September 15, 2010
Mystic Falls, Virginia
The Salvatore Boarding Home
Poppy laid in bed, more awake than she was before. A cool cloth laid on her forehead, as Rebekah, who sat next to her, was trying to cool the fever. Poppy's hands trembled a bit, but other than that she was calm. Elena sat on the other side of her friend on the bed, holding her hand gently. They had been sitting for around ten minutes.
It was Elena who broke the silence. "Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?"
Rebekah sighed softly. "When Nik made his first human kill, it triggered his werewolf gene. With that, he became my father's greatest shame."
Elena nodded in recollection. "Yeah, Elijah told me this part of the story. Your mother had-had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn't his son."
"She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side, and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire, that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her."
Elena frowned, shocked. "Mikael killed your mother?"
The vampire nodded. "He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched. Afterwards, my father took off in a rage, and the rest of my family scattered. Nik stayed, so he could help me bury her. He knew I had to say goodbye to my mother."
Sometime in the 900s
The two siblings, Rebekah and Niklaus Mikaelson, stood beside each other at a grave, both in mourn and silence.
"I know you think hated you, Niklaus," Rebekah spoke softly. "but she did not. She was just afraid..I'm sorry she turned her back on you. I will never do that."
"Nor will I." Their older brother Elijah sounded, walking over to them.
"We stick together as one." Rebekah told them, and they all held hands in a circle around their mother's grave. "Always and forever."
"Always and forever..." Elena sounded "...even though he locked you in a coffin for ninety years?" She inquired.
Rebekah looked at her. "We're vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Elijah moral, and Nik...Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times."
"But you both still love him?" Elena asked.
"He's my father, Elena." Poppy replied, confused and offended. "Am I supposed to hate him? Am I supposed to turn my back on my family?"
Rebekah furrowed her eyebrows. "And he's my brother. And I'm immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead?" She looked back at her niece, then at Elena. "You've heard the story, it's time to go."
Elena frowned.
"I said leave, Elena! I don't know what you're up to, but I'm no longer playing along." Rebekah exclaimed.
Elena huffed, standing up. "I'm just looking for one good reason why we shouldn't wake Mikael."
"And we've both given you a thousand!" Poppy exclaimed, propping herself up on her elbows.
"But you will anyway. I know you want him to help you kill my brother, I'm not stupid." Rebekah continued.
Elena sighed. "It's no secret that I want Klaus dead. He has a hold over Stefan's life, and over mine."
"Can we stop talking about killing my dad? Please?" Poppy asked, frowning.
Rebekah looked at the doppelgänger. "Do what you need. Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake, if you come after my brother, I will rip you apart. And I get my temper from my father. Now leave!" She raised her voice, watching as Elena left the room.
Poppy laid back down into the bed, getting under the blankets. Rebekah helped her, bringing the sheets up to her shoulders. She brushed her thumb over the mark with a small frown.
"I'm going to figure this out for you." She told her niece softly.
Poppy gave her a slight nod. "What are we going to do if they wake Mikael?"
Rebekah frowned, laying next to her. "Then we'll fight with all of our strength." She spoke softly. "We'll get rid of him, once and for all. Then we won't have to run anymore." She then gave her a comforting smile. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Poppy admitted "just a bit tired, but I don't think any sleep will be of much use."
"So what're you going to do?" Her aunt wondered.
"Probably go train." She told her, getting up and grabbing a new tee shirt.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? Not fifteen minutes ago you were on the ground bleeding from your eyes and nose." Rebekah reminded her.
Poppy sighed, putting on the shirt. "I need to practice when I'm weak. When Mikael wakes up, he'll come after me. I need to be as strong as I can." She told her, and with that, she sped away.
Later, Rebekah stood in the foyer of the Salvatore Boarding Home, pouring herself a glass of scotch as she awaited her niece's return. Elena walked inside, holding photos of the cave drawings.
"I thought I told you to leave. Twice." Rebekah told her, taking a sip from the glass.
"How do you know that Mikael killed your mother?" The girl asked.
The vampire looked at her. "Nik was there. He told me."
"He lied to you."
Rebekah raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know that?"
Elena walked to her. "The cave where you carved your family's names is covered in symbols." She showed her the photos. "The story of your family: how your parents arrived, how they made peace, the spell that turned them into vampires, and this. This is the symbol for hybrid. It's a combination of the werewolf and the vampire symbol. And this is the one for your mother."
Rebekah looked at the photos. "Her necklace."
"And this," Elena showed her another photo "is the story of her death. The hybrid killed the Original Witch. Not Mikael. Klaus."
Rebekah shook her head in denial. "No! No, he wouldn't."
"She put the curse on him, made it so that he would be the only one of his kind, and then she rejected him. With the werewolf gene comes aggression and violence...when he turned, all of that was heightened. He killed her, Rebekah. And then he made up this entire lie about your father, so that he wouldn't lose you."
"These mean nothing! They're just stupid drawings, done by stupid people who had no idea who my family was!" The Original yelled, tearing the photos to pieces and throwing them into the fireplace.
Mystic Falls, Virginia
The Woods
The woods were quiet for that time of day. There were no animals, except for an occasional tweet of a bird.
Poppy pushed herself off of the ground, her skin glistening with sweat. She slowly lowered herself, then pushed herself up again.
"Working out?" A voice sounded, Damon.
"What does it look like, Damon?" Poppy breathed out, pushing herself off the ground again.
"What's the point? You're a strong badass witch werewolf hybrid." Damon smirked, walking to her.
Poppy stood to her feet, grabbing her cloth from a log and dabbing the sweat off her face. "Because, Damon," she lowered the cloth "when Mikael strolls into town, he's going to come after me. I need to be prepared."
A flash of guilt spread across his face, but he hid it. "Come on, you can take on anyone."
"Not when I'm weak." His little sister told him.
Damon frowned. "You're not weak, Pops."
Poppy nodded. "I am, because someone is clearly out to hurt me." She told him, pulling the sleeve of her tee to show him the mark, which resulted in a frown.
Damon stepped closer to her, examining it. "What is this?"
"I don't know." She replied. "I found the mark earlier today, then a bit later I heard someone chant something. The next thing I know, I'm on the floor bleeding from my nose and eyes, running a fever, and in a lot of pain. Oh," she held up her hands, which trembled "and my hands won't stop shaking."
Damon held her hands, giving her a worried look.
Mystic Falls, Virginia
The Salvatore Boarding Home
Poppy walked into her home, quickly rushing to her aunt, who was a sobbing mess on the floor.
"Auntie Bex?!" She knelt down next to her. "What happened? What's wrong?"
Rebekah looked at her, tears soaking her cheeks. "Mikael wasn't the one to kill my mother. It was Nik! He's been lying to me for 1000 years."
Poppy frowned, hugging her aunt. "It's going to be okay, Bekah. I'm sure he had his reasons..."
Sorry the chapter was short! The next one will be longer.
Are you ready for Mikael to return???