'are your mom and dad... dead?'

.

.

.

"Hey," Hope said the next morning as she looked at Georgie who was lying in her bed staring at the ceiling. "How long have you been awake?"

Georgie shrugged a little as she tilted her head to the side to look at where her roommate was slowly adjusting to the sunshine in the room, having a pretty decent sleep for the first time in a while. She sat up slowly, Hope noticing that she was fully clothed and had clearly been awake for longer than just a few minutes.

"Before the sun rose," Georgie admitted as she stretched her back a little, rubbing her neck as she watched Hope get up and head into their shared ensuite. The girl stepped into the shower but continued their conversation - something that they had both became incredibly comfortable with doing. "I just didn't get that much sleep."

"I'm surprised," Hope teased, her voice a little louder to combat the running water of the shower she had turned on. "Thought you'd be having sweet dreams of Josie asking you to be her girlfriend last night."

"You heard that?" Georgie asked, blushing even though Hope couldn't see her reaction. It made sense that the girl would have heard the moment that Josie had officially asked her out, but the thought hadn't even crossed her mind until now.

"Yup," Hope said, her voice teasing and light as she dropped another bombshell. "And so did one rather protective blonde Saltzman too. I truly wish you the best, because you'll need it when the wrath of Lizzie Saltzman comes for you to warn you about all the ways she'll make you suffer if you break her sister's heart."

Georgie groaned loudly as Hope laughed, slamming herself back on to her pillows in a huff as she realised that Hope was right - Lizzie would want to have that protective big sister talk at some point and while Georgie had utterly zero intentions of every doing anything to hurt Josie, she knew that Lizzie's threats were nothing if not a promise.

Just as Hope re-enetered their room wrapped in a towel, their door was barged open and both girls screamed out in surprise. Landon entered, his hand immediately rising to cover up his eyes as he noticed Hope was only in a towel and yelling at him to get out along with Georgie who was screaming about how he didn't even knock.

"SORRY! I just wanted to tell you the bad news - Dr Saltzman lost the urn."

_____

The rest of the morning passed pretty uneventfully for Georgie. There wasn't much any of them could really do while Dorian went and tried to locate the urn by diving into the river where a possessed Alaric had thrown it off a bridge into. She was kinda glad that it had been him who did it as it almost felt like he wouldn't be able to judge any of them for the things they did when they were under the slugs' possession since he had done the worst.

In fact, the most eventful the morning got was when Alaric stopped her in the corridor after she had listened into him and Kaleb having a conversation about how Kaleb was joining him and a small group of them on a spring break trip to recover the urn. Georgie loved the Saltzman's and she loved Hope, but there was no way in hell she was about to spend more time than utterly necessary trapped on a road trip with them and Dorian and Emma - especially since she was still trying to avoid the wrath of Lizzie that was imminent.

"Nope," Georgie replied before the man even had the chance to open his mouth, watching as his eyebrows raised in surprise. "I am not coming on your spring break retrieval trip."

"Oh come on," Alaric sighed as he trailed after her, knowing that he wanted her there as he wasn't entirely sure how she would cope being left there for the unofficial holiday season without Hope or the twins to keep her company. Sure she was friendly with the boys but she had spent almost every day since coming to the school with the twins or Hope and he was worried that if she had any control incidents that there would be chaos at the school. "It'll be your first proper one."

Georgie spun on her heel at that, her eyes narrowed as he realised that was not the best thing to have said to the girl whose parents had died and her family hadn't known she existed until a week ago.

"I already have spring break plans," Georgie lied through her teeth, noticing that her teacher did not believe what she was saying at all. Almost like being saved by the bell, Georgie noticed that Rafael had just turned the corner and was walking directly towards them. Grinning widely, she reached out and grabbed on to the alpha werewolf, tugging him to stand beside her as she smugly looked at Alaric. "I'm spending it with MG, Raf and Landon."

