Black and White

Part 8

This was everything Penelope Park had never known she needed. Dana seemed to be stunned, confused, and most of all furious. She had not been that smart of a girl, to begin with, and now Penelope could vividly imagine cartoon question marks floating in circles about her head. Lizzie seemed to be quite pleased with herself in the corner of Penelope's vision. She kind of wished she had been willing to risk herself in a similar manner before now and stand up for her friend in the way Hope had always deserved from her. Penelope was infamously self-centered though, and not great at the skill of friendship. Something horrible was definitely written on that page and Penelope was glad Hope wouldn't have to read it.

A terrible curiosity overtook the witch at that point and with a muttered phrase and a subtle breeze of controlled air, the ball of paper landed beneath Penelope's desk. She reached down to find it surprisingly heavy, a small stone from the flower beds outside wrapped in the page. The object could have done some decent damage with a bit of strength put behind it. Penelope burnt the paper to ash in her clenched fist. Fury built and blazed within her chest. Penelope decided to have a word alone with the LizDemon whenever she got a chance. She wanted to be doubly sure that whatever Lizzie might be, she had Hope Mikaelson's best intentions at heart.

Besides Dana Liilien, there was nothing at Mystic Falls High that Hope Mikaelson hated more than physical education. She was an epically strong firstborn were-witch of the Crescent Moon pack and had complete control over her forms. Running a mile was literally no sweat for her and it felt especially demeaning to have to pretend to struggle. Especially whenever that meant letting Dana win. Hope's pride grated each and every time she had to let it happen.

Dana could be so bitchy about any kind of win that Hope just wanted to beat her to a pulp or make her chair fly out from under her or any number of small things she could make happen, but wouldn't. Hope couldn't even vent to her family because of the faint possibility they would decide to treat Dana like a fruit punch juice box.

"You really are proud of that stupid fucking birthmark aren't you?" Dana said in a low growl as she shoved Hope roughly into the row of lockers while all of the girls should have been changing before gym began. She was in the middle of changing and pulling her shirt up and over her head. Her nose crashed against the cold metal and Hope felt a sickening pop. Warm, sticky wetness ran down her face as her eyes watered. As quickly as she could, Hope pulled free and yanked her shirt the rest of the way off and pressed her back to the lockers.

"You don't have to do this, Dana. I haven't ever done anything to you. Every single week you are up my ass. Were you not hugged enough when you were little?" Hope straightened her spine as her eyes watered and the swelling began. She met Lizzie's eyes for a moment as the demon made herself known to Hope alone.

Hope wasn't afraid of this human girl, her eyes were even and furious. Still, she wanted to be allowed to stay in this school and not sent back to the Salvatore School away from her family. Her power would get her kicked out and a group of vamps would be sent in to remove all memory of the incident. So, Hope stood with her chin up and her back straight to wait for whatever might come next. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Lizzie looked like she was ready to step in and put a stop to the small clique of mean girls and prevent whatever might be coming. Hope shook her head side to side subtly, and closed her eyes, bracing herself. Still, even unseeing, she caught the fist in her own hand, before it connected with any more of the delicate bones in her face.

"We've discussed this previously, I believe. If you start a fistfight with me, you will not win." Hope said in a low and serious tone. "Back off or I promise you, you will regret it." Hope was rather certain this was the closest (as an unawakened vampire) she had ever come to compelling someone.

Lizzie's eyebrows raised behind Dana Lilien and she appeared to be almost impressed. Hope knew the only reason she was as brave and as confident as she was currently because of the demon she knew to have her back and wouldn't allow things to get too far. She was amazed by the amount of trust she already had for the other girl. She really did want to absolutely thrash Dana within an inch of her life. Hope had definitely had that dream before and been disappointed when she woke up to find it wasn't true.

Dana sneered down at Hope, though there was a flicker of surprise in her eyes at Hope standing up for herself. She resettled herself mentally and came harder at Hope once again, her forearm slamming against the shorter girl's throat, knocking her head sharply back against the locker. Hope saw stars and a slight sense of fear at the possibility of more pain, however brief it might be.

From her dizzied and blurred vision, Hope saw Lizzie jerk forward to defend her and shook her head no once more. The demon snarled but seemed to calm when Hope bared her own teeth at Dana, squeezing her eyes closed to hide the change in the color of her irises. "Get your hands offof me, now." Hope was genuinely somewhat frightened now, not of Dana, but of what she might do herself. For a long time, Hope had kept a vice grip on her own temper, but something about this girl, in particular, got beneath her skin.

"Dana, PE is starting." Eden Southerly said, clearly disturbed by Dana having drawn blood, though she was a flunky of Dana's by any other name. She glanced nervously between Hope and the clock. "Making her cry publically again this month would be just too pitiful."

"Just... don't fucking test me again, Mikaelson." Dana pressed tight on her throat then walked away.