Hi! Thank you again for reviewing and following and everything else! I figured I'd go ahead and reply to a couple of reviews here if you don't mind!
Juli Greenthorne:Thank you so much! I'm actually terrified I'm going to turn Lissa into a Mary Sue so if you or anyone else finds her going down that route, then let me know and I'll try to fix it!
Softrocks: Boy are you going to like this chapter. It addresses a couple things you brought up, as well and hopefully gives people things to speculate on!
Xenocanaan and LuciLucifer: Who knows when Kol will actually turn up. Spoiler...I don't know when he'll turn up either. So it'll be a surprise for all of us.
Now onto the questions of the chapter: What do you think the book is? How are we feeling as we get to see more of Lissa than the violence and anger?
I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter out as my school is back in session, but I'm hoping within the next couple of days. No promises though! This is definitely on the top of my list of things to do so it'll be sooner rather than later!
Thank you again for all the support on the story! It truly does mean a lot to me!
Previously on "Ghost of Lifetimes Past"
She showered and did her normal skincare routine before heading to bed. Just as she was falling asleep, her phone vibrated. Not looking at who it was, she answered. "Hello?"
"Hey, Snow White, wanna tell me why you were dodging my calls?"
"Enzo!" Lissa jerked awake, eyes wide.
"Yes, Enzo. You know, the guy who's calls you've been avoiding."
Lissa swallowed. She knew that she couldn't put off telling Enzo about Damon. She'd wanted to let him have as much time to heal because that's what he was doing, healing, before being dragged back to this town and the drama that would encase it in the years to come. "How're you? How's life? Is-"
"Are you really attempting to play stupid right now? You?" Lissa could picture the deadpanned look Enzo was more than likely sporting. "You've never declined my calls before. What's going on?"
She shook her head, not even thinking that he wouldn't be able to see her. "I have some news. And honestly, I was going to tell you, I promise! I just- you're still learning to live your own life. I didn't want to make it worse by bringing this to your attention."
"Bring what? Did Augustine find you? Are you okay?"
"No, yes, I'm fine- but no. It's not Augustine." She took a deep breath. Come on, Lissa, just rip the bandaid off. "Damon Salvatore is in town, and I may have made a deal with him."
Silence. Okay, silence could mean anything. "Enzo? Please. Please talk to me?"
"...So he wasn't dead. He was fine. AND HE JUST LEFT ME THERE!"
She could hear something break across the phone. Enzo had obviously thrown something at glass or thrown something made of glass. Either way, the sound of shattering filled her ear. Her throat seemed to burn as she realized how hurt he was. She was second-guessing working with Damon now. She'd remembered in the show the two had become friends again, so she didn't think too much of it. She'd quite clearly miscalculated. "I'm sorry. Please, Lorenzo, just- just listen to me, please?"
She heard a sigh and what seemed like fabric moving before a long span of silence. Lissa just held her phone to her ear, both hands on it as she waited to hear what he said. "Explain, Melissa, please. Tell me you tried to stake the bastard. Actually don't, because I want the pleasure myself."
"I- I didn't do that exactly." She said, trying to be calm about what she was about to say. "Imayhavemadeadealwithhimandnowwe'reworkingtogether."
"You...made a deal with the bastard? W-what could possibly have led to that? Why would you want to work with someone you know will betray you the minute he gets what he wants?"Enzo asked, hurt coloring his voice.
"I didn't want to drag you back to the mess Mystic Falls is going to be. I told you Mystic Falls was going to be a mess, you know, the future I saw" Had she lied and said she just had random visions of the future, yes, but she'd needed someone to bounce ideas off of, and a guy that was tied down with nowhere to go was the perfect candidate when she was younger. "I don't know exactly how it's going to go down. I'm human and not even the correct doppelganger. Hell, I'm nature's rough draft of a doppelganger. I needed protection and asking you to come back and deal with this would be unfair to you. You've already been dealt a shitty hand in life. I didn't want to be another person that just added to the pain." She sniffed, cheeks red as she held her tears back. She never was good at being called out, let alone by people she loved. And she did love Enzo. He was more than just a friend. At this point in her life, she'd say he was a brother to her.
