Chapter 20: Shadows of Suspicion

Eli was annoyed. Sitting in front of him now was Stiles, his constant source of unpredictability. His parents had gone out to check on a rental while their house was being repaired. It was 9 o'clock on a Monday, meaning Stiles should've been in school, but apparently, the mystery surrounding Eli's attacker was more important to him than classes.

"Do you think there are still body parts they haven't found yet?" Stiles asked, his voice gleefully curious.

Eli grimaced. What kind of question is that? He'd have to keep an eye on Stiles to make sure he didn't grow up to be a serial killer or something. "No," Eli replied, shaking his head. "If there were any, they've probably been eaten by mountain lions by now."

Stiles frowned, disappointed. Eli raised his eyebrows. "Shouldn't you be skipping school to check if I'm okay? Not trying to figure out who attacked me?"

Stiles looked genuinely surprised. "You're obviously fine," he said, dismissing the concern with a wave of his hand. "The attacker is way more interesting. When do you think they'll be able to identify him? Bet it's because of your dad, right? I mean, why else would someone go after you?"

Eli was speechless. Were these normal things for a 12-year-old to say? Maybe, given that Stiles' dad was the sheriff. Despite being mildly annoying, Eli was secretly happy to have the company. Plus, when Stiles had first entered the room, Eli could sense his overwhelming relief. That had to count for something.

"Can you teach me to make explosives?" Stiles asked suddenly.

Eli nearly choked. "Of course not!" he nearly shouted, his voice rising in alarm. "Your dad would kill me!"

Stiles looked at him like he was overreacting. Before he could reply, a pillow slammed full force into his face. Just as Eli was about to lob another, Deputy Ishida entered the room.

He immediately noticed the odd scene: Stiles with a pillow covering his face. "Shouldn't you be at school, Stiles?" the deputy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh... the teacher let me go because Eli is sick," Stiles said, not missing a beat.

Eli rolled his eyes. It never ceased to amaze him how quickly Stiles could come up with a convincing lie. Deputy Ishida, already familiar with Stiles' antics, didn't bother to argue. He'd just inform Sheriff Stilinski later that his son had been hanging out at the hospital.

Turning to Eli, Ishida asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Eli replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm assigned to watch over you and your family. My partner's with your parents now," Ishida explained. "Just wanted to introduce myself. I'll be right outside."

As soon as the deputy left, Eli turned to Stiles. "You know he's totally going to tell your dad, right?"

Stiles let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"Ah, yes, it's our family's loft," the landlord was saying to Lorraine. "We're willing to rent the space to you while your house is being repaired. I don't think the repairs will take too long."

Lorraine nodded. "Alright, we'll be in touch," she said, exchanging a few polite words before saying goodbye.

Neil stood beside the car, lost in his phone, his brow furrowed, his finger absently gnawing at his lip. A bad sign, Lorraine thought. He only bit his lip when he was extremely stressed. She walked over, trying to comfort him.

"Hey, don't stress about it too much. We got out safe."

Neil looked up sharply. "This time," he snapped. "What if there's a next time? I don't like leaving this to chance, Lorraine. I thought stopping my work would make them leave us alone, but what was that?"

He'd already jumped to the conclusion that their family was in danger, and the urgency in his voice scared her. He wanted them gone from Beacon Hills—fast.

"You didn't contact that guy you were talking about, did you?" Lorraine asked, eyeing him carefully.

Neil's silence was all the answer she needed.

"Neil, that's insane! Selling something like this to a rival country is madness. It'll only make things worse."

"It's not a rival country," Neil shot back, frustration lacing his tone. "It's a random gang—powerful enough to get us out of the country."

"And who do you think they'll sell it to the government? Or, to another country?" Lorraine sighed, exasperated. "Don't contact that guy again. The government's already watching us. If you do anything drastic, they'll escalate this even more."

Neil fumed but didn't argue. He knew she was right. The frustration in him boiled over, but he had to keep his family's safety in mind. The more eyes on them, the harder it would be for anyone to make them disappear. Accidents wouldn't go unnoticed.

Back at the hospital, Stiles had dozed off, much to Eli's surprise. Eli had expected him to bolt out of fear of getting caught by his dad, but Stiles stayed, waiting for a ride home. When Eli had asked what he'd do if his dad didn't show up, Stiles simply shrugged and said he'd go home with Miss Macall or Eli's parents. Eli just shook his head.

Now that Stiles was asleep, Eli had time to think. The events of the past few days whirled in his mind. He didn't believe this was all because of his father's work. It was about him, Eli was sure of it. That strange feeling he'd had before the attack—that had been a warning. But the man who attacked them wasn't the person he'd seen in his drawings.

What was this? And Deputy Ishida—what was that strange aura around him? Eli had only ever seen it around a few people. Most notably, the two he'd met five years ago. And now this.

But this one was different. What the hell was it?