Part Two.
Chapter Four: You're My Rubik's Cube.
Isabelle ends up washing the dishes which isn't very active. At all. She hates it, to be honest. You would think that with someone like Niklaus, they would at least have a dishwasher. But apparently not. So, yeah…
She sighs.
"What's wrong?" Adelaine demands.
Isa shakes her head in a tired gesture. It feels like she's being pulled into a whirlpool… she doesn't know why she's here, she's too afraid to run right now. Klaus is capable of such horrible things that she feels on edge and frozen in fear constantly, Katherine is hanging upstairs in chains… and Adelaine seems perfectly aware of that fact and won't do anything. Can she trust that woman?
The older woman laughs, as if Isa just told her an amazing joke, while she turns a plate in her hand, rubbing it with a blue, plaid towel. "Even a blind man would know that something is wrong. It's good to share your feelings from time to time, my child. Holding everything inside is not a healthy way of living."
"Why don't you just go?" Isa cuts in, as serious as she can.
Perhaps, this is a bad idea. But bad ideas seem the only good ideas since she been here, so the hell with that. Still, she doesn't look towards the older woman. Adelaine is glaring daggers at her, she's sure.
"That's none—"
"Oh, please. Katherine made me realize something. He can't stand anyone, who stands up against him. And just vampires… you aren't the only witch in the world. So, you comply with what he wants. But if you have magic, you should be able to leave."
"The vampire must've also learned you, that running from him is not a solution at all. Just trust me when I say that I'm here because I am."
Isa drops the dishes, and the soap splashes against the counter. Now, the bewilderment and shock is gone… her determination can take over. She knows that she needs a foothold if something even as close as what happened to Katherine will overcome her. So, she needs to try and do that.
She realized how naive she has been. How much she has been playing long with everything, without looking. Without actually processing everything that happened around her. The skills that used to help her survive.
Her instinct is kicking in.
…So, her eyes harden and she breathes in.
"You never tell me anything of importance. And you deflect any real questions. For all I know, I can't trust you."
Adelaine smiles, not looking at her and her grey hairs falls before her face. "Good, my child. This is good and quite fascinating, that I must admit. You're only here for over a week and your attitude has become a lot more forward. That's good."
"Clearly not forward enough." Isa bites, glaring at the woman. Who chuckles in response. Isa sighs, exhales this time and lets the anger go. She knows that it's no use and her curiosity wins again. She feels her walls crumble a little, not completely, but just enough.
"Why is Klaus so vindictive in his ways of dealing with people? I asked him, why he made people intentionally scared of him and he tells me that they just are… that must be off his doing. No, that is of his doing… I might not know why I am here and clearly nobody is going to tell me that anytime soon… but why? Why is he, the way he is? That he is as old as he is doesn't have to be that he is so atrocious, does it?"
Adelaine eyes her. Seriously, eyes her. Okay, perhaps Isabelle was a little to forward into pouring all her questions out. But the corners of Adelaine's lips turn upwards.
"This is good, Isabelle. You're trying to wield your humanity. Even after everything you've seen from him, you're still trying to find humanity in him… that's good. Really good. But the main question can only be answered by him. And perhaps, I can see now, that it's your job to make him do that. There's hope, Isabelle."
Isabelle frowns with an expression that says 'what the actual fuck?'' Everyone wants her to use her humanity and now that she is – okay, unconsciously but still—trying to use her humanity in correlation to him. It's remarkable. Everyone with humanity could, probably. They only need to want it bad enough or in Isabelle's case…naturallyhaving the need to find good in everyone.
But hope…?
That's all little farfetched.
"Hope? Hope for what?" Isa pushes curiosity, pumping through her veins. Oh, and why is she even trying? She already feels goddamn stupid when the words leave her lips.
And Adelaine smiles again and grabs another plate. The mysterious atmosphere that hung in the air is completely broken. Isa sighs, but smiles. She understands it now, all in time.
She takes a step forward and reaches out to grab another plate when Adelaine hand wraps around her wrist with a surprising amount of strength. "No, dear."
Isa frowns. What?
"Go upstairs. You'll find an answer to your question there, perhaps not direct. But it's a showcase of something, I might say."
