XXVIII. | champions

                      THE NEXT DAY, Matt's dead body was pulled out of a nearby river. Drowned, the police report said, but something about the death was fishy. I was too preoccupied at the hospital to investigate, but Stiles and Scott both called separately to say they would visit me later in the week to make sure everything was going alright.

Sarah was in intense recovering, only able to open her eyes for a few minutes every two or three hours before pain medication pulled her back under. I sat at her bedside, refusing to leave. I knew it was stupid, but every time I left her side it felt like she was out in the open. Like the kanima would somehow come find her and finish the job.

So, I sat with her, ate next to her, and made sure Presley was there whenever I couldn't be. Overall, this had happened twice - me not being by her side - and each time I was panicky and worried. I'd been forced to go home and shower after getting Sarah to the hospital, and this was due to my mother and the blood staining my limbs and dress. Stiles had taken me, and been given the herculean task of keeping me calm while I tried to ignore my racing heartbeat at the thought of Sarah being alone. The second time had been to eat, but I'd hated it so much that Presley promised to bring me my food instead.

Presley wasn't in the room, because he'd gotten called into the police station for questioning. Apparently the board of directors weren't too pleased that Matt had retrieved Sarah's gun from her without seemingly any trouble. It was idiotic to say the least, but I refused to go in for questioning, so Presley decided to do it himself.

"Hey, hon," I heard from the door.

I turned and smiled a weary smile at my mom. "Hey."

She was exhausted, though not working to keep things level at the house and station. Today, she was wearing a tee shirt and jeans - something so casual and so unlike the scrubs I was used to. Her hairy was frizzy and she wasn't wearing makeup. I silently wondered if I looked as bad as I felt.

"You should go home and get some rest. I can watch her for a little bit."

My heart thrummed in my chest. "You know I can't do that," I said softly.

She moved into the room and rested her hand on my cheek. I leaned into her like I always did, and rested there until she pulled a chair up and sat down next to me. We sat in silence for a few minutes before she reached over and grabbed my hand.

"I love you, you know that?" She pressed a kiss to the back of my hand. "And I know you want to make sure she'd okay. You just can't hurt yourself in the process."

"What does that mean?" I looked at her.

"It means that you need to go get some sleep. I'm serious. You're no help to Sarah if you're this tired."

I was quiet, contemplating what she said. In all honesty, I hadn't slept since the night before the party, which had been nearly thirty six hours ago. My eyes were heavy and weak, and maybe my mom was right. How could I be helpful if I was passing out from exhaustion?

"Fine," I groaned, leaning back in the uncomfortable hospital chair. "But you have to call me if she wakes up or if something happens, okay?"

She smiled at me. "I promise." We both stood from our chairs and moved to the door. Every few seconds, I glanced back at Sarah, just to be sure she was breathing and mending. Mom pulled me into a hug. "That boy can't hurt any of you again, you hear me? He's payed for his mistakes. I'm just glad you weren't hurt."

Although I was worried about Sarah and her recovery, one thing that wouldn't leave my mind were thoughts of the kanima. Sure its master was dead, but would it be so crazy to assume it had found another one? Maybe one without as many flaws. Matt's reign of terror had ended, but I had a feeling deep down in my gut that the final battle was fast approaching, with a much bigger villain.

I hugged Mom back, squeezing tightly. "I know. I love you, too."

-

On the day of the lacrosse championship game, I found myself eating in the hospital cafeteria, Presley sitting next to me and Stiles sitting across the table from me. Sarah had woken up and was undergoing some testing, so we were forced to leave the room and busy ourselves with something else. Food was the easiest option.

I moved my fork through my mashed potatoes and yawned. Even though I'd been instructed to get some sleep, rest only came to me for a few restless hours every night. Either my brain was thinking too much, or my heart was beating too fast. To be honest, I was exhausted. My eyes had deep dark circles under them and every time I blinked, I felt the somber whispers of rest calling my name.

To keep myself occupied and awake, I opened my mouth. "So, championships," I commented, looking at both of my lunch companions. They were in their own separate worlds, so their eyes flicked back to me when I spoke. "That's good, right?"

Presley laughed next to me. "Yeah, I guess. I'm meeting Danny and some of the guys for a warm up before it starts."

I looked at the clock on my phone slyly, noticing that it had dipped into afternoon. "And when is that supposed to happen?" I asked him. He caught on to what I was saying, and sighed. I reached over and whacked his shoulder. "Are you blowing them off to babysit me? Did Mom put you up to this?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't think you're so special, Q. She just told me that you could use some twin time."

"Twin time?" I fake gagged. "That's disgusting."

