#you have to meet stories halfway at their genre girls and ghouls!

[talesfromthecrypts]

Believe it or not, saying “Romeo and Juliet is just about horny teenagers ruining things” or “Beauty and the Beast is Stockholm syndrome” is also bad media literacy!

[hongjoongscafe]

Bloody Love...

Chapter: VII-Betrayal-

♠︎Pairing: yandere!king.jungkookxoc(coronis)

♠︎Genre: angst, smut, yandere, gore, dark romance, horror, creepy (dark fantasy).

♠︎Summary: "you happen to be in a world where wrong is right and right is wrong."

♠︎Word count: 3.6k+

♠︎Warning: murder, creepy, blow job, suffocation.

♠︎Note: lemme know if you wanna be added to the permanent or specific taglist!

♠︎Masterpost

♠︎Serieslist.

Questions. They were running in Coronis's head. Was it her fate? Or was it the people who made her life harder every day? The spiralling cycle of life was getting into her head. She felt a cyclone inside her nerves. The thunder in her chest.

They say that after a bad thing, something good happens. However, in her life, there was no word called good ever written even with mistakes, just never. Something in her life was twisted more than what she had realized. She had underestimated everything to the point where thinking for even a breath was heavier than a mountain.

Monsoon arrived. The days looked gloomier and nights looked creepier. Every gust of wind sent tremors down her spine. It felt like those winds were the whisperers who whispered tragedy winding its way to her footsteps.

The roads were muddy and reeked of old blood. The trees were hunched over, looking like ghouls that fed on dead bodies. Everything was covered with a stiff horror of the unspoken stories that were buried deep down in this realm of dead and gone.

All of this horror was doubled when the men who came to see Coronis for tying the knot started to get slaughtered day by day. They were not being hung on the pole but rather left rotting in the meadows and not as intense as the punishments were.

Nori has been acting weirdly. Especially after she visited her home. It was a couple of days later when she caught Edwin at her shack.

~

Coronis was walking back to her shack as the rain was pouring. It was getting stronger as she took each step. Her black straight gown was wet and the skirt was covered in mud halfway. Her pretty belly shoes were squeaking and were unrecognizable. Her kohl was running down her cheeks and her hair was sticking to her face. She tried her best to not let the stuff in her hands get dirty as she struggled to walk through the puddles.

As she reached back to her shack, she saw Nori standing outside, about to leave with a tarpaulin sheet above her head to at least keep her head covered from the unforgiving showers.

As Nori's eyes fell on Coronis, her expression changed and looked panicked. Coronis wanted to stop her and talk to her, however, the girl quickly bid goodbyes to her mother and stumbled away as quickly as she could.

Later that day when Coronis was sitting by the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands with her mother who was knitting a sweater for Coronis, the girl asked her mother, “What was Nori doing here?”

Martha looked up with a tiny smile. “She said she was in the market and stopped by. We drank tea and talked a bit and then she left. I asked her to wait longer and meet you but she said she had things to take care of and then left.”

She nodded slowly and took a sip out of her warm drink. “What did you talk about?”

Martha stopped knitting, placed the material in the basket and faced Coronis. She took a second to formulate her words. “Honestly, Coro, she was not alright in my opinion. I have never seen her like the way she was acting today. She was… jittery and uncomfortable if I'm not wrong. But she was polite as ever. Greeted me with warmth and held a decent conversation. Though she kept looking at the door as if waiting for someone,” She said. “And we talked about things and she asked about you!”

Coronis's mind was boggling. “What did she say?”

“She asked about the people in our shack the other day,” she informed.

“And then what did you say?” she pressed further.

“I told her about us wanting to marry you somewhere better. She asked about Edwin and the other boys as well. She seemed to be quite interested in the chat. She wanted to know every single detail and joked about how she could keep one for herself as well. But I don't know, Coronis… I don't feel like she was fine. I think someday, you should go meet her. I don't see her with you as often either. Maybe she just needs a friend to talk to. And I am nowhere near that friend,” Martha shook her head as she thought other things to herself but did not voice them. “Anyway, Edwin will visit tomorrow. So, look prettier.”

