Chapter 26 | Ordinary People

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  Alaric led Elena through a dark tunnel, flashlights in hand as they walked deep into the caves. "So, the Lockwoods really have no idea that these tunnels are underneath their property?" Elena wondered.

  "Careful where you shine that thing. Bats hate the light," Alaric said, playfully.

  "Wait, what?"

  "Elena." Someone suddenly whispered, causing Elena to gasp and spin around in fright. Damon stood behind her, holding up his hands. "Boo!"

  Elena shoved him with an annoyed glare. "God, Damon!"

  "Scaredy-cat!" The vampire smirked.

  Alaric rolled his eyes at the man. "Just ignore him. That's what I do."

  Elena sighed. "So, you really can't get in?"

  "No. Seems even the ancient Lockwoods were anti-vampire." Damon huffed before walking past the Gilbert girl.

  "What do you mean, ancient?"

  "See for yourself." Damon said as he continued to walk through the tunnel. "Well, this is as far as I get to go." he stopped before an enclosed part of the cave.

  Elena walked past him, into the chamber with her flashlight shining at the wall. She looked up to see a whole lot of drawings on it. "What is all this?"

  "Well, as far as I can tell, it's a story." Alaric said. "In simple, archaeological terms, it's a really, really old story. That right there, is the moon cycle." He flashed his light at one of the drawings, explaining it before moving onto another. "A man, a wolf."

  "A werewolf." Elena realised.

  "Yeah, it's the 'Lockwood Diaries: Pictionary-Style." Damon joked from outside.

  "I don't understand. I thought the Lockwoods came here with the Original Founders in the 1860s."

  Alaric shrugged, unsure. "I don't know. Maybe the Lockwoods did, but according to this wall, these werewolves have been here a lot longer than that."

  "How long?"

  "Long." Damon answered. "It gets better. Show her, Ric." he nodded at the picture covered wall.

  "Names." The Saltzman shined his torch on the written names. "They're not native. They're written in Runic, a Viking script."

  "Vikings?"

  "This name here, when translated, it reads Niklaus." He announced, causing Elena's eyes to widen.

  "Klaus."

  Alaric continued to point out some of the other names. "And Elijah...and Rebekah."

  "The Originals." Elena figured as she stared at the wall with her brows furrowed.

  "Yeah." Alaric sighed. "That's not all." He pointed the flashlight at the two names that were in the corner. "Matteo and...Miralette."

  "Mira?"

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Flashback; 1000

Deep in a cave stood a young Rebekah using a knife to carve her name in Runic into the cave wall. Niklaus stood behind her, watching while holding a burning wooden torch. Beside him stood Mimi with her arms crossed.

"Rebekah, let me have at it." Nik demanded as he grew impatient.

Rebekah groaned. "Quiet, Niklaus! I am to have more concentration if I am not to slice off a finger."

"Father will not like you handling the blade."

Mimi rolled her eyes as she turned to look at him. "If Bekah wants to wield a blade, she shall wield a blade! Your father need not know."

"Thank you, Lettie!" Rebekah smiled at her.

Nik narrowed his eyes at the brunette. "He will find out. He always does."

Rebekah moved away from the wall, walking over to her brother and his girlfriend. "That is because you always tell him."

Nik frowned, staring down at the ground. "I cannot help it...he frightens me."

Rebekah and Mimi shared a look, the latter leaning her head on Niklaus' shoulder, using her hand to squeeze his arm gently.

"He frightens us all." Bekah said. "That is why we stick together as one, always and forever. Right, traitor?" she grinned.

Nik slowly let his own smile grow. "Right."

Mimi giggled. "There's that smile I love to see."

The boy softly shoved her. "shut up."

Rebekah stared at the couple, chuckling as they playfully pushed each other. "Here," she held out the blade to her brother. "You finish it. I am to help mother with the meal."

"Yes, go tend to dinner, and leave the blades to the men, little sister." Nik smirked, walking toward the wall while holding his hand out for the knife. Rebekah gave him an innocent expression before slamming the knife blade-side down into his palm, slicing it open. "Agh, Bekah!" he winced.

"Really, Rebekah?" Mimi raised her brows at the girl, moving closer to Niklaus, taking the blade from his hand as she looked over the small wound.

"It's just a little blood, Lettie." Bekah shrugged. "He can be a man about it." with that she walked out.

Nik groaned at the blood on his hand.

"It's a scratch. don't be a child." Mimi snarked in a playful manner. she looked up at the cave wall before began to finish carving in Rebekah's name.

"Please be careful with that, love." Nik watched worried at she held the knife.

"I know how to use a knife, Nik. You know that better than anyone." she smirked, reminded him of the day before when she had beat him in a sword fight.

Nik rolled his eyes. "It was one time, angel. You got lucky. I'll win next time"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

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"These are the names of the Original Family?"

Alaric nodded as he explained. "Carved into a cave that's been here since way before the founding of Mystic Falls. Or even the entire New World, for that matter."

"Why are Mira and her brother on here though?" Elena questioned while staring at Mimi's carved in name.

"Well, I guess it proves they've known each other a long, long time." Damon said, rolling his eyes.

"We know that already. Klaus and Mira are old lovers, remember?" Alaric said.

Damon scoffed. "trying to forget."

Elena shook her head, dismissing the Mira topic. "Okay, this has gotta be one of Klaus' fakes."

"That's what I said." the Salvatore nodded.

