Lost Inside A Scream

"First day of school and you're already studying?" Stiles scoffed, taking a seat next to me in the school library. "Are you Lydia's long lost twin or something?"

"We don't look alike, Stiles." I rolled my eyes, tapping my pencil on the edge of my open textbook.

"Well the similarities are freaky." He said, throwing his hands up in a defensive pose.

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Now could you leave me alone? I was already having trouble concentrating just with everyone whispering around me. This conversation isn't doing much to help." I sighed, leaning back in the wooden chair.

"Penny, you do realize we're the only two people in the library, right?" He asked, shaking his head as he stood up. I heard him muttering something to himself about someone being right as he left the room. Stiles never really understood why I was at Eichen House. He told me I seemed entirely sane, refusing to believe I was a 'lost cause.' I suppose now he did.

I picked up my pencil and attempted to get back to work, to no avail. It took five minutes of me doing everything I could to block out the whispers before I accepted this math just wasn't going to be done right now. I threw the books in my backpack before heading out the door and down the hall. I kept going, not really knowing my destination. A few steps later, I found myself in the art room, immediately recognizing the girl sitting at an easel in the corner despite her face being completely hidden by her red waves.

"Can I help you?" Lydia asked, looking up.

"I don't know." I answered truthfully.

"Okay then." She said, raising her eyebrows, before returning to her work. I stood there awkwardly, trying to think of a reason why I would've come here. It was then that I realized the whispers had stopped. A few minutes passed as I wondered what had caused them to silence before someone else joined Lydia and I in the room.

"Oh, should I, uh, come back later?" The guy asked, looking from Lydia to me, then back.

"I was just leaving." I said quickly before walking out.

I don't have any idea why this was happening, just that it was.

I decided to go visit Ms. Morrell, hoping she'd actually be helpful for once. I was heading towards her classroom when I heard Scott call my name.

"Scott, look, I can't talk right now." I said before turning and beginning to walk again.

"Where are you going?" He laughed, falling in step next to me. "We gotta get to the vet. I was just coming to offer you a ride over." Shit. I forgot about the vet.

"Could you just tell Dr. Deaton I couldn't make it today? I'm not feeling too great after such a long day at school." Please say yes.

"Isn't working a condition of you being out of Eichen House, though? I'm not letting you do something that could get you put back in there."

"Yeah, well, with the way I'm feeling right now, you won't be able to prevent that."

"Well then it'd be safer for you to be around people."

"I'm not going to hurt myself, Scott. I just need to sleep." I sighed.

"Would you at least let me drive you home?" He asked, giving me a look that made it impossible for me to turn him down.

"Fine."

The ride home was silent except for the sound of his dirt bike, and I ran upstairs before anyone could talk to me.

I had just drifted to sleep when I jolted upright, screaming.