The Original: Book 4

Chapter 1

Sitting against the side of a crypt, I let out a deep sigh, nervously playing with my fingers. I knew Nik was in town and I had done everything I could to stay away from him, which meant hiding out in this cemetery all day. Hearing the front gate open, I froze, listening intently. It was quiet for a moment before I heard a familiar voice. "I suggest you start talking. What did your sister want with Niklaus?" My eyes widened as I stood from my seat. I hadn't expected Elijah to come to town as well.

"Isn't it obvious?" I answered, moving out from my hiding spot. "We have a vampire problem and we need help." Elijah's eyes widened slightly, seeing me there. "Hello, Elijah."

"Ellie, I thought you were –?"

I cut him off, "I was, but not anymore." Elijah's lips lifted into a smile as he stepped forward, wrapping me in a hug.

"That's all that matters." He let go, staring at me for a moment longer, turning away when Sophie spoke up.

"Marcel has an army backing him. The witches have been trying to fight back. We haven't had much luck until my sister, Jane-Anne, met a girl. A werewolf passing through the Quarter from a small town in Virginia." Elijah's eyebrows furrowed as he listened to her. "She had a special...connection to your brother."

"What kind of connection?"

"Apparently, they spent some time together."

"After my death, of course," I added.

"One thing led to another and now this special werewolf girl, she's pregnant, and the father of the child she's carrying is your brother Klaus." I noticed Elijah's eyes flicker over to me briefly, but I kept my gaze on Sophie.

"It's impossible," Elijah stated and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Nothing is impossible, not when it comes to Nik."

"Think about it. They call him the hybrid, right?" Sophie turned slightly, calling over her shoulder, "bring her out!" Hayley came around the corner, surrounded by a small group of witches.

She looked over at the three of us, her eyes landing on Elijah, "who the hell are you?"

Elijah took a few steps forward before turning to Sophie, "give us a moment, please." She nodded and started to walk away, the other witches following her. I could see the confusion on Hayley's face, mixed with nervousness, so I went over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. Elijah's a friend, he won't hurt you." She nodded and I gave her a soft smile, leading her into the crypt Elijah had just gone into. She took a seat on the stone bench as I stood against the wall by the entryway.

"Have they been holding you here against your will?" Elijah asked her, pacing.

"They lured me out to the Bayou and grabbed me. Then they did all these weird, witchy tests. Not that I understand how this could happen. I mean, vampires are dead. They can't have children," Hayley revealed.

"Perhaps if you knew my brother's story, it might explain how this is possible," Elijah commented, moving over to where she sat. He reached a hand out to touch her temple.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, her eyes flickering between his hand and his face. She glanced at over at me briefly and I nodded my head once to let her know it was okay.

"If you open your mind to me, I can show you." Elijah sat on the bench in front of her and reached his hands out again. Hayley stayed where she was, allowing him to touch her. "In the beginning, our family was human." I stopped listening, having heard the story before, only tuning back in when I heard Hayley speak.

"Your dad was a dick," she said and I chuckled. "I'm Hayley, by the way." She held her hand out to Elijah, which he took. "You should probably know my name if you're gonna tell me your whole life story. I mean, I know yours. Your family is legendary. Your brother is a notorious psycho, who I slept with, classic me."

I chuckled again, "well, at least you're not alone."

"I cannot excuse his behavior, but you must understand that our father hunted him – hunted us for centuries. Every time we found a moment of happiness, we were forced to flee, even here in New Orleans where we were happiest of all," Elijah announced, having started pacing again. "Not long after Niklaus broke the spell which prevented him from becoming a hybrid, he defeated our father." I cringed at both memories; back-stabbing Elijah and getting stabbed in the back with a dagger by Mikael. "I wonder if, perhaps, this baby might be a way for my brother to find happiness, a way to save him from himself."

"I'm glad you feel that way because we need your help," Sophie stated as she walked into the crypt.

"What, precisely, is it that you want, and what does it have to do with this young woman?"

"We want to run Marcel and his vampires out of town," I started, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Klaus is the key. Everything Marcel knows about being a vampire, he learned from Klaus. Marcel trusts him, looks up to him. He won't see the betrayal coming," Sophie finished.

"Yes, well, as I'm sure you're aware, my brother Niklaus doesn't like to be told what to do."

"That's why you're here. Marcel drove the werewolves out of town decades ago. Do you really think he's going to welcome a hybrid baby to the neighborhood? Convince Klaus to help us and no one has to know about the newest member of the Original family."

"That sounds remarkably like blackmail," Elijah commented, his eyes narrowing.

"Like I said, I'm desperate." Elijah left a few minutes later to go find Nik as I led Hayley away from the crypt.

"You're being awfully quiet," Hayley commented, glancing over at me as we walked. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, "yeah, I'm fine. Just nervous is all." I paused, taking in a breath. "It's been three months since I last saw Nik. And that was when I was dying. He doesn't know I'm alive." We came to a stop at a bench, both of us sitting down on it.

"It'll be a bit of a shock when he finds out."

"Says the woman carrying his love child." We both laughed, releasing some of the nerves in my body.

"Do you think he'll be upset?"

"Oh, of course he will." Seeing the nervousness return to her face, I grabbed her hand, "hey. I won't let him hurt you. And neither will Elijah, okay?"

She nodded, "okay."

Here it is! The first chapter!

Things may be a little confusing right now, but things will be explained later. Promise.

My character and her story are of my own imagination. They belong to me and nobody else. Please do not steal. Copyright 2017.