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CHAPTER 21: THE HOLLOW

❝ as long as i have you with me, i know i will be just fine. ❞

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ENOLA HAD PLANS OF NEVER RETURNING TO NEW ORLEANS. Those plans were foiled the moment she had two children. She would do anything for them. Even if that meant returning to the city that had once broken her. She was sure that it was not through with her just yet.

Enola stormed into the compound with an unconscious Hope cradled close. Klaus held hands with Finn in an attempt to soothe any and all worries. Elijah and Hayley followed closely behind like some sort of supernatural protection squad. Freya and Bonnie remained at the farmhouse with Keelin who was kept in the barn under lock and key. Everything was going to hell and there was nothing that could be done. Except for trusting the enemy. Though the enemy was now very unclear and you know what they say. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So maybe they were all on the same side after all. They made a pretty good team anyways.

"Our home," Klaus muttered. His eyes took in the overgrown vines and dirt covered ground. "Once the pride of our family, now a flophouse."

"Indeed the mighty have fallen," Elijah agreed in distaste.

"I would hardly call you guys the mighty," Hayley scoffed.

"Where is Vincent?" Enola muttered, setting an unconscious Hope onto the dust riddled sofa before pulling Finn close.

"Right here," Vincent announced, stepping out of the shadows. "Kept my word. Now the only question is whether or not you guys are gonna keep yours. As soon as I am finished healing your kid, you have to leave the city."

"We are not going to stay, are we?" Klaus scoffed. "Your city lost its charm."

"What he means to say is that we are very grateful," Hayley awkwardly corrected.

"Just give us what we need and we will do so happily," Elijah nodded in agreement.

"I don't give a damn about this city," Enola claimed. "Not when it comes to my children."

Vincent took a moment to study each of them closely. Then he stepped forward and began his work. He clapped his hands in a rhythmic motion as he chanted words in what sounded like creole. His eyes were closed in concentration and his eyebrows furrowed in worry. Though the moment his hands touched the child, everything appeared to be fine.

"Mom?" Hope grumbled, blinking away. "Finn?"

"Hi, love." Enola rushed forward with Finn. "We are right here."

"You are okay," Finn whispered, curling into Hope.

"I knew you would miss me when I was gone," Hope teased.

"Don't get used to it," Finn muttered softly.

"That is it," Vincent announced, watching the small reunion. "Your little girl is purified."

"Thank you," Klaus nodded gratefully.

"Now look—the only gratitude I need from any of you is seeing you leave the city." Vincent said.

"Go to your dad," Enola whispered to the children. They were barely able to take a single step forward when a dead crow fell from the sky. And then another one. And another one. And another one. And soon it was raining dead crows. She immediately pulled them into her side and hid their faces from the gruesome display of obvious magic.

"What is this?" Klaus demanded.

"I don't know," Vincent answered honestly.

"Mom, can you hear that?" Hope asked. "It whispers. Saying a name. Over and over."

"What name?" Enola wondered, crouching in front of Hope with eyes full of concern.

"Kra Nah Han . . . Kra Nah Han." Hope answered slowly.

"Vincent, what is that?" Elijah wondered.

"It is a nearly forgotten dialect. It is Creole. It means the Hollow." Vincent answered. "The Hollow is coming."

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Enola had found space for Hope and Finn to get their rest for the night before heading back down to the courtyard where everyone was waiting. She realized that she would not be escaping the city of New Orleans anytime soon due to a new and much more dangerous threat that has resurfaced. She wanted to stomp her foot and wine but she knew that would get her nowhere.

Enola would have to settle for destroying the Hollow for now. She knew it was cruel to be so optimistic. But in her solitude, she could not resist the urge and spent entire days basking in her idiotic fantasies that would sometimes turn into prayers. Prayers that she could finally leave Heartbreak city once and for all. And in order to do that, she would have to pulverize this mysterious new threat.

"How is she?" Hayley questioned immediately.

"The fever is back. But she is not in any pain. Her sister is with her right now." Enola explained briefly before glancing towards Klaus. "She is asking for you."

"Well, make up an excuse." Klaus prompted, angrily pacing the stone ground back and forth. "I would rather our daughters not know that I have gone off on a murder spree."

"We cannot be reckless, Niklaus." Elijah chastised.

"And how would you have me respond?" Klaus scoffed sarcastically. "Should I delegate the safety of my daughter to someone else?"

"Let me see what I can do," Elijah decided simply.

"And I will handle Marcel. Out of the four of us, I win most likely not to get killed on arrival." Hayley announced. "Whatever we are up against—it is as much his problem as it is ours."

