Esmeray couldn't believe how much there was to learn.

The entirety of the next two days was spent on teaching her basic survival and important knowledge in the twenty-first century.

"It will require quite a bit of work, but I am certain I can teach you English without much effort," said Elijah, who had brought her several books so that she could begin to learn. "I have also brought empty grimoires for you to write down any spells you wish to keep track of. Surely you want to document what you know."

"I do not write down spells unless I make new ones," she said, blinking several times.

"Do you know how to write?"

"Of course I do, I am a witch. I simply mean... those of us who lived among wolves operated on a very different system. Other Covens, from what I know, taught their young basic spells and built their way up, getting more and more advanced each time. We were dedicated to Healing Spells and Mind Spells, so we did not need to do that."

This sparked Elijah's curiosity. "Continue."

"When it is revealed that we have magical abilities, we are first taught how magic should be used. We learn about self-control and its applications in order to understand what we are going to be getting into. When we turn five years old, we are placed in a room with all the witches who live in our village. We take their hands one by one and perform our very first spell to absorb their magical knowledge. In doing this, we understand the past and the present, and as soon as this ritual is over, we know hundreds of spells inherently and thus, are able to help any injured person no matter how young we are. This is thought to greatly strengthen our minds through giving us wisdom. Rather than having to learn spells all our lives, we are given every last bit of useful knowledge and focus on actually applying it as well as developing improved spells for the first few years that we have this knowledge. By the age of nine, we understand magical theories quite well, and that is where new spells are able to be created. We are not required to share this knowledge with each other, but eventually, the knowledge will be passed on to the next person that turns five, and so on, which ensures that we are always growing stronger not only physically, but mentally. Because we lived amongst wolves, we were always a minority- quite different from other communities of witches. This is a practice that was only ever done there, I believe. I'm quite good at Healing Spells and any spell that deals with the mind. If I need to alter memories or take them, I can do it with ease."

Elijah leaned back in his chair. "So what you are saying is that you merely need to be exposed to those who are fluent in a different language so that you can understand it?"

"Exactly. If you know an expert in English, I can take their memories and transfer a copy of them into my own mind. It will hurt me slightly, but a simple spell will ensure the knowledge goes into the right part so that I can apply it. I will still need to practice speaking it correctly, but I will understand what others say. The same will be true for learning about anything in this new world. If someone is very knowledgeable about it, I merely need to make contact with their body."

"In doing this, you have access to their entire life history," said Elijah, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You'll know everything about them."

Esmeray nodded. "In our Pack, there were no secrets. As I stated before, they all knew of my condition. Secrets were kept from the other six Packs. I was raised to value honesty. Secrets were seldom kept, no matter how dark they were. But yes, any person whose memories I take, even if they are only related to a specific subject... well, I will know them like the back of my hand. I have knowledge of what it feels like to experience childbirth, merely because of the witches who granted me their memories the day I turned five. I have not experienced it myself, but I was able to be a midwife for many women before I was eight years old because I knew exactly what would happen and what I needed to do."

Elijah drummed his fingers against the arm of the chair and got to his feet. "I will provide humans to share their knowledge with you. Give me only a few moments. I have already shown you how to eat here, so please, help yourself."

He returned with a woman, who seemed to have been compelled to not be afraid. She wore even stranger clothes (in Esmeray's opinion), all the same color and made of a rougher fabric, with bulkier shoes than what Elijah had on.

"This woman is a nurse," said Elijah, moving the woman forward. "She treats those who are ill. She does not know Healing Spells, but she does understand modern healing. As in, without magic."

Esmeray reached her hand out, placing her palm delicately on the woman's shoulder. She reached up her other hand, placing a finger on the center of the woman's forehead and closed her eyes. "Be ilja hukkommelse, at vise minne suge."

The nurse stared at her blankly, feeling nothing, but Esmeray's eyes snapped open, and she gasped. "That's fascinating," she whispered, cupping the woman's face. She made her first attempt at speaking English after a moment of pause: "You are a hero."

