synopsis â WINIFRED GRIMM has never had her first kiss, and at the age of sixteen, this seems to be a grave crime at Beacon Hills High School. When Lydia Martin finds out that Wini is indeed a prude, she is quick to replace her with the likes of Allison Argent. While Wini never had trouble making friends this betrayal pinches her fragile heart a little too harshly.
And in the end, Guinevere is aloneâŚuntil Lancelot comes along.Â
OrâŚ
IN WHICH a teenage witch dreams of a fairytale love story, only to fall for Beacon Hillsâ newly turned werewolf.
summary â with growing threats against your sonâs birthright, you travel to ashford meadow to petition to the hand of the king directly. arriving as a young widow, you leave the tourney a promised bride to a prince.
warnings â slight smut, oral f!receiving, dry humping (kind of), kissing, yearning, angst, reader wants to lowkey merge souls, reader has a child, reader is also a widow, period-typical sexism, valarr isnât the stepfather heâs the father that stepped up, I have never interacted with a toddler, long fic, plot heavy
Ps: we donât mind long fics! We love your writing. Iâm not in the AKOSK fandom but I might read it.
And: I think the check in wasnât about taking too long on writing. Genuinely think it was just a âhow you doing?â Thing.
Small warning tho: beware of the fics on the akosk tags. Some are full of inc.st and r.pe (and those people love that and actually romanticise it). (Iâm not in the fandom but I follow someone who does and they wrote about that)
Ayyy thank you! <3
believe me Iâm aware of the targcest, Iâve been in the asoiaf fandom since game of thrones was still running, itâs not my cup of tea either and Iâm very much a âdonât like donât interactâ kind of person -> my fic is personally about House Selmy as I love the character x âminor houseâ pairing ŮŠ(ËáË )Ů
Iâm kinda nervous to be entering such a big fandom but weâll see how it goes <3
And it means a lot to me that your interacting with my posts (even if youâre not in the fandom) I genuinely love all the comments I get and interacting with other blogs <3
For anyone interested, this is the summary of my upcoming fic:
with growing threats against your sonâs birthright, you travel to ashford meadow to petition to the hand of the king directly. arriving as a young widow, you leave the tourney a promised bride to a prince
Might change it once Iâm finished -> fyi reader will be a widow and have a son, will mostly be fluff and angst, might add some smut (depends, donât think it will fit but weâll see)
I love how I take so long to post that itâs lowkey concerning đ but yeah no worries Iâm doing fine <3 so sweet of you to ask!
Iâm just a bit tired bc of all the exams I had, the last one was really difficult and Iâm so horrified waiting for the results bc Iâm like 78% sure I failed (âĽďšâĽ)
Today is also my birthday! so Iâm just relaxing for now (ËśËáËËľ)
-> concerning the Isaac fic: bc of the exam prep I havenât really interacted with the fandom and stuff, which kind of threw me off, so it has become increasingly more difficult to write the chapters as it feels more like a chore right now
BUT: Iâm writing some one shots, I hope this will kind of lure me back out of my box -> one will be posted tomorrow or Monday (as always I make no promises) it doesnât have anything to do with teen wolf so not everyone might be interested in this one (a knight of the seven kingdoms - valarr x reader fic âşď¸)
-> therefore, just a super tiny little reminder that I do take requests! For any Daniel Sharman character really (Isaac Lahey, Troy Otto, Lancelot, etc.), but also game of thrones (right now I have a total hyperfixation on Valarr), Iâd also consider writing for any characters of those fandoms, and others might be added in the future depending on whichever white skinny dude will catch my attention next <3 -> also: they would most likely be x reader, obviously depending on request
A little variation might be the way to go from stopping me from losing interest, Iâm also considering making the chapters shorter but I yap so much this might not be possible <3
Thanks so much again for asking <3 it definitely helps a lot knowing there are people genuinely interested in my work. So thank you for all the likes, reblogs and comments they truly make my day <3 not to mention all the support I get on my other platforms
I think it could be about the trigger warnings listed?
Some authors use numbers or special signs for things.
Like the first time maybe due to âviolenceâ and the other maybe bc of âdrowningâ (mentions of. Bit still)
Some authors use things like: v!olence or vi0lence or viol3nce (idk) and dr0wning and such.
You could try that?
I'm not too sure what the problem exactly is. my older posts that have those tw don't get warnings, but the newer ones do âŽ( Ë ď˝¤ Ë )â
'drowning' was actually added after the post was already up (kinda thought about it and was like 'yeah that could be triggering') and I already tried to post the exact same chapter without the warnings and that did nothing...
the first time tumblr tagged a post was like weeks after it was already posted, the last one happened immediately after posting
i read on reddit that some accounts just get flagged, so idk
my account has been suspended before, i immediately cried to tumblr and after a few days they were just like "yeah, sorry 'bout that, our bots mistakenly flagged your account" and now i reported the mature content warnings months ago and it's been radio silence since
I mean it's not the worst thing...just really annoying and disheartening, especially for someone like me who has just started posting
thank you so much for the suggestion tho! i'll try it next time, see if that makes a difference <3
This is the second time my post received a content label and Iâm at my wits end. I appealed the first one..itâs been two monthsâŚitâs still there, and now a second one. Iâm rattling at my cage, they havenât even kissed yet. Whatâs going to happen when they do far worse things? Iâm just kinda concerned if people can even discover my fic if itâs filtered and flagged as mature content, ya know.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed chapter seven - bc I sure didnât (˜ºâ¤ÂşËś)
summary â WINIFRED GRIMM has never had her first kiss, and at the age of sixteen, this seems to be a grave crime at Beacon Hills High School. When Lydia Martin finds out that Wini is indeed a prude, she is quick to replace her with the likes of Allison Argent. While Wini never had trouble making friends this betrayal pinches her fragile heart a little too harshly.
And in the end, Guinevere is aloneâŚuntil Lancelot comes along.Â
Or...
IN WHICH a teenage witch dreams of a fairytale love story, only to fall for Beacon Hillsâ newly turned werewolf.
chapter warnings â teenage angst as usual
word counter â 9.2 k
gif credit â @/dirtbg
THE SMALL FLAMES LICKED AGAINST THE STONE WALL, for a short distracted moment her eyes studied the light of the candle. How the flame danced in a beautiful swirl of yellow and orange, moving to a melody that fell silent to her ears. The sight struck her as incredibly beautiful. How fascinating it was. Such a small, and yet so dangerous thing. Even when her hand reached out to touch it, her fingertips softly gracing its warm surface, the flame wasnât bothered in its gentle movements.
It didnât hurt. She knew it should - but it didnât. Its warmth spreading from her fingers down to her palm.
Her neck sprained in the direction of a sudden noise, a terrible scraping noise of stone clashing against stone, breaking the peaceful silence. She stared at the dark corridor before her, her hand falling back to her side.Â
With a deep pinch to her stomach the realisation of something hit her. Something was there.Â
Something viscous and dark hid in the shadows, to cowardly to face her head on.
She carefully eyed the dark, waiting, when nothing else broke her attention her fingers found the cold metal of the candle holder. A loud metal clang followed, it made her even more wary. What if it heard her? The small flame served as her only source of light, clashing against the cavern-like walls, she studied the intricate stone carvings that littered the ground. It seemed out of place, like the walls had grown around some beautifully built medieval castle. A ruin, perhaps.Â
She watched the dark with unease - waited for the dark to respond.Â
There was not a moment to further dwell on entering the void. Looking back at where she detached the candle from the wall, the corridor had turned a deep black, depraved from its light and casted in shadows. No way back. Almost as if she had passed through some invisible barrier to another world, it was awfully dark, not even the flame could give her any semblance of warmth and safety.
Her naked feet patted against the cold dirty floor, she didnât recognise her surroundings, she shouldnât know the way. Pure instinct told her to turn right and then another right, then to the left. It was a pattern, a pattern she would neeed to remember if she ever wanted to find her way back out of this cave. Yet her mind felt too muddled, not being able to grasp on to a thought for too long.
It didnât strike her as strange that she somehow stumbled into this unknown place. All that mattered was to walk the path without distraction.
The cold overwhelmed her all at once, the hair on her bare arms standing on end, but her steps remained steady and unchanging. Water dripped down the stone walls, falling to the ground like a ticking clock.
She was certain of one thing, she was somewhere deep underground.Â
Eventually, the ground arched down into something she could recognise as stairs. Her legs halted before the first step, her right hand traveled down to bundle up the fabric of the shear nightgown she was wearing. The stairs were wet and slippery, there wasnât anything to hold on to without letting go of either the candle or the white dress. To prevent her from plummeting into the abyss below, she would have to be overly cautious.
She moved down one step, two steps, and then four three seven.Â
As she continued down the endless staircase, she strained her ears to hear the rush of water, not like the dripping from before, but the unmistakable sound of something alike a river.Â
And there in the distance, down many more steps, shone a bright light. A giant arch of an opened pair of doors that would definitely offer her more light than the measly candle she still held on to.Â
A certain step forward lead her into that blinding light. Here at the bottom, a thin layer of freezing water covered the stone floor, making soft splashing sounds as she walked forward. Her eyes took moments to adjust to the new brightness, bringing a cautious hand to her face to shield her from the light.Â
Her bare feet plunged into the deep crevices filled with water. Strangely, and intrusively, it reminded her of when she was a child, when her mother forced her into her bright pink rain boots, and under her watchful gaze, jump into the huge puddles that covered their backyard. Now, in the ever growing light, the memory felt less nostalgic and more depressing. Â
Saddened by the sudden memory, she crossed the doorway into the unknown. The tall archway could not have prepared her for the grand room that laid behind it. Studying her surroundings more closely, she wasnât certain what exactly she was looking at. Her head moved to admire the high ceiling, almost as if she had stepped inside a cathedral, built hundreds of years ago with beautiful architecture, stone collumns and a dozen of statues carved in the image of creatures with wings.Â
The round area held a pool of water, it was remarkable. It wasnât just water, something swirled beneath it, like strings of pure light and energy that illuminated the space in an unnatural blue light. Like a moth to a flame, it lured her closer. Cautiously, she watched the room, expecting something to stop her before she could reach the pool. The room had several balconies that oversaw the body of water, as if it held common events that required a lot of onlookers. Even now, the grandness of the room made her feel uneasy.
Once again, her ears prickled at the noise of running water. Her gaze traveled to the three statues that lined the rim of the deep water. On her left, a woman, whose face was covered by a veil, held down by antlers that circled her head like a crown, knelt on the edge. Her hands were held out in front of her, water flowed between her fingers down to the pool below.Â
To her right, similar to the first, knelt a veiled woman. The only difference between the two was the fact that she had crows carved of stone perched on both of her shoulders. Almost like a scarecrow, seeing after the crops of her maker, she watched the water, adding to it with open palms.Â
In the middle, far more menacing, stood the depiction of another. She was not like the others. She stood between the two, tall and powerful, watching the room with hollow eyes. In her hand she held a scale that tipped down to one side, water dripping down from it to the pool beneath her.Â
Under their watchful eyes she stepped closer, her gaze flickering between them and the water. Unsure, if they might call out to her - to stop her in her path, to make her leave and never again enter this place. She couldnât let it deter her, she needed to get closer, needed to touch it. The blue light reflected across the room, making her skin glow and her eyes sparkle. It was truly mesmerising. The candle, long forgotten, clang against the wet stone in disinterest, she hardly registered the noise.
Her legs shook as she lowered herself down to the ground, kneeling before the water as one does before an alter. Joining the status before the water, completing the formation. The fabric of her dress clung to her knees, drenched by mud and water. Her eyes softened as she watched the ripples of water, the shining light continuing its swim across the round area. She deemed it as incredibly pure. If her hand were to touch it, would they swurl around her fingers to continue their unbroken dance?
A moment passed, her eyes hadnât strained from the sight. She waited for a sign, for it to lure her impossibly closer, to descend in its depth and not resurface. Propping her right hand on the poolâs edge, her front leaning further down to reach its surface with her left, being careful not to fall in. Her fingertips only managed to softly grace it. It was warm, and suddenly she felt extremely cold.Â
The room suddenly drooped in temperature. She was soaked to the bone, the water would surely warm her upâŚif only she could reach it. Perhaps she needed to get in the water to feel its warmth.
Warm and cradled by its love, to be held by its waves and power. The light spun around her fingers, it made a delighted fit of laughter bubble up inside her.
She had truly no idea how she managed to do it. No idea, how she couldnât have heard anything besides her heavy breathing and the splashing of water. There must have been something. Something that should have warned her of the presence of another, but she was completely unaware until they made their first move.
The stranger took ahold of her hair, yanking her back. Her hands flew up at her assailant, trying her hardest to scratch her way back to safety. Only for there to be nothing - at least nothing physical. As if she was fighting against air itself. A pained yelp left her mouth, her fight was futile, it was too strong, the iron grip it had on her roots was excruciatingly painful.
Her gaze met those of the statues above, how amused they seemed at her suffering. How their stone mouths widened into cat-like grins. How their laughter echoed across the room and drilled their way into her ears.Â
It was a matter of seconds before that thing readjusted its hold, and plunged her head underwater. The strangled scream that tore from her throat was muffled as her lungs filled with water. Her air was constricted, making her struggle even more panicked as she trashed around.Â
Her limbs were useless, it was not relenting. This was not to simply scare her, or to even ward her from this place. She was certain, this thing, whatever it was, wanted her dead.
Every spell, every curse, remedy alike left her mind completely. The edges of her vision began to blacken, in a panic she realised she was moments before falling unconscious. This was it? That was all she got to do in life? She had achieved absolutely nothing. The end? Why did it have to be like this? So violently, without reason.
Perhaps just as she made peace with her violent reckoning, it pulled her back up. A mix of water and spit ran down her chin, her breathing remained strained, and it became increasingly more painful to pump air back into her lungs. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She wanted to cry out in fear but could only cough up more water. Why? Why her?
For a short second the world had gone silent, her fight hadnât left her, even when her arms refused to move, she tried her hardest to loosen the grip on her.Â
It was only when it threatened to plunge her once more that she could hear her surroundings. It was loud. Painstakingly so. Laughter, the harsh cries of crows, the whistle of the wind, and the wild splashing of water.Â
Her rough voice began to stammer as she begged for any entity that was listening to make them stop. This time her assailant did let her go, only for her to be pushed forward and dropped into the pool completely.Â
The water surrounded her once more, the fabric of her dress weighed her down. No matter how much she struggled to reach the surface, it didnât let her go. She did feel its warmth now - too warm. It was boiling hot, like she was swimming in a hot pot of soup.
She trashed around in panic, wildly flinging her arms around in a futile attempt to break back to the surface. Her eyes tightly shut. It dragged her deeper, spinning her around to disorient her further. Her ears succumbed to the pressure, silencing her surroundings. Her attempts to grab at something solid were pointless, she could only feel it grab on to her right leg and pull her further to its deepest part.
When her eyes opened again, it couldnât have been more than a few seconds since she had been submerged and tugged around like a useless doll. To her horror, the swirling light had disappeared, plunging her in complete darkness. Eventually, that hold on her did relent and in her oxygen deprived daze, she continued to softly float around the space - she felt weightless.Â
Maybe it had been minutes. An hour? She wasnât sure. Her blurry eyes turned to watch the dark, surely something must be there. That slimy thing that just touched her leg told her as much, yet she didnât feel panicked.Â
She felt strangely peaceful.Â
Her stare moved above her, where a speck of light cut through the ripples of water. Was this that blinding light everyone spoke about?Â
This was not how Wini imagined death to feel like.Â
Her head throbbed violently. It didnât feel as peaceful now. She was all the more aware that she couldnât breathe. More water forced its way down her lungs, Wini convulsed, hoping to push it back out without much progress.Â
Winifredâs arms started to flare around once more, she needed to get back up. She would not die this way. Refused to.Â
Breaking through the surface, her heavy hair uncomfortably clung to her face, making her intakes of air even harder. Wini tried to cough up all the liquid in her lungs, which proved itself rather difficult when there was nothing she could hold on to. An unpleasant tingling in her limbs that dragged her under multiple times.Â
One glance at her surroundings confused her further. She was no longer in that strange room - she was in the woodsâŚin the middle of a lake. Â
The witch pushed herself forward with unsteady arms. She dared not think about all the creatures that liked to lurk in the darkest depths of water. Wini struggled across the lake with the same amount of grace as an injured duck.Â
Eventually, she did manage to reach the shore, supporting herself on the slimey rocks that surrounded the lake. Her pajamas clung to her like a second skin, coughing became increasingly more difficult, water that left a burning sensation in her throat dripped down her chin.Â
Wini flopped herself on her back in a tired heap, she stared at the blinding light in the sky. The moon. A hoarse laugh left her, channeling all the exhaustion she felt into the night air.Â
No end, no heaven, no god - just the moon.
Something wet joined her already wet face. Tears trickled down her cheeks in soft droplets of despair. Wini wasnât exactly sure what she was supposed to be feeling. Shock, fear, terror, panic, dread? Her mind could not comprehend her surroundings, couldnât wrap around what had just happened. How did she get here? How did she end up somewhere deep underground to the middle of nowhere? That horrid room with the tall walls and those creepy status.Â
Why? A question she couldnât answer - wouldnât want an answer to.
The girl turned on her side, wrapping her arms around herself in comfort. Her clothes were wet, it was the middle of the night, cold wind slapped against her form. Dread coild inside her stomach.Â
She might have lain there pathetically curled in on herself forever, but the unmistakable sound of small padded feet reached her ears. In her moment of sullen carelessness, something warm sneaked up on her and nuzzled itself against her icy skin. Looking down at the bundle of white fur made immediate warmth spread inside her.Â
âHow did you find me, Lady?â Her raspy voice uttered. Brushing a hand over her little head, the cat purred in content.Â
At least Wini wasnât alone anymore. In her familiarâs presence she feltâŚlighter. Lady surely knew the way back home, if Wini didnât freeze to death first. That was all she wanted to do now. Lay down on her bed, pull her blanket over her head until she felt better.
