Chapter Text
Lizzie honestly believed that the plan she, Josie and Hope had come up with the night before would work out two hundred percent. But now, sitting in her mother's office, she wasn't really sure how well they had really planned everything.
A blonde thirteen-year-old girl was sitting right in the center of the room, surrounded by her parents and numerous members of the Mikaelson family.
The plan was ridiculously simple. While Mom, Dad and the Mikaelsons are working on something very important all day, Josie and Hope take the bus to Richmond at eight in the morning, for their, as Josie said, not a date. And as always, the hardest part fell to Lizzie, who had to cover for her sister and friend in front of the whole school.
Fortunately, this weekend many teachers went home, and older students got the opportunity to hang out in Mystic Falls. There were few people at Salvatore's school, so Lizzie had no problems moving through the corridors and offices, only occasionally meeting witches from their class who were interested in where her dark-haired twin had disappeared. But the girls have prepared answers to these questions in advance: “Still sleeping” – in case she is asked in the morning; “Preparing for a test in magical biology, you know Jo” – when Lizzie is asked in the afternoon; “In the library with those eighth-grade geeks” is an excuse for very difficult cases if a couple in love does not have time for the evening bus.
It was much easier to come up with reasons for Hope's absence. Lizzie limited herself to a simple one – “I have no idea, she's probably living her next emo era in her room.”
In general, the plan was perfect! But…
For the most part, Lizzie herself invented it. Back on Thursday, mom said that she and dad would have to leave early in the morning on business at the Mikaelson estate, and they would be back, God willing, by midnight. And this meant that the school trio had a lot of time away from the annoying eyes of their parents.
Of course, Lizzie demanded a fee for her services as an escape organizer. Her sister Josie was awarded, in Lizzie's opinion, the least heavy burden – she would only need to clean their room for three weeks and give her to rewrite their biology homework. Hope wasn't so lucky. Lizzie made her do all (even the most idiotic) errands for a month. Lizzie explained the difference in the price by saying that “after all, Josie is a sister, and you, Hope, are although a friend, but a month ago we didn't even really communicate”. To which Hope rolled her eyes and grudgingly agreed.
The plan, which Lizzie was proud of, began to crack closer to lunch. At this time, for some reason unknown to her, all adult students began to return to school. On normal days, they came in the late afternoon. Some even managed to stay until eleven, and poor Dr. Saltzman had to catch them like rabbits all over Mystic Falls.
It was also strange that the older guys were constantly whispering about something. Lizzie, although she was a brave girl, and besides, the daughter of the headmaster, but at the age of thirteen she did not dare even approach adult witches, and she also did not have the acute hearing of a vampire or, at least, a werewolf. Nevertheless, she managed to overhear something. Some guys talked about the strange activity of some witches, others complained about the weather, although there was not a cloud in the sky, others even composed some horror stories for younger students, trying to intimidate them.
Lizzie was sitting in the living room with the other witches, nervously twitching her leg and periodically glancing at the clock. Suddenly, the oak doors of the main entrance swung open, letting in a crowd of adults. Her mom, Caroline Salvatore-Forbes, was looking around nervously in her maroon suit. She looked like she was looking for someone. Dad, along with Hope's parents and other relatives, were discussing something violently.
Lizzie knew a man with the sullen look and brown hair like Hope's. Klaus Mikaelson is a dangerous hybrid, a murderer and a friend of their mother, who carefully donated a very impressive amount to the school. They even talked once. True, it was about four years ago, and Lizzie hardly remembered what their dialogue was about.
Lizzie knew the dark-haired woman Hayley Marshall better. She periodically came to the boarding school. When Hope first came here, Haley and Caroline took the girls to a cafe. That was before the twins and Hope had a fight. But even after their skirmishes, Hayley tried to treat the Saltzman sisters leniently, writing off their stupid enmity to teenage hormones.
Of all the other people who crowded at the entrance to the school, Lizzie remembered only Freya Mikaelson. Aunt Hope, who usually came to visit her niece on weekends, periodically conducted master classes for young witches. The other originals were strangers to Lizzie. All this was alarming. Maybe the school was really in danger?
Lizzie stood up abruptly. Her mother's gaze immediately stopped on her.
“Elizabeth.” Caroline called to her.
