There wasn't much to do, except twist her hands in her lap and glance at a practically motionless wall clock every five seconds. The small interrogation room she had been placed in was dull and grey, and the table and wooden chair she sat upon were both a boring brown colour. She had been waiting for about twenty minutes now.

Rebecca hadn't seen her mom on the way in, only expressionless officers that pretended not to recognize her as she was sent to her not-quite-a-prison-cell, closet sized room. She had seen Theo be dragged in another direction, but she didn't dare try to get his attention. She didn't know what she would say, anyway. They weren't actually friends.

Also, the way quite a few officers went into a room she knew they were holding Connor, Rebecca had a feeling that they were being sent in regarding the business of his family's brutal assassination. Had Connor said something? Was his sending her to his house a way for him to frame her for something she didn't do?

Though in her mind frazzled with shock, she couldn't quite muster the energy to be anything more than terrified.

The door opened and a small woman with turtle shell glasses walked through the door. Rebecca instinctively flinched away from the sudden noise, but tried to settle her breathing and greet the woman with a neutral expression. Unfortunately, it ended up looking more like she had committed many serious crimes and was about to admit to all of them.

The woman closed the door and sat across from Rebecca at the desk. The woman crossed her legs, her large nose twitching every few seconds as she examined Rebecca with a careful eye. Rebecca immediately retracted her hands and entertwined them on her lap.

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Oh, shit." Rebecca thought. "Now she really thinks I've done something wrong. I'm definitely a smooth criminal."

"I've heard that your mother has been demanding to know why we've taken you in for questioning." The woman's voice was low and it put Rebecca on edge. Though, since the sight of the MonHeim's body's were still framed in her mind in all their gruesome glory, that was reasonable. "She seems convinced you've done nothing wrong."

"Do you think I've done something wrong?" Rebecca bit her tongue so hard she visibly flinched. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. What I meant to say is; am I in trouble?"

"I think we'll find out in a few minutes, won't we?" the woman said. Her voice seemed friendly enough, but it was stern also. Rebecca blinked, straightening slightly and giving the woman a blank stare. She knew what was happening. It happened in every lame cop show ever. Turtle Shell Woman would squeeze the truth out of her until she shattered like an old window pane and spilled everything.

Despite being chilled to the core and her limbs still being a little jittery, Rebecca knew that she was made of bullet proof glass, and she'd just have to play along until it was over. "Bring it on, Turtle Shell," Rebecca thought.

"Why did you decide to go to the MonHeim house, Rebecca?" Turtle Shell asked, leaning forward, her brown eyes amplified in the lenses of her glasses. They pleaded with her silently, as if secretly trying to show that if she could be vulnerable, so could Rebecca.

Rebecca, although not falling for the subtleties, was stumped already. What was she supposed to say? "Well, I broke into the police station and talked to your current prisoner, the eldest boy of the family I found murdered. How do we know each other? It's funny you asked. You see, he's a flesh eating Wendigo and I was helping him stifle his cannibalistic urges-"

Rebecca nearly cracked a smirk, but hid it as clearing her throat. Turtle Shell woundn't have found it very funny.

"Rebecca?" Turtle Shell cocked her head, pretending to be very concerned. "Are you alright?"

Rebecca just stared back at the woman. Maybe if she sat still long enough, everything would just go away. Yet as panic rose in her ears when Turtle Shell's expression briefly flickered from a worried friend to a furious demon from the seventh circle of hell, Rebecca knew she had to say something.

"Um..." Rebecca breathed. Wow. Great start. "Me and Connor MonHeim are close friends and I wanted to stop by to check up on him."

"Close friends? How close?" Turtle Shell asked, leaning back in her chair as if what was going on wasn't an interrogation.

"He's my ... boyfriend," Rebecca lied. She played off her moment of panic and waved her hand dramatically, and started to ramble pointlessly. "You know, we're still at that awkward stage where we're close but not technically, you know, together. Like, we're not holding hands and eating each other's faces in public."

Rebecca felt weird talking about Connor in that way. However, Turtle Shell seemed to buy her act as she nodded.

"And why did Mr. MonHeim need checking up on?" Turtle Shell asked. Before Rebecca could open her mouth the door flew open. Turtle Shell spun around, her glasses becoming crooked when she pushed away from the table to investigate the sudden noise. She fumbled to realigned the lenses with her pupils as the intruder walked into the room.

