Chapter 13: Hunting
Trees blurred by as I drove down the quiet road towards the Lockwood manor. With one hand gripping the steering wheel, my other hand gently rubbed at my chest. The subtle ache that filled my chest this morning was one I was familiar with. Last night's memory filled my heart with a pain I haven't felt since the car accident that took my parents lives, and almost my sisters. Having to relive the nightmare of losing my loved ones had my mind forcing me down memory lane. I didn't have the clearest images of my family from my first life, so having my first clear memory of them lying side by side in death, was heart wrenching. As much as I wanted the pieces of my past to fill in all the blanks, having to relive the worst parts of my memoires broke my heart. While I understood that each memory I regained in perfect clarity was bound to leave a painful impression upon my heart.
Because even something as impossible as Damon and Stefan coming back into my life, after a hundred year, has brought some sort of hopefulness to my heart. I knew the probability of that happening again, is zero. I knew my family was long gone from this world. Those small glimpses I got from my first life were all I had of my first life. That was just something I was going to have to accept, and live with.
I turned down the familiar gravel driveway of the Lockwood Manor and parked my car before the large home. I got a call from Jenna first thing in the morning and was asked to help out with decorating for the masquerade party.
"Hey, you made it." Jennas smiling face greeted me at the door of the manor as she ushered me into the house. "Thanks for coming, we really needed the extra hands." I couldn't help but smile back at the woman as she looped her arm with mine and led me down the hall.
"It's no problem. I'm glad I can help." Jenna squeezed my hand and sent me a thoughtful smile at my words. Being in my Aunt's presence made the ache in my chest, and the dark thoughts floating around in my mind, become lighter. I was reminded in that moment, that although I have lost so many, I still had family who cared.
Jenna led me into a room filled with boxes and motioned towards the ones sitting on a table in the middle of the room. "Just pull out any decorations that match the theme for the party. Remember, masquerade, feathers, gold, you know, the works." She explained as she set another box up onto the table. "Shout if you need any help, I'll be somewhere around the house helping where I can."
"Alright then. Sounds easy enough." Jenna laughed lightly at my words before sending me another soft smile and leaving me to sort through the boxes. I spent about thirty minutes just mindless pulling out decorations and keeping out the ones that seemed to fit the theme of the party the best. My time shifting boxes around and organizing decorations was a good distraction from my early depressing thoughts.
Hope had me thinking that one day I would know everything about my begging, but that line of thought also had me releasing that when that time comes, I would also have to relive all the loss I've been through. The blurry images of those I clearly cared for would one day become clear, and with that, the realization that they are all long gone. My first life had clearly been a very long time ago, so it was only plausible that those from my past are long dead by now.
"Hey," A familiar voice pulled me from the recesses of my mind and I looked up to find Bonnie standing in the doorway. "I've been looking for you. Do you have a minute?"
"Uh, yeah, sure." I pulled away from the box I was shifting through and watched as Bonnie closed the door behind her. We stood in silence for a moment as the witch glanced around the room.
"I did what you asked." I felt my spine stiffen slightly as Bonnie's words caught my full attention. Our eyes met and I could see the witches' emotions swirling around. "I searched through Emily's grimoire and found that word, Fae. But," I felt my heart skip a beat as Bonnie spoke. "It was in a completely different language. One I've never seen before so it took me some time to translate it."
There was a pause and I felt the air between us fill with anticipation. "What did it say, Bonnie?" I was starting to get nervous now as I watched Bonnie shift on her feet.
"Remember what you told me that day, at the Grill, about you being like a power source." I nodded my head at her words and wondered just where she was going with this. "There's more to it than that. You're not just a power source for magic, you are directly connected to nature. You are the source, Serena." My eyes went wide at her words as they bounced around in my mind.
"I don't...What does that mean?" I asked.
