THE NECKLACE AND NURSE VISITS.
—
"Why do you always assume something is troubling me, Aunt Eliza?" Calista questioned from the other side of the room, her voice carrying the length of to where her laptop sat, cracked open and the camera icon lit up green. Eliza's pixelated face contorted into an aggressive frown and the young witch huffed. "I said I was fineee." She whined and unpacked a few trophies she soon stacked atop of her empty shelves.
"Do you really expect me to believe that after I've known you for almost eighteen years. I was the first person to hold baby you in my arms, don't mistake me for someone who can't read you like an open book." Eliza grumbled at her niece.
Calista abandoned the half unpacked boxes and grabbed her laptop, placing it on her desk and sitting in front of it. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. "If you can read me like an open book as you so claim, then you should be telling me how I feel."
Eliza glared at the girl sharply, her matching blue eyes hardened. "Do not mimic my tone!" The woman scolded and stared at her niece, trying to read her like an open book. Although for some reason, she was difficult to study this time around. Like there was a shield reinforced around her that blocked off people from being able to see through her, people that had been granted safe passage since day one, now cornered off. "That's strange.."
"What's strange, Aunt Eliza?" Calista asked.
Eliza shook her head and chuckled nervously. "Oh nothing, petal. I don't know what I'm saying. How are your classes going? Have you made any new friends yet?"
Calista pulled her eyebrows together in confusion but ignored the unease washing over her. She knew that every time Eliza switched the subject, it had to be something direly important. "About that. Dr. Eyebrows arranged a meeting today and I should receive my scheduled classes and be prepared to start tomorrow morning." Calista responded, praying no classes involved Hope or her boyfriend for that matter. "As for the friends part, that is a current work in progress."
Eliza ignored the absurd nickname her niece gave Alaric and smiled encouragingly. "That will be a very hasty work in progress. It is not difficult for someone to like you, Calista. You're very adoring."
"Thanks, Aunt Eli—ow!" Calista is interrupted as a twinge of pain attacked her wrist, wince falling out of her mouth. Calista glanced down at her arm and lifted the sleeve of her sweater, but confused to find her skin untouched and no trace of a wound anywhere to be seen, not even a bruise in the making.
"Are you okay, petal?" Calista stuck her thumbs up and rolled down her sleeve.
"Yeah, I just pricked my finger, nothing major." Calista lied and the woman eyed her but didn't interrogate further. "Hey, can I call you tomorrow?"
Eliza smiled. "Anytime you want, baby. I'll shoot you a few texts to keep you updated on your mom's recovery."
"Thanks," Calista returned the smile and waved her hand across the screen. "Bye, love you!" Then she exited the video chat and shut her laptop lid, staring wide eyed at her arm. She traced the skin and wondered why there was a shoot of pain that skimmed over her with no evidence to back her up. There had to be a reason behind it. But what?
"Knock, knock," Lizzie startled the older witch as she hovered in the doorway to Penelope and Calista's shared room. "Didn't mean to scare the soul out of you... not that you have one but nothing Satan can't resolve for you."
"Is there something you need, Lizzie?" Calista scoffed. "Besides, an attitude check?"
The blonde invited herself into the room and bounced along to Calista's bed and plopped down, crossing her ankles and facing the girl at the desk with a grin. "We started off on the wrong foot, and I'm here to set the tides right. I want for us to be friends."
That is not the Lizzie she knew, not even that smile plastered on her lips was real. "Very funny, Saltzman. But what do you actually want because I know it's not friendship."
Lizzie rolled her eyes and dropped her fake smile. "Okay, you got me. I want your help with a two person spell."
Calista swiveled around in her chair and pressed her hands together in disbelief. "That's hilarious you would come to me," she chuckled and rose to her feet. "But I'm not helping someone my best friend doesn't enjoy the sight of. If Penelope doesn't like you, neither do I, because I trust her judgement."
"I know you come from a long line of powerful ancestral witches and why would you let Satan dictate your decisions?" Lizzie met Calista on her feet and narrowed her blue eyes.
