The Woods

all rights reserved to the creators of the show, the only thing that's mine is Cassandra Lightwood

Silence was a staple of my house. Considering it was just me, it wasn't unusual for the house to be silent when I arrived home, but it still caught me off guard every once in a while. Letting out a sigh, I carefully placed my keys down on the kitchen countertop. It was the last day of break, and I really needed to try to get some sleep. Lydia was already going to kill me for the dark eye bags that I hadn't shaken, no need to make them any worse.

Making my way up to the bedroom, I loosely untied my knotted blonde hair. The lack of sleep was really going to catch up to me, I thought as I looked over myself in the mirror, shaking my head with a sigh. Just as I was about to change into my pajamas, a sharp knock on my window startled me from my thoughts. My hand automatically reached for the pocket knife I kept in my pocket, a courtesy of having, well, had, uptight parents.

Taking a cautious step forward, I flicked out the knife, peeking around the dresser to peer at my now open window. Instead of a robber or an attacker, I was met with two familiar faces. My pounding heart began to slow, but it didnt stop my hand from smacking the two boys upside the head.

"What the hell are you doing? Sneaking into my bedroom! I would have gutted you both like a fish!" I cried, closing the knife and tucking it back into my pocket.

"Well you didn't answer my call, or respond when we knocked on the door. So, really it's your fault." I turned to face the buzz cut boy, my blue eyes glittering with annoyance.

"We're sorry for scaring you Cassie," Scott cut in, carefully placing himself between Stiles and I.

"It's fine, now what was so important that you felt the need to break into my house?"

"We're going out into the woods-" Stiles started, and I turned to raise a brow, about to cut in, "because we're gonna find a dead body! You're always complaining that nothing exciting ever happens in this town!" he quickly finished, and gave me a grin, knowing he had me hooked as soon as he said the words 'dead body'.

I sighed in resignation, but nodded. "Lydia is gonna to kill me. But I'm not going to pass up on the chance of finding a dead body. C'mon, let me put on some shoes and then we will go." I said, gently pushing the two towards the door.

"I told you she'd agree, you have such little faith in me," Stiles muttered to Scott, which he received a tshirt to the back of the head, courtesy of me.

I tugged on a pair of combat boots and my black leather jacket, trying to ignore the unease in my stomach. It wasn't like me to have these nervous feelings, especially going out with the boys. I swallowed roughly, shaking my head as I made my way out of my bedroom and down to Stiles' jeep.

I climbed into the backseat, biting back a comment about how incredibly unfair it was that I was always in the back. "So you were listening to the police calls again?" I asked, tilting my head to look at Stiles in the front seat.

"Yes, of course, but the dead body part isn't even the best part!" he exclaimed. I raised a brow, gesturing for him to continue. "It's half of a dead body. They only have half!"

I could tell that Scott was mildly disgusted and I just chuckled. "Alright Mr. Stilinski, start the car, let's go."

"Are we seriously doing this?" Scott asked as we pulled up outside the edge of Beacon Hills Preserve.

"Yes. stop whining, besides, it's our last night of freedom."

"I was trying to get a good night's sleep for tryouts tomorrow." Scott mumbled, causing Stiles to laugh.

"Yeah, because sitting on the bench is such hard work," he teased, causing me to slap him roughly in the arm.

"You don't get to talk, benchwarmer. And Scott, stop whining, alright. You'll be fine in tryouts." I cut in, mildly annoyed at the bickering between the two. Don't get me wrong, I loved them to the ends of the Earth, but they really knew how to push my buttons.

"No, I'm going to make first line this year," Scott started, "But just outta curiosity, which half of the body are we looking for?"

"Hmm, I didnt even think about that."

I groaned, rubbing my eyes tiredly. "And what if whoever killed this girl is still out here?" I asked, stepping out of the car to stand beside the boys.

"Also something I didn't think about?" Stiles started, giving me and Scott a bashful smile.

"Comforting to know you've planned this with your usual attention to details." I grumbled, wrapping my jacket tighter around my frame. The wind was much colder than I had thought, and the uneasy feeling was still building in my stomach.

Rolling my shoulders I hurried with Scott to catch up with Stiles, looking over at the curly brown haired boy. He seemed to be having a bit more trouble breathing as we basically ran through the forest. After a few minutes my irritation had grown, and it was dark enough that I could barely see where I was walking

"Stiles!" I yelled ahead, "maybe give the asthmatic the flashlight and stay with us!"

He slowed his pace and turned around to come back to us, but anything he said was stopped by the sound of people talking and the flashing of police lights.

