┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊.⋆˚
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚✧
┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ ☁︎
┊ ┊ ┊ ☁︎
┊ ┊ ☪︎.
┊ ✱
┊
✧

❝THE AFTERMATH❞

━━━━━ ⋆⋅♥︎⋅⋆ ━━━━━

Olivia found herself in a dark forest. The Auclair looked around, as the whistling wind blew the trees. Wherever she was, it seemed eery yet peaceful at the same time.

"Hello?" She called out, as her voice echoed. "Mum?" Liv added, as Aphrodite had been the person she wanted to see the most, in her final moments.

"Is anybody else here?" Liv continued to call, as her voice continued to echo through the forest. Her shoulders slumped, as the werewitch realised that she was alone.

"Liv?" A voice asked, as Olivia quickly turned around for the source of the noise. Her wandering eyes landed on Laura, and suddenly she felt safer, and less alone.

"Laura!" Olivia blurted, her expression turning into a relieved smile. She found her legs moving for themselves as she approached the vampire and threw her arms around her.

Laura hugged her friend back, also looking relieved to not be alone. "Where are we?" Liv asked, as she pulled away from Laura, but stayed in the Shiratori's embrace. "I... I think we might be in the afterlife." The vampire blurted, though she felt silly for even suggesting it.

"Wait... you died?" Olivia asked, with surprise. Laura nodded, as her eyes filled with tears. "It... was terrible."

The Shiratori inhaled sharply, as she could recall the events before she died. "There was this horrible noise... it made me feel like my brain was going to liquefy. And then somebody stabbed me with vervain." Laura began to explain, as Liv could remember the noise that had caused Lexi to stop driving.

"When I regained consciousness, I was really warm... and I opened my eyes and realised I was in a burning building. I even saw Rachel's Mum in there too." Laura explained, "And then I died."

Olivia couldn't close her jaw, no matter how much she tried. She couldn't believe what had been going on in the town square while she had been trying to escape with Lexi.

"How did you die?" Laura then asked as Liv remembered Salem's face. "I was in a car accident and taken to hospital. There was this vampire named Salem... she came into the room and smothered me until I couldn't breathe." Olivia explained as Laura seemed surprised. "A vampire... that we haven't met yet?" The Shiratori asked, as Liv nodded. "I know. I think she only came into town recently." The Auclair replied before she realised something.

"I have this strange feeling... that I need to go back." Liv spoke, "Like... I'm not supposed to be here... do you feel that too?" The ravenette asked, as Laura shook her head as her eyes filled with tears again. "No." She choked out. "I don't feel it at all."

"I... I can't go back without you." Liv insisted, tears filling her eyes now as she looked at Laura. "You have to... this must be my fate." The Shiratori spoke before she sniffled.

Olivia shook her head, "No. No your fate is to be at the school, with Niko. Your fate is to be with Maya. You can't die yet." The Auclair assured her, refusing to leave this plain without her.

"It's okay." Laura decided, as Liv shook her head. "No, it's not okay! You're sixteen, you can't stay dead!" The werewitch continued, not budging on this.

Olivia met Laura's eyes, and realised that by her heartbroken expression she was accepting her death. "Liv... Livvy— I need you and everyone to look after Niko for me, okay?" Laura insisted, placing her arms around Liv's shoulders.

"Wh—" Liv tried to talk but Laura cut her off. "Promise me, Olivia." She demanded, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I promise!" The Auclair responded.

Laura's heartbroken expression then turned into a teary smile. "Thank you." She managed to say, before Liv found herself disappearing into a white light.

━━━━━ ⋆⋅♥︎⋅⋆ ━━━━━

Olivia had been pronounced dead. The hospital staff respected Aphrodite's wishes and left the redhead alone with the Auclair to say her goodbyes. Except.. Aphrodite couldn't find the words to speak. She just sobbed, as she sat by Liv's side.

The De Martel felt as though she failed Liv. She had taken the role as Olivia's mother, and yet when she wasn't looking the person Violetta had tried to warn her of, killed her.

"My baby..." Aphrodite managed to choke out, "I'm so sorry I failed you." The redhead clutched Liv's cold hand in her own, as she sobbed. Although many people questioned Aphrodite's role as Liv's mother, the De Martel certainly felt the emptiness a mother would feel if they were to lose their child.

