Alexandria Laughlin Marshall (TO)

There in the Disappearing Light (pt 1)

    I decided that I needed to get out of the silent Mikaelson Compound. Now that Klaus was back Hope was with him most of the time, and I don't blame her. If I could have my parents back permanently, I would be spending most of my time with them as well. So I decided to find a place to do homework, and I find myself walking into Rousseau's. I pull open the door to the restaurant that has grown to be a second home to me in the past years. I wave to Josh who is behind the bar. I walk up to him and leaning my weight over the wooden bar.

"Can I take the corner?" I ask.

"Yah, sure," Josh says with a smile. "You haven't been here in a while, Sheerly Temple?"

I nod my head, as I take the seat farthest away from the entrance at the corner of the bar. I pull out my laptop, and go to my essay I've been writing for English class—yes we have just regular English class. Josh sets the drink next to my computer.

I can see the concern in his face as he asks, "Are you ok after yesterday?"

"Yah," I reply, not really meaning it. There's a silence, and I say, "I saw Anna last night, she was the one I was close too. She seems happy because she's with her parents now. I think I'm more mad than anything."

"I am too," Josh says, "Marcel and I are working on something to get rid of the nightwalkers that are against the new rules."

I can see that more customers are coming in, and I say to Josh, "Go do your job, I'm fine. I'm just going to do some homework."

He smiles, "Just holler if you need anything."

"Will do," I say with a smile, as he walks over to the new customers.

After sitting in Rousseau's for about an hour, I look through my bag for another piece of work I need to get done. But I see the papers I got when Hayley died, they're emancipation papers. I've ignored them for the past couple of weeks, having the excuse of having bigger issues, but now I have the time to at least read through them. I pull out the thick packet from the state. I get to page two when Josh comes over to me. I subtly flip the papers over, so Josh can't see what they are about.

He asks, "Whatcha working on?"

I look up at Josh, giving him a pointed look, "You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine from last night, I got to say goodbye to Anna."

"I actually want to know what your working on," Josh says holding up his hands in his defense.

"Okay," I say, still not sure if that's his true motive. "We're supposed to write this essay about how we found the school or the school found us," I explain.

Josh turns my open computer around to face him, and see the blank google doc. "What about the papers?" he asks, going for the packet next to my computer. I instinctively move my hand on top of them, to block him from picking them up. He gives me a look, "Alex, what are these?"

I put on a fake smile, "They're nothing, Josh. It's just my first draft for the essay, it's really bad—I don't want anyone to read it," I add a fake laugh, lying through my teeth.

Josh gives me another pointed look, knowing I'm lying, "Alex—" He uses his vamp speed to take the papers out from under my hand. He flips to the first page, and quickly skims it. I take a deep breath, knowing that he already knows what they are. "What are these?"

I sit back in my stool, and I say, "You know what they are."

"Yah, but why?" Josh asks.

"Because Hayley was my legal guardian, and now I just don't want people to have to look out for me anymore—"