This part of the story is..difficult to tell, Hope. I did something, I did what was right to me...but not to everyone else.
February 16, 2013
Mystic Falls, Virginia
The Salvatore Boarding Home
Poppy let out a yawn, turning in bed and grabbing her phone, which had buzzed. It was her dad.
Time to come home.
February 17, 2013
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Streets
The streets were alive with the buzzing of tourists and the music of artists, the sun shining down on New Orleans. On the street walked Hayley, who pushed Hope in a stroller, and Jackson.
"Well, Mrs. Marshall-Kenner, now that you've got a real local to show you around the Quarter, what would you like to see first?" Jackson asked with a smile.
Hayley smirked. "Oh, Mr. Kenner, I'd ask to see your old haunts, but we do have an impressionable young lady with us." She replied, reaching down to tickle her daughter, who giggled.
From one of the shops nearby exited Poppy, who held a few bags on her arm. She wore warm clothes, but not a coat, it wasn't extremely cold that day. She smiled at the sight of her family and jogged to them, her suede flats padding against the ground.
"Hey!" She greeted with a smile.
Jackson smiled and reached forward, wrapping an arm around her neck and pulling her into a side hug. "What's up kiddo?"
"Is Silas with you?" Hayley asked, continuing to walk with them.
"Not this time." Poppy said with a smile. "You know, Valentine's Day passed and he figured he'd go to the mall for a late surprise." She jabbed Jackson's side with her fingers playfully, and he released her from the hug. "Oh my gosh, I found the cutest shoes ever at the store." She reached into the bag and pulled a small pair of furry boot out, holding them up.
Hayley reached out and took them with a smile. "Aww. I love these!"
Poppy smiled, walking with them and putting the shoes back into the bag. Hayley reached down and tickled Hope again. The four of them stopped to watch a violinist, who played a happy upbeat song, the hairs of the bow brushing against the strings with ease.
"Whoaaa!" Hayley exclaimed to Hope, who smiled.
The song was ended with a dramatic few notes, and the four smiled.
"Thanks!" Poppy dropped a twenty dollar bill into the violin case before continuing to walk with a smile, which quickly faded when the violinist began to play a slower song, the song that played on the music box, the song that she heard in her vision. She grabbed onto Jackson's arm, taking a few deep breaths.
"That song..what is it?" Hayley asked, getting the chills. Jackson and Hayley both looked back at the violinist, who stared at them. Hayley began to walk a little faster.
"It's Dahlia's song.." Poppy whispered, and Jackson held her hand to comfort her.
The tribrid looked around, more paranoid, more alert. She looked at a chalkboard, which stood outside of a restaurant, and one of the waiters was writing on it. 'A promise made is a debt to be paid.' Poppy gripped the werewolf's hand tighter, her knuckles white. Hayley noticed it too, and took a breath, trying to play it cool.
A man stopped them. "Flowers, miss." He said to Hayley, holding out flowers to Hope and Poppy, flowers with deep red petals. "A gift for the children."
Jackson stepped in, feeling uneasy and wanting to protect the three most important people in his life. "Uh, no, we're alright. Thank you!"
"You sure?" The salesman asked, holding up the flowers and smiling. "Black dahlias are in bloom. They're quite lovely."
Hayley, who was now scared, started to walk, but the man grabbed her arm, his eyes white. Poppy gasped and flicked her wrist, flinging the man away with her magic and, out of nowhere, Klaus appeared and pinned him against a pole.
"Show yourself, witch." He growled.
Poppy felt Jackson's hand loosen, and as the man's eyes returned to normal, his eyes became white. Swiftly, Jackson turned and grabbed Poppy's arms, his grip tight. She looked at him with wide eyes, her breathing becoming quick.
"Klaus!" Hayley gasped, and Klaus turned to see him.
"I am here. I am everywhere. And I intend to take what is mine." Jackson, who was possessed, said to Poppy.
Klaus grabbed the werewolf's arms and ripped him away from his daughter.
Poppy backed up. "It's her." She breathed out. "It's Dahlia."
Jackson returned to normal, groaning. "Hey, what just happened?"
"Dahlia." Klaus replied, walking to his oldest daughter.
Poppy hugged him tightly, wanting to feel safe. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her head.
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound
Hayley entered Jackson's bedroom quietly, holding two cups of a tonic Freya made. On his bed is where he sat, feeling guilty for scaring Poppy and stressed.
