Finn caught me before I hit the ground. The world around us was shaking violently. But that wasn't all that was happening. I felt as if my body was being pulled apart. "You okay?" Finn looked at me in alarm. I could only nod. He still hadn't let go of me and I was grateful for the support. I was in pain, only it didn't make sense. I was dead, doesn't that mean that you get a free pass from pain? Suddenly Finn was gone, so was the shaking and the pain. I didn't know whether I should be relieved or even more alarmed. Looking around the room, I realised I was standing in a doorway. The same one as I had been moments earlier, only the world didn't seem to fall apart. Two male voices sounded from the room. Nik and Elijah were yelling at one another. I wanted to join the shouting and finally tell them how stupid they were being. Tell them to shut up because they were being idiots. But they wouldn't hear me. Suddenly the pain came back. I was still standing in the doorway, but the world around me wasn't as stable as it had been before. "Eva?" I heard Finn's voice and sighed in relief. At least he was here with me. "Finn, I don't know what's happening. One moment you're here and the next you're gone. Something's going on and it hurts. It hurts so much, Finn, I don't know if I can take it." I felt as if a thousand needles were being pricked into my skin, over and over again. I could still hear Elijah and Klaus, but their voices were only barely a whisper. The world around me was dissolving further. Finn pulled me close. "It's okay, Evanna, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." He held me as the world kept shaking. Finn kept telling me that I was safe and that nothing was going to happen. But he was wrong. Because after another violent shake, Finn was gone. I was still standing in the same doorway. The pain was slowly fading. I could still hear Klaus and Elijah's shouting. Couldn't they just shut it? I needed to figure out what was going on here. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do much thinking, because their discussion was giving me a major headache. "Would you two just shut it already? Your bickering is giving me a fucking migraine. How many more times are you two idiots going to let a girl come between you? You're family and you care for one another and not even a girl is worth ruining that for. Especially not that fucking wereslut." I yelled in frustration. They couldn't hear me, but it felt good to let it out. They had been acting like two children ever since that Haley girl got mixed up in their lives. Suddenly I was met by two pairs of astonished eyes. "Evanna?" Both brothers uttered at the same time. My eyes widened in surprise. "You can hear me?" Before I knew what was going on, Nik had me enveloped in a fierce hug. I felt a tear form in my eye. "Nik, could you please stop crushing my bones?" He reluctantly let me go. I didn't get much reprieve, because Elijah wrapped me in a hug of his own. Luckily he was much more gentle. I looked at the both of them and I was so happy to have them see me. I smiled through my tears. "How did this happen?" Elijah asked, always the practical one. "I don't know. One moment Finn and I were trying to figure out what the hell was happening with the Other Side and next thing I know, I feel as if my body's about to get pulled apart and then somehow, here I am, without the pain and without Finn. I do still have a headache, though, but it's not as bad as it was some moments ago." "What is going on with the Other Side?" Nik asked as he guided me towards the couch and sat me down. I wanted to roll my eyes, but it was nice to know that this side of his still existed. "I don't know. Everything was going alright until all of a sudden, everything started to shake and it became rather blurry. It's been going on for a day or so. It's not constant or anything, but it's scary as hell. Tornadoes sweep from the sky and suck people in them. We don't know where they go and I hope we don't need to find out. Kol has got the message across to the anchor, but I doubt there is much we can do." I sighed. Nik put an arm around me. "It's going to be okay." I let out a hollow laugh. "That's exactly what Finn said before I wound up here." It was that moment it hit me. I felt a smile appear on my face and I looked at my two brothers. "Do you know what this means?" I was shifting in my seat. Elijah raised a brow in question. Nik just looked a bit confused. "I'm alive. At least for now. I know we need to figure out what is going on with the Other Side and get our family out of there, but there isn't much we can do. I mean, maybe the Other Side is just adjusting itself to the influx of new dead supernatural beings or something. And since neither of us can see the Other Side, we can't run any interference. For now, we'll celebrate. Who knows how long I'll be alive. Let's get a drink and catch up, shall we?" I got up and walked over to the mirror. My hazel eyes were staring back at me. I tilted my head a little, trying to find something different. But no, I was still the same girl I had been for the past thousand years. And my ginger curls were still as untameable as before. "I need a change of clothes." I was still in the same outfit as I had been when I'd died five years ago. A simple jeans and a T-shirt. "I'll need to go shopping later. But for now, this will have to do." I concentrated and I felt my magic. With a little tug on my magic I changed my clothes. I sighed happily at the result. I was wearing a black and white striped dress with a banded waist and goldenrod skirt. "Much better. It's been years since I've worn a dress. Do you have any idea what it's like to wear the same outfit for years?" I decided to put my long hair into a braid. And that's when I saw it. A little girl, barely three years old, with golden brown hair and hazel eyes that were filled with hate and judgement. There was blood all over her body and she was pointing a little bloodied finger at me. Guilt and fear swept through me and I turned around to face her. But she had already disappeared. I sighed in relief as I glanced back in the mirror. The fear was still visible in my eyes and I quickly schooled my features. I just hoped my brothers hadn't noticed anything. Unfortunately, they had. "You okay?" Elijah's gentle voice asked. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak yet. Come on, Eva, get a grip on yourself. You're a thousand year old immortal. It wasn't real. I raised my chin up high and left the room, pushing the girl to the back of my mind, where she belonged. When I had descended the stairs, I was back in control. I could hear Nik and Elijah come after me. "Where's Beks?" I asked as I entered the courtyard. "She left." Oh, weird. I knew she had left New Orleans, but when I had checked in on her yesterday, she seemed to be on her way here. Maybe she was still making up her mind about coming back. I was about to make the decision a whole lot easier. "Give me your phone." Elijah pulled out his phone and handed it to me. I went through his contact list and found Rebekah's number. I dialled it. It went straight to voicemail. I guess that meant that I should leave her a message. Too bad I wouldn't be able to see her reaction. "Hi Beks, it's me, your favourite girl in the whole wide world. I'm just calling you to let you know I'm back. I'm in New Orleans, but I have no idea how long I'll be staying. In case you don't get here before I'm gone, I just want you to know that I miss you and I love you. And I'm also very proud of you, you're someone to look up to, so thank you for that. Oh, and I'm watching over you. I love you, Bekah. Hope I'll see you soon." I handed Elijah the phone back. I took a deep breath and looked around. It was mid-afternoon and the sun was shining. I leaned my head back and felt the warmth of the sun touch my face. I closed my eyes and basked in the glow. "How wonderful it is to be alive." I twirled around, enjoying this small moment. Even though I had been able to watch the world and the people in it, I couldn't really feel it. I had been a mere observer, never taking part. Kol, Finn and Sage had been with me occasionally, but there were also times when we didn't run into one another. I watched over my family and I took a great interest in their lives, but that was all I could do. I could only observe and after a while, watching and listening loses its appeal. My other senses were dulled. I couldn't taste the food and drinks, I couldn't feel the soft covers of a bed and I couldn't smell the rich perfumes. And as I leaned my head back, I could do it all. So I closed my eyes and I just let the senses overwhelm me. I could hear the noises of the city, the babbling people, I inhaled various perfumes of people and of the flowers. I could also hear the beating hearts and I heard their blood rushing through their veins, I could almost taste it. My eyes flickered open. I looked around the courtyard. We weren't alone. Nik and Elijah were talking to Marcel and some other vampires. I went to stand by them. I smiled warmly at Marcel. I wondered whether he would remember me, I had lived in New Orleans on and off when the others had resided here. "Eva, I remember you. You were a spitfire. Fearless and pretty damn scary sometimes. It's good to see you." Marcel moved in for a hug. I let him hug me, remembering the little kid he used to be. "Just so we're clear. I've decided not to kill you because I can still remember the little boy you once were. But last I saw of you, you were already a vampire. You betrayed Nik and you really hurt Beks. And choosing a stupid city over Rebekah is probably the biggest mistake in your life. You're lucky I like you. Out of the whole bunch of people assembled here, you're at least the kind of person who remains true to who you are. I wish the same could be said for the Mikaelson brothers." Marcel chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." "Good, because not even Elijah or Nik will be able to stop me when I decide I want to kill you." I added the threat nonchalantly, but Marcel got the underlying meaning. "Evanna, manners." Elijah scolded me. I flipped my hair aside. "Come on Elijah, I'm on my best behaviour. I haven't tortured anyone, or hurt them or killed someone." "Yet." Nik added. I glared at him. "You volunteering?" My brother smirked. "I can't be killed. And as entertaining as it would be to see you try, you're at a disadvantage, love." I took a step closer to him. "Want to bet?" "Niklaus, Evanna, please. Can we at least get through one hour without the two of you wanting to best one another?" Elijah said. Nik and I both rolled our eyes at him. "Don't rain on my parade, Elijah. And besides, we both know I am the best." Both of my brothers chuckled. Nik put an arm around me. "Sweetheart, I'm in full shape and you, my dearest, are obviously not." I couldn't really fault him in that. I had only just returned from the dead. But I wasn't going to tolerate his smugness. "That's right, you've got your wolf back. And I am hungry." I was a Mikaelson by blood, but I wasn't an Original in the strict sense of the word. I was an immortal, but I was never turned or made into a vampire. One day, I just woke up craving blood. It was still one of the biggest riddles in my entire existence, one I never managed to solve. The thing that set me apart most from my other siblings was my magic. I was a witch first, immortal second. "Probably best not to kill anyone. We're trying to blend in, love." I smiled and headed out the door. Man, I was starving. I walked down the streets of New Orleans, smiling like a fool. I was alive, feeling the sun on my face. I scanned the crowd, looking for something appetising. My eye fell on a man in his mid-twenties. He looked cute, his heart was beating regularly, always a good sign, so I decided to see how good I was at picking up people. I changed my direction and made it so that I would run into him. "My god, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying any..." I let my eyes roam over the guy, as if