I own nothing but my own words.


Chapter 15: 4:17pm


"Things I know… things I know…"

Lizzie thought she knew what insanity was supposed to feel like. She was well read on the subject. She knew she might not make sense to other people, but still, shouldn't it make sense to her at least? And if she was really going insane, would she really consciously know that she was insane?

There were so many things missing. Days, months, years. Flashes of faces, ones she couldn't put a name to. They were all people she had conversations with, but who were they? It was a giant mystery.

She was at school, right? The school her parents built. She knew that. It's a boarding school and…

"The Old Mill," she murmured, seeing the structure and running inside.

She knew this place. There were parties held here, and hangouts… it's where she met Sebastian for the first time while waiting for MG.

Yes, she knew who Hope was now. She just got so confused in the mess that was her mind. For some reason she knew exactly who Ryan was with no hazy blank spots.

Hope's boyfriend. Head of Triad. In control of Malivore.

She breathed more easily through the confusion.

Focusing on one person who she could see so clearly helped her find some control. She remembered this past year, going to see Hope in New Orleans. Some things before then were super fuzzy, but she saw New Orleans in startling clarity, just like she saw Ryan.

She danced with MG in the streets. They all hatched a plan to defeat Malivore… somehow. She couldn't remember how Malivore got to Georgia, or how Malivore was ultimately defeated, but she knew Ryan did it. She knew she saved Ryan by insisting they use earth magic.

Hope… Hope was basically her best friend. She felt like there should be someone else she should be listing too, but… no. It was Hope.

They had grown close in the past year… right?

Why did she remember feeling a lot of animosity towards Hope before? Like she hated her? Something about…

Hope told everyone about her mental health.

How do I know that? Lizzie thought.

Her head ached.

"Lizzie!" Hope exclaimed, coming into the building behind her.

"I know this place," Lizzie replied, glancing around, breathing hard.

Why does my head hurt so much?

"Good," Hope nodded. "You should."

"I know who you are too," Lizzie nodded. "You're Hope… you're supposed to be… my best friend?"

"I am, Lizzie, I am," Hope affirmed.

"I just… can't remember…"

"Josie went into the pit," Hope said. "Ryan shouldn't have done it, but he was trying to protect us. I just need to do the spell to return her memories."

"There's a spell for that?" Lizzie asked.

Who is Josie?

Hope nodded, remembering Josie was the one who originally used that spell. Even the smallest details were lost to Lizzie. No wonder she was freaking out.

"So, I'm not going crazy?"

"No," Hope shook her head.

"Why does my head hurt so much?" Lizzie asked. "And are you sure you're not just going to use this as another chance to tell everyone I'm insane?"

"What? No, Lizzie, that wasn't me before, and I wouldn't tell anyone now," Hope shook her head. "We keep each other's secrets. You're my best friend, Lizzie."

Lizzie shook her head. "That's not right. It's not right. I don't know how I know, but there's someone else… someone… I can't remember. I keep trying, and it just… it hurts, Hope!"

She clutched at her head, feeling the aching in her skull increase.

There was this weird energy that she felt under her skin too. It started small, but then it kept growing and growing.

"Stop trying," Hope insisted, reaching out for her. "Come with me, we'll do the spell, and then you'll remember."

As the energy within grew, the panic Lizzie felt compounded.

Suddenly, she was struggling to breathe.

"It hurts, Hope!" she panted, clutching at her chest. "I feel like… I feel… I feel…"

"What, Lizzie, what?"

"Like it's going to explode!"

With a pulse of blinding white light, that's exactly what happened.

Energy burst out of Lizzie, upwards and outwards, crashing into the ceiling and walls, knocking Hope across the room and flat on her back with the force.

Hope had enough time for one glimpse of Lizzie standing still, looking a million times calmer, right before the ceiling remembered gravity existed.

The energy burst made the ceiling fly upwards.

And what goes up must come down.

"MOBILUS!" Hope screamed, throwing up her hands.

Most of the ceiling pieces froze, suspended in midair, but Hope didn't catch everything.

She could tell from the number of things crashing to the ground around her.

She could also tell from the thin metal pipe that slammed through her right shoulder and pinned her to the ground.

Gasping at the excruciating pain, she clenched her eyes shut and focused on maintaining the spell.

If she dropped the spell, everything would come crashing to the ground, right on top of her and Lizzie.

"Lizzie…" she tried to speak, but it came out as little more than a whisper. She needed to hear her. She needed to know Lizzie was okay.

"Hope! Lizzie!"

Ryan.

Of course he saw the mill collapse. They might survive this after all.

If only Lizzie would call out, Hope would feel a whole lot better.

"Hope!" Clarke screamed out again, trying to make his way through the mess. Magic was holding the ceiling parts up, so one of the girls was still alive at least.

He needed both of them to be though.

"Ryan…" she tried to speak louder. "Ryan, get Lizzie."

Clarke recognized Hope's voice and his worried ebbed half an inch.

"Where are you?" he called back, trying to find a path in that direction.

"Lizzie!" Hope called out, partly for him, but mostly for the fact she couldn't hear her at all. It was scaring her. If something hit Lizzie…

"Keep talking," he called back.

"Ryan, please, get Lizzie!" she called out. "Find Lizzie! I don't know how much longer I can hold this up!"

"I can't find either of you," he called out. "Where are you? Keep talking, I'll follow your voice."

"Find Lizzie!"

"I'm coming, Hope."

"Ryan, No!"

"Keep talking."

"CLARKE!"

He froze. Did Hope just…

"FIND LIZZIE!"

He clenched his eyes shut. She called him that on purpose. She wanted him to know how deeply she meant what she said. He knew that… but how was he supposed to even find Lizzie in this mess? He could hear Hope. He could get to her. It wasn't a matter of choosing between them, it was a matter of the best use of his time. But…

"If you don't get her first and she dies, I swear I will never forgive you," she breathed through the pain.

She desperately needed Lizzie to be safe before she tried to get the pipe out of her shoulder. She didn't want to send the roof crashing down on top of both of them if the magic slipped. If Ryan knew she was pinned, she would never convince him to help Lizzie first. She hated saying that to him, but she didn't know what else to do. She was already weak from breaking the ice. Now she was seriously injured. If she could get the pipe out, it would heal quickly. She would have a much better chance of getting out of there on her own after that.

"Where was she?" he finally called out, attempting to get around a few more projectiles before trying to move them out of the way. He was happy when they moved just by him pushing on them.

Part of him considered trying to move everything on his own since most of it was made of wood. Wood came from trees and he might be able to do something with it like he could move the earth and grow things… except he had never taken the time to practice it and the chance that his interfering could make everything fall down on the two most important people in his life…

Yeah, no. He just needed to find Lizzie.

"Across from me, near the front opening," she called out.

"Right," he said, wondering if he should go back out the way he came and go around to the front, but decided the wooden slabs were moving easy enough to go directly through.

Finally catching a glimpse of a foot through the debris, he called out, "I see her!'

"Thank God, get to her, get her out of here," she called then bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out. If he knew she was in pain…

He managed to crawl through an opening and knelt by her side, wincing.

"She's hurt," he called back. "There's a… a beam across her."

"Move it, Ryan! Get it off of her and just get her out of here!"

He was scared to move it. Scared of what he was going to see. The beam was blocking her face. He was almost a hundred percent sure she was hit in the head.

Bracing himself, he forced the heavy beam out of the way.

She had fallen on her side; the side of her face was pressed against the floor with her hair splayed across it, blocking him from seeing her actual face.

But not the small pool of blood on the floor beneath her head.

Cursing, he grabbed her wrist and looked for a pulse.

"Are you out?!" Hope called out. "Talk to me!"

"Hope… there's blood," he called back. "Her head…"

"Get her out of here, please, Ryan!" Her voice caught in her throat.

She has to be okay. She has to be okay.

