Hope can feel the cold air as she runs around the woods in her wolf form. She feels free as her paws claw on the forest ground, and the air makes her fur move in a pleasant way. The woods around the Salvatore school are like a home to her, just like her family house of New Orleans, but without the pain that still lingers there, or the Salvatore school itself.

She couldn't tell how many hours she's been running for, but after the day she just had, she needed it. With the anniversary of her parents deaths coming in a couple of days, Hope's emotions are a mess. However, her peaceful run quickly takes a turn for the worst when her ears picks up the loud sound of teenagers partying.

For a second, the white werewolf thinks about running the opposite way, but then she stops herself. Instead, she walks straight to the source of the noise. Hope knows the way to the old mill by heart, so it doesn't take her long to find the party. She walks closer, careful to stay hidden to the drunk teenagers. Even in her wolf state, she recognizes some faces. Lizzie, MG, Josie, Jade... Seeing them all having fun, without a care in the world… It makes Hope feel weird. Like she doesn't belong, like she never did.

The emotions are quick to overwhelm her, and suddenly Hope doesn't trust herself. So, she runs in the opposite direction, straight to the place she left her clothes earlier. She didn't want to hurt any of them.

Penelope walks into the old mill an hour or so after the party started, fashionably late as she likes to say. Lots of people wave at her as she walks by them. Almost everyone already looks totally wasted or high, or even both. The raven-haired girl stops for a minute to talk to some witches before making her way to get a drink.

After a quick talk, Penelope leaves them and walks over to the coolers. She's taking her time to choose what she's gonna get, but just as she leans to get a bottle of beer, she feels her ass being slapped.

There's a whistle. "Nice ass Park, I can see why you never leave a party alone now."

Penelope feels her blood boil in her veins. Instead of taking the bottle she first reached for, the raven haired girl reaches for a can of a sweet drink. Penelope straightens herself, and turns around to look at the girl who has an arrogant smug smile on her face. It's only then that she recognizes the vampire girl. She starts shaking the can behind her back.

"Chloe." She says simply, her voice is calm but her gaze on the girl's eyes is intense, cold. "Let me tell you something; If I wanted you to touch me, in any way, trust me, you would've already."

She brings the can from behind her back, and to her front before quickly opening it and letting it splash all over the vampire girl. "Touch me without my permission again and you'll see why people call me Satan." She threatens the girl with a devious smirk on her face.

A slight panic crosses the girl's features before she vamp-speeds out of there. Penelope smirks as she's finally left alone. She turns around and quickly grabs the beer she was going for earlier. As soon as it's in her hands, she opens it and goes to take a large sip, but then a movement in the woods catches her eyes.

She wonders if her eyes are betraying her for a second, but then she sees the wolf turn around and run in the opposite direction of the old mill. A white wolf… It could only be one person. And that realization makes Penelope smirk again, but this time for a whole different reason.

She quickly discards the beer, and goes to follow the wolf. She almost curses when she realizes she has no idea where Hope went, but she continues walking. After a moment, Penelope can hear movement on her left side, so she goes straight in that direction. The view that greets her makes her eyes widen a little. Hope is putting her shirt on, and Penelope catches sight of a side-boob real quick. She walks out of her hiding spot, and quickly makes her presence known.

"Damn Mikaelson! You're even hotter than I thought." Penelope says with a flirty voice, and she almost feels bad when she sees Hope jump in surprise and almost drops her shirt.

Hope finishes to put her shirt on before turning around to glare at the intruder.

"What the hell Penelope?!"

"What?" Penelope shrugs. "You're hot, everyone knows that. They just don't know how hot you actually are." She says with a sexy wink.

Hope quickly recognizes the teasing, the flirting, and it makes her roll her eyes. The auburn haired girl feel annoyance invade her, and she quickly starts to walk towards the school, bumping Penelope's shoulder on her way.

"Go back to your stupid party Park."

"Why don't you come back with me?" Penelope says as she quickly walks after Hope. "Let loose, have some fun for a change. We could have fun together." Penelope suggestively raises her eyebrows.

"Don't hold your breath." Hope says, pushing a branch out of her way only to release it just after she passed it.

Penelope receives the branch right in the face, and she's pretty sure Hope did it on purpose.

"That's just rude, you know?"

Hope turns her head to glare at Penelope. "Yeah? What do you call spying on people then?"

Penelope rolls her eyes as she finally manages to reach Hope's side. "I would hardly call that spying. I just happened to walk by."

"Right, of course." Hope says with a fake smiles that tells Penelope the Mikaelson girl doesn't quite believe her. "You can stop following me now by the way, the party's the other way."

Penelope almost trip on a rock, but she quickly recovers and in a second she's back at Hope's side.

"Come on!" The raven haired girl pokes Hope's arm, not even flinching when Hope's response is a glare. But then the girl is moving again.

Penelope huffs in frustration and quickly moves in front of Hope. "Five minutes." She tries.

"Penelope…" Hope starts to warn her but she ignores.

"Come on, just five minutes ok? And maybe one drink... If you don't like it, you can just go." She insists.

If she's honest with herself, Penelope has no idea why she insists on Hope joining her. She knows it's probably to no avail. But, there's a part of her that longs to see Hope happy or just free, without the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Penelope knows she's mostly a bitch to Hope, but the Mikaelson girl is just so frustrating, but she can't help it. Under all that bitchiness, she can't help but have a soft spot for the tribrid. Not that she'd let anyone know that though, she has her pride. But she can't deny she cares about her, more than she's willing to admit. Even to herself.

Hope stops walking and throws her hands in the air in annoyance.

"Oh my god! Why are you being so annoying right now?"

For a second, Penelope feels hurt, but she quickly covers it up with a smirk.

"You know what? Forget I said anything. For a second I've forgotten that you hate people and love being alone. Lone wolf and all that, right?"

Penelope rolls her eyes at her, totally feeling like getting wasted now. Hope Mikaelson really had a way to make her feel like shit. But as soon as she takes her first step to leave, Hope's voice stops her.

"You're wrong about that." Hope's voice is small, and maybe even vulnerable, that definitely catches Penelope off guard, she slowly turns around to face the other girl.

"How so?" She asks with a hint of annoyance still in her voice, though it somehow sounds softer than before.

Hope's eyes meets hers for a second, and just for a second Penelope can see her walls starting to crumble.

"I don't wanna be alone." Hope says quietly, her voice sounding just as small as it did before, while she moves past Penelope. "But it's definitely easier to be." She adds, more to herself than to the other girl and slowly makes her way back to the school, leaving a surprised Penelope Park behind.

Penelope stands there, almost like frozen in place, her eyes glued to Hope's retreating form. Hope's words, demeanor and vulnerability are like a cold shower for Penelope. It makes her realize just how lonely Hope Mikaelson is, and this realization makes her heart twist painfully inside her chest.

That's when she suddenly remembers something she read in her book of secrets a long time ago. Something none other than the tribrid herself wrote at this same time of year. It's been two years since Hope lost her parents. That sure explains why she's been running so much lately, and why she just looks so sad all the time.

Hope's last words keep playing in her head over and over, but only now she understands the true meaning behind them. It is easier to be alone, because that way no one can leave you. This sad realization is what she needed to finally accept that yes, she cares about Hope.

It makes sense for Hope to feel that way, but it doesn't mean Penelope is willing to accept that.

"Guess I'll have to prove you wrong then." Penelope says to herself as she watches Hope disappear from her sight.