2.02 | This Year Will Be Different | part three
When surrounded by water, some feel peace. The gentle crashing of waves could lull nearly anyone to sleep. The embrace of the water, the warmth of it against the skin, it felt like home to a select few.
The day she met Felix, he had just been swimming. The family they were staying with had a pool in their backyard larger than she had ever seen before. It had a diving board, a small basketball hoop, and a long set of stairs at the head of it. The water had been crystal clear and reeked of chlorine, but Felix didn't seem to mind or even care at all. He was all smiles when they met, kind as ever. Most teenage boysâespecially thirteen year old boysâ that she'd met were smelly and rude, but he was a saint.
The social worker went inside to talk with the host parents while she sat outside with him. She could still picture it clearly: his dark hair had gotten long enough to curl and kept sticking to the sides of his face, and there was a line under his eyes from the goggles he wore, which dangled around his neck like a good luck charm.
"Can you swim?" he asked, trying to get Elara's attention. She'd been staring at the water for the past few minutes. There was an absence in her eyes, like she was only there physically yet lost in her mind.
Elara shook her head.
"Do you want to?"
"No," she answered quickly. Her voice had been weak, like that had been the first time she spoke that dayâ or days.
"It's not scary," Felix reassured, but his words had no effect.
After what must have been ten minutes, the social worker returned, bringing the host parents with her. Felix didn't remember their expressions, but Elara did. The wrinkle between the brows, the downturn of their lips, and the softness of their eyes all meant that whatever the social worker told them to feel bad for her worked.
She hated it. Her hand rubbed her side, ignoring the sting the contact brought.
"Shrek 1 is still the best one, but the second one is pretty good, too," Felix rambled. "We should watch them. Mr. Lee has this little DVD playerâ"
Elara looked at him, eyes landing on his fidgeting hands, and Felix paused. A small smile reached his lips.
The social worker stopped next to them, extending a hand towards Elara but not touching her. She flinched at the movement. "Elara," the woman began, "would you like to take a tour of the house?"
Elara swallowed, and for the first time, she made eye contact with Felix. The vacancy had vanished, replaced with a conflicted look.
"I can show you my roomâ and the DVD player," Felix offered, smile unwavering.
And with a slow nod of her head, their bond began.
Elara never grew to love the water like he did, but the first time she jumped into the lake, that memory had been one of the first to appear. The tension and the fragility of her relationship with Felix after she had killed the hunter had pushed her even closer to her breaking point. Since that day at the house, he was the one thing she could rely on, the one consistency in her life. That day, she looked at life with a brighter lens.
Felix had been her home. He had been the light at the end of the tunnel, and his "death" shut her back into the dark.
What she hadn't known at the time, while her life was made a little bit better, Felix's had worsened. That morning he received news of his grandmother's passing, an hour before Elara arrived at the house.
She paused her run. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, checking what was the reason for the buzz, and her eyes landed on a text from Alaric.
An annoyed sigh escaped her lips as she pressed the call button.
Alaric picked up on the second ring. "Were my instructions unclear?"
"No, they were dumb," Elara responded. "You can't ask for my help and not expect me to hunt the damn thing down. It's what I'm good at."
"It's dangerous."
"It's the least dangerous thing we've faced. Hell, the least dangerous thing I've faced. Remember the.. the.." her voice trailed off as she searched her memories. She remembered punching solid stone, the cry of a voice, then getting slung across a room. "It was the.."
Why could she not remember?
"You're still a kid," Alaric cut in. Elara's nose scrunched at his faux concern. "A kid who happens to have dealt with things she should've stayed far, far away from."
He's not wrong.
"So was everyone else who voted you out of the school, but that didn't stop you from using kids as cannon fodder."
"That's not what happened, Elara."
To be fair, he didn't really have a choice. He's only humanâ
"Stop talking."
The snarl came unexpectedly, like a snake lashing out from its camouflage.
Silence fell on the line. Shuffling and a hushed whisper from a voice she didn't recognize came from the other side of the call before Alaric's voice reached her ears. "I didn't say anything."
" She shook her head. It was supposed to be getting better the longer she dealt with it; she was supposed to feel the line between. Cedric told her about it a billion times. "Well, you- whatever. I'm already on its old trail and will be where you tracked it in, like, five minutes, so either you take your head out of your ass and let me do my job or I'll kick your ass and whoever is listeningâ hey, by the way, I'm Elara, and I apologize on behalf of my former headmaster. He's a dick."
Alaric sighed.
"Don't get caught."
~-~-~
Milton. Freaking. Greasley.
