Davina's POV:
Calm down. It's fine. Everything is fine.
The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, I jumped in fright when I saw Josh standing room right outside the door, a very concerned look on his face.
"Davina! Oh my god, you're okay?"
"Yeah," I cleared my throat one more time, "It was just, um, just something stuck in my throat."
"Are you sure? I heard you-"
"Don't worry, Josh, really, I'm alright-"
The annoying ringtone of the phone and the vibrations it sent through the table made both of our heads turn to the left.
"Oh, right. It's probably him, he hasn't stopped calling ever since you ran inside the bathroom."
He kept calling me?
"Hey."
"... Darling! Bloody finally you answered. What happened there? And who was that person with you?"
I eyed at Josh and he turned away sheepishly. I knew he could hear my conversation with Kol and I was relieved to see him nodding and walking silently put of the room. Not that a thin piece of wood would actually stop him from eavesdropping, but still. The gesture was well appreciated.
"It's nothing, just an itchy feeling in my throat. All is well now."
There was a nervous silence on the other end of the line and I couldn't help but wonder why.
"Kol?"
"Love, I need to talk to you like I said. Immediately. Can you meet up with me right now?"
The fact that he sounded so eager, and not in a good way, made me feel slightly anxious.
"Yes."
"Good. I will send you where you will come to find me."
And before I could answer, he ended the phone call right there and then. What was up with him?
"Davina? Will you be alright?"
It was Josh again. He hesitantly opened the door with a guilty expression on his face. He knew that I was aware of his inhuman hearing skills and that was obvious.
"Yes, Josh. Thank you for everything."
"But I didn't really do anything-"
"Trust me," I smiled, "You did. Just by being here."
~ • ~
Kol's POV:
I was losing my temper more and more often lately.
And my ability to hide it, too.
My nervousness hadn't slipped by the bartender's keen eyes, who kept on glancing me suspiciously and my frantic tapping on the bar.
But hell, I was too bothered by my own thoughts to tell that man off.
Waiting for the little witch seemed like an eternity in those minutes I sat alone in the bar. It was as if her delay was happening on purpose just to intensify my already oversized paranoia, feeding on every tiny source of doubt. I did not encourage this type of behaviour, since usually I never had to get anxious over something of importance. But lately, Davina Claire had become herself that source of something.
She had all kinds of effects on me and she had no bloody idea about it.
"Hey."
Speaking of the Devil.
I cursed myself for turning around more eagerly than I actually planned, for failing one more time to control my composure. It was already too late to hide that stupid smile, especially when I saw her eyes staring back at me, unsuspected of the doom falling upon her.
"Little witch," I exhaled deeply and patted the barstool next to the one I was sitting on, "Take a seat."
Unsure as she was, the brunette witch slowly sat down next to mine. I raised my glass towards her, but she declined the offer.
"Kol, what's wrong? Why did you want to talk about the-"
"Don't say it. Not out loud."
She leaned back a bit, her eyes curiously darting around. Not quite as busy as it was at nights, but certainly it wasn't exactly the safest place to be talking about the current situation.
So I stood up, placed the money on the bar and looked at her.
"We have to go somewhere safe."
"Safe?"
I did not waste a second. Rushing out of the building and making sure she was still following me, I led us through the streets, while doing my best to keep at minimum Davina's endless questions about our destination. I know my silence was not making her feel any better, but I could blame my lack of trust for that. Even a small bystander could be a possible enemy in that bloody city, and I wouldn't risk it.
Not when it was about her safety, that is.
"Kol, enough. What the hell has gotten-"
Catching with the corner of my eye the sight of a deserted alley finally, I pulled Davina along farther away from the crowd squirming in the main streets.
One last time, I checked the around area. Still no one was around. Good.
"Close your eyes," I said.
"What?"
"Darling, please. Cooperate with me."
She frowned. I could tell her mood was only growing more hostile towards me, but then again, that was pretty much the case between us. So to offer at least some comfort to her oblivion, I placed my hand on her cheeks and rested my forehead against hers.
...
....
"... You can open them now."
And she did. As expected, she flinched at the sight of here new surroundings, taking in the silence dominating there, the choir of birds singing in their own rhythm and the wet leaves breaking under her boots.
"What on earth... where are we?"
Frankly, I found her reaction intriguing.
I chuckled softly, "Can't you tell?"
