[KNOW THY ENEMY]

a dreamer, that's what she was.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Elijah asked, stepping towards the direction as he held Juliette's hand.

"A scream?"

Elijah glared at her.

She just shrugged.

"Thank you Captain Obvious."

Juliette rolled her eyes, "You asked what it was," she mumbled under her breath, ignoring the glare Elijah sent as she began walking in the direction of the scream, her hand held by Elijah as she pulled him along.

"Wait, we don't what it is. Maybe we should-" The vampire started, protectiveness laced in his voice.

Juliette glanced over her shoulder at the Original, raising her brow. "We're in a dream, remember? Nothing can happen." She replied, stepping closer to Elijah.

The vampire relaxed slightly as he brushed a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "I know, maybe I should go first?"

Juliette chuckled slightly, holding onto his arm. "if that'll make you feel better." she replied, a small smirk playing on her lips as Elijah patted her hip, tsking at her teasing expression.

"Quit it."

"Quit what, Elijah?" The blonde asked, tilting her head slightly at the vampire. A knowing grin danced on her lips as she stepped closer to Elijah, waiting for him to talk.

Elijah rolled his eyes playfully, the corner of his lips turning into a smile. "You know what, Juli." He replied, quickly pecking her lips, as if it was just a normal gesture, as if it was a daily thing he did.

Juliette was dying.

Her face flushed and she awkwardly coughed and turned towards the direction of the scream. "Uhm, we should probably go see what that was... yeah?" She blubbered out, her heart ramming into her ribs as she glanced away from Elijah's gaze.

The Original chuckled as he watched the blonde's reaction. "Yeah, we should. Come on." He replied, holding onto her hand and walking towards the scream, far into the forest.

Darkness surrounded them as they walked further in, the only sound could be heard was the crunching of the leaves and sticks beneath the pair's feet. Juliette subconsciously gripped Elijah's arm tighter, inching closer to the vampire. Her eyes darted around the forest, trying to adjust to the surroundings.

Elijah glanced down at her, a teasing smile on his lips. "Are you scared of the dark, Juli?" He chuckled, the sound deep and angelic. He squeezed her hand tighter as he watched her.

Juliette glared at him, "No. I'm not." she looked around the dark forest, the feeling of unknown looming over her.

"I think you-"

"How about we refocus on the scream, yeah?"

"Okay, baby."

Juliette blushes at the nickname but doesn't say anything, otherwise, she'd be giggling on the spot and Elijah would think she's a weirdo. She liked to believe she had even a minuscule self-control around Elijah, despite the fact she definitely did not. But let's pretend.

They continue walking through the forest, Juliette still clinging to Elijah's arm and the original vampire holds back a laugh. They both reach a clearing in the woods where another scream is heard, it echoes through the clearing.

Elijah reached the clearing and peeked his head out, his eyes widened slightly. Juliette's curiosity peaked. "What is it?" She questioned, raising her brow.

"You might not want to look-"

Juliette looked anyway.

But she wished she hadn't.

Right in front of her, was a woman, with long black hair, lying on the floor, in a pool of blood. A man stood over her, smiling sinisterly down at her as he held a bloody dagger in his hand. A group of people were gathered around, watching the harrowing scene intently, some with saddened expressions whilst others had wicked smiles dancing on their lips.

"Please...  Please, I'm........... so sorry..." the injured woman choked out, her hand gripping the wound on her stomach that had soaked her dress in blood. Juliette squinted her eyes at the woman, gasping as she immediately recognised her.

"That's Seraphina." She spoke, glancing at Elijah, as the realisation him too. "I read this in the grimoire, Esther had betrayed her after she helped make the immortality spell, she had lied."

"My mother always used others for her own personal gain," Elijah said bitterly, shaking his hand as he gripped Juliette's hand tighter.

"She had promised to help her flee after she killed her father and brothers with her magic," Juliette added, looking back at the scene before her. Seraphina was crying, sobbing actually, as she begged for her life. The scene was truly horrific.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please!"

The man didn't speak, instead, he laughed wickedly, circling the injured woman as cheers from the crowd slowly built up.

"Kill her!"

"Kill her!"

"Kill her!"

Juliette gripped Elijah's hand as the man raised the dagger into the air, the crowd's shouts bellowed through the forest as they got increasingly louder and excited whilst Seraphina's sobs quieted down, as she realised her fate. The blonde turned away from the scene not wanting to see the gruesome kill.