I was only noticing that he wasn't that bad looking. "...attention." I finished. The guy seemed to be charmed already. Perfect. "That's quite alright. You're not from around here, are you?" I brushed the hair out of my face. "That obvious?" The guy chuckled. "It's your accent." "Of course. I tend to forget it sometimes." I could hear his blood pulse through his veins. I was starving. Time to compel the poor lad. "Come with me." I said as I took his hand. I quickly found an abandoned alley. "Don't make a sound." I compelled the guy. I exposed his neck and sank my fangs into it. I closed my eyes and eagerly gulped the blood. It had been years since I'd had any and his tasted so good. "Eva, enough." I turned toward the voice. Shadows crawled over the alley. My heartbeat sped up, recognising this all too familiar scene. A chorus of voices rang through my head, all telling me it was my fault. Telling me I was a monster, that I didn't deserve to live. A figure stepped towards me. I couldn't let it come too close, so I rushed over there and snapped the figure's neck. "Evanna." Two hands grabbed my shoulders and brought me back. The shadows cleared from the alley. Nik was lying on the ground, dead. The other guy was lying there, almost entirely drained of blood. "No, no. Not again." I whispered as I cradled my head. Elijah didn't say anything as he gave the guy some of his blood and compelled the bloke to forget what had just occurred. I needed to get a grip on things. "Let's get back to the house." Elijah said as he handed me a handkerchief before throwing Nik's lifeless body over his shoulder. I smiled at him gratefully, relieved that he didn't say anything about what had just occurred. It was probably just a reprieve, though, Elijah never let things slide. I must look quite dishevelled, or Elijah would've remarked something already. I wiped my mouth and we wooshed back to the house. Elijah put Nik's body on the courtyard. Back in control of myself, I tried to keep Elijah of the topic. "He'll forgive me, right?" I said as I motioned at Nik's body. "His pride will be hurt, but he will. When has Nik ever held anything against you?" I smiled a bit. "Eva..." Elijah started, but he stopped as a new figure joined the fray. "Where do I need to send a thank you note to?" Haley asked as she entered the courtyard and saw Nik's dead body. I rolled my eyes at her. "Good to know how you feel about your baby's father. I already pity the girl." Haley looked at me in disbelief. "Evanna." Again with the exasperated tone. "Elijah." I mimicked Elijah's tone. He took me in for a moment and his gaze softened. "Come." Elijah said and he held out his hand. I took it and Elijah started guiding me away from the courtyard. "Haley, it would probably be in your best interests not to be here when Niklaus wakes up. He won't be in a good mood." Elijah shouted over his shoulder as he was leading me towards the kitchen. I could hear Haley follow us. I resisted the urge to groan, I so did not like that wereslut. I looked around the kitchen. It was a roomy kitchen, and renovated since the last time I had been here. It was dossed out with all the modern features and quite beautifully so. I took a deep breath and let it out. I closed my eyes and focused on the baby's heartbeat. It was soothing. I counted the fluttering beats. One. Two. I stopped. Two. That was the number of visions I'd had since being back. I didn't know how long I was going to keep this up. But I had to. I continued counting the baby's heartbeats. Five, six, seven. I felt sorry for the baby. She shouldn't be coming into this messed up world. Twenty-one, twenty-two. Unfortunately, she had no choice in the matter. Forty-eight, forty-nine. Suddenly the image of the bloodied little girl wormed its way back to the front of my mind and my eyes flickered open. My eyes met Elijah's. His were filled with concern. Mine with fear, probably. A ding announced something was warmed up. Elijah went to grab something from the microwave. I tried to gather my bearings. I was strong enough to do this. I leaned against the counter, my resolve was strengthening. I could do this. Elijah handed me a mug. "Here, drink." I took a sip. "My god, this is terrible." Elijah raised a brow. "Don't give me that, it tastes like plastic. How can anyone survive on blood bags when they know the taste of fresh, human blood? This is just awful." I said as I drained it. "Another one?" Elijah asked. I nodded. Distasteful as it might be, it was better than starving or draining some poor guy. "You can seriously taste the plastic from the bag?" Haley said as she looked at me in disbelief. "Oh look, it speaks." Elijah shot me a look, but didn't say anything. "What's your problem?" Haley asked, trying to look intimidating. "Sweetheart, if I have to start explaining what my problem is, we'll be here until sunrise." Haley took a step closer to me, trying to scare me. "You don't even know me." I tilted my head to the side. This attempt at being scary wasn't working. I actually found it rather amusing. "Don't strain yourself, little wolf." I said nonchalantly, hoping she'd get the insinuation I was making. The wereslut wasn't a lead in this story, she was just a figurine. "Who are we going to need to kill? Or did you already take care of that?" Marcel asked as he entered the kitchen. He was probably wondering whether Niklaus would want to retaliate. "I don't think that would be necessary, Marcel. Unless you would like to get yourself killed." Klaus' voice sounded from the other side. I slowly lifted my eyes to meet his gaze. Another ding announced that another cup of blood was warm. Nik took it out of the microwave and handed it to me. He placed a hand on my cheek. "You okay?" "I'm fine. Don't worry. I'm just acclimatising, you know?" I took the mug from his hand and brought it to my lips. "Heard anything from Beks?" "She should be here in a couple of hours." Elijah replied. I looked around the kitchen. It was a strange gathering. Haley, Marcel, Elijah, Nik and I. "How would you