"That could be true, except the last name up here made us think otherwise." Alaric shined his torch up on the name that was above the rest.

"What's the name?" Elena asked

"Mikael."

The human girl stared at the older man, confused. "Mikael...Mikael, as in, the vampire hunter who knows how to kill Klaus?"

"Yep. I now like to call him 'Papa Original'."

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Alaric was in his apartment, staring at the photos he had taken and printed out of the drawings, while Damon was helping Elena with her combat training behind the teacher.

"These images tell a story...." Alaric sighed, looking over all the photos. "to learn the story, you have to decipher these images."

Damon effortlessly disarms Elena, who was practising staking him with a wooden stake. "Sloppy."

Elena rolled her eyes, taking the stake from him. "Shut up. I'm new at this."

"Ghost of Christmas Past' Mason Lockwood set up the cave and led us to a weapon that can kill Klaus." Damon told the two humans.

"Yeah, but doesn't Mikael have a weapon?" Elena asked as she struggled fighting against the vampire.

"Yes. Which probably means the wall will lead us to Mikael, who we have already found...and lost." He once again beat Elena, disarming her and holding her in a tight grip. "Bang! You're dead!"

"These images at the very least might tell us what that weapon is." Alaric said while Elena pushed Damon away and walked over to the Saltzman.

"Then all we have to do is find out what they mean."

"Fine! Fine!" Damon shrugged, raising a brow at the pair. "If I am being irritatingly optimistic like you two...how do you suppose we do that?"

"Well, if the story is about the Original Family living here, then we go straight to the source!" Elena smirked.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "No, that is the worst possible idea."

"Come on, Damon. It's the best we've got. Mira and Rebekah are our best options."

"You really think you're gonna get anything out of Mira? We've ruined any chance at her giving us information." Alaric added. "Or should I say you two have ruined any chance. And now you wanna ask her for answers on the Original family origin story?"

"Alaric's right. You so much as go up to Mira, there's a high chance she just might rip off your head." Damon said, sincerely, knowing he wasn't wrong.

"That's a chance we're just gonna have to take."

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Mira was at home by herself today. Rebekah was at school, as was Adelaide, who once again was running around with Caroline, Elliana had decided to take a break from Mystic Falls for a few days so she was in New York and Matteo was napping on the living room couch.

The Heretic was enjoying the peace and quiet after an exhausting couple of days. She hadn't really left her house since she saw her father and she had no plans to. She was avoiding the drama or more so the people who caused the drama.

  She was also trying to find everything she could on Chaos Magic, she had called up some old friends to look into it and find her the information she desperately needed. Although it seemed to be a lot harder than expected.

Unfortunately the peace never lasts though. So when she heard her phone ringing in the living room she threw her head back with a groan.

"For fucks sake, Mimi!" Matteo groggily shouted. "Get your goddamn phone before I throw it outside, it's disturbing my nap!"

Mira sighed, rolling her eyes, walking into the room Matteo was in. She saw her phone buzzing on the coffee table, right in front of Matteo who for some reason had his arms wrapped around a teddy bear.

Mira eyed the man and his bear. "you are a complete child." she said as she went and picked up her phone, answering it. Matteo just waved her off.

"Lettie! Finally!" the voice of Rebekah rang through.

"What's up, Rebekah?" the Emberson girl spoke while heading back towards the kitchen.

"We have a problem."

Mira huffed loudly. "When don't we?"

  "No. Mimi, this is serious."

  The brunette straightened up when she heard how genuine Rebekah was, instantly worrying. "What's happened?"

  "Elena came up to m asking questions. Do you remember when we carved our names into that cave wall back when we were human?"

  "Yes..." Mimi furrowed her brows. "What about it?"

  "The doppelgänger had a picture of it, a picture of my name written in runic on the cave wall." Rebekah sighed shakily.

  "Rebekah, I know you're not shaken up simply because the scooby gang found stupid carvings that were made ten centuries ago."

  "You're right, that's not what I called you about." Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Mimi, she brought up Mikael."

  Mira paused. "What?"

  "She knew me and Klaus have been running from him all this time. When i went to walk away without giving her the answers she was looking for, the little bitch said she'd just ask him herself."

"That's not possible. how could they find him?"

  "I thought the same thing. But she knew exactly where he was. Mimi, they're gonna wake him up if they haven't already!" Rebekah expressed her concern.

  Mimi ran a hand down her face as she slowly sat down at her dinner table. "This is bad."

  "You think?" Rebekah sassed. "What are we gonna do?"

  The Heretic woman pursed her lips in hesitation. "I guess we give her what she wants."

  "Which is?"

  "Answers." Mira wanted to stake herself just at the thought. "Text Elena to meet us at the Salvatore's, i'll meet you there." with that she hung up. Mimi would never admit it openly but hearing Mikael's name still sent a shiver down her spine. She had to prevent them from waking him or they all had a new big problem.

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Elena was on the phone with Damon, walking up the stairs to Alaric's loft as she talked about Rebekah. "She's going to tell me. She's scared of him, Damon. I saw her face. I just have to engage in a little 'mean girl' power struggle first."

"Well, make sure she doesn't power struggle you into a wheelchair." Damon joked.

"I've got this, Damon. If we can figure out a way to kill Klaus, Stefan will be free of his compulsion." Elena asserted.

"Yeah? and what about the other thousand year old original hybrid?" Damon wondered, meaning Mira.

Elena sighed. "I'm trying not to think about that one just yet." She shook her head trying to forget those thoughts. "How does he look?"

