Chapter Eight: Not Giving Up, Just Giving In
Hayley dreamed she was swimming out in the middle of the ocean. She floated on her back, the taste of salt on her lips, and the warmth of the sun on her skin. The rocking of the waves soothed her, so she didn't see how the water was growing darker, and a storm was rolling in.
The first bolt of lightning cracking across the sky startled her, and when she straightened herself, she shivered in the icy water. The wind picked up, causing the water to rise and crash, tossing Hayley like a rag doll under the water.
She struggled to swim, to keep her head above water, but every time she broke the surface, another wave pulled her back under.
And then she began sinking, the cold, black water dragging her deeper and deeper into its depths. She gasped when her lungs gave in and she choked, her vision going black like her surroundings. And just before she slipped away into unconsciousness, a warm hand was suddenly against her cheek, a startling sensation against the numbing cold.
Hayley's eyes opened and her vision blurred. The salt stung her eyes and she had to blink rapidly before she could see.
Like a ghost, the image of Klaus floated in front of her, untouched by the cold water. He glowed, as if he was standing in front of the sun, casting light all around them, chasing away the darkness.
"I figured you were more of a fighter, little wolf," he remarked.
I am, Hayley thought, unable to speak without swallowing more water.
Klaus scoffed. "You could've fooled me. Why are you letting yourself drown?"
I can't… the storm.
"What storm?"
Hayley gasped loudly, sitting up, eyes snapping open.
The unfamiliar surroundings had her pausing for a moment before her memory caught up with her. She ran a hand over her eyes, pushing the hair from them.
The tastefully decorated room, full of plush furniture and expensive rugs, was outside of Hayley's taste. It screamed money and power, amd was strangely intimidating with the gold knobs and the faint scent of lavender.
The bed was covered in a down feathered comforter in a soft, eggshell white color. The room matched that color scheme, soft white and gold, easy on the eyes. The furniture was dark, contrasting the softer colors, and the room was easy the size of the cabin Hayley had been sleeping in the week before.
The set of doors marking the entrance to the room were stamped with a gold emblem, the letter M. Hayley figured that was for Mikaelson.
Standing, Hayley walked the length of the room. The carpet was soft and oatmeal colored, and her feet sank deep in it. The paintings on the far wall caught her attention.
They depicted images of angels and demons, of Adam and Eve in the Garden, and of Michael casting Lucifer into Hell.
"A Hybrid with a religious fetish?" Hayley wondered out loud. "Or maybe a God complex."
She kept exploring, noting the way the doors were locked and the windows wouldn't open. She stepped into the bathroom, looking for something to use as a weapon. The only thing she could find was soap. Not even a razor was handy.
Growling, Hayley went back into the main room had began tearing open the drawers. Finally, she found a small, silver letter opener hidden within the drawers of a desk carved from oak.
The sound of the door knob turning had her whirling, tucking the letter opener up her sleeve safely. She winced as the silver burned her skin, but she gritted her teeth, her eyes focused on the opening doors.
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Klaus figured that he hadn't felt the feeling of surprise too much in his lifetime. He could probably count on one hand the times he felt truly surprised by something unexpected. Being turned by his so called father? Sure. Realizing he was born a werewolf when he became a Hybrid? Absolutely.
But when he was approached by the little Alpha female only hours after giving her her ultimatum, he knew he could add another moment to that list.
He supposed he was mostly surprised because he figured she would fight rather than give up. Perhaps he was a little disappointed as well.
That disappointment faded when he entered the rooms he had put her in, when he saw her standing there with gold eyes and a defiant expression.
Naturally when she had sought him out, he hadn't taken any chances. He had signalled for a vampire of his to attack, an attack she hadn't defended herself from, and had passively allowed herself to be knocked out.
"I figured the white flag was just an act," he told her, smirking.
Hayley bared her teeth at him. Suddenly, there was a flash of silver and Klaus found a letter opener embedded deep in his chest, piercing his heart.
