Broken Souls

45

Settling down at the dining table, Maya grew anxious that she was going to be sent back to her parents. When Solène smiled at her, she felt butterflies. Maya liked this woman who made her feel warm and safe. She felt safe with everyone in this mansion, and she didn't want to leave.

"Alright, sweetie. Can you tell us what brought you here? Did something else happen at home?" The witch watched as Maya stayed silent and began to play with the pocket on the hoodie. "Maya, if it's not safe for you there, I won't end you back, okay? I just need to know what happened."

The girl nodded, not looking up from her lap. "When my parents said that Mason was gone, the police had me talk to some people. They wanted to know about me and Mason. They asked if we played together well, and if we would fight." Sol hummed, realizing she spoke to a psychologist. Everyone was sat silently around the dinner table, trying their best to not make Maya feel uncomfortable.

"They always said it wasn't my fault, but I already knew that." The small blonde's brows furrowed as her eyes narrowed. "They told my parents, too. But they didn't listen. I told them again and again, but they didn't care. We would fight about it a lot. My dad couldn't even look at me, and mom would just keep yelling at me. She grabbed me," her hand trailed to the upper length of her arm. "I was so mad that I started to push her away. She wouldn't let go of me. I hit her when I was trying to get away... That made her more upset and she hit me, too."

As soon as those words came from her mouth, Solène had decided that she would not be sending Maya back to that house. She moved around the table, having startled Maya at her abrupt movement. Kneeling next to the child, Sol gave another of her relaxing smiles. "Would you like to stay here with us?"

Both sets of eyes flickered over to the rest of the family. They'd talked about it lightly before, but Sol had impulsively offered to house the young girl without deeply discussing it with everyone else. Her eyes held an apology for her actions, but everyone else seemed to be smiling.

"We need more girls in this house." Rebekah's eyes were shining at the idea. Kai nodded, agreeing with Rebekah.

"I suppose a kid wouldn't too bad to have around. Maybe it could be fun," he trailed off, trying to think of all the chaos he could create with the aid of Maya.

"It'll be like a trial run, for when we have kids in the future," Kol brightened at the idea, not even thinking about his magical infertility.

Sol laughed a little bit at Kol's words, and Niklaus seemed to agree with them wholeheartedly. Finn and Elijah were more than happy to agree, having grown fond of the child very quickly.

"I don't know if they'll let me..." Maya trailed off, moving her gaze back to her lap. She wanted to stay with them, feeling more comfortable with them than her parents. However, she worried her parents wouldn't agree to such an arrangement. Maya believed they would prevent her from going somewhere that would make her happy.

Sol's expression didn't shift one bit as she leaned forward. "It's a secret, but since you're family now," Maya's eyes widened at her words, heart fluttering once more. "We're all magical," Sol whispered conspiratorially, "and my boys are quite compelling when they speak. People can't help but agree with what they say."

Maya gasped, everyone else amused at Sol's words. "You mean it? My parents say it's okay for me to stay here?"

"Oh, sweetie," Sol placed a hand on her cheek. "I can legally have you as my daughter by this evening."

The young girl's eyes sparkled, scanning over everyone in the room. "Does that mean I will have four dads?"

"And a hot aunt and crazy uncle," Solène continued, winking at the couple. Rebekah's heart felt like it was filling up, her family expanding more and more. She had a niece. Now, if she had children of her own, she'd feel like her family was complete. More nieces, or even nephews, aren't off the table either.

Kai grew more excited seeing Rebekah look so happy about the family's addition. It was strange to him to feel this way after such a long time. He'd had a few good memories as a child before he was discovered to be a siphon. Maya, however, seemed to already have experienced life-changing experiences. He briefly wondered if he would be a positive presence in her life, or if he would only make her experience more troubles.

"I really don't have to go back?" Maya leaned into Sol's hand, the older woman smiling wider.

"Nope, we can pick up your things while we discuss the new arrangements with your old parents." Sol stood, dropping her hand to her girl's shoulder. "Is anyone free today? I've made some plans with Caroline, and I'm to meet her in an hour."

"Go on, Little Witch. We'll take care of it. I'm sure Bekah would love to spend some time with her new niece."

"Is that alright with you?" Sol looked down to Maya, who nodded.

"Yeah, but why does he call you 'Little Witch?' I thought witches were supposed to be green and have pointy hats?"

Kai laughed aloud at the girls words. "Don't believe everything you see on tv, kid. Witches are everywhere."

"Kai," Sol sighed, seeing a spooked Maya. "Witches can be super nice, Maya. He calls me that because I put them under a spell called love." Pleased that Maya was smiling again, she excused herself to go get ready.

After a quick shower, she threw on some clothes from her closet, grabbing a pair of shoes. Stashing her notebook, a pen and her keys into her bag, she made her way to the front door. Everyone seemed to be waiting to see her off.

"I can get used to this." Sol's heart warmed at the sight. She had people to come home to now. No more small apartment, the boys had cleared it out the previous morning. Most of her belongings being donated since she could easily replace them with her new source of income. She just brought a few things over from her place. One of them being the old notebook from the original Solène. She couldn't quite bring herself to part with it, feeling thankful to the girl for existing which gave her a second chance at life.

Giving everyone a proper goodbye, and a kiss to Maya's head with her consent, Sol was out the door to her car.

Damon was surprised to find Solène walking into his house unannounced and uninvited. "What're you doing here?"

"Research. Caroline offered to help me, but I also need help from you or Stefan. You up for it?" The siphon plopped onto the couch, waiting for the female vampire's arrival.

"What're you researching? Should I worry about Augustine two point oh?" The older Salvatore smirked to himself, watching the witch pull out her notebook.

"I'm making a spell, its purpose will remain a secret until it's complete, but I need a bit more research before I being to make it." It was made quite easier than she expected now that she had all of Esther's knowledge. She wondered how long it would take her to finish it. "You can use it in the future, if you'd like, but only if you're nice," Sol's tone turned playful.

Damon hummed, eyeing the witch while he thought about what kind of spell she was trying to create. If the spell would be helpful to him, it wouldn't be bad to make sure he had access to it in the future.

"I'm game."