“You can talk to me, you know? Whatever you have to say, I am not going to judge you. I just want to listen.”
𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐒 . . . Hope Mikaelson was meant to be strong through everything. It's either stay strong or risk certain death. The moment that enemies know a weakness, they can exploit it. Something that Hope refuses to let happen. I'm the strongest creature for a reason. But even being physically strong doesn't discount the years of trauma that were thrust upon her from the age of 2 onward.
the hollow taking control of her body, running away from nola for years, hiding herself under the guise of Hope Jones, being treated as a weapon that needs to be controlled by a headmaster, parents dying, trusting a love interest only for them to betray her at a young age, smelling her mother's burning body, feeling forced to hunt monsters because no one else can do it . . . . the list goes on & on.
They were in the woods on the hunt for a Chimera. A gun on her hip, loaded with bullets made with chimera blood & a hell of a lot of magic ready to be aimed at the head of the bastard that has been causing damage in the small town of MYSTIC FALLS. How do people in this town handle being lied to so much? They are either stupid or just don't give a shit about what's going on.
❝I feel like after this is over, we deserve a good glass of bourbon.❞ Hope tells Tristain in a joking tone. Her blue eyes scan the world around her as they get deeper into the woods, heading toward the edge of the town's border.
It's a strong wind that brings a scent that must be 4 miles away toward her. A scent that turns her stomach & makes her want to puke right there on the crunchy leaves under her boots. The air around her suddenly thickened with the scent of burning & charred flesh. It's hard for Hope to describe; just know that one would have to be there to smell it. The world seemed to stop spinning as the tribrid came to a dead stop.
Hope sees it after she blinked a couple of times. There was a brunette lying on the ground in front of her as she bent her head. The face was obscured for a moment, blurry like a photograph, until it became crystal clear. Mama? She thought. The body in front of her had a name: Hayley Marshall-Kenner. But the body was not of someone peacefully lying there asleep; no, the person was burning. The flames started to wrap around & engulf the body. NO! Her father's voice screams.
Hope could practically feel the heat radiating from the body when she reached out in an attempt to touch it. Tears roll down her cheeks, then at a rapid pace that makes the body in front of her blurry. It's as if she actually felt a fraction of the frame's wrath as she suddenly recolis. Her pain was not silent but loud & forced to be heard. The sobs that wreck her 5'3 sized body cause her whole body to shake.
It wasn't until there was a distinct sound of a branch cracking underfoot that Hope's attention snapped out of it. The sight of flames & her mother's dead body vanishes before her eyes, causing Hope to look around frantically. What just happened? It's a shock to the system from feeling in danger to not knowing where the danger is coming from, but knowing it is there. The air in her lungs comes out in gasping breaths as the tears eventually still. Hope turns to look at the vampire beside her.
When her eyes stop producing tears, Hope shakes her head as fingers go to wipe at her eyes. ❝I think the creature is about 4 miles that way,❞ Hope tells @lordofthestrix. She leads the way. Her brain felt fuzzy & light in the moment. Every action she took became a blur, making it hard to even tell what happened, but it was safe to say the monster was taken care of in the end.
It's back at the hotel, in Hope's room, with a glass of scotch in hand, that things get heavy once more. When Hope was at her calmest. The plan was to order some Chinese food & drink, & a few glasses of scotch. But Tristan seems to have other ideas when Hope sits down in front of him, her phone in hand, looking at the menu on the DoorDash app.
❝You can talk to me, you know? Whatever you have to say, I am not going to judge you. I just want to listen.❞
Hope's thumb stills against the cool screen of her phone. Why? So you can use it against me? But she manages, just barely, to bite back the comment that nearly spills from her lips. ❝I'm fine.❞ This happens sometimes. Hope is used to these feelings of dread that come with nightmares that wreck her body with terror. But she doesn't know what it is. Doubts that having a name for it would do her much good, either. So instead, she chalks it up to the years of traumas that she has been put through & leaves it at that.