Bonnie sucked in a breath before stinging her words together and answering my question as best she could. "I didn't quite understand it all, but from what I understand, it means Fae are like the inbetween. Where witches get to 'borrow' their strength and power from the laws of nature, Fae are directly connected to those laws." She paused for a second before continuing. "I think that means that Fae, you, are the keepers of the magic that witches use. It's like a witch can't use magic against you, but you can sever a spell because you're more connected to nature than a witch."
"I, wow. That's a lot." I muttered as Bonnie finished explaining her findings. It was a lot to take in. Never have I thought that I would get anywhere with just that one word I found in Isabel's file on me. "Thank you Bonnie."
"There was more, but I haven't finished translating it yet." I shook my head at Bonnie's words.
"Take your time. This is more than I could have ever asked for, really. Thank you." Bonnies face lit up at my thanks. I could tell she was really happy about being able to offer me any information she could find. I would be forever grateful for her help on this.
"Thank you for trusting me with this. I'll do my best to get the rest of it translated." She added. I gave her a nod of my head in understanding before she turned and left the room. Silence filled the room after Bonnie closed the door behind her. I was left alone with my thoughts as I tried to process what was just unloaded onto me.
I couldn't tell how long I just stood there, repeating everything Bonnie had just told me over and over again in my head. While I knew there was more to it then just what Bonnie had found, I felt more then accomplished with what I had now.
I decided on getting out of the room for a little bit and headed outside to get some fresh air, and hopefully organize my thoughts. What I wasn't expecting was to run into the oldest Salvatore brother while I was out here. "Ah, there you are." I raised a suspicious brow as the vampire walked up to me. I hadn't been expecting him to show up at the Lockwoods, but something told me he wasn't here to help with decorations.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest and glanced around for any other vampires showing up.
Damon sent me a smirk before answering. "Doing a little wolf hunting, want to join?" He moved so he stood beside me and slung a leather covered arm over my shoulders.
I rolled my eyes and I shook my head in exasperation. "You can't be serious." The vampire sent me another smirk and led me around the manor towards the front of the house.
"As a heart attack. Now come on, we need to find a certain witch." I had a bad feeling about Damons idea of going after Mason, but allowed him to drag me through the Lockwood home in search of Bonnie.
Once we found the witch, somehow, Damon convinced her to help him out in a little scheme to get information out of Mason. I knew how Bonnie felt about Damon, but even she understood the danger Mason posed on all of us. The three of us devised a plan before running into Stefana and informing him of our plan. So as Damon, myself, and Stefan, stood out of sight, the witch did all the hard work and pretty much incapacited the werewolf before Damon walked over and knocked him out.
"Why exactly are we doing this again?" I asked, as if I had already been told, which I hadn't. I understood taking Mason out of the picture, but everything Damon was doing shouted desperate, and that had me on edge.
"Bonnie saw Katherine with Mason in a vision after she touched him." Stefan explained as he handed Damon the keys to the werewolves truck and the two of them loaded Mason into the back of it.
"What? Why would Katherine be hanging around with Mason Lockwood? I thought vampires and werewolves were enemies?" I asked as Damon opened the driver side door and hopped in.
"That's what we're going to find out. Meet us at the boarding house." Damon answered before driving off with Bonnie in the passenger seat.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" I muttered mostly to myself as I watched the truck drive off.
"Because with Damon, all his ideas are bad ones." Stefan spoke up and I let out a sigh in agreement before heading over to my own car and following after the vampire, witch, and the unconscious werewolf.
I pulled up behind Mason's truck just as Damon hefted the full grown man onto his shoulder. "Grab his bag, little sister." I nodded my head and reached into the back of the truck as Damon and Bonnie headed inside the boarding house. I grabbed the nylon duffel bag and closed the back of the truck before heading inside.
"Here." I dropped the duffel bag beside the fireplace as Damon secured Mason to a chair and started to roll out a tarp.
"Why are we doing this?" Bonnie asked as she took hold of one side of the tarp and helped Damon lay it out.
"Because, I don't want to stain the carpet." Damon informed her. The message was read loud as I took it upon myself to rifle through Mason's bag. I had a gut feeling that Mason wasn't leaving this place alive, and I knew Bonnie had that same thought due to Damons words.
