AN: Hope is still 8, but I need to make her pov a little smarter, bc it's kinda annoying dumbing things down along :) xx enjoy
Hayley's pov
BEEP BEEP BEEP
My alarm screamed at me. When I look over, I see that the clock already reads 9:30. Shit! I was late to get Hope to school. Rushing around at hybrid speed, I manage to get myself presentable in five minutes and race off towards the school. By the time I got there, Bonnie and all the others, including the husbands, still milled around the front next to their cars.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, my alarm didn't go off until 9:30 for some reason-"
"Hayley it's fine. We got here in no time," Caroline laughed.
"Well I have Hope's lunch soI might just go drop that inside for her-"
"Why? Aren't you coming on the field trip too?" Elena asks.
"What field trip."
"It was really out of the blue," Bonnie agreed.
"What field trip though?"
"I signed Hopes note for it last night. She said she told you."
I shook my head vehemently.
"Oh Hayley I'm so sorry," Caroline, placed her hand over her heart. "It's okay though were all about to leave because we volunteered as parent chaperones. You can come if you'd like?"
"I mean, it's not every day you get to go to New Orleans," Bonnie lapped her hands excitedly.
I felt all the blood rush to my face. Of all the bloody places, New Orleans! "Where in New Orleans," I say through my dry throat.
"The French Quater I think," Stephan looks to Carnlien for reassurance and she nods her head.
"I heard the Originals are still there," Damon spits.
"I swear, can we seriously not go even a decade without seeing those guys. I mean death literally follows them everywhere. Jeesh," Bonnie huffs.
"Well, we need to go now!" I say frantically. Covering my panic, I say with a smile, we don't want to let them get there too far ahead of us.
It had been nearly 9 years since I've been in this city. 9 years until I made the biggest decision of my daughter's life, and now, quite possibly the stupidest.
Hopes pov
"When we get off the bus, we should find this place," Lexi holds up a postcard.
"We can't leave the group, Lexi," I say nervously.
"But look, Hope, it's a castle. There might be a real-life princess inside."
"I don't know-"
"Please Hope," Anna begs me. "I won't go if you don't go."
"But you want to go?" I ask. She nods her head eagerly.
"Okay. But how do we get away from the teacher?" Rose asks.
"Easy, he's too distracted by everyone else it won't be hard."
"How do we even get there?" Jenna asks worriedly.
"Chill out," Lexi laughs. "We'll ask someone. Look. None of you has to come if you don't want to. But coming will be more fun than being boring so..."
"I'm going!" Rose exclaims.
"Shhh," Jenna whispers.
"Please, Mr. Saltzman is at the front of the bus, he can't hear us."
"Okay, okay," I said as the bus pulls to a stop. "We go hide in that building." The sign on it read as Roussos's.
We ran from the group as fast as we could and laughed ad we opened the heavy door into the building. The room smelt musty and was very loud.
"Where are we?" Jenna asked concerned.
"A bar you idiot," Rose mocks.
"I can smell the witches in this bar," one of the men at the counter looks around vigorously.
"Diago, don't be paranoid," the man next to him laughs. "They can't do magic anyway."
"Lexi I want to leave," Jenna whispers and tugs on Lexi's shirt.
"I know you can smell it too Teiri. We could get in good with Marcel."
"Yeah, can we please go," Rose whispers to us?
"The witch scent is coming from those kids," the one called Diago growled.
When they looked our way, everyone ran from the bar screaming. Except me. For some reason, fear had rooted me in place, and before I knew it, I was getting grab by the shoulder and dragged away from my friends.
"Please don't hurt me," I whimper.
"We don't hurt kids," he grumbled. "But a witches kid who comes into our city and our bar looking for trouble. Next time we'll make exceptions."
"I don't want to cause trouble. Please just let me go," I beg through the bile in my throat. I wanted to scream for help, but fear kept the bile in place until I was losing so much oxygen I felt like throwing up. "where are you taking me?"
"Back to the cemetery."
