I own nothing but my own words.
Chapter 10: This Game Is Intense
Waking up in Ryan's arms always felt like heaven.
Lying facing away from him, he spooned against her back with one arm wrapped around her stomach. His gentle even breathing let her know he was still asleep. She gripped his arm, closed her eyes and relaxed in his embrace as she got lost in her thoughts.
She knew he would never ask why they almost didn't have sex last night, just like he would never ask why she changed her mind. He had never once pushed her for sex. If she didn't want to, he was always okay with it. He was pretty great like that.
Of course, most of the time she did want to—she absolutely loved sex. She was glad she waited to do it for the first time just like she was glad she decided to take that step with him. She had never been more confident in her own body than when she was with him. He made her feel like she did everything right, that she was beautiful, perfect, cherished, and basically a goddess in his eyes.
Last night as she painted the falls, she wondered if maybe she should tell him about her own plan for Wendy. Especially after what happened with Landon, she was very conscious of what a lack of trust could do to a relationship. She didn't want to lose Ryan's trust, but she also knew he was still a work in progress as far as the whole "no killing" went.
She was tired of death. While she often looked back on their impromptu road trip with as much fondness as he did for obvious reasons, she was also flooded with the knowledge of all that she had done for their survival during that time. She killed at least a hundred, though probably more. She nearly lost herself during that time, only finding herself again because of her mother. Life was precious, and she had to do something to save Wendy. If that meant keeping things from Ryan for the time being, so be it.
By his own admission, life could be forfeit if they ran out of options.
The thought that she could do something to lose his trust had raced through her mind so much last night that by the time she crawled into bed sex was the furthest thing from her mind. She much preferred going to sleep so she could escape her thoughts for awhile.
Dozing off before being woken by his accidental tickles had helped a lot. By the time the tickle attack stopped, Wendy was the furthest thing from her mind. All she saw was him. All she wanted was him. And, as always, he loved and pleasured her so thoroughly that she forgot everything else.
She felt him stir behind her, so she nestled further against him, gently stroking the arm she was holding.
"Morning," he murmured.
"Morning," she returned softly.
He breathed into the top of her head, kissing it softly, aware that she woke before him.
"Did you talk to her?" she asked.
"No," he said. "I wasn't ready, not after…" He feared his mother's reaction to his using his powers on Friday, which is why he didn't go to sleep calling to her that night, or last night.
"Tell me about them?" she asked. "Your powers."
"They're based in emotion," he said. "I used fear to move the mounds up. Anger cracked the ground. I suppose they could come in handy."
"But what about other emotions? Like excitement, love, sadness?" she said.
"Anger and fear are the ones I know best," he said.
"Well, now that you've gotten those out of the way, we should try the other ones," she said.
"Eventually…" He wasn't looking forward to trying again any time soon. "How long were you awake before me?"
"A little while," she said. "Just… thinking."
"About?"
That was her opportunity. She could tell him right this minute about her plan.
"How much I love waking up in your arms."
But she wouldn't.
"Are you sure about this?" Josie asked.
"Yes," Lizzie nodded from the passenger seat. "I'm grounding myself from driving until all evil side effects make their presence known."
"Works for me," Josie shrugged, putting the car in gear.
Sunday dawned bright and early. Lizzie declared it too beautiful a day to stay indoors. So, the Saltzman twins were going for a drive.
Josie didn't drive often, but they both learned at the same time. Usually Lizzie wouldn't let Josie drive while they were going anywhere together, it meant relinquishing too much control, but since Lizzie was worried about her medication she insisted Josie drive that day.
At least they were spending time together away from Hope, MG, and the entire Salvatore school. Josie felt like there was so much to catch up on, like it had been forever since she talked to the person who slept in the same room as her.
"Where're we going?" Josie asked.
"Just drive," Lizzie said flippantly. "See where the horizon takes us."
"Okay…"
Silence fell over the car as she drove. Josie wondered if Lizzie was still thinking about the possible side effects. She herself was wondering the very same thing she had been since Friday.
"Why didn't you tell me you were getting worse?" she asked.
"Did I stutter before? I told you I didn't want you to worry," Lizzie replied.
"That's never stopped you before," Josie pointed out. It was true. All their lives, Lizzie didn't think twice about telling her how she felt or what was going on with her. So why now?
"You seem happy with Jade, and with Mystic Falls High," Lizzie said the last with a slight look of distaste. "Are you?"
"Yes," Josie nodded. The Wendy drama aside, she actually did like going to the other school, especially without her abilities. She felt like she was in a whole new world. She had given a lot of thought to her future since transferring schools, and she thought she knew what she might want to do. Jade, and thoughts of her biological mother, had all made her interested in studying medicine. She wasn't sure what field, but she thought that she very much wanted to help people.
"Happiness is hard to come by," Lizzie said. "You don't need a mentally unhinged sister forcing you to take care of her. Live your life."
"My happiness also depends on your happiness," Josie said. "If you need help, I'm always here for you."
"I didn't need help," Lizzie said. "I had help."
"Correction, when you need help, I want to know," Josie said. "Every single time. Not after the fact."
"So demanding," Lizzie commented.
"I may have changed a lot over the past year," Josie explained. "But caring about you will never change."
"Okay, jeez, I'll let you know," Lizzie agreed.
"Good," Josie nodded. "Now, what have I missed?"
"Besides mood swings, irritability, and the desire to sleep all day?" Lizzie asked.
"Oh, I didn't miss that," Josie said, smiling slightly. "I felt every bit of it."
"My magic's been a big fat raspberry too," Lizzie said.
"I heard about Chemistry of Magic," Josie said. "A tornado?"
"Of course the whole school talked about it," Lizzie looked heavenward. "But it actually started before that. When I tried to put Raf to sleep. That was the first time things didn't go as planned."
"But it worked every time after Raf, right?" Josie asked. "So maybe that had nothing to do with you, maybe that was about Raf? I mean, it's not like we've seen many hybrids, especially ones sired to Hope."
"True… I'll give you that," Lizzie said. "But the tornado is what happens when I can't control my mind when I'm doing the spell to control air."
"Then you need to keep practicing until you get it right," Josie said. "Why don't you do the spell intending to make the tornado?"
Lizzie thought about it.
"You're right," she said. "If I deliberately do it, then I control it."
"That's two," Josie said. "What else is going on?"
"Since it's clear I've been getting worse, Hope and Clarke are worried the darkness from the twin bond is affecting me," she said.
"You said that before, but you didn't think they were right?" Josie asked.
"I'm…scared, okay?" Lizzie finally admitted with a sigh.
"Scared?" Josie looked at her in surprise.
"If this is happening because of the darkness, it's only going to get worse, Jos," Lizzie said. "So I insisted increasing my medication would save me from insanity."
"They still don't agree, do they?"
"No," Lizzie said. "They're still looking for ways to help me. Or rather, Ryan is."
There's that name again, ugh.
"So, Hope has him trying to find a spell," Josie said.
"I guess," Lizzie shrugged. She hadn't really asked more about it because she was in denial.
"For not having magic, he does seem to know more than he should," Josie said.
"I guess if it is the darkness… then maybe having him in my corner isn't such a bad idea," Lizzie said, allowing for the possibility for the first time.
"Oh, Clarke is always a bad idea," Josie said. "Even if he finds something, be careful."
"Warning me against him?" Lizzie said, surprised.
"You know our history."
"I also know he helped free us from the merge," Lizzie said.
"At what cost though?" Josie asked. "Seems you're finding that out now."
"We were warned," Lizzie said.
"Which is why I'm warning you now," Josie said. "I don't trust Clarke, and neither should you."
"I don't know, Jos," Lizzie shook her head. "He's been… concerned about me."
"Concerned?" Josie sputtered in disbelief.
"This isn't just Hope," Lizzie explained. "He wants to help me. Just like with Jack, when he turned out to be a tool, Ryan suggested going for ice cream so I'd feel better."
"Ice cream and arcades and suddenly you trust someone you hated a few months ago?" Josie said in disbelief. "Someone who was responsible for turning MG?!"
"I tried to hate him because of that, but MG didn't hold it against him and neither did Hope," Lizzie said. "How long could I hold it against him before it seemed pointless?"
Lizzie also vividly remembered a phone call she received from him the night he and Hope were attacked by sex demons. Despite everything, he knew Hope needed her. He fought to protect Hope from one of the worst things imaginable, and then he refused to leave her alone to clean up the mess. He trusted Lizzie to be there for Hope, just like she trusted him to be there for Hope.
That night was one secret she had successfully kept from her sister, and it would remain hidden until Hope decided to tell anyone. Lizzie may be terrible at keeping secrets but that one definitely wasn't hers to tell.
"Always," Josie replied. "You could choose to hold it against him always." She knew she could.
"Well I choose not to," Lizzie said bluntly.