Rebecca kept her expression neutral even though her eyes were glued to the newest addition to the small room. Turtle Shell stood, as if trying to display her level of power, but she fell a foot short of the other person's eyes, so the desired effect evaporated.

Turtle Shell's voice was loud and strong when she spoke. "Who are you? Why were you let in? Don't you idiots know this is a confidential interrogation with a witness of a-"

Her voice was cut off when the man who had entered the room pressed his forefinger to her forehead like some ancient ritual. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted, landing with a loud noise on the cheap flooring.

Rebecca gripped the armrest of her chair so tightly her knuckles turned white. She wanted to rise, but when she finally met the man's eyes she shrunk away from him and offered a sheepish wince. He tilted his head, shaking it slightly.

"Rebecca, I swear. Why is it always you I have to save? Why don't you ever leave it to the adults?" the man scolded. Rebecca rose from her chair, emboldened by the lack of anger in his tone.

"Sorry, Mr. Otsuka," Rebecca said, giving him a weak smile. "I guess trouble is just attracted to me."

He gave her a stern glare before stepping aside and ushering her through the door. Rebecca scurried through, head bowed slightly like a disobeying child. People were strewn across the hall, but Rebecca hid her small frown by wiping her nose. She had seen this done once before, but on a much smaller scale.

Once they reached the end of the hall, Myriam Virk stepped out of a dark office, letting out a sigh of annoyance, but also relief. She gave Rebecca a blank look before locking eyes with Mr. Otsuka.

"All the tapes have been removed, are you almost done here?" Deputy Virk asked. Rebecca didn't miss the way her mother's hand was firmly pressed to her gun holster. Had something else happened that she didn't know about?

"I believe there are a few more people I haven't gotten to yet," Mr. Otsuka replied. He absently gestured to the nearest officer, who was slumped against the wall with a dazed look on his face. His eyes were rolled back into his skull, just like how they had left Turtle Shell. The whites of his eyes along with the quiet groans he omitted made the sight of him, and the other officers in the hall, disturbing. "We'll work out how to stifle the rumors later."

Rebecca's mom nodded. There was a rhythm to the way they worked through this problem, as if it was a mere speed bump. Rebecca started to wonder how many times this had happened to have the procedure come together so quickly.

Mr. Otsuka was a financial manager. Apparently in his free time, he tampered with important police evidence and erased memories, assaulting officers in the process. Not to mention the Deputy helped him.

Rebecca allowed Mr. Otsuka to guide her down the hall, bypassing her mother. Rebecca decided to just stay silent for the time being. She could tell that both her and Mrs. Virk were not pleased with each other, but a domestic scolding would have to be put on hold for more serious issues.

Mr. Otsuka opened a door that lead to the room Connor was being held in. Rebecca immediately noticed how the boy looked disturbingly different from when she had seen him only about two hours before. His eyes were red and puffy, his neck and shoulders slumped as his forehead rest on one of the bars that kept him in the cell.

Rebecca took a step towards him, but a hand wrapped itself around her forearm. She reflexively jerked her arm away, but Gus held fast. He gave her a knowing look. He must have been waiting for her here. Rebecca turned to look at Mr. Otsuka when Gus did. Ren's father gave Gus a nod, but when his gaze rest upon Rebecca, his expression morphed into something like sympathy. He was perhaps the only one that had felt her turmoil of emotions, still skewed and sketchy from seeing the MonHeims.

Rebecca lifted the corner of her mouth a fraction to show her gratitude. He watched her face for another moment before ducking his head and returning to the hall, his footsteps clear in the eerily silent station.

Gus quickly closed the door behind Mr. Otsuka. His grip loosened on Rebecca and she used this momentary distraction to yank herself free and practically run to where Connor stood, tears silently falling down his face. He had been told about his family.

Rebecca placed one of her hands on his shoulder, and the other on his cheek. She was no Satori, but he was in so much pain she could practically taste it. She wanted to reassure him in some way. She wished there was a way she could bring back his family, because even though he hated them, they were all he had.

"Connor," Rebecca said, her voice embarrassingly shaky. She could feel tears welling in her own eyes. "Who did this to your family?"

