4. Unwanted

They say I gotta learn, but nobody's here to teach me

If they can't understand it, how can they reach me

I guess they can't, I guess they won't

I guess they front, that's why I know my life is out of luck, fool.

~ Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise ~

You don't know me

Don't ignore me

You don't want me there

You just shut me out

You don't know me

Don't ignore me

If you had your way

You'd just shut me up

Make me go away

No, I just don't understand why

You won't talk to me

It hurts that I'm so unwanted for nothing

Don't talk words against me

I wanted to know you

I wanted to show you

~ Avril Lavigne – Unwanted ~

Elijah was silently staring at her, waiting for her return. It wouldn't be long now. It had been hours since Marcel broke her neck and left her there. At his care. Elijah was startled. That was not what he had expected when he came to see Marcel. He had enough problems as it was. He did not need new ones.

It was supposed to be a simple exchange of information. His horrific father had returned from the dead and his protégé was responsible for it. Who knew that a little witch like Davina could cause so much chaos. And chaos was the least of the things his father was capable of.

Michael, the vampire who hunted vampires. A nightmare come to life. He was a force to be reckoned with. Though Davina's spell controlled him, for the time being, he knew it was only matter of time 'till he came for them. Davina brought him back for a reason. She hated his family, especially his brother Niklaus, and she would do anything to destroy them. She had plenty of reasons to seek revenge. Niklaus had made sure of that. And his psychotic father was the perfect weapon. The only one strong enough. And now in possession of the only thing capable of killing them. Their destruction was the only thing that mattered to him. Quite ironic since he was the reason for their continuing existence.

Elijah did not believe Marcel was aware of Davina's actions. If Niklaus were to be killed then so did the rest of his bloodline. Every vampire he had ever created would follow him to the grave. There was no way around it. If Niklaus died then so did Marcel. Elijah suspected that was the reason Davina hadn't unleashed him yet. Her love for Marcel superseded her desire for revenge. But even if Davina kept him chained, he would sure find a way to escape his bonds. And once free he would pursue them without mercy. Wrecking everything in his path.

Michael had to be stopped. But in order for that to happen, he had to find him first. Even if Davina hadn't informed Marcel of her actions, he still hoped Marcel had information that could turn useful to him. He needed to get out of the house anyway. Things were getting too complicated. Too emotional. He needed a distraction. And now he was stuck babysitting.

What the hell was Marcel thinking? He didn't need an apprentice. Didn't want one. Especially a lost, pathetic, child who thought the only way to escape its problems was to grow fangs. He did not want any part in this. Yet here he was. Watching over her. Waiting for her to awake.

He remembered when he first saw her, playing music on the streets. She was good. Really good. Why did she have to go and throw it all away? She could live a happy, normal life. Away from all this madness. She could have a family of her own, yet she chose this. Vampirism. He remembered the day he became a vampire. He never chose this. It was forced upon him. Upon all of them. Why would anyone choose this of his own free will was beyond him. He would give anything to be human again. Something he knew he could only dream of.

He saw her stir and moved closer to her. He knew how this would go. How she would feel. He remembered all too well. He had been through the exact same thing. They all had. Although he wanted no part in this, he could not just leave her be. He would help her with her transition and then he'd leave. She was Marcel's burden to bear. Not his.

She woke up disoriented, with no recollection of where she was. Her head was spinning around. She felt confused, twitchy. But that was nothing compared to the burning sensation in her neck. The thirst. She recognized it for what it was. And she knew it was only going to get worse. Marcel had warned her about this. He didn't hide the disadvantages of his condition when he offered her a place in his community. She was the one who chose to proceed anyway. And she wasn't regretting it. She did what she had to. Now she had to finish what she started. Still, she thought she was prepared for this, the thirst, but its intensity caught her off guard. And she hadn't fully turned yet. She still had to complete her transition.

Once her head stopped spinning around, she was able to examine her surroundings. When Marcel took her life she was out, on the streets, yet now she was lying down on a couch. With closer examination, she realized it was Marcel's couch. She had been brought back to his house. Their house.

