ON HOLD, POSSIBLY UNDERGOING A REWRITE.
𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙𝙮, Isabella thought she had finally found solace in the quiet rhythms of her life. But when news breaks of her brother'...
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THIS STORY IS CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN. SO IF YOU ARE READING THIS PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CHAPTERS AND PLOT ARE GOING TO CHANGE SOON.
Ten years later...
In the quiet of her room, Issy's chest tightens with an overwhelming sense of dread. Her hands tremble as she stares at the flickering candle on her desk, the flame dancing wildly in tune with the chaos in her mind. She had let her powers slip, a surge of magic had escaped her control. How could she be so stupid? Panic clawed at her throat, attempting to suffocate her.
Before she could even process what was happening, her door bursts open, and Tyler rushes in, his eyes wide with concern etched on his face.
"Iz? Liv told me...everything." He says, crossing the room in hurried strides.
He's going to hate me.
Unable to speak, Issy could only shake her head, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Issy? What's happening?" Tyler's voice cut through the chaos, his eyes searching hers for answers.
Refusing to meet his gaze, Isabella turned away, her throat constricting with guilt. How could she justify lying to him for all these months? Explain everything she did without pushing him away?
Tyler kneels beside her, his touch gentle as he reaches for her trembling hand. "Issy, talk to me. Please."
Tears well in her eyes as she struggles to find the words, her voice barely a whisper, "I...I've been lying to you for months...I didn't want to, but I couldn't risk my coven finding out where I was- I really do care about you Tyler, you're my best friend and I don't want you to hate me. I just wanted it all to stop, and I was going to tell you– but then you died, then everything happened with the Travelers and Luke stopped Liv's spell, then Damon Salvatore and Bonnie got trapped on the Other Side... and I just–"
Issy trails off and for a moment, there was silence, broken only by the sound of their uneven breaths. Issy braced herself for rejection, for the anger she feared would follow her confession.
But when she finally dared to look at Tyler she found only compassion in his eyes. He pulls her into his arms, holding her close as if to shield her from the storm raging within.
"Isabella Ja–Parker, I could never hate you for being honest with me," he murmurs, stopping himself from saying the fake surname she had been using for the past few months, Liv really had told him everything, huh?
***
An hour ago...
Lounging on the floor of his dorm room, Issy flicks through an old grimoire, engaging in a light-hearted conversation with her younger brother, Luke.