"As do you, Saltzman." Calista retorted, then tilted her head up at Lizzie. Lizzie was taller by an easy inch but the small advantage gave no reassurance to her because Calista was far more intimidating on her feet than when she was sitting. "For the same reason Josie allows you to dictate everything that happens in her life."
"That's low, Drakos. I can't believe you went there."
"You went there first." Calista mocked the blonde girl who gasped.
"The audacity you have!" Lizzie yelped out, taking offence and inching closer.
"You started this whole argument, don't let the door hit you in your way out." Calista sneered, turning around but only making it halfway as Lizzie grabbed her wrist.
"Wait! Are you going to help me or what?" The shorter girl snatched her hand to her chin, instinctively cradling her wrist into herself, scowling up at Lizzie.
"Don't touch me." Calista snapped, sticking her hand into her pocket and out of reach.
Lizzie squinted her eyes, judging. "Not a fan of physical contact?" She prodded and Calista squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply. When she opened her eyes, Lizzie was just a forehead distance from her and far into personally invading her space.
"Uh, what's going on here?"
Calista's eyes softened as she took in Penelope's presence and all the anger pent up inside her, vanished. "Nothing, Lizzie was just leaving." Penelope had always been the one who kept her at bay.
"Actual-" Lizzie had not planted a deal and she was not willing to leave without, but the glare Calista shot her way was enough to make her scurry away.
"Goodbye, Lizzie." Calista gritted pit forcefully.
Penelope stalked the twin with a predatory like stare as Lizzie shuffled out of their room and not once lifted her head. Once the door shut all the way, Penelope faced Calista and perked her eyebrows up. "What was all that about?"
Calista groaned under her breath and avoided Penelope by busying herself in stacking novels on the uneven bookcase above her desk. Calista didn't know where she should begin, or if the option to begin at all was for the taking. She weighed out the decision of coming clean and spilling her guts about what Lizzie intended to leave with, a scheme that involved her. But she believed in karma, of course she did. Calista decided against telling the truth, a white lie wouldn't hurt.
Calista was capable of being independent, and she certainly did not need to inform Penelope of everything happening in her life. She drew the line at Penelope demanding questions of where she was every second. Penelope could be overly protective sometimes.
Penelope cleared her throat, loud enough to draw Calista's attention away from the book arranging. "Care to explain what that life sucking witch was doing in our dorm?" Penelope urged, her dark eyes falling to her friend. Calista shifted on her feet and nervously toyed with her slender fingers, wriggling them to keep her mind distracted. "Not to mention, looking as though she wanted to make out with your face." She added, coughing out a gag.
Calista twisted her upper lip in distaste. "Wait you thought we were going in for a kiss?!" She screeched and rolled her eyes at the girl's persistence to receive an answer. "She just stopped by to check on me after the whole Hope situation blew up in my face." Calista said, keeping her face from showing any known hints of her lying. She managed to keep from biting her lip, which was the first dead giveaway.
"Since when could Lizzie Saltzman be considerate of anyone's feelings but her own?" Penelope scoffed. "I doubt that, but I do believe you and if that's happened, then I trust your words." Her smile was off, something about it seemed so forced but Calista didn't question it.
"I'm heading out again." Penelope spoke up again, pointing her thumb to the door behind her. "If you need me in any state of emergency, you can find me in Josie's room. We'll be working on our project for the class." Penelope grabbed her notebook and tucked her hand into her pocket.
"Got it," Calista saluted and smiled sheepishly. "Have fun studying."
Penelope narrowed her eyes but laughed it off as she exited the room with a noticeable bounce to her walk. She must've been excited.
Calista was met with utter silence and she couldn't help but drift back to the strange encounter with her arm feeling that slither of pain. She had to figure out what caused it because she was certain it was not her own fault.
—
"Thank you, Dr. Eyebr— Saltzman." Calista corrected herself just a second off exposing his nickname and tucked a class schedule into the back pocket of her pants.
"Calista, just a moment. I need to speak with you about something." Alaric spoke in a serious tone and his eyes flickered to the seat she sat in seconds ago. Calista reluctantly lowered herself back into the leather arm chair and raised her eyebrows in a curious manner.
