Carbon Copy x Klaus Mikaelson

by kl4uss

Brianna always thought she was a Gilbert. But what happens when her parents die in a car crash and she finds out that was far from the truth? Brianna travels to New Orleans with a letter from her parents. Does Brianna find out who she really is? What happens when she comes back to Mystic Falls and learns the existence of vampires? What if she is one of the creatures of the night?

6. Chapter 5

Brianna released a small sigh as she stared at all of the gifts that she had bought two days ago for her family and friends back in Mystic Falls, Virginia on her king sized bed in her new bedroom at Marcel's apartment. The Gilbert girl had finally stopped procrastinating and decided to mail the items since she was having a calm morning and she had no exact plan for the day. Brianna also decided to add a small note with each gift since she wouldn't be going home anytime soon after she chose to stay in New Orleans for the time being.

So, Brianna grabbed the gift closest to her, after she had her goal for the day set, which happened to be the book that the Gilbert girl had bought for Caroline. Brianna then grabbed the small box that she had found around the apartment and placed Gone With The Wild inside before she grabbed the notebook in her lap and began to write the note to her best friend ~

Care Bear,

I hope you like your gift. I know you've always wanted the original copy of your favorite story, so I knew I had to get it for you. I know this doesn't make up for leaving without saying goodbye but I hope this helps. I miss and love you so much, Care Bear. You are my best friend and my partner in crime. But I have some bad news, babe. I'm not going to come back to Mystic Falls anytime soon. I think I'm going to go through Sophomore year here in New Orleans. I'm finally feeling closer to my biological parents, so I hope you understand why I need to stay here. But I just want to tell you that I love you and I'll see you soon.

Love, Brianna.

A small smile lifted onto Brianna's lips as she sealed up her best friend's gift, who was like a second sister, before she moved onto the next gift that was for her aunt Jenna. The Gilbert girl carefully folded up the three different colored scarves in a plastic wrap and placed them inside of a thin box before she began on the second note for the strawberry blonde woman ~

Aunt Jenna,

I know you love your scarves, so I hope you'll use these a lot since I know you probably already worn out your other ones. (lol). How are you doing? How are your classes going? I know we haven't talked since my first day here in New Orleans but I hope you are doing okay. Don't let the kiddos tire you out, Jenna. ;) Anyways, I would rather do this over the phone and I know you'll be calling once you get this, but I've come to the decision to stay here in New Orleans. I know you will understand - unlike some people. Marcel took me to some places where my parents used to go to and it made me feel that much more connected to them and I feel like I need to stay here. I'm not sure how long I will stay, though. I was thinking about going to school here, so I'll see how it goes and let you know. I'll explain more when we talk on Skype soon. I love you. Take care.

Love, Brianna.

"I am so getting yelled at for doing this over a letter," the Gilbert girl mumbled to herself as she placed the note and sealed up the gift for her aunt Jenna. Brianna honestly would rather do it on the phone but she felt like she would end up chickening out as she didn't want to disappoint her caring aunt. However, Brianna felt like Jenna would be the one to get that this is something that she needs to do since Jenna knew all along about her adoption and had let her leave Mystic Falls without much of a fight.

Brianna stacked up the two gifts for Caroline and Jenna before she grabbed another small box and grabbed the next gift that happened to be for her sister's best friend; Bonnie Bennett. The brunette girl then folded the dark jean jacket that she had bought into plastic wrap like she did with her aunt's scarves before she only added a small note since she and Bonnie weren't exactly close or even friends ~

Bonnie,

I know you like these types of clothes, so I hope you like the jacket. It'll look cute with that red sundress that you like to wear. Anyways, I just want to thank you for taking care of Elena when I can't be there for her. It means a lot to me. I know she's struggling with the lost of our parents, so thanks, Bennett.

Brianna.

The Gilbert girl followed the same process again like she was in a toy factory as she placed the note into the box and sealed it up before she stacked it onto the other two boxes. Brianna then moved to the next gift that was for the youngest Gilbert. However, this time, Brianna knew she had to be careful with the vinyl record, so she wrapped the boxed up Nirvana album in multiple plastic wraps and carefully placed it inside of the box before she moved on to her next note ~

Jer,

Hey, baby brother. Everything is going to be okay. I know you don't feel like it will be, but I know everything will be alright. You have a cloud over your head right now but it's going to get better. If you ever need to talk and don't feel like Jenna or Elena will understand, my phone is always open for you. If you wanna just complain about Mr. Tanner or Tyler, I'll be there. I'm not coming home yet but I'm here for you and I love you, Jer.
Love, Brianna.

"Now, the hard one," Brianna mumbled to herself after she had finished sealing her brother's gift as she stared down at the purple journal in her lap that was for her sister. The brunette girl hadn't really spoken to Elena since she left Mystic Falls except for two text messages. Brianna knew Elena didn't get why she was all the way in Louisiana, but Brianna hoped her letter would help Elena understand, so Brianna opened up her sister's new journal and began to write on the first page ~

Dear Lee,

Long time, no talk. Ugh, that was stupid... Anyways, I know you're pissed at me for leaving but I just wish you would pick up the phone. I miss my sister. I know I didn't exactly give you guys a heads up before I left but this was just something I needed to do. You wouldn't understand since you always felt like you belonged in Mystic Falls with your real parents. But there has always been a piece of my heart that just never felt full but after these last couple of days of learning about my biological parents and the place I was born in, I can finally feel whole. This is where I belong. I don't know when I'll come back but I hope you can forgive me, Lee. I hate not being able to talk to you and I hate us fighting, so please give me a call. I love you with all my heart and you will always be my sister.
Love, Bree.

Brianna folded up the front cover of the purple journal with a small sigh once she signed her name. She just wished that Elena would understand that this is something that she needs to do. She knew that everyone back in Mystic Falls were struggling in their own way, but Brianna had to be selfish. She would always love and miss Miranda and Grayson, but she deserved to know about her biological parents and staying here in New Orleans was her way of staying close to them. Brianna just hoped Elena will come to understand in the future. She and Elena had always had a close relationship growing up, despite how different they were, so it made Brianna ache to know that Elena still wasn't talking to her. Brianna just prayed that her small note would make Elena pick up the phone.

The Gilbert girl wrapped up the last gift into another small box after she pushed away her sad thoughts before she jumped off the comfortable bed and walked into the large closet. Brianna then grabbed a large bag that she had found in town last night before she placed each of the items inside. The brunette girl placed the bag full of gifts for her family and friends on her bed before Brianna quickly got changed in a pair of pale cut off jean shorts with a lightweight tan striped top. Brianna tucked her shirt lightly into her shorts and slipped on a pair of gold sandals before she grabbed her bag of gifts along with her cell phone and headed out the door for the day.

Brianna silently walked down the staircase of the apartment in the French Quarter before she glanced around her surroundings to find her Godfather. However, when Brianna couldn't find him in the kitchen or the living room, she figured Marcel was in his office. The Gerard vampire had gave Brianna a tour of her new home last night, so she knew exactly where she was going as she walked down the left hallway and headed towards the last door on the right.

Brianna lightly knocked her knuckles against the cherry oak door before she slowly opened it up when she heard Marcel murmur a quiet, "come in," and peaked her head inside of the vampire's office. The Gilbert girl gave her Godfather a small smile as a greeting before she told him, "hey, I'm heading down to the post office to drop off some things." It was a rule that Marcel had Brianna follow - that she would always let him know if she was leaving the apartment. Brianna knew it was for her safety since she was a human in a very supernatural town, so she didn't really mind.

However, just as the Gilbert girl turned around to leave after she told Marcel where she was going, the Gerard vampire swiftly called out to her, "wait a second." Marcel stood up from his desk and walked around to lean against it before he told Brianna once she fully walked into his office, "I can compel someone to do that for you."

The Gerard vampire had been thinking all morning about how to make sure Brianna stays safe in New Orleans since she wasn't going back to Virginia. Marcel knew that Diego, who is currently Brianna's bodyguard, would protect her but there could be vampires that didn't know about his relation to Brianna, so Marcel wanted to set the record straight. The Gerard vampire had sent out a message to his army only an hour ago, so everyone would know that Brianna was not to be touched and Marcel wanted Brianna to be there, too.

"Oh, no. It's fine. I can do it," Brianna told the Gerard vampire as she lightly waved her hand to show that she didn't mind going herself. The brunette girl then lifted up her shoulders in a shrugging motion before she told Marcel, "I was going to walk around town for a bit, anyways." Brianna wanted to explore her hometown some more now that she planned to stay for a while.

"Actually," Marcel began as he straightened his body off of his desk and stood in front of the human girl with his arms crossed over his dark Henley before he told Brianna the reason for why he would get someone to deliver her things to the post office, "there is some people I want you to meet today."

The Gilbert girl instantly furrowed her brows at Marcel's statement as she didn't realize that there was any important people to meet in New Orleans besides the people that knew her parents like himself, Joe, and Mrs. Rollins. However, by the serious look on Marcel's face, Brianna decided to humor him as she really didn't have anything better to do. She could always explore her hometown at a later date, so the brunette girl gave the Gerard vampire a small smile and murmured, "alright. I'm in."

Marcel shot the human girl a wide and shining smile before he tossed his arm over Brianna's shoulder and led her out of his office and out of the apartment. The vampire and the human girl then headed down the street of the French Quarter for a few short minutes as they both just enjoyed the warm morning in New Orleans before Marcel pulled them to a stop in front of an old three story building.

"Welcome to The Abattoir," the Gerard vampire exclaimed as he turned towards Brianna with his arms widely spread with pride all throughout his body. "If you can't find me at the apartment then I will probably be here at the compound," Marcel explained to the human girl as this was the place that he most frequented while ruling over New Orleans. "This is where all the magic happens," the Gerard vampire uttered with a smirk before he noticed a human walking by which caused him to pause. Marcel then grabbed Brianna's bag from her shoulder before he swiftly compelled the human, "take this to the post office and mail these right away."

Once the compelled human followed his orders and turned in the direction of the post office, Marcel walked back over to Brianna with his bright smile and slung his arm over her shoulder before he began to lead the brunette girl into the compound. Marcel walked through all of his awaiting vampires and directed Brianna up the staircase before he pulled the human girl to a stop in the middle of the second layer of the compound as if they were on a stage.

Marcel released his hold on Brianna and took a few steps forward until his hands were resting on the banister while he looked over his vampires before he loudly cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Thank you all for showing up on short notice but I have a serious matter that needs everyone's attention," the Gerard vampire began before he turned his body to the right and pointed towards the silent and confused human girl. "This is Brianna Gilbert," Marcel introduced the brunette as she came to stand beside him before he told his army of vampires, "and she is my Goddaughter."

Brianna nervously bit down on her bottom lip as whispers instantly began to go through the compound between the vampires. The Gilbert girl honestly didn't understand why Marcel was doing this. She would think it would be best to lay low around the supernatural community but apparently Marcel had the total opposite idea.

Marcel placed his hand onto Brianna's shoulder and squeezed her warm skin to calm her nerves that he could feel screaming out of her body before he spoke loudly to his vampires, "I want everyone to remember this beautiful face because it is everyone's job to keep her safe and she is also off limits for feeding." Marcel glared down at the vampires with his hard brown eyes to show how serious he is before he continued, "Brianna is to be protected from our enemies and anyone who tries to mess with her. If my Goddaughter is injured in anyway, I will make your death very slow and painful."

The Gerard vampire let his threat sink into his vampires for a moment before he turned his brown irises down to the girl beside him to tell her something that Brianna didn't know about. Marcel had came to the decision to have a leadership for her since Brianna being involved with him is very dangerous and this way he knows she will be protected no matter what. "Brianna will join my side as the Princess of New Orleans," the Gerard vampire announced to his army and to the human girl.

I didn't see that one coming, Brianna thought as her hazel eyes widened in surprise. She was honestly shocked that Marcel was going through all this for her. Brianna didn't think she would be involved in all this supernatural crap. She thought that she would just go to school and grow closer to her parents. But, no. Brianna was now a heir to New Orleans and she didn't even know what the hell that meant.

"You can't really expect us to take orders from a human," a dark haired vampire, Doris, loudly growled out with distaste and annoyance ringing throughout her voice as she stared up at the girl with her hardened brown eyes.

Marcel glared down at the vampire that is always giving him trouble before he told her and the rest of the vampires in the compound, "I do and you will. If you don't then you can join your brother in The Garden." The Gerard vampire watched as Doris let out a snarl and pushed herself into the shadows before Marcel loudly interrogated, "does anyone else have a problem?"

The Gerard vampire waited for a few tense minutes for someone else to disagree with his decision before he told his vampires the rules that come with their Princess, "no? Good. Now, like I was saying, Brianna is the Princess of New Orleans and I expect her to be treated as such. If she needs something, I expect you to give her whatever she wants and if she gives you an order, you do it." Marcel glanced at each vampire in the compound before he asked with a hint of challenge in his voice, "is that clear?"

There was instantly the distinct sound of the vampires on the lower level of the compound mumbling in agreement as none of them wanted to feel Marcel's wrath before the Gerard vampire loudly clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "I'm glad we understand each other. Meeting adjourned."

The King of New Orleans silently watched as his army either went further into the compound or walked out the door before Marcel turned around and faced Brianna with his signature bright and cocky smile. The Gerard vampire murmured, "come on," before he placed his hand onto Brianna's lower back and led her down the hallway to his office, where Marcel immediately recognized Thierry waiting against the door.

Marcel gave the blue eyed vampire a small nod of his head as he knew Thierry was waiting on him because of some business in the Quarter before he unlocked the door of his office and allowed Brianna to enter before he and Thierry followed soon after. The Gerard vampire walked around his desk as he introduced Brianna to the vampire, "this is Thierry Vanchure, my second hand man."

Brianna gave the familiar vampire a small smile before she mentioned, "I saw him when I was at Joe's place the other day." The Gilbert girl remembered that while she was at the record shop and was speaking to the Dalton vampire that Thierry had walked in before Joe had followed him into the back.

"It's nice to officially meet you, Brianna," the Vanchure vampire greeted the human girl as he stretched out his arm and shook Brianna's warm hand. Thierry then shot, Marcel, his old friend a swift smirk before he teasingly commented as Marcel had spoke a lot about the human girl these past few days, "I've heard so much about the Princess of New Orleans from the old man."

Marcel rolled his brown eyes at the younger vampire but didn't comment on it. Instead, Marcel faced Brianna with a serious expression and told her, "if for some reason I am not around to help you or I'm not answering my phone, then I want you to call Thierry. He'll come help you." The Gerard vampire usually would joke around with Thierry but today was about securing Brianna's safety for her stay in New Orleans. Marcel then held out his hand and nodded his head down to the human girl's cell phone before it was handed over to him and he swiftly typed in Thierry's number as one of his guarantees of keeping Brianna safe.

The Vanchure vampire waited until Marcel handed the human girl her cell phone back after entering his number before Thierry mentioned why he had waited for Marcel to speak after the short announcement, "there is a witch in the French Quarter that requires your attention."

"Of course they want something," Marcel muttered with annoyance in his voice as he was tired of having to deal with the witches every single day. The Gerard vampire then gave Thierry a small nod as he needed to do his job as the King of New Orleans before he told the Vanchure vampire, "I'll be down in a minute."

The office in the compound was silent for a moment or two until Thierry shut the door behind him before Brianna faced the Gerard vampire with confusion shining all over her face. "Is this what you wanted me to see?" The Gilbert girl inquired as she crossed her arms over her striped top, "to meet your vampires?" Brianna shook her head before Marcel could even answer as her thoughts were all over the place from the last fifteen minutes before she mumbled, "I just don't understand why you would go through all this trouble over me. I don't really think it's necessary to basically make me heir to your kingdom."

The Gerard vampire gave the confused human girl a small smile before he explained why he went through introducing her to the vampire community of New Orleans, "I made a promise to your parents to keep you safe. They never wanted you to have to worry about the dangers in your life but with you deciding to stay here in New Orleans, I had to make sure that you would be safe. The vampires here like to feed on tourists, so now that they know who you are, then you can live freely without worrying about a thing like Justin and Lauren would have wanted."

Brianna silently nodded her head as she knew how important it has been for Marcel to fulfill her parents' wish like making sure that she is safe. However, there was one thing that confused Brianna about this whole ordeal. "I get why you would want to tell your vampires about me, but I just don't understand why you had to make me the 'Princess' of New Orleans," the human girl commented as she used her fingers when she spoke the word Princess before she inquired, "what was the reason for that?"

Marcel reached across from his seat on top of his desk and squeezed the human girl's hand before he softly uttered, "this is your home, too, Anna, and you deserve to feel safe in it." The Gerard vampire's usual smirk then swiftly lifted up onto his lips before he exclaimed, "I'm the King of New Orleans and as my Goddaughter it is only right for you to be the Princess of New Orleans." Marcel's brown eyes instantly turned deadly serious as he told Brianna with complete certainty in his voice, "I know my army of vampires will protect their Princess when it comes down to it and that's all I want for you." The Gerard vampire shook his head before he explained why he ultimately announced Brianna as a heir to New Orleans, "we have enemies all around Louisiana and I need to make sure you are protected and safe like your parents would have wanted."

A proud and cocky smile widely stretched across Marcel's face after he finished speaking of the important matter of the human girl's safety and relaxed his muscles now that he got away from that serious speech. The Gerard vampire then stood up straight before he walked up to Brianna and directed her to the window that showed the courtyard which was filled with his soldiers. "So, now that you are officially the Princess of New Orleans, my vampire army is now yours as well and this is our kingdom," Marcel told the human girl as he peered down at their army with his boastful smile still locked on his lips.

