A/N I noticed that more people read my chapters whenever there's more Hope-Alucard stuff so I hear your cries, dear audience, and I will deliver the best I can :)
I know it's been a while longer since the last update, but this one is quite long but please, it's worth it if you want more of softer Alucard and to see Hope actually happy for once. Remember to drop those reviews
I decided to open up and told Darius I wasn't feeling so good and he understood. He explained to me that when a vampire was still under servitude to another, if they spent too long apart it affects the fledgling negatively. It has something to do with instinct or whatever and they would essentially 'miss' their master. I didn't miss Alucard; I resented him, but I felt this weird disconnection from him that made me permanently uncomfortable. It was as if I was missing something I needed to live, and that thing was Alucard. It made me cringe just thinking about it, and I tried to shake it off but that low feeling of being unsafe didn't leave my gut.
You should listen to your gut.
Shut up.
If your instincts tell you one thing and you look the other way then you're a fool.
You should hear what my instincts say about you. Now get out of my head.
I just heard chuckling in my head after that. It did creep me out how Alucard could still read my mind and see what I was doing even when he wasn't there. I couldn't yet go into his head- or maybe I could and I just didn't realise it- but I know for a fact I wouldn't violate his privacy like that. It made me so uneasy knowing that this 600 year old angsty sociopath with stockholm syndrome could see every single thought at any time he wanted and I didn't feel so free. It was kind of degrading, actually.
All Alucard matters aside, I was still torn about Darius. I didn't know if I could trust him and the more I thought about it, the more shifty he seemed. It was as if he knew I felt this way and tried to make it up. He came into my room when I was sleeping to apologise,
"Hope," he shook me to wake me up, "Wake up, fiică."
I groaned, sitting up and yawning, "What is it?"
"I feel as if I've upset you, and I want to clear the air."
"Really? Now?" I checked the time on my phone and it was 3pm, which was my equivalent of 3am. I fell back into my pillow and groaned, "Can't it wait?"
"Please, I couldn't wait any longer."
"Alright." I became more awake and I looked at him to start talking. I knew for sure that he'd fed me my mother's blood and it was twisted and fucked up, but I was curious to see what he had to say.
"What I said about drinking virgin blood was true. And when your mother and I were together, she let me take some of her blood so I remained strong. I saved some for you because I knew by the time you became a vampire, she'd be dead."
"Cassandra killed her, can I remind you," I frowned.
"She never was meant to. I've explained it before, Hope. Hias has no real control over his girls. They don't respect him, and I can't help that. I am so eternally sorry for what happened that night- and for your grandparents. I never wanted it to get like this; to see you like this."
His apology seemed pretty genuine and I decided to forgive him,
"Alright," I said, "It's... fine, tată. I get it. Just tell me next time."
"I will." He put his hand on his chest , promising, and got up to leave. I reached out for his arm, halting him.
"Wait- what happened between you and my mother?" I asked, finally,"She loathed you and hated even the mention of you. Did you have a big fight or...?"
Darius sighed, sitting back down, "Your mother and I had a very strong but complicated relationship. My work would conflict with her morals and she didn't like a lot of things I did. Eventually we fell out severely before you were born and she didn't want anything to do with me."
"Oh...That sounds like her..." Another thing that was put at ease. We chatted for a little while and he told me to get some more sleep. He kissed my forehead and wished me good dreams before leaving. The sign of affection was new for me, but it did settle my nerves a little bit. It was still a red flag that he'd lied to me before, but I decided to trust him. Everything he told me added up and I felt at peace to have some answers.
However, later it became clear that perhaps my judgement was incorrect.
He had dozens hushed phonecalls and sometimes had a lot of people (well, vampires) over in the lounge for business meetings where they would talk with their backs turned on me and whispered in other languages. It almost made me wonder if Darius was planning things he didn't want me to know about. With all this aside, I admit it- I did want things to work out. I wanted a loving family member in my life and I wanted to be in that state of naive peace I was in when I was human, but I knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Something was off. I'd been staying at Darius' cottage for around five/six months. I was only nearly comfortable there because there was something inside me which made me constantly wary, and at first I guessed it was Alucard warning me. After a while, I guessed it was because I didn't feel like everything was okay with my father. He was definitely shifty and there was definitely something going on that he didn't want me to know about. The only intel I managed to pick up was the name 'Gregory Penwood' which struck me as odd. Integra had told me once that Shelby Penwood was a 'round table' member- a very important asset to Hellsing. When Integra dies his grandson, Gregory, would take over. I knew that it probably wasn't good that his name was being mentioned by these rich and powerful vampires in my father's home, so I considered sending out a warning. I certainly didn't want anything bad to happen to them over there.