"Hey.. you okay?" She asked.
Jackson looked at her. "That witch got in my head. I could have hurt you, hurt the baby. I scared the hell out of Poppy."
Hayley frowned and handed him the cup. "Here. Drink this. Freya said it will keep her from getting in again." She looked at where Poppy laid, asleep, as Jackson drank the tonic.
"She's building up her energy." Jackson said, speaking about Poppy. "She's preparing for a fight....I can feel her, Hayley. Dahlia... she is nothing but darkness. I say we take Hope, Poppy, and the pack and we leave town. Tonight."
Hayley furrowed her eyebrows. "We can't just run from our home, Jack."
"You and Poppy and Hope are my home!" He exclaimed. "And running isn't a sign of weakness- it's what wolves do. I know every inch of that bayou. Out there, we're the predator. We can keep her safe. At the very least, it will buy us some time to figure out how to get rid of Dahlia for good."
"What about Klaus? Elijah? Rebekah? They're Hope's family. They're Poppy's family."
Her husband stood up and rubbed his face. "You know who else is part of that family? Dahlia!" He quick calmed, feeling bad for yelling. "Now, I don't back away from a fight, okay? But this one started a thousand years ago. It's not our war, and it certainly ain't your daughters'."
The pair turned and looked at Poppy, who sat up and looked at them with white eyes.
"Oh my god," Hayley whispered.
Poppy flicked her wrist and both Jackson and Hayley were thrown into the wall. She smirked and got off of the bed, walking down the hall and too the courtyard, where Freya, Elijah, and Rebekah stood.
Freya looked over at her and stepped back. "Get out of her, Dahlia." She growled, holding her hand out to perform magic, but she was knocked out when Poppy snapped her fingers.
Elijah vamped to his niece, but he too was flung away, hitting the wall and falling to the floor. Rebekah watched as Klaus appeared behind Poppy and snapped her neck. He closed his eyes and held her limp body close to his, kissing the top of her head. It pained him to hurt..kill..his daughter, but it had to be done.
Elijah stood up and looked at them. "Klaus," he breathed out. "We have to get moving."
Poppy woke up to a quiet room with soft music, her neck sore, and a feeling of darkness within her. She knew what it was. It was Dahlia. She began to sit up.
"Hey, take it easy." Silas spoke, walking to the bedside. He held a cup of the tonic in his hand.
His wife looked at him. "I hurt my family..." She frowned. "It was Dahlia, wasn't it?" She looked away, feeling guilty for what she had done. She never wanted to hurt her family.
Her husband sat next to her on the bed and brought his fingers to her chin, turning her head gently. "Don't blame yourself for this, honey. It was Dahlia, not you." He let out a soft sigh and handed her the tonic. "This is a tonic that Freya made to keep her out of our heads."
Poppy looked down at the drink and brought the cup to her lips, swallowing the contents. She furrowed her eyebrows, listening in to the conversation downstairs.
"I saw her. Dahlia. She intends to make her move tonight. Klaus and our father will be her next victims." Freya spoke, sounding shocked.
"And you have returned to warn the very people who would cast you out?" Elijah replied.
Silas looked at the closed door. "What're they saying?"
Poppy handed Silas the cup and stood up. "Dahlia is here, like, physically. She's going after my dad."
"I did not come this far to see my family die at the hands of the very evil that I've tried for so long to escape. I'm begging you- help me save them."
"What're you doing?" He asked as his wife walked to the closet.
Poppy looked through her clothes, grabbing a pair of high waisted boyfriend jeans and a long sleeved shirt. "Getting changed. I can't save my dad by wearing skinny jeans and a sweatshirt."
"Dahlia will lure them into a trap. She prefers places of darkness. She'll be drawn to any site that's been steeped in death."
"Poppy, Hayley and Jackson are going with the pack and Hope into the Bayou tonight to get away from Dahlia." Silas said. "They want you to go with them, and so do I."
Poppy shook her head. "No, I'm going to fight."
"Oh, no, I'm talking about dark power created by massacre. Sacred ground that's been stained with the blood of the innocent."
"Honey, this isn't your fight." Silas stood up and walked to stand in front of her.
She frowned. "Yes it is. Dahlia's coming for me. That makes this my fight. Don't you understand? My family could die if I don't help."
Silas let out a sigh and took her hand, bringing it up to his lips and muttering a spell before lowering it. "I'm cloaking you..she won't be able to sense you coming."
