Lizzie was sitting at her desk writing in her journal when Josie returned from her super-secret meeting with Hope. She had been waiting for Josie to return for over an hour, ever since she caught Josie hiding something in her closet. She considered snooping around to see what it was but refrained. Instead, she had tried to focus on what she wanted to say to Josie. Normally, she would use a crystal Emma had that simulated conversations, but Emma was unavailable, leaving her to struggle with her thoughts.
She stood when Josie came through the door, noting that she seemed hesitant. Lizzie wondered if her feelings were manifesting themselves within her sister. She didn't think she was worrying that much. It typically took a lot for that to happen. Josie smiled at her, which put Lizzie's mind at ease.
"I have a present for you," Josie said happily.
Lizzie was sure she was about to learn what her sister was hiding in her closet. She was glad she chose not to snoop, because whatever it was, Josie seemed eager to share it with her.
Josie pulled out a medium sized box and set it on Lizzie's bed, then went to sit on her own. Lizzie eagerly went over to the box, and gently stroked the lid. "What's the occasion?"
"It's your birthday present," Josie smiled. "Things have been so busy around here, I haven't had a chance to give it to you."
Lizzie smiled happily as she gently lifted the lid. Inside was lavender fabric. She pulled it out and stared at it wonder. "You made me lavender Harry Potter robes?" she asked.
"Put it on," Josie insisted.
Lizzie threw the robes over her shoulders, then looked to Josie questioningly. "How do I look? She asked happily, not realizing what the robes were actually designed for.
"I think you're looking a little transparent," Josie giggled, then pointed down.
Lizzie looked down at what she believed were the robes, only to find the robes gone along with her body. She looked up at her sister with wide eyes. "You made me an invisibility cloak..."
Josie smiled widely at Lizzie. "I made us both one, so we can go anywhere in the school without people knowing it."
"This is amazing Jo," Lizzie said. Her head seamlessly floated through the air towards Josie. She pulled her off the bed into the tightest hug she could give her. "Thank you. This is the best gift you've ever given me."
"I hoped you would like it," Josie said.
Lizzie let her sister go and moved over to their mirror to get a good look at herself. It was strange to see only her head floating in midair. She smiled as she felt around for the hood, and pulled it over her head, making that disappear too. It was strange to be underneath the hood. She could see everything perfectly, but she could also feel the fabric gently rubbing against her skin.
"We can have so much fun with these," She declared as she moved around the room quietly. She carefully went behind Josie and quickly grabbed one of her pillows before Josie could notice it and flung it at her head. Josie turned to look at the blank space behind her in shock.
"That's not fair," she cried, then took the pillow that had hit her and flung in across the room. Lizzie caught it and flung it back at her with a chuckle. Josie caught the pillow but didn't toss it back. Instead she just stood there with a smile on her face, that Lizzie could have sworn looked a little sad.
She pulled the hood off her head. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Josie said, then flung the pillow back at her, hitting her in the face.
Lizzie tossed the smile on the bed, then pulled the robes off. "No. Something's wrong. What is it?"
"It can wait until later."
"No," Lizzie demanded. She carefully tucked her robes back into the box and sat on her bed across from Josie. "Whatever it is just say it."
Josie took a deep breath. "It's about Hope."
"Oh, well that's good then, because I have a few things of my own to say about her," Lizzie said. "As much fun as I regrettable say I had with her today, I think a few ground rules should be made. You may be able to ignore what she did, but I can't, and I really don't like having her around all the time."
"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," sighed Josie as she sat up straight. She took a deep breath. "I did something, something that you are going to hate me for."
"I could never hate you Josie," Lizzie chuckled dryly.
"You might, once you hear what I have to say," Josie demurred.
"Well, just tell me," Lizzie demanded lightly.
"It's about your first episode. The one that happened because of the fire in Hope's dorm room." Josie took another deep breath. "You were convinced Hope started the fire on purpose, but she didn't."
"How do you know that? Did she tell you that, because you may trust her, but I don't," Lizzie snarked.
"Hope didn't tell me anything, Lizzie, because she doesn't know," Josie replied. "She's not the one who started the fire, I am."
"What are you talking about?" Lizzie asked.
"I slipped a note underneath Hope's door, and I regretted it, but by the time I went back to get it, I couldn't get into her room. So, I did a fire spell underneath the door to burn the note, but it spread. Hope never meant to ruin our vacation."