In the distance a crow cawed, and she flinched. The statues, the loud cries that drilled into her ears. Dirty black shoes entered her field of vision. When her gaze met that of her brotherâs, her aching eyes again filled with tears. After that terrifying ordeal she wanted nothing more than to be comforted, to be held and protected.Â
Harvey had a solemn look on his face and she knew she would find no comfort there, the emotions he portrayed were as usual undetectable. If she didnât know her brother as well as she did, she would say he seemed unbothered. Nonetheless, her brother was a hard man to read, it was almost impossible to decipher the frown that graced his expression now. To untrained eyes perhaps, but she could see that calculating glint in his eyes that told her he was looking at this situation from all possible angles.Â
Her heart lurched into her stomach. He was upset. Harvey balanced himself on his cane, staring down at her and throwing the dry clothes from beneath his arm haphazardly at her feet. He knelt down to meet her eyes.
âYou should have told me.âÂ
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
Wini stared at the flames in front of her, how much it resembled that candle from herâŚdream or her vision - whatever it was. After their very silent trudge back home they had entered their home, and with an exaggerated flick of his hand, her brother had lit the fireplace. He had dragged a chair from the dining room table across the hardwood floor, emitting a horrible scraping noise that had made her cringe terribly. Quite dramatic in her opinion. He had forced her to sit down, her shaking hands reached forward in hopes the fire would share some of its warmth.
There was something inching itself forward at the back of her mind. An inkling of a distant memory she couldnât recall. Something. SomethingâŚimportant. A stabbing pain added to her already aching head, intending to put the thought aside for now.
Currently, with a blanket tightly wrapped around her shoulders, she was acutely aware that her brother was watching her, but she refused to meet his enquiring gaze. Refused to move her attention away from the dancing flames. The occasional tick of a clock, the constant dripping of her wet hair, her pajamas that laid discarded in a wet pile in the corner of the room.
Wini had never considered herself a very religious person, especially in her line of work. How could she? Christianity strictly forbid it - witchcraft. To them witches were servants of the devil that needed to be rid of this world one way or another. In old christian fashion usually done by the means of a burning pyre. Witches werenât religious by nature, or at least followers of the christian lord. The only thing they served was the balance. To persevere and prosper, to keep the balance at all costs.
But in that short moment - that very short moment. When the light illuminated the darkness around her, it warmed her skin and she believed. Believed there was something. Something that was looking out for her, that held her in its grace to protect her from all danger.Â
And then there was nothing. She woke up, and instead of being face to face with its light it was nothing that met her at the end of that tunnel, it was a cruel reality.Â
For days she had been feeling strange, she first assumed it was her lack of sleep, but those odd voices werenât just mere figments of her imagination. They actively affected her reality, the flickering lights in the bathroom, the warning they gave her when Erica fell. She wasnât crazy. Something ancient was communicating with her. Witches were far more aware of these sort of things. Spirits channeling through them to convey their grievances.
So why had they chosen her? What were their grievances?
Wini wrapped the scratchy blanket tighter around her shoulders. Lady had left them the moment they had come home to hide somewhere else, she probably sensed the suffocating atmosphere.
Her brother was the first to speak, pushing himself away from the doorframe to walk in her direction. âYou know when you were little you would wander into the woods behind our houseâŚand youâd make friends with all the frogs in the backyard.â Where exactly was he going with this? âYouâd be missing for hours, mother was always worried but father seemed to be moreâŚlenient in your indulgence.âÂ
It was rare to find Harvey speaking of the past. Not once had he mentioned their parents after their passing. A topic Harvey refused to partake in, it used to drive her mad. How he always tiptoed around the matter. Wini must have been nine or ten, just a girl on the brink of childhood, when they were taking from her - she hardly remembered them. But Harvey - he spent his entire teenage years with them. She found it hard to believe he had only been seventeen when they died. A seventeen year old taking care of a small girl that just lost her parents.Â
Perhaps, she sometimes forgot he lost them too.
âYouâve always been more attuned with nature. It runs in your blood after all.â His foot nudged hers to make her look at him. âYouâre not going to say anything?âÂ
âWhat do you want me to say?â She snapped in his direction. Quite frankly, Wini had no idea how she ended up in that lake. She remembered spending her Saturday in bed, researching the scaley creature that would ensure Isaacâs freedom. How she managed to end up in that cavern instead of being surrounded by her messy notes and books she had no idea. And him delighting in the past wasnât going to make her remember.
If it was even real.
âMaybe whatâs been going on with you? What youâve been up to?â Harvey enquired, gripping the back of her chair to crouch down in front of her. âAnd donât think I donât know about the grimoires missing from my study.â
Winifred stared at the old red carpet at her feet, guilt written all over her face as well as unshed tears that lined her eyes. She felt like a little kid, being scolded for dropping something expensive in her fatherâs study. She was trapped in that little girlâs body, who stood before her father with a trembling lip.
When she didnât say anything, or more like her mouth refused to open without breaking down in tears, Harvey pushed her further for answers.Â
âYou made me believe you were spending time with Lydia. Not breaking teeenage boys out⌠out ofâŚjail.â His hand moved with his words, carelessly flicking it around at a loss for words. She did meet his eyes now. Wini tried her hardest to find the strength to ask him how. How he knew about Isaac? Did Derek tell him? She knew if she did, it would only make him upset, or he might outright refuse to answer - like he always did.
Lydia and her werenât friends anymore, she kicked Wini out of her friend group months ago. She wanted to yell out at him, scream how pathetic she truly felt. She thought it was time - time sheâd finally admit to herself that Lydia hadnât been her friend for a long time. No matter how many times Wini told herself sheâd come around, she wonât. Lydia had found friendship somewhere else and Wini wasâŚalone. Sure, she had Isaac. For a few days. Now he had DerekâŚand Erica apparently. But to admit it out loud would mean it was real, so she remained silent. Pathetic.
âWhat happened? I thought we were fine,â he spoke softly. Her brotherâs fingers gently wrapped around the hand that had been tightly clutching the blanket to her chest.Â
Suddenly, he looked younger, exactly like that teenage boy that used to look out for her. âNow I find out youâve been lying to meâŚand sneaking out?â Wini sighed. âThis isnât what we do.â She wanted to huff, betrayed and baffled by his words. Her brother was shameless, how dare he say that to her? So he sets the rules and she had to mindlessly follow?
âYouâre the one that hasnât been telling me things,â she stated firmly. Derek, what really happened to Lydia. The list of secrets he had been keeping had become endless, and she was certain she didnât know half of it. âWhy was Derek here the night of the Winter Formal?â She needed to know. Needed to know how exactly he was involved. How much he knew, how much he refused to tell her. She wouldnât be able to trust him otherwise.
He exhaled heavily, letting go of her hand to stand up. âThis is what this is about?â Harvey exclaimed. âNo, actually I know what this is aboutâŚthis is about Isaac. Youâre looking for that thing that killed his father.â It was baffling how confident he was, how safe he felt in changing the subject. His hands lifted towards his face, covering it in pure exhaustion. âDo you deny it?â He turned back in her direction, his voice raising in volume, waiting for a response with a stern expression. âWinifred, do you?â
âOf course, I am. Heâs my friend and heâs innocent.â How could he not see? This was important. She had the means to help him!
âNo, heâs not. Heâll drag you down with him. Let Hale handle it,â he spouted dismissively. Why was everybody so insistent on pushing Isaac to the side? To Derek of all people.
âI wouldnât let that jerk handle anything,â she stood from her chair, the blanket falling to the ground with a thud. Feeling the immediate change of cradled warmth to cold wet reality to face her brother. âIs there something youâre hiding?â
âYouâre not getting involved in this, Winifred,â Harvey harshly told her. She stared at him with disbelief. Unbelievable. He moved her across the country, made her join some strange coven, invited Derek Hale into the safety of her home - but she couldnât get involved?
âIâm already involved in this if you like it or not,â she stepped closer to him, watched him uneasily balance himself on his wooden cane.Â
âI helped you find Lydia, but I think I have been too gentle in raising you,â he spoke coldly, channeling all the unspoken disappointed in his voice.
Gentle? He murdered someone right in front of her that night. How was that anything close to âparentingâ? âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â Whatever right he thought he had to make her stay away from this, she will have to make it crystal clear to him that he didnât have it.
What was he going to do? Give her a curfew? So she couldnât go to all the parties she had been invited to anymore?Â
âYouâre not hanging out with him anymore, or with ScottâŚor any of his friends,â he ordered. Her eyebrow raised in shock. Was he banning werewolves for her? How was she supposed to stop âhanging outâ with them? Scott and her went to the same school, what was she supposed to do? Change all her classes, avoid lunch, be incredibly careful walking down the hallways in case Scott was heading to his next class? And IsaacâŚwell Isaac was still a fugitive, she hadnât seen him since his little visit. A detail she was sure not to mention in front Harvey in case his next brilliant plan was to brick up all her windows.
His supposed punishment was flawed in every way, entirely made from blinded rage. A pitiful excuse of trying to make her respect him.
âYou canât tell me what to do,â her teeth clenched in anger. She hoped he could sense it. Her resolve. She wasnât a little girl anymore, she would not budge no matter what control he thought he had over her.
âYes, I can,â he threatened with an edge to his voice, bending down closer to her. âI am your brother,â he poked her in the chest, making her stumble back. âYour guardian, the only family you have left, and I have decided.â He towered above her, staring her down in hopes she would back down. Apparently, she wasnât the only one that would not break their resolve.
âOh, and what have you decided?â She mocked, swallowing down the tremble in her voice. Winifred had a terrible feeling he would cross that line. That thin line that separated them from complete estrangement. They have been playing this game of push and tug for a long time. If he crossed it now, there might not be a way back.Â
âI forbid it.â There it was.
âYou forbid it?â Wini seethed. It was laughable at best, for him to think he had any leverage to speak to her this way. But sheâd do it if he wanted. Sheâll push. Sheâll push him until he falls on to the other side of that line.Â
âI forbid you from seeing him.â A laugh that was more an astonished choke of air left her lips. It felt like a slap in the face. After all these years of trying to belong, forging friendships that didnât last, being seen as weird for what they are. And the one time she actually managed to make a friend, she wasnât allowed to help him?Â
Oh, yeah, sheâll push.
âYouâre not my father, you canât tell me what to do!â The hurt that crossed his face was immediate, and gone just as quick. His scowl turned sharp, and his eyes flicked away, refusing to meet her gaze again. In that moment she couldnât feel the guilt slowly traveling up her throat, overshadowed by the emotions that have been boiling up over these past few days.Â
âYouâre tired. You should go to bed. We have an early morning.â Wini gaze was harsh, looking for any excuse to push back, but she knew it was futile. Harvey was at the point of well chosen silence, entirely shut off from the rest of the world.Â
An annoyed shriek left her, rushing past him to run up the stairs to her room. For good measure she slammed her bedroom door closed with a loud bang. Throwing her wet form on to her bed, pushing her blankets back and throwing her head into her pillow.
A muffled scream tore from her lungs.
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
âFor many centuries aconitum was assumed to have healing properties. Humans used it to treat illnesses, to help with fever and infections. Oblivious to the fact they were actually poisoning themselves.â His hand cut through the space around them as he explained. âIt was later used as a strong poison but that only happened hundreds of years after it became centralized in traditional medicine. In the late Middle Ages, when witch trials became more popular in the central population, it received a new name. As itâs famously known now, Wolfsbane.â
One thing Wini could appreciate about her elder brother was that he was completely confident in the way he spoke. He could go off about the biggest nonsense and people would still nod and happily smile in agreement. Harvey was in his element. This was his thing - teaching. Her fellow coven members surrounded him in a circle, listening to him ramble on about witchy history, while he casually leant against an old tree stump.
The location the elders had chosen for his test was right outside the wooden structure, where they often held their meetings. Winifred felt the calmness of the trees as they swayed to the music of the cold wind, she could hear the singing of the birds that resided deep in the pinesâ crowns. She always felt closer to her magic when she was outside - nature was the purest medium for a witch after all.
In her brotherâs palm rested a vial of the purple petals, she remembered their disgustingly bitter taste. Very fitting.
Wini looked around the group, watched as they hung to his every word. She was certain it wasnât their eagerness to learn. He always liked performing. Her great grandma Mabel used to say âthat boy has a mouth full of honeyâ, usually when he managed to talk his way out of trouble.
An involuntary smile forced itself on to her face, almost making her forget this morning. Winifred was feeling rather irritatedâŚand guilty. Mostly guitly. Not a word has been exchanged between them since. Silence followed them like a dark cloud, even when they made their way to the gathering, not a word was said.Â
Winifred felt too hurt to apologise, and Harvey was as stubborn and prideful as they come. He would rather lose his other leg than admit he was wrong, choosing his grumbling over a simple âsorryâ.Â
Since their family had been cut down to two people, Wini couldnât remember an instance in which they ever fought quite like this. Yes, they had quarrels and they bickered to no end, as siblings often do. This felt different.Â
The truth wasâŚWini was afraid. What if they couldnât fix this? What if they couldnât come back from this? If Harvey was so insistent on her to never speak to either Scott and Isaac again, who did she have left? Lydia was out of the picture, and then came Isaac. Sweet, nervous Isaac. Winifred didnât know how she managed through those god awful months were she had no one. And that was what Harvey wanted her to go back to? If she choose Isaac, sheâd lose her brother. If she choose Harvey, sheâd lose her only friend.
She couldnât win, no matter what she did.Â
Isaac and her were just starting to get to know each other, and it took one werewolf to ruin it all. She missed it. Going out on Fridays, trips to the mall, the cinema - god, Wini missed going to the movies. That sickeningly sweet smell of popcorn, sitting in the back row, talking in hushed whispers about everyone and everything. Even when Lydia called her a dork for liking all the mushy romance movies. She missed it.
But most importantly Wini missed having a friend.Â
Although, Issac was a boy and the only real contact Wini has ever had with the opposite gender was her brother or Jackson, who hated his girlfriends with a passion, it was easy with him. He was easy to talk to, to be comfortable with - perhaps it was due to the fact that they were both incredibley awkward. She couldnât help but think that those few days she had with him were taken for granted.
Harvey could not truly believe she would actually abide by his ridiculous demand, right? How was that fair? If only he spoke to her, told her about why, and everything would be less complicated. He kept secrets, lied to her, worked with Derek Hale behind her back. Maybe once her brother decided she was worth to know about everything, sheâll start listening, until that happened, sheâll hang around whoever she liked.Â
The exhaustion of her little trip to the woods the night prior left her with an aching pain in her temple. Her eyes raked over her peers, they were the same age as her, witches and warlocks alike. Although, the Grimms have been members for the past seven years, they were still considered outsiders, Wini even more so. She rarely attended meetings or lessons, preferring the solitude of high school than interacting with crazed witches. The worst the students of Beacon Hills High could do was push her inside a locker - witches will set your hair on fire.Â
She recognised some of them, Wini was fairly certain the girl with the unruly red hair beside her was named Matilda, and further down stood her elder brother Edmund. The witch remembered talking to the two once or twice when she was younger, nothing ever happened afterwards - no friendship, no other talks, nothing. Edmund was surrounded by two more boys, she didnât know their names - or at least wasnât able to recall. One was shorter with messy brown hair and a face full of freckles, while the taller of the three was blonde and leaning against a tree with an arrogant smirk. They looked familiar, she could distantly recall the smaller versions of the two with the same exact smirk.
They talked in hushed whispered, snickering underneath their breaths, ignoring her brotherâs great speech. For a short moment, from across the circle, the eyes of the blonde settled on her, that smirk briefly turning in her direction - she could immediately tell. Trouble. Winifred averted her gaze to the crushed leafs at her feet, dismissing the uncomfortable sting in her stomach for now, the urge to make herself less noticeable becoming stronger. She really wanted to go home.Â
These were her people. Yet she felt no sense of familiarity or belonging, only the threat of being on the receiving end of a curse remained.
She had promised her brother sheâd listen to his lecture, to engage and smile politely, but she couldnât wait for it to end. Since Harvey would take no part in helping Isaac, Wini needed to keep researching. Which was going ratherâŚslow. She had no idea how to find this thing, she read through almost all the grimoires in Harveyâs study, even searching on various weird web forums that debated supernatural existence and their apparent proof. Dead end after dead end.
Deep inside her chest, she felt time slowly running out, and the terrible beating of her heart confirmed that unsettling feeling of something worse happening. What if that creature wasnât done? What if it came back? What if it came for Isaac?
Harvey, Stiles, even Scott had no reason to want to help Isaac, and they made their opinions on the matter loud and clear. All she had to go off were Harveyâs books, which ranged from all sorts of ancient languages that she had no hope of translating.Â
Perhaps she needed to look somewhere else, but where exactly was that?Â
She felt that helplessness completely devouring her spirit and leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Winifred had been so sure she could solve this mystery, and now stood before the first real obstacle she was already at her wits end. It wasnât fair to Isaac. Not fair that she was spending her day out and about while he hid somewhere in Derekâs lair.Â
Wini had to remind herself to breathe, or her already oxygen deprived brain would actually make her faint. The headache she went to sleep with remained with a throbbing pain at the back of her skull. Maybe she should seek out Derek. Isaac was part of his pack, Derek would surely want him declared innocent just as much as she did.Â
Was she desperate enough to do that? To grovel at his feet and beg for his help? Could she be cordial with him knowing full well what he was capable of - what Isaac was capable of now?
The thought alone disgusted her. She doubted Derek turned Isaac because of his big heart, and merely wanting to help out a troubled teen. A man like him had his own reasons, which in truth terrified her. What good reasons could someone like Derek Hale possibly have?Â
Here she was thinking about all the ways of finding that creature when she completely forgot about whoâs care she left Isaac in. God, Derek was probably already teaching him all the ways to steal a car, or how to stare someone down with the intensity of cut ice.Â
Her plan had too many variables, too much to lose, too much for one person.
Eventually, the sharp sounds of clapping snapped her out of the hole she found herself in. Next to her, Matilda enthusiastically applauded, Winiâs eyes first traveled to the girl, only then noticing that the group had collectively decided to give Harvey a standing ovation. She joined the circle with a little less enthusiasm, even if her opinion of her brother wasnât particular high at the moment, this was still important to him - so sheâd indulge himâŚfor now.Â
Harvey smiled, a toothy grin that cut across his entire face - Winifred had never seen him this happy.
