Hey! I'm back from the dead! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a year and a month!
I have writer's block on this story and my mental health hasn't been doing great either. I also want to thank a reader and a friend from Ao3 for taking the time to read my story and comment on it, encouraging me to finish the 24th chapter of this story!
And as of now I just started writing the 25th chapter.
Enjoy!
Be Somebody
Chapter 24: The Two Plans
Landon, Rafael, Jed, Penelope, and MG were reading the notes when Rafael's and Jed's werewolf hearing and MG's vampiric one picked up the conversation between Hope, the twins, Nansia and Ryan.
"Are we telling them about the two plans?" Nansia asked them and Hope sighed.
"After they caught up with the notes." Hope said nervously.
"Let's hope things go similarly well." Ryan mused hopefully.
"Amen!" Lizzie mumbled hopeful as they started to come back inside the Old Mill.
Jed and Rafael with MG exchanged distrustful looks with hints of determination in Rafael's eyes.
"What are the two plans?" Rafael called them out the moment they stepped inside making the team of five freeze with wide eyes.
"What two plans?" Landon asked confused.
"They were talking about two plans meaning they are still keeping things from us! How do you see this partnership working if you aren't honest with us, hm?" Rafael called them out once again with an accusatory tone as he stood up and walked over to them. Hope looked at her friends before she decided to de-escalate the situation.
"We would tell you about the plans once you were caught up with what we know! How do you expect this partnership to work when none of you know what's up and don't have all the facts?!" Hope chewed Rafael out annoyed by his hostility.
"And with that paranoia!" Lizzie added half defensively half sarcastically as she glared at Rafael while doing so.
"Can you blame him? You return from a two weeks break with all this information that you got all of a sudden while we have been trying to find things for months and coming up blank! Plus, you mentioned nothing to me while we were FaceTiming me! I agree with my brother, you can't keep things from us and expect us to put our own safety on the line!" Landon defended his brother's distrust as he stood beside Rafael glaring at both Hope and Lizzie.
Ryan grew annoyed by Landon's high and mighty stance and was about to say something when Nansia squeezed his hand directing his gaze to her as she shook her head no. Hope could take care of herself and didn't need a knight in shining armor.
Hope couldn't believe Landon's gut….she grew furious!
"Oh! Do you want to talk about safety?! Since you got here the school is constantly under attack! It could be your fault since we have no fucking idea what you are! You could be the problem!" Hope blew up at him getting all her nerves and frustration felt because of their return out on him.
Landon gaped at her before he shook his head and shoved her as he blew past her. Hope met Rafael's glare before Rafael run after his brother.
Hope growled as her eyes lit up with their wolf form and she marched away herself.
"Well, that was unnecessary…" Lizzie mumbled awkwardly and everyone looked at her as if she didn't make sense.
"Unnecessary how?" MG pressed confused yet distrustful.
"I think Landon is trying to test Hope's trust and now he feels threatened because she didn't consult him about the new changes. He could have taken it million other ways...or I don't know trust the process?" Lizzie said sarcastically and shrugged as she decided to return to the house.
"Seriously?" MG breathed out shocked at her reaction. Penelope didn't bother to say anything since she didn't want to know everything at once, she need to process one thing at a time and understood Hope's approach plus Landon was too dramatic for her taste. Jed was just enjoying the drama since he found the notes to be too gibberish for him and needed Penelope's assistance in understanding some of the witch terminologies in them. Something he was planning to approach her later today.
Landon was fuming as he paced back and forth when Rafael found him, he was in shock that Hope said something like that to him. How did he not see the changes in her behavior? What did Ryan do to Hope to change her mind so much?!
Rafael took a moment to think about everything they learned the past few hours and if what the girls plus former TRIAD Agent said were ringing true then they were in big trouble and the worst was yet to come.
They didn't know what Landon was or why monsters attacked the school just after He and Rafael arrived. And what actually is Malivore and why he has a seemingly grudge against Landon? What it wants and why in hell there's nothing about the monsters attacking them that isn't myths and legends! Oh! And what is TRIAD!?
