𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐓
still, i don't feel in control sometimes

ELIZABETH SALTZMAN IS and forever will be ecstatic that Millie Moore-Forbes came into her life. Not only does she have a new sister, but also a best friend who will always be there for her no matter what.

But unfortunately, things come to a screeching halt as she turns the corner to head into the library—her world seemingly crashing and burning to ashes around her.

There, in the middle of the library, is none other than her older sister hanging with Hope Mikaelson, laughing and smiling at one another.

At the sight of the very person who has been tormenting her since her episodes first started, Lizzie's magic seems to snap as both anger and jealousy consume her.

The lights flicker and the shelves begin to shake violently. Books start flying off the shelves, heading for the very people who hurt her—Hope and Millie.

"Wow!" Millie exclaims in surprise and turns around in time to see Lizzie's crying face as she takes off running away from them. "Oh, no!" She casts Hope an apologetic look before running after her sister.

"Lizzie!" The short blonde shouts as she spots the taller girl rush into the woods. "Please talk to me. I can explain!" She comes to a slow walk as she sees Lizzie letting out a scream as she runs into the Old Mill. "I'm sorry," she whispers, listening to Lizzie's heavy breathing and sniffling. "I really am, Lizzie-bear, but Hope isn't what you—"

"Why does Hope always get what I want?" Lizzie asks rhetorically, interrupting her. "And why is she always able to get away with stuff?" She runs a frustrated hand through her blonde hair, spinning around to face her sister.

Millie slowly and cautiously approaches her sister, not wanting to upset her more than she already is. "Can you explain to me more about why you hate Hope? Please, I want to understand better."

Lizzie sighs heavily, rolling her eyes back so the tears stop flowing. "Let's see... First of all, she never puts in any effort to be nice even though I have tried to be her friend since the moment she appeared at the school. Second, she burned down her own room so that Josie and I would miss a trip with our parents. And..." Her eyes start to water again as she thinks about her next reason. "She went around saying I was witch bipolar to the whole school."

Millie gasps and slowly reaches over to grab her sister's hand. "That's awful," she whispers. "But I have to ask... did you hear her say those things? Who told you?"

Lizzie sniffs. "Josie said she overheard Hope giggling over one of my breakdowns to a bunch of girls in the library. It's just like when she read my diary and went around telling people about what was in it."

Millie's eyes widen at all of this information.

"I never did any of that," says a voice behind them and they whirl around to face Hope.

"You were mean to me!" Lizzie stands, pulling Millie up along with her, not wanting to let go of her sister's hand.

Hope shakes her head. "I wasn't mean to you. You were mean to me!"

"Because you were telling people about my episode!" Lizzie exclaims. "The one I had when our trip got cancelled. You told everyone that I was witch bipolar."

Hope looks confused and angry. "I would never do that!"

Lizzie narrows her eyes at the smaller but older girl. "I had my first... occurrence, my mom took me away to get help, and you decided to use it against me!"

Hope sighs. "I didn't even know. I swear, I would never do that."

Millie looks between the two girls, noting how they're both confused and frustrated. "Hope... tell us why you thought Lizzie was mean to you and not the other way around."

"Someone... had come up to me one day saying that she overheard Lizzie laughing about me being the villain in a stupid story she wrote when she was eleven. I got... upset and lit the woods on fire. A few days later, the same person told me that Lizzie was spreading rumours about me blowing up an orphanage and how I was just like my dad." There are tears in Hope's sapphire blue eyes.

Lizzie frowns, shaking her head. "I never did any of those things." She sighs. "Well... the orphanage part, yes, I did say, but I never compared you to your father or laughed about you being the villain in my story. Actually..." She trails off, her frown deepening. "The story was in my diary and I never told anyone about it. So I assumed that you somehow got past the wards on my dresser where my diary was hidden and read it out loud to students."

Hope frowns. "Why would you think that?"

Lizzie thinks back but shakes away the thought that enters her head, not wanting to believe it. "So... you didn't go around calling me witch bipolar?"

"Of course not!" Hope exclaims, shaking her head. "If you really thought that I said all those things about you, then you hating me all these years makes perfect sense. But with a father and a grandfather like mine, I'm probably not immune to those issues myself. I don't take it lightly and I would never make fun of you for it."

Lizzie swallows thickly, looking Hope in the eyes. "I believe you."

Hope sighs. "What I don't get is why anyone would accuse me of that. Who did you hear it from?"

Lizzie closes her eyes as she feels her heart shatter at the realisation of just who it is. But instead of saying the name, she asks, "Who's the one that told you I was spreading rumours?"

Hope's eyes widen as the same conclusion comes to her. "...Josie."

