Hello! Happy belated New Year and belated Merry Christmas! I wanted to upload this during the holidays but prior social engagements emptied my social battery so I chose to sleep. And suddenly the holidays are almost over! I have already started writing Chapter 27 so I don't know when that will be up.
I hope and wish 2024 is peaceful and that all of you are safe and healthy and have everything you need and want!
With this chapter I suggest listening to: Dooms Day by Bastille and Dynasty by MIIA.
TRIGGER WARNING; MENTIONS OF SIMILAR VIRUS AS COVID-19 AND LOCKDOWNS.
Enjoy!
Be Somebody
Chapter 26: Little Witch In Training And Teenage Scheming.
Atlanta: Salvatore Residence:
Stefanie was staring at Katherine as she was essentially giving a lecture on the types of witches and magic that used to exist. Stefanie listened and kept notes in the notebook resting on her cross-folded knees.
Since becoming Queen Of Hell, Katherine was not touched by Malivore's trick in erasing people's memories of the species he consumed, making her the perfect teacher to prepare Stefanie for what was to come and her destiny. It was still unknown and unclear to Katherine what Stefanie was supposed to do but her gut was telling her it was serious and dangerous. So, she ought to prepare this young witch before her as best as she could! She was one of her descendents after all and she was now turning a new leaf, protecting them instead of plotting their downfall like she did with Elena, the young witch's mother.
Stefanie for now was being introduced to theory and herbs and hand movements without actively casting spells, she needed to have a strong foundation and understanding of what she was doing, magic has a price and unfortunately, it's not age-discriminating or forgiving. As much as Katherine won't admit out loud she hated seeing how much Bonnie went through with her magic while having no one to aid her and keep her in a good path, she was dead-set against allowing the girl before her be another Bonnie Bennett in that aspect.
The lecture kept going until Damon knocked on the door and said;
"Bath time, missy! Hogwarts is out for tonight!"
Katherine rolled her eyes at his comment but smiled while Stefanie giggled childishly before shutting her notebooks and standing up.
"Thank you for the class, Katherine, really!" Stefanie said as she hugged the ruler of hell and Katherine hugged her tightly and gently kissed her head.
"We will continue this tomorrow same time, kid, now go bathe you smell!" Katherine lightly joked as she ruffled the girl's hair and then disappeared while Stefanie grabbed her towels and unlocked her bedroom door.
Damon and Elena were trying to come to terms with their new reality but Katherine was right, Stefanie needed help so they had to suffer Katherine for the sake of their daughter. And so far Katherine hadn't caused any issues quite the opposite! Their daughter seemed back to normal like she was before the Christmas debacle!
Mystic Falls, Virginia: Salvatore Academy:
Lizzie was marching back to the cafeteria after her explosive conversation with her dad, the thought of emancipation sounding much sweeter by the hour!
She saw Peter standing by the door of the cafeteria and she felt the boiling anger reach fever pitch as she tapped him in the shoulder rather roughly.
"If you die it won't be our fault, remember this! You put yourself in this situation, Peter! Welcome to hell, cous!" Lizzie told him angrily as she passed him and Peter's troubled eyes seemed to barely register what she told him but the frown was enough to confirm to her that he heard it.
Walking to her table she located Hope with her eyes and gently motioned for her to come to the side to talk.
"Hope…I overheard Dorian saying that he's going to Singapore to replace your Aunt Felicity…and that she's sick with some weird virus…do you know about this?" Lizzie asked hesitantly keeping her voice as hushed as she could.
Hope looked genuinely shocked and worried. It was Hope's turn to storm out of the cafeteria towards Alaric's office almost running.
"What is wrong with my aunt, Doctor Saltzman?" Hope asked bursting through the door and saw Caroline and Dorian with Alaric looking worried at news reports on Alaric's computer about an outbreak of an unknown virus.
People in Hazmat suits all around the streets of Singapore and in hospitals and airports, testing people and getting them on ambulances by the bulk was shown in the screen that Hope's eyes glued on the moment she entered the room.
Caroline walked up to her and hugged her as Hope blinked tears;
"No, not again…I can't take it!" Hope sobbed in Caroline's embrace and Lizzie arrived at the office and instantly glanced at the news and then at Hope.
