Rising from the ashes (Gia & Elijah Mikaelson Fanfiction - The Originals)

3. Vampire Camp

Marcel was feeling disappointed. Months had passed since he was driven out of the city.  Since he lost his empire to filthy dogs. It would had been easier for him if Klaus had remained king. At least vampires would stand a chance. He might had been cast out of his home but they would still have a place there. As things now were, they were now the prey. Werewolves ruled the city and any vampire caught within its borders was sentenced to death. He could not simply stand by and watch. He wanted to fight. He needed to fight. Take the city back and make them pay for all the troubles they caused. Avenge the death of his fallen vampires, the ones he once called family. But to do that he needed an army. And an army wasn't easy to come by. So, he sent his friend Josh, the only other vampire apart from the original family to have survived the slaughter, to a search and recover mission. Marcel needed recruits and it was Josh's job to find them. Except, the ones he picked weren't fighters. They were tough, yes, but he needed warriors, or future warriors for that matter, not lost puppies looking for love. Josh had spent his days looking for people to join the cause. Humans that could be turned into vampires. His brand new army. The results had been very disappointing, to say the least. Group after group. Humans passed but never stayed. None of them had what he was looking for. The will to fight, to conquer. Fight for a better life, a future, a new existence. He was beginning to despair. Now, he was looking on another group. About twenty people in toll, standing in formation. Each more pathetic than the other. Even the rocker chic standing in the front line. The only bright sign in the group but he feared that even she was hopeless. What was he going to do?

Gia returned to her safe house having no idea how she ended up there. All she remembered was following a clue on Marcel. She had left the house early in the morning and it was now late at night. She had no recollection of the time in-between. On top of that, she was feeling anxious, restless. Like there was somewhere she needed to be. Yet, she could not remember where. Her mind flew back to the discussion she had had with her ex. Dammit. He had warned her about the mind tricks vampires played but she had not listened. She didn't want to risk exposure. If Phoenix were to find out she was still alive it would be her undoing. The only advantage she had over him was his belief of her demise. She wasn't going to miss it. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to. Plan B appeared to be in place. When she had left this morning, she didn't go without a backup plan. She needed information and if Marcel didn't offer them freely she would have to get them some other way. So, she took a few micro cameras with her, hoping she could place them unnoticed. And her bag appeared to be empty.

She headed towards her computer. Sit on a chair and opened the feed. Yep, there definitely were new windows there. They showed a big alley and a long forgotten factory. It appeared to be empty. She turned from the live feed to the recorded one. Hours before. And there she was, standing in line, in the middle of a large group. A tall, handsome man was talking to them. Marcel. She had found him. She studied him for a while. His speech, his movement. He was African American. Very handsome and very charismatic. He definitely knew how to play the crowd. And now she knew why she felt the way she did.

Marcel was recruiting. He had compelled all of them to find their way back to him only if they were looking for something. Strength, speed, the power to control their lives. Most of the people in that group were lost. She could see it in their eyes, their actions. Their body contained their story. Exposed by their every move. Anyone a little more observant than usual and with basic body language skills could see it. People could lie but their body never did. Those people were lost, just like she was. Vengeance was the only thing keeping her going. No wonder she felt the call. Without knowing it Marcel had given her the perfect excuse to enter his world. He was calling her and she would definitely answer. She would wait a few days and then she would go find him.

She closed the window showing Marcel and moved on to the one with Francesca. The entire day she'd been surrounded by people. Bodyguards, never leaving her side. Except from that one time. She was in her office talking on her phone. She was angry. The man she was talking to had failed her. She was looking for something. Something important and her gut told her it had something to do with Phoenix. She mentally noted to by some bugs. She should have bugged her phone when she first broke into her house but there was no time for that. She had to find out what she was looking for and find it before she did. If Phoenix wanted it then so did she.