Chapter 4. An Unfixable Rubik's Cube
She frowns.
How's that possible? How's anything possible?
She looks at the ceiling, well… she stares at the ceiling—from her position on the bed. How could some encouraging words make her do something so radical. So, unlike her. Something so… terrifying strong.
A small smile forms on her lips but fades at the same time. It was fun for a second, feeling so powerful. But the after effects aren't fun at all. She's still scared as hell. And not in the anxious kind-of-way but her body is trembling constantly and her skin itches everywhere; her heartbeat is thumping so fast that she can feel it against the pulse point in her throat. What if he comes in here and decides to kill her anyway or worse..?
She shivers. This isn't her life. How exactly can this be her life right now?
She can't stay in her room forever, that was a stupid thought and she isn't going to ask Adelaine if she wants to help because that would be pathetic. Even for her. If she would eventually go down that road than Matilda can mock her as much as she wants.
She has to stay herself. That's clear by now. And somehow—being in this new situation… she came to the conclusion that she hates to depend on other people. She hates being depended. If she can't stand on her own legs, how can she survive this… how exactly does she keep surviving this? What is there to be survived? Will things just go on like this forever or what? Well, on the other hand… Perhaps she doesn't even want to know why she's here. No matter what it is, she knows for sure that it involves Klaus in some way. And that is—no. She has to stop thinking about it.
She nods to herself and sits up, rolling her shoulders back and stretching her feet, until the circulation in her knees comes back to life.
She jumps to her feet. And looks out of the window of a second. The sun is shining.
She giggles a little. Funny metaphor. She shakes her legs and her arms and her head to get the tingling out of her body and smiles even brighter. She breathes in. She's going to do this. She's going to be herself, and do whatever it is that comes with that. And then…well, something has to happen. Everyone keeps telling her to be herself so.
-0-
She strolls down the hallway.
"You're really human, aren't you?" Someone calls out.
Isa stills. Where did that come from? She looks at the two doors on her right.
There comes an eerie laugh from her left. "Left door."
Should she do this? Why not? She shrugs and turns the doorknob and pushes the door open. She gasps with what she sees… Katherina is hanging in the middle of the room, a knife in her chest, from which blood is seeping onto the floor. Each of her wrist is wrapped in a chain and so are her legs. She hanging in a star-fish-form. Her head hanging between her arms.
She exhales and she realizes that she has held her breathe the entire time. Why was the door not locked? Did he want her to see this? Just to mock her? Anger rises from her being, while sincere tears pool in her eyes. "D-did he do this to you?" She whispers, her voice barely audible.
"Don't be stupid. Who else?" Katherina laughs eerily and looks up at her. "Apparently, This is what you get when you don't do what he wants. And this is nothing in comparison for what is waiting for me, if I don't get out of this. He wants to torture me because death would be kind or something." The look in her eyes gets serious. "This is what is waiting for you. Do you understand me?"
Isa doesn't know how to react. Her entire skin stings and unconsciously she begins to scratch her arms again. "Why? Why would he do such horrible things? How can he even think of them?"
She stumbles forward, almost falling over her own feet and stares at Katherina and the knife in her chest. She feels like crying and screaming. But she won't.
"Oh, don't look at me like that. Unless, it's going to magically snap these chains…I don't really need your pity." She bites as if the words are venom. "Besides, we can turn off a switch as a vampire. It's stop us from feeling. And if you're around as long as he is… you've seen some things. Not that that's a great excuse."
Isa stares at her in wonder. "How can you say something like… that. W-when you're like this?"
"When you're on this planet for 500 years, running from him, you've seen enough things to not be surprised anymore. Things tend to get predictable when you're vampire." Katherina averts her eyes sideways. "Not that I regret making that decision. It did what I had to do to survive." And she looks directly at Isa, again. As if there supposedly a message hidden in those words.
Isa rubs her arms. "Perhaps…" She isn't really surviving now, is she? Or perhaps, Katherina is in her own way. Isabelle doesn't know her. Though…
"Why did he does this to you? Why did you need to be a vampire?" They both know the word 'monster' is linked to that.
She breathes in and numbs her thoughts for a second before pulling the knife out. And lets it clatter to the ground. Frantically, rubbing her hands over each other. She shakes her head. How is this even possible? It's wrong.
"Look at me." Katherina snaps.
Isa complies, frowning. Katherina pupils dilate. "Get me down."
Isa bites her lip and looks to the ground instead. "Sorry, that won't work on me. I have some kind of build-in vampire defense mode."
"What?"
"Honestly, I don't know. That's what Adelaine, Matilda and Roxy keep telling me… I just noticed that I can't be compelled with drinking that… that herb thing-y."
"Vervain."
"Yes. I don't need it. Vampires can't drink my blood either. So… yeah."
