***

When Sarah was a little girl, she would hide up in the treehouse in her family's backyard, reading and rereading the piles of books she had collected over her short life.

She loved the large words and the detailed descriptions that painted larger than life stories of the character's lives that she would read. She could never pick a favorite genre. Syfy, fairytales, fantasy, drama, adventure, mystery, you name it, she loved them all.

Sarah would sit up there for hours, thumbing through the pages of the paperback books her mother would buy for her, smiling along as she read the adventures of different character's lives she encountered, never once getting tired hearing their stories again and again. She would also carry up scraps of paper and pencils, sitting on the hardwood floor as she sketched out illustrations of what she thought certain characters would look like, and even some of her own family members and friends as well, taping the drawings up onto the wall in satisfaction as she grinned childishly to herself.

She had been a carefree child, having an idealistic view of the world as she went through her life.

One day, that had all changed.

Sarah remembered the day well. She had been seated in the living room in front of the TV as her dad prepared dinner in the kitchen with her sister, Harper, seated at the table in her high chair, babbling away to her father as they all waited for Sarah's mom to get home from work so they could all have dinner together.

"She's just late. She'll be here soon." Her father had told her, gently kissing Sarah on the forehead before he went to cook dinner.

That's when the call came.

The shrill ringing of the phone cut through the noise of the house like a knife, echoing through the living room as her father's brows furrowed in confusion, turning off the stove before going to answer the phone.

"Hello?" Her dad had asked, voice filled with uncertainty as he listened to whoever was on the line. "Yes, I'm Mr. Williams. Is there something I can..." His face twisted into an expression of disbelief. "What? No, no, that can't be right, I just talked to her an hour ago. I can't... oh, God..." Her father's voice had broke, body trembling as he collapsed onto the couch in front of Sarah, who gazed up at her dad in confusion. "No, yes, I understand... I'll be there soon." He hung up the phone, staring blankly down at the device in a daze as his hands trembled.

Sarah remembered very clearly what had happened next. She had gotten up and walked over to her father, placing her little hands on his leg as she looked up at him in worry, before asking him what was wrong.

The words her father said next would forever be seared into her brain.

"Mommy isn't... she isn't coming home, Sarah." Her father's voice had shaken as he gazed down at his daughter, eyes filled with tears. "I'm... I'm so sorry, sweetheart, but she's not coming home..."

Things had changed after that.

Everything bright and beautiful in the world had seemed to have flickered out in Sarah's eyes.

Things that she had never paid attention to as a child had seemed to start becoming more and more clear as the years went on.

The family had apparently just been skirting by on managing to pay the bills, and her mother's death had just been the tip of the iceberg that brought everything crashing down.

Medical bills from the paramedics failed attempt at saving her mother's life had come in, including bills for the monthly payment for the house and the car, quickly crippling their family's financial situation.

Her father had to start working overtime at the office just to make ends meet, barely able to spend any time with either of his daughters, quickly seeming to become less and less involved in their lives and school events as the years went on.

Sarah never could find it in herself to blame him for it, though. The man worked his heart out to provide the best for his family, and Sarah knew that. However, Sarah became more and more bitter as the years went on as her dad came home from work every night, almost dead on his feet, yet still managing to throw a smile on his face after barely getting an hour of sleep the night before.

It just wasn't fair. The man worked so, so hard, and yet still barely had enough money to take care of his family.

Sarah had made a promise to herself as she got older. She promised herself that she would never end up like her dad. No offense to him at all, but the young girl was terrified of drowning in debt and not being able to make a life for herself. She never wanted to end up like that.

So, she put away her drawings, her old books, her dreams, and told herself to grow up.

And that's what she did as she grew into her teenage years.

She still read plenty of books, but it was no longer the ones that she had enjoyed so much as a child. Instead, she took as many advanced classes as she could in high school, studying for hours into the night and the early mornings for tests, forcing herself to make sure she had as many perfect grades for college as she could, hoping to one day earn a scholarship as well.

