Just Like Fire | J. Saltzman - Legacies [2]

F O U R

The night sky surrounds the center of Mystic Falls with a single Phoenix in the town square. Stella watches from the shadows as Landon sketches something with music blaring in his ears. A green giant looms behind him.

"Icaeus." Hope throws the creature back before jumping through the air to punch it. Stella steps out from her hiding spot, fire forming in her hands as the creature swipes Hope across the face and sends her soaring back.

"Ica—" It picks Hope up with its large hand covering her mouth. She kicks and screams, but it does not let go of her.

It raises its hand in the air.

At the same time Stella tosses a ball of fire at the creature, an arrow pierces its palm. It drops Hope, letting her groan on the grass. As Alaric rushes up to the creature and fights, Stella drags Hope away from getting stepped on.

"Hey, ugly!" Stella shouts after Alaric tumbles to the side. "Incendia!"

The scruff of hair on its head bursts into flames. It shrieks as it tries to put out the fire, but Stella's eyes glow bright silver as she chuckles. "I don't think so." She throws her hand out; its body begins to change from a green to a light orange.

As the ashes of its hair drift away, a wide eye is revealed on its forehead. "New theory," Alaric says. "Cyclops."

"Obviously," Stella replies as Hope picks up his discarded crossbow.

The arrow flies straight into its eye. With a grunt, it falls on its back, the arrow sticking up into the air. Alaric races over to the two girls. "You think it's really..."

Its body disintegrates into ash.

"Yep," Stella says as her eyes follow the embers drifting into the sky. She raises a hand, letting the flecks of orange and red twist around her arm.

"Let's get out of here." Alaric takes the crossbow back before he stomps away. Stella follows with her hands stuffed into her jacket.

She turns around with Hope's name on her lips. She pauses when she sees the woman staring at Landon. It is a look Stella knows all too well: lost love.  Hope breaks the stare all too soon, rushing after Stella.

Landon follows her.

When he sees the girl many thought would die, his eyes widen. "Stella?" He breathes.

She steps out of view, shadows covering her face. It takes Landon a minute to run after the girl, but she is long gone by the time he gets to that alley.

She rushes over to Hope and Alaric, pausing between them. "Nice work, old man," she says with a grin as she looks at Alaric. She glances over her shoulder, making sure Landon is gone.

"Surprising amount of overlap between trolls and cyclops," Alaric says.

"Yeah," Hope chuckles. "There really is."

"Look, I, uh, I know you're not going to stay." Alaric tightens his grip on the crossbow before handing it to Hope. "Here. Take it."

She frowns but does as he says. "You're good at this, you know?" She says as Stella leans back against the brick wall, holding her stomach.

"Monster hunting?"

"Helping kids." Hope begins to back away. "You should keep the beard," she says before looking at Stella. "And you should just do what you came here to do."

Stella watches as Hope disappears into the night before sliding to the ground with her head in her hands. Alaric frowns but does not say anything. "You gonna go back?" She asks, her voice strained.

"Yeah, I've got some work to get done."

Stella chuckles to herself. "Gonna call your daughters. Say goodnight?"

He nods. "I always do."

"Maybe you should ask her about her date," she says as she meets his gaze. "I think Josie had some seaweed."

Alaric's frown deepens. "She's allergic—"

"Trust me, I know." Stella motions to her stomach. "But she's probably in bed right now, holding her stomach the same way I am." She sighs and purses her lips. "She'll be fine."

"Stella, why did you come here?" He asks as he takes a seat beside her. "And don't lie to me."

"I don't know," she admits. "I-I couldn't stay home. It's just not home anymore. Not with school and the memories...But here doesn't feel much better. At least I don't have this constant weight on my chest here."

He inhales sharply as he leans his head against the brick. "Does Josie know that you're back?" He asks, watching her expression fall. "Does Lizzie? Or is that why you disappeared when MG came?"

Stella sniffles, running her jacket under her nose. "They don't need to know," she whispers as she looks back at him. "And I wasn't that close with them anyways. I mean, it doesn't even matter that much—"

"Josie was devastated."

"Yeah, she totally acted that way." Stella's eyes catch a glimmer of silver. "Everyone really acted like they missed me. Like they cared about whether I lived or died."

Alaric shakes his head. "No one knew what to do, how to act. Your parents told us to wait for them to fix it."

"But I'm not a problem." Stella clenches her jaw. "I-I shouldn't need to be fixed. And yet..." She chuckles. "And yet, all I want to do right now is find Josie."

"So why don't you?"

"Because it hurts." Stella shakes her head and purses her lips. "It just hurts too much." She gets up, leaving Alaric against the wall. "I'll see you tomorrow," she calls over her shoulder as she runs a hand down her face.

As she sticks her hands into her jacket pockets, she finds Hope sitting alone in the town square with tears running down her face. "Hey, you," Stella says with a forced smile. "You too, huh?"

Quickly wiping away the tears, Hope nods. "But it's ok. I-I'm leaving anyway, so—"

"No, you're not," Stella says. Hope looks up with a frown. "Did you know I was there when Malivore was destroyed?" She asks, sitting beside her. Stella looks out at the empty center. "And, all I can remember is a word. Hope." She meets Hope's gaze. "I thought it was just some weird self-help thing, like everything will get better. Have hope. But it's not, is it? It's you."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hope grabs her duffle bag and throws it over her shoulder, beginning to walk away.

"Fine, Mikaelson." Hope freezes, turning to face Stella who lounges on the bench. "Daughter of Klaus and Hayley, right?" Stella stands. "I've been doing some research. Why else would I call Hayley an aunt if she's in no way connected to my family?" She faces off against Hope. "Your name is Hope Mikaelson. And you are my cousin."

Stella's one smart cookie. She figured it out!

Hope you enjoyed!

-L