Scott and Stiles seemed to freeze, and my instincts kicked in. I grabbed Scott's hand and dragged him away from the lights, taking off into a run and pulling him behind one of the larger trees. I couldn't see Scott, but I could feel his labored breathing beside me. I tried my hardest to stay still and silent, but the laugh that bubbled in my throat as Stiles was caught almost gave me away.

"Calm down, this delinquent is mine." the Sheriff grumbled, grabbing Stiles by the collar of his shirt. "So you're listening to all my calls?" he questioned, glaring at the boy.

"No... not the boring ones" Stiles murmured, and I sucked in a breath to keep from laughing.

"So where are your two partners in crime?" he asked, shining the flash light through the woods, trying to spot Scott and I.

"Not here. Scott wanted to get a good night's sleep and Cassie complained about 'picking out a good outfit?' Just me out here!" He lied. I raised a brow, surprised at how good the lie actually was.

"Cassandra? Scott? You two out there?" He yelled, flashing the light once more. "Allright young man. I'm taking you back to your car and you are going home." He raised his voice slightly. "And if anyone out there is listening, I'd recommend that they get home too!"

I almost sighed in relief, carefully letting go of Scott's hand as the sound of Stiles and his father arguing faded away.

"I swear that boy is going to be the reason we both end up in jail." I mumbled, brushing my hair out of my eyes as we pushed ourselves off the tree. "We should go home, I really am tired. Do you have any idea where we are?" I asked, looking over at the other boy.

My brow furrowed as I noticed the look on his face. "Did you hear that?" he asked, his voice cautious.

"No, all I hear is silence. Cmon, let's get out of here" I said, my tone a bit more urgent, as I tugged on his arm.

"I swear, it sounded like-" anything he was about to say was cut off by the sound of thundering hooves. I took a few steps, getting ready to run, but Scott had already tackled me to the ground, covering me with his body.

I couldn't even tell what kind of animal it was, the only thought running through my head was how annoyed I was going to be if one of Stiles' crazy ideas got me killed. Suddenly, just as quickly as it began, the animals were gone. Scott pushed himself off me, looking at me with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm okay, other than being scared out of my mind." I mumbled, answering the question I knew he was going to ask. Pushing myself up into a sitting position, I dusted the dirt and grass off my jeans. He offered me a hand and I took it gratefully. However, my eyes landed on something I wish I hadn't seen.

I felt my heartbeat quicken, and my face pale. "Scott-" I whispered, inhaling sharply. He turned, and his eyes saw the body too. I felt him pull him behind me, and even though I hated the fact that I needed to be protected, I was grateful nonetheless.

"Lets go Cassie" he mumbled, stepping backwards. Before I could even agree, something hard and heavy knocked us both back onto the ground. I felt like the world was spinning as I tried to catch my breath, but any chance of getting my bearings was stopped by Scott's voice. "RUN!"

I scrambled to my feet, tripping over myself trying to get to someplace safe. I could barely stand, let alone run. The branches clawed at my skin as I attempted to get away from whatever the hell that was, but I could hear it behind me, steadily gaining ground. Its hot breath was burning my neck before red hot pain seared across my shoulder, and a scream was ripped from my throat.

I crumpled, my hand reaching up to grab the wound. It came back scarlet, and I almost passed out right there. No. I was not dying in the woods. I need to find Scott, make sure he was okay. I stumbled blindly, yelling his name before I felt someone grab my arm. I almost screamed again, but realized who it was. I breathed out weakly, my blue eyes meeting Scott's dark ones. I could barely see him, but we took off running together.

I could see the lights of the road ahead. But just as we were crossing, a black SUV swerved into our way. I jumped forward, dragging Scott with me. If I hadn't been in so much pain, I would have flipped off the driver. Neither of us stopped running, and there was so much adrenaline coursing through me I barely realized we had reached my house.

"Scott?" I breathed, turning to face him. His shirt was stained with blood, and I'm sure I looked just as bad.

"I don't know, I don't-" He looked frantic, and I gently reached out to touch his arm. We both should have gone to the hospital, but the pain wasn't even that bad.

"It's okay. Go home, get some rest" I said, trying to sound calmer than I felt. He nodded helplessly, and I gave him a gentle push before heading up to my own house.

I was certifiably insane. I was covered in blood, and dirt, and I was acting like everything was fine. I made my way into my bathroom, stripping off my clothes and tossing them into the trash. They were too far gone to save. My stomach dropped as I looked at the gaping bite mark on my shoulder. How was I not in more pain?

Almost numbly, I opened the med kit under my sink. I carefully cleaned and wrapped the wound before washing my face. This had to be some sort of nightmare. There was no way this was real. I am going to wake up tomorrow and be completely fine. Pulling on one of the many t-shirts scattered across my floor, I climbed into bed. I was asleep in seconds, the exhaustion of the day overwhelming me.