"Before you say anything…" I said as I followed Marcel into our bedroom, dragging my feet behind me. "–I just wanted my friend back." I tried, but I could see how tense my boyfriend was even though he had his back to me. And he was eerily still where he stood before the door to the balcony.
"Your friend was sentenced to 100 years imprisonment in the Garden." He muttered through a clenched jaw in response.
"A sentence which he didn't deserve." I argued, standing my ground. I had freed Thierry for a reason. Believe it or not, it was not just because I was bored. Thierry didn't deserve the Garden for what he had done, and I stood by that.
"He broke the rules."
"To hell with your rules." I exclaimed, anger getting the best of me. "Thierry was innocent."
"Innocent?!" Marcel seethed, finally turning to look at me. His eyes were cold, making my heart feel so much heavier in my chest. "He killed one of my guys."
"Okay, maybe he did, but he had a reason."
"And what's that?"
"I think Klaus compelled Max to attack Katie." I answered grimly, walking up to join Marcel. You're playing a dangerous game, Juliette. I was playing at both sides for the moment. Well, technically, I was still loyal to Marcel. But then again, he was a jerk at times. And even though Klaus was an annoying sadistic ego-tripped powerful monster, he was quite fun to hang out with.
"What?" Marcel's brown eyes softened and widened in surprise. "He couldn't have. My guys are on vervain."
"Well then he must have drained him." I replied, for once in my life serious. I expected Marcel to believe me at once, but his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"How do you know all of this?"
"How do you think? I saw it in a vision." I defied, crossing my arms.
"When?"
"The day you imprisoned Thierry."
"And you're telling me this now?!" Marcel threw his hands into the air.
"Yes."
"I can't believe you, Julie." He sighed and put his face in his hands. Anger started boiling in my veins.
"You can't believe me? Hey, at least I freed Thierry! I wasn't the one who imprisoned my best friend!"
"Do you ever stop and think of what's happening around you?" Marcel snapped, and I stopped in mid-motion. His tone was full of ice, and his eyes were blazing with anger. Ouch. "Of what's at stake? This is not just about Thierry! This is about how Klaus is trying to take over my town."
"Apologies, mister, but for me, friends are more important than a city." I challenged and cocked one of my eyebrows. I then took a deep breath and softened my gaze. "I could live anywhere with you, Marcel. I don't care if we're in New Orleans, Washington D.C or what the heck, even Mystic Falls, as long as I'm with you. Same goes for my friends. I would rather live in a little village in Oklahoma surrounded by you, Thierry, Roxy and Davina then live here in New Orleans without any of you."
Marcel finally looked up at me, remorse shining in his eyes. He clenched and unclenched his jaw simultaneously before finally speaking.
"And do you really think Klaus would let all of us live here peacefully if he took over New Orleans?" He raised his eyebrows at me. I swallowed loudly, not knowing what to answer. "I love this town, Julie. It's my home. And I will not let Klaus take it." He shook his head before moving past me towards the door. I didn't follow him with my gaze, but kept looking out the window.
Marcel stopped just before exiting through the door.
"Whatever it takes." He said, before I heard the soft noise of the door shutting behind me. Whatever it takes. So it seemed that Marcel's precious New Orleans was more dear to him than I was. I don't even know why I was so surprised. With a deep sigh, I swallowed my tears and went to bed.
A tall woman was quietly walking along a small stream in the night air. Her black dress flowed behind her in the small breeze, and her hair framed her pale face like a dark curtain. I watched her as she bent down to the river, reaching out her hand to touch the water. The only sound that was audible in the clearing was the sound of crickets, who were undoubtedly spread out in the high grass around the woman.
The trees loomed over me as I approached the woman with quiet steps, the grass crisp under my bare feet.
"I have been waiting for you." The woman spoke, her voice soft and deep. She still had her back to me, even as I walked closer and closer to her. Finally, I was near enough to be able to see my face in the still water. Strange, rivers always run, they're not still. Next to my blonde face was the woman's. Brown eyes looked back at me, framed by a beautiful but withered face. The woman must have been in her late thirties or early forties, judging by the lines on her forehead and around her nose.
"You have awakened. And soon I will too." Her face was expressionless as she looked at my reflection in the mirrored surface of the water.
