Johnson Residence, The Night Of The Masquerade

***Hermione Garcia POV***

My eyes scanned the lying figure beside me, their blonde hair resting by their sides as their sky-blue eyes looked over at me. Jenna's appearance lightened my mood every time for the past 3 weeks. This familiar feeling that rose from inside consumed me whole as I chatted enthusiastically with her, telling her all about my day, though it was the same.

"You know you're going to have to step out of the room sooner or later? There's no point in lying in bed all day." She repeated the same thing for the third time

"I know. Just five more minutes." I pleaded, gazing at her

I was happy. For the first time in weeks, I was happy. Jenna was the only one who could provide me with the comfort that I needed, one that didn't include my friends hanging at Paige's house the entire day, begging to be let in. At least tonight, they weren't here. The silence was all I required to spend time with Jenna.

"Hermione, you can't keep on doing this." Jenna spoke, speaking carefully

"Do what?" I asked, sitting upon the white sheets as the thick blanket hogged around my legs

"You know what I mean."

I felt the sternness behind Jenna's voice as she sat up beside me, her eyes intently looking at me as I refused to meet her sight. Why did it all go wrong at this certain point? She would appear, we'd talk, then she'd get angry and disappear.

"I'm not the real Jenna, Hermione. You know that. Then why am I here?" She continued, forcing me to throw my head into my hands

"I'm just a spiritual manifestation created from your memories of Jenna. The real Jenna is in The Aether. She has been there the moment she died."

"Stop." I snapped, gritting the word through my teeth

This was too much. I couldn't bear to hear Jenna say this every night. I didn't care if she was a manifestation of the fragments of my memories; she was my Jenna. She was the woman I loved, the woman I held in my arms before her death.

I still felt her cold body in arms, her weightless figure like air in my embrace as the pangs of pain arose from my chest over and over again. I remembered the despair when I cried out her name, her body ripped from my arms by her neighbours. Her face was imprinted in my mind.

"You are my Jenna." I stated, narrowing my eyes at her

"No." She replied, shaking her head

"I'm not the real Jenna. If I was, I would remember where I came from, who I was. I'm nothing but a spiritual manifestation who has been given the name Jenna, my appearance that has been altered by your memories. You need to let go of the connection."

I glared at her, the fluffy pillow tightening under my grasp as I felt the rage building up. She could say whatever she wanted to, but she was Jenna. She was always going to be Jenna. It didn't matter if even the devil rose from his throne and told me to destroy the connection, I was never going to do it.

"Let go of the connection." She shouted, startling me

"Shut up." I retorted, gripping the pillow

Without a second thought, I threw the pillow in Jenna's direction. As I expected, the pillow went right through her, her manifestation dissipating the second the pillow knocked the items off the nightstand, along with her necklace.

I breathed heavily, taking in the silence as it was just me now. She was gone. I was going to have to summon her again - use most of my magic before seeing her - just like the past 3 weeks.

"Hermione?" Dexter's deep voice echoed in the not-so-empty house

I jumped at the sound of his voice, his fisted hand thudding against the door as he called out my name once again. I didn't respond. I couldn't. He was here this entire time? My eyes widened as I clutched the door handle, twisting it before letting the door swing open.

Dexter's pale face came into view, his baggy eyes revealing his lack of sleep as his blonde-white hair was pushed back with his fingers. He stood slightly bent, his sleeves rolled up as his hands were in the pockets of his pants.

"Are you okay? I heard a sound." He asked, his voice hoarse

I nodded my head, but my answer didn't satisfy his question. He noticed the fallen items on my nightstand, his eyes rounding as his thick brows furrowed, his gaze constantly switching between me and the table.

I debated on whether or not to slam the door in his face so he would take the hint and leave me alone. But the thud never came. His large hand pressed against the white structure, and I pushed back with equal force. My strength was the size of a grain in comparison to his.

"Leave me alone, Dexter." I gritted through my teeth, struggling hard to close the door as Dexter barely budged

"No." He replied, sternly, his glare sending a shiver down my spine

"You're getting out of that room now. I'm not going to sit here watch you kill yourself."

I pushed against the door, grunting lowly as I even used my magic to amplify my strength. All that had no effect on Dexter who was standing there, easily holding the door open as it probably felt like the weight of a goddamn feather for him.

"Leave me alone."

He paid no heed to my pleading, instead, he used his strength to throw the door fully open. My body flew to the ground as I landed with a loud thud, my back making contact with the hard tiles as a dull pain shot up and down my body.

