CHAPTER 13

Hope didn't need to search herself deep down to know Aunt Freya's scream as the lightning entered her would be an eternally recurring nightmare.

Marcel was awake two minutes after the boundary spell knocked him down for the count. A couple bags of the animal blood from the fridge set him right. His bitching about the taste put all concerns for him to rest. Hope even felt confident enough to smack him over the head playfully.

Freya was another story. She hadn't woken up yet, though all her systems were normal. Unfortunately the scarring from the lighting would probably be permanent. Emma had cut the clothes off her when they brought her to the room they were using as a makeshift medical theatre, the lightning did not spare here expensive jacket and blouse. Now, she had a blanket over her, and Marcel and Hope were on the couch by her side.

"She'll be alright Hope," Marcel said as they both sat beside her bed. "Emma over there confirmed she's really just sleeping off the exhaustion at this point, she'll be awake soon and we can all have that dinner Alaric promised," he finished with a small ribbing.

Hope's mouth almost formed a smile, but not quite. They did not in fact have dinner during their earlier conference of sorts with the Saltzman family and Caroline. Too many interruptions.

"I feel like this was my fault somehow," Hope said softly.

"Well it's not," Marcel replied. His tone brooked no offer of retort. "Freya and I nearly got our asses handed to us today because we were cocky."

"All of the shit that happened today with the Cyclops comes back to the damned dagger, and that is on me," Hope replied morosely.

Marcel tried in vain to intercede, "The Cyclops–,"

"The Cyclops was compelled to attack the school because of the dagger!" Hope replied hotly. "That dagger that was activated because I was a fool to trust a boy. And now Freya's unconscious–,"

"Sleeping," Marcel corrected.

Hope huffed in frustration, "How come she didn't just snap its neck from the start? Or conjure an earthen spear and impale it from the ground? Lighting?! What the fuck was she thinking? She could've DIED!"

Marcel brought the despairing teen into a warm hug. "And she didn't. We are both okay. Everything's okay Hope."

"Look at her," Hope replied, gesturing to the angry vines of scarring adorning Freya's previously flawless pale skin. "Keelin's gonna be so mad, and you two are only here because of me! I know she won't be mad at me, but that's almost worse. It may not be my fault exactly, but it's because of ME that our family keeps suffering."

"Hope, look–,"Marcel tried in vain again to wrangle the teenager's misplaced guilt.

"No, Marcel. To varying degrees, I had a hand in each of my parents' deaths. Parents I loved so much…you loved, everyone loved…I don't think I'll ever be 'totally fine', Marcel." Hope responded, holding onto her escaping emotions the best she could, and rapidly failing. "How are you so okay with me?"

"Hope. Stop!" Marcel's voice finally cut through to her.

Hope stopped short as his words brought back the situation she landed herself in before everything went to shit with the Cyclops. How petrified Penelope had been of her, the look in Lizzie's eyes as she sided with her mortal enemy to protect her from the big, bad, Tribrid.

Hope remembered Josie's conflicted expression as she left Hope to help out Emma. Hope shook her head and made to stand up, breaking away from Marcel as she trembled before the bed. Taking in Freya's somehow sleeping form once more, Hope tearfully declared, "I ruin everything!" before leaving Marcel and Freya alone.

Not that Josie was trying to eavesdrop exactly, but Hope's final shouts before she tore down the hallway were quite loud. Josie had been helping Emma with a few of the kids who had minor injuries and were slightly terrified after Freya Mikaelson's Thor imitation shook the whole school. It wasn't everyday when a thunderclap happened right outside the building. Hope flew past the brunette in a blur of muted red as the youngest Mikaelson's hair flipped around the corner, no doubt going to her room.

It was a couple moments later that Marcel Gerard exited the room where Freya lay rubbing the back of his neck, no doubt cursing Hayley and Klaus for bringing this teen drama into the world. Or at least, that's what Josie thought he looked like. "Hi," Josie said with an awkward wave. "From experience, you should probably let her cool down a little before re-engaging with her," Josie said as she properly stood up away from the kid she was patching up.

Marcel considered the young siphoner in front of him before replying, "It's what she'll do before she cools down that worries me, kid."

Josie nodded, "Maybe I could talk to her? There was some stuff that went down right before your fight that's probably weighing on her right now too. Besides, somebody Freya knows should be next to her when she wakes."

Marcel turned back to Freya's sleeping form, and then regarded Josie with an intense look, "You think you can help her little Saltzman?"

"Yes," Josie didn't hesitate.

Marcel shrugged, acknowledging the wisdom of Josie's plan before saying, "Good luck."

Josie quickly double-checked the little witch girl who scraped her knee falling off her desk. Then she walked to Hope's room, and knocked on the door before she lost her confidence. "Fuck off."

Josie pinched the bridge of her nose, 'fuck off' was not the best response she was hoping for, but luckily she had little qualms about Hope's privacy right now. The siphoner twisted her hand imperiously and the lock clicked. Taking her advantage, she quickly opened the door, stepped inside, and shut the door behind her, reflexively locking the door.

"What exactly do you want Josie?" Hope asked.

Josie gasped at the sight of her. Apparently, in the five minutes since Hope left

Marcel and Freya, she had managed to down several shots of alcohol; if the uncapped bottle on her bedside table was anything to judge by. Josie ignored Hope's question. She approached the bedside table slowly, and when Hope didn't interfere, she picked up the bottle of disgusting poison and downed a generous swallow herself before sitting down on the bed next to Hope. They sat in silence for a moment before Josie took another swig.

"I think you need to talk huh?" Josie replied at length as she felt the fuzz settle on her brain.