Hayley's eyes burned into his as she stepped away. "Go to hell."
Klaus chuckled. He pulled the letter opener free and let it drop to the floor, where it left a smear of red across the pale carpet. "You're going to have to do better than that, love."
"Now what? Is this the part where you threaten me? Torture me?"
Klaus rolled his eyes. "That's seem a bit dramatic, don't you?"
"You can't keep me locked up here."
"On the contrary, I can," Klaus said, stepping closer to her. "You're in my territory now, little wolf. It'd be best to make yourself comfortable."
Hayley snarled. "I'm not your new pet!"
Klaus smiled slowly, coldly. "No, perhaps not. That doesn't mean I'm not going to have my fun with you."
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Hayley could feel the pulse of music playing and the echoes of shouts ringing down the empty hallways as she stepped out of her room. It seemed Klaus hadn't expected for Hayley to attempt to escape, so she picked the lock with the letter opener he had left on the floor. Or, if he did, he didn't think much of having a guard posted at the door.
Walking silently towards the noise, Hayley made a face when she recognized that the crowd was singing along to Warrant's "Cherry Pie". Ignoring the obnoxious singing, she walked outside onto the balcony.
Below her stretched out the open area of the Abattoir. Filled with an assortment of creatures, it smelled like sweat and blood. There was a circle being made, revealing two men facing each other.
Hayley flinched at the sight of Tyler Lockwood facing a vampire, eyes gold like a wolf, but with a face of blackened veins, marking him as part vampire.
"I see you came to join the festivities," an amused voice said to her right.
Hayley turned to see Klaus sitting in a seat, no, a throne, watching her with a small smile on his lips.
"So these are the games," she said, looking back down with a scowl.
"Indeed. Why don't you take a seat? They're about to begin."
Hayley gave Klaus a narrow eyed glare. "I don't find this entertaining," she spat.
Klaus suddenly looked deep into her eyes, smiling confidently. "Take a seat, little wolf."
A small voice deep within Hayley's mind swore colorfully, scolding herself for not thinking to wear vervain. But she felt her body relax and sink into the seat next to Klaus's, unable to fight the Hybrid's compulsion.
She watched as Tyler circled a vampire that the others were calling Thierry. The younger Hybrid moved more like a caged jungle cat than a wolf, his gold eyes tracking the vampire's movements.
Then Tyler lunged, moving so quickly that he blurred. When he jumped away, the vampire sported deep gashes along his chest from Tyler's claws.
Thierry hissed, revealing his elongated canines. He flashed towards the Hybrid, which Tyler evaded with ease. Every time the vampire moved, Tyler was already gone, due to his much faster reflexes.
The crowd cried for blood, which seemed to pour more from Thierry. Tyler only looked thoroughly entertained, not tired or hurt at all. He even laughed when the vampire began to tire.
Hayley's hands gripped the arms of her chair. Her nails bit into the wood, digging furrows. Her eyes fluctuated between hazel and gold, and her heart hammered with anger.
She was no fan of the vampires, but this was cruel. This wasn't right or fun, this was murder with a side of laughs.
Suddenly, her body broke free of its hold and she stood. Without thinking, she dashed for the railing and leapt over the edge. Her own reflexes prevented her from an unsteady landing. Instead, she landed neatly on the balls of her feet, right between Tyler and Thierry.
She turned on the younger Hybrid, eyes burning gold, her expression contorted into a fearsome snarl.
"Enough!" she bellowed, stepping forward, her Alpha power radiating from her.
To everyone's surprise and shock, Tyler stepped back, his features shifting back into their human form. His eyes even faded from gold and black to dark brown, revealing their startled depths.
There was a moment of silence amongst the crowd. Before, the only person who had that kind of power over Tyler's actions was Klaus, since he was Tyler's sire. But here was this female Alpha, staring down the younger Hybrid with a chilling look, and he backed down.
