(CHAPTER ONE : WALMART
VERSION OF A VAMPIRE)

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TAKING A SMALL SIP of the hot chocolate in front of me, I cringed at the sweetness, but flashed a wobbly smile at the girl sat opposite me. Esther had sent me to comfort Davina Claire after her date never showed at the café — and the irony of me needing to befriend the witch that Kol and I spent months trying to trace was not lost on me. She was nice, I was almost certain I had saw her face before when I visited New Orleans, but she wasn't taking to me — or rather Adelina — like I had hoped. Despite the two being cousins, the brunette didn't seem to know Adelina all that well and rightfully had a guard up after being manipulated in the past.

Adelina Blackwell was my temporary vessel — she was twenty-two and had ran away from her home in Massachusetts. Due to this, she was alone and vulnerable, which made her an easy target. At least, that was what Esther and Finn had claimed, but I knew better. Adelina's magic was dormant, which meant it limited the power I had and hindered my chance at success if I chose to rebel against the pair. Whilst it was dormant, it still ran through 'my' veins, which also made me the perfect magical power up for the two when needed. In short, I was a magical juice box that they could take power from, but had no power of my own. Frustrated by this, I looked into the Blackwell history and found Adelina was actually a trained huntress — born out of a forbidden love between a supernatural hunter and witch. Behind Esther's back, I practiced combat skills with the agility of a huntress, preparing to one day fight back against the dictatorship. However, I had to lie one day when Finn caught me shooting arrows in the woods. Since Esther learnt of my skills from her son, I had been forced to kill the witches, wolves and vampires that refused to align themselves with her.

"You should probably stick to coffee next time." Davina mentioned, her tone as sweet as my hot chocolate. Although, I liked to think I was good at reading people after a century and figured from her intense gaze that she was suspicious of her distant relative's sudden appearance.

I forced out a small laugh. "You're right, this was meant to be a coffee date after all." I agreed with the teenager. "What was his name again? I might have to hunt him down for ditching you like that." I scoffed to make it sound believable, prodding for more information to impress Esther. For some reason, she really interested in Davina, so it was my mission to be part of the girl's exclusive inner circle.

She frowned. "Be careful what you're saying, Lina. People around here are . . . on edge. A lot of supernatural creatures have been showing up dead lately and one wrong word will have you in Marcel's Garden." Davina revealed in a hushed tone, having believed that I had only arrived two days ago and not two months ago when the murders had started. From how she spoke, I concluded she wasn't aware of Adelina's second life as a huntress. "And there's no need for violence, the date probably slipped his mind. He's a vampire, but he's charming and I really like him. You know how I feel about vampires, yet he's . . . special." She gushed, her adoring expression making me grin. It was heart-warming to see the young witch be in such a puppy dog love.

"Come on, I want details, D." I pressed further. "What's his name? Is this your first date? Have you kissed?" I fired question after question at her, curious myself to what vampire would have got a witch so whipped when they were meant to be enemies — especially in a place as divided as the quarter.

"Fine, I'll tell you. His name is Kol and he's a Mikaelson, but he's different to his family." Instantly, my happy smile faded. Nobody had told me that Kol was involved in my little task. "It's not our first date, we've been seeing each other for a few months now and kissed — quite a lot now I think about it. We're just not official yet." She answered in one breath, and I pushed a grin back onto my face, only it didn't reach my eyes this time. Of course I didn't expect Kol to mope about my death, but I didn't expect to move on so soon. He had only fell in love twice in a thousands years, if things with Davina were as serious as she thought, I wouldn't know what to do once I broke free of his mother's hold.

"Davina," I started slowly. "Why would he ask a pretty girl like you on a date and then not show?" I raised a valid point, desperate to ignore how my stomach was twisting.

Immediately, the witch got defensive. "He never said the word date exactly. He only mentioned coffee." She protected Kol.

I nodded, doubtful of how true it was what she was saying. Kol Mikaelson didn't do 'dates,' even in the twentieth century he would shut down at the mention of labelling our relationship. Although Davina made it sound like more than a fling, I worried she would be another witch used by Kol. In every way, I was torn between two worlds because if they weren't serious, I should have been happy as that meant Kol hadn't moved on, but I didn't want Davina to get hurt either. Whether that was because there was the nagging voice of Adelina's in the back of my mind or it was because I found her spunk refreshing in what was an age of conformity, I felt a responsibility over the young Claire.

"Look, I want you to trust my judgement. You can't just appear in New Orleans after not visiting in years and think you have a right to know about my life." She snapped, tired of getting the look from everybody she revealed her relationship to — the pinched, disappointed look that conveyed Davina to be naive or breakable when she was the antithesis of that. "Should I pry about what happened with Alex?" She retorted, a little smug as I tried to wrack my brain for who 'Alex' was.

