HACHI —
" What am I? Chopped liver? "
—
" It's so weird! " Allison whispered. " Everyone is talking about what happened— but nobody knows it was us. "
" Thank God for the protection of minors, " Lydia groaned, casting her eyes sky-ward.
Lydia Martin had already been involved with one widely known freak occurrence and the Queen Bee had barely shaken off the lingering weirdness from that episode. All she desperately wanted was for her to go back to the good old days of shopping until she dropped, making out with her hot lacrosse captain boyfriend and ruling the school.
" I wish we got more than a few days off, however, " Miya commented off-handedly, " seeing Mr. Harris's face on a Monday morning— especially after the events of last week— is cruel and unusual torture. "
Somehow, in the aftermath of the "hostage" situation, Lydia Martin has decided that Miya Yamato was her new "chief court lady".
Well, additional 'chief court lady'.
That was exactly how Miya ended up leaning against a random locker on Monday morning, listening on as Allison and Lydia conversed, interjecting with quips as the situation called for it.
As the conversation shifted from the 'attempted death by Hale' situation to Allison's 'break' with Scott, the peroxide blonde was suddenly found unsure brown eyes searing into her own dark pair.
" Do you think I made a mistake? " The girl implored. Miya pursed her lips, tilting her head from side to side.
" You want my opinion? "
Miya's tone was tinged with disbelief. After all, this was probably the first time she'd even spoken to Allison— beside casual greetings in the hallways and the traumatic event they'd lived through the week prior— so for her to be asked for love advice threw Miya for a loop.
" Well... " Allison gnawed on her bottom lip, the dent between her brow deepening. " You hang out with Scott and Stiles, right? "
The blonde girl stilled, quietly stewing over how apparent her new relationship with the two boys was becoming to observers. It was one thing for Isaac to notice. It was another thing for the daughter of an illustrious hunting family with a long history of slaying supernatural creatures to notice. Argents might be famous for taking down werewolves but Miya knew that— if they found out about her— her pelt wouldn't be safe.
" We had a little project, " Miya deflected with an easy smile and a shrug. " But that does not give me the authority to comment on your relationship. " She chose her words carefully, with well-practiced precision, as she navigated her way through "court gossip".
Unfortunately for her, Allison was insistent.
" But you know him, " the Argent pressed on, " you know how he is as a person. " Miya wanted to scoff. She didn't really know Scott as a person per se— she knew him as a wolf plenty though.
" Well, Allison, I think that only you can figure out whether you want to be with him or not. Scott might have done questionable things— " Miya rolled her eyes thinking back on his genius idea to make the only werewolf in Beacon Hills that was on his side a state-wide fugitive "— and he does have a lot to answer for when it comes to his intentions and actions, but it is for you to decide if you want to accept or even hear his explanations. "
Chewing on her bottom lip, Allison's head was ducked, as she questioned the other girl on what she should do— practically begging the blonde to tell her what to do. Miya couldn't help but feel sorry for the Argent girl and her werewolf love.
" I cannot possibly tell you what to do with regards to your relationship. Personally, I think you should take a step back, focus on yourself and what you want, then decide, " Miya reasoned with a sigh. " Right now, I think it is much too fresh and you are much too conflicted to make a rational decision. "
Lydia gawked slightly at the girl, letting out a disbelieving scoff as Allison processed her words.
" Where the hell were you when I was dealing with Jackson's bullshit?! " The strawberry blonde cried, swatting at Miya playfully. " I'm coming to you with relationship drama from now on. Be prepared. "
It seemed Miya's use was somehow proven to the Queen Bee after that conversation and her place by her side were solidified. Over the course of the day, this was only further reinforced.
From lunch break at the popular kid table (sans Jackson— who, according to Lydia, was 'acting super weird, ugh'— and Scott and Stiles, for obvious reasons) instead of flitting from table to table as she was accustomed to, to Chemistry class, where Lydia basically demanded Miya's presence by the throne.
" You're sitting next to me, babe, " she gave no room for denial.
" Allison is quite literally seated next to you, Lydia, " Miya replied, jerking her chin Allison's way with an eyebrow raised. Lydia was not deterred.
