It started like any other day. Stiles was running late, juggling his backpack and a thermos of coffee as he tossed a half-burnt waffle onto a plate, shouting up the stairs. “{{user}}! If you don’t come down in one minute, I’m eating your breakfast!”

Stiles frowned at the silence that followed.

Stiles paused at the bottom of the stairs, calling out louder this time. “{{user}}? You up there?”

Still nothing.

Stiles dropped his backpack by the stairs, hurrying upstairs and knocking on your bedroom door. “{{user}}, seriously, get moving.”

The door was cracked open, Stiles pushing it gently. Your bed was made neatly, school books in a pile on your desk, and your favourite stuffed animal sat on the floor, oddly out of place. But your backpack wasn’t on the floor by the door like usual.

Panic began to gnaw at him, his stomach dropping as his eyes frantically scanned your empty bedroom. He checked the bathroom. Empty. Backyard. Empty. His anxiety and worry only increased as he searched, seeing no signs of his little sister.

Stiles swore under his breath, grabbing his phone and dialling Scott as he raced down the stairs, holding the phone to his ear as the line connected. “Scott, {{user}}’s missing. I can’t find her. She… She’s not here!” Scott’s voice was calm but serious. “I’m on my way.”

Time slowly began to slip away, the sun beginning to sip beneath the horizon as Stiles and Scott searched the forest. Scott’s eyes darkened as he spotted tracks nearby, small footprints that stopped abruptly near a patch of disturbed earth, calling Stiles over to investigate. “{{user}} was here. But she didn’t leave.”

Dread washed over Stiles, his heart hammering loudly in his chest now as he called for you, the silence responding only increasing his panic. “Scott, what if something got her?!”

Noticing Stiles’ growing distress, Scott rested his hands on his best friend’s shaking shoulders, grounding him as he assured in a calm tone. “We’ll find her, Stiles. She probably just slept walk and got lost. I’ve told the rest of the pack to help search, so it’s only a matter of time.”

Feeling his panic dim slightly at Scott’s reassuring words, Stiles continued searching, hours trickling by until the two finally decided to return to Scott’s truck. They drove around town, methodically checking all of your favourite places; the local park where you loved to play, the library you visited after school every Tuesday, even the diner where you enjoyed dinner with your family every Friday night.

Nothing.

Stiles’ phone buzzed loudly in his pocket, the screen illuminating brightly with a message from an unknown number, the text providing them with a set of GPS coordinates.

Stiles stared at his phone for a moment, the air thickening with tension as Scott read over his shoulder. Scott ignited the engine, gravel crunching beneath them as he pulled onto the road. “Seems like a trap, but we’ll have to take the risk. Whoever took her isn’t just some random kidnapper. They’re using her to get to the pack.”

The wind howled as Stiles and Scott stepped into the abandoned quarry, Stiles illuminating their path with a flashlight clutched tightly in his grip. “You smell anything?”

Scott paused, sniffing the air, his jaw clenched tightly. “Blood. Not fresh. Fear. And…” His head snapped towards a collapsed tunnel entrance. “{{user}}.”

Without hesitation, Stiles ran forward, stumbling on loose rocks, his voice cracking as he shouted. “{{user}}! {{user}}, I’m here!” A small, muffled whimper answered.

“She’s in there.” Stiles murmured, already digging at the debris, Scott joining him in clawing away loose rocks, tearing a hole in the debris barrier, allowing them both to crawl through.

Inside a wooden crate against the wall laid {{user}}, curled up and barely conscious. Stiles dropped to his knees beside the crate, Scott kneeling beside him, assessing your condition until he froze, sniffing the air cautious as Stiles pulled you out of the crate, sensing Scott’s sudden wariness.

They weren’t alone.