"ARE YOU SCARED?"

Harper Verum was visibly startled by the question that slipped past Stiles Stilinski's lips and into the silence, her dainty hand snapping away from where it had been fiddling with the bottom of her summer dress. Her boyfriend sent her a sheepish smile as she glanced over at him, silently apologising for making her jump.

"Not really," the short brunette responded before thinking about it harder, "I don't know."

It was honestly hard for her to think straight as the scorching sun went through the windows of the jeep and cast down onto her exposed skin. Even the little material that covered her body felt like too much. She wanted to strip down into her bra and underwear and lay on the roof of the car, however, there seemed to be a lot of creepy men around.

For about two hours now the couple had been cooped up in the jeep, waiting for darkness to cloak the small town they were parked outside. Lydia Martin sat in the back, concentrated on fixing her hair as it became slightly frizzy from the humidity of Mexico's heat. The rest of their friends were out in the town, preparing for the night. It was just a matter of time now.

"We're going to be fine," Stiles reassured her softly, reaching his large hand out and placing it on top of hers.

It was slightly sweaty, but Harper didn't mind. Instead, she sent him a small smile, leaning forwards and pecking his cheek.

The group had noticed how affectionate Harper and Stiles had been towards each other since the whole mess with the Nogistune had blown over, however, nobody said anything to the couple. It was nice to see them so in love and happy with each other, it was actually refreshing after everything that had happened recently.

The others had no idea why, though. Stiles didn't really like to leave Harper alone much after the whole situation at the cliff edge. They hadn't mentioned it since it was obvious Harper didn't want to talk about her moment of weakness with him or anyone for that matter. But that didn't stop him from worrying. After all, he was her boyfriend, it was what he was meant to do.

"What if the plan goes wrong?" The Empath stressed further, "Malia's still pretty new to people and stuff. What if she—"

"Malia will be fine," Stiles promised, "you've spent the last month mentoring her so well, Harps. Between you, Scott and I helping her, I think she'll do well."

Harper swallowed but nodded, sinking back into the chair. She tried to convince herself of Stiles' words, repeating them over and over again in her head.

The werecoyote had enrolled at Beacon Hills High about a week after Allison's death, quickly joining the pack due to her connections with Harper and Stiles. While Scott and Stiles helped her control her supernatural side, Harper taught the taller brunette how to function like a normal human being in society. It had been a long few weeks, but she had done well. Hopefully, it was enough.

"I don't think Malia's going to be the problem," Lydia huffed from the backseat, "I think it's the plan that's the problem."

Stiles scoffed loudly, an incredulous expression falling upon his face. He glanced at the other teenage girl through the mirror.

"The plan?" The Stilinski boy repeated distastefully, "What's wrong with the plan?"

Lydia sent a look his way, "you realise this is possibly the worst plan you've come up with, right?"

Hesitantly, he replied, "I'm aware it's not our best."

Harper began to pick at the paint coating her nails, wincing when she heard Lydia take a sharp intake of breath. The pair had been bickering on and off for the past couple of hours since the others had left, however, the brunette tended to keep out of it. The last thing she wanted was to pick between her boyfriend and one of her best friends.

"We're going to die," the strawberry blonde deadpanned.

Her words weren't reassuring to the teenagers in the front seats. They were already nervous as it was, knowing exactly who they would be messing with as soon as they set foot through those doors.

"Are you saying that as a pessimist or as a banshee?" Harper finally spoke up, her brows furrowed as she dropped the fingers she had fiddling with.

Lydia responded with a smirk, "I'm saying it as somebody who doesn't want to die."

Harper groaned, her head dropping back against the seat again. If only Lydia could reply with an actual answer, then maybe the situation wouldn't be so stressful. Stiles also rolled his hazel eyes.

"Okay, let's stop talking about death," Stiles insisted, starting to drum his fingers against the steering wheel, "unless it's an actual banshee feeling."

Lydia just smiled even more sickly sweet. "This plan is stupid and we're going to die."

Harper could only hope Lydia was wrong.

...

"HARPER, IS THAT YOU?"

The brunette whirled around at the girl's voice that echoed around her, her dark eyes not landing on a single figure in the public bathroom she was in. She had thought it was empty, but clearly not. Harper recognised the voice, however, she couldn't pinpoint it.

"Hello?" Harper called back, "Lydia?" She guessed.

"No, no, Harper, it's me," the voice came out more frantic, and like a switch in Harper's brain, everything clicked, "it's me! It's me, Allison."

"Allison?" Harper breathed in disbelief, "where are you? Why can't I see you?"

Panic swelled in the Empath's chest as she opened every stall in the bathroom, finding nobody in return. The voice didn't reply either, leaving Harper in an overwhelming silence.

"Allison!?"

The main door to the toilets opened and Lydia marched in, a concerned look tracing all of her features.

