"How did you do that?" Derek suddenly asked, still cautiously watching me with red eyes. They looked like they were expecting me to flip the desk or something… I ran my tongue over my fangs and struggled to calm myself. My eyes blinked heavily and I took a steadying breath; Cedar wood and laundry detergent.

"It wasn't difficult… I just made myself angry. Which you helped along with your ghastly flirting," My voice slowly smoothed out to its raspy, sardonic lilt. "Funny how choking back vomit really grates the nerves."

Stiles threw his hand out to me, "Thank you!" He exclaimed. "I thought I was the only one!"

"Definitely not." I nodded, and Derek growled slightly before striding toward me. My eyes widened and I stepped to the side just before he reached me, and went straight past me to my ruined cell door. His eyes flickered over it, curled and bent, and it was obvious that no human could have done that.

I awkwardly smoothed my hand down my hair. "Heh."

Derek huffed exasperatedly, and without even sparing me a glance, he brought his boot down on the hinges as hard as he could. It popped from the frame like it was detachable and plastic.

"Awww," I groaned. "Did you have to make it look so easy? We're in front of a human, Derek, please." Stiles scrunched a confused nose. "I'm trying to build my werewolf cred."

"Trust me," Stiles shook his head and leveled a look at me. "You're terrifying."

I smirked as Derek hauled the large door over his shoulder and paused upon seeing both of us frowning at him. "Would you rather me leave this here for the cops to find?" He barked.

I quickly went over the scenarios in my mind. Abnormally curled, six-inch thick metal door? Or one that's missing entirely?

Stiles and I rapidly nodded our heads. "No, no," I stepped to the side to clear his path to the doorway and held my arm for him to continue.

"By all means," Stiles mimicked my arm and we waited for him to pass before I looked back at Stiles, who made no move to follow Derek. He looked at me and I resisted the urge to mockingly lunge at him.

"Shouldn't you be afraid to be near me?" I cocked an eyebrow at him and he held up a finger.

"Okay, one," He started. "It was you or Derek, so…" I lifted a shoulder and granted that. "Two, who says I'm not?"

I squinted my eyes at him and crossed my arms. "You forget who you're talking to." I looked pointedly at his heart, which was relatively steady. It still pattered a little too quickly, but nothing like it was before.

He followed my eyes to his chest before shifting on his feet with an uncomfortable scoff. "I have some experience with bloodthirsty werewolves. Don't confuse confidence with trust," he shook his head. "I don't trust you; you're with Derek. That doesn't exactly say good things about your judgment skills."

I put a mockingly offended hand to my chest. "Ouch," I rubbed. "I thought we had really connected in class, ya know?"

He sighed and opened his mouth to retort when Isaac stirred on the floor. We both slowly looked back to each other, and he jumped as if startled. "Don't look at me!"

I barked out a laugh and waved him off. "Go. See you in English, partner." He seemed to want to comment further on that, but Isaac's eyes opened. I stepped between the two and snapped at Stiles to get out, holding out a steady hand to Isaac. "Easy there, boy… Heel!" Isaac lurched to his feet and growled lowly. I tilted my head and squatted slightly, my hand still out to him like he was a wild animal. "Don't you snarl at me, Lahey!"

His head tilted, mimicking me as he moved slowly to me. I could see that his mind was spinning, working through his muddled senses as he tried to place me. I placed a hand to my chest and nodded, breathing calmly. "Easy does it." I nodded, and he blinked slowly at me, hesitantly lowering his snarled lip. "You're okay. We're okay…"

He huffed as if just finishing a marathon, and his eyes flickered between yellow and blue. Reaching out slowly, I smoothed my hand over his and lowered my chin, letting my eyes shift momentarily. Recognition sparked in his eyes, but before he could get pissed again, I latched onto his hand tightly. "We're in this together."

He gulped and his eyes finally dimmed to their natural cerulean, as he slackened his shoulders and slowly stood straight. I smiled and let out a breathy laugh. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

He blinked rapidly and I let go of his hand, taking a wide step away from him. "Let's get out of here before Sheriff Stilinski finds us and throws us back in,"

That was enough to send him skittering behind me as I led the way out of the station, stepping over the unconscious man in the hall along the way.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Derek asked, peering at me from over his sunglasses. I sighed through my nose.

