I own nothing but my own words.
Chapter 8: No Worst Case Scenarios
Lizzie looked at the rock on the ground.
Standing in the grass, far away from the school where she could focus on her homework without being disturbed, she struggled to manipulate the air around the rock.
She still didn't understand why she couldn't just use magic to move it.
But that was the assignment, and she had yet to perfect it. Of course, Hope already figured it out and didn't need to keep working on it. She offered to come help, but Lizzie wanted some alone time.
She knew she was struggling. It started last week, and she didn't know why. She didn't always take her medicine because she didn't like the way it made her feel, but she had been taking it since she broke the glass at family dinner. That night scared her. When she got out of control, she flung things around and broke things in her path, but she had never hurt herself.
If the medicine wasn't working, that meant she might have to increase her dose. And that would probably make her feel even worse. She had to figure out a way to get through this down swing without increasing her medication. The first step was not spending all day in bed. She knew better, but she couldn't help it. Fortunately, today was Monday and the weekend was over. She had to go to classes; there wasn't any way around it.
She was well aware of her condition and the symptoms she was facing. Therapy helped her recognize the signs. She probably shouldn't even be alone right now, but Hope had been by her side since they got back from the disaster of a dinner. She appreciated Hope refusing to let her lay in bed alone the rest of the night. Hope didn't force her to talk, she was just…there. Reading a novel for class and keeping her company.
Maybe she should've let Hope come along now too, but she knew Hope had to work on making up her classes and had plans to spar later.
She couldn't take up more of her time. Hope probably didn't really want to spend time with her anyway. She probably just felt sorry for her because of her horrible date.
Lizzie shook her head.
No. Stop.
Hope cared about her. She wouldn't have stayed with her if she didn't. It was just her paranoia getting to her. Something else she could thank whatever the hell was going on with her for putting into her head.
It was like she was showing all the classic symptoms of a nervous breakdown. At least she hadn't had a panic attack yet.
Stop doubting Hope, she told herself.
Hope cared.
Hell, even Clarke cared.
After dinner—that Clarke paid for when he didn't have to since she was the one who insisted they all come along—they went for ice cream which he also paid for, insisting she get whatever she wanted as much as she wanted, and for once he didn't bicker with her no matter what she said to him.
She felt like she was actually out with friends, not just Hope, but Clarke too. After ice cream, it was his idea to go back and hang at their apartment. She declined because she just really wanted to go back home and burrow under the covers, but even Hope seemed surprised when he said that. She wasn't sure how she felt about Clarke acting like a friend; it was really weird considering how much she disliked him for so long.
Mom said he cared about her, but she hadn't believed her. Now, she actually wondered if Mom was right.
But no, that was a stupid thought.
No one really cared about her. They all had their own lives. They didn't have time for the broken freak who couldn't control her mind, who had mood swings at the drop of a hat.
Suddenly she felt like she was struggling for air and cursed. She just had to jinx herself about those panic attacks, didn't she? She attempted to focus on her breathing, but it was too much. It was building up inside of her. She closed her eyes, hoping that would help. Of course, it didn't. She couldn't catch her breath.
Fear washed through her, compounding the panic and she felt so lost. Nothing felt right.
She opened her eyes again, but she couldn't focus on anything in front of her or around her. All she felt was the panic, which made her unable to see that her spell spun out of control with her loss of concentration.
"Whoa, cool! A tornado!"
She could hear something behind the panic but couldn't make it out. Instead, she clutched her chest where it was starting to hurt.
"You okay?" MG asked, reaching out to touch her shoulders gently and turn her around.
Gasping, she struggled to see what was in front of her but everything was a blur until she felt gentle hands on her forearms. Her vision cleared slightly and she was pretty sure it was MG that had come to her rescue.
MG looked from her face to the mini-tornado behind her picking up speed.
"Lizzie, can you hear me?"
She struggled to understand the sounds and finally the words broke through.
She nodded and gripped the arms more tightly as the swelling in her chest became even more restrictive.
"What do you need?" he asked, prodding her forward away from the tornado.
"Air," she gasped out. "I can't breathe."
He took her hands and put them against his chest.
"Focus on my breathing," he said.
She felt his chest as he took a slow breath. She focused on the feeling of his breathing in, and then again when he breathed out. He continued and she kept her focus until she realized she was breathing right along with him.
MG didn't want to rush her, but he kept one eye on the spinning wind tunnel behind her.
Amazingly, it hadn't moved from that spot, but he wasn't taking any chances. If it started moving toward them, he would have to grab her and run. If she started panicking again, he would help her through it again.
Gradually, she pulled away, finally breathing better on her own.
"I'm okay now," she said, looking away.
"If you're sure…"
"I said I'm okay, MG!" she snapped. She immediately felt bad. She hadn't meant to speak like that to him but as soon as the panic went away she felt incredibly irritable.
"Good," he said with a smile. "Then, do you know how to stop that thing behind you?"
Her eyes widened and she spun around, "Darn it."
"Didn't think Doctor Saltzman would be good with the witches doing, well, that," MG said.
"I was just supposed to move the air around a rock to pick it up," she explained.
"Well, there are rocks," he said, seeing the small pebbles inside of the funnel. "Not just one either. I'm surprised they haven't started flying everywhere."
"No worst case scenarios," she said, holding up her hand in warning. "Just help me figure out how to stop it."
"You said you were moving the air, right?" MG shrugged. "Just move it again, or rather, stop it."
She reached out toward him.
"Oh, right," he let her take his hand to siphon.
Lizzie took a deep breath, grateful nothing in her chest hurt when she did so, and focused on the air again, repeating the spell.
It took some time, but the wind slowly dispersed until the last of the small rocks dropped to the ground.
Well, at least now she knew why she was supposed to manipulate the air and not the rock itself. She was pretty sure her teacher never wanted them to get that far with it though.
"Thanks," she breathed out. If MG hadn't come along, who knows what would have happened.
She let go of his hand and sank down into the grass.
"I need a minute," she said.
"Sure," he said, dropping onto the grass next to her. "That was wild."
"That's me, wild and crazy siphon with no control," she muttered.
"But you got it back in the end," he said. "You never lost it completely."
She sighed. He couldn't understand what was going on inside of her, no matter how much he tried to. Especially since she didn't know what was going on.
When he realized she wasn't going to keep talking, he changed the subject.
"It's been nice, seeing you this weekend," he said. "I haven't seen you that much since my Ripper 101 class and fighting Malivore."
