A/N: By this time we all have established that I am very slow at updating hahahhahaah anyway WARNING: VIOLENCE AHEAD. I tried not to get into detail tho because I don't want to change the rating. You might hate Vanessa in this chapter, she kinda got a little bit twisted.
To the guest who said she forgot what happened to the story lmao I'm so sorry, darling. And to another guest who guessed correctly, congrats! Was it that obvious? To aleksitupper19, I wasn't going to put any flashback at all but here's a snippet of little Vanessa for you. No Katherine tho, so sorry but I hope she makes an appearance soon! I kinda miss her xx
Thanks for those who reviewed, followed and faved because you guys seriously made my day! I love you guys! Xx
Chapter 31: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
12 years ago
"Mommy! Mommy! Nessie took my doll again!" Elena whined as she ran downstairs before breaking into loud, annoying sobs. Vanessa made a face as she heard her twin sister cried and proceeded to play with the dolls. She had taken the brown haired doll from Elena simply because she can, she didn't really want it anyway. Torturing her sister had always been fun basically because Elena wouldn't stand up for herself. Whenever Elena was the one who took her toys, Vanessa wouldn't hesitate to snatch it back and pull her sister's hair to make it clear that she shouldn't mess with her. But Elena? Elena would wail until their mother console her and their father scold Vanessa.
Sure enough, Miranda Gilbert appeared at the door, looking frustrated. "How many times have I told you not to take your sister's dolls? You have your own dolls, right sweetheart?" Miranda's tone was soft yet stern and Vanessa just hummed to herself. "Vanessa!" it wasn't harsh but it was enough to make the little girl looked at the mother.
"Elena didn't seem to mind," she replied innocently, her wide blue eyes looked at Miranda's brown eyes, holding the eye contact. Miranda stared at the daughter blankly, trying to find the right words.
"Your sister is crying," Miranda stated and Vanessa shrugged.
"Because I took her dolls?" Vanessa questioned.
"Yes, darling," Miranda answered patiently.
"Well she should've said something instead of crying," Vanessa said, shrugging indifferently. "I hate weak people like her," she said, looking at her mother who just stared at her daughter, speechless. Vanessa turned her attention to the dolls, and hummed softly to the tune of the song stuck in her head. "But you will always choose Elena over me, so what's the point of her being strong," Vanessa muttered under her breath and snapped Elena's doll's neck out of anger. She stared at the doll's head in her hand and turned to her mother. "Are you going to scold me now?" her small voice asked the adult challengingly.
When I had gained my consciousness, I managed to lift my head and looked around drowsily. I was chained up, hanged by the ceiling and I tried to stand up properly. For now, the chains had been the one supporting me which meant it was very strong. I didn't have the strength to rip it off, apparently the amount of vervain injected into my body must be very concentrated considering I had been taking vervain for the past two years and had developed a high resistance to it.
"Kol?" I asked, the first person who came to my mind. "Let me go, this is not funny!" I hissed angrily. Perhaps he wasn't as over about Finn as I thought he was. This was his idea of punishing me by torturing the hell out of me. "Kol!" I yelled again, this time angrily.
"Really darling? Kol?" My heart dropped hearing the voice. It wasn't Kol nor was it Klaus. It was my worst nightmare.
Kol stormed downstairs when Vanessa didn't show up. Perhaps she was playing with him. That girl had always been playing games. But then again that was why they work so well together. Both of them loved games, loved the hunt and above all, loved being vampires. Kol had found a couple of vampires that enjoyed being predators but Vanessa was something else. When he was bored, usually he would go out with Nik, causing mayhem and bloodshed at tarvern. Many had argued who was worst between the two Original brothers and honestly, even Kol didn't know. But when Kol did those things with Nik, it was for the sake of showing that he had no humanity, that he too was viscious. But with Vanessa, they simply did what they did to enjoy the vampirism. Sick and twisted, yes, but they had fun.
"Excuse me darling, have you seen a blonde girl wearing...Black Swan costume?" he asked a dark haired woman who was clad in tight leather outfit with a mask and cat ears. Kol still couldn't comprehend why they would dress in these silly costumes on Halloween.
"A cat is sexier than a swan, no?" The girl purred at him and Kol rolled his eyes. Any other time Kol would have entertained her flirty action but right now he already had his mind on one vampire. He grabbed her upper arm tightly and forced her to look up at him.
"Did you see her or not?" he compelled and she gave him a robotic no. He huffed and continued to ask around but his patience was thinning with the lack of answer since not many people knew who Vanessa was.
"Vanessa? Jeremy's sister?" a short girl asked him and he nodded, slightly relief to find some answers. "Yeah, I saw her but she wasn't the Black Swan."
"What do you mean?" he asked her, his patience was gone instantly. He wasn't in the mood to play games.
"She was the White Swan," the girl explained.
"Sorry darling, I'm pretty sure I know how to differentiate black and white," Kol said with a huff.
"I'm not that drunk," the girl protested. "I talked to her. She was wearing the White Swan costume."