"Nobody can get in or out of the country." Dorian stated stressed and the silence was so loud!
Hope couldn't take it anymore and walked out of the office and found Lizzie who was trying to gather the courage to get in the office. Lizzie seeing Hope's facial expression she engulfed the other girl in a hug.
"We can check on her through astral projection." Lizzie suggested hopeful that it remedy some of the nervousness, anxiety and sadness that were choking Hope from the inside.
Hope nodded silently and the two witches walked to Hope's dorm room and started setting things up. Lizzie was setting up the candles and Hope was just staring too anxious to even attempt to move. She felt paralyzed.
Lizzie grabbed the crystal she and her sister used to use to do astral projections to see one another during their summers or winter holidays when one of them would go to their mum.
"Is Professor Felicity your full-blooded aunt or honorary?" Lizzie asked Hope while holding a knife, There were two ways to do an astral projection, use blood and familial ties to find this person and establish a connection or psychic connection set your mind to that person and force the psychic connection to build up, this process was more unstable. That is the reason why Lizzie and Josie usually used crystals to channel that psychic energy through them as an antenna.
"No, honorary." Hope answered distracted and Lizzie nodded and sent a sympathetic glance towards the tribrid.
Hearing that essentially no blood would connect them Lizzie started the crystal-psychic way using the lit candles and Hope as a power battery.
"Hope, please picture your aunt with the best memories you can come up with." Lizzie gently instructed and Hope nodded closing her eyes.
Lizzie gently started chanting a spell, the astral projection spell she was taught was kinda a free-verse you could add your request but it had to be in Latin and you had to have a clear picture of the person or place you wanted to go to or come into contact with.
So, centering her mind to Professor Felicity's appearance from when she last saw her she gently started chanting;
"Spiritus adiuvant nos spiritum formae nostrae magae lapsae sororis, ut praesentia nostra adiuvet eam et in suo tempore experiendo vires donet." (Spirits help us get our spirit forms to a fallen sister-witch, so our presence can aid her and give her strength in her trying time.)
Hope was a bit taken aback not hearing the familiar spell she knew but didn't allow it to break her focus, every memory she ever had with Felicity was playing like a movie montage in her head. Then both witches felt it, the breeze blowing through them and past them. The sound came next, the cacophony of a busy ER, with staff and patients yelling, screaming or crying. Sirens blare in the background and people rush all around Lizzie's and Hope's ghostly forms.
Lizzie instantly reached for Hope's hand but their spiritual forms didn't allow that gesture to happen, it was noticed by Hope who smiled sadly at her. The two witches kept close as they walked through the chaos looking for the head of blonde hair with honey-brown highlights and kind blue eyes. It took them about twenty minutes to reach the end of the ER, the emergency room, and be taken to a room labeled by a piece of A4 paper writing: "QICU: Room 1"
"What's QICU?" Hope asked Lizzie who shrugged unsure.
They walk through the plastic curtains that are air-locked and shielded.
In that area the only sounds present were ventilators, heart monitors and IV pumps. People resting under blue UV lights looking so sickly made both young girls' hearts twist in sympathy and fear.
In the third bed Hope saw the familiar ankle tattoo of Felicity's two Highland Scottish clans she was part of, the Mackenzie and the Frasers. Their symbols were interwoven together creating a design her aunt and her cousins came up with when she was a baby. She rushed to see her, but Lizzie respectfully remained behind restraining her curiosity to see how bad was Felicity.
She looked bad, she had a ventilator on, she had red eyes not the inside of the iris but the whole eye socket was red, and her skin looked clammy and pale. Hope could smell the sickness in her, her werewolf and vampiric senses helping her. That smell was between rotten eggs and sewer smell. Yet the patient next to her aunt smelled like over exposed plastic bag in the sun during a heat wave that was dipped in the sand and then peed on by someone.
And the person next to them smelled like expired tuna and rotten milk.
Those smells made her queasy.
"Aunt Felicity, you have to fight! I can't lose anyone else! Please!" Hope whispered to her aunt's ear trying not to inhale too much of her scent.
Felicity's heart rate monitor picked up instantly.
"She heard you!" Lizzie exclaimed hopeful and Hope grinned.
The grin though was replaced with confused horror when the heart monitor wouldn't stop going up and sirens started blurring;
"CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!"
