Hits Different | S. Stilinski

72| Stiles is real

I stare at the photo by my bed again. I grab it and throw it to my wall. The glass shatters but I don't care.

I throw a portal and walk through it. I walk through the halls until Malia and Scott stop me. They give me a school ID from one of the kids who went missing.

"It's a relic."

"What's a relic?"

"An object with a fixed association to the past. Jake's ID was left behind after he was taken. And Gwen found her sisters bracelet on her bedroom floor."

"How can someone be erased and stolen leave something behind?"

"Because.. someone can't be fully erased from the planet. It's not possible. Not even my magic can do that."

"So, even the Ghost Riders have a weakness?"

"A relic would be proof that Stiles existed."

"Again.. any word on Lainey?"

"She's not answering calls or texts. Neither is Isaac."

I text Noah to come down to the school. We find an empty classroom and I give him Jake's ID.

"You want to search my house?"

"People are leaving things behind. So if Stiles left anything-"

"Why would it be there?"

"You can't just erase people. They leave things behind."

"Aurora.."

"I'm not crazy, Noah." I say. "I remember when Lainey died, okay? I took your pain but you didn't ask me to.. someone else did. A-and.. I feel like I'm going crazy."

"Last night I couldn't sleep so I decided to do some paperwork. On my way through the garage I stubbed my toe on an old baseball bat. Without thinking I yelled a name."

"Stiles.."

I go over to the Stilinski house. I look at the mantle. Pictures of Lainey with Claudia and Noah fill it.

"Is there anything I can do to help, sweetie?"

"No.. but thank you, Claudia."

"Well.. good luck." She says. "I'll leave you to it."

I look around until my eyes land on the spot where I first saw the woman. I walk down the hall to the spot where she stopped.

I hold my hand out to the wall. But just as I'm about to touch it a man rounds the corner.

"You didn't see it, did you?"

"See what?"

"It's right in front of your face."

I look at the wall again. My fingers trace where wallpaper has been placed. I slowly start ripping it when Claudia grabs my hand.

"What are you doing?"

"You're hurting me.." she lets go of my hand. "I'm sorry.. I shouldn't have done that."

"I think that's something we can agree on."

I hold my arm where she grabbed me. I head to the school, going to my mom's office. I sit at her desk, waiting for her to come in. I search through the database of all the students who've attended Beacon Hills.

"Were you tearing the Stilinski's wall paper off their wall?"

"No." She gives me a look. "Maybe. Yes."

"She's worried about your mental health."

I roll my eyes and laugh.

"I saw someone in the hallway. Someone Claudia didn't see."

"Well, if Claudia isn't seeing ghosts maybe it's because she's not a Banshee."

"I think he was trying to help me find something Stiles left behind. A relic."

"Did you?"

I shake my head. I could've. Maybe. If Claudia hadn't stopped me from tearing the wallpaper on the walls. I can't get the feeling out of my head when she touched me. It's so cold.

"She asked me to leave before I could find anything."

"Probably because you were tearing up her wallpaper."

My mom walks closer, looking at the screen.

"Oh, honey.."

"I've known Claudia since high school. I trust her. You've known her pretty much your whole life." She says. "I've trusted her enough to be a second mother to you."

"Something doesn't feel right, mom."

"Do you know what a confirmation bias is?"

"The tendency to interpret information in a way that confirms an existing preconception." I say. "I'm not dumb."

"Yes. It's a biased perspective. You're looking for or off to support what you already believe is true. Because you want it to be true."

"Stiles is real. I know it, mom, I do."

She sighs.

"But do you believe there's a possibility he's not?"

I don't know what to say. He's real. I know he is. He has to be.

"Okay.. tell me everything you know." She says. "I'll be your unbiased perspective."

After telling her everything we go to the hospital. Melissa pulls up Claudia's medical records. It only shows her having one child, Lainey.

Melissa gets up from her chair when she hears that Argent is here. I walk my mom to her car before going back in to find Malia and Scott.

"What happened?"

"The Ghost Riders took everyone. We barely slowed them down."

"Tell us you found something."

"I found out Claudia only had one kid, which is Lainey. So, Stiles can't be her son."

"What about a relic?"

I shake my head.

"There never was a Stiles, was there?"

"It doesn't even sound like a real name."

"We have to keep looking." I say. "Check the school records. Or call Scott's dad."

"We're fighting the wrong battle."

I hold back my tears.

"We're trying to bring Stiles back."

"The Ghost Riders came back. We still have no way of stopping them. And whatever they are, they're real. We can't keep chasing someone who isn't."

I look at Scott for help.

"He didn't leave anything behind."

"So, I'm crazy?"

"We're not saying you're crazy, Rory-"

"I've had enough.. I need to go home."

I throw a portal, hesitating before walking through.