edited
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Dawn of the eve crept through New Orleans. The sun was setting ever so slowly along the horizon, casting many vivid patterns in the sky, making it seem restless and alive. Mixtures of purple, green, orange, blue, yellow, and red shone through the thick trees of the usual lively town.
But right now, the town was anything but lively. In the main square was a large group of vampires in a wide circle, a single figure in the middle.
A girl with the brightest green eyes was sprawled out in the center of the chaos. She had cuts and bruises all over her body, and to recently add to that, a newly broken leg.
The small amount of witches in the town had formed a small group in the square. They were yelling at the vampires, one main one at exact. But they were only defending their kind, for the injured woman in the center had not used magic, nor committed treason. But only two of those witches known that she indeed had. And those two witches were also to blame for the weapon that they and the injured girl were creating against the vampires.
A small but striking woman with the most intimidating scowl on her face approached the crowd, fury dancing in her eyes. The vampires turned their heads in response to her alluring scent, their lust for her blood overwhelming their senses. But they would not hurt her, and if they had, Marcel would have them killed. By his own hands.
She stomped furiously through the crowd that had formed around her friend, slapping away at the hands that had reached out to touch her skin. She walked faster as her friend finally appeared in sight, only to be stopped by a tall and dark skinned man that blocked her way.
"What are you doing here, Jade?" He had stepped in front of her, his enormous height making it hard to see Morgan.
She sighed, not meeting his gaze once. "Please move, Marcel. I have no intention of wanting to talk to you or look at you. Ever." Jade spat out, very clearly not in the mood to deal with him. Marcel was strongly taken back by the vicious tone of her voice.
"You can't be here. Humans are not allowed to attend these... ceremonies. Ever." Marcel said, the corners of his mouth pulled up into slight smirk when he watched her face twist in revulsion when he called this a ceremony. The rest of the vampires laughed at his interesting choice of words. Except for the witches, and of course, Jade herself.
Jade's anger burned brighter as she glowered at him. The other vampires' laughter died down, the amused expression disappeared from Marcel's face. He seemed to be caught under the trance of a mere human, his eyes unblinking, never averting his gaze from Jade.
"Move." Jade simply said. Marcel obeyed her, moving to the side, revealing the sight of the crippled witch.
Jade's mood had shifted. Her pure anger was replaced by pure guilt.
She ran up to her dear friend, ignoring the stares she was receiving from the hungry vampires around them. Scooping her friend's weakened body in her arms, she let the tears fall from her eyes, holding her dear friend close.
Morgan opened her eyes, her heart breaking at the crying sight of Jade.
She smiled weakly at Jade, using her little energy to wipe away tears that escaped her eyes. Jade opened her eyes that were clamped shut, looking down at the fragile sight of her friend.
"I'm so sorry. I'll get you out of here. I promise." Jade choked out, her voice wavering at her last words. Morgan only shook her head, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Its not your fault. Its mine." She paused, coughing heavily, causing jolts of pain to reverberate throughout her body. Morgan ignored the pain, as she continued. "And no you won't. You will leave, right now. And if you don't, I will use force." She warned Jade.
"No." Jade shook her head, hating whenever Morgan did anything like that.
"Marcel. Take her. Please." Morgan pleaded with Marcel who had not moved an inch from his spot. Something snapped inside him, his captivating trance from Jade broken. He rushed at Jade in an instant, wrapping his arms tightly around her delicate frame. Jade shut her eyes, shaking at the touch of Marcel. She squirmed in his hold, fighting, clawing, kicking at him with all her might. He dragged them from the crowd before nodding his head at one of his men, giving him the order to finish off Morgan. He had stuff he needed to discuss with Jade.
Jade had stopped fighting, finally opening her eyes only to find herself in an alley. Alone. With the person she hated most in the world.
Marcel released Jade from his grip, only to get slapped across the face. His jaw tensed at the pain that left as quickly as it came. He looked down at Jade in frustration, rage very much alive in her eyes.
"I hate you. You lying, manipulating, disgusting monster-" Jade harshly spat out, venom in each word. She was cut off when Marcel had pinned her against the alley wall, his grip on her arms tightening in a deadly hold. Jade held back the scream from the pain Marcel's steel grip inflicted on her, biting her lip so hard that blood had broken through the skin.
Marcel had noticed the bleeding, but pushed the thought of hunger to the back of his mind.