"You are?" Raf asked before noticing Alaric's smug look and Georgie's look of pleading. "Oh yeah, you are!"

"Nice try," Alaric told Georgie before sighing and thinking about the logistics of trying to fit another supernatural teenager into the already cramped van. "Fine, you can stay here but only because I don't think we even have enough seats. But I am telling you right now Georgie, no wolf shifting until we get back. I know it's a full moon, so you need to check in with your assigned supervisor to prove you are in control or you'll have to pick a bunker like the rest of the wolves."

Georgie smirked widely at the fact she had won the argument, looping her arm through Rafael's as she allowed the werewolf to lead them both away from Alaric with confusion radiating off of him. She turned to look at him as soon as Alaric was out of sight, a smile on her lips as she genuinely decided that it might actually be nice to spend time with the boys for the next week.

"So, what's our spring break party plans then?"

____

36 HOURS LATER

"Dr. S," Kaleb said as he entered the room, the older man turning to look at the vampire with a sigh. He was tired and he just wanted to sleep after the journey they'd just had.

"Kaleb. We just killed a mummy and spent six hours in a van together, and I'm not sure..."

Kaleb shook his head as he cut the principal off, his worry for his friend trumping any concern that Dr Saltzman had about them spending anymore time than necessary together. MG didn't just disappear - he was a suckler for the rules.

"I can't find MG."

"What do you mean?" Alaric asked, his previous worry completely gone from his mind as the new one took over. It wasn't just the fact that the boy was MIA but also the fact it was the night of the full moon - and if any of the wolves somehow got near him, all hell might break loose.

"I just checked in with his hall monitor, but he missed curfew. Monitor said he tried calling you."

"Ah, that guy from Triad Enterprises took my phone!" Alaric exclaimed with a deep, worried sigh as he began to pace the room, panic seeping in as he immediately regretted leaving the kids without his supervision.

"All right, whatever. We... we got to find him. This ain't the night for vampires to be walking around unchecked."

Alaric and Kaleb both shared a long look at the weight of that statement, knowing that this night was certainly about to get a lot worse if they didn't find the vampire soon. Little did they know, MG wasn't the only Salvatore student not sleeping in their bunks peacefully.

____

"Have you seen Landon?" Hope asked as she entered the werewolf transformation corridor, noticing how Alaric's head snapped to her with a sudden fear. "I thought he might down here with Raf for moral support."

"Raf's not here," he answered as he ran a stressed hand over his face, sudden dread filling every fibre of his body as he prayed that no one else suddenly became unaccounted for.

"Wait, he's... What?" Hope spluttered, a sudden guilt filling her stomach as she realised she'd been so caught up on seeing Landon that she hadn't even paused to consider how her friend's transformation was going until it concerned him.

"The supervisors said he didn't check in. And now MG's missing, too."

"But it's a full moon," Hope muttered before she felt her own stomach full with dread, a shaky hand raising to her mouth as she realised the intensity of the situation. The three boys all being unaccounted for certainly wasn't a coincidence. "Oh, God."

"I've got some more bad news," Emma said as she appeared at the door, both Alaric and Hope turning around to look at her in disbelief. "Georgie... she didn't check in with her supervisor either."

Alaric and Hope looked between each other before everyone's eyes settled on Hope, the silent question of how she didn't even notice her roommate was missing crossing both of the adult's minds but not leaving their mouths.

"She wasn't in our room but I just figured she was staying with Josie," Hope paused for a moment as she realised that Alaric was looking at her in a mix of amusement and disbelief at the words that had fallen from Hope's lips. The last thing he wanted to be thinking about right now was his daughters love life. "Sorry, anyway, did you check with the twins?"

Emma nodded as she crossed her arms with a sigh. "I didn't tell them she was missing but they haven't seen her since before our trip. I think it's safe to say she's now on our missing persons list."

A loud howl broke their train of conversation, Alaric and Hope sharing panicked looks again as the severity of the situation continued to sink in. Emma informed them that she would stay to keep an eye on all of the students who were accounted for, and Hope and Alaric set off into the forest surrounding the school in search of not just the previous howl, but their missing comrades.