Lizzie had been stood up by MG of all people. With the new year starting, Lizzie, calling it the "year of yes" decided to say yes to every opportunity thrown her way. So far, it had landed with her making smoothies with one of the covens, listening to Felix rant on and on and on about some nerd card game and decks, and doing a makeover with a couple vampiresâ they were in desperate need of help, anyways. Those things were sort of fun, and a great start to the "Year of Yes," and then MG decided to invite her to the Mill and ditch her.
Lizzie paced back and forth. She was not the type to be rejected, she did the rejecting. The Old Mill was empty, save for her relentless heels clicking on the old wood.
"This is so lame, universe," Lizzie complained. She snapped back the leather strap on her journal and moved over to the couch in the center of the room. "And to think, I thought you would send me somethingâ"
She stopped. Floorboards creaked, and a person stepped in from the balcony. Long dark hair, pulled back into a single, loose braid, fell over the shoulder of the visitor's white turtleneck.
Lizzie cleared her throat. The visitor blinked, as if finally noticing that Lizzie was there. "You're new, aren't you?"
"Oh! Um, yes, I am," she answered quickly. She held a leather-bound book in her hands, and when Lizzie shot a glance at it, she tucked it under her arm. "Rosalind. I'm- I'm from London, although I was born in Boston, and both of my parents are from-" A shy smile hit her lips. "And I'm oversharing. Sorry. Yes, I'm new."
"I knew that much," Lizzie said, taking a seat on the couch. "Plus, you're in my History of Dark Magic class and I gave you a tour a week ago. I know all the new students."
"Well, that's impressive." Rosalind looked around the main room. "So, what is this building aside from a safety hazard?"
Lizzie laughed, and that seemed to widen Rosalind's smile, which Lizzie didn't mind looking at. The new witch was pretty, very pretty.
"It's the Old Mill, although it's the only Mill here, so I don't know why we call it that, exactly." She shrugged. "It's been here a long time, though."
"I can tell just by looking at it," Rosalind commented. "You're Lizzie."
"And you're Rosalind."
Rosalind adjusted her grip on the book, the rings on her fingers were shiny and bejeweled. The emerald color complimented her skin tone. "My friends call me Rose."
Lizzie crossed her legs. "So, we're friends?"
"Do you want to be?"
She cocked her head slightly in thought. Rosalind's shyness didn't waiver, and there was a shimmer in her eyes that Lizzie liked.
"Yes."
~-~-~
Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
"Quit it," Elara snapped. She grabbed at the side of her head, running her fingers through her curls. Nighttime always made her head hurt worse. That pull from the moonâin any of its phasesâwas like a wave crashing against the shore, and Elara was that shore. Was that the phrase? Or was it something likeâ
"It's getting worse, isn't it?"
"Innit?" Elara echoed.
"Isn't it," Cedric repeated. "My accent isn't that strong."
The two stood at the edge of the park, standing underneath a streelight's cool glow. Alaric hadn't given her a meeting spot, and the monster (not-troll or ogre, maybe cyclops?) also had not made an appearance yet. She knew it would, though. That tug in her chest was pulling her towards the town center; and hard. Danger sense coming in clutch, she thought.
"My question still stands."
Elara groaned. "Yes. It's getting worse. You're literally in my head; shouldn't you be able to tell?"
"No, I can't. That's not how it works." Cedric stepped out from under the light, and Elara glanced at him. Again, he wore the sweatshirt and pants from before, and she had not given his appearance much thought. Cedric was the type of man who preferred style over comfort. From what she could tell, he had owned maybe one pair of sweatpants in his long life, and that had only been because her mother liked them to match on movie nights. If he had to choose what would appear in her mind, why would he choose something comfortable? Could he even feel clothes as a spirit?
Cedric snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Elara?"
"What?"
"Were you listening?"
"Nah."
"What did Alaric mean by 'don't get caught'?"
No response came to the question. Silence surrounded them as the sun sank lower and lower beneath the surface and darkness encased the park. She remembered her last visit to the park alone. Her eyes skimmed across the green, landing on a bench towards the center. It was simple in its design, metal, and empty, some sort of memorial to a former town sheriff she thought. That had been where she went when she first arrived in Mystic Falls. Her mind had been nothing but vocal, yet the silence of the town was deafening. Like a warm embrace, the town felt right. But it was only after... after... after what?
No matter how hard she tried, Elara could not remember.
A heavy thud ripped Elara from her mind. Across the street, making its way towards a pair of people, Elara saw its hulking frame. It paused, then turned the other way.
