Chapter Text
When Josie returned to her house, Hope was asleep, and Buttercup was whining in pain, trying to get out of Hope’s arms.
“Relax, furball,” Josie told the cat, “You’ll be with Lizzie soon.” She moved to the side to push the door open, and walked in to not only her Mom and sister, but Rafael was there too, along with Hope’s parents. Right before any of them could say something, Josie shushed them, gesturing to Hope’s sleeping form in her arms.
“I’ve got her, love,” Klaus said. He gently took Hope from Josie’s arms, and the cat jumped down, which was the first time Lizzie noticed his limp, and the arrow of course.
“What did you do to my cat?” she whispered angrily to her. Josie shrugged and said,
“You know...shit happens.” Lizzie scooped him up and examined the arrow that was still through his leg. She glared at Josie, eyed her quiver and said,
“I hate you.” She took Buttercup to the kitchen to work on him, and the house was silent for a bit until Buttercup yowled as Lizzie pulled the arrow out.
“Mom! Can you help me?” they heard her call a few moments later.
“I’ll be right back,” Caroline told the two Mikaelsons and Rafael, who was slowly taking the bow from Hope’s hand. He handed it back to Josie and said,
“I need to get home. You should stop running away. Your Mom wanted to get a leash.”
“Thanks,” Josie said, taking the bow from him, “I’ll remember that.” As she moved the bow out of Rafael’s hand, it touched hers. For just one second, it was almost like they were before the games happened. She was standing there with her best friend, looking at her with that same caring gaze. The moment passed just as fast as it happened. He let go of the bow, and she quickly took it back.
“Goodbye Josie,” he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” At first she was excited that he was still coming, but that faded when she remembered the entire District was required to go. She’d gone to Stefan’s ten years ago. Her Father had been there with her, but other than that, Josie didn’t remember it that much. They’d given Stefan a crown and he’d waved to the crowd. Simple as that. Once Rafael left the room, Josie was left with Hope’s parents.
“Um, you can put her in my room if you want,” Josie told Klaus. She pointed to the door, and he gave her a short nod before walking away. Josie hoped Hayley would go with him, but she stayed in the living room, which made Josie nervous. She’d never been alone with Hope’s mother before, so this was extremely awkward. Josie decided to be a good host and said,
“Uh, you can sit down if you want. There’s a chair here…”
“I think standing is fine,” Hayley said. She looked like she wanted to be there even less than Josie did. She didn’t think that was even possible.
“Oh, okay,” Josie said. She placed her bow to the side and stuck her hands in her pocket. She balanced herself on her heels as she swayed back and forth. It was a weird habit, but it usually helped time pass fast. And she needed this to end.
“So,” Hayley said, “Where did you and her end up?”
“Just...at the district border,” Josie said, not mentioning going over the fence. People from 2 were known for being Capitol cronies.
“You know, hunting is illegal in the Districts,” Hayley said, gesturing to Josie’s bow.
“Who said I was hunting?” Josie asked. Hayley chuckled and said,
“I’m not going to tell on you, I know you went over the fence. I could tell from the cuts on Hope’s hand. Barbed wire.”
“Oh,” Josie said.
“Yeah, oh,” Hayley said, “What were you doing out there?” Josie shrugged and said,
“It’s a place where I go to feel safe. I didn’t know Hope would follow me. In fact, I didn’t even know she’d come to my house. I didn’t really want to see her.”
“And why not?” Hayley asked. Josie shrugged and said,
“It’s nothing personal. Well, actually it is. I just don’t think I can do the ceremony with her in the morning. Not in front of my whole district.”
“You know, we could have done this in 2,” Hayley said.
“I know,” Josie said, “My mistake was letting this happen here. It would be a lot easier if I was alone up there. Or if Roman had been the one to come home with Hope.”
“You’re not wrong there,” Hayley said, “When the girl from 11 died, several people back at home were praying that Hope would take you out. No offense.”
“How am I supposed to be unoffended by that?” Josie asked.