____

"I don't know why my locator spell didn't work," Hope told Alaric as they rushed through the woods, trying to pinpoint the location of the howl they had heard minutes prior since Hope's spell attempts had failed. Emma had kept her promise of keeping an eye on the rest of the student body, opting to stay behind while they followed the trail.

"If you can't find them, it means they're being cloaked or..."

"Or they're dead, I'm aware," Hope snapped at him, Alaric knowing not to take it personally since it was obvious that the girl was remarkably stressed about the three boys and Georgie all now being classed as missing in action.

"What would possess them to leave campus? Why would they be so irresponsible?" Alaric asked, although he wasn't really sure he wanted to know the answer. Wherever the four of the missing teens went, trouble always seemed to follow and this situation seemed just like the usual vibe.

"They wouldn't. Something must have happened."

Just as Hope went to go deeper into the forest, Alaric reached out and grabbed on to her arm as his light shine directly over the whimpering and groaning figure of one of their four missing supernaturals.

"Hope!"

Hope and Alaric instantly rushed to the boys side, the girl collapsing to her knees as she tried to steady the dazed boy who was covered in blood and cuts. His eyes were unfocused, his lips moving quickly as words spilled from them frantically.

"Raf? Raf! Hey, are you okay?" Hope asked, trying to get him to see somewhat lucid.

"MG... Georgie... Landon..."

"Hey, what's going on? Where's Landon?" Hope asked, Alaric knowing that it was maybe wise to have kept Josie and Lizzie out of the loop. They'd have been furious that Hope only seemed fixated on Landon and was seemingly disregarding MG and Georgie. He put it down to them being confirmed supernaturals, and he really hoped that that was the case.

"I can't remember," Raf said, looking up at them with pained eyes. "I can't remember at all."

_____

35 HOURS PRIOR

"All right, everyone, listen up. Absolutely no one leaves campus unless you're in the custody of your guardian. Now, with the full moon approaching, this rule especially applies to our wolves," Alaric told them all as he addressed the student body that weren't invited or weren't joining them on his private mission. "Now, you know the drill. Vampires to your dorms. Wolves to your bunkers. Absolutely no exceptions."

Of course there was an exception and they all knew it, but no one would voice that. Georgie Lockwood was a wolf, but since she also carried an inactivated vampire gene - these rules didn't apply to her. She wasn't bound to the full moon the way that the rest of the wolves were but it didn't mean that she sometimes didn't feel the temptations in her body. It was something she had struggled with a lot more than Hope ever had - maybe due to the absence of magical bloodline in her body that the tribrid and her father had possessed.

"Just because we have a cure for werewolf bites doesn't mean they won't hurt like hell. Now, for those of you who are staying behind, we have some activities planned to ensure that your... vacation will be the... ... dopest, coldest... spring break ever! All right, here's MG, everybody."

Georgie and Rafael both leaned back a little in their seats as they grimaced at Landon and Hope kissing, knowing that the couple's PDA was sickening - especially during assemblies. She turned her attention to MG, shooting him a reassuring smile as he took to the stage.

"Are your mom and dad... dead? No place for you in human society? Does being alone leave you triggered? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, it's okay. The Holiday Committee has your back."

Georgie was already regretting her decision to stay behind. 

"Hey, guys," Kaleb whispered from behind them, Raf and Georgie both leaning back so that they could hear what the vampire was saying just a little better. "I need you to do me a favor. Can you look after him while I'm gone on this trip with Dr. S.? MG's doing this little "happy act" thing, but...he gets really weird around holidays."

"Why?"

"His family...they... they never invite him home. So, you know, just... hit up his little events - and..." Kaleb cut off as Raf groaned, scoffing a little as he turned to look at the werewolf in disarray. "Mm. Come on, man, it's-it's the least you can do. Especially after getting down and dirty with the love of his life."