She became more high strung and withdrawn as the years went on, hiding up in her room instead of the worn-down treehouse in their backyard that was falling apart at the edges, ignoring the incessant banging of her sister's fists on the door who begged Sarah to play with her as she sat at her desk, studying for hours to help calm her nerves.

That's what Sarah did when she was nervous. She studied.

So, it should be of no surprise at all that Sarah was currently seated on her bed, a notebook in front of her as she tried to remember everything she could about the show, Teen Wolf, and 'study' to be prepared for her time here.

She glared down at the blank page, tapping her pencil relentlessly beside her.

Tomorrow was her first day of school.

Correction: tomorrow was her first day at Beacon Hills High School.

God, it was still hard to wrap her mind around that.

After yesterday's disaster of a meeting with Stiles, she had been somewhat preoccupied for the rest of that evening in her fuming anger at the spiky-haired boy, even long after he had left.

Scott had tried to convince Sarah that Stiles would come around, telling her that his friend was just paranoid sometimes and that he meant well, but Sarah was having none of it. She knew better than to believe that Stiles would just let his suspicions go.

Sarah had simply given Scott a tight-lipped smile, thanking him for trying, before quickly running up the stairs and into her room. The second the door clicked shut, she had snatched a pillow from the bed, letting out a muffled scream into the fabric, before letting out a stream of frustrated curses about the hyperactive boy in question.

Stupid, fucking, egotistical, arrogant, asshole—

Ahem.

Anyways.

This little rant went on for some time until she stomped over to her bed and climbed under the covers, grumbling to herself, still simmering with rage, before finally managing to get some sleep.

So, if it wasn't already obvious, Sarah hadn't had a lot of time to think about the fact that her first day at Beacon Hills High School was soon.

It wasn't until the start of this morning when Melissa had casually asked Scott and her about it at breakfast when it had suddenly hit Sarah with startling clarity what that fact actually meant for her.

Tomorrow wasn't just her first day at high school.

Tomorrow was the start of the season of Teen Wolf.

Teen Wolf, the show where supernatural creatures roamed around every corner. The show where many of those supernatural creatures would rip your throat out without question. The show where people got killed almost every episode.

And yeah, most of Scott's friends usually stayed alive, but Sarah was pretty sure that her presence here didn't come with plot armor.

So, it was safe to say, that Sarah was terrified.

Sarah had managed to keep her rising panic at bay, her voice only shaking slightly as she subtly moved the conversation towards asking Scott questions about his plans for this year and how his friends were doing.

She had forced herself to keep a straight face as he told her in excitement about his plans to get his first tattoo and how he had even managed to pay for a new bike over the summer. She gave him a tight-lipped smile, even as she screamed internally inside her head.

Season three.

Of course, it had to be season fucking three.

The Alpha Pack, Darach, and Nogitsune.

Great. Perfect. Wonderful.

So, not only did she have to deal with avoiding more than one supernaturally crazed maniac with Stiles breathing down her neck all the while; she also would have to deal with a crazy, supernaturally possessed Stiles down the line as well.

Like he wasn't causing her enough problems already?

Sarah groaned, laying her head in her hands in frustration.

God, how was she going to do this?

Sarah let out a sigh, sitting up as she shook her head at her pessimistic thoughts. No. It would be fine. She would figure out all of the things she needed to avoid, letting the story play out as it should with Scott and his friends handling it, and stay out of the way.

She looked down at the blank page in front of her, nodding to herself as she started to scribble words down onto the page. There was no way that could backfire. That's how the story was supposed to go, right?

How hard could it be?

***

Sarah leaned back into the pillows of her bed, gazing down at the pages below her, brows furrowed in thought.

So far, she had written over eight pages of notes, front to back, as she tried to construct a vague timeline for the third season of Teen Wolf.

She had started with the main plot points of the season, making her way from there until she began to try and remember the smaller details. She believed she had figured out most of it, but there were still a couple of things that she knew that she was forgetting.

And yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to remember what they were.

Sarah frowned.

What was it? What was she missing?

She glared down at the pages, clear blue eyes scanning over the words written with her pencil tapping relentlessly beside her.

