Chapter Text
From the moment they were born, the Saltzman twins had been connected. They were two powerful spirits that happened to be brought into this world together, and raised side by side. The girls never realized the immense pressure they were under at such a young age. They were Gemini twins, fated to lead their coven as one. Unbeknownst to them, the fate of their coven was riding on their backs, fated in shadows, but haunting them nevertheless. Alaric and Caroline had been wonderful parents to them, raising them with inner confidence and knowledge of their capabilities.
Lizzie had embraced this whole-heartedly. She was overzealous when it came to her self esteem, and she frequently estimated her abilities far greater than most would imagine possible. This had worked for her. She was growing into a powerful young woman with pride and power within.
Josie was not so inclined to believe the mantras of her parents. She was always more reserved than her sister, generally keeping quiet, even when it was to her detriment. She also hesitated with her powers, following along cautiously, and never allowing herself to manifest her true potential.
Despite such immense differences, the girls were each other's touchstone. Time was not kind to this bond, though. As the girls matured in their separate ways, they found a growing rift. Lizzie continued to grow increasingly temperamental, and found herself denying her sister's comfort more and more. Josie developed a dependency on the bond with her sister, which now appeared to be fizzling quickly. They would always be twins, yes, but would they defy the odds and stay as connected as their youth had promised them?
This conflict became ever more apparent when Josie took the timid plunge into a relationship of her own. Lizzie had always been the one chasing after boys, constantly pining over a new crush. Her own obsessions had led to an ignorance towards Josie's romantic whims. Josie had not attempted to stop this, frequently entertaining Lizzie's fantasies, and shoving aside her own. This habit came to a boiling point when Josie's eyes began to linger over a new classmate.
The Salvatore Boarding School was home to numerous enticing personalities, but it was not until Penelope Park that Josie had even taken a second glance. Their first encounter occurred inside the guidance counselor's office. Awkward, yes, but totally vulnerable and liberating. Josie had been feeling especially trapped by her sister's latest fixation on a boy named Alexander. Lunch in the counselor's office seemed better than listening to Lizzie's ramblings about the boy across the dining hall, so she had made an excuse and fled. Emma rarely saw students during lunch, and Josie's emotions clouded her typical well mannered behavior, and she barged through the door.
"Emma, may I-" Josie started, but as her eyes dropped to the new student sitting in the chair across from the counselor, she could not find her words.
"Josie, now is not a great time." Emma reprimanded, breaking the silence.
The girl was crying. Josie had just walked in on a girl crying because she was so caught up in her own annoyance. How could she be so inconsiderate?
"I'm so sorry to interrupt. Can I just, um, wait outside?" Josie said, her voice overly apologetic, and her mind spiraling with regret.
Wiping the remaining tears from her face, the girl finally spoke, in a clear, authoritative way.
"It's fine, you can stay if you want." She said.
Josie was slightly confused at this response, but decided that waiting inside Emma's office was safer than out in the hall where Lizzie might catch her in her lie. She went over to the sofa in the corner, pulling the sleeves of her cardigan over her knuckles as she sat.
"Penelope, would you like to continue?" Emma asked gently.
Penelope. Her name rang like a bell in Josie's mind. It was melodic and soft, almost too contradicting for the strong and sharp beauty this girl emitted.
"I'm ready Emma." Penelope said, now fully composed and strong. Josie was enticed. Who was she? Having grown up at this school, Josie had immediately clocked Penelope as a new student, a rare occurrence considering the composition of their student body, magical beings. The novelty of a new student was the buzz of the school typically, so Josie acknowledged that Penelope must be very new.
"Well. Why don't we start here then. This is Josette. Josette, meet Penelope. She is a new witch that will be joining us." Emma said calmly.
"Hi Josette." Penelope smirked. Josie had always preferred her nickname, not wanting to disappoint her father by not living up to her namesake, but when Penelope said it, her stomach fluttered in satisfaction.
"Josie, actually." She said out of habit. Before giving herself a chance to regret the correction, she continued with "It's nice to meet you. You will love it here.". Penelope lifted one brow momentarily, almost in doubt, but also out of curiosity.
"If you're ready to go Penelope, I can have someone take you on a tour of the school." Emma interjected.
Josie was perplexed by her reaction. "I can take her." She said, the words tumbling out with enthusiasm she did not wish to display.
"Are you sure Josie? I don't mean to overstep, but did you not have something to talk to me about?" Emma questioned.
"Right. Yes. It was just Lizzie being, well, you know. But it's fine. This will help get my mind off her anyways." Josie said. Her brown eyes pled silently with Emma, hoping the counselor would dismiss her.
"Alright. Thank you for volunteering Josie. Should I schedule you in for later, or..?" Emma inquired.
"I'll let you know." Josie spoke clearly and smoothly, almost as if she were trying to prove a point. Or maybe she was trying to impress the suave girl sitting mere feet away from her.
"Thank you Emma." Penelope said, standing up and smoothing her pleated skirt. The girl now turned to Josie, with an expression of waiting that seemed both impatient and uncomplaining.
Josie smiled, standing as well, and walked out of the room, glancing behind her to make sure Penelope was following her. As Penelope left the office, Josie gently closed the door behind them, and began her typical introductory speech for the Salvatore Boarding School.