like to spend the rest of your time, princess?" Nik asked playfully. "Princess? Please Nik, I wasn't born to be a princess. Your little wolf was, however." "Evanna." Nik and Elijah both sighed. "What? I was merely pointing that fact out. Besides, I don't get why you'd settle for New Orleans. I mean, come on Nik. Where is your sense of adventure? I remember when you started a bloody war because you wanted your own empire. Poor Felipe never truly got over it." "If I remember correctly, you were the one that started that war, love. You had grown bored and you needed some entertainment." Niklaus countered and I smiled. "Actually, I just wanted my kingdom back." My lovely Wallachia. "Your kingdom, sweetheart? Last time I checked it was only yours by marriage. And weren't you only queen for a year or so?" "Well at least I was a legitimate queen." I pulled my hair free. "You were a queen? At which court?" Marcel asked, growing interested. "Yes, darling, which king would it be. God knows how many kings you have driven crazy with your beauty and wits." I send a very hateful glare in the direction of my brother. "Wallachian. I was married to Dracula's older brother." "The guy actually existed?" Haley inquired. "Trust me, the legend is entirely blown out of proportion. He really is nothing spectacular. Just a mundane vampire who had a very high opinion of himself." Elijah answered the wereslut. "Is he still alive?" Marcel asked. I rolled my eyes. "Seriously guys, Vlad's an ass. The whole Dracula story is nothing but a legend that he has invented for himself." "To answer your question, Marcel, Rebekah and Evanna impaled him." Nik said with a proud tone. I smiled at him. "You killed Dracula?" Haley asked in disbelief. "That I sure did. Beks and I had quite the fun. We dragged him all the way to our lovely castle before killing him. He deserved it for everything he did. Jerk." "What did he do to you?" I smiled devilishly at the wolf. "To me, nothing. He wouldn't have dared, being the little coward he was. Beks and I didn't do it for us. But we sure as hell made him pay. Anyways, we were talking about kingdoms, not my annoying brother in law. After all, I am part of a six hundred year old royal family." Nik and Elijah chuckled. "Watch it people, we have a queen on the lookout for a country." Elijah said. "There's always England, love. I remember you had taken quite the fancy for it. Unless it had everything to do with its king." I stared at Nik for a moment. "Ah yes, Tudor court. Darling Henry and all his wives." Nik smiled at me. "Yes, those were the days. You would keep Henry entertained while I would take the Boleyn girl. Until she was beheaded of course." "I must say, I never understood the fancy the two of you took at Henry's court. He was such a megalomaniac." Elijah interjected. "Oh, come on Elijah, it had its charms. Even you said so. And I do remember the fun we all had. With all those weddings came lots of parties." "Unfortunately, the man took bed, wed and behead way too seriously." Elijah said. Klaus and I both looked at one another before looking back at Elijah. I closed the distance between Elijah and me. "Are you feeling alright? Isn't your tie a bit too tight? Because if I didn't know better you just told a joke." I was fiddling with Elijah's tie and he grasped my hands. "I used to be very witty once, wasn't I?" Elijah said. I nodded. "Once, before you turned into some stuck up, hypocritical stiff man. I hate to break it to you, but you totally lost your Original edge. You're a Mikaelson, start acting like one." "Are you giving me a lecture, Eva? Because I remember that's supposed to be my job. And did you just call me a hypocritical stiff man?" I looked innocently at him. "She does have a point, brother. It's been a while since we've had a good laugh." Klaus came to stand beside me. "That's because Kol isn't here. He always knew how to pull off a prank." Elijah said in return. Silence fell between the three of us. I felt a pang of regret. I should be thinking of a way to get them back. There has to be a way and I would find one. The Mikaelsons, together once again. "We'll get them back." I promised. Both Elijah and Nik's head shot up and looked at me. "Don't. You can't play with life and death, Eva. Remember what happened last time." Elijah said as he let go of my hands. "This time will be different." I was aware of Marcel taking his leave, realising that he was intruding. Haley stayed, but I could care less about her. "You don't know that. You said so yourself, there are always consequences. Look at what mother tried to do. And even she couldn't bring Henry back. You failed, too. I will not let you attempt this. Some things should just remain the same." I shook my head violently. "So you'd rather I had stayed death too? I'm not going to leave Kol, Finn and Sage there. Not when we don't know what's happening with the Other Side." "How can you think for one minute that I'd rather spend my life without you in it? I love you, Eva, but I do not want to lose you again. Once is enough." Elijah said while trying to reach for me, but I was already retreating. "We won't let you risk your life, Eva. Not when we just have you back." I looked at both my brothers in utter shock. "What the hell is wrong with you two? Not only are the both of you acting like two idiotic, moronic, spiteful, arrogant hormone driven teenagers, but you're also turning your back on family? What happened to 'always and forever'?" "Evanna, you will not address us in such manner. We are only looking out for you. You are in no shape, you are not okay. And you died. Somehow, against all odds, you died. That wasn't supposed to happen and there is no way I'm letting you do that again. Do you hear me?" Nik was starting to raise his voice and his eyes took on a dangerous red glint. "It's my life, Nik. Mine. There was a time when you would understand. I won't deny it, I have my demons. But so have you, Nik. I never tried to stop you from killing Mikael. I never interfered with you daggering the