"I knew you were going to say something like that." Bonnie pointed out in displeasure.
"Judging again." Damon reminded her and I rolled my eyes as I pulled out some of the items Mason had in his bag.
"Uh, I think Mason is either an avid climber, or is really into being tied up." I called out as I pulled chains and carabiners out of the duffle bag. Damon stood over my shoulder as I pulled out even more rock climbing gear and hard core chains.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked suddenly and I looked away from Mason's bag and back at the werewolf. Bonnie stood with her hands on either side of his head as she focused on whatever she was doing to the man.
"You're looking for a moonstone." Bonnie started. "I'm trying to help you find it."
"A moonstone?" I asked as I stood up and looked up at Damon.
"Your brother can be really helpful when he needs to be." Damon said. "Remember that curse we read about at Duke." I nodded my head. The curse of the sun and moon. "The curse is held within a moonstone, but not just any moonstone, one that Mason Lockwood has hidden somewhere." Damon looked back to Bonnie. "Find out if he gave it to Katherine, and find out where she is. And find out what they're gonna do with it once they get it." I smacked Damon on the arms as he bombarded the witch with questions.
"It's somewhere small, dark. There's water." Bonnie spoke up. I walked closer to the witch and looked at Mason.
"Like a sewer?" Damon asked.
"No. Like a well?" Bonnie questioned herself. "That can't be right. No, yeah, it's a well."
"Why would it be in a well?" I asked and looked at Mason. Why even hide it?
"That's all I got." Bonnie took her hands off Mason and turned to me. I gave her a reassuring smile and nodded my head at her.
"Thank you, Bonnie." The young witch nodded at me and glanced at Damon before going to leave. This next part was going to be hard to watch so I took a few steps back toward the front hall and crossed my arms over my chest.
Damon paced in front of the wolf before stopping. "Come on. Wake up, wolf boy." I couldn't help but wince as Damon's fist suddenly striked out and hit Mason across the face. Mason woke with a start and took in his surroundings before starting to struggle. "Someones feisty."
I stood back and watched as the werewolf struggled to free himself and ended up toppling over. The bindings securing him stayed in place and the wolf grunted with the extra effort he was putting in trying to free himself. Damon had walked over to the fireplace while Mason struggled and pulled out a very hot looking poker before returning to his captive and kneeling down to his level.
"What?" Mason hissed out. Damon simply smirked at him and pressed the heated metal straight into the wolfs chest. I closed my eyes as Mason's pained cries reached my ears and winced. I could have left. I should have left. I had every right to walk out of there and not witness this. But for some reason I stayed.
"You can hurt, good to know." Damon pulled the man's shirt down so he could inspect the wound he had just made. "I was afraid you were gonna be some beast mass with no affinity for pain." The vampire paused as he looked at the wound. "Oh, but you heal quickly. Not good. Guess I'll just have to keep applying pain."
Damon reached down and lifted the chair back up so Mason was once agains sitting up right before him. The vampire then headed back to the fireplace and stuck the poker back into the flames to reheat it. "So, Katherine. How do you know her? What is she up to?" Damons only answer from the wolf was him spitting on the ground. "I have all day." With that said Damon stabbed the hot poker into Mason's stomach.
I wanted to feel for the wolf, I really did, but he had carried me to my death the other day when the Sheriff of our town had us down in that cavern. Katherine was our biggest threat at the moment and we needed answers, and Mason had them. As much as I hated to admit it, Damon's methods were bound to get us somewhere. Not to mention Mason was dangerous, to all of us.
"When did you two meet? Did she seduce you, tell you she loved you?" What felt like a lifetime went by as Damon questioned Mason while poking at him with the red hot poker. "You're supernatural so she can't compel you. I'm sure she used her other charms. Katherines good that way."
I was leaning up against the wall when someone suddenly walked into the room. "Jeremy? What are you doing here?" I asked as I followed after the teen when he placed a box down on the table near Damon and Mason.
