CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

There's Always a Loophole

____________________

     RYAN STAYED on high alert as he crept through the halls of the school. The two boys decided to split up to cover more ground. MG would get himself "caught" in order to spread the word through the Grand Hall about their plan. At the same time, Ryan would try to find his mother and take out as many Triad agents as he could.

     An eerie silence encased the corridors. Ryan tightened his grip on the dagger he ripped from the man's shoulder in the transitional cells, ready to send it into another unsuspecting person. He promised MG that he would try his best not to kill anyone, but that all depended on how the agents reacted. If they shot at him, he would protect himself. A better reason why Ryan needed to find his mother. Raylynn would not hesitate to fry the agents alive.

     Ryan froze when he heard footsteps down the hall. Voices came after. Ryan looked around for somewhere to hide, but he found himself in a corridor with no doors or alcoves. Great. He braced as two men rounded the corner, their Triad emblems on display.

     "Hey!" one of them shouted when he saw Ryan. "What're you doing out here?"

     Both of them rushed toward him. Ryan raised his dagger and went to throw it, but he stopped when something whizzed over his head. The action would have made him drop to the floor, if he did not see the arrows attached themselves into the men's chests. They let out shrill yells, before they sunk to the ground without another sound.

     Ryan spun on his heel to see his mother lower her bow. Her expression far from pleased.

     "I'm beginning to see why you hate these guys," Raylynn exclaimed as she strode toward her son.

     Ryan released a huff and dropped his arm to his side. "Tell me about it. Although, could you reframe from killing anymore of them? We're trying to come out of this as the good guys."

     Raylynn's brows creased, stopping in front of the boy. "I didn't kill them. Just stunned them a bit." She grabbed one of the arrows from her quiver and showed her son the dulled pointed. "Training arrows with a little twist." She tapped it against her bow, forcing the end to ignite in blue sparks.

     Ryan blinked. "You spelled the arrows?" The realization dawned on him. "Wait, how are those still working? We don't have any magic."

     Raylynn shrugged and put the arrow back into her quiver. "I have no idea. Maybe it's because they contain magic, not emit magic. Anyway, we need to take these bitches down. Where's Hope?" she questioned, shifting her gaze around the hall when she did not see the teenage girl.

     "She's on her own mission," Ryan said, causing his mother's features to scrunch. He waved her off. "I'll explain later. Let's get to the Grand Hall. We already have a plan set in motion."

     Raylynn's quirked a brow as they started back down the hallway. "A plan? Are you going to tell me what that plan is?"

     Ryan grinned a bit, rounding the corner to reach the large room. "You'll figure it out the moment it starts."

     _______

     They made their way to the Grand Hall, hearing the Triad agents shout inside. Ryan assumed no one found the third artifact by the irritated tones in their voices. He kept close to the walls as they reached the door-less entryways. Their presence needed to stay unknown to the people of Triad. If they noticed them before MG's signal, it would blow the entire plan.

     Before they parted ways, Ryan passed off Josie's pendent to MG. He did not know how long it would take him to find his mother, so it needed to be in the possession of whoever made it to the Grand Hall first. The spelled object would help MG amplify his voice for everyone in the immediate area to hear.

     Ryan stopped just outside of the room so none of the Triad agents could see him. At any moment, MG could give the signal. They had to be ready.

     Raylynn stayed behind him, peering around her son, who now stood a few inches taller than her. "How long are we supposed to wait?" she asked in a whisper.

     Ryan failed to answer as he scanned the room to find his friends. He spotted Kaleb next to one of the floor to ceiling windows along the wall, Rafael and MG were nowhere to be seen, and little Pedro crowded in a corner with the other primary school kids. Triad agents were everywhere, holding their guns at the ready, while many of them trashed the place in search of the missing artifact.

     Just then, a rushing feeling swept through Ryan's entire body. He blinked as his vision blurred. When it cleared, he looked down to watch multicolored sparks erupt around his fingers. He grinned at the sight. Their magic was back.