"Thank you," said the woman almost robotically.

"I understood her," said Esmeray, though her own words were not in English anymore. "She appreciates what I said."

From there, learning the basics became easier. Elijah had only shown her some food the night before, since he didn't have clothes for her to wear and didn't want to urge her into taking a bath if she was just going to have to wear the same thing. The nurse patiently explained to Esmeray how baths and showers worked in this world to reinforce the knowledge Esmeray had taken from her, and before she got dressed, performed an examination to ensure that she was in good health, as she was still essentially mortal. She was given some scrubs to wear in the meantime, and the nurse lectured her a bit on which foods were beneficial for her health and which foods were not. She spoke to her about working out, self care, mental health concerns, and societal standards for women.

"Just know that you don't need to do any of these things," the nurse told her sternly, as though she was speaking to her own daughter. "You're not required to shave or put on makeup or even a fancy outfit. Dress how you want to dress. Make yourself look the way you want to look. Some of us feel nice when we fix ourselves up and some of us don't- it's really a matter of personal preference. No one- guy or girl- has the right to criticize you for how you choose to present yourself."

Esmeray mulled it over, and smiled. "Thank you. Your knowledge has been very useful."

The nurse was then allowed to go home, and Elijah escorted Esmeray out into the streets, testing her understanding. She was able to point out a car, a bicycle, and a restaurant. The Original had to try not to look so surprised so that she wouldn't think he was insulting her. Still, it was fascinating how easily she had been able to learn about the world she was now in.

Of course, there was still a lot left to learn. They entered a clothing store, and Esmeray cornered one of the employees, taking some of their memories about fashion and money. This allowed Esmeray to learn a few new words as well as decide which fashion style she wanted to go for. Elijah noticed that she steered away from the fanciest items, going straight to the darkest types of clothing. It appeared she had chosen more of a grunge/gothic style, and the delighted look on her face let Elijah know that at least, she was enjoying this.

Next, he took her to a coffee shop, where he had her practice her English with the barista and others who were nearby so that she could ask them what type of coffee they preferred. She elected not to try anything, and when Elijah asked why, she said quite thoughtfully that the nurse's personal opinion was that caffeine wasn't really that good for a person.

"She also thinks that any type of liquor is unacceptable," sighed Esmeray as though she was dictating a biography of the nurse. "And then she had a patient once who overdosed on drugs and almost died... I don't think I'll try those. I'll stick with the foods she told me. I don't mind them, it's similar to the things I used to eat. I don't think I could be a vegan like her. I like vegetables and fruits and meat. Especially meat."

"I see the carnivorous aspect cannot be dissuaded by anyone's opinion," said Elijah with a chuckle.

Esmeray stopped at the corner of the street, looking at the cars that passed by. "The employee at the clothing store and the nurse both went to something called college. They studied and they got a piece of paper that says they learned certain things. Before that, they went through many years of school. This is common?"

"It is, nowadays. You could choose to study something, if you would like."

"I don't know what all the different subjects are. There seem to be many. The employee didn't declare their major until the day before they were required to, because they couldn't decide from the many that were offered."

At this, Elijah held up his hand. "You referred to the employee as a 'they.' Why?"

"Well, I saw into their mind and saw they don't like to be called a 'she.' I don't know why that is but I suppose one ought to respect that."

The Original found himself smiling. This was interesting progress to observe. "Before, we were always referred to with pronouns having to do with the organs we were born with. Now, it is very common to understand that 'sex' and 'gender' are two different things. Thus, pronouns have changed to be more inclusive."

Esmeray pursed her lips. "I think I want to see an English teacher next. I just want to be able to do it right."

He took her to a nearby college campus. They walked through the grounds, and he watched her gazing in wonder at all the creatures that milled about. She listened to more conversations taking place in other languages, and at one point, perked up and materialized in front of one of the students using her wolf speed, grabbing his arm. The young man wasn't alarmed in the slightest, and Esmeray returned to Elijah's side with a giddy smile.

