I was in a slightly entranced state when I followed the voice and the figure of the woman. She was leading me into the pond behind our estate. My father and his family were going to be gone for several hours and this is how I found myself once again ensnared in the grip of the spirit.
"Come with me, beautiful Eliza," she murmured. Apparently I was a dead ringer for her sister, who had drowned in the pond behind the house. I silently padded through the gardens, letting her lead me with her hand out. "Eliza!"
My pace quickened as I followed her out of the gardens and nearer to the gardens. I hesitated for only the briefest second before quickly following her into the shallows of the pond.
My gown cut through the water as I stepped through the shallows. My bare feet were shocked by the cold water and the plants growing underneath were tangling around my toes. I gasped, but the woman in front of me smiled winningly, and so I followed. Then I stopped once the water reached midway up my thighs.
"Eliza, you don't want to leave me all alone do you?" She asked me, tipping her head to the side. I felt the deep agony in my heart and shook my head. "Good. You cannot leave your sister all alone for eternity."
With another deep breath I began to walk forward once again. The water was now at my chest, the cold shocking, but the spirit was more beguiling. Finally I was out far enough for the water to touch my cheeks, fill my mouth with cold brackish water.
The plants were reaching out towards me – hoping to ensnare me with their tangled limbs as the water came over my eyes. I moved a little more forwards, before my foot caught.
The spirit grabbed a hold of my foot, as my body panicked from being underwater and not having any air. I gasped, only for water to take the place of oxygen. I kicked desperately, trying to get away, trying to get to the surface so I could breathe, only for this to elude me. The spirit had her hand tightly woven around my leg, as I kicked and thrashed, the water choking me, drowning me, dragging me down to the bottom of the pond.
My thrashing became weaker and weaker as the little oxygen I had left in my burning lungs began to fail my slender body. I eventually came to just stop my fighting and let the black cloud begin to take over my vision. Suddenly, I felt a warmer hand wrap around my arm and pull me upwards before I lost consciousness.
Elijah had a feeling something wasn't right as he left his adopted daughter back at the estate. Things hadn't been right with her when they settled in this beautiful estate ten months prior. At first, Niklaus had assured him that she was now fifteen – of course she was going to become different. Then her whole personality changed, she had dark circles underneath her eyes, and she began to wear a locket that she claimed she had found at the edge of the pond.
Elijah had begun to fear for his daughter whenever he found her three months prior standing at the edge of the pond in the middle of the night. The governess had come to find him, once she found Enola was no longer in her bed. The whole of the Original family panicked, and thought that some terrible fate had befallen her.
Elijah had went out into the gardens to search for a scent trail and followed it to the edge of the pond, where she stood, looking out into nothingness. Her eyes were strangely vacant, but once Elijah had begun to talk softly to her she had snapped out of it. Elijah said nothing of it to her, but led her up to her room and from that day onward made sure that someone had an eye on her.
Today however, this wasn't possible when Niklaus had received word that a neighboring werewolf clan was bringing war to their door. Elijah and Niklaus had made the plans necessary in that they would not bring the war directly to their door. The Original family and their allies would meet these individuals a few towns over, so that Enola would not be exposed to the brutal environment.
Fortunately for Elijah, whose body was taunt with worry and tension regarding his daughter, the werewolves had not shown, and so they were going back to the house. Niklaus, Kol, and Rebekah had noticed his behavior, but chosen not to say anything regarding it.
"Enola?" Elijah called as he stepped inside the foyer. He heard no response, which was unusual as Enola was the first to greet them after a threat.
"La?" Kol called, his face tightening with worry when she did not appear. The four Originals stood in the foyer, with their heads tipped to the side as they listened for the sound of her heartbeat.
The only sound that they heard was the drip, drip, drip of water. Elijah rushed forward and started towards the side doors that led out into the gardens. His stomach was tightening as he ran through every scenario in his head, and hoped that she was merely sitting on the bench in the midst of the rose bushes she loved to read by.
He stopped on the paved stones that painted the picture of a serene view – a stone bench with blooming roses all around. However, there was no Enola sitting there, or even an open book that indicated that she had perhaps became distracted by the wildlife.
Even though Elijah was not alive, his heart began to beat faster as his anxiety rushed through him. He immediately moved through the gardens towards the pond, which his daughter had an unhealthy fascination with since their move. Elijah could hear his family moving behind him, not daring to speak or even breathe.
Once he was out of the gardens, he sprinted to the edge of the pond. There was no sign of his daughter – no sign that she had been here. Until Kol touched the back of his jacket. Elijah turned to see his brother holding the blue sash which had tied around her waist that day. Elijah closed his eyes, feeling tears beginning to build.
"Enola!" Niklaus shouted, birds flying out of the trees which surrounded the trees and startling Elijah's eyes open. Just then Kol rushed into the pond and grabbed something with his arm.
