Cleo Sowande[1] is a witch who first appeared on the sixth episode of the third season of Legacies. She is a former recurring character, having been promoted to main in the fourth season. After being freed from the artifact, she enrolled in the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted and befriended Hope Mikaelson.
Early History[]
Cleo was born to a large family in the early 15th century by the Niger River in what is now Nigeria, West Africa in a small, happy, and magical village. While she was still young, she learned about magic one night when the village brought their most powerful warrior to her grandmother, Ayomi. She'd been infected with Long Spider poison as a result of battle. The only solution was a powerful transfusion ritual to magically transfer the poison into someone who had been exposed to it before, someone immune. Cleo's grandmother successfully performed the spell and healed the warrior. Cleo would never forget that night.
In 1464, there was a monster that lived in the woods that sought out the village, searching for something special: the village's muse and her grandmother. The monster wanted her so badly that it threatened to destroy the village. Her grandmother used her powerful magic to get the village warriors to fight with their words, instead of their weapons, and they came to an understanding. The monster would spare the village in exchange for the muse. Cleo could not accept the monster taking her grandmother, so instead she offered herself to protect her grandmother so she could continue to protect the village. Malivore accepted the exchange and she became his prisoner.
Cleo spent many years alone and forced to create monsters from Malivore's mud so he could consume them and satiate his hunger. In time, she was inspired to create a vessel for him that would be both of their salvation. Cleo, however, tricked Malivore as she had complete control over his new vessel and escaped with her freedom. Eventually, she met and fell in love with Leonardo DaVinci and inspired him to create an artifact. She infused the artifact with magic that could shield her from Malivore and she sealed herself away for the next five centuries until it could be opened by the one capable of killing Malivore.
Throughout Legacies Series[]
In To Whom It May Concern, Cleo joins a number of prospective students looking to join the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted. The lack of students is questioned by Gunter, but, more or less, they still attend Lizzie and Hope's tour of the school. However, as the tour progresses, some of the prospective students leave, with only a handful of students returning from their break. As Alaric and the students talk, Cleo asks Gunter if he can hear what they're talking about. He reveals that the school is in trouble. The tour extends to the gym where Jed and a couple wolves work out. Cleo is unimpressed as Hope and Kaleb try to convince the students of all the wonderful things that they do at the school. She continues to join the tour, whereas a couple of other students decide to leave. Hope brings the tour back to the great room. She details all the great things that they do there, such as eating together and having decade dances. Some students have even discovered their powers there. However, Hope loses control of her magic and unleashes a wave of magic that sends her and the other remaining students flying through the air, knocking them unconscious. As she comes to, Kaleb is playing the piano. Kaleb apologizes for what happened earlier, and attempts to explain that Hope was conducting one of their "defense against magic" drills. She's not convinced, but Kaleb shifts the conversation, asking about her dreams or her fears. She tells him that her fear is being stuck in a room with a man who plays piano. She wants answers. Hope can't control the magical energy inside of her and wonders if she's alright. He tells her that she is and, in fact, the Salvatore School is one of the safest places to be. Again, she doesn't buy what he's selling. If that were true, then why aren't the other students not returning. Kaleb doesn't respond, she keeps pushing for answers. She knows the school is in trouble and questions what would happen if the remaining students do not register. Lying, he tells her that it doesn't even matter if they register or not. She doesn't fall for his deception and regrettably tells him that she cannot stay at a place where they will not tell her the truth. She does however compliment his piano playing and leaves the hall. Finding Hope lashing out with paint, she asks if she's alright. Attempting to start a conversation, she tells her that she misses being in a studio, though she sculpted. Hope, however, doesn't want to talk about it, but Cleo asks again, as it seems as if she's just expressed herself through her paint. She attempts once more. There was a game she and her sisters used to play and asked Hope what she saw in the painting. Hope doesn't want to talk and tells her she has to go. Coyly, she asks if running will work this time. She doesn't know Hope, but she knows there is something powerful inside of her and she would rather not be knocked unconscious again. Hope gives in as she asks again what she sees in the painting. She sees anger, fear, and her friends in trouble. Every room she goes into reminds her of someone she's lost. Cleo is sorry. Hope knows that she needs to move one, but doesn't know how. Cleo gives her a little advice. In her experience, she's already done the hardest part - she's said it out loud. She wonders if it's so painful, why she doesn't leave. Hope tells her that this place is her home and she doesn't know who she would have become if it wasn't for them. She wonders about the safety of the school and Hope tells her the truth. Sometimes it can be dangerous, but it is also a place where it's safe to be oneself. Cleo's moved by Hope's words. She's the first person here who's been honest with her. She also reveals that if they don't have enough students then they have to close the school. That, however, doesn't dissuade her, in fact, she asks how a new student would go about signing up. In Headmaster Saltzman's office, Cleo completes her admission registration forms, officially becoming a student at the Salvatore School. Later that night, Hope helps her unpack her belongings into her new room. In Yup, It's a Leprechaun, All Right, it has been a few days and is Cleo's first morning assembly. They officially have thirty students enrolled which makes them a school in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alaric gives Lizzie the podium and announces that since there are less students and less tuition, they have canceled their trips and dances. To have some sense of normalcy, she proposes the school to have a fundraiser month, but she needs more suggestions. Cleo stands and offers that she and Hope can make art and host an auction. Hope immediately disapproves, but Lizzie vetoes her objection. As they continue to discuss, Josie interrupts their assembly with a city messenger. He learns and shares with the students that the school has a property tax lien and owes $91,000 and must pay within the week. Lizzie declares that fundraiser month is canceled and they're combining everything into fundraiser day. Cleo finds Hope in the art room who is frustrated and annoyed that she was volunteered to do this. She reminds Hope this is for helping the school, but Hope is resistant to the idea. She's been blocked and has nothing to contribute. Cleo looks over her most recent painting of the school. It's technically proficient, it just feels a little soulless. Hope confides in her that she hasn't made anything good since Landon died, and her only hope of finding him was destroyed. She's been blocked before after a devastating loss. Hope questions what she did to break out of it. It was something drastic and she thinks she has an idea that may help her. Cleo suggests that she take Landon's remains and give him life through her art. She tells Hope that she cannot move on from her grief if she's still holding onto it. She wants to help. Hope accepts her offer and Cleo pulls some clay from the shelf. Together, they mix the remains with the clay and Hope sculpts a bust of Landon. The bust is magically baked by Hope and finished. Cleo finds it to be beautiful, but Hope believes she didn't do him justice. A buyer bursts through the doors, willing to purchase the bust, but Hope refuses. Cleo suggests $91,000 and the rich woman agrees. Hope refuses again, and the woman turns to attack Hope, but she defends herself. Cleo and Hope find Lizzie and Kaleb and learn that leprechaun has caused the school to fall into maddening chaos. Kaleb explains to her that Malivore is the supernatural being that sent the leprechaun but they've taken him and banished him to a prison world. She questions if there's anything more she needs to know about the prison world, but Lizzie and Hope's argument goes quite. Hope takes an axe with the goal of questioning, then killing the leprechaun. She eventually finds Hope cleaning the axe, believing that she's been torturing the leprechaun. Hope informs her that it's not what it looks like and for her to relax. She supposes that everyone around the school thinks killing monsters is normal; however, for her, every creature - supernatural, human or otherwise - deserves to be treated with respect. The leprechaun is otherwise fine and she's not torturing him. Her translation spells are not working on him, so if they're lucky, he will lead her straight to whatever portal he came out of, meaning she needs a bit of his blood for a locator spell. With that she releases the creature and allows him to run free. Hope gives Cleo a crash-course in monster hunting. All of this wouldn't be necessary if Alyssa hadn't broken the ascendant, but when in doubt a locator spell should help. Cleo questions what the creature would lead them back to a portal, but Hope explains that's how it's always been. After he gets what he wants, they return to where they were released. In Cleo's opinion, that's drastic, but Hope realized that she wasn't ready to let go of Landon when she couldn't sell the bust. She can't rule out that he's not in Malivore, not without going there first, and she can only do that through the prison world. Cleo understands she's grieving, but is still confused as to why Landon would be in Malivore. He's not a monster. Hope tells her the truth. Landon was a phoenix and that Malivore is his dad. Despite all the overwhelming information, she still wants to help. She and Hope track the leprechaun to a parking garage. Hope reasons that since the leprechaun's attracted to wealth, there may be a Lamborghini here. Cleo questions if they should split up, but immediately wonders if that's against monster-hunting rules. It's not, and is actually a great idea. Hope agrees to split up, but they need him alive to bring them to the portal. Should she run into any trouble, just scream. Now by herself, she searches another portion of the parking garage. Car alarms are going off and she attempts to coax out the creature. She magically silences the car alarms and promises not to hurt him. With her back turned, someone reaches out and grabs her shoulder. She screams, but it's only Alaric. He questions why she's here and wonders if Hope is here, too. She explains that they've split up and it is a long story. One that will probably make him upset. He's already aware of the leprechaun. He takes the lead in searching and looks in a car near a car. Cleo sees the leprechaun above him, but warns him too late as it jumps on him. Wanting to save Alaric, she casts a spell that causes the leprechaun to float into the air and explode. Hope arrives too late and her chance to find the portal is taken from her. Later that night, Cleo confronts Hope as they clean up the money and other items the leprechaun consumed from the school. She's still mad. She explains to Hope that the last thing she wanted to do was kill the creature but it was going to hurt Alaric and she panicked. She didn't know he was going to explode. Though mad, she understands Cleo's actions. Saving someone is more important than anything else and looks towards Landon's bust. That was meant to help her, but Cleo believes that it is not good enough because her obsession is all-consuming and she doesn't have room in her life for anything else. She attempts to connect with Hope. In the few days she has known Hope, she hasn't asked her a single thing about her life. Hope knows that she's right and apologizes. Hope asks her that she mentioned being blocked and inquires about what happened to cause it. It was something terrible and why she hates violence. Her sisters were murdered and she is the only one of them left. Since then, she's accepted that there was nothing she could have done to save them and have figured out how to live without them, to move on. Hope wonders if it's now her turn. Cleo thought that is what she wanted, but Hope's feelings have changed. Cleo elects to remove the bust, at Hope's request. Hope is determined to find the real him anyways. In Long Time, No See, Cleo joins Kaleb in setting traps for possible new monsters that may find themselves at the Salvatore School. She interrupts him and MG and notices that something is going on between the two, wondering if they need a moment. Kaleb declines and they head off. At the Old Mill, Cleo casts a spell over a line of salt; it catches fire and spreads across the salt and extinguishes when the spell is complete. Kaleb thinks it's hot, but she believes he must say that to all the witches. She explains that the spell is done; if a monster enters this space, it will be unable to leave. This is inclusive of any of the other spaces she's consecrated. Kaleb offers her a cushion to sit on so they can get to know one another better as they wait. Cleo explains there is something she would like to know and asks about what was going on between him and MG earlier. Kaleb brushes off the question, explaining that she's not a part of the squad and she wouldn't understand. She does, however, know what it feels like to be at odds with a friend. Hope is still upset with her for what she did to the leprechaun and she's at a loss as to how to fix it. Kaleb attempts to explain what's going on. He promised to always have MG's back but he also made him vow to never give up on Landon. This is before he learned that MG had and hid the ascendant. Cleo fills in the rest - it seems that he cannot keep one vow without breaking the other. Until he figures something out, he's staying neutral. Cleo thinks of an idea that may help. Cleo retrieves a book on Greek mythology. The answer lies with psychopomps. They are creatures that are capable of traversing dimensional planes. She thinks Kaleb hates her idea, but on the contrary, he's really impressed. Specifically, she finds Charon, the Ferryman. Pay his bounty, and he will carry a soul across the River Styx. Kaleb is intrigued, but doesn't understand how he can help since Landon isn't dead. Cleo begs to differ, for the right price, she believes that he can help. He's not convinced. That's not how the portal or the Malivore monsters work - they can't just summon any creature they want. She questions if they've ever tried such a task. How can they be certain that they can't do