Elijah stepped closer to her, his thumb caressing the back of her hand as his hand ran up and down her back, soothing her slightly. He opened her mouth to speak but Juliette couldn't hear a word he said as pain filled her body.

"Juli?" Elijah's voice echoed through her mind as she covered her head, her knees buckling beneath her, a scream leaving her lips as the pain took over her.

Elijah kneeled next to her, not knowing what to do as worry filled him, he tried to soothe her by rubbing her back and trying to get her to forget about the pain, but it was no use.

"You will get what you deserve, Juliette Gilbert."

The voice echoed through the forest, Elijah snapping his head in each direction to figure out where it came from. He had heard it too. Loud and clear. "Hey, Juli, it's okay sweetheart. Breathe." He spoke softly, the voice still ringing in his ears.

"I want back what's mine."

Juliette sobbed louder, her body trembling as she dipped in and out of consciousness, this shouldn't be happening. Not in her dream. Why was it happening now?

"Juliette Gilbert, you stole from you, you little thief!"

She screamed as she covered her ears, her ragged breath growing more and more uncontrolled. "Sh, it's okay. I can hear it too." Elijah's voice echoed in her head as the pain lessened slightly, however, was still very much present.

Then everything went black. 

✧✧✧✧

     JULIETTE SHOT UP, WITH a gasp, her head still spinning from the headache and the drama of what happened in her dream. The blonde wiped the sleep from her eyes, trying to fully wake herself up so she could process whatever the hell happened.

Once she opened her eyes, she let out a yelp. Juliette covered her mouth as her eyes jumped to different parts of her bedroom, them widening at each corner she looked.

Blood.

Her room was covered in blood,

Her entire room was covered in blood.

Her walls.

Her floor.

Her clothes.

Everything.

What.

The.

Hell.

Juliette breath got stuck in her throat.

She blinked once.

Twice.

But the blood didn't disappear like she desperately hoped.

It coated her walls in long, splattered streaks. Her white bed sheets, where she slept peacefully ten minutes prior, were soaked in crimson. The iron scent was overwhelming her senses, knocking her sick as she held her stomach.

She slowly looked down at her hands.

Stained red.

Juliette gasped, her mouth agape as she stumbled back against her dresser, "No. No, no, no. I was..... I was dreaming... This can't be real." she stared at her hands, her eyes glued to the blood that covered them, haunting her.

Her chest heaved, her heart thundering in her ears as her breaths came out in ragged attempts. Juliette covered her face, likely smudging the blood, but she didn't care. Her knees buckled beneath her as she slid down the dresser, panicked sobs passing her trembling lips as she shook her head, over and over, and over and over again.

"This isn't real."

"This isn't real."

"This... is..... This isn't real."

"You can't hide from me, Juliette Gilbert. I want back what's mine. Now."

The malevolent voice echoed through her eyes, intensifying everything that was running wild in her head. Her sobs grew louder as she continued to repeat, "This isn't real." like a mantra.

"Is it not?"

The voice bellowed back, responding to her question.

"Think again, Juliette."

The blonde shook her head as she struggled to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding against her chest. She couldn't breathe. This isn't real.

"This isn't real."

"This isn't real."

"This isn't real."

"This isn't real."

Juliette removed her hands from her face.

It was gone.

All the blood.

Was gone.

It was all gone.

Juliette sat in silence, her back pressed up against the dresser, the phantom scent of blood still lingering in her nose. Her fingers twitched in her lap, her eyes darting to each part of her room, where the blood was.

She ran a shaking hand through her blonde hair, brushing it back. "I'm losing it." She whispered, her voice still trembling. "I'm going insane."

But the thing is—She knew full well, that she hadn't imagined that.

She felt it.

Smelled it.

And most of all.

Heard it.

The voice echoed somewhere deep in her bones like it had been etched in there with a knife. "I want back what's mine." That line hasn't faded with the blood. It lingered. It throbbed. It was still very much prominent in her mind.

Juliette shakily pulled herself to her feet, her knees feeling weak beneath her. She turned to face her mirror, gripping the edge of the dresser tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. She stared at her reflection.

Pale, sweaty and shaking. Her lips trembling as her eyes were still wide in shock, like she had just seen a ghost.

However, something felt wrong.

She stepped closer to the mirror, her eyes narrowing as she examined herself.

And, staring back at her—just for a flash—she saw it.