An amused laugh rang down from the balcony above. Klaus moved to stand at the railing, clapping at Hayley, smiling broadly, if not smugly.
"Bravo, little wolf," he said.
Suddenly he appeared amongst them all, and the crowd parted immediately as he walked over to Hayley.
Hayley turned to face him, her eyes cooling. "Am I supposed to bow?" she asked, lifting a brow.
Klaus gave her a wolfish grin. "No, love. Not right now, at least. But I think they'd like to bow to you," he said, gesturing to his protégé and Thierry. "It seems I'm not the only one with influence over my young student. As for Thierry, well, it seems he is indebted to you."
Hayley looked at the other vampires briefly. Thierry dropped his gaze, his wounds slowly healing.
When she looked at Tyler, the young Hybrid frowned at her. Then she realized something.
"This is what you wanted," she said. "You knew I wouldn't let Tyler kill your vampire. You wanted to show the others my power."
Klaus gave her an approving look. "Very good, little wolf. You see, around here, it's power that gets you somewhere. It gives you leverage over others."
"What's your endgame? I'm not as strong as you. Or do you need that reminder to boost your enormous ego?"
Klaus laughed. "All I want from you, my little wolf, is for you to accept what you are. You're a woman with power, who has yet to discover how much. I'm giving you the opportunity to do so."
"And what do you get out of this?" Hayley asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Don't you know?" Klaus spread his hands. "You're the main event. A fighter with a conscience. But how long can you last in my games without killing anyone, little wolf? How long can you hold onto that humanity?"
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Hayley kept hearing Klaus's words over and over in her head.
"How long can you hold onto that humanity?"
So was that the point behind all of this? To push Hayley until she killed? To push her into becoming a monster, just like him?
It wasn't like she hadn't killed before. She knew her hands weren't clean. But she also knew that the King's intentions probably ran deeper than her losing her humanity.
Did he want to turn her like he did Tyler? Is that why he turned Tyler to begin with, so that the younger wolf would lose his own conscience?
Maybe, she thought to herself.
When a wolf first shifts, it's not because of them entering into adulthood or puberty. Wolves shift after they take the life of someone else. Any wolf who has gone through the change isn't clean. They have the burden of that to carry for the rest of their lives.
It was different for vampires. For them, humanity was a choice. They could chose to not kill, or to switch off their conscience like a light. The latter lead to killers. Combined that with a freshly turned wolf?
It was no wonder why Tyler laughed at the pain he caused others.
Hayley sat in her rooms, perched on the window ledge that faced out towards the woods.
It didn't seem that long ago that Tyler was visiting his uncle a few time every couple of years. Hayley and Tyler had developed a friendship of sorts, being in the same age group. But Tyler never had the duties to carry out like Hayley did. He was a turned wolf taken in by his uncle and raised in Lana's pack. He was not born into this life like Hayley was.
Hayley wished she could talk to Mason or Eve. She wished she could tell them about Klaus's agenda for her and how it scared her, even if she wouldn't admit it to anyone else. The only thing she was sure of was that she didn't regret her decision to protect her pack. As a leader, she had to understand that sacrifice came with the job description. She would gladly be taken hostage by the Summer King if that meant her pack could get as far away from this place as possible.
But now what could she do? She had no allies here. The only other wolves here were captives, chained in the dungeon below the Abattoir or put into cages in another place Klaus called the Garden.
Hayley clenched her fists. She had to be strong.
But how could she keep up that strength when every time she closed her eyes, Klaus would be standing there, as though he was waiting for her? Why did it feel like, deep down inside, she already knew him?
But she also remembered what Eve had told her before Hayley had left to go find Klaus.
"Don't give up. Hold onto your strength. You are stronger than you think, remember that. And when the time comes, strike down the King where he stands. Strike him down… and come home."
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Disclaimer: I do not own the Originals.
Author's Note: The title for this chapter is based on the song "Never Let Me Go" by Florence + the Machine.
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