The Gilbert girl sat in the middle of the bed for a couple more minutes while she massaged her head until she threw herself back onto the soft pillow and pulled the dark blue blanket over her eyes as she realized the bright sun was just making her headache even worse than it already was. Brianna then laid their in a comfortable silence as she tried to piece everything that has happened lately together. However, Brianna just couldn't understand why she was in some random bed as her mind wouldn't work correctly thanks to the full bottle of alcohol that she had drank.
Finally, though, after lying in the large bed for about ten minutes with her hazel eyes closed and no sound bothering her, Brianna released a heavy groan as she remembered exactly what happened last night when the memories began to flash behind her eyelids. It made the brunette girl's mood instantly change from the one worrying and annoyed by her hangover to one dedicated and focused to know what was going on in her birth town as she could still feel the cold hands of that vampire that had attacked her and the caring eyes of Marcel, who had ultimately saved her from an early death.
When did my life get so crazy? Brianna thought to herself as she finally pushed herself out of the comfortable bed and placed her bare feet onto the cold hardwood floors as she knew that she had to get up and figure everything out for herself. The brunette girl squinted her hazel eyes once she was finally on her feet before she tiredly moved towards the large window and the blaring sun before she swiftly pulled the curtains together. "That's better," Brianna mumbled to herself along with a sigh of relief now that the sun wasn't causing her head to hurt as much before she made her way over to her bag of clothes to get ready for the day.
The Gilbert girl rumbled through her clothes for a few minutes before she finally settled on a black crop top, a pair of jean shorts, and a lightly grey cardigan. Brianna knew her outfit was a mixture of summer and fall wear but she knew that it was hot outside, if the bright sun was any indication, and she wanted to wear something light but something that could also keep her warm encase she happened to get cold today. The brunette girl then moved her clothes around in her bag once she was dressed as she looked for her hangover accessories.
"There you are," Brianna mumbled before she slipped on a white baseball cap that had a small lemon in the middle on top of her messy brunette hair and placed a pair of dark sunglasses on the front of her crop top. Thank you, Caroline Forbes, the Gilbert girl mentally thanked her best friend for instilling into her to always pack her hangover accessories - which consisted of a ball cap and sunglasses, for whenever she goes on a trip or when she knows that she'll end up drinking as it always comes in handy.
Once Brianna finally had her lazy outfit all put together, the Gilbert girl placed a strong and confident expression onto her face before she slowly began to walk towards the door of her temporarily bedroom. Brianna knew that she needed to be brave now that she is going to be involved in the supernatural word. She couldn't be that ignorant, scared teenage girl anymore like she was last night and all her life. Brianna knew that she was brought up in the supernatural world for a reason, hell, her mom and dad went against an angry werewolf, so she wasn't just going to back down and cower away before running back home to Mystic Falls. She was going to be strong like she knew her parents would want her to be and fight whatever gets in her way.
The Gilbert girl grabbed ahold of the handle to the door and took a deep breath to relax her running mind before she finally exited the bedroom for the first time once she was ready to face her new life. Brianna then cautiously and quietly walked down the long hallway and carefully made her way down the staircase as she tried to judge if Marcel was awake or if someone else was here. However, luckily for Brianna, she didn't see or hear anyone but she did smell something.
Brianna couldn't help but quickly jog the rest of the way down the stairs to see what was cooking as she realized just how hungry she is since she only had a coffee early yesterday afternoon and a whole bottle of vodka for dinner once her stomach began to growl. The Gilbert girl then walked through the spacious living room once she had a plan in mind to fill her stomach up before she entered the kitchen, where she instantly spotted Marcel standing over the stove.
"So, you guys can eat regular food?" Brianna curiously questioned as she alerted Marcel to her presence, even though she figured that he already knew that she was there - thanks to whatever other abilities vampires have besides being able to travel at incredible speed and being able to kill someone within a second. The Gilbert girl knew close to nothing about Marcel's kind, so it surprised her that he was actually cooking. Brianna had just always thought that vampires only needed blood to survive like in the movies.
The Gerard vampire chuckled at the human girl, who didn't have the slightest clue about vampires, from his position in front of the pan of sizzling bacon. "We don't need to eat but we can if we want," Marcel explained to Brianna once he heard her fully enter the kitchen before she began to walk around from behind him. The kitchen was then overcome by a calm silence as Marcel placed the bacon evenly on two plates and while the human girl absorbed that small piece of information about vampires before the Gerard supernatural being called out to Brianna, "you are surprisingly doing better this morning after just finding about the existence of vampires."
Brianna carelessly lifted her shoulders in a shrugging motion before she slowly followed after Marcel as he began to walk towards a small and round kitchen table with the two white plates. "Well, there's really no point in being scared or ignoring it when I've basically been involved since I was born," the Gilbert girl told the brown eyed vampire before she took a seat at the kitchen table and leaned the side of her head into the palm of her hand with a small and tired sigh.
The Gerard vampire didn't comment on the human girl's statement that immediately made Marcel glad that she handling everything so well. Instead, he silently placed the two plates filled with bacon, eggs, and homemade waffles on the kitchen table before he vamp sped to grab two cups of coffee before he brought them to the table as well. Marcel then finally took his spot across from the brunette girl before he told her with a large grin, "you are just like your father, Justin." The supernatural being shook his head with a small chuckle before he explained what he meant by that, "Justin was a very stubborn but headstrong person and he never let anything stop him from getting what he wanted."
Brianna silently nodded her head with a small smile before she took a tiny sip of the hot but heavenly cup of coffee while she absorbed the slither of a detail about her biological father. It definitely explained why she never gave up or backed down unlike her two siblings; Elena and Jeremy. She knew she should of known something was wrong since her adopted parents weren't like that either. She was always different from the Gilbert family as they were all mellow and calm-headed. The brunette girl quickly looked back up at Marcel after a moment of silence as she wanted to know more about her biological father before she asked, "can you tell me more about my parents?"
Marcel stared across at the human girl for a moment as he took in her sharp features that reminded him so much of Brianna's mother, Lauren, before he released a small sigh and nodded his head. The Gerard vampire knew Brianna had the right to know about her family but it was always hard for him to talk about the Labonair family since he had a very close relationship with them. It was the main reason why banished werewolves from entering the city so something like their attack never happens again.
"You might will want this," the Gerard vampire told the human girl once he agreed to speak about her parents as he grabbed the decanter of bourbon from the middle of the table and placed it beside their cups of coffee. I sure will, Marcel thought to himself as he knew this won't be the easiest thing that he has ever done.
