Versatile | Elijah and Katherine's Daughter [Book 1]

Chapter 45: I Don't Want To Feel This Pain

3x2

[Elijah, holding Hope in his arms, and Adela is holding Katerina in hers. They are desperately making their way through the Bayou in search of Hayley]

ELIJAH: [frantically] HAYLEY! HAYLEY!

ADELA: Hayls!

[Elijah, looking concerned, continues walking through the woods, stopping when they come upon one of the steel-jawed animal traps, which is both covered in and surrounded by a huge puddle of blood. Elijah and Adela gulp nervously and considers this for a moment before a familiar voice calls out from behind him. It's Jackson]

JACKSON: [angrily] Where is she?

[Elijah and Adela spin on there heels and look at Jackson in surprise. Jackson is naked, covered in blood and hiding behind a tree, both to help support himself and to give him some modesty in front of Elijah, Adela, Katerina and Hope]

JACKSON: Where the hell is Hayley?

[Adela realizes that Jackson is panting heavily and looks down to find that Jackson's leg is seriously wounded from being caught in the trap and is bleeding severely]

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[Elijah and Adela have placed Hope and Katerina in the twin stroller, where Hope is restlessly fidgeting and Katerina was noticeably sad. Adela was sitting in front of her trying to cheer her up and distract herself from the pain she was feeling. While Elijah uses a butter knife from the picnic he had set up earlier in the day to pry one of the bullets from the hunters' assault rifles out of his shoulder. Jackson hisses and groans in pain when Elijah finally frees the last one, and once he's finished, Elijah rolls up his sleeve and offers him his wrist, albeit reluctantly]

ELIJAH: Take my blood.JACKSON: [rolls his eyes] I'm good. We need to find Hayley.ELIJAH: [sighs] There's still no sign of her.

[He lowers his voice, looking grim and unhappy]

ELIJAH: [quietly] I've seen the bodies.JACKSON: [sighs] Hunters set up traps all over the Bayou. Mowed us down with gunfire. Any wolf that wasn't taken out scattered.

[Jackson winces and looks down at his gunshot wound, gritting his teeth and clearly dreading his next statement]

JACKSON: Elijah... how many bodies?

[Elijah, not unaffected by the thought of all the dead wolves, looks away from him, silently answering Jackson's question. Jackson, momentarily stunned by this revelation, tries to keep it together and pauses to think]

JACKSON: A trap wouldn't hold Hayley after she turned back.

[Jackson looks over at Hope, who still looks restless and is staring at them curiously]

JACKSON: Nothing would stop her from seeing that little girl. Something's wrong.

[Elijah starts to pack up his things, and Jackson turns to look at him in confusion]

JACKSON: Where are you going?ELIJAH: To take my niece and granddaughter home. Then, Adelina and I will continue the search. You stay here, you tend to your dead.JACKSON: [cuts him off] No! No. I got five hours 'til I'm a wolf again. Elijah, she's my wife.

[Elijah nods in understanding]

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[Klaus is on the balcony outside of his bedroom, drinking a tumbler of bourbon, when he suddenly senses that he is not alone. He doesn't even need to turn around to know that Jackson, Adela and Elijah are behind him]