Secrecy (Hosie)

Part 17: Betrayal

Previously in Part 16: Ashes,
Cleo connects the dots, Hope is the Tribrid.
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Hope and Josie make their way back to the Salvatore School the next morning, after having spent an intimate night together in Hope's pool house. They walk up to Josie and Lizzie's room, finding Lizzie sitting up on her bed looking through a magazine, "Hm, look what the were-witch dragged in. So, how was it?"

Josie blushes and Hope plays dumb, "How was what?" They take a seat on Josie's bed.

Lizzie sets down her magazine, raising her eyebrow at the two of them, "Don't play dumb with me Marshall. Josie comes back home after a night with you, walking weird and her hair down to cover up her neck. There's no way you two didn't do the deed."

Hope shrugs, "I don't kiss and tell."

Josie gets defensive, "I am not walking weird."
Lizzie laughs at that, and Josie hears Hope chuckle under her breath. Josie slightly elbows her, "Shut up, it's your fault."

"Guilty as charged."

Lizzie stands up from her bed, "Spare me the details, please."Josie looks to Hope lovingly, thinking back to last night and early this morning. They lock eyes and Josie bites the inside of her lip at the memories. "Okay, no. Stop with the eye-fucking or get a room, not this one."

Hope tries to mess with Lizzie, "That sounds like a good idea, Jo. We should go get a room and I can do that thing where I-"

"No stop! My ears are bleeding!" Lizzie covers her ears dramatically and Hope just laughs. Josie's blush only spreads. Lizzie comes over to Josie's bed, sitting with the two of them, "Seriously though, I'm really glad you two are together. It's nice to see you so happy, Jo."

Josie smiles at her sister before wrapping her arms around her shoulders, pulling her in for a hug, "Thank you, Lizzie."

Hope pulls herself up from the bed, "I need to go meet your dad to spar. I'll see you later?" Josie nods as Hope leans down to kiss her cheek before turning to walk out the door, "Bye, I love you! Bye Lizzie!"

"I love you too!"

Lizzie mocks the two of them, "Aw, I love you too Hope!" Josie rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

Hope is about the turn the corner at the end of the hallway when Cleo comes from around it, stabbing Hope in the stomach with a spear and ramming it into the wall, Hope along with it. Hope groans in pain, "What the hell are you doing, Cleo?"

"I nearly did not put the pieces together, but that is the whole point, is it not?"

Hope is struggling the breathe due to the pain, "What are you taking about?"

Cleo twists the spear, causing Hope to grit her teeth. She grabs the part of its handle that is closest to her stomach, trying to relieve the pressure, "I know you are the Tribrid. You were the one who freed me from the artifact—"

"You were in the artifact?"

"Looks like you are not the only one who can keep a secret."

Hope's head falls back into the wall, the throbbing in her stomach grows, "Cleo, you don't have to do this, okay—"

"Yes I do, it is the only way for me to be truly free from Malivore. I am not doing this to hurt you Hope, I am merely helping you live up to your potential."

Hope rolls her eyes, replying through her ragged breaths, "Could've fooled me."

The door to Josie and Lizzie's room opens, and they come running toward them in the hallway.
"Cleo, what the hell? Stop, you're gonna kill her!"