Beneath The Bruises

Beacon Hills Cemetery, not the best place to be at night. Dark, cold and creepy, a small like digger drops dirt in a pile next to a grave. Inside the glass-cased cab, a lanky sixteen year old boy sits with his headphones jammed in his ears. As his work of digging the grave was nearly done, his hand reaches for the gear shift. He glances at the rear view mirror to back up, taking a moment to look at his black eye wearily. As he glances away in shame, he shifts into reverse. Just as the loader backs up and rolls to a stop, a dark figure appears on the right side of the cab. The boy freezes up and stares intensely at the figure. Suddenly, its hand reaches up to the glass, making the boy jump in his seat and scream. The figure hold up a flashlight, turning it on and illuminating it's identity. The boy relaxes, seeing a sixteen year old girl with a cheeky grin on her face.

"Nadia!" he groans, taking his headphones out as he opens the door, allowing her to clamber up ungracefully on the side to reach his height. "You've got to stop doing that."

"Sorry Isaac," she says sarcastically, looking down with a sly smile. Her dark brown hair barely visible in the low light, unlike his curly blonde hair, but then, the Lahey twins had never really looked that similar. Nadia was lucky enough to look more like their mother, whereas Isaac, and their older brother Camden, resembled their father more. Despite not being identical, they were as thick as thieves, especially after Camden died a couple years ago.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her sternly. "You're not even working here until tomorrow."

"I just thought you might want a late night snack," she smiled as she held a bag full of doughnuts up with the hand that wasn't holding the flashlight. "But if you don't want them..." She starts to turn away and jump down.

"NO!" Isaac screams as he grabs her arm, taking the bag from her hand. He smiles a thank you as he bites into a chocolate covered doughnut from the bag.

"You're welcome." She smiles back. "Anyway, I better go, Dad will be waiting." Her smile turned into a sad one, Isaacs into a sympathetic one, knowing what their father would do if Nadia was late home. "Be careful ok?" She asks as she jumps down with some trouble, her short height becoming yet another problem.

"Me?" He asks, confused. "You're the one that has to walk home alone in the dark."

"Yeah, I know. But I have a bad feeling about tonight," she sighs, looking down and wrapping her arms around herself, trying in vain to protect herself from the cold.

Isaac looks down at her small frame with sorrow. They were always trying to look out for each other, not needing any one else as they had each other.

"How about this?" He proposes. "I'll promise to be careful if you do too, and call me when you get home so I know you're safe." She nodded, looking up.

"See you at home," Nadia smiles slightly, backing away slowly.

"Yeah, see you there." He sighs as he starts his work again, neither one of them knowing that from this night forward, nothing would be the same again...

Nadia's POV

The next morning I was woken up to my father banging on my door, yelling about needing to be at the cemetery this morning. I groaned, not wanting to leave the warm comfort of my bed, but knowing the consequences would be far worse if I stayed. I rolled out of bed, literally, landing with a thump on the floor. I grabbed some clean clothes from my wardrobe and raced to the bathroom. I do my normal morning routine and get dressed. After running a brush through my hair, I walk out the bathroom to go downstairs to get a quick breakfast. Grabbing an apple, I rush outside to my dad's car where he and Isaac are both waiting.

"So goddam slow Nadia! I woke you up half an hour ago and now we're late! The Sheriff is waiting for us you idiot. I'm blaming you if he says anything." Not a 'hello', or a 'good morning Nadia.' I look down at my apple as I continue to listen to my dad ramble on about how bad I am. Isaac nudges my elbow and gives me a sad smile, knowing that it wasn't my fault we were late. But it was. It's always my fault. Well, that's what my dad says at least. It's what he's always said for the last ten years of my life. I think it's because I look so much like my mom. I have her dark brown hair and brown eyes. I remind him of her too much. I guess he misses her a lot. We all do.

Before I knew it, we've arrived at Beacon Hills Cemetery. We get out the car and walk over to Sheriff Stilinski and some of his deputies. Dad glares at me, silently telling me that we should've got here before them. As we come to a stop, I notice a grave that had been ransacked nearby. Is that why we're here? Smashed casket pieces lie in and around clumps of dirt. The barely covered corpse was just noticeable in the remains.

"It's Lahey. Isaac Lahey."

I snap out of it as I hear my twin speak for the first time today. I really have a problem with concentrating. I get in trouble at school a lot for it. Although, I'd never tell my dad that. He'd kill me for being such a daydreamer. I notice the Sheriff looking expectantly at me.

"Oh err, Nadia Lahey," I mumble, fiddling with my apple that I'm still holding.