Lizzie just needed to survive long enough for Hope to get out of here and give her blood. That's all the time they needed. Hope held onto that thought.

Deciding he couldn't apply pressure and carry Lizzie at the same time, he picked her up in his arms and did his best to get out of the remains of the mill as quickly as possible.

Clearing what used to be the entrance, he called out, "We're out!"

Getting as far away as he dared, he immediately stooped to lay her on the ground. He shrugged out of his wet suit jacket and searched for the head wound to apply pressure.

Beyond that, he was panicking.

He needed to get Hope out too, but he couldn't leave Lizzie.

Why was no one coming?! He glanced around. Didn't they see or hear the same thing he did?

Most of them were at the festival.

Maintaining pressure with one hand, he fished his phone out of his pants with the other. It was as soaked as the rest of him, but it was a waterproof model. It should still work.

Though, would anyone arrive in time?

He was fumbling with it one-handed when he noticed the stillness of Lizzie's chest.

Leaning over, he tried to feel for any movement or a trace of a heartbeat.

No.

She couldn't stop breathing.

He needed to breathe for her until someone got here. Basic first aid, right? He knew this.

Pressing on her chest, he held her nose and breathed into her mouth, repeating as necessary. He went through the motions, doing everything he was supposed to do, but…

"Breathe, damn it!" he gasped out in between.

No matter what he did, she wouldn't start breathing.

No. No. No.

A loud sound got his attention just as Dorian ran into the clearing.

The rest of the mill collapsed, the roof slamming down on top of the mess.

Was this how it felt to lose everything in an instant?

Dorian pushed him out of the way and resumed resuscitation because he didn't know what Clarke already knew.

Lizzie was dead.

And Hope…

Hope stumbled out from behind the wreckage, a large ghastly blood stain on her right shoulder. The material was torn but the skin underneath was healing slowly.

He wanted to get to her, relief to see her alive flooding him, but his legs wouldn't work.

She only had eyes for Lizzie as she continued across the courtyard, face stricken, and mouth wide.

A trickle of blood streamed from her nose.

"Lizzie… Lizzie… Lizzie!" she screamed.

"She's…" Dorian leaned down to listen to Lizzie's chest one final time. "She's…gone, Hope."

Hope shook her head, tears welling.

"No, no, no, oh, nooo."

Clarke choked on his own tears, trying to find the words to tell her Lizzie died with her blood in her system. But the fact that Lizzie was dead at all, and that he suspected it was his fault, was destroying him.

He never meant for any of this to happen.

"Hello!? Hellooooo," Lizzie waved a hand in front of Hope's face, then Clarke's. "I'm right here! I can see both of you, hear both of you. Why can't you see me?"

Lizzie looked around at the carnage.

Her body lay on the ground. Dorian, Hope and Clarke surrounded her, all in tears.

"Clarke," she said, choking up herself. "You definitely better stop crying. Trying to kill Josie? What the hell were you thinking? If you could see me, I'd give you something to cry about."

Or, she would grab hold of both of them and tell them to help her figure out what was going on.

Something happened in the mill, Lizzie knew that much at least.

She had this one perfect moment of clarity, and then she saw herself across the room having that same moment.

Then the roof fell in.

Debris fell through her, but not the Lizzie across the room. Something hit her.

The entire time Clarke was searching for her, she stood calling out to him, trying to tell him where she was… or where the other version of her was?

He never heard her.

Something happened when that energy exploded out of her, but she didn't know what.

She knew she wasn't in limbo though.

She watched Clarke struggle to find her body, and that was before she died.

So…

Where am I?


"Miss Saltzman! The popcorn station needs change again."

Again?

MG rolled his eyes and clicked the button on the walkie-talkie.

"On my way."

Pretending to be Lizzie for the past two days was not his idea of fun.

With the number of people who kept flirting with him, he wondered how Lizzie was still single. He had no qualms about giving them a hint of Lizzie's signature disdain to get them to go away though. When he first took on this job, he worried he wouldn't be able to play the part.

Funny how a little jealousy turned the tide.

Of course, it was probably him being his signature friendly approachable self that made people flirt with him in the first place.

Fortunately, he only had to pretend to be Lizzie a little longer. He was hoping he wouldn't have to do it again tomorrow since Lizzie was on the mend. She would probably insist on being in charge since she worked so hard to put everything together.

He was grateful that she would be okay. It was terrible what happened to Wendy and Jade though. He…

He stopped.

What did happen to Wendy and Jade? He knew they were dead, but he couldn't remember how they died. Wait… no. Wendy killed Jade. And Wendy was… whatever she did removed the darkness from Lizzie, but somehow Wendy died in the process too.

He felt bad. While Wendy technically got what she deserved for killing Jade, he never wished death on anyone. He wished someone could've helped Wendy before it got that far.

At least Lizzie was better. Dorian was watching over her for him. Hope and Clarke should get back to the school before he did. He felt even better about that.

Laughing to himself as he retrieved the change box, he sometimes wondered if he was being too forgiving when it came to Clarke. The man was responsible for his becoming a vampire after all. But, he was never one to hold a grudge and he loved his life. Sure, when he first turned it felt like the end of the world, and he would forever miss his father, but now he couldn't imagine his life any other way.

He couldn't imagine his life without Lizzie.

Even if he was stuck in the friend zone for the rest of her life, just knowing her made it all worthwhile.

"Hannah," he called out, approaching the popcorn stand. "I've got change."

"Great," Hannah said, opening her money box to count out some big bills. "I've decided the service industry will never be for me." She paused to push her glasses up more firmly on her nose.

"You like to sew, right?" he asked.

"Uh, yes?" she said, glancing at him. "You started the sewing club so I could get more practice, remember, Lizzie?"

"Right," he nodded, wincing inside. Gotta keep up the pretense. "How much?"

"Fifty ones?" she said. She held out the bigger bills for him to take.

"Will that be enough?" he said, grabbing a pack and contemplating giving her two. It was almost the end of the day though, so hopefully he wouldn't get another call for her.

"For now," she reached to take them from him but paused when she felt something weird.

"What the—" she put her free hand to her nose.

Pulling her fingers away, she saw blood.

"Are you okay?" MG asked with concern before the smell hit.

It wasn't just the one tiny smell from Hannah's nosebleed.

MG's head whipped around, his senses honing in on one person after another.

Up and down the festival area, he could see several students from the Salvatore School who were attending the festival and several who were volunteering at the booths, and many of them were also experiencing a nosebleed.

And every single one of them was a witch.

After the five seconds it took him to make that connection, it took him five seconds more to remember Marcel and Kol's lesson.

Shut down.

Don't breathe. Don't smell. Don't taste. Don't touch. Don't listen. Don't see.

He needed to shut down all his senses before he did something he would live to regret.

Once he was positive he was under control, he looked around again.

The witches were all confused. They didn't make the connection that he did unless they were in groups—which meant the younger students attending the festival with Emma were scared seeing everyone around them bleeding too.

Fortunately, he could hear Emma calming them down, passing out tissues as she held one to her own nose, and gathering them to leave. She would handle the younger ones.

The teenage witches were keeping it together, more embarrassed by the nosebleed than anything, so they worked to cover it up before anyone noticed.

MG didn't know what caused it, but the witches were handling it pretty well.

The vampires were the problem.

Holding up his walkie-talkie, he spoke rapidly.

"I need every member of the V team to head directly to the disco tent," he snapped. "Do whatever is necessary but direct them there now."

Clarke's team all had walkie-talkies; they were the ones who gave it to him. Clarke told them Lizzie and MG were in charge, so they listened to every word he said, whatever face he had at the time. MG already established emergency protocols with them in case of an emergency: the 'V' team being vampires—W for werewolves, and M for magic, or witches.

Racing to the disco tent, he grabbed two vampires along the way who looked like they were struggling if the veins beneath their eyes were any indication. He found Kaleb immediately inside the tent.