Lizzie swallowed. A lump of fear settled somewhere deep in her stomach. In their family, Lizzie was called Elizabeth, like Josie Josette, only when they got into trouble. And if mom is calling her by her full name now, it means something is going wrong. Lizzie was still standing there, completely oblivious to the curious stares of the other students.
“Elizabeth!” Caroline called her a little louder. “Come here, please.” She added a little quieter.
Lowering her head in embarrassment, Lizzie ran up to her.
“Mommy, is something wrong?” She asked, trying to avoid direct eye contact with her mother.
Alarm flashed across Caroline's face for a second, but the vampire quickly returned to her typical caring-maternal state and spoke.
“It's all right, Lizzie. As you can see, Hope's parents and I got off early. Could you invite the girls to lunch?” Her mother was smiling her sweetest smile.
Lizzie's eyes widened. She turned her head to the side, thinking about what she had said, and then, as if not understanding anything, looked at her mother again.
“What?”
Caroline, with a nervous grin, gently took Lizzie's right hand and squatted down, looking straight into her daughter's eyes.
“I know, it sounds strange. The Mikaelsons and all that...” She was obviously trying to choose her words. “Because of all these trips, we rarely don't see each other. Hope hardly sees her family either. So what about lunch?” When she finished, Caroline looked at her daughter expectantly.
Lizzie briefly lost the ability to move and speak. Millions of thoughts were feverishly spinning in her head. She swayed weakly and finally asked.
“Right now?”
Caroline raised her eyebrows in surprise, clearly not understanding what she had said wrong.
“What? No, of course not!” The vampire smiled nervously. “In two hours… We have some work to finish.” Caroline noticed Lizzie's anxious expression. “Liz, is something wrong?” She asked cautiously.
The girl took a deep breath and forced herself to smile.
“No, it's okay, mom.” She replied, praying that mom wouldn't catch the tremor in her voice or, worse, notice her wildly pounding heart. “In two hours? Okay, I'll warn Jo and Hope.”
Caroline looked at Lizzie carefully.
“Why isn't Jo with you? And I haven't seen Hope since this morning.” She asked, lowering her voice.
“Jo is preparing for a test in magical biology. You know her, she's such a bore.” Lizzie replied as casually as possible, waving her left hand somewhere to the side. “And Hope is probably back in her emo era.” She added, recalling their pre-prepared excuses.
“Elizabeth!” Her mother shushed her. “You can't talk about your sister and friend like that!”
Lizzie rolled her eyes,
“Yeah, I get it. Something else?”
Caroline seemed to think about something for a second, and then abruptly stood up and pulled her daughter into her arms.
“Nothing, baby. Go get some rest.” She smiled and hurried to her office.
Alaric and the Mikaelsons followed her down the corridor to the left. The adults didn't pay any attention to the girl. Only a blonde in a blue blouse bent over her with a bundle in her hands. She smiled good-naturedly as she looked at the young witch.
“Elizabeth, could you give this envelope to Hope?”
Lizzie looked up and nodded hastily. The woman patted her lightly on the shoulder, and then turned around and walked after the others towards the headmaster's office.
“And who are you?” Lizzie asked quietly until the strange blonde was out of sight.
The girl immediately had time to regret her question, when suddenly the woman turned to her and with the same good-natured smile answered.
“Rebekah Mikaelson, dear.”
The door to the principal's office slammed shut, leaving Lizzie standing in the hallway with an envelope in her hands.
Lizzie ran into her room, frantically sorting through ideas in her head how she could delay the inevitable exposure. The situation was complicated by the fact that neither Lizzie, Josie, nor Hope had phones. Their parents forbade using them, fearing that the students would reveal the secret of the Salvatore boarding school. Therefore, Lizzie could not contact the girls directly.
Two hours wasn't enough to get from Richmond to Mystic Falls, even considering she could somehow get in touch with them. The nearest return bus departs from the station only at four o'clock in the afternoon.
The only thing Lizzie could do was delay the stupid lunch and warn Jo and Hope about the impending disaster.
The blonde, of course, could call someone from Richmond on a landline and ask them to inform the girls that they urgently need to return home. However, of all the acquaintances and friends in Richmond, only Aunt Elena and her husband Uncle Damon were at some medical seminar. Calling them was like voluntarily surrendering to her mother.
