FALLEN EMPIRES, Klaus Mikaelson

fifteen

ALBA.

The woods have to be my least favorite place in the world, but it seems that's where I'm always ending up. Even now with the moon hanging low in the sky I can't seem to find my way out of its tangled web of trees. Every which way I turn I find myself face to face with a thousand-year old oak that has stood the tests of time. To most people the trees, fresh air, and silence is calming, but to me they represent something completely different.

"ALBA!" I froze mid step, my body instantly tensed up. That sounded like Danny. I wait and listen, but I'm only met with silence.

"Danny!?" I screamed letting my senses take over as I tried to feel for her. I could sense her in here with me, but something's was blocking me from locating her.

"ALBA!" Danny wailed in pain as I took off like a bolt deeper into the forest. I didn't think as I dodged fallen logs and gnarled tree limbs; my only concern was finding her.

"Allba," A new voice taunted as I came to a slow jog when I realized I'm not making any progress. Everything looked the same; I couldn't tell where I'd been or was going. "Alllba," it whispered again causing a shiver to crawl down my spine. I tugged my jacket tighter around me when the temperature suddenly dropped leaving me freezing.

"What do you want!?" I yelled into the night watching my breath release a tiny cloud in the air. I could feel my body start to shake as the weather becomes more frigid. "Where's Danny!?"

"How do you plan to save Danny when you can't even save yourself?" The voice cackled making me clench my jaw as I hunched over for warmth. The trees are now covered in a thin sheet of ice as are my clothes. "We are coming for you Alba. We'll get you just like we got your mother."

"W-W-Who a-are you?" I sputtered buckling at the knees as I collided with the frozen dirt. The moon is long gone leaving me in complete darkness. I could feel something in the shadows watching me and for the first time in my life, I know I'm completely helpless. I cringed when another cackle sounded through my ears making me squeeze my eyes shut.

"It's not about who we are; it's about who you will become." I almost didn't catch the last part as my teeth chatter against each other. The wind had picked up leaving my face burning in its wake as ice filled my veins.

"I-I-I d-d-don't u-unders-s-stand," I choked out caving in on myself further as I started to go numb. My hands had long since turned blue rendering them useless.

"You will. But tell me something child, how does it feel to be completely alone?"

______________________

I woke with a start flinging myself to the floor with a loud thud that resounded through the room. The hardwood is cold as I laid in a tangled mess of silky sheets trying to catch my breath. I gulped as my dream reared its ugly head to remind me Danny isn't the only one with a time limit.

"Well I would be lying if I said that wasn't entertaining to watch," Klaus's light chuckles pulled me from my morbid thoughts as I sat upright. He's leaning against the door looking spotless in simple dark wash jeans that hung low on his hips and a grey v-neck that hugged his muscles in all the right places. "Bad dream love?" He asked causing a sigh to escape my lips.