Burnin' Up | J. Saltzman - Legacies [1]

S E V E N T E E N

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The living room of the Salvatore mansion is filled with tired students rubbing their eyes. Before them, Alaric Saltzman stands on the stairs. When he clears his throat, the entire room goes silent. Landon sneaks in next to Rafael; he catches Stella's eye—the witch stands across the room alone.

"Yesterday, I came into possession of another Malivore artifact," Alaric says. "It was my hope to find a method of containment before it signaled another monster, but, given the emergency meeting I've just called, I'm sure you can guess how well that went."

Landon leans forward, tapping Rafael's shoulder. "Do you see Hope anywhere?"

The werewolf shakes his head. A sudden vibrating sound fills his ears. With a frown, he turns to see the Hale witch look down at her phone. An expression of panic flickers across her face before she disappears from sight.

"Rest assured we are taking every precaution," Alaric continues, his eyes purposefully never finding Stella. "Sheriff Donovan has been kind enough to open the doors of the Lockwood Mansion to us, so Mr. Williams and Ms. Tig are now in the process of evacuating our students from the lower grades."

Kaleb scoffs and crosses his arms. "Why don't we just evacuate the damn artifact?" He asks.

Alaric seems tempted to roll his eyes. "We are much more well-equipped than the world at large to handle the arrival of a monster. Once we know what we're dealing with and the problem is contained, then we can reassess what to do with the artifact. If any of you would like to evacuate, please talk to Dorian or Emma. However, exam week will continue as scheduled, wherever you are."

Groans erupt from the students. Many drop their heads into their hands, some begin to cry. "I know. I'm sorry," Alaric says. "I can't exactly call the state accreditation board and tell them that we're canceling the exams because of monsters. We'll get through this, I promise. Try to get some rest, ok? Good night."

As Alaric walks through the halls, he keeps his head down until he reaches his office. Closing the door behind him, he faces the two most powerful witches in the school.

"So, we have another key to Malivore," Stella sighs. She sits on the couch surrounded by open books. Her eyes are red from sleep deprivation, and her skin is pale, making her eyes pop out of her skull.

Hope leans against Alaric's desk, her expression drawn and serious. "How are we supposed to prepare for this?" Hope asks. "We have no idea what kind of monster is coming after us."

"We'll be smarter," Alaric says as he sits at his desk. "We've been through this before. Our first priority is safety."

"Check. Next," Stella replies in a bored tone. Alaric rolls his eyes. "Look, I've been researching about the urn since you came back. It seems to work the same way as the knife. Which means who knows what's coming after it."

Alaric nods grimly. "We need to prepare for anything."

Stella sighs as she stands. She takes a few of the books in her hands and says, "I'll be in the library. I hate this room."

"Text me if you find something!" Hope calls after her, but Stella is already gone.

As the Hale witch walks down the hall, the walls of the school feel more daunting than usual. Her heart beats quickly as she gets to the empty library. It takes her a moment to see Rafael studying by the fire.

With a steadying sigh, Stella sits down across from the werewolf. He snaps his head up to look at her. "Hi, Stella," he says.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Do you mind if I sit here? I like the fire." For emphasis, she reaches into the fireplace. As Rafael shouts in surprise and warning, she grabs a flame and rolls it over her knuckles nonchalantly.