Damon, who was in the old city jail cellar that they had a no humanity Stefan locked in, looked through the door window at his brother and saw him tied in the chair and his head bowed with his eyes closed. "Mmm...pasty and pouty."

"He'll have to get over it. Call me later." The Gilbert girl hung up and turned to Alaric. "Rebekah will come around."

"You're sure about that?" Alairc mused. "I mean a thousand-year-old vampire, I'm sure, has learned the art of patience. Not to mention Mira."

While he spoke Elena received a text message: 'Come over to the boarding house for a chat. - Rebekah'

"She's a thousand-year-old vampire, who's joined the cheerleader squad..." She smirked, showing Alaric the text. "There is a whole different set of rules that play here, Ric. And Mira cares about Rebekah so if i can get Rebekah to talk to me, Mira won't complain. I got this."

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  Elena walked into the Salvatore's house and heard music, finding Rebekah strutting into the foyer with champagne glasses.

  "Hey! What's up?" Rebekah grinned.

  Elena raised a brow. "You invited me over? To talk?"

  Rebekah ignored her as she called out, "All right girls, have at it!" Six girls in various jewel-toned colored homecoming dresses walked in the room. Elena stared at them all, confused. "Now twirl please." The girls twirl and show off the dresses.

  "You compelled your own private runway show?"

  "I need a Homecoming dress." The original shrugged. "So, what do you think? Pick one."

  Elena scoffed. "I'm not here to help you shop. I'm here to talk about why you don't want me to wake up Mikael."

  Before anyone could blink a figure rushed past Elena towards one of the human girls in dresses. The doppelgänger flinched back almost losing her balance, looking over to find Mira in all her glory with an unopened bottle of bourbon in hand and her fangs out ready to bite into the scared girls neck.

  "You were told to pick one, Elena." Mira smiled with her fangs and violet eyes on display.

  Elena shook in fear as she tried to glare back before giving in. "The red one."

  Rebekah smirked at Mimi who stroked the human model's hair. "There. It wasn't so hard, was it?" the blonde looked at the humans and ordered them off. They do as she says and leave, while she went over to pour a glass of champagne.

  Mimi opened the new bottle of bourbon, pouring it into a cup before she and Rebekah walked up to Elena with matching glares causing the doppelgänger to step back.

  "You do not threaten us." Rebekah said with a clench jaw. "You'll learn what we allow you to learn. Is that clear?" Elena nodded and Rebekah walked past her, leaving her with Mira.

  "Tread real lightly, Elena. I'm in no mood for your little games and i'm not opposed to tearing your head from your body, understand?" Mimi said.

  Elena once again nodded with fear in her eyes, leaving the Heretic pleased as she followed after Rebekah.

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Rebekah opened the door to Stefan's room and entered with Mimi on her trail. Elena stands at the doorway looking around cautiously.

"How fun is this?" The vampire smiled as she started opening drawers.

"It's kind of depressing..." Mimi said, looking around. "Just like Stefan."

"We shouldn't be here..." spoke Elena.

"Course we should! Come on, like you've never wanted to snoop." Bekah held up Stefan's underwear. "Boxer briefs. Now, that's a change from the twenties."

"Ew."

Elena sighed. "Are you two gonna snoop through his stuff all night or are you gonna start to tell me your story?"

Mira chuckled. "So demanding, yet so fragile." This earned her another scowl from Elena.

"you really are no fun," Rebekah sighed. "What do you want to know?"

Elena finally walked into the room. "Well, Elijah said that your father was a landowner in Europe. How did you guys end up here? And how did you two meet?"

"My parents had just started a family, when a plague struck their homeland. They lost a child to it." Rebekah began her story. "They wanted to escape and protect their future family from the same fate."

"So, how did you end up here? This part of the world hadn't even been discovered yet."

Rebekah and Mira laughed. "Not by anyone in your history books. But my mother knew the witch Ayana, who heard from the spirits of a mystical land where everyone was healthy...blessed by the gifts of speed and strength. That led my family here, where we lived amongst those people. Where we met Mira and her family."

"You were already here?" Elena asked the Heretic.

Mira hummed as she sat at stefan's desk, grabbing the bourbon she brought into the room with her and topping up her glass. "My parents, they discovered this place before I was born, a little after my mother gave birth to my brother."

Elena nodded, looking between the two girls. "You said 'blessed by the gifts of speed and strength'. The werewolves?"

"To us, they were just our neighbours. My family lived in peace with them for over 20 years, during which time my family had more children, including me."

"You make it sound so normal." Elena said.

"That's because it was." Mimi smiled bitterly.

"Once a month our families retreated into the caves beneath our village. The wolves would howl through the night and by morning we'd return home..."

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Flashback; 1001

Rebekah and Miralette were looking at different sorts of necklaces and talismans hanging on a rope in Ayana's window. Rebekah touched one and it burned her hand.

"Rebekah?" Mimi spoke, worriedly.

Rebekah looked over to Ayana who stood watching the two girls. "Ayana, you burned me."

Ayana tilted her head. "That is not yours to touch."

Mimi went to reply but jumped when she heard familiar screaming from outside.

"Mother!" Niklaus could be heard shouting in horror.

"That's Niklaus." Mimi breathed out, starting to rush outside pulling Rebekah with her. "Something has happened!"

The two girls ran out to find Nik carrying the wounded body of his little brother, Henrik.