Elara did not need supernatural powers to feel Alaric's ego from that far. "It's over this way, right?" she heard him ask the stranger. Shorter in frame and dressed a little too casually for a monster hunt, the stranger nodded. The monster was just out of their sight, and by the time they realized where it was, Elara caught a whiff of ash, and cheap cologne.
The monster stomped eastward, cutting through the center of the park. Alaric and Hope emerged from their alleyway. Hope booked it towards the creature.
Elara made it first. It must have been four times her size at least, but with a grunt, she launched herself into it. Her fist collided with its headâ hardâ and the creature stumbled backwards.
She gritted her teeth, and she launched herself at it once more. It recovered from her hit and managed to deflect her, swinging its arm into her course.
By then, Hope made it to the scene, Alaric not far behind. Elara slammed into the ground, climbing to her feet within the same second and her back to Hope. A snarl escaped her lips.
Alaric fired his crossbow at the monster. The bolt hit its hand, but its thick hide made it seem like a simple splinter. It grabbed the bolt and yanked it out before advancing towards them. Hope made to move towards it, but Elara's arm shot out, catching Hope by the arm.
The two looked at each other. Hope's blue eyes locked with Elara's, and she felt as if her world was spinning. Elara's expression was stern, her eyes set with determination, and Hope could have sworn there was a look of familiarity. Whether it was hope or delusion, she saw it.
"Mine."
Without a second look, Elara sprinted towards the monster. It swung at her again, but she caught its arm this time, and with a solid jerk, the hulking creature's arm snapped. It yelled, its voice booming in their ears. Elara let go of the arm and snaked around the creature before leaping onto its back. She let out a cry of rage and her arm burst into flame, its mop of hair following shortly behind. It grabbed at her and flung her off of its back by the back of her shirt.
Elara hit the ground again, this time onto her back, and Hope and Alaric heard a snap. The hair burned away quicker than it normally would. A massive, single eye blinked painfully at them. Then, it swung downward.
"Watch out!" Hope yelled.
Hope's voice pulled her out of her daze, and Elara rolled out of the monster's swing just as it collided with the grass.
"It's a cyclops," Alaric breathed out. He reloaded his crossbow then fired it again, this time into its hand.
Hope threw her hand up. "Incendia!" And once more, the cyclops caught fire. Although nothing burned off, the flames at least distracted it long enough for Elara to fling herself at it once more. She leaped from the ground, and with a nasty squish, Alaric and Hope watched as Elara's fist collided with its eye, going through it.
Both Elara and the cyclops fell back towards the ground. Elara landed on its chest and pulled her arm out of its head. She jumped off of it.
I knew it!
"Not the time," Elara muttered. She grimaced at the pain in her back, then at the disgusting, purple monster blood on her sleeve. "I liked this shirt..."
Hope watched as Elara wiped off her sleeve the best she could, and behind her, the monster began to dissolve. Like paper in a blazing fire, it disintegrated, pieces of it shining behind her. She looked good in gold.
Elara lifted her head, blue eyes gleaming gold. She looked at Alaric, as if she were unaware of the person standing ten feet away from herâ and maybe she was. Hope swallowed. "Nice shot," she said. Alaric let out a sigh.
"I wasn't aware the eye was its weak spot. At first." he retorted. Their exchange of glares caught Hope's attention. A sneer rested on his top lip. "I had it handled."
"Totally." She took a deep breathâand instantly regretted it as a bone snapped back into place. "Mr. Monster Hunter was going to kill it with a barrage of toothpicks."
"It's Doctor," he corrected. Elara lifted a brow before glancing to her left. Hope stood to her right.
"Whatever you say, Dr. Monster Hunter."
Alaric bit his cheek before he turned to Hope, and Elara followed his direction.
And she froze. Completely and utterly froze.
Her beauty struck her. Despite the tussle, she looked put together, her auburn hair fell over her shoulder, her eyes shined, and the corners of her mouth fought against moving upwards with her heart. Elara could hear the girl's heart as if it were pounding in her throat, and Elara assumed she was somehow the cause of it.
Elara's expression softened, brows pulling away from each other. She cleared her throat.
"I-"
"Thank you for your help, Hope," Alaric interrupted, stealing Hope's attention. While it had seemed like Elara and Hope had locked eyes for hours, it had only been seconds. "If you need anything, please, let me know. You'd be good here. Good at that school I talked about."
"You're welcome," Hope answered quickly. She turned back to where Elara had been, but she was gone.
Again.
