Brianna Gilbert pulled open the large door of The Labonair Library of New Orleans early in the morning after she came to the decision to get her job for the rest of the summer. The human girl was honestly getting bored after she explored basically every single spot in her hometown last week, so she thought getting a job at the place that is dedicated to her biological parents was the perfect idea.
The human girl wanted to make an impression and she wanted to be serious about this since it was it was her parents's place, so Brianna woke up early in the morning and dressed nicely in a pair of black leggings and a long pastel blouse along with a pair of nude heels. Brianna felt herself have nerves, though, all morning as she didn't want to disappoint her parents. It didn't help that Marcel was already gone by the time that she came downstairs but Brianna wasn't going to back down.
Brianna knew that she needed to be strong like Marcel had described her parents, so the human girl straightened her back as she walked through the silent library with her heels clacking against the ground before she headed towards the large receptionist desk, where she instantly spotted the familiar woman - Mrs. Rollins.
"Oh!" The older woman gaped when she saw the young girl that reminded her so much of Lauren Labonair before she commented with a kind smile on her face, "it is so good to see you again, dear." Mrs. Rollins slowly walked around the large table until she was standing by Brianna before she told the newest employee of the library, "I appointed Sarah to show you around today." The older woman let out a small chuckle as she lead Brianna through the library before she murmured, "my body isn't what it used to be."
Brianna gave the older woman a polite smile in understanding before she let the woman rest her hand on her arm to help her walk. The Gilbert girl had figured that since Mrs. Rollins was reaching her seventies at this point and wouldn't be able to stand for much longer that she wouldn't be the one to show her around. "You're doing fine, Mrs. Rollins," the brunette teenager assured the older woman as they slowly walked through the large building.
The Rollins woman and the Gilbert girl walked in a comfortable silence for a couple more minutes until they slowly came to a stop in front of an isle of books and a figure with dark hair, who had their back towards them. "Sarah, dear," Mrs. Rollins uttered to get the young girl's attention before she murmured once the girl was facing them, "I would like to introduce you to Brianna Gilbert."
The young girl, who was only a couple of years older than Brianna, gave Mrs. Rollins a polite smile in greeting before she turned her attention onto the brunette teenager beside the older woman. "Hi, I'm Sarah Richards," the dark haired girl uttered as she held out her hand for a handshake before she continued with a grin, "I'll be showing you the ropes today."
Brianna nodded her head in understanding since Mrs. Rollins had just mentioned that Sarah would be showing her around before the Gilbert girl gave the dark haired teenager a small smile. "It's nice to meet you, Sarah," Brianna politely uttered as she shook the aforementioned girl's awaiting hand.
"Well, I'll let you girls get associated with each other," Mrs. Rollins quietly uttered in her soft voice once the teenagers released each other's hand before she gave both Brianna and Sarah a small aged smile. The older woman then focused solely onto Brianna before she told her, "if you need anything, please let me know."
"I will," Brianna promised with a polite smile playing on her painted nude lips before she added as she uttered her praise to the woman who had been like a parent to her birth mother, "thank you."
The two teenagers, one sixteen and the other eighteen, silently watched the older woman slowly but surely walk back to the receptionist desk before Sarah turned her attention onto the newest member of The Labonair Library of New Orleans. "So, are you ready for your first day?" Sarah wondered with a smile playing on her lips.
Brianna let out a small chuckle before she nodded her head. "Yes," the Gilbert girl murmured before she commented, "I think I was an hour away from going crazy by sitting at home all summer." Brianna loved her hometown of New Orleans so much. She adored every second that she spent in it but she was slowly going stir crazy. The only time Brianna actually was having fun was when she would go hang out with Davina on her lunch break.
Sarah let out a quite laugh in the silent library before she commented, "oh, I know that feeling right now." The dark haired girl led Brianna down the isle of books with a nod of her head before she explained, "I'm starting college at Tulane University in the fall but this whole summer has been so boring since I don't have to study or prepare for anything." Sarah waited for an elderly couple to past in front of them with a polite smile before she continued, "so, that is why I'm working here. It keeps me busy during the day."
Brianna nodded her head in understanding before she mumbled, "that's actually my plan." The Gilbert girl partly decided to get a job at her parents's library to feel closer to them and because she would have the opportunity to own it in the future along with the fact that she needed something to do. Marcel had been keeping her under lock and key with a vampire always by her side, so she didn't really get to do anything except when she's with Davina. The Gilbert girl just hoped that this would at least cure her boredom until school started back up.
Sarah glanced over to the brunette girl with a small chuckle as she understood the struggle before she curiously wondered, "so, are you new in town?" The dark haired girl noticed Brianna's confused expression, so she quickly explained, "there really isn't a lot of teenagers around in New Orleans, so I know basically every face around here."
"I was born here," Brianna told the dark haired girl as they continued to walk through the very large library. The Gilbert girl didn't know if she was allowed to tell people that she was a Labonair since Marcel had been telling people that she's a Gilbert, so Brianna decided to not mention it just encase. Instead, Brianna decided to skip over the fact that she was adopted all together as she uttered, "I decided to come back for awhile. I'm not sure how long, though, but I'll be starting school here so I'll probably stay through the year."
Sarah shot the younger girl a large grin and squeezed her upper arm as she exclaimed, "well, welcome back home." The Richards girl then decided to focus on Brianna's first day, so while they walked to their destination, Sarah informed the hazel eyed girl, "alright, since Monday's are usually our busiest day for returning books, I'll be showing you how to put them away." Sarah lightly shrugged her shoulders as she commented, "it's pretty easy but since the library is so big, there's a couple of things you have to remember."
Brianna silently nodded her head as she completely understood that it could be tricky for her on the first few days at work since the library really big. The Gilbert girl had only been in the library twice, once with Marcel and once on her own, so Brianna already knew that she was most likely to get lost at least a few times.
"This room is where you will always find the returned books," Sarah told the Gilbert girl as she opened up a door and allowed Brianna to enter before she followed behind. "We have a mail slot on the other side of this wall," the Richards girl uttered as she walked around the carts filled with books before she continued, "someone, I'm not sure who is in charge of this part of the library, will place all the books on the carts and then it's our job to put them back onto the shelves."
Well, I'm definitely going to be busy, Brianna thought to herself with amusement in her hazel eyes while she looked around the room as they could barely take a step without bumping into a cart of books. "Is it just us that does this?" The Gilbert girl curiously wondered as she felt like it would take days to just put all these books away.
Sarah shook her head with a chuckle before she answered the younger girl's question, "there are two more people that'll help us with this." The Richards girl then walked to the far wall and pulled out a clipboard that was hanging up before she continued, "today there will be Jimin and Jackson joining us but they don't come until two-thirty."
The Gilbert girl nodded her head in understanding and murmured a small, "oh, okay." Brianna couldn't help but release a breath of relief at that piece of information as she would start hate coming to work here at the library if it was just the two of them as she knew it would take days to clear out the room.
The Richards girl shot Brianna a small smile before she began as she placed the clipboard in the correct position on the wall, "we have a long day, so let's each grab a cart and I'll show you the process and where everything goes." Sarah then walked to the front of the room by the door and placed her hands on one of the large, rolling carts with Brianna do the same as well before she led them out back into the library.
The two teenagers silently walked through the large building with their rolling carts for a moment before they got to the isles of books. "Alright," Sarah uttered as she came to a stop at the first shelve and placed her hand on the wood before she commented, "starting here and ending at that statue of Margaret Haughery is the non-fiction section." The Richards girl continued to walk as she continued to explain, "it goes in alphabetical order, so you just need to look on the side of the books and look for the 'NF' sticker and it'll be pretty simple after that."
Sarah looked back at the Gilbert girl to make sure that she was following along before she continued to walk after she received a small nod. "We have a large non-fiction collection that goes from where I showed you along with all of the shelves upstairs," the Richards girl explained to the new member of the library before she pointed towards the right and continued, "and of there is the fiction collection. You just need to look for the 'F' sticker on the side again."
"We also have a children's section - look for the 'C' sticker, an archives and history section of New Orleans - look for the 'NO' sticker, and lastly a geography section - look for the 'G' sticker," Sarah quickly listed off as they continued to walk through the large library. The Richards girl then came to a stop outside of a door before she turned and faced the silent Brianna and explained, "and here we have the computer lab. You'll most likely see high school and college students come in here a lot during the school year." Sarah watched the Gilbert girl nod her head in understanding before the dark haired girl inquired, "did you have any questions? Did I go too fast?"
Brianna shook her head and gave the older teenager an assuring smile. "No, you're fine," the Gilbert murmured before she stated, "I think I got it." Brianna knew it wasn't rocket science on how to do her job but it was just a lot to take in at the moment. It was definitely different from being a waitress at Mystic Grill but Brianna believed that she would be fine.
A grin instantly lifted onto Sarah's painted red lips before she exclaimed as she was glad that the younger girl had understood her through her fast rambling, "great!" The Richards girl moved away from the computer lab and placed her hands back onto the large cart of books before she told Brianna, "well, we have a busy day, so I'm going to started on my cart." Sarah gave the brunette girl her own assuring smile before she uttered with a tint of teasing in her voice, "but if you need anything, I'll be drowning in books."
The two teenagers immediately chuckled at the small joke as they looked down at their carts that was filled with tons of books before Brianna looked back up to the dark haired girl. "Thank you for taking the time to show me everything," Brianna murmured as she showed her appreciation. The Gilbert girl then watched as Sarah nodded her head and pushed away her appreciation with a wave of her hand before the Richards girl headed off to the fiction section of the library.
The Gilbert girl stood there in silence until she couldn't see the dark hair of Sarah any longer before she glanced down at the cart in front of her. Brianna couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh as she knew it was going to take forever. At least I won't be bored anymore, Brianna thought to herself before she picked up the first book in front of her to get going on with her summer job.
Brianna worked in silence for a couple of hours as she took about forty minutes to put every single book away from one of the carts. The Gilbert girl went through the same process with putting the books away and getting a new cart for a few hours. It was an easy process like Sarah had mentioned and it, thankfully, kept Brianna busy through the day.
The Gilbert girl continued that same process until two-forty when Sarah had came and got her for a lunch break. Brianna and the Richards girl had went to a small shop across the street and ate po-boys together - where Brianna ended up meeting her fellow workers - Jimin and Jackson. The brunette girl enjoyed the guys' company as it was nice to get to know more people in New Orleans.
Brianna had also made time to talk on the phone with Davina for about fifteen minutes at four o'clock after she, Sarah, Jimin, and Jackson had returned back at her biological parents' library. The Gilbert girl had decided to call the Claire girl since she wouldn't be able to meet her for lunch like she had promised.
Brianna, now, was slowly walking back to the returning room at about five in the evening for the sixth time. The brunette girl was taking her time since the books were starting to dwindle and she was starting to get tired from working all day. However, before Brianna could reach the returning room, though, she was stopped by the kind and familiar voice of Mrs. Rollins. "How are you, dear?" The older woman inquired as she slowly walked up to the young teenager, "how are you liking it?"
The Gilbert girl turned around at the voice and gave the older woman a polite smile before she answered her question, "I'm doing fine and I really like it here." Brianna honestly loved being in the place that was made by her father and was supposed to be a place for her mother. It just brought her that much closer to the people that she will never get the opportunity to meet. "I should be thanking you, though," Brianna murmured after a moment as she looked at Mrs. Rollins before she added, "for giving me a chance."
Mrs. Rollins slowly lifted up her shaky and aged hand before she lightly waved it as if she was pushing away Brianna's praise. "We are practically family, my dear," the older woman uttered as she gave the young girl a slight smile before she continued as she lightly touched Brianna's lower arm, "you will always be welcomed here."
Brianna gave the older woman a small nod of her head like she was bowing before she murmured, "well, thank you all the same." The Gilbert girl had called Mrs. Rollins a few days ago and asked for a job, so Brianna was very grateful that the older woman welcomed her with opened arms. "I'm sure it would have meant a lot to my parents to know I was here," the Gilbert girl commented in a small voice as she looked around the library in amazement, like she always does, as it still shocked her that this was all because of her father.
Mrs. Rollins let a bright smile lift onto her aged lips at the mention of the Labonair couple before she commented, "ah, yes. My beautiful Lauren and Justin would and are very proud of you, my dear." The older woman shook her head after a moment of silence before she continued as she stared at the young girl, "I know that they got you out of New Orleans a long time ago to protect you but I believe this is where you are meant to be."
Mrs. Rollins slowly brought her shaky and aged hand to the side of Brianna's warm cheek as she quietly murmured, "you have and always will have a connection to New Orleans." The older woman twitched her head to the side as she watched the curious brunette girl before she inquired, "you must have felt better or whole since you've been here, right?" Mrs. Rollins didn't even wait for a response as she already knew the answer before she squeezed Brianna's hand and exclaimed, "it's the bayou. You are meant to be here."
Brianna had a soft smile playing on her lips while Mrs. Rollins spoke as she did feel home and complete in New Orleans. However, the Gilbert girl's hazel eyes immediately widened when she heard the last couple of words leave the older woman's mouth. "Wait," Brianna hurriedly uttered before she interrogated in confusion, "what do you mean by the bayou?" The brunette girl was honestly so lost at this point as she didn't understand what the one place that she wasn't allowed to enter would cause the feeling of wholeness that she feels here in her hometown.
A secret smile worked its way onto Mrs. Rollins lips while she briefly closed her brown eyes when she felt her black and golden irises flicker for a moment before she opened her now brown eyes and looked at the confusion teenager. "Oh, don't you worry, my dear," the older woman uttered with a slight wave of her hand before she made up an excuse, "I tend to ramble on in my old age." Mrs. Rollins knew that she couldn't tell Brianna the truth of her origin, but it didn't mean that she wouldn't plant a couple of seeds into the young girl's head.
However, sadly, before the confused brunette girl could further ask anymore questions about the bayou and the connection, there was the distinct sound of the bell going off at the receptionist desk. "Oh, I should go take care of our guest!" Mrs. Rollins cheered with a bright smile on her aged lips as she completely ignored the questions radiantly from the brunette girl before the older woman slowly walked away from Brianna and away from the conversation that she couldn't have.
The Gilbert girl couldn't help but let out a growl once she was standing alone. She hated not knowing things, so Brianna decided that she would figure it out as she went to follow after the older woman. However, Brianna didn't get that far before a familiar vampire placed himself in front of her. Brianna furrowed her brows as she looked up at the tall supernatural being before she mumbled out the nickname that she has been calling him by, "hey, Curly." The Gilbert girl twitched her head to the side before she wondered and commented as she and her bodyguard made a deal this morning, "what are you doing here? I thought I was going to meet you outside at seven."
The tall vampire shook his head while he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Change of plans," Diego uttered before he explained why he was here now instead of later on, "Marcel wants you down at the compound."
Brianna furrowed her brows, once again, before she wondered, "did you know why?" The Gilbert girl honestly had no idea what Marcel wanted with her since he was already gone when she came downstairs this morning. The Gerard vampire didn't mention anything last night either, so Brianna was beyond puzzled for why Marcel wanted her at the compound when he knew that she would be working today.
Diego shrugged his large shoulders at the human girl's question before he simply muttered the truth since Marcel didn't exactly give him any details when he called a few minutes ago, "I'm just following orders."
The Gilbert girl stared up at the tall vampire for a moment before she let out a sigh when she couldn't read Diego's expression for why Marcel would need her. "Alright," Brianna murmured before she told the vampire, "let me just tell Mrs. Rollins I'm leaving for the evening then we can head out." The human girl and the vampire then silently headed to the receptionist desk after Diego gave Brianna a small nod in agreement so they could take their leave.
However, though, while Brianna walked to tell the older woman that she was leaving for the day, the Gilbert girl couldn't help but think back to what Mrs. Rollins had said a few minutes ago. The Gilbert girl understood and liked what the older woman had said - in the beginning - about how she feels connected to New Orleans. Brianna then got lost as soon as the woman mentioned the bayou. Brianna didn't get why Mrs. Rollins would bring up the one location that she wasn't allowed - a place that she never even been to.
Brianna didn't even know if she was connected to the bayou but it just confused the human girl about why the woman would bring up that place. The Gilbert girl trusted Marcel with her life, so Brianna just couldn't understand that she did have a connection to the bayou when Marcel told her it was off limits. Brianna just couldn't find it in herself to believe Marcel would hide something from her like this if she did have a connection to the bayou.
It annoyed the Gilbert girl that she wouldn't be able to find out the answer to her supposedly connection to the bayou since it was like Mrs. Rollins was avoiding to tell her anything else and Marcel doesn't even talk about the bayou at all - except when he first explained the supernatural world. Brianna knew the only way that she would get her answer was to go to the bayou herself but Brianna decided that she would save that for a later day.
THE ABATTOIR
It took about fifteen minutes before Brianna and her vampire bodyguard, Diego, arrived at the compound in the center of the French Quarter. Diego had tried to tell her that he could have them there in a few seconds with his vamp speed but Brianna wanted to feel the warmth of her hometown as they walked. It was one of Brianna's favorite things to do in New Orleans as Brianna loved to hear the Jazz music along with the culture and energy the city held.
The human girl and the vampire silently walked through the door of the Abattoir once they arrived at the compound and walked through all of the vampires before Diego lead Brianna through one of the million doors and lead her to the courtyard. Brianna recognized the place as the spot that she and Lucas had watched the other day from the balcony. Brianna had never been in the courtyard, so she couldn't help but glance around in interest while she didn't notice the four vampires watching her.
However, before Brianna could explore like the curious human she was, the loud and bright voice of the King of New Orleans shouted, "there's the Princess of New Orleans!" The Gerard vampire waited until he saw Brianna's hazel eyes before he made a come-here motion with his fingers as he uttered, "come, Anna."
The Gilbert girl couldn't help but furrow her brows as she cautiously walked up to her God father and finally took notice of the three vampires - two female and one male. Brianna had been very careful when she's around vampires lately after Lucas had told her that none of them trusted her since she's human. The brunette girl honestly didn't care what people or vampires thought of her but she did want to make a good impression and prove that she wasn't just some human that couldn't lead her own army of vampires like Marcel thought she could.
"Brianna, I would like you to meet a few people," the Gerard vampire began once the human girl was standing in front of him. Marcel placed his hand lightly onto the human girl's back and lead her closer to the three standing vampires before he introduced them as he pointed to each one starting with the brunette female and ending with the blonde vampire, "this is Mia, Ruben, and Blair." The King of New Orleans turned his head to look at Brianna before he told her, "I brought them here so we can began your training."
The human girl tilted her head up so she could look into Marcel's brown eyes with her brows deeply furrowed in confusion. "Training for what?" Brianna inquired as she had no idea what her God father was talking about.
"I wasn't playing around when I told you that we have enemies and as Princess of New Orleans, you need to be prepared for anything," Marcel began as he twisted his body so he was looking down at Brianna with a serious expression. "I promised your parents that you would be safe," the Gerard vampire softly murmured before he continued, "so, if you are really serious about staying home in Louisiana then you need to train. I need to know that you can protect yourself on your own along with the fact our army needs a leader next to me." Marcel rose an eyebrow at Brianna before he asked, "are you up for it, Anna?"
Brianna stared up at her God father for a moment as she thought over his simple question. The Gilbert girl honestly though didn't have to think too hard. Brianna, of course, missed Mystic Falls along with her family and friends but she was just so happy in New Orleans. She didn't have the need to do drugs or sell like she did in Virginia - she did have the occasional drink every now and then, though, when she would have dinner with Marcel or if she went to go see Jane-Anne. New Orleans was home for her, so Brianna didn't have to worry about that question.
Instead, Brianna focused on the training aspect. The Gilbert girl understood completely what Marcel was getting at as she knew that she couldn't depend on Diego or any of her other vampire bodyguards forever along with the fact that Marcel even told her a few days ago when he had introduced her to his army of vampires that she would need to train for battle.
It wasn't like Brianna wanted to depend on her bodyguards, either, as she had never been one of those weak girls. She was, instead, the one fighting off the bullies for Elena and Jeremy like she did every time someone made the mistake of picking on her siblings. Brianna knew the vampires in the compound were all her family now like Elena and Jeremy would always be, so Brianna knew that she had to fight to protect them as the Princess of New Orleans.
The Gilbert girl gave her God father a bright grin once she came to the conclusion that she wasn't going anywhere before she murmured, "I'm all in." However, though, when Brianna took a glance down at her clothes, she couldn't help but frown. "But, um, how in the hell am I supposed to train in this?" Brianna mumbled out as she pointed down to her pastel blouse and her nude colored heels.
"Our enemies aren't going to wait for you to put on something comfortable, Brianna," the King of New Orleans exclaimed as he crossed his arms over his tight white Emily, "you have to fight, no matter what, through diversity every single time." The Gerard vampire waited until Brianna nodded her head in understanding before he turned his body to the side so he could look at the three vampires along with his God daughter. "Now, I want to work on two major stages for your training," Marcel began about what he had been planning lately to get Brianna involved in their kingdom.
Marcel pointed to the first vampire, the brunette female in the blue stripped blouse and matching coat, as he introduced the vampire to his God daughter, "Mia, here, used to be a scientist and a hunter before she joined us in the eighties." The King of New Orleans focused onto Brianna as he told her, "she will be teaching you how to defeat a vampire with all sorts of fun weapons along with the off chance that you come face to face with a werewolf."
The Gerard vampire pointed to the last two vampires, the male with a sleeveless shirt and the blonde female with a scowl permanently settled onto her red lips, as he uttered, "and last but not least, my friends Ruben and Blair. They will help you with your hand to hand combat." Marcel pointed over to Mia while he stated, "they will help you use all the things that you will learn from Mia and use it in a fight."
The King of New Orleans placed his hand lightly onto Brianna's shoulder once he had explained what he had planned for her before he told his God daughter with a serious expression, "I want you to come here and train everyday - either after school, after work, or even early in the morning." Marcel needed Brianna to do everything he was telling her or he knew that something bad would end up happening and that was the last thing on planet Earth the vampire wanted to happen to his God daughter.
