Chapter 17- I Need to Save Josie.
It was around 6am when Lizzie bolted upright in bed, screaming in pain, her hand immediately went to her neck, trying to stop the phantom pains she was experiencing. She quickly jumped off her bed and looked in the mirror, checking to make sure her neck wasn't actually bleeding. When she was satisfied that she wasn't hurt she ran down to Hope's room. Lizzie barged into the room and saw Hope cuddled up to Davina. Keelin sat up and growled at the intrusion, causing Freya and Davina to wake up as well. The two powerful witches quickly waved their hands and sent Lizzie flying into the wall, pinning her in place.
"What do you want Lizzie?" Hope groaned as she shot up in bed because of the rude awakening.
"Something's just happened to Josie. She's been bitten." Lizzie rushed to explain. "I woke up with excruciating pain in my neck, but when I looked in the mirror, I couldn't see anything. Something is wrong. She's hurt and in pain, I came here to tell you… Are you going to let me down?" Lizzie struggled against the invisible restraints.
"What did you expect would happen when you barged into the bedroom where three of the world's most powerful witches are sleeping?" Hope shook her head. "Let her down." She said to her aunts as she stretched out of bed and walked over to Lizzie, holding out a hand for the blonde to take.
Lizzie accepted it and stood up, brushing the dust off from her body. Hope, in her sleep-driven state, started to run her hands across Lizzie's neck, looking for any mark that might be left from the Twin's ability to feel her sister's pain. "Unhand me, you heathen." Lizzie frowned as she tried to bat Hope's hands away.
"Would you stop moving… I'm trying to see if I can see anything." Hope frowned. "There's a really faint outline of bite marks on the left side of your neck… it's not visible to the human eye though. Aunt Keelin, would you take a look?" Hope asked her aunt. Keelin complied, stood up and walked over to the blonde. "You see, right here…" Hope traced her fingers over the faint lines to show Keelin, sending slight shivers down Lizzie's spine as an inaudible moan escaped from her lips, forcing her to stare at the wall behind the shorter girl.
"I'm sorry… I can't see anything Hope." Keelin furrowed her brow as she examined Lizzie's skin.
"That's… strange. It's definitely there…" Hope shrugged as she let her hand drop from Lizzie's neck.
"What do you think is causing it?" Lizzie frowned.
"It might be because of the… connection… Hope has to your sister and to you." Freya said from the comfort of her bed.
"I don't have a… connection with Hope." Lizzie scoffed.
"No, you might not… But Josie has a connection with you, through the Twin thing and Hope has a… strong connection with Josie… So that might mean Hope can see or sense things that are happening to Josie, just like you can." Davina added.
"That is… unfortunate." Lizzie pouted. "ARGH! FUCK!" She screamed as she grabbed her left wrist. Hope quickly grabbed the blonde's wrist and saw a deep red three-inch mark appear across it but then it vanished just as quickly as it appeared.
"What the fuck is happening to Josie?!" Hope spat. "We need to do that uncloaking spell now." Hope spun round and addressed the other 3 women in the room. They were all in agreement, Freya and Davina moved from their bed and started to get dressed. Hope turned back to Lizzie and said, "You go and get dressed then get Bonnie and we'll meet you in Alaric's office."
"Yes boss." Lizzie rolled her eyes at Hope before she exited the room.
Hope and the other three women got dressed in silence. They all knew that it was going to be a tough day today. Hope was the first to finish getting ready and she practically ran out of the room then headed downstairs to make a coffee before she headed to Alaric's office. She didn't get much sleep last night, so she needed the caffeine energy.
It wasn't long before Bonnie, Davina, Freya, Keelin and Lizzie joined Hope, who was currently pacing up and down the office, muttering to herself.
"I haven't seen her like this since her mom died." Keelin whispered to Freya as they all hovered near the door. Hope snapped her head up and growled at Keelin. Bonnie and Lizzie stepped back slightly but the other three approached Hope, essentially stopping Hope in her tracks.
