Previously on Flightmate...

E, C and B are on a trip to Europe. D&E bond, plane crashes, D&E stranded on an island. E escapes from D to go home to J. E meets A. E gets kidnapped by G's people. Misunderstanding clears, E&G become friends. G takes E back to A.

Chapter 14: Game Over

On the way to Aaron's, Elena's mind whirred. She knew she'd have to be wary of Gloria - pissing her off accidentally would not end nicely. How could she get out of here though? If she'd disappear then, it would look more suspicious to Gloria. Whitmore was filled with witches and she didn't stand a chance against an army. Not alone atleast.

She could go back to Damon. Who was more powerful - vampires or witches? Elena knew she wouldn't bet her life on the answer.

Plus she was certain that her feelings for Damon were not real. How could they be? He probably used his unknown vampire powers to bewitch her but Elena was cleverer than that. She knew that he meant trouble.

As they walked on, Elena noticed Gloria seemed to be taking her to the biggest house in the village. That couldn't be where-

'Oh my god.'

Elena stood staring at Aaron's huge residence. Huge. Grandiose. Powerful. He was either really rich or really pampered by the witches. Why would they live in small houses when a human - who is less powerful than a witch - was living in that crazy mansion? Elena walked through the iron gates, that didn't creak surprisingly. She looked at the garden. It covered both sides of the path leading to the front door. As she gazed at the bushes, unwanted memories from a few hours ago surged back. Closing her eyes in disgust, she focused only on the pale green walls of his house. Gloria stopped outside and ran her fingers over the charm outside the house. Elena loved the sound. It reminded her of happier times.

'Yes?' Elena heard the familiar boyish voice.

'Hey there Aaron boy. Look who we found.'

'Ka-Elena.' He grinned, hugging her tightly. Elena returned the hug, half-heartedly, irritated that he almost called her Katerina.

Aaron pulled away. He looked at her properly.

'You look terrible.'

'Thanks, you look lovely as well.'

'Come on you two, I don't wanna stand in the heat all day long.'

Elena and Gloria entered the house, marvelling at the grandiose of the living room. It was in no way, modern-looking - but the house felt very homely. Welcoming. Colorful decorations painted the ceiling. A dusty looking carpet that once looked beautiful, lay on the floor.

Her admiration must have shown on her face, since Aaron's eyes didn't move from the floor. Elena pulled herself together. She nudged Aaron's elbow and smiled. He seemed put off and hurriedly shifted his eyes to Gloria.

Elena grinned. It was so easy to fluster Aaron.

He was so adorable.

'I need a bath. Where is the bathroom?' Elena enquired.

'First door there,' Aaron directed.

'Thanks,' Elena headed towards where he pointed. But just before she disappeared, she paused as she heard Gloria whispering to Aaron:

'Do you think she'll agree to it?'

'It's got to be her. She came back for me, I told you she would Gloria!'

'That ain't Katerina, Aaron. I checked. Katerina's good, but she ain't that good.'

'Well, why does she look like her then?'

Silence. Elena's heart beat as though she'd just gone out for a run.

'I don't know.'

Phew.

'See? Told you. It's her, Gloria. She's just testing me.'

'She stole the moonstone Aaron! She used you to steal it for her, and then dumped your ass. Don't you see it? She used people! And trust me when I say this: she wouldn't come back unless she wanted something. Don't fall into her trap, please. Not again.'

Elena shivered all the way to the bathroom. She couldn't handle knowing what she knew.

Stripping completely, she observed the bathroom - which was attached to a massive bedroom. How rich was Aaron? Turning back to the bathroom, she noticed a toilet next to which sat two buckets, a mint soap, shampoo and a tap. The old-fashioned bucket bath, then. Elena knew she had to make do until she found a way to escape. She grabbed the soap and began scrubbing her bruised and dirty hands. Why do I look like Katerina? Is she my long-lost twin sister? What's going on? This woman didn't sound like a good person based on what she gathered from Aaron and Gloria's talk. Did she really use him for her personal gain? What a bitch.

Elena began plotting various escape routes. How did stuff get here in the first place? There has to be some ship that dropped off goods and food. Gloria said there were people on the look out for her look-alike. She hoped they weren't close by. Her freedom would require a lot of snooping and undercover work.

As she decided she needed Aaron's help, Elena realized. A jolt to the gut - visceral as the real thing. She had way more in common with Katerina than just her looks. But I'm not stealing anything right? I still have one up over my doppelganger?

The voice in her head tutted loudly.

After drying off, she slowly opened the door. A towel hung on the rod on the other side of the door, thankfully. She wrapped it around her body. Walking to the closet, something occurred - for the first time in her entire life.