An automatic voice called out in an emotionless tone and Lizzie with Hope saw doctors in Hazmat suits rushing to Felicity and cutting her hospital gown with surgical scissors, wiping the sweat off her chest and starting CPR while another nurse was preparing the defibrillator device.
"NO NO NO! I DIDN'T SAY STOP FIGHTING! I SAID KEEP FIGHTING! AUNT FELICITY PLEASE!" Hope screamed and sobbed as she tried to get close but doctors and nurses kept going through her.
Lizzie was frozen in shock. Didn't know what to do now she couldn't touch Hope, if she could she would have engulfed her in a hug shielding her from this.
"PLEASE!" Hope sobbed as she fell to her knees.
Suddenly they were forced back into Hope's dorm room and Hope remained on her knees sobbing. Lizzie without her realization had gripped the crystal so tight she smashed it into a million pieces!
Lizzie jumped at the change of scenery and looked at her hand which was now bleeding. Then looked at a devastated Hope who was just sobbing on her knees, eyes shut tight as tears fell on her open palms resting on her school uniform's skirt.
"Please! I'll do anything!" Hope whispered brokenly almost sounding like a prayer.
Lizzie joined her and hugged her as Hope kept mumbling in repeat;
"Please! I'll do anything! Anything! Please!"
Lizzie lost the sense of time holding Hope who never stopped mumbling until she exhausted herself and Lizzie found herself cradling Hope's sleeping head.
Lizzie held such a heartbroken look on her face but her eyes told a different story, they held this faraway traumatized look while a frown was decorating her lips. She hadn't realized but she was gently rocking Hope the entire time.
Hope's prayers didn't fall on deaf ears though. Katherine had been keeping tabs on Nansia and her friends ever since Christmas and she was watching Hope and Lizzie's astral projection project. She saw what they saw. Truly heartbreaking.
She might have hated Klaus for killing her family and hunting her for 500 years but this girl before her, his daughter, didn't deserve so much loss! And since she's the Queen of Hell, she has a say in who dies and who lives. So when they, the Queen of Hell, the Gatekeepers of Hell and Heaven, the Fates and several Gods held the obligatory meeting to decide the end of specific soul groups every day Katherine spoke up regarding Felicity's soul saying how it wasn't her time yet and she had so much to give.
Her request was heard and within four days Felicity's condition became better moving her out of QICU to normal ICU. As for the students Felicity was supposed to escort back to the States, they had tested negative for the virus and showed no signs. Their quarantine was ending in eleven days and Dorian had managed through embassies to get himself a 48-hour visa in order to transport the girls and Felicity back to the States.
Freya and Keelin had prepared a room for her at Keelin's hospital ensuring the best of care. Freya was busy looking for cures in a witchy sense and Hope just like Lizzie was feverishly studying the updates and death toll. Lizzie went a step further and started researching the biological makeup of the virus through various medical journals she found.
Caroline and Alaric saw this change in Lizzie's behaviour and feared she was heading for a manic episode. But she wasn't.
Lizzie always liked nerdy stuff but kept it pretty under wraps. Research was her favorite thing hence why she started creating the Watcher database.
During all of this Nansia and the others didn't give up trying to figure out more about the blob of golem and did a bunch of tests to it all yielding different and conflicting results.
From the moment Lizzie returned, pulled Hope aside and in hushed voices exchanged some sort of news, then Hope sprinted towards the exit of the cafeteria and Lizzie soon followed her, the newly united super squad hadn't seen Hope or Lizzie. And it had been hours!
Unfortunately, they didn't have the luxury of waiting around for the two of them and they continued their pre-scheduled routine by returning to the Old Mill after lunch.
At the Old Mill, Ryan, Penelope, Rafael and Nansia with MG decided to test the golem blob of goo by throwing at it squirts of various liquids from syringes such as holy water, vervain water, werewolf venom diluted with water, and various chemically poisonous liquids that Penelope made on the spot after Googling about it.
In all of them, the blob of goo seemed to have similar reactions it sizzled, moved away in an attempt to escape, tried to separate itself to avoid the liquid drops and even tried to attack them. Thankfully it was securely locked and when studied under a microscope they realized a horrifying event, the blob was gaining immunity, evolving into resisting everything they threw at it! Changing atomically!