"But why Damon? You know how I feel. He deserves to die. He left me to rot." She could hear the pain in his voice clear as day.
"Because you were finally healing! You'd met a girl. You were going on a date. You were getting better and moving on. How could I just drag you back here to face the guy that betrayed you?" She cried, tears finally falling down her face. She was not a pretty crier. In the mirror, she could see her face had gotten all red, and she could feel her nose running. "I figured I could help him reach his goal and get him out of Mystic Falls, and you wouldn't have to face him or what he'd done."
"That's not your decision to make, Snow White. I'm a grown man. For forever, Damon escaping was my only hope of getting out. After realizing he wasn't coming back and had probably either died or shut his humanity off, I had started to give up. Then you came along and I started getting blood regularly and having actual conversations again." Enzo admitted, voice softening as he realized the girl hadn't meant to hurt him. She'd just done what she thought was best. "My hope came back. Because of you. You became the reason I kept going. Now, you want to tell me that Damon Salvatore, asshole extraordinaire, has made a deal with you."
Unable to stop it, Lissa let out a sob. She didn't realize how much she'd actually come to mean to Enzo. In her mind, Damon would always be Enzo's best friend and savior. She hadn't recognized that, so long ago, she had taken over that role. The guilt she'd been feeling grow with every interaction she had with Damon, seemed to take over her body. Unable to think of anything else to say, she just kept muttering, "I'm sorry," to Enzo.
Enzo sighed at the sound of her sobs over the phone. "I won't tell you it's fine because it's not. But dry those tears, Snow White. I don't think I could ever actually hate you. You're the person that kept me alive and hopeful once I'd finally started to give up. You freed me."
Lissa's sobs ever so slowly turned to sniffles as she realized Enzo wasn't going to just up and hate her. God, the day was a roller coaster of a day. "If it makes it better, I'd betray Damon without a thought if you asked. He may be entertaining, but you're the one I care about."
"Actually, yes, that does make it better." Enzo laughed before sobering up again. "I'm coming to Mystic Falls, though."
"But! -"
Interrupting the girl, Enzo was firm in his reply. "I deserve to confront him, Melissa. You have to agree on that."
Lissa let out a sigh. She knew he was right. "Fine. Do you want me to cut him off? Cause my plan with him is a thousand times less important than you."
"No. I know you. If you have a plan involving him, it's for a reason. So you can stick with it. Just- just be there when I confront him the first time? I don't know how I'll react." She could hear the insecurity that had slowly gone away as Enzo got accustomed to the 21st century coming back. She didn't know if it was because he thought she'd say no or just uncertainty at what the confrontation was going to be like, but it was there all the same.
"Of course. Like I said, Damon and his friendship is second to you. Always. You're my brother, my blood-sucking, over a 100-year-old brother." Lissa smiled as she looked over at the clock. It was now 3 AM. Seems like another sleepless, or almost sleepless, night.
"Who would have guessed Ms. Psychopath was actually just a mask for a giant ball of sap." Enzo laughed. "Now go to bed...Little sister"
Before she could reply, Enzo hung up the phone. Pulling the phone from her ear, she smiled down at it, shoulders drooping as the tension that she hadn't realized she was holding left her. There was trust to build back between them, of course, but they were okay. That's all she could ask.
Lissa was left to spend her morning with Bonnie and Elena since Caroline had finally started morning cheer practice for the year. Cheerleading was one thing she'd kept up no matter how much shit Lissa gave her, and she'd given her a lot over the years. It's not that she didn't respect the sport, because she did. It's just Caroline absolutely hated everyone on the team besides Elena, who she barely tolerated. Now she was stuck with bitchy one-dimensional cows. Or at least that's how Caroline described them. Lissa had never met any of them besides to pick Caroline or Elena up from practice, never sticking around to talk to any of the other girls.
Listening to Bonnie and Elena talk about Stefan and how Bonnie had gotten a feeling of death from him was just as boring as she thought it would be. Knowing about vampires tended to take the excitement out of a lot of mystery in these early days.