There was another option: to find Maya and ask her to call someone so that this someone would find the girls and send them back to school.
«What an idiotic plan!» Lizzie thought to herself.
First of all, she didn't know Maya's number. Secondly, she would not be released from school without an adult escort, especially now when everyone was on edge, and even high school students were forbidden to leave the campus. Thirdly, how would Lizzie even know if Maya had any acquaintances in Richmond? They only talked a couple of times. It's hard to call them even friends.
There was another option - to make an astral projection, but the young witch, unlike Hope, did not know how to do it. Therefore, she threw aside all options with warn.
There was only one thing left...
Rebekah was the first to feel the strange smell of burning coming from the hallway. Sniffing, the vampire leaned over to Freya and whispered softly.
“Do you feel it too?”
Freya instantly tensed up, trying to catch the smell her sister was talking about, but immediately relaxed.
“Absolutely nothing.” She replied and turned away to the others.
Rebekah carefully looked around, trying to find a person who, like her, felt a strange smell coming from somewhere outside. Seeing no reaction, she got up and went to the door as quietly as possible.
After unlocking it, Rebekah stuck her head into the corridor. On the opposite side from her, black smoke was pouring out of a thick oak door. She immediately screamed.
“Oh my God, there's a fire!”
For a moment there was silence in the office. Coming out of the stupor, all the adults abruptly stood up, hurrying to leave the room as soon as possible.
At the very corner of the corridor where the kitchen was located, a thick oak door was smoking. At Rebekah's shout, students ran out of the next living room.
“Dr. Saltzman!” Penelope shouted from the other end of the hall. “There's Lizzie!”
Alaric and Caroline's eyes met. They looked at each other in horror. At vampire speed, the headmistress crossed the corridor and abruptly opened the kitchen door. Without a second's hesitation, she immediately ran inside, disappearing into the thick smoke.
Alaric grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran after her. Klaus followed them.
“Stay here.” He shouted to the others.
Entering the kitchen, Caroline could not immediately distinguish the sounds. The hissing of the fire, the screams in the corridor made it difficult for her to concentrate. After taking a couple of steps forward, she heard a faint cough.
“Lizzie!” She shouted into the void.
The cough was repeated. Caroline shouted louder.
“I'm here.” The girl replied faintly.
Caroline moved deeper, hoping to see something through the black pall of smoke. Heat filled the room. As she approached, the coughing grew louder.
She had to bend over to see her daughter's legs lying on the floor.
“Oh my God, honey.” Caroline whispered, leaning toward Lizzie.
In the thick smoke, it was difficult to see anything from a distance of ten centimeters, but Caroline still managed to assess the external condition of her daughter. Lizzie's face was smeared with soot. Her blond hair, usually wavy from excessive humidity, now looked like a black nest smeared with dirt. There didn't seem to be a scratch on her, at least at first glance. Only a blue apron, obviously big for a teenager, hung from her right side like a ragged rag.
Without thinking for a second, Caroline picked up her daughter in her arms and hurried to the exit. Her ear caught movement next to her. Ric, with a fire extinguisher in his hands, hurried to meet them. Without asking any questions, he silently looked at Lizzie and, nodding, hurried to the source of the fire.
Approaching the door, the vampire flew into someone's body. Klaus was standing in front of her. He appraised them both and also disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Finally, Caroline ran out into the hallway. Moving away from the door at a sufficient distance, she lowered her daughter to the floor. She held out her bloody wrist to her in the hope of healing her possible wounds. Lizzie accepted it gratefully, slowly sucking in vampire blood.
Behind them, Rebekah and Kol were fending off curious students. At least they tried to do it with cheap threats. Freya was standing next to the door, saving the kitchen room from the effects of the fire with her magic. Hayley went over to the couple on the floor and sat down next to Caroline.
“Mom, I'm fine.” Lizzie said softly.
“Can you breathe? Did you burn anything? Are you dizzy?” Caroline was asking questions.
“Mom, don't worry, I made myself an air bubble, and you gave me your blood. It's all right.” Lizzie stammered.
“I have to get Josie.” Caroline said, standing up.
“No!” Lizzie shouted, grabbing her mother's hand.
Caroline looked at her questioningly.