"Am I in trouble?" Calista questioned and last night's incident warped her thoughts, eyes wide with fear. "I didn't mean to use all the hot water, I swear it felt like five minutes not an hour." She winced as the memory resurfaced, but there was still amused pride lingering on her features.
The man reeled his face back and shock set in. "I wondered why I almost froze to death last night trying to shower.." he trailed off quietly then laughed. "but no, this is regarding something a little more important than water thievery."
Calista breathed out and colour returned to her cheeks. "So, what is this about then?"
"I was hoping to discuss your former relationship with a fellow student," he paused and noticed the witch clench her jaw tightly. "-Hope Mikaelson." Butterflies filled Calista's stomach.
"Uhm, may I ask why?" She asked, almost afraid of his answer.
"You may," he replied and intertwined his fingers. "This is an open discussion."
"Okay then," she muttered, slightly uncomfortable this conversation was brought up in the first place. "Why are you interested in my relationship with Hope?"
Alaric hummed and pressed a finger to his chin, scratching his stubble lightly. Calista stared impatiently at the man, waiting for his response. "Ever since your departure, Hope hasn't been quite like herself, she seems to struggle dealing with her wolf."
"Her wolf?"
Alaric nodded. "She is unable to tame her inner wolf antics, leaving her vulnerable to shifting without self command. Dorian and I have been nose deep in research for months but we can't seem to find a solution for her, but it's occurred to me that since your return maybe the solution is you."
Calista swallowed thickly, trying to wrap her head around the issue at hand. "Me? How could I have relation to something that is out of her control and probably mine too. Why would I.. be the solution?"
"We think you might be able to help her." He said. "If you would be willing."
Calista wanted nothing more than to gain her frien— to rebuild fallen trust and she never stopped caring for Hope, she never would. "How can I help?" She mumbled, her stomach inflating with a more violent swarm of butterflies.
"For starters, you would need to rediscover your friendship." Calista saw that coming. "I believe at one stage you were her anchor and when you left, she lost what kept her grounded." An anchor.
"How do you know.. all of this?" She asked out of genuine curiosity, skeptical that maybe he knew a little too much.
The headmaster rolled his shoulders, smiling unfazed. "It's a requirement for Emma to inform me of anything that is out of the ordinary when it comes to the students. Emma was the first to know of Hope's encounters with her shifting without a full moon present." He explained. "She can become a real danger to herself if her wolf is unable to settle."
The witch chewed on her bottom lip and considered how Hope might feel with her trying to pry back into a broken friendship, that Calista herself was the downfall of. "If I can't help, what will that mean for her?"
"Worst case scenario, she could become trapped inside her wolf form and we would have no other option but to send her off."
"You would give up on her?" Calista asked, scooting to the edge of her seat in slight anger.
"Wolves are not to be considered people, Ms. Drakos. Those are just our policies."
"Doesn't the lives and well-being of your students come first?" Don't they matter?"
"I never said they didn't, but like I stated, wolves are not people. We cannot help someone who has lost their way."
Calista's eyebrows bunched together in anger, her chair scrapped against the seat as she rose up. "I will do everything in my power to help her, but what I do will be on my terms and you don't get a say in any of it. Hope will overcome that curse." Calista gritted through her clenched teeth and slammed the door on her exit.
Penelope would be proud.
—
An hour had fazed through after the chat with Alaric and it had been dawning on her ever since, plaguing every thought with the fear of losing Hope, forever, and to some stupid wolf curse. She bared losing her once, but she could never make peace with herself knowing she was a counterpart in Hope's fate. Calista had to come to her senses and pull together an apology, or at least show Hope that she was sorry for what she put her through. Calista knew she hurt Hope, she just didn't think what Hope last said to her was true.
Without you, I would crash and burn.
Calista was now slumped into an uncomfortable wooden chair with no padding on the backside to be considered tolerable. There was a fantasy novel tucked under her chin and her eyes were constantly darting across the page, soaking up comfort in the words. She had managed to distract her mind from the auburn-haired tribrid and her effort to avoid her was going according to plan, with a content smile playing on her lips and a laugh that escaped her mouth every few minutes after a character from the book said a pun she found amusing.
