can you blame me for wanting a little bit more?

Soul marks

The morning of her sixteenth birthday, nothing feels that much different for Hope Mikaelson. She still has two dead parents, her family is still very far away and she has no friends. That's why this day doesn't feel as special to Hope as it should. She gets out of bed at 5, just like every morning. Hope quickly changes from her pyjamas to her training clothes, it feels like she's still sleeping. Then she goes to her bathroom and brushes her teeth, before heading out of her room and to the deck she uses as a training ground with Dr. Saltzman. As soon as she gets there, Hope's face changes. Her mentor has this weird smile on his face, like he wants to say something, but he's not sure if he should.

Hope rolls her eyes. "Just say what you wanna say."

Alaric's smile widens. "Happy birthday Hope."

Hope forces a smile, and nods. "Thank you Dr. Saltzman. Now can we get to training?"

The man gives her a tight-lipped smile. "Of course."

They train for the next hour or so, and if they both realize Hope fights with a little more aggressivity today, neither of them mention it. When they're done, Hope has just enough time to go back to her room and shower before breakfast. She quickly leaves Dr. Saltzman behind, not wanting to see his eyes full of pity one more second. As soon as she walks into her room, Hope slams the door behind her. She mutters a spell to lock it as she walks to the bathroom to get the shower she's desperately craving. She quickly gets the shower running before taking her clothes off and stepping in. The auburn haired girl closes her eyes as the hot water touches her body. After a couple of minutes that actually feel like seconds, Hope opens her eyes and reach for the soap. She starts washing herself, but something quickly catches her eyes, There's black ink on the right side of her collarbone, just like a tattoo. Hope feels panic invade her, so she washes the soap off as fast as possible and steps out of the shower. She stands in front of the mirror, and her eyes widen. Even though the image of the letters is reversed, Hope can perfectly read the name on her collarbone.

In the blink of an eye, she gets out of the bathroom and puts clothes on. Hope walks through the hallways leading to Dr. Saltzman's office as calmly and composed as she can. She feels the eyes of her peers on her, just like every time she walks in the halls. Those stares used to be caused by her being the mysterious Hope Marshall, the lonely student. Now, they were all caused by her being Hope Mikaelson, the powerful tribrid, daughter of one of the most despised villains in their history book. When a stare is too insistant, Hope glares and then it's over.

When she finally gets to the Headmaster's office, Hope knocks one time and she's told to enter. The Mikaelson girl does, and closes the door behind her. She says a silencing spell, just to make sure no one would have the idea to eavesdrop on them.

"Can you tell me why your daughter's name appeared on my collarbone?" Hope asks as she crosses her arms, suddenly feeling defensive.

Alaric frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Josie's name is written in a beautiful handwriting on my collarbone. It's black, and it looks like a tattoo. Do you think it could be a spell or something?" Hope says, voice laced with panic.

Dr. Saltzman is deep in thoughts for a moment, then he moves around his desk and walks closer to Hope.

"Could I take a look?" The man hesitantly asks.

Hope swallows and nods before pushing the fabric of her shirt to the side to let her mentor see the ink on her skin. She exposes the skin where Josie's name is marked on, and it soon makes Alaric frown. He lifts his hand, but before touching Hope, he stops.