The bonds of family

6

Over a month had passed since Arkyn and Rebekah left New Orleans. Rebekah had stayed with her brother and Alexis, mainly having fun, going to school with them. They lived a mundane life, not too far away from Ruby, either.
But eventually Klaus called. He called Rebekah, knowing Arkyn wouldn't answer. She held out her phone.
"No." Arkyn refused.
"Ark."
"Still a no."
"He says it's urgent."
"Why would I help him? Ever?" Rebekah sighed.
"Yeah, he won't talk to you."
"Tell him there's an innocent life in trouble."
"There's always an innocent life in trouble around him."
"If you're going to listen to what he's saying, you might as well take the phone." Alexis didn't look up from the movie she was watching.
"Go do your paper, traitor. It's due Wednesday and you haven't started."
"I'll do it. Just, after I finish this."
"Turn off the TV, Alexis."
"You're no fun." She groaned, walking off.
"She has a point. If you're going to be listening in, you might as well take the phone."
"I don't want to."
"Arkyn, I just need to know about a cure to a hex. An innocent priest has been cursed and you're really the only one of us who knows much about magic." Klaus called.
"What kind of witch would hex a priest?"
"One who wanted revenge."
"For what?" He asked, incredulous. "What kind of trouble could a priest get into?" Rebekah held out the phone and he took it, reluctantly.
"He's a good man, and if there is anything you know..?" Klaus sighed.
"Oh, for God's sake. What is the hex?"
"He's losing his mind. He just wants to kill all that is around him. His nephew was once cursed with the hex- he ended up killing nine other seminary students, before killing himself."
"How long has this priest been hexed?"
"Almost two months."
"Sounds like this hex affects the chemistry of the brain. Once it's taken hold, there's nothing anyone can do."
"Really? You, who always has a solution, knows no way of undoing a hex?" Arkyn sighed.
"I'm not the one who spent centuries studying curses and spells. That was Kol, so unless you can contact him and successfully convince him to help you, I can't think of a way to save your priest." Arkyn frowned. "But, and this is a long shot, is there any way you can get hold of the exact spell the witch used?"
"Possibly."
"If you can get the exact spell and find a witch to undo the spell, you might be able to stop any further progression of the disease or whatever he's been hexed with. And then you'd need a highly qualified neurosurgeon to save your priest."
"That's all you've got?"
"It's been two months, Klaus. Two months since the curse took hold of him and altered the brain of your priest." Arkyn rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. "Since when does Klaus try to save a priest?"
"Since he's got a crush on his niece."
"Ah."
"The bartender. Cami."
"Speaking of, since when does Klaus talk about me? He's known this human for, what, a few months and already she knows of me?"
"Oh, he was telling her all his secrets and compelling her to forget, but then she broke out of his hold with the help of a witch."
"And he's not compelling her or killing her or anything?"
"Like I said. He likes her."
"Let's see. She's the blonde no-nonsense type. Huh, wonder who that reminds me of."
"He has a type." Rebekah shrugged, as Arkyn stood.
"Okay, I think we've talked enough about Klaus. Let's move on to a more pleasant subject, shall we? Dead puppies, war and strife, global warming..."
"Nik isn't so bad."
"Says the girl who jumped at the opportunity to live a life far away from him."
"Okay, so he's not perfect. I never said he was. But he's not exactly Satan, either."
"It amazes me how one moment you're utterly devoted to him, and the next you're plotting to murder him. Stick to one opinion, won't you?"
"I'm just saying. Nik had it worse than the rest of us when he was human."
"It doesn't give him a free pass to make the rest of our lives miserable for eternity."
"Absolutely not." She agreed. "But I think there's still hope for him. To be the brother we once knew."
"Maybe."
"You never really told me what happened between you and Nik. Or you and Elijah. Or you and Mikael."
"And I'm not going to."
"What was so awful that you can't tell even me?"
"Bex, stop it. It's nothing."
"It's not nothing. I know Mikael spent half a decade torturing you, but there's more to the story you're not saying. And I know Nik killed an entire town of people you cared about, but I'm pretty sure there's more. And I just have no idea what Elijah did to you."
"Just drop it, Rebekah!"
"Why won't you tell me?"
"Because I don't want to remember. And talking about it just brings up these memories. So thanks, but no thanks." He rolled his eyes.