{1.06 | Mombie Dearest | part 1}
[a.n. Third time's the charm! And yes, I did change it quite a bit. If you read the first version, you deserve a gold star.
~NYM]
"Happy birthday to my favorite Saltzman!"
Elara woke up that morning with a mission on her mind: make Josie happy. From what she heard about the twins' birthdays in the past, Josie usually spent it hidden in Lizzie's shadow, and Elara was determined to do whatever she could to stop that from happening. Josie was her closest friend. She deserved the best.
Plus, Elara wanted to make up for not being that great a friend. She'd been so focused on herself that she hadn't been spending as much time with Josie as she used to.
Elara plopped down on the bench next to Josie with her hands behind her back, a mischievous grin on her face. The siphoner had been eating breakfast in peace, enjoying the morning, and Elara's appearance didn't ruin it. She did wonder what Elara wanted, however.
Josie rolled her eyes as a smile appeared on her face. "You hate my sister and my dad."
"I don't hate Lizzie. We just don't get along. Your dad could change my mind." The blonde tilted her head to the side as her brows furrowed. "Then again, he did shoot me with a crossbow."
Josie nearly choked on her orange juice. "What?"
"It was my first full moon, and I did try to attack him. I think." Elara shook her head. "Anyways, I do have something for you. A birthday gift."
"Really?" Josie questioned, sitting up straighter.
Elara shrugged. "Yes, and technically, it's a two-in-one gift since it's also to congratulate you for winning the position on the Honor Council."
"A spot I didn't want in the first place."
"You say that." The werewolf leaned forward, speaking lowly in case Lizzie were to magically appear. "But we both know you're much better fit for the job. You actually care about what the people want."
Josie rolled her eyes playfully. "Whatever."
The blonde leaned back, a grin on her face. "Anyways, it's not much, but here you go."
Elara removed her hands from behind her back, revealing a small box. The red wrapping wasn't perfect, and the bow was askew, but Elara had done it herself.
"Lara, you didn't have to," Josie began.
The werewolf shook her head. "I did. You've been nothing but helpful since I first got here. You deserve something for yourself. Also, when you open it, give me a second to explain."
Josie nodded, gently taking the box. She peeled off the bow and paper and lifted off the lid. Confused, she looked at the contents.
"Raffle tickets?"
"Three tickets to redeem a no questions asked favor," Elara explained. "Instead of taking care of yourself, which I know is something you struggle with-- don't argue with me. We both know it's true-- so let me take care of you. Whatever it is, I'll do it. Whatever you want, I'll get it. Like I said, you've been nothing but helpful, and I basically owe you. So, if you use one of those tickets, I will do whatever you want."
She may or may not have stolen them, but Josie didn't need to know that part. A few missing raffle tickets weren't going to hurt anyone.
Josie's smile widened. "Thank you, Elara."
"I know it's not much--"
"Thank you," Josie repeated. She threw an arm around Elara's shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "It means a lot to me."
Elara pat Josie on the back before leaning back. "Also, only you can use them, and I refuse to do anything for Lizzie."
"Okay," Josie laughed softly. A guilty look passed over her face, but it only lasted a split-second. Most of the time, Elara could basically read Josie's mind. The twin was easy to read, after all, but in that moment, Elara couldn't read what Josie was thinking.
Suddenly, Josie rose to her feet, reaching into the box and pulling out one of the small, pink tickets. "I should get back to my room. Could I use one of these tickets now?"
"If you want to," Elara answered.
"Will you come to the party even though you don't like them?"
A small, genuine smile appeared on Elara's face. She reached out her hand, gently taking the ticket, but instead of ripping it or pocketing it, she placed it back in Josie's palm and closed her fingers around it.
"Yes, I will go to your party, and you don't need to use a ticket for that. If you want me there, I'm there."
"Really?"
Elara nodded.
"Great! I've gotta go, but I'll see you then!" Josie said as she walked away. She sent Elara a small wave.
Elara returned it. "Save me a dance!"
When Josie finally disappeared from her view, Elara finally relaxed. Giving Josie her birthday/congratulation gift had been something she had stressed over. Elara was not an expert at gift-giving, but she hoped Josie would be happy with it.
She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it backwards. Her eyes scanned the room out of instinct, and her jaw clenched at the familiar sight of Penelope Park. The witch looked at her, jealousy plastered across her face. With a lift of her brow, Penelope turned and left the dining hall.
"Are you kidding me?" Elara grumbled, the pieces coming together.
Penelope still had feelings for Josie. Penelope did not like Elara (even though she flirted with her), and she possessed information that the werewolf wanted. She could not get it if Penelope thought Elara was trying to pursue Josie.
She wasn't, anyways. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.
Elara pinched the bridge of her nose as pieces of thoughts clicked into place. Penelope must've thought that something was going on between Elara and Josie. THAT was why Penelope wasn't telling Elara how to help her help Josie, but without Penelope, her only other option was to ask Hope.
And she was not going to do that.
