A/N: Thanks for the amazing reviews!
I'll begin updating more frequently until August 12 where I'll be having a 1 week break.
~~ Enjoy!
Chapter 2:
"Bethany! There's a letter for you!" Mom shouted downstairs.
I cringed at the sound of my full name, because I preferred being called 'Beth' or something else that sounded less… babyish.
Stepping out of my bed, I took a break from writing an upcoming essay in English to figure out who'd sent me a letter and why.
I rarely received any letters and when I did, it was mostly from my older relatives.
The letter was left on the table along with some letters for my father from the bank, so I opened it and half-expected seeing an early birthday card from my grandmother.
She always sent them late or early every year.
Oddly enough, she was always able to remember sending them at the right time whenever my brothers had a birthday coming up.
However, it wasn't a birthday card, but a beautifully written invitation that smelled sweet like red roses.
Please join the Mikaelson Family
This evening at seven o'clock
For dancing, cocktails, & celebration
Um… okay, I wasn't prepared for this to happen. I'd been invited to several parties before, but never a fancy ball that required me wearing an expensive dress I didn't own.
I turned the invitation around to see if there was more and noticed a message handwritten on the backside with a pen.
Save me a dance, my little phoenix.
~ K.
K? Who in the world was K? And why was he calling me a… oh, right.
The obnoxious vampire who apparently killed me last week.
I'd spent a week trying to push the memory of him out of my head and now the memory was back, seared into my mind.
"Who's the letter from, honey?" Mom asked curiously.
"An idiot I met last week. Apparently, his family is hosting a ball, but I'm not going even if I wasn't grounded," I answered. "When will Mark and Danny visit us?"
Currently, my older twin brothers were travelling around Europe, exploring the world and meeting exciting new people.
I envied them and their adventurous side, hoping I could join them one day.
"Are you sure you don't want to go? We rarely have these types of balls in Mystic Falls," Mom asked, reading the invitation. "Idiot or not, it could be fun."
"Is this your way of getting me out of the house, so you can have a romantic night with Dad?"
She'd done it before, so it wouldn't surprise me if this was another attempt to make me social.
"Yes, Beth. It is." My mother laughed and embraced me. "I do want you to go out and have fun. You're almost an adult and should enjoy your adolescence."
"I guess. But I still don't have a dress for the occasion."
"Hmm… I have an idea. If you go buy groceries for me, then there'll be something special waiting for you when you get home."
Ohh, I did enjoy surprises and if I went, I could try avoiding K Mikaelson… somehow.
Leaving the house, I walked to the stores to buy everything my mother needed for the romantic dinner tonight along with a few other things.
The grocery shopping went undisturbed by a certain vampire, but knowing that he'd figured out where I live, I kept looking over my shoulder to check if he was following me.
Hopefully, my parents wouldn't come in harm's way as revenge for infuriating him in the Grill.
Speaking of my parents, then both of them were waiting in the living room with an old box I suspected my mother retrieved from the attic.
I placed the groceries on the kitchen table and went to see what all the fuss was about, watching my mom taking out a beautiful and elegant ball dress.
It seemed to be from perhaps the early 90s and must've cost a lot, because it looked absolutely stunning. I allowed my fingertips to brush over the elaborate adornments.
The burgundy red and black dress was perfect in my eyes, but I dreaded it would be too tight or too long when I pulled it on.
"I wore it at my first ball. I think it will suit you perfectly as it did with me," Mom said and smiled.
I'd inherited her hair color and bright blue eyes, so perhaps I would be able to pull it off perfectly like my mother did once.
I pulled my mother in for a tight hug and thanked her for letting me borrow her ball dress.
She helped me getting into the dress since I only had a few hours to get ready and tried making it fit me as perfectly as she could.
"I could just sit in my room all night, you know," I said, feeling anxious about going to the ball. "I'll stay in my room, I promise. Or I could go to the Grill…"
"No, Bethany. You're going to this ball and having a fun night out. Why are you so anxious? Is this about the boy, who invited you?"
"… Did you do something different with your hair, Mom? I really like it," I tried changing the topic of the conversation, but she wasn't falling for it. "Okay, yes it is."
"Then tell him you're not interested."
Oh, how I wished it was that simple.