I begin to wail. They were going to kill me. "Please no," I begged over and over again. Throwing my body around trying to resist them.
Hayley's pov
The french quarter was just as it had been when I left. Full of life and the bustling interest of superstitious tourists and the party central for many people still hungover, and those who didn't end the party the night before.
But everything that I had once loved about this city made me fear for hope. The bar which I had made and met many friends was also a vampire hotspot. The streets which are both entertaining and mesmerizing were banned to entertain witches and wolves. 2/3 of what Hope was. And her family, who have many enemies in this town. Finally, a dethroned King, Marcel, who I know rivals Klaus for the keys to the kingdom. Literally and figuratively, as they both maintain residence in the Mikaelson compound, along with the plantation hose Klaus had hidden me during the months he had known about the pregnancy.
Finally, when Stephan had stopped driving outside the Center of Cultural and Historical Learning, I ran from the car but hadn't even made it to the stairs before Alaric had exited the building frantic.
"Rick?" Damon perplexed.
"Guys I'm so sorry, the kids, they ran off when we got off the bus, and we're trying to find them now-"
"Oh my God," Elena shook her hands.
"We need to-" before Caroline had finished speaking we saw them. One Rose, Two Jenna, Three Lexi, Four Anna, Five. No there was no five. Hope hadn't rounded the corner.
"Mommy there were two men who took Hope," Lexi cried as caroline picked her up.
"Where," I shrilled.
"Back at this bar we went into, I don't remember the name."
"It was probably Rousou's," Rick admonishes, "that's where the bus stopped."
I darted off to find her, arriving at the bar and asking anyone if they had seen her or if he left with anyone. I had only one option I could think of that would be effective.
--
It had been more than 10 years since I'd seen this compound. I thought I would return one day, I think I also knew one day when hope asked about her father I would just shower her with kisses and avoid the question, but take her here to New Orleans to meet her father. Of course, in the very very far future, that was.
"Hayley?" I heard the family's smooth-like honey voice of Elijah.
"I don't have time to explain Elijah, but I need your help."
Elijah's pov
This woman whom I had once loved and then grieved for had appeared out of nowhere asking for my help. I hadn't a clue what she needed, and yet, I hadn't an objection or hubris to deny her my aid.
"Hayley, while I'm glad to see you again, your acute sensitivity to anytime I ask for the reason of our frantic searching is growing on my nerves."
"The cemetery is where the witches reside if I remember correctly. We've checked everywhere so if she's not here I don't know what to do."
"I suggest you start talking. What do you want with me?"
"If I'm right and who you've been helping me look for is here. Then you'll understand everything. Please, just give me a moment," she begged, still running madly through the cemetery.
Hope pov
"She's one of yours," the man growled women and there me to the floor. "Stay out of our territory, or you know what we'll do to you," he warns and vanishes.
"Your not part of our coven," the girl who kind of looked like my mother with her brown hair and brown eyes said.
"Please I don't know why those people brought me here, but I'm just here on an excursion with my school and my mom's going to be looking for me."
"I'm not going to hurt you," she said impatiently. "Look, I'm sorry that those guys took you here. Clearly, they made a mistake, their bullies. Why don't you tell me your mom's name and number and we can give her a call to pick you up."
I nodded eagerly. "It's 555 402-1234. Hayley Marshal."
She dialed the number but I could tell it went to voicemail. "Father?"
"I don't know," I responded sadly.
"I guess since your clearly a witch I could do a quick locator spell, this better not bite e in the ass though."
I didn't know what she was talking about, but as long as she found my mom I didn't care.
"Okay, it might sting, but I need to prick your finger for some blood, so I can find a connection to a living blood relative."
"Okay?" I responded skeptically.
She muttered something like sorry when I yelped from the sting and put my finger in my mouth. "Singuinum," she muttered over the map, and my blood began to move. Move on its own!
"Cool," I breathed. But before I knew it she was looking at me funny, and after muttering another word, everything around me went black.