𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐠𝐨
{𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝}
"As supernaturals, we all carry a burden." Emma told the group, walking around them. "Our eyes are open to evil. And recently, you've had to face it. Some of us process these traumas by suppressing what happened. For others, it's easier to bury it deep inside and pretend like nothing's happened at all. Still, others may take a different route, such as..."
"Pushing everyone away in a desperate attempt to self-isolate?" Evelyn asked, cutting the woman off. "Because everyone they love is in perpetual danger, which often results in them becoming perpetually dead. See, there. That it. That's my therapy. Can I please go now, because, uh, Landon's outside trying to fly and could probably use a spotter."
"I'm afraid not, Evie, because the point is we can all do better at processing the traumas we've been through." Emma told her. "Which is why Dr. Saltzman has asked me to conduct a special group lesson today."
"I, for one, could really use this, and I would appreciate everyone's support." Lizzie said, MG speaking up. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm here, but I'm down to help."
"You will all have an important role to play in this simulation." Emma told them, "Oh, stop looking at me like that. It'll be fun." She took a sheet off a box. "This device was created by Professor Rupert Vardemus. The real Professor Vardemus. He's quite famous in mystical therapeutic circles. It's his variation on a Chambre de Chasse. All your psychological concerns will be transferred inside to form a shaped narrative. Now, the world you create together can be anything, from pirates on the high seas to spies in the Cold War. But no matter what it ends up looking like, it will be designed specifically to help you."
Emma continued, "Out here, you're unconscious. You'll have no awareness that you're in a stimulation."
"So, it's like a game?" MG asked, "Uh, how do I win?" Lizzie asked her, "Simply reach the end of your story and you'll be given an escape word. Say it aloud and you'll become self-aware again, then wake up here, having discovered something valuable in the process. Any questions?"
"Uh, yeah. I have a question. What the hell is she doing here?" Lizzie asked as Jade walked in.
"Hi. Uh, sorry I'm late. Uh, weird dreams." Jade said, looking over at Josie. "You're just in time, Jade." Emma told her. "Don't worry. What we're about to do here is merely a simulation. And I'll be in it as well, and self-aware the whole time. I promise to keep a careful eye on all of you."
"Everyone think of bright, sunny, tropical beaches." Lizzie said as Emma opened the box.
༄༄༄
"This ain't a peep show." Evelyn said to the man sitting at the bar who she noticed was staring at Elizabeth, taking her place behind the bar.
"Can you blame me?" He asked, "Elizabeth Saltzman's a star. I've seen all of her movies."
"Sorry sweets, but I'm bad with faces." Evelyn said, opening up her notepad.
"I'm hoping that's not the case." The man told her, taking a picture out of his coat pocket and setting it down on the bar counter. "I'm looking for my boss. The best P.I. this town's ever known."
"Like I said, I'm bad with faces." Evelyn said, sliding the picture back to the man and turning away from him.
"He's in danger, Miss Mikaelson." The man informed her, folding the picture back up as Evelyn turned back to him, leaning against the bar. "How do you know my name?"
"The same way I know your liquor license is expired, and the girl who's currently staring at us from across the bar, is your sister, Hope Mikaelson." He explained, Evelyn's face hardening at all the information he had. "So, let's help each other out."
"He looks like the type of guy who would come here for the music. If I were you, I'd ask the dame who sings because I sure don't." Evelyn told him, moving her notepad and turning away from him.
༄༄༄
Evelyn and Hope were currently cleaning the bar, Hope stopping and picking up a picture of her lover, Charlotte, when a voice was cleared behind them.
The two turned only to see the detective from earlier. "How did you get in?" Hope asked. "The door was unlocked." He responded.
"You're a horrible liar." Evelyn told him blankly, "I'm a terrible detective, too." He agreed, "But not half bad at picking locks."
Evelyn reached under the bar and set the phone on the bar counter. "Then that'll be the very first thing I'll tell the cops. Or should I start with you going to talk to that singer right before she died."
The detective leaned against the bar and held up a fifty dollar bill between his finger tips. "Not like they'd care anyway." Hope said, Evelyn setting the phone back into place.
"Whiskey." He said, "Preferably the good stuff. Not that rotgut."
"We keep it in the back." Hope told him, the two walking around to the back of the bar.
༄༄༄
Pain coursed through Evelyn's body when a word appeared above her, her looking up.
𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘢
Evelyn said the word out loud.
༄༄༄
Instead of waking up in the gym like she expected, she woke up in a cell, standing up from the bed slowly and facing the group that was standing outside the cell as Josie did the same beside her.
"Looks like the gangs all here." Josie commented, standing up from her bed.
"Why are we locked up exactly?" Evelyn questioned, crossing her arms in front of her.
"Well, you both have been through a lot." Alaric explained with a sigh. "How are you feeling?"
"Never better." Josie responded, "I think the therapy was really good for us." Evelyn added.
The group all shared a look with each other before Lizzie told them. "You're both full of black magic. I was too selfish to see it before, but...I can feel it. This isn't you, guys."
Both girls eyes turned black, nodding and speaking in sync with each other. "It is now."
"So get used to it." Josie said, snapping her fingers as her outfits, hair and lips turned black. "Cause this look is here to stay."
"Josie, Evie, it's okay." Hope spoke up, the two turning their attention to her. "I'm just gonna put you both back to sleep until we can figure out what's going on, okay?"
"Good idea." Evelyn commented, titling her head to the side as Hope fell unconscious and back into MG's arms. Evelyn bent down so she was eye level with the boy, "Oh...don't look at me like that, MG. Every Super Squad needs a few super villains."
Evelyn stood back up to Josie's side, said girl's eyes turning black again as she chanted. "Autem."
The building began shaking as the lights flickered and electricity sparked. "Stop trying to help us, dad." Josie said, "Cause we've never been better." Evelyn added with a whisper.
Evelyn raised her hand, the group the two girls were standing on rising slowly and removing them from the room. The school blew up, both girls walking out of the flames slowly with dangerous looks in their eyes, black veins crawling up their face.