"What did you take from them?" said Elijah curiously.

"I heard him singing," said Esmeray, her eyes shining. "I don't want to sing, but he had a pretty voice and I wanted the memories of him singing."

Elijah grinned and pushed open the doors of one of the staff buildings. Inside, Esmeray had a pleasant time getting to speak with an English Professor, three History Professors (Elijah made sure they specialized in different time periods), a Biology Professor, a Math Professor, and a Chemistry Professor, since Esmeray insisted she ought to know basic science and mathematics as well.

By the time they were returning to the apartment, Esmeray's head ached profusely, and she was carrying several bags of clothes, but she had a weary smile that indicated that she'd learned enough to appease her greatly.

"I assume you are satisfied?" he asked as they sat down at the table, a compelled delivery man having brought them a nice meal.

"Very," she said, eyes wide at the sight of all the food. "This was expensive, wasn't it?"

"Don't worry about the price," he said indifferently.

"But... you purchased many things for me. I do not have money of my own, and I cannot repay you."

He held up his hand. "Do not be concerned with paying me back. Hold true to the deal to help me, and you needn't concern yourself. I assure you, this was a very minimal amount of spending for me."

Esmeray bit her lip, deciding to abandon that topic. "I have a question. Why didn't you tell any of them your real name? You could have just compelled them to forget it. You told them all your surname was 'Smith.'"

"You never quite know who is listening. The name 'Mikaelson' commands a certain degree of respect, but it also brings fear and resentment. My family has made many enemies over the centuries and I do not wish for you to be in danger before you perform the Unbinding Spell."

She hummed, and continued to eat in silence for a bit. "Should I have a fake name, too?"

"You can, if you wish."

Her brows furrowed and she tried to think. "My father called me 'Ray' and my mother called me 'Tori.' You are a Mikaelson because you are the son of Mikael. That History Professors all seemed to know that it was a pattern before... 'son' and 'dottir' after the name of the father. Before the matrilineal monarchy of the Poldarks was abolished, that was the same sort of thing. My great-great-grandmother Yara was technically Yara Poldark-Yamiledottir. Then Raya Poldark-Yaradottir. Rayaun Poldark-Rayason. Later, we stopped doing that. My father was merely Rayan Poldark instead of Poldark-Rayaunson. I think, perhaps... I'd like to revert to it just for a cover name. Victoria... Rayandottir. Or Rayanson, since the 'dottir' part isn't used as much."

Elijah offered her a smile. "Victoria Rayanson sounds quite normal. No one would know who you are. I assure you, I will make sure that word of your presence doesn't exit Virginia. My two witches are sworn to secrecy."

Esmeray tapped her foot against the floor. "How did you find me? I didn't ask about that."

"I admit, we did not find you, another group did. They located you nearly four months ago and were unable to wake you up."

"Huh," she muttered. "Well, did they give me to you so that your witches could try?"

Elijah waited a moment before answering. "It's not quite so simple. My witches retrieved you in order to keep you safe. It was quite easy for someone to tell me that you'd been discovered, and I knew you would not be safe from Niklaus there. Here, we have struck a deal, and all is well."

Another beat of pause, and Esmeray chose to change the subject, since he clearly looked tense. "Would I be allowed to see into your mind?" she asked quietly, hoping she wasn't overstepping her boundaries.

Elijah cast her an almost stern look, and she moved back a bit in her chair. "I will let you see into my mind once Niklaus is dead," he told her simply. After all, if Esmeray looked into his mind now, she might be too afraid to help him. Additionally, he feared that she'd find out about things that he hadn't told his brother... for example, how he compelled Aurora to end her relationship with him. If Esmeray knew, she might be so appalled that she'd tell Klaus and choose to align with him instead.

"Are you going to tell me more about what I have to do?"