Brianna glanced down through the window at all of the vampires for a moment as she tried to accept all of Marcel's strong words before she turned to the side so she was looking up at the Gerard vampire's face. "So, uh, what are my duties as Princess of the kingdom?" The Gilbert girl curiously inquired as she tried to understand what all this meant. It was a lot to take in for Brianna when just yesterday she was learning about her biological parents and now she was suppose to be a heir to her hometown.

Marcel leaned against the sill of his large window and crossed his arms over his dark Henley before he told the human girl, "I originally was going to give you the title to make sure you stay safe here in New Orleans, but I've come to realize just how strong you are." Marcel let out a small chuckle before he stated, "I mean, you accepted everything you've learned these last few days with ease and that shows how much you can handle." The Gerard vampire then rubbed his hands together like an evil genius villain before he explained, "but now that I know you can thrive here, I want you to be my second in command. I know you might not understand it, but once I teach you how everything works around here and you get comfortable with your rolls, I want you to make your own choices. If you want our army to do something or the witches are causing problems then you can direct our army the way you see fit."

Marcel lightly waved his hand when he say the nervousness rolling off of the human girl before he assured her, "but don't worry about that just yet. In the next couple of days, I'll start getting you ready for your roll as Princess of New Orleans." The Gerard vampire gave Brianna a small smile before he concluded, "you can relax for now, Anna. You just need to know our army will protect you until you've had your training in battle and other things."

Brianna couldn't help but widen her hazel eyes at all of this talk of her duties as Princess of New Orleans. Training in battle? What the hell, the Gilbert girl thought as she was definitely not expecting any of that. Am I supposed to learn to fight vampires? Is that even possible? Brianna continued with her running thoughts before she quickly tried to turn them off. Marcel told her to not worry about it right now, so Brianna took a deep breath and pushed them to the back of her mind like the true procrastinator she was.

Instead, Brianna decided to focus on the fact that an army of vampires would be protecting her during her stay in New Orleans. It actually made Brianna feel better since she was very human around all of these creatures like vampires and witches - except of the wolves since they are in the Bayou and Brianna didn't plan on ever going there.

It was also a lot to take in for Brianna with the fact that she was basically a heir to New Orleans. It was like her life was changing a lot in a short amount of time. Brianna had originally just wanted to feel whole and feel connected to her biological parents when she drove to Louisiana after her adopted parents' funeral. However, now, Brianna knew the existence of the vampires, witches, and werewolves along with the fact that she would be in charge of the aforementioned supernatural creatures with her vampire Godfather.

It was absolutely crazy for a human but Brianna wasn't just some normal human, though. She took in everything without ever backing down, so she didn't plan on letting her new role in New Orleans frighten her. Brianna wanted to understand it and do what she was meant to do now that she planned on staying here. So, the Gilbert girl took a deep breath as she accepted her new fate before she walked up to Marcel and pulled him into tight hug that was becoming more frequent. "Thanks again for keeping me safe," Brianna praised into their embrace before she commented, "I know you are doing it for my parents but it means a lot."

Marcel protectively wrapped his arms tightly around the human girl's shoulders and cradled Brianna's head with his left hand while he held her close with a small but sincere smile playing on his lips. "You're my girl," the Gerard vampire quickly murmured as he disagreed with the fact that he only keeps her safe because of Justin and Lauren before he told Brianna, "I knew I wanted to protect you the second I held you after you were born and that's not going to stop anytime soon."

The King and the Princess of New Orleans stayed in that position inside of the office at the compound for a few silent and calm minutes as they both absorbed the other's warmth before Marcel pulled away and placed his hands on top of Brianna's shoulders. "Alright, now that we have that all settled," Marcel began before he stated, "I do have some rules that I need you to follow now that you are permanently staying in New Orleans." The Gerard vampire gave the human girl an assuring look before he told her, "I know our army will protect their Princess at any costs unless they want to end up tortured or dead but if you follow these two simple rules then it will definitely keep me at ease to know you're being careful and safe."

Brianna instantly released a small puff of air as she crossed her arms over her striped top at the vampire's statement. The human girl wasn't really someone that likes to follow rules or orders from anyone. Brianna hated doing that back in Mystic Falls as she had always been a natural born leader and her own person. However, the brunette girl decided to humor her Godfather to see what he has to say, so Brianna nodded her head and mumbled, "fine, lay it on me."

Marcel gave the human girl a small grin before he removed his hands from Brianna's shoulders and began his rules, "you are not to be alone at any costs - especially at night." The Gerard vampire shook his head before he explained, "after the sun goes down, that is when the vampires go hunting on the tourists like I mentioned." Marcel then silently walked around the office as he commented, "I don't want you to be mistaken as one of them in the dark, so no late night strolls through the Quarter unless I am with you or someone I trust."

The Gerard vampire watched the human girl silently nod her head before Marcel clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "I just need you to promise me one last thing." Marcel then stared deeply into Brianna's hazel eyes as he requested with complete seriousness in his voice, "I need you to never ever go out to the Bayou." The brown eyed vampire knew he already told Brianna about the wolves in the Bayou but he needed to make sure that she stayed away from there. Marcel didn't need Brianna finding out about her wolf side, so he was at least going to protect that secret that he promised to Justin and Lauren Labonair.

"I can do that," the Gilbert girl affirmed to Marcel's rules as it wasn't that difficult. Brianna was basically already doing that since yesterday when Marcel had Diego follow her around like a bodyguard when she went out with Davina and when she had walked home from the Gumbo Shop. Marcel's second rule didn't really affect Brianna, though, as she didn't plan on ever going to the Bayou as she figured the werewolves are pretty damn dangerous if they aren't even allowed in the French Quarter. However, Brianna was curious to why the wolves were in the Bayou in the first place and why she should stay away, so she voiced her puzzlement as she asked, "so, what is the reason behind the whole Bayou ordeal and why should I stay away?"

The Gerard vampire released a small sigh as he hated that Brianna was so much like her parents since she wasn't just going to listen to him without there being a reason behind it. If Brianna was anything like Justin and Lauren then she wouldn't give up, so Marcel decided to just tell the human girl the short version as he explained, "it was about a few decades ago. The witches and the werewolves teamed up together to take New Orleans from me. But when I found out, I had them punished by sending the werewolves to the Bayou and by not allowing the witches to perform magic."

Marcel gave the human girl a moment to understand the history of the werewolves in New Orleans before he answered Brianna's second question, "and for the reason why you shouldn't go to the Bayou is because there is no reason for you to go there." The Gerard vampire shrugged his shoulders as he commented, "I, personally, don't even go there. The werewolves don't have business in New Orleans anymore except to waste away for their betrayal." Marcel then moved to stand in front of Brianna before he questioned, "so, do we have a deal? No nightly strolls and no Bayou visits, right?"

Brianna instantly nodded her head in agreement and muttered, "you got it," as she just wanted to understand why Marcel had banned the werewolves and why she shouldn't visit the Bayou. Brianna honestly didn't even want to go to the Bayou nor did she have a need to go there. Brianna figured Marcel has some type of spell locking the werewolves in the Bayou, so she knew that she didn't have to worry about them while ruling next to the King of New Orleans.

Marcel released a loud sigh of relief after Brianna agreed to stay away from the Bayou and murmured, "alright, good." The Gerard vampire didn't know how it really works for dormant werewolves, if they feel a connection to packs, but Marcel wanted to make sure Brianna wouldn't find out about that side of her so he was glad that Brianna wasn't even tempted to go there. The Gerard vampire then uttered with annoyance, "now, if you would excuse me, I have some business to handle with the witches," before Marcel pulled the human girl into a hug and promised, "but I will see you at dinner."

Brianna instantly brought her arms around Marcel's back and muttered in acceptance, "I'll see you tonight." The Gerard vampire then pulled away from her after a moment or two of their tight embrace and kissed the human girl's forehead before Brianna watched as her Godfather smoothly walked out of the office and left her alone to handle his duty of King of New Orleans.

The Gilbert girl couldn't help but let out a sigh once the room was overcome by complete silence. Brianna felt like she could finally think clearly about what happened here at the compound in the last hour. Brianna's head was just still reeling over the fact that she is now the Princess of New Orleans and she has her own army of vampires. It was just surprising when Brianna had planned on just having a lazy day in after dropping off the packages at the post office. But no, that isn't how her day was going as she was now a heir to the supernatural world in her hometown.

However, Brianna didn't freak out like she usually would if she was still in Mystic Falls or in the dark about vampires, werewolves, and witches. Instead, the Gilbert girl just took it with stride like she had been doing since she arrived in New Orleans with all of these revelations as she took a deep breath before she strutted out of Marcel's office with confidence.

Brianna silently walked down the long hallway of the second story of the compound before her curiousness got the better of her and she began to explore each room. The Gilbert girl knew that she would be spending a lot of her time at the compound since it was like Marcel's kingdom, so Brianna decided to get familiar with the large building.

