Chapter Text
They were in a fight. Not once in her six month relationship with Josie Saltzman had the two of them ever been in a fight. At first she thought things wouldn’t feel that different. She and Josie only saw each other like once a week during school times, and with the ridiculous new restrictions, it wasn’t like they’d be able to hang out anyway. But Hope believed her relationship with Josie was more than physical. It was emotional in the sense that she could feel comforted knowing that Josie was there for her without actually being there. But now, now that comfort was gone.
“Chicken or steak?” she was asked as she moved down the dinner line. Hope barely remembered walking to the cafeteria. Her mind was full of too many thoughts.
“Uh…steak,” Hope said. The food was put on her plate, and she took a seat at an empty table. She ate slowly, ignoring the looks shot her way. The restrictions being placed had everyone on edge. She could tell the wolves were getting restless, and the tension between them and the vampires was growing. Then that left the witches. Witches who were all sitting at a table led by Elizabeth Saltzman. Hope rarely saw Lizzie with the witches. She and Josie had their usual group, but Lizzie was talking to the other witches in a hushed tone, and Josie was nowhere to be found.
Hope assumed the other girl would just join her later, but dinner came and went, and she never showed up. Hope put her plate away, and she checked to make sure Lizzie was still occupied with her group before going up the stairs to the twins room. She knocked once, twice, then a third time. She didn’t get an answer any time. Her first thought was that Josie was ignoring her, but then she remembered she was the one who’d gotten mad, not the other way around. And Josie never missed dinner.
She opened the door to an empty room. Lizzie’s side of the room was a mess, and Josie’s was a little cleaner, albeit not by that much. Books were strewn over her desk, her bed was unmade, and her school folders were thrown lazily on her chair, the contents threatening to spill outt. Hope grabbed them before they could, and she noticed that the folders were filled with assignments, some of them being due today. Another thing Josie never did. Forgot to turn in an assignment.
“I’ll be there, Denise,” Hope heard, along with a door opening. Crap. “Just come get me after classes let out and we can…” She trailed off, clearly seeing Hope in the room. The door slammed.
“I can explain-”
“What the hell are you doing in my room? Get out!” Lizzie exclaimed, and before Hope could register what was happening, a hair clip was being thrown at her. She caught it easily, and she considered smashing it in her hand, but her worry for Josie ended up overcoming any pettiness she felt towards her twin. She dropped the clip on the ground and said,
“Sorry, I uh, I heard a noise.” Lizzie raised an eyebrow at her, “So where’s Josie? Aren’t you two usually like…peas in a pod?” She felt stupid using that phrase, but hey, it worked.
“I dunno,” Lizzie said, “She said she wasn’t feeling well, so I went to class without her.” She frowned and said, “But I honestly thought she’d be up here…” Hope’s heart sank.
“Where do you think she could be?” Lizzie glared at her.
“And why do you care?”
“I…I don’t,” she lied, “I’m just curious.” Lizzie huffed, then grabbed her arm. You’re dating her sister, you’re dating her sister , she told herself as she refrained from snapping Lizzie’s neck. Lizzie dragged her out of the room, pushed her out, and said,
“My sister is none of your concern. Spend your time focusing on people who actually care about you.” The door was slammed in her face soon after.
Hope was trying not to let Lizzie’s words get to her. She knew Josie cared about her, even if they were at odds. But if Josie cared, then why didn’t she tell Hope where she was? She’d checked the entire school, but nothing. She’d even checked all of her favorite places. She was making one more last ditch effort to check the twin’s room when she saw Lizzie with her mom.
“You haven’t seen her since this morning?” Caroline was asking.
“Nope,” Lizzie said, “She said she was feeling sick, so I left her alone. I guess I should’ve called you…”
“Don’t blame yourself,” she said, “What about any friends? Did you talk to them?”
“They haven’t seen anything,” she said, “They know as much as I do.”
“Okay,” Caroline said, “I’m gonna talk to your father. Meanwhile, you can ask around and check your room again.” Lizzie nodded, then went up the stairs. Hope shook her head. If Josie’s family didn’t know where she was, that meant she was missing.
“Oh, Lizzie!” Caroline called, and Lizzie turned around, “Give Landon a call. Maybe she stopped by his place?”
