I woke up, my body stiff and cramped from being curled up too long. The jacket that was tucked around my slipped from my shoulders as I moved.
"Ah, you're awake at last. Any longer and I would have thought you were dead" said an amused voice. I groaned and looked over at Elijah who was as neat and tidy as ever.
"How is it possible for you stay that tidy?" I muttered to myself "and if you dare say it's because you're a vampire then I'm going to stake you" I added the last bit after remembering that he could hear and would almost certainly reply.
"I wasn't going to say that, the reason I am still 'tidy' is because I have not been sleeping for over twelve hours in a car"
"I was asleep for that long? Wow" I looked out the window and saw green forests, mountains.
"Where are we?" I asked, not recognizing any of the surroundings. I noticed the look he gave me and quickly added "And when I say that, I mean are we almost wherever we're going? I know you won't tell me where we are"
"We are not far from our destination. We should reach there long before nightfall"
"Are we going to have to make anymore…stops?" I asked, tentatively. I prayed he'd say no. I couldn't stand to watch another hapless victim murdered. My nervous state seemed a source of amusement for him because he was smiling slightly. I wondered if he ever smiled properly. There was so little I knew about him.
"No Elena. Vampires, unlike humans, only require feeding a few times a week, instead of three times a day like you. However, we may make a stop for your convenience?" there was a question in his tone. I shook my head. I'd rather not stop until we got to our secret destination. Huh, this was a bit ironic. Only a little while ago I'd been wishing Stefan would whisk me away to a secret romantic destination like they do sometimes in the movies. Then what happens? I get kidnapped by Elijah and taken to some secret destination. Who ever said be careful what you wish for was right.
"I'm fine" I said, interrupting my internal monologue so I could answer the patiently waiting Elijah.
"Then we shall be there very shortly" he seemed in a good mood. I wanted to ask him something but I was worried he'd get angry.
"Umm…can I borrow your phone? Or have mine back?" I dared say it. His head shot sharply to look at me.
"Why?"
"Because Jenna will be worried about me if she doesn't hear anything. And Stefan too. Even if Damon does tell him I left town for a bit he'll worry" I said. It was most of the reason. The part I didn't say was that I was dying to hear some normal voices. He considered this information for a minute before pulling his phone from his pocket and handing it to me.
"You can ring your aunt, to reassure her. Stefan can wait" I nodded, grateful to even be allowed to talk to Jenna. I dialled the house number. She picked up quickly, probably hoping it would be Alaric.
"Gilbert residence" said Jenna's voice.
"Jenna? Hi it's Elena"
"Elena, how are you?"
"I'm good"
"So your break is helping?"
"Helping…?"
"For you to get over Stefan? I was a bit unsure on the idea of you leaving for a while at first but if it's helping…"
"Yeah, it is. I'm…feeling much better" I lied.
"Any idea when you'll be back?" I looked over at Elijah, waiting for an answer. He shrugged.
"Not sure yet. Might be a while"
"Okay honey. Make sure you call me regularly. You know I worry, and so does Jeremy"
"I'll ring in a few days" I promised.
"Oh, you might want to call Bonnie. She was looking for you earlier"
"Thanks Aunt Jenna. I will" I flipped the phone shut and handed it to Elijah "There, I made my call and I didn't do anything untoward"
"Good, you're learning"
"You compelled her didn't you?"
"Yes"
"I wish you wouldn't do that to people. Why did you tell her I'd broken up with Stefan, anyway?"
"I used the best of a bad situation. Stefan is trapped and shan't be contradicting me anytime soon. Besides, you aren't going to be seeing him for a while which is practically breaking up" I glared at the dashboard, then picked up the book I had discarded yesterday and was about to start reading when Elijah spoke again.
"I wouldn't bother. We're almost there, look" I peered out of the window and saw that the trees gave way to a stone wall, with a giant metal gate.
"You keep dinosaurs in there?" I said, sarcastically. He pulled up to the gate and they automatically swung open. The car started a slow ascent up an incredibly steep path.
The ground levelled out after a while. I looked out to see we were in a paved courtyard. there was a large white bungalow, with one wall made entirely from glass. Elijah parked the car in the garage and got out. He came round and opened my door for me. I got out and he picked his jacket up off the floor where I'd dropped it. I ignored the look of annoyance he shot me for sullying it, as he dusted it down.
"Where are we?" I asked, amazed as he led me into the house. The main room was incredibly light, due to the large windows. It was a living room with an adjoined kitchen, separated by a breakfast bar. The walls were painted white with only a few paintings on them, the floor was wood. The furniture and style was minimalist and very modern. There was a few sofa's and a glass coffee table in the centre of the room, atop a white rug and a bookshelf against one wall. Through a set of glass double doors I could see a walled back garden.
"This is my house, Elena. One of them anyway" he said,
"Your house? Wow…it's not what I was expecting" I had been expecting something more like the Salvatore boarding house, old fashioned, full of relics, books and dust.
"It is a recent addition to my list of properties. I acquired it shortly before I met you, I did not realise it would be useful so quickly" he chuckled to himself "Now, you are allowed to roam relatively free while you're here, unless of course you misbehave in which case I shall lock you up. Those two doors over there, you can't go through. The contents of those rooms are private and you may only enter if I allow you to. You are allowed to go into the back garden, but not the front. As you've noticed there is a rather steep hill, and I would hate to see you fall" he told me "any questions?"
