This story will follow the plot of the Originals but that will become clear in the following chapters. This is just to introduce my OC Gabriella to the story, but we will also learn a lot more about her and her past in later chapters too. Just to put it out there now, I do not own any of the characters or scenarios in this story a part from my OC Gabriella Buchanan. I hope you guys enjoy it, let me know what you think :) Riley x
Gabby woke up almost instantly as the small glimmering ray of light fell up on her face. She may be 350 years old but she never grew tired of the warm sun, her legs felt tight from the party the night before. She had been at one of Marcels midnight turning parties and had been dancing a little too long with Diego. She groaned instantly as she began to regret the extra hour she had spent dancing and drinking.
Her alarm was screaming at her to get up and go, it was sadly and depressingly almost in time with her throbbing head. 'Vampires didn't get hangovers my ass' she thought.
"god" she murmured as she forced herself to sit up and face it. She felt as though she'd been hit in the face by a brick.
She loved living where she did but she really did not enjoy the hustle and bustle at this time in the morning. Her apartment had the classic French quarter pink exterior with the lavish balcony that weaved its way around all four sides of the apartment blocks. The outer wall was built using individual old bricks, each one of them different, none the same. That's what she loved the most.
However on mornings like this she was in no mood to admire the gorgeous architecture of her home. She just had to get up and go. She had to meet Camille in 10 minutes.
They went to university together at University of New Orleans, also known as UNO. Camille was a psychology major and Gabby was a Literature student. She could never say major, she found it just too American. Of course Camille didn't know that Gabby was a 350 year old vampire, it's not exactly an ice breaker, fortunately for them both, Gabby was very in control.
"alright…" Gabby sighed standing slowly and steadying herself. Next time she saw Diego she was going to give him a piece of her mind.
God she needed a drink she thought. She stumbled over to a trunk that she kept at the foot of her bed, it was an old vintage 10th century leather stitched and worn trunk. It was beautiful, she liked authentic things, she liked the distinctive smell of old worn leather. She found a strange beauty in old things, it fascinated her.
She slung it open to reveal a built in stash of blood bags that she, Diego and Thierry used to steal from a hospital slightly out of town, but that was before the endless blood bath parties that Marcel held every single night of the week.
Gabby grabbed one bag full of her favourite flavours. AB negative, her father always used to say she had expensive taste when she was human. She smiled at the thought as the blood past her lips. It tasted like liquid gold to Gabby, it was so rare, so special. That's why she liked it. She had a very acquired taste did Gabriella.
She drank the bag dry and tossed it aside feeling much better. The blood rejuvenated her, gave her life, the ultimate hangover cure. She had no idea how humans did it, no wonder they didn't drink much… well.. not as much as vampires anyway.
Gabby rummaged through her wardrobe looking for something easy to wear. She had quite a good body at the age of 20 and she thanked herself every single day for the slight lack of food in London in the 1600s. Finally she settled on a pair of dark navy blue jeans that fit her slim legs perfectly; a white vest top teamed with a white lace pattered blazer and a big pair of chunky tan sandal heels. Crap she was late.
She began to move quicker around the apartment grabbing a beige satchel, worn like the leather trunk, of course. On the way out of the door she grabbed a pair of earrings, a watch, her purse, her phone and her apartment keys and shoved them all in her bag. She would have to sort herself out on the walk to the bus, something Camille was very used to by now, Gabby was never ever on time.
"morning Loretta!" she shouted half-heartedly as she did every morning whilst she was fumbling to lock the door. Loretta was an adorable old woman who owned the building, Gabby had watched her grow up and inherit her families land. Now this block was all that was left, the rest belonged to Marcel.
"morning dear" Loretta looked up with a glimmer in her eye. She truly loved the city, every morning, however frail she was, she would sit out on the balcony below the courtyard and watch the world go by. She was getting frail now though, Gabby knew it was only a matter of time but fortunately, death was a very inconvenient part of being 350 years old, she was long accustomed to it by now.
Gabby ran down the stairs as fast as she could without using her vamp speed. Mind she was in those chunky heels so the 'run' only went so far. She rounded the corner to see Camille leaning against the wall like nothing was out of the ordinary.
"late night?" Camille smiled to her, knowing her just a little too well.
"yeahh" Gabby laughed, she had to lie to Camille, she couldn't tell her she was friendly with the 'tyrants' who run this city. However Camille, like all of the other humans here, was completely oblivious to the situation. Anything out of place and boom they were compelled, just like that.
"well you look good, I seriously don't know how you do it" ha. If only she knew, Gabby smirked to herself at this remark but as per usual, lied through her teeth.
"lots of water sweetheart, it does wonders" she smiled as they walked through the streets of the city which was still recovering from the night before.
"I will have to try that, anyway I was wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat after your British Lit seminar later, I've got a bit of work to do and am fed up of sitting at home doing nothing, I fancy a change" she smiled. That was refreshing, she was a little boring when they first met bless her, family drama. But that's a story for a different time.
