Do You Remember?

Chapter 4

BACK AT THE SCHOOL

After a short walk in comfortable silence, Hope and Josie step through the doors of Alaric's office. The sight of their niece caught the attention of the elderly Mikaelson women, making them stand up from the couch.

"Hope. I am so sorry. I should've never compelled you to forget."

"Please come back home with us. We'll do anything to make it up to you." Rebekah and Freya start apologizing, as the tone of guilt is all over their plea.

"No, I am staying here." Hope is sincere in her words, still feeling betrayed and angry with her aunts.

"Hope, please let us fix what we have done." Freya takes Hope's hands in her own, trying her best not to show how her guilt almost killed her inside.

"No, I need to find myself again, and somehow I think I have to do this here." The redhead says, giving a brief look towards Josie at the end.

"Are you sure?" Freya asked worriedly.

"Yes. I know you had your reason for what you did, but I need some space, and I need to find myself." Hope explains.

At that moment, her aunts looked at Hope, then at Josie, then finally at each other, sharing a certain look, thinking the same.
It confused Hope, but she didn't question it, as she was satisfied when she heard her aunts sigh in defeat, not arguing with her anymore.

"Alaric, if something happens to my niece, I will find you, turn you into a vampire again and kill you every day of your eternal life," Rebekah warned the headmaster with a look that could have killed him already.

"Don't worry, Rebekah, we will protect her as if she's our own." Caroline reassured her.

"Oh, you, I trust him not so much." Rebekah said to Caroline. The vote of confidence made her smile.

"Freya, why don't you go ahead and take Hope to her room, I will follow shortly," Rebekah said as her older sister gave her a knowing look.

"It's good to see you again, pancake." Freya quickly said goodbye to Josie, who tried her best to hide her blush, as Hope was already outside the door.

"Josie, can we talk?" Rebekah suddenly asked, firmly looking at the brunette siphoner witch, receiving a shy nod in agreement as they walked outside.

"Look, I know this must be hard for you, and you're probably very confused, but you have to promise me that you will put Hope's needs above your own. She needs you right now, even if she doesn't realize it at the moment." Rebekah firmly but also softly spoke to Josie.

"You know I would do anything for Hope; I always have and always will." Josie promised, receiving a satisfied smile from the blond Original before she left to join her sister in their niece's room.

After Hope talked a little more with her aunts in her room, and they promised to send over her belongings and everything she needed, they shared a quick meal and said their goodbyes.

It was already quite late. It had been an eventful day, and although it somehow passed by quickly, the emotional roller coaster Hope felt seemed like it would never end.

As Hope was lying on the bed of her old room, considering the situation was new to her, all these thoughts wandering through her head kept her from the sleep she desperately needed. After many times, changing her lying position didn't help, she stood up and started walking around by herself.

When she reached the lake outside, she suddenly realized that Josie was sitting at the dock by herself.

"Is it a moon thing, or why can we both not fall asleep?" Hope asked, slightly scaring the tired brunette next to her, as she didn't hear Hope coming.