"We've got a problem," he told his friend as he gripped the vampires tighter and glared at each of them, "Don't breathe!"

"I noticed," Kaleb said, covering his nose.

"Shut it down, Kaleb," MG said. "I sent all vamps here. I need you to get anyone who isn't a vamp out of here."

Kaleb turned off the music, picked up his mic, and spoke to the dancers via their headsets.

"Sorry, y'all. Disco tent is now closed. Leave your headphones at the door."

There were some grumbles, but everyone left as they were told.

"You really think this'll hold the vamps?" Kaleb asked.

"No," MG said. "But if I start breaking necks out in the open, that might cause a panic."

Kaleb snorted. "How are you going to break a neck?"

MG rolled his eyes and removed the ring, stuffing it in his pocket as he returned to his real form.

"MG/?" Kaleb's mouth dropped open.

"Just do what I said," MG insisted. "Anyone who looks like they're about to lose it, break their neck."

"Hey," Ethan came through the tent slit followed by three vampires. "You guys know what's going on out there?"

"Are the humans asking questions?" MG asked.

"Some," Ethan nodded.

"Okay," MG looked at the three new arrivals. "Any of you got it together? You alright to go back out?"

Two of them shook their heads but one raised his hand and nodded.

"Great," MG said, motioning to that one. "Tom, right? Well, Tom, I need you at the front gate. Follow me. Kaleb, handle this?"

"Right on top of it," Kaleb said just as two Triad agents came in with a passed out vampire carried between the two of them.

"He good?" Kaleb asked them. He noticed the dart handle and realized the vampire was tranquilized.

"He'll sleep it off," one of them said, looking warily around the room when three more vampires arrived.

"Y'all best go," Kaleb said. "You've got the one thing they be wantin' right now."

"Come with me," MG said to the agents. "We need someone at the gate compelling the humans to forget nosebleeds and vampire eyes. Your team can keep order. Kaleb, if anyone else is good enough to help, two at the gate is better than one."

"I can help?" Kaleb offered.

"No, I need you here," MG said. "Keep an eye on our guys. Do what you gotta do. Are we missing any?"

"Two more," Kaleb looked around. "Of the ones who are supposed to be here."

"I'll find them," MG said as he left swiftly with Tom and the Triad agents following him. "Thankfully the mayor already left."

"What can the wolves do to help?" Ethan said, keeping pace with him.

"Keep an eye on the grounds, stretch everyone out at the stands," MG said. "Check on the witches. Its business as usual until this is over and we can figure out what happened. Until I find those last two vamps though, stay on alert."

"Got it," Ethan nodded.

Ethan rushed off, heading to the Ninja Warrior obstacle course he was supposed to man with Jed and two other vampires. It would all be up to Jed now.

Willa was with Jed when he arrived.

"Hey, man," Ethan said, running up to him. "It's just you here for now. Keep an eye out. We're missing two vamps."

"What happened?" Willa asked.

"No one knows yet," Ethan said. "Vamps are down for the count, so it's just us and the witches. Keep the peace."

"You need me to patrol?" Jed asked, instantly alert.

"Stay here," Ethan said. "Willa, can you help spread the word?"

"Of course," she said.

"But… be careful," he said. "You haven't been through your first full moon yet."

Willa put a hand on her hip, "And that makes me weak?"

"I don't know," Ethan said truthfully.

"But we're not taking any chances," Jed finished for him.

"Right," she rolled her eyes. "I think I liked it better when you two were fighting."

Ethan frowned. "Fighting? About what?"

Willa raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? If you had it your way, you would've dunked Jed in the swim tank his entire scheduled time."

"Oh…" Ethan remembered doing that, but he couldn't remember why.

"Whatever, man," Jed said, patting Ethan's shoulder then letting go awkwardly. "Just go patrol. I got this."

"Right," Ethan nodded and left, though his mind was preoccupied. Why did Willa think he was fighting with Jed? He wouldn't fight with him, not when he was trying to figure out why Jed didn't want to have anything to do with him. Jed was still his friend. He was just keeping something from him.

His pocket buzzed and he fished his cell phone out. There were missed messages from Hope, telling him to have MG come to the school.

"Sorry, Hope," Ethan murmured, stuffing his phone back in his pocket. "One crisis at a time."

Making a mental note to tell MG Hope's message later, he ran off to spread the word to the rest of his pack.


Hope tossed her cell phone on her night stand then wiped at the strange dried blood trail on her upper lip with a wet cloth absentmindedly.

She needed to finish changing her clothes.

From wet and nearly frozen, to blood-stained and dirty from a building falling on her, she was in dire need of a change.

And a shower.

And a chance to be alone.

Lizzie was dead.

She died with Hope's blood in her system, so sometime soon she was going to wake up in transition.

Hope grasped her shirt against her chest and turned to sit on the bed, a sob catching in her throat.

How had everything gone so wrong?

In the past twenty-four hours, Jade, Wendy, and Lizzie were killed.

She wasn't sure if Josie was dead too.

There was something wrong with Josie, she knew that, but still… how could one of her best friends turn on her like that? Was the darkness that strong in Josie?

While she was pretty sure she never wanted to have a child, to have Josie attack her just to make sure that child was never a possibility? Didn't Josie realize that Hope becoming the tribrid would affect Hope far more than it would ever affect Ryan?

She thought she was dead for sure—trapped beneath the ice, lack of air and the freezing water weakening her. The magic she struggled to keep controlled overwhelmed her and burst out of her at the moment she needed it most.

Being dismissive of the situation was the only way she could compartmentalize it. She kept reminding herself she was alive, just like she reminded Ryan she would have still lived even if Josie had succeeded in killing her.

Letting Ryan know how terrified she was of that possibility would do nothing to convince him to let Josie come home.

As upset as she was with Josie's actions, she still needed to come home. Josie needed help, and the only way she would get it was at home with her family.

If she was still alive.

Hope needed to believe Josie was still alive. If she wasn't…

No matter how badly Josie let the darkness take over, Hope couldn't lose her.

She was family.

Lizzie couldn't lose Josie either. Neither could Doctor Saltzman or Caroline. They may not remember her now, but they would all feel that subconscious void in their life until the memories were returned.

If the memories were returned.

The mess Ryan created weighed down on her.

She understood why he did it. Josie struck at him where it would hurt the most and he reacted. Spending months trying to be a better person, promising not to go for the kill, and in the second when it mattered most, he chose to try to kill Josie.

But he didn't.

Repeating that reminder to herself, she used it to quell some of the anger she felt for his actions. He didn't need her anger right now. That would come later.

The relief she felt when Ryan told her he asked Lizzie to drink her blood was the only thing she was holding onto at the moment.

Lizzie would live again.

She didn't know what happened to cause the old mill to collapse, but she knew Lizzie's magic had gone out of control numerous times before.

This time, the result was catastrophic.

Lizzie accidentally killed herself.

Now, it was all a waiting game.

Waiting for Lizzie to awaken and complete her transition.

Waiting for Caroline and Alaric to get back and break the news to them.

Waiting for MG to get her message and come home.

No one was waiting more than Ryan at the moment.

With shaking hands, she finished pulling her shirt over her head. She needed to get it together. She needed to hurry to get back to him. He needed her.

She had never seen him so distressed.

Ryan refused to leave Lizzie's bedside. She hadn't wanted to leave either, but she needed a few minutes. While in her room, she remembered MG. Knowing he didn't have a phone, she messaged Ethan instead. Ryan could probably contact his team to pass the message along, but she wasn't thinking before she left him—left them.

Lizzie was back in the infirmary again.

Ryan was falling apart, and she was pretty sure she knew why.

He loved Lizzie.

She wasn't sure he had acknowledged the true depth of his feelings for the sister he never knew he had, but he was feeling it. She was no stranger to losing someone she loved and blaming herself for it.

Now wasn't the time to think about her mother though.

"Hey," she said as she returned to the infirmary.

