Lightning Strikes Twice

Forty One

Klaus feigned kindness as he answered." Your stories are fascinating, and Dahlia does indeed sound dreadful, but Elijah and I have killed our fair share of evil witches."
"Not like her."
Elijah sipped his tea. "What are her weaknesses?"
"She's paranoid, obsessed with power. She hungers constantly for what's been denied her, be it love or revenge."
"Yes. I think I'm familiar with the type." He looked over at Klaus, who just smirked. Méalla internally rolled her eyes at her brothers.
"When I was a child, she would tell me tales of her own youth, of being victimized by those stronger than her. Dahlia vowed never to be weak again. She bargained for the firstborn of Esther's bloodline, intending to raise us in her own image, forming a coven of her own from which she could draw endless power. That plan was foiled the day she learned that Esther had ended her bloodline by turning her children into vampires. And so the burden fell to me. Dahlia demanded I bear the firstborn that would add to her power, but I would not allow a child of mine to live as I did, as a slave."
Freya's eyes filled with tears. "So I vowed never to love, never to have a child of my own." She started to cry, and Elijah looked concerned.
"Of course, the more I resisted, the harder Dahlia fought to control me." They all blinked again and were back in another flashback. Dahlia had set up another magic circle onto the floor of their cottage with salt, complete with more Runic alphabet symbols around the inside. She hummed as she placed various herbs inside the circle while the now-grown Freya watched fearfully.
"Until the day when she took the last of what little freedom I had left."
Dahlia made a spiral in the earthen floor of the cottage inside the magic circle with her finger before waving her hands over it. After a moment, she gasped and her eyes rolled back as the spell successfully complete itself. Afterward, she held out her hand toward Freya and smiled. "Take my hand."
Freya stayed where she was and looked at Dahlia in fright as she shook her head. She backed away. "No. This is not right. You've already taken everything from me. I will not follow you into this madness."
Dahlia smiled coldly. "Don't be stupid. I'm offering you eternal life. We will sleep for a century and wake with a power unlike any that's ever been seen. It's what we wanted." Freya looked furious. "What you wanted."
Dahlia's smile fell as Freya started to cry. "Please do not bind me with this curse." Dahlia lowered her hand, looking saddened by this reaction. After a moment, however, Dahlia roughly grabbed Freya's hands and pulled her into the circle despite her protests.
"Ungrateful child, you will thank me for this in one century or the next." Dahlia began to chant.
Freya was still crying as she continued her story. "And so we slept, our magic accruing over time until we woke, filled with immense power and allowed to live a single year of life. That has been the existence I have suffered for the last 10 centuries."
Klaus began to laugh fakely, and Freya shot him a glare. "Klaus, what have we discussed about this?" Méalla's voice was dry. He shot her a look.
"Well... It's quite the ordeal, isn't it? But it does beg the question why not end it yourself?"
"Klaus!" Méalla glared.
Elijah shook his head in disgust at Klaus' words and tried to stop him from talking, but he talked over the eldest brother. "A high enough bridge, a tight enough noose. You must have considered it."
"Long ago, I did consider it, but Dahlia would never give me even that freedom. " Klaus looked surprised by this answer. "I would later learn the spell made me like her. Immortal and impervious to harm." She laughed bitterly and wiped the tears from her face. "So you see, I am like you, a creature of great power cursed for all time."
"I'm so sorry." Méalla said quietly. Freya gave her a thoughtful look.

Rebekah had made it back to the compound, and Méalla was sure Klaus and Elijah were anxiously listening to Rebekah update them on what has happened while she sat with Freya in the dining room. Méalla could hear Klaus' protests. She turned back toward Freya, who was already looking at her, appraising her.
"I've missed so much."
"Yes, you have." Méalla nodded.
"What was it like, the life before this with our siblings?"
"Mikael and Finn may have loved you, but Mikael was awful to us, especially Klaus and me. He's not our actual father which was his excuse to hate us although he did before he knew. Finn didn't like me for some reason. He was a judgmental ass. But the rest of us..." Méalla trailed off wistfully. Freya was listening intently.
"The rest of us. We have ups and downs, daggerings, not speaking, fighting with and for each other. When we were human, we were happy. We could deal with Mikael if we had each other. And then Henrik died. And everything changed." Méalla looked off into the distance.
"But if we hadn't become the Originals, I wouldn't have my daughters."
"Or the woman who married another man."
"Fucking hell, even someone who just woke up for the first time in a century knows."
"Older sister interest."
"I do believe you, Freya. But I can't be sure this isn't apart of Dahlia's plan." Méalla said softly, thinking of the children she loves. She will protect them in anyway. At that point, Elijah came downstairs.
"Join us for a family meeting?"