"Leaving us to do what exactly?" Klaus demanded, glancing to Enola.

"Stay here and protect our children," Enola said. "We are parents now. We cannot just go off on a suicide mission and hope we come back in one piece. We have people counting on us now."

"Let's get this show on the road," Hayley hummed, turning to leave.

"A word of warning," Elijah began, grabbing Hayley by the arm in one swift motion. "The Marcel you knew is gone. So whatever he is now, he is no ally."

"Can you blame him?" Enola deadpanned. "You ripped his heart out of his chest and threw him off a bridge. He does not owe us a goddamn thing."

"Careful," Elijah warned through narrowed eyes. "It almost sounds like you are on his side. And I would hate to see how that turns out for you."

"Careful," Klaus stepped forward with a dangerous scowl. "It almost sounds like that was a threat against my wife. And I would hate to see how that turns out for you."

"Nonsense," Elijah waved off. "Just a small observation."

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Enola and Finn shared a carton of ice cream. They had gone to the store to get some snacks and clean utensils. They had not planned on staying long in this dreadful town but all the utensils that had been left behind were covered in dust and dirt. They had nothing else to talk about besides this. They were both too busy worrying about someone they care about.

"Is Hope going to be okay?" Finn questioned softly.

Enola paused for a long moment. She was not one to give out false hope. But she had learned how to give out half truths. It kind of comes with the territory. Motherhood is a tricky thing to understand and she has never had a mother figure that has stuck around long enough to tell her about it. She had to learn all of it by herself.

"Hope will be just fine. When she is all better, all of us are going to share the biggest plate of beignets you have ever seen." Enola announced. "And then you can tell me where in this big, wide world you would like me to take you next and I will do it."

"I thought you liked New Orleans the most," Finn frowned. "Why would you want to leave it?"

"Because putting all of your love into one place is a mistake," Enola explained. "As long as I have you with me, I know I will be just fine."

Finn wrapped around Enola like second nature. They needed nothing more than to be in the presence of one another. Though they knew that this moment would not last forever. There was a whole world out there that was determined to destroy their family. They knew that it would someday succeed. But that day was not today.

"I thought that man—Vincent—was supposed to make Hope feel better." Finn muttered.

"Don't worry," Enola cooed softly. "As we speak your Uncle Elijah is working with Vincent to fix her up. Everything will be just fine."

"Do you know what it is?" Finn questioned. "The Hollow?"

"No," Enola confessed. "I don't."

"It wants Hope," Finn began. "Doesn't it?"

"Your father and I will not let anything happen to your sister," Enola claimed. "We are going to keep her safe. Always and forever."

Enola and Finn looked towards the kitchen counter at the faint sound of buzzing. Enola gave Finn a soft kiss on the forehead before stepping into the next room to take the call. She made sure that her daughter was still in sight before answering the call and pressing the phone to her ear.

"How is she?" Hayley wondered.

"She is doing okay. Nik is with her. Freya and Bonnie will be here to help her soon to ease the pain." Enola explained shortly. "Tell me you have answers."

"Marcel and I have a lead," Hayley confirmed. "A wolf who got caught up with the Hollow."

"A wolf mixed up in witch business?" Enola frowned in confusion.

"Crazy—I know." Hayley agreed. "I want to ask her a few questions."

"Good luck." Enola sighed. "I get the feeling you are really going to need it."

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As soon as Freya and Bonnie arrived at the compound, Enola and Klaus were leaving to meet the others in the bayou. They had learned that kids from the coven had been going missing recently. They came to the conclusion that this all must be related in some way. They knew they had to get to the bottom of this before things escalated.

"Where are the children?" Elijah demanded.

"Freya and Bonnie are with them now," Enola explained.

"And Hope?" Elijah prompted. "Is Hope alright?"

"She is fighting it," Klaus reassured. "Whatever it is."

"The kids are attached to that spell," Vincent informed. "If we save the kids, we save your little girl."

"And the sooner you all can be on your way," Marcel claimed as he arrived just on time.

"We are clearly skipping over the warm greetings," Enola hummed sarcastically.

"Enola," Marcel acknowledged. "Nice to see you again."

"That is more like it," Enola hummed.

"So," Hayley began. "What next?"

"The trail leads off this way," Vincent chirped, motioning towards a vacant path. "So I guess we follow the breadcrumbs."

"Tactless savages holding a ghost raising rave. Best make short work of them." Klaus nodded. "I say we—"

"We split up," Marcel interrupted. "Klaus, you are with me because I am not letting you out of my sight. Enola, you are also with me because you keep him under control." His eyes scanned the others thoughtfully. "Anybody got a problem with that—I don't give a damn."

