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.CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
[15]. There's a Mummy on Main Street.
【 PART THREE 】
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❝ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ
ʙɪᴘᴏʟᴀʀ. ❞
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THE TEENS WERE INTRODUCED to a man named Agent Clarke. Who was also of course the same man from Kansas along with the man Malik bumped into earlier. Malik stood in the middle of Hope and Alaric as Clarke stood before them. He still got bad vibes from him which Alaric seemed to have sensed it as well.
"I thought I recognized you two," Clarke states, looking over them. "I didn't know if it was a coincidence, so we searched your van. We know that you're Alaric Saltzman, headmaster of the Salvatore School. We know a lot about it. You have a terrific reputation."
Alaric slightly cringes. "Why don't you leave the school out of this?"
"Look, I applaud your school's mission. If you do your job right; makes mind easier."
"So why are we still here?"
Clarke hummed. "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, you know, or a few ice fisherman in Minnesota that it wasn't a yeti that ate their best friend."
"Could you just get to the point?" Malik crosses his arms over his chest.
"This is an entire town. So it's different. We could use the assistance of a vampire." Clarke explains. "I noticed the daylight ring on your nephew and his boyfriends—"
"Oh, he's not his— never mind." Alaric shakes off.
Hope's eyes narrowed. "Why not call it a swarm of bugs? Why erase it from memory?"
"Because someone may recognize them for what they are," Clarke stated, earning a confused look from Hope causing him to stare at her as if she had been an idiot. "Harbingers."
"Of what?" Hope inquired.
Clarke snorted. "Seriously?"
"A mummy."
Alaric fist bumps the air in excitement. "I told you."
Malik sighs in embarrassment. "Okay nerd, anyway do you know where this mummy is now?"
"Heading in our direction as we speak."
A good half an hour later after Clarke telling the group about the mummy; Malik, Hope, Josie, Alaric, and Lizzie were on their way to find it while walking down Main Street. The headmaster walked before the four teenagers; holding up his crossbow as if that would do any damage to a damn mummy. Malik who was stuck with the teens could practically feel the tension brewing by the second.
"Some people find it helps to clear their conscience before heading into battle." Lizzie started, her hands in her pockets as she walked.
Malik rolls his eyes. "Oh my god. Now is not the time for this."
Josie nods in agreement.
Lizzie scoffed. "It's always time for truth. Last chance, Hope. If you didn't start that fire to keep us from going then why were you so mean to me after? I'll tell you why, because you were guilty."
"Girls! Quiet back there, please." Alaric interfere.
Did they stop? Not at all.
Hope makes a face. "I wasn't mean to you. You were mean to me."
"Because you were telling people about my episode," Lizzie ended the sentence with a low voice.
Of course, Malik still heard but he kept quiet.
"Your what?"
"My episode," Lizzie repeats before taking a small pause. "The one I had when our trip got canceled. You told everyone that I was witch bipolar."
There was nothing Malik could say at that point, because, Hope in fact had gone there. And now that he thought about it, Hope saying those words about Lizzie is what caused the hybrid to grow close to the blonde Gemini witch. But while they were growing close, he began to distance himself from Hope.
Even though Malik hated Lizzie's guts growing up, he managed to be there for her during most of her so-called episodes. And he felt a sudden urge to keep her safe. Time with Lizzie Saltzman during their 8th-grade year was an eye-opener. That though the Gemini witch had mean girl tendencies and was seen a bit rotten in his eyes, she was beautiful and breathtaking.
But he decided that he could no longer pick sides so he waited for them to solve their problems as he played neutral. Meaning he got close to Hope again and tried keeping his friendship with Lizzie, but she didn't like the idea of Malik and Hope being friends so she started to act like a dick.
"I would never do that," Hope responds to the accusation.
Everyone stopped moving. Malik eyes the Tribrid wondering why she had been lying.
"Guys, seriously." Josie huffs, she seemed worried as she kept looking between the two girls. "What is the point of even talking about this?"
Lizzie interrupted Josie as she turns to Hope. "Just drop the act. I had my first occurrence; my mom took me away to get help and you decided to use it against me."
"Guys—"
The girls stopped arguing as everyone's eyes fell onto Josie.
"What?!"
"There's a mummy on main street."
All eyes landed on the mummy, Alaric— hesitantly lifted his crossbow, pointing it in its direction. And behind the headmaster stood the four teens as they waited for the mummy to make the first move.
