MJF's Stories

“What...what do you want?” Scott asked in astonishment. On his doorstep was a boy, 18 or so Scott thought, stark naked, looking dazed but also very worried.

“Hide me. Please, Scott McCall” replied the boy – named Thomas – as his eyes glared a deep shade of blue.

“Come inside” Scott commanded, as Stiles took off jacket and gave it to Thomas to preserve his modesty.

“Get him upstairs. I need to talk to mom” Scott ordered Stiles and Lydia.

“Scott, what’s happening?” Liam called over from across the room.

“Err, nothing, I’ll be back in a minute” lied Scott. He went into the kitchen, where Melissa was washing up.

“Just put the empty glasses on the surface will you honey?” Melissa asked, hearing Scott’s footsteps but without turning around.

“Mom” Scott spoke, reluctantly. He was still gathering his thoughts, processing what had just happened, “I need to tell you something.” Melissa turned around, suddenly feeling a sense of worry in her gut.

Also starring Melissa Ponzio, JR Bourne, Orny Adams, Khylin Rhambo, Michael Johnston, Susan Walters, Aramis Knight, Kaj Nieuwenhoff and Nick Robinson.

Two and a half months later...

Beep beep! Stiles’ alarm sounded from his phone, as it vibrated like there was no tomorrow on his bedside table. He was lying face down on his pillow, enjoying his sleep too much to care about his alarm.

“Morning!” came a perky voice to Stiles’ right. He rolled himself over and saw Lydia with a mug in her hand.

“Uh” a barely awake Stiles slurred.

“I brought you a coffee” Lydia continued.

“Err, thank you” a dazed Stiles tried his best to show gratitude, “What’s this for?”

“I wanted to show you how much I love you” Lydia smiled.

“And the rest?”

“Stiles are you doubting me?” Lydia almost seemed offended.

“I’ve known you since third grade Lydia, I know exactly when you’re lying” Stiles explained. Lydia sighed.

“I couldn’t sleep. It’s like something was blocking me” Lydia opened up.

“Like what?” Stiles asked as Lydia sat next to him on his bed. He stroked her cheek to calm her down.

“I don’t know” Lydia stared into Stiles’ eyes, looking terrified. He pulled her towards him and embraced her in a hug. Stiles was trying to stay strong for Lydia but he had a sinking feeling in his stomach, because Lydia’s premonitions never led to something good...

The familiar sound of the school bell rang through Liam’s ears as he strolled into the science lab for his first lesson of the new school year. He hadn’t missed the walls covered in posters with information he’d read over and over when bored in the lesson, or the soul-crushing glances towards the clock, hoping it was nearer to home time than it actually was. The seat next to him was empty; everybody knows that the seat next to Liam is where Hayden sits, but she wasn’t in sight. In fact, Liam had barely seen her all summer. She’d shut herself off from the whole world, and now he was left stumped as to what to do. She wouldn’t answer his calls, and when he arrived at her house, her older sister simply turned her away. He was downtrodden.

“Can I take this seat?” came a voice to his right. Liam snapped out of his own thoughts and back into reality.

“Sure” he said, without really looking. He finally looked to his right afterwards, and saw it was Nolan, a young-looking lad from his year group. The two had never really spoken – Nolan was quite the outcast from the rest of his peers – but Liam thought he was friendly enough. Mason sat directly in front, and gave a look of confusion as to why Liam had allowed someone to sit in Hayden’s seat.

“Have you packed your underwear? I’m not driving all that way to bring it to you!” Melissa stressed,, as Scott was cramming as much as possible into a relatively small suitcase.

“Mom, trust me, I’ve got it all covered” Scott was relaxed despite his mother’s stress. He shut his suitcase and attempted to zip it up, but it was a struggle to get it even halfway round due to the huge amount of stuff inside.

“I’ll find you a bigger case, I must have one somewhere” Melissa rushed off.

“Mom!” Scott tried to stop her, but it was too late. He tried squeezing the suitcase shut again, even while sitting on top, but nothing would work and eventually the zip itself broke. Scott sighed in frustration – he wanted everything to be perfect as he goes to university but worry was beginning to take its hold. A giggle came from the doorway. Scott turned around in a flash, startled, but was relieved to see it was only Thomas.

“You laughing at me?” Scott asked, being friendly. Thomas simply smiled an innocent smile. He was much more presentable now, wearing some of Scott’s clothes, with his long dark wavy hair resting on top of his shoulders.

“Come in” Scott gestured to Thomas, and sat on the end of his bed, leaving a space for his new friend to sit next to him. Thomas perked himself down and looked at Scott, ready to listen.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Scott asked. Thomas nodded.

“You’ll need to tell me who you’re hiding from eventually” Scott continued. Thomas looked ahead, avoiding eye contact with Scott.