Teen Wolf 101

Teen Wolf: Season Three Timeline

Isaac is kidnapped by the Alpha Pack.

Scott gets his first tattoo with Stiles, but it doesn't work.

Scott and Stiles meet Allison and Lydia on the road.

A deer crashes through Lydia's windshield.

The next day at school, hundreds of birds crash through the window.

Scott is called to the hospital to help Isaac.

Scott and Stiles meet at Derek's house, finding out about the Alpha Pack.

Scott gets his tattoo permanently.

Stiles's friend is kidnapped for the first sacrifice.

Sarah paused, swallowing nervously as she stared at the words on the page. Killed. That would be the better word for it. They just didn't know it until later. A teenage girl would be killed; her life snuffed out like it was nothing.

Sarah blinked, quickly snapping out of her stupor. Don't get involved, don't get involved.

She continued, briskly flipping through the pages, eyes skimming up and down the words to read the main points.

Allison, Scott, and Derek break into the bank and accidentally let out Boyd and Cora.

Scott and his friends track down Boyd and Cora.

More sacrifices happen.

The Alpha Pack keeps trying to recruit Derek.

The Motel California episode happens. Shit, that was the one she couldn't remember a lot of!

Sarah frowned. Except Scott trying to kill himself.

She remembered that very well.

She shook her head, looking down to read on.

Deaton is kidnapped.

Derek is forced to kill Boyd. Not involved, not involved, not involved.

Derek's flashback episode happe—

A sudden knock comes from the door. "Sarah?"

Sarah jumped, slamming her notebook shut. "Nothing!" she blurted out nervously.

She winced at the deafening silence that came from the door, cursing inwardly at herself.

"Um..." Scott's voice rang out uncertainly, clearing his throat for a moment before continuing on, "Everything okay?"

Sarah quickly scrambled from her bed, stuffing the secret notebook under her pillow before making her way towards the door. She swung it open, clearing her throat as she gave Scott an awkward smile. "Uh, yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Scott stared down at her, brows furrowed in confusion. "Um... I don't know, I just..." He shook his head, seemingly deciding against whatever he was about to say. "You know what? Never mind. I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to come with Stiles and me to the tattoo parlor." He grinned down at her, a sudden gleam of excitement in his eyes as he gestured down towards his arm. "I'm getting two bands on my arm. It's gonna be awesome."

Sarah blinked, mouth opening in indecision, unsure of what to say.

She knew that it would be smarter to just stay at the house and let the story play out without her. And yet, the thought of rejecting Scott's offer and watching his happy mood fall suddenly seemed like the worst idea in history.

Scott surveyed her a moment more, face falling as he seemed to pick up on her feelings of doubt. "I mean... of course you don't have to..."

Sarah's stomach surged with guilt. "No! I just... I..." she trailed off, eyes flickering between Scott and her bed, where she knew the notebook was hidden.

Sarah's mind raced with thoughts, weighing her options. Nothing even really happens after the tattoo scene. She reasoned, brows furrowing in thought. The only dangerous thing that really comes up is the deer running into the windshield, which wouldn't hit Scott and Stiles's vehicle anyways.

Sarah frowned. Stiles. Did she really want to have to end up dealing with him again so soon?

She was going to have to deal with him again eventually. She mused, grimacing to herself. At least this way, she would have Scott for backup. And besides, she really did owe Scott a lot for his kindness. The least she could do is watch him try to get his first tattoo. She looked back towards Scott, eyeing his hopeful form before she suddenly made her decision. "You know what? I would love to."

Scott's face instantly brightened. "Great! That's great!" He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Are you sure? I don't want to make you feel like you have to or anything—"

"I'm sure." Sarah interrupted him, giving him a small smile. "There was something I was doing, but I can always finish it later." She walked out of her room, shutting the door behind her, before turning to face Scott again.

