Chapter 4

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Josie was buried the day after the merge. Noone was 100% certain, but they all preferred to think she had found peace. Hope was among those who attended Josie's funeral, but she deliberately avoided Lizzie. Alaric and Caroline comforted Lizzie, she was all they had now. Hope was willing to let their family have this final moment of closure. But tomorrow, she would confront Lizzie.

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Lizzie came to see Hope the day after Josie's funeral.

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Hope: What do you want?

Lizzie: Josie said she wrote me a letter, in case she didn't make it. But my family can't find it. Did she mention it to you?

Hope: Yes she did, but she didn't say where she put it.

Lizzie: Sorry to bother you.

Hope: Wait, can you help me with a little experiment?

Lizzie: Sit on the bed.

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Lizzie obeyed this, but Hope wasn't certain if it worked or if Lizzie was just being polite. So to test her theory Hope handed Lizzie a razor blade.

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Hope: I want you to squeeze this as hard as you can, no matter how painful it is. But don't scream in pain.

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Lizzie did as she was ordered. It hurt like Hell, but she couldn't stop herself.

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Lizzie: Why am I doing this?

Hope: Okay, you can stop now.

Lizzie: Thank God.

Hope: And to answer your original question, I compelled you.

Lizzie: Vampires can't compell witches.

Hope: I guess a tribrid can, that answers my question.

Lizzie: I don't need to ask why you did that. You hate me for what I did.

Hope: Actually, I don't hate you. I don't hate anyone, or love anyone.

Lizzie: Oh no, you turned your humanity off, didn't you?

Hope: Very good young Padawan. It seemed the better option that the pain of seeing my girlfriend die, and seeing her parents comfort her murderer.

Lizzie: Eventually you're going to turn it back on. Whatever you do now, you're going to have to live with for centuries.

Hope: You are really dispelling the myth about blondes being dumb today. You're right, I need to be careful not to do anything I can't live with for centuries. I'm not going to murder children or other innocents. I figure, eat a few child molesters, maybe massacre a meeting of neo-nazies.

Lizzie: I guess it's comforting that even without your humanity you still hate nazies.

Hope: Well everyone hates nazies, plus I'm not fond of people who think I should be murdered just for being bisexual. Anyway, I won't do anything that I'd regret for centuries. But torturing the b... who killed my girlfriend, I think I can live with that. Now I said that Josie never told me where her letter to you was, and that was the truth, but I found it anyway. What are you hoping to see in there anyway? If it says she was going to try and win the merge, will you be relieved that you can tell yourself that you only acted in self defense? Or, will you be horrified that your own twin sister tried to kill you? If it says she was planning to let you win, will you be relieved that you were just fulfilling her desire to perform the self sacrifice? Or will you realize that Josie had no hope, and just wanted to die? I'm curious as to which one you want to see.

Lizzie: I don't know. Either one would have its own pain and its own comfort. Most of all I want closure.

Hope: So me denying you this letter puts you in more pain, I'm wondering how long I can keep that up. Eventually I'll show it to you, probably when I get bored torturing you. I give you my word that I won't kill you before I let you see the letter.