“I’m going to college soon, I’m not gonna be around to protect you” Scott explained. As if he were about to speak, Thomas turned to Scott and opened his mouth.

“I’ve found it!” Melissa interrupted, storming into the room with a large suitcase. Thomas stopped in his tracks.

“Thanks mom” Scott smiled, and started transferring his clothes from the now broken small suitcase into the larger one.

Ring ring ring! The school bell sounded as lessons finished and it was lunchtime. Mason and Corey sat with Liam in the lunch hall.

“So what’s up with you and Nolan?” Mason directed his question at Liam.

“What do you mean?” Liam was taken aback by the question.

“Well you didn’t think twice about letting him sit in Hayden’s seat, that’s pretty significant, for all you know she could’ve turned up today” Mason justified.

“I think we all knew she wasn’t gonna come to school. She’s not spoken to any of us all summer” Liam was downtrodden.

“Nolan though, I mean, him and his little crew of geeks over there” Corey glanced to his right to see Nolan and his two friends at the opposite end of the lunch hall.

“He’s not so bad. We didn’t really talk but he seems nice” Liam defended Nolan.

“Everyone else says he’s a psycho” Corey continued.

“Just be careful, that’s all we’re saying” Mason added.

“It’s none of your business” Liam was fed up of his friends interfering and began eating his lunch. Mason and Corey looked at each other, giving one another the knowing look of despair.

“You can’t stay here forever” Argent whined as Maddie slammed the fridge door shut. She was in the middle of making herself a cup of coffee.

“Want one?” she yelled to Casey, who was sat at the dining table across the room.

“Sure” he responded.

“Are you listening to me?” Argent continued. He’d had to put up with Casey and Maddie staying at his place, alongside Isaac, and was fed up.

“I can’t exactly miss a voice as loud and as obnoxious as that” Maddie retorted.

“Excuse me? This is my house, you’re unpaid guests; a little respect wouldn’t go amiss. What happened to this being a temporary measure?” Argent ranted.

“It is, we’re working on it” Casey jumped in.

“What’s going on?” Isaac queried as he entered the kitchen, having heard the noise.

“I was reminding your friends of our agreement when they moved in” Argent explained.

“It’s not been that long, besides, we’re not even gonna be here ‘til spring break after the next few days” Isaac rationally justified. Argent gave up, and left the trio to it.

“You heard from Scott recently?” Maddie interrogated Isaac.

“Not for the last few days. Why?” Isaac responded.

“We were trying to arrange a final date night before college” Maddie was upset.

“He’s been pretty busy, what with that Thomas kid still being around, and his college packing” Isaac explained.

“I’ll tell you what, let’s head round later” Casey suggested, to cheer Maddie up. She smiled and nodded. Maddie had fallen pretty deeply in love with Scott. She loved his authority and wisdom, but also how gentle he was, and he never failed to make her laugh when they had a date night in town.

“You just want to flirt with Thomas don’t you?” Isaac saw through Casey’s cunning plan.

“Nothing gets past you” Casey laughed. Maddie whacked him on the leg.

“I see your motives” she scowled, but he continued laughing.

Strolling the corridors of Beacon Hills High School was something Stiles hadn’t really missed, and he’d hoped he’d never see the long lines of blue lockers, or hordes of hormonal teenagers moving from one class to another. However, he found himself revisiting the place he spent four years wanting to get out of, as he walked behind Lydia and Natalie as they talked.

“Honey you’re leaving in a few days, are you sure you want to help out here?” Natalie asked her daughter.

“I’ve spent the last two and a half months procrastinating with Stiles, I want to do something useful” Lydia protested. She was hoping she could offer a hand around the school to keep herself busy.

“Is everything alright? You look tired” Natalie interrogated.

“Thanks a lot” Lydia remarked, offended, “But I’m fine, I promise.” Natalie pondered for a minute.

“Alright, I’ll find you something to do around here” Natalie gave in, “These papers could do with sorting out. Stiles...” Stiles looked up in a rush, not having been listening.

“I’m sure Coach could do with some help with the lacrosse team” Natalie suggested.

“I...I only came here with Lydia” Stiles tried to worm his way out of it.

“No ifs or buts, I’m fed up of you lounging around my house like a layabout” Natalie argued back. Lydia was trying to hold back her laughter as Stiles slumped off in the opposite direction.

Liam slammed his locker door shut as he got changed into his lacrosse clothing. Nolan popped up beside him.

“Hey” he smiled.

“Hi” Liam replied unenthusiastically. Nolan stood there, without saying anything else. Liam continued, “Was there something you wanted?”

“Oh, I was wondering if you fancied hanging out with us later” Nolan offered politely.

“Who’s ‘us’?” Liam queried, still not sounding all that interested.

