Chapter Eleven: 

Marcel Gerard had to give credit when credit was due. As he and his little sister walked down the busy streets of Dibury, South Carolina, he saw community and togetherness, unlike anything he's ever seen before. The witches were dancing and allowing their magic to roam freely. He could feel their charm radiating off their skin and he couldn't help but shiver as it ran down his spine, summoning chills. The vampires also sat around in lawn chairs laughing and drinking what familiarly smelled like blood.

Crazy enough, he also sensed the presence of werewolves. Little children who reeked of wolves ran down the streets, chasing each other and dodging people as they sprinted. He couldn't help but grin. Klaus Mikaelson had done it. He had made a community of all different species that could not only live as one but thrive as one.

Hope licked her ice cream as she walked down the street next to the man she viewed as a brother. Because of the breeze, a blue sweater with the words Mikaelson Academy in gold letters clung to her arms. "This is so cool," Hope smiled. "I remember the festivals in New Orleans, you know, before... everything."

Marcel wanted to change the subject, but he also wanted the girl to feel like he was a safe place for her to tell how she truly felt. So, instead of dodging the touchy subject, Marcel nodded. "So do I. The witches used to throw mean parties. I wonder what this one is called."

"Oo, I know. It's Lilrose Delatore," Hope answered. "Henrik told me that it's a festival in honor of the witches who died in a brutal battle like three hundred years ago."

The eldest Mikaelson heiress looked up in amazement as fireworks popped throughout the sky forming words. At first, she was curious as to how they kept this from the humans, but last night Henrik filled her in on the inner workings of this city. The witches put spells in place to ensure that nothing they did could be seen in the eyes of any human.

"I noticed you and Henrik have gotten a little closer over the last few weeks..." Marcel started, looking down at the girl beside him. "How do you like it here? With them."

"It's fun," Hope smiled. "I mean... I'm starting to think that Astrid doesn't like me all that much, but Henrik and Elias have been a real joy to be around."

Marcel nodded again. "That's good."

"But I'm sure I should ask you the same question. How do you like it here?"

The Gerard smiled and titled his head as he thought. "I have to admit. This is the most fun I've had since I was a boy. This city is flooded with magic of all kinds and being a teacher at M.A. has to be something I never knew I would enjoy."

"Is that really why you wanted to stay? Because New Orleans was boring to you?" The vampire raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I knew a long time ago that you had your mind made up about staying before I announced I was."

To her right, Hope's eyes landed on a witch with gorgeous long, flowing black hair pulling a book from her satchel. She threw it up, snapped her fingers, and caught it but when it hit her hands the previously thick book was a small green ball. She tossed it to a giggling child before winking.

"New Orleans was suffocating me," Marcel started truthfully. "Not the family... just the city in itself. It wasn't growing, nothing was changing, and it seemed like nothing was..."

"Worth saving?" Marcel gave a small smile which gave the confirmation that Hope needed. "I'm glad you're here. Not just for me, but for you."

"You're not hungry yet?" Marcel asked his tribrid sister. "I'm sure that ice cream didn't do any help the growling I heard in your stomach before we left."

Hope laughed as she looked around eagerly. There were multiple food stands up and running. On her left, she saw a stand with hot dogs, nachos, and pretzels that smelled like heaven. However, a little farther than that, there was a stand that popped out to her.

Pizza.

"You're right. Want some pizza?"

As she asked, she heard a steady vibrating sound go off. Her reflexes made her tap her pockets to make sure it wasn't her phone. Glancing at her brother, Marcel looked down at his phone and realized who was calling him: Elijah.

"Go ahead and get in line," He said. "I'll be right back."

As Hope shrugged and skipped off towards the line, Marcel ventured away from the crowd. He walked until he could find an alleyway that was well-lit but was also empty.

'I take it Hope is alright?'

Marcel groaned as he heard the voice on the other end. "This is the fourth time you've called today, Elijah. And it's only noon."

'I wasn't aware it's a crime to check on my niece.'

"Unless you know something I don't, I consider this grade A hovering," Before the original could say anything else, Marcel sighed. "I will give you an update tonight, just like I do every night."

Hearing an affirmative from Elijah, Marcel hung up the phone and slid it back into the front pockets of his black sweatpants.

However, before he could begin his walk back to the pizza stand to find Hope, his body braced itself as he crashed into the brick wall behind him. Without a second to waste, a determined fist came crashing down against the right side of his face and a kick to his rib followed.

"Jonah! Jonah, stop!"

Pushing himself up off of the ground, Marcel cracked his neck as he looked at his attacker. His short dark brown hair horribly accented his pale skin. Blood that was coming from Marcel's mouth stained two of his fingers. There were four people surrounding them, but they weren't ordinary vampires. There was something about them, all of them, that seemed off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Ah, so the little bitch Klaus brought into town is a fighter. Let's see what you got?"