“I’m sorry, I know that isn’t great to hear,” Hayley said, “But it’s the truth. You can be mad at it all you want, but I bet your own family and Landon’s were hoping you’d leave my daughter to die at the Cornucopia. But you didn’t. You chose to save her life that day.” There was a pause after that, and the look Hayley was giving Josie changed. It got softer, and kinder, “Which was why I was so glad when she chose you too.”
“You were?” Josie asked. She didn’t know why that made her feel so good, but it did. She barely knew Hayley, but the woman was glad she was alive! How wild was that? “Th-th-thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” Hayely said, “Really, that’s weird.”
“Sorry.”
“And don’t apologize to me,” Hayley said, “Believe me when I say I don’t deserve that. You’re the reason my daughter is back home with me. You might never need to apologize to me.” Josie opened her mouth to respond, but she never got to, since her Mom came in.
“I think the cat will be okay, but Hayley, do you mind if I check in on Hope? I noticed that her hand was cut, and I don’t want it to get infected.” Hayley looked unsure at first, so Josie said,
“She’s a nurse. She knows what she’s doing.” Hayley nodded slowly and said,
“Sure. Klaus just took her to Josie’s room.” Caroline nodded, and gave Josie a rub on the shoulder before walking into her room. Back with Hayley, the older woman said,
“You and your Mom don’t look alike.”
“I’m adopted,” Josie said. That was when she realized she’d never actually told any of that to Hope. She wondered if the girl noticed the small age difference between Josie and her Mother. If she had, she hadn’t mentioned it.
“Hmm, interesting,” Hayley said, “Your Mother is even younger than me, and while I love Hope with all my being, Klaus and I can both agree we were way too young to be parents.”
“Well yeah, she’s pretty young, but she’s a great Mom!” Josie said defensively.
“I’m not saying she isn’t,” Hayley said, “I’m just curious, really. Why would someone that young take in two orphaned children?” Josie shrugged and said,
“I’ve uh, I’ve never really thought about it. My teacher, um, she just dropped us off here after the news broke about my Father, and Mom didn’t question anything. She just took us in, and we’ve been here ever since. That’s all I know.” Hayley narrowed her eyes at her and said,
“Interesting.” What was that supposed to mean? Most orphans in 12 didn’t even get adopted, so Josie considered herself pretty lucky that Caroline had taken her in. That was all there was to it. Caroline came out of Josie’s room a few moments later and said,
“Hope’s hand will be okay, she’ll just need to keep it bandaged for a week or two. Some of the wire almost dug in too deep, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed.”
“Thank you,” Hayley said, “I’ll be sure to have her thank you tomorrow.”
“Don’t even worry about it,” Caroline said, “I’m just glad they’re both okay.”
“Of course,” Hayley said, “We can take Hope back with us now. We don’t want to impose on you guys for too long.”
“Oh really, it’s no trouble,” Caroline said.
“Yeah,” Josie said, “Hope came out here to find me, so she can stay if she wants.” Caroline looked at Josie with a frown on her face. She clearly hadn’t been expecting that response.
“Oh,” Hayley said, “I really don’t think-”
“It’s fine,” Josie said, “I really don’t mind, and we can meet you guys at the ceremony.”
“All due respect Ms. Saltzman, but we really should be going,” Klaus said as he exited Josie’s room, holding Hope, who was still half asleep, “We have some things to discuss.”
“Sure,” Caroline said, “We wouldn’t want to interrupt.” Klaus gave her a nod and said,
“But Ms. Saltzman, if you would like to come with us, we wouldn’t be opposed.”
“Oh,” Josie said, “That’s okay, really. I uh, I wouldn’t want to…” she trailed off. Did she want to go? Not really. But did she want to see her house, and they were offering...plus, Lizzie was still mad about Buttercup, so how could she say no?
“I guess I could,” Josie said, “Just so I can see the house.”
“Sure honey,” Caroline said, “I’ll go get your bag.” She went to get the bag, and Josie was then left with Hope and her parents. Being alone with the Mikaelsons always made her skin crawl. Where was Lizzie? She could hear her in the kitchen, fawning over her stupid cat. She continued bouncing on her heels until Hope asked,
“The hell are you doing, Saltzman?” she quickly stopped.