Katherina sighs, but still looks curious, though her black eyeliner running down her face kind of ruins that. "Great. Okay, you can go now. This is a waste of my time."
"No." Isa snaps before thinking about it but her eyes harden anyway. Even when her insides turn around, seeing the black veins growing on Katherina's face. She's a monster too. But she can't do anything to Isa. "Tell me. I need to know more about him, about what he does to people. And nobody in this bloody house is telling me anything. And it's not like you can do anything to me or can go anywhere."
Katherina scowls. Isa counts that as a win. Being strong and mouthing her thoughts feels good now. But she doesn't feel very powerful, knowing that if Katherina wouldn't be in those chains that things would've ended very differently for her.
"You're sure that you're up for that, huh? The cold, hard truth. You think you can handle that?"
Isa nods firmly and crosses her arms over her chest to state her point.
"Well, get yourself comfortable then, because it's quite a long, dramatic story, Klaus and I. It all started around 1490, in Bulgaria when I was still human. I was just giving birth to a baby girl but having a baby at a wedlock was an unholy thing. They weren't very accepting of my indiscretions back then. And well…"
-0-
"… And I survived ever since."
Isa eyes are big in wonder, awe and confusion. They have been like that ever since Katherine started her story as to how she became a vampire. "Y-you ran for 500 years?"
"Better than getting caught by him. I will do whatever is needed to protect myself."
"But you killed yourself."
Katherina moves her shoulders. And the chains rattle. Isa takes it as a shrug. "Like I said already. I did what I had to do to survive."
Isa looks at the ground. She feels really small right now. Who the hell does she think that she is? She can't stand up against that? He will kill her. He will make her entire existence miserable. And Isa is different from Katherina in many ways. She would never kill herself. And she can admit to herself that isn't because that's just weak and wrong and easy. Because it isn't easy at all. She wouldn't have the guts to do it. But still—it doesn't seem right. She would condemn herself to run and once you start, you never stop. How can you? It's not your choice any more than.
Katherina eyes her. "So, would you want it? A little sip of my blood is all you need. The knife is right there." Isabelle can't even comprehend how this woman can be so strong, so full of fire after all this. How can she can literally hang on an inch of her life and smile vindictively at her. She can smile. What the bloody hell does that mean?
"No." Isa states again but this time, calm with a soft voice, fidgeting with the side of her sweater. "I couldn't do it. And not only because I wouldn't dare but because I wouldn't… want to kill innocent people just for me to survive. I would rather give my life instead." She shrugs feeling more weak by the second.
"Okay. Be weak. Your choice. But don't come running to me when you've suddenly realized what's waiting for you. I won't help you." Katherina bites out, her dark-brown curls fanning over her face.
Isa stares at the ground. "I don't know what's waiting for me. I have no idea why I'm here. But if it's anywhere near… w-what you've gone through. Than I'd rather die, I guess."
"How could you say that? Are you seriously so weak that you value nothing about yourself? I can't even understand that you look like Alexandra. You're nothing like her. She was brave and courageous. She was strong and would nobody let her tell otherwise. You're weak. Pathetic even. You just let him win on beforehand."
Isa frowns. And looks confused. "Who are you talking about? Why do you keep saying that name?"
Suddenly, Katherina look swims with fear and struggle. The vampire looks from left to right as if she's searching a place through which she can run. "I-...I can't." She bends her head back in struggle and groans.
"What do you mean?"
"Klaus compelled me. He's always a step ahead. Of everyone. He never leaves things to chance. So apparently, he knew you would come and try to rescue me. Or look for answers. Curious are we?"
"But you're vampire. You are the one that compels." Isa points out accusingly. This is in no way related to Ellen. It isn't. Perhaps…
"Originals can compel other vampires. Seriously, how can you know so little and still be standing?"
Isa shuffles uncomfortable on her feet. "Baffles me." She mutters.
"—Probably because he lets you." Katherine replies, as if she's thinking very hard about it. Trying to fix Isa's unfixable Rubik's Cube.
"Why does everyone keep telling me it's about choices? The choices that I let him make or that I make or that he makes for me… what happened to faith and believes? To aspirations? Is everything about which motives someone has?"
"Pretty much, yeah. Please stop thinking that you have control in any of this because you don't. He does. It's getting irritating really. I made that mistake before. So just take my advice on that."
Isa is sure that if her hands would be lose that she would be looking at her nails or something casual. As if this is casual. Not again with the whiplash. "B-but everybody has their motives. Our opinions and thoughts behind our actions and words makes us who we are. As beings on this earth. And I don't believe that there are natural evil people in this world. So, everyone has good in them. Therefore, perhaps—everyone is right. I need to find good in him."
"WHAT? Are you really that stupid? Didn't you just listen to a word that I said?"
"I did. But that doesn't mean that I have to see things in your perspective."
Katherine scowls again. "This is really stupid. Who are you even?"
