SPELLBOUND
〈chapter fifteen〉
Ivy held Hayden's hand, as she sat down on a chair right next to where Hayden laid. Hayden was getting worse by the minute. Ivy felt it, she still didn't know why or even understood it. She also hadn't made any progress to share her theories with anyone else.
She knew she had to tell someone, but how? Would any of them even understand? Ivy knew that they would all understand in their own ways. But she was a Steiner, preferred to handle something on her own first, before even bothering to ask for help, outside of family that was.
Family. That was it. Ivy knew someone she could talk to this about. Someone that would always support Ivy's choices and decisions, even if they hated it with a passion. Her older brother. Ethan.
One small problem. Ivy had no idea where her phone currently was. Also, she felt her body growing tired. Without even trying, Ivy's head dropped onto her arm, for which she was holding Hayden's hand with, and welcomed the darkness.
★
Ivy's head was pounding as she woke up. Though she was no longer in the animal clinic with Melissa and Hayden next to her.
'What the hell?' Ivy asked herself as she looked for any clues that might suggest where she was.
"HELLO!" Ivy screamed, but she received pure silence. Ivy sighed as she continued looking around. Minutes passed before she heard a familiar voice.
"Ivy?"
Ivy slowly turned around and almost cried at the sight in front of her.
"Aiden!" Ivy yelled in excitement as she ran to hug her deceased older brother. "Oh my god," Ivy let out as she smelled the familiar scent of her brother in the air. "You're really here. How?"
Aiden smiled as he tightly hugged his baby sister. "Long story, that we don't have time for."
"What's going on? Where are we?"
Aiden sighed, "It's kind of like limbo. It's too complicated to fully explain right. But you need to listen to me."
Ivy nodded, "What's going on?"
"You and Hayden, you're connected."
"Connected?"
"Again time is limited, but yes. I know you feel it."
Ivy nodded, she did feel something. Her brother was just confirming the theories she had formed all on her own.
"The dread doctors did this?"
Aiden sighed, "Sorta. They enhanced it in a way. I can't really go into detail right now. But you must be careful, at Hayden's rate. You two face the same fate."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
But Aiden never got to answer, seeing as Ivy was thrusted out of limbo and thrown back into the real world.
★
Ivy gasped as she woke up, her brother's name escaping her lips. "Aiden!"
Liam held Ivy in his arms. "Ivy, it's okay. Ivy, look at me." Ivy looked at Liam, trying to calm her racing heart. "I'm right here. Just look at me."
Ivy nodded, as she finally calmed down. "You're okay," Liam reassured as he comforted her.
'But for how long?' Ivy thought.
✯☾✯
"It's not working, is it?" Liam asked Melissa.
"She should be showing signs of improvement," Melissa stated.
"But she's not," Ivy pointed out and Melissa gave her a sad look. Ivy sighed as she kept holding Hayden's hand.
"Call Val. My sister... Valerie," Hayden requested.
Ivy turned to Scott, who had just entered the room, "Sheriff Stilinski would know where she is."
"She's a deputy," Liam added.
"I think I might know where she is. Theo just texted me about the high school. He said there's cops everywhere. Might be another Chimera," Scott informed the group.
Ivy nodded, "It's a start."
"Um, my sister. I don't want to die without my sister," Hayden said.
"I'll get her," Scott told Hayden, as Ivy mouthed a 'thank you' towards Scott.
"Uh, wait. What are you going to tell her?" Liam asked his alpha before he could leave.
"If I have to, I'll tell her everything."
"Hurry," Ivy told Scott as he left the animal clinic. Hayden didn't have much time remaining. Ivy could feel it. Aiden was right, the pair are connected. Meaning if Hayden's getting closer to her doom, Ivy would soon follow. Her chances of survival were getting lower by the second.
✯☾✯
"Oh, I don't feel so good," Ivy stated before she threw up. Liam was immediately by her side, holding her hair out of her face. Ivy groaned, as Liam gently rubbed her back in comfort.