"Henrik!" Rebekah cried as she and Mimi ran up to Niklaus.

"Mother!" Nik screamed once more.

"One full moon, Klaus and my youngest brother Henrik snuck out to watch the men turn into beasts. That was forbidden. Henrik paid the price..."

Everyone suddenly came running out to the commotion. Esther fell down to cradle her youngest boy and child's body with Evelyn standing behind her covering her mouth in shock.

"No, no!! What happened?" Esther frantically asked Nik who knelt down crying.

"The wolves! I am sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Esther gasped, looking between Evelyn and Ayana. "We must save him. Please, there must be a way!"

Ayana laid a hand on Henrik's cheek, shaking her head. "The spirits will not give us a way, Esther. Your boy is gone."

"No! No!!!" Esther screamed, clutching Henrik's body in her arms as she sobbed. Evelyn knelt beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder as she too cried.

Mimi fell down next to Niklaus who hugged his knees, rocking back and forth. She wrapped her arms around him, letting him fall into her resting his head onto her lap. She pushed his hair out of his wet face, whispering reassuring words into his ear as the two clung to each other.

"And that was the beginning of the end of peace with our neighbours.."

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Rebekah turned to face Elena, who stood listening while Mira was drowning in her cup of bourbon, continuously filling it up. "And one of the last moments my family had together as humans. One of the last moments we truly had with Mira."

Elena's phone vibrated, snapping the three out of Rebekah's and Mira's memories. "You best get that." Mimi spoke. "I'm sure it's Damon."

Elena walked off while Rebekah and Mira continued to go through Stefan's things, glancing at each other every once in a while.

Mira opened one of the Salvatore's diaries, grimacing as she started reading the words. "even ripper Stefan was taking time out of his day to write in his diary. How inspiring." She giggled to herself. "at least he was writing nice things about you."

Rebekah snapped her head towards the heretic, marching over and snatching the book from her hands, "give me that."

"Calm down, it's not hard to ask nicely." Mira raised her hands, giving the blonde an annoyed glare.

Rebekah went over to lay on the bed, reading the diary while Elena came back staring at the two girls. Mira was still sitting at the desk with her legs stretched out and her feet resting on top of it, kicking off some of the objects on top for no reason, and more than halfway through the bottle of alcohol.

"Did you get your fill of snooping and making a mess yet? Can we get on with the story?" the Gilbert finally spoke, having enough of waiting.

Rebekah groaned as she sat up, suddenly finding a photo of Elena and Stefan on a table. "Honestly, I don't get you two as a couple." she taunted.

Elena rolled her eyes, sitting back in her seat. "Why would you? You don't know anything about who he really is."

Rebekah chuckled, leaning closer to Elena, "I know exactly who he is. He's a vampire. We're a predatory species. We don't have time to care about humans and their silly little lives."

"Amen to that." Mira grinned, raising her glass.

"Is that why you did that runway show earlier?" Elena tilted her head at the blonde in a mocking way. "Cause you don't care about the Homecoming Dance...You know what, I'm just gonna go." She stood up preparing to leave.

Mira scoffed, "You haven't even heard half the story."

Elena turned to her, throwing up her hands. "And neither of you are going to tell it." She stared at Rebekah, ignoring Mira. "You're just bored and looking for someone to push around. Find someone else to play with...maybe you can compel yourself a friend, cause it doesn't seem like Mira's really into that sort of thing." She once more turned to leave but they stopped her.

  "You are really testing my patience." Mimi said with a clenched jaw, staring at the human girl in irritation.

"The necklace wasn't Stefan's to give. It belonged to the Original Witch."

Elena spun around once more. "The one who put the hybrid curse on Klaus?"

"Not just the hybrid curse." Mimi started as she played with the pendant around her neck.

"She's the one who turned us into vampires. With the help of another powerful witch." Rebekah finished.

Rebekah explained the story of Mikael and Esther trying to convince Ayana and Evelyn to help turn their children and Ayana advising that it was a bad plan.

Elena stared at Mira with wide eyes. "Your mother was involved as well?"

"Wherever Rebekah's mother was, Evelyn Delgado was close behind. Whatever Rebekah's mother was involved in, it was no doubt Evelyn was involved as well."

  "I'm thirsty. Do you want a drink?" Rebekah left.

"I'm almost all out." Mimi huffed as she stood and shook the nearly empty bottle of alcohol, following after the blonde.

Elena caught up to the two originals and began asking more questions. "So, vampirism was a form of protection?"

"What else would it be?"

"A curse?"

"Rebekah's parents only saw a way of keeping their children alive." Mira added. "still, they were slimy wicked people."

"Yeah, but why stay, if they were so afraid of the werewolves?" Elena wondered. "Why not...leave?"

"Pride..." Rebekah said. "My father didn't want to run anymore. He wanted to fight and be superior to the wolves. Where they could bite, we had to bite harder. Where they had speed, we had to be faster. Agility, strength, senses..."

"Ever so prideful and relentless, Mikael was." Mira scoffed spitefully.

Rebekah continued the story of Mikael and Esther trying to convince Ayana to start the vampire curse and how Ayana denied them, not wanting to go against the ways of nature. So Mikael convinced Esther and Evelyn to do it for them, how it was in their hands.

"In their hands? How could they do anything?"

"Because my mother was also a witch." Rebekah smirked. "and so was Mira's."

"Obviously," Mimi rolled her eyes. "I didn't just get magic out of nowhere."

"What?" Elena looked between the two, puzzled.

