𝔱𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔶 𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔰
neuf. — unhappy reunions!
Letha's eyes fluttered open, an annoyed groan leaving her lips as the brightness of her lightbulb blinded her momentarily. She gazed round at the familiar yellow duvet littered with teddies she couldn't find in her heart to get rid of just yet, and the familiar white bookshelf her dad had built her when her collection started getting too large to just leave them lying about. Rudy lying at the end of her bed sleeping peacefully.
She was home.
The word left a bitter stinging in her heart. This wasn't home, not anymore. Home was where you felt safe with people you trusted — Elena had taken that from her, "You are in so much trouble later." Her head snapped to the doorway where Jenna stood with her arms across her chest, "But not right now."
Her aunt rushed over to the bed and pulled her into her embrace. Letha relaxing in her arms, the familiar strawberry shampoo enveloping her senses, "I missed you so much." Jenna cried into her hair.
"I'm sorry, Jen." Stefan had told her that her aunt had no knowledge of vampires until the day after Letha had ran from their home. She was glad to have one person in her life that hadn't lied to her, and felt tremendously awful for worrying the kind woman.
"I'm just glad you're home safe," she pulled away slightly, "but with Klaus?" She'd been shocked to find him standing on her doorstep with her niece unconscious in his arms.
Letha frowned in confusion, her nose crinkling,"You know Nik?"
"Just from stories. Though I did meet him once."
It was the night of the sacrifice, a few hours to go until it would begin. Jenna set off to the town centre, determination in her steps. One of her nieces was about to be sacrifice on an alter of fire, and the other had been missing for over a day leaving only a vague note.
And since the police weren't going to do anything about the missing teen, she would.
In her shaking hands she held a stack of missing posters, her nieces beautiful face smiling back at her. She plastered one to every tree and lamppost she could find, even though everyone in Mystic Falls knew everyone — Jenna felt like she had to do something.
She was frustratedly trying to get the stapler to work, her sight becoming unfocused as tears blurred her vision. Her chest wracked with sobs as she though about how she had failed her sister, "Excuse me, love. Are you alright?"
Jenna spun around in shock, her hand flying to her chest as she faced the handsome blonde man, "I'm fine— I just can't get this damn thing to work." She hiccuped, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"May I?" She shrugged letting the man pick up the stapler and the poster, his intrigued gaze falling on the picture of the beautiful girl, "Is this your sister?"
"Letha? No, she's my niece. I'm her guardian," she picked at the hem of her shirt, "though she's missing, and I'm obviously doing a terrible job."
"I find that hard to believe," his fingers traced the smile on the girls face for a moment having pinned the poster to the tree, before turning to the woman, "you're out here now, in the cold and the dark searching for her."
"I just worry, she's too sweet for her own good sometimes," Jenna smiled fondly glancing away from the man, remembering the way her niece would volunteer at soup kitchens and show people kindness who didn't necessarily deserve it — like her uncle John. "I just hope she's okay."
"I'm sure you'll find your niece, Jenna."
"I never told you my name." She turned to face him again only to find that he was gone, the wind blowing rapidly around her as she stared at the approaching moon on her own.
Jenna didn't even click until much later that it had been the elusive Klaus Mikaelson.
Letha pouted her lips as her aunt told her tale, why hadn't he told her about this? "I'm sorry I caused you pain, Jen. I just couldn't stay here any loner. I felt like I was going crazy, though now I know that was just Elena having me compelled."
"Elena did what?" Jenna stood from the bed pacing back and forth, "she just said you didn't know anything!"
"Because she had me compelled whenever I saw the truth." Letha muttered out, but her aunt could hear the scared tone in her voice. Now she was back in Mystic Falls she had no idea what her sister was going to try and do to her, again.
Jenna's face was almost as red as her hair as she fumed, the two of them lapsed into silence as the door downstairs slammed open. The two cautiously walked down the stairs, hearing a familiar voice calling from the hallway, "Jenna! I'm home — senior prank night was a mess!" Letha finally appeared at the bottom of the stairs behind Jenna, her sisters — or cousins eyes widening dramatically, "Letha, you're back!"
She walked towards her as if to hug her, her eyes full of hurt as Letha flinched back, "Where have you been? We've all been so worried."
"I'm sure you have," Letha spat out coldly, "but at least you had one of your vampire boyfriends to keep you company."
Her sister spluttered in shock, looking to her aunt for help only to receive a cold glare, "How— how did you find out?"
"You mean how did I find out you were stealing my memories?"
"Letha, you don't understand it was for your own goo—,"
"—why does everyone seem to think they have a right to my memories?" She shouted, Elena blanching in shock, Letha had never shouted before, always being so soft spoken.
"You weren't coping with our parents deaths still, I didn't want to tip you of the edge." Elena's voice had taken a desperate edge, her brown eyes wide and innocent.
Letha felt like clawing them out.
"I'm sorry!" Letha exploded, "What was I suppose to do? You were wallowing and wasting away in the damn graveyard. Jeremy was doing more pot than Snoop Dog. I wasn't allowed to fall apart, because I was trying to keep you guys from breaking completely!"
"I didn't have the luxury of grief." Her tone was softer, tears running down her face.
Jenna had tears streaming down her face too, her hand grasping Letha's in support, "I'm sorry, Lee. I just didn't want you to be in pain."
"I am in pain now, and you're the one who put me here!" She wipes her tears away angrily, before twisting the ring on her finger, "It doesn't matter now. Give this back to Jer will you? I'm not naive enough to think that any magic comes without a price, besides maybe people will be less inclined to kill me — again — if I'm not wearing it." She placed the ring on the side, with a sad smile.
"I'm going back to bed for tonight, but tomorrow I'll be looking at other places to live."
She walked halfway up the stairs, when she sisters voice called out to her, "This is your home."
"Not anymore," she paused on the steps, but didn't turn to face her, "you made sure of that."
AUTHORS NOTE!
Short chapter of angst! How'd you guys like it?
Jenna is alive, because she's baby who deserved better. Also I had no ideas in my mind on how Letha could forgive him for permanently murdering her aunt. I just couldn't justify it. If you didn't get it from the flashback, he was going to find Jenna to use her for the sacrifice, but he had a change of heart cause I said so.
We'll find out where Nik is next chapter...
Stay safe! And remember to vote, comment, and share?
Unedited
-summer