"Enough about Alex." I closed the conversation before it could begin. In a sense, Adelina was 'locked away' whilst I possessed her body so she wasn't the most compliant when I wanted to steal information from her. "I should probably go anyway. I'm going to be staying in New Orleans for a while and don't want to be living in a hotel forever." Hastily, I excused myself, using a half-truth. I did need to find somewhere to stay given Adelina was on the run when she was plucked from obscurity for Esther's twisted possession ritual.

Tilting upwards, her lips held a triumphant smirk. "Yeah, sure." I stood up from the table. "Oh, and Lina?" She stopped me before I left the booth, causing me to curse under my breath.

I spared a look at the young girl, my heart rate spiking, wondering if I had said something wrong. "Hmm?" I hummed, not fully trusting my voice to radiate the cool and collected persona I wanted to portray.

"Is that it? Am I getting no warnings?" She quizzed, leaving me confused. "Nothing about how Kol Mikaelson is an Original vampire that drains witches? How he's a bad boy that will leave me heartbroken? Nothing?" Davina continued, raising a styled eyebrow in my direction.

More than anything, I wanted to bite back and insist she keeps her distance from him. But, I meant it when I said — the night I died — that I wanted Kol to be happy and find what he's searching for in the new age. Personally, I didn't think Davina was what he wanted or needed, but I thought teaming up with the woman he hated for my own survival was betrayal enough. With that in mind, I wouldn't fight to keep the two apart, I wouldn't fight dirty to any extent, but I would definitely fight.

Realising I had been silent for too long, I shrugged innocently. "I think Marcel can do that for me. Just be careful and follow your heart, D." I decided, hoping the answer would calm her suspicions and make her a little more open to the idea of being friends.

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"Esther!" I screeched as I entered the Lafayette Cemetery — my voice shrill and sharp like a banshee. "We need to talk about Adelina, me, this." I stammered, motioning to the body I was residing in, unsure of how to refer to myself nowadays. "Maybe you could start by telling me who Alex is because Davina was asking about him and why you thought I'd be the best person to befriend the same girl my ex is dating." I suggested lightly. Despite my gentle manner, I made it clear that the conversation was not optional.

"I placed you in this body for a reason, Davina and Adelina haven't seen each other in years so she wouldn't be thrown off in you're acting different to how she remembers. I needed somebody who could get close with Davina Claire for our plan in taking down my children to work." She explained, the way she called it 'our' plan making me rather uncomfortable. "Do not let your petty jealousy interfere with your role." Esther cemented, harsh and cold as ever.

I snorted, failing to hide my annoyance. "I know you aren't Mother of the Year so cant imagine you watched over Kol from the Other Side, but even he said I'm a bad actress!" I recalled, concerned I wouldn't be able to keep up with Adelina's life. "There's only so long I can play pretend." I warned lowly.

Esther — correction, Cassie — laughed dryly. "Then be Adelina Blackwell. Charlotte Hatton is dead." She spat. "Honestly, I would have thought your silly infatuation stage with Kol would have long passed by now." She assumed, sounding extremely patronising.

"It's complicated." I argued, disregarding her blatant jab at the relationship her son and I had. "And my relationship with Kol is irrelevant to my point. I think it would be smarter to reveal myself to your family sooner rather than later." I voiced my opinion, despising the secrecy required as Adelina Blackwell. To me, it made sense to show her family how life as a witch — or dormant witch in my case — could work in their favour.

The woman huffed, her eldest son — known to the public as Vincent — mimicking her. "In due time, dear. For now, consider yourself our . . . secret weapon." She settled on, pursing her lips. "But, if it eases your insecurities, know that my son is merely toying with the girl as an act of vengeance against Niklaus and Marcellus." Esther assured, but it didn't soothe me like she would had thought.

"Just do as she says, Charlotte." Finn snarled, the name sliding off of his tongue like it was a disease.

"Finn, speak again and that tongue of yours will be wrapped around your neck like a noose." I hissed, not needing to be a vampire to make credible threats. He knew not to underestimate me because he was often sent to supervise me on my kills, experiencing first hand how vicious I could be without supernatural aid.

The Original witch glowered at me. "Silence! I've heard enough from the both of you." She hushed us. "Now, tell me more about this Alex that you mentioned." Swiftly, Esther changed the subject.

"I think he's my twin." I clamped my eyes shut, forcing myself to focus and dive into the mind of Adelina. Flashes of memories flickered through my mind — pinky promises, matching tattoos and even hunting together. Then, it all cut off. "The two are close — or were. Something happened between them and Adelina is pushing me out of her mind, she's trying to keep Alex a secret for some reason." I gathered, clutching my head after a strenuous battle with Adelina for dominance. It was impossible for her to take full control until I had finished inhabiting her, yet that didn't stop her from making things hard for me.