She zoned out, not even noticing when Bonnie left and Stefan took her place. His and Elena's whole conversation blew over her head, at least until she heard her name being mentioned.
"Perfect. Dinner. My house. 8:00. You, me, Bonnie, and Lissa.-"
Lissa let out a scoff, realizing what Elena just invited her to. "Uh-uh, no way. No Lissa. I'm not going to any dinner with your friend and your boyfriend."
"Lissa! Stefan thinks you don't like him! You have to come. Show him you don't really dislike him." She whined.
She looked over at Stefan. Seeing him smile slightly at her just made her purse her lips. He thought tattling to her sister would be the right move? Really? "Sorry if I made you think I don't like you, Stefan."
"It's okay. I just -"
"Because I thought it was clear I don't like you. My bad for the misunderstanding" She shrugged, sending a smirk at the offended look on Stefan's face.
Elena let out a gasp at her sister's rude words. How could she be so mean? Stefan was just being polite and trying to warn her away from a bad guy. He'd been nothing but nice to her. Nothing but nice to both of them. "Melissa! Apologize! How could you talk to Stefan like that?"
Lissa looked over at Elena, face scrunched up in disbelief, as is she'd apologize. Had she ever apologized for her words before? No, and she wasn't about to start now. "How about no? I don't like him; I'm not going to suck up to the dude just because you want the dick."
"That is completely wrong! And vulgar! Do you have to be that vulgar? It's embarrassing to me."
Lissa rolled her eyes at the tone Elena had adopted. "Oh, well, I apologize if I offended your sweet virgin ears, Princess Elena."
Stefan jumped into the conversation before the argument between the two girls could get worse. "Elena, I don't mind if she doesn't like me. That just means I'll have to prove her wrong."
Stefan smiled over at the pale girl, noting that she was clearly not impressed with his words. She really would be a hard one to get on his side. But if it was for Elena, he had to try. "I really would like to get the chance to change your mind, Lissa. Won't you come to the dinner Elena was trying to plan?"
"Hmm, let me think about it," She said, hand on her chin. "How about…no."
Before Stefan could try and convince her again, Tyler Lockwood proved himself useful for once and lugged a football at Stefan's head, giving her the distraction she needed to slip away from the irritating conversation.
Lissa didn't realize it, but as she stalked away towards her class, kids literally parted ways as she walked. The aura she was giving off was screaming danger for all to feel. And feel it they did. She knew Elena got worse as the show went on with her selfishness and whininess, but she didn't think it would start right away.
Elena had always been a whiny child. It was partly the reason she got so much attention when they were young over her or Jeremy. Their parents felt obligated to pay attention to the kid that was complaining the most. That left Lissa to pay attention to Jeremy herself. Lissa had had a childhood already. She didn't need to have a second one. So she spent her time split between Jeremy, Caroline, and Enzo, the three people she cared about in this world. Yes, she loved her parents. And yes, she loved Elena. But as you'd love a distant relative, not anything like how you'd love your immediate family.
Caroline missed lunch, apparently, Kennedy, who was the cheer captain this year, hadn't shown up so it was up to Caroline, as the vice, to take over her duties for the day. Thank you, Damon. He wasn't even with Caroline this time, yet still managed to make her miss stuff.
With her day clearly on the path to be terrible, what with the argument this morning and Caroline gone, Lissa decided it was time to skedaddle. She was ahead in all her classes since she'd been spending so much time focusing on getting the work done before shit hit the fan. So, with that thought, she jumped in her SUV and drove to The Grill.
Sitting at the bar, she attempted to get Mark, the current bartender, to give her a vodka cranberry. She was currently failing. Hard.
"Oh, come on, Mark! You've seen me shitfaced at parties before; you know I drink. Why can't you just slip me one? I'll even tip well!"
Mark pursed his lips at her. She may be right about knowing she drank, but there wasn't any way he was losing his license just to give Lissa a drink. "No, Lissa. I have a bar to run, meaning I need to keep my license. I'm not giving you alcohol."