The Gilbert girl didn't even hesitate before she picked up the bottle of bourbon and poured a heavy amount of amber liquid into her dark coffee. If yesterday was any indication that the information that she will learn in New Orleans will be hard for her then Brianna wanted to be prepared. Anyways, alcohol is the best way to cure a hangover, Brianna reminded herself before she took a large sip and slowly ate on a slice of bacon as she waited for Marcel to begin the story of her biological parents.
The Gerard vampire carefully watched the human girl for a few minutes of calm silence as he made sure that she actually ate something today since he had heard her stomach growl from the staircase and he wanted to make sure that she was okay. Marcel knew this was going to be a lot to handle, despite how strong Brianna was already proving, along with the fact that he wanted Brianna to have all the information that she came looking for before she has the chance to skip town. Marcel did want Brianna to go back to Mystic Falls since it's safer there, but he wanted her to be well protected with knowledge encase there was the off chance of her running into a vampire again.
"Justin, your father, was from a very strong and powerful family in the heart of New Orleans," Marcel began with the origin behind Brianna's true last name, Labonair, after he watched the human girl take a couple of bites from her eggs. "The Labonair family were very important back in the day. However, after that night - they all just disappeared," the Gerard vampire partly lied with a shake of his head as the rest of the Labonair members were murdered expect for two - one being Brianna. "Your father grew up right here in town his whole life before he became an architect. He built a lot of the buildings that surround the town during the early eighties up until his death," Marcel continued with the story of Justin Labonair's life before he moved on to Lauren as he began, "your mother was also originally from New Orleans. She came from a small family called the Broussard's. She and your father got married when they were about nineteen before she started a career at -"
"At Cafe Sbisa," Brianna interrupted the Gerard vampire's story as that was one of the only answers that she knew about her biological mother thanks to the man at the vinyl store. The Gilbert girl let out a small chuckle once she saw Marcel's confused expression before she explained how she knew that information, "Joe mentioned it to me while I was at his shop yesterday."
Marcel immediately rolled his brown eyes and muttered, "of course he did." The Gerard vampire took a sip of his bourbon spiked coffee before he stated, "JD had always adored your mother ever since I introduced both of your parents to him at a party." Marcel shook his head in amusement before he commented, "but I think it's because Lauren used to always bring him these fancy ass meals from that french restaurant she worked at."
Brianna couldn't help but let out another small chuckle as she could picture the Dalton vampire falling in love with her mother's cooking from the way that she had seen Joe act and talk around her. She could also tell that her mother was a very caring woman if she willingly brought vampires food even though they didn't actually need it. It was nice to know this small detail about the woman that she would never see and Brianna didn't want the information to stop, so she asked Marcel once she had finished her eggs, "how did you come to meet my parents?"
"There was a war brewing between the vampires and the werewolves back in the early nineties and your mother, Lauren, tried to play the human peacemaker between the two species," Marcel immediately began to explain about how he had met the Labonair couple but while leaving out the fact that Lauren was a werewolf as he knew that would only cause for more questions that Marcel promised that he would never mention to the human girl.
"You see, things were the same back in the day as they are now for New Orleans with the fact that supernatural beings lived freely through the city," the Gerard vampire uttered as he continued with his story while leaving out small bits of information, "but one night, Lauren caught the attention of a werewolf, who was angry over someone trying to joint the two species together." Marcel shook his head as he remembered the day he met the brunette, brave woman before he told Brianna, "luckily for your mother, I happened to be close by and I saved her from being killed by the angry werewolf." Marcel took a drink of his coffee before he told Brianna how he met Justin, "once I made sure Lauren was okay, I took her home, where I met your father. Justin was eternally grateful for what I did since your mother was carrying you at the time."
Brianna's hazel eyes instantly widened as soon as she caught that last snip of information about how Marcel met her parents. "Wow," the Gilbert girl mumbled as she couldn't believe her mother, Lauren Labonair, took on a werewolf while she was pregnant. "Damn, my mom was a badass," Brianna couldn't help but comment as she was so shocked by the toughness of her mother.
"That she was," Marcel agreed without a second thought as he had seen it first hand how strong and badass Lauren was. Even though Marcel had left out the fact that Brianna's mother was a werewolf and was actually pregnant with twins, he could still tell that Brianna was envisioning her like the woman Lauren was. "She was very, very strong and she always tried to fix the world for the greater good. Lauren only wished to make New Orleans safer for her daughter," Marcel further explained the type of woman Lauren was before he murmured, "but it just didn't work out with so many of the wolves not wanting to join forces with us vampires."
"Wait," Brianna mumbled as a thought suddenly popped into her head from the second conversation that she had with Marcel when he told her that her parents were killed by a wolf. "Was the guy that attacked my mom when you first met her, the same werewolf that ultimately killed my parents?" The Gilbert girl inquired.
Marcel shook his head and uttered, "no, he wasn't the same guy." The Gerard vampire then leaned back in his chair as he relaxed after he finished his breakfast before he explained who had attacked Lauren on that night, "it was one of his loyal minions that were following his orders. He was the alpha of a wolf pack, so he had many people trying to mess up this treaty that your mother tried to get resolved so New Orleans would be safe for humans, vampires, and werewolves."
Marcel purposely left out the name of the werewolf's pack as he knew Brianna could figure out her connection to the werewolves since her real origin is connected with the Crescent Moon pack. However, Marcel promised the human girl's parents that he wouldn't tell her about that side of her family since Justin and Lauren wanted their daughters to have a normal life without worrying about their safety. At least Father Kieran made sure Andrea went to a good and normal family, the Gerard vampire thought as he only had to worry about one of the Labonair girls.
Brianna silently nodded her head as she bit down on her bottom lip before she quickly took a large gulp of her bourbon and coffee mixture as she realized that Marcel had been right. It was difficult to hear about someone, a werewolf, that had targeted her innocent mother, who just wanted to make New Orleans a better place for everyone before actually ending it all by killing her parents.
The Gerard vampire could see that the brunette girl was struggling like he figured she would after learning about the accident that caused his friendship with the two alpha werewolves, so Marcel decided to change up on the conversation by speaking about something lighter. "You know, I was there when you were born," the brown eyed supernatural being told Brianna as he shot her a large grin.
Brianna's hazel eyes slightly widened in surprise before she wondered with a small chuckle, "really?" The human girl was honestly shocked that the vampire had been there during a private moment for her mother and father. "You were that close to my parents that they allowed you to be in the delivery room?" Brianna inquired with a raised eyebrow as she couldn't believe how close Marcel had been to her parents.