"Are you sure that was what you saw?" Kol asked, beginning to think Vanessa had compelled her or something and this was just a part of her hide and seek game.
"Yes! Unless there's two Vanessa," the girl said, rolling her eyes. Kol was about to scoff at her words when he remembered Vanessa did have a double.
"This White Swan. Where did you last see her?" he asked, compelling the girl.
"What the hell do you want from me?" I spat, glaring at my doppelganger. She tilted her head to the side, a coy smile playing at her lips.
"I want you to suffer and then I'm going to kill you," she answered with a sweet smile. I frowned, trying to make sense of what she said.
"Can I know why?" I asked her wryly. "Aren't you supposed to be the good one?"
"Right, the irony isn't it? I'm the White Swan and you're the Black Swan. But in the story the White Swan is the one that dies, and the Black Swan is the one that gets the prince," she said with a laugh.
"The prince? Oh God, if this had something to do with Elijah I swear to God-" I hissed in pain when Cassandra scratched my face like a cat, drawing blood.
"Well, that's one of the reasons," she said, shrugging.
"Hey, I told him to go after you, alright? I took the high road!" I exclaimed in frustration and she wrapped her hand around my neck tightly, crushing my windpipe.
"Oh, he found me alright," she said, her blue eyes glinting maliciously, reminding me of myself when I was playing with my food. "And do you know what he said? I'm no longer in love with you, Cassandra. Forgive me," she mimicked Elijah and started laughing.
"Being dead does make someone fell out of love with you," I choked and she glared at me, releasing her hold on my neck however.
"My mistake I supposed. But Klaus didn't really give me much of a choice," she said and I frowned. "When we fled New Orleans in 1919 from Mikael, I persuaded Elijah to come with me, away from Klaus. If he wasn't by Klaus's side, he would be in no danger. So we moved to New York, lived in this huge mansion and we were very happy as husband and wife. Then when Mikael came after Niklaus and Rebekah in Chicago, Niklaus sent a letter, asking Elijah to be by his side once again. Why? Because he was alone. He had daggered Rebekah. That was the last straw for Elijah. He refused. Oh my, what a mistake," Cassandra concluded with a dramatic sigh. I didn't interrupt, I wanted her to keep talking and perhaps delaying in killing me. And besides, I was curious too.
"Then Klaus came storming into our home, threatening to kill me and to drop his siblings one by one in the Atlantic Ocean, starting with the eldest. Finn, was it? Then they got into this huge fight, the house was almost destroyed, can you believe it? But I saw what was coming. The dagger. When Klaus was distracted I took the dagger and if looks could kill, I would be so dead right there and then. But Klaus kept his calm as he ripped the dagger off my hands and told Elijah very calmly that it sent chill down my spine, that Elijah would regret this. Then a couple of years went by and we received another letter from Klaus, saying he had dropped Finn. Elijah was given a couple of months before Kol would be next."
"But Klaus was bluffing," I said and she shrugged.
"Well Elijah didn't know. And at that time, he told me to stay away from him until he sorted everything out. When I had to run once again, I decided I'm done with this. So I sought out Mikael and we made an alliance. But Klaus had eyes and ears everywhere and when he caught me, I was so sure he was going to kill me.
"But he didn't," I stated and she smiled.
"Death would be a mercy for me," she sneered. "Klaus bled me for weeks to get all the vervain out of my system and then he compelled me so that I can never be with Elijah. I was to stay away from him for the rest of my life knowing that he was out there, waiting for me, day and night. I found out years later that Klaus had faked my death and then...I found out about you." Her blue eyes darkened as she stared at me in hatred. I wasn't afraid of her, even if she was going to kill me, I was so sure I could cheat death once again. Kol, I repeated the name in my head like a mantra, praying that he would find me soon.
"Elijah still loves you. He only loved me because of you," I said and laughed a little. "I did hate you for that, but not anymore."
"Doesn't matter. He's no longer in love with me. Do you know why?" I knew the answer before she said it. "You," she said calmly but her voice was laced with venom and hatred that I felt a chill ran down my spine.
"No," I shook my head. "Elijah doesn't love me," I said.
"Is that so?" she asked, her voice rose in anger before she stabbed me in the stomach and I cried out in pain. She pulled out the wood which turned out to be a thick, wooden table leg.
"So you want to kill me because you're jealous?" I asked her incredulously, trying not to sound like I was taunting her. "Then you're worst than Katherine." Okay, that was a taunt.
"Oh don't you dare bring up my sister's name!" she hissed, her vampire face showing. Then she calmed herself down and smiled at me. "Maybe I won't kill you. After all, you remind me so much of myself," she said and I rolled my eyes inadvertently.
"We're not the same and I'm greatly offended by that," I said and she tilted her head to the side.
"Really? We're more alike than just our looks, sweetheart," she said. "Always was, always am and always will be the second choice compared to our sister. Don't lie to me, you've always felt left out. I looked into your head. Always getting scolded whenever you did something bad but Elena always got a free pass. And when you did something great, like getting a hundred on Math while Elena only got 78, your mother didn't even care. She even bought Elena a chocolate cake to comfort her because she didn't perform well while you? You only got leftovers," she said with a smirk and I growled, lunging at her but was refrained by the chain.