"I can't take you seriously right now." I waved at his sunglasses and then all around us. "We're inside a car, with windows that are tinted so black I can barely see out of them… and I can see the veins in the leaf of that weed poking through the sidewalk if I squint hard enough. There's no reason for you to have those on."

"Fine," He snapped, flipping the sunglasses to the top of his head. "Didn't you skip school every day before this all started?... I'm just not sure you've thought this through."

I ran a hand through my tousled black hair and considered his question for a moment. "Okay." I turned to face him head on. "It's true, I have skipped my fair share of classes. But that doesn't mean I want to drop out! I go to class just enough to keep the monkey off my back."

He glanced through the windshield.

"The monkey being the principal." I quickly added, he snapped at me that he understood. I put my hands up with a smirk. "You seemed confused. Anyways… Now that the police aren't tapping my coordinates out on the airway like I'm FBI's most wanted, I need to play by their rules for a bit to stay out of jail. Neither of us want that, right?"

He raised an eyebrow and looked like he was about to disagree with me, but I barreled over him. "Besides, this benefits both of us!"

He snorted. "This should be good…"

"I can be your eyes and ears. Except prettier, and smarter." I smartly winked. He growled lowly and punched my shoulder hard enough for me to choke out a pained laugh. "Think about it! This way, I can scope out recruits… Keep an eye on Scott and Stiles, so they don't ruin it for us all, and I'm building trust with the authorities again—Derek, this is the best idea we've had to date."

He sighed heavily and sat on it for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright, Nancy Drew. Get out of my car."

"I was thinking that I'm more the Sabrina Duncan to your Charlie Townsend."

"Out!" He barked, and I snickered to myself before leaping from the car to escape the stifling hostility.

As soon as my feet were on the pavement and the door was shut, Derek pulled away so fast that his tires squealed. I watched him race away with a sour smile and froze slightly when I realized it had drawn attention from my classmates as they filed into school.

I scowled and ducked my head faintly. Before going to school, we swung by the gym this morning. Derek worked out in an actual gym, and I took the opportunity to shower. When I stepped out of the locker room with new shorts and a red leather jacket over my black v-neck, he had given me a dry look of exasperation. I recalled the way I had pursed my lips and shrugged at him, muttering something about finder's keepers before shouldering past him.

Now, as I made my way up the steps, I pressed my lips together and ignored the hungry stares of hormonal teenage boys. It seems that a little bare leg and confidence is all it takes to get boys going these days, as I strut through the hall in my boots.

That prickly feeling swelled in my gut, and I looked over my shoulder. Scott and Stiles were murmuring to each other conspiringly, ogling me. I sighed heavily and shoved the new sleeves of my jacket up my arms before jerking my locker open.

A flood of tangy, bitter, and somehow… sweet, hit my nostrils. They flared as I gazed at a crumpled bag hidden under my dusty chemistry book, and I cleared my throat before grabbing my gym bag and slamming the blue metal door shut. I'm not quite ready to deal with that particular piece of history. The pills may come in handy later, if I want to sell them, but for now they only serve as a taunting memory.

I turned to face down the hall and suddenly wished Isaac didn't have to hide out with Derek all day. For the first time in a long time, I felt the unwelcome sting of isolation as the kids in the hall seemed to go out of their way to give me a wide berth. I clenched my jaw and made my way to class, second-guessing my decision to come today.

Turning the corner, I crossed paths with Jimmy. He froze upon seeing me and narrowed his eyes viciously, muttering under his breath before shouldering roughly past me. I bit my tongue and tilted my head, counted to ten, and forged on.

I lingered near the back of my classmates. My sweatpants brushed against my smooth legs, and I purred slightly in appreciation. Perhaps I should take these back to the warehouse; it's been a long time since I've slept in anything but jeans…

Funnily enough, Finstock had yet to notice me—he picked me out so easily before. Then again, I wasn't exactly trying to keep a low profile yesterday, either… I let my eyes trail over to Erica's frizzy head of blonde hair, watching as she made every effort not to draw attention to herself.

I listened to her heartbeat, steady and strong. Something about her scent was wrong. It was slightly… sour. Faint, but detectable under her peachy lotion she used, the scent called a dead carcass to mind, and it was altogether unnerving. I wondered if I was able to smell sickness on people.