Marcel let out a heavy and loud laugh as he shook his head before he mumbled, "well, we didn't actually make it to the hospital." The Gerard vampire shook his head as he remembered the memory of the birth of the Labonair twins. "It was early June," Marcel began to tell Brianna the story of her birth, "and your mother was about to pop any second, so being the wonderful friend I was, I decided to stay with Lauren while your father was working on designing a library about forty minutes away from the house." The vampire chuckled as he commented, "we were supposed to go to the hospital once Justin finished up some last minute details but the next thing Lauren and I knew, your head and cries were being welcomed into the world."
"Wow," Brianna mumbled as she stared across at Marcel with amusement in her hazel eyes. The Gilbert girl couldn't help but find her whole birth hilarious since she literally just slipped out without any help or doctors. However, Brianna also felt that she was seeing the vampire and her parents' friendship in a new light - if the fact that her father trusted Marcel, a vampire, to keep his wife and unborn daughter safe was any indication by just how close they actually were. "You cared a lot about them, didn't you?" Brianna softly asked as she could see a lot of hidden and deep emotions in Marcel's brown eyes.
The Gerard vampire silently nodded his head before he murmured, "I did." Marcel then ran his fingers along his buzzed hair while he briefly closed his brown eyes as he remembered his time with Lauren and Justin before he told the young girl, "your parents were my best friends since the moment I saved Lauren on that day and because of how close we all three were, your mother made me promise them something the second I held you in my arms as you breathed in your first breath of air."
Marcel gave Brianna a small smile as he stared at her familiar features that reminded him of both Lauren and Justin for a moment before he continued, "I promised them that I would get you out of this city if something were to happen to them. Justin and Lauren wanted a better life for you that didn't involve vampires, werewolves, or witches so that is why I was luckily enough to find Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, who had always wanted a baby girl." The Gerard vampire slightly shrugged his shoulders before he stated, "they were nice people and I knew your parents would have approved. But above all, I wanted to make sure that you went to a good home because you deserved the best." Marcel let out a small chuckle before he told Brianna, "I got put under your spell the second I looked into your hazel eyes and I just knew that I had to protect you and, even though I was in charge of New Orleans, I couldn't allow you to be raised here. I wanted the best for you and I wanted you to have a normal childhood."
The Gilbert girl gave the vampire a warm smile that showed her gratitude for all Marcel had obviously done for her. "I'm sure they would be proud of you for keeping that promise," Brianna consoled the supernatural being before she added, "and I'm grateful for what you did." The brunette took a drink of her coffee before she told him, "I had a good childhood with people that loved and cared about me, so thank you."
Marcel shrugged his shoulders like he was indifferent to her compliment before he swiftly got up from the round kitchen table while he grabbed the two empty plates and the two coffee cups. "It was the least I could do for Lauren and Justin. I just wished it would have worked longer," the Gerard vampire mumbled before he took the dishes to the sink and began to silently wash them.
Brianna watched Marcel's figure with the side of her head leaning into her palm as she observed the vampire. He feels guilty, the human girl came to the realization. She didn't know if it was because she found out the truth and she was back in the supernatural filled town or because he felt like he could have done something to save her parents. The human girl really thought Marcel done everything he could from his story about her parents, so she decided to move away from this sulking as she stood up from the table. "Do you think you could show me some places around the city where my parents used to frequent?" Brianna inquired as she wanted to get over this slump that she could feel radiating from Marcel along with the fact that she wanted to feel closer to her parents.
The Gerard vampire dried his hands on a dark red dish towel before he turned around and leaned his back against the kitchen counter. "Yeah, of course, whatever you need," Marcel told the human girl with a small smile on his face. The brown eyed supernatural being would do whatever he could to help Brianna understand the parents that she sadly never got the chance to meet. Marcel didn't know if Brianna planned on leaving New Orleans or sticking around but he wanted her to have all the information that she desires before she makes that decision.
"Just give me five minutes and we can leave," Marcel told the human girl before he made his exit out of the kitchen once he saw Brianna nod her head in agreement and headed straight to his study. The Gerard vampire then headed over to his desk and grabbed a small picture that laid on the left corner. Marcel looked at the image with a small smile on his face as he stared down at his two closest friends that he had lately been missing terribly. "I won't let anything happen to Chloe," Marcel whispered as he gazed at the smiling faces of Lauren and Justin Labonair before he placed the small picture into the pocket of his jeans and headed back out to the human girl to show Brianna who her parents were.
It took about fifteen minutes of Marcel and Brianna walking through the streets of the French Quarter while they spoke about different things like Brianna's soccer career in Mystic Falls, the different abilities vampires have, and the deep and rich cultural of New Orleans before the Gerard vampire slowly came to a stop in front of an old three story building with the name 'Cafe Sbisa' written brightly in gold letters.
"And here she is," Marcel exclaimed as he pointed his arm towards one of the oldest buildings in New Orleans like he was on the Price Is Right and was showcasing a brand new car. "This is where Lauren used to spend most of her days making the people of N'Orleans happy with her french cuisine," the Gerard vampire told the human girl before he opened up the wooden door of the restaurant and allowed Brianna to enter the establishment.
"Wow," Brianna breathed out as she glanced at the bottom layer of the three story restaurant. "This place is gorgeous," the human girl commented as she slowly walked up to the four-sided bar and ran her fingers across the smooth mahogany wood while she gazed up at the beautiful painting of people from the 1920's dancing directly where she was currently standing that hung over the large expensive supply of alcohol.
The Gerard vampire silently watched the human girl walk around the bottom layer of the restaurant with a soft smile playing across his lips as he knew this would help Brianna feel closer to her mother by visiting the one place Lauren spent most of her time. "The staff won't be arriving until five for dinner service," Marcel informed the human girl before he told you, "so feel free to explore anywhere you would like."
Brianna glanced over at the Gerard vampire and nodded her head before she slowly walked around the place that her biological mother had walked through. The Gilbert girl didn't know that this place would effect her so much but it definitely was as she slowly walked through the long hallway before she stopped at the double doors of the kitchen. Brianna took a deep breath before she pushed open the doors and entered her mother's work space.
The human girl had been in a restaurant's kitchen before like the one back in Mystic Falls at Mystic Grill but this time was different. For one, it was much larger than the one in the small town in Virginia but also because Brianna felt like she could actually feel her biological mother's presence as she walked over to cook line. However, Brianna felt frozen in her spot when she noticed a small plaque with her mother's name on it.
