laissez les bon temps rouler//jackson kenner

1.12

Hayley, Nik, and I are with Elijah discussing our current predicament. Elijah is looking through an old book about witches. "The Italians call them strega. The Yoruba of West Africa call them aje, meaning mother. Where my mother was from, they called them häxa, and here we call them witch. Over the centuries, vampires have fought them and fought beside them, bedded them and burned them. Whether adversary or ally, they have been a force to be reckoned with. Their ancestral magic anchors this city. There's never been one all-powerful witch until Davina."

Nik smirks. "Who is now tucked in safe and sound down the hall under my protection. Your Celeste was quite beautiful and a portent of evil, according to our volatile artist in residence."

"Yes. Perhaps Davina's mistaken what she calls evil for power. Celeste was certainly very powerful in her day, but she's been dead for over two hundred years. I don't understand. Why all these sketches now?" Elijah questions.

I shake my head. "Why does any witch do anything?"

From the sounds of the yelling upstairs, Marcel has just arrived in Davina's room. I can hear something hit the wall and shatter.

"Well, that's going well," Nik states.

I groan. "She's mad at Niklaus, not me. Why did she need to break my vase?"

"If you were trying to win the girl's trust, perhaps poisoning her one true love was not the most splendid idea," Elijah offers.

"Oh. Are there any more inopportune deaths you'd like to wave in my face?" Nik asks.

"Give us a month. I'm sure we can get you a list," I say sarcastically.

Another vase can be heard breaking upstairs. I groan in annoyance. I understand Davina's frustration but she is breaking antiques up there.

"Young, old, dead, or alive, witches are a pain in the ass," Nik remarks. He gets up from his chair and heads out the door.

Elijah gives me a look and I nod my head before following Nik upstairs.

"Davina, Davina!" I can hear Marcel shout.

"Please will you stop throwing all my good vases," I say. I stop in my tracks when I see Davina on her bed throwing up dirt. "What in the bloody hell?"

Suddenly, the house begins to shake violently, as though it's an earthquake. I walk out of the room and onto the balcony. I see Hayley and Elijah standing across from me.

Bekah is standing in the courtyard looking confused. "What the hell is going on?"

Nik walks out onto the balcony standing next to me. "Davina."

Bekah rushes into Davina's room. I can tell that Bekah is growing fond of Davina, much like I am. I head to the living room with Marcel, Elijah, and Nik.

"This is madness. How can a 16-year-old girl shake the entire French quarter?" I question. I knew Davina was powerful, but I didn't know she was capable of this.

"I've seen her rock the church, but I've never seen anything like this," Marcel explains.

"How did you control her when she was in the attic?" Nik asks.

"I didn't have to. But then, I never killed her boyfriend," Marcel states.

Nik seems a little annoyed. "Yes, yes. We've been over this part already. The point is in her present state she's useless as a tool against the witches."

"She's not a tool," I remind him. "She's just a kid."

"Something's wrong with her," Marcel states.

"She has too much power that she cannot control. That much we already knew. But why is it manifesting itself in such an aggressive manner?" Elijah questions. He starts to walk towards the door.