Connor didn't react to her words, instead keeping his steady gaze on the floor as another tear leaked out of his eye. His face was contorted into sadness but when he gasped for breath it was almost inaudible. Her thumbed wiped away another tear, but his face was practically submerged in liquid, so she only suceeded in smearing it across his cheek.

Once again she felt Gus grab her arm, dragging her away from Connor. She fought slightly, but he was much stronger than her. Rebecca, after allowing herself to be tugged a few feet away from Connor, snatched her arm away and settled her icy glare on Gus.

"I know this must be hard, it all happened so quickly," Gus started. Rebecca couldn't help but roll her eyes, turning her body so she could shake her head at the window. She honestly wasn't in the mood. "But we can't just forget that this boy ate someone, he's still dangerous-"

"He ate someone that was dead," Rebecca interjected, looking at Gus from the corner of her eye. "It's not like he went out and murdered someone brutally, which had happened to his entire family!"

Gus clenched his jaw, then tossed his gaze from Connor to Rebecca until he sighed, running his hand through his greying hair. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Rebecca. Your mother and Mr. Otsuka feel the same. We hate how you seem to always be involved in these kind of cases."

Rebecca crossed then uncrossed her arms, looking anywhere but at the old man in front of her.

"You're not invincible, Rebecca. You're not like us," said Gus. "And we all know that one day all these things that have happened to you are going to catch up and you're going to wind up seriously hurt. Or worse."

"What?" Rebecca taunted. A buzzing sound filled her head and blood rushed past her ears. Gus reeled back slightly at her tone, more from surprise than anything else. Maybe it was because she was still so pumped up on adrenaline, or because she hated knowing that she had just stood by as the MonHeim's and Travis were murdered, but one thing was for certain; she was already involved. She just had to break the news to the thick-headed adults around her. "Worse as in I'll end up dead? People have already died because of whatever the hell is happening!"

"Yes, and we know that if you continue down this path you're probably going to have the same fate," Gus hissed, his calm demeanor vanishing more every second.

"How about, instead of worrying about me, you focus on the people who are actually in danger!" Rebecca yelled. She felt like screaming until her throat bled. Her fingers tingled as the blood that pumped through her made her even more brave. Brave enough to stand up to an alpha, to her friend. "I'm not the target right now! Kids have been going missing, dying even. You, Mom, and Mr. Otsuka cannot possibly afford to be worried about me while this is happening!"

"We don't want kids to deal with things that murder other children," Gus responded, his voice loud and clear. He pointed a finger at himself as his eyebrows moved with his words, as if to highlight what he was saying. It was clear she had struck a nerve mentioning the kids he didn't save. Who knows how that had been weighing on him. "You're just a kid. You don't understand the responsibility of looking after someone else. Every time a kid has gone missing your mother looks sick, praying to God that your name isn't going to be uttered. Mr. Otsuka has to worry about Ren, and we all know he's not ready to take on what his father does."

"Maybe he would if you let him," Rebecca interrupted, the image of her friend in her mind. "If you think hiding us in the cupboards while you go out and face the bad guys is going to help us at all, you're delusional. If we gave Ren some time, and helped him, then who knows what he can do!"

"We don't want to have to force children into that kind of responsibility!" Gus roared, his eyes flickering from dull grey to blood red. Rebecca didn't even flinch. "You and Ren have the chance for a normal life, because that's what we want! That's what parents do, for God's sake, we make our kid's lives easier so they don't have to deal with the shit we do!"

"What about Kamilla?" Rebecca asked, lowering her voice. She had subconsciously been leaning forward, a piece of her strawberry blond hair in her mouth as her eyes widened, in a challenging manner. She didn't even blink as Gus instantly shifted moods at the sound of her friend's name. "Does she have a choice?"

Gus opened his mouth, but closed it quickly. When he finally did speak, his voice was practically a whisper. "Kamilla ... she doesn't have the same situation as you or Ren."

"Okay, so she doesn't," Rebecca shook her head slightly. She couldn't help but feel a wave of triumph wash through her as she saw how greatly she had effected Gus. "But even after you turned her, even after she was thrust into the world of the supernatural, you didn't give up on her. Even after all of the horrible things she did when she couldn't control herself, you helped her! And now, she's alive, and she's a better person. Why can't you see, that outcome is possible for me and Ren too. If you just give us a chance even when we mess up ..."