"I had that made a few months after Lauren's passing," Marcel softly told the brunette girl as he knew exactly what she was looking at. "Lauren was so important to this place and the city, so it only felt right to have a small remembrance for her in the place that she stood and worked for hours," the Gerard vampire further explained as he also stared at the words that read ~ 'In Memory of Executive Chef Lauren Labonair.'
"That was nice of you," Brianna quietly murmured as she kept her hazel eyes locked on the small plaque before she slowly lifted her hand over the steel counter and ran her fingers lightly across the letters of her mother's name. The brunette girl wasn't expecting this at all when she had walked into the kitchen. Brianna knew that she would feel something but she felt like her emotions were all over the place now that she was standing in her mother's spot while staring at her name.
"Come on," Marcel uttered after they stood in the same place for over fifteen minutes while he gave Brianna all the time that she needed. However, when the vampire could see the human girl was having a hard time by the way he could hear her heart pounding in her chest and the shaking of her fingers against the plaque, Marcel wanted to get Brianna out of here. "I have two other places that I wanna show you," the Gerard vampire told the human girl before he lightly placed his hand onto Brianna's back and slowly directed her out of the kitchen and out of the french restaurant.
The vampire and human duo then silently walked in tranquility down Decatur Street for about six minutes as they were both absorbed in their thoughts of Lauren Labonair until Marcel directed Brianna down a set of stairs and they came to a stop in front of a large opened space. "This is Washington Artillery Park," the Gerard vampire told Brianna before he explained as he pointed towards a large canon statue, "this is where the Battle of New Orleans took place and since Justin was really into all that history stuff, he always came here."
Brianna ran her hand across the large statue for a moment before she glanced over to Marcel with a raised eyebrow. "Is that why this place is so important?" The human girl inquired before she glanced around them and noticed a large white Catholic church behind the canon along with a large field by the water with benches, BBQ pits, and a beautiful gazebo sitting in the middle of the park.
"Well, sort of," Marcel uttered before he walked away from the statue and towards the grassy field with Brianna following closely to hear the story of the park. "Justin loved this place because of the history but that isn't why it's important," the Gerard vampire told the human girl once he came to a stop by an old oak tree. Marcel shook his head with a chuckle as he stated, "Justin, that cheap and romantic bastard, took Lauren here on their first date when they were sixteen, where they instantly fell in love."
A small smile lifted onto Brianna's face at the small tale of how her parents had first gotten together. "How do you know that story?" The Gilbert girl curiously inquired since she remembered Marcel didn't meet her parents until way later in their life when they were married with a child on the way.
Marcel playfully rolled his brown eyes as he had listened to the Labonair couple's love story over a million of times in the year that he grew to be best friends with the werewolves before he told the human girl, "Justin would mention it almost every single day." The Gerard vampire then walked closer towards the oak tree and pointed his finger at a carving in the wood to show the truth that he was speaking about.
The Gilbert girl became curious at what Marcel was pointing at, so she slowly walked towards the large oak tree and followed the Gerard vampire's finger, where she instantly noticed a set of letters in the oak tree from a pocket knife that read, L.B. + J.L. 1985'. "Damn," Brianna mumbled to herself as it was crazy to imagine that her parents had been in love since they were teenagers. It, however, saddened Brianna's heart, though, as she could only imagine the loving family that they could have had together if her parents hadn't been murdered. It just made Brianna realize what she was missing out on - not that she wasn't happy with her life with the Gilbert family as she was definitely grateful for the childhood Miranda and Grayson gave her.
"Anyway," Marcel began after a moment of silence before he continued with the story of the importance of Washington Artillery Park, "Justin always told me that they had a pact. They would come here to this spot once a year for their anniversary." The Gerard vampire then gently pulled out the photo that he had taken from his office and stared at it while he told Brianna, "but then in 1990, Lauren found out that they were pregnant and they swore that they would always bring you here, too." Marcel handed over the picture to Brianna as he concluded with a small chuckle, "as soon as your dad came home from work when you were born, they didn't even bother going to hospital after the home birth. They came straight here on your first day alive to have you experience the first place that they fell in love."
Mom and dad, Brianna mumbled to herself as she stared at the very first image that she had ever seen of her parents. "They look so happy," the brunette girl told Marcel while she kept her hazel eyes glued to the photo. Brianna first stared at her father and his mop of brown hair, who was staring into her mother's hazel eyes that matched her own while they both had their hands planted on her mother's blue polka dot dress that showed the obvious baby bump.
"They were," Marcel affirmed to the young girl while he watched her features that were calm but also very emotional. The Gerard vampire could understand why, though, as he figured this was the first time that Brianna was seeing Lauren and Justin along with the fact that she was learning all this stuff about the parents that she doesn't even remember because she was only a few weeks old when they were killed. "They loved each other, this city, and you very much," Marcel softly told the brunette girl.
Brianna silently nodded her head as she kept her hazel eyes locked on the photo while her back was leaning against the writing that her father had craved into the oak tree. The Gilbert girl felt that she was finally getting a real image of her parents over these last two days. The story from Joe Dalton had let Brianna know that her mother was very caring by always wanting Joe and Marcel to have food - even though they are vampires and didn't need food. Brianna also could tell that her mother loved her job at the french restaurant by the way that they had a plaque in her honor along with the story Marcel had explained how her mother tried to keep the piece in New Orleans between all the species. It showed that her mother was strong, brave, and willing to do whatever it took to give her family a safe life. Brianna knew from her father, Justin, that he was a history buff - like she was. The Gilbert girl also realized that he was a very loving man and a romantic if the tree that she was leaning on and the story that Marcel had mentioned was any indication. Brianna realized he was a honorable man, too, since he and Marcel became fast friends after the vampire had saved his wife and unborn child from that werewolf.
These thoughts that Brianna was going through of the things that she knew about her parents, it was good for her since she didn't even know anything about them - but it made the brunette girl feel so emotional because she didn't get to know these amazing people. Brianna felt, no matter how bad the thought was, that it would have been better if they had been shitty people so she didn't miss them so much when she didn't even have a single memory of them. It was stupid, in Brianna's opinion, but she couldn't help but feel her heartbreak at the people that would never get to watch her grow up.
The Gilbert girl furrowed her brows after a moment as she stared at the clear stain on the photo before she rolled her hazel eyes when she noticed that she had started crying. Stupid emotions, Brianna thought as she quickly wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her grey cardigan. The human girl then grabbed her dark sunglasses from her crop top and placed them over her tear-stricken eyes to hide the pesky emotions before she took a deep breath and faced Marcel. "You mentioned that you had another place to show me," Brianna mumbled as she addressed the vampire to hopefully to stop the tears from coming again.