"Boo, Mark, you suck," She said, chin coming to rest on her hand in a pout.
She hadn't been sitting there pouting at Mark any time he'd make his way over to her before her knight in shining leather swooped in to save the day, in this case, order her drink.
"How about you give the lady what she wants." Damon said, eyes intense as he compelled Mark. "And grab me some rum while you're at it."
"I'll get the lady what she wants."
Lissa turned to look to the side, meeting Damon's smirking face. "I'm not going to be impressed by you being able to do that, you know. Any vampire in the world can compel people."
"Aw, not even a little bit? I'm even getting you alcohol, illegally, might I add." He pouted, taking a drink of the rum Mark had just sat down in front of him.
"Hmm, alright, I'll give you a point for the alcohol." She said, taking a drink of her own alcohol. "But it gets taken away for compelling Mark. I like Mark."
"Poor Mark. You're a scary little ghost girl."
"Says the vampire." She shot a pointed look over at the grinning man. He knew out of the two of them, he was the more dangerous. And he relished in it. "Besides, I have a genetic mutation making me like this. I didn't just wake up and think, 'You know what, having no pigmentation whatsoever sounds real fun.'"
He raised his eyebrow at her. He knew what albinism was. Had he done that research into it after he'd met her? Yes, but she didn't ever need to know that. "I am aware of what albinism is, thank you. Doesn't negate the fact that you look like a ghost."
She nodded her head at him, imitating as if she were tipping her imaginary hat at him. "So, not that your company isn't riveting because it is. But why did you come bug me?"
He gasped, putting his hand against his chest. "I am wounded! My company is a delight. You should be thankful for the time spent with me."
"Oh, dear me. I apologize. Seems I misspoke, your highness." She started. "I meant to say either tell me what the fuck you want or get away."
"Now, what's put bees in your bonnet, Snow Princess?"
She scowled over at the vampire. He may not have known he would cause her problems but it was still his fault. "Maybe random vampires causing me to miss my lunch date with my best friend because they couldn't get their compelled girlfriend to school on time?"
"Oh no, you had to go one day without Barbie? Whatever shall you do?"
"She is the one and only person besides my brother that I can stand for long periods of time in that hellhole that is high school without wishing a violent and bloody death on them. So, yes, I am peeved I had to go one day without Care." She glared at him before tipping her drink back, finishing it off. "Plus I had an argument with my sister about not liking your brother and about a dinner party she's wanting to put together. All so me and Bonnie will 'Get to know Stefan and like him.' Truthfully, I find it a waste of time. So I told her I wasn't going and she didn't like that."
"A dinner party? With your sister?" Damon's head tilted as he looked down at her with interest. Devious smirk telling her exactly what he was thinking.
She gave him a deadpan stare, already knowing exactly where it was going. "No, I just said I got in an argument about not going to the damn thing. Take Kennedy. Elena hates the bitch but won't ever say it. Says she wants to be friends, that Kennedy doesn't mean to be like she is. Kennedy doesn't have a filter in all the worst ways. So, if you wanna stir up trouble, that's the way to do it."
Lissa knew it was a cruel thing to do, siccing Kennedy on not only her sister but Stefan and Bonnie too. But it's too funny not to. Plus, fuck Stefan, he can suffer Kennedy's personality simply for existing. Kennedy was basically the original Caroline but on ultra bitchy crack.
Damon smirked. The thought of seeing Stefan forced to suffer through his cover girlfriend's monologues about her nail and hair was simply too much to pass up. Lissa was diabolical with subtle retaliations apparently. He wouldn't have brought Kennedy to the party at all. Her voice grated on his nerves the more time he spent around her, but the thought of her annoying other people with that same voice. Well, suddenly he could put up with it.
"Thanks for the advice, White-y. I'll be sure to mention you send your regards when I show up at the gathering."
Before Damon could leave, Caroline slid into the chair beside Lissa. "What! How did you get Mark to give you alcohol? He's notorious for never selling to minors" She whined, lip pushed out in a pout as she stared at Lissa's empty glass.
"Ahh, that would be me." Damon spoke up, arm reaching across Lissa's spot to shake Caroline's hand. "Damon Salvatore, at your service, miss…?"
