Some type of divine intervention occurred when the Earth was being destroyed by a large asteroid. The heat was about to consume us when suddenly I was in a bright white room.
It's mid March, I've been practicing very weak Magic in the Quarter, trying to draw out the witches. An old witch named Agnes approached me in the street, "Child, I've never felt such power radiate from you, would you join me in the graveyard? It's a safe place for the witches." She said, trying to trick me. "Are there more of us?" I asked, playing her for the fool she is.
"There's about two dozen of us currently. Come with me and meet your brothers and sisters." She said trying to lure me in, Jesus cultish much. "Be careful niece, they are always tricky." I could hear Henrik from about two blocks away. I had a German tourist sign our house deed and invite us in before sending them back home safely.
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Agnes led me gently by the arm to the Graveyard, I could feel the unease of the ancestors. They will feel my wrath soon enough. Henrik had followed us, keeping watch from above. "Sisters, we have a new member. I'm sorry young one, I never got your name." Agnes spoke to everyone then to me. "I'm Hope Marshall. I moved here from Virginia, recently learned that I'm a witch and came here. I heard that magic practically bleeds in the city." I told everyone.
Jane-Anne and Sophie Deveraux, approached me first. "Welcome Hope, word of caution don't get too caught up with Agnes." Sophie said, Jane-Anne smacked her as she finished warning me. "Don't listen to her, she barely uses her magic, Ancestors and Elders are to be listened to." Jane-Anne scolded her sister. "I like to form my own judgement of people, advice is always biased no offense." I replied. Jane-Anne looked smug, not knowing I was dissing her too.
Mrs. Claire and a young Davina were standing in the background. "It's nice to meet you, I've heard about powerful witches coming from the Claire line." I said to the both of them, trying to get the mother to let her guard down. "That's too kind of you." She replied smiling. Davina smiled at the compliment, "I bet that one day, you are going to be an incredible powerhouse." I told her.
I walked around greeting the current members, Sabine Laurent approached me first. "Hello Hope, I am Sabine, I run a shop the Jardin Gris voodoo shop in the Quarter. Some of its just for tourists but some of it can be helpful, come check it out. There's a girl named Katie, she works there too let her know I recommended you come by. She'll know not to peddle you the trinkets." She told me shaking my hand. I focused my energy on not letting her read my past or powers.
"Thank you, I'll stop by. I live in the Quarter." I responded, taking my hand back. I returned to Agnes, "I should be going, I need to find a job in the area." I told her. "Go on, see you soon." She told me kindly. "What a load of shit." Henrik said from the balcony he was hiding on.
As soon as I knew that none of the witches could see me I jumped to where Henrik was, "I know right, I had to hold back actively laughing at them as they spoke. I need you to follow Sabine home from a distance, and I mean a distance. She can't sense you, make yourself invisible from afar. It's Céleste Dubois in her body, I have an idea for her." I told him. "Got it, what are you going to do?" He asked.
"I'm going to break into the Compound and steal a bunch of our families things." I answered before jumping back down. I waited for nightfall, most of the night-walkers would be out in the streets on the prowl, the others would be in the Compound having a feeding party. As I neared, I hid behind a corner, "Invisique." I chanted waving a hand over my face.
I walked into my families home, avoiding bumping into vampires and humans. I could see my brother, Marcel. It'll be tough to convince him, I'll just have to show him eventually. He's going to have a fit when he finds everything gone. I made my way into the cellars, enchanted to blind anyone in here.
The house recognized its true owner, letting me see clearly. I shrunk down large crates full of grimoires and journals from Elijah, Kol and Dad. I took everything that would be important to my family and anything that Marcel would deem important to keep from Dad. As I was about to make my way out, "Someone's down here!" I heard a vampire call out. I put my hand out, silently casting motus.
The vampires were blasted against the wall behind them, breaking their spines with the force. I quickly sped out of the Compound heading for our current home as quickly as possible. I met up with Henrik in the early morning, pouring each of us a drink and a glass of blood. Despite being a heretic and craving blood he looked rather disgusted, "You'll find that with blood types you'll have a favorite. Mine is O+, it'll just take time to figure it out. But you need to be at full strength always, this is one of the most dangerous cities for us to live in." I told him.
He took both glasses, "Thank you." He responded. I pulled out all of the things I had reclaimed for our family. It was in Kol's journals that I found the Dowager Fauline Cottage, in other words the house that Freya is trapped in. "I'll free you soon Aunt Freya." I said quietly to myself. "The harvest is coming, I'm going to apply at Rousseau's. I'll learn more if I can hear them whispering in places they think is safe." I told Henrik.
"I found Sabine's address, she pretends to live a normal life. What do you plan for her?" He asked. "With Elijah's journal we will find Céleste's burial ground. I want you to siphon the area, once that's done I want you to siphon Céleste to death and save Sabine's life. You'll see the spirit exit, that's when you stop." I told him. Upon hearing that, Henrik dove into Elijah's journals, speed reading all of his boring monologues.
"Found it." He said aloud. "When do you want me to start?" He asked. "Not until we are closer to the Harvest. They'll select the girls and then we will slaughter everyone involved besides the victims." I responded. I'm going to ensure that Marcel doesn't know when the Harvest happens.
7 hours later
It was mid day, and I was walking around Bourbon street ready to get some information. I walked into Rousseau's, "Is Jane-Anne about?" I asked the bartender who was turned away. "Yeah she's just answering for a delivery she'll be up front in a sec." She responded cleaning the bar. I took a seat waiting for Jane. It was a couple minutes later when she approached, "Hope, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon, what can I do for you?" She asked politely.
"I was hoping to get an afternoon shift three days a week?" I said with fake hope in my eyes. "I think that could be doable, do you have a food handlers license?" She responded. I pulled it out showing her how long it's good for. "Can you start today? Sophie rarely shows up for her shifts." She asked. "That would be great." I answered, she then passed me an apron.
It was towards the end of my shift when I could hear Sophie arguing with her sister about me working here. I did get the date the Harvest would be happening. The full moon on July. After the argument was over, my shift ended at the same time luckily. I followed Sophie home and before she entered; I put a block between her brain and her mouth. A witches compulsion to stop her from revealing witch news to the vampires. She didn't even know I was there by the time she turned around.
I will deal with these harvest sacrifices soon. There was no reason it had to be as brutal and terrifying as it was for the girls. With any luck, they won't see it coming.
