Caroline still had questions about this girl, if she wasn't a Devereux witch why was she seeking Bonnie out?
"You said you weren't a normal witch?" Hope was pulled out of her train of thought by Caroline's voice.
"I'm part wolf." Hope was completely still in her chair as she spoke, a witch-werewolf hybrid wasn't impossible in fact she had heard of a few from Sophie.
"I'm guessing your parents are a witch and werewolf?" Hope nodded instead of speaking hoping to maintain the lie. Caroline got up and gestured to the door. "Well, Bonnie's busy today but there are other witches who could hel-"
"No." Hope said immediately, "No thank you." She didn't want a witch figuring out who and what she was. "I'd prefer if it's her." Caroline smiled at her and nodded.
"Sure, but she isn't here, she's on a date," Caroline rolled her eyes, "trust me you'd rather be here than when she's loved up, it's sickening." Caroline said making Hope laugh at her.
"I'm sure it's not that bad." Caroline scoffed.
"Please, it's like…it's like a cross between a puppy and ferocious kitten, you do not want to be there when they get it on." She grimaced as Hope giggled at the description. "Anyway, I'm guessing you've just arrived in the city?"
"Yep."
"Have you got a place to stay?" Caroline asked as she took the empty cans and placed them in the bin, Hope shook her head.
"Not yet, I still need to look for a hotel or something." Caroline bit her lip.
"Unless…" Caroline shrugged and moved closer to Hope, "…you want to stay with me, it's just a thought, I mean, you're new and you don't know anyone and you're looking for Bonnie. If you stayed with us you'd be more likely to see her as much as possible." Hope's lips turned up into a smile.
"Yeah, I'd love that, if you don't mind that is…" Caroline giggled at the girl.
"I really don't mind, but don't you have any bags?" Caroline asked curiously as she looked at Hope who was dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans combo with a leather jacket on top.
"It's in the car…which is in the witch quarter." Hope said hesitantly as she realised how far away the car was. Caroline opened the door and nodded for Hope to follow.
"We'll get it, I can give you the grand tour on the way." Hope smiled at the idea and nodded as she followed Caroline back out to the courtyard.
"Everyone." Caroline drew their attention and the conversations quietened down. "This is Hope Kenner, she's going to be staying with us for a couple of weeks-"
"One week." Hope said blushing as she realised that she'd interrupted Caroline who just smiled at her.
"-One week, show her what this city is about and how we do things."
"Aye aye cap'n" Ben said as he raised his bottle from the corner as he sat next to Matt, "Lovely to meet you, Hope. The name's Ben Sullivan, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask, half of us won't know the answers anyway." He said earning a few chuckles and an eye-roll from Caroline.
"Ignore him, he thinks he's God's gift to this this town. I think he was dropped as a child." Caroline shot back at him.
"I resent that." Ben shouted up with a grin.
"Resent all you like, won't stop it from being the truth." Hope laughed at the banter between the pair and the wholeness of all the people. Hope glanced at the others when her eyes fell on the brunette who had her legs swung over the chair she was sitting on, their eyes met and Katherine got up gracefully with a smirk.
"I'm Katherine Pierce." The brunette said as she eyed the blonde teenager.
"Pleasure to meet you." Hope said using the manners her Uncle Elijah had taught her.
"I'm sure it is." Her voice came out slow as a snake's hiss.
"Kat, be nice." Caroline said with a groan seeing the mean Katherine façade come into play. Katherine flicked her hair back before flashing into her room. "And that's Matt." Caroline said as she pointed at the man who was doing bench presses but got up with a grin.
"Hello Hope." Hope nodded at him.
"Yeah, I know, bench press competition, totally uncool." Caroline murmured under her breath allowing Hope to hear and causing her to try and stifle a laugh.
"I heard that, Care" Matt said with a pout. Caroline rolled her eyes at him.
"Well, if you'd all excuse us, we have a city to explore. Come on Hope." They turned away. "And get rid of the clown!" She shouted over her shoulder as Hope quirked her eyebrow in confusion at her words. "Don't ask." She murmured making Hope smile as they walked out onto the filled streets.
Hope scanned the street, it was packed full of people and performances.
"Why are there so many street performers?" Caroline smiled as they passed a saxophone player who had gained a crowd.
"Ever heard of the Spoleto festival?" Hope shook her head, "Well, every year, in Charleston, street performers gather and well, perform. It's 17 day long festival which continues into the night. Basically the streets are filled with music and art as well as culture." A group of ballerinas danced past them pirouetting their way down the street. "You're lucky you arrived when you did, any later and the highways would be packed and you'd be stuck in traffic." Caroline said as she looked across the rooftops and Hope followed her gaze, there were people sitting on the edges having conversation so some whilst on others there were people jumping across the buildings. "Street runners." She nodded to the figure who was darting across the building to building. "They have cameras on them capturing every moment, it's quite the sight from the top." Caroline gestured to the alley, "Come on." Caroline took her hand and led her towards it, it widened up to some stairs which led to the top of the building where you could see the overview of the city.
"Oh my God." Hope whispered at the sight before her, there were colours everywhere she looked, in the distance she could see buildings upon buildings until her eyes sought out a vast area of green forest with the top of a huge mansion like building. "What's that?" She pointed towards it.
"That is le region de loupe." Hope's eyes widened as she translated the words.
"The wolf quarter." Caroline nodded with a grin as she led her across the roof and they skipped down to the next one along. "But it's so close." She said to herself as she glanced towards it again.
"And?" Caroline said even though she knew what Hope was thinking.
