SAN—
" Dude, I love Mexican. "
—
" What's going on? " Miya questioned one of her various acquaintances (a small red-head by the name of Martha Fielding) who occupied the seat one row to the right and two rows in front of Miya in her fourth period English Literature class.
Martha, flushed from buzzing around and gossiping with her friends, shot the taller girl a look of dramatized disbelief.
" You mean you don't know?! " Miya shook her head with a faux sheepish smile, making a show of ducking her head in mild embarrassment before prompting the other girl with the gesture of her hand to continue. Martha sucked in a gulp of air, chest puffed with pride in her realization that she knew something that the Miya Yamato did not.
It was the day before the big lacrosse game, and there was a commotion about Beacon Hills High that infected everybody from the green-behind-the-ears freshmen to the uppity seniors. The news was so sensational that it created a buzz that even got to the faculty members, who whispered secretively to one another. Everyone was talking about it... except a rather perplexed blonde sophomore who had obviously missed whatever memo had been sent out with the juicy gossip of the week.
" They made an arrest! You know half of the dead body they found in the woods? " Martha paused, continuing on when Miya nodded. " Well, it turns out that Derek Hale is the culprit! " Oh.
Well... Miya honestly wasn't expecting that. Her brows furrowed. What in seven hells had happened between the time she had spoken to him the previous week and that morning for him to be busted for murder?
" I don't see why that would cause such a stir, though, " Miya divulged, tilting her head to the side. Perhaps she could weed out more answers from the girl. Martha's own brows furrowed before they were raised in realization.
" You weren't here! Well, Derek Hale was not only a former alum of BHHS but he used to live on the outskirts of town a few years ago... until his entire house went up in flames with his family still inside. " That got Miya's attention.
" Walk with me, " she ordered, to which Martha quickly glued herself to the other girl's side, linking arms with her as they made their way down the hallway. Martha began her report earnestly.
" So basically, it happened a couple of years back, six or so I think? One day the Hale house just went up in flames! It was super sudden and there was an investigation into it because the fire was just so suspicious, you know? Like, apparently only one person besides Derek and his sister made it out and there were just so many signs pointing to arson but no one was ever arrested. "
" Did someone else make it out? " Martha nodded earnestly.
" That's what I heard from Lacey— who heard from Kim, whose mom works in the long-term care unit at the hospital— that the guy's catatonic, " Martha reported, looking to the taller girl expectantly as if to seek approval, and Miya quickly took her cue.
" I see... " the blonde affirmed with a nod, signaling to the redhead to go on.
" Now, " Martha made a show of lowering her tone and looking around to see if anyone was eavesdropping, " no one knows this and I haven't told anyone this, " the girl whispered furtively, " but Sam said he heard from his cousin, a deputy, that the new first-stringer on the lacrosse team, Scott McCall, and his sidekick— Stubs..? Miles..?— were the ones who turned Derek it in! Half a body found on Hale's property! Word on the street? Derek Hale is back for revenge. "
Miya sighed.
Wolves. She rolled her eyes privately as she headed off to her first class. Useless, stupid, incompetent wolves.
—
Isaac Lahey nearly jumped out of his skin when he closed his locker only to be confronted by the girl that never left his mind.
" Hey, you, " Miya greeted casually, a coy smile on her face.
The blonde leaned casually against the powder blue lockers nonchalantly, like a model out of a teen magazine; one hand in the pocket of her oversized leather jacket, while the other clutched her chemistry book to her chest. She chuckled lightly as Isaac stumbled over his words when he responded in kind.
He couldn't will his beating heart to be still. It had been exactly a week and a half— he'd been counting— since Miya became his lab partner and four days since she had made a habit of catching him at his locker to walk with him to Chemistry. Everyone was confused as to why she was associating with him, none more than Isaac himself... who was still waiting for the punchline to whatever joke was being pulled on him.
