Alright. I originally didn't want to post this chapter till next week but your response to the story literally blew me away. Holy shit, guys… Thank you so much.

The other updates will most likely come slower since I have to research a lot and stuff but this one I had already written up…

The way it looks at the moment it's going to be a Kol/Zara/Klaus story since most of you voted for that. I feel obliged to tell you a little more about it. The way I have it planned it will take a while until all three of them will get together. I don't want to spoil too much, so that's about it. Kol and Zara will get together earlier… Let's see how that works out.

So, one of you said that she shouldn't let Katerina push her around cause she's a demigod and stronger. I just wanted to kinda explain that a little. It'll get better… I don't really know what else to say. Zara just doesn't want the conflict at the moment, so she shrugs off Katerina's behaviour. Won't be for too much longer though.

Sorry for the huge ass note…

Enjoy,

Nick

"Where have you been?" Katerina snarled when Zara walked through the door to the room they shared. The two of them had come to England with nothing and after days of staying out on the streets, a kind woman had taken them in. She was old and needed help with chores around the house – not that Katerina did any of them. Zara, on the other hand, tried to help as much as she could, often taking over duties that she didn't need to do.

Zara flinched in surprise. She hadn't expected her sister to be home already, not after the way that Lord was looking at her… "At the party," she told Katerina quietly.

The older girl scoffed "Oh really? Then why did Elijah come back on his own?"

"Does it matter?" Zara questioned. There was no way she would tell Katerina the truth about knowing who her father was. Maybe she should just leave and find somewhere else to live… Away from here. But where would she go? Katerina was the only person she knew apart from Mrs Farley and she wasn't into socializing either. Also, every time she went outside, the chance that men would notice her grew. Especially with Katerina dragging her along to events that they had no place being in. Zara didn't care that they had been invited by Trevor or how those other two vampires reacted – the Originals? Maybe she would have to talk to Lady Hecate regardless of whether she met them again.

"You don't talk to me like that," Katerina hissed "I am the elder, so you will respect me."

Zara snorted in disdain. Normally, she would try to avoid conflict but she was exhausted. She should have stayed at the palace and slept there but then the next morning would have been even worse "Respect is earned and you have done nothing to make me respect you. Why would I? You're the person who flirts with every man you come across. That is not a person I would want to respect."

Before she could blink, her head snapped to the side. Zara raised a hand to her stinging cheek and was surprised to feel it burn at her touch. She pulled back her fingers to glance at the blood "I can do worse than a few cuts," Katerina threatened, storming out of the room.

The sixteen-year-old stared after her for a few moments, still not too sure what had happened a few moments ago. She sank down on her bed with a sigh, carefully probing the cuts that Katerina's nails left. A part of her felt the fear that came with being hurt by someone she should have been able to trust but the bigger part was just numb. Just when she thought her life was getting better. The only reason Zara followed Katerina to England was to get away from the abuse her stepfather inflicted on her… Now she felt stupid for thinking that Katerina would treat her differently just because the Petrova patriarch wasn't there anymore.

"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs Farley questioned, walking into the room after knocking.

"I'm fine," Zara whispered, trying to stop her voice from breaking. Her thoughts were revolving around the incident that happened as well as the beatings she had to endure over the course of her life. Couldn't she catch a break for once?

Mrs Farley smiled sadly, sitting down on the bed next to the kind young girl "You are crying," she pointed out gently, making to wipe away the tears that were falling down Zara's cheeks when she stopped "What happened?"

Zara ducked her head, making her hair fall into her face, covering her cheek from view "It's nothing, Mrs Farley. Please don't worry about me."

"Come with me," the older woman said, holding her hand out to the girl. Her husband had died shortly before the two girls came along, leaving her to take care of a house. Their children had all moved away long ago, so she had been grateful when Zara offered her help with everyday things. In the year since she had allowed the two sisters to stay with her, she noticed the massive difference between them. The oldest – Katerina – was… She didn't quite know how to describe her, to be honest. Zara, though… She was polite and helped the woman with everything she needed help with. On several occasions, Mrs Farley had awoken in the middle of the night, only to find Zara standing or sitting at one of the windows, deep in thought. She had a feeling that the child didn't have the best home life but had never been able to get the sixteen-year-old to talk about it. At first, Mrs Farley tried to get the girl to talk but when it didn't get her anything, she just brought her a blanket, leaving Zara to stare out into the night. "Sit."