~

She had seen Nori around. All the time she looked guilty of something. She would look but never make a move to talk to Coronis and when Coronis would try, she would run away as soon as possible. The situation between them was too intense.

Coronis felt guilty for doing whatever she did. Instead of running away, she could have talked and told Nori what her life had become, or better, shouldn't have tried to get into it. Her selfish motives were the reason why the poor girl was now looking like a long aching soul, running away from what she once found solace in.

She couldn't imagine what Nori was feeling. One day they both were lying in bed, kissing and hugging, and the other day, there was nothing left. The person Nori loved so dearly was not supposed to prepare for marriage and it wasn't even theirs.

It was Coronis and a third person.

How could Coronis even expect her to talk to her when she crushed the blooming flower of love under her feet?

Her teary eyes were looking for answers, silently. Waiting for Coronis to tell her story. But her mind was not ready. Nori knew they were not possible even if Coronis was not getting married because the two girls could never make it together.

Maybe another story was going to be left untold.

As Coronis was stepping closer to her shack, everything started to get quieter and quieter. The day was still young and paths were busy. No way it could be that silent the only thing she could hear was silence and the rain hitting the ground.

The closer she got, she saw people surrounding her shack. The crease between her eyebrows grew deeper as fast as her heart started to beat. She carefully squeezed her way in to see why people were standing there so quietly. Did something happen to her family? No, she pleaded silently as tears brimmed her eyes.

Her feet were met with dirty muddy water mixed with blood. She looked up and saw Draco, Onyx, and Martha standing there now looking at Coronis. A sigh of relief left her trembling lips. But it didn't stay for longer.

Because the moment her eyes fell down, in front of her shack, her heart dropped in her stomach. She couldn't see the face but the Golden curly hair was enough for her to know everything that was needed to know.

The tears in her eyes were pooling to the brim but not a single tear dared to roll down her cheeks. They were stuck there, just like Coronis, in shock. Her pupils shivered as the tremor of horror passed through her body.

The regret was seeping into her soul making her her own villain. Her heart refused to believe otherwise. The selfish mistake was now weighing her down as she fell to her knees. Her breath got stuck in her chest as she saw the lifeless body lying down there with deep slashes out in the open for everyone to see it like a drama.

The blood was still dripping out into the muddy water as the rain mercilessly poured onto his abused body. His skin from where the clothes were torn apart was pale and blue, drained of any blood in his veins.

Coronis crawled towards him. Holding his shoulders, she turned him around and that's when a piercing scream was heard in the crowd. Coronis had no conscience for her actions. She had no idea that the loud, heart-wrenching screams were leaving her mouth.

Her head was empty of any sane thought. The only thing that mattered at the moment was for Edwin to open his pretty gazy eyes and look into her dark orbs and tell her in his own words that it is going to be alright and that he is going to be alright. They will be alright. She wanted him to tell her that all the little dreams they dreamt would come true under the same roof where they were going to begin their new life.

“Why?!” she screamed again. “Why? What did he do?!” she kept repeating. “Please give me back my Edwin! I'll do anything for him. Please give him his life back!” she begged. She cried and cried.

She didn't care about the mud or the rain soaking her. The only thing she kept hearing was her inner voice asking her how much she could be thoughtless and selfish.

How many more dying souls did she need to see before knowing that her single action could lead to some genuine man’s life? Her previous proposals were murdered but they were not morally sane men at all. They deserved worse than what they got.

However, Edwin was a man of words and class. He was a gentleman every woman desired in their life. The way he talked was out of this world. His poetic essence was never enough and the bubble of safe emotion was his walking definition. No one was like him.

Edwin was the shade of the tree on the hottest summer afternoon. His voice was a mellow music in the midst of spring. His eyes were a warm blanket on the coldest winter night. His smile was the twinge of spice in the autumn evening. He was perfect as is. His way of living life was simple and eventful. He craved to make a difference in the world with his kindness. He found the luxuries in the smallest things and cherished them till he could remember them.

He was once a man full of life and now a lifeless Angel. Some evil spirit took his golden wings away and left him dead in the footsteps of his future.