"Oh, I hit a nerve, did I?" she laughed. "Then what about your crush, Samuel? Sam? You've got your eyes on him since forever and one day, he approached you and your human, beating heart started to beat rapidly. Then he smiled at you and your heart fluttered. You flipped your golden locks and gave him your best smile. Then he asked about your sweet sister, Elena. If I were you, I would've killed myself," she said sweetly and I was breathing heavily.
"Get out of my head," I hissed spitefully, as Cassandra forced me to relieve all those memories.
"Your very first boyfriend! Alex, the special Alex whom you gave your...V-card? Is that what you called it in the 21st century? Oh, poor Vanessa. After finally getting some attention, turned out he was just playing with you. That he and his friends had bet on it," she said, her hand caressing my cheek mockingly and I angled my neck so that I could bite her hand off. She screamed, surprised and in pain and I headbutted her but even if I fought, I was still chained to the ceiling. My doppelganger was angry and she swung the table leg at my head. My head started pounding, and I was pretty sure my skull was cracked.
"I'm not done, Vanessa. Your whole life you have always been the second choice. How does that feel?"
"It felt fucking fantastic," I snapped sarcastically. "Why would you ask me, you know damn well how it feels!" I growled and watched as Cassandra froze. She sighed, lowering her head.
"Yes, my sweet Katerina is worst than your sister. Every man that I loved, she wanted all. I was in this mess because of her. Let me give you some advice. Get as far away as possible from your sister and you'll get your happily ever after," Cassandra said and I stared at her. Now, I wasn't so sure how to play my cards anymore.
"Like how you sold Katherine's location to Klaus?" I asked her and to my surprise, she laughed.
"Oh well, I was just teaching her a lesson. After we fled from Klaus in London, we had not stopped running. I should've just let Klaus sacrifice her and remain by Elijah's side, happy. But I did what everyone else did; I helped Katherine and look where I am now," she looked at me with a knowing smile. "You've been with Elena for only 18 years and look at how much you've suffered because of her. Just imagine if you're stuck with her for five centuries."
"Elena wouldn't turn. I'd make sure of it," I said. I wouldn't let Elena become a vampire not because I was selfless or because I was worried how Elena would cope being a vampire. No, no, it was because I didn't want to be stuck with her in this world. I want my immortality be free of my sister.
"One of the Salvatore brothers will turn her," Cassandra shrugged. I waited in silence for a while, perhaps my doppelganger had changed her mind about killing me. "She, like Katherine would string the two for eternity before she grew bored of the game."
"You really hate your sister, don't you?" I asked her, genuinely curious. Cassandra just raised her eyebrow at me.
"Don't you hate your sister too?" she asked.
"Well, she's annoying," I retorted and Cassandra laughed.
"Annoying. How I wish Katherine would just be annoying instead of what she is. Please don't judge me, Vanessa. I do love my sister but I couldn't help it. My hatred and anger to my sister were built after five centuries of suffering because of her action. Because of her, I couldn't live. Because of her, I couldn't be with Elijah. Because of her, I lost everything," she said.
"That's pathetic. Blaming your sister for your misery," I said and she just smiled.
"Your time has yet to come. Elena has caused you simple misery but because of her, trust me, you will lose everything too."
"Funny, our doppelganger said that too. Kind of," I muttered and she shrugged.
"History has a way of repeating itself," Cassandra said. I waited again. I had gathered enough strength now but I wasn't sure how strong I was. "My life is sad, really. Katerina had always been the golden child until she was knocked up, unmarried. When father threw her out of the house, I should've been happy. But my loyalty to my sister made me ran after her. Then do you know the funny thing? When we first met Elijah and Klaus?"
"What?"
"I saw how Elijah looked at Katerina when he kissed her hand, the look that I've longed to receive from a man. A look that my sister had been receiving by every man in our village. Then came Klaus, he looked at me like Elijah looked at Katerina. And I was stunned. But something held him back, I didn't know what. Then can you believe it? Katherine started seducing Klaus, laughing at everything he said, practically throwing herself to him simply because Klaus was looking at me and not her. Then when Klaus started to court her, well only because he wanted to sacrifice her, Katherine noticed Elijah was distant. So she couldn't have that either. That stupid, selfish whore always wanted more. Always stealing whatever I have and want ever since I was a child."
"Elena never really steals Elijah," I said and Cassandra looked at me. "You know, when I liked him," I added.
"Perhaps. But imagine an alternate life if you had survived the accident. You will meet Stefan, the new, mysterious hot guy and you'll fall for him only to see him having his eyes only on your sister, completely ignoring you. Then came Damon, the bad guy. You're attracted to him, yes you will but he also, only has eyes on Elena. Isn't it sad?"
"Doesn't matter. I'm happy with my life right now," I said and she grinned.