She suddenly didn't feel very good. She tried to breathe slowly at the tossing in her stomach. Then she hurriedly rolled down her window for some fresh air.
"Are you okay?" Josie asked.
Lizzie swallowed and tried to speak, "Pull… over."
Josie did so immediately.
Lizzie opened the door and got out gingerly, hoping that walking and breathing in fresh air would stop her sudden nausea.
"What do you need?" Josie asked, reaching out.
Lizzie shook her head, and then wished she hadn't. She wasn't having a panic attack. She felt like she was going to vomit and the act of talking or moving could make her breakfast come up at any moment. Why did Josie keep asking her questions?
She turned away and put a hand against the side of the car, breathing through it.
Eventually, miraculously, the feeling passed.
She tentatively stood up straight and was relieved when her stomach didn't revolt.
"Better?" Josie asked.
"I think so," Lizzie said slowly.
"Want to go home?" Josie asked.
Lizzie shook her head. "No, let's keep going."
She looked around, trying to place where they were.
"Make a right at the next turn and drive straight down that road," Lizzie said.
"Okay…" Josie said, still worried.
They got back into the car, and Josie made the turn Lizzie requested.
"What about you?" Lizzie asked when she got used to the motion of the vehicle and didn't feel sick again. "What's happening in your life?"
At this, Josie had to tread carefully, so she talked about Jade and Jed.
"The Js are pretty much excelling at Mystic Falls High," she began. "Jed really wants to join a sport but can't. We all hang out on our free period and he likes to practice any and all sports then. We sometimes join in. It's funny because all the coaches want him, but he's turned them all down. So now they mostly just drool all over him."
"I still don't understand why he agreed to go back," Lizzie said.
"We're not sure either," Josie shrugged. "He doesn't talk about it, but I think it has something to do with Ethan. He's been avoiding him even more now that Ethan is alpha. Ethan's made it his mission in life to talk to Jed; and Jed isn't talking."
"I figured it had something to do with Alyssa," Lizzie said.
"Could be," Josie shrugged. "Jed doesn't talk about himself much, at least not to me and Jade. But we have fun. We've all become pretty good friends."
"So that's Jed," Lizzie said. "What about you?"
"Jade and I are doing better now," Josie said. "She was upset I wasn't making her a priority. She didn't mind my friendship with you or Hope; she just wanted to be important too."
"As she should be," Lizzie said firmly. "Like I said, I don't need another Penelope situation, especially not on top of everything else."
"There's no chance of that happening," Josie explained. "She thought the idea of her being mad at you because of the way I treated her was ridiculous. We talked everything out though. She forgave me, and we're better than ever now."
"And that means?" Lizzie prodded knowingly.
"Exactly what I said," Josie laughed.
"Do you love her?" Lizzie asked.
"I don't know," Josie said. "Neither of us has said it. We're just…happy." And she didn't know if she ever would say it. She cared a lot about Jade. She just didn't know if she loved her. The last two times she thought she loved someone, it hadn't ended well. As much as she liked being with Jade, Penelope and Landon had both done a number on her feelings. She couldn't allow herself to trust as easily as she had before.
"Good," Lizzie nodded. "Don't rush it. Rushing into things makes everything messy and complicated." Just look what happened with her and Sebastian, or her and Rafael—which was a total non-starter to begin with.
"So, what about you and MG?"
"Ugh, not you too," Lizzie griped. "We are just friends. No relationship drama there at all."
"Sorry, it just seems like you two are getting closer," Josie said.
"We spend time together because he's a good friend," Lizzie said. "Besides, with increasing my medication, I'm not sure it's possible for me to even have true feelings for someone right now. Everything is kind of…different."
"I'm sure it's possible," Josie said, rushing to reassure her. "MG just isn't the one for you, I guess."
Lizzie nodded quietly.
"I'm just glad Ethan isn't as gung-ho with me as MG always was with you," Josie said.
"What did Ephram do now?"
"Nothing really," Josie shrugged. "I've known he's liked me since before he triggered his curse. I've done nothing but friend-zone him. I think he's still interested though. He still talks to me whenever he gets the chance. He knows I'm with Jade, it just feels like…"
"He's waiting," Lizzie said, nodding. "For you guys to break up so he can try again."
"Exactly."
"MG used to make me feel like that," Lizzie said. "Not anymore though, thank God."
"Yeah," Josie laughed. "But like I said, he's much more subtle than MG ever was."
"Definitely subtle. I didn't get that vibe from him at all," Lizzie said. "So you really aren't into him? I mean, I know you have Jade but he kinda has that whole perfect loyal All-American-Boy vibe going on you like. Plus, he's no garden gnome. Why not keep him on the bench 'til it's his turn to bat?"
"Because," Josie sighed and dropped her head a little. "Mr. All-American doesn't know what I did to his arm. He'd drop out of the game real fast if he knew."
"Oh, yeah," Lizzie tilted her head. "Forgot about that. But he's a wolf now, it doesn't matter anymore."
"You think so," Josie said, but she really didn't think Ethan would brush it aside.
"Just come clean, Jos," Lizzie insisted. "It's good for the soul."
"But not so much the friendship," Josie said.
"What friendship?" Lizzie asked. "If you can't be truthful with your friends, what's the point?"
Josie shifted, the question striking a little too close to home. She hadn't been truthful with a lot of people in a while. Not Ethan, not Hope, and not even Lizzie. But she just didn't want any of them to be upset with her. She hadn't even meant to warn Lizzie about Clarke earlier, but she couldn't resist. She only hoped Lizzie didn't say anything to Hope about it. She was finally feeling like she was getting to a good place with Lizzie again. She might never get there with Hope if she knew how much she hated Clarke.
"Well, I guess in the spirit of truthfulness…" Josie glanced at her sister. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you."
"Yes?"
"I want to run for Miss Mystic Falls this year. For real, for real… you know?" Josie said, waiting with bated breath for her sister's response.
"Then run," Lizzie said simply.
"Just like that?" Josie asked.
"Josie," Lizzie shook her head. "If there's something you want to do, do it. I, of course, plan to run since I didn't get to last year, but I would never hold you back."
"Thanks," Josie smiled gratefully relieved that went better than she dreamed it would.
"Here it is!" Lizzie said suddenly, leaning forward. "Pull in here!"
Josie turned into a parking lot with very few vehicles.
Pulling to the front, she understood why. It was the beginning of March and still cold but some parents decided to bundle up their little ones and take them out for fun.
"This is the playground Mom used to take us to," Lizzie said.
"It looks exactly the same," Josie said, grinning as she looked around.
"It does, doesn't it?" Lizzie said, smiling softly.
"Why here?" Josie asked.
"Everything was simpler the last time we were here," Lizzie said. Like with the arcade, it reminded her of when they were kids and their biggest worry was the flavor of freezee pop they would choose when play time was over.
"Race you to the swings?" Josie said as she put the car into park.
"Nausea and running do not mix," Lizzie said, not wanting to start her stomach rolling again. "In fact, you swing, I'll push."
"Works for me!"
Jade slammed her paddle against the ping pong ball, hoping to get one past Jed, but no, he was there to return the volley just like she was there in an instant to return his.
"This game is intense," Wade watched from his seat.
"We'll have to see if you can take me next," Jade called out, hitting the ball back.
"If you win," Jed said.
"No, thanks," Wade said, shaking his head.
Jed made a tricky move, somehow slamming the ball on the table at an angle Jade wasn't expecting.
"Darn it," she grumbled when the ball went flying.
"One more and I win," Jed said with a smirk.
"Yeah, yeah," Jade said.
Jed served and they began. She had to laugh when he nearly fell trying to return a volley, but then he was laughing when she had to dive to get to the ball when he did return it.
Back and forth they went, trying to make the hits tighter, psyching each other out, until she finally hit the ball too hard, missing the table completely and he just watched it hit the ground with a grin.
"Yes!" Jed exclaimed.
"Nice," Jade said jokingly huffing, putting her paddle on the table and walking away to flounce into a chair next to Wade.
"Who's next?!" Jed held up his paddle with a smile. "Come on, Wade."
"Not interested," the fairy said.
"I'll jump in."
Jade hid a smile when she saw Ethan pick up her abandoned paddle. Jed looked like he swallowed an ice pick.
"We were just going to—" Jed started, but was interrupted.
"Play another round," Ethan finished before Jed could run away. "So, let's go."
Jed served cautiously. He was relieved when Ethan didn't say anything else after that. The game kept getting more and more intense and the old competitive spirit took over until both boys were having a blast.
Jade watched them with curiosity. Seeing them now, it didn't seem like anything was wrong. It looked like two best friends playing a game together.
With one eye on the boys, she listened to Wade.
"I think I've made a friend in one of those chat rooms," he said. "They like the same things, and its nice talking to them."
"So when are you meeting them?" Jade asked.
