Creatures from the Ocean (Sciles)

57: Manipulation

Stiles POV

I head towards my jeep at the end of the school day. I decided to stay back a little while in the library instead of going straight home though. There was no point in going home really, considering I wouldn't be able to stay long if I wanted to make it to Samantha's on time. I haven't told anyone that I'm meeting up with Samantha. Since no one is questioning me about it, I guess she hasn't said anything either. Deep down, I know that I shouldn't be doing this, but I do want to make things right with Samantha. I don't want us to be at each other's throats if we ever have to work together. Besides, Samantha seemed genuine enough. Well, at least the part about her being grateful that I saved her life, anyway. I'm not sure about the rest. I'm just hoping that this meeting goes well. As I unlock the jeep, I wonder what Samantha wants to talk about with me. I also wonder why that she wants to apologize now of all times. She could have said something right after the incident involving my doppelgänger, but she didn't. Maybe she was too shy? No, that couldn't be it. Maybe she was too proud to admit to her mistakes? Yeah, that sounds like Samantha.

I start the jeep and drive towards the address that Samantha gave me. Oh god, I hope she isn't planning on murdering me and burning my body or something. Calm down Stiles, you know that's extremely unlikely. Besides, if that's what she was planning, don't you think Lydia would know someone is about to die and will go off into a banshee daze and then come to stop me? I sigh as I tap the steering wheel nervously. Finally, I pull up to a nice looking house. I take out my phone and glance at the address. I look over to the letter box which has the house number on it as well. I smile in satisfaction at the fact that I got the right house. I glance down at my phone again to check the time. It's 4:25pm. I shrug. I guess there is no harm in going in now. Samantha should be here. I turn the car's engine off, grab my phone and keys before jumping out of the jeep and closing the door. I take a deep breath and walk up to the front door, not knowing what to expect. I knock politely on the door three times. After a few moments, the door opens to reveal a smiling Samantha.

"Hi, Stiles! Come in!" She says happily, gesturing for me to enter. I slowly step over the threshold of the house. I walk through the front hall, looking around in wonder. "Nice place you have." I comment as I walk into the living room.

"Thanks. It costs me a fortune to rent, but it's worth it." Samantha replies.

"How do you have enough money to pay for this?" I ask in curiosity as I make my way over to the fireplace.

"Oh, well, back in Los Angeles I had a part time job. Plus, my parents stored money away for me before they died. They wanted me to use it only if I thought it was necessary. I think using the money to rent a house to get a fresh start was worth it." Samantha says as she follows me. I nod.

"That's a big jump; Los Angeles to Beacon Hills." I chuckle.

"Yeah, I know, but I wanted a big change. I wasn't happy in LA, so I wanted to move somewhere smaller. I thought maybe that a smaller town would be a great experience for me, considering I've lived in a big city most of my life." Samantha shrugs.

"Has it been a good experience?" I ask as I scan the photos in frames sitting on top of the fireplace.

"Yeah, I think so." Samantha answers. My eyes land on a photo of a young girl laughing in the arms of a man and woman. The striking green eyes of the little girl are very familiar. I pull the photo frame off the shelf and show it to Samantha. "Are these your parents?" I ask in curiosity. Samantha smiles sadly as she takes the photo frame from me. "Yeah. I always loved this photo. We were at this park. We weren't doing anything in particular. We had a picnic, played hide and seek and watched as the sun set over the horizon. The thing that stood out to me though was that we were so happy. We were laughing and smiling the whole day. I never wanted it to end." Samantha explains. Her eyes become watery. For a moment, I feel sorry for the girl. I almost want to give her a hug, but I decide against it.