[ACT TWO: HYPNOTIC]
music for this chapter//:
unholy -sam smith
The following weeks since Matt's funeral had been quiet and somber. But anyone could say that had to do with the fact that Natalia Mikaelson left town.
No one really knew where she had gone, only that she had skipped town with her brother, Kol.
Not even her twin, Klaus, had anything to say other than good riddance. At least someone had finally gotten rid of that sniveling human. However, he couldn't say such things vocally.
Because Ellana felt differently.
Things seemed tense between the couple. So much so that Ellana had moved back home with the Sheriff and Caroline, and had mostly refused to speak with Nik, upset with him for not stopping his murderous sister or bringing her to justice like she asked.
They saw the situation in vastly different opinions.
Nik didn't think his sister had done wrong, since she had been openly provoked first.
Ellana believed Natalia to be a conniving bitch with no ability to have a soul.
To say they were at odds was an understatement.
Nik particularly disliked noticing how Ellana and Elijah were growing closer in their relationship's distance. He would often find them at the Grill together having a drink, but when he approached, Ellana would actively ignore him. Now, he was bored and pissed. And because of this distraction, he had been careless...
It was on a fine Friday afternoon, while he was downing his sorrows in his study when he received the grave call from the compelled guard.
"The coffin's been emptied."
This was when all hell broke lose.
Mommy don't know
Daddy's getting hot
At the body shop
Doing something unholy
Natalia delighted in the cheers and the eyes on her as she spun around on the pole, and whipped her hair around. The mini dress she wore could barely contain her body as she swayed her hips to the beat of the music. Her hands on the pole over her head, as she outlooked the crowd with the most mischievous smirk.
Men and woman were gathered around the stage grinding on each other, most of them watching her dance as though she were a goddess.
She knew that somewhere in this crowd was her brother, Kol, wreaking havoc somewhere in one of the private rooms-more than likely luring whoever sad sap he could to eat them. He was having fun and she was having her own.
When Kol and Natalia had skipped town, they traveled wherever they pleased to have the fun that Kol desperately missed out on in his time in the coffin. She catered to her little brother's every whim, and he rejoiced in spending some time with his charitable big sister. Kol had invited Rebekah, too, but the blonde had declined by throwing a vase at Natalia's head. Still quite upset with the older for killing that human. And so, Kol and Natalia had decided to go off on their own adventures.
Natalia wouldn't dare speak a word of the truth to her reasoning on going off with Kol. Sure, she did delight in spending some time with her brother. But she also needed this trip desperately.
Anything to get her mind off a certain, blue-eyed Salvatore brother. The same man who always found a way to get under her skin in the slightest of ways, intentional or not.
Like the last time when they saw each other, the night on the balcony. Try as she might, but she couldn't forget how he had been dealt with two choices; kill her or spare her. Not only did he spare her, but he had kissed her.
He had kissed her as though he had needed her in that moment, to remind himself what it felt like. And she didn't know what to make of it then. Nor did she want to know.
Natalia was perfectly content being wild and chaotic in her own madness.
While Natalia was dancing there, drunk off of both alcohol and blood, she found one of her hexed lackies stepping up onto the stage and leaning in closer to whisper in her ear.
"It's taken some time, but we found the one that you asked for," He told her.
Natalia stopped dancing to turn to him, already growing excited. "We mustn't keep our guest waiting," She told him in response.
The werewolf walked down the steps of the stage, then held out his hand for her.
Natalia took his hand, using it to descend down the stairs. Her eyes flashed red, and the crowd mindlessly parted for her. She walked through them with other hexed beings coming out from the crowd to stand behind her. Her own army, easily built by hexing them with not only magic but also respect.
If they weren't hexed to be controlled, but to be stronger. She lent them power, vampires, werewolves, and witches, and they all followed her because of it.
Natalia lead the way towards one of the private rooms. She could hear the grunts of someone fighting back, and the curses they were throwing at her lackey's. Which only amused her more.