~-~-~
Emma took a sip from her Salvatore mug as Hope continued to ramble on. For most of their session, the tri-brid had been ranting about both Elara Davenport and Landon Kirby. The two sat in Emma's office across from each other. Hope leaned into the armrest of her chair, talking with a smile on her face.
"Obviously, nothing's gonna come out of it. I'll probably never see him again,"Â Hope said, gesturing with her hand. In the other was a cup of her own, but she had barely had any of it. She was too busy talking. "Elara's not gone though, and we've actually made a lot of progress."
The counselor nodded, taking another sip from her mug.
Hope lifted the cup to her lips, but she stopped as another thought came to her mind. "Honestly, I made a mistake by avoiding her for a month. She's funny, smart-- a little mean but like in a teasing way, and her eyes." Hope smiled, leaning back. "Her eyes are this really pretty blue that are sometimes dark and murky but in the light are vibrant and piercing--" Hope paused, her expression falling as a realization hit her. She wasn't normally like... this. "Oh, my god, who am I?"
"A normal teenager?" Emma suggested through a soft laugh. "Though I do love hearing you talk about something as simple as a crush."
Suddenly, Emma's phone buzzed on the wooden table.
Hope felt her face subtly flush at Emma's implication. "I don't have a crush on Elara."
"I never said it was Elara," Emma responded. She rose from her chair, extending a hand and patting Hope on the shoulder. "Either way, I'm glad the two of you are forming a friendship. You don't need a counselor, Hope. You need a friend."
Emma was right. Hope did need a friend, and she was going to find that in Elara.
~-~-~
With her duffel bag slung across her shoulder and a water bottle in hand, Elara skipped down the grand staircase. There was still about an hour or so until the party. Elara didn't take long to get ready, so she figured she could squeeze in a workout.
The dance hall was coming together nicely. The werewolves had done well in rearranging the furniture and hanging decorations around the room. Rafael had taken on the responsibility, strangely, and Elara hadn't questioned it. She assumed it was a distraction from whatever he was feeling and didn't blame him.
She stepped through one of the archways and heard a heavy sigh from nearby. She lifted her head, brushing the stray hairs that had escaped her ponytail out of her face, and looked towards the sound. Her eyes widened at the sight of Penelope and MG.
Penelope lifted her head as she shot MG a complaisant smile.
"Fine," she said. "Elara, come here, would you?"
Elara blinked. Of course, Penelope had spotted her from across the room. Cautiously, she approached the two, her gaze flickering between the two. She didn't bother to hide her confusion.
"Hey, Elara," MG greeted.
She nodded at MG, greeting him warmly. "Hey, MG. What do you want, Park?" she asked, turning to look at Penelope. She hadn't heard any of their prior conversation.
Penelope spoke, motioning for the two to follow her back towards the stairs. "I'll make you a deal, MG." Elara didn't like the sound of that. "Elara and I will keep Werewolf Prince Charming away from the party long enough to shoot you one, final, inevitably failed shot."
"What is with people and volunteering my help," Elara grumbled aloud.
The trio stopped next to one of the round tables. "And when it's over, and the Queen of Mean has broken your heart all over again, promise me that you will let Lizzie go."
Oh.
So, MG's crush on Lizzie was what they had been talking about when Elara arrived. Frankly, she couldn't blame Penelope for being fed up with it and agreed with her. Even if she wasn't going to admit it.
MG looked between Penelope and Elara as if trying to read their faces. He sighed, gently nodding. "Okay."
"Great!" Penelope exclaimed. "Let's go, shall we?"
Elara didn't have time to ask any questions or even make a comment since Penelope grabbed her by the arm, dragging her down the hallway. It didn't take them long to arrive at the gym.
Ironically, she would've gone there, anyways.
Penelope let go of Elara, turning to face her. "Do you want information or not?"
"Would I have let you drag me if I didn't?" Elara challenged. "Yes, of course I do."
"Good. Your first step is to go in that gym and distract Rafael for a few minutes," Penelope instructed. Her voice was surprisingly taut.
Elara lifted a brow. "I thought you said Rafael would be distracted long enough for MG to shoot his shot. Wouldn't you need longer than a few minutes?"
"Mhm," Penelope hummed. "And I'll handle that. Your job is to distract him just for a few minutes."
She sighed. "Then will you give me more information? Or even my file, which I'm assuming you have?" the blonde questioned.
Penelope sighed in annoyance. Elara didn't understand why the witch was annoyed. She wasn't the one being used. "After you do this and one other thing. A small favor isn't equal to the information I have. Now, go. Quickly."
Elara narrowed her eyes at Penelope. She really, really didn't like her. Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she scoffed softly and turned towards the gym.
It only took a few steps before she saw Rafael, and, unfortunately, he wasn't alone.
"I guess I'll see you at the party," Rafael said to the person, turning towards the door. He paused as his eyes landed on Elara.
"No, you won't," Elara heard the voice say. Internally, she grimaced. It was just her luck that she bumped into the person she was avoiding.