The Princess of New Orleans stayed in the shadows as she glanced into different rooms and spots. Brianna soon came to realize after looking through each door of the long hallway that had Marcel's office that they were all basically the same. The rooms were just offices with large wooden desks and supply closets along with one large room that was like for conferences by the round and long table in the center. They are very official, Brianna couldn't help but think with a shake of her head as the hallway was like one in a law firm or a Government agency.

Boring, the Gilbert girl thought as she moved away from the long and business-like hallway and continued to stroll through the second layer of the compound. However, though, as Brianna was turning the corner to see what else was in the compound, she accidentally ran right into a hard body. "Ah, shit," Brianna swore as she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead from running into a wall-like figure.

"Oh, that was my bad," the wall-like figure that happened to be a seventeen-year-old vampire mumbled as he watched the human girl that he recognized from Marcel's announcement. The vampire waited until Brianna opened her eyes before he gave her a polite smile before he asked, "you okay?"

Brianna dusted off the invisible dirt from her striped top with a huff before she mumbled, "I think I'm all good." The Gilbert girl then glanced up to see who she ran into before she noticed a male teenager, who was probably the same age as she was, with deep brown eyes and short brunette hair.

The young vampire released a small breath as he was glad that he didn't harm the human girl as he didn't want to find out what Marcel would do to him. "I'm Lucas Galvez," the young vampire then quickly introduced himself as he held out his hand with a friendly smile to the Princess of New Orleans.

Brianna wrapped her warm fingers around the teenager's hand with a small smile as his was so contagious before the human girl also introduced herself, even though she figured the teenager already knew who she was if he's been in the compound in the last hour, "I'm Brianna Gilbert."

Lucas shot the human girl a wide grin and uttered, "I know." The young vampire then cleared his throat at how stalkerish that sounded before he wondered as he stood next to Brianna instead of in the middle of the hallway, "so, what are you doing up here?" Lucas nodded his head towards the staircase as he commented, "I thought you would have went with Marcel to deal with the witches."

The Gilbert girl instantly shook her head as she denied his assumption before she uttered with a light wave of her hand, "oh, no. I don't have any Princess duties yet." Brianna then glanced around their surroundings in the compound before she explained, "I was just trying to get familiar with this large place."

Lucas let out a small chuckle as he nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, this place can be pretty big until you get used to it," the young vampire stated as he also looked around the compound that was bustling with his fellow vampires before he looked back at the human girl and assured her with his signature smile, "but it'll start feeling like home soon enough."

Brianna looked into the teenage vampire's brown eyes with interest shining through her hazel ones. "So, would that mean you know your way around here?" The Gilbert girl inquired with hope in her voice. Brianna wanted to know where the hell she was going in this building, so she hoped Lucas was familiar with the place. The last thing Brianna wanted was to get lost when she was supposed to lead a bunch of vampires as their Princess.

"Yeah," Lucas uttered as he affirmed Brianna's silent hopes that he was familiar with The Abattoir before the young vampire explained how he knew his way around the large compound, "I've been coming here everyday for the last four years so I know all about the different rooms, hiding spots, and secret passageways."

Brianna's mood instantly lifted with a small smile now that she knew that the friendly vampire knew his way around the compound. "Do you think you can show me around?" The Gilbert girl wondered as she figured it was worth a shot to ask someone that has only been kind. "I don't think it would look good if the Princess didn't know her way around her own kingdom," Brianna uttered jokingly with a smirk playing on her lips.

Lucas let out a loud chuckle as he shook his head at the human girl's humor about her current situation. He could see that Brianna was trying to get used to her roll at the compound and Lucas could understand that with being a new vampire having to follow rules from Marcel. The Galvez vampire then fanned out his hand in front of him as he stared at the human girl with a bright grin before he exclaimed in the same joking matter that Brianna had used, "it would be an absolute honor to show the Princess around."

Brianna let out a heartfelt laugh as she stared across at the teenage vampire with amusement in her hazel eyes. The Gilbert girl could tell that she and Lucas were going to be friends by the fact that he wasn't treating her badly because she was human or scared or because she was the Goddaughter of the King. She felt like Lucas is an easy going vampire and Brianna liked that she would have someone to joke around with in the compound.

The vampire and the human girl then headed towards the direction that Brianna had originally wanted to go before she had ran into Lucas once they were in agreement. The two teenagers walked in silence as they walked away from the long hallway before Lucas began once they reached the area Brianna had never been to. "If you will look on your left, you will see the many empty bedrooms," the Galvez vampire exclaimed like he was a tour director on a cruise ship, which caused the two teenagers to laugh, before he opened one of the doors.

"This is Marcel's bedroom whenever he stays here," Lucas explained briefly before he closed the door as no one was allowed in the King's room and moved onto the next one. The Galvez vampire lightly touched the door knob and told Brianna, "we aren't supposed to be in here, but I'll give you a quick peek," before Lucas opened the door and showed the curious human girl.

Brianna glanced over the young vampire's shoulder as she looked into the room before she instantly furrowed her brows. It was definitely a bedroom that belonged to a girl but it looked like it hasn't been used in centuries. Brianna took that guess since everything looked very old like every item belonged in the early nineteen hundreds.

"I'm not really sure who's room it is," Lucas muttered once he closed the bedroom door and moved on down the hallway with the human girl beside him. "All I know is that it's off limits to everyone," the young vampire mumbled with a shrug of his shoulders before he continued with his tour. "This one and the door at the very end," Lucas began as he pointed to the door that they were in front of before he stated, "these are the bathrooms." The Galvez vampire then pointed to all of the other doors that he hadn't touched before he explained, "these all are just bedrooms. They are mostly empty. We just sometimes crash in them if we need to."

Brianna silently nodded her head as she glanced around her surroundings in the long hallway that had at least eight different bedrooms along with the two bathrooms. It's like a boarding house or something, the human girl thought as there was a lot of bedrooms in the compound.

Lucas walked Brianna down the rest of the hallway as he uttered with a wave of his hand, "this area is just like the housing area of The Abattoir." The young vampire then led the human girl up another set of stairs towards the third and final layer of the compound. "There's a couple of bedrooms up here as well," Lucas commented, "but they are much bigger with the doors that lead to the balconies." Lucas walked around the upper layer of the compound as he continued his tour before he stopped in the main part which was a open space with couches and chairs, "this is usually just used as a lounge."

"What about downstairs?" Brianna curiously wondered as she walked around the opened space and moved along the bar that filled with every single alcohol that she could think of. "Is downstairs just bedrooms, too?" The Gilbert girl inquired as she didn't really get the chance to look around the first level of the compound since Marcel immediately pulled her up the stairs when they had arrived.

Lucas shook his head before he explained, "downstairs is like any normal house. It has a large kitchen in the far North of the downstairs part of the compound. There's a small library to the very right side of the double staircase and a living room to the far left." The young vampire then silently opened up a set of glass doors and allowed Brianna to enter before he continued to speak about the first level, "Marcel usually has that part of the compound for parties or balls when he invites the community of New Orleans."

Brianna was barely listening to the young vampire at this point as her hazel eyes were locked on all of the books in the room that Lucas had brought her in. "Wow," the Gilbert girl mumbled as she ran her fingers on the spine of the books with a look of awe on her face from all of the decades' old titles. Brianna had always loved reading and books in general, so the human girl was basically in love right now.

The Galvez vampire learned against the wall with a small smile as he watched the human girl explore on her own for a few silent minutes before he decided to interrupt the tranquility. "This place has books from all the way back in the earlier seventeen hundreds," Lucas mentioned as he glanced around the large library.

I know where I'll be hiding when I'm here, Brianna thought with a grin as she took one last look at all of the literature that held so much history before she followed after the young vampire out of the room to continue with the tour of the third layer of The Abattoir.

Lucas pointed at the double doors beside of the library as he uttered, "this room just has a bunch of old paintings." The young vampire shrugged his shoulders as he commented, "but no one around here paints, so I guess they are all from back in the day." Lucas honestly didn't know why Marcel even had an art studio since the King doesn't draw or paint. It was just another mystery to him.

Brianna took a quick glance into the large room while Lucas began to walk away and noticed that it wasn't like an art museum. There was so many different paintings from landscapes to abstract designs lining up every inch of the wall and every inch of the covered furniture. There was almost no where to walk without running or stepping on a canvas. Marcel must have kept all of these from someone important, Brianna guessed if they were just collecting dust in here instead of being shown around the compound.

"Now," the Galvez vampire began as he clapped his hands together while he shot the human girl a large grin before he stated, "let me show you the best spot in the whole compound." Lucas then walked back into the lounge area with Brianna following behind before he headed towards the four doors that were made of glass and opened up one of the two sets. The young vampire walked through the doors on the third level of The Abattoir before he led Brianna out onto the long balcony that overlooks the large courtyard.

