Back to Me

Old Foe

Hope met Josie at the bottom of the staircase. Not that she'd ever admit it, but she was excited to have someone with her during training. On the outside she appeared calm and collected, and inside she could feel her wolf wiggle its tail. Although her family was here with her, she felt isolated from the rest of her friends. Moments like in the library the day before were scarce, more than she'd like. Rebekah and Freya insisted that Hope focused on her training. She didn't understand what the rush was -- she had eternity to learn.

Josie greeted Hope with her characteristic smile. Hope felt less alone.

"Are you going to offer the rest of the witches to train with Freya, too?" Teasing wasn't Josie's usual game, but the question kept resurfacing in her mind through the night.

Hope chuckles, there wasn't anybody else she would share this time with but her, "I'm afraid this is a limited spot offer".

"Lizzie is going to cut my head off when she finds out".

Hope shakes her head, "This is about you".

Josie turns away. Hope begins to panic, thinking she was too forward. You fool, how did you let that slip out? she scolds herself. She brushes her shoulder against Josie's in an attempt to catch her attention. She turns around with a faint red tinge decorating her cheeks so that she resembled a doll with her big eyes and pouty lips. Hope feels her own cheeks heat up and now it is her turn to look away.

The rest of the walk to the library passes in agonizing silence. Once they arrive, Freya waves them over from the study. It was mostly used by witches since grimoires covered the walls of the study. The rich brown furniture offered a cozy atmosphere, like entering home after a long day away. The smell reminded Hope of her uncle Elijah -- a woody, earthy scent few notice at first since it wasn't intense; but quickly became their favorite because it reminded them of peace and quiet. She enjoyed the silence the most. Even the library could get hectic at times, but never the study. The walls were soundproof as to not let things be heard inside or outside.

"Very well, let's begin then. Hope, start with the new meditation I taught you," Hope stares at her aunt. Every single session she made Hope meditate for two hours. True, since activating her vampire side even the smallest of spells she casted got magnified into disaster, but -- how was that training? Her nails dig in the palms of her hands. How was she supposed to defeat the Necromancer? By meditating him to death?

"Hope", Freya calls out again. Hope lets out a long sigh as she forces her legs to carry her to the corner of the study. There, she ungracefully sits down on the floor.

She thought that by bringing Josie, Freya would teach her more offensive spells like back in New Orleans. She wanted to help Josie. When she looked into her eyes at the library, her heart split in half. She was being tormented, and Hope knew all about silent suffering. Now, her aunt sent her to the other side of the room away from Josie like a dog.

Instead of closing her eyes and focusing on listening to her subconscious, Hope kept peeling one eye open to sneak glances at Josie and Freya. She refrained from listening in to what they were saying -- she could give that much privacy. Freya appeared to be very interested in what Josie was saying. Her aunt loved a good mystery, and Josie was proving to be the greatest puzzle.

Freya made a question, or a comment, Hope can't tell, causing Josie's eyes to land on her. Hope could have closed her eyes and pretended she was meditating the entire time, but there was a thrill she enjoyed in Josie knowing she was looking at her. The witch holds her gaze for a few seconds, there was something lying underneath them -- a sentiment, a thought. Hope couldn't identify it and soon the moment was gone.

As the minutes ticked by, Hope gave up in pretending to be meditating. Her buttocks ached and her legs had gone numb a while ago. Now, she was lying on a cushion against the wall. She watched Freya and Josie browse through grimoires from the study and from her aunt's personal collection that she brought from New Orleans.

Freya looked over her shoulder at her niece, "If you are not going to meditate, then make yourself useful and come help me translate this".

"I thought you'd never ask".

Freya points at a passage on the page, "Soltumatu un Jurdun Suda Meta Nistus", Hope ponders her head looking for a translation -- "Independent is the conscience that has taken root. It's rustic Fraucan".

"Of course -- no wonder I couldn't translate it", Something appears to click in Freya's mind. Her mouth upturns in the lopsided smile she sported when she solved a problem. She walks to the board hanging on the wall and takes a piece of chalk, "My first question was What is Dark Josie? Think of black magic as a toxin. If you touch it, it embeds itself into you and harms you. However, this toxin is sticky -- it hates to separate from itself so it stays together. This makes it relatively easy to remove, if you manage to get most of it out, the rest is sure to follow".

Hope and Josie look at each other: black magic did what?

Freya starts drawing on the board, "If Dark Josie stayed behind, that means she is not black magic; otherwise she would have been transferred to the Necromancer. She may have been born from black magic, but she has evolved. She has become its own identity".

Josie grips the edge of the table until her knuckles turn white. Hope places her hand on top of hers, "It doesn't matter what she is. How do we kill her?".

"Now that, Hope, is a great question. We are not dealing with a toxin anymore -- we are dealing with a bug. She is trapped inside Josie's subconscious, we can't physically harm her there. We have to extract her and then kill her. It requires strong magic".

"You can do it, right, aunt Freya?" Hope can sense where this is going, but she hangs on to the hope that her aunt can do it. She doesn't want to cause Josie more pain than she already is in.

Freya purses her lips, "I'm afraid only Josie can do it".

Hope turns towards Josie, but the witch is looking at Freya's diagram. There are two entities sharing one mind; if they have learned anything about that, is it is not viable for any party for a long time.

"I can't practice magic... I - I feel her feeding on it every time I try" Josie stammers. Hope squeezes her hand in reassurance.

"I will help you Josie. We can isolate her in your subconscious while you practice -- that should keep her at bay".

"And I will be with you all the way," Hope searches for Josie's eyes, she wants to bring the witch back from whatever dark place she has gone to, "You are stronger than her, Josie. I believe in you".

Josie finally meets her gaze. The turmoil and uncertainty in them wither away as she looks at Hope. Their race against time was about to begin.