Georgie tried to hide her snort of laughter behind her hand, but the glare from Raf told her that she had failed to do so. He looked around awkwardly at Kaleb's words, unaware that him and Lizzie's sexual experience had been spread around the school.

"Oh, yeah, everybody knows. Yeah, them, too. They know."

"All right, uh, whatever, bro. Me and... and Lan and Georgie will hang with your boy, all right? It's not like we have anything else to do."

If Georgie knew what came next, she'd have told Kaleb to get stuffed. Her whole reasoning to stay at the school for spring break was to avoid the malivore drama, and instead she was about to be thrown into something much worse.

_____

For the record, Georgie thought that Landon's idea of a road trip to take MG to see his family was just a disaster waiting to happen. From planning it on a whim to avoid family fueds to getting Penelope Park involved and casting cloaking spells on them, she wasn't sure if it was wise.

Penelope Park even casting the spell to begin with made no sense to her. The witch had claimed it was a favour she needed to pay back to Rafael for dumping Lizzie on her birthday before she turned to Georgie and told her that it was a thank you for Josie. Georgie didn't know why Penelope was thanking her or what for, but she didn't want to argue.

So Landon's plan had lead them to where they were now: standing on MG's old house lawn as his mother stared them down in confusion and uncertainty.

"I'm sorry, who are you and why are you here?"

"Uh, hi, Mom," MG said as he side stepped Landon so that he was face to face with his mother. She looked almost displeased to see him and Georgie found herself wishing they'd never came just from that one look.

"Milton. I wasn't expecting you."

"It's spring break."

"Yes, I know. But I thought we agreed it would be best for you to stay on campus."

"Uh, Mrs. Greasley, hi. I'm Landon Kirby," Landon interrupted, trying to cut the awkward tension between the mother and son duo. Georgie internally groaned, once again regretting joining the boys on their trip.

The only reason she came was because she didn't want to be left at the school with people she barely knew when she still hasn't mastered control. All it would take would be one wrong spell from a witch and her control might have snapped - so she knew it was best to travel with the boys.

"Uh, my brother Rafael and I, we're new at the school, and-and we didn't really have anywhere to go for spring break, so we sort of... uh, talked your son into a spontaneous road trip. Which now seems like it may have been a hasty decision."

"We obviously came at-at the wrong time, so I'll just say hi to Dad, uh, and we'll be on our way. Where's he at?" MG asked, looking past his mother as he tried to peer into their house and see if his father was inside.

"Your father is not here. He's..."

"Running for mayor."

"The governor thinks he has a great shot at winning."

There was a pause as MG's voice took in the sudden information and change of her tone.

"Y'all know the governor now?"

"A lot has changed since you... died."

"Yeah. I can see that."

"You know we love you very much, Milton. But the world thinks you're dead. If someone were to see you walking around - in your old hometown..."

Georgie wasn't dumb. She'd spent her entire life growing up with no permanent figures in her life and lots of adults who thought they could hide things from her and this was no different. It was increasing obvious to her that MG's father wasn't just running for mayor, he was running from MG.

"Then let us in. I just want to see Dad."

"Your father doesn't want to see you!" His mom snapped finally, her face softening w she watched her sons face fall. Georgie could almost smell the guilt coming from Landon at realising that he messed up by making them come. "His faith is everything to him. And you know there's no room in his belief system for people dying and coming back to life."

"Except for Jesus," Landon muttered, rolling his eyes as he pointed out the contradictory statement. "And Lazarus."

Georgie sent him a big elbow to the ribs, the boy whimpering a little as he felt a little of that werewolf strength she possessed kicking in. She agreed with his point but his timing was out of place.

"He'll come around. It's just gonna take some time for him to get used to the idea."

"That's his loss then."

____

"We didn't want to leave MG behind, but it was getting late. And we knew that I had to get back before I turned, and..."

"What?"

"We didn't make it back on time, Hope."