Gus swallowed a lump that was obviously forming in his throat. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the girl in front of him.

"If Mr. Otsuka trains Ren he could learn to not only read minds but alter them also. He could learn to adjust memories, like what Mr. Otsuka is doing right now," Rebecca said, nodding along with herself and brandishing her arm out as if displaying something that wasn't there. "And if you just give me a chance. Please, I know you feel like you can't trust me, but if you can trust Kamilla, you cant trust me. I swear ..."

Gus sniffled, although he tried to hide his moment of weakness by clearing his throat. When he finally looked at Rebecca, there was something in his eyes that reminded her of how she used to respect him like how she would respect a father. Rebecca, for a fragile moment, believed that she had finally said something that would change his mind about her at last.

"We can't, I'm sorry."

His words hit her like a slap to the face. She blinked. His jaw was set and his eyes were unreadable.

"What?" Rebecca said. It felt like that was the only thing she could possibly say to his outright statement. She sounded like he had just told her that someone close to her had died. Her brown eyes were large and round but he didn't crack.

She didn't want to look like she was pleading for a different answer, she just wanted a reason as to why, even after all she's done to try and prove that she was capable, he still didn't trust her. She wanted to know why that ever since a few months prior he had been acting like he hadn't watched her grow up, instead trewting her like a burden.

"You're not like us, Rebecca," Gus said. There was something in his tone that sounded like he was trying to reach out and apologize for his true feelings, but Rebecca drew back when he took a half step towards her. She turned towards Connor, where he had yet to move from his position still. Gus let out a long breath, looking at the girl in front of him with a regretful expression. She leaned away from him, but thankfully he didn't notice how hard she was trying not to cry.

Rebecca crossed her arms, her gaze never leaving Connor's weeping form. Gus turned away, but Rebecca's miserable stance didn't falter until the door behind her swung open.

She turned to see who it was, traces of her displeasure clear in her furrowed eyebrows and frown. In walked Theo, her mother hot on his heels. She closed the door behind them, and Rebecca uncrossed her arms, turning to face the two who had just entered. She had almost forgot about Theo until that moment. She caught his gaze, and he gave her a pursed-lip grimace before Myriam pushed him none too gently away from the exit, and Rebecca.

"Alright," her mother began, looping her thumbs through the belt in her trousers and giving the four other people in the room hard, lingering stares. "Well, as you all must know, we have a predicament on our hands. Mr. MonHeim in the corner has eaten Travis DeClair."

Rebecca shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms as they took turns looking back to watch the boy who had finally looked up, listening to their conversation.

"But, as you may not know," Myriam continued, giving Rebecca a pointed glare before staring straight at Theo. "Connor tells us that he was forced to do it, as his family's lives were on the line. He was forced to do it by, as far as we know, Theo Raeken."

Rebecca's head whipped around, and she stared at Theo in horror. She took a step away from him. She knew that something was different about him, and now she had something to justify her mistrust.

Theo, however, looking dumbfounded. He stared blankly at the Deputy who glared back at him, her face stony and unreadable. Soon his face cracked into panic and terror, and watching it unfold was like punching a mirror and watching all of the shards fall to the ground.

"What?!" Theo exclaimed, and when he couldn't get Myriam's face to respond he turned to Gus, then Rebecca, then finally Connor. He shook his head, but his gaze landed on Rebecca again, and she leaned away from him even when he stood six feet away. "You actually believe that?"

"I've known Connor for years." Is the only thing Rebecca offered. Her gaze turned grim, as if they were already sentencing Theo to a life in jail. His shoulders slumped and he looked at Gus, his last hope.

"Myriam, it isn't fair to just accuse him when all we have as proof is the boy who ate someone," Gus argued, gesturing to Connor as if he were a stray animal. "I've known Theo for quite some time now, and I can assure you, he can be trusted on this one."

"Thing is, Augustus," Myriam turned on her coworker so quickly it made Rebecca's head spin. "You don't know him. You've been working with him for a few months. Maybe he was just working with you to get sensitive material."

