Secrecy (Hosie)

Part 84: Paranoia

Somehow, Hope is asleep before Josie, a first for the couple.

Josie thinks it has something to do with Hope being literally drained a few hours prior, her strength diminished significantly.

Plus the fact that they were sexually active, completely disregarding Hope's need to recover.

And for a while, Josie is content, peacefully grazing her fingertips up and down her snoozing girlfriend's arm, occasionally fiddling with strands of her auburn hair.

But over time, Josie gradually and subconsciously goes from soothing grazes to paranoid clinging.

She holds onto Hope tightly, suddenly so aware of her fear to lose the love of her life.

And though unknowingly comforted by Josie, it isn't long after she falls asleep that Hope subconsciously feels an eerie presence, a haunting chill as if she's being watched as she slumbers—a distinctly different feeling than the bliss she feels from Josie's usual adoring gaze.

An all too familiar sensation creeps to the surface, the overwhelming paranoia that Hope must've inherited from her father.

Even in her sleep, it torments her.

Not even Josie snuggling further into her side is enough to soothe the unnerving feeling.

Her supernatural wolf gene kicks in just as the feeling becomes unbearable.

Her senses put in overdrive as she grabs the neck of the being above her, springing out of bed to pin them to the ground, her eyes glowing and enlarged canines poking through her gums.

The sudden movement wakes both Josie and Lizzie, each in a panic.

Hope is merely a second away from ripping the individual to shreds, but she's troubled when her mind registers who was trying to harm her.

Cleo.

"What the actual fuck is going on?!"
Lizzie is shivering, partly out of fear and partly from catapulting out from under the warmth of the duvet.

Hope tries to catch her own breath as she takes the blade from Cleo's hand and reaches up to set it on the nightstand, still holding the witch against the floor.

Cleo is almost hysterical, "I can't let Malivore win, Hope..."

Hope can't even bring herself to respond, her mind and body still mostly controlled by her wolf.

So Josie responds, "Cleo, Malivore can't hurt you anymore. You know that—"

Cleo doesn't seem to perceive anything being said, so overwhelmed by her fear.
She only shakes her head, "I won't go back there..."

She starts to mutter a spell, but Josie beats her to it, casting her own 'ad somnum' spell to make Cleo go to sleep, luckily before Hope gets the chance to claw her throat out.

Josie let's out a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding in.

She immediately looks to Hope, "Did she hurt you?"

She doesn't even give Hope the chance to respond before she's assisting her in standing to her feet and examining her body for any signs of wounds.

Josie mutters under her breath disbelievingly as she looks over Hope, "How the hell did you stop her?"

Hope shakes her head, not entirely registering all that's happened, "I could sense her. I thought she was going to hurt you.."

Josie finally studies Hope's expression, her glowing eyes, and still visible fangs.

Josie's own expression softens as she cups Hope's cheek and brushes the soft skin with the pad of her thumb, "Hey, I'm fine, okay? We're okay."

She knows it takes more reassurance to calm down Hope's wolf side.

It takes every bone in her body to keep herself from panicking or killing Cleo for trying to hurt Hope.

She knows her own hasty reactions would only rile up Hope's wolf even more, which couldn't lead to anything good.

Hope closes her eyes, taking a deep breath.

When she opens them again, they no longer glow their supernatural hue. They are back to their usual shade of blue.

Josie immediately relaxes a little bit.

She releases her hold on Hope as she turns to face the unconscious witch on the ground, "Now we just have to figure out what to do about Cleo."

Hope shakes her head, "Something's wrong."

Josie nods, "I know. I should've killed her for trying to hurt y—"

"No, that's not it..."

"What do you—Lizzie? What are you doing with that?"

Josie notices Lizzie had picked up the blade from the nightstand, seemingly unaware that she was even holding it.

Her eyebrows furrow as she looks to her hands, "I-I don't know.."

Hope protectively pulls Josie behind herself slowly, "Lizzie, everything's going to be fine. Just hand me the knife."

Lizzie shakes her head, and Hope can sense her fear boiling over.

She tries to reassure her, "I know you're scared, Lizzie, but you have to trust me, okay? Something's messing with your head. You're not thinking clearly..."

Lizzie seems to be aware of that much.

Suddenly, she's consumed with blinding paranoia, and it's controlling her.

She nods, nearly shaking as she reaches out to hand over the blade.

Hope gently takes it, "Good..." She casts a spell to send it to the dresser on the other side of the room before stepping closer to Lizzie, "Everything's gonna be fine," She wraps the girl into a hug, feeling her tremble, but she accepts the embrace still.

Lizzie mumbles, "I'm sorry."

Hope nods, knowing Lizzie, and Cleo, for whatever reason, aren't completely in control of their minds.
"Me too..."

Lizzie furrows her eyebrows in confusion, starting to pull away, but before she can, Hope mutters the spell again, "Ad somnum," and she catches Lizzie's body as she falls asleep.

Josie anxiously runs her fingers through her hair as Hope moves to lay Lizzie down on the bed, "What the hell is happening?"

Hope shakes her head, sifting through all the possibilities.

It can't be Malivore.
That glob of mud is trapped in a jar after Hope's blood was dumped in the pit.

It could be a dark magic spell.

Or a dark object.

Or maybe something entirely different is at play.

But Hope isn't sure.

"I don't know..."