Lizzie lets out a heartbreaking sigh. "My sister..."

Millie bites her lip as she looks down at her shoes.

None of them want to believe Josie caused all of this trouble.

THEY GO SEARCHING for Josie and find her in the living room. No one else is in sight. A few candles are lit and she is reading a book.

Hope is the one who storms into the room. "Why have you lied to me for the past few years?!" She demands, making the brown-eyed girl look up in surprise and confusion. It turns to fright when she sees Lizzie and Millie behind the tribrid. "You are the one who came to me every time a rumour went around school about me, and you told me it was Lizzie who spread them. Why would you accuse your sister of those atrocities?"

Josie opens and closes her mouth, looking between Hope and Lizzie hopelessly.

"Why would you tell us two different things, Josette?" Lizzie rarely ever uses Josie's full name, so that means she is really angry. "You tell me she is the one spreading rumours about me and my episodes, and you tell her that I spread rumours about her?" She glares at her sister. "Was that fire even Hope's fault?"

Josie's eyes widen more at that question. "I—I—"

"I never set the fire," Hope speaks up, her eyes watering as she thinks back to said fire. "The only painting I ever did with my father was in that room. It got destroyed, along with a lot of stuff my father and mother had given me. I don't have much left of them because of that stupid fire." Her eyes seem to darken in anger as she focuses her attention back on Josie. "Why would you set my room on fire?!"

"Why would you drive a wedge between me and Hope? Why lie?" Lizzie demands, still holding tightly onto Millie's hand like it's her lifeline.

Hope gestures to Lizzie. "I was gonna ask the same thing."

Josie exhales deeply. "I didn't just lie. Yes... I started the fire. Lizzie had made some remark... about me being obsessed with you. I just blurted out, 'How could I be obsessed with somebody who would say such mean things about my twin?'"

"But I didn't." Hope shakes her head, crossing her arms as her chest heaves up and down in anger.

The brown-haired girl nods. "I know. I just made it up."

"Why?" Millie asks gently. She can't believe her sister—the one who seems to be the nicest of them all—would do something that drastic.

"Because I didn't want Lizzie to know the truth." Josie focuses her eyes on Hope. "I had a crush on you. I'm over it now, but... that doesn't matter. And I had slipped a note into your room that morning and... I don't know, I just really immediately regretted it but I couldn't get in by then. So I did a fire spell under your door. I was really only aiming for the note."

"Why would it matter that I knew?" Lizzie asks softly.

"Because you're you, Lizzie, and you always seem to ruin everything." Josie's eyes widen at her own words. "I..." She shakes her head. "It was in the middle of everything that was going on with Penelope. I was messed up with everything going on. I guess... I still am."

Hope huffs. "That's still no excuse. You ruined most of my stuff with that damn fire spell over a stupid crush."

Millie swallows thickly. "Josie... why did you never speak up about it? It's been years—you've had plenty of opportunities to come clean and make things better."

Josie shrugs. "I don't know. I was scared."

Lizzie clicks her tongue. "I thought you cared about me, Josie," she says, her voice visibly cracking as multiple tears skid down her cheeks. "I would've done anything for you, but this... You're the one that made my episodes worse, not Hope." Her eyes then widen as she looks over at Hope. "I'm so sorry for everything that I've said and done since after the whole diary debacle."

Hope tries to smile at the blonde, but she's still furious and hurting. "I'm sorry for everything I've said and done since your twelfth birthday." She turns her gaze to Josie who flinches at the anger in the tribrid's eyes. "I thought I could trust you, Josie, but clearly I was wrong. Just like I was wrong about a lot of people in my life." She shakes her head and scoffs before storming out of the library with a tear falling from her eye.

Millie watches her with wide blue eyes, wanting to comfort the auburn-haired girl.

Lizzie offers her sister a small smile, wiping away a tear. "Go to her. She probably needs someone to hold her hand like you've been doing for me all night."

"Are you sure?" Millie doesn't want to leave her sister who is clearly about to break down.

Lizzie nods. "Yeah." She gazes at her twin, holding eye contact. "Josette and I have a few things to discuss."

Millie glances between them. "Don't kill one another. Please." She throws them both a look before running after the tribrid.

The platinum blonde-haired zombie finds Hope running out of the school and into the woods, so she quickly scurries after her.

By the time Millie reaches her, Hope has stopped walking and is now screaming, making the wind blow harder and push over some small trees.

"I'm here if you want me," Millie murmurs as the screaming stops.

"Millie..." Hope whispers and falls to her knees, sobbing.

The zombie rushes over to her, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Nothing else is said.

Hope stays in Millie's comforting embrace, feeling a lot less alone for the first time in a long time.