just that. Surely there are spells which exist to summon what the school considers to be monsters. Kaleb believes that to be black magic, which they don't practice at the school. She believes something different. Magic is neither good nor bad. Its alignment, positive or negative, is set off by the user's intention. Kaleb believes this is how she intends to help him with his vows to MG. She's confident that she can also remind Hope that her intentions towards her have always been good, too. Kaleb doesn't believe that MG's intentions were good, though. Cleo understands that he's angry with his friend; however, saving Landon will require action, and he can't remain neutral forever. Kaleb decides to leave for a squad meeting and tells her that he'll think on her advice and vamps back to the school. Alone, Cleo manages to perform a summoning spell to summon Charon and trap him behind the consecrated space. The spell is a low more taxing than she initially believed it to be and Kaleb finds her nearly unconscious with her nose bleeding. Kaleb doesn't understand what she did, but she points to Charon, who emerges from the shadows. Kaleb is in awe of the ghastly, skeletal figure before them. He walks towards them, but Cleo's barrier proves true and prevents him from crossing. As night draws closer, she and Kaleb show Alaric the newest creature trapped within her spell. Alaric questions if they captured this being, but it's a complicated answer. Cleo, however, immediately reveals that she summoned him. Alaric wanted the traps set in order to get more information. Cleo believes, in theory, this creature does more than that. It could save Landon, but it does not accept money. They need his expertise. Alaric is a bit rusty when it comes to psychopomps, but he believes he knows what it wants. He instructs the pair to retrieve some of Landon's personal belongings, as that will help him identify Landon's soul. Before she leaves, he tells Cleo that next time she wants to summon a monster, she should ask for permission first. Returning to the Old Mill, they find Alaric singing. She wonders if he's torturing it, but Alaric explains that in the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Orpheus charms Charon into reuniting him with his beloved using poetry and song, as opposed to money. Charon is charmed by the three's song and opens an outstretched hand. Alaric instructs Kaleb to give him Landon's personal items. Charon accepts and taps his staff on the ground twice and dissolves into the ground. The next morning, all is right and Landon has been rescued. Kaleb prepares her breakfast. They're celebrating and it's all thanks to her and her summoning spell. She wonders if this officially makes her a part of the squad. He admits that he was on the sidelines, which is ironic as he gave MG so much grief for the same thing. Thanks to her advice, he learns that taking no action has just as many consequences. She wonders if he's patched things up with MG, but there's apparently a line. In Do All Malivore Monsters Provide This Level of Emotional Insight?, Cleo is on her morning run when she's approached by Lizzie, informing her that she is her new mentor. She's a member-elect for their squad. All she has to do is one super-heroic event. She wants her to summon another monster. Hope, however, intervenes and they head back to the school, where a new Malivore monster has already appeared. The creature is unknown to them, but it can talk. Cleo warns them they must be wary of the new creature but it runs off. As tensions rise between Lizzie and Hope, she steps in and takes both of them at their word. She believes that the monster is the cause of their discord. Kaleb brings news that the monster has molted and Landon realizes that it's a gremlin. They convene and discuss how to handle the gremlin and ultimately decide to use Landon as bait. While Lizzie and Hope guard Landon and set a trap, she and Kaleb begin researching on how to stop the gremlin. She confides in Kaleb that everything going on is intense and that she doesn't want to get used to it. She thought that the school was perfect for her - secure, enlightened, and creative - but has grown unsure. Kaleb doesn't want her to let fear drive her away from something good. However, the more she's learned of Malivore, he sounds more terrifying and wants to know how she's supposed to feel safe. Kaleb misreads the signals and takes her hand, but she rejects his advances. Instead, she opts to tell him to ask her again when their lives aren't in jeopardy. When Kaleb leaves to retrieve another book, the gremlin makes his move and kidnaps her. Holding her in a well, Lizzie, Hope, Kaleb, and Landon come to her rescue. The gremlin has grown in size and she admits that was her doing, since she used some colorful language when she was taken. Kaleb faces off against the gremlin while Lizzie and Hope weaken it by being genuinely respectful of one-another. Landon drops her jumper cables and helps free her from the well. Together, they decide to take the gremlin down. However, it's already weakened and shrunk from its original state. Later that night, she and Kaleb take the long way back to the Salvatore School. Kaleb tells her that it will be worth it, because watching the stars under the Falls is magical - just like her. After he sees that MG is doing fine, she takes him by the arms and tells him she knows a shortcut to the Falls. In All's Well That Ends Well, Cleo wakes to Hope humming. Hope's unusually happy and she questions if she's unwell. Landon brings Hope tea and scones and also picks up on the unexpected happiness. Hope elects to bring Cleo with her for quality "roomie" time and they leave for a morning picnic. Just past the defensive perimeter spell, they sit together to enjoy Brie. Hope calls it their brainstorming session, but is also very calm about their lives being in danger. She, on the other hand, is still reeling from being trapped in the well. Hope, however, believes they assumed incorrectly that the gremlin grabbed her randomly. In fact, she now believes that Malivore specifically targeted her and, to test her theory, they would only need to lower the perimeter spell and use her as bait. Cleo is unsure and worried, but realizes Hope has already done just this. She's upset, but Hope urges her not to be mad. They can stop, if she wants, but thought they could get some answers if they could get a talking monster. She relents and accepts Hope's plan. At least if she's going to be bait, they can enjoy the picnic. Their enjoyment, however, is quickly interrupted. The sky darkens and the weather drastically changes. Hope pulls a short sword for herself and Cleo and a wail is heard in the distance. They look around in confusion until a new creature appears behind them. The creature, a woman, reaches out for Cleo, but Hope casts a spell to ensnare her in roots and vines from the ground. The spell works but she lets out another wail and she and Hope double over clutching their heads in pain. She quickly casts another spell to physically stitch her mouth closed and she and Hope recover. This confirms Hope's theory; the monsters and Malivore are after her. Now, they just have to find out why. Taking the monster back to the school, they trap her behind a boundary spell. Alaric and Landon join her and Hope. She's a walking horror movie, Hope comments. The lights flicker and fog surrounds her. They still don't know what kind of monster she is. Alaric is positive that they can still get answers as she talks. This, however, is tricky and Cleo releases the spell that keeps her from wailing. Both Landon and Alaric immediately identify her as a banshee and Cleo lights the candle again to stop her from wailing. Needing a break, she finds Jed and wonders if werewolves work out just anywhere. Jed confides in her. He's been relegated to the junior squad since his actions hurt MG and wonders if he'll find a way to make it right. She's sure he will. He wonders about her and why she's here. She's supposed to be researching a way for the banshee to communicate without using her mouth, but having found out she is the reason the monsters are coming, she needed a moment. Jed realizes that if she can't get the monster to talk, then she won't find out why they're after her. He's inspired by their talk and believes he's found a solution that will solve both of their problems. Together, they immediately go find Alaric. In the gymnasium, Jed is chained to the floor as Landon finds the spell – Alias Vocem. Jed's idea was to allow the banshee to speak through another as a conduit. Cleo, however, sits on the sidelines, notably worried with Hope by her side. Alaric gives Hope the okay and, after Landon gives Jed Blue Calamus, she casts the spell. The spell is successful and the banshee speaks through Jed. Malivore has promised the banshee freedom from darkness should she bring Cleo to him. Though she's forced to tell the truth, she's not compelled to answer all their questions. With their interrogation at a stalemate, Hope asks who will die. The banshee explains that if she stays at the school, then Landon will die. With more distressing news, she confronts Hope, bringing her tea. Hope is adamant that no one is dying. She's not so sure as Hope's spelled Landon in her room. She wants to know the truth and believes it's time for them to talk. She explains to Hope that she has looked for a place like the Salvatore School for a long time, for a place to call home. However, she's come to the conclusion that she cannot be the reason that trouble comes into their lives and tells her that she's leaving. Hope explains to her that monsters have always been coming for someone, but they've never made anyone leave because of it. She asks if that is what she wants and wonders if she would be happier if she left. Hope immediately responds with "yes", confused with the burst of honesty that she exclaimed she didn't mean. She knows that Hope was being honest as the tea was brewed from Blue Calamus. Cleo leaves her sitting alone at the table and prepares to leave. True to her word, she leaves the school. However, on her own and unaware of another monster, a Hunter, stalking her, she's caught off guard and attacked. The Hunter blows some green powder into her face, and she's knocked unconscious. Tied to a tree, she's rescued by Hope. Like she told her before, no one was dying today. Cleo gives her thanks and they return to the school together. She supposes that it was a good thing she was there to keep her safe, though not before putting her in danger. Hope tries to explain her comment from before. It was true that is how she felt, but it wasn't the whole truth. Hope tells her that she is kind and brilliant and lucky to have her as a friend and as far as she is concerned, this is her home. No matter what and even if it brings danger. With the appearance of a second monster, they come to the conclusion that their monster problem is multiplying and the Hunter must also be working for Malivore. She wonders why it ran away, but Hope doesn't know; however, it felt familiar, almost like she's fought it before. With the night coming to an end, she joins Jed in the werewolf transition space. He's turned back into his human form, covered in a blanket. She offers him water and that explains that Alaric has told her what happened. She tells him that his plan worked and that he underestimates himself. Because of his idea, the banshee found peace and he has found his place back on the squad. She wonders if, while inside her mind, if he's discovered why Malivore is after her. At first, he didn't since things were hazy. He didn't understand what it meant, but now he thinks he gets it. He's never had a genius monster-hunting idea until he was standing next to her. Malivore is after her because she's a muse, a witch who is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter with the power of inspiration. In You Can't Run From Who You Are, Cleo sits in a circle of candles. Alaric guides her, instructing her to relax and to just let the inspiration flow out of her. It doesn't work. She believes that muses cannot choose whom they inspire or rather perhaps she's terrible at being one. She wants to stop since this clearly isn't working. Hope believes that they'll eventually learn how to activate her powers, then she'll inspire them to have something against Malivore; an advantage. Jed offers to let it come naturally and to quit trying to force it. Alaric believes Jed is on to something. Perhaps they need to focus on what inspires her, instead of her trying to inspire others. Hope makes a quip about Kaleb's love game and is inspired by Cleo. She has an idea on how to defeat Malivore, but needs to do some research in the meantime. Likewise, Alaric, too, is inspired. He believes their monster problem is connected to the artifact, which they know was in Triad's possession. Maybe there's a clue in their old headquarters. Cleo offers to accompany him; Kaleb follows suit and offers his skill set to the mission. Together, they set off for Triad Industries. At the abandoned headquarters, the place looks trashed and looted of valuables. Cleo believes she gave him an unhelpful idea and that perhaps she can inspire a better one on the way home. Kaleb agrees and suggests that they should grab something to eat on the way back, but Alaric has found the electric control panel. He learns that there's two fire suppression systems, one for the artifacts room there in, and another one elsewhere. They find a sarcophagus, hiding a door in plain sight. It's a records room; Triad's documentation on all their supernatural objects. If they know anything about the history of the artifact, it'd be in here. They split up and begin their search. As Cleo searches a filing cabinet, Kaleb appears and uses his vamp speed to search the files. Nothing mentions the artifact. Cleo, however, remains unimpressed. He asks her out on a date; he was thinking they could get drinks at the Tap, barbecue from The Pit Stop, and then they could go moonlit dancing on the roof of the old clock tower. She admits that it sounds fun, but passes on the offer. Kaleb thinks he needs to up his game, but misses Cleo's point. She doesn't like it when he tries to impress her or be cool. She wants him to drop the act and be honest. She questions if that is something he is capable of and leaves him alone. Despite finding some clues, their mission is cut short by the activation of the fire suppression system. They make their way back home, though the car ride is silent. Kaleb offers to grab some dinner, and she mocks him, believing he was incapable of speech. Kaleb changes attitudes and tells her she's right. It's not easy for him to be vulnerable, like admitting the real reason he went on the mission. In truth, he wanted to come to have her back, in case Malivore sent another monster after her. His concern over her is actually very sweet and thanks him for being honest with her. He apologizes that it took so long, but the last time he was vulnerable with someone, he ended up dead and becoming a vampire. She tells him that she has a free evening coming up and that she's sure that he'll tell her about it sometime. It's a date and he's excited. In I Was Made To Love You, Hope, banging on Lizzie's door, gains Cleo's attention. She tells her that Lizzie's off campus and offers her assistance. Hope