"I'll look into it. Until then, I want you to stay away from the cemetery whilst I organise a meeting with Niklaus." Esther instructed, preparing a pot of what I recognised to be chamomile tea. "Find out what Davina is hiding in that attic of hers, it was spelled tight last I heard of. Finn will watch over you." She added, always one to keep me busy

Prepared to object, my mouth parted, however I was quieted by Esther's raised palm. Bowing my head, I grumbled all the way into the quarter after the two of us were dismissed. Esther was intent on finding out what Davina kept into her attic and because of that, I was being forced to keep the facade of Adelina Blackwell a little longer for today.

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"You're stalking." Finn stated, his irritation evident from his pointed tone. "Go inside Rousseau's and find out what she hiding." He demanded.

"I know you were pretty much a Walmart version of a vampire, but it's common sense that you never go straight in for the kill. You stalk, then pounce." I phrased it metaphorically, unimpressed by his constant criticism of my methods. "And, I don't want to interrupt their date. You're his brother, you can't tell me he doesn't look . . . happier." I proceeded solemnly, peering through the glass window to see Kol telling a story dramatically with his hands. Knowing the cycle of blood and self-hatred he had been stuck in after my death, it was nice to watch him behave so differently on his 'make up' date.

Finn balled his fist. "I don't care, you need to push aside your trivial feelings for my brother and seek answers from the girl instead. If you can't do what my mother asked, I will." He half-growled, pushing me towards the bar's entrance.

"I'm analysing her, Vincent." I was cautious to use the name of the person he possessed in public. "It requires tact and timing — both of which you lack." I remarked, folding my arms over my chest.

The man clenched his jaw, informing me that I was treading on fragile ground now. "If you can't do your job, then it will be done my way." He emphasised.

"Oh, what are you going to do?" I asked, my nose wrinkling in disbelief. "Sweet talk into telling you about the weapon by narrating your grand experiences from being carted around in a box?" I mocked, knowing that his family isolation for nine hundred years in a coffin was a sensitive subject.

He shook his head, a breathy chuckle pursuing the action. "If you want to find out if someone has a weapon, you provoke them into using it." Finn declared, a mischievous glint in his eye that was no doubt a family trait.

Baffled, I glanced towards the man that was peeking through the window, watching as a majority of the customers filed out. "What have you done?" I frowned, too far out of ear shot to hear the conversations that were happening inside — a downside of being human.

Smirking, the dark-skinned male didn't even attempt to hide his satisfaction when the scene unfolded. "I'm provoking her."

"Even an Original vampire like Kol won't be able to fend off that many werewolves. If you're wrong, she'll be torn to pieces!" I cried out in protest, recognising a few of the faces inside to be those of werewolves. Despite not being sure of Finn's plan, I knew it would be no good if it involved throwing a teenage witch to a pack of wolves.

"She won't die if she uses her weapon." Confidently, Finn made the unsupported claim. "I thought you didn't like the girl, does it matter if she dies? It's less competition for Kol's affections then." He tried convince me that the situation was a positive thing.

I held my stomach, roaring with a sarcastic laughter. "Her being in a relationship with somebody I like isn't an excuse for me to want her dead!" I exclaimed, throwing him an off-handed, scathing look. "I thought that you and your mother were preaching a better life for vampires, but I don't see much difference between you and Klaus right now. You're setting a teenager up for her death like Klaus often does, but at least he doesn't walk the moral high ground when he's putting an innocent on the chopping block." I was disgusted — not in him, in myself. I was on his team, I was supporting unjust attacks on girls like Davina and killing supernatural creatures under his mother's orders. "The funniest part is, it was never the fangs or the thirst for blood that you made you a monster. It's just who you are, Finn." I exploded, all my pent up rage towards him pouring out like hot lava.

He was a very emotionally unavailable person most of the time, my harsh words rolling off him like raindrops. "I'm not murdering her, I'm provoking her." He corrected. "But, feel free to play martyr and get yourself killed trying to save Davina. I mean, that's what you did for Kol, isn't it?" Finn countered, my soft spot always being the sacrifice I made for Kol.

"I did. I'd do it again too." I insisted. "Good talk, but can we continue this counselling session later? I'm going to get myself killed trying to save Davina now, thanks for the suggestion." Sweetly, I beamed up at the taller figure before bursting through the double doors to Rousseau's without thinking of an actual plan . . . Or what I'd say to Kol Mikaelson when I first saw him again.

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A.N: Merry Christmas (Eve)! Consider this update my gift to you. This should give you a taste of what this new book will be like, but it was more an introductory chapter than anything to let you meet Adelina — there was a little on her past, how she is connected to New Orleans and how Lottie is handling being her.

I'm going to start setting goals before I update because I want to push for a little more interactivity and engagement on my books. Goal for this chapter will be five new comments from five different people.