Caroline's eyes gleamed with interest as she shook his hand. "Forbes, Caroline Forbes."
Before anything could happen, Lissa slapped the two hands that were connected in front of her. "No! No flirting, especially with me in front of me!"
Turning to Damon she shook her finger at his grinning face. "You, you have a dinner party to crash tonight. Now, go do diabolical things beforehand to get in the mood."
Damon nodded to the two girls, chuckling as he left. Lissa was more fun around people she liked. Though, he wondered what she would be like around her sister or his brother. It was a shame he couldn't talk her into going to the dinner party with him. But he figured if her sister couldn't do it, then he wouldn't have a chance with just getting to know her.
Flipping around towards her blond best friend who had stifled a smile at her playfulness, finger still pointing, she chastised her too, "And you, missy, are not allowed to go for the brother. Yes he's attractive, but he is emotionally unavailable. You hate emotionally unavailable!"
"I could do emotionally unavailable if it means he looks like that." Caroline laughed, gaze following Damon as he left the bar.
Lissa could see his shoulders shaking though the bar window, clearly having heard her best friend. "No. He's with Kennedy anyway. At least right now."
Caroline's head quickly whipped to stare at her, mouth open at the thought of Kennedy with the hunk that had just left the bar. "Kennedy? That skank! So that's who dropped her off today at cheer practice." Her nose scrunched up thinking about anyone sleeping with Kennedy. Sure she was pretty, in a young Fran Drescher type of way. Unconventional but still pretty. It was her personality that took away any sort of pull she had.
"Hmm, probably. He's kind of flaunting having a high school girlfriend at Stefan right now. It pisses Stefan off. So he'll keep it up as long as he can stand her personality." She said. "I give them 3 weeks before he either dumps her or absolutely snaps and kills her."
Caroline laughed, ordering a coke from Mark. With Damon gone he wasn't going to be giving either of them any alcohol. "Talking about killing people, Elena spent the whole cheer practice whining about you not going to her little dinner party. If I had to hear her call you selfish and embarrassing and just spend the whole practice being a bitch, I was going to be the one to snap and kill someone. I left early, played being sick."
"Aw Care, you'd commit murder for me? And against my sister at that?" She cooed. "I'm touched, really. You've come a long way from the girl who used to cry when she saw a dead butterfly."
"That was once! I was five. And it was a really pretty butterfly." She stuck her tongue out at her insulting best friend.
Lissa flapped her hand at her. "Still cried at a dead butterfly. How embarrassing." She smiled at the faux fuming the blonde portrayed. "I better head out though, gotta grab some food before locking myself in my room so I don't get sucked into that dinner party." She threw some money onto the bar to cover both her and Caroline's drinks and headed out the door.
"Good luck!" Caroline called out to best friend. Lissa waved behind her, noticing in the window reflection that Caroline had made her way from the bar over to Matt. He must have just come in with school letting out. He was a bit tame for this Caroline, but Lissa didn't have anything against the dull boy. Would she give Caroline shit if she ended up with feelings for the other blonde? Yes, because Caroline was so much better than boring Matt Donovan.
The night passed without any big events going on, which was a surprise as she was certain Damon was going to try and fuck something up. But whatever he'd done or said didn't migrate up to her, at least not last night. Since school was already over for the day and Caroline had to cheer at the game, Lissa decided to go for a walk while she waited. Could she try and stop Mr. Tanner's death? Yes, but the dude was a major dick and she wanted Alaric here as soon as possible. Dear Ricky-Poo was another person she thought she'd get along with. As long as he didn't try and father her, she thought they could be friends.
Lissa, instead of taking her normal route through the woods, decided to go a random direction, more towards where she'd guess the old mansion that she knew would become the Mikaelson home. All the while she paid more attention to her cellphone than to any of the scenery she was passing.
Then End Zone: Can 16 year olds own property?
Snow White's Evil Sister: Why? What are you doing?
The End Zone: Buying a house in your name, obviously as I'm not a 16 year old.