"sure, that sounds cute, I have to get through that horrendous gothic seminar though, I seriously hate Wuthering Heights" she rolled her eyes. The Bronte sisters were sooo overrated she thought.
"you really do" Cami laughed, she heard the same ramble every time Gabby went to this seminar. Every. Single. Time. "that's why I thought about lunch, I finish a couple of hours before you so I was going to head and get some work done in a café somewhere and then we can meet at Rousseau's and abuse my staff discount?" she asked excited with her little plan. This is what she did all of the time she was hanging around waiting for Gabby to pull herself together.
"that does sound tempting" Gabby smiled as they reached the bus stop and sat down, though they could see they wouldn't be waiting long, the bus had just rounded the corner at the top of the street.
"excellent, it's a date" she smiled playfully
"speaking of which you need to get a guy Cami" Gabby smiled noticing an opportunity. She felt for her friend, Gabby was out every single night quenching her blood thirst and Cami would just sit at home doing work. Bless her.
"yeah right" Cami scoffed "I'm done with dating, I go for completely the wrong guys, you know that" she had a point Gabby thought.
"hey, everyone loves a bad boy" Gabby smirked. She knew she did. She hadn't dated in a very long time though, she'd had a few things but really what was the point, she had always been alone and she was happy that way.
"Gabby not all of us can handle a bad boy, I'm getting to old for that, you're still young"
Gabby laughed internally at that. Camille was 25 and came to university when she came to town which was only a year ago. Gabby had told her she was 20, which she kind of was in human years so….
"you're never too old for a bit of fun Cami" She smiled knowingly. *speaking from 350 years of experience* she mentally added
"whatever" Cami smiled rolling her eyes. She had come to expect nothing less of Gabriella. Gabriella was full of life and confidence and remarkably intelligent. Cami had no idea how she sustained such a level of knowledge with the life she lead.
The bus pulled in at the stop, exerting the dirty smell of fumes which were spluttering loudly out of the exhaust pipe. It chugged along like an old steam roller Gabby thought. She watched the exhaust fumes rise and vanish into the thin morning air. The air was fresh and crisp that morning, the type of air that made you wish every breath you took was a huge deep one. A deep and cleansing relaxing breath. Gabby couldn't help but resent modern technology at times for polluting the nature of her beautiful French sector.
Cami stepped onto the bus first leaving Gabby to follow her, the girls flashed their bus passes and quickly made their way to the back seat of the bus. It was deserted anyway, they were just about the only 2 students who travelled from the French Quarter besides, anybody else who lived here would not be up at this hour Gabby thought to herself.
"anyway what about you?" Cami smiled curiously, continuing their conversation from the bus shelter.
"I prefer being alone Cam, is that such a crime?" she smiled light heartedly. Even though she knew it wasn't the truth. Not even in relationships, in life. She found it easier to be alone, but she most certainly did not prefer it. One thing was for sure, Gabriella had been betrayed one too many times to lend her trust to just anyone.
"yeah it is! You shouldn't be so cynical" Cami smiled turning to Gabby on the rickety old bus seats. Oh if only she knew…
"maybe not but I am" Gabby shrugged "at least I'm not like Catherine bloody Earnshaw" she joked rolling her eyes at the mere thought of that novel which made Cami laugh.
"you're impossible"
"not the first time I've heard that" Gabby smirked cheekily as she watched New Orleans flash by them in a whirr of colour outside the mildly musty windows. She adored this place, in all of the places she had been in her life time, this felt like her true home.
The pair chatted all the way to the university as they did most days, about nothing in particular, just girly things and polite conversation. Gabriella very much enjoyed Cami's company, it's a shame she was human, there was such a huge part of Gabby's life that she had to keep in the dark. It felt as though she lived a double life at times, not that she was complaining.
Before they knew it the bus pulled up outside the university main building in all its glory. It was much like the French Quarter in its grand lavish architecture. It reminded Gabby so much of the back streets of Paris sometimes, the architecture here, perhaps that's why she liked it. It provided her with a nice balance, the roots of her family together with a fresh start. A place that was hers, just hers. If she ever came across anyone who descended from the family who designed these streets she had promised herself that she would buy them a drink.
The girls walked down the middle aisle of the bus and thanked the driver politely, as they did every day, and set their feet on the dry lawn in front of the main building.
"right, so text me when you're done and I'll let you know where I am ok?" Cami smiled as she starting heading off in the opposite direction to Gabby to cross over to the School of Psychology.
"yep, I'll head into town though right?". The French Quarter is what they referred to as town and it was a good 20 minute bus ride away (it was actually 23 minutes but Gabriella constantly used it as an excuse for being unfashionably late).
"well yeah, that'd be a start" Cami smirked poking fun at Gabby's apparent cluelessness.
"shut up" Gabby laughed as she turned to go her own way up to the classics building which was conveniently located right next to the main building and was arguably the closest building to the bus stop.
"see you later Gabs" Cami smiled
"see ya" Gabby responded and turned. Now to get this bloody seminar over with.