"Don't you just love those long rainy afternoons in New Orleans when an hour isn't just an hour—but a little piece of eternity dropped into your hands—and who knows what to do with it?"
—Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Caldron
Monday, January 15, 2011
"So this is 'good twin' behavior?" Dana hissed as Rachael dragged her from Jarden Gris and Marcel's supervision.
"You're the one who wanted to ditch this morning! You are such a hypocrite," Rachael retorted.
"I just want to get some smokes and a new lighter. The girl in the shop sold me some weed. Look, if we are going to be stuck here for a few weeks, we might as well have some fun, right. We are practically 15!" Dana said.
"Just hurry up. Let's get back before they know we are gone. We'll say...I don't know. Think of some excuse. Marcel and Bex do seem cool. And aside from helping Davina make the moonlight rights on the full moon, we will have some time to kick back. Do you even have any money?" Rachael asked.
"Since when do I need money? Hello, we're vampires now. I compel people," Dana laughed.
"Cameras? Vervain? Witnesses? Just hurry up," Rachael hissed looking back at the witch shop nervously. Usually, she was the troublemaker.
"You are going soft on me. I'm tired of...just wait here," Dana drifted heading into the small tobacco shop.
Rachael scanned the street and heard a beep from her cell. She looked at it and noticed it was Marcel. Damn. They could just say they were looking for a bathroom...
"Shouldn't you be in school?" a lady in an old-fashioned dress asked her. There were so many weird people here. Music in the streets. People painting and drinking, shopping. It was cool, but Rachael was not in the mood to chat.
"Fuck off, freak," Rachael scowled. She must have looked like a tourist. The woman laughed and gripped her arm chatting something in Latin. Rachael started to panic and then everything went dark.
Near Lafayette Cemetery
"What is that smell?" Iris asked looking over her shoulder at her husband as he fumbled with a map of the city.
"Not sure. Sometimes I smell citrus, sometimes garbage...I can't believe it's still so damn humid this time of year," Joshua Parker griped. He wanted to wipe away the sweat on his forehead, but he didn't want to lose his place on the map. He really hated to travel.
"I smell flowers and then something putrid...I don't think I've ever smelled anything like it before, but it changes every street we move to. I think it's going to rain, though," Iris sneered as she sniffed the air.
Joshua finally located Lafayette Cemetery and steered his irritated wife in the other direction.
"I can't believe we have to meet with these old hags. They look down on us. They think we are all abominations because of a few bad apples," Iris scoffed.
Joshua winced, he didn't think of his own lost children as bad apples, nor his baby sister. It was not their fault that they were born siphons. Joshua's wife bore him eight children, but sometimes she made him want to jump off a bridge.
"The New Orleans witches have always been stuck up. My great-grandmother came down here in the early 1900s when hunting the Heretics. She said the French Quarter witches were the worst. We only need to deal with them once or twice and then it will all be over," Joshua promised.
"It won't be over until Jo is safely the leader," Iris corrected him sharply. It did begin to rain softly. Neither of them commented on it.
"Of course, dear," Joshua conceded. "Make a right here."
Thirty minutes later, the Parkers found themselves in the presences of the French Quarter coven elders, the few who were left. A young girl led the couple to a dark tomb lit only by candles. An older woman stepped out of the shadows.
"Greetings, witches of the Gemini coven. I am Bastianna Natale. I hear we have business with you," Bastianna purred.
Joshua blinked in surprise, he had heard Bastianna was dead. Her power and ruthlessness were known even as far as Seattle.
"Well-met, I am Joshua Parker and this is my wife, Iris. Thank you for meeting with you," Joshua said choking down his shock.
"You've come a long way. I know your coven is not well-treated by other witches, but we all should appreciate the good you have done in dealing with your own...issues and dispatching ripper vampires into your prison worlds. That takes a rare courage nowadays," Bastianna smiled. To Joshua, it looked like the smile of a shark. Her eyes were dead.
"We're here about our daughter, Jo," Iris cut in. "We need your help and it may be bloody work."