He swirled the glass of scotch he'd served himself earlier. "The current doppelgänger is a young girl by the name of Elena Gilbert. She is seventeen years old and she has been introduced into the supernatural world quite recently. She and I made a deal. I ensured her friends will come to no harm, to promote her cooperation. I shall have a werewolf and a vampire prepared for the spell. I will give you the moonstone when the time comes. For now, your only task is to listen, learn, and prepare. You will inevitably come across those who will seek to stop you. I will handle conveying the information that your presence will benefit them. They will attempt to stop me because they believe that Elena needs to die. With you here, that is no longer the case. So long as you remain by my side, you need not worry about determining who is a potential ally and who is a foe. Will you be ready by the next full moon, near the end of the month?"

"I believe so. But... I just need you to understand that I will inevitably transform. I cannot control it."

"My witches will have a spell prepared to delay your transformation, according with the ritual. I... I wanted to ask about this control you mention. You told me you were temperamental and that you could not manage the magic. Yet, you have been quite calm."

Esmeray sighed. "I think the thousand years of rest calmed me down. And it's not close enough to the full moon... my magic won't go haywire. Additionally, you haven't done anything that might anger me. Most times, I was constantly being teased, and I snapped easily. For now... nothing has angered me enough to make me feel like I have to lash out. But once again, I warn you, the closer it gets to the full moon, the more erratic I become. Bursts happen more often."

"I assure you, it's nothing I can't handle," he told her.

She gave him a skeptical look. "I need to reiterate- I will be forced into my wolf form, whether I finish the spell or not. You can delay my transformation all you want, it will break through."

"That is not a problem. The delay will only be up until the doppelgänger's blood is added. The instant you start to transform, so will my brother, and in that vulnerable moment, my witches will harness sufficient energy to bring upon his death."

Esmeray nodded to how that she understood, tilting her plate to reveal that she'd finished her food as well. "I am going to sleep," she announced, getting up to take her plate to the sink. She sensed that she ought not push Elijah for more information all in one night. After she washed her plate, went to the bathroom to prepare herself for bed, before going to curl up on the couch, pulling a blanket over her. She hadn't been able to fall asleep at first- Elijah was still awake and moving about.

Yet, even when he'd gone to bed, she could not drift into her dreams. Her head still ached quite a bit from all the new information swimming in her mind. One thing was blatantly clear- a lot had changed and there was no place for her here unless she adapted to what existed now. She tried to push aside thoughts of her parents, but she found that her mind wandered to them further than she wished it to.

She remembered all the times her father had spun her around and taught her to fight. The afternoons when her mother had sat with her trying to get her to calm herself down. The lengthy lullabies to put her at ease. The journeys on horseback to deliver messages to the other Packs. Swimming in the lakes, chanting songs, and dancing with the other witches, because none of the children had ever wanted to be near her. She started to tear up, remembering the last thing her parents said to her.

"We're going to see you soon, my little moon," Rayan had promised his daughter, stroking her hair as Esmeray laid herself down in her coffin. "Just until we figure out how to help you."

"We'll be waiting for you," Esmeralda added, dipping down to kiss his daughter's head. "Maybe... maybe when you wake up, you'll be well, and you will be able to compete in the tournament to be Alpha, too."

Rayan cast her a stern look, as though warning her not to give Esmeray false hope. They didn't know if she would ever be well enough to be Alpha. "We just want you to be able to be safe here, with the Pack," her father told her. "Close your eyes now, they're going to start the spell."

Esmeray had nodded and shut her eyes, drawing a deep breath as the coffin lid closed. She sensed that the witches had formed a circle as best as they could inside the cave, linking hands and beginning to chant.

She'd felt herself growing sleepy, and everything had gone dark, until she awoke to find herself here, in Elijah's apartment.

Against her will, her eyes welled up with tears, and she sniffled, curling up and trying to keep herself quiet. She put her hands on her temples, murmuring a spell to calm herself down, but it didn't seem to want to work. Flashes of her parents' faces were cropping up more and more and it made her start to squirm. "Please," she whispered into the open, hoping any spirit would hear her plea. "Please, stop it... let me sleep..."

She hadn't been able to rest until she was too exhausted to beg anymore.