Brianna looked up at Marcel as she took in all of the information that he was giving her about the three vampires and her training process. It was a lot for the human girl to take in when she was barley introduced to the supernatural world and now she was going to train with vampires and learn how to kill them. However, Brianna didn't plan on backing out. It just wasn't in Brianna to quit something and she didn't plan on starting now, so Brianna gave her God father a small nod before she questioned, "when do we start?"
A wide grin immediately lifted onto the Gerard vampire's lips when he knew Brianna wasn't going to run off or leave New Orleans. Marcel knew that he originally did try to get her away from her hometown when Brianna first arrived to protect her but he lately learned that wasn't the right choice. Brianna reminded Marcel so much of her parents, Justin and Lauren, so he knew that she would be up to the task of being the Princess of New Orleans and running her own army of vampires in future. Brianna just had that spark that Marcel knew the human girl will end up being the Queen of her own kingdom someday.
Marcel gave the human girl's shoulder a slight squeeze after he knew that Brianna could do this before he uttered and placed a light kiss onto his God daughter's temple, "good luck." The Gerard vampire then placed his hand onto the back of Mia's blue coat and led her to the side of the courtyard before he gave Ruben and Blair a small nod to alert them that it's time to begin Brianna's physical training.
Brianna watched Marcel walk away from her with a nervous tick to her heart. She only had to go against a vampire once and it didn't really go well, so she was sort of nervous about her training. However, Brianna didn't get the chance to think about her strategy too long when the two vampires, Ruben and Blair, swiftly ran up to her with their supernatural speed. The human girl barely even had time to lift up her fists to defend herself before she fell onto her ass with the two vampires staring down at her.
The Gilbert girl shook out her confusion as she didn't even understand how she ended up on the ground before she slowly picked herself back up. Brianna knew this was going to be difficult but she didn't plan on quitting now, so she pushed her long brown hair over her shoulder before she looked between the two vampires with determination in her hazel irises.
Ruben and Blair both glanced at one another when they saw the look in the human girl's eyes before they silently talked with each other and sorted out a plan of attack. It only took a few seconds for the vampires to come up with a plan before Ruben slowly stalked towards Brianna's left while Blair headed towards the girl's right as if Brianna was their prey. They decided, since Brianna is a human, that they would slowly work into the training without a lot of their supernatural abilities.
The muscular vampire, Ruben, stalked the human girl as he walked around her to taunt Brianna before he threw his first punch at the human girl's face. However, luckily for Brianna, she bopped her head to the side - which caused Ruben's knuckles to graze her cheek. The Gilbert girl barely even had time to breath out a sigh of relief, though, as the blonde vampire, Blair, swiftly lifted her leg and went to push her heel against Brianna's stomach. Brianna did see the movement coming as she had been carefully watching the vampires, so she quickly pushed her forearm against Blair's calf and avoided the impact.
The movements of Brianna's training, however, got faster after each punch, hook, uppercut, and kick. It was taking a lot out of the human girl to pay attention to the two vampires as they threw different movements at her but she was surprisingly holding her own. However, Brianna's defending actions were slowing down after about three minutes of fighting the two vampires, so she was absorbing a lot of hits to her face, stomach, and legs. Brianna's human body couldn't take much more after the three minutes as not even a second later, the Gilbert girl felt her ass hit the hard ground of the courtyard with a loud groan escaping her lips.
Brianna huffed out a sigh as she leaned her head against the cool concrete of the compound as she knew that she was defeated by the vampires. The human girl tried to get control of her fast heart rate as she laid there while she ignored the four vampires watching her. Brianna felt like she just needed to collect herself for a moment. Everything was just moving so fast for Brianna that she needed to center herself about what she's getting herself into.
It was a bad feeling to be defeated like this, Brianna felt, as she hated to lose. It made Brianna feel like a failure as she laid on the ground. Brianna was used to always being able to fight back. It was what she had been doing all her life to protect her family and friends but now that she couldn't defend herself against two vampires, it angered Brianna. I'm not a quitter, Brianna swiftly reminded herself as she absorbed that anger before she lifted herself up from the ground. "Let's go again," the Gilbert girl told her two trainers with fierceness shining throughout her hazel irises.
Ruben cautiously looked over to Marcel once he heard the words leave the human girl as he was surprised that Brianna wanted to continue along the fact that he didn't want to hurt his boss's God daughter. Meanwhile, Blair was smirking as she crossed her arms over her white blouse while she watched the human girl in amusement. The blonde vampire didn't like the human girl that Marcel thought would be perfect to lead an army, so she found it amusing that the human hadn't gave up yet.
The Gerard vampire had watched the inner struggle in Brianna for a few minutes before he saw that fire rise up like he had watched happen multiple of times with Brianna's parents. Marcel knew that Brianna would be okay since she's strong and a fighter, so he gave his two vampires a wide smirk before he exclaimed with a nod of his head, "you heard the princess."
Blair carelessly shrugged her shoulders and uttered, "if you insist." The blonde vampire then rushed at the human girl as she didn't mind to lay Brianna on her ass again - unlike the cautious Ruben. The blonde didn't even give the human time to think as she vamp sped behind Brianna and laid a powerful hook onto the human girl's side - which immediately caused Brianna to bend over in pain.
However, Brianna wasn't going to give the vampire the satisfaction of seeing her down or broken like she never showed with the teenage bullies in Virginia. She instead stood up straight and twirled her body around to face Blair before she threw her own punch at the vampire's face. The human girl barely grazed Blair's cheek but Brianna didn't stop there. She continued to throw everything that she had while the two vampires continued to attack her.
