Chapter 16

In the meeting, Jacob and Hope came in, found Josie, Raphael and Kaleb, sitting around the table.

"Sorry we're late" said hope as she took a seat down. 

Jacob, who didn't know whether to cry or not, cursed Hope in his heart " There's no "We" bitch, only you!, you forced me to come here".

Kaleb raised an objection, questioning their presence and Jacob's identity, but Jacob ignored him entirely. His attention was fixed on Josie, whom he hadn't seen for a while. Ecstatic, Jacob approached her, giving her an enthusiastic hug and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Oo Josie, where have you been the last and half day, I nearly starved to death " He hugged Josie and kissed her on the cheek. 

"Promise you'll make me food from now on" said Jacob as he squeezed Josie's face, bringing it close to him. Hope rolled her eyes.

Josie was flustered, and didn't know what to do in this situation. Thankfully Emma saved her as she said "alright, let's begin".

The atmosphere in the room grew tense as Emma took charge, signaling the commencement of the discussion. She directed the focus to the crucial decision regarding Landon's future at the school. Emma cast her vote in favour of Landon staying, emphasizing her role as the school counselor and her responsibility toward his well-being.

Kaleb's strong bias towards the superiority of supernaturals over humans influenced his decision, leading him to exclude Landon. Raphael, driven by loyalty and camaraderie, cast his vote in favor of Landon's continuation at the school. However, Hope and Josie, for reasons of their own, voted against Landon remaining.

The count stood at 3 - 2, the decisive vote dangling on Jacob's choice.

All eyes turned to Jacob, the gravity of the moment palpable. The weight of this decision loomed over him, and he felt the collective gaze of the room press upon him. His mind whirled with conflicting thoughts, fully aware of the impact his verdict would have on Landon's future in the school or his future in general. He knows the feeling of being alone and wandering around, wanting to find a place to stay and belong, he was like that for the past 3 years during his training with the old man. He didn't wish such a situation on a kid like Landon.

So as he deliberated, Jacob understood the enormity of the moment, knowing that his decision would shape the course of Landon's life.

Amid the charged atmosphere, Jacob found himself at the center of attention, with every gaze fixated on him, eagerly anticipating his decision and the reasoning behind it. Feeling the weight of the moment, he cleared his throat and began to address the room.

"As we all know, choices come with responsibility, right?" Jacob's tone was serious, punctuating the gravity of the situation. He paused briefly, allowing the gravity of his words to settle in. "Say, if the results of the voting are, suppose 3-3, then… uhm, what happens?"

His question lingered in the room, the silence amplifying the uncertainty. The others exchanged glances, then "eeh.." everyone was stunned, seeing their expressions Jacob flashed a sly smile and cast his vote with a "Yes," tipping the scales to a deadlock at 3-3.

Kaleb erupted, his frustration boiling over, "Great, just great. So this meeting was all for nothing!"

Hope, on the other hand, couldn't help but facepalm her face, her thoughts resonating with her vexation at Jacob's unpredictable action. She couldn't help but think, "This idiot."

Josie was left stunned by Jacob's unexpected move, so she inquired about his reasoning.

With a calm demeanour, Jacob explained, "Since it's a tie at 3-3, the final decision isn't on me. Whether he stays or leaves, I won't be held accountable if something bad happens to him outside the school or if his presence causes trouble here."

Kaleb retorted angrily, "So you're doing this just to absolve yourself of any guilt! There's no genuine intention behind it!"

Unperturbed by Kaleb's frustration, Jacob remained firm in his stance. "Yes, I'm only 17 years old… I don't want the responsibility of determining someone else's future."

The day had taken its toll on everyone, and Hope's departure signalled the end of the meeting. Jacob caught up with Josie, sensing her unease.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, concerned in his voice.

Josie nodded, trying to brush off the weight of the day. "Yeah, just had a hectic day, that's all."

"I heard, how's your sister Lizzie doing" Asked Jacob 

"Well, she's uhm… not happy" replied Josie 

"Aa well, she'll come around, congratulations on becoming the witches representative by the way." Said Jacob

"Thanks" she said feeling a little better. Then she thought of something then she said to Jacob " Jacob, I ask a favour? "

"Yeah, sure what's up?" Jacob inquired 

"The thing is, since the whole monster emergence, we truly feel powerless. I was thinking if you could study magic with me and maybe Lizzie. Maybe teach us some offensive spells " Josie requested earnestly.

"I see… well, I'm pretty new to this magic thingy but yeah so let's do that!" Jacob agreed. "Of course in exchange you gonna start making food for me, 4 times a day" said Jacob 

Josie chuckled " I'm not your maid Jacob " she said as she rolled her eyes "I know, but I enjoy eating your food," said Jacob

Josie was stunned, she looked at jacob like a weirdo, Jacob couldn't stand Josie's look, he compromised " Okay, it sounded better before I said it out loud. But you get what I mean "

Josie chuckled but still didn't answer back. She headed back to her room. Leaving Jacob there, feeling a tad embarrassed by his clumsy attempt at humour. He scratched his head, muttering to himself, "Smooth move, Jacob. Real smooth."

On the other hand, Landon got to know how the voting went, he was happy that he might be staying a little longer but Hope persuaded him to maybe distance himself from the school until this whole monster invasion cools down because now, everyone thinks what's happening is because of him, directly or indirectly, it doesn't matter. When people get hurt, they'll blame him somehow and might do what Jed did to him before, maybe even worse.

Landon understood what Hope meant, so he agreed, that night, without telling Raphael, he left, sharing a kiss with Hope.