Lizzie suddenly grew angry, not because her sister was the reason she missed out on a week alone with their parents, but because she knew where this was leading to. "So, she didn't start the fire, Josie. That doesn't absolve her for telling people about my episode," she growled.
Josie gave her a guilty look. "Your right, it doesn't absolve her of her guilt, but only because she was never guilty to begin with."
Confusion overwhelmed her. "What?"
"Hope never knew about your episode. In fact, she didn't even know you were bipolar until I told her a couple of weeks ago."
"But... but you told me..."
"I lied," Josie jumped in.
Lizzie felt like her mind had cracked open and leaked out every emotion in the spectrum into her body at once. It made her head fuzzy. She struggled to rein it all back in, to focus on just one emotion. "Why?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.
"I... it's just... "Josie stammered, unsure of how to explain it. "All my life, whenever I liked someone, you would go after them and you would always win."
"You had a crush on Hope?"
"Yes... I was afraid that if you knew the truth, I would never have a shot with her, so when you noticed my obsession with Hope, I blurted out that she was telling everyone about your episode. I didn't mean for it to come out, but it did, and then I couldn't take it back."
"So, no one knew about me being bipolar? No one was talking about my episode?"
Josie looked down in shame. "No."
Lizzie was shocked by what her sister had said. And despite knowing Josie wasn't the type to maliciously do anything to hurt her, it still hurt like hell. It hurt that she had done this, and she was angry with her.
"I'm sorry," Josie cried, and reached for Lizzie's hand.
Lizzie pulled the her hand away and stood up. She walked over to her desk where her journal still laid open. She closed it and let out a heavy sigh. "I know you are. I... I just need some time to process this." She picked the journal up and grabbed one of her pens and then left without another word.
Lizzie went out to the old mill, the only place in the school she was guaranteed to be left alone. she thought over every thing Josie had told her, and tried to write out her feelings p, just like Emma had taught her. There was a storm raging in her chest, and despite knowing Josie didn't mean to hurt her, she wasn't ready to forgive her just yet. She wanted to talk with Emma first, maybe even practice talking with Josie. So after an hour or so of just staring out into the forest, she headed back to the school to work through her emotions and thoughts through in a healthy way.
The first thing she did when she got back to the school was to send a note to Josie. She may be angry with her sister for what she did, but that didn't mean she had to suffer while she worked through everything. Emma was kind enough to help her with it, so she didn't come off sounding too strong. "I don't hate you, but I am angry and need time to process. Enjoy your date with Hope."
After the note was magically sent, she and Emma talked about what Josie told her, and the implications of that single lie. They talked about all the times she could remember feeling paranoid about people talking about her, how she reacted to it, how she could have handled the situation better. They talked about all the emotions she was feeling, and if she could forgive Josie. They talked about the Hope of it all. How she was feeling now that she knew Hope had never said anything mean about her. If knowing this made her feel differently towards her? If she could move past it and extend an olive branch to her?"
They talked for hours and by the time she headed back to her dorm room, she was feeling considerably better about the whole situation. Still, she had much to work through, and wasn't quite ready to forgive Josie.
Josie was standing right behind her door, nervously waiting for Hope to pick her up for their date. Hope hadn't told her here they were going so she opted for something simple yet still pretty. She opted for a baby blue dress that flowed down past her knees, with a matching sweater over the dress's spaghetti straps.
At exactly six o'clock, Hope knocked on her door. She took a deep breath and exhaled before opening it up. She was glad she did because Hope took her breath away. She wasn't wearing anything fancy, but boy did she look stunning. She was dressed in a flowing black, lowcut dress, that went all to way down to her feet.
"Wow," she gushed. "You look amazing."
Hope smiled. "So, do you." She stepped closer to Josie and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Stunning."
"That's what I was going to say to you," Josie replied.
"Well it's not every day we get to dress up, so I figured I would break out one of the dresses Auntie Bex is always sending me."
"Remind me to thank Auntie Bex," Josie said absentmindedly.
"Did you hear that," Hope called out, then looked to her right with a smile on her face. Josie peeked her head out the door and looked where Hope was. Sticking their heads around the corner were Rebekah and Penelope. Both of whom were giggling like school children.
"No. Make her say it again," Rebekah said playfully.
"No. Now go away," Hope shooed.
"We want to see Josie first," Penelope said.
Hope looked back at Josie and offered her hand to her. Josie accepted her hand and giggled as Hope pulled her out of her room and twirled her around.