Marcel carefully watched the human girl for a moment before he finally nodded his head as he realized Brianna wanted to leave from this spot from all of the unknown emotions that she was experiencing. The Gerard vampire didn't want the human girl to feel uncomfortable, so he pointed towards the direction that they had came from before he told Brianna, "yeah, it's just around the corner."
Brianna silently nodded her head while she tried to get control of her shaky body that was still reeling from all the information she had been learning today about her biological parents. The Gilbert girl then took another deep breath once she felt calm enough to move before she held her hand out to give the picture back to Marcel.
The Gerard vampire quickly shook his head as he told Brianna, "you should keep it." Marcel let out a low chuckle when he saw that the human girl wasn't sure by her tense stance and the way she chewed on her bottom lip before he assured Brianna, "I have plenty of pictures of them at my place, so I want you to have that one." The brown eyed supernatural being then placed his arm over Brianna's shoulder once he saw her hazel-sunglasses-covered eyes look back down at the image of her parents before he murmured as he lead the human girl out of the park, "come on."
The vampire and the human duo walked down the street of New Orleans to the last location Marcel wanted to show Brianna while the aforementioned vampire mentioned small and funny stories about Justin and Lauren to their daughter. Marcel was glad that the small stories were putting a smile on Brianna's face as he didn't want her to hate coming to her hometown in New Orleans because of all the sadness that she was feeling. Marcel, since Brianna knew about the supernatural, wanted Brianna to feel like she could always come back here whenever she wanted, so the Gerard vampire hoped that she would feel that way whenever she decides to go back to Mystic Falls.
"I-Is that my parents' name?" Brianna surprisingly asked with her shakily voice back when Marcel had pulled her into a stop in front of a beautifully built building that was designed like it was a Catholic church like all the other ones Brianna had seen in New Orleans. Brianna wanted to admire the building more but she couldn't help but to be puzzled by the name on the large sign. However, Brianna figured Marcel had something to do with it like he did at Cafe Sbisa.
Marcel nodded his head as he lightly squeezed Brianna's shoulder to show that he was there for her before he walked up the steps to the large building. "This is the building your father had been working on when you were born," the Gerard vampire told the human girl. "It's the biggest library in the whole state of Louisiana," Marcel proudly exclaimed as he was proud to have that accomplishment next to his deceased best friend's name.
Brianna immediately rose an eyebrow through her dark sunglasses in shock that the building was filled of books instead of pews. "A library?" The human girl voiced her surprise as she couldn't believe this place was a library. It looked nothing like a library so Brianna was definitely shocked but also impressed that her father had created this place.
Marcel let out a small chuckle before he explained, "yeah, Justin wanted the building to look like all the other ones in New Orleans. He wanted it to fit in with the culture of the city, so he designed the outside to look like a church with the Gothic exterior." The Gerard vampire walked up the small set of stairs with Brianna by his side before he stopped in front of a sign that was the same as the large one in front of the building that Brianna had first saw. "Your father said this was his favorite creation, so I thought it would only be right to name it after him and your mother."
Brianna locked her hazel eyes on the sign that hung to the side of the two double doors once she saw what Marcel was looking at and noticed that it was like the one that she had seen when they had first stopped as it read it; 'The Labonair Library of New Orleans'. Brianna also noticed that in beautiful cursive under the title it read, 'In loving memory of Justin and Lauren Labonair'. The brunette girl slowly brought her hand up to the sign like she did at Cafe Sbisa and softly ran her fingers over the writing before she whispered with unshed tears, "it's beautiful."
"Wait until you see the inside," Marcel exclaimed with a wide grin before he placed his hand onto Brianna's back to lead her away from the sign dedicated to her parents as he didn't want to make her cry again. Marcel wanted the human girl to feel closer to Justin and Lauren instead of sad, so the Gerard vampire directed Brianna inside of the library.
"Holy crap," Brianna couldn't help but mutter after she slipped her sunglasses back onto her crop top and looked at the amazing details that surrounded the entrance of the library. The place was absolutely gorgeous. There was so much details with the high ceiling and the glass windows that were covered in paintings. Brianna slowly walked over to a space towards the right in the library, where there was about ten cherry wooden tables sitting below the second level of the building as she continued to admire the place.
"Your father had the idea of making this portion of the library as a restaurant for your mother," Marcel explained to Brianna as he watched her twirl around while she stared at the bright colors of the paintings on the ceiling. The Gerard vampire smoothly moved passed the tables and towards a side door, where he showed Brianna the kitchen set up. "Lauren never knew about it since it was going to be a surprise once Justin could finish it," Marcel softly uttered with a hint of sadness in his voice before he faced Brianna with a gentle smile. "I decided to not do anything with the kitchen since I could never find it in myself to hire someone to cook," Marcel told the young girl as he felt the small space belonged to Lauren Labonair and no one else.
Brianna furrowed her brows as she stared into the vampire's brown eyes. "You own the place?" The brunette girl curiously inquired as she noticed the way Marcel said he himself decided to not use the kitchen. It made Brianna realize that maybe Marcel had something more to do with the library besides being best friends with the architect.
Marcel nodded his head with a small sigh. "Justin had it put into my name if something was to happen to him," the vampire stated before he mumbled, "I just never thought something would happen." Marcel then quickly shook his head after a second as he pushed those thoughts away before he uttered, "I knew what your father wanted to do with the place, so I had it finished for him."
The Gilbert girl squeezed Marcel's lower arm as she could see that, like her, was getting controlled by his emotions before she moved out of the restaurant portion of the library and headed towards the aisles of bookshelves. Brianna slowly ran her fingers over the backs of the books as she absorbed the tranquility of the quiet library. It was one of the reasons why Brianna had always adored libraries because of the calmness that it carried. It had always been like a safe haven for the brunette girl back in Mystic Falls when she was stressing and she could see her father's library has the same effect.
"So, is the place just in your name or do you run it, too?" The Gilbert girl quietly and curiously inquired after a few minutes of her and Marcel exploring the huge library without interrupting any of the people that surrounded them. Brianna was surprised but happy that there was so many people here as she felt proud that her father's creation had taken off even after his death.
"Oh, no," Marcel quickly denied before he explained, "I couldn't possibly run this place while also running New Orleans." The Gerard vampire then pointed towards the front desk to the left of them, where an older woman sat and stated, "Mrs. Rollins over there is who is in charge of the library." Marcel walked towards the woman as he further explained, "she is the only one I trust to make sure this place keeps its shape that Justin would have wanted since she was the closest thing Lauren had as a mother."
