▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

CHAPTER 06: DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

❝ it is simply an offer you would be a fool to refuse. ❞

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

THE REALIZATION THAT ENOLA IS NO LONGER AT WAR WITH THE WORLD IS AN INDESCRIBABLE RELIEF. She no longer gallops into each day brandishing her little sword as she did for years. She just gets up and goes out into the world, does as much right as she can, fixes all the things she did wrong as soon as she is able, and feels an overwhelming amount of gratitude that the war she was fighting is done.

But it was really just the beginning. Enola had been rudely awoken by the horrid news that Lizzie and Josie had been abducted in the night by none other than Seline. It was always the nanny. She had hired a nanny once too. Of course it didn't end well when said nanny turned out to be one of the many enemies hunting her family. Which is what fueled her distrust further. The only people she would allow to watch her kids were people she was sure she could trust. And it had been working out great for her thus far. The nanny and the missing kids were only half of the problem. The other half being the fact that Damon and Sybil were also in the wind. They all must have been together. But it didn't matter. They would find them. All of them.

Enola stayed back with Stefan and Matt. She was a few tables away from her daughters with maps and a police scanner. She kept stealing a few glances to make sure they were doing okay before resuming the search. Thanks to a few resources, they were able to narrow the search down to Oakwood. Though that was about as far as they were able to get.

"Shouldn't there be more chatter from you cop friends?" Enola inquired.

"I'm not exactly in the loop anymore," Matt confessed. "But don't worry. Tips are about to start flying in."

"You sound so sure," Enola noted.

"I have to be," Matt murmured, staring down at the map with a deep frown.

"Where the hell are they going?" Stefan breathed in thought.

"You tell us," Matt scoffed. "He is your brother."

It was then that the door to the armory flew open to reveal Bonnie and Enzo. She was struggling to hold him upright as she dragged him over to the couch and helped him lay down. Hope and Finn perked up in confusion. They had been in the middle of trading markers when the interruption occurred. They immediately looked to their mom for answers, but she knew better than to show her worry. Because if she worried, they worried. So she remained stoic as she assessed the dire situation.

"He needs help," Bonnie panicked.

"What happened?" Enola questioned.

"It was Sybil. She sang to me through the phone. She wormed her way back into my head." Enzo stuttered out, clenching his jaw in absolute pain. "God—the pain is moving! It feels like I'm being cut open."

"Can you see her? Can you talk to her?" Bonnie questioned.

"No," Enzo grunted in pain.

"Sybil said she is able to manipulate Damon by invading his subconscious," Stefan muttered. "If you can't see or feel her, she must be in yours."

"Yeah, funny," Enzo chuckled. "Because consciously and subconsciously, I want to rip her bloody head off."

"Mom?" Hope called out, holding Finn close.

Enola realized that Hope and Finn were starting to worry. In an attempt to ease their fears, she went into her pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill before briskly walking over to them. She smiled reassuringly as she crouched in front of her daughters. She wished that she didn't have to drag them into this, but they were safer with her than anyone else it would seem.

"Why don't you two go get some snacks from the vending machine?" Enola suggested. "Mom will take care of this."

"Okay," Hope nodded in uncertainty, taking the money in one hand while using the other to lead Finn out of the room.

"You can get inside his head, right?" Bonnie questioned Stefan. "Like you have done with mine."

"I don't know. I have never gone deeper than the surface." Stefan confessed.

"I can do it," Enola said, drawing the attention right towards her. "I can get inside his head."

"Congrats, sweetheart," Enzo hummed. "You are about to have a tour of some very dark places."

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," Enola shrugged.

Enola cautiously took a seat beside Enzo. Over the years she had used this as a form of manipulation. It was how she was able to get things done so quickly. That, and she had patience. And so she reached out and set a firm hand against his temple. Her mind was able to enter his with unbridled ease.

Enola stared down at Enzo who had been tied down to a metal table by Sybil who seemed to be performing emergency surgery. While they were unable to see her, she could most certainly see them. It was like she was a ghost in his subconscious. She could make herself known if she really concentrated, but all she really needed were clues. Clues she wouldn't be able to get if they knew she was watching.

"I have gotta say—you are a man with a lot of guts." Sybil chuckled, cutting into Enzo with a scalpel.

"Why are you doing this?" Enzo questioned quietly.

"It's simple. I'm punishing you. Nobody escapes me. Not ever." Sybil growled. "I can bend you to my will with one hand, while I eat greasy diner food with the other."

That was all Enola needed. She slipped out of his mind and back into reality to find everyone anxiously waiting for her return. When she stood up and backed away from him, Bonnie took her place and comfortingly squeezed his hand.

"Why did you see?" Bonnie questioned.

"Matt, I need you to pull up a list of all the diners in Oakwood." Enola said. "Sybil is at one of them and she has no clue that we are on to her."

