Chapter 46

They picked up Myriam after Kol compelled the museum’s staff to wreck the place and set it on fire, and drove home. Izzy got annoyed by Jeremy who kept asking her questions and she hoped he’d shut up, but he didn’t. He didn’t like it that she was ignoring him, either.

The moment they were in the house, Izzy stopped Kol and held up her hand. “Can I have your statue please? I’ll swap you for something.”

“Not until you tell me why you asked me to do what I did for you,” Kol smiled at her. “Because honestly, darling, I’m intrigued!”

Izzy tiredly pinched the bridge of her nose. “That museum… I don’t know. I don’t believe it’s a good place.”

“See?” Myriam said as she pointed at Izzy. “And you were so stupid to go in there.”

“Not for that, really. I was drawn to a shrine to Bella.”

Myriam blinked at her. “And you burnt it down?!”

“Yes,” Izzy said as she moved to the kitchen to get herself something to drink. “Because it wasn’t a shrine, it was… I don’t know. Destroying her memory and showing something that no one should have ever seen. If it weren’t for the camera being so low-res Kol would have been exposed too.”

Kol didn’t like to hear that. “What do you mean?”

“Uh…”

‘It was the first time in the Cullen House and Kol got possessed twice,’ Jeremy prompted her.

“Right. It was the first time in the Cullen House and there were cameras you didn’t know about. After playing some of the recordings on the recorder, two videos were shown,” Izzy said as she looked at Kol who had turned white as a sheet.

“The fucker is lucky he’s already dead!” he said as he kicked against a chair and it flew across the house through a window. “The both of them! What is it with humans and their incessant need of enjoying other people’s misery? I nearly killed Bella there! If it hadn’t been for Jeremy! That was… It was over 50 years ago and it still bloody gets to me!”

“And it should,” Izzy said as she approached Kol and took his hand. “It looked pretty traumatic to me, I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to realize you nearly killed your girlfriend,” she said calmly. “So I decided that nobody else should see it and have you have them burn it all down. Free the spirits that were stuck there too.”

“There were spirits stuck?”

Izzy nodded. “There were some spirits there attached to items and couldn’t leave. Others were brought there. I think they were held there by magic?” she looked over to Myriam who nodded. “So yeah, we saved a bunch of people. Now give me your statue and I’ll trade you.”

“Why?”

“Trust me,” she smiled at him. “This person has been talking non-stop and he’s annoying me, but I think you’ll like him.”

“What? You hear spirits now?”

“Only him, because I made a connection, so hand it over.”

Kol reluctantly handed her the statue and she handed him the recorder before walking away. “The fuck! Jer!”

‘Hey man,’ he smiled at him. ‘How do I look? It’s awesome that I can choose what I look like when dead, I choose my younger self.’

“Yeah, great, but… how?”

Jeremy shrugged. ‘I died, and I wanted to look around for a bit, found that place and then I was stuck, there was a big pull towards something in there, and I wasn’t sure what, but it’s that recording device.’

“We’ll give to Myriam to cleanse.”

‘Sure, but can I stick around? I’ve missed you, man. I can’t move on and that fucking sucks.’

“Why can’t you?” Kol blinked. “You know, go to the light or something?”

‘Uh, I don’t know what rock you’ve been living under but since the other side was destroyed, which I know you are familiar with, the supernatural don’t exactly have anywhere to go. We just roam now, we create our own happiness, I suppose. No more torture, so that’s cool.’

“Yeah but you still have the option to disappear or something?”

‘There’s no such thing as heaven and hell anymore, Kol. The whole thing with Cade locked it out and Bonnie is… are you serious right now? You really don’t know?’

“Yeah, I do know, Jeremy but I don’t see why you should stick around me.”

‘Well, didn’t you miss me?’

Kol glared at him before looking at Izzy as she was sipping her drink in one of the chairs, playing with her phone. “Of course I did.”

‘And you need me. I’m no longer bound by my physical and aging body.’

“You should have lived longer, you’re a worthless supernatural being.”