others. I let you make those decisions for yourself even though I did not agree with them. But I understood, so I let you do what you thought was the right way to go at things. All I ask you is to do the same." Nik seemed conflicted. "You know what, Eva. Fine, make this decision for yourself. But don't expect me to help you. You're on your own for this one, sweetheart. I doubt I could be of much help, considering I'm a spiteful and arrogant idiot. I'm not going to stand by and watch." Nik said before stepping back down and looking at Elijah. "Well, that's one. What about you Elijah?" "I'm not letting you do this Eva." I shook my head in disbelief. "What happened to you? Noble, strong, honourable Elijah? You're like a ridiculed carved out caricature of the man you once were. You pretend to be all high and mighty, but stop pretending. Get off your high horse, Elijah. Stop acting as if you're any different from us. You have killed and you used to kill for family, no questions asked. For thousand years you stood by Nik. And now you suddenly turn your back on the others? Your own family?" "I'm trying to save your life. I'm sure Finn and Kol will understand. It's family after all." I couldn't believe that this was my brother. The one who had always believed that I could be saved. The honourable one, who wanted so desperately for us all to be happy. "You're not the man you used to be, Elijah. You haven't been ever since you let Katerina go. She deserved at least a goodbye, but you didn't even take your time for that. You need to get your shit together Elijah, because Nik might stand for it, but I sure as hell won't. From neither one of you. I might not be okay at least I am still true to who I am. I know I'm a monster and I have chosen to relish in it. There was a time when you both would have rejoiced with me. And there was also a time when you would let me make my own decisions. I can take care of myself. I have proven it many times. But I guess that when you're surrounded by females who are constantly acting as if they need men in their lives to save them and act as if they are merely tools for you to use, you kind of stop seeing them as actual people, more than capable of taking care of themselves. But here's the thing that really gets me and that is that, for some mysterious reason, you both have downgraded to something not even worthy of being called Originals, let alone Mikaelson." I was so disgusted and frustrated and mad at them that I just walked out of the room and headed outside. There was a storm on the way, I felt it. And I stood on the courtyard, waiting for the storm to hit.
Elijah and Nik looked at one another, too surprised to utter a single syllable. It was Haley who broke the silence. "You're just going to let her walk out of here? She insulted you, practically told you that you are just a bunch of losers, wanting to be winners. I'm surprised you haven't killed her yet." Hayley was rather annoyed with the ginger-haired girl. Haley felt threatened by the girl and she needed for Elijah and Klaus to get rid of her. She didn't want any competition. She had things she needed to accomplish and she needed the Mikaelsons to do that. Her plan would not fail. Elijah was the first to recover. "She's certainly alive and kicking." Both Elijah and Nik burst out in laughter. "Leave it up to her to call us out. There's no stopping her. Not when her mind is made up." Klaus said as soon as he had recovered. "I don't get it anymore." Haley was nowhere near happy where this was going. "Of course you don't little wolf. But when it comes to Eva, you'll learn to appreciate her outbursts. And there will be no talk of killing her. She is a member of my family and no harm will come to her. Now leave me and my brother be." Haley heard the finality in Klaus' voice and decided not to fight him on it. Maybe she could manipulate Elijah later on, she had already made some progress on that aspect. "What will we do now? She's not alright, Nik. You should've seen her, it's as if she's being haunted. I just wish she would talk to us and not just state the obvious." "I fear there isn't much we can do, brother. If we treat her any different, she will call us on it and push us away. Maybe Rebekah will come up with something, or maybe she will tell us eventually. For now, we'll just have to let her be. She's Evanna Mikaelson, there's no taming her, but she's our little sister, so we have to stand by her. Always and forever." Elijah nodded. "Always and forever."
The storm was about to hit. I thought back on my conversation with my brothers. Maybe I shouldn't have put it the way I did, but they had needed to hear it. It was time for some reflection for my brothers. They needed to pull themselves together, because I was going to need them in pristine Original shape. I missed Katerina. I hadn't seen her in so long. And I missed Caroline. Little did Nik know what had so long ago transpired between him and Caroline. All those memories were gone. But I still had them. And I had to keep the secrets hidden because I promised Caroline and I had promised Katerina. But I'm sure that they would've supported me on this for one hundred percent. At least Rebekah was on her way here.
The rain had finally started to fall and I leaned my head back to feel the raindrops on my skin. I remembered a similar storm, much like this one, over a thousand years ago. It had been when our family had still been human and I'd been only thirteen years old. Henry had still been alive and father hadn't been too hard on Nik yet. I would always get excited before a storm, it always held something enthralling in it. Mother hated my restlessness, but my older siblings and my father would indulge me. That night I had been even more restless than usual. I had ran outside when the rain had started to pour. Mother had called my name and ordered me to come back inside, but my father had shushed her and told her to let me enjoy the storm. I remembered spreading my arms and twirling around. My life had seemed so perfect back then.
