The first threat she made was the following school year. And it was directed to the one and only Damon Salvatore.
It was August. The third week of school. Hope was lucky enough to get the same roommate as last year, so she wasn't like other students right now. Trying to socialize with their new roommates become the stereotypical best friends.
Instead she was roaming around the library looking at all the new additions that Dr. Saltzman added over the summer. Her mom mentioned something about him even writing a book about the history of the supernatural.
She was exploring the area when she heard voices coming from Dr. Saltzman's office.
Hope was always hearing voices. She talked to Uncle Kol over the summer about them, she thought she was going crazy.
He just laughed and told her, "that's your vampire hearing darling. As you get older it'll grow stronger. You'll be able to make out the words better and hear farther away."
She wasn't a vampire. Yet, at least. No matter how she died, she would always come back as one.
"Hope isn't her dad."
Hope instantly perked up at her name. She walked closer and concentrated on making out the words.
"She's dangerous Ric!" A voice yelled. It was a male, and he sounded condescending.
"She's a kid!" That was Dr. Saltzman. He was defensive.
"Yeah, a kid to the son of a bitch who terrorized us for years." The voice scoffed. "She's a Mikaelson."
Hope sucked a breath in. Nobody was supposed to know who she was. That was the deal her parents and her headmaster made. For everyone's safety.
To the student body and the rest of her teachers she was just 'Hope Marshall.' Just an ordinary witch.
Now this was the second person who figured out who she was.
"That doesn't mean she'll turn out like them!" Dr. Saltzaman sounded tired.
A scoff was heard. "That whole family is filled with psychopaths. What's gonna make her any different? Did you even think about what would happen with bringing her hear? For god's sake Ric, you just invited the whole Mikaelson clan back into Mystic Falls."
Ric took a deep breath. "Damon, calm down. Her mother promised me that nobody would come back to Mystic Falls. Besides Damon, Kol, Elijah, Rebakah and Klaus can't even be around her anymore."
Hope could hear the defeated sigh from "Damon." "And why not?"
"Some ancient evil that wants Hope," Dr. Saltzman waved off. "They divided it and put it into each of them.'
"Huh," Damon said. "Well it seems 'Forever and Always' wasn't so forever."
Alaric laughed. "No it wasn't, and thank God for that."
She heard glasses clink.
Hope let out a staggered breath. "It's 'Always and Forever.'"
She heard Alaric speak, and Hope listened closely again.
"How'd you find out anyway?"
"Bonnie guessed it. She was in town to see Elena and she sensed the magic. She traced it to the school, and then we saw the girl in town yesterday."
Hope sighed and tuned out the conversation and walked back to her room.
Hope couldn't sleep.
She tossed and turned and listened to the sound of her roommate's breathing.
She wondered if she would be able to hear her neighbor's breathing next year. Or would she be able to hear heartbeats, or the blood rushing through the veins. Or maybe it wouldn't get that intense until she turned.
Or when she triggered her curse, what would happen. Would she be angrier than the other wolves? Would her hearing improve again? Would it stay the same? Would she be able to see in the dark?
A lot of things were left for Hope to wonder. And among all of the things there was always the lingering feeling of why she was alive.
Natures loophole. But for what really? Her family failed at fighting the Hollow.
The grimoire from the Tredecim coven entered her mind. Along with that note.
Slowly, Hope got off her bed and reached under her bed and grabbed the grimoire.
She opened it to the page the witch had it marked. She turned on the bedside lamp and started reading.
Latin. Of course.
The Cloaking Spell
Witches are allies, we are all one. No matter the coven we come from, the type of magic we practice, the color of our skin, or our gender. Witches are one with each other. It is us against the vampires and werewolves.
We were created to know our neighbor and protect them.
But I am afraid that not everyone knows the old ways anymore. Witches are not one anymore. Witches were divided more so than ever. The spread of vampirism is bringing out the worst of my kind. Were turning on each other.
Hope wondered for a moment what it was like. Living in a world where everyone was on the same side just because they were the same kind. But it was fruitless, there was no way all witches would ever be on the same side again.
Hope started reading the ranting of the ancient witch again.
I fear for my coven sisters and brothers. More importantly, my children. Our magic is harsh. Our coven's way is harsh.
