The Original Family

Chapter Sixteen

I sighed looking at my sketch. It was the exact same as the ones I had drawn all day yesterday while watching Henrik. Nik, Rebekah, Stefan and Caroline had gone to Mystic Falls though they should have gotten back this morning. That left Elijah and I in charge of New Orleans. More like just me as Elijah had disappeared, I suspected to the Bayou to see the wolf he was interested in. I really should meet this Annalise soon. Make sure she wasn't using him. "What's wrong?" My head snapped up to see Henrik looking at me. It was the first time he had spoken since the night before yesterday. I should know, I made sure to watch him the entire day yesterday.

"I'm trying to figure why the Harvest didn't work. I spoke to Sophie, they did it right, you did it right. All my mind seems to want to focus on however is..." I trailed off and looked at my drawing again. While I had spoken I had written the names of the witches I had drawn. Weird seeing as I only knew three of them and above one of them I had written the wrong name. "Henrik what do you know of a witch by the name Bastianna?" Henrik sat up from lying on the couch to look at me.

"Bastianna?" I nodded not taking my eyes off the drawing. "She was an Elder, she's the one who started the Harvest. Sacrificed the first two girls Cassie and Abigail. She died that night when the vampires intervened." I shot out of my chair and grabbed my jacket.

"Tell Nik when he returns I'm running an errand." I called out throwing the drawing in my room before leaving.

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After collecting a few needed supplies and snooping while invisible I started to make my way home. I now more than ever believe my suspicions were correct. I knew why the Harvest didn't work and I was furious. Before I could get very far my phone went off. It was Nik. Before I could answer it however my head felt like it was exploding. I dropped it along with my bag as I fell to the ground clutching my head. Groaning, I looked up to see the three witches and warlock I had been drawing. All four of them were holding their hands out towards me. "You always were too smart for your own good."

"Celeste." I snarled at her holding in a groan as the pain intensified. Throwing my own hand out at them I made them fly off their feet. The pain lessened but it didn't fully stop. Grabbing my bag, I made to leave as dozens of more witches came out chanting. I flew into a wall and felt my arm snapped from the impact. The four were on their feet now and leading the witches to me. "From here to home, where safety roams. Take this now to my room so it doesn't meet its doom." I spoke thinking quickly. My bag disappeared just as they reached me. I stood up.

"Still fighting to the end." Celeste commented.

"Always."

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I could sense people moving around me. Only two though. I shifted trying to move but my body felt like it was asleep and being weighed down. Every time I tried to pain shot through me. I screamed out when I tried to use magic. Blinking rapidly to try to bring the room into focus I realised I was outside lying on the ground. I could make out old drawings on the small ledges. "Do you recognise it? You brought me here a very long time ago." I closed my eyes trying to ward off the dizziness. I knew where we were from the drawings, I had done them myself centuries ago. I came here when I needed to get away from my family. The view all those centuries ago was beautiful. My family never knew about it and I had only ever brought one person here. Isabella Joffrey.

The warlock suddenly appeared in my vision. I knew him and I hated him. "Doesn't anyone in this town know how to stay dead." I spat as he showed me a knife with a creepy smile. "Planning on channelling me? Always were a leech Alphonse."

"You will wish that is all I will do. You will feel even more pain than the vampires I plan to sacrifice with this." He held up a second blade, this one curved. "But no. For what you and your family did I will make you suffer. You are a traitor to your own people." The curved blade disappeared leaving him holding the normal one. "Your own magic will turn against you. As I channel and use it the pain will become even more unbearable." The blade left my blurred vision but I knew he still had it, I could feel him run it over my stomach. Only then did I realise I was only wearing my shorts and bra. "I'm going to enjoy this." He disappeared then and the knife cut into me drawing symbols.

He cut into me for hours, leaving no skin untouched. My arms, legs and stomach all cut into. When he ran out of room I was rolled over so my back could become his new canvas. I wasn't healing either, they had prevented me from doing so. My throat was sore but the pain was nothing compared to what I felt when he declared he was done. I was put on my back again, stones digging in to my wounds. "Enjoy," he whispered raising the knife to my forehead. I blanked out when it was done. All I knew was pain. My body felt like it was being skinned, picked apart inch by inch and burned. I knew when he channelled as the pain flared up even more. I was trapped in my mind, feeling everything just like he said I would. It felt like my own magic was crushing me, smoothing me. I lost the meaning of time.

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After what felt like years I could feel someone trying to find me but I just felt more pain as they did. My magic reacted and fought to keep me hidden. I could sense it was Henrik though, I could feel him. Focusing on him I was pulled into his mind; I could see through his eyes. He was at the compound in one of the studies chanting over a map that had his blood on it. I could feel the cut on his hand. It wasn't working, my magic was throwing him off, he was having trouble pin pointing where I was as my magic made it look like I was everywhere. It was pouring out of me. He stopped and shoved the map off the table. It joined others and he placed a new one down putting a small amount of blood on it. He started again as Nik and Marcel entered. We ignored them but I could feel they were beginning to irritate Henrik with their discussion with Sophie. When he got the same result as he did with the other locator spells he snapped. "Will you shut up!" He shouted, his magic reacted to his emotions smashing objects in the room. The three of them stared at him in shock while he leaned on the desk breathing heavily trying to calm down.

"Henrik," Sophie spoke stepping forward slightly. "What are you doing?" She asked looking at the map as Nik and Marcel came forward to look as well.

"I am trying to locate my sister. Who, as it seems to have escaped your attention has not been seen since this morning." He shoved the map away but Sophie grabbed it while Marcel picked up some from the floor. "Your chatter is not helping." He shoved another down ready to start again.

"Why is the blood covering all of New Orleans?" Marcel questioned getting a sigh from Henrik.

"Because she is radiating magic, its pouring off her. It has been for hours. Even with me channelling the ancestors I still can't pin point her location. She's too powerful." He explained putting blood on the map. He sighed then pushing it away. He knew he would only get the same result. "The only thing I am getting is unbearable pain." He admitted looking at Nik, fury could be seen in our brother's eyes. "I think Papa Tunde has done something to her."

I was pulled from the connection then, back to my misery that had only dampened slightly while I was with Henrik. I wanted to scream. Papa Tunde was dead but the link he had created to channel me had been passed to someone else. As it shifted the pain flared. When it settled, I knew who it was. Celeste.