chapter twenty-one.

RAVEN SOARING GATES STOOD like a fence mend for keeping people out ( not that anybody would willingly go inside even if you paid someone ) also trapped people inside. Eichen House, the same place that contained William Barrow is where Stiles decided to sleepwalk too. It doesn't make sense why his mind lead him here but he wasn't going to doubt Lydia.

"Lydia, I don't want to say 'Are you sure about this' but -" The Sheriff began, behind him stood his officers prepared to bust inside.

Lydia nods firmly, insisting. "No, he's here. I swear to God he's here." And that's the okay he needed to burst through the white doors.

"I need access to all basement rooms in this facility." Sheriff Stilinski demands at the front desk. Arthur trails last skidding around a corner Lydia ahead leading them, she makes a turn and stops.

"It's right here." Her determination is motivating as the boys trail after her without doubt. The Sheriff kicks open the door using a flashlight to guide him. "Stiles?" Lydia calls, heels thumping.

"Stiles!" Arthur shouts, making a turn behind the stairs frowning at no sight of blood or him. He turns towards the boilers but finds nothing there, she couldn't have been wrong, her power have never been. It's a petite place he couldn't be hide anywhere.

"Lydia?" Scott asks turning to her, in hopes of feeling something new here.

Lydia shakes her head distraught. "I don't get it. This has to be it."

"Then where is he, huh?" Sheriff Stilinski demands, voice raising. "Where is he? Where is he?" Lydia flinches back eyes squeezed shut, Arthur immediately stands in front of her, he comprehends he's under stress with Stiles freezing somewhere and bleeding but snapping at her isn't helping them bring him home. "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand." Lydia whispers. The blue eyed sighs taking hold of her wrist and leads her back upstairs, finding him isn't supposed to be this hard, time is ticking and they're back at square one with no leads.

* * *

ARTHUR COULDN'T REMEMBER THE last time he felt estatic to hear Agent McCall's voice, it's not surprising he had been the one to find Stiles solving cases is apart of his daily life and as much as he hates to say it : he's great at his job. Like Arthur has suspected, Stiles had sleep walked into the coyote den explaining the smell and cold, but he doesn't understand why Lydia had lead into the mental health center.

At the moment, he couldn't think about it because he feels like he might drop on the floor out of exhaustion but he couldn't until he was sure his friend will be alright.

The teens stand as Sheriff Stilinski walks out of his son's room, "He's sleeping now. And he's just fine." Sighs is relief escapes their lips. "He doesn't remember much. Eh, it's been like a dream, thank you."

Agent McCall shakes his head. "It was that repellent we sprayed in the coyote den to keep other animals out, I couldn't go near it with my eyes watering." He's just making them feel even worse, Arthur stares at the ground, all the clues they needed was in what he said. It wasn't hard but for some reason they made it hard for themselves. "It's just a good thing he mentioned it over the phone."

"No, it was more than that. Thank you." The Sheriff praises.

He shakes his once again. "It was a lucky connection."

"McCall, can you shut up please and accept my sincerest gratitude?" He playful snaps.

He hesitates before sighing and gives him his hand. "Accepted." Arthur fights a yawn, after all this he wonders what's going to happen next.

"All right, you three you've got school in less than six hours." Melissa shoos then away. The last thing on their minds is school, the blue eyed is staring to wonder if graduating is seriously worth all this.

"Goodnight, love you." Scott kisses his mother goodbye.

Arthur draps his arm around a disappointed Lydia leading her to the elevator also using her to keep his legs from giving out, her arm around his waist. She mumbles. "I don't know what happened. I was so sure."

"Yeah, I wasn't much help either." Arthur sighs. "I was on the sidelines the entire time."

"Doesn't matter, if he's okay." Scott counters optimistic. Arthur smiles at him in response, he doesn't want to imagine what would've happened if they hadn't gone to the police.

Her strawberry blonde whips around as she spins backwards alarmed, pausing staring at her left side complicating both boys. "Lydia, Do you hear something?" Scott questions.

She hesitates debating whether or not to trust her instinct again. "No. I didn't hear anything."

* * *

A SECOND CAN OF Red Bull is crushed in his hand, it is the only thing ( besides Scott pinching his side ) keeping from sneaking into the boy's locker room and hibernate on the stiff bench. "You should seriously slow down." Scott advices, a teasing smile on his lips despite the situation at hand.