Poppy nodded. "Thank you.." She cupped his cheek and kissed him, closing her eyes. She parted her lips from his for a moment. "We have a little time before tonight... Right?" She asked, and her husband smirked, placing his hands on her back and pulling her close.
Poppy kissed her husband again as he walked her to the bed, and she was lowered onto the blankets.
New Orleans, Louisiana
St. Anne's
Nighttime came quickly, the moon shining on the streets of New Orleans. Inside of St. Anne's Catholic Church stood Freya, who tended to Mikael's wounds, and her brothers Elijah and Klaus. They were recovering from Dahlia's attack, and she had proven herself to be very powerful. She could share her magic, disappear and reappear, desiccate.
"We all have weaknesses." Dahlia said, appearing behind the lot. They turned to look at her, then she disappeared and appeared behind them once more. "You came here to exploit mine. And, in doing so, you lost the one thing you could have used against me." She held up a knife, a knife that Davina had spelled to kill the witch. "The weapon you created, now rendered useless." The witch dropped the knife into a basin, and it erupted into flames.
"No!" Freya yelled.
Dahlia waved her hand over the bowl, and the fire died. She sighed. "Now that we've disposed of that little trinket, perhaps we can focus on the issue at hand? After all, I seek only that which is owed to me, nothing more. Give me the child, and you all may live. Deny me, and, well... you've had a taste of my power. I can't imagine you hunger for more." She was clearly bored, wanting to get the whole thing over with.
Suddenly, her neck was snapped, and she fell to the floor, revealing Poppy, who had her hand held up. The body vanished, and she frowned in confusion before looking at her family, including Mikael, who all look afraid and horrified, angry and distraught.
"Poppy Mikenna, you should not be here." Klaus said, his devastated and scared expressions becoming hidden. He walked to his daughter, who frowned more.
"And I'm supposed to let you die because she wants me?" His daughter asked. "I can fight, Dad, did I not just prove that to you?"
Mikael scrunched his nose. "You let your daughter speak to you in such a manner?"
The pair looked at him. "Stay out of this!" They both exclaimed in unison before looking back at each other.
"Dahlia will do whatever it takes to get you. I don't want you anywhere near her." Klaus told his daughter, placing a hand on her arm.
"And do what? I'll be a sitting duck while everyone gets hurt to protect me." She said, her voice cracking. "Dad. I'm ready to fight, I'm not going to back down."
"You are, Poppy."
Poppy folded her arms over her chest. "Am not."
"I'm not going to play any of your games! And clearly" Klaus gestured to the wrecked chapel. "neither is Dahlia. So, You are going to back down and that's final!"
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound
Poppy stood in the courtyard, her arms folded over her chest as her father explained everything that had happened in the church. Beside her stood Silas, who looked unamused and a bit interested.
"Well," Rebekah sighed "that sounds like a bloody fiasco. Where's Dahlia now?"
"She can be anywhere." Elijah replied, sounding defeated. "There wasn't a trace of her left in the church."
Freya looked bitter where she stood. "She's done with us for the night. No doubt, she wants us to take some time to wallow in our defeat."
Klaus took a drink of his scotch. "Defeat? I disagree. We saw her face, we took her measure. Poppy can snap her neck without Dahlia knowing she was even there...If that's the best she's got, quite frankly, I'm unimpressed."
Mikael looked at his son. "Her aim was not to impress us. She wanted us to reveal our sole weapon, and like fools, we did."
Rebekah furrowed her eyebrows. "Am I hearing things, or did our brother just exchange words with our father?"
Rebekah's father smirked. "Rebekah. I'd know that wicked tongue anywhere. What mischief have you gotten yourself into now? No doubt the bastard's doing."
"Enough." Klaus growled. "My patience, like this farce of a reunion, is at an end."
"Agreed." Elijah stepped forward with a scowl. "There only is one question here. What exactly are we doing?"
"This was not my plan!" Freya exclaimed, angry. "You rushed it and made but a single weapon! Of course she took it from you. And now, we've lost what advantage we had and used up the very materials we needed to kill her."
"It's a bit histrionic. Your materials are easily found. Let's take stock, shall we?" He pointed at his elder sibling. "There's an ample supply of your blood, Norwegian soil is hardly scarce... what else? Ah, yes, the ashes of Dahlia's Viking oppressors."