"Come here darlin', we will sort this out, okay?" Freya said as she pulled Hope into a hug. Hope tensed up at the feeling. After a few seconds Freya dropped her arms from around Hope and moved over to the sofa, taking a seat next to Davina and Keelin. "Right, so, Bonnie, Davina and I spoke last night, and we came up with a solution for uncloaking Josie, but it requires both you and Lizzie to work together." Freya said.
"What needs to happen is Hope and Lizzie need to be sat in the centre of the room with a barrier around them, you both need to hold hands and focus on Josie and Josie alone. Any other thoughts will stop the spell completely and it will take about five hours before we can try again." Bonnie replied.
"Then Freya, Bonnie and I will chant the spell around you both. Hopefully you should be able to see where she is. It might come in flashes to start off with, but the more you concentrate, the clearer the image will become. Once you have a crystal-clear picture that's when you'll be able to do a locator spell." Davina added.
"That seems simple enough." Hope replied.
"I think I can manage that." Lizzie stated.
"Okay then ladies, sit down and we will get started." Freya smiled.
Hope and Lizzie moved into the centre of the room and sat down, facing each other. Their hands interlaced and resting on their knees. "Close your eyes and clear your mind, think only of Josie. Think of the memory that brings you the most joy and happiness. It helps." Bonnie instructed. The teens did as they were told as Davina placed a circle of salt around them.
As they were just about to start their mission, the boundary spell started ringing. "Someone has entered the school grounds." Freya stated and she hurriedly stood up, making her way out of the office and headed to the main entrance, the other five women followed her.
Hope growled as the smell of Josie's blood assaulted her nose. Within seconds Alyssa Chang appeared in front of them. Hope quickly grabbed her and threw her across the room. "What the fuck have you done to Josie?!" Hope knelt by the side of Alyssa and punched her in the face.
"I'm not saying shit to you until I see Alaric." Alyssa spat blood on the floor.
"I'm here… Now what the fuck have you done to my daughter?" Alaric walked over to Alyssa and picked her up by the throat.
"Read… this…" Alyssa struggled as she gave Alaric the card. Alaric took the card and threw Alyssa across the room, causing her to crash into some chairs and a table. Alaric read the card out loud. "Dearest Alaric. I'm so glad that I killed Jo on your wedding day. I can't wait to kill your daughter, Josette, as well. Best Wishes, your almost brother in-law, Kai. P.S. Your daughter is the spitting image of her. It will be fun to kill my sister all over again." I am going to kill that fucker if it's the last thing I do!" Alaric spat.
"It's written in Josie's blood. That's why I can smell it." Hope realised. "That and the fact that I could smell it on Alyssa's breath."
Hope charged over to Alyssa, who quickly vamp-sped to the other side of the room. Alyssa pulled out the stake from her pocket, turned to the group and said, "You will never find Josie. Hopefully she will be dead soon. I hope Kai kills you all." Before driving the stake through her heart, except it didn't work. The stake that Kai had given her was plastic. "That bastard." Alyssa huffed as she slid to the floor.
"Quick, get her down to the transition cellars!" Alaric called. Hope and Keelin ran over to her, Keelin snapped her neck then carried her down to the basement. Everyone else followed them.
"She's a fucking vampire?!" Lizzie asked. "What should we do with her?"
"I say we torture her until she talks." Hope eagerly volunteered. "I'll do it!"
"No, Hope torturing her isn't going to get us anywhere. Why don't the six of you go and get started on that uncloaking spell? We're going to need it now more than ever." Alaric replied. "Get MG and Kaleb to come down here. I think we will need their help."
"Sure Dad, I'll get them to come down." Lizzie stated before she quickly headed back upstairs.
The other five women grumbled but they all made their way upstairs, they passed MG and Kaleb in the corridor as they made their way to Alaric's office. Hope was pissed that Alaric wouldn't let her stay, but she knew it was for the best, because in all fairness she would more than likely kill Alyssa for taking Josie.
