Laurel

19

Laurel was sad to wake up alone to Damon's note, and Delia's text message assurances that she had explained away her absence for today. Laurel was still going to need to call in with either a long term excuse or quit soon, but at least Delia had bought her some time before she had to make a solid choice. The only benefit to waking up alone, was she woke up when she was perfectly rested, so Laurel at least felt physically good this morning. She knew Caroline, Josephine and probably some other coven members were around somewhere, but at least inside this room for right now she was alone.

She went to the washroom to get freshened up for the day. She was again taken aback when she saw her new golden shade to her eyes instead of the lovely deep emerald green she had grown up with. The photo she had of her original family showed her mom, with a beautiful smile and big green eyes that she always thought looked like hers.

Now that she knew her "birth" mom was probably not her mom, her adoptive mother had forgotten her, she just felt lost. Like she was just set adrift in an endless sea. She felt like all she had right now was Delia and Damon, they understood all of this mess better than she did and what was going on better than she could right now. She felt like a child, out of her depth. Nothing made sense to her anymore.

Laurel wished she could call her mom, the adoptive one who had raised her. She was never overtly motherly, but she was smart and pragmatic and gave good advice and was a good mom to her. Laurel remained devastated to have lost her, how was someone supposed to just get over such a loss? Especially when she knew her mom was still just a car ride away but would never remember who she was again. Of everything that had come to pass this weekend, that part of the curse was truly what had hurt her the most. Why would someone curse her in such a way? Why did someone want her so isolated?

Clean, and freshly dressed, Laurel finally decided to leave her room and see who was still around the mansion. She knew Delia had gone to work, and would be gone until this evening. Damon had gone back to his own penthouse. Laurel wasn't sure if Caroline had to work or if she was somewhere in the house, and sadly Aunt Josephine was certainly still somewhere, lurking, waiting to say something to cut Laurel to her bones. Hopefully she could sneak down and have breakfast without coming across the bitchy bird-like woman.

Sadly that was too much to wish for, Josephine was perched at the kitchen table enjoying tea and pastries when Laurel made her way into the room. Laurel had to bite her tongue, literally, to keep herself from letting a curse slip out her mouth at the sight of the intimidating woman.

"Whatever binding spell was put on you it's almost gone now you know, I can feel it leaching away from you bit by bit most of the time. Faster other times." Josephine said, no preamble or good morning to soften the blow. "I have a pretty good idea what you and the demon get up to together, and it's either very good for you or very bad" she paused to take a sip of her tea, seeming to enjoy how uncomfortable Laurel was becoming "I guess it depends on what you are, hopefully you don't destroy the world." The older woman shrugged and turned back to reading the newspaper on the table. Ignoring Laurel.

At that moment Caroline came around the corner from the kitchen gardens, smelling of herbs and sunshine "Josie, don't scare the poor girl. I don't think any of her power could be used as a weapon to destroy the world. Her heart is good, Dede can see that much."

"I just don't like taking risks for non-family members like this, you are putting the whole Coven in danger." She paused again to sip her tea "There are children here Caroline, could you live with yourself if the next generation was wiped out because you took in an abomination?" Joesphine's eyes were full of rage, and all of it directed at Laurel.

"I...I don't want to put anyone in danger. I'm sorry" Laurel was quiet as she spoke, looking towards the floor, wishing it would open up and swallow her whole so she could get away.