Lunging at him, Jonah chuckled. Marcel laid a swift punch to his nose, and the man countered that with four jabs to Marcel's face. The force sent Marcel flying back against the wall again, leaving him trapped between a wall and his attacker.

"You can't beat me if you tried," He grinned, his eyes shining golden. His fangs revealed themselves before they were planted into Marcel's neck.

"No, but I can."

Whispering a shield spell for Marcel, she allowed her magic to break free of her control. As the man in front of her, Jonah she heard them call him, sped towards her, she clenched her fist and tilted her head back as her power attacked. Before he could blink, he was on his knees screaming out in agony.

Another hybrid sped towards her and with her extra hand, she muttered, "Corrupan Vinea".

While she had everything under control for a brief moment, heavy hands appeared behind her and grabbed her shoulder, dropping both the shield spell and the incantation that held the blonde hybrid at bay. Letting out a scream, she was thrown to the ground as fast as lightning and everything went quiet.

The only thing that could be recognized is the soft smell of strawberries. "Athena?"

"Hope, baby, are you okay?" Athena asked, jogging over to the little witch. Seeing a small cut, Athena smiled. She was okay. "What happened?"

"Alpha?" A voice threatened from behind them. Hope knew it was the blonde hybrid from before so she readied her magic in case she had to fight again.

Athena couldn't help herself as she rose. Her normally pinkish nails turned into the sharpest claws Hope had ever seen and her normal hazel eyes had an unusual golden tint to them. "If you or anyone from the pack ever comes for a member of my family again, I will personally assure you that your death will be so gruesome, the devil himself would cower."

Hope glanced around, trying to see if this "Jonah" man was listening. After all, Marcel was family too. Before she could peak around any further, Athena was directly in front of Hope, shielding her from looking. "Marcel..." Hope mumbled.

Athena helped Hope up and maneuvered Marcel so his unconscious body was laying on her shoulder. Taking his arm and Hope's, she sped as fast as she could back to her home.

~~

Henrik Mikaelson was bored. Quite frankly, flipping through stacks of books and hundreds of pages was not exactly how he wanted to spend his Saturday. Or... any day if he was being honest with himself. Nevertheless, he scanned the page before flipping it once again. "Found anything?" He asked aloud, still reading his own book.

"Nothing but my newly discovered hunger."

Laughing slightly, Henrik looked up at the Bennett witch in front of him as she too allowed her eyes to scan the pages of the grimoires for one particular spell. "Do you know what they're serving for lunch today?"

Avaline flipped the page, but before she did, she folded down the end, reminding herself to go to it later. This spell was nature manipulation and that was something she didn't know she needed until now. "It's Salad Bar Saturday, remember? And I do not want lettuce. Not today."

"Want to go to Wing City? My treat?"

"Holy crap, I got it," The Bennett witch cheered excitedly. "I know exactly how to seal your vampire side."

Henrik closed the book he was reading and looked up at his friend. Excitement surged through his heart as did. "How?"

Ava smirked before getting up. "Just a little Bennett magic."

Already dressed in jeans and a hoodie, Ava put on some black socks from her top drawer and slid them through her white crocks. Raising her hand, her keys flew in them. The Bennett witch waved her hand and the door to her dorm flew open, exposing her to the hallway.

Deciding to see where the hell she was going, Henrik followed her and when he was finally on the opposite side of the door, it shut before him and he could hear it lock.

Before the duo knew it, Henrik and Avaline were outside of the school, but not in the front where they were supposed to be. They had taken a route that they only knew because of their parents, putting them in the teacher's parking lot instead of in front of the building.

Ava led her friend over to the red sports car and got in the driver's seat. "Since when can you drive?" Henrik questioned, ducking into the car.

"Since I got my license two days ago."

Henrik rolled his eyes. "Oh Lord, you're going to kill me."

"Just shut up and ride."

The short ride lasted no longer than about five minutes, speaking that the Bennett home was closer to the school than anyone thought. As Ava pulled into her driveway, she giggled as she accidentally ran over the curb, causing Henrik's hand to fly to the door handle.

"Damn it, Ava!"

"It was one time. Calm down, Henny."

Henrik scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You ran three stop signs, a stop light, almost ran into a truck, and backed into a bush at the school."

Ignoring him, the witch opened her door, stepping out of her car. With her keys in her pocket, she fumbled through them until she found the right one. With a capital B on the front, she pushed the key into the house. A grin rose on the Bennett's face.

Henrik looked back and forth, his eyes going from the smirk on his friend's face to the living room she was staring into. "What's the plan?"

Ava smirked. "Step one, find mom's vile of doppelganger blood. Step two, go to Wing City."