Scott grinned down at her. "Getting everything ready for school tomorrow, huh?" He started making his way down the stairs with Sarah trailing behind him. "Don't worry, okay? Everything will be fine. But, I mean, don't get me wrong, it's great that you're prepared and everything." He scratched at his head, embarrassment filling his voice. "I may still need to pack... well, everything, I guess..." he trailed off, clearing his throat before turning to face Sarah again as they made their way into the kitchen. "That's what you were doing, right?"

Sarah chuckled nervously. "Um... something like that."

***

"Oh, God, I'm gonna be sick." Stiles heaved, leaning against the door of his car.

"Oh my God, you're fine." Sarah huffed, rolling her eyes as she made her way to Stiles's jeep. "You're just woozy from fainting in the parlor; it'll pass."

Stiles leaned up and glared at Sarah as she made her way to the door of his jeep, watching as she climbed into the car. He turned towards Scott, face twisted into an annoyed scowl. "Why did we bring her again?"

"Because I invited her and I said you had no choice," Scott stated, patting his friend's shoulder good-naturedly, before letting out a wince of pain.

Stiles frowned. "You alright, man?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, it just stings a little." Scott rubbed at his arm in pain as he opened the front door to Stiles's jeep. "Seriously, man, I'm fine."

"Okay." Stiles eyed his friend in worry, making his way to the driver's seat, before climbing into the car. "Whatever you say."

Scott climbed into the passenger side of the car, grimacing as he slammed the door shut.

"You okay?" Stiles asked his friend again in uncertainty.

"Kinda burns." Scott let out through gritted teeth.

"Yes. You just had your skin stabbed about a hundred times by a needle." Stiles emphasized, shuddering in discomfort at the memory.

"Yeah, but I don't think it's supposed to feel like this—ah!" Scott doubles over, clutching at his arm in agony, causing Sarah and Stiles both to jump at the sound. "Oh, God, no, it's definitely not supposed to feel like this."

Sarah gazed at Scott in worry from the backseat, concern flickering across her face.

Instinctively, she knew that he'd be fine. After all, this was how the story had played out in the show. But still, the sight of him doubled over in agony sent a wave of alarm through her, and she couldn't help the urge she had as she leaned forward in her seat to check on him.

"Scott—" Sarah began uncertainly, laying her hand on his shoulder before flinching back as Scott jerked again, wildly reaching down to unwrap his arm.

"Uh, oh, hey..." Stiles trailed off, wincing at the sight of Scott unwrapping the slightly bloody bandages.

"I gotta take it off." Scott let out, chest heaving as he unwrapped the bandages more.

"No, no, no, no, Scott, please... stop!" Stiles gagged, leaning farther into his side of the car.

Scott finally managed to unwrap his arm, revealing the tattoo for all of them to see.

Sarah stared in disbelief at Scott's arm.

The black rings that had just been inked into his arm were fraying at the edges, slowly disappearing beneath Scott's skin.

Sarah knew what would happen before she even got into Stiles's car tonight, and yet, still, the sight of Scott's rapidly healing skin had her mind reeling.

"Woah." Stiles breathed, leaning in to get a closer look.

"Oh no, what? No, no, come on." Scott frowned down at his arm in disappointment.

Before Scott could even get another word out, the tattoo vanished.

"It healed," Scott mumbled, tracing his fingers over his new skin in awe.

"Ah... thank God. I hated it." Stiles confessed, leaning back into his seat in relief.

Silence fell over the car as Scott and Sarah both turned towards Stiles, giving him looks of disbelief.

Stiles cleared his throat, hazel eyes flickering between the two of them. "Sorry."

***

Sarah fidgeted nervously in the backseat, eyes flickering out the window of the car every few seconds as the car flew down the darkened street, dimly registering Scott and Stiles's conversation in the background.

She knew that at any moment Allison and Lydia would pull up beside them, starting the beginning of the scene between them and the teenage boys that sat in the front seat of the car. And yet, Sarah still felt the telltale sign of dread washing over her.

Watching Scott's tattoo magically vanish beneath his skin had brought all of Sarah's doubts to the surface. It suddenly hit Sarah again just how much danger she was in while living in Beacon Hills, especially now that the season was about to begin.

