My control-freak nature kicking in, I instantly started figuring out plan A, plan B, all the way through to Z.
Kai was sick? Okay. So what are we going to do about it?
I bit into my wrist, offering it out to him. "Drink my blood, maybe it will help-"
He shook his head, pushing my arm away gently. "I really don't think-"
"Just try," I begged, cutting off his protests. "Please."
Kai inhaled a deep breath, slowly reaching for my wrist again. "Okay." Allowing me to place it against his lips, he drank from the open wound, swallowing down my blood with difficulty as he tried to ignore the metallic taste. It took only a few seconds before he had to turn his head in the direction of the toilet, vomiting up my blood instantly.
"Oh God, Kai," I gasped, stroking his back. I sighed, ticking off the failed plan and moving onto the next. "Okay, if the problem is magic then maybe you need a boost or something?" Offering out my palms, I placed them in front of him. "Here, take some of mine."
Kai straightened up only slightly, wiping his mouth with the back of his arm. He glanced at my hands with uncertainty. "Are you sure-"
Panic starting to creep in, I gripped hold of his hands in one quick motion. "Do it." We didn't have time for hesitation.
Kai bobbed his head weakly, realising I wasn't going to take no for an answer in this situation. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, drawing the magic from my body into his own, his palms glowing orange. It stung but I barely let out a peep. I'd been through a lot worse over these past few days and I didn't want to make this any harder on him.
"There," I said with a smile as Kai let go. "How's that?"
His sickly-pale skin had returned to a healthier looking colour, less grey and pasty. He breathed a sigh of relief. "You know what? I actually think I feel a little better."
Hopefulness expanded my chest as I grinned with delight. "Really?"
"Yeah, it definitely seemed to help-" Suddenly he cut off, his stomach making those God-awful sounds again. All of that colour that had previously lit up his features had now drained from his skin.
"Kai?" I murmured anxiously, searching his face.
Twisting himself to reach the toilet, Kai threw up a sea of red, his insides contorting as they forced the incompatible magic out of his body. My hands flew to my mouth, hiding my gasp. He didn't need my internal terror escalating his own.
I was really beginning to worry - but I had to try and keep control of the situation, for Kai's sake. "Okay. Maybe it's not my magic that you need."
He groaned, resting his head against the seat. "I was worried about this happening."
"What?" I asked with a frown.
"It's Luke's magic. I wasn't supposed to merge with him," Kai explained, voice hoarse. "This is my body's way of trying to tell me I messed up."
It was quiet in the room for a moment, save for Kai's heavy breathing. It took me only a minute to make a mental decision before I jumped to my feet and vanished out of the bathroom. Like a whirlwind, I blew around the cabin, grabbing everything that was ours and throwing it into our suitcases.
"Mickie?" Kai's voice called to me from where he remained on the bathroom floor. "What are you doing?"
"Packing," I replied simply. "We're leaving right now to see Jo. She's the only one who can do anything for you."
His groans echoed through the wall as he attempted to push himself off the ground. "Let me help-"
Flashing back to the doorway of the bathroom, I glared at him. "No," I snapped. "You stay in front of that toilet and try not to die for at least, I don't know, five minutes? Can you give me five minutes to put everything in the car?"
"No promises," Kai replied teasingly, though incredibly weak. Emphasising his words, he vomited again.
Flinching, I hurried to continue with the task at hand, gulping down my own nausea. "Shit," I hissed under my breath as I tossed the black slip dress into my case. For once, I felt completely useless as Kai stood at death's door, not even my blood being able to heal him this time. I could lose him for good if I wasn't careful. I needed to be faster.
Five minutes later everything was finally packed away in the car as promised, the only things to be left out were some clothes for Kai and I to get changed into. Rushing back into the bathroom, I helped Kai get to his feet, letting him lean on me for support as I pulled some pants up his legs, fastening the button before tugging a T-shirt onto his torso. Half-carrying-half-dragging him, I managed to get him into the passenger's seat of the car, handing him a trash can for him to chuck his insides up into. No time for a shower, I swiftly pulled on some sweatpants, remaining in Kai's loose tee as I eventually closed the front door of the cabin, turning my back on it for the final time to hop in the driver's seat.
"I feel like I'm being dragged into my grave by my colon," Kai groaned, resting his head back as he sank lower in his seat.