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
Winifred grabbed another napkin, picking up the lemon cake slice and handing it to the older woman in front of her. She mustered up a smile that didnât quite reach her eyes. Perhaps if she did faint she could use it as an excuse to finally leave.Â
The woman snatched the slice out of her hand, almost scratching Winiâs delicate wrist. The old hag gave her a dirty look, leaving the witch flabbergasted as she limped away at a snailâs pace. What the hell?Â
âOh, donât worry about Mrs. Sallow. Her favorite past time is scaring children,â the voice that suddenly appeared next to her spoke up. Winiâs eyes meet those of the blonde boy from earlier, he didnât smirk anymore, instead a small smile graced his face now. He turned towards where Mrs. Sallow had disappeared to, surrounded by her likeminded old cronies no doubt.
âYeah, I couldâŚehmâŚsee that,â she carefully eyed the warlock in front of her. He was wearing beige trousers with a white dress shirt, exactly what youâd expect an old school rich kid to be wearing. He gave Mrs. Sallow a mocking smile, who only scowled in return. âWhat would you like?â The boyâs eyes snapped back towards her, and he stared at her without blinking for a second too long, perhaps only now noticing the table of all kinds of cakes and sweets in front of him.
âRight,â he muttered, thoughtfully eyeing the food. Wini couldnât help but be immediately suspicious, not once had any of them approached her forâŚanything. âListen, thatâs not why Iâm here.â And there it was. âI wanted to invite you toâŚâ Her eyes raised up at him in question. âTo a partyâŚwith the rest of usâŚnext Friday.â Winiâs eyebrows shut up in surprise. âI know youâre not very fond of usâŚor the coven reallyâŚall the more reason to get to know each other.â
Winifred remained speechless for a moment until she managed to find her voice to answer him. âOh, I donât knowâŚthatâs not really my scene.â It wasnât a lie per se, her last party ended rather poorly and she couldnât help the sneaking suspicion that came with the invite.Â
After a moment of a dumbstruck expression crossing his face, he quickly collected himself. âWe donât only party, you know. We also study together or just hang out,â he explained. âLook, donât give me an answer, just think about it?âÂ
âThanksâŚ,â she uttered, slowly realising she had not even asked his name.Â
âArthur,â he reached over the table, offering his hand for her to take. It shouldnât have struck her as strange, but being constantly surrounded by teenage boys, hearing how they spoke and joked - alias Jackson. An unfamiliar gesture but not an unwelcome one.Â
The corners of her mouth lifted as she took his hand in hers. Luckily, it reminded her to offer her own name. âWini.â With a ridiculously formal incline of his head, he took a step back to leave.
Watching his retreating form, his words did make her ponder, they studied? They performed witchcraft together. Witchcraft meant grimoires. Grimoires meant one step closer in finding out what creature killed Mr. Lahey.
âArthur,â she called out to him, halting him in his place. âI would really appreciate it if youâd help me brush up on a few things, if Iâm still invited to one of those study sessions that is?âÂ
âYes, sure.â Wini smiled, the thought of some progression forward in her investigation filled her with giddiness. At last. âIâll let you know when weâll me-,â the sudden hand on his shoulder stopped Arthur in his tracks.
âMr. Kingston,â Harvey announced nonchalantly. In her opinion, her brother must have sensed her joy, and came to ruin it. Maybe he overheard and already knew what she was planning. Her eyes scrutinised him, turning into slits. The cheering crowd had done him well. The last time she saw him he stood in a corner surrounded by a few elders of the coven, singing his praise no doubt. How he suddenly appeared next to the well frightened Arthur was beyond her.
âProfessor, you scared me,â Arthur chuckled, his uneasiness around Harvey almost amused her, if only she wasnât so upset still.
âLight as a feather.â Her brother smiled, the perfect picture of charm. âArthur, would you let me talk to my sister in private.â The warlock gave her a wide-eyed look, relieved he was given an out before he was pulled into an endless conversation about sage and mugwort.
She watched his retreating figure, left alone with Harvey, the silence returned. She busied herself with pushing some crumbs off the table. Her eyes shifted from her brother to a dirty spot on the table cloth, until she couldnât take his perfectly matriculate silence anymore. âHaving fun?â She didnât mean for it to come off as sarcastic as it did but alas.Â
Her brother squinted at her, disregarding her comment to speak on what seems to have been bothering him all day. âI would appreciate it if you didnât make friends with every stray you meet.â Her eyebrow did raise at that.
âHarvey, are you serious?â Her voice dropped low, embarrassed by the very idea of someone listening. âI canât be friends with Isaac, I canât be friends with Arthur. Who exactly do you want me to be friends with?â She couldnât believe it, only a few sentences exchanged with her brother, and an entirely new headache was already forming behind her eyes.
âHow about we keep it strictly human.â This was definitely not helping her temper with him today. When she was small girl, she always adored her big brother, followed him around everywhereâŚuntil she managed to get her own personality. Winifred didnât remember him ever being this inconsiderate, or even cruel.Â
âHuman? Harvey, weâre not even human.â Did she really have to explain this to him? Her brother hummed, and it was the most infuriating sound ever. âIâm serving them cake, Harvey. How am I supposed to-â The sight of the sparkling necklace immediately caught her attention.Â
Her brother was dangling her necklace in front of her face like a piece of cheese before a mouse. She hadnât worn it in days, looking at the swinging pendant, all prior anger fled from her mind. âI repaired it for you,â Harvey muttered, and dropped the necklace in her awaiting palm, turned around and left. No âyouâre welcomeâ, no time to sing his praise and revel in all the âthank yousâ she would give him.Â
Smiling at her beloved necklace, inspecting it for any scratches or warped metal. Once she felt satisfied, Wini opened the tiny clasp and hung it around her neck, where it belonged. She saw Harveyâs gift as what it was - an apology.
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
Her tray smacked down on the table, sitting down with deflated shoulders to munch on one of her carrot sticks lost in thought. Winiâs eyes met the startled look of Scott, his wide eyes made her halt in her movements. Did she have something on her face?Â
Oh, no. She completely misread their friendship, the last time she sat at his table was when Stiles invited her.Â
Winifred grabbed her tray, one more move from Scott and she would run off at a momentâs notice. They held intense eye contact for too long, she didnât dare to move and neither did he. He looked almostâŚstrained, like something was giving him immense pain. And then her head turned to the side, finally noticing the figure hidden behind the werewolf. Oh.
Brunette, beautiful in a deadly way - Allison. Why was she lurking behind Scott? Her ex-boyfriend no less. Winiâs eyes traveled between the two. There was something she didnât know, something that was deliberately hidden from her. She didnât like it one bit. The shocked expression on Scottâs face, the deer caught in headlight stare on Allisonâs. The dots were connecting, albeit slowly. Wini had no idea about the whole dating-thing, and then âbreaking up while still being in love with each otherâ-thing, but them being so secretive told her one thing.Â
They were still together. How scandalous.
She tried to stiff the smile that was slowly edging itself on to her face. Before a word could even leave her lips, the pretty brunette had already ran off. Oh. The corners of her mouth dropped immediately, turning back towards Scott, who watched his âexâ leave with a sort of longing that one could only see in movies. She leant forward, nudging herself closer to Scott to whisper. âDid I do something wrong?â
His mouth opened, maybe to comfort her a bit, or tell her about the very pressing thing they were mumbling about, but his mouth shut in an instance. Her frown deepened, she caught Stiles in the corner of her eye rushing to his side, who came fromâŚsomewhere. How did everyone manage to sneak up on her? âScott. Do you see that?â
Scott secretiveness, him yearning after Allison, yes, she has.
âWhat, itâs an empty table.â Winifred turned abruptly, searching for what they were apparently looking at.Â
âYeah, but whose empty table?â She looked back at the two, and waited for the pin to drop. The empty table was supposed to mean something to her? Whose table? Someone. She was supposed to be thinking of someone. Someone who owned the table apparently.
âBoyd,â Scott revealed with an expression of utter shock. A frown appeared on Winiâs face, watching them gather their things to leave.Â
Who the hell is Boyd?
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
Soon after, the three of them were apparently skipping school to find Boyd, Derekâs next victim. As it turned out they were speaking of Vernon Boyd. Silent type, like her. Boyd was actually in her math class, and he was nice enough.Â
They always were, Isaac, Erica, and now Boyd - Derek had a type.Â
Winifred was trailing behind Scott and Stiles as they headed towards the exit. It was quite sweet how Scott worried about Boyd as she often did about Isaac these days. Perhaps now they could work together to find that creature, she almost squealed in delight at the thought - she wouldnât have to do it on her own anymore.
âIâm gonna go to the ice rink and see if heâs there,â Scott explained. Ah, right, Boyd was in mortal danger. Wini was quite confused what the exact plan was, stop Boyd from going through with it? How were the three of them supposed to do that?Â
She didnât know a lot about Vernon Boyd, they werenât friends - mostly because she didnât have many friends. But Scott and Stiles seemed to know him at least, so her question did seem reasonable. âWhy the ice rink?âÂ
âHe works there,â he clarified, stopping his rant for a short moment to answer her. Winiâs mouth turned into the shape of an âOâ, she could have come to that conclusion on her own. âAnd if heâs not at home, you call me, got it?â Scott continued to convey his brilliant plan, which wasnât a plan at all. Talk with him. That was it. While he was undeterred by her question, the constant side eyeing Stiles was giving him made him finally snap. âWhat?â
âMaybe we should let him,â Scott and her shared a look. âBoyd, you know, man? You said Derekâs giving them a choice, right?â A reasonable thought. One she did already consider. What if Boyd was like Isaac? Derek preyed on insecurities, fear andâŚabuse. How could they deter Boyd from choosing this? Boyd was nice, Erica was kind, Isaac was sweet. And even they were desperate enough to take the bite.Â
SoâŚwhat if Boyd was like Isaac?
âWe canât,â Scott plainly stated, pushing his friend forward to walk more hastily.
âYou got to admit, Erica looks pretty good. You know the word âsensationalâ comes to mind.â Wini almost tripped over her own feet.
Her eyes stared at the back of Stilesâ head. âShe was âsensationalâ before, you know.â The sudden urge to protect Erica hit her, if it was Ericaâs honour or her own, Wini wasnât sure. Regardless, Erica was sensational, more now than ever, the moment she walked into the cafeteria it was if all else ceased to exist. It was demeaning in a way, Erica was really good in English, she wrote essays that would put Shakespeare to shame, did Stiles know that?
âThatâs not what I meant.â She doubted it. âShe is more confident, you know. I dig that.â Wini frowned at his explanation.
Eww.
âYou dig that?â Astonishment turned into disgust, to imagine what exactly Stiles âdigsâ made her whole body shudder. Lydia and Erica, who would have thought. Pretty women, Stilesâ kryptonite.Â
âHow good do you think sheâs gonna look with a wolfsbane bullet in her head?â Scott interrupted, ending their back and forth like a cut from a knife.
âJesus,â Wini voiced her horror, even more appalled by his dark thoughts than Stilesâ dirty ones.
âAlright, all Iâm saying is maybe this one isnât totally your responsibility.â Her head turned to the side in consideration. No, it wasnât Scottâs responsibility- it was Derekâs.
âThey all are. And you know this thingâs gonna get out of control. That makes me responsible.â Not enough to help prove Isaacâs innocence apparently. Scott felt guilty - Winifred felt guilty too. But he lacked perspective, it wasnât like he was friends with any of them. If what Stiles said was true, and Derek let them choose, none of them had the faintest idea what made them even consider becoming werewolves. Maybe Derek was an asshole, but Isaac was so hurt and afraid, he choose it, and Wini was sure Boyd and Erica werenât much different.Â
âAlright, Iâm with you.â How sweet. âAnd I also got to say this newfound heroism is making me very attracted to you.â Oh, my god. There was definitely a reason she only hung around Lydia - boys were disgusting.
âShut up.â The werewolf looked almost bashful, dare she say flustered?
âNo, seriously. Do you want to just try making out for a sec? Just to see how it feels.â She was going to have to leave this conversation before she made herself sick. And of what use would she be then? Wini rushed past them, now more determined than ever. Find Boyd, talk to him, and if he still wanted to go through with this - oh, well.
âWhere are you going?â Stiles called after her as she opened the heavy steel doors with both hands. She turned at his voice, surprisingly, she managed to smile through the severity of the situation.Â
âTo find Boyd!â
Oh, hello! Two months laterâŚsorry about that! Iâm going to be very honest, I do not like this chapter. Thatâs also why this chapter took so long, i felt so unmotivated to write and edit. And because of all the very nice comments I actually found the energy to finally finish it, so thank you <3
Hope you all had a merry Christmas (to those that celebrated) and happy holidays <3
I guess Iâll be seeing you next yearâŚget it? ŮŠ(ËáË )Ů
Just a little note, Iâve been doing some editing on the already uploaded chapters, nothing plot-wise, I just noticed that the italics did not take over after copy & paste, so thatâs annoying. As well as that I somehow managed to copy & paste some parts multipel times (￣︿￣) . And I also changed the gifs and stuff (that will happen a lot in the future as well).
Regarding the next chapter, I want it to come out on FridayâŚbecause ya knowâŚHalloween, and that be kinda cool, so letâs see if I manage to do that.
Anyway thank you for all the support I have been receiving, itâs truly mind blowing to me how anyone can read the slop I write â˘âŠâ˘ and Iâm sorry that the chapters take such a long time to write but now that Iâve started uni, itâs all just a little bit hectic. So thanks for the much appreciated patience! <3
summary â WINIFRED GRIMM has never had her first kiss, and at the age of sixteen, this seems to be a grave crime at Beacon Hills High School. When Lydia Martin finds out that Wini is indeed a prude, she is quick to replace her with the likes of Allison Argent. While Wini never had trouble making friends this betrayal pinches her fragile heart a little too harshly.
And in the end, Guinevere is aloneâŚuntil Lancelot comes along.Â
Or...
IN WHICH a teenage witch dreams of a fairytale love story, only to fall for Beacon Hillsâ newly turned werewolf.
chapter warnings â angst, nothing else
word count â 6.8k
gif credit â @/stackhousesookie
THE AIR FELT STRANGELY ELECTRIC, the students of Beacon Hills High were buzzing surrounding the new gossip. Isaac Lahey had been arrested for murder, and had escaped confinement soon after. The questions of âwhyâ and âhowâ were left unanswered. For now, Isaac remained a fugitive until the police apprehended him. Considering he was learning from a master criminal, Derek Hale, that could take a while.
It was truly an uncanny feeling. When Wini had awoken from her two hours of sleep that morning, she had almost forgotten the nightâs prior happenings. It wasnât until she came downstairs, being met by her elder brotherâs well rested face with a cup of coffee in hand, that she felt the strange humming. He had given her an all knowing smile, placing todayâs newspaper on the table before slowly rising from his seat to get himself another cup.
She had throughly rubbed the sleep from her eyes, dragging her tired legs to the long wooden table, her stomach had grumbled at the thought of making herself breakfast. But the glimpse at Harveyâs discarded newspaper made her lose her appetite. The front page read in bold letters âMURDERER AT LARGEâ, and her heart had plummeted to her stomach. Isaac.
Wini watched her classmates scatter around, it felt like no time had passed at all. A little to her left, Lydia and Allison were chatting at their lockers. Jackson, who walked past with a repulsive scowl in her direction. Scott and Stiles jokingly pushing each other around, before a longing look crossed the werewolfâs face that made him halt right in front of Allison. Those two were so oblivious it almost hurt to watch.
And Wini? She was leaning against her locker without anyone to talk to.
It felt surreal that theyâd only known each other for barely a week. What was to become of them now? She was extremely uncertain of their future, Isaac was a fugitive. To clear his name could take years. Against her better judgment, her mind traveled back to yesterday. The flickering of the candles that depicted Isaac in a beautiful yellow light. How happy he seemed. How carefree he was without the threat of his father looming over his head.
And only for a second - nothing else mattered.
Happy. That was how she liked to remember him. Not as the scared boy that sat trembling in the police station. It was an indescribable feeling, one she had never experienced before, but one she welcomed nonetheless.
But the matter of fact was - she was back to being alone. Lydia hadnât made an attempt to talk to her, neither had Allison. Why would they?
Was this just how it was supposed to be?
Who had Wini wronged so badly that she would have to spend her eternity alone?
In her sixteen years of life, she had never imagined high school to be this lonely. Or was just her?
It didnât matter now. It couldnât. She could not wallow in self pity while Isaac was running from the police. So what was the first step of solving the brutal murder of a man? Find the real culprit.
Easier said than done.
âIncredibly strong and fastâ was what Derek had said. There werenât a lot of things that could top a werewolf in this case. A vampire, perhaps? But vampires drain their victims of blood, not slash them into pieces. A vengeful spirit? A wild centaur? Someone wouldâve definitely noticed a half-horse half-man running around.
For a lack of better words, Wini feltâŚstumped. After school she definitely had to hit the books, Harveyâs grimoires to be specific. This whole thing feltâŚintentional. Why would it attack Mr. Lahey but not Isaac? The news said he was murdered in his car, that his son had somehow ripped off the vehicleâs door and disfigured him. So why him but not Isaac? Could this truly be vengeful intent rather than a macabre coincidence?
How was she supposed to find a supernatural creature in books thousand years older than her with no idea what she was even looking for? She had no description or name for whatever did this.
The only person that could truly give her answers was Isaac. Who was in hiding with no way of contacting. Wini wanted to curse at this entire situation. She had a bad feeling that this was not the first time and certainly not the last time something like this would happen. Someone else was going to get hurt. She was sure of it.
Winifred couldnât shake that feeling thatâs been following her all week. First, Lydia going missing. Wini spitting up black dirt and Lady becoming sick. Isaacâs father getting torn apart byâŚsomething. And she wasnât the only one, even Deaton with his mysterious loner nature could feel it, enough to mention it to them. Was this what the druid spoke about? Natureâs balance and all that?
Something was hiding in the dark. And it just made itâs first move.
A long sigh left her lips, her head hitting the hard metal of the locker behind her. Frustration coursed through her veins. But she needed to get through this day first. Wini turned towards the padlock, her nimble fingers picked at the worn letters of her combination. She made no secret for her dislike towards her next lesson. P.E. was definitely the worst subject to have after a night of prison break, and running on a maximum of two hours sleep.
As she exchanged her backpack for her gym bag, she heavily debated on convincing Coach Finstock that she was feeling too unwell to participate in todayâs activity. But her conscience laid heavy on her shoulders. She couldnât skip again, yesterdayâs theatrics had given her so much anxiety, Wini was afraid sheâll lie herself into an early grave.
