Notes: Ebony and Amy are 17 and Ebony has light brown hair and green eyes while Amy has long brown hair and blue eyes.

Chapter One

Ebony walked into the Mikaelsen's mansion, holding her Victorian era dress up as she looked around in amazement at how large and beautifully decorated the mansion was. She has her dark brown hair in soft curls and her green eyes looked around at the guests—the whole town was invited! She walked aimlessly until she bumped into someone accidentally. She looked up into familiar blue eyes and smiled at her friend Amy.

"Hey, Amy. This house is—"

"Gorgeous? Huge? Amazing?" Amy cut her off, smiling. Ebony nodded before speaking.

"All three."

They walked over to stand near the walls and watched the people silently. Ebony's eyes trailed over until she spotted the Mayor talking to Damon Salvatore. They only talked for a bit and then they were interrupted by another guy who looked to be about 18 or 19 years old. Ebony watched as he raised the Mayor's hand to his lips, like a gentleman and they talked for only the mass of a few seconds before Damon stuck his hand toward the man in a polite gesture, though his face said otherwise. The man said a few things while smirking, then walked past Damon without shaking his hand. Ebony raised her eyebrows but otherwise said nothing. Ebony looked at Amy to find her intently staring at a man who looked a bit too old for her standing on the stairwell. Ebony watched the man from earlier walk to the stairs and she realized he must be from the Mikaelsen family.

"Welcome," the man who Amy had been eyeing's voice rang out as everyone quieted down. "Thank you for joining us." A beautiful woman who must've been their mother walked down the steps to reach the rest of the five siblings. "You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition to commence the evening with a dance." Ebony only raised her brows again, looking around at how mesmerized the other townsfolk were by his soothing voice. "Tonight's pick is a century's old waltz—so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom." He walked down the stairs first, and soon after his four remaining siblings followed him down, though their mother went up the stairs to the upper floor.

Ebony watched as Amy breathed in deeply and gave her a look. "What?" Ebony questioned, looking away and watching the man from earlier with his light brown cropped hair and black tux with a black tie stand a bit farther away. Ebony didn't know what it was, but he intrigued her.

"Well if you're done eyeing your man candy over there," Amy started in a playful manner which caused Ebony to look at her with a shocked face and smacked her shoulder slightly. Amy chuckled before continuing. "I really want to dance with Elijah…"

"Who's Elijah?"

"The guy who was talking!"

"Oh, you mean the one who looks like he's already married?"

"Oh shut it, I didn't see a ring."

"Wow, way to be a creeper, Amy."

They laughed like the close childhood friends they were and simply stood. When Ebony looked in the direction that the youngest—from the looks of it—sibling had been standing, he was not there anymore. She looked away and then felt a tap at her shoulder from behind. Ebony looked behind her to see that guy from before smiling politely—and a bit forced—at her. He offered her his hand and she took it warily.

"I don't believe we've met before. I'm Kol Mikaelsen," he said gently before lifting her hand up to his lips to softly brush them against her knuckles. She felt her face heat up and she struggled to keep her heartbeat under control.

"It's nice to meet you, Kol. I'm Ebony Lumière," she replied, thankful her voice didn't waver. He smirked slightly at her before raising himself straighter up.

"May I have this dance, Miss Ebony Lumière?"

"Of course," she said. He lifted his arm and slipped her hand gracefully onto his arm, resting his own hand against her lightly gloved one. He led her to the ballroom and Ebony had to take a few deep breaths in secrecy.

Soon enough he stood and faced her, bringing her to stand beside him in the correct stance. Ebony silently thanked Caroline Forbes for teaching her the basics of this dance. They danced silently, and Ebony felt herself relax while they danced to the music of "Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran. She smiled slightly, just a barely noticeable upward motion of the tips of her lips. Soon enough, as they passed the other line of dancers, Kol twirled her slowly and then she was being pulled into his chest, her hand automatically lifting to sit on his broad shoulder while his right hand slipped down to hold the small of her back and keep her to him. He held her other hand in his gently and they twirled across the ballroom floors with the rest of the guests.

Ebony looked into Kol's brown eyes and felt her body relax slightly in the circle of his arms. He looked into her eyes intently, but Ebony couldn't help feeling that it was false intensity—as if he was actually just bored and was trying to follow rules set by someone important to him. Ebony looked away from him and decided to look over his shoulder instead as they danced gracefully. She met Amy's sea colored eyes and raised her eyebrows at her as she saw Amy's dance partner was Elijah. Amy winked at her and wiggled her eyebrows from where she was watching her, also looking over Elijah's shoulder.