What? This woman is seriously amazing in the speed in which she can give Isa a whiplash. One second it's close to an answer but still mysterious and the second, it's just a pile of rubbish sentences that make no sense at all.
Adelaine makes another upwards movement with her head and Isa gets the memo. Hmhm—she keeps standing still for a moment, questioning if there's a hidden message in the older woman's word. There probably is but Isa knows that she will never find it.
She turns around.
"Oh, and child… Think about how he handles everyone, you've seen so far… and how he handles you- even if you're not acquainted with to knowledge to why you're here. I know that you're aware of the fact that he gets everything that he wants. But still—he hasn't done that by force with you, has he?" And the older woman turns her back towards Isa.
Leaving Isa, standing there with both confusing and disbelief swimming in her eyes.
-0-
She braces herself, not knowing what to expect, and turns the doorknob. She slowly pushes the door open. At first, she sees nothing and then her eyes wander downwards, towards her chair. And her heart stutters.
There in the bamboo chair next to the window is a beautiful, acoustic guitar.
She frowns. There's a large, fancy red bow bound at the neck of the guitar.
… It's a gift.
She slowly takes a step closer towards the object of her sudden attention. And then another step forward. She approaches it as if it's a scared animal, ready for attack. She knows that she's being stupid. But what the—what else is she supposed to do?
It's a dark, navy blue. Exactly the color of sky when the full moon accompanies it. Her absolute, favorite color. How…?
It's so bloody gorgeous.
She reaches her hand out and slowly lets her hand touch the body. It's so solid and soft at the same time. The clean, smooth surface squeaks beneath her finger tops. She's afraid that it can break any minute now. That every signal of hope and progress will clatter down around on her and break into pieces, any second now.
It reminds her so much of Ellen. It's bursting with it. And she doesn't even notice when tears pool in the depth of her eyes.
Suddenly, they widen.
On the right side of the neck of the guitar is engraved in beautiful, swirly letters: Isabelle. Her name… is engraved in the guitar. That means that it's her guitar, right? That she can have it. How can she have it?
She doesn't exactly know how to breathe normally anymore. She's just completely shocked into silence and wonder. Her chest lightens up, at all the memories that are seeping in. Ellen.
She can remind her now without crying. The children were so happy when Ellen came and sang with them. Everyone, even the personnel would sing with them. Because they felt happy and loved. Just the way that things should be with everyone. She can really understand those children now.
The is a symbol of her humanity. Of her before everything happened. Before he came and ruined what she had. It's somehow – how cliché that might sound – a token of hope for her.
She carefully lets her hands glide over the guitar. And she slowly lifts it up and sits down in the chair. She lets her eyes wander over it.
Then, she frowns.
There's a large, white note sticking to the back. She carefully takes it off and opens it. There's a drawing of her, in her white dress from the day that Klaus went shopping with her and a large I'm not known for my patience and understanding. But I hope this will change your mind. But the thing that surprises her… is that it's the moment that she stopped to look at the musician and told…
She freezes completely. Not just her body, but her mind too. Everything. Even her breathing and perhaps even her heart for a couple seconds. It feels like her heart is trying to push its way out of her throat.
Right in the middle of the body, on the back of the guitar, is written in equally, beautiful, swirly letters… Klaus.
She cringes together and closes her yes. Of course! Of-bloody-course! How can she be so stupid? How can she be such an utter mindless idiot? How? How can't she question where this guitar came from? There's a ribbon around the neck of the bloody thing, just for fun?
Seriously, what is wrong with her?
Her entire body itches. She just wants to hit herself, kick herself, throw herself of a bloody building, if that was possible right now.
That thing can't drop out of the sky or something, right in her room… and all the signals Adelaine gave her are suddenly making very much sense. How can she not be dead with such a thick skull? How can she even be standing right now?
Because he lets you, answers her mind. Just like Katherine said. Katherine was right.
She's just a little, helpless, defend less mouse in his eyes. In everyone's eyes. They just—they let her think that she has any significance in this all—when all they are doing is lying her face. They all know what is happening to her, what is going to happen to her.
They all know. Every single one of them.