Elijah saw her examining her surroundings. He was surprised by how fast she recovered her composure. He knew how disorienting this whole experience could be. He had to admit he was impressed. She was so in control of herself. And beautiful. He took his time examining her appearance as she slept. Wondering what led her to choose this existence. And he didn't miss her beauty. Her long legs, her creamy brown skin, her beautiful face. He was still a man after all. He watched her trying to stand up and made his presence noticed.

Gia was trying to get up, still dizzy by the experience, when she heard a noise at her right and abruptly turned to face its source. That's when she saw him, looking at her intensely.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Elijah. Perhaps you've heard of me."

"Marcel might have mentioned you."

"And you are?"

"I'm Gia.": she looked around, looking for someone a little more familiar. "Where's Marcel?": she asked unable to spot him.

"Marcel has left you at my care."

"Why would he do that?": she asked with suspicion.

"He believes I should instruct you..."

"Let me guess. You don't.": she cut him off.

"I do not recall making the offer."

Gia locked eyes with him for a moment before she inspected him, head to toe. She took in his suit, his body posture and realized how she must look to him. How they must all look. He thought he was above them. She had met plenty of men like him in the high society. Arrogant bastards who thought they owned the world. Unlike them though, he was strong. He had real strength in him. He seemed fearless. And hot, she had to admit. He had high cheekbones, a strong jaw line and a thin and muscular body that could have any woman melting with desire. She shook her head to clear her mind before she spoke again.

"Then why are you here?"

Elijah smiled at her. "I could not just leave you there now could I? Not when you needed help."

"You brought me here?"

"Do you see anyone else?"

Elijah kept smiling at her. She decided she liked his smile. It lightened his face.

"Well, thank you. I guess."

"You're welcome."

Elijah moved towards the fridge and opened it up. Took a blood bag from it and returned to her side.

"I suppose you're feeling hungry.": he told her and handed the bag to her.

"That's one way to put it. Thanks." He smiled at her again.

Gia took a reluctant sip at first and then emptied the bag. The thirst hit her harder than it ever had before. Her senses became more acute. Sharper, stronger, like a veil had been lifted. The light was hurting her eyes. It was brighter than ever. She felt like she was staring straight in the sun. She closed them for a minute and opened them again. This time it was easier. And she was able to distinguish the differences. Everything were clearer, more precise. The light was still blinding yet she could see every particle, every molecule of dust in the air. It was beautiful. A soft pleasant scent invaded her senses. She turned to the direction it came from and found Elijah, staring at her. His scent, she thought. This was his scent. Soft yet enticing. Her hearing was heightened to the point she could hear his heart beating. Hell, she could hear everything from miles away. She loved it.

Elijah watched closely as she completed her transition. His mind recorded every expression she took as her new senses were awakened. It was a mesmerizing sight. He couldn't take his eyes from her. She had dominated the scene. He watched her smile lighten her face and felt a warm, tingling feeling in his heart.

"How are you feeling?": he asked her.

"Incredible.": she answered lifting her eyes to meet his face. His beauty took her breath away. Now that the veil had been lifted from her eyes she could truly see him. He was stunning. There were no words to describe him. Nothing to compare him to. He was simply, stunning.

"Do you want more?" His voice music to her ears.

"What?": she asked distracted.

"I asked if you wanted more blood.": he clarified, aware of her confusion. She had yet to learn to control her senses.

The mention for blood brought her thirst back to the surface. Her new senses had distracted her. Kept her desire at bay. But not anymore. She needed blood and she needed it now. She thought about heading to the fridge and before she knew it she was there. Standing in front of it. There was no part of time where the act happened. The change was instantaneous. Almost like there was no movement at all.

"You'll get accustomed to the changes.": he told her, opening the fridge and getting another bag for her. "They'll be a part of you before you know it."

"Good to know.": she responded.

"Perhaps you should lay down. Take it easy until Marcel arrives."

"Where will you be?"

"Like I've already mentioned, Marcel is your instructor not I. I only remained to make sure you were safe, which you are. It is time for me to leave. Have a nice night."

Gia watched him leave, wondering where Marcel was. Why had he left her with him? He obviously didn't want any relation with her. What was Marcel planning?