“Daan, Cody, and I” Nolan smiled. Liam glanced at Mason and Corey, who were stood a few metres away, watching as if they were keeping an eye out.

“Alright” Liam agreed, as if to prove a point more than anything else.

“Great, see you after practice” Nolan walked off, but Liam wasn’t on his own for long. Mason and Corey walked up and stood either side.

“What are you doing? Did you not listen to a word we said?” Mason interrogated into Liam’s left ear.

“He’s shifty” Corey complained into his right ear.

“Will you two shut it?” Liam yelled. The entire lacrosse team stopped getting dressed and stared at an angry Liam.

“What the hell is going on?” Coach bellowed as he walked out of his office, “Dunbar, what’s the problem?”

“Nothing Coach” Liam reluctantly responded.

“Good, I’ve got enough of a headache without teenage hormones making it worse. Now, we’ve got an assistant coach joining us today. He was the bane of my life for four years and now he’s back to torment me again. I must have done something really bad in a past life. Anyway, Coach Stilinski is joining us today and whatever he says is final, got it?” Coach shouted his entire speech at the team, while Stiles stood sheepishly in a waterproof jacket complete with whistle around his neck. The team nodded in agreement and rushed out onto the pitch.

“Coach, are you sure you want me here?” Stiles asked, trying to escape.

“Stilinski, when have I ever wanted you here? Today is no different, but I was brought up to like it or lump it. Now get out on the field!” Coach ordered, blowing his whistle. A disgruntled Stiles left the locker room.

“He’s still not saying anything, I’m kinda worried” Scott spoke to Malia quietly from his kitchen. Thomas was the subject, and had been the subject of most of their chats for the past two and a half months.

“If he’s not said anything, what do you have to be worried about?” Malia tried to ease his fears.

“When he arrived, the first and only thing he said, was about hiding him, but from what?” Scott carried on.

“You’ll have to hide him from me if he stays here rent-free any longer” Melissa interrupted.

“What do you expect me to do mom?” Scott was frustrated.

“I don’t know, you’ll find a way” Melissa tried to calm him down with a smile and a kiss on the forehead, before getting a bottle of pop from the fridge and leaving the room.

“I suppose you could...” Malia began to make a suggestion but stopped herself, “...Never mind.”

“No, what is it?” Scott asked.

“It’s too risky” Malia worried.

“Reading his memories” Scott identified what Malian was talking about, “It’s our only hope. Besides, it’s never gone wrong before.”

“Yet” Malia was pessimistic. The duo headed upstairs, but not before Thomas scuttled back up himself. He’d perched himself on the staircase, out of view but in a perfect position to hear what Malia and Scott were discussing...

Outside Scott’s house, Isaac’s car pulled up. Maddie was sat to his right in the passenger seat, with Casey in the back middle seat.

“I’m not so sure this is a good idea. What if he’s out?” Maddie doubted herself.

“He’s here, I can smell his scent” Isaac identified.

“Why are you chickening out? You were keen earlier. In fact, keen’s an understatement” Casey remarked.

“Alright, I get it” Maddie disapproved of Casey’s light-hearted tone, “I really like him, is that so bad?”

“Of course it’s not, you’ve gotta go for it” Casey took note of Maddie’s disapproval and was sure to voice his support.

“He’s not murdered anyone, which just about fits your criteria” Isaac retorted. Maddie rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind her. Isaac and Casey let out a guilty laugh, before sheepishly following her. Maddie pressed on the doorbell, before impatiently waiting for the door to open. She was worried – she was really into Scott and didn’t want to lose any chance of further dates so soon. Melissa opened the door.

“Maddie, hi” Melissa greeted, with a smile.

“Hey” Maddie replied, frozen on the spot. A few seconds passed of the duo looking awkwardly at each other.

“Anything you wanted or is that all?” Melissa broke the silence.

“Err, yeah. Is Scott here?” Maddie finally asked.

“He’s upstairs, head on up” Melissa moved out of the way as Maddie rushed her way upstairs, while a cautious Isaac and Casey followed.

Meanwhile, the lacrosse pitch was filling up as Coach and Stiles were surrounded by teenage boys in red attire and helmets.

“Alright you bunch of losers, not all of you are gonna make first line. If you’re successful, you get to play and be a part of the action. If you fail, well, you’re gonna be bored all season and be sat on the sidelines with me, and trust me, nobody wants that. I certainly don’t, with a team as crap as this” Coach ranted as always, “Coach Stilinski is going to monitor proceedings.”