It felt like such a huge letdown until MG had an idea; he lit up a match and threw it in the secured area and they watched as the blob caught fire and let a screeching-like sound. The blob became ash and our heroes were about to yell at MG for destroying their only sample and hope when before their shocked eyes the blob caught fire and re-assemble itself becoming brand new.
"What the fuck?!" Peter's voice made them all look up to see him as he held a bunch of books and notebooks and also some chemistry instruments.
"How long have you been standing there?" MG asked confused and a bit protective.
"Since the holy water, about half an hour or so." Peter acquired as he walked into the building and let his stuff on the couch.
"Why are you here?" Penelope was the next one to speak stealing Nansia's voice in the process.
"Because I'm in the "fold" and you need help." Peter answered as he walked up to them but Rafael was first to react stepping before them and Peter.
"We are good, dude. Go hang out with Josie." Rafael said seriously protective and his eyes flashed their werewolf yellow.
"I would but Josie had a debate club and I'm not allowed in after what I did last time." Peter said awkwardly and Penelope and Nansia with Ryan frowned with confusion and some intrigue.
"What did you do last time?" Nansia and Ryan spoke at the same time suspiciously and a bit in a gossipy manner.
"I gave away all the answers on both sides and ended up monopolizing the whole thing…essentially giving an entire speech by myself. I'm surprised I wasn't kicked out with magic instead of having Josie and some other Goth girl drag me out physically THEN seal the door with magic." Peter explained as he moved his hands wildly since he felt nervous retelling this story because it didn't paint him as a team player and he needed to be seen as such if he wanted to be allowed in the Old Mill to oversee what experiment they were doing.
"Annalise." Penelope supplied.
"Who?" Peter asked confused.
"The "Goth girl" her name is Annalise." Penelope repeated a bit disapproving of Peter's use of the word goth.
Peter didn't know what to say to that so he nodded and then eyed the golem blob that was looking as if nothing had happened to it.
"Have you checked it again under the microscope now that it regenerated essentially?" Peter asked trying to bypass the wolf and the witches so he can get to the golem goo.
"No, you scared us with your presence." Nansia spoke with a suspicious tone and gaze.
Peter nodded and walked over to the microscope and put the goo under it, Penelope hesitantly eyed it after him and exclaimed;
"NO WAY!"
"What?!" Ryan jumped in next and he cursed.
"What?" MG, Nansia and Rafael asked all at once.
"The good looks like a blank canvas…no immunity or any mutation!" Penelope said conflicted and everyone stared at the goo with a silent look of despair and fear.
"Do we repeat the tests and see its reaction?" MG asked unsure.
"Yes, it's the only way to learn what it has learn." Peter answered them wisely and they sighed in defeat.
The good news was that the goo seemed to not have mutated an immunity to everything it kept getting hurt. And every time it was set on fire its atomic build seemed to weaken, it took more and more minutes to regenerate. After the twelfth attempt, they stopped for the day and put it aside securing it in their spot and called it a night.
Penelope went to check the herb garden while Rafael and Nansia went for a werewolf meeting. Ryan was off to his apartment in the city and MG had a scheduled online D&D campaign he was late for. So, Peter found himself walking to his dorm feeling a bit satisfied and a bit unsure how to approach these people when he opened his door to only be told by Sylvia that his aunt had been calling him but his phone was off so she called Sylvia's.
Peter slapped his forehead realizing he hadn't pressed the plug inside the socket firmly enough and his phone hadn't charged for three days now and it was dead. He put it to charge and went to shower before deciding to call his aunt and then nap.
Unbeknownst to everyone and Ryan's wishes not to set the foundations of their plan to the mythos, Josie had used her free time after debate club to start tracking down the bloodlines who created Malivore and trying to contact them in the spirit realm.
In Hope's room, Lizzie and Hope had fallen asleep from emotional exhaustion when Lizzie woke up thirsty and decided to conjure a water glass being bored of going all the way to the kitchens before going back to sleep.
Ryan ate a quick microwave-heated lunch before showering and getting to bed, his newly purchased apartment laid bare and with no character since he had no time to do so. And he refused to get too comfortable until Malivore was dealt with.