"You do look amazing," Hope gushed happily. "We should go. Our chariot awaits."
"Okay, just let me get my purse," Josie said, then ducked back in her room to grab her purse off her desk. She locked the door behind her and wrapped her arm around the arm Hope had waiting for her.
"So where are we going?" Josie asked eagerly.
"We are going into town to have dinner and see a movie," beamed Hope. "I know it's not anything fancy, but I figured you would enjoy getting away from the school for the night."
"I love it Hope," Josie smiled.
"Good." Hope opened the front door for her and then followed her out.
Caroline was standing next to her Dad's SUV. "Wow. You girl's look amazing."
"Thanks, Mom," Josie said.
"Thank you," Hope replied, then leaned close to Josie and whispered, "I hope you don't mind. Your Mom offered."
"No. I don't," Josie said. She went to the SUV and opened the door for Hope, who got in with a smile, then slid to the center to allow Josie to slid in.
"Ready?" Caroline asked with a smile.
"Yeah," they said as one. The short ride into town was silent. It was a little awkward having her mom as her chauffeur, but not unbearable. Hope seemed happy just cuddling together in silence, so she didn't see the need to break it up with small chit-chat.
Caroline dropped them off at the Mystic Grill and handed them the school's phone. "Call when the movie's over, and I'll come get you."
She took the phone and slipped it into her purse. They got out and watched as Caroline drove away.
"I'm sorry we couldn't go somewhere fancier," Hope said as they entered the building. "I tried getting us into the Tamara's, but they have a month-long reservation wait."
"It's okay, Hope," Josie smiled. "I love this place. They have the best milkshakes."
Hope smiled. "Good," she said, and then led her to a table in the back. The waiter came by and they both ordered milkshakes. Josie ordered a mint with extra whip cream and Hope ordered a peanut butter blast, with the whip cream on the bottom. The waiter gave her a funny look but didn't comment.
"How was your day? Did you give Lizzie the cloak?"
"I did. She was ecstatic," Josie said with a smile.
"And how are you, with what you learned today?" Hope asked.
"Not gonna lie, it was a bit shocking learning I might become pregnant when we have sex, but it is kind of cool, when you think about. I'd like to have a baby one day. It'd be cool if the baby could have both our DNA. But even if you're just a normal girl, that's cool too."
"I'd like to have a baby too someday," Hope admitted shyly. "Way, way down the road though. When we're not still in school and aren't fighting monsters every day."
"A stable life would be nice," Josie agreed.
"So, if your sister is happy with your gift and you aren't freaked out by my tribrid DNA, then why have you been feeling so scared and guilty all day?" Hope asked casually.
The waiter returned with their milkshakes and took their dinner order, then disappeared again.
Josie's heartrate picked up and she was sure Hope could feel it through the bond. It was strange for her, knowing that someone else could feel what she felt. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to get used to it.
Hope leaned forward and placed her hand over Josie's. "It's okay. Whatever is wrong, we can deal with it together."
"It's not something we can deal with, Hope," she said softly, though she knew Hope could still hear her despite how loud it was around them. "I have to tell you something."
"Okay," Hope said. "Whatever it is, can't be all that bad."
"Yeah it can be," Josie sighed. "I have to tell you something. I did something. I did something that you're not going to like." She paused and took a deep breath. "Do you remember that fire in your dorm room three years ago?"
"Yeah. How could I forget? I lost half my stuff in that fire, including the only painting I did with my dad."
Josie's guilt doubled at hearing that. "I was the one who started the fire," she said quietly.
Hope gasped softly and took her hand away. "W-what? Why?"
"I had a crush on you," Josie said. "I slipped a note under your door that morning, and almost immediately regretted it, but I couldn't get it by that point. So, I did a fire spell under your door. I really was only aiming for the note."
Hope sat quietly, unable to sift through her own feeling from the strong ones Josie was sending through the bond.
"There's more," Josie admitted. "Lizzie had an episode right after that. Dad had to cancel our trip to deal with the damages and she was upset. It was the first time she'd had an occurrence. When she got back, she made a comment about me being obsessed with you. I didn't want her to do what she always did when I had a crush on someone, so I blurted out, 'how could I like someone who said such mean things about my twin'."
"But I never..."
"I know," Josie interrupted.
"Your sister thinks I started rumors about her mental health. That's why she was so mean to me. That's why she hates me."
Josie nodded her head.
"Does she know the truth?" Hope asked.