"I'm not sure," he said. "They haven't asked."
"When you're ready, you should," she said. "I'll go with you if you're nervous."
"No," he said, sitting up a little straighter. "I should do it myself."
"Where's Josie?" Ethan asked, glancing around after he returned a volley.
Jed shrugged, sending the ball back.
"Almost like old times," Ethan said. "Except for her and Maya. We should all do that again. Maybe watch a movie or go star gazing—since last time was so eventful." He shook his head, referring to his unexpected first werewolf experience, though Jed wasn't there for that.
"I could bring my telescope," Wade spoke up.
Ethan nodded, not caring that Wade wasn't a part of the original unit. If it got Jed to come along, he didn't care who came.
"I'm busy," Jed said, stepping back and letting the ball pass by.
"I didn't even say when," Ethan argued, looking at Jed with a mixture of disbelief and confusion.
Jed looked away.
"Josie's with Lizzie," Jade answered Ethan's original question when she saw how uncomfortable Jed was getting. "Twin time."
Ethan nodded but didn't say anything else. He was frustrated with Jed. As alpha, it was his duty to help him through whatever he was going through. He wasn't doing it out of duty though. He was doing it because Jed mattered to him even though he kept blowing him off. Why didn't Jed want to talk to him? Was the problem him? But that didn't make any sense. Ethan hadn't been near him to do anything.
Ethan went to talk again, but Jed tossed his paddle on the table and left without saying anything else.
"Do you know what that's about?" Ethan asked, looking at Jade.
"No clue," Jade shrugged.
"You and everyone else," Ethan sighed.
"I think you should abandon your whole 'like old times' thing though," Jade said. "Too many things have changed."
"Not really," he disagreed.
"I'm with Josie now," she said pointedly.
"I know, but—"
"I was wrong before," she interrupted him. "I always thought she liked you and you liked her. But she only wanted me. And we're together now."
"I know—" he insisted, but again she interrupted him.
"You do like her though," she said.
Yeah, he still liked Josie, but he wasn't an idiot. She hadn't showed one iota of interest in him. She was dating someone else. He wanted to at least be friends with her though. He didn't see any problem with that.
"Right now I'm only interested in helping Jed," he said honestly. All of them hanging out like 'old times' was a way to reach out to Jed again. He didn't see a problem with that either.
"He doesn't want your help," she said, stating the obvious. "I think it's best you just leave Josie and Jed alone."
He frowned.
"Don't get me wrong," she said, standing up. "At the end of the day, I think you're alright. But stop trying so hard. There are plenty of girls at this school to ask out, and wolves you can coddle."
"There's something wrong with Jed," he argued. "As his friend, don't you want to help him?"
"Yes, and I will," she said. "When he's ready to talk, I'll be there to listen. He knows that. Just like I know he doesn't want to talk to you. Being alpha means you can lead the wolves, it doesn't mean you can force them to do whatever you want."
"I know that, and I'd never do that to any of them," he said. "I'm worried."
"I know, E," she said, softening slightly. "But let him figure whatever this is out on his own. Let him come to you."
It wasn't as simple as she was making it sound. He needed to know why. Why wouldn't Jed talk to him? Why had Jed shut him out? It bugged him.
But if he had to wait to find out… he didn't really have much choice in the matter, did he?
"Does this mean we're not going stargazing?" Wade asked.
Carrying four fully stocked tote bags, two in each hand, Hope made her way to the front door of her family's Virginia mansion.
If she had come all this way only to find an empty house, she would be disappointed.
But she knew she was right.
If Ryan thought Josie was hiding Wendy, and Josie was using houses she had security codes too, the Mikaelson home was the perfect choice. Not only would no one be using it (not even for special events like the ones that may be hosted at the Lockwood estate), Ryan also didn't know that Josie would have access to this home. He may not even know it existed. When he mentioned the apartment, she considered telling him they could just use the house, but he had already signed the lease. Plus, the thought of having something that was just theirs, where no one else could ever intrude without their permission, it sounded perfect. It was home—their home and no one else's.
When Ryan was pretending to be Vardemus, no one would have remembered her or the fact that she personally gave the school permission to access her family's mansion in an emergency. The school usually used the Lockwood estate because it was closer to the school, but she had made the Mikaelson mansion available just in case.
Hence, no one would have remembered to tell Ryan that it was an option.
Josie, being one of the headmaster's daughters, was usually a large part of helping her father in any emergency situations, down to security access.
Switching the bags so they were all on one hand, and wincing at the straps biting into her palm, she fished her key out of her pocket and entered.
She paused to listen and smiled.
The alarm was turned off.
Excellent.
She swept through the foyer, glancing around, looking for any signs of life.
Going into the kitchen, she found a single cup and plate that were sitting on the breakfast nook table. An open packet of half eaten peanut butter crackers showed she must have interrupted an early dinner or snack.
Sensing a magical presence in the room, knowing Wendy must have used an invisibility spell, she turned to the center of the room.
Hefting the bags onto the counter, she began sorting through them for all perishables.
"You know," she began. "Last year I got stuck in a place. It was much like a prison as I was trapped and couldn't find a way home for the longest time. Not ten years like you, but still."
She pulled lunch meat, a couple bags of salad mixes, and some fresh vegetables from one of the bags and carried them to the fridge.
"Then, when I finally got out," she continued, dropping the food items into the crisper, "It was horrible. Everyone had forgotten me. I had no family, no friends. I had no one."
She went back to the bags, pulling out a vat of ice cream and a few frozen dinners.
"All that time I spent trapped, I thought that if only I could get free, that everything would turn out okay," she pushed the freezer door shut with a laugh. "I was wrong."
Going through the other bags, she started pulling out a loaf of bread, cans of soup, a couple jars of sauce, and boxes of noodles, preparing to put them in the cabinets.
"I had to adapt," she explained. "Until one day, things got better. It's been months, but I'm happy now. I'm catching up in school, on my way to graduate. My friends and I defeated the biggest evil we ever faced. I'm in a relationship too."
Sweeping an errant hair behind her ear with a soft grin, she picked up a bunch of items and carried them to the cabinet. She nodded at it, using her magic to open the door for her.
"I could go on about that and him," she said, "but that's not the point."
She turned and looked around the room, still feeling the magical presence.
"The point is, I know you're here, Wendy," she said softly. "I'm not going to tell anyone. Not yet anyway. See, I know you're running. I know you're scared. I know that you spent ten years hoping for freedom and now that you have it, things aren't going as planned."
"I'm here because I want to help you," she continued. "I'm offering you a chance to put all of this craziness behind you. To rejoin society. To help you find what truly makes you happy. I know what you've done. I know who you've killed. I've killed people too. I know it's not something you can easily get over. But redemption is possible."
"So," she drew herself up. "Here's the deal. It's Monday. I'll be back on Wednesday. I hope you're still here. And I hope you're willing to accept my help. I also need back whatever you stole. But, I will help you get through this. I will protect you. And I'll make sure Triad stays off your back forever."
She waited, wondering if the girl might step forward now.
But, no. She needed more time.
"I'll let you finish putting all this away," she motioned to the bags full of snacks, basic hygiene supplies, and anything else she figured a teenager on the run might need. "I hope it helps you feel a little more normal.
"And, if you need me before Wednesday, well, you know where I am," she finished.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and left.
She had done all she could to help save Wendy.
Now, it was up to Wendy if she wanted to save herself.
Hope returned to school and immediately ran into the one person she had been hoping to avoid.
Landon.
"Raf's still not shifting," he said sharply. "Fix him."
"Are you sure he doesn't just need more time?" she asked, her voice softer than usual.
While she was putting off talking to Rafael as long as possible, that wasn't the reason she wanted to avoid Landon. She saw the look on his face in the comic book shop. It had been three months since he knew they were never getting back together, since he knew she was with Ryan, but it seemed like he was struggling more than ever with moving past it.
It seemed almost like a delayed reaction on his part. Yes, he was upset back then, but he never got confrontational or even tried to talk to her in all that time. She was sure he accepted it and was working on moving on. Clearly, she was wrong. She should have known. Landon's default setting had always been to run away when things got heavy or difficult. He needed tons of space to process before he figured out what he wanted to do next. She just couldn't believe it had taken him three months this time.
"I want you back!"
His words last week surprised the hell out of her. She did everything she could during that conversation to make him see there was no hope at all. She was pretty sure she had reached him by the end of it, as he looked really hurt but resigned.
The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him any further. Breakups were hard, as she still remembered how hurt and broken she felt when he had done it to her. She moved on much faster than she ever thought possible, but she knew she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She knew she was with who she was supposed to be with now.
"Yes," he said, his eyes glaring hard into hers. "I'm sure. So, fix him since you're the one who broke him."
