Winter was exhausted. When the bell rang for dismissal, Winter couldn't leave fast enough, "See you tomorrow."
When she got there, Winter barely made it to the bed before collapsing. She felt a slight twinge of pain in her left leg and recalled the events of that day. Her eyes sparkled with the memory of the library and she smiled thoughtfully. "He really put a lot of effort into the library's aesthetic." Winter pulled Sam's book out from her bag. She opened it to the front page and lightly ran her fingers over the words, "Stories Untold." She was too drained to go through it in that moment so she hid it in her bookshelf and sagged into her pink beanbag chair. Winter glanced at her leg. Her hand traveled along the new scar. Injuries on Winter's body never hurt for long. The doctors her mother had taken her to always said something about abnormal wound healing. She shrugged to herself. Fatigue never lasted either. She cursed herself for being seen in such a state by Jax and Sam. Showing weakness was a luxury she did not have. Theories and ideas darted around in her mind. They were all a jumble. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain. Winter often got migraines as a result of her overactive brain. She paused, and attempted to organize her ideas carefully. Winter knew one thing. She knew she was going to have to keep observing to find the answers to all her questions.
The next morning Winter didn't have any use for her alarm as she was already awake before it went off. She put on her uniform and got to school particularly early to give her time to investigate the campus grounds a little more. After all, she was the only student who had to arrive to school, as the others already lived on campus. The first place Winter went to scout was the west wing, where Jax had told her the headmaster's quarters were. She remembered to stay eleven feet away at all times to avoid triggering the alarm. Everything Jax told her was the truth. There were extensive security parameters set up, protecting the headmaster's wing. She noted cameras, guards, an alarm system, even a biotech locked door. Which means if she even wanted a chance to get in she would have to first figure out the camera's blind spots, then get past the guards, while managing to avoid triggering the alarms, and then find out who is granted access to the wing in order to exploit their security clearance. Winter stalked away and moved to her next target. She attempted to uncover the location of the dungeon. She scourged almost half the campus before students started coming out of their dorms. Winter relaxed her search and seemed as commonplace as all the rest to the untrained eye. She still scanned the area, intent on finding the entrance to the dungeon. For some reason she was reminded of her interaction with Sam at the library. Maybe there were secret tunnels.
Before she could go further, she heard her friends calling her, "Winter!" She winced and turned around. Mandy waved her down enthusiastically prior to clomping her. Layla smiled, half surprised, "You got here early today." "Yeah well, you know what they say. 'Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.'" Mandy furrowed her eyebrows, "Who says that?" Winter giggled, "Benjamin Franklin." Layla shook her head, amused, "That's just Winter talk for 'if I get here earlier I will be able to solve the mysteries faster.'" Mandy clung on to Layla, displaying her agreement with the statement, "You're so smart." Winter's eyes widened at how well her friends had gotten to know her. They were more intuitive than she had realized. "Winter, if you need any help just ask us alright?" Winter mulled over the idea for a moment, "Actually, have you guys ever gotten into trouble before?" Mandy and Layla looked at each other and then back at Winter, "Is that even a question? I mean we're only human." Winter waved her hand, clarifying herself, "I mean have you guys even visited the 'detention dungeon?'" They shivered in unison. "The detention dungeon? Are you crazy? Of course we've never been down there. From what we've heard, the dungeon is a terrifying place in which no one wants to find themselves." Winter smirked, devilishly "Well ladies, looks like I'm gonna have to go find myself some trouble." Mandy and Layla cringed as they watched Winter smile, "And I know just where to look." Layla huffed, "I don't like the sound of that." "Neither do I," Mandy affirmed.