"It's time, Harper," she announced fearfully before furrowing her brows, "Allison's with Scott and the others, remember?"

Harper's eyebrows raised, "what are you talking about, Lydia? Allison's not with Scott, Allison's dead—"

Lydia took a step back, "you're creeping me out Harps. She was dead, but the two of us figured it out, remember?"

"No," the Empath replied incredulously, "that never happened! Ally isn't alive, but I did just hear her voice and she sounded scared—"

"Snap out of it, Harper," Lydia warned.

"Harper," Stiles nudged her arm, causing her eyes to snap open, "it's time for the plan."

Harper licked her dry lips and sat up straighter in her seat from where she had fallen asleep. Blinking the sleep away, Harper quickly forgot about her strange dream when she realised that night had fallen. Not only was the sky pitch black, but the air was also chilly.

Goosebumps rose on her bare arms and legs as she pulled the summer dress down slightly, trying to cover up the best she could. Stiles noticed her discomfort and shrugged off the plaid shirt he had over his maroon one.

"Take my shirt," Stiles handed it to her, "I have another jacket in the back, don't worry."

Lydia turned her nose up from the backseat as Harper climbed out of the car, rolling up the long sleeves to her elbows. The dark colours contrasted against her mustard yellow dress disgustingly, not to mention how each item of clothing was from two very different seasons.

As the strawberry blonde got out to stand next to her best friend, Stiles grabbed a black denim jacket from the back of the jeep and shrugged it on. He grabbed the stacks of money out of the bag and into his pockets. Surprisingly, it didn't make them bulge.

"It's show time," Harper whispered anxiously, wiping her sweaty palms down her sides.

Stiles squeezed her shoulder, "let's do this."

...

HUGGING STILES' PLAID SHIRT CLOSER TO HER BODY, Harper followed alongside her boyfriend and Lydia as they strolled down the nearly empty street of the town, trying to act as natural as possible. Harper saw their destination coming up close, two men stood outside the door with their arms folded firmly across their chests.

As the three teenagers approached, the men stared them down like hawks, almost as if they were daring for one of them to speak up. Without a trace of fear in her voice, Lydia began to talk to the one with the leather jacket, saying something in perfect Spanish. Harper had no idea what she had asked, something to do with a party, but the man pursed his lips and shook his head.

Sighing, Stiles reached into the back pocket of his jeans and produced a card that had the hunters family symbol on it. The man's arms dropped to his side, his protective stance faltering. Stiles followed his eyes, seeing that the man was gesturing towards the security camera hidden in the corner.

Holding the card up so the camera could see it, the teens waited a second before the door clicked and opened from behind the men. Harper sent them an appreciative nod as she and Lydia walked in, following close behind Stiles who had decided to lead the way.

The door slammed shut behind them and Harper found herself in the middle of a very dimly lit, narrow hallway. It was painted crimson red and black, the only source of light coming from the candlesticks nailed to them. They shook from the bass in the room over, distant sounds of music seeping through the walls.

"God, this place is creepy," Harper muttered under her breath as the three of them began to slowly approach the door, her nose crinkling up as she added, "and what's that smell?"

Lydia shuddered, "who knows?"

Silently, Stiles reached down and clasped Harper's hand with his, his slender fingers intertwining with her much shorter ones. She looked down at his gesture but said nothing. As they made it to the door, Stiles looked down at Harper. She nodded.

That was all he needed before he pushed the door open, consequently entering a whole new universe. Music roared in their ears and strobe lights flashed in their eyes as young people danced all around them, ignoring all of their problems and getting drunk off their asses. The stench of alcohol and sweat hung in the air, much to Harper's nose's dismay.

Knowing that the rest of the pack were somewhere inside the crowds of people made her feel a lot better, almost to the point of relaxing as she stood beside Stiles. Lydia called something about going somewhere, but Harper couldn't make it out over the sounds of cheering and music. It was like Danny's Halloween party multiplied by ten.

Stiles and Harper followed close behind the strawberry blonde, making sure not to get lost in the masses of people. Eventually, they found three stools at the bar and took their seats. Now it was just up to the hunters to approach them. They knew they would as soon as they saw how out of place they looked, which was part of the plan.

The bartender noticed them and slammed three shot glasses down on the table in front of the teenagers. Stiles looked startled for a second before he reached into his pocket for his wallet to pay.

"No," he was interrupted by hands clamping down on his and Lydia's shoulders, "on the house," the deep voice insisted.

Shrugging a little, Harper's hand reached forward to wrap around the shot glass, only for it to get slapped by Stiles. He looked down at her incredulously, squinting his eyes as if to ask how someone so smart could still be so stupid. Harper winced and nodded, retracting her hand.

The older man raised a brow, "most American teenagers don't cross the border to refuse a drink."

