Chapter Text
It was a night like any other when Stiles’ world was flipped onto its head. He was fast asleep, dreaming of space and stars, dinosaurs roaming around cities and castles built out of sand that stood taller than his four year old body. The single window in his room was open slightly, allowing a cool Spring breeze to curl into the room and mix the scent of freshly cut grass with the scent of Play-Doh and dried paint, the forgotten finger painted picture forgotten on the floor with the uncapped Play-Doh tubs.
There was movement in the shadows of the room, a silhouette illuminated by the night light plugged into the wall as the woman leaned over and shook Stiles’ shoulder gently but firmly. He woke with a stir, groggy and confused as he looked up into the woman’s face and murmured sleepily, “Mummy?”
“Shh darling,” she murmured, helping him sit up in bed. His mouth opened in a yawn as she placed some heavy looking bags onto the floor beside her before she sat down on his bed, reaching for him with a coat held in one hand.
She slipped his arms into his coat and zipped it up half way before she bent down towards the bags again. She sat back up holding a pair of his trainers and socks and slipped them both onto his feet before strapping the velcro on his shoes snugly, exactly how he liked it. Stiles sat there, sleepy and confused as his mother dressed him in his outdoor wear, the glow in the dark stars on his pyjama bottoms glowing faintly in the dimly lit room while she stood up and began collecting various toys from around the room to add to the bags on the floor. Stiles continued to sit on his bed, his eyes following her as she moved around the room, picking up his favourite toy dragon and a few knights before moving on to place the lids back onto the Play-Doh tubs and add them to the bags as well.
After adding another toy or two to the bags, she shrugged the heaviest onto her shoulder before bending down to reach for the next bag. Once she grasped it and had it firmly in her grip, she offered her hand to Stiles for him to take and he gazed at her in confusion, his brow furrowing.
His mother seemed to sense his confusion and said softly, “Come on sweetpea, we’re going on a car ride. Grab your wolfie and we’ll go get in the car, okay?”
Stiles nodded, reaching back to pick up his wolf toy, a soft teddy bear toy in the form of a wolf, with dark grey fur and eyes that changed colour in different lights. It was by far his favourite, gifted to him by a friend whose mother had made it by hand especially for Stiles. He slept with it every night and carried it around with him for the majority of his day, which pleased his friend greatly because he was happy that Stiles liked the present so much.
After grabbing his wolf, Stiles reached back and grabbed his blanket covered in glow in the dark stars and planets, before he reached to grab his pillow. After placing the items under one arm, he grasped his mother’s hand and allowed her to lead him from his bedroom, into the hall and down the stairs until they were out of the front door, which gave a soft click behind them as it shut.
As his mother walked them to the Jeep that was parked in the driveway, Stiles watched as his mum opened the boot of the Jeep and placed the two bags she had been carrying into the back amongst a few other bags of various sizes. Stiles was once again confused about what the situation and what was happening; why were there so many bags in the Jeep? Where was his mum taking him?
He didn’t ask his mum though, as she shut the boot quietly and walked around to open the driver’s side door. She pulled back the front seat and ushered him into the back where he climbed up onto the seat and allowed his mother to clip him into his booster seat, his blanket draped over him and tucked slightly into the booster seats sides. His mother arranged his pillow so that it was propped up to the side so he could lean his head on it and wrap his arms around the middle, his stuffed wolf toy held tightly in his small grasp. Once she was sure that he was buckled in safely, she moved the seat back and climbed into the driver’s seat, shutting the door as quietly as she could before she started up the engine, reversed out of the driveway and drove away down the dark road.
*
When Stiles woke up, the sky was still dark and purple clouds drifted by slowly in the sky as the full moon shone brightly through them. Stars winked lazily and appeared to change colour every so often when Stiles blinked at them sleepily. Some even appeared to rotate and move within the sky, especially above a sign that read The Arby’s and Stiles watched them with fascination as the Jeep drove down the dusty road.
“Mummy,” Stiles murmured from the back seat, his small body straining to sit up more and peer out of the window at the desert land littered with buildings. He could see a radio station perched on a slight hill, the radio tower standing tall on its flat roof as a red light blinked at the top of the metal structure, “Where are we?”
His mother didn’t answer straight away as she continued to drive, the soft sound of the radio the only sound filling the car, until they finally arrived at a small wooden house with pale blue and white paint peeling from the boards. Ivy grew up the sides and surrounded the second story window on the left side of the house, and the porch light flickered where it hung from the overhead roof. Stiles was sure, for a moment, that he saw a shadow pass by in one of the first story windows, but the moment he blinked, it was gone and a shiver ran through his body.
As they both stared up at the pretty but neglected little house, his mother whispered in anxious excitement, “This is our new home, honey. This is our new home.”
They continued to look up at the house, the darkened windows seeming to watch them in return, and before Stiles could ask where exactly their home was located in, the man’s soothing voice on the radio rumbled deeply, “Welcome to Night Vale.”