Feelings - A Hosie Story

Chapter 24 - "Aren't you people here to train me?"

Early mornings aren't Hope's favorite thing. Far from it, honestly (she'd much rather lay in bed for a few more hours). An early morning to fight off a monster is even worse. It's left her in a bit of a sour mood, made worse by Josie's departure as she headed off to her classes.

It's left Hope alone to roam the halls, at least until her family arrives.

Loud, thumping, steady heartbeats fill her ears. Doubts fill her mind. Should she really be going on a date tonight? Hope's a new vampire, she barely has any idea what to expect, much less how strong her bloodlust will be. What if she hurts Josie? She'd never dream of it, but these are new impulses. Ones that she can't yet control. Ones that could take over if she's not careful. And there are far too many stories of vampires who have hurt those closest to them after turning. Hope doesn't want to be added to that list.

That voice at the back of her head, always judging, always speaking, is begging her to push Josie away. Telling her she'll be safer, she'll be better off without Hope. Yet, her heart is saying otherwise. Her father's words, reality or not, are battling the voice too. He told her not to push people away, no matter how strong the urge gets. What kind of a daughter would she be to ignore that?

There is one option Hope has to pass the time and get rid of the noise, even for a little while. She races to the kitchen, stopping as she bangs into a counter. The tribrid takes a second to regain her balance. She opens the fridge. She rather enjoys the chilling breeze that it welcomes. Yet as she clutches onto the plastic, a feeling of uncertainty rushes through her. This will be her first taste of animal blood, and she can't say she's too excited about it. From the words of MG and Kaleb (as well as virtually any other vampire), animal blood is the worst kind. They say it's nothing compared to the real stuff, the warmth it has when it's fresh. Not only that but animal blood doesn't even bring vampires close to their full strength.

She eventually lifts it to her mouth. Hope grimaces when the bitter taste of the liquid hits her tongue. it's far worse than anything she's ever tried before, far worse than expected. It doesn't satisfy her nearly as much as the human blood she drank to complete her transition, but she'll have to live with it if she wishes to remain a the school. She makes sure to finish the entire bag.

~twenty minutes later~

Hope changes into athletic clothing. She loves her family but has no doubt they'll push her to the limit. Controlling her abilities will be key in the upcoming battles she has to face. She goes outside to sit on the grass out the front of the school, awaiting the arrival of her family.

They sounded fine on the phone when she spoke to them, but she can't help but wonder...

How will they react to actually seeing her? What will they think about her vampire side now being activated?

All the prophecies built around the rumors of her birth...Will they come true? All of the witches in New Orleans feared her before she was even born, and thought she'd live up to the title of her being father's daughter. So what if she becomes the monster that he was? What if, being a vampire makes her embrace her darkest side?

The only good thing is that they already know her vampire side. That's the whole reason for their visit after all. With any luck, it'll make the reunions a little bit easier.

Her phone pulls her from her thoughts. It's telling her she's received a text. And the corners of her mouth turn up when she sees it's from none other than Josie Saltzman.

It reads as follows:

I can't stop thinking about you.

Hope blushes. Hard. Her cheeks burn red and her body feels like she's been thrown in an oven in the last two seconds.