Brianna did much better this time around as that fierceness that she had soaring through her chest helped fuel her to keep pushing forward. The Gilbert girl felt like she was slowly getting the hang of reading the vampires's plan of attack as she bounced from fighting Blair to Ruben but the training was soon stopped when Marcel called out. "Alright, that's enough for today," the King of New Orleans exclaimed as he didn't want to push Brianna too much when she was sporting a ripped blouse and probably a sea of colorful bruises tomorrow.
Marcel grabbed the jacket that he had one of his vampires bring him during the training before he walked up to the barely standing Brianna and tossed the dark red jacket over the human girl's shoulders to help her cover up her ruined blouse. "You did good, Anna," the Gerard vampire complimented his God daughter, "you have a lot of fight in you." Marcel shot Brianna a small smirk as he commented, "the more you practice, the closer you'll get to getting big ass Ruben, over there, down."
Brianna couldn't help but chuckle, despite the pain that she felt, as she zipped up the red jacket over her pastel blouse. "I can only hope," the Gilbert girl mumbled as she still felt a tint of disappoint. Brianna hated not being able to fight or figure something out right away, so it was getting to her that it wasn't going to be easy for her to fight a vampire - nonetheless defend New Orleans as Princess. However, Brianna just had to continue to remind herself that it was going to take time since she's very human.
"That's all for today," the Gerard vampire told the two vampires, Ruben and Blair, as he gave them a small nod to show his gratitude for training his God daughter and to dismiss them. Marcel then turned his attention onto the human girl once the vampires left before he handed Brianna a water bottle and lightly placed his hand onto her back as he began to lead her inside of the cool compound, "come."
The King and Princess of New Orleans slowly walked through the crowded compound as they moved through all of the busy vampires with Mia trailing behind them for a couple of minutes before they finally came to a stop in front of a door down in the basement. The brunette vampire, Mia, maneuvered her way through Marcel and Brianna once they were standing in front of their destination before she pressed a key card against the door.
"Welcome to the lab," Marcel exclaimed as he let Brianna walk in front of him before he followed his God daughter and Mia into the room. "This is where you will learn how to defend yourself with weapons," the Gerard vampire explained to the human girl as he let her slowly walk around the weapons room. "I called in a favor with my old friend Mia, here, from Tulane University," Marcel began, "so, I'll know that you got the proper training to be ready for anything with the help of a former vampire hunter."
"I want my reward for doing a favor for you soon, Marcel," the former hunter reminded the King of New Orleans with a pointed look as she knew how the vampire can be since he hasn't left her alone in years even when he promised it would be the last favor. Mia immediately rolled her eyes when Marcel gave her a cheeky grin before she turned her attention onto her new student as she knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere with the stubborn vampire.
"Alright, there is a lot of different weapons that can be used against vampires and werewolves," Mia began as she moved around the lab before she stopped in front of a large wooden table that had all the weapons that she would need to teach the human girl. The brunette vampire pointed to each weapon as she listed them off, "this is, of course, is your ordinary and everyday stake. This is a vervain dart, gun, vervain arrow for a bow and arrow, and vervain grenade."
The former vampire hunter looked back up to the human girl after she listed all of the different kinds of weapons before she inquired, "did you understand all that?" Mia waited to see Brianna silently nod her head in understanding before the former vampire hunter grabbed a simple stake from the wooden table and asked as she moved onto their next lesson, "you ready?"
Brianna couldn't help but release a heavy sigh at the vampire's question. The human girl was beyond tired from getting beaten up by Ruben and Blair. Brianna just wanted to sleep for a week but the Gilbert girl knew that giving up wasn't an option for her. It had never been an option for Brianna, so she wasn't going to start now just because things weren't as easy as they usually would be if she was fighting off Elena and Jeremy's bullies. Brianna knew this wasn't going to be easy when she was going to go against supernatural creatures, so the human girl took a deep breath while she took off the red jacket as she prepared herself for another battle.
The former vampire hunter watched the human girl with a small smile ticking on her painted red lips while she could practically feel the proud emotions coming off of Marcel's body from the fact that the young girl wasn't giving up. Mia could appreciate that very much since she was being proven wrong that Brianna wasn't just some spoiled girl that Marcel was handing the reigns of an army to like all the other vampires in the compound think. It made Mia realize that the human girl was serious about becoming the Princess of New Orleans and she could definitely teach someone like that.
Once the human girl was stripped out of the red jacket, the former vampire hunter walked around the table with the stake in her hand before she held out the wooden weapon to Brianna. "Attack me," Mia commanded the human girl as she began the training technique of learning the different weapons to kill a vampire or a werewolf.
Brianna twirled the unfamiliar weapon around her fingers for a few minutes as she tried to get used to the weight and the sharp end while she tried to not stab herself. The Gilbert girl honestly didn't know how she was supposed to defend herself with an unfamiliar weapon as she wasn't exactly sure how to attack - well, except for what she saw on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Brianna, however, knew this was just apart of her training and that meant learning new things, so Brianna took a deep breath to ready herself before she charged at the brunette vampire.
However, before the human girl could even place the stake onto Mia's designer coat, the former vampire hunter swiftly grabbed Brianna's wrist and stopped her by disarming her of the weapon. "You're being too predictable," Mia told the human girl with a shake of her head. "Anybody with eyes could determine your attack," the former vampire hunter commented before she handed the weapon back to Brianna and ordered, "try again."
The Gilbert girl released a huff once she felt the weapon back in her hand with hatred in her veins at the fact that she didn't succeed in her attack. Brianna figured that she had to feel out her opponent to know Mia's weakness like she did with her siblings' bullies, so Brianna slowly walked around the vampire with the stake tightly held in her right hand.
