Monomania

Chapter 15: Sister

My books are like my three kids.

HFA is the oldest with the most reads, Monomania is the youngest with the second most reads and quickly counting, and LTTH is the underrated middle kid.

***

"Wait, Mikaelson," Elena said, snapping her fingers as she gestured to Rebekah. "You're Klaus's sister. The name on the ball invitation was for Klaus Mikaelson."

"Why are you here?" Bonnie asked, her defensive stance marginally relaxing.

"I will tell you-" Rebekah cut out mid sentence to let out a hoarse cough "-as much as I can. Please, sit."

"Why should we trust you?" Bonnie asked defensively, but Caroline stepped in and pointed right at Rebekah.

"Bonnie, she's not going to be able to do anything. I mean, look at her."

The girls looked closely at Rebekah, and all their hearts dropped when they got a real good look. The Original looked like a shell of former glory. Her hair, though bright in the light, appeared lifeless and dull at the ends. Her eyes were cloudy and the lines on her face made her seem like she was in permanent discomfort.

She looked like she'd been through hell.

"Please, I truly mean you no harm," Rebekah said again, her tone even. If she was offended by Bonnie's blatant skepticism, she did not show it.

Caroline was the first to bravely step forward, keeping her eyes on Rebekah as she tiptoed toward the couch. Bonnie and Elena hesitantly followed after her, all eyeing the woman with caution.

"You are all wondering why I am here," Rebekah stated, shifting herself on the couch, "you might all be wondering why I look like this too."

"I didn't want to say it, but yes," Caroline mumbled, giving Rebekah a sheepish look while Bonnie and Elena shot her a glare.

"It's alright, some people are not as nice in their inquiries," Rebekah said wistfully. "It's because of Niklaus that I am like this."

"Klaus? How did he do it? What did he do?" Elena fired off questions, her heart dropping in her chest after Rebekah mentioned Klaus.

"Has Elijah told you that Klaus has enchanted daggers that send us into a deep slumber when mixed with a special ash and stabbed into our hearts?"

"What?!" All the girls exclaimed, all conveying a varying degree of shock on their faces. Rebekah nodded impassively, waiting for them to gain their bearings.

It was Bonnie who was the first to recover.

"He did it to you? Is that why you're, no offense, kind of..."

"Haggard? Cadaverous? Gaunt?" Rebekah spat, coughing as she did. Her glare was icy, but not at Bonnie. Her narrowed eyes and sneering lips showed she was just angry at the whole situation.

"Well, I mean, kind of?" Bonnie said tentatively, not wanting to anger the Original in front of her.

"Yes. Those damned daggers are laced with a spell that saps our strength the longer it is in our chest. I was daggered for two hundred years and when I awoke, it took me years to try and regain the strength I lost."

"How long has it been since you were undaggered?" Elena asked.

"One hundred years," Rebekah snapped, but again, her ire was not directed at Elena. "I have the strength of Katerina Petrova. At my tender age, I should be stronger than Elijah."

"That's awful," Bonnie commented, her face conveying the genuine sympathy she had for Rebekah.

"That it is. I am in permanent discomfort. I was bedridden for five years shortly after waking up until I could walk again. For years, I was as weak as an old woman with swelling joints and pneumonia."