Shaking my head, trying to free myself of a massive headache, I continued to wait in the car for Elena. She was in the hospital with Matt and Ric, so I was waiting to pick her up.
It was strange. Ever since... Well, not so long ago, really. Since I had left the dinner party a few hours beforehand, my head had been throbbing with pain. I hadn't told anyone, but I also felt almost... Weak. As though some of my energy had just gone. Vanished. Poof.
She climbed back into the car. "Rebekah just tried to kill me."
"I'm so hungry I could— wait, WHAT?!"
"Matt's driving home in his truck. I'll explain on the way."
Taking a deep breath, I nodded and started up the car. I drove slowly, and Elena told me that Rebekah had tried to kill her, for obvious reasons, and Elijah had saved the day.
"Go Elijah!" I had yelled.
She had nodded her agreement.
"So, anything to do tonight before bed?" I asked to break the tension. "It's past midnight. You should get some rest before tomorrow."
"I don't have any homework except the English assignment due in two weeks."
"What is it?" I asked, feeling the need to keep the conversation flowing to take my mind off of the fact that I was actually driving. In a car.
"It's about R— do you want me to drive?"
"No. I'm fine."
"You're really pale, Rain. And you're going 5MPH. Pull over."
I did as she said, but only because I knew the paleness of my skin was nothing to do with the car, and rather my headache, but I didn't want Elena to worry. Seeing as it is her speciality.
I climbed in the passenger seat and shut the door before Elena began to drive.
"So what homework is it?"
"Shakespeare." she groaned. "I have to write an analysis and everything."
"Hey, don't look at me for help. Literature is your bag, not mine."
"I'm reading Romeo and Juliet."
"And what an enchanting tale it is."
"Rain, they both die at the end."
"Yeah, but it isn't boring, is it? With all the guns, fights, crime... I thought it was a great film. Leonardo DiCaprio didn't win an Oscar for it either, but let's not get into that."
"That's in the movie."
"You're not seriously reading the book, are you?"
"We were supposed to."
"Elena, if you know how it ends why read the book? Didn't mom read it to you when you were little? Cause I remember that happening."
"Yes, but—"
"So don't spend your free time doing homework! Go out! Have fun! Live!"
"Ric's blood is everywhere, I should really clean the house." she bit her lip.
"You're turning into me." I rolled my eyes.
"Am I?" she asked.
"Yes. Yes, you are. Stop it. I'm annoying." She laughed.
It was quiet.
"Wow." I began. "We're almost home. And I drove some of the way... I haven't driven since... forever."
"Well, you can't be afraid of cars for the rest of your life."
Oh, yes I can.
"Thanks." I told her.
"For what?"
"Taking my mind off of things." I smiled. "It's nice. This. We don't really hang out like we used to. Or talk."
"I know... Look, I'm sorry for not telling you about kissing Damon. Ever since you came back after the summer things have been different than before and with Jeremy gone... Well, I just want us to get back to how we were before. We were..."
"Closer."
"Yeah."
"I miss it."
"I miss it, too."
"Aw, love you babe."
"Love you too, Ray." she laughed, shaking her head. "Thank you for cheering me up."
"Any time, twinno." I said. "Any time."
Caroline had stayed at my house that night, and so the following morning she drove home. I could tell she needed some time alone, so I gave it to her. I was hell-bent on being the best friend imaginable.
I had never felt a guilt like I was feeling at that moment. I should have been there with her rather than going to a dinner party with two originals and two vampires.
I also should have been there when Alaric was attacked.
Elena was busy cleaning the house up from last night when Alaric had been attacked by who ever had attacked Caroline's dad.
I had to admit, it did make me glad that Jeremy was in Denver. He was safe from all of this...
"Katherine?" I asked as I watched my sister, or whichever Doppelganger, scrubbing the floor of the hall.
"It's me. Elena."
"It can't be... Elena doesn't clean... Katherine wouldn't do that either...Tatia?"
She laughed and walked past me and into the kitchen. I followed her and jumped to see the Salvatore's stood there.
"Woah."
"They're here to talk about last night." my sister explained. "Elijah and I had a chat."
"Wait, so they're stood there while you clean?" I asked. "Look, guys, I know you're both old men but in this day and age it is not just the woman's job to do the housework... What did you find out?"