"Why didn't you tell me Theo was working with Gus?" Rebecca blurted out, unable to stay silent. Adrenaline was once again pumping past her ears. "Maybe if I had known I could have kept an eye on him at school, so he wouldn't have had the chance to do anything like this-"

"I'm still here," Theo interjected, pointing his hand to his chest and leaning towards Rebecca as if she had just personally insulted him. There was an intensity in his eyes that screamed he was fighting for his life, and that just made Rebecca scowl in disgust. If he was responsible for killing Connor's family, he didn't deserve to throw in his two cents.

"Enough!" Myriam yelled, looking straight at Theo. "You don't get to have an opinion on this matter." She then turned to Rebecca. "And the only reason you're still here is because you are a witness and the one who found the MonHeim's. Don't think being here is a right, it's a privilege that you have not yet earned. And that is why I didn't tell you."

Rebecca pursed her lips together and Theo ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Her mother turned back to Gus, a new found impatience in her eye. "I told you from day one you shouldn't have trusted him. He's a kid, Gus. You can't just fight to the death about not letting some kids join then greet others with open arms."

"There's a difference," Gus defended himself, and Rebecca couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Kamilla and Theo are different. Rebecca can't handle what's out there, and you know it."

"You trust him but not me?" Rebecca exclaimed, ignoring her mother's demands and icy glare. "He's been in this town for like, a month!"

"I'm not arguing with you again, Rebecca," Gus whirled around to fix Rebecca with a withering look. "I told you once and I'll tell you a million times, they're different from you!"

Rebecca nodded, as if she understood, but her face mirrored not acceptance, but rage. She understood now. Gus only trusted werewolves because he was one. He trusted Kamilla even though she had killed people before, and it showed in her blue werewolf eyes. He trusted Theo even though he just arrived. Rebecca wanted to hit him repeatedly. "Right. You trust them because they're your little protégés and you're scared I'll deviate if you try and control me."

Gus looked like he was about to explode, all the rage that had been building up since they had argued only about ten minutes prior coming to the surface. He took a step towards Rebecca, ready to unleash his anger, but he never even got the chance to speak or brandish his werewolf claws.

Myriam Virk had her gun pulled out in three seconds, and the sound of the bullet getting put into place was enough for everyone in the room to freeze.

Even though she didn't point it at anyone, the wrath behind her eyes made shivers go up Rebecca's spine. She now had everyone's undivided attention, especially since Gus and Rebecca knew that she always carried silver bullets around with her in case she needed it.

"Rebecca, shut it and don't speak again unless you're spoken to. You know better than to egg someone on like that, you're not five years old anymore. Understand?" Rebecca nodded twice, bowing her head in shame. "Good, that's your last warning."

Myriam then turned to Gus, who she was closer to. In both her hands she twirled the gun around using her fingers. "And Augustus, you leave my daughter alone, I don't care what the circumstance. You threaten her one more time and so help me God, these murderers running around will be the least of your problems. Does that paint a clear enough picture?"

Gus grunted, turning away and taking a step back from the group. Mrs. Virk took a deep breath before unloading the gun and slamming it on the table closest to her. "We have enough problems right now, and we don't need you all messing around like toddlers."

Myriam turned, now leaning into Theo, as if visually representing how she hadn't forgotten about him. "So, Theo. Can you prove in some way that you didn't threaten him and force him to eat Travis DeClair?"

"I've never even spoken to him before," Theo said hastily, as if he had been holding in his words the entire time. "I knew he was on the football team, but I only saw him in the halls occasionally..."

Mrs. Virk glanced from Theo to Connor in his cell. When the boy didn't respond to her questioning look, she spoke. "Is this true?"

Connor didn't reply. He just stared at the ground. The Deputy groaned under her breath then took a half step towards Connor, her one hand straight and pointing at him as if he needed his words to be guided out of him. "Connor, answer me."

The boy muttered something quiet under his breath. Myriam blew air through her nose before striding over to his cell, where he stood motionless.

"Answer me loud and clear, Mr. MonHeim. Or I'll have to take his word over yours," Rebecca's mother demanded.

"Yes," Connor finally said after another heartbeat. Rebecca's expression changed from being attentive to being extremely confused, and she shifted to see the scene that was unfolding.

Myriam's eyebrows shot up, and she gripped a bar with her right hand and leaned in closer to the boy. "Connor, is that a yes to what he said?"

