Back To The Beginning

Chapter 2

Hope's POV: Turning over in bed, I kept my eyes squeezed shut, letting out a soft groan. My brain felt fuzzy. And not normal 'just woke up' fuzzy. Well, a little bit of that too, but it felt...blurred. It felt like someone hit me over the head with a hammer. 

Unfortunately, my brain wasn't the only part of me that felt weird. Everything felt kinda out of proportion, like I'd been stretched out on one of those ancient torture racks and then buried under a pile of cushions. I also felt weaker somehow, and my back and shoulders ached as if I've been lugging around a heavy backpack all day.

Did that mean that the spell worked? 

It must have taken a lot out of me if it made me feel this bad. I've never felt this weak even before I activated my vampire side.

I could probably lay in bed a bit longer. I've had a really tough week, and it's not like I still had any Gods running around. The biggest thing on my radar should be the plague of Malivore monsters, and there's no telling what timeline I ended up in. I could've ended up in my eight year old body for all I know. 

I grimaced at the thought before pausing as I imagined Lizzie waking up in her six year old body. Honestly, she would probably throw a tantrum. Throwing off the duvet, I winced at the oddly bright light I could see through my closed lids, before trying to roll out of bed and stand up only to lose coordination and ended up rolling face-first onto the floor with a thud. 

Today was clearly shaping up to be one of those days.

"Ow", I muttered, my muscles tensing at the sound. 

That wasn't my voice.

Opening my eyes, I looked around the room before frowning in confusion. 

Why am I in the twins' room?

Pushing a strand of hair behind my ear, I also noticed that it was the wrong color. It was a light blonde instead of my natural reddish brown. What's happening? I swallowed and put my hands on the wooden floor, noting that they were larger than they should be. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply before pushing myself to my feet, the dull ache in my back and shoulders intensified, causing me to wince. Opening my eyes, I held my arms out in front of me, noticing that they were longer then they should be. Swallowing thickly, I glanced down as my eyes widen in shock.

Did I grow another six inches last night? 

And what the hell happened to my boobs?

I swallowed, refocusing and trying to stamp down the awful feeling of dread pooling in my stomach. I was taller, my hair was a different color, I had a different voice, my figure was definitely wrong, I was wearing a loose, grey shirt and pajama pants that I didn't own, and I wasn't even in my room. What the hell did that spell do to me?

I drew in a deep breath, and looked around more carefully, trying to ignore my subconscious screaming at me in panic. Noticing Lizzie's full length mirror at the end of the bed, I focused on balancing my new height and weight and gingerly shuffled over toward the mirror.

Shit. 

"You have got to be kidding me", I muttered, looking into the mirror in disbelief. "This has to be a dream", I said, and, even though it wasn't even my voice, I knew that it was a lie. This couldn't even be a nightmare. I didn't hate myself this much.

I was staring into the shocked-looking face of Elizabeth Saltzman. 

I guess it's better than ending up as some freaky Siamese twin or being sent to the wrong timeline. 

I tried opening my mouth. The Lizzie in the mirror opened her mouth. I stuck my tongue out. She stuck her tongue out. I reached out to touch the glass, and she reached right back. I shivered slightly as my hand came into contact with the cold surface of the mirror. I pinched my arm and winced slightly. Okay, definitely not a dream. Shit. This is bad.

I frowned, the expression looking completely different on Lizzie's face. Biting my lip, I turned away from the mirror as I started pacing. 

I need a plan. I need to get back into my old body. If I was in Lizzie's body, then Lizzie would most likely be in mine. I felt my skin crawl at the thought of somebody else walking around using my voice, pretending to be me. It was so wrong. Right, all I have to do is go there and...

Explain to everyone why Lizzie Saltzman is breaking into my dorm room, and why Lizzie and I suddenly being friends is just a huge coincidence. That I'm actually Hope, that traveled back in time to prevent the Gods from rising and killing everyone, and you should all trust me completely and help me. Damn, everyone would think that I-Lizzie lost her mind.

And, even if I did manage to find my body, what do I do? I doubt that I could just grab my own arm and hop back in.

I really hated magic.

So, I was on my own. Trapped in the body of my mortal enemy that's apparently ridding shotgun in my tribrid body. If I was going to work out how to stop the Gods from rising, I need to know how much time I have. Maybe there's a computer or a calendar somewhere...

I turned away from the mirror and crept through the dorm room, walking slowly to keep from losing my balance again. I scanned the room, looking for a computer or maybe a large calendar that could tell me what day it is. Spotting a computer on Josie's desk, I quickly shuffled across the room and turned it on, fidgeting while I waited for it to boot up.

The computer switched on before I heard the door open behind me, causing me to quickly shut it off. "You're not dressed yet", I heard Josie say, causing me to turn around to see her walking into the room in a white robe. 

"Oh...uh...", I trailed off, racking my brain for anything to say.

Breathe, Hope. 

It's just Josie. The same Josie whose father you nearly beat to death, and who would know Lizzie better than anyone. The same Lizzie you turned into a heretic and now is technically possessing her body. 

This is going to be fine. I just have to impersonate Lizzie, search for the grimoire, then switch back. Then I could be myself again and nobody would ever have to know. Easy.

Except not at all.

"Lizzie, are you feeling okay", she questioned, crossing the room to stand in front of me. 

"Why", I frowned, before cursing myself. "I mean, I'm fine", I told her, giving her an awkward thumbs up.

"Lizzie", Josie sighed, throwing her bag of bathroom supplies onto the bed. "I know that it's been hard with mom not being here. It's hard for me too", she said, causing me to shift in the chair uncomfortably. "Look, I know that you don't like how they make you feel, but I think maybe you should really consider what mom said", she suggested, causing me to attempt to keep the confused look off my face.

"Um...sure", I answered uncertainly, causing Josie's expression to melt into surprise.

 "Oh. I'll...I'll go get them", she said, walking across the room before disappearing into the bathroom. 

Exhaling deeply, I got up from the chair before walking back over to the mirror, shuddering when I saw Lizzie's face, fixed in a doubtful, slightly nauseated expression, looking back at me. I examined the reflection critically. Obviously, I'd have to change out of the pjs and into one of Lizzie's outfits. Hair was a bit of a mess so that needed brushing, probably needed to apply some makeup. I grimaced, raised one arm and sniffed experimentally. Lizzie clearly hadn't showered last night. 

I felt my stomach twist. Gross. So gross. There is no way that I'm going to see Lizzie naked, much less soap her down, if I could possibly avoid it. But if I walk through the Salvatore school smelling like this...

I looked up as Josie emerged from the bathroom with a glass of water before handing me a handful of pills. "Oh...", I whispered, staring at the medication uncertainly. "I...I don't...", I stammered, pushing the pills back into her hands. "I-I can't", I said, looking away from her shamefully. "I'm sorry", I apologized, catching Josie by surprise as her eyes widened momentarily before she set the glass on the dresser and pulling me into a hug, causing me to stiffen.

"It's okay. I understand", she whispered, pulling away as I stepped back uncomfortably. Shifting under her gaze, I quickly crossed the room to grab one of Lizzie's robes and her toiletries before hurrying from the room.