Exceptional

Chapter 6

Stefanie was hiding in Alaric's car's trunk. In fact, she was right behind Josie's seat. She sat as still as possible, aiming to avoid alerting Josie that there was someone behind her. Although the girl was hungry, she avoided eating because she didn't want to make any noise.

"So, any idea where to go? We have no idea where they are," said Jed.

"Well, we know they were at the Salvatore house and boarding school. Should we search there for clues?" asked Landon.

"Or... we could try a locator spell," suggested Lizzie, "We just need to find a blood relative of the Salvatores, or something that belonged to someone that was taken."

I'm a blood relative of the Salvatores, Stefanie wanted to jump up and say. But she remembered that she was hiding, and they can't know that she's here.

"I guess we can go back to the Salvatore Boarding School, and look for something," said Alaric.

"That would slow us down," Josie disagreed, "We don't have much time to lose."

"But the school's only a few minutes away, it shouldn't take long," Rafael said.

"Yeah, but who knows what the latiz are doing to them," said Landon, "They could be slowly torturing them, or even killing them. We can't waste time."

At the thought of Stefanie's baby brother being tortured, she shot up like a firework without thinking, "I'm a blood relative! Use me!"

Everyone in the car looked up at her, shocked. "How long have you been there?" Kaleb asks, breaking the silence.

How long do you think? What, you think I randomly jumped into the CLOSED trunk while you were driving. Of course I was in the trunk when you took off, Stefanie thought, but instead said, "I snuck into the car when you were leaving the school."

"It doesn't matter, we're taking you back," Alaric said sternly.

"Well, since she's already here, why don't we do the locator spell first?" asked Jed, "It makes no sense wasting the opportunity."

"No way. No way, we're NOT involving her," Alaric protested, determined to keep the child safe, "We are not drawing even a drop of blood from her body." 

Locator spells are done using a drop of blood from a blood relative of the person you're trying to find, or something that belonged to the person that you're trying to find.

"We don't want to waste time," Hope says reasonably, "Locator spells aren't even dangerous. We can send her back as soon as we find her family and everyone else."

Alaric thought about it for a moment, you could see the battle going on in Alaric's head, "Fine. But make it quick."

Alaric pulled over and everyone exited the car. All Lizzie, Hope, and Josie sat in a circle on the grass by the sidewalk. Landon handed Lizzie a map, who then laid it out in the center of the circle. Hope put Stefanie's arm over the map.

Hope pulled a dagger out and turned to Stefanie, "Are you sure you're okay with this? I'm not going to sugar coat, it will hurt."

Stefanie nervously nodded, "Just please make it quick."

Stefanie shut her eyes and bit down on her cheek as Hope drew a bit of blood from Stefanie's arm with her dagger. She watched as the blood dripped onto the map.

Alaric called Stefanie over and bandaged her up as the two witches and the tribrid began chanting the spell.

"Ahsorum, dolusantum, infidictus," the three began chanting. There were many different locator spells they could use (for example, Bonnie used that chant: Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem), but that was the one that was taught at the Salvatore Boarding School.