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accidentalslayer · 9 months

Text

Word Count: 2,530

Warnings: Angst & Abuse. In particular, religious/cult abuse. Death, dying, and trauma after a near-death experience. Dissociative vibes. The end has a really reaffirming, comforting example of friendship. I wish everyone had a Josh in their lives.

Author's Notes: I really struggled on this chapter. Mostly because I've been sick for all of July and only recently started to recover. My spirit was willing to write but my flesh was weak. 🤣 Anyways, I'm still on my Angsty!Davina hype. This chapter delves deeper into that. Oh! By the way, I changed "Vincent Webb" in Chapter One to "William Webb" so as not to confuse everyone because there's already a "Vincent" in The Originals. It'll be William Webb moving forward.

This'll be the last Davina chapter for awhile.

Please feed me comments, hearts, and reblogs if you liked this 🌹You can find me on A03 as accidentalslayer.

Pairing: Yandere!Elijah & Klaus Mikaelson x Fem!Reader (eventually) Summary: Davina gets an unexpected visit from her best friend Josh who has some, erm...concerns about her mental health. Also, life gets weirder for the young Harvest Girl when a truth is revealed. One that could change her life forever.

Recommended Song: "You Were Cool" by: The Mountain Goats

Chapter Three: Jonah's Whale (Part Two)

Cold hands shook Davina. Muffled sounds hit her ears. Someone was shouting, their voice fraught with urgency. It was enough to snatch her out of sleep and snap her eyes open. Peering through a blurred vision still addled by dreams, she looked up at the person who had a vice grip on her arm, then blinked.

It was a boy; dark-haired, dark-skinned, wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch polo shirt underneath a worn hoodie that looked like it'd seen way better days. Fastened around his wrist was a friendship bracelet that Davina immediately recognized as the one she'd made a year ago while living at St. Anne's. The initials 'J.R.' and 'D.C.' embellished its design in bright, rose-colored thread. The letters were joined together like clasped hands inside a heart that she'd gotten a migraine over weaving at the time. Davina was a much better artist with charcoal sticks than with cotton twine, anyways. Despite all the grueling hours of training she had gotten out of the Sanguinem Knot.

Groggily, Davina wondered if she could trust her sight?? Perhaps this was another nightmare or an illusion cast by Monique to trick her? Could it really be...

"J-Josh...?"

"Davina!"

It looked like Josh. It sounded like Josh. It bit its lip nervously like Josh. But Davina needed more proof just to be sure. Illusion magic had its limits. And memories weren't easily replicated. So, she asked the boy something that only the real Josh would know:

"What was my favorite show in 9th grade? If you don't answer it correctly, I swear to the goddess, I'll scream so loud the whole compound will hear it."

"Josh" released hold of Davina's arm, a confused frown upon his lips, "Uhh, that's a trick question, right?? You told me your mom only let you watch TV for "educational" purposes. I was the one who got you into binge-watching stuff for fun. Uhhhh, but hey, Davina, your books are-"

"List the three most embarrassing things you did in grade school. Your Sonic and Winx Club phase doesn't count."

"It SO does."

"Screaming in...three...two...one-"

"Okay!!!" The boy who might be Josh exclaimed, throwing both hands up in the air and conceding to her demands, "I stole a pack of cigarettes out of my homeroom teacher's purse on a dare then puked when I tried smoking too many of them to impress my crush. My mom made me wear this baby bear costume on Halloween and I had to go trick or treating in it. I accidentally sent nudes to my uncle-"

"Josh! It IS you!"

"I mean. Yeah, duh. Why wouldn't it be?? I texted you yesterday about coming over, remember??"

Despite being a vampire with heightened senses, Josh didn't see how fast Davina moved from her seat to pull him into a hug. And he was surprised by how hard she squeezed him, like he was a life raft, or buoy on some stormy sea. Josh took it all in stride, though. He knew Davina well enough to understand that she was going through Hell now that she was back with the Coven. But there was something...off...about her. Different than before. His eyes strayed to the steel table he'd found her crouched over and fast asleep upon. To the book pile she'd been thumbing through...

Every tome on the table was scorched. Strange writing had been scrawled across their pages in Davina's penmanship. Josh didn't recognize the language. The words seemed foreign. Unearthly. Almost alien. But there was one symbol he could decipher amidst the chaos; it was the number 7. It repeated (over and over again) in varying fonts and sizes.

Josh waited for Davina to pull away from the hug before asking if she was okay. Although, judging by the dark circles underneath her eyes, it was a safe bet to assume that she wasn't.