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

Matt and Bonnie kept Hope and Finn entertained in the next room while Enola helped Stefan with Enzo. None of them wanted to expose the children to any of this darkness. Though they recognized that they wouldn't have a choice. Eventually this world would be all they knew. And it was cruel and unfair but they were Mikaelsons. There wasn't a place on planet earth that they could go where they were just kids. But they were going to do everything in their power to shield them from this. At least for a little while longer.

"What are we gonna do?" Stefan muttered in concern, looking down at an unconscious Enzo. "We have to help him."

"I can go inside his mind again, but I don't know if that is a good idea." Enola said quietly as to not inform the others.

Stefan looked at Enola for a long moment. At first he was startled with how much she had changed. But then he realized that they all had. It was just a part of growing up. And she had to grow up quicker than the rest of them. His eyes immediately flickered towards the library where the others were before turning his attention back to her.

"Do it," Stefan nodded. "Just be careful."

Enola gave Stefan a simple nod before heading over to Enzo. She obviously couldn't make any promises but she would do her best not to hurt him. She kneeled on the ground beside his unconscious body before setting a gentle hand on his temples. It didn't take long for her to walk right into his subconscious. He was still laying on that damned table as Sybil dug inside of him.

"Where are the children?" Enzo questioned through gritted teeth. "Tell me and you can do whatever you want with me. I don't care."

"I'm already doing what I want with you," Sybil giggled in amusement. "You're dying, Enzo."

When Enzo was unconscious and Sybil was lifting the whittling drill, Enola knew it was time to act. She was able to twist the weapon away from her and pin her to the wall. Though she didn't seem too surprised to find that she wasn't the only one lurking around the subconscious of his brain.

"Leave him alone," Enola spat.

"There you are!" Sybil teased. "I was wondering when you would shift from creeper to participant."

"Where are the twins?" Enola questioned.

"I will make you a deal," Sybil said. She paused. "Well, technically, I will make Stefan a deal. Tell him to come alone and I will let Enzo live."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Enola scoffed.

"Of course not. But Stefan is. He has such a hero complex." Sybil chuckled. "And you have this thing about letting people make their own decisions which means you will tell him what I have to offer."

"And what exactly do you have to offer?" Enola questioned.

"I am glad you asked," Sybil grinned like the devil. "It is simply an offer you would be a fool to refuse."

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

Sybil was obviously right. It was an offer Stefan would be a fool to refuse. And Enola would be a fool to let Stefan go through with it. But she would never dream of holding him back. If he was aware of the consequences of his own actions and if he was okay with them then there was nothing left for her to do. Because Sybil was also right about her. She would always let people make their own choices. Even if they were the wrong ones. Because that is all about being human.

And so Enola sat on the couch across from an exhausted Bonnie and an unconscious Enzo with Hope and Finn asleep on either shoulder. They had just spent the past hour and a half putting together a two thousand piece puzzle. It was safe to say that they would be asleep for a while. She figured they deserved all of the rest after how stressful today had been. They must have been so scared despite the brave face they had put on. The twins were their friends and they weren't dumb. They knew something was wrong. They weren't doing a very good job at hiding it. But her children remained optimistic and gave them hope through soft smiles and encouraging words.

Enola briefly glanced over to Bonnie who continued to stare down at Enzo with a deep frown. She subconsciously pulled her daughters closer to her chest. Her mind kept wandering to what she would have done if it was her kids that were missing. She would feel angry with Stefan for deceiving her, but at the end of the day what he is planning will help those kids even if it inevitably ends up hurting him. Which is will

"When is the last time you ate something?" Enola called out softly.

"Couldn't eat even if I wanted to," Bonnie muttered, not daring to move her eyes from the love of her life even once. "I love him so much. I don't know how you did it these past three years without Klaus. I would have gone insane."

"I would have if it wasn't for these two," Enola whispered, eyes flickering between Hope and Finn. "They encourage me to fight. They encourage me to live. Especially when the thought of losing him grows all the more intense."

"I am so terrified of losing him," Bonnie confessed.

"You won't," Enola reassured. "Think about it—Sybil absolutely erased Damon. She found whatever was good inside of him and crushed it. Then she tried doing the same thing to Enzo and he fought back." Her eyes softened ever so slightly. "He survived and escaped."

"I'm not so sure he escaped," Bonnie muttered sadly.

"He will," Enola nodded. "I don't know him well, but he has been tough so far."

"I'm not sure which one of you to kiss first," Enzo spoke. Bonnie froze. Her eyes found his in a flurry of emotions before they met in the middle for a passionate kiss. Though their tender moment was immediately destroyed when Matt stormed into the room with a horrified look aimed at Enola.

"What did you do?" Matt demanded. "What did Stefan do?"

Enola was silent for a long moment. There was nothing she could say to justify what she had done. She had to remind herself that she didn't actually do anything. It had absolutely nothing to do with her. Stefan on the other hand—

"Stefan made a deal," Enola informed solemnly. "With the devil."

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄

AUTHORS NOTE.
it has been almost a week since i last updated. i missed you guys. i know this chapter was a little boring. but i hope you all enjoyed it anyways. until next time, my loves!!!