Stiles looked horrified at the amount of responsibility he had, particularly as he knew he was never the best lacrosse player. At the edge of the crowd of players was Liam and Nolan, stood at the exact opposite end to Corey. Mason was watching from the sidelines. Just behind him were Daan and Cody, Nolan’s best friends. Daan had below shoulder length dreadlocks and was born in the Netherlands, having moved to Beacon Hills just a year before. Cody had dark shaggy hair that went to just above his neck. Both were outcasts from most of their year group, not being considered part of the ‘cool’ crowd by most, although in Mason’s eyes, neither were as weird as Nolan, who he’d been in many classes with at Beacon Hills High School. He was always sat alone, scribbling stuff instead of listening to the teacher, but when prompted, he could recite everything that was just said. Mason could never quite put his finger on it, but something about Nolan never seemed quite right, and he was determined to keep Liam away.

Thomas stood behind Scott’s door, out of sight. He had no belongings with him so no need to pack, but he was primed to run. Scott and Malia were on their way, he could hear them getting closer with his wolf hearing. He planned to dash out quickly and quietly once they entered Scott’s bedroom, and hopefully never be seen again.

“He’s had two and a half months and your mom’s getting annoyed. It’s not unreasonable” Malia said. They were at the top of the corridor now, just metres away from Scott’s room.

“I’ve got a soft spot for him though; he’s vulnerable and needs my help. I just wish I knew how I could offer that help” Scott confessed. As he finished his sentence, the duo walked into Scott’s room.

“Where is he?” Malia was shocked to see Thomas not in sight. Thomas slowly crept out from behind the door, before exiting the room. He tiptoed his way out while moving as quickly as possible.

As team captain, Liam was positioned in defence on the field. In front of him was a line of his team mates. Corey was up first, ready to try out for his position on first line. Nolan was stood directly behind.

“I don’t know what your problem is but you better leave Liam alone” Corey threatened, speaking quietly to Nolan without making full eye contact.

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about” Nolan responded, “He’s kind to me. Not many people are. Is that so bad?” Corey didn’t respond. Stiles blew the whistle and he began sprinting towards Liam. The ball was cradled firmly in the head of his stick, and he was hoping it’d stay that way until he chucked it towards the goal. Corey’s body collided with Liam’s, knocking him right out of the way without so much as nudging the ball inside the net of his lacrosse stick. Corey scored with ease while Liam composed himself.

“Nice job Corey” Stiles shouted.

“Don’t encourage him” Coach complained, “You act like you want them to enjoy it.”

“It’s not a torture chamber” Stiles responded.

“It darn well feels like it” Coach replied.

Starting to run as he got further and further away from Scott, Thomas was almost at the staircase. The front door was just metres away from the bottom of the stairs, and he was almost there. He looked behind to check nobody was following, but before he knew it, he’d crashed into something and fallen backwards onto the floor. He looked up and saw a trio of people.

“Hey Thomas” Maddie smiled.

“Where are you heading?” Isaac queried. Thomas stared at them before scurrying past their legs on all fours, then standing up and sprinting for the front door.

“I’ll go” Casey volunteered to round him back up, like he was a parent in charge of supervising a child. He legged it after Thomas. The front door clicked shut, as Thomas shut it behind him. Casey reached it just a second too late, and was slowed down by re-opening the door. In a rush, it took longer than usual to perform a simple task like opening the front door, but eventually Casey composed himself and was able to escape the confines of Scott’s house. Thomas was running down the road at a pretty fast speed, but Casey knew just the trick to catch up. He lowered himself onto all fours and ran like an actual wolf, soaring through the air and shortening the distance between himself and Thomas at a rapid rate. When Thomas was just a metre in front, Casey pounced, and landed on top of him. Thomas tried to struggle but Casey had a firm grip on him.

“How about we have a little chat?” Casey smiled.

Now it was Nolan’s turn. He wasn’t the most confident when it came to lacrosse, but he had high hopes for himself. Daan and Cody were eagerly watching him from the stands, cheering for their friend. Nolan looked directly ahead, where he saw Liam. He nodded at him, and Liam nodded back. Stiles blew the whistle, and away Nolan went. His nerves turned to adrenaline as he accelerated his speed. He felt great, until there was a huge cracking sound. He’d just smacked into Liam, who was pelted down to the ground with an arm that looked hideously out of place.

“Liam, oh my god, I’m...I’m so sorry” Nolan stuttered on his words, as he stared wide-eyed in horror at Liam on the floor.

“I’m OK, I promise” Liam groaned as he tried to sit up.

“Stay still!” Coach yelled, rushing over.

“I’m fine Coach” Liam protested.

“I thought it was broken” Nolan went from feeling horrified to very confused.

“No, I promise, I’m fine” Liam continued denying the fact that his arm definitely was broken.

“Alright, show’s over guys” Stiles tried to disperse the crowd. Nolan ran back towards the changing room, and kept going despite Liam calling out to him. Nolan wasn’t sure what he’d just witnessed, but he was most certainly worried.