Chapter 6: Care to Dance?

I wasn't one to pay late night visits to the Grill, espilally on a school night. I found myself unused to the barren state of the mostly crowded restaurant, but Damon had wanted to speak to me and asked me to meet him here. I did my best to push the nervous feeling I had aside when I spotted the vampire sitting alone at the empty bar. It wasn't Damon I was worried about, but whatever the subject of the conversion was. I was unsure as to whether or not Stefan had told the older Slavatore brother about Katherine. I wasn't ready for that conversion.

I said nothing as I took a seat on the empty bar stool beside the vampire. My spine was rigid as the air filled with silence. Damon swirled around the amber color liquid in his glass as we sat beside one another. "Relax Little Sister. I didn't call you here for anything bad, I promise." He finally turned to look at me and sent me a reassuring wink. I felt my shoulder sagg at the look and the nervous fluttering in my stomach disappeared.

"Well that nice to hear." I muttered quietly before sitting up a little straighter. "If that's the case, then what's so important that you called me here so late?"

Damon didn't answer me right away and instead reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out something small and placed it down between the two of us on the bar. "Just returning something that once belonged to you. Made a few adjustments while I was at it."

I raised a single eyebrow at his words before inspecting what he had set down, more closely. It was a small rectangle shaped box; about the size of my palm. I reached out and carefully picked it up and held it in my hand. There was a weight to it and I couldn't help but tilt my head in wonder. My fingers grasped the side of the lid and I pulled it off. What I found nestled inside, surrounded by a bit of tissue paper, was something that I hadn't expected to ever see again.

"Oh my god. Damon, is this- it can't be." I looked away from the open box in my hand and glanced up at the smiling vampire. His only confirmation was a nod of his head and my gaze returned to the unexpected item I never thought I would see again.

As carefully as I could, I gently lifted the familiar pendant out of the box. It's long silver chain slowly followed after it as I brought it closer to my face. I ran my thumb over the intricate silver cage that held a gleaming oval shaped stone. It's onyx color made the silver stand out with it's subtle rainbow shine. The front of the pendent had a finely detailed 'S' engraved in the front of the stone. I could feel my heart swell as I stared down at the necklace. It had originally been a thirteenth birthday present from our father, and I hadn't appreciated it much. That is, until I found out it had actually been Damon who commissioned the piece. From then on it became my favorite piece of jewelry and I wore it religiously.

"Damon, you kept this? All this time?" I looked back at my brother and he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"My guilty conscience wouldn't let me get rid of it." I frowned at his words and glanced back at the necklace. "The things filled with vervain now, so you can't be compelled by whoever our little guest is."

I held my tongue when he spoke about having a guilty conscience. I didn't want him to feel guilty over my death. None of it was his fault. "Can I even be compelled? I mean, I'm not exactly a normal human. What if the rules are different for me?"

The smirk that graced Damon's face had me swallowing a lump that suddenly formed in my throat. "Well, only one way to find out." Before I could even blink, the necklace was out of my hand and dangling by it's chain off Damons finger. He then leaned in close and our eyes connected and I felt my head lock into place. "Tell me little sister, who was it that ratted me out to Stefan when his favorite hat went missing?"

My blood rushed in my ears and I felt my tongue turn to lead as my lips pressed together. Every hair on the back of my neck stood up and I found my entire body grow stiff. Warning bells went off in my head and goosebumps broke out on my arms as my lips parted and the word slipped from my mouth, "Me." I answered reluctantly. I could remember the day when Damon stole Stefan's favorite hat in hopes of showing it off to one one of the girls he had taken a liking to.

Damon broke the compulsion and sat back in his seat while gathering myself. "Well, you fought it hard. I almost thought it wasn't going to work. But, in the end, you can still be compelled." Damon reached over and handed me back my necklace. I gratefully took it back and quickly slipped the long chain over my head and let the pendant rest in the center of my chest.

"Lets not do that again." I mumbled out. "Thank you Damon, for keeping this. It means a lot to me having it back."

