AN: Hello lovely readers!
This chapter turned out to be much longer than I originally planned. So, I've split it into two parts. And because I'm excited to share it with you, I'm posting chapter 26 today as well! Enjoy xoxo
"Little flower?"
Tears trailed down Bella's cheeks. "I, umm…"
Qetsiyah plucked a few tissues from a box beside them. She handed the tissues to Bella, who took them without looking away from the screen, where little Alice pleaded with her momma to return.
"Are the Gemini dead?"
"Those are, but the coven still exists. What Isabelle did went down in their history books and changed how they deal with siphoners … just not for the better. Now, the coven separates children from their families the moment they show any sign of being a siphon. Their neglect and abuse is severe. And some of them—those the coven perceives as pure evil—are banished to prison worlds."
"So, basically, the Gemini are evil bastards and each one of them should have boils on their—" She trailed off and took a deep breath. "This is that hex thing you were talking about, isn't it?"
Qetsiyah smiled. "Yes. But feel free to give the Gemini coven boils…"
Bella finally looked up at Qetsiyah, her eyes wide in surprise.
Qetsiyah shrugged. "Two thousand years ago, it was the Gemini coven who killed me," she explained. "If you wish to curse, hex, or jinx them, be my guest."
Wiping her eyes, Bella nodded. "Nan told me about prison worlds. She said they were like an alternate dimension that the Gemini created to imprison the most sadistic members of the coven. I think," Bella frowned, "she said there are only two prison worlds…"
"That's correct. A 1903 prison world and a 1994 prison world. The 1903 prison world is home to one of the most prolific, vicious vampires the world has ever seen…"
Bella cocked an eyebrow. "More prolific than Klaus and Kol Mikaelson?"
Qetsiyah nodded. "Unlike your mates, this vampire had no compassion. No humanity. No empathy. She was a ripper; thus, she was unpredictable, aggressive, violent, and ruthless, with an unquenchable bloodlust. Once she found her mate, they became almost unstoppable. Between her transformation in 1858 and her imprisonment in 1903, she and her mate killed over twenty thousand humans…"
"Wow," Bella whispered. She looked over at Qetsiyah. "Is there a reason you aren't telling me who this woman is?"
Qetsiyah smiled. "Her name is Lily Salvatore. She's mated to a man named Julian. He is even more ruthless than Lily."
"She's related to Uncle Damon and Stefan?"
"She's their mother."
"Oh boy," Bella whispered. "Do they know she's alive?"
Qetsiyah shook her head. "No. As a human, Lily had consumption. Her husband Giuseppe sent her away, and she later died in the TB ward in 1858."
Bella sighed and looked back at the screen, which had gone black. "I'll have to tell them. I can't keep this information from them."
"That's your decision. But make sure they understand just how dangerous Lily and Julian are and that, if you find a way to release them, there's a chance the only way to stop them will be to kill them."
Bella nodded.
This was a decision for Damon and Stefan to make, not Bella. Hopefully, they would take Qetsiyah's warning to heart and understand how dangerous their mother is as a vampire. But she's their mother. Bella would understand if they wanted to free her. She couldn't imagine what she would do if she was in their shoes. Despite everything Renee had done, she was still her mother.
"Who's in the 1994 prison world?"
"A young man named Malachia Parker. As the story goes," Qetsiyah began, "Malachai Parker—or Kai—is a siphoner. The son of the current Gemini leader, Joshua Parker. And the twin of Josette Laughlin."
Bella nodded.
"Kai's father abused him…" she shook her head. "The entire coven saw him as an abomination and treated him like he was worthless, as they did other siphoners. The abuse he suffered was … cruel," she sighed. "They physically, mentally, and psychologically tortured him, used him as target practice, viciously beat him, and abandoned him, separating him from his family to waste away in a small shed in the backyard."
"That's awful…"
Qetsiyah nodded. "By the time he was twenty-two, he was a shell of his former self. The abuse he suffered shattered his mind and spirit."
"It would've been more humane to just kill him…" Bella hissed.
"Yes, it would," Qetsiyah agreed.
"I'm assuming Kai and his sister didn't merge…"
Qetsiyah shook her head. "Joshua Parker knew if he allowed Kai and Josette to merge, Kai would win, and they'd have a siphoner as their leader. No Gemini would ever willingly follow a siphoner. So Joshua and his wife began having more children. I believe there were six children born before the second set of twins, Olivia and Lucas."