" Why do you always seem like you're questioning if I'm speaking to you whenever I do? " Miya put it pretty lightly. Isaac perpetually looked like a deer in the headlights whenever she uttered so much as a syllable in his general direction. Sometimes, she even caught him looking over his shoulder— as if looking for the person she was actually addressing.
" I don't really... talk to people? Much less to someone like you, " he licked his lips nervously and looked everywhere but at the girl, " you're... you're Miya Yamato. "
" And you're Isaac Lahey, " she shrugged nonchalantly.
Isaac couldn't meet her gaze. Even with his chin tucked, he could feel the heaviness of a multitude of eyes upon him, burning into him. He could practically hear the judgemental whispers and the scathing laughter. What's the graveyard freak doing with Miya Yamato?
" Exactly, " he muttered quietly, shuffling anxiously. Her cold hand found his shoulder, drawing his attention.
" It doesn't make you any less than, " she declared, dark eyes boring into his blue pair.
Her hand slid from his shoulder to his bicep, giving it a reassuring squeeze before returning to her side. Had Isaac not been so lost in the dark recesses of his mind, his heart might've lurched at her touch or gone into overdrive at the concern that glimmered in her eyes. His vulnerability made him uncomfortable and the longer her eyes lingered on him, the more the hole in his chest grew. Noticing as much, she dutifully diverted the topic.
" Ah, I'm absolutely starving. Any suggestions? " Isaac paused. Thrown for a loop at the sudden subject change, he spat out the first thing that came to mind.
" Uh... pulled pork fajitas? "
" Dude, I love Mexican, " Miya drawled with a heavy 'bro' accent and a cheeky grin. It got her desired effect: the laugh that bubbled from Isaac's lips. He hissed a little as the action irritated his newly acquired bruised ribs (something that the girl noticed immediately) but the mirth didn't leave his features.
" Have... have you tried the place on Oak Drive? " The blue-eyed boy asked, a hand buried in his curls nervously. " They, uh, have the best fajitas... " Miya hummed, considering the question for a moment before shaking her head.
" I don't think so? I usually go to the place on Main Street. " Isaac's nose scrunched.
" That's the generic place, " he tutted. Miya huffed, scowling dramatically in mock offense.
" Well, I've only been living in Beacon Hills for about a year now, you can't expect me to know all the hole-in-the-wall food stops, can you? " The girl sniffed over-exaggeratedly, earning herself another small laugh— though this time it was a little more sheepish.
" I kinda just... assumed? " Isaac admitted, eyes not meeting hers. She tilted her head with a pensive look.
" Assumed? " Miya echoed. The blond boy fidgeted in his seat, suddenly feeling particularly hot under the collar.
" It's not exactly a secret food place, you know? I kinda just... assumed that, uh, " he cleared his throat loudly, hesitantly bringing his blue eyes up to meet her gaze, " that some guy or another would've taken you there... on a date... before... "
" They might have, " Miya shrugged casually. The boy's stomach turned, only for butterflies to sprout in it when she added— " If I've ever been asked on any dates. "
" None? "
" None! "
It wasn't surprising to her in the slightest— or unwelcome for that matter. In fact, it was something Miya had very much banked on from the get-go. She carved herself into an enigma. An idea of Miya Yamato.
Charming. Elegant. Untouchable.
Who would dare to be by her side? No one. Half of them were too intimidated to even cross her path and the remainder would clamber over themselves for a glance but shy away from a second one.
Miya had acquaintances— a copious amount of acquaintances— and a grand total of zero friends: a vast network... with no one close enough to slip a blade between her ribs. Sure, you'd get those to claimed 'friendship' with the girl but when the chips were down they didn't know Miya. They just knew of Miya.
Even sweet and demure Isaac, Miya restrained her need to scoff as she pressed her lips together, peering over at the boy, didn't know her. The boy she'd come to spend a good chunk of her time with on a regular basis... and she'd sooner chew off her hand than to let him in.
Some parts of her were best left buried behind the veneer of her porcelain smile.