...
"... It was their mother Esther who was sealed in that coffin." Elena finished.
"As in the original witch?" Stefan asked.
"What? How is she even alive?" Damon asked. "I thought her hybrid freak show of a son ripped her heart out a thousand years ago."
"I don't know." Elena shrugged. "I'm guessing she has a lot of connections in the witching community."
Everyone turned and looked at me.
I shrugged.
Honestly, I was more than a little tempted to say, 'I don't know why don't you just ask Bonnie. She's everyone's favourite witch anyway.'
But I didn't. I liked Bonnie too much to be so petty.
"It's possible to preserve a body within an object, a sort of container. A coffin would work— as long as it was never opened... Kinda like a pickle. When you both found the coffin and when you saw that it was lying open, what else did you see?"
This coffin opens, containing the Original Witch and suddenly my head kills and I feel constantly tired?
"Bonnie and bigger Bonnie were unconscious." Damon answered.
"Unconscious?" I frowned. "That's... weird. That's very weird. What else did Elijah say?"
"He said that Esther wants to make peace with her family. Including Klaus."
"She supposed to be the weapon that could help us kill Klaus." Stefan said.
"Yeah, well, not any more. At least not according to Elijah." Elena said.
"That coffin was the only thing stopping Klaus from turning us to shreds." Stefan told us, and I couldn't help but think he was wrong.
If Elena and I left with Klaus, Klaus had promised he wouldn't hurt anyone we loved.
But at the same time I didn't want Elena to have to do that.
"Anyone else feeling a little used right now?" Damon asked.
"Look, Elijah promised me that his family wouldn't hurt any of us." Elena said, just as the doorbell rang. "I believe him."
I left the kitchen and walked down the hall behind Elena to the front door. She opened it.
There was no one there.
On the doormat was an envelope on top of a box, and as Elena picked it up I realised there was two.
Elena shut the door and I grabbed the envelope with my name on it in very fancy writing. It was stuck to the box, so I
gently ripped it off.
I opened the envelope as Elena read hers out.
"... Please join the Mikaelson family this evening at ten o'clock for dancing, cocktails and celebration."
"Who the hell are the Mikaelsons?"
"The original family." Elena said as I read through my letter.
"You know, Mikael— son?" I asked. "It's a Viking thing."
Damon scoffed. "It's not bad enough they're moving into town now they want a house warming gift?"
"Wait," Elena said, "There's a note on the back. Elena, I think it's time that we finally meet, Esther."
Frowning, I turned my envelope over. "Save me a dance," I read, "Fondly, Klaus." Everyone stared at the letter in my hands.
I walked through to the lounge and placed the letter down before walking through and putting the box on the kitchen table. I opened it, and inside was the most beautiful blue dress I had seen.
There was silence, until Damon voiced everyone's thoughts. "What the hell?!"
I closed the box quickly. "Somebody change the subject, please."
"If Esther wants to talk to me, maybe I should find out why." Elena said after a short pause in which she spent looking at me worriedly.
"Well that's a dumb idea." Damon said supportively. I rolled my eyes. "She already tried to kill you once."
"But there's something else going on here, Damon." I said. "Isn't that much obvious?"
Damon was about to protest, when Stefan interrupted him.
"No, Rayna's right. Bonnie was lead to open that coffin for a reason. I think there's more to this than just some family reunion."
"Can we go back in time to the old Stefan who cared if Elena lived or died?"
"What for? It's your job now."
"Stefan has a point, Damon." Elena said, stepping forwards. "I should find out what she wants."
"You can't protect yourself."
The two Salvatore's then argued over who should go to the ball instead.
"I'll go." Damon said with finality.
"Oh, for the love of God, Damon!" I all but yelled. "She's a human, so yeah, maybe she can't protect herself so well but with being human also comes choice— stop trying to take hers away. Elena doesn't need either of you two protecting her because she has me. I'll go to the ball, seeing as I'm actually invited, and I will meet Esther and I will protect
Elena because when it comes to protecting my sister against Originals without any actual weapon to threaten them with, I'm the next best thing. And I will protect her without focusing on winning her over instead."
There was a pause, in which no one spoke. I was hopeful that I had gotten through to Damon and Stefan.