The women piled into Alaric's office and Hope took her rightful spot on the floor in the middle of the salt circle. Only a few minutes passed by before Lizzie joined them. Lizzie huffed as she sat down to face Hope. "I want that bitch dead for hurting Josie." Lizzie said.
"You're not the only one. I want to kill her myself." Hope replied as she took Lizzie's hands in her own.
"Girls, you need to focus now. Put Alyssa out of your mind and focus on Josie. We will find her, one way or the other." Bonnie stated.
Hope and Lizzie closed their eyes and focused on Josie. Hope focused on the memory of that first Sunday they spent together after she came out of the Malivore pit, the day that she teased Josie's leg under the table at the Grill and the first time they kissed in the bathroom. A smile crept across her lips as she focused on the sensation she felt when Josie's lips met hers for the first time.
Almost instinctively Lizzie dropped her hand from Hope's and slapped her thigh. "Is that really the memory you are focusing on? I didn't need that image in my head as well. I've seen enough of… that over the past three days." Lizzie frowned.
Hope's eyes bolted open. "Well that will teach you for walking in on us… TWICE!" Hope retorted. "You didn't say anything about Lizzie being able to see my memories!" She hissed at Bonnie and Freya.
"That shouldn't have happened. You must be more in tune with Josie than I realised. It's a good thing though. Can you still see the marks on Lizzie?" Freya asked.
"Yeah I can. Why?" Hope replied.
"Just checking. Right, now both of you. Focus on your chosen memories and Lizzie, don't get distracted this time." Freya said as she shook her head.
"Ugh fine. But if I'm sick, it's your fault." Lizzie groaned.
"Lizzie you are such a drama queen." Hope retorted.
"Girls… behave, please? Remember why we are doing this." Bonnie frowned.
"Sorry." The two younger girls said in unison. Hope and Lizzie re-joined their hands and closed their eyes. Both focusing on their own memories, until they blended into one. Bonnie, Davina and Freya sat around the younger girls; hands joined as they chanted.
They all sat in their positions for about thirty minutes before Hope finally spoke. "I'm starting to get flashes. They're very faint. Just outlines."
A few more minutes passed. "I can see… an old building. It looks abandoned and worn down. There's nothing around it. Just… fields?" Lizzie stated.
"I can see Josie; she's sat at a table… It looks like she has chains on her wrists and she's talking to someone." Hope informed.
"There's a man sat opposite Josie playing with a penknife, like he's stabbing it… between his fingers."
"ARGH FUCK!" The three teenage girls screamed in unison, as the penknife was stabbed through the back of Josie's right palm. "Josie just got stabbed." Hope gritted through her teeth, but didn't break her concentration, neither did Lizzie.
"Josie's speaking to him… She is saying, 'my girlfriend is going to kill you for that, she really likes…' Okay I'm not going to finish that sentence." Lizzie frowned.
"I want to try something… Josie? Can you hear me?" Hope asked. "Don't speak… Just tap your finger or something."
"She's tapping her finger. It's working, she can hear you."
"Okay, tap once for yes and twice for no, do you understand?"
"She tapped once." Lizzie stated.
"Do you have access to any magic?"
"She said no."
"Do you know where you are?"
"She said yes."
"Okay… Well I need you to picture it, like a mental map. Just focus on it. We can't find you; he's got you under a cloaking spell. Think really hard for me baby."
"It's a building, standing alone, in the middle of a field hidden by trees. It's just off the highway leading out of Mystic Falls."
"Thank you, baby. We should have enough now to find you. Stay strong baby. I love you so much." Hope said with tears in her eyes.
As soon as Hope and Lizzie broke their connection with Josie, they both passed out. It took them a few minutes to be roused.
"We know where she is. We need a map!" Hope stated as she stood up, unsteady on her feet. Keelin quickly rushed to Hope's side to steady her.
"You need to sit down Hope." Keelin whispered.
"No. I need to find Josie." Hope growled.
After Kai sent Alyssa on her way, he turned his attention back to Josie. He walked back over to his seat and sat down without saying a word. He just stared at her for about twenty minutes. It made Josie uncomfortable. Josie shifted in her seat but knew it was a worthless cause. Eventually she gave up and decided to ask Kai some questions.