“Hope!” Hayley quietly scolded, “Don’t be rude.”
“No that’s alright,” Josie said. She gave Hope a smile and said, “That’s our thing, right?”
“Right,” Hope said quietly. Caroline returned with Josie’s suitcase and said,
“Here you go, honey. I’ll come and see you in the morning, okay?” Josie nodded, and allowed her Mom to give her a soft kiss to the cheek. As she was leaving with the Mikaelsons, Buttercup jumped down from the table and snuggled up next to Hope.
“Oh no,” she said, “You stay away from me.”
“Wow,” Lizzie said, “Buttercup is showing more affection towards you in one day then he’s shown to Josie in almost ten years.”
“Hey!” Josie complained.
“You shot an arrow at his leg, you know it’s true,” Lizzie said.
“That’s...fair,” she agreed. Buttercup started to lick Hope’s ankle, so she sighed and went to scoop him up, which caused him to transition to licking her face.
“You’re not so bad, furball,” she said.
“Right?” Lizzie asked, “That’s what I keep telling Josie, but she still thinks we should’ve gotten a dog that needs to be walked.”
“The dog was cute!” Josie said, “Buttercup looks like he fell from a tree, went through a wringer, then got hit by the coal train.” Lizzie gasped, and Hope was about to laugh until her Mother gave her a small shove.
“How dare you? Buttercup is the cutest little cat there is. Now come on, sweetie,” Lizzie went to get the cat, but he yelped and leaned in to Hope.
“Hah! Looks like Buttercup has a new best friend,” Josie said. Lizzie glared at Hope, then at Josie, her lips curled into a frown, and she said,
“I’m gonna get you!” She ran after Josie, and she realized she needed to run. It was strange, but she almost missed this rush from the arena. Sure, it was just Lizzie and she wasn’t in any danger, but that adrenaline was still there.
“Girls, you stop that!” Mom snapped at them in an attempt to get involved. Lizzie chased Josie all around the living room, and Josie was glad she’d taken the pain pills this morning. It made running easier. She easily jumped over the kitchen table, wincing as she took a plate with her. It crashed on the ground, and she could hear her Mom yell, “Josette!” She didn’t care, though. There was something about playing this game of tag with her sister that she thought would make her upset, but it didn’t. It made her feel young, like none of it had happened at all.
Feeling young had its limits, as it seemed because soon Caroline made both girls stop, and Josie was sent into a car with the Mikaelson family. Klaus drove, and Josie was hoping Hayley would sit up front with him, but Hope was glued to her Mother’s shoulder, so the two of them were in the back with Buttercup while Josie sat with Klaus in complete silence.
“Where did you learn how to drive?” she eventually asked as a way to break the silence.
“I was training as Peacekeeper before I became a Career,” Klaus said.
“You can do that?” Josie asked. Hope had been pretty set on the fact that you either worked in a stone factory, or became a Career.
“Yes,” Klaus said, “Most Peacekeepers are from District 2. When you reach your eighth birthday, there’s a divide. You can choose to become a stone worker’s apprentice, or you become a Career. But we can’t have too many Careers, so the academy has their tests. Those who pass move on to begin training, and those who fail become stone workers. But there is a middle. If you have potential, but not enough potential to be in the games, you go into Peacekeeper training. I trained as a Peacekeeper until I was fourteen years old. Then I joined the Academy. It’s rare, but it happens.”
“Hope never mentioned that,” Josie said.
“Hope doesn’t know,” came Hayley’s quiet voice from the back, “Klaus-”
“Love, it’s alright,” Klaus said, “Josette isn’t a gossip, are you, dear?” She quickly shook her head, “See, all good here.”
“So all Peacekeepers learn to drive?” Josie asked.
“Of course, how else can they drive these nasty vehicles through our city?”
“Klaus!” Hayley snapped.
“Relax, they can’t hear us...I hope,” he said, “Josette, you know what I mean, don’t you?” This man really needed to stop putting her in between him and his wife. She wanted to remain quiet, but considering she’d nearly been mowed down by a Peacekeeper car at the age of nine, she had to agree.