"Mind if I join you?" Elijah's voice sounded from behind me. I turned to look at him. He offered me his hand. "Fine." He pulled me in and started waltzing. A smile touched Elijah's face. "It's been a long time since we've done this." "Too long. Just because we're dancing, it doesn't mean that you're forgiven." I put my head on Elijah's chest. "I'm not agreeing with you, Eva. But I will support your decision." I looked at Elijah and I knew he was being sincere. "Good." We continued waltzing. He twirled me around and for the first time in a while, I was actually enjoying myself.
The storm had stopped, the moment was gone. I stepped away from Elijah. "Come on, Beks should be arriving any moment now." I smiled at the thought, I was finally going to be able to talk to my sister again. It had been too long. Elijah was already starting to make his way towards the house, but I remained standing. Something was wrong. It had begun again. "Elijah." I whispered. He turned around and called out, but his words were drowned out by the voices in my head.
I put my face in my hands, hoping to quiet the voices, but it was useless. I closed my eyes and let the voices guide me. Images flashed through my mind. Blood, statues, floods. Cities rising, cities falling. Caves, water, storms. Shipwrecks, ruins, fires. Snakes, wolves, birds. Screams and laughter. Earth being ripped apart. A rock, broken in two. Sapphire, amethyst. Nightshades, oak tree. Beating heart out of its chest. Image after image. A myriad of voices, whispering to me in a thousand different tongues. And then silence, blessed silence. A full moon in a black sky, blood falling from above, the earth was red, saturated with blood. There I stood, amidst a storm of death. My hands were dripping with blood. A darkness had awoken. I screamed.
"Evanna?" Elijah's voice was barely above a whisper. I blinked, trying to get a grip on my surroundings. Coming back from a vision was anything but fun. I tried to calm myself, tried to get a grip on everything. I reached out, needing to anchor myself back to reality. Elijah's hand found mine. He squeezed it gently and pulled me closer. Nik was there too, my scream must have brought him here. I felt someone put something over my shoulders. I hadn't realised I'd been shivering until then. I let go of Elijah's hand and pulled the jacket on. It was Nik's. I breathed in the familiar scent. I closed my eyes and let my mind take me back home.
"Evanna?" This time it was Nik's voice, asking the same question as Elijah had. What had I seen? I opened my eyes and looked at my brothers. My mind was already shifting through everything. "There's a war coming." I said quietly. I didn't see the future as it would play out. I got images, that at first seem completely unrelated and random. But then there are the voices, they are the key to the puzzle. Some connections were easily made. Like the war that was going to break out. I hadn't yet figured out who was going to partake in it. It was going to big, that much I knew. Usually, it never took me this long to figure it out, but this vision proved to be difficult. There had been a lot more images than usual. And I could still remember all those voices, all those different languages. Languages long forgotten.
"We'll handle it. Like we always do." Nik said reassuringly. I shook my head. "Not this time, Nik. It's bigger. This war has been in the making for thousands of years. It predates time." I bit my lip, trying to put the pieces together. "What are we supposed to do, then?" Elijah asked. I shook my head. "I don't know. It's unclear. It's all so jumbled up." I started massaging my temples, hoping the headache would subside and clear up the fog that was messing with my reasoning. Elijah put his hands on my shoulders. "Eva, it's okay, we'll figure it out. Together." I looked at Elijah and at Nik. He nodded in agreement. "It's not okay. This is important 'Lijah. The answer just keeps slipping out of my grasp. One moment it's right there and the next it's gone. I just can't seem to solve this puzzle." I was getting frustrated and angry. My headache wasn't subsiding.
The images weren't all catalogued yet, some of them kept swimming through my thoughts. It was all some big mess and it needed to get organised so I could figure out what the hell we were dealing with. I felt the pieces drifting away, it was of no use. The harder I tried, the less I got. Thunder rumbled and a bolt of lightning struck. "Eva, we'll get this sorted out." Nik said on a soothing tone. But I didn't listen. I was stubborn and I was used to getting my way. So, I kept going. Whenever I get upset or angry about something, my emotions would spike my magic. And that usually resulted in a storm or an earthquake. As was the case right now. "Evanna, please, calm yourself." Elijah ordered. Still, I ignored him, trying to make sense of the floating images in my head.
"Well, seems like I've got here just in time. You two idiots are doing a very poor job." A voice I had been wanting to hear ever since I returned said to me. Just like that I let everything slide and ran to my sister. I put a lot more force into it than I had intended and both of us went down. Beks was laughing and I joined. "I've never been so happy to be tackled in my entire life." Rebekah said as she hugged me tight. Eventually we got up, but I remained in her embrace a few moments longer. When we finally did pull apart, I saw a tear fall from her eye. "I missed you so much, you know that?" "Likewise. You look beautiful. The twenty-first century suits you." She put a hand on my cheek. "Thanks. It's really good to see you, Eva."
