"So, Winnie, your father tells us you play water polo."

Winnie felt like she was under the ocean, unable to breathe. When Aaron tapped his foot against her leg lightly, the waves filtered away and the sounds of dinner replaced it.

"She asked about water polo, Win," Aaron told her, wondering what was going on in her head.

"Oh," Winnie felt herself blush slightly, "it's hard work but I love it."

"When is your season?" Chris questioned, at the head of the table opposite of his wife.

"Late March to the end of the school year," she said, mainly shifting food around on her plate to look like she had the stomach to eat.

This family made her too nervous to let her guard down.

"It's sort of like volleyball, isn't it?" Allison went next in the course of questions.

"Sort of the same concept, yes," Winnie replied, able to tell that Allison had eased with her some. "Deep end matches are tougher on your legs."

"I'd imagine so," Victoria said with charm in her voice. "You must be quite a strong girl."

Winnie only laughed lightly, an awkward sense to her. She thought of all the drawings involving the Argents; of all of the carnage.

They'd caused so much pain, yet they sat unharmed in a nice house eating fancy food.

But Winnie supposed that in any reality, that was what society had become whether it was in supernatural mannerisms or not.

When the table was cleared after a store bought dessert, Victoria put her hands together. "Coffee, anyone?"

Aaron put down Winnie's hand before rising, "I'd love some."

Chris stood, "I'll join you."

"Hey, Mom? I think Winnie and I'll go for a walk." Allison looked to the newest addition to Beacon Hills, "If you're up for it."

Winnie slightly hesitated, "Sure, why not?"

"Be safe," Chris said, squeezing his daughter's shoulder before going into the kitchen with the other adults.

"Do you want a jacket?" Allison asked, pulling down a black coat, the pair by the door.

"Yes, thanks." Winnie put on the tan trench coat before following Allison out the front door. Making sure it shut, she went down the steps with the youngest Argent.

"Sorry about being so...intense earlier," Allison apologized after a moment once the two had taken a turn and were on their way around the block. "It's just, a lot of weird things have happened here and I was worried you'd somehow be tied to it. I'm nice, I promise."

"Don't worry about it. I understand," Winnie replied, tucking her arms together to conserve more heat. "How did I do?"

Allison laughed, thankful for the level of understanding she had. "You passed."

Winnie knew that she shouldn't have passed, but she wasn't exactly ready to tell a bunch of strangers that she's the live action Danny Torrence.

"So," Allison had a tinge of awkwardness in her voice but was trying to pass over it, "only a month? Kind of sucks, you know. As much as I hated surprise moves, the anticipation is worse. You know it's coming and it holds you back from doing things."

"Things like what?" Winnie asked, lifting an eyebrow over at Allison.

"Like..." she looked up to the sky as she spoke, "like going out for a play or, dating, or-"

"I'm not planning on doing either of those things, though," Winnie protested, slightly amused by the conversation.

"Why?" Allison countered, trying to catch her to prove a point.

"Okay, when I was ten I was in a civic production of Wicked and the stage fell through where I was standing. I haven't been able to bring myself to do any kind of theatre since."

Allison grinned, having to hold back a laugh. "I can't say that was the response I was expecting."

"It was very traumatic," she replied, finding herself smiling. "The orchestra pit was actually used as the prop room, so can you imagine falling through a stage into a room crammed with ancient props? It ruined me."

Allison couldn't stop giggling, having to use a hand to cover her mouth.

Winnie wasn't able to hold back either, laughing at her own terrifying experience. "I can't even go see a play without getting crazy anxiety."

Easing out of it, Allison swept hair from her face. "Okay, okay, what about dating? You never answered that part."

Winnie hesitated, absently wetting her bottom lip. "Yeah, alright you've got me there. I'm practically positive I wouldn't start a relationship here."

"How come?" Allison asked despite knowing Winnie's answer.

"Because!" She let go of a flustered sigh. "I've only got a month, so what's the point?"

"I used to think so, too." Her tone had changed, Allison much softer than before.

Even though she knew about Scott, she asked anyway. "Used to?"

"It's, um, it's a long story," Allison said, curling up in her jacket more.

"Aren't they all."

Allison only smiled lightly, "I suppose so."

"So, what was his name?" Winnie questioned, glancing over to the huntress.

"Scott. Scott McCall. You'll probably meet him tomorrow. Stiles is his best friend, so if you're ever around him you're likely to." Allison was clearly holding back, trying to move to another subject.

But Winnie wouldn't settle that easy, "What happened between you two?"

"Well, my dad didn't exactly approve of him, to say the least."

"And to say the most?"

Allison looked to Winnie, "Are you sure you're sixteen because you're asking awfully deep questions."

Winnie lightly shrugged, "I take advanced classes."

Sighing, the Argent went on. "To say the most, he was doing his best to protect me."

"Did you break up with him or did your dad do it for you?"

Allison felt on the verge of being invaded. "I'm not really sure I want to talk about this anymore."

Winnie gave a nod, "That's fine with me."

Surprised by how easy she was to float matters, she couldn't help but ask. "Where do they make people like you? I've never met anyone as understanding in my life, and trust me I've lived in a ton of places. My data is sound."

