Perzys Āeterña | Hope Mikaelson

Chapter 19

Hope was used to everyone wanting to kill her.

How could any of this come as a shock? The tribrid had been waiting for the other shoe to drop from the moment she turned. It was only a matter of time.

The world had been against her from the moment she was conceived. Was this really anything new?

"I've already sent word of this to my Uncle Kol," said Hope, leading Rhysaenya back to her room the moment her cab dropped her off at the Salvatore School. "I gathered all the existing lethal red oak from a sapling that was born behind St. Anne's Church, where I was born, thanks to Clarke. Right now, we need to figure out how Cleo is here and whether I released other monsters or not. If I did, they're all blending in somewhere and it's going to be really hard to find them."

"And what happens when we do find them?" asked Rhysaenya. "Literally what do we do?"

"We question them with Truth Spells. Find out if anyone has the intention of harming me. If they don't, then we can let them live. If they do, however..."

"I'll handle that," offered Rhysaenya. "Where's Cleo? I need to talk to her."

"She's in class right now, but she'll be out soon. She's amazing, truly, I don't think she's here to hurt us. That being said, worse people could have gotten out and we just won't know until we find out what she experienced in Malivore. Clarke said your mother got out at one point, but there's no record of it, just as I haven't found anything that indicates where these creatures escaped from. While I'm trying to find that out, I need you to empathize with her and get me a story. And Rhysaenya—"

Hope turned on her heels, beckoning her back into her room. "I'm glad you're back."

Rhysaenya smiled slightly. "I'll always come back when you need me."

When you need me.

Hope had needed her all along.

"I'll uh, catch up with you later," said Hope, trying to remain cheerful. "I want to hear all about California and... wherever else you've been."

Rhysaenya got the sense that Hope hadn't been reading her messages very thoroughly. She had kept her friends updated on her whereabouts as a preventative measure. If Hope didn't know where she'd been, Rhysaenya couldn't say it was her own fault. Her communication had weakened over the months she'd been with Ryan, but never stopped.

She wasn't sure what to make of it.

One minute she risks everything to save me and the next she doesn't seem too interested in my life. What am I missing?

She wasn't sure what she'd done wrong, but if anyone could find out, it was probably Lizzie. She just had to give her a moment to gather information.

As soon as the first period finished, she went into the library to find Cleo, who was already getting started on her homework like a diligent scholar would.

"Hi," said Rhysaenya, waving awkwardly. "I'm—"

"I know who you are," said Cleo, sitting up to greet her. "I can feel it, the darkness we both endured. You're Rhysaenya, the dragon. Please, join me."

She smiled, lowering herself into the chair across from her. "There's no sense in sugarcoating it... we really need to find out how you got here. You and I were apparently released from Malivore, but we're here for different reasons. I don't want to jump right into that, though, so I want to ask you, first... what made you choose to stay at this school?"

"Hope was the first person who was truly honest with me," said Cleo, a faraway look in her eyes. "She told me that this school is her home, that she doesn't know what she would have become without it. It is exactly what I wanted. She was truthful in saying it can be dangerous, but that it is also a place where it's safe to be oneself. She told me about the monsters that've come in the past, before she even knew I, too, came from Malivore. She explained how they've had to kill to survive, and she told me about... you. How the two of you have had to make the difficult decisions no one else can in order to save those you love. It felt... right to stay. Because, despite what has happened, the purpose of the school is something beautiful. To treat all supernaturals and humans with respect, to let them grow into themselves. Given that there has been peace, I was sure this would be a safe place. Something free of violence. However, given you are here... that does not seem to be the case anymore."