Date: 3-9-17
Chapter 46: Shifting Memories
"So what do you need me to do?" John asks Adrian bitterly, sneaking glances at everyone else in the room.
"I need a spell to fix help Ivie fix herself. I told you that." Adrian says with an eyeroll. Adrian is trying really hard not to snap for Ivie's benefit. He wants her to like him.
"I don't know how to do that." John admits, getting frustrated very easily. This whole situation is screaming "DANGER!!!" at John.
His nerves are making his veins feel as if they're vibrating, about to explode. John feels his magic simmer at his fingertips. This isnt good.
"That's why I gave you time to think about it. Haven't you thought of something? Anything?" Adrian asks intently.
"I couldn't think of anything that doesn't include dark magic." John tries to explain, but knowing it's futile.
"Explain again why you can't just use dark magic?" Jerica questions from her perch on the couch.
John turns to Jerica with a sigh. "Because. Dark magic is for dark magic users. That's not me."
Then because John knows Jerica will just ask another question, he continues talking. "If I try to use dark magic I could lose control and end up killing all of us."
Jerica scoffs like John is lying or exaggerating. John glares at her in response. "Aren't you supposed to be the most powerfully Spellcaster?" Jerica says condescendingly.
"Second most powerful." Adrian corrects Jerica. Instead of saying something awful to Adrian for correcting her, Jerica just sent him a sugary sweet smile.
Lucas can't believe her. He already warned her about the flirting once. And she's still giving Adrian special treatment. When Lucas corrects Jerica she goes crazy with anger.
"It doesn't matter how powerful I may or may not be." John replies. "I'm not a dark magic user. That's the biggest rule our kind has: Do not use dark magic."
"Fine, fine. No dark magic." Adrian concedes. Ivie sits down in the empty armchair and watches everyone.
"Maybe if you tell me everything you know about this then I'll be able to think of something to help." John offers. Adrian thinks that over for a moment before nodding.
Adrian proceeds to tell John everything they know about Ivie and the vine girl side of her. Lucas, Lena, and Jerica sometimes pitch in to the explanation to help.
Mason sits silently leaning against the wall facing everyone. Ivie sits statue still as her eyes dart to each person who talked, trying to keep up with the conversation.
But Ivie relaxes into the chair as she feels exhaustion pulling at her like a child begging her to come play. Ivie blinks to keep herself awake. It's only around 10:30 pm, so Ivie refuses to sleep.
"So she can't remember anything?" John asks as his eyes flicker over to Ivie. Her eyes are closed, making John wonder of she's asleep.
"That's what she told me. But we dont talk a lot. She's usually with her best friends." Lena tells John.
Lena feels awful that John got forcefully pulled into all of this, but the damage had already been done. There's nothing to do about it now.
"Then I think I know how to help her." John says, hoping he's right.
"How?" Lena asks immediately.
Adrian stares at John awaiting an answer. "Well, you said vine girl told you that Ivie has to fix herself. Right?" John starts off.
"Yes." Adrian says firmly, choosing to believe that vine girl wasn't lying. Her heart hasn't faltered when she told Adrian that bit of information. But who knows? Maybe vine girl can control her heartbeat like Adrian.
"Okay. So I have a crazy theory." John says cautiously.
"Spill it." Adrian says eagerly, and surprisingly, not in a rude way.
"If Ivie had her memories of hurting people, she would feel bad about it. It would make her not want to do that." John tried to explain his theory.
"You want to make her feel guilty?" Lena questions with concern. Why would they do that?
"No, I mean yes. But not like that." John rambles. "No. If I can get her memories to surface then she'll hopefully start remembering every night's adventures." John finishes his explanation.
"Okay...?" Adrian remarks in a confused way.
"That means she will fight vine girl! Ivie will fight a mental battle and she should be able to gain power over vine girl. Then Ivie can defeat her."
"Yes! That's exactly what we need." Lena explains, very excited that her older sister might return back to normal.
"So Ivie, how do you-?" Adrian stops midsentence when he sees Ivie relaxed in the chair with her eyes closed.
"Ivie?" Adrian calls to her as he walks over. Adrian pokes Ivie's shoulder but she doesn't stir. "No." Adrian whispers.
"What is it?" Mason asks concerned because he heard what Adrian said.
Lucas figured it out so he's the one who answers. "Ivie fell asleep. Which means she won't be waking up tonight. Vine girl will."
