Speeding toward the woods, Hope. She adjusted her hearing, trying to pick up any unusual sounds. She heard no sound. As she made her way into town, she finally came across it.
Four bodies, all lifeless and bloodless, surrounded Lizzie. She had forc...
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Hope didn't sleep much that night, despite knowing how taxing the immediate future would be. It could be days or even weeks before things could even begin to go back to normal. Her waking hours were spent processing all of the information she had learned. She thought about what Caroline had told them; that Lizzie was subconsciously reaching out to them. Even though Lizzie couldn't feel it, Hope knew that she was suffering internally, and in so much pain. It happened with everyone who chose to be emotionless rather than feel torment or grief, and it never ended well. There was something that caused Lizzie to bury her feelings instead of talking to someone and it made Hope want to hug her, wrap her up in a warm blanket, and shield her from the world. She dreaded the moment where Lizzie would turn her humanity back on; the dam would break, and everyone would have to do their best to pick up the shattered pieces. Hope hoped that the love and support of her family would be enough. She hoped that her love would be enough, because there was no way she would hold her feelings back after this. Lizzie had been there for her when she became a full tribrid - heightened emotions, bloodlust, and all; it was Hope's turn now to do the same for Lizzie, because Lizzie never made Hope feel like a monster. Lizzie herself didn't deserve to feel like a monster. And with that thought, she drifted off to sleep.
When Hope woke up the next morning, she was surprised to realize that she didn't have a single dream. She expected to have some nightmare about not being able to save Lizzie or whatever else her brain could conjure up. She couldn't help but take it as a good sign that things were going to get better soon. She looked at the clock to see that it was 10 am; she got ready for the day and went down to the cafeteria. Hope and Josie had been excused from class so it was relatively empty at this time. Hope had almost invited Josie to breakfast, knowing the girl needed some food, but was glad to see that she had slept in. Besides, Caroline would do her mom thing and force her to eat later. Hope was kind of relieved to have some time to herself. She wasn't in a great state of mind and didn't feel like being in someone else's company at the moment. Looking around the near-empty cafeteria, she felt a pang of sadness; if Lizzie knew that Hope would be eating alone she would've marched right down and eaten with her. Hope didn't remember when she and Lizzie had started having their meals together, all she knew was that she waited for the blonde every day, and over time she didn't even have to look over to know who had taken the seat next to her; her only indication being a dramatic sigh or a flash of blonde hair. If either Lizzie or Hope had to miss a meal, then they would let the other know ahead of time.
Just like how Hope didn't remember when she started expecting the blonde's presence during meals, she didn't remember when she fell in love. She couldn't pinpoint an exact moment; she couldn't figure out if it was gradual and slow or hard and fast. Her love for Lizzie was unexpected, unpredictable, and intense, but so pure, just like Lizzie herself. It was also exciting, and being with Lizzie gave her confidence, because she knew that there was always going to be one person who would be by her side. The way Lizzie showed her affection and paid attention to her was completely different from the way Landon did these things; Landon was happy to have a girlfriend, happy to show the world that he had obtained something that everyone else desired. Lizzie didn't care about that; she was just happy to have a friend who understood her tumultuous emotions and wouldn't judge her for them. Hope's love for Landon couldn't outweigh her love for Lizzie; Hope had thought she and Landon would have some epic love story, but she was already having that with Lizzie, and they weren't even in a relationship. Yet, Hope thought. Their love story probably started years prior, maybe the day Lizzie introduced herself. She may have been getting ahead of herself - she didn't even know if Lizzie had feelings for her - but Hope wanted, and couldn't wait, to make Lizzie hers.