"Too bad I'm gonna have to take it away from you then," she said with a smirk and before she could make a move, I tugged on the chain holding my right arm with all my strength. Cassandra was surprised which gave me less than two seconds to act but for a vampire, that was more than enough. Swinging my arm, the chain that she used on me wrapped around her neck and I pulled her towards me, attempting to break her neck. But then again, I forgot that she was much, much older, therefore stronger. I whimpered when Cassandra broke my wrist before choking me. "You're just like my sister. You two just wouldn't die that easy, huh?" She said spitefully.
"For five centuries Katerina always took what I had and I despised my twin sister very much. But what made me angrier is when there's someone out there looking exactly like me, taking everything of what I had left in this world. Believe it or not, Vanessa, I had no one else except for Katerina and Elijah. And you took them away from me. They chose you over me," she hissed and I glared at her, our blue eyes were flaring with anger and well, hatred.
"Your anger towards me is so unjustified," I managed to complain and she scoffed, releasing her grip on my windpipe.
"Doesn't matter. You'll be dead anyway," she muttered under her breath and placed her hands on both sides of my head firmly and I felt her going through my mind, again, might I add. All those things that Cassandra had brought up were replayed in my mind once again. Those old times with my dad and mum when we were little, me bullying Elena, mum scolding me, and there was that one time when dad had scolded Elena to stop crying in public although that was my fault to begin with but I remembered feeling so giddy because of it. Then we grew up and it became a silent competition of who was more popular and prettier. Of course Elena had been trumping me, ever since we were children really, everyone always preferred her over me. But at the same time, we were close too. I was there to help when she first had a crush on Matt and Matt had ignored her. She was also there for me when Sam the Senior ignored the hell out of me and flirted with Elena. Elena had bluntly rejected Sam even though I was pretty sure she kinda liked him. We had fought, physically and verbally, but at the end of the day we will be there for each other but not anymore. Those days however, were long gone.
"Why?" I groaned, when I was brought back to reality.
"Think, Vanessa. Think," Cassandra said and I looked at her, too tired and too in pain to think. "I'm gonna live your life," she answered for me and my eyes widened. She had been looking into my memories not only to torture me but also to know me, to act like me. I grew angry. "Any last word?"
"Go to hell," I spat and she rolled her eyes.
"I have and it's your turn now," she said with a smile and suddenly I was in a pain that was worst than being burn under the sun. She, that freaking bitch stabbed my eyes with her sharp nails and fingers and oh God, I was in hell. I screamed and screamed so loud it was a wonder why no one came to rescue me. Perhaps we were in the middle of nowhere. My legs gave away and the only thing holding me was the chain on my left hand and also Cassandra's hands around my skull. Whenever I stopped screaming she would dig further into my eye sockets simply to make me scream again.
"I've always hated your eyes," I heard her voice faintly over my screams of pain. I heard her laughed and at one point I thought she was going to use her vampire strength to crush my skull before everything stopped and I felt her fingers withdrawn from my eyes. I panted, trying to catch my breath after all the screams and pain. I felt a callous hand touching my cheek gently and tensed immediately.
"It's okay, it's okay," Kol said and I breathed a sigh of relief at hearing his voice and felt him ripping off the chain around my wrists. I collapsed onto him, breathing heavily and at one point I was sure I was crying. Kol laid me down and I heard the sound of him biting his wrist before I caught a whiff scent of blood and he urged me to drink. My eyes were healing but at a very, very slow pace as a result of the mental torture. But Kol's blood quickly rejuvenated me and after a while, I felt my eyeballs completely healed and I had to blink several times to adjust to the light.
When my eyesight returned to me, I was faced with Kol staring at me and I had never seen such worry in his eyes. I let out another breath of relief and rested my head on his chest, a small smile forming on my lips. "She did quite a number on you, didn't she?" he asked softly afer a while, and I relaxed as I felt him stroking my hair to calm me down.
"Yeah..." I replied, still recovering. "You could've come a bit sooner."
"My timing was impeccable," Kol said and I managed a laugh.
"What did you do to her?" I asked, craning my neck to see Cassandra's still body on the floor.
"Really darling? You're worried about her?" he asked and I was about to roll my eyes but cringed when I remembered the pain. Physically I was healed but mentally, ugh.
"I wasn't worried about her. Because if anyone's going to kill her it's gonna be me," I said, struggling to get up from Kol's laps. He helped me up and I stared at my doppelganger.
"Do you want to torture her?" Kol asked me so casually and I almost laughed. The way he asked me was like he was asking if I wanted to watch Peterpan.
"I'm too tired," I said. It was true though, I didn't think I could manage to stand that much longer either. I had used all of my energy to heal my body.
"Well I supposed we could stop for a bite before going back to the party," Kol said and I stared at him.
"I'm in no mood for party, Kol," I said with a sigh and he didn't answer. I threw a glance at him and he gave me his best puppy eyes and I groaned.
"Come on, Vanessa. What I've learned in this world is you should never end the night when you're feeling upset," he said and I laughed, unable to resist his puppy eyes.