"Nadia? That's a nice name," he smiles warmly at me, sensing my unnecessary nervousness.

"Thank you. It's Russian. My mother chose it. She said it means hope." I recite sadly. I feel my fathers glare burning into the side of my head. Oh no, I've said something wrong. I begin pulling at my sleeve.

The Sheriff gives me a small smile again, not noticing my fathers look. "So, do you two work for your father?" He asks both Isaac and I.

I'm about to answer when my dad does it for us.

"When they're not in school. Which is where they need to be in twenty minutes," he says, irritated.

"I understand, but I've got a missing girl and this is where our K9 unit led us. She's got no clothes and if she's still out here tonight when the temperature really drops..." Sheriff Stilinski replies. I wonder who it is. I'll probably find out at school. Everyone should be talking about a naked missing girl.

"Sorry, but I didn't see anything." Said Isaac, me nodding to agree.

"Trust me, if he'd seen a naked girl outside of a computer screen, he'd remember it." My father laughs mockingly, while Isaac stares at the ground. I notice the Sheriff looking at my brothers bruise under his eye. I unconsciously start pulling on my left sleeve, trying to hide a similar bruise.

"Isaac, how did you get that black eye?" He asks.

"School."

"A school fight?"

I catch my father glaring at Isaac, waiting for an answer. I knew this was all a lie. It definitely wasn't from school. The Sheriff, however, was watching my father, waiting for his reaction.

"Lacrosse," Isaac mumbles slightly.

"For Beacon Hills?" The Sheriff asks. "My son plays for the team. Well, he's on the team but he doesn't technically play. Not yet anyway."

Oh yeah, Stiles Stilinski. That hyper-active kid has been in my dreams since we were 12. His weird and wacky movements should put anyone off, but for some reason, it makes me like him more. I'm not saying I'm in love with him, because I'm not, but I do really like him. Even though he's only spoke to me a couple times since I've known him.

"Okay, one more thing." I hear the Sheriff speak. Crap. I was daydreaming again. And about his son. Embarrassing. "Have you guys had many grave robberies here?"

"A couple, but they just tend to take the jewellery." I speak up.

"What did this one take?" The Sheriff questions.

"Her liver." Isaac said grimly. I look over to the open grave I noticed earlier. Inside the opened casket, you could clearly see the ripped fabric of a dress and an old woman's decaying insides. It looked as if the body had been mauled by something...

We finally make it to school, just a couple minutes late. I rush off to homeroom, while Isaac goes off to morning practice, shouting good bye as we part ways. I walk through the door just as the bell rings. Another successful avoidance of a detention again Nadia, I think with a smile. I take my seat and wait for the day to pass.

Later on in the day, as I'm swapping my books over at my locker, someone decides it's a great idea to walk into my left side, making me drop the books.

"Ouch!" I yell. "Watch where the hell you're-" I get ready to scream at this person, but then I look up and realise who it is.

"Ah, I'm so sorry. Are you ok? I'll get you're books. I didn't even see you there I'm sorry!" Stiles rambles in apoligies, bending down to pick up my books.

I can't help but stand there in shock. The Stiles Stilinski is actually talking to me. The first time since school started this year. A shooting pain runs up my arm again as the side of a book Stiles picks up knocks my arm.

"Crap, I'm sorry again... I better go." He says in shock, shoving my books in my right hand and rushing away. I just watch after him in disbelief. Putting the books away and closing the locker door, I grab my arm as it starts to hurt again, shaking my head and trying to not let that moment rule my thoughts for the rest of the day as they normally would.

As I prepare myself for the gruelling long walk home, I wait for Isaac by the front gate. Our father didn't let us have our own car to share as it'll 'cost too much money' and the 'fresh air should do us some good'. So here I am, waiting for my brother yet again in the freezing cold. I eventually see him walking out of the school, just after Scott McCall, Stiles' best friend. Isaac gives him a strange look as he runs past and over to me, but I just ignore it, eager to go home and get warm. Well, until dad gets home.

"Can we go now? I'm freezing my arse off here!" I complain to my twin.

"Yeah," he breathes out, looking around the parking lot. "Let's go."

"Have you heard who the naked missing girl is yet?" I ask him as we begin to walk home, not having been able to find out myself today.

"Yeah, Lydia Martin. She was in the hospital and she ran away. Everyone's saying she's lost it." Isaac informs me.

"Wow..." I reply. The Queen Bee of the school's gone on a crazy rampage through the woods naked. You don't get to say that everyday, especially in Beacon Hills.