She shrugged. "You passed the class."
"Yeah, once," he said. "You do know fighting the blood lust is a constant thing, right?"
"Do you need me to start up Ripper 201?" she asked.
He shrugged, "Not really."
"I should get back to this," she said, motioning to the rocks on the ground.
"Guess I just miss you," he went on.
"I'm right here," she said spreading her hands out. "I'm still your friend, MG. Don't be weird."
"You know, you didn't ask how my date went and it's been weeks," he said, reminding her he mentioned having an upcoming date the night of the Sweetheart Dance. The girl was nice, but he wasn't as interested in her as he hoped he would be. Everyone pretty much paled in comparison to Lizzie anyway.
"Had to be better than mine," she grumbled, not needing a reminder. MG's date was the reason she decided to put herself back out there again. Ugh.
"You had a date?" he asked with a slight squeak at the end.
"A double date, with Hope and Clarke," she said. "But he was a Neanderthal."
"Clarke?" MG asked with a smirk.
"No, my date," she rolled her eyes. "Clarke was… nice. My date's brain hadn't evolved past boy-girl relationships."
"You mean…?"
"Total homophobe," she said with disgust. "Really need a better screening process for potential suitors."
"Huh," MG said nonchalantly.
"Maybe you could help me with that? New project?" she asked.
He shifted uncomfortably. That definitely was not what he wanted. He went that route before, helping her with Sebastian. He didn't think he had it in him to do it again. But when had he ever been able to say 'no' to her.
"What am I saying?" she shook her head before he could respond. "Focusing on boys is not what I want to do right now. At all. Not with all this," she finished, waving her hand around.
"Like the panic attack?" he asked.
She nodded stiffly. "I think I'm getting worse. Or maybe this is just me now."
"Then I think we've found our new project," he said. He cleared his throat. "Not that you're a project or anything, I just mean that… I can help you. I mean, you helped me, and I want to help you. It's kind of our thing?" Not that he was helping her just because she helped him. He would do anything for her.
"How can you help me?" she asked, trying not to glare and snap at him again. There he went again, he was delusional if he thought he could ever understand her.
"I know there's no way for me to know what you're going through," he said, "but I figure just being here whenever you need me is a start. I can meet you out here when you practice magic too, if you want? Just in case?"
In case she turned the wind into a giant tornado that wiped out everything around for miles is probably what he meant by 'just in case'...
"Plus," he continued, "You helped me with my ripper and you didn't know what I was going through, but you helped anyway, ya know?"
…But the prospect of spending time with him, just like she was now, made her feel a bit more calm. Also, she liked his company.
MG felt his heart flutter slightly when she gave him a sweet smile before looking back at the clearing where the tornado once spun.
Focusing, she whispered the words of the spell again and moved her hand.
As he watched, the little rocks that dropped to the ground from her tornado moved in the wind, springing up in the air, and then the wind flowed, spelling out the letters M-G.
She was pleased.
It looked much better than her first attempt with Hope.
"Let me guess, your film school application?" Jade asked, staring up at the sky.
"That's done," Wade said, looking at the sky too as he adjusted the hand controls to fly the drone over head. "This is just for fun."
"Hey, guys!" Hope said, walking up to join them.
Wade glanced at her, a bit confused, "Hello."
"Whatcha doing?" Hope asked, looking from Wade to Jade.
"Well, he's flying his drone," Jade said, bringing her head down to focus on the tribrid. Why?
"Ah," Hope nodded. "Drones. Interesting."
Jade raised an eyebrow, just as confused as Wade. Hope was a very polite person, but she never deliberately set out to talk to either of them just for the heck of it.
"Did you need something?" Jade asked, deciding that was the reason Hope approached them.
"Not really," Hope shrugged. "I'm on my way to spar with Ethan. I saw you guys and wanted to say hi."
"Well, hi?" Jade said. What the?
"Right," Hope laughed a bit awkwardly.
As Jade watched, she stepped back as if she were going to leave, but it looked like she couldn't decide if she had more to say or not.
"Oh, um," Hope turned back to Jade suddenly. "Girls' night. We're having another one at the end of the month. Karaoke. Josie's choice. I just wanted to say you can definitely come, I mean if you want to."
Jade slowly nodded, "I'll talk to Jos about it."
"Right," Hope nodded too, smiling brightly. "Sounds like a plan."
"Yeah?" Jade knew she was gazing at Hope strangely, but she didn't really care.
"Yeah," Hope stepped back again. "So, I'm gonna go now."
"Bye?" Jade said, frowning at her.
"Bye!" Hope said, turning to leave.
"Bye," Wade said, still staring at the sky.
"Bye, Wade!" Hope turned back to wave, and then kept going.
"Huh," Jade murmured as she watched Hope walk away.
"That was strange," Wade said, still focused on his drone.
"Yeah…" Jade tilted her head.
"Can I try?" she asked, focusing back on Wade. She was here to spend time with her friend after all.
But as she listened to Wade's instructions and she took over flying the drone, her thoughts kept returning to the tribrid.
Hope Mikaelson never stopped to talk to her or Wade as if they were friends before. That girls' night out invite was an after thought at best.
She wasn't sure, but she found it highly suspect.
Usually she would shrug it off.
Except Hope was dating Clarke, and Clarke was Triad, and Triad was after Wendy.
Had Clarke told Hope to keep an eye on her?
She needed to talk to Josie.
"You did it!" Hope said with a huge grin.
"Yeah, I did," Ethan smiled at her enthusiasm.
"How was it?" she asked. "I heard the news, but haven't heard much about the fight itself because I've been so busy."
"It was… intense," Ethan said, shrugging.
"How's Raf been since?"
"Not that great," Ethan sighed. "The pack stayed with him until he woke up, but he wasn't too happy about any of it."
That was an understatement.
When Rafael regained consciousness, he was still in wolf form. Instead of shifting back, he turned to growl at everyone. Both Ethan and Jed had tried to talk to him, but the hybrid didn't want to hear any of it.
He turned and ran off.
"He took off," Ethan said. "He won't speak to anyone from the pack, and definitely not me. I've tried."
It frustrated him. Rafael was still part of his pack, and he was still family. Ethan wanted to tell him that. But Raf was too angry.
"Give him time," she said. "He'll come around. He just has a lot of other stuff going on, like trying to break the sire bond."
"From what I've heard," Ethan winced. "After he changed back, he hasn't shifted again since the fight."
