Elena was nervous, tetchy. She whom was normally so brave had grown skittish and easily startled, any movement from the corner of her eye, any shadow, causing her to jolt. The french call it à fleur de peau. An expression meant to convey a sensitivity and nervousness so exacerbated, that one might bolt at the slightest graze to the skin. Elena wasn't sure why she remembered this now as she padded nervously from her room to her bathroom. Though she'd never admit it, deep down she knew that Katherine was to blame, and perhaps that added to her perturbance. She didn't want to let her win, didn't want anyone to know. But after having seen her face to face, having heard her voice in a whisper against her ear and her slender, cool fingers ghosting across her collarbone- her mind paused at that memory, goosebumps forming across her skin as if her doppelgänger was with her in the room, recreating the exact gesture that caused the sensation in the first place. She took a shaky breath steadying herself over the sink, looking up in the mirror; it seemed even her own reflection could betray her at any moment. Paranoid, perhaps, but justified: Katherine could come and go as she pleased, in and out of her home, unprompted. Anywhere she went, people would mistake her for Elena... and her identity was slowly slipping away from her grasp.
She stared at the glass, steeling herself with determination. 'I can't let her do my head in, it's exactly what she wants, I can't let her have...' Her grip on the cold porcelain tightened. 'I can't let her have that. I can't let her ruin my life without me even leaving the house.' Brown eyes stared back at her and she blinked, suddenly startled. They had hardened and for a moment, they'd looked like Katherine's. No, no, no. Elena refused to acknowledge any resemblance beyond superficial, physical similarities. They were different people and that was reflected in their gait, their gestures, their voices... and their eyes, right? She tried to swallow but her throat felt too tight, her eyes still riveted on her image. Her image. Not Katherine's. That seemed to reassure her until for a brief moment, the blink of an eye, her gaze seemed to sharpen with an extra edge to it, and her mouth tugged up into a smirk. She stumbled backwards and shook her head, seeing only herself mirroring her every gestures. A groan rumbled out of her throat as she'd had enough and finally turned away, turning the shower on before stripping her clothes off, tossing them about the floor in frustration before stepping in. She hugged herself for a moment, still tense, until the warm water's steady drumming against her skin got her to gradually relax.
That wasn't meant to last.
The moment she reached for the soap, rubbing it into her hands, and spreading it on her skin, her mind went to Katherine again, making the inevitable association between their hands and fingers. Elena hadn't spent enough time with her, being touched by her- good lord that sounded wrong- to know the differences, and soon enough the tension had returned to her nerves, muscles knotting in response to every single rub as she soaped herself up. Suddenly this shower, meant for her to unwind, had turned into a nightmare and she hurriedly washed up, not wanting to think about her about being touched by her. Her weight shifted anxiously from foot to foot waiting for the shower gel to rinse off completely so that she may get out, not unlike a thoroughbred waiting to burst from the starting gate. It was with a sigh of reassurance that she finally stepped out, pausing to twist her hair above the drain, squeezing it of excess water before grabbing a towel, rubbing through it vigorously to help it dry, then wiping her body down. That too had become awkward where it once was natural. Her body, so familiar had grown foreign as her mind fought with itself, one side curious, wondering about Katherine's, while the other insisted on its dignity, screaming that she didn't care, didn't want to know, didn't need to know. Relief flooded over her as she looked up to see the mirror had fogged up from the steam, and she could no longer see herself, that she no longer had to be subjected to the psychological torture of constant comparison. Picking her clothes up off the floor, she was careful not to hold them too close to her body, or the towel, so as not to get them wet, tossing them in the laundry bin across her room. Damp, her hair waved and curled loosely as if thrilled by the hydrating it had just received, settling in its natural state, where it was normally straightened, with the parching heat of a flat iron. Elena didn't think anything of it as she flicked on the lights, tossing her clothes and her towel to the laundry bin, nude as the day she was born, her skin glowing with the cleanse and heat of steam and water...