"Jade. Do not make me-" He stopped mid sentence, noticing Jade's anguished expression, her eyes on the brink of tears. Marcel pulled back in an instant, unsure of the cause of her distress. It wasn't until he averted his gaze to her arms that he realized he was the cause of her pain. There were deep finger indents in each arm, the skin turning to a dark reddish color. Guilt replaced anger, as Marcel glanced at Jade with sorrow in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Jade... Forgive me.. I'll do anything." Marcel daringly stepped forward to Jade, his guilt-filled expression pleading with her. Jade winced, pushing herself back more against the wall, afraid that Marcel would attack her again. He stopped moving, waiting patiently for her to say something, anything.
Jade looked at him in the eye, licking away the blood that escaped her lips.
"Let Morgan go." She said, happy she had revealed Marcel's vulnerable state. Endless seconds ticked by as Marcel's body tensed.
"You know I can't." He said, frustration coursing through him.
"Then I will never forgive you." Jade paused, before adding a final statement that she would end up regretting. "No matter how hard you try to make me fall for you, I would never in my life fall for a monster like you."
Marcel's hand was suddenly at Jade's throat, lifting her in the air effortlessly. He squeezed her throat, cutting off her windpipe. Jade choked out a cry, clawing at Marcel's grip. He had then flung Jade to the opposite wall, her weakened body colliding hard with the brick wall as she fell in a broken clump on the ground. Her left arm was bent at an awkward angle, the bones in her back fractured.
Jade was pulled up again, barely able to stand on her legs, a cry of agony escaping her mouth. She was forced to look at his gaze, his eyes burning fire, his expression unreadable. It was this time that his monster emerged. He smirked, pushing Jade's black hair to her back, exposing her neck. She whimpered slightly, the torment throughout her body taking its toll. Scratches and bruises were visible from the impact of her body on the alley wall, blood seeping through her striped dress. Marcel's face was now mere inches from the vein in her neck, breathing in her addictive scent. Jade clamped her eyes shut, waiting for the sharp pain to come. But it never did.
"Now, that is no way to treat a lady."
-
Jade
A deep baritone voice saved me from the torture at Marcel's hand. I felt Marcel's sharp teeth graze my neck before he was pulled off me, by something stronger than him, I'm assuming, since Marcel was strongest vampire I knew. I fell to the ground, not having the energy and body strength to stay up on my feet. The burn and pain I felt in my body was the only thing that filled my senses. I opened my eyes, squinting through the rising darkness, wanting to see my savior before I possibly died.
"Are you alright?" He had said, his voice tinged with concern. When my vision adjusted, I realized I was looking at chocolate brown eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed in apprehension, his hand cupping my cheek.
I laughed, that small motion sending huge pains throughout my body.
"Obviously not." I replied to his question seconds after, averting my eyes from his strong gaze. I couldn't see his facial structures that well, for the sun had most likely disappeared off into the horizon.
His chuckle vibrated through the silence before he bent down over me. I winced, even more afraid of what this vampire was about to do to me than what Marcel had done. Speaking of Marcel, where had he gone?
I looked up at him, only to see that a somber expression had crossed his face. It was almost as if he felt pity for me, but of course he wouldn't. He's a vampire, vampires don't feel. Right? Unless this guy miraculously happened to be the nicest vampire in the world, of course.
"I wont hurt you. You have my word." He murmured soothingly before biting into his wrist, then bringing it to my face. I frowned at him, curious as to why he was being so warm and kind. I took his wrist, bringing it to my lips as I sucked in his blood. It was different from Marcel's; this blood tasted much more flavorful, like it was thick in nutrients or something. It felt like I was drinking something expensive and fancy, except in this moment it was blood. A few moments later I released his wrist.
And then he did something I would have never expected him to do, because it was another kind gesture after another.
He gently picked me up in his arms as I felt his blood kicked in, healing my body faster than Marcel's had. Usually I would freak out in this situation, being carried in the arm of a stranger vampire. But for some reason, I trusted his word. This vampire, for whatever reason, looked like a very honest and kind being. And to top that off, he was strong.
He rubbed my arm gently, as we weaved through the streets of New Orleans. The decorative lights were like a path throughout the town, and it really did look much more beautiful in the dark, like floating little fairy lights. I was tightly cocooned in this man's strong arms, as if he was sheltering me from danger. And I didn't mind because it was very comforting.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked him as he began walking the opposite direction of the town square.
"Somewhere safe. It seems to me as if you attract the attention of all the vampires here. Especially a specific one." He assumed, his gaze looking down at me, and then moving down to my neck. "I can understand why." He added, causing my heart to pick up pace just a bit.