"Hmm, I did promise you some fun tonight, didn't I?" I caved and he grinned, almost like a child receiving a candy.
"First, we have to deal with your doppelganger first," he said and I pursed my lips.
"Call Katherine? She would love to see her sister after knowing about the betrayal," I piped in my suggestion.
"Or we call my brother," Kol suggested and I raised an eyebrow.
"Your brother would just let her go!" I protested. "Elijah is too kind."
"We'll call my brother and if he wants to let her go or anything, I'll make sure she doesn't."
"Hmm, alright then. So where's this party?" I asked as Kol dragged Cassandra by the arm and I opened the door for him. We were in some kind of abandoned workshop and literally in the middle of nowhere. "Oh my God, where the hell are we?" I gasped and he chuckled.
"Your doppelganger really goes all the way out to kill you," Kol said.
"We're literally in the middle of nowhere!" I repeated what I thought and looked around. "How did you find me?" I asked Kol and he looked at me with a smirk plastered on his face.
"Oh please, darling. I'm an Original," he said.
"Yeah, but how?" I asked, confused. He just smiled, not wanting to tell me and I slapped his arm. "Damn it, just tell me!"
"You really do need to know everything don't you?" he asked, slightly laughing.
"I can't stand the idea of not knowing. It's killing me!"
"I like watching you in distress," he said with a large grin and I rolled my eyes. He really was enjoying this.
"Just answer me already. How?" I asked again and he gave me a shrug. "I'll have sex with you," I offered and he burst out laughing. "I'm serious. I'll do anything," I said as firmly as I could.
"You're delightful," he said, slightly smiling. I really liked it when his smile reached his eyes, the way those dark eyes that sometimes seemed murderous, twinkled in happiness.
"Kol, I promise. Just tell me and I'll do it. Any position, how many times, just tell me," I said, trying to look dead serious while controlling my laughter.
"It's your perfume, darling," he finally said and I stared at him, in wonder.
"Really?" I asked and he shrugged.
"This girl said she saw you but in a White Swan costume, and then I caught your perfume scent," he said and I smiled to myself. So some guys did pay attention to what you're wearing and the perfume. "Hmm, about the offer. What about right here, right now?" Kol asked me mischievously and my cheeks reddened, pushing him away from me playfully.
"We're in the middle of nowhere," I said and he smirked.
"Exactly."
"Let's take care of her first, okay?" I asked and he rolled his eyes.
"If you go back on your promise..." Kol trailed off warningly and I laughed, embarrassed.
Kol brought me to another party which was in a big and abandoned old house and I looked at him questioningly.
"I came across this when I was looking for you," he told me. "College kids, old house, what an unfortunate accident if this house burns down and destroys the bodies and evidence in the process," he said suggestively and I shook my head.
"Seriously?" I asked and he just grinned. We spent the first few minutes compelling all the kids to remain calm and continue partying before tying Cassandra to a chair with the chain from the workshop earlier. "She can easily break through," I complained when Kol tightened the chain.
"Vanessa darling, I have a thousand years of experience in torturing people," Kol said somewhat proudly and I chuckled.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you," I said and went to drink from a guy in his early twenties to regain some of my strength. Then I caught Kol broke of some wooden furniture to form a stake and staked Cassandra in the heart. I released the guy and flashed to Kol's side.
"Relax, this is to prevent her from even attempting to escape," he told me as if he read my mind. "One slightest movement and the wood will pierce her heart," Kol said and I grimaced. Never, ever, ever get on Kol's bad side, I reminded myself.
"She's awake!" I said, a little bit too excitedly when Cassandra stirred before she let out a small whimper. She groaned when she tried to sit up a little and I held back a grin. "Karma's a bitch, isn't she?" I asked smugly as I knelt in front of my doppelganger and she glared at me.
"And so are you," she spat, and I shrugged.
"Yes, I am but I'm also quite new to this torturing field. So I'm going to leave you in his very capable hands," I said, nodding to Kol and Cassandra looked up, and her eyes widened in fear when she saw him. Clearly, she didn't know who my saviour was and which Original brothers I'd been hanging out with.
"It's been a long time, darling," Kol said with a malicious grin. Cassandra stared at him in shock before turning at me, her mouth agape in surprise when she put two and two together.
"Please, just let me go. I won't disturb you ever again," she begged me in panic and I narrowed my eyes at her, feeling awkward at the sudden change of her attitude. I turned to Kol and he gave me an innocent grin.
"You tried to kill my ladyfriend over here so I'm afraid I'm not just going to let you go. At least not yet," Kol said and wrapped his large hand around the handmade stake and twisted it slowly. I watched Cassandra whimpered in pain and felt my stomach twist in a knot and looked away. It was as if I was watching myself getting tortured and worst, by Kol. Kol produced a knife out of nowhere and his smile widened. "Where do you want me to put this, sweetheart?" Kol asked and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. I opened my mouth to answer, glancing at my doppelganger and watched as her blue eyes, my blue eyes, looked at me pleadingly. Then I felt pity for her before I remembered all the things she did to me just a couple of minutes ago, and I felt a surge of anger boiling up inside me.