Until she looked up to her mirror.
Her heart leapt to her throat, and her stomach flipped, feeling sickened as she whirled around as quickly as humanly possible, stumbling a little as she sought out balance and instinctively tried to cover herself, as modestly as possible.
"Now then... this isn't anything I haven't seen before, Elena."
Katherine was sitting on the edge of her bed, her lips curved into a dangerous cat-like smile, as her eyes slowly and unashamedly roamed up Elena's body. A puma, staring at a new toy it could rip apart at any instant, her voice slightly husky and lazy, relaxed as if she weren't a threat at all.
"Although... I am curious as to just how much I actually have seen..."
One of her hands rose to her hair, twirling a strand of polished brown around her finger. There was the difference, between the way they moved. Katherine was deliberate in everything she did, like she'd precisely calculated every gesture, as if playing a game of chess or performing for an audience- in a sense she was, always performing, always planning- where Elena was a lot less self aware. The movement drew Elena's eyes to her hand, her insides knotting as she remembered how those cold fingers felt against her collarbone, as well as how her hair in its natural state mirrored Katherine's voluminous waves. The vampiress chuckled lightly, noting Elena's pose as she got up from the bed.
"Besides... you look like the Venus de Botticelli. Not exactly a beacon of modesty."
Olive turned to red as her blood pumped furiously in her veins and Elena stood there humiliated. She knew the painting, hadn't meant her pose to be enticing but she was backed up in a proverbial corner. If she moved to try and get some clothes or her pjs, or anything to cover herself really, she'd expose her body for Katherine to see, either by turning around or having to use her hands to reach for something. She didn't want to give her the satisfaction, even if in covering herself she was playing right into her game. It was a Pyrrhic victory, but to Elena, hanging on to her stubborn convictions was enough of a win. There wasn't much she could do but clamp her arms down harder against her body, eyebrows tightly knit as she gave Katherine a piercing gaze. The Vampiress tilted her head to the side, pleased by the sound of Elena's heart speeding up, changing her blood flow. She glanced down at the hand she'd use to toy with her own hair, as if disinterested. Elena frowned, her facial muscles tightening in irritation. She was being toyed with and she didn't like it one bit.
"What do you want from me Katherine?"
Katherine's attention returned to Elena. In reality, her focus had not once left her descendant and doppelgänger, but she enjoyed messing with her mind. She gave her a falsely puzzled look, as if her intentions had been laid out as clearly as a map on a table.
"I think... you already know the answer to that question, Elena."
Katherine walked towards Elena, her hips swaying with the sexual confidence and the natural assurance of a woman who'd perfected herself over five hundred years of existence. Elena's muscles drew impossibly tight and she stood erect, refusing to step back, to give in under pressure. She froze all but forgetting to breathe as Katherine curled her index under her chin, holding it with her thumb, forcing her to lift her head as she examined her. She leaned in and Elena flinched as Katherine seemed to breathe the scent of her blood, hovering under her skin. Right before her lips brushed against the curve of her neck before trailing back up to her ear, Elena sputtered.
"I'm on vervain!"
Katherine chuckled, smirking a little as she replied in a whisper.
"So am I."
She pulled back, wanting to look into Elena's eyes again, to see the look of shock on her face. She was met with a resentful glare. Katherine quirked her mouth, shaking her head slightly, her hair rippling with the movement.
"You and I are more alike than anyone could think..."
Elena swallowed hard and licked her lips, as they'd gone dry.
"I'm nothing like you!"
Katherine's gaze seemed to soften, as if this reminded her that Elena was a baby. She trailed her free hand down Elena's arm from her shoulder, leaving a trail of goosebumps and flared skin behind it, following it all the way to the hand that was covering her chest, forcefully lacing her fingers between Elena's from the back of her hand, gripping the spaces between them, their hands fitting as neatly together as puzzle pieces. Elena tensed again but offered no real resistance as her ancestor paused there, hand over hers against her chest.
