AFTER dropping off Scott at his house, another uncomfortable silence filled the air until Stiles parked the jeep in the driveway and turned off the ignition. He laid back against the driver's seat and then turned to face the dirty-blonde who hadn't uttered a word. "Would you, uh, like to come in?" he asked her nervously, tapping his fingers against his pant leg. "You know, so, um, we can talk." Sierra bit down on her lip as she looked at her lap, before she decided to slowly nod her head. A relieved smile filled Stiles' face and his shoulders relaxed. "Perfect."

After realizing his father was home, the brown-haired boy concluded the best place to talk was his bedroom. He walked inside, placing his jacket on his chair and his keys on the desk. Turning his body, he noticed Sierra fidgeting in front of the closed door, her blue eyes cast to the floor. "I won't bite," he softly teased her and sat on the edge of his mattress, patting the empty space beside him.

The corners of her lips turned upwards from his comment and Sierra walked slowly over to where he was, quietly sitting with her ankles crossed. A beat passed as they realized all that needed to be said in order to clear the air, but neither of them were too eager to start. "So, uh, how was Tennessee?" Stiles finally asked casually, not wanting to immediately jump into the deep end.

Sierra cracked a grin, shaking her head. "It was good," she replied vaguely. "It was nice to see my grandma after so long, I guess, and it was a very pretty area to live in for the summer." She knew what he was trying to do and decided it was best to just play along.

"Can you control your powers now?" he asked next from genuine curiosity. He remembered her explaining who she was before she left, but it was hard to recall all the details.

She nodded slightly, "Yeah, for the most part anyways. It was easier to stay in control over there, because I didn't have my friends and city to worry about. But today in class, when that incident with the birds occurred, I was completely overwhelmed. I could literally feel the pain and fear in the room; it was something I never want to feel again."

"How'd you pull back?" She lifted her head to look at him and he quickly pulled his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry for the questions; it's just I haven't seen you in-"

"Three months," Sierra interrupted with a small sigh. "Yeah, I know. And to answer your question, my grandmother taught me to focus on things that make me happy, or memories I cherish."

"So is it kind of like Scott and other werewolves having an anchor?"

"I guess," Sierra shrugged her shoulders. "I learned how to not physically connect with someone. Jemma and Grace both agreed that if I did ever do it, it could be dangerous."

"What does that mean?" Stiles continued his questioning with his eyebrows cinched together. "To connect to someone?"

"It means I'd feel everything they feel, see the memories in their mind," Sierra explained with a wave of her hand, skipping minor details. "But Jemma told me if the person I connect with got hurt, the same wounds would appear on me and I could be seriously injured. I can heal from everything else, except when they hurt the people I'm connected to."

"Can you like, disconnect?"

"It's hard, but it can be done," Sierra told him. He pursed his lips in response and slightly nodded, which allowed another silence to overcome them. Sierra licked her lips and ran a hand through her short hair out of habit, wishing she could be anywhere else. She could feel the anger, even though he wasn't fully showing it- she knew it was there. And it was only a matter of minutes until it bubbled to the surface.

Something tugged at Stiles' heart in that moment, and he knew he couldn't stay quiet anymore. "Why'd you leave?" he inquired softly, feeling the pain he felt when he woke up to see her gone.