Calista noticed a figure shift across the room but she didn't pay mind until that same presence was adding a chair to her abandoned table and sitting down in it. Calista took a mental image of the chapter she left off and glanced up.. to see Hope staring at her, leaning her small chin into the ball of her palm. Hope... her Hope.
"What.. uh What can I do for you, Hope?"
Hope dipped her eyes to the title printed on the cover of the pink-haired girl's novel and snickered, like she expected any less. "Still fantasized by Ghouls and Dragons?" Calista frowned. Hope was on speaking terms with her now? And she was being casual, as if she was avoiding the part where both girl's owed each other an apology.
"I've been obsessed with Fiction ever since my mom introduced The Hobbit to me, fell in love with the beauty of false realism." Calista said, refusing to meet Hope's stare. She had countless of questions clouding her mind, about Hope's wolf, about the lacking apology and the absurdness of her current situation. Calista could've sworn that Hope hated her, but now she's talking to her, acknowledging her existence. She wasn't complaining, it was relieving but she asked herself why Hope was acting so lively.
"Hope, I just-"
"I'm sorry for running out on you earlier. I freaked and I know that's no excuse for reacting so coldly but I was scared to face you." Hope spoke sincerely, smiling ever so slightly.
Calista brought her gaze to lock onto Hope's wandering eyes and remembered what Alaric told her — rediscover your friendship, she had to gain back that trust. "You have no reason to be sorry, it's my fault. I barged back into your life and I shouldn't have expected you to be so forgiving. I can speak to Emma about switching our partners, I don't want to unsettle you or make things awkward."
"No!" Hope abruptly raised her voice, then realised the shift in Calista's face. "I mean... Emma won't allow it, she's hard case and I know from first hand experience she wouldn't agree to switching partners... considering the class has already started for the year."
The witch's lips parted in surprise before she furrowed her dark eyebrows. "Oh, as long as you're okay with us staying partners."
Hope nodded, trying not to let her over-enthusiasm slip. "I don't have an issue with it."
"Okay, great." Calista didn't know how else to respond and grabbed her book, sliding it under her armpit as she stood - intending to depart on stable terms with Hope, but the tribrid reached across the table and curled her fingers around Calista's wrist. A table length between the two girls, hands interlocked above the surface. The last contact they experienced was when Hope broke down crying into Calista arms, pleading her not to break her heart.
But, Calista broke Hope's heart more than once.
"Wait, Calista, did you... did you feel anything strange today?" Hope referred to the intentional attack on herself.
Calista looked down to the dainty fingers, covered with rings slung around her hand, almost holding her hostage and her cheeks grew hot from the physical contact. Hope noticed the faint blush and drew her hand back to fall short at her side. "sorry."
"Strange.. do you mind elaborating?"
Hope bowed her head, feeling the weight of the world crash down on her shoulders - every ounce of confidence stacked up had toppled over. "Oh.. I.. like a sudden burst of pa-" Hope could almost grasp onto the confession hidden beneath her tongue but fate had to interject or in this case, an innocent eyed siphon.
"I apologise for intruding but Penelope's had an accident. She's been asking for you." Josie Saltzman, the conversation interrupter, at least that's what Hope thought of her. The brunette girl smiled timidly at Calista.
"An accident?" Calista repeated the words aloud, her heart faltering for a brief moment where her mind flashed with the worst assumptions. "What type of accident?"
Josie casted her eyes to the ground and whispered out lowly, "You'll have to see for yourself." She said before she started tugging on Calista's forearm to prove her sense of worry. Calista turned her head for a short second, hoping her eyes would meet blue but the tribrid had vanished, planned a quick escape and Calista swallowed a feeling of emptiness. She wanted to know what Hope had to say, she looked to be in a temporary state of panic when she asked Hope to elaborate, like she was scared of the returned answer.
Calista pushed away the small battle inside her head and settled her concern on her best friend.
—
"I can't believe you didn't know you were allergic to strawberries." Calista cackled disruptively, her head shaking softly at the idiocy of her best friend.
