it was a necessary evil. I apologize for all the hearts I've broken, and to all the peoples who are shooketh by me. x

also lol, my phone gave up on me. it's broken now. officially. and now I have to use my other phone that's cracked, n... annoying to my thumbs. is... is this punishment for the sins I've committed against Melori? 😨

Twenty-seven

Alice returned to her safehouse where she had Mel. It was a place so obvious that no one would've guessed there was a girl being held captive. The very same street of Alice's home, just four houses down, is where the girl was. In a little white house fit for a four-person household, tied down to a metal chair in the basement.

Having gotten Hope and the others off her trail, for now, Alice was eager to collect any evidence of her being there and move. Of course, taking Mel with her. However, rushing down the stairs, she found something she wasn't prepared for.

In the chair in the middle of the basement, Alice saw that Mel was unconscious, head low and completely unmoving. Her accomplice-being none other than Melori's own brother-stood pacing back and forward in front of her. His eyes were trained on Mel as if waiting for something to happen.

Confused, Alice stepped closer to the two of them, her eyes fixated on the boy. When he looked up and made eye contact, Alice figured he'd done something.

She looked back at Mel, stepping even closer. Doing so, she saw that not only was she unmoving, but it was also clear that she wasn't even breathing. Alice's gaze snapped up to Mark, fuming. "You went on with the plan and didn't tell me?!"

Unfazed by her snapping at him, Mark stopped directly in front of his sister, shaking his head. "Something's wrong."

"The hell do you mean 'something's wrong'?"

"I mean she hasn't woken up. I snapped her neck after you left last night."

"You-" Alice inhaled sharply, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together. "You could have told me on the goddamn phone."

"I was wrong. We should've gone after the Mikaelson girl, not-" Mark inhaled sharply, motioning towards Melori. "This was a mistake."

Alice squinted her eyes at him, examining his expression. "...You're not feeling for this girl, are you?"

Mark kept his eyes trained on Melori, quickly suppressing the fact that yes, he was feeling for her. After all, his only sister was just before him. His only sister whose neck he just snapped. With no remorse. But now it's been nearly eight hours and Mel hasn't woken up to begin the transition, and all Mark is able to feel is regret. That couldn't be known to Alice.

"No, I'm not. I'm just saying this has been a waste of time," Mark sighed.

"You're right about that. But right now, we have a problem."

"What's that?"

"Something you failed to realize. That tribrid girl and Melori are-or were-good friends. And she's likely coming for us. For her." Alice motioned towards Melori. "Grab the body. Maybe she can still be of use."

Mark nodded to himself as Alice was busy gathering the samples of her father. "Maybe," he mumbled.

Mark reached into his pocket to retrieve his leather gloves and put them on. He went on to undoing the ropes on Mel's legs, then proceeded to remove the ropes tying her hands. As the last of the rope fell, Mark noticed slight movement in her hand. The twitch of a finger, barely noticeable, but it was enough to tell him she's alive.

"Hey, kid." Mark looked over at Alice. She tossed a hand to the side, then let it fall to her side. "The hell are you sitting there for? You wanna be tribrid fodder? Let's get moving!"

"A-Actually... Since this didn't go as planned, should we use her as bait to capture Hope?"

"Yeah, and where do we find the power to capture and hold such a powerful being?"

"I've kept an anti-tracker spell up for months, non-stop. Have a little faith in me, will you, Allison?"

Alice squinted her eyes at him in annoyance, then turned to the samples. "I guess we can try it. Do you have enough power to hold seven people, though?"

"I should. If not, well..." Mark stood and motioned towards Melori. "Mel B's still a supernatural, dead or not. There's magic I can siphon."

"Good. While you do that, I'm gonna get myself a little snack." Alice hummed to herself as she ran up the stairs. She stopped just before reaching the landing, turning towards Mark. "You should come too, actually. You're probably starving."

Mark nodded and followed Alice up to the kitchen. She immediately began gathering the items she needed to make BLTs. Mark helped himself to a blood bag while she was busy with that.

When it was clear that Alice was in a rhythm, Mark stood against the archway entrance of the kitchen, watching Alice intensely. "I know you're alive, so listen carefully," he mumbled lowly. He knew Mel would be able to hear him clearly while Alice couldn't hear at all. "You probably heard that your friends are trying to save you. I wish I'd come to my senses before I did what I did, but... it doesn't matter right now."

"So, you got your emotions back? You're you again?"

"I am. I don't expect you to forgive me. However, I am gonna help them find us."

"How?"

"By taking the protection barrier down. They'll be able to track us here, your friend will easily overpower Alice, and we can get you out of here."

"Why don't you just kill the bitch? You can easily overpower her."

"Maybe," Mark sighed quietly, still watching Alice. "But it's impossible to kill her. I've seen someone try to stab her in the heart...she just consumed it, unscathed. Almost, if not exactly like-"

"-Malivore. She's one of his creations."

"Yes. Just stay there, and don't move. Hang tight, sis. Wait for my cue."

"Do you ever use blood as a kind of sauce for your human meals? Maybe even as an ingredient...?" Alice wondered aloud, spreading mayonnaise on the four slices of bread. "It's weird but it seems like such a fun way to feed."