“Yeah yeah,” Lizzie murmured. Hope nearly rolled her eyes. If Josie was anywhere, it definitely wasn’t with Landon. Lizzie continued upstairs, and was soon gone. Caroline disappeared into the office, and Hope decided to make her escape. Caroline and Alaric had some teachers posted guard outside, but a simple invisibility spell took care of that. Once she’d passed the guards, the next obstacle was the barrier outside. It was spelled to keep the students inside. But when Hope went to find a spell to take it down, she was met with the terrifying knowledge that it was already gone. Which meant someone had unspelled it or…
“Siphoned it,” she ended up murmuring aloud. What if Josie had left willingly? And what if it had been because of their fight? She pushed the gate, wincing as it easily opened. It hadn’t even been locked. She was about to step out when she heard,
“Where are you going?” She jumped as she turned to see Jed. He was dressed in a shirt and shorts from gym class, and he stood with his head high and arms crossed. Hope could tell that he was trying to be intimidating, but it wasn’t working on her.
“None of your business, Tien!” she snapped, “Move along.”
“Okay,” he said, “I’ll move right along to the office. I’m sure the headmasters would love to know why you’re sneaking out of the school.”
“You wouldn’t,” Hope said. She knew Jed didn’t like her, but she also knew he wasn’t a narc. No one at the school was, it was uncool.
“I’m stuck in detention for the next two weeks because of you. Try me,” he said. And that was a reminder to Hope that she’d missed detention. Great.
“Please don’t tell,” she said, “I won’t be gone long.”
“Why should I trust you to leave?” Jed asked, “The entire school thinks you killed that girl, you know? What if I’m letting a killer loose?” Hope felt her blood boil. Her eyes glowed, and she watched Jed take a step back, a new fear in his eyes.
“I did not kill Dana,” she said, her tone harsh, “Josie is missing, and I intend to find her.” That was when the fear left Jed’s eyes, and it was replaced with worry.
“Wait,” he said, “Jo’s in trouble?”
“She didn’t show up for classes today, and her family doesn’t know where she is,” Hope said, “I may have a way to find her, but I can’t be in the school to do it.”
“Why do you even care?” Jed asked, “You’re not even her friend.” Yeah, I’m more than that. Hope took a breath, doing her best to calm herself. She opened her eyes.
“I’m just trying to do a good thing,” Hope said, “Can’t that just be it?” Hope didn’t believe that at all. She didn’t think good deeds could be committed-not unless the person wanted something for themselves-but the same couldn’t be said for Jed.
“Okay,” he said, “On one condition. I’m coming with you.”
Hope liked to work alone. Working alone meant she could avoid any incessant questions, she could make her own plan, and she wouldn’t have to worry about anybody else. But she had to admit that Jed wasn’t the worst company. Sure he was loud, and he didn’t like her too much, but him being a wolf was useful enough. While Hope was a tribrid, and she had the powers of all three, that could get a bit…challenging. When you had three things overlapping, it was hard to pick which should take over. So Jed was able to pick up a trail while Hope used her magic.
“I lost her,” Jed said. They were in the middle of the woods, miles away from the school. It was the worst time for Jed to lose the trail.
“Try again,” Hope said, “I’m not sure where we are, and if we lose the trail now, we’re just going to get more lost.”
“And what exactly are you doing to help?” If Hope exposed how she was tracking Josie, that would open a whole can of worms that she wouldn’t be able to answer.
“I’m listening for her, but I need your help to keep the trail.”
“And how are you listening for her?” he asked. She glared at him and said,
“I just-” she trailed off when she heard a twig snap, “What was that?” Jed shrugged, then stiffened as she heard more footsteps.
“You hear that too?” Jed asked.
“Shh,” she said, getting ready to fight. Jed made a move to step in front of her, but a simple eyebrow raise and another twig snap got him to jump right behind her. Hope’s fangs slid out, and she got her hands ready. The footsteps got closer, and she was ready to attack until she smelled a familiar and obnoxiously strong perfume.
“Found them!” came the awfully loud voice of Lizzie Saltzman. She entered the clearing holding a lantern, and she was followed by Kaleb.
“What are you guys doing here?” Jed asked.
“Looking for you!” Kaleb exclaimed, “Dr. Saltzman’s freaking out, and the Headmistress is close to calling the cops. We used the panic as a window to leave.”
“We can’t go back,” Hope said, “Not without Josie.” Lizzie glared at her, but Hope ignored her.
“Relax,” Kaleb said, “We’re here to help, not to stop you.” Now that was surprising, “Lizzie did a locator spell, but the trail stopped here.”
“See,” Jed said, “Told you?”
“Well she’s not here, is she?” Hope asked crossly.
“And what exactly have you been doing?” Jed asked.
