A Different Breed ▻ Legacies [1]

11

While Hope and Valerie were still filling up their first bags of trash, Josie was on her fourth, causing the two girls to give her an impressed look, "You have a future in waste management." Hope commented jokingly.

"Cleaning up messes is kind of my thing," Josie replied in a calm tone.

"Well, your sister is kind of a dumpster fire," Hope remarked and Josie gave her a glare.

"Why do you always pick fights?" Josie asked Hope, "And you always seem to drag Val into them as you do so."

Hope immediately stopped what she was doing when she heard Josie's words and turned to her, just as Valerie did, "We've known each other a decade and any time you have the chance, you poke."

"You guys do your fair share of poking," Hope retorted before continuing to pick up trash.

"Yeah, in retaliation to you and Val's pokes," Josie argued.

"Hey! Leave me out of this!" Valerie complained.

"And with the two of you spending so much time with my dad and keeping secrets--"Josie began to say until Valerie cut her off.

"We're not keeping secrets, Josie," Valerie argued defensively.

"Oh, yeah?" Josie asked with an attitude, "What happened when you two went with my dad to go find Landon Kirby?"

"Nothing happened," Hope replied quickly, knowing if Valerie had replied, there was a chance she might have ended up spilling the beans to Josie.

"Something clearly did happen," Josie argued, "Rafael never showed up at school, my dad was rattled, so why don't you two just tell me?"

"'Cause there's nothing to tell!" Hope raised her voice to Josie as she slammed the end part of the stick down, only to have it stab into Valerie's foot because she was standing right next to her.

"Aah!" Valerie yelled out in pain.

Josie immediately rushed over to Valerie to see what had happened, only to see that Hope had Accidentally stabbed Valerie with the stick, "Oh, my God!" Josie exclaimed as Valerie looked up at her, panting for breath.

"Ow," Valerie commented, staring directly at Josie, "Are you okay? I mean, what do we do?"

"Help me pull it out." Valerie insisted and Josie gave her a puzzled look.

"What about Hope? Can't she?" Josie asked her confused.

"She's the one who stabbed me with it! I don't want her taking it out!" Valerie complained and Hope gave her an offended look. Valerie turned to Hope with a sigh, "No offense, Hope."

"Offense taken!" Hope told her best friend.

"Please, Jos," Valerie pleaded, "Just pull it out for me. I can heal with myself."

Josie nodded, moving a bit closer to the female hybrid. She gripped her hands around the stick as Valerie removed her hands from holding onto it. Valerie winced in pain, "Fast and quick, Josie. It'll hurt her less if you do it like that." Hope instructed.

Josie took a deep breath before ripping it out of Valerie's foot, falling backward onto the ground as she did so. Valerie took deep breaths, trying to keep cool as she turned to Hope, "I forgive you." She told her, "Even though you never even said sorry!"

Valerie turned to look down at Josie, who looked up at her, smiling in amusement, "Well, would you look at that. You just poked yourself all with Hope's help. Just as I said." She commented and all three girls couldn't help but laugh at how right she was.

"Shut up," She told Josie as she shook her foot a bit, allowing it to heal.

_______

Ophelia stood with Jeremy Gilbert on a sidewalk in the city, both of them with their hoods on as they watched over Rafael and Landon. The two boys were making their money by betting on Rafael to do things the should be impossible for humans, "To the roof and back in twenty seconds." A skeptical lady challenged Rafael.

"Or we double your money," Landon stated daringly.

"You're on. Ten bucks." The lady gladly agreed. As Rafael started to get ready, the lady began to count down, "Twenty. Nineteen..."

Rafael immediately began to run up the stairs before jumping onto the railing. He hopped onto the railing across from it before looking back at Landon for guidance. Landon nodded, giving Rafael the okay. Rafael looked up at the fire escape ladder that was about ten feet above him before jumping, easily getting to it.

Instead of climbing up the ladder, Rafael jumped numerous times to reach the roof. The whole group watching him stared in shock and the skeptical lady glance down at her phone screen that read the timer, "He's not going to make it." She said, seeming doubtful about his abilities.

"I'd say otherwise," Ophelia commented quietly, making it so no one other than Jeremy could hear her.

Jeremy quietly chuckled, glancing at female before looking back at Rafael, who stood on top of the roof, about to jump. Rafael let out a large yell as he jumped off the roof, landing on his feet just in time.

The timer then went off and everyone stared at him in amazement, some cheering while others clapped. Landon smiled as he turned to the lady, holding out the palm of his hand, clearly waiting for her to hand over the money she betted against Rafael making it.

Shocked by his own abilities, Rafael had a mini freak out as he glanced up at the top of the roof. He looked back over at Landon, who walked toward him. Rafael had a proud smile on his face as he tightly hugged Landon, both of them jumping up and down.

Soon enough, more people had come to bet on Rafael. Landon went around, collecting all of their money, "What can I say? My boy's on fire." Landon commented as Rafael stood with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath after performing the act so many times.

"Triple or nothing." A man in the front of the crowd commented and both Landon and Rafael looked at him shocked.

"Sir, we've already taken your money twice." Landon reminded him.

The man went into his pocket before holding his hand out with a hundred dollar bill held between two of his fingers, "How about a hundred?" He proposed with a smile on his face, "But I want him to do it in ten seconds."

Rafael furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, feeling as if it were impossible even for someone like him. Landon smiled, walking over to the man before taking the money from his hand, "Start the clock."

Ophelia and Jeremy, who stood in the back of the crowd, shared a glance before Jeremy pulled out and texted Alaric that the two boys were there.