"Rebekah." Elijah said from behind me. Beks let go of me and went to hug Elijah. "Hello sister." I turned towards Nik. "We're not going to this, Nik. What's in the past is in the past." I warned my brother. "I was only greeting Rebekah, Eva. Now that we're all here, I believe it may not be a bad idea to get started on your venture." Beks turned to look at me. "You haven't been back for twenty four hours and already you're thinking about cooking up your newest plan?" My sister said with a smile. "I'm going to bring us all together, once again." There was a sparkle in her eyes. "You can do that?" "Take note, brothers, that is how one ought to react when announcing your plan to bring your family back together." "We were only concerned for your wellbeing, Eva." Elijah said. I shrugged it off. "Yeah, well, it's happening either way. We'll be needing…" I trailed off.
Suddenly a piece clicked. "Eva?" Rebekah asked. "Something evil has awoken. An evil that should've remained buried. It's all connected. This war, my death, me being back alive. The Other Side crumbling down. Whatever's going to come, it's going to change the way this game is played." "A war? You've had a vision. It explains the whole storm/earthquake thing." Beks concluded. "What do you propose we do, or what were you planning on doing before your eureka moment?" "We need to talk. All of us. In private." "Sweetheart, you do realise that one, we're surrounded by vampires with excellent hearing, two, not everyone is present, some are in fact dead which will be kind of hard to go around, and three, how do you suggest we do that?"
"I'm glad you ask. I'll be needing candles, one of the daggers and a normal dagger too. A table would come in handy. Some chalk or something. Ametrine, if you have that lying around. If not, emerald or onyx will do just fine. Nightshade, belladonna or mandrake will do, dandelions, basil, wormwood and of course, some sage. An oak twig, too, and I don't suppose we have any ash of the white oak tree lying around?" I was making this up as I went along. I had this idea and was about eighty seven percent sure it was going to work. "I'm afraid not." Nik said. "Never mind it, then. Elijah, would you be so kind as to bring back a bottle of wine from your cellar?"
Both Nik and Beks turned to look at Elijah. Guess they didn't know about Elijah's wine cellar. "Why would you want wine? Is it part of this spell?" Nik asked, a bit confused. "Of course not, I just want a drink, and no offense, but Elijah's got better taste in wine then you do." Nik shook his head. "Alright then, what else do you need?" "Mother's grimoire would be nice, though I'm not sure how much help it would offer. Can you get me some blood too?" I started walking around the courtyard, trying to find the best spot. I decided to do the spell on the left side of the fountain, near the side of the Abattoir.
I never really like this place all that much. There was so much dead in here. I could still feel the remaining energy of all the animals that had died here. Not to speak of the humans and vampires. And that's when an idea occurred to me. I could use this energy to my advantage. "Have any of you stumbled upon some bat's head root?" "You might want to try some of the shops in the French Quarter." Nik said. "Alright. Let's get everything in order. I'll take care of the herbs, then." I went outside to find locate some shops that would most certainly sell the herbs I needed.
The Quarter was buzzing with activity. I could feel the energy, hear the beating hearts, smell their excitement, lust and angst. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Now was not the time. I walked towards a shop I remembered from when I had last set foot in New Orleans. A jingle announced my arrival. The store hadn't changed too much, but it had commercialised, like all the others. New Orleans had become a real magnet for believers in magic. I made my way through the store, trying to locate the ingredients for my spell. There were few people in the store, looking for a thrill. I was moving towards the two young girls that were looking at the hexes. "Cute." I said. Both girls looked at me. "This bitch from school is making our lives a living hell. It would be fine if she'd just leave us alone, but she just keeps pushing. We want to make her pay." How petty and yet, I understood the need to avenge being wronged. I looked at the hexes. I smiled. "You might want to think bigger. That won't work." I drifted to the store and grabbed some bird bones. I took a Swastika talisman and some lavender. "Here, all you need to do is put the name of the one you want to torment on a piece of paper, put these items in a small hex bag and give it to them. Then light a candle and burn the piece of paper after sprinkling cayenne pepper in the flame." I infused the talisman with some magic. Both girls looked at me. "How do you know that?"
"How does anyone know anything? You are in the French Quarter after all. Evanna, I did not know you were in town, though the earthquake should've given it away." I turned towards Nandi, the owner of Nandi's Specials. "Nandi, how lovely to see you. I must say, you don't look a year over fifty. Some herbs you've been using." She was supposed to be eighty at least. She was a witch and she also happened to be Valerie LaMarche's daughter. A woman I had little regard for, but luckily, Nandi didn't practise expression. We'd met when I had been in New Orleans before I died. "Herbs won't keep me from dying, Eva. Something you seem to have no problem overcoming. It's been decades and you have not changed one bit."