Marcel was already disappearing down the path as everyone watched in confusion. Enola and Klaus watched for a moment as Hayley and Elijah followed Vincent down one path before reluctantly following Marcel down the other. They caught up with him in no time and he didn't seem keen on holding a conversation. So they basked in silence until one of them decided that silence was not enough.

"I assume you embark upon this journey out of the kindness of your heart?" Klaus muttered.

"Those kids are in trouble," Marcel reminded without sparing a single glance. "Yours included."

"It is a bit late for you to suddenly care about my children given you left them fatherless for five years." Klaus scoffed.

"Well, speaking from experience, I figured I was doing them a favor." Marcel hummed sarcastically.

"Careful," Klaus warned. "Lest your insults mar an already tentative peace."

"I don't care about our peace. I care about finding these missing kids and wiping out the messed up people who took them." Marcel said simply. "Root out the problems and make them go away. That is what you do when you are the king."

"All I see is a petulant prince," Klaus chuckled in amusement.

"Always with the insults. You never do learn." Marcel laughed along.

"On the contrary—my time in your dungeon clarified my priorities. My concerns are with my children." Klaus decided. "And as for you, I can imagine no better revenge, than leaving you to the endless struggle to prove yourself my better. You are welcome by the way."

"I did not realize that I brought my children with me," Enola gasped dramatically before dropping the charming façade. "Shut up. Both of you."

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Enola smelt burning wood in the distance. She didn't check if her companions were following her before making her way towards the clearing. She relied on the darkness to hide her in the treeline before peering out into the open where she spotted a few people surrounding a campfire. She thought nothing of this until William Kinney, the police detective who handled Lucien's murder case, stepped out into the open. Suddenly five grown men meeting in the middle of the bayou did strike her as odd. Even more so when William pulled out a necklace with some sort of intricate design and flashed it at the other men.

"Now that you have returned, brother, you may join us as we claim our power—our rightful place—and lay waste to all who would deny our master." One of the men announced proudly. "Are you prepared to prove your loyalty to the Hollow?"

"I know what I have to do. I am not afraid." William nodded

"We should begin," Another man agreed, pulling a ritualistic dagger out into the open.

"Enough with this circus of sadists," Klaus scoffed.

Elijah appeared in the shadows at the other side of the clearing with Hayley and Vincent before giving Klaus and Marcel a firm nod. Everyone was on the same page. Klaus grabbed a broken tree branch and launched it into the clearing. It embedded itself in the chest of one of the men. A horrific silence followed closely behind. And then Elijah suddenly appeared with the heart of another man before dropping it on the ground before Marcel decided to join the fight.

Enola desperately looked around the clearing before spotting the missing children. They were lined up in orderly fashion across a large tree stump on the other side of the clearing. They were blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs. She quickly spotted Hayley and Vincent—who did not seem all that eager to join the fight—on the other side of the clearing.

"The kids," Enola stated.

Hayley and Vincent met Enola in the middle. They ducked and dodged the cult members until they reached the stump. Only there was a man that blocked their way. He gave them a cruel smile before getting in a defensive position. He was ready to go to war for a cause he believed in.

Enola was not having it. She vanquished her enemy in a simple motion before rushing forward. She did not simply want to help the kids because her own kids were in danger. She was helping because no matter how much she denied it she cared. She cared too much and that was the problem.

"We have to hurry," Hayley suddenly announced.

Enola snapped out of it and rushed towards the closest child. She was successfully able to get all the unconscious kids towards the woods—with help from Hayley and Vincent—when they spotted William Kinney a few feet away. He clutched into that pendant like a lifeline and, in a way, it was. At least to him.

"Will?" Vincent called out. "William!" He received absolutely nothing. "Come on. It is over."

"No, Vince." William chuckled darkly. "It has only just begun."

William thrusted the pendant forward and Marcel collapsed to the ground with a dull thud. Marcel was pulled towards William thanks to the magic in that pendant. Klaus used enhanced speed to rush at William with the intent of saving Marcel.

"What is this?" Klaus demanded.

"You cannot stop what is coming," William warned, earning a snapped neck from Klaus.

"No!" Vincent cried out.

Fire rose from the dirt and encircled Marcel and Klaus. They were both pulled to their knees by some magnetic force. Anyone who attempted to rescue them was blocked out by a boundary spell. There was no saving them. Not from this. Still, they had to try.

"We got this all wrong," Vincent realized. "They wanted us here."

"Why?" Elijah questioned.