Starting the ignition, I took a calming breath before stepping on the gas, speeding away from the cabin. "We'll get you fixed," I assured him with the most confident tone I could muster. "Don't worry."
"Yeah, no worries. I just need to convince my sister who absolutely hates my guts to save my life," Kai commented sarcastically, though it seemed to take all of his strength. "Sure thing. Piece of cake." Suddenly hurling himself forward, he vomited into the trash can, the sound and smell making it hard for me to concentrate on driving.
"Maybe you should save your energy for throwing up instead of talking?" I teased, raising a brow as I glanced over to my right at his fragile form.
Spitting out the remnants of the blood in his mouth, Kai barked a sarcastic laugh, unable to raise his head. "Hilarious."
Patting his leg sympathetically, I sighed, my heart breaking more and more the longer he was suffering. It was a nice relief when he finally managed to relax enough to drift off to sleep for an hour. I kept the air-con on full blast, noticing his T-shirt and forehead drenched with sweat as he continued to burn up. I allowed the radio to play songs - some of his favourite - softly in the background, hoping it would make him feel peaceful.
His peace was interrupted an hour away from home, his stomach beginning to make that strange noise again. Immediately waking up, Kai curled his body over the trash can as he puked heavily, the most amount of blood I'd seen from him so far.
I winced, pulling out my phone with trembling fingers. "Do you think Jo will answer at 6am?"
Kai shrugged, groaning slightly as he turned over in his seat to press his forehead against the window for something cool to come into contact with.
Searching for her contact, I quickly pressed the 'call' button and placed the phone down, now on speaker.
"Hello?" a deep voice answered after a few rings. "Mikaela?"
I blinked in shock. "Ric?"
"Yeah, is everything okay?" he wondered. "Why are you calling Jo at this time in the morning?"
I don't have time to play 20 Questions right now, Alaric. "I need her help, where is she?"
"With what?" he asked. "She's in the bathroom."
I held back a growl of frustration. "It's Kai."
"She's got food poisoning, Kayla," Ric explained, tone less sympathetic than before. "I really don't think speaking to you about her psychotic brother is on her list of priorities right now."
Suddenly Kai groaned, positioning himself ready as he vomited again.
"What was that?" Ric asked in disgust, the splashing sound of Kai's vomit hitting the bottom of the trash can echoing through the microphone.
"What I'm trying to tell you," I snapped. "It's Kai. He's really sick. I think he might be..." I couldn't finish the sentence, terrified I would break down if I let the words spill from my lips. He was not dying today.
It was quiet for a moment until Ric sighed in defeat. "Hold on." There were a few footsteps in the background before he spoke again to who I assumed was Jo. "It's Mikaela. She needs to talk to you about Kai."
"Can't this wait, Kayla?" Jo whined, sounding almost as awful as Kai. "I'm really not feeling too great-" Her voice cut off, switching to a strangled groan as she appeared to throw up.
"Josette, I'm sick too," Kai said suddenly, attempting to sit up - but failing miserably. "I need to see you. Something's wrong."
"I'm sorry, I have to-" The call ended instantly, clearly too unwell to hold the conversation any longer.
Kai snorted sarcastically, slouching back against his seat. "Thanks for the help, Sissie."
Growling in frustration, I ran a hand through my hair, needing it out of my face. "We're gonna have to go straight to her place."
"Mm," Kai hummed in reply.
I glanced over at him, noticing his loss of consciousness. At first I thought he'd fallen asleep - that was until I heard his heartbeat falter and slow. "Kai?" I murmured anxiously. No reply. Panic setting in, I tapped his arm in a desperate attempt to rouse him. "Hey, hey, Kai! Wake up!"
His blue eyes fluttered open. "Hm?" he wondered softly, confused.
Hand flying to my chest in relief, I exhaled shakily. "Don't fall asleep on me," I warned. "I am not going through three days of absolute shit to break the sire-bond, just for you to die less than twenty-four hours later, do you understand?"
Kai chuckled softly. "Sorry."
I shook my head, leaning over to stroke his hair. "Don't apologise, you just need to stay alive for a little longer, okay? We're not far away from Mystic Falls now."