Oh, Isa thinks. She hasn't really introduced herself. Not that anyone asked. "I'm Isabelle Williams." She awkwardly pulls back the hand that she held out. It's not like Katherina can actually shake it.
Katherina looks at her in disgust. "How young are you? You're just a child-"
"I'm seventeen." Isa interrupts. "Don't call me a child, please. You might be all old but not everyone has a life-span of forever."
For some weird reason Katherine actually chuckles and looks at her with something that is close to friendly. But it's replaced with that vindictive grin of hers. As if she contemplating killing her now or torturing her and then killing her later. It's unsettling. Is this like this with all vampires? "He will ruin you. You're nothing more than an innocent, naïve little mouse in his eyes. "
Isa shrugs. She's still a teenager and she's still skeptic. "A mouse with a defense mechanism against him, then." She smiles a little even.
Katherine clenches her hands together in fists and growls. Trying to move the chains as if she wants to get out of it. "Argh, if I could only tell you. You would see how vindictive he is. How evil. He has nothing good in mind for you, Isabelle. He never does for nobody but himself. Get that in that funny, little mind of you. Before it's too late—if it isn't already. You can't stand up against him, no-one can. All you can do right now, is save yourself."
Isa stares at her with a wary expression in her eyes. It's admirable. Even Isa realizes that there's no way out for Katherina. Isa can't help her. Klaus has compelled Katherina, so that she can't leave. Isa doesn't have to ask. She isn't stupid. But still—still Katherina keeps on grinning and being strong and pushing forward. As if there's no obstacle. And she can keep standing and moving on, if she just keeps trying to save herself.
It's really strong and admirable.
Perhaps, she should be more like Katherina; strong and accepting no nonsense. Just moving on and keep on going. Isa actually wishes that she could be like that.
She's a little lost on what to do. She can't keep Katherina hanging there, can she?
"I'll be fine, little mouse." Katherina says, almost on cue, while she grins downwards. Keeping her head hanging. It must be really painful.
Isa looks at her with raised eyebrows and an awestruck expression. Seriously? She wouldn't want help?
"I'm not dying or anything. At least, not today or this week for that matter. And there's nothing that you can do about it anyway."
Isa nods to herself. She knows that Katherina is right even though it hurts her to leave the woman hanging like that. Isa just doesn't want her to be right because it doesn't feel right. Wait a sec—"How do you know that he's not going to kill you this week 'for that matter'?"
"Besides, the fact that he likes to torture me for all those years that I somehow 'betrayed' him, and he sees dead as a gift of kindness for me, which I'm not getting… he's gone for the week. Klaus told me as some sort of twisted promise that there is more waiting for me." She sighs.
Isa stares at her with an incredulous look in her eyes. "He's gone?"
"Don't get any funny ideas. Or he'll hunt you down too."
Isa nods. But she doesn't mean it. To be honest, she doesn't know if she means it or not. "I'll visit you later. Perhaps, I can bring something with me." Isa supplies as some sort of weird assurance.
"Great. I'll just keep hanging here."
"Your sarcasm is enchanting." Isa laughs a little. Okay, perhaps Katherina's forward attitude is a little infectious. Or for some reason Katherina laughs with her. Isa softly closes the door behind her.
"What do you think that you're doing in there?"
Isa flinches and swiftly turns around, pressing her back against the door. She stares at the older woman, thinking of an excuse but there isn't any really. And lying isn't Isa's piece of cake.
"I-I just… heard her. And I was curious."
"I have strict orders not to let you go near that room. You are not allowed to be there. You need to use your humanity, Isa. Not provoke him with it. "
"Then why did he leave the door unlocked?"
Adelaine glares at her but doesn't answer. Isa thinks Adelaine could win the World Record of ignoring questions and problems.
"Why don't you help me downstairs with a couple of choirs?"
Isa thinks about it and smiles. She's happy that she can at least do that. Or do something, it's Thursday already and she practically got the feeling like she aged 20 years or something. So, getting back in shape might not be a bad idea. Perhaps, Adelaine is going to let her rant and perhaps… she can finally get some answers. Klaus isn't here. And he didn't compel Adelaine. Somehow, Isa knows this. Instinctively.
Somehow that ignites a thought in her mind… trust, she thinks. Perhaps, she first needs to start trusting herself.
-0-
End part one, chapter four.
I know, it's short. But I am going to college tomorrow for my first day and I don't know how things roll.
So, before I put the pro in procastination. I put this up. So I can keep going.
Sorry, guys. Next one will be far longer ;) And there will be Klaus involved in a 'indecent' way. (tip: to use Damon's term)
Thanks for reading!
Thanks, lovelies for reviewing. I would shout-out if I didn't need to right now! Sorry, also for next time!
You guys keep this going, you know ;)
And welcome, new people 3
xx. Lionfeathers.
Unbeta'd.