What if they were right? Yes, he judged and distrusted them but he was so used to being betrayed.
He saw Landon just pacing back and forth.
"Landon!" Rafael rushed to his brother and his heart hurt a bit seeing him like this. His insecurities, fear of the unknown, and past trauma were being brought back. And the school being attacked all the time didn't make either of them feel safe and safety was the only thing they needed. Yet they attached themselves to this school because of the people they met.
They weren't judged for the first time for being orphans. And since they weren't judged they shouldn't judge them in turn. Some might have had it worse than they did, some surely did! He had heard stories….
"They didn't judge us Landon so we shouldn't judge them. I understand you are hurt but maybe things will turn out okay for once. I do believe you should give them a chance." Rafael said defeated and Landon whipped his head to face him as if he said that the earth was in fact a cubical, not a sphere.
"Just a few seconds ago you chewed Hope and the others out for not being upfront with all the facts! What changed?" Landon asked bewildered and Rafael sighed.
"Well, I had time to cool off." Rafael said sighing and Landon's eyebrows furrowed with distrust.
"You never change your mind that quickly, brother, so what really changed and you're siding with them?" Landon asked with distrust and betrayal dripping in his tone and his eyes were searching Rafael's face for any micro-expression that he wasn't really siding with them.
Ryan Clarke had tortured Nansia to the brink of death and had caused more monsters to attack the school!
"Facts, Landon. We don't have them, they do and if they are true this Malivore will do much worse things until he or it gets you! And I can't protect you and be by your side fighting against it if we don't have all the facts! Be smart about it! Don't let your ego and insecurity cloud your judgment. This is bigger than you or I or them! Be smart!" Rafael spoke wisely and Landon's search for any evidence that he had lost the only family he had left ended with a very assuring result. Rafael was still in his side but as always he was more level-headed in some situations.
"Okay…but we need to protect one another and not expect them to have our back." Landon yielded and Rafael smiled relieved and the two of them hugged.
"Always." Rafael said back in the embrace.
The two brothers walked back to the Old Mill. In the meantime, as the two brothers hushed everything out, in the Old Mill MG was staring at Lizzie in complete shock.
"What happened to you during those two weeks, Lizzie?!" MG asked in disbelief and disapproval.
"A lot, MG, but what didn't happen is understanding Landon's overdramatic antics. This isn't personal, MG, for once I'm not being selfish and put the school's-my home's safety above all." Lizzie said seriously and in rare instances, Lizzie didn't blow up in front of MG because of him trying to get under her skin.
MG saw it and frowned concernedly as he glanced at Josie who held an unreadable expression.
"That bad?" MG asked in a cold realization to both the twins who for the first time showed the same emotion; pressed lips in thin lines and deep-rooted concern.
"Yes, that bad MG so you better get back to reading the notes so that we can kick Malivore's ass." Lizzie said to MG with a pointy look and MG sighed in defeat and turned back to the place he was previously sitting.
"You should go talk to Hope." Ryan told Nansia as he gently guided his beloved to the side while MG and Lizzie were verbally sparring.
"How am I supposed to help?" Nansia asked lost and insecure in her abilities.
"You both know you have a way with words, use that." Ryan said encouragingly.
Nansia sighed unsure and nodded as Ryan gently kissed her forehead lovingly and Nansia sighed in relief.
Nansia departed the Old Mill in search of the tribrid when she saw her staring off into the lake.
"Hope?" Nansia asked trading lightly and Hope turned to face the older teen and wiped her tears.
"Oh! Hope!" Nansia sighed as she rushed to the younger girl and engulf her in a hug and Hope started sobbing harder.
"I'm tired of losing people, Nansia! I don't want Landon to die but if he doesn't understand that I'm doing this to protect him and our home…I fear he will die!" Hope sobbed in Nansia's embrace and Nansia looked unsure in the lake not knowing what to say to ease the girl's pain. She just rubbed her back and gently swayed them in a soothing manner like she usually did when her sister was sobbing in her arms. Subconsciously she started humming an old Pontic lullaby she sang when her sister was fussy as a baby. Hope relaxed in Nansia's arms and her sobbing quieted down as Nansia swayed and hummed.