"We didn't come to drink," Lydia stated seriously, reaching into the pocket of her jacket and grabbing the bullet they had found in Derek's loft when they realised he had gone missing.

She dropped it into one of the shot glasses, the mood changing immediately.

...

"Severo hates this music," Araya Calavera insisted as she pulled the stitching of a plain piece of cloth apart using a knife, "me? I've always loved the music of youth."

She pulled one stitch particularly hard, the knife gripped tighter in her hand. Despite her age, she seemed terrifying, like a female version of Gerard Argent. Her hunting status only made Harper, Stiles and Lydia more nervous as they sat in chairs on the other side of her desk, aware of the eyes watching them all.

"This kind, especially," she carried on, her Mexican accent thick, "it has a savage energy."

"We're here for Derek Hale," Lydia tried to speak confidently, her voice faltering a little, "we know you have him."

"Is that so?" The woman hummed, no other words escaping her thin lips.

Harper glanced at Stiles before straightening up in her seat, "we've heard you can be bought," she cut in, sending her boyfriend a nod.

Reaching into the pockets of his black denim jacket, Stiles began to pull out the wads of cash he had been hiding, placing them all down onto the table in front of them. The Empath watched Araya closely, waiting for any slipup that could indicate she was going to accept their offer, except Harper could only feel the smugness radiating off of her.

"That's fifty thousand for Derek," Stiles announced.

"Now," Araya leaned forward, placing the knife down onto the oak desk beneath her hands, "where does a teenage boy get money like this? Japanese mafia?"

Harper visibly jumped as the hunters surrounding them all began to cock their guns threateningly, her palms starting to sweat. Even after all of this time the thought of a gun still repulsed her and made her want to run. Stiles placed his hand down reassuringly on her knee from under the table.

"Not smart to come alone," the woman grinned.

Stiles smirked, tilting his head cockily, "what makes you think we came alone?"

Harper watched as Araya's face fell, panic starting to settle in as well as confusion. It came from the hunters surrounding them too, making her a feel a little more comfortable now that her friends had taken back a little more control.

Araya stood up from her seat, causing it to scrape back quickly. Her hands were flat down on the desk as she leaned over, glaring at the three teenagers in disgust and fury. "You brought a wolf into my home?"

Harper cleared her throat, "we brought an Alpha."

There was a heavy silence before Araya nodded towards a few of the hunters, silently ordering them to leave and look for the intruders. The older woman began to pace, her boots clicking on the floor as the trio waited for her next words.

"My friends," she sighed, "I don't think you're aware of your poor timing. Do you know what the dark moon is?"

Lydia replied instantly, "the part of the Lunar phase when the moon is least visible in the sky."

"But do you know its meaning?" Arya pressed.

"Some people say its a time of reflection," Lydia continued hesitantly, "or grief."

"Grief and loss, mija," the hunter placed her hands on the back of her seat as she watched them mockingly, "I wonder why, when you and your friends have suffered so much loss, you would risk it again for someone like Derek Hale."

"Cause we don't like to lose," Stiles insisted.

The conversation was cut short by one of the walkie-talkies going off, a man saying something in Spanish before following it up with, "front door clear," and then, "south clear."

"North?" one of the hunters asked down the radio, receiving no reply, "Norte? Norte?"

Then came the crackled static sounds on the other side before a very familiar voice spoke up, "Stiles. Take ten off the table."

Harper smiled slightly at the plan working. Scott had obviously taken out some of the guards and now they all had a form of communication. Now they just had to wait it out until Araya panicked and took the money, giving them the location of Derek in return.

Stiles listened to the alpha, reaching forward and taking off the said amount of money. He slipped it back into his jacket, daring to maintain eye contact with Araya.

"Maybe you should just take the deal," the strawberry blonde suggested from next to Harper.

Arya smiled, "while I am keen to follow the warning of a banshee, I'm going to have to decline."

Harper felt a little defeated, realising this lady was going to be hard to crack. She clearly had set morals and beliefs, otherwise she wouldn't be a hunter. The pack should have realised this beforehand- thought of something more valuable to her than fifty thousand dollars.

"Alright right, come on," Stiles tried to reason with the older hunter, "just give us Derek. You don't want him anyway. Haven't you noticed what a downer he is?"

Harper stuck her bottom lip out slightly and nodded her head in agreement, "never laughs, he's got no sense of humour."

"Poor conversationalist," Stiles added, "just come on, take the money."

Araya stared at the couple for a second before grabbing the walkie-talkie off of the desk.

"Severo? Show them how the Calaveras negotiate."

...

i hate that the first chapter is so boring, but the next chapter is going to surprise you all i promise. i think i have a few harper x malia moments, harper x lydia and a character that deserved better !!

that's all im gonna say. anyway, thanks for reading! leave a vote or a comment if you enjoyed it, if you want :)

see you in chapter two ahhh