{1.06 | Mombie Dearest | part 3}
Sitting at her desk, dressed and ready to impress, Elara groaned. "How much longer are you going to take?"
"Be patient, I'm almost done," Hope answered from behind Elara. There was shuffling, and then Hope spoke again. "You can turn around."
Elara did so-- and froze. Her lips parted, and it took a lot of will power to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. Not that Hope would've seen anyways. Her back was to the werewolf. Hope wore a deep red off-the-shoulder dress that hugged her figure nicely. Hope looked...
Wow.
"Can you help with the zipper?" she suddenly asked.
It took a second for Elara to realize that Hope was talking to her, which shouldn't have been a thing to question since it was just the two of them in the room. Elara stuttered through her response. "Yeah, yeah, I-I can."
She cleared her throat and walked around her bed to stand behind Hope. It was an easy task and didn't take long, but when Hope brushed her hair onto her shoulder and turned her head to the side, everything seemed to be in slow motion for a moment.
"There you go," Elara mumbled, taking a small step back from Hope. "All done."
The tri-brid turned around. "Thank you. How do I look?"
There were numerous words Elara could have used to describe how Hope looked, but she suddenly found herself speechless. Hope was beautiful. Amazing. Mesmerizing. Enchanting--
"Nice," Elara eventually responded. "You look really nice, I mean."
The response seemed to please Hope, a small smile appearing. "Thanks. You look pretty nice yourself."
Elara glanced down at herself. The black jumpsuit did look nice on her, but compared to Hope? She suddenly felt underdressed. When she lifted her head, she decided not to point out how Hope looked her up and down.
She lifted a brow, her confidence returning ever so slightly. "With the heels I can't see the top of your head anymore."
"Rude! I'm not that short," Hope defended.
"Compared to me you are," Elara hummed. "Anyways, ready to go?"
Hope hummed, and they were on their way to the dance hall within the minute. They walked primarily in silence, basking in the newfound friendship. It was, honestly, new to the both of them. Elara never had many friends growing up, but the few she made were never close. They never looked past the mask she wore.
Hope did. Somehow, she always could.
When they made it outside, Elara finally felt like she could breathe. She had never really been claustrophobic, but whenever she stepped outside of the school walls, everything felt right. The sounds of the cicadas, the gentle breeze, the stars shining above. It felt like home.
They stumbled upon a confusing sight. Alaric and a woman neither of them had seen before stood off to the side of the path. He had his hands gripping her shoulders tightly as he held her against a tree, and, strangely, the woman's eyes looked pure white.
"Dr. Saltzman?" Hope called out. "What's going on?"
His eyes darted between the two, a panicked expression on his face.
"Hope, Elara," he panted. "I need your help."
Elara nodded. She glimpsed at the strange woman. "Who's that?"
"The twins' possessed, biological mother," Alaric sputtered. "I don't have time to explain how that's possible since there's isn't enough time. Jo buried Josie alive in the cemetery."
At the same time, both girls responded the Alaric's terrifying statement.
"I'm gonna kill her," Elara seethed.
While Hope said, "we're on it." She smacked Elara in the side, and then she huffed, following after Hope.
The girls took off towards the shed. If they were going to dig up half the cemetery to find Josie, they needed something to make it a lot faster. Elara didn't have time to ponder how it was possible for the twins' biological mother was alive and walking. Josie didn't have a lot of time. She was going to suffocate if they weren't fast enough.
Elara already lost one friend; she wasn't going to lose another.
They found the equipment easily enough, both grabbing variously sized shovels. On their way out, Hope grabbed a flashlight. Quickly, they walked past the Olde Mill.
The voice of the person Elara hated rang out from behind them. "Going to howl at the moon wearing that?"
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Elara grumbled. She had half the mind to turn and take the chance to hit Penelope then and there, but Josie was more important.
"Sorry, no time for bitchy banter," Hope retorted. She paused, nearly causing Elara to trip as she almost bumped into Hope. "Actually... we could use your help finding Josie."
Penelope's usual snarky tone vanished. Elara turned to look at her, finally noticing MG was also there. "What happened?"
"Apparently, her possessed biological mother buried her alive in the cemetery," Hope quickly explained.