Snow White's Evil Sister: WTF?
The End Zone: Not for you to live in, Snow White, though you can once you're old enough to move out. If your name is on the deed, then no vampire can randomly come into my house.
Snow White's Evil Sister: …smart. When did you get savvy when it comes to planning like this? Because last time I checked you were a stake first ask questions later guy.
The End Zone: That would be the therapy.
Snow White's Evil Sister: THerApY?
The End Zone: Don't. I'll tell you about it when I get to Mystic Falls. Now answer my question, Can 16 year olds own property?
Snow White's Evil Sister: ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯ Hell if I know. Google it, Mr. Therapy.
The End Zone: I can't believe people think you're actually an evil mastermind. You're just a violent idiot.
Snow White's Evil Sister: Rude, I work hard to live up to my reputation of scary albino chick.
The End Zone: Not to me
Snow White's Evil Sister: Our first meeting happened when I was 3 feet tall and your spleen was 15 feet away from your body in a plastic box. There wasn't any hope when it came to convincing you I was scary when I squeaked like a mouse at you.
The End Zone: Ahh, true. And I can put it in your name. Welcome to home ownership Melissa Gilbert.
Snow White's Evil Sister: Oh yay! Taxes and responsibility. The one thing I've always wanted.
The End Zone: You aren't funny. You're supposed to say 'Thank you Enzo for buying me a house'.
Snow White's Evil Sister: Fuck you Enzo, for being pretentious
The End Zone: …I wanna put that straight faced emoji but Idk how to so just imagine it
Before Lissa could respond anymore she tripped over a stepping stone that was right in the middle of where she was walking. Face first in a puddle of mud from the rain earlier, she sat up and glared at the random shack she'd stumbled across. Mystic Falls was surrounded by ruins of old buildings, this shack seemed to be one of them. Though the shack seemed to be a bit harsh, after wiping some of the mud from her eyes she actually was able to get a decent look at the place.
It was a rock house, maybe one bedroom, possibly two but unlikely. She didn't know anything about architecture or else she'd try to date it but based on how overgrown the walls were with ivy and the layer of grime that had settled on the broken windows, she'd say it had to be at least a couple of decades old, maybe a century but that was pushing it since the windows seemed more modern.
Grinning at her find, she texted Enzo that she'd talk later, and headed towards the house to find a way in. Instead of being an idiot and going through the broken windows or even wasting time trying to find a hole, she attempted the most obvious way first. The front door.
Lo and behold, it was unlocked. Either by a realtor that was really shit at their job or someone that's broken into the place, she didn't really care. The house was incredibly dark once actually inside so to be able to see she pulled out her phone to use it's flashlight, now able to see, she immediately noticed the 1930s decor, answering her unspoken question on how long it had been abandoned. Though clearly some teenagers through the years had come through and tagged the place since graffiti littered the walls giving splashes of color to an otherwise brown and mildew covered place.
There were signs of someone staying there though. Catching a glance of a bunch of medical labels in the corner of the entryway, Lissa was suddenly on edge as she recognized the empty blood bags. There must have been a vampire using the house. Walking closer to the bags, she was hit with the stench of old blood. They'd easily been there a couple of weeks without anyone touching them.
Shoulders sagging at the knowledge she wouldn't be fighting off a supernatural creature deep in the woods alone, Lissa went to explore further in the house. Getting into what she assumed was the living room, she was greeted with more proof of someone having used the place as their hideout. All the rotten furniture in the room had clearly been picked up and recklessly thrown in a pile on the far wall. Sitting in the middle, taking up most of the room, was a completely wooden table. On top was a bunch of herbs and crystals surrounding a very old book going by the leather stitching on the spine. A witch had clearly been here helping whoever the blood bags were for.
Without even thinking she stepped up to the table and grabbed what she saw that wasn't a part of whatever spell they'd been casting. Sadly, there weren't very many supplies, just a couple of quartz and a giant obsidian slab. She'd go over what herbs there were when she got home. Then she closed the old book and put that next to the herbs and crystals in her bag she was carrying. Her poor satchel was bursting by the time everything was situated so she latched it up and decided if she found anything else interesting she'd leave it and attempt to find her way back a different day.