Damon grabbed both of our invitations.
"I'm going." he repeated before walking out of the room. Stefan glared at him on his way out.
"You know," I said to my sister, "This love triangle is starting to get very inconvenient."
My phone began to ring, and I answered it as I left the room, carrying the box.
"Hello, Rayna."
"Rebekah? Wondered when I'd be hearing from you, after you... You know. Tried to kill my sister!" I fumed. "I can't believe this. I don't try to kill your siblings! The least you can do is return the favor!"
"She stabbed me in the back!"
"That doesn't mean you resort to murder! Klaus kidnapped me! I haven't tried to kill him!"
"Have you received an invitation yet?" she asked, sighing and obviously trying to change the subject.
"Yeah..." I bit my lip, wondering whether or not to mention Klaus' note on the back.
"Yes, it does, doesn't it? I need to go shopping and I realised I don't know of any fancy gown shops in the area."
"Oh." I said, remembering in Denver when Rebekah had dragged us all shopping. Not too keen on reliving that experience— I swallowed. "I know some."
"Great!"
"Wait. I'm not going with you until you apologize."
"I'm sorry."
"Not to me. To Elena."
"No— what the— are you— is this— seriously even... No! No way in hell am I apologising to that... wench!"
"Rebekah!"
"I am not apologising to her."
"Fine." I said through gritted teeth. "Now— no murdering people. Especially not my sister. Understand?"
"I hardly think—"
"Understand?!"
"Fine."
"Good."
We stood in the small dress shop, Rebekah was cruising the aisle slowly, eyes alert as she ran her fingers along each dress in the rack. I still had a headache.
"It has to feel nice, or what's the point in wearing it?" she explained.
I shrugged. "So, what do I do?"
"About what? About my brother?" she stopped walking and looked back at me, smirking. "What do you want to do about it?"
"I want to throw the dress away."
"So do it."
"It's a really nice dress, though. And it's cruel to throw away a gift."
"So be charitable." I nodded. I could do that. "Are you going to save him a dance, then?"
"No. I don't know... Maybe it would get him to leave me alone if I did dance with him. I'd end up stepping on his toes the entire time... That could work, couldn't it?"
"You don't know how to dance?"
"Well, I do. I came second in the beauty pageant to Caroline... But he doesn't need to know that, does he?"
"I'll be very surprised if he doesn't already know that." she muttered. I had a feeling I wasn't supposed to hear that.
She picked a dress of the rack. "Try this on."
"I'm not wearing a low red dress, Rebekah. And there's a slit up the leg! No way. Those dresses are for models, or people like you. Not people like... moi."
"Fine." she sighed, before continuing to browse through the store. "You know, you should be more confident and if you would only wear more..." I couldn't hear her as she walked further down the gigantic aisle of the store.
Seeing as she was being nice and finding me a dress, I decided to look for one that would suit her.
We ended up meeting in the middle of the store, each of us holding three dresses. Silently, we exchanged dresses and wandered off to the changing rooms. Rebekah had picked the stall opposite mine.
I drew the curtain closed and hung the dresses on a hook.
I rolled my eyes. The first one was the red one from before. "No way." I hung it on another hook, and looked at my two remaining options.
There was a dark blue dress made from a silky material, and a lavender coloured dress with a ruffled skirt. It was simple. Elegant.
The blue one reminded me too much of Elena's dress from the beauty pageant, so I decided to try on the lavender dress, hoping that it would fit me and I wouldn't end up in an embarrassing situation.
Smoothing down the dress and looking at my reflection doubtfully, I withheld a groan as I heard Rebekah.
"I don't have all day, Rayna!"
I opened the curtain and stepped out. "You might as well just call me Rain—" I stopped and smiled. "You look amazing." I told her. She had chosen the green dress, and smiled at me.
"So do you. We'd have to ask them to make the train much shorter, though." I nodded. "However I think the red dress would look a lot more—"
"No."
She shrugged. "Worth a try."
I lay on Elena's bed as she sat on the chair in front of her dressing table and did her hair.
"... And I don't like it." Elena finished after a five minute rant about Rebekah inviting Matt to the ball.
"You don't say?"
