Destroying Hope chapter 8
Hope blinked wearily feeling better than she had in a while. She scoped out her surrounding and began to freak out. She did not recognise this place, she did not even remember getting here. She sat up straight in the bed and almost screamed at the pain she felt. She fell back heavily and she looked down. She held up her left arm and saw white bandages down the length and saw the same on her right. She heard a noise on her right and she looked sharply to the source. It was like seeing an Angel from heaven; She had missed him so much. He crossed to the bed and sat on the side nearest to her. Not caring about the pain anymore she launched herself into his arms and he held her tight while she cried.
Once her sobs had quietened Connor spoke softly, "What happened? Who did this to you?" She pulled back and looked down. It was hard to relive those horrible months but she had to tell him. "Justine. She took me and chained me up, tortured me all because I saw her do it." At Connor's confused look she elaborated, "I saw her kill Holtz. She had an ice pick, he was encouraging her to do it, to stab him and she did it. Angel didn't kill him. I'm so sorry Connor." Connor looked down and turned away to look at the wall. His face was unreadable. Hope placed a hand on his arm and he jumped as if she had frightened him. He turned back to her and gathered her in his arms, " It's ok, everything will be alright. You're safe now." He buried his face in her neck and she stroked his back in confusion. What had just happened?
Later Hope lay in Connor's arms in the bed. She sighed and extricated herself from his arms as gently as she could so as not to wake him. She rubbed her arms from the cold. She still wore the black tank top Cordelia had given her three months ago. She stared out of the window at the harsh streets of L.A and sighed once more. Where did she belong now? She guessed being Connor's girlfriend meant she was not welcome at the hotel either now but what did that mean? She wanted to make a difference in the world. While Holtz may not have been her favourite person in the world, he had sparked in her the want to save people, to kill the evil that went bump in the night. But would she be able to do that with only Connor by her side? She knew it would hurt him greatly if she went to Angel to join his fight but Angel was a champion, he knew best how to save the world, he could teach her so much. Hope felt like this was her calling, to help people but would Connor understand that?
She sat on the rickety chair and put her head in her hands. There was something she had not told Connor. It was something she did not want to accept herself; but Hope had a dark past. Not a past filled with demons and murder but one filled with human evil. Her past was the nightmares she'd have when she wasn't dreaming of Quortoth.
She looked over at his sleeping form and blinked back tears. How could he accept her if he found out? He would hate her she knew it. She hated herself for it. And her mother. If that's what you could call her….
