The next morning, Allison Argent took on spy level, slipping a tablet into a bookshelf in the school library.

On the other side of the shelf, Scott casually took out the tablet and powered it on. Next to the Archaic Latin, he zoomed in on the translated segment.

Next to Scott, Stiles peered over to the tablet while pretending to read a book.

"It's everything Lydia can translate," Allison softly said. "And trust me, she was very confused."

"Yeah, what'd you tell her?" Scott questioned through the hole in the shelf just at eye level.

Allison tried not to laugh, "That we were part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures."

On the other side, Stiles didn't laugh when Scott did. "I am part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures."

"O-oh," Allison awkwardly said, "great."

"Okay," Scott moved on, "does it say how to find out who's controlling him?"

"Not really," replied Allison. "But Stiles was right about the murderers."

"Yes!" expressed the buzz cut.

"It calls the kanima a weapon of vengeance," Allison told them. "There's a story in there about this South American priest who uses the kanima to execute murderers in his village."

"All right, see?" Stiles lifted a hand, "So maybe it's not all that bad."

Of course, there was more.

"Until," continued Allison, "the bond grew strong enough that it killed whoever he wanted it to."

Stiles changed his mind, "All bad, all very, very bad."

"Here's the thing, though," whispered Allison through the shelf. "The kanima's actually supposed to be a werewolf. But it can't be..." she quieted as someone came over, waiting until they were gone.

"Until it resolves that in its past which manifested it," finished Scott as he read on the tablet.

"Okay," said Stiles, "if that means that Jackson could use a few thousand hours of therapy, I could've told you that myself."

Allison bit the inside of her cheek in thought, "What if it has something to do with his parents? His real parents?"

"Yeah, does anybody actually know what happened to them?" Scott asked both Allison and Stiles.

"Lydia might," offered Stiles.

"What if she doesn't know anything?" retorted Scott quickly.

"Well," Allison put in, "he doesn't have a restraining order against me, so I'll talk to him myself."

"Okay, what do I do?" asked Scot.

"You have a makeup exam, remember?" After seeing a hesitation in him, she reached through the shelf and squeezed his hand. "Promise me."

Scott took her hand in his, "If he does anything, you run the other way."

"I can take care of myself," she replied.

"Allison, if you get hurt while I'm busy with some stupid test, someone's going to need to take care of me. If he does anything..."

"Like?" retorted Allison.

"Anything weird or bizarre... anything-"

Stiles shoved his head through the empty space in the shelf over to Allison's side. "Anything evil!"

Allison put her hand over his face, shoving Stiles back.

Stiles recovered himself, shutting his book. "Violent," he mumbled. He ran a hand through his hair - what little he had - and brought up the last topic before the three would depart. "Have any of you seen Winnie today?"

¥ ¥ ¥

Winnie sat with her back against the arm of a fluffy red couch in the substation, morning light leaking in through the dusty windows. Out of her swimsuit, she wore the spare set of clothes from her car - gray joggers and a Star Wars shirt under the Nike jacket she'd arrived in.

Winnie groaned loudly, trying to get her point of being absolutely annoying across.

Derek, across the room, looked up from his book with a flat expression on his face. "Can you please stop doing that?"

Winnie tilted her head towards the alpha, "No, I can't."

The two held a shared glare, it only breaking when the door above opened.

Isaac came down the stairs, carrying a book he'd grabbed from Winnie's car as well as her phone and sketch book left in the pool room. "Can you two at least try to get along?"

Although Erica and Boyd had gone to school, he'd remained to watch Winnie.

"Sorry, I'm not big on stockholm syndrome," shot Winnie from the sofa.

"We didn't kidnap you," said Isaac as he gave Winnie everything but her phone and keys. He instead tossed the keys to Derek, who put them down on his desk.

"Yet I can't leave," she replied with annoyance as she opened her copy of Hamlet. She looked up, Isaac holding out the belly button ring. She took it from him, putting it back in and screwing on the ball. "Thanks," she practically mumbled before picking up her reading. All night she'd been worrying about the piercing closing up on her.

You can try to leave.

"Hey," Winnie sapped as she looked over to Derek. "Don't be an ass. I'm aware I can't out run a werewolf to get out of here."

Isaac sat down on the other end of the same sofa as Winnie, trying not to laugh about Winnie's quip. He pulled the girl's phone from his pocket, Stiles' contact picture popped up on the screen. "Stilinski's calling."

Knowing Isaac wouldn't give her the phone, she instead just glared as the beta declined the call and put it to text.