Damon nodded his head and returned to his drink. I looked down at the pendant and felt my heart grow warm. He had kept it all this time. I said goodbye to Damon and gathered my bag and headed back home, hopefully before Jenna realized I was even gone. I know I should have stayed and told Damon about Katherine. I was a coward for just leaving and letting the conversion die. I have a bad feeling that that was going to bite me later on.

The next day the school was filled with preparation for the decades dance. I spent most of my day avoiding Caroline out of fear of being looped in to attending the dance. I was successful for the most part, besides a few threatening text messages, but otherwise made it home unscathed.

At the end of the day I took shelter at home while Elena and Jenna got ready for the dance. "Hey there." I glanced up from my history homework to see Jenna walking into the kitchen wearing a 50s style dress. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the dance?"

I shook my head and sat up in my chair. "Nope. not really feeling up to it." I answered honestly as I pulled the bowl of strawberries, I had grabbed as my snack, closer to me. "Don't really feel like getting lost in a crowd of teens tonight."

Jenna shook her head at my answer, and before she could voice her opinion on the matter, Elena walked into the kitchen. "Oh hey. I spoke to the insurance company. Cars totaled. So you can keep using mine for now." Elena nodded at our Aunts words before taking in the women's attire.

"So, you're coming to the dance?" Elena asked her.

"Alaric asked me to help chaperone." I raised a brow at the small smile that graced Jennas lips when she spoke about the new history teacher asking her to the dance. I was happy for her, Mr. Saltzman seemed like a nice guy.

There was a pause from my sister before she spoke up, changing the subject to one I had honestly forgotten about. "Why didn't you tell us, Jenna?" I paused in my chewing as my eyes flickered from Elena to our Aunt. Jenna looked actually startled by Elenas' question. Her gaze went soft and she looked between my sister and I.

Jenna took a seat in the chair across from me, while Elena leaned against the back of the couch with her arms crossed over her chest. "Your mom was gonna do it eventually. I never thought I'd have to."

I felt sorry for Jenna as she spoke about her sister. I was reminded that it wasn't just our mother who we lost, she had a sister to mourn her death as well. Our Aunt had dropped everything to move back to Mystic Falls and take over caring for the three of us. She deserved more than what life has given her.

"If our mom was here right now and I asked, she'd tell me the truth." Elena stated. I sent my sister a look and shook my head. Jenna didn't deserve the third degree coming from my twin, and as curious as I was, I didn't want to pressure Jenna into talking about it.

Jenna let out a sigh and slumped slightly in her seat. "Your dad was about to leave the office one night when this girl showed up. She was sixteen, a runaway, and about to give birth. He delivered her babies, twin girls, and he gave her a place to stay. But a few days after, she disappeared." Jenna let out a heavy breath before continuing. "And there you two were. Your parents were trying so hard to have a baby. I-it just wasn't happening. All Miranda ever wanted was to be a mom."

I looked down at my bowl of bright colored fruit as I thought about our mother. She loved us so much, even me, the odd looking one. She cared for us and gave no hint that we weren't actually her children. She wanted us when someone else didn't.

"Well, why were our parents' names on the birth certificate?" Elena asked.

"Your dad was a doctor, Elena." Jenna pointed out. "He took care of it. They didn't wanna lose you two, so they kept it quiet, told as few people as possible, but if anyone ever wanted proof, they had documentation."

"What else do you know about her? The girl?" Elena pushed and I fiddled with the leaves on a strawberry as I listened to the two.

"Just her name. Isobel." I glanced up at Jenna from across the table. I didn't really know how to feel knowing our real mother's name. It still felt weird to me to call someone else our real mother. In my head our real mother was gone.

Jenna left soon after the conversion about our adoption and headed for the school. I abandoned my homework and stuck the rest of the strawberries in the fridge before heading up stairs to my room.

"You know Carolines going to be upset that you're not going to the dance." Elena leaned out of her room as she finished getting spruced up for the dance. "You know how she gets when you skip out on things. She thinks you're wasting your chance to make memories."

