I do not own Teen Wolf or any of its characters. I only own Celeste. If I did no one would die or leave the show ever. I'd make them sign a contract in blood.

Song - Insane // Flume feat. Moon Holiday

Prologue

The summer before sophomore year

        Stiles Stilinksi trailed clumsily after his best friend, Scott McCall, kicking up warm, gold grains of sand in his wake. He was fully equipped for a relaxing day at the beach, sporting a pair of eccentric green-and-orange swim trunks, which contrasted his pale skin and spattering of moles quite distinctly. He carried a blue, fuzzy beach towel around his shoulders, and dragged an old lounge chair behind him, creating a shallow line that marked his path.

        Distracted by a flock of seagulls that were pecking with vigor at the sand and squawking incessantly, Stiles failed to notice that his floppy-haired, brunette comrade had stopped abruptly, thus ramming into him before stumbling backwards. Scott turned around and chuckled at Stiles, who was now mumbling to himself in an annoyed tone.

        "This spot seems okay," Scott said decidedly, looking to Stiles for confirmation.

        The boy shrugged before nodding, unfolding his chair and plopping unceremoniously into it with a grunt. He leaned back with a satisfied sigh, a relaxed smile on his face and a stripe of sunblock covering his nose. The two males sat side by side with a small cooler in between them, chatting idly and discussing the upcoming school year.

        "This year's the one, man," Scott said with a vast, hopeful grin on his face as he discussed his goals for sophomore year, "I'm finally going to get off the bench and make first line."

        Stiles let out a humorous snort, before glancing at his friend's excited face, frowning when he saw that the puppy-eyed boy was genuine.

        "Scott, I hate to break it to you buddy," Stiles began with an apprehensive tone, "but I don't think severe asthmatics make first line in lacrosse too often."

        The two continued to bicker lightheartedly, eventually sliding into a different topic as the sun beat down on them. Stiles pushed the warm sand around with his feet and stared out at the crashing, blue-green waves in an almost meditative state.

        A cool breeze wafted across the beach, dancing softly with the golden rays from the sun, forming a tranquil atmosphere.

        As Stiles' honey colored irises scanned the horizon, something caught his eye. A girl wearing a large t-shirt covering her bathing suit was standing near the water's edge, letting the foamy water lick at her feet.

        He could only see the back of her, but he could tell that was she was incredibly pale, her exposed skin almost glowing in the sunlight, and she seemed to be rather short.

        Her long, ink-black hair flowed carelessly in the breeze, whipping about softly as the light ends shined softly. Stiles watched her curiously, admiring her glossy locks as they moved.

        Slowly, the girl began to remove the shirt hanging loosely from her body, and his breath got caught in his throat as she fully pulled off the article of clothing, revealing a pure black bikini, the color matching her hair nicely. The dark material made her fair skin more prominent, her complexion almost glowing.

        Stiles realized he probably looked like a Michael Myers level creep, but he just couldn't seem to look away. He gazed at her carefully as she entered the sea, wading further in to the vast body of water.

        He watched as she began to swim, her thin arms cutting through the liquid as she ventured deeper. The boy was entranced, and jumped as Scott opened a can of Sprite, glancing over at his friend, who was sipping his soda casually.

        Scott raised his eyebrows at him, letting him know that he had been caught staring. Stiles blushed slightly and smiled sheepishly before turning back to the girl.

        His eyes searched for her again, and his looked changed to one of concern as he spotted her floating on her back in the water, looking almost lifeless. He glanced around to see if anyone was going to make sure she was okay, but no one seemed to have noticed the limp body in the ocean.

        He hesitated before making a split-second decision and scrambling out of his chair and running down to the water, ignoring the confused shout of his best friend.

        Wading quickly through the sea before beginning to swim as the waters got deeper, he swam hurriedly towards the unnamed female, ignoring the salty spray that spattered his face and coated his lips with salinity.

        The boy took in the sight of her pale, stationary body and the thin, vein-painted eyelids that greeted him rather than her eyes.

        Stiles grabbed her rather awkwardly around the waist, attempting not to be disrespectful but determined to save the girl.

        However, when his large, fumbling hands came into contact with her soft skin, her eyes flew open in confusion, and Stiles dropped her in surprise.

        For a moment, neither of them spoke as he took in her breathtaking eyes. They were large and an incredible piercing sapphire blue color, surrounded by a grey color that seemed to be almost silver, and speckled with the same silver-grey color.

        The girls neat, dark eyebrows came together and she frowned, staring at Stiles with a questioning look on her face. Stiles looked at her carefully, taking in her full, pink lips and button nose. Her overall face was clear, fair, and heart-shaped.

        Snapping out of his trance, he noticed the look on her face and his eyes went wide as he began to stutter out an apology.

        "I-oh god I'm so sorry, I-I thought you needed help. I mean I didn't think you needed help mentally- you just looked like you were unconscious-I-," the mortified male stammered, rambling on and spouting out apologies.

        As Stiles continued to talk, the girl relaxed, and a small, amused smile formed on her plump lips.