Bobbing his head weakly, Kai forced himself to stay conscious. "Okay," he whispered, audibly gulping. As his body began to tremble, he reached out in search for something to cover him. Grabbing his grey hooded jacket from the back seat, I threw it over him, which he snuggled under gratefully.
Keeping my foot on the gas pedal, I sped as fast as my car would possibly go, eager to get home before I had to start performing CPR on the witch next to me.
***
Kai's POV
Finally arriving at Jo's apartment, Mikaela rushed out of the car and flashed to my door in an instant, keeping her arm around me as she helped me into the building and up the stairs. Stepping in front of Jo's door, Mickie knocked on the wood, both of us praying for a speedy answer. Thankfully, the door opened only a few moments later, my twin sister's boyfriend looking at us expectantly.
"Hey," I began softly. As Alaric tried to shut the door in our faces, I reached out to stop him. "Wait, wait, wait, wait." With a sigh, he opened it fully, waiting for an explanation. "Look, I know you hate me, but I really... really need to see my sister."
Alaric threw a sarcastic expression in my direction. "I think she'll pass."
He tried to shut the door again but Mikaela's arm shot out to slam against the wood, keeping it open. "Ah ah ah!" she snapped.
Hearing the commotion, Jo appeared in the room a few feet away from us. "What are you doing here?" she asked, arms folded across her chest.
I frowned. "We called to tell you I was sick and you hung up on us."
"Because I have food poisoning." She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Did the sound of me vomiting on the other end of the line not clue you in?"
I sighed in frustration. "Look, there's an issue I've been worried about since the merge because we really didn't do it right. You know, the whole, "You're not my twin," - "Hey. That's okay. Close enough," plan? It worked, which is, you know, cool. " I glanced up at Alaric. "Hey, I'm even a little bit nice now, in case you were wondering." He smiled sarcastically in reply. "But I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop. And, well, I think it's dropped because I'm-" Pausing as I felt my insides begin to somersault, I glanced around in a panic. Noticing my change in body language, Mikaela handed me the trash can immediately - in perfect time too, any longer and I would've vomited blood all over my sister's clean floor.
"Oh, God!" Jo cried as I fell to my knees, throwing up repeatedly.
"I don't think you have food poisoning," I told her before spitting into the trash can. Lifting my head up, I leaned against Mikaela's legs for support. "I was supposed to merge my magic with you. But I got Luke's instead. Now I'm defective," I wiped my mouth and nose with my sleeve, getting back to my feet, "and I think that's why you're sick." Pausing, I gulped down the oncoming nausea, relaxing slightly as Mikaela rubbed my back. "I kind of feel like I'm dying, actually. And if I die, so do you, Dad, Liv, and the rest of our dumb coven. So could you please fix me," I begged, staring into my sister's eyes in an attempt to make her understand just how important this was, "like, now?"
Finally, Jo nodded, gesturing for Alaric to allow us into her apartment. "Come in," she sighed, heading towards a room down the hall, Mikaela keeping me on my feet as we followed her. Stepping inside, I noticed the examination table in the middle of the room, the doctor's work desk in the corner, the multiple instruments and furniture proving it to be a make-shift medical room.
Wow. Work was this woman's whole damn life.
"Sit," my sister commanded, pointing to the table. I hopped up onto it with Mickie's help, before she placed the trash can to the side of my feet in preparation and stepped back, allowing the doctor to get on with her work.
Jo began to check my eyes with her ophthalmoscope. "Any joint pain?"
"Mhm," I replied weakly.
"Headaches?" she asked again.
"Yep."
She pulled back to look at me teasingly. "Are you pregnant?"
I tilted my head at her disapprovingly. "Stop making jokes. I feel like I'm being scrunched from inside out." As Josette checked my ears with an otoscope, I glanced over at Alaric stood by the door, watching our every move. "This is kind of private," I grumbled. "Does your baby-boo need to be here?"
"Does yours?" Jo shot back.
Mikaela frowned. "Hey!"
Alaric sneered at me. "I'm not leaving her alone with either of you, so deal with it."
After scanning my forehead with a thermometer, Jo finally stepped back with a defeated sigh. "Okay. Your vitals are fine, your temperature is normal. There is nothing medically wrong with you."