“Yeah, I do,” she said.
“Like I said, all good,” Klaus said to his wife, who just shook her head as she stroked Hope’s hair. Buttercup was rubbing against Hope, and just as Hayley was about to take him off the seat, Hope moved her arm out and cuddled him close. The cat licked her face before falling asleep next to her.
“Aww, I think Buttercup is in love,” Josie observed.
“I’m not,” Hayley said, turning to sneeze.
“Allergic,” Klaus informed Josie, “She can be around them for short periods of time, but once they get too close for too long…” he was cut off when Hayley started to sneeze very loudly.
“I’m sorry, I should’ve left him with Lizzie,” Josie apologized.
“If he makes Hope happy, I can deal,” Hayley murmured as she ran a hair through Hope’s auburn head. Buttercup mewed and drifted into sleep as he cuddled next to the girl.
“I’ve never much cared for pets,” Klaus commented, “I don’t like little paws running around.”
“Me neither,” Josie said, “Lizzie begged Mom for that stupid cat. I tried to get rid of him once by “accidentally” leaving him on the coal train on the way to school, then saying he must have run away, but Lizzie found out. I got in so much trouble!” Klaus let out a hearty laugh and said,
“Well, we do tend to go to the extremes as children.”
“Oh please, that was four months ago!”
“Exactly my point.” There was a pause after that. It was weird to Josie when people still referred to her as a child. After what she’d been through, what she’d done...child wasn’t how she’d describe herself. Klaus cleared his throat, and lightened the mood by saying,
“My younger sister Rebekah was quite fond of a small sheep dog she found out by the stone factories when we were children. She loved him and took him home, but like I told you, I hate small animals walking around, so one night, I “accidentally” left the door open. The little guy ran right out and we never saw him again.” Yep, mood lightened.
“Oh my God!” Josie exclaimed, “Was she sad?”
“Well, she found out she was extremely allergic to dogs because of him, so there wasn’t much grief. She still likes to think little Milo ran away though…”
“That’s horrible!” Josie exclaimed, but her attempt to actually be horrified went out the window as she burst into laughter.
“Klaus,” Hayley scolded, “Stop being a bad influence.”
“Oh I can’t help it, love,” he said with a chuckle, “Look how happy it makes her.” Josie could barely breathe from laughing at this point, and from the mirror in the front of the car, she could see a smile spread over Hayley’s face. Probably the first smile she’d ever seen from the older Mikaelson. Maybe Stefan was wrong, and the Mikaelsons weren’t that bad after all.
Josie looked up at the giant mansion that was to soon be her home. It looked nothing like she expected. Mostly because before the Capitol, she’d never seen a luxurious building before. She’d been expecting it to look more like the buildings at the Capitol, but it just looked like a regular house. It was just a lot bigger, with a fence and actual porch. Josie stepped out of the car, wincing as pain shot through her legs. Carrying Hope had taken a toll on her. She hoped Mom packed her pain pills.
“Are you alright, Josette?” Klaus asked.
“Uh, yeah,” she said, “I’m just...taking it all in.”
“Pretty magnificent, right?” he said, “I bet this stone was cut at one of the factories back home.”
“Oh,” Josie said, not sure if she liked that or not. Klaus handed her the bag from the trunk while Hayley carried Hope inside, with Buttercup obediently trotting after them. Hayley’s sneezes were so loud, they could be heard clearly from outside.
“Are you ready to go in?” Klaus asked, and Josie nodded, wanting to get out of the cold. She entered the house, and was met with a pleasant aroma. Klaus noticed it too and said, “My sister must be making cobbler. Hope’s favorite dessert.”
“What’s that?” Josie asked.
“Come, I’ll show you.” He led Josie down the hall to a huge kitchen that was already stocked with food. Hope’s Aunt Rebekah was pulling a dish out of the oven, and the smell made Josie’s mouth water. She had to have it!
“Oh good Nik, you’re back,” Rebekah said, “Just in time for…” she trailed off when she saw Josie, “Why is…”
“It looks lovely, sister,” Klaus said, not letting her finish, “I’ll come and get some in a bit. Cut some for Josette, she’s never tried it before.”
