Inside My Head (Stiles Stilinski)

chapter 23

"What, what happened? What did you do? Levi? Levi what-"

Stiles urged his body to move, just an inch, willing it, pleading with himself to just turn around so he could see what was happening above.

But nothing happened.

All he could hear was the cold silence, and the sound of a car door piercing through the air.

"Is that her?" Matt Daehler turned his head and let go of Levi's chin, looking over at Scott with an amused smile. "Do what I tell you to, and I won't hurt her. I won't even let Jackson near her."

Stiles felt the fear grip on his heart.

The woman who had been there for him for all these years when his father was busy. 

The woman who had made him and Scott cookies every time one grazed his knee. 

The woman who did everything she could to help everyone despite herself and her own feelings.

She was here.

And so was a boy with a gun who had a raging vendetta against everyone who loved her.
He couldn't let anything happen to Melissa. It's not right.

"Scott, don't trust him!"

Clenching his fists, Matt rushed to turn the paralysed boy round and on the floor, pushing his boot on to his neck and keeping a harsh pressure on it. "This work better for you?" 

And despite the constricting pain in his chest, stopping him from breathing, Stiles managed to bring himself to look up.

Look up at Levi.

Bright, unnatural green eyes staring into space, a pale body swaying back and forth, back and forth. It was as if he were in his own world, completely unaware of everything around him.

"Okay! Stop! Just stop!"

Stiles blinked as Scott yelled and the pressure finally laid off.

Matt, a cruel glare in his cold blue eyes nodded toward Jackson, and then to the two paralysed figures piled in a heap. "You, take 'em in there." Then to Scott, "you, with me."

The beta bit his cheek, willing himself to stay calm.

"What about Levi?"

Stall.

Stall for as long as possible.

Don't let him hurt your mom.

"He'll be fine. It's not like he's going anywhere," slowly, the Daehler boy moved towards the swaying teen, tapping his gun on his cheek, huffing out a laugh as it was barely registered. "Don't move. Don't talk. Just stay here and wait."

They all noticed how Levi managed a faint nod, the green slowly fading to a more dim one, but there nonetheless.

"Let's go."

Levi felt like he was on cloud 9. A very light, a very soft cloud 9 that hazed his vision and feelings. He realised that everything he heard was muffled but clear at the same time. Everything he saw was dark and outlined with an aura. 

He could feel everything and nothing. 

It was almost heaven.

There was a loud bang from down the hall.

A gunshot.

A scream.

Shouting.

Lots of shouting.

Levi stood still.

He recognised it was wrong.

He recognised the pain filling his mind that was obviously from someone else.

But he didn't care.

All he had to do was stay still and wait.

And that's what he did. 

He waited, vaguely listening to the loud orders yelled from round the corner, the pleading from a crying mother, and a bargaining man.

He didn't even register that Matt and Scott had arrived back in front of him again until after the command was spoken: "come on."