"Her words, not mine." He shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, you haven't been acting normal since that night. You're not sleeping, you're playing with your food instead of eating it, and you've been looking over your shoulder like someone's after you."

Annoyed, I took a bite of my mashed potatoes to prove him wrong. He sighed and gave me a deadpan look. I wasn't having it. "You need to go see your friends, alright? You and I both know you're a better player with a warm up. Don't screw over the team because you want to watch over me. I'll be fine. I just need some time."

He frowned at me, but nodded his head. "Fine, okay. But you'll be at the game, right?"

I gave him an overly enthusiastic smile. "Of course, brother of mine."

That got a laugh, and he stood quickly, dumping his food out in a nearby trashcan. I watched as he sauntered off, then slumped when he was out of sight. Pretending to be cheery was worse than being miserable. Stiles chuckled at me as I continued to play with my food.

"How's your dad?" I asked him after a few minutes of silence.

He smiled slightly. "Back to being Sheriff."

I looked at him quickly. "You're serious?" He nodded and I laughed. "Stiles, that's great! When did it happen?"

"After they pulled Matt's body out of the water. He said it was almost immediate."

A smile grew on my face, clear and genuine. "That's amazing. At least something good came out of it all." Even though Stiles was happy for his father, I could see some tension in his posture. "What about Scott?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head. "Haven't talked to him. I think he needs more time."

"Why?"

"His mom is confused and scared, and the whole thing with Allison..." He took in a deep breath and dropped his voice, looking at me with serious eyes. "Her mother died, Quinn. Derek bit her and their stupid hunter pact says that you have to die before you turn on the full moon. She killed herself the night of the party."

This was news. I blinked slowly. "Is Allison okay?"

"I think she's gone a little crazy, actually." He shrugged his shoulders. "Guess it makes sense, if you think about it."

"What about you?" I suddenly asked.

"What about me?" He looked up from his plate.

"How are you doing? I'm sure you heard what Presley said about me. Are you coping?"

He kind of laughed. "I mean, no. I'm jumpy, and nervous all the time. Can't sleep. Ms. Morell says its hyper vigilance. She said it was normal after trauma."

"The guidance counselor?" I asked. He nodded. "Why did you talk to her?"

"Matt was on the lacrosse team, so everyone was called in to get counseled, I guess. To talk through his death. I didn't have much to say."

"The entire lacrosse team?" I pondered aloud. Like Stiles, I felt almost no mercy for Matt. No one deserved to die the way he did, but after his breakdown at the police station, and the subsequent injury of almost everyone I cared about, my heart felt fresh out of pity. I was glad he wouldn't be bothering us anymore.

Stiles shrugged at me before glancing at his phone. "Yeah. All of us. And speaking of the lacrosse team, I have to go." He stood and glanced down at me, seemed to mull something over in his head, then sighed. "Listen, if you ever need anyone to talk to ..."

I understood where he was going with that. I smiled. "Thanks."

-

I slipped on a pair of gloves when I made it to my seat in the bleachers. Championships were being held outside at night, and my senses were on high alert. It was spring time, but my breath was still visible in the air and my teeth were chattering. I was cold, and even though I was bundled in my jacket, the chill of the air still reached me.

Tonight, I was at the game alone. It was actually the first game that I'd been to and that I would actually witness since we'd moved, and it was one I hoped wouldn't be destroyed by kanimas or werewolves or anything supernatural. Mom was still at the hospital with Sarah, purely there on my request. I'd promised Presley that I would come to the game, and I wasn't too keen on breaking any more promises.

On the field, the players got set up in their equipment, ignoring the opposing team to work on their stretches and do any last minute adjustments. I stared down at my phone and clicked around, texting Mom to tell her I made it safely in her car. The bleachers filled in around me, and I looked up from the phone when someone sat down right next to me. I was met with the eyes of both the Sheriff on my left and Melissa sitting on his other side.

"Oh," I stumbled, sticking the phone in my pocket quickly. "Hi."

Melissa gave me a small, nervous smile, and the Sheriff patted my shoulder.

"How're you doing?" He asked me, settling in his seat.

I ignored the look Melissa was sending my way. She hadn't told anyone about what she'd seen, but I could see the cracks in her exterior. She was scared, confused, and didn't know what to do with the information she'd received. At least she hadn't spilled anything to the Sheriff. I wondered if she'd said anything to Scott yet.

"Good," I said to the Sheriff. "Congratulations, by the way."

He laughed. "It was all because of you kids. Honestly, thank you."

