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It happened too fast to be real.
That's all Stella can think as she stands in line with Emma, Kaleb, and the Saltzman family. They, like everyone else in the town, are herded through tents of medical assistance with government workers aiding them. Each worker has a blank stare as they move people from tent to tent.
Stella neglected to give her phone away when asked, so she keeps a firm hand in her jacket pocket. She stands beside Josie and behind the adults; Kaleb is on the other side of Josie with Lizzie on the end. Despite the harsh words Lizzie has thrown in Stella's face, the Hale witch can tell she is nervous. They all are.
"I don't get it," Stella whispers as she leans forward. "The locals that we met said that they hadn't seen anything which means that the first sign of trouble happened after we got here. How did these people get here before the bugs?"
"I don't know who they are," Alaric says. "but they are too prepared, organized, and well-equipped to be responding to some random insect attack."
He pauses as the group steps up to the check-in table. The woman sitting there looks up, boredom covering her face. "You together?" She asks.
Alaric puts on a fake smile. "Yeah, you know, we just came in from Roanoke to see that giant ball of yarn you guys have."
The woman blinks. "And these are?" She points to the rest of them.
Wrapping an arm around Emma, he says, "This is my wife, Emma." Emma smiles happily, placing her hand against Alaric's chest to see the act. Alaric glances back. "These are my daughters." He motions to the twins. "From my first marriage, obviously." Kaleb coughs as Stella shrinks behind Alaric. "And, uh, Kaleb here is..."
Kaleb's eyes fly wide open as Alaric fumbles with words. "My boyfriend," Lizzie says quickly, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"And the dark-haired one?" The lady asks.
Stella slowly peaks out from behind Alaric. She forces a smile on her face as Josie opens her mouth to speak. "I'm, uh, just a friend," Stella says. Josie presses her lips together, sending the Hale a soft look.
The woman narrows her eyes. "Name?"
Glancing at Alaric, she says through the tightness in her chest, "Laura Adams."
The lady lets them pass.
The first thing Stella does is take Josie over to a medical technician. Lizzie trails along with a glare on her face. "I can take care of my sister," she snaps, pushing Stella out of the way.
Before Stella can reply, her phone begins to buzz. Panic shoots through her as she moves to the corner of the tent to answer the chat. As Hope's face pops up, Stella can't help but sigh in relief. "You're ok," she says.
"Of course, I am," Hope laughs. "Why wouldn't I?"
"You haven't answered your phone in days," Stella hisses as anger seeps into her tone. "Neither have my parents."
Hope shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I meant to call you back, I was just—"
"You were busy," Stella states as emotion leaves her voice and expression. She stares blankly at her cousin. "You were doing other things. I get it."
"But it's no excuse," Hope says. She opens her mouth but pauses as she goes pale.
"Hope?" Stella asks, tapping the phone. "You froze, are you ok?"
"Don't look, but the guy behind you was outside Landon's mom's house when I was in Kansas."
Stella chances a glance behind her to see a man in a polo jacket. He has short cropped hair with a very sharp jawline. He stands straight like he knows he deserves the attention. "I don't like him," Stella mutters.
"I said don't look!" Stella turns back to Hope. "Talk to Saltzman about it. And be careful, ok?"
Stella narrows her eyes. "You have to go, don't you?" Before Hope can answer, Stella scoffs. "Fine, just call when you can. And tell my parents that they scared me. Maybe I'll even get a call."
"Stella—"
She turns off her phone.
Approaching Alaric, she quickly explains the situation, never taking her eyes off of the mysterious man. "What's he doing here?" Stella asks.
"I don't know. Probably the same thing we are—trying to cover things up," Alaric replies. "There are groups like this scattered all over the globe. Probably tracking the same activity we were."
"Like hunters?"
Alaric shakes his head. "These groups don't carelessly murder for no reason. They preserve."
Stella's eyes fall on their car. "They sure pack enough power to be hunters."
They watch as armed men fill a car with weapons, ammunition, and scuba gear. Stella's eyes widen. "The gear," she breathes. "They're here for the urn."
~~~~~
Stella sits beside Josie as Lizzie fusses over her sister's boil. The medics had wrapped Josie's arm in a bandage, but that does not stop Lizzie from trying to heal it; she even siphoned some magic off of Stella to try helping.
The noise bothers Stella—it's like she cannot quiet it down. It is overwhelming and difficult to sift through. Every movement Josie makes, whether she shifts in her seat or jerks away from Lizzie, grates Stella's ears until she is sure they are bleeding.