Ryan's red-rimmed eyes looked her way.

"I left a message for MG," she said. "He'll be here soon."

He nodded then resumed his impatient foot tapping, dreading Hope's words but they couldn't make him feel any worse than he already did.

"Ryan…" she said, walking closer.

"Say it," he forced the words out. "This is my fault. She's dead and I did this. And you can't forgive me."

"No," she said, springing forward to sit next to him, grasping his hand. "You didn't know any of this would happen. It's not your fault."

Touching Hope, just holding her hand, was a comfort he would never take for granted especially when he wasn't sure how much longer he would have it.

He screwed up epically.

He wasn't sure he would ever forgive himself for this one.

How could he ever make this right?

"Do the spell," he said, eyes returning to Lizzie. "Return the memories. She needs to know."

Hope bit her lip and threaded her fingers through his, eyes softening at his words.

Returning the memories would cost him Triad. He made that perfectly clear.

Nothing spelled out the true extent of his remorse like being willing to give up his entire life to fix the one thing he could for Lizzie.

"As nobleas that sounds… does that mean you're going to let Josie come back?" she asked with a slight edge to her voice.

He shook his head and tried to pull his hand away.

She hadn't expected him to change his mind. Josie set all of this into motion by trying to kill her. He was already dealing with Lizzie's death, he couldn't handle worrying about Hope too since Josie was such a loose canon.

If Josie was still alive…

"I would, but I can't do it now," she said, gripping his hand tighter so he couldn't let go. "She's been through too much, and she still has to complete her transition. A vampire's emotions are heightened. Suddenly remembering a sister, who knows what'll happen."

"Her mind forgetting Josie, that's what caused this, didn't it?" he asked. "Who's to say she won't be just as bad when she wakes up?"

"And if Josie's dead?" she asked softly.

His lips pressed together. As much as he hated the other twin, there was no denying how important she was to Lizzie. That importance saved Josie's life. Lizzie somehow reached him through his rage.

"We'll see how she is when she wakes up," Hope said. "If the memory loss is still affecting her, we may have to do it but… if Josie is dead? The last thing we need is Lizzie turning her humanity off."

"So, we keep it from her forever?" he asked.

"For now," she said, hating her words but knowing it was the right thing to do. "Until we find out if Josie is alive at least. Then she'll only be a pissed off vampire determined to get her sister back, not a grieving one who can't deal with the emotions."

He rubbed his free hand over his face then looked down at their clasped hands.

Would this be the last time she held his hand?

"If you don't go to her and she dies, I will never forgive you."

"I'm sorry," he said, tightening his own grip. "I know you can't forgive me, but…"

"No," she turned fully toward him, grasping his hand with both of hers. "I didn't mean that. I was injured and I knew you wouldn't go to her if you knew I was in danger. I lied."

His eyes drifted to her right shoulder, comprehension crossing his face.

"I am so mad at you and Josie for this mess," she continued. "But I don't blame you for Lizzie's death. You did everything you could to save her. For that, I'm grateful. You didn't mean for any of this to happen. I know what Josie tried to take from you. I know you tried to kill her but you did save her in the end. You didn't go through with it."

Knowing Hope wasn't going to turn her back on him was one weight lifted, but he couldn't forgive himself as easily as she could.

"All of this happened because I lost control," he said, eyes returning to Lizzie. "She's lying there right now because of me."

"You're right; she's lying there and, because of you, Lizzie is going to live, Ryan," Hope insisted. "Because of you! She'll be a vampire, but she's not gone. You didn't kill your sister."

"Then why does it feel like I did?" he whispered.

Hope's chin wobbled as she was hit with a fresh wave of emotions.

For the first time, Ryan didn't deny his connection to Lizzie.

He accepted her place in his life wholeheartedly.

She hoped one day, when they figured all of this out, Lizzie would be able to do the same for him.


Loud.

Piercing.

Lizzie flinched as the world's most annoying sound shrilled through her ears.

Get me earplugs, stat!

Moaning, she tried to open her eyes but the light nearly blinded her.

Clenching her eyes shut, she turned away and burrowed her head into the pillow.

"Lizzie, honey?" her mother's soothing voice broke through.

"Mom?" she whimpered. "Why is everything so loud and bright?"

There was a rustling that sounded like papers shuffling and then a click. She could tell behind her eyelids the brightness in the room reduced. Mom must've turned off a light.

"What do you remember?" Caroline asked.

"I…" Lizzie thought back. "The mill… it fell on us."

She gasped.

"Hope? Is Hope okay?" she asked, tentatively opening her eyes to slits.

"She's fine," Caroline soothed. "She's right outside, worried about you. We all are."

"I'm okay," Lizzie was quick to say, opening her eyes wider. "I don't even hurt anywhere. I guess I got lucky when the roof fell in."

Except… why did she pass out? And why did she remember a horrible pain in her head before everything went black?

"Oh, Lizzie…"

Why did it sound like Mom was choking on tears? Why were Mom's eyes glassy?

"What is it?"

"You were hurt," Caroline said, heart breaking. "You were more than hurt."

Lizzie's breathing hitched. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember Ryan giving you Hope's blood?" Caroline asked.

"Yes," Lizzie said softly, dread filling her. "He asked me to take it to see if it would help, so I did… why does it matter?"

She choked on her next words. "Mom… Did I…die?"

Did she really need her mother to tell her the truth she felt deep in her soul?

Did she even have a soul anymore?

Caroline nodded, a tear breaking free and trailing down her cheek.

"Yes, baby," Caroline rested her hand on her shoulder. "You're in transition."

Lizzie clenched her eyes shut against the truth.

Why did she feel so calm even though this was something she would usually freak out at? Weren't emotions heightened in vampires?

Oh, right.

She wasn't a vampire yet. She was in transition.

Is this what normal people felt like? When their mind wasn't a mess and their worries and insecurities didn't overwhelm them?

It was strangely liberating.

"Where's Dad?" she asked.

Caroline's eyes widened in realization. "Waiting for you to wake up. I'll let him know."

She watched her mother turn to search through stacks of bound papers and notebooks for her phone.

"There's a… situation," Caroline said, picking up the phone to send the message quickly. "We got back a couple hours ago. He wanted to be here the entire time, but…"

"Let me guess," Lizzie said sourly. "It's a matter of life or death."

"It… might be," Caroline murmured, then shook her head. "Forget about that. He's on his way."

"Great… um," Lizzie motioned to the papers. "What's all this?"

"Reading material," Caroline said, tossing the phone aside and straightening the papers. "The… journals and police reports… of everything me and my friends did when our humanity was turned off… especially me. I wrote it all down so I'd never forget."

"Want me to read all the bad things so I don't do the same thing?" Lizzie said weakly, knowing that was a very real possibility. "Worried I can't handle it?"

"Worried I can't," Caroline said, sitting on the bed next to Lizzie. "I've always known I would watch you age, live your life, grow old, and eventually pass on while I stayed seventeen forever. I knew when that time came, I would need to be stronger than I have ever been before. I couldn't shut it off like I did when my mother died. I thought I had time though..."

Tears welled in Lizzie's eyes.

"I needed to read it all… to remember," Caroline said. "Because being a vampire isn't something everyone chooses to be. Because no matter how much I wish it, it is your choice to complete your transition. It is your choice to become a vampire. And if you decide you don't want to live that way, I need to accept it without... turning it off."

For the first time, Lizzie realized she had a choice; that she could choose to pass on and find peace instead of becoming a vampire.

She was actually considering it

"What if I can't control it?" Lizzie asked softly. "What if the bloodlust is too strong? What if I'm a ripper? What if I can't handle it?"

"You are Elizabeth Jenna Saltzman," Caroline said proudly. "You can handle anything that comes your way. You have never given up on anything in your life."

"My mental health may not see it your way," Lizzie said. She fought a daily struggle already, one that had gotten much worse recently. Would becoming a vampire increase her struggle tenfold? She wasn't sure she was strong enough.