Nansia unknowingly was casting a calming spell to Hope and didn't notice it until she felt her palms growing hot and felt the magic pulsing through her. She frowned realizing that she felt the exact same feeling whenever she would soothe her baby sister, was she casting a soothing spell on her sister?
"Hope, we will manage to protect the school and Landon. You won't lose anyone." Nansia spoke softly and she felt Hope squeezing her in their embrace.
"Thank you, for calming me down…for assuring me that, things will go as they should. That I won't lose Landon…I don't know what came over me…I panicked….and I grew furious all at once." Hope said as she detangled herself from Nansia and met her brown-greenish eyes that now seemed far greener as the sunlight reflected against the lake.
"It's a normal reaction when people with traumas like yours or like mine, when we are faced with a scary similar situation we panic because we don't want to have to repeat the same pain. We either fawn, fight, or flight, it's a normal reaction to triggering events. You and I have C-PTSD, it's Complex Post Traumatic Disorder, and we get triggered by the smallest things. What helps is removing yourself from the triggering situation and you did that. Later, I suggest when you see Landon again you two have a calm conversation and convey your concern for Landon's safety to him as best as you can. For now you need to stay here and remain calm, want company?" Nansia spoke softly and caringly as she gently guided Hope to sit down as their feet grazed the water of the lake.
"Stay with me, I'm not ready to go back in there." Hope spoke softly and slightly guilty. Nansia smiled understandingly and nodded as the two silently stared at the lake.
"What was that lullaby you hummed?" Hope asked after a few minutes of silence.
"It's an old Pontic Greek lullaby I was taught in kindergarten. I used to sing it to my sister when she would wake up at night, we shared a room and if her sleep was disturbed so was mine and I had school the next day." Nansia explained softly with a homesick and far-way look.
Hope studied her and smiled sadly.
"I know how it is." Hope said softly and Nansia smiled.
"I know you know. I will find a way to bring my sister here and away from our mother. But first things first, we need to ensure this school is safe for the current students. And then focus on bringing my sister here….if it's possible…Stefanie told me that future her told her that I'm not alone, that they are more Petrova descendants out there….do you think they are going to this school? How do we track them down?" Nansia started saying with a haunted look in her eyes and then her mind drifted to Stefanie's words and voiced her thoughts.
She secretly didn't want to open a conversation about how much she missed her family because it would be too painful and she didn't have an inkling idea how to respond kindly to Hope's potential words about missing her family.
"Maybe, but how do we find them though? Should we even locate them only put them in danger?" Hope counter asked as she too started to question the possibility.
"What if that is a small difference that helps us kick Malivore's ass? You know safety in numbers?" Nansia voiced anxiously and Hope shrugged.
"All we can do is look for them and ask them once we present them with the facts." Hope said unsure as she kicked the water with the toe of her shoe.
Nansia silently nodded as they were dipped into silence once again. Again a few minutes later Hope stood up.
"We have to go back or else they might tear each other apart…I wonder why Kelab isn't with them, he's part of the squad." Hope said seriously concerned and confused.
Nansia looked at Hope confused and shrugged as she stood up because she agreed they will tear each other apart or worse become a liability.
Hope hugged Nansia as they walked close to each other.
"Thank you for helping me." Hope said seriously grateful. Nansia smiled as she hugged her back and then whispered;
"Always and forever, remember? That awesome day at the coffee shop?" Nansia whispered into Hope's ear and Hope smiled and gave a squeeze.
The two women walked slowly back to the Old Mill just in time to hear the inhabitants inside to reach a silver lining.
On the other side of these woods, Landon and Rafael walked inside the Old Mill and saw quietness.
"What we missed?" Landon asked confused and concerned as he scanned the place and saw no Hope or Nansia.
