Chapter Text
Chapter One: Forsaken Reality
Love. It’s something everyone wants, something everyone needs. But in needing love, the concept blinds you, and one thing Hope Mikaelson learned is that it changes you. In her case, not for the better, not for the worse; she was just different. She applied the mascara to her eyes, thinking about how magical it was at first, about how magical he was. It was everything she’d ever wished for. First, laughter, kisses, dates, and heartbreaks. Her first everything. He was everything.
The love Hope had was serene, and Hope believed she had it all—even with the ups and downs, fighting, crying, and apologizing. It didn't matter because Hope had him; she wanted, no, she needed him. Until she realized he wasn't who he claimed to be, no matter if there was a good side to the boy she once loved.
Once you love someone and lose them, you have to find your way without them. It's almost as if you weren't born alone, as if you don't have one heart because it no longer feels whole. Because when you love, you’re supposed to give it your all. It's supposed to be able to conquer anything because that’s what love does, even if you lose yourself in between.
It was safe to say Hope’s opinion changed. She didn't like feeling lost. She was sure this wasn't how you were supposed to feel after being in love. Of course, she was also convinced they weren't meant to be in love, but she was unsure these days.
The only thing Hope was sure about at the time was wanting to be with him no matter the cost. Which is why this was so hard. Everything went away when she looked into his blue eyes and felt his hug smothering all the pain he did and didn't cause. It would feel like he’d never wanted to let her go, and he would apologize with such intense promises and regrets; that she would forget. He then would be the one to break and fix her.
He shows her the guy she fell in love with by taking her out on dates and giving her gifts—anything to make her feel like she was the only girl in the world. The cloudy days went away, and she couldn’t think of a time when she was ever happier than their present. Then they would be closer than she had ever been to anyone.
But, of course, they ended up broken, as things always were with them. He would show her his love with weighty words that later left bruises. This is when every bad moment would awaken in her mind. Every cry, scream, and lie. Every time she was left hurt, leaving a piece of herself with him, until now when she felt there was no more to give. Sixteen was the age at which love was supposed to last forever, not be diminished. Unfortunately, fairy tale love was nonexistent in this modern world.
After so many times of running into his arms and the universe begging her to understand that this was a mistake as she played music over his violence, she finally listened and let go. Once everything fell into
place, her reality was set. She’d rather live in a forsaken reality than a blind one. The sun didn’t rise for them. And the worst part was that she hated him but loved him. He had burned her heart like no one before. He had burned her heart in a way she thought no one could.
But that was all in the past. She was home now, back with her family and friends. Her sprained arm was enough to make her understand it was best to leave him. She didn’t regret doing so, but seeing him at school would throw her off. She would try her best to ignore him, as she’d successfully done for the remainder of the summer.
It didn’t matter; she was going to be okay. She would shine that Hope Mikaelson smile and pretend that everything was fine. Before Roman, Hope couldn’t hide anything at all. It was all in her voice; even if she hid it, it’d be shown in her body language. No one could tell when she felt like breaking down or breaking everything in sight. That was perfect.
Her thoughts were broken as her little brother Hendrix burst into her room. ‘’Hope breakfast is ready!!’’ She laughed at his enthusiasm. ‘’I’m right behind you.’’ He latched onto her hand, guiding her down the steps.
Jackson, her step-father, and siblings greeted her; he had made the traditional breakfast American Breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Her favorite was the pancakes, especially the ones Jackson made; he had knocked her mom down to second place. Hayley was a fantastic cook but not breakfast; she usually missed breakfast with them as her job was thirty minutes from the small town. She was a general case worker while Jackson was in construction/hardware/technology, basically a freelancer, and he owned his company so he could go to work anytime often after he dropped them all off at school.
Hayley was working on
When she sat down, Josh and Autumn were laughing at dad ‘’Good morning, princess.’’ Hope smiled. She missed gathering with her family on a school morning. ‘’Good morning, dad and little ones.’’ Josh scrunched up his face ‘’Who are you calling little?” he was almost a foot taller than Hope. He had a minor growth spurt.
‘’You’ll always be my adorable baby brother.’’ Jackson laughs ‘’And my little boy.’’ Josh rolled his eyes in response. Family was the most important thing for Hope, and these moments meant everything.
‘’Does anyone want my bacon?’’
‘’I DO!’’ Autumn and Josh chanted; luckily, they had enough to split. Once they settled, Autumn asked to have her hair like Hopes, and the girl had matching hairstyles for their first day of school.
Her younger siblings got dropped off first because they got out earlier. She and Josh went around the time, but Hope usually ended up with her friends after school. She wondered what they would do for the day; she didn’t want to be alone, so hopefully, something.
When she got closer to the schools building, she swore the setting of life changed from sunny to grey. The building seemed so big, and Hope shrank at the thought. ‘’You ok, Honey? Gonna miss me that much?’’ he asked jokingly, but seriously, he did that when he didn’t know what to do, using humor to lighten the mood. Hope chuckled a little bit, licking her lips. ‘’I’m fine, just had a moment.’’ he nodded. ‘’ You know, It’s ok to miss the first day.’’
Hope shook her head. ‘’I love you, dad; see you after school.’’ she hugged him. When she exited the vehicle, he told her. ‘’Love you too, don’t forget to call me if you need me.’’
Then he reversed, rolling down the back window and then the front making Hope laugh. ‘’You don’t like bacon anymore?’’
‘’No, I decided not to eat pork anymore. Probably should've mentioned that.’’
‘’Got it. See ya after school. Have a good day.’’
‘’Thanks, dad.’’ Because of Jackson, she restarted the day with a smile.