I let out a sigh from where I was laying down on my bed. "Yeah, I know." I muttered. Caroline was always pushing me to join in on the school dances and parties. Her argument was that I should be putting myself out there and making memories to look back on. But attending parties and going to dances were hard for me to do. Crowds made me uncomfortable and drinking didn't really do anything for me, so I never saw the compelling aspect of it all.

"You know, maybe it isn't such a bad idea to make some memories." Elena suggested. She was now standing in the doorway of her room where she could see me laying on my bed. "I know you hate things like this, but you're still a teenage girl. And who knows, you might meet someone one day who you'll want to do these things with."

I pushed myself up so I could face my sister. "It's not as simple as that, Elena. It's not that I hate these kinds of things, I just have a hard time enjoying myself at these functions." I glanced down at my hands and fiddled with my fingers as I put my words together in my mind before saying them. "I can't turn off the feeling I get when I'm surrounded by strangers, and I can't just pretend like I haven't been fighting this for a long time. I'm tired of it. The warning bells don't stop, and the feeling never goes away." I looked up to see Elenas big sad brown eyes staring at me from across the hall. "I can't make myself pretend to be normal forever, Elena." I wanted my sister to understand. I wanted her to trust that I knew what I was talking about, that my feelings were real.

"I wish things didn't have to be this way for you. I wish I could fix it." Elena words had a small smile curling up at the corners of my lips. I stood up from my bed and walked across the hall so I stood directly in front of her. "I just wish you got to live a normal life too. Don't you want to be just a normal teenager? Do normal teenager things? Meet someone special?"

I shook my head. "It's hard to want to be normal when I've never truly felt normal." Elena looked down at the space between us and processed my words. "Hey, listen." I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I love my life and I wouldn't change it for anything. I have you, and Jeremy, and Aunt Jenna. Just because things are different now, doesn't mean it's a bad thing, at least not for me. I have my family with me."

Elena gave me another sad smile before pulling me into her arms. We held each other close and I basked in the natural energy that floated off my sister in gentle waves. I knew deep down, that even if we only had each other, my sister and I would be alright.

After my little talk with Elena, I was lounging in bed with a book in my lap while Elena headed down stairs once she finished getting ready for the dance. My eyes danced over the same paragraph as my mind went over what Elena and I had talked about. I know she's going to need time to really process everything that's been happening. I didn't want the rift between us to grow any larger than it already was.

"Ahhh!" A scream broke through the silent house and I found myself lunging from my bed and rushing down the stairs without even processing that I was moving. I searched for Elena as soon as I made it to the first floor. I found both Stefana nd Elena standing in the living just as Damon falsed in though the front door. There was a broken table and glass laying about that told me something had definitely happened only seconds ago.

"How did he get in?" Damon growled out as he stood close beside me.

"How did who get in? What happened?" I asked as I looked between Elena and Stefan.

"The vampire Elena hit with her car." Stefan answered. "He posed as the pizza delivery guy last night. He's been invited in."

"Well, he gets points for that." Damon muttered. "Did he say what he wanted?" He looked over at Elena.

"No. He was too busy trying to kill me." Elena answered back and I looked around the hall and living room. There was a bit of a mess, but nothing that couldn't be put back in order.

"And you have no idea who this is?" It was Stefan's turn to ask Damon the questions and the older Salvatore brother sent him a look.

"No." Damon shot back. "Don't look at me like that. I told you we had company."

"Can there be more than one? I mean, we don't even know what this vampire wants from Elena?" I commented as I nudged the broken table in the hallway with my foot.

"We don't know." Damon answered and he took a seat on the arm of the couch.

"Damon, he was invited in." Stefan pointed out the seriousness of the situation. A vampire had been invited into our home and now everyone who lived here was in danger.

"This isn't good." I muttered to myself. "What do we do now? How do we stop this guy?"

"We get him. Tonight." Damon spoke up as he looked at Elena. "You up for it?"