"We do not turn away from that here. We draw our very power from death and it sustains us. I hear you have a very big problem. Let's sit down and talk," Bastianna indicated as she sat at a makeshift table. The younger girl who led them in served tea and left.
"Vervain. Although the vamps cannot compel us, they could still try to take our blood. I try to ingest vervain every time I may have dealings with them," Bastianna admitted.
"We heard that our son Kai was broken out of the 1903 prison world and is now in the care of vampires. We also heard our daughters are with the same family," Joshua spat, sipping his bitter tea.
"I'm afraid that's not the worse of it. The ancestors tell me that you children are now vampires. That's what they do, spread their infected blood across the land. I am sorry to tell you like this," Bastianna shared.
"Vampires! Are you sure?" Iris gasped. Sometimes when she thought her misfortune could not get worse, the bottom fell out. Joshua clutched her arm.
"Yes, quite sure. Even worse, your elder children have been taken in as members of the Mikaelson family. The Original vampires," Bastianna went on.
"We need Kai to merge with his twin Josette. We were hoping you could help us speed up the process, but if he is a vampire?" Iris stammered.
"Then, it's too late," Joshua groaned.
"Do not give up hope," Bastianna assured them.
"But the twins must be human to merge!" Joshua said.
"Yes, but there is a cure now. If we cured your son and sped up the merge, that would be ideal, would it not?" Bastianna urged.
"Yes, but what would you want in return?" Iris asked suspiciously.
"Your siphon daughters, vampire or no, we could use them to give us the upper hand with the other New Orleans covens. Our latest regent is not as attuned to our needs as the last," Bastianna confessed.
Joshua frowned, "You would use them as enforcers? Weapons? They are only 14 years old!"
"You threw them away years ago. You are lucky that members of your family didn't murder them as they murdered your younger sister, Mr. Parker," Bastianna corrected.
Iris looked sharply at her husband of twenty years, "You told me it was a fire!"
"It was...They drugged her in her sleep and burned her alive," Joshua said softly.
"Oh Joshua, is that what would have happened to our children?" Iris asked in horror. She had heard rumors, but for her own offspring to be sacrificed to grow the power of the coven was sickening.
Joshua did not need to answer in words, the expression on his face answered her question.
"Mrs. Parker, to be fair, though murder is condemned in witch law,...the practice of sacrificing siphons is an old one. Sacrificial magic is also frowned upon, but powerful, especially in times of great need. It is not talked about, but it still happens to this day. The Geminis are just unlucky enough to have an abundance or both twins and siphons and no one knows why," Bastianna shared.
"Sacrifice is with every set of Gemini twins from the moment were are placed in the cradle. My brother and I knew from day one that we would have to merge. He is still in me. I absorbed his intelligence and cunning, losing him could have broken me. In truth, I was hoping I would be the one to die," Joshua replied.
"But you didn't and now the whole coven will perish if there is no merge..." Iris retorted.
"Losing our children to them being siphons was something I wasn't prepared for. And now, we have to see Kai cured only to merge him with Jo. Then, sell Dana and Rachael to another set of people who want to use them. Maybe death is a better option," Joshua wondered.
"Joshua, we have five other children and a whole coven to support. Stop feeling sorry for yourself!" Iris yelled.
Bastianna smiled, "Of course, if this works out in your favor, we will need a few small things..."
"Like?" Joshua asked.
"Access to all the prison worlds," Bastianna said lightly.
"Are you out of your mind? Our ancestors locked those prisons tight with the most vicious of foes. Opening them would be very dangerous. What else?" Joshua questioned. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.
"We might as well just get this over with," Joshua heard a musical voice. He turned to see Lily Salvatore enter the tomb with her 'daughters' and mute 'son' trailing behind.
Bastianna made the hasty introductions.
Iris was suspicious, "Why are you Heretics here? Our people locked you away in 1903 for your crimes? what do you want with the French Quarter witches?"