I was so immersed in my thoughts that I almost missed Stiles coughing loudly near me. My eyes flitted over to him distractedly, but I did a double take upon finding him staring straight at me. He was doing a poor job of pretending not to watch me. A smirk curled my lips as I looked over his blue t-shirt and black basketball shorts, and he shifted uncomfortably, his face igniting. I wondered if his heart kicked up from being caught, or from being watched. Perhaps it was both.

Before I knew what I was doing, I slid around classmates as they watched Scott and Allison climbing the rock wall and strolled up next to Stiles. My eyes were focused on the couple as they competed and teased each other, but my attention was on Stiles as he pretended not to notice me.

I pursed my lips and looked down at my sneakers for a moment. Suddenly, I jokingly lunged at Stiles, and he staggered away from me. I barked out a devious laugh and he scowled at me.

"I was hoping you were joking when you hinted at coming to school." He admitted, and I shrugged.

"What can I say? I just couldn't stay away," I took a sick sort of enjoyment as I closed in on him, and for every step I took to him, he matched with taking a subtle one away from me. "You're just…" I tilted my head and sniffed at him lightly, smirking at the way his heart accelerated. "Too fun."

"All right." He snapped. "That's enough."

I raised my eyebrows and pursed my lips. "You sounded just like your dad right then."

"Did you sniff at him, too?"

I laughed darkly. "Not quite."

"So what gives?" He continued as if I hadn't brought his dad into this at all. "Why the sudden burning desire to excel in school? Don't tell me you've finally seen the light."

"Actually, I'm glad you asked." I shoved my hands in my pockets and let my hair fall over my shoulder. "I have seen the light, Stiles. And it is so..." I caught his eye, a smile playing at my lips, "Welcoming."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Well, you can't be talking about Derek. A lot of adjectives come to mind when I think of him, but welcoming is not one of them. Daunting, sure. Prying, definitely. Dangerous—conceited, maybe?"

I smiled in amusement. "Gee, you're funny."

He glared at me. "What's your angle? Hmm? Did Derek send you, so you could try to lure Scott—"

"Stilinski!" Finstock bellowed, his finger aimed at Stiles' face. "Erica." My head snapped to see her frizzed hair as she looked up at the wall in dread. "You're up."

Stiles seemed caught between being excited that he was up against such an easy opponent, and the need to finish our conversation. His brown eyes flitted to a new corner of the room. I raised an eyebrow and followed his longing gaze, and rolled my eyes when I saw Lydia standing nearby. She had a ridiculously tiny purple tank top on, coordinating shorts, and was currently inspecting her nails with disinterest. She practically reeked of vain self-involvement, but as I looked back to Stiles, it was clear to me that he and I might be looking at the same girl… But we did not see the same person. I watched as his hunger to show off in front of Lydia won, but my hand quickly flashed out and I shoved his chest back to step in front of him. "Actually, coach, I was wondering if I could give it a shot!"

Stiles gasped and started to protest, but Finstock interrupted him. "Carmichael? What—what are you doing here!"

I blew out a short sigh and raised my eyebrows, looking around the gym. "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm in this gym class, so…"

"I meant, why aren't you in custody?" He growled, apparently very unamused by my retort.

I scratched my nose. "Good behavior?"

"I don't think so," He started stomping toward me, and I shifted uneasily.

"No, it's true! I was only being held on a minor charge. It was really just the police covering their ass, so… um. They could only hold me for a night. I'd really like to give the rock wall a shot, if that's okay with you."

My classmates whispered furiously as they realized who I was. Finstock watched me through narrowed eyes, weighing his options. "Okay…" I ignored Scott's heated gaze on me as he stepped from the mat, and Finstock continued. "Okay. But I'm going by the office to confirm your story at class break, and if I hear so much as a hint that you're lying to me, I will personally haul your ass back to the station with a bow on top!"

I smacked my lips and mockingly saluted at him. "Wait, you'll wear the bow or…" He jabbed a warning finger at me, and I put my hands up. "I just want to be clear what the plan is."

"Well, hopefully we won't need it, right?... Carmichael and Erica, you're up." He watched me with suspicious eyes as I sauntered past him and approached Erica.