The dancing-like process of Brianna stalking around the vampire and attacking her continued for over fifteen minutes - each time with Brianna weapon-less. Brianna didn't give up, though. It was like each time that she was defeated, it fueled that anger inside of her to continue even harder. Finally, though, after another five minutes of trying to figure what was Mia's weak point, Brianna found the spot that she was looking for when the vampire took her eyes off of the human girl for a second.
Brianna took that opportunity and rushed at the former vampire hunter's body against the wooden table behind them before she placed the pointy end of the stake right in the middle of Mia's sternum without breaking any of the vampire's skin. The Gilbert girl wasn't sure how hard that she was supposed to be with the vampire, so Brianna figured it was best not to actually stab Mia.
The former vampire hunter's brown eyes couldn't help but widen when the human girl finally caught her for an attack. Mia honestly wasn't expecting the human girl to succeed but she was pleasantly surprised. "That was very good for a beginner," the former vampire hunter complimented with a nod of her head once Brianna had released her from the wooden weapon. "Your technique will get better the longer you practice," Mia commented as she pushed her long brunette hair out of her face before she twirled around and faced the table of weapons as she decided to move on.
Mia picked up the next weapon in line after she placed the stake back onto the table as she picked up a simple vervain dart. "These can come in different sizes," the former vampire hunter informed the human girl, "but they are usually in small tubes so it can be easier to sneak up on your attacker." Mia handed the small weapon to Brianna so she could get familiar with the weapon before she continued to inform the human girl, "there are pretty easy to use since all you have to do is push it into a vampire's blood stream by breaking skin. If you want it to work quickly, though, try to hit a vein on their neck to get the biggest impact."
"How long will it take for a vampire to go down if I were to use vervain?" The Gilbert girl curiously wondered as she twisted the small vial of liquid around in her hands. Brianna knew close to nothing about how to defeat a vampire - besides what she had learned today - so she wanted to absorb as much information she could in the off chance that another rouge vampire tried to attack her again.
"Vampires immediately feel a burning sensation when they have vervain in their system," Mia began to explain to the human girl as she thought for a moment about her own experiences with the deadly plant before she commented with a small shrug, "but it shouldn't take more than a minute before they are knocked out from the affects."
Brianna silently nodded her head in understanding as she placed the small weapon back into Mia's palm. I should probably start carrying one of those, the human girl thought to herself as she didn't want to depend on Diego or any of the other vampires to keep her safe. There was always a chance that Brianna would be cornered like that fateful night after she left Joe's vinyl shop and Brianna wanted to always be prepared now that she was actively involved in the supernatural world.
The former vampire hunter moved onto the next weapon once she placed the vervain dart back onto the wooden table before she picked up a simple and slick handgun. Mia checked over the weapon as she checked to see if it was loaded with the bullets before she faced the human girl with a raised eyebrow. "Are you familiar with how to use a gun?" The former vampire hunter wondered as she didn't see the teenage girl as someone who used a gun like a hunter.
Brianna bit down on her bottom lip as she stared at the black weapon before she slowly shook her head. "I've only shot a gun a couple of times a few years ago," the human girl answered the former vampire hunter's question as she recalled the memory when her father and uncle John took her and Jeremy hunting when she was fifteen. Brianna wasn't that bad with a gun back then but she wasn't exactly comfortable with the weapon, either.
"Well, it's pretty simple," Mia muttered before she showed the human girl how to work the weapon with a quick instruction and demonstration as she took apart the gun and pointed to each piece and explained how it worked. The former vampire hunter then pulled out the magazine of bullets once the black weapon was put back together before she showed them to the human girl. "Now, unlike a regular gun, this one is filled with wooden bullets," Mia stated as she handed the clip of bullets to Brianna so she could get a fill of how heavy it was before she continued, "this is will be the only type of bullets that will take a vampire down since regular bullets don't have any affect."
The Gilbert girl furrowed her brows as she tried to get used to the light feeling of the magazine clip that was filled with wooden bullets. It felt different to the human girl from what she remembered about a gun filled with copper bullets. Brianna made a mental note to make some extra time to reteach herself on how to use a gun and get used to the lightness feeling of the wooden bullets.
"Alright, next we have the vervain arrow for a bow and arrow," the former vampire hunter told the human girl after she placed the slick gun back onto the wooden table. "The arrow hold a small vile of vervain or you could even place a thin wooden stake as the arrow," Mia explained to the Princess of New Orleans as she handed her the black arrow. The former vampire hunter picked up the simple bow from the table before she uttered, "not a lot of people are comfortable with a bow since it takes a lot of practice, so there is also the option of a crossbow - which is very much easier to use."
Brianna placed the black arrow filled with vervain down onto the table before she cautiously picked up the aforementioned crossbow. It's lightweight, the human girl noted as she held the small crossbow in her hands. The Princess of New Orleans then stretched out her arms as she tried to see herself with the weapon before she murmured to the former vampire hunter, "I like this one."
Mia nodded her head in understanding while she watched the human girl point the crossbow at the brick wall across from them before she stated, "most hunters do since it's a very quick and easy weapon to use." The former vampire hunter then silently took the crossbow from Brianna once she handed it over before Mia moved onto the next weapon as she grabbed one of the vervain grenades. "Now, the last weapon we have is a vervain bomb or grenade," Mia told the human girl before she pointed to a small metal loop and explained, "all you have to do is pull this and then toss it before it explodes." The former vampire hunter handed the small weapon to the human girl as she added, "these can also be used against werewolves as well. You just need to fill it with wolfsbane instead of vervain - that goes with the other weapons as well."