"The Balcony wraps around the whole compound, so you can see all different areas of New Orleans," the Galvez vampire told the human girl before he glanced down at the courtyard over the black railing, where all of his fellow vampires were hanging around. "Marcel has this all set up when there's a big dinner or someone important is in town," Lucas informed Brianna as he remembered the few times the courtyard had been decked out with decorations and a large dining room table in the place where the patio tables and couches were currently sitting.

Brianna leaned against the railing and looked down at the lower level while she tried to picture the fancy setting instead of all the vampires just lying around on patio style furniture. It's nice, though, Brianna commented to herself as she could see why there was so many vampires here at the compound as it was like one big house full of blood sucking people. It wasn't as scary as Brianna had first imagined being surrounded by all these vampires. Well, not since Lucas had took her around the compound which helped calm her nerves.

However, the Gilbert girl was still a tad bit anxious as she knew that not all the vampires were a fan of her like from the announcement and the female vampire that had tried to argue with Marcel's choice. It was like the vampire knew Brianna was thinking about her because as Brianna was looking at all of the vampires, a certain dark haired supernatural being glared up at the human girl with her dark eyes.

Brianna stared right back at the vampire with a twitch of her head before the dark haired supernatural being swiftly vamp sped out of the courtyard. The human girl was frightened by the vampire but she wasn't going to show that out in the open when she was supposed to be in charge of these vampires with Marcel. Instead, she acted like her normal confident and strong self before she turned and faced Lucas with a small smirk. "So, it seems that not everyone is happy I'm here," Brianna commented with a small chuckle as she leaned against the railing of the balcony.

Lucas immediately rolled his brown eyes when he realized who the human girl was talking about. "Doris is always like that," the Galvez vampire commented before he told Brianna, "just ignored her. She's always causing problems." Lucas then shot the Gilbert girl a small smile before he explained what everyone else was feeling after the announcement of their Princess, "most of them are just nervous that Marcel brought someone in for the first time and the others aren't exactly confident that a human can take charge - no offense."

Brianna lightly waved her right hand as she wasn't in the slightest bit offended as she pretty much expected that to happen. "Honestly, I don't even know if I can do this," the human girl mumbled before she exclaimed, "but one thing you'll learn about me is that I never give up." Brianna shrugged her shoulders as she uttered, "Marcel believes that I'm right for the job, so I guess I'm just gonna have to prove all your little friends wrong."

Lucas grinned across at the human girl before he told her as he raised his hands in the air like an innocent person, "oh, I'm totally on your side with this." The Galvez vampire teasingly bumped his hip with Brianna's as he walked up to the railing and commented, "I'm always a sucker for an underdog."

Brianna let out a heavy chuckle as she rolled her hazel eyes at the vampire next to her before she mumbled, "good to know." The human girl and the teenage vampire then stood there in silence for a few minutes as they listened to the bustling morning in the French Quarter before Brianna curiously looked over at Lucas and asked, "so, what's your story? How did you end up in Marcel's army?"

The Galvez vampire stood there in silence for a moment as he absorbed the heat of the sun before he turned his body to the side to look at the human girl. "It happened four years ago," Lucas began to tell how he was turned, "I was leaving a party for a beer run with my brother and the next thing I know a truck was t-boning us." The Galvez vampire took a deep breath as he remembered that day before he continued, "and I guess Marcel was close by because I'm not really sure what happened next. I only remember waking up here and being recruited into Marcel's army."

Brianna's hazel eyes widened slightly and mumbled, "wow." She should of known someone's turning would be brutal but it was still shocking to hear Lucas tell his story. Brianna could see the sadness in the vampire's eyes, though, so she figured his brother didn't make it. Brianna was honestly tired of death so she decided to move the conversation as she asked, "so, what do you do as a vampire? Do you still go to school?"

Lucas let out a heavy chuckle as he nodded his head. "Yes, I still go to school," the Galvez vampire answered with amusement in his voice before he explained, "but we don't really have to since the whole city of New Orleans knows about vampires but I enjoy going since I've always loved playing sports since I was younger."

The Gilbert girl's interest was instantly peaked at the topic of sports as that had been her whole life while growing up in Mystic Falls. It was the one thing that she has always loved and that had kept her out of trouble with drugs, guys, and girls - well, for the most part. "What sports are you into?" Brianna inquired as she stared up at Lucas as she was curious if she and the vampire had something in common.

Lucas barely even had to think for a second before he began to list off all the sports that had taken up his days before and after he was turned into a vampire, "I play basketball, baseball, a little tennis, and soccer." The Galvez vampire then shook his head with a small frown before he mumbled, "but I don't get to play soccer that much since my school doesn't have a program, so I usually just enlist some of the younger vampires around here for matches."

That sounds awfully familiar, the human girl thought as she remembered having a conversation like this with Davina at Gumbo Shop. It could just be a coincidence, Brianna added in her head before she decided to see if it really was one. "I didn't catch the name of your school," Brianna muttered before she inquired with a raised eyebrow, "which one do you go to?"

The Galvez vampire furrowed his brows while he stared over at the human girl in confusion. "I go to KIPP Renaissance High a few miles away," Lucas slowly answered Brianna's question as he didn't understand how they went to talking about sports to school before he lifted one of his brows and curiously wondered, "why?"

A large grin immediately lifted onto Brianna's lips as she exclaimed in excitement, "oh, my God! That's amazing!" The human girl quickly shook her head with embarrassment from her squeal of going to school with the vampire before she explained, "that's where I'll be going when school starts back up." Brianna's grin brightened on her face once again as she uttered, "I've been in love with soccer since I was a toddler. I was on the varsity team back in Virginia."

The Galvez vampire's brown eyes slightly widened in surprise as he didn't take Princess of New Orleans as a soccer player. "Seriously?" Lucas wondered before he curiously inquired with interest running throughout his voice as he never could find anyone around the city that was into soccer as much as he was, "what position do you play?"

"I play forward," Brianna answered the young vampire's question with a proud smile adoring her lips. The Gilbert girl was always proud when she spoke of her soccer career as she broke many records at Mystic Falls High School along with the fact that she was the youngest girl on the varsity team. The competitive part of Brianna was instantly sparked now that she knew Lucas was a soccer player as she had an idea before she faced the vampire and exclaimed, "we should pick up a game."

A smirk slowly lifted onto the Galvez vampire's face while he stared at the human girl with amusement in his brown eyes when he heard the competitiveness in the Princess of New Orleans's voice. "Are you sure you can keep up with a vampire?" Lucas teased as he bumped his hip with Brianna's as he taunted her.

Brianna squinted her hazel eyes at the smirking vampire before she exclaimed with her hands on her hips, "oh, you just uttered the wrong words to the wrong person, Galvez." The Gilbert girl then swiftly moved away from the railing of the balcony and straightened her body before she commanded, "let's go. We're playing a match right now." Brianna was never one to back down from a challenge and she wasn't going to start now just because Lucas is a vampire as she was determined to prove him wrong.

"You are so on, Gilbert," the young vampire immediately exclaimed with his own competitiveness cutting into his voice. Lucas then straightened his body as well and took a threatening step towards the human girl before he whispered with a smirk widely displayed on his face, "be prepared to lose, Princess."

Brianna rolled her hazel eyes like the vampire's thought of beating her was completely preposterous before she exclaimed with her own taunting and cocky attitude, "get ready to be embarrassed by a human." The vampire and the human then stared at one another for a moment as they tried to imitate each other before the teenagers swiftly headed back into the compound to figure out who was the better soccer player.

The Gilbert girl couldn't help but feel excited as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail while she and Lucas hurriedly walked down the two staircases at the compound as Brianna couldn't wait to play soccer for the first time in months. Brianna would be playing soon if she was staying back in Mystic Falls, so she was bubbling with energy to finally have the black and white ball in her possession.

It also brightened the Gilbert girl's mood here in New Orleans after she learned that she would be Princess of New Orleans since she made a friend in one of the vampires that was in hers and Marcel's army. It was definitely a plus that Lucas was just as competitive as she was in soccer and had been nothing but kind to her. Brianna felt that having a friendly face like Lucas was going to make her new duties in her hometown that much more easier to handle as Brianna could see her and Lucas being great friends in the future and Brianna knew she was going to need that confidence when there is dozens of vampire waiting for her to fail.

---

FAULKNER HOUSE BOOKS

It was about three in the afternoon when the Gilbert girl found herself walking down the familiar street to the bookstore that she had first visited on her second day here in New Orleans. Brianna had hung out with her new friend, Lucas Galvez, for a few hours as well as played a few matches of soccer - which they ultimately tied on. It was such a thrill for Brianna to play soccer again, despite the fact that she didn't exactly win, as it made her feel normal for awhile.

