She was a very attractive woman, so attractive I was immediately sure she was a vampire. And sure enough, as I focused on her, I could hear no heartbeat, I could feel no warmth emanating from her body.

She had natural light blond hair, baby blue eyes, full lips, and pale light skin. It was enough to make me feel incredibly jealous. She was as tall as Leah and just as slim, but she lacked the werewolf muscles. She looked no older than I did, but like me she wasn't what she looked like.

She dressed stylish and she had fashionable jewelry ornamenting her figure. When she saw me, she placed her hands on her waist like my mother did whenever she was about to scold me. "Unless you're the maid you can't just burst into someone's home like that," she told me.

"Hello," I said automatically. "I'm not the maid."

She smirked and her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oh, don't tell me. You're the girl. Niklaus told me about you. He said Elijah was yet again barking at the wrong tree."

That made me feel so lovely. "I see you share more than gossip with the King. There's also the lack of manners."

"And the bad temper," she warned. "So watch it. Now where is my brother?"

Then it hit me. "You're-you're Rebekah?" the vampire just stood there. "Wait... um, you mean you don't know where Elijah is?"

"I assumed he was with you."

"No. I actually came to find him. I haven't seen him in days and I was worried about him."

"How sweet," she mocked, but she looked worried too. That made me tense all over. The

fact that she was worried about her immortal vampire brother made my legs feel like jelly.

"What-" I tried to say but my throat was closing up.

"When was the last time you saw him, girl?"

"About..." I coughed trying to clear the lump that was forming. "About three nights ago. I came here and... Niklaus-"

Rebekah's eyes widened in surprise then narrowed in suspicion. "This can only mean one thing," she said to me. "Niklaus has done something dastardly and Klaus-like."

I tried to wrap my head around that. Since that night I had been feeling like there was something bad going on between the two brothers but the thought of Niklaus doing something to hurt Elijah had never felt so real like when she said it.

I tried to swallow. My nostrils flared as I breathed hard. I tried to keep my voice steady, but I knew I was failing miserably. "What-what are we going to do to find him?"

"We?" she sneered. "Please. You are going to keep your mouth shut, little human. Act just as normal. Live your life as you always do."

The room started to spin. Rebekah seemed to be talking to me from a dream. The pain went so deep, I could not even feel the wound. But I knew I would later.

"I'm gonna search this house inch by inch until I find what my evil brother has done to my good one," continued Rebekah. "You should go."

She turned her back and headed down the first staircase she found. My head was throbbing, but I followed her anyway. I needed Elijah with such gut-clenching intensity that I didn't care about the ugly look Rebekah gave me.

Once, as we laid naked together in bed, he had made a promise to me. He said he would never leave me. He said he would never hurt me. And here I was, alone and hurting all over. I felt eviscerated, empty, and betrayed.

I wasn't always the drama queen, but tonight it was not a night to count my blessings.

Though I made an attempt to fend off self-pity, I wasn't too successful. 'No Elijah' were two words that didn't go together.

Oh, I wanted Elijah to curl up against my back. I wanted his cool lips on my neck. I wanted his white hands running down my stomach. I wanted to talk to him, to make sure he was okay. I wanted him to laugh off my terrible suspicions.

"Get a grip," Rebekah said suddenly and I noticed she was staring me. "You want to help me? Fine. But don't doddle. Now, come along, girl."

"It's Nessie," I said and was surprised at how loud my voice sounded.

"Nessie," she acknowledged. Rebekah led me through some tunnels. She said this house once belonged to the Governor of New Orleans, whom Klaus and Elijah had helped building the city's first levees. She said the Governor had lots of secret rooms. "I'll show you his favorite."

The room she meant, was dusty and dark, but my vampire sight made out the shapes of about five or six coffins. I felt sick.

"You think he killed him," I whispered.

"We can't be killed, silly. But that doesn't stop Klaus from finding ways to torture us." The relief that took over me hurt almost as the pain. He was alive. I knew it was impossible for him to have ceased to exist. The world wouldn't just keep going around if he were dead. Everything would turn as gloomy and miserable as I was feeling.

Rebekah kept talking. "He has a set of mystical daggers. One in the heart sends us into a deep slumber. Klaus gets his jollies from keeping us in a box until he decides to pull the dagger out."

Yes, I remembered something like this. Elijah had mentioned when he told me his story. He'd

said Niklaus kept their coffins in stand-by, that he liked to be prepared for when his family members disappointed him. I felt a sudden rush of hatred flowing through me. If the Vampire King of New Orleans was here right now, I would punch him in the face.

Rebekah noticed my anger and smiled. "Welcome to the family, Nessie. You should have run the second you realized Elijah was gone."

"I won't. I need to find him. Please, help me find him."

Rebekah raised her hand silencing me. "No need to beg, Nessie. I will find my brother. And I will leave soon after. You should do the same. You don't want to mess around Niklaus. He is not so forgiving. And the fact that you smell disgustingly of werewolf would certainly cause him trouble."