"And there's.. Trouble right now in the middle of town. Nothing a delicate human like you would want to be dealing with." He said, his attention focused back in front of hi,. His words caused me to remember Morgan, probably being tortured and harassed by those.. Monsters.
"Put me down." I demanded, boldly looking at his amused expression. He was caught by surprise at first by my sudden request. And then he smirked slightly at me, but it disappeared when he realized I was serious
"I'm afraid I can't do that." He said, resuming the walk. I pushed at his chest, making him sigh before adding: "Don't do this, Jade."
"Then let me go. I feel completely fine now." I pleaded, also ignoring the fact that he somehow miraculously knew my name. Unless he was there watching my entire encounter with Marcel. And it is true; the blood of this man, for whatever reason, had already healed my broken and fractured bones, to the point where I only felt slight pain. My vampire savior stopped again, studying me with his intense brown orbs.
"Why?" He asked.
"My friend is in trouble. Please.. You have to let me help her." We stayed that way for what seemed like an achingly long minute, him staring at me with his narrowed eyes while I glared at him, a challenging glint in my eyes. When the minute had passed, he shook his head in defeat, a sigh escaping his lips.
"Fine." A huge grin spread across my face, making him smile slightly. "Under one condition." The smile on my face disappeared at those three words.
"You let me take you there. Stay by my side no matter what happens, and you will not get hurt. There is far more danger here now then there was before." He emphasized every word, leading me to realize that he was being as genuine and honest with me as possible. There was also a certain type of worry in his eyes that emerged when he spoke the last sentence.
"And that danger isn't you?" I shot back, hoping to offend him in a way. He only sighed, turning us back around and walking to the way of the town square. I was still held securely in his arms, making me realize that this vampire really did care.. Which caused a strange but relaxing feeling, knowing that someone else besides Morgan cared for me.
"Thank you." I murmured slightly at the man, gently resting my head on his rising chest. I felt him stiffen at first at my sudden action, but it disappeared as the sudden tension was replaced by him chuckling and cradling me in his arms.
"You are welcome, Jade." He replied. The thought came into my mind at how he knew what my name was when I didn't even know his. Had he seen the whole exchange that had happened between myself and Marcel?
"Who are you?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. He walked us for another few seconds before replying.
"Elijah."
I had heard that name before, read that name before somewhere. It was a very long time ago that I had heard it, when I was sixteen. Six years ago, when I had found an old and rusty book in one of my father's many possessions he had left behind. He was a collector, especially when it came to ancient books. I remember taking that book into my room that night, staying up the entire night to read that book from start to finish.
Something in my mind clicked that moment, the memory now appearing clear as day. I was reading a book about the Original vampires, of course I had thought vampires were all a myth back then. The book had told me about six siblings, five boys and one girl, how they had come here to New Orleans. And how the youngest of the siblings was murdered, how their own mother had turned them into vampires, how one of the siblings was part werewolf, and how they ran away...
The soft but deep voice of Elijah snapped me from my thoughts.
"Jade? Are you alright?" We had stopped, a lamp post shining above us now that the sun had totally disappeared beyond the horizon. My eyes met his worried brown ones, the strong and handsome facial features of him standing out in the light.
"I'm fine.. It's just that I had heard of that name somewhere before. I thought it sounded familiar." I stopped, Elijah's eyes beckoning me to continue.
Before I could open my mouth to continue my thought, screams of many men erupted through the silent air of the town. Mine and Elijah's gaze turned to the direction where the sound had come from. The town square.
A huge whoosh of air, and then sudden milliseconds later, I found myself and Elijah standing in the town square. Elijah had finally put me down on my feet, only to have him grip my arm, not too tight, as I watched him look around, a spark of worry in his eyes. Something was different, the atmosphere had shifted. Even Elijah felt it too.
I looked to the crowd of vampires that had still remained in their place. But they were all silent, all tense, their expressions of horror and nervousness proving that they were afraid of something in the middle of the huge crowd.
The sudden strong smell of blood filled my senses as I coughed harshly, blood escaping my lips. All their eyes had suddenly turned to me, it had seemed as if a flash of relief flooded their eyes, but disappeared back into hunger as they rested their disgusting gazes on me.
It was Elijah who had saved me from the silent and awkward stares of the vampires, wrapping his arm tightly around my waist as he held me close to his side, walking us through the crowd of vampires. I had seen him throw deathly glares at some of the vampires from the corner of my eye, as he led us forward until we reached the middle of the crowd.