"Who are you?" I whispered. I looked different in my reflection. I couldn't really put my finger on what the difference was, but it was as if I was myself but still someone else.
"You cannot know that yet." The woman slowly rose from her crouched position and turned to face me. "But know one thing, little one." She put her hand on my cheek with a small, warmth deprived smile. "You belong to me."
I woke up in an empty bed, the sunlight shining into my eyes. With a deep yawn, I stretched my body out, marvelling at the satisfying sensation of my joints cracking. I stopped abruptly when I remembered my dream. You belong to me. What did that even mean? And who was the woman? I had never seen her in my life. Maybe this was just a normal dream. Not one of those psychic dreams. Yet it had felt eerily real.
I yawned once more before slowly sitting up, glancing around me in the room. It was empty, meaning that Marcel must have slept somewhere else. The sheets weren't even ruffled on the other side of our bed. However, he seemed to have been in the room, since the glass door to the balcony was opened. He also seemed to have tucked me in the sheets, since I distinctly remembered having fallen asleep on top of the navy silk bedclothes. The voices of tourists echoed outside the window, and I turned in my bed to check the alarm clock. When I realized how late it was, I jumped out of the bed to take a quick shower.
Ten minutes later (yes, I was fast as hell when I was in a hurry), I was out of the bathroom. I practically ran to my dresser while hurriedly brushing my hair. I decided to wear a knee long black dress that clung to my body when I walked. Quite unlike my usual casual style, but it was the first thing I had on hand. I then put on mascara and a touch of lipstick while putting on my black sneakers. Yes, I'm one of those lucky people who are blessed with perfect skin. I also tan easily, which is probably the one thing I love the most about myself. Silly, I know.
12:45. I still had the time to get to my shift, which started at one. I just had to vamp-speed there. Hey, Marcel was upset with me anyway. Might make the best of it, huh?
"Hey lady!" A quite large man called me over to his table with a contempt smirk, and I silently cursed myself for taking a waitress shift. But I still had to make up for all of the nights where I hadn't been able to sing. I couldn't really tell Cami that I had been kidnapped, could I? She didn't know about this vampire business. Or werewolf perhaps.
"I ordered my drink five minutes ago, and it's not here yet!" The man exclaimed, his eyes travelling down my body as I approached his table. His gaze made my skin prickle with discomfort.
"I'm sure it's on its way, sir." I answered him with a fake smile. Cami had reluctantly told me that the best way to get rid of these mongrels was to smile and do as they said.
"Do you want to order something else, sir?" I added. The man's gaze was fastened on my butt. Okay, I knew I had an amazing ass, but that didn't mean that he had the right to set his filthy eyes on it. I sighed and turned away from the guy, leaving him and his friends behind.
"How about you give me some of that sweet ass instead?" He called behind me, before I felt a hand groping my butt. Instead of squeezing his fat neck between my fingers, I chose other tactics. Because he had no 'I love NOLA' cap or shirt, no camera and no map in his hand. Not a tourist, sadly. I would have loved to rip the man's head off. His small eyes kept roaming my body as I turned around and walked over to him slowly. The sly grin on his face grew wider as I leaned in close to him. When my face was at the level of his, I caught his small pig eyes with mine.
"What's your worst nightmare?" I asked him with a sweet smile, ignoring his friend, who was panicking slightly to my right. The man's green gaze went blank as the compulsion washed over him.
"Spiders. I hate them." He stammered, his face turning into a light shade of green. I cocked my head to the side, but didn't let go of his gaze.
"Well, looks like you're crawling with spiders. Under your clothes. Under your skin. They're eating you up slowly." I compelled him. "And you can't get rid of them." With a small chuckle, I pulled away from the man. The compulsion broke, and he stood up abruptly. With small panicked screams, he started scratching himself all over his body.
"The spiders! They're eating me!" He exclaimed, as I tried my best to look innocent. "Someone get them off!" He did some strange jumping dance while his round face turned a pink hue, and I had to do my best not to laugh.
"Dude, there are no spiders!" His friend replied, but he looked slightly alarmed. The overweight man kept jumping around on the spot, while letting out terrifying screams. I continued like that for a few minutes before Cami had to call a security guard to get him to leave the bar.
