Lightning Strikes Twice

Forty Three

"Jackson." Méalla pulled him aside into an empty room.
"I don't know what it is you're planning but you're planning something to get away from Dahlia. I want you to take my girls and Anna with you. They don't have to stay with you but to get out of the city. Please."
Jackson looked at her in shock. "I haven't even talked to Hayley about it. How did you-"
"Because I read minds. No because it's obvious we're all scared and making plans. Now please, say you'll take them."
"I don't know about Anna but I will take Alex and Saoirse. I'll tell you when it's happening after I figure out the logistics."
"Thank you." Méalla let Jackson continue on his way.
She waited a few moments to let him leave before she started to but she was stopped by Anna.
"Jackson's right. Six is harder than five and Alex is old enough to help with the babies and also has learned how to do cloaking spells. I can stay and fight. You don't need to worry about me."
"Anna..."
"Méalla, I can do this."
"She frightens Originals Anna. The oldest and most powerful here. We don't know what she can or will do."
"All the more reason for me to stay and fight!"
"All the more reason for you to go because we never know when she'll hit someone we care about!"
Before the words were out of her mouth, Anna was kissing her. Méalla kissed back fiercely. Anna broke away after a minute and Méalla leaned her forehead against hers.
"I can't lose another person I care about. Especially one I can trust cares about me."
"This fight needs an army and I'm no deserter."
Méalla sighed in defeat, her eyes closed as she leaned against Anna.
"Mom!" Méalla heard Alex scream in terror. Méalla sped to the courtyard in seconds, seeing a man she didn't know lying bloody at Alex's feet. Alex held a knife and her hands were bloody. Or at least she had held a knife. Right now she was hunched over, in pain with golden eyes.
Méalla sped to her. "Alex look at me. Look at me." Alex lifted her eyes, fear filling them. "Breathe with me. In and out. In and out. Don't fight it, that will only make it worse. That's it, slow and steady. Good." Méalla guided Alex through her breathing for a few more minutes until the pain eased.
"I just activated my curse. I killed someone. Holy shit I killed someone. Mom I killed someone!" Alex started to cry before Méalla took her by the shoulders.
"Listen to me. I need to know what happened."
"I don't remember. I was upstairs then somehow, somehow.." Alex tried to breath but she was starting to cry harder. "I blinked and was in excruciating pain. And then, and then he was dead! I killed him!" At this point Alex burst into sobs, unable to talk any longer. Méalla took her in her arms and held her tightly, lifting her up and moving her away from the body.

"Mom, my leg is starting to ache." Alex said softly from the couch. She was staring at her hands, which Méalla had softly cleaned an hour before.
"Do you want me to get your heating pad?"
Alex nodded. Méalla went to get the heating pad Alex had for when her leg acted up and quickly came to sit back next to Alex, who leaned on her.
"The full moon is in a few days. You'll turn then, but I'll be with you. You can show me the Bayou through your eyes as a wolf. After that, it's up to you if you want to turn ever again." Alex nodded again, leaning into Méalla more. Méalla pulled Alex into her side, holding the stunned girl. Alex would never be the same. Killing someone takes something. Some people can live without it, others can't. And Méalla was sure Alex could move past this and continue living in time.

"The spell you described, Dahlia calls it "kenning", using proxies to watch her enemies from afar. But, I've never seen it done on quite this scale."
Hayley sighed in frustration. "Awesome. So, basically every hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential spy."
"And Alex. She got to Alex, made her trigger her gene." Méalla said with an edge to her voice, angry. She had just walked in to the family meeting, having not wanted to leave her upset daughter but she trusted Anna to help her.
Hayley, Elijah, Rebekah, and Klaus all looked shocked.
"What?"
"Alex was upstairs, then suddenly she was in the courtyard over a dead body. I have no doubt Dahlia is behind that. How do I stop it from happening again?"
"It's a power play. She wants you emotional, irrational. Luckily, I know a bit about how her magic works. This tea," Freya nodded to the tray in front of her, "will prevent us from being proxies."
Everybody but Klaus reached for a cup.
"Bottoms up!" Rebekah said before downing her hers.
"Niklaus, is there something you wish to contribute?" Elijah said, annoyed after Klaus still refused to drink the tonic.
Klaus shrugged. "I prefer biscuits with my tea."
Elijah rolled his eyes. "Of course."
"Klaus I swear to god, you have been pissing me off so much lately." Méalla muttered.
Klaus ignored both of them. "Besides, our minds are far too strong to be invaded by kenning spells." Elijah rolled his eyes again and sipped his tonic. "So what we experienced was a test. Dahlia is watching to see how we respond to aggression. She's preparing for battle. My guess is sooner, rather than later." Klaus continued.
"Well if she were watching us, she would know we have our own army." Hayley said.
"An army that can easily be used as spies we just found out." Méalla replied.
"She also knows where we are, and, given the immense nature of her power, we simply have no idea what to expect from her. What we need is to create a new stronghold, something that Dahlia knows nothing about, a sanctuary from any witchcraft." Elijah spoke, trying to redirect the conversation.
"That's a fine strategy. I offer another. We could use Jackson or Alex to trace her magic back to its source, find out exactly where she is." Freya offered.
"Is it painful?" Méalla asked.
Freya winced. "Unfortunately."
"Jackson's your only choice. Alex is off the table." Méalla said firmly.
Everyone looked to Hayley, who considered this for a moment. She looks over at Klaus, who merely smiled and raised his eyebrows at her, and Méalla who's face remained cold, before she sighed.
"Fine. Do it." Hayley agreed reluctantly.
Klaus looked pleased. "Good! Then it's settled. Off you pop to your respective tasks! Me? I've always been of the opinion that the best defense is a good offense. So I'm gonna find a way to murder that God-forsaken witch." Klaus walked out of the room.
"Make it painful!" Méalla called after him. He waved his hand in acknowledgement.