"And we don't have a lot of time. You coming or not?" Elara spat.
MG nodded as he and Penelope grabbed the nearby tools. "We're coming with you."
Working with Penelope wasn't ideal, but considering the circumstances, Elara was going to make an exception. If they were going to dig up half the cemetery, more hands would make it a lot easier.
It didn't take them long to make it there. Elara kept towards the back, watching for anything to move in the shadows. She'd never been a fan of cemeteries. They were creepy and possessed an eerie atmosphere.
But Elara was there to save Josie. She was there for Josie, and Josie was definitely not happy to be there.
She heard Hope say something to MG, but her attention was caught elsewhere as she heard a rustling of leaves nearby. She narrowed her eyes. Seeing in the dark was easy for her except it usually took her eyes a moment or two to adjust.
A guttural snarl caught her ear. She snapped her head to the side, noticing the grave MG had started digging into and the rotten humanoid poking out from it.
"That won't work!" MG cried after Penelope hit it in the shoulder.
Elara's body moved on its own as she pushed past Penelope. She jabbed her shovel through the zombie's head, and the creature fell still, dead once more.
"That will," she remarked, stepping back and turning around. Her eyes surveyed the dark woods again, and she spotted movement not far to their right.
"Right," MG stated as he rose to his feet, "to kill a walker you got to go for the brain. Everybody knows that."
"Yeah, every nerd, maybe," Penelope remarked.
"Guys?" Elara called out, her grip on her shovel tightening. The humanoid shape she spotted drifted closer and closer. To her left, Hope turned her head, noticing the rustling as well.
Penelope continued, "just call it a zombie."
"Guys!"
Suddenly, a hand shot through the dirt of a nearby grave, and another guttural growl pierced the air. More and more zombies appeared around them as they climbed from the dirt. Elara swallowed nervously. Fighting zombies had never been something she thought of being possible.
"Zombies," Hope corrected. "Plural."
The four backed up until they were forming a circle, covering each other from behind. MG swung at the closest zombie, cleaving its head cleanly off of its shoulders. Elara tried not to visibly grimace at the disgusting sight of its rotted flesh.
"Whoo!" he cried, leaning the shovel on his shoulder. "Two for two, baby."
The three girls backed up to cover each other's backs again as Hope spoke.
"We can handle the rest. Just go find Josie," she commanded.
"Got it," MG responded. Then, he disappeared quickly as he used his vampire speed to run.
Elara tilted her head side to side, cracking it, and rolled her shoulders. She braced the shovel in her hands, anticipating a next move.
"How do you want to do this?" Hope questioned. "Magic?"
"Oh, that'd be great to use right now," Elara answered sarcastically. She kept her eyes trained on one of the approaching zombies. It wore what appeared to be a torn military uniform.
"I say we DIY it and pretend they're Lizzie Saltzman," Penelope answered, flipping the axe in her hand.
For once, Elara (sort of) agreed with Penelope Park, and so did Hope.
Elara let out a grunt as she lunged at a nearby zombie, swinging at its head. She knocked it with the flat part of the shovel, and the thing stumbled as if she stunned it. She lunged forward, taking the chance, and shoved the point through its face.
It fell to the ground missing half of its head. She spun the shovel in her hand and threw it as hard as she could to a zombie a few yards away. Thankfully, she had decent aim, and the shovel took off its head with ease.
Her head snapped to the side as she heard MG yell out a warning. Like the few times before, her body moved on its own, and next thing she knew, she stood across from Hope, panting.
Hope took a deep breath as she quickly processed the sight. The zombie's body collapse to the ground, revealing Elara behind it. She stood there-- zombie head in hand-- with her shoulders rising and falling as she breathed deeply. Hope's eyes scanned Elara, checking for injuries, but the only concerning thing she noticed was the gentle, yellow glow of her eyes.
Hope shook her head, whirling to face MG. "Damn it, MG, get up and find her."
At the sound of Hope's voice, Elara seemed to come to her senses. She blinked, the normal blue of her eyes returning. A low sound of disgust left her lips as she realized what the slimy thing in her hand was, and she dropped the head without a second thought.
