It had been a few weeks since the service and Hope seemed to be herself. She still felt sad but she was no longer hurting herself, crying herself to sleep or having nightmares that caused the school to shake. Josie had encouraged Hope to start painting again. Thanks to Josie her artwork was something she'd been spending a lot of time on. That was all thanks to Josie, during one of her mental breakdowns Hope had wrecked her room and her Paints and canvases along with the brushes were destroyed.
Josie had gotten her new painting supplies as a late birthday present. Hope was currently working on a painting right now she was painting a field but it was missing something Hope just didn't know what. It didn't hit her until Friday what her painting was missing. She sent a text to Josie asking her to meet her in her room at the end of the day.
---
Hope was staring at the canvas nervously she didn't even hear Josie walk in she wasn't even aware she was in her room until the taller girl spoke.
"Are you okay?" Josie asked when she saw Hope freeze a few feet away from the door.
"Yes. No. I don't know, " the tribrid answered. "It's just that... I feel like something is coming a threat that we aren't prepared for."
Josie didn't know what to say. She knew all the pain Hope had gone through not just the last few months but her entire life and still, she was there, in school that so many awful events took place harbored for her and a few doors away from the room her late boyfriend once stayed was now occupied by a new student, a room she only saw in her nightmares.
"I know this might not mean a lot, but I'm here for anything you need." Josie said taking Hope's hand into hers when she saw the tribrid was slightly shaking. "And if what you need is to prepare for a unseen threat until you feel we're ready to face, then that's what we'll do."
"Thank you." Hope gave her a faint smile. "But I think it's better if We know what we're up against."
"Then let's not focus on that." Josie squeezed her hand before asking her what she needed.
After a long pause hope asked if she could help her with a project during the weekend she just had to get supplies. After agreeing The two went to bed, for the first time in a long time Hope slept alone in her bed, while Josie slept in her room. Hope spent the next few hours in her room staring at the canvas before deciding to set a blank one up.
--
The next day was the start of the weekend and Hope was still nervous both Josie and Lizzie had noticed.
"Hey," Josie said from Hope's bedroom door.
The tribrid had spent the morning and most of the afternoon in the library while Josie learnt some new spells from Freya and Davina the only two members who had stayed behind when Caroline had asked them to help with offensive magic.
The girls hadn't seen each other until dinner and then each one had gone to their separate rooms to rest and get some strength for the following day Davina was going to put the witches through a boot camp training session to toughen the witches up. Freya was going to focus on more advanced magic for the upper years.
All of this was only temporary because Freya still had to return to New Orleans back to her son and wife. Davina was staying a bit longer she would return home sooner or later but she wanted to see what a school full of supernatural students had to offer.
"Hey, Jo. It's late. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. It's just that we couldn't sleep and I saw your light was turned on, so I thought I'd check in. What about you?"
"I couldn't sleep either, so I started reading a poetry book I found. I'm with 'A Poison Tree' at the moment."
"Tribrid, painter and poet? You're full of surprises," Lizzie teased.
"You have no idea," Hope laughed. "And you two? Why can't you sleep?"
"Can I be honest?" The tribrid nodded. "I think it's because I've gotten used to sharing a bed with you. I know it sounds weird, but I don't know, I guess I'm used to having two lovely girls in my bed." Hope blushed at the statement while Lizzie looked ready to throw up.
"Whoa, whoa, I don't know what bizarre Fantasy you've been having but there will be no three way between us!" Lizzie said in disgust.
After the service the twins had many sleep overs with Hope. It was only supposed to be Josie but Lizzie wasn't about to risk her best friend and sister becoming fuck buddy's. When they started the sleepovers , they slept in separate beds, Lizzie and Josie shared one bed while hope slept in Josie's something about Josie's scent seemed to relaxe the Tribrid. However one night Hope had been haunted by a nightmare and Josie not wanting her friend to suffer through hell again crawled into the bed next to her. Hope fell back asleep in the witches arms quickly and peacefully.
After that they 'accidentally' started sleeping in the same bed.
The first time they woke up next to each other, Hope apologized for invading Josie's space, but sleeping in the same bed quickly became a habit.
Their excuse was that this way, if hope had a nightmare, she wouldn't destroy the school, but Lizzie knew that the truth was that they liked cuddling.
"Just say it as it is, this school is like a freezer and you miss My sisters body heat," Lizzie teased.