The heretic didn't want to say goodbye... and she didn't know how she was expected to say goodbye to her seventeen year old daughter who had her whole life ahead of her. Now she was mere moments away from being placed in a body bag.

Aphrodite's phone continuously buzzed in her pocket, as she was no doubt receiving phone calls and messages from Lizzie. After being rescued by the Saltzman, the girlfriends took refuge at the Salvatore school, that was until Aphrodite received a call from the hospital regarding Olivia.

The De Martel had decided to assign herself Liv's next of kin after Kiara died. It wasn't like either Kiara or Jackson were able to tend to her (as much as Jackson wanted to), and Liv didn't have anybody else.

Aphie knew what it was like to have nobody... her mother was absent and her father had no idea of her existence (as Aphie had no idea of his), and even though Aphrodite was currently in unexplainable pain, she'd never regret stepping up to become Olivia's mother.

Though her unexplainable pain turned into unexplainable confusion as Olivia suddenly jolted into an upright position and screamed out, "LAURA!"

Aphrodite flinched in surprise, before relief (and still confusion) washed over her face. "Olivia!?" She blurted out, before she got out of her seat and lurched forward to hug her daughter, holding her tightly.

Liv hugged her mother back, though she was feeling quite suddenly overwhelmed. She didn't feel like herself, and she couldn't explain why. With her wolf hearing, she couldn't hear her beating heart, and suddenly everything smelt differently?

"Mum, something is wrong with me." Liv confessed, causing Aphrodite to pull away. "Everything smells weird... why can I smell blood from out in the hallway?" The Auclair rambled. "And why can't I hear my heart beating anymore?!"

Aphrodite processed her daughter's rambling as her face paled, "Sweetie... have you had vampire blood?" Aphie asked calmly, hoping not to spook her daughter too much.

"No, why would I..." Liv suddenly stopped, remembering only hours prior to when she was laying on the road in a delirious state.

Without thinking, Lexi bit into her wrist harshly before holding it up to Olivia's mouth. Liv shook her head at first, "You're in really bad shape... this will help you to feel better." Lexi assured her as Liv reluctantly drank the Salvatore's blood.

"Lexi." Olivia blurted, "Lexi fed me her blood because she thought I was going to die." She added as a look of shock came over Aphrodite's face as she thought about it... Olivia would be forever seventeen. Yes, it was definitely better than being dead... but everything was about to change. She was going to crave blood, instead of food. She was going to have killer instincts, on top of the fact that she is a dark witch. Not to mention she'd never be able to have kids, if she had wanted to.

But for now, Aphrodite was so relieved to have her daughter back, even if the toughest of times were still to come.

Aphrodite looked at Olivia with a relieved expression, though she noticed the Auclair's face fall. "Mum... Laura is dead." Liv realised, as she recalled seeing the Shiratori in what felt like the afterlife.

"I know." Aphrodite said, tears forming in her eyes. "Right before I left to come here, I saw Caroline and Alaric telling Niko that she is dead." The De Martel added, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Niko had an expression of confusion, as he approached Caroline and Alaric. The headmaster and headmistress looked to eachother, as though they were trying to figure out what to say.

But the psychic didn't need them to say anything at all, because he could read their thoughts loud and clear. He let out a gasp, and felt as though time had frozen.

Victoria took a step towards Niko, as Lucas, Landon and Beau lingered behind. "Neeks, are you okay?" Tori asked, reaching out to place a hand on their shoulder. Niko lifted his hands up to cover his mouth, as tears filled his eyes.

"No... there's no way. You can't be serious." Niko spoke, unintentionally ignoring Tori as they were in too much shock. Caroline glanced away sadly, as Alaric looked to Niko, "I'm so sorry Niko, I wish it wasn't true." The Saltzman said.

"What is true?" Beaumont asked with a sense of frustration, as he hated how cryptic they were all being. Only he was allowed to be so cryptic.

"Laura is dead... my sweet cousin... I.." Niko couldn't say anymore words, as they burst into tears and felt to his knees. Tori's eyes widened, before she rushed forward to embrace the Shiratori.

"Oh my god." Beau blurted, feeling insensitive for his tone. Lucas' face fell and the pair approached Niko, to embrace them also.

━━━━━ ⋆⋅♥︎⋅⋆ ━━━━━

Maya wasted no time in rushing to Finch and Stella's house, as she harshly knocked on the door. Tears were rushing down her face, as she'd been sobbing.

