Red Revenge

11. Listen, baby wolf.

Hope's Pov:

Wednesday had rolled around again. My sister, Hazel, and I had been investing more time in exploring and mastering my werewolf side. Bonnie had confidently declared that I had a firm grasp on my magical abilities, leaving us with little else to focus on. The twins, Josie and Lizzie, and I had spent the past weekend deeply engrossed in conversations about our supernatural lineages, and the trials and tribulations of keeping this part of our lives hidden from our friends to stop people from asking questions.

I arrived early to class, a habit I had enjoyed a few moments of quiet before the day's chaos unfolded. Normally, I would gaze blankly at the wall, lost in thought, waiting for Lizzie and Josie to join. Today, however, two unfamiliar girls unexpectedly took their places on either side of me. An unwelcome interruption to my solitude.

I glanced at them, "Uhh, those seats are reserved," I informed them, pointing out the unspoken seating arrangement.

The response came from the girl on my right, who leaned closer, invading my personal space. She whispered, "Oh, we know, sweetheart," a smirk playing on her lips.

Reacting quickly, I grabbed my phone and hastily composed a message to Josie and Lizzie, urging them to join us in the first-hour classroom. But before I could even watch the message sent, the same intrusive girl snatched the phone from my grasp, casually tossing it into her bag.

As I was still reeling from this audacity, the girl on my left reached out and held my chin in her grasp, her touch firm and hard.

"We also know that you are a tribrid. As well as the fact that Josie and Lizzie are siphoners," she whispered into my ear, her voice chillingly calm.

As soon as she let go of my chin, almost as if on cue, Josie and Lizzie made their hurried entrance into the classroom.

"Who exactly are you?" my girlfriend asked, her tone laced with sass.

The one seated to my right, with an apparent self-assured grin, replied, "I'm Nia, and this here," she gestured to the girl on my left, "is Amber. We're hybrids."

As if that explanation was enough, Amber chimed in. "Oh, and by the way, your usual seats are now right in front of us. We were specifically sent by someone, tasked with the job of keeping an eye on dear Mikaelson here," she added with a smirk.

Rolling my eyes at their audacity, I rested my forehead against the cool surface of the table. The shrill sound of the bell echoed through the room, signaling the start of class. Josie and Lizzie, picking up on the unusual tension, made their way to the table in front of us.

The teacher, seemingly oblivious to the palpable tension, gave us no particular instruction for the day. He simply instructed that we form a group of five and work on an analysis document. Lizzie and Josie turned around, their glares like daggers aimed at the two unexpected intruders seated next to me. With a subtle movement of her eyes, Lizzie signaled for me to extricate myself from my current place and join her and Josie, but as I started to rise, I felt nails digging into my thigh.

"I think you're fine where you are, don't you think, Amber?" Nia asked, her voice resonating with an unspoken threat.

Reacting instinctively, I grabbed her hand and attempted to pry it off my thigh. However, I nearly screamed when I felt what seemed like claws digging deeper. A whimper escaped my lips as I looked over at Lizzie, my eyes wide with pain and fear. Josie, in response, began to siphon energy from her necklace, her face set in grim determination.

"Ah ah ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you. We wouldn't want to cause a scene, now would we?" Amber warned, her gaze fixed on Josie with a menacing glare.

"Let go of my girlfriend," Lizzie growled, her words sharp and crystal clear.

"Okay," Nia replied nonchalantly, dragging her hand away and leaving three gashes on my inner thigh as a painful reminder of her threat.

To keep from crying out, I bit down hard on my lip, the taste of iron filling my mouth.

...

"Why won't they simply leave me alone?" I lamented, my voice echoing slightly in the empty room. "It's bad enough that they're in all my classes!"

Lizzie chimed in. "Who do they even think they are, coming here and messing with you? Those claws to your thigh were completely uncalled for."

"Wait, shh," I cautioned, my voice dropping to a whisper. Straining my ears, I could detect the faint echo of Nia and Amber's footsteps. They were approaching our sanctuary, the empty classroom we had claimed as our own.

This room was our retreat, our quiet place during the free period. The twins and I would escape here, safe from the prying eyes and intrusive presence of Nia and Amber. But of course, that was only if they didn't choose to invade our space.

As if on cue, they sauntered into the classroom, disturbing the peace we had.

"Listen," I growled, my patience wearing thin. "I don't know who sent you or what they want, but you can tell them I said to fuck off. I don't need you watching over me or playing guardian. Just go somewhere else, anywhere but here."

Amber's smile was far from friendly. It was predatory, unsettling – a clear display of dominance. She flashed her golden eyes at me, growling in response. I instinctively began to retreat, backing up as Nia coldly advised the twins to stay out of it.

Then, without warning, Amber lunged. She grabbed my shirt collar and slammed me against the desk. I gasped, my wolf eyes flashing in response.

She leaned in close, her voice a harsh whisper. "Listen, baby wolf. I know about your dysfunctional family. Your worst enemy isn't us, It's Ryan Clarke and his daughter, Harper. They want you and your sister, Allison Your family had wanted your power but Ryan and his group killed them. Now, you've got a choice. I can inform Ryan of your whereabouts and watch as you scramble to escape, or you can accept our help and take him down!"

She released me, stepping back. I was left reeling, my mind spinning. Could it be true? My father was undoubtedly a terrible man, but was he dead?

"You're lying," I managed to stutter, my voice barely above a whisper.

Am I?" Amber countered, tossing me a phone. "Listen to this."

I caught the phone, my hands trembling. As I hit play, I listened to the recording. The words hit me like a punch to the gut. The room spun around me, my vision blurred by the tears welling up in my eyes.

"I- I need to go," I stammered, dropping the phone. I bolted from the room before anyone could react, running as fast as I could. My footsteps echoed down the empty corridors as I made my way to the parking lot. I jumped into my car, speeding towards the sanctuary of the woods.