Secrecy (Hosie)

Josie turns toward the hotel room door when it opens, seeing her dad entering, "Did you tell Hope that Lizzie and Cleo are awake and feeling better?"

Alaric pauses for a split second, furrowing his eyebrows, "I don't know...I can't remember..."

Josie's own eyebrows furrow, "What do you mean, you can't remember?"

He tries to recall, "Well, I remember leaving the room, walking out to find Hope. She was standing by the railing, and then...nothing. I don't remember anything after that..."

Lizzie and Cleo exchange a knowing look, "That what happened to us, too." Neither of them remembers attacking Hope, not really.

It's more like a blurry, weird dream, becoming more clear as the minutes pass them by.

Josie looks to them worriedly, panic setting in as she quickly makes her way to the door, pushing past her father as she exits the hotel room, "Hope?"

She calls out with no response, looking in each direction as her father, Cleo, Lizzie, MG and Clarke all approach her from behind.

MG tries to think positively, "Maybe she went to our room?"

Josie immediately rushes a couple doors down, hurriedly entering the room, "Hope?!"
She looks around, but still finds no one.

She turns to the others who followed her into the room, her panic overwhelming her, "We have to find her..."

———

Hope finishes a circle of salt around her, muttering the final chants of a boundary spell, sealing herself inside, along with the jar containing all of the remaining Malivore mud.

Her fear is only getting stronger, growing from a simple whisper of her deepest insecurities to crippling paranoia.

She saw her reflection, the blue glow of her eyes.

Just like all those years ago, the Hollow is back and in control of her mind.

She's hurting the people around her. She's a danger to them.

And there's only one way to keep them safe...

She has to die and jump into Malivore.

She brings her hand to the lid of the jar—

"Hope..."

Her motions pause at the sound of the voice coming from behind her.

Her eyes close.

For the first time, the voice breeds conflict in her mind.

Everything she feels she needs to do right now is suddenly challenged by one single voice.

Josie.

Hope barely registers the number of people behind her, senses blurred by her fears, what she believes to be the Hollow's effect on her.

"Hope, what are you doing with that?"

Josie's voice is hesitant, cautious, but so afraid.