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CHAPTER 10: MODERN DAY CASKET GIRLS

❝ the stench of your judgment is overwhelming. ❞

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PEOPLE COME TO NEW ORLEANS LOOKING FOR A FRESH START. It had been that way for centuries. Young society women imported from France arrive hoping to find fortune, adventure, and even love. They are the legendary casket girls. The legend now lives on, celebrated in typical New Orleans fashion with stylish costumes and supernatural flair. It's a yearly reminder of how women can be oppressed by selfish men and how they can triumph when brave enough to fight for themselves.

Enola stood in front of the body length mirror. A white casket girl dress hung off her shoulders in modern day fashion. She was struggling to zip it up due to the growing baby bump. Her eyes flicker down to her covered stomach before she protectively sets her hands over it. It was all so surreal. She never thought she would be having a child. Now here she was, pregnant at nineteen with the man she swore she would spend the rest of her life hating. Her eyes flicker up in the mirror to catch his gaze. It was clear that he thought the same.

"Would you like some help?" Klaus wondered.

"You might need to use all your super strength," Enola teased.

Klaus smiled softly at Enola. He made his way across the room before reaching out for the dress. He was gentle as he slowly zipped it up. His fingers brushed against the exposed skin of her back, making goosebumps arise. He knew what he was doing.

"You look absolutely ravishing," Klaus smiled.

"I know," Enola grinned, eyeing herself in the mirror once more. "Not too many pregnant casket girls I guess. I should probably find something to cover it up more."

"You no longer need to hide it," Klaus said softly. "Everyone already knows you are carrying my child."

"It's still not safe," Enola reminded. "You have a lot of enemies."

"Well, I don't suspect any of the riffraff here would dare lay a hand on you knowing that you are under my protection." Klaus smiled softly.

"All knocked up and nowhere to go," Enola chuckled in amusement.

"You know . . . " Klaus began. "If you wanted to attend the festivities tonight, I would be more than willing to take you."

"What about Davina?" Enola wondered.

"What about her?" Klaus quirked a brow.

"Isn't she still missing?" Enola inquired.

"Unfortunately," Klaus sighed.

"Then you should be focused on that," Enola said. "I will be fine here."

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Enola stood in the courtyard with Hayley and Rebekah. As everyone else ran around like a bunch of headless chicken, they dug through a chest full of old casket girl costumes. Though they probably were going to be staying in that night with Davina missing. They could hear Klaus and Marcel arguing from where they stood.

"So the witch is missing?" Hayley hummed.

"Walked right out the front door apparently," Rebekah sighed, sparing the werewolf a quick glance. "Know anything about it?"

"This is the first I've heard of it," Hayley hummed.

"I might," Enola shrugged, gaining their attention. "I told her that the witch elders were dead."

"Well, why would she care when the witches tried to kill her in their ritual?" Rebekah frowned in confusion.

"I think it was more of the fact that Marcel didn't tell her that the one thing preventing her from being free had been eliminated," Enola explained.

"So you are the reason she's run off," Rebekah chuckled.

"All I did was tell her the truth," Enola shrugged. "She is the one who realized they were just using her to keep their control over the witches."

"You did the right thing," Hayley nodded.

"I agree," Rebekah decided, eyes flickering up to the balcony where Klaus stood with Marcel. "I've never been a fan of the boys club. Just wait. Elijah will join them soon enough and the three of them will be impossible." She sighed in disappointment, turning back to Enola and Hayley. "Used by the witches, lied to by Marcel, manipulated by Elijah, threatened by Klaus—Davina is like a modern day Casket Girl."

"Are you talking about Davina or yourself?" Hayley wondered.

"Does it matter?" Rebekah quirked a brow. "Either way, us girls have got to stick together."

Enola couldn't help but agree. She noticed how the women around these parts were used as nothing more than tools. Davina for her power, Rebekah for her title, Hayley for her bloodline, Enola for her body. They truly were the modern day casket girls.

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Enola sat behind an easel. It had been months since she was able to paint. It almost felt as if she was going through withdrawal as dramatic as it sounded. She was just happy to finally get all her inspiration on a canvas. She enjoyed a good sketch as much as the next artist, but painting had always been her relief. She needed it to breathe. These past few months had been hell for her. She was glad some things were returning back to normal. However, normal certainly did not last long. She was forced to set her paintbrush down when her phone pinged with a text message. She lifted the device into her hands, surprised to find who had messaged her.

DAVINA
i need help

ENOLA
from me?

DAVINA
i can trust you
you proved it

ENOLA
i proved a lot of things

DAVINA
i need you to distract klaus
cami and i are trying to escape

ENOLA
i'm sorry
who the hell is cami?

DAVINA
klaus didn't tell you?
he was compelling
a bartender from rousseau's

ENOLA
the girl marcel likes?

