Without Me

Chapter 25

"You're happy here?" Landon asked, looking around the yard as he and Rafael headed back up the driveway.

"My own slice of heaven." Rafael smiled. "Would be better if … you came back to visit?"

"Yeah - yeah!" Landon nodded quickly. He couldn't believe that was a question his brother was asking. "Of course. But you never told me how you ended up in here. Or why none of us knew. I would've visited you sooner."

Rafael stiffened. "Uh … not my story to tell."

"Then whose?"

Rafael was silent, but something in his face still gave him away.

"It's Lizzie, right?" Landon motioned towards the house where they could see Lizzie through the kitchen window. "She's the one who somehow knew you were here."

"I said it's not my story to tell, Lan."

"Do you know her?"

"No, I - no."

"Then how did she know you were here?"

Rafael stopped at the door. "Probably some witchy thing."

"You're lying."

"Because I told you I can't say."

Landon pushed around Rafael and into the house. Lizzie turned as the door creaked open.

"Hey, calories don't count in a prison world, right?" she asked around a mouthful of sandwich.

"How did you know my brother was here?" Landon demanded instead of answering.

Lizzie looked him up and down as he approached. "Hello to you too."

"I need answers."

"And I will tell you all about it in the real world," Lizzie said with a smile. "... if you're ready to go back?" She glanced between Landon and Rafael.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be back to visit you soon." Landon pulled his brother into a tight hug. He couldn't believe that all this time he thought he was dead, Rafael was safely tucked away in this prison world. He couldn't believe Lizzie of all people figured it out.

"I will see you soon," Lizzie whispered as she hugged Rafael goodbye. "And I'll explain everything."

Lizzie closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she was staring at Landon across from her in the chalk circle. She opened her mouth to answer, but the front door flying open cut her off.

"Oh …" Hope glanced between the two of them sheepishly, her arms slowly lowering from the spell she'd used. Finch peered in behind her.

"Sorry -" Lizzie yanked her hands back guiltily. She didn't know why. Hope clearly knew what astral projection looked like.

"She took me to see Rafael," Landon said.

"What?"

"Yeah, he's not dead!"

Lizzie buried her face in her hands. Landon was such a loser blurting it out like that.

"He was just in a prison world this whole time," Landon was explaining.

Hope narrowed her eyes at Lizzie. "And she somehow knew that?"

"Yeah. But she hasn't explained how yet."

Hope crossed her arms and stared down Lizzie. "You said you just had a one-night stand with him in Atlanta."

Landon's head turned, eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched up. "You slept with my brother?"

"I - Okay, yes. Raf and I had sex - once. No strings attached. And he knew I was a witch. So when he was dying, he called me and asked me for help. I made a prison world and put him inside it where he would be safe and I could still visit him," Lizzie explained carefully.

"You made a prison world by yourself?" Hope arched an eyebrow doubtfully.

"Yes." Lizzie stuck her chin in the air. "I'm more powerful than I look. I just needed to find the right ascendant before I could bring anyone to him."

"And you found it here?" Finch asked, squinting around the tiny apartment. "In Dr. Saltzman's place? How did it end up here?"

"If I knew that, would it have taken me so long to figure out it was here?" Lizzie asked. 

"So, was getting expelled just a part of the plan?" Hope demanded, more hostile than Landon and Finch combined.

"No, that was -" Lizzie sighed. "That wasn't a part of the plan."

Everything just fell apart on her. None of it was part of the plan. Them forgetting about Rafael's prison world wasn't part of the plan. 

"Why did Rafael say he didn't know you?" Landon asked.

"Because I asked him not to. I asked him to lie." Lizzie looked down guiltily. 

Hope scoffed. "Seems like you've been doing enough of that yourself."

"And I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you just tell Dr. Saltzman the truth?" Finch asked, stepping in front of Hope. "I'm sure he would've understood."

Lizzie shook her head. "He wouldn't have."

She jumped as something flew at her face, reaching up and catching it. She blinked down at the truth orb in her hands.

"It's because it isn't the whole truth, is it?" Hope asked, tilting her head challengingly.

Lizzie looked between her and the glass ball. She was stuck - again. She was starting to hate this little device. She guessed that was what happened when you were a liar.

"No, it's not the whole truth," Lizzie said. The ball glowed blue. "But I'm not lying to hurt any of you." The ball stayed steady blue.

Finch nodded, gently taking the ball from her and slipping it into the pocket of her Salvatore School uniform. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving."