-•-•-

Remi awoke the next next morning to find herself sprawled out on the sofa in the courtyard of the abattoir, a soft, cotton blanket draping over her chest. She warily stood from the plush cushion and eyed her surroundings in confusion. 

'What the hell happened last night?' she thought to herself as she rubbed her forehead. Something felt different within her. She felt strong; even stronger than when she used to go to the gym nearly five days per week, though that era was long gone thankfully.

Her fingers fidgeted with a loose string on the blanket she still had wrapped around herself as she walked down the corridor. Remi had never enjoyed being home alone, even if it was only for a few minutes. Everytime her aunt Amelia had to work, especially at night, she would always walk into Rousseau's and feel instantly more relaxed. Marcel would usually be there talking to the Cami - the blonde bartender - or with a few of his friendly vampire lackeys. Sometimes if she was lucky, Sawyer - an old friend - would also be there. She had known him since before her mother's death, but she hadn't seen him for days, which caused a pit to brew in the bottom of her stomach: the same feeling the felt when her mother never returned home.

The girl shook her head, pushing away the absurd thought. As she neared the end of the hallway, two voices boomed from within a closed room. She peered through the doorway and saw that it was Klaus, the older original whom she knew nothing about, and Rebekah, his sister who had been with her the day her aunt was killed. She leaned against the door and listened in on what they were saying.

"No! Absolutely not! Did you not see what she was capable of last night? I will not allow this ticking time bomb in our household, not when she could turn on us at any moment. I showed mercy after the mistake I made, but that is as far as I will go," Klaus shouted back at Rebekah who looked shocked.

"Your 'mistake' cost that sweet girl everything, Nik! What do you want to do, throw her out like nothing more than trash? She's just barely sixteen! We were just a few years older than her when our lives changed forever, don't you remember?" Rebekah replied incredulously.

Remi stood there with her mouth agape as she heard the words escape from their mouths. Mistake? What mistake did he make?

"Of course I remember," The hybrid breathed, turning his back away from his sister. "But even if we were to allow the abattoir to become a safe haven for stray children, you know what happens to people we bring into our lives - when we allow ourselves to care. She's better off on the streets than with us, and you know it."

"Better off on the streets? Have you lost your bloody mind, Nik?!" Rebekah questioned with wide eyes, not believing the words that were spewing out of her brother's mouth. "She fought for you!  Alongside our sister, Remi took the lives of the witches who had Marcel and you pinned against the wall like measly pieces of paper!"

"I-" He opened his mouth to speak, but with interrupted with the door to the room swinging open, revealing a meek Remi with a blanket wrapped securely around her arms.

"I forgive you," she blurted out as both originals quickly turned to face her.

Klaus sighed. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked, moving his eyes to the floor.

"It doesn't matter. I don't know what mistake you made, but I forgive you. I don't care and I don't want to know exactly what it is that you did, but it's over now and nothing will change that. I'm sorry if I've been a burden. I'll be out of your way within the hour, I promise," the young girl hurriedly explained. After listening to her, Klaus bit his cheek with an unreadable expression on his face, while his sister disappointedly shook her head.

"Nice one, Klaus. I'm sorry, Remi, you shouldn't have heard any of that," she said, putting a loose arm around the girl and leading her out of the room. 

The blonde took a seat on the familiar couch and patted the spot next to her. "Sit. I suppose we should talk."

"About what, Rebekah?" Remi softly sighed. "Look, I appreciate you all more than you will ever know, but this isn't my home and it never will be. Your brother is right," the girl defeatedly spoke. Although she was powerful, she didn't have any fight left in her. Her mom is dead, her aunt is dead, and she's tired.

Rebekah let a breath escape her lips. "Listen - I know that from what you heard, it sounds like my brother wants you dead and gone, to put it bluntly - but trust me when I say he speaks without thinking like the idiotic wanker he is. How do you think we've made so many enemies over the past thousand years?" the blonde questioned rhetorically, watching as the girl's eyes moved to the floor. "He thinks that by pushing you away he's keeping you safe, but he needs you, Remi."

"I-I just don't want to be a burden. I know I'm just some kid who was forced into all of your lives, so I can still go back to my apartment if me being here is just causing problems," Remi replied with a pleading voice.

"Trust me, love, you have plenty of people who want you here, isn't that right?" Rebekah replied as she turned around, facing Elijah and Freya who appeared to have heard the whole conversation.

Freya nodded, putting a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Of course. You are so strong, Remi, don't stop fighting now. No matter what our brother says, you will always be welcome here and we will always protect you."

"And you are anything but unwanted. You took down three witches, saving the two people who no one else would have otherwise. You're so much more special than you realize," Elijah added.

The girl let the tear that she had been holding in, slide down her cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

"How is Marcel doing anyway?" Remi replied as she shook her head, sniffling.

"He's quite alright. As of right now he is relaxing in his compound whilst his servants wait on him hand and knee," Rebekah answered, Remi letting out a soft chuckle.

"Good . . . I'm glad he's okay," she said as she cracked each of her knuckles, eyes wandering down the floor.

"Is something on your mind?" Elijah asked after a moment of watching her bite her inner cheek.

The girl's head shot up from the floor as she was snapped out of her thoughts. "It's probably nothing, just me being paranoid is all," she replied and shook her head dismissively.

"What do you mean?" Rebekah asked as Freya moved to take a seat next to them.

"Well, I have this friend, his name is Sawyer. We've known each other since practically forever. Even though we were only eight at the time, he was the one of the only reasons I survived after my mom died," she spoke, futzing around with her thumbs as she did so. "He moved into my apartment building a few months ago as his first act of teenage rebellion," she chuckled as she playfully rolled her eyes. "He's only ten months older than me, and turning seventeen soon, which is why I've been thinking about him a lot recently. It just dawned on me that I pretty much ghosted him after the whole thing with my aunt and then controlling my magic . . . I haven't seen him in weeks. It's like he just kind of disappeared off the face of the Earth, but I've been so preoccupied with myself that I hasn't even registered with me until now," she said, almost ashamed with herself.

"Is he human?" Elijah asked.

"No. He's a werewolf, but untriggered. He's always been pretty mellow."

"If you have something of his, we could do a tracking spell," Freya offered, Remi nodding her head in response.

"You really don't need to do that Freya, seriously. He's probably fine," Remi shook her head.

"After last night, it's the least we can do, sweetheart," the woman stated wholeheartedly, Remi bashfully lowering her gaze in response. "So, do you have anything of his?"

"Well, I guess he probably has something in his apartment, maybe a hairbrush?" the girl replied, a hint of hope in her eyes.

"I'll ask around the bayou to see if Hayley and her pack have heard of him. You three can head over to the boy's apartment," Elijah decided, speeding off in instantaneously.

"Who the hell put him in charge?" Rebekah asked, speeding off out of the abattoir.

Freya smiled as a soft giggle escaped Remi's lips as she ran off in the blonde vampire's direction, the older witch following close behind.

-•-•-

ahhhh! I am so sorry for not updating in a week! BUT HOLY CRAP THANKS FOR 2.1k READS. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. SORRY FOR THE KINDA BORING CHAPTER BUT I'VE HAD SO MANY TESTS AND SO MUCH HOMEWORK IT'S INSANE. NONETHELESS, NEW UPDATE THIS WEEK! (actually tho this time lol)

-charley

*EDITED*