"Yes, they are right if Malivore, whatever it is, is trying harm our home we have a common enemy and for that, we need to put our differences aside and unite. That means trusting them and reading upon those notes." MG said seriously taking the lead and the two brothers exchanged a look of confusion.
"It's that bad?" Landon asked slightly terrified.
"Yes, my father is even more ruthless than Klaus Mikaelson." Ryan said in a tone that showed his resignation over Malivore's reputation and actions.
"So, how do we kill the asshole?" Jed asked from his spot and Penelope snorted at his asshole comment but nodded agreeing with her friends.
"Well, are you two done with the notes?" Hope's voice made everyone turn to look at her, she looked fully determined and Nansia behind her had a small hopeful smile.
"Not, yet, Landon and Rafael aren't done yet." Josie answered as she looked at the two brothers who lowered their heads a bit ashamed and quickly reached for the notes to start again reading them.
"Where's Kelab?" Nansia asked MG who sighed and said;
"He is busy. We will let him know the cliff notes." MG said and Hope frowned.
"No, that won't do. He must be here." Hope said sighing as she turned around and started walking to the school.
Lizzie eyed Nansia with a silent question if things were okay and Nansia nodded assuringly.
Nansia's eyes drifted to Jed's furrowed eyebrows and Nansia sighed;
"Where's the problem, Jed?" Nansia asked as a concerned teacher.
"Witch stuff that's my problem." Jed said frustrated and Penelope and every witch in the Old Mill snorted. Penelope then walked up to him and started helping him.
Hope walked up to the school and asked around a bunch of times where Kelab was and she found him in his room.
"Oh! You're back! Happy New Year I guess. What's up?" Kelab said as he kept the door very close so that Hope couldn't peek inside it.
"Meet me in the Old Mill, now!" Hope ordered him and then smirked when she caught a whiff of a woman's perfume and then let a genuine smile show as she started walking away from Kaleb's room.
Kelab was staring at her stunned but once he got over the initial shock he shook his head and walked back inside his room.
"Sorry Sylvia, I have to go, it was fun." Kelab said sighing a bit disappointed.
"No problem, but you need to keep up with yoga if you want to regain the use of your muscles, you might be a vampire now, but you already had issues with flexibility as a human, it seems it has become denser as a vampire." Sylvia said seriously concerned as she started picking up the yoga mat.
"I will, Evans, get off my case, will ya?" Kelab said sighing annoyed as he rampage through his things to find clean clothes.
"Okay, Hawkins. Just be careful." Sylvia said shaking her head not liking how moody he had gotten all of a sudden.
She walked out of his room shutting the door behind her. She walked to her room and smiled as she saw her roommate.
"Hey, Sylvie!" Peter Parker said excitedly as he stood up from his bed as he was unpacking.
"What are you doing back?" Sylvia asked the older cousin of the Saltzman twins.
"I thought to surprise them during the holidays but they were in Atlanta so I decided to surprise them now." Peter said as he kept folding his clothes.
"What about your school?" Sylvia asked concerned as she sat on her bed.
"Aunt May would cover for me." Peter said nonchalantly and Sylvia nodded.
"I will surprise them at lunch." Peter said excitedly and then he frowned as he sniffed the air;
"Do I smell Kelab on you?" Peter asked amused as he wiggled his eyebrows and Sylvia frowned confused before she smelled her clothes and ohed.
"No no! Nothing like that, Pete! I was doing yoga with Kelab nothing sexual." Sylvia exclaimed as Peter nodded mockingly.
"Is it how you kids called it nowadays?" Peter teased her as Sylvia groaned and she walked to their en-suite bathroom to get washed.
Peter finished getting situated and decided to go talk to his uncle and go say hi to his pack.
Peter Parker, son of Olivia Parker and Tyler Lockwood or better known as Ben Lockwood born on Earth 4 yet hidden in a different Earth for his safety specifically on Earth 34. Raised by his aunt May and occasionally going to the Salvatore Academy to learn how to control his werewolf and witch sides and be with his cousins, the only family alive. The school especially helped him when he was bitten by the radioactive spider and he turned into a sort of tribrid or at the very least enhanced his werewolf healing/speed/agility and hearing.
