[Blood Diary Entry – Rebekah Mikaelson]
The air seemed to shiver around the boy. And I could no longer catch a whiff of his scent, even his heartbeat sounded more distant now.
I heard the growls first, then he started to change, to become more monstrous. Fangs and claws, unlike anything I've seen in my countless years of life.
He was indeed very interesting.
What ensued was utter brutality, not even my own brother—the original hybrid—fought with such ferocity. With each second, my curiosity grew, with each new blow he traded with the vampire, I got more and more interested.
When the vampire stabbed the child with his own ribs, I almost went ballistic. Every instinct in my body screamed to keep the boy safe, to care for him, to be by his side. I began to frown at these foreign feelings.
I need to watch out for this…
Then the boy just turned feral and splattered the vampire's brains on the ground, and even then, he just started to punch the ground.
It amused and made me feel strange. To see the rage and hatred born from his affection for his mother it was a bitter feeling; my own family that persisted for millennia does not show such displays of pure emotion.
He roared in anger, and I could also catch notes of pain and grief.
The sound was hard on the ears; to see such a young being display such depth of emotion was a foreign sight.
Then he snarled and turned towards where the Petrova bitch was hiding, and she ran away. She reeked of fear so intense it made me want to gag. Again, he surprised me, to scare away such an old vampire, and to an extent that even Nik didn't manage to…
How amusing…
I giggled happily. I must reward the little one for this if I ever get the chance.
A moment later, he turned to the body of his dying mother.
He approached her slowly, hesitantly even. I saw him turn her; I saw the pain in his eyes; I saw the mother see her son with the appearance of a monster that could make any grown man shiver in fear, yet she caressed his cheek—it reminded me of Mikael, and the years he spent hunting us for simply existing, and I felt utterly bitter.
The boy trembled and shivered. The sight made me want to go there and comfort him, but I refrained from doing so; in his current agitated state, he would only see me as a threat. This moment should be between just him and his mother. I'll approach him later.
But then I heard snarls again, a faint and irritated growl rumbled from his throat. His mother seemed to be just as confused as I was, judging by her expression. I didn't understand why he went from melancholic sadness straight to angry irritation.
The boy brought his wrist to his mouth and bit down, blood flowing from the wound.
The scent of it made me swallow dry and lick my lips. It was an entrancing scent; one I can't even begin to describe.
I saw the blood fall straight to his mother's wounds, and a few seconds later, I heard the sound of flesh mending. My eyes widened at the miracle I was witnessing.
Blood from vampires of my family bloodline can indeed use their blood as a way to heal grievous wounds, and to turn people into new vampires. But even my blood wouldn't be able to heal such a serious wound, not without turning her into a vampire herself… And I can hear and smell that this is not the case; her heartbeat is still strong, and her scent, though odd, is still 'human'.
The boy's shoulders released their tension, and he smiled a happy, relieved, genuine smile, which made me smile as well.
He picked his mother up, legs shaking and all, I could see his fatigue from here. Yet he kept on one step after the other.
I decided to guard him on his path home, and should he collapse, I'll just carry him and his mother instead.
A few times, I had to destroy or drive away some stray vampires drawn to his mother's blood scent.
I accompanied him from the shadows until he arrived in a modest apartment, and as he entered it, his guard dropped, he placed his mother gently on the ground, and collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
I smiled gently and decided to leave now that he was safe. Though not before compelling a few people to close the door and to keep watch over them.
Now I had things to solve before I could introduce myself.
First thing I need to get my sun ring back, and a bit of funds to update my wardrobe. And for that, I must find the bastard that stabbed me and locked me in a coffin for what I can only assume were decades. My idiot brother.
Judging by the silence in the city's mortal populace and the number of vampires scouring over it, brother definitely knows I am awake. So, I'll take a wild guess and assume he is waiting for me in the same warehouse where he stored me. The thought makes me scoff and want to drive a stake through his heart just out of spite.
Lo and behold, there he is, standing in the middle of the warehouse—right next to the coffin he locked me in. His hands were behind his back, an obnoxious smirk on his face, and his eyes glinting with amusement and a bit of curiosity.
I break a wooden box, its contents spilling on the ground, and I rush towards Niklaus with a sharp wooden stake. He intercepts my blow with relative ease, his eyes narrowing slightly in irritation, though his amusement has not diminished in the slightest.
"Now that isn't very nice, dear sister." His thick English accent only serves to irk me further.
"It also wasn't very nice to stab me and put me in a coffin…" I make sure to deliver as much venom in my words as I feel in my heart. "…dear brother." My voice drips with sarcasm.
He doesn't even flinch; his smile grows wider.
"A necessary sacrifice, I assure you, it pained me as much as it pains you."
"Necessary?!" I blink in astonishment at his shamelessness. "Niklaus, you STABBED me and locked me in a coffin for what I can only assume were DECADES! How was that necessary?"
