The Elites

Where do Broken Hearts Go?

"Shadows come with the pain that you're running from
Love was something you've never heard enough
Yeah, it took me some time but I figured out
How to fix up a heart that I let down"

"Where do Broken Hearts go?" – One Direction

I walk inside and see William and Melissa sitting in the living, waiting for me. Well, this isn't good. I walk into the living room and sit down across from them.

"I went to talk to Hope" I explain, which causes them to look at each other. They must think I got into trouble because Hope's a bad influence on me.

"To find out why she wrote things on your locker?" William asks, looking unimpressed. "Or to apologize for seeking revenge and tell your entire school a personal secret that you only know because you broke into your aunt's office?"

"You can't break into a room that's in your own house" I say but that's not really the point. Should I explain everything? They'll still blame me for walking into Courtney's trap, but then they'll know the truth. 

"I appreciate you giving me the diary, I wish Hope could have dealt with it in a more mature manner, Susan isn't going to let Hope fly off the handle anymore, she's assured me that she's as sick of Hope acting out as we are" Melissa says, her tone cold and filled with anger. Hope hasn't flown of the handle since I met her, maybe a little when she was smashing things in her room, but Susan didn't handle the adoption situation well.

"Susan isn't exactly mother of the year. Hope had nothing to do with my locker. This girl, Courtney heard we were fighting so she did it because she wanted me to give her information she could use against Hope" I explain, Melissa and William are both good at reading people, but they both fail to see that Susan is not a great mother. From what Hope says, I think I've spent more hours with Hope than her parents combined.

"This isn't about Hope, or about your locker. This is about what you did" William says, putting up a hand to silence Melissa who had opened her mouth. It was about Hope until they realized she had nothing to with it, they're both so annoying sometimes.

"I'm sorry I broke into your office, and I'm sorry I sent personal information to Courtney knowing she would tell the entire school" I say, I acted terribly this morning and I am ashamed of my behavior. Melissa looks at me, I wonder if she's about to tell me how my parents would be frowning upon me if they were here. They would be, but I don't need to hear it.

"You can't react like that, Juliet, when someone does something mean to you, retaliating will just get you into trouble as well, your parents didn't raise you to be the type of girl who helped humiliate people" Melissa tells me, her tone firm, but not unkind. My parents raised me to the be the type of girl to stand up to bullies, not the girl who aids bullies and helps them.

"I know, I will watch my temper and make sure I don't react when angry" I say, out of the corner of my eye I see a photo of my parents. It was taken on their wedding day, it looked like a great day, they both look so in love. Their lives were cut short and it's up to me to make them proud and to make people know that they raised me right.

"Are you okay?" Melissa asks, surprising me again. "Courtney shouldn't have made fun of you for being an orphan." I feel bad discussing my parents with Melissa as I know her, and my dad were close. I always fear that I'll upset her, so I keep my thoughts and feelings regarding my parents to myself.

"I've been missing them extra lately, I think it's because Hope is grieving Eleanor, it's taking me back to when it first happened. I think I'll miss them forever" I admit, I can't stop thinking about my parents and what they'd be doing and saying if they were still here. Would they support me helping Hope, or would they want me to stay away? I wish there was a way to know what they think of the choices I'm making. I would do anything to bring them back.

"It makes sense, you've both lost very close family members" William says, looking sympathetic. "It's unimaginable to lose your parents at such a young age, and no one should have to experience what Hope did, and lose a sibling on top of that." Nobody should have to lose their parents; I still don't know how I'll live for the rest of my life without them.

"I'm hanging out with Hope after school tomorrow, is that okay? I might be home late" I ask, I can't have them ringing me when I'm snooping around Andrew Flynn's office.

"That's not a problem" Melissa answers just as her phone rings. She answers it and walks out of the room.

"How much danger is Hope in?" I ask William, I want his opinion on if the kidnapper might still murder Hope, despite letting her live when he let her go and Eleanor go. I have no idea why Hope's life was spared, but I'm not stupid enough to think that she's safe now.

"I don't think Eleanor's killer is interested in killing Hope, she's not a Flynn by blood" William answers, I wish he would tell me what the police think. William is leading the investigation so he must have some idea of why it all happened or who is responsible.

"What about Logan and Mason? Or Salvatore?" I don't want to think that the killer would target Salvatore since he's so young, but it's possible. I don't know what the killer is capable of or what their thought process is, I don't know what they want or how far they'll go to get it.

"I can't discuss with you" William replies, getting out his phone and checking his emails. I groan, wishing someone would tell me anything at all. I'm never going to solve this, Hope and I aren't trained police or detectives, we don't know anything that could help us.

"Why does Melissa dislike Hope so much?" I ask, Melissa won't answer that, and I don't think she realize the truth until she gets into Eleanor's diary and Eleanor's true personality is revealed. I know Hope was willing to take the fall, she'd do anything for Eleanor.

"Susan found it easier to blame problems on Hope rather than her biological children, I think she wanted us to think that all the issues were because of Hope's birth parents, not because of the way she and Andrew raised them. Melissa feeds into the narrative, but I've never really believed it, I don't think anything good comes of leaving your children alone that often and letting them get away with anything" William answers, pausing for a second. I couldn't imagine if I spent most of my time with a nanny instead of my actual parents. Hope doesn't have much respect for people because she wasn't raised to be respectful, just like Eleanor was mean because she wasn't taught how to treat people.

"Eleanor wasn't the perfect, sweet girl Susan made her out to be. I know Hope loved her, maybe more than anyone else in her family, but Eleanor had a lot of enemies" I say, I highly doubt anyone from school would kidnap, rape, and abuse Hope and Eleanor – and then drown Eleanor in her own pool – but William should know all the facts so he can decide what to do with them.

"I've interviewed several people from your high school, I am aware of what Eleanor and Hope did to other people. I know that Hope wasn't as involved, but as far to my knowledge, she could be cruel and never attempted to stop her sister" William replies, keeping a calm and neutral tone. He's right, Hope isn't a saint, but she's not as bad as Melissa makes her out to be. Hope isn't a bad person, not anymore at least. I know only her knew after her abduction, so maybe that changed her, or maybe she was never a bad person.

"She's a good person" I tell William. Whether I want to or not, I think I'm falling fast and hard for Hope, I think I might be starting to fall in love with her.