Brianna twirled the small but deadly weapon across her finger tips before she looked up at the former vampire hunter and curiously wondered, "what does wolfsbane look like?" The human girl couldn't help but feel interested whenever she did get the chance to learn anything about the lycanthropy race since Marcel is very hush about werewolves.
Mia swiftly turned around and headed to the cabinet in the far side of the lab before she grabbed a jar that had a plant inside. The former vampire hunter strutted back over to the large wooden table before she opened up the jar and pulled out the wolfsbane to show the human girl. "Like vervain, it comes in a plant form but with a little water, it can be dangerous to werewolves," Mia explained as she handed over the large jar to the Princess of New Orleans.
Brianna slowly placed her hand into the large jar before she carefully pulled out the plant with a light of interest shining throughout her hazel irises. The human girl twirled the fragile piece of wolfsbane between her fingertips for a few moments of silence as her thoughts trailed back to what Marcel had briefly mentioned and the fact that Mrs. Rollins mentioned the bayou today. Brianna couldn't help but to be very curious about it all, so Brianna moved her hazel eyes over to Mia and questioned, "you used to be a hunter, right?" The Gilbert girl already knew the answer to her question, but she waited until the vampire nodded her head before she wondered, "did you encounter any werewolves when you used to hunt? Can you tell me about them?"
However, though, before Mia could answer the human girl's questions about her past life as a vampire hunter, the King of New Orleans quickly interrupted as he uttered, "we should call it a night, ladies." The last thing Marcel wanted was for Brianna to find out the truth about her family or to start looking into werewolves. It would defeat his whole purpose of keeping Brianna out of the bayou and it would put her safety in even more jeopardy if people were to find out about who Brianna really is.
"You had a long day and you should get some rest to be back at it tomorrow," the Gerard vampire continued as he tried to convince Brianna to forget about her questions when his God daughter looked at him in confusion. Marcel grabbed the jacket that Brianna had been wearing and placed it on the human girl's shoulders to cover up her ruined blouse before he murmured, "come on. I'll walk you out."
Brianna honestly didn't know why Marcel was rushing her so much just when she was trying to learn more about the supernatural community that she is supposed to protect as the Princess of New Orleans. However, Brianna was tired after working at the library and training with the three vampires, so Brianna decided to not argue with her God father. Instead, the Gilbert girl gave the former vampire hunter a polite smile and uttered, "thanks for today, Mia," before she followed Marcel out of the lab in the basement.
The King and Princess of New Orleans walked through their kingdom of vampires in a peaceful silence for a few minutes before Marcel inquired once they got to the main part of the compound where he usually has his meetings and announcements, "how are you feeling after today's training?" The Gerard vampire didn't want Brianna to go full throttle in her training - even though she did do it for a couple of hours - as he didn't want to push her too hard. He wanted Brianna to be able to protect herself and he knew that she was slowly getting there like he wanted all along.
Brianna lightly shrugged her shoulders as she and Marcel continued to walk towards the front door of the compound before she commented, "I'm fine. I'm stronger than I look." The human girl glanced over and up at her God father before she shot Marcel a small smile and murmured truthfully, "I appreciate all what you're doing for me. I mean, with taking the time to have me trained. It means a lot to me." Brianna honestly didn't know what she would do if she didn't have Marcel here in New Orleans with her. He had helped her a bunch ever since she arrived here and Brianna couldn't be anymore thankful for all Marcel had done since then with keeping her protected and safe.
"And I promise I won't disappoint you or my parents by giving up," Brianna continued once they stepped out onto the sidewalk of the French Quarter. It was the last thing in the world that Brianna wanted to do - even though she never gave up on anything in her life - as she felt like she had to succeed as the Princess of New Orleans. It also helped Brianna from quitting and going back to Mystic Falls just because it was getting tough by being around strong vampires by the fact that she feels extremely connected to her hometown, for whatever reason, and she felt like she had to protect it.
Brianna playfully bumped her shoulder into her God father's with a small smirk playing on her lips before she uttered with a tint of humor in the beginning of her statement and seriousness towards the ending, "I am the Princess of New Orleans and I have an army of vampires for crying out loud, so I'm not going to just sit on the sidelines like a scared little girl. I'll get stronger and faster and I'll make you proud."
Marcel shot the human girl a wide grin before he ruffled her brunette hair and truthfully exclaimed, "I'm already so proud of you, Anna." The Gerard vampire pulled his God daughter into a tight hug to show how proud he was of her from the short training session and how strong that she had been since her arrival in New Orleans. The tight embrace from the God father and daughter lasted a minute or two more before Marcel slowly pulled away. Marcel then shot the human girl a teasing smirk before he exclaimed, "now go home and shower. You stink."
Brianna rolled her hazel eyes with a chuckle as she playfully pushed against Marcel's chest at the vampire's joking statement. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," the human girl mumbled with false annoyance before she placed a small grin onto her lips. "I'll see you at home later," Brianna stated before she leaned onto her tippy toes and placed a kiss onto her God father's cheek.
Marcel caressed the back of Brianna's head like a loving father as he stared down at the strong and fierce human girl before he told her after a moment of tranquility, "Diego should only be a minute or two behind you to walk you home."
Brianna couldn't help but roll her eyes, once more, with a small chuckle at the fact that she would still have a bodyguard. However, though, Brianna understood since she only had one single day of training, so the brunette girl nodded her head and murmured, "I'll see you soon." Brianna then turned around and started to head South towards the apartment while she enjoyed the soothing Jazz music with the thoughts of her training process to becoming the Princess of New Orleans playing through her mind and the fierceness that she felt to protect her hometown.