Elena glanced up at Stefan before looking back at Damon and nodding her head. "Yes. What do I have to do?"

"Let your boyfriend take you to the dance." Damon explained. "We'll see who shows up."

Stefan frowned at the plan. "That's a bad idea." Damon only rolled his eyes at his younger brother's words.

"We don't have much of a choice, Stefan." Damon scolded. "This house isn't safe for any one who lives in it." Damon glanced over at me and I felt a shiver go down my spine at the implication of his words. "It's worth a shot."

"I'll do it." Elena answered. "I'll be with you two. So I'll be safe."

Damon nodded his head before turning his eyes back to me. "That means you have a date to dance tonight, little sister. Better go get ready."

"What? Why do I have to go?" I glared at Damon and he simply smirked.

"Can't be having the vampire coming back and using you as a hostage, now can we." He winked at me and I frowned at his words. He wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean I wanted him to be right. "Come on, go get ready. You can stick close to me for the night."

I let out a defeated sigh and nodded my head before heading upstairs. Going to the decades dance had been the last thing I had wanted to do tonight, but Damon was right. I was putting myself in danger if I stayed home.

"I hate this." I mumbled out as teenagers danced and mingled in the school gym while I stood at one of the tall tables with Damon. I had quickly put together an outfit for the 50s themed dance. A pair of high waisted pants and a light blue button up shirt that I had tied in the front. My white hair had been placed into a high ponytail with a light blue headband to bring the outfit together.

"Oh come on. This is fun, right." Damon grinned down at me as I glared back. "Come on, live a little." His eyes suddenly went dark as he caught sight of something and his grin shrank. "Wait here."

I watched as Damon walked away from the table and I felt the energy around me flood in as the vampire walked away. I couldn't help but cringe as I watched Damon walk up to Bonnie and Caroline. I felt bad as Damon chatted up the reluctant girls before Stefan and Elena walked up to the table.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Elena asked as she came to stand beside me.

"Alright I guess." I answered her. My eyes flickered over the crowd before glancing back at Elena. My sister frowned at my words after not looking convinced by my words. Her eyes flickered over my shoulder towards where Damon had cornered Bonnie and Caroline. The three of us watched as the two girls stormed by Damon and walked out of the gym.

"Where did they go?" Elena asked as Damon returned to the table.

The vampire shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." I rolled my eyes at him and his smirking face as Elena glared openly at Damon.

"What did you say to them?" Elena questioned him. I knew my sister was never going to be Damons biggest fan, and I couldn't really blame her. Damon wasn't playing the nice guy in all that has happened in our once quiet town. I could only hope he didn't continue down this path of becoming the villain in this story.

"Hey now, I was perfectly polite." I let out a scoff at Damons words and smirked when he sent me a glare. The song changed and I cringed as teens swarmed around us to get to the dance floor. The smirk grew on Damon's face and he turned his attention towards Elena. "Elena, would you like to dance?"

My eyebrows rose and my gaze flickered between the two. Elena stood up straight and smirked. "I would love to." My eyes went wide before my sister looked towards Stefan. "May I have this dance?"

I smirked as Stefan smiled and held out his arm for Elena to take. The two left the table and made their way out onto the dance floor. I couldn't help but let out a laugh and looked back over at Damon. His face was twisted up in a sneer before he schooled his expression. His eyes left the couple and he turned to me before his smirk reapered on his face.

"What about you little sister, care to dance?" He held out a hand and I felt a smile grace my face as I rolled my eyes at the vampires antics.

"Sure, why not." Damon held out his hand for me and I slipped mine into his. The vampire held my hand firmly and pulled me out onto the dance floor.

The two of us danced among the normal, unsuspecting, teenagers. We swayed to the music and I laughed as my brother twirled me around. Our dancing wasn't quiet in tune to the beat of the music, but the two of us didn't care. For once we were just enjoying eachothers company, and the impending doom of whatever was bound to happen to us next. I had forgotten what this had felt like. Looking at Damon's face had me walking down memory lane as the two of us twirled under the gyms lights.

