𝟙.𝟙: 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕀𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕐𝕠𝕦 ℝ𝕦𝕟

—Narrator's perspective—

"It's been 24 hours. You ready for round 2?" Alaric asked sternly.

Arabella kept her arms crossed, visibly restless since she slept late with her mind on Josie and what to say when they encounter. She was leaning on the table in front of Landon, still upset that Alaric woke her up just for this.

"Actually... I was wondering if I could stay." Landon said, earning Alaric and Arabella to look at each other before turning their head to the boy again.

He knew it was coming. "I can put you in touch with somebody who can help you with your problems at home—"

"—I don't have a home." He quickly said before Alaric could go further. "Not anymore. I can work. I can do the dishes and help with the janitorial stuff, I can cook." The more he spoke the more Arabella felt her heart get heavy, she pity him so much.

"I'm sorry, Landon. But you don't belong here." Alaric was still his stern and stubborn self.

"Then where do I belong? Tell me where I should go. You have no idea what it's like out there. I don't want to cause trouble. I just want a way of my own life." He finishes.

His slight breakdown made Arabella speak. "Look I know that you think you're alone and have no place to turn to when things gets rough, but it gets better. Trust me, Take it from the girl who's mother loathed her..." She whispered the last part, looking at him seriously which caused him to look down.

Alaric leaned forward on the table. "I know it seems cruel, but please understand, this school was created so we could shape the minds of young supernatural beings. Protect their secret, and then send them out into the human world fully equipped to handle it. We are here to prevent these great kids from indulging in their darkest impulses. Make no mistake, these are predatory creatures." He paused and continued. "Vampires are driven by the feed and the kill. Wolves can't control themselves in their primal state. and witches... witches, when provoke are responsible for some of the worst atrocities in history. It's simply not safe for you here. I'm sorry."

"I understand..." He spoke quietly, still felt crushed that he couldn't stay.

"Ara." Alaric looked over the Blonde who sighed and nodded.

She walked around Landon, sitting from across him before she spoke. "I know that Rafael means something to you and I promise I'll keep an eye out for him. He'll fit right in." As if her words helped Landon, he nodded and looked at her in the eye as a gesture he was ready. "Forget everything You've seen and learned in the past two days. All you know is that Raf found a home he can live a better life. It may he hard for some times but, you know it in your heart that leaving him here is for the best. Now, You will go home with nothing holding you back here." She stopped herself, standing up and waited until Landon got back to his senses. He turned to Alaric and stood up.

"Thank you, for taking in Rafi. He really needed this." He said in a tight smile, putting his hands in his jean pocket.

"Ofcourse, Mr. Kirby. Arabella here can show you the exit and say your goodbyes to Rafael." He gestured to the blonde who nods and lead him out of there.

"He's in good hands, your brother." Arabella informed, her hands behind her back while she was guilty for compelling him. He doesn't deserve this, he just wanted a home and now his brother will be taken away from him.

Landon nodded and sighed. "It's for the best. I'll miss him." He sent a look to her which she nodded in response. The duo made their way to the door exit, Rafael was there and he looked at Landon in relief.

Arabella quickly slipped away to get inside the lounge, looking outside the window where Landon and Rafael was walking out to talk. She crossed her arms, leaning on the wall besides the large window watching them part ways.

"He's a good one." A voice spoke behind her making her turn her head, only to mee Hope's eyes that was looking at her. "He's human, innocent. He doesn't deserve this." She whispered, looking at the two boys out there.

"Yeah he doesn't..." Arabella sighed, turning her figure to the Tribrid who seemed to be staring at the human for far too long. "Did something happened between you two?" She asked skeptic.

Hope frowned and was too taken aback by the sudden question. "What makes you say that?" She countered back, holding her ground.

"Because your heartbeat is speeding up like a race car on edge, Hope." Arabella sent a grin. "If you want something to take off your chest, then I'm all ears."

It took a while before Hope sighed, closing her eyes knowing sooner or later she'll regret saying this. "Landon and I kissed at the transitional cellar." she said biting her lip and waited some sort of reaction from the Vampire.

Arabella noticed the dead silence in the air making her clear her throat. "Josie found me in the kitchen, ridiculously close with Penelope Park. She thought we were doing something." She sighed, looking at Hope who seemed equally as shock. "Wait— Landon? Seriously?" She asked now that the information registered in her mind.

"It was because he knew he was going to forget about it afterall— But Penelope? Seriously?" Hope and Arabella shared a laugh together, secretly knowing they would confide in each other more evidently and usually. It felt good for once now now that Hope acquired a friend.

"Josie caught me in a bad time. She didn't know that Penelope was urging me to drink her blood." She explained, leaning her head on the concrete wall.

Hope frowned, leaning on the wall in front of her, just across from the window. "Did you? Drink from Penelope?"

"Oh god no." She resisted. "I have more control in myself than what she thought. Plus, I think she was getting a rise out of Josie."

"Yeah but why you? For all we could know, Mg might do the trick."

Arabella looked at her, seemingly speechless of what to say next. In her make up story, she is not close with the Saltzman twins seeing at they just met 2 days ago. Hope was getting suspicious of the girl more and more at moments like these, then again, moments like these gets interrupted because Alaric told them to follow him outside.