However, now Brianna was on her way to hang out with the first friend that she gained in her hometown; Davina Claire. She knew the brunette girl was at work since they had been texting back and forth throughout the day, so Brianna decided surprise Davina as the Claire girl had been complaining to her about being bored.

It only took a few minutes of the human girl walking down the streets of New Orleans before she arrived at Faulkner House Books from the park that Brianna and Lucas had been at during the last couple of hours. The Gilbert girl grabbed the glass door of the establishment once she arrived and allowed an older woman to exit before she entered the bookstore and began her search for the Claire girl.

Brianna looked around the bookstore for a few minutes when she couldn't find Davina behind the register before she finally spotted the brunette beauty putting books back into the correct places. The Gilbert girl grinned at the huffing Davina before she leaned her body against the bookcase and called out to her, "hey, there."

The Claire girl instantly jumped at the close voice - which instantly caused her to drop the book that she holding onto the ground. "Crap," Davina mumbled before she quickly picked it up and placed it onto the cart. The brunette teenager then twirled around as she pushed a portion of her hair behind her left ear before she wondered as she stared at Brianna in surprise, "what are you doing here?"

Brianna crossed her arms over her striped top as she stared at the flustered girl with a small smirk against the bookcase before she exclaimed, "I'm breaking you out of here, Ms. Claire." The human girl figured that she could save Davina from her boredom for a little while since the bookstore wasn't exactly busy with customers.

Davina immediately shook her head in disagreement before she picked up the book that she had dropped and placed it back into the right place in the 'L' section instead of where she found it against the 'W' section of the bookstore. "I can't just leave work," the Claire girl mumbled as she pushed the cart of books down to the next aisle to keep herself busy.

Brianna pouted as she thought this would be easy to convince Davina to leave work for a little bit to have fun before she quickly followed after the fast walking girl. "Oh, come on," the Gilbert girl pouted as she leaned against the bookcase next to Davina, who was placing a book into the right place. Brianna waited until Davina looked up at her before she put on her best puppy dog eyes and tried to persuade the Claire girl, "I'll have you back in under an hour. No one will even notice that you were gone."

Davina bit down on her bottom lip as she stared into the brunette girl's hazel eyes while she thought over the idea of leaving. The Claire girl knew her mom wouldn't be back until five to get the place ready to be locked down, so Davina knew she wouldn't get in trouble for not running the store. I am pretty bored, Davina thought, and I'd really like to hang out with Brianna again. "Alright, fine," the Claire girl told Brianna as she finally convinced herself to go, "I'm in." Davina then pointed her finger at the brunette girl with her brown eyes squinted before she ordered, "but no longer than an hour."

Brianna shot the Claire girl a wide grin as she knew she would be able to corrupt the innocent girl to breaking the rules for a little bit. The Gilbert girl nodded her head in agreement with Davina's orders before she lifted up three fingers and teased, "scout's honor." Brianna then swiftly grabbed Davina's hand and pulled her down the aisle of books and towards the exit of the bookstore before the Claire girl could change her mind.

"Wait!" Davina quickly yelped, like Brianna had feared, before she swiftly pulled her hand out of the Gilbert girl's warm embrace and jogged her way back into the store just as they had exited it. The Claire girl jogged behind the counter of the cashier and grabbed her keys before Davina walked back outside and locked the door. Davina then put up the 'Be Back Soon' sign before she faced Brianna with a small smile and exclaimed, "alright, we can go now."

The Gilbert girl couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the innocent girl. who was obviously worried about leaving the bookstore, as it was quite cute in Brianna's opinion. Once Brianna saw that Davina was all ready, the human girl held out her hand with her puppy dog face again so they could leave the bookstore and do something fun.

Davina rolled her brown eyes at the brunette girl with not a single ounce of annoyance in her body. The Claire girl was just amused by Brianna's carefree attitude that seems to just brighten her mood before she linked her fingers with Brianna's hand. It felt absolutely normal for the Claire girl to do that and Davina wouldn't lie and say she didn't enjoy the warmth of Brianna's fingers against her knuckles.

Brianna shot the Claire girl a wide grin and squeezed her hand before the Gilbert girl began to pull Davina away from the bookstore and down the streets of New Orleans. The Gilbert girl didn't really have a plan after she would convince Davina to leave work, so Brianna was basically winging it as she enjoyed the sun and the Jazz music while they walked.

"So, where exactly are you taking me?" The curious Claire girl wondered as she took a quick glance over at Brianna after about fifteen minutes of them walking down the street and passing all of the familiar shops that Davina had seen her entire life.

Brianna lightly shrugged her shoulders as she glanced around their surroundings for anything fun to do. The human girl then glanced over at Davina with a small smirk before she answered the Claire girl's question with not an exact answer since Brianna wasn't that all familiar with New Orleans just yet, "I honestly have no clue where I'm going."

The Claire girl released a loud groan and threw her head back into the air as that was not what she wanted to hear. "You are so unprepared, Bee," Davina complained in a mumble. The young witch was just nervous that she wouldn't be back in time. The last thing that Davina wanted to deal with is her mom's yelling because she wasn't taking care of the bookstore. She would never hear the end of it.

Brianna bumped her hip with the anxious Claire girl's while a teasing smirk played on Brianna's lips before she assured Davina, "don't you worry your gorgeous head, Dee. I'll have you back soon." The Gilbert girl couldn't help but immediately chuckle lowly when she saw the blush reach Davina's cheeks before something instantly caught her attention before she could tease the brunette beauty.

Perfect, the Gilbert girl thought when she noticed an almost empty small children's park across the street along with a truck selling snow cones. It'll be fun and a cold treat is perfect for the warm weather of New Orleans, Brianna realized as that was what Davina needed from her boring day at the bookstore. So, the human girl shot Davina a quick grin as she tightened her grip on the Claire girl's hand before Brianna dragged Davina across the road while carefully dodging cars along the way.

The Gilbert girl and the Claire witch jogged their way through the busy street and across to the children's park before Brianna finally pulled Davina to a stop in front of the blue snow cone truck. Brianna stared up at all of the different kinds of snow cones before she looked over to Davina and wondered with a grin, "what flavor would you like?"

However, the Claire girl didn't even hear a word that Brianna was saying as she had her head bent over with her hands resting on her knees while she tried to get control of her breathing. "I really need to start working out more," Davina mumbled in exhaustion as she felt like she just ran five miles.

Brianna watched the brunette beauty with amusement in her hazel eyes at Davina's exaggeration as they barely went that far. The Gilbert girl then lightly shrugged her shoulders before she shot the Claire girl a smirk and smoothly uttered, "I don't think you have anything to worry about. You have a pretty nice body, Dee."

A bright blush immediately worked its way onto the Claire girl's face at the easy compliment from the brunette girl. However, Davina was just too embarrassed to respond to Brianna's comment, so she avoided looking into the Gilbert girl's sparkling hazel eyes as she looked at the board on the snow cone truck before she quietly mumbled, "I'll take the bubble gum."

Brianna couldn't help but smirk as she watched Davina completely ignore her compliment. She knew that she made Davina nervous when she was flirting with her and Brianna absolutely loved it because it showed just how innocent and pure the Claire girl really is. Brianna, however, decided to not tease Davina about it as she wanted Davina to feel relaxed with her. Instead, Brianna only uttered, "one bubble gum coming right up."

The Gilbert girl walked up to the blue snow cone truck and ordered Davina's flavor of choice which was bubble gum before Brianna ordered her own snow cone which was the flavor of black cherry. Brianna then payed for their cold treats and gave the older man a kind smile before she walked back over to Davina and handed the brunette beauty her snow cone.

"Thank you," the Claire girl praised with a small smile as she grabbed the white cup that was filled with bright pink flavoring over the shaved ice. Davina then took a small bite of the treat with a large grin as she loved the coldness of the snow cone on a hot summer day in New Orleans. "So, is this what you had in mind when you kidnapped me?" The brunette girl wondered with a hint of joking in her voice after she had taken a few more bites of her bubble gum snow cone.

Brianna let out a heavy laugh and playfully bumped her hip into Davina's before she exclaimed, "oh, please. Don't act like you didn't want to leave." The Gilbert girl pointed at the brunette beauty as she furthered her argument, "you've been texting me all day by how bored you were at work."

Davina rolled her brown eyes as Brianna basically brought out the receipts on her before she mumbled to defend herself, "maybe I was just venting." The Claire girl was actually happy that Brianna had showed up and convinced her to leave for a while as she felt like she was going to go stir crazy in the bookstore. Davina hated when her mom would make her work during the summer because she never got anytime to hang out or do something fun.

Brianna shook her head with a chuckle and mumbled, "whatever you say, Dee," before she linked her unoccupied arm that wasn't holding her snow cone and locked it through the Claire girl's limb before Brianna pulled her towards a wooden table that was close by. Once they reached the table, Brianna released Davina and took a seat on one side while Davina took the seat directly across from her.