Nansia and Penelope caught up with some homework before they went to the cafeteria for some snacks and then they napped too.
With Josie, she had luck tracking down the witch bloodline and was in the process of tracking down the vampire side which was a bit too difficult.
Josie worked tirelessly trying to track down the vampire bloodline as we said but the witch bloodline was far easier because the witch ancestors and deceased descendants agreed to help her solve the plague that Malivore turned out to be. The vampires were still alive and tracking and a live target was hard to pinpoint.
And of course, she wasn't dumb to get to them by herself so she walked to Kaleb's and MG's room to ask for either of them to help her locate the two closest she found. Starting with the first one and if things didn't work out they had the second closest.
They drove to Lovington, Virginia which was an hour and seventeen minutes from Mystic Falls. The vampire was located in a bar in the center of downtown. Unfortunately, they couldn't go in the legal way so it was a good thing she had two vampires with her that could compel their way in.
They watched the bar as everyone seemed to have a good time and Josie tried to feel the thread of magic from the linking spell created and have been following for an hour. Her eyes drew to the barista making a pink drink for a bachelorette.
"You got this, Jo!" Kelab said smiling and encouraging to the young witch who seemed very nervous.
Josie took a deep breath straightened her back and took big and sure strides towards him.
"Anton Markbello?" Josie asked as loudly as she humanly could and the barista threw a glare at her.
"You're too young to be in the bar, you have ten minutes to close the bar tap and leave before I call the police." Anton said in a threatening tone not even bothering to stop executing orders.
"I haven't opened a tub or tap whatever you called it…I just wanted to talk to you. Do you have time?" Josie asked bravely and Anton looked at her surprised and he sighed before nodding to a co-worker to take over and motioned for her to meet her at an empty table.
Kelab and MG were keeping their distances but used their heightened hearing to keep an eye out.
"What do you want, little witch?" Anton asked her suspiciously.
"I want your blood and your consent to use it." Josie said seriously and Anton laughed at her.
"And you think I would give you my blood and consent without asking what is for?" Anton asked rhetorically and Josie sighed defeated she hadn't thought up to that point.
"I want to kill Malivore and your sire-line created him or it. Are you willing?" Josie said seriously and Anton's joking and underestimating attitude dropped.
He looked dangerously serious.
"Have you gone mad, child?" Anton asked and Josie shook her head no.
"No, but he has waged war against my family and school, had agents both human and tortured-coerced vampires, witches and werewolves and a myriad of other creatures haunt us and hurt us. We are just children who didn't choose to be born this way or turned into vampires, we are trying to end it before more get to experience what we are experiencing and you are the root of the solution." Josie explained and Kelab and MG were shocked to see this alternative version of Josie, a diplomatic mastermind.
Anton remained silent, his eyes were shocked hearing her but he covered it up quickly.
"What do I get?" Anton asked and Josie chuckled darkly.
"It doesn't seem like you need anything! You're just going to do your decade-long good deed and keep your peaceful life!" Josie observed and Anton once again had to cover his surprise.
And now to Josie's surprise he didn't say anything, he just extended his hand and Josie took her knife and hydro flask she found in her mum's old college box and started bleeding him.
Five awkward minutes the hydro flask was filled halfway and Josie reckoned it was okay. She thanked him and was about to leave.
"Whatever you do, it's going to work, especially with my blood…I was the one that helped create him." Anton said to Josie before he walked back to his post Josie stared at him shocked and then turned to eye her friends who mirrored her expression.
What the fuck?
Driving back in shocked silence the trip reached the gates only to find Alaric and Caroline waiting for them with questions about where they've been.
"Teaching me how to drive." Josie answered before any of the vampires could.
"And why do I smell blood?" Caroline counter asked.
"I took some for snacking and stress eating because teaching Josie how to drive I think aged me if that's possible, headmistress!" Kelab exclaimed dramatically keeping up Josie's lie.
The adults by some miracle seemed to believe it so they let them get to bed, it was nearing curfew.
On the Lizzie front, Lizzie woke up after her nap with a weird sensation, her brain was tingling and numbing at the same time. Her instinct was to go search for Aunt Bonnie. Bonnie hearing Lizzie decided to put her in a sleeping spell so they could both take a look inside her head. Bonnie's theory was that some memory or compulsion was coming undone from the many they had as children. Some compulsions were made by Damon himself while others by Stefan and Bonnie had worked to keep them in place after his deaths.