"I found something in Rics box of stuff." Jeremy announced as he turned to look at me before looking at Damon.
I stood beside Jeremy as he opened the box. "What is it?" I asked as the teen pulled a plant out.
"I did a search on my phone. It's a plant called Aconitum Vulparia. It grows in the mountainous areas of the northern hemisphere." Jeremy explained and I found myself staring at the purple colored flowers.
"Careful, my little one. This one can be testy and we don't it getting anywhere near Papa." The image of a woman who looked just like me, my mother, holding the plant between her fingers entered my head and I found the ache in my chest returning. I couldn't help but subconsciously rub at the spot above my heart as I took a small step back.
"Commonly known as aconite, blue rocket, and wol-"
"Wolfsbane." I interrupted the teen and felt my throat tighten up. Both males looked at one another before Damon spoke up.
"What else did you read?" Damon asked and Jeremy showed the vampire his phone.
"Well, every source says something different. One myth says it causes lycanthropy, which sounds bogus. Another one says that it protects people and another one says, well, it's toxic." Jeremy read off and I swallowed the lump growing in my throat as Mason let out a groan.
"I'm guessing toxic." Damon took the dried plant and walked toward Mason. "What's Katherine doing in Mystic Falls?" No answer came from the wolf and Damon gently brushed the wolfsbane across Masons cheek. His skin turned red and burned at the mere touch of the plant. "Why is she here?"
I felt Jeremy shift beside me and I reached out and took his hand in mine. This wasn't something I wanted him to see, but it was his choice. If he wanted to stay and help, then I wasn't going to stop him. He had witnessed more than enough to earn his place beside us as we traversed the supernatural world.
"She's here with me." Mason finally croaked out. "Why do you ask, you jealous?"
"How rude of me. You know, I just realized, I didn't offer you anything to eat." Damon's face suddenly contorted and he shoved a fist full of the wolfsbane into the wolf's mouth. Mason sputtered and coughed. "Yummy!"
"Damon." I spoke up, but the vampire ignored me.
"Why do you want the moonstone?" Damon asked and Mason sent him a heated glare.
"Screw you!" Was his reply. I dropped Jeremy's hand.
"Ahhh! Wrong answer!" Before Damon could do anything else I placed a steady hand on his shoulder.
"Damon, take it easy." I looked to Mason and the wolf glared up at me. "Listen, you may not want to believe it, but Katherine isn't doing whatever she is doing for you. Just tell us what we need to know and this will end." Mason stayed quiet. "We know where it is already, but we need to know why she wants it."
"I would answer the question, you know, unless you want me to keep going." Damon sent the werewolf a smirk and Mason squirmed.
"She's gonna use it to lift the curse." With his answer both Damon and I glanced at one another.
"The sun and moon curse? Why would she do that?" I asked and Damon shook his head.
"You think she's going to lift the curse of the moon. Now, why would a vampire help a werewolf break a curse that keeps them from turning whenever they want?" Damon's words made sense and obviously were the right thing to say as Mason grounded his teeth in anger.
"So I wouldn't have to turn anymore." Mason shot back.
"Why?" I asked and tilted my head in curiosity.
"Because she loves me." Mason's answer put a frown on my face and I suddenly felt bad for the man sitting in front of us. He was just another innocent person caught up in Katherines web of lies. Mason would die thinking the woman loved him, when in reality, she was only using him.
Damon let out a laugh. "Now I get it. You're just stupid. Katherine doesn't love you. She's using you moron."
"I'm don't talking." Mason grounded out.
"Yes you are." Damon agreed before looking at me. "Time to go home, Serena. And take Jeremy with you."
I nodded my head in agreement and turned away from the werewolf. "Come on Jeremy." I reached out to my little brother but the teen shook his head.
"No, I'm staying." Jeremy started to argue and I shook my head.
"Jeremy, trust me on this. It's time for us to leave. We don't need to be here for this." I gripped the boy's hand in my own and pulled him toward the front hallway.
