Forever Original | Alaric Saltzman

Chapter 37

Even upon Rebekah's arrival, Hilda did not care about her problems.

"It was this witch, Eva!" said Rebekah irritably. "The nocturnal cow is inside of me trying to bust her way out!"

"Freya can easily do a spell if she wants to help," said Hilda, sitting on the couch with her arms crossed. "It's not the hardest thing in the world."

"Have you lost your mind?" snapped Klaus. "Tell me we're not considering opening our sister's head to someone we barely know!"

Rebekah growled in frustration. "Nik, for God's sake, she is our sister! I've known her since she saved me from the Fauline Cottage."

Klaus scoffed. "An act no doubt meant to secure your trust! Perhaps for this very moment, to strike when we are vulnerable!"

"You really are a bloody fucking idiot," muttered Hilda. "None of us are witches except her. Maybe we should be thankful one of our siblings can do magic now. Or are you going to do the same thing as you did to Kol and mistreat her and only pretend to care when she lays on her deathbed?"

Klaus jabbed a finger in her face. "We've no way of knowing that anything she said today is true!"

She grabbed his finger and snapped it, a loud cracking noise sounding through the room as she tore it right off. Elijah and Rebekah both swore loudly in protest as Klaus hissed in pain and snatched it back from her blood pouring out as he pushed his finger back against the base, allowing it to be reattached. "Bloody lunatic!" he spat in her face as she stood up. "I'll dagger you for that!"

"Nice to know that those stupid daggers never leave your mind!" snapped Hilda. "Don't shove your finger in my face. I know damn well what she said is true. You know why? I let her into my mind yesterday, and—"

"Oh, that's bloody perfect, you let her in on all our secrets, too—"

"She already knows so much about us! The point is I saw all her memories too and I know that she's being completely honest."

Elijah stopped Klaus from smacking his sister. "Niklaus," he said sternly. "We are powerless to help our sister. Now, either we leave Rebekah to suffer, or we place our faith in the hands of someone I believe to be our blood. For once, set aside your anger and trust Hilda. She wouldn't lie to us about something like this. Right now, I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to family."

"Fine!" spat Klaus. "Go and get her yourself, then!" He continued to hold onto his finger, and Hilda watched with malice, wishing she ripped his entire arm off instead.

"Nik," said Rebekah angrily when Elijah left the room. "Seriously—"

"Do not goad me, Rebekah!" he hissed. "Our sister tore off my finger and now I'm meant to place my complete trust in another sister who we are barely meeting now!"

"You had no right to call Hilly a 'lunatic.' Are you daft? Those aren't the kind of words you use on someone..." she stopped, as though she was going to say something after, but cut herself off and tried to play it off as though 'someone' was her last word.

Hilda glared up. "On someone who what?" she demanded. "Someone who's as mentally ill as me? Someone who's this temperamental?"

"I was going to say someone who is family," Rebekah said, though it was a clear lie.

Hilda sneered. "Whatever." She looked up as Elijah brought Freya in. Their elder sister moved forward and pulled Rebekah into a hug. "It's good to see you again."

"And you!" replied Rebekah. "Although I'd prefer better circumstances."

The two sisters sat on the couch. Hilda moved off to the side and tuned out, already knowing what Freya would attempt. Klaus, of course, wasn't being very eager or trusting. Hilda didn't pay any attention until she heard the loud snapping of a neck being broken, and watched Klaus drop Freya's lifeless body onto the floor.