I took the knife from Kol's hand, our skin touching and I glanced at him to see if he felt the spark that I felt before I focused my attention to Cassandra again. "Do you know what it felt like to have your eyes gouged out?" I asked her sweetly, impersonating the way she had talked to me earlier. I brought the knife up to her eyes, aligning it with her right eye. I watched her gulped and looked away from the knife up to me in fear. "I've always hated your eyes," I said to her and she screamed when the knife almost plunged into her eyes and I laughed, truly laughed.
"That was hilarious," I said to her, grinning before the grin disappeared and I slit her throat. Her blood splashed onto my dress but to be honest there was nothing to be angry about; the black dress was already ruined beyond repair. I clicked my tongue in distaste when her cut started to heal and glanced at the knife. It was blunt. The reason it was able to make cuts was because of our speed and strength. I grasped a handful of her hair and tugged it down, exposing her neck and slowly, cutting into her skin with the blunt knife. Every time her skin healed, I cut deeper and deeper until the edge of blade hit her spinal cord. She couldn't scream, she was drowning in her own blood and all that she could do was stared at me, wide eyed. I should feel remorse or at least something but all I felt was a satisfaction at making her feel pain in the worst way possible. The anger dissipated when I felt Kol's lips on my neck, his hand brushing down my arm and pulling me closer against his chest. I turned around quickly and caught his bottom lip, nibbling it with my blunt human teeth before he deepened the kiss. Kol used his vampire speed and flashed us to the other side of the room, pressing me against the wall harshly. He sucked the skin on my neck before his fangs pierced into my skin and I moaned, my nails digging into his scalp and strong arm, holding him closer.
In my daze of pleasure, I caught Cassandra fiddling with the knife that had fallen from my grip to her feet, and I pulled Kol's hair down and he growled in irritation. He turned to look over his shoulder and rolled his eyes in annoyance, placing me down on my feet before flashing over to Cassandra and breaking her fingers. She screamed.
"You pathetic attempt in escaping only makes me eager to prolong your torture, darling," he said and snapped another finger. I cringed at the sight. Torturing my doppelganger is one thing but watching her getting tortured was another. Kol took the knife and made a long and deep cut down her arm only for it to heal. "Why exactly did you do it?" Kol asked her, gripping her chin tightly so that she met his eyes. She didn't answer and Kol placed the tip of the blade in her mouth and I bit my lower lip at the sight in front of me.
"You know, watching you torturing her makes me wonder if you're mad at me," I blurted out when Kol almost cut the corner of her lips. I remembered watching The Dark Knight and that scene with Joker and Rachel really terrified me, sort of. Kol laughed at this but shook his head.
"Why's that?" he asked.
"Um, because she looks exactly like me? And I don't know, maybe you're mad at me and is taking it out on her," I said and grimaced as I imagined Kol torturing me. Kol gave her a quick stab in her right eye and left the knife there before turning to me, looking into my eyes. He always did that and whenever he did that my mind would be blank and the only thing I was aware of was him.
"Vanessa, just a few minutes ago I was ready to take you right here and then," he said bluntly and I stared at him, flustered at his boldness. "If I look at this wench and I see you, I wouldn't be torturing her," he said and a shy smile slowly formed on my lips.
"Right, it's just…I think I'll go upstairs and find something to drink. Once you're done with her, you can do me," I said with a playful wink accompanied by an embarrassed laugh. Kol smirked as he leaned down to kiss me and finally I pulled away. "Just one more thing though," I said and pulled the knife out of Cassandra's eye quickly and slashed the knife across her face. Kol laughed at this and presumed at torturing my doppelganger while I went upstairs. This thing between me and Kol, neither of us wanted to confront it. I get it, really, but I wanted some answers. Although I think it would be best if we just leave it unspoken. I picked up a bottle of beer and took a swig while I scanned for my next victim.
Most of the guests at the party had died or passed out from blood loss or too many drinks. The brunette that I was drinking had somehow reminded me of Elena, begging me not to kill her with her innocent, wide brown eyes. That only made me want to kill her more though. She just sobbed and whimpered as I drank, not even putting up a fight. I rolled my eyes, getting bored from this girl and pushed her over the railing and she fell with a crash on the table below.
"Vanessa!" Kol called me from downstairs and I peered my head over the railing to see his annoyed face. "Stop giving me dead girls," he said and I laughed, sticking my tongue out at him childishly and looked for another victim. I opened the door to a room and it made a creaking sound when I picked up a racing heartbeat coming from the room.
"Look at that! Someone's hiding!" I called out, laughing like a psycopath. A soft whimper caught my ear and I walked slowly towards the sound, coming from the small door. Gently, I knocked on the door. "Is anyone in there?" I asked and I heard the sound of the door creaked opened from the other side. I rolled my eyes and kicked the door opened and I heard her scurried into another room before I used my vampire speed and caught her arm.
"Please," she cried and I cooed mockingly.
