Lightning Strikes Twice

Twenty Nine

Méalla was sitting in the courtyard with most of Hayley's wolves when Elijah came shouting in.
"Brother! Niklaus!"
Hayley marched up to him, annoyed. "You do realize that literally everyone in here has supernatural hearing, right?"
"Where is my brother?"
Hayley gave him a look. "I'll check his calendar...Wait, no. Not his wife, so." She shrugged. Elijah was not pleased.
"Hayley, this city is under siege by an army of beasts following my deranged mother's every command. Now, considering it was your people who just declared war on my kind, now's not the best time for your particular brand of sass."
Hayley glared at him as soon as he said the word beasts.
"Klaus left a while ago. If you want to find him, I can't help you. If only there was a magical device that people used to call people? I don't know, I'm out of ideas. Good luck."  She started to walk away but turned back. "Oh! One more thing, Elijah. Those "beasts" that you're referring to? They may be under Esther's control, but, like you said, they're my people. So, if you hurt them, your bitch mother will be the least of your problems." Hayley finished speaking and left the courtyard.
"Maybe next time, don't insult an entire species who's being taken advantage of?" Méalla walks up next to Elijah. "What's going on?"
"The werewolves are pushing the vampires out of the other side of the river. They have 24 hours before it's an all out bloodbath."
"Joy." Méalla muttered.

"Klaus, I swear to god if you hurt Davina..." Méalla hissed through her phone to her brother, who was explaining where he was going with Cami.
"Camille's here, so hopefully she can reason with Davina and nothing happens. Otherwise, I make no promises."
"Put Cami on."
"Hi Méalla. Long time, no speak."
"Sorry about that. If Klaus tries anything, I give you permission to start using your psych degree to stop him."
"Understood. I'll put Klaus back on."
"Really, Little Quill?"
"If you won't answer to me, you'll answer to her. She's your lightning strikes twice human."
"What are you talking about?"
"God you're oblivious. Bye."
Méalla hung up on the sputtering Klaus and turned to face Hayley in her doorway. There was another man with her, a wolf, shown by the ring on his hand.
"We need to talk. It's urgent." Hayley said.
"What's up?"
"Your psycho brother is going to turn kids tonight to be soldiers."
Méalla was shocked. She knew Finn could be extreme, they all could, but kids? Kids? Really?
"We're gonna need help. Elijah is across the river with the vampires, let's talk to them."

"Elijah?" Hayley asked, Méalla and her slightly startled at what they saw. A girl had her hand in Elijah's chest, presumably around his heart. They both looked startled and mildly embarrassed. The girl took her hand out of his chest and let go of him.
"We need to talk."
Aiden, the werewolf, followed Hayley and Méalla into the loft. The girl looked as though she were about jump him, but Elijah held her back.
"We're not here for a fight. Just hear him out." Hayley spoke, putting her hands up and moving her body between the two people. "Speak. I suggest you be succinct." Elijah, ever so to the point.
Aiden sighed. "Please. I need your help."
Méalla, Elijah, the girl Gia, Hayley, and Aiden had been joined by Oliver, Josh, and Marcel. The werewolves were explaining their dilemma.
"The witch wants soldiers. So now, it's either join up, or pay the price." Aiden finished.
"I've known my brother Finn to be merciless, but I'll admit, this exceeds even my expectations." Elijah looked slightly incredulous.
"They're just kids. Marcel, you know the Quarter like the back of your hand. If anyone can get them out of here, it's you." Hayley pleaded.
"Oh? And take 'em where?"
"There's still wolves deep in the Bayou. Ones that didn't take a ring. They can look after them." Oliver told them.
"The ones that never sold out, you mean." Marcel shot back.
Oliver made a defeated hand gesture. "You wanna look at it like that, that's fine. We did what we had to do."
"Your wolves have been fighting us for decades. Why trust us now?" Marcel had a point.
"One of the recruits is my little brother. There's no way I'm sending him to war." Aiden told everybody.
Marcel looks over at Elijah, who sighed.
"Tell us what you need."
Marcel, Méalla, Elijah, Josh, Gia, Hayley, Aiden, and Oliver were discussing the plan for the night.
"Alright, the kids are being held in the City of the Dead until we bring them through the Quarter to St. Anne's Church. Now, meanwhile, Vincent is holding a meeting with a few humans in the know. The ones who have been, uh, reluctant to fall in line with his new leadership." Aiden informed them.
"He's going to use the children to kill any opposition." Elijah realized. Aiden nodded.
"Activate their curse, send a message to anyone who's thinking about going against him. It's two birds, one... bloodbath."
"Okay, so, we'll hit them while the kids are on the move." Marcel decided.
"Aiden, make certain you and Oliver escort the children. We'll handle the rest." Elijah told the werewolves.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Esther and her psycho son are already giving me the stink eye. If these kids go missing on my watch, I'm as good as dead." Oliver was loud, uncertainty in his voice.
"You wanted to help your people and make amends for the past. This is your chance." Elijah stated simply and stared at Oliver until he nodded.