Arthur scoffs, words slurred together. "Won't stop, can't stop." The three had already stopped at his locker and are now at Scott's before ending the day. A locker closes, Lydia's shoulder tenses squeezes her eyes shut. "You alright?"

"Yeah. I'm just a little hyper-sensitive to loud sounds today." She lies. Another locker close, she cowers.

"They're doing tests on Stiles all afternoon. We're going to go over at around 6:00 to visit." Scott says, closing his locker softly. "You want to come with us?"

"I should probably just go home." Lydia murmurs. Her back smacked into a locker he behind her like she's been punched, concerning both boys.

Arthur walks around Scott to stand in front of her, laying his hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'll text you later." The cherry red whispers, taking his hands from her shoulders and squeezes it in goodbye, and leaves before either could question her strange behavior.

"Do you think she's like that because of yesterday?" Scott asks Arthur. "'Cause it wasn't her fault."

"I don't think she thinks that way." Arthur mutters watching her disappear into the crowd. "For the first time she trusted her abilities a lot because someone's life was endanger and it lead her wrong. It's hard to believe in yourself after that."

* * *

"I'M NOT SURE I know how to pronounce this." The doctor comments, reading the tan folder containing Stiles' symptoms in his hands. Under any other circumstance, Arthur would've teased Stiles about his name but he wasn't feeling it. "Or if it's not actually a misspelling."

"Just call him Stiles." Stilinski says, a grim expression on.

"Okay. Stiles," the doctors smiles closing the tan folder walking to him. Scott stares at his hands unable to look anywhere else besides the patient. "Just to warn you, you're going to hear a lot of noise during the MRI. It's due to pulses of electricity going through metal coils inside the machine. Uh, if you want we can get you earplugs or headphones."

"Oh, no, no, I don't need anything." Stiles denies scratching the side of his face. Arthur stares up at the ceiling, a stone builds in his throat preventing him from talking, he doesn't want to talk encase his voice breaks.

"Hey, we're just on the other side of that window. Okay?" Stilinski promises, forcing a smile on his lips.

"Okay." Stiles smiles back tapping his shoulder as both single parents leave. Silence envelopes the three friends, unsure what they could say to make this better. "You know what they're looking for, right? It's called frontotemporal dementia. Areas of your brain start to shrink." Arthur coughs wiping his nose hoping it'd keep stray tears from escaping. Now is not the same, Stiles survived a murderous Alpha, Kanima and human sacrifices - he won't let him be taken out by a mental illness. "It's what my mother had. It's the only form of dementia that can hit teenagers. And there's no cure."

"Stiles, if you have it, we'll do something." Scott sniffs barely able to look at friend, but has to, to make him believe in them. "I'll do something."

"Yeah, if you get jumped, we get jumped. If you ride, we're riding with. You die, we're dying too, bro." Arthur humors raising his hands in a 'what can you do' manner, his nose crinkles holding back his tears. "We're ride or die, baby, all the way."

The light laughs that escaped their lips aided contain them from flooding the room in their tears. Their arms wrapped around each other terrified what might happen if they let go.

* * *

THE VENDING MACHINE EATS his money exchanging it for a single packet of Starburst, the sweet treat wouldn't be able to fill the hold in his stomach but it is one of the few things that can bring him comfort during this gut wrenching time. Scott had left awhile ago with Derek to discuss something Chemosignals, and he feel like being left out.

Glancing up, he cowers at the reflex in the vending machine nearly dropping his treat. "Damnit, Stiles, you shouldn't scare me like that -" he pauses, spinning on his heel. The tests couldn't be done already he only five minutes ago and changed clothes, and his eyes they're savvy but he couldn't pinpoint where. "What's going on..?"

His smiles darkens pushing his body weight off the green wall. "Stiles can't come to the phone right now."

His eyebrows furrow. "What are you on about? You're not yourself when you're hungry?"

"I've been waiting for you," he says stopping in front of him. "- for a long time." His fingers went from his shoulders to his neck and applied pressure.

Arthur wheezes digging his nails into his throat. "Stiles, What are you, what are you doing?" His grip tightens like his throat was a stress ball, the human's scratches weakening oxygen evaporating from his lungs replaced with an agonizing fire head weighs like anchor darkness tints the corners of his eyes.

His conscious starts slipping and he whispers in his ear, "You should've let me in."

* * *

( author's note ) shit's getting real in the next chapter! are you ready?