"About the comic book shop—"
"Don't," he looked away. While he knew she was with Clarke, he had never actually seen them together wrapped up in an intimate moment. He never felt more jealous in his life.
"It's been months, Landon," she said, still keeping her voice soft. She didn't want to fight with him. "You've got to let it go. I know it's hard, but you've got to move on."
"Hard? You have no idea," he scoffed. "I was barely gone before you were shacking up with him!"
She sighed. They already had this argument. She didn't want to rehash it. She wished she could figure out a way to help him.
"And let it go? You don't know how I feel, so don't even try—" he sputtered before continuing. "Since coming back, do you have any idea what I've been going through? Do you even care?!"
"Of course, I care," she said, trying to affect a caring tone. She hoped it didn't come off as patronizing. She really did care. She told him she still wanted them to be friends. "I'm here if you want to talk, okay? When I said I still wanted to be friends, it wasn't just to be polite. Talk to me. Tell me what's going on. I'm sorry you were hurt because of me. I can't undo that, but I can help with anything else."
"Just help Raf," he finally said. He couldn't take this. He couldn't take her trying to be understanding and, yes, polite. Her heart was her greatest quality. It was one of the things that drew him to her to begin with. For her to show it to him now, his loss just hurt that much more.
"I'll talk to him after school tomorrow," she finally said.
"Why not now?" he said, forcing an attitude so he could push away his feelings.
"Tomorrow."
That was all she said as she waited for confirmation.
"Fine," he said stiffly before turning on his heel and stalking away.
Letting out a breath, she watched him leave.
She didn't need to explain her reasons to him. She knew he would just give her a ton of crap if she did because the real reason was that she couldn't talk to Raf until she talked to Ryan.
She promised him full disclosure in all things Rafael.
And she really wasn't looking forward to it.
"I found something," Clarke said. He clicked and moved a file. "I sent the spell. Let me know what you think."
Hope opened the file attachment and read through it.
"Ryan, no."
"Hear me out," he said. "It feeds on black magic."
"Ryan, it's a hex," Hope said. "We're not hexing Lizzie!"
"But the darkness keeps growing," he said. "As long as it has something to feed on, it won't run out and kill her."
"We're not hexing Lizzie!" she said with clear enunciation. "I know what hexes do. Aunt Bex can tell you from personal experience. Do you want to tell her your grand plan to save her new favorite pet? You know she adores Lizzie. She'll say exactly what I'm saying. No. I wouldn't use that even as a last resort."
"I'll keep looking," he sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"I know you will," she said with a soft smile. She loved that he was as worried about Lizzie as she was. She felt a million times better knowing so many people were working to find a solution to save Lizzie.
Unfortunately, she felt less than stellar about what she was about to tell him.
"So… remember I told you Ethan's now the schools alpha?"
"How could I forget?" Clarke said. He only met Hope's cousin once but that was more than enough for him to decide he liked him. Thus far he hadn't met a relative of Hope's he didn't like. Ethan, unlike most of the students at Hope's school, actually liked him too. And the fact that Ethan had beaten the crap out of Rafael to become leader of the wolves also increased Ethan's value in Clarke's mind.
"Rafael's not taking it well," she said.
"Even better," he said, not bothering to hide his delight. She knew he didn't like the hybrid; there was no reason to hide his feelings on the matter.
She cleared her throat. "Do you also remember Landon getting confrontational and you asked about it?"
"And you said you'd explain but never did," he nodded, remembering how they got too distracted making out in the car while waiting for her friends to bother talking about inane matters like her ex.
"After the alpha fight, Rafael kind of…stopped working to break the sire bond," she explained.
He frowned.
"Which is why Landon came to me last week and asked me to talk to Raf," she went on. "I told him to give Raf time, and we kind of had a fight."
"Let me guess, Landon wanted you to help right then and there," he said.
"That," she nodded. "And he said he wanted me back…"
"Sucks to be him," he said, though he maintained his frown.
"I didn't say it quite like that," she looked heavenward, "but I basically told him to move on, which is what I told him again today."
"He's still trying? Even after last week?" he asked. He reminded himself he didn't have anything to worry about. If she still wanted to be with Landon, she would be. He gave her every chance in the beginning to go back to the phoenix. But she chose him. He didn't pressure her to pick him over Landon. She did that all on her own. He didn't have anything to worry about. Nope. Nothing.
"Not really," she said, nibbling at her bottom lip before forging ahead. "He was letting me know time was up. Rafael still isn't doing anything, and since I told Landon I'd give Raf until next week…and it's next week…" she sighed. "I need to talk to Raf."
Now that he could worry about.
"No."
"Ryan, I'm not asking permission," she said firmly. "This is your full disclosure. I'm going to talk to Raf tomorrow, find out why he's stopped trying to break the bond and hopefully get him to start again."
"Hope…" He didn't know what to say to convince her it was a bad idea.
"He's my responsibility," she insisted. "My blood did this to him. I need to help him. Also, he's my friend. He can't help what's happening to him. He needs me."
"It's too dangerous," he argued.
"He won't hurt me," she said. "The sire bond isn't broken so he still has to do what I say. And he still can't hurt anyone including me. He couldn't even hurt you if you were standing in front of him. You're acting like the sire bond isn't working, but believe me, if it wasn't, I wouldn't have to deal with this."
He knew she was right. He just really didn't want her around the hybrid. Not the least of which was due to Rafael's apparent infatuation with Hope.
BOOM!
Hope rolled her eyes.
"Do you have to slam the door every time you come in the room?"
Alyssa tossed her books on her desk and shrugged, "I know how to make an entrance."
"Yeah, a loud one," Hope said, turning back to her screen.
"I should go," she started.
"Just talk to him on the phone," he insisted, not wanting her to end the call yet.
"I know you're worried, but it'll be fine," she said. "I'll be fine."
"Are you done yet?" Alyssa said with a look of distaste.
Hope didn't like talking to Ryan while Alyssa was in the room anyway, but she hated whenever Alyssa acted like she ruled their room. Like, when she entered there shouldn't be any sounds she didn't approve of.
"No," Clarke said loudly for Alyssa's benefit. "We're not done."
"Was there something else you wanted to discuss?" Hope asked in a tone indicating she was deliberately ignoring their previous conversation.
"The hybrid is too—"
"Dangerous!" Hope interrupted loudly in her exasperation. "I don't care!"
"Wow," Alyssa said as she came over and flounced on the bed next to Hope. "Speaking of being loud."
"Excuse you?" Hope said, looking at her roommate. "I'm having a private conversation with my boyfriend. Why don't you leave and I'll tell you when it's safe to come back."
Alyssa really shouldn't be testing Hope's patience. Between keeping Wendy's whereabouts from Ryan and arguing with him over Rafael, Hope's nerves were a bit frazzled and fighting with Alyssa while convincing Ryan to give in wasn't helping.
"So that's what you really look like," Alyssa said, ignoring Hope and looking at the screen.
"Yes, yes," Hope said sarcastically, grabbing at her laptop to turn it away from the witch. "That's what he looks like. Now scoot!"
"You know, your super secret club," Alyssa said to Clarke with air quotes, "was one of the more interesting extra-curriculars here."
Clarke snickered despite his annoyance at being interrupted.
"I'm still down to be a member," Alyssa leaned against Hope to angle her head to see the screen even though she was moving it. "We could have our own private Zoom sessions."
"EXCUSE me?!" Hope said, pushing Alyssa away from the screen.
"You're not excused," Alyssa said while pushing her back.
"I've had a career change," Clarke spoke up, smirking in amusement at Hope's reaction.
"That's too bad," Alyssa sniffed and stopped trying to look at the screen when Hope pushed her again.
"Just how many girls were a part of your super secret club?" Hope asked with her own air quotes, glaring at the screen.
"A few," he said, wondering if she would hang up on him if he started laughing. He had to admit, her jealousy was incredibly hot.
"Uh huh," she said, still eyeing him.
"Relax, Hope," Alyssa said as she examined her nails, wrinkling her nose. "He was pretending to be Vardemus. Although… if we knew he was hiding all that…"
Hope was ready to strangle her.
"Back off, Alyssa," Hope glared at her.
"Not fun having the tables turn, is it?" Clarke asked.
"Please don't tell me you're still jealous of Raf?" Hope asked, looking back at the screen quickly.
"Well, wouldn't you be?" he said. "I don't go near anyone interested in me, not even for Zoom sessions," he used air quotes for the word. "We both know how he feels about you."
Hope sank back against her pillows. He had a point.
"I won't talk to him alone, okay?" she said. "Landon will be there."
He scoffed. "Like that makes it any better?"
"Fine," Alyssa dropped her hand and let out a long suffering sigh. "I'll do it."
"You'll do what?" Hope asked.
"Go with you when you have your talk," Alyssa did her air quotes thing again.
"Can you stop with the air quotes, Alyssa?" Hope said, exasperated.
