Aria put on her sneakers and went downstairs to found her mother busy in the kitchen. Noah, her stepfather is still at work, and Stiles and Scott took off in his jeep. Aria stood across from her mother saying: "Mom, I'm going for a walk."
Anna pauses in her cooking, glancing up at her daughter with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. She quirks an eyebrow, drying her hands on a towel before turning her full attention to Aria.
"A walk? Now? It's getting late, honey. Shouldn't you be winding down for the night?"
"Stiles is being insufferable again and I need some fresh air. Don't worry mom, I'll be careful." She took out the can of pepper spray she tugged into her pants pocket. "Please mom?"
Anna frowns slightly at the mention of Stiles, her protective instincts flaring up. But seeing the determination in her daughter's eyes, she relents with a sigh.
"Fine, but be back before it gets too late, okay? And take your phone with you. I want to know you're safe," Anna watches as Aria shoved the can of pepper spray back into her pocket, yet she can't help but worry. "And be careful, honey. Stay in well-lit areas."
"Thanks mommy," Aria said as she leans in and pecked her mom on the cheek.
Anna smiles softly, brushing a strand of hair from Aria's face with a tenderness that makes her chest ache just a little.
"Anytime, sweetie. Now go — before I change my mind and ground you both for life over this sibling nonsense."
She chuckles lightly, turning back to the stove as Aria slips out the front door.
Sighs once she's alone. "Kids..."
Meanwhile, back in the jeep—Stiles suddenly jerks like he's been shocked, "Did you feel that?"
"Feel what?" Scott asked
"Like… sudden parental energy. My dad's probably giving me The Look right now even though he's not here." He visually shivers.
He shook his head: "Or maybe it was just your guilty conscience catching up."
"Nah. That thing doesn't have a signal this strong," he dramatically adjusts his seat belt like it'll protect him from metaphysical mom vibes.
"But seriously—if Anna finds out I called Aria my sister while also thinking she's kinda hot when she yells... I may need witness protection."
Scott bursts into laughter again at his friend's over-dramatic ways.
***
"Honey I'm home," he kissed Anna on the lips. "Where's the kids?" He asked as he pulls Anna into a warm embrace.
Anna melts into her husband's touch, leaning her head against his chest with a content smile.
"Aria went for a walk. Something about Stiles being insufferable, and needing air. I swear, those two fight like siblings sometimes. He's going to give me gray hairs early on."
"Wait? What? Aria went for a walk at this time of the night? Where's Stiles?" Noah panicked but is hiding it very good. Neither Anna or Aria knows about Beacon Hills history or what hides in the shadows, he's withholding it for their own safety.
Anna can feel the subtle shift in Noah's demeanor, but assumes it's just a dad being protective.
"Noah, relax. Aria's a responsible girl. She took some self-defense courses and everything. And Stiles… well, he probably snuck off with Scott to do something equally reckless. Those two are like magnets for trouble."
She squeezes his hand gently, attempting to soothe his underlying worry.
"You're probably right, excuse me for a moment. The bathroom is calling my name," Noah said with a boyish charm.
Anna chuckles, shaking her head slightly at his playful comment. "Of course, honey. Go ahead. I'll keep an eye on dinner while you're gone."
She gives him a warm smile as he heads towards the bathroom, oblivious to the hidden concerns beneath his cheerful facade.
As soon as he locked the door behind him, he pulled out his phone and dialed Stiles' number. At answer, Noah instantly started on a harsh note: "What did you do this time? She told Anna that you're being insufferable..."
Stiles cringes as Noah's stern voice blasts through the phone, already knowing where this conversation is heading.
"Whoa, hold on! I didn't do anything... much. And 'insufferable' is such a dramatic word, don't you think? I prefer 'lovably annoying.' Like a persistent mosquito, but with more charm. Besides, I was just having a friendly banter with Aria. It's not my fault she has the emotional range of a cactus."
"Well that emotional cactus, that you so kindly referred too went for a walk..." Noah added.
Stiles groans, running a frustrated hand through his already messy hair. "Wait... she went for a walk? Alone? At night? In Beacon Hills?"
His mind immediately starts racing with worst-case scenarios. "Okay, never mind my ego. This is bad. This is very, very bad. Why would she do something so dumb? She knows how dangerous it is out there after dark!"
"No Stiles she doesn't... That's the thing, I didn't tell Anna or Aria about Beacon Hills or any of that..."
Stiles' breath catches in his throat, the weight of his dad's words sinking in. His usual sarcasm evaporates like mist under sunlight.
"Oh."
He exhales shakily, voice dropping to something quieter—rarely heard, but always real when it shows up. "Dad... she doesn't know about any of it? The werewolves? The kanimas? The hunters? Allison… Derek… Deaton...?" Pauses. Even after all this time, some names still ache.
"She has no idea what's really out there?"
A beat passes. Then another. When he speaks again, there's no joke left in him—just urgency. "We need to find her."
"Scott, I know you can hear me... Find her... Now!" With that being said Noah ended the call.
The second the call ends, Stiles is already turning the jeep around with a sharp, screeching U-turn that would make any cop cringe—especially his dad.
"Scott, we're going back. Now!" His voice is tight, stripped of all humor. His knuckles whiten on the wheel as he floors it homewards.
"Aria doesn't know about any of it… She doesn't know what hunts in the dark. What hides in the trees…" He glances at Scott, jaw clenched. "And knowing her? She took some dramatic route through the damn preserve to 'clear her head.' Because that's exactly what someone does when they want to live past twenty. We have to find her before something else does."
"Stiles, relax... We'll find her..." Scott tries to reassure him.
Stiles grips the wheel tighter, his foot pressing harder on the gas as the trees blur past. His voice comes out sharp, almost frayed at the edges. "Relax? Relax?! Scott, you heard my dad—she doesn't know anything about this town! She doesn't know not to go near dark woods at night. She doesn't know that a howl isn't just some stray dog! She took a walk, Scott. In Beacon Hills. After dark."
He slams his palm against the steering wheel in frustration. "And yeah, okay—maybe I've called her annoying and insufferable and all that… behind her back, but if something happens to her because she walked into something she didn't even know existed—" His voice cracks slightly before he forces it steady.
"No. No way. We're not losing someone else because they didn't see the monsters coming. Floor it."
Scott placed a reassuring hand on Stiles shoulder. He turned his eyes golden by will and looked out the window. His senses heightened.
Stiles glances at Scott, seeing the flash of golden eyes in the dark. A flicker of gratefulness flashes in his expression before it's wiped clear by urgency. "You see anything? Hear anything? Any clue at all?"
He takes a sharp bend in the road, barely slowing down. The jeep jolts, tires shrieking against the pavement. Stiles just grips the wheel tighter, refusing to slow down until they find Aria.