"But he usually spends most of his Sundays doing that," Hope frowned. "In fact, he should be doing that now too since school's been out for a while."
"Maybe he's taking a couple of days off?" Ethan offered. "I'm just saying. When I went to talk to him, I kept trying to find him in a cell, but he wasn't there. When I tracked down Landon, that's what I was told."
"Thanks for the head's up," she said. "I'll check with Landon in a few days. Make sure it was just a break."
"Hopefully he'll be willing to talk to me by then too," Ethan said.
"In the meantime," Hope said, lifting her long wooden stick in the air. "Let's see how you've improved with your stick work, mister Alpha."
Ethan gripped his own stick tightly with both hands.
"Ready."
"Surprised you bothered showing up," Alyssa snapped as she walked past the brunette on her way down the stairs Tuesday morning for her usual jog.
"Sorry, I meant to come yesterday," Josie said, walking faster to catch up. "Not used to waking up this early. I'm here now though!"
"Fabulous," Alyssa said sarcastically, not bothering to wait for the other girl to catch up as she walked out the door and started jogging.
"Wait up!" Josie said, rushing after her. "Shouldn't we stretch first?"
"Already did," Alyssa spat back over her shoulder.
Josie dropped into a quick leg stretch, rushing through it so she didn't get too far behind.
"Just give me a minute!" she grumbled loudly.
Alyssa ignored her and kept going.
"Oh, come on," Josie muttered to herself before sprinting after the witch.
"What's your problem?" Josie said when she finally caught up and was able to slow to a jog. She started stretching her arms as she moved since she couldn't stop and do it.
"I don't have one," Alyssa said.
"You could've just said no if you didn't want me to go," Josie huffed as she struggled to keep up.
Alyssa didn't bother replying.
Josie stopped.
Screw this.
"With all the girls' night talk," Josie called out to the jogging figure, "I figured you actually wanted to be friends. My mistake."
She would figure out another drop off to Wendy. There was no use putting up with Alyssa when she was being like that.
Turning, she started back to the school. She was already feeling a stitch in her side from not being able to stretch properly.
"You're the ones who don't want to be friends with me," Alyssa turned around and started toward Josie, eyes flaming. "Stop pretending!"
Josie turned back around, "We are literally planning an entire spring break around a trip you want for your birthday! Dad already booked the rooms! We're trying to be friends with you despite everything you've done to us!"
"What about Sunday night?" Alyssa spat out, anger and hurt crossing her face.
"Sunday?" Josie asked, pausing to think. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Hope had to message so I wouldn't tell on her for not staying in our room," Alyssa snapped. "You all had a sleepover and didn't bother inviting me."
"Sleepover?" Josie asked in confusion. "Hope hung out with Lizzie, but it was less party and more…do homework and sleep?"
She had gotten back to the room that night to find Lizzie sleeping and Hope propped up in bed next to her reading a book. She went to sleep too once Josie was ready to turn the lights out and go to bed.
"Right," Alyssa scoffed in disbelief.
Josie suddenly realized what the problem was.
"You felt left out."
Small world.
Scoffing again, Alyssa crossed her arms and turned away.
"Look," Josie said, "Lizzie had a bad date and Hope wanted to be there for her."
Lizzie was also depressed, but Josie wasn't looking to give Alyssa even more dirt on her sister.
Alyssa didn't move.
"I was there for the alpha fight, Alyssa," Josie said pointedly. "The way you treated Lizzie, that doesn't spell friendship. There was no way any of us would've even thought to ask you to come. Lizzie needed a friend, not someone who would rub everything in her face."
Alyssa dropped her arms but didn't turn back.
"If you want to be friends, be a friend," Josie said. "Like I said, we're trying."
"Lizzie isn't," Alyssa said, finally turning back.
"She's the one who asked Dad about spring break, for you," Josie reminded her.
"I guess…" Alyssa rolled her eyes, "I guess I can back off."
"Do whatever you want," Josie said. "I'm just saying if you want to be included in everything, insulting and putting down Lizzie isn't the way."
"Right," Alyssa muttered. "Can we jog now?"
"Can I finish stretching first?" Josie asked, gripping her side. "I already hurt."
The witch sighed, but her expression wasn't as harsh.
"Fine."
Josie spread her legs and stretched to one side and then to the other, wincing as she pulled at the stitch in her side.
Despite the argument, Josie was actually feeling a lot better about spending time with Alyssa. At least they have something in common with the whole feeling left out thing. Maybe adding a fourth to the trio would be good for Josie in the long run.
Maybe.
"You rang?" Jade said, knocking on the open door. "I gotta leave for school."
Wade looked up, "I want to show you something."
"What's up?" she asked, walking to his desk where his computer showed a video of some trees.
"I was looking through the footage from yesterday, and I thought I saw something strange, but I'm not sure," Wade attempted to zoom in one place. "Can you see it?"
"Let's see," she said, squinting and trying to make out the pixel design. "Looks like some kind of metal box."
He pressed play.
"Is that a…blinking light?" she asked, seeing a pinprick of green light.
"That's what I was thinking," he said. "But why is it there?"
"What do you mean?" she asked. "Where is it?"
"By the front gates," he said. "But on the outside. It was placed in a way that no one can see it from below. Only the drone could see it from above."
"So what is it?" she asked.
"I think it's a camera," he said.
"Did the school install it?" she wondered.
"I don't think so," he shook his head. "Doctor Saltzman is very careful with what is recorded. It's why he's been so against students having phones. He worries if one wrong video goes viral then suddenly the world will know about supernaturals."
Jade couldn't help but remember everything Josie had told her about Triad.
First Hope talking to her suspiciously and now she finds out someone is keeping track of the front gates…but why?
Because they want to know who's coming and going from the school.
Suddenly, she wasn't annoyed with Wendy anymore for refusing to stay in the Salvatore School's basement. If they had tried to sneak her in and the cameras were already in place, they would know exactly where she was.
Triad was keeping an eye on the school, looking for Wendy.
And Hope trying to talk to Jade was all the confirmation she needed to know Triad was keeping an eye on her too.
"Don't tell anyone about this," she said suddenly.
"Do you think Doctor Saltzman knows about it, then?" he asked.
"I'm not sure…" Jade said. That was a good question though. If he knew, then he must be keeping an eye on her as well. "I'll look into it and let you know."
If Triad was really keeping an eye on her, she didn't want to give anything away to indicate she knew they were there.
At least not yet.