"Okay," Clarke said.
"Okay, what?" Hope said, turning back.
"If she goes with you, I'll back off," he said.
"So, what, Alyssa's my bodyguard now or something?" Hope said defensively.
"At least she won't hesitate if he tries to hurt you," he said. "We both know you and Landon would think twice about hurting him."
"Ooh, I get to hurt people?" Alyssa said, perking up.
"We don't even know if magic works on him," Hope reminded them. "It didn't when Lizzie tried to put him to sleep."
"Then I'll just use magic to throw something at him," Alyssa said, shrugging. "The magic may not hurt, but something hard and metal will."
"Then it's agreed," Clarke said. "Talk to him, but take Alyssa with you."
Hope sighed, "Gee, thanks, Alyssa."
Alyssa tossed her hair over her shoulder with a smug smile.
"What are friends for?"
Pulling out her burner phone, Josie wanted to check on Wendy before she got ready for bed.
It was kind of funny how Josie had become Wendy's primary contact when it was Jade's idea and Jade's friend. But Josie was way too invested in it now.
This was no longer about Jade trying to protect her friend.
Josie was going to continue using Wendy as a way to silently be a thorn in Clarke's side.
But maybe it wasn't going to be so silent anymore, she thought as she read.
"Crap," she murmured to herself. "Hope, what are you doing?"
Wendy was compromised.
The good news? Hope was protecting Wendy from Triad for the time being.
She smirked knowing that meant Hope was keeping things from Clarke. She only wished she could use that bit of knowledge to put a wedge between them. She couldn't use it yet though, because using it meant compromising herself and Wendy.
The bad news was Hope would only protect her until Wednesday. So, Wendy would be heading for the Lockwood Estate that day—the final safe house.
Which meant Josie and Jade now needed to come up with another option in the event Wendy had to leave that safe house.
There was more good news though!
Wendy also mentioned she had a special meeting on Saturday, and, if all went well, she wouldn't need to be hidden anymore. She could finally leave Mystic Falls for good.
She just needed their help to make sure Triad stayed off her ass for the day so she could take care of business.
Josie closed the phone.
By this time next week, Wendy would be officially gone, free to live her life hidden completely from Triad.
And Josie could give Clarke the biggest proverbial middle finger.
She couldn't wait.
Lizzie yawned.
It had been another long day of classes and all she wanted to do was go back to bed.
Unfortunately, teachers still thought things like homework were necessary.
She knew the Monday Blues existed, but what about Tuesday?
She wanted to take Josie's advice and try to manipulate air to make a tornado on purpose, but she was too tired to work on an element she already passed. Maybe she could find the energy after she worked on the next one, but she doubted it.
Now, if only MG would hurry up and join her before she fell asleep. Her new medication dosage was kicking her ass in more ways than one. She was glad he agreed to meet up with her while she was practicing. She didn't want to be alone if something went wrong again.
Fortunately, she felt about as far from a panic attack as one could get. She was just tired today. So, so tired.
She sat on the park bench and propped her head up with hand, her elbow resting on the table. She didn't want to go to sleep, but maybe she could just rest her eyes for a minute…
"Lizzie?"
MG touched her shoulder gently. He couldn't help but smile seeing that she had fallen asleep.
If he knew he could get away with it, he would pick her up and zip to her room…and then watch her sleep for the rest of the afternoon.
But that would be creepy, right?
She would probably think so. He, on the other hand, didn't see any problem with sitting and staring at her. She was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
He would always love this girl, and he would always be whatever she needed him to be just so he could always be in her life.
Today, she needed someone to help her with her homework.
Not for the first time, he silently thanked Hope and Josie: Hope, for being too busy catching up on her own work to help Lizzie, and Josie, for giving up her powers so she couldn't help Lizzie with her magic homework even if she wanted to.
That meant he could help her and spend time with her too.
"Lizzie?" he repeated a little louder, tapping her shoulder a few times.
She woke with a start, sitting up straight, "Present and accounted for!"
MG grinned as he sat down next to her.
"If you're that tired, you could work on it tomorrow?" he suggested.
"No," she shook her head, "this is just another effect of my new meds. It'll pass eventually… I hope."
"Do you need to see your doctor again?" he asked. "Because I'll go with you."
She shook her head again. "Not until next week. I'll just give it the full two weeks before going back. Adjustments can be made then."
"So, what's today's element?" he asked.
"Fire," she said, flexing her fingers to prepare.
"But don't you already know fire?" he asked. "I've seen you girls throw a lot of fireballs."
"You've seen us create a ball of fire to throw at our enemies—or anyone who happens to annoy us that day, yes," she said. "But we've never learned to manipulate the fire."
"Why would you need to?"
"Same reason we needed to learn how to manipulate air, I guess," she shrugged. "To become more familiar with the chemistry of magic."
"So, what do you gotta do?"
"I'm going to start out by creating a small flame in my palm," she said, holding up her hand. "Then I'm going to make it dance."
"Don't flames already dance on their own?"
"Fine," she huffed as she stood up to walk away from the wooden and highly flammable bench. "I'll make it form something."
"Like what?" he asked.
"An arrow? Or a kite? Or… I don't know, you pick," she was tired and a little drowsy. She couldn't think enough to make a choice.
"How about a dragon?" he asked with a big grin.
"I'm not Merlin," she deadpanned. "Something a little less complicated."
"Oh, I know!" he said. "Turn the fire into a big circle, and spin it around, you know, like pizza dough. That would be cool."
"A fiery pizza," she said, shaking her head. "Next thing you'll want me to add pepperoni."
"Can you do that?"
"No," she said and then smiled a little. "Now hush."
She held up her hand and focused, conjuring fire in her palm like she had done a million times before.
Instead of throwing it though, she focused and the fire lifted in the air above her hand. It was slow going, but she finally managed to get the fire to form a circle.
Once that happened, she focused on widening the circumference. She grew wary at the idea of spinning it. It was a little too much like a tornado, and she couldn't think of anything worse than an out of control fiery tornado.
"You know, this looks a little less like pizza and more like…" MG tilted his head. "Doctor Strange."
"Sorry, fresh out of shields," she said.
"If you hollow out the center, it'll look like a portal," he said.
"Not interested in going anywhere either," she said, but she was glad it looked like she had finally succeeded in her assignment and nothing went wrong.
Focusing, she allowed the fire to go out until it disappeared into a small plume of smoke.
"Thank God something went right for once," she sat down again.
"That's it?" he said, sitting next to her. "You didn't make it spin."
"Give me a few minutes," she said. She was feeling more confident after a successful spell for the first time in weeks, so maybe she would try to spin it.
"I hope this means the medication is working," she continued. "I've got a lot to do in the next couple of weeks and I really need to keep it together."
"What's up?" he asked.
"Next Friday is Mystic Fall's Spring Festival, and yours truly volunteered to organize it," she said with a tiny smug smile.
"That's Friday?"
"Next Friday," she said. "It's the first day of spring, and I'm in charge. So it needs to be perfect! Miss Mystic Falls is next month and I need to look good for the judges. I will not allow anything to hold me back from winning this year."
He nodded. He wasn't really into all the pomp and circumstance of the town's traditions, but he knew it meant a lot to her since it meant a lot to her mother.
"Speaking of…" she turned toward him. "With all my craziness, the last thing I want to deal with is finding an escort. You'll do it, right?"
His eyes widened and he looked at her a little shocked.
"You want me to be…"
"My escort for Miss Mystic Falls," she said firmly.
"Uh, sure," he worked really hard to contain his enthusiasm. She wasn't technically asking him out so he needed to rein it in. But she was asking him to stand up for her—next to her—at one of the most important events of her life. He knew Lizzie Saltzman enough to know how important the pageant was to her. "What do you need me to do?"
"You'll wear a suit, learn the traditional dance, and make sure I don't fall," Lizzie shrugged. "Easy enough, right?"
"I can do that," he said, remembering belatedly that he would not only get to dance with Lizzie during the contest but also get to rehearse the dance with her until they got it right.
"You can also help set up for the festival," she said. "I will need a lot of help."
"Su-u-re," he said, stumbling over his words as he sometimes did around her.
"Opening day I need to be there bright and early before it starts," she said. "You'll be there then too?"
"Sure… wait," he paused. "I have exams that morning."
"Rats," she said. "Mine will be done by then."
"But I'll come right after they're done?" he offered.
"Good," she said. She wondered if Hope would be free that morning. She really didn't want to be alone while ordering everyone around. What if something went wrong with her powers again? She would ask her later. Josie, of course, didn't have exams next week since she was on a different schedule at the human school, so her sister wouldn't be able to help.
"Okay," she stood up with determination. "Let's try this again. A spinning pizza."
"Or magical energy shields!" he said.
"Pipe down, MG," she said. "One thing at a time."