Mark shrugged while shaking his head. "Never even thought of it."

Alice glance at him, ever so slightly disappointed by his answer. "Hm. Well, try it someday. Let me know how that works out."

"Sure," Mark sighed. He went over to the island where Alice slid over a sandwich. Mark laid the blood bag and sat it down next to the plate.

"You know, I think that plan is... it's interesting. Using your dead sister as bait for the real tribrid? It's good. It's heartless." Alice took a large bite out of her BLT, Mark doing the same just shortly after. Alice smiled as she chewed, satisfied with her master sandwich-making. "But it's questionable."

Mark swallowed his food. "How come?"

"Well, for starters, Markus... You called her 'Mel B,'" Alice's tone changed completely. It became cold, less 'peppy', as some would say. Frankly, it was venomous, murderous, and horrendous. Mark's eyes widened slightly. It was when his throat and chest began to burn from the inside out that he realized she tainted his sandwich with vervain.

She gently set her sandwich down then walked around the island. She watched as Mark struggled to breathe as he back away, clutching at his chest. "The last time you called her Mel B was...what, five years ago? Before I had that witch do that very handy spell that recreates compulsion to make you turn it all off. I got lucky that it worked on you. A witch. Part witch, anyway."

Alice lingered closer towards Mark while he stumbled backwards. "You killed her. That triggered your emotions. The guilt. The pain. The love you have for your sister. Your sister that's been alive all this time, alone, feeling like one such burden to everyone around her. Feeling so guilty and useless for not being able to save her family."

Mark fell onto his back, still gasping for air. He was trapped, practically dying from the inside out. Helpless and unable to do anything knowing Allison knows his every weakness, and that he should never underestimate her.

"You flipped it back the second you realized she wasn't going to wake again." Alice scoffed, shaking her head. "You with emotions equals you betraying me. You, betraying me, equals me not getting what I want. What I need. What I need is for Malivore to be dead. For him to not control me, my siblings, those monsters, or anyone, ever. I want freedom and I can't get that without help from a witch with great power-that could have been you. It was you, Markus Collins." Alice stomped down on his chest, pushing down harshly. "Unfortunately for you, I don't do second chances with backstabbers." Raising a hand, Alice sighed heavily. Marked watched it slowly change into the same muddy substance she's wanting to destroy. That, most likely, would send him to her father.

Mark groaned as Alice lowered her hand to him. As she did, Mark gathered any strength he could. Given the circumstances-being poisoned with vervain, of course-the best he could do was tap a light pattern on the floor.

The signal was enough to let Melori know to come up. She rushed into the room and shoulder slammed Alice into the nearest wall. The blonde hit her head hard enough to knock her unconscious.

"Holy shit balls, that was-weird! Awesome?! One minute I was down there and I'm here now and- Oh, right, you're kinda dying..."

"I'm fine," he strained. "I'm healing now, s-so I'm...I'm okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Mel nodded briefly. "Good, that's good. I need to sit down for a minute," Mel huffed. Her knees buckled, causing her to drop down before Mark. She was still weak from wolfsbane in her system, and every ounce adrenaline had already left her body.

And being in transition, Mark figured the thirst was finally getting to her. She must have been in the process for longer than she's been awake. Or, he figured, she was awake almost the entire time. Either way it goes, they both need to feed.

Mark forced himself to stand and help Melori up to her feet. It was then that he noticed the sweat dripping down her neck and face. Using her speed must've used more energy than she needed to.

"Let's get out of here," he groaned, carrying her and himself at the same time. Mark half dragged his sister closer towards the door and therefore further from Alice's unconscious body. Her very presence was a cause for concern.

They were almost at the door when Mark suddenly halted. He sensed something. Someone. More than one somebody. And plenty of them were powerful. Mark knew that Mel's newfound activated hybrid senses have picked up on it as well, even while she's as weak as she is.

Before either of them could react, the door was thrown open by an invisible force so powerful it even knocked Mark and Mel back into the wall behind them. The commotion was enough to alert Alice and wake her. She pushed herself off the floor just as Hope entered the house with the twins, Alaric, and Davina close behind her. Alice, smart enough to know when a battle is over-even before it truly began-scrambled hastily towards the back door. Before she rounded the corner to flee, she shared a smirk with Hope who returned it with a very murderous, wolfy glare. Alice also spared Mark a look that told him that this was far from over.

Hope held back from chasing the blonde and rushed to her best friend's side. It was clear that Mel was exhausted and had overexerted herself doing whatever it was that got her free.

Hope didn't even bother sparing a glance in Mark's direction until he stood in his spot, leaning against the wall. Davina raised her hand as Ric raised his crossbow, both ready to fire with everything they've got.

"Don't! Don't hurt him," Mel breathed. "He's my brother." The three of them all looked at him, all suspicious, all curious, all confused. The brothers they knew of were dead, so this put them on edge.

Melori took Hope's hand to grab her attention once again. "Furthermore, Princess, something bad happened."

Hope blinked twice. "We can talk about it when we get to-"

"Princess." Mel shook her head and blinked slowly. "I need blood."