‘Yep,’ Jeremy nodded. ‘Let it all out. Come on then. Send new Bella out of the room if you’re uncomfortable.’

“Her name is Izzy,” Kol scowled at him. “Let’s go outside, you and I,” Kol said to Jeremy and walked outside.

Izzy looked at Kol upon hearing her name and saw him walk outside, his body rigid, his fists balled at his side as he stepped out of the broken window before he went off on Jeremy. “So I guess they had left some things unsaid?” Izzy asked Myriam.

Myriam shrugged. “Jeremy killed Kol once, nearly twice, but they became friends, somewhat. Bella bonded them together even further. Kol cared for Jeremy when Jeremy got too old to take care of himself, and then he passed. Kol took it hard. It was his last connection, you know,” she said with another shrug. “I wouldn’t worry. It’s good for Kol to let it all out.”

“Are you sure?” Izzy asked as she looked out the window and saw Kol pace back and forth across the garden. “I think I’ve made it worse.”

Myriam smiled then. “You’ve given him his friend back. Ghost or not, but a lot of people would kill for that opportunity to reunite with their loved ones. Hmm… maybe I should bind Jeremy’s soul to me so I can use him to fuel my rituals…”

“Does he deserve that?”

“No,” Myriam sighed. “So I won’t do it,” Myriam smiled widely and sat down across from Izzy. “So, you can hear spirits now.”

“I heard Jeremy. And Kol. And they both have a connection to Bella,” she said slowly. “Not even sure if Kol was truly a spirit because you two did that spell thingy and he was technically still in his body.”

“But still, it’s something you didn’t have previously, how does it make you feel?”

“Freaked out. Because I can’t see them.”

“And that’s strange because you did see the spirits in New Orleans in our home. Why was that?”

Izzy shrugged. “Maybe because they couldn’t talk?”

“Or, your gift is out of alignment because you’ve never really practiced it or worked with it.”

Izzy let out a breath, frustrated as she took a sip of her drink. “I’m just happy that I did something good today and learned more about her, despite the museum taking advantage of her and stuff. That was just wrong. Even I felt violated.” She looked out the window and saw Kol angrily pacing around, his hands in his hair, frustration and grief etched on his face and that hurt. “Maybe I should go outside. It’s unnerving to see him talk to someone who isn’t there.”

“You’ll get used to it, give him some time with Jeremy by himself.”

Izzy sighed and nodded. “Okay, I’m going to the supermarket so I can cook us some food tonight.”

“Lasagna?” Myriam’s eyes lit up.

“No, I think something with chicken,” Izzy smiled as she nodded towards the barbecue. “Beer can chicken,” she got to her feet and saw Myriam’s horrified look on her face. “Relax, it’s good stuff, I know what I’m doing.”

When Izzy returned from getting the groceries, she was surprised to hear Kol laugh out loud, and she found him sitting in front of the television with a game console as he happily chatted with Jeremy. He had the biggest smile on his face as he continued playing and it was the happiest she’d seen him after he thought she was Bella.

Myriam was nowhere to be found, so Izzy quietly made her way out the door to the garden and used the table to prepare her food after lighting the barbecue. She cracked open a beer for herself, and then one for the chicken and after seasoning the chicken, she still had to wait for the barbecue to get even hotter.

Reaching into her bag, she grabbed her sketchpad and opened it up to a clean page and decided to draw Kol, sitting at the TV and playing his game, occasionally taking a sip of her beer and only pausing briefly to put the chicken in and some jacket potatoes and some root vegetables.

‘She’s a great artist,’ Jeremy said as he looked at Kol.

Kol nodded. “We think she’s a psychic drawer, but her gifts are all over the place at the moment because she barely used it.”

‘We should totally train her, dude. I mean, I’m a willing spirit.’

Kol barked out a laugh. “Baby steps. I got her to leave her angel statue behind in Texas, now she’s carrying mine around so I can talk to you. Myriam finally made one for me.”

‘Angel statue?’

