Without Me

Chapter 10

"So, running away already?"

Lizzie furrowed her eyebrows at her dad. "What are you talking about?"

Alaric shrugged. "I heard you were at the bus stop last night."

"From who?" Lizzie narrowed her eyes, her punches getting harder. Landon wouldn't have told, would he? She should have never trusted him. 

"My daughter told me how some of the students were making fun of your … episode." He looked to her like he was making sure he had the right terminology, and she nodded. Like he wasn't the one who provided her with all the books and vocabulary when she got her first diagnosis. "Just ignore them. They're small-minded kids too worried about themselves to remember it next week."

"And your daughter?" Lizzie arched an eyebrow.

"What about her?"

How do you think the rumors got started? Who do you think was a part of it? "Is she one of those small-minded kids?"

"My Josie? No. She's so compassionate. She loves everybody. She's the head of the Anti-Bullying Committee, you know?"

She should've known. If her dad thought she was an angel at her worst, why wouldn't he think the same of Josie now? It sucked to be on the outside of that. How had she taken it for granted?

Lizzie didn't have the energy to fight. She stopped swinging her punches and let her arms fall to her sides.

"Tired?" Alaric asked, eyeing her limp arms.

"Exhausted."

"Here." Alaric tossed her a pink water bottle.

Lizzie looked at it for a moment. I want the pink one. "Thanks."

"So do you want to talk about?" Alaric sat on the edge of the docks.

Lizzie slowly sat next to him. "Talk about what?"

"What happened yesterday? The kitchen or the bullying part or the bus. Up to you."

Lizzie shook her head. "I don't want to talk about any of it. I want to pretend like it never happened."

"Okay." Alaric nodded once, like it was that easy. "So your records were pretty incomplete. You didn't go to school anywhere before this?"

"I was homeschooled."

"I thought your family was dead?" Alaric arched an eyebrow.

"Hence why I needed a new school," Lizzie lied quickly. "Ghosts make bad professors. Don't tell Hogwarts I said that."

Alaric laughed a little. "I think you'll fit in just fine here. Don't worry about the other kids. I'll handle them." He looked around at their gear scattered around and Lizzie's exhausted face. "You can take off. I'll clean up here."

Lizzie stood up, legs aching from the workout. Now she remembered why she never wanted to train with her dad. "Well thanks for this. It was fun."

"Anytime."

The ache in Lizzie's legs was gone by the time she was pushing open the door to her and Hope's room. 

"Hey." Hope didn't look up when she came in. Her head only turned a fraction of an inch to indicate she was talking to Lizzie. "Have you seen my favorite necklace?" Hope pawed through the jewelry on her dresser.

Lizzie's heart jumped into her throat. "Which one's your favorite?"

"It's gold and it has a little star on the end." Hope made the motions to mimic the necklace around her throat. 

Lizzie looked down at her pocket guiltily. She didn't know Hope even knew she owned the necklace if she couldn't remember Lizzie. "I haven't seen it, but I'll keep an eye out for it. Is it sentimental?"

"No, I -" Hope stopped, frozen for a long, long time. "I think I bought it for myself, but it was just my favorite."

Lizzie nodded along half-heartedly. "I'm sure it'll show up. Looks like you have a lot of jewelry."

"But it was my favorite!" Hope said loudly, fingernails digging deeper into her jewelry and she rummaged more frantically.

"Why?" Lizzie returned, feeding off Hope's frustration.

"I don't - I don't know! But it means a lot, and I need to find it." Hope tore away from her dresser, marching towards the door and slamming it behind her.

She knew Hope Mikaelson was moody, but this was next level. Why was everyone in the world so insufferable now? Except for Landon. Landon was still Landon. 

Lizzie carefully placed the necklace just under the edge of Hope's bed before she settled into her own, letting her thoughts wander. 

She couldn't stay here. She knew that was the exact opposite of what she was sure of last night, but she was sure of this now. Landon just got into her head with his stupid optimism and charming promises and confident insight. It wasn't real. 

She wasn't running from herself. She was running from this stupid school and all the people who were breaking her heart daily by not remembering her. Landon didn't even know the half of it. It wasn't bullies or herself she was trying to escape. She was trying to forget about Malivore's spell.

When she plunged himself into the darkness, she expected to die once Malivore did.

That's how it should've gone. She was supposed to jump into the prison and be destroyed along with it. She wasn't supposed to be spit out again. 

She was supposed to be done.