Light magic has a spell that is used for cloaking someone that doesn't wish to be found from another witch. But what if there was a way to cloak a witch, from being sensed by another witch.
Hope's eyes glided over the specifics of the spell before taking a deep breath. This was unlike any spell she had ever done. The one she practiced in class where simple. Basic control and spells.
This one required a constant chant, pure blood, and an object to cast the spell on.
Imminently Hope's eye glanced to her bracelet. The bracelet was already used to help Hope control her magic. She tried going without it this summer, but all it took was one sneeze and all the flowers in the compound died.
She had it one the next day. Aunt Freya just told her that in a couple years she should learn how to control it without thinking.
Hope believed she was wrong, but she would never tell her family that.
She would cast the curse on her bracelet and hope that it helped with hiding her growing power. Obviously Davina's magic wasn't working anymore. She would get the stuff tomorrow and do the spell tomorrow night.
Ironically, it was Damon Salvatore that helped Hope get the animal she needed. Not that he was aware though.
During her break, she had walked into town. Skipping all the way to the pet store and not even breaking a seat with her backpack.
She opened the door to the pet store and immediately walked over to the cute puppies barking at her. She almost laughed at that.
She had asked her mom once for a dog. She looked so taken back she didn't know how to respond.
After she was done with the puppies, she walked over to the cat section and felt sad when some of the cats hissed at her and ran to the back of their cage. The few that stayed enjoyed a few scratches from the young Mikaelson.
Finally, she walked over to the section that held the bird, snakes and rats.
She didn't know which one she should use.
She sat there for a minute thinking. She hated snakes, so she would feel less bad about that. But they were gross and she really didn't want to touch one. Rats would be a good option to. They were going to die anyway, but they didn't have that much blood in their bodies. But they would be able to hide until night. She ruled the birds out after looking and hearing one talk.
"Why aren't you at school?"
Hope gasped and turned around to see a man with a tired face looking at her.
By his voice she could tell he was the man in Dr. Saltzman's office yesterday.
"You have pretty eyes." It was the first thing that came to Hope's mind.
His face didn't hide his confusion as he quickly looked Hope up and down in suspension. "Thanks?"
"Your welcome!"
"Can I help y'all today?" A shopkeeper asked turning to Damon.
Damon started asking for a specific brand of cat food, and Hope took this as her chance. She quickly took three rats from the enclosure and shoved them in her backpack. And silently put a quiet and entrapment spell on it.
She walked out the door and was walking back to the school when Damon started to walk beside her.
"Can I help you?" Hope looked up at him.
"Just making sure you get back safely." Damon smirked.
"I don't need your help." Hope frowned.
"Oh yeah?" Damon acted smug.
"You know you're not invincible anymore, right?" He looked like he needed a reminder.
"Excuse me?"
"You're human. You shouldn't be involved in the supernatural world anymore."
Damon huffed. He looked sad in a way. "And you know you aren't invincible, either right?"
Hope smirked. Damon saw the resemblance to Klaus right away.
"Actually, I kinda am."
Damon laughed.
"Really. I'm a tribrid, I'm stronger than you think" Hope watched the smirk fade right away. By now they were at the edge of town.
"You shouldn't go around bragging about that spawn."
"You already knew. I heard you talking to Dr. Saltzman." He looked confused. "I have vampire hearing, it's not as good as my dad's, or how yours was, but I can hear really well."
"Don't get smug about that now, kid."
"And why not?" Hope looked up at him with a smile. "I'm a tribrid. I don't get to talk about it often. I'm stronger than you think. And I'm stronger than you."
Hope watched as Damon bit his cheek, but he didn't reply.
"You won't tell anyone about me, or what happened to my family." It wasn't a question.
"You sure about that?" He looked down at the kid with his eyebrow raised.
"Yes." Hope answered without thinking. "Because you won't bring attention back to you and Elena. Not to mention that my dad can't be around the cresent pack anymore."
"Your point?"
"He could be in need of more hybrids."
And with that Damon shut up. Because he would always protect Elena. "You win." And he started to walk away.
"Hey, Damon." She called out. "Family is Always and Forever. Just so you know." And she turned around and skipped back to her school.