"There's too much noise," MG complained. He scrambled to his feet.
"Well, listen harder. Pretend you're on a beach or something!" Hope yelled.
That seemed to knock some sense into MG. He closed his eyes and focused, allowing a few seconds to pass.
"I got her," MG stated. He sped away from the trio. They quickly followed behind him.
MG rapidly dug through the dirt with his hands, and Hope and Penelope fell to their knees as they joined him. Elara stayed standing, keeping an eye out for anymore zombies.
Thankfully, it didn't take long. Josie stuck her hand through the dirt, and Hope and Penelope grabbed at her and pulled her free. Josie shot up, her once white dress now brown from the dirt. Gasping, she clutched at her neck.
Elara let out a breath of relief, dropping her guard. The growls of the zombies had vanished, and Josie wasn't in danger of suffocating. They were safe. All of them were.
She wasn't listening to the short conversation between Hope and Josie. Instead, Elara took a deep breath, taking a few steps back from the group. She exhaled shakily, closing her eyes. Fear had coursed through her, and now the feeling had left. Seeing Josie safe did make her feel much better, but the shakiness and worry remained. The monsters had now not once but twice attacked the people she cared about. Whatever they wanted, they were going to do anything to get it, and Elara didn't know how many times their lives were going to be put at risk for it.
"Hey," Hope called out, snapping Elara out of her trance, "you okay?"
Elara nodded, a smile that didn't meet her eyes appearing. "Yeah, I'm good. It's a good thing I wasn't the biggest fan of this jumpsuit," she joked, gesturing towards the dark goo now spread across the pants and torso.
"That's a shame. You do look really good in it. Zombie guts and all," Hope added.
A puff of laughter left Elara before she looked towards the grave that MG and Penelope were helping Josie out of. "She'll be okay?"
"Yeah," Hope answered although she knew Elara was more so asking herself than Hope. Gently, she placed a hand on Elara's bare arm. "She'll be okay."
She glanced at Hope, seeming to debate something. Hope lifted a brow in question. They had just fought against zombies and could've died. Hell, every monster they face has a chance to kill them.
"If I wasn't covered in zombie goop, I'd hug you."
Hope smiled at that. It was unexpected, but she didn't mind it. "I'd accept it if you weren't covered in it, but you can do that later. Josie needs you right now."
Elara shook her head. "She doesn't. She's got MG and Penelope, I'm sure I'd just be in the way. Plus, I need to talk to you about--"
"That's not true, and you know it," Hope interrupted. "Go, Elara. We can talk later."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, go. You know where to find me."
At that, Elara placed a hand on Hope's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze before she made off towards her friends and Penelope.
Hope weakly smiled at the sight. It was strange. The sight of Elara comforting her friend and joking around as an attempt to lighten the mood should've made her feel-- well-- lighter, but instead, she felt a pang in her chest as an emotion she couldn't describe spread through her.
Elara Davenport made her question a lot of things, yet, at the same time, she brought a lot of answers with her.
~-~-~
Elara sat on her bed with her back against her headboard and a book in her hands. Josie was okay if the fact that she was having to siphon the magic out of her biological mother and essentially kill her wasn't considered. It felt inappropriate for Elara to stay for the family's moment, so she silently slipped out of the room and finally took care of her disheveled appearance.
The fact that Josette Laughlin had been resurrected was another thing that didn't make sense to the werewolf, but what did make sense to her was the grief the family was feeling with. She wanted to give them their space until Josie needed her again.
Hell, even if Lizzie needed her, Elara would consider it.
At the careful opening of the door, Elara lifted her head, closing the book. With a towel in hand, Hope walked in. She was fresh out of the shower and had changed into simple pajamas.
Strangely, Elara still found herself speechless for a moment at the sight.
"Hi," Hope greeted.
"Hello," Elara replied. She set the book down on one side and with her other hand patted the spot next to her. "Care to talk now?"
Hope shrugged. She tossed her towel over to her desk chair before she climbed onto Elara's bed and sitting close to her roommate. She settled in, quickly getting comfortable. Elara's bed was surprisingly much more comfortable than her own.
"Sure," Hope responded.