“I mean... I don't want to distract her. You know how preoccupied she is with her studies and all that.” Lizzie hastily corrected herself.
Brushing herself off, she got up from the floor.
“Did you quarrel again?” Caroline asked, arching an eyebrow questioningly.
“Uh, not really.” Lizzie replied evasively.
Caroline grinned, eyeing her daughter suspiciously.
Hayley, who was sitting next to her, handed her a bottle of water.
“Hold it, cook.” She said with a smile, paying attention to the ruined apron.
“Thank you.” Lizzie replied sheepishly.
Caroline grinned, squeezing her shoulder. She deliberately looked sternly into her daughter's eyes, apparently looking for hints of answers in them.
“Young lady, you need to wash your face.” She wailed. “But first tell me what happened?” Her gaze softened.
Lizzie hesitated. Of course, she came up with an excuse. She even prepared the props, which were still clumsily hanging around her neck.
A small fire in the kitchen, and that's it: dinner is canceled. That's what Lizzie thought when she was developing her next brilliant plan. This should definitely save the day. In extreme cases, a fire will help delay the inevitable. And what if her sister in love and her devil girlfriend arrive earlier.
Klaus and Ric joined the group sitting on the floor. Both reeked of the pungent smell of burning. Their clothes were completely burned in some places. Klaus's once curly brown hair now looked more like dark patches, ridiculously sticking out in different directions. And Alaric's hairstyle looked more like a hornet's nest than human hair.
“Two stoves, one kitchen table and almost all the dishes in the left sector. I can't imagine that it was possible to cook so diligently to cause such damage.” Klaus said, grinning.
“Elizabeth, honey, what have you done with the kitchen?” Ric asked as gently as possible. “It feels like it was not set on fire, but blown up. The dishes are shattered!”
Lizzie stole a glance at her mom, then shifted her father's gaze.
“I had a little fight with Jo and wanted to surprise her. You know she likes those coconut chip cookies. I thought, why not make them. Well, that's it.” Lizzie replied quickly. She kept glancing at the adults, trying to assess the extent of their faith in her brazen lies.
«I will definitely become an actress.» She thought, watching the reaction of adults.
Hayley and Klaus tried hard not to smile. Although Lizzie could have sworn that the corners of their eyes were twitching suspiciously all the time she was talking. Caroline seemed to be doing her best not to laugh in front of her daughter. She put on a stern expression and looked at her daughter with all seriousness.
“We'll talk about it later. And now go to the shower and so that in an hour you and your sister will be ready for lunch, although it's probably time for dinner.” On the last word she let out a disappointed sigh, as she always did when her plans did not go the way they were originally conceived.
Lizzie's eyes widened. She clearly did not expect such a setup. Josie and Hope won't physically have time to get home.
“Dinner?” The girl asked softly.
“Yes, we'll have to order a delivery this time.” Caroline said with a sigh.
Lizzie blinked in confusion, trying unsuccessfully to find a way out. The situation was escalating faster than she could have imagined. If the parents find out, they'll be in big trouble.
“Well, I'll go check on Hope. Haven't seen her since this morning.” Hayley got to her feet and took a deep breath.
“No!” Lizzie shouted, hurriedly pulling Hope's mother by the arm.
Everyone standing nearby stared at the girl in bewilderment.
“I mean, she's busy.... I don't remember what it's called…” Lizzie began, trying to figure out what Hope was doing. “Meditation, I think. Yes, exactly, meditation!” Her voice sounded uncertain, her hands fidgeted with the burnt hem of her apron. “Hope asked very much, literally begged us not to interfere with her.” Now Lizzie herself was ready to believe her lie. “Once I went in just to ask her for homework, but she kicked me out. She also turned on this weird music that makes my head hurt.” She rolled her eyes theatrically at the last word.
“Hope didn't tell me.” Hayley nodded thoughtfully. “But you'll warn her that we're going to dinner, won't you?”
“Oh? Yes, of course!” Lizzie quickly agreed.
Caroline grabbed her daughter by the hand, leading her towards the girls' dormitory.
Lizzie quickly cleaned herself up. She had exactly an hour to find an excuse why Josie and Hope couldn't go to that damn dinner.
«Can I say that Jo has a stomach ache? Not an option. Mom will immediately run to look for her, dragging with her all the medicines they have.»