I could tell Jeremy wanted to argue with me, but something in the tone of my voice told him to just listen to me. So we both walked away from the scene and left the boarding house. Jeremy had borrowed Jenna's car so he simply followed me home. I knew Mason would be dead by the time we arrived home. There was no way Damon was going to let Mason just walk away, not now that we know who the real mastermind is and what she was after.
It was late by the time I heard a car pull up in front of the house. I knew right away it was my sister and quickly left my room to meet her at the front door. "Hey, welcome home." I greeted my sister as I walked down stairs just as she walked in through the front door. "How did it go? Did you find it?"
Elena's eyes shifted to where our Aunt and Alaric were standing by the kitchen island working on dinner. "We got it." I nodded my head in relief. Now that we had the moon stone we were one step ahead of Katherine. "Where's Jeremy?"
My eyes glanced up the stairs. "He's in his room." I answered just as Alaric walked up to us.
"Hey, how'd it go?" He asked Elena.
"Good, we got it." She answered back and Alaric nodded his head in understanding.
Elena glanced around the older man and motioned her head to our Aunt still standing in the kitchen. "Who is she talking to?" I found myself also glancing over at the woman and saw that she had the house phone pressed against her ear.
"I don't know." Alaric shrugged his shoulder and I raised a brow. Wasn't it a little late to be receiving phone calls? I followed after my sister as she seemingly came to the same conclusion and moved toward our Aunt.
We stopped beside each other before the island and listened to our Aunt speak to whoever was on the other end. "Of course, I understand. Elena, it's for you." Jenna held the phone out to Elena and the two of us glanced at one another.
"Who is it?" Elena asked the woman as she reached out for the phone. Our Aunt only shrugged her shoulders in reply and I turned my eyes to my sister as she held the phone up to her ear. "Hello?" I waited with bated breath as my sister waited for a reply. My sister's face suddenly went pale and I felt my heart practically stop as she poke into the phone. "Katherine."
A shiver went down my spine and I glanced over at Jenna who was quietly working on dinner. Elena walked out of the room to keep our Aunt from over hearing anything. I turned away from Jenna and took a few steps towards the living room where Elena was speaking to Katherine. The vampire was no doubt pissed at us and I feared her retaliation. She could go after any one of us for throwing a methporitc wrench into her plans.
Both Alaric and I kept our eyes on Elena. Her eyes shifted from Alaric to myself as she stood with her spine rigid and a look of fear plastered on her face. Then panic over took her and felt my heart seize. "Jenna, no!" Her shout caught me off guard and I wondered if I heard her right. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion as I turned around. My eyes widened in shock as Jenna stood with a knife pointed at her stomach.
"Jenna? Jenna!" As my words fell from my lips I felt time speed up and both Alaric and I jolted from our places and rushed to try and stop the woman. But we weren't fast enough. "No!" Janna plunged the large kitchen knife straight into her stomach and I felt pure panic spread throughout my body.
"Jenna! Jenna!" Alaric called out the woman's name as the two of us dived around the kitchen island. "Quick, grab that towel and put pressure on the wound. Elena, call 911!" I followed Alaric's order and grabbed the kitchen towel off the stove and held it firmly against Jenna's stomach. We didn't dare try and remove the blade in fear of causing more blood loss and prayed for the ambulance to hurry.
I don't remember the paramedics showing up or even the ride to the hospital as Elena drove after the red and yellow flashing lights. I do remember looking down at my hands and seeing only red. My fingers and palms were stained with my Aunts blood and I was almost tempted to panic at the sight.
"Come on sis, lets go get you cleaned up." I hadn't even noticed that Jeremy was with us until he spoke up. Jeremy gently took me by the arm and led me to where the restrooms were. He guided me up to the door and promised to wait right outside. I gave him a somber nod and walked into the women's restroom.
The bathroom was empty. The quiet echo of my shoes was the only sound to be heard as I made my way over to the sinks. There I was able to focus on the image staring back at me. Long white hair pulled loosely into a low ponytail and wine colored eyes stared back at me and I was suddenly brought back to the present.
