Enemy Fire | J. Saltzman - Legacies [3]

T H I R T Y - N I N E

Stella never loved Shakespeare. The man was supposed to be one of the greatest writers in history, yet half of his characters die for no reason, and most of the women he uses are simply there for male betterment. Suffice it to say, not Stella's style.

But Josie likes the romance and humor of Much Ado About Nothing and the sentiment behind Romeo and Juliet, so she'll sit through theater class if only to see her girlfriend smile. Though, she still does not understand why this school has a required theater elective and no musical options.

"Bravo!" The teacher exclaims. Stella had never encountered him before, but Josie adores him. "Next up, Father Capulet as portrayed by Wade Rivers."

Wade stands up with a smile, holding his copy of the play tightly. For some odd reason, he had been paired with Hope (a decision that must have been made because of the lack of students, she's sure), but she is nowhere to be seen. "And don't forget my scene partner," Wade says. "The tribrid as Tybalt. If we can find her."

Josie leans back against Stella as a shiver runs down her spine, the silence in the room deafening. A loud bang makes Stella jump, her hands wrapping around Josie's shoulders as she turns to see Hope standing at the top of the staircase.

"A dramatic entrance indeed," the teacher praises.

Hope grimaces. "Looks like I'm not late enough."

"Come now, you don't wish to let your scene partner down, do you, Ms. Mikaelson?"

"You know, life is really just a series of disappointments, so that's a better lesson than Shakespeare."

Stella slides down in her seat as the teacher says, "I understand you're going through a rough patch—"

"Well, I feel like if you understood that, you'd probably get why I don't really want to dramatize the story of undying love. You know, especially when it does end with dying, and then not dying," Wind begins to blow through the room. "And then him ditching you anyway when he promised nothing would ever come between you two."

A burst of magic erupts from Hope, but it is not as destructive as some of the others Stella has seen. Without waiting, Hope stalks out of the room with her hands clenched into fists.

Stella sighs and purses her lips before hesitantly raising a hand.

"Wade, I've got you, buddy."

Stella allows her hand to drop as Aaron jogs up to the center of the room, his lips pressed together tightly when he catches her eye. He looks away instantly and buries his nose in his playbook.

Tapping Josie on the shoulder, Stella takes her hand and sneaks them both out of the hall without needing to tell the other of their plan. It had been clear, really: Lizzie had been extremely strange over text, and they know Hope would want to distract herself. It took a lot of convincing from Josie to get Stella involved, but both agreed it is for the best for the Mikaelson-Hale cousins to work out their issues. Even in some strange camp in the woods that Stella isn't totally sure is completely sane.

Stella stops a few feet before the rusted shack. Through the broken wooden panels, she can see her cousin pounding her fists into a weighted bag, but her feet hesitate. If Hope doesn't want to talk, then Stella doesn't want to talk. The last time they spoke was on her deathbed. Before that, the elder witch had made Stella open a portal to an alternate dimension. Not a great track record.

Josie takes Stella's hand gently. "I can do this myself," she whispers.

"No, she won't listen to just you," Stella replies with a small sigh. "Come on, babe. I'm gonna need you for this bit."