Burnin' Up | J. Saltzman - Legacies [1]

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"I'm guessing it's a gorgon," Stella says. She sits at the window, staring out into the yard. Behind her, Lizzie rummages through the closet and sends hundreds of clothes to the sides.

"Focus, please," the blonde says. "Read your answer."

With a sigh, Stella looks back down at the piece of paper in her hands. "'Though I still struggle daily with a profound sense of loss'—Lizzie, why are all the answers you've prepared for me about death and grief?"

Smiling, Lizzie takes a large box out of the closet, placing it on the bed. She clicks her tongue as she says, "The Q and A portion of Miss Mystic Falls isn't just about A-ing the Qs. You and Dana's mom have a lot in common. She lost Dana; you lost your aunts, uncles, your girlfriend..." She pauses, glancing up in Stella's direction. "Almost Josie."

Stella stands with a frown. "Josie and I are fine," she says all too quickly. "And the other stuff? I'm not struggling anymore."

Lizzie arches an eyebrow.

"I've dealt with it, and I'm moving on," Stella adds, but her voice struggles to stay neutral.

The blonde shakes her head, muttering "Classic avoidance," as she opens the box. Stella leans forward to see a beautiful purple and blue dress. Lizzie smirks when she sees the witch's mouth drop in awe. "This was my mother's. We can alter it to fit you."

"It's gorgeous," Stella breathes. She runs her finger over the sequence with a small smile growing on her face.

Before she can stop herself, a brunette flashes in Stella's mind: how she smiles and laughs, how she would look with the dress on. "I can't wear this," Stella says as she takes a step back from the box. "I-I need some air."

Without looking back at the confused siphoner, Stella races out of the bedroom with only a single thought: "I need to find Josie."

Walking through the halls, Stella almost loses hope until she finds the brunette down by the cafeteria, leaning against the wood paneling. The slight frown on Josie's face makes Stella hesitate. "Hey," the witch calls.

Josie's eyes light up. For a moment, the edges of her lips turn up as her eyes search for the call. When she sees Stella at the other end of the hall, the look disappears under something else, something Stella does not recognize. The siphoner pushes off the wall and hesitantly meets Stella halfway down the hall. "Hey," she replies.

Stella opens her mouth, but the words refuse to come out. The words she has wanted to say since the moment she realized how she felt. The words that she's only ever said to one other person. "Can we talk?" Stella asks instead.

"We are talking." Josie sends her a closed-lip smile.

"Um, ok." Stella clasps her hands in front of her, playing with her fingers. "I'm glad I caught you before the interview," Josie frowns. "I want you to win."

Josie blinks in surprise. "What?"

"I want you to win, not me." Stella refuses to look into Josie's eyes. "I don't want the dress; I don't want the speeches; I don't want the spotlight. You deserve it—you deserve the win. I'm content sitting in the background, but you...you finally understand that you want a part of that spotlight, and I'm not going to take it away from you. I don't care what Lizzie says, you should win."

Staring, Josie's eyes flicker across Stella's face. The witch chances a look up only to see another student right behind them. She takes a step away from Josie as Penelope crosses her arms over her chest, saying, "How'd the interview go, Jo Jo?"

Josie freezes at the voice, closing her eyes tightly. Penelope sends her ex a smirk as she awaits a response. Josie glances back at Stella; the girl wears a bewildered expression.

"It went great, actually," Josie replies softly. "Totally blew it."

Stella takes another step back as her cheeks turn bright pink. "I thought you were going in an hour," she says.

Shaking her head, Josie opens her mouth to respond, but Penelope cuts her off. "She went an hour ago. You got your times mixed up."

Stella feels the air leave her lungs. Taking another step away, she forces herself to look away. "Oh. Sorry."

Before she can leave entirely, Josie stops her with a shout. "Don't use the pen," the siphoner says, already back to glaring at Penelope. As Stella frowns, Josie adds, "She spelled them all. She's reading everything we write."

Stella goes pale. "Are you shitting me?" She exclaims as her skin begins to heat.

Penelope only clenches her jaw. "Yes, I've been reading your journals—I've been reading everyone's journals. But I am only using the information for good, like convincing you to win Miss Mystic Falls."

Josie crosses her arms with a scoff. "Even if I hadn't already tanked it, I don't want to win, because then I'd be beating Stella, and Lizzie wants Stella to win. So all of your selfish, obnoxious, and evil meddling was for nothing."

Josie walks away without another glance at either girl. Her clicking heels echo in Stella's ears as the witch watches her go.

"Thank you," Penelope says suddenly.

Stella does not turn. "For what?"

"For what you offered." Penelope clenches her jaw. "I might not like you, but at least you're not stifling her."

Stella shakes her head. "She didn't take the offer, so it doesn't matter."

"Word of advice," Penelope inhales sharply. "Stay away."

Spinning to face the brunette, Stella narrows her eyes. "What did you just say?"

Penelope lets a small, sad smirk appear on her lips. "I said, stay away. Because we both know that one of these days, either you or Lizzie is going to get her killed. And that won't be good for either of you."

Her hands grow hot. "I would be very careful about what you say next."

Penelope's eyes flicker to Stella's clenched fists. Smoke begins to curl from her palms as the girl's eyes flicker with hidden fire. "You know I'm right," she replies, her voice softer than before. "I'm just glad I won't be here to see it."

Shorter chapter but, we've got some Stosie. Hope you enjoyed!

-L