And yeah, she knew that the scene with the deer crashing through the windshield wouldn't hurt anyone, but it still made her anxious.

Because after this, there would be no going back.

It would be the beginning of Teen Wolf.

Sarah blinked, turning back towards the two boys as she caught an interesting snippet of their conversation.

"So..." Stiles trailed off, clearing his throat awkwardly. "...you heard from Allison?"

Scott's expression faltered. He leaned back into his seat, letting out a sigh. "No, we agreed to give each other the summer. No texts, no calls..."

"So, then how do you know she won't be back at school, then?" Stiles asked him, eyes focused on the road.

Sarah stiffened, head snapping to the window as the flare of lights caught her attention.

A dark blue car rolled up beside them, and Sarah's mind went blank for a moment as she caught sight of two familiar faces in the front seat of the car.

The TV characters, Lydia Martin and Allison Argent, sat in the front seat of the neighboring vehicle, laughing and chatting away, completely oblivious to who was next to them.

People. Not characters. Sarah corrected herself, in a daze, watching the two girls with a growing nervousness.

Her mind barely managed to catch the next part of the two boy's conversation.

Scott sighed again, only seeming to become more dejected. "After everything that happened, I'm not sure she's coming back at all..."

Stiles's eyes widened, fidgeting in his seat as he cleared his throat awkwardly. He had clearly recognized the girls in the car next to them. He stared passed Scott's head at the familiar blue car that had pulled up beside them at the red light. "Oh, I think she is." His eyes flickered from Scott's face to the girls behind him.

Scott's brows furrowed, giving Stiles a confused look.

"I'd say it's pretty definite, you know..." Stiles trailed off, waiting for his friend to take the hint. "Like, one-hundred-percent..." He gave Scott a pointed look, gesturing his head towards the window.

Scott slowly turns his head, before freezing in place, gaze locked on the girl's next to them.

For a moment, all the boy could seem to do is stare at the girls beside them.

It was actually kind of sweet. Sarah thought to herself, gazing at Scott's longing expression, his hazel eyes focused on Allison. He had always really loved her in the early seasons of the show, but then she—

Sarah flinched, quickly shaking that thought away. It doesn't matter. She won't even be here anymore by the time that happens.

Sarah ignored the heavy feeling in her chest, turning back towards the two girls in question, only to see the horrified look on Allison's face.

Both the girl's had finally noticed them.

Scott quickly ducked down into his seat, trying to hide his face. "Oh, my God! Oh—"

Stiles raises a hand to Scott's shoulder, giving a squeeze. "Hey, hey, man, it's fine. Why don't we just—"

Scott heaved Stiles's hand off, sinking further into the seat of the car. "Just go, Stiles!"

Stiles gave him an incredulous look. "Go? What are you—"

"Can we just drive, please, Stiles?" Scott asked, abruptly cutting him off.

Stiles gave a huff of exasperation. "Scott, it's a red light!"

"There's no cars for miles! It's fine!" Scott exclaimed. "Sarah agrees with me! Right, Sarah?" Scott turned to her, giving his new friend a pleading look.

Sarah blinked. "I, uh—"

"I think we should talk to her. I just think we should say something." Stiles offered.

Scott looked at him like he was crazy. "No!" He jerked as Stiles suddenly started to reach across him to unroll the window. "No, no, Stiles! Oh, my God, dude, no!"

Stiles fumbled, finally getting passed Scott's attempts to stop him. He rolled the window down, giving a small grin to the girls. "Hey—"

Before he could get another word out, the car rumbled, skidding past them and leaving them in the dust.

There was a beat of silence.

Stiles spoke, voice dripping with sarcasm and humor, "...you know, they probably didn't see us."

Scott groaned, burying his face in his hands. "God, that was so embarrassing!"

The street light finally turned green, causing Stiles to start to drive farther down the street.

"Oh, come on, man, it wasn't that bad." Stiles told him, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he glanced over at his friend.

Sarah fidgeted in the backseat, stomach filling with dread. She knew what was coming next. "Uh, guys?"

The conversation went on, neither of them seeming to hear her.

