hi, hello. I just wanted to go ahead and get this chapter out there. don't worry there's at least one more chapter I can upload if I get stuck, and I'm already working on another one.

enjoy :)

Lizzie hastily grabbed onto Jack's arm and hauled her out of the room. Hope wanted to follow them and see what that was all about, but what concerned her more was the girl standing in front of her.

Jack made attempts to pry herself from the blonde's grip, but her attempts were futile as Lizzie was much stronger than she looked.

Eventually Lizzie pulled Jack into her and Josie's room and closed the door behind them. She released Jack, then retrieved a small candle and lit it immediately. Jack cocked her head to the side, confused. "What's with the candle and dragging me in here?"

"Because," Lizzie huffed, placing the candle down on her side table, "nobody needs to hear this but me and you and there's literally like, a hundred vampires in this School."

"But-"

"Don't you think that was a little weird?"

Jack shook her head furiously. "Just what are you talking about?!"

"Melori, duh! Don't you think it was a little weird how she just suddenly gave up and drank the blood? Obviously she didn't want to!"

"I swear you people are crazy. I'm gonna go now." Jack turned to leave the room.

Lizzie smirked to herself. "I think Melori's sired to Hope." This got Jack to stop dead in her tracks, her hand hovering over the door knob. "I know. Interesting, right?"

Jack turned to look at Lizzie. "What gave you that idea?"

"Like I said, it's really weird that Mel was so against fully turning until she was ready, and then Hope's all like 'do what I say when I say it-' and Mel just does it? And she's fine with it?" Lizzie walked closer to Jack. "I sense some seriously juicy stuff here, dear Jaquelin."

Jack pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "I'm too tired for this. I mean- god, it explains so much, but it doesn't make sense. How would Mel be sired to Hope?"

"That's what we are going to figure out."

"I didn't ask for this. I just wanted you guys to come to your senses about Melori's death wish."

"But you're her friend right? Wouldn't you want her to have free will again?"

"Of course, but we don't know for sure if she's actually sired!"

"Then we get proof." said Lizzie, rolling her eyes.

The two girls jumped at the sound of the door knob jiggling, and Jack turned to stand next to Lizzie, trying her best not to look too suspicious. Lizzie just smiled and waited for the person to enter. Which, of course, only means she's definitely up to something.

When Josie entered the room, they were able to relax just a bit. But with Josie knowing her sister all too well, she sighed internally. "What are you up to?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked, dear sister! We might actually need your help with this."

Before Josie could ask any questions, her sister dragged her further into the room and closed and locked the door behind them.

---

That night, Hope spent more time watching Melori sleep than getting some sleep herself. It's not like she could sleep, given what Lizzie pointed out about her possibly ripping her own heart out. Because, as said by Mel herself, drinking Hope's blood wasn't exactly what she wanted in that moment. So Lizzie's right; what's stopping Mel from staking herself or something? Sure, it might not kill her fully, but it'll stop her from potentially hurting someone.

As Hope and Mel sit across from each other in the study hall, Jack, Lizzie, and Josie all sit at a table as far from the pair as possible. No one was really in the immediate area, so whatever they had to say amongst themselves wouldn't be heard by the general population of the room. But the lit candle at their table was set for further protection.

"What are they talking about over there?" Jack groaned as her leg shook impatiently. "It's killing me not knowing what's going on."

"Usually I'd agree but this is a delicate process," Lizzie smirked. "Once I'm proven right, this will all be so worth it."

"Is that what you gain from this; you being right?" Josie asked.

"Well, yeah. From the moment that girl literally bowed and called Hope that really stupid name, I sensed something was off. Did I say anything? No. Why? Because, admittedly, I thought it was some crazy ass crush or... something."

"A crush?" Jack scoffed. "That's funny."

"It could've been that," Josie nodded. "Or, you know, she's actually the princess of the girl's lost werewolf pack. Or technically, she'd have been the queen. Or will be, if it ever regrouped."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Don't dismiss my theories, Josette. Didn't you have a crush on Hope once?"

Jack gasped. "You did?!"

"This isn't about me! This is about Mel."

"Exactly," her sister agreed. "It could be that she's both in love with Hope and sired. If I'm right about this, it completely derails Mel's ability to enact free will."

"Aww, she cares," Jack pouted.

"I'm not completely heartless..."

They all turned their attention back to the girls chatting with one another. It looked casual from afar, but to those who knew how to read their body languages could tell it wasn't so casual.

Melori scoffed at something Hope said and shook her head, sinking back into the chair.

"I'm gonna go on a limb and say that Mel isn't enjoying this as much as you said she was," said Josie.

"I said she was all like 'everything's fine, princess' while doing this creepy little smirk."

"Clearly it's not fine," Jack mumbled.

Melori reached for the cup of water sat in front of her to take a sip. Because interestingly enough, she still has the hydration and hunger needs of a human and the cravings of a vampire.