Josie nodded her head again. "I told her today. Right after I gave her the invisibility cloak. She hasn't really spoken to me since."
"It's a lot to take in Josie," Hope said.
"I know," Josie agreed sadly.
The waiter brought over their food, halting their conversation briefly while he set their plates down. He asked if they were good, then left when Hope said, "Yeah."
"I forgive you," Hope said, shocking Josie. Hope smiled at her. "I'm also not going to hold it against you. You did a stupid, impulsive thing when you were thirteen. I've done far worse."
"I doubt that," Josie said, then felt an overwhelming sadness hit her like a ton of bricks. She raised her hand up to her chest and tried to rub away the feelings.
"I have," Hope insisted. "And I will tell you all about it, just not right now. Right now, I just want to enjoy my time with you." She reached across the table with a soft smile on her face. "Thank you for being honest with me."
Josie sighed in relief, both because the emotions coming through the bond lessened dramatically and because she was relieved Hope wasn't mad at her. "Thank you for not hating me."
Hope chuckled lightly. "I don't think anyone could ever hate you."
"Lizzie does," Josie admitted sadly.
"I highly doubt that," Hope said. "She just needs time to process, but I have complete faith that she will come around. Like I said, nobody could ever hate you."
Josie smiled, and looked down at her veggie burger. It felt funny to be eating such a simplistic meal while in a dress, but she didn't really care. Mystic Grill was the only place that made them in the area, and they were so good.
"Do you feel better now?" Hope asked after taking a bit of her own hamburger (full meat to satisfy the wolf in her).
"You know I do," Josie said, hinting at the bond.
"I may be able to feel your emotions, but I can't hear your thoughts," Hope pointed out.
"Yeah," Josie said. "Do you think that will change once we complete the bond?"
"I don't know. Maybe," Hope said. "How are you handling all this?"
"It's strange. That's for sure, but at the same time it feels right. Like it was always meant to be like this," Josie tried to explain.
"It's not just me then," Hope commented.
"No, it's not just you. The more I'm around you, the stronger it grows, the more at ease I feel. At first, I was really scared about what was happening. I was afraid that it was just the bond creating the feelings between us but as I've been reminded, I have had a crush on you since I was seven. The feelings were already there before the bond."
"We'll you're more in tune to your feelings than I am. I'm still trying to figure out exactly when my feelings for you became romantic. Maybe I have always felt like this, or it could just be a more recent development. Either way, they're real, and strange, and exciting."
"I know what you mean," Josie said shyly.
"They're scary too," Hope admitted quietly as she picked at her fries. "People I care about have a tendency to leave me."
Josie reached for Hope's hand again. "I'm here. I care about you and even if we decide to separate, I'll still be here as your friend, no matter what. I like having you in my life. You make me happy."
Hope squeezed Josie's hand. "You make me happy too."
"Good. So, it's settled then. Our feelings are real and we're always going to be here, no matter what happens."
Hope smiled at her enthusiasm and Josie felt the ease of mind that washed over her through their bond, which made her feel more at ease as well. When she decided she was going to tell Hope the truth, she had been terrified that she would hate her. Especially after Lizzie's not so stellar response, or lack thereof. She could relax now that everything was out in the open and go about enjoying their date.
They talked about what they planned to do over spring break. Penelope was heading home to visit her family, and MG had created this whole 'Spring Break Extravaganza' for those who either had no home to go back to or just didn't want to. Which meant they had an entire week to do whatever they wanted, providing no monsters attacked and their families didn't decide to do any last-minute plans.
An entire week alone sounded amazing.
After diner they head over to the town's small theater, where they did not watch the movie. In true teenage fashion, they spent the movie's entire two hours and sixteen minutes making out it the back row. Thankfully, there weren't many people in the theater with them, allowing them the freedom to let wandering hands roam a little.
Although, Hope had the better advantage, seeing as Josie's dress only went down to knee's, while hers was a full length. At one-point Josie got frustrated with the lack of skin contact and whispered a spell that split Hope's dress at the seem to her mid-thigh. Josie kissed her franticly while promising to fix it later between kisses. Hope chuckled at Josie's enthusiasm, then stifled a moan when Josie's hand touched her bare skinned thigh.
After the movie was over, they called Caroline to come pick them up, then head to the bathroom to freshen up. They giggled as they wiped smudged lipstick from each other lips. When they reached the car, even Caroline couldn't tell that they had just spent two hours making out.