An hour after she said goodbye to Alaric, Hope sat on one of the benches in the park. She held the prism in her hands, tracing her finger along the jagged edges of it. The last time she pulled it out, she needed clarity, but everything felt clear now. She only came back to town to kill the monster. She meant to leave. After all, everyone was better off without her, were they not? Felix was back, Landon did not hate Elara and did not remember the pain Hope caused him, and for all she knew, this monster's appearance was a fluke. She could leave, and no one would know.
She shoved the prism back into her bag, sniffling. A conversation with her conscience wasn't going to change her mind. She knew she had to go. She had a million reasons to go and not one reason to stay.
"You come here often?"
Hope blinked.
Elara stood at the edge of the bench, hands in her pants pockets. She changed out her mucky shirt, now wearing a blue, Salvatore t-shirt. She stood tall, and a gentle expression replaced her angered one.
Slowly, she lowered herself onto the bench. "I'm Elara. My name. It's Elara. Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. Although, technically, I guess you already knew that. But I think a proper introduction might make up for the awful first impression."
Hope tucked her hair behind her ear. "It wasn't that bad. I'd put it at about 7. Minus points for the bad joke, though."
"I know, I'm disappointed in myself," Elara chuckled. "You were pretty good out there."
"So were you. I was really impressed when you punched it."
"Which time? Before it threw me or after it threw me?"
"Both. Your air time was pretty good, too, though.
Elara laughed again, the sound like music to Hope's ears. She pulled her hands out of her pockets, and a silver chain dangled between her fingers.
"So, what are you doing here, Hope?"
Elara's voiceâ saying her nameâ-it caught her off-guard, and her rehearsed "I was in town when I bumped intoâ"
"I meant here." She gestured to the bench. "Alone."
Hope looked down. "It's... it's complicated."
"I happen to be pretty good at complicated. But you don't have to share if you don't want to. I know we've just met."
Right, Hope thought. She had almost forgotten that Elara didn't remember her. She had felt so comfortable when Elara sat down that she fell back into old habits. It felt like she was talking to her Elara.
She was, but her Elara didn't remember who she was talking to.
"I was in town to see a girl." She closed her eyes, forcing the tears away. Elara didn't need to see her like that. "But she, uh, totally forgot I existed."
"Seriously?"
"What?"
"Sorry," Elara apologized quickly. "I'm just saying, even from just this small conversation you seem pretty unforgettable."
Hope wanted to cry at the irony.
"You'd be surprised."
"I'm surprised anyone could forget you, Hope. You're beautiful."
"Are you flirting with me?"
Dramatically, Elara flipped her blonde curls over her shoulder and tilted her head. "Is it working?"
Hope just... laughed. Her girlfriend was flirting with her like they had just met- well, they had just met, again. But Elara didn't know that. She didn't know who Hope was, nor did she know about their relationship. She didn't remember their late talks, their snack runs, their movie binging. She remembered none of it, yet the look in Elara's eyes-- be it a shine of familiarity or a look of interest-- drew her further in. Hope still remembered the first time Elara had just smiled at her after their conversation on the roof. She felt remembered.
"Maybe."
Elara smiled widely and she opened her mouth to speak again, but the buzzing of her phone cut her off. She went to ignore it, but it buzzed again. Then three more times.
"I'm really sorry," Elara muttered. She checked her phone, brows drawing together. "I have to go. My brother went on this date, and I think it went badly, and he's starting to stress me out."
Hope nodded slowly. Although a part of her knew it had to end, the rest of her wanted to stay on that bench forever.
"But.." She rose to her feet begrudgingly. "I hope I'll see you around?"
Her eyes narrowed. "That was lame."
Elara tapped her fingers on her phone case. "I know. I'll see you around, then, Hope?"
No, she needed to leave. The monsters were her fault. The others were good, they were happy. When she was around, they were miserable and dealing with her problems.
Hope's eyes caught the shine of the necklace that dangled from Elara's fingers. It must've slipped when she fidgeted, but Hope noticed it. She felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight. Elara had kept it. She actually kept it.
She knew what she had to do.
"Yeah," she answered truthfully, hope filling her chest. Not many people get a second chance, and she wasn't going to miss it. Not when she found just what she needed.
A million reasons to go, but one reason to stay.
Something to come back for.
[a.n. Hey guys! I know it's been a while. I've been very very busy, BUT I finally found time to write some. I was hit with inspiration and went to write, but I have terrible news.
Every note I made for the lore and background info for characters and plotlines and timelines was deleted. I hate technology. So, it'll take a minute for me to get everything back in order (as well as my patience with google docs).
Anyhow. I'm not dead I promise and neither is Elara (yet), and I thank you all so much for your patience!!!
If you see any typos, no you don't :)
Thank you!!
NYM]