Beloved | Hope Mikaelson

07 | REMEMBRANCE DAY

GROWING UP IN A supernatural family, death was something that didn't shock me anymore—not like it did when I was young. It didn't shock me, but every time I lost a loved one, it stayed with me, and it always would. Tomorrow was Remembrance Day, which meant we had to write letters to our dead loved ones, then we folded them up, and finally, scattered them throughout the cemetery.

I liked doing this every year. It was... comforting, in a way, to write to someone who was no longer with me on this Earth, even if they couldn't respond. Death wasn't a comfortable subject for me—as it wasn't for most people—but I never wanted to discard it, because if I did, it felt like I was pushing away my loved ones, in a way.

As I finished writing my letter to my mom's dead husband, my Uncle Stefan, commotion spread through the school. Rafael's dead girlfriend, Cassie, had somehow come back to life—the same way that Jo, my biological mother did. Of course, this was the doing of another monster. It was getting exhausting at this point, and it made no sense whatsoever.

I couldn't imagine how weird Rafael and Cassie were feeling about this whole thing. Rafael had been mourning his girlfriend—who he accidentally killed—and now, all of a sudden, she was back. And for Cassie... she was dead; just brought back from literally beyond the grave, and was now being introduced to a whole world of supernaturals that she never knew existed.

These monsters were just so odd. Why had they been erased from history, reduced to tales in books? Why were they all coming back now, one after another? Why did they all want one specific knife? It was so weird. I felt like they kept getting creepier every time they came by. Now, we're dealing with someone who brings people back to life? It was just so... morbid.

And none of these creatures had any idea that they'd been erased from the world. They had no idea why they wanted the knife, and they had no idea what had happened to them to get replaced, nor where they were all coming from. None of it added up, and the more I sat and thought about it, the more my head started hurting. We weren't anywhere closer to an explanation, either.

I had to admit, though, it was nice to see my biological mom yesterday... even if it was scary morbid, and negative. It was nice to hear her voice, to see her, to have her meet her granddaughter. In a way, it gave me closure. I'm glad to know she's watching over us, wherever she is, waiting for us.

Walking back to my dorm, I ran into Hope and MG in the hallway. I gave them a weird look, wondering where they were going. Hope's eyes widened slightly when she saw me, then she quickly smoothed her face out. MG smiled at me. I asked them what was going on, and Hope quietly whispered to me that they were going into the cell in the basement to head-dive into the mind of this 'Necromancer' to see if there were any hints as to where these monsters were coming from.

The idea of them doing that made me more than anxious—especially since I knew my dad would never approve—but I didn't want them going alone, in case something went wrong. I had to be there to make sure I could get help in the event of something going wrong. So, despite the rational side of my brain, I headed down the steps of the basement along with them.

"It's so cold," MG was saying, referring to the head-diving. "It's like compulsion, but while I'm on the surface of his mind, heroic-like, I'm plunging you into the deep end..." MG's humorous voice came to an abrupt halt as we entered the room that contained the cell. My face dropped along with his; that Necromancer thing was terrifying. I didn't even know how to describe that ugly face. It was like a zombie... but not. A weird mix of vomit and beef jerky and loose skin. I gagged.

"Holy Mary, mother of demons," MG nervously blurted.

"Hello, Milton and Esme," the Necromancer greeted with a sinister grin, his tone making a chill roll down my spine. "Milton, your great-nana Imogene is waving hello just over your shoulder. And Esme, your Uncle Enzo is right behind you."