Everyone stares at Ivie horrified. Adrian is kneeling next to Ivie, gazing at her in hopes that she'll suddenly yell, "Gotcha!" And laugh her head off.
When that doesn't happen, Adrian turns to John. "Can you make her remember without her being awake?" Adrian asks John.
Adrian is careful not to say Ivie's name so he doesn't show emotion. Adrian spares a glance at Monique and see she's not glaring at him suspiciously. Good. That means she doesn't suspect he likes Ivie yet.
Adrian quickly focuses back on John. "Yes, but Ivie will remember through her dreams, so she'll think it isn't real. You'll have to convince her later." John tells Adrian.
"Do it." Adrian says fiercely, then steps away from Ivie.
Adrian watches John closely to make sure he's not going to try doing something wrong. Adrian may not be an expert in magic, but he knows a little. So does Monique. They should be able to tell if John is doing something wrong.
"She'll probably move around in her sleep, but she shouldn't wake up while I'm retrieving the memories." John says before kneeling next to Ivie.
Without waiting for a response from anyone, John raises his right hand and rests those fingertips right above Ivie's eye on her temple. His fingers spark blue for a moment, but Ivie doesn't move in her sleep.
John repeats the movement with his left hand so all of his fingertips are resting on Ivie's temple, as if he's going to massage her head to soothe a headache.
"If anyone tries to talk to me I won't hear." John informs them. Then John closes his eyes and begins the spell.
Adrian sees John's mouth moving, forming words, but no sound comes out. Every once in awhile his fingers spark the same electric blue as before. It's his magic, which only supernatural can see.
~*~
Ivie awakes in the woods, she's stalking someone. But everything feels different. Ivie's surroundings are brighter, her strut in between the trees is confident in a way.
Something green flashes before Ivie's eyes. When she grabs it, it turns out to be her hair.
Ivie loses control of herself then. She's talking but not willing herself to talk. It's like Ivie's just along for the ride. This must be vine girl controlling her. But how...?
Ivie realizes then that she's getting someone to chase her. She sees glimpses of brown hair.
Suddenly it's a different time and Ivie is sitting on the ground surrounded with vines.
"Are you okay?" Lucas asks as he walks closer very cautiously.
Then something shifts and Ivie is standing in front of a frightened Lucas.
He growls low at her. "What are you doing to me?"
Ivie feels herself laugh and she can't stop what's happening. "It's vine girl. This is vine girl." Ivie tells herself.
Ivie feels a rush of power as vines grab Lucas' feet, tying him to the ground. "I'm not doing anything!" Ivie replies in a sing song voice that is not her own.
More power surges through Ivie's veins as more vines make their way around Lucas, wrapping around his arms and chest.
"You're eyes burn bright from the moon! You're like me."
"No I'm not!" Lucas yells back. His eyes are burning a golden color.
"You're a monster like me!" Ivie says viciously. Well, vine girl says. But to Ivie, it feels like she's talking.
That scene fades away as Ivie sees flashes of other places. Other times. She's always in the woods, hurting someone.
Ivie sees a flash of Adrian. She's stabbing him with vines until he rushes at her, knocking her out.
The image shifts again making Ivie feel lost, the she's suddenly teasing Lucas. "Let's play freeze tag! If we tag you then you have to stay there." Ivie sees vines around her. That must be the "we" she spoke of.
Then Ivie watches as "she" stabs Mason in the stomach and he falls to the ground with blood seeping through his shirt. Ivie is horrified by these images but they keep coming.
Lucas hanging upside down in a tree by vines. Adrian's blood dripping from a vine that just ripped through him.
Monique attacks but vine girl is able to defend herself from Monique and trap Adrian at the same time.
Ivie feels vines crawl up to Adrian's neck, poised to strike and ready to kill. Ivie can't turn away or close her eyes to avoid seeing herself kill Adrian.
Ivie doesn't know reality right now, she's completely sucked into this dream. Ivie thinks she's doing all of this right now, while vine girl is controlling her.
Just as the vines are reaching to kill Adrian, he bites them in half. Ivie feels the power in her veins turn to pain. Vine girl yells aloud but all Ivie can do is scream silently. As she watches vine girl keep fighting, Ivie feels suddenly detached from vine girl.
But the pain doesn't cease it's relentless hold on her, and Ivie can't stand it anymore, so she lets a sudden darkness take her away.