She had reason to believe Laura was dead. It hadn't been confirmed to her, but watching her date being dragged towards a burning building was almost enough confirmation.

She wished she could have done more, she wished she could have rushed in and save Laura like some superhero, but she wasn't.

Maya banged her fist harder on the door, and eventually Finch answered, being startled by the urgent knock. The Tarrayo couldn't explain the surprise she had upon seeing her ex girlfriend at her doorstep.

Maya felt ridiculous. Seeing Finch's expression was enough to make her regret coming here, but as the Machado took a step back and debated walking away, Finch took a step forward after her.

"Uh, Maya... I wasn't expecting you." Finch confessed as tears pooled in the Machado's eyes again. "I... I didn't know where to go. So much has happened tonight and I just need my best friend." Maya started to cry, feeling even more ridiculous under her ex girlfriend's glance.

"I know I fucked things up between us, but please I just... I need my best friend, from before all of this shit happened between us. Please." Maya begged as Finch took a step forward and reached out to cup Maya's face.

Finch had no idea what had caused Maya to cry like this, but she wanted to take her pain away. "What's going on, May?" Finch asked softly, feeling empathy for the other ravenette before even hearing her explain.

"Laura is dead! Some deputies took her away to this burning building and I... I couldn't do anything to save her." Maya cried out, before she collapsed into Finch's arms, as the Tarrayo held her.

"Oh my god... I'm so sorry." Finch responded, still processing Maya's words. Though she didn't get to know Laura (other than when Maya had kissed her at the Halloween party), Finch didn't think she was a bad person. She certainly deserved better than the fate she had received.

The Tarrayo held her former best friend in her arms, letting her cry for as long as she needed as she mourned the girl who she thought was the one.

━━━━━ ⋆⋅♥︎⋅⋆ ━━━━━

Tori stood out in the garden, amongst the plants she'd been tending to only days before. They were still in good shape, thanks to the Mikealson.

The hybrid felt like she just couldn't relax, as she sat on the garden swing. It was quiet, and after the day she had, she had a lot to process.

"Hey, when did you get back?" Clary's voice could be heard, as the witch approached the blonde. Tori looked over at her girlfriend, relieved it was only her as she didn't have the energy to deal with anyone else right now.

"Not long ago." Tori admitted, as she shuffled over to let Carice sit beside her. The Bailey sat on the swing, and leant against the hybrid as she placed her arms around her. Tori finally felt comfortable and relaxed for the first time since she'd woken up at Triad.

"Are you okay?" Clary asked, the question that would inevitably tear Victoria away from her relaxed state. "I don't know... so much happened today that I can't explain." The Mikealson began, as Clary sat up and faced the hybrid, giving her full attention.

"All I can remember is waking up at Malivore after sleep walking there, and Beau, Landon and Lucas were there. Malivore was defeated and I have no idea how... I don't remember doing anything to help." Tori rambled on as Clary seemed a little puzzled too.

"That does seem strange." The brunette responded, though she could tell something else bothered Tori. "Is that all that's worrying you?" She asked softly.

Tori shook her head, "I just can't shake this feeling of emptiness... like something in my life has changed and I'm longing for it. I thought maybe it was connected to losing Laura, but I was feeling it before we got back to the school and learnt about her death." She explained.

Carice looked at the blonde, unsure what to say. She wanted to comfort the Mikealson but the hybrid didn't even understand what she was feeling, herself.

Tori glanced at Carice before she offered the Bailey a small smile, "But I'm longing for you too." She said, her voice sounding soft, causing the Bailey to smile like an idiot.

Clary then gave Tori a loving look, before she got to her feet. The Bailey held out her hand for a confused Tori to take, but nevertheless she took it. "It sounds like you've had a day... why don't we order in and watch a movie?" Clary offered, as Tori seemed touched by the gesture.

"And if that doesn't make you feel better... I know something that might." Clary added suggestively, causing Tori's eyes to widen in realisation before she smirked at her girlfriend.

━━━━━ ⋆⋅♥︎⋅⋆ ━━━━━

"Livvy!" Myrical's voice cried out with relief, as the werewitch rushed forward to hug the Auclair. Olivia hugged her best friend back, but still seemed a bit dazed as she was way too stimulated.