Marcel desperately tried to locate Davina, to no end. What on earth was going on in that girl's mind? To bring back Michael. He couldn't believe it. Like they didn't have enough problems already. If Klaus died then so did he. She knew that. What the hell was she thinking? He had to find her before Klaus did. He wouldn't allow any harm come to her. Still, she had shielded herself effectively. Marcel was no friend of the witches but there was still one he could trust. And he was with her now. Yet, he came up empty. Every location spell Lenore had casted failed. He hoped Gia had better luck with Elijah.

Marcel's thoughts flew back to Gia. And Elijah. He smiled. Elijah's expression, when he told him that Gia was going to be his apprentice, was priceless. He was never good with children. He was the living proof of that. Although their relationship had started well something went wrong in the process and he dismissed him without a single thought. Klaus was the one that took care of him. Gia might not be a child anymore but she is a brand new vampire. To someone like Elijah that was one and the same. He wondered how she was doing.

Gia was waiting for Marcel, trying to come to terms with her new reality. She loved her new abilities and was trying to get the hang of them. That was relatively easy. Her martial arts background helped a lot. She already knew how to use all of her senses. When one sense weakens the others strengthen. And she had been trained to use each and every one of them. Learning to use her new abilities was no different from what she did before. In a little more advanced stage but the same still. The thirst, one the other hand, wasn't easy to control. Still she managed pretty well for a beginner. The worst problem she faced was her own emotions. She was swelling with grief. Pain unlike anything she ever felt before. It hit her a thousand times stronger and harder than it ever had when she was human. And it almost killed her then. She had to withstand it. Except, she didn't know how.

Marcel returned a couple of hours later and found her starring at the walls. She didn't seem to notice him. He looked around, searching for Elijah but there was no sign of him. They were alone.

"Gia?": he called on to her. "Gia, are you ok?"

His voice brought her back to reality. She was lost in her thoughts, unaware of the time that passed.

"I'm fine.": she turned to face him.

"Where's Elijah?": he asked.

"He left."

"And he just left you here? Alone?"

"Why not? You did."

Marcel moved closer to her and placed his hand upon her arm. "I did not leave you alone. I left you with Elijah."

"But you didn't ask him first, did you? If you had you'd know that he wants nothing to do with me."

"Not yet, but he will. He'll be back. You'll see."

"What makes you so sure?*

"Cause I know the guy. It won't be long before he runs back to you. Now come on. Get ready. We got work to do."

"Where are we going?"

"I want to introduce you to someone. A witch. Now that you are a vampire you'll need a daylight ring to protect you from the sun. And Lenore will provide it. I've already asked her to make the preparations.'

"How you know you can trust her? From what you've told me they don't seem to like you very much."

"Ha ha." he laughed. "That they do, but Lenore is different. I saved someone she cared about once and we've come up to some sort of understanding. As long as I don't cross the line, she puts up with me. Even helps me from time to time."

They arrived at her shop a little before dawn. Lenore was waiting for their arrival. She was a dark skinned woman with long, wavy black hair. She looked at her curiously and moved towards her.

"You must be Gia.": she announced.

"And you must be Lenore." Gia smiled at her friendly.

"I believe this is for you." Lenore picked a small box from the counter and gave it to her.

Gia opened it up and found a beautiful ring inside of it. It was made of white gold with a huge lapis lazuli stone in the middle. She immediately took it out of the box and wore it. Good think she did too, cause the sun had just begun to rise. The ring was cool against her skin and its effects were immediate. Marcel and Gia walked all the way back, enjoying the sunlight.

Elijah had spent the entire night searching for ways to defeat his parents. Not only had his horrific father returned from the dead but so had his mother. And, unlike his father, she could change bodies at will. As the powerful witch that she was she could easily possess some poor soul, and claim its body as her own. Elijah needed a way to know which body she occupied each time and for that he needed a witch. Unfortunately, every witch in the Quarter was an enemy of his and his family's. Which left only one other option. He needed to look outside the Quarter. Across the river to be more precise. And since he did not know of a witch that he could trust, he would once again have to rely on Marcel.

