Elijah was now awake which I still had trouble understanding why.

We were still staring at each other.

Elijah's skin looked gray and mottled, like it looked like when he was daggered and I couldn't help but notice he was staring at something in our necks. It took me a second to realize he was hungry.

It didn't seem to faze Davina.

I remained calm, knowing either of us could stop him from feeding from us

"You're the one they call honorable" Davina told him

Elijah smiled "Yes, that's what they call me. And yet, I followed my brother here to New Orleans to engage in a war. So, I ask you. Does that sound honorable to you?"

I tilted my head aside, "You don't look well"

"Well, only this morning, I had a mystical dagger embedded in my chest, so I'd say I'm holding myself together quite well" Elijah told us. There was a beat of silence "Girls, I believe that you and I have the power to end a war between witches and vampires before it truly begins. I, by keeping my brother in line; you, by behaving like your true self. Not some tool for Marcel or the witches"

"And why should we trust you?" I asked

"Well, for one thing, in spite of a ravenous hunger, I have not tried to take your blood" Elijah answered

Davina shrugged, "Why not? We're the only ones here" 

"Even in my present condition, I would not feed from children" Elijah replied

I hummed, looking at Davina, taking a hat pin, pricking my finger, a drop of blood clinging to the end of the needle. I placed the drop of blood on Elijah's lip, "There. Blood as you need"

Davina sighed, tilting her head aside "Funny"

After a moment, Elijah's skin returned to its normal complexion

I looked pleased, giving Davina a smug smile

Davina rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile.

~8~

We let Elijah walk around the attic to explore. Davina returned to her drawings and I reading a book.

Elijah picked up Tim's broken violin from a table, examining it "Do you play?"

Davina looked at the broken violin sadly, "That's not ours"

Elijah sat in a chair, tinkering with the violin for a moment, until we heard Marcel's footsteps from outside the room.

Marcel walked in

Elijah had already hidden himself away

"Good news, Little D, B" Marcel told us. "I'm moving you out this pile of dust"

I looked up, closing the book, smiling, "Are you serious?"

Davina looked happy, "When?"

"Tonight" Marcel answered "I just need to lock in the arrangements. How's our Original?"

Marcel gestured toward Elijah's coffin

Davina and I looked at each other nervously

"Uh, don't disturb the body" Davina told him "I have a spell in progress"

Marcel shrugged "Bet you do. Pack up, 'kay? Only what you wanna take. I'll buy ya anything else you need"

Davina feigned excitement "Okay!"

Marcel walked out of the attic, leaving, closing the door behind him

I sighed in relief.

Elijah appeared from out of a corner, looking at us in surprise "You didn't reveal that I was awake"

"We're not done talking yet" Davina told him

Elijah picked up the violin again, sitting down, looking at us "You two and Marcel seem very close"

"Marcel's our family" I replied, not taking my eyes away from the book I had picked up again, "He saved us"

"And yet Marcel is someone who delights in harming the witches" Elijah replied, "Those people, I would think, you would consider family"

I looked up, "Witches will never be my family. Not after how they've treated me my entire life"

"And how have they treated you, if I may ask?" Elijah asked

I dropped the book aside, straightening up, "Like a freak. Like if I were this abomination meant to taint their clean paradise with my dirty soul or whatever" Davina chuckled in amusement. "I mean, they could have been more subtle, treat the girl with no magic not so harsh"

Elijah leaned forward in interest, "You were born in a family of witches with no magic as a normal human?"

"That would have been better for sure" I answered, fidgeting a bit with my brown hair, "But, that wasn't everything. I could use magic. But not my own"

Elijah seemed to realize something, "You could use other's magic" I tilted my head aside, frowning "I may have heard you this morning speaking of it, I apologize for the intrusion"

I waved a hand, "It's alright. Sooner or later you'd have found out" I sighed. "But yeah. I could use other witches' magic only by touching them. It was as if I was absorbing their magic to my own body. They didn't take that so nicely. Not after I put my sister in a coma"

Elijah looked at me shocked. "You can do that?"

I nodded, "Yes. Apparently if I absorb too much, I could kill a witch. My father wanted to shun me out of the coven immediately but my mother told him it'd be a bad idea. She seemed fearful of that, talking about some distant cousin who did the same to his son and he ended up killing almost everyone in his family" I shook my head "So they didn't. Instead, they got an idea. I was the only freak, sorry, witch in the entire Quarter that could absorb magic so they thought it'd be a good idea to use me against Marcel"

"The vampirism" Elijah realized. "They wanted you to siphon the vampirism out of Marcel because it was made out of magic"

I looked at Davina, "Siphoning sounds much cooler than absorbing, don't you think?" Davina tilted her head in agreement. I looked back at Elijah, "They did this spell that allowed me to siphon more magic than what's supposed to be normal without me getting out of control. But, somehow Marcel found out about this and took me away before they could finish it or could kill me if they realized I wouldn't do it"

Elijah nodded in understanding. "And you Davina?"