I slid up to my room and shut the door, peeping out beforehand to check that Darius was still talking to his associates. I got out my phone and looked up the number for Hellsing HQ. All I could find was a 'inquire about an appointment'. I sighed, knowing that it'd take me a while to get through to Integra. I called it anyway and got put on hold immediately, classical music playing in my ear as I waited.
"Hellsing Headquarters. You've been traced and this interaction is being recorded for security purposes. Can I take your name and reason for calling?"
"Um yes, my name is Hope Nightingale. I need to talk to Integra. Right now if that's possible."
"What was that name again?"
"Hope Nightingale."
There was the sound of tapping on a keyboard and a gasp.
"Oh my goodness, yes of course. I'll have you put straight through to the direct line."
I was put on hold for a few moments before I heard the dialing tone.
"Hello? Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing speaking."
"Sir Integra, it's me-"
"How-"
"-I don't have much time, he might hear me. Sir, I think Darius is planning something terrible. I keep hearing Gregory Penwood being mentioned and I know he's next in line for Hellsing ownership and what my father has planned can't possibly be good." There was no response on the other line . "Sir?"
"I'm here, Hope. It's good to know you're still on our side. I was worried that... nevermind for now. Thank you for telling me this." She gave me her personal mobile number for anything else I heard and she wished me good health.
"Hope, darling!" I jumped as my name was called from downstairs. I opened my door and looked down. Darius waved at me to come to him and I quickly shuffled downstairs. "Come! Meet my associates." He put his hands on my shoulders from behind and pushed me towards the lounge. About two dozen pale, tall, well-dressed men with scorching eyes which all stared at me. Some with judgement, others with curiosity. I didn't care because all of it made me insanely uncomfortable and I shifted in the spot I was standing in, holding my hands anxiously at my front. I nodded politely,
"My name's Hope, nice to meet you all."
A man with blonde slicked back hair narrowed his eyes at me and tilted his head slightly, before speaking slowly and articulately: "You were at Hellsing, no? Inside?"
"Y-Yes, I was."
"And the security is...?"
I glowered, feeling some confidence return to me, "You can get in, but getting out alive is the issue."
"And why is that?" When he said this, the other vampires tilted their heads also.
"I'm not sure I can discuss that."
"Why Hope?" Darius questioned, "It's not as if you're still loyal to Hellsing like those other dogs, right?"
"No, I mean... I don't honestly know what security measure that have," I lied quickly, "I was never told but not even Iscariot want to advance on them because of whatever they got going on there."
The men glanced at each other and murmured. Then the blonde guy returned his attention towards me and said:
"So you're a halfling?"
"I-..." I looked at Darius for help.
"Hope's tired and wants to go to sleep," he said,"it is the middle of the day."
"Nice to meet you," I said politely and left. When I got to my room I exhaled deeply, releasing the strain of the intimidation of the weird formal men. They were so creepy and those questions... What was the obsession over me being a halfling? And surely if I was bitten that made me a full vampire rather than a half vampire?
I sighed before climbing into bed and trying to sleep off my concerns. It was easier at Hellsing. Alucard never put me in a position like that.
General point of view
Integra's mobile began vibrating in her pocket and she saw it was Hope's number. She'd been in the middle of talking to her servants- the non human ones- about what Hope had told her the previous day. She'd came up with a plan to protect the future Hellsing heir: Seras was to take Pip and protect him from his home for the next few months until they were certain the coast was clear on Hope's part. Integra dismissed Seras who flew out of the large windows with her shadow acting as wings; her destination- the young Penwood's mansion. She watched Seras' red-pink glow in the night's sky and pressed the answer button,"Yes, Hope?"
"Darius had his colleagues or whatever round," came a whispering voice from the other side, "And they were asking all sorts of questions about Hellsing's security. "
"What did you tell them? And who are these colleagues?"
"I told them that I honestly didn't know but intruders had a hard time getting out alive and I don't know. They were vampires for sure and they all dressed the same and asked me weird questions about being a halfling."
Integra was silent for a moment, realising what that meant. It wasn't good.
"Sir? What is it?"