Nobody said a thing. They stayed and listened. Nobody tried to console the hurting being on the ground holding her soon-to-be husband tightly as she held him and cried on his slashed chest.

Coronis looked up as she felt a burning glare piercing her skull. There stood Nori. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were red. No emotions of love, grief, shock, or any feelings were on her face. She stood there numb and blank looking at Coronis, thinking Lord knows what. She had an almost grim face and her skirt had red splotchy patches as if it was blood. Again, who knows what she has been up to?

Coronis was about to say something to her but stopped when she saw Nori slowly backing out. She took steps backwards and slowly turned around all while looking deep into Coronis's eyes. It felt like hours before she got lost in the crowd.

That was the moment when she knew she messed up.

She was left on the ground, bawling her eyes out, with a man with whom she saw herself smiling and laughing through thick and thin. With the man made out of jewels, his heart now felt like a cold diamond.

And there she realized… she lost…

The rivers of tears stopped and whimpers quietened down. Her face depressed down in misery as the reality of her fate washed over her.

It was she who created these fates of chaos, Coronis was. Her actions became the numbness of one and the death of another.

She looked down at the man and slowly laid her head on his cold, still heart as the acceptance shook her body, trying to not accept but her brain knew better than that.

Love, lust, hate, infatuation… feelings. These are trouble to get into. It felt like all of these emotions burned Coronis like a fire in the forest or perhaps killed her like an overdose of drugs.

Her body trembled like an addict wanting that dose of drug. As if she was possessed by a demon. The catch was that she was indeed an addict and was possessed by a demon of her own. Of the people she killed without knowing.

She was indeed lost…

…

The hands of the maids trembled as if they saw a ghost. Their heads lowered painfully to the point their chins were stuck on their chests as they slowly removed every single piece of clothing from His Highness's body.

The scent of roses and vanilla fogged around them as the water in a gigantic floor bathtub filled with water and milk. The petals of the black rose looked pretty on the milky water.

The last piece of his clothes was gone. There he stood. All naked in his glory. His broad shoulders, tight muscles, hard chest, perfectly carved abs, his biceps looked ripped, and his thick thighs highlighted every hard part.

Along with that, his long, fat cock stood proudly, hard and filled with pride. His thick vein on the underside throbbed harder than a racing heart. His veins were thick and poking out, and his pretty mushroom head looked angry and red in need of it to be touched and abused.

However, his jaw was clenching and a frown was settled between his eyebrows and on the chin. And his brain was going back to the picture of Coronis standing in her shack.

“Jimin-ah,” his hoarse voice echoed in the bath.

Jimin’s eyes met with the back of his Lord. “Yes, my lord?”

“My little birdy was a bad girl,” His Highness shook his head and stepped in front of a kneeling woman. “She was not wearing the necklace I gave her. I asked her to always wear it. How could she not listen to me?” He fisted that woman’s hair and shoved his hard cock down her throat with a hum.

The boy looked at the scene and hesitated before saying something. “Perhaps it was hidden under her dress,” he stuttered.

A scoff left the lord’s mouth. “Hidden under her dress, you say?” He bobbed the head of the woman as if she was a toy. Well, for him she was indeed just a filthy toy. “I could see her fucking breast crease through her black gown and you say ‘Perhaps it was hidden under her dress’” he snapped.

The anger boiled inside his chest. And he let it out on the poor woman who had no choice but to take his cock, trying not to gag at the taste of alcohol that lingered in his precum. He had started to drink more alcohol than before. His sweet taste now turned bitter. Her nails dug into her thighs to keep her going. She felt lightheaded.

Jimin gulped and cleared his throat, “My apologies, my lord… I didn't see her Highness. I was merely guarding you just how you prefer.”

Hearing this, a side smile stretched on The Lord's lips. “No wonder why you are my favourite, Jimin-ah,” he rasped. “You always keep things in your mind and act like a loyal bitch,” he sighed, “if I had an eye for a man, I would fuck your holes and fill them up. But alas! It's not for this life.” He grunted as he fucked her mouth harder and faster. The woman could not breathe properly but she did not say a word knowing well enough what he could do if she did not do what he wanted. She just kept on digging her nails into her thighs. Her eyes started to roll back and black spots blurred her vision. The rest of the women kept their heads hung low. “It's about time I punish her.”