     Ryan returned his attention back to the Grand Hall. His eyes landed on the top of the staircase where MG appeared. He only had a moment to prepare himself, before MG's voice boomed in his ears.

     "SALVATORE STALLIONS! LET'S RIDE!"

     Ryan glanced back at his mother and smiled. "Plan is a go." He then spun on his heel and rushed into the chaos that unfolded around him.

     All of his classmates jumped into action as soon as the words left MG's lips. Kaleb grabbed a golden egg from Pedro and slammed it into a man's jaw. Once the man collapsed, he tossed it through the air to Jed, who slid across a table to kick another man in the chest.

     Ryan lost track of them when a man ran in his direction. He sheathed his dagger and raised his hands "Motus!" An invisible forced slammed into the man. Ryan jutted his hand out to send the man backward, tripping over his feet to hit the floor. Another rushed him, forcing Ryan to telekinetically throw the man across one of the tables. He crashed into the chairs and groaned.

     Ryan whirled around to see a burst of flames shot out of multiple witches hands toward a few Triad agents. The men screamed as the fire blew them off their feet.

     "Kaleb, Ryan," MG shouted, capturing Ryan's attention. "Get the kids to the bus."

     Ryan nodded and searched for any of the small children still in the room. He caught sight of his mother as she subdued several of the agents with conjured ropes, but he paid her no mind when he found a little girl face-to-face with a massive man. Ryan ran forward at such sped that he knocked into the man, sending him flying into the nearest wall.

     With the man rendered unconscious, Ryan set his gaze on the girl with long brown hair. "Hey, it's okay. We're gonna get you out here." He leaned down and scooped her into his arms, before he raced out of the school. He made it to the drive where one of the school buses was parked. Ryan steadied the girl in his arms as he slipped through the open door, finding almost all of the primary kids in the seats. He found an vacant one and set the girl down onto it.

     A moment later, Kaleb entered the bus with Pedro over his shoulder and a little girl in front of him. "You guys okay?" he questioned when he saw the rest of the kids.

     Some of them nodded, while most sat in their seats with blank stares.

     Ryan stood in the center aisle as Kaleb placed Pedro in a seat.

     "Here you go, little man. Sit tight, okay?" Kaleb told the boy. He shifted his attention to Ryan when he stood up. "Okay. What do we do now?"

     Ryan released a long breath. "Either we stay here and hold the Triad guys off, or we drive the kids out to the Lockwood's."

     Kaleb nodded. "Alright. Let's go with option number two."

     Ryan shrugged. "Works for me."

     Neither boy got the chance to move as someone entered the bus. Ryan snapped to where Burr held onto the front seat and aimed a gun in his and Kaleb's direction.

     "Look around, man," Kaleb exclaimed. "Your stupid cup ain't here, okay? You lost."

     "No. Look how much you can still lose," Burr said, before he shifted the gun toward the little girl Ryan saved.

     Ryan's eyes widened. He held up his hands and addressed the man, "stop. Don't do this. They're just kids. If you want to shot someone, shoot me. I'm the biggest freak of them all, alright. I'm – I'm a werewolf, and a witch, and a vampire. Alright, so if you want a supernatural dead, kill me. I'm the one to get," he pleaded.

     Burr's lips curled at Ryan's words. He looked as though he would pull the trigger, but he stopped when a growl sounded outside of the bus. Ryan risked a glance away the same moment an invisible being slammed a few Triad agents off their feet. They screamed at the sudden hit, before they fell to the ground. More growls were heard as the being got closer to the bus.

     Burr hissed, "what the hell?" Right when the being snatched ahold of his foot and dragged him from the bus.

     Ryan shoved Kaleb forward to see what happened. They made it to the front of the vehicle in time to watch the being materialize into a large, black wolf. Ryan blinked at the sight. None of the wolves could turn without a full moon, except for himself and Hope, and that was certainly not his sister.

     At the thought, Ryan remembered what Hope told him about Rafael. How she gave him a kyanite ring to help him transform into a wolf at will. He must have used it.