“But Nik-” Rebekah started, but again never finished because Klaus walked off. That man really had a way of making things awkward.
“Come sit,” Rebekah said after some silence, “You’re not allergic to peaches, are you?”
“I don’t think so,” Josie said. She’d never actually had a peach before. But she’d been near them in the Capitol and hadn’t had a reaction, so that had to mean something, right? Rebekah cut her a piece and placed it on one of the huge plates from the cabinets. They were made with fine glass. If Josie sold one of these at the Hob, she’d make more than her last month of game had gotten her.
“Aren’t you going to try it?” Rebekah asked, which made Josie realize she’d been looking at the plate for far too long.
“Oh yeah, right,” she said. She grabbed the fork Rebekah offered her and took a bite. It was crunchy and sweet at the same time, and the mushy peaches in the middle were so good.
“What do you think?” Rebekah asked.
“It’s delicious,” Josie mumbled around the dessert. Rebekah made a distasteful face, so she quickly swallowed and said, “Sorry. It’s really good.”
“I should hope so, I’ve been working on it for hours. I bet Hope hasn’t had some in a while, and I wanted her to get a little taste of home.”
“That’s nice of you,” Josie said. Not a single person in her family had made any effort to normalize things for her. Going out on her hunt was all she’d gotten.
“She’s my niece,” Rebekah said, “I’d do anything to make her happy.”
“Yeah of course,” Josie said. That had to be a good feeling, knowing you had a whole network of aunts and uncles ready to take care of you. She decided not to mention anything. She didn’t want Rebekah to think she was jealous, even if she was. She was finishing the dessert when Klaus came in, wringing his hands together.
“She’s down for the night and sleeping soundly with that cat. Thank you for taking care of the...mess while we were away.” Mess, what mess?
“It was no issue,” Rebekah said, “Though I’m sad she missed the dessert.”
“She’ll have some in the morning, I’m sure,” Klaus said, “Josette, we’ve occupied the room down the hall to accommodate Hope’s needs. If you would like that one, then we can move.”
“It’s okay, Mr. Mikaelson,” Josie said, “I can find another room.” She looked over at Rebekah and said, “Thanks for the cobbler. It was really good.”
“Of course. Goodnight, Josette,” Rebekah said.
“Goodnight,” Josie replied. She slid off the chair and grabbed her bag from the ground. She was heading towards the stairs when she heard a faint sound coming from down the hall. Was that...was that crying? Josie was the curious type, so she walked towards the source of the sound, and got a shock when she saw Hayley leaning against the wall, crying into her hands.
“Mrs. Mikaelson, are you okay?” The woman paused, slowly removing her hands from her face. Josie couldn’t tell if she was embarrassed she’d been caught, or surprised someone had come to check on her. It was hard to tell from her face.
“Of course Josette, I’m fine,” she said, but her attempt at wiping the tears from her eyes was proven futile as new ones quickly replaced them.
“Are you sure?” Josie asked, “I haven’t seen someone cry like this since my Mom after the Reaping.” Hayley gave her a small laugh and asked,
“Has anyone ever told you how persistent you are?”
“No, not really,” Josie said, “I’m kinda new at this whole...asking people how they are thing. I usually stay out of that kind of stuff.”
“What changed?” Hayley asked.
“I got some perspective. I realized what actually mattered, and I think that we should be keeping our loved ones close. You never know what can happen.”
“Josette-”
“Just one month ago I had my best friend, and his goofy little brother. Then we were put on that stage in the plaza, then that arena. And...he betrayed me. He played dirty, so I played dirty right back. And now I have nothing, no one, that I had before.”
“That’s not true,” Hayley said, “You have your Mom and your sister who love you so much. And as a Mother who is probably going through the same thing yours is right now, I’m asking you to not be so hard on her. She’s just trying her best.”
