1864

~Elizabeth~

It was chaos, absolute chaos. People were running and screaming, while the founders struggled to capture all the vampires. I watched from a distance, my eyes scanning for two men I needed to find. Blood covered my mouth. I hid it with my long, dark hair, but it wouldn't work forever.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing out here? It's too dangerous!" I heard my father's voice say, and I spun around to see him and Jonathan Gilbert, who was clutching a strange compass.

"I'm sorry father. I was just looking for Stefan and Damon. I can't find them anywhere." I said softly, trying to ignore the soft thumping of his heart pumping blood.

"Don't worry about them, just get inside. I don't want you to get hurt." he said anxiously, and I nodded, but kept scanning the crowd for them. I couldn't get inside the house even if I wanted too.

Suddenly Jonathan gasped, looking down at his compass. I saw that it was pointing directly at me. I could tell that it wasn't a good thing by my father's expression.

"No! No!" he murmured, looking at me with a horrified expression, as my hair shifted to expose my bloody face.

"Father, I'm sorry!" I cried, starting to run from them, when two men grabbed me and injected me with something that made me feel very, very weak.

"Father, no, you cannot let them take me!" I tried to shout at him, my voice weak.

"My daughter, my own daughter…" he was muttering to himself, a look of disgust on his face as he stared at me.

The men started dragging me away towards a wagon. Just then I saw them- my big brothers. They would make everything okay. They always did.

"Damon! Stefan! Help me!" I screamed at them, finally finding my voice, as I struggled to throw the men off me.

They both turned around to face me. I saw looks of horror on their faces, but it wasn't mingled with disgust. They didn't care what I was.

"Elizabeth!" Damon shouted, starting towards me, but it was too late. They had me at the wagon.

I tried to see them again, just one more time, but they were lost in the crowd again. I whimpered, as new hands gripped my arms, ready to throw me into the wagon. I was going to die, for good this time.

"Elizabeth, hurry." murmured a familiar voice in my ear. Suddenly, I was being tugged into the woods, away from all the chaos, away from my brothers.

I looked up at my savior, Alexander Fell, a boy who was in love with me, though I didn't return those feelings.

"What are you doing, Alexander?" I murmured my voice faint.

"I-I can't let you die. I can't." he muttered, more to himself than to me, a look of fear in his eyes.

"Go, hurry! Before they notice you're gone." he said more firmly this time.

"I can't… the vervain…" I said, feeling weaker.

"Y-you need blood, don't you?" he said, the fear growing stronger in his eyes.

"Yes, but it is alright, I-I am okay with dying." I said, my voice still faint, but my words were firm.

But Alexander already had his wrist out to me, not meeting my eyes. I shook my head, but I could hear his heartbeat, fast like a drum, because he was so afraid. I could hear the blood rushing in his veins, and before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed his wrist, and bit into it.

He gave a gasp at the pain, but I paid him no attention, I just sucked the warm, sweet blood. Alexander was starting to say my name, to try to get me to stop, but I couldn't, it was too good.

"P-please, E-Elizabeth. Stop, you're goin-ng to k-kill me…"

His words made me pull away, no matter how much I just wanted to drain him dry. But his words touched my humanity. I couldn't kill the man who just saved my life.

"I am so sorry." I whispered, the blood energizing me.

"He didn't look me in the eyes, and I knew at that moment he was thinking what I was thinking: I was a bloodthirsty, murdering monster.

Still, Alexander didn't drag me back to the wagon, and I saw in his dark blue eyes how much he loved me, no matter how big of a monster I was. I felt so sorry, that I didn't return those feelings. He was a good man.

"We have to hurry, they probably know that you're missing." He mumbled, pressing his shirt to his bleeding wrist. I tried my best not to think about the warm, sweet blood that was running from the puncture wounds.

I followed him, though I just really wanted to run back and get my brothers. I couldn't leave without them.

"Alexander, my brothers…" I trailed off, gazing at him.

"No, Elizabeth. I'm sorry, but if you go back, they'll kill you. Stefan and Damon can't come with you." He said sympathetically, knowing how close I was to them.

I sighed. "You're right. I'll come back for them when things settle down." I said stubbornly, and then started walking again. He sighed, but followed me.

After a while, Alexander stopped us. "I have to get back, or they'll suspect something." He said.

I nodded. "You're right; I don't want you to get in trouble for me." I said honestly, and then smiled shyly.

"Thank you, Alexander. I'll never be able to repay you." I murmured, gazing up at him.

His eyes softened, and he kissed my hand like the southern gentleman he was. "It was my pleasure, Miss Elizabeth." He murmured against my ivory skin.

I brought his face up, and kissed his lips lightly. It was wrong of me, letting my drastically shifting emotions lead him on, but I would never see him again.

I pulled away, and smiled coyly, as he gaped at me. "Goodbye, Alexander."

"Goodbye Elizabeth." He gasped, and then pressed a ring into my palm. "It will keep you same from the sun."

I smiled my thanks, and he gazed at me once more, before leaving.

I watched him walk away, feeling nothing but loneliness. Alexander went on to marry Louisa Jackson, the daughter of a local farmer who was in love with him. They had four sons and a little girl. Alexander was content with his life, but he secretly never got over the young vampire he rescued from a certain death.

I slid the ring onto my ring finger, and then continued walking down the path. I would run when I reached the end of town.

I was lost in my thoughts, which were whirling. My most constant one was if I would ever see my brothers again. Would they be old with children and grandchildren when I finally managed to come back? Would they be sure their little sister was dead?

Suddenly, I saw two figures in the middle of the road. They were far from me, but I couldn't hear any heartbeats. I ran with my new speed, and suddenly stood inches from the figures.

I gasped, and covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a sob. "No."

I was looking down at my brothers' bodies.

I covered my mouth as I bent down closer to them. Their empty eyes stared back up at me.

Why? Why? Tears fell down my cheeks, as I willed them to get up and say that it was just a joke, like they used to do, back before she came.

Anger flooded through me, as I thought about her. How she played both of my brothers, how she managed to destroy my family. Well, at least she was dead now, was all I could think.

What seemed like ages, I managed to stand up and convince myself that I should be leaving.

With one last anguished look at my brothers, I ran away from this town, leaving all the pained memories with it, but also my brothers.

That was the last time I ever thought I would see them again.