knows something is wrong with Landon and needs a second opinion. Hope dismisses her as she needs someone that knows him. She's adamant to help, though. Perhaps that will change, once people start letting her in on what is going on instead of trying to conceal things. Hope's not looking for another witch. She was hoping that Lizzie would have some leftover supplies to perform various magical tests on Landon. Cleo believes Hope; she doesn't need another witch, she needs a friend. Together, they can get to the bottom of things. At the Old Mill, Hope has Landon under a sleep spell and trapped behind a boundary spell on the mill. As he wakes, he's upset, though Cleo offers they're here as friends to help. As Landon tries to leave he discovers the boundary spell. Cleo believes Landon and feels that imprisoning him is wrong. Hope, however, tells her that she doesn't know him and that the boundary spell traps supernatural beings. Landon accepts their help and agrees to their tests. Hope wants a blood sample, but Cleo suggests there could be another way. Drawing blood, they discover that it's not blood, but Malivore mud. Using the Truth Sphere, they learn at the very least what Landon is telling them, he believes. The questioning doesn't prove or disprove who, or what, he is. Landon tells Hope that he loves her with every fiber of his being and that it was like he was made to love her. Cleo believes Landon and believes him not to be a monster, but Hope doesn't. There's one other option that Hope thinks she can do to prove who he is. She pulls out a syringe of her blood. It's dangerous, Cleo tells her. She urges Hope to reconsider before someone gets hurt. Hope ignores her sentiments and tells Landon that only a couple drops should be enough. Landon has an adverse reaction to the blood and his arm begins to dissolve. She begs Hope to make it stop and Hope releases the boundary spell and rushes by his side. Hope pleads with her to help, but she feels that it's too late for that. Hope is still not sure that she believes him. Cleo is sure he is Landon. He's passed her tests. Hope concludes that Malivore is using him as a vessel, and if that is true, he would be the one person she couldn't bring herself to fight. Cleo wishes their circumstances were different. Hope does too and asks her to retrieve Alaric. Cleo does as she's asked and heads to the Headmaster's office. She tells Alaric that something is wrong with Landon and suggests he bring his deadliest weapon. Caught off guard by Leonardo DaVinci's appearance, they reunite in conversation. The Necromancer picks up that they know each other as Alaric questions how it's possible. Not wanting to prolong the reunion, she telekinetically takes the axe from Alaric and exits his office, spelling them behind a boundary spell. Cleo arrives back at the Old Mill as Hope forces Golem-Landon her blood and completely dissolves. As Hope stands and turns around, Cleo runs the axe into her stomach and forces her up against a pillar. Hope thought she was her friend but Cleo admits she has tried to be and she has gone great lengths to give them both what they wanted most. However, time has ran out. This is what it has come to and perhaps if she cared about anything other than Landon, she could have seen it, too. Hope denounces her as a monster, but she knows nothing of who she is. The things that she has seen and where she has come from. She offers that she may tell her once she revives because she intends on forcing Hope to live up to her potential. To live up to her destiny as the one who was able to open the artifact and to end Malivore and to free her. Hope is shocked to learn that she was in the artifact, and Cleo tells her that she was there for centuries. Hope, however, has had enough talking and wants to fight. She breaks the axe handle and pulls the sharpened point from her stomach. She calls Hope stubborn and that the axe was mercy. If she wants to fight, she'll burn her alive with her magic. Cleo raises her hand and casts the spell, but is interrupted. She's knocked out from behind and falls to the floor, unconscious. In One Day You Will Understand, Cleo spelled behind a barrier with a candle. Kaleb blows the candle out to enter the art room but she ignores him and continues to draw. He tells her that Alaric plans to retrieve the artifact and seal her back into it, but she remains unfazed and accepts her fate. Her attitude only enrages him and he berates her for not being honest and real, something he finds hypocritical of her. She stands and faces him, telling him that she's no hypocrite or a villain that the school thinks she is. No longer able to hide her past, she tells him that she'll prove it and shares her story. She takes his hands and shares her memories with him, watching her memories unfold as if he was there, learning that Malivore came to her village. In order to protect her grandmother and the village, she offered to become Malivore's prisoner and the sacrifices she had to make to keep the people she most cared about safe. Josie is the next student to come to Cleo, who is molding clay. She can't imagine why she would come to her, they don't even know one another. However, Josie's an impartial judge as opposed to Alaric and Kaleb and thought she was the best choice. She explains that she, too, had a run in with black magic and did terrible things to the people that she loved. Cleo reaffirms that she's no villain. She explains that Malivore wanted her to create and that was the only way she made friends. Josie mistakes her comment from something great, but it's not. Being sent to judge her, Cleo takes her hands and shows her past memories during her time imprisoned with Malivore. She was alone for years and forced to create monsters as a means for Malivore to consume them. She's upset for having to relive the memories herself, but she continues and shows her how she escaped. After Josie spoke to Alaric, he finally came to visit her in the art room. She believes him to be lost, but figures he's there to seal her away himself. Kaleb and Josie have shed light on her past, but he knows something is missing and asks for her to explain why she tried to kill Hope. However, Cleo already knows that he knows the answer. Hope is the only solution to kill Malivore and she must die to do it. Alaric, no matter if she's right, is unwilling to accept that answer. Since her arrival at the school, she had hoped to find a different way. Alaric wants to see her truth and she agrees to share her memories. She explains how she was sealed in the artifact for centuries until Hope released her and she followed her to the school where she eventually enrolled. Learning that it was in need of financial assistance, she helped by creating a golem of a leprechaun from Malivore's mud. She also explains she did not summon the Ferryman, but made him too as she has made so many before. However, her most important was only necessary because Hope refused to let Landon go and she could not have her open up a portal to the prison world and risk Malivore's escape. However, Malivore learned of her escape and the monsters that followed were from Malivore. She tried to keep them safe without revealing her origins, but that became impossible and was forced to switch tactics. Alaric, however, knows Hope has lost so much, family included, and can't let her lose her human life, too. She continues to explain that she, too, knows lost and after she escaped Malivore could not risk her friends and family's lives and was forced to stay away. She eventually met and fell in love with Leonardo DaVinci and inspired him to create the artifact that she infused with magic to shield her from Malivore. She sealed herself away for centuries. It wasn't a true life, but it was painless. With that, her full story is complete. He apologies to her but needs to know whether or not she will try to kill Hope again. Cleo tells him that she will not sacrifice Hope's life, as that is her choice to make. With his decision made, Alaric determines that her fate is her own to decide and releases her from the art room. Before they part ways, he tells her that the school was created for students like herself, and that there will always be a place for her, if she chooses to stay. She, however, chooses to leave the school in search of a fresh start. Later that night, she sits and waits for the bus at the bus stop. Landon joins her as she moves over and he introduces himself. She remembers him as the one who kidnapped her. He knows her as the one who tried to murder his ex-girlfriend. All in all, they had their reasons for their actions and neither are the villains they were thought to be. They both have decided to leave Mystic Falls. Curious, Landon asks where she's heading. She tells him that she's leaving to find another way to kill Malivore. Interested, Landon asks if she needs a hand and they smile at one another. In Fate's A Bitch, Isn't It?, she and Landon break into an Art Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. The museum has an exhibit with works from Leonardo DaVinci on loan from the Italian government. Their presence doesn't go unnoticed and they're confronted by two security guards. Cleo casts a sleeping spell on one while Landon violently assaults the other. She berates him for the violence, but he finds it ironic given the lengths she went to try and kill Hope. Regardless, she now has the heart that she sculpted that was mistaken for Leonardo's. They return to their motel room at the Morning Bird Motel. She's still angry at Landon, believing that his actions could have jeopardized her entire mission. He's not interested in the lecture on violence and reminds her that he literally had to stop her from murdering Hope and that this is their mission. They're supposed to be in this together. They are, but after last night, she believes this to not be the Landon Kirby that was in Hope's heart. He brings up the topic of the fake Landon that she created, but she dismisses him. She has spent centuries running from Malivore and all that she has done, right or wrong, has been so she may stop doing so. That is why she agreed to the partnership. Like her, she believed he would understand. Arriving at their room, she realizes she has lost her key card. Landon gives her his. He reaffirms his drive for wanting Malivore gone, too, but tells her that she's going to have to learn to trust him. With the heart she stole from the museum, she confirms that she had made it from Malivore mud. With it, she can cast a locator spell to find the portal. Landon wants to know what is next. Cleo wants to seal it. She has a vial of Hope's blood that she took from the school's medical supplies. With it, she believes they can trap Malivore in the prison world long enough to find a way to eliminate him. As a muse, she is confident that inspiration will come to her. Cleo notices that the mud isn't moving and grows angry. The spell has failed for some reason and believes their whole mission to the museum was for nothing. She storms out of the room. Landon comes to talk to her, but she doesn't believe he can make her feel any better. They're still partners and he thinks he has got to at least try. He tells her that he knows what it's like to feel trapped and being pursued by monsters in the prison world. He never knew how he was going to get out or if or when Malivore might show up and devour him. Cleo expresses a similar feeling after she escaped his captivity and fled to Italy. There, she found love and swore she would never be his prisoner again. Landon attempts to reaffirm this, but Cleo isn't so sure. Regardless, anyone that wants to get to her is going to have to go through him first. He's speech does make her feel better and she has another idea. Later, back in the motel room, she wants to try and inspire Landon. She's not done this since the Renaissance when she lived in Florence with Leonardo. Her powers inspired his creativity and it was the ultimate demonstration of their love and trust, which gave rise to his greatest creations. She hopes this could do the same for him so that he could help her against Malivore as DaVinci once did. She instructs him to simply focus his thoughts and that true inspiration will come. All he needs to do is look into her eyes and open up his mind to her. She asks what he feels and he describes it as the world is a pebble in a vast, infinite ocean of light and darkness, full of possibilities. It is not a pebble, but a seed; the shell of an idea, she explains. She wants him to narrow his focus on their problem and pick it up. Allow the idea inside to take root and grow. The inspiration takes hold and Landon now knows what he has to do. However, before they can continue, Hope and Ryan Clarke burst into the motel room. Hope is shocked to see the two together, unconvinced that they're also searching for the Malivore portal. Hope storms out but Cleo follows her. She catches up to her and she wants to explain. She would like her to understand why she did the things she's done that may have caused her. Hope reminds her that she attempted to kill her and now she's found her with her ex-boyfriend. She's truly sorry and, looking back, she now sees how drastic the measures she took to try and put an end to Malivore had unintended consequences. Not just for her but for the people she has come to regard as friends. Especially her. More than anyone, she understands what it means to bear the burden of a destiny she can't escape. She also explains that as for her and Landon, all they have shared is their mission to stop Malivore. Hope confesses that she still loves him and Cleo tells her that she should tell him that. She also hopes that when everything is over and Malivore is stopped, they can become friends again. After she parts ways with Cleo, she finds Landon stealing a car. Landon demands that they must leave. Given her advice to Hope, she wonders if they had spoken. Landon claims to not need her thanks to her inspiration. Cleo is taken aback by his change in attitude. They are partners and her needs should matter. She wants to know what idea she inspired, but Landon won't say. Instead, he wants her to get into the car. What trust she had for him has since faded, and she refused. Not until he tells her his intentions. The Landon before her, however, isn't Landon. It's Malivore and he consumed her. Trapped in darkness, Cleo wanders, alone. She calls out, asking if anybody is there. Creatures in the darkness shriek and frighten her. On second thought, she says to herself, forget that I asked. Despite the infinite darkness, a light in the distance appears to her. Whatever that is, it must be better than this place and she makes her way towards the light. |
In You Have to Pick One This Time, Cleo wakes to familiar surroundings. She's in her grandmother's hut when she walks in, who tells her that some of her sisters will be joining them for dinner. Her excitement is quickly extinguished as she remembers that her sisters, as well as she, are dead. She wonders if she's in the afterlife, but her grandmother's demeanor suddenly changes. It's a fabricated reality within Malivore's darkness and the illusion before her is Malivore. He tells her that this world can be whatever she wants, endless peace or misery. Her choice, however, comes at a cost of just one favor-a single, inspired solution to his problem.
Cleo accepts Malivore's offer and the peaceful reality remains intact. Eventually two of her sisters come to join her in the hut and they prepare dinner. They're excited about how their baby sister has grown into a beautiful young woman and has inspired people all across the world. Cleo admits there's no other place she'd rather be than with her family and the three of them hug. The door opens and she's surprised to find MG and Hope. With her sisters caught off guard, she tells them that she's invited her friends for dinner. Hope, however, begins to ask about Landon and deviates from MG's plan to be inspired to rescue Cleo. They begin to argue and the fabricated reality falls apart and they're returned to darkness.
In the darkness and upset, she tells Hope to leave, that she's done enough. Likewise, MG is upset that this isn't a part of his plan. Hope, though, has had enough of make-believe and admits that she's learned this lesson the hard way and what it's like to want to hold on to something even after it's gone. The only problem is that the illusion never lasts. She reminds her that they are her friends and they're real and come to help her. She confides in Hope that she's been alone and used to fighting for herself and did not believe anyone would come. To recuse her, though, they need her muse powers to inspire a plan to lead the way. Despite their attempts, Malivore arrives, his consciousness having been alerted with the disrupted dinner party. He quickly sends Hope and MG into another fabricated reality, and returns Cleo back to hers.
Sometime later, as her grandmother tends to her, Cleo calls out to Malivore. Her grandmother disappears and Malivore sits before her, wondering if any inspiration has struck. She claims that it has, but not for him. Instead it was for her friends. He proclaims to make her suffer, though she tells him to do his worst. All she needs to do is endure it until her friends rescue her.
In There's No I In Team, or Whatever, Cleo wanders within Malivore's darkness alone. Coming to her grandmother's hut, it's on fire and screams permeate the surrounding area. She attempts to put the fires out, but her magic is useless and she succumbs to the pain and suffering. She pleads with Malivore to make it stop and that she'll give him what he wants, though she needs time. Someone approaches her. It's Landon Kirby, who tells her they get to get her out of there.
She and Landon wander the darkness together and talk. Landon's curious about what Malivore wants from her and she explains that he wants to know how to kill the tribrid. Landon cuts her off, not wanting to learn anything that would help Malivore. Cleo attempts to focus on other topics of conversation. For Malivore need only concentrate on what he wishes to know, and she can inspire him to realize it. She believes the longer she is here, the more likely she will fail. Changing topics, Landon asks if she's ever been in love, to which she tells him about Leonardo DaVinci. The stronger her feelings are for someone, the more powerfully she inspires them. For Leonardo, he helped change the world, advancing art and science profoundly. Landon shudders to think what becoming the tribrid will do to change Hope and to the supernatural world. He believes she would be an immortal, unstoppable force of nature and the daughter of one of history's most ruthless killers. Cleo unintentionally inspires a solution to kill the tribrid.
Cleo pleads with Landon to not to leave her, but he tells her that if she's figured out a way to kill the tribrid, then she needs to get away from him and get out of Malivore. He explains that there are doors back to their world, she just has to find one. She's a muse and should inspire herself for a change. They exchange goodbyes and part ways.
In We All Knew This Day Was Coming, in Malivore's darkness, Cleo continues to wander alone. She's frustrated over Landon's suggestion to inspire herself. She believes it's useless, because within the darkness, she's as blind as a bat. However, inspiration has struck. An idea comes to her and she casts a spell. The small orb of sound radiates outward through the darkness until something emits a sound back. There's something out there in the darkness, and she heads towards it.
Eventually, she comes to a door leading her into an ice cream parlor filled with shadow monsters. Looking around, she realizes that the freezer is a way out and narrowly escapes after waking the creatures.
Cleo wakes in the woods, seemingly free from Malivore. Jed stumbles upon her in the woods and Cleo asks about Hope. She explains that she's found a way that Malivore may be able to destroy her and he might have already figured it out too. The two rush back to the Salvatore School to warn her.
Cleo and Jed finally reach the school but upon opening the doors, Cleo finds herself once again in the darkness. She's never left and it was all a trick. Jed was Malivore and he was inspired by a new approach. He's even impressed himself with this level of detail and more importantly, about how to destroy the tribrid. Malivore disappears and Cleo breaks down, defeated.
In See You On The Other Side, in the Darkness, Landon beats on a closet door but Cleo eventually finds and rescues him.
Landon thanks her for coming to rescue him, but also questions how he can trust her, and that she's not Malivore. Cleo assures him that Malivore is not focused on either of them at the moment. He now has the idea on how to kill Hope because he tricked Cleo. They need to get out of the darkness, but for her they need not move. She's wondered how Malivore has created things within the Darkness. This place exists inside of him and thus made of him. She dips her hand into the floor, pulling out Malivore mud, and explains that she'll make them a doorway out.
Cleo continues with her plan on making a doorway out of Malivore. Landon asks if he can help, but the process is more difficult than Cleo first believes. Despite her quip, she offers him some Malivore mud, instructing him to help her make a handle. As she hands him the mud, a tendril shoots up from the darkness and grabs Landon, but Cleo uses her magic to stop it. Landon is confused as to what it was, but Cleo believes that someone is attempting to summon him.
Eventually, Cleo is finished with the door, though unknown to her, Malivore has replaced Landon's consciousness and now posing as him. "Landon" questions where the door will send them and she explains that it will take them back to their world. Landon, however, reminds her that he's not in control of his own body, but Cleo's spell takes that into account. The door will create a new vessel for his consciousness until they can return him back to his own body.
Cleo declares it is time to go and Malivore reveals himself to her. As he told her centuries ago, he is not letting her go and walks through the door. The bright light quickly fades for him to only realize that it's not a doorway out. Cleo has constructed him a coffin, determined to not fall for his tricks again. She shuts the door and Malivore is trapped.
Still trapped in Darkness, Malivore punches out of her coffin. He admits that Cleo is clever but her traps never hold him for long. When he escapes he will search the world for the weapon to kill the tribrid. Cleo is adamant that he will do no such thing. Hope has fulfilled her destiny and Malivore's death rages towards them. Fire consuming the Darkness and everything within it. Malivore takes comfort that she will die with him, but a tendril grabs her wrist and wraps around her. Malivore is confused and demands to know what magic this is. She only explains that it's a squad thing and she's pulled out from the darkness as Malivore is consumed.
Cleo has been pulled from Malivore by Josie, finding herself back at the Salvatore School surrounded by Josie, Jed, Wade, and Finch. They're all happy to see her and they all embrace in a hug until Wade asks about Landon. Cleo gives them all a disappointed look.
That night, she and Alaric confronts Kaleb in a cage in the gym. Kaleb doesn't know what he was thinking, but love blinded him. It's a story Alaric knows well and Cleo steps into the gym, surprising Kaleb. Alaric hands her the key to Kaleb's cage though he's speechless at seeing her alive and here before him. He questions how she's here, but that is a story best told on their first date. Kaleb accepts her proposal.
In I Thought You'd Be Happier To See Me, Cleo spent the night in the art room until Kaleb finds her there in the morning. Inspiration strikes at strange times. Kaleb could use some inspiration for himself, considering how things ended with Landon, how he handed Hope over to Malivore and basically sold out the school with her. He's looking for a way to make it up to everyone. Cleo can't help Landon, but Kaleb is another story. She just has to figure out how. Kaleb figures that she must be good at forgiveness, because she straight up tried to murder Hope, making light of things, though Cleo is not amused with his comment. He apologizes, attempting to use humor to mask his true emotions. Cleo advises him that all he needs to do is be honest with him, just as she was.
Eventually they learn that Dr. Saltzman is in the hospital. She and Kaleb arrive shortly after MG, asking about Alaric and Hope. Lizzie is furious to see him.
Alaric's situation grows grim. As Kaleb gets off the phone with Finch, they learn that Hope's not at the school. MG tells everyone that Professor Vardemus has explained to him that since Alaric is in a coma, their blood can't heal him enough to wake him. The human brain doesn't heal so easily. The doctors have also stopped by and told them that they won't know the extent of the damage until Alaric wakes up; if he wakes up, Lizzie retorts. Cleo has an idea. Like they reached her in Malivore, they want them to use a head dive. They might be able to find and bring him back. Lizzie admits that's a good idea, but doesn't trust Kaleb enough to do it since he sold them out to Malivore. She entrusts the task to MG, who accepts. As they depart, Kaleb admits he deserved that. Cleo believes that Hope could need their help if there was another monster involved. Together, they set off to find her.
Later, Cleo and Kaleb eventually find where Hope was, though she's no longer there. The place reeks of blood and they find the charred corpse. Hope's gone. Cleo proposes they find her another way, and that this isn't their first date. Kaleb questions how she reminds so positive. She's overcome things that others would have believed impossible, and until recently, had to do it alone. Having him seems easier, no matter how daunting. Kaleb declares that he's not going anywhere and they seal their pack with an old fashioned kiss.
That night, they make it back to Mystic Falls Hospital in time for Finch and Ethan's candlelight vigil for Alaric in support of Lizzie and Josie. Wade lights their candles.
In You're A Long Way From Home, Hope walks down a deserted street in New Orleans, but comes to a stop. Hope quickly notices her, who claims to only want to talk. Cleo, however, is merely a poor distraction while the others get into position, which doesn't go unnoticed. With their cover blown, Josie, MG, Kaleb, Jed, and Ethan step out and they all confront Hope. Hope questions if her warning was too subtle, though they're here to help. Calling Kaleb a traitor, MG tries to rally them, to not let her get into their heads. Cleo tries to reach out to her, but Hope makes the first move. Using her magic, she blasts them outward. Kaleb recovers first, but Hope uses her vampire speed to throw him back into a wooden table, staking him in the process. Taking the stake, she throws it at MG, killing him, too. Cleo, now back on her feet, tries to use her magic to subdue her, but Hope is quicker and immobilizes her first. Jed rushes Hope, trying to overpower her with physical attacks, though she's stronger and manages to rip his heart out. Ethan, still new to his powers, has no choice but to run. He disappears and runs away, but Hope can still hear him. Using a manhole cover, she decapitates him. With Hope momentarily distracted, Josie casts a sleeping spell on her and she collapses to the ground. Hope is prepared, however, and fakes out the spell to gain the upperhand against Josie, vamping behind her to break her neck. Cleo, still immobilized, is the last one remaining. Hope expected this much from them, but not her. Hope knows there's a weapon that can kill her but Cleo doesn't have it, nor did the others know about it. Regardless, Hope casts the incendia spell, burning Cleo alive where she stood.
Cleo wakes up on the gym floor of the Salvatore Boarding School in a screaming panic. Their simulation in the Therapy Box has failed, again. The bell rings and they depart for class. Josie hangs back and asks Cleo what happened to her after they all died. Cleo only claims that the usual happened, neglecting to inform them of the weapon capable of killing Hope.
In the library, Cleo combs through a dendrology text, researching trees. Finch is there, too, watching maps spelled to track Hope. Finch doesn't really know why she's there when it's obvious that Hope doesn't want to be found. Cleo explains that they all have people who they will go to extraordinary lengths for. Flipping through her text and landing on a page of Red Oak leaves, Finch says she's seen that tree before. In fact, it's in the garden next to the cherry blossoms. Their bright red leaves are hard to miss. Cleo thanks her, but Finch quips that she can repay her with a spell for nausea. She believes that Hope is just going around in a big circle. Rearranging the maps, they make a smiley face. To their dismay, they haven't been tracking Hope.
