Secrecy (Hosie)

Part 22: Burn

"Let's catch up on a few things."

Suddenly, Hope does feel a bit nervous. She wonders if what Lizzie said got to Caroline and Alaric.

Caroline notices Hope shift in her seat, "It's nothing negative about your relationship with Josie, if that's what you're thinking. I'm in full support of you two being together. Firstly, I wanted to see how your trip to New Orleans went."

Hope can feel her body relax, "Oh, it was great. No monsters showed up, probably because of the spell Cleo and I cast to deter them from my location."

Caroline nods, "I know you've had a rough semester, and that spell probably won't last much longer. I'm just glad you were able to enjoy your few weeks away."

"How was recruiting?"

Caroline travels the world attempting to recruit new students. At least, that's the story she and Alaric tell everyone, including Hope. "Not well, I'm afraid. I'll be leaving town again pretty soon to continue my work."

Hope knows Lizzie and Josie will be upset about that, "I'm sorry to hear that." Caroline nods, glancing quickly at Alaric before returning her gaze to Hope, who picks up on the tension in the room, "What's wrong?"

Alaric speaks up this time, "Do you remember the guy you saw when we went on our trip to Maple Hollows, the one who worked with Triad, covering up the whole mummy incident?"

Hope nods, "Yeah, Ryan Clarke."

Caroline puts her phone on the table, "He's been trying to contact me ever since I've been in Mystic Falls. He keeps leaving messages, saying he is doing research on the Mikaelson family. He wants to grab drinks and interview me for his research."

"He's in Mystic Falls?" Caroline nods. "Why does Triad want information on my family?"

Alaric crosses his arms, "I don't know, but I did find out from Dorian that this guy works for the human faction of Triad, the organization that cleans up supernatural messes. He isn't a part of the 3 bloodlines that Cleo talked about with me."

Hope tries to connect the dots, "Did he mention anything else?"

Caroline thinks for a moment, "No, not really. All he said was he's renting a house just outside of town for a while, he's keeping his documents and research in boxes there. I'm assuming that's because you all broke into that one Triad facility, he probably wants to keep the documents away from anyone trying to break in."

Hope thinks for a moment, "Or he's hiding his research from Triad."

"That's possible, but there's no way for us to know that for sure."

Hope sits up in her seat, "Yes there is..." She has a suggestive look on her face.

Alaric recognizes it all too well, "Hope, whatever you're thinking, the answer is no."

"Dr. Saltzman, there's only one reason that I can think of for this guy to be asking questions about my family now. Cleo already told us about the files on the 'unnamed dead Mikaelson baby' at the other facility. He knows something, and I need to figure out what it is so I can handle it."

"Hope, it's not a good idea to get involved and-"

They are interrupted by a knock at the door. Caroline tells whoever it is to come in.

Josie enters the room, MG right behind her. It's clear Josie had already showered and gotten ready for bed, MG is also in pajama pants. Josie looks between the three of them, cautiously reaching for Hope's hand. She can tell they were having a disagreement, "Is everything okay?" She moves her gaze from her parents, locking eyes with Hope.