Surreptitious

Chapter 9: Reunion

Josie woke up with a start, shooting upright and heaving with anxiety.

She quickly glanced around her and found that she was in her bed in the room she shared with her sister. There was light streaming through the windows, though she knew very well it was evening the last time she was conscious. She was in full-blown panic mode, images of Hope crumbling to dust still fresh in the forefront of her mind.

She threw the blankets from her sweat-soaked body and jumped out of bed. One more feverish search around the room with desperate eyes, which revealed nothing out of the ordinary, and she shot out the door with determination.

Her first stop was Hope's room. She didn't bother knocking. She didn't even consider it, as she threw the door open with a wave of her hand – the magic nearly knocking the slab of wood off of its hinges.

Hope's bed was empty. The spot the sleeping tribrid had occupied for weeks was now void of any sign that she had even been there.

Josie shot from one end of the room to the other, searching for any sign of Hope, but coming up empty handed.

She flew out of the room once more and down the steps, around the corner and to her father's office.

"God damnit!" Alaric nearly fell off his chair as the heavy double doors that lead into his office flew open violently, crashing against the wall on either sides, as his daughter stormed in with tears streaking her face. "Josie! What the hell!"

"She's gone, dad!" Josie's arms flailed as she choked on her words.

"Who? Who's gone? Baby, calm down…" He stepped around his desk and reached for her tentatively, but she was skipping across the room, pacing, before he could even lay a finger on her in comfort.

"Hope! Dad! I saw her in my... I found her…" Josie started crying, struggling to hold back her anxiety-ridden emotions. "But she… Oh god…"

"Jo calm down!" He reached for her again, gripping her shoulders to get her to just stop and look at him, pain etched onto his face as his heart broke for his little girl.

"Dad, I don't…" He quickly cut her off before she could sob out another syllable, pulling her tightly against his chest.

"She's fine. Jo, she's awake. She came back around early this morning." He sighed deeply and cursed inwardly at himself, figuring he should have been with Josie when she woke up, or at least have had Lizzie stay with her.

Josie stopped breathing and pulled back to look up at her father's caring eyes while quickly and angrily wiping the tears from her own. "What? What do you mean? Where is she? Is she okay?"

Alaric lead his daughter to the nearest chair and allowed her to sink into it and relax, before he himself stepped back to lean against his desk. "She's fine. A little confused and dazed, but she's normal. She has a lot to deal with, I guess. She went out for a run."

"I need to find her." Josie said immediately and stood from the chair, but was quickly pushed back down by her father's firm hand on her shoulder.

"She's running in wolf form. You're not going near her right now." He arched his brows in warning.

"Dad…I have to." She whined irritably, but Alaric wouldn't budge, shaking his head at his daughter.