"I'm being watched," Jade said softly as she walked next to Josie through the school halls later that morning.
"How do you know?" Josie asked, resisting the urge to look around.
"Hope talked to me and Wade yesterday," Jade said. "She never comes up and talks to us."
"Um, okay?" Josie raised an eyebrow doubtfully. That was pretty thin reasoning.
"No," Jade shook her head, "not just that. There's a camera on the front gates. I think it's keeping track of everyone who comes and goes. I think it's them. Triad. I just don't know why or if your Dad knows."
Josie was thoughtful.
"Clarke isn't allowed on campus anymore," Josie said. "So the only way to spy on the school is by setting up a camera at the front gate… Clarke and Dad don't get along though, so I don't know if he would've told him."
"So we don't know about Doctor Saltzman," Jade said, "but we know Triad is keeping tabs on me."
"On you?" Josie asked. "How do we know that?"
"Hope," Jade reminded her, being careful to keep her voice down. "I know she's your BFF, but the girl has never talked to me if you weren't around."
"So you think Hope…"
"I think Clarke told Hope to keep an eye on me," Jade said. "As the inside person since he can't come in."
Josie frowned in annoyance. Of course he would involve Hope. And of course Hope would help him without mentioning anything to Josie whose girlfriend was involved. A little head's up would have been nice.
Unless… Jade wasn't the only one Triad was keeping an eye on.
"What if it's not just you?" Josie asked. "I mean, how can we know for sure they're not spying on other people?"
"Like who?" Jade asked. "They know about my connection to Wendy, but no one else really knows her."
"Like me," Josie glanced ahead, seeing Jed at his locker up ahead right next to theirs. "Or maybe Jed? Or even Wade."
"Because you're all connected to me," Jade realized.
"Exactly," Josie said.
"How can we know for sure though?" Jade asked.
"I've got an idea…" Josie said thoughtfully. "You up for shopping after school?"
"Mister President of Triad Industries is finally available," Hope teased. "Missed you yesterday."
"I prefer CEO," Clarke replied. "Missed you too."
Hope stared at the screen, taking in his features, wishing he was with her instead of so far away—wherever he happened to be that day. Sometimes missions made it impossible for him to contact her.
"Were you successful?"
"Always," he smirked.
"Good, so now maybe you can tell me where you know Jack from?" Hope asked, eying him. She had been dying to ask that question since dinner, but she wouldn't in front of Lizzie in case they didn't like the answer.
Clarke sighed. He should've known she picked up on that. She knew him better than anyone else after all.
"Triad," he replied honestly.
"Triad?" she asked, confused. "Jack…wait!"
She sat forward, eyes wide, "Not Jack Jack, as in Jack of Lantern? As in Jack, the Pixie Queen's beloved!?"
"No," he shook his head. "Two completely different people… or species. The similarity in their names is pure coincidence."
"Huh."
"Lantern is more…round?" he added.
"So when you say you know Lizzie's Jack from Triad, you mean…"
"He's an agent," he replied.
She sat back against her headboard.
"Ryan, why was a Triad agent at the same club me and the girls went to?" she asked.
"Because I sent him," Clarke said with a shrug. "Someone had to keep an eye on you."
"Seriously, Ryan?" Hope said, looking heavenward. "I can protect myself. Heck, all of us can. We're four powerful witches." Well, Josie didn't have her magic at the moment, but that was beside the point.
"Who weren't allowed to use magic outside of school," Clarke said. "I made sure no one caused trouble. He wasn't supposed to make contact. Hence the reason he's lucky to have a job right now."
"You would seriously fire him for asking Lizzie out?" Hope said in disbelief. "You didn't make him say that about Josie, did you?"
"I told him to find a way to get her to reject him," he said. "He found a way."
"Or he'd lose his job?" Hope asked. "That's terrible, Ryan! Lizzie liked him. Is he even really a homophobe? No, of course he isn't. Why would you do that to her?"
"I was trying to keep her from getting hurt," he ground out, annoyed. "He didn't know any of you were supernatural when I sent him on that mission."
"Oh."
"As soon as she said the school name, he knew," he continued. "He had no interest in dating her after that."
She thought it out and suddenly smiled, "You were protecting her."
He shook his head, "So you're not mad at me for protecting her, just you?"
"I'm not mad," she said. "It's just not necessary."
He shrugged.
"How is she?" he asked, deciding it was time to change the subject.
Hope knew what he was doing but decided the question was more important than their current conversation. Ryan had never once asked about anyone else like that. He had never given any indication to show he really cared about anyone other than her. She told him her concerns about Lizzie, and he had her back, but he had never taken it upon himself to be the first to ask.
Now she found out he not only did everything he could on Sunday to protect Lizzie from getting hurt, he was also asking about her like he actually cared. It wasn't Hope prodding and teasing him. It was all him.
"She's going to class, so at least she's been getting out of bed," she offered. "She was hanging with MG most of today which I think is good for her. I'm gonna check on her again in a little while."
"Is she still getting worse?" he asked.
Hope sighed, "I really don't know. Maybe she's getting better again? I know she has good and bad days."
"It's time to see what Triad can dig up," he decided. He promised her before that he would use Triad's resources to help Lizzie if need be. It looked like it had gotten to that point.
She nodded slowly, "Do you really think this is happening because of what we did?"
"I don't know," he replied.
She looked down. She knew there was a chance. He had warned her. They had warned the twins too, as well as their parents. But given that the only other option was the merge, they all decided it was worth the risk.
That didn't make her feel any less guilty.
It was her idea after all.
"We'll figure it out," he said, seeing her face.
"Right," she nodded, pushing her hair back suddenly, trying to clear her mind, and changed the subject again.
"Oh, I saw Jade hanging with Wade yesterday. But it didn't look like anything suspicious was going on."
"Focus on your make up work," he said. "Let my team do their job. We'll find Wendy. I told you not to worry about it."
"I know," she said. "I can't help it."
"You don't work for me yet," he said.
She laughed.
"Glad I could amuse you," he said.
"Work for you?" she said.
"Work with me then," he corrected. "Gotta admit, we make a good team."
"Yeah…" she trailed off, realizing he wasn't joking or teasing at all. Did he really think she was going to eventually work for Triad? Triad was his, and it would always be a part of her life as long as he ran it, but she never said she wanted to be a part of it.
"I have to go," he said, looking at a message on his phone.
