Curse of Ravens // Mikaelson

29 Alice Njordson

The tv was still on even after the Saltzman twins had fallen asleep. A half-eaten tray of brownies was on the table, and empty cups sat here and there. A few candles were lit in the room, but their soft glow didn't compare to the harsh cool light from the tv as actresses on screen pretended to use magic. I had never watched the show before tonight. After seeing a few episodes, I decided I would've probably liked Hannibal more, but that was just my preference.

Josie and Lizzie were asleep on the king size mattress. They looked more than comfortable, with the surplus of pillows and blankets. The flicking candlelight casted yellow glows across their faces, or what could be seen of their faces since blankets were pulled close around them. Hope was sitting up on the couch opposite me, on the other side of the mattress on the floor. She watched the tv, propping her head up on her hand. Hope seemed a little bored with the show now, and occasionally I would hear her phone vibrate with a text and she would take a few seconds to respond.

I wanted to tell her that these holidays would be the last ones that she would spent apart from family. I wanted to give her hope about the ritual, especially now that I had secured everything I needed- other than the heart of a dark witch- to pull it off. I had no concern that I couldn't find a victim for the heart by the time of the eclipse.

Truthfully, the only thing that held me back from telling her was my own personal envy. Sometimes my own feelings towards family, imagining pain and abandonment when there wasn't any, felt like a cage. It was two warring emotions, one of love and one of jealousy. A feeling that was irrational, holding me back. It always had held me back. Back from having a solid relationship with Hope, from being more honest with my family, and held me back from being happy.

I was a slave to my own thoughts. Self-sabotaging. I may have been talking about Josie at the time, but we were doing this to ourselves. I glanced at the witch who was sleeping. If I broke free from my own chains, would she find a way out of hers?

"Hope." I whispered, so that I didn't wake the girls. My sister looked over and nodded for me to continue. I pulled the blankets off my legs and stood up, gesturing for her to follow me. The tribrid pulls the blanket aside, and sets her phone down. I lead down the hallway and she fell into step with me.

"Where are we going?" She asked, in a louder volume now that we were a little way from the Saltzman twins. I unlock the double doors, and push them open, turning on the light to the room as an answer. Hope's face brightened as she took in the area.

"I thought you might want something from here." I told her, stepping into the art studio behind her. Hope grinned wide, but I could see her eyes grow a little shiny as she took in the finished and unfinished paintings.

There were canvases everywhere, some of them hung up on the walls and others leaning against one another vertically, because there wasn't enough wall space. Long studio tables were messy, with paint splatters. The paintbrushes were all cleaned now, as I tossed the damaged ones. They were organized by size, sticking out of cylinder-shaped holders on the tables. I had brought some order to the sketches as well, putting them into neater piles instead of strewn all over.

"You know... I have no use for an art studio. I'm not really an artist. If you want, you can come here and paint." I invite. "I know the boarding school has an art studio, but this one is so much more you." Hope sniffles, blinking away the tears in her eyes and looking back at me.

"Yeah, I'd love to." She agrees. "I'm surprised I've lived in Mystic Falls for so long and have never been here."

"It probably never crossed your mind he would have something like this here." I leaned against one of the tables and watched as she walked around. "Take any you want." As Hope reached for a specific painting, I immediately corrected myself. "Except that one."