She's Mine

Chapter Twenty-Two

Josie POV-

Freya and Dad head to the library to keep doing research on the Peryton. Freya calls Rebecca and Kol to see if they remember when Klaus slaughtered that village. MG walks into the library holding hands with Lizzie. I am reading a book on imprinting. "Hey Jo, want to come get dinner with us?" Lizzie and MG both are trying to be as sympathetic to the situation as possible. They also know I will bury everything until it explodes out of me, but I nod my head and follow them.
We get food and sit down in the cafeteria. I am not super hungry so I end up just pushing my food around my plate while MG and Lizzie make small talk with me. After dinner, I turn to Lizzie, "I am going to go take a walk. I will see you later." Lizzie opens her mouth like she is about to say something but decides against it. She can tell I need some space.

I walk out the back doors of the school and don't realize how far I have walked into the woods until I see the tree that Hope broke in half laying on the ground. The tears start to form and this time I can't stop them. I sit down with my back against the fallen tree and just let everything out. I tense every muscle in my body letting out a quiet scream of air through my clenched teeth. I pull out my headphones that I placed in my pocket earlier when I was packing. I plug them into my phone and select, "Run to You" by Lea Michele to play. I sit there listening to this song on repeat until I run out of tears. By the time I decide to head back inside, the sky is filled with stars and the moon is overhead.

I make it back inside the school and head to the library to see if they found anything out while I was gone. I know my eyes must be bloodshot and my face puffy but I don't care anymore. I step in to see Freya and Dad leaning over the same book. "This might be able to work. We can try it at least." Freya steps back and turns around with a small jump. "Oh, sorry Josie, didn't hear you come in." She walks over to another wall of books before pulling down one covered in dust. "I think we found something that might work, Josie. I already tried a tracking spell on Hope, but she is cloaked. However, we could try a tracking spell on the Peryton using the feathers he left behind. I just need to find the right spell because it is different than," Freya stops talking. "Got it."

Freya starts running around the library grabbing everything that she needs. I sit down in the chair watching as they prepare. Dad runs to his office to grab the feathers. I text Lizzie, "Think we found a spell to track the Peryton, hopefully will give Hope's location." It is close to the middle of the night so I don't expect an immediate response. A couple of seconds later my phone buzzes, "Be right down."

They have everything set up to start the spell. Lizzie walks in and sits down in the chair next to me. She reaches over and grabs my hand holding it tight. Freya is getting ready to recite the spell when Hope's voice cuts through my head, "Josie, I am so sorry, this is going to hurt, I love you, I am so sorry," Immediately I feel a gut wrenching pain rip through my stomach as I screech out in pain. I can hear Hope screaming out in pain in my head, too.

"Josie?" Freya runs over to me placing her hand on my knee. "Josie talk to me what is going on?" I fall out of the chair clutching my stomach as I writhe in pain.

Lizzie POV-

Freya is about to start the spell when Josie grabs my hand really tight and calls out in pain. "Josie?" Freya runs over to her. "Josie talk to me what is going on?" Josie falls out of the chair letting go of my hand and starts to roll around on the floor screaming in pain. Freya places her hands on Josie's side and starts mumbling to herself. "Dad, dad, what is happening?" I look up at Dad. It hurts me to see Josie in this much pain. Dad looks over to me. "Hope imprinted on Josie, so they can communicate to each other and feel each other's pain. Hope is probably being tortured again." It takes a second for me to process this. "Wait, again?"

Freya finishes mumbling right as Josie stops screaming. She is slowly rocking back and forth on the ground still holding her stomach. "There, I decreased the pain level Josie is experiencing for now,  but I can't help Hope's pain." Freya lets out a deep breath. We all know that Hope isn't experiencing the relief that Josie is feeling.  "Josie, did Hope say anything?" I sit down next to Josie placing her head in my lap and slowly stroking her hair. It takes a couple of minutes but Josie eventually speaks. "She, she started apologizing saying that this was going to hurt, then the pain." Josie reaches up pressing both hands against her forehead. "I can still hear her crying out in pain right now in my head." She trails off. "Their bond is strong, that is partially why it effects each of them so much." Freya stands back up.

Josie looks up at Freya, "Go do the spell, please, just find Hope," Josie's eyes roll to the back of her head before blacking out in my arms from the spell Freya used to lessen her pain. I sit there still holding her as Freya walks back over to the table. She picks up a feather and starts reciting the spell. All of us watch her intently as the small pool of blood begins to move on the map. We are all quiet waiting for the blood to stop and circle a location. Freya starts to shake her head confused. "It says, it says they are in Mystic Falls."