Cleo admires life from the Red Oak tree in the garden, noting that it's grown so quickly. Lizzie has been looking for her. As much as she'd love to get lost in a memory, she needs some translation help because she's not a polyglot. Cleo knows enough to realize that the symbols are ancient. Lizzie believes that, based on the drawings, it's a spell to bring someone back to life. She questions if thought it would work on Alaric. Cleo tells her that this spell may be further than she should consider going. Lizzie questions just how far the spell asks to take her. The spell, however, would require a human sacrifice.
Cleo barges on the training field and tells MG and Josie that they may have a Lizzie problem on their hands.
Back in the therapy box, Cleo confronts Hope, Red Oak stake in hand. This time will be different. She had a vision of a tree and she should have known that Nature would have created balance near the place of the tribrid's birth. Since she came alone, Hope reasons that she still hasn't told anyone about it, but Cleo wants to test her theory first. Cleo casts a spell as Hope vamps towards her. Cleo teleports behind her and stakes her in the heart from the back. Hope immediately begins to desiccate and turn to ash and ember, blowing away in the wind. Cleo is ejected from the device as Lizzie and Josie enter the gym. They would like to use the Therapy Box and ask for a minute alone.
In Someplace Far Away From All This Violence, outside in the garden, Cleo chats with "Kaleb", rather her consciousness through the prism. She stands at the Red Oak tree, wondering with herself if the tree can really kill a tribrid. She is certain that it will. She is less sure about who she should share this information with. Kaleb questions that she's here talking with him, but Cleo counters that keeping secrets has only ever brought her trouble and she wants to trust her own subconsciousness, as well as her friends. Kaleb doesn't believe she can trust them with his information. He explains that they've all done dumb things for what they've believed were good reasons for the people they care about. Case in point, Kaleb handing Hope over to Malivore to save her. She admits this is not the answer she wished to hear, but Kaleb believes it could be the right one, otherwise she would be talking with the real Kaleb. If she is going to make a mistake this time, it will be trusting her friends and not by deceiving them. Her subconscious hopes she is right and he is wrong and disappears.
Cleo gathers with MG, Josie, Finch, and Ethan. The key to bringing back Hope's humanity lies within their past and she tasks them with focusing on their fondest memories they've shared. Ethan and Finch shared worried looks with one another. Regardless, they're each inspired with potential ideas on how to reach Hope's humanity. Josie's idea will need a lot of preparation whereas Cleo's will require some digging, though she's uncertain it will work. Ethan and Finch are rather new to their collective friendship and don't have many memories of Hope and come up short. MG wants them to leave it to those who know Hope best. Before they can continue, a magical alarm sounds, stemming from Alaric's weapon cabinet which Josie spelled after Cleo first tried to kill Hope. MG assembles the squad and vamps off with Josie and Cleo, leaving Ethan and Finch behind.
In Alaric's office, Hope stands in front of his empty weapons cabinet. Josie questions why she's here, but Hope only quips that she's preemptively annoyed with the weapons gone. Cleo believes the action to be prudent, given their history. MG questions why she even needs weapons. Hope explains that it's a long story, but she may need to kill some vampires, werewolves, and witches and the school is a one stop shop. Josie mistakes Hope comment for a threat against them and the school, but she clarifies that she's talking about the Triad. However, if they don't get her the weapons she needs, she begins before being cut off by MG. They'll give her anything that she needs, but in exchange for what they need first. Hope makes it clear that she could kill them all, though they're well aware of that, just like she knows they will do just about anything to get her humanity back. Josie explains that Hope might as well let them give their best shot first, unless she's too scared. Hope entertains the thought. If she allows it, and they fail, they will have to let her go. Otherwise, she wonders if she'll have to find her absentee mother. The last point is merely a joke, sort of. Cleo doesn't want anyone getting hurt, including Hope, and questions if they accept their terms. All she'll have to do is listen. She questions who she'll have to listen to, but MG tells her all of them. Admittedly, she has some time to kill before she has to kill and agrees.
Halfway through MG's Salvatore Ido, Cleo comes up on stage as Landon. Hope assumes he's a golem created from his remains, but Cleo clarifies that she's using the illusion ring. She has a letter that he left behind. The letter ultimately wishes her well and hopes that she will live out the rest of her eternal life doing all the things they talked about. She's not alone and has friends that will never give up on her. His wish is for her to have a long and happy life and for her to remember that he will always love her; forever. Hope does feel something, though truthfully, it's boredom. Cleo removes the ring and another star bursts into flames. She thanks Cleo. She pushed her to accept the transition and, if not for all her secrets, this could have all been avoided. Hope is done with the games and wants to skip to the end. Looking over to Ethan, Finch, and MG that remain. Hope assumes that Ethan is going to use some hokey sports metaphor, finding identity in a team. She passes and a star goes up in flames. She subs Finch in Josie's spot. Josie taught her not to be a lone wolf, which is a cover for her codependency and another star is engulfed in fire. Lastly, for MG, if his game were to be televised, it would be canceled and rate it zero stars with the final star going up in flames. With the game over, Hope demands for her weapons.
Later that night, Cleo has another talk with her subconscious in the form of Kaleb. Landon had told her about the letter he wrote while they were trapped within the darkness together. She believed that his word could have reached Hope, but she was wrong. Instead she got another answer. She thought she would have found a moment to tell the others about the tree, but she no longer believes that to be a good idea. Looking over at Finch unconscious on a couch, she reiterates her subconsciousness' words from before. They do stupid things for the people they love. If Finch and Ethan had known of the tree's existence when they confronted Hope, today's outcome would have been worse. Either way, she was right, it was her subconscious and Kaleb tells her to keep her hopes up and that she'll figure this out. Setting the prism down, Finch awakens, wondering who she was talking to. Finch dismisses her question, telling her to lie down. She is lucky to have survived her encounter with Hope. Finch questions about Josie, who's been trapped within the therapy box.
In You Will Remember Me, Josie remains trapped within the therapy box as Finch continues to watch over her. She questions MG and Cleo whether or not they can just pull her out, though MG explains that Professor Vardemus advises against doing that. It's risky and she should finish it out on her own. Finch is more concern with Hope tampering with the therapy box and that she could be enduring torture or repeatedly dying. Lizzie bursts into the room, claiming she's fine. At first, it's probably a bit scary, but if her experience is anything like her own, it will be revelatory. Cleo asks Lizzie about what happened to her during her simulation the previous night. She tells Cleo that she knows of a way to deal with their Hope problem. With Lizzie gone, they took their best shot at reaching Hope and failed and she doesn't want their help. Lizzie quips back that if Salvatore's Got No Talent is their best shot, then they're in major trouble. They’re lucky Hope didn't murder the entire school, though that might change if she returns. Cleo doesn't believe Hope will return to the school, but Lizzie wants to prepare in case she's wrong. They need to be ready for Hope and MG departs to train with Ethan. Finch remains by Josie's bedside in case she wakes up. Cleo asks Lizzie if she needs help with her plan, but Lizzie already knows what she needs to do. Although she can use some inspiration for the how part.
In the garden, Cleo chops wood. She's chopped down the Red Oak tree that Hope, Lizzie, and Josie created. MG approaches her, believing he's come for some inspiration. He thinks her work looks therapeutic and takes the ax. He's worried about Lizzie. She grabbed him to help with her mysterious plan and it kind of bothered him. Hope was right. Being the leader is lonely. She reassures him. Sometimes the right decisions are the hardest ones to make. She explains that Lizzie asked to inspire her, but similarly she doesn't think she's thinking clearly and turned her down. MG believes she's protecting her from herself. Cleo confides in him her burden. She explains to him about the tree she's chopping down and how it can kill Hope. She questions if she should destroy it to protect Hope or begin sharpening it to protect the world from her. MG reasons that when Hope was at the school, she handed her a sword to see if he had the guts to kill. He reiterates her words, that he was weak because he wouldn't go that far. She was right. He wouldn't go that far and believes that Hope is still one of them. He tells her she should burn it. Cleo accepts his advice and, casting a spell, sets the wood on fire. Unbeknownst to them, Lizzie and Ethan uncloak themselves from Lizzie's magic, having heard their entire conversation.
Later that night, Cleo finds Lizzie in Alaric's study. She tells her that Josie has awakened from the therapy box and tells her why she didn't inspire her today. The truth was, she was afraid she wasn't being honest and worried what that might inspire her to do. Likewise, that wasn't very honest of her. She tells Lizzie that she became aware of a weapon that can kill the tribrid, but kept it to herself, too afraid what others might choose to do with it. Now, she's destroyed it. Lizzie tells her she did the right things, though that response isn't what Cleo expected. Lizzie explains she was in a dark place and if she got ahold of a weapon that could kill Hope, she might have done something awful. She tells them they're good and Cleo accepts.
In I Can't Be the One to Stop You, MG calls a squad meeting, which is Ethan's first official meeting, though only she and him are in attendance. They have team members MIA. Lizzie took off last night without a word, and Jed and Kaleb have also been gone for a while. MG questions if Cleo knows anything, but hasn't. Ethan assumes they're dating, though Cleo turns the question back at them for not defining what either one has with Lizzie. Without a real emergency, they have nothing to do. Mr. Springthorpe, however, counters that idea. They should all be in class, which they're skipping. As long as Dr. Saltzman is indisposed, and he is their acting headmaster, he will enforce them going to class since there's no need for their squad with Malivore gone. Jed barges into the Great Hall carrying the man from before, seemingly recovered, at least from Kaleb's dragon fire, though still by all appearances a walking corpse. Mr. Springthorpe faints at the sight while Jed explains that they still have a monster problem, and it's Kaleb.
She, Jed, MG, and Ethan bring the man into the gymnasium. She bandages him while Jed explains that they don't know who he is and when he and Kaleb found him, he'd just been ripped apart by an Argus. Then he literally started putting himself back together. They were on their way back to the school to get answers from him when Kaleb blew up his car and burned the guy. Regardless, they won't be able to get any answers until his mouth heals. MG elects to go look for Kaleb and Cleo joins him. Jed will remain behind to watch over the man. Ethan decides to stay behind, too. If this guy is dangerous, then he'll help keep people safe.
Cleo, with a map in hand, and MG search the woods for Kaleb. Cleo is sure everything is going to be fine. He knows she's trying to give Kaleb some space, but tells her that it's okay to be worried about him. The same can be said about him and Lizzie. He explains how Kaleb even spent that whole time working on what he was going to say after they found her. How she made him want to be a better version of himself. This is something that Kaleb hasn't told her, but MG reassures him that it's okay to let herself be worried about him. Shortly, they come across Kaleb. He's on the ground with a tree branch sticking out of his side.
Kaleb is nearly unconscious, but realizes that she and MG have found him. MG removes the stake, but Kaleb explains that the stake was what was stopping him. His monster side was taking over, and he couldn't control it. He had to slow himself down and buy Jed some time so he could get away. Cleo believes the act to be very noble and tells him that his plan worked. Jed and the man just arrived at the school a few hours ago. Kaleb, however, is worried that Jed took the man to the school. That man was the reason he was losing control and he's not the only one at the school that's half monster.
Later that night, she joins Kaleb is back at the school, while he's recovering. She wonders if the urge is still there. He explains that it's like a whisper in his head, telling him to kill the bandaged man. The closer he is to him, the louder it gets. He doesn't think he should stick around for much longer and resolves to leave to find a solution. Cleo offers her help, but he doesn't want her worrying over him. He wants her to see that he can beat this monster thing on his own, but she's already seen that with his actions today. Besides, she is allowed to worry about her boyfriend. He accepts, solidifying their relationship.