" On my other side, duh. "
Miya sighed, a wan smile coming to rest on her lips but she acquiesced to Lydia's demands, sliding into the stool in the table across the aisle from Lydia. She then went on the spend the rest of the remaining time before Harris was due to arrive casually conversing with the strawberry blonde and the (albeit sullen) brunette. Lydia was extremely heated over missing a sale over the weekend because her mother put her under 'house arrest'— " It's not like I would have died at Macy's! But I would've died happy if I got my hands on those heels! "
It was exactly that scenario that caught Isaac's eye when he shuffled into the Chemistry lab and realized Miya wasn't in the back corner, where the pair had resided since the start of the year. Her spot in the middle of the class left him feeling extremely exposed, but he swallowed down his feelings of vulnerability. He'd decidedly bear with the anxiety so as not to give up on precious seconds with the blonde.
Gingerly sliding onto the stool with the grace of a baby elephant, he snuck a look over at the Queen Bee. Lydia didn't even blink in his direction, though that was better than her laughing at him or scoffing in disdain. Miya on the other hand offered him a smile in greeting before returning to her conversation.
Isaac was then left to stew in the silence, head down so low he might as well have pressed his forehead to the laminate of the countertop before Harris stormed into the room ceasing all chatter. For the first time since the man had paired Isaac with Miya, he felt thankful for him.
" So, " he whispered lowly to the girl as Harris started class, " you're friends with Lydia Martin now? "
" It's kind of a recent development, " she replied nonchalantly with the shrug of her shoulders and an easy smile his way.
" Oh, " he hummed. What more could he have said?
In truth, Isaac didn't really know how to feel about Miya and Lydia being friends.
On one hand, it shouldn't have shocked him. It was basically inevitable, wasn't it? Pretty, popular people hung out together— it was the natural order of things. But on the other hand...
Isaac pursed his lips, eyes trailing over Miya's features forlornly before he looked past her to Lydia.
It was no surprise and no secret that every boy in Beacon Hills had, at some point, a crush on Lydia Martin. He hadn't been an exception. The curly-haired boy distinctively remembered the first day of freshman year when he had plucked up all his courage— deciding that it was his year— and asked Lydia out in the middle of the car park after school. She laughed, as stereotypical popular mean girls do, and told him to ask her again when his bike had a motor instead of a chain.
Now that Miya was in with the likes of Lydia Martin, he felt like whatever chance he had with the blonde was slipping out of his grasp. Everyone knew that Lydia liked her cliques a certain way. Proliferated with certain people. Only the creme of the crop got to be in it. The most talented, most gorgeous, most popular.
Scott had been begrudging let in because of Allison but he'd never have been if he hadn't made first string as the 'hot new talent on the lacrosse team'. Stiles wasn't even in— not even by association— it didn't look good on the clique to associate with 'nobodies'.
Isaac knew that. And he knew that, even if he was a first-stringer, he'd never be in that clique. He'd never sit with the gods of high school, looking over the mortals from their perch in Olympus. Lydia would never let Isaac be with Miya because he was so far beneath her.
He'd need supernatural help to even come close.
—
Lydia 👸: Bleachers. Lacrosse practice after school. Allison's kipping out and I am so not going to be there alone like a friendless loser. You're coming.
Lydia 👸: Where are you???
Lydia 👸: You haven't replied in fifteen minutes. Your fingers better be broken or you better be dead.
Miya juggled her tumbler and her phone as she replied to the Queen Bee's unanswered texts.
Miya 💖: Accidentally left my phone in my locker. Just got back from Starbucks. I needed caffeine.
Despite Allison's quote-unquote taking a break with Scott, Lydia was firm on attending lacrosse practice after school. It was just expected with Lydia's (shitty) boyfriend being on the team that attendance was mandatory, and with Miya being 'in' with Lydia, that meant she'd have to attend too.
Hence, the blonde made her way down the hallway with a tumbler full of coffee, casually humming to a tune no one knew but her... when she almost crashed into Allison as the brunette rushed around a corner.