"That's not good, is it?" Liam asked Melissa as he stared at the contents that Ivy had just thrown up. Melissa shook her head, "Not one bit."
"Gross. How the hell did mistletoe get into my body?" Ivy asked, still trying to process the fact that she had just thrown up, mistletoe.
"Woah," Ivy said as she lost balance. Liam caught her without hesitation.
Ivy felt herself getting drowsy. She stared into Liam's blue eyes, "You're so pretty," before welcoming darkness once more.
★
Ivy woke up in yet another unfamiliar place. "Ugh, not again?" Ivy stood up and checked her surroundings, once again she was by herself, or so it seemed for the time being.
"Hello? Aiden, are you here?"
"Sorry, darling. Your brother's not here," an unfamiliar yet strangely familiar at the same time, voice said. Ivy turned around and faced the person to whom the voice belonged to.
Ivy's eyes widened as realization struck her. This person standing in front of her was none other than blurry face man. Except for this time, his face wasn't blurry. She could actually make out his face.
"You," Ivy stated. The man gave her a smirk, "Me!"
"Who the hell are you? And where the hell am I?"
"So many questions, my curious little one."
Ivy rolled her eyes, "Just answer them," clearly getting fed up with the man in front of her.
"The name's Killian Frost. I'm a friend of your father's, you can trust me."
Ivy laughed, "Why the hell should I trust you. You literally have the word, 'kill' in your first name. Doesn't sound very trustworthy to me."
Killian gave the witch-werewolf hybrid girl a glare, "Haha very funny. Anyways, we have important business to get down to."
Ivy raised her eyebrow in confusion, "Do you know something I don't?"
"Darling, I know way more than you think. For example, how you're currently dying because you and your friend Hayden are connected. But don't worry, my dear, death isn't something you should fear."
Ivy's jaw dropped, "Death isn't something I should fear. Are you crazy? You just confirmed I'm dying, how the fuck am I supposed to remain calm."
"Darling..."
"You're like the second person to tell me that Hayden and I are connected. What does that mean?"
"Connected, linked, honestly there's probably a thousand different words to describe the two of you. But you're both destined to share the same fate," Killian noticed the confused look on the young girl's face and continued on.
"For centuries, witches and warlocks like myself have always been connected to someone they start to care for around the time their powers become out of control. When a witch or warlock finally gains control over their powers, that connection becomes broken.
However, they still share a deep bond with the person they were once connected to. A deep and powerful friendship, or possibly more, depending on the person. It's why control is very important in our community.
But seeing as you're part werewolf, and that itself is extremely rare in our community. Witches and werewolves don't always mingle well with one another. But that's beside the point, you should have unlocked your powers ages ago, but it seems like your werewolf side blocked it."
"So, Hayden and I are doomed because I still don't have full control over my powers?"
"I'm sorry dear, but your friend is doomed either way, with or without the connection you two share. But like I said, death isn't something you should fear."
Ivy nodded, though things still seemed fuzzy to her. It was the most she has ever heard about this whole situation. She had so many more questions, but it didn't seem like she would be able to ask them all.
"Oh, dear, is that the time? I must send you back. Your boyfriend and that nurse are extremely worried about you," Killian spoke as he looked at the watch on his wrist.
"Liam! Oh god, he must be freaking out," Ivy said, as Killian nodded as he waved his hands and magic spurred out from them. He pointed them at Ivy, "Wait!" Ivy yelled but it was too late.
★
Killian had sent Ivy back. She woke up in Liam's arms. "Oh my god, Ivy!" Liam exclaimed as his girlfriend finally gained consciousness again.
"My head hurts," Ivy pointed, it seemed as if her body was just getting worse by the second. Killian was right, her doom was coming.
✯☾✯
Ivy groaned as she once again threw up more mistletoe, along with some wolfsbane and other things. At this rate, Ivy figured she wasn't going to make it through the night.
Liam didn't once dare to leave his girlfriend's side. She was getting worse by the second. He assumed that Ivy knew something that she wasn't sharing with everyone else. But he didn't dare question her, he'd figure that she'll tell him whenever she was ready. Plus the last thing he wanted was to add more pressure on her.