She nodded, deep in thought now. Why did he think that? Was it because they worked so well on the run together? That was out of necessity, and she had killed so many things it was pretty much the last thing she wanted to revisit. On top of that, she just had a whole conversation with him about her future last weekend and never once mentioned Triad. So, where was this coming from?
"Hope?" he asked at her silence.
She shook her head and smiled at him, "Go. Protect the world from things that go bump in the night."
"You're in the world," he couldn't resist pointing out.
She looked heavenward, "Just give me a head's up next time you send someone to spy on me."
"Ha," he guffawed. "I love you."
"I love you too, even though you're way too overprotective," she said.
"Can't help it," he smirked again before ending the video call.
Hope closed her laptop, putting it to the side while she sank back against her pillows.
She wasn't mad at him, but his being overprotective worried her. Her father spent so much time trying to protect her that he forgot to be her father.
Obviously, there were other reasons for that too, like her accidentally astral projecting into a room where he was ripping some of his enemies apart, but it still worried her when it came to Ryan.
As long as he didn't spend so much time protecting her that he forgot to be her boyfriend, she would let him get away with it. It was still unnecessary, but she knew very well how the need to protect could overwhelm. She may have taken a page from her father and gotten a little carried away in her bid to protect Landon when she was dating him.
She hadn't felt that way about Ryan since Malivore was defeated. Yes, Ryan put himself in dangerous situations all the time, but no one was specifically targeting him. If some unstoppable supernatural being came after him, she would probably fall back into her old habits even though he was immortal, but right now? He was fine. And his mother was Earth, for crying out loud. She wouldn't let anything happen to her son.
No, Ryan wasn't the one Hope was currently scared of losing.
That honor went to Lizzie.
Hopping out of bed, she tried to leave the room just as Alyssa arrived.
"It's late," Alyssa frowned. "Where are you going?"
"Out?" Hope said. Remembering she was trying to be friendlier with Alyssa, she volunteered more information. "To see Lizzie."
"I'm coming too," Alyssa said suddenly.
"Uh… what?"
"Need to talk about spring break sometime, right?" Alyssa said haughtily.
"I guess…?"
"Sorry about last night," Hope murmured to Lizzie as she settled into her seat in Chemistry of Magic the next morning. "Didn't expect her to tag along."
Lizzie shrugged and tossed her hair, "Alyssa is whatever."
"I know, but I was hoping to talk to you without an audience," Hope said.
Lizzie looked around and saw only half the class had arrived so far and most of the students sat away from them. "This is the best you're gonna get until later."
Hope glanced at the class and lowered her voice, "Do you remember what we said about unlinking the twin bond?"
Lizzie nodded slowly, "That it might be too late to stop the darkness from affecting us."
"We're worried that's what's happening to you," Hope said, guilty eyes meeting her friend's.
"How can you be sure?" Lizzie asked defensively. "I mean, Josie hasn't changed at all, and it would've affected both of us."
"We're not sure," Hope said, sitting up straight as the teacher walked in and the rest of the students settled into their seats.
Deciding the rest couldn't wait until later, Hope whispered quickly, "Ryan's looking into it right now."
"Meaning?" Lizzie whispered back.
"He's using all of Triad's resources to find anything he can to help you," Hope whispered.
Lizzie looked at Hope, eyes widening slightly.
Hope nodded in response to her disbelief before turning her focus to the front of the room.
Lizzie pretended to pay attention too but inside her mind was spinning.
Ryan—er, Clarke—was doing all of that for her? While Triad had never been one of the Salvatore School's favorite organizations, everyone knew it was a force to be reckoned with. It had existed nearly as long as Malivore had, the knowledge and resources it amassed in that time must be extensive. Triad probably currently had countless missions and research to do, but Clarke was making her a top priority apparently.
She shook her head.
No. What was happening to her couldn't be because of the darkness from the bond. If it was, that meant she was going to get worse. Much worse. Call it wishful thinking, call it denial, call it whatever you wanted, but Lizzie refused to accept that it was true.
"There's another option," Lizzie leaned forward and whispered softly.
Hope nodded her head slightly, letting her know she heard her and should continue.
"Say it's not the magic," she whispered. "Say it's just me. That I'm just getting worse."
Hope didn't respond but she was listening.
"If it really gets that bad," Lizzie went on quietly, "I'll increase my medication."
Hope shook her head suddenly.
"Give it a few more days," Lizzie insisted. "Maybe it'll—"
"Miss Saltzman."
"Yes!" Lizzie sat up straight again, giving her undivided attention to her teacher.
"Maybe instead of talking to Miss Mikaelson, you could show us if you finally mastered the lesson," Ms. Gregory said, eyeing her with a warning.
Lizzie stood up slowly, trying to project an air of superiority to all her peers despite the paranoia flooding her that said all the students were watching her and waiting for her to fail.
She picked up the small bag on her desk and upended it, letting the feathers fall out.
Taking a breath, she whispered the words of the spell and worked to move the air. The feathers started to rise. She decided to just let them hover in the air instead of spelling out anything. That was Hope's little addition anyway.
"Good," Ms. Gregory said, "Now let the air hold the feathers in place at the bottom while moving more air through the top of the feathers, letting them flutter back and forth."
As she worked to do the instructed move, she managed to flutter the tops but lost control of the air at the base, causing the feathers to flutter and blow across the room.
The teeter of amusement from some of her classmates unnerved her.
"Regain control, Miss Saltzman," the teacher instructed. "Maintain focus."
She tried, but the laughter kept echoing in her mind even though Ms. Gregory had shushed the students. She wished MG was there to coax her through it.
"Regain control," the teacher said again, voice suddenly alarmed.
"I'm trying," she cried out, realizing it was happening again. She wasn't having another panic attack, thank goodness, but she was losing control of the spell.
A tornado was forming.
"Everyone back up!" Ms. Gregory warned, making all the students get up and head for the doorway.
"Lizzie," Hope said, standing but not leaving her friend. "You can do this, just think about the spell. Focus on the air. Make it stop."
"I can't," Lizzie said before she dropped her hands and put them over her ears to block out everything, even the laughter that had long since left the room but still existed in her head.
Hope looked over and saw that even the teacher looked scared as she raised her hand and attempted to calm the wind.
Taking a deep breath, Hope focused on the tornado, reaching for her magic and telling it to find the spinning tunnel and force it to stop.
Thankfully it did. The spinning slowed down until the wind dissipated.
"Thank you, Miss Mikaelson," Ms. Gregory said, taking a deep breath.