I took a deep breath to anchor myself and placed my hands under the automatic faucet. The water ran pink as I washed the blood from my hands. This has all gone too far. Katherine was clearly desperate and willing to hurt anyone to get her way. Jenna was hurt and there was no way any of us could have stopped it from happening. We were helpless.
I finished washing my hands and headed out of the restroom to rejoin Jeremy. The two of us shared a look and the younger Gilbert took my arm in his and we made our way to the waiting room. Just as the two of us arrived, Elena was walking toward us.
"Is she okay?" Jeremy asked her as the three of us stood facing each other.
"The doctors told Alaric that she got lucky." She explained. "She's gonna make it. She's gonna be okay."
I let out a sigh in relief and felt my shoulders sag at the news. "What does she remember?" I asked and Elena shook her head.
"Nothing. Katherine compelled her so I'm sure she made her forget everything to do with her." Elena answered. She was right, Katherine wouldn't want to leave a trail, even if we knew it was her.
"Why would Katherine hurt Jenna?" Jeremy asked. The answer to that was simple, because we cared about her and Katherine wanted us to suffer. She wants us to know exactly what she's willing to do.
"It's a message. To all of us." I glanced from Jeremy to Elena. "Katherine wants us all to know that she can hurt any of us to get what she wants." My words rang true for all of us. Tears filled Elena's eyes and Jeremy pulled our sister in close as she cried.
"It's gonna be okay." Jeremy tried to reassure her, but Elena only continued to cry.
"No, it's not." She muttered as her face stayed pressed against Jeremys chest. My eyes met Jeremy and I could see the anger swell inside of him.
"She's gonna pay, Elena. I don't know how but she's gonna pay." He vowed and I wondered just how he was going to manage that. Katherine was far older than even Stefan and Damon. She's had more time on this earth to become the vampire she is today. We needed to be smart if we wanted her off the playing field.
Jenna was released from the hospital the next day after practically forcing the doctors to get her the release forms. I could tell she hated being there and wanted out as soon as possible. "Here, let me get the door." I walked up the steps to the front door and swung it open wide while Jeremy and Matt helped Jenna into the house. Elena followed after her and I closed the door right behind her. Jenna was to be on strict bed rest while at home and take it easy as her wound healed.
"Hey, stop fussing, I'm fine." Said Jenna as Matt carefully lowered her onto the couch.
"The doctors said that you have to take it easy." Elena reminded her. As I took the crutches the hospital gave Jenna from Jeremy. I placed them aside while Elena put the food we grabbed from the Grill on the kitchen table.
"Yeah, you don't want to rip your stitches, hemorrhage and die, alright?" Jeremy painted quite the picture and I could practically feel Jenna roll her eyes at the younger Gilbert.
I walked back around the couch just as Jenna sighed. "Yeah, the only thing I'm gonna die from is embarrassment." I let out an empty laugh at her words and shook my head. "I mean, I walked into a knife. How does somebody do that?"
"It was an accident, Jenna. Things like this happen." I tried to reassure her as I took a seat on the coffee table so I was facing her.
"Serena's right. It was a freak accident." Elena backed up my words.
"Yeah, I mean I've done it like twenty times at the Grill." Matt explained and Jenna smiled at the jock and let out a laugh before wincing in pain. "Okay, I'm being nice."
"Careful." Jeremy hoverd close while Jenna readjusted herself and relaxed further into the couch.
"Do you need anything, Jenna?" I asked as I stood from the coffee table. The woman shook her head and I walked around the couch to head into the kitchen where Elena was finishing putting the food out.
"So what are we gonna do?" I hadn't noticed Jeremy follow me into the kitchen and turned to look at him while Elena put food into dishes.
"Make lunch." My twin answered. Jeremy shook his head at her words.
"No, about Katherine." Jeremy stated.
"We're not gonna do anything, Jeremy." Elena answered back. I had a feeling that that wasn't going to work for our little brother.
