The Real Me ↠ Hope Mikaelson ✓

06

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃
be gentle with me, i'm more delicate than i look.

THE NIGHT IS young, and there's a crescent moon out. A song on the radio is blasting, and there's a lot of chatter and laughter.

Millie laughs loudly, trying to balance on a log with a spoon balancing her nose.

Her blonde hair is in thick waves, rolling down her back, and she is wearing a short, floral self-tie cami sundress.

"I can do it, I promise!" She squeals with a giggle before the spoon falls off her nose for the sixth time.

Penelope Park—aka Josie's evil ex—stands off to the side with her minions, her arms crossed and eyebrows raised as she watches the short blonde try to do her act.

She didn't know Josie had another sister, let alone one that looks exactly like the Queen bitch herself—Lizzie Saltzman.

Of course, Penelope immediately hates the girl, even though she hasn't done anything "bad" yet. She doesn't care—it's just another person Josie's wasting her time on.

"Mills, be careful," Lizzie warns as she stands behind Millie, hoping she doesn't fall off the log.

She worries for Millie constantly, as she's full of energy and always wants to do something reckless. The girl might be a zombie and can't get seriously injured, but still.

Sometimes Lizzie wonders if she should've been the older sibling instead.

Millie simply giggles. "Don't worry, Lizzie-bear, I'll be fine."

Penelope smirks, a plan coming to mind. She snaps her fingers at her minions before strutting closer to the siblings.

"Ventus," she mutters, throwing her hands out in Millie's direction and watching as the girl is pushed backwards by the wind and knocked onto her back.

Unfortunately, a piece of wood is sticking out of the ground, so when Millie falls, it goes straight through her shoulder, making her cry out in pain.

"Millie!" Both Lizzie and Josie shout in fear as they rush over to their sister to help her up.

Millie grunts before gripping the piece of wood and yanking it out of her shoulder in one go. Her breathing is heavy as she looks up at the crowd gathered, her eyes red.

Hearing their gasps, she hangs her head, counts to ten, and takes deep breaths, gaining control of her body again before facing the crowd once more.

Lizzie is practically red and shaking with rage because she knows who the culprit is—she had seen that witch-bitch Penelope approach them right before Millie was suddenly thrown back.

"Satan!" She shrieks, her magic exploding from within her and making the radio blow up in a shower of sparks. She turns her rage onto Penelope, who simply raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "How dare you!"

"Oh, what now, Blondie?" Penelope grins. "I was all the way over here. I didn't do anything."

"I saw you!" Lizzie screams, her face red. If she were a cartoon, smoke would've been coming out of her ears by now. "Why the hell would you do that, you bitch?!"

Millie moves away from Josie and grabs Lizzie's hand, gently turning her to face her. "It's okay, Liz. I'm okay—"

"No!" Lizzie shouts, turning to point at Penelope. "It's not okay! She doesn't get to continue to get away with this sort of thing; it's ridiculous!"

"You know what's actually ridiculous?" Penelope asks rhetorically. "The fact that your sister eats brains. Like... that's disgusting. How can you stand to be near her when she probably has brainbreath? And don't get me started on the paleness of her skin—"

Lizzie throws out a hand in the girl's direction with an angry screech. "Rigescunt indutae!"

Penelope screams as her body hardens and frost begins to grow on her tan skin, the crowd of onlookers gasping in shock and horror at the sight.

Josie panics, yelling, "Incendia!"

Flames flare to life around Penelope, melting the ice previously making her face turn purple.

Lizzie starts shouting at Josie for saving Penelope, as Millie takes the opportunity to sprint out of the school and into the woods, her eyes stinging with tears.

"I'm a monster, I'm a monster," she chants to herself as she runs, her chest beginning to tighten with an incoming panic attack. "I've killed and I eat people's brains! What the hell is wrong with me? What did I do to deserve this?!"

Millie comes to a screeching halt when a white wolf leaps out in front of her from nowhere and just stares at her with glowing yellow eyes.

After a moment, the wolf backs up into the shadows before transforming into a human. The figure grabs a coat that's hanging on a nearby tree, wrapping it around themselves.

"Who are—Hope?" Millie stares incredulously as the person steps out of the shadows. She sniffs and wipes away any fallen tears before smiling softly at the auburn-haired girl. "What are you doing out here?"

"I should be asking you that," Hope responds, looking the blonde up and down, noticing the tear-rimmed eyes. "Isn't there a party at the Old Mill? Why aren't you there with your sisters?"

Millie sighs, fiddling with the rings on her fingers. "I, uh... that girl—Penelope—started saying some mean stuff, and Lizzie got defensive." She glances over her shoulder in the direction of the party. "I got nervous and took off. I probably shouldn't have, but..." She trails off, shaking her head. "I just needed some air."

Hope nods. "I understand that." She takes in a deep breath, not knowing why she wants to do this, but decides what the hell. Jerking her thumb over her shoulder, she asks, "Do you want to join me on a walk?"

Millie can't help but smile widely in excitement, the moment with Penelope forgotten. "Of course," she answers, rushing over to Hope's side to begin their walk.

Mission Two: Get Hope Mikaelson to become her friend.