Bad Blood {The Originals}

New Orleans

Third Person's P.O.V.*

Mississippi River, 300 years ago

        The moonlight shone down on the river as two men watched the darkened silhouette of what appeared to be an abandoned ship out on the waters.
        "What do you make of that?" one of the men asked the other quietly.
        "No banner, no flag. Floated in out of nowhere. A miracle ship," the second man answered his companion in a calm and collected voice, looking over at him.
        "Why is it just sitting out there?"
        "Suppose we ought to find out,"
        Soon after their conversation, the two men arrived at the abandoned ship with a three more men for back-up, and, after not seeing anyone aboard, made their way below the deck. Most of them carried a lit lantern for light as they stepped down the wooden step ladder, one by one.
        "Where in hell is everyone?" one of the men, who was also one of the two who noticed the ship and proposed that they investigate it, asked incredulously as he looked around with a frown.
        "Deserted. Which makes everything in the hold legally forfeit," another man, who was also one of the men who first noticed the ship, replied, before looking back at their companions, "Take what suits you," he said, and the men each gave a slight nod, before separating as they went in search of something valuable. The two men who first noticed the ship stayed together, and only a few seconds later one grabbed the other by the shoulder, pulling him to a stop, "What do you make of that?" he repeated his question from when the first saw the ship, and the other man followed his gaze to where they could both see two dark-wood coffins layed out side by side, each with a golden crest on the lid, "Open it up," the first man ordered one of their crew, and the man obeyed, pushing the lid of the coffin on the left open, only to reveal the body of a young, handsome man with dark brown hair, his skin grey and desiccated, a dagger in his chest.
        "What the hell?" the second man gasped as he stared at the body with wide eyes. Suddenly, there was a whoosh behind them, and one of the crewmen was pulled back, disappearing into thin air. There was another gush of the wind, and the two men whipped around as they heard their other companion cry out, only to see him be pulled into the shadows and also disappear. The last remaining crew member stared at the other two men with wide eyes, before he was also pulled back.
        The two men looked at each with wide eyes, and the first immediately ran to the ladder, breathing heavily in fear. However, as he started to climb up the deck, he was was also pulled up and he, with a cry, too, vanished. The last remaining man gasped as he heard a whoosh behind him, and whipped around with wide fearful eyes, but didn't see anyone.
        "Hello," came a feminine voice with a British accent from behind him, and he whipped around with a gasp, only to see a beautiful young woman dressed in a fine gown with blonde hair, her eyes red with dark veins showing underneath her eyes.  The man watched with wide eyes as she took out a handkerchief and wiped a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth as her fangs and veins disappeared and her eyes turned to a beautiful cerulean blue.
        "Lovely to see such a handsome face after a long journey," another feminine voice with a British accent came from behind the man, and he whipped around with a startled gasp, only to come face to face with a stunning woman with dark brown hair and light blue eyes. Her lips were full and lightly colored, and her skin looked as though made out of porcelain. "Can I eat him, brother?"
        "I'd rather you didn't," came a masculine voice from the man's right, and the dark-haired woman frowned prettily. The man stared at her for a moment longer, almost in trance, before finally looking to his right where the male voice came from, only to see a handsome dark-haired man with dark brown eyes. He stood with sophistication and elegance in his stance, a slight smile on his face, "There's no need to be afraid," he said, before taking a few steps forward and looking into the man's eyes, "You'll do exactly as I say. You'll remember nothing," he said as his pupils dilated.
        "I will remember nothing," the man repeated.
        "We've had a very long journey, wherein which, unfortunately, we lost all of our crew. Therefore, I would ask you to kindly transport our belongings to the shore," the dark-haired man said.
        "What kind of hell demons are you?"
        "We're vampires, darling," the dark-haired woman said in a melodious voice, making the man turn to look at her. "The Original Vampires - Annah," she gave him a nod, "Rebekah," she gestured to the blonde woman, "Elijah," she nodded to the dark-haired man, "Our brothers Kol and Finn - may they rest in peace," she said as she glanced at the two coffins.
        "Are we saving the best for last?" a male voice with a British accent echoed, and the woman, Annah, rolled her eyes.
        "And our half-brother Niklaus," she said finally as she turned to look at the opening on top of the ladder that led to the deck, everyone else following her gaze. There, they saw another young man with blonde hair, scarlet blood staining his lips, dark veins underneath his red eyes.
        "Ignore him; he's a beast," the blonde woman, Rebekah, said as she stared up at the man, Niklaus, who laughed, revealing his fangs, before throwing the corpse of the man who first noticed the ship they were now on down the ladder, and they all watched as it feel to the floor with a thud.
        "We fled Europe and survived the seas. Would you rather I arrive hungry on the shores of our new homeland?" Niklaus asked, looking at Rebekah with raised eyebrows.
        "Niklaus, your manners are, as always, without equal," the dark-haired man, Elijah, stated, making the human turn around to look at him.
        "Sir, would you be so kind as to tell us where it is that we have landed?" Annah asked in a flirtatious voice as she stepped forward, batting her eyelashes at the human, who swallowed thickly as the tried not to get lost in her blue eyes.
        "The French colony of Louisiana, off the shores of a town they've named New Orleans," the man answered.
        "Well, thank you so much," the dark-haired woman smiled at the man sweetly.
        "Oh, I do recommend that you find yourself a little assistance for the luggage," Elijah said, before his eyes traveled to the side, "My sincere apologies," he said to the man with a smile, before turning around and climbing the ladder after Rebekah.
        "I do apologize for my siblings," Annah said as she stepped forward, "They can be a bit discourteous at times," she said, before trailing a hand up the man's chest, smirking subtly at the hitch in his breathing as she neared her lips to his, "Perhaps you'll let me make amends," she said in a whisper, before pushing him back gently with her hand on his chest until his back hit the nearest wall.
        She inched closer, and the man started to breathe heavily. She smirked as she heart his heart rate pick up. She leaned forward as in to kiss him, and the man's eyes unwillingly fluttered close. Annah smirked, and her eyes traveled down to his neck, where she could hear his pulse. And then, just as the man expected her to kiss him, she bit down on his neck as her fangs piercing his skin. The man cried out in pain as his blood flowed down the woman's throat, and she kept a firm hold on his shoulders to keep him from escaping her hold.