But Isaac... Isaac craved to. He craved to know her— to be the one by her side— with every fiber of his being and he would take any and all the chances he could get, just to bask in her presence. So he swallowed down his nerves and steeled himself with a mental mantra of " you got this... you got this... you got this... "
" Are you, " he gulped, " going to the lacrosse game tomorrow? "
" I am... required to," Miya admitted simply, her mind lingering on a certain teen wolf and his control issues. The peroxide blonde held back a sigh at the thought of Scott McCall.
What had her life come to that she had somehow lowered herself to become a puppy sitter?
She could feel the gods laughing at her.
Isaac was oblivious to her internal soap opera, having a mental battle of his own. Almost stumbling over his own feet, the boy somehow managed to will himself to look the girl in the eye.
" After I win the game, " his tone was steady, " let's go for Mexcian. "
The invitation gave her pause. That was bold of him. Even though he quickly adverted his eyes (staunchly refusing to meet her searching gaze in his embarrassment) the gleam in his eyes and the almost... cocky why in which he had vocalized their post-game plans— not even asking but informing— was such a look on Isaac.
Miya liked passive, reserved Isaac. He was fun to tease and the blush that bloomed on his face when she embarrassed him tickled her. But Miya found, eyeing the curly-haired boy before her, that arrogant, assured Isaac was particularly... enticing.
Perhaps she would indulge him. Maybe if she did she'd catch a glimpse of the other Isaac Lahey.
" I'd love nothing more. "
—
Stares and whispers followed her as she paced onto the field.
The blonde had expected as much when she showed up to the game in a maroon mini dress and white cable-knit cardigan and — go Cyclones!— seeing that she hadn't attended even one game since she joined the BHHS student body the year before.
" Miya! You made it... " Isaac breathed, heart stuttering at the sight of her. Half of him didn't believe that she would actually show up. The other half hoped she had shown up for him.
" Of course I did, " she flashed him a million-dollar smile. " We have plans for Mexican, after all. " Her dark eyes slid from the bashful boy's figure to peer around him at her true reason for attendance: Scott McCall.
Standing off to the side with his conjoined twin, the boy tapped his foot restlessly and looked around frantically trying to conceal his nerves. Either that of it was from fighting the effects of his wolfishness. His control issues were some of the worse Miya had seen and the death glares Jackson sent him and the lacrosse players Lydia had been introducing to Allison all week couldn't be helping.
" Still... " Isaac muttered, gaining her attention "... I had my doubts. "
" You think so little of me? " Miya tutted teasingly, causing the blond boy to splutter with a raging blush upon his cheeks. " I wouldn't miss Mexican with you, " she found herself admitting.
It was true— she was looking forward to it. And to spending time with Isaac Lahey. She still felt the way she had the night after they'd met: there was just something about Isaac Lahey. Something in his shy smiles and gentle demeanor. Miya had even caught him making her heart flutter on one of two occasions. It was stupefying. She had lived through many things, experienced many things, but nothing— no one— had ever made her heart flutter.
It was confusing, intriguing, and a little worrying.
For a moment, the pair stood there, simply looking at each other, lost in their own thoughts of each other, when the shrillness of Coach's whistle pierced the air and shattered whatever peace they had.
" Guess that's my cue... " Isaac sighed, running his tongue over his teeth in quiet contemplation. The blond boy didn't want to leave Miya's side (he was enjoying his time basking in her presence) but at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to go out there and show off... to impress her.
" Good luck, Isaac, " she said, her usual sophisticated smile growing almost sly. " Score a goal for me, okay? " The blue-eyed boy laughed. Pulling on his helmet, he felt a sudden surge of confidence run through his system— Miya was watching her first lacrosse game and she was watching him— a small smirk coming to pull at his slightly chapped lips.
" For you? I'll score two. " Then he was off onto the field, and she was climbing the bleachers with a smirk of her own. Isaac was so surprising, she shook her head with an amused huff.