Managing to catch herself before her precious caffeinated beverage sloshed onto her pristine white blouse, Miya scarcely got even the brunette's name out before Allison shook her head. Head ducked and eyes rimmed red, the girl choked out a 'sorry' before brushing by the blonde.
With knitted eyebrows and the tilt of her head, the blonde watched silently as the girl ran off, knowing that the only thing— the only person— that could inflict such pain upon Allison was Scott McCall.
Miya quietly observed the new wolf throughout the day, noting how aggressive and bizarre his behavior was. Looks of complete detachment that schooled his features contrasted heavily with the looks of absolute heartbreak when he caught sight of Allison. His temper was another thing: he'd narrowly escaped detention multiple times with the way he snapped at his teachers.
It was more than apparent that the loss of Allison left Scott's emotional state in shambles. It didn't help that that evening would be his second full moon. Something would have to give. Sooner, Miya had a feeling, rather than later.
Reaching the lacrosse field and situating herself on the bleachers, Miya sat for a mere moment when Hurricane Lydia made her appearance.
" There you are! " Lydia clicked her tongue, throwing herself dramatically into the space beside Miya in a flurry of fabric and expensive perfume. " Where were you?! " Miya raised an eyebrow, swallowing a snide comment about how she got to the pitch before the strawberry blonde.
" Went to get Starbucks, " she shrugged. It was half true.
Miya did spend her final (and free) period procuring a cup of coffee... she just neglected to inform Lydia that she also made a trip to Beacon Hills Police Department to steal the files they had on the Hales.
Derek, who had finally finished licking his wounds from the smackdown the previous week, and her agreed that the alpha's killings were too directed, too goal-oriented, too methodical, for them to be the work for an out of control wolf. Having encountered the alpha twice now (thrice counting the maiming of her Impala) she could testify to just how in control he was.
Not only that but a quick meeting with Dr. Deaton, the subject of which was confirmed by Derek, proved that whoever it was lured Laura Hale into town with the Hale triskelion on the deer, to kill her for power. That wasn't the work of a mad man but that of a cold calculating killer. Miya knew that from experience.
So, Miya broke into the police station, armed with her charm and supernatural prowess, to procure the Hale files, with the suspicion that the identity of the alpha would be tucked among those pages. She bit back a sigh, eyes trailing over the boys on the field wearily knowing she would have to read upwards of five hundred pages of bone-dry police reports.
Derek would be of no help to her. Him and his bite first, ask later ideology.
" You went to Starbucks? " Lydia's indigent scoff pulled Miya back to reality. " And you didn't get anything for me? "
Side-eyeing the strawberry blonde, Miya raised an eyebrow as she offered the former her tumbler. Lydia was quick to snatch it from Miya's grasp, knocking back a generous gulp only to splutter and gag as the liquid hit her tongue.
" What is in this?! Battery acid? " The girl coughed, sticking her tongue out as she practically tossed the tumbler to its owner as if it were diseased. Miya shrugged, a small sadistic smile on her lips.
" Cinnamon latte... with Redbull and three extra shots. " The gods knew she would never have survived a session of watching a bunch of sweaty pubescent boys running after a ball otherwise.
" That is way over the recommended daily caffeine intake. Way, way over. You could die, " Lydia balked, blinking owlishly. Miya simply shrugged, eyes not leaving the pitch as she took a liberal swig of the death juice with a smirk. " You cannot be human. "
Miya couldn't help the derisive snort that escaped her at that.
A few beats of silence passed between the girls as they busied themselves with mindlessly watching sweaty boys with sticks running around the field when Lydia let out a groan.
" Lacrosse practice is always so boring... " she complained, squeezing her eyes shut as if watching the sport for a moment longer would fry her brain. Miya quirked an eyebrow, eyes sliding to the side to peer at the girl.
" Then why bother attending? " Through her peripheral vision, Miya watched as Lydia blanched, fidgetting as she sought to take back her statement... or at least soften it.
" Well, it's not— " Lydia cut herself off with a frown as she chomped down on her pillowy lips. " I mean I— It's really— It's just...! "
" Expected? " Miya gandered a guess. The way Lydia remained silent, head turned in the opposite direction and pointedly away from the other girl was answer enough.