With one final huff, she pushed herself forward, and reluctantly made her way towards the girlâs changing room. Her strength had already left her for the day, not at all excited for whatever cruel joke of a lesson Coach had come up with.
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
Her fingers tightened the knot of her shoelaces, Wini had changed into her gym clothes in an agonizing slow pace. Her peers seemed to be in the same mood as her, many of her classmates tightening their ponytails and whispering their dismay to their friends.
On the opposite side of the small wooden benches sat Allison, mimicking Winiâs action in fastening her own laces. Their eyes met for a short second, an awkward smile etched its way on to the brunetteâs face before her eyes quickly downcasted to continue to listen to whatever Lydia was going on about. It must seem quite strange that just yesterday, Issac, who the girl thought was her boyfriend might she add, was arrested and then escaped from custody.
The thought made her momentarily halt, did she know? She was an Argent after all, and Isaac was a werewolf now. But it seemed so silly, Allison that was dating Scott McCall? Would she have been going out with a werewolf if she really was a hunter? The answer was noâŚunless she found out and that was why they broke up? That seemed ridiculous, Wini had seen Allison hang around Scott and Stiles, when Lydia first went missing for example. But it was true that they seemed far more distant than they used to. This entire thing was just way too complicated for her taste.
The moment Coach Finstock walked through the door with a clipboard in hand she straightened her posture, instantly distracting her from her muddled thoughts. âLadies, hopefully everybody is dressed because Iâm coming in,â he announced. âListen up. Anybody sees Isaac Lahey, you immediately tell the principal, get a teacher, or you call me.â Wini could practically feel the side eye Allison was giving her. She had to remind herself that he was safe, with the help of Derek and the added agility, Isaac would be safe. For now.
âAlright, now get in there!â For good measures, Coach blew his whistle that hung around his neck, emitting a terrible shrill noise that made her, alongside her classmates, wince.
Winifred felt immediately winded once she saw the rock wall hoisted on mats and boxes piled on top of each other. Turning towards Coach, she hoped this was some cruel joke of his, surely he didnât expect her to climb that, did he?
Seeing her male classmates already surrounding the area, ready to take on the challenge, Wini was throughly disappointed. She joined the group of onlookers, studying the giant wall for herself. There was no way Wini would get up there in a timely manner. Already imagining all the ways she could miserably fail at this task.
âEverybody, listen!â Her teacher exclaimed. âGet to the top, get a good grade. Understood?â The class had gone unusually quiet, when no one answered, the man continued. âPerfect! McCall, Argent, you go first. Letâs go!â She could only cringe once more as he blew into his torture instrument, successfully causing a high pitched ringing in her ears as he stood right next to her.
Allison and Scott made easy progress as they started their way up the tower of terror. The girl moved with a sort of grace Wini could only dream of. She did note that the two were taking their sweet time, whispering and smiling to each other. For the life of her she could not figure out the pair, for not being together anymore they sure enjoyed each otherâs company. Were they together or not? Did Wini even want to know? This whole thing seemed way to complicated to her, once, or more like if, Wini got a boyfriend, a real one this time, she wouldnât be doing this tiptoeing. Either be together or donât be.
To her right, she noticed Coach Finstock impatiently looking at his watch. Maybe if they took too long to reach the top, Wini wouldnât have to climb up there?
It was truly only a moment that she was distracted, in that short second Scott must have lost his footing and slipped. He came crashing down on the safety mat, emitting joyful laughter from the crowd, even Wini couldnât hold back an amused smile at his stunned expression. Sneaking a glimpse up at Allison, who smugly glanced down at him, Wini soon realised this wasnât because of Scottâs apparent slippery feet. This was sabotage.
Coach bent down to join Scott on the blue mat. âMcCall, I donât know why, but your pain gives me a special kind of joy. Right?â Yeah, this was going to be horrible. If that was Coachâs reaction, accompanied with the classâ shameful hollering, Wini felt the pressure even more.
âAll right, next two. Stilinski, Erica, letâs go. The wall.â At least she wasnât next, she could try and analyse the best way of getting up there without embarrassing herself. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the two walk to the front.
Wini was quite surprised at Ericaâs choice of clothing, a thick hoodie with matching sweatpants, a very brave thing to wear to Coachâs class. She didnât think much of it, let the girl wear what she wanted even if a heatstroke was inevitable. The nerves of the girl with the unruly blonde hair was basically written all over her face, a sentiment Wini could full heartedly share.
While the blonde took quite some time to get her footing, Stiles, to his credit, made quick work of reaching the top, already jumping down before Erica made it halfway up. Wini was surprisingly impressed by him, this didnât seem to be his sort of thing, especially since he was a regular bench-sitter in lacrosse.
As time went on, it became increasingly clear that Erica wasnât moving, not at all wanting to continue her climb up the wall. Once, Wini noticed the girl was shaking uncontrollably, worry immediately seized her.
Alongside her classmates, Wini took an attentive step forward, observing the scene in front of her in shock as Erica started to hyperventilate. The girl could only mutter a soft âhelp, pleaseâ as she weakly clung to the colorful grips.
âErica? Dizzy? Is it vertigo?â Coach probed loudly beside her.
âVertigoâs a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear.â Wini couldnât even appreciate Lydiaâs rare show of knowledge, perhaps her breakup with Jackson had finally stopped her weak attempt at acting stupid? âSheâs just freaking out.â It sure as hell didnât seem like âjust freaking outâ.
âErica,â her teacher called out to her again.
âIâm fine.â Whispers tore through the gymnasium, she wasnât convincing anybody.
âMaybe someone should climb up and help her down?â Wini suggested, looking around to see if anyone agreed with her.
Stiles, who was still harnessed to the wall made a move to hoist himself back up towards her but halted once Erica shrieked out. âNo! Iâm fine.â
Apparently she was determined to insist she was alright, Erica wasnât going to make it up or down with the way she was clutching the wall with shaking hands.
The people behind her kept pushing Wini forward, desperate to sneak a peek at Ericaâs struggle. A bunch of noisy bloodhounds if youâd ask her. It was pathetic and mean to take some sick enjoyment out of her panic.
âCoach, maybe itâs not safe. You know sheâs epileptic,â Allison revealed nonchalantly, and Winiâs eyes might have actually grown in size. For how long had Erica and her shared classes, and not once had she known she was epileptic? The blonde was like her in many ways, guarded her peace, sat alone at lunch andâŚwellâŚdidnât have any friends.
âWhy doesnât anybody tell me this stuff? Erica, youâre fine. Just kick off from the wall. Thereâs a mat to catch you. Come on.â
Thankfully, Erica hesitantly pushed herself away from the wall, safely landing on the mat with shaking legs. âSee, youâre fine. Youâre on the ground. Youâre alright. Letâs go. Shake it off. Youâre fine.â
Concern etched its way on to Winiâs face, watching Erica storm off, she was clearly embarrassed. And the hall of laughing idiots were not helping. Some of the boys were pushing each other in laughter, she knew they were on the lacrosse team. Even Jackson couldnât shut his mouth, snickering in great amusement, it made anger flare up inside her.
Wini didnât voice her dismay.
âAlright, calm down everybody!â Coach takes a moment to study his clipboard before calling out to the group. âGrimm, Bennett! Youâre next. Letâs go!â
Oh, man.
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
Wini tentatively buttoned up her blouse, stuffing her sweaty sports clothes into her discarded bag. After that mess of a P.E. lesson, in which she actually managed to reach the top, in a snailâs pace, yes, but she did it and she considered that a win in her books.
Next, she slowly but surely zipped up her boots, sitting down on the bench to make it easier on her. She was lost in her thoughts as she often was nowadays when she had no one to talk to. Even as she was climbing that godforsaken wall she was distracted. The truth was - she felt bad. Really bad.
Erica was basically being bullied for something as minuscule as having an incurable illness, and Wini didnât speak up. She did that a lot these days. If only she had spoken up sooner, Isaac wouldnât be a fugitive, he wouldnât have been in pain any longer, they would have gone to the police, or maybe she could have had a stern talk with that father of his that involved his brain being scrambled until it was set right. If only she hadnât been too afraid to lose him. If only she hadnât been so selfish.
Regardless, it was too lateâŚbut with EricaâŚshe couldnât take back the mean laughter but she could still talk to her. Make her feel better at least. The witch took a second to scan the girlâs changing room for the blonde. Did she already leave? Had she truly been so lost in thought she hadnât noticed? It couldnât have been more than ten minutes since Coach told them to get out of his sight.
It was almost like this whisper that made her head immediately snap towards the direction she assumed it came from. Her eyes locked on to the closed gymnasium door in an instance, zeroing in on the metal, half expecting for someone to walk into the room to tell her what she was missing. It was like that time in the bathroom when she had felt that raging headache that almost made her collapse right then and there. Wini strained her ears, intently listening for the next calling of those strange voices.
When no such thing happened, she decided to investigate it herself, cautiously of course. Her feet carried her forward, her footsteps drilling into her ears as the world around her became impossibly silent. That rush of blood, that tingling at her fingertips, that unsettling feeling that made her heart beat uncontrollably.
Something edged her forward, pleading her to open the door and let them inside. The whispers came back as she reached for the door handle, as if they were pleased that she was following their instructions. No words were spoken, no words she understood, no words she could hold on to and try to understand.
Her fingers werenât even able to wrap around the handle before the hand on her arm made her momentarily stop her movement. âHey, you okay?â To say Wini was surprised to find Allison standing next to her would be an understatement. She sounded concerned, and in that very moment Wini couldnât grasp why. She needed to open the door, needed to see what lay behind it.
âYeahâŚyeah, itâs justâŚ,â her voice drifted off, not entirely sure what she was going to say. It was just what? She was hearing voices that told her to do things, and now she needed to do just that?
That gnawing feeling hadnât left her, and before she could really think about the insinuations of why creepy voices were whispering in her ear, she pressed down on the handle. The only thing she knew was that she needed to open that door.
It felt like that hand on the door handle hadnât belong to her, almost like she was trapped inside her own body, while she watched it do whatever it pleased. Her hand shook, her muscles tightened and her stiff neck was preventing her to look away from the scene in front of her.
Wini had opened the door just in time to see Erica fall from that terribly high wall. Gratefully, she was caught by Scott, inhumanly so. Wini could vaguely recall seeing Allison run past her, followed by other classmates of hers. Even when they rushed past her to reach the shocking scene, she couldnât move away from the doorway.
She wasnât sure if it was fear or something else that held her in place. Across the room stood Stiles, fairly quickly did she notice him watching her. Perhaps it was confusion or pity that she detected in his expression. Her eyes didnât stray on him for long, catching a glimpse of Erica through the crowd of people. Scott had put her on her side, she was shaking uncontrollably.
Winifred had eventually regained the use of her body, her tense muscles loosening from their strained position. Her legs carried her over to the circle of people, pushing her way through to see the person laying on the ground.
The boy tentatively cradled Ericaâs head, to Winiâs relief she had stopped seizing, now the blonde lay unmoving. Wini could only stare at the scene with wide eyes. She had no way to help, no way of it not being perceived as completely crazy by other people.
At some point, someone had called an ambulance.
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
Wini stared at the old TV with barely contained boredom. The tape her teacher had put on was going on about the immunsystem, and the witch couldnât be less interested. Her mind kept drifting back to that morning in gym class. Erica hurting herself, and the whispers warning her about it. Was that what happened? A warning? She wasnât sure. Only one other time had they reached out to her, and last time it was to remove that skull-splitting headache. What were their intentions? What were they? And why couldnât she resist them?
The smart thing to do now was to speak to her brother. His knowledge of anything supernatural, especially witchcraft was infinitely greater than hers. He was a man of the book after all, a scholar. While he did help her in finding Lydia, and as harsh as it sounded - Harvey was not to be trusted with this. The whispers, the thing that killed Mr. Lahey.
He was her brother - but she couldnât. Wini wasnât the only one keeping secrets. Not when he was in cahoots with Derek Hale. Not when he refused to tell her about it. Not when he was breaking the one rule that was set for them. Sure, in a way so was she. At least Wini had a good reason, to help Isaac. What could Harveyâs reason possibly be?
Fortunately, the bell rung, announcing the end of class. Wini, alongside her classmates, quickly stuffed her things into her bag, and left the room before her teacher decided to add extra homework that she had no desire to do over the weekend.
The day had drained her of all her energy, at least it was time for lunch now. She would head to the cafeteria after sheâd put her bag inside her locker. In her mind she was already putting together a list of all the things she needed to get done.
Find out more about that creature, get the grimoires without raising suspicion, stay up all night trying to figure out what that thing wasâŚand then what? She figures out what did this, and how exactly will she clear Isaacâs name? How will she convince the police a supernatural being killed Mr. Lahey and not the highly suspicious son, who had great reason to commit that crime?
As she put in the combination of her locker, an idea popped inside her head. Stiles. He was the son of the sheriff, if anyone could convince the Sheriff of Beacon Hills of Isaacâs innocence it was him. Winifred was no stranger to the fact that this town liked to cover up mysterious deaths with convenient animal attacks. So was this the solution? Mr. Lahey was brutally mauled by a bear? In the middle of the street, in a well lit alleyway? Were there even bears in California? Whatever.
What mattered was that Isaac needed an alibi.
Get an alibi, blame it on someone or something else. Easy. Yeah. Sheâll have to think of a reasonable thing to say to the police. In that also laid the problem of Jackson, who had already spoken to said police, and revealed enough to lead to Isaac being arrested. So on top of everything, she needed to find a way to undermine Jackson. Great.
Speaking of Jackson, the sudden sound of his agitating voice filled her ears. âYou ruin everything!â He had definitely attracted the attention of all the students passing through that hallway.
Winiâs expression turned into a grimace as she watched Jackson corner Lydia, pushing her into a wall as he continued to aggressively point in her face. For a short moment, she considered just walking away, getting between those two would surely result in her plummeting down to the ground. But Lydia seemed so scared as she pushed herself further back from her violent ex boyfriend that Wini decided to intervene before Jackson started swinging around with his fists.
âJesus, Jackson, back off.â Apparently putting her hand on his shoulder disgusted him so much, he flinched back. Her eyebrows raised in surprise, what was wrong with him? Plenty of things, she was certain, but for him to jump like that? âJust calm down.â
âDonât tell me to calm down. This is none of your business,â he spat. None of her business? Heâs yelling and threatening her friend in a crowded hallway, and studying Lydiaâs bewildered appearance told her the girl was on the verge of crying. Jesus. The audacity of this guy. âThis is all her fault!â Something had evidently blown his very short fuse, and Lydia was at the forefront of his ire.
âAlright, walk it off, come on,â trying to shoo him in the other direction of his ex. Wini had truly no desire to figure out what exactly was bothering him to cause this kind of reaction. So much money, and no aspiration to talk to a professional. Truly a pity.
This was a tantrum. He could probably not take the fact that Lydia wasnât his plaything anymore. She woudnât possibly take him back after this, right?
He scoffed, and stepped closer into her space. She had to lean back slightly to ensure she wouldnât be breathing in the same air. Wini had the sense that he had quickly shifted his anger towards her. Her mind traveled back to when he had smashed Isaac against a row of lockers. And in that moment, she didnât care if anyone saw, if he tried something, sheâll be the one to throw him against some metal lockers.
âYou know, donât you?â He exhaled. What? Her eyebrow raised in question.
What was he on about now? Know about what? That he was a prick? That wasnât a difficult thing to figure out at all.
âKnow what?â She watched as his eye twitched unnervingly. He had to realise that she wasnât being obtuse on purpose, right? The way his face turned a deep shade of red will almost certainly make him pop a blood vessel. Nonetheless, Wini genuinely took a moment to think about any grand secrets of his she found out about recently, and came up with absolutely nothing. Nothing other than the fact that he was an asshole, but she wouldnât consider that a secret.
âDonât play stupid, Grimm. Youâre part of it, just like Scott, arenât you?â That was what he was referring to? The supernatural? He did have this weird obsession with the aforementioned werewolf, and all that had happened at Winter Formal. It already took her an embarrassingly long time to figure it all out, and there were still things she didnât know about. Jackson knew, and now was mad at Lydia forâŚwhat exactly? âSo, what are you? Derekâs pimp?â
What? âWhat.â Did she need to call the psych ward? What the hell was wrong with him? What was he even trying to insinuate?
âYour gravedigger boyfriend gets to be one but I canât because of that freak?â Huh? Was he actually saying that she was pimping out her boyfriend, supposedly, to Derek Hale? But in doing so, Jackson did reveal the origin of his unwarranted anger, he wanted to become a werewolf but couldnât? So why was he fighting with Lydia? DidâŚshe know? Did everyone know before Wini did? That couldnât be possible, right? Not with her naked escapade through the woods, and Winifred was ninety-nine percent certain, Lydia was not a werewolf. Something different? Maybe, a very hard maybe.
âYouâre insane.â Deny. Deny. DenyâŚ
âYeah? Whatever. I know what you are.â Oh, she seriously doubted that. Wini was surprised he was able to connect the dots in the first place. He stalked off, trying to act as nonchalantly as possible, almost like he hadnât just abused his ex girlfriend in broad daylight. She could only huff at his retreating form. Thank god, he wasnât able to become a werewolf, for whatever reason that may be. An even more overly aggressive Jackson? No, thank you.
Once, she finally did turn back around to face Lydia, maybe to comfort her or full heartedly advise her to find a better taste in boyfriends, she was gone. Winifred spun around the hall, in case she was able to spot her somewhere. Lydia had already left. Had she run off? Probably for the better, being in the presence of that douchebag would make anyone flee to get away from him.
It was time for lunch anyway, maybe that was where Lydia went?
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
As it turned out, Lydia had indeed not gone to lunch. She must have gone somewhere else to hide instead. Looking around the cafeteria with a tray of food in hand, trying to catch a glimpse of the strawberry blonde avoiding her. No luck.
This was a nightmare. Not only was Lydia nowhere in sight but she forgot how miserably alone lunch felt when you had no friends to sit with anymore. Winifred had two options, she could spend her lunch sitting alone at a table or she could flee to her car, where no one would see her and eat thereâŚher decision was embarrassingly easy to make.