Olivia and Tyler met at Whitmore University in 2012 and it was love at first sight. Tyler was trying to make up for the mess he created in his revenge spree against Klaus to the point he hurt a pregnant Hayley. Hurting Hayley, a friend of his who was pregnant was a wake-up call.
He promptly apologized the moment after the hybrid he made using Hayley's blood, died. He was on his knees sobbing and crying. Hayley told him that he had to give up chasing ghosts, he needed to focus on his life. And he did, he returned to Whitmore went back to business school, and two weeks later he met Olivia. Olivia saved him essentially and gave him something to fight for. Three years in their relationship Olivia got pregnant, it was the best news ever! Nine months later Olivia gave birth to Peter Benson Parker-Lockwood and Alaric with Jo announced their pregnancy to the twins.
Peter was three months old when Kai crashed the wedding and tried and succeeded in killing the rest of the Parker clan! Stefan Salvatore saved him with his vampiric speed while Tyler was trying to save Olivia. During Olivia's pregnancy, Tyler was killed and resurrected as a human and during the wedding of Jo and Alaric, he was forced to re-trigger his werewolf gene just so he can survive and be there for his son, by killing his own wife, Olivia.
Tyler was able to escape and Stefan handed him the unscathed baby Ben, as he will come to be known. Tyler and his son stayed for a bit in town while he was trying to find apartments in New York. He was able to secure all that while he also learned that the babies were transferred to Caroline's womb as the dying act of the Gemini coven slash Parker clan. After the baby shower, Tyler and Ben left for New York, Maya or May Parker found them a few months later and Tyler and May started raising little Ben.
They lived peacefully for a few years until Damon Salvatore found them, he was under the siren, Sybil's, control and he killed Tyler. Tyler at the time he was guarding Elena's coffin. May protected and stayed with Ben, after that for a few months until she found Earth 34 and moved them there, changing their names to May and Peter Parker, nephew and aunt.
Back to the present, Peter was re-arranging his side of the dorm and smiled excitedly yet so unaware of how much things had changed.
Peter walked to the kitchen to grab a snack and say hi to a few friends. He was sipping a cup of hot coffee and munching on a croissant when he saw Sylvia in their usual spot waiting for him as she fixed her tea with her own tea maker.
They sat down and they caught up until he saw her cousins or Uncle Alaric.
In the Old Mill, Kelab arrived there to see the entire Super Squad there reading some piles of paper.
"What the hell is going on?" Kelab asked confused.
"Well, get on reading, dude!" MG said with a tired sigh as he handed Kelab the notes the four witches and Ryan brought,
Kelab eyed the notes in his hands and the people around him in the Old Mill and then sighed and started reading. An hour later and many eyes on him Kelab raised his eyes and jumped a bit.
"Did you really just stare at me all this time?" Kelab asked a bit weirded out.
"Yeah…"
"Pretty much…"
"Sorry!"
After that, the teen girls spread out in the Old Mill and waited for Kelab to catch up. He did finish and looked up at them with a skeptical look.
"And somehow in all of this, we will get Malivore?" Kelab asked in disbelief and slightly worried.
"Yes!" Lizzie said excited and optimistic but holding eye contact with Kelab it started deflating.
"First of all, it's such a wishful thinking! If we are about to go fight someone like TRIAD who has Malivore as their soldier, a monster that can swallow and spit out other monsters! We need to be at peak performance! We need to train!" Kelab exclaimed nervous and scared.
"We are not soldiers, Kelab!" MG exclaimed horrified and Ryan looked at Nansia who was uncomfortably looking at her hands which were united and twisting in their grip.
Ryan instantly engulfed her in a side hug and she rested her head on his shoulder while he rubbed her ribcage in a soothing manner.
"I fear what Kelab said is right and what MG said is right too. But we do need to train like soldiers in order to beat them, not become soldiers though. I think it's time we do a secret type of student meetings where we explain everything to them, get them on the same page, and create a training plan and escape plan for the younger kids." Nansia spoke as she slowly peeled out of Ryan's embrace and her tone was too somber and you could hear the shame she was feeling even suggesting to subject all of them to the cruel realities of war.
