paintings in the wind

"only love can hurt like this."

hope's POV
the night fell cold. josie was probably freezing. i decided to split up from the group, to see if that could help, but nothing at the moment. i begin to hear rustling on the distance. i vamp my way over to the direction of the mill only to find a very distressed josie saltzman.

"hey." i say, softly.

she looks up at me, blood dripping a little from her mouth. "hi hope." her voice breaks.

"so, how long have you been here for?" i begin to walk closer to her. "not long. i've just been-" her voice breaks again. "it's okay. you don't have to say anything." i head even closer to her. as i get closer, the smell of blood becomes stronger and stronger every step i take.

as i make my way to her, i see a pile of decomposing bodies of animals and people. i look at josie, worryingly. "josie..." is all i can say before i make the decision to snap her fragile neck.

lizzie's POV
"did you find her?" i say to hope as she enters the office. "she's in the dungeons below. i'm pretty sure she's a rippah. i'll need help with disposing the bodies." she looks at us. "oh my god." my mom says, turning into uncle stefan. "let me talk to her. she trusts me." i say. i was not going to take no as an answer. i brushed against hope whilst heading downstairs.

i made it there just in time. josie began to wake up, there was a large gasp not to long after. "hey, how are you feeling?" i softly spoke to her. she looked around and then stood up off the bed. "lizzie? what's going on?" she asked, worried. "nothing. it's just you fed on those people, and hope took drastic measures." i honestly reason with her. "where is hope? i want to speak with her." she's still a bit frantic. "uh, sure." i head back upstairs.

that could've gone better. she seemed so distressed. my train of thought is suddenly interrupted when i make my way into my mother's office. "hope! she wants you. i'm guessing she's not too impressed with you snapping her neck." i glare at her. "okay, sure." she heads out of my mom's office.

josie's POV
i've never had the experience of being in one of these cells before, and trust me, it's not pleasant. i look out the metal bar window waiting for hope to arrive. i turn around to the sound of large boots clasping against the hard concrete floor of the outside of the cell. "you came." i say, looking at her firmly.

"listen, i'm sorry, but you were feeding like crazy." she  looks at me, softly.

"i was having an emotional breakdown!" i fire back.

"breakdown or not, you were not stable. i did what had to be done!"

"you could have talked me down! now i'm stuck in here!" i turn away, trying to secretly wipe my tears.

"i'm sorry, i truly am!" she tries to reason.

caroline's POV
"it's not going well, FYI." i look at everyone. it's then that lizzie says something that rings in my ears for ages. "only love can hurt like this."

"that's true." hayley confirms. but i'm too out of to listen.

only love can hurt like this.