The morning of her sixteenth birthday, nothing feels that much different for Hope Mikaelson. She still has two dead parents, her family is still very far away and she has no friends. That's why this day doesn't feel as special to Hope as it should. She gets out of bed at 5, just like every morning. Hope quickly changes from her pyjamas to her training clothes, it feels like she's still sleeping. Then she goes to her bathroom and brushes her teeth, before heading out of her room and to the deck she uses as a training ground with Dr. Saltzman. As soon as she gets there, Hope's face changes. Her mentor has this weird smile on his face, like he wants to say something, but he's not sure if he should.

Hope rolls her eyes. "Just say what you wanna say."

Alaric's smile widens. "Happy birthday Hope."

Hope forces a smile, and nods. "Thank you Dr. Saltzman. Now can we get to training?"

The man gives her a tight-lipped smile. "Of course."

They train for the next hour or so, and if they both realize Hope fights with a little more aggressivity today, neither of them mention it. When they're done, Hope has just enough time to go back to her room and shower before breakfast. She quickly leaves Dr. Saltzman behind, not wanting to see his eyes full of pity one more second. As soon as she walks into her room, Hope slams the door behind her. She mutters a spell to lock it as she walks to the bathroom to get the shower she's desperately craving. She quickly gets the shower running before taking her clothes off and stepping in. The auburn haired girl closes her eyes as the hot water touches her body. After a couple of minutes that actually feel like seconds, Hope opens her eyes and reach for the soap. She starts washing herself, but something quickly catches her eyes, There's black ink on the right side of her collarbone, just like a tattoo. Hope feels panic invade her, so she washes the soap off as fast as possible and steps out of the shower. She stands in front of the mirror, and her eyes widen. Even though the image of the letters is reversed, Hope can perfectly read the name on her collarbone.

In the blink of an eye, she gets out of the bathroom and puts clothes on. Hope walks through the hallways leading to Dr. Saltzman's office as calmly and composed as she can. She feels the eyes of her peers on her, just like every time she walks in the halls. Those stares used to be caused by her being the mysterious Hope Marshall, the lonely student. Now, they were all caused by her being Hope Mikaelson, the powerful tribrid, daughter of one of the most despised villains in their history book. When a stare is too insistant, Hope glares and then it's over.

When she finally gets to the Headmaster's office, Hope knocks one time and she's told to enter. The Mikaelson girl does, and closes the door behind her. She says a silencing spell, just to make sure no one would have the idea to eavesdrop on them.

"Can you tell me why your daughter's name appeared on my collarbone?" Hope asks as she crosses her arms, suddenly feeling defensive.

Alaric frowns. "What do you mean?"

"Josie's name is written in a beautiful handwriting on my collarbone. It's black, and it looks like a tattoo. Do you think it could be a spell or something?" Hope says, voice laced with panic.

Dr. Saltzman is deep in thoughts for a moment, then he moves around his desk and walks closer to Hope.

"Could I take a look?" The man hesitantly asks.

Hope swallows and nods before pushing the fabric of her shirt to the side to let her mentor see the ink on her skin. She exposes the skin where Josie's name is marked on, and it soon makes Alaric frown. He lifts his hand, but before touching Hope, he stops.

"Do you mind if I touch it? I'd like to see if it's in the skin or over it."

Hope nods. "Yeah, okay."

Alaric immediately touches the skin. It only lasts a couple of seconds, and then he's straightening up and sighs.

"I have no idea what this is." Alaric stares at the ink, so Hope quickly covers it with her shirt. "I think we should meet with Dorian in the library, he'll probably know something about this."

Hope silently follows him to the library. As they pass the common room, Josie and Lizzie's eyes fall on them, and Hope can't take the jealousy in them today, so she looks away. Or at least she tries, but her eyes seem to have a mind of their own, because suddenly she's looking back at the brunette twin. When their eyes lock together, Josie has the kindness to address a little smile to Hope. The Mikaelson girl gives a little smile back and then she looks back ahead of herself. Soon enough, they're in the library and Alaric explains their problem to Dorian. The librarian looks confused, and it quickly becomes obvious he has no idea where the ink is coming from.