"She's here!" Elijah and Niklaus both flew into the water and helped Kol tow the beautiful girl onto the shore. Her dress clung to her indecently; it was white after all. The Mikaelsons' didn't care about that; Elijah began to press on her chest in an effort to make her breathe.
"Breathe, sweetheart, breathe for me," Elijah kept chanting as he methodically continued to press on her chest. Finally after several moments, in which the Mikaelsons' lost hope, Enola took in a deep breath and coughed out gallons of pond water. "Enola."
"Papa," she cried, her throat hurting, her body hurting, and shivering from cold. Elijah noticed and took off his brown velvet jacket and wrapped it around her shivering body. "Papa!"
"Come, let us go up to the house." Elijah stated, after sharing looks with his siblings. "Rebekah must get you into warmer clothing." He didn't give his daughter the chance to stand, he scooped her up in his arms and took them up to the house. Elijah set her down in the middle of her room, where Rebekah took over for him. She gently unwrapped Enola from the wet clothes and her father's jacket and then got her dried and into drier and warmer clothing.
After Aunt Rebekah had me clothed and warmer, we made our way to the parlor, where I sat down on the floor before the fire and Aunt Rebekah began to run the brush through my hair. I was quiet as I watched my Papa pace the floor. Nik was sitting in the chair opposite of us and Kol was drinking from a crystal glass as he sat on the sofa.
"Why Enola?" Papa asked as he turned to look at me. I felt my eyes begin to well with tears. "Are you that unsatisfied with your life now? Have I not given you everything you have wanted and then some?"
"Papa, I am sorry!" I cried, the tears rolling down my cheeks. The other Mikaelsons' said nothing, but I could feel Aunt Rebekah's reproachful glare towards my papa. "I did not mean to!"
"You did not mean to?" Papa looked incredulous as well as thunderous with his expression. "You did not mean to almost drown yourself in the pond behind the house? When you knew that we were not home and that we could have been gone for hours? Am I to believe you?"
"Papa, please!" I cried out as I got up off my knees and stopped in front of my father. He said nothing, but snorted.
"You are not to go outside unsupervised, you will receive no visitors, and your door must remain open at all times," Papa said, his voice as hard as steel. "Now you can either stay here or go to your room. Which do you choose?"
"Papa?" I asked him, my heart shattering inside as I heard his words. He shook his head.
"I am done Enola. Done. Make your decision," Papa said, making my eyes burn with unshed tears. I blinked multiple amounts of time. "If you wish we could find a finishing school, if you no longer wish to remain on the premises."
"Papa you're hurting me," I whimpered, before fleeing the room, running blindly through the dark halls, until I came to an old tunnel the one servant showed me. I knew that they could not find me here, as I had been hidden for several hours' months prior.
I was able to cry in peace without the threat of being overheard from anyone in the immortal family. As a child it was fun and glamorous to know that my family could overhear me at any time that I needed them, but now that I was fifteen, I just wanted privacy every once in a while.
I cried and bemoaned my fate for hours beneath the house. It was cold, but I did not care – why should I if my Papa cared not for my presence in the house any longer. Finally, once I could cry no longer, I decided to do what he wanted – if he no longer wished for my presence, then I would let him send me off to finishing school.
Once I had snuck out from the tunnels and managed to hide myself in one of the old servant's rooms, I breathed a sigh of relief. It took me several more moments, and it was at times such as this one that I wished I could turn off my emotions, my humanity as Niklaus had told me years before.
I steeled myself and then emerged from the servant's quarters and washed up for dinner. Once dinner came I silently made my way to the dinner table, where I took my seat silently, not meeting the eyes of anyone present. Dinner was a silent affair, which was different as Kol usually caused some sort of trouble. Once the maid had taken the dessert dishes away I chose to say my piece.
"Papa I do apologize if I have disrupted your life tonight. It was never my intention. I did not almost drown myself due to being unhappy, but no one will believe me anyway, so I will not elaborate on the specifics. If it is your wish that I remove myself from your lives I will do as you wish. But pray, let me know so that I might have time to prepare myself, or at the very least make me forget the life I had with everyone so that I might not have regrets," I said, before standing up from the table. "I love all of you and do not wish to leave, but if that is what Pa – Elijah decrees, then I will obey."
With that last moment of calmness I walked out of the dining room and walked up to my room, leaving the door open before I began to pull all of my things off the shelves. I felt almost like I was out of my body, like I had no control over what I was doing.
"Honey, what are you doing?" I turned to see Niklaus leaning against the doorframe. I just shrugged my shoulders lightly and turned back to my books. As I was pulling another stack off of the shelf, a hand stayed my progress. "Don't do that love. What's going on?"
"Apparently Papa does not wish for me to remain here any longer." I said, stopping for several moments.
"Love, that is not what your father meant," Niklaus said, turning me to face him. I avoided his eyes so he used his fingers to tilt my face upwards to meet his eyes. "He was frustrated and scared this afternoon. Of course your father wants you to remain here, he just wants to ensure that this is your wish as well."
