Make Quiet Things Heard

Chapter 28 : Hopeless (Ep. 1|Part 1)

"I can't." I state and turn to look at her and slowly walk towards the bed.
"I need to figure things out. And I don't want to leave Dad alone. I'm honestly kind of worried he's gonna go out and buy a tiny red car." I explain and lay back on the bed, on my side facing Lizzie.
"I thought we were taking strides to be less codependent." she says.
"We are. But there's codependent and then there's leaving Dad with his alarming mustache growth." I say.
"Oh, gross." Lizzie states. "Yeah." We both laughed and after the laughter died down we go to talk more about our day and plans for the summer.

Hope's POV

Awake up to someplace dark, I can't even see a single thing. Everything feels cold and lifeless. I walk around in search of something, anything. "Hello?" I call out. I hear faint whooshing sounds all around me, like the wind, but there's not even a gust of air hitting me.
"Post tenebras spero lucem." I cast and a white ball manifests in my hand illuminating the area. I continue to walk around when something from behind me is starting to suck me in. I turn around and see it's a vortex. I try to run away but the pull is too strong. It keeps trying to pull me in and I eventually lose balance and trip. I am lifted from and ground and going up to the wormhole when something suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me back. The vortex is gone.

I turn to see Clarke holding me up bridal style. "Fancy meeting you here." he says. I immediately get out of his grip and move back a little from him.
"Whoa. What the hell are you doing here?" I ask. "Saving your life, obviously."
"No. I'm supposed to be in-in peace. Okay, you are not peace. In fact, you're the opposite of peace." I state.
"So, where are we?" I ask.
"Come on. Do the math."
"It's not that simple. Okay, there are freaky cyclones and blinding lights and you're here..." I trail off. "Oh, my God, we're in hell." I conclude. It's the only possible explanation. I destroyed Malivore but I did some horrible things so I'm not at peace.

"No such thing. I think. Go on. Take your best guess." he suggests. I pause to think and... Oh my god. "No." I state and walk away from him. "Why not?"
"Because I'm not gonna give you the satisfaction of telling me that I failed." I turn back and walk further away.
"You mean you don't want to hear you're in the Blackness? That you've been consumed by Malivore?" he asks. "No." I say my voice breaking. This can't be. I'm supposed to be at peace with my parents and everything was supposed to be okay.
"You don't want me to point out that all your heroics were for nada?" I stop waking turn to look back at him.

"That the big bad lives to see another day and all your friends have forgotten you ever existed?" Josie. She forgot me.
"Stop talking." I state firmly.
"If I were you, I'd make peace with that." I walk past him going the other direction and hit his shoulder on the way.
"Hope. Wait. I can help you." he states. I turn back to look at him and I shrug.
"I don't see how." I say defeated.
"I spent years inside this place, and while you cannonballing into the belly of Malivore didn't seem to destroy him, it has changed things, so stop being a dick to me and maybe I'll elaborate." he says as he walks closer to me.
"Okay. I'm partially listening." I say. I mean it can't hurt to hear what he has to say.

"Every creature consumed by my father used to exist here in total isolation, but here we are, talking to each other." he says coming even closer. Now we're face to face. "Your presence here has somehow opened the cell doors. If it can do that, maybe there's a way for us to escape. So what do you say? Partners?" he asks. Partners with him? No way. His information was useful but I can't trust him. "Pass." I say and walk away.
"You are such a child. No wonder you failed." he says. And I look back at him.  "Says the guy whose entire life has been about failing Daddy. I don't trust you, okay? And I never will." I state.

"You're the one who brought me into this mess. If you'd just let me meat-puppet my loser little brother, then we wouldn't even be in..." I turn back and chant a spell. "Imitantor pupulis." "Not again." I cover my mouth to stop him from talking. And let go to speak. "Your old friend, the mimic spell." I walk closer to him and him to me.
"You will do anything I intend you to do, and it is my intention that this is the last conversation we will ever have. If I were you, I'd make peace with that." I say and smile at him bitterly and walk away, him doing the same in the opposite direction.