The blonde supposed it wasn't much of a surprise to her that Lydia forced herself down to the mind-numbing practices for her boyfriend. She wouldn't even be surprised if Jackson had somehow made Lydia come to boost his ego— or if Lydia made herself attend them solely to make sure Jackson remained on top of his game and thus the perfect partner for her and her Queen Bee status.
" You shouldn't have to do things you don't want to because someone says you should, " Miya stated calmly, a feeling of sympathy washing over her. " Duty— even if only perceived— isn't everything. "
" It's not like that, " Lydia snapped defensively, though the waver in her tone gave her away. " I, I want to be here! To support my boyfriend... You'd understand if you had one. " Then, clearing her throat, she steered the conversation away from her in an attempt to reclaim some power for herself. " Speaking of, no girlfriend of mine should be without some super hot boyfriend. "
Miya rolled her eyes.
" I don't have time for a relationship, Lydia, " she sighed. Or much want for one either. Especially not with all the canine companions and their furry mess that had intruded upon her placid life.
" It doesn't have to be a relationship. " The sing-song tone the other girl took got a bark of laughter from the blonde.
" I don't have time for a boy-toy either. " But Lydia was nothing if not stubborn. Her go-getting, no-for-an-answer attitude was one of the qualities Miya admired about the strawberry blonde... though she liked it less when it was being used on her.
" Michael Louis or Jonathan Keane? " Lydia was adamant. Miya found herself rolling her eyes again.
" Neither. "
" What's wrong with them? " Lydia scrunched her nose in frustration as she gestured towards the aforementioned boys— who were engaged in some kind of drill on the field. " They're hot, first-stringers on the lacrosse team, have cars, and are six feet tall. They're great candidates! " The exasperation in Lydia's voice brought forth Miya's third eye-roll in the last five minutes.
" They're not my type. "
" Then what is your type? "
Miya took her time on her coffee, taking a long, drawn-out sip of the liquid as Lydia became increasingly, visibly frustrated with her. Tapping her Prada heels with a dark look, Lydia began to loudly suck her teeth and click her tongue, huffing and shifting in her seat like an agitated house-cat as the other girl pointedly ignored her. Finally, Lydia began with the threats.
" If you don't give me an answer, I'm going up to both Michael Louis and Jonathon Keane the moment practice is over and to tell them you're into them both and want a threesome! " Miya scoffed.
" And they'll believe that sweet and charming Miss Miya Yamato— " Lydia rolled her eyes at the overly sarcastic tone she took "— would be into a threesome? "
" You won't be so sweet and charming when they brag about it to their friends in the locker room, " Lydia threatened. Miya let out a sigh of frustration.
" I don't have a type, Lydia! "
" Everyone has a type, Miya! "
Finally, Miya decided that it would be better to just throw out a random set of characteristics rather than to continue to battle the Queen Bee.
" Blue eyes, blond hair, " Miya sucked her teeth. " A crooked smile, glass-cutting jawline, high cheekbones... ears that turn really red when embarrassed, a sweet demeanor and a particularly sardonic sense of humor. "
The number fourteen bib was glaringly yellow under the Californian sun and the sleeves of his black sweatshirt were pushed up to his elbows as he body-checked his teammate in a particularly violent-looking drill. Miya prided herself on being sure. Sure in her studies, sure in her knowledge of the supernatural, sure in herself so it was more than slightly frustrating that she wasn't sure why Isaac Lahey— and his admittedly beautiful face— came to mind when Lydia said 'type'.
" That pretty specific, " Lydia commented, eyes attempting to follow Miya's line of sight. With practiced ease, the latter shifted her gaze— and the conversation— zeroing in on a certain fluffy-haired brunet who sported hollow eyes and a mean scowl.
" What's up with Scott, " she murmured. " He's... off. "
" Scott?! " Lydia's entire body tensed. " What— " she squeaked "— what about that— that loser? Off? He seems perfectly fine to me! "
And that was coming from the girl that said, no more than five hours ago, that he was lucky to not be paying her therapy bills? Miya narrowed her eyes, looking back and forth suspiciously between Scott and the antsy girl. Finally tearing her eyes away to properly face Lydia for the first time since the other girl sat down, the girl immediately noticed the pink of Lydia's lipstick... and how it wasn't all on Lydia's lips.