Elara reached up, pushing her curls away from her face. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay," Hope answered. The two turned to look at each other, and Elara lifted a brow as if to challenge Hope's answer. The girl in question sighed softly. "I'm worried."
"About?"
"Everything. The school, the monsters, Landon-- you." She paused as if to wait for Elara's teasing, but it never came. Instead, Elara listened intently. "It's just... we don't know what the knife really is or why these monsters want it so badly. They're unpredictable, they're dangerous, and they're going after everyone at this school."
Hope took a deep breath. "I don't know where Landon is, or if he even found his mom. I gave him a bracelet with an enchantment that he can use to notify me if he's in danger." She gestured towards her desk, and Elara assumed Hope's version was on top of it. "There's a part of me that wants him to use it so I can see him one more time, but there's another part of me that doesn't want him to because... I don't want to see him."
Elara's brows furrowed in confusion. "You want to both see and not see him?"
"Yeah. Like, I wonder what would happen if we did see each other again, what could've happened between us, y'know? But then he'd be in danger, and I'd be wanting that to happen."
Elara nodded. "That makes sense. You liked him. Those feelings aren't going to just disappear."
"Yeah, I guess." The tri-brid thought for a moment before she spoke again. "What's going on with you?"
"With me?" Elara questioned. She hummed softly. "That's a bit of a loaded question."
"Humor me. You don't have to simplify."
The werewolf leaned her head back to look at the ceiling as a gentle huff left her lips. Before, she would've lied, but, then again, she and Hope wouldn't have been sitting as close as they were before. Things were changing. Hopefully for the better. Plus, she developed a theory while fighting the zombies.
"There are gaps in my memory, my ears ring when something bad is happening or is going to happen-- I think-- and I can read languages that I don't know. Oh, and, on top of that, my last name isn't actually Davenport. It's Laurent, which Penelope was the one to reveal, and I think that has to do with the weird supernatural things I'm experiencing," Elara explained nonchalantly.
Hope blinked after Elara finished her info dump. She hadn't thought that that much was happening to Elara. She figured her friend was just struggling with control of her wolf side and was losing the battle, which could still be a possibility.
"Huh," was all Hope managed to say.
"I know, right. Crazy," Elara mumbled.
Eventually, Hope found her words. "And what are you feeling about that?"
"Not good," she answered with a sigh. "I'm... scared. What if I'm not a werewolf but instead a monster? I was drawn to the knife, too. There are gaps in my memory caused by that side of me. What if I'm dangerous to everyone?" She looked at Hope with an expression Hope couldn't read. "What if I end up hurting you?"
"Elara," Hope began, placing a comforting hand on Elara's thigh, "you're not going to hurt me, and you're not dangerous to me or the people at this school. You're just...Elara, and while you may have a few anger and impulse issues, you're not a monster."
A half-smile appeared on her face as Elara placed her hand over Hope's. The words were more comforting than anything else Elara could've received, and they came from Hope of all people.
If past Elara could see Elara now, she would've been very confused.
"Thank you, Hope. You make a pretty good friend."
Hope smiled at that. "You make a pretty good one, too."
A beat of silence passed, the two staring at each other as if waiting for the other to say something, but neither of them wanted to end whatever moment they were having.
However, eventually, Hope broke it, removing her hand off of Elara. At the loss of the touch, Hope's hand grew cold, and Elara fought back a complaint.
"It's late," she stated, climbing off of Elara's bed. "We should probably get some rest."
Elara gently cleared her throat. "Yeah, we, uh, should."
Hope climbed into her bed and snapped her fingers. The lights turned off magically, and the room became filled with darkness except for the gentle moonlight streaming through the gap in the curtains.
With a soft sigh, Elara pulled her sheets over herself and laid her head on her pillow. The day had been eventful, crazy even, but there had been moments of normalcy. It was almost nostalgic to Elara. It reminded her of the good times before she triggered her curse.
She thought she was destined for nothing but tragedies and disasters, but her friendships protected her. They gave her hope, and she actually now had a friendship with Hope. It felt too good to be true.
"Good night, Elara."
Elara smiled, looking up at the ceiling. If it was all too good to be true, she was going to enjoy it before everything came crashing down.
"Good night, Hope."