Twenty, Rely On No One.
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LUNA FELT as if she was on a never ending spinning ride at a fair, her head was in shambles & she felt sick. from the corner of her eye she could see lydia climb into her car from stiles' window, the redhead was stressed & hurt — meredith was dead & she couldn't help but blame herself. a soft sigh slipped past the blue eyed brunette's lips as she stared at her stuff bear, morgan, she was seated on stiles' dresser. untouched, unharmed, she was perfect.
"okay, lyds went home—"
"malia is peter's daughter? and you haven't told her, yet?"
the boy frowned, his own head was pounding. "does peter know?" stiles nodded shortly, hands sliding into his pockets sadly. luna scoffed, "how have you not told malia but peter knows? how hasn't scott said anything? or lydia? that's - that's just sick, stiles! she grew up with this entire different family, thinking she was actually one of them, then she accidentally killed two of them! god, this is gonna ruin her!"
"s-see! this is why we haven't told her yet!"
"we're you ever gonna tell her? she's going to see her name on that list, you know that right!"
"we were going to tell her, but if you haven't noticed our friend group doesn't get the luxury of good timing!"
the girl rolled her eyes, gaze finally falling onto the boy & away from her childhood stuffie. "so, is there anything else you've been hiding from me? what happen to we don't keep secrets from each other?" stiles' jaw clenched, memory coming in clutch, "you're one to talk! you're hiding shit from me too, luna! stop acting like this is a one sided game!"
"a one sided game? you're kidding me right? i'm sorry, but it's not everyday where i wanna go around and tell my boyfriend that there's this stupid little voice in my head that keeps saying you're going to die! so no, stiles, i don't want to tell you everything cause it scares the shit out of me! so the stupid things about malia and whatever else you're not saying is not as big as what i was keeping, okay! because you, you can't die! b-because i will d-die.."
stiles was feeling one too many things right now, but all he could do was stare at luna as the girl tired to blink back her tears — it wasn't working. his clenched jaw loosened as he took careful steps towards the girl, sitting to her side as her bottom lip wobbled. his arms gently engulfed the girl, she'd never gripped him back so tight before .. "my dad hasn't been able to pay back the bills from eichen — we're not doing good on money and i'm scared we're gonna lose the house."
the boys chin sat gently on the girls head, her eyes screwing shut as tears leaked like broke pipes. "i-i could talk to my mom and—"
"luna, no, not happening." she kept quiet, the two just sitting there like that, wrapped in each other's embrace. stiles' cheek was now resting on the girls head, eyes closed as he listened to her breathing calm down.
"stiles?"
"yeah, baby.."
"p-promise me something? promise me you won't die, you can't die."
they knew that was something someone could never promise, but they didn't seem to pay mind to that.
"i promise."
luna had never seen so much money in front of her before, her gaze flickering between stiles & scott — a red duffel bag with thousands and more sitting in the middle of them. "have you counted it yet?"
"no.."
"we should probably count it.."
luna watched the two dump the bag over, her glacier eyes burning into the tape that had fallen out. she leaned over, both boys eyes widen slightly at the better view of her cleavage — scott adverting his eyes quickly as stiles stared frozen. the girl snatch up the tape as she sat back down, not paying mind to the two shocked boys faces. "what is this?"
scott gently took the tape from the girl, "should we play it?"
the raven haired couple stared dumbfounded at the alpha, both talking out at the same time, "obviously!"
"after entering the IP address, you will be connected through a dark net portal to an untraceable bank. once logged in, enter your account number to receive wire transfers. the IP address will deactivate with each transfer. you will be assigned a new IP address if you choose to continue down the list. remember, visual confirmation is always required for payment."
stiles leaned forwards, stopping the tape — luna's head sat in her hands, voice muffled. "that guys voice is scary." the two boys didn't pay attention to the girls words, "you ever made a wire transfer?"
"never had enough money."
"so, you didn't understand a word of that either?"
