My Curse • Hope Mikaelson

40| Monsters of the Old World

"Jed, I swear if you do not shut up, you will be the first person I kill once I figure out how to get out of this cell," Alexandria's voice echoed in the tunnel.

As Hope approached the open area, she saw Jed leaning on the wall outside of the cell. Alexandria sat cross-legged on the ground, wearing a bored expression as she rested her head on her hand.

Jed pushed himself to stand up straight. "Oh, come on, Alex. We're friends! Remember?" Jed said in a cheery tone, a toothy smile on his face.

"I might just turn it back on so I don't have to listen to your voice anymore," Alexandria sighed, her gaze lifting to Hope who she saw walking up to them. Although, she didn't acknowledge her presence with anything more than a brief look.

Jed let out a small gasp. "Wait, really?"

"No. Obviously, I wasn't serious," Alexandria said immediately, rolling her eyes. "How you were ever the Alpha is beyond me," she muttered with a scoff.

The werewolf visibly deflated. "Oh..."

Hope slowly walked up to Jed. Her heart jolted as she saw Alexandria's attention drift back to her. "Hey, Jed," Hope greeted, doing her best to ignore the hybrid's burning stare on the side of her head.

Jed spun around at the mention of his name. "Oh, hey. Hope, right?"

The tribrid nodded. "Wanna get some fresh air, I can cover for you a bit," Hope offered.

"Sure, I could use a break," Jed smiled gratefully and left the Lockwood Cellar, leaving the two girls and the uncomfortable tension that had settled in the air.

Despite her better judgement she opened the gate with a spell and stepped in, closing it behind her.

Alexandria's eyes followed the girl's movements cautiously. "What are you doing here?" Alexandria asked with a sigh, her head tilted to the side as she lazily looked Hope up and down.

"Just came to check up on you," Hope's voice remained steady as she tried to give off the impression that she wasn't nervous under the hybrid's gaze.

Alexandria gestured around to her cell, the chains clashing against each other. Her dreary eyes and slouched posture were an answer in itself.

Hope sighed, rubbing her hands on the side of her legs nervously. "They just want the best for you," Hope argued.

Alexandria laughed aloud at the statement. "They have quite a funny way of showing it," the hybrid's lips formed a tight line. But her irritated expression was almost wiped away completely as she looked at Hope in question, her head tilted for a moment, trying to assess Hope's motive. "No one, including Dr. Saltzman, is willing to even come within a five metre distance of my cell, and that's with me chained up. And yet, the first person to actually step foot inside... is a girl I don't even know," Alexandria's voice was jaded, lacking any enthusiasm or life, but there was a curious look in her eye as she looked Hope up and down.

Hope couldn't stop herself from breaking eye contact for a moment. She had no doubt that she could sense her anxious state. "Maybe, I just have nothing to be afraid of. Nothing to lose," Hope challenged and fidgeted with her hands behind her back.

The hybrid narrowed her eyes. "I would argue that you do. You hesitated to fight back, just turned your head to the side as I held an arrow over your heart," she doubted her.

"You hesitated as well," Hope shot back and Alexandria fell silent for a moment.

Hope thought back to the fight and her mind started to swarm with different thoughts. She wondered if there was another reason why she hesitated.