A woman.

A woman with black hair-

No.

It was Seraphina.

The same Seraphina from her dreams?

Behind her.

Smiling at her.

Juliette gasped and turned rapidly— only to be met with nothing. No one.

The air went still. Her room was dead silent, except for Juliette's ragged breathing.

What was happening?

Why was Seraphina here? Why was she here instead of in Juliette's dream?

Juliette wiped her face, her hand moving quickly, suddenly, her lights flickered and her door slammed shut. The blonde quickly moved her hand away from her face, only for the lights to flicker again and the door to open.

The blonde glanced down at her hands, before back up at the lights and door.

She needed a drink.

✧✧✧✧

JULIETTE TOOK A SWIG of bourbon straight from the bottle as she settled into her bed. Her head reeled from whatever the hell had just happened to her—-the dream, waking up to blood, the blood disappearing like it didn't exist, seeing Seraphina in the mirror, and the door and lights.

So, she definitely needed to drink straight from the bottle.

The blonde couldn't make sense of anything. Nothing about this made sense.

And it made her feel like she was going insane.

Juliette glanced at the grimoire that was sat menacingly on her nightstand, basically telling her to pick it up and read it. The blonde moved her hand to grab the book, only for the book to open, by itself.

She thought back to when Elijah told her she was a witch. Was it really true? Because things that happened today were pointing at look likely.

Juliette sat back in her bed, her back pressed up against her headboard. She stared at the candles that were sitting on her dresser.

This was stupid.

So so so stupid.

Juliette held her hand out towards the candles, slowly closing her hand as the candles suddenly set alight. Her eyes widened as she stared at the lit candle. It was true. Elijah was really telling the truth. She was a witch. But why? Surely no one in the Gilbert bloodline was supernatural—well except from Seraphina.

The blonde sighed and picked up the grimoire, flipping to the last page she read.

SERAPHINA, 1001, AD

That little wench!

Esther had betrayed me.

I'm dead because I stupidly trusted her! She used me! Used my power to help with her immortality spell for her children! Her stupid, idiotic children!

I.

Am.

Dead.

Juliette sighed as she read the very short diary entry, sympathy filling her. In her dream, she witnessed Seraphina's death, it was tragic and horrifying. The poor girl was only trying to survive and Esther lied and used her for her gain.

The blonde flipped to the next page and read the date.

She froze.

SERAPHINA, 2012

But.. how is this even possible? Seraphina's dead. Juliette watched her dying. Maybe it was a mistake? Maybe she wrote the wrong date?

SERAPHINA, 2012

My magic has been stolen.

She has stolen my magic, legacy and my power. I have nothing on the other side, with witches who hate me for tormenting the little wench who stole my magic. But I do not need them to like me. They promised to keep my powers safe when, in my final moments, I performed a ritual which kept my powers safe for when I needed them.

I need them now.

I want revenge. And I will get it.

I won't let that evil girl take my magic and get away with it.

And to think she is from the same bloodline. She's my very own blood and she stole from me? Her powerful ancestor! How dare she!

She will pay for what she did.

She knows who she is.

- Seraphina Gilbert

Juliette rubbed her eyes before scanning over the page again, trying to figure out if the date was a mistake or not.

Also, who was the girl Seraphina was talking about? Who stole her power? She seemed furious with them. Just when she was about to get killed by her uncle, she performed a ritual to preserve her magic for 'when she needed it' But why would she need her magic? She's dead.

'And to think she is from the same bloodline. She's my very own blood and she stole from me?' So the girl was from the Gilbert bloodline? So how can someone steal a witch's magic after they die?

And who from the bloodline who try and-

Wait.

'I have nothing on the other side, with witches who hate me for tormenting the little wench who stole my magic.'

If Seraphine torments the girl who stole her magic.....

Could that mean...

The girl is... Juliette?

Is Seraphina talking about her?

It all made sense. Complete sense. It added up.

Juliette has been getting tormented by this voice and headaches for months.

Seraphina revealed she had been tormenting a girl.

She also lost her magic, saying her magic was taken.

Juliette has just found out she's a witch. But she in no way 'stole' Seraphina's magic, the blonde didn't even know that was a thing.

And they were both Gilbert's.

So......

This makes sense.

Right?

✧✧✧✧

hii...

let's ignore my four month hiatus!!!

schools been hectic so i'm so sorry!!

9/04/25