Penelope narrowed her eyes until they were slits of brown, unable to be seen past her drooping eyelids. "I expected to be immune to allergic reactions with certain foods. I'm a witch, I didn't think it was possible." The girl fought back, her swelling lips forming a pout.
Calista smugly hid a grin behind her collared shirt. "You're a witch, Pen, you're not god." She quipped and approached the propped up bed where Penelope laid pouting, her big brown eyes becoming smaller.
The nurse knocked lightly on the door before she entered, a clipboard pressed to her chest. She smiled at the two friends and placed a small foam cup of water beside the bed, Penelope reached for it instantly and started sulking it back. "Now, every superhero has their weakness and unfortunately, yours is strawberries." The woman had a faint smug grin on her lips and Calista could sense the amusement radiating from her.
Calista had to admit, it was quite the laugh.
"Don't be so down, Pen, not everyone can be berry invincible." Calista teased, nudging Penelope's shoulder, knocking her forward and the water sloshed inside the cup as she glared at Calista.
"You're abusing an injured witch, I'm suffering. What happened to not attacking a knocked down friend?" Penelope grumbled dramatically, sipping on the water in small takes.
Calista opened her mouth to mock Penelope to end of her sanity, but the nurse cut in. "She can't do any more damage than you already did to yourself, Ms. Park. Bruised pride can have lingering side effects." The woman said causally, like she hadn't called out Penelope and embarrassed her in the process.
The two witches were taken back by the joke, mouths slacked open wide. Calista bent over her knees with untameable laughter while Penelope sunk further under the thin blankets and crossed her arms over her chest like a sulking child. "Is it too late to ask for another nurse?" Penelope hissed, the bitterness leaving distaste on her tongue.
The woman gave her a smug smile. "I'm the only nurse on duty." She clicked her pen and the cheesiness of her smile evened out and it became comforting. "Though luckily for you, your recovery is rapid. You're as good as new, leave whenever you two girls are ready." The nurse pulled Calista aside and snickered softly. "Do me a favor and keep her out of reach of strawberries." She patted Calista's shoulder, her close features now giving Calista a brief sense of familiarity.
Dark brown curls pinned back with a flower hair-clip, half up half down. Her eyes were a soft aqua blue, the left with a speckle of green floating around her iris and there was a small scar lined across the bridge of her wide nose. Her cheeks were high, well defined face shape of a diamond and her chin was pointy, small but sharp.
It was an absurd thought to create about a stranger, but this stranger in particular looked a lot like Calista's mom before she was mysteriously diagnosed with a illness no witch could produce a cure for and started ageing faster than anyone could blink. This nurse was like a mirrored, much younger version of her mom — in other words, a carbon copy.
"Do I... know you?" The young girl stammered wearily, studying the woman carefully from head to toe. The similarities were terrifyingly accurate, the hairstyle, the eyes, even the shape of the nose - large at the top, skinny down through the middle and thin nostrils. Everything about this woman screamed for Calista to study her origins and learn where she descended from.
The nurse tensed at the question and dropped her eyes to the floor. "Depends on whose asking."
Penelope sat upright and shot her friend a look of 'what're you doing' but Calista proceeded to interrogate for the sake of her unjustified curiosity. "You just remind me of someone.." She paused and bit her lip out of nervousness. "My name is Calista Drakos."
A realisation flooded into the nurse's face as she stumbled back on her feet and dropped her clipboard. It crashed to the ground and Calista frowned, crouching down to retrieve it for her but freezes mid reach. "Related to Florence Drakos?" There was a noticeable tremor added to the woman's voice.
Calista's mom. The pink-haired witch pinched her eyebrows into a bunch, slowly replying with, "Yes, and my father is-"
"Jasper Drakos, the outraged alpha. I was their firstborn, Edith but.. I uh... I go by Coey now." The woman breathed out, her chest rising and falling at a unhealthy rate.
Calista's mind shut down, her fingers balling up inside her fist as that one fatal word sunk in, repeating inside her head like a broken vinyl record.
Firstborn.
This had to be some sort of twisted joke.