With that, he came down her throat with a grunt and pushed her back. She lay down there unconscious, cum staining her mouth. No one dared to treat the woman but scurried into the bath as he stepped into it.

His Highness rested his back against the warm dark marble and spread his arms. His body relaxed and his muscles loosened. He sighed as the hands of his maids started to clean him. “Do me a favour, Jimin-ah. Call the ministers and the headguards in the court. Tell them I called an emergency court.”

He cracked his neck and relaxed, feeling the hands washing him. And thinking about how he only wanted one pair of hands on him sooner.

“Wait for me, little birdy. Wait for the punishment that is going to come your way…”

…

“Coronis, my love,” Martha called her daughter as she looked outside from her window with a black face but a thousand emotions in those dull eyes.

It had been days since Edwin passed away. Coronis stopped speaking and rarely came out of her slot. She wouldn't eat more than two bites of rice. Her cheeks hollowed out and became paler.

Her long black locks were tangled just like her fate. Her inner turmoil disrupted her sanity. There was none to begin with… one of the things that came with living in this realm— no sanity.

“Can you go out, honey? We are short on some stuff. Can you get it for me?” Martha just wanted her daughter back. She thought maybe if she went outside, she would feel different and at least come out of her slot.

Coronis slowly turned her face towards her mother and looked at her old wrinkly face. Her mother's eyes had a subtle shiver in them. It wouldn't be wise to let her go outside at this age and the muddy roads might make her fall.

She nodded slowly and stood up, brushing her hair a bit back. “What do you want?” she asked.

Martha sighed and let her know the necessities.

Heading out, Coronis walked straight to the shop. Her body swung with each step. Everything was rotten around her. The people, the animals, the village, the houses, herself… everything. Everything was rotten just how she felt inside.

She wondered if she would ever be free from this rotten fate. A scoff bubbled in her throat. She cursed inside and thought how impossible it sounded. Free. Never, that would never happen. It almost sounded humorlessly funny.

From the corner of her eye, she saw someone familiar. She looked to her side and saw Nori going somewhere. “Nori!”

Nori looked and froze for a moment and tried to walk away but Coronis was quick to catch up with her and pull her by her arm. “Nori, please talk to me.”

The girl scrunched up her nose, “what do you want from me, Coronis?”

Coronis flinched at how she spat her name. “Please, just one talk,” the dark-haired girl begged.

Nori sighed and got tugged by Coronis towards a narrow alleyway, away from the people. There she looked at Coronis and how terrible she had become. Her eyes lost hope and were dead.

“Nori, I should have told you everything before,” Coronis whispered.

Nori felt like her blood was boiling. “Tell what? That you were fucking another man while fucking me too?! Is that what you should have told me before?! Are you fucking dumb, Coronis? I loved you and you do this to me,” she raised her voice. She showed no remorse for Coronis's loss or her soundness. However, the feelings washed over her. Her eyes burned with feelings and love she hid behind them. “Why would you do me like this? Hm? How could you fuck around like this, hurting people?” she lowered her voice.

“It is not like that, Nori. I would never do this to you,” she whispered.

“But you did,” Nori said in a barely audible voice and held Coronis's arms. “You broke my heart like it was worth nothing. You- you could have just told me that you liked someone else and I would have been out of your hair,” she sniffed.

Coronis shook her head, “my hands are tied, Nori. I- I’m just a puppet. You see these?” she opened her pale hands and showed her, “These have nothing in them. These lines are handled by someone else and it's not even God.”

“You could have said something,” Nori held her tightly. “I could have loved you a little less.”

“I could have…” Coronis nodded and let her tears fall.

“But you chose to hurt me more…” Nori sadly smiled.

Before Coronis could say something. The clops of the royal horses echoed and slowly came close to the alleyway and stopped at the end.

Coronis’s breath hitched seeing those dark, sharp, and calculating eyes that pierced her soul while staring into her eyes.

