Promise Me, Always And Forever

Disturbing Behavior

~Month 1~

She hates coming out of her room.

Nik has stayed hoarded inside her bedroom for the entire month Elijah has been gone. She comes out only when called, and Klaus is the one who usually beckons her out of her fortress, picking fights in one way or another. Other times, Hayley knocks at her door and begs her to come out so Nik will eat something. Then, on the rare nights that she has nightmares about faceless figures kidnapping her and seeing Elijah's body dropped before her, she pads down to Hayley's room where she sleeps the rest of the night because she's too afraid to go back to her own room.

She's just tired of feeling alone- tired of feeling worthless and inferior.

God, she just misses Elijah.

Nik's eyes drift towards the clock on the wall. The hour drifts closer to noon and Nik still hasn't left the safety of her room. Hayley came knocking for her to eat breakfast this morning, but Nik pretended to be sleep and didn't begin to move until Hayley gave up and went back downstairs.

Nik knows that Hayley must be lonely, but she can't bring herself to leave. She doesn't want to be where Klaus is unless she absolutely must.

The teenager leans back deeply against the wall behind her. She has taken up residence in the window seat, looking out over lands of the plantation. She watches as the leaves on the trees move with the summer breeze and dark clouds creep across the blue sky, the promise of rain coming later tonight for the scorching city of New Orleans.

Then, Nik finds herself startled by her door being thrown open and she looks over with wide eyes to see Klaus standing in her doorway. The Original smiles his ever-twisted smile, leaning against Nik's doorway as he inspects Nik's room.

"Ahhh...I can see why you like staying holed up in here," Klaus says, taking in the white Christmas lights strung up around her room and the piles of books everywhere. "It's quite cozy."

Nik frowns, crossing her arms. "What do you want?"

"That's no way to talk to your father," Klaus tuts as he enters the room. Nik watches as Klaus grabs the chair Nik carried in from the study, dragging it over to sit in front of the teenager. "Besides, your presence is missed. It didn't go unnoticed that Hayley tried to get you out of here, and she obviously failed. Social interaction does well for developing minds, and some time with your dear old dad will serve as excellent mental stimulation."

Nik rolls her eyes. "For what reason? Whenever we're together, we argue until you banish me back to my room."

"To simply spend time together, Nikol," Klaus states, grinning widely.

"Poppycock," Nik grits, refusing to look back at Klaus.

At this, Klaus stands and Nik begins to think that he'll go away. Instead, he grabs her shoes and rummages through her wardrobe and throws them towards her. "I refuse to play this game. You have fifteen minutes to make yourself presentable and you will meet me downstairs. If not, I'll drag you through the Quarter in your bed clothes kicking and screaming."

Nik looks down at the clothes the threw her way- black leggings and a red top with the shoulders open. She grins darkly, looking at Klaus. "What a cute outfit. Perhaps you should be a fashion designer instead of a full-time, deadbeat dad."

Klaus growls. "Fifteen minutes." Then, he slams the door and the pictures on the wall shake and some of her glass figures fall over on a shelf.

Huffing, Nik stands up and begins to dress. She slides into her black Converse and walks to her bathroom where she begins brushing out her hair, grumbling under her breath as she fashions her blond locks into a braid.