✅️Her Life Means Everything

Gemini Curse

Alaric was going to have to tell his girls soon enough before they turned 22. "Because it affects his daughters...only one of them will live past their twenty-second birthday."

Hope and Nikola just blankly stared at me. Neither one of them said a word. It wasn't my decision to tell Alaric how to raise his children. But there was going to come a day when they found out the truth on their own. "So you know how your aunt Caroline is always away traveling for the school. And she wasn't here for the twins' sixteenth birthday. She's been searching for a way to avoid the merge."

"What is the Merge, mom?" Hope asked, wanting to know that it was something important.

Nikola crossed her arms over her chest leaning back into the bookshelf. "If this affects our cousins then we have to know about it. Whatever the result is."

Reaching across the table I opened my hands and they each placed their hand in mine. Nikola sits down by her sister watching me closely. "Okay here's the simple explanation. The Merge comes from this family of witches that don't have their own magic. Called the Gemini Coven. And when twins are born in the family they have to combine their powers together when they turn 22."

"How does only one survive?" Hope glanced over to her twin still not understanding everything. "I mean Lizzie and Josie are both powerful witches."

Nodding my head I tuck hair behind my ear agreeing with her. "That they are, honey. But there is always one who is stronger...the weaker one will die."

"Will we know who it will be before that?" Nikola questions hearing footsteps coming down the hallway.

Shaking my head no I finally noticed Alaric entering the room clearly shaken up about something. "No we don't. Listen I just need you to promise me that you'll keep this a secret from the twins."

"What are you all talking about?" He asked before I got to my feet exiting the room just going for a walk. I wasn't really sure where I was going but I needed to clear my head. I have been keeping this a secret for years and now it's becoming overwhelming. Finally I paused in my step covering my mouth with my hands seeing I ended up at my mother's grave.

Tucking hair behind my ear I sit down at the bench in front of her feeling footsteps coming closer. Glancing over my shoulder I saw my husband who weakly smiled taking a seat beside me. "I didn't expect to find you out here, love."

"I'm not really sure why I came out here. I just - I don't know." I sighed, slumping my shoulders feeling the wind blowing through my hair. "The girls know about the merge and keep asking questions. I just know this is gonna go down bad."

He rested his hands on his knees staring down at me softly. "Bad how, Maddie?"

"Because Alaric needs to tell them sooner rather than later...I mean when is he going to tell them. When they're about to turn 22 and they just have to accept the fact that it turns out I killed my sibling." Throwing my hands up in the air, feeling some tears falling down my face.

Klaus draped his arm over my shoulder pulling my head to lay on his shoulder. For a few seconds there was just silence staring at my mom's name on the stone. "I know you have good intentions, Maddie. But they're not our kids. We can't tell him how to raise them."

"I know, Nik..." I sniffed some tears, wiping some tears away with my sleeves intertwining my hand with his. He rubbed his thumb over my knuckles gently. "I just wish she was here to tell me what to do. There are some good days and others that I want to tear everyone's heads off!"

Klaus tilted my chin so I was looking him in the eye. Resting his hand on the side of my cheek cradling it. "I miss her too, Maddie. Let's get back to the school . There's a full moon tonight." He tugs me to my feet vamping back.

Walking through the hallway I ended up outside the Saltzman twins room hearing Josie trailed off in a shaky voice. "So, one of us is gonna have to kill the other one?"

"When Gemini twins turn 22, the Merge will determine who will lead the coven. And only one will survive. That's why your mother's always traveling the globe. Trying to find a solution." Alaric explained with his hands intertwined together in front of him.

Lizzie looks from her sister to her father not seeing why it would be a problem. "But if there's no one left from the Gemini coven..."

Josie finished her sister's thought seeing me peeking in through the doorway. "No, it goes deeper than that. It's a curse, right? A curse on the Gemini twins?"

"Yes. I know I should have told you sooner. I just didn't know when. When do you... tell your children something like that?" Alaric sighed heavily, almost breaking out in a sob of tears in front of his children. "I mean, could you handle that news at six? When exactly is the right time to tell your children that you... that you don't know if you'll be able to protect them? I mean, when I... when I look at you sometimes, I still see you as little girls. Riding your bikes for the first time. Learning to walk. Dancing on my feet. When I look at you, I see all of that. So I was never ready to tell you. I'm still not."

Josie and Lizzie got to their feet rushing over to him hugging him tightly. Wiping some tears away I vamped to the girls room seeing Hope and Nikola just sitting on their beds until I came into the room. "Hey girls, I was thinking...how would you two like to spend the night with your father and I in the mansion?"

"I thought you and dad said it would be better if we stayed at the school. You know, to build relationships and all that?" Nikola asked me hugging her knees to her chest.

Crossing my arms over my chest I entered the room standing in front of them. Tonight has reminded me that I need to spend more time with my kids. Sending them to this school was good but I need to see them too. "I did say that. But with all the monsters and battles. I realized we haven't spent much time together. So is it a yes or no?"

"I'll go, mom. But then I promised Nikola we would go find Landon." Hope closed the book on her lap getting to her feet.

Nodding my head, yes taking each of their hands in mine. "Don't worry, girls. We will because we look out for each. Always and forever."

Short chapter

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