Legacies (Rewritten) S1

Chapter 23: No More

Night fell and Hope isolated herself inside her room, scribbling something, anything, as long as it kept her mind away from her earlier outburst.

Her door creaked cautiously, and the footsteps revealed her unplanned guest.

"How are the twins?" She asked, not looking up to face him.

"Lizzie's recovering quickly, thanks to your blood." Dr. Saltzman paused, "And Josie still won't talk to me." She could feel his eyes burn a question at the back of her head. "Hope-"

"How did you know it won't kill you?"

He sighed, "Gargoyles are protectors. Folklore tells a tale of a settlement in France protected by one, because the villagers possessed a powerful relic-"

"The knife? Our knife?" Hope looked at Dr. Saltzman, his eyes told the confirmation.

"According to the story, the Gargoyle loved the humans he protected. So, on their behalf, it vowed to fight..." Dr. Saltzman tried to find the words that would delicately say the message, "...evil..."

"Evil? So, me?" Hope forced a laugh. "Josie? Lizzie?"

"Hope-"

"Practically everyone this fucking school educates?" The pencil Hope was holding snapped under the pressure of her hand. "Fucking shit!"

"On its point of view...yes..." Dr. Saltzman sighed again. "When it let me live, I realized that...it thinks I'm the one it needed to protect."

"From who? Your daughters?" Hope stood up with such speed that it tumbled her chair over, "Who, by the way, won't feel any better knowing it."

Dr. Saltzman didn't know what to say. She was right...again...even though he didn't want her to be. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"A teacher and a few students saw you helping Josie." Dr. Saltzman smiled, "And also because you didn't hesitate to give Lizzie your blood."

Hope sighed. "Dr. Saltzman, I know that I don't listen to you a lot-"

"You mostly don't listen to me, but continue."

"As I was saying." Hope said through gritted teeth. "I don't listen to you a lot, but maybe reaching out isn't...all...that...bad..." Hope could see the excitement flood through Dr. Saltzman's eyes. "But, if you ever want me and the twins to make progress, you have to practice what you preach." Hope headed for her door, "No more lies." And with that the girl left her room.

The Mikaelson girl strutted down the hall, a familiar curly haired figure entering the school doors caught her eye. "Kirby." She said in a monotone, yet menacing voice.

"Hope!" Her presence made him jump. "Hi-"

"Get to the point."

"Look. I didn't steal-"

"We've already established that."

"Wait. You believe me?" Landon looked like a puppy being offered a treat.

"I have to." Landon smiled at her words, but it quickly faded. "Because a different monster came for it, and you weren't here, so..." Hope sighed, "Your connection to all of this is still funky."

"I swear, I am not connected."

"You better not. You've seen my anger at surface level " She took a step towards the internally trembling boy. "And you don't want to dig further, because that's how deep your grave will be when I find out that you're behind all of this."

"Is she bothering you?" Raf's voice boomed.

"And you..." Hope turned her attention to the other brother, "Goodluck with Jed." She harshly patted his arm, her laughter echoed as she left the boys alone.

At the Mess Hall, Lizzie was peacefully snuggling into the blanket her sister brought earlier, until a bob-cut brunette caught her eye.

"Lizzie." Her name somehow sounded so pretty rolling off the snake's tongue.

"You." Lizzie's eyes wandered to the plate she held, her black nail polish and the dark silver rings wrapped around her fingers contrasted its white color. Lizzie wondered what she wanted.

Apparently, so did Josie. "Penelope..." She appeared behind her ex, holding the two glasses of water she fetched.

Penelope turned around, meeting the brown-eyed Saltzman face to face. In that moment, she was instantly brought back to the first time she saw Josie. Her curly baby bangs would bounce as she moved and her ponytail would sway from side to side. "I'm Josie. Welcome to the Salvatore School."

"Penelope?" Josie's voice brought her back to the present.

Penelope waited for Josie to say something, anything, other than her name. Her ears craved Josie's voice, she could feel it in her bones. Her heart begged and her eyes conveyed these silent pleas.

But Josie remained silent and stoic.

How can those glasses not see what is stupidly in front of her?

Then, MG's voice echoed in her mind. "And you think that will make her love you again? Hurting the person she values the most?"

Right...

"I heard you helped save us." She begrudgingly turned to Lizzie, whose face is painted by a smug smile.

"Why, yes. I did. Almost died, you know."

"Hope's blood worked." Penelope could practically hear Josie smile and her heart tear itself apart.

"Why did you have to walk away? Why did I have to choose between you and Lizzie?" She remembered the tear that fell from Josie.

"A little too well!" Lizzie exclaimed, "I didn't get to keep my cool scars!"

Josie giggled at her sister's words, walking past Penelope to place the glasses of water before she sat down next to the blonde.

"Why couldn't I have both of you?" She remembered the pause before Josie spoke again. "I love you both. Why did I have to choose?"

Penelope cleared her throat. "As a symbol of gratitude and on behalf of the school, the kitchen made some blondies for the blondie." She handed, no, shoved the plate on Lizzie's hands.

Both sisters raised an eyebrow at Penelope's strange behavior. But with one look from Josie, Lizzie hesitantly took a piece. Blue eyes examined it carefully before taking a bite, analyzing its flavor, texture, and possibility of it being hexed.

It...

...is...

...HEAVENLY...

But of course Lizzie would kill herself first before she'd admit that. "It's okay." Josie reached for a glass and began to drink some water as Lizzie wiped the crumbs off her mouth. "I prefer brownies though."

"So do I."

Josie choked on the water as Penelope spoke with a straight face and flashed a forced smile before leaving.