Unfortunately for the blonde, she couldn't spend her time trying to mentally solve the puzzle that was Isaac Lahey. She had her work cut out for her that game. And the game, she decided as her dark eyes trailing from Scott to the brunette girl and her father who sat a little ahead of her in the stands, was going to be... intense.
And intense it was.
Scott had nearly wolfed out on more than one occasion out of sheer jealousy and frustration. Jackson Whittemore— upset at the usurper— had definitely ordered the other first-stringers not to pass to the McCall boy and fearing the repercussions they had listened to their captain.
The salt in the wound was when Allison Argent had held up a sign with Lydia Martin (no doubt with something on it that would inflate the Queen Bee's boyfriend's ego... and infuriate the teen wolf). That had very nearly sent the boy careening over the edge. Somehow— thank the gods— he managed to pull back and the game ended in victory... and without bloodshed.
Isaac had disappeared in the crowd of well-wishers and supporters just as the game was called but their plans for Mexican were the furthest thing from the Miya's mind at that moment. Not when a certain new wolf had taken off of the field the moment the buzzer blew. Scott McCall hadn't shown hair nor hide since— which probably meant he was killing and maiming someone in a fit of uncontrollable bloodlust.
That would be a hassle.
Especially seeing she had spent the better part of the hour in close proximity to a man that would put a bullet in her head— in all their heads— with a smile.
Argent, she resisted the urge to snort. Of all the girls in Beacon Hills, Scott McCall had to fall for the one girl who's father not only owned a gun but would undoubtedly turn it on him.
Spotting the skittish Stilinski boy slip away from the crowd after an exchange of words with his father, Miya quickly trailed after him into the school building.
After all, where Scott went, Stiles would follow.
—
" The, uh, medical examiner looked at the other half of the body we found... " The nervousness in Stiles's tone was palpable. Scott gulped.
" ... And? "
" Well, I'll keep it simple, " the boy sighed. " The medical examiner determined the killer of the girl to be an animal, not human. Derek's 'human'— " Stiles paused here to roll his eyes "— not animal. Derek? Not a killer. Derek? Let out of jail. " Scott blanched.
" Are you kidding me? " The werewolf whined, rubbing his temples. Stiles winced.
" No, and here's a bigger kick in the ass... my dad ID'd the dead girl, both halves. Her name was Laura Hale. "
" Hale? " Scott gasped.
" Derek's sister, " Stiles confirmed, eyes widening as he (a bony, fragile human) realized he helped dig up a werewolf's murdered sister and got him arrested for it.
The two boys silently stewed in absolute panic over their colossal screw up when a scoff of disbelief reverberated around the locker room.
" What has Derek Hale ever done to you two that you'd frame him for murder? " Miya questioned airily. The two twisted around with pounding hearts as the blonde coolly emerged from behind a row of lockers that shielded her from sight.
The boys gawped at the sight of her: a beauty that looked ever so out of place in such a dingy locker room surrounded by hastily discarded clothing and the lingering sour scent of teenage boy. Miya retained her serene facade, her perfect veneer of a smile, but paced forward like a predator cornering prey.
" Such a strange wolf you are. Usually, werewolves are more brawn than brains— duking it out is a popular choice— but getting an omega out of your way by having him arrested is an unorthodox tactic. If not a stupid one. " Her overly tranquil smile contrasted to the bite of her words.
This beauty, they came to realize, was also a beast.
" So you do know Derek Hale, " Stiles accused breathily, a slight glare mixed with a look of " Hah! I knew it! " on his freckled face. Miya shrugged.
" I only knew to seek him out when you gave me his name, " she replied nonchalantly. " I suppose I should thank you for that. "
Scott turned to his best friend with a face of utter disbelief (and mild disappointment), while the other boy blubbered. Looking frantically between Scott and Miya, eyes arched and jaw slack.