"I'll tell you another time when you're available to talk. This is good information, Hope. Thank you. Keep me updated and please stay safe."
Alucard narrowed his eyes at his master and smirked mockingly,
"You care about the girl, don't you, Sir Integra?" he teased, "Could it be that you're going soft?"
"I'm only doing what you were supposed to which is looking out for her," Integra responded bitterly, lighting a cigar, "Is taking on further responsibility going soft? Then go ahead, call me soft." She inhaled and exhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a minute as the nicotine rushed to her head. She continued: "Which I might add, I am incredibly disappointed in you, Alucard. I wouldn't think I'd have to scold you of all people for this but you let a personal matter come between you and your objective. I understand how this is somewhat awkward for you but let us not forget: Darius is a more than worthy enemy, and he has Hope whom if he manipulates could be even more dangerous than he is."
"I have faith in her, master," Alucard said, "after all, she has been informing you of his plans."
"But for how long? How long until he either catches her doing so or decides she's not reliable? God knows what he'd do to her." Integra took another puff out of her cigar, "As I've said before, Alucard: anything happens to her, if she so much gets a paper cut or even a bruise in the hands of Darius- it's all on you. You still need to protect her. Do you understand me, servant?"
Alucard bowed his head. "Yes, my master..." Thoughts plagued the vampire's mind, however. He was aware there wasn't much he could do to protect Hope whilst she was in the company of Darius but he also knew she had a fiery spirit than she could use if she was pushed and challenged enough. It was cruel indeed, yet it was common for a vampire's true potential to be achieved when they're pushed.
"You may go."
Meanwhile, somewhere in the west of England Darius was on the phone to Hias. Hope was still sleeping but he still took caution in speaking quietly, already realising that she'd heard a few things she shouldn't have done. Hias irritated him. The man was obsessed with power and taking over but he didn't have the knowhow to reach such levels and he'd failed Darius time and time again. All he ever talked about was his girls and how they were strong and ready for battle and after a while all the bragging grew tiresome for the older vampire. Darius much preferred the aid of the Hawkins group- a group of very sophisticated and rich vampires who overlooked several areas of the government. They were only mildly interested in the downfall of Hellsing and mostly cared about owning the UK. They didn't like to bring attention to themselves either but what did captivate them was Hope. In shorter terms, they were lazy and didn't want to fight and mostly just wanted Integra's money and weapons.
However, even with just Hope he was already more powerful than his allies. The fact was that Hope was half vampire when she was human, but because of this as a vampire she was even stronger than most vampires that walked the earth; even aged ones who'd mastered their powers over hundreds of years. Darius knew she had the potential to kill Alucard by herself. There was a part of her which prevented her from unleashing her entire skillset and Darius was beginning to grow impatient. He was tired of fussing over her just for her to bail when she started to open up. He was having trouble keeping up with the lies he answered her questions with and the inconsistencies were throwing off his overall plan which was to get Hope to trust him completely, use her to bait Alucard and then kill them both. Only then could he take out the werewolf and the other Draculina, and then Integra and Penwood. It was a sound plan if Hope wasn't so emotional and wary. Hias' would be a consistant distraction to his enemies as he wooed over Hope and when he proved himself to be no longer useful, he'd allow Hope to kill him. He'd be long gone before anything major happened, otherwise he'd just be in the way.
A new idea came to his mind and Darius smiled devilishly. Alucard had once fed his blood to a human called Mina Harker. She was under his complete control and couldn't disobey him... if he fed his own blood to Hope she'd be obedient and do whatever he told him. He could use that to his complete advantage.
Hope herself was lying deep in thought on her bed. She didn't feel good. The reality was she was missing her Master but she didn't admit it to herself. It felt wrong being trained by her estranged father and things didn't add up in her mind- the night of her mother's death, Donna had expressed such disgust for Darius. Hope knew for a fact her mother had a reason for everything and that was the one thing she trusted her with so it made her nervous that Darius was strangely charismatic towards her. Her gut constantly told her to get up and run; leave; get out. She tried to overthrow these urges but a voice in the back of her head repeatedly told her she was going to get hurt. It wasn't Alucard's voice and it wasn't her mother's... it was somebody else. Rachel maybe, she pondered. Yet that just raised more questions- why would Rachel be trying to warn her?
Knock, knock.
"Hope, I think we need to talk about something else." Darius let himself in, a glass of read liquid in his hand. Hope felt a shrill shiver of anxiety that ran down her spine: did Darius know about the phonecalls to Integra?