I began to strap myself in, listening as her heart began to race. Her breathing trembled as she kept peering up to the top of the wall, and I mulled over what to say to her.

"Jeeze, kid." I jerked my chin at her and looked at her harness. "You might wanna lock that carabiner. It's the only thing that secures you to the harness; things could get ugly if you don't."

Her heart picked up speed as she peered down with wide eyes, fumbling helplessly at her harness. I sighed through my nose and reached over to click the carabiner into place. Her hands shook where they gripped the straps of her harness, and I nodded reassuringly to her. She watched me with doe eyes, confused and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I turned away from her and began to ascend the wall. Her heart set my pace, as I easily made my way to the top. In spite of my efforts to ignore them, the furious whispers of my classmates bled into my ears.

"…Savannah Carmichael, I'm telling you! Look at her!..."

"Can't be. Look at her scaling that wall."

"I heard that she's in therapy—" someone sucked in a gasp "—exactly!"

"Maybe her limp was all in her head."

"It would explain a lot."

"Who knows?"

"She's got problems."

Anger boiled under my skin. I gripped one of the plastic rocks a little too hard, and as I tugged myself up, it nearly fell out of the wall. My breath caught in my throat and I froze in my tracks, stabbing it desperately back into the wall. But a screw fell out, plopping onto the mat, and it dangled limply from the fake gray wall. I grunted in exasperation and skipped the rock, finishing my climb before quickly switching directions.

Erica grunted below me with every pull she made, sluggishly moving up. Her hands and legs shook so hard that I could feel the tremors as I made my way back down to her. She didn't get past the first few rows of 'rocks', frozen on the wall and gasping for air. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Erica." I calmly called, and she whimpered, her eyes flicking between the wall and me. She couldn't even muster the courage to move her head. Her heart was racing so fast that the beats began to blend together, and sweat now intermingled with her scent wafting toward me. I sighed heavily. "Erica… What are you so afraid of? You've got that harness strapped on. You've got a mat below you."

She opened her mouth and breathed out a shaking breath before she was able to gather her courage enough to reply. "I—I can't move…" Her lip quivered pathetically. I gnashed my teeth together and reached over to touch her hand. "Don't!" She shrieked, and I frowned at her.

"Calm down!" I commanded, and Finstock called up to us to ask what was going on. "I'm helping you, damn it." She squeezed her eyes shut and I gently pried her fingers from the rock, latching onto her hand. I placed it over a rock below her, positioning her fingers firmly over the plastic. "Now you." She peered at me through cracked lids, panting quick breaths. I nodded to her other hand and repeated myself. "Just keep doing that. Take your time…"

She shakily exhaled and gripped onto the rock I had forced her to grab like her life depended on it, slowly lifting the fingers of her other hand off one at a time. Her brown eyes crawled down the wall until they landed on a red one just below her elbow. With a trembling hand, she cautiously grabbed it.

"Foot." I simply reminded her. She took a deep breath, a bit steadier than before, and testingly scooted a toe off the rock she was on. She hadn't properly taken her weight off that rock, and she slipped.

A scream tore from her throat, breaking into shuddering whimpers, and I commanded her to calm down. "Erica!" I said lowly, climbing a little closer to her. "Ignore those assholes, okay? Screw them." Our classmates snickered below us as I stared into Erica's scrunched face. "…Foot."

She cracked her lid open and watched me for a few seconds, clenching her jaw with determination. Her foot slid back again, this time jerking down to a new rock.

Her whole body lowered slowly, unsteadily, but she lowered herself down another rock. And another. I moved next to her, and she looked up at me with a terrified smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but apparently she broke her concentration.

Her foot missed the next rock, and her hands were so sweaty that she couldn't keep a good grip on the rock. She sailed through the air, dead weight, and snapped up as the rope caught her just above the mat.

My shoulders sagged in defeat. I shook my head and climbed the rest of the way down. Finstock was murmuring gently to Erica and guiding her by her shoulder off the mat, my classmates all sneering and giggling as she walked away from the wall.

I looked up and made eye contact with Scott, who watched me with apprehension. Stiles was just behind him. His eyes were filled with a dark understanding, and he whispered to Scott, knowing that I would hear him. "I told you she was here for Derek. They're up to something."