Breathing ∞ Kol Mikaelson [1]

[39]

At first, Emma didn't even realize her senses had come back to her as she woke from what seemed like a deep sleep. Everything was dark, and no sound came from anywhere around her. It was complete empty nothingness. So it took her a moment to realize it wasn't just her mind that has come back before everything else.

Rising her hand into the air, Emma noticed two things. One was that she couldn't see it, no matter how close to her eyes she held it. Wherever she was, it was pitch black. And cramped. She had barely any space to move her arms or legs.

Unsure of where she was, Emma tried to run her mind through the last memories she had. Klaus and Rebekah; the Salvatore Boarding house; Alaric hiding the stake in the caves... Esther.

The brunette could remember running through the caves as soon as she realized it wasn't Rebekah she had gone down to the caves with. Instead, her mother had somehow taken the body over. And whatever she was planning couldn't be good. None of them noticed, not her or Klaus. She needed to warn Klaus. Especially since she had no idea how long ago Esther had caught her in the caves, or what spell she'd used to subdue her.

Emma tried to shift again. She moved her hands around the surfaces around her, feeling against what she judged to be wood. However, whatever was beneath her was much softer, much gentler. And above: more wood. For a moment she wondered where she was. Panicking as she doubted cave surfaces were wooden.

She worried Esther and Alaric may have taken her somewhere. However, as she tried to remember anything after the spell Esther had cast to stop her from running, Emma remembered more about the caves themselves. More specifically the coffin on which Alaric had leaned against as he considered himself safe within the part of the cave which no vampire could enter. And so, realization dawned on her. She was locked up in a coffin.

Just the thought made Emma's heart speed up even more, worry spreading through her mind as she reached her hands up, trying to push against the lid keeping her trapped inside. But it wouldn't budge. Her breathing sped up s panic took over, her hands aimlessly pushing even more in an attempt to get free.

She had no idea how long she'd been in here, no idea how much air she had left. Just the thought made Emma will herself to slow down her breathing. Something told her Esther hadn't been considerate enough to stick her in here with her inhaler. The last thing Emma needed was her breathing to become a problem too considering that, thus far, there seemed to be no issue with it. Luckily.

But she also couldn't lie in here hoping for the best. Esther played Rebekah well. She even fooled Klaus. And who knows how long it would take for someone to notice Emma's absence when the person she was supposed to be with could easily come up with a lie to cover it up. Esther had stuck her into a sealed coffin within a cave which vampires could not enter. Even if someone was looking for her, even if someone heard her call out, they couldn't get to her.

Emma realized she was left to her own devices, all alone with no idea what to do. The thought made tears pool in her eyes, fists slamming against the lid of the coffin as she gave herself a moment, just a moment to let the fear consume her. She felt a couple of tears slide down her cheeks, reminding her to get herself together.

She closed her eyes, palms pressing against the lid as she stopped slamming her fists into it. She took a breath and calmed her nerves, ready to start coming up with a plan. But instead, she was distracted by a strange feeling. A familiar feeling, but still strange. It forced her to open her eyes, and in the darkness it wasn't hard to see the soft orange glow surrounding her hands as she pressed them against the wood above her head.

Instantly, she pulled her hands back, her breath hitching in surprise as she thought it was another effect of Esther's spell. However, even when she removed her hands, she could still feel the odd sensation as it spread through her. It was like a current of water, coursing through her, setting her nerves on fire in an entirely new way. One she'd never experienced before. And, while a part of her worried about what it may mean, she also had to admit... She liked it.