"I don't know-"
Darius raised a finger, making her shush. He handed her the glass and she stared at it. "Don't worry. It's just transfusion blood." Famished, Hope drank it quickly. She'd been starving herself since Alucard showed up and it made her very weak. After drinking the blood, she experienced a weird feeling in her stomach which was similar to sickness, before she was quickly overcame with drowsiness. She groaned, massaging her head.
"You alright, Hope?" Darius asked, touching her shoulder in concern.
"Y-yeah..." she replied slowly, "I think I need to sleep."
"You know, you've been so reclusive up here by yourself. How do you want to go to your town and meet with your friends? It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"I don't think that's a good idea..."
"I think you should."
"Okay," Hope said almost immediately. Darius smirked. His plan had worked.
"I'll have someone drive you later. Contact your friends."
"Yes." Hope picked up her phone and did as she was told.
Hope was quiet as the chauffeur drove her the surprisingly short distance to her home town. She then realised where Darius' cottage was and it comforted her that she was so close.
"Where do you want to be dropped off?" the chauffeur asked.
"By the local Aldi," Hope responded. A few minutes later, they arrived and Hope thanked the driver before climbing out. She was nervous, her heart fluttering at the thought of meeting her friend who'd she hadn't seen for months.
"My number is in your contacts," the chauffeur added, "Call me when you're ready to be picked up." Hope nodded, but she was distracted. She eyed around the outside of the store in search for her friend. Chrissy had only read her message but didn't reply which was never a good thing. She started walking to the benches by the entrance and froze upon seeing a familiar face sit down. The girl pulled out her phone and started scrolling through, a neutral expression on her face. Hope anxiously approached her.
"Um... Chrissy?" she said. Chrissy looked up at her and stood, looking Hope up and down in confusion.
"Hope? Is that you?"
Hope let out a tense sigh, "Yeah... it's me."
There was an awkward silence between the two and Hope remained still, waiting for Chrissy to release hell on her for leaving.
"Well, what are you doing there standing still?" she said, surprising Hope, "Come here girl, give me a hug."
Hope relaxed and laughed, squeezing her friend tightly. She kissed her on the head and the two clung to each other for a while. For the first time in a long time, Hope felt genuine relief. "You're so thin now, what the hell?!"
"Things have been really rough."
"Mmm, I heard about your mum and I'm so sorry. But don't think I'm not mad at you for ignoring me," Chrissy said,"I'm sure you're going to explain yourself."
"It's such a long story..." Hope replied, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Well you're gonna tell me."
Lie, a voice told Hope in her head. It was Alucard's. Lie to her.
"After mum died I went to this elite boarding school where I wasn't allowed to contact anyone on the outside. Then I went to live with my dad."
Good girl.
"Your dad?!" Chrissy exclaimed.
"Yeah, he lives in the country just outside of town."
The two chatted non-stop for a good hour. Chrissy caught Hope up with all the latest events and gossip from the school and for the first time in a long time, Hope was comfortable and happy. She was laughing and smiling with her beloved friend, and it almost felt like she'd never left at all. She'd forgotten the chemistry she had with her and they bantered flawlessly; at one point making each other laugh so hard no sound came out and the two wheezed.
"I was actually going to go to a party and drink until I cried about how much of a bitch you were for standing me up," Chrissy told her, "wanna go?"
"Whose party is it?"
"Jared's. Don't worry, it's a small gathering with people we nearly like."
"Alright! Let's go then."
They walked the 20 minutes to the other side of town and arrived at an old hidden bungalow hidden by large trees and flowered bushes. The sound of bass thudded through the ground and there was distant cheering from inside the house. Chrissy knocked on the door and a tall teenager with long brown hair answered. He eyed the girls up,
"Well look what the cat dragged in, it's double trouble," he teased, revealing a camp voice and putting his hand on his hips,"Hope you've got a lot of explaining to do, you little minx."
"I came here to forget, not remember," Hope joked, deepening her voice. Jared rolled his eyes scoffing, giving the girls a quick hug before showing them in. From behind the trees a hidden dark figure watched the interaction, staring carefully.
The inside of the bungalow was decked out with fluorescent blue and purple lighting and Hope stared in amazement as the colours swam around the ceiling and floors.
"Everyone's in the living room," Jared said, "Help yourselves." They entered the said room and there was another burst of cheering.