Zara sat in the indicated chair with a puzzled look on her face. She started shaking her head when Mrs Farley set a bowl of water and a cloth on the table "No… I can do it myself."

"Nonsense, dear," the older woman chided "Now, look up."

Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly Zara had more contact with the "Originals" than she originally thought in the days after the party. Two days after she met the Lords Niklaus and Elijah, she went to the market to pick up several things for Mrs Farley. They were running low on food, so it was time to get some more. She was using the money Hades had given her to provide for the older woman. After her husband died, Mrs Farley had aged rapidly. Her body didn't allow her to do many things, so Zara had taken to provide for her. She told Persephone about it in one of her visits and the Goddess of Springtime approved wholly, making sure that they would always have enough to provide for themselves. Mrs Farley had never asked where the money came from but Zara knew that she was curious.

When she was about to pay one of the farmers for the produce she needed, a voice behind her startled her "Miss Zara."

Zara whirled around and froze for a moment before she dropped into a curtsy "My lord." She blinked in surprise when the Original handed the farmer the money she owed him "I – You needn't… I can pay for it," she argued weakly, too stunned to protest too much.

"Nonsense. Let me. Where do you need these?" Lord Elijah questioned, stopping the Doppelgänger's sister from gathering the food, instead picked it up easily, waiting for her to show him the way.

When she saw that he wouldn't relent, Zara sighed quietly. So much for doing as her father asked "This way, my Lord." She lead him through the streets quietly, making sure to greet the men and woman she knew. During the walk, she was playing with the money she had in her hand. It felt wrong to take money from him – a stranger. Why would he even pay for her? Why was he talking to her in the first place? Wasn't it Katerina they were interested in? "We're here." She looked at him for a moment longer, debating whether to let him inside or not.

"I mean you no harm, Miss Zara," Elijah soothed the nervous girl. He honestly wasn't sure what he was doing. When he saw her at the market, he made an impulse decision. Maybe he could find out more about the Doppelgänger through her… Although he was more than curious about the quiet girl. There was an odd smell surrounding her and she didn't seem comfortable around the people of the party. Something was going on there and Elijah wanted to find out "I believe I have some business to take care off."

Zara wordlessly took the stuff from him. She still didn't know too much about vampires but she had decided to go to call Lady Hecate sometime after bringing the food back for Mrs Farley to make stew. When she held out the money for him to take, Elijah shook his head and opened his mouth. Zara didn't let him talk though "You didn't have to pay for me. I can take care of myself."

"It was my pleasure, Miss Zara," Elijah shook his head and smiled at the younger girl "If you'll excuse me?"

"Well…" she mumbled under her breath "Thank you, then. Have a nice day, Lord Elijah." With those words she turned, walking into the small house where Mrs Farley had already been waiting for her.

"You took longer than normal," she rushed out worriedly "Is everything alright?"

Zara smiled, carefully putting down the food on the table in the kitchen "Everything is alright, Mrs Farley. Someone I… met a few days back decided to lend me a hand."

"That is nice of them. A male someone?"

"Not like that," the daughter of Hades gaped, her cheeks flushed red.

Another two weeks later, Zara had given up. They had invited both her and Katerina to stay with them and while Katerina enjoyed spending time with both of the brothers, trying to get them to bed her, Zara stayed quiet. She preferred to spend time alone, away from people who would only criticize her for who she was. And not only because Katerina had warned her away either. After the sixteen-year-old saw the library they had, she knew that she would have to jump over her shadow and at least try to read. Her stepfather and Katerina always made fun of Zara for her lack of reading abilities… Normally, they wouldn't have needed to be able to read but their father wanted them to be sophisticated young women. Either that or he wanted to ensure that someone would take Zara off his hands as quickly as possible.

That was how the girl found herself curled in an armchair in front of the fire with a book on her lap. She had started it a few days after they moved into the huge mansion and she had barely gotten through one chapter. The story was interesting though… The book seemed to be some sort of journal.

