The Awakening

A half hour had passed, though it felt like an eternity before Elijah began to notice a change in his sister. Her chest was slowly rising and falling, keeping its pace as time moved on. He inched closer as he could hear her heartbeat grow stronger and in that moment he watched her eyes flutter open.

"Evangeline," Elijah whispered, carefully placing the bag of blood to her lips, "Drink. It's blood. It will return your strength."

As soon as that first drop hit her tongue the ashy gray slowly faded away, life and color filling her hair and skin. Compared to her prior, she now seemed to glow. The veins began to grow beneath her eyes from the ravenous hunger formed. She couldn't stop herself from gulping down the sweet, tangy liquid in desperation. The blood radiated through her, filling her with warmth and calming the ache in her gums and stomach.

Evangeline gasped softly as the bad had emptied far too quickly. Blood dripped from the corners of her mouth, but she didn't seem to care as her eyes shifted and landed on a familiar face.

"Elijah," she said in recognition, her lips curving into a smile as her golden eyes danced with delight. Her gazed moved from his face and to the structure around them. "Where are we?" her voice was filled with curiosity, as well as the thick English accent the rest of her siblings had adopted.

Elijah smiled softly, her voice was like a jewel to him. "We, sweet Eve, are within a mountain seemingly to have been made for your hiding specifically." His brother was a cruel man, but to have done this to a sweet soul such as Evangeline had pushed things over the edge.

"My hiding?" her memory flashed back to three hundred years ago. She and her older brother, Niklaus, had just arrived home from a ball taken place at the Governor's house in New Orleans. A man there drunken from whiskey had backed Evangeline into a corner, and being her pure self she hadn't fought him off for fear of harming him. Instead, she'd begged him to stop. Niklaus had stopped him then as he tried removing the straps from her gown, the same gown she wore right now in front of Elijah.

Niklaus had brought the distressed Evangeline home with a plan already forming in his mind. While she was readying herself a hot bath, Klaus had come into the room, imbedding the dagger into her heart before she could utter a single word.

Evangeline's mind returned to the present, her head swimming from the memory.

"What day is it?" she asked as she swung her legs over the edge of the coffin, her feet touching the cold rock flooring. The sensation sent chills up her spine.

"Wednesday," Elijah stated, helping her to stand, "Of two-thousand and fifteen."

Evangeline froze in place staring up at him, quickly doing the math in her head, "Elijah, that's three hundred years. It isn't possible," tears brimmed her eyes, "Please, tell me it isn't true."

"It is, lovely. I wish it weren't" he watched her with sorrow, when Eve was in pain he was in pain.

Evangeline frowned further "As do I" she whispered, her voice detached and lonely. "Why? Why did Niklaus do this to me?"

"I don't know Eve, but I will find out," he gently stroked her soft cheek which always held a pink blush no matter the circumstance, "I give you my word."

Evangeline tilted her head up slightly to meet his eyes "And you always keep your word" she said, smiling.

Elijah had to smile "That I do, little Eve" his eyes glowing happily.