The Original: Book 4

Chapter 22

"Nik and I had...a moment while we were in Mystic Falls. He can be a little rough sometimes; he was just caught up in the moment," I told her, pulling my arm from her grip.

"It looks really bad. Are you sure you didn't break something?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, I guess I could have. Would my side be hurting if I did?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, then, it's very likely that I did because this definitely doesn't feel good," I commented, wincing at the twinge of pain in my side.

"Why didn't he give you his blood to heal you?" She asked incredulously as I pulled my hair up.

"Because I didn't tell him," I stated nonchalantly, leaving my room. Hayley was hot on my heels.

"Why not?"

"He already felt terrible for hurting me, I didn't want to add fuel to the fire by revealing just how bad it was. Look, I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt that bad, okay? I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Yes, you will. Once you get Elijah to heal you," she stated firmly and I stopped at the top of the stairs, turning to look at her.

"I don't need him to –," she cut me off by calling Elijah over.

"What is it?" He asked, looking between us as I rolled my eyes.

"Hayley seems to think I need you to heal me, even though I told her I'd be okay," I explained.

"She may have broken a rib or two and has a bruise the size of Russia on her back," Hayley contended, crossing her arms over her chest. "Show him."

"What? No!"

"Just do it! Maybe he can figure out if you broke something," she asserted and I huffed, turning around. I pulled the top of my dress down just far enough for him to see the bruise, making sure to keep the rest of me covered. His fingers gently prodded along the bruise and my ribs. I bit my lip, trying not to cry out in pain. His fingers hit a spot that was especially tender and I clenched my eyes shut, unable to stop myself from yelping.

"Well, you definitely broke something," Elijah stated as I pulled my dress back up. Turning around, I sent Hayley a glare, seeing the 'told-you-so' look on her face.

"I said this once and I'll say it again: I'm fine."

"No, we need you at full status if we're going to find Rebekah and Niklaus," Elijah proclaimed, unbuttoning and rolling the sleeve of his shirt. He bit into his wrist, holding it out to me. I sent them both a glare before grabbing onto his arm and pressing his wrist to my mouth. After a few gulps, I pushed his arm away, cringing in disgust.

"Happy?" I asked rhetorically, looking over at Hayley, who nodded. "Man, blood doesn't taste nearly as good when you're human."

***

"Anything?" Elijah called out as he walked into the compound. Marcel was talking to the police chief, but looked over at his entrance. The chief nodded, walking away.

"They're putting eyes and ears out everywhere. Day-walkers are working every contact we got. Cops, dock workers, guys in the Tremé. Word is out," Marcel reported. "Anyone trying to earn favor with me gets a lifetime of it if they find them."

"What about you?" Elijah asked, moving over to the table I was at.

"I've tried the locator spell six times and I've got nothing. I've even tried channeling both Nik and Rebekah, but the witches are blocking me. I don't know what else to do," I declared, frustrated.

Elijah nodded, looking away, "I need a pen and paper." My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he started walking away. Marcel and I followed as he walked down the hall to the office.

"Am I taking orders from you now, or are we in this together?" Marcel questioned as Elijah stripped his jacket off.

"Pen and paper, Marcel. Now."

"Look, I want her back just as much as you do, you know. Both of them." Marcel turned away to grab the pen and paper as I watched Elijah pull off his tie. Unbuttoning his shirt, he called out for Hayley, who entered the room a few seconds later. She stopped in her tracks, eyes widening as she looked over at him. My eyebrows furrowed and I moved closer, examining the words on his chest, arms, and back.

"What is happening?" She questioned.

"I need you to make a list of these names, please." She nodded, coming over and inspecting them as I had.

"Elijah, what is this?" Hayley asked him as I reached out to touch one on his shoulder blade. It was smooth, not raised like a tattoo.

"I believe they represent the names of the women that Celeste inhabited for the past two centuries." Marcel came over, holding a pen and pad of paper, which he gave to Hayley.

"It's called a devinette. Its old school, kind of a riddle," I replied.

"Witches use them to teach their kids. Solve it and it disappears," Marcel chimed in.

"Why? What's the point?" Hayley asked, looking between the three of us.

"Celeste forced me to make a choice between yourself and my siblings, and now she means to mock that choice, taunting me with a childish game. The longer the game, the more they suffer." I bit my lip, trying not to think about what Nik could possibly be going through. "To find Niklaus and Rebekah, we need to solve this riddle. The solution lies somewhere in these names," he stated, looking down at them.

"The name next to Sabine – Annie LaFleur. She's a witch that was shunned from her coven just over a year ago," Marcel conceded. "Never knew why, but I can find out."

So there's that. These next few chapters might be a bit dull, so fair warning.

What's the weather like where you guys live? Mine's kinda crappy. Windy and raining.

My character and her story are of my own imagination. They belong to me and nobody else. Please do not steal. Copyright 2017/2018.