Connor nodded his head, and along with it, said, "Yes."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

Myriam used her other hand to drag her fingers across her face, exasperation clear on her features. "So you're telling me that you lied when you told the Sheriff that this boy had made you do this? You lied when you said that this boy threatened you, that if you didn't eat Travis DeClair, he would kill your family?"

"Yes."

The Deputy let out a string of curses under her breath, walking a few steps away from Connor. Her sharp gaze settled on Theo, who was releasing a noticeable sigh of relief, running his hands through his hair. Myriam faced him, earning her Raeken's full attention once more.

"Where were you at exactly seven p.m. earlier this evening, a.k.a, the approximate time the MonHeim's were killed?" Myriam demanded, Gus let out an exasperated breath, but the Deputy raised a single hand as if to block out his opinion.

"I-I was at a gas station-" Theo replied, his gaze flitting over to Gus, who nodded, encouraging him to continue. "I was filling up my truck and I-"

"At exactly seven p.m?" Mrs. Virk asked in a loud voice. Theo blinked, furrowing his eyebrows as his mouth twitched slightly.

"Well, no. It was a bit before seven, maybe six fifty or something," Theo responded, and when Myriam tilted her head to the side in annoyance, he hastily continued. "I swear, I was. You can go find the footage if you want."

"We don't have time for footage, Raeken," Myriam seethed, her cold tone drastically opposite from the fire behind her eyes. She still didn't believe him, despite what Connor had said. Rebecca recognized her voice as the one her mother used when Rebecca got involved in something she shouldn't. It made Rebecca relax ever so slightly, knowing that at least someone was willing to act upon the bad gut feelings this guy created whenever he was around. "Do you have a justifiable witness? Someone that we can call? Did you see the clerk's name tag at the desk when you paid for your 'gas'?"

Theo opened his mouth, an array of sounds that sounded like the beginnings of explanations that died under the Deputy's harsh glare. Suddenly, when Theo looked back at Gus, his focus zeroed in on Rebecca, as if he had forgotten that she was even still there.

"Rebecca was at the gas station at the exact same time as me!" Theo finally expelled, his voice fueled by triumph. Yet when he brought his gaze back to Rebecca, who's eyes showed nothing but mistrust, he faltered slightly. Rebecca could see the fears he struggled to swallow; would she lie? Did Rebecca hate him so much she was willing to falsley prosecute him?

"Is that true?" Myriam asked, her eyes not wavering for even a second from Theo in front of her.

Rebecca wanted to. She wanted to lie because she hated how he had just waltzed into their town and scooped up those closest to her, or was trying to. But, as much as she wanted him to go away forever, she knew that wouldn't help trying to find the people who really had murdered Connor's family.

Rebecca's shoulders relaxed slightly, and as if her mom could see her, she nodded. Her mouth thinned into a strange, but reassuring smile, and her gaze met Theo's. She didn't like him much, but seeing all of his worries evaporate before her eyes made her find her voice.

"Yes," Rebecca said. She tore her eyes away from Theo, who's face was twisted into a relieved smile, and stared at the back of her mother's head. "I was at the gas station with him. We were at Hurby's, off of Wharncliffe. It was right around seven, like he said."

Myriam shifted feet, leaning her shoulders forward slightly, favouring her right leg. "Fine. Then what about after that? What'd you do after you left the gas station?"

Rebecca grinned at her shoes. At least someone credited her two cents in serious matters. Theo, however, was struggling not to crack under Myriam's fierce eyes once more as he rubbed the back of his neck and squinted slightly at the back window, as he tried to remember just exactly what had happened.

"Um, I was driving home, because I had just left Kamilla's house," Theo started, but Myriam cut him off quickly.

"You live up near the North End?"

"Yeah, actually, I do," Theo answered, chosing to wave off the question and continue despite no signs of Myriam gesturing him to do so. "But as soon as I got there I got a text from Gus and he explained everything to me, well, the important stuff, and he wanted me to come down right away. So I hopped back in my truck and drove to the police station when I saw Rebecca again."

Theo explained the rest of the story, right up to the part where a gruff women, much like Turtle Shell, was brought in and interrogated him. Myriam turned to fix Gus with a scathing glare, which he replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, kid," Myriam said, finality and exhaustion in her voice. "Your story seems to have checked out alright, but if you think I won't look into it more, you're wrong. However, Gus and I are going to be having a long chat about your affiliation with him, so don't get too comfortable."