Everyone in the Old Mill remained silent and eyed Nansia before their eyes shifted to Hope.
"I think she's right, it's better if we are a united front and don't run around like chickens with our heads cut off when and if Malivore with or without TRIAD launches an attack again, we've done that long enough." Hope said in a resigned tone.
"What about the part where we save Ryan?" Lizzie asked confused and anxious.
"That is still going to be kept within this group, no one can know about Ryan yet not until he's free and knows how to control his powers." Hope answered in a warning tone and sent a sympathetic smile Ryan's way since his tense posture gave away how stressed he was during this whole thing.
"So, we better make good headway with saving him before alerting the school about Malivore." Josie said in a thoughtful tone as she started fingering through their notes.
"I agree, let's take a week to make some progress in saving Ryan and then call in the meeting. Anyone has objections or better ideas?" Hope agreed with Josie and her tone help a bit more hope.
No one said anything until Penelope spoke;
"So, where are we setting the witchy Frankenstein lab?"
"Here is the best place I think." Lizzie said amused by Penelope's mention and willingness to help them in this weird endeavor while a few months ago they were at each others' throats.
The following week the Old Mill was slowly transformed into the base of operation for our heroes; from a witch corner to training mats, to the library, to a huge desk and chairs for everyone to sit on and brainstorm when needed. Josie also started building a backup herb garden just in case hers, Hope's, Penelope's and Lizzie's frequent visits to the school's herb garden got them flagged before it was time to allow the adults full in on the plan.
The adults; yes, they were aware of what was happening and they were also trying to get in front of it. That is why Alaric and Caroline called a virtual school faculty meeting the first week after the Christmas holidays were over to discuss their plan of action.
The meeting yielded no results, many of the teachers suggested they take their classes to some other area or building so they wouldn't be in ground zero and in danger. But no one wanted to actively work with Alaric or Caroline to eradicate Malivore besides Dorian and Emma of course.
Alaric and Caroline were at loss but they had hope since Dorian and Emma had proven to be able to rise to the occasion and both of them were seasoned in the area of dealing with similar, scaringly similar, situations it had become a reflex by now, that things will be okay or at least manageable.
Classes were hard to get used to for Nansia and Lizzie since so much had changed for both during the two weeks hiatus. Lizzie had fully decided to get emancipated from Caroline and Alaric once Malivore was dealt with and she was sixteen years old. Nansia was trying to digest the news that she was from this universe and that she was in fact a supernatural being from day one of her life, which meant that she was put in a regular class schedule that needed getting used to it. The idea that she might be a tribrid just like Hope was also a shocker need to get used to. Nansia also couldn't stop thinking about her sister and how she too was at least a werewolf-witch herself and was left behind not gaining the knowledge Nansia had access to, it felt like she was keeping it from her, it brought up a heavy sense of guilt.
Josie….Josie somehow grew so obsessed with creating a golem that would serve the purpose that she was starting to be behind in several classes and Penelope noticed and so did Ryan who heard Penelope talking to MG about it during one of the many afternoons in the Old Mill.
So, MG, Penelope, and Ryan made a plan, to help Josie with the research as much as they could but also force Josie to catch up with her classes. With that opportunity, Ryan had a glimpse of what learning magic the right way was like. Making a small headway for his personal witchy learning journey.
And with all of this, Peter's arrival at the school didn't go unnoticed but it didn't give much of an oomph Peter, himself, expected. His dear cousins seemed preoccupied with the new girl, Nancy…no Nansia! He asked around about this girl, something irked him in her.