        "So what brings you both to the Big Easy?" a blonde bartender asked her customers as she served them their drinks.
        "We used to live here," Elijah answered with a small smile on his lips.
        "Really?" the woman asked, her green eyes sparkling with interest.
        "Oh, it feels like 100 years ago," Annah said, just barely hiding her smirk as she took a sip of her bourbon, seeing Elijah's lips twitch upwards from the corner of her eye.
        "I just moved here myself. What brought you back?" the bartender asked curiously as she tilted her head to the side.
        "Well, our brother is here somewhere," Annah said.
        "Yes, I'm afraid he might have gotten himself into a bit of a bind," Elijah added as he looked down at his drink.
        "You say that like it's a common occurrence," the blonde woman said.
        "A common occurrence as common as the sunrise," Annah murmured before taking another sip of her drink, Elijah chuckle lowly as the bartender looked at her with a small, amused smile.
        "Well, he's complicated," Elijah said.
        "Defiant, ill-mannered, temperamental..." Annah elaborated, before looking at the blonde woman in front of her, "Give me a month and I'll get you a list," she said, making the woman bite her lip to stop herself from chuckling as Annah smiled.
        "See, we don't share the same father," Elijah began. "Of course, that never bothered me or Annah, but our brother resents it deeply, never felt like her belonged. All told, he has a long history of getting himself into trouble,"
        "And I'm guessing you, both of you, have a long history of getting him out of it," the bartender said, and the siblings nodded with small smiles. "What kind of bind is your brother in?"
        "He believes there are people in this town who are conspiring against him," Annah said boredly as she took another sip of her drink.
        "Wow," the blonde woman said, "Narcissistic and paranoid," she mused out loud, making Annah tilt her head in interest as Elijah leaned forward. "Sorry. Bartender with a grad degree in psychology, total cliche,"
        "Listen, Camille," Annah said as she glanced down at the bartender's name tag. "We're looking for someone who might shed some light on his predicament. She works here - Jane-Anne Deveraux. Any idea where we might find her?"
        "No. But I know someone who might," Camille replied, and Annah leaned forward in interest.
        "This 'someone' have a name, sweetheart?"