DAVINA
that is the one

ENOLA
i thought klaus was done with her
he already beat marcel
why does he still need her?

DAVINA
maybe you should ask him
when he isn't busy hunting me

ENOLA
i'll see what i can do
read

Enola was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Klaus. She gave him a tight smile in acknowledgement. She wouldn't consider herself to be a jealous person at all, but was Cami the reason he was so preoccupied all of the time? A million questions began to flood her mind. All of them beginning and ending with Klaus and Cami.

"Are you alright?" Klaus frowned in concern.

"Um, yeah." Enola cleared her throat.

"We were just about to head out," Klaus informed.

"And by we you mean . . . " Enola trailed off.

"Elijah and Marcel," Klaus clarified. "Are you sure you are alright?"

"I'm fine," Enola reassured. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

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Enola and Klaus spent the better half of an hour enjoying the festivities. Though she couldn't stop the sinking feeling in her stomach at the thought of him spending his time with another woman who wasn't her. He seemed to easily catch on to her sullen mood almost instantly. The only reason he refrained from asking her about it was because he wanted her to open up to him on her own. It took everything inside of him not to say anything. Thankfully she did.

"So . . . " Enola began.

"So?" Klaus echoed.

"Who is Cami?" Enola blurted.

Klaus froze almost like a deer caught in headlights. He wasn't sure what to expect, but that certainly wasn't it. He hadn't spoken of Cami to anyone beside Marcel. He narrowed his eyes skeptically. He had nothing to hide of course. But he did have questions of his own.

"How do you know about Cami?" Klaus inquired.

"Doesn't matter," Enola denied. "I know. And I also know that you have been spending an awful lot of time with her."

Klaus couldn't help but smile once he realized what was going on. He had never known her to be a jealous person. He, however, would be lying if he were to say he didn't like this side of her. It showed him the effect he had on her and he liked it. He liked knowing that she was affected by him as much as he was of her.

"Do you remember Father Kieran? Cami is his niece." Klaus explained. "I was compelling her to keep an eye on Marcel."

"I know that much," Enola rolled her eyes.

"I was also compelling her to write my memoirs," Klaus finished. "She is my friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. No need to be jealous."

"I'm not jealous," Enola scowled.

"Sure," Klaus smirked.

"I'm not!" Enola groaned.

Klaus smiled when Enola began to give every reason as to why jealousy didn't exist. He stopped listening when his eyes landed on Marcel and Elijah. A frown made its way upon his face as he began to make his way over with his hand in hers. She had stopped talking, looking up at him in confusion as they approached the pair up ahead.

"Ah, you two look rather cozy." Klaus noted.

"Hardly," Marcel scoffed. "I was just telling Elijah how we're wasting time."

"You don't like festivals?" Klaus teased.

"I don't see why not," Rebekah hummed, making her way over to the small group. "Who doesn't love a good street fair?"

"Bex!" Enola grinned, wrapping her arms around the blonde.

"Sister, come to help us find our stray?" Klaus scowled when Enola left him from Rebekah.

"We can't let your secret weapon get in the wrong hands, can we?" Rebekah spoke sarcastically.

"For the record, we are moments away from retrieving her." Klaus announced.

"I recognize that tone of voice, Niklaus." Elijah narrowed his eyes. "Clearly you have some diabolical machination. What is it?"

"Rebekah," Klaus began. "Escort Enola back to the compound. I need to know that she is safe if I am to enact the next part of my diabolical machination."

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Klaus peered into the dark bedroom to find Enola soundly asleep. He smiled softly before quietly closing the door and making his way down to the courtyard. He could faintly hear the sound of a violin echoing off the walls. His soft smile morphed into something much more sinister as his plan fell in place. Tim—Davina's lover—sat on a beam just above Elijah, playing a haunting melody on the violin. Everything was falling into place. Though he couldn't help but feel as if something was missing.

"Where's Rebekah gotten off to?" Klaus wondered.

"It's not Rebekah that I'm concerned about," Elijah muttered, glancing to Klaus briefly. "And how can you be so certain that Davina will come?"

"One might think you've forgotten what it's like to be in the grip of an all-consuming infatuation," Klaus chirped. "If she even feels half of what I feel for Enola, she will come."

"Are the maudlin theatrics absolutely necessary, Niklaus?" Elijah sighed, eyes flickering back up to Tim.

"Timothy, play something a little more upbeat please." Klaus suggested the violinist as Marcel entered the compound. "Took you long enough to spread the word."

"Well, have you met his nightwalkers?" Elijah questioned rhetorically. "Not the brightest assortment."

"All that matters is that I got it covered," Marcel said. "When Davina gets here, you two need to let me do the talking."

"Well, I'm sure you'll have your chance." Klaus hummed mischievously. "Hello, love." Davina entered the compound. "Silence is golden, Timothy." Klaus grinned when Tim stopped playing the violin. "Thank you."