But no matter how much he pried during lunch his cousins' friends and his cousins themselves wouldn't mum a word. While asking other students it bore some fruit, they said how his uncle Alaric grew very concerned with her arrival even more than Landon's and Rafael's arrivals. How her magic was out of control and even spew some sort of prophecy the first night she was here. And the werewolf Alpha, Jed, was also circling her and some of the werewolves he asked said she smelled like a mixture of a witch and a werewolf yet show no werewolf abilities so far. Both of the werewolves and witches he asked said they hadn't seen Nansia showcase much of her magical abilities besides a fight she had with Penelope in one of the hallways and that prophecy, but the hallways fight was the only time they actually saw anything remotely supernatural happening with her.
Vampires had nothing to report saying that she looked like a nice, quiet, and shy girl and most times refused to look anyone in the eyes besides her friends and three of the teachers, Alaric, Dorian, and Emma. A vampire named Susan told him that the new girl was also going to therapy with Emma but for what nobody knew just like every other kid who attended sessions with her.
So, Peter had little to go on with and now if he wanted to learn more he had to go to the source. It was time to introduce himself to Nansia.
During the week Jed was busy with school, werewolf Alpha duties, and trying to persuade Nansia to join the pack and train her werewolf side of her complicated DNA.
"There are ways to disable your magic but not your werewolf side as far as I know! You can use that side of you to win fights when people think of you as just a witch." Jed exclaimed as he was pacing hers and Penelope's dorm room on the evening of Tuesday.
Nansia rolled her eyes but understood the reasoning behind his current lecture. Hope had many times used both her werewolf abilities and witch abilities to defeat a monster or an evil that came their way. It would be wise if she learned too.
"Okay, let's start….not ideal time but who knows if there's a good time coming soon." Nansia sighed in stressed resignation.
"I know it's not a good time…wait what?" Jed continued to ramble in hopes of convincing her but when he registered what Nansia had just said to him, he paused his pacing and turned to eye her in wide-eyed disbelief.
"What would I need?" Nansia asked with a small smile and Jed sighed.
"Wear your most comfortable tracksuit and elastic underwear…also I hope you don't mind me watching you butt naked." Jed said half serious half amused.
"Uh…I have an issue with the naked part." Nansia said uncomfortably as she started rummaging through her closet to find what Jed had requested.
"Then I can turn around when you turn into one." Jed offered in kind and Nansia smiled thankful and reassured before continuing to dig through her newly acquired clothes. Working at the Mystic Grill had proven to be economically and wardrobe-wise fruitful!
After a few minutes, Nansia was ready and followed Jed to the training grounds and Jed started his speech about how emotional and physical patience combined would get her to her end goal and that she should be in constant communication with one's self to be able to have control over the wolf.
"What happens when you never "listened" to your wolf before? How do you distinguish the wolf's voice or your subconscious' voice?" Nansia asked Jed a bit overwhelmed. Jed saw her wide eyes and he chuckled. He was reminded of how he felt when he started to notice not one but two voices in his head, one was full of reasoning and the other was almost primal.
"What voices do you have in your voice? Like, one is primal and the other one reasonable? Or something similar, the primal one could be and must be your wolf side while the other one is your subconscious. Now, you could be just an anger-prone person which will make differentiating between wolf and subconscious a lot harder." Jed tried to guide her and Nansia frowned in confusion. After an awkward twenty-minute stare contest with Nansia's faraway eyes he had enough and clapped his hands making her jump out of focus.
"Obviously, you can't differentiate or think of a moment like that in your life, so we are going to meditate and try to contact the wolf in you." Jed stated sternly and a bit disappointed things looking to be far more difficult than he expected and Nansia groaned not liking this one bit!
"No, meditation again!"
"Yes, meditation again, until you are in full communication with all sides of you! You know what's at stake here! Focus!" Jed half scolded her half encouraged her yet his eyes were worried. Not only for his safety but for everyone's they were about to piss off a monster and they barely had control of their individual powers, they need to get better right away!
He won't have his classmates' blood on his hands! Not again!
Nansia sighed and mentally prepared herself and focused. In her head, she requested the voice of the wolf without really knowing what to expect. Suddenly a voice came forth;
"I'm here."
"Are you my wolf as Jed says?"
"I am."
"What can I do to unblock you? I have already killed people and we haven't shifted as people here call it."