Scott started to go on in his rant, voice laced in anger. "And I can't believe you tried to talk to them! What were you—" he cut himself off, eyes flickering between Stiles and the car ahead of them in horror. "What are you doing?"

Stiles gave his friend a deadpan look. "I'm driving...?"

"We're right behind them!" Scott exclaimed, seeming to look more embarrassed by the minute.

Stiles snorted, looking visibly amused. "Okay, well, do you see any turns?" He gestured around the dark, empty street.

Scott winced, leaning further back into his seat, his voice tense. "I don't want it to look like we're following them..."

"Guys?" Sarah asked again, leaning forward so they could hear her better, eyes locked on the car in front of them as her voice filled with nervousness.

Again, there was no response from either of them.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Stiles asked in exasperation.

Scott's eyes flickered between Stiles and the car ahead, seeming to grow frustrated. "I don't know—anything?"

Stiles paused, sighing for a moment, before slamming on the breaks.

Sarah was jolted backwards at the rough stop, head slamming into the backseat of the vehicle.

She paused, letting out a growl of annoyance at her now pounding head and at the two boys in front of her. "Guys!"

Stiles's and Scott's heads whipped back towards her, both of their faces full of frustration as they answered her simultaneously, "What?!"

Immediately after that, a loud crash was heard, with Lydia's and Allison's screams filling the air.

All three of them jolted in shock at the sound, and Sarah's stomach sank in pure dread.

Stiles slammed on the breaks, and the car skidded to a stop, just barely missing from crashing into Lydia's car.

All of them scrambled to get out of the car the second Stiles's key left the ignition.

Stiles and Scott were the first ones out, Sarah following closely behind them as she slammed the car door shut, jogging to catch up with them.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked Allison, worry coating his voice as he ran towards the wreckage of the two girl's vehicle and up to her side.

"It came out of nowhere!" Lydia exclaimed, voice shaking as she stared at the car in horror.

"Are you hurt?" Stiles asked Lydia, hands on her shoulders as he scanned over her, checking for injuries.

"It ran right into us." Lydia said, looking around the darkened street in a daze.

Scott was still in front of Allison, hands gently gripping her arms as he looked into her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked again, voice soft as he gazed at her scared face.

Allison took a deep breath, nodding. "I'm okay."

A beat of silence passed as they all looked around at the wreckage.

"Well, I'm not okay! I am totally freaking out. How the hell does it just run into us?" Lydia asked, voice becoming a bit hysterical as she glanced at Stiles, who gazed at her in worry.

Sarah stayed where she was, eyes on Scott as she watched him slowly trail around to the front of the vehicle, already knowing what he was about to do.

Lydia began again, speaking in a scared tone, "I saw it's eyes right before it hit us. It was like it... it was like it was crazy."

Scott stared at the mangled body of the deer, a distant look in his eyes. "No, it was scared."

Another few seconds of silence passed as Scott slowly reached out, placing his hand onto the deer's fur, brows furrowed in concentration.

"...Actually, terrified." Scott said, confusion filling his face as he pulled his hand back, turning to look at where the deer had come running from, eyes scanning over the darkened street, worry in his voice.

Lydia broke the silence again, voice coming out shrill as she gave a withering glare. "Great, Scott. Great. Because that makes me feel so much better!" she said sarcastically, her whole body shaking in fear as her breathing became unsteady.

Sarah hesitated a moment, unsure, before sighing and stepping forward, placing a comforting hand on Lydia's arm. "Are you okay?" she asked her hesitantly, eyes scanning her shaking form.

Lydia responded automatically, nodding her head quickly, as if she's had to respond to this question a million times throughout her life. "I'm fine. I—" she cut herself off as she turned her head, blinking in confusion as she stared at Sarah's face. "Wait... who are you?"

Sarah stiffened, eyeing the strawberry-blond-haired girl in nervousness.

Her eyes flickered over to the rest of them, quickly noticing Scott's concern, Stiles's scowl, and Allison's curiosity.

She turned back to Lydia, letting out a weary sigh. "It's kind of a long story."

***