Introduction:
His heart thumped unevenly as he felt the distant chill of nothingness melt away in his soul- or whatever was left of his humanity- while he circled the cobblestone streets of historic Savannah, Georgia. His piercing blue eyes floated over tourists, townies and depressed teenagers without a single thought except that the people reminded him of a crowded interstate with blazing red taillights leading him to his destination.
He was known for his impulsive decisions- but this was by far, the most passionate one he'd made in many moons. His reasoning? He couldn't find solitude until he was met with the eyes of the writer that cursed him with restlessness. The prompt was designed by him to award "lucky" girls scholarships because he had infinites amount of money and he wanted to do something honorable with it… okay, that wasn't the whole truth. He decided in order to get a flow of youthful girls through his mansion, he would need an excuse for them to come over in large groups with hopeful doe eyes.
Create a love story that is unexpected and coveys raw emotion.
Of course, the cheer camp leaders altered his prompt to sound more child-like as if they were speaking to simple minded people. He recalled the first statement from her essay:
"He hides behind a mask of currency that shelters him from the cold, hard reality of it all. He is dead. His life is over and every second he spends in a purgatory designed only for him, he realizes that he is not only dead, he is wholly alone."
It wasn't written by a simple minded person.
His brain continued to recite her words while he searched for the hotel that housed the cheerleaders. It was right next to the gym where they trained. The cheer camp was extremely expensive, hence the fancy hotel rooms and private gyms. It only took place one week in the middle of April and then three weeks during the summer. "And she-she is bare under the bright lights of popularity that expose the cold, hard reality of it all. She is head. Her life is over and every second she spends in a crowded purgatory designed only for her, she realizes that she is not only dead, but she is utterly miserable with company."
He walked by the hotel security, to the elevator where he pressed the button for the top floor. He hoped she wouldn't slam the door in his face because he was completely vulnerable in that moment. When he matched the room number to the envelope in his pocket, he knocked once.
Twice.
Three times, until a blonde girl opened the door, "Elena Gilbert?" He asked in his beautiful accent, "I'm Klaus Mikaelson, the-"
"Elena!" The girl called rudely, "Some guy is at the door or whatever…" The blonde walked away as another girl approached the door. Her skin was the color of an almond and her hair was pulled back.
"Elena Gilbert?" He asked her, a little disappointed if it was.
"Elena!" The girl called. "Door! Sorry, she just got out of the shower. We're running a little late for a brunch. What is this about?"
"The scholarship."
She snorted. "Which one? Elena is constantly applying for scholarships."
"The-" He finally saw her, catching the glimmer of her brown eyes and the smell of Shea butter on her olive skin. He was taken aback by her appearance.
Impossible… Katerina couldn't have… no… But that's the only reasonable answer.
"I'm Elena." She smiled sweetly, "Klaus? Did I get that right?" She was flirting with him while only wearing a towel. She was happy. Friendly. A true teenage girl that had everything in the world. It was in those pretty brown eyes of hers that had him speechless for the first time in a century.
"Yes, you did." He didn't want to flirt back, but something blocked his common sense to snatch her up and perform the sacrificial ritual as soon as possible.
"That's a nice name…for a nice face." Elena smirked, "What can I do you for?" She purred seductively even if she was only sixteen years old.
"Well…" He laughed, taken aback by her forwardness. "I read your submission and I like it…no, I love it. Do you want to go somewhere else…so we can talk about it?" Savannah was beautiful during April and he was positive she hadn't been out much.
"Ye-"
"Elena!" The blonde said sternly, trying to whisper when she pulled her back from the tiny hallway. "Firstly, you're with Matt and I don't condone this one bit. Secondly, ew. Just ew. He's too old. Thirdly, brunch with the camp counselor, like now…"
"Tell her I'm sick." Elena shrugged, "Klaus, don't you think my education is far more important compared to, I don't know, a sex in the city themed brunch with Tina?"
Klaus liked her. She had a certain fire about her that made him want to laugh. "Education is very important." He said, "I'll have you back by the time you can say Carrie."
"Carrie." The blonde said, "Well I guess that's goodbye for you! If you want to talk about the scholarship, send a letter, an email even but I don't think you should come back here. No, I know you shouldn't come back here. Bye, now."
She slammed the door in his face. He stood outside for a few minutes until he heard two people go into the bathroom and another person head for the door once more. "You waited." She laughed, "Do you read minds or something?"
"Ha ha. No. I don't read minds, just people." He said, "I really do want to talk about your submission."
"And I really do have a boyfriend so…"