Hope smiled at the group as several people rushed over to cuddle her. Her nose was filled by the smell of different types of booze, and that reminded her of what Darius had told her about alcohol. Her next mission was to get as wasted as possible. "Does anyone want to fix me a drink or what?" She was handed a bubble-gum pink drink and she swallowed it down like water. Someone handed her another and she noticed it was James. She choked mid-drink, pink liquid spraying out of her nose as she coughed.
"Careful there, P," James said, giving her a tissue, "Don't want to pass out in the first five minutes. Remember last time?"
"I didn't realise you were here," Hope said, laughing nervously. It'd been a while since the two had talked, even longer than her and Chrissy. It came back to her why. They'd had an... interaction the last time they hung out by themselves which she'd tried to forget because it made their friendship weird. James remembered too, but he just smiled at the girl he'd missed and helped her wipe the spilled drink from her face.
"I'll race you." James picked up his own drink and on the count of three the two drank as fast as they could while they were egged on by the rest of the party. Hope inevitably won, feeling the effects of the alcohol rush to her head and it felt good.
You're making a mistake, the voice spoke again. You need to be careful.
Hope tuned out the warning voice from her mind and focused on the drinking games and dancing. She drank shot after shot, beer after beer, being urged to chug bottles of Smirnoff and cheap fruity rosé. She definitely felt the unbalanced feeling of being drunk but without the nausea. She laughed and cuddled and yelled her old favourite songs surrounded by her favourite people.
Meanwhile, Alucard watched on Integra's orders. He knew Hope was acting impulsively to cover up the doubts she had about Darius, but her thought process was different somehow. It was almost as if the girl at the party wasn't herself; there was a certain hollowness to her thoughts. Then it occurred to him- Darius must have fed her his blood. Anger vibrated in his bones at the idea. A cheap, dirty trick. Manipulating his fledgling was one thing, but claiming her as his own was a completely other matter. It was completely out of the vampire etiquette. Father or not, a vampire does not control another vampire's servant. He let out a low growl before continuing to watch Hope.
As far as Hope was concerned she was having fun. Or at least, she thought she was. She tried to ignore the unsafe feeling she had in her gut and drank and mingled to try to mask it out. Though eventually the more she drank she realised she couldn't get any drunker or even puke, which was the norm whenever she drank as a human. Eventually, people started to leave and Jared went to bed, saying to Hope and her friends that they could stay the rest of the night if they needed to. The three sat on the sofas, quietly talking about philosophies and theories. Or rather, Chrissy and James did. Hope was almost silent, her mind wandering to somewhere blank and dark.
"Shall we go out?" Chrissy asked, sitting up, "I could do with some fresh air." Hope wasn't listening, she was just drifting into space so Chrissy smacked her on the arm to get her attention. Hope jumped, but acknowledged what Chrissy wanted to do and put on her jacket.
They all walked for some distance before finding a 24hr McDonalds. Hope said she'd stay outside because the smell made her feel ill, when in reality it was because she missed eating. James and Chrissy shrugged and went in, leaving Hope by herself. She sighed, resting her drunk head in her hand, her depressing thoughts and dread returning to her once she was alone. She began realising things she didn't even give a second look before, such as when Darius told her to go and see her friends, she felt so inclined to say yes, it was as if she was being controlled. Then it clicked: she was being controlled.
"Are you proud of yourself?" a voice echoed, "Engaging in this sort of activity?"
"Leave me alone..." Hope slurred and waved in front of her, as if to wave the voice away, "I don't need your approval.."
"You know what he's going to do. You know what's really happening."
"Nothing's happening."
An apparition of Alucard appeared before her and she rolled her eyes. "You think making me hallucinate is going to make me believe you?" She went to put her arm through the hologram but ended up touching a solid arm. She left her hand there in shock, staring up at him feeling slightly afraid. Yet, the contact with him somehow put her dread at ease at the same time and she gripped at the material of his jacket. This was her breaking point. "S-stop tricking me," she mumbled, tears forming in her eyes, still holding on."I can't take it anymore... "
Alucard looked down at her, feeling thin strings of empathy for the girl. She was indeed an emotional mess, and being intoxicated didn't help her on this part either. Alas, he softened his hard gaze and his tone to something more calming,
"Look at me, Hope," he said, quietly. Hope looked up at him with big, tearful eyes. "This isn't a trick." He placed his hand over hers to show her what she needed to see. He was aware Darius had fed her his own blood and that only benefited in one way- he could show Hope Darius' memories through her form. There were many awful things he had done, but Alucard decided the time was right for her to know the truth of how she was conceived.