"You haven't told me how you actually escaped from the Prison World. You just said that it was Black Magic that helped you escape. I want to know exactly how you escaped." Josie said.
"Ah. Well that is never going to happen. It's a secret." Kai laughed. "You know what… I thought you would have been more fun, but I guess not. You are seriously such a miserable piece of shit."
"Well can you tell me about the merge? And how it affects our coven?"
"How about we make this interesting. You tell me what you know so far and if you get something wrong then I get to ask you something completely unrelated?" Kai laughed.
"Fine… So from what I found out about the merge is that it happens to twins in our coven when they turn 22. For some reason, they have to merge and then they become the leader of the coven. But only one person survives, the stronger one."
"Good girl Josie. It looks like you did your research."
"What I don't understand is why we have to do it. It seems cruel and archaic. Like why the age 22? 22 is when your whole life is just really beginning. I'd hate to have my whole life taken away from me. I need to find a way to stop it. I thought you would be able to help me."
"There is no way to stop it. Well nothing that I found anyway. I was tossed aside by my coven for being a syphon. They thought I was an abomination. What they failed to see was that I was the best thing that ever happened to them. They are all just arseholes. Never trust anything our coven says."
"Our coven isn't around anymore. Me and Lizzie are the last one's left."
"Ah! That's right. I killed them all." Kai laughed.
"Why did you kill them?"
"Because they called me a sociopath. I was quite offended, and they wouldn't listen to me. And I hated the fact that your mother was such a pain in the ass and refused to merge with me. So I did it with Lucas, because Liv refused to do it, she didn't want to die or become leader of the coven, but that failed. It made me sick for such a long time. How do you like being a syphon?"
"I enjoy it. It's annoying that I don't have my own power sometimes, like when I'm trying to do a spell and my power diminishes. I've learned how to moderate it. But I wish I had some of my own."
"How do you feel when you syphon someone or something?"
"Erm. It's kind of a headrush…" Josie trailed off, thinking about the times she syphoned from people she cared about, like Penelope and Hope and how it actually turned her on when she syphoned from them.
Kai smirked like he just read her mind. "Do you ever get like… super horny?" He laughed.
"Oh that is fucked up. Why would you ask your niece something like that?" Josie shook her head.
"Oh come on. Tell me that you don't feel that way when you syphon. Because I know it was one of the biggest things that happened to me when I did it. Plus it made sex even better, with both men and women."
"I don't really want to hear about your sex life."
"Ha! No one wants to hear about yours either hun."
"What exactly do you want with me?"
"God you are insufferable. Do you ever stop talking?!" Kai got pissed off and drove his penknife into the back of Josie's right hand. Josie screamed out in pain.
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!" Josie cried.
"You were pissing me off. Your voice is so annoying." Kai laughed.
"My girlfriend is going to kill you for that, she really likes that hand and what I can do with it." Josie spat.
"I'm sure you will heal just fine. Unless I kill you before then."
"You know what? Fuck you Kai. I'm not going to talk to you anymore." Josie replied then sat there in silence.
Kai tried speaking to her, but she actively ignored him. Suddenly, she could hear Hope's voice in her head. She wasn't sure if she was delirious from the pain or if she could actually hear Hope. She tried her best to follow what Hope was saying. It felt strange to hear her girlfriend, but she needed the comfort.
She listened to every word Hope said and did what she instructed. When she heard that Hope was going to get her, she couldn't help but smile. Her smile turned into a grin and the grin turned into a laugh and before long she was laughing uncontrollably.
"What's so funny little niece?"
"Nothing. I just had a thought." Josie shrugged.
Kai didn't like that reply, so he stabbed her in the back of her left hand. But this time she didn't scream, she just kept on laughing. Like nothing could affect her, like she doesn't feel pain anymore.
Kai stormed off out of the building and left Josie, alone, bleeding on the chair she was tied to.