Suddenly, it clicked in Miya's head. Exactly what Allison must have seen to send her running in tears: her best friend making out with her (ex...?) boyfriend.
" Lydia you— "
" Danny! " Cries of the boy's name garnered Miya's attention. She rose from her perch on the bleachers and quickly ran up to the downed boy, Lydia following suit. It was Danny Mahealani. Everyone— even 'rip-your-throat-out' Miya Yamato— liked Danny Mahealani.
" You okay, Danny? " Miya asked, quietly laying a hand on his shoulder and quietly siphoning the boy's pain. It gave her a little buzz of energy as it left the boy and left him pleasantly numb, albeit slightly dizzy and kinda winded.
" Yeah, I'm okay, Miya, " he slurred a little, shaking his head to rid it of its fogginess. " What's your pretty little head doing at lacrosse practice? "
" Someone's gotta look out for you, " she laughed, patting the boy on the shoulder before moving back to give him space.
Her dark eyes found Scott and Stiles's figures, huddled a little away from the group as they whispered furiously back and forth. Or rather, Stiles was berating Scott for his misstep. Though it was more than clear that Scott was uncharacteristically unapologetic— even angry that he was being berated at all.
" Is he okay? " Lydia asked, her eyebrows knitted as she shot Danny a few worried glances from her place between Jackson and Miya. Her boyfriend nodded tersely, his jaw clenched as he radiated worry for his best friend. If Miya hadn't been more concerned for Danny's wellbeing, she would have been more astounded by his ability to have even the most selfish jackass in Beacon Hills care for him.
" It looks like he just has a bloody nose— " Jackson cut himself off, gaining both Miya and Lydia's attention. Miya followed his gaze to Lydia's lips, realizing that he must have noticed the state of her lipstick as she had. Even he, a self-absorbed jock as he was, would be able to put some of the pieces together.
" ... What? " Lydia questioned, squirming under the intensity of her boyfriend's stare.
" Your lipstick, " he pointed out hollowly, lips pressed in a flat-line as his eyes never left his girlfriend.
" Oh, Lydia, t's kinda... smudged, " Miya pointed out, pulling her compact mirror from her bag and handing it to the other girl.
The strawberry blonde took one glance at her state of dishevelment and gasped. Miya didn't need to be a werewolf to know that her heart clearly lurched at the evidence of her crime.
" Oh, how— how could that have happened? " Lydia let out a strangled laugh, quickly fixing her lipstick as she pointedly avoided Jackson's gaze. Eyes flickering between the suspicious look in Jackson's eyes and the paleness of Lydia's complexion, Miya slapped on a nonchalant look.
" Must have happened when you drank from my tumbler, " she shrugged, lying through her teeth. " You had a really... visceral, reaction to my coffee. " Lydia scoffed, snapping Miya's compact shut with an eye-roll as she handed it back over to the blonde, easily catching on to Miya's ploy.
" That is not coffee it's an abomination, " Lydia snapped back. Turning to Jackson with her chin raised and her Queen Lydia facade firmly back in place, she jerked her chin Miya's way with a look of disgust. " Never ever drink anything Miya offers you. It's basically poison. "
Miya laughed effortlessly, taking a swig from her tumbler, though her coffee concoction seemed more bitter in her mouth than before. Eyes catching the betrayed expression on Stiles face as he looked at Lydia, while Scott's eyes flashed between gold and his usual chocolate, the girl bit down on the inside of her cheek viciously to maintain her plastic smile.
Something told her the night was going to be rough— on everyone.
—
She hated how often she was right.
In Scott's moon-fueled rage, he had attacked Jackson and Allison— almost exposing himself to the Argent girl and the school's number one jackass— before being hauled away by Derek (accompanied by Miya, who was profoundly disappointed but ultimately not surprised).
" What's happening to me? " Scott whimpered, head in his hands as he shook. He had wanted to kill them— he was going to kill them— he was going to kill Allison— and at that moment he never felt more disgusting.
He never felt more like a monster.