"Davina?" Tim frowned in confusion.

"You got me here. Now let him down." Davina growled.

"Well, first, we have to have a little chat about you returning to the fold." Klaus decided.

"What did I say, Klaus? I got this." Marcel warned lowly. "D, what happened? Why'd you run? Talk to me. I can make it right."

"How? By threatening my friend?" Davina scoffed.

"Actually, that was my idea." Klaus grinned. "Apologies. I've been known to go too far to make a point. But I do always get results."

"You pretend to be so confident. But I know that truth. You are afraid everyone can see what you really are—an animal, a beast." Davina spat, forcing Klaus to the ground with magic. When Marcel and Elijah attempted to rush forward, they got blown back by an invisible force. "Why don't you show us your real face?" Davina forced Klaus to look up with amber eyes. She smirked as she snapped his fragile neck with magic. "That's enough of you."

"Davina, you don't have to do this." Elijah tried, climbing back to his feet.

"You—you looked me in the eyes and lied to my face. Pretended you wanted to help me." Davina growled, forcing Elijah back to his knees. "You call yourself the noble one, but you're a killer just like your brother. For a thousand years, you fed on innocent blood. Why don't you choke on it?" She forced blood out of his throat until it was raw and he was no longer conscious. Then she set her sights on the person who betrayed her most. "And you—I trusted you. I loved you. But you were just using me to stay in power. You don't care about me."

"You're wrong," Marcel argued.

"When you lost to Klaus, you handed me over like some trophy." Davina reasoned. "Maybe I should boil you in bronze."

"I care," Marcel tried to reason. "I took you in like you were my own blood!"

"What the hell is going on down there?" A sudden voice called out from above. Marcel and Davina turned to find Enola standing on the balcony with tired eyes and a wool blanket wrapped around her shoulders. They were so distracted by her sudden presence that they failed to notice another approaching until it was too late.

"Ahh!" Marcel cried out when a wooden chair leg impaled him. He dropped to the ground unconscious to reveal Rebekah Mikaelson.

"Don't tell me you were falling for that," Rebekah scoffed, eyes flickering up to Enola. "Go back to bed, love. I'll take care of this."

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"The stench of your judgment is overwhelming,"

Enola leaned against the wall with a deep frown. They had just gotten word from Rebekah that Davina and Tim were poisoned and vampire blood wasn't working. Marcel and Elijah turned their judgmental glares to Klaus who was no doubt the reason the little witch was dying. The thing was, none of them were surprised Klaus had a plan b that no one was in on. Not even Enola.

"Need I remind you that Davina just bested the lot of us? I did what had to be done." Klaus reasoned. "Don't worry, Elijah. I remain as redeemable as ever."

"So you compelled that boy to poison Davina without consulting Marcel or myself?" Elijah scoffed in disbelief.

"You know what the worst part is?" Marcel chuckled in amusement. "You are so predictable that I had to make an alliance with your brother, who I don't even like."

"Judging by your expression, you have something you would like to share?" Klaus clenched his jaw.

"Damn straight, I do." Marcel hummed. "I got a call from Kieran earlier, right after some witches almost got their hands on Davina first. I have one of them put a protection spell on her."

"So when you slipped away to allegedly check on your nightwalkers, you were, in fact, colluding with a witch." Klaus scowled. "Very clever. I suppose I should be proud."

"I just wanted to make sure I had a fail safe just in case, as Elijah expected, you started acting like you." Marcel explained.

"Except that now you've involved the witches who, last time I checked, were enemy to us all, to everything we have, and to our family." Klaus spat.

"Davina is Marcel's family, Niklaus, or did that somehow slip your mind as you tried to take her life?" Elijah wondered. "You will call Rebekah. You will tell her that Davina will recover. I do wish the same could be said for that boy."

Elijah stormed out of the room with Marcel not too far behind. Klaus hesitantly looked towards Enola who had been silent this entire time. She must hate him now. She must have absolutely nothing to do with him. And he wouldn't blame her. What he had done was diabolical.

"Say it," Klaus muttered.

"Say what?" Enola sighed.

"That I am a horrible person," Klaus answered. "That you want nothing to do with me."

"I love you. Nothing will change that. Which is why I am going to put this into perspective for you." Enola said. "Imagine that was our child."

"Enola—"

"Davina is as special to Marcel as our child is to us," Enola continued. "Remember that. And never forget it."

It is said that this is a man's world. And sometimes it is. For every casket girl that was saved, countless others were not. But women are more resilient than given credit for. And some women, well, let's just say their oppressors had better watch out.

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AUTHORS NOTE.
time for enola to be a little jealous. thought she has nothing to worry about. klaus and cami are strictly friends. everyone needs someone to talk to once in a while. there is nothing wrong with that. in fact, it is completely healthy. until next time, my loves!!!