Chapter 1

May 10th, 1994

They always told her that she had a thing for being in the wrong place at the one time, but she had never believed it.

Why would she? She came and went as she pleased. No one had ever stood in her way. In three hundred and ten years that she'd been in this world, with all the absolute bull she endured, it was uncommon for Beatrix La Salle to consider herself unlucky at all. In danger, sometimes? Certainly. But this was another level of it.

"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."

The man on the ground was letting out enraged, pained screams. The girl standing over him looked both worried and thankful, which struck Beatrix as odd. A man stepped forward, holding a gadget that Beatrix had never seen before, and that was considering that she had helped create numerous magical objects- especially dark ones. The man held it over the younger male on the floor, who twitched, yelled, and held his head in his hands as if his brain was being blown into pieces within his skull.

She couldn't concentrate. She was already barely conscious, heavily bruised, probably pumped full of vervain. She was being held by someone much stronger than her at the given moment. She could hear the person's heart thumping rapidly. Tachycardia, but not to a dangerous extent. She could hear the heart beats of the others who chanted as well- united in an anxious rhythm. They were thirsting for this- whatever it was- to work. They wanted the man on the ground to suffer.

"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."

Then, just like that, he was gone. The girl leapt back. "It's done," said the man with the gadget, bringing it down slightly. He nodded to the girl, who turned and ran out of the woods. The other people there turned their gazes to Beatrix, whose own heart hammered in her chest.

Six months. Six months she had been a prisoner, and this was her first time seeing any sort of daylight since Christmas morning. She should have told Marcel she was coming to New Orleans instead of choosing to surprise him. She should never have taken back her magic. She should have cloaked herself at least, rather than bet that the French Quarter Coven wouldn't recognize her. That time, perhaps she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Hurry up, the eclipse will be over soon," the man huffed. The person holding her shoved her forward, onto the ground. Beatrix was too weak to move. But now, as she looked up at their faces, she could remember who they were.

"Fuck you," she gasped hoarsely, glaring up at them with hatred. "You stupid Gemini Coven members... I swear... I will make sure to end you..."

They ignored her. "Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."

She let out a terrified scream, holding her bruised abdomen and curling up, her sides burning. As they continued to chant, it felt like the her eyeballs were being ripped out of the sockets. Beatrix's body thrashed back, sprawled on the dirt. She screamed again, her throat being ripped raw. Her head pounded with a storm, her chest was about to explode. And she had thought that being around the Mikaelsons brought her more suffering than what she could handle...

"Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum."

A final cry of absolute devastation tore out, causing her to taste blood in her mouth. A bright light assaulted her retinas, and the back of her head seared with fire. For a few seconds, she could see nothing, but when her body relaxed and her vision cleared, she was right where she'd been before, except the members of the Gemini Coven were gone.

The only person near her was the man from before. He was still in a ratty pink t-shirt with a center circular pattern appearing in purple, orange, blue and green, as far as Beatrix could tell. It was faded, and the white long-sleeved shirt he had underneath was stained with blood, drawing her attention. The man looked up at her just as the black veins materialized under her eyes, her fangs protruding within her mouth. But this caused her pain, and she hissed, covering her lips and causing the feeling to recede.

"What the hell happened?" the man snarled, glaring at her as if she should have an explanation.

"I don't know," she admitted, shakily standing. She stumbled, at first, but soon realized that she no longer felt as weak. Clearly, there was still vervain in her system, but she could at least stand on her own. "Who are you, anyway?"

The man scoffed. "Wouldn't you like to know? I should be asking you that. I'm supposed to be the next leader of the Gemini Coven! But you- I've never seen you before."

Beatrix did not answer right away. She turned around, walking a slow circle around herself. This was indeed the same place they had been before, but they were completely alone. Were they dead? Were they in hell?

Suddenly, her throat was seized from behind, and the man whirled her around roughly to face him. His blue eyes were darkened a few shades, reflecting his clear aggravation with her delayed response. "Well?" he sneered. "Who the fuck are you?"

Beatrix gave him a bored look. He was surprised she wasn't scared. Startled, yes. Scared, no. "Please, darling," she said, rolling her eyes and digging her knee up into his groin, kicking him back without much effort. "I've been in chokeholds stronger than that. You've got nothing on an Original, especially not one with anger issues."

He had composed himself quickly from her kick, and although he still was furious at their still uncertain predicament, he was curious that she had been able to release herself from his grip. "Are you going to answer my question or not?" he hissed.

"I don't know, am I?" she said, crossing her arms and beginning to walk out to where she could see a clearing in the distance. "Shut up for a minute, will you? I'm trying to figure out the spell."

"Well, I've never heard it, so good luck," he said very sarcastically.

Beatrix turned around, glaring at him. "You're lucky my self-control is better than most vampires, and you're lucky I can't perform magic yet. Otherwise, I'd have gone in sequence breaking every bone in your body before cutting through your brain stem."

