Chapter 43*Hope for the Future

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Marcel's eyes widened, surprise written all over his face. "For the three of us? What do you mean by that?"

"You don't need to know that now, Marcel," I replied, keeping my voice calm and mysterious.

Davina tugged at his shirt, curious. "Marcel, who is this guy?"

"That one attacked me today," Marcel explained, his tone thick with irritation. "The person you said was using magic… that's him."

She glared at me, her eyes flashing. "Then you are my enemy." She raised her hands, muttering a spell, but the magic bounced off, blocked by an invisible barrier.

"You are powerful, Davina," I acknowledged in awe. "Very powerful indeed. But you have never met anyone who is your equal." With a simple gesture of my hands, I lifted her into the air, power flowing like a river beneath my control.

"Ahhh!" she cried, thrashing in panic, not pain. "Ahhh!"

Marcel stepped forward, furious. "Let her go! Let her go now!" He ran toward me, but with another movement, I lifted him too, leaving him floating beside her.

"Oh, damn it!" he exclaimed, writhing. "Get me out of here, dammit!"

"Okay," he said, lowering them gently to the ground. "I just came here to warn you, Marcel. There's someone out there much stronger than your witch. I'm not here to kill or hurt anyone. My stay is temporary—I came to protect someone I care about. I need to be here now. As long as you keep your vampires in line, no one needs to get hurt. At least for my part, I won't do anything. I don't want to interfere in your lives… not much."

Marcel stared at me for a moment, considering. "Are you just going to stay here for a while?"

"I have come to protect a pregnant woman who is carrying my child," I revealed. "Her name is Hayley Marshall."

Rebekah turned to me, exasperated. "Why did you say her name, you idiot?"

"Calm down, Rebekah," I reassured her. "Marcel is smart enough to understand what will happen to everything he's built over the years if something happens to her. It's not a threat, Marcel… it's just a warning. Do we understand each other?"

He hesitated, the weight of my words sinking in. "Fine. I'll stay out of this Hayley Marshall's way. In one week, you'll be out of here and not coming back. I give you my word that I'll protect her—she's your child to you. No one will touch her." Deep down, Marcel knew: if anything happened to Hayley or her baby, everything he'd built would crumble, and no one, not even Klaus, could stop it. He remembered how Klaus had trembled, even for a second, at my wolf form.

"A week?" I bargained. "Give me a month and I'll leave."

"A month, then," he relented. "You have a month to leave."

I walked over and shook her hand, sealing the deal. "Then I'll be going. My work here is done. What happens from now on is none of my business." In an instant, I was gone, leaving chaos to unfold as in the original story—Davina, furious, "attacking" Rebekah.

I walked home, the night air still cool against my skin.

Hayley ran up to me, anxious. "So, Clark, what happened?"

"Don't worry, Little Wolf," I reassured her. "I've already thrown the vampires off your trail, at least the ones belonging to Marcel, the owner of this place. None of his vampires will attack you, but…"

"I see," she said, relieved. "So you made a deal with him? What did you promise?"

"I have a month to stay here," I explained. "After that, I can't show up anymore."

"What?" she exclaimed, panic rising. "Why did you make this deal? What will become of me and the babies?"

"Calm down, Little Wolf," I said, gripping her shoulders. "You'll be protected. Klaus won't let anything happen to his daughter."

"I get it…" She took a deep breath, accepting it. "Okay." She came closer and hugged me, the warmth of the gesture enveloping me. "Thank you, Clark, for everything you've done so far."

"No need to thank me," I muttered. "Part of this is my fault too."

"I'm hungry," she said, changing the subject.

"Then I'll make us some macaroni and cheese," I suggested, smiling. "I'm hungry too."

She jumped up and down for joy, and I laughed. "Hahaha."

Some time passed. Elijah came back, and everything continued as it had in the original series. I didn't want to interfere too much—I had already changed a lot of things just by being there. Elijah sort of became friends with Davina, making a deal with her: her mother's grimoires in exchange for her not going out with Marcel, or at least staying hidden by him.

I noticed something, like in the series: Elijah seemed to be in love with Hayley. As they say, you can't choose who you love, especially when fate brings you together like this. "I'm happy for him," I thought. Passion is what moves people. Without it, they lose their way, living as if nothing mattered. Sure, virtues persist, but much of oneself is found in loving someone.

As I watched this love story unfold before my eyes, I felt a pang of jealousy. "My" girl was in Reseda, doing who knows what. Maybe she'd moved on with that Roby guy—or maybe not. I hadn't spoken to her in three weeks, not since that last call. The regional tournament was in a week…

I was in my room, getting ready for the day, when I heard Hayley downstairs, complaining that she felt sick.

"Clark!" Rebekah shouted. "Hayley is feeling sick, what do we do?"

I ran down. "Hey, Little Wolf, how are you?"

"Clark…" she moaned, pale. "I don't know, I feel really bad. It just started, it feels like my stomach is burning."

I frowned and growled softly, GRRRR . They started. I ran my hand over it, feeling the energy. "They put a curse on you, Little Wolf."

"What?" Rebekah exclaimed, shocked and furious. "What kind of curse?"

Hayley was terrified. "What's going to happen to me and the babies, Clark?" She was sweating nervously.

"I should have done this sooner," I muttered, irritated with myself. "I didn't think anyone would have the guts to do something so stupid." I raised my hands over her and cast a protective spell, my magic flowing like a soft light.

"My magic, which I created when I first started using it… I call it 'Denial,'" I explained.

"Denial?" Hayley asked, already feeling better. "Why that name?"

"I can negate any magic, effect, or curse cast on me or anyone I wish to protect," I replied.

Rebekah's eyes widened. "That's… amazing, Clark!" She jumped for joy.

"Hahaha, yes, it's great," I agreed. "I'm grateful to God for these powers."

Hayley looked at me, surprised. "Clark… Do you believe in God?"

"Yes," I said. "Even though I'm a profane guy who cheated on his girlfriend and did a lot of bad things. I don't have to believe in God—I know He exists."

Rebekah frowned. "I've lived over a thousand years and I'm certain there's no God. I've seen so many atrocities over the centuries. How can you say that?"

He smiled at her warmly. "Rebekah, the world suffers and will continue to suffer because of sins. As long as there are humans on Earth, suffering will exist. Evil is the absence of good, and good is the absence of evil. We all have the chance to know God in life. In death, there is nothing left—it is the end of everything we have done here. The small joys, the laughter, the love, the passions, the dreams… everything loses its meaning. In death, there is only judgment: between good and evil, everything you have done will be weighed. The person you helped, the beggar you fed, the cold you warmed, the glass of water you offered—everything counts on a scale. Your actions will be judged."

The two of them were thoughtful, absorbing my words.

"What if someone is found guilty?" Rebekah asked, her voice low.

"Hell," I replied. "Eternal suffering, a home of fire, where all burn and the flames never go out."

"And whoever is found innocent?"

I smiled again. "Eternal peace. Nothing you've ever felt can describe what it feels like in Heaven. No pain, no torment, no suffering—just peace, tranquility, and happiness forever."

"I tell myself, Rebekah," I continued introspectively. "While we are alive, there is hope for us to be better today. All we have to do is help someone, ask for forgiveness, and do good from now on. God forgets our sins and cleanses us from the inside out."

I need to improve every day , I thought. I haven't done anything good since I got here. I made a lot of mistakes out of lust, I feel like I'm losing myself. But seeing how Elijah looked at Hayley, I decided to abandon those desires for several women. I'm going to dedicate myself to just one girl.