Lizzie's Mindscape:
Lizzie is waiting for Bonnie's comforting appearance but she's nowhere to be seen.
She sees herself looking at the mirror of hers' and Josie's room fixing her hair. She remembered that it was the day of their fifteenth birthday. Landon and Rafael had mere weeks before they appeared and Nansia hadn't shown up yet. A week after she would.
Past Lizzie turned around as the door opened and a blue human-like creature walked up to her hesitantly.
"Um…who are you?" Past Lizzie asked with a rude attitude earning currently Lizzie to look away in shame.
"I'm Jinni" The blue creature said and Past Lizzie laughed.
"You mean Genie." Past Lizzie corrected her still keeping a rude attitude.
"NO! It's Jinni! With J not a G! Gods! You humans are stupid!" Jinni exclaimed annoyed and offended.
"Good thing I'm no human, bitch!" Past Lizzie exclaimed in rude defence.
"No, you're exactly what I need." Jinni said smirking evilly and her eyes turned violet as she spoke in a hypnotizing tone.
"Tell me what is your deepest desire and witsh!" Jinni commanded Past Lizzie and Current Lizzie looked horrified.
She never recalled this!
How could it be possible?
"I want Hope Mikaelson to never have existed!" Past Lizzie wished and Current Lizzie let a gut-wrenching scream of no as memories invaded her mind of terrible experiences and futures.
Scenes playing in fast forward bring Current Lizzie to her knees as she held her head sobbing in pain.
"Why me?" Past Lizzie sobbed on her knees before Jinni.
"Because your mind is weak, you're already broken. Your mind is broken that is why you won't remember this once it's all over. You will be the reason your whole school and your friends, entire species will be just memories and folklore!" Jinni taunted her and Past Lizzie begged her to take her back home.
"What home? This is your home now! You wished it!"
"That was only my second wish! I have one more!" Past Lizzie sobbed hopeful and she stood up with trembling limps.
"I wish…I wish for your freedom." Past Lizzie said trembling trying to sound braver than she felt.
"If I grant you that wish all the other wishes are null and void, you sure you want that?" Jinni warned her in a panic and Past Lizzie nodded with tears.
And like that, Lizzie felt a stabbing pain in her head causing her to gasp and sit up straight back in the living world.
End of Lizzie's Mindscape:
Bonnie was unconscious on the couch and Lizzie looked horrified and tired. She rushed to help her or at least to try to wake her up.
The first instinct she had was to cast a healing spell but she didn't know where to focus it. So, she rushed to grab the wall siphoning the magic running through the school and then returned back to Bonnie. And slowly started casting the healing spell targeting towards the head chakra and then the heart chakra for safety and she inwardly prayed that would be enough.
And to Lizzie's relief and it was because after the third journey towards her heart charka that Bonnie gasped and opened her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Lizzie asked worried and yet there was relief in the undertones of her voice.
"I think so…what happened?" Bonnie asked in a dazed and confused tone.
"What do you remember?" Lizzie asked scared and slightly confused.
"I remember laying down to cast the spell so I could be with you and then nothing. Like I was in a deep asleep." Bonnie answered concerned.
"How are you, Lizzie?" Bonnie asked her turning the attention to her student.
"I'm fine now…still reeling but I'm not in pain anymore. Although, I consider that I might have subconsciously kicked you out of my mental headspace." Lizzie theorized confused.
"Want to tell me what you saw?" Bonnie asked gently and caringly.
Lizzie gave in and the floodgates opened, she cried as she spoke and Bonnie could not hide her horrifying shock. Although, it didn't take hours to convey how horrific it was and what she went through Lizzie felt like time wasn't moving along fast enough she just wanted to be done with it, tell it to Bonnie and the guys and never talk about it. Ever again!
Bonnie once Lizzie was done she engulfed her honorary niece in a tight hug and praised her on managing to survive such an ordeal.
"You have to tell your parents though." Bonnie said hesitantly and that suggestion made Lizzie shake her head vehemently no.
"Okay okay! But as the Jinni said something is wrong with your brain's chemistry, you need to be checked by a doctor. It's so much magic can do." Bonnie said wisely.