" Exactly what the Alpha wants to happen, " Derek answered simply, his usual scowl seemed deeper and more severe than usual. Whether it was from fighting the pull of the moon or from his stress over the entire affair was something Miya could only speculate.
The Hale wolf's jaw was clenched and knuckles white as he kept his gaze pointedly on the road, instead of the pathetic figure of the teen wolf in the back of his Camaro. Nevertheless, Miya caught the pity... the sympathy... that shined in his green eyes.
She wasn't blessed with the same nose that wolves were— sniffing out the true feelings of other beings wasn't something she was capable of. That, however, didn't mean she was dull to the discernment of emotional states.
With a great many years to perfect the art of reading others, Miya found reading Derek less of a challenge than calculus (she despised maths) so understanding the complexities of Derek Hale and Scott McCall's (albeit tumultuous) relationship was quite the walk in the park to the blonde supernatural.
For starters: Derek saw a lot of himself in Scott. That much was glaringly obvious. Sometimes, when the sourwolf didn't think anyone was looking, Miya would catch the man with a faraway look in his eyes as he looked at the teen wolf.
As if he was seeing someone in the pup's place.
And on the occasions that Derek bore witness to Scott and Allison together...? A sort of vulnerability came upon his face. The kind of look that crossed one's face when a distant memory— one that was regarded as nothing more than a pipe dream— played in the recesses of one's mind. Buried and long-dead.
A look Miya was well acquainted with.
Even as she busied herself with scrolling aimlessly through her social media as Scott stood in his driveway, wringing his hands nervously, pleading with Derek for a cure— for Allison— the girl knew that that particular look was more than likely shining in the older wolf's eyes.
After all, no matter how much one tried to bury the memory of a long-dead love, it always clawed its way out of the grave it was thrown into.
Buried and long-dead but forgotten? No.
" You have to kill the one that bit you. " Miya paused in her scrolling, Derek's words jolting her from her pondering, though her eyes never trailed from her phone. The video of a red fox kit poking its head out of its den playing on her screen in a loop as the weight of the werewolf's words sunk in.
" Kill the alpha? " Scott breathed, defeated at the prospect of it. The boy— the child— so uncomfortable at the thought of blood... on his hands. Derek, having sensed his trepidation, spoke up.
" Scott, if you help me find him— " the wolf bargained, green eyes serious "— I'll help you kill him. "
Miya's eyebrow quirked as she inconspicuously assessed the boy with careful eyes. Jaw tensed, though from hesitance rather than anger, his brows knitted together tightly and his lips pressed thin as if something bitter sat on his tongue, it was more than apparent that the thought of even taking a life was something that weighed heavy on the child's mind.
Child, Miya called him, because that was exactly what he was: a once-human child that had been dragged unwillingly into the ether of a world he should have never been in by the selfishness of another. A small part of her even felt for him. If anyone deserved to be rid of the shackles of the supernatural it was Scott McCall. He was probably the most soft-hearted boy she had ever met.
The soft didn't survive the supernatural world.
So, when Scott whispered 'deal', withdrawing from the car feeling like he had signed his soul over, in some ways, Miya he had. He had signed over his innocence for the chance to be what he wanted more than anything. Human.
" That was a bold-faced lie, " Miya giggled humorlessly once she was sure he was out of earshot. The smile she shot Derek was easy but her eyes were sharp. " We both know that the only 'cure' for the werewolf condition is death. "
" Someone like you shouldn't talk big about lying, " Derek snarled.
Miya shrugged not deigning that dig with a response— she agreed, after all, she was in no place to judge him for lying. Sighing, the werewolf pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
" I... I just... I need his help to kill the alpha, " he attempted to explain.
Perhaps, she mused, rather than justify his actions to her, Derek was more so trying to justify them to himself. Attempting to reason with himself that his gift of false hope to Scott was to serve a greater good— provide a means to an end.
The blonde could have used that to make the older wolf squirm, she could have used it to sow discord between himself and the new wolf. Oh, how tempted she was to too— in another time she would have undoubtedly done so in a heartbeat... but Miya did not. Instead, she pressed her lips into her usual smile, her eyes flashed silver as she drawled:
" What am I? Chopped liver? "