Kol peeked his head out of the room next door, bloody lips and all. "Sister, what are you going?" He asked her, half-naked and messy hair.
She waved him off. "Go back to your fun, Kol, while I tend to mine," She ordered.
Kol smirked at her, before going back into the room and slamming the door shut. The screams from the inside of his room being drowned out by the music.
Natalia entered the private room, finding the group surrounding the woman.
"Get off of me! Do you know who I am?" The woman snapped, pissed beyond belief. Her back to the door, and thus, she couldn't see the Mikaelson standing behind her.
"Leave us," Natalia spoke loudly.
The woman froze in place.
The lackey's all glared at the brunette angrily, some with wounds from battling the woman. Before making their leave.
The last to leave closed the door behind them, leaving the two woman alone.
Natalia watched as the brunette slowly turned around, and the wary eyes turning into actual fear for a brief moment. Her posture growing tense.
"Natalia," She gulped.
"Hello, Katerina," She taunted back, head tilting to the side with such wonder and hate mixed into one, "Been a long time since I've seen those judgy little eyes."
Katherine Pierce-the woman let out a heavy sigh, glancing over her shoulder for the door.
Boldly, she tried to race forward to escape.
However, Natalia caught her by the neck, and easily threw her down into the ground.
Katherine let out a grunt of pain. Her eyes widening with panic. She thrusted her hand up to grip Natalia's neck, too, but try as she might to squeeze her neck, Natalia looked largely unfazed and even laughed in her face.
"Now, now. There's no need to be so hostile, Kitty-Kat." Natalia climbed over her to straddle the woman under her. She released Katherine's neck, but her eyes still glowed red as she used her magic to bind Katherine's hands on the floor over her head. And she took great joy in watching Katherine grow actually worried at the situation she found herself in. "I just want to have a little chat with an old friend," She taunted.
"Is all this really necessary, then?" Katherine grunted, looking at the red restraints on her wrists.
The two women glared at each other coldly, moments passing by.
Then...Natalia began to smile, and Katherine's lips curved up as well.
When the magic dispersed, Katherine launched forward and threw her arms around Natalia's shoulder. "You crazy bitch," She murmured.
Natalia giggled, and hugged her back. "Me? I had to create an army just to find you. No phone call, no text. I was beginning to think that my brother had actually gotten to you," She joked back.
Katherine pulled away from the hug, giving her a slight roll of her eyes. "Oh, please. You're the reason Klaus never found me. Though, I wish you would have ditched him long ago so you and I could have had some real fun."
The two women stood to their feet, still holding hands as they looked at each other happily.
Natalia couldn't help the various fun ideas that came to her at just the sight of her long friend. Oh, they did know how to have fun.
Katherine took a deep breath, relaxing visibly. She squeezed the other's hands comfortingly. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but we haven't spoken in over a century and I'm a bit busy. What did you need from me?" She asked knowingly.
"I've had a run-in with that precious doppelganger of hers."
"Ugh, Elena Gilbert," The brunette rolled her eyes with annoyance, "I could do with never speaking of that precious princess ever again. She's like a thorn in my side that I can't get out."
"Precisely the choice of words I'd use. Now, I need you to do something for me." Natalia sighed heavily as she rounded the woman, thinking and frowning at the same time. "I have vowed to myself to make her life a living hell after she made an attempt on my life. I killed that human boy who's infatuated with her-"
"Oh, no, not Matty-blue eyes," Katherine tsked.
"-Which was only the start of my reign of terror. I need someone who can play both sides. Someone they won't expect to align with them." Natalia turned her dark eyes to the woman.
"And because they know about Klaus and my history, they'll never expect me," Katherine realized the woman's intentions. Her face growing grim. "Nat, they'll kill me if they get the chance."
"You're a survivor, Katerina, and you know how to play your parts well. Do this for me, help me bring down Elena Gilbert..." Natalia stepped toward her, "...And I'll grant you a favor. Whatever you want."