Brianna glanced at the older woman with short and curly gray hair before she looked up at Marcel with confusion in her hazel eyes as she didn't really think about her other family like her parents' parents. "Was my grandma not around when my mom was growing up?" The brunette girl inquired as she was curious about the relationship her mother had with her mother.
"Holly Broussard, your grandmother, died when Lauren was ten to lung cancer," Marcel quietly explained as he remembered Lauren telling him the story one night when he was at the Labonair house. He and Lauren had been talking about their families over dinner while Justin was at work and after Marcel had mentioned that he had been adopted by Niklaus Mikaelson after his parents died, Lauren had explained how her mother had died when she was younger to the smoker's disease.
Brianna silently nodded her head as she could understand why her mother had been close to the older woman since she didn't really have her own mother after the age of ten. If Brianna didn't have Miranda Gilbert in her life while growing up, she would had probably sought out her own mother figure - which would have came in the form of her best friend's mother; Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes.
"Hello, Mrs. Rollins," the Gerard vampire greeted the older woman once he and Brianna had reached the large desk. The woman was one of the only humans Marcel hadn't compelled or threatened over his reign of New Orleans because of the close relationship that she had with his deceased best friend - which ultimately caused him to have her in charge of the place as he trusted her to care for Justin's creation.
"Oh! Hello, Marcel, sweetheart!" The older woman greeted the vampire with a large grin spread across her aged face. "How are you today?" Mrs. Rollins honestly wondered as she stood up from her desk and slowly walked around it until she was standing in front of the tall vampire before she pulled him into a hug like she always did when he would show up.
"I'm swell, Mrs. Rollins," the Gerard vampire politely answered the older woman's question before he pointed his hand towards the silent human girl. "I would like you to meet someone," Marcel told the older woman before he introduced the brunette teenager, "this is Brianna - Justin and Lauren's biological daughter."
"Oh, my!" Mrs. Rollins gasped as she stared at the young girl, who was a spitting image of Lauren. "I always wondered when I would finally meet you, sweetheart," the older woman murmured as she remembered the worried Marcel coming to her with what he should do with the twins before she pulled Lauren's daughter into a tight hug. Mrs. Rollins then softly placed her hands onto Brianna's cheeks once she broke the embrace before she uttered, "you are absolutely gorgeous, my sweet."
Brianna let out a nervous and small chuckle before she praised the older woman, "thank you." The brunette girl felt a little awkward hugging the woman since she never seen her before but Brianna could tell that she was nice and really caring by how she was speaking along with the fact that she was working at the place that was dedicated to Lauren, who she obviously loved like her own child.
"Brianna is in town for a bit to learn about Justin and Lauren, so I thought I would introduce her to Lauren's surrogate mother," Marcel uttered as he broke the small silence that had settled between the three of them once he had noticed the human girl's nervous stance.
"Well, it was lovely meeting you, dear," the older woman told the brunette teenager with a wide smile spread across her aged face before she told her as Mrs. Rollins lightly touched Brianna's lower arm, "feel free to stop by whenever you want!"
Brianna nodded her head with a thankful smile as she told the older woman, "I will." The brunette girl then watched as Mrs. Rollins gave her and Marcel another smile before she headed back to her desk. "I can see why you allowed her to be in charge here," Brianna told the Gerard vampire once they slowly walked towards the entrance of the library. The Gilbert girl knew just from meeting the woman that she was a perfect fit for her father's library.
"She's sweet," Marcel uttered with a nod of his head as he agreed with Brianna, "and she's trustworthy. She keeps the place running and in top shape while I keep her safe from any of the hungry vampires." The Gerard vampire and the human girl then silently walked out of the library before Marcel and Brianna began to walk down the street of New Orleans. "I know Mrs. Rollins won't be around forever, so I want to let you know this place is yours whenever your ready," Marcel softly told the human girl as they turned the corner and headed back to his apartment.
"Um, excuse me?" Brianna gaped in surprise as she was definitely thrown off by the vampire's statement. "What do you mean its mine?" The human girl inquired as she took a quick glance over at Marcel before she stated with confusion in her voice, "I thought you said my dad signed it all over to you."
Marcel let out a soft chuckle before he explained as they passed by a couple of vintage shops, "it is mine, but it doesn't belong to me." The Gerard vampire gently and briefly squeezed Brianna's hand before he continued, "the library deserves to be run by a Labonair and all I am saying is that it should belong to the last Labonair." Marcel glanced over to the brunette girl and gave her an easy smile before he concluded, "you don't even have to say yes right now. I'm just saying it's yours and it doesn't matter if you want it tomorrow, five years from now or even ten but it will always be yours when you're ready."
The Gilbert girl silently nodded her head as she thought over Marcel's explanation for a moment before she gave the Gerard vampire a small smile and uttered, "I'll keep that in mind for the future." Brianna honestly wouldn't mind taking over the library as she loves history and learning new things but she didn't feel like it was time for her to do so. She was a few months out until she started her tenth year of high school and with her playing soccer, she just didn't have time to run a whole library. However, Brianna would always remember that it was an option for her in the future.
"Thank yo-" Brianna had began to show her praise for the offer from the Gerard vampire, but something instantly caught her attention from across the street. The Gilbert girl quickly gave Marcel a small smile and told him, "I'll be right back." Brianna then quickly jogged across the street after watching for any cars before she made her way towards the wooden bench, where she saw the familiar girl that is Davina reading a large old looking book. "Hey!" Brianna greeted the brunette teenager with a large grin once she came to a stop in front of the young girl.
The Claire girl jumped in her spot as she didn't hear anyone come up to her before she quickly pushed the grimoire closed and looked up. "Hey," Davina greeted the girl back that she had met at her mother's bookstore. "It's been a while," the brunette girl joked as she had been waiting for a message from Brianna since she promised a text message to hang out later.
Brianna's cheeks blushed beet red before she nervously removed her white baseball hat and run her fingers through her brown hair. "I am so sorry," the Gilbert girl apologized before she explained, "there's just been so much going on lately that I totally forgot to shoot you a text." Brianna had honestly forgotten about her promise until she saw the brunette beauty. She had planned on doing it when she got back to her hotel but with the vampire attack along with learning about them and learning about her parents, it totally slipped her mind.
Davina shot the brunette teenager a large grin as she watched her ramble before she lightly waved her hand and told Brianna as she assured the Gilbert girl, "it's alright. Besides, you barely just got to New Orleans, so it's understandable." The Claire girl then unfolded her legs from how she was sitting on the bench as she didn't see why they couldn't do something before she wondered, "if you aren't busy right now, you wanna hang out?"