When the song ended I left Damon out on the dance floor to catch my breath. I made my way through the crowd towards the punch bowl where Jeremy was manning the drinks and handing out paper cups filled with fruit punch. The area was sparse of people and I spotted the ideal resting place up on the bleachers. It would be a good spot to keep an eye out for any vampires who decide to show up.

"Hey there sis, need a drink?" Jeremy filled one of the paper cups with the red colored punch and handed it to me. Jeremy had changed alot since the death of Vicki. Granted, it seemed to be for the best, but I still wondered just what Damon had compelled Jeremy to do that night. How much of this change is Damon's doing due to his brainwashing.

I smiled at Jeremy and took the cup from my younger brother's hand. "Thanks. I needed a break from the crowd." I took a sip of the drink and glanced around the gym. I felt the ever moving energy of the humans in the room swirl and flex around me. I could feel Damon's and Stefans energy further in the gym, like storm clouds rumbling in the distance. I let out a sigh and turned back toward Jeremy. "Uhg, I hate this." I muttered and the younger Gilbert let out a small laugh.

I climbed the stairs of the bleachers behind the drink table and sat myself near the top. This way I had a full view of the gym and could keep any eye out. While feeling for any strange changes in the air made my job a little easier, I still had no clue who I was looking for.

My eyes watched the crowd of teens dance and mingle with one another as I kept an eye for whoever I was searching for. Another song came on over the speakers and the teens swarmed back onto the dance floor. My eyebrows creased together and I felt something shift in the air. My eyes searched for whoever was causing the change and found a girl standing in front of the drink station. She looked unfamiliar, but I felt my stomach drop when I realized the energy coming off of her was the same as Damons and Stefans. She was very clearly a vampire, one who was currently talking with Jeremy.

My throat felt tight as I slipped my phone out of my back pocket and sent Damon a text. I kept a close eye on the girl until she finally left. I then rushed down the steps of the bleachers. "Hey, who was that?" I did my best to keep my voice from sounding as panicked as I felt.

"Oh, that was Anna. A girl I met at the library." His answer was nonchalant, but that didn't help me relax in the slightest.

My head turned and I watched the crowd as I continued to talk to Jeremy. "So hey, you're not leaving the dance anytime soon, are you?" I asked. I turned back to face him and my younger brother sent me a look. He slowly nodded his head and sent him a strained smile. "Great. See you later little brother." I walked off into the crowd and felt my skin break out in goosebumps as the energy condense around me.

I made my way through the crowd in search of the Salvatore brothers and my sister. I headed past the dance floor and towards the doors leading out of the gym, when I finally caught sight of Elena. I immediately began walking towards her. "Elena," Her name slipped from my lips and broke off when I noticed the look in her eyes. I was only a few feet away from her and saw the way her hand shook as she held her phone close to her ear. "Elena?" I said her name a little louder and her head inched in my direction. I felt my throat grow tight.

I watched my sister's face contort as fear and distrust went through her eyes. I watched her lips move, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. Then she started moving. Her steps were slow and deliberate as she walked closer towards where I stood frozen. She kept the phone pressed to her ear and her eyes focused on something across the gym. She grabbed a hold of my arm and pulled me along beside her.

I took the opportunity to look to where she had her gaze focused and only saw Jeremy manning the drink table. But as we slowly made our way across the gym, someone stepped up behind Jeremy. I felt my spine go rigid at the sight of the hooded figure. I didn't have to even try to reach out and feel the energy around the man to know he was a vampire.

Elena and I continued to make our way across the gym floor, all the while keeping the vampire in our sights until he was no longer near Jeremy. As soon as Elena hung up the phone she pulled me the rest of the way and rushed out of the gym.

My heart began to pound in my chest as the two of us rushed down the hall. I kept an eye for any sign of the vampire as we made our way towards a pair of doors that would lead outside. "Dam it." I cursed as I pushed on the doors and found them to be locked. Elena watched our backs as I struggled with the doors. "It's locked. We need to find another way out." I hissed under my breath. I turned around and caught sight of the hooded vampire walking down the hall towards us.

