April 4, 2010
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Compound
"They were wrong to keep you out of the loop, Poppy." Marcel told Mia, standing in the doorway of the bedroom he provided to the girl. She had told him everything, minus the whole vampire thing.
'Poppy' looked up at him, towel drying her hair as she sat on the bed, she had just taken a shower. She didn't say anything.
"Your nose looks pretty bad." The man stated.
"Yeah, hurts too.." She mumbled. "But unless you're a vampire with magical healing blood then it's something I'm going to have to live with it for a while." She smirked, half joking.
Marcel chuckled a bit, but wondered how she knew of vampires. Perhaps he was over thinking. "I don't think magical would be the correct term in that situation."
Poppy smiled, letting out a small laugh. "No, I suppose not." She then frowned a bit, in rememberance of her family back in Mystic Falls.
She missed him, Stefan. He raised her, but part of her didn't want to go back home. They, the brothers, kept her out of the loop, made her stay home or go to school. She got her information from Caroline during hangouts at the Grill. She despised it, it made her feel sick and unworthy..unwanted.
For the time being, she wanted to focus on her biological family, her father. She wondered what vampire would compel her, and why.
Marcel released a small sigh from his lips and crossed his arms, and it was then that Poppy realized she was no longer smiling.
"Sorry, I just-I-" she tried to find an excuse.
"Something tells me you know a little something of vampires." The man told her.
Poppy snapped her head up at him. "What do you know of vampires?"
Marcel chuckled and walked to her. "Sweetheart, I've been a vampire for a long time."
Poppy immediately moved her body back into the bed in fear. Her breathing quickened.
The vampire frowned. "I'm not going to hurt you, Poppy." He spoke before raising his arm to his lips, sinking his fangs into his skin. He pulled it away and held his arm out.
Poppy glanced at his wrist, taking small and quick breaths.
"Sweetheart, breathe, I'm only trying to help." He said calmly and softly, kneeling on the bed. He smiled a bit as Poppy brought his wrist to her lips and began drinking. He watched as she began to heal.
She quickly pulled away, disgusted by the taste. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because you're a kid, and I'm against people hurting kids." The vampire told her, grabbing a cloth and cleaning the blood from his wrist.
The pair remained silent for a few minutes, Poppy rubbing her hair with the towel, and Marcel watching out the window. The girl looked over at a piece of paper at the edge of the bed and grabbed it.
'Stefan and Damon are coming to get you. -Bonnie'
She let out a sigh. "Um, I guess my brothers are on their way..." She spoke, breaking the silence.
Marcel looked over at her. "Where are your parents?"
Poppy bit her lip and looked away. She only shrugged.
"Touchy subject, I assume?"
She nodded and looked at him. "All I know is that a vampire compelled me to forget them, then left me in the woods. Stefan, a vampire, found me and raised me. It wasn't until recently that I've heard word from my father."
Marcel frowned. "I know how that feels."
"How so?"
The vampire walked to the bed and sat next to her. "I was a slave boy, before I was a vampire. I was until one day a vampire named Klaus Mikaelson adopted as his son and raised me."
Poppy gave him a small smile, but it quickly faded. "Wait, did you say Klaus Mikaelson?"
Marcel nodded, confused. "Yeah, do you know him?"
"No, but is he by any chance related to an Elijah Mikaelson? An Original?"
After a few hours of a brief history of the Original Family, Poppy had one question in mind.
"If they're so...them..then why am I roped into Elijah's business? What makes me so special that I need to be protected?" She inquired to the vampire.
Marcel frowned a bit. "I guess that is something we need to find out. It wouldn't hurt to figure things out while exploring the city, would it?"
Poppy raised an eyebrow. "No, I suppose not."
Marcel smiled. "Good, get dressed in something other than pajamas. While we were talking I had a few people go shopping for you."
"Thanks." Poppy smiled, then frowned as he began to leave the room. "Marcel, wait. What about Katherine? The vampire who kidnapped me and brought me here."
Marcel gave her an assuring smile. "Don't worry about it, princess. I'm the king of the French Quarter."
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Streets
Poppy and Marcel walked down the sidewalk, looking around at the lit up streets. It was still nighttime, and yet the street was full of life. Music played, people laughed and danced, a man was painting furiously of the face of a man, a mere reflection of his true self. On the corner of the street was a violinist, her fingers bouncing delicately on the thin strings, the horse hair bow that was held by the tips of her fingers was dancing and sliding against the strings, resulting in a joyful sound.