Hope didn't pay her any mind as she went to Lizzie, taking hold of her hands over her ears. "It's over, Lizzie. Everything is okay."
The students began to make their way back to their seats, giving Lizzie wide eyed glances as they went.
Lizzie breathed out, glad it was finally over. She let Hope lead her to her chair and they both sat.
Gaining control of herself once more, she fought to gain back some of her gumption before she looked to her teacher.
"So, did I pass?" She had moved the air after all.
Ms. Gregory gave her a stiff nod, "Just work on control."
"Yes, ma'am," she returned.
She saw Hope looking at her. She hated the guilty look in Hope's eyes. Both she and Josie knew exactly what they were agreeing to when they allowed the New Orleans witches to unlink the bond. They knew the potential dangers. It wasn't Hope's fault.
It especially wasn't Hope's fault since this wasn't because of the darkness.
It was all Lizzie.
She was just born this way.
"I'll make an appointment to see my therapist tomorrow," Lizzie murmured.
She could tell Hope still didn't agree that was the answer, but Lizzie would rather increase her medication than entertain the idea that her mind would eventually forever be lost to the darkness.
"Hey," he said emotionlessly.
Why was it always like this between them now? Hope thought. Oh, right. Because she was with his brother.
"Landon," Hope said, shifting awkwardly in the school hall. The last time she spoke to him one-on-one it was about Rafael. And considering the last time she saw him, he accused her of lying about talking to the wolves, she didn't hold out much hope for a better ending this time. "What's up?"
"What else?" he said. "Rafael."
She nodded, "I heard he was taking losing the alpha-ship hard."
"Yeah," he scoffed sarcastically.
"There's nothing I can do about that," she said. "Ethan won fair and square."
"That's not why," Landon huffed. "He hasn't been trying to destroy the sire bond since he lost the fight."
"I heard that too," she said. "He probably just needs a break."
"I think it's more than that," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think you need to talk to him."
She shook her head immediately. Rafael had already caused enough trouble between her and Ryan. She wasn't going to do that unless it was a last resort.
"Remember why he decided to break the bond in the first place?" she asked. "He didn't want to hurt anyone. He still doesn't want to do that. Just give him a few more days to get over the hurt before he has to start hurting himself again by shifting repeatedly."
"I think you're wrong," he said, frowning in annoyance. "Why can't you just talk to him? He's your friend too."
"It's not that easy," she said. But it really should be that easy. Rafael didn't ask for any of this, and if he really needed her to be a friend to him…
She sighed, "If he still hasn't shifted by next week, I'll talk to him, okay?" And she would have an overprotective boyfriend on her hands annoyed at her decision, but she didn't have another choice. She was still responsible for Rafael until this was all over. She had to help him.
"Thank you?" Landon said in frustration, raising his arms at his sides. "I guess I'll take what I can get."
"Don't be like that," she said. "I'm doing what's best for everyone."
"How is that what's best for Raf?" he asked. "Or me? I just want my best friend back."
"This isn't about you."
"Of course it isn't," he replied. "It's about you. Everything is about you, isn't it, Hope?"
"What are you even saying?" she said. "I didn't ask for this! I only agreed because I didn't want the wolves to die! Is that what you want? Do you wish Rafael was dead instead of sired to me?"
"Of course not!"
"Then what do you want, Landon?"
"I want you back!" he exploded before he thought better of it. Crap.
Hope closed her eyes and winced, "You know that's never going to happen."
"I think 'duh' is the appropriate word here," he said.
"Landon," she opened her eyes. "We wouldn't have lasted even if Ryan wasn't there."
"Beg to differ," he said.
"When I nearly died, you said it then," she reminded him. "If I had died, I wouldn't be me."
"Is that why you forgot about me?" he asked. "Of course you wouldn't be you, you'd be more, and I would just have to get to know the new parts."
"You also said the epic love arrow really did influence your words," she said. "You didn't love me the way you claimed to."
"Well, you didn't love me the way you claimed to either!"
"Exactly," she said, deflating. "And that's why we wouldn't have lasted."
He pressed his lips together, angry she trapped him with his own words. He didn't even know why he was arguing with her about this. The last thing he wanted to do was rehash everything but obviously he still had some things he needed to get off his chest. He knew it was too late. He had been telling himself for months to move on and get over her. There was no chance for them ever again. He knew they would have lasted—when Hope Mikaelson loved someone, she loved them with all her heart—but he ruined it all when he broke up with her. He would never forgive himself for that.
He bet Clarke would never be stupid enough to let her go.
"If he hasn't shifted by Sunday, I'll let you know," he finally said, letting go of his anger as the hurt rushed in again.
She nodded.
He left before he could say anything else he would regret.
"Report," Clarke said, listening to his headset as he went through some papers he needed to sign.
"Jedediah Santos-DelaCruz left the Salvatore School at sixteen hundred hours carrying a large box and deposited it on the front porch of a home in Mystic Falls owned by Caroline Salvatore. He returned to the school afterward. The box is still sitting."
Huh.
They all knew that Wendy couldn't go shopping for supplies without risking being seen, and she definitely couldn't rent a room anywhere since Mystic Falls had very few rentals making it easy for Triad to keep tabs on anyone staying there.
If she was getting help from Jade, whose girlfriend's mother happened to own the property in question, it would make sense that Josie could help Wendy gain access and a place to stay.
But, while Wendy would definitely need someone else to pick up supplies for her, it seemed incredibly suspicious for Jed to just drop off a box on the front porch.
"Advise?"
"Keep eyes on the box, but don't approach," he said finally. "Contact me immediately if anything changes."
Something was happening, but he wasn't sure what. He would have to see how it played out.
He clicked a button on his desk and called out, "Veronica."
"Yes?" she spoke through the intercom.
"Progress on my research request?"
"Nothing yet, sir," she replied.
He clicked off without saying anything else.
Damn it.
It had only been a day, but still. They should have something.
And they would find something.
They had to.
Because he was growing more and more convinced that Lizzie's life depended on it.
"Well, that answers that question," Jade said, strutting into her room where Josie was waiting for her.
"Did they follow him?" Josie asked, sitting up.
"Not only that, but they're staking out the front porch like they expect her to open the door at any minute," Jade said as she put the drone on her desk to return to Wade later.
"Vamp speeding over the back fence and into town worked well too. They had no idea I even left campus."
"So they're following all of us," Josie said. "Guess it's a good thing we've been extra paranoid."