"What the hell was that?" She answered as I came up to the bar to get the next command. I shrugged.
"He must have been really scared of spiders."
Just as I was taking my apron off for the day, Joshua, the newbie vampire who I had helped Klaus take care of, walked up to me. He leaned against the bar a bit awkwardly as he settled on one of the barstools.
"You're Juliette, right?" He asked me, his big brown eyes curious. "Marcel's girlfriend?"
"Yeah." I replied, hanging up the apron behind the bar counter. Joshua let out a nervous chuckle as he tapped his fingers against the bar counter. He was up to something fishy. I knew that even without my psychic powers.
"Josh." He nodded his head. I raised my brows at him.
"I remember you. I was the one who helped you when you were in transition, remember?" Josh blushed with shame when he realized that he had forgotten me. "You're the guy who Klaus compelled."
Josh gaped.
"Yeah uhm– What– How do you–"
"I was there when he did it." I rolled my eyes and walked around the bar counter. I leaned against the wooden surface and gave him a sweet smile. Might as well charm the guy, you know. "What do you want?"
"A daylight ring."
"Okay, I can get that done. But I need a favor from you too." I said, twinning a lock of hair between my fingers with a feline smile. "Bring me to Klaus' house."
"Deal." Joshua shrugged and started walking towards the door. I followed him with easy steps, happy with myself.
"I'm gay, by the way." He said as we exited Rousseau's. I turned and sighed.
"I was that obvious with the flirting, huh?" I wondered with a small smile. Josh nodded but smiled back. He seemed nice.
"If it helps, I'm very good at spotting flirting." He said as we walked along the streets. I followed him as he walked up to a black SUV. "You would've ensnared any straight guy like catwoman."
"Hey, I already like you." I chuckled as I got in the passenger seat.
It wasn't until I had knocked on the door to the huge manor that I realized that I had no legitimate reason to be there. Why had I wanted to get to Klaus' house, really? Oh God. It was too late to turn back now. I could already hear footsteps approaching behind the door. Shit. Okay, I could just say that we hadn't finished our training. Yeah, that was a good reason. I suddenly found myself wishing that Josh had stayed instead of leaving me here alone.
The door handle creaked as it opened.
"Hi–" I stopped in mid-motion. "You're not Klaus." I frowned at the brunette standing behind the door.
"Uhm, no." The woman looked at me as if I was an alien, doubt very visible in her green eyes. She looked as if she was my age, and even I had to admit that she was very pretty. "Who are you?"
"Juliette Walters." I said with a smile, reaching out my hand. I wanted to know who this woman was, and what she was doing in Klaus's house. Especially since she was clutching her stomach. The woman glanced behind me, a crease behind her forehead. When she had decided that I was probably harmless, she took my hand.
"Hayley Marshall." And pictures started flashing by in my head. Hayley surrounded by Sophie Deveraux and her witch friends. Elijah and Klaus standing by. Hayley was looking down at her belly with wide eyes, and even Klaus looked surprised. She's pregnant. Elijah's voice echoed in the air. And I could see just by the look Hayley exchanged with Klaus that it was his child.
"Are you alright?" Present Hayley said, and my vision turned back to normal. I gulped loudly, suddenly wishing I was somewhere else. Klaus was going to be a father. This Hayley girl was probably his girlfriend. And here I was, asking for him.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just spaced out a little." I spoke, trying my best to keep a straight face. This had taken an unexpected turn. "I uhm– I was looking for Klaus."
"He's not here." Hayley was still looking at me with narrowed, suspicious eyes. "I can give him a message when he comes back, if you want."
I shook my head with a small smile.
"No, that's alright. It was nothing, really." God, this was awkward. "I'm just gonna go." I took a step back. Hayley gave me a small smile and a nod with her head before closing the door.
As I walked down the porch lined with green grass, the thoughts swirled around in my head. What kind of fucked up family drama had I gotten myself into? Klaus had a pregnant girlfriend, who was a werewolf (judging by the smell of wet dog that encircled her). His sister Rebekah despised me and had tried to kill me. Elijah would kill Marcel sometime in the future.
Holy crap.
A/N: Hi! I jusr wanted to thank you all for reading this story and remind you to please leave me reviews to tell me what you think of it! Love you 3 ~ Emma ~