"I'm so glad you're okay— I was so worried about you." Myrical added, speaking quickly as she held Liv tighter. "I'm glad you're okay too, Ri." Liv said, holding her best friend as she was glad she had been at the Salvatore school while the whole ordeal regarding the Gilbert watch was happening.

Liv eventually let go of Myrical, and entered her room to flop onto her bed. She was exhausted, but far too stimulated by her new uncomfortable senses from being in transition.

Myrical turned to Aphie, who'd already given her the heads up that Liv was transitioning, as she wore a worried look on her face. "Liv needs some sleep, but she's probably going to struggle with all her senses heightening." Aphrodite spoke quietly as Myrical nodded, "I know just the spell." She said, knowing a spell that would put invisible barriers around their dorm to keep out any sounds or smells from outside the walls.

"Has she fed yet?" Myrical asked, as Aphie shook her head. "I'm going to talk to her about it in the morning. I gave her a bit of a rundown on how everything will be heightened, but I figured I'd let her process. She's had an eventful day."

"It sounds like everybody has.. I can't believe Laura is dead." Myrical admitted, her expression saddening. Aphie's face fell, as she hadn't actually accepted this statement. Everyone was saying it, but it didn't feel true.

"I can't either." Aphrodite responded, before she reached out to place a hand on Myrical's shoulder. "I know you were pretty close with Laura... so please let me know if you need anything, okay? I don't care what— some company, a hug, a distraction. Just let know." The De Martel insisted.

Myrical blinked in surprise hearing this. Even though Aphrodite was inseparable with Olivia, Myrical tended to keep her walls up around the heretic. For the first time, she felt like she didn't have to.

The Benning nodded, "Thank you." She responded before glancing back to see that Liv was now in her pyjamas and laying in bed. "I'm gonna go help Liv to fall asleep... but see you later." The werewitch spoke as Aphie nodded, "Yeah of course, see you Riri."

As the door closed, and Aphrodite could hear Myrical's spell casting, she left at last to head to her own dorm. What she didn't expect when she got inside and closed the door, was to feel suddenly overwhelmed.

The redhead looked around at Laura's half of the dorm, noticing how neat it looked. She'd always kept her side of the dorm tidy and even kept their shared bathroom looking squeaky clean.

Aphrodite looked at the origami cranes scattered around their dorm, some sitting on the De Martel's bedside table, though most of them were on Laura's side. She had made several, in different colours and sizes. The Shiratori would often gift them to people, though by people it was usually Niko, Hope, Myrical, Aphie or eventually Liv too.

Aphrodite noticed a sweater laying on Laura's bed, and she found her feet moving towards it before she reached out to pick it up. It still smelt like her... because she'd been wearing it the day the students were sent on a wild goose chase to find Kiara (amongst the others that had been brought back).

It still smelt like her, but she wasn't here. Laura was dead and she wasn't coming back.

Aphrodite clutched the sweater in her arms, and held it close as she began to cry. She let tears fall that she didn't think were even there after she'd been sobbing over Olivia's death.

The redhead fell to her knees, still holding the sweater in her arms having the realisation that her roommate, who she had grown to adore, was really dead.

Breaking into a sob, the De Martel adjusted her position so that she was sitting on the floor, her legs tucked into a triangle shape as she still held the sweater.

The door to Aphie's room slowly opened, as Lizzie stood there. Her face dropped when she found her girlfriend sobbing on the floor. The Saltzman quickly entered the room, and closed the door behind her before she rushed over to Aphrodite's side.

Holding her arms around the redhead Lizzie said,  "Aph, I'm so sorry." Aphrodite leant into Lizzie's embrace, taking the comfort though she didn't know what to say. Lizzie didn't care if Aphrodite said nothing at all, she just wanted to be there for her.

If the siphon was going to be sitting on the floor for hours keeping her girlfriend company, she wasn't going to complain.

━━━━━ ⋆⋅♥︎⋅⋆ ━━━━━

Lexi was confused. Leaving the Mystic Falls hospital, she couldn't help but to wonder how the girl she really liked, had already been discharged. Of course the heretic knew her blood would have healed her, but how on Earth had she left the hospital already?

The Salvatore made her way home, knowing that if Elena had gotten home before her, the Salvatore woman would be furious that her vampire daughter had left the house after urgently ushering her home in the first place.

