Hope's POV

Ever since I lost half of my family, I haven't felt like myself. I can't sleep, and I am angrier than I have ever been in my whole life. All I wanted to do was to run and never come back. I wanted to be alone with my pain. If it weren't for my Aunt Freya, I would have been anywhere else in the world than running around this stupid forest.

All I really want right now is to be anywhere that people aren't. Of course, that is not in the plans for the one and only tribrid. No, I have to be some kind of hero and great protector. Which brings me back to why I am even in these woods.

I hadn't been back at school for a full day before Dr. Saltzman called me into his office and told me that there was a wild wolf on the loose. They had tried to catch it but as of now, have not been able to.

Which means that it is left to me to search the woods and surrounding areas all night. The only good thing is that Dr. Saltzman is allowing me to sleep during classes and just turn my work into him at night during our check in before I head out on the hunt. This at least allows me to avoid most interactions.

No one can know that this is why I'm out here of course. Alaric doesn't want to cause a panic. Yeah, like rumors aren't flying wild that I am the one committing these killings. Which means that on top of the looks that I am getting because it has been revealed that I am a Mikaelson, Klaus' daughter at that, now they hate me because they think that I am a wild killing beast.

The only one here that thinks differently at all is Josie. Sweet innocent Josie who always believes the best in everyone. We were friends for the blink of an eye once, and it was the best day I ever had. But like everything that is good in my life, I had to push Josie away so that she didn't get hurt.

Josie being Josie though, stands out every night at the gate, usually until her father finally comes to drag her away. My own guardian angel.

She has been the bright spot in all of this, not that I can tell her that. I can't let anyone get close to me anymore. I can't let anyone else that I care about get hurt.

You can only guess at my surprise then when I come across a clearing and Josie is standing there with Penelope over a mutilated body.

I would have liked to have had time to contemplate that scene, however, the creature that I had been chasing made itself known. I had no time to stop and think about what I should do next.

After finding the creature there, I was able to get the jump on it while it was momentarily distracted by the two girls. After a short but brutal fight, it managed to slip away, but not before I did some major damage, and got a sample of its blood to take back to Dr. Saltzman.

Heading back to the school I am still fuming. What were those two idiots thinking coming into the woods at night! They knew that there was a wild beast on the loose. Granted they thought it was me, but that is still no excuse.

A Week Later

It took longer than we originally expected, but we finally caught the beast that had been ripping people apart in the woods. Turns out that the creature was a Lusion. The weird thing was that the beast typically would have been found in a cemetery waiting to eat rotten flesh. I guess that explains why it left its kills. It was waiting for them to rot.

Dr. Saltzman still wasn't sure what to do with the creature or where it came from. It was supposed to only be a myth. In the meantime, we have it in a special segregated cage with a ton of wards and enhancements on it to keep the creature locked up.

That was one problem solved at least. Leaving me more time to think about what to do with the other problem. That problem being Josie and Penelope.

I still haven't told Dr. Saltzman about the two of them being out in the woods after dark, ALONE!

If it had just been Penelope, I would have already turned her in, no problem. I don't trust her, and I don't like how she is around Josie. But therein lies my problem. If I turn in the Satan, thank you Lizzie for that fun name, then she would turn in Josie.

"Hope?"

Stopping and looking up, I was stilled as I fell into the biggest most beautiful brown eyes. Eyes that I couldn't get out of my head, but that I couldn't get too close to either.

"Josie."

Short, sweet, and giving nothing to work with. That's it Hope. Walls up.

Josie stood there fidgeting, shifting her weight from side to side. The tribrid could smell how nervous the younger girl was.

"I was just wondering…um, well…."

"Just spit it out Josie. Ask what you want to know."

"Why haven't you turned us in for what we did last week?"

The brunette looked down at her feet refusing to meet Hope's gaze. This gave Hope time to stare openly at the younger girl. She truly was beautiful and so sweet.

Hope shook herself forcing her mind back on the question.

"Who says that I haven't?"

Josie looked up and had a defiant look in her eyes.

"Look Hope, I know that you haven't because Penelope hasn't been called into the dad's office and I am not grounded from now until graduation. So why haven't you turned us in?"

Hope allowed a smirk to play on her lips. She liked seeing Josie stand up for herself. She liked knowing, that even if she tended to step back and let other's shine, she could step up when needed.

"I haven't decided what to do yet."

Hope tried to walk past the witch without further words, but Josie was having none of that. She reached out and grabbed the other girl's arm.

Hope stiffened and slammed her eye shut. You NEVER grab Hope.

Josie realized what she had done and released the tribrid quickly. She wanted to take a step back and hide, but just like in the clearing, she knew that would make her prey, and she refused to be prey. That was something that Hope always admired about her, she may not be as strong as her opponent, but she refused to be the victim.

Hope gathered herself quickly, and once she was sure that she was calm, she turned back to Josie, who for her part was standing there, arms crossed holding her books tight to her chest and her eyes, squeezed shut.

"I'll tell you what Josie. You meet me at the Old Mill tonight at sundown. Alone. I'll decided then what I am going to do."

Hope walks away, barely keeping it together as she goes.

'Idiot! What are you going to do now?'

T.B.C.