The witch of the Original Family. The Original Witch." Rebekah stated the obvious as she and Mira walked off and left Elena to adjust to the information. "Where do they keep their best vintage?"

Elena ignored her question and she asked her own. "But if your mother was a witch, then..."

"Am I?" Bekah finished for her. "No, a witch is nature's servant; a vampire is an abomination of nature. You can either be one or the other, never both. Apart from this one." She pointed to Mira.

Elena turned to the heretic. "How does it work for you. How are you both?"

Mimi chuckled. "If you asked me a week ago, I wouldn't have any answers for you. I've been left asking that question my whole vampire life. But i've recently been given answers myself."

"Well, do tell, Lettie. I'm curious myself." Rebekah grinned. Not having the chance to be caught up about the visit Mira's father made.

"Both my parents were witches or in my father's case, warlock. But my mother, she came from a distinct line of powerful witches that began well over 2000's years ago, the Delgado's. They were a long line of not just normal witches and warlocks but also a line of chaos witches."

  "What's a chaos witch?"

  "Someone who holds magic that has no connection to nature. Chaos magic was started by one of my very old ancestors, who was a siphoner, so instead of having her own magic, she had to take it from others. It went to her head that she was different and she went crazy, so she started siphoning anyone to the point of death and one day she siphoned an heirloom that contained dark magic. Chaos magic." Mimi held up her fingers showing the purple energy escaping and surrounding her fingers. "That's why my eyes and hands glow purple when I use magic, it's chaos energy."

Elena stared at her, astounded. While Rebekah was more shocked, having not heard of it before.

"Obviously there's more to it and how i gained it, but that's a long story for another time." Mimi sighed, putting down her hand.

"So in other words...you have more power than anyone could imagine?" Elena gulped.

Mimi smirked. "I do now."

"What do you mean?"

"A few days ago, I found out for years chaos witches had been cursed to never have the full powers. when i died and became a vampire, it broke that curse. I was a vampire with more power in the world and i didn't even know it. that when Rebekah's mother put the curse on Klaus, she also put a curse on me. leaving me to struggle with my magic, never really using it."

"What?" Rebekah's eyes widened.

Mira nodded. "That's why when Klaus broke the curse, it affected me as well."

"We never knew." The vampire girl whispered.

"No one did. But now it's broken and I have more power than i might even be able to handle. Something no chaos witch has had in two thousand years."

"The infamous one of a kind Hybrid, huh." Rebekah laughed amused. "You and Nik continue to be perfect for each other."

Mira rolled her eyes. "Apparently they don't just call me a hybrid, but also a heretic."

"Heretic? I've never heard that before." Elena said.

"I've heard that word before. a witch and a vampire. a hybrid, yes, but also a heretic." Rebekah realised, cursing herself for not remembering sooner.

The three fell into a long and uncomfortable silence. Elena sat thinking about how much they had been underestimating Mira. Killing Klaus was going to be impossible to do with Mira around. She started to think they may need to find a way to kill the heretic.

To break the silence and her train of thought about Mimi, Elena spoke. "So was your mother a vampire too?" she asked Rebekah.

Rebekah shook her head. "My mother did this for us. She did not turn."

"How did you turn?"

"She called upon the sun for life, and the ancient white oak tree, one of nature's eternal objects, for immortality." Rebekah explained. "That night, my father offered us wine laced with blood. And then he drove his sword through our hearts.

"He killed you?" Elena whispered, stunned.

"And he wasn't delicate about it either." Rebekah said as she broke the neck of a wine bottle off effortlessly and threw it into the burning fireplace.

Rebekah went on to explain the night they were killed and woke up as vampires. "We had to drink more blood to complete the ritual. It was euphoric. The feeling of power was indescribable, but the witch Ayana was right about the consequences. The spirits turned on us, and nature fought back. For every strength there would be a weakness. The sun became our enemy. It kept us indoors for weeks. But Mira's mother used Mimi's grimoire to find a solution."

Mira looked up, confused. "Wait, what?"

Rebekah ignored her. "there were other problems though. Neighbours who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. Flowers at the base of the white oak burned, and prevented compulsion. And the spell decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away, so we burned it to the ground. But the darkest consequence was something my parents never anticipated. The hunger. Blood, had made us reborn and it was blood that we craved above all else. We could not control it. And with that, the predatory species was born..."

  "But, Mira?" the woman looked at the human as Elena said her name. "You weren't there?"

  Mira shrugged. "I was around but I wasn't turned at the same time as Rebekah and her siblings."

  "Then when were you turned?"

  Mimi let out a deep breath before gulping down the rest of the bourbon bottle. She glanced at Rebekah before starting her story. "It started after Bekah and her siblings became vampires. I didn't know what had happened or the part my mother played in it. All I knew was that I wasn't allowed around them anymore. My best friends became distant, my boyfriend became a stranger."

  "Boyfriend? Klaus?"

  "Obviously. The story of how I turned starts exactly like that. Me and Klaus. After weeks of avoiding me, he finally came to talk to me, we ended up arguing. He only came to end things with me. I was heartbroken, so I ran deep into the woods just as the sun began to set. It was dark and I was lost. I was all alone, or so I thought. Mikael had found me."

  Elena eyes widened. "Mikael?"

  Mimi hummed in confirmation. "Yep. He cornered me, along with Rebekah's mother and my own. My mother admitted that she was jealous of the power I held simply because it was more than she had. Now I know it's because she didn't get the chaos magic like I did. Her and Rebekah's mother told me that I had to die. Before I knew it Mikael was driving his sword through my stomach."