"Don't be afraid. I just want a little bite," I said and took her wrist to my lips, holding her fearful gaze when my eyes turned red and dark veins appeared underneath them. She let out a shaky breath when she saw my demonic face and tried to tug her hand away but I gripped it tightly, bruising her hand. I gave her a smile before biting her wrist deeply and her blood poured into my mouth. "Oh god," I moaned at the taste, and grinned at her. "Your blood is delicious," I said and tilted my head to the side, when she just looked at me pleadingly.
"Alright, alright," I said, pushing her forward and out of the room as she clutched her bleeding wrist to her chest. "Why don't you choose one of your friends for me? If he or she is more delicious than you, I'll let you live," I said and she shook her head. "No? You want to be the selfless little angel for your friends? Trust me darling, being selfless gets you killed. If you become a little selfish like my sister, you remain unscathed while everyone around her dies," I said venomously and pushed the girl to the floor. Kneeling behind her, I pulled her hair down and kissed her neck, letting my fangs brushed her skin. "Come on, sweet girl. Choose," I said and she cried.
"Him," she said over her sobs, pointing at a blond guy across the room who was sipping his beer blankly. I remembered him trying to stop me from killing his girlfriend and I had compelled him to watch and be quiet and he had been a good boy. Such a shame.
"He's not bad looking, nice choice. I wonder if he tastes as good as you are and for your sake, you better pray that he does," I said, releasing my grip on her hair and walked over to the guy. I wasn't stupid. The girl had chosen him because he was all the way across the room so while I had my back turned on her, she will have plenty of times to escape. Kudos for trying, though. I pulled the guy up from the couch and bit his neck, staying true to my words. I turned around to see the girl heading to the stairs and I flashed in front of her, making her scream.
"Bad news for you, his blood is not as good as yours so…" I trailed off and gave her an innocent smile. She looked at me in fear but I saw the fire in her that wanted to live and then she struck me with a beer bottle, breaking the bottle into pieces. I glared at her, seething. "Now you've made me angry, darling," I sneered, pushing her against the wall and bit her neck harshly. She screamed and struggled to push me away, hitting me in the arms before stomping on my foot with her stillettos. I hissed in pain, releasing her abruptly and she quickly ran away. I heard Kol's voice downstairs and I quickly caught the girl, giving her my nastiest glare. I took a handful of her hair, my nails digging her scalp and I dragged her down the stairs. She flailed in vain only making me laugh at how cute she was. I ran downstairs, excited to share her with Kol.
"Kol! You have to taste her! She's feisty and-" I stopped abruptly coming face to face with Elijah who was looking stern? No pissed. I stared at him awkwardly and glanced at Kol who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Delicious," I finished my words and turned back to Elijah. "Elijah, we weren't…expecting you until tomorrow," I said. Elijah looked at me as if he was reading me before he turned to look at Kol sternly.
"What did you do to her?" Elijah asked, his voice was tight and I scoffed.
"Oh please, your girlfriend's fine. Or at least she will be," I said, meeting Kol's eyes and he snickered, prompting me to laugh but I held it back out of respect to Elijah.
"I wasn't talking about her," Elijah said calmly and I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to understand.
"Me?" I questioned for confirmation and Elijah nodded curtly. "Did you stop taking vervain?" he asked me and Kol made a noise of protest.
"Now, now brother. I'm offended that you think compulsion is necessary," Kol said snidely although he kept a smile on his face.
"Why would you think he needs to compel me?" I asked, feeling offended as well. Elijah gave me a long, hard look and kept my eyes on him, almost challengingly.
"Because you are better than this, Vanessa," he answered and I let out a bitter laugh.
"We were just having fun, brother," Kol said, grinning. "After the day she had, trust me, she deserves it," Kol said as he looked at me and winked. I smirked.
"The world is different now, Kol. Technologies have evolved-"
"Unfortunately, dear Elijah, I am in no mood for one of your boring lectures. Besides, Nik isn't here," Kol said cheerfully before his dark brown eyes darkened with hatred as he looked at his older brother although his grin never faltered. "You can't dagger me," he uttered under his breath, his words were sharper than the silver dagger itself. Elijah stiffened and that was when I realized there was more to this family than they would ever tell me.
"We call you here to deal with Cassandra," I said, interrupting the glaring contest between the two. "Not to tell us what to do," I added and Kol's grin widened in victory at me supporting him.
"You said she tried to kill you?" Elijah asked me and I rolled my eyes.
"She didn't try to kill me. She was going to kill me," I snarled and looked around the room wildly searching for my evil twin. Kol quickly went behind the couch and dragged Cassandra forward as if he had read my mind. Elijah's face hardened when he saw her and looked at Kol.
"You went too far," Elijah said and Kol kept his eyes on Elijah, unfazed by the silent threat.
"I kept her in tact for you, brother! I would have flayed her if you asked me," Kol said, shrugging.
"What are you going to do with her?" I asked Elijah but he didn't answer instead he just looked at Cassandra's frail body. There was neither bruise nor cut but the blood on her skin was enough evidence of what we did to her. Her fingers were also broken and so was her leg because it was twisted in an odd angle. Apart from that, she was actually fine. Kol had tortured her mentally too, so I doubt that she would ever come for me again, at least not in the near future. "You should let Katherine talk to her, she was her sister after all," I reminded Elijah and he just nodded.
