19. A High Hope

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Hope's Pov:

As we sat there, a sudden realization struck me. Something about Ryan's words didn't add up. The queen and her family were the only ones who knew our true identity, and I trusted them implicitly. There had to be another explanation.

"Em," I said, turning to my sister. "I think we need to consider the possibility that Ryan is bluffing. He might have figured out who we are on his own."

Emily furrowed her brow. "But how? We've been so careful."

"Think about it," I continued, the pieces falling into place. "Ryan's always been observant. He's probably noticed things about us - our abilities, our mannerisms, maybe even overheard snippets of conversation. And our family's reputation... well, it's not exactly low-profile."

Emily nodded slowly. "So you think he pieced it together himself and is now trying to make us believe our secret is more widely known than it actually is?"

"Exactly," I said. "It's a classic intimidation tactic. By making us believe others know, he's trying to manipulate us, maybe even drive a wedge between us and the queen's family."

A small smile played on Emily's lips. "Well, if that's his game, he's severely underestimated us. We're Mikaelsons after all."

"That we are," I agreed, feeling a renewed sense of determination. "And it's about time we started acting like it. No more running, no more hiding. It's time we took control of our own narrative."

As the rain began to let up, Emily and I shared a look of understanding. Emily pulled out a bag of weed and I began hitting it and soon enough I was high.

...

"Are you seriously high right now?" Emily laughed incredulously as she confiscated the bag of weed, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Damn, girl, you used the whole thing!" she exclaimed, shaking her head in a mixture of amusement and concern. "I can't believe you smoked all of that in one go!"

I was hanging upside down off the dock, my hair dangling towards the water's surface. The world from this inverted perspective was a kaleidoscope of colors and distorted shapes. The ripples in the water seemed to dance and swirl in hypnotic patterns, captivating my altered mind.

"Does that look weird to you?" I giggled, pointing at the water with an unsteady finger. "It's like... like the sky is underneath us and we're floating above it. Whoa!" I exclaimed, momentarily losing my balance and nearly toppling into the water.

"Okay, that's enough of that. You're going to bed right now before you hurt yourself," Emily said firmly, her voice tinged with both exasperation and affection. "Come on, up you go," she added, carefully lifting me from my precarious position and steadying me on my feet.

As the world spun around me, a sudden wave of emotion washed over me. "I miss Josie," I blurted out, my filter completely gone. "I love the way she kisses me and the way she uses her—" I was abruptly cut off by Emily's hand clamping over my mouth, muffling the rest of my sentence.

"Okay, too much information!" Emily interjected hastily, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I really, really don't need to know the intimate details of what my little sister is doing in her private time, thank you very much," she added, grimacing slightly.

The next few moments passed in a hazy blur. Somehow, we had made it back to the castle, and were now stumbling up the grand staircase towards my room. I was giggling uncontrollably, finding everything hilarious in my altered state. Emily, for her part, was desperately trying to shush me, glancing around nervously as if expecting someone to catch us at any moment.

"Okay, we've got to stop meeting like this," Emily muttered under her breath. I turned my head, my vision swimming, to see a familiar figure approaching us. It took my addled brain a moment to process who it was.

In a burst of energy that surprised even myself, I flung myself out of Emily's steadying arms and launched myself at Josie. She reacted quickly, grabbing my thighs to hold me up as I wrapped my legs around her waist. The sudden movement made my head spin even more, but I didn't care.

"I missed you!" I giggled, nuzzling into her neck and inhaling her familiar scent. "You smell so good. Like... like sunshine and happiness and... and... I don't know what else, but it's amazing!"

Josie looked over my shoulder at Emily, her eyebrows raised in a silent question. "Is she—" she began, trailing off as she took in my disheveled appearance and glassy eyes.

"She's high as a kite," Emily confirmed with a resigned sigh. "Her ass started hanging upside down off the dock after she smoked an entire bag of weed. I swear, I can't take my eyes off her for five minutes without her getting into some kind of trouble."

"Okay, I'm leaving. You can deal with her crazy self," Emily laughed, shaking her head in a mixture of amusement and concern. She cast one last worried glance at me, her eyes betraying a hint of sisterly protectiveness, before reluctantly exiting the room. The sound of her footsteps echoed down the hallway, gradually fading into silence, leaving Josie and me alone in the dimly lit chamber.

"Hope, sweetheart, it's the middle of the night," Josie attempted to hush me, her voice a delicate balance of affection and exasperation. She gently ran her fingers through my hair, her touch both soothing and electrifying. "We need to keep our voices down. The whole castle doesn't need to know about our late-night escapades." Despite her words, a small smile played at the corners of her lips, betraying her amusement at my intoxicated state.

I pouted dramatically, my lower lip jutting out in an exaggerated fashion. Crossing my arms over my chest, I fixed Josie with my most irresistible puppy-dog eyes, a look I knew she found nearly impossible to refuse. "I'll be quiet," I bargained, my words slightly slurred, "but only if you give me a kiss. A really good one, mind you. None of those quick pecks."

Josie's resolve visibly crumbled in the face of my antics. A soft giggle escaped her lips as she shook her head in fond exasperation. "You drive a hard bargain, Miss Mikaelson," she teased, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "I'll give you all the kisses in the world, but then we really need to get some sleep." She approached me slowly, her movements deliberate and graceful, a stark contrast to my own clumsy state.

True to her word, Josie began peppering my face with countless kisses. Her lips, soft and warm, brushed against my forehead, trailing down to my cheeks, the tip of my nose, and finally, tantalizing close to my mouth. Each touch sent a cascade of tingles through my body, intensified by my altered state. The sensation was overwhelming, a delightful mixture of ticklish giggles and breathless anticipation.

Overcome by the combination of Josie's affection and my intoxicated state, I stumbled backwards towards the bed. My legs, unsteady and uncooperative, tangled beneath me, causing me to fall rather ungracefully onto the soft mattress. I bounced slightly on impact, the motion sending the room into a dizzying spin. Colors blurred and shapes distorted, creating a kaleidoscope effect that was both disorienting and mesmerizing.

As Josie's warm presence settled beside me on the bed, a wave of contentment washed over me. The combination of the weed's effects, Josie's comforting proximity, and the late hour began to take its toll. I felt my eyelids growing increasingly heavy, each blink lasting longer than the last. Josie's soft humming, a lullaby I vaguely recognized from my childhood, further lulled me towards sleep.

"I love you," I mumbled, my words barely audible as sleep began to claim me. "You're my favorite person in the whole wide world, you know that?" I managed to add before a massive yawn overtook me.

Josie's gentle laughter was the last thing I heard as the comforting darkness of sleep finally consumed me. As I drifted off, I felt her press one last tender kiss to my forehead, her whispered "I love you too" following me into my dreams. The peaceful embrace of slumber wrapped around me, carrying me off into a night filled with pleasant, if slightly hazy, dreams of the girl lying beside me.

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