"Eram quod es, eris quod sum."
Elena didn't know latin, didn't recognise the quote, and didn't want to ask, knowing Katherine would be all but too happy to tell her. Or, more frustratingly, withhold that information from her, just to see her squirm. She already hated the way her skin responded to the other woman's touch, hated herself for not putting up more of a fight, however futile. Katherine's hand pulled at hers, trying to expose her chest, and though tense, Elena didn't pull it back towards her. She felt a slight squeeze, as if nonverbally being rewarded for her obedience, and her cheeks burned in embarrassment.
"Exact replicas... down to the dusky shade of your nipples, and the way they have a little more pink in some areas. The same patterns."
Her individuality was threatened further, and Katherine was caught between her narcissism and her own fear: the idea she was just the shadow of a shadow. She chased away those thoughts, projecting onto Elena by tormenting her. She could tell, by the slight tremors in the girl's body, that her sacro-sanct indignation was threatened, that her curiosity was begging to burst from its restraints, begging for satisfaction. Katherine would break the mental prison binding it, that much she was certain of. Her fingers trailed down Elena's sides, trickling past her ribcage noting the way it expanded as her breath seem to skip, but still Elena didn't move away. Wide hipbones exactly like hers, delicious lines under her skin attracting attention. Katherine's index traced it, just to feel the twitch as her hand found Elena's other one, the one covering her intimacy. Elena's lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but whatever it was, couldn't seem to leave her throat. Katherine could hear the deafening thrum of her pulse, and it didn't take vampire hearing to note the way her breath had grown uneven and shaky. Elena wanted her to stop, but made no attempt to do so, didn't even attempt to say so. Even if she would refuse to admit it, she wanted Katherine to keep looking, keep touching, she was letting her, and the vampire knew, just by the way her vitals quickened, and her pupils dilated that she wanted it. Though Elena may have been in denial, they shared a connection, drawn to one another, and Katherine suspected that was the motor, the driving force behind both of their actions or lack thereof. She lifted Elena's hand off of herself and moved it aside slowly, her eyes riveted to her pubic region. Bare. Katherine tilted her head to the side.
"Modern girl. I like it."
Elena seemed briefly confused at the statement before arching an eyebrow understanding the implication of yet another difference. Katherine tilted her head to the side with a little smirk.
"I do keep up with the times too. But perhaps my choice of style is influenced by older sensibilities. Maybe it's time to take it a step further... So no matter how close they get, no one would be able to tell the difference by sight alone. The only way..." she started her last line in a whisper leaning forward, still holding Elena's chin, their faces growing dangerously close. Elena's pulse buzzed in her ears and she closed her eyes, her head screaming at her to move away, to say something, anything. It was to no avail, and as Katherine's lips brushed against hers, the wind left her lungs. And suddenly it was gone. Her eyelids fluttered open on her empty bedroom, no trace of her doppelgänger safe for the way her window curtains waltzed in the breeze. Unsure whether or not she was still being watched- or listened to, Elena did not allow herself to break down. She gasped for air however, struggling to inhale and exhale normally, frustrated at the way Katherine had left her breathless, and trying not to think of the way she had just stood there and let her... She bit her lower lip trying to yank her mind back from these thoughts and hurriedly headed towards her dresser, pulling out the PJ tanktop and shorts.
Her hair was nearly dry now, but she had no the energy or the strength to straightened before sleeping. And there was a more pressing issue at hand: the Latin phrase Katherine had spoken. It had sounded familiar in a way, though she knew she'd recognise it if she'd known it. She reached for her phone as she flicked the lights off to her room, walking back to her bed- carefully avoiding the spot where Katherine had sat on it, as she typed away in the search bar of the web browser.
She nearly dropped her phone as google displayed the answer, taking in another shaky breath.
"I was what you are, you will be what I am".