"Kai," she went on, "knew what his parents were doing. More than anything, he wanted to merge with his twin sister and become the new leader of the Gemini coven."
"In 1994," she sighed, "when Olivia and Lucas were three, Kai snapped. He brutally murdered his six younger siblings. Then he went after the twins. When he discovered Josette protecting them, he stabbed her with a hunting knife, almost killing her."
"So, he's a psychopath?"
Qetsiyah shrugged. "That all depends if you believe the story or not."
Bella's eyes widened. "That wasn't the real story... So," she frowned, "Kai didn't kill all those innocent children? It was someone else?"
Qetsiyah nodded.
Bella let that information sink in as her mind tried to make sense of it. "That means the Gemini coven is covering up a brutal, mass murder of six innocent children and blaming it on an innocent young man, all because he's a siphoner?"
"You need to understand how deep the Gemini's intolerance goes concerning siphoners. They believe siphoners are abominations of nature."
"But that's not true…"
"No, it isn't. Because of their asinine Merge Ritual, siphoners occur naturally in the Gemini Coven. The Merge goes against nature. It's a ritual that is exclusive to the Gemini coven. There are no other covens who willingly sacrifice one member so that the other can become twice as powerful and lead. Siphoners are nature's way of breaking the Merge Curse…"
"So, it is a curse? Not a tradition?"
Qetsiyah nodded. "Two thousand years ago, an immortal named Silas cursed the Gemini coven. Twins born into the coven have to merge on or around their twenty-second birthday. If they don't, the entire coven will die."
Bella nodded.
"Nature made sure that siphoners existed to break the curse," Qetsiyah continued. "Once a siphoner merges with its twin, the curse will break. No more Merge Ritual. No more senseless killing. But the Gemini coven will never allow such a thing to happen, therefore twins continue to merge and siphoners continue to be born into the coven."
"So, Kai could've broken the curse on the Gemini coven…"
Qetsiyah nodded. "But the coven would never allow that to happen."
"So, to stop him, they killed six children, gutted Josette like a fish, blamed the massacre on an innocent young man, and sent him to a prison world where he's been since 1994?"
"They also ensured no living being knew the truth of what happened and attempted to rescue Kai."
Bella sighed. "So, every member of the Gemini coven believes Kai is guilty and a psychopath. But," she smiled, "because you're on The Other Side, you know the truth."
"As do Mother Nature and The Fates. And to say they are upset would be an understatement. Kai is the rightful leader of the Gemini coven. That was his destiny. But now he's trapped…"
Another sigh escaped as Bella nodded. "And I'm guessing you're telling me this because you want me to rescue him?"
"That is up to you, little flower. The Fates and Mother Nature are big on free will. If you do not wish to save him, that is your choice. However, if you try to rescue him, you'll likely face the wrath of the entire Gemini coven. You'll also need to find the ascendant. That is your way in and out of the prison world. Both prison worlds have one."
Bella sighed again. "But you don't know where the ascendant is, right?"
"No idea," Qetsiyah shrugged. "It could be anywhere. But luckily, there is plenty of time to rescue Kai, if that's what you wish. I would recommend harnessing your power before you go up against the Gemini coven. You saw what happened to Isabelle. I do not want that happening to you."
Bella nodded.
She didn't want that either. But she also knew, one day, she'd save Kai from his prison and help him take down the Gemini Coven. There was no way she'd leave those bastards alive after what they did to Isabelle and Alice.
･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.
"What happened to Alice after Isabelle's death?"
"She went to live with Jasper's mother, Beatrice," Qetsiyah answered as the screen came to life once again.
୨୧
Beatrice Whitlock stood beside the grave, holding Alice's small hand, as they lowered Isabelle's casket into the grave beside Jasper's. His grave was empty, but she still hoped that they'd find his body one day. Then she could reunite the couple.
"It's okay, my darling," Beatrice said, lifting Alice into her arms. "Your momma has gone up to Jesus…"
Alice looked over her shoulder, where her mother was standing, watching over her. She didn't tell Meemaw what she saw. Momma had told her all about The Other Side. It was a place witches went after death. Maybe someday momma would go to heaven, but for now, Alice found comfort in her mother's presence.
୨୧
Alice wasn't the same after her mother's death. Beatrice knew it wasn't normal. Somehow, Alice's mind was stuck. Even as her body grew, her mind remained the same seven-year-old little girl. Sometimes, extreme stress or heightened emotions caused her to regress to an even younger age.