  Elena gulped. "He killed you too?"

  "Mhm. Although not to turn me into a vampire, but because my mother and Rebekah's wanted me dead."

  "But that doesn't explain how you turned."

  "Well, apparently my father had heard about their plans to end my life, and because he had no way to stop them, he went with his last option. Steal the spell my mother had for vampirism and do the spell himself, then spike my drink every day with blood leading up to when they had their plans to kill me and hope for the best. It worked because the morning after Mikael killed me, I woke up a vampire."

  Rebekah raised her brow. "Your father was the reason for you turning?" Mira nodded.

  "Why have you been separated from Rebekah, Klaus and Elijah all these years then?" Elena asked.

  Mimi ran a hand through her hair as she explained. "When I woke up I was alone, apart from my mother who was coming back to burn my body. We argued and the sudden hunger I felt got to me and I killed her."

"You killed your mother?" Elena gasped.

"Yes. then I went home..."

━━━━━━━

Flashback; 1001

A now vampire Mimi ran, clutching a grimoire to her chest. Her head was spinning. She had just woken up from the dead, then she killed her vicious mother and now she was trying to find her way home to her father and brother.

As she finally reached her village, it was eerily quiet. She looked around, paranoid that someone was going to sneak up on her as she reached her cottage. slowly and cautiously she entered, whispering out. "papa! Matteo!"

No one answered, leaving her feeling scared. something was wrong. with her new heightened senses, she could smell blood. "Papa!" she called out once more.

Walking deeper into the cottage, she was met with a sight that broke her already broken heart. Lincoln Emberson was laid out on the ground in a pile of his own blood with his neck sliced open.

"No, no." Mimi repeated. the blood not affecting her even a little bit as the sight made her sick to her stomach. "papa! papa! wake up, please wake up." she dropped her book and fell to her knees beside him, shaking him, wanting him to just open his eyes. "you can't be dead! you have to wake up!" she sobbed. "I need you."

It was no use, he was gone.

Suddenly her senses came back and the smell of her father's blood was all she could focus on. She felt her face shift and her eyes grew darker. She pulled herself away from the dead body, fighting the urges she felt.

But it was too much, too hard and utterly unbearable. So she ran out, fresh and dried blood coating her clothes and skin, her dress spilt from where Mikael imbedded his sword into her, her hair disheveled to whole different level. Miralette was completely unrecognisable.

She made her way out of her family home, taking deep breaths. The village still empty and quiet. She didn't get a moment to calm herself though because suddenly she was screaming out, falling to her knees, hands clinging to her head and pulling at her hair as she felt as if her mind was about to explode.

"Well, it seems your world is just falling apart." a voice spoke from above the young girl, making her gasp and look up in fear, with tears in her eyes.

"Esther." Mira glared.

"Hello, Miralette." Esther smiled.

"What-what do you want?"

Esther shrugged, "Well I can not have what I want anymore. I wanted you dead but it seems that is no longer possible. So now I just want you gone."

"Gone?"

"I want you to leave...immediately and never look back."

Mimi shook her head as she slowly stood up, "no, i'm not just going to leave my brother and i won't leave Rebekah and the boys. I won't leave Niklaus."

"Sweetheart," Esther chuckled. "have you even seen my children anywhere? Why do you think you were all alone when you woke up? Don't you think if they cared about you, then they would have brought your body home instead of leaving you in the middle of the woods to be eaten by the wolves?"

Mira stayed silent, she didn't have an answer.

"Niklaus broke your heart just mere hours before your death. He no longer wanted to be with you then, why would he want to be with you now?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Mira retorted.

Esther nodded. She pulled her hands from behind her back, holding up something between her fingers. A ring. Mimi frowned, staring at it. "Niklaus asked me to make this a few weeks ago with the desire to ask you to marry him. Then last night he brought it back to me, telling me to get rid of it. He said he had no use for it anymore."

Mira shook her head with tears in her eyes. "you're lying."

Esther shrugged, throwing the ring to the girl to which she caught effortlessly. "believe what you want. I have no reason to lie."

Mimi stared down at the piece of jewellery, analysing it. she saw writing carved on the inside. reading the three words, she let a tear fall, realising the ring was in fact Niklaus' and it was meant for her.

"This doesn't change my mind." The new vampire declared. "I'm still not leaving."

Esther sighed deeply. "I figured you might say that." She turned as she said, "Bring him out."

Mimi looked over and stepped back while she watched Mikael walk out, her face dropped as she saw him holding a drowsy Matteo in front of him with his sword to the boys neck. He also dragged her father's dead body along the ground, throwing him at her feet.

She stared down at her father, whose eyes were still open. they were blank, cold and dead just staring up at her. she turned from the sight back to her brother. "Matteo!" She went to move forward but Mikael pressed the sword harder to the boys neck causing her to halt her steps. "Let him go."

"First, you are to agree to leave and never return," Esther declared. "I mean look around at what you've caused," She gestured to the girls dead father and struggling brother. "Let us not forget what you did to your mother. You have no choice here, Miralette."

"Why are you doing this to me?" The girl cried.

"Because you don't deserve happiness, child" Mikael spoke. "you are an abomination."

Mira wiped her tears as she glared with deep hatred. "You want me to leave. fine, i'll leave."

"Great." Esther grinned as she clapped her hands.