Kol twirled her so suddenly—she hadn't been paying attention to the dance—that she nearly fell and then she was pressed against another chest. She looked up into a pair of brown eyes that resembled Kol's. It must have been his brother—she recognized him from somewhere on the stairs where he'd been standing next to his siblings. Ebony looked at him as he twirled her around.

"Hello, Miss." His voice was soft, and Ebony couldn't help but notice how everything about him seemed gentler than his younger brother. She smiled politely at him.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mister Mikaelsen."

"Oh, please," he said, smiling awkwardly at her. "Mr. Mikaelsen is my father. Call me Finn."

She smiled at him.

"Then it is a pleasure to meet you, Finn. I am Ebony." She felt him twirl her around and she smiled when his hand returned to her waist.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Ebony."

They twirled together on the dance floor a few times before they parted and once again Ebony found herself being pressed to a broad chest. She looked up into the dark eyes of Elijah Mikaelsen.

"Hello there, Miss Ebony," he greeted her as he gripped her hand in his and began to dance to the music and Ebony had to scramble to get herself into the right position.

"It's a pleasure, Elijah," she replied. Amy had probably told him her name, and she knew his already because of her friend anyway. She peeked above Elijah's shoulder—dang! She thought, he is tall!—and caught sight of Amy's gaze while she was dancing with Finn. They seemed to be getting along quite well and when Elijah twirled her away from him for a few seconds, Ebony caught the brown eyes of Kol. She blinked at him before she was turned around and facing the eldest brother again.

They danced a few more minutes before the song ended. Ebony went to move away from Elijah—as did most guests—but Kol spoke up to the butler controlling the music.

"Good Sir," he began, his voice mysteriously playful, "would you kindly play another song?" The man nodded and the song "Breathe Again" by Sara Bareilles filled the room, and Elijah was twirling her once again.

After a few moments of dancing, Ebony was twirled away and into a new circle of arms. She looked up into Kol's eyes as he slipped his hand into hers and rested his hand on her back heavily, bringing her closer to him. She looked down at their bodies, thinking dizzily as she set her own hand on his shoulder, There isn't enough room for air to pass through! She was twirled mindlessly to the music and Ebony felt her aching feet begin to ache even more. She looked up at Kol once again and regretted it immediately. He was staring at her intently—really intently this time. But what made her heart jump to her throat wasn't just the fact that he was staring at her so intently, it was the fact that he was staring at her in a sort of animalistic hunger. Ebony felt her breath hitch and she looked down quickly. He pulled her even closer and Ebony felt herself try and push back a little, because the fact that she could feel his breath on her neck scared her. The song neared its end and Ebony felt Kol's lips slightly brush her jawline near her ear and she shivered, trying to back away. Kol's arms were surprisingly strong and Ebony couldn't even break an inch. She didn't want to cause a scene, so she opted for simply pressing his shoulder and hand tightly. He didn't seem to notice as his lips trailed down slowly on her neck and Ebony tried to pull her head away. Right as Ebony felt Kol's cold lips part slightly against her neck, the song came to an end and she pushed against his chest roughly to get him off of her. He didn't seem to notice and she was about to do it again when suddenly his arms were gone and his head had snapped up. Ebony stumbled backwards a few steps and looked at him in shock. He didn't even look at her—he was glaring at Finn and then he was walking away.

"What a jerk," she said to herself as she tried to cool down her heated skin and pushed the thoughts of tingling sensations where his lips had been to the back of her mind. Ebony breathed deeply and then walked out of the ballroom huffing.

As she caught sight of Matt Donavon she was about to call him over but then she saw him with the sister in the Mikaelsen family—Rebekah, was it?—and she cocked her head in confusion. She blinked a few times and when Kol slipped out from behind them, she couldn't help feel curious. She was about to go after them when Finn Mikaelsen came to a stop in front of her. She looked up at him, dropping her skirts to the ground, knowing that he would be standing there for a while. He scratched his head awkwardly as he looked down at her.

"About Kol's inappropriate behavior…" he trailed off slightly, looking uncomfortable. Ebony blinked a few times and then chuckled slightly at him. When he looked at her in confusion, she explained.