"I have Bipolar Disorder, Aunt Bonnie. I have been diagnosed with it and was on medication for a short time but Dad stopped refilling my prescription because the pharmacist was Dana's mum and Dana would make fun of me for it and he didn't like it so he stopped going." Lizzie explained to Bonnie with a sombre tone and Bonnie screwed her face in a shocked and annoyed expression.
"And because of town gossip, he stopped getting you help?!" Bonnie exclaimed not hiding her displeasure and Lizzie nodded.
"That is such a bullshit! Oh! My God! There are a bunch of pharmacists in town and out of town, he could get the medication from! Hell have it delivered! It's 2028 for fuck's sake mental health is not stigmatized anymore!" Bonnie rambled angrily and Lizzie couldn't help but feel bad on behalf of her dad but on the other side, she agreed with Bonnie's words.
"We are going to get you reevaluated and I'll sign as a guardian, we are getting you back on those meds! You need to be strong and healthy mind and body to be able to protect yourself and help defeat this Malivore dude!" Bonnie stated decisively and Lizzie swelled with happiness and relief.
After that Bonnie and Lizzie looked up doctors out of Mystic Falls and the laws around guardianship and medical aid just so it won't interfere with Lizzie's legal movements to get herself emancipated.
At the same time, Lizzie had started looking into the bizarre illness in Singapore along with Hope. For four days they scoured the known internet and Hope used her Mikaelson connection to get more in-depth answers. In response, the Mikaelsons in New Orleans prepared a room for accommodations to bring Felicity back home and donated ample money towards research in the medical field. And because of Katherine's meddling Felicity spent those four days in grave illness and then she got miraculously better and sent Dorian and the students back home.
But in those four days, the squad minus Lizzie, Hope and Josie spent it testing the durability of the goo. While Josie spent it looking for the witches and vampires as we said and she started her werewolf bloodline.
Atlanta: Salvatore Academy:
It's been two days since Katherine's last lesson with the new little witch known as Elena's and Damon's daughter, spent it being a normal child, going to school yet at night Stephanie would perform small spells to amuse herself creating lighting figures before falling asleep. And in all honestly, Elena and Damon were trying really hard to accept that they were back in the game! They truly thought they were out for good.
So, when Damon picked up Stefanie from school, they were trying to get home from school when he saw from the review mirror as they were waiting for a stop sign, he saw her mumbling a little spell and he saw her levitate his sunglasses to her head like a tiara.
He really missed Bonnie, he wished Bonnie could teach her instead of Katherine. Yet he has never seen Katherine fighting so feverishly for someone other than herself.
Elena got an email from Rebekah telling her about the mysterious illness and asking if she knew anything, pleaded actually. Elena spent those four days asking the epidemiology department at her hospital but she came up blank. The entire world had no idea what that illness was or where it came from and what was to defeat it. Felicity was the only survivor.
Mystic Falls, Virginia: Salvatore Academy:
In the Old Mill as the kids tested again that good Landon showed up just in to see it resurrect itself much slower and Peter timed it.
"And that ladies and gents marks the 130th resurrection times to an hour and forty-seven minutes!" Peter exclaimed as he recorded himself. Penelope wrote it down and Nansia with Ryan studied it carefully. Rafael was with Jed doing werewolf things.
"So, it took up to an hour, huh?" Landon asked as he was being caught up on the testing thanks to MG and Rafael. He had spent hours being tested on his abilities to figure out what he was and trying to console Hope or at least spent an hour asking around for her and not finding her.
Hope kept her distance from Landon still very not in the mood to take care of his emotional needs regarding her aunt's illness and then his attempt to aid her through her emotional turmoil, for once she wanted to be the one consoled and Lizzie did that and more.
Oh! How the tables have turned! At the beginning of this year, they were barely talking and here they were.
Yet she loved Landon more than anything but those four days she didn't want anyone to talk to her about anything OTHER than her aunt's condition. Yes, avoiding him like that was childish but who cares she's a child herself!
Four Days Later:
Dorian was half a day out of Mystic Falls with the students and news that Felicity had settled nicely in New Orleans. Hope was a stressful mess while Nansia who had been caught up by now didn't know how to react to be of help, she essentially kept to herself and stayed in the background.