"I give you my word," he said and I nodded, satisfied eventhough Elijah's track record of keeping his word with me was bullshit. "Can I talk to you?" He asked me and I stared at him, debating. Like Kol, I was in no mood for lectures as well. I had enough of that from Elena back in Mystic Falls.
"Sure," I said and Elijah glanced at Kol who rolled his eyes. Kol walked towards me and I handed her the crying girl, and he sniffed her neck, smirking at me.
"I'll wait for you upstairs," he said huskily, his dark eyes not leaving mine and for a moment, it was just us. There was neither Elijah nor the human girl but only the two of us. I felt a smile crept onto my face but I just rolled my eyes at him. His smirk widened, used to my reaction whenever he flirted with me. I saw him glanced at Elijah for a second before he gripped my chin and pulled me into a deep kiss, leaving me breathless. "You're right, she is tasty," he said to me, as he tasted her blood in my mouth. Kol finally released me from his captivating eyes and I calmed down my heart before turning to Elijah who had looked away.
"What do you want to talk about?" I asked him, keeping my tone neutral. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to see him this soon. I thought our paths would cross again in a couple of years or decades even.
"I'd like to apologize for what she did to you," Elijah began and I raised an eyebrow at him mockingly.
"You're not the one who has to apologize," I growled, stomping towards Cassandra limp body and picked her up, throwing her onto the chair. "She does and she has yet to apologize."
"Vanessa, please," Elijah began and I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. The thing that Cassandra said to me as she was torturing me came to my mind and I slowly looked at Elijah, not really sure if I wanted to ask. "Do you know why she attacked you? I…I never thought she's capable of that," Elijah said solemnly.
"She did it out of hatred and…jealousy," I said and searched for his eyes. "She said you found her and you told her you're no longer in love with her," I said and waited for him to answer the unspoken question.
"Yes," Elijah confirmed after a while.
"Why?" I asked, my voice was small.
"I did as you asked, Vanessa. I went looking for her and when I finally did…" he trailed off and sighed deeply. "You once said I only loved you because of her. That I was only using you because I could no longer have her. You were wrong," he said and I was stunned. Was it…true?
"What do you mean?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. But sometimes, there were things that needed to be said.
"When I first saw her I was glad and happy to know that she really is alive. I missed her, yes but I don't love her, not anymore. I was too preoccupied to notice that my feelings have changed," he said, his eyes stared deeply into mine that I started to feel suffocated. Well, not literally. "Vanessa, I...I love you and not her. I've loved you this whole time but I just didn't know it," Elijah finally said.
A couple of seconds passed as soon as the words left his lips but it felt like an eternity. I just stared at him, stunned at his confession. Funny how I had wanted to hear him say it a week ago during the Mikaelson's ball. If only he had said it right there and then the second I asked if he had loved me but he didn't. I snapped out of my daze and shook my head, looking at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Elijah. I'm no longer in love with you," I said, a déjà vu for Elijah only he had been the one to say that to Cassandra. I gave him a brief smile and took a step back. "Goodbye," I said and headed upstairs without another word.
"You alright?" Kol asked me when I plopped down the dusty couch. His tone sounded nonchalant and indifferent but when I looked up to meet his eyes, those brown eyes had shown slight concern. I gave him a half smile and shrugged.
"I'm no longer in the mood to kill anyone," I told him and he rolled his eyes, pushing the dead girl onto the floor and threw me a bottle of beer.
"Yes, my brother has been a buzzkill since I was three," he said and I started laughing suddenly at the thought of little Kol causing mayhem and Elijah chastising him. Kol's dark brows came together as he narrowed his eyes at me, annoyance was clear on his face.
"Stop laughing at me. Why do you always laugh at me?" he complained, making me laugh harder. My laughter died but I was still smiling as I looked at him and he had a small smile playing on his lips too. When our eyes met I realized why I no longer feel anything for Elijah. I had somehow moved on without noticing it and now, I was in love with Kol Mikaelson. Like for real. I looked away and took a sip of the beer, cursing me and my stupid feelings silently.
Okay, Vanessa loves being a vampire, she's strong and all and doesn't really care about everyone choosing Elena over her. But there was a time when she was human and she did care, and girls being girls, I'm sure you can understand how hurt and insecure she was back then. So when Cassandra brought it up, that's why Vanessa kinda lost it. She doesn't like to be reminded how weak she was when she was human, always seeking attention and approval of her parents. Just in case you guys are wondering why Vanessa was slightly overreacting.
And it's not the end of Valijah but for now, it is. Vanessa is officially in love with Kol Mikaelson (but we all know that already) and there's currently no room for Elijah in her heart. If any of you here is Team Elijah, say it below, I kinda wanna see how many of you are there. But last time Elijah lost badly to Kol LMAO Anyway I hope you guys love this chapter!