In The Story of My Life, at the Salvatore School, she, MG, and Jed, convene a council meeting as leaders of their respective factions. The school is in disarray and they must decide what to do with their new guest, Ben. Though he doesn't pose a direct threat, yet, his presence is drawing monsters to him and could destabilize the school further. MG understands that he's a monster magnet and though he's usually for inclusion, they must look after their own before losing someone else. MG votes that he must go. Cleo, however, offers a counter. She may be able to find an inspired solution for what made Kaleb and Ethan attack Ben, but only if he remains at the school for her to study him. Cleo votes for him to stay. The tie breaking vote falls to Jed. He feels unqualified, but Cleo is quick to remind him that he's the alpha and that is the only qualification necessary. Jed understands both of their view points. He was the guy who used to punch new kids and distrust outsiders, however, he believes that the school is a better place for having Cleo. Before he can vote, he needs to talk to Ben and figure out if the risk is worth the reward.
Sometime later, Cleo inspires Finch to take the entire school on an impromptu field trip. She's been very depressed since Josie left, though she and the rest of the school remain unaware of the newest monster. The students will still be in danger but Cleo is adamant that they need an inspired solution. MG wants her to change her vote, believing that Hope's words were right about him and what it takes to be a leader. They've just not been pushed far enough to realize it yet. While Hope's humanity is off, that is their only advantage and she asks for his help in trapping the monster and trust that she will find a solution to return their friends.
While she examines Ben's blood, she spell him and Jed behind a barrier spell in the library.
After some time, Cleo believes she's discovered an answer for Ben. Coming back to the library, she discovers Ben has left. Jed explains that he's walked right through her barrier because he's a god. With a sample of his blood, she places it on a tuning fork, though it hums at a frequency that even Jed can't hear. Monsters can, though, and that's how they track him. If she can spell a solution to mute this frequency, then maybe she can free Ben from his curse. Jed also shows her that the quill he was attacked with is wooden, and MG is out looking for the monster.
Out in the woods, she and Jed eventually arrive to find MG with Ben's severed forearm. It's the story of his life. Jed believes he knows what his deal is. As Cleo warns MG about the monster, it attacks them, throwing them in all directions. They refuse to leave and Cleo clasps an enchanted bracelet around Ben's left arm as Jed attacks the creature. The creature reappears before them, but Cleo's spell works and the creature submits to them; free from attacking them, it becomes docile and friendly.
Later that night and back at the Salvatore School, Cleo identifies the creature as a pukwudgie, a woodland sprite from Native American lore. They can be quite peaceful and playful, when not beholden to a curse. Given the creature's abilities, MG believes they have finally found out what Ethan's monster side is. With their monster problem solved, this means that both he and Kaleb can return to the school. MG admits that he was quick to judgment today, unlike her and Jed. He wants to be more like the leader she is, but Cleo admits that at every turn, she asks herself, what would the MG do? Lizzie appears behind MG and Cleo encourages him to hug her. He passes right through her, as she's not back at the school but astral projecting. They have a lot to catch up on.
In Follow the Sound of My Voice, Cleo meets up with Finch in the library. She explains to her that MG is gathering the missing members of their squad, Emma has sent them a new headmistress, who will arrive today, and she has inspired Mr. Springthorpe to give a speech coming clean about the monster problem. Finch, lacking some of the details of yesterday's events, needs clarification. Cleo elaborates that the impromptu field trip she led was because a pukwudgie. However the creature has been pacified and is now being kept out in the stables. She also explains that she was able to neutralize the curse that made Kaleb and Ethan attack Ben. Confused, Cleo questions herself whether or not she told her and apologizes.
Following Mr. Springthorpe's P.A. announcement, students begin in hushed panic leave the library. Cleo and Finch leave to investigate Mr. Sprinthorpe's candor. In Alaric's office, they find blue calamus in his tea. Cleo thinks it could be a prank and Finch looks to her for what they should do next because she's a muse. Cleo would rather for everyone to forget. She tells Finch that it's exhausting having everybody constantly expect her to solve their problems. Likewise, Finch tells her that the squad is too clique-y and if they didn't keep so many secrets from the rest of them, they wouldn't have to do it alone. Given their candor to one another, they learn that they too have been exposed to blue calamus. Jed bursts into the office, telling them they have a problem. Everyone's going crazy and even though he's supposed to be the alpha, he's terrified that if he tries to stop it, no one will listen, and that'll really undermine his authority.
With tensions elevated, the witches and the vampires at the school come to a head. Cleo and Finch try to break it up, but a woman appears and slams the front doors. With a commanding presence, she disperses the crowd, demanding they all return to class. Cleo questions who she is and she introduces herself as "Eve Bloom", their new headmistress.
With order returned, Cleo is busy sculpting in the Art Room. Finch eventually finds her, with news of Miss Bloom and a new problem. Cleo wants her to take the problem to the new headmistress, but Finch explains that she's the problem. She's just come from her one-on-one meeting, thinking it was going to be about the blue calamus prank, but all she wanted to know about was the red oak tree. She thought she should tell an actual squad member.
Based on Finch's questioning, Cleo goes to see Miss Bloom, getting straight to the point. She's the student she wants to talk to because she burned the red oak tree down. There's nothing left of it remaining. Moreover, there's only a few people in the world that knows what the tree can be used for and demands to tell her who exactly she is and what she wants. Aurora drops the fake accent, impressed by Cleo, and introduces her true self as Aurora. She explains that she came here because she needed a weapon that could kill the tribrid. She was the one who killed their actual headmistress and put blue calamus in the water supply to get the truth out of them all. Despite being very candid, she's not afraid of Cleo. Cleo manages a aneurysm spell and Aurora appears to double over in pain, but this is a joke. Laughing, she thanks Cleo for that and vamps towards her, knocking her out in a single blow.
Cleo finally wakes up, though doesn't know where she is. Aurora explains that they're in her subconscious. Since the stake is gone, she needs inspiration for what to do next. Though she can't force Cleo to give her some inspiration, she can take it. Thanks to the blue calamus, her mind is unguarded. Aurora complements her mind, she's never seen an inner sanctum like this before and she's quite the artist. Around the room are several sculptures. She assumes each one of them is an essential part of her, of her will, her emotions, powers and inspiration. All she needs to do is find out which one. Even Cleo doesn't know, though she can sense it, a feeling. Eventually Aurora finds Cleo's inspiration, grabbing a sculpture before Cleo can and smashes it on the ground. Cleo grabs her head in pain as Aurora is filled with inspiration, a vision.
Cleo comes to enough to make her way back to the library, finding Finch and Jed before she collapses.
Later that night, she watches over Ben as he recovers on her bed. When he comes to, he thanks her for the healing spell, but in truth he's healed on his own. She admits that she tried to heal him, but it hurts when she tries to perform magic now. Whatever Aurora did in her subconscious, she fears, has damaged her in a way she doesn't understand yet. She was so tired of people wanting inspiration all the time, and now she can't feel it anymore. Ben expresses how sorry he is, but Cleo brushes it off, deciding to ask what Aurora wanted. Ben explains that she wanted information about the gods. He told her everything he knew about them; like how powerful they were. He believes that she thinks they're able to kill a tribrid. Cleo reassures him that they'll find a way to warn Hope. Ben doesn't think Hope is the only one in trouble. The gods have been sleeping for a long time and if Aurora does find a way to wake them up, they're going to need to warn the world.
In Was This the Monster You Saw?, students are busy preparing for Alaric's welcome home party. Kaleb approaches Cleo, asking where he should hang up the banner, but she decides to do it herself using her magic, though, she quickly loses control and the banner falls to the floor. Kaleb tells her that she doesn't have to prove anything to him, but it was more for herself. She's still confused about what Aurora did to her and her powers, and she doesn't know who she is without them and hopes that it's not permanent. Kaleb's sure that once Dr. Saltzman returns, he'll be able to help her and believes that things will get better for them all.
Jed alerts the student body that MG and Alaric are pulling up to the school. They all turn off the lights and get into position. Jed and Ben hide behind the confetti cannon, Wade stands behind a large flower vase, while Kaleb and Cleo hide behind the table of food. Cleo questions if this surprise party is the best idea, given Alaric's current health. With their backs turned, Hope appears behind them, noting that Cleo is right and they're going to give him a heart attack. Cleo and Kaleb are surprised to see her and question what she's doing there. Though she's crashing their party, she's here for a business trip. She comes bearing an offer. Wade wants to know what the offer is, but Hope will only talk to Alaric, believing he'll be easier to manipulate.
With Hope's meeting with Alaric not gone as she intended, Hope addresses the remaining squad members. Wade questions about the potential death should they help her, but Hope reiterates that some would die, or it could be all of them. Kaleb, however, demands her to get out while they talk in private. Hope quips that there is nothing super with the squad since she left, plus they're missing Lizzie, Josie, Finch, and Ethan. Turning to Cleo, she wonders if she can inspire a half decent question, but reveals that she is no longer capable of using her powers. MG and Alaric listen from outside the Great Hall as Hope continues to seek an answer from them. They need to act now if they want to save Lizzie from herself because she's also working with an ancient and mentally unstable vampire. Jed tells her they've already learned a few things about the gods as well as having met Aurora. Passing over him, she questions who Ben is. He explains that the gods are his extended family and he knows them all too well considering they cursed him. He can also provide her with much useful information about them. She wants to know more about his curse. After they refuse her deal, she takes Ben's bangle and breaks it. Cleo is forced to lock away Kaleb.
Later that night, Cleo is locked in the same cage by Kaleb after MG and Alaric comes up with a plan to use the Protoclown against Hope. Her calls for help eventually reach Alaric and he finds her trapped in a cell. She explains that Kaleb was supposed to be but when MG came to them with a plan to take on Hope, he didn't believe her to be so powerful anymore. That was also Alaric's plan, but MG felt the same about him. Being in the hospital, all the vervain leached out of his system, and MG compelled me to stay inside the school. Alaric tells her that MG didn't want to be accountable for me getting hurt again, meaning they're going to face the clown without them. However, they hear the clown's laughter, meaning it's inside with them. Cleo wants him to free her, but he believes that she's safer inside the cell where she can't be reached by the clown. Despite not knowing how to kill it, he wants to try it even though he's weak. Cleo reasons with him. Everyone may think they're weak, but they're only weak if they believe it and asks him to unlock the door again.
Alaric sits in the library scribing sins and balling up the pieces of paper in the middle of the floor. The protoclown finds him, but instead of attacking him, begins to consume the pieces of paper. Alaric admits that this plan was more of a group effort, and he's had some help. Cleo appears behind the clown and stabs him in the head with Alaric's cane, the end of which was frozen into a sharp point. Cleo comments that he's the one who guessed that a frozen blade would kill it because being born by a fire means death by the opposite. He thanks her for the advice. With the clown destroyed, she finds Kaleb and the others outside and returns him to his cell after Ben revives.
Cleo releases Kaleb from the cell, explaining that Hope has agreed to their terms, which included her making a new bracelet for Ben. Kaleb realizes there was no reason for her to be in there either, considering she was the one to save them. If he was so self-aware, he would have never locked her up in here. Kaleb admits he had help from the protoclown. It showed him the memory of what he did to her and it's kind of hard not to take the hint. Cleo tells him that she lived in the pit of Malivore for so long and most people cannot fathom what it's like to sit with that kind of stillness. However, the gift it gave her was knowledge of who she is. She is strong, with or without her power, even when she doubted it. He had even told her that, and yet he didn't believe it. Kaleb tells her that he believes it now, though hopes he's not too late. He's not, so long as he realizes she does not need a protector or a shield. In the future, she wants him to stand and fight beside her, not in front of her.
In The Only Way Out is Through, Wade and Rupert encode and everyone's powers for the Manticulum. Cleo is up next, though Wade's stat sheet is out of date, given her new circumstances. She tells them she's basically human and though she's not as impressive without using her magic, she still wants to fight. Professor Vardemus commends her courage.