I cursed under my breath, shutting my eyes as I slowly rubbed my back, carefully standing up on my feet before meeting Dexter's gaze. I noticed the fully open door, the top hinge destroyed as it slightly swayed.

"What do you want?" I asked, venom dripping with every word as I glared at the blonde

"For you to step out of the room and stop being a pain in the ass. It's been three weeks, and you have barely eaten or gone out at all." He demanded, crossing his arms

I thought about what he said, thinking carefully about my answer. Maybe, if I went with him he would get off my back. My friends would realise going outside didn't make me happy and they would finally stop pestering me, let me and Jenna live happily.

"If I go with you, will you stop annoying me?" I asked, exasperated

"Can't make any promises." He replied

I gritted my teeth, rolling my eyes before grabbing the pink sweater and throwing it over my body. I stomped my way towards Dexter and walked past him, my feet working quickly as I descended the glass steps, Dexter following closely behind me as he and I walked out the front door and into the coldness of the night.

"Want some ice cream?" He asked, his hands in his pockets as we walked in the direction of the fountain square

"You're a vampire and I'm human. I feel the cold." I informed, sighing

"Right. How about some coffee then? I know you like coffee."

I nodded my head, letting out a deep breath as my arms swayed by my side. Within a couple of minutes of walking we arrived in the centre of the town, the large fountain turned on as a range of bright lights were displayed from where the water was coming out of.

The shops had all closed down, the last few shopkeepers closing the doors before walking away, except the 24-hour convenience store at the very end of the series of buildings.

I noticed an empty bench, walking over to it before I slumped down on it, the low susurration of the water from the fountain adding some noise to the silence.

"I haven't seen you in 3 weeks. You're not attending the therapy sessions, or eating, or even taking care of yourself." He stated the obvious, making me shove my hands in the pockets of my sweater

"So? Why can't you guys let me mourn in peace? That's all I want." I answered, resting my eyes

"Really? Is mourning all that you're doing at night? Because I hear you talk, whispering Jenna's name."

I heard him shuffling, his motion causing me to snap open my eyes. For a moment, I thought another person was here, a Karlsten. But, Dexter proved me wrong when he pulled out a small keepsake urn from the pocket of his pants.

The small urn, the size of it about half of Dexter's palm, rested in between his fingers as his hand outstretched with it. I intuitively reached for it, his fingers dropping the urn in my hand as I brought it closer to me, the silver paint of it shining underneath the street lights.

"We had the hospital cremate her body without an autopsy. A direct cremation." He informed

I felt his prying eyes on me, examining my every movement. These were Jenna's ashes. They had already cremated her, without consulting me. But, the anger was replaced with grief.

The tears welled up at the bottom of my eyes, my lips quivering as the top of my fingers tightly grasped the urn in, making sure that it always stayed with me. The feeling of despair took over me as I felt the small object in my hand, the lump forming in my throat.

But, I didn't cry. I wasn't going to. As long as I had her ashes and my magic, I could bring her back. I could get someone's help, a powerful witch's help, channel their magic and bring Jenna back. Though it never had been done before, I was going to try. If Kristopher could be brought back, then so could Jenna.

"Her funeral is next Friday at the Miller crypt at the Naarden cemetery. It's going to be an empty casket, and I hope you come. It can help you bring closure."

Without another word, Dexter up and left the town square, walking down the large pavement to the convenience store as I saw him enter it. I was left alone with my thoughts, the dark thoughts. I wanted to attend Jenna's funeral, but she was right here with me. She hadn't said goodbye to me. I was going to bring her back, I had to.

I stood up from the bench, walking over to the line of rose bushes behind me as I admired them. Roses were Jenna's favourite. She liked their colour, their scent. She always had a vase full of them in every room.

I plucked a dark red rose petal, bringing it to my nose as I let my other senses heighten. The smell was sweet, it felt cold against my skin as it was partly wet from the rain. The smell reminded me of Jenna, the rose perfume that she wore every day.

My mind drifted off, my eyes closing on their own as I pictured her standing there, clutching the many bags in her hands as she finally came back from shopping. Her blonde hair was parted in the centre, her chest rising up and down as I checked her out, her clothing covering the right amount of curves on her body.

She took out a red bottle, uncapping it before spraying the perfume all over herself. She rushed over towards me, laughing loudly as her body crashed against mine, the rose perfume hindering all my other senses as I placed a soft kiss on her lips.

My eyes snapped open to the feel of her touch, though no one was there. All I felt was a hollow feeling enveloping me like a second skin, the terrifying aura of another person standing behind me making a shiver run up my spine.