Wini circled back to the counter on her left, planning to put away her tray before sneaking away, just as a voice called out to her. Stiles, who had suddenly appeared in front of her, was awkwardly staring at her. It frightened her enough to almost drop the sandwich that sat on her tray. The boy with the buzzcut opened his mouth multiple times, swirling the key in his hand nervously around his finger.
âHello, Stiles. How can I help you?â Did she feel slightly irritated after that dumpster fire of a morning? Yes. Did Stilesâ presence help her in any way? No.
âI was just wondering if youâd likeâŚto sitâŚwith us?â His body spun around to point at a random table in the distance, where Scott McCall already sat digging into his food. Oh. Winifred was genuinely surprised that Stiles was asking her to sit with him and his friend. Wasnât it only two days ago when she was trapped inside his car, and only being able to scream her way out of it?
Something inside her told her to hold on to that fear. To not forget how Stiles had treated her. To guard herself. But then she remembered yesterday, how he took the fall so she and Isaac could get away, and the offer just seemed too sweet to resist. It wouldnât be that bad of an idea, right? She could ask them what they knew about that creature, and in doing so help Isaac. Perhaps convince him to talk to his dad?
So, she accepted, because she wanted to clear Isaacâs name of course, and not because she desperately did not want to sit alone at lunch for another day. âOh, sure!â Wini agreed, hoping her voice didnât seem too eager.
The witch followed closely behind Stiles, together they made their way through the maze of tables and other students moving around. As they neared Scott, the werewolf looked up. The confused stare the pair received was promptly ignored by Stiles, who sat down without another word.
âGot âem.â The keys he had been previously holding were dropped on the table for his friend to see. âPick you up right after work tonight and weâll meet at the rink, cool?â The buzzcut boy said.
âThe rink?â Wini cut in. Immediately regretting her interruption when Scott looked rather irritated.
âWeâre meeting up at the ice rink,â Stiles explained. âWould youâŚlike to ehmâŚcome too?â His suggestion made her halt her movement of picking up her turkey sandwich.
âDude,â Scott hissed, not at all amused by his friendâs theatrics. Stilesâ sudden interest in inviting her to do things with him made her instantly feel suspicious. Was he just being nice, or did he have an alternative motive?
After a while of Winiâs eyes skipping between the two as they seemed to silently communicate in their weird twin language, she decided to ask further questions. âWho else is coming?â
âWell, me and Scott, obviously. And ehm Lydia and Allison.â So a date. They were having a date, and Stiles wanted her to come too? Talk about awkward. Yeah, let Wini join their fun activity with her ex best friend and her new best friend. Great idea.
âTo be a third wheel? No, thank you.â It may have sounded a little too harsh, if the prolonged silence was anything to go by. Scott continued to stare pointedly at Stiles, perhaps to make him uninvite her. âLook,â Wini reluctantly started to say, getting back both of their attention. Better to bring it up now, rather than later. âThat thing that attacked Isaacâs father, do you know what it wasâŚor ehm what it looked like?â
âShhh,â Stiles hushed her, his head raising up to peek at anyone listening to their conversation. Which seemed far more suspicious than her simply asking about it. âWhy are you interested in that?â WellâŚ
âI want to find out what it is. If I know what Iâm looking for thatâs one step closer to clearing Isaacâs name.â Surprisingly, it was the truth. Once they figure out that thingâs weakness theyâllâŚtrap it, or contain it somehow. Ultimately depending on what that creature was.
âYeah, how do you plan on doing that?â The boy asked sarcastically, and his tone almost made her want to pettily flick her fingers against his forehead.
âI was going to look through my brotherâs grimoires and see what I-,â she started to explain before being interrupted by him.
âI donât think we really got to the part where you explain how youâre involved in all this?â What was up with everyone suddenly interested in her involvement? Yet, she had to admit, Stiles had some sort of right to question her after last night.
âWhat do you mean? Isaac is my friend. I want to help him.â Deny. Deny. DenyâŚ?
âNo, this is the part where you tell us what you are. What you did last night wasnât exactlyâŚnormal.â Okay.
And after a very long reluctant pause, she was actually considering telling them. Isaac already knew, kind of at least, and if she wanted Stiles to be her ally in helping the newly turned werewolf - she needed his trust.
Wini took a deep breath, slightly leaning closer to the duo in a false sense of privacy. âIâm a witch,â she whispered. It kind of felt nice to admit, to have people that knew and understood, to an extent at least.
While Scott almost spit out his juice, Stiles just seemed inherently confused. âHuh. So like wands, spellcasting, talking cats and stuff?â She scoffed at his question, until she realised he was being genuine.
âNo, I donât have a wand. Yes to spellcasting. And I do have a cat, but she doesnât speak,â and after a second thought she added. âWith words at least.â
âSo youâre a witch,â Scott slowly began to repeat his thoughts after a while, to which she gave a shy nod of her own. âYour brother is a wizard, and heâs going to help you figure out what that thing is?â Something definitely went wrong along the way of his thought process, and it almost made her laugh out loud, but she didnât want for those innocent puppy eyes to disappear.
âWarlock,â she corrected absentmindedly with a smug smile gracing her lips.
âWhat?â
âThe male version of a witch is a warlock, youâre thinking of a mage.â The werewolf slowly blinked at her, the entourage of information seemed to greatly baffle him, an dumbfounded expression taking over his face.
âOhâŚ,â the werewolf whispered, his mouth turning into the soft shape of an âOâ.
âOkay, guys! Whatever,â Stiles announced, shifting their attention back to himself. âSo, Iâll pick you up after work? I paid fifty bucks for these keys,â he told Scott.
âFifty bucks? Dude.â Unbelievable. They were already distracted enough to forgot what they were just talking about in the matter of seconds.
She watched their back and forth for a few stunned moments. âWill you help me out or not?â Wini loudly cut through their bickering.
âSeriously, donât get involved. Heâs Derekâs problem now,â Stiles stated. She was very aware of Derekâs involvement in all of this. That was exactly why they had to help Isaac before it was too late. There was no way sheâd let her friend wallow in the presence of that overcompensating alpha of his for longer than necessary.
âBut this is about helping Isaac,â Winifred reiterated. They were on the same sports team as him, shared classes with him, ate lunch with him. He was innocent. How could they knowingly let him remain a fugitive?
âWhy are you so chummy with him anyway?â âChummyâ wasnât the word she would use to describe her relationship with the boy. She herself was aware that in helping Isaac, they would also be helping Derek, who wasnât exactly a law upholding citizen - but more importantly, this was about Isaac. That was all that mattered.
âWhat do you mean? Heâs my friend and he didnât do this,â Wini uttered, something she deemed as very reasonable.
âAgain Derekâs problem now-â Before he could spout another ignorant comment, Scott interrupted him.
âIt had this long tail, it was quick, and I guess it lookedâŚkind of scaly?â He described, and Wini felt incredibly grateful she almost wanted to pull him into a tight hug.
âDude-,â Stiles reprimanded him in annoyance.
âWhat? Heâs innocent.â Wini felt genuinely touched by Scottâs good nature, he seemed alright in her books, even when he acted rather guarded towards her.
âDude!â The boy next to her reached across the table to smack him across the head. She was sure the bickering would have gone on for quite a while, had it not been for Scott, who became clearly distracted by something at the entrance to the cafeteria.
Not something. Someone.
Erica, in an incredibly short black miniskirt and a leatherjacket wrapped around her shoulders, entered the cafeteria. Hot red lipstick adorned her lips, and she stalked into the room with uncomfortably high leopard heels on. The blonde basically caught the attention of all the students moving about the place. This was definitelyâŚnew.
Unsurprisingly, this had Derek written all over the place. Wini watched with barely contained disgust as her peers gaped at her, including Scott and Stiles. If she looked a little bit closer she could probably see the drool coming out of both their mouths. Jesus.
Erica strutted forward with a new found confidence, not at all the shy girl from that morning, taking an apple the same colour as her lipstick from a nearby table. Seductively biting into the red fruit, wiping the juice from her chin with a smirk.
âWhat the holy hell is that?â The loud slam of hands made their heads immediately snap towards the culprit. Oh, she found Lydia! She lookedâŚupset, seething actually, and Wini couldnât blame her. Ericaâs sudden hotness had definitely turned every boyâs head in her near vicinity.
At least Isaac wasnât here to see this.
This could mean numerous of things, Erica had received a âThe Princess Diariesâ - makeover, and she had the intruding thought that Derek was probably around here somewhere, lurking in the dark as usual. Isaac and Erica. What was Derek planning? Why did he need them?
âItâs Erica,â Scott unhelpfully stated, both of the boys getting up from their seats to follow after the blonde, who had taken her stolen apple with her to model walk herself back outside the door.
The witch watched them do so, she momentarily thought about if she should head out with them, until she remembered the other person still at their table. Wini shifted in place to study Lydiaâs appearance, sometimes it seemed truly impossible to read the girl, even now with anger written all over her face. After her encounter with Jackson, Lydia had run off, and Wini was uncertain on how to approach the topic. âAre you alright?â
Her strawberry blonde head turned slowly in her direction, her sharp eyes that seemed a little bit too red, narrowed ever so slightly. âJust peachy,â she spat. Her manicured fingers slamming once more on the table before she stormed away, the sudden loud sound making her slightly flinch away. She watched at her retreating from with wide eyes.
Wini picked at her food without much hunger, the appetite she felt before suddenly soured. She should have eaten inside her car.
No Isaac in this chapter </3
You may have noticed my wild and random arrangement of putting commas, my heart tells me where they goâŚit had to work especially hard this chapter
Fun fact October 13th is Winiâs Birthday, and if my calculations are correct, she would have turned 30 this year. Damn. So Happy belated Birthday, Winifred Grimm!
AnywayâŚitâs the season of the witch⌠perfect for this fic. â˘âŠâ˘ No Isaac in this chapter </3
You may have noticed my wild and random arrangement of putting commas, my heart tells me where they goâŚit had to work especially hard this chapter
Fun fact October 13th is Winiâs Birthday, and if my calculations are correct, she would have turned 30 this year. Damn. So Happy belated Birthday, Winifred Grimm!
AnywayâŚitâs the season of the witch⌠perfect for this fic. â˘âŠâ˘
summary â WINIFRED GRIMM has never had her first kiss, and at the age of sixteen, this seems to be a grave crime at Beacon Hills High School. When Lydia Martin finds out that Wini is indeed a prude, she is quick to replace her with the likes of Allison Argent. While Wini never had trouble making friends this betrayal pinches her fragile heart a little too harshly.
And in the end, Guinevere is aloneâŚuntil Lancelot comes along.Â
Or...
IN WHICH a teenage witch dreams of a fairytale love story, only to fall for Beacon Hillsâ newly turned werewolfÂ
chapter warnings â angst, some fluff, violence
word count â 13.3k
gif credit â @/madelyncilne
WINIFRED MINDLESSLY TUGGED AT THE SOFT MATERIAL OF HER SWEATER, she felt extremely out of place. She had spent the remainder of yesterday heavily debating on texting Lydia, especially after how they left things. She was basically drowning in guilt, she shouldnât have said what she said, she shouldnât have brought up Jackson knowing it would upset Lydia. But she did. And Wini had learned from a very young age that there were no take backs. Lydia wasnât the type to just forgive and forget, she was able to hold grudges like no other. So, Wini knew that she had to swallow her hurt and apologise to her eventually.
Therefore, she was genuinely surprised to have received a text hours later, stating Lydia wanted to meet up with her the next day. Apparently, Lydia had been released from the hospital. It was so unlike her. They had almost spent a year without one another, maybe Lydia had really changed? Not to mention that Jackson was out of the picture for now. Wini desperately wanted for this to work. If Lydia could let bygones be bygones, so could she. They were almost adults after all.
And this would be Lydiaâs first day back at school and she didnât want her to think they wouldnât be friends anymore because of the whole ârunning naked through the woods for two days straightâ - thing.
What she didnât expect at seven in the morning was for Allison to also be there. Only a few days ago did Wini learn the truth about the Argents, a family of hunters that moved here presumably because their town had been a beacon for the supernatural for centuries. Wini had no concrete proof that Allison followed those family traditions, so the only adult thing to do was give her a fair chance to prove her wrong. For safety she would remain vigilant nonetheless.
It made sense of course that she was here. They were friends after all. And yet, she couldnât help but feel awkward around the brunette. Not only because Allison could potentially be dangerous to not only Wini but to Lydia as well. But how does one talk to the girl that replaced her?
Call it jealousy, call it resentment.
PerhapsâŚif Wini really got to know her, they could all be friends. Thatâd be nice. She could use more girl friendsâŚor friends in general.
She could do this. She could go up to both of them, be friendly and amazing and perfect friend-material. Yeah. Easy.
Wini had been awkwardly trailing behind them for a few minutes now, they hadenât said much, to her, to each other. Allison would occasionally turn sideways to glance back at her. Which wasâŚnice. Winifred couldnât recall ever actually talking to her, other than the few times they would be put in a group by a teacher and forced to talk to one another. She wondered what Lydia told Allison about her and about what happened. If they even talked about her. Lydia must have, right? They had been best friends for years and she was a total gossip. Wini could only imagine what she must have said to Allison.
That tight uncomfortable feeling in her chest returned.
She gripped the straps of her bag, hoping to ground herself from all the raging thoughts invading her head. What if Allison thought she was boring, too? Make it stop. Too dull? Maybe she could make a run for it once Allison turns back around? Weird? What was that word Jackson used? Ah, yesâŚa prude. Did Allison think Winifred was a prude? Did breathtakingly beautiful Allison Argent think lonely little Wini was a prude?
She needed to rid herself of these thoughts before she brought herself to tears. God, she was so stupid. This was really stupid. Wini had to rack her brain in case she really did hallucinate that text Lydia sent her after all those sleepless nights. Lydia hadnât even spared as much as a glance at her.
The anxiety she felt has been an ever growing pot of despair that was slowly overflowing and making it almost impossible for her to feel anything but the cripppling fear of solitude. She could sense it at the back of her mind, raging and heightening her emotions. The full moon was approaching.
Winifred stared at Lydia, at her perfectly styled hair, the burgundy mini dress that fit her so well, her shoes that were painful to even look at. Next, her eyes traveled towards the back of Allisonâs head. Her sweet persona that had an edge of something dangerous, the way she carried herself, the way she would walk down the hall and every head turned in her direction. Is that who she was competing with? Not only for Lydiaâs attention - anybodyâs attention really.
Itâs not like she ever wanted to be a prude. Boys didnât look at her the same way they did at Lydia - or Allison. She could remember the day Lydia had suddenly been considered hot by the student body of Beacon Hills High. Theyâd open doors for her, desperately want to be study buddies, always invite her to parties and random hangouts. While Lydia received roses and love letters on Valentineâs Day, Wini was lucky enough to be asked to pass on a message. Winifred Grimm has always been invisible. No matter how she curled her hair, what clothes sheâd wear, whatever beauty tips sheâd follow that were popular at the time, people didnât see her.
With that depressing thought lingering in her mind, she hurried to keep up with them. They had almost reached the entrance, only a few steps away from a long day of studying, gossiping, probably and most definitely - heartbreak. Wini pondered if Jackson was going to be a problem, would he try to get Lydia back? Would he come up with some grand spectacle of love? Maybe recite a poem or something else totally romantic? But considering it was Jackson, it would more likely end up with brooding glances and someone being pushed down the stairs.
âYou really donât remember anything?â Allison spoke up. Oh? This was something Wini hadnât known, hadnât asked herself. Lydia didnât remember anything? Didnât remember running through the woods? Why she did it? What had caused her to freak out? What happened to her? What Derek did to her? And how was Scott and Stiles involved in all of this?
A selfish part of her told her it was for the better, how could she possibly explain to Lydia that she had partaken in an ancient ritual to possess her body for a short amount of time to locate her?
Yeah. Lydia spend two nights naked in the woods but something told her Wini would be the one labeled the âcrazy oneâ.
âThey called it a fugue state, which is a basically a way of saying âwe have no idea why you canât remember running through the woods naked for two daysâ,â Lydia explained. The young witch continued to be the third wheel, they pretty much refused to meet her gaze at this point. âBut personally, I donât care. I lost nine pounds.â She did that thing again, the whole âIâm so above admitting that Iâm hurt that I either take it out on Wini or pretend Iâm the unreachable Queen Beeâ. Itâs a Lydia classic.
They came to halt in front of the heavy blue doors, Wini almost stumbling over her own two feet, not expecting to prematurely stop in front of the school. âAre you ready for this?â Allison kindly enquired.
Wini held her breath, there was a brief moment in which she thought Lydia might lash out, but she didnât, instead a playful smirk graced her face.
âPlease. Itâs not like my auntâs a serial killer.â Oh. Right. That was apparently a thing now. Kate Argent, Allisonâs aunt, turned out to be the arsonist that burned down the Hale house, and in doing so almost erased the entire Hale bloodline. Regardless of the possible indications of Allisonâs character, it was really mean and insensitive at best. Very Lydia. SoâŚthat was good, right? At least she was acting like herself.
Lydia left the two on their own, heading inside the school without another word. Allison could only muster an awkward smile at Wini, she was clearly affected by what was said. If not a little bit embarrassed that Wini heard. Reasonable enough. The brunette took a minute to breathe before following after her friend.
Wini was the last to enter, almost crashing into the two as they had once again stopped in the middle of the hallway. And she soon discovered why, it felt like the entire school had abruptly seized all conversations, the hall becoming eerily quiet. Whispers filled the silence. It was clear who they were talking about. Lydia.
Her mind immediately filled with worry. Their glances pierced through them - at Lydia specifically. She has been through so much, instead of showing even the tiniest bit of empathy they welcomed Lydia back with mindless - or as mindless as it could get when the supernatural was involved - gossip.
Winifred moved closer to Lydiaâs side, watching her reaction intently. Her cold exterior broke for a second, her eyes moving between the onlookers in quick succession. The silence was deafening and Wini swayed on the spot. If Wini was already feeling uncomfortable and she wasnât even the center of attention, how must Lydia be feeling? Especially since it meant so much to her. How people perceived her, what they thought of her.
If she wasnât on top, what would she do?
Thatâs why she tried to desperately reassure her. âMaybe itâs the dress?â Definitely not the best but it would do. And Wini knew she succeeded to some extent, Lydiaâs head tilted to the side as to say âcontinueâ.
