CHAPTER ONE:
❝︎Not A Monster❞︎

SHE SAT IN HER ROOM, A BOOK IN HER HANDS. Hope had been the one to convince Dr. Saltzman to allow the girl to have a room to herself. She could tell the girl was shy, and she knew that something had been going on in Harper's household to make her feel so terrified to accept their help. Hope knew how the people in this school could be, and she wanted to protect the girl from that, at least until she got settled in. Hope was known as someone that pushed everyone away, and that was something she still did. But seeing Harper cowered there on the forest floor, the desire to help and be there for the girl seemed to over power that desire to want to block everyone from her life.

A gentle knock fell on Harper's door, making the shy girl glance up. Hope carefully poked her head into the door, offering Harper the smallest of smile's to which Harper sent back. "How are you settling in?"

"Fine." Harper simply answered, nodding her head.

Hope nodded, standing there for a minute, not sure what to do before swallowing and closing her eyes, nodding to herself. "Uh, the Saltzman twins usually show the new students around, but they can be a bit much. So. . . I thought I'd offer?"

Harper looked at the tribrid before nodding her head. "Sure," came her soft reply. She stood up from her bed, following after Hope. The girl showed her around the school, including that of the library which immediately intrigued the young hybrid. She put a mental note in her head as to where everything was, mapping it out and memorizing it so that she wouldn't make a fool of herself when she got lost. She had done that when she moved schools in the seventh grade, and that had been the most embarrassing day of her life.

"That includes the tour." Hope turned towards the girl. "I hope you feel welcomed here, Harper."

"So far, I do." Harper nodded, a gentle smile crawling up her lips as she nodded her head. "Thank you, Hope."

"Hope Mikaelson being helpful for someone that isn't herself? What a shocker." The voice of Lizzie Saltzman filled their ears and Hope immediately closed her eyes, a sigh falling from her lips.

"Oh no." The girl muttered, glancing towards Harper and giving her an apologetic look.

"This must be the new girl." Lizzie spoke. Harper carefully turned to see a blonde and a pretty brunette looking at her. She wanted to shrink at Lizzie's gaze on her. "I'm Lizzie."

"I'm Josie." The pretty brunette spoke up.

"The twins. . . right?" Harper unsurely asked, glancing towards Hope who nodded her head.

"Fraternal." Lizze corrected.

"Clearly." Harper spoke, giving them both a sarcastic smile. The way she had snapped from shy to sarcastic almost made the three girls jump. Harper even winced at her own action. "Sorry. I'm just. . . I'm gonna go to the library. I'll see you later, Hope."

"Yeah." Hope nodded her head. Harper turned on her heel and immediately walked away. The three watched her go before Hope turned towards the twins. "Both of you should go no where near her together. You're too overwhelming. Even for me." She muttered the last part to herself, but the twins clearly heard her. Josie didn't take offense, but Lizzie did, as always.

"Since when did you start caring about people that wasn't yourself?"

"Lizzie." Josie frowned, looking at her sister. Lizzie shrugged her shoulders and Hope just rolled her eyes before walking away, Lizzie doing the same but going the opposite direction. Josie stood there for a moment, her gaze on the path that Harper had taken. She bit her cheek. The light brunette was very beautiful, and clearly shy and had something about her that just seemed so tensed and closed off. Josie had thought the girl was beautiful as soon as she had walked through the double doors of the school a few hours prior. It made her stomach churn with the feeling that she was trying to push away. She had just broken up with her girlfriend not so long ago, and she had loved the girl. There was no way she could move on from Penelope so quickly, especially since she didn't even know the girl, or her name. She swallowed before deciding to go after her.

She found Harper sitting at one of the many tables in the library, a book on werewolves in her hands as she furrowed her eyebrows, consuming all the information possible. She still had no clue what she was, or how exactly she was what she was. Josie carefully walked up to her table. Harper glanced up towards her. Josie offered the girl a small smile. "Hi. I'm Josie."

"I know." Harper nodded. "You just told me that. . ."

"Right." Josie nodded her head. "Uh, but, I don't know your name."

"Harper." Harper simply answered, not saying anything else. Josie nodded her head, watching as Harper turned her attention back towards her books.

"Werewolves?" Josie decided to try and strike a conversation. "Are you a, uh, one?"

"I guess." Harper mumbled. After a moment of Josie still standing there, Harper looked back up at her. "Is there something you need?"