     Ryan continued to watch through the bus windows as Burr rocketed up from the ground and aimed his gun at MG. Before he got a shot off, his entire body calcified and turned to stone. He looked to where the Gorgon from Miss Mystic Falls, who had been trapped in one of the transitional cells since then, strode out of the school with her snakes flared around her head.

     Kaleb chuckled as the girl approached MG and kissed him on the cheek. "Looks like my boy found himself a girl."

     Ryan could not help the light laugh that escaped him. "Yeah, I'd say so."

     _______

     It did not take long for all of the Triad agents to be stopped at the hands of the students. Once they were restrained and rounded up, they were handed off to Sherriff Donovan and his deputies and arrested for their part in breaking into the school and holding everyone hostage. Although, their leader, MG's mother, disappeared without a trace.

     Alaric showed in the nick of time with a cure for Josie. As it turned out, Hope's blood worked wonders on more than just werewolf bites. Dorian also tagged along, having been offered his job back as the school's librarian. They took back control over the school, giving their thanks to Raylynn, who stepped up in their absence.

     With the Triad people gone and the school cleaned up a bit, Alaric called for a schoolwide assembly. All off the students and faculty were piled into the Grand Hall as he took to the podium with Dorian at his side.

     Ryan found himself interested in what Alaric had to say. He straightened his back and kept his stare on the man from where he sat next to Lizzie and Josie.

     "I failed you," Alaric addressed them. "You see, my purpose in founding this school was to create a safe space for my daughters, and for supernaturals like them. But today, I fell short of that goal, while all of you exceeded every expectation I had ever set for you. Because today, you were confronted by the worst monster you've faced yet – ignorant human beings. Sadly, I'm one of them."

     Ryan's brows furrowed at his words. He looked to the twins, but they stayed silent as they looked at their father.

     "The plans and methods that Triad used to infiltrate our school and endangered your lives – were mine."

     Ryan snapped back to Alaric. What?

     "A contingency plan that I had developed and shared with concerned parents over the years, including Veronica Greasley. But – her betrayal would not have been possible without mine. You see, the Dark Object that she used to disarm your unique abilities was put in place – by me, in a secret tunnel that only I had known about, because I thought that, perhaps one day, it was the world that would need to be protected from your gifts, rather than the other way around." Alaric paused. "The only way I can atone for this – breach of trust is to leave it up to you to decide whether I should remain as your headmaster. The Honor Council will convene, they will vote, and I will respect whatever decision that they make. Whichever way this goes, I want to thank you, all of you, for making me understand that the world my daughters inherit will be in better hands."

     _______

     Ryan could not fathom the last twenty-four hours. Triad took over the school, Josie almost died, their magic was taken from them, and it was all possible because Alaric made it that way. He had been right from the start.

     Alaric did not only distrust Ryan and Hope, but he distrusted everyone. His teachers, his students, and his own daughters. If he chose to, he would have locked them all up in the school and made it impossible for them to ever touch their magic again. All because he had a few bad encounters with supernaturals in the past. More specifically, with the Mikaelson family.

     Ryan made it his mission to stay as far away from Alaric as he possibly could. Raylynn became furious at the man's declaration and insisted on a private audience with him. She most likely wanted to put his head through a wall, so Ryan set off to be on his own. He would have went to talk with Josie like he asked her to do earlier, but he figured the Saltzman twins needed some time together. They did almost lose each other.

     Ryan perched on the brick wall that lined the gardens. He shoved his hands into the depths of his jacket and stared up at the stars that twinkled overhead. His thoughts drifted to what happened to Hope. Did she find Landon? Did she infiltrate Triad without any problems? Was she on her way back?

     Every so often, Ryan pulled out his phone and looked at the lock screen. No messages appeared. No missed calls. As the night went on, he began to worry. Maybe he should have gone with her. Two Mikaelson were always better than one.

     Not only that, but the Honor Council needed her input to decide what to do about Alaric. With Emma gone and Raf stuck in the body of a wolf until her return, they were down three members. At least with her arrival they would have four. Ryan figured he could step in for her if the need came about, even though he wanted his sister back.