“I have my own way of tracking her,” Hope said, “But…I could use another set of ears.” Her two new companions looked reluctant.
“Why should we even trust you?” Lizzie asked, “We don’t even know why you’re here, or if you even have Jo’s best interest in mind.”
“I think she’s cool,” Jed mumbled, and Kaleb and Lizzie frowned, “Look, I was unsure at first too, but she really is trying, and we all made it to the same place!”
“But why does she care?” Lizzie asked, “Huh? Why does she matter so much to you?” There were a hundred answers to that questions going through Hope’s head, but all she could get out was,
“Because I do !” Lizzie rolled her eyes, “Listen, I don’t give a crap if none of you trust me! I came out here to find Josie, and that’s what I intend to do.” It was quiet after that. Then Kaleb asked,
“You need ears?” Hope nodded, “Then you’ve got me.”
“Kaleb!” Lizzie exclaimed.
“Come on,” he said, “We all want to find Josie.” He walked up to her and said, “Plus, Jed seems pretty confident so…” Hope didn’t miss the look the two guys shared. She almost felt like she was interrupting something, so she turned to Lizzie and asked,
“So…” The girl looked uncertain at first, then she let out a resigned sigh.
“My sister means everything to me,” she said, “So if you’re serious about finding her, I’m in. But if you cross us-”
“I won’t,” Hope said, though if she was being honest, she knew the three of them couldn’t take her, but hey, team spirit, right? “I promise.” Lizzie looked over at Kaleb, who shrugged and said,
“If MG were here, he’d agree.”
“Yeah,” Lizzie murmured, then in a lower voice added, “So would Jo.” She looked up and said, “I’m in. What’s our next-”
“Wait a minute,” Kaleb murmured. He was walking away from the group. He turned to Hope, his eyes darkened, and he asked, “You smell that?” Hope was confused at first, then she followed him, and she realized what he meant.
“Blood,” she said. She heard Lizzie’s heartbeat quicken.
“Where?” she asked.
“This way,” Kaleb said, breaking into a run. Hope, Jed, and Lizzie followed. Hope prayed Josie was at the end of the trail, but she knew it was wishful thinking. She still couldn’t hear her. What they saw at the end did nothing to help her. It was Josie’s backpack, and one strap had been ripped off. The rest was covered in blood.
“Is it…hers?” Lizzie asked with a gulp. Hope honestly couldn’t tell, and neither could Kaleb.
“I don’t know,” Jed said, “But this looks really bad.” Hope walked over to the bag, and she picked it up. There were claw marks on the broken strap, and the front had been torn.
“It looks like whatever did this clawed it right off,” Hope murmured. Lizzie crouched down next to her and asked,
“Do you think whoever did this still has her?” Hope felt her heart sink at the thought.
“I don’t know,” she murmured.
“Trail of blood continues,” Jed commented, “This way!” Hope got up from the ground, and she chased Jed through the woods. It kept going for a while, stopping at a river. The blood was dripping inside, and with her wolf eyes, Hope could see the murky water turn red.
“Maybe the monster dragged her in?” Jed asked.
“If it did that she could have drowned!” Hope exclaimed, her panic rising. She could feel her body get hot with nerves, and she hated that, she hated that feeling!
“Hey hey hey,” Kaleb said as her breaths became labored, “You hear that?” He put a gentle hand on Hope’s shoulder, and pointed to the east, “Listen.” Hope closed her eyes, shutting out the rest of the forest. She trained her ears on the direction Kaleb was pointing to. It took a second, but she heard it. The sound of Josie calling for help.
Her eyes shot open.
“I hear her!” she exclaimed, “She’s down the river!” She broke into a run, but she immediately halted when the ground leveled out, and it all became water.
“I’m gonna have to swim to her,” she said, kicking her shoes off.
“Whoa whoa whoa,” Jed said, “Maybe you should slow down.”
“Don’t tell me to slow down!” Hope snapped at him, “My ears will work just fine underwater, and I can use my eyes to see.”
“But you can’t open your eyes while you swim,” Kaleb said, “The water is full of debris, you’ll get stuck.”
“I’ll keep my head above water,” Hope said.
“Not down there,” Kaleb said, “The water will get deeper you’re gonna have to swim under if you’re going to reach her. If I’m being real, I don’t even know how we can hear her right now.”
“Fine, I’ll cast a light spell,” Hope said.
“Light spells can’t work under water,” Lizzie said, “The witch would have to be above ground to cast it.” Hope held in the deepest sigh.