The two teenage girls then sat there in calm silence for a few minutes as they enjoyed their snow cones and the warmth from the sun on their skin before Brianna looked across at the Claire girl with interest in her hazel eyes as she wanted to know more about the girl that was not like anyone she has ever met. Davina was just so innocent unlike all the other people that Brianna usually hangs out with. Brianna is usually friends with drug users, jocks, players, and anything in between but Davina was just so different that Brianna couldn't help but want to be close to her.

"How is your day going, Ms. Claire?" The human girl wondered with a twitch of her head along with a small smile playing on her lips after a few minutes had passed by and Brianna had just watched the calm and relaxed features of the witch's face.

Davina glanced up from her snow cone that she was enjoying before she commented with her own small smile, "it's better now." The Claire girl then began to explain her day when Brianna rose an eyebrow at her to continue, "my mom has just been working me too hard with running the store when she's gone, which is almost everyday, and with all of the Latin practice for school." Davina had fibbed a small lie as she wasn't taking a Latin class but it was actually her family's grimoire for her magic training. However, Davina decided to keep that a secret as long as she could as she didn't want Brianna to see her as a freak - despite the fact that Brianna's Godfather is a vampire.

Brianna frowned as she stared across at the Claire girl as she didn't like that Davina was stressed out when she was supposed to be enjoying her summer like any normal teenager. The Gilbert girl then shot Davina a serious expression before she inquired with a hint of humor, "do you need me to beat her up for you?"

Davina let out an amused giggle as she threw her head back towards the bright sky at the idea of Brianna beating up her mom. "No, no," the Claire girl quickly uttered with a giggle still throughout her voice before she stated with a small shrug of her shoulders, "I'll be fine. It's only a few more months until school starts so I don't have to be stuck at the store all day."

"If you won't let me beat her up," Brianna began with a playful pout before she suggested with a raised eyebrow, "how about I stop by everyday during your lunch break so you won't be so bored?"

A bright and innocent grin immediately lifted onto Davina's pink covered lips as she absolutely loved that idea. It would save Davina from cursing her mom from the torturous hours at the old bookstore. "That would be amazing!" The Claire girl gushed before she told Brianna so the plan could actually happen, "my lunch break is usually around one until one forty-five."

Brianna took a small bite out of her black cherry snow cone before she shot Davina her own grin. "It's a date, then," the Gilbert girl confirmed her suggestion as she didn't really have anything to do in New Orleans until school started or until Marcel gave her some duties as Princess of New Orleans.

Davina flushed slightly at the Gilbert girl's words but she knew Brianna didn't mean an actual date since Brianna didn't have a smirk and she sounded absolutely genuine. However, Davina wouldn't lie and say she didn't like the idea but she decided to push that feeling away as she focused back onto Brianna. "So, how has your day been?" The Claire girl curiously wondered as she placed the side of her face into her palm.

Brianna lightly shrugged her shoulders as she commented, "it's been pretty normal. I just mailed some gifts to my family and friends back in Virginia before I went to The Abattoir to visit with Marcel." The Gilbert girl then took a bite out of her cold treat before she added as she remembered, "oh, yeah. I met a friend, Lucas, for a soccer match before I came to see you."

Davina moved her brown eyes down to her snow cone at Brianna's words as she still felt weird to know the Gilbert girl was involved with the King of New Orleans. She was always taught by her mom to never trust vampires, so it just made Davina nervous and anxious. However, Davina didn't know if Brianna knew the truth, so she pushed that running thought to the back of her mind until she could gain the courage to bring it up. Instead, Davina wondered as she heard the familiar name, "are you talking about Lucas Galvez?"

Brianna instantly nodded her head before she realized that Davina might know him since they do go to the same school and are around the same age. "Are you familiar with him?" The Gilbert girl inquired as Brianna was curious to see if her two new friends are associated with each other.

"Yeah, I've known him since first grade," Davina commented as she used to be close to the male teenager when she was younger. However, when Lucas was turned into a vampire a few years back, they just stopped talking. Davina never knew why but they just drifted apart but they do run into each other sometimes and they always greet each other. "We'll probably have classes with him when we start school in a few months. He's actually the one that started the soccer club on campus," Davina stated as she took another bite of her snow cone.

Brianna grinned as she was glad that she would get to spend time with Lucas outside of the compound along with Davina. Maybe we can all hang out, the Gilbert girl thought as she decided to see how that goes once they are all in the same building in a few months. "Speaking of school," Brianna began now that they were talking about that before she stated and wondered, "you mentioned the teachers are pretty nice but what is it like?"

Davina took a bite out of her bubble gum snow cone as she thought about her high school for a moment before she answered Brianna's question with a chuckle, "it's like any other school." The Claire girl then shot Brianna a small smile before she uttered as she listed off everything that she could remember, "we have a good education system with a high graduation rate. We, uh, are big on sports. We've won a lot of championships from the track and field team along with the basketball team."

"Except for soccer," Brianna mumbled stubbornly as she really wanted her new school to have a soccer team. The sport had been her life since forever, so it sucked for the Gilbert girl that she wouldn't be able to continue that in her hometown.

Davina shook her head with a soft chuckle at the human girl that was still sulking over the fact that there was no soccer team like she did when they were at Gumbo Shop. The Claire girl then thought of an idea as she swiftly gripped Brianna's hand and exclaimed, "when we start class, you should make an appeal to the principal. I will even help and I know Lucas will, too!"

Brianna's hazel eyes softened as she stared across at Davina before she murmured, "you are a Godsend, Dee." The Gilbert girl honestly hadn't even thought about that and it just proved Brianna's point even more about how pure and innocent the Claire girl is to want to help her. It meant a lot to Brianna, too, since it was Grayson Gilbert, her adopted father, who helped her with soccer when she was a toddler so it always made Brianna feel close to him.

Davina waved her hand with a slight blush on her cheeks before she mumbled, "oh, it's nothing. I'm just happy to help." The Claire girl could see how much the sport meant to Brianna, so she just wanted to fix the issue. Davina didn't really understand sports but she would gladly help if it would make Brianna's high school experience better at her new school.

Brianna squeezed the Claire girl's hand with a grateful smile on her face to show her gratitude before she pulled away and took another bite out of her snow cone. The Gilbert girl didn't like getting all sappy with her feelings, so she decided to change the conversation as Brianna asked Davina to get to know more about the witch with a hint of humor in her voice, "alright, time to get serious now. What is your all time favorite movie?"

The Claire girl couldn't help but roll her brown eyes as she thought Brianna was going to ask something actually serious like about the supernatural. However, Davina was glad that it was simple as her favorite movie as she didn't want to ruin the situation that they had by talking about that part of New Orleans. The brunette girl then began to think with her finger tapping against her chin before her brown eyes widened. "Oh!" Davina gaped as she knew the right answer before she gushed, "I have to say my all time favorite has to be The Notebo-"

However, before the Claire girl could completely answer the human girl's question, Brianna took the chance while Davina was busy explaining her favorite movie by reaching across the wooden table before she stole a quick bite from the brunette beauty's bright pink snow cone as Brianna couldn't help herself since it just looked so good.

Davina had instantly caught the human girl stealing from her as she wasn't blind and Brianna wasn't being that smooth with her smirk displayed across her lips. "Hey!" The Claire girl couldn't help but yelp in surprise as she watched Brianna eat the big spoonful of her bubble gum snow cone.

Brianna shot the Claire girl an innocent smile before she lightly shrugged her shoulders as she dropped her innocent act after a few seconds. "What?" The Gilbert girl pouted before she explained herself, "I just wanted a taste." Brianna then immediately rolled her hazel eyes with a chuckle when Davina sent her a pout before she decided to make up for it. So, the brunette girl scooped some of her own snow cone before she held it in front of Davina as she uttered, "here, then we'll be even."

The Claire girl couldn't help the small smile that lifted onto her lips as she had tried to act like she was mad before she playfully rolled her brown eyes as if she was annoyed. Davina then wrapped her lips around the plastic spoon as she accepted Brianna's truce before she ate the black cherry snow cone. "Mmm, so good," the Claire girl complimented once she swallowed the sweet treat. However, when Davina opened her eyes and saw Brianna was staring at her, Davina rose an eyebrow and anxiously asked, "what? What is it?"

Brianna shook her head with a small chuckle at the nervous girl before she told Davina the reason why she was staring at her, "you have a little black cherry on your face."

A blush immediately rushed onto the Claire girl's cheeks before she quickly began to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand as she tried to find out where she had the dark colored liquid on her face. "Is it gone?" Davina asked once she thought she had got rid of the stain as she removed her hand and allowed Brianna to look at her appearance.

Brianna let out another chuckle and muttered, "nope." The Gilbert girl then watched as Davina continued to completely miss it before she leaned her body over the wooden table and stated, "let me get it." Once Davina moved her hand once again, Brianna cupped the side of the Claire girl's face before she slowly wiped her thumb across Davina's bottom lip and took away the dark liquid. The Gilbert girl shot the blushing Davina a small, teasing smirk and brought her thumb to her lips and licked off the tasty treat before she murmured, "bubble gum and black cherry is a nice combo."