     When his phone chimed in his pocket, Ryan ripped it out so fast he almost tore a hole in fabric. He slid his thumb across his ear, having read his sister's name on the screen. "Hope, thank God. I was about to astral project myself to Georgia. Did you find Landon?"

     Hope hesitated, before she said, "yeah."

     Ryan's brows creased at the tightness in her voice. "Okay. Are you on your way back?"

     "No. I'm still in Fort Valley. Landon's gonna need you and Dr. Saltzman when I'm done. You'll remember, even though he won't," Hope stated.

     Ryan froze. "Hope, what're you talking about? Where's Landon?"

     "Uh, he's dead. He would have tried to stop me, so I killed him."

     Ryan's eyes went wide. "What? You killed your boyfriend? What the hell?"

     "He'll come back. Don't worry." Hope's breathing sounded heavy, and Ryan sworn he heard her sniffle. "Even if I don't."

     Ryan's heart sunk in his chest. He shot to his feet and exclaimed, "Hope, what are you about to do?"

     "Clarke won. He found the final artifact, and he tossed it into the pit, which is Landon's father, by the way," Hope rambled on, while Ryan tried to process her words. "And now, Malivore's gonna rise unless I stop him."

     "Wait, how are you gonna stop him?" Ryan questioned, not sure what she meant or what she intended to do.

     "Landon got all the answers, but basically, Malivore was created by the blood of a werewolf, a witch, and a vampire. It used to be that only they could destroy what they created, but nature found a loophole. By making you and me. The Tribrids. We're the loophole."

     Ryan shook his head, realizing right then what his sister had in mind. "No, Hope. Don't. You cannot jump into that thing, okay? We'll find another way. You don't even know if it'll work."

     "There's no time," Hope exclaimed as her voice was muffled by tears. "I've always thought that I was a cosmic mistake, someone who should never have been born, even when you told me I wasn't. But after all this time, I mean, my purpose is finally clear. Think about it. I'm the answer to all of this. I can remember things about Malivore that no else but you can. That Triad weapon didn't affect me. Did my blood heal Josie?"

     Ryan's eyes burned from the tears that gathered in his eyes. His throat grew tight as he pleaded, "Hope, please..."

     "I have to do this, Ry. No one at school will remember me. They'll never realize I'm gone, or that I was ever even there."

     "What about me?" Ryan cried into the phone. "I'll remember you. I'll be the only one. Not Mom, not Dad, not Freya, or even Kol. Just me. What am I gonna do? I can't just," he sniffed, "I can't just go on with my life acting like you never existed."

     "You have to," Hope begged. "I've spent years torturing myself, asking myself, why Elijah sacrificed himself for me, why Dad would have sacrificed himself for me, to get to this point where, I mean, I totally understand it." She let out a watery laugh. "And if I knew you wouldn't remember me, it would make this so much easier. I don't want you to miss me. You're my little brother. I don't want you to go through this pain, but I have to do this. It's either you or me, and I'm not letting you die for me." There was a moment of silence between them. "This is where you tell me that even though you wish that you could change my mind, you know I'm doing the right thing. This is the part where you tell me you love me."

     Ryan laughed through the tears that rolled down his cheeks. "You know I love you. And I always will. Always and forever."

     "Always and forever," Hope muttered through the call.

     Ryan sniffed and rubbed at his nose. "Okay, tell me what you want me to do."

     "Call maintenance. Have them pack up my room. Take my files from Dr. Saltzman's office, all his notes his keeps about me, and burn them. Everything you have that mentions me, pictures, videos, burn or delete them. Along with Landon's journal."

     Ryan shook his head. "No. No, you can't ask me to do that. Packing up your stuff is one thing, but I'm not erasing you from existence."

     "I'm sorry, Ryan. But, I trust you more than I trust anyone."

     Ryan could not hold back the sob that bubbled up in his throat. "I love you, big sister."

     "I love you, too, little brother." A low roar sounded through the speaker, before Hope exclaimed, "I gotta go."