He raised his eyebrows slightly. "Sadistic. Now I know why you're here."

"No, you know nothing about me. Now, shut up."

"How do you expect to figure that spell out? You look younger than me, and I've never heard it."

She let out a wry chuckle. "Darling, I've been alive longer than your great grandparents, at least." She began to walk away. "Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Sanguinem filio, sanguinem effurgarex perpetuum. Phasmatos filio, Phasmatos effurgarex perpetuum...."

The man scoffed when she began chanting, tucking his arm in his pockets and walking behind her.

Beatrix looked up not long after. "Son. Prison. Fire. Forever. They used the same spell for me- they wanted me to be here with you. This is something created specifically for you. A prison."

He was about to speak, but she held a finger up to silence him. "I only care to speak to you if you have a knife."

"A knife? Are you kidding me? Of course I have a knife." He extracted a blade from his pocket, and she took it without looking at him, examining it.

"Tell me," she asked, "are you a warlock?"

"An abomination of a warlock, according to my Coven. They're really just scared. A siphon sociopath..."

Beatrix whirled around, looking panicked. "What?" she said, her face pale. "No- no- that's- crap-"

"What? What the hell does it mean?"

She didn't answer. Leaving him behind, she became a blur as she sped out of the clearing, and to a house at the end of it. She didn't care who owned it. She kicked open the door, surprised she could even step inside. She bolted to the kitchen, searching frantically for a calendar on the fridge- anything. When she didn't find one, she tore into the living room, then an office, where she found a newspaper.

"May 10th, 1994," she breathed. "Okay... same day... not 1903..."

Panting loudly, the man came into the house behind her. "What the fuck was that all about?" he called out. "Why are you in my house?"

"Your house?" she asked, momentarily distracted as she poked her head out of the room.

"Yes, my house. Aren't you vampires supposed to have super hearing?"

Beatrix growled. "Super hearing and needing clarification are two different things, dipshit." She set the newspaper down. "Okay. I think we're in the clear. But I need you to help me."

He scoffed. "Why would I help you? You kneed me in the groin and you're being rude."

"So are you, fucktard!" she snapped. "I need you to siphon the vervain out of me. It shouldn't be that hard- I tried it out years ago, it's possible."

"I think it'd be more fun for me to slit your wrists and throat and hang you upside down," he said darkly.

In an instant, she sped forward and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying back out the door. She then pushed him onto the ground, grasping his throat in her hand and pressing her thumb and forefinger hard against his jugular and carotid, whilst the middle of her hand put a dangerous amount of pressure onto his trachea. Her eyes darkened, the black veins returning and running down her eyelids to her cheeks. He looked apathetic as she dipped down and sank her fangs into his shoulder, but he let out a yell all the same.

She wanted him to go limp in her grasp, she wanted to feel the life leave him. So she kept pressing and kept drinking. He tried to push her off but he was no match for the three-hundred-year-old vampire atop him. She didn't release her fangs from his flesh until she felt him stop fighting, heard his heart stop beating, and made sure he had given one last breath. She wiped her mouth and got up, yanking the body into the house with her, and putting him on the floor behind the house.

"Sorry," she mumbled half-heartedly. "I expect you'll come back. It's a prison world. We don't get an out. Just... testing a theory."

She then went to find the bathroom, and gripped the knife he had given her. She began the process of draining herself of vervain, mentally cursing herself for not having just drank less in order to make him siphon. Now, she'd have to do this the hard way.

She certainly was in the wrong place. She wasn't sure if it was the wrong time, anymore, however. Perhaps she had had this coming. She had killed many in her years, though mostly out of self-defense. Running around with Mikaelsons always brought numerous enemies, and yet for a century, she had been at their side faithfully. It was difficult to stray away from a family like that, especially considering that one was her sire, two were her best friends, and one had been her lover.

Thankfully, it didn't take her too long to drain herself. By the time evening fell, she was healing, and she could already hear the man moving around downstairs. It sounded like he was moving furniture around.

Once she had cleaned all the blood down the drain of the bathtub, she trotted back down, only to find the man in the kitchen, holding a rather large kitchen knife, as well as what looked like the leg of a wooden chair.

"As we've established, I can't die in here," he said, his voice riddled with annoyance. "Now, the experiment continues. Your turn."

Beatrix didn't try to run. Instead, she stepped forward. "Yeah, might as well," she said dejectedly. She would return. She had no doubts about that. He did not hesitate to impale the leg into her chest, making her gasp and stumble back. Already weak from the blood loss, she allowed her body to slip away.

When she awoke, it was morning. She smelled food, and blood. She was still on the floor of the kitchen- he hadn't bothered to move her. She yanked the leg out of her chest and stood, brushing her clothes off. He was at the stove, making what appeared to be eggs.