" You— You told me to find out if she knew him! " Stiles exclaimed defensively, jabbing a finger in Scott's direction. " How else was I supposed to figure out if she knew him or not if I didn't drop his name?! "
Miya barely contained her eye-roll. Instead, she kept her cordial smile on her face and her barbed tongue just behind her fangs.
" You two can discuss Stiles's soft interrogation tactics another time. I have a more pressing matter to discuss now, " she insisted in a light tone— even if the look in her eyes was anything but. Scott chewed on the inside of his cheek.
" Which is? " He asked carefully, hackles raised. The wolf eyed the way her mouth twitched down in the slightest before widening into a toothy grin that only sent warning bells blaring in his head.
" Your pitiful lack of control, of course! " Her tone was sweet but, oh, did he feel the distinct urge to protect his throat.
" I—I managed to pull back! " Scott defended, lips pressed together and shoulders tense.
Miya let out a bark of mocking laughter, so cold and so callous that the boys could barely believe it came out of the doll-faced, high-ponytail donning popular girl.
" Barely— " she hissed between clenched teeth "— what about next time? " Miya scoffed, rolling her eyes. " Do not make the mistake of thinking that you are the only one who is impacted by your actions, for you are not. " Laughing humorlessly, she glared coldly at the boy.
" For your sake, your lover's, and the friend you've already tried to kill once, work harder at it. Because the next time? I will put you down. "
—
" For someone who was born a werewolf, you've really done nothing to save me from having to clean up the messes you wolves are making, " Miya quipped, appraising the sullen wolf from her perch on the charred staircase of the Hale House. " It was a ruff night for us all, hm? "
The wolf let out a low warning growl.
" These are werewolf matters, " Derek snapped, taking a few threatening paces forward. Miya simply rolled her eyes with a huff at his tantrum. Hadn't she already hammered the point clear into his head the week before?
She wasn't to be taken lightly.
" Yes, they are— " she took a few threatening steps forward herself "— but in case I haven't been explicit before, but when a pup almost shifts in front of a hundred humans, it doesn't just endanger you wolves, " she hissed in indignation, her crimson-painted lips pulling into a sneer as she let her temper flare. " Especially, when I was seated not five feet from a hunter. "
Derek screwed his eyes shut in frustration, his scowl deepening knowing she was right. The situation was getting more complex and more dangerous with each passing day. It wore his patience thin.
" I will deal with the beta, " the wolf acquiesced hotly. The irate blonde paused, rearing back as she contemplated his words with a frown.
" You? Not his alpha? " Derek was silent. A sense of dread filled Miya's chest as she repeated— " Not his alpha? "
It was then that it finally clicked in her head. The reason as to why Scott was so grossly unprepared and un-guided coupled with the hellbent manner in which Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber persecuted Derek— they thought he was the alpha. They thought Derek turned Scott. They didn't know who the alpha was.
" He doesn't know who the alpha is. Neither of you does, " she breathed. Immediately, Derek bristled. " An unknown alpha... bit a random child... to bolster his own strength... for a goal that is more than likely going to bathe this town in blood. "
Derek's pulse raced as he clenched his jaw in frustration. She had put the pieces together too quickly and too accurately for him to weasel his way out of it. He'd agreed to tell her. He hadn't. Now... he would pay the price for it.
The werewolf found his back slammed harshly into the blackened wall as she bared her glinting fangs at him, her hand tight around his throat, nails digging into his flesh as her eyes gleamed silver.
" You dared to leave me in the dark? You petulant pup! " Miya snarled, snapping her jaws threateningly inches from his windpipe. " Like it or not, you and I are both stuck up shit creek without a paddle— especially if there's a rogue alpha, a fresh beta, and hunters involved! "
Dropping the Hale wolf, she gazed coldly down at him as he gasped for air at her feet. Slowly and calculatingly, she swept her skirt under her thighs as she lowered herself into a squat, cocking her head to a side with a sickly-sweet grin plastered onto her painted lips.
" Now, darling, you are going to tell me everything you know or I will rip your throat out... with my teeth. "