He found him at the compound. Gia was there, rearranging his books, in broad daylight. He had come to the right place. Marcel had obviously allied himself with another witch. Gia's ring was proof of that. He made his presence noticed.

Marcel was talking on the phone, trying to track down Davina when he saw Elijah.

"I was wondering when you'd show up. It's not like you to shed responsibility.": he said to him.

"As you well know": Elijah responded: "she is not my burden to bear. You turned her, you teach her."

Gia pretended not to take notice of their exchange and kept dealing with the books. She could hear everything though. Super hearing had its advantages.

"What can I do for you then?" Marcel asked Elijah.

"I'm looking for a witch."

"Considering Davina's latest actions, I doubt she'd be willing to help you."

"Not Davina. Perhaps another witch, on another leash."

"And what makes you think I got another witch?" Marcel smiled.

"Perhaps the daylight ring on your new librarian." Elijah answered, pointing at Gia.

"Right. Let me see what I can do for you." He turned towards Gia and called on to her.

"Gia. Why don't you come here for a second?"

Gia answered his call immediately. She stood by Marcel's side and faced Elijah.

"Why don't you take Elijah to meet our friend Lenore?" Marcel suggested.

Elijah was not pleased. He didn't know what kind of game Marcel was playing but he didn't like it.

"If this is your idea of a joke,": he told him "I can assure you I am not amused."

"Oh, there's nothing funny about what's going on. Between your father's return and the witches causing chaos, all around, I just thought you might need as many friends as you can possibly get."

Elijah walked out of the compound with Gia right behind him. She tried to open up a conversation but her efforts hit a wall. Elijah was in no mood for chitchat. Her presence there irritated him. That part was obvious and it was pissing her off. This whole being better than her act was getting on her nerves. Still, she had to show patience in order to achieve her goals. Her temper could jeopardize everything. And she'd gone too far already. "Do your best not to waste my time." he had said to her and she was planning to listen. She had no time to waste either.

They found Lenore conjuring one of her potions. She wasn't pleased to see them. Gia didn't expect her to be. From what she had heard, the Original Family didn't have many friends in the Quarter, or anywhere else for that matter, but they had plenty of enemies. That didn't stop Elijah though. Well, you know what they say. Bribery will get you everywhere. Still, she appreciated the fact that he didn't use violence. Who's to say that brute force was the answer to everything? His next act though infuriated her. He left her with the order of procuring a snake while he searched for an enchanted object once possessed by the witch he was after. Procuring a snake with mind compulsion as he told her was the lesson of the day. Except he hadn't showed her how. She really wanted to punch him right about now.

Gia searched for a pet shop, trying to figure out what the deal was with that witch Elijah hunted. All she knew of her was that she had the ability of changing bodies. A useful trick. But why was Elijah interested in her? Was Phoenix involved in this somehow or was it just a coincidence? Too many things were happening at once. And she had to keep track of each and every one of them. She had no idea in which situations Phoenix was involved. And without that knowledge she could not predict his movements.

She entered the shop and met the owner. Apparently she was supposed to compel him. Elijah hadn't showed her how to do it. Yet, there might still be something she could do. Draw on the knowledge she had collected over the years. There was an ancient technique taught by a Zen master she had met in one of her journeys. It was passed along the years from his ancestors to him. Each generation teaching the next. She extended her trip there in order to learn from him. She's always had a soft spot for martial arts and couldn't resist learning something new. I guess now she'd see if her lessons had taken place.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Calmed herself and emptied her mind. She entered a peaceful state where everything was possible. Let herself feel the vibrations of the world. Mirroring is a part of life. Friends, lovers, family members the more time they spent together the more their bodies align. Start mimicking each other's gestures. They unconsciously align themselves with the ones closest to them. This was no different. Except she was consciously trying to control another person.

Gia opened her eyes and looked straight into his. She ordered him to give her a snake and forget she'd ever been there. The shop owner took a dreamy expression and obeyed her orders without a second thought.

After she procured the snake, Gia returned to Marcel's compound. He found him waiting for her. He wanted to know how things were going between her and Elijah.