"This is serious, Rain. I mean— what if she hurts him? Did she mention him when you both went shopping?"
"Nope." I lied. Elena caught my eye in the mirror and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe a little. But she wasn't exactly planning his murder. It was all 'his eyes are so blue', type thing. What is it with people and blue eyes? I mean, first Katherine now Rebekah?"
"I don't like that you're friends with her." Elena said, adding more bobby pins to her up-do.
"I don't like your hair like that." "Why?"
"It doesn't suit the dress. You should do it in the same style, but curl it instead of leaving it straight."
"Okay. I have time, so... Can I borrow your curlers?"
"Sure thang." I said before climbing off of the bed and walking through to my bedroom. I brought the curlers back and my twin smiled at me.
"Thanks... So what are we gonna do about Klaus?" she asked after plugging in the curlers.
"What do you mean, we?"
"I'm going to help you." she said obviously. "I'm your sister. I can help you deal with him."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, what exactly does he want with you?" she asked.
"Well, I'm his prophet and—"
"So? I'm a doppelganger and he doesn't ask me to dance with him." Elena pointed out.
I frowned.
"She has a point, you know." Bonnie said, entering the room.
We turned and stared at her.
How, exactly, did she get in here?
"What?" she asked us. "You forgot to lock the door."
"Rayna Jenna Gilbert!" Elena yelled.
"Sorry, mom."
"Look," Bonnie said, sitting next to me on the bed. "I don't think it's just about your powers any more, Rain. You should be careful."
"Bonnie's right." Elena added.
I looked down at my lap. I didn't really understand what either of them were saying exactly. I was always careful with originals. I was always careful with vampires. I was even careful around humans.
And they knew that. So why were they warning me now?
"Where's Caroline?" I asked.
They shrugged.
"Right." I said before grabbing Bonnie's phone from her hands.
"Hey!"
"Sorry to interrupt you texting my baby brother, Bonita, but I have to call Care."
Elena grinned. "You were doing texting Jeremy? Are you two getting close again?"
"I was just tell him I was doing fine, cause he asked."
Bonnie shrugged as though this meant nothing.
It meant something.
It very much meant something. I grinned at her.
Elena grinned at her.
"Bonnie and Jeremy," I said as I pressed the phone to my ear, waiting for Caroline to pick up.
"Sitting in a tree." Elena continued. "K-I-S-S-I-N—"
Bonnie scowled. "I'm not going there again. Not now. Not ever."
With a start, I remembered how Jeremy had kissed Anna. How had I forgotten that?
So much had happened lately, but even so...
"Sorry." I said. "That was— very insensitive."
"That was very human Caroline." Elena added. "Who's being insensitive now?!"
"It's okay, Rain." Bonnie said. "Honestly, I'm over it. I'm over him."
I believed her.
"You've really moved on?"
"Not completely, but... I'm getting there."
I smiled. "I'm glad."
"Hello?" Caroline's voice came from the other end. "Get your ass here now."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why? The ball! Were you invited?"
"Yeah, but—"
"Then come here or I will snap your neck, throw you into my car and Elena will drive you here."
"She will." Bonnie said. Elena laughed.
"Fine." she sighed.
I put the phone down and handed it to Bonnie. "This'll be fun. The four of us... Like old times."
"Except I'm not going." "Why?" I demanded.
"I don't want to." Bonnie shrugged. "Besides, I wanna spend time with my mom."
I sighed. "Don't worry, Bon." Elena said from the dressing table as she applied more make up. "We'll take lots of pictures for you."
"Not of Rayna we won't!" I exclaimed.
Soon later, Caroline came. She walked into Elena's room quietly.
"Come with me." I told her, before walking out of Elena's room and down the hall to my own room.
"I don't see the point in me being here." she said. I opened my bedroom door and we stepped inside. "I can't go to the ball because I don't even have a dr— holy crap!"
She was gaping at the blue dress spread out on my bed.
The dress Klaus had given me.
"You don't have to wear it, you know," I told her. "I just thought that maybe..." I trailed off and she pushed me out of the room and slammed the my bedroom door in my face.
"Give me five minutes!" she shouted.
I grinned and turned around to see Bonnie and Elena sticking their heads out of Elena's room. I sent them a thumbs up, and they grinned.