"Great," she grumbled under her breath. At the sound of her voice, Hope's head perked up.
Rafael shook his head, rotating back towards Hope. Whatever argument they were having, he intended on continuing it. "So, what, you're just gonna stay in your room while everyone else is having fun?" he asked.
Elara's lip drew into a thin line. It was clear that Rafael was angry with Hope, and Elara presumed it was because of her voting to send Landon away. She decided to wait to speak, letting their conversation play out.
"Yep, works for me."
Oh, then Elara going to the party was a win-win. Going would make Josie happy, and Hope wouldn't be there.
"Everybody needs a crew," Rafael said, glancing at Elara over his shoulder. She let a fake smile appear on her face. She had refused his offer for her to join the pack, even though he had changed the initiation process. There were no hard feelings in that regard.
Hopefully.
"Kind of ironic coming from the reluctant alpha," Hope retorted, crossed her arms.
"Okay, well, the pack is one thing, but a crew is a crew," Rafael reasoned. "You know what? I had that in Landon until you sent him away."
Bingo.
Rafael had revealed the reason he wanted to argue with Hope. She definitely didn't blame him, but, at the same time, she agreed with Hope's decision. Sending Landon away was the best and safest option.
Hope cocked her head to the side. "We're back to that?"
"I'm just saying," Rafael continued. "It's one thing to be cool with being alone, and then it's another to want to be the lonely girl on purpose."
"As opposed to Mr. Good Guy, who's taking a girl you don't even like to her own party?" Hope countered.
Elara steadied her expression, watching the two in silence. Things had started to get heated, and she didn't know what was going to happen next, nor who's side she should stand on.
Rafael took a deep breath. "You know what, you're right. Lesson learned."
Elara thought quickly as Rafael turned to leave. She stood between him and the door, but if she didn't say something, he would walk out before Penelope finished whatever she was doing.
"Wait," Elara said, holding her water bottle up. Hope and Rafael paused to look at Elara. "You're Lizzie's date? Really?"
Hope tilted her head to the side, confused. To her, it was obvious that Elara knew, but Rafael didn't notice. Elara was lying. Rafael stopped, standing in front of Elara. "Yeah, I, uh, can't let her down, now."
"What did you do?" Elara asked, more so curious than agitated. Rafael glanced at the floor, guilt washing over his face. "Raf?"
He sighed. "I slept with Lizzie."
Elara's jaw nearly hit the floor. There was no way she wasn't going to react to that.
"You slept with Lizzie? Saltzman? Lizzie Saltzman" At Rafael's small nod, a laugh left her lips. "Oh, buddy, you messed up."
"I'm aware," he mumbled, unappreciative of Elara's teasing. "I was angry. She was there, and I'm beginning to regret the decision."
The blonde nodded as Rafael went to walk past her. Elara patted his shoulder sympathetically. If Penelope wanted to distract him, it was her turn to.
"Good luck with the Queen of Mean."
Rafael shot her a thin-lipped smile as he quietly thanked her. "I'll see you at the party."
As Rafael walked past her, Elara felt eyes on her, and she followed the feeling. She noticed that Hope was staring at her, a soft yet unreadable expression. There was a strange, tug in her chest at the sight.
The truth was that Elara had done her best to avoid Hope that day, even going as far as using Josie as a reason to leave the room early. There was a part of her-- the stronger part-- that regretted telling Hope the truth about Felix. There was a part of her that regretted spending the day together testing Landon.
It hadn't been that way with Josie and MG, but with them, Elara felt like she was playing a character, like she wasn't herself. With them, she didn't feel inclined to be entirely honest because they couldn't see past her mask. Yet, whenever Hope looked at her-- especially with the look she was giving Elara now-- she felt so  exposed.
The tri-brid stepped towards Elara. "Hey--"
"The hell?"
Rafael's confused voice caught their attention. They both turned towards him, watching as he moved to step through the doorway. He should've gone through, but a purple, translucent surface stopped him.
Hope quickly walked past Elara and stopped in front of the door. She raised her hand and tried to push it through, but it didn't budge.
"What is that?" Elara questioned.
"Barrier spell," Hope answered. "Fantastic."
"Sorry, kids," a familiar voice said. Elara let out a huff, glaring at the witch/
Penelope shrugged. "Nothing personal. Except for you, Wolfie."
Elara narrowed her eyes at that. How could she have so stupid as to fall for Penelope's trick? She knew Penelope was jealous, and she still trusted her-- well, trusted-ish.
"Let us out of here, Penelope," Hope commanded.
"You'll be free in an hour. Plenty of time to practice that waltz."Â She looked past Hope and Rafael, grinning at Elara. "Thanks for the help."
Elara gritted her teeth as Hope and Rafael turned to face her. She didn't realize Penelope was going to trap them. Penelope had trapped her, and she exposed Elara all because she was jealous of her bond with Josie.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"
The blonde werewolf was angry and wanted to break something, specifically Penelope Park's face (even if it was pretty), but she was trapped by a barrier spell. On the bright side, at least she could break something in the gym.