Theo nodded, turning away and rubbing his face with both of his hands, blowing out deep breaths as if to calm his racing nerves. Rebecca unfolded her arms, not liking the way her mother had yet to address her. Yet she had a feeling that she was in for a shit storm later, when they were alone.

"Otsuka should be done by now, he's probably already left," Myriam continued, looking at the clock and walking across the room to check down the hall. After peeking her head out, she shut the door slightly, not closing it all the way. "They should be waking up soon."

Rebecca opened her mouth to say something, but the air in the room suddenly became thick when she heard a bullet being clicked into place. She turned as quickly as she could to the source of the noise, which was behind her.

Myriam's face paled as she reached into her holster to find her gun, but realized that she had left it on the table. But now it was in someone else's hands.

Connor MonHeim, who wouldn't hurt a fly, looked like a caged animal, with terror seemingly stuck to his expression. Despite his lower lip trembling, his hands were steady as the barrel of the gun pointed directly at Gus' heart.

Theo, who was behind him, took a quiet step forward, but Connor, with his heightened senses, wasn't fooled. Without turning his head or wavering his position, he shrieked: "Nobody move or he dies!"

"The little runt pickpocketed me," Myriam muttered from across the room, helpless to stop what was unfolding. Rebecca's gaze flitted over to the cage door, that was only slightly open, the keys he had snagged from her mom still attached. How had no one noticed him escaping? With Gus, and most likely Theo's, super hearing, they should have caught him before he had grabbed the gun.

Yet Rebecca knew, even as her heart sunk with dread, that Wendigos were masters of the night. If Connor didn't want to be heard, he wouldn't be, which was an unfair disadvantage.

Gus raised his arms in surrender, knowing that a silver bullet to the heart wasn't good for anyone, werewolf or not. Myriam made eye contact with Theo, shaking her head and warning him not to make a move. Rebecca, who had felt like her blood had turned to cement in those few moments, suddenly jolted back to life when the finger Connor had dancing over the trigger, twitched.

Yet she could do nothing but stand still, trying to problem solve a situation that was definitely not in her favour. So, as much as it pained her to do so, when Connor spoke, she listened.

"I'm going to walk out that door," Connor said, his voice shaking considerably, yet there was a definite calmness underneath his fear that made the desperation in his eyes terrifying. "And you're going to let me without incident, or I'll kill all of you, starting with him."

"Connor-" Rebecca said, her voice slipping out. She sounded irritatingly vulnerable.

"My family's dead!" Connor screamed, tears streaming down his face, yet he looked everywhere but where Rebecca stood. "I'll kill you like they were killed."

The Deputy swallowed a lump in her throat, fists clenched at her sides as she shook with the effort to keep herself completely still. Connor jerked his gun upwards, motioning for Gus to come closer. The police officer took three slow steps towards the crazed boy before Connor spoke through gritted teeth.

"That's enough." Gus looked at Connor grimly, as if wanting to rip him apart piece by piece, but knowing that he couldn't take an unplanned step without having a hunk of silver lodged in his chest. "Come on, walk slowly. We're leaving, and the three of you wait five minutes after we leave before you move, or he dies. Come on!"

Connor's demands were unchallenged. When Gus and Connor walked by Theo, Connor gave him a warning glare, filled with malice Rebecca hadn't known the boy could possess.

Rebecca bit her lip, watching the clock just like Theo and her mom. She forced herself not to move, even though after a minute Myriam ducked into the hallway, obviously going to get more officers to help with their current predicament. Rebecca, however, was trying not to cry. She wanted to be mad at Connor, but if their roles were reversed, she would have done something much worse, so despite her better judgement, she felt sympathy wash through her.

After three minutes she let out a long breath and looked at Theo, who was already looking at her. A single tear leaked out of her eye, but she angrily brushed it away. She looked away from him, her sights set on the exit beside him. When she tried to walk by, he grabbed her arm.

"It hasn't been five minutes yet," Theo said, as if she hadn't known.

"I know," Rebecca responded, clenching her jaw and forcing herself not to full on slap his hand away. Theo pursed his lips, releasing her, but matching her quick pace with his own long strides. Rebecca pushed open the door, slower than her pride would have liked. She looked at Theo out of the corner of her eye. "You should go get my mom."