I stayed quiet as she curled my hair and pulled it up in a sophisticated bun, leaving only a few curly locks hanging loose.
Taking a deep breath, I walked downstairs in a pair of black pumps, trying appear graceful in this big dress.
My father stood by the end of the stairs and snapped a picture of me without warning me.
"Whoa! Hold up! Wait a minute. Who gave you permission to do that?" I asked accusingly.
"I need permission to take pictures of my daughter before her first ball?" Dad replied, taking another picture to annoy me.
God, why did parents have to be so embarrassing?
Flailing wildly, I hurried into the kitchen to avoid him and grabbed the car keys. I still wasn't sure if I would be able to drive a car in this dress, but I needed to keep my parents away from the vampire.
"Wait, where's your ring?" Mom asked when she noticed me.
"I left it in my room. It doesn't really match my dress," I answered.
"You need to wear it, Beth. It's important." She hurried upstairs to fetch it for me and watched me like a hawk as I slipped it back on.
"Okay… I'll be back before midnight. Behave while I'm gone, you two." I made the I'm-watching-you signal to them and headed out to the car, squeezing myself inside it.
Managing to get inside, I waved my parents goodbye and attempted finding the home of the Mikaelson Family.
Music, chattering and laughter filled my ears when I reached a stunning mansion near the woods that was lit up beautifully both inside and outside.
Some were drinking outside or having a cigarette while the newly arriving guests entered the grand entrance to greet the other attendees.
All of the founding families were present along with the families of those who were in the Town Council.
My mother used to be in the council, but decided to let someone else take her spot, because she had fallout with one of the members.
Only my father knew the reason behind why they argued and whom she argued with.
After spending five minutes trying to get out of the car, I approached the entrance and noticed Elena Gilbert from my History class, being escorted by the two Salvatore brothers.
Something strange was going on between the three of them, but I did not intend to try to figure out what it was.
It was none of my business anyway.
I entered the elegantly decorated mansion and was in awe of how beautiful everything was. It was almost as if the mansion was built for a duke rather than a wealthy family.
Then again, if this vampire was a part of the family, then his family members might be vampires as well.
Who knew how old they truly were?
"Amazed?" a familiar voice said beside me.
I turned and narrowed my eyes on the vampire, remembering how he stared hungrily at me the night he supposedly killed me.
"It's okay," I said, trying to sound unfazed. "I didn't come because you invited me, just for the record. And how did you even know where I live? That's seriously stalker-behavior."
He chuckled and offered me his hand, but I refused to touch him. "I never had the opportunity to properly introduce myself to you, Miss Dawson. My name is Kol Mikaelson."
Kol? Well, at least now I knew what the K stood for.
He ran his fingers through his untamable dark hair and had an air of danger around him that made the devilish glint in his eyes darker.
Kol Mikaelson had evil written all over him and was a person I needed to get far away from.
"I think you and I should start with a clean slate, yes?" he suggested.
"Well, Kol, you're an asshole for killing me and need to learn some manners before I'll talk with you," I noticed Matt standing near the grandeur stairwell and found an excuse to leave. "Excuse me, but I need to speak with a friend of mine."
Kol opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't bother waiting and hurried towards Matt.
"Matthew! Buddy," I said, smiling widely. "You got an invite too?"
"Yes, from Rebekah. And you?" he replied curiously.
So Rebekah was a part of the Mikaelson family…
I should've figured with the way she acted in school and always seemed to get whatever she wanted.
"I got one from her douche bag of a brother Kol. God, that man bothers me." I nodded in Kol's direction and rolled my eyes when I noticed Kol was flirting blatantly with some women.
"You should stay away from him, Beth. He's bad news. Trust me." Matt noticed one of his close friends and went to speak with them, so I went sightseeing around the mansion.
It appeared large enough for me to get lost in it, but fortunately, for me the crowd of people would make it easier for me to hide from Kol.
Or so I thought until I nearly walked into Kol again near the ballroom.
"Stop stalking me! Do you honestly think I'll want to befriend a vampire?" I asked, resisting the urge to slap that smug smirk off his face.
"Stalking you? I think it's the other way around. But then again… I don't blame you. I am very irresistible," he replied arrogantly. "Are you on vervain tonight?"
I frowned. "Am I on what? I'm not on anything and believe me – it's not difficult to resist you."
