Always And Forever /4/ TO

Ch. 7 Marcel

Everyone ended up on house arrest. Hope and Lilly were home and Freya had cast a barrier spell. Rory was occupying her time looking through the photo albums that she had found in the storage unit and Klaus was taking out all his anger on the jaw bone. Elijah and Freya were allowed out, which annoyed Klaus. Not to mention the fact that killing anyone was off the table. He had no fresh source of blood while both kids were home.

Their daughters were exploring the compound, which Rory didn't mind. As long as they didn't go into the dungeon, they wouldn't find anything too horrible.

Lilly and Hope had gone up to the attic to look through some of the stuff. Lilly was reading a rather morbid book of rhymes.

"'A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds. And when the weeds begin to crawl, it's like a bird upon the wall. And when the bird away does fly, it's like an eagle in the sky. And when the sky begins to roar, it's like a lion at the door. And when the door begins to crack, it's like a stick across your back. And when your back begins to smart, it's like a knife inside your heart. And when your heart begins to bleed, you're dead and dead and dead indeed,'" she read.

"Not exactly the most uplifting reading material," Klaus said, startling his daughters.

Hope let out a sigh when she realized it was just him. "It's an old book of rhymes. There's a lot of weird stuff here," she told him. Lilly nodded.

"You know, girls, I would rather you two didn't play here, actually. All the splinters and the dust," he said. Both girls frowned. "And the bats," he added.

"There aren't any bats," Hope said.

"I've seen no evidence that your Uncle Elijah doesn't sleep here hanging upside down," he said, making them laugh.

"Well, you aren't scaring me off. Bats would only make this place cooler," Lilly said.

Klaus shook his head. "I can't decide if you get your morbid streak from your mother or me," he said, making her smile.

"Dad," Hope said. "Was there a little boy who used to live here?"

He frowned. "There was, wasn't there?" Lilly said. She touched the wall next to her. "And he hasn't left, has he?"

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked, not liking that question.

Lilly turned to look at him, shrugging. "I don't know. I can just feel it. Kind of like how I knew when you were home. I just know," she said.

Klaus didn't like the idea of her being linked to Marcel. He walked over to her, taking the book. "Come along, sweetheart. We can discuss ancient history another time," he said, holding out a hand. Lilly took it, frowning at him. Hope picked up something off the floor, before taking her father's other hand. Then the three of them headed downstairs.

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Rory had finished looking through the album when Klaus entered the room. "Are you hosting a yard sale?" he wondered.

"I just figured while we're stuck here, I may as well work out which stuff to keep and which to donate," she said.

He walked closer. "Listen, I found Hope and Lilly exploring the rubbish in the attic. They're restless," he told her.

Rory gave him a look. "They're not restless. They're bored. Most kids their age would be at school. They'd have friends to play with," she told him.

"Well, once Freya teaches Hope to hone her magic, she'll be powerful beyond measure. And Lilly already clearly has a great deal of her own power. They won't need friends. They'll be worshipped," he said, walking over to the window.