"You know, I would've ripped apart your entire body the second I saw you stalking me and Dexter? But I can't be caught up in another criminal investigation." I told, speaking lowly as I let the rose petal drop from my fingers

I stood up tall on my shoes, straightening my back before turning around to face a certain blonde who had made her appearance known after Dexter left. Her slender body came to my view, her loose top showing off her figure as her pair of jeans stuck to her legs, her black heels making her appear unusually tall.

"Brave." Josephine commented, smiling a little as she stood by my side

"If you said that to my brother, Alex, he would've ripped open your throat the same way I did to Jenna."

I clutched the urn tighter in my hand, pushing it towards my chest as I looked down at my feet. The palm of my hands began to sweat despite the cold wind, my face burning, radiating off heat in the cold weather while Josephine sat down on the bench.

She had an amused look on her face, her guard down as her back leaned onto the large bench, taking in the scenery of the fountain, and its bright lights. If it wasn't for me to be a law-abiding citizen, her body would be here, and her heart in the pretty fountain that she admired.

"You know, I've been alive for a thousand years. I've seen all the wonders this world has to offer." She spoke slowly, her eyes fixated on the fountain as the gentle wind made the bells chimes

"But, if I was offered a way out of this miserable existence - one where I had to drink blood to stay alive, be branded a villain and created to awaken the first hybrid - I would take it."

I let out a deep sigh, my shoulders trembling from the cold as I shivered. I didn't want to listen to Josephine. I wasn't going to stand here, and listen to her justify her actions. If anything, I was going to rip her head off if she said another word.

I couldn't control the rage. Because of her, Jenna's ashes were in my hand. Because of her, I had to summon a half-like version of Jenna every night to comfort myself. I turned on my feet, turning my face away from her sight as I couldn't bear the thought of being in her presence any longer. It disgusted me.

"Wait." She shouted, her firm hand gripping around my wrist as she stopped me from moving forward

The coldness of her body sent a chill up my arm, the fury inching its way up my throat as I snatched my wrist out of her grasp. I couldn't lose it. I couldn't lose the control I had. I didn't know what was going to happen if I did.

"I'm sorry for what I did. But I didn't have a choice." She explained, looking down at me as her dark shadow fell over my body

"Yeah, you did. You had the choice to not kill her. But you did it. You tortured her, drained her blood. She died in my arms, and I couldn't do anything." I snapped at her, narrowing my eyes at the blonde

My inside burned, the need for vengeance rising from the pangs of grief as they shot up my chest. I felt the pain behind the words when I snapped at her. It hurt me to remember that night weeks ago, when Jenna lay in my arms, dying. No amount of comfort, or help, or therapy could make me feel something again. Not now, not ever.

"So let me fix that." She retorted, stepping closer in my direction until our bodies were inches apart

She looked nothing like she did that night weeks ago. She didn't seem so terrifying anymore, almost as if she had pushed that side deep down. Her voice was dripping with remorse, her eyes begging me to forgive her as she seemed ready to get down on her knees and apologise.

But I wasn't that shallow or weak-minded that I would forgive her that easily. I was going to make her live with the guilt, which would only add more to her miserable existence. And when the time would come, and I'd figure out a way to kill her, I was going to take her down. I was going to torture her the same way she tortured Jenna.

"Without the other 2 objects, the dagger can be used to revive people." Josephine explained, drawing my attention as I listened intently

"My brother thinks it's in the family vault. But it's not."

She reached behind her back for something, my eyes stuck on her every movement as she brought out a blue gem dagger, the silver blade sharp enough to slice through the air as the moonlight reflected off from it. This was the dagger that was stolen from the Ainsworth's.

"You'll need the full moon's power to activate the dagger. After that, you can channel the dagger's magic. It'll amplify yours to a great extent, and you'll be able to resurrect Jenna." She informed in detail, her voice low and gentle

"You got until next Sunday. After that, you know where I always am. Meet me there."

Her hand slowly inched the dagger towards me reluctantly, her eyes darting to the blade and then to me. What the hell was she doing? She was giving up the dagger that easily? There had to be something behind what she was doing, some ulterior motive. But her sudden disappearance proved me wrong.

The second the dagger landed in my hand, Josephine disappeared, using her vampire speed to run away from the fountain square and back to her residence as I was left standing alone in the shadow cast by the tall buildings.

My eyes took in the sight of the dagger resting in the paleness of my hand, the magic radiating off of it in small waves as its limit was indescribable. This 1500-year-old mystical object was in my grasp, days away from being used by me so I could bring Jenna back.