"How about 'I'm alright, just not feeling great today.'?" Isaac hit the password wall, but actually managed to get through it in one try.

Winnie's eye twitched, Isaac only shooting her a grin in response. "Jesus-"

"Tell him to keep you updated," Derek told Isaac. "If he thinks it's Winnie then we can actually get some information out of it. Unlike her."

"Oh, bite me." Winnie hesitated, "Oh await, you might."

"I'll do it if it'll shut you up," growled Derek

"Y'know what will shut me up and get me out of your fur?" asked Winnie as she closed her book with a finger marking the page. "Letting me go."

Derek shut his own book, standing up. "Look, I need an edge. You're the edge, Winnie."

"I'm not going to draw for you," snapped Winnie rather aggressively.

"You don't draw for anyone but yourself," the alpha said with a feigned smile. "We'll just be the first to see them."

"Shove it up your ass, Hale." Winnie reopened Hamlet and started reading. "Don't call me a bitch, either."

"I didn't-"

"You were thinking it," Winnie sarcastically sang.

Isaac looked back to Derek, his alpha leaning his palms on the couch's back, between the two. "Yeah, she can read minds."

Derek turned his head towards Winnie, meeting eyes with her. Is he lying about that, Winnie?

"No, he's not lying," Winnie said aloud to Derek inward question. "And it's not really reading minds, it's more of hearing thoughts."

"You didn't think to mention that earlier?" questioned Derek with annoyance.

"You didn't ask," retorted Winnie. She looked back to her book but then up again as she heard Derek's words. "Maybe you should rethink your initial questions to a person, then."

Derek's expression went flat, the alpha walking off back to where he'd been before. He grabbed his leather jacket and pulled it on, "I'll be back in an hour."

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Winnie called as she set down her book and picked up her sketchbook.

Isaac tried to move to see what she'd drawn, but Winnie put her foot in the way to hold him off.

"Nice try," she said as she used a pen from the table.

"Oh come on," Isaac tried with a charming grin. "We kissed yet I can't even sit next to you?"

"You got me kidnapped, Isaac," Winnie said to him as she started to etch out a figure of Allison. "So, no."

"I didn't know he wouldn't let you leave," Isaac admitted. "I didn't know where to take you, you were unresponsive."

"Scott would've been preferable," remarked the brunette as she outlined Jackson up in Allison's face.

"Scott wouldn't-"

"Yes, he would've, Isaac." Winnie flipped the page once she finished the snarl on Jackson. There was no hesitance, her pen picking up with Scott in Mr. Harris' chem room. She could tell, not in so many words, Scott was more worried about Allison than the test.

"I panicked, alright? My instinct is to go to Derek." Isaac lifted Winnie's legs and scooted to the middle seat before resting them down over his lap. "It's not like I could've left you there, Win."

Already on another page, Winnie's pen stopped moving as she looked up to Isaac. Only hesitating a moment, she returned to her drawing.

Winnie, come on.

"Trying to talk to me in my head isn't going to get you anywhere." Winnie kept working, creating Erica's face.

"What will work?" asked Isaac as he kept his eyes on her and not her drawing.

"Letting me go home." Winnie looked up to him and fluttered her eyelashes.

"Derek would have my ass if I let you go." Isaac didn't see the sketch of Matt Daehler picking up Danny's tablet.

Although all rough, they were all incredibly done.

Winnie flipped to a fresh sheet and began on Mr. Harris' suit. "Then no," she said with a fake smile.

"Winnie, there's nothing I can do."

"There's always something you can do, Isaac," Winnie said before Isaac could go on.

There was a long moment where their eyes stayed on each other, no words exchanged.

In that moment, Winnie couldn't tell what Isaac was thinking.

"It's whether or not you're willing to do it," she softly told him. "I know he's your alpha, but there's always a point where you aren't your own person anymore. Don't let yourself reach that point." Hesitantly, she stood up from the sofa, testing the boundaries. She tore out a couple pages from her sketchbook, both very vague.

"What are you doing?" Isaac asked as she walked the pages to the desk Derek had been at.

"Consider it ransom for myself," Winnie replied as she picked up the car keys and her copy of Hamlet, still holding onto her sketchbook.

Isaac rose from the couch, watching Winnie. However, he didn't make a move to apprehend her.

Winnie stopped at the base of the stairwell, looking over to him. With a gentle voice she said, "I'll see you at school."

Isaac waited as the girl climbed the stairs, finally opening his mouth. "Winnie?"

With her hand on the doorknob, Winnie's eyes found him. She at first expected him to not let her leave - in fear of Derek's wrath. Instead, he said something else.

"Drive safe."