“Then will you cast it?” she asked, trying to keep her annoyance at bay.
“Well, I suppose,” she said. Hope turned to Kaleb and said,
“The current is getting more intense, and there’s the fact that there could be a monster out there…”
“I’ll stay back with Lizzie,” Jed volunteered.
“I’ll move with you,” he said, “I’ll cut through the trees and listen for you in the water. That way if whoever took Josie is still there, we’ll face them together.”
“I can handle myself just fine,” Hope said.
“Humor me,” Kaleb said. Hope knew he wasn’t gonna give up easily, and while she would never admit it aloud, the thought of having someone watching her back in case a monster had taken Josie didn’t seem too bad.
“Okay,” she said, “Stay close.” He nodded, and Hope took off her Salvatore School jacket, throwing it on top of her shoes. She took a deep breath before inching slowly towards the water, and she slid inside. The smell of blood was almost overwhelming. She blocked it out with the orb of light Lizzie sent her way, then she went under.
The water was rough, and torrents kept pushing her backwards, but she kept going. Her ears were getting clogged with water, but they still worked, and she could still hear Josie. She swam for what felt like miles, and she eventually had to come up for air. She coughed up water, and nearly screamed as a harsh current came over, pulling her under. She was able to fight it and get back up, and that was when the bloodstream got thicker. She was close.
“Josie?!” she asked over the water. No answer.
“Hope!” came Kaleb’s call. Hope turned to the side, and she saw that the ground had leveled out. Kaleb ran to the edge and said, “Over here!” Lizzie’s light fizzled out, but Hope was able to use her wolf sight to see where Kaleb was pointing. She swam over, and she saw Josie by the water’s edge. Her whole body was covered in water, and she had a nasty gash on her side.
“Jo?” she asked, “Hey, hey it’s me!” She gently moved her towards her, and Josie asked,
“How…how did you find me?”
“The talisman,” Hope said, her hand grabbing the necklace she’d given Josie days before, “It worked.”
“What’s it supposed to do?” Josie asked. Hope blushed,
“Make quiet things heard,” she said. Realization dawned over Josie’s face, and she looked ready to reply, then stopped as she began to hack up water. Kaleb ran over and said,
“Josie!” He ran to her side then asked Hope,
“What happened?”
“I don’t know,” she said, “When I found her, she was like this.” Kaleb crouched down to their level, and he said,
“Hope, there are cuts all over the side of her body…this looks like an animal attack. It looks like…”
“How the sheriff described Dana,” Hope said.
“Do you think it’s the same creature?” he asked. Hope shrugged, and was about to give him an answer when they heard a siren. They turned, and Hope immediately shielded her eyes from the bright light of the ambulance. It rolled down to them, and it was followed by a police car. The back door opened, and Lizzie and Jed came out.
“Jo!” Lizzie called. She ran over, and slid next to Kaleb, mud getting all over her clothes, “I started feeling pain so bad…I broke the light spell…” Kaleb put a hand on her shoulder and said,
“It’s okay. We found Jo.”
“Oh my God,” Lizzie said, “What happened to her?”
“We don’t know,” Hope said, “We found her like this.” Lizzie pushed her out of the way, and Hope nearly fell back in the water until Kaleb grabbed her and pulled her out. Lizzie was trying her best to comfort her sister, but Hope didn’t miss how Josie’s eyes traveled to her. She gave her a soft smile that Josie returned, but she would give anything to be able to hold her.
“Out of the way!” A paramedic called, and she and Kaleb stepped to the side. The paramedics lifted Josie onto a stretcher, and Lizzie went to ride in the ambulance with them.
“We can follow in the car,” Kaleb said as he took his jacket off, and draped it over her shoulders. She was surprised at the gesture, but she didn’t complain. They got in the car, and she was sandwiched in between Kaleb and Jed, who said Caroline had called the police.
“They found Lizzie and me,” he said, “I explained that Josie might’ve been hurt, so they called an ambulance, then Lizzie nearly collapsed from the pain. You might’ve found her just in time.”
“How were you able to find her?” Kaleb asked, “Like I’m sorry, but I still have no idea how we could hear her from that far away with the water.”
“I don’t know,” Hope lied, burying herself in the jacket, “We must’ve just…gotten lucky.”
When they got to the hospital, the doctors went to treat Josie, and Lizzie and the guys went to get coffee. Hope didn’t really like the drink, so she settled for washing herself off in the bathroom. Jed had given her her shoes and jacket, so Hope had pulled her shirt off, and she replaced it with the now zipped up jacket, and she replaced her skirt with some less than comfortable burn unit pants from the nurse.