"Let me remind you that by becoming a full Tribrid I am a vampire and I don't feel the cold as much as you do, so maybe your sister is the one missing the little body heat I emit."
"Maybe, but honestly I also find it weird to be alone." Josie said
"Wow feeling the love in this room, what else do you think of me Jo?" Lizzie said sarcastically.
"So... why don't you sleep here?" Hope shyly asked.
Before Josie could answer, Hope was already moving to a side to make room for her friend, so the brunette got on the bed, laid next to her and, without even realizing it, they were in their usual position, with Hope hugging Josie.
"If I wake up tomarrow and you two aren't fully clothed I'm going to find away to kill you Mikealson." Lizzie warned with a glare as she lied down in the bed that once belonged to Cleo.
"I know you've spent all afternoon saying you're okay, but I want you to be honest. How are you really feeling?"
"Better than I thought, but it's still hurts. The worst part has been walking past his room to see another student staying in it. My best memory happened there, The day we had our first kiss. I had never felt so complete. But that's also the day all this started."
"Nobody should have to go through so much being just fifteen," Josie whispered. "I know I've said it before, but I really am sorry that you had to go through all of that and I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you."
"How could you? I pushed everyone away and no one knew I was a Mikaelson," Hope answered. "What matters is that you are here now, and that means more to me than you can imagine."
--
"Hope?" Josie knocked on the tribrid's door.
"Come in."
The girls had woken up around eight in the morning and, after breakfast, Hope had gone back to her room while Josie went for a walk the twin was exhausted from Freya's training.
"I know you don't really like presents, but I've bought you something." Josie walked into the room with a canvas, some paints and paint brushes. "Well, I actually had MG compell someone to buy them for me, but that's not the point."
"Jo, you didn't have to." Hope closed the book of spells she was reading and got out of her bed.
"I know, but I also know how much you love painting and a few minutes there's a new art class some students are painting, so I thought that maybe you could join them."
They smiled at each other, knowing that Hope couldn't say no to painting.
They walked to the room Josie had seen the painters at and Hope, using the materials Josie had (kind of) bought her and an easel she had found in a closet, started painting.
After finishing the background, she looked at Josie.
"What?" the brunette asked.
"I want to add you to my painting but I need a favor."
Lizzie looked at the two. She had decided to try the class to see what was so great about it. She had to. Admit it was fun she could be creative and it wasn't stressful at all. Lizzie began to understand why Hope enjoyed art so much. She had over heard the conversation and It took the blond a few seconds to understand what Hope's favor would be
"No, bad Tribrid!" The blonde said putting her art stuff down.
"You don't even know what I was going to say," Hope complained.
"You want my sister to pose, and she's not doing that."
"Why not?" Josie asked she was flattered at the thought of modeling for Hope.
"Because next thing she'll want you to do is pose nude and I don't much like the thought of you two recreating the scene from TITANIC." Lizzie complained Josie gave a evil smile and decided to have some fun with both hope and her sister.
"Well I'm not wearing a diamond Neckless, but I'm all for freeing the nipple." Josie said taking off her yellow sweater. The rest of the students had left so it was just the three of them. Hope couldn't help but blush as she tried to look anywhere else but her friends chest. While Lizzie freaked out her sister was stripping in the middle of an empty class. Lizzie was thinking Dark Josie had gotten free and she was horrified when her sister undid her bra. Closing her eyes expecting the worst she was surprised to hear her sister breakdown laughing it wasn't long until hope Joined in.
"Oh my god the look on her face please tell me you took a picture." Hope said trying to get herself under control. Josie held up her cell phone to show a photo of Lizzie looking like she'd just seen the actual devil on screen.
"Wait you were just messing with us?!?" Lizzie said glaring at her sister.
"Oh my dear sweet sister did you actually think I was going to stand in the middle of the room in my birthday suit?" Josie asked putting her top back on eyeing her shocked twin. Eventually Hope got it together and turned to Josie.
"C'mon, Jo, you're the one who wanted me to paint, so it's only fair that I paint you."
"I hate both if you," Lizzie said walking away as her sister posed exactly as Hope wanted.
An hour later, they were taking a break when Hope looked at her Josie.
"Jo I have a serious question, would you really have posed naked if I asked you too?"
"If we were in private, sure." The brunette said with a smile before going back to her spot as Hope picked a brush up and finished the painting. Once she was done She took the painting up to her room she wanted to add some finishing touches before giving it to Josie.