laissez les bon temps rouler//jackson kenner

1.11

For centuries, people have come to New Orleans looking for a fresh start. Looking to find adventure, fortune, and even love. Young society women imported from France with the promise of marrying a proper New Orleans gentleman like the legendary Casket Girls.

The story starts in the 19th century. Three French women were traveling by horse and carriage, accompanied by a driver and a male chaperon. Little did they know that the men who awaited them were far from proper, and not at all gentle.

The carriage carrying the three women stopped as they approached a group of men with torches and alcohol in the middle of the road who were blocking their path. The men were shouting as they swarmed around them and shook the carriage. The women screamed until the shaking stopped, when the sound is suddenly replaced by the shouts of the men outside.

They looked around, frightened and confused. The man inside the carriage slowly opens the door and looks around at the devastation of the deceased and bloody men scattered on the ground.

Afraid, he tried to retreat back into the carriage, but was quickly pulled back out by an invisible force. After a moment, the carriage door opened, and Bekah and I appeared before the woman.

I still remember trying to calm the terrified women. "There, there little lambs, all the bad men have gone away. You're safe here, please forgive the disorder. Us girls have got to stick together. Now, is there anything you want to take with you?"

Bekah and I helped the women out of the carriage and retrieved their trunks from the back. Afterward, we all abandoned the carriage and the carnage and fled the scene with their belongings, including their wedding dresses.

Today the city is buzzing with the excitement of the Casket Girls Festival. Women are all dressed in vintage wedding dresses. I smile as I look at the people below.

The Casket Girls legend lives on, now celebrated in typical New Orleans fashion with stylish costumes and supernatural flair. It's a yearly reminder of how women can be oppressed by selfish men and how they can triumph when brave enough to fight for themselves.

I head inside to go check on Hayley. Elijah decided it was best for her to move into the compound. Of course Elijah made it well known that if anyone were to harm her they would face the full wrath of the Mikaelson family. Nik wasn't at all thrilled by the idea, but I think he could tell our brother was fond of the wolf girl.

I find Hayley in her new room. She has a few journals laid out on her bed. I walk in and pick one up. "Are these Elijah's?"

Hayley looks at me hesitantly before nodding her head. "I found them in a trunk at the plantation house."

I smile at her. "You are really falling for him aren't you?"

Hayley starts to blush. "What? I barely know him."

I laugh. "Yet you spent a day in the Bayou with him, while he was suffering from a werewolf bite."

Hayley looks at me. "A bite that you gave him. I was there because you and Klaus left him to fend for himself."

I shake my head slightly. "Hayley, if you are going to live with this family you will quickly understand that my siblings and I don't always do what is right. We fight and we hurt each other, but at the end of the day we will be there for each other when we need it the most. Always and forever."

"I never had siblings so I really wouldn't know. I was adopted when I was young. Once I triggered my curse my adopted parents kicked me out. I've never had a family really," Hayley tells me.

I smile slightly. "Well you do now. You have my siblings and I and I am going to help you find your family in the Bayou."

"How am I supposed to do that if I can't leave this house?" Hayley asks.