On the field, a whistle blew, gaining our attention. It was a call for players to get into position. My eyes found Scott and Stiles sitting on the bench - why was Scott on the bench? - with the coach easily because of the giant numbers on their jerseys. I found Presley too, standing in his offensive position on the right side of the field. Quickly, I searched for Jackson, who hadn't killed anyone in the last few days, but still wasn't considered a diffused threat. He was on the grass too, head pointed to the ground so no one could see his face, right in the captain's position front and center. My heart thrummed in my chest.

Suddenly, before the game was able to officially begin, Stiles bopped up from his spot on the bench and ran out onto the field, tugging a helmet over his head. He was slightly frantic as he rushed around the field trying to find his spot. I was already surprised to see him out of his usual bench warmer tracksuit, but seeing him run on the field while Scott was left behind on the bench made me chuckle. I could tell this wasn't normal too, because the Sheriff grumbled under his breath and Melissa sort of giggled.

"Oh, why is my son running out on the field?" Stilinski was deadpan.

Melissa, dropping some of her worried baby bird look, shrugged her shoulders. "Because he's on the team?"

I laughed and the Sheriff glanced at me. "He is, isn't he?" He asked me for assurance. I nodded and continued laughing. "My son is on the team. He's on the field." He stood up from his seat and placed a closed fist in the air in excitement. "My son is on the field!"

Stiles's head whipped to the stands, and even from here, I could see him shake his head. To add to his embarrassment, I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, "Whoo! Go, number twenty-four!"

His head dipped further, and I could see Presley give him a tap on the shoulder. It was totally one of those get-yourself-together pats, but it made me smile. Maybe Presley didn't hate my friends as much as he originally had. Sheriff Stilinski sat down and smiled at me. Actually, smiling isn't what he was doing. He was beaming. I grinned back until I felt someone sit down on my other side.

I glanced over to see Lydia Martin, who I hadn't seen in person since her birthday party. She was dolled up as usual, wearing a light cream sweater over a black shirt and jeans combo. Her hair was straight and she was wearing a necklace around her neck that I'd gotten her as a birthday gift.

She noticed me looking at it. "Oh, yeah." She picked it up between her fingers and lifted the black obsidian stone so I could see it better. "I love it."

"Good," I said. "That's really good."

I didn't have the heart to tell her that I'd only gotten the obsidian because it was apparently used as a ways of keeping people safe from harm. Presley has pointed it out to me in the mall, and I'd done some quick research on my phone to find that black obsidian supposedly protected people from ill fortune. I wasn't into the witch, or psychic shit, but Lydia had had a difficult time recently, and if I could even hope to make her more safe, then I would buy as many gems and stones possible.

It was odd for me to say it, but Lydia had become a really good friend of mine. Over the last few days she'd been sure to call and apologize for the weirdness of her actions at the party. She'd also promised to invite me over for a slumber party when everything calmed down. In the beginning, she'd seemed like a major queen bee type, with no friends and too much money. Over the last few weeks, I'd discovered that she was so much more than a pretty face. Now, I was glad to have her at my side, no matter the crazy or weird things she did.

Her arm looped through mine and she scooted closer to me. I didn't know many teenagers personally that were girls, but I was glad to have a friend like Lydia. "I called your mom before I got here," she said conversationally, looking at me with seriousness in her eyes. Quickly, I wondered when she'd gotten Mom's number. "She said Sarah was up and moving around. How is she doing?"

Something about the sincereness in her voice shocked me, but I shook myself out of it. She was kinder to me than usual, but still had an air of elite behavior that surrounded her. "Better," I said, "They're holding her for a few more days before she can come home."

The Sheriff leaned in and said, "Tell her not to worry about the board. I'll make sure she keeps her job."

Lydia grinned and the refs on the field blew their whistles again. For a second, I could feel that normal teenager feeling in my chest again. It was like I had a normal home life, and normal friends. Like I was at the game to watch my brother play, and laugh as Stiles stumbled around on the field. I only got it every few months, and it was so quickly gone, but this time it stuck with me for a while. I cheered with the crowd as the game started, and watched the team with a close eye.

Overall, Jackson kept out of the spotlight for the first quarter. He dodged and played well, but didn't hog the ball, and allowed others to have their chance. Like Stiles. Oh, did Stiles get his chance. Presley was defending when he got the ball in his net, but he was surrounded so he threw it at Stiles, who caught it in his net.

And Stiles just stood there.

And stood there.

And stood there.

Until he was tackled to the ground.

The group I was with groaned, and Melissa said, "He's probably just warming up."

But then it happened again.

This time Lydia tried her shot at perky positivity. "He's probably just a little nervous. There's plenty of time to turn it around." She looked at me. "Right?"