I blinked up at her. "Yeah, duh, because I'm magically diseased," I snapped, throwing her a sarcastic look. "You haven't puked in at least-" I cut off immediately, a wave of nausea sweeping over me without warning. Blood spewed out of my mouth as I coughed and sputtered, beginning to choke on the liquid.
"Oh!" my sister gasped, grabbing the trash can and holding it out for me. Reaching out, I grabbed her arm for support, accidentally absorbing some of her magic without realising, too distracted by the vomit pouring from my lips.
"Hey, hey!" Alaric snapped, pulling Jo away from me as she cried out with pain.
"Kai..." Mikaela murmured in the background, sounding a little disappointed with me.
"Oh," I gasped, sitting up straighter as my twin's magic flooded my veins, healing my broken body. "I feel better."
Jo glared at me in disbelief. "Yeah, because you juice-boxed my magic."
"Yeah, sorry about that, that was an accident, but I-" Feeling a new burst of energy running through me, I wiped away the sweat from my forehead. "Wow! I legitimately feel better." Realisation hitting me like a ton of bricks, I stared at my sister, tilting my head down meaningfully as a grin spread across my lips. "You need to give me your magic."
"What?" she hissed.
I reached over to grab a tissue from the side. "This faux merge," I explained, wiping my mouth, "is clearly failing, because I was supposed to get your magic, right?" I jumped off the table, moving towards Jo. Alaric stood in front of her protectively, blocking my path. Aw, how sweet. "Just, I don't know, put it in a bed pan or something and gimmie," I said, reaching out my hand to her.
Alaric snatched my fingers in his instantly, taking a warning step in my direction. "Listen. I could just as easily break seven little bones with one good squeeze, okay?" he threatened, voice low.
Mikaela was already by my side the moment he moved, and now gripped hold of his arm. "Get your hands off him," she growled quietly through bared teeth, her irises turning yellow.
Smirking, I winked at her. "It's alright, baby. I've got this."
Mikaela's gaze flicked between us for a moment, still untrusting, but eventually calmed down, taking a step back.
"I can see you're sceptical, Ric. Can I call you Ric?" Taking my hand out of his, I attempted to fist bump him as a sign of our new friendship, though he clearly didn't want to play along. "Hey, buddy, but here's the thing you need to know - Jo only survives if I do, okay? So unless you want to plan a funeral for another girlfriend, I suggest you let her make the right decision."
Ric opened his mouth to reply, before Jo took hold of his arm, grabbing his attention. "Can you come outside with me for a moment?" she murmured.
He nodded, both of them shooting one last look in my direction before leaving the room.
"Are you alright?" Mikaela wondered, linking her fingers through mine as she glanced at me, face full of concern.
Flashing her a grin, I attempted to ease her nerves as I hopped back up onto the examination table, starting to feel my legs weaken. "Yeah," I said, stroking my thumb over the back of her hand. "I'm feeling better than I was five minutes ago, put it that way."
She nibbled on her lower lip, keeping her focus on our hands rather than looking at me, knowing her eyes would give away everything she was thinking about. "Do you really think taking Jo's magic is going to save you?" she whispered.
I lifted her chin up to capture her gaze in mine. "I'm pretty certain, but I have no other choice," I admitted. "This is my only option - or I'm toast."
Mikaela gulped. "God, I really hope this works. I can't even begin to imagine what would happen if-"
"Don't think like that," I warned, cutting off her words. "You know I'm good at surviving. Surely I wouldn't fall in love for the first time in my life and only get one day to enjoy it?" I flashed another smile, though this one felt a little more forced than the previous. "Not even the devil would be so cruel."
Releasing a shaky breath through her nostrils, Mickie bobbed her head in agreement. "You're right. You'll be fine. I have to stay positive."
I pinched her cheek gently. "'Atta girl. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
She smirked in reply, turning a little shy as she played with our interlocked fingers. It made my heart flutter. Having someone give a shit whether I lived or died was a new feeling I was trying to get accustomed to.
A few minutes later, Jo reappeared. "Mikaela, could you wait with Ric in the lounge, please? I need to talk to my brother." She looked at me meaningfully. "In private," she added for emphasis.
Mikaela glanced at me for approval, uncertain. I bobbed my head, giving her a soft smile to let her know it was okay. After one last distrusting look at my twin sister, Mikaela left the room, leaving me and Jo all alone.
