I WANT POPCORN.
AND THIS SONG IS PERF.
AND THIS CHAPTER BRINGS ON THE FEELS.
*Principal Voice* That is all.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter Sixty-One
It had been hours since the last bombs went off. It was dark now, and since the sun went down, more than a quarter of the people in that community had died.
Elijah and I had given our blood to anyone who would take it, but people were much more interested in getting my blood than his. I guess that having blood which was only part vampire was better than full vampire. They seemed to ignore that the other half was the blood of a witch.
Eve had died. Oliver had said that she fell asleep and didn't wake up.
And now, he was walking in a circle of people standing around the campfire. He was riling them up, making them angry and bloodthirsty. He was becoming the leader that those people believed they needed.
Hayley returned, and I was happy to hear that she was fine, as well as her baby. They didn't feel any after effects, which was good.
"You stayed," she said as she came up behind Elijah and I.
We both nodded to her, continuing to watch Oliver.
"What is going on?" she asked. "What is he doing?"
"He's making a move for power in the wake of tragedy," Elijah told her. "And he's not alone. There was another attack after you left."
"What?" she whispered.
"Jackson... He needs you, Hayley. They will want vengeance... Blood for blood. People won't want the best leader, they'll want the loudest. And right now, Oliver is the loudest."
She nodded slowly.
"He's in the dining hall. You should go see him," I told her.
She nodded again, and left us.
"You didn't tell her about Eve..." Elijah said.
"No, I didn't."
"Why?"
"Because I don't like to cause pain, Elijah. And when she finds out that I obeyed Eve's wish to not be fed my blood when I could have saved her, there is a very likely chance that she will hate me. I can't watch that happen."
"She won't hate you," he said. "No matter how hard she tries, she can't. I guarantee it."
I sighed, and bit my lip. "We should go."
He nodded, and so we did.
When we got back to the abattoir, Elijah and I went our separate ways. I could sense Klaus somewhere else in the city, and I knew that he was with Cami. They weren't at St. Anne's, though. They were at her apartment.
When I arrived, I met Klaus outside of the apartment building. He had been walking out, a saddened expression on his face.
"Klaus?" I asked. "Are you alright?"
He almost bumped right into me, and stayed silent for a moment before speaking. "Kieran is dead. So I allowed Marcel to be with Cami for twenty-four hours."
I nodded to him. "Good. That's the right thing to do."
"Elijah won't be happy with me," he sighed as we both made our way down the walkway, side by side.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," I said.
"You seem to do that a lot lately, Rose."
"Yes, I suppose I am," I said. "He needs me. Just as much as you do."
"You know, I often wonder what this family would be like without you in it," he said, the softest of smiles playing on his lips as he held his hands behind his back.
"Well, at least you won't ever have to find out," I smiled back at him. "Thanks to you, nothing can kill me except for that damned stake."
He chuckled. "And even if someone got their hands on it, no one would be able to get anywhere near you with it."
"Are you calling me a badass?" I giggled.
"Well, yes, and there is also the fact that ELijah will protect you with his life."
"You make it sound like we're a married couple," I smirked.
"I have a feeling that you will be, eventually."
"What?" I asked.
"You heard me," he smirked at me.
I rolled my eyes. "Alright. Let's just get you home."
Even as we walked, I couldn't help but notice the way that my heart fluttered when he spoke of Elijah and I. Maybe he was right. Maybe we did have a future together, and from the way that Nik spoke, we had his blessing.
Perhaps Elijah and I really do have a bond stronger than a friendship.
We both reached the abattoir soon after, and I saw Klaus smirk out of the corner of my eye when Elijah met us in Klaus' study. But his smirk disappeared when he remembered the situation. He pushed out the thoughts of Kieran's death, and instead, began to speak of the other things that had happened now.
"First Marcel's massacre, now bombs in the bayou. I assume you both are ready to give up this doomed treaty?" he asked, sitting down in his chair.
I bit my lip, then nodded to him.
"This alliance with the wolves..." Elijah said, walking forwards and placing a book down onto the desk in front of Nik. I didn't realize it at first, but it was their mother's grimoire. Klaus had been looking for it earlier. "If it is to succeed, I believe you'll want this."
Klaus smiled and opened the grimoire, as if he was checking to make sure that his brother wasn't tricking him. "I suppose I have Hayley to thank for your change of heart," he said.
Elijah walked over to a table, where there was an assortment of liquor bottles and a few glasses. He poured the drinks as he spoke. "The rifts in this city run far deeper than I ever imagined. These tribes, these factions... They're families, families who will choose to fight," he said, and handed us both the drinks he poured. "Mayhem has descended upon our home, and if I'm to choose a side..." he sighs, then raises his glass. "To our victory."
I clinked my glass against theirs, the anxiety coming over me like a wave. If this really becomes a war... Then I can't help but wonder who's side our family will fight on.
*
That night, I tried my absolute hardest to get some rest, but I couldn't. I didn't even have a reason for not sleeping. I wasn't as worried as I was before, and I felt relaxed.
But even so, I decided that maybe a glass or two of the bourbon in the living room might help me feel a little more drowsy.
I was walking when I heard an odd sound. It was like someone was rolling back and forth, and taking deep breaths while they did. But at the same time, the breaths were extremely laboured. It was like they couldn't breathe at all, and they were struggling to do so.
As I continued to walk, I realized where it was coming from. Elijah's room.
I ran over to the door, knocking on it. "Elijah?" I called out. "Are you alright?"
The sounds continued, and I opened the door. Elijah was laying on his bed, his hands clutching at the sheets so hard that his knuckles were turning white and the fabric was tearing. It was like he was trying to fight something. He was having a nightmare that he wasn't waking up from yet.
"Elijah!" I shouted, but he didn't wake up. So I ran over to his bed, placed my hands on his biceps as I shook his body. He was going to hurt himself if he kept this up.
When he still didn't wake up, I put my hands up to his cheeks and tapped them a little, and that really did it.
He gasped, his eyes shooting open as he took a deep and needed breath. His hands went up to mine, holding them tightly as he regained his composure. Beads of sweat still lingered on his forehead.
"Mikael," he whispered.
"What?" My eyes widened.
"M-Mikael," he said, slowly sitting up. I sat down on the edge of his bed, staying beside him as he continued to breathe quickly. "I dreamt of Mikael."
"Mikael is gone," I told him.
He nodded quickly, quick breaths still leaving his lips. "Yes, I know, but... It's as if his presence lingers around us all."
"You don't have to worry about him, Elijah," I told him.
"He could kill us all," he said. "If he ever returns, he will."
"He won't, I promise you that."
"How can you be so sure?" he asked. "He nearly succeeded the night that he burned down the opera house," he said, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Because I won't let him," I said.
He swallowed as he looked at me again, and he licked his lips. "If he ever comes back, Roseia, he will not come near you."
I nodded slowly to him. He was saying that he would protect me, and he would always stop Mikael. He knew that I didn't need protecting... But he offered it anyway, and it meant a lot to me.
"You should try and get some sleep, Elijah. You don't need to worry about Mikael."
He nodded, and I left his room soon after.
I knew that we would always protect each other, especially against Mikael. But I also hoped that we would never have to.