“I just wish she would talk to me!” Josie exclaimed, louder than she’d intended to. She lowered her voice and said, “She’s never talked to me, if we’re being honest. She lost her job when my sister and I were twelve, so I signed up for extra food. I put my name in the pot more times, and she shut down. She stopped coming out of her room, she stopped cooking, going into town. Any responsibilities fell on me. I went to school for only three days a week, I’d spend all my mornings and nights hunting. I learned how to shoot when I was just getting out of elementary school!”
“I’m sorry Josette,” Hayley said, “Really, I am. Your Mother shouldn’t have abandoned you like that. But, speaking from experience, if you really want to get someone to listen to you, then you need to make them. Don’t hold anything back.”
“I’ve tried that,” Josie said, “She never listens.”
“She’s your Mom,” Hayley said, “She’s always trying, even if she doesn’t show it.”
“Do you really believe that?” Josie asked.
“I do,” Hayley said, “If she loves you as much as I believe she does, she’ll listen. I don’t have a single doubt about that.” She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and said, “I should be getting to bed. And you too. The ceremony starts early tomorrow.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see you there,” Josie said. Hayley gave her a squeeze on the shoulder, and Josie didn’t know why, but as she got closer, she hugged her. She felt awkward at first, and was about to pull away when Hayley hugged her back.
“No matter what happened to Landon, who betrayed who...you’re good, Josette. No games can ever take that away.” Josie pulled away from her and said,
“Thanks Mrs. Mikaelson.” Hayley smiled at her and said,
“You have a good night.” She walked up the stairs, and it wasn’t long before Josie heard one of the doors close. She was going to follow, but she couldn’t look away from the room near the end of the hall, where Hope was asleep. Josie walked over to it and quietly opened the door. Hope was asleep on top of the bed, but it was fitful. Her body was shaking, and she sounded like she was crying, even though her eyes weren’t open. Josie had seen this many times in her sister everytime the Reaping came close. Hope was having a nightmare.
Josie climbed onto the bed, and gently took Hope’s shoulder. She didn’t shake her, but she kept calm as she whispered,
“Hope? Hope, you gotta wake up, okay?” Hope was different than Lizzie. She didn’t seem to even notice that Josie was there, “Hope?” Whispering wasn’t working, so she decided to wake her in the best way she could. She leaned forward and gently kissed Hope’s neck, moving down in a line. She felt the girl stop shaking, and soon her blue eyes opened. Josie quickly pulled away.
“Yvette?” Hope asked, “What are you doing?”
“You were having a nightmare, so I just thought-”
“What is your problem?” Hope asked, “First you say you could never imagine a life with me, now you do this? I don’t get it!”
“I just wanted to help-”
“You’ve done enough! Get out,” Hope said crossly.
“Hey, you don’t get to be mad at me!” Josie snapped angrily, “You’re the one who caused this mess by following me out of the house in the first place!”
“No, you started this mess,” Hope said, “You told me your feelings were real, but then when I tried to kiss you, you pushed me away.”
“I never said they were real!”
“You said you felt something! And now you’re here, kissing me like I’m just, like I’m what? Some kind of second choice?”
“I don’t know why I kissed you, but I’m sorry. It won’t happen again-”
“Except it has to,” Hope said, “You’re stuck with me, remember?” The bitterness in her voice was evident. It made Josie shrink back.
“I didn’t...I didn’t mean it like that,” Josie tried to explain, but Hope scoffed and said,
“There is no other way to mean that! Just get out, please.”
“Fine,” Josie said, “Sorry for trying.” She could see Hope roll her eyes, “What?”
“If that’s you trying to help, then that’s pretty pathetic.”
“Excuse me?”
“You know I’ve really been trying with you, Josie,” Hope said, “I held your hand at the interviews, I comforted you in your apartment, I fucking... kissed you because I thought that a small part of you felt the same way! And all I get in return is you shutting me down every step of the way.”
“I wasn’t shutting you down,” Josie said, “I was being realistic! We barely know each other. Yes, we got close in the arena, but who wouldn’t? We had nobody else!”
“So that was it, then?” Hope asked, “You needed a companion, and I was there?”
“No,” Josie said, “No, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“You are such a bitch,” Hope grumbled. Josie’s head shot up,
“What?”
