Back to Me

Blackpoint

"Blue or White?" Lizzie was trying on outfits for the Commonwealth party in town. She went through the entirety of her closet and had managed to narrow it down to two dresses. Next to her, a pile of discarded clothes rested as a reminder of the hours she had spent working. Not receiving a reply, Lizzie turns away from her reflection to find Josie writing on her journal, absentmindedly playing with her necklace, "Josette Saltzman, blue or white?"

Josie blinks a few times, clearly, she had not been paying attention to her sister for a while now. She skims over the two dresses, "White".

Lizzie grimaces and throws the white dress over her shoulder, "Blue it is".

Lizzie hoped to get Josie's attention through her petty tantrum, but her sister remained glued to the journal. Of course, Lizzie had to know what had her sister so entranced, "What are you writing? You still have to choose your outfit for Commonwealth".

The pencil in Josie's hand stiffens. She didn't want to go to the party, her head throbbed with pain when there were too many people around, "I don't want to go, Lizzie".

The sheer terror in Lizzie's face was almost comical, "Josie, we are an item. We have to go together -- you have to go".

Josie closes her journal, "I don't feel well. I've been having terrible headaches recently. I would rather stay in," It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either.

Lizzie's eyes soften, "How about a compromise? We go together, but we don't have to stay for long. The past weeks have been so tense and exhausting my skin is breaking out, we deserve a breather".

Although the idea sounded tempting, Josie was ready to decline when Lizzie grabbed her hands, "Pleeeaase," Josie sighs, she couldn't bring her sister down with her problems.

"Ok, I'll think about it".

That seems to be good enough for Lizzie, for now. She stuffs her clothes in the corner of the room and walks to Josie's side of the closet. Outfit number 2 was coming.

"You have to use one of those outfits Mom bought you in Europe -- they are so beautiful and you just keep them away". Lizzie ruffled through the hangers, pulling out a black leather jacket, "Why do you even have this? This is so not your style".

Josie checks the time -- her classes with Freya were about to begin, "Ok, I'll let you choose my outfit. Free reign: surprise me".

Lizzie whirls around so quickly, Josie is surprised she didn't get whiplash. Her mouth opened to sport a devious smile, "Are you sure?".

For a second Josie regrets her decision, but she had to get to the library, "Yes, just don't dress me like a hooker. I'm going to the library". She makes her way out the door, down the staircase, and through the common room.

She has a brisk pace the entire way to the library. When she enters the study and notices Hope isn't there, her chest deflates. Freya welcomes her and offers her a seat in front of her. Josie sits down, she can't help the question that spills through her lips, "Where's Hope?"

"Rebekah and Kol wanted extra time with her", Freya says distantly, as if her mind was somewhere else entirely. She doesn't give any more details which only fuels the curiosity brewing in Josie, "Have you been able to isolate your conscious mind?"

Josie shifts in her seat. Witchcraft came naturally to her, she cast spells that took others years to perfect. Hell, she built a prison world when she was five years old... but isolating her conscious mind? Freya made it sound simple enough -- focus, reach the edge of your mind where the subconscious began and imagine wall containing it. It was basically reverse meditation. She tried, oh how she tried, but every time she thought she had put her wall up, it came crumbling down soon after, "No. I can't isolate my mind long enough to do any spells".