"Come now, sister, you know I am right, you're too sentimental, you were infatuated with that little vampire, and Mikael was on our tail. Your sentimentalism would have only got in the way."
I dropped the stake, and with my free hand, caught it in the air, then I stabbed him in the gut and twisted it. I lean in his direction and whisper in his ear.
"Do not call me sentimental, Nik, or I will show you sentimentalism."
He winces a bit in pain, but his smirk never leaves his face.
I move back, putting distance between us. He then grabs the stake and rips it off; a grunt escapes his lips.
"What I am curious about, sister, is how you managed to free yourself. You and I both know it shouldn't be possible."
I frown a bit in uncertainty.
"I'm not quite sure, but even if I was, I wouldn't have told you." I narrow my eyes at him.
This makes his amusement fade a little.
Minutes of silence stretch between us.
"What do you want, Rebekah?"
"I want many things, Nik…" This makes his amusement come back. "First, I want my ring back, then I want access to my money, or to whatever you've done with it."
"SOOO demanding…" He drags his words playfully, though I will admit I am not amused, not in the slightest. "And you just woke up to boot." He sighs in exasperation, though he stops when he sees my unamused face. He pulls a ring from his leather jacket and offers it to me. "Fine, here is your ring. As for your money, I'll send a mortal with all the details to help you organize things." He flashes his signature cocky smile. "Anything else, dear sister? The sun or the moon, perhaps?"
I grab the ring and slip my finger inside; a warm, pleasant feeling echoes from my finger to the top of my head. "Yes, in fact, there is one more thing…"
"Oh?" He raises an eyebrow.
"I want you to stay away from me, Nik."
His playfulness vanishes entirely, replaced by a quiet rage bubbling beneath the surface.
"What do you mean by 'stay away from me,' Rebekah? What about our promise?"
"You betrayed that promise, Nik! YOU! You betrayed it when you didn't trust me and decided you would be better off stabbing me and boxing me for DECADES, Nik. You don't get to act betrayed now, you did this to yourself."
He looks at me and then at the dagger on the ground. This little gesture makes my gaze harden and my anger to simmer inside me.
He closes his eyes and grounds his teeth before he sighs and looks at me dejectedly.
"Fine… I'll stay away… I'll give you a year for yourself, for every year you spent inside the coffin." He looked away, pursing his lips.
I smile gently at the sight. For all that monstrous nature of his, he was always—well, maybe not always—a good brother to me.
"Thank you, Nik. Truly. Thank you." He looks at me, surprised by the honest gratitude in my words.
"Well, well. Is this still my bratty, entitled, snobby sister? I don't remember her acting thankful even once in the past…" Then he feigns heartbreak. "Or is the idea of getting away from me that enticing? I am hurt, truly."
A vein throbs on my forehead. He just laughs out loud, a jovial and carefree laugh.
"Anyhow, enjoy your freedom, dear sister." He turns around and starts walking away.
"Nik!" I called him, he just turned his head slightly and looked at me, curious as to why I stopped him from leaving.
"Yes?" For all his many characteristics, this unrelenting curiosity has always been the most prevalent.
"I saw Katerina." These words make his face darken in fury, but I can see he is waiting for me to finish. "She was here, but she ran away. My guess is that she will be running for quite a while, but if you start now, you might still catch up to her."
"She escaped you?" He raised an eyebrow.
"She did not. She didn't even notice me. She just ran away in fear."
"She must've known I was in the city then…" He sighed. "Very well. She can run, but not very far; there is nowhere in this world where I can't reach." His expression was a frightening mix of sadism and predatory amusement. "Thank you for this, sister. I will not forget this gift." He smiled and turned away again.
"I hope you catch her, Nik." I shouted.
"Haha, so do I, Bekah." His hand grasped the doorknob, but before he left, he turned to me again, his eyes soft. "Despite what you may think of me, I wish you nothing but happiness, sister. Till we meet again." And with that, he left, without leaving me the chance to say anything in return.
A couple of hours later, a mortal arrived in the warehouse. He carried a change of clothes more fitting for the current year. The mortal debriefed me on my monetary assets as well as get me up to speed on everything that was going on in the world.
I spent the night and a good part of the morning buying essentials and a few clothes.
Truly, this is a good year to awaken.
Before long, I am standing in front of the same building where the boy's house lies.
I steady myself, straighten my clothes, and step inside. After climbing a few rows of stairs, I locate the same apartment from before and knock on the door. Not too long after, I hear some shouting inside the house.
"Darian! Can you get the door for me? I'm busy packing up."
Seems I got here just in time; if I had gotten here later, I could've missed them. Good thing I didn't indulge in a long shopping spree. I'll have time for that later.
The door opens, and the same boy from yesterday stares at me.
But the look he gives me is what makes me pause.
A gaze of recognition and something else… Fondness?
What is this boy?