"A forest? But, how? We were just in New Orleans and now-"
"Oh, right. Haven't been in this side yet, huh?" I winked and looked around myself, taking the beauty of nature in, "We are close to the bayou. Have you heard of it before?"
She shook her head.
"It's where the werewolves live."
"So that's safer? Because it doesn't sound like it to me," she crossed her arms and scrunched up her nose, "Besides, it smells..."
"What?"
"... Nothing. It's nothing," she muttered and turned to me as she began taking the first few steps towards the path carved in the forest, "Anyway, can you tell me already? You're making me feel worried."
We took the few first steps of our little stroll around the vast forest, me and her, walking side by side.
Here goes nothing.
"The witches are coming after you, love. The Ritual is not over."
I couldn't yet define the tone of her voice, but it most certainly did not sound pleased.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Well apparently it is more complicated," I elaborated, "Four girls were supposed to die, but only three did. I don't know if you were aware of it, but the power of the girl that dies passes onto the next one."
"Yeah," she muttered, "I knew."
"The last girl that dies, who had gathered all the power of the previous ones, with her demise she would pass that on back to earth and to your ancestors. You were the last one, Davina."
Davina was looking down sceptically at our feet with furrowed brows.
"But I didn't die. So that means..."
"You have the power of three witches stored up in you, darling. And your body won't be able to handle it for too long."
She flinched.
It was almost as if she had just realized something and raised her eyebrows in disbelief, then relaxed her face in order to hide her reaction. A reaction I had already seen.
I couldn't tell if it was disbelief for what I had told her or because of something else. Something she wasn't telling me.
"And... What will happen to me?"
What indeed.
"Nothing that I will allow, that's for sure," I attempted to lighten up her mood with a grin as I came to a stop, too.
And surprisingly, it seemed to crack a bit her petrified mask.
"You won't allow?" she chuckled and tilted her head to the side.
"There might be a way to avoid the inconveniences."
Her eyes lit up in an instant, but they were about to die out again soon enough.
"Avoid? So, so I can get rid of it? All of it?"
I couldn't help but narrow my eyes.
"Regardless of the situation, why are you so eager to get rid of such power, Davina Claire?"
She looked away again.
"You don't know, Kol. I think now I understand those... bizarre small things happening to me lately."
"Small things?"
"It's... everything seems more vibrant. And... And you."
I slightly laughed, "Me?"
... But she didn't.
"You smell like death, Kol," she quietly answered, "And it's not just you. All vampires I've seen today smelled like that. That bar before we came here was bathed in this stench. And now this place, it smells... weird again. Smells like..."
"Wet dogs?"
She frowned, "Kind of."
Even under these dreadful circumstances, we both couldn't hide the smiles crawling up on our face. Well, at least mine didn't last very long.
"You said the vampires you saw today. Is one of them that other guy who was with you when we talked on the phone?"
"Yeah. He's Josh, I don't know if you remember him from your family's ball. Marcel sent him to check up on me."
She seemed to be holding back something she wanted to add, but I decided it was for the best not to press any further.
For now.
"Well, anyhow," I breathed in, deciding to drop the matter right there, "As I was telling you, there might be way to get rid of that power."
Suspicious as she was, the little witch gave me a side glance.
"And how do you even know that? Where did you find out about all this anyway?"
"A witch from the Quarter told me."
She was left speechless. Well, almost.
"A... witch?" she repeated the word with a look of disgust, "After everything they did, you trust they're telling the truth?"
"Oh believe me, love, I trust no one," I admitted, "But if there's even the smallest chance to get out of this situation, then I'll gladly consider it."
"And what is it that she told you I have to do?"
Davina was, finally, directly looking at me. There was no indication of fear or worry, no matter how much I searched in her eyes, and I admit that I would never get used to her reckless bravery.
"You have to complete the bloody Ritual."
"... Complete? You mean, I have to die?"
Davina huffed and turned around, ready to walk off. I grabbed her shoulders and stepped in front of her, tightening my grasp around them.
"No, no," I ushered, "Not permanently, at least."
"I'm not going back there, Kol! I don't care if it's permanent or not, I am not going to–"
"Darling."
Regardless of her brisk demeanor, Davina Claire still remained a woman. And I had luckily learned a handful of ways to calm down an upset girl in those ten centuries I had been walking on earth.
She didn't expect me to lean closer at that moment, especially when I placed my chin on top of her head and pulled her closer. She was completely stiff the whole time, but frankly speaking, I was more than comfortable when I sensed the heat of her body. The warmth of a human.
