Earthshine

“Damn it!” the raven-haired girl yelled after watching the lacrosse players roughhousing in the parking lot slam against her car. “Really?” she exclaimed inspecting the busted taillight.

“Whoops,” The tall jock said. “I’ll pay you back, how about I call you later to… discuss things?” the boys smirked before high-fiveing his friend. Rolling her eyes Rowan shoved past the two, hearing a chorus of laughter behind her.

“Leave her alone,” a boy with mousy hair stepped forward. He had a camera gripped between his palms. The lacrosse players mumbled incoherently keeping their laughter.

“Idiots” she mumbled, ignoring the unknown boy and driving off to the Armor Tire and Service Center.

She drove into the empty garage. “Hello?” she called out. The garage was cool, and the thin air pricked at her skin. She could hear distinct dripping from somewhere around her.

“Can I help you?” a muscular man appeared. His blond hair was slicked back out of his face. It complimented his tight white shirt and grimy jeans.

“Yeah, I was needing my car repaired.”

“Really?” he retorted facetiously. “More specifically?”

“Taillights busted.” She derided.

“Well, looks like you came to the right place after all.” She rolled her eyes.

“It’ll take a few minutes. I’ve got to get some work done on this jeep. It’s a piece of shit.” He sneered.

“What the hell, man?” she heard the unmistakable voice of Stiles Stilinski. “Woah, hey there Rowan. Uh, didn’t expect to see you here.”

The two guys began arguing over pricing for Stiles’ jeep repairs. Rowan rolled her eyes. She decided to sit in the waiting room, away from the jerk mechanic. She gripped the door know slightly, feeling a cold and slimy film engulfing her palm. “Disgusting,” she seethed wiping the substance on the bottom of her pant leg. A few seconds later she heard Stiles yell about satisfactory cleaning.

“That’s repulsive.” He wiped his hand on the sleeve of his hoodie.

“You’re telling me. I’ve dealt with these jerks twice today,” she stood pointing at the mechanic’s high school lacrosse photo.

“Figures.” Stiles mumbled pulling out his phone. Rowan took a seat in the monotonous, plastic green chairs. She began to feel her arm fall asleep, the burning, tingling sensation overpowering her right arm. The clatter of Stile’s phone hitting the floor brought her attention to him. There he stood with his arms shaking in front of him.

“Stiles,” she started, feeling the tingling run down to her abdomen. Stunned she tried to stand, but failed and sank to her knees.

“What the hell—“ Stiles then collapsed to the floor. Rowan fought to keep herself remaining upright, but lost the battle and fell just behind him. “R-rowan…” he yelped. His eyes caught sight of a dark, clawed figure looming over the mechanic. “Hey!” he began yelling. “Hey! Look out!”

“Stiles what’s going on?” Rowan asked in a panic.

“What is that thing?” his voice quivered.

“What? I can’t move, what’s happening?” Rowan struggled. She was laying on her back, her legs tucked awkwardly beneath her. Her muscles were completely useless as she struggled to see anything but the ceiling and part of the window stretching behind the chairs that gave view into the garage.

“Hey!” he continued to yell at the man. Within seconds she could hear the bloodcurdling screams of the man. Her eyes caught sight of a moving shadow. Gleaming claws were illuminated creeping just above the hydraulic lift.

“Stiles!” she yelled trying to alert him of the strange being.

“It’s going to kill him,” he whispered. She watched his body had he struggled to turn his head. The man’s screaming elongated the feel of time. “No!” Stiles yelled before she heard a loud hissing screech. She didn’t have time to question the origin of the noise, for her thoughts were interrupted by what sounded like the settling of the hydraulic lift. She was sure of it when the cracking of bones emitted through the small facility.

Then, as if their hearts had stopped beating silence surrounded them. Not a breath was heard for a moment. “911 what’s your emergency?” she heard.

“I need help. We’re in Armor Tire and Service Center… the mechanic’s been killed.” Stiles said, his voice wavering ever so slightly.



“So can I ask what the hell is going on around here?” She pulled at the rough fabric of the blanket the EMT’s wrapped around her. She looked to her side where Stiles fidgeted endlessly. He bit the skin of his thumb, bouncing his legs against the back bumper of the ambulance.
“I can’t… I can’t tell you.” He kept his eyes on the murky pavement. His index fingers were folded against each other as he jutted them slightly forward, as if reinforcing his statement. “I just can’t.” he shook his head with the faintest of smiles. It wasn’t a smile of humor, she noticed, but a smile of helplessness.

“Is Scott…” she began. She watched as the boy tensed beside her. His brown eyes were large and shocked as he tilted his head toward her. “Is Scott a-“

“Listen, whatever you do. Don’t tell my dad what you saw or what you think you know. We just walked in and found him, okay?” the boy rambled nervously as his dad headed toward the pair. “Okay?” he asked firmly again.