Luckily, Allison decided to chime in. âMaybe itâs the nine pounds?â That apparently did the trick, Lydiaâs strawberry blonde hair whipped in Winiâs direction and she strutted into the crowd with a careless expression.
Allison and Winifred shared a genuine smile at their friend. This would blow over eventually, Wini was sure. At the end of the day some other âscandalâ would be more important than Lydiaâs naked excursion through the woods.
They followed after Lydia, who already marched through the crowds like she owned the place. Like she never even left. It was admirable, how she pretended it didnât bother her. Wini watched as her heels clacked against the tiled floor, her hair swishing from one side to the other. Some of the students turned to look in her direction, talking in hushed whispers to each other. Out of pure spite, Wini gave them a dirty look, which she hoped made them back off for now.
The red head soon came to a halt in front of her locker, punching in her combination and swinging open the blue metal. Hung inside her locker was a mirror, identical to Winiâs, she continued to stare at herself and used her hand to brush through her hair.
Another look was shared between Allison and Wini, apparently people were not deterred from her nasty look as they started to stare and point while walking past them. The atmosphere was discomforting to say the least. Lydia pretended she was completely oblivious to the entire student population. The fact that she had become mute on top of that made worry pump inside Winiâs heart.
To fill the silence and hopefully distract Lydia enough from the gossip, Wini did what she always did, she spoke without thinking much. âAre you guys coming to practice?â
Lydia had uprubtly stopped her nitpicking, her narrowed eyes flickering towards the girl. âNo, why would we?â Her sarcastic tone made Wini uncomfortably shift on her feet, she was trudging on dangerous territory. One wrong move and she would be booted out of the friend group. Again. But the message was clear, why would Lydia sit around and watch her ex boyfriend pass around a ball? Perhaps not the best thing to bring up at this moment.
âI just thought because we used toâŚit would be likeâŚyou knowâŚjust to pass the time,â she rambled on, glancing towards Allison for help. âAnd you know because of Scott.â
Which revealed itself as rather unhelpful, when the brunette dropped some new information that made the witch blink in surprise. âNo, Scott and I actually broke up,â Allison awkwardly admitted. Jesus.
âWhy do you want to go to practice so badly anyway?â Lydia slammed her locker door closed, emitting a loud sound that almost made her flinch. Why did she? Because Isaac wanted her there, he had admitted as much yesterday. And what a hypocrite Wini would be if she hung around the likes of Lydia instead of him.
She decided to tell the truth, âOh, Isaac asked me to come and-,â the strawberry blonde interrupted her before she could, presumably, ramble on about the very confusing friendship with the shy lacrosse player.
âIsaac? Who?â She was speaking in that tone, the one that meant she was already feeling judgy.
âHeâs in my French class andâŚehmâŚnumber fourteen on the team.â Why did she feel the need to share that detail? That was exactly the problem, both of them staring at her and she word vomited the first thing that came to her mind. Which wasâŚthat for some reason.
âOh? Is he your boyfriend?â Allison asked. Wini blinked slowly before the words managed to actuallly reach her brain. She could tell the girl was being genuine, that she wanted to know because that just who she was. At least she forgot about the whole âletâs go watch your ex play lacrosseâ - thing.
Lydia also seemed to physically perk up, the sudden interest immediately made Wini wary of her next words. And yetâŚshe couldnât help but let the desperate little voice in her head want to dictate her next actions. What would she even say to that? What should she say to that? How far would she go to get back into the good graces of Lydia Martin? She canât very well say that she was dating Isaac. That would beâŚcrazy. Insane even. Not to mention extremely weird. Isaac Lahey, her boyfriend? âI mean weâŚhang out andâŚstuff.â And stuff? Who says that?
Not agreeing but not outwardly disagreeing.
This whole situation made her head dizzy. She was further digging herself into a hole and she was extremely uncertain she would get out by herself. Why would she say that?
But to her dismay - or to her relief Lydia smirked, there was definitely curiosity hidden in her hazel eyes. They narrowed as she studied Wini, perhaps trying to detect if she was lying - which in a way she was. She has known Isaac for how long exactly? Three days? So why couldnât she just say âNo, weâre not datingâ? Because she wanted to be considered cool in the eyes of Lydia? Or because the idea of Isaac Lahey being her boyfriend didnât seem as ridiculous to her as she previously thought? Wini wasnât sure of the answer, wasnât sure which she wanted the answer to be. She tried to act as nonchalant as possible, holding herself back or she might subconsciously shift on her feet or desperately avoid eye contact.
Surprisingly, Lydia seemed to have actually bought her lie - or her tiptoeing around the subject. And as terrible as it sounded, Winifred was proud she could sell it. Proud she was able to present herself as a person that didnât even blink an eye at their breakup, that moved on and was able to get a boyfriend without her. Her friend remained silent only for a moment. âWait Isaac Lahey? Youâre dating gravedigger-boy?â She huffed in disbelief.
Oh.
The suppposed pride she had felt not moments before vanished in a blink of an eye and her shoulders visibly dropped. What exactly was it that Lydia wanted from her? Donât have a boyfriend and be a prude for the remainder of her high school experience. Get a boyfriend - or at least pretend to - but not with that sort of person. It had always been clear that Lydia wanted someone like Jackson - or one of his friends to go out with her. But the thing about boyfriends like Jackson was that they were absolute pricks.
Whatever.
âIâm going to practice now,â she tried to make her voice sound as steady and monotone as possible. She couldnât help but be defensive about the dig at Isaac. He was so nice and kind, Lydia and the likes of her would never get the privilege of ever truly knowing him. âBye. Iâll see you around.â The âor notâ she had to bite back before it unwillingly rolled off her tongue. Allison gave her an apologetic smile that she at least found the strength to return. Poor girl. Stuck in the middle of whatever this feud was. Her fingers clenched around the strap of her bag, she left without another word.
This was not how she wanted things to be, the pretending, the lying, the competing. God. She wanted to feel untouchable - like Lydia.
But she felt like how she always felt in Lydiaâs presence.
Like a loser.
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
February was definitely the worst month to be sat outside on the cold metal of the bleachers with just a sweater on. The team was just warming up for their daily practice, their white training jerseys stood out against the dark trees behind them. It hadnât taken long for her to notice number fourteen, he was hard to miss after all.
âThe tallest on the team.â
Isaac had just left the changing rooms, walking on to the field with his helmet in hand. He hadnât noticed her yet, with his back facing the bleachers, softly kicking the grass at his feet. He seemed almost lost in his thoughts.
His hair was damp, curling against his forehead from the humid air. She wondered what he was thinking about, if something heavy laid on his mind. Would he share it with her now that they were friends?
Was she feeling a tiny bit guilty by kind of insinuating that he was her boyfriend? Yes. Did she secretly hope he would never find out? Also yes. How did she always manage to sabotage herself?
âDidnât know Lahey was your boyfriend?â Her head slowly turned to stare at Matt, who had somehow moved right in front of her without her noticing. He was also in his lacrosse gear, the number eight proudly displayed on the front of his training jersey. What? She blinked at him for an uncomfortably long time. Did news spread already? Who did Lydia tell? Who else knew? And most importantly, did Isaac?
âHeâs not my boyfriend,â she snapped at him. Isaac was her friend, no matter if she made Lydia believe otherwise. Nothing less, nothing more. âWhy? What did you hear?â Wini couldnât help asking with a hint of suspicion. She definitely had to set the record straight sooner rather than later.
It would be incredibly embarrassing but the right thing to do. She could only bite her lip in exasperation. This was her fault, such a stupid thing to do, not only would she look like a complete fool in front of Lydia, but she could potentially lose her friendship with Isaac, indefinitely this time.
Her voice came out colder than expected, if Mattâs stunned wide eyed look had anything to say. âWow, sorry. You were just staring at him is all.â Staring? She was not staring at him! Was she? She was lost in thought and Isaac happened to be the subject of those thoughts, she hadnât meant to come off as a total creep. Damn it.
âI-IâŚwas not!â She halfheartedly tried to defend herself.
âNo worries. I believe you,â the boy chuckled. Okay? She wasnât sure what her response to that should be. Especially since she could see Jackson out of the corner of her eyes, who was sitting a few rows down away from her. Mere days ago, he had slammed Isaac into a locker and she had definitely not forgotten his little outburst.
Winifred could truly not decipher the mystery that was Matt Daehler, he seemed nice enough if not a little strange at times, so why would he be friends with Jackson of all people?
Unless, maybe Matt was more similar to her than she previously thought? Desperately trying to hold on to the shredded strings of their friendship, when their friend made it very clear they moved on a long time ago? She scooted a little bit closer to the edge of the bench, looking between the boy in front of her and Jackson as if the truth would just reveal itself. Wini soon realised that it was kind of an unfair assessment, because it would mean that she was comparing Lydia to Jackson, to put them on the same level, when Jackson was obviously ten times worse. She had spent years at Lydiaâs side, watched firsthand as Jackson ridiculed and belittled her.
And Jackson was no stranger to doing it to other people, Isaac, Stiles, for a time Scott, sometimes even teachers. That air of arrogance surrounded him even now, his parents were filthy rich, which apparently gave him a pass to be a complete nuisance. There was something wrong with him, presumably mental but also something else. As if there was something heavy weighing on his shoulders.
The way his shoulders tensed when he somehow realised he was being watched. The way his head raised in alert, scrutinizing his surroundings for the apparent threat. Something other was there. Something that was waiting underneath his skin.
Her brows furrowed, the only hold to reality was her heartbeat drumming in her ears. An unexplainable panic set in, a layer of sweat coated her palms. There was no doubt she must have looked incredibly pale.
âHey, I was only kidding,â his clammy hand gripped her own to get her attention. Her gaze returned to the boy that sat in front of her, barely registering the words he spoke. That was extremely unsettling, it felt like she had tunnel vision for a moment. She could see nothing but whatever wanted to reach to the forefront in Jackson.
Something was definitely wrong.
Winiâs heart was beating out of her chest, her breathing was unsteady and a sudden dizziness became her as if she was moments before passing out. Her hand protectively clasped around her neck, her necklace digging into the soft flesh of her fingers. âSorry, what did you say?â Her throat constricted her of air, making her almost choke at nothing in particular.
His smile didnât falter, he continued to blab about something lacrosse related that she only found the strength to listen with half an ear. That unsettling feeling hadnât left her, settling deep in her stomach with a stinging ache. What was that?
The moon was a powerful beacon for all things otherworldly, was her strange behavior the cause of it? And what exactly did it mean? Was it a bad reaction to Jacksonâs personality? Or a premonition of some kind? She was no stranger to the influence of the moon, what it could do to a person. To a witch.
Perhaps she should go to an elder, ask them what it could mean, but that thought alone made her sick to her stomach. Sheâd rather ask Harvey, if only he would answer a question with an actual answer and not some strange innuendo she was supposed to understand.
Goosebumps appeared on her forearm, traveling up her neck. It wasnât anâŚuncomfortable feeling per se. Her eyes left Matt only to find his. He had abandoned his stride to the field to stand right in front of the bleachers, helmet no longer in his hand, instead it laid abandoned on the grass beside him. There was an intensity in his eyes that she could not fathom. His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed as if he could sense her discomfort.
Either it was her hyper aware brain that was making her see things or he seemedâŚoff. His disheveled hair, probably from his hand continuously running through his hair. Sweat was dripping down his face. His breaths becoming more ragged, like he had run ten laps around the field.
What was going on today? Everybody just seemed off to her. She was certain she must be hallucinating most of it.
So why was Isaac staring at her like that? Why did he look moments before pouncing on Matt? He didnât know, did he? Had the news of their apparent relationship reached him? Oh, God.
That was just what she needed. Great, he was definitely angry. Just great.
She needed to rectify this before he actually lunged at someone. âYeah, yeah, super interesting. Matt, I have to go. Speak to you later.â Wini jumped from her seat, hopping over the benches with even less grace than she expected. The confused sound that left Mattâs mouth only seemed to spur her on further. She had half a mind to stop herself from tripping over the metal seats.
And now, she stood right in front of him and all the words left her. A simple âHiâ was what she settled on. Wini had no idea how she should bring up the whole dating thing.
He didnât answer for a long while, continuing to stare at her instead. Had she screwed it all up? Should she save herself the embarrassment and just leave? Maybe she should- âHey,â Isaac eventually uttered. That wasnât helpful at all, what was she supposed to take away from a âHeyâ? Was he mad? Upset? Disappointed?
From up close she could see his disheveled state even better. That wild look in his eyes made him look almost paranoid. What happened? Maybe this truly wasnât about their fake relationship. Maybe something really bad happened.
âYou came,â he simply said after a while of unblinking silence. The awe in his voice made her heart almost flutter. How sweet. And yet, she couldnât let that bad feeling go away.
âYeah, of courseâŚare you okay?â He opened his mouth to respond, maybe to deny anything was wrong at all. But Wini knew. She was sure, actually. Something really bad had happened.
The shrill sound of Coachâs whistle interrupted them. Isaac seemed to be affected a whole lot more by the loud noise than her, moving his head to the side like the sound had physically hurt him. âLetâs go! Line it up!â Finstock yelled to his students, a chorus of groans filled the area before the lacrosse players started to jog on to the field. And so did Isaac, grabbing his helmet off the ground without another word. That was definitelyâŚstrange.
What the hell was going on?
She could do nothing, other than sit back down and watch their training until she could talk to him afterwards.
They didnât start their training as usual, this time Scott had moved to stand inside the goal. Seems like they were mixing it up this morning.
Wini hadnât let Isaac out of her sight. He had put on his helmet, the lacrosse stick tightly gripped in his gloved hands. Concern filled her, suddenly becoming increasingly nervous as the game went on. If he really was feeling unwell, maybe he should sit this one out?
The first to fall was number eighteen, the crunchy sound that followed made her cringe. She watched in astonishment as Coach started rightfully berating Scott for his action. The one who followed was Matt, he too flew up in the air after Scott had ran out of the goal to body slam him into the ground. What was going on? By the looks of it, Scott had suddenly grown the lust for bloodshed and broken bones. Was it the moon that was affecting him also? Or was he planning something?
Two more followed after him, and Finstockâs constant yelling didnât seem to get through to him. So, he was planning something. But what required him to knock out most of the team? And was he smelling them? Was this some kind of weird werewolf ritual that she had no idea about?
After Jackson had feigned an injury to avoid being thrown around the air like a useless dog toy, Isaac was up next. Her fingers digged around the sharp edges of the bench, this wouldnât end well. Scott could seriously hurt him. Her friend still seemed agitated, ragged breaths left his mouth that made his whole body shake inâŚanger?
Time stood still as Scott, once again, threw himself on to his next victim and Isaac somehow managed to match his energy, being able to throw the werewolf on to the grass as well. Her eyebrows furrowed in shock, watching the showdown in silent amazement.
There was something she was missing, she couldnât put her finger on it. Why had it suddenly become increasingly harder to align her train of thoughts? Was the moon also dampening her ability to think?
That unwell feeling inside her chest worsened once she saw the sheriff approaching with his deputies. She stood from the bench, taking in the scene before her. Stilinski motioned for the two students crouched on the ground to stand up, and suddenly she had the selfish wish they were there for Scott. But it became increasingly more clear when they grabbed Isaac by the arm to lead him aside.
Isaac had been so distracted, even she was able to see that there had been something on his mind. And now, the police was here. Wini had been right, something bad had happened and it involved Isaac somehow.
Her white sneakers touched the wet grass, she followed behind the confused stares of onlookers, coming to halt a few steps away from Scott and Stiles. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, feeling the sudden urge to hug herself. She watched as the police took Isaac further away from his peers, she felt sick to her stomach. What happened, Isaac? What happened?
He turned around then, an utter devasting look crossed his face as their eyes met. It was only a glance before, presumably, embarrassment or something alike made him turn back around. But she did notice how his eyes flickered across the field. Turning to that exact direction, it didnât take long for her to see what he had been looking at.
Across the field, in a dark corner, hidden between leaves and trees, she saw him. Derek Hale in his usual black getup.
Unbelievable.
A lot revealed itself in that very short moment, her heart gradually feeling more heavy. It was outrageous, stupid, and completely insane. If Isaac did what she thinks he did then there had to have been a good reason. She needed to get answers and who to better ask than the perpetrator himself. The witch glanced around nonchalantly, determining if anyone was watching and then did her best to sneak away from the growing crowd of people to head towards him.
One last glance over her shoulder told her Isaac noticed, and by the distant look on his face he could tell.
She knew.
¡ ¡ â ¡âśÂˇ â ¡ ¡
Winifred was certain he knew she was there, so sure he could hear her rapid breathing and quick footsteps. Yet, he refused to acknowledge her, adamantly ignoring her. This was truly not the time for him to be the mysterious man that you could only catch a glimpse of every full moon. Isaac was just arrested for goodness sake!
Another thing she was certain of? It was all Derek Haleâs fault.
âDerek! Stop,â she definitely had enough of him. God, she was furious. How could he be so stupid? Isaac of all people. Her friend.
To his credit and her utter amazement, he stopped in the middle of the pavement and turned to face her. His hands hidden in the pockets of his leather jacket, he was wearing dark sunglasses. How could he look so well put together right now? Was that the werewolf charm?
âGet in,â his head tilted to the side, only now did she notice that they had stopped right next to his expensive car. Had he been leading her here? And like a complete idiot she had naĂŻvely followed him.
As he rounded the car to get to the driverâs side her mouth turned into a straight line. She debated the implications of stepping into the car of a stranger, who was also a known criminal and stupidly decided that Isaac was more important than being potentially kidnapped.
Wini opened the car door with a huff, never has she imagined herself to sit in the same car as Derek Hale. She immediately turned towards him with a frown, she studied his appearance, now that she was closer to him. He looked like douchebag. A douchebag that was going to be slapped in the face if he didnât start talking soon.
âDerek, what the hell is going on?â She couldnât help the snark in her voice.
âThey arrested him.â Was he serious?
âYes, I gathered that.â She had to remind herself to take a breath before continuing. âWhy did he get arrested?â
She knew it was bad when even Derek Hale avoided her eyes. Her heart was beating, which he could clearly hear. âMurder.â
Oh. My. God.