"I ree... No, I ream... I – I remerb..." The sixteen-year-old broke off, tugging at her hair in frustration. She knew that she could read... Hades had taught her years ago but for some reason, it was hard to read anything but Ancient Greek. According to him and her Aunt Persephone, it was normal though. Every demigod had trouble reading and they didn't really know where that came from. Since Zara loved the written word though, she was determined to overcome the problem but it was proving difficult. The mockery she had faced from Katerina hadn't helped her confidence either, so she mostly tried to hide away whenever she attempted to read.

The girl was so concentrated that she didn't notice the Original who was standing in the doorway, watching her sound out words "Zara?" Elijah spoke up after another few moments of the struggle.

"My lord," she gasped, her head snapping up to meet the older Mikaelson's gaze before lowering her gaze quickly "I didn't know you were there. Sorry, did you want me to leave?"

Elijah shook his head, frowning at the formal address "No. It is alright... You're reading?"

"Yes," she nodded shyly.

"Are you enjoying the book?" the Original questioned. A quick glance at the title revealed that it was one of his journals. Most of them were in his private library but some – the ones that detailed his experiences with several historical events were in the main library.

Zara bit her lip nervously. She wasn't very comfortable talking to the man, even though he had been nothing but nice to her. There was the part of her that didn't understand why they would want her anywhere near her. The only people to really care for her were Hades and Persephone along with a few other deities she met over the years "Yes, Lord Elijah."

"You don't have to address me as Lord," he told her with a gentle smile "I'm mostly reserving that title for the stuffy nobility."

The girl was trying to unsuccessfully smother her laughter "They are a bit stuffy," she admitted quietly.

Elijah was looking at her with soft eyes. He enjoyed the young girl's company when she wasn't trying to be as quiet as possible. Ever since the two Petrovas moved in with Niklaus and him, he saw that Zara preferred to stick to the shadows while her sister was just… there. Elijah – against his better judgement – had fallen for the Doppelgänger but the sisters were just so different from each other. Niklaus had spoken to him earlier today and he hadn't seen the sixteen-year-old at all, not even for meals "There is something I wish to talk to you about," the Original said after a few minutes of silence in which the girl had turned back to mouthing the words slowly.

"About what?" Zara questioned curiously, closing the book with a gentle caress.

"You are aware that you may join us for meals, are you not?" Elijah tilted his head, holding the girl's gaze.

Zara shifted in her seat "Katerina has expressed her… reluctance to have me there. I don't mind… I can take care of myself. You have already allowed me to live here. I don't want you to spend any more of your money on me."

"You are welcome to join us. My family has more than enough money," the vampire pointed out "I doubt you could eat us out of a home."

"I couldn't," the sixteen-year-old shook her head, twisting her hands in the hem of her skirt "It's not right. I mean no disrespect but Katerina shouldn't have accepted either."

Elijah raised his eyebrow in surprise. The girl really was something else "May I ask why you think that?"

Zara bit her lip harshly, not sure whether she wanted to elaborate or not. She didn't care about speaking her mind. While she was often beaten for her opinion, it didn't stop her. This was different though. They wanted something from her sister and she really couldn't figure out what it was "You want something from her, right? I may not be aware of what but it's obvious that you recognized her at sight."

"You are a smart one, aren't you?" an amused voice sounded from the doorway.

The daughter of Hades shot up from where she was sitting when Niklaus strolled into the room "I shouldn't have said anything. Excuse me."

She tried to skirt around the man but his hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist tightly "Now, now, love. I can't have you telling Katerina about this."

"I have known since I met you," Zara snorted, her shy exterior falling off as she glared up at Klaus "If I had wanted to tell Katerina, I would have done so already."

The two vampires exchanged a look over the girl's head "Look at that, brother. The little kitten has claws," Klaus laughed in amusement "It is curious that you don't seem to like your sister…"

"Half-sister," Zara corrected "She's my half-sister." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the vampire stiffen and frowned up at him in confusion.

"That explains why the two of you don't look much alike," Elijah nodded.