«What about...» Her thought was interrupted by an unexpected knock on the door.
The blonde's heart started pounding faster. She was still staring at the door, unable to move.
“Elizabeth, we need to talk!” Her mother's furious voice rang out from outside the door.
Hayley was sitting by the fireplace, nervously going through some old documents. Trying to concentrate somehow, she rubbed her temples with her palms. Her eyes were closed and her lips were pressed into a straight line. It was hard not to lose control when you were already on your feet for the second day. No hybrid entity will help if your nerves are constantly stretched like a string.
“Hey!” A voice came from behind.
Hayley jumped in surprise, blinking absently. It was Freya sneaking up from behind. Hayley wondered to herself how she, with her heightened hybrid abilities, hadn't heard her friend's footsteps.
“Oh, my God, I didn't hear you!” She turned to the witch.
“I'm sorry.” Freya apologized. "I went to see Hope.” She began, glancing nervously at Hayley. “She put a sealing spell on the room.” Freya stopped, apparently waiting for her friend's reaction. But Hayley just looked at her questioningly in response. “Anyway, I've broken the spell. Hope wasn't in the room.”
“How come she wasn't there?” Haley immediately sat up.
“It's empty. Hope seems to have disappeared.” Freya replied.
“Maybe she's with Jo...”
But Haley didn't have time to finish, when suddenly an excited Caroline rushed past them. She stopped by the fireplace, looking around nervously.
“Excuse me, have you seen Josie?” She asked breathlessly.
The women exchanged glances
“No. Something happened?” Freya asked.
“I can't find her. Even her friends have no idea where she is. Josie seems to have disappeared.” Caroline replied anxiously.
“Strange, Hope isn't in her room either.” The witch replied.
“Have you looked in the library?” Hayley asked, tensing up.
“And in the library, and at the old mill, and even in their «secret places»!” The blonde replied, tracing quotation marks in the air with her fingers.
Silence fell between the two women. Caroline lifted her head, then took a deep breath and looked back at Freya and Hayley.
Suddenly something clicked in her head. Her face hardened. The puzzles in her head finally began to form a single picture.
“I think I know who knows where the girls have gone.”
Lizzie liked being the center of attention. True, this applied to the cute boys, her friends and her football team. What she clearly didn't like was sitting in the center of her father's office surrounded by her parents, thousand-year-old original vampires and the most powerful witches in the world.
“Don't get your hopes up, I won't say anything anyway!” Lizzie said, proudly lifting her chin.
Caroline, burning with rage and impatience, barely forced herself to calm down. She closed her eyes, suppressing a torrent of curses.
“Lizzie, honey, just tell us where Jo and Hope went. I promise we won't scold you too much.” Her voice trembled as always when she tried to speak softly, while being angry at the whole world around her.
“I can't promise.” Ric's voice came from behind Caroline.
“I support it.” Klaus said.
Lizzie's eyes flashed menacingly, and she looked first at her father, then at her mother.
“I'm not betraying my sister! She replied. “…And Hope, too!” She added through gritted teeth, turning her head to the side away from the eyes of adults.
Sighing, Caroline leaned back. She, an extremely reserved person, frankly began to annoy the intractability of her own daughter. All this was mixed with concern for Josie and Hope. She had been wondering for almost an hour how a bunch of adults hadn't noticed the disappearance of two young teenagers.
“Elizabeth.” Elijah began, as usual looking the most balanced in the company. “Your devotion to your sister and my niece is commendable, but this is not the situation. They may be in danger.”
Lizzie turned her head to the man and, chuckling a little, replied.
“Oh, they're perfectly safe. I'm sure!” She grinned devilishly.
There was silence in the office. Here Lizzie coughed slightly, drawing attention to herself again.
“Maybe if you'd let us use the phones, this wouldn't have happened.” She began uncertainly.
“Elizabeth!” Alaric exclaimed.
Laughter came from behind. It was Kol who reacted to her dastardly manipulation.
“That's enough!” Klaus got up. “Lizzie, admit where the girls went!” For more intimidation, he flashed his yellow wolf eyes.
Lizzie grimaced and glared at him with all her fury.
“Don't. Threaten. Me!” She spoke slowly, increasing the volume with each word she uttered.
Klaus recoiled from Lizzie. Kol grinned again, catching his brother's angry look on him.