Katherine's face filled with hesitation. "Do you even know what it is that I want?" She asked.
Natalia shrugged. "Name it."
She realized that the Mikaelson woman was serious. And her features began morphing into sudden excitement. Having an original, let alone the Original Darkling, granting you such a favor would be amazing. To have anything, anything in the world. She would be a fool to pass up such an offer.
Katherine looked away for a few seconds, slowly smiling. "I want Stefan," She decided.
Natalia raised a brow. She would have thought the woman would have hoped for something a little more than just a man. But to each their own. "Deal, you can have him once-"
"And Damon, too," Katherine suddenly added, which made Natalia freeze, "I want it to be like back in 1864. The three of us together. I know that you could hex them to be mine, for the rest of eternity. That's my price, the Salvatore brothers to be mine."
Natalia's heart shrouded with anger. She hid it well behind a facade of stoic. Her eyes casted down to the ground.
She thought about Damon, for a long moment, imagining hexing him to be Katherine's. Of realizing that once the deal was done, she would never feel his touch or lips again. Would never hear his voice say her name in that way that she liked.
Damon would never be 'selfish' with her again.
Natalia didn't say anything for a long few moments, before her eyes lifted again to meet Katherine's. Her lips pressed into a firm line. "Deal," She whispered.
Katherine's eyes brightened. She trusted Natalia, and she was already planning a long future in her head.
"When do we start?"
That night, Natalia had decided to end her night earlier than Kol and head out. After Katherine had left, it was obvious that there was no turning back. The deal had been made, and all that was left was to see this plan through.
She hated how her heart had felt heavy ever since then. Like there was guilt for something that shouldn't matter to her.
Was it guilt? It had to be. She had just given away Damon's life as though it was hers to trade.
Or, was it something else? Something more?
To clear her thoughts, she stood out of her hotel room balcony, staring out at the view with little interest. Over and over again, all she could see in her mind's eye was the memory of Damon kissing her on that balcony.
Her phone rang.
She sighed heavily. Not even bothering to check the caller ID, before she answered and put the phone to her ear.
"What?" She growled tiredly.
"Talia, where are you?" Nik's worried voice asked her.
"With Kol, as I have been." She checked her nails. "Have you finally decided to skip out on your mistress and have some real fun?"
"You need to come back to me, immediately."
She frowned to herself. "I'll come back to that sad town when I feel like it, Nik-"
"This is not a game, Talia! It's empty!"
At that, her blood went cold. The panic in her brother's voice made her realize quite quickly what he was referring to. And she leaned up straighter with wide eyes and panic flowing through her veins.
"What is empty?" She whispered, fear drowning in her tone.
She only heard Nik's heavy breathing on the other end.
"Nik, what is empty?!" Natalia yelled, voice cracking.
It took a long five seconds of nothing, before finally, Nik spoke the words that she hoped to never, ever hear.
"Father's tomb. Elena and her friends released him."
Natalia's eyes immediately watered. The phone falling from her hands while she shook her head in denial. The clatter of the phone hitting the ground didn't faze her, as she walked back into the room and felt like the world was spiraling into hell as she stood there.
Those damn idiots had no idea what they just unleashed. The monster.
The man who haunted her nightmares. Her father.
Rage, fear, horror, all of it bottle inside of her as she closed her eyes from the memories of her past coming back to her. His angry words, his vicious stares, his brutal attacks.
Natalia couldn't even hold back.
She let out a scream of pure rage. Her magic blew from her like wildfire, blowing back all the furniture and breaking the lights on the chandelier over head. The fire in the fireplace blazing out high.
Her sobs followed as she dropped to her knees, already hugging herself as she screamed again, but this one was one of pure fear.
Mikael wasn't going to just kill her and her siblings, but he was going to terrorize them in every way he possibly could beforehand.
thoughts?