William, Jasper's father, wanted to send Alice away, but Beatrice wouldn't hear of it. Alice was all she had left of Jasper. She refused to let the little girl go. No matter how odd she was.
Beatrice believed—though she never expressed her thoughts to William—that Alice must've seen something terrible the night of her mother's death.
That wasn't hard to believe. When she arrived at their home, the front yard was littered with bodies torn to shreds. The grass was stained red with the blood. It was an awful sight, one that Beatrice couldn't get out of her head. She hated to think of what her little grandbaby had seen that night.
Whoever these people were, they'd been intent on killing Isabelle and she'd put up one hell of a fight to protect her daughter. Her beautiful body was broken and bloodied. The sight of the once-beautiful woman was horrifying.
And worse yet, Beatrice found Alice curled up next to the bloodied body of her mother, sobbing and screaming for her to come back.
No. Beatrice wasn't at all surprised Alice's mind had broken that night.
୨୧
"Alice's mind broke because of Isabelle's death…"
"It's worse than what Beatrice knew," Qetsiyah explained. "Alice hid as Isabelle told her to, but that night, her visions manifested for the first time. So, even hidden, she saw everything and probably a lot more…"
Tears trailed down Bella's cheeks. Sniffling, she plucked a tissue from the box. "She saw everything. The battle … all that blood and death … people being blown to smithereens and ripped to shreds … and Isabelle's sacrifice to ensure Alice was safe…"
"She likely saw more than that," Qetsiyah said gently. "With her visions manifesting while she was so young, it's hard to say what she saw that night beyond her mother's death. She could've seen what the Gemini coven planned to do to Isabelle, what they planned to do to Alice, and possibly even what Jasper was going through as well. You know how her visions work. She sees the path someone is on while they're on it, but every decision leads to a new vision. Imagine being seven years old and seeing what the Gemini had planned for her mother…"
"The Fates couldn't have done something?"
"No. The Fates are there to advise, guide, and support. They are not a quick fix to every problem. Some things in life happen for a reason. And some things happen that even The Fates can't interfere with or fix."
"Does that mean Alice was destined to have visions?" Bella asked.
Qetsiyah nodded. "Despite her broken mind, her visions have helped to guide her and keep her safe, as well as warn Jasper of potential dangers. She's saved his life many times over the years thanks to her foresight. It is a gift that weighs heavily on her small shoulders, though. And, from what I've seen, it is a gift she would gladly give up…"
Bella frowned. "Could I do that for her? If it's what she wants?"
Qetsiyah smiled brightly. "You're a witch, little flower. There is not a lot you can't do!"
"Except find Jasper," Bella sighed. "Isabelle couldn't do that…"
Qetsiyah tilted her head toward the screen. It flashed and flickered, and then she saw Peter. Jasper was lying on a bed, his uniform ripped and his shirt covered in blood. There was blood smeared on his face and hands. It looked like he'd been shot.
୨୧
"You come highly recommended," Peter's eyes turned to the small woman standing in the doorway. Her long black hair cascaded down her back. Eyes the color of onyx shifted between Peter and Jasper. "Can you do what I've asked?"
The woman nodded. "Of course I can. But I do not do magic for free, vampire. There is a price. And it'll cost you dearly."
"I'll pay anything."
"Not money. I want a favor. No questions asked."
"Fine." Peter agreed. "He'll wake in transition soon. I want it done before that happens."
She nodded and moved over to the bed. "Why exactly do you wish to do this to him?"
"My baby brother married a witch. A powerful one. She won't be pleased he's become a vampire. I know how your kind feels about vampires. He'll be safer if she can't find him."
Again, she nodded. "It won't stop him from wanting to contact her, though. I can't change the love he'll feel for her or his desire to be with her."
"You're a witch, there must be something you can do…"
"Perhaps a memory alteration spell," she mused. "It wouldn't change his bond with his wife, nor would it take his love away, but it would make him more amenable to whatever you tell him…"
"Do it."
The witch smirked. "As you wish, vampire."
୨୧
"Peter had the witch cloak Jasper and altered his memory just enough that Jasper believed his brother when he explained the danger you would be in if he contacted you again," Qetsiyah explained. "The cloaking spell was powerful, too. Isabelle didn't have enough power to break it, not on her own."