"She tried to kill Jenna. We can't let her get away with that." Jeremy argued. I knew he was right. Katherine wasn't going to just stop at hurting Jenna, she was out for more than just blood. She wanted us to suffer.
"Yes we can. If it keeps us safe then we can." I frowned at my sister's words. I knew Elena was scared, but completely backing down wasn't the right answer to our problems.
"She isn't going to stop, Elena, you know this." I spoke up. Elena turned her gaze towards me and I gave her a look. "She'll try something else, something worse, to get what she wants."
"She won't. Katherine hurt Jenna because I didn't do what she said. I'm not doing it now, me and Stefan are over. She wins, the end." Elena's words struck a nerve with both Jeremy and I.
"You are being naive and you know it." Jeremy said to her and turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Elena asked.
"Out. I'll be back." He answered as he walked out of the kitchen.
"He's right, you know." I looked away from the hall where Jeremy had disappeared down. "She isn't going to stop just because you and Stefan broke up. She wants the moon stone, and she's going to do whatever it takes to get it."
Elena let out a sigh and stopped putting lunch together. "I don't want Jeremy getting caught up in all this." She muttered.
I frowned at her words. "You can't stop him Elena. If he wants to help, he's going to find a way to help." My words hung between us and before Elena could argue with me I held up a hand to stop her. "Listen, I don't like the idea of Jeremy getting hurt. But he isn't useless. He's smart, and I trust him. We can't protect him forever, Elena. We're all going to have to face our demons some day."
I knew they were not the words she wanted to hear, but it was true. We were all in this now, whether we wanted to be or not. My sister was going to have to realize that this wasn't just her fight, and while she didn't need to hear me say it, I was willing to die to keep her and Jeremy safe. I wasn't going to let anything happen to them, I wasn't going to lose them.
I was sitting quietly at the kitchen table reading while Jenna laid on the couch with Elena sitting close to her on the arm chair. We were waiting for Alaric to come over so we could get started on dinner. Jeremy was still out of the house and I hadn't heard any news from Damon or Stefan the whole day. Making me wonder what exactly the two of them were up to.
The sound of my phone buzzing brought me out of my thoughts and I set my book down and reached for my cell phone. "Hey." I answered quickly when I noticed it was Stefan who was calling.
"I need a favor." Were the first words out of his mouth. My eyes glanced over to where Elena sat with her eyes staring at the tv. I had a feeling that this favor was going to be something to do with her.
I could tell she wasn't really paying any attention to what was playing on the screen, but I didn't want to take the chance of her overhearing my conversation with Stefan. So I stood as quietly from the table as I could and made my way out the back door. "Alright, what do you need?" I asked as soon as I was outside where Elena couldn't hear.
"We have a plan for tonight. We're going to the Masquerade to meet with Katherine." Stefan started. "She wants the moon stone, but we're not going to give it to her. We're going to end this. We're going to kill her." I felt my stomach tighten at his words. While I wanted nothing more than for this to end, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be an easy task. "I need you to stay with Elena. Try and keep her at home."
"That may not be as easy as it sounds." I brought up and glanced through the window in the back door. "If she even catches a whiff that something is wrong, she'll start to ask questions."
"I know." He answered back. "If she leaves the house, just stay with her. I'd feel better knowing the two of you are together."
"I can agree to that." I admitted before letting out a sigh. "Be careful, okay. I don't trust Katherine for one second. Don't let her get the upper hand tonight."
"Don't worry, little sister, she won't." With that said the two of us hung up and I stood on the back porch while my thoughts whirled around in my head. Was she really going to die tonight? Would Damon and Stefan really be able to kill her? I wanted to hope. I really did, but it was hard to do that when all I could think about was the face she made before she killed me in 1864. A face that haunted my nightmares.
I want tonight to be the end of this. I wanted Elena and Jeremy safe. I didn't want to be afraid anymore. So if I could hope, I hoped with all my being that tonight it ended with Katherine no longer being able to hurt us, any of us.