"O-oh, no." Josie shook her head. "I'll just. . . I'll just go." Josie nodded before walking away from the girl, a frown on her face. Why was she so harsh? It was clear the girl was trying to push her away, but the question was why she hadn't pushed Hope away. And why hadn't Hope pushed her away either? Josie wasn't used to the feeling of being rejected like that, after a kind gesture. She wondered what had happened to the girl.

Harper sat there, staring blankly at her book. The moment she heard Josie making her way towards her, her mind instantly reacted. It was quick to place its walls into position, ready to dodge any question that came at her so that she wouldn't have to speak more than she had to. No matter what, she couldn't get close to anyone. Not even Hope. Not after what she did. She was a monster. A child who had murdered her own parents in cold blood. A night that would forever haunt her dreams.

Harper sat there the entirety of the day, different books about witches and werewolves making their way into her hands, making sure to put one book back before grabbing herself another. She was going to figure this out. And she was going to do it on her own, even though she didn't have to. But she needed a distraction from this unknown environment. From all of the unknown people here. Weeks passed by, Harper staying in the Salvatore school, attending classes, but keeping her reputation of staying by herself. She had been quick to find what looked to be a spell book, practicing what she could do with Dr. Saltzman―︎although very reluctantly. He claimed he didn't want a new witch like herself to be practicing on her own, occasionally Hope stood there for moral support. She had experienced her first full moon, and to say she never wanted to feel so many bones breaking all at once ever again was an understatement.

Like everyday, Harper sat there in the library, silently eating her food by herself. She liked the isolation. The feeling of not being able to disappoint anybody was something that made her happy. Having friends would mean the chance of doing what she had done to her parents, and she couldn't do that again. However, Josie Saltzman was adamant on having a real conversation with the girl. So, she walked into the library with her own plate of food in her hands, taking a seat in front of Harper.

"Hi?" Harper questioned.

"Hi." Josie smiled. "Before you say anything to try and push me away, it won't work."

"Why not?"

"Because, I want to be friends with you." Josie told the girl. "It's my goal."

"One you're never going to accomplish." Harper muttered before going back to her book. Josie closed the book and slid it towards herself making Harper open her mouth in protest. "Give it back."

"Not until you have a real conversation with me."

"I'm having one with you right now." Harper shot back.

Josie frowned. "Is it me? Did I . . . did I do something? I'm sorry."

Harper's eyes immediately fell on Josie's face at the witches words. She frowned gently, cocking her head. "Why are you sorry? We haven't even spoken." Josie just looked at the girl with a small frown. "Do you think I'm mad at you for some reason? I don't even know you."

"Exactly. You've been here for weeks and we've only had one conversation." Josie told the girl. Harper bit on the inside of her cheek. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"It's not you, Josie." Harper softly told the girl, shaking her head. "It's because of me."

"Why? If I may ask. You don't have to answer. That's your business." Josie quickly rambled, trying to show the girl that she didn't want to pressure her into anything she didn't want to say. A sense of relief seemed to fall over Harper at that simple fact. She wasn't used to the words that Josie had spoke. She almost winced in surprise. Josie was a sweet girl, that much was clear. She had a kind heart, and an absolutely adorable smile that Harper found herself looking at whenever she had the chance to see it.

"I just. . ." Harper softly sighed, her voice small. "I'm scared."

Josie immediately frowned. "Scared of what?"

"Myself." Harper admitted. "What I can do. What I did do. What I'll no doubt do again. I'm a monster." Her voice cracked, tears almost immediately filling her eyes. She didn't mean to crack, but the emotions had been weighing on her, and the words just wanted to spill from her lips. Josie was quick to move over to the other side of the table so that she was sitting beside of the girl. She gently grabbed Harper's hands, looking her dead in the eye.

"You are not a monster." Josie denied, shaking her head.

"I killed my parents." Harper choked. "How does that not make me a monster?"

Josie sat there for a moment, watching the tears stroll down the girl's cheeks. She carefully brought a thumb up to her cheek, swiping the tear away. "Because, everyone in this school has blood on their hands, And not a single one of them are monsters." Josie told the girl. "No matter what you might believe, you are not a monster, Harper." Josie pulled the girl into a hug, and Harper accepted it, holding onto the girl as she softly sobbed as the memories played in her head. And Josie just sat there, stroking her hair and letting the girl get it all out. This was the conversation that made the two fall for one another. This was the conversation that changed everything. This was the conversation that made Harper finally feel welcomed.

Thank you to the lovely glxnnrhees for the lovely gifs!