No Bark and No Bite

to be completely honest the science behind it was something josie wasn’t sure of. she’d been taught to mix things by hand, she had realised that the process of it was what helped when she needed a break from things. “i don’t know,” josie hummed, “i like it this way though, doing it by hand i mean, the manual labor part of it helps.” she insisted. “probably my sister by default, if i take it back to our room she will probably have some,” josie contemplated, pausing for a moment before shrugging, “why? do you want some?” 

“Alright, fair. Fair.” he chuckled, hands up in mild defeat. His time at the school hadn’t been all that long ago, despite the fact that being here made him feel nothing short of old. Worried, too. Half the problems these kids were currently facing were nothing like he’d ever been asked to deal with as a student. The monsters, the pit of goo that was apparently sentient somehow – at least he was here and could help, however that may be. His own food grilling up pretty fast, he slid it onto a plate and went to sit on the countertop a few feet from Xavy. “How’s it been for you? Pick your classes alright and everything?”

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Xavy took a bite from the quesadilla before giving in to his smile. Jamie was just a few years older than Xavy and yet, he was sure that the two werewolves practically went to two different schools. Especially since Xavy never got to experience it during a time where only vampires, werewolves, witches, and Hope Mikaelson existed. But the school dynamic couldn’t have changed that much, could it? “It’s beeen okay. I’ve picked them but, I don’t know. The classes felt weird. I don’t know if they’re expecting us to remember what we suppposedly learned in the last sixteen months.” Xavy decided not to talk about the other parts of his life that didn’t involve his studies. That part was too complicated to talk about a casual midnight snack. “How about you though?”

She glanced around, seeing what he meant. The roof had changed from the last times she’d escaped to it, apparent spots cleared where he must have sat, less leaves and branches littering the ground around them. “We should start leaving a blanket up here or something. Really lay claim and all.” 

Hope was sort of hiding, there was no other real explanation besides the one that sounded stupid even to her, but she tried either way. “It’s just… it sounds so idiotic to say considering I was in a coma or whatever and everyone is literally missing a year of memories but. School is back up and running, classes starting, things just feel sort of normal. I’d forgotten what that was like in some weird twisted way.” It left her feeling too big for her own skin, restless. “I don’t know how to just go along with normal anymore.”

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As his eyes scanned the roof, his eyes landed on a couple of loose roof tiles beside him. His hands reached to turn them and underneath, he found an old folded blanket hidden in the nook below. Xavy recognized it too. It was one of the few blankets that he brought with him to the Salvatore School when he first enrolled. It was new. Or at least it was new then. “Well it looks like old me already have us beat,” he said as he showed Hope the blanket. 

He stood up with perfect balance thanks to his being a werewolf and laid the blanket on the slanted roof. Xavy then sat back down and motioned for Hope to do the same. What she just said earned his smile. “Only Hope Mikaelson will call this situation normal.” Well maybe it was normal. Xavy still hasn’t experienced studying in the school when it wasn’t being plagued by monsters so maybe that’s what she was referring too but... Surely the year gone was just as jarring for her as it was for the rest of them?

He returned to the stove, tossing a few ingredients into the skillet to grill up before the tortilla came into play. “I do. Learned pretty young. My parents were both pretty busy, not always home at nights. So I learned to cook to avoid ramen every night situations.” It had been helpful, and he’d only gotten better when he got to the salvatore school and its plentiful kitchens. It was a nice way to detach a bit, escape into mindless activity. “It used to be fun when I went here, sneak in with some friends late at night, cook up whatever munchies we could get our paws on.”

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Sounds of ingredients sizzling filled the kitchen as Jamie continued cooking. “I never did,” Xavy admitted as he watched the older werewolf continue to cook. Other than adding the ingredients to the pan, Xavy had absolutely no idea what the other man was doing. Throughout his years in boarding school, he survived eating whatever the school fed him. Things didn’t really change when he left for the Salvatore School, even with the easily accesible kitchen that it boasted of. “You say that as if people don’t do that anymore.” The tiniest of smirk formed in Xavier’s lips.

“yeah, i had everything once upon a time.  but now i’m old and don’t understand kids and their apps and their slang.  oh god, i’m turning into my parents.  great.”  ethan ran a hand through his hair.  “nothing’s coming across as super useful right now, though.”  he assumed deleting stuff was just, like.  a part of life.  or maybe reinventing himself when he got turned?  ethan had no idea.  but it didn’t really matter.  it’s not like he would have made a status about bloodlust.  “i need to go through texts, but it seems like a lot of those are pointless too.”  ethan, be less vapid challenge.

“i don’t know,” josie began with a laugh, “you’ve clearly never had a flour catastrophe with a stand mixer, a finely milled powder and high speed does not match very well at all,” the dark haired siphon insisted. but one thing xavier was right about was the lack of the cake batter she now had in the bowl. she may have been able to clean up her mess with moderate ease but now she was left with little to no future cake. josie pursed her lips in annoyance, huffing lightly, “that is… a fair point, this wouldn’t really make much of a cake and if i bring any back to the dorm and its not enough for at least two people it’s not going to work.”