Elena's hand shot out and took ahold of my arm and the two of us took off down the hall. Our shoes thudded against the tiled floor as we rushed away from the vampire. Panic settled in my stomach as we slammed through the doors of the cafeteria. I knew the vampire was playing with us and was only waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Unfortunately, that opportunity came.

My sister and I both felt our hearts droop when we found the doors that would lead out of the cafeteria were chained shut. Before we could make a run for it, the doors we had just slammed through, burst open and the vampire stepped into the room. We were sitting ducks, and before we could even move, the vampire rushed at us with supernatural speed. We were sent flying in different directions and I felt my body slid across the floor before my back slammed up against a table.

A groan slipped through my lips as pain erupted from my back. I pushed my body up onto my hands as I searched the room for my sister. "Elena!" I shouted her name as the vampire prowled over to where he had tossed her. I quickly pushed myself up onto my feet and rushed at the vampire before he could touch my sister. I jumped on the vampire back and wrapped my arm around his neck before pulling back with all my strength. The vampire staggered and let out a growl before wrenching my arm from around his neck and tossing me off his back like I was nothing but an annoying fly. I fell to the ground with a thud and gasped as pain raced up my arm.

I looked up as I heard the growling vampire get closer. I felt defenceless in that moment as I looked up at the red eyes of the vampire who was ready to kill me without a second thought. "Leave her alone!" The vampire let out a sudden pained howl before turning around. I noticed a yellow pencil sticking out of his back. I found my sister standing her ground in front of the vampire as he stalked towards her. She held another pencil firmly in her hand as he got closer.

The doors the cafeteria slammed open and we all turned our heads to see Damon and Stefan walking into the room. "Hey, dickhead." Damon walked up with a stake held firmly in his hand. He smirked at the other vampire. "Nobody wants to kill you. We just wanna talk." I pushed myself up onto my feet as Damon and the vampire squared off. The vampire sent Damon a smirk before he flashed away.

"Elena!" I shouted as the vampire rushed at her, but before he could even touch her, Damon threw the stake to Stefan and the younger Salvatore brother staked the vampire through the stomach.

"Now you feel like talking?" Stefan asked as he forced the wooden weapon further through the vampire's gut. Elena hurried past the three vampires and over to my side. She put an arm around my waist and I leaned against her as the vampire brothers interrogated the stranger.

"Screw you." The vampire spit out and Stefan glared down at him.

"Wrong answer. Why are you doing this?" Stefan questioned and the vampire let out a groan as he moved the stake.

"Because it's fun." I knew that wasn't the reason why the vampire was doing what he was because it was fun, no, there had to be another reason.

"What do you want with Elena?" Stefan tried again. This time the vampire's eyes sought out my sister and I as we stood huddled together.

His smirk sent a shiver down my spine. "She looks like Katherine." His eyes went back to Stefan. We all stared at the vampire in shock. If he knew Katherine, that meant he was there in 1864.

"You knew Katherine?" Damon stepped up this time to ask the question.

"Oh. You thought you were the only ones." The vampire let out a laugh and looked back at Elena and I. Our eyes connected and I felt a shiver run down my spine. "You look familiar."

Damon leaned closer to the vampire and growled at him. "Tell me how to get in the tomb. Hmm?"

"No." The vampire's answer made Damon growl out in frustration. He still wanted in the tomb. He still wanted to let Katherine out. Stefan took the hint and pushed the stake in further while angling it up towards the vampire's heart. "The grimoire." The vampire hissed out in pain.

"Where is it?" Damon questioned and I felt my blood go cold as the vampire answered him. I didn't like the idea of Damon opening the tomb. Something about that place sent my blood rushing.

"Check the journal." The vampire cried out. "The journal. Jonathan Gilbert's journal. "

"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked and Damon leaned in once again.

"Who else is there?" Damon asked and watched as the vampire stared up at the two brothers and shook his head.

