Winter shrugged innocently, "I have no idea what you mean." The man slapped her again and Winter's head swam. Della peered down the bridge of her nose at Winter, "How did you get it off?" Winter held up her bracelet, "It's still around my wrist isn't it?" One of the men snatched Winter's wrist roughly, holding it for Della to see. Winter watched as Della seemed to ponder for a moment. "I seem to remember saying that if you ever tried to take it off again, you wouldn't see the light of day for a month." Winter rolled her eyes, "Less chit chat then. Get to it." Della narrowed her eyes at Winter before the corner of her mouth raised, "No I don't think so. I have something better in mind." She signaled to one of the men who brought out a thorny looking whip. Winter almost gagged at the sight. Della gestured for the man to move towards Winter. It took everything in her to remain still. He arched the whip above his head and cracked it over Winter's shoulder. A searing pain shot through her spine as she let out a cry. Della crossed her arms as the man rose his hand again. The lash went over her stomach, ripping through her clothes and skin. Winter's body convulsed with pain. The edges of her vision were rimmed with black. The next lash ripped through her legs. Her blood painted the ground as Winter collapsed. Della held up her hand, signaling the man to stop. She strolled over to Winter and grabbed her chin in her hands, "Disobey me again and I'll make sure there's something ten times worse than this waiting for you." Della left the room, the men in tow behind her. Winter laid on her back, the pain coming in waves. Everything went dark as she closed her eyes.
Winter woke up in the same room, her dried blood crusting on her clothes. She sat up and saw her wounds already healing. She fingered the holes in her clothes and sighed, "Why didn't she just lock me up?" Winter looked around the room. They must have seen how she reacted after Darren and his posse had cornered her. Winter bit the inside of cheek as she got to her feet and hobbled to the door. She smiled to herself, now that her inevitable meeting with Della was out of the way, she could focus on more pressing issues.
Winter made her way through the halls, her hand pressed against her stomach, as students bustled about. A hand grabbed her arm, making her wince. She turned and was staring in intense crimson eyes. Winter sighed, annoyed. Sam's eyes roamed her body and his grip loosened slightly. "What is it?" Winter grimaced. She didn't have time to deal with Sam, she had to conjure a plan with her friends. "We need to talk." Winter rolled her eyes, "If it's about what we talked about before, I already told you I don't know." His eyes seemed to pierce into her soul, and he dragged her to an empty hallway. He released her arm and leaned against a wall, "What's your motive?" Winter furrowed her eyebrows, "What are you." He cut her off, "You're asking around about Aliana and having a shapeshifter tail me." Winter's eyes widened before regaining her composure. How did he find out about Xae? "Don't be coy. Whose orders are you under?" Winter squinted at him, "I don't know what you're talking about." In a flash, Sam's hands were wrapped around her neck. He stared into her eyes and mumbled, "I'm not going to ask again." Winter swallowed, "I'm not under anyone's orders." His hands tightened as she choked out the words, "I swear. I'm doing it for me." He let her go, "What's your goal?" She pondered him for a moment, "I'm trying to uncover the headmaster's identity." A look of disgust grew on Sam's face. She went on, "By revealing the truth about the coup and Aliana's disappearance and the monsters." Sam's eyebrow twitched at the mention of Aliana, "Tell me everything you know about her." Winter twisted her ring. She looked around the hall before grabbing his arm and pulling him into one of the empty rooms. "I know that you and Jax saw two completely different things when she died." She watched the gears turn in his head as she went on, "I know that she's not dead, but I'm not sure why she was kept alive or why her death was faked." She looked down at the ground, "And only you, Jax, and Lucas remember her." Sam studied his hands, "If she's really alive, then why hasn't she come to find me?" The pain in his voice made Winter's heart lurch. "Maybe it's too dangerous for her right now." Sam's hands balled into fists as he glared at her, "Why did she talk to you then?" Winter shrugged, "Because I can help her." Sam, looking slightly defeated, said nothing. A moment of dead silence passed before he said, "If there's anything I can do to help her." Then he trailed off. Winter stared at him, a small smile emerged on her face. She crossed her arms, "How did you find out about Xae?" Sam crossed his arms, Winter noted that he was subconsciously mirroring her and suppressed a smile, "Who?" Winter sighed, "The shapeshifter." His expression remained neutral as he recalled, "Yesterday I was in my dorm and he randomly appeared. He started screaming for 'it to go away.' I figured since Lucas is the only one with teleportation, he had to be the lizard on the wall that I've been seeing the past week. I knew he was with you because I've seen your little hushed conversations together." Winter paused, "He was screaming? At what?" Sam shrugged, bored. Winter puzzled over his words before her eyes widened in understanding. She reached for the door and Sam grabbed her hand in a moment of desperation, "I want to find Aliana." Winter nodded her head, "I know you do." She was silent for a moment before saying, "I'll help you if you agree to help me." She knew it was wrong to manipulate him, but getting Sam Tudor on her side was an incredible opportunity she wasn't dumb enough to pass up. She would be able to progress in her plan much more confidently with him as an ally. She watched him. He puffed, "Deal."