"Why?" she asked him. "Why are you so interested in Elijah? Why does he have to be the one to teach me? I'm not an idiot Marcel. I know you're using me to get to him. I just don't know why."

"What I want from him. What I want for him, is the same thing I want for you. Our community. I learned the hard way that you can't survive in this city without an Original by your side. We need Elijah. We need him to see us as his family too."

"I couldn't make my own family to care about me." she told Marcel sticking to the story she had created. As far as Marcel knew, she was an orphan. Her mother died at an early age and she was forced to live with her jerk stepfather. "What makes you think he's gonna care for me?"

"I've known that man for two hundred years. He's cranky. He's fassy and he can piss you off like hell but he has a weakness. He can't help trying to fix what's broken. You don't need to be anything other than what you already are. Someone who needs his help."

Well, she'd have no problem playing the broken hearted. She wouldn't have to act at all. Her heart was broken for all eternity.

The sound of footsteps ended their conversation. A woman entered the room they were in. She was tall, slim with hazel green eyes and dark brown hair.

"Hayley, what are you doing here?" Marcel asked her. Obviously they weren't strangers.

"What's the matter Marcel? Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Considering you're the reason werewolves are now ruling my city then no I'm not glad to see you."

"That was not how it was supposed to go. You know that."

"No actually I don't. Klaus had Genevieve create the moonlight rings for you and your pack. Do you really expect me to believe that you would not make a move against the vampires once you got them?"

"We just wanted peace and freedom from our curse. Anyhow, it doesn't matter now. We never got them. Francesca did and we all know how that worked out. We all lost. And I have lost far more than you."

Marcel decided to stop the confrontation. Hayley was right. They had all lost. And she had lost a child. Her child. There was no point in fighting for things that could not change.

"Why are you here?" he asked her.

"Elijah sent me. He said that your new apprentice, Gia, had something for me."

"I'm Gia." she came to the front "I believe this is what you are looking for." she handed the snake over to her and Hayley left the building.

After Hayley's departure, Marcel explained to her who she was and what her role was in the Mikaelson family. The werewolf mother turned hybrid after the loss of her child. Gia pitied her. To lose a husband was one thing but to lose a child. She could not imagine the pain.

She left the compound and went to a small bar she had discovered just outside the Quarter. She really needed a drink right about now. And the music there was great. Every song vibrated in her very soul. But then again, music had always been part of her soul. She sat at the bar and quietly drunk her drink when Elijah arrived. She had no idea how he knew she was there. She hadn't told a soul where she was going and that made her feel uneasy. Not that she would ever show it.

"How did you find me?"

"I am sorry to disappoint you but I did not come here to find you. I come here very often. I like this place."

"Well then, don't let me hold you."

Elijah smiled at her attempt to get rid of him. "Are you playing tonight?" he asked her.

"I don't think so."

"It's a shame. You are rather good."

Gia looked at him surprised. The only time he had heard her perform was the night Marcel broke her neck and she rose as a vampire. She had no idea he had paid attention to her music. It felt nice.

"Ever since I turned I haven't been able to play." she confessed. And it was true she had yet to master her advanced hearing, not to the point that she could play music again. But she was getting closer."

"It's different for us." he said to her. "Cadence, rhythm, harmony our experience of the senses is altered. We move faster, we hear things with greater acuity, silence is longer and more profound. Sounds seem different to our ears. And then there is the emotion. For a vampire is extremely heightened. Sometimes difficult to express."

Gia felt his passion within his every word and felt drawn to him with each sentence. Who knew? Elijah loved music as much as she did. Maybe more. Suddenly their differences seemed meaningless. She forgot her anger and resentment towards his behavior and got sunk into his words. The passion in which he spoke them. Music connected people and she felt connected to him.

"I will help you." he finally told her.

"Why?" Gia couldn't help but ask.

"Because if someone had done the same thing for me and my siblings I'm quite certain history would have unfolded differently. Besides, I would very much like to hear you play again. Sooner rather than later."

Elijah smiled at her and left the bar, leaving her with a smile on her face.