“And this little witch is not as simple as it seems!”
Rebekah, who was standing next to Kol, elbowed him in the side, begging him to shut up. Rebekah herself was also barely holding back a smile. Lizzie's fearlessness amused her.
Clearing her throat, the original vampire asked.
“Why can't any of Freya's spells find them?”
“Because my sister is the smartest witch in the class.” Lizzie replied proudly. “Well, Hope is smart too.” She added a little more quietly.
Rebekah smiled knowingly and continued the interrogation.
“You know that all the students were sent to the campus today...” She began, but suddenly stopped, catching Caroline's warning look on herself.
“I don't think she should know. She's just a kid!”
Normally composed, Caroline looked overly nervous. Trying to calm down, she fiddled with the lapels of her jacket. Her hair, previously usually neatly styled, was now roughly tied with an elastic band in a ponytail at the back of her head.
Looking at her, Rebekah replied.
“I understand, but, apparently, Lizzie is the only one who knows where the girls are.” She stopped literally for a second, but, not seeing a response, continued. “And it looks like they've cast an unknown concealing spell on themselves, because even Freya...” She shifted her gaze to her sister. “...couldn't find them. She...” Rebekah pointed a finger at Lizzie. “...is our only lead.”
Rebekah abruptly pushed away from the wall and walked over to the chair where Lizzie was sitting.
“So, honey, tell us where are Hope and Josie?”
Lizzie hesitated a little under the vampire 's gaze and said with a little less enthusiasm.
“Why would I answer you? You don't tell me anything either.”
“It's useless!” Waving his hands, Klaus plopped down on the sofa.
Rebekah glared at him menacingly, then turned back to Lizzie.
“You see, something happened.” She explained to the girl, as if to a five–year-old child. “Something very bad. If we don't find out where Hope and Josie are, we can't help them.”
Caroline jerked forward.
“Rebekah!” She stopped another woman.
“What?” Rebekah turned to Caroline. “I'm just trying to get her to talk.”
Kol pushed off from the wall and walked over to the rest of the company.
“Couldn't they have gone somewhere to a concert, to Disneyland or whatever the current youth likes?”
Rebekah made a face of displeasure, poking her brother in the chest.
“What are you talking about? What Disney…”
Lizzie smiled smugly.
“There is no Disneyland in Richmond. I thought you were smarter.” The girl said complacently.
But then her gaze faded. The smug expression on her face was replaced by panic. She held her mouth tightly with both hands, hoping that no one heard her.
For a brief moment, everyone in the room froze. Then her mother turned to her.
“Did you say Richmond?” Caroline asked, narrowing her eyes.
“No!” Lizzie squeaked through her palm.
Elijah straightened his suit and leaned over to her.
“May I ask, young lady, what are two teenagers doing in a neighboring town without their parents' permission?”
“I won't say anything!” Lizzie replied through her fingers.
Klaus stood up from his seat.
“We need to...” His tirade was interrupted by the sound of Caroline's phone.
Absently looking around, she tried to find her phone. Finally grabbing it from the windowsill, she stared at the screen: Elena was calling her.
“Not at the right time at all, Ele...” The blonde began, but immediately fell silent when she heard her friend's voice.
“In my opinion, just in time. We've met someone here.”
“Blondie, are you aware that your children have run away from school?” Damon's voice came from far away.
All the vampires in the room were listening warily to the conversation. Only Alaric and Lizzie looked questioningly at Caroline, who was holding the phone tightly to her ear.
“Did you find Jo and Hope?” She asked cautiously, glancing at her blonde daughter.
“Did we find Jo and Hope? We barely caught them! Those two were trying to get away from us!” Damon explained.
“Give it here.” Klaus snatched the phone from Caroline and, ignoring her displeased cries, switched the call to speakerphone.
“Where are they?” He spoke rudely.
“Hello to you, too, Klaus.” Elena replied with obvious irritation. “In Richmond.”
A growl of displeasure escaped from Klaus' throat.
“Call Hope.”
There was silence for a second, then Elena continued.
“Actually, she sleeps in the car, just like Jo.”
Finally snatching the phone out of Klaus' hands, Caroline answered her friend.
“We will try to come as soon as possible. Could you keep an eye on them?”
“Yes, of course.”