She is shaking with pure and pure anger by now. She has never been so humiliated and hurt in her entire life. Nobody gives her hope, like that – like they are her friends – and take it away from her. No-one.
She firmly grabs the neck of the guitar with two hands and storms out of her room. She turns the corner and is ready to waltz down the stairs and do—
"Isabelle!"
She stops instantly. Her chest heaving up and down.
"What's going? How surprising this may sound… even to me…I have rather talking to me then doing anything stupid."
Isa forces the door open with a loud BAM. "Why?" she demands. And Katherine scans her up and down and then the object in her hands and lifts her eyebrows but that just won't do.
"Why? Huh? Why would you?"
"Oh, nothing special, little mouse." Those words sting, right now. They really do. Katherine rolls her eyes at seeing the wary look in Isa's. "Self-preservation, as usual. You are – how inconvenient that is – my only option of getting out of this place. " She smiles a little and sighs, clenching her hands to fist. Isa can hear the bones crack.
"Now, tell me. What's making you so full of hatred? It's a good look on you, I must say." Katherine says smug but her expression wavers a little as Isa's does not. "Nothing can be that bad…"
Isa closes her eyes. Her entire body is so tensed that it could break an entire tree by now, forget the bloody plank. "Nothing. Can. Be. That… Bad?" She opens her eye suddenly with such a force that Katherine tilts her head to the side. Not flinching of course. A vampire never flinches. But she looks… intrigued nonetheless. "I get this… thing. This gift from… him. And suddenly I realize how stupid and naïve I am-"
"Finally. That was about time." Katherine interrupts.
"—But everyone lied to me. Roxanne, Matilda and Adelaine. They all made me believe as if I could do something… I don't know… change his mind. But at the same time I am just puppet in his mind."
And then her walls break down. And she can do just that to not slump helplessly onto her knees and cry like a little baby. She's over that state by now.
"… I thought there was hope. That my humanity could be used to help him. To find something… anything that isn't ruthless or vindictive in him but—how can I? I just—what am I doing? He gave me this-"
"Yes. Tell me. What's that about?" Katherine narrows her eyes.
"He gave me this. With a note attached that said that he isn't the one for patience and understanding but that he hopes this will change my mind. Whatever that means. What is he thinking? That he can just buy people over and that they will be content and alright with whatever he's doing for atrocious punishment?" She spits out the words, with confusing and rage.
Rage… again. Again hatred. They might now be helpful but still… still the words that they spoke, held some kind of truth in them. She knows that she can't life from hatred… that it eventually will suffocate her. So, she won't.
She might be a naïve little mouse. She still has her own logic and understanding.
Slowly, she closes her eyes and breathes in. Putting the guitar on the ground. And lets her breathing slow down.
"So, now you're normal again and not attacking like a retarded, pathetic human. We can talk. For some weird reason… God knows why… has that creepy, old witch lifted my compulsion. I still can't leave. She wasn't that giving... let's just say witches and vampires don't collide very well. They are the protectors of nature and we are the so-called abomination of nature, yada yada and—"
"Katherine! Are you telling me that you can tell me why I'm here?"
"Ah, I see. She is catching on! So, how can I put this in the right way?" And Katherine eyes seem to grow black. As if there's no white in them, just the blackness of her pupils that expands but she tilts her head to the side and pouts. "He wants you as the mummy of his little children. Or how dear, old Maddy puts it… 'You have the biological possibility to get children from him. Which should be freaking impossible because he's dead. And as far as we know, dead people can't produce children.' So basically, he wants to get you pregnant and please tell me, that you know how that happens…? "
Isa swallows.
She swallows again. And again. She blinks.
And suddenly gulps for air, realizing that she stopped breathing entirely.
The wires in her brains must have circuited… or died.
She swallows again. Lifts her head, to look Katherine directly in the eyes, who lifts an eyebrow in suggestion. "Sugar-coating wouldn't have made it…any less…gross and… really gross."
Isabelle breathes in, very, very slowly; letting the air scrape down her throat. Then her hands clench together at her sides, so hard… that the knuckles turn white.
And… something clicks into place. She screams. She screams as loud, and as high-pitched as she can. With such a force that she bends all the way through her knees. And shakes her head. And keeps shaking it, as if it's the only thing that she can do.