The Gilbert girl instantly nodded her head and uttered, "I'd like that," as she didn't have anything more planned for today since Marcel had showed her all of the locations that he wanted her to see. Brianna then held up her hand when she saw Davina was about to stand up and told her, "I'll be right back," before she swiftly jogged her way back across the road, where she saw Marcel leaning against an old building. "Hey," Brianna greeted the Gerard vampire once she was in front of him before she told him, "I'm going to hang out with this girl I met yesterday, so I'll just meet you back at the apartment in a couple of hours."
Marcel glanced between the brunette girl in front of him and the brunette girl across the street that he was very familiar with before he finally nodded his head. The Gerard vampire didn't trust any of the witches in New Orleans but he knew that Davina was an innocent one; for now anyway. "I'm going to have one my vampires following close by, though," Marcel mentioned to the human girl as he pulled out his cell phone to send a quick text message to Diego, "he won't bother you but he's there to keep you safe."
Brianna nodded her head in understanding as she knew Marcel was just trying to keep her safe thanks to the promise that he made to her parents. The Gilbert girl then gave Marcel a quick smile and turned around to head back to Davina but quickly came to a stop as a thought suddenly popped into her head as her mind was finally made with the thought that she had been thinking about since she learned about the creatures of the night. Brianna quickly turned around and called out to the Gerard vampire before he could leave, "hey! Marcel, wait!"
Once the Gerard vampire was facing her with a questioning expression and a raised eyebrow, Brianna jogged back up to the vampire and told him with complete certainty in her voice, "I've decided that I want to stay in New Orleans instead of going back to Mystic Falls." The brunette girl glanced at the culture around her before she continued with a small smile on her face, "this is my home and I think this where I should be." Brianna then nervously stared into Marcel's brown eyes as she asked, "so if you let me, do you mind if I stay with you until I find work and get my own place then I'll get out of your hair?"
A large grin lifted onto the Gerard vampire's face at the fact that his best friend's daughter wanted to stay here in her home - despite knowing about all the supernatural creatures and the true nature of her parents' death. She is just like them, Marcel thought as either Justin nor Lauren ever gave up or were scared of anything like Brianna was showing. The Gerard vampire then shook his head with a heavy chuckle as he could hear the anxiousness in Brianna's voice before he assured the brunette girl, "you are always welcomed to stay with me as long as you want to."
Brianna couldn't help the small squeal that escaped through her lips before she murmured, "I'd really like that," as she was glad Marcel wasn't going to try to get rid of her. The Gerard vampire, ever since she met him at Rousseau's Bar, made her feel like home and that was such a comfort while learning all these life-changing things. The Gilbert girl then surprised herself and Marcel as she swiftly wrapped her arms tightly around Marcel's neck before she softly uttered, "thank you for everything that you've already done for me. Thank you for keeping me safe."
The Gerard vampire instantly wrapped his thick arms around the human girl's lower back before he softly told her, "of course. I'll always protect you." Marcel then broke their embrace and looked into Brianna's hazel eyes before he told her something that he hadn't mentioned before, "you are my God daughter and I will always keep you safe and protect you with my life like yours parents would have wanted for you."
The Gilbert girl's hazel irises slightly widened in shock at the fact that Marcel is her God father. She didn't even think that she would have one but she could understand why her parents would pick the Gerard vampire. Marcel had saved her life and her mother's which her father obviously honored for saving his family. Brianna could also see why Marcel is her God father by the very close relationship that he had with both of her mother and father by the stories Marcel had been mentioning today. He obviously cared for her and her parents, so it would only make sense for Marcel to be in charge of her life after their death - which resulted in her having a happy childhood with the Gilbert family.
Brianna gave Marcel a small smile before she offered an apology, "i'm sorry that you had to live through all of those old memories again. I can see that you cared and loved my parents and I could see that it had caused you pain today." The brunette girl then leaned up on her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss onto Marcel's cheek to show her gratitude for everything that he had done for her as she whispered one last time, "thank you," before she swiftly turned around and left a very shocked Marcel Gerard behind.
The Gilbert girl looked up both ways, once again, before she crossed the street and jogged her way back to Davina, who had her book open again on the wooden bench while she read. "Alright, I'm back," Brianna exclaimed with a wide grin as she pushed away the sappy feelings that she just shared with Marcel.
The Claire girl gave the brunette teenager a small smile before her smile slowly diminished once she spotted a pair of familiar dark eyes from the way Brianna had came from. "Hey," Davina called out before she asked as she nodded her head towards the man, "who was that guy you were with?" The young girl knew it was the king of New Orleans and the leader of the vampire army but Davina wanted to see if Brianna was involved with Marcel as she knew that was definitely bad news.
A proud grin instantly lifted onto Brianna's lips as she knew who Davina was asking about before she stated with pride as she was happy to call Marcel by that name from everything that he has done for her, "that's my God father." Brianna watched as the Claire girl silently nodded her head before she downcast her eyes back to her book. The Gilbert girl grew curious as she had noticed some strange words and designs, so she wondered, "what are you reading?"
Davina's whole body anxiously and instantly froze in place at the brunette girl's question before she hurriedly closed the book and stuffed it into her large bag that was thrown over her shoulder. "I found it in the bookshop," the Claire girl lied and uttered, "I'm just using it to practice my Latin for school." Davina didn't know if Brianna knew about the supernatural, she probably did since she's Marcel's God daughter, but Davina didn't want to tell the brunette girl that she was witch as she felt normal around Brianna and she didn't want that feeling to disappear.
Brianna silently nodded her head as she bit down on her bottom lip while she made a mental note to ask Marcel if Davina is a witch. The Gilbert girl never met a witch before but the writing on Davina's book reminded her of an episode of Charmed, so she figured it would be best to ask Marcel since he obviously knows who's who in New Orleans. Brianna then quickly shot Davina a small smile as she decided to change the conversation so Davina didn't become wary of her. "I don't really know a lot of place here yet," Brianna stated before she wondered, "so, what did you want to do and can that place have food?"
Davina let out a real chuckle this time instead of the nervous one as she was happy that Brianna didn't continue to question her about her book like most people would. The Claire girl then stood up from her seat on the wooden bench and stated, "I know just the place," before she began to lead the brunette teenager down the street to one of her favorite spots for lunch.
"So," Brianna began after a couple of minutes of her and Davina walking before she stated, "I've decided that I'm going to stay here in New Orleans for a while." The Gilbert girl glanced over at the girl beside her before she wondered, "what is your school like? Do they have a soccer program?" Brianna was curious if the high school that she would be going to would be anything like Mystic Falls High School or completely different.