"Your mental health does not make you weak," Caroline said. "It makes you stronger. Can't you see that?"

"I guess not."

"Through all that you've been through, this journey to improve yourself, control yourself, and become a better person, you have never given up. You've tried and tried, and if you failed, you tried again. You are one of the strongest people I know."

Lizzie reached out as her tears escaped.

Caroline immediately wrapped her in her embrace.

"It's okay," Caroline whispered, holding her close. "Whatever you decide, it'll be okay. I love you so much, Lizzie."

"I love you too, Mom," Lizzie sobbed against her shoulder.

The door opened suddenly and, "I'm here."

"Daddy…" Lizzie watched her father rush to join them at the bed.

"Lizbear," he said, joining in the hug pile.

Having her parents there, both of them holding her, being there for her, she felt like the luckiest person in the world.

Her mother was right. If she decided to do this, it would be okay, but it would be because they would make it okay. They would do anything to help her. Mom was a vampire; she knew what she would be going through. Dad knew more about vampires than most humans, and he had been a vampire before too.

"I'm so sorry," Alaric murmured. "I never wanted this for you."

"I didn't either," Lizzie croaked out and pulled back to look at him. "Daddy, I'm not sure…"

She choked on her words. How did she tell her father she wasn't sure she wanted to become a vampire?

Fortunately, she didn't have to. Her mother understood.

"She's not sure she wants to finish her transition," Caroline said softly, smoothing Lizzie's hair down.

Alaric pressed his lips together firmly and nodded.

"It's your choice," he said, even as he felt like he was dying inside. Returning from their impromptu trip to find out Lizzie died felt like the world ended. Even with Hope's blood in her system, even knowing she would live again, he still mourned the loss of Lizzie's life. His amazing incredible daughter who he had the utmost joy of watching grow from a baby to a child, from a child to a teenager. She was the best part of himself.

"Whatever you decide… " he didn't know what the right thing to say was.

He remembered her begging him not to let her die with vampire blood in her system in the prison world. She wasn't scared to die. She was scared of becoming a vampire. He wasn't sure how he would handle her choosing not to become a vampire though. He wanted to beg her to stay… but he didn't want her to make the decision because of them, and she very well might if he did. He knew a lot of people thought Lizzie was selfish, but he knew the truth.

She had the biggest heart of anyone he knew.

"Daddy, I don't want to hurt anyone," she said. "If I become a vampire, what if I hurt people? I don't want to do that."

"Then don't hurt anyone," he said simply. "I know it's not easy. I remember what it's like. And I know it'll be different for you. As a siphon, you'll keep your magical abilities. You'll still be able to siphon and do magic. Since you're a vampire—a source of magic—you will never have to reach for your magic ever again."

"That means I'll be even more dangerous, doesn't it?"

"That means you'll be more powerful," he said. "The power is only as dangerous as you intend it to be."

"That's… not as reassuring as you think it is," Lizzie said, just imagining her vampire self losing control and unleashing all kinds of horribleness onto the world.

"I can also tell you that we started this school for you," he said, glancing at Caroline who nodded to back him up. "This is a place for all supernaturals to learn control, so when they go out into society they can be a part of the world instead of destroying it. You fear losing control, but you've seen that with the right kind of help, you can learn control. You've helped others to do that too. Just look at MG. He's a ripper, and you helped him. It is possible, Lizzie."

That was true. She had tried to help MG. But she never really knew what he was going through… and really, Kol and Marcel helped him more than she ever did.

"You have time," Caroline said, taking her hand when she saw the indecision on her face. "Not forever, but you have time to decide today."

"Okay," Lizzie said softly.

She was scared. She didn't want to die. But, she didn't want her living to mean the death of anyone else.

What should she do?


"How is she?" Hope sprang to her feet as Alaric left Lizzie's room with Caroline at his side.

MG raised his head with a dazed expression.

"She's… adjusting," Alaric said.

"She's trying to decide what she wants to do," Caroline said.

"What do you mean?" Clarke stood. "What she wants to do about what?"

"To become a vampire or not," Alaric said.

Clarke's face took on a ghastly pale hue and Hope gripped his arm.

"But she's coherent?" Hope asked quickly. "She's not confused or freaking out?"

"She's very calm…" Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"It's just… she sometimes gets really upset about… things," Hope was quick to say. She didn't want to raise any suspicion; she just wanted to know if Lizzie was responding the same way she had that caused the destruction of the mill in the first place.

"But she is upset, which is why I think she could use some cheering up," Caroline said with a glance at MG.

"I'm…" MG stood. "I'll go in."

Alaric reached out and gripped his shoulder.

MG gave a slight nod, forced a smile, and went into Lizzie's room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"I'll be back soon," Caroline said then left quickly. She had a very important errand to run, one she should've already seen to but she didn't want to chance Lizzie waking up without her being there.

"Should we…" Hope asked, glancing from Alaric to Ryan, then to Lizzie's room.

"I—have something I have to do," Clarke shifted.

The paleness of his complexion worried Hope—she didn't even know he could get pale—as did his words. He hadn't wanted to leave Lizzie's side, not even when Caroline showed up and asked the three of them to leave so she could be with Lizzie when she finally woke. Now that Lizzie was awake, his wanting to disappear told her the guilt was preventing him from talking to her.

"There's something we need to discuss," Alaric said to Hope.

Clarke nodded, backing away. "I have… some things to clean up… keep me updated."

He couldn't take much more of any of this. Lizzie died. Lizzie might not transition. But Lizzie wasn't freaking out, which meant when she transitioned—he couldn't entertain the possibility of anything else—they wouldn't be returning the Josie memories yet.

Which meant he had to remove every trace of Josie's existence from Lizzie's life starting with their bedroom.

"Wait!" Hope called out.

"I'll be back," he said as he raced out of the hallway.

Hope sighed.

"We have a problem," Alaric said.

"Something other than Lizzie?" Hope asked.

"Yeah," Alaric said. "Yesterday at the festival, every single witch got a nosebleed at the same time. 4:17 pm."

Hope's hand went to her own nose, remembering the strange blood trail from yesterday. It hadn't made any sense to her since she didn't hit her face.

"Wait… 4:17?" Hope said. "But that was the exact time…"

"Lizzie died," he nodded.

"Was it just the witches from the school?" Hope asked.

"No," he shook his head. "I've been in my office contacting every coven and magic school, and they all said the same thing happened at the same time, just in their time zone."

"Aunt Freya!" Hope's eyes widened, thinking of her aunt and her cousin. "Nik?"

He nodded grimly.

"I contacted her first," he said. "If what Valerie said is true about ending the merge…this could be the start of something we can't even begin to comprehend. She warned of the downfall of the Crescent coven... and of other potential consequences…"

"I think we're finding out those consequences now…" Hope trailed off, the horror filling her.

Would this just stop at a nosebleed? What was happening? Why did Lizzie's death affect all other witches? Was it really because of what they did? Because of Hope's idea? But it all seemed so simple. The merge was a way to protect the world. They just needed a new way to protect it, and they found it. So why was this happening?

"Hope Mikaelson will be our downfall."

"The child will kill us all."

A prediction made before her birth, the reason so many tried to kill her before she was born and even as a child.

She never thought it was possible. Even as the tribrid, she didn't think she would have the power to destroy so many, nor would she ever want to do that.

No one ever stopped to think that maybe her being the tribrid had nothing to do with the prophecy at all.

That it had everything to do with one decision she made to save her best friends.


MG closed the door quietly behind him, his eyes drawn to the vision across the room.

The last time he saw Lizzie awake was Thursday night after they spent their evening on the Ferris Wheel. That had been the perfect night after a perfect week of all the fun times to be had putting the festival together, plus movie night with Hope and Clarke.

He agonized over spending time away from her the past couple days, but he played his part to help her just like the rest of them had. He wished he was there yesterday when she woke up. He wished he was there when she lost control.