"Bloody… HELL… no. " Isa says, her lips curling down in disgust. Before turning around and fast-walking towards the hallway, around the corner…
"Isabelle? Child… what's wrong?" She can hear Adelaine somewhere in the background but it's just an irritating kind of humming.
And into her room. And she slams the door close, with such a force that the entire walls shakes.
-0-
She groans and curls inwards, burying her head in her mattress. But her blanket is gone… again.
"You know that this is fairly unbelievable, right? I mean—you would at least think that because you're human, you wouldn't just fall asleep after something like that. I've got to admit, dearie. You surprise me. And… your seriously mental. And still pathetically human. But surprising."
"Maddy, go away!" Isa grumbles, and turns around, putting her head under her pillow. She can't have this now, okay? She just can't. This can't be her life and this just can't be happening. It's a bad, a very bad dream.
"Wh-a-at did you just say?" Matilda splutters in disbelief.
Isa just groans again. The world has turned into this little box that someone keeps shaking. And Matilda is the last person, well the second-last person that she can have right now. "Go away! Sleep."
Suddenly, someone pulls hard at her ankles, the nails digging in. It hurts and Isa squeaks but Matilda won't have it. "You have slept enough, you insufferable-"
"Go away, please?" Isa tries. Knowing that losing her patience and fighting with her will only make things worse.
"Try to command me again and I will rip your kidney's out! Should be a wonderful, painful death… don't you think?" Lovely! She is a smug, as always.
"Probably." Isa dryly answer, still trying to find a comfortable position in bed, where she can hide forever and wait until she disappears in thin air. Perhaps Matilda will be willingly to learn her that little trick, even if Isa is sure that it involves magic. Well, Houdini wasn't a witch, she's sure of that and he could disappear too. So, that will be her life-goal from now on.
"But you finally got your brains together to get the information that you needed. The truth to your entire existence because really? It is too small for anything else. What are you doing about it?"
"Can't you rip his kidney's out?"
"Very funny." Matilda snarls.
"Stop glaring at me, Maddy. It's unnerving." Isa knows Matilda good enough to know that she is lots of words, and less actions. Although Isabelle remembers that she's actually still angry with her. Now for two reasons.
"Again with the Maddy—why are you calling me that?" Matilda nags.
"It's easier. And I remember Roxy calling you that."
"Oh, my dear sister. It's that she's a- Whoops, almost let that slip. Too much information. Can't tell you, yet."
Isa sighs and gives up. She sits back against the headboard. "You didn't seem to have trouble with telling Katherine everything, so she could tell me."
"I call that protection. Do you even realize how hard it is already for me to responsible for you? Huh? Yes. Put it together already. I was the one that led him to you. And I can't have him angry at me, now can I? And you will think that someone with wits as Katherina would've not been so stupid to give you such information. The downfall of humanity, really. After all, you remind her of Alexandra, her niece… which is interesting-" Suddenly, Maddy stops in her rant and disappears again in the blink of an eye.
There's a knock on the door. And then the door opens… Klaus is standing there… smirking.
-0-
End part two. Chapter Four; Rubik's Cube.
I promised a far longer chapter. Which this isn't. It's longer alright but not far longer. Well, it is… but not the part that I uploaded because I split it in two. The tease that I am, heheh.
So, tomorrow will come part three, who will be just as long as this one, and perhaps, if you guys leave good reviews and such even longer.
The first day of college… was pretty easy. I have fifteen peers in my class and they're all nice. All older than seventeen, some even twenty-four but hey, I'll manage. (:
We just need some time to get to know each other better. But even though, I get to choose my course now and the classes that come with it. I'll be glad when these four years are over and I can do actual work. Because this just feels like a pit-stop. A freaking four-year long pit-stop.
Shout-outs will be with tommorow's part. All the fun reviews and all the people that read this. (:
But anyway,
Thanks for reading. :3
Add an alert, please. Because I count the readers by that. (Don't blame me, it's fun and motivating.)
But what's more motivating than actual reviews. Nothing.
xx. Lionfeathers.
Unbeta'd.