The Young and Gifted

29. deserve

The halls of the school became quiet, the air and the wood creaking, and the cold wind whistling. A window burst open and fractured but didn't completely break. The walls moaned and protested with a wail.

After she ditched the party when her hair suddenly had a colour change, Lizzie was sound asleep, peacefully dreaming about burying Penelope. Then her dream shifted. She twisted and turned in the bed as the dream started to form into a nightmare. But it wasn't any normal nightmare. It seemed to be going through Lizzie's worst memories, trying to find which one would stir up the most anger and fear in her.

Lizzie began to sweat under the covers, and her breathing was starting to turn ragged. Her life was starting to flash before her, when her first love left her, when she had an explosive episode in the kitchen. The memory was getting younger and younger. And then it paused on a memory that was suppressed under her young age. A memory that neither of the twins remembered. The day Kai murdered their biological mother.

Lizzie gasped awake. There was a monster on campus once again. And Lizzie was too swarmed with anger to realize that it rummaged through her head to splinter her emotions.

Because the first person she was going to release her threads of anger was Kaura.

*

Lizzie threw the covers back and stoically marched towards the door. She didn't react when she spotted Josie standing there, trying to wipe her eyes. "Lizzie, we need to talk." Lizzie didn't answer and shouldered past Josie with no word. Josie was frozen in shock as she walked down the hall. She stared at her sister with puzzlement but caught up with her. "Did you hear what I said? We need to—"

"I heard you," she said, no emotion in her voice. "I just don't care."

This got Josie even more puzzled. "What's happening with you?"

"I need to find Kaura."

"What? Why? It's late, she's probably asleep."

"Let me rephrase. I need to kill Kaura."

Josie huffed, shaking her head. "Lizzie. You're joking, right? You probably accidentally drank something at the party."

"Her dad killed our bio mom," she announced emptily. She hadn't faltered in her step, not once.

"I—Who told you that? Mom—" she remembered what happened earlier that night. "Caroline told us that our bio mom was murdered by a defect in the coven."

"Yes, he was the defect in the coven. He killed her when she was getting married to dad, Josie." Somehow, there was still no warmth or sensation behind the words.

This must have also swayed Josie's mind because she swallowed. They were both in terrifying silence until Josie said, "We have to sleep on this. We can ask dad tomorrow but I'm tired. You won't believe my night."

"What we need to take care of Kaura," Lizzie hissed. They arrived in front of her door. "You're either with me or you're against me."

Josie grabbed her sister's arm before she reached for the knob of Kaura's door. "Lizzie, what the hell are you talking about? We can't just—"

The blonde witch pushed back the brunette and Josie's head slammed against the wall. She fell to the floor and Lizzie muttered, "Somnum." Josie did not wake up. Lizzie then turned to the door once more. "Patentibus."

It exploded from its hinges, bursting through the darkroom. Lizzie stepped into the room and took in Kaura's sleeping form.

She delicately removed her shoes, tied her hair back, rolled up her pyjama sleeves up and climbed into the bed. Lizzie placed herself on top of Kaura, gripping onto her neck. She began to slowly apply pressure, the amount increasing drastically. It came to an extent where Kaura's eyes flew up and landed on Lizzie's. Her eyes widened in confusion and she began to tap Lizzie's arm as a warning. Kaura couldn't breathe.

Lizzie didn't blink, didn't move, as her hand kept strengthening on Kaura's neck. "I deserve to kill you."

Kaura's eyes began to flicker and she planted her hands on Lizzie's wrists. A faint red glow emerged and finally, the grip loosened as Lizzie's energy began to drain away. Kaura rapidly pulled back before it became fatal. With some space left, she shoved the witch off to the ground hard.

Lizzie's head slammed against the floor but she recovered quickly, reaching for Kaura. Kaura only hissed and stepped out of reach. "I really don't want to fight with you."

"I deserve to kill you," she repeated and clawed to grab Kaura again. She whispered in the dark. "Minuere--"

"Recedas," Kaura flickered her hand out and her spell easily overpowered Lizzie's. The blonde witch was now painfully pinned to the wall. "Lizzie, go back to your room. We will deal with whatever this is tomorrow."

"I deserve to kill you," she snarled viciously.

"Kaura," Josie's shouted from the door. 

She immediately dropped her spell on Lizzie and dove through the door. Before Lizzie could follow behind her, Josie flicked her wrist and the door slammed shut. She grabbed the knob and spelled, "Et clausum obstructionum." Josie then took a step back and swallowed as the door began to jingle frantically.

"She can siphon your spell off," Kaura reminded her rapidly.

"She can't siphon my spells, our magic is the same, just in two people," Josie answered and stepped back from the rattling door.

"What the hell is happening?"

"I think this is another monster."

"What does it wanted with me?"

"I don't know. But...it's saying that your father killed my mother." Josie swallowed, holding a hand to her palpitating heart. Kaura couldn't seem to respond so she added, "We need to find the teachers."

~

"I don't want you to be the hero. the hero's never the one left standing"

try to guess who said it and don't forget who to vote ;)