The King got down from his horse and slowly stepped forward. Nori looked between the two, not knowing what was going on. But she didn't dare to open her mouth and kept her head lower.

The King stood right in front of Coronis. With the back of his hand, he wiped off the tears and ran his thumb lightly over her lower lip and pulled it down. His hand moved down to her neck and felt around… but nothing.

His sharp eyes snapped back into hers. Under his mask, a deadly smirk formed. “You broke the order, my little birdy,” his voice was deeper and viscous. “You must get punished now.”

Coronis shook her head furiously as she felt shivers of horror travelling her body head to toe. “No,” she whispered. Her body was covered in sweat in no time as she felt her heart picking up pace. It was the feeling that ran over her that this was the end. This was the end of the hope.

“No, my love. You must know what it costs for your actions. For your betrayal.”

…..

Sanaa’s note:

The behaviour of all the characters is visualized.

Taglist:

@veneziamadness @cheline @sansmilkbread @jayb17 @constantlydelulusional @8tinytings @tea4sykes @chimmisbae;

@darkuni63 @mageprincess7 @whipwhoops @ackercute @ane102 @kimseokjinsmirror1233 @unhingedgf @jungkooks21 @namjoonscrabjuice @yluv-damara-13 @jksgirlhere @lavenderymoons @passionandsuga @posionapple24 @blueberry711 @shawtylilsalty @gukiebaby @vantelover07 @douknowbts @andioppsworld @xicanacorpse @ttanniett @koohrs

Have a nice day/night💓

[hey-i-wrote-a-story]

Chapter 24 A Safe Harbor

           Melissa McCall was accustomed to long days. So much so that it was a treat, if not a blessing, when they day actually ended after she clocked out at the hospital. Trained as an RN, Melissa often found herself at ground zero, or at the very least the frenzied triage, when supernatural disaster visited the town. Impossible ailments, hallways littered with the casually slain, spontaneous on-site smack-downs between monsters and demons, Melissa had seen it all. Given the incredible turnaround at the Beacon Hills Hospital due to death and dismemberment, it was remarkable how well they were able to keep the place staffed. Luckily, they had a phenomenal employee health plan.

           Today was a rare gift. The only thing that happened in the hospital were ordinary hospital things. Cuts, bruises, a stroke, one traffic accident, two births, an initial treatment for maturity onset diabetes, and a burst appendix. That was it. The newbies did a lot of frantic running around, but Melissa sailed through it all with quiet aplomb. Compared to giant werewolves blended from smaller werewolves, demon-possessed teenagers, and sword-wielding ghouls that could disappear in a puff of smoke, today was cake.

           Melissa was a beautiful woman with dark hair that flowed past her shoulders in natural waves. Her appearance was that of someone much younger than her 40-odd years. It would make sense that having a werewolf for a son, that son hanging around a variety of supernatural friends, the result of which often bringing her under random onslaught from those out to get him would take its toll. Strangely enough, Melissa was almost invigorated by frequently finding herself in the eye of the hurricane. That most likely had something to do with being so proud of her son. The mawkish boy with difficulty breathing whom she adored had grown into a noble and courageous young man whom she cherished. Apparently, love had a way of holding back the wrinkles.

           That made a humdrum day no less sweet, and coming home to a quiet house felt like something of a reward for making it through the day without otherworldly upset. The lights were on, which told her that Scott was already home. He most likely had his ubiquitous best friend Stiles in tow. Melissa thought that this might be a good night to shoo away the charming if oft irritating Stiles and have a nice Mother/Son night in. Perhaps a pizza, or Chinese, and a movie rental. Nothing of the horror genre. Screwball comedy, maybe. Melissa opened the door to find her son Scott standing there and as expected, his friend Stiles nearby. Unexpectedly, there were three other kids whom Melissa had never seen before. Judging from Scott’s expression, and most certainly those of the three kids’, Melissa’s quiet night had just imploded.

           “Mom, we could use some help”, Scott said.

           Melissa sighed. Not even a hello. She let her purse drop onto a nearby counter and braced herself. “Fill me in.”

             In short order, Melissa had been brought up to speed, told the whole story (the abridged version) and was now in her official Mom hostess mode. “So that thing, whatever it was you don’t even know, could come back at any time? Crash through the roof, maybe?”