“Stiles!” both turned their heads to see the sheriff standing in front of them. “You two want to tell me what’s going on?”

The questions flew by. They didn’t separate the two for questioning, which Rowan found as a relief. She followed Stiles’ lead when playing innocent.

”Some jocks busted my taillight at the school. I didn’t want to risk getting at ticket, so I came to get it fixed. The jeep was on the hydraulic lift when I arrived, but it wasn’t lifted. I called out a few times trying to find someone. Then I heard Stiles on the phone talking to you guys. That’s when I saw… the blood.” She had told him.

“Stiles are you telling me the truth?”

“I told you we just saw him there!” Stiles was agitated.

“Look if there’s something you don’t think you can tell me…”

“You think we’re lying? You think I’m lying?”

“Of course not… but if you saw someone—if you’re afraid they’ll come back-”

“We didn’t see anything. At all. Can we go now? Please?”

“Not in your jeep, we’ve got to impound it. Evidence.” His dad patted his shoulder nonchalantly.

“Can you at least make sure they clean it?” he threw his arms out.

“Stiles, I’ll give you a ride…” she offered.

“In attempt to avoid the inquisitive interrogations that are sure to happen sometime in the near future, I will politely have to decline. Not really up for that right now.” He smirked in a sarcastic manner. His eyes were tired.

“You saw it too didn’t you…” she watched him as he froze. Slowly he peeked over his shoulder, turning to face her.

“Listen—“

“I’m not going to say anything Stiles.” He watched the truth bleed from her defected irises. “Honestly, how do you think my therapist would react to that?” she tried to lighten the mood.

“I guess I can wait with you until Scott get’s here.” He shrugged. “BUT—not too many questions. Please.” He rolled his eyes back, his neck simultaneously bending and lolling his head around. “Scott is going to kill me.” He saw the look on her face as they slid into the car. “Not literally… sorry.”

“Isaac, too? And Erica?” Stiles nodded.

“You get kind of used to it I guess.” he shrugged leaning against the window. He mashed his lips together in thought. “Nope. You don’t.”

“I saw a man.” She started.

“I’d hope you’ve seen at least one in your lifetime.” She sent him a glare. “Okay! Okay! Take it easy, please. You’re short and scary with that face. Geeze.”

“I saw a man at the hospital, when I went with Erica.” She furrowed her brow staring at the wheel. “I saw him then at the school. You and Scott, you chased after Erica, and she left with him. Who is he?” Stiles shook his head, incoherently cursing.

“That’s Derek. I’m sure since you’re inching your way into this mess you’ll eventually meet him.” She responded with an o-shape of her mouth.

“Rowan, can I ask you something?” she nodded. “Have you heard any of this before?” he flexed his hands in the air. “You know: friends turning into mythical beasts, running around naked in the moonlight—anything like that before?”

“No, why? Is this a normal thing?” her gaze fell. “Does this have something to do with why Scott doesn’t care much for me?”

“No, no—well, yeah. Kind of.” He slid his foot onto the dashboard. “Scott… feels threatened… by you.” He said in elongated sections. “Well, that dark, hairy part of him—not like that! His… wolf side. God. Don’t give me that look,” he yelled at her shocked expression. It was one of surprise and amusement.

“Speaking of hairy,” she pointed out the windshield to Scott’s small car pulling onto the scene.

‘He’s going to kill me when he founds out you know.”

“It’s not like you told me.”

“How did you find out?”

“That night, after they took Isaac, I was at Allison’s. I ran into a cop there. He was carrying some kind of wooden box that had the engraving of a flower. It bothered me; intuition, I guess. I found the flower online: wolf’s bane. There was no plausible reason for a cop to have it. Then I saw the Lycanthrope website.”

“It was a syringe. They were going to kill him.” She felt her heart drop. She hadn’t known him long, but he seemed like a genuine person. Come to think of it, she didn’t know him at all.

“Did they?” Scott beeped his horn bringing their conversation to a near close. She unknowingly held her breath waiting for his response. As if he forgot Stiles reached for the handle. Rowan’s hand shot out gripping his wrist. Her eyes conveyed worry.

“No.” he said. “They didn’t.” she let out a small sigh of relief. “Listen, if you see anything, give me a call. Whether we like it or not, you’re in on this now. So don’t be surprised if weird things start popping up everywhere.” He warned before exiting the car. Rowan sighed gripping the steering wheel. She felt her phone buzzing somewhere in her bag.

4 Missed Calls: Aunt V. 2 New Voice mails.

“Damn.”



“Hey-a there Rowan! Oh new buddy of mine, pal, friend. He he he,” Stiles stumbled after her through the hallway on her way to chemistry.