"Of course I wish to remain here with you all," I burst out, then my face colored. Niklaus shushed me and brought me in to his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.
"What happened today?" Niklaus asked me, resting his chin on my head. I stiffened and tried to get away from Niklaus, but he just held me there. "You can tell me, love."
"You will think I am deranged and have me locked into a hospital, where there is no chance of escape." I murmured.
"No, love. Never. Kol and I are the deranged ones in the family. Come on, talk to me," Niklaus coaxed. I finally relented; Niklaus was the one in the family to make me spill my feelings.
"Since we've moved here – things have been different," I started, backing up from Niklaus' hold. "I started to see things the more time I spent by the pond."
"Your father mentioned a change in you," Niklaus said, his expression not revealing what he was thinking.
"I started to see a person, Nik," I said desperate for him to believe him. His eyes narrowed but he said nothing. "She started to come and talk to me whenever I felt lonely. After a while I thrived on her attention, seeing as Papa, Kol, Aunt Rebekah, and you became busy with the werewolf threat. She gave me this locket."
I showed Niklaus the antique locket that I had been wearing around my neck. Niklaus picked it up in his hands and inspected it. After a few moments he backed away and motioned for me to continue.
"Then that night Papa found me by the edge of the pond – I did not know how I got out there or even why I was out there. I was scared Nik!" I blurted, my words almost blurring together in my haste to get it out. "It started happening more and more, Ms. Rosenthorne found me a few days after. I do not know how it occurred, but I didn't want to tell anyone for the fear that they would think me mental."
"It is alright love," Niklaus soothed. "But I will need that locket."
"What?" I asked feeling incredulous that he would ask for such a thing. He nodded in affirmation.
"I do not think it right for you to hold onto such a locket," Niklaus said. After a few moments I nodded and unhooked the necklace from around my neck.
"Please don't lose it!" I begged him as he went out the bedroom door. "It means too much to Helen!"
"Helen?" He asked me, turning around. I nodded.
"That's her name. Helen." Without another word he nodded and walked down the hallway. I cried, silently as I surveyed the gardens from my window.
"Brother, we must talk," Niklaus said as he strode into the parlor room. Elijah looked up from where he was sitting reading a book. Rebekah and Kol also followed behind Niklaus looking interested.
"I do not have time to discuss such matters with you. You heard Enola tonight; she despises me and wants nothing more to do with the family," Elijah said, his voice betraying his emotions.
"Nonsense!" Rebekah snapped. "That girl loves you more than you could imagine Elijah. She is just hurt as well, and lashing out."
"I have found something interesting about your charge, brother," Niklaus said as he sank into a seat directly in front of Elijah.
"And what would that be?" Elijah asked tiredly, shutting the book. If his brother wanted to play, then play he shall. In response, Niklaus swung the necklace in front of Elijah's face. "How did you get that?"
"Enola let me have it, after she told me the reason why she suddenly turned suicidal and decided to dive into the pond earlier today," Niklaus looked far too smug about it.
"Excuse me?" Elijah looked deeply insulted.
"You made her upset Elijah. She is just wondering when you will throw her out of the house," Niklaus sat forward. "She has apparently had a small issue for the past few months and none of us noticed."
"Well do not keep us in suspense," Kol frowned.
"She has been haunted by the ghost of an individual that has been haunting the pond. Apparently this ghost attached itself to Enola because she felt lonely. Then she gave her this necklace, which apparently is what has been controlling your daughter, Elijah." Niklaus gave his brother a grin, before throwing the necklace into the fire. "Within three days we will be leaving this estate. However, Elijah you must convince Enola that you still love her and want her to continue to be your ward. And we all must keep a watch on her, until we move."
"Very well," Elijah nodded his head. "I will go up and see if she is asleep or not."
The next morning I awoke to find my father sitting in the chair beside my bed. I jumped and he simply smiled at me. I sat up and stared at him for a moment.
"I apologize for my abhorrent behavior yesterday. I did not mean to take out my anger and frustration on you last night. Can you find a way to forgive me?" He asked me. I nodded and flung myself at my Papa who wrapped me in his arms and cuddled me on his lap.
"I'm sorry Papa. I should have told you, but I didn't want you to think I was mentally unstable!" I wailed. Papa merely hummed and held me closer as I wept. That day at breakfast, I was informed that we would be moving, which I understood. I nodded and let the servants pack the items we would need to take with us, but the furniture and other items stayed in the house.
As Papa and Niklaus helped me into the carriage, I happened to look back at the pond. There I saw Helen staring at me with mournful eyes as I left her life forever.
"Sweetheart, is everything alright?" Papa asked me. I looked up at him and nodded, pulling my silk skirt out of the way of the ground and stepping into the carriage. I did not look back this time as we left the estate.