Professor Vardemus summons a battlefield for their practice session. Alaric and the others proceed with their simulation. Alaric believes that if they could talk to Lizzie, they can flip her back to their side. He believes their first move is getting her to safety. Her humanity tells her that she should listen, and though she believes they would be wasting their first strike, she goes with it. MG vamps to Lizzie though the manticulum calculates that Aurora would attack and kill him. His death turns Lizzie back to their side and she attacks and kills Aurora in a rage. Ben explains that Ken would attack Lizzie and she'd die. With her death, their probability of success drops to zero percent and they lose. Rupert finds this situation fascinating. As soon as Lizzie died, there was simply no move they could make that would lead to victory. He presumes there's a reason she is invaluable to winning. Hope now believes they have to save Lizzie first and wants to run the simulation again.
Rupert and the others run through several more simulations, each time they fail against the gods. Hope's humanity tells her she's going about it all wrong because they've already lost before they made the first move. Analyzing their enemies, Hope realizes the problem is that they're going first. They're facing them all at once and they should be forcing the gods to fight them. Hope declines the first move and Ben sends in Aurora to attack Hope first. Hope creates a barrier that throws Aurora off her feet. Hope sends in Kaleb, using his dragon fire. Aurora is killed and Hope has MG vamp to Lizzie. Ben has Ken attack MG, but Wade reads from the manticulum that he's just fast enough to save Lizzie.
Hope has rejoined the others with Ken, the last remaining on the field. Alaric thinks this is the point that Hope steps in, but Hope would rather send in her pawns first. Hope sends in Kaleb though Ben states that Ken would strike with lightning. Wade concludes that he dies. MG attacks next, though, again Wade explains that he dies. Ben advances Ken to Hope, who sends in Cleo. She too dies. Hope steps up to face Ken, though when pressed about the outcome, Rupert states that the manticulum calculates that she will still lose.
Running through another simulation, Hope has everyone attack Ken. Wade reads off the probability; they all die, but they do real damage against him. She moves in to attack next, though Rupert tells her that she's still not enough and he defeats her. Hope's humanity questions if she needs her help and she barks back, telling her to shut up. The others look at her, questioning the outburst. Hope wants more cannon fodder, questioning how many students there's at the school. Kaleb, however, is finished with the simulations. She's been running them into the buzz saw all day like they're expendable, citing that she only cares about herself. Kaleb declares this version of her isn't worth dying for. Cleo and the others walk out of the Great Hall.
As Hope runs through another simulation, she, MG, Kaleb, Jed, and Ethan come to her side, taking the next hits for her. Wade tells them that they score another hit on Ken, but he's confused about what's changed. Rupert believes that Hope is giving them all courage, a belief they can win. Ben believes his father will retreat and ultimately they win, attacking as one. Her humanity tells her that they can win, all she has to do is just turn it back on. She wants her to let her out before she loses control. Hope closes off her humanity once again. All of this isn't real, it's just a stupid game. They're all pathetic and just little boys role-playing war. She calls them all disposable and that they mean nothing to her. She addresses her humanity, calling her a liar and a martyr. The others look on, confused about who she's talking to. Her powers continue to grow unstable, enough that she tells them that they need to do something because she's about to kill them all. She pleads with someone to take her out and Alaric breaks her neck.
Back in Alaric's office, Rupert has repaired the Therapy Box, as well as having added a few settings; an upgrade. Rupert has heard of Cleo that she's quite skilled at magic. Cleo believes that those days are behind her. Taking her hand, she examines it, finding it curious that she experiences pain when trying to do magic. Most of the time, when a witch loses her connection to magic, it's all or nothing. People often associate pain with something going wrong, however, in reality, pain is merely a signal that something is changing. After providing her with a knowing look, he pats her hand and leaves as Kaleb walks in. He knows he's not supposed to be putting himself in charge of protecting her, but today wasn't cool. Cleo knows he's right and thinks that it's time to figure out what is happening with her.
In Everything That Can Be Lost May Also Be Found, Cleo joins Kaleb in Atlanta for breakfast at a café. Kaleb assures her that they are the best in the city. Though Cleo has never been, she believes him and asks about their next plans. Kaleb explains that his family is having a huge cookout and even though it's their first date, he wants to introduce her to everybody, hundreds of Hawkins. Cleo goes pale with worry, though Kaleb is only joking. Since she showed him a bit of her story, he wanted to do the same and there's someone he's like her to meet. He believes that she could help her with everything she's going through with her magic. She questions if this friend of his knows they're coming. He only tells her that she probably does and not because he's told her.
Kaleb takes Cleo to where he grew up to meet his friend, Mavis. May to her friends. He explains that she's the woman who found him when he was in transition. He didn't think his family would accept him as a vampire and he would have never given them the chance if it wasn't for her. She is special to him. Cleo questions how she found him, but all he tells her is that Mavis has a gift. Like the others around here, he used to think she was crazy, but he's less skeptical since becoming a vampire. She wants to know how he turned, but that chapter of his story is not exactly first date material. He tells her that today is about her and she accepts that. Coming to Mavis' door, it flies open before Cleo has the chance to knock. She's already aware of Cleo and has prepared tea and an awful drink mix for Kaleb.
Mavis pours Cleo her favorite tea. Cleo would ask her how she knew, but guesses she's a witch, which most of the neighborhood believes. Instead, Mavis knows she's a witch because of her aura. Cleo questions if she's psychic, but denies this. Who she is, is Mavis and sometimes she can see the future, though never on purpose. Since Kaleb is special to her, she'll make an exception, if it will help her. Kaleb encourages Cleo to trust her, and she takes Mavis' outstretched hands. Mavis instructs her to close her eyes, to let her mind wander, and she'll see where it takes them. As Cleo holds on to her hands, the room begins to shake, enough to warrant Kaleb's worry. He tries to get Mavis to let go and for Cleo to open her eyes, to no avail. When Cleo finally does open her eyes, they're bright gold and she collapses on the couch.
Eventually Cleo comes too. She's given Kaleb quite a scare, though she tells him it's nothing compared to the one she's yet to give. Kaleb explains that she has Mavis' gift, although on a whole other level. Cleo has felt so rudderless without her magic, but now she's not certain she wishes to have whatever this is. Kaleb explains that she saw the future and she needs to tell him about it. Doing as he asked, she told him. Their school was in rubble. Mystic Falls in flames. Many innocent people will die if they do not stop the gods from returning to this world, including their friends. Despite how scary all that sounds, Kaleb is determined to have his second date with her, and climbs behind her on the couch, comforting her.
In I Wouldn't Be Standing Here If It Weren't For You, Cleo sits outside of Mystic Grill as Kaleb comes out with two coffees. Kaleb's car has broken down from this trip back from Atlanta and they're waiting on a tow truck. Distracted, Cleo sketches out her vision before it slips away. Kaleb takes a closer look, admiring her artistic abilities, despite the climatic depiction she's drawn–Mystic Falls in complete destruction. This is the future she's seen. Kaleb is adamant that they won't let this happen, let alone today. A waitress behind them drops a mug, however, that's another portion of her vision that she's drawn on a separate page.
Eventually, she and Kaleb make their way back to the school and Alaric requests for Jen to see him with Ethan and Jed in attendance. He hands her Cleo's drawing, inquiring if this looks like her father's handiwork. Lightning, fire, death, and destruction. She confirms that it is, though questions where they got the drawing. Cleo explains that she got a vision and Jen assumes that her half-brother, Ben, had awoken her father. Jed defends Ben, as they don't truly know if he's involved. Alaric points out that they do know this is the second piece of evidence pointing to Ken's arrival. They have to assume the worst and come up with a plan to save the school. Jen is sure they can't. Cleo is obviously an oracle and they see things that will happen. Even though she can see the future, she questions if she can't change it. Jen denies that she can. Regardless of what's to come, they have to try. Alaric instructs Jed to take Finch and clear out the school. Jed questions about saving Ben, but Alaric defers him, citing they need to focus on one crisis at a time. He wants Ethan to find MG and evacuate the town and Kaleb offers his assistance too. Cleo doesn't want him to go, but he reassures her that they'll make their own future.
Jed works on clearing out the school but finds Cleo drawing more sketches. She's trying, and failing, to figure out what comes next. She thought she could force her new powers to happen, but doesn't believe them to work that way. Jed thinks he can help. In myths, oracle powers were always used in response to a question or a problem that someone had. He thinks that if he asks her about someone in particular, that'll trigger her powers. Cleo is intuitive and knows he's worried about Ben. Jed doesn't believe the idea of Ben betraying them. It doesn't make sense because since the moment he got here, all he's done is protect them. She explains that it's natural to be concerned about the people they care about and believes that might be a part of her block because she's worrying about Kaleb. However, this triggers another vision and she quickly draws a new sketch. This time, it's Ben standing over a decapitated Kaleb.
After Jen has snuck out of the school and runs away in the woods, however, Cleo goes in search of her and finds her. Jen questions how she found her, and she explains that she's had more vision. The visions didn't stop with Kaleb dying. She saw her running away and when she did, they all died. Jen believes she's here to convince her to come back so they can hand her over to her father. There's nothing people won't do to save their own skin. Cleo knows otherwise. When she first came to this school, Malivore was sending monsters after her. They could have sent her away to save themselves, but they didn't, even after she betrayed their trust. They rescued her from darkness and welcomed her into their family. Jen still refuses. If you saw her leaving, that's what's going to happen. Cleo's already changed the future once today. Jen doesn't understand and Cleo elaborates that Jed saved Kaleb's life and the vision didn't come true. Jen tells her that she never told her she couldn't change the future, but that she shouldn't. Cleo doesn't understand. When she changes the future, she might not be an oracle anymore; she'd become something else. Before she can ask further, Cleo collapses to the ground.
Later that night and seemingly recovered, Cleo watches over Hope with Kaleb. She believes she's not done enough and questions if she's only delayed the inevitable. They're all still here; him, Hope, everyone. He says that she's changed a lot. He confesses to her that he was scared, too, today but he's just better at hiding it than she is. Oracles can't see everything. Cleo explains that she's not an oracle anymore, that Jen said changing the future she saw in her visions meant that she's becoming something else. But what, she doesn't know. However, the only answer they really need at the moment is why Hope hasn't woken up yet.
In By the End of This, You'll Know Who You Were Meant to Be, Cleo has Kaleb help prepare her spell with a magical boundary. After she walks in, Kaleb wonders if his attention to detail is her favorite thing about him. When she tells him no, he continues to flirt with her, but she won't reveal the secret. She knows he's worried about her, but she's confident her plan will work. The visions can't hurt her and they need to know what the gods are planning. Kaleb eventually agrees and Cleo positions herself within the magical boundary, opening a book and focuses. Her eyes glow yellow and she makes a connection with Ken. He's in Jen's workshop and finds Ken looking at the grounds of the Salvatore Boarding School. Ken turns to her, asking who she was and how she invaded his dream. Before she can answer, she backs up to leave as Ken throws a dagger at her. Cleo manages to wake back at the school within her magical boundary; however, she's not unscathed. The dagger struck her arm, cutting her, and buried itself into the wall behind her. Ken's assault has terrified her and Kaleb.
The following day, she agrees to get more intel on Ken for Alaric, much to Kaleb's surprise. Cleo believes he's here to stop her, but he's not. He just needs clarification on a few boyfriend rules. He's not allowed to make choices for her or to be overprotective, unless it's an emergency or that's something she needs him to be. However, she doesn't have to tell him what she's planning because she's afraid he'll overreact. Cleo confirms his query She drives him crazy and wants her to be careful and armed. He hands her the dagger from earlier. He believes that it probably has some god-magic since it's traveled from whatever plane of reality that was to their world. He thinks maybe she can use it there. She accepts the knife and he wonders if taking good care of her is her favorite thing about him. She still doesn't tell him but he reassures her he'll figure it out and he'll be right here should she look like she's in trouble. Cleo attempts to dissuade him, but he doesn't listen. He recalls that she said it wasn't just a vision. It was more like some kind of mental connection. That means he can head-dive his way in, which he will do at the first sign of trouble. Cleo doesn't protest. Holding on to the knife and the book as before, her eyes glow yellow and she reappears in a wooded area.
