The Dark Ember

New Orleans

We continued to walk through the woods and Hope said "Mom says when I get bigger, Freya will teach me real spells." Klaus said, "I think you're doing rather well all by yourself." Hope said "I can't always control it so well. It scares me sometimes, not as much as Em, but it does." dad stopped us and kneeled in front of us, and said "You, loves, are the daughters of Klaus Mikaelson. You're going to be the greatest witches the world has ever seen. And nothing will scare you." I said "We know what you are, you know. The strongest in the world. Strong enough to keep all of the bad things away." he said "What bad things?" Hope said "Just bad guys. Monsters. People who are mean, selfish, and angry." he said "Nothing is going to harm my little girls. Nothing will even get close. You two are all that matter to me." we hugged him tightly.

Dad said "You're trembling. Are you cold?" Hope said "Yeah. I've been cold a while now." he said "Well, let's get you inside then, eh? You can show me your drawings." he picked us up and carried us to the house. Once inside we went to Hope's room, where dad looked over her drawings. Hope said "Dad? I think something's wrong. I feel dizzy. And my head hurts." dad screamed "Hayley!" Mom ran in and checked Hope out before she said "Get some sleep, Princess." She grabbed my hand and we all went to the living room where mom said "She's never been sick, ever. Neither of them has." Freya said "This is a magical affliction. It feels I don't know, it's hard to explain. Almost cold." mom pulled a note out of her pocket and said "It's from Vincent Griffith. He knows what's wrong with Hope, he can cure her. But we have to go back to New Orleans."

Mom went to do something and I was pulled onto Uncle Kol's lap as dad looked at Uncle Elijah and said "You don't need to come." Elijah said "You spent half a decade as Marcel's prisoner, now let me take Hope." dad said, "Hayley is distraught, stay and comfort her." Elijah said, "If this is indeed a trap if Marcel is intent on killing us your daughter needs a father." Mom walked in and said "One there is still a little girl in the room, how about we don't talk about killing. Two, we're all going. She needs me, I need both of you. We're family, we stick together." dad said "What about Emberlyn?" mom said, "That's cute, you think you can separate them." 

We made it to New Orleans when it was nighttime, we walked into a big house and dad said "Our home. Once the pride of our family, now a flophouse." Elijah said, "Indeed, the mighty have fallen." Hope and I were holding hands, mom said "Where's Vincent?" a man said "Right here. Kept my word. Now the only question is whether or not you guys are gonna keep yours. As soon as I'm finished healing your kid, you got to leave the city." dad said "Well, we're not gonna stay, are we? Your city has lost its charm." mom said "What he means to say is that we're very grateful, just help her and we'll leave." Elijah said, "Just give us what we need, and we will do so, happily." 

Vincent said "Excuse me." my bracelet was starting to itch, and I felt the power in me dying to be released. I was terrified, I had no idea what was happening to me. I hid slightly behind Hope and scratched my wrist trying to get the itching to stop. Vincent said "Okay. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a. Nettoyer timoun sa a." performing a spell on Hope who said "Mom?" Vincent said "That's it. Your little girl's purified." I started to hear whispers and dad said "Thank you." Vincent said, "Now look, the only gratitude I need from any of you is seeing you leave the city." Mom pushed us to dad while saying "Go see your daddy." 

Birds began to fall from the sky around us and dad said "What is this?" Vincent said, "I don't know." Hope said "Mom? Can you hear that? It's whispering. Saying a name. Over and over." Hope and I said in unison "Kre Nah Han, Kre Nah Han". mom said, "Vincent, what is that?" Vincent said "It's a nearly forgotten dialect. It's Creole. It means "the Hollow". The Hollow is coming." the next morning Hope didn't want to get out of bed, I was dressed in this.

I wandered around when I heard Dad say "How is she?" mom said "Uh, the fever's back. But she's not in any pain. She's asking for you. As for Ember, I found her bracelet." dad said "Well, make an excuse to Hope. I'd rather my daughter not know I've gone off to murder witches. Wait, I thought Ember refused to take it off?" mom said "Hope said she threw it last night because it kept itching." Elijah said "We can not be reckless, Niklaus." he said "And how would you have me respond? Should I delegate my child's safety to someone else?" Elijah said "Let me see what I can do." mom said "And I will handle Marcel. Out of the three of us, I win Most Likely Not to Get Killed on Arrival. Whatever we're up against, it's as much his problem as is it ours." he said "Leaving me to do what, exactly?"

Mom said "Stay here, find and protect our daughters. Do not let anything or anyone near them." I quickly but quietly ran back to our room and crawled in bed with Hope who was sleeping. Dad came in as Hope woke up and he said "How are you feeling?" Hope said "I'm still so cold. Are the birds gone?" He said "Yeah, they're gone, sweetheart. And when you're better, which will be soon, you both and I are going to share the biggest plate of beignets you've ever seen. And you can tell me where in this big, wide world you'd like me to take you next." I said "Mom said you loved New Orleans most of all." he said "I did, once. But putting your love in a place is a mistake. Being here in our home, seeing these walls, I am reminded that it is people who are best suited to fill our hearts." Hope said "Dad. I don't feel so good. That man, Vincent, Mom said he was a witch. That he came to help me feel better. But I feel worse."

Dad said "I know. I know. But don't worry, because as we speak, your mother and your Uncle Elijah are working with Vincent to fix you up. So you just stay calm and they'll make everything all right." I said "Do you know what it is? The Hollow?" he said "No, sweetheart I don't." Hope said "It wants those other kids. I can feel them. I think it wants me, too, but not Em." I said "It doesn't like me, doesn't like my magic, but it feels similar to my magic." he said "I am not gonna let anything take you. I promise you that. I'm going to keep you both safe, always and forever."

I woke up from a nap and saw Freya, I said "Where are mom and dad?" she said, "They went with Marcel, Elijah, and Vincent to help save Hope. Why aren't you wearing your bracelet?" I said, "Because of this." I showed her my red and blistered wrist that I've been hiding from my sister and parents. Freya took my wrist and said, "What happened?" I said "When the whispers started, it started to itch, then last night it started to burn so I threw it, my mom has it now. How come the Hollow doesn't like my magic even though it feels similar to its magic?" Freya said, "I don't know, but I think it's because you are more powerful than Hope, and since you are already drawn to the darkness, it might be because it doesn't think it can use you." Hope woke up, sitting up with me and Freya said "Hope." i hid my wrist in my lap and Hope said "We're not cold anymore."