However, when she grabbed the cup, it started to completely freeze over at the touch of her hand. Even after she retracted it, the cup continued to freeze over, and the ice was, of course, crystallized, as it was quickly becoming Melori's ice power's signature.

Hope and Mel both retracted from the cup, growing silent and unsure how to respond. Because this is the first time her powers have acted on their own.

"Oh," Jack gasped.

Curious, Hope slid the cup over the edge of the table. The cup-along with the actual frozen water inside-fell to the floor with a loud thump, remaining completely intact.

"Well that confirms that; Mel still has her powers... but does that necessarily mean she's a tribrid?" Josie asked.

Lizzie shrugged, "Don't know. Yet. We need to do more stakeouts."

"Preferably ones that make us less obvious," Jack said, nodding towards Mel and Hope. The twins looked over as well, finding both girls returning their gazes. "Why the hell were we so obvious anyway?"

"Us being inconspicuous is more conspicuous. If anyone asks, we're... starting a small coven or something."

"Yeah they're not gonna believe that."

"Mel's on the move," Josie said, tapping her sister's shoulder. Hope was still sitting at the table with her head in her hands, and Melori was scurrying out of their room. "Should we follow her?"

"No. We can only test this with Hope around. But we can get some information..." Lizzie smiled to herself as she thought of one person that could either confirm or deny the possibility.

Jack and Josie shared a concerned look and Lizzie grabbed the candle and got up to leave. She didn't say a word, but the other two didn't bother protesting. It was quite obvious that she was going to attempt talking to Mel's brother, and it was obvious what question they needed to ask.

Mark already sensed their arrival, although thanks to the anti-spying candle, he wasn't able to hear them. He stood upright and faced the entrance as they entered.

"I was half expecting my sister. Not a trio of witches with a silencing candle, no less."

"We need your help with something," Lizzie said.

Mark shrugged. "It's not like I have anything better to do. But I do have a favor to ask in return."

"What's that?"

"A drink, of course. A vampire's gotta feed, y'know. And it doesn't even have to be that much." The girls looked among themselves, silently agreeing to his terms. Mark nodded in compliance. "What can I provide for you?"

"Information," Jack said simply.

Josie stepped closer to the cell. "If it's not too much trouble talking about her... we need to know about the origins of your mother's turning."

"Do I get to know why this is important to you?"

"It depends on how you respond."

Mark leaned against the bars of the cell, sighing heavily. "I... don't remember much. I had Mother's diary for a while before I burned it. Post humanity flip. I do remember something about Klaus and Hayley's baby being the key to creating more hybrids without doppelganger blood. This was before she was turned, by the way."

"Are we thinking she was turned with Hope's blood and not Klaus's?" Jack inquired.

"It's definitely more likely," Mark nodded. "Using Klaus's own blood would make the hybrids require doppelganger blood. With Hope's blood, that requirement didn't exist. Still doesn't. But Klaus didn't want to exploit Hope for his own needs. He didn't make new hybrids."

"Then how did your mom exist?"

Mark smiled lightly. "I repeat; Klaus didn't make new hybrids. It was Hayley that turned my mom, using blood from her unborn daughter. It was to save her life. Klaus wanted to kill her but Hayley wouldn't let him."

The girls looked upon themselves, knowing this information only confirmed that Hope did indeed sire Mel. But what Josie didn't understand is how she could be sired to Hope.

"How can Mel be sired to Hope if Klaus's sire line is broken?" Josie thought aloud.

"Mel B's sired to Hope?" Mark huffed. "When were we doing to share this information with the brother?"

"Just answer the question, little man."

Mark recoiled a bit at Lizzie's very insulting nickname. "Klaus's sire line was only broken, not destroyed. The curse against Klaus was only ever meant for him, so it wouldn't affect Hope. Even so, Hope's her own person. She can and does have her own sire line. I mean, wasn't Hayley Marshall sired?"

"This really sets it in stone, then. Melori is Hope's personal puppet," Jack sighed. "And neither of them knows it."

"We have to tell Hope now," Josie said.

"Why the hell would we do that?!"

"Lizzie, she has the right to know! So does Mel, why would we keep this from either of them?"

"Because the information we have is based on old stories, not hard facts that point to Melori being sired. We need to get proof for Hope so she can do something about it," explained Lizzie. "You know how knuckleheaded that Mikaelson is, she won't believe us unless there's proof."

"So how do you suppose we get that?"

Mark raised his hand up high, grabbing the girl's attention. "I have an idea."

Jack rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. "As long as this idea doesn't involve a shitty 'stakeout'."

"It was a good stakeout, thank you very much. You just have no class," the blonde remarked with all the sass in the world. She then turned to Mark as he stood upright, ready to take action... from behind bars. "Let's hear this master plan, Einstein."

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