"Nothing is going to happen to you, because I will be there. And if one of those witches try anything funny, I will start cutting heads off."
I heard her releasing a heavy breath.
"And what if I don't come back?"
"It's either this or your certain death. So I think it's better to try everything before giving in."
There was silence for a moment. I was equally surprised with myself saying all that out loud, showing so obviously a hint of concern towards her.
"You promise you will be there? With me?"
I didn't care if my smile then was evident, though. She couldn't see it.
It was better if she couldn't see my face at all, to see how my thoughts were connected with my facial expressions.
"I'm never going away, Davina Claire. I thought we had established that already."
... I loved lying. But not to her.
She was courageous and very persistent. The little witch, however, hadn't completely understood the world she had walked in. I admit, it might have been my fault for not explaining in further details, because I was too greedy, too egoistical to think of her own good first. After everything that happened, how could I leave the only person I felt a bond with after so long?
... But I was aware, this was just a taste of what was about to follow.
So after the Ritual had succeeded, I had to make some drastic changes. For her, and for me too.
"Then I'll do it."
She took a step behind, wearing a cold straight expression when I looked at her face again.
"Just tell me when it must be done."
"The sooner, the better."
She straightened her shoulders and exhaled.
"Then tonight in the old cemetery. When the moon rises, be there."
~ • ~
"Bex, have you seen Nik?"
That was my first question when I spotted Rebekah ascending the stairs of our mansion, throwing me a nonchalant glance.
"Yes, he is in the library. But why are you–"
I didn't have time to waste on a pointless conversation with Rebekah, so I bolted upstairs, through the corridor and entered the room where I indeed found Niklaus sitting in, while reading one of his books.
He had acknowledged my presence the moment I had walked in the house.
"Funny how things change. Usually I'm the one asking where you are but, here you go, Kol. Making the difference."
"I don't have time for this, Nik. There is something important."
He cocked an eyebrow, without throwing a single glance at me still.
"Important?"
"You are already aware of what happend with the Ritual and the girls lately, and how Davina Claire was involved–"
"Easy brother," already tossed the book away, Klaus stood and approached me with furrowed brows, "Where is this coming from? I thought the witches' Ritual was done–"
"Supposedly it was," I breathed out, "But it seems that my and Marcel's intervention changed things. Apparently, the Claire witch gathered the spiritual power of the three girls that died before her. And that's killing her. The only way to get rid of that power before it consumes her, is to complete the Ritual. Tonight."
"By dying herself?" his tone was slightly off, as if a bomb about to explode.
And if that wasn't enough, we had a nosy creeper eavesdropping on us.
"She has to what?!" Rebekah's voice echoed from behind me and I already felt another burden piling up.
I rolled my eyes.
I hated when they did his.
"I can't even tell a secret, without having bloody everyone in here know about it!"
"You hot-headed nerve-wracking dimwit, stop complaining all the time and explain already! What do you mean Davina has to die?"
"Davina Claire?"
Elijah sudden appearance was the cherry on top, as he casually walked in with hands in his pockets.
"Bloody perfect," I murmured under my breath, annoyed at this clear waste of time.
"Kol, just tell us where the Ritual will take place," Klaus spoke up again, silencing the other two.
"In the cemetary, when the night falls."
"We can't allow Davina die like that. We need her alive for the rings."
My blood boiled.
It was always about his damm plans.
"Well let me tell you, brother, if she dies today for not completing the Ritual, then forget all about your grand plans with the werewolves."
Rebekah lifted her eyebrow at me, looking a bit conflicted. Frankly, I could careless what she thought about my defending the little witch, if it sounded like that to her.
Clasping his hands behind his back, Klaus was one step away when he cocked his head and gave me a crooked smile.
"Alas, Kol is back to his old self again. Rebellious, only because he wants to."
"You think this is about shenanigans, Nik?" I scoffed, giving a swift glance around me, "For once, I think I'm the only rational here. I'm stating the obvious and the only thing you have to say is I'm doing it for attention!"
"Then what is the reason you came here to tell me that? Concerned about the fate of the girl's life or our plan with the werewolves?"
There was a long, dead, almost anxious silence in the room. Not even Elijah and Rebekah dared to speak. It was another conflict between me and Klaus, another conflict that did not include them.
But Nik never stopped smiling.
He just kept staring back at me, quietly, amused. As if proud of his keen abilities to deduce or form his own stupid conclusion.
"Well, Kol? Where is your tenacity now?"
