ALIVE , legacies

THIRTY EIGHT

since when did you speak japanese?

"I get it, I'm completely amazing and adorable, but its no excuse for you to wake me up at 4 in the morning and drag me to my own school."

I glare at Landon and Rafael, who had called to talk more about me and our lives together. And then, they asked me why Dr. Saltzman was ignoring their calls. It was now later in the day, but I am still quite upset about it. I'm at school, with my brother and best friend, I'm late, and I was woken up way too early just so they could interrogate me then drag me to hell. I made sure to take an extra long time to shower, do my hair, and then my makeup. Rafael shrugs. "Sorry, Lena." He says awkwardly.

"Come on." Demands Landon, pulling me towards the school. I see a familiar tan car in the parking lot. "I, uh, found it after I read the letters you wrote in the journal in my room." He explains.

I gasp. "You read my journal!?" Punching his arm, he lets out a grunt.

"Didn't know it was yours!"

I roll my eyes, "So, why are you guys here again?"

"If Dr. Saltzman thinks he can ignore my calls like we don't live in the same town, he's got another think coming. Namely monsters." I roll my eyes at his point. "Because if they're back and after me now, and you're back, we must've done something to screw up the night the Malivore pit went dry. And if I can't remember any of it,"

"Good to know when I come back to life its an inconvenience." I mutter.

Landon sends me a look. "You know that's not what I meant." I send him a teasing smile, sticking my tongue out at him. "We need his help to figure out what changed and how to fix it, or we're all in danger." We both snap our heads at Raf, who's been silent the whole time. "Are you even listening?"

"Yeah, I'm always listening." Rafael says slowly, looking behind us repeatedly.

"Well, do you speak anymore? I mean, ever since you got back to school, your sentences have averaged three words each." Landon follows.

Rafael shakes his head. "That's not true." My brother and I look at him expectantly.

I hold up three fingers, "That's three words." I watch behind Raf as Dennis getting shoved off his bike for a second. I turn back to the werewolf. "Look, I know you say you're fine, but you were stuck as a wolf for a pretty long time, and now some random chick is claiming to be your sister and best friend-"

"Yeah, and I believe you." He says. "I can't explain it but it's like I know you're telling the truth. Like everything is still there, scratching at the back of my mind." I can't help but feel guilty for everyone missing so much of their memory. Especially Landon and Raf. "But you're back, and I'm back now too. So it's all good."

"Thanks to Hope." Landon hums.

"Yeah, she was pretty incredible." I hear Rafael say. I feel my heart sink into my chest as I open the doors, leading us inside.

The halls are empty as classes continue. I turn to look at Raf every once in a while. "So that is why you came with me." Landon says, breaking the silence.

"What?" Rafael and I say at the same time.

I feeling of jealousy rises in my chest. "You just want to see Hope again?" Landon asks him. I look back at Rafael, not sure if I suddenly want to cry or punch him in the face.

Why did I care? I made out with Ethan, she probably knows already, and she's the one that broke up with me anyway.

"No. I, um, want to stop these monsters from getting to you. And if we see Hope, I mean, that's-that's cool, too."

"Yeah, it would be cool, too." Landon chuckles to himself. The bells suddenly ring, students piling into the halls. Rafael spins around, jumping at every noise. Which is a lot, as you can imagine.

Landon steps towards our friend. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Raf?" I ask softly. Suddenly, Rafael breaks into a run. "Dammit," I hiss, rushing after him.

"Slow down!" I hear my brother yell behind me.

I feel a surge of energy, causing me to run faster. I run as quickly as I can, watching Rafael stumble right into Dennis. Landon comes to my side, and we watch the two stare at one another.

"Watch yourself, bro." Dennis snaps, walking past him. His eyes land on me. "Hey, Lena." He smirks.

I practically gag. "Go fail chemistry." I pat his shoulder as he walks away.

Landon and I look at Rafael. "I shouldn't have asked you to come with me." Landon apologizes. "We can go." Slowly, our werewolf friend turns around to look at us. "Raf?"

A feeling of dread fills my chest. On instinct, I stand in front of my brother. "Raf," I warn. He lets out a low growl, and I push Landon back a few steps. Rafael takes a jump, coming right towards me.

"Scalare."

A metal gate slams shut, stopping Raf from ripping my face off. I turn around. "Hope." A smile forms on my face, much to my dismay.

She walks over to me. "Are you okay?" She asks. This time, a feeling of comfort warms my chest. I nod at her, smiling softly.

Landon is the one that breaks the moment.
"How are you always in the right place at the right time?" He asks.

Hope sighs. "That's funny. I was just thinking the exact opposite thing." She retorts. "I'll make sure to get him to the car."

"How?" I ask her. With a wave of her hand, Rafael is floating in the air. "That works." I shrug.

"Go find Dr. Saltzman." She tells me and my brother.

I nod, pulling Landon away. "How well do you two know each other?" He asks me.

Shrugging, "Well enough." I reply.

"Do you think Raf has a chance?"

I stop in my tracks, looking back at my brother. The thought of Rafael and Hope sends an angry shiver down my spine. "No." I sharply announce. Landon raises his brows. "Not her type." I add. Landon nods slowly, not sure what to say as I walk into the gym.

Maya is doing a cheer, and she spots me. A large grin forms on her face, and I send her a gentle wave. I walk over to Dr. Saltzman, who's talking to her mom. "Hey, Sheriff." I hum awkwardly.

Sheriff Mac smiles. "Hey, Madeline. How are you?"

"I'm great! Can I steal Mr. S for a moment?" I send him a knowing look.

Dr. Saltzman chuckles awkwardly. "I'll be right back." He whispers to the Sheriff before following me out of the gym.