Enigmatic Fears: A Klaus Mikaelson Story {7}

Chapter 34: Misery Comes Right Back Into Town

Vincent, Ric and I sat at the table, with Vincent admiring my new engagement ring. Freya had gone to get a drink as we waited for our celebratory breakfast which Klaus unsurprisingly had no interest in.

"It is very pretty." Vincent told me.

"Especially for a teacher's salary." I added, making the three of us laugh.

"Ha ha, I have a job." Alaric said with a roll of his eyes as Freya sat back down.

"To be honest, I'm surprised you guys still have time for coffees." Vincent told us.

"Technically, I don't." I replied with a sigh. "But I figured if I pushed it off, I would never get to it, so here we are."

"Amen to that." Freya said in agreement. "I drove all night. Cut me some slack."

"I am done cutting the Mikaelsons slack." Vincent replied bitterly.

"Ease up, this is a celebratory breakfast." I reminded him. "Not a "I hate the Mikaelsons" breakfast."

Declan came to our table, laying down missing posters for Hayley, sullying the mood even further than it already had been.

"And just like that, misery comes right back into town." I said with a sigh.

"I felt like someone should do this." He told us.

"Yeah, yeah, that's a great idea." Freya told him.

"I just—I feel so helpless." Declan explained, his eyes filled with tears.

"I am so sorry you're going through this." Vincent told him sympathetically. "But she's gonna turn up before too long."

"Yeah we miss her too." I told him sadly.

"Do you?" He asked sceptically. "Do you really? Because it seems like I'm the only one doing anything to find her."

"We're working with the police." Freya told him.

"But even the police make no sense." He insisted. "Every time I call they act like they don't know she's missing. Like its new information. Something's not right. Everybody loves Hayley. So why doesn't anyone seem worried the way I am? Why don't you? What if she's out there somewhere and she needs our help?"

The four of us looked sheepishly between each other, wishing we could give him the answer he deserved, but we couldn't.

"Declan," Freya began. "Hayley's life is more complicated than you release. And uh—I think there's something you should know."

Thank God for Vincent who immediately started a kitchen fire to draw Declan's attention away. As soon as the chef caught wind of it, he dashed off, leaving Vincent and I ready to berate Freya.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" I asked her.

"You really wanna side with the guy that just torched the kitchen?" Freya queried.

"We have enough problems as it is without trying to bring humans into it, okay?" Vincent told her.

"Declan has a right to know what happened to his girlfriend." Freya insisted.

"He has no right to know when it involves informing him about a supernatural community he has no idea existed." Vincent countered.

"You want to tell him that his girlfriend is being used as a pawn in a violent supernatural game of tug of war?" I asked her. "Hayley would never want that. He already doesn't know because she doesn't want him to know."

"Do you really think that's going to make him sleep better at night?" Vincent added.

"I don't know." Freya replied. "I don't know, but did you see the guy?"