We all walked in silence up the stairs, allowing the guards to guide us. Anna had kept a protective arm around Jeremy the whole time. I wondered where they had taken Elena, and desperately hoped that she was alright. I was still in a bit of shock over the fact that she willingly gave herself over to the vampires. Who knew what they would do to her?
As we walked up the stairs we met a stunned Pearl, "Anna what have you done?" she gasped as she took in Jeremy's new scent, it was a scent that would permanently mark him as a vampire, a monster like myself.
"It wasn't me mamma," she said, her arm tightening around him as Pearl took a step to them. I heard a door open down the hall and saw Stefan appear in the door frame. There was a guard standing outside the door but Stefan mumbled something to him and then came our way.
"What's going on?" he asked as he looked at Jeremy in confusion and then quick understanding flashing through his eyes.
He turned to me with a stunned expression, "Damon did you do this?" he questioned, pointing to Jeremy.
I shrugged indifferently, "He wanted it," I said as I continued to follow one of the guards.
Stefan grabbed my shoulder and quickly whirled me around but I caught his grasp and shoved him against the wall, "What the hell did you do?" he growled in fury.
"I told you, he wanted it," I said fiercely.
He looked back to where Anna and Jeremy stood and his eyes were filled with sadness. Stefan knew first hand how hard this life was and I knew that he was silently mourning for the lost soul.
The sadness that was in Stefan's eyes was soon mirrored within me. In all honesty I didn't even know why I had done it. It was wrong and it was a sure way to hurt Elena. But though all of those things were true I still did it. I was in all honesty a true monster.
He looked back at me, "Why Damon, why'd you do it?"
I looked straight at him and then I finally answered, "I don't know."
He studied me for a few more moments and then his eyes were filled with a chilling realization. I thought he would point accusingly and call me a monster or any other name that was true to who I was. But instead he grabbed my hands and pulled away from me. He didn't say anything but he saw something that I didn't.
He gave one last look at Anna and Jeremy and then back to me, "Is Elena safe?" he asked.
"I don't know," I answered helplessly. He nodded and then turned to go back to his room. He gave me one last look before disappearing. It was a look of understanding, and forgiveness. One that I didn't understand or deserve.
"This way," one of the guards growled, pulling me into one of the rooms lining the hallway.
"Miss Katherine wants you to freshen up and she already has a suit for you," he said motioning to a black suit that was laid out on the bed.
I nodded and then he left me. I stood there in the quiet room all by myself. I couldn't help but be filled with this raw emptiness. One that scared even me. Luckily I was a vampire and I could just shut my emotions off. But for once I didn't want to; I wanted to wallow in the shame of what I had done.