"So, are you going to tell me your name now?" he said impatiently. "Or should we take turns killing each other again?"

She rolled her eyes, and went to sit at the table. "I suppose since you made breakfast, I can go first. I go by many names in different continents. My birth name is not something I have told to more than one person, and he thinks I'm dead so I'll let that secret lay with him. I like to be called Beatrix. Beatrix La Salle."

"La Salle. So, French?"

"From my father's end, yes. Not that I ever met him."

"And your mother?"

"Mexican, Mayan, Spanish descendancy... whatever, it meshes together. I honestly don't remember her much. She was killed when I was... eight. It was my fault. My memories are vague and the one journal of hers turned to a pile of ashes in 1919."

The man raised his eyebrows, intrigued. He brought the pan of eggs to the table and set it down carelessly, before bringing plates. Beatrix was surprised he was so civilized. "What about you?" she asked him, looking up for his answer.

"Malachai Parker," he said, shrugging. "Stupid name. I go by Kai. I never want to hear the surname Parker again. My father- the stupid one who trapped us here- he's the current leader of the Gemini Coven. The girl who tricked me? My twin sister. Josette. I should have cut out more than her spleen yesterday."

Beatrix furrowed her eyebrows as she began to eat. "What do you mean, 'yesterday?'"

Kai acted as though this was the best question in the world. He let out a chuckle and leaned back in his chair. "Oh... just, good memories yesterday. I killed four of my siblings. Would have been six, but stupid Josette hid them from me. When I get out of here, I'll end those twins..."

He expected Beatrix to be appalled, but she hardly batted an eyelash. "Hmm. I understand what you meant by siphon sociopath. On that topic, well... when I discovered I was a siphon... I was around six. I wasn't the first ever, but the first New Orleans had seen, at any rate. My mother had been using some very dark magic to hide us from the witches there, because they wanted me. I siphoned off her sometimes, but it hurt her. One day in time out, I put my hand on the wall, and was able to siphon. I didn't know that over the course of two years, I sucked every last bit of magic protecting us. They found us, and killed her."

"I see what you're trying to do," Kai said, glaring at her. "You're trying to relate to me. You think we're going to be friends here."

"I never said that. I just thought to mention it as context. If we're going to be here forever, I expect we'll be spilling lots of secrets soon. Besides, my body count is way more than four, darling."

"Let me guess, it's five for murder and six for pleasure," he said snarkily, finishing the last of his egg.

Beatrix wasn't fazed by his comment. "Hmm... at least over one hundred for murder. Probably more. I wiped out an entire cult once... so maybe more than three hundred. As for the other body count, don't get cute, you don't get to know that."

He snorted. "You'll tell me. After all, we're going to be spilling lots of secrets soon, hmm? I bet you'll go into all to the gorey and smutty details."

"Gorey, sure. Smutty, only in your dreams."

"I don't dream. Nice try, though." He paused, and looked back at her. "So, what are you? Why would the Coven imprison a vampire here?"

She let out a dry chuckle. "I'm not just a vampire, darling."

"First of all, stop calling me darling. Second of all- why is your accent even British or Australian sounding? You look... Latin American."

"Yes, well, my mother and father were quite opposite in skin tone so I'm a little blend. But I grew up in New Orleans, and I traveled a lot. I know many languages. My closest friends have British and Australian sounding accents, though, and I suppose it just stuck."

"Is one of those friends the one who thinks you're dead? The one who knows your real name? Or is he not a friend? I bet he's your ex."

"My, my, you're a nosy little shit, aren't you? Yes, he is my ex, but he is also a very close friend of mine."

"Tell me about them. You seem perfectly fine being an open book."

"Aww, Kai, it sounds like you care about my life."

In an instant, the dirty saucepan was raised from the sink, and he beat it into her head, making her stumble. She had to admit, he had fast reflexes. Before he could beat it down again, she caught it, and bent it, before slamming it back into his forehead.

"Are we really going to start this again?" she hissed. "I need blood, so I don't mind feeding from you and killing you on repeat."

He didn't release his grip. He composed himself, grabbed the knife from the counter, and careened toward her, stabbing her right in the heart, and making her choke. She swiped her leg out and made him fall, before yanking the knife out. "Nice try, but it's not made of wood!" she snapped, before throwing the knife right into his gut. He yelled out in pain and tried to scramble up, but she kicked him back down. "I'm going to have a lot of fun torturing you, aren't I?" Bea whispered, slamming her boot over the knife to dig it deeper into him.

She didn't get a response, because he went unconscious. She pulled him up and snapped his neck before pulling the knife out. He'd be back soon, so might as well speed it up.

She went to clean the saucepan, bending the handle back to its original orientation. They were 2-1, in her favor. She supposed that would keep them occupied for the next eternity.