"No. You're going to have to kill me." The vampire's words made the two brothers look at eachother and I felt Elena tense up beside me. Stefan pulled the stake out before inserting straight into the vampire's heart. Much like Vicki, the vampire's skin turned grey as veins crawled out across his face and death took him for a second time.

"What do we do now? How are you gonna find the others?" Elena asked as she looked between the two brothers.

"They didn't have much of a choice, Elena." I muttered from beside her.

"She's right." Damon added my words.

"But…" My sister started to speak before Stefan stood up straight and let the vampire's body fall to the floor.

"He had been invited in." Elena grew quiet at his words. She knew how dangerous it would have been to keep the vampire alive. His death meant our families' safety. The sound of the door moving caught our attention and we all looked up to see the shocked face of the school's new history teacher. "Go. I got this." Stefan looked at Damon and the older Salvatore nodded his head before taking off after the history teacher.

I let out a sigh and slumped further into Elenas arms. My body felt sore and stiff from being tossed around earlier and all I wanted was to fall into bed and sleep. Elena helped me walk out of the school and two of us piled into her car before finally heading back home. It wasn't until we were walking up the steps of the front porch, that I noticed my hands were shaking. As grateful as I am for Damon and Stefan showing up and saving us, it was a close call and my sister and I were seconds away from being killed tonight.

After saying a pitiful goodnight to Elena, I slumped off into my room and got ready for bed. I collapsed in a heap and let out a relieved sigh. Sleep pulled at my thoughts and I was dragged down into the darkness. But then light pierced my mind and I was greeted with a memory. A memory I didn't want to relive.

Colors blurred together for a moment before they became clear. Sounds filled the air and the very distinct smells of the past brought forth old feelings as I fell into the memory. My hands clutched a leather bound journal in their grasp as I made my great escape and rushed down the back steps of the large house I grew up in. I was only about sixteen and it wasn't often I could escape my governess and instructors. My dress fluttered around my ankles as one of my hands nervously fiddled with the necklace that hung around my neck.

"And where are you off to, Little Sister?" I halted in my tracks and felt my breath catch in my throat as I turned around to face my brother. Damon smirked at me and I let out a sigh of defeat. The eldest Salvatore sibling had only just returned from the war, and as happy as I was to have him back, I was still hoping to escape the manor for at least a little while.

I shuffled my feet and hugged my journal to my chest as I gave my older brother a sheepish look. "Nowhere really. Just my secret hideout." I looked up at my brother with hopeful eyes and saw the frown that marred his face.

"Serena." He let out a long sigh and rolled his eyes. "You know you're not supposed to go off into the woods alone. It's dangerous." It was the only time my older brothers ever became cross with me. He didn't like the idea of my long walks in the woods. But I just couldn't help it. It was where I felt most at peace, and with our new house guest, I needed that peace now more than ever.

"Please, big brother, please." I put on my best pitiful look as I begged. "I promise to be home before nightfall." I could see him starting to crack and added one more please before his shoulders sagged and his eyes rolled in his head again.

"Fine, fine. I swear, you're only becoming more and more stubborn the older you get." My brother smirked as he reached over and ruffled my pale colored head. "Go on. And remember, before nightfall."

My smile stretched out across my face as I jumped up and hugged my brother. "I promise." I called out as I rushed past him towards the garden gate that led out into the woods behind our estate. I squeezed my journal closer to my chest as I slowed down to a steady walk. I wanted to enjoy the peace I felt among the trees before I had to return home.

Home was never somewhere I felt really comfortable. My father was cold to me and I had no mother to guide me as I grew into a woman. I would forever be thankful for my brothers, Damon especially, but things have changed in the last few months. Someone new was staying with us, someone I didn't feel all that comfortable around. Katherine Pierce. There was something strange about the woman. The air around her felt dark and dangerous. She left me feeling on edge whenever she was near, and I absolutely hated the way she toyed with my brothers. She had them wrapped around her little finger.

I walked with my eyes casted down as I thought about the strange woman who had taken up residence in our home. She was the cause of the rift, I could practically see, forming between my brothers.

