Perzys Āeterña | Hope Mikaelson

Chapter 17

Alyssa Chang was going to confirm their choice.

"Stay still," said Alyssa, holding out a small white orb to Lizzie, who was going to demonstrate how it was done. "You're afraid. No... you're absolutely terrified."

"No crap," said Lizzie, rolling her eyes. "That's why we're here. I don't need your stupid bowling ball to tell me that, okay? Josie is basically Darth Vader."

"Would you please shut up? I need to concentrate. Thanks in advance." She closed her eyes, concentrating and making it glow brighter. "You're not scared of Josie hurting you, you're scared of hurting her."

Lizzie nodded. "I've done so much to hurt her already. I just don't want to make the same mistake again."

Alyssa made a face as if she'd smelled something rotten. "I don't need a crystal ball to know that Josie would tear you apart. The Merge is a battle of wills. The simple fact that you're afraid of winning and losing makes you a dead duck. Your turn."

She turned to Rhysaenya, but Lizzie butted in. "Are you seriously telling me that I'm going to die because I became a better person?"

"Ironic, isn't it? The good news is that you won't die because you can't even handle this."

The blonde scoffed. "Well, in that case, screw personal growth, okay? I am going back to looking out for number one, to being selfish. To hell with the Merge!

"That's the spirit," said Alyssa cheekily. "But you're not the main player anymore."

She held the orb toward Rhysaenya, then drew it back into herself, furrowing her brows. "Right off the bat, so much more ruthless. You're not afraid to win. You're not afraid to kill and you're not afraid to hurt someone for the greater good."

"I could do that if I were still a bitch," said Lizzie under her breath.

Alyssa opened one eye to glare, as if insisting she shut up. "But you are also afraid to lose."

Rhysaenya admitted to it, toying with her necklace. "Because if I don't do this right, we lose her. But I will do what has to be done."

"I can see that. You're willing to risk yourself to keep everyone else safe. You have faith in your team, trust that the plan will work. It should be enough for you to replace Lizzie. In a real Merge, you'd beat them both."

Lizzie scoffed. "Well, it's not going to be a real Merge anyway—"

"Won't it be?"

Josie was in the doorway, smirking at them. "I thought we had an alarm system for this," muttered Rhysaenya.

"You did," said Josie, gesturing to a mound of herbs at the corner of the door. "But that is nothing against me. Lizzie... tsk, tsk, tsk, I wasn't aware you were trying to get out of the Merge. I suppose I'll have to punish you for that."

She flicked her hand, snapping Alyssa's neck and letting her body fall. Rhysaenya couldn't even gasp, not having been expecting it. "Was that drastic enough for you, Lizzie? If you don't show up tonight in your own body, I'll start killing your actual friends. Starting with the dragon." She smirked, gesturing to her arms. "Keep an eye on those cuts."

Rhysaenya fell at Alyssa's side while Josie strode away, unbothered. "She's dead," she whispered. "She's actually dead. What the hell do we do?"

"Rely on Hope Mikaelson to save the day," said Lizzie snarkily. "As per freakin' usual."

Rhysaenya carried Alyssa's body into Hope's room, where everyone was gathering to discuss next steps. Lizzie had gone right to inform her father, who would most likely get the remaining students not part of their squad out of the school. The danger had escalated, and only the immediate friend group could be expected to deal with it.