—
The next morning was dreadful to say the least.
As soon as Ryder entered the school she was being followed by Stiles and Austin.
She should have expected it, honestly. But she just didn't know it would be as early as it was.
"So you two are friends now?" Ryder deadpanned, receiving blank looks, "What?"
"We got arrested last night." Stiles practically exclaimed, "I am not happy."
"Really? You seem pretty excited to me."
"I would hardly say arrested." Austin cut in, "We were let off with a warning, my mom was pissed."
"And a restraining order."
Ryder smiled falsely, "Good for you. You're practically criminals now."
"Where were you last night? We could have used your help." Stiles stepped in front of her.
Ryder paused, looking up at him with a glare, side stepping him to continue her walk, "I was at my house, if you must know. Not everyone wants to spend their time in the woods protecting someone of likes of Jackson Whittemore."
"That's not the point!"
"Why are you yelling?"
Stiles sighs, realizing he wasn't getting anywhere with the girl, rolling his eyes dramatically as he stood by her locker, Austin to his right.
"Can you just— Ryder, I need you to work with me here." Stiles begged, letting his hands hold the books she shoved in their direction. "We're getting closer to figuring out what this thing wants, okay?"
"Yeah, Allison had Lydia translate some things. How many people do you know that know Arctic Latin? I don't even know regular Latin!" Austin spoke, adjusting the books in his arms.
"Lydia's a smart girl, you should've expected that she of all people would know Arctic Latin." The Miller nodded, "And excluding her, I would say I know at least one other person."
"Who—"
"Nevermind that." Stiles cut the George teen off, "Can you come meet with us in the library?"
She winced, teeth showing as she hesitated, "I don't know."
"Y-you don't know?"
"I don't know." The girl shrugged, smiling innocently as she took her books from their hands. "I've just recently decided, recently being just now, that Isaac looks pretty lonely over there. I think i'm gonna go speak to him."
With that, the two teen boys were watching her walk off to the Lahey, who stood, clearly listening to their conversation.
Stiles gapped as she walked away, he wanted to run up to her and demand that she finish their conversation, but Austin simply informed him that she was only doing that because he could have been gathering information for Derek.
Oh, how delusional they were.
•••
"Hey, Ryder!"
The girl in question stepped back at his obnoxiously loud voice, earning an immediate apology from the blue eyed teen.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."
"Clearly. Are you okay? You look fidgety."
Isaac glanced down at his shaky hands, "Yeah, i'm fine."
Her face showed that she wasn't convinced.
"You remember how I told you that Derek is supposed to teach us how to turn whenever we feel like it?"
"I recall you mentioning it."
"He keeps saying that there hasn't been time." He admitted, "I've been trying to learn on my own, but it isn't really working."
'That's unfortunate.' Is that she would have said if she didn't genuinely feel bad for the Lahey.
"I would say that I could help, but— I'm not all that good yet, either."
"We can learn together." He blurted out, shocking not only the girl in front of him, but himself as well.
"Uhm..."
"We don't have to, i'm sorry. Are you busy? Do you need to go?"
Ryder was in disbelief.
This was probably the most she's heard Isaac speak in their whole time of knowing each other. And they had been going to the same school since second grade.
Although he was rambling, she couldn't help but chuckle at him. Unknown to her, Isaac thought she was making fun of him. Which was understandable, Ryder didn't come off as a person who laughed at stupid jokes and talked to anyone that walked up to her.
"Are you okay, Isaac?" She spoken through small laughs.
The blue eyed teen frowns, "You already asked me that."
"And I'm asking again."
Isaac stared down at her, taking a moment to think, "I'm okay."
•••
"Ryder! You made it!"
Austin's words caught the attention of Scott and Stiles, the two teens standing straight at his words.
"I got bored." She shrugged, moving to the other side to stand near the huntress, "Hi, Allison."
"Hey." The Argent smiles, pulling out her tablet, placing it in the space she was speaking to them through, "It's everything Lydia can translate. And trust me, she was very confused."
Scott nodded, "Yeah, what'd you tell her?"
"That we were part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures."
Ryder snorts, the sound making Scott, Austin, and Allison laugh along.
Stiles grew offended, "I am part of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures."
"O - oh. Great." Allison stutters.
"No, it's not. Why are you such a nerd, Stiles?"
"Why are you such bully, Ry-der?"
"Don't say my name like that." She rolled her eyes, "And if I was bully, i'd call you out on that horrible excuse for a haircut—"
Scott cuts her off, "Okay, does it say how to find out who's controlling him?"
Allison shook her head, stepping a bit to the side to allow Ryder room to see the tablet, "Not really. But Stiles was right about the murder."
"Yes!" Stiles cheers, raising his hands in victory, nearly smacking Austin in the face.
"Watch it."
"It calls the kanima a weapon of vengeance. There's a story in there about this South American priest who uses the kanima to execute murder in his village—"
"All right, see? So maybe it's not all that bad."
"Until the bond grew strong enough that it killed whoever he wanted it to." Austin finished reading.
"All bad, all very, very bad."
"Here's the thing, though. The kanima's actually supposed to be a werewolf. But it can't be—"
Scott reads off of the screen, "Until it resolves that in its past which manifested it."
"Okay, if that means that Jackson could use a few thousand hours of therapy, I could've told you that myself."
"It might have something to do with parents." Ryder shrugged, not expecting any of them to agree with her.
"Maybe!" Allison chirps, glancing at the girl who watched her in shock, "His real parents?"
"Yeah." Ryder nodded.
"Yeah, does anybody actually know what happened to them?" Scott looked around at them.
"Lydia might."
"What if she doesn't know anything?"
"Even if she did, she doesn't owe you guys an explanation." Ryder spoke up.
Austin nodded, looking specifically at Allison, "You guys did kind of blow her off."
Ryder hummer, running her tongue along her bottom teeth, raising a brow.
"Not on purpose. It was either that, or put her in more danger." Allison defended herself, "I'll speak to Jackson, myself, he doesn't have a restraining order against me, so..."
"I don't like the idea of you going alone." Ryder rolled her eyes at Scott's words,
"I'll go with her." She ignored the surprised looks she received from the boys, turning to Allison with a reassuring look.
"She'll come with me."
"Okay, what do I do?"
Allison smiled at her boyfriend, "You have a make - up exam, remember? Promise me."
"If he does anything, you run the other way."
"We can take care of ourselves."
Ryder tiled her head a bit, "Well, I can, I don't about you—"
"Allison, if you get hurt while I'm busy with some stupid test, someone's going to need to take care of me. If he does anything—"
"Like?" The Argent pressed.
"Anything - Weird or bizarre - anything."
Stiles pushed his head through the hole, "Anything evil! Ah - Ow!"
Ryder held back a smile as Allison pushed the Stilinski back.
"Let's go."