“Can I help you, Stiles?” she asked slightly annoyed. She’d been on lock down for the past week due to the incident at the garage.

“You know, you don’t look like you feel to well. Maybe you should go to the nurse, you know, lie down for a bit?” he nervously laughed again. “I mean I could walk you there. You’re looking kind of flushed.”

“Stiles…” she warned slightly.

“Feeling woozy?” he asked as she turned to the doorway of the chem room.

“You know, come to think of it, for the past five or so minutes I’ve had this ringing in my ear and it’s really beginning to nag me.” She gave him a stern look. The excited cloud that passed over his eyes showed he wasn’t getting her hint. She rolled her eyes entering the room.

“That’s great! I mean that’s awful!” he began speed walking to catch up to her as she sat her stuff down at her usual desk. “Here, leave your stuff here, and I’ll walk you to the office!” he ushered hovering over her table. Rowan just glanced at him, taking out her books and flipping to the previous chapter.

“Stilinski, is there a problem?” Mr. Harris stood sternly at the front of the room. Rowan giggled as she watched Stiles’ bottom lip tremble ever so slightly.

“N-no sir.” He mumbled quickly sliding into his desk behind her.

Rowan sighed, fiddling with her pen as she looked over the lab prep notes.

“Is this seat taken?” she heard a voice ask. Not in the mood, she didn’t bother facing the person; instead she continued flipping through her notes.

“Not anymore.” She responded not caring much about the person who was questioning a seat.

“That’s surprising. I expected people would be fighting over the seat next to the prettiest girl in class.” Rowan rolled her eyes. She’d had several of the jocks try to woo her since she’d been here, she assumed this one was no different.

“Aren’t you original.” She commented blandly marking a star beside the natural chemistry terms. She felt the presence of the stranger as he took the seat next to her. She could feel the cockiness that surrounded him.

“I heard you tutor…” he started. “I might need some, I’m not very good at chem.” She briefly thought of sitting at the diner that day after school tutoring Isaac. The thought quickly left her mind. She ignored the stranger adding a few margin notes in the blank sides of her paper.

“So is it true about that one guy that used to sit here,”

“Liste-“ she stopped abruptly finally looking at the boy. Her jaw fell slack as she stared back into those baby blue eyes. “Isaac,” she whispered. She saw the cocky leer take over his features.

“Einstein once said, ‘two things are infinite. The universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the universe.’ I myself have experience infinite stupidity. So to combat the plague of ignorance in my class…” Mr. Harris explained the assignment, but the leather-clad boy beside her distracted Rowan’s mind. He was so different than when he’d left. She didn’t really know the boy that had vanished, but she definitely didn’t know this one. “Erica, if you ‘ll take the first tab—I didn’t ask for volunteers.” Mr. Harris said gruffly. Every boy in the class had their hands raised high. “Put you’re hormonal little hands down.” He sneered. “We’ll start with Mr. McCall.” The class moved around into grouping but Isaac remained seated along with Rowan.

“What happened to you?” she breathed realizing she already knew the answer.

“That’s complicated,” he shrugged like it was no big deal.

“So being a suspect in your father’s murder, getting off the hook, and everyone just seemingly forgetting about it is just no big deal?” she scoffed.

“It’s not like that,” his face returned to a normal blank canvas. “There’s a lot to explain,” his features quickly turned into his now usual arrogant smile. “Maybe we could catch up after school,” his fingertips slowly grazed her knee. She cringed. It wasn’t the same as when he had tried calming her bouncing knee that night in the car.

“Don’t be so brash.” She seethed removing his hand from her leg. The timer sounded at the front of the room signaling partner change. “Goodbye Isaac.” She tore her gaze from him. His eyes almost gave off a dumbfounded expression, but she knew she’d interpreted wrong.

“Rowan-“

“Mr. Lahey. Next table, please.” Reluctantly he walked away. Another leather bound teen took his spot.

“Hello, sweetheart.” The blonde girl grinned. The bright red that was lacquered onto her lips enhanced the brilliancy of her teeth. “Trouble in paradise?” she pouted.

“You two are inconceivable.” She spat mixing the concoctions quickly.

“You have no idea,” Erica smirked taking an elongated nail and raking it across the spot where Isaac’s hand had just been. “But this, this is so much better.” She smiled a truly impetuous smile. “Their words can’t hurt me anymore.” She beamed. “They love me.” Rowan looked at her with sadness.

“Did he do it?” Rowan asked looking at Isaac’s back. He seemed focused on Lydia, who was absentmindedly speeding through the lab.

“Did he what? Kill his father?” she leered. “He knew you would be strung up on that.” She totted. “No. He didn’t, but you’re friend up there did.” She hissed with her tongue. The alarm sounded again. “And now, we’ll kill her.”