"We are looking for someone very dear to us," Lily explained. "I was with your son for the last few years. I have come to care for him a great deal. I am sorry to hear that you are determined to see this through, but I suppose there is no getting around it. He's a good boy, though."
"I feared you backed out on our deal," Bastianna said tightly.
"Never. I was just...delayed. Mr. and Mrs. Parker, do you have time for a little family reunion?" Lily asked bluntly.
"Is it our son?" Iris asked with a tinge of hope. He was her first born after all, appearing moments before his twin. The first of eight. If only, he weren't a siphon...
"No, but I have your fiery twin daughters. My, they really will be warriors. One, even tried to pull my hair out of my bun, but Beau and my girls were able to subdue them with vervain and some siphoning," Lily admitted patting her hair to make sure her bun was in place.
"Our twins are here? Let us see them! Don't you hurt them!" Joshua barked.
"Joshua, we vowed we would let them go. It's too hard," Iris trembled.
"I don't care, Iris. We are being asked to do the impossible here. Please," Joshua begged.
"I'm sorry, you need to focus. Perhaps later, if there is time. Right now, if you wish to ensure the survival of your coven and your other children, agree to our terms," Bastianna insisted.
"All the prison worlds? And our 14 year old twins? For turning Kai human and merging him with Jo. Also, you must assure that Jo ascends. The coven cannot have a siphon as its leader," Joshua ground out.
"Yes, that's the deal," Bastianna said smoothly.
Iris didn't see that they had a choice. "We'll take it."
Outside Jardin Gris
Marcel and Josh split up looking for the girls.
"They just disappeared. I'll try their phones again," Josh said.
Marcel thought a minute, "Any witches we know who can do a locator spell?" Josh put down his phone.
"Freya?" Josh said plainly.
"Hell no, she needs to get back to Mystic Falls. Davina is at school. Damn those girls...," Marcel complained.
"You probably shouldn't have lied to Freya...," Josh replied.
"I know that, Josh!" Marcel shouted.
"Have fun looking for them by yourself," Josh said stalking off. It was starting to rain and he had no umbrella. His hair was going to frizz. If Marcel was being a jerk, he was leaving. He was supposed to take Aiden out tonight anyway. He had a feeling these twins were going to mess up his entire night.
Marcel groaned, "Josh, buddy, I'm sorry! Look, I screwed up. Come on, man. I'll owe you one. Please!"
"Okay, fine, but I'm not lying for you. Not to Freya and not to Rebekah," Josh made clear.
"Rebekah! I'll wait until Freya leaves and then tell Rebekah. Come on, let's go see if Father K. has any ideas," Marcel suggested.
"To St. Anne's we go. Again," Josh agreed.
Lily wanted to save the boy badly, but she also needed her Julian back. The French Quarter witches said they would locate him. He wasn't in a prison world, but the key to getting him out was.
Lily had the twins brought to their safe house. Beau was keeping them sedated with vervain and restrained.
"Did they wake up?" she asked upon her return. Beau shook his head.
"Thank you, Beau. You take a break. I'll sit with them a while," Lily said.
They had beautiful faces, these two. Had her skin even glowed like that? Too bad they covered it with that make-up. Lily got a wash cloth and begun to wash off the make up on Rachael's face. She frowned at the black kohl around her eyes. Who allowed a young girl to look like a street walker? She also buttoned up her shirt and covered them both with a blanket. Nora would need to lend them some more modest clothing.
Lily heard a knock at the door and became alarmed. No one knew they were here. The house was warded. Bastianna must have taken pity on them.
Mary Louise knocked, "The parents are here. They wish to see the girls."
Lily sighed, "Let them in."
Joshua rushed in first, "What did you do to them?"
"They are fine. Remember, they are blood drinkers now. Vervain knocked them out in large amounts," Lily explained.
Iris walked in more slowly, as if sleepwalking. Having eight children, three of them doomed siphons, had taken their toll on her. Her face was lined and worn and she had frown lines. Her hand shook as she reached out to touch her daughters.
"Oh Joshua," she moaned as she broke down and wept. Joshua joined her in her grief and Lily stood back a moment.