Eternity. That'd always intrigued her, but terrified her at the same time. Was this experience anything like what Kol had felt when he was daggered for nearly the entire century that she was friends with the Mikaelsons? Had Rebekah and Elijah gone into worlds such as these in the more brief moments when Klaus had daggered them? And what of Finn, who she had only ever met through his coffin? Had he been in a world like this for the past nearly nine hundred years?

She didn't know.

It was hours later when Kai woke up, looking very annoyed, as usual. Beatrix was sprawled on a couch, humming to herself and trying to piece things together.

Kai came and sat in the armchair beside her, though not daring to look at her. "What are you thinking?" he demanded, as if entitled to know what was on her mind at every instant. "And when are you going to tell me what you are?"

She chose not to ignore him. "I'm figuring things out. We should explore tomorrow, to learn more about this place. I-"

But she was cut off when the sky darkened outside abruptly. The two shot up and went to the window, looking up and seeing the exact same eclipse as yesterday.

"That certainly helps," Beatrix murmured. "Solves one rumor I heard."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, in 1903, the Gemini Coven created a prison world much like this one. As you've noticed, there is no one here. I doubt anyone is in any part of the world. Just us. I was traveling at the time and had to keep my head low, because the people they imprisoned were like me. I'd heard of them, but stayed away. It was stupid to me that they stayed and traveled together, as if asking to be rounded up in one piece. They were incredibly powerful but they knew that the entire Coven was searching for them and they didn't think to disperse. There were seven of them. Six who are just like I am, one that is simply a Ripper vampire."

"I've heard about that... vaguely, I think. No one in the Coven at this moment remembers that though, they weren't there."

"The six were all members of the Gemini Coven in past years. All born as siphons, much like you and I. Now, usually, when a witch ingests vampire blood and is killed, they transition and lose their powers. The seven of us didn't. I was the first one on record- the Original Heretic. I'm supposed to be a myth, that's why I always changed names. The others weren't lucky enough to escape captivity. I evaded it for the past... two hundred eighty nine years. I was turned in 1705 by one of the Original vampires."

"I've heard of them too- the Originals, and the Heretics. No living member of our Coven has met either type. They were really just scary bedtime stories we were told as kids. Well, until they found out I was a siphon and just started neglecting me."

"Witches are strange. Some covens are very accepting of all types of witches. When I traveled in Africa, they have special customs for siphoners there. They teach them a very specific form of magic to heal. Anyone who has been infected with a hex or other sort of curse can be cured by those specific siphons. Rather than cast them aside, they use the fact that they were born as anomalies of nature to restore a balance in those who are afflicted. It's a sweet thing, in my opinion. The Gemini Coven, however, has always been ruthless with siphons. And coincidentally, they are the Coven who has birthed the most siphons in history."

Kai furrowed his eyebrows. "Siphons... we're rare, aren't we?"

"Yes. But the world and its population are vast. There have been many siphons since the beginning of time. Most are killed before they learn that they are siphons. Some are killed afterward. Some never reveal their abilities. And others relish in it. The other Heretics and I were some of the few who were given the chance at becoming the hybrids that many fear. For most of them, it was a choice. For me, it wasn't."

"What do you mean? You could have just chosen not to ingest vampire blood."

"I was unconscious when it was fed to me, and I didn't know until I woke up after someone snapped my neck from behind. When I woke up, there was a small carton with what looked like wine next to me, and I drank it, thinking someone had cared for me, considering I was propped up in an alleyway. I had no idea that it contained human blood. After I completed the transition, I left the country entirely."

She then straightened up and leaned back. "I don't think they had the capability to open the 1903 prison world back up. Or they were scared to, if the Heretics aren't completely desiccated by now. So they threw me in here with you. They could have separated us but they didn't."

At this, Kai turned to face her. "I think they wanted us to torture each other. They know how I am. And you- they knew you'd need to feed on me. I'm the human blood bag that can't die. Basically, we'll be forced to spend eternity just killing each other."

"Possibly," Bea said, lacing her fingers together. "But neither of us are stupid. We can figure out how to get out of here."

"Why do you even want to get out? They'll just want to kill you out there. Your boy toy can't be that good in bed."

She let out a soft chuckle. "You're funny when you're not pissed off. Contrary to what you may believe, I did have a life out there. There were things I was trying to accomplish."

"Like what? Learning how to give yourself a manicure?"

"I already know how to do that. No, I had a mission to try and dessicate one of the Original vampires."

"I thought you implied that they were your friends. The ex did you that wrong?"

"The one I was trying to dessicate is their father, Mikael. The vampire who hunts other vampires. I couldn't let him succeed at killing his main target or any of the other Original siblings. They are my friends, and my family, and I'd very much like to see them again. Even though the worst of the bunch and I are not the closest friends, I can't let his father kill him."

"Let me guess, the ex."

"No. My sire, Niklaus Mikaelson."