Lexi hated being home alone and waiting. Elena had been out on a wild goose chase to find any of Caroline and Alaric's students, while Damon was nowhere to be seen... which raised a lot of questions in Lexi's mind.

The brunette made it home, closing the door behind her as she did. She let out a relieved sigh when she realised that nobody had been home yet.

Lexi pushed off her shoes before picking them up to carry to her bedroom. As she did, she used her free hand to pull up Caroline's contact info to facetime her.

After a few rings, the weary blonde answered. "Hi sweetie." Caroline greeted her niece. "Hey Aunt Care. Are you okay?" The Salvatore asked, closing her bedroom door behind her.

"I have had a night. But it's been easier thanks to your Mum's help. Are you alright?" The Salvatore woman asked as Lexi recalled the car accident. It was the first time she stopped to think about it, since she'd been so occupied on worrying about Liv and her Mum. She had been driving the vehicle that caused the accident.

"Yeah." Lexi answered, lying but she decided to ask a question before Caroline could interject. "Is Olivia back at the school?" The heretic asked. "She was in hospital but I just found out she's not there."

Caroline fell quiet for a moment as she could remember Aphrodite bringing a sleepy werewitch (unbeknownst to her, she's a transitioning vampire) into the school. "Yeah Aphrodite brought her back a while ago. I think she's fast asleep now though."

Lexi nodded, as relief washed over her face. "Oh, great. That's awesome to hear." The heretic responded before she heard the front door swing open. "I think Mum is home, I'll talk to you later." Lexi said, getting up off her bed. "No worries, take care Lexi." Caroline said before she ended the call.

The heretic went downstairs, seeming relieved when she saw Elena standing in the doorway, though the woman looked completely exhausted. "Hey Mum." Lexi greeted, zooming down the stairs as she threw her arms around her mother.

"Hey honey." Elena hugged Lexi back, though she was taken back a little by the force of her daughter. "Are you okay?" The Salvatore woman then asked as Lexi nodded. "I'm fine— and so is Liv, I just spoke to Aunt Caroline. But um... your car isn't fine."

Elena didn't seem bothered by the last part, "I don't care about the car. I just want my daughter in one piece." The Salvatore assured her before she looked around. "Has Damon come home yet?"

Lexi shook her head, "I haven't seen him. Maybe he's helping Alaric after this whole thing happened." The heretic suggested as Elena thought that was possible.

"I'm gonna make some mac and cheese in the microwave. Do you want some?" Elena then asked, feeling hungry, but her cooking ability still hadn't improved.

Lexi nodded eagerly, before she followed Elena into the kitchen to sit on the counter while her mother prepared them a late night snack.

Though something kept bothering her at the back of her mind... the thought that maybe Liv wasn't as okay as everyone believed, and that there was something she was missing.

━━━━━ ⋆⋅♥︎⋅⋆ ━━━━━

Beau entered the common room as he wanted to sit by the fireplace, though he let out a loud, evident grumble as he saw MG sitting in the room, talking to Kaleb.

"Ugh. Why didn't you die in the fire." Beau mumbled under his breath, causing MG to look very offended, while Kaleb looked shocked.

Glen, who was currently sitting by the fire, couldn't help but to laugh at the Lazuli's comment, only inflating Beau's ego more.

"Funny joke." Jed spoke from nearby. He had been speaking to Glen before Beau made his comment and distracted the Forde. "It wasn't a joke." Beau assured the Tien, taking a seat near Glen.

"So, Glen, you really left on a full moon to save some boy?" Jed asked, trying to bring Glen's attention back to their prior conversation. "Yes. I've already answered this same question from you twice." Glen responded to the former alpha, growing impatient.

"I'm just surprised..." Jed added, as he didn't see Glen as somebody who made a lot of emotional connections (we have no humanity Tori to thank for that). "Are you saying you wouldn't do the same for Valerie?" The Forde asked before he followed up, "Actually don't say no, because I will kick your ass." He said, as Val was most definitely his best friend.

"Ew, all this couple-y talk is making me sick." Beau confessed, causing Jed and Glen to look back at the Lazuli witch. "I'm not surprised, romance has never been your thing." Glen pointed out.

Jed raised an eyebrow curiously as Beau answered, "Let's just say, I was always having fun with others at Auclair." The witch cleared up, though Jed, godbless him, still looked clueless. "He was sleeping around, you airhead." Glen decided to be blunt as Jed seemed to understand now, but looked annoyed by the insult.