He wished he was there to save her before she died.

After successfully running damage control at the festival, Ethan eventually remembered to give him Hope's message. He raced home, hoping it meant Lizzie was awake and asking for him.

That wasn't what it meant.

"You know," Lizzie said, glancing around. "If I'm going to spend much more time in here, they really need to do something about the wallpaper. It clashes horribly with my complexion."

"You look beautiful," MG said, walking to her bedside. "In any room, you always look beautiful."

"I bet you say that to all the corpses," Lizzie teased though her smile gave away her pleasure at the compliment.

"Scoot over," he insisted.

"Where?" Lizzie asked even as she moved to make space on the small bed. "There's, like, no room."

"Oh, there is," he said, hopping up next to her. "Confession time? I was right here next to you since I got back yesterday until your Mom showed." Usually when he slept in the same room as Lizzie, he slept on the floor. Yesterday, he needed to be close to her.

"Do you generally sleep next to corpses?" she teased, crinkling her nose.

"Only yours," he shrugged and leaned back against the headboard. "I didn't want to leave your side again. We didn't want to leave your side."

"We?"

"Hope and Clarke crashed in here too. They're outside waiting to see you, but I got first dibs."

"How'd you score that?" she asked.

"Your Mom likes me more than them," he teased.

"I doubt that," she laughed.

He watched her face light up and smiled slyly.

"That, there," he said. "That laugh. That might have something to do with it."

She nudged him with her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up before," he said.

"It's okay. Watching anyone sleep can't be too much fun."

"Oh, watching you sleep would've been much more fun than what I had to do," he said.

"Which was?"

He winced, "Pretend to be you?"

"That's right!" she exclaimed. "You didn't totally ruin my reputation, did you?"

"Pretty sure it went okay," he said. "Though I totally creeped Kaleb out when I dropped the illusion in front of him."

"But wait," she searched for the clock on the wall. "It's Sunday, right? The festival is still happening."

MG nodded and laughed, "Kaleb's trying his best. He knew I was needed here to help you through your transition."

"MG…" she trailed off, looking down.

"Your Mom said you weren't sure what you want to do."

"I'm scared," she admitted. "You know me… how horrible would I be as a vampire?"

"I think you'll be you," he said. "Your highs will be a little higher and your lows will be a little lower."

"Try a lot lower," she muttered.

"And I'll be here to help lift you back up when you get that low," he said.

"Why would you even want to be around for that?" she asked. "I'm not an easy person to like on a good day. Let me have a bad day, and a vampire to boot? No one should have to deal with that."

"You don't have any idea how much you mean to me, do you?" he asked.

"MG…" she said in warning.

"I'm not talking about being your boyfriend," he said. "You shut that down around Thanksgiving, remember? You are my friend. Not just any friend either. It's like, being in the orbit of you makes me happy. I don't think of your struggles as a burden I have to bear just to be your friend. It's a burden you have to bear that I can help you with, because I want to help. No matter what you're going through, I want to be there because I always look forward to hanging out with you."

"I… same, MG," she said softly. "Same."

"I know you're scared, but do you really want to miss out on all the living you've left to do because you're afraid? You're right. I do know you, Lizzie. I know you have dreams and aspirations that you want to see through. Two seconds ago you were worried about the festival in the midst of all of this? Why? Because you worked hard on it to achieve one of those dreams. You deserve to see it through and wear that crown."

"I'm beginning to wonder how important it really is to win Miss Mystic Falls," she mumbled even though his words were reaching past her fear.

"It's important," he said. "Because it's something you've always wanted. I know it, your parents know it, hell, even Clarke knows it. Why else would we make sure it went off without a hitch even while we searched for a way to stop the darkness from making you worse?"

"Wait…so it really was the darkness?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"No…" Her mind raced. This changed everything.

"Your parents explained it more when they got back," he said. "Ever since the New Orleans witches undid the connection to the seal, you've been getting worse with every celestial event."

The relief hit her hard and tears shimmered in her eyes.

"You mean I wasn't getting worse because of me?" she asked. She felt more clear-headed than she had in months. She thought it was because she was in transition, but maybe it was the darkness being gone.

"Nope," he reassured her.

"Will… it come back when I transition?" she asked.

When.

He heard the word loud and clear, and suddenly he could breathe a little easier.

"I don't think so," he said. "You're not actually a living breathing member of the Gemini Coven anymore. Valerie, the siphon-vampire your parents went to ask for help? She was a Gemini when she was alive, but she didn't die when the rest of your coven did."

"Because she was already a vampire," Lizzie realized.

"Exactly," he nodded. "She wasn't a Gemini anymore, so no part of the curse affected her."

"So it shouldn't affect me," Lizzie whispered.

"Which means you just need to learn to control the blood lust," MG said with a grin. "Me and a couple guys I know can help with that."

"And my Mom, don't forget," she said.

"Before you know it, you'll be off to college like you've always wanted, doing all the things you've always dreamed of and then some. You'll have all the time in the world to do it all."

"And you'll be there to help me?" she asked, eyes meeting his.

"For as long as you want me," he promised.

"Guess we should start as soon as possible with that control then," she said, warming inside at his words. She had never felt so confident in her future before, but seeing her life from his point of view… she felt as if she really could accomplish anything. And he would be right there, cheering her on. "The pageant is next month."

He looked around the room and pointed at the fridge. "In there?"

"What—oh, no," she shook her head. "Mom went to get the blood for whenever I chose. I asked to see you and Hope when she left."

He grinned his brightest smile. "And she sent me in first. See? Told you she likes me better."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Can you get Hope though? I need to talk to her before… mom gets back."

"Gladly," he nodded. The faster she talked to Hope, the faster she would take that blood and complete her transition.

Exiting the room with a spring in his step, he felt like he was on top of the world.

Lizzie was going to live.

She was going to be okay.

He couldn't ask for more than that!


"Lizzie."

Lizzie gifted her best friend with a half smile and patted the bed next to her.

Hope rushed over to hug her.

"Oof," Lizzie said from the force of the embrace. "Got that out of your system yet? Because there's something we need to discuss."

"I know," Hope pulled back. "I am so sorry."

"You're feeling sorry for me," Lizzie said. "Good, because you are so naming your first born after me. And your second. You are naming every single one of your future kids after me. I don't care if it's Riley Elizabeth, Elizabeth Elizabeth, Rizzie, Hizzie, or Lizarke!"

She paused for breath.

"Okay, nix that last one. It sounds like a lizard," she continued. "For a boy, let's just use my middle name and go with… Jensen. Jensen E… Ezekiel. Jensen Ezekiel Mikaelson. Yeah, let's go with that."

Hope heard her, she understood what Lizzie was saying, and it was so much like Lizzie to fixate on the part she could control to minimize the monumental elephant in the room that she couldn't hold back her emotions anymore.

Everything was falling apart and she needed her best friend.

Her eyes filled with tears.

"Don't cry," Lizzie said. "Imagine how many hours I just saved you agonizing over baby names. And don't you dare say it was only a dream because you said you saw me as a vampire and, welp, here I am!"

Hope shook her head. The dream or premonition she had was the furthest thing from her mind but if spouting off baby names made Lizzie feel better, so be it.

There was so much going on, so many big scary things. The only way to deal with them was one at a time.

"So, you remember me?" Hope asked, remembering how confused Lizzie was the day before.

"Yes…?"

"Even when you first met me?" Hope already knew the answer to that question. Lizzie couldn't remember when they first met because Josie was there at the time. But she needed to make sure Lizzie kept it together when asked something she couldn't remember.

"I'm becoming a vampire, I don't have amnesia," Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Don't think I could ever forget the day the perfect Hope Mikaelson showed up. After that, Dad spent more time with you than me."

Hope's mouth opened but no words came out.

How could she possibly remember?

"Why'd you think I forgot you?" Lizzie asked. "It was bad enough the first time until you used that sword to save me."