"i don't understand any of this," luna looked up, finally — her gaze landing on scott. it was clear, even to the blind, that he was stressed why over his own head. he had too much to carry for a seventeen year old boy, it made luna's heart ache. "why would someone use all this money just to kill us?"
stiles' worried gaze flickered to luna, the girl frowning gently at scott. "someone wants you dead, dude. someone wants you both dead, badly." luna's eyes flickering to stiles quickly at his statement, the girl letting out a shaky breath. "i-i say we never leave our houses again, or we move across the country! i can become a stripper and boom! we have ourselves money!"
scott sent the girl a soft smile, stiles scoffing, "lu, that's not happening. definitely not happening." the girl huffed, leaning back against the end of scott's bed as the alpha threw the money back into the bag. "what are you doing?"
"it's late. we've got the PSATs in the morning." luna frowned at the words, she was no where near ready for those test. stiles hummed, pointing at the money, "no, i meant the money — y'know, the 500,000. you know how much money that is?"
"it's 500,000."
"it's half a million dollars, scott."
luna bit her lip gently, "what exactly are you gonna do with that? just slide it under your bed? under your mattress? hide it in your bathroom? what if someone finds it?" stiles hummed in agreement at his girlfriends words, it was clear the words were ranking scott's brain. "i have to talk to derek, the money's his."
"you mean, his and peter's." luna raised an eyebrow at stiles' statement, "what are you implying, stilinski?" the boy sighed, hands failing around, "look — maybe we should just proceed with caution."
"you don't think we should tell derek?"
"no, no — of course, we tell derek. it's just that, some of that money's peter's, right?"
"well, duh."
"right, peter? homicidal killer? reminder of that? you want to give $500,000 to him?"
"so, we should give derek his money back, but not peter?"
"i-i didn't say that.."
luna & stiles exchanged glances, the girl sighing, "quite frankly, i think you two need it more than peter does.."
scott's eyebrows pinched together, "stiles, what are you saying then?" all three teens seem to freeze at the knocking, luna kicking the bag under scott's bed as three shot up. luna nearly falling over as both boys held her in place, "way to be subtle.."
all eyes landed on malia as the girl opened scott's door, she was drenched — luna's heart being tugged on as she stared at the girl. "we found satomi's pack. derek and i, but they're dead."
"all of them?"
"all the ones we found."
"then where's derek?"
"he went to the hospital, with braden."
"wait - what happened to braden?"
"she was shot."
malia didn't let luna's quietness go unnoticed, the two haven't seem to talk in a while .. it felt distant.
"where's lydia?" luna's chin was hooked over stiles shoulders, his arms draped around the girl who felt like she could throw up the breakfast she didn't have. she was too nervous about today.
stiles hummed at kira's words, "she took it her freshman year." malia's eyes widen, "does that mean i could've taken it another time?" luna sighed at the girls words, turning back to look at her friends — her back pressed to stiles' front. "mal, you're gonna be fine. you got this."
scott hummed, "malia — you and luna have studied harder for this than any of us." the dirty blonde huffed, "doesn't mean i'm gonna do good."
stiles sighed, "well.."
"well .. what?"
"it's do well, not good."
"god!"
"okay, okay.."
scott squeezed the girls arm gently, "malia, you're doing this because while we're trying not to die, we still need to live." luna huffed, "i could be living at the mall right now." scott shook his head gently at the girls words, continuing on, "if i survive high school, i'd like to go to college. a good college."
kira hummed, "it's only three hours. we can survive three hours." luna frowned, the girl turning away from the group again — glacier eyes burning into the classroom she'd be locked away in soon. "hey," the girls eyes flickered to stiles. "you're gonna be fine, and if anything doesn't go right, we'll figure it out. you and i, okay?"
the girl bit back a smile, cheeks going rosy, "okay."
luna stared down at the testing book in her dainty blank & red painted hands, she took a seat gently — that nail polish soon to be chipped from nerves. malia sat in front of the girl, anxious as ever, stiles behind luna, already forgetting mind of rules.