She began the spell again, forming the disc of fire the same way she had done before.
"That's it…" he murmured encouragingly.
Taking a deep breath, she focused on making it spin.
She did it!
"It's spinning!" she said.
"And what do pizza experts do while spinning their dough?" he said.
"What?"
"Toss it in the air a few times," he said.
Pressing her lips together, she focused and made the fiery spinning disc rise up in the air before it dropped back down to arm level.
Grinning, she decided to do it again.
And again, it rose up and dropped back down.
"Apparently this is your element," he said.
"I didn't do too bad with water either," she said out the side of her mouth.
"So, two out of three, alright," he said. "We can work on air again tomorrow?"
"Right," she nodded. "Air."
Just thinking about the invisible element turned out to be a bad idea.
No sooner did she think about it than she started losing control. Air was mixing with the spinning fire, and everyone knew that air fanned the flames and made them bigger.
"MG," she said, alarmed. "I'm losing it."
"Just breathe," he said. "Focus on the fire and putting it out like you did before."
She tried, she really tried, but something about manipulating air spooked her. She remembered the panic attack and the room full of students laughing at her. She remembered how scared she was that her loss of control might mean the darkness was coming to destroy her.
"Lizzie," he said, seeing the panic on her face. "You can do this. Get your control back. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I've got you."
"I can't make it stop!" She couldn't find it. She couldn't find control.
Maybe if she just stopped, just stepped back, it would all go away.
Without thinking it through, she dropped her hands suddenly and moved back.
Big mistake.
The fire spun completely out of control, expanding and contrasting, glowing brighter and brighter.
"MG…" she didn't know how to make it stop.
He didn't know what to do either, but he knew it would probably be best if they weren't around to see what the fire would do next.
"Let's—"
The fire suddenly grew and glowed the brightest yet. There was a split second where they both stared at it in horror before it contrasted and basically exploded.
Without thinking, Lizzie jumped in front of MG.
Just as quickly, MG grabbed her and vamp sped away from the fire as fast as he could, trying to escape the flames that were reaching out for them.
Coming to a stop some yards away, MG looked over his shoulder to see that the flames were finally gone, the last explosion burning it out.
Lizzie screamed against him.
He turned back and saw that one of her forearms had been burned badly before he could get them away. The jacket she wore had burned away at the spot. Embers could still be seen in the clothing.
Cursing, he quickly worked to get the jacket off of her. She was wearing a short sleeve top, so her shirt was fine, it was just the jacket.
And her arm.
"It hurts!" she cried out, trying to grab for the arm with her other hand but screamed out again at her own touch.
"Shh, shh," he tried to comfort her, sinking with her down to the ground while she screamed.
"You can feel it, so it didn't destroy the nerves," he said. "It must not've gone too deep."
"It's deep enough to hurt," she sobbed against his shoulder. "Make it stop, oh my God, make it stop!"
He brought his hand up to his mouth and bit into the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.
"Here," he said, holding his now bloody hand out to her. "It'll stop."
She drew back and looked at his hand, the tears streaming down her face as she felt an overwhelming feeling of trepidation.
"And no scarring?" he said hopefully, though his eyes belayed his worry. This could've ended so much worse than it had. What were the teachers at the school thinking, giving the students an assignment like this?
Lizzie wanted the pain to go away, she really did, and the idea of having a giant burn scar on her arm wasn't something she was looking forward to… but Hope's dream, and possible premonition, was racing through her mind.
Is this how she would become a vampire? Was she destined to become one? Was it really a premonition?
"Let me help the pain go away," he said softly, confused at her hesitation.
"Don't let me die," she finally said. She couldn't live her life scared of a premonition that might not even be true. If Hope hadn't said anything, she would've accepted MG's help in an instant.
"Never," he insisted.
She took his hand and brought it to her mouth. Clenching her eyes shut, fighting past the pain and fear, she did it. She actually drank his blood.
Afterward, she winced, "Ugh, that was disgusting."
"But you're better," he said, reaching for her arm to show her, glad to see the blisters go away.
The pain was gone, though the deep seated fear still existed, just as it would for the next twenty-four hours.
"Well," she said nonchalantly, trying to push past her scattered thoughts. "That's enough fire for today. Maybe that's one I should only do with Hope."
"I agree," he said quickly. He could run fast, but Hope would've been able to neutralize the fire before it got out of control and exploded.
She stood up, frowning at the remains of her jacket.
"Here," he shrugged out of his and put it on her.
"Uh… thanks," she said. "I, uh, think I've had enough for today."
"Yeah, of magic," he said. "Me too."
"I mean everything," she said, then yawned loudly. "Time for bed."
"I'll go with you."
"Excuse me?"
"Heh, heh," he shook his head awkwardly. "I mean, I'll walk you to your room."
"Oh… okay?" she started back to the school and he followed her.
"And, you know, hang out in your hallway after that."
"Uh, MG, stalker much?"
"I promised I wouldn't let you die," he said, shrugging. "I'll be your shadow for the next twenty-four hours. Gotta keep my promise."
She glanced down, feeling a huge amount of relief at his words. Not that there was a chance of her dying in her sleep…she didn't think? But it calmed her, just like his presence calmed her.
He really was a great friend.
"I guess I can find a pillow and blanket so you can sleep on the floor in my room," she said before she could think better of it.
"Will make my job easier," he said, smiling sheepishly.
"It's not like you haven't slept on the floor of my room before," she shrugged, remembering their sleeping arrangements in New Orleans.
"I wonder if one floor is more comfortable than another?" he pondered.
"Are you trying to walk faster than me?" Alyssa asked, keeping pace with Hope easily.
Hope just kept marching toward the basement cells, her lips clamped together stubbornly. Yes, she was trying to walk faster than Alyssa. But that whole being short thing was working against her, plus Alyssa was in excellent shape so she had no problem keeping up.
"Geez, Hope, chill out," Alyssa said, rolling her eyes.
Hope only glared at her momentarily before she continued stalking forward.
Alyssa was used to her roommate's glares—just as she was used to Lizzie's disgust and Josie's occasional disdain—but over the past few weeks, she felt a change in both Josie and Hope's attitude toward her. Hope seemed like she was trying to be friends with her, even more so than Josie. So having Hope return to her former dislike left Alyssa feeling like she had done something wrong. She knew she struggled with making friends all her life. She knew her jealousy and temper was a large part of why she struggled so much. Being friends with those three was the last thing she ever thought she would want, but after spending a night out with them she couldn't deny how much fun she had. She felt like she belonged somewhere for once in her life. She was still learning how to be friends with them. She figured Lizzie would be the hardest, especially since she still had a ton of pent up jealousy simmering toward that twin.
Somehow, all the progress she made with Hope had disappeared and she didn't like it.
She stopped walking.
"I stopped," she called out.
Hope kept walking.
"You can't go down there without me," Alyssa said, crossing her arms across her chest.
Hope turned on her heel and stalked back to Alyssa.
"Let's just get this over with," Hope said, eyes flashing.
"If you really don't want me to go with you," Alyssa said, "We can go back and tell Ryan to pick someone else to go with you."
"Why? So you can flirt with him again?" Hope said, voice getting a little shrill. "And don't call him that. Clarke. You can call him Clarke."
Oh. Now she understood.
"I wasn't flirting," Alyssa denied.
"Save it, Alyssa," Hope said. "I was right there with all your talks of your super secret club." She air quoted the name.
Hope was jealous, Alyssa realized. And not just because of what Alyssa said last night, but because Clarke had secret clandestine meetings with her as Vardemus, along with a bunch of other girls. It was over and done with though, so why was it bothering Hope now?
"Wow, you're really going to hold that club thing against me?" Alyssa asked. "We're witches, Hope. We like learning new spells, especially the dark ones no one around here ever bothered to teach us. I want to learn more. That's why I asked him. I'm not interested in him. I know he's yours. I was teasing you. I figured you could take it."
Hope breathed deeply, trying to calm down. Alyssa was right. She had taken this jealousy thing a little far. She couldn't wait for tomorrow. Once she knew Wendy's answer, she could finally come clean with Ryan and then maybe she wouldn't be on edge any longer. She knew Alyssa, and she knew Ryan. Alyssa always gave her a hard time and, yes, teased her. And Ryan would never look twice at Alyssa. She was being absolutely ridiculous.
"Not this week apparently," Hope said, looking anywhere but at Alyssa.
"That's okay," Alyssa said, "I forgive you."
Hope looked up, crinkling her nose. "You forgive me?"
"Yeah," Alyssa shrugged. "And you're right, let's get this over with."
Hope watched Alyssa walk past her.
"Chop, chop, Hope!" Alyssa looked over her shoulder. "I've got better things to do."
Hope sighed and hurried to catch up.
At least she no longer felt like she was going to strangle her roommate.
"Auditus obstructionum."