“you’re right.”  he watched the kid smack his face, and ethan was about to voice his concern when the younger male spoke up.  “hm?  oh.  i mean, just a lot of selfies.  a couple instagram thirst traps,  whoopsies,  some tweets that mean absolutely nothing out of context.”  ethan clicked through apps.  he’d checked it all before, but it didn’t hurt to skim again.  “apparently deleted facebook in that time.  which, honestly?  good for past me.”

josie didn’t need the rag he tossed in her direction, instead mumbling a quick spell for the mess to disappear from both the surfaces and her own clothes. “i know, but it’s not the same,” she insisted, looking towards the stand mixer, “you don’t get the same feeling for the mixing and the batter and it is too easy to over mix something and then you’re left with tough cake, no one wants that,” josie spoke fast and a lot, her and xavier hadn’t been friends and yet her phone was filled with texts to and from the boy that she couldn’t explain.

“No, you’re not in trouble. At least not from me. Plenty of kids around here seem to be having some issues with sleeping. I won’t fault that.” He shrugs, glancing down at the counter and the amount of ingredients he still has before him. It seemed plenty, so his next words were an offering. “You want in on this? I can easily just make myself another one.” Even as he spoke the wolf plated the slices, sliding it across the kitchen island between them to where some toppings lay and leaving it up for him to decide. 

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The younger werewolf just nodded in reply. He was just glad to hear that he wasn’t in trouble. Whether the teaching assistant being a werewolf himself helped or not, Xavy wouldn’t be certain. His eyes returned to the ingredients on the table. He could smell the ground breef from where he was standing, making his previously dry mouth water. “Thanks,” he said before grabbing a slice and placing all his usual toppings. He wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. It wasn’t half-bad. With his mouth still half-full of quesadilla, he asked, “You cook?”

She’d hoped training would snap her out of whatever funk she was in, but two hours later and Alaric had called it a day and the tribrid still felt far too restless for her own good. It was easy to fade into the crowds now though, everyone far too occupied with the new parts of campus or new faces and old to watch as she headed out of the grounds towards the old mill. Maybe it was the heights, the way the world could look just a little bit different — she’d tried to paint it a few times but could never quite get it right. But there was a calmness to it all, and she craved it.

But someone already was perched up there, and it took a moment to zero in on the fact she knew just who. But Xavy was already gesturing her up, so she wandered over to the run down trellis and climbed with relative ease. Soon enough Hope dropped down next to him, breath an exhale of a sigh. “Hiding too?”

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He watched Hope climb effortlessly on the trellis. There’s a reason why she was always deemed the hero of the school. Xavy idly wondered why witches — or in Hope’s case, tri-brid — never levitate to get to places.If he were witch, that would be exactly what he’ll do. A werewolf’s increased strength and stamina could only get you so much. Hope, he realized, can practically take her pick. “More like getting away,” Xavy corrected. He wasn’t exactly hidden sitting on top of the roof, even with all the trees. “Although I guess it’s safe to assume that’s what you’re doing.” 

He looked around at the multiple footprints on the roof. He recognized most of the prints to be his. “It seems like I’ve been here a lot this past year and a half. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.”

few things could calm down josie saltzman’s nerves like taking charge of the kitchens. sixteen months, there was a gap of sixteen whole months missing from her life and clearly time had passed because seasons had gone and went and she had found newspapers which indicated it had happened. but, josie didn’t remember any of it, not a single thing. but others seemed to remember her sixteen months ago, power hungry and selfish in every way and josie stirred the cake batter she had made angrily as she thought back on it, as she thought of the way everyone kept looking at her now - like they needed to be afraid of her. the motions soon caused her to knock the bowl over, batter spilling onto her front and the floor and josie jumped back, “damn it!” she swore.

To Xavy, he has only been to the top of the roof of the old mill a few times. But as he stood there now, it was evident that he has visited a lot more often since then. Even if he couldn’t remember the past sixteenth months, he could see how the place has changed since he last remembered it. The roof was no longer littered with dried leaves and twigs. They’ve all been swept aside along with other possible debris that found its way on the roof. A certain area looked particularly cleaner than the rest. Xavy was certain that it was the very spot he last sat on.

With a grunt, he sat down on the roof and looked at the forest around him. It was weird. Even the forest looked different. No one ever notices the plants around them growing. Even if they were constantly reaching for the sky, no one notices since it happens just too slow. But now that they were practically yanked into the future, it was clear to Xavy that the trees were different. Weird. It all felt both strange and familiar at the same time.

The campus was quiet now, the hour too late for any of the youngest kids to be out and about and most of the teens were hidden away in their rooms. It was nice, if not a little boring. So he’d ventured out for a run, and then showered, and then he was practically starving so, kitchens it was. Hearing the door of said kitchen swing open, Jamie froze with knife in hand, about to slice the quesadilla he’d made into pieces. There was a momentary flash of panic at being caught so late or being ratted out to various authority figures, before he remembered he sort of was an authority figure now. Well shit, he had to play it cool, then. “Hey, kinda late and all. You need something?”

“awesome,”  ethan mumbled under his breath.  his thumb was sliding through his phone, mindlessly scrolling to keep himself from going off the deep end.  “nice to know ric didn’t bother to update the wifi in the past year.”  he was still trying to make sense of it all.  the not knowing frustrated him to no end, but ethan was doing what he did best:  deflect with humor.  “hey.  any idea who this is?”  he asked the nearest student, pointing to the other person in a selfie on his phone.

Xavier looked up to see what Ethan was showing him. “I have no clue, man. If you don’t remember meeting them then I probably don’t know them too.” He looked at the selfie again. It looked so ordinary. As if it belonged perfectly on the phone and yet it was also a reminder that everyone around them lost an entire year of memories.

Wait... A reminder...