beloved, hope mikaelson

08 | SEYLAH

AFTER HOPE'S BRACELET LIT up with the SOS from Landon, we were all a little stumped on what to do. Hope gave Landon that bracelet as a means to reach out whenever he was in true danger, so clearly, the matter was not something to be taken lightly. Whatever he was up to, he needed help. Supernatural help. And Hope wasn't the type of person to ignore that.

Hope and I left the cemetery not long after the bracelet lit up, but Eve started wailing because it was time for her to eat, so Hope told me 'not to worry' and to 'go take care of Eve.' Arguing with Hope Mikaelson was near impossible, and even though I tried my hardest, Hope didn't give me an option. She—quite literally—dragged me to my room, pleading with me to be with Eve.

I'll be back, she'd promised me. Don't worry about me. Rest well, you'll see me soon.

I wasn't happy when I woke up the next morning. Lizzie and Josie were still in Europe with Mom, and now that Hope and Dad—who'd apparently found her sneaking out last night and went with her—were going after Landon, I was all alone. The three students in this school that actually liked me—and vice versa—weren't here. And without the 'protection' of my sisters, it made me all the more aware of the fact that everyone stared at me in the hallways for being the School Teen Mom.

Sure, I knew that being a mother at seventeen wasn't normal, but it happened, and now that she was here, there was nothing I could do to change it. I didn't know why that gave people permission to whisper behind my back and look at me weird in the hallways. Before I had Eve, I was quite literally invisible. With Lizzie and Josie as younger sisters (and my social anxiety), I never stuck out, never much more than the Saltzman twins' older sister. It sucked, and I hated it.

Overnight, the second the news spread that I'd had a baby, I went from being hidden in the shadows to painfully visible. The worst part? I didn't know which one was worse. I hated being invisible because I never got to bond with anyone besides my sisters, but I hated suddenly becoming visible (for something like teen motherhood, no less). It was a lose-lose either way for me.

Now, being alone in this school for the very first time since Eve was born, I'd never felt more lonely in my life. I missed Lizzie and Josie. I missed Hope.

They were gone for longer than anticipated, and for a while, neither Dad nor Hope would answer my calls, so I panicked for a bit, hoping that they were okay. I'd been about to do a locator spell when I got a call from Hope, explaining that they were finally coming back. The relief I felt... It was indescribable. Hearing her voice, hearing that she was okay... it made me instantly relax. I just hated that I had to wait hours to hug her again.

She didn't tell me when they got back; she came into my room and waited with open arms as I jumped out of bed and wrapped my arms around her in a tight squeeze.

We hugged for a long minute before going to sit down on my bed to talk—I was eager to hear about what had happened on their trip to Kansas. We sat down next to each other, with Eve lying down in between us.

Eve had pulled herself up into a sitting position, her small, chubby hand on Hope's knee. Those brown eyes looked up at Hope with wonder and excitement. She must have sensed that Hope was a good person; I could see it in her eyes. Hope was looking back at her with a swirl of emotions in her eyes, none of which I could decipher, but they seemed happy. Her face seemed apprehensive.

"Do you want to hold her?" I softly asked, giving Hope a small smile as she turned to me with wide eyes upon hearing my question.

"I don't have much experience holding babies..." Hope said, her voice lacking confidence as she shrugged her shoulders.

"She's seven-months-old," I told her. "She's not fragile anymore; she can hold herself up, see? I'll just place her on your lap if you want."

After a moment of looking at Eve, Hope nodded tentatively. I grinned as I picked Eve up, placing her on Hope's lap. With her knees being bent, Eve was able to comfortably sit while Hope learned how to get comfortable with her. She was a very content baby, and patient. It took a little while, but Hope eventually was able to tickle Eve softly and hold her hands.