Burnin' Up | J. Saltzman - Legacies [1]

T W E N T Y - N I N E

"I said don't look!" Stella turns back to Hope. "Talk to Saltzman about it. And be careful, ok?"

Stella narrows her eyes. "You have to go, don't you?" Before Hope can answer, Stella scoffs. "Fine, just call when you can. And tell my parents that they scared me. Maybe I'll even get a call."

"Stella—"

She turns off her phone.

Approaching Alaric, she quickly explains the situation, never taking her eyes off of the mysterious man. "What's he doing here?" Stella asks.

"I don't know. Probably the same thing we are—trying to cover things up," Alaric replies. "There are groups like this scattered all over the globe. Probably tracking the same activity we were."

"Like hunters?"

Alaric shakes his head. "These groups don't carelessly murder for no reason. They preserve."

Stella's eyes fall on their car. "They sure pack enough power to be hunters."

They watch as armed men fill a car with weapons, ammunition, and scuba gear. Stella's eyes widen. "The gear," she breathes. "They're here for the urn."

~~~~~

Stella sits beside Josie as Lizzie fusses over her sister's boil. The medics had wrapped Josie's arm in a bandage, but that does not stop Lizzie from trying to heal it; she even siphoned some magic off of Stella to try helping.

The noise bothers Stella—it's like she cannot quiet it down. It is overwhelming and difficult to sift through. Every movement Josie makes, whether she shifts in her seat or jerks away from Lizzie, grates Stella's ears until she is sure they are bleeding.

She closes her eyes, squeezing them tightly. Suddenly, Alaric's voice fills her head. She pops her eyes open to see him talking to the strange man. "Roanoke," Alaric says tensely.

"I'm just checking in with everyone," the stranger replies. "Sooner we get everyone proper medical attention, sooner you can go see that giant ball of yarn."

"Well, we don't need any attention, but thank you."

The man chuckles. "So, you came in from Raleigh on a road trip with your family?"

Alaric narrows his eyes. "Roanoke."

"Roanoke, sorry. You ever been to Kansas?"

Stella straightens her back as she glares at the man's head. Her attention is taken away when Josie lays a hand on her's. "Hey, who is that guy?" She asks.

"Some creep Hope and your dad met in Kansas when you guys were in Europe."

"Why were they in Kansas?" Lizzie scoffs. "Oh, wait, let me guess. It involved Hope insinuating herself into a situation where only she could be the hero."

"Sure," Stella replies as her head begins to pound.

"I swear to God, she would do anything to get attention."

Stella shakes her head with a sarcastic smile. "Said the narcissist."

"Said the...other narcissist."

"Guys!" Josie exclaims. "Can we please just stop?"

Shaking her head, Stella leans across Josie. "You know what? Maybe Hope was jealous. Maybe she wanted what you have—a simple day with her family. But she can't ever get that.

"The only reason I know about the fire is because she called Teddy sobbing after it happened. She lost half of her stuff, including the only painting she made with her dad. Why would she do that to herself?"

Too frustrated to argue more, Stella stands up and crosses her arms over her chest. She feels her throat tighten as images of her cousin and uncle flash in her mind. The loss is still to fresh.

When she glances up, she sees the mysterious man looking at her. She only looks back at Alaric; he motions for her to join them outside. Reluctantly, despite the tightness spreading over her body, she complies—if only to get away from Lizzie.

"Who is this asshole?" Stella whispers to Alaric as they pause by a forgotten car.

"I work for an organization that keeps monsters and things that go bump in the night from public view," the man replies. "You can call me Clarke. I thought I recognized you. I wasn't sure if it was a coincidence, so we searched your van."

"Not exactly legal," Stella replies as she narrows her eyes at Clarke.

He focuses on Alaric. "We know you're Alaric Saltzman, headmaster of the Salvatore School. We know a lot about it. You have a terrific reputation."

"Leave the school out of this," Alaric says. His tense shoulders only make Stella more uncomfortable in the situation.

"Look, I applaud your school's mission. If you do your job right, makes mine easier."

"So why are we still here talking to you?" Stella asks as she crosses her arms. The man's eyes seem to sparkle at her response.

"Well, I have an entire town that needs to forget what they've seen today. You know, usually it's convincing a farmer in Nebraska he didn't see a chimera."

Stella freezes. Chimera. She knows that creature from stories. Stories of Beacon Hills—not Nebraska.

"Or a few ice fishermen in Minnesota that it wasn't a yeti that ate their best friend. This is an entire town. It's different. We could use the assistance of a vampire." He looks down at Stella with a glint in his eye. "I noticed the daylight ring on the boyfriend."

"He's not—" Alaric begins, but cuts himself off. "Never mind. Why not call it a freak swarm of bugs? Why erase it from memory?"

"Because someone may recognize them for what they are," Clarke replies.

"Harbingers," Stella sighs. "The work of a mummy."

Alaric smiles gleefully. "I knew it," he whispers to himself as he does a little dance.

Clarke eyes him weirdly. "One of our drivers survived an attack by the river. He's been tracking the mummy ever since. He's still on the outskirts of town, but he's heading our direction. We're a cleanup organization. We're not equipped to go to battle with a mummy. So will you help? Cut him off at the pass and keep these people safe?"

Alaric frowns. "These are kids—"

"Kids with magic in a town full of innocents without it."

Stella takes a deep breath before putting on a smile. "We'd be happy to help."

Alaric sends her a look before saying, "I'm gonna need my weapons."

"Of course," Clarke replies. "Gather what you need. Round up your friends. My team can help you with anything else." He sends them grateful smiles before leaving.

The moment Stella loses his head in the crowd, she turns to Alaric with a phone in her hand. "Call Hope," she says as he takes it.

"How did you get my phone back? I thought I sent Kaleb—"

"I swiped it," Stella replies. "Now, call Hope. Maybe she'll answer you."

Sending the witch a guilty look, Alaric presses the call button. "Hey, Hope," he says only a second after putting the phone against his ear.

Stella throws her hands up in the air as her skin begins to heat up. "Really?" She mutters under her breath. "It takes me three days, but she answers him on his first try?" She shakes her head as she stomps away from Alaric. "Could this day get any worse?"

Tensions rising :) 

Hope you enjoyed!

-L