"What's she doing?" Landon whispered, peering into the room.
Alyssa elbowed him when he leaned too close to ask the question.
"Back off."
"Sorry, sorry," he said awkwardly, putting his hands up in a show of surrender.
"She put a spell on the room so we can't hear anything they say," she said, a little disappointed. Juicy gossip could be had from this. But, no. She shouldn't gossip about her friends… right?
"Why are you here again?" he asked.
"Why do you exist again?" she asked haughtily.
"Jeez," he grumbled, looking away and back at Rafael and Hope. He still didn't understand why he was out here with Alyssa instead of in there.
Alyssa smirked at his expression, and then went back to watching the two. She figured she probably wouldn't get to actually hurt anyone, but she was going to be on guard just in case. It's not every day she was given permission to hurt anyone. It was nice.
"Hi, Raf," Hope said, smiling softly as she sat in the folding chair she placed in front of his. "How're you holding up?"
"Not good," he said, a little sheepishly.
From the moment he regained consciousness and found himself surrounded by all the school wolves and their brand new alpha, things had gone from bad to worse.
He lost the fight.
And, with it, he lost so much more than the alpha position.
"I'm sorry about the fight," she said. "I know it was important to you."
"Didn't you want Ethan to win though?" he said, remembering Ethan's words bating him during the fight.
Hope shook her head, "I didn't want to make a choice. You're both important to me."
"Yeah, but he's family to you," he said, not feeling much of anything but defeat.
"And you're my friend," she said.
"Am I?" he asked. "I can't even see you, talk to you."
"You know why…" she said.
Yeah, he knew why, but he didn't understand. Why did he have to stay away from her? She wasn't the one he went after. He would never hurt her. He would rather die than ever hurt her.
"But, if you break the sire bond, that can all change," she continued. "You know that too, so why did you stop?"
"Because it won't change," he muttered.
"Raf?" she asked, confused.
"I attacked Clarke," he said. "You're only here now because of the sire bond, but after the sire bond is broken I'm probably the last person you want to be around. He probably won't want you around me either."
Knowing he wasn't wrong about that, she struggled to find the words he needed to hear.
"Raf, you're my friend," she said again. "He knows it's the sire bond making you this way. He doesn't get to tell me who I'm allowed to be friends with. He knows that too. Do you really think I'd let anyone tell me what to do?"
He smiled slightly, admitting to himself that was true. She was Hope Mikaelson, badass. She wouldn't do anything she didn't want to.
"All of this will change once you break the sire bond," she said. "I won't tell you to start again. I don't want you to do it because of the bond. I want you to do it only if it's something you want to do." She worded everything very carefully. She didn't want to influence him in any way.
"As long as the bond exists, I can't see you," he said. "I know that. But I can feel you. I know where you are. I know when you're close. It means I have to run the other way, but… I'm still connected to you. Once I break the bond, I won't have anything."
"That's what I'm trying to say," she said, feeling a little uncomfortable. He felt her when she was near? And he didn't want that feeling to stop. She knew he still liked her as more than a friend, but… that was worrisome. Still, she needed him to break the bond for his own sake. She would deal with the rest when it was over—and hope a lot of the feelings he had for her went away with the bond. "You will have something. I'll still be your friend."
He looked down. He didn't know whether to believe her or not.
"Please believe me," she said. "Not because I said to, but because you do."
"I'll try," he said.
"I know it's not easy being a hybrid, and being sired is even worse," she said. "But you can get through this. You have Landon, you have your family—including Ethan—and if you need to get a message to me, just tell one of them, okay?"
"Okay," he said, smiling softly. That last bit was new. Before, he wasn't allowed to even try to talk to her. Maybe it really would be okay.
"Do you think you might be ready to start again?" she asked. Part of her was worried he might have to start all over again since he took over a week off. But, she couldn't change that now.
"Yeah," he nodded. He was feeling a lot better after talking to her. Something about being in her presence soothed him.
"Then I'm gonna leave you to it," she said.
"I guess that means you gotta…" he started, feeling disappointed again. Did she really have to leave so soon?
"Yeah," she said with a sad smile.
"Do it," he said, getting up and going to the cell door, opening it and walking inside. He might as well start again now.
"Don't come near me until the bond is broken," she said.
Then she turned and quickly walked away.
"So it worked?" Landon asked as Hope walked out of the room and waved a hand to disperse the spell.
"He's in the cell, isn't he?" Alyssa answered for her.
"Well, yeah but—"
The loud growl coming from the other room confirmed Rafael had already started changing.
Landon sighed with relief. He scratched his head as he watched the two leave.
"Uh, thanks?" he called out.
Hope waved a hand at him, but kept going.
"She didn't do it for you, genius," Alyssa said over her shoulder.
What was it with the witches at this school? He shook his head. And since when did Hope and Alyssa hang out?
Weird.
"That was faster than I thought it would be," Alyssa said, following Hope through the halls.
Hope shrugged. She had a lot on her mind, worrying about Raf now on top of everything else. She brushed off Landon completely because she just couldn't deal with anymore boy drama, not today anyway.
"Too bad I couldn't hurt anyone," Alyssa said.
"Next time," Hope said giving her a slight smile.
"Let's hope."
He's working on the bond again.
She decided to message Ryan instead of pulling up a Skype session. Alyssa was across the room getting ready for bed. No video chatting with her roommate in the room ever again!
Good.
He was glad it was over. He would rather talk to her about it, but her texting usually meant she wasn't alone. He would get all the details tomorrow, or the next time he could talk to her instead of messaging.
My bodyguard is sad she didn't get to hurt anyone.
Hope smiled slightly. Alyssa was hoping for a bit more action and made no secret of that fact. Once Hope put aside her ridiculous behavior, she realized she didn't mind being around the other witch. She was even thinking about jogging with her again the next morning.
I am too.
She laughed out loud, she couldn't help it.
You're so bad.
He smirked.
Good thing you like bad boys.
She snickered.
Are you referring to yourself?
Who else?
I don't know, I mean, when was the last time you did something really bad?
Oh, I have my moments.
She grinned and leaned back. She loved when he was like this. She couldn't wait to see him again.
Tell me more when you get home.
Not now?
Don't tease me when I can't see you.
Miss Mikaelson, you aren't entertaining naughty thoughts about this bad boy, are you?
I love you, Ryan.
She couldn't keep up this stream of conversation. Whereas he was undoubtedly in his private office at the moment, she was sharing a room with someone. She couldn't get too worked up because there would be absolutely no relief.
You are.
He smirked. He knew her. She wanted him, right then and there, and since she couldn't have him, she was cutting their conversation short.
I love you too.
See you Friday?
Yeah.
Can't wait.
Jogging wasn't that bad.
In fact, Hope decided to jog all the way to her family's mansion after school that Wednesday.
She was really hoping when she opened the door, Wendy would be waiting for her with whatever she stole.
Opening the door however, she immediately noticed the sound of the alarm beeping.
Walking to it with dread in her stomach, she pressed the code.
The final beep sounded as she deactivated it.
Even with that evidence, she still walked around the house looking for any signs of life.
There were none.
No magical presence. Every room seemed to be untouched. If anything had been moved, it was all back where it belonged. In the kitchen, most of the items she purchased were gone. The ones Wendy would've been able to easily carry, anyway.
She sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, sighing, knowing what it all meant.
Wendy had given her answer loud and clear.
No.
Darn it.
This also meant she had to call Ryan.
Maybe she should've talked to Josie about Wendy, or even Jade. Clearly Wendy went to Jade for help, and Jade asked Josie to help her help her friend. Maybe the other girls could've helped convince Wendy?
Or maybe that would've sent Wendy on the run much sooner than now.
Not that Hope wasn't sure of where the witch was heading. There were only so many places Josie could hide Wendy. The Lockwood Estate was the only place left.
She contemplated waiting and talking to Josie first, but she remembered Ryan's words: Wendy had already killed some people and she didn't care. Josie couldn't know she was protecting a killer and that might put her in danger that Hope hadn't even considered until this very moment.
No, she wouldn't talk to Josie. She had to tell Ryan immediately.
After she spent so much time arguing to preserve the life of the witch, she felt defeated that she was back to square one. But she couldn't endanger anyone else.
She tried her best, offered Wendy a second chance, but if Wendy didn't want to be helped… then she had to be stopped.
She pulled out her phone, running a hand through her hair before she pressed the button to dial the familiar number. She needed to get this over with. Lizzie asked for her help with homework that afternoon, though she said it needed to be after four o'clock for some reason. She would make the dreaded call, and then help her friend.
"Hey," Ryan's voice rang through the phone loud and clear.
"Hi…" she said. "So, there's something I need to tell you."
Wendy plopped down on the luxurious couch with a sigh.
The Lockwood Estate hadn't changed much at all from how it looked ten years ago. She actually felt more at home here than she had any place else. She lived there off and on with Diego during her imprisonment.