"How is it possible for it to be so close but not have any problems with them? I mean there are vampires and witches here as well. Is there some sort of magic water they drink to stop them fighting?" She asked seriously curious as Caroline laughed at her words.
"No, no magical water drugging everyone." She shook her head at the thought, "We have a truce."
"Between everyone?" Hope asked surprised, sure her dad had set up a truce between the factions but there was always the odd few incidents between each side which made them have to fix everything again. "How?"
"Each faction doesn't think they're different from the other, well they do but not as if they are totally separate things to each other. It's like the human race, it has so many differences within in, crude, culture, religion, etc, a faction is just a difference within the entirety of the supernatural race. They get along knowing that none are superior to the others, do you get what I mean?" Hope nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I think so, it's like a bake sale, all the things you make are baked but come in different ways, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, right?" Caroline nodded with a tilt of her head.
"I've never thought about it like that before, but yeah, I guess you're right." Caroline said in an amused tone, they continued to walk across the rooftops until they reached the end of the street entering the witch quarter. "I suppose you've gone to lots of bake sales then?" Caroline teased her but Hope's smile faltered as she shook her head.
"No, I've never been to one." Hope cleared her throat, "I didn't get the chance…I've never been to school." Caroline's jaw dropped.
"Never in your life?" Hope shook her head. "Why not, if you don't mind me asking?"
"My family doesn't believe in the education system."
"So were you, like, home schooled?" Caroline asked curious of the girl's background.
"Sort of, my uncle taught me bits and pieces, but he was more focused on history rather than any of the other subjects." They were walking along the edge of a rooftop when Hope looked down and saw a witch levitating leaves in front of her which made Hope curious.
"When I first arrived, there some witches doing magic in the streets, making flames and lights appear from their hands in plain sight of the humans, is that allowed?" Caroline looked down to the street and nodded towards a group performing magic.
"You mean like that?" Hope followed her sight and her eyes fell on a few witches striking up animals like she had seen before.
"Yeah, like that." She whispered completely mesmerised. Caroline sat down on the roof top and lowered herself onto a balcony beneath as Hope followed her movements and they stood looking over the scene on the street.
"Yeah, it's allowed. Just because humans see magic being performed doesn't mean they connect the dots. Look at the street magician there," she pointed to the man Hope had seen before doing card tricks, "he's a warlock conning people out of their money by using magic to change the face of the card, sure it's unethical, I know, but it proves the point. I hate to say it but humans are close-minded, I know I was. You give them blood with added flavours and tell them that it's just flavoured gin with food colouring, they'd probably believe it." They walked along the balcony keeping their eyes on the street, "It's the same, you show them magic in plain sight and they come up with reasons which rationalise it."
"Holograms and strobe lighting." Hope said recalling the man she had heard in the street before.
"Exactly." The came to a set of spiral stairs that they came down which was right in front of the bar which Hope had entered earlier.
"I see you found her then." A voice came from behind, the girls both turned to see Jake leaning against a pillar wearing a leather jacket and smirk.
"Oh, it's you." Hope murmured.
"Now, now, is that hostility that I'm hearing?" His grin widened as he ambled closer to them and winked at Hope who rolled her eyes at him. "Can I ask you something?" Hope pursed her lips before nodding. "Aren't you tired?" Hope looked at him confused until he spoke again, "You must be since you've been running around my mind all day."
"You've got to be kidding me." Caroline murmured, just as she was about to pull Hope away she was pleasantly surprised by the girls comeback.
"Yeah, well that damn exit door is pretty well hidden." Hope said with a smirk before turning and pulling Caroline away not before the older blonde looked over her shoulder.
"Oooh, burn!" Caroline giggled and Hope couldn't help but join in before they turned the corner where Hope's car was parked.
"This is it." She opened the car and they got in with Caroline in the driver's seat since she knew the layout of the city much better than Hope did, they drove back towards the Citadelle.
"So you and Jake?" Caroline said as she wiggled her eyebrows causing Hope to roll her eyes.
"There is no me and Jake, I barely know him." Caroline leaned back in her seat as they took the longer route round the city avoiding the crowds which would be in the centre.
"Please, I know that look."
"What look?"
"The one you both had in your eyes, the 'I don't know you yet but I totally want to know you' look." Caroline said smugly as Hope blushed.
"No way, like I said, we're strangers and my dad would totally kill me if he found out."
"Ah, yes the 'mother act' as I like to call it." Hope looked at her curiously willing her to explain. "When the dad acts like the protective mother and wouldn't hesitate to rip off someone's head."
"So you've had a lot of experience with that?" Caroline's expression fell as she shook her head.
"No, my dad wasn't really there when I was a child. He left me and my mom when I was 6 for another man." Hope's jaw dropped and Caroline chuckled at her expression, "Yeah, that's my favourite party trick." Silence fell in the car.
"I'm sorry." Hope murmured.
"Don't be, it wasn't your fault, hell I doubt you were even born then, how old are you?"
"17."
"The age I was turned." Hope looked at her noticing that she did look 17 but there was an aura about her suggesting she was much wiser.
"How were you turned?"
"You're a curious little thing aren't you?" Caroline said teasingly causing Hope to blush, "Katherine suffocated me." Hope's eyes widened.
"But I thought you two were friends?" Caroline smirked and nodded.
"We are. We bonded over our mutual dislike." Hope furrowed her brow trying to work out what that meant, "Yeah, it's a difficult principle to accept but yeah, she killed me, we bonded and now she's one of my best friends." Caroline turned the corner and they arrived to see Katherine leaning against the wall of the Citadelle. "Speak of the devil and she shall appear….
