The Enchantress² | N + E Mikaelson

Chapter 52- A Family Scattered

Faith sits on the pier with her feet dangling in the water by the Salvatore school, her mind in another place as she feels the magic that doesn't belong to her crawl under her skin.

She tries to shake off the feeling, but it only intensifies. Her head starts to spin, and she feels like she's about to pass out.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grab her shoulders and steadies her.

"Are you okay?" Lizzie asks as she takes a seat next to her.

Faith nods her head, "Just thinking about my mom."

Lizzie gives her a sympathetic look and puts an arm around Faith's shoulders.

"I'm sorry about your mom." she says softly.

Faith appreciates the gesture and leans into Lizzie's touch. 

They sit there in silence for a few minutes, Faith taking comfort in the warmth of Lizzie's body and the gentle sway of the water beneath them.

"We don't have to talk about that yet. Let's start with simple things." Lizzie suggests, trying to take Faith's mind off of her worries.

"Okay. My favourite colour is green." Faith say with a smile and moves her feet in the water,

Lizzie laughs lightly but can see the lightness as Faith thinks of whatever it is, "Why?"

Faith lets out a breath, "It reminds me of the forest, the leaves and every little detail of the mindscape where Hope and I would meet with our mom when we were younger." 

Lizzie nods understandingly, "That sounds nice. My favourite colour is blue."

They both sit quietly again, for a few moments, watching the water ripple beneath them.

"Josie says that you have stopped your medicine." Faith says and Lizzie's smile drops, a deep frown taking its place.

"My mom was bipolar too." Faith says quickly before Lizzie could overthink her words, "She didn't like the medicine either, said it made her feel worse."

Lizzie's eyes widen in surprise, not expecting Faith to share such personal information with her. But she appreciates the connection it brings them, knowing that Faith understands what it's like to live with a mental illness.

"I just...I don't like feeling like I'm not in control of my own emotions, you know? How did she handle it?" she asks.

Faith takes a deep breath, "It was tough. She had a lot of ups and downs. But she found other ways to cope, found people who understood her and supported her. She wasn't perfect with it, but she found that sometimes letting go of the control that she struggled so much to have was the only way to deal. The important thing is to find what works for you, Lizzie. And remember that you're not alone in this."

Lizzie nods slowly, taking in Faith's words. 

"It's scary, you know. I just...I don't ever want to hurt anybody." Lizzie tells her and Faith gives her a sympathetic smile before leaning back on her hands.

"When me and Hope were three or four and my mom was pregnant with Henrik, she had gone without sleep for a little too long, which made it worse for her, and she had an episode. She was in a manic state and wasn't herself. She started screaming and throwing things, we were so scared. But it wasn't her fault. She didn't mean to act that way. When she finally came down, she didn't remember doing a single thing that had happened. It was like she was a completely different person. She didn't come near us for weeks, scared that she would hurt us. But my dad and our uncle Elijah eventually got her to see that she hadn't hurt us and that she wouldn't."