Mikael scrunched his nose. "Only priceless relics gotten with great difficulty at a museum. Lost due to your worthless strategy!"
Klaus narrowed his eyes and sped at Mikael, pinning him against the wall and stabbing him with the white oak stake, but not enough to kill him. His father, unsurprised, only watched him. Freya, on the other hand, was furious, and was being held back by Elijah.
"No!" The immortal witch yelled.
"If I feel even the faintest touch of your magic, Freya, I will end him with a flick of my wrist!" Klaus exclaimed, then began to speak to his father in a more quieter tone. "You don't seem surprised."
Mikael gasped the slightest bit, feeling the white oak brush against his heart. "Betrayal is in your nature...boy."
"No," Klaus spoke, "I wasn't born like this."
A little boy walked to his sister, who laid in bed, scared of the booming thunder and flashes of lightning. He knelt down and handed her a wooden chess piece, one which he had carved. He held her hand to comfort her.
"Her, you fight for, lovely Freya, the daughter you barely know..." He exclaimed quietly, his voice shaking. "But there was a time where you knew me..as your son! A time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal." Tears began to sting his eyes, and he continued. Every word he spoke was filled with pain. "There were moments where all you had to do was be my father! And even then, you despised me, didn't you?" The tears, he couldn't hold them back anymore. "You despised me, and then you despised my daughter. You hurt her as you hurt me." His voice broke, and the tears slipped down his cheeks. His face had shown vulnerability, but it couldn't show the amount of pain he was in, only a fraction. The mighty wolf was hurting. "I want to know why.." He cried.
Mikael looked back at his granddaughter, who seemed sad and expecting of an answer. He was surprised by the vulnerability, and he looked back at his son. "I don't know." He spoke, his voice soft. He paused. "I just...did."
Poppy watched her father and grandfather, a tear falling down her cheek. Her husband had a hand placed on her back, rubbing it. Her father looked back at her, overwhelmed, hurting. He looked at his brother, who held his older sister still. He looked at Rebekah, who was surprised. He looked back at his daughter, and she gave him a small nod.
"Do it." She whispered, another tear slipping from her eye. "It's okay.." She ignored the look she got from Elijah, which was surprised.
Klaus looked back at his father, his face turning to anger, forcing himself to stop crying. "Are those your final words?"
Mikael gaped a bit and looked at Freya. "Freya, I'm so sorry. I love yo-" he cried out in agony when his son stabbed the stake through his heart.
"Nooooo!" Freya cried, still being held back by Elijah.
Poppy clenched her jaw as he dad back away, and Mikael fell to the floor, desiccating. She had just okayed a death, even if it hurt Freya. She knew it hurt everyone in the room.
In a way, she was hurt too. She watched the body of her grandfather erupt into flames on the floor. She knew that she wouldn't never get closure. Some evils have no reason. It hurt her that she got him killed, in a sense. She was willing to take full responsibility for Freya's pain.
Freya began to sob loudly in Elijah's arms, and Klaus turned to face them, hiding his pain.
"Viking ashes indeed rare? All you really need is a burning Viking corpse." He said, walking to leave the room, ignoring the looks of disappointment and pain from his siblings.
Silas rubbed his hand up and down his wife's back as she stared at the fire, placing a kiss on her head as he did.
Poppy looked away from the fire and at her aunts and uncle, who were sad, and disappointed. She took a deep breath, more tears falling from her eyes. Becoming more upset when Elijah looked into her eyes, then away from her to soothe Freya, she moved away from her husband and left the room, following where her dad had went, which was outside in the night.
His back was turned to her, and he was watching people walk to their homes. His hands were in his coat pockets. Poppy walked toward him, then stopped a few feet away.
"Daddy?" She asked quietly, her tears becoming cold against her cheeks.
Klaus turned around, his stone expression immediately softening. She walked to his and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, and he hugged her back, tightly. He needed it.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart." He said quietly, his voice shaking as it was before. "For everything."
Poppy closed her eyes. "It's not your fault, Dad. Don't blame yourself." She hugged him tighter. "It was never your fault."
Klaus closed his own eyes, tears falling from his eyes. "I love you so much, Poppy."
"I love you too."
Later that night, Poppy walked into her bedroom, letting her hair down from its ponytail with a sigh. The room was dark, the curtains covering the moonlight. Walking to the bed, she plopped down onto her stomach, closing her eyes. Moving her arm, she accidentally hit the leg of her husband, and he turned onto his back, waking up.