        Holding up a small hand, she indicated that Stiles should stop talking. He immediately became silent, running his hand through his closely cropped hair and blushing profusely.

         "It's okay," the girl said in a soft, melodic voice, "I can understand the confusion, my pale skin often has people mistaking me for a corpse."

        Stiles blanched, shaking his head vigorously before beginning another incoherent apology about how she wasn't lifelessly pale, now wringing his hands and scratching at the back of his neck.

        He stopped at the sound of her laughter, which he thought was whimsical and reminded him of wind chimes dancing with the sweet melody of a cool breeze.

        Peering at her to gauge her reaction, he saw that she had turned to face the horizon with a serene smile on her face.

        "So what were you doing?" Stiles questioned, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her profile curiously.

        He watched her blink her long, thick eyelashes before turning to face him, looking up at his taller frame, staring directly into his eyes with an intensity that made him blush darker. She almost seemed to be staring into his soul, reading his thoughts.

        Slowly, she smiled softly at him before turning back to her view of the sun on the horizon.

        He started to think that she was going to ignore him, when she started to speak.

        "I like to come out here when I feel heavy with a conflict in my life," she started, her expression becoming thoughtful, "floating through the water like that, giving up control and letting the waves control where you go, has a way of calming you. It feels like you're letting the sea take your troubles from you for a little while, like you become a piece of seaweed, floating along without a care in the world. It feels like you're letting out a breath you've been holding inside of you, and opening up the bottle in your soul. It has a way of making you feel..... weightless."

        When she turned to face him again, she was met with his confused expression.

        "It probably sounds stupid, sorry," she said, unsure, with a slight frown on her face.

        "No! No, I just can't really understand that feeling, exactly," he said quickly.

        "Why don't you try it?"

        "What?"

        The unnamed female smiled softly, before reiterating herself.

        "Just try floating, maybe you'll understand then," she said patiently.

        "O-okay, yeah... why not?"

        "Just lay on your back, and rest your head on the water, let it carry your weight for you," she guided softly as he carefully carried out her directions, "Okay, now just close your eyes and whisper your thoughts to the sea."

        The girl finished getting him in to position and observed him for a moment before relaxing back into her previous state alongside him.

        At first, Stiles was stiff and felt uncomfortable, but slowly he relaxed in the oceanic depths.

        It almost felt as if the sea was welcoming him into its waters. His breathing became deeper and more calm, and he began to slowly release all of his troubles into the vast, wise ocean.

        His mother's death, his father's drinking, the thought that he was a burden to his father, being ignored at school, everything.

        The feeling was not one that could be explained with words. It was as if someone had taken an anvil that had been on his chest and lifted it away.

        The sea gently rocked him back and forth, as if he were a small child who was upset. Nothing was running through his mind except the feeling.

        There were no whirring wheels in the back of his head, no annoying songs on repeat, just the feeling of rocking back and forth and being weightless.

        After what felt like an eternity of complete serenity, his eyes fluttered open to see the blue-eyed girl staring at him with gentle curiosity.

        "Wow," Stiles said dazedly, feeling as though a weight he had grown so accustomed to that it had become his new normal had been lifted.

        He looked at the female in awe. Her lips twitched upward and she began parting her lips to speak, when her sparkling blue eyes darted to a point behind Stiles.

        She let out a small gasp and a glimmer of concern and disappointment shined threw her entrancing eyes, leaving just as quickly as it came.

        Stiles furrowed his brows in confusion and turned towards the direction her gaze was facing, but saw nothing out of place.

        After searching the area for a few more moments, he turned around to ask his mystery girl her name, only to find that she had disappeared.

        Stiles turned all the way around, but she was nowhere to be found.

        After flailing about with his mouth opening and closing like a fish, he ran his hand through his short hair dejectedly and confused as hell.

        Suddenly, a wave of cool water crashed into his back, and he spun around, hoping to see the ethereal beauty, but was instead faced by his grinning best friend.

        He laughed and splashed Scott back, but in the back of his mind frustration and confusion were extremely prominent, poking into his thoughts.

☾ ☽

        Upon questioning, Stiles learned that Scott had not seen the girl. Stiles did not find the mysterious female again on the beach, but it was most definitely not the last time he saw her.

        Her eyes haunted his dreams and his thoughts.

        He would hear wind chimes and be reminded of her.

        Stiles was absolutely infatuated, though they had only met once for a brief period of time. He had never met anyone as intriguing or insightful as her.

        As the summer progressed, he slowly began to push her to the side of his mind, instead focusing on the impending school year and the upcoming lacrosse tryouts.

        Her bright eyes and calming voice did continue to make a few appearances in his dreams, but it was as though she had become a figment of his imagination.

        He began to wonder if she was just that.

        He began to look at her as a memory; however, she was soon going to make a huge impact on the sarcastic, clumsy boy's life.

        Very soon, the waves who had so graciously taken away his troubles would crash down on him again, supplying him with the weight of himself and many others.

        Regardless, when Stiles would think of his cryptic beauty, he was reminded of feeling....weightless.

xx