Claudia had managed to pick the lock on the door of the chemistry lab without any problems. She circled the room with her torch, looking for anything that scream 'hey! I'm a dangerous artefact' at her. She grabbed a set of dusty test tubes from the back and a pair of ancient callipers, but nothing reacted. She crossed the lab off her list and started back down the corridor. She had just turned down the corridor to the cafeteria when she walked straight into the boy who had been staring at her earlier.
Stiles yelped as the girl came round the corner and walked straight into him. His shock was swiftly replaced by pain as she slammed what he hoped was only her fist into his jaw, sending him tumbling to the floor.
"Ow! Jesus! What did I ever do to you?"
Claudia looked down at him rather sheepishly. She hadn't meant to hit him quite so hard, but she had jumped pretty badly when she turned into him and punching had become her first reaction after playing hide-and-seek with Pete for too long. She offered a hand out to him.
"What are you doing in school, after hours, picking locks?"
She looked at the boy still sitting on the floor. She looked smart. Smart enough to see through the government alias she usually used.
"I left my books here and I couldn't do any of my homework so I decided to come back here and…"
The look on his face said it all. Half of him clearly wanted to believe that she was just a girl far too eager to do her homework. But the picking locks and punch said something different. She sighed.
"I'm looking for something old, maybe came here recently?"
He looked at her with a cute, confused look on his face. Stop it, you are on the job, she forced herself to remember.
"Or someone maybe? Someone who has come into contact with someone or something and is acting differently?"
Stiles felt a shiver ran down his spine. "Different how?"
"Well I can't go into details, but I hear there have been some animal attacks? Maybe someone round here who really likes hunting?"
Now stiles was beginning to panic. What if she was a hunter? Or worse, a reporter. He had to think fast.
"Nope, haven't heard anything like that at all round here."
He mentally facepalmed himself, and she looked like she did too. Just at that moment, a howl ripped through the awkward silence. Stiles stiffened, having heard it so many times before now that he was starting to get used to it. The girl on the other hand looked terrified.
"What was that? It couldn't be a wolf, because there are no wolves in California! So unless it is turning people into werewolves…"
She trailed off when she saw his expression. Fear filled her chest and her heart quickened.
"Please tell me I am crazy and there is no such thing as werewolves?"
Stiles paused. Should he tell her? But before he could think it through it slipped out.
"Derek isn't an it."
She gulped and took a deep breath.
"Ok, I need you to tell me what the hell is going on here. Although I think maybe finding a room with no windows might be a good first priority."