           “It’s a distinct possibility”, Stiles said.

           “Scott, honey”, Melissa said, “go over to the spice cupboard and get the usual. We do the whole warding thing and get these kids settled. Did anyone bother treating them for shock? For any trauma at all?”

           Scott realized they had been remiss in that department. “Oh. No. Should we have done that?”

           Melissa shooed her son over to the kitchen and set to work getting the kids settled in. Scott opened up the spice cupboard, ignoring the lemon pepper, seasoning salt, and minced garlic, and retrieved the bottles of mountain ash and the canister of salt. There had been enough incidents at the house that they were always prepared as best they could be. Scott was practiced enough to set up a ward around the house in under 20 minutes.

           “Got it”, Scott said, holding up the warding ingredients.

           Kaitlyn stood by Melissa, the girl’s arms already full of bundles of sheets and blankets. “Kate”, Melissa started, then said, “Is it Kate or Kaitlyn? Which do you prefer?”

           “Kaitlyn’s good.”

           “Kaitlyn, go up those stairs and take the second door on your left. You can sleep in Isaac’s—in the guest room. I’ll be up to check on you in a minute.” Kaitlyn just stared for a moment. She was so unaccustomed to being treated this way. As a guest, and a welcome one at that. Mrs. McCall was acting toward them as if they were cousins who’d shown up unexpectedly. Kindness had become a very foreign thing to Kaitlyn and her friends. She was a bit thrown by it. “Was there something else?”, Melissa asked, breaking Kaitlyn from her daze.

           “No, no. Just…thank-you.”

           “You’ve very welcome. Off you go.”

           Scott stepped closer. “I’m sorry to drop all this on you, mom. Lydia said she had more room at her place, but I thought it’d be better if I was around. I couldn’t leave them in Derek’s loft because then we couldn’t keep an eye on them, so I—“

           Melissa rested a gentle hand on her son’s cheek. “It’s alright, honey. You did good.” She surveyed the room, thought about the upstairs accommodations. There was her room, Scott’s bedroom, the guest room, and the bathroom. “We’re going to be a bit crowded down here”, she thought, looking to Aadesh and Freddie. “Someone may have to sleep on the floor. Unless we still have that air mattress—“

           “Freddie can stay with me”, Stiles said. Scott looked over at his best friend, who’d been sitting on the arm of the couch where the shaken redhead sat slumped. Stiles had been resting one hand upon the boy’s shoulder in a show of support.

           Freddie looked up at his hero. “Really?”

           Scott asked, “Are you sure? Will you be okay?”

           “We have the town sheriff right there with us and Malia’s probably gonna crash there. We’ll be fine.” He patted Freddie on the shoulder and stood up. “We also should be going. Let’s get you home before you drop over from exhaustion.” Stiles looked to Melissa and pointed at Freddie as he got to his feet. He okay to go? Melissa nodded.

           “What he needs now is rest. You all do.”

           Aadesh stood up as well. “Can I go with you?”

           That got Melissa’s attention. “You’re staying here, aren’t you?”

           “Yes. Yes, that was the plan, but I’d like to…just say goodnight. Or, goodbye. You know, in case anything happens…” he found himself at a loss for the words he did not want to say, but Melissa knew what he meant.

           “Scott, you can lock up as soon as you get back.”

           Stiles escorted Freddie to the door, but Aadesh went up to Melissa before joining them. “Mrs. McCall, I just want to say how much I appreciate you letting us stay here…and-and what an honor it is to finally meet you.” He reached out and shook her hand warmly. “Seriously, you’re…you’re just really awesome, is all.”

           “I’m glad to have you”, she said back. “And you can call me Melissa.”

           Aadesh’s eyes widened. “Whoa…can I?”

           Scott guided the boy to one side, offering his mother a lopsided grin. Neither of them were prepared for this kind of hero worship. “If you want, I can stay behind and Stiles can take both of them, then run Aadesh back. Then you and Kaitlyn wouldn’t have to be alone.”