Poppy often admired the violin. She loved the nature of it. She seemed to move towards the violinist, ignoring the rest of the nighttime activities. Marcel followed with a smile, a hand on her back to show to vampire bystanders that no harm was to come to her.
"I've always loved the violin." She spoke to the vampire in admiration of the woman, of the music.
Marcel silently opened his wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill and placed it in the woman's violin case. "Would you like to dance?" The vampire asked Poppy, who was watching the violinist.
Poppy looked at him. "Oh, I don't know how-"
"I'll show you." He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the street.
Gently, he pulled her close to him, placing her hand on his shoulder, and her other hand in his hand. He placed his free hand on her back, and swayed side to side to the music.
Poppy smiled, looking at him. "I've never danced like this before." She spoke.
Marcel raised an eyebrow and twirled her. "Then I guess tonight will be filled with a lot of new experiences." He smiled.
Poppy giggled as she twirled, being brought back to his body. She was filled with joy, forgetting her life problems for the moment. She glanced behind him at a man creating balloon animals. She smiled wider and looked at Marcel, pulling away.
"Let's get a balloon animal, come on!" She exclaimed, jogging over to the man.
Marcel stood his place and observed the man, taking note at how he was watching Poppy, and how he had been watching her since they arrived in the street.
"Marcel come on!" She called out, interrupting his thoughts.
He smiled and walked to her. "My apologies, sweetheart, just thinking."
"About what?" She asked as the man folded the balloon into a monkey.
"Vampire business." He said, looking the balloon man in the eye.
Poppy frowned, taking the monkey slowly and holding it close to her chest, taking a small side step closer to Marcel.
"Marcel...?" She spoke quietly, confused.
The vampire seemed to ignore her, watching the man. "You've been watching her. Why?"
"Because that's my job." The man spoke, his voice quivering a bit.
"Who's your boss? Because it sure as hell isn't me." Marcel asked.
"Elijah Mikaelson."
"Why does he want her watched?"
"I don't know." The man spoke, backing up.
Marcel let out a whistle, grabbing Poppy's arm gently and turning her around. He began walking with her. Poppy tried to look back, hearing noises of struggle, but the vampire kept her moving forward.
"Where are we going?" Poppy asked.
"We're going to meet a friend, you'll like her." He said.
Poppy turned her head back, trying to see what was going on.
"Don't worry about him, sweetheart."
"How'd you know he was a vampire?" She inquired.
"Because I could smell his lunch."
New Orleans, Louisiana
Rousseau's
Poppy and Marcel stepped into a bar, soft music playing.
"Marcel and his friend walk into a bar-" a female voice spoke from the counter.
Marcel smiled. "That joke will never be funny, Joy."
"Yet you still laugh every time." Joy smiled.
Joy appeared to live up to her name. Her smile was welcoming, and was enough to make anyone feel at home. She was beautiful, also. Her brown hair was waved perfectly, draped against her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep brown, and her skin was a light tan. She had a faint accent, which was hard to place.
Marcel sat down on a stool, and Poppy sat next to him.
"Just my usual this time, and a water for my friend." Marcel spoke.
"Sure thing." Joy said and she grabbed a glass. "What's your name?" She asked Poppy.
"Poppy." She replied.
"Have you been in New Orleans very long? Just here for vacation?" Joy inquired as she set Marcel's drink on a coaster. She filled a glass with water and placed it in front of the girl.
"No, just for tonight, possibly the morning." Poppy answered.
"Well that's still cool." Joy said. "Are you enjoying your stay?"
"So far, yes."
This caused Marcel to smile. He grabbed his glass and pressed it to his lips, swallowing the burning liquid. Bourbon. He listened as the two girls chatted.
Later that night, the bar was close to empty. Marcel was talking with Joy quietly, often letting out a laugh, and sometimes discussing business.
"What's her story?" Joy asked, pointing with her chin across the bar at Poppy, who was fast asleep on a cushioned bench.
Marcel looked back at her, then at his friend. "She was kidnapped and brought here, she escaped and I found her. She was raised by vampires, and is somehow tied into the whole Mikaelson thing. I'm trying to figure that one out."
"Have you ever read the book Fleur de Sang?" Joy asked.
"Bits and pieces." The vampire replied.
"The story is of a girl, Lupine, born by a witch's spell and two supernatural beings. One of blood, a vampire, and one of the heavens, an angel. The girl is raised by the angel and the vampire until the monsters of the night force the parents to cast her out to a normal life, crying and shivering in the woods. She gets adopted by some guy and they travel the world together." Joy explained. "Poppy kind of reminded me of that girl. She's got the same characteristics as Lupine."
Marcel raised an eyebrow. "Hm."