Everyone was running and screaming. I looked out my kitchen window and noticed a bright orange glow against the night sky. It flickered. Flames peaked over the tops of rooftops and before I knew what I was doing I was running. Not away, no. I ran towards the fire, towards the white oak tree that marked the centre of our village. The tree was engulfed in flames. "Father!" I screamed as I ran through the crowd of frantic people. They were my neighbours, my friends. All I remember were their fear stricken faces. I gathered my skirts in my hand and continued to fight my way through them. "Father, where are you?" I cried. I didn't get very far. A hand grabbed my upper arm, forcing me to stop and turn. My breath caught in my throat as I fought against the hand but I stopped when I looked up. "Uncle Elijah," I breathed in relief. I looked up at his familiar face with a smile. The smile slowly fell as I saw his flickering eyes. He looked all around us before leaning close to me.
"Annette, you must go. Return home; gather your mother and leave. Go as far as you can and never come back do you understand me?" he quickly said in a low voice. I shook my head.
"What about my father?" I asked stubbornly. It was Elijah's turn to shake his head. He looked at me with pleading eyes.
"He is gone my dear. Now go!"Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked back at the spreading fire. I nodded and turned to run but my escape was cut off as I ran into the chest of a man, nearly falling over. The man grabbed my arms before I hit the ground. I looked up startled but a smile broke out on my face.
"Father," I whispered. His eyes never reached my face. He looked passed me to his brother. His startling blue eyes shot icy daggers at Elijah.
"Gone am I brother?" my father growled at my uncle. Elijah composed himself before replying. He looked at me with fear and worry before masking all emotion.
"The fire, I thought you were-" he started but my father soon cut him off.
"You thought wrong!" He didn't look back at his brother as he pulled me away, towards the inferno. I tried pulling back but his grip was too tight. He was stronger. More tears appeared in my eyes.
"Let me go," I called. My father ignored me as I struggled in his grip. I looked around and saw my grandparents. He was pulling me towards them. Ma looked terrified as her eyes met mine. "Ma! Pa!" I cried. My father's grip only grew tighter to the point I thought he was going to break the bone. I let out a small cry of pain.
"Niklaus what are you doing?" Ma asked, frightened. Her eyes met mine momentarily and a wave of panic washed over me. The flames from the fire seemed to grow hotter. I pulled away from my father's grip once again to no avail. My father gave my arm one sharp tug and threw me on the ground in front of everyone.
"Tell me how to change her. Tell me how to make her like me!" my father demanded. My eyes widened as I looked between him and his mother. She looked at him defiantly.
"I will not tell you my son. She does not need a life like you do," my mother argued. Rebekah suddenly appeared beside me out of nowhere. I screamed and slid away on the dirt ground. She looked hurt but I just shook my head and let the tears roll down my cheek.
"I will not endure eternity without her. Tell me!" He shouted. Rebekah looked up at him then back to me, worried.
"What are you doing Nik? Stop!" she snapped at him, "Look at her! She's terrified!" Everyone's eyes turned to me. My uncles all stood around us now. I looked at them all. They all looked, new. They were fiercer and tougher and scary. A whimper escaped my lips all they all seemed to notice the sound over the roaring of the flames. I noticed Ma's lips moving quickly as if she were praying. Rebekah grabbed Mikael and tried to get him to stop everyone. My Pa's eyes just glared down at me. I put my head in my hands trying to escape, trying to wake up from this nightmare.
"If you choose to turn her the consequences will be severe," Ma warned. My head shot up to look at her. Surely she wasn't going to let him hurt me. I sat up straighter, tears ceasing momentarily. "She will not be able to control her bloodlust or grow a tolerance to vervain. She will be as weak as the human she is now but will be forever immortal as yourself. She will be stuck. Do you really want that for her? This curse worse than your own?" I looked around the group. There seemed to be mixed emotions. Rebekah was crying, Kol smirked, Finn's attention remained solely on his mother, Elijah looked almost frightened and Klaus was snarling.
"Tell me how," he bit through clenched teeth. My grandmother sighed. There was a long pause where only the roaring of the fire could be heard.
"She must die with your blood in her system," Ma replied softly. I gasped.
"No, no! I do not want to die!" I yelled, standing up. I stumbled over to my father. I grabbed his arm. He looked down at me with angry eyes. "Please do not do this to me." He grabbed my chin in one swift movement, forcing my eyes to remain on him. His grip hurt and I grabbed his wrist trying to get him to release me.
"I will not spend eternity without you my beautiful daughter," he whispered. I pushed his hand away and took a step back.
"I will never speak to you again if you go through with this," I threatened in a shaky voice. He smirked at me.
"I'm afraid my dear, you will not have a choice," he replied while unsheathing a dagger. He pressed it to his wrist and in one quick movement grabbed me forcing his bloody arm into my mouth. I screamed into his arm but his blood slowly trickled down my throat. When he felt I had drank enough he pulled his wrist away. I looked back at my Ma and Pa. Mikael was holding Rebekah back. Tears poured down her cheeks. My uncle's remained as they were though Elijah looked away when I met his eyes. "Now, for the unpleasant part," my father whispered behind me. He grabbed my shoulder and I felt warm tears run down my cheeks but I no longer felt anything else. I stood passively, waiting for what I knew was coming. "Your death." I felt something sharp pierce through my chest, then everything went black.
I sat up with a gasp looking around frantically. The TV was left on and some Logan Fell guy was on the morning news. I placed my hand on my head and felt it covered with a thin layer of cold sweat. I pulled the blanket off me and stumbled into the bathroom where I splashed cold water on my face. I looked up at the mirror and saw black veins forming around my eyes. I took a slow, deep breath and watched them disappear. My red hair stuck to my wet forehead and I messily pushed it aside.
"The couple, last seen at a concert, were found dead on the highway near their abandoned car. Officials are warning citizens to stay clear of the woods until the animal responsible for the attack has been dealt with. Reporting live from Mystic Falls this is Logan Fell wishing a happy and safe Monday." I scoffed as I leaned on the door frame of the bathroom watching the end of the newscast. That guy was a joke. I walked over to the remote and shut the television off. Other vampires walking around could be a problem for me. I pulled the curtains back on my window looking into the forest. I'd just have to be extra careful.
It wasn't my father, I knew that. He was somewhere in England following a trail I'd left over two hundred years ago. He was good at tracking, but I was better at hiding. I could stay for awhile. Blend in. Try to be human. I'd spent the last hundred years in Canada trying to control my bloodlust. I learned tricks that would settle it for a few hours but nothing major.
I sighed as I pulled a brush through my hair. New town, new school, new life. I was ready for Mystic Falls. It was going to be good. I will start fresh and everything will be okay.