Through the Dark // S.S. [Book One]

Chapter 26 (Part One)

"Lydia, look." Allison realizes.

Lydia shrugs as she takes the pen from my hand and starts tracing around her weird bruise. "I don't know. It doesn't look like much to me."

"It's a pattern. It's gotta mean something." I tell them.

"You really think Scott's gonna know what it is?" Lydia questions.

Allison shakes her head. "No, but he might know someone who does."

Lydia frowns. "How are you two so sure that it means anything at all?"

Allison bites her lip as she glances to me. "Because that girl wasn't just looking for Scott. It's like she needed to find him. Like she had to. And that means something."

"We need to find Scott. I remember Stiles saying something about a party to him." I recall.

We drive to the party and Scott is out front, walking up to us. "This isn't the talk we were gonna have, is it?"

Allison shakes her head as she says, "I need to show you something."

The girls hold up their wrists for Scott to see.

Minutes later, Stiles walks out of the house. "Meg? What are you doing here?"

Noticing the worry in his eyes, I ask, "What happened? Please, Stiles, talk to me."

"We were here for a party for a girl named Heather. I knew her back in grade school. She took me down to the basement, and uh, kissed me, and I went upstairs to get something, and I got back, she'd disappeared."

I purse my lips. "I'm sorry about your friend. But did you kiss her?"

Stiles nods. "I did, but as I was upstairs, I realized I didn't want to kiss her. There's another girl I want to kiss so much more."

"And who would that girl be?"

"Well, she's got silky black hair, green eyes that let you get lost in the sea, she's a kickass fighter, and is incredibly beautiful."

I brush my hair behind my ear as Stiles asks, "Megara, will you be my girlfriend?"

I nod ecstatically. "Of course I will."

Stiles presses his lips to mine and when he pulls away, he smiles softly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

I let out a soft chuckle. "You have no idea how long I've wanted you to do that."

Stiles kisses me again and I whisper, "I'm sorry about your friend."

At school the next day, Stiles and I are walking hand-in-hand. Lydia and Allison smile proudly. As soon as I was able, I'd texted them about Stiles asking me out and kissing me.

I hold up Lydia and Allison's wrist. "Derek, check this out."

He shakes his head. "I don't see anything."

"Look again." Scott tells the Alpha.

Derek frowns. "How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?"

"It's the same on both sides. It's exactly the same." I tell him.

"It's nothing." Derek reasons.

Lydia purses her lips. "Pareidolia. Seeing patterns that aren't there. It's a subset of apophenia."

Scott narrows his eyes. "They're trying to help."

Derek points to Lydia and Allison. "This one, who used me to resurrect my psychotic uncle. Thank you. And this one, who shot about 30 arrows into me and my pack."