“She was found with that thing, Bella made sure she had it.”

‘Oh, that’s cool,’ Jeremy said as he sat down in an empty chair. ‘It’s not so bad, you know, being dead. Thanks to Izzy freeing me I can do whatever I want. Even visit my stupid sister. Or Bonnie. Or whatever. As long as Myriam removes the connection to the recorder.’

“But?”

‘I like you better, man,’ Jeremy sighed and then pointed at Izzy. ‘And now that you’ve got her back…’

“Woah, don’t go there,” Kol blinked. “There’s nothing going on.”

‘But… huh?’

“She’s not Bella. She’s Izzy, her own mind, her own being. Bella and the others are gone. Which was a decision made by Izzy, Bella and I. Bella was too broken, she was too fragmented. Only the last house was still in one piece.”

‘Oh man, seriously?’

Kol nodded. “And Izzy is very stubborn and not in touch with her gifts or feelings. Well, feelings that go opposite of anger are difficult.”

Jeremy let out a breath. ‘You’ve got your work cut out for you.’

“Not until she’s ready, I’m not going to push,” Kol replied before looking at his friend. “As much as it pains me.”

‘Maybe you should.’

“No, she needs to want things on her own. Myriam and I were far too excited and enthusiastic and not over Bella before and Izzy bolted.”

‘I can talk to her if you want.’

“Ah, no.”

‘She’s pretty, and blonde… you don’t like blondes.’

Kol narrowed his eyes at Jeremy. “Don’t make me punch you.”

Jeremy laughed then. ‘But you can’t!’ he kept laughing before pointing at Izzy. ‘But I think she might be able to. Somehow.’

“She’s not Bella.”

‘No, and she doesn’t have Bella’s gifts, but she still glows. Not with that statue on her but she still glows.’

“How the hell is that possible?” Kol threw his gamepad on the table. “That link should have severed after Bella destroyed everything.”

‘It’s not glowing as bright as Bella did. She’s not an energy being, she’s human alright, but she is Bella’s creation. It’s like…’ Jeremy tilted his head as he looked at Izzy and tried to find the right words, especially now that the totem was blocking her again. ‘She’s a beacon of hope to the spirits who want to be heard, but she’s so closed off that it sort of burns so she doesn’t get approached much anymore. I think that once she opens up to everything, embraces who she is and what she can do, the light will be warm and inviting.’

“You think?”

‘Yeah. And that’s why I’m going to stick around, so we can help her.’

Having Jeremy’s help with Izzy was a good idea, he could see things Kol couldn’t, and he could actually see if things would work for her. “Myriam and Nik won’t like it if you linger here.”

‘Then let’s go back to Mobile, you still have your house there, right?’

“It’s a bubble, Jer, like my flat in New Orleans.”

‘Take her somewhere else!’

Kol let out a breath. “I’ll have to talk to her about that.”

‘Yes, but first, catch me up on everything that I have missed, seeing I’ve been stuck for the last year and a half.’

~o.O.o~

After dinner, Kol wanted her to hand over the totem and he then gave it to Myriam, much to Izzy’s dismay. “You and I are going to have a chat. With Jeremy,” he said with a smile.

“Is this about my recipe for Beer Can chicken? Because if it is, he can take a hike. He’s dead. He doesn’t need food,” Izzy said as she took a sip of her beer. “It was a damn good chicken.”

“It’s not about your food,” Kol let out a snort. “You’re a wonderful cook.”

‘I miss food.’

“Jesus!” Izzy nearly jumped out of her chair when Jeremy spoke behind her. “Wear a bell!”

‘Learn how to see me!’ Jeremy huffed.

Izzy could feel that Jeremy was moving back towards Kol and relaxed some as she took another sip of her beer, keeping her eyes on Kol. She likely knew what Jeremy and Kol wanted to talk to her about. “Look, I have a different understanding of Bella now, having heard someone from the outside talk about her and all that, but I’m nothing like her.”

“We know that, Izzy,” Kol smiled at her. “And we don’t want you to be Bella.”