Kol laughed and suddenly leaned inappropriately close to me, his hand sneaking around my waist and causing my heart to beat faster.
"Bethany, I'm not your enemy. I invited you for a reason and hope you will join me for a dance later. I feel like we ought to know each other better."
"Pfft, sure. And by getting to know each other, you mean 'sexually harassing me'?"
A dark and playful smirked formed on his lips and he shook his head. "No, although that does sound entertaining. Perhaps later? Oh, how impolite of me… would you like a drink?"
He picked up a glass of bubbling champagne from a table nearby and offered me one, but I shook my head. "I'm driving tonight and I wouldn't dance with you even if I was drunk."
I pushed his hand off my waist and felt his hand grasp my wrist as I turned around to leave. He grabbed my hand and smirked charmingly as he leaned down to press his lips to it.
"I expect to see you in the ballroom soon, Miss Dawson. It's a pleasure to see you here and in such a stunning dress."
Snorting, I withdrew my hand and watched him join the rest of his siblings on the stairwell, because it was time for his family to welcome the many guests.
I found it uncomfortable that Kol stared at me during the speech by his older brother and contemplated on whether to hide.
He couldn't force me into dancing with him, right?
After his brother announced that it was time for the dance, Kol approached me with that frustrating smug smirk on his lips.
He bowed politely and offered me his hand to take, so he could escort me into the ballroom, making me scrunch up my nose.
"What part of 'I'm not dancing with you', didn't you get?" I asked angrily.
"How about I kill your beloved parents if you don't dance with me?" he replied, smiling sinisterly. "I hardly believe they will return the way you did."
I groaned and reluctantly decided to be his dance partner tonight.
Hearing the music starting, I tried following the movements of the others, because I wasn't familiar with the type of ballroom dancing they did.
I wasn't much of a dancer in general, but I didn't care if I accidentally stepped on Kol's feet tonight.
"My God, you are horrible at this," Kol commented, twirling me around. "Don't girls know how to dance in this century?"
"Oh, shut up! You sound like you were pulled out of the 20th century. Speaking of, why were you wearing old fashion clothes the night you savagely killed me?" I retorted.
Kol rolled his eyes. "Must you bring that up constantly? I wore the clothes, because I was neutralized for a century and stored up in a coffin by my brother Klaus. Hence, my appetite the night we met."
Wait, what? Jeez, my life was becoming freakier and freakier.
"So your entire family is vampires?" My heart was racing again and from the look on his face, I guessed that he could sense it.
"Don't be scared, little birdie. We won't bite you… hard. Now will you tell me how you survived my attack?"
I cussed under my breath and 'accidentally' stepped on his foot. "I don't know, okay? I honestly don't know. One minute I was dead and then I woke up. Satisfied?"
Kol twirled me around one more time and had he not killed me a week ago, I would've thought he was a pretty good dancer despite his exasperating personality.
His dark eyes were drawing me in like a moth to a flame, but I was aware of the consequences of getting too close to him.
"Have you ever heard of resurrection rings?" he asked curiously.
"Resurrection-what? I–"
My body was twirled around again and this time I changed dance partner, ending up with one of Kol's older brothers.
"I apologize on behalf of my brother, Kol. I overheard what he did to you and assure you that it won't happen again," his brother said politely. "My name is Elijah. Do you know what we are?"
"I do, yes. I won't tell anyone though. Not that anyone would believe me anyway," I replied and sighed. "So all of you are truly vampires?"
"Indeed. Except for my mother who is a witch. We merely want to live peacefully here, but Kol… he can be impulsive at times."
"Oh, I've noticed. Your brother needs to be on a leash."
Elijah glanced at his younger brother, who looked very much like him, and appeared concerned about something.
"I will have a word with him after this dance. Don't worry, Miss Dawson."
He twirled me around as well and the dance continued until I ended up with Kol again, who made no effort to behave like a gentleman.
Several times, I needed to prevent his hand from moving too low.
"I believe your beautiful ring is a resurrection ring," he said, continuing where we left off. "I've heard about them, but never seen it being used."
My family ring brought me back to life? It would explain my mother's behavior and the fact that my brothers never took them off, but…
That would mean my parents and brothers knew vampires existed?
And they'd deliberately kept it a secret from me in all these years.
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