He sighed as he comforted her to sleep. A small smile appeared on his face, as he noticed his girlfriend had drifted off to sleep. He gently played with her hair as he turned to Melissa, with a look of concern.
"They're getting worse, aren't they?"
Melissa nodded, before showing Liam, Hayden's arm, which was now covered in gray spots.
"Yeah, which is why we're taking them to the hospital," Melissa stated.
"How's that going to help?" Liam questioned as he continued to play with his girlfriend's hair.
"These spots showing on Hayden's arms and neck, and Ivy throwing up mistletoe and who knows what else, it's not good. We're in an animal clinic and I need equipment designed for humans. I said that we're going to take them to the hospital. I didn't say we're going through the front door."
✯☾✯
Melissa, Liam, Hayden, and Ivy were all inside Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital elevator making their way up to the fourth floor. Hayden was seated in a wheelchair, while Ivy had her arm draped around Ivy's shoulder for support. Liam had insisted that she had gotten a wheelchair herself, but Ivy resisted, saying she could walk.
Well, she could, for a little bit before she forced herself to hold onto Liam. Hayden groaned in pain, which Ivy immediately followed her actions.
Ivy watches as a small cloud of black liquid backwashes into the intravenous bag. Both Liam and Ivy ask a question towards Melissa at the same, "What's happening?"
"I'm not sure. But it's definitely not good," Melissa tells the young couple, who are both very concerned for their friend.
Hayden extends her arm for Ivy to hold, which she does. "My sister," Hayden states.
Ivy forces herself to give her best friend a small smile, before looking at Melissa for help.
"Scott's out looking for her right now. He's going to bring her here as soon as he can, alright?" Melissa assures her.
"He'll make it, don't worry," Ivy assured her best friend. But the thought of Hayden's sister got Ivy's own mind racing to her own brother. Ethan had no idea what was going on. She needed to contact her brother, but once more she pushed the action back for a while. She still had time... At least, she thought she did.
✯☾✯
"Scott's still not answering his phone," Liam told Ivy and Melissa. Ivy sighed as she ran a hand through her hair.
"Then you have to go and find him, Liam," Ivy suggested.
Liam gave her a look, "I'm not leaving you."
Ivy gave him a small smile, "I'll be okay. Plus, you're going to find him and you're going to be back here in no time."
"I still think-"
Ivy cut Liam off, "Liam, please. Hayden needs her sister. Please do this for me."
Liam sighed as he grabbed Ivy's hands onto his own. "I'll be quick, you hear me. I'll be back here in no time."
Ivy gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I know you will." Ivy looked onto their intertwined hands, she sighed. She knew what she needed to do. "But before you go, I need to tell you something."
Liam looked at her in confusion, "You know you can tell me anything."
Ivy took a deep breath, before telling Liam everything. Well, a very quick straight to the point summary of everything she's been keeping from him.
After she was finished telling him everything, she wasn't sure what Liam was thinking.
"Are you insane? How can I leave you now that you told me all that? It's more the reasons why I should stay here with you, Ivy."
"Liam, please, Hayden needs her sister. Scott isn't picking up, you're our last hope. Look if you can't find him, then you come back straight to me, you hear me."
"Ivy..."
"Liam Dunbar I love you, okay."
"I love you too, Ivy Steiner."
The pair pulled in one another for a kiss. A kiss that was filled with passion and desire but also contained concerns and worries. A kiss that Ivy feared could have been the last one she ever shared with the boy who had stolen her heart and mended it.
"Be quick," Ivy encouraged him.
"Stay strong for me," Liam told her.
"Of course, I wouldn't want anyone else to catch me falling in holes," Ivy jokes, causing the two of them to laugh.
"I'll always catch you, Ivy." Liam gave her a final kiss on her forehead before he left to go and try and locate Scott. Ivy sighed as she watched her boyfriend go.
Something in her gut was telling her that that might have been the last time she saw her boyfriend before she meets her end.