     Ryan's heart constricted. "Hope! Hope, no!"

     "Not an option," Hope hummed and then said with more urgency, "uh, promise me you're gonna do what I said."

     Ryan remained silent, trying to work up the nerve to do what she wanted. To say goodbye.

     "Promise me."

     "Alright, I promise."

     Without another word, the call ended.

     Ryan's phone slipped from his hand as his knees buckled under him. How was he supposed to go on? How could he do what she wanted? Do what she asked? How was he supposed to forget about his sister? Ryan slammed his fist into the ground, screaming at nothing and everything around him.

     Hope would be gone. No one would remember her. No one would know what she did for them. Everyone would simply forget that Hope ever existed, except for him.

     _______

     After he beat the ground into dirt lumps and cried as much as he dared, Ryan forced himself to his feet to fulfill what Hope wanted. He would have to get to her files first. Everything else could wait. Next, he would have to tell Alaric about Landon. Someone would need to pick the boy up from Triad when he was resurrected, and Ryan could not drive. Not yet, anyway.

     Ryan entered Alaric's office where the man remained. Raylynn was nowhere to be seen, so he had to round up Hope's files before she found him. Despite her strange Hollow magic, she would not remember Hope. No one would. Only Ryan.

     Once Ryan explained the situation to Alaric, the man prepared himself for the trip to get Landon. As soon as he fled the office, Ryan rummaged through the entire room for anything that mentioned Hope by name. He gathered it all up into some boxes and carried it out to the Old Mill.

     Ryan stared at the pile of papers as he lifted his hand to set them ablaze. A spell forced the files to erupt into flames, burning away the official records of Hope Andrea Mikaelson. He watched the paper char and flake into ash, which would eventually leave no trace of the girl behind. Ryan shifted his gaze from the fire to where he held one last thing in his hand. A school photo of Hope included in the files. He went to toss it into the flames until a voice sounded behind him.

     "What're you doing out here?" Raylynn questioned, finding her son in the middle of the forest with a fire at his feet. "You having a celebratory bonfire? We haven't done one in years."

     Ryan sniffed, quickly wiping away the tears that fell through his lashes. "No. I'm just – I'm getting rid of a few things."

     Raylynn's brows furrowed. "By burning them?"

     Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Easier – and a little therapeutic," he added on then end to appeal to his mother.

     Raylynn laughed as she moved to stand next to him. "Awe, my little pyromaniac." Her gaze landed on the picture still in his hands. "Who's that?"

     A knot contorted in Ryan's stomach at her question. He blinked and tossed the image forward to land on the box engulfed in flames. "No one."

     Raylynn stared at it for a long moment and said, "well, whoever she is, she must have done something awful to get you to burn a picture of her."

     "No, not at all." Ryan watched the fire lick at the edges of Hope's image as it curled in on itself, melting from the heat.

     A howl echoed through the air, drawing Ryan's attention to the where yellow eyes glowed in the darkened forest. His own eyes narrowed as a black coated wolf emerged from the trees. Ryan almost burst into tears, again. Rafael. With Hope gone, he would be stuck in his wolf form until Ryan figured out how to reverse the kyanite ring spell. If he ever could.

     "Come on, Ry," Raylynn voiced, pulling her son's stare back to her. "We should get back to the school. I offered to look after things until Ric gets back with that Kirby boy." She nodded as she started away from the Old Mill.

     Ryan sighed, but stayed long enough to meet Rafael's eyes. "I'll bring you back, Raf. I promise." He did not say another word and turned to follow after his mother. 

<May 25, 2019>

I cried more than I thought I would. 

I don't know why you guys wanted Ryan to remember Hope so bad. That's fucking torturous. The only reason I had him remember was because he's a tribrid like Hope. Malivore doesn't affect him, so I had to keep it that way. 

To be honest, if I was him, I would rather forget. I mean, ignorance is bliss, right?

Anyway, I'll see you guys and this story again in October! 

Don't forget to vote and comment.

-Jordan

P.S. Unedited chapter.