"WE'RE NOT WORTHY"
When Kayla was finally able to open her eyes, she was alone in her room, her breathing was heavy and she felt tired.
She closed her eyes back in relief before opening them again.
"That wasn't fun" Kayla murmured to herself, slowly lifting herself up in a sitting position, staring right ahead.
It all came back to her after a few minutes. How she almost dies because of her cousin. Her trip to Josie's mind and her fight of will to not let dark magic control her and her struggle to wake up.
Why couldn't she wake up?
Kayla was certain that after saving Josie, she and Hope would be okay. But that wasn't the case. She kept trying hard to wake up but it was like something was holding her back.
Did something happen that they got stuck in a magical coma?
Was Hope okay?
Kayla closed her eyes, focusing on Hope. She was awake too. But she wasn't alone.
Her eyes opened.
After a second, her eyes hardened and turned carefully blank.
Hope did this to her.
She wouldn't allow her to wake up. She searched through their link and realized that sense of holding her back led her back to Hope. To the familiarity of their link.
Hope put her in a magical coma because she didn't want to face a world without Landon.
And what about her? Hope never thought about her?
Did she worth so little to Hope that she would keep her locked down in a magical sleep because she didn't want to live in a world without a guy?
No.
Kayla thought that was ridiculous. And she'll never forgive Hope for that. She refused to be collateral damage for their stupid relationship that had no future. She refused to be collateral damage for someone she hated.
She didn't before, just said it because it was easy to say it but now? It was a fact. Kayla hated Landon.
~8~
Kayla walked down the empty and dark hallways of the school, weirdly enough wearing a black dress with a gray blazer.
Everyone seemed to be asleep, and she didn't want anyone talking to her, specially Hope so she forced to block Hope out of her mind so she'd believe she wasn't awake yet.
Let her panic - if she cared enough - that her best friend was still stuck in the magical coma she forced her on.
Her stealthy exit was interrupted though by passing through an opened door.
"Was that-?"
Kayla ignored the voice that looked suspiciously like Lizzie's, hearing footsteps from behind her.
"Kayla?"
Kayla stopped walking, turning slowly around, seeing shocked and relieved MG and Lizzie staring at her in the middle of the hallway.
Lizzie was the first one to recover, stalking forward and bringing her cousin into a hug.
Kayla didn't hug back, but she did relax slightly.
At least someone was glad she hadn't died.
MG smiled at the sight, rushing to them with vamp speed, hugging the two girls.
Lizzie pulled away, forcing MG to let them go.
"You're awake" Lizzie said, relieved.
"Yeah" Kayla shrugged. "So?"
"We were worried" MG told her softly.
Kayla looked down at her clothes, "Why am I wearing this?"
Lizzie smiled awkwardly, "I dressed you. You had to look amazing for your funeral"
MG harshly nudged Lizzie
Kayla looked up, raising an eyebrow "Why would I need a funeral?"
Lizzie and MG exchanged a look.
"The school thinks uh, Josie-"
"Dark Josie" Lizzie interrupted MG with a look.
"Dark Josie" MG corrected, "Killed you. And because you uh, wouldn't wake up"
"Thanks to Hope, I'm aware" Kayla told them, annoyed. Lizzie frowned. "Was it really necessary? I'm pretty sure no one went to it, anyway. It was a waste of time"
Kayla turned around, to walk away.
"That's where you're wrong" MG called out to her. Kayla stopped again. "People did mourn you"
"More than me, for sure" Lizzie murmured under her breath.
MG gave her a look, looking toward Kayla, "Why would you think no one would have gone to your funeral?"
Kayla glanced at them over her shoulder, blankly, "Are you really asking that question?" MG nodded. "It doesn't matter. But, now, considering I'm dead, this is much easier than I thought it would be"
Kayla continued her path, walking down the stairs, leaving behind a very confused MG and Lizzie.
MG vamp sped to Kayla's side, matching her pace, "What do you mean?"
"I'm leaving, isn't that obvious?" Kayla replied simply.
MG grabbed her arm to stop her, frowning. Kayla did stop, turning to him as Lizzie reached their side with her arms crossed over her chest.
"You can't leave" MG told her.
"Yes, I can" Kayla nodded seriously. "I can finally have my clean slate if everyone thinks I'm dead"
"Dear cousin" Lizzie chuckled, passing an arm around Kayla's shoulders, "Resurrection is like the trend around here. The school thought I was dead too and look at me now. The school knows I'm back and they love it. Besides, you and Hope are linked, you two must be around each other just in case"
"Yeah, that's the thing" Kayla told her, slipping away from under Lizzie's arm, "I'm getting rid of that link"
Lizzie blinked in shock.
MG voiced her thoughts, "What?"
"She clearly doesn't care that I wouldn't wake up" Kayla told them. "I was in a magical coma because she didn't want to face the real world without a weak worthless guy" she glanced at Lizzie, "My feminist side won't agree with that, specially when I became collateral damage due to that"
"Hope cares about you" MG told her when Lizzie remained silent.
"Yeah?" Kayla asked sarcastically, then gestured around, "Then where is she? Why hasn't she showed up to check if I'm awake too?" MG didn't have an answer for that. She smiled tightly, bitterly, dropping her hand, "I can bet you right now that she's with Landon, because he's clearly more important than her so called best friend"
Lizzie pursed her lips, looking down.
MG softened his gaze as he looked at her.
Neither had any reassurance to say to the girl. Even though it didn't look like it, they could tell she was hurt.
Kayla nodded, looking unaffected by their silence.
"You shouldn't leave though, stay" MG told her softly. Kayla opened her mouth to protest. MG raised a hand, "Not for Hope. For you. This is your home too"
Kayla closed her mouth, pursing her lips in a thin line.
Lizzie held her hand to her cousin, "We're family and you have a home here with us"
Kayla remained silent for a couple of seconds into which Lizzie held her breath expectantly, not once lowering her hand.
MG had a small smile growing in his lips as he noticed the positive change he could see in the two girls.
The old Lizzie wouldn't have cared that Kayla was leaving, she would have been ecstatic her psycho cousin was leaving.
But this Lizzie? She was able to separate Kayla from her dad and welcome her with open arms to her family.
The old Kayla? She wouldn't be thinking about this hard as he could see. She was more detached and cold and would have shrugged before leaving.
This Kayla? MG could see she appreciated the offer and the acceptance from her still alive family. She wouldn't have smiled, even a little by accepting Lizzie's hand.
MG's smile grew at the bond between the cousins.
"You're way too sentimental" Kayla huffed as she grabbed Lizzie's hand. "Stop it"
Lizzie smiled brightly, "Bet you love it"
Kayla scrunched her face in disgust but didn't deny it, causing Lizzie to laugh and pull Kayla into a hug.
Annoyed by the amount of physical touch, Kayla tried to push her back. Lizzie did but still linked her arm around her cousin, not giving her a choice in the matter
And even though she still had Hope's werewolf strength to pull herself out, she didn't, dropping her shoulders in defeat.
MG didn't mind he was being ignored, he simply backed away and left them alone as Lizzie dragged Kayla away, smiling to himself.
"The Unifer indeed seems like a great superhero name" MG said to himself.