Curse of Ravens // Mikaelson

34 Call me the Mad Hatter

The stormy breeze drifted through my room as the night began. The open doors to my balcony let the misty air in. The scent of rain mixed with the lavender and mint I was burning. Candles lit my room here and there. I sat on the rug on the floor, a grimoire open in front of me that I had picked up at the Norway Institute. It was legal to check out grimoires from the institute, as long as it wasn't a permanent check-out.

Unfortunately, I betrayed them before I could return the book. I was expected to return it now that I was once again, a full-fledged member. But who was keeping track of the things I have taken from Clan Hela, and who was going to force me to return any of it?

My hair was damp from my shower around my shoulders, and I had changed into sweatpants and a tee shirt.

When I arrived back at the house, I received a tongue lashing from Mum for leaving. Hayley jumped to my defense, but the damage was already done. I was grounded for the rest of the winter break. Which meant no visiting New York for Yule, and no leaving this compound under any circumstances. Luckily, Mum didn't pick up on Hope's involvement in my visit to Charlotte Gautier's flat. Hope didn't come clean with the truth.

Being grounded shouldn't stop me from pursuing this project, and as far as power is concerned, no boundary spell that Freya erects could confine me. I'd find some loophole and she knew that. I've done it since I was young enough to use magic. That wasn't the problem. To move forward I needed connections, I needed intel. Kol would speak with Vincent, and possibly get leads on any magical visitors to New Orleans. And Marcel might have useful information about the vampires.

Kol already made it clear he wasn't going to tell me anything unless my Mum allowed my involvement. And Marcellus was brave but he'd think twice before crossing my mother. Which meant, as they say, I was dead in the water.

I laid back on my rug and looked up at the ceiling. My eye twitched as magic slammed the grimoire shut on the floor before me.

You are here for a break from all of this! Vampire wars and magical curses! My Mum's words kept banging around in my head.

If you didn't want your daughter involved with war then you shouldn't have married Dad! I closed my eyes briefly as I recalled the words I screamed back at her.

I'm so tired of trying! All I do is try with you, but you don't listen to me, you keep secrets, you act out- what do you want from me?

I want you to leave me alone! My eyes blinked back open when there's a soft knock on the doorframe. I turned my head to the side and saw the woman in my thoughts at the doorway. I turned my head back to look at the ceiling.

"I brought you some dinner." Caroline stepped into my room. I felt my eyes burning, the way they do before they tear up. Despite my cruelty, my Mum was here, bringing me food, still caring. It's never been just the two of us like this. We do okay when my Dad is around. It might sound like a lie, but Klaus was a rather good moderator between us girls.

"I'm not hungry." I replied, my tone flat, devoid of all emotion. I waited for her footsteps to retreat, to go down the hallway and leave me to my thoughts. But that's not Caroline. She walked over and set the plate on my desk, going towards the doors. "Leave them."

"What's with leaving the windows and doors open everywhere we go?" Mum sighed, sitting on my chair and looking over where I laid on the floor. I glanced towards her, and realized the question wasn't rhetorical. Since when do you care? I wanted to reply with. I intertwined my fingers together and rested my hands on my stomach. It's those sorts of answers as to why we sometimes had strained periods in our relationship.

"It's a nature thing." My answer is vague. She doesn't have to say anything, all she does is wait, silently. It was enough to tell me she actually wanted to hear the rest of the answer. "There's magic in the wind. In storms, the molecules in the air charge with energy. It's what makes lightning. Weather is where nature and magic collide with science." I elaborated, feeling guilty about not answering a basic inquiry. "It's... beautiful."