The girls were making their way to the exit, but I whooshed over there to stop them. They seemed scared. I couldn't blame them. No human would be able to rush over there so fast. But I was no human. "You haven't paid yet, it would be a big mistake to steal from a witch." "We don't want the hex after all. We have to go." For a moment, I considered to have some fun with them, but I had other things I needed to take care of. "Of course. Well, why don't you go then and forget what just happened here, would you?" I put some compulsion in it, so they wouldn't be able to recall it, though I doubted anyone would believe them. Still, one could never be too careful. I moved out of the way and let them leave.
"Not that it is not good to see you, but I am a bit on a tight schedule. I need Ametrine and mastic." "Those aren't items one has just lying around. What are you planning on doing?" Nandi asked as she started shuffling through the store. "I have need of the Original family. All of them." "You're going to summon the dead." She was a smart witch, I'd give her that. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, from what I've gathered, it has been quite the rage these days. Papa Tundé, Celeste, Genevieve." She handed me the stone. "The Harvest Ritual, as you may know, was highjacked, yet it wasn't anything too unnatural." I knew Nandi had an aversion towards crude methods. Her mother had used expression and Nandi had been rather repulsed by it. "I'll do whatever it takes to get the Mikaelsons back. Do you have any bat's head root in this shop of yours?"
"That's some dangerous magic you intend to pull off, Eva. Don't let it take control over you." Nandi warned as she went to the back to retrieve my mastic. A jingle announced another visitor. "Sophie Deveraux." Nandi greeted as she came back with my mastic and my bat's head root. "Nandi, I need your help." Sophie regarded me. "Don't mind me, I'm just about to leave. You'll have to ask Elijah to settle the bill. I'm out of money." Nandi handed me my items hesitantly.
"Be careful, Evanna. The Mikaelsons aren't some petty vampires you can fool." I smiled. She didn't know that I was a Mikaelson. Of course, that had been one of the best guarded secrets in the world. "I'll be fine. Thanks for the help and take care of yourself." I walked out of the shop.
"There you are, I was wondering whether you got lost. Did you find everything you needed?" Nik asked as I returned to the Abattoir. "Yeah. Where's Elijah?" Beks was there, standing by a table with candles. "Not back yet." "Well, we can already start the preparations." I put my items on the table and picked the piece of chalk. I drew a pentagram on the floor, infusing it with some magic. I grabbed the normal dagger and pierced my skin with it. I let some of the drops fall on the pentagram. That ought to keep to work. I hoped.
"Here." Beks handed me a bloodbag. She'd put a pink straw into it. I smiled at her. The three of us sat in silence for a moment, waiting for Elijah to come back. "We have a problem." Elijah said as he ran back in. His tie was a bit messed up. The three of us looked up. "Mother's grimoire is gone." Both Nik and Rebekah were outraged. "Don't worry about it. Did you bring the wine?" "Eva, our mother's grimoire, the one that holds the spell she used to create us and a whole lot of other important and powerful spells, is missing."
"Did you bring the wine?" I asked again, a hint of impatience in my voice. "Yes." Elijah said as he handed me the bottle. "Good choice. And stop worrying about the grimoire. There's been a spell on it for about a thousand years. Anyone who attempts to use it without our permission will have some trouble reading it. And lifting the spell requires the blood of the entire Original Family. Since about half of them are dead, I wouldn't worry about that. Plus, Esther already made sure that some spells were illegible to anyone using the grimoire who doesn't share her blood." "Oh." Elijah said as he started fixing his tie.
Now that we were here, it was about time to get this thing started. I just needed to test my spell. "Marcel, could you be so kind and get me those candles from the table, please?" I asked as I saw Marcel enter my peripheral field of vision. I watched as he walked over to the table, but was stopped by an invisible wall. I smiled. "Really funny, Eva." Marcel said as he hit the barrier. "I was just seeing whether my spell worked. Nik, could you lend Marcel a hand?" Nik walked over there and wasn't stopped by the barrier. "I guess this means it worked?" Rebekah asked as Nik grabbed the candles. "What worked?" Hayley asked as she walked into the courtyard. "A spell." And suddenly I remembered something Kol had said. "Hayley, would you mind getting me the knife that's lying on the table over there? I'd like to show Rebekah something." Hayley sighed but went to the table and was stopped by the barrier. "I can't reach it." "You don't say. Never mind then." "Something wrong, Eva?" Elijah asked when he saw me stare at Hayley. "Just thinking that Kol may have been right." "Those are two things you don't usually put in the same sentence." Nik remarked as he walked back towards me and gave me the candles. "I'll explain when we're in private." I took the candles from my brother. "Marcel, could you see to it that the abattoir is empty but the four of us?" Marcel looked a bit unsure, but he nodded anyways. "Planning something big, Eva?" "I just don't like spectators, Marcel. I'm counting on you."
For you the world is a place to survive. You are usually quiet and keep to yourself, because you are too busy thinking and dreaming about your passions in life. You truly care for others, and feel their pains and sorrows. You can read a persons mind, and sometimes calculate your own future. You are full of surprises and mysteries. You are always searching for your purpose in the world. Your friends are few but also loyal and true. You also enjoy a decadent life but be careful because you might take it to extremes. Scorpios are the hardest zodiac signs to grasp and understand. Your true desire is love and peace.