Stepping over a hole that had been made in the floor due to the rotting floorboards, she headed towards what she would guess was the bedroom area. The house wasn't that big, with the living room clearly being the heart of the home since it was the biggest room as well. Only three doors went out of the living room; kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. She had been right saying it was only a one bedroom.
Once she stepped into the bedroom she let out a sigh. Just like the living room all the unnecessary furniture had been picked up and thrown against the outer wall, covering the giant window that clearly once gave a beautiful view of the forest. All that was left was a pile of, what she would guess was, unwashed clothes and the half rotten bed that she really hoped no one had slept in.
Not feeling the need to go through the clothes that had been left behind, Lissa left the disappointing bedroom and decided the kitchen would be her next target. But just like the bedroom there wasn't much to find. Though not completely void of goodies. She found a box of more herbs that had been left behind, so she noted them in her brain to try and remember to pick up. Besides the herbs the kitchen only had old cereal boxes and pre-made convenience store food wrappers. Clearly the diet of a champion.
Lissa, not feeling like the bathroom was going to be much different from the rest of the house, made her way back outside. With how dark the old house was inside she hadn't realized that night had fallen until now.
Shaking her head to clear away the weird feeling that had settled over her, her phone immediately began ringing.
"Hello?"
"Where have you been?!" Ahh, the dulcet tones of her sister were exactly what she wanted at the moment.
Rolling her eyes even though Elena couldn't see she answered. "I took a walk in the woods. Didn't realize what time it was. I'm on my way home now. Why?"
"Why? Because I'm worried about you. Lissa…Mr. Tanner was killed tonight."
Yeah, she knew that. After all she was waiting for it to happen. "Couldn't have happened to a nicer dude."
Elena let out a gasp. "How could you- That was a person, Lissa. How can you talk about him being killed like that?"
Lissa shrugged, not really bothered by the disappointed tone Elena had adopted. She started back towards where she thought the edge of the woods were, switching her phone to her other ear as she replied. "Elena, you were just talking shit on the dude this morning. Don't act like you are going to actually mourn him. He was a dick and I'm not surprised he was killed."
"I can't believe you! How can you be this heartless? He lost his life, Lissa! I called you because I was worried. Now I wish I hadn't"
"Alright then if you don't wanna talk anymore, bye" She hung up before Elena could continue to go on about how callous she was and anything else she wanted to say to her. She could even imagine Elena's outraged face as she stared down at her phone. Her eyes would get wide and her lips pursed as her nostrils flared. Lissa had been front and center to that look enough times she doubted she'd ever be able to forget the sight of it.
At this point she had come to a fork in the path. Left or right, head tilting back and forth as she tried to decide, before finally just heading right. Not realizing she had just dodged running into the small black haired girl that had been using the house herself to stash the magic book that would help her get her mother back. As she got to the house and realized someone had stolen the book, the scream of rage she let out had caused the birds in a nearby tree to take flight.
Lissa jumped as a flock of birds took flight from a tree back where she guessed the house would be. Speeding up, she finally made it back to where she stashed her SUV. She quickly, but gently, tossed her bag with her goodies in it in her passenger seat and took off as soon as she could. She was not going to be the white girl in a horror movie. If she stayed anywhere near these woods that was exactly what she would become.
She made her way home as quickly as she could, though the multitude of cars leaving the game slowed her down a lot. She'd been wanting to beat Elena home but sadly that was a pipe dream. Elena was sitting with Jenna clearly waiting on her to get home. She'd fucking gone and tattled to Jenna about what she said.
She sighed and debated if it was worth it to use their backyard tree to sneak into her room without having to deal with the two. Before she could even attempt that though, Jenna looked out the kitchen window spotting her sitting in her vehicle. Great, there went that choice.
She got out of her car and could almost hear the funeral march playing as she trudged into the kitchen. She knew she was a sight, mud in her hair and all over her clothes from tripping earlier, dark under eye bags because she wasn't sleeping, and her naturally pasty whiteness did not help mask any of it.