"this test is two hours and ten minutes," luna's eyes flickered to the aged man talking — he had already been looking at her. the girl cleared her throat quietly, shuffling uncomfortably as she slumped into her seat more. everything she was wearing suddenly felt constricting, it felt as if it didn't fit her like it did this morning. her jeans felt glued to her skin — stabbing at her stomach, her v-neck was suddenly to low, and the flannel that was stiles' was doing nothing to keep her warm. but she knew better, she was panicking — her outfit was great and fitting perfectly.
"there will be two, twenty-five minute critical reading sections..." luna looked around, she felt slightly better knowing she wasn't the only student in this classroom that looked like they wanted to die. a smile landed on the girls lips as she caught sight of talia blake, the blonde picking at her nails anxiously when she suddenly stopped.
the girl looked up, relaxing under luna's gaze with a beaming smile. the blonde waving silently, luna returning the wave — stiles watching the interaction with his brows pinched together.
who the hell was that?
"you may now open your test booklets and begin." luna sighed, glacier eyes burning into the sheets of paper and suddenly her mind was blank. the girl could hear stiles' shuffling behind her, his pencils quick at work, already. when the girl looked up slightly from her paper she jumped the smallest bit, the raven haired woman staring back at her with a sad look.
she didn't look as old as she did now — she was younger, "luna, what have i told you .. you can't rely on others from the rest of your life!" the girl frowned, eyes glossing over — she wasn't in a classroom anymore.
she was in her kitchen.
"momma, w-where did dad go?" marie sage's jaw clenched, pushing back her young daughter's hair behind her ears. "he's gone, baby. your father is a coward, which is why you can't rely on anyone but yourself. he left us alone, but it's okay, i promise i'll take care of you. it's you and i, baby."
luna was only eleven, and that had been the worst year of her life — because her mother lied. her mother was never home when luna turned twelve, marie sage seem to be finding solitude in bars & forgettable men .. until she found the next one, when luna was fourteen.
and luna found stiles in a whole new different prospective when she was fourteen, and suddenly all she could do was rely on the pale porcelain boy.
"honey, luna, you alright?" the girl jumped at the soft hand on her shoulder, her teary eyes landing on natalie martin. "are you okay?" from the corner of her eyes she could see stiles & malia staring at her worriedly, scott & kira looking at the girl too. "i-i'm fine, sorry.." natalie smiled softly, squeezing the girls shoulder as she made her way back to the front of the room.
luna's eyes glaring into the small wet spots on her testing book, tears had fallen.
and so was sydney.
all eyes seem to snap towards the brunette sitting to luna's right side — the girl tumbling to the floor. "are you alright?" the girl looked around, embarrassed, and luna couldn't help but frown .. poor thing. "i-i'm okay, just got kind of dizzy."
luna watched the way natalie seem to stare at the girls wrist, "sydney — how long have you had this?" the young girls eyes seem to widen at the red mark that was growing on her wrist, "i-i don't know?"
"ms. martin, do i need to stop the test?"
"no, um, it's fine."
sydney sat down gently, luna raising an eyebrow at the girl as she shrugged — showing the raven haired girl her wrist .. luna's eyes widening.
what the hell is that?
"everybody stay in your seats, i'll be back in a minute." stiles' watched the woman snatch up her phone, soft whispers slipping past her lips to the aged man. "nobody leaves this room."
luna was soon standing from her seat at the yells of natalie martin out in the hall, stiles' snatching up the girls hand as the rest of the students followed suit. "back to your seats, now, please!"
luna trailed in after scott — closing the door worriedly, the girl groaning softly as she tumbled into his back. her eyes casted up upon his face, eyebrow raised, "what - what is it?" the tan boy looked down at the girl, "she's calling the CDC."
"the what?"
"the center of diseases control.."
"so much for not dying in three hours.."
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