As she looks around, Ken appears behind her, startling her. He was asleep when she entered his mind before; however, this time he's very much awake. Motioning with his hand, rooted vines shoot up from the ground and grab Cleo by the arms. She struggles to try and free herself as Ken tells her it doesn't have to be this way–hostile and combative. There was a time where her kind and his worked in harmony. Cleo questions just what her "kind" is and Ken is surprised that she doesn't know. Ken explains that this connection they're sharing, her entering his mind, it's the hallmark of a unique magical ability. When an oracle interferes in their visions, changing the future, they transform into something else. She's one of the Furies now. The last of the Furies, considering he killed the others when they stopped being collaborative. They are Nature's balance. Nature created this space, a bridge between the two of them so that they can confer, share counsel, and warn each other. Reach an accord. He removes the vines and creates two makeshift chairs. They can be civilized, after-all, only one person needs to die: the tribrid. Cleo is sure that he can't kill her because the Red Oak is gone. However, Ken ponders just what he could do if he had the ashes of one of those Red Oak stakes forged into a weapon made by a god. That would kill her. He makes Cleo an offer. Bring Hope to him and he will let everyone else live. Refuse, and all the deaths that come after this will be on her and her alone.
Ken believes the task to be simple. Is keeping the tribrid alive worth so many deaths? Cleo is amused at his proposal. She tells him that all would-be tyrants think they are so unique and special, yet she has heard this offer before. They are all so predictable. Cleo throws the dagger from her coat sleeve; however, Ken catches the blade with his bare hand, unfazed and amused. She's made her choice and tries to leave, but she's blocked. Ken holds dominion and tells her that he says when she can leave and he's not done with her yet.
Cleo barely comes too, as Kaleb appears at her side. He's done a head-dive into her mind, wanting to know what happened because she's bleeding. All she can manage to say is that it's a trap as Ken appears behind him, restraining him with a stake to his heart. Cleo begs him to leave Kaleb alone. Ken believes his last offer was too abstract. Thanks to their connection, everything he does here affects the real world, so he makes her another offer. Bring him Hope, or he'll kill Kaleb right before her.
Ken needs an answer and forces her to decide by beginning to count down from three. Kaleb begs her not to do it, not to give him what he wants.
As Ken counts down to one, Cleo, tears in her eyes, tells Kaleb it's his eyes as Ken plunges the stake into his chest, killing him.
Later that night, she's eventually released from Ken's hold and she finds Lizzie and Mg in the kitchen. Crying, she tells the two that Kaleb is dead.
In This Can Only End in Blood, Cleo packs a bag of supplies in the art room, though is approached by Alaric. He thought she would like to go to Kaleb's vigil but she doesn't. Lighting candles and sharing stories will not help him or them for that matter. Alaric notices that she's packing a bag, and knows she has other plans. Guilt ridden, she explains that it was her decision that cost Kaleb his life, but Alaric tries to reason with her. His death was at Ken's hand. Cleo, attempting to leave, explains that he will pay dearly for it. Alaric blocks her path, telling her that he's already lost one student and doesn't want to lose another. Cleo reasons with him to let her go because while the school is fighting Ken, she'll make sure that no other god can do something like this again. Alaric uses his own experiences and attempts to get through to her. Revenge feels good for a brief moment, but it won't bring Kaleb back and it won't make her miss him any less. Cleo thanks him for the advice, noting that she'll be certain to enjoy that moment. Cleo walks past him as he's unable to persuade her to stay.
Cleo infiltrates Jen's hideout, finding the four remaining sarcophagi with sleeping gods. She's covered them in pellets of phosphorus or sulfur intending to give them the same fate as Ken. She grabs a blow torch, commenting that what she's about to do is for Kaleb. Before she ignites the chemicals, Jen wakes up and startles her. She's chained to a steel beam with god metal. She questions if she's here to bust her out since Ken is having trust issues. Asking for her hammer, she notices the pellets leading to the sarcophagi. She realizes that Cleo is not here to save her; instead, she's here to kill her family.
Jen didn't believe Cleo had it in her. Sneaking in to try and murder her family in their sleep. Cleo admits that she wanted to hurt her father as he did her. In truth, she hadn't stopped to think of the people she'd be killing, that is until she saw her. She apologizes to Jen, and she accepts. Ken brings out the worst in everyone around him, including herself. Cleo confesses that she doesn't know what to do with all of this anger; what is the point in being a Fury if it leads her down a path she cannot go. It's infuriating for her. Jen perks up with this news, asking who told her she's a Fury. Cleo explains that it was her father and this excites her. She was right, that she was more than just an oracle. This changes everything. Before Malivore, the Furies were the thing that Ken feared. She goes on to explain that the Furies have a special connection to the minds of all gods. Cleo places a hand on Jen's forehead at her request.
Later, as Ken is about to land the killing blow on Hope, Cleo stops and claims his spear for herself. She clarifies this is her judgment as a Fury. Ken demands to know what she's deemed him guilty of, but she retorts for being a dick. His punishment is Hope and she vamps behind him. Turning to face her, Hope reiterates that it takes god magic to kill a god. Using the might of her physical powers, she kicks Ken through the air as Cleo raises the spear. Ken is impaled in the back by his own weapon. She hopes he rots in hell as he takes his final breath. Dead, Ken's body explodes in a fiery burst of light. Jed, MG, Hope, Lizzie, Kaleb, and Cleo stand in victory as the clouds dissipate. MG and Lizzie and Kaleb and Cleo embrace one another in hugs as they break and embrace everyone.
In Just Don't Be a Stranger, Okay?, the Salvatore School holds a memorial service for Ethan on the front lawn of the grounds. Lizzie comforts MG, embracing him in a hug. Hope places a single red rose at an altar with his picture. Cleo finds and embraces Kaleb in a hug. Wade also comforts Pedro with a heartfelt hug. Alaric exits the school and watches over all his students mourning their friend's sacrifice.
Over the PA system, Alaric calls the students to report to the Grand Hall for assembly. Pedro, Wade, Finch, Hope, Cleo, Kaleb, Lizzie, and MG with all of the other students gathered, Alaric thanks them for being there. He begins with how he made Ethan's mother a promise, just like all of their parents when they enrolled, that he'd care for them as his own. However, they're here memorializing yet another student and that is not what the school was meant to be. The school was founded with a single mission: To create a safe space for young supernaturals. He comes to the conclusion that, in reality, it's anything but safe and achieving his mission statement has proven impossible. He declares that he can no longer keep his promise and informs the students that the Salvatore School must close. Murmurs rattle throughout the students and Hope stands in protest, however, it does nothing to sway Alaric. He has nothing more to say, except that he's sorry, and leaves the Grand Hall, leaving Hope, as well as all the others in attendance, shocked.
Kaleb joins Cleo in the art room, wondering what she's working on, though her canvas is blank. Jokingly, he muses that it's minimalist. Cleo is frustrated. Her mind is cluttered with thoughts, but her hands will not express a single one. First it was her powers, now her art is blocked. Kaleb asks her to come to Atlanta with him. He clarifies for her. He wants the school to remain opened, but in the off chance it doesn't, he wants her to come home with him and make it her home, too. Cleo is taken aback but his statement–it is the kindest thing anyone has ever said to her. There is, however, one condition, though. He needs her to know exactly what she's getting into, warts and all. Cleo wants him to tell her, but he can't. He explains that they're all the heroes of their own stories and, if he tells her his, then he'll just end up spinning it to get her to say yes. He asks her to use her powers to see for herself. Cleo is hesitant if she's still capable of such a thing, but Kaleb encourages her to try and he's willing to open his mind, his life, to her. Only if she really wants it. Cleo takes his hand and he opens his mind to her.
Cleo recoils from Kaleb who wonders if what she saw was so bad. She slowly backs away from him, telling him that she's unaccustomed to her new powers, so she did not yet see his past. Kaleb knows she saw something. Cleo assumes it was their future, leading him to wonder if it was still bad. Cleo's demeanor changes and a smile creeps on her face. It was beautiful, she explains to him. Despite this, he wants to know why she looks so scared. Cleo tells him that they're not destined to travel down this path together and abruptly leaves.
Kaleb finds Cleo sitting alone in her dorm room. He's brought her easel and some paint. She wants to know what all of the stuff is for, and Kaleb tells her that there would be a lot of roadblocks they'd have to overcome. He figured that they would start with the one he knows about, her artist's block. She's amused about how persistent he is. For Kaleb, it's only fair because she's inspired a lot of people and he just wants to return the favor. Specifically, in two ways. First, he's not going to let some vision put him off to the best things in life. At the Salvatore School, they fight for the things they love. Cleo asks about the second way, and he unbuttons his shirt. He'll be her inspiration, as what's more inspiring than a dragon. Cleo walks over to him, definitely feeling something. She wonders if he remembers when she told him he was a good man. He does, but Cleo tells him she was wrong. Embracing him in a kiss, she tells him he's the best man, at least for her. As they continue to kiss, Cleo causes the paint to burst, covering the canvas.
Cleo hangs up her painting in the headmaster's office while Kaleb asks what she'll call it. She responds with "Passion." With her block gone, he wonders if she'll tell him about the future she saw. She can't, for the fear that doing so will change it. Despite not knowing what she saw, he wants to change it. All she tells him is that he will change the world, at least for many supernaturals like them. She won't say more than that. Kaleb only muses that she's sexy when she's being all mysterious. She tells him that she'll catch up with him in a moment, that there's something else she must do. This time, it has something to do with her future, and Kaleb leaves her alone. Cleo admires the headmaster's office and takes a seat in the chair behind the desk, smiling about future possibilities. Distracted, she's startled as Caroline walks in. She jumps up from the chair. Caroline quips that it looks like she's already out of job, but Cleo only tells her that she's daydreaming and apologizes, calling her Headmistress Forbes. She corrects her as interim headmistress, which sounds a bit stuffy and foregoes formalities.
At the start of a new semester, the Salvatore School opens their doors for the next class of supernatural beings to teach them how to be heroes. Wade plays red hands with Pedro until Caroline addresses the students, including herself, Kaleb, Lizzie, MG, and Finch, that first impressions last a lifetime. With the gentle reminder that many of them are immortal, she asks if Hope would do the honors. Hope turns and opens the doors, ushering in and welcoming the students home.Personality[]
Cleo is free-spirited and self-reliant and is excited to find a new home at the Salvatore School, and to earn a place in its Super Squad.[2]
Physical Appearance[]
Cleo is an attractive young woman of African descent with moderate stature and a slim build. She has black hair and brown eyes. She is often seen wearing clothing related to the Salvatore Boarding school.
Powers and Abilities[]
Cleo possesses all the standard powers and abilities of a witch. However, she is special as she was born a witch who is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter—a muse—with the special magical power of inspiration. Additionally, she is also an oracle and able to foresee the future in the form of visions. However, changing the future caused her to become a "Fury", which gave her a special connection to the minds of all gods.
Weaknesses[]
Cleo has the typical weaknesses of a witch.
Relationships[]
- Cleo and Ayomi (Family/Muses)
- Cleo and Hope (Roommates/Friends)
- Cleo and Kaleb (Classmates/Boyfriend)
- Cleo and Lizzie (Classmates/Friends)
Appearances[]
Episode Absences[]
- In Season Four, Cleo doesn't appear in two episodes:
Name[]
- Cleo is a unisex given name. It is a Greek prefix often translated to mean 'pride', 'fame' or 'glory'.[3]
- Sowande is of African-Yoruban origin meaning 'wise healer sought me out'.[4]
Trivia[]
- Cleo is a new witch student at the Salvatore School who bonds with Hope over their artistic passions.[2]
- Cleo is fluent in Italian and Yoruba.[5]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Can be seen when she signed the admissions paperwork for the Salvatore School in To Whom It May Concern.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://deadline.com/2021/01/legacies-casts-omono-okojie-nadia-affolter-new-amsterdam-1234681118/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleo
- ↑ https://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Sowande
- ↑ I Was Made To Love You
See also[]
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