"I… used the sword…" Hope struggled not to phrase it as a question.

Josie siphoned the samurai sword and used the magic to save Lizzie.

She could understand Lizzie not remembering how she was saved but for her to remember someone else saving her?

"I got to use it first though," Lizzie continued reminiscing. "I stabbed Landon and, between you and me, it was awesome."

"Lizzie."

"What? I'm dying. I should get a free pass on certain things."

"You're not dying."

"Right, I'm already dead," Lizzie tilted her head in question. "Since I'm in transition, am I really alive?"

"Do you feel alive?"

"Mostly," Lizzie shrugged. "Some of this feels like a dream."

"Are you… going to complete the transition?"

Hope saw the grin on MG's face when he told her Lizzie wanted to see her. She thought that meant Lizzie had made her choice but with all this talk of death she didn't feel sure of anything.

"Yeah," a smile spread slowly across Lizzie's face. "I think I am."

"Oh, thank God," Hope's legs went weak with relief and she sank against the bed.

"Mom'll be back soon with the final ingredient to make a heretic Lizzie. I know Dad's human but… I didn't feel right feeding on a family member as my first act as a vampire, you know?"

Hope nodded, brushing the remaining tears from her eyes.

"I get it. Whoever's blood you want," Hope breathed. "I can't wait to tell Ryan. He went to take care of something, but I don't know if it's because he really had something to do or if it was to stop himself from forcing you to transition. He's never lost someone he cared about."

"MG said all three of you stayed with me?"

"We couldn't leave you, not after everything."

Lizzie took in Hope's tortured eyes.

"It was bad, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Hope cleared her throat. "Ryan got you out while I was pinned trying to hold the ceiling up. I wasn't in time to save you. Something slipped through. Ryan did everything he could to stabilize you but…"

Lizzie gripped Hope's hand.

"It's going to be okay."

"You shouldn't be the one comforting me," Hope gasped out. Lizzie hadn't asked yet why she lost control. Did Lizzie come up with a new version of the facts for that one too? If Lizzie asked her, she had no idea what to say.

"Alright, well how about instead, tell me something?"

Hope nodded as her mind raced. She couldn't tell her the truth until she could confirm Josie was alive.

Lying to Lizzie was going to be the hardest thing she had ever done.

"Since when can Ryan crack the earth open?"

A small unexpected laugh burst out of Hope. That she could answer.

"Since when do you call him Ryan?" Hope had to ask though.

"That's his name, isn't it?" Lizzie shrugged. "And stop avoiding the question."

"He's been able to do that since you guys defeated Malivore," she said. "Thanks to you, actually."

"The earth magic?"

"Using the earth magic allowed his mother to finally reach him."

"Since when does Ryan have a mother?"

"Since he was created," Hope said. "Out of Earth."

"Earth magic for an earth-man, means… what?"

"Mother Nature," Hope said. "That's his actual mother. She can talk to him in his dreams."

"You're kidding," Lizzie's mouth dropped opened. "How did I not know about this?"

"Your dad is the only one who knows besides me. Ryan told him to convince him he took protecting Earth seriously. Ryan didn't know he could manipulate the actual earth until the night of the Sweetheart Dance."

"When Raf attacked him," Lizzie remembered the pillar of dirt rising out of the ground. "I remember."

"Kind of a memorable night," Hope winced.

"He got angry when I jumped in front of him."

"Because you could've been hurt."

"I know," Lizzie remembered that too. "Mom said he cared about me."

"He does."

"I don't get it. Why? Because of the earth magic? Didn't he already pay me back by giving an alternative to end the merge?"

Hope was even more confused now. Lizzie remembered that they ended the merge, but why would they need to end the merge if Lizzie didn't have a twin to merge with? Her head was starting to pound. None of this made any sense.

"His mother told him something else, and I think that's part of the reason he's grown to care so much about you," Hope decided it was time to tell her this too. Ryan was going to need all the help he could get fixing things with Lizzie whenever the Josie memories were returned. "The Gemini twins have always been protectors of Earth, and she's always seen them as her adopted children for that reason. So, basically he sees you as—"

"A sister," Lizzie said with wonder. "I've always wanted a sibling… well, I had one but Josette died at birth so I never really had one, you know?"

Hope looked away.

How?! How was it possible that an entire new narrative was created inside Lizzie's mind of her entire life? Was that what happened when the magic burst out of her? That blinding white light with a destructive force behind it? Was that simply her mind's way of coping with the loss of her twin?

The twin bond would still exist even though one twin couldn't remember the other.

They were still linked.

A psychic link.

That was it, wasn't it?

Yet another thing to add to her list of things to look into.

Also, how far did this new narrative extend? If Lizzie mentioned her twin sister who died in childbirth to Caroline or Doctor Saltzman, would they question her or confirm it?

An insistent knocking on the door interrupted her train of thought.

"Come in!" Lizzie called out.

Clarke burst into the room. He rushed through boxing up Josie's stuff and called maintenance to remove the heavy furniture stat. All the while, he tried to reign in his panic but he couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Look, when I gave you Hope's blood you said if you died, I'd be stuck with you forever. You don't get to change your mind."

"I don't?" Lizzie raised an eyebrow.

"No," he snapped. "You are not allowed to die."

"I'm not?" Lizzie struggled to hold back a laugh.

Now that she knew how he really felt, a lot of things made sense: when he scolded her for jumping in front of Rafael to protect him, when he paid for dinner and took her out for ice cream after her failed date, when he spent a week helping her with the festival. It explained why he would make his agents help run the festival, why he would use all of Triad's resources to find a way to stop the darkness inside of her. Why he resorted to begging her to take Hope's blood.

"You already died, and I had to watch, and I couldn't do anything, and it was my fault, and I can't go through that again," he glared. "Complete your transition so I don't have to go grab a human off the street and shove its throat in your mouth!"

"You weren't kidding about that part, were you?" Lizzie asked Hope.

"Oh, he knows I wouldn't let him," Hope smiled good-naturedly. "He's kind of suffered enough though, hasn't he?"

"He's right here," Clarke stalked closer to both of them. "So, what's it going to be?"

"You've convinced me," Lizzie teased. "Go get a human."

When he turned on his heel, making Lizzie think he really was going to do that, she called out, "Ryan! Stop! I'm kidding."

He spun back around, the panic returning, "Kidding about what?"

"Mom's bringing the blood, okay?" Lizzie reassured him. "I already decided. You're stuck with me forever."

"Oh, thank God," he sank down on the other side of the bed across from Hope. He didn't actually want to go find a human, his mind just happened to be a mess so he reacted to her words without thinking.

"Exactly like siblings, I swear," Hope grinned.

Lizzie grinned back then reached out to take Ryan's hand.

"It's not your fault," she insisted. "You tried your best to save me, just like any big brother would."

Staring down at her hand in his in confusion, Clarke opened his mouth to deny her words because he was at fault. She lost control because she lost the memories of her sister due to his actions.

The 'big brother' part stopped him.

"Big brother?" he said the words like they were a foreign language.

Hope had to smile again. Lizzie's acceptance of him would go a long way to helping him deal with his guilt. If he lost it when the truth came out, it was going to hurt, but it was what he needed now.

"I'll go get your mother," Hope said, standing up. "Ryan, tell her about your mother while I'm gone."

"Yeah, Ryan," Lizzie winked. "Tell me all about my adoptive mom."

The bewildered look on Ryan's face had Hope laughing as she left the room.

It felt good to laugh.

Lord knew, there wouldn't be much more of that happening for some time.


"I can't do this."

Everyone—Mom, Dad, MG, Hope, and Ryan—started talking at once.

Lizzie noticed Ryan was the loudest.

She held up her hands, one with the blood bag in it.

"Not when you're all hovering over me," she said. "No one likes people watching them eat."

"Just drink it!" Ryan yelped.

