Enemy Fire | J. Saltzman - Legacies [3]

E L E V E N

"...I've got this test today, and I studied literally all night with Finch—you remember Finch, right?"

"The girlfriend. I'm not that forgetful. How's that going, by the way?" Taylor asks with a laugh as she bikes through the relatively packed street with students all driving or walking to school. As the building comes into view, Taylor shakes her head and ducks away from any lingering looks from her new classmates.

"It's going good so far." Maya sighs over the phone, a dreamy thing that makes Taylor roll her eyes.

Taylor presses her earbuds in further as she locks up her bike and sneers up at the building. "I just got to school, and I hate it."

"Come back to Mystic Falls then, silly," Maya lets out a laugh. "I miss my band geek."

"I am not a band geek!" Shaking her head, she walks through the halls to get to her locker, narrowly avoiding the jocks and cheerleaders. "Why are you at school so early anyway?"

"Well, I didn't really want to stay home since Mom has a new friend with benefits, you know? It's sort of weird. And awkward. Plus Ethan had this interview with some reporter from the Salvatore School."

Taylor's hands freeze over her books. "Really?" She manages to croak out. "The Salvatore Scroll wants to interview him?"

"Yeah. Actually, you know her. That girl you were crushing on. Josie."

She clears her throat loudly as she looks around the halls. "I-I wasn't—"

"Don't even try, Stella. I saw that breakdown the other night. Did she hurt you?"

With a sigh, she leans her forehead against the metal door. "The opposite, actually. I hurt her."

Maya goes silent for a moment as Taylor closes the locker and looks down at her feet. She can hear some voices over the line as she waits until Maya says, "Someone wants to talk to you."

"What? Maya, who—"

"Hello? W-who is this?"

Taylor drops her phone, the voice shaking her core as it echoes in her mind. The softness of the tone combined with just how long it's been sends a shiver down her spine, though it feels more inviting than she thought it would.

"Um, is anyone there?"

Quickly clearing her throat, Taylor hangs up the phone. That familiar shiver disappears as she makes her way to the nearest bathroom, locking herself in as her heart pounds against her ribcage, her chest tightening too much to be normal. "Calm down," she whispers as she grips the sides of the sink. "It's just her voice. Nothing major."

Looking up into the mirror, she lets out a small yelp as she spins around. "Dude, you can't do that!"

Alyssa Chang's expression bares into her soul; the furrowed brow and deep frown make Taylor pause. "You have to come back. Now."

"What?"

Shaking her head, Alyssa takes a step forward. "Look, I don't have long, ok? The Necromancer's starting his big plan, and I don't know what to do."

"Slow down." Taylor reaches forward, but her hands slip through Alyssa's arms. "What do you mean? Is that why you ghosted me? Why are you with the Necromancer?"

"I-I don't have time to explain. You have to get back to Mystic Falls. You're the only one who can stop him. And stop me. I'm counting on you, Stella."

"Don't count on me. That's a lot of pressure. Hope's the hero, not me."

"You have to hurry, ok? There isn't much time."