That night, Méalla was alone in the courtyard, drinking whatever she could find. She didn't know where her siblings were if they weren't where they lived and she didn't particularly care at the moment. She saw Rebekah coming down the stairs, see her, and turn away.
"Rebekah. What are you trying to avoid?"
"Will you accept I don't like you drunk?"
"No."
Rebekah came and sat next to Méalla. "I ditched Marcel sleeping upstairs because I had a dream. Of me hurting Alex, or at least this body hurting her. The former resident channeled witch children." Méalla's hand snapped the bottle of alcohol she was holding.
"Dream as in memory of former resident or dream of fear?"
"I'm not sure."
Before Rebekah had even finished answering, Méalla was out of her seat, hollering for Alex. She vamped up the stairs, past every room where curious people were peeking out of until she skidded to a stop in front Alex's door. It was closed and she slowly pushed it open. She felt her heart drop. The bed looked like someone had gotten up, the window was open with curtains blowing. Alex was nowhere to be seen. Terrified, Méalla started to check every room as she hollered for Alex, waiting for an answer that did not come.

"You asshole!" Méalla leaped for Marcel as soon the vampire came into Klaus' study. Eva had regained control and left while Méalla was searching for Alex. Anna grabbed Méalla and twirled her away from Marcel. Méalla didn't see the look on Hayley's face as she did so, but Anna did. "You let that bitch take my daughter." She screamed.
"Méalla, we will find Alex." Hayley said gently. "But to do that, we need him alive." Hayley said, looking to Marcel. Méalla finally relented and turned away from the man that was supposed to guard that witch bitch.
"Tell me you have a plan Klaus."
"As a matter of fact I do." He lifted the spell blocking manacles from a box on his desk and gave them to Marcel. "Go find that body but don't kill it yet. We're putting Rebekah back in her own body first." Marcel nodded. "You, Anna, and Hayley will join Elijah and Gia in calling off the witch hunt."
"And you?"
"Talking to the original body stealer."

Méalla paced as she and the others waited in Josephine's living room. Elijah and Hayley were exchanging worried looks and Hayley was also obviously uncomfortable sitting next to Anna.
"I'm gonna go try to find Josephine." Gia said.
"I'll join you." Anna said as she rose and walked out of the room with Gia. Elijah's phone rang and he took it outside, leaving Méalla and Hayley alone.
Méalla didn't fully realize this until Hayley cleared her throat.
"You haven't been answering my texts." Méalla looked up at Hayley and saw a jealous look.
"You haven't answered my calls." Méalla responded simply.
"So much for our promise." Hayley muttered.
"I will keep that promise until after I'm dead but its you who doesn't seem to be able to." Méalla responded automatically, her voice sharp. She saw Hayley flinch and she softened.
"It's a transition period Hayley. We can still be close, but not like we were. We both need time, and I need to find my missing daughter."
"That will be very hard if it's true that Eva Sinclair has her." Came a voice behind Méalla.
"Why is that, Madame LaRue?"

Méalla was furious as she paced with Saoirse in her arms. Elijah had saw the veins under her eyes and quickly taken over the witch hunt conversation to no avail. Now she very possibly might lose her daughter and her sister. And now Hope and Saoirse are at risk as well. Oh she's furious and she's gunning for blood.
"Still no sign of her. What the hell is Eva waiting for?" Suddenly, Marcel returned to the compound and joined them in the courtyard.
"She didn't wait. She took Josephine LaRue not half an hour ago."
"If Eva doesn't need the girls, then where would she go?"
"The same place she kept all the other captives. Where she took Davina and Alex."
"A place no one has been able to find for two years." Elijah said oh so helpfully. Marcel's phone rang, and scowled as he picked it up.
"When I find you, I am going to rip your head from your neck."
Méalla heard Vincent on the other side of the phone. "You may want to hold off on that decapitation; I found them all. Your two are alive." Méalla sighed in relief as Marcel looked stunned. "Sorry, I had to make it look convincing! If you were in on the plan, Eva would have known."
"Yeah, blasting me through a couple glass doors really sold it. Alright, round of applause. Now what?"
"Now, we got a problem. These kids, they're all linked to her. If she dies, they all die." Méalla sharply inhaled the very breath she just let out in relief.
"So, we'll find a witch to unlink them."
"Gonna need somebody with some serious power."
Marcel sighed and looked over at Elijah who looked over at Méalla, who all seemed to be thinking the same thing and he hung up the phone. Elijah nodded at Marcel.