"It's fine… I don't know what came over him, but it's okay, really. I don't plan on really getting that close to him again, Finn. And plus, you shouldn't have to apologize for your brother's actions." She smiled at him gratefully and he nodded and turned to leave. After he left, and she spotted Amy speaking with Elijah off to the side, Ebony got ready to leave after the three who'd left. But just as she took a step forward in the painful heels, Matt and Rebekah walked back inside. Ebony stopped and furrowed her brows. She turned around and was stopped by a server who offered her champagne. She smiled at him and took a glass, eyeing the strange pink tint it had. She shrugged it off as expensive wine or something and looked over to where Mrs. Mikaelsen was standing at the top of the stairs and lightly tapped the glass in her hand to gather everyone's attention. Ebony didn't notice Kol slip back inside and stand by his brother, Finn.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," she said, her voice beautiful and soft—a British accent helping in the charm she had—though it gathered everybody's attention instantly, and Ebony herself found herself waiting to hear what she had to say, as if she were drawn to her. "Waiters are coming around with champagne," she continued, smiling, "I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy than to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening." After a slight pause, she ended it with one word… "Cheers." Ebony didn't know why, but she did not like the way Mrs. Mikaelsen said the word 'spectacular' as if she had hidden a double meaning in her words as she spoke them—but Ebony told herself she was over thinking things and pushed the thoughts and uneasy feelings to the back of her mind. Everyone raised their glasses of champagne in the air after the beautiful woman at the stairs, repeated the word "cheers" and everyone raised the glasses to their lips to take a drink. Ebony met Amy's eyes and they both set down their drinks without sipping them. When Amy looked back at her, Ebony mouthed to her friend, "I'm going outside for some fresh air." Once Amy nodded, Ebony took off to the doors. She walked around aimlessly and sat down near a bundle of bushes and trees. She was about to go back inside when she heard a voice from the balcony above her that sounded eerily familiar.

"Good evening," it said, and she looked up catching sight of someone's back. "You're Rebekah's friend. We haven't met."

Ebony felt as if her stomach had dropped and for a reason unknown to her she hid amongst the bushes, covering herself.

"Matt Donavon," a second voice sounded and Ebony thought confusedly, Matt?

"Kol Mikaelsen."

Ebony had to stifle her gasp. She was about to move away when she heard Matt's voice yelp out in pain and she wondered exactly what was happening up there. After a few seconds passing where she heard Matt yell out a few more times, Damon Salvatore's voice broke through as well.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, easy on the hand; guy's a Quarterback." Ebony heard a grunt follow and then there was a loud thump sound in front of her where she was hidden. Ebony peeked out to see Kol lying on the ground, and just as she was about to go see if he was okay, Damon Salvatore appeared on top of him. Ebony gasped quietly but doubted they heard her over the sound of their struggling. Ebony watched, horrified, as Damon smacked Kol's face to the side and then—quicker than her eyes could follow—grasped Kol's jaw and with both of them struggling, eventually Ebony heard a disgusting crack and Kol lay limp on the ground. Ebony's eyes were wide and then Stefan Salvatore came running outside.

"Damon!" Stefan stopped a couple feet away and Damon stood from on top of Kol's lifeless body. He looked at Stefan and Ebony was glad they hadn't seen her. Stefan looked at his elder brother in shock before she heard him say, "What, are you crazy?"

The rest of Kol's siblings walked out calmly, looking at their youngest brother with no fear for his life. Ebony couldn't believe this! How could they be so calm about their brother's death? Elena Gilbert then came running out, stopped in shock when she saw what Damon had done. Ebony saw Damon's head slightly move from Stefan to Elena and he replied to Stefan though he was watching Elena's face.

"Maybe a little," he said, voice breaking. He lifted his head up high and glared at Elena before saying, "Far be it for me to cause a problem." Elena looked at the older Salvatore disapprovingly and then he turned his back to them and walked away. Ebony watched in horror as Stefan took Elena inside and Elijah walked over to his younger brother and picked him up carelessly, throwing him over his shoulder and walking around the house—to a back entrance, she presumed. She watched Rebekah walk back inside and Finn followed after her. Ebony could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage almost painfully and she was breathing heavily. If they could do this to their brother, she didn't want to know what they'd do to anyone else. Ebony made up her mind to go inside, grab Amy, explain what she saw to her and then run to their houses and never go near the Mikaelsen's again, Amy's crush on Elijah be damned.