"We're one safe house down now," Jade reminded her, plopping down on the bed next to her.
"That's okay, there's no way they'll figure out she's at the Mikaelson mansion," Josie said. "Clarke isn't spying on Hope after all."
"What're you going to do about the box?" Jade asked. "I mean, won't they realize you know something?"
"No," Josie shook her head. "I've got a plan for that. I figure I'll give it another day, then go on Friday to deal with it."
"You don't think they'll approach you?" Jade asked.
"Why would they?" Josie shrugged. "It's my mom's house. I have every right to get a friend to drop something off for me."
"I'm surprised Jed agreed," Jade said.
"He wanted to get away," Josie replied. "And it's not like he has any idea what we're doing."
"Ethan's going to get him to talk eventually," Jade said, knowing exactly why Jed wanted to disappear. Jed was deliberately avoiding his new alpha. He complained about it all week.
Jade really wanted to ask Jed more but every time either one of them tried, he would shut down.
"Oh, and here," Jade sat up and reached for the bag she placed on the floor under her bed. "For your morning delivery."
"Thanks," Josie said, taking the bag and putting it to the side. "I'll message her later; let her know about the drop off."
"Tell me again why you don't want me to just vamp speed to drop it off for her?"
"Because we don't know if Triad can detect vampires in motion, and there are too many people trying to keep track of you on and off campus."
She turned back to Jade and grinned, "But in the meantime…"
Josie reached out for Jade, stroking her long hair back, "I haven't kissed you all day."
Jade leaned closer, eyes trained on Josie's lips, "We really shouldn't wait a minute longer then."
"Not one second…"
"Someone's approaching."
"Is it the target?" Clarke asked, immediately loading the same screen his operatives were watching. They had been watching all night and half the day without any movement. Clarke had tuned in throughout the day, keeping one ear open while doing other work.
This development came at the worst time because he had just received the first report he requested for Lizzie. He should probably put it down and focus on the screen, but he was too impatient.
"Cannot confirm."
He glanced up at the screen again.
It was a cold rainy Thursday in Mystic Falls. The figure on the video appeared to be female and bundled up with a scarf over her head even though she was carrying an open umbrella as well.
They all knew Wendy could have changed her appearance in any way by then. She could cut her hair or dye it. She could also be using a glamour, though someone was on scene with a crystal and would let the team know if the image in the crystal appeared differently from the one on the screen.
He tried to focus on the report again.
"She's going for the box," the voice on his headset said.
"If she leaves with it, follow her," he said.
"She's not leaving."
"Just follow protocol," he said, knowing they could handle it. They kept deferring to him since he repeatedly involved himself. He knew the team lead wasn't too happy about his interference, but he didn't care.
Looking back down at the report, he began to read.
"Use of black magic always comes with consequences. No one can predict its effects and once cast, it's often impossible to completely undo what has been done. If the side effect of black magic involves flooding an individual with an uncontrollable darkness that worsens over time, it's likely the only way to stop it is death."
Bullshit.
"Earth magic can only do so much to counteract the black, but it could offer some relief if the right spell were found. In an extreme situation, black magic could also be used with the knowledge that even worse consequences could result."
Maybe his mother knew something. She was not a witch, but surely she knew enough about 'earth' magic to offer some kind of advice. The researchers would keep looking for any spell that could help in the meantime.
He would need to talk to his mother, and to Hope to see if she knew a spell.
"Take the shot in 3…"
He looked up at the screen.
What? Had they confirmed it was Wendy?
The screen showed the front door of the house open, the female holding the box balanced with one hand underneath for support as she made her way inside, the umbrella long since folded down.
One hand underneath.
"2…"
That box wasn't light. Jed hadn't struggled with it, but he hadn't carried it like it was air either. A witch definitely wouldn't have been able to hold it like that.
But a vampire would.
"3."
"Stand down!" he shouted through the headset, connecting the dots.
He was too late.
There was good news, and there was bad.
The good news? The team actually used tranquilizer darts which is what they were supposed to use for this capture, but that didn't mean they weren't ready with something more lethal in case something went wrong. And given they never knew what situation they would find themselves in, the tranquilizers were all laced with a bit of vervain and wolfsbane.
The bad news?
One dart wasn't enough to take down a vampire.
He couldn't really blame Caroline for trying to attack the person who attacked her, just like he couldn't blame his team for releasing a full-on volley of tranquilizer darts at her, succeeding in knocking her out for a while.
He sighed.
"Move her into the house," he said. "Keep her sedated. I'm on my way." If he got lucky, he could be there in two hours.
"Sir?"
"That's not the target, clearly," he said, grabbing his jacket. "That's Caroline Salvatore and when she wakes up, she's going to be pissed."
"You have two seconds to tell me what is going on!"
Thankfully he arrived before she woke up. Seeing his face was the only reason she stopped to ask questions instead of ripping all their hearts out.
"My team made a mistake," he explained.
"Obviously!" she exclaimed.
"They thought you were someone else," he continued.
"Who else would I be?! My daughters?" she yelled. "Why would you do this to them either?!"
"Has Saltzman talked to you?" he asked.
"Ric? No, he absolutely did not mention anything to me about Triad staking out my childhood home!"
"Wendy Von Brandt is a criminal on the run, and we believe she's made contact with Jade," he said. "We were attempting to apprehend her. It's possible she was hiding out in this house. The box was delivered yesterday by Jed, though no attempt was made to retrieve it until you."
Caroline took in his words, processing them slowly.
"My old neighbor called to let me know about the box," she said finally. "She thought it might have been delivered here by mistake."
Of course, he sighed. Neighbors in Mystic Falls were always so darn helpful.
"So you're watching Jade, but you're obviously watching Jed too considering you followed him here," she said. "Which means you think Wendy was staying here because of Josie, is that it?"
"It fits," he shrugged.
"Fine," she glanced around the living room. "I'll check the house. See if I can offer proof one way or the other."
Ten minutes later and Caroline hadn't found anything.
"Well, if she was staying here, there's no evidence," she raised her hands with a pointed look.
So, they were basically back to square one.
"You've also shown me no proof that Josie was even involved in this, so kindly keep your overzealous followers away from my daughter," she glared at him.
He wanted to argue with her, but he knew she was right. Not that Josie wasn't involved, just that he couldn't prove she was.
"And the box?" he asked.
She marched over and tore it open as quickly as possible.
