Back to Me

The Hunt - Part II

"Put this ring on," Hope said, placing the metal band on Alyssa's palm. "It will cast an illusion to make you look like me."

She kept moving around her room, opening drawers in search of a dagger she didn't remember where she last placed. Alyssa, meanwhile, scowled at her.

"I did my part of the deal -- I got you information. I never signed up for this."

"If Aunt Rebekah so much as suspects something is going on, she'll hunt me down. That leaves your wish for revenge crushed." Hope snapped back. "And I hate to admit it, but you and I are more similar than I would like. You can play me better than anyone else."

It was a fact that hung heavy between the girls, both wincing internally at the thought. But it was undeniably true. They could both hold their ground against odds with grace and bravery. And didn't let others walk over them without consequence.

A fact not even Alyssa could debunk, so she huffed and flopped down onto the bed. Hope opened her bathroom cabinet, reaching until the back tile. She tapped around the edges for a loose plate. When she found it, she slid it aside and grabbed the clothed dagger inside. Its weight hung comfortably on her hand as if it had been crafted specifically for her. She removed the velvet cloth, her blue eyes reflecting back from the blade.

Once upon a time, it had belonged to her grandfather, Mikael. A terrible man, a worse vampire. Sometime during the centuries, her father managed to steal it from him, carrying it around like a trophy. The reason Hope kept it hidden is that, like everything else concerning her family, the dagger held power too dangerous to unleash into the world. It could slice through anything and neutralize an Original for hours. She had also witnessed her father kill a werewolf with it by driving it through her heart, so she didn't know the full extent of its properties. She knew for a fact, however, that Alaric wouldn't let her keep it.

Hope tucked it in her jeans and walked back to the room, meeting with a perfect copy of herself. Alyssa ran her fingers through foreign long, copper hair. Scanning over the milky smooth skin, the new curvature of her body, and the ring on her index finger.

"Where did you find this ring?" She asked.

"I borrowed it from Lizzie's room. She used it to look like me when I went into Josie's mind." Hope responded while rummaging through her closet.

"I hate this," Alyssa said, glowering at Hope.

The tribrid shrugged, "Take one for the team." She pulled the hair tie wrapped around her wrist and began putting her hair in a ponytail, "Stay inside the room at all times. We want to avoid unnecessary sightings. Rebekah will probably check in once or twice in the afternoon." Hope walked to the bed, pondering which leather jacket to wear, "Paint, read, practice spells, I don't care -- just stay in the room." She paused, then turned on her heel to face Alyssa, "Actually, only paint in the late afternoon. Any other time may be suspicious."

Alyssa rolled her new blue eyes, a perfect impersonation of Hope. From afar, no one would be able to tell the difference. Hope's haste came to a halt, the dagger now weighing heavy on her waist.

"There is one more thing," She said, twirling the blade out. Alyssa visibly tensed, readying for attack -- "If things go sideways, use this on Rebekah. It will neutralize her for a few hours, hopefully giving me enough time to come back."

Alyssa peered at the silver blade, following her reflection. She took the handle from Hope, flicking her wrist, testing it out. Uneasiness settled in Hope's chest, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was betraying her family. Giving a weapon for an Original to someone she couldn't trust. Acting like her father in his darkest times... But she was doing it protect them, she reasoned. To protect everyone.