Davina squeezed Brianna's lower arm with an excited grin as she exclaimed, "that is so cool! We'll be able to see each other a lot then." The Claire girl then turned the corner with Brianna following closely before she answered the brunette teenager's questions, "the school, KIPP Renaissance High, is about two and a half miles from the center of the French Quarter." Davina lightly shrugged her shoulders and stated, "it's a pretty large school and the teachers are all, for the most part, nice." The Claire girl then directed Brianna over towards the patio of the restaurant; Gumbo Shop before she told the brunette girl with a small pout, "but, sadly, we do not have a soccer program."
A frown instantly appeared on Brianna's face at the fact that her new school didn't have a soccer program like in Mystic Falls - where she was on the varsity team. Soccer had always been a big part of her life since she was six years old, so Brianna was saddened by the fact that her new school wouldn't have the sport. However, Brianna couldn't do anything to change it so she wondered, as she and Davina took a seat at a table, "well, what sports do you offer?" Brianna couldn't stand not having a sport to play as it was the only thing that she had ever known.
Davina handed Brianna one of the menus on the table as she thought of the sports her school has to offer before she listed them off, "we have basketball, softball, cross country, volleyball, and track and field." The Claire girl gave the brunette teenager a small smile as she offered Brianna an idea since she was set on soccer, "but we do have clubs for soccer. They meet a couple days a week and play."
Brianna silently nodded her head as she thought over her choices before she uttered with a small shrug, "I might pick up track and field." If I'm going to be hanging around vampires all the time now, I need to keep up my exercise and speed, the Gilbert girl thought as she knew it would be good for her in the long run.
Brianna shot the Claire girl a small smile as she was glad to know the information about her new school before she picked up her menu to see what she wanted to eat. The Gilbert girl then immediately released a quiet moan when she saw what the name of the place was called. "You know just the right way to my heart," Brianna joked as she placed her right hand over her chest as she saw that they were at a gumbo place. "I love me some gumbo," the brunette girl explained to the grinning Davina.
"Hello, welcome to Gumbo Shop," a blonde waitress greeted the two teenagers once she walked up to the table before she pulled out her notepad and blue pen from her black apron. The woman, Stef, gave the two girls a bright smile before she politely asked, "what would y'all like to order this evening?"
Brianna let out a chuckle when Davina raised an eyebrow at her so she would order first before she gave the waitress a small smile. "I'll have a water and a bowl of the crawfish gumbo," the Gilbert girl ordered her food before she looked back at Davina with the same look that she had given her but with an added smirk. Brianna let out a quiet laugh when she felt Davina kick her leg before the Gilbert girl slowly moved her hazel eyes around the restaurant when the Claire girl began to order her food.
However, Brianna felt herself freeze when she noticed someone watching her from across the street. The Gilbert girl twitched her head to the side as she watched the man with the curly brown hair and deep brown eyes staring right at her. Brianna then released a small sigh that she didn't know she was holding in when the man gave her small nod - which made Brianna realize that he was the vampire that Marcel mentioned that would be following her but wouldn't bother her. Brianna gave the vampire a small thankful nod back before she turned back to Davina when she heard the waitress say that their food would be ready shortly.
"So, Ms. Claire, what is it that you like to do?" Brianna wondered as she placed her hand onto the table and settled the side of her face into her palm with a small smile. The Gilbert girl wanted to spend the rest of her time today in getting to know the brunette beauty sitting across from her as she could already tell she and Davina are going to be great friends.
Davina playfully rolled her brown eyes at the way Brianna had asked her the normal question. She then placed her hands lightly on the table before she began with a small smile, "I love the arts and I love planting flowers and growing them." The planting thing really came with being a witch since witches are always in need of plants for their spells but Davina had always loved growing them as it was like she was bringing life into the world.
Brianna's hazel eyes instantly sparkled with interest as she commented, "my brother is an artist as well." However, the brunette girl's eyes saddened by a little bit as she thought of her baby brother; Jeremy. I'm going to have to tell them I'm not coming back, Brianna realized as she forgot about that her choice to stay in New Orleans was going to affect them as well. Brianna quickly shook her head as she pushed that thought to the back of her mind before she shot Davina a smirk. "Will you paint me like one of your french girls?" The Gilbert girl teasingly wondered as she used the famous line from Titanic.
"Oh, shut up," the Claire girl blushed as she shook her head. "I'm not that good, anyway," Davina dismissed the idea as she lightly waved her hand. The young witch never really thought she had been any good at drawing or painting since her mother always made sure that she was practicing her magic every free time that she got, so it wasn't like she had that much time to hone her craft.
"Oh, come on, Davina!" The Gilbert girl exclaimed before she stated, "everyone says that and they usually are these amazing artists that should be in museums." Brianna shot the shy Claire girl an assuring smile before she told her, "I want to see your work someday. I bet they are gorgeous."
Davina nervously bit down on her bottom lip for a moment before she murmured, "we'll see." The Claire girl was honestly anxious to show anyone her artwork, besides Tim, so she hoped Brianna would forget her promise at a later day. Davina then decided to move the conversation off of her as she leaned back in her chair and wondered in the same tone as Brianna had used, "what is it that you like to do, Ms. Gilbert?"
Brianna let out a soft chuckle at the brunette girl in front of her before she explained, "you obviously know my obsession with soccer but I'm also a huge history buff." The Gilbert girl rolled her hazel eyes when she saw the shocked expression on Davina's face before she exclaimed, "yes, yes, I know. I'm such a nerd."
The two teenagers then both let out a loud laugh together just as their food was being delivered before they began to talk about the different areas of history that they enjoyed. Brianna and Davina spent the next twenty minutes talking about the twenties and the sixties - where the Gilbert girl instantly noticed how easily they were now speaking with each other. It was like they were old friend as they randomly moved from conversation to conversation about their best friends, Tim and Caroline, before they moved to telling each other embarrassing stories while they enjoyed their delicious Cajun food and the bright sun from the New Orleans sky.
I'm finally home, Brianna thought to herself as she and Davina laughed as the Claire girl told her the story of the time that she fell asleep while painting and went straight to school without realizing that she had red paint all over her face. The Gilbert girl felt, in that moment with her new friend, that she belonged in New Orleans. There is no other place I would rather be, Brianna thought with a wide grin spread across her lips as she felt safe, protected, and herself with the help of her God father, who had cared for her the second that she had arrived in New Orleans. It was like she finally found the missing piece in her life.