"Melissa. Can you sit down? Elena and I wanna talk."
Lissa's eyes flittered between the two, matching looks of disappointment on their faces. "I think I'll stand thanks."
Elena glared at her sister, not understanding why she was acting this way. Lissa had always been bitchy and violent but she thought she'd been a good influence towards her. That she'd shown Lissa that you didn't have to be like that to be seen as strong. Just look at her, parents died in a crash she'd ended up surviving through and she was doing fine. Lissa just needed to learn that apathy and beating people up didn't mean strong."Lissa, Jenna asked you to sit down. You should listen to her."
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Elena's attempt at being commanding, she relented and sat at the table, bag resting next to her feet.
"Thank you, Lissa." Jenna smiled softly at her niece. She could see she felt ambushed by the two of them, but they truly wanted the best for her. Jenna wasn't nearly as worried as Elena was. She saw it as Lissa just acting like herself but just a bit more since she didn't have the pressure of her sister and her brother in law to live up to. She understood that. She was just worried about the cold-hearted ways she'd been reacting to things. "Elena came to me because she's worried that you're...not reacting as she thinks a healthy person would."
Lissa scoffed, one eyebrow raised at the clear psych talk. She knew psych talk. She used to use psych talk with her patients. Now Jenna, who hadn't even graduated or anything, wanted to try and use it on her? No. "More like I didn't react to Tanner's death by crying or saying it was unfair. Well, guess what Elena, not everyone will react like you or Mom would have. Some of us have our own thoughts and feelings."
"You basically said you weren't sad by his murder! That's unhealthy."
"No, that's realistic. I'm not faking my sympathy or pity or whatever you want to call it. I hated the man. That doesn't change just because he's dead."
Elena tapped Jenna on the arm at her words to bring attention to how she was talking. "See, Jenna, that's what I'm talking about. No human sympathy for the dead."
Lissa's mouth flew open at her words. No human sympathy for the dead? "Are you fucking joking? I respect the dead just fine. Do I respect them more because they're dead? No. I fucking hated Tanner alive. I fucking hate him dead. I'm not going to go cry just because someone died. I'd never stop crying."
Jenna's hands came up, stopping the approaching argument. "Okay. Clearly, I did this wrong. Elena, why don't you go to your room and I'll talk to Lissa alone?"
Mouth agape, Elena just stared at Jenna. "But Jenna-"
"No, buts. Go Elena, please."
Elena let out a huff but ultimately listened to Jenna. Both of them watched as she made her way to her room before turning to each other.
"You do know I'm fine right? Like, I get that Elena came to you but it's just her overreacting to not being able to control someone." she said, less confrontational now that Elena wasn't around to spew her judgments.
"I know. But her concern was genuine. Misplaced? Yes but still genuine. You two need to talk to each other. You guys were getting along this summer, what happened?"
Lissa shrugged. "I guess I just got tired of tiptoeing around what I was saying or doing. It was like being around Mom during pageant season or before a ball. All about people's perception of you."
"O-oh. Well, maybe try to be more aware of what you say, I guess. Elena is still pretty fragile."
She jolted as what Jenna had suggested registered in her brain. She'd really just said 'cater to Elena because her parents died.' as if she didn't also lose her parents. Elena and Jeremy weren't the only ones to lose them and needed to be allowed to grieve. She did too.
Without replying to Jenna, Lissa jerked her bag up with her as she stood. Not caring as it basically took a table leg out with the weight of the hit, Lissa stomped up the stairs, for once acting her age. Ignoring Jenna's attempts to get her to come back down, she just slammed her bedroom door. She didn't care if it was childish or shameful or whatever. She was allowed to act like a teenager once in a while. She was a teenager.
Slipping the lock closed she decided enough was enough for one day. She'd look over her finds tomorrow. It was a weekend. She wasn't required to do anything on her weekends. Jumping in her shower she quickly washed the mud off and got out. Lissa didn't even bother putting anything on, saying fuck it and going to bed nude. If anyone tried to wake her up tomorrow, they could deal with her naked body.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story! See you soon!