The Dark Ember

Broken Girls

We walked into Declan's work as Declan said "Hayley stood me up, okay? It's not exactly rare. I figured, hell, Hope's dad must have done a number on her. Well, since you're obviously a right ray of sunshine, it must have been someone else who broke her heart... and Hope and Emmybugs's." dad said, "Don't say my daughter's names." Declan said "Really? Look around. I'm here... birthdays, holidays. We've been teaching them to drive. Where the hell were you?" I mumbled, "Go Declan." Hope shook her head and smacked me in the side. Dad said, "You are utterly disposable." Hope said "Seriously, Dad?" we walked up to the boys with our arms crossed. Dad said "Looks like you need to go back to the butchers immediately. You won't remember meeting me today." 

Declan said "Ah. Mornin', Hope, Emmybug. Um... I'll be back. I forgot to stop by the Shank. But saved you a bread pudding in the fridge. Your favorite." He pulled me into a hug and kissed my head before leaving. Dad said, "Go home, Girls." Hope said "You're not even gonna look at us? Mom's missing, Dad. We're scared." he said "We're too close. I can hear the whispers: you must, too." I said, "Let us help you find her." He said "If you don't do as I say, I'll have Freya bind you to the compound with a spell. I don't want it to come to that. Go home." I said, "That's cute you think you can stop us." Hope said "Let's just go." we went back to the house and Roman was not in our room, we walked until we found him which was in the library. Hope said "Oh. Uh... you weren't in my room... I thought you left." 

Roman said, "Still here." I said "You weren't scared someone would catch you sniffing around?" he said "Well, according to my school files, I and similar to Em and have a rebellious nature and a callous disregard for authority. So... no." Hope said "Just ask. Okay? I-I know you want to." Roman said "This is like a house of horrors. Viking grimoires. A million weird knives. And did you know you have a dead redhead wrapped in a sheet in your parlor?" I said "Yeah. That's our dad's crazy ex. It's a sleeping spell. Just no one really knows what to do with her." Roman said "Normal. Hey. Look, I can keep a secret. I got plenty of my own. So, what are you two?" Hope said "My name is... Hope Mikaelson, she is Emberlyn Mikaelson. Our grandmother practically invented dark magic. Our mom is the Crescent alpha. And... Our dad is... Niklaus Mikaelson." Roman said, "So that makes you..." I shrugged "The mythical tribrid freak shows."

Roman said, "So... your blood turns werewolves into... vampire hybrids." Hope said "And my kiss turns princes into frogs. Maybe. The theory remains untested." Roman said, "It must have been so lonely, keeping your life a secret all this time." Dad shouted "Hope!" I said "You have to go. He will literally wear your spine as a necklace. Leave." Roman left and dad appeared "Please tell me it isn't true. What have you done with your mother?" I said "Im sorry... What?" Dad said, "Do you have any idea what you've done?" Hope said "I knew it would take something big to bring you home." dad said, "So you had your little hybrid friend attack your mother?" Hope said "Henry just did the heavy lifting. And "attack" is a really strong word. Mom's fine. In a really nice coffin, sleeping. I cloaked her in a sleeping spell that I wrote myself." I said "Hope! She is our mother! She has done everything for us... how could you? He isn't worth hurting someone who has been by our side our entire lives!" 

Dad said "Oh, well, in that case, I've never been prouder. Where is she?" Hope said "You're just gonna go disappear again if I tell you." he said "Hope, you and your sister are in danger when we're in proximity. I know you feel that. The dark magic inside us manifests itself in ugly ways. We could be putting others in danger, too. The whole city." Hope said "I don't care!" he said, "This is not a debate, Hope!" I grabbed my sister's shoulders and forced her to look at me as I said "Hope, he leaves that's what he does best. But mom has never left us and we both know I've given her plenty of reasons to over the years. You cant sacrifice our mom for an absent dad Hope, she deserves better and so do we." Dad said, "I am not an absent dad Ember." I turned on him and said "The definition of an absent dad is a parent who has abandoned his or her child and failed to maintain contact with the child. We haven't seen you since we were 7 and haven't heard from you since we were 9, It fits." 

He said, "The little girls I knew would never have dreamed up a scheme like this, or seen me in this way." Hope said "Well, sorry to disappoint you. But that little girl hadn't read your memoirs. You compelled Cami O'Connell to write your story. About a guy who used to put his family members in coffins and use them as leverage." I said "And the little girls you knew were just that. Little girls." he said "So you've studied my old tricks. Did you learn this one? She's at St. Anne's." he had entered Hope's mind and she said "Get out of my head!" he said "You could die, Hope, your sister could be used. Just by standing here, I could be destroying you both. I'll ask your mother to take it easy on you. Okay? Good-bye, girls." Hope used telekinesis to shut the door, preventing him from leaving. Hope said, "I know some tricks, too. You called, you wrote letters, then you stopped... why?" he said "You know why." he attempted to leave through another door so I placed a barrier to keep him here. 

Hope said "I didn't think we had to knock before entering an astral plane. Sorry we interrupted your murder orgy." he said "You girls came to me that night because cards and letters weren't enough. I stopped them for your own good." I said "You don't know what's good for us. You know, you stir up these stories about a crazy original dropping body, and people talk at school, and we have to be quiet little Hope and Emberlyn Marshall, when we are so mad we want to scream." he yelled, "Well, welcome to the bloody party! I was protecting you when I left. The horror in your eyes that night when you saw me is... burned into my memory." Hope said "We were nine. And we saw this scary monster who looked like our dad... who taught me how to mix paint... who taught Em how to dance... who called us princesses. We didn't know which version of you was real. And we waited for you to explain it... Or apologize. Or tell us that you loved us. We have waited for you for years. But you didn't come."

He said "In my experience, fathers cause pain. Whether by their presence or their absence, there's a certain type of ruin that only a father can... can leave behind. And you... you both were such sweet little girls. Perhaps I was always bound to leave you both broken." I said "You-you really think we're broken? Maybe you're right. Maybe those little girls you miss so much would be better off if they'd never loved you at all." I released the boundary spell and walked out as Hope said "You can go now." he said, "Ember, Hope, please..." Hope said "Em! Where are you going?" I looked at her and said, "To see Declan, I need a loving hug right now and thanks to you we don't have mom, and you need to go keep Henry calm while Marcel sticks him in the garden." Dad said "Em..." he opened his arms for a hug and I said "Remember you think we're broken." and I ran off to see Declan. 

 As I ran to his work tears started to run down my face, so when he saw me he immediately pulled me into a hug and said "Whats wrong baby girl?" I said "My dad is in town... I don't think he loves me and Hope anymore..." he rubbed my back and said, "What did he do to you?" I was still crying and said, "He said we were broken... mom has sacrificed everything for us, we're supposed to be worth it... but he said we're broken." Declan hugged me tightly and said "Oh baby girl, you and Hope are worth it. You are worth more than the entire world and if he doesn't see that then it is his loss. You and Hope are not broken, you are amazing teenagers and your mom loves you with her whole heart, your dad may not be around but you always got me. I know it's not the same because I'm not your dad but... Emberlyn I do love you and your sister." he kissed my head and held me close. I said, "I love you too."