"I want to say goodbye to Rebekah and the boys first."

Esther and Mikael laughed at her, "Even if I wanted to agree to that, it's not possible. They've left."

Mimi furrowed her brows. "What?"

"Like I said, Miralette. They don't care about you or your brother. You mean nothing to them anymore." Esther said. "And if that's not enough to make you stay away from them, let me tell you what happens if you don't. You're all vampires now. All of you have no choice but to live forever but you are to remain dead to them. My children are not to know you are alive."

"And if i don't agree to that?"

"I'm going to kill your brother while you watch, leaving you completely alone." Mikael smiled maliciously, preparing to cut off Matteo's head.

"Fine! Fine! I'll stay away! Just let my brother go." Mimi went to step forward to reach for her brother but stopped as Esther stepped in front of her.

"Wonderful. First I just need a little something from you."

"What?"

"Your blood." Esther pulled out a small blade and a glass vial.

Mimi stepped back shaking her head. "You're insane."

Esther sighed deeply. "It is not like it is permanent anymore. You will heal and live. Either you spill your blood or Mikael spills your brothers. Unfortunately he won't heal and live."

Mira squeezed her eyes shut. "Okay, get it over with." She held out her hand and Esther was quick to slice her palm, causing Mimi to wince. Esther let her blood drip into the vial until she was satisfied with the amount. Once she let go, Mira stared at her palm, watching it heal.

"Perfect, thank you for being cooperative, Miralette." Esther reached up to push her hair away but Mimi was quick to shove her back.

"Don't touch me." She glared. "Give me my brother."

Esther shook her head. "I wish you could see that all of this is for the greater good." She pulled her hand behind her back, pulling out a rolled scroll, holding it out the newly turned vampire. "Here."

Mimi stared down at it, confused. "What is that?"

"It is my children's goodbye to you." Esther said. "They wrote it before you died. You don't believe my words that they planned to leave and forget you, so here is the proof. They couldn't face you, so they settled for writing this."

Shakily, Mimi took the paper from Esther's hands and opened it. She let her eyes skim over the words looking for anything that might prove that it was fake. But she knew the handwriting anywhere, Rebekah's.

Closing her eyes, she clenched her hand, scrunching the paper. She felt hurt, but worst of all she felt betrayed.

"Here." Mikael shoved the still unconscious boy towards his sister who quickly caught him. she let out a sigh of relief when she felt his heart beat. "Now leave."

"I can't just leave. My father's body needs to be buried." Mira proclaimed numbly.

Mikael chuckled, shaking his head. "We will deal with him. you go."

Mira shook her head, "no, please. i need to do it."

"No!" Mikael screamed. "Leave!"

Mimi flinched back, holding her brother close to her. "please." she whimpered, staring at her fathers dead body.

"Do you want to have to bury your brother as well?" Mikael asked rhetorically, causing Mira to shake her head. "Then forget your father and run."

Mimi choked on a sob, once more staring at her papa, knowing she had no choice but to go. "ok," she whispered. preparing to use her new enhanced speed to get out of there but Mikael stopped her before she could.

"And know this, child. If you go anywhere near any of my children, ever. I will find you and I will tear your brother limb from limb as you watch."

Mimi only glared at him, clutching Matteo.

"Now go." Esther said.

This time she didn't hesitate. with one more glance at her father, Mira ran still holding her brother.

━━━━━━━

Elena and Rebekah stared at Mira who was facing away from them staring out the window. "and I never looked back...now I know everything they said was just another scheme to get rid of me."

"Lettie..." Rebekah whispered. In disbelief after finally hearing what the girl endured after her death.

Mimi shook the thoughts and horrid memories away as she turned back to the pair behind her with a forced smirk on her face. "Enough about me."

Elena stared at her in horror. watching her casually pour another drink. Deciding to leave her be she turned back to Rebekah. "Why did Mikael start hunting Klaus?"

Rebekah blew out a breath, wanting to speak with Mira but knowing it was best to leave her alone for a moment, so she answered. "After Mira 'died', that same night Nik made his first human kill, which triggered his werewolf gene. With that, he became my father's greatest shame."

Mimi looked up after hearing her name. not knowing that part of the story. this was all after she was gone.

"Yeah. Elijah told me this part of the story. Your mother had had an affair with one of the werewolf villagers. Klaus wasn't his son." Elena remembered.

"She tried to make it right. She put the hybrid curse on Nik to suppress his werewolf side, and then she turned her back on him. But Mikael's greatest weakness as a human was his pride. As a vampire, that was magnified. He went on a rampage and killed half the village. Then he came home and killed her."

"Mikael killed your mother?" Elena asked, appalled.

Mira too stared at Rebekah in confusion. They seemed to be very much united the last she saw of them.

"He said she broke his heart so he would break hers. He tore it from her chest as Nik watched." She told. "This was all after we believed you to be dead, Mimi and Matteo had disappeared. We all started to fall apart in different ways without you both. But none of us broke the way Nik did. Once we figured out your death was all my mother and fathers doing, we were all angry and Niklaus was the worst of us all. He went after them, to do god knows what and that's when he found Mikael murdering mother."

"Klaus wanted your parents dead, not for what they had done to all of you, but for what they did to Mira." Elena realised in shock.