"I'm fine," Davina replied with a smile on her face, "Just passed out while studying these grimoires. They're super old-fashioned. Like, created in the Dark Ages or something. The Coven says they're mandated reading material for us Harvest Girls. But between you and me? I'd rather be studying Grapes of Wrath."

Josh grimaced in response, "Yeesh, that bad?"

"The worst, actually."

"They look, uhhh-"

Josh trailed off, trying to think of the right word to use, but ended up saying the one that was on the tip of his tongue:

"-crispy."

Davina pointedly ignored his comment. Instead, she offered Josh some tea with a tired sigh.

"I'm more into the red stuff these days...but sure. I'll have some if you do." He answered her, trying to keep his voice light and carefree, "Anything in those cabinets that'll help me walk in the sun??"

"Nope. Just peppermint."

"Damn! Foiled again!"

This merited a smirk from Davina. Josh took the win, following his friend across the conservatory, to a small alcove where an electric kettle and tea service was laid out for anyone's use. There was even a convection oven, accompanied by all the fixings for toast. Davina flipped the power button on the kettle. Silently, she watched as it began to heat up and boil their water. Josh tried filling the empty space with conversation.

"So, it looked like you were having a nightmare. A really bad one. Wanna talk about it?"

Davina made no comment besides a quick shrug and a grunt. She seemed more preoccupied with choosing the mugs they'd drink out of. Or the tea they'd make. Undeterred, Josh pressed the issue harder, hoping his friend would open up to him.

"You know," he continued speaking, "they say that telling a friend about your nightmares can help them seem less scary. Like, once you talk about it, you'll see how ridiculous the dream was. Sometimes, I still have nightmares about waking up in class buck naked, and Klaus is there..."

Davina rose an eyebrow, "Who's 'they'??"

An embarrassed laugh rolled out of Josh, cheeks reddening upon admittance that it came from a self-help book he was reading; 'The Dark Side of the Light Chasers' by Debbie Ford. He'd found it laying in a cardboard box on the side of the road somewhere. He'd been going through each of its chapters (sporadically) ever since he'd found it.

"I dunno, the author writes about meditation and meeting all your different selves inside your head like Doctor Strange. I did this one exercise at the end of a chapter about self-love and acceptance and uh, I met the "me" I was before. Before all the fangs and the blood and the suddenly burning in the sun. Fun times, haaa! Anyways, look. I'm here for you, Davina. If you need a shoulder to cry on? An ear to listen to you?? We're friends! And that's what a friend does! Well, uh. I guess that's what I think a friend should do-"

Josh frowned, then said quietly:

"-I haven't really heard a lot from you lately..."

The electric kettle shut off. The water was ready. Davina poured the boiling liquid into two, footed mugs that she had chosen. Then, dipped the tea sachets in with care. The aroma of mint filled the air and the space in-between where Josh waited patiently for Davina to say something. Anything! But she didn't. So, he continued to talk while she listened, hoping that his friend would participate eventually. He was starting to get a bit frustrated by how silent Davina was being.

"You know, there's this story in that book about a person who was also having trouble sleeping. His name was Jonah. That dude from the Bible. He'd heard the voice of God tell him to pass judgment on the city of Nineveh and he reeeally didn't want to. So, he ran. Then, a whale ate him, and literally only spat him up when he accepted what he was running from. I'm not a religious person but what I'm trying to say here is-"

"That I shouldn't go on boating trips?" Davina posited, finally adding to the conversation. She offered Josh his cup of tea afterward.

Josh made a sour face while accepting the tea. He obviously didn't appreciate her wry sense of humor here...

"No! That you shouldn't run away from the things you're afraid of because you'll just make it worse for yourself. And in the end, you'll have to face it anyway. But unlike Jonah, you don't have to face it alone, Davina. I know you're going through shit after dying and being resurrected. Who wouldn't be, right?? But lately, I've been feeling like you're shutting everyone out. You haven't texted me or Cami back in weeks. What's up with that, huh??"

Now, it was Davina's turn to make a sour face.

"I'm just really busy here, Josh. Being a Harvest Girl means I have responsibilities to the Coven."

"You hate the Coven!"

"I know, but...I'm still a Harvest Girl."

"And I'm your friend, Davina! Cami is too! Don't we deserve to at least know that you're okay?!"

"The Coven said I couldn't use my phone here in the compound. They said they want me to focus on studying and classes only. No distractions..."

"And you couldn't sneak on the phone to tell us? We've been worried about you! Cami and I have been worried sick! Fuck the Coven!"

Davina rubbed her temples in response, "Josh..."

"Davina."

"What's really going on?? You're acting weird as hell."