At this point, anything was better than her soaked clothes from the lake that were both wet and covered with blood. Blood that was currently driving her mad. She didn’t drink human blood often-it wasn’t offered at the school-so being around so much of it was honestly exhausting. She sealed her clothes in a bag, and left them hidden in the bathroom. She’d come back for them later.
When she left the bathroom, she saw Caroline talking to a doctor, and she was able to pick up that Josie was in room 213. While Caroline was occupied, Hope slid past them, and went towards the room. She passed the waiting room on the way, and she saw that MG was there too. Lizzie was asleep, resting her head on his shoulder, and Kaleb and Jed were drinking their coffee, talking in hushed tones. None of them seemed to notice as she walked past. She found 213, and went inside. Josie was in a hospital gown, and her wet hair had been pulled out of her face, and was under a towel. She had some bandages on her arms, and probably a lot more on her side.
Hope leaned against the wall. She felt a little creepy watching Josie, but she didn’t want to rush her awake. So she waited. The clock went from 7:45 to 8:15 before Josie began to stir. Her eyes flickered open and she asked,
“Mom?”
“Just me,” Hope murmured. She walked closer, and Josie blinked a few times. Her confusion soon turned to relief.
“Hope,” she said, “I thought I imagined you earlier.” Hope took a seat on the bed, and she gently clasped Josie’s hand.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I was upset because of our fight,” Josie admitted, “I left to get some air. I like to go into the woods sometimes, they’re usually peaceful. Then it got dark, so I was gonna head back when I heard something. It um…it ripped my bag off of me, and it threw me on the ground.” Her voice was starting to break, so Hope squeezed her hand tighter.
“It’s okay,” she said, “You’re okay.” She wiped a tear from Josie’s eye, then she asked, “Did you see what it attacked you? Was it a wolf or-”
“I don’t know,” she admitted, “The first thing I remember after it grabbed me was being at the river with you.” The answer wasn’t good enough for Hope, but she knew it was all she was going to get. So she decided to focus on the fact that Josie was safe.
“How were you able to find me?” Josie asked as she played with her hand, and Hope could tell she wanted to change the subject.
“I had help,” she admitted, “From your sister, Kaleb, and Jed.”
“You worked with Jed?” Josie asked.
“Trust me, I couldn't believe it either,” Hope said, “But if I’m being honest, it wasn’t terrible.” Being the lone wolf got…well, lonely. It had been kinda nice to be part of a team.
“I’m glad,” Josie murmured, “I’m sorry I worried everyone.”
“Don’t be,” she said, kissing Josie’s knuckle. She smiled and said,
“Does my near death experience mean that we’re no longer in a fight?” Oh yeah. Through everything, Hope had forgotten about it all. Funny how death put everything into perspective.
“You trust me?” Hope asked.
“More than anyone,” Josie said, “If you said you didn’t do anything to Dana, then you didn’t do anything. Simple as that.” That level of trust felt amazing and terrifying at the same time, “Plus, I made you mad, and you still jumped into a freezing river for me. How could I ever let you go?” Hope scoffed.
“Oh please,” she said, “just because I’m mad at you doesn’t mean I don’t love you.” She hadn’t realize she’d said the world until she was left looking at Josie’s dumbfounded expression, “I mean, I-” She didn’t get to finish that thought, because there was a knock on the door.
“Josie?” they heard Dr. Saltzman ask. Josie was still staring at her, so Hope had to snap her fingers to get her out of the trance.
“Come…come in!” she said. Hope quickly stepped away, going to the wall. Dr. Saltzman stepped in, and he did not look happy.
“Hope,” he said, “Just the person I was looking for. Can we talk?” She frowned.
“Your daughter is in the hospital, and you were looking for me?” she asked.
“Why don’t we step outside?” he asked in lieu of an answer. Hope looked over at Josie, who just shrugged. Hope followed Dr. Saltzman outside, and she asked,
“What’s going on?”
“I got a visit from Sheriff Donovan. He dropped off some things that were found near the crime scene,” Alaric said. He then pulled something out from his pocket, “Whose is this?” Hope’s face paled when she saw what he was holding. It was a silver bracelet with the initials HM engraved on a small plate in the middle. But Hope’s fear wasn’t coming from the fact that the bracelet was hers. It came from the fact that on the night Dana was killed, she’d given the bracelet to Josie.