Ebony made her way out from behind the bushes and greenery and began running to the doors. She made it inside, caught sight of Amy talking to Caroline Forbes and Klaus Mikaelsen—she knew him because she'd heard good and bad things about him. She was about to make her way over there when she ran into a rough chest that wasn't there before. She looked up and had to hold back a scream when she locked eyes with Finn Mikaelsen.

"Excuse me, Finn," she said, trying to push past him. He caught her arm and looked into her eyes but then stopped, smelled her and muttered a word she didn't quite understand.

"I can't compel you, then." She looked at him, confused. "What are you wearing on that dress of yours?" She didn't see the point in the question, so she stayed quiet, but then Finn's grip on her arm increased and she could already feel the bruises forming. She looked up at him and he repeated his question.

"It's just perfume!" she said, trying to yank her hand out. Her arm didn't budge even a centimeter and he squeezed a bit harder.

"Who gave it to you?"

"I don't know!"

"Don't lie to me, Ebony." He stared into her eyes and she put one hand on the one holding her arm, trying to ease the pain, if only slightly.

"My dad did! Let go, Finn, you're hurting me!"

But instead, Finn just dragged her off. He walked up the stairs and as Ebony went up unwillingly with him, she looked back, seeing people beginning to leave. It was still full, but people were slowly leaving as the time grew later. She looked at Finn who seemed to have no trouble dragging her even though she put up a fight against him. He eventually stopped in front of a door, held her in place and knocked a few times. When the door opened it revealed a slightly disheveled Rebekah. Finn pushed her onto Rebekah and told his sister, "Get that Vervain off of her in the next few minutes and then put her in the room. He's going to need her when he wakes up."

Rebekah groaned but nodded. Ebony was pulled inside, the door was shut and then she was being drenched in water, dress and all. Ebony shrieked at how ice cold it was but Rebekah simply started to take the dress off. Ebony was too frightened to do anything but stand and shiver. Soon she was just standing in her underwear and bra, covering herself and shivering. Rebekah threw a towel at her, threw a button up, too big black shirt at her and made her get it on. It reached up to her mid-thighs and Rebekah pulled up her now wavy brown hair into a messy and painful ponytail before dragged her out of the room by the arm.

Ebony was led down a hallway until they reached another door and stopped. Rebekah opened it and when she was shoved inside, Ebony looked up to see the lifeless body of Kol Mikaelsen lying on the large bed. She jumped back and then met the brown eyes of Elijah. He looked at her, said a very quiet, "I'm sorry," to her, threw her to the ground and left, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Ebony got up, stared at Kol for a few seconds and then began pounding on the door.

"Let me out!" she yelled repeatedly. After what seemed like an eternity to her she decided to stop because no one had come. She rested her fist against the door lightly and put her forehead on the door, feeling hot tears slipping down her cheeks. She was stuck with a dead body in a locked room in a mansion. What was she supposed to do? Ebony's soft cries were cut off by the sound of shifting from behind her. She froze—the only thing in here with her was a dead body, how could there be another noise? When the shifting noise continued, Ebony slowly turned her head around to look at Kol's lifeless body.

Or, at least, it was supposed to be lifeless.

When Ebony turned her head completely, her body still leaning against the door for support, her green eyes met Kol's brown ones—except they were Kol's blinking brown eyes. He slowly lifted a hand to his head and then sat up on the bed. He finally realized she was there and he looked over at her and watched her as if she was his prey—which was preposterous, because they were both supposed to be humans, right?

But humans didn't die and come back to life as if nothing had happened.

She looked at him in a mix of emotions—shock, relief, fear, and more. He slowly turned to face her completely. She uttered a single name in a soft, broken voice that completely set off the man in front of her.

"Kol?"

That's when he was suddenly lunging at her in an unnatural speed, there was pain on the side of her neck. Ebony faintly heard herself scream as he gripped her head to keep it in place for his mouth and the other going around, keeping her body near his. She felt her arms go up around his neck to grip his hair and try to pull him away from her, but it was no use. Ebony felt as if her life was draining away from her and her knees went weak; the only thing keeping her upright was Kol's painful grip on her body as he ate away at her life.

Everything went black.