"Calm down, man," MG nudged him. "She will. Let's just… all turn around?" He offered the suggestion, looking at Lizzie for confirmation.

"For the love of…" Exasperated, Hope stepped between MG and Ryan, gripped their shoulders, and turned them both around as well as herself.

"Much better," Lizzie said.

She glanced at her parents who she knew weren't going to turn away. Mom was ready for anything, but Dad still looked like he swallowed a dagger. She knew this would be harder for him. A former vampire hunter, it probably used to be one of his worst nightmares to have a vampire for a daughter. And yet, he loved the kids at this school, including the vampires. He believed they were capable of being better people, so he had to know she was just as capable.

There was a fear, that same old fear that haunted her for years when her mental struggles began and Hope came into their lives, that her father would decide he didn't love her anymore.

That her becoming a vampire would be the one thing he couldn't accept about her.

"Daddy?" she asked softly.

"I've been here from the beginning," he said. "I wasn't here when you died, but I will watch you start the next phase of your life. Nothing will make me turn away from that."

"Fine," she said as if she was giving in, but in reality she was choking up again.

Taking hold of the tube hanging from the bag full of blood, she followed the instructions her mother gave her and took a tentative sip, anticipating the taste to be on par with the taste of Hope's blood. There was another ginger ale available if she needed to wash away the taste.

Heaven.

"Oh, wow," she said, pausing to savor the most delicious thing she had ever put in her mouth. "So much better than Hope's."

"Hey," Hope turned around, as did the guys.

Lizzie didn't care anymore that they were watching her. She raised her eyebrows unapologetically at Hope as she latched on to the blood bag tube again and kept drinking. She closed her eyes in pleasure.

Ryan relaxed for the first time in days.

Caroline and Alaric both breathed out a huge sigh of relief.

MG watched as the thin veins appeared beneath her eyes and marveled at how oddly comforting it was to see. Before, when she was still just a witch, he loved everything about her. He always dreamed of one day being with her, but he never really allowed himself to dream of a real future with her. For one, she had never given him any hope that it was possible. For two, he knew her life might be over at twenty-two. For three, being mortal always meant their futures would be different with her aging while he stayed seventeen forever.

Now, they would both be seventeen forever.

When the bag ran out of blood, Lizzie opened her eyes in shock, "Wait, I need more."

"Here," Caroline said, handing her another bag that looked very different from the first.

Lizzie saw the 'S' logo on the front. "This isn't the same is it?"

"Maybe a mix of bunny and deer," MG said.

"Great, become a vampire and feast on Thumper and Bambi," Lizzie looked at the new bag with disgust.

"Or, more like cow," MG hastened to correct. "That new butcher shop doesn't ask questions, right, Ms. S?"

Caroline gave him a hint of a smile, but focused back on her daughter. "You'll get used to it."

"Like you did?" Lizzie asked pointedly. She wasn't an idiot. She knew her mother didn't survive on animal blood like the kids at school did. She didn't know if the rest of the students knew that, especially since her mother used the same animal blood bags as the students when she was home, but there was a reason it was super easy for her mother to procure the human blood bag for her.

"Get through your first year as a vampire, then we'll talk," Caroline said with a wink.

"Wait, what?" MG asked in disbelief. They were always taught that they should consume animal blood only, avoiding human blood at all costs, even when they graduated—especially when they graduated.

"Pretend you didn't hear that," Caroline told him.

"You're a ripper, MG," Alaric reminded him. "And Lizzie, it'll be a long time before you're ready for that, if ever."

Caroline eyed him, but Alaric ignored it. Caroline had long ago argued that the vampires should get used to drinking human blood at the school, just like Kaleb once said to him. He knew it was something that he was being a hardass about, but it was a huge gray area, one that he was cautious about wading into.

Lizzie put the new tube in her mouth and took a gulp, hoping it would be at least partially as satisfying as the human.

She made a face. "Ew. Worse than Hope's this time."

"I taste better than a cow," Hope said. "Good to know."

"How do you feel?" Caroline asked.

Lizzie sipped at the new bag—it was the kale version of human blood: good for you though not that great but at least it was food—and took stock of her faculties.

She could smell the cow. She could actually feel the air touching her skin, like tiny little gentle whispers of contact. She focused on her hearing and tried to listen past the door and down the hall.

"Emma," Pedro's little voice reached her ears from somewhere deep within the school. "Can we please go to the festival again today? Just for a little while?"

"Lizzie?" Caroline asked when she didn't reply.

"Hmm?" Lizzie tilted her head to look at her mother, coming back to the here and now.

"How do you feel?"

"Oh," Lizzie felt energized, like she could run an entire marathon in seconds flat.

Which, she could actually do now, she realized.

Except she was still really hungry and not for cow blood.

That was the blood lust, wasn't it? She was supposed to control that somehow.

"Great, actually…" Her mouth said one thing but inside she acknowledged that this was going to be really hard.

She glanced at MG who still wore the same encouraging determined face he had worn for her all day.

With him by her side, she could accomplish anything.

She hoped.


"Valerie said the seal would need to be recreated," Alaric explained to Hope in his office much later that evening.

Once Hope was certain Lizzie was adjusting to her new normal well enough, she turned her mind to the next problem.

The witch nosebleeds and what it could mean.

This Valerie, the heretic who used to be a Gemini, thought that what the New Orleans witches did would backfire on them. She warned of consequences worse than what the Gemini faced when they tried to end the merge before too.

It looked like this time all witches were feeling the consequences, not just the ones from New Orleans.

When Lizzie died, so did the chance of the merge ever happening… Was that why all the witches were affected by her death?

"It would need to be linked to the twin bond again," he continued. "The Gemini attempting to undo it the first time was why the 'cosmos' saw fit to create the clause that all Gemini would die if their leader died."

Did the 'cosmos' decide all witches would suffer this time since there was no Gemini leader?

"I've spent so long afraid that Lizzie turning twenty-two would mean her death because there was no one to do the merge with since her older sister died at birth," he said. "So afraid that the same curse that caused the coven's death would cause her death too when she reached that age."

Well, that sort of made sense. Barely. And now she knew it wasn't just Lizzie who believed her twin sister died as a baby. Her head still hurt trying to make all the pieces fit into the narrative Lizzie's psychic blast created, but maybe it would be best not to focus on making sense of it all.

"She died anyway, and now there's nothing to link to, is there?" he looked like a man defeated. "If this thing gets worse with the witches… I'm at a loss. This stays between us… but I know of a cure for vampirism. Even if she took that cure though, there's still no one for her to merge with. She would die anyway. If the consequences means what I think it might mean for the witches… they could just die along with her. Plus, the current host of the cure would die too since their blood would need to be taken. They couldn't survive without the cure."

"The cure Aunt Rebekah plans to take?" Hope asked thickly for lack of anything better to say. She couldn't say all that she wanted to.

She knew what Doctor Saltzman didn't know.

If Josie was still alive in that other world and she returned home, she could merge with Lizzie if Lizzie took that cure.

But that would mean one of the twins would still have to die, and it would happen now instead of five years from now. Plus, the cure could potentially die with them during the merge.

The cure's host and one of the twins would die, and so would Aunt Rebekah's dream… but that was only if they had to do it.

Maybe what happened to all witches would stop with a nosebleed.

Please let it stop with a nosebleed.

The fate of all the witches in the world couldn't rest in Hope's hands.

Because if it did…

Hope refused to believe they couldn't find a way. She would do whatever it took to save Lizzie and Josie and all the witches…

Including herself.

"There's only one, so the very same," Alaric nodded grimly. "But, like I said, it's pointless so…"

"So, we need to find another way," Hope said. "I need to find another way."

"This isn't completely on you," he said.

"Isn't it?" Hope asked. "Because it seems like it is. I set us on this path, one that could potentially lead to the downfall of all witches…"

She wouldn't let the prophecy come true.

She couldn't.

"It's all up to me."


To be continued…