Josh sipped his peppermint tea nervously, then flinched. He'd misjudged how hot it still was and burnt the roof of his mouth in the process. "Mm, this sure is some great leaf juice you've brewed-"

"Josh!" Davina exclaimed, starting to run out of patience, "Enough stalling. Spill. Now. What's up with you?"

With grim reluctance, as if he were pulling teeth, Josh revealed the (true) reason for his visit. It all came down to one name. A name Davina should have guessed was involved from the very start:

"It's Marcel. I-I know you guys aren't on speaking terms right now, but uhh...he's been worried too. About you. About sending you back here. About pretty much everything, to be honest. He wants to know how you're doing? If you're doing okay? Aaaand...he needs your help with a spell."

Davina groaned, "UGH. Of course he does! When does he NOT need me to do his dirty work?!"

"This isn't for him. It's for Cami! The curse on her uncle is getting worse, Davina. He's going nuts in that church of his. Marcel was wondering if there was any way to reverse whatever the Coven put on him? I don't think he has much time left..."

At the mention of the Coven, Davina tensed. She placed her cup down on the alcove's table. There was an air of finality to the gesture.

"Josh, it's different now. I can't do magic for him anymore. I can't do magic for anyone anymore... The Ancestors won't allow me. And if I break the rules again?? They'll do worse things than what they did in that abyss to me. Marcel doesn't care because he's not going to die, Josh!! Neither will you! Father Kieran and Cami are going to Heaven but I only have one place to go after this!! I can't mess up my last chance with the Ancestors...or the Coven. I won't."

Davina expected Josh to argue. Clearly, he had a stake in whatever drama Marcel was cooking up. She could see it in his eyes. A quiet desperation, like a fly caught inside a clever spider's web. Why else would he be doing this? But to her surprise, Josh only nodded. He didn't fight to change her mind.

"I'll tell Marcel you're doing fine," Josh said, "No, scratch that. I'll tell him you're doing better than fine, you're doing awesome! And that...you can't help him anymore."

"Josh, I-"

"Davina, don't."

Soft arms wrapped around Davina unexpectedly and cut short whatever apology she planned on saying. Now, it was Josh's turn to give his friend a sudden hug.

"Don't ever apologize for setting a boundary. You don't owe me or Marcel or the world shit! Okay?? If anything, we owe you. I owe you. You saved me from Klaus. You gave me back my control."

He squeezed Davina tighter in his embrace.

"Promise me that you'll take care of yourself and if you need to talk, that you'll call me. Or text. Or Instagram works, too. I'm always there to listen. You're my best friend, Davina. And the strongest person I've ever met."

"You're pretty strong too, you know?"

Josh chuckled, "I'm starting to be. Couldn't have done it without your help, Super Witch."

The mood lightened. Josh and Davina spent the rest of their time together, reminiscing. Bonding over the good memories they had. Those sacred spaces in-between murderous witches, miracle babies, Machiavellism, and The Originals where they were allowed to just be kids. And do things that kids do. Although Josh's gaze strayed to the pile of scorched books once (or twice), he made no comment on them.

Josh left somewhere around midnight. The smile in her heart left along with him, returning Davina back to reality. She ruminated while she cleaned up the mess leftover from making tea. Images of the nightmare swirled inside her mind. Filled her with dread. She was no stranger to dark dreams or terrible visions, especially after her experience working for Marcel, but this one felt...different. It felt ominous. Like the first scream of a hurricane siren.

Davina...

Or the rumblings of a storm.

Find her, Davina Claire...

As she was shelving the last item away, the floor began to shake, and the walls trembled. Her ears rang with the sound of the voice. Nearly bled. Its volume had increased tenfold since the last time she'd heard it. Davina braced herself against the onslaught, using all her strength to ignore it. But the voice proved too powerful.

She fell upon her knees and shouted, "I CAN'T! I can't help you!! I can't do ANYTHING for anyone anymore!! Don't you understand?!? I am the girl bound in chains! I am shackled to a people who HATE me and control my every move! So, to Hell with New Orleans! Let this city be swallowed up! It's NOT a French Quarter Witch's problem!!"

There came a pause in the quaking and thunder. The stillness that came afterward was thick with tension. It was as if the entity was considering its next words carefully.

You are not a French Quarter Witch, fire maiden. You are a Prophet. Called to a higher purpose. To serve the light that burns within you...

Find her, Davina Claire, and together the two of you shall be free.

"W-wait, what?! I'll be...free?"

No further elaboration was given to Davina. She called out to the entity several times. All she got was silence and stillness in return. Davina stayed in the conservatory, amongst the potted plants, until dawn broke and colored the sky with hues of gentle pink, yellow, orange, and sky blue. And in a semi-stupor, Davina began to repeat a single word underneath her breath...

Free.

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