"You don't need to accept just me, you need to accept all of you, past, present, and future. Only then you'll be unblocked."
"I will try. Thank you for telling me."
"Even if I didn't you would have figured it out eventually. Good luck!"
Nansia opened her eyes and looked at Jed who was still meditating.
"I did it, Jed." Nansia said unsure and excited.
Jed looked at her shocked but smiled proudly.
"So? Ready to shift?" Jed asked excitedly.
"No."
"What?"
"Why?
"Because I'm not ready. I need to work on accepting myself and what I am and what I have done." Nansia said with a serious tone and strict glare that sent a shiver down Jed's back.
He always forgets that Nansia wasn't their age and had been and could be ruthless and a predator with or without her wolf side activated. She had killed and could kill him if he pissed her off! And that glare was a cold reminder.
He couldn't be mad at her or force her to connect and shift with her wolf because it wasn't his place, the relationship is between Nansia and her wolf he is just the teacher and guide.
"Okay, but you need to learn to utilize your wolf senses. So, we're going to work on that." Jed instructed Nansia and work on it they did. For hours they spent together working on Nansia's hearing and other heightened senses, testing them on people throughout the school campus.
Soon lunch time came and Nansia for once she decided to join her friends and not spend time at Emma's office doing their sessions or at Bonnie's office working on her magic. Yes, they were still at it even if they had returned from the holidays.
She was surprised when she saw an unknown male sitting in their usual spot chit-chatting with Lizzie.
"Hey, guys…" Nansia said slowly and hesitantly as she set her tray down. Lizzie was surprised to see her and looked super excited while the other person just looked a bit surprised and had a lot of determination.
"Oh! Nansia! I'd like you to meet mine and Josie's cousin, Peter! Peter meet the infamous Nansia!" Lizzie exclaimed excited and oblivious to the way Peter was analyzing her. Nansia though saw it and felt threatened.
"Hey, nice to meet you." Nansia tried to be civil and extended her hand for a handshake and Peter's grip made her wince, he was pretty strong for his stature and age. His hands were rough and dry and too warm, suffocating her hand in warmth.
"I'm Peter!" Peter said excited but the excitement didn't reach his eyes.
Soon the others joined and everyone was pulled into casual conversation. Throughout the lunch though Nansia saw Peter's stare and it annoyed her and made her feel like a spectacle observed by scientists.
After the remaining classes, Nansia had to head out to work. It was a slow day and Ryan dropped by as Nansia was re-arranging the sugars, salts and peppers around the tables she caught Ryan up on her werewolf saga and meeting the odd cousin, Peter.
"They one from Earth 34, right?" Ryan asked intrigued and Nansia nodded.
"Try to remain kind, okay?" Ryan asked her hopeful that Nansia won't start drama with Peter causing their fragile friend group/ alliance to crumble.
Nansia just glared at him and he smiled trying to appease her. She was by herself that is why they spoke so openly about the supernatural, the others were at the back and weren't eavesdropping, she had checked.
For the remainder of her shift, she worked at a calm pace and took the bus as scheduled with her co-workers. Arriving back in hers and Penelope's dorm she was surprised to see Jed and Penelope going over the notes the twins had compiled and explaining it to him.
She smiled and quietly had a bath and got ready for bed, dinner, and homework in her lap she sat on her bed and started. An hour later, Jed said good night as Penelope took her turn in having her bath and dinner. By 1 am both girls were fast asleep.
Peter in his room with Sylvia was just watching a movie when he got a text from his aunt asking how was his first day back. Answering her quickly he excused himself and went outside to call his aunt. As he was talking on the phone with May he saw Nansia returning from wherever she was outside the campus. She looked exhausted but content. Peter didn't tell his aunt about Nansia not sure if he could answer all her upcoming questions. But he wasn't giving up. He will figure this out!
Soon everyone on campus had allowed sleep to take over.
What do we think? I hope you liked this chapter and look forward to the next one! Tell me in your comments your thoughts and theories for the upcoming chapters!
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