Half an hour later, Bonnie and I were watching Elena put the finishing touches to her make up. I had told her not to do her hair and make up after putting on the dress, but she hadn't listened. Not that I knew what I was talking about.
"How do I look?" Caroline asked from the doorway.
She was wearing the dress.
And it looked so much better on her than I thought it would.
"You look beautiful, Care." the three of us said in unison. She smiled and did a twirl.
"This calls for Vodka!" I yelled, fist pumping the air. "And cake!"
"C'mon." Care said, "We can do each others make up."
I smiled somewhat forcedly as I followed her to my room. But I was glad that this seemed to be taking her mind off of things.
I pressed the phone to my ear as Caroline ran the brush through my hair.
"I don't think I'm allowed to use this thing in here." Ric coughed from the other side of the phone. He was still in hospital.
"How are you?" I asked.
"Nothing has changed since the last time you called an hour ago... Oh wait... wait... I yawned."
I rolled my eyes.
"Calling me every hour won't make a difference."
"It'll help me stop worrying!"
"You're a Gilbert." he pointed out. "That's not going to happen."
"Mr Saltzman has a point." Caroline muttered. I elbowed her.
"So you're sure you're okay?" I asked again.
"Yes! Now stop thinking about me and get ready for the ball. And be careful. And don't do anything Elena would do! And don't let Elena do any Elena things." he told me.
I knew what he meant.
Make sure your sister doesn't become a martyr. Again.
"Ric, you do know that I can—"
"Take care of yourself. I know. But don't get so caught up in helping everyone else that you forget to look out for yourself."
I rubbed my forehead and closed my eyes. "Sure. Hey, you know the aspirin..."
"It's still behind the vitamins. Why?"
"Okay." I said. "Thanks."
"Why do you want to know—"
"Bye, Ric," I interrupted, not wanting to worry him in his state. "Call me if you need me!"
I ended the call.
"Why do you need aspirin?" Caroline asked. Oh.
I had forgotten Caroline was there. "My head is killing me."
"You do look a little pale... Some make up will fix that."
Before I knew it a foundation brush was hovering in front of my face. Caroline was holding it steadily, moving the brush closer.
"No! No foundation!" I protested. "You promised! Caroline, you prom— Elena! ELENA!"
Caroline and I stepped out of her car.
My hand went to my chest where my diamond necklace lay. I still had no idea why I had worn it.
*FLASHBACK*
The next day, I woke up in the hotel to find two small boxes on my bed.
One was black and velvet.
I picked it up and untied the white ribbon.
Inside was a diamond necklace. It was the most beautiful thing I had seen.
I gasped as I looked at the intricate detail. There was a note inside it too.
Didn't get the chance to give this to you yesterday
Klaus
I rolled my eyes.
What was wrong with him?
*END OF FLASHBACK*
"I'm proud of you for letting me drive you here." Caroline told me, distracting me from my thoughts.
"I'm proud of you for coming here." I told her.
In silence, we walked up the stairs to the mansion.
"This place is huge." she said. "We're so late."
Elena had come almost half an hour before us.
"I know." I said.
We opened the doors, and suddenly all eyes were on us.
The original family watched us from the grand staircase and all was quiet.
We had interrupted Elijah's speech.
I swallowed and looked away from Klaus, who was watching me with an unfathomable expression.
My eyes caught another woman on the staircase. She looked at me through narrowed, calculating eyes.
Esther.
"Everyone's staring." Caroline said through gritted teeth as she grinned awkwardly at the guests.
I kept eye contact with Esther.
The pain in my head intensified, and I found myself wanting to run.
I had just walked into the Lion's den.
The doors closed behind us, and I saw the corners of Esther's mouth curl into a smirk.
Caroline and I looked at each other. Both of us wanting to just leave.
No going back now...
OG AUTHOR'S NOTE: A/N— Wow! So many reviews last chapter! Thank you. I hope the wait was worth it for this one. I could only upload half of the ball episode because there was just so much to write. So this chapter is probably a bit of a disappointment. I am sorry, next chapter will entail more Klaus, more dancing, and more supernatural drama. A special thank you to GetTraught for the long but very very much appreciated review.
Please continue to give me feedback, I hope to update again soon!