One of the most straining factors about having a blood connection with another vampire was that you could feel what the other was feeling. The unease Hope experienced without Alucard had been because that was what Alucard was feeling without Hope in the safety of Hellsing. Ever since the 'conditioning' Van Helsing conducted on him, he was made to only feel passionate about destruction and slaughtering enemies on command. After turning Seras and Hope, it had caused him to feel human things again. In some sense, it was a relief to have even a slither of his human traits back but they pained him also and it was torture, as if there was inner conflict in his mind he had no control over.
Alucard watched the expression on the girl's face go from being upset to just plain mortified as he showed her what Darius had done. It hurt him slightly that he had show Hope her mother getting raped to make her fully understand that Darius was nothing but foul.
Hope's heart stopped completely at the graphic scene and everything went silent in her world. She felt many emotions in the span of a few mere seconds, ones which made her feel such rage but also such ...mournfulness. Right there in her mind, her own mother was screaming and crying, being pinned down by a being that was unmistakably Darius. He whispered sweet nothings to her, insisting that he was doing the right thing, but the sounds Donna was making suggested strongly that wasn't the case.
Alucard decided that was enough. He removed his hand and looked at Hope as she came to, shaking and breathing unevenly.
"H-he... h-he ra-..." she couldn't finish the sentence. It was as if she felt a slither of what her mother felt that night Darius touched her without consent. It hurt her to know that Darius had done those things- Darius, who'd shown so much kindness to her when she needed it, who'd tried to fix their relationship, who answered so many confusing things for her. She stared up at Alucard, who didn't know what she expected from him: comfort? Reassurance?
The restaurant's doors opened and Chrissy and James stumbled out laughing, their mouths full of chicken nuggets and fries. Hope quickly wiped her tears and took a quick deep breath to steady her emotions, not risking explaining her situation to her friends. The other two stopped when they saw Hope with Alucard and grew wary, placing their meals down on a nearby bench.
"This guy bothering you, P?" James asked, straightening his posture and pushing up his sleeves.
"No, he's my uncle," Hope quickly replied, "he was just checking up on me." She knew her friends were about to get weird and start asking questions because Alucard didn't fit in the 'McDonalds at 3am' scene. She pushed herself out of her comfort zone and gave Alucard a hasty hug.
I really don't like it either, she thought to him, but just go with it. They can't know.
To Hope's surprise Alucard held onto the embrace, lowering himself and muttering in her ear,
"Ești o pasăre puternică, mică. Stai puțin mai mult. Să-ți iei inima în dinți." You are strong, little bird. Hang on a while longer. Take your heart into your teeth. Hope of course had no clue what he was saying but she kept it in her mind to Google Translate it later on. Alucard let go and walked away, leaving Hope confused by the gesture and that uneasy feeling returned. One minute she'd stabbed him in the heart and the next he was returning a hug? He smelled strange, too, like old burned things.
"Your... uncle?" Chrissy raised a judging eyebrow, sitting down on a bench,"He's...kind of terrifying."
"I wasn't scared of him," James bragged, digging back into his food. Hope rolled her eyes and joined her friends.
"Sure, sure," she said.
"So what's the deal then?" Chrissy asked.
"What do you mean?"
"He said something in Romanian. You Romanian?"
Hope stared at her, amazed that she picked that up. She shook off her bewilderment and answered: "my mum was blonde, so these raven locks had to come from somewhere." She flipped her hair and her friends laughed. "How did you know?"
"He said 'take your heart into your teeth'. We went over in English literature class, it means be brave basically."
"I'm missing all the best shit at school," Hope frowned.
"Dude, it's school," James said, "Only thing you've really missed out on is hearing about who fucked who. Speaking of which, you know Jessica Newman?"
"From the year above? Yeah?"
"Fucked Mr Keetle and they got caught in the girl's toilets. " James and Chrissy erupted into laughter at Hope's reaction and she grinned. The group remained there for about an hour and the conversations slowed down as their drunkness wore off.
Hope's happiness also wore off, as she realised the night was coming to an end and she'd have to return to Darius soon. The thought of it terrified her but she knew she had to come up with a plan to deal with him; maybe even kill him.