Her heart stuttered. Murder? Sweet and kind Isaac Lahey had murdered someone? No, Isaac wouldnât be capable of that. Would he? It wasnât sweet Isaac that had murdered someone but the wild creature inside of him. This must have been a recent development, the kind boy she met in her french class wouldnât have done this.
âJesus Christ,â was all she could muster. âWhoâŚehmâŚwho-â
âHis father.â God. His father was dead? And Isaac was the one who did it?
âSoâŚcould it not be seen as self defense?â A terrible thing to say. A very terrible thing to say. She had spoken to Mr. Lahey only for a short while, but that very short encounter had told her all she needed to know about Isaacâs father. How he so desperately tried to humiliate Isaac in front of them. Even Sheriff Stilinski noticed something was up. Did she hope she was wrong? Of course, she did. And it filled her with dread knowing it was true.
But was that what happened? His father attacked him and he defended himself? Or Isaac turned and then killed him.
âYou knew?â His voice was filled with accusation and she had the sudden urge to defend herself.
âI wanted for him to tell me.â Pathetic. But it was the truth. What if she made all this ruckus and she turned out to be wrong? So what if Mr. Lahey was a prick, didnât mean he was abusing his son. Jesus. This whole situation was messed up. âAnd what about you, huh? Iâve known Isaac for like two days. Whatâs your excuse for not helping him?â
âI did help him. I gave him something that would make him stronger.â It was astonishing how he actually believed that. How could he think giving a teenager, who was being abused might she add, heightened emotions and strength, mixed with a pinch of bloodlust, was a good thing?
She could only scoff. Unbelievable. Her hands covered her face, she wanted to scream or cry, maybe, not in front of Derek.
âHe didnât do it.â
Her head moved very slowly to face him again. What? What. Isaac didnât do it? And Derek made her believe he did? She went through all the stages of grief and he let her?
She grabbed him by the cuff of his jacket and zapped him. The electricity moved through her veins, the buzzing energy traveling from her forearm to her fingertips until it eventually reached Derek. The moon mixed with her fury definitely enhanced the intensity. It wasnât a lot to make the big bad werewolf quiver in fear, but enough to make him feel it. For his muscles to tense and his joints to convulse.
At least she could take some satisfaction from seeing him flinch. âHey, what was that for?â He had to ask? He pressed himself into the car door, trying to create as much distance to her as posssible.
âFor being a dick!â She yelled at him. For turning Isaac. For attacking Lydia. For lying. This whole situation was screwed up. âSo Isaac didnât do it?â She needed the reassurance, the conformation that her friend was innocent.
âNo.â Instant relief hit her. Why did she feel relief that Isaac wasnât the one that killed his father.
âAnd who did?â Isaac was innocent. Isaac was innocent. Innocent.
âSomething worse,â Derek mysteriously stated.
âWhat does that mean?â Something worse? Worse than a fully transitioned werewolf?
âIt means the one who did this was incredibly strong and fast.â Another supernatural being, faster and stronger than a werewolf. Winifred rattled her mind for every possible option she knew. Sheâll have to take a look through Harveyâs grimoires after school.
But if Derek wasnât sure what it was, would she?
âJesus. We have to get him out of this.â The realisation that Isaac really was a werewolf hit her then. After everything, she knew, of course. But Wini didnât want it to be true, didnât want for Isaac to be wrapped up in this supernatural mess. Shit.
âWeâll have to act fast with the full moon tonight.â Her heart plummeted into her stomach.
Oh my god. She forgot about the full moon. Her hands gripped her hair in frustration. âYouâre such an idiot! You couldnât have waited another week?â Because of him they had a newly turned werewolf with a full moon looming over their heads. First full moon. First transition. First kill. Shit.
âWinifred, it was really bad,â Derek softly explained. So bad that sweet Isaac took the bite. The taste of copper filled her mouth, she had to bite her lip hard enough to bleed to prevent herself from crying. God dammit.
Breaking Isaac out of jail, that was the plan? That was the best she could gather from this conversation. Would they sneak or bust in? Would they cause a distraction? Would they just go in and hope for the best?
The moment those heavy blue doors opened, and out walked Isaac, their eyes met. They hadnât put him in handcuffs, but one of the deputies had a tight grip on his arm. He lookedâŚsmall. Not the confidence he had shown yesterday. He had gone back to hunching his shoulders, his walls built high enough she wasnât sure she would ever reach him again. When Isaac noticed Derek, she detected something like desperation in his eyes.
âSoâŚwhat do we do now?â They silently watched as they loaded him into the back of the police car. Should she wave? Should she smile? How could she possibly reassure him at this moment?
âIâm going to get him out,â Derek declared. She almost scoffed. Whatâs he going to do? Walk into the police station and politely ask?
âHow-â She had to brace herself with her hands before her head smacked across the dashboard. Derek had decided the best way to apparently catch Scott, who had stormed out of the school after the officers, was to step on the gas pedal and then abruptly break. The tires screeched to halt in front of Scott, who looked as confused as she did.
âI didnât even have a seatbelt on,â she complained. Her neck would definitely be stiff by tomorrow.
âGet in,â Derek called out to him.
âHow many teenagers are you luring into your car like this?â There was a short moment Derek glanced over at her and the look she received made her abruptly shut up. She crossed her arms in a silent tantrum.
âAre you serious?â Scott exclaimed. âYou did that. Thatâs your fault.â He vaguely pointed in the direction Isaac had left. At least, her and Scott could agree on something.
The werewolf next to her gripped the steering wheel tightly. âI know that. Now get in the car and help me.â At the very least, he had the decency to look ashamed. âActually, you get in and you get out.â He gestured towards Wini with a carless gesture. Oh? Sorry?
âWhat? I can help.â She wasnât going to leave Isaacâs rescue to these two idiots. Wini could be a distraction, a lookout, god dammit, she could use a tire iron and pry open that damn holding cell on her own.
âYouâre going back inside and-â There was an attempt at a teaching moment, she was sure of it. So close. Truly. But she was speaking to Derek Hale. Who was a fugitive himself last year. A great influence he has been on Isaac.
âNo, Iâve got a better idea,â Scott interrupted them, successfully saving Derek from being zapped again. âIâm gonna call a lawyer. Because a lawyer might actually have a chance at getting him out before the moon goes up.â Definitely a more rational approach. The right thing to do, but Wini had a feeling âthe right thing to doâ wouldnât help Isaac right now. He wasnât some wrongfully accused seventeen year old, he was a wrongfully accused seventeen year old werewolf, claws and all.
She was worried that Derek might actually break all his teeth from the way he was clenching his jaw. âNot when they do a real search of the house.â The house? Isaacâs house?
âWhat do you mean?â At least Scott was able to voice the questions she couldnât bring herself to ask. Bile was rising up her throat.
âWhatever Jackson said to the cops-â Jackson spoke to the police? And they didnât immediately arrest him and boot him into therapy? What has this world come to?
âWhy would Jackson talk to the cops?â She enquired on her confusion.
âJackson lives across the street from Isaac,â Scott told her. From the years of hanging around Jacksonâs house because of Lydia, she had never once known that the boy from her french class lived across the street. An information she would keep in store for later.
âWhatever Jackson said to the cops,â he reiterated. âWhatâs in the house is worse. A lot worse.â Her eyes shut tightly. Images involuntarily filled her mind. Worse. Worse? Isaac went through something terrible day after day and offered her a smile every single morning regardless? She would complain and whine about how Lydia was mean to her and Isaac was being abused?
In case she might actually give Scott and Derek an insight of what she had for breakfast this morning, she started to breathe through her mouth. âI think Iâm going to be sick,â Wini panted out.
âNot in the car, get out.â Derek reached across from her to open the door for her, ushering her outside. She looked at him incredulously, complete and utter disbelief crossed her face. An annoyed huff left her mouth, she pried herself from the leather seat.
âI knew I smelled something on you,â he whispered in her ear as she walked past him. Scott McCall and his weird obsession with sniffing people.
âOh, come off it,â she snarked. Satisified when she saw his dumbfounded face, she marched towards the school. Behind her, she could hear tires scrape against the asphalt. Pricks. Both of them.
Screw Derek Hale.
Just go back to school, Wini! Itâs not like your only friend just got arrested for murder! Oh, you want to help? Bad luck!
Angry footsteps filled the relatively empty hall of Beacon Hills High. Her rampage lead her to the nurseâs office, she had already skipped chemistry, she could at the very least get herself an alibi. It wouldnât be considered lying, she was feeling absolutely sick to her stomach.
Derek Hale was dead wrong if he thought she would leave Isaac entirely to him.
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When Winifred Grimm finally got into high school, she imagined her life as a sixteen year old very differently. Good grades, friends, parties and not to mention, a boyfriend. Now, at the actual age of sixteen had she achieved any of those things? Good grades, sure. Friends, a work in progress. Parties, not anymore. A boyfriend? Nope. Not even close, unless you count her fake boyfriend, Isaac, who was just arrested for murdering his father. Wrongfully, yes, but arrested nonetheless.
On a Thursday night, she would usually be doing homework, study, maybe a relaxing shower after a long day, and not a late night stroll through a neighbourhood she barely knew. Above, the moon reached its peak, drowning the dark houses in a beautiful silver light. It made her think of him. The night had been relatively silent, except for the occasional raccoon rummaging through peopleâs trash or a feral cat hissing in the dark. Other than that, not a soul in sight.
A cold February night that shook her to her very core. The pouch inside her jacket pocket warmed the cold skin of her hands. A shudder traveled through her body. Her neck was unprotected from the freezing wind. She cursed herself for not coming here by car, but the thought of someone recognising her filled her with dread, and home was relatively close by.
It took a while until she reached the Whittemoreâs residence, the modern white mansion stood out against the bleak neighbourhood. How many nights had she spent at Jacksonâs house? Too many for her liking. The house was nice, really nice, the company not as much. He had a pool, which was always good for the summer. Sheâd remembered how Lydia and her would come over to tan by the pool. Memories she was very fond of.
In her years of coming here, she has never once noticed that Isaac Lahey lived across the street. Her mind raced, wondering how many times Isaac and her met over the years, and never spoke to one another once.
Isaac.
Isaac, tall, handsome, kind and sweet. Turned into a werewolf by none other than Derek Hale and now confined in a cell during a full moon. Was he scared? Feeling hopeless? Did he think no one was coming for him? His father just died, and he was all alone. It pinched her heart a little bit too harshly.
It didnât stand out much, especially compared to Jacksonâs house. If she had walked past it a few days ago, she wouldnât have seen it as anything remarkable. Red brick walls, an American flag hung beside the door, unkept bushes. This was Isaacâs house, a strange thing to consider. He lived here. While the neighbouring houses had still some indications that someone was there, the Laheyâs residence was completely silent. No light was on in any of the rooms, no trace that someone fell asleep while the TV was on, no voice, no laughter, nothing.
Police tape closed off the residence, making it all the more eerie to be here at night. Wini hesitantly approached the house, the gravel crunched beneath her sneakers. Nearing the door, she was quite unsure of what her next step should be. Knocking on the door seemed stupid, especially since Derek and Scott werenât supposed to be here. Should she just go inside?
Screw this.
Her hand wrapped around the doorknob. Something heavy shifted towards her as if air itself pressed down on her lungs. A childâs cry, something alike glass breaking, an angry manâs voice yelling, more crying, more things breaking. Fear and dread gripped her heart. Having the sudden urge to hide before he found her. Hurried footsteps filled her ears, they traveled from the first floor, creaking up the stairs to the second floor. A short horrifying silence followed, and then with a sense of urgency from the second floor, down the stairs to the first floor and then down toâŚthe basement?
So much horror, so much fear.
Despair that was not her own seized her and a gasp left her mouth. It became increasingly harder for her to breathe. Almost like terror wrapped its hands around her slender neck and started choking her in a crazed panic. Winifred scratched at the invisible tether with shaking hands. In one swift movement she ripped her necklace from her neck and took a heap of air.
The hand that held her captive disappeared, she pushed herself away from the doorstep. Coughs tore from her throat, leaving her to calm herself before she fell into complete hysteria. In her palm laid her necklace, which felt hot to the touch, its chain was snapped and the clasps was broken. Great. Sheâll have to fix that later.
She wiped her other hand across her face, finding the remnants of tears that fell in soft drops down her cheeks. That wasâŚintense. When Derek mentioned that it was bad, Wini wasnât sure what to expect. It definitely wasnât that. All that pain, all that suffering. The hate Isaacâs father held for him was suffocating. It was an insight into Isaacâs life, she felt not even a speck of what he must have experienced every day.
Derek was right, which was disgusting to admit, she was guilty. She knew, or at least suspected, and did nothing. Once Isaac was freed, she would need to speak to him. And then do what? Apologise? How does one apologise for that?
Her back was thrown against the brick wall before she could dwell on her thoughts a second longer. âWant to let the entire neighbourhood know were here?â Derek hissed in her ear. For a moment she thought that he had caught her. The fright must have been written all over her face as Derek took a step back. âWhatâs wrong with you?â
âNothing.â Wini wasnât even able to convince herself and now she stood before a werewolf that could literally hear her heartbeat. Still shook up, she pushed herself away from the wall.
She was relieved when he seemed to drop the topic for now. âWinifred, what are you doing here?â His stern voice almost made her falter. Standing before him now made her feel less brave about rescuing Isaac.
âI can help,â she mumbled. Shifting her weight underneath his stare.
âThatâs not a good idea.â She scoffed. He was not her brother. If she wants to help Isaac, she will do so with or without his involvement.
âI can help,â Wini sternly exclaimed again with newfound confidence. Stepping closer, invading his personal space as to emphasise her point.
âIsaac is a newly turned werewolf, he will not be thinking straight. One wrong move and he will tear you apart. He wonât be able to stop himself.â A pathetic attempt at scaring her. She severely doubted Derekâs thinking ability. A witch never comes unprepaired.
âIâm not part of your pack, Derek. Youâre not responsible for me.â She was not going to back down from this fight. Heâs not in charge of her, if she wants to help Isaac she will.
âYes, I am. You die, thatâs on me.â The serious tilt of his voice actually shocked her. She didnât take Derek Hale as someone that cared for other people much. A lone Wolf, if you will. Well, not alone anymore. Wini must have really hit a nerve for Derek to start pointing fingers at her. She had half a mind to slap the accusing finger out of her face.
âYou are however responsible for Isaac and he needs all the help he can get.â He closed his eyes at her stubbornness. âI can protect myself. You know Iâm right.â Derek turned to brush a hand across his jaw.
âOkay.â Okay? âYou get hurt. Thatâs on you. Understand?â Her eyebrow raised at his theatrics. While she understood very well what they were going to be facing tonight, Derekâs outburst revealed something that genuinely surprised her. He was afraid. Not of Isaac but for him. There was something he wasnât telling her.
âWhat are you not telling me?â She voiced her suspicion, her eyes narrowing, studying his expression intently.
âHunters are planning on killing him, tonight.â Her shoulders deflated, and she took a deep breath, her throat painfully throbbing from her necklace choking her. Not only did they have to get Isaac out, who was probably going to fight against them with all his newly acquired strength, but highly trained hunters will actively try to get them out of the way as well.
âThe Argents?â Allison? The same people that were after Lydia. She and her brother encountered one of them in the woods. He attacked them, and her brother had taken care of him. The same people that killed the Hales.
âYes.â That one short word was laced with so much hatred. Must be difficult to see the family that massacred yours continue to be a valued member of the community.
âThen we have to go now.â She knew that they were on borrowed time, Isaac would eventually freak out, after all this would be his first full moon. And what was a police officer to do with a maniac with claws running full speed at them? Either Isaac was going to hurt someone or someone else would, a cop or a hunter.
âI have a ride. Come on.â How mysterious. Derek put his hands back into his jacket pockets, and walked into the dark street without turning back around. There was nothing else for her to do but follow.
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When she was waiting at the side of the road with Derek and that familiar blue jeep approached, she had the sudden urge to grab him by his sleeve and electrocute him until his hair stood up in spikes. She assumed, when he said he had a ride, he had meant his own car. And not Stiles.
After their last talk, she had spent the last two days actively avoiding him. Wini truly had no desire to be stuck with him in his run down car again. She shouldnât be surprised that Stiles was involved in this, anything Scott related and Stiles wasnât far behind. They come in a pair, theyâve been best friends since kindergarten. They had a strong friendship, which was admirable, since Wini could not relate. The bad side was that they were both idiots and spurring each other on.
The blind leading the blind.
âWhatâs she doing here?â Stiles yelled out of the open window. Rude. If he wanted to know, he could just ask her directly.
âSheâs help,â Derek stated, pulling on the door handle. His hand quickly yanked the short lever at the side of the front seat, it folded into itself.
âYeah, Stiles. Iâm help,â Wini remarked, while squeezing herself in the back.
âHelp?â Stiles questioned. âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â He asked Derek, without even glancing at her.
âMeans Iâm useful. What does that make you?â She was satisfied to see his offended look. He was already turning around in his seat to rebut her dig at him, but Derek grapped him by his shoulder and jerked him back around.
âYouâre both too much,â the werewolf muttered. Stiles glared at him, but started the car nonetheless, mumbling under his breath.
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The letters âBeacon County Sheriff Stationâ stared down at them. Through the side view windows they could stake out the station, Winifred spotted one officer at the front desk. They were actually doing this. They were going to break Isaac out, get him to safety, wait out the full moon, and thenâŚwhat. What was the long time plan? They get him out of jail, and he would be considered a fugitive. Theyâll have to catch the actual culprit, the person who murdered Isaacâs father, who Derek described as extremely fast and strong. Shit.
For now, theyâll have to focus on this. Get him out and donât be caught.
âOkay, now the keys to every cell are in a password protected lockbox in my fatherâs office,â Stiles explained to the both of them. âThe problem is getting past the front desk.â Winifred looked back at the woman she saw through the window. Theyâll have to be smart about this. She might be alone now, but there could be more in the back or she could call for backup.
And Lydia always said that orange looked absolutely terrible on her.
âIâll distract her.â Her head snapped back towards Derek, who was already moving to exit the vehicle. Was he insane? That was his plan? Just go in and hope for the best?
âWhoa, whoa, whoa. You? Youâre not going in there.â Stiles grabbed his shoulder, successfully stopping him in his tracks. âMe and Wini are going in, you are staying here.â Derek glanced at the hand on his shoulder, slowly moving his eyes back and forth. âIâm taking my hand off.â
âI was exonerated,â he exclaimed with an annoyed huff.