‘However, you do have a gift and if you don’t learn how to use it, to control it, it could ruin you,’ Jeremy added. ‘You’re powerful and you can’t just ignore it until it goes away.’

“Sure I can. I want to be a vet, not… weird, we’ve been over this, Kol. I don’t like this ghost stuff.”

‘Suck it up, it’s a part of who you are. It’s not just ghost stuff, because while you can’t see me, you can feel my emotions or maybe pick up on snippets from my past. If you learn how to control that, imagine what you could mean to the animals you so stubbornly love to help.’

“Animals don’t judge and they aren’t assholes. It’s the humans that hurt animals. Why should I help their spirits?”

“Because while you are human, darling, you’re not one of them,” Kol reminded her. “You weren’t raised by humans, either. And most spirits only want to have their story told. Or need help moving on. They’re not all that bad.”

She narrowed her eyes on him again. “I saw the footage of what happened in the Cullen House with you and Bella. Don’t tell me that there aren’t assholes in the spirit world.”

‘There are, and you can protect yourself against it with training. With learning how to control your gift,’ Jeremy said. ‘The thing is, Izzy, you still have a light. You’re human, but you clearly have a light around you, that burns spirits when they get too close when they only want your help. Should you learn how to control your gift and embrace it, it’ll turn into a positive light and more spirits will be kinder to you than they have been.’

“How the hell do you know I have had some bad experiences?”

Jeremy shrugged. Not that she saw it. ‘Kol told me how you basically were glued to the totem you were found with and how he made you leave it behind.’

“Still not happy about that,” she muttered. “Might call my dad to send it over. Can we not do this right now?”

“Izzy, it’s important you get it under control. You don’t have to use it, you just need to get it under control,” Kol sighed. What happened to her ‘go with the flow’ attitude? “Jer and I want to help you with that.”

‘Check her sketchbook, her last two drawings. One is that she’s done here, the other she did in the museum.’

Before Izzy could grab it, Kol had used his speed to get to it faster. Her last drawing was of Kol playing his video game, but she hadn’t been able to see him as she was outside and there were a few plants blocking her view. What was interesting was that she drew Jeremy as well, who was sitting next to him, slouched and looking forlorn, almost as if he wanted to play along with Kol. Another interesting point was that Jeremy looked young, like Kol saw him seeing as he died an old man. “What’s this?”

“I wanted to draw you, so I did. And then you got a little something extra.”

“But you had the totem on you.”

“Yep,” Izzy nodded. “The connection is stronger when I don’t have it on me, though. It doesn’t block everything.”

“It should.”

Izzy shrugged.

The drawing that Izzy had made in the museum, in ‘Bella’s Room’ was slightly disturbing. She’d drawn Bella, wearing one of Kol’s shirts, but more like a see through person, frazzled around the edges. Around Bella were people that Kol instantly recognized. There was Drew with his wife, Jasper and Rosalie, Bella’s parents were tangled up in something that looked like a rope and their mouths were gone. There was Jake. And a handful of spirits that Kol didn’t recognize and were likely from Bella’s time before him. “You were only by yourself for twenty minutes, maybe,” Kol eventually managed to say. “How can you be so detailed in such a short period of time?”

Izzy shrugged again. “It’s almost as if I get possessed and get the need and urge to draw it, not paying much attention to what goes on around me. And that usually happens without the totem and it’s dangerous. When I was little and I didn’t have it on me, I sat down in the middle of the road to draw in the sand while I walked my pony. If it hadn’t been for daddy, I would have been hit by a truck. Literally. I didn’t hear it coming. Didn’t see it. Even forgot about the pony.”

“Do you understand now why we want to help you control it?” Kol asked her. “You just said it yourself that the totem doesn’t block everything. What if it stops working for you? Or what if you’re at a place that’s magical and the totem won’t work?”

‘You could die, Izzy, and that’d mean you can’t be the person you’ve always wanted to be.’

Izzy relented and nodded. “Fine, what do I do?”

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