She didn't know what to wear.

Opening the closet, she saw the variety of dresses and outfits to choose from. Elena wondered if they were meant for Gloria. Or other lady friends of Aaron's.

Maybe he had a girlfriend. Crap.

There was a dress that captured her interest. It was bodacious and looked very period. Elena wondered if Aaron liked late-1800s fashion.

God. I try weird things.

She pulled down the zip and stepped into the red dress, trying not to crease it. Tugging lightly, Elena's tension lifted as the dress finally rose into place. A new kind of tension promptly took its place. The dress was very form-fitting. The fumes from her new dress strongly attacked her senses. The whole outfit felt very satin, which was not her regular choice. She was a jeans and sneakers type of person.

Next, she tried to fit the corset around her breasts. Elena could only barely breathe in it. I am doing it to get information. Jer needs me.

She felt the cloth press into her skin, as though repositioning her bones. She walked to the dressing table and inspected her reflection in the huge mirror. She would look great, if only she wasn't so uncomfortable and sweaty. Her breasts were pushed up and as much as Elena tried to fix the situation, the corset wouldn't budge. As much as she didn't like it, she knew she had to deal with the uncomfortable factor of the dress to seduce Aaron.

As Elena left the bedroom, she ignored the hounding in her head.

Aaron was the first Elena saw. The next thing was the floor as she tripped over her dress and landed on him.

'Sorry! Oh my god, I'm so-OW!' Elena shrieked and pulled away. But her hair caught on one of the sequins on his robe.

'Here let me,' Aaron tried to pry the strand away.

'Okay, can you bring the knot closer? I can't see it.'

Elena moved up his body, making sure that she was in contact at all times. She knew she needed to seduce him, even if it was not who she was. Peering under eyes, she discerned that if she did not hold herself up, her breasts would land directly on his face. Aaron seemed to realize that as well, as he blushed and tried to fix the mess as soon as possible. So innocent... so pure. Elena smirked at his discomfort and as his blush grew stronger, she knew she was doing the right thing.

Which just so happened to be the wrong thing.

After her hair finally detached from his robe, he looked up at Elena. She slowly bent her elbows so her entire body rested on his. As seductively as she could, she slid down his body, touching his most sensitive parts until her face was level with his. Collecting her brown hair over her shoulder, she looked at him with hooded eyes. Bending down as though to kiss him, she inched closer until she paused over his mouth.

'Thank you Aaron.' She smiled at him, their breaths mingling. Feeling braver, she placed a kiss on his cheek. His breathing sped up. Elena wondered how she got good at seduction. She didn't know a thing about it. Probably Damon's influence.

Damon.

I wonder what he'd think of me now.

At last, she lifted herself off of Aaron. Standing up, she brushed the dust off her dress. He got up after her, his breathing labored, eyes looking everywhere but at her. Elena wondered how someone could be more awkward than her.

Bravely grabbing his hand, Elena said, 'Supper?'

'Yeah,' he sighed in a low voice.

The dining table was huge. It was atleast twelve feet long and 3 feet wide; not to mention, wooden and ancient. At the center of the table, rested several red roses in an off-white vase. There were 5 chairs on either side of the table; 2 at the ends. Aaron took a seat at one end of the table. He switched looking from Elena to the chair on the other end. I am not sitting that far. She walked to the seat on his right and pulled her skirts out of the way, seated elegantly.

As elegantly as she could manage.

Aaron looked at Elena, like he'd never seen her before. His expression instigated doubt in Elena. Unwanted doubts.

Have I taken it too far? Should I stop being so forward?

Can he see through me?

Game over?

Aaron snapped his fingers. A maid wearing a white apron, walked in carrying a plate covered with a steel bowl. Steam rose from the edges. Elena's mouth watered.

As soon as the maid placed the food in front of her, she dove straight into the chicken. The knife and spoon were a blur as the food disappeared. Her appetite surprised her sometimes.

Apparantly it also surprised Aaron. He was staring at Elena.

'What? I'm hungry!' she defended, her mouth full.

He looked away, tending to his own hunger. He thought he was the indecent one to stare at Elena.

'So Aaron, tell me more about Whitmore village. How did it get named after you?'

Aaron smiled. 'Gloria told you didn't she? Well, after Katerina betrayed the witches and stole the moonstone, no one wanted to have anything to do with her. No one loved her, no one but me. She was always a bit weird, a bit outrageous since she was a kid. Even her parents didn't get her. They were kicked out of the village after Katerina's betrayal. I would be surprised if they were still alive. Katerina didn't care about anyone. Anyone but herself.'

