Into Thin Air

Chapter 68

“I thought you said this was a nice restaurant.” Lizzie crinkled her nose at the small diner. It was practically empty but their food was still taking forever.
“It’s worth the wait, I promise.” Hope smiled softly. “I used to come here all the time with my mom.”
“Well, sentimental or not, I’m starving and the service here sucks.” Lizzie’s displeased face quickly snapped into a cheerful one. “Guess while we wait you can tell me what you plan to do to get Penelope and Jade out of the pit of doom?”
Hope rolled her eyes lightly. “I’m still working on that.” It was a lie. She had a plan. She’d had a plan since her father told her about Malivore’s creation with a witch, a vampire, and a werewolf. Something told her that the answer to that unspoken riddle was a tribrid. And Lizzie would not like how Hope planned to test her theory.
Lizzie chatted away about what it was like to be dead, and Hope nodded along with mild interest, too preoccupied with how an endless void might feel instead, until their food finally came.
“Mmm,” Lizzie said, shoving three fries into her mouth at once. “I’m not going to say you were right, Hope, because I do believe in keeping some of my dignity, but the food is not horrible.”
“Told you so.”
“Have some class, Mikaelson.”
The two girls finished their food, the bill came, and they exchanged wide-eyed looks. 
“Do you have money?” Hope asked.
“No, Hope, nobody slipped a twenty into my funeral dress before they buried me,” Lizzie hissed under her breath. She leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Are you telling me we have to dine and dash?”
“I was more of thinking we magic our way out of it.”
“Okay, here’s the plan. I snap your neck, you resurrect as a vampire, you compel the waiter, and then we’re golden.”
“I was thinking less drastic.”
“Mmm. Like an illusion spell on some napkins? That’s less fun.”
“Take my hand.” Hope offered, her elbows resting on the table. 
Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Fine.”