Davina couldn't help but stare across at Brianna in complete shock. That was so hot, the Claire girl thought before she quickly pushed that thought away. Instead, Davina awkwardly scratched the back of her neck as she tried to get rid of the blush running down her whole body before she decided that she needed to get up. "I'm going to throw this away," Davina uttered an excuse before she swiftly stood up from the table and walked away with her snow cone.

Brianna watched as the Claire girl quickly walked away with a smirk shining brightly across her lips while she leaned her body against the wooden table. The Gilbert girl knew, as she stared across at Davina, what her new favorite game is - 'how long does it take for me to make Davina Claire blush.'

Brianna actually loved hanging around with Davina - despite all the teasing she had done to the innocent girl. She just helped the Gilbert girl feel normal and relaxed. Davina was like a rainbow after a bad storm. Brianna's life was slowly becoming hectic with knowing about the supernatural and being the Princess but with Davina, she felt like she could just be herself and didn't have to worry about all the things happening around her.

Brianna was so lost in her thoughts about the Claire girl, that she didn't even hear the aforementioned teenager walk back up to her before Davina spoke up. "Hey, I, uh, should probably get back to the store," the Claire girl uttered as she had realized while she was throwing away her trash that they already spent over thirty-seven minutes together.

The Gilbert girl stood up from the wooden table with a large pout on her lips before she begged, "just a little longer, Dee." Brianna didn't want their day to end just yet, so she linked her fingers with Davina's before the Claire girl could argue and pulled her through the children's park. Brianna didn't know where she was going for a few minutes before she pulled them to a stop in front of a set of swings.

The two teenagers then silently got onto their own swings and began to lazily move their body up in the air as they both stared up at the fading sun and the light orange and pink colors. It was both calming for Brianna and Davina to just absorb the other's presence while they watched the beautiful colors in the sky.

"So, do you have any plans for after high school?" Brianna curiously wondered after twelve minutes of tranquility had passed between them as she found herself more intrigued by Davina by the second. It was a feeling that Brianna had never felt for any girl or guy in her entire life. Brianna didn't really like relationships but Davina was certainly making Brianna rethink that.

Davina leaned her head against the chain of her swing as she stared up at the sky while she thought of her answer. "I always wanted to be an artist in some fancy and exotic country," the Claire girl quietly murmured with a soft smile playing on her lips, "I know it's probably useless to think that I'll ever get out of New Orleans and get to draw for these big museums but it's always been a dream of mine."

Brianna shot the Claire girl a soft smile and uttered, "that's really nice." She could definitely picture Davina in some place in Europe with her own art gallery. The Gilbert girl then swiftly pointed her finger at Davina with a teasing grin as she remembered a previous conversation before she exclaimed, "I'm still waiting to see some of your beautiful artwork."

The Claire girl playfully rolled her brown eyes as she wished Brianna would just forget about that already before she uttered the same thing she did when Brianna had first asked to see her artwork, "we'll see." Davina then quickly asked to move the conversation away from her artwork, "what about you? What do you plan to do after high school?" The Claire girl twitched her head to the side as she remembered what Brianna had mentioned before she continued her questioning, "are you going to do something involved with history or soccer?"

Brianna bit down on her bottom lip for a moment as she never really thought about after high school. She just loved to play soccer, so that's why she always kept her grades up along with her interest in social studies but she never put much thought into what she would do after. It wasn't like there was a lot of careers for someone interested in history. "I'm not really sure," Brianna finally confessed as she was coming up empty.

"Really?" The Claire girl wondered with her brows furrowed in surprise. Davina had just thought that Brianna was someone that had her future all put together by how invested she was into soccer and her passion for history.

Brianna nodded her head before she recalled, "but I do have an idea of something that I could do after high school." The Claire girl lifted an eyebrow before Brianna began to explain, "Marcel took me to some places my biological parents worked at and went to when they were alive and Marcel said that the library my dad built is mine whenever I want it." A soft smile lifted onto Brianna's face as she remembered the place before she murmured, "it's gorgeous. I fell in love with it when I saw all the old books and beautiful architecture, so if I plan to stay in New Orleans, I really think that's where my life will be."

"That's really sweet," Davina softly murmured before she stated, "it's like you'll be keeping their memory alive." The Claire girl, once again, was surprised by Brianna. It was just a very sweet and a kind act that Davina didn't see coming from the cocky and flirty teenage girl. It just showed Davina that there was more than what was showing on the outside of the attractive girl.

Brianna shot Davina a small smile as she completely agreed. The Gilbert girl did think about owning the library in the future when Marcel had offered it to her, but now talking to Davina about her career after high school, Brianna realized it would be the perfect fit for her - if she does decide to stay in New Orleans. It would allow Brianna to stay close to her biological parents like she has wanted and there was so much history in those books. I could even hire someone to work in my mother's kitchen as well, Brianna thought as she was becoming more welcomed to the idea the more she thought about it.

"Ah, crap!" The Claire girl mumbled once a calm silence had settled between her and Brianna and after she had glanced down at the silver watch on her thin wrist. "I need to get back to work before my mom comes back," Davina exclaimed as she was already twenty minutes late from the time her mom was supposed to be back at the store before she swiftly stood up from the swing.

Brianna pouted a little bit as she wanted to stay longer or forever with Davina but the Gilbert girl knew she made a promise and Brianna didn't want to break it, so she jumped off of the swing while it was in the air. The Gilbert girl then jogged over to the Claire girl and told her as she nodded her head towards the street, "alright, let me get you back."

The two teenage girls then linked their hands together like it was second natural before they ran through the children's park, across the street, and down the long strip of stores as they raced back to the bookstore as fast as they could since they had stayed out longer than they had originally planned.

Davina released a heavy sigh once they came to a stop in front of the door of the bookstore and leaned against her knees, once again, as she tried to gain her breathing back. Once the Claire girl could finally breathe, she unlinked herself from Brianna before she walked up to the door to unlock it. However, when Davina turned the knob, she let out a groan when she saw it was unlocked. "I'm screwed," the Claire girl mumbled as she knew that she was about to be in trouble.

"Not alone you're not," Brianna instantly assured the anxious Claire girl before she linked her arm through Davina's. The human girl gave the brunette beauty a small smile before she opened the door of the bookstore and walked Davina into the establishment. Brianna couldn't let Davina face her mom alone when it was her fault that she was in trouble to begin with.

However, the first thing that the teenage girls could hear as soon as they entered the bookstore was yelling. "Why the hell do we stay open if no one is here to work!" Davina's mom screamed from the backroom while there was sounds of heavy books and other items being tossed around from obvious anger.

"I hope you don't get in too much trouble," Brianna uttered as she squeezed Davina's arm before she released her. The Gilbert girl felt bad that Davina was going to get in trouble because Brianna took up her time at the park when she should have been at the bookstore working.

Davina lightly waved her hand with a small smile before she uttered, "it's fine. She's always like that." The Claire girl then grew nervous and anxious, so she crossed her arms over her chest to offer her some comfort before she confessed in a quiet voice, "besides, I don't regret it. I had a lot of fun today."

A wide grin immediately lifted onto Brianna's lips as she uttered, "good. I'm glad." The Gilbert girl then nodded her head towards the backroom and teased, "I'll let you get back to work and good luck with your mom." Brianna pointed her finger towards the front door of the bookstore as she uttered, "I would stay but I have to meet Marcel soon for dinner."

Davina couldn't help but frown, once again, at the mention of the King of New Orleans. Marcel just made her nervous because he is a vampire and wasn't friendly with the witches. However, Davina didn't comment on it, though, as she knew Brianna could react in two ways. She would either think that she was a supernatural being or Brianna would think she's crazy and Davina didn't want either of those things to happen since she felt like a normal teenager around Brianna. So, instead of mentioning the terrorizing vampire of New Orleans, the Claire girl only gave Brianna a small nod before she uttered, "I'll see you tomorrow for our lunch date, Bee."

The Gilbert girl gave Davina a single nod of her head as she silently promised that she would here at one in the afternoon for their daily date away from boredom. Brianna then turned around to leave before she swiftly changed herself mind and twirled back around. The human girl surprised the brunette beauty as she placed a quick kiss onto Davina's cheek and uttered with a smirk, "I'll see you later, Dee," before she turned around and left the bookstore.

Brianna honestly had surprised her own self by her action. She usually would already have Davina in her bed but the Claire girl was different, so she only left a kiss on the cheek. The Gilbert girl could feel herself feeling something for Davina by just the beginning of their friendship. It was something Brianna just knew by how she was herself around Davina. It was like Brianna could be free while with the Claire girl and Davina just made all her worries about her vampire army and her duties as the Princess of New Orleans wash away and Brianna felt like she definitely needed someone like that in her life.