"Get behind us, Ric." Malik interrupted.
Stubbornly, Alaric shakes his head. "No, I need to protect all of you."
Malik places his hand over his heart. "I'm touched. But you've got a Tribrid, Hybrid, and two powerful Gemini witches behind you. So who do you think is going to do more damage? An arrow or four very annoyed supernatural teens?"
"Good point."
With that, the headmaster was out of the way and behind the kids. The seven-foot mummy only stood a few feet away from the four supernaturals. Its mouth opened to what seemed to have been a second plague, just like the one from earlier.
But the girls wouldn't let it get that far. The two twins placed held hands with Hope and Malik who had been in the middle of them as they siphoned magic from them to do a spell. It was a sort of force field that wouldn't let the bugs pass. In a second, just like earlier... the bugs dropped dead.
"Nice teamwork."
The mummy roared.
"Ooh." Malik huffs out a chuckle. "I think we got the big guy mad."
"Should we rush it now?" Lizzie urgently asks.
Malik shakes his head. "Not yet."
The mummy begins to take a few steps towards them.
"Now?"
"No."
Lizzie nervously looks up. "I really, really think that we should rush it—"
"Wait! On three." Hope interrupted.
Out of luck, Hope wasn't even able to begin counting when she began to cough up beetles.
"Hope!" Malik exclaims.
More coughing was heard but this time it was from Lizzie. Malik quickly runs to her side worriedly.
"Resistus maledi," Josie murmured, placing her hand over her mouth.
Bowing Josie needed more magic to siphon, Malik stands to his feet and puts his hand out for Josie who grabs it promptly. With that, the witch siphoned energy from the boy, readying herself for her grand finale.
"Ignalusa!"
With that, Josie blew fire from the palm of her hand, and the mummy bursts into a pile of flames, then, leaving behind what seemed to have been a pile of sand.
Malik then remembers what happened earlier so he runs over to Lizzie, kneeled down, holding her to his chest and checking for damage.
"Hey, you okay?"
Lizzie weakly nods. "This was the worst spring break over."
Malik slightly chuckles, he pulls her into a tight side-hug, holding onto her. Hope stands to her feet and sends them a look. She turns to face Josie who was smiling at the two.
So here's what happened later on. After siphoning the life out of the mummy's heart; the curse was lifted. The drive home was Malik realizing that he was extremely down bad for Elizabeth Saltzman. The other had been Agent Clarke was not to be trusted at all.
Oh yeah, and one more thing. Miss Josette Saltzman the loving, caring, compassionate twin— had lied.
It was the lie that started everything. It was a lie that tore apart their friendship years ago and until this day. Witch-bipolar was something Hope had never said, and Malik felt completely stupid for even believing Josie when he told her.
And now, Malik was storming into Josie's room while Hope was behind him begging that he wouldn't rip into Josie like he's done with Lizzie.
"Why would you drive a wedge between me and Hope?" Lizzie asks from inside of the room.
"Yeah, I'd like to know as well, Josette." Malik leans on the doorframe of their room.
Now noting Malik and Hope's presence, Josie's breath hitched. Her eyes flickered between the best friends and the soon-to-be Gemini x hybrid couple.
Josie sighs. "I didn't just lie. I started the fire."
And this is where things only got weirder.
"Malik confessed he had feelings for Hope that night and I got mad," Josie explains, eyeing Malik who stood with crossed arms. "Lizzie said some remark about it. Said I was obsessed with Hope and that I'd ruin my friendship with Malik for liking her. I felt overwhelmed so I just blurted 'how could I be obsessed with someone who would say such mean things about my twin?'"
Hope brows furrow. "But I didn't."
"I know... I just made it up."
"Why?"
Josie slightly frowns. "Because I didn't want Lizzie to know the truth... I had a crush on Hope. And I slipped a note into your room that morning. But then I just immediately regretted it but I couldn't get in by then. So I did a fire spell under your door. I was really only aiming for the note."
Malik's brows furrow. "Why wouldn't it matter that Lizzie knew? I mean why didn't you tell me?"
Josie faces Malik. "Because Lizzie liked you... and if she knew you liked Hope and that I liked her things would've gotten worse then it is now. We would've all stopped talking with one another. So this was the best solution..."
Hope slightly smirks. "You had a crush on me."
"Of course I did. Who wouldn't?"
Malik glances between the three witches. Not knowing what to say or do he just walks out of the room.
Why did things have to become so weirdly complicated?