Once the door was closed, Jo sprinkled some salt into a candle - which meant she didn't want Mikaela overhearing anything she was about to say to me.
I gave her a lazy grin. "I was about to use that bedpan for more practical reasons," I teased.
"Motus!"
In an instant, I flew off the examination table and hit the wall with what I bet was a satisfying thud. I groaned in agony, every muscle in my body aching from impact. To add to my torture, Jo threw a pain infliction spell in my direction. I hissed, my hands gripping my head as I felt my blood vessels fry.
"I talked to Dad," Jo snapped. "Guess who's not sick? Him. Liv. And I'm feeling pretty good right now too, which leads me to believe I'm not gonna die any time soon, so what's your game?" When I didn't answer - you know, a little too busy writhing in pain on the ground to speak right now - she took a threatening step towards my broken body. "Tell me!" she yelled, furious.
"I don't have a game! God!" Finding strength from inside me, I held my hand up, throwing magic towards Jo, watching with relief as she fell to her knees in pain. I panted as I forced myself to stand, my sister's moment of agonising distraction meaning the torture she'd sent my way lessened instantly. "As much as my suffering might bring you pleasure or whatever, this is not the way to handle this situation."
We glared at eachother for a few seconds before Josette got to her feet, both of us seething. Just like old times, huh?
"Is this all just a ploy for you to get more magic?" she hissed.
I laughed in disbelief. "It's a ploy for us all to stay alive, actually. Alright? I'm sorry if that seems selfish-"
"I don't believe you!" Jo snapped, cutting me off. "Because you're a liar. And you are the worst kind of liar," she continued, pointing at me accusingly, "because your lies sound so much like the truth, it is impossible for me to tell the difference."
Her words only added to my anger, if that was even possible. Memories of our childhood came flooding back to me - hers incredibly different to mine - as I remembered the way I'd been treated just because of who I was. My family had never trusted me due to my unpredictable powers, and clearly nothing had changed since then. I'd been tarred with the darkness brush since I was a kid, and it was never going away.
I inhaled deeply as I tried to control my temper. The last thing I needed was to lash out right now and prove to everyone that they were correct. "You're right. I am a liar, alright?" I shot back. "I'm the black sheep. You know, the defective twin that nobody wanted."
My sister said nothing, continuing to stare at me, though her features seemed to soften slightly at the realisation of how true my words were.
"Must feel real nice for you to stand here judging me," I continued, my voice breaking, "surrounded by all the things that you got out of life while I spent eighteen years in isolation as the family reject." I took a step towards her, hitting home just how much pain I had been through in my life, with no help from my twin sister. "And let me tell you - every inch of me wants to kill you for that. Every part!"
Jo jumped back in shock at my outburst, the instinct to keep herself safe from me running through her veins no matter how much I'd tried to become a better person.
"But I can't," I whispered, reining in my fury. "Because the only way that I can survive is if you help me."
Josette swallowed down the emotion my rant had brought up in her, the rims of her blue eyes filling with tears that teetered on the edge, moments from spilling.
"And I'd like to live, frankly." I gulped. "Because I didn't get to do a whole lot of that before everyone decided that I wasn't worth it."
With nothing left to say, we stared at eachother for a moment, the atmosphere in the medical room so intense it was almost suffocating.
"I'll give it to you," Jo finally said. I took a deep breath in relief. I wasn't going to die. "But under one condition: You take it, get out of my life. I never want you anywhere near me. Ever again."
Jo and I had only ever caused eachother pain. The thought of spending the rest of my life without seeing my twin sister ever again was strange, but if that was the price to pay for being able to live? I'd call that a good deal. "Fine-"
"I am not finished!" she snapped, cutting me off.
It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. "Shocker."
"If you break your promise, I'll kill you. I'll take myself and our entire coven down with you." Josette stared deep into my eyes as she forced her words to stick, no hint of fear on her face any longer. "Because I don't want to live another minute afraid of my own brother." She raised a brow as if to test me. "You got it?"
I glared at her. "Got it."
Jo bobbed her head once before turning to blow out the candle, our fight clearly over. "You guys can come back in now," she called to our loved ones waiting patiently in the other room.
Mikaela and Ric re-entered a moment later. Mickie's gaze flicked between my sister and I suspiciously. She hadn't been able to hear a word of what went down in here only a few minutes ago, and for a Hybrid with super-hearing, that clearly threw her off.