           “I’ll be fine”, Melissa said. “Trust me. This isn’t the first time I’ve housed a wayward youth. It’s a bonus that none of them have powers this time out.”

           Scott opened his mouth to say something about Kaitlyn, but then decided better of it. He could fill her in on that part later.

           “Go on. It’ll be fun to be treated like a celebrity in my own home.”

           Scott leaned in and gave his mom a quick peck on the cheek. “Love you, mom.”

           “Love you too, kiddo. Now scoot.”

              At the Stilinski home, Stiles brought out bedding from the linen closet to set Freddie up on the downstairs couch. Freddie watched intently as Stiles piled up the sheets and blankets.

           “I’m sleeping down here?”, Freddie asked, sounding disappointed.

           “Yeah. Don’t worry, it looks lumpy but it’s actually pretty comfortable.”

           “I thought I’d be bunking with you. I mean, in your room.”

           Stiles looked at him for a moment, and then said, “No” drawn out in a way that made the word sound like it had three syllables.

           Scott entered with a small duffel bag slung over his shoulder and Aadesh not far behind. Stiles saw Scott’s tagalong and raised an eyebrow. “Who. It’s just Freddie who’s staying here, right? I thought Aadesh was with you.”

           The Indian lad nodded. “I came just to ride with Scott.” Then, quickly added, “And I didn’t feel like hanging around the house while the two ladies got ready for bed and stuff.”

           Scott handed the duffel to Freddie. “Is this the one you asked for?”

           Freddie took it gratefully. “Yeah, that’s my stuff. Thanks for bringing it in.”

           As Freddie rooted around his worn and well-patched duffel bag in search of something that could be used for pajamas, the other three boys stood there, feeling ill at ease. Aadesh was clearly still reeling from the events on the highway and radiated waves of tension and anxiety. Freddie’s uncharacteristic lack of chatter wasn’t helping matters, either. Not sure what to do, Scott attempted to break the silence.

“So you guys”, Scott said, indicating them both wave of his finger, “met in a halfway house?”

           “Yeah”, Aadesh said with a certain trace of venom in his voice. His expression darkened. When he spoke again, it was with the tone of someone who had been routinely looked down upon, seen as a thug, and one who had just lost one of his dearest friends. “Is that a problem? Is there somewhere more suitable we should have met?”

           “No, no”, Scott said quickly, not wanting to put either of them back on the defensive. “I’m not judging. I’d never think--I was only trying to verify the, um, the circumstances—“

           Freddie came to his rescue by interrupting. “Where did you two meet?”

           Scott and Stiles answered in unison. “Sandbox.”

           That one word, so unexpected and absurd, diffused the situation and dispelled the tension. Everyone exhaled almost in unison from relief, but no one could bring himself to laugh. “I’m sorry, man”, Aadesh said.

           “It’s nothing”, Scott shrugged. “You’ve had a hell of a day. I wish I could say I have no idea what you’re going through, but I do.”

           Aadesh looked back at his hero with gratitude for that. “It’s just…I’m used to people seeing me as less than…well, as less. And I couldn’t handle it if you…because you’re someone I look up to, that—“

           “Let’s get back to the house”, Scott suggested. “We both need to sleep.”

           Aadesh nodded and allowed himself to be led outside. Scott looked back at Stiles who returned his gaze and the silent message that went with it. Some night, huh?

           Freddie yanked a beat-up pillow from his duffel. “There it is. I can’t sleep without this.” Freddie lay back on the couch and stuck the barely contained cluster of fabric and polyfill behind his head. “Gotta have my own pillow.”

           Stiles offered a weak smile. “Same with me.” With nothing more to say or do, Stiles made his way toward the stairs and his bedroom.

           “Stiles?”

           Stiles stopped but did not turn around. “Yeah?”

           “I’m really sorry about what I said at the clinic. I didn’t mean any of it. I was just all wrought up and—“

           “I’m sorry I almost punched you in the face”, Stiles countered.

           After a moment’s pause, Freddie asked, “We good?”

           “Yeah”, he answered. “We’re good.”

           Stiles went up to bed, knowing that with everything involved in this whole grim situation, there wasn’t any part of it that was good.