I had not seen Marcel anywhere in the crowd, maybe he had disappeared or gone home? That didn't sound like him at all though.
My eyes landed on the man standing in the center of the crowd, making my thoughts of Marcel instantly disappear. The man was covered in blood from head to toe, his back to us. And the weird part was, he didn't seem to mind it. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying this. I crinkled my nose in disgust at the sight of him, as my eyes shifted downwards, resting on the dozens of vampires that were sprawled out dead under the man, their bodies lifeless. I couldn't helped but be taken back in surprise as I gasped, instantly regretting my decision when his head snapped in mine and Elijah's direction, meeting my gaze first and holding it.
He was dangerously beautiful. Even the blood that covered his body couldn't hide how beautiful this vampire was. In fact, the blood only made him look more dangerous. His slightly curled blonde hair was also coated in blood, but not as much as the rest of his body. The very well defined features of his face tensed tightly, his captivating and piercing blue eyes peering into my soul. I looked away from his gaze nervously, trying desperately to hide into Elijah, but obviously failing.
"Brother, we have just arrived back home and you have already created havoc?" Elijah had broken the awkward silence between myself and his brother. His brother? Was he talking about Finn, Kol, or Klaus?
"I don't mean to disappoint you, brother, but I had just saved the life of a witch that Marcel was going to kill." The brother replied very casually, a British accent evident in his deep and raspy voice.
The witch. Morgan.
Relief coursed through my veins.
"My little brother pities the life of some witch? That is most definitely the first." I had wanted to slap Elijah across the face at that moment, anger boiling within me. Elijah must have felt my discomfort, for he tightened his grip on me protectively, when in fact, he was only making me more uncomfortable. I looked up at his brother, noticing his gaze was focused intensely on me. He was studying me, a smirk forming on his lips, causing heat to rush up to my cheeks. I looked away nervously, biting on my bottom lip hard, but not hard enough that I would draw blood.
"Nevermind that.. Now, what do you have here, brother? A beautiful whore? Dinner?" The blue eyed vampire grinned, hunger twinkling in his eyes. I gasped at first, before shooting him an irritated glare. I was now pissed. I could take an insult, but how dare he call me a whore.
The next thing I knew, there was a big whoosh, and I was a few feet away from where I previously was with Elijah. We were now closer to the middle of the circle.
His brother was now standing at the spot where I had been mere seconds ago, his captivating blue eyes had changed into a harsh and bright yellow color. Even his golden eyes were so intense and as equally beautiful as his blue. But I can't let the beauty of this vampire fool me; he was a monster. Worse that Marcel, and I hadn't even spoken a word to him yet. If Elijah hadn't been here with me, I would have sure been a dead woman right then, falling prey to this new monster
"Do not lay a finger on her, Niklaus. She is not food." Elijah said, shocking me at the calmness of his tone towards his brother. So this brother was Klaus.. The hybrid. So he really is a monster.
Klaus sighed, his yellow eyes starting to disperse into his mesmerizing crystal blue. He shifted his gaze to me, a glint of a sudden foreign emotion flashing through his eyes, before he was back to that heartless glint.
As if the situation could have gone any worse, I felt myself being lifted from Elijah's grip. My body collided with the cold, hard cement, a painful crack erupting somewhere from my body. I couldn't tell where, for my body was on fire with the never ending pain. I felt my arm snap, my bone breaking, causing a blood curdling scream to escape my mouth. I was flipped around on my back, meeting the hungry eyes of Marcel. His head had whipped down towards my neck in lighting speed that I knew there was no way anyone could stop him.
But, like always, I was wrong.
Marcel was lifted off me by a dangerous yet beautiful blonde hair blue eyed Original, both of them disappearing from my sight at that instant. I let the tears fall, not from the pain, but from the mess I had brought myself into. The darkness started to form around the edges of my eyes, my loss of blood pooling all around me. The rapid motion of screaming and fighting vampires around me was happening, the ruckus making my head spin like crazy. I slowly let the darkness overtake me, feeling myself slipping into it.
Arms were suddenly around me, feeling the wind whoosh around me. I felt myself being lifted from the ground and away from the bloodshed. These arms were different, more feminine, but equally strong at the same time. I felt her heavy breathing as she fought to control the urge of my blood, but I knew that she wouldn't be able to control it. I was literally bleeding everywhere.
"Rebekah, no!" It was Klaus' thickly accented voice that filled my ears before I felt sharp fangs close around my throat, the world around me fading to black.