"You okay?" she mouthed to me as she stood in the corner of the room.
I nodded in reply.
"Let's do this," Jo said, pulling my attention away from Mikaela.
I sighed in relief, moving to stand in front of my sister. "Our coven and I thank you." I pinched Jo's cheeks. "Aw, don't look so stressed," I teased as she shook me off. "You never liked being a witch anyway."
"Shut up," she snapped, clearly not in the mood for any jokes. She reached up to place her hands on either side of my face, before beginning to chant the spell. "Oribos turai manecsitus. Orbiem. Oribos turai manescitus. Orbiem. Oribos turai manecsitus. Orbiem..."
The air shifted in the room as she transferred her magic into me. Wind blew our hair and paper flew off the desk. I closed my eyes, relishing in the power that began to sweep through my veins, boosting my energy back up until I was fully healed, every ounce of pain and nausea vanishing. As our magic bound as one, for a brief moment something caught my attention, something that I was not expecting to detect from my sister's body.
"It's done," Jo finally said, dropping her hands and stepping back from me.
I exhaled deeply in bliss, running on a high. "Thank you." Remembering what I had just noticed, I smiled knowingly at her. "And congratulations."
Jo's brows pulled together in confusion. Making it easier for her, I leaned in to whisper into her ear. "The reason you're sick isn't because of food poisoning or me," I breathed, keeping my voice low to stop her baby-boo from overhearing. "It's because you're pregnant."
I pulled back, watching Josette freeze in shock at the exact moment Mikaela gasped. "Oh my God," she murmured, hand flying to her mouth.
Holding her face in my hands, I flashed Jo a sincere smile. "Have a good life, Sissie." Taking a step back, I prepared to leave, letting the news sink in.
Mikaela flashed to Jo's side, pressing a hand on top of my sister's. "Thank you for saving him," she said softly, corners of her lips picking up in gratitude. Turning to look at the couple, she added, "Oh, and Happy New Year both."
Ric nodded in reply as we both exited the room, hurrying out of Jo's apartment and down the stairs. Far enough away, Mikaela squealed with excitement, clapping her hands. "Oh my God!"
I raised a brow at her as we headed towards the car. "What?"
"You're going to be an uncle!" she cried with joy. "That's amazing!"
Pulling a face, I shrugged, keeping my gaze in front of me. "Is it?"
"What's the matter?" Mikaela wondered, linking her fingers through mine as we walked.
"To give me her magic, I promised Jo I'd stay out of her life," I explained, voice barely audible.
Stopping in her tracks, Mikaela blinked at me in shock. "Wait, what?"
I growled in frustration, glaring at the ground, avoiding Mickie's gaze. "That kid won't even know who I am," I muttered. "I'll just be wiped out of existence to my family... again."
Holding my face in both hands, Mikaela forced me to look at her. Hazel eyes that could make time stand still stared deeply into my soul, willing her positivity onto me. "You don't know what will happen in the future. You guys have nine months to sort things out," she offered. "Jo won't stay mad at you forever, Kai."
I laughed without humour. "You'd be surprised," I mumbled.
Mikaela tilted her head sympathetically. "There was a time I hated you so much that I wanted you dead," she admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. "Now look at us."
Reaching up, I placed my hands on top of hers as they rested on my cheeks. "That's different, and you know it."
"Yeah, it's even more incredible," she replied with a grin. "Because we were nothing to eachother. We had no reason to fall in love, I had no reason to want you in my life." Gaze flicking up to the window of Jo's apartment, Mikaela sighed. "She's your sister. Your twin sister. You're family." Turning those pretty eyes back on me, she tilted her chin down to make her next words stick: "You deserve redemption. You deserve to be siblings again."
Not being able to utter a single word, I could only gulp, pulling away from Mikaela and continuing on my path back to the car, my beautiful, annoyingly optimistic Hybrid close to my side.
But even after everything that had happened between Jo and I, even though I knew how much she hated me, I couldn't help but find myself hoping for Mikaela's words to be true.
She was my twin sister. We'd come into this world together. I wasn't sure I wanted to be in it without her, especially knowing she was possibly about to start a whole family of her own.
A family I strangely found myself wanting to be a part of.