The Vampire secretly thanked him and followed in pursuit, walking a bit further away from the doors so no one can hear.

"A knife was stolen in the archive, dated circa the 12th century. We think it's Landon Kirby." Alaric explained, crossing his arms when he told the information to the two girls.

Hope widen her eyes. "How do you know it was him?"

"Ancient artifact goes missing along with

too-good-to-be-true hapless human? You do the math, Hope."

"That would make him a liar, okay? I've known my fair share of those and there was nothing about him—" She started

"—Hope..." Alaric called out

"No you don't understand. There's no way that the one time that I choose to get close to someone, they turn out to be a liar. It's not possible, okay? I'm not that stupid."

Arabella sighed stepping in. "I compelled him, Dr. Saltzman there's no way he could have done it." Hope sent her a thankful look secretly and turned their attention back to Alaric.

"Yes you did compel him but it's the first place we checked! And if he didn't go home, that means his memory wasn't erased. He was just pretending that it was." He paused for a minute to take a breath. "If he's mind can't be controlled by a supernatural being then that only means one thing. That he is a supernatural being."

Arabella looked at the girl besides her, feeling sorry that she trusted someone who broke that trust. Ara knew what Hope had gone through and it pained her to see the girl look so betrayed.

☘︎︎

"Jo!" Arabella called out, walking closely by the girl who was frustrated enough to not even look at her in the eye.

"I'm not talking to you." She said seriously, huffing.

Arabella sighed in her stubbornness. "I'm sorry, okay? But it's not what you think and I need to tell you what actually happened before you go hulk on me." Her soothing voice made the girl stop and turn around, gesturing her to go on. "Penelope dragged me to the kitchen for an 'after party' as she called it. I was oblivious enough to go because I was thirsty. She urged me to drink from her but I refused and when I refused she got persistent and got close. I swear nothing happened between us two other than her hands all over me." She sighed out, hoping the witch would see the sense in her story and forgive her.

"Did she really do that?" She asked, breaking a few walls she put up around her. Arabella sighed again and hugged the girl comfortingly.

"Sorry if I made you feel bad. I didn't know she was Penelope at the time." Arabella defended and pulled away. "If I'd known, I'd given her a serious beating for breaking your heart." She joked and Josie laughed, a good sign, right?

Josie nodded, "Okay, I believe you. Only because she can actually do that as the devil incarnate." She smiled at Arabella who seemed relief. Josie's eyes landed on the group of girls from a few distance away, Penelope was one of them which made her blood boil in anger.

Arabella was still holding onto her arm, asking her what's wrong. But the siphoner could only voice out everything since she had her eyes dead set on Penelope. Without her knowing, she accidentally siphoned a bit of power from Arabella's grip on her making her wince.

"Ignalusa." She whispered, non-knowingly set Penelope's arm on fire. The girls around her screeched and tried to put it off.

"Jo!" Arabella snapped her finger in front of the girl, getting her back to her senses and realised what she's done. She turned around to get a look of the ruckus and noticed the familiar girl getting on fire.

"Did you...?" She turned back to Josie who shakily mumbled a yes. Arabella told her to calm down and they both headed back to the school, The Vampire helping her way to Josie's dorm.

Out of the corner, Hope saw the entire time making her worry but also an idea in her head. She relunctantly followed the two, with a desperate need to ask the Siphoner's help.

When Arabella was sitting on Josie's bed, She couldn't talk or ask the girl on what happened back there. She looked as equally shock as Ara and yet it felt good to her. The door knocked and Hope came in.

"I need your help." She spoke out bluntly.

"Three more words to me than your annual average. Find someone else." Josie picked up her book, making her way to where Arabella was sitting quietly.

Hope closed the door shut, knowinfg that whatever is discussed in the room, stays in the room. Ara gave the two a confused look before standing up and leaning on the wall behind her for them to talk.

"This stuff with Landon is my fault. I can fix it. I know how to track him, but it involves using a dark magic."

"Well, we're not allowed to use dark magic her, so..." Josie flipped through the book on her lap.

"Says the girl who just lit her ex on fire." Hope stated, Arabella and Josie looked at each other in fear but the Vampire could only shrug and gestured for them to talk.

Josie looked at Hope in disbelief. "Are you blackmailing me?"

"No. No, I'm just looking for a kindred spirit in revenge." She said softly.

"Okay... I'm gonna go. Preferably, out that door since this is witch business." Arabella pointed at the door but before she can even take a step, Hope stopped her with her hand up.

"What makes you think I'll let you leave knowing you have the power to tell Dr. Saltzman on what we're about to do?" She raised her eyebrow.

Arabella sighed and closed her eyes. "Because I won't tattletale, Hope. You have my word on that." She raised her hand up in surrender. "Look, I'm exhausted and in desperate need to sleep. So go do your thing while I go back to our dorm, yeah?"

"You can trust her." Josie spoke standing up. "She's telling the truth."

Hope eyed the two before letting the Vampire go. Arabella closed the door behind her, a heavy weight planted on her shoulders once she was in her room. Now all she had to do was keep an insanely large secret from one of her old friends that his daughter and students is doing dark magic. What more can go wrong anyways?

☘︎︎