"I was about to tell you the same thing," Theo replied, raising his eyebrows. She huffed, but after a few moments of walking, when her rationality set in, she was glad to have someone with her, just in case. "Do you have any idea where he was going?"

"Yeah, actually," Rebecca answered, pointing north towards the forest that was only about a kilometer away. "Connor loves the woods. He knows almost everything about them."

Theo said nothing, but Rebecca could almost hear his judging thoughts. She twitched her nose slightly, but froze when she saw out of the corner of her eye something moving in the patch of trees beside them.

She froze, instinctively reaching her arm across to push Theo backwards and protect him. But when Gus sprinted out of the brush a few seconds later, she sighed in relief. Before she could open her mouth to express anything, he cut her off with a shake of his head.

"He took my gun and is heading towards the main road, down near Southdale St. He's confused, crying, and very dangerous. We need to tell your mom-" Gus explained, eyes wide as his heavy breathing slowly subsided.

"There's no time," Rebecca interrupted, shaking her head. She dodged Gus' attempt to thwart her, darting around his arms and jumping over a log into the brush where Gus had directed her towards. "Get my mom, I'll calm him down."

Gus swore loudly, calling her name before internally fighting the urge to catch up to her and drag her by her hair away from danger. Instead he turned to Theo, who with a raised eyebrow, awaited his instructions. He licked his dry lips, looking back at the station where still slightly bleary cops were emerging from, disoriented, but on a mission.

"Listen, kid, I've gotta' go help Myriam on this one," Gus said finally. "Go after Becks. She's brave, but she can also be mighty stupid."

Theo laughed slightly but nodded, wasting no time following Rebecca into the brush and disappearing as well.


Rebecca followed the sound of sobs to find Connor, and when she finally reached the place where he had stopped running, she wished she hadn't.

In both his hands he help pistols, but he held them so limpy, she mustered the bravery to take another step closer. She knew he heard her, but his head was buried in his armpit as he wailed out his sorrow. She was surprised the police force hadn't caught up to him, making all that racket.

Rebecca kneeled before where he lay draped on a half-felled tree, resting her hands on her knee and pearing up at his face twisted in sadness.

"Connor, listen to me," Rebecca said, her voice slow and when it reached Connor he lolled his neck so he could watch her expression. "I know that you're not okay right now. No one is, and all we want is to find who did this to you. Please, stop fighting us, we're not the bad guys."

"I'm a cannibal," whispered Connor, his voice meek. Rebecca's shoulders dipped down and she lowered her gaze when he sat up, leaning over her. He didn't seem threatening, but Rebecca couldn't reach his broken gaze when she needed to be strong. "I have been since birth. When I was breastfeeding I nearly gnawed off my mother's breast! I've always been the shady creature that lives in caves, and you can't tell me otherwise."

"I'm not here to tell you what you are, Connor," Rebecca responded. Her eyes wandered up to his eyes, and she forced herself to smile while covering his one large hand with her own. "I'm here to tell you that not all monsters do monstrous things."

Connor looked at her for a long moment before cracking a fragile, cracked smile. "You quoted that from somewhere, didn't you?"

Rebecca gave him a small grin in return. "I might have gotten inspiration, yeah."

There was a long moment when Connor looked at Rebecca, and she realized that the boy sitting in front of her tried harder than anyone she had ever met. He was born a beast but at a moment where sorrow and grief were no doubt strangling him from the inside out, he still had the courage to call Rebecca out on her plagiarism, just like old times.

Connor's neck snapped up when a twig cracked only a few feet away from where they sat. Rebecca tried to spin around, but she barely had time to comprehend that Theo had arrived to break up the party, when the hand she placed on Connor was yanking her back. Connor wrapped one arm around her neck and put a gun up to her head, his heartbeat hammering against Rebecca's back.

Theo stopped short, staring at Connor with wide eyes. Rebecca looked at Theo as her breaths came in short, strangled gasps. The night around them seemed to become even colder, especially when Connor spoke in his cool, emotionless tone:

"Take another step and she dies."


Haha this was late. But this chapter was long! Let me know what you think...

julieakaweirdo - Your reviews are so uplifting to me omg :) Thank you! :D