what was hope doing in your dreams?
MYSTIC FALLS , VIRGINIA
"No!" I squeal, dodging Rafaels arms. I run down the halls of the Salvatore school, holding Rafael's things. He attempts to grab them from me, but it's no luck. I leap up, grabbing onto the top of a door frame before swinging my self farther ahead, right into Dr. Saltzman.
Rafael stops in his tracks, breathing heavily. "Uh, Hey, Dr. S." He pants.
"Rafael, Lena," He hums. "Are you guys ready for the assembly?"
I frown. "Assembly?"
♞
"Yesterday, I came into possession of another Malivore artifact. It was my hope to find a method of containment before it signaled another monster" Dr. Saltzman glances at each of us. "But given the emergency meeting I've just called, I'm sure you can guess how well that went."
Landon leans over. "Do you see Hope anywhere?" Rafael shrugs, shaking his head.
"Probably off making out with a secret sibling of ours or something, I'm sure." I snap back, rolling my eyes. I look around for Lizzie. "Where are the Saltzmans?"
Rafael looks at me, confused. "They left for Europe days ago."
I shake my head. "I just talked to Lizzie-" I cut myself off, trying to piece it together in my head.
Landon reaches for me, but I pull away quickly. "You okay?"
"I-Im fine." I stutter. "Don't touch me."
"But rest assured we are taking every precaution. Sheriff Donovan has been kind enough to open the doors of the Lockwood Mansion to us, so Mr. Williams and Ms. Tig are now in the process of evacuating our students from the lower grades."
Vampire boy, Kaleb, speaks up. "Why don't we just evacuate the damn artifact?" He asks.
Dr. Saltzman answers efficiently. "We are much more well-equipped than the world at large to handle the arrival of a monster." He explains. "Once we know what we're dealing with and the problem is contained, then we can reassess what to do with the artifact. If any of you would like to evacuate, please talk to Dorian or Emma. However, exam week will continue as scheduled, wherever you are." Students groan in annoyance, their excitement about exams being cancelled now gone. "I know. I'm sorry. I can't exactly call the state accreditation board and tell them that we're cancelling the exams because of monsters." He chuckles. "We'll get through this, I promise. Try and get some rest, okay? Good night."
The three of us walk out, I keep my distance from Landon. "Hope's M.I.A." Landon shrugs.
"Yeah, she's probably suiting up in her battle armor." I snap. "Or she's realized she's made a mistake bringing us back here 'cause she can't decide which twin she wants."
Landon rolls his eyes. "Or because where I go, danger follows."
"My God." Rafael groans. "Come on, guys. Now, this one's not on you." He tells us.
"I mean, her being distant today has got to have something to do with us waking up in a field with amnesia yesterday, right?" Landon asks.
I cross my arms. "Or her switching between the two of us."
"Look, until one of you can remembers how you guys got there, I just... I-I just wouldn't think about it." Rafael says. He turns towards me. "And it's a girl Lena, don't let it come between the two of you." Landon and I look at one another briefly. "Look, you're here. Think about the good things in your life instead of getting caught up in the bad for once."
Landon and I shift our weights in sync. "Yeah." Landon chirps.
"Okay," I whisper.
"Uh, I'm gonna grab my bags and hit the library." Rafael says, doing a weird handshake with Landon. "I'll see you two at breakfast in the morning?"
Landon and I nod. "Yeah, see you at breakfast."
The two of us turn around, "Hey, guys," We both look back at Rafael, who smiles. "I'm glad you're back."
We both give small smiles, nodding in return before walking away. "I'm still mad at you." I say to my brother
"What did I do?" He asks.
"We agreed to no Hope. Now you two are dating?"
Landon frowns at me. "Weren't you talking earlier about how you feel bad for saying what you said? And that you know your worth?"
"Don't use my stupid emotional self against me!" I shout defensively. "I was being dumb!" I glare at my brother, who looks at me like I'm nuts. "I get it. Hope isn't something to win. That's not the problem here. The problem is she's getting in between you and me, and you're letting her!"
"Am not!"
"Yes you are!"
Landon groans. "God, Lena, not everything is about you!" He snaps. "I get you want to be the hero and protect me all the time, but that's not how it works anymore!" I'm taken aback by his words. "We have to learn how to be just Landon Kirby and just Lena Kirby. Not Landon and Lena." My lips twitch into a frown as Landon shakes his head. "I got to go."
I turn, watching him storm off. "Landon, wait," I mumble, but he just keeps going. Breathing sharply, "Please." I whisper. For the first time in what feels like years, it feels like someone's completely broken me. I groan. "What happened to bro's before hoes!?" I shout in his direction.
♞
"Landon?" My brother smiles at me, as I look around. "Where are we?"
He gestures around the small cozy apartment we had wandered into. "I bought this place. For you and me."
I frown. "Why? What about your girlfriend? And Raf? And the school?" I ask him slowly.
Landon's smile is border-line scary. "Isn't this what you want? Just you and me, Lena. As it's always been. We can keep each other safe."
"Okay," I put my hands up, "But I would also like to go get married or something in the mix, and I can't do that when we're in a studio apartment." I say awkwardly.
Landon's face falls. "Then give me the urn."
I look at him, exasperated. "What?" Suddenly, there's a loud bang on the door. I clear my throat, sheepishly heading towards it.
Swinging it open, a bloodied, head smashed Phil looks down at me. "Missed me?"
I let out a petrified scream as he grabs me, tossing me to the floor. Crawling on my hands and knees, I try to reach the phone laying there on the couch. Phil grabs me by my ankle, pulling me back harshly. He turns me to face him, his hands wrapping around my neck. I look up for help from Landon, but he just eerily smiles down at me. It's as if he enjoys watching it.
"You're a useless little bitch!" Shouts Phil, slamming my body into the floor. "Nobody will
miss you when I finally rid of you!" I claw at his hands, trying to find a way to breathe. "Now give me the urn!"
My eyes close tight as I try to pull him away. "What the hell are you talking about!?"
When my eyes open up, a scary women looks down at me. Her body floats in the air as her bony fingers continue to strangle me. Her nails digging into my skin. "Give me the urn!" She squeezes tighter. "Where is the urn!?" My vision blurs, my eyes fluttering shut as the old had continues to yell at my face.
"Lena! Lena wake up!"
My eyes shoot open as I gasp for air, my hands reaching for my neck as I sit up off the floor. Hope and Rafael circle around me, Dr. Saltzman standing close by. Panting, I look between each of them. "What, the hell, was that?"