Part of Bella understood why Peter had cloaked Jasper. He was doing what was best for his brother. He couldn't have known what would become of Isabelle or that she was pregnant with Alice.
But the other part, the part that wasn't so forgiving, wanted nothing more than to tear into Peter's flesh and make him pay for keeping her husband from her and altering his memory.
Jasper was a grown man. A married man. He could make his own decisions!
What would her life have been like if Jasper had known about Alice? Yes, he was fighting in the war at the time of her pregnancy, but at least he would've known about his child!
She understood why Jasper went to war. She didn't blame him for leaving her to fight for their safety and the safety of so many others. That was the life they lived back then. The war was brutal and Jasper was young and healthy. If he wasn't so noble and left of his own free will, the army would've taken him.
At least he would've been able to come home to her. He would've received her letters and known about her pregnancy.
Even if Peter turned him, he didn't need to take Jasper's choices away. He didn't need to manipulate him.
If he'd returned as a vampire, Isabelle would have accepted him and loved him. And maybe then she wouldn't have died. He would've been there to help her with the Gemini coven. They could've run together. They could have fought together. He could've met his daughter. Even if Isabelle had still died, he would've been there to raise Alice. And maybe, maybe her mind wouldn't have broken.
Bella sighed, conflicted. She was thankful that Jasper was alive, but furious that Peter had kept him from her.
"Does Jasper know Peter cloaked him so Isabelle couldn't find him and altered his memory?"
Qetsiyah shook her head. "Not yet."
Bella nodded.
She knew there was nothing they could do about it now. But that wasn't the point. Jasper was a grown man when he transitioned. Peter had no right to interfere in his life or make decisions on his behalf. Isabelle could still be alive today had Peter not kept Jasper from his family. Alice could've grown up with both of her parents and a mind that wasn't shattered. The more Bella thought about it, the angrier she became.
"Has Peter done anything else I should know about before I kill him?"
"He doesn't know Alice is Jasper's daughter. He believes, as does everyone else, that she and Jasper are a mated couple."
"That's what I thought." Bella nodded. "But why lie?"
"Jasper knew if the world believed he was single, it would put Alice in danger. He wouldn't allow that. So, instead, he told Peter and anyone else who asked that she was his soulmate."
"That didn't confuse Alice?"
"No. She went along with it to protect her Daddy. She'd already seen half a dozen females attempting to seduce him and then lashing out at her when he paid them no attention," Qetsiyah explained. "Her mind fluctuates. It isn't cut and dry. Sometimes she comprehends things no regular seven-year-old could, and sometimes she doesn't. She's also very good at acting the part of a teenager. But it takes its toll on her, and sometimes…"
"Her mind slips back into the seven-year-old mindset," Bella nodded. "I noticed that, too. She could be perfectly fine one moment and then she was an entirely different girl who wanted to play dress up, color, and show me her teddy bears."
"But you never said anything?"
"Edward told me she'd been in a mental institution before she became a cold one," Bella shrugged. "I just figured this was Alice, and if she wanted to color and watch Disney movies, I wasn't about to object or question her. No matter what, she was my friend…" she sighed. "Or, I guess, my daughter…"
"Neither she nor Jasper knew that before today, though. They weren't keeping it from you. The Fates blocked their memories so that you'd all be safe."
"Safe from what?"
"Those who wish to do you harm…" Qetsiyah answered. "It was also to keep Jasper sane. When he became a vampire, if The Fates hadn't stepped in, he would have remembered his past life with the Mikaelsons and his time on The Other Side with his mother. It also helped to block out some of the pain he felt when he lost you."
Bella frowned. "The pain?"
"You are his soulmate, Bella. When he was human, the bond between you was incredibly strong. But becoming a vampire magnified that bond. Once he heard about your death, the pain alone should've been enough to cripple him. The Fates stepped in and ensured he lived so that he could care for Alice and, when it was time, find you again."
୨୧
Jasper raced through the night. The words of the old witch echoing in his mind.
"You have a daughter, vampire. She's in grave danger. You must return to your hometown if you wish to save her from the fiery fate that awaits."
A daughter.
He could hardly believe it.
He had a daughter.
Mary-Alice Jasmine Whitlock.
His beautiful Belle had perished to protect their child. According to the witch, she still watched over their child. It was her—or rather her spirit—who contacted the witch and asked her to warn Jasper.