"I'm sorry," Lily said. "My sons were turned vampire and lost to me also. I used to hope that we could be together again, but I've given up on that. It's too late. I wanted to save your son, but I know that means death for many others."
"It's a cruel fate," Joshua murmured. "We have to lose three, to save one. Even if I gave up being the leader and we fled, if no new leader merges from my line, the whole coven dies. It is an unspeakable choice."
"We thought if we had more twins, it would be easier, that somehow this day wouldn't come. But they were too dangerous. I know the children don't understand why we had to send them away, but it was the only chance we had to save them," Iris cried.
"The coven wanted you to kill them?" Lily asked.
"Yes, we refused. But we discovered that membered were planning to kill the children on their own once they found out about Kai. We had told them that he had a contagious illness. But being Geminis, that only held for so long before rumors started," Joshua shared.
"How does your daughter Jo feel about this? Does she know?" Lily asked.
"She does. We've been grooming her to be the leader. She is headstrong and very smart. Truthfully, she has a cruel streak and Kai, the Kai we once knew, would be more suited to leadership, but the coven would never accept him," Iris faltered.
Lily knew there was an even younger set of twins. It crossed her mind that to save Kai, his twin would need to die, or be turned. How can you bargain for the life of one child over another?
Joshua stroked his girls' shoulders, "They look so mature. I do wonder, though, how can the witches of New Orleans cure vampires? I thought that was a myth."
"They plan to kidnap the son of the Hybrid, Klaus Mikaelson, to bargain for the blood of the girl first cured of vampirism. To spare his son's life, the King of New Orleans, he will supply the blood and Kai...," Lily said watching at both parents hovered over the girls. This was heartbreaking.
"That sounds like a tall order. Can Bastianna pull it off?" Joshua wondered.
"She's had a plant in the house for weeks. Some construction worker, or contractor? I'm not sure...they are in the process of taking care of that as we speak," Lily proposed.
St. Anne's Church
"Father K., we need real help. We got two lost siphon vamps running around the city. My ass is on the line," Marcel shared.
Father glared at him for cursing.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to swear in the church, but will you help us?" Marcel begged.
Father K. nodded, "I'm trying to think of an object that will help you. We did have a bracelet that should protect the wearer from being siphoned. Another item is the Devil's Star. It causes a thousand cuts when thrown..."
Marcel gasped, "Oh, I remember Kol bragging about that one. He said it can kill a human or even a witch instantly. I might need that one. I also remember him making a bracelet of obedience. He got into a hell of a lot of trouble over that one. Does that ring a bell?"
Father K. thought hard, "I believe so. Let me get these items together. Josh would you run over to the rectory and get the log? I'm not sure where that siphon bracelet is being stored." Father handed Marcel the other objects and Marcel stuffed them in his jacket pockets.
"Yeah, of course," Josh said trotting off quickly to help.
"Marcel, I wanted to talk to you privately. Can you tell me what the hell happened with my niece? She said she almost got killed the other night," Father fumed.
"Oh Father, that was Penny. It's good now. She was cured of being a hybrid and everything is under control...I swear," Marcel vowed.
"Under control, Mr. Gerald, I very much doubt that," Bastiana cackled from the back of the church.
Father backed up, he swore that witch was dead. Wasn't she?
"This is a house of God, witch. Leave her right now," Father K. said harshly.
Bastianna suddenly had the The Rosary of Madness in her wrinkled hand.
"How did you get that?" Father gasped.
"Oh, Father. We have our ways. Now, why don't you go pray to the Nazarene or wash some feet, whatever it is you do," Bastianna threatened.
"This is my church," Father said. Bastianna was suddenly beside him. She grabbed his hand and marked it with an x. She had hexed him.
Marcel vamped in front of Father K., "Leave him alone, your beef is with me."
"Yes, it is," Bastianna laughed. She chanted and Marcel's head was filled with pain. He fell to the ground. He went for the star in his pocket, but couldn't quite make it.
The last thing he remembered was the fear in Father K.'s eyes.