"A dress," she said, pulling out the pink bit of fluff in a clear protective covering. "And shoes," she looked down into it. "And all kinds of accessories. Oh, and look," she pulled out a curling iron and blow dryer amidst the other supplies.
"Congratulations, Ryan," Caroline huffed as she placed everything back into the box. "You've cracked the case. Wendy's on the run and will go in disguise as a prom queen."
"Why was it dropped off here though?"
"That's for me to find out," she snapped. "But it certainly has nothing to do with you."
"You're right," he replied, turning on his charm to mollify her. "I apologize. We'll be more careful in future."
"You better be."
"And when were you going to tell me that Wendy had become a criminal?"
Alaric looked up from his desk, "Apparently Wendy's a criminal now. There. I told you."
"Isn't that the sort of thing you share?" Caroline asked.
"I was handling it," he excused.
"And just how are you handling it?" she asked.
"By keeping an eye out for Wendy since Triad isn't allowed on campus," he replied.
"And what does Jade have to say about any of this?"
"Well, uh…"
"Please tell me you at least talked to her," Caroline said.
He cleared his throat. "I didn't think it was necessary."
"Talk to her, Ric," Caroline demanded. "Find out what she knows, and we'll handle it."
"Clarke will—"
"Triad has no place here," she said. "He didn't want to be a part of the school, remember? And Wendy is our responsibility. We're the ones who will help her. You and I both know Triad isn't looking to help her. They are only called in as a last resort."
"I'll talk to her," he said standing up. "Want to join me?"
"No," she said. "I'm going to find Josie."
"Mrs. Foster called last night to let me know a package had been delivered to the house," Caroline said as patiently as possible. "There wasn't a name on it, but the stuff inside is your size and style. Do you know anything about that?"
"Oh, yeah," Josie ducked her head slightly. "That was me. I had Jed bring it over because it was too heavy for me to carry all the way."
"There is such a thing as a Lyft," Caroline said.
"I spent all my allowance on the outfit," Josie explained.
"You do have a car that you share with your sister."
"Lizzie has the key and I would've had to tell her why I needed the car, and…"
Caroline looked at her expectantly.
"The dress and everything is for Miss Mystic Falls," Josie said. "I haven't worked up the nerve yet to tell Lizzie I plan to compete for real this year. I didn't want her to ask any questions about the dress, so I decided to store everything there especially since it's being held in town this year. Everything will already be there."
"And you didn't want to give Jed a key?"
"I forgot and he left without asking for it," Josie said. "Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry I didn't mention it to you. I was going to go after school today but since it was raining, I figured I'd go tomorrow instead. I didn't think anyone would notice it."
"It's okay, sweetie," Caroline said, letting out a breath. Josie wasn't involved in anything that was going on. Clearly Ryan had misread the situation. Hopefully Ric has more luck with talking to Jade. "I left the box at the house, so at least it got where you intended it."
"Good," Josie said, relieved that her mother had accepted her explanation. She hadn't meant to involve her in any of this. At least she didn't have to go move the box now. Just thinking about being spied on was creepy as hell.
"And don't worry about telling your sister," Caroline said. "She loves you and just wants you to be happy. You both will compete this year, and you both will be incredible. After all, you have a former Miss Mystic Falls for a mother."
"I'll tell her," Josie said. "On a good day."
"Good or bad, it'll be okay," Caroline said.
Josie nodded.
"But your dress!" Caroline squealed suddenly. "It's so beautiful! I can't wait to see you in it!"
"I can't wait for you to see me in it either," Josie smiled.
"You asked to see me?" Jade said.
"Sit down," Alaric indicated the seat across from him. "I've got some news."
"About what?" she asked as she sat down.
"Wendy isn't doing so well being back in the world," he said. "There's trouble."
"I see," she said, her mouth suddenly going dry.
"There are people after her," he started.
"What did she do?" she asked.
"She's stolen some things from the wrong people, and not everyone who's come up against her has survived," he said.
"And you want to help them find her," she said, nodding as if she already knew the answer.
"No," he shook his had. "I want to find her so I can help her."
"Help her?" she tried not to scoff, but it was a little hard. "How can you help her?"
"By giving her a safe place here where she can get the counseling she needs," he said.
While Jade thought that was a good idea, she knew Wendy would never go for it. Wendy hated this school, as much as she hated Doctor Saltzman. She already received ten years worth of his kind of help, and she would never agree to a repeat.
"Why are you telling me about this?" she asked.
"Because you're the only person she knows, and if she seeks out anyone, it would be you," he said.
"I see," she already knew that, but she had to act dumb if she didn't want to tip him off. "How long have you known that Wendy was in trouble?"
"A few weeks," he replied honestly.
"But you didn't want to say anything to me until now?"
"I've been keeping an eye out for her," he said.
"Have you been spying on me?" she asked.
"I've been keeping an eye out for her," he repeated.
"Right," she said, lounging back and shutting down completely. "Welp, haven't seen her."
"Jade."
"Yes?"
"She's dangerous. She needs to be found."
"I'll let you now if I see her then," she said almost flippantly.
"Jade, this isn't to be taken lightly," he said. "She's stirred up a world of trouble, and it's only going to follow her and those around her."
"I know, Doctor Saltzman," she said. "Trust me, I know what she's capable of."
"Good," he nodded.
Thankfully, he let her leave without any further discussion.
As she walked to her room, she wrestled with herself, debating whether to go back and confess everything.
She hadn't lied.
Wendy was capable of a great many horrible things, just like a humanity free Jade was.
Ten years ago before she lost that humanity, she never would've let Wendy get away with any of this. But now, even with her humanity turned on, she couldn't bring herself to turn her back on ten years of friendship.
She couldn't betray her best friend.
Clarke left his team feeling rather disgruntled.
They had all shown fear at his displeasure. He was tempted to replace the entire team, but they knew the lay of the land better than anyone else at the moment. He was hoping to wrap up this mission sooner rather than later.
For now, he was in Mystic Falls a day early and there was nothing he would rather do than spend time with Hope.
After sending off a quick message to Veronica instructing her to clear his schedule for the next day, he called her.
"Ryan, hi!" He could hear the smile in her voice.
"I'm in town early," he said. "Any chance you can meet me at home?"
"Lizzie had an appointment earlier, but we're hanging out now with MG…" she said.
"Ah," he said, feeling a bit disappointed.
"You can join us?" she giggled like she wasn't telling him something. "We're in Mystic Falls."
"Send me the address."
To be continued…