Alaric showed up only a few minutes after I hung up with Stefan. The history teacher and I shared a look. I knew he was in on the whole killing Katherine plan. He was probably here to keep an eye on Elena as well as watch over Jenna. Tonight wasn't going to be easy. Keeping Elena in the dark was never an easy task.
"Do you think they're going to be okay." I kept my voice low as Alaric and I cleaned up dinner in the kitchen. Elena was distracted in the living room as her and Jenna spoke about whatever was on the tv.
"I don't know." Alaric answered. At least he was being honest with me and not sugar coating the whole 'killing Katherine' plan. "They have a strong plan, but anything could go wrong. We just need to keep Elena here and wait for them to call."
I nodded in agreement and went back to cleaning up. I was standing in front of the sink, filling it with soapy water so I could wash the dishes when I heard Elena speak up.
"Whats going on?" She asked. I turned off the water and glanced at Alaric before looking at my sister.
"What do you mean?" The history teacher asked.
"I haven't heard from anyone all day. It's like everyones been avoiding me, and now Jeremys supposedly at the party?" Elena's eyes flickered between me and Alaric and I felt a sigh building up in my chest. "He hates stuff like that."
"It's probably nothing, Elena." I spoke up. A sudden wave of guilt crashed through me as I spoke. I was doing the same thing I had told Elena to stop doing to Jeremy. I knew this wasn't fair. Was keeping her out of the loop really keeping her safe?
"I don't know what to tell you, Elena." Alaric answered honestly. Before Elena could say anything Alaric's phone started to ring and both my sister and the history teacher glanced at the device buzzing on the counter. Elena reached out to grab it, but Alaric was quicker then her and snatched it before she could get her hands on it.
"So then you'll be okay if I just go head out, try to meet up with everyone." Elena crossed her arms over her chest and that sigh I felt building up was finally released from my lungs and I shook my head. I knew something like this was going to happen.
"It's no use, Alaric." I spoke up before he could say anything that was bound to dig us into an even bigger hole with my sister. "Stefan asked up to keep an eye on you tonight. We can't take any chances, not with Katherine in town and Stefan at the party."
"So Stefans at the party too?" She asked and I nodded my head. "He would never go to the party for himself. He did that stuff for me."
"Just let this one go. Okay Elena?" Alaric walked out of the kitchen and headed back into the living room. I stood still as Elena mulled over our explanation.
"You want to help me clean up?" I asked. My words broke the silence and pulled my sister from her thoughts. We stared at each other for a moment before she nodded in agreement and joined me at the sink. The two of us stood silently as we washed and dried off dishes. "I'm sorry. For not telling you."
"It's okay." She replied. "I get it. I just wish there was something more that I could do. I want to help. I want to keep everyone safe."
I nodded in agreement as I handed her the last dish. "I know. I feel the same way." Elena grew silent once again and I glanced away from the sink to look at her. My face fell at the look etched across her face. "Oh no. I'm not going to like this, am I?"
"Come on." My twin took hold of my arm and dragged me out of the kitchen. "Hey guys, Serena and I are going to bed. You good over there?" Both Jenna and Alric were settled down in the living room.
"Good night." Jenna sent us a wave and turned back to the television.
"Good night." Elena replied before heading to the stairs. I stayed closed behind her as she carefully grabbed her car keys. The two of us shared a look and I sent her a small nodd. Then, as quietly as we could, the two of us slipped out the front door. I knew this was a bad idea, but Stefan had said to keep an eye on her, and I was technically still doing that. Just not in the house.
A/N: Hello everyone, its Monday! Yay! So this chapter has been done for a while now, but I had some trouble editing it and figuring out where to go from here without giving it all away. So I hope everyone enjoys reading and if you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave a review. The next few chapters are going to leave a lot of people with a lot of questions, but don't worry, they will all be answered soon. I promise.
Thank you to those who have left review so far, Guest 2.0, UzuRunner, sam, Jessie, evfangirl98, BreeB23, and wolfgirl232323. Thank you all for the positive reviews.
Stay safe everyone.