CHAPTER SIX
"Cece, get up. Come on."
I opened my eyes slowly, and smiled. "Damon." My voice comes out raspy and weak, barely audible. He returns the smile and starts tugging at the chains, except they don't move at all. "Damon?" He begins to slowly fade away. "Damon, no, please." He's completely faded now. I groan and rest my head on the cold rock behind me. I'm hallucinating again. According to my calculations, I've been in this tomb for two and a half weeks now. I'm starving very slowly and I can't imagine it's too long before I begin to desiccating. I've lost count of how many hallucinations I've had now. The first one was Jeremy, the second Stefan and then after that pretty much anyone and everyone in Mystic Falls. Each time, I get my hopes up. I think that someone has come to save me, I'm getting out of here. And every time, I am wrong. Where are Stefan and Damon? Stefan knows that it's something to do with Katherine, surely? Maybe they don't want me back, maybe they think I cause them too much trouble, maybe they think that it will be easier without me. What happens if they never find me? Maybe, this is it for me. And with that thought replaying on loop around my head, I close my eyes and hope that I don't wake up again.
(Damon POV)
It's been three weeks since Cece has gone missing and it's almost unbearable. We've been tearing the town apart. She's nowhere to be seen. Katherine has disappeared completely and it worries me. She's got her revenge. Cece is probably suffering and Stefan and I are just standing around hoping she'll turn up on our doorstep. I quickly chuck my leather jacket on and start to walk towards the door, when Stefan shouts "Damon? What are you doing?"
I look at him and smirk, "what does it look like? I'm going to find our sister."
"Wait! Bonnie said she has information." And after seeing the look on my face, he added "Damon, come on, give her a chance."
"Give her a chance, Stefan? She's part of the reason Cece is missing! She helped Katherine!" Two days after Cece and Katherine disappeared, Elena came to our doorstep crying, telling us that Bonnie had just told her that she had been in league with Katherine.
"Damon, she has information as to where we can find her! If you don't trust her, trust me, for Cece's sake." I sighed, returned to the sofa and poured myself a bourbon.
"Just so you are aware Stefan, if this is a waste of my time, I'm snapping the little witch's neck."
Ten minutes later, Bonnie was sitting uncomfortably on the sofa opposite my brother and I. She hastily explained that she had put a spell on Cece in order to weaken her, giving Katherine enough time to give her a shot of vervain. She then later told us that she believes she heard Katherine informing a younger vampire of Cece's whereabouts.
I got impatient and smashed my glass on the floor and flashed my most menacing smile at the young witch, "so Bon Bon, where is she?"
"Well, I'm not entirely certain – I mean, I could be wrong, but-"I allowed my fangs to escape and I glared at her. "I think she's in the tomb. The one Katherine was in." I was out of the door in an instant, not even waiting for my brother to catch up. The tomb, of course! How could I have been so stupid? But that means that if Cece's in the tomb, she's being deprived of blood and very likely, starving. When I arrive at the tomb, I'm surprised to say the least that there is not magical force field thing guarding the tomb. This means that the other 26 vampires that were trapped within the tomb with Katherine were gone. Does that mean Cece's gone too? I rush through every turn possible in the tomb until I stumble across her body. A wave of anger surges through me as I see what Katherine has done to her. She's lying there still; both arms and legs restrained my chain. Her skin is sheet white and sweat covers her face. The black veins of desiccation have begun creeping up her bare arm, and within closer inspection a 'K' has been etched into her wrist using vervain. I immediately begin to break the chains that have hold on Cece and when she is free I try to wake her up. She stirs and then looks up at me miserably. "Damon?" I attempt to smile at her and the lift her up onto her feet, but she crumples to the floor instantly. I pick her up, legs in one arm, neck and head in the other until she is lying comfortably against my chest. She whimpers and croaks, "no, not again. No more! No more hallucinations!" She begins to sob.
"No, no, no. Cece it's really me! I'm really here, look! I'm carrying you; a hallucination wouldn't be able to do that." She stops crying, whispers my name softly and then blacks out and goes limp. I turn and begin to run home.
When I get back, Stefan is pacing back and forth, however he freezes when he notices Cecelia. I lay her gently on the sofa and then turn to Stefan, "we need blood. Now." He rushes out of the living room, to his mini fridge of blood bags in the basement. I sit down on the floor next to Cece and stroke her messy black hair. "She's gonna be ok", I tell myself. And as Stefan begins to pour the blood into her dry mouth, I swear to myself that Katherine and Bonnie will pay for what they have done.