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

E I G H T

As the final bell rings, Stella finds herself in the library alone with headphones in her ears. She sits in a corner, despite the emptiness, with old books and her laptop surrounding her. "I don't understand," she says. "The dude we met said Oni."

"Oni can't possess people, but a fox can. You've got to be careful, Stel. These things you're dealing with...you should tell your mom."

"You know, we haven't seen you in a while." Stella smiles to herself. "I'm beginning to think you're avoiding us."

"Oh, but you're the star of my life!" The man on the other end chuckles. "And stop trying to change the subject. Your dad did that a lot too."

Stella purses her lips. "Sometimes it annoys me that you know my parents so well."

"I'm their beta. Now, please tell your mom. She'll help you deal with it."

"I know about the Nogitsune," Stella says. "I know about that huntress who died. I know the stories, and everything points to this demon not being an Oni. But the samurai had this Oni in him for years—he hunted it for years."

"It doesn't mean it's not an Oni, but I've never heard of one possessing people. Kitsunes do that after a hundred years."

"It's supposed to transfer by touch," Stella says as she drags one of the books closer to her. "but I dragged Raf across the school, and I'm fine. Maybe it's selective?"

"Stella, please. Just tell your mom."

"I tell my mom, and she pulls me back home," Stella snaps. "You know she will."

"She just wants to protect you, and after everything that's happened to the Mikaelsons, I think that's reasonable, don't you?"

Shaking her head, Stella sighs. "Look, both Hope and I..." She pauses. "Sorry. Um, I felt something familiar with the magic. It's dark and powerful."

"Well, the Nogitsune came from Dahlia. If this is an Oni, it would come from a fox tail. If this is a kitsune, it could be something much, much worse."

Scratching at her arm, Stella nods. "Thanks for calling back. I appreciate it." Glancing up, she sees Josie approaching her, her hands covering the straps of her bag. "I've gotta go. Promise you won't tell my mom."

"Promise."

"Or my dad."

"Damn, you're good. Fine. I won't tell your parents."

"Thank you," Stella says as she hangs up. "What do you want, Josie?"

Josie stands before the table, silently watching as Stella packs up the books. "I wanted to talk before we checked up on Landon," she says. "Are you feeling ok? I mean, after everything?"

"You mean after being shot?" Stella quirks an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you? Because I've been scratching my arm all day, and I'm pretty sure it's from you." Josie glances down at her feet as Stella swings her bag over her shoulder. "It was that spell you did on Ethan, wasn't it?"

"I didn't mean to—"

"I think you did," Stella snaps. "I don't understand, Josie. This new headmaster is creepy, and he's using you."

"He just wants us to be the best that we can be," Josie says. "Not limit ourselves."

"There is a reason we limit ourselves." Stella walks beside the girl as they step into the hallway and head towards Alaric's office. "I can put you in touch with my mom. Maybe she can talk some sense into you. We limit ourselves because if we don't, humans get scared, and they try to kill us. It doesn't end well, and innocent people get hurt."