He wasn't sure who was after Mary-Alice or why they wanted to harm her. He knew Belle came from the Gemini coven and that they'd wanted to kill Nora because she was a siphoner.
Was his daughter a siphoner, too?
Or did she have magic like her mother?
The witch couldn't tell him. She only urged him to hurry.
He pushed himself faster and faster still.
.
..
…
By the time he arrived in Houston, the full moon hung high in the sky. He could see the flames of a pyre a mile away. As he drew closer, he heard the piercing screams of his child as the crowd cheered. His mother was on the sidelines, being restrained by an unknown male. She was begging them to stop. To have mercy.
The male holding Beatrice Whitlock slapped her. With a cry of pain, she fell to the ground. The man stood over her and spat in her face.
He was the first to die.
His mother let out a shrill scream when she saw him. "Jasper!"
He didn't stop to make sure she was safe.
Mary-Alice was tiny.
Four feet tall at the most. She looked malnourished. Her hair was lank, trailing down to her waist like a muddy brown river. Her deep, chocolate eyes were blank, dead.
The sight of her was enough to bring out his most primal beast. The roar that ripped through the town square echoed into the night.
"Vampire!"
"There's a vampire!
"A vampire!"
"Kill the vampire!"
Somehow, and he wasn't sure how, their spells—though shouted at him from all directions—failed. Something was blocking them. He could only hope that maybe, just maybe, it was his Belle keeping him safe.
At vampire speed, he raced toward his daughter, ripping her off the pyre and setting her down beside her grandmother. Then he turned his attention to the townsfolk.
No human survived that night.
The Gemini coven was once again ripped to shreds.
The streets ran red with their blood.
Limbs were torn from bodies.
Blood dripped from Jasper's mouth as he sank his teeth into throats and ripped heads from shoulders, tossing them aside.
His hands gripped hearts, ripping them from the chest of whatever bastard crossed his path.
By the time he was done, he was drenched in the blood of his daughter's attackers.
Behind him, Mary-Alice was screaming and crying for her momma. Jasper could only imagine that his Belle was with their little girl, soothing her as best she could as a spirit.
"She's dying!" Beatrice wailed. "Son, she's dying!"
He raced over and lifted Alice into his arms. Her legs and hands were burnt. Her clothes were in tatters. There were bruises and scratches all over her little body.
"My angel…"
He tore his eyes from his daughter to look over at his mother.
"You came back," she whispered.
"I'm not an angel, momma…"
Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Angel. Vampire. You're still my boy."
Jasper's eyes widened. "How…"
"Your wife was a powerful witch. Your daughter is a siphon. I'm no stranger to the supernatural world. Now, you must go. She isn't safe here anymore. Take your daughter, my son. Heal her and love her."
Jasper shook his head. "And you, momma? You can't tell me you're any safer here than my daughter." He shook his head. "No. I won't leave you here where you're defenseless."
He carefully lifted Mary-Alice into his arms, grabbed hold of his mother, and whisked them away to the family farm. Mary-Alice wouldn't last much longer without his blood. Even with his blood, he wasn't sure she'd survive. Her injuries were severe. Her legs and hands were the worst. Even if she survived, he wasn't sure his blood could fix those injuries.
.
..
…
"Where's Pa?" Jasper asked, brushing his fingers through Alice's long hair. He'd given her his blood, but she wasn't healing as quickly as he'd like.
"He died ten years ago," Beatrice answered, her eyes never leaving Alice. "Caleb, Thomas, Walter, and George are all married now. Caleb and Thomas keep the farm going. Walter is a writer. He and his wife went off to Dallas about five years ago. We don't hear much from them. George and his wife just had their fourth little one. I barely see them anymore."
"And Clara Beth?"
Beatrice shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. "We lost her six years ago…"
"Oh, momma." Jasper took his mother's hands in his.
He was about to say something when Alice began to cough and sputter. He tried feeding her more blood but, for whatever reason, it wasn't helping.
"Don't let her suffer, son," Beatrice whispered, tears filling her eyes.
Jasper shook his head. "I can't. If she dies now with my blood in her system, she'll become a vampire like me…"
Beatrice took her son's hands. "There are worse things to be than a vampire."
With tears in his eyes, he pressed a soft kiss to Alice's forehead. "I love you, sweet girl."
Quickly, Jasper snapped his daughter's neck and, unable to hold back any longer, he collapsed onto her belly, sobbing for his daughter and his lost wife.