But what could I expect really?
"It just disappeared," I replied, "Along with my last shred of patience with you."
And simply like that, I left.
I was on my own, after all.
~ • ~
Davina's POV:
It was a hard task, explaining and talking Marcel into accepting the completion of the Harvest.
He was extremely against the whole plan, considering to be a sucide plan more likely. At first, I was afraid what he might have done. How he might react. Unsurprisingly, I was right.
After a heated argument, some chairs breaking and voices yelling, Marcel finally came to understand the situation, or maybe just went along with my plan. He insisted on never leaving my side, no matter what happened and to make sure no one else would try to intervene. Either way, I was glad he did not lock me up in the attic, like he first suggested to do.
It was hard, to be honest. So hard to pretend I was brave.
I had to seem like that, I had to persuade him that I was hopeful and calm. Truly, I wasn't. I found myself shaking at times while waiting for the hours to pass by, the image of the knife slashing through those girls' necks flashing in my mind every now and then. It was horrifying, the blood, the smell and the sight of it.
Marcel, however, did not need to know any of this.
So I put on my best act to look confident in my choice, optimistic about the result and brave. And maybe, if it was believable enough for Marcel, then I could believe for it to work.
I closed my eyes and sighed. I rested my head against the cool glass of the window, refreshing somewhat my burning cheeks and helping with my sudden headache. Just a little while. I had to wait in the attic only for a little while and then head to the old cemetery. Marcel had managed to get one of the witches he was working with in order to complete the Harvest.
"Enjoying your last final minutes?"
My eyes shot wide open at the stranger's voice. Cautiously I span around ready to confront the person who dared to walk in like that uninvited.
They better not be one of Marcel's vampires again.
What I faced though, was far from being expected. In the room was a strange guy, casually sitting on a chair with feet placed on the short table. A black hood fell over his face, hiding away from plain sight. His whole presence there, apart from being annoyingly laid-back for an intruder, was bizarre and out of place.
Another thing I noticed, was that he did not smell like death, like the rest of the vampires.
So that meant he wasn't one?
"Who the hell are you? And how dare you come in here uninvited like that?"
"Oh, don't be so boring, little girl. I was expecting more fascinating questions than these stereotypical ones."
I was left speechless by his insolence.
Little girl?
"You better have a very good excuse for sneaking in here, or else you're–"
"What? Are you going to shake me to death with your little cute earthquakes? Or start a mini blackout with your newfound power?"
What?
No, no way, he couldn't know, he was just a stranger, how could he...
... No. It couldn't be.
"You are one of them! One of those damn witches!"
"Oh just shut up and listen to what I have to say," he groaned, yes, he literally groaned in annoyance and stood up with his face still hiding under his hood.
I instinctively took a step back when he started approaching me.
I gripped my fists, ready to kick him out of the room myself, when he suddenly began talking again.
Honestly, I did not know why I put up with this kind of offending, ill-mannered guy. There was something very strange, yet something familiar about this guy. How could I have that kind of feeling though about a complete stranger?
"Before you start asking the expected questions, I will be brief. I know about your Ritual thing going on, and that you have to die in order to live and blah blah blah. But hey, listen up. After you come back from the dead and the whole ordeal is over, know that I'll come here again to find you."
Oh that's it.
"Get out."
"What?"
"I said get out!" I was losing patience and that must have been pretty evident due to my voice raising, "You, who doesn't even say their name, dare to come here like some burglar with that attitude and thought what? You could scare me off? I do not know how you learned about the Ritual, but if you don't leave, I promise I will tear you in shreds, right now."
At that moment, the headache worsened.
Everything went black for what seemed like an eternity, but was only for one second. I hated how fragile my temper was lately thanks to that unnecessary amount of power, especially at times like this.
I thought I had passed out for sure, when suddenly my eyes opened at their own will, only to meet a pair of blue ones.
The stranger's face was right above mine and I could finally see under that dark hood. A young man, probably around his early twenties, with a mischievous grin stretching from one ear to another, overly confident if I may add.
Soon after, I realized he was the one holding me by my shoulders, as if he wanted to keep me from falling.
"Hey, I need you alive, you know," he mocked.
Pushing him away as hard as I could, I silently glared at him, trying to somehow subside the anger in the process.
"Leave. Now."
"Not a single thank you? I just saved your ass and that's what I get?"
"Well you could get a free flight out of the window, if you don't leave the way you came."