Hope had her phone glued to her hand or her pocket and could barely focus during classes. The teachers didn't say anything to her because Alaric and Caroline had let them know prior otherwise she would have been reprimanded for her behavior.
It was during Lunch break when Peter sat with them while Silvia tagged along when Hope's phone rang, Freya's face popped up with the selfie Hope and Freya had taken during Christmas.
Peter and essentially everyone jumped at the volume of her ringtone and their heightened hearing did not help.
"How is she? Has she arrived?" Hope asked eagerly and Landon threw her a gentle glance full of sympathy. Lizzie under the table held Hope's hand in much-needed support.
"Yes, she's fine! As fine as she can be for someone sick with the mystery plague." Freya answered a lot of stressed out and tired. Sounds of the hospital echoed.
Hearing that Hope grasped her chest and lowered her head finally allowing her chest to untighten and her shoulders fell down.
Unbeknownst to everyone Katherine was watching over Hope and her friends while receiving the news and had a small smile of victory before disappearing.
The news of Felicity's safe arrival back to the States was heard all the way to Elena and her family causing Elena to start keeping up with news reports over that illness and buying a huge amount of masks, gloves and sanitisers for her family. A bit of panic buying.
Katherine showed up to her while she was manically cleaning Stephanie's lunch boxes for school.
"Be careful, you might turn into Caroline with all that stress cleaning!" Katherine joked in hopes of lightening up the mood but it didn't work earning a glare from Elena.
"How serious is it?" Elena asked Katherine who got serious pretty quickly.
"Death toll alone in Singapore is 183 as of two minutes ago. The survival rate is low around 30-40% but Felicity will be okay, I made sure of that." Katherine told her seriously and Elena nodded holding back tears.
"Is it coming towards us? The epidemiology department isn't prepared for an influx of patients and I've seen the news reports coming from there!" Elena choked out as she finally broke down in stress. Katherine did the unthinkable, hugged her, and Elena just accepted it.
"It is coming but I feel that everyone will be alright." Katherine reassured her. Elena took a big calming breath before detangling herself from the Queen of Hell and wiping her tears.
"Did I do right buying all of this?" Elena asked Katherine who eyed the bags.
"Look the only pandemic I lived through was the one of 1914 and some epidemics too, masks and gloves were always helpful. I don't know about the sanitisers though. The virus is airborne and not transferred by fluids or surfaces." Katherine advised and Elena nodded.
"Besides, you're a doctor, you will be in the know with WHO the moment anything happens! Have faith in your knowledge!" Katherine said encouragingly and Elena eyed her shocked.
"Did you just encourage me?" Elena asked shocked and Katherine chuckled.
"I've changed since I died. I'm trying to be civil with you because I care about your daughter and her studies. I won't be able to guide her and have her trust if my relationship with her parents is trash. So, baby steps!" Katherine explained and Elena smiled amazed.
Katherine bid goodbye to the mother before returning to her realm.
"Your Majesty!" A demon run up to her as she barely sat on the throne and she eyed him questionably.
"What is it?"
"The death toll is 209. And Dorian is sick too!" The demon exclaimed and Katherine froze in shock.
Before the demon could say anything Katherine disappeared.
Katherine appeared inside Alaric's office scaring the living daylights out of him.
"Elena? What? How? What are you wearing?" Alaric rambled confused and trying to calm down.
"Not Elena! Alaric, listen to me, when Dorian appears put him in quarantine! He is sick with the same virus! Dorian and Felicity are the patients 0 and 1 of this for your country!" Katherine exclaimed and Alaric froze.
"Dorian is already here…I hugged him and shook his hand…" Alaric said horrified and Katherine tensed.
Alaric turned to his desk pressed the school-wide intercom system and said;
"The school is effective immediately on lockdown. Students return to your dorms, teachers meet me at the cafeteria for a faculty meeting. Please all keep at least two feet from each other, even your dorm buddies! Thank you!"
Alaric ended his speech and held Katherine's gaze both had various levels of anxiety.
What now?
So? What do you think? Do you think this virus will put a damper on the team that is trying to defeat Malivore and even Malivore himself? Will Felicity and Dorian make it? Tell me your thoughts in your comments!
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