"We all did." Rebekah admitted. "Afterwards, my father took off in a rage, and the rest of my family planned to scatter, but none of us could leave without a proper goodbye to Mimi." Rebekah stared into Mira's tear filled eyes as she spoke in complete sincerity. "All five of us tried to find your body. We searched the entire woods but when we couldn't find you we settled for burying the things that reminded us of you. We had no body so we tried to bury our memories. All fives of us made the vow of always and forever as a tribute to you."

  "Rebekah...I'm so sorry." Mimi whispered.

  The Mikaelson girl smiled sadly. "As am I."

"Always and forever...even though he locked you in a coffin for ninety years?" Elena interrupted the moment, not understanding Rebekah standing by her brother.

"We're vampires. Our emotions are heightened. I'm stubborn, Elijah moral, and Nik...Nik has no tolerance for those who disappoint him. Over a thousand years as a family we've all made that mistake at least once. I've made it several times."

"But you still love him?"

"He's my brother. And I'm immortal. Should I spend an eternity alone instead?" Rebekah suddenly went cold, her face going blank. She stormed past Elena towards the door. "You've heard the story, it's time to go." Elena didn't move, angering the blonde. "I said leave, Elena! I don't know what you're up to, but I'm no longer playing along."

"I'm just looking for one good reason why we shouldn't wake Mikael." Elena stated.

Mimi stood up, irritated. "And we've both given you a thousand for god sake! But you will anyway. We're wasting our breath and our time."

"We know you want him to help you kill my brother, We're not stupid." Rebekah spat.

Elena scoffed. "It's no secret that I want Klaus dead. He has a hold over Stefan's life, and over mine."

"You are definitely the stupid one," Mimi groaned.

"Do what you need. Wake Mikael at your own peril. But make no mistake, if you come after my brother, I will rip you apart. And I get my temper from my father."

"Now I suggest you leave, before I pull your head from your body right here, right now." Mimi said viciously as she slowly walked towards the doppelgänger who was quick to step away from her and leave.

Rebekah and Mimi stood in silence, neither knowing what to say. Eventually Mimi sighed and walked over to the blonde, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Rebekah clung to her as if her life depended on it.

"I'm so sorry, Lettie," Rebekah mumbled and Mimi could only shush her, she had no reason to apologise.

━━━━━━━

  Mira had left the boarding house while Rebekah stayed wanting to continue drinking their alcohol. As she was pouring herself a glass of scotch, Elena stormed with photos of the cave drawings.

  "I thought you were told you to leave. multiple times." Rebekah stared at her.

  "How do you know that Mikael killed your mother?"

  Rebekah shrugged, "Nik was there. He told me."

  Elena sighed. "He lied to you."

  Rebekah smiled, amused, not believing her. "And how do you know that?"

  "The cave where you carved your family's names is covered in symbols." Elena showed her the photos, setting them on the table. "The story of your family: how your parents arrived, how they made peace, the spell that turned them into vampires, and this. This is the symbol for hybrid. It's a combination of the werewolf and the vampire symbol." she put another photo on the table that Rebekah recognised as Mira's odd birthmark. "This is the symbol of Chaos. We couldn't figure it out but after what Mira told me, I realised. A chaos witch."

  "Lettie." Rebekah breathed.

  "And this is the one for your mother." Elena showed another.

  "Her necklace." Rebekah realised.

  "And this is the story of her death." Elena set down the last photo. "The hybrid killed the Original Witch. Not Mikael. Klaus."

  Rebekah shook her head vigorously, "What is your purpose of showing me these?"

  Elena didn't back down. "She put the curse on him, made it so that he would be the only one of his kind, and then she rejected him. With the werewolf gene comes aggression and violence...when he turned, all of that was heightened. He killed her, Rebekah. And then he made up this entire lie about your father, so that he wouldn't lose you."

  "That doesn't change anything." Rebekah responded blankly, causing Elena to step back shocked. "My mother conspired to kill Mira. The most innocent and caring person I have ever known. The most important person to my siblings. and to me. If this is true and Nik killed her, he did it for the right reasons."

  "Rebekah, she was your mother and Klaus killed her then lied about," Elena repeated, dumbfounded.

"Yes, after she killed the love of his life and cursed him." Rebekah retorted, heartlessly. It hurt to know Nik lied but she understood. "My mother took the only sister I had ever known. Killing her and then sending her away from us!"

  "Klaus killed your mother. He has a hold on you, on me, on everyone. He has for a thousand years. We have to make it stop!"

  The vampire girl wrapped her hand around Elena's neck, screaming. "How dare you! Come in here trying to use this pathetic information as a way to get me to help you kill my brother. Don't you understand? Even if this foolish little plan of unravelling the truth to me worked, Mira will never turn on Nik and as long as he has her by his side, he will never be harmed by anyone else. He's truly untouchable!"

  Slowly she stopped, calming down slightly, and letting go of Elena. She started to gasp, feeling overwhelmed. She fell to her knees and began sobbing, while Elena stared at her with a look of pity. Rebekah didn't get why Klaus lied to her, she wouldn't have faulted him for it. "Get out!" she screamed, startling the human who was quick to grab her stuff and run out the door.

  Elena felt defeated, she hadn't gained Rebekah's support and she blamed it all on Miralette Emberson.

━━━━━━━

  Mimi sat in her room, staring at the ring she held between her fingers. It now rested on a chain, having been made into a necklace.

  The piece of jewellery shined in the light as her eyes traced over the words still carved into.

  'my beautiful angel'.

  She clenched her hand around it as she squeezed her shut tightly. Thoughts running through her head about what could have been if things went differently.