"You should go to class Hope, we'll find out what this is and find you soon, okay?" Dorian says with a kind smile.

"Okay, yeah." Hope nods and turns to walk away.

"Oh and Hope, happy birthday." Dorian says before she's out of the room.

"Thanks." Hope says over her shoulder as she passes the door.

Her first class proves to be boring, and Hope's mind easily drifts to the weird ink on her collarbone. She could totally let it pass as a spell gone wrong, or even as a bad joke. But it would be easier to believe if something like "Basic witch" was written. Why was Josie's name written on her skin? Hope still remembers the letters of Josie's name beautifully written on her collarbone. Somehow, it feels like she saw that handwriting before, she just can't figure out where.

Her second class of the day is just as boring as the first, but since it's practice, and not theory, Hope's brain and hands are occupied. She's measuring ingredients to put in her potion when the door of the lab suddenly opens and Alaric walks in.

"I need to see you Hope. Now."

Hope quickly puts the ingredients aside and walk out of the class. She follows a fast walking Dr. Saltzman through the halls leading to the library. When they walk inside the room, Hope's eyes widen when she sees about 20 books opened everywhere.

"We found out what the mark means." Dorian says with a little awkward smile.

"I knew I recognized the handwriting when I saw the mark, but I didn't want to make you panic." Alaric says.

"Can you just tell me what it means?" Hope impatiently asks.

"It's called a soul mark and it's one of the rarest supernatural occurence." Dorian starts. "It happens when two souls are connected on a very deep level." He reaches for a book. "This is the book with the most details. It says you have to be sixteen for the mark to appear, makes sense since you turned sixteen today. Your soul mark is the name of the one you're bonded to, written in their handwritting."

"Wait. So, you're talking about actual soulmates?" Hope questions with a guarded voice.

The men look at each other and shrug.

"Basically, yes." Alaric says.

"And what does it implies?" Hope asks.

"The books aren't that clear about this part. It mostly says that it depens on the bond. They talk about mind links, feeling each other's emotions and what they all agree on is that it's a love like no other." Dorian quickly explains.

Hope turns around so she's not facing them anymore. She runs her hands through her hair as she tries to think, but the surprise, frustration and anger are too overwhelming. Destiny was being such a bitch to her. She didn't need to have a soulmate on top of being the only tribrid in existence. She swallows the lump in her throat before turning around to face the two men in the room.

"How do I get rid of it?"

Alaric and Dorian both look at each other, stunned. Then, they look back to Hope. Alaric walks closer, until he can put a gentle hand on the auburn haired girl's shoulder.

"You don't Hope." He softly says. "Soul marks never disappear."

"B-but I don't want it." Hope feels the tears burning her eyes, but she's not able to stop them. "Please, tell me there's something I can do."

The man gently pulls her in a hug. "It's gonna be okay. I know my daughter, and I'm sure she'll take this well. Just tell her and everything will feel better."

Hope pulls away with force and glares at him. "Absolutely not. I don't want Josie to know, not now and not ever."

Alaric sighs and shakes his head. "Hope... She'll get your name on her skin in a little less than two years, and then she'll ask the same questions you asked today."

Hope thinks about it for a couple of seconds. Less than two years. It gave her some time to maybe build a friendship with Josie. Then she could tell Josie about their soulmate bond and figure something out.

"Okay, well I have two years to plan something." Hope looks at both of the men. "You have to both promise me you'll never talk about the soul mark. I need to be the one to tell her, but only when I'll be ready."

Alaric and Dorian look at each other before looking back at Hope again.

"I promise." Dorian says first.

"Please, know how hard this will be for me to lie to her, but I promise I'll keep the secret." Alaric agrees.

Hope nods one last time. "Thank you."

Then she's rushing out of the library under the worried eyes of Alaric and Dorian.