Into Thin Air

Chapter 40

Lizzie watched her sister out of the corner of eye. Josie scribbled away contentedly in her notebook, paying no attention to Lizzie as she got into bed. A small knock at their door drew both of their attention.
Alaric stepped in, closing the door behind him so no one in the hall could hear. “We need to talk about Hope.”
“Mom already gave us the lecture,” Josie whined dismissively.
“No, a different discussion.”
“What do you mean?” Lizzie pulled her blankets into her lap, shifting at the mere mention of Hope.
“I think it’s time for you both to know why your mother doesn’t want you around Hope.”
“I have my own reasons, thank you very much,” Josie snapped.
Lizzie looked at her in surprise. She knew her sister didn’t like Hope very much, but up until recently, she’d thought Josie just disliked her the way all the popular kids seemed to dislike the outcasts. She didn’t know that Josie hated Hope so vehemently.
“Like what?” Lizzie didn’t know what made her decide to push her sister, but she wanted to know.
“Like the fact that she’s insane for one!”
Lizzie flinched at the word and caught her father’s apologetic look. Neither of them said anything. 
“The fact that she slept with my girlfriend for another! How about the way she used to hurt us when we were younger?” Josie whipped her head around to glare at Lizzie pointedly. “Don’t you remember how she used to hex us and burn our stuffed animals?” She turned back to her father. “Aren’t those reasons enough? She scares me, Dad!"
“Hope doesn’t scare me!” Lizzie sat up too eagerly.
Josie shot daggers at Lizzie with her eyes. “What?”
“Hope’s actually pretty cool.”
“Says you!”
“She is!”
“No, she’s not!”
The twins’ voice overlapped, getting louder and louder until Alaric put his fingers on his temples and shouted, “Girls!”
They both got quiet, looking at him in surprise. Caroline was one to yell easily, but not Alaric.
“Now listen. Please.” He pulled out Lizzie’s chair and sat down facing them, hands clasped grimly. “You both know Hope’s father -”
“Yeah, Klaus Mikaelson,” Josie grumbled. “Mom killed him like ten years ago, because he was evil.”
“But Hope’s not her father,” Lizzie said.
Alaric nodded. “Yes, I know that.”
“Does Mom?”
“Your mother is caught up on an old prophecy from before Hope was born that says that she will bring the end to all witches,” Alaric explained evenly. “Your mother means well but … her tactics are misguided. She’s afraid that Hope will turn out like her father.”
“Makes sense. They both sound like psychopaths,” Josie said.
“Hope’s not a psycho,” Lizzie jumped to her defense again.
“Really? Because I have a charred stuffed elephant and a note that next time it will be me that says otherwise!”
“Klaus didn’t have this school or these opportunities,” Alaric interrupted before another argument could break out. “Your mother wants to protect you, and I appreciate that, but I think we can do better. I think we can protect Hope too.”