They hate me (and I hate me too)

Chapter 3

If someone were to tell Lizzie she would wake up one day to an empty room and a letter from her sister lying against her lampshade, she wouldn’t have believed you.

On one hand, who in their right mind would use a letter to say goodbye when they had had it done to them? On the other hand, her sister wouldn’t dare do that after Lizzie had spent the last two days trying to get everyone to like Josie again. No, there was no way.

Yet here she was, marching towards her dad in the hall, determination in every step.

“Dad.” She called once she turned the corner.

Alaric spun around, book in hand, and looked at his daughter with a tired and rundown expression.

“Lizzie, now’s not the time. I need to go find Raf-” He started to say but was cut off by Lizzie holding her hand up at his face.

“Raf can wait. This is important.”

Alaric sighed, raising his free hand to the bridge of his nose. “What is it?” He asked.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Well, dad, if you really want to know, Josie, my sweet, sweet twin sister, has decided to take matters into her own hands and leave Mystic Falls.”

Alaric’s stance suddenly shifted from a slight slouch and all-around tired look to a more alert one. His back straightened and shoulders stiffened as his eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” He blurted out.

“Oh, now you’re interested?” She snarked.

“Lizzie.”

The blond twin rolled her eyes as she pulled out the letter her twin had left her and handed it to her dad. He grabbed it immediately, unfolding the letter then started reading it. Lizzie was tapping her foot rhythmically while waiting, her arms folded across her chest.

Suddenly, Alaric’s eyes snapped up to his daughter’s, brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He exclaimed.

Lizzie gasped, taking a step back, her arms falling to her sides.

“I woke up and she was gone. How was I supposed to know she had left?” She argued, frustrated her father was blaming her for this.

“You sleep in the same room, you are constantly together, you should have known she was going to do something like this!” He shot back.

“You don’t get to tell me what I should and shouldn’t have seen. You’ve barely spoken to Josie since she got back! You spend all your time in your office doing god knows what, and when we come to you for something you sigh and tell us to come back later. Well, guess what dad, it’s later and you screwed up.” Lizzie fired back, attracting a few curious eyes from the students in the hall.

Alaric crumpled the letter as he used his hand to point a finger at Lizzie. The vein in his forehead was pulsing as he spoke. “You don’t get to talk to me like that.”

“No.” Lizzie spat, her tone of voice mimicking her mother’s when either her or her twin royally screwed up. “You don’t get to try and father me when you relinquished that role a long time ago.” Alaric started spluttering, his mouth having dropped slightly before swallowing. Lizzie cut him off before he could even let the first syllable slip. “I don’t care for whatever you have to say because honestly, nothing could atone for your lack of parenting. But that’s not the point.” She sighed. “Josie is gone, and the only reason I came to you was to tell you I’m going to go and get her back. I’ll muster up the Supersquad and we’ll be on our way.”

“You can’t.” Alaric said in a whisper.

Lizzie kept on talking, ignoring her father’s comment. “Kaleb can drive the Salvatore car and MG can pack the food. Hope and I can track Josie and talk some sense into her.”