Stopping The Merge

Chapter Twelve: The Spell

Y'all get two parts today because I want to finish this book so I can start another one! TW: mild blood and self harm. Anyways, without further ado, here you go:

Once at the school, Hope carries Lizzie to the twin's room, Josie following. Penelope has decided to stay with Alaric and Caroline and start researching a way to wake Lizzie up. Josie opens the door for Hope, and they both enter the room. The auburn haired tribrid carefully lays Lizzie down on the blonde's bed, ensuring she has a pillow under her head. She glances up at the other twin, who is watching sadly.

"What if we can't find a way to wake her up?" Josie asks worriedly. 

"We will. I won't stop until we do. I'm going to go help with the research. Can you watch her for me in case she wakes up? I don't want her to wake up all alone," Hope replies.

"Of course. I got her. Go," Josie nods.

Hope places a kiss on her lover's forehead and leaves, shutting the door softly behind her. Josie is left alone with her sleeping sister. The brunette sits on the end of Lizzie's bed, and stares at Lizzie's sleeping face. She strokes blonde hair out of the girl's eyes lovingly. She loves Lizzie so much, and can't loose her. Clenching her jaw to keep from crying, Josie makes a silent promise to herself and to Lizzie that they will never stop looking for a way to wake her up. Ever. 

******

Days later, they still have not found a solution. Hope is growing increasingly frustrated. She just wants to be able to hear Lizze's voice again, to be able to hug her and hold her, but she can't. Hope groans, and slams the book she is looking at down. They are all gathered in the library, working on more research. 

"Is everything okay, Hope?" Caroline asks.

"No. My girlfriend is in a coma, and we can't figure out how to wake her up. I can't take this anymore," Hope says angrily, storming out before she looses control even more. 

Penelope frowns, and stands up. She heads after the auburn haired girl. She finds Hope near the lake, crying silently. Sitting beside her, she wraps an arm around her shoulder. Hope lets her friend hold her, wiping away her tears.

"We are going to get her back, Hope," Penelope tells her friend.

Hope nods miserably. The pair sit in content silence for about half an hour. Suddenly, Josie is running towards them, her brown eyes full of excitement. She nearly slips off the deck, but Penelope grabs her and steadies her just in time.

"Easy there, Jojo. What's going on?" Penelope laughs.

"We found it. We found the answer," Josie gasps, out of breathe. 

Hope hops up, and rushes back inside, Josie and Penelope following her. They find Alaric and Caroline gazing at a weathered old book, studying it carefully.

"What is it? What do we need to do?" Hope asks.

"The light was a protective measure for the stone. The stone was created by a member of the Gemini coven when he discovered the merge. It was created by him in case he had twins, which he never did. He wrote the spell that stops the merge in the book, and hid that and the gemstone in different places. The light makes the person who touches it pass out if they are a Gemini twin to ensure that the gem is actually used to stop the merge, not sold or something like that. You can only see the stone if a member of the coven is with you, so that's why we could see it. So, in short, we need to cast the spell that will stop the merge in order for Lizzie to wake up," Alaric explains.

"Okay. What are we waiting for them? We need to get the ingredients for the spell," Hope says.

"Agreed. We have most of them already here in the school. We just need some blood from Josie and Lizzie, and we will be good to go," Caroline agrees.

"Sounds like a plan. Give Penelope and I the list, and we can go grab them. We will meet you in me and Liz's room," Josie replies.

Having a plan, Alaric hands the pair the list. The three remaining people head to the twin's room, where Lizzie is still in a coma on her bed. Hope sits beside her and takes her hand, smiling at her girlfriend.

"We did it, babe. We found the answer," Hope smiles.

Caroline and Alaric watch the interaction with smiles on their faces. While they hate that they will need their daughters' blood, but are happy that they have found the solution. Josie and Penelope enter with the ingredients, and they mix them together in a stone bowl. Penelope winces as Josie cuts her wrist with a knife and allows her blood to drip into the bowl. The witch takes Josie's arm and casts a spell to heal her. 

"Who's going to do Lizzie's arm?" Hope asks, not wanting to cut into her girlfriend's arm.

"I will," Alaric volunteers.

Grimacing, he cuts into Lizzie's arm with the second knife and allows the bowl to catch her blood. Hope heals the blonde's wrist, and her, Josie, and Penelope join hands, bowl in the middle of them on the floor. Josie makes sure to grab Lizzie's hand with her free one as well, as it states in the book that the Gemini twins must be touching each other.

"Okay. Can you all see the spell if I hold it up here?" Caroline asks, holding the book up.

"Yes," Penelope says, the other two girls nodding.

The girls begin to chant, and wind surrounds the four. They do this for several minutes. Light comes out of Josie and Lizzie where their hearts are. Caroline and Alaric watch in amazement as the streams of light join and swirl together, before separating and going back into the girls. Josie gasps as the light enters her, and collapses.