Elena processed his words and asked him the obvious question.

'Do you still have feelings for her?'

At that, Aaron straightened in his chair. 'No, that was a long time ago. Three years ago.'

'They've been searching for Katerina for three years?'

'Yeah. She is quite dodgy isn't she? That was one of the things I liked about her. Note: liked. Past tense.' He reiterated, grinning at Elena.

His smile faded. 'I want to tell you something. But this may be very weird.'

'I look like Katerina,' Elena replied without pausing.

'Ok, here goes: you- wait, what?'

Elena smiled. 'Yeah, I know. Gloria told me.'

'What else did she tell you?'

Elena was stunned into silence. She really wanted to avoid that particular question. Resorting to her newly discovered power over him, she reached her hand under the table and placed it on his knee.

'Aaron,' she whispered, leaning forward and squeezing her hand. 'I overheard your conversation with Gloria. I need to know why she needs me.'

Aaron was surprisingly unaffected by her move. He gazed back at Elena and pushed her hand from his knee, 'I can't Elena, sorry. Katerina used me to steal the moonstone. I lied to my friends so I could give it to her. I can't ever betray them like that again,' he paused. 'Even for you.'

Elena turned back to her food. She tried to look as broken as possible, hoping that Aaron would melt.

'Elena,' he said, 'If I reveal any information, I will be kicked out of the Whitmore village. And I can't go anywhere else, because I will be killed.'

'Killed?' Elena said, her voice going up the pitch scale.

He looked around the room to make sure they were alone. 'You know witches exist right? You must know that so do vampires.' He paused to examine her reaction. Elena realized just in time that she was supposed to look shocked.

'Yeah, I know. Tell me if it's a lot to handle. But there's one vampire who's been after my family for a long time. No one knows why but he hates the Whitmores. He always has. He killed my entire family. There is a reason why my family isn't here right now. It is him. The witches were kind to take me in. They protected me from the vampires by casting a perception spell. It basically means that no vampire or unsuspecting human can ever find us. They can look for us but their eye always avoids this place. It's like when you enter a room and you see your stuff, but it's not important enough so you don't really see it.'

Elena tried to process all that. No wonder, neither her nor Damon knew where they were. The perception spell is the reason Whitmore village was concealed on the world map. That was because no one ever landed here. Damon wasn't lying. He really couldn't find other people.

'The only way a vampire or human can land on the island is if they do a good deed.' Aaron concluded.

'But how did I get here? I am just an ordinary human. The man who rescued me should have been the only one who was allowed to enter.'

Aaron blinked. 'Who was this guy again?' he asked. Elena saw a hint of something else. Something hidden.

One look was enough to see the jealousy in Aaron's eyes. Pure and simple.

'I met him on a plane, he was pissed me off. The plane crashed, two days later here I am with a savior who wanted to keep me captive. I escaped though.'

'Keep you captive?!' Aaron almost yelled. 'Elena, this is dangerous. Why did he want to keep you captive in a deserted island anyway? Unless he planned the whole thing out beforehand.'

Elena froze. She never thought about that. Was Damon the kind of guy to risk all those people's lives just to get after her?

Who knows?

Maybe Aaron was right.

She decided to change the topic.

'Doesn't matter. He can't get past the perception filter anyways. But tell me this: how can someone look totally like me?'

'No you don't understand. She doesn't just look like you. She is you. Exactly the same,' Aaron explained, scaring Elena. 'You could be Katerina right now, and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.'

Elena scrunched her eyebrows at that. He was dangerously close and so far from the truth. She wasn't Katerina but she sure was taking a page out of her Book of Sedcution.

Her internal confusion had to take a back seat for now.

'Let's not talk about Katerina. I have had way too much information for one day.' She said, shaking her head. 'Tell me something mundane and normal.'

'Sorry I'm late.'

'Damon! Nice to see you again!'

Oh crap. What-how?

Elena and Aaron looked at the source of the voice. Their reactions couldn't have been different. Elena's eyes widened, heart accelerated and her entire body froze. Aaron, on the other hand, smiled widely at the intruder and got up to receive their guest.

And to her shock, they hugged. Damon looked over Aaron's shoulder, directly at Elena and winked.

I spend all my free time rewatching the 6x01 promo. It's not healthy. I don't think I can prepare myself for the episode - no matter how many times I rematch it.

Last chapter's Supernatural reference: "Satan is an English gay man who wears black suits and has an excellent sense of humour?" was caught by SchwarzShifter. I was of course talking about Crowley, King of Hell. There is a Crowley in Good Omens too, yes.

Also, what do you guys think of the perception spell? That is also a reference btw. Tell me what it is down undaah.

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