Deciding to stir the pot Beau admitted, "You know, Tori and I hooked up once. I understand what you see in her." The Lazuli teased. Was Beau genuinely interested in Tori like that? No. But they did make out once at a party while her humanity was off, so he was going to use that to be an ass to Glen.

"Dude, you are kicking a dead horse." Glen assured Beau, as it seemed he'd moved on. "Hmm... you sure about that?" Beau continued to stir as Glen rolled his eyes at the witch.

"Hey Glen." Charlie's voice suddenly piped up, as the vampire entered the common room to find his saviour. Glen turned to face Charlie, his eyes lighting up upon seeing the boy.

"Hey Char, how are you feeling?" Glen asked, getting to his feet to face Charlie. "Tired... but alive, thanks to you." The Salvatore said with a small smile.

Noticing the pair gazing at eachother like nobody else was around, Beau made a gagging motion before getting to his feet to leave the room. MG rolled his eyes at the Lazuli's dramatics before he left, followed by Kaleb.

"Can we um... talk privately?" Charlie suddenly asked, as Glen blinked in surprise. "Sure." The Forde quickly responded. Valerie suddenly got to their feet, "Stay in here, I'm gonna go to bed anyway." The Harlowe insisted, before motioning for Jed to move too.

Jed sighed and got to his feet, ready to leave to his own dorm but not before wishing Charlie and Glen a Goodnight, as Val left also.

"Is this private enough?" Glen asked, relieved they could stay by the warm fire. Charlie nodded, "It's perfect actually."

But now that they were alone, Charlie suddenly felt nervous. If his heart could beat, it would probably feel as though it was beating out of his chest.

"Is everything okay?" Glen asked, noticing how nervous Charlie seemed. "Um... no actually..." The Salvatore began before he scratched the back of his head. Glen looked slightly concerned, and hoped Charlie would elaborate.

"You see... a while ago I had a very sudden and intimate moment with a guy and ever since then he's just been so present in my life." Charlie began as Glen raised an eyebrow, "Is that a good thing?" He asked, hoping Charlie wasn't going to suddenly ask for space.

"Yes— Great actually. Except I can't get this guy out of my mind... He is all I can think about and I didn't know whether I wanted him or maybe just enjoyed the attention because I'd had my heart broken but... today it all suddenly became so finally clear." Charlie rambled as Glen stayed quiet, allowing him to speak, though his lips curved up into a slight smile.

"I really like you Glen." The Salvatore finally confessed as Glen's smile grew, and he took a step forward and reached out to gently cup Charlie's cheek. "I have been wondering the same thing... am I just needing attention because Victoria destroyed me... or am I actually genuinely into this cute vampire who has been hanging around?" The Forde asked.

"But when I realised tonight that you were in danger... I felt like my heart stopped... and as though my whole world froze." Glen continued. "I really like you as well, Charlie."

"Really?" Charlie blurted, almost as though he hadn't expected this conversation to go this way, mostly because before they started fooling around they were into other people, other people who happily broke their hearts and left them in the dust.

"Yes really." Glen couldn't help but to chuckle, finding the Salvatore too adorable. Charlie laughed slightly too, before the pair found themselves gazing into eachother's eyes again.

Glen then placed his other hand on Charlie's other cheek, before he leant forward and kissed the other boy. Charlie's eyes fell closed as he kissed Glen back... and despite the pair sharing many kisses before, something about this felt so different... so loving, as though it was the start of something new.

Charlie threw his arms around Glen's waist, trying to pull him closer, while Glen repositioned his hands to sit around Charlie's shoulders as they continued to kiss. The pair eventually broke apart, though shared a loving gaze as they stayed in eachother's arms by the fireplace.

━━━━━ ⋆⋅♥︎⋅⋆ ━━━━━

AUTHORS NOTE

THE DROUGHT IS OVER EVERYBODY, Welcome back to Enemy! Buckle in, because Act 2 is going to be a rollercoaster.

Also, fun fact but I decided to split this first chapter in half because it was well over 10,000 words! So while this chapter focuses on the events directly after Founder's day, the next chapter will be a few days later and will focus on everyone reminiscing Laura, and Liv trying to harness being a tribrid.

I would advise keeping tissues nearby for the next chapter because Niko goes through it 🤧