"Sorry, Si," Poppy grumbled into the sheets.
Silas rubbed his eyes and say up. "What're you doing? It's like one o'clock."
"I'm going to sleep." His wife replied.
"At the end of the bed?" He asked, reaching for the lamp and turning it on, illuminating the bedroom. He let out a sigh, seeing his wife's face buried in the blankets. She was still in her jeans and coat. He grabbed the pillow and threw it at her. "Put on your pajamas and come to bed with me." Silas laid back down.
Poppy groaned, rolling off of the bed and onto the floor with a thud. "I'm okay." She assured, standing up and walking to the dresser, grabbing a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt. She quickly changed into them and walked to the bed, getting under the covers and scooting close to her husband, turning off the light with her magic.
Gently, she rested her forehead against his back and laid her arm on his side. "Are you mad at me?" She asked quietly.
"Do you feel guilty?" Her husband replied.
"Yes," she whispered, and her husband turned to face her. She felt his hand rest on the side of her neck.
"Don't be." Silas kissed her forehead, then her lips. "I'm not mad at you,"
February 18, 2013
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound/The Streets/The Apartment
Poppy sat in the art room the next afternoon, smudging charcoal with her fingertips. She was drawing a horse standing in water, it's mane flowing with the wind.
"Dahlia's giving you until nightfall tomorrow." Silas's voice echoed in her head as she pressed the charcoal against the canvas. "We're going to protect you."
Lifting her head up, she listened to a faint crying, and she whooshed out of the compound, standing before an alley. In the alley was Aiden and a woman, who wore all black, and had black hair. Her first was held up, and Aiden had gashed on his face, and his chest was bleeding.
"I need it to look convincing." The woman spoke, opening her fist and catching the werewolf's heart as it flew out of his chest and into her hand. Looking pleased, she dropped it next to his body and turned around.
Poppy stood in front of her, a few feet away, her eyes filled with tears and her face expressing her shock. She looked away from Aiden and turned to the woman, who seemed a bit surprised.
"I didn't think I'd be seeing you today, if I must be honest." The woman said. "It's been impossible to find you."
"Why did you do that?" The tribrid asked quietly. "Why did you just kill him?"
The woman let out a sigh. "Oh, sweetheart. It's all for the bigger picture." She stepped forward. "Come with me, we'll talk."
Poppy stepped back, clenching her jaw, a tear slipping down her cheek. "No, you're just going to take me!" She quickly wiped her tears. "I'm not ready, Dahlia." She took a deep breath. "I'll go. I'll go willingly if you stop hurting my family and friends."
Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "You have a strong heart, you're very brave. But you're scared. Poppy, I only wish to teach you, to protect you from yourself." Dahlia walked closer to her, only half a foot away. "I told your family they have until tomorrow night and I plan to keep my promise." She looked down at the body, then at the girl. "If you don't wish to talk, then we won't talk. But you're going to turn, and leave, and you won't say a word to the others of what you saw here until it's time. If you do, there will be consequences, and I know you don't want anyone else hurt."
Poppy sniffled and gave her a small nod, turning around and leaving the alley. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was scared, her hands trembling. She took deep breaths, walking to the apartment.
Inside, she leaned against the wall and let out the sobs she had been holding back. She placed a hand over her mouth as she cried, and she forced herself to calm down, to stop crying.
"I have to say goodbye." She told herself, drying her tears with her sleeve. "I have to say goodbye. I owe it to them to say goodbye, and I won't be a problem anymore." She held back a sob, taking a deep breath and looking up at the ceiling before grabbing her phone from her pocket.
She pressed on the FaceTime app and pressed on 'Stefan'. It rang a few times, then a few more. He didn't answer so she exited out of the app and decided to call Elena.
It rang, and then she picked up.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Elena, hi, um.." Poppy rubbed her forehead. "I'm leaving tomorrow night, and I figured I'd say goodbye to you, and to everyone else."
"What, are you like dropping off the map or something?" Elena asked, not really sensing the seriousness.
"Something like that."
"Oh, Damon wants to talk to you, hold on." Elena passed the phone off the Damon. "Don't you dare even think about going with that witch."
"Damon, I have to. Two people have died, because of me and because of Dahlia. She can possess people on a large scale-do you see how bad this is? I can't stay here and let all of this happen! I can't live with myself if anyone else gets hurt."
"Poppy, you need to calm down. Think about this."