“You heard me!” Hope shot back, “All this back and forth, I love you, I don’t love you, I just wanted to check that you were okay, oh I only used you for a companion, but don’t worry, I didn’t mean it like that. What the hell, Josie? Why are you so goddamn confusing?!”
“I wouldn’t have to be so confusing if you had just-”
“Just what?!” Hope exclaimed, “Let me die?”
“Of course not-”
“I hate you,” Hope said, her voice cutting through the room like ice.
“You...you what?” Josie asked.
“I hate you for everything that you’ve done to me. You caused this whole mess by making me eat those berries, and now you have the audacity to complain about it!”
“I’m not complaining!” Josie shouted back.
“For fucks sake!” Hope snapped, “All you’ve done since coming home was play the victim. Poor me, I have to spend the rest of my life with Hope Mikaelson. If you hadn’t wanted that, then you could have left me in that arena! All the pain, all the anger that you feel right now would be gone if you had made a better decision!”
“Fuck you!” Josie screeched, “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Oh yes I do,” Hope said, “I can see it. You might not want to admit it but you know it’s true.”
“I hate you too,” Josie said instead of answering, “I lost my best friend because of you!”
“You lost your best friend because of your choice,” Hope said, “You gave me the medicine. Nobody forced your hand.”
“No one forced yours either,” Josie said, “You saved my life, too.”
“Yeah,” Hope said, “Only unlike you, I can admit to myself why I did.”
“Why? Because you hate me?” Josie asked. Hope shook her head,
“You’re insufferable, you know?”
“Screw you,” Josie said.
“Get out of my room,” Hope said.
“This is my house,” Josie said angrily, “You leave.” Hope stepped closer to her,
“Why don’t you make me?” There was barely an inch of space between the two of them. Josie looked Hope right in the eye and repeated,
“I hate you.”
“I promise you, there is nobody in this world that I hate more,” Hope said. Her eyes were narrowed, and the once calm ocean blue was turning into a raging torrent. Josie could feel her whole body shaking. Hope came closer, and Josie said,
“Well then, what are you going to do about it?” Her voice nearly shook as she spoke. She could feel Hope’s breath on her face. It was hot, and it made Josie both nervous and excited at the same time. She wasn’t sure which emotion was taking over. Hope placed a hand on Josie’s arm, and she nearly gasped from the sheer force of that alone. She looked down at the shorter girl who was giving her a stare so harsh, she was sure she could kill.
What comes next? She thought. Would Hope kill her right there? It felt like she would. But she did nothing, and it took a few more moments of silence before Josie knew she had to make the first move. And when she did, it was a surprise to both of them. She took Hope’s shoulder, and she kissed her hard. Hope didn’t object. She tightened her hold on Josie’s arm and kissed her back. Josie moved her to the bed, right when Hope said,
“I’m still really mad at you.” Josie stopped and said,
“Trust me when I say it’s mutual.” Hope took no bother to her words, and just continued to kiss her. She got on top of her, and Josie leaned up, kissing her neck like she’d done before.
“Don’t stop doing that,” Hope said. It would’ve made Josie laugh had she not been running solely on adrenaline.
“What, nothing for me?” Josie asked. Hope leaned down and kissed her gently at first, but eventually moved faster and with more force, just like she’d done in the lake.
They hadn’t done much more than that, but Josie had stayed the night. When she woke up, Hope was asleep on her shoulder, and the sun was streaming through the window. It was morning, which meant it was time for their victory ceremony.
“Hope,” Josie murmured, “We have to get up, and get ready.”
“Not yet,” the girl murmured, “Just...just five more minutes.” For the first time since coming home, Josie realized she could finally give both her and Hope everything they wanted.
Josie smoothed down the cotton dress she’d been forced to wear. It was a complemented light pink to Hope’s deep red. The dress wasn’t bad, Josie was just sick of wearing outfits given to her by the Capitol. They just didn’t feel right.
“Oh you look beautiful, Josette,” came Katherine’s voice. Josie turned and watched her come in, with Klaus and Stefan following.
“As do you, love,” Klaus told his daughter.