She closes her eyes, squeezing them tightly. Suddenly, Alaric's voice fills her head. She pops her eyes open to see him talking to the strange man. "Roanoke," Alaric says tensely.
"I'm just checking in with everyone," the stranger replies. "Sooner we get everyone proper medical attention, sooner you can go see that giant ball of yarn."
"Well, we don't need any attention, but thank you."
The man chuckles. "So, you came in from Raleigh on a road trip with your family?"
Alaric narrows his eyes. "Roanoke."
"Roanoke, sorry. You ever been to Kansas?"
Stella straightens her back as she glares at the man's head. Her attention is taken away when Josie lays a hand on her's. "Hey, who is that guy?" She asks.
"Some creep Hope and your dad met in Kansas when you guys were in Europe."
"Why were they in Kansas?" Lizzie scoffs. "Oh, wait, let me guess. It involved Hope insinuating herself into a situation where only she could be the hero."
"Sure," Stella replies as her head begins to pound.
"I swear to God, she would do anything to get attention."
Stella shakes her head with a sarcastic smile. "Said the narcissist."
"Said the...other narcissist."
"Guys!" Josie exclaims. "Can we please just stop?"
Shaking her head, Stella leans across Josie. "You know what? Maybe Hope was jealous. Maybe she wanted what you have—a simple day with her family. But she can't ever get that.
"The only reason I know about the fire is because she called Teddy sobbing after it happened. She lost half of her stuff, including the only painting she made with her dad. Why would she do that to herself?"
Too frustrated to argue more, Stella stands up and crosses her arms over her chest. She feels her throat tighten as images of her cousin and uncle flash in her mind. The loss is still to fresh.
When she glances up, she sees the mysterious man looking at her. She only looks back at Alaric; he motions for her to join them outside. Reluctantly, despite the tightness spreading over her body, she complies—if only to get away from Lizzie.
"Who is this asshole?" Stella whispers to Alaric as they pause by a forgotten car.
"I work for an organization that keeps monsters and things that go bump in the night from public view," the man replies. "You can call me Clarke. I thought I recognized you. I wasn't sure if it was a coincidence, so we searched your van."
"Not exactly legal," Stella replies as she narrows her eyes at Clarke.
He focuses on Alaric. "We know you're Alaric Saltzman, headmaster of the Salvatore School. We know a lot about it. You have a terrific reputation."
"Leave the school out of this," Alaric says. His tense shoulders only make Stella more uncomfortable in the situation.
"Look, I applaud your school's mission. If you do your job right, makes mine easier."
"So why are we still here talking to you?" Stella asks as she crosses her arms. The man's eyes seem to sparkle at her response.
"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."
Stella freezes. Chimera. She knows that creature from stories. Stories of Beacon Hills—not Nebraska.
"Or a few ice fishermen in Minnesota that it wasn't a yeti that ate their best friend. This is an entire town. It's different. We could use the assistance of a vampire." He looks down at Stella with a glint in his eye. "I noticed the daylight ring on the boyfriend."
"He's not—" Alaric begins, but cuts himself off. "Never mind. Why not call it a freak swarm of bugs? Why erase it from memory?"
"Because someone may recognize them for what they are," Clarke replies.
"Harbingers," Stella sighs. "The work of a mummy."
Alaric smiles gleefully. "I knew it," he whispers to himself as he does a little dance.
Clarke eyes him weirdly. "One of our drivers survived an attack by the river. He's been tracking the mummy ever since. He's still on the outskirts of town, but he's heading our direction. We're a cleanup organization. We're not equipped to go to battle with a mummy. So will you help? Cut him off at the pass and keep these people safe?"
Alaric frowns. "These are kids—"
"Kids with magic in a town full of innocents without it."
Stella takes a deep breath before putting on a smile. "We'd be happy to help."
Alaric sends her a look before saying, "I'm gonna need my weapons."
"Of course," Clarke replies. "Gather what you need. Round up your friends. My team can help you with anything else." He sends them grateful smiles before leaving.
The moment Stella loses his head in the crowd, she turns to Alaric with a phone in her hand. "Call Hope," she says as he takes it.
"How did you get my phone back? I thought I sent Kaleb—"
"I swiped it," Stella replies. "Now, call Hope. Maybe she'll answer you."
Sending the witch a guilty look, Alaric presses the call button. "Hey, Hope," he says only a second after putting the phone against his ear.
Stella throws her hands up in the air as her skin begins to heat up. "Really?" She mutters under her breath. "It takes me three days, but she answers him on his first try?" She shakes her head as she stomps away from Alaric. "Could this day get any worse?"
Tensions rising :)
Hope you enjoyed!
-L