"They want to channel your power," Vincent said. "Anchor the Hollow to the living world."

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Enola glanced down to the unconscious kids before turning her concern back to Marcel and Klaus. She knew they would not be going anywhere but she could not help but feel a sense of anxiety at the current state they were currently in. She had faith that they would be just fine. She had a few powerful witches on her side after all. She was certain everything would be okay.

"The kids are alive. But they are linked to the ritual." Vincent explained. We cannot free Marcel and Klaus unless we break the spell."

"How do we stop this?" Elijah inquired.

"I don't know. It is a sacrificial ritual." Vincent said. "I can't break it unless I kill one of the kids."

"No. Absolutely not." Hayley scoffed. "There has to be another way."

"These kids are powering that ritual, but there might be a loophole." Vincent claimed, slowly turning to address Elijah. "If I link it to you."

"Are you suggesting we take my life?" Elijah blinked.

"Wait, wait, wait, Elijah, Vincent is right." Enola nodded frantically as the realization slowly hit. "If we link the ritual to you and stake you with regular wood, you would technically die—which might just be enough to break the spell."

"I will do it," Elijah agreed immediately.

"Don't you want to take a moment to think about it?" Hayey frowned.

"What is there to think about?" Elijah questioned. "Our family is in danger."

"I just got you back," Hayley muttered.

Elijah pulled Hayley in for a gentle kiss as everyone else began to prepare for the spell. No one wanted to be the one to interrupt them. So they all shifted awkwardly and looked anywhere but the happy couple who were currently devouring one another until they could not take it anymore.

"Sorry to interrupt," Enola loudly announced. "But life sort of hangs in the balance as of right now."

"Right," Elijah cleared his throat.

"Sorry," Hayley cringed as she took a step back.

"Are you ready?" Vincent asked, earning a confident nod from Elijah.

"Great," Enola nodded. "Let's get this show on the road."

Vincent held a hand out for Elijah to take as Hayley and Enola stepped back to prepare for the long awaited spell. Vincent began to chant in what sounded like French as Elijah shifted uncomfortably. Though it was about to get worse when Vincent gave Enola an encouraging nod.

"Do it now," Vincent ordered.

Enola used the tree branch to stab Elijah through the heart with no hesitation. He had been getting on her nerves lately. She was unable to resist stabbing him. Though she was unsure whether or not it did anything until the fire around Klaus and Marcel died down.

"Did it work?" Hayley asked cautiously.

"Enola?" A groggy voice answered the question and Enola spotted Klaus stumbling forward. She met him in the middle for a bone crushing hug before she pulled back slightly to give him a kiss. "I missed you as well, my love."

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Enola watched the children reunite with the parents from the balcony of St. Anne's Church. Her eyes glimmered and gleamed with an unreadable emotion that was impossible to decipher to all except her. She knew that emotion all too well. Love. More specifically; parental love. She would do anything for her girls. Even if it meant burning this horrid city to the ground once and for all.

"Come back for one last look?" Marcel took the space at the other end of the balcony.

"Something like that," Enola muttered, not bothering to give Marcel a single glance.

Enola could not help but smile. She had done a lot of bad in her life. But reuniting lost children with their parents was not one of them. She could only hope to have more accomplishments such as this one. Accomplishments that she could be proud of. Accomplishments that her children could be proud of.

"What are you thinking about?" Marcel inquired.

"This place—this city—a lot of tragedy happened here. A lot of regret. But my daughter was born here. So there was good with all that bad. And after everything that has happened, this city is yours." Enola said. "I hope it brings you peace."

Marcel finally noticed the change in Enola. She was no longer filled with rage but a strange sense of longing. It was his turn to smile at how grown up she seemed. Motherhood did that to a person. It changed her and morphed her into someone that was unbreakable. He was glad that he was able to see that change one last time. But he was also sad to see it go. Because he knew that they would not be able to coexist in the same space. At least for a while.

"You have been through a lot these past five years," Marcel began. "I hope that reuniting with your family is what brings you peace."

"Goodbye, Marcel." Enola smiled softly.

"Do one thing for me," Marcel blurted. "Tell your daughters that they do not need to fear me. I would never hurt them."

"I know," Enola acknowledged. "And soon, they will too."

Marcel watched Enola leave. Only then did he allow himself to smile. Memories of the past came flooding through his mind. She had always been there to hear him out and take his side when he had been wronged. Like the mother he never had. He would always cherish her for that.

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AUTHORS NOTE.
i hope this chapter didn't disappoint. it was certainly more plot ft enola and finn bonding. until next time, my loves!!!