"It's one of the seven principles of my twin cult." Winnie held a straight faces before cracking up.

Both the girls broke out in laughter, having to stop walking to avoid falling over.

Allison came up for air maybe a minute later, her face pink. "Oh my God, Winnie."

"That was a good one, I'll have to write it down." She let out a sigh with small laughs. "I'll make sure Pete uses that."

"Is there such thing as a twin cult?" Allison asked, tucking her hair behind her ears as they'd gotten halfway around the block.

"In all honesty, I wouldn't doubt it." Winnie was feeling the impact of the cold that February held and gave a little shiver as her legs were exposed. "There's a cult for everything."

"Very true." Allison rubbed her palms together. "God, I wish it would be warmer."

"This is warmer for me. Colorado is still buried in snow," she put in. "I'm incredibly thankful for this weather."

"See, there's your plus side for moving here. Warmer weather," Allison said. "That's not too bad a deal."

"I'd be more okay with being here if I wasn't missing my brother and Jake's lacrosse season," said Winnie, less vibrant than she'd been a minute before. "I'm used to not seeing my dad, as bad as that sounds, but I'm definitely not used to not seeing my mom."

"I bet you miss your brother, too."

Winnie lightly nodded, "As much as I get annoyed by him, we're pretty close."

"I've always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. I'm an only child," Allison told her, noticing she felt comfortable in such dangerous territory.

"Have you thought about doing something like the Big Sister program? In the summers I teach kids art and a lot of time it's those kind of pairs that come in," Winnie offered out. "You could help a younger kid, know what it's like to have a sibling. And, I've heard it looks good on college aps."

Allison lightly smiled at Winnie's finishing statement, "I would if I had time."

Winnie didn't pester, knowing Allison was implying all of the hecticness that came with the town.

"You said you teach kids art?" Allison switched the subject, manuvering away from herself and to the new girl.

"Yeah, I do an internship at an art exhibit complex in Arvada to help pay for my car, and college too, but a couple times a week I run a free art class for kids." Winnie brushed a piece of hair from her face, "I get free paints from working there so that's a win in itself."

"That's incredible. God, Winnie, you're making me look bad." Allison went on when she got a laugh from her. "So, I'll take a wild guess and say you're into art?"

"Half the time it's all I care about," Winnie admitted. "I'm planning on majoring in it and then working full time at the art complex."

"I have a feeling that's the right path for you," Allison told her. "I'm honestly not really sure what I want to do."

"You've still got time," Winnie said. "Lots of time, really. We're still sophomores. I only know because art is the only thing I really love."

"Could I see some of your stuff some time? You've got me all excited now."

"Sure, of course. I didn't bring a whole lot with me, but when I make something next, I'll show you." Winnie's phone vibrated in her pocket, causing her attention to move from Allison to the text from Pete. "Sorry, it's my brother." After shooting him a response, she glanced to Allison. "Needed help with an artist's name for a project."

"What's he look like?" Allison asked in curiosity.

"Uh," Winnie unlocked her phone again, pulling up her gallery. Bypassing the paintings of Isaac, she found a picture of her and Pete. "That's us at his first game of the season."

Allison smiled at the photo of the pair, Pete in uniform and Winnie with his lacrosse helmet on. "Wow, you two do look alike. He's...cute."

Winnie laughed, getting her phone handed back to her. "Oh, boy."

"It was only an observation," Allison grinned. "I don't want to make it weird."

"Don't worry about it. He's got so many girls chasing after him that I'm fairly used to it." She spotted her car down the street, knowing they were close to the Argent house.

"I can see why." Allison laughed when she got an eye roll. "Hey, I think your dad's outside."

She saw a burning ring of orange flash over a shadowy figure. She rubbed her forehead, sighing. "Yeah, that's him."

Both let the fact that he was smoking sink out of conversation.

Aaron stubbed out his cigarette when he saw the girls, playing it off like nothing had happened. "Hello ladies. Winnie, I'm heading out but I wanted to make sure you and Allison got in all right."

"That's very nice of you, Mr. Jones," Allison lightly said as a thank you.

"I should probably go too, then," Winnie told her as she saw her father climb into his own car. "Tell your parents I say thanks for dinner." Taking off Allison's jacket, she handed it over once she'd gotten out her phone and keys. "I had a great time on our walk."

"Me too. See you tomorrow, Winnie." Allison gave a soft wave, waiting on the porch for her safe exit.

Winnie switched into drive, leaving the Argent property. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to think in that moment. She liked Allison despite the supernatural set backs she'd drawn the night before.

She drove through the neighborhood and after two tries, found the right house. She really hoped she could actually commit to memory where her own house was.

Winnie locked up her car in the garage, slightly disappointed that he father wasn't there. She huffed out her annoyance and went on into the house. "Surprise," she mumbled, flicking on the lights to the kitchen before heading upstairs.

All of the muscles in her body tensed as she reached her room, her eyes dead set on a folded piece of sketch paper. Slowly, she walked towards it, touching the page on her bed with hesitation. She felt like she couldn't breathe as she undid the creases.

It was Isaac, one of her many drawings of him.

A smirking figure leaned in the doorway, "Well, at least you got my good side."