Davina looked away from the window, turning to face us, "They deserve the treatment Marcel gives them"

"Why would you say that?" Elijah asked

"'Cause they're liars" Davina answered "All of them"

Davina explained to us why she hated the witches. I had already heard this story back when we first met, after we began to trust each other. I had never known too much out of my own family but it turned out that Davina's family was one of the Seven Families Coven I belonged to. Her family and three others were in charge of the Harvest, a ritual made every three hundred years as an offering to appease our ancestors so the bond between us and the ancestral magic was restored and continued flowing. What they had never mentioned though was that they had to kill four girls in order to do so. Four. Each girl from each family of the Seven responsible for the Harvest. They lied to the girls, telling them through the entire ritual that they would only place a sleeping spell on them.

"They made me and my friends do this Harvest ritual" Davina continued "They said our participation would bring our family strength, health. That we'd forever be celebrated as saviors of the community. But all they really wanted was more power. So, I left before they could get it. Now, they're running out of time, because after the Harvest, comes the Reaping. And if they don't complete the Harvest, there won't be a Reaping. Soon, all the witches in the Quarter will start to lose their power, except for you Beth because you're not technically a witch which makes me feel much better" She gave me a small smile. "Eventually, they will cease to be witches altogether"

I frowned, being this the first time I heard that "So what does it take to complete this ritual?"

"I have to die" Davina answered

Elijah and I looked at her, completely shocked.

~8~

Davina and I were packing

Elijah was still fiddling around with the violin "So, enlighten me. What did you mean when you said you had to die?"

"That's what the Harvest was" Davina told us "They said they'd put us four girls in a state of, like, peaceful limbo as part of the offering. And then later, at the Reaping, we'd awaken and be reborn. I never got as far as the limbo part, which means the Harvest isn't complete. That's why the witches are so freaked out. The Reaping is just around the corner, and if they don't finish it before then, it's over. All I have to do is wait it out"

"And then what?" I asked

"They're punished, and I'm free" Davina answered

"From Marcel?" Elijah asked

"Of magic" Davina answered "All our power will drain away. I'll be normal"

Davina smiled slightly

Elijah looked at her confused "Is that what you want? To be normal?"

"I just don't wanna be what I am" Davina told us "I can't control it sometimes. Magic. I..." She began to cry "...hurt people. Even when I don't mean to. Beth has seen that. Which is why we have this agreement. Whenever she or I feel I'm getting out of control, she has to step in and siphon me, to stop me from using magic. It normally weakens me to the point I actually stop using magic"

"Why don't you tell me about your friends?" Elijah asked trying to change the subject for one much lighter. I looked at him gratefully "You must miss them"

Davina smiled, "There's Tim. He doesn't know about any of this witch stuff. He's normal. I used to have a best friend before Beth called Monique. She was part of this Coven which I recently found out Beth's family was part of. Seven Families from around the Quarter joined together to give strength to New Orleans. Monique's and my family was two of the four families of the Coven in charge of the Harvest. Monique was a part of the Harvest too. She's lucky. No one ever fought for me, but someone fought for her. The only one who ever spoke out against the Harvest was Monique's aunt"

"And who is that?" Elijah asked

Davina sighed "Sophie Deveraux"

Elijah looked at her in shock

~8~

Davina continued with the story of the Harvest

Elijah and I were paying attention, this time I hadn't picked up my book again.

"No one but Sophie ever questioned the Harvest" Davina told us "Not even my own mother. So, neither did I. We thought it was such an honor, we had such faith. We were so stupid"

"So, how did it begin?" Elijah asked

"We were led out like princesses" Davina answered "My mother was so proud. Bastiana, one of the elders, called upon the four elements to bind our past and future magic together. Earth, to connect us to our ancestors. Water, to heal the community. Wind, to carry us to our ancestors and back. Fire, to purify. After all our preparation, we knew exactly what to expect. For weeks, they told us that the magic in the knife they used to cut our palms would put us to sleep, and that later at the Reaping, we would all be resurrected. They said we'd awaken, and all be together and more powerful than ever. And it was just like we rehearsed it. All that was left was a little cut on our palms for the blood sacrifice" Davina told us how they had began the ceremony and Sophie tried to stop it with no success, and they still didn't suspect they were going to get killed, until Bastianna slit the first girl, Abigail's throat. She told us how the other witches restrained her and the other two girls with her mother not doing anything to stop the Harvest and save her

Elijah looked shocked

I looked at the ground disgusted for the treatment witches gave to innocent people only for power

"Everyone involved in the ritual knew that this would happen" Elijah stated

"Except the four of us" Davina told us "They weren't putting us to sleep, they were slaughtering us. I begged for someone to help. My own mother turned away from me. Sophie screamed and screamed for her sister, anyone, to do something. But no one did"

"And yet, you survived" Elijah told her "Therefore, someone or something intervened"

Davina nodded, exchanging a look with me, her eyes filling with tears "Yes. Someone finally did"

Davina explained how it was Marcel and his vampires who came and stopped the Harvest before they could kill her, unfortunately not being able to save Monique.