"I can't calm down!"
"Okay, I'm going to find Stefan, and you two can talk it out."
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Apartment
Poppy sat in the floor against the wall across from her phone, which had been propped up. She had calmed down before night fell, and she had been talking to Stefan.
"You're going to be okay, baby." Stefan told her. "I know your family and they won't let her take you."
She looked outside at the night. It was quiet. "I should get back to the compound soon..they probably already sent search dogs."
"Hey, look at me."
Poppy turned her head to look at her phone.
"I love you, and I'll talk to you soon. When all of this blows over, you can come back to Mystic Falls, and we'll spend the day together, and we'll have fun."
Before she could answer, the church bells rang in Dahlia's one. She rubbed her eyes. "I'll talk to you soon.."
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound
Poppy walked inside of the compound and into the courtyard, running her arms for warmth. It was past midnight, and she was hoping she could speak to her dad. Sensing a presence in another room, she walked into it, seeing her aunt Freya. She bit her lip, feeling the guilt almost immediately. Freya turned and looked at her, giving her a small smile.
"How're you doing?" The witch asked her niece, standing up from the couch.
Poppy rubbed her arms a bit more, faintly. "I'm okay..um, is my dad around? I was hoping I could talk to him." She replied with a quiet voice.
Freya frowned, opening her mouth to say something, but Elijah beat her to it, appearing behind Poppy.
"Your father had to be daggered, Poppy." Elijah said. "He was out of control; he killed Mikael, Aiden..he was attempting to drive away the Cresent Wolves so that he and he only can protect you and Hope. His paranoia, his distrust in Freya, it was getting in the way."
Poppy furrowed her eyebrows, turning so that both her aunt and uncle were in her view. Klaus being daggered was exactly what Dahlia had planned. "No." She shook her head. "My dad didn't kill Aiden. It was Dahlia..I saw her do it. She told me more people would get hurt if I told anyone what had happened, not until it was time to.." She looked from her uncle, who looked horrified by the revelation, to her aunt. "Freya, killing Mikael was my decision. If I could go back in time to that very moment, I wouldn't change a thing." With that being said, she turn and began to leave the room, but Elijah took her arm.
He looked down at his niece, who clenched her jaw and stared ahead. "Go to Hayley."
"Fine." Poppy said, pulling her arm away and walking.
"Poppy, I mean it." Elijah said, standing at his sister's side.
"I said fine!" She snapped, disappearing into the courtyard. She walked up to her bedroom, grabbing a suitcase and stuffing her clothes into it, ignoring her husband, who watched her in confusion and concern. She then grabbed her grimoires, and a few other books, and put them in, along with her makeup.
"Where are we going?" Silas asked, standing near the bed.
Poppy looked at him. "To where Hayley is. Elijah's orders."
"To the Bayou?" Her husband asked with a hushed tone.
She looked at him and shrugged. "I don't know where they are, but I'll find them. Are you coming with me?"
He nodded. "Of course." He said, placing a hand on her cheek. "What's wrong? You seem nervous."
"I just..I don't want Dahlia to take me, that's all." She whispered. "Hopefully you understand."
Silas looked into her eyes. "Of course," he placed a kiss on her lips, and she held it before he became limp, falling back onto the bed.
Poppy looked down at him before zipping up her suitcase. "Sorry, Si," she said before leaving the compound.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Lafayette Cemetery
"We define ourselves by our family. From birth, we share their names, entrust them to protect that which we hold most dear. We value them above all others, and yet we are inevitably forced apart. Promises are made and left unkept. Children, in particular, turn their backs on those who raised them, seeking lives of their own. The bond of family is not a bond forged on choice. In fact, some would see family as a terrible burden. And thus, Poppy, you find yourself here with me." Dahlia spoke, standing in the night in front of a table, which had candles, chalices, and an infinity symbol drawn with salt. "No final goodbyes?"
Poppy, who stood in front of her, about ten feet away with her suitcase. "No final goodbyes." She confirmed, and the witch before her held her hand out.
"Come," Dahlia watched as her great-niece walked to her and took her hand, and they both turned to the table. She held her hand over it and the pair closed their eyes. "Med arveno som et svar. Med arveno som et svar."
Poppy and Dahlia both took deep breaths, the blood from the chalices flowing towards the center of the infinity symbol. Dahlia felt a rush of power through her, and Poppy felt the connection, the darkness.
She knew there was no turning back.