"Oh, Serena. How lovely to see you." I felt my body jump at the sudden sound and turned to find Katherine. She wore a small smirk upon her lips as she looked me over. Her gaze looked hungry and I suddenly felt a shift in the air as fear raced down my spine. I stood completely still as the woman began to circle me. I felt like a deer being stalked by a hungry wolf.

"Hello, Miss. Pierce." My voice cracked slightly and I cringed at how scared I sounded. I cleared my throat and did my best to hold my head up high. "Are you out for a stroll as well?"

Katherine smirked and stopped her circling so she was once again standing in front of me. "Ah yes. I was just enjoying the quietness of the woods. Quite peaceful, isn't it?" I nodded my head at her question and felt my heart being to speed up when she stepped closer.

"Well yes, I'll, um, let out to get back to your walk. Goodbye." I bowed my head and made to turn away from the woman, but her hand shot out and I let out a startled gasp. The movement had been so fast and startling that I had dropped my journal.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." I jumped back slightly when she appeared so close. My hand rested on my chest, just above the frantic pounding of my heart. Katherines eyes glanced down and I saw her staring at my now open journal as it laid flat on the ground. There were a few sketches of Damon and Stefan on the page and I watched as she began to reach for the book.

"Oh, please, it's fine. It was only an accident." I tried to reach down for my journal before her, but she was much faster than I was. I watched with bated breath as Katherine flipped through the pages of my book.

"My, my. You are quite the artist, little Salvatore." I cringed at the nickname. I didn't let anyone, not even Damon, have free reign of my sketches. This felt like an invasion of privacy and all I wanted to do was snatch my journal out of her grasp. But then something changed. Katherines face lost it's smirk and her eyes grew wide as fear filled her gaze. Then confusion, and then furry. I opened my mouth to say something, but her eyes flickered up to me and I felt my voice become trapped in my throat. "How? How do you know this man?" She shook my journal in my face and I was unable to make out who she was speaking about. "Tell me!" Her voice growled out and I stepped away from her in fear as her eyes flashed red and veins crawled out across her cheeks.

"I don't know! I promise! I don't remember who he is." I whimpered in fear as she pursued my steps with her own. "Please, I promise I don't know who he is." My back collided with the trunk of a tree and I winced. I was trapped.

Katherine took a deep breath and stood directly in front of me. "No, no. We can't have this." She muttered to herself. "I've been running for too long for you to come along and ruin this. I won't let you."

"Please." I begged for my life as she stepped closer. "Please don't do this."

"Don't worry. This won't hurt. Much." Her eyes went ready and she opened her mouth to reveal sharp pointed fangs. Fear filled my insides and I let a gut wrenching scream as she pounced. Her teeth pierced the delicate skin on my neck and blood warmed it way down my chest as it leaked from my body.

My screams grew faint and my struggles ceased as my mind grew cloudy. My hearing went next and I found myself falling into a never ending pit of darkness. One that swallowed me up as my body slumped against the tree and the monster killing me.

My body lurched with a start as I woke up from the nightmare like memory I was forced to relive. Air came out of my lips in gasps as I tried to pull myself back into the present. I felt sick as tears burned at the back of my eyes. The memory of Katherine killing me was one I never wanted to relive again. But like a nightmare, it had come back to haunt me. I pulled my knees up to my chest and sobbed as my emotions overwhelmed me. Whatever Katherine had seen that day in my journal, it had been the trigger of her wrath, and my death.

A/N: I'm honestly really happy with where this story is heading and am excited for you all to read the next few chapters. I love writing about Serena and I'm enjoying this ride.

Thank you all for reading and shout out to all the new followers and those who have Favorited this story. To the guest, Sam, thank your for the review I'm glad you liked the last chapter.

Also, a quick reminder, this story will have a pairing between multiple people in one relationship. If that something that makes you uncomfortable, or you're just not into it, please don't continue to read this story. Thank you.

Stay safe everyone.