"Such a coward you are."
"Excuse me?"
"You are a coward. And so... childish. Always having others running after you. Are you really that weak that you allow others come to rescue like that?"
I think this guy had passed the point of being frustrating.
He was exhausting.
Yet again, his words stung for a reason. Because they held some truth in them.
Who was he?
"... But you aren't completely useless. When I return, I'll have a deal to offer. I think it will much interest you, if you want to be more independent, little girl."
"That's it, you're–"
But just as I was about to get it over with this guy, a sudden phone call reminded me of my real problems, that the time had finally come.
My muscles relaxed and I found myself sighing in relief that I would get rid of the annoying stranger without wasting precious time or energy.
I looked up at him.
"You're lucky I'm in a hurry. By the time I come back, you'd better be gone."
And with that final statement, I rushed to the door, only to be stopped by his suspiciously low voice addressing me.
"Believe in the Ritual, Davina Claire. That's the only thing that can save you this time."
~ • ~
It was finally time.
Marcel was indeed waiting for me there and, a couple meters away leaning on one of the nearby tombs, stood Kol. The witch making sure to complete the Ritual was there too, waiting quietly yet nervously for something, or, as I soon found out, someone.
And then I saw them. Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah appearing from the shadows, blending in so well with the shadows of the dead night. I couldn't hide my shock nor my confusion on why they were there in the first place, and so glanced at Kol, hoping that he could somehow give me the answers I was seeking for.
And then, his familiar voice suddenly echoed in my subconscious.
I told them about the Ritual. Be careful, darling. Things are getting complicated with them.
Giving him a small nod, I suddenly jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"How do you feel, Davina?" Rebekah's worried tone was followed by a hug, something which caught me off guard.
"Honestly?"
She bitterly smiled, "Honestly."
"I am terrified," I silently breathed in her hair, hoping that the others wouldn't be eavesdropping despite their natural heightened hearing sense.
Rebekah pulled away, placing both of her hands and my shoulders.
"You don't have to. Because we're all here for you. Just, come back, okay?"
Yes, there was that trembling again.
I rubbed my forearms in order to stop them from shaking; I didn't need anyone to see that I was so shaken, even though I had just blatantly admitted that I was terrified. Well, that was not an excuse for me to show any weakness in front of these people. I hated to be seen like that, the way that stranger had called me just a while ago in the attic.
Glancing at the other two Mikealson brothers, I earned from each a single nod. Nothing more, nothing less.
The next minute, the Ritual had already began.
In the darkness of the night, the chilling breeze and the unwelcoming vibes of this cemetery did not really help with the fear creeping up my spine. I managed to distract myself by staring at the small flames of the candles scattered all over the place, the same way they were that night of the Harvest.
That blood-soaked night.
Have faith.
Believe.
Have faith.
Believe.
These words were stuck in my mind, as if by repeating them I would actually start believing them. I had to believe. I had to be brave. I had to make this work. I had to.
For me, and for those two people standing across me.
The moment the wit h stopped chanting, I know we it was finally time. The sound of the familiar metallic sound made me inhale sharply, holding in my breath for a couple of seconds. That knife. Yes, it was the same knife that had so brutally taken three other lives.
And that was about to take mine.
"Davina Claire. Do you believe in the Harvest?"
Silence.
My eyes met the witch's. Her gaze held no emotion, no sentiment, nothing indicating traces of a human soul in there. Her apathy to this critical situation only made me grit my teeth, making me believe I was probably just overreacting and it would not be that painful.
Well, I had to believe that if I wanted to come out of this alive.
If. Yes.
It was just a possibility, a hopeful outcome.
For a moment, my eyes wandered over the witch's shoulders and were struck by another piercing gaze staring back at me.
Kol.
His expression was unreadable, but I did not fail to notice how tensed his jaw muscles were.
And just looking at him, I recalled exactly why I had to make this work.
Why?
Because I wanted to see him again.
Simple as that.
"Yes. I believe."
A sound.
The first I thing I heard.
And a frightening numbness taking over my body, starting from my head.
I did not feel my head.
My torso felt cold.
I think I fell.
But I could not feel the pain of the fall.
I heard another sound.
It was voices.
Voices were unrecognisable, distant.
I felt alone.
And that scared me more than the thought of dying.
... No.
I heard something else.
More clear. More vibrant.
It was Kol.
... Kol?
No!
I want to go back! I need to go back.
I need to see him.
Why...
Why was I not waking up?