"Every girl who died released her power on to the next" Davina told us. "When I was the last one, I suddenly had all of it, all the power that was supposed to be released back into the earth to appease our ancestors"

I leaned forward, "So... the Harvest was actually working?"

"Something was working" Davina told us "And I knew that I was supposed to be killed so the Harvest could be completed and we would all be resurrected. But, they lied to us about how they were killing us. How do I know they weren't lying to us about coming back? But mostly, I just didn't want to die. So, I let him save me. Marcel saved my life"

I smiled slightly

Elijah looked disgusted by how Davina was treated, giving her a sympathetic look

~8~

Elijah proudly held up Tim's fully-repaired violin, handing it to Davina, "You may return this now to its rightful owner. It's restored"

Davina took it, staring at it sadly "I don't even know if I'll see him again"

The room started to shake, as if we were in an earthquake. The three of us looked around worriedly. I grabbed Davina's hand, starting to siphon her magic making her gasp in pain and double over making the shaking stop.

I immediately dropped my hand, backing away from her.

Elijah walked forward, helping Davina stand, looking at her in worry "Davina, this power that you contain, drawn from your fallen friends, it's too much for you. You need control, which requires study and practice" He told her. He looked at me "Elizabeth won't be always able to help you control it" I looked down at my hands, seeing them slightly shaking for the magic I just siphoned from Davina. "Now, my mother was a very powerful witch. She left behind her grimoires, a legacy of books filled with spells. These books contain all of the tools that you might need to control your magic. If you free me from here, I can share them with you. However, if you leave now with Marcel, we'll never see each other again, and I cannot find you, and I can't help you"

"The witches manipulated me" Davina told him, backing away from him now being able to stand herself "You know how that ended"

"This is not manipulation" Elijah told her "This is one thing in exchange for another. I'm offering you a deal"

~8~

Elijah was hiding.

Marcel walked into the room. "Okay, now's our shot. You ready to blow this joint?"

I forced a smile, "Can't wait"

Marcel grabbed our suitcases, leading the way toward the door "We'll leave Elijah behind as a parting gift. Might buy me a little forgiveness for pulling one over on his siblings. Let's go"

Marcel walked out of the room

Davina and I stopped at the door, looking at each other with a small smile, looking over at the room one last time, following Marcel. I closed the door, following them downstairs

Marcel was walking ahead of us

Davina suddenly stopped in the middle of the church's main room

I looked at her knowingly

Marcel turned around in confusion "What's wrong? What's happening?"

I looked down at my hands as the church started to shake

Davina's body tensed up as she started to spasm. "I don't know. Something's wrong" I stood next to her, helping her stand, looking at Marcel, afraid and in worry. Marcel ran closer to us, dropping the suitcases on the floor "Marcel. There's something dangerous out there. Take us back"

Davina fell limp in my arms, unconscious 

"Damn it" Marcel was immediately at my side, picking up Davina in a cradle, holding her close "Come on, upstairs, Beth. Upstairs"

I nodded going upstairs back toward the attic. Marcel following behind with Davina in his arms

I lead the way to the attic, opening the door and letting Marcel walk in

Marcel walked into the room, walking to Davina's bed, laying her down, tucking her in under the blankets, looking at her for a moment. He turned to face me, "You okay? Why didn't you absorbed her magic this time?"

I nodded, looking at Davina. "Absorbing too much could kill her. I didn't want to take the chance"

Marcel placed an arm around my shoulders, reassuringly "Everything would be okay, little B"

Marcel walked out of the room, leaving.

I made sure he was really gone before turning to face Davina, smiling "He's gone"

Davina opened her eyes, lifting her head with a smile

I smiled back

~8~

Davina sat up in her bed "Elijah?"

Elijah walked out of hiding "I'm pleased you stayed"

"You'll keep your promise about your mother's spell book?" Davina asked

"I will" Elijah answered

"And about me" I spoke up. Elijah looked at me, "I mean. There's still one or two families of the Seven that still want me dead or use me to kill Marcel and the other vampires by siphoning their magic and I don't want that to happen"

Elijah considered for a moment, "You have my word I won't tell about you and what you could do, Elizabeth. I don't seek harm in children, nor want to use them for my own gain, I'm not like others who would use a child like that" He told me. I sighed in relief. "You know, Difficulties aside, I value my family above everything. I am sorry that yours failed you"

"Your brother Klaus handed you to Marcel in a box, yet you still don't give up on him?" Davina asked

Elijah smiled "Well, I've given up on giving up. It's an affliction. I will fight for my family until my last breath"

"And I'll fight the witches until mine" Davina and I spoke at the same time, smiling at each other in surprise