Feeling a pang as she thought about him, she pushed those thoughts away.
He was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Well, except maybe kill the person responsible. But she didn't have a way to get close enough to him. And, really, returning Josie's help by killing her father?
If she could get away with it, she would do it in a heartbeat.
Hope Mikaelson thought she could actually help her. It was laughable. The only help she needed was to get as far away as possible from this place, with as much cash as she could muster.
She couldn't judge the tribrid too much though, considering Jade, her best friend, thought it was possible to get her to seek out help too. Did the vampire really think Wendy would ever seek out help from Alaric Saltzman and Caroline Salvatore? That conversation had gone nowhere last weekend but something in Jade's voice let Wendy know she already knew before she asked.
At least Hope's offer came with bags of goodies. She was getting really tired of living on crackers and water.
A sudden sound brought Wendy's head up.
She created a magical alarm around the place to give warning if anyone approached. She did the same at the Mikaelson mansion but didn't run when she saw it was Hope approaching and not Triad.
Had Hope decided to come here to try again?
She stood up and made her way to a window, trying to see outside without moving the curtain.
It was Triad.
Shit.
She didn't have time to grab more than her emergency bag, the one with her burner phone, weapons, and a snack.
They were probably surrounding the house already.
Thankful she hid the device elsewhere, she bemoaned the loss of the other supplies Mikaelson had given her as she made her way through the house.
Fortunately, she knew it like the back of her hand, so she actually had a prayer of getting away.
And if someone tried to stop her, then she would make them regret it.
"Report," Clarke practically barked into his headset.
"Target got away," came the reply. "Two casualties."
He swore, disconnecting the call.
At least the team knowing Wendy was definitely in town proved they weren't on a wild goose chase.
They had been keeping an eye on The Lockwood Estate anyway once Clarke figured out Josie was involved. While he couldn't be positive, he wondered if she would know the security code since that was an escape for the Salvatore School.
He didn't know anything about a Mikaelson family mansion though.
To say he was annoyed at Hope for withholding vital information was an understatement. If she had just told him while he was still in town, he could've been part of the unit going in for the capture. He could have Wendy in custody and be nearly done with this entire mess.
Instead, he had two more deaths on his hands and the target was at large again.
But he knew none of this was really Hope's fault. He should've known better.
How many times had she mentioned the value of life? Right down to the portrait hanging in their living room. Hell, she spent last Saturday evening trying to convince him to help Wendy instead of turning her over.
She didn't work for Triad, she hadn't been trained, but he shared everything in his hope that she one day would become a full-fledged agent. He shouldn't have involved her at all. He knew everything that went down at the Lockwood Estate wasn't Hope's fault. Those agents could've died even if they had known about the Mikaelson mansion. He decided he wouldn't tell her about the agents he lost. While he wasn't happy with her actions, he didn't want her to blame herself for their deaths.
Since Hope had given over the information, he knew she was done. She finally accepted that Wendy might be more trouble than she realized. He knew she would still try to convince him to help her if they captured her. But with the new casualties, he knew there was no way this would end peacefully.
Hopefully now that Wendy and Josie were out of safe houses, it was only a matter of time before they tracked the witch down and he could be done with the case once and for all.
With the proof he needed that Josie was helping Wendy—how else would she get security codes to those houses?—it was time to talk to Caroline and Saltzman. Perhaps with them talking to Josie, they could find Wendy a lot sooner than later.
The instant Jade tapped her knuckles on Josie's door, it swung open.
Josie grasped Jade's wrist and yanked her inside, her eyes giving away her panic.
"We've got a problem," Josie said, holding out the burner phone to show Jade the messages.
Jade took the phone from her, cursing to herself as she looked through.
"Wendy needs a new safe house," Josie continued, pacing back and forth, throwing her hands up. "And we're out of options!"
"Crap," Jade mumbled, mind racing. She really wished Wendy had accepted when she told her about Doctor Saltzman's offer. When her friend refused, she was even more wishful when she found out Hope had given Wendy another option for help. She really wanted Hope to get through to her. Alas, Wendy wouldn't even entertain the thought.
"Think, Josie, think," the brunette mumbled to herself as she continued to pace.
She stopped suddenly and looked up.
"We can compel her a place to stay," Josie exclaimed.
"Like, compel who?" Jade asked, suddenly very wary of this plan.
"A teacher, maybe?" Josie frowned in thought. "What about Mrs. Garcia?"
"Why her?" Jade wondered. That was their Spanish teacher, though not one of her favorites.
"Since we have her together, I can run interference while you talk to her," Josie said, warming to her plan.
Jade shifted uncomfortably. She didn't relish the thought of doing this. Helping Wendy get out of town? She would do that in a heartbeat. But compelling, manipulating, someone to get them to do what she wanted them to? Using vampire powers that she shouldn't be using. Powers that might not even work right?
"For how long?" Jade asked.
"Until we can get Wendy safely out of town," Josie said. "So, sometime next week?"
Jade shook her head. "I'm not strong enough for that. My compulsion is limited at best. I've been surviving on bunny blood, remember?"
"Then take some of my mine?" Josie suggested.
"No," Jade shook her head. "That's too dangerous."
"I'm not telling you to take it from the vein," Josie said. "I'll just mix it in with some bunny blood. You'll barely taste it, so it should be fine, right? Plus, it's the only way right now. We probably should've done this from the start. Why didn't I think of it before now?"
Glad she hadn't thought of it from the beginning, Jade hastened to reassure her girlfriend.
"Don't beat yourself up," Jade said. "This'll be over soon anyway, right?" Not much longer, she hoped. Next week, Wendy will be gone and Jade could get back to living some kind of normal life.
"Right!" Josie grinned brightly.
There was a knock at her door.
"Yes?" Josie called out.
The door opened and her parents stood there.
"Hi," Josie smiled at them. "What's going on?"
"That's what we want to know," Caroline said, crossing her arms.
Josie felt like she was being interrogated in some Law & Order episode and her parents were the detectives on the case.
They brought her to Dad's office to sit and "chat".
"We know," Alaric said. "You've been helping to hide Wendy. There are only a few people who have the access codes to both the Mikaelson mansion and the Lockwood manor, not to mention your mother's house if that was, in fact, the first place Wendy stayed."
She was at a loss for words momentarily. She scrambled to come up with some kind of excuse to cover her tracks. The dread inside made her worry this wouldn't end well.
"She's a witch right?" Josie asked innocently. "Wouldn't she just be able to use her magic to turn off the alarms? Why would you think I'd have anything to do with it?"
Alaric leaned back, staring hard at her.
Between her father and her mother's matching looks, she knew she was busted. They could always tell when she or Lizzie was lying, though Josie thought she had gotten better at it over the years.
"Josie," Alaric said.
The disappointment in his tone nearly killed her. She hated seeing that look on his face.
"Wendy has gotten herself into a world of trouble," Caroline said. "At least part of that is our fault because of what we did. We want to help her but, in order to do that, we need to find her before Triad does."
Josie looked down at the table.
"She's hurt people," Alaric says, glancing at Caroline, reiterating with his eyes that he didn't want to mention Wendy's kills. She may not agree, but he didn't want Josie feeling responsible for any of those deaths. None of that was her fault.
"She needs to be stopped," Caroline finally said, narrowing her eyes at Ric since Josie wasn't looking at them. She felt that Josie needed to know everything, but he still wanted to baby their teenager.
"Why aren't you saying anything to Hope?" Josie tried to deflect all this attention from herself. "She knew Wendy was in town."
"We already know what Hope did," Alaric said. "Clarke told us all about it when he called to inform us what you were up to."
Josie bit her lip. So, Hope came clean to Clarke. Of course she did. And, of course, Clarke was the reason she was in this predicament at the moment.
Jerk.
"This isn't about Hope," Caroline said, face stern and unyielding. "This is about you, and you lied to my face, Josie."
"I'm sorry, Mom," she said, choking on the sudden lump in her throat. "I was just trying to help her, I swear!"
"Then help her by letting us help her," Caroline said. "Where is she, Josie?"
"Gone," Josie said quickly. "We're all out of safe houses. It's over now. She left and we don't know where she went."
Both of her parents leaned back, sighing.
She saw a trace of suspicion in their faces, wondering if she were telling the truth or not.
She actually was telling the truth.
She had no idea where Wendy had run off to while she waited to hear Josie and Jade's next plan for her.
The only thing she was certain about was that she was pissed.
She hated Clarke even more than she already did, and she honestly didn't think that was possible.
She was going to keep helping Wendy alright, help her get out of town and escape Triad and the ass that was Ryan Clarke.
Only a few more days left.
And on Saturday, she would make sure Triad stayed off Wendy's tail for the entire day.
She already had a plan.
But first, she needed her magic.
To be continued…