“Whatever, Dad,” Hope said. Whatever Hope had been fighting with her parents about clearly hadn’t been resolved.
“Thanks, Katherine,” Josie said, breaking the silence that followed.
“Do you two know what to do?” Stefan asked as the two of them left the room and walked towards the stage. Josie remembered the room. She and Landon had been taken there after the Reaping. The doors looked the same, with the same two Peacekeepers guarding them. Josie wondered if they ever left their post.
“We know,” Hope answered for them, “We stand there, accept the crowns, and wave.”
“Exactly, and you don’t say a word,” Stefan said, “People will be angry, which is to be expected, and you can’t let that get to you.”
“Yeah okay,” Josie said.
“I’m serious,” Stefan repeated, “Not one word.”
“Got it,” Josie said, and Hope gave a short nod in affirmation. The Peacekeepers opened the door, and Josie winced at the bright sun. It almost didn’t feel real. Hope extended an arm to her, and Josie took it, linking their arms together. They walked onto the stage, where the whole District was standing. Some people cheered, others booed. Josie looked into the crowd, and she saw her Mom and Lizzie near the front, and as she scanned the crowd, she saw Raf with his Dad and Seylah in the back.
“He came,” she murmured.
“What?” Hope asked, and Josie froze.
“Nothing,” she said. She tightened her grip on Hope’s arm, and went to the front of the stage. She watched as Klaus joined Hayley and the rest of Hope’s family. The people of the District gave them weird looks, but the Mikaelsons were unbothered. Probably because Hope’s uncle was dressed in Peacemaker clothes. No one was going anywhere near them. President Vardemus was on the stage too, and Josie realized that this was the closest she’d ever been to the man.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of District 12,” he was saying into the mic, “I am beyond proud to present to you, the victors of the Seventy Fourth Annual Hunger Games!” There was no pride in his voice. If anything, it was disgust.
“Fuck you!” someone yelled, looking directly at Hope. Josie recognized them as someone who delivered food to the bakery. She wondered if they’d been close with Landon. Luckily for whoever it was, they weren't caught by the Peacekeepers. That would have ended badly.
“Let’s settle down,” Vardemus said. No one did. The unrest was getting worse. No one directly yelled in fear of getting into trouble, but the animosity was there.
“They aren’t in love,” Josie heard someone grumble, “It’s all a show.” Damn, their first day and people had doubts. This was so bad. She could feel her heart pounding, and Hope’s grip on her was getting a lot stronger.
“I can’t do this,” Josie whispered.
“Yeah you can,” Hope murmured, “It’s just like at the Capitol. It’ll be over soon.” Vardemus was unveiling the crowns. There was one for her, and one for Hope. Josie had seen a similar crown on Stefan’s head. She knew it was meant for Landon. And the rest of the District knew too. Vardemus placed the crown on Hope’s head.
“Well done,” he said. His thin smile made Josie’s skin crawl. He then picked the tiara up from the stand, and moved over to Josie. She got no “well done.” He just placed the tiara on her head. Afterwards, he stepped away from them and said,
“Our victors of the Seventy Fourth Annual Hunger Games, Hope Mikaelson and Josette Saltzman!” People cheered this time. Not because they wanted to, but because they were afraid. Josie could almost smell the fear. It was overwhelming, coming from all sides.
“You’re doing great,” Hope murmured.
“I’m gonna be sick,” Josie said. Hope moved her arm and took her hand instead, squeezing it gently. It helped as much as it could. But the doubt from the crowd...it made everything worse.
“You’ll be okay,” Hope said, “I’m here.”
“I’m still mad at you,” Josie said.
“Oh yeah, same,” Hope said, “But...it doesn’t mean we can’t still put on a show, right?” She clasped Josie’s hand tighter.
“Yeah,” Josie said, “We can.” She took Hope’s hand and raised it high in the air. It was silent for a moment, but then Klaus slowly started to clap, with the rest of the square joining in. As Josie took in the applause, she made eye contact with Vardemus, who was giving her a cold stare. He wasn’t happy. A lot of people weren’t. The games might have been done, but Josie knew one thing. This was far from over.