Méalla was walking through the Quarter, following Hayley as they scouted the escape route when she heard her name. She stopped for a moment, listening to hear where it was coming from, and followed it to an alley. She had barely made it a few steps in when she doubled over with pain, grasping her head. She saw Finn through her clouded vision in front of her, twisting his hand. She tried to speed towards him but with a sharp motion of his wrist, he broke her neck. She collapsed right into Esther's arms, who had been right behind her.

Waking up, the first thing Méalla noticed was that her wrists were suspended above her head. She was in a kneeling position on a cold stone floor, in a crypt, she now saw it was. As she looked around, she saw Esther in a corner.
"What do you want? Where are the others?" Méalla's voice was hoarse and angry. Esther smiled at her.
"Méalla, my fierce girl. You were always the most protective child. You always took things on yourself that you shouldn't have had to."
"How would you know? You never paid any attention to me."
"Didn't I? I taught you how to knit, crochet, to weave, to cook, to tell stories." Esther crouched down in front of Méalla, lightly brushing a hand down her cheek. Méalla tried to shift away but didn't get far because of the way she was positioned.
"That was more of a job than anything else. Niklaus was the favored bastard child, Finn the dearest, Elijah the softest, Rebekah the youngest daughter, Kol the talented witch and Henrik, the baby. I was an afterthought."
"No, you were the one I trusted most. You were the one I counted on to help me take care of Kol, Rebekah and Henrik. You helped me mend Niklaus's wounds and you made Elijah and Finn's tools. You were the strongest, the kindest." Esther brushed a hair out of Méalla's face. "When you were born, the first thing I thought was that you had the eyes of a warrior. When you were a child, you had the heart of a lover. And you had the words of stories your entire life."
"Why am I here?" Méalla responded, ignoring the words her mother was saying.
"Protective yet destructive. I take it the little witch, the young wolf, and Hayley are now under your protection? I do hope they know what happens to the people you supposedly protect." Esther stood up and turned her back on Méalla, busying herself with candles.
"Why am I here?"
"Because I want us to be a family again. You can be a wolf once more, you could have more children. Alex could be a sister again. You and Hayley could be together. All you'd have to do is take another body."
"What do you mean, happens to those under my protection?"
"Oh dear, must I remind you? Sweet Niamh, killed by your dear brother, darling Eira back when we were human, used to turn you into a vampire. Kol, burned while you were thousands of miles away, Henrik, killed by your own kind. People you want to protect always have an ugly end. Are you really going to add to that list? It's centuries long, Méalla. If we were a family again, all that warring could stop. You could truly protect the ones you care about."
"You're just trying to get into my head." Méalla said, trying not to show how Esther's words got under her skin.
"I don't need to get into your head to know how you feel. I'm your mother, I know your tells."