"Yeah, which room is a bathroom?" I asked. He led me to a large bathroom that was furnished white and gold.
"Thank you" I said.
"Hmm, well I shall be in my study. Please, make yourself at home" he disappeared through one of the forbidden doors. Well, I decided to go outside and write in my diary, which I'd brought in with me (because I'd refused to put it in the bag in case something happened to it). After splashing cold water on my face I was ready to go outside.
I opened the double doors and slipped out. I discovered that the garden was split into two layers. The first was another courtyard style, with a large swimming pool in the centre. A set of steps led down to the second part of the garden which was taken up by a manicured lawn, bordered with flowers. I went down to the grass and opened my diary.
Dear Diary,
I am here, imprisoned in the middle of nowhere with a vampire who plans on killing me. I am not sure where I stand with him. Sometimes he looks at me like I'm a person, other times like I'm just an object.
I'm worried about Stefan, trapped in the tomb with Katherine. I'm worried about Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline…dare I say I'm even worried about Damon? Katherine told me that Klaus destroyed everyone she cared about. Will he do the same for mine, while I am held here? I may never return to Mystic Falls or I may return soon. Elijah refuses to discuss his plans, saying it is not my business. What is more my business then my life? Still, I know I can't change his mind so I won't try. My eyes are constantly open for opportunities to escape. Of course, if I do escape from this luxurious prison I don't know what I'll do because I don't know where I am. Which now I see was his idea.
I hope I see my family again, I hope I get free.
Elena.
I closed it, clasped it to my chest as I lay down on the grass. The sun was warm on my skin and I soaked it up. Only in sunlight did I feel safe nowadays, and even then not completely.
I lay there until the sky darkened once again. The grass had lost it's warmth and I was cold.
"Are you planning on lying there all night?" said Elijah. I jumped up, not realising that he'd been watching me. As I tried to calm my frantically beating heart, he approached and picked up my diary which I'd dropped. He held it out to me and I snatched it away.
"What do you want?"
"I came to ask if you were planning on coming in, since freezing out here wasn't part of my original plan. So, are you coming in?"
"Is this one of those questions where I only really have one choice?" I asked.
"Most definitely" he said, gesturing back to the house. I sighed and went in. The living room was lit by candle light, and a fire burned in a fireplace I hadn't noticed originally. Elijah nodded towards the breakfast bar where a single plate and glass lay.
"Why don't you eat? Damon told me vampires could eat human food"
"We can, I just don't require it and find it pointless to pretend as something I'm not" I pointed at the glass on the coffee table.
"Yet you drink?"
"Yes, indeed I do. However, no one gains nutrition from alcohol Elena so by consuming it, nothing changes" I was slightly confused by his obscure logic so I went to the kitchen and sat down to eat my dinner which appeared to be some sort of pasta dish. I wondered if he'd cooked it. Well, it was nice whoever made it.
When I finished I hovered uncertainly between the kitchen and living room. Elijah had his back to me and was contemplating his glass of whatever it was.
"Is there something particularly attractive or unusual about the back of my head?" he asked, not turning.
"No. it's pretty much the same as the rest of you" he turned, a wicked smile on his face.
"And how is that?" I just shrugged.
"I'm tired" I said, changing the subject.
"How can you possibly be tired after the copious amount of sleep you had?" he asked, shaking his head "I feel that this is just an excuse to get away from me"
"You're feeling is right" I said, bluntly. There was no point pretending otherwise "No offence but I spent enough time in direct proximity to you during the journey"
"Well I hate to disappoint you Elena but I only have one bedroom" his smile was wider now.
"You don't need to sleep" I pointed out.
"Yes I do, just not as much as you do" I groaned.
"You have got to be kidding me"
"No, I am not"
"Fine" I said, sitting on one of the leather sofa's. I intended to wait him out and see which one of us gave up first. Of course he knew exactly what I was up to.
"It won't work Elena. I have far more patience then you do" I ignored him and just stared at my hands until I started yawning.
"Elena, just give up and go to bed" he ordered, pointing at one of the rooms. I gritted my teeth to fight back my venomous comment and went in.
Wow, this was nice. The room was as tastefully decorated as the rest of the house with a large double bed, the covers white with gold trim. There was an ensuite bathroom so I brushed my teeth.
When I came out of the bathroom Elijah was sitting on the end of the bed. I jumped.
"You are going to give me a heart attack if you keep doing that" I warned him. He shrugged to show he didn't care.
"I don't suppose there are any pyjama's around here?" I asked, looking around.
"no"
"of course not, because that would be too helpful" looked like I was sleeping in my underwear again. Which I was not very happy about, considering apparently I was sharing. Elijah disappeared into the bathroom so I quickly undressed and hopped into bed. It was a relief to be on a proper bed instead of a cramped car.
"I take it my furniture lives up to expectations?" he said, icily as he came back in. Shirtless. I closed my eyes briefly to stop myself gawping at him. He was…pretty toned and muscular. Those tailored suits certainly did their job of hiding it.
"It's okay" I shrugged, when I'd returned to my senses.
"Huh" he slid into the bed next to me and I made sure that there was lots of space between us.
"Goodnight Elena" he said, politely.
"Goodnight" I said, curtly as I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes.
A/N: next chapter is Elijah's but you'll have to wait for a while because I'm going away from my computer for a bit, so if it's not up by the time I leave, the earliest it will be up is late Sunday.
