Secrecy (Hosie)

Part 69: Memories

"Hope, what do you see?"

Josie watches as Hope's eyes glaze over, indicating she's finally tapped into Landon's subconscious.

After a moment of no communication from the girl, she finally lets out a sigh, "He took me to the wrong day, we'll have to restart and try—Wait..."

Everyone in the room waits anxiously for Hope to recite Landon's memories to them, as his barely conscious body lies still and undisturbed in the ice tub.

Josie is the designated connection for Hope's mind to her current reality, since she's got the strongest bond with her. So while Hope dives into Landon's subconscious, Josie will allow her conscious mind to remain in control.

The cold temperature inhibits his sympathetic bodily systems, and the water acts as a conductor for the herbs she's using for her dark magic spell, creating the perfect contradiction for her to explore the memories buried within his mind.

"This can't be right..."

"What is it?" Josie cautiously lays a hand on Hope's forearm for reassurance, careful not to sever her connection to Landon.

"It's the day of the lock-in. We're all at Mystic Falls High."

"But, that was weeks ago..."

Everyone in the room watches Hope as she turns her head, eyes still glazed over, searching for details in Landon's memory that he might've missed.

And her eyebrows narrow, trying to see something in the distance, "He followed me."

"What do you mean?"

Hope tries to talk to Landon as he's still entranced, "Landon, why'd you follow me?"

Finally, Landon lets out a shiver, his conscious mind being awakened by Hope. His body struggles to fight the cold as he responds, "I needed to talk to you. You left the school with the blonde lady."

"My Aunt. Rebekah. What did you need to talk to me about?"

His teeth chatter as his eyes remain closed, "Y-You had just broken up wi-with Josie. I-I thought that—"

Hope cuts off his sentence, being able to feel the emotions he felt through his memory, "I was already getting in the car by the time you made it outside."

Cleo buts in, directing a question at Landon as Hope continues walking through his memory of that night.

"You weren't in the gym for about an hour that night. Where else did you go?"

Hope sees a faint wave of light around the school, indicating the time that the barrier spell dropped.

She looks around, through Landon's eyes, as he walks over to a bench and sits down, taking in the breeze, the night air, the midnight moon overhead.

Until someone's footsteps approach from behind.

Josie can see Hope's jaw lock, and the air she breathes in becoming thicker as she simply says, "He's here."

"Who? Who do you see?"

She spits out his name with a tone laced with disgust and hatred, "The Necromancer."

"Don't worry Mr. Kirby, when I'm done with you, you'll have Miss Mikaelson's full attention."

Hope feels Landon's panic as the monster brings out a large blade, before drawing it back and—

Hope jolts out of the memory, a gasp leaving her lips as she tries to bring her hands instinctively to her throat after living through that gruesome memory.