âYouâre still a person of interest.â In Winiâs opinion, they were wasting time, valuable time. Someone needed to lay down a plan, but if all goes to hell she had a plan of her own. Not a very thought out plan, but a spur in the moment kind of plan and it involved kidnapping.
âAn innocent person.â
âNot to the cops,â Wini chimed in. Derek gave her a glare, which she returned with a guilty smile. She already had a headache, rather unfavorable when you plan to break your fake boyfriend (affectionately) out of jail.
âAn- you? Yeah, right! Okay, fine. Whatâs your plan?â
âTo distract her.â At least something. Not much, not ideal, but something. A foolproof plan. Truly.
âUh-huh. How? By punching her in the face.â
A dry laugh left his mouth. âBy talking to her.â Wini couldnât believe that the plan he had a twenty minutes car ride to come up with was using his chiseled face to charm the front desk lady. Was a cop even going to fall for that? He was criminal, exonerated or not.
âOkay, alright. Give me a sample. What are you gonna open with?â Obviously, Wini was new to their dynamic and it was interesting to see them interact. Stiles, most of the time seemed scared of Derek, using his scarcasm to protect himself. The very few interactions sheâs had with Derek didnât make him seem like the big bad wolf she previously thought he was. Brooding, dark and handsome. That seemed to be his thing. âDead silence. That should work beautifully. Any other ideas?
âIâm thinking about punching you in the face.â Sheâll put that down as their plan B.
âJust let him go in. When he gets arrested, heâll be a great distraction,â she huffed. Derek continued to be his glaring self and Stiles, to his credit, actually seemed to consider it.
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Her and Stiles watched from the sidelines as Derek wooed the officer at the front desk. Stiles was extremely annoyed that the manâs plan was actually working, the woman was moments away from twirling her hair around her finger. âWerewolf charm, huh,â she whispered. Not necessarily to anyone in particular, but Stiles heard regardless, receiving a groan from the buzzcut boy before he sneaked behind the desk.
They successfully made it to the hall without trouble, Stiles was quick to navigate his way to his fatherâs office. Wini acted extremely cautious, eyeing every corridor and open door in their vicinity. This would turn out a hundred times worse if they were caught. Isaac would remain in jail, Derek and her will most likely get arrested, and Stiles? He was the sheriffâs son, she wasnât certain anything would happen to him other than a week without video games.
The boy in front of her rushed into a room, she could vaguely recognise it from the other night. The Sheriffâs office. They were about sixty-five procent done. He moved towards a numpad attached to the wall. Wini stayed at the glass door, if she saw anyone approaching sheâdâŚscream or something.
âOh, no.â Stilesâ panicked whisper made her immediately hurry to his side. Her enquiring stare soon fell upon the empty lockbox. No key. Someone had gotten to it before them.
Isaac. Oh, no indeed.
The realisation that someone could potentially already be in the same room as Isaac, to harm him, to kill him, hit her like a bus. Stiles could only hiss a âWini, wait!â before she was off. She had no idea where the holding cells were, grabbing the velvet pouch out of her jacket pocket, she prepared herself for whatever she might find waiting for her. Wini rounded corners, looked into empty offices, walked down hallways, she had to be coming close. She reached another corridor, hearing the unmistakable footsteps of Stiles behind her, rounding a corner, she knew it wasnât long until she found-
Wini walked straight into someone, almost pushing the person on to the floor. Great, she got caught. Theyâre going to kill Isaac and she got caught before she could even see a glimpse of him. At least theyâll have a cell right next to each other. The man grabbed her by the arm to stop himself from falling. She sheepishly gaped at him, before she could mutter a weak apology Stiles came up behind her.
The man wasnât letting her go, the pouch nearly slipping from her fingers. âUh, just looking, umâŚ,â her companion started coming up with an excuse. Something was wrong with this deputy, he was injured, an extremely noticeable limp seemed to greatly affect him. Not to mention the strange syringe filled with purple liquid he held. âOh shi-â All of sudden the man rushed forward, he used his grip on her to throw her out of the way. She flew to the ground, her arms having to break her fall as she crashed into the wall.
Her head smacked against the hard material of the wall, disorienting her enough to have let go of the pouch. She could vaguely see Stiles being dragged away by the man. An alarm blared in her ears, she struggled up on her feet with shaky legs not moments later.
Her heart dropped into her stomach. He was the one sent by the Argents. He was the hunter. He was here to kill Isaac. Wini quickly scanned her surroundings for her pouch.
Once, the small bag was safely back in her possession, she scrambled after the two. Ignoring the pounding in her head, the witch darted into the room just as the stranger dressed as a deputy pushed Stiles to the ground.
They needed to get Isaac out of here, get him to a safe location where he can turn without hindrance. Perhaps the woods or-
He wasnât there. Isaac wasnât there. The cellâs door was wide open and no tall brunette in sight. Shit. How could he have possibly gotten past them without being seen? Was that what the alarm was for? He escaped?
The relief was rather short lived when the hunter turned around to face her. Luckily, his movement was not quick enough, her hand had already grabbed a handful of the powder and had blown in it straight into his face before he could even blink. A beautiful red mist swirled around the man, entering his mouth, nostrils and ears. He haphazardly swung his arms around the air to try to block the smoke from entering his lungs, it was quite painful, Wini was sure. His battle with the powder would soon end and he would eventually fall unconscious, let him lay here on the ground for the morning shift to find.
The witch felt how the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, a whoosh of air brushed past her. It was not air that had touched her. It was Isaac. He had indeed not escaped but paitently waited for his moment to strike. Her friend slammed the man against the wall, grabbing him by the head to continuously smack him into the concrete.
It was a brutal scene and yet, she did not feel afraid. Yes, he looked absolutely terrifying with eyes as black as midnight, sharp fangs, and bloody claws. But not one shred of fear filled her, her heart did not beat differently, her pulse did not quicken, sweat didnât coat her palms. Her mind went to strange places, the word âcuteâ entered her thoughts, which seemed ridiculous in many ways. But it was hard not to. He had pointy ears. Mostly terrifying, yes, but also cute. Perhaps she really did hit her head too hard.
She was glad to see that Stiles had managed to find a hiding spot. He definitely looked scared, for a good reason, his classmate was beating someone to a pulp. Her distraction nearly made her miss Isaac rise from his position above the now unmoving man. It seems his bloodlust was not relished by the hunter, she silently watched as he growled and whined in her direction.
Winifred was certain that Stiles was hissing in her direction to find cover, but it was quite difficult to listen to his mumbling when an aggressive werewolf was staring at her like she was his next meal. His head tilted to the side, perhaps debating which limb he should gnaw on first. She felt his hot breath on her face, her head tipping back to stare into his beady eyes. Wini heavily debated on throwing some of that handy red powder into his face. But something made her pause. Would she knowingly cause him pain? She had to remind herself that he wasnât himself. That wasnât her Isaac. The moon was controlling him now. Her hand cupped the soft powder. Pushing her hand up to his snarling teeth, she gave him an eyeful of her red stained hand.
The sound of glass breaking underneath a boot reached her ears, the loud growl spooked Isaac enough to throw himself back. His blue eyes stared back at her, whines and whimpers left his soft lips. The powder dropped to the ground in one small cloud, settling around her in a circle.
Oh, Isaac.
He was crouched on the floor, trying to press himself into the wall. He looked so small, so vulnerable. She wanted to comfort him, to brush her hand through his hair and reassure him. However, she knew it would scare him more than calm him, it was also highly inappropriate.
âHow did you do that?â Stiles asked from his place on the ground.
âIâm the alpha.â It was such an out of touch thing to say she almost laughed.
She stood unmoving in the middle of the room, the fluorescent lights making her brain ache. Her eyes havenât left his for a second. He was still using his hands, clawless, to shield his incredibly sweaty face. Tears lined his eyes. She absolutely despised herself for seeing him in such a state.
Eventually, Derek approached him, as one does a wild animal, and gently nudged him towards the exit. They were going to leave. The alpha brushed past her without a second glance and IsaacâŚfollowed. He didnât look at her. This could possibly be the last time theyâd ever see each other again. And he didnât even look at her. Her eyes followed him until he completely moved out of her sight.
âYou should go, too.â Her gaze snapped to Stiles, who was in the middle of pushing himself up from the ground.
âYou sure?â She glanced at the unconscious man on the ground. He saw her face, he saw all of their faces.
âYeah, I got it from here. Donât want them to catch you red handed.â It took a second for her to understand that he was joking with her. Wini rubbed her red stained fingers and gave him a sad smile.
âThank you, Stiles.â For helping, for caring. He gave her a curt nod, smiling softly at her. She stepped towards where the two werewolves left them behind, turning around to face Stiles once more to add: âDonât inhale the powder.â
Hopefully, the sheriff wonât be too confused as to why his son was the only conscious person in that station.
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Winifredâs hand brushed the fog from her mirror, she stared at her wet appearance. After that stressful day she had been in dire need of a refreshing shower. Now, studying her reflection, she felt anything but refreshed. Tired eyes stared back at her, what an absolute mess today has been.
She rubbed some moisturiser into her skin, glancing at the clock beside the sink. The hand of the clock clicked slowly towards the number four. Wini definitely had no desire to get ready for school in a few hours. At least it was Friday, and she could finally catch up on a few days of sleep.
The full moon had reached its peak hours ago, she could only feel the aftermath of the disarray it caused.
Her hand brushed at the light switch, her socked feet patting on the tiles of her bathroom that was adjacent to her bedroom. She was ready to collapse on to her bed, and sleep like a corpse until her alarm clock would eventually tear her away from the land of dreams. It was probably for the best to skip practice today, she could really use the extra time.
Her feet refused to move, coming to a halt just at the doorframe that led from her bathroom to her bedroom. There was a dark silhouette standing in her room. The stranger was tall and crowding the space in front of her bed, holding something in their right hand. Had someone broken in? Was it a burglar with a weapon? Winifredâs mouth opened to let out a terrified scream. In that very moment the lamp on her bedside table illuminated the strangerâs face, revealing their identity. Isaac. Her mouth shut, her throat releasing something alike a yelp.
Isaac Lahey was standing in her bedroom. He stood in complete darkness in her bedroom, holding a stuffed animal, a pink fluffy bunny with draped ears. Wait. Her pink bunny! Who comes uninvited into someoneâs room and steals their childhood stuffed animals? How did he even manage to get in here? The wards should have prevented him from doing so. How did he even know where she lived?
He had turned around at the sound that stupidly left her. âWhat are you doing here?â She squeaked out nervously at the boy. Her eyes landed on her opened window, she had unlatched it before having her shower, hoping to let some fresh air in, and not strange boys. In an instance, she noted the missing talisman on her window panel. She glanced at her dirty jeans hung over the back of her chair, where the discarded talisman lay in the back pocket. She cursed herself for not putting it back.
He had just waltzed into here without any repercussions. It was strange to see him after all that has happened. He looked like himself. Isaac was wearing a blue sweater and baggy jeans, his usual attire. Still, he seemedâŚuncomfortable.
âIâŚehmâŚneed to speak to you.â He released his hostage back to the place he found it, the velvet chaise in front of her bed, she silently followed the movement with her eyes.
âYou shouldnât be here, Isaac.â She was acutely aware, she was standing in front of him in just a shirt and dripping wet hair. Yes, she was wearing shorts underneath but they were not fully visible. She tugged at the material of the simple white shirt, she vaguely remembered it belonged to her late father at one point in time. Not exactly the clothes you would want to wear while a cute boy stands in your bedroom. It was strikingly clear he noticed her sleep clothes as well. His eyes studying her intently. She was extremely embarrassed, if she knew he was coming over she would haveâŚshe didnât even know, at least worn something that covered her legs.
âI need to speak to you,â he reiterated more firmly this time. His footsteps seemed unsure as he approached her, his gaze was flickering around her room, noting all the things she had displayed.
âAt four in the morning?â She watched as he tried to nonchalantly get closer to her, she refused to move from her position.
âYou were still in the shower,â he sheepishly answered.
âSo, you just came right in.â She didnât know what to do with his gaze that was traveling all around her, he seemed all of sudden so much more aware of everything. He didnât meet her inquiring eyes, avoiding her face completely.
âI did knock.â She snorted, her arms moving across her chest as he invaded her space even more. âListen, Iâm sorry about earlier. I wasnât myselfâŚIâŚif IâŚehmâŚscared you earlier-â
âYou donât scare me, Isaac.â Wini couldnât stop it from leaving her mouth. But it was the truth. Earlier when he growled and threatened her, even now as he broke into her room. Winifred was not afraid. Not of him.
âOh, thatâsâŚehmâŚgood.â He was quite dumbfounded, stringing together random words to make a sentence. His eyes continued to flicker around her bedroom.
He hadnât changed at all. Isaac still seemed so out of place, skittish, and almost paranoid. Like he was just waiting for someone to jump at him. âAre you alright?â Now and for eternity.
There was a long pause, she doubted he would even answer her. However, his striking blue eyes eventually settled on her. âI will be.â To which she could only nod in saddened understanding, he seemed so grief stricken. His father was dead, and he still did not feel safe.
Wini sensed he wanted to say more, opening his mouth a few times until he mustered up the courage. âWhat you did back there at the station, are youâŚare you like me?â The question surprised her, she faintly wondered if he could feel her right now. A lot like Scott, could he smell the difference in scents? Know that something was different but not knowing what exactly made them distinct.
An amused smile graced her face at the thought. âSomething like that.â Winifred was at a crossroad, tell him and be indefinitely wrapped up in Derek Haleâs mess, donât tell him and potentially lose him. Let his alpha decide what happened to him, watch from afar as he changed.
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â He chuckled, letting all his curiosity reflect in his eyes.
Winifred Grimm was selfish when it came to Isaac Lahey.
Her eyes briefly closed, shutting her mind off to all outside noises. She felt the cold air on her bare arms and legs, leaving goosebumps in its wake, she felt the tingling at her fingertips, the blood inside her veins that changed to the beat of her heart. When her eyes reopened, her sight was filled with yellow light, his face reflected something childlike, pure joy.
His blue eyes sparkled in the glow of the flames, his head curiously turned to see her room better. Every candle, the ones sat on her dressers, her vanity, on her bedside table, flickered to life, casting the roomâs darkness away. âSomething different but something very alike.â A joyous laugh bubbled up from deep inside him, it was nice seeing him so carefree.
âYou know, this is exactly how I pictured your room to be,â he smiled at her. A smile so kind it made her heart flutter.
Her eyebrow raised at his statement. âWhat does that mean?â Was it a good thing or a bad thing? Wini studied her room with one glance, her messy blanket and pillows that laid on her canopy bed, her embarrassingly big collection of stuffed animals, her vanity, littered with all her makeup products, some clothes that were haphazardly discarded on a chair.
âYou know, everything is so pink, like a princess.â Oh? Now, she definitely didnât know if that was supposed to be a compliment or not. Her room hadnât changed that much since the age of thirteen, she never found a reason to redecorate. And standing before Isaac Lahey in her bedroom, she at least had the nerve to feel the slightest bit of embarrassment. A princess. Isaac had called her a princess.
âSo if Iâm a princess, what does that make you?â She liked this, joking with him, hanging out with him. If you could call him breaking into your room at four in the morning âhanging outâ.
âYour prince?â The girlâs cheeks turned unnaturally red. Isaacâs eyes widened in surprise, shocked at the words that left his mouth.
She tried her hardest to bite back the laugh that threatened to release itself from within her. He cleared his throat, âWhat happened there?â He pointed towards her neck, her hand reached up to feel at her collar. She had been able to see it earlier when she took her clothes off. A red imprint left behind by her necklace, it would fade away in a few days.
Wini subconsciously rubbed at the area. âNothing.â She truly had no energy to explain to him the weird encounter she had in front of his house, and her necklace suddenly choking her.
âDoesnât look like nothing.â He had come incredibly closer, his fingers dancing above her collarbone, almost touching her skin. He had successfully distracted her from hisâŚflirting?
âIsaac,â her voice had become breathless. The call of his name made his eyes flicker towards her face. Perhaps it was a warning, perhaps it was something far more sinister. He didnât move closer, didnât touch her. His eyes roamed her face, analysing her expression.
The tiny purrs interrupted their rather intimate moment, Lady had crawled from underneath her bed, where she usually hid when guests were there, and had rubbed herself against Isaacâs legs in an attempt to receive some pets. It was good to see her in high spirits, since she had been feeling sick.
Her tail wrapped around his leg and she patiently waited for his attention. âThatâs Lady.â His smile didnât leave his face, he crouched down to caress the white catâs fur. Her little face could only be described as content, her eyes closed, happy for all the pets.
Wini looked at the scene in front of her, Isaac down on his knees petting Lady. Cute. After only a moment, Isaac seemed to suddenly catch himself.
âI should probably go.â He stopped his petting, and rose back to his height. The werewolf nervously scratched the back of his neck. Lady meowed in discontent.
âYeah. Yeah, of course.â She accompanied him back towards her open window. Slightly wondering, how he managed to get up here without her hearing. Wini had to bite back her smile, when Isaac very unceremoniously straddled her window frame.
He paused his manoeuvering, looking back at her. âThe cops still have my phone but IâllâŚehmâŚfigure it out,â he casually mentioned. Ah, yes, still a fugitive. It had almost felt normal. Just the two of them in her room with Lady. She understood what he was trying to tell her, they wouldnât be able to talk for a while. Heâll have to go into hiding until she was able to clear his name. Wini solemnly nodded.
Isaac continued his climb until both his legs were outside her window. âGoodnight,â he smiled.
âNight.â And he was off. It was uncertainty that took hold of her.
Was this truly the last time Wini would see Isaac?
Once again, sorry for the long wait, but I was actually on vacation, celebrated four birthdays, dyed my hair pink and enrolled in university (not particular in that order). I know this is another really long chapter but I tried to fit as much content into one chapter so I donât have to write as many filler chapters. This one is a big boy. So i hope you enjoyed regardless <3
I know Iâm slow with the upcoming chapter but please do not lose faith! I am planning (more like procrastinating) to update the fic THIS WEEK. Iâm about 4k words in but I want to include a little bit more. More content for you (and less filler chapters for me) yay!
