ROSE
3rd person POV:
The morning sun shone down on the dirt roads, heating up the almost bare lands. Few trees and bushes lined the deserted roads. A dark SUV with tinted windows stood still on a dirt stretch of the land, while another smaller car drove up, stopping next to it.
Opening the door, the man in the smaller car stepped out and walked silently to the driver's side of the SUV. The window rolled down about halfway, enough for the man to see that the guy inside the SUV wore a cap and sunglasses, concealing his identity...
"Where is she?" The concealed guy asked in a low voice.
"In the trunk, I did exactly what you said." The man answered, standing awkwardly outside during the conversation. He hesitated, then added, "...There's two of them."
This piece of information grabbed the attention of the man in the SUV, "Two of them?"
"Yes," the other guy replied, "They were traveling together at the party, one with wounds and one without. They looked similar... I wasn't sure which girl you wanted."
The man wearing the cap smirked behind the glass. He thought over it, and decided to keep both girls. Which ever one wasn't the doppelganger, he could kill. "Put them both in the back."
The guy nodded, and retreated back to his car. After opening the door to the backseat, he threw both girls over each of his shoulders easily, and placed them gently in the huge SUV trunk, remembering that he was compelled not to hurt them. He had taken off their masks earlier for identification reasons, when he realized that they looked almost identical; twins.
One girl wore silver and red, had an olive skin complexion, straight brown medium-length hair, and hard features. The other girl wore gold, bronze, and black, had a light ivory skin complexion, wavy dark brown long hair, and softer features. Though, it was obvious that both teenage girls were beautiful, the latter had something special. The girl with wavy hair glowed with a bright aura that surrounded her, along with prominent features any woman would die for. She stood out from the crowd, like an angel among humans, and the contrast was unexplainable.
The man in the SUV smiled as he spotted the girls from the rear-view mirror. He immediately recognized the doppelganger in gold and bronze and black, and classified the other girl as her sister/twin. The man who had carried both girls returned to the other guy after shutting the trunk.
"Thank you for your help." The man in the car acknowledged.
"Is there anything else?" The other asked.
"One more thing. Come closer, please."
The man looked confused, but moved closer as told.
"Closer." The guy in the car rolled down the window all the way, coaxing the other with his hand. When the human was close enough, fangs extended from the unknown vampire in the SUV, and he grabbed the human, tilted his head at an angle, and bit violently into his neck. The human struggled, but he was too weak, and eventually stopped jerking, when the limited amount of blood left in his body refused to pump.
The vampire pushed the dead man away from him, and wiped the blood off of his face with his leather gloves. He smiled cynically. Driving away from the scene, dust rose into the air from the tires, coating the dead man and his car with a thin layer of dirt. The doppelganger lay in the vampire's car; safe and sound with no witnesses.
Mission accomplished.
Jeremy splashed water onto his hair in the second floor bathroom, checking the mirror to make sure he looked at least half-way decent. Pretty pleased, he knocked on his sister's door that was connected to the bathroom as well, telling her that she could now enter the room.
"Yo, Ariana!"
A moment of silence descended after his words, and he scrunched his eyebrows together, confused. Opening the doorway, he peered into the overly elegant room, finding that the colossal bed was smooth and unruffled, the white teddy bear neatly placed at the head of the pillows. No sign of Ariana.
Jeremy rolled his eyes, and figured that she was back with Stefan. Of course they were together, they loved each other despite them being different species. Jeremy knew about the love that could be between a vampire and a human, after all, he was with Anna before she died.
Stefan closed his locker, feeling pretty content that morning. Katherine was in the tomb, locked up, while Ariana was safe, no longer in danger. The more he thought about her, though, the more sad he felt. They were no longer together, and despite Stefan loving her more than she could ever believe, he didn't seem to think that she loved him quite the same way.
Yeah, sure, Ariana had told Stefan that she loved him countless times. But did she really mean it in the same way? Did she love him to the unimaginable extent that he loved her?
He had hope though. He held onto it like a life line. Without her, he would collapse back into the darkness, wandering around; lost and alone. She brought him back from his dark days with her light, yet with just a single word, she could plunge Stefan back into the dark. She had so much control over Stefan that it was scary.
"Hey Jeremy." Stefan greeted Ariana's brother when he appeared, trying to look like he wasn't just thinking about her.
"Look, Ariana's got to let me know if I'm supposed to cover for her." Jeremy said, walking with him through the hallway, "Jenna's cool with the two of you, but you guys are pushing it."
"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked, genuinely puzzled.
"You and Ariana." He responded, "Look, I'm glad you guys are back together but if she's gonna sleep over..."
Stefan stopped him before he could continue, knowing that this conversation would lead nowhere if continued. Yeah, he wished that he was with Ariana... but he wasn't.
"Wait, wait... hold on a minute. We're not back together."
"Wait... she didn't stay at your place last night?" Jeremy queried, confused.
"No, I mean, she came to the party last night, but I didn't see her afterwards." Stefan explained, "...She didn't sleep over."
"'Cause her bed hadn't been slept in and Mrs. Lockwood said that her car was still in the driveway." Jeremy started to panic, "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Elena all morning either... Where are they?"
Stefan's eyes widened in alarm, deep concern for Ariana settling within him. He thought that this was all over. That they didn't have to worry about danger from outside forces... but they were wrong.
Parking the SUV in the driveway of an old, rundown mansion, the vampire carried both girls into the dirty old house, and walked swiftly into what was supposed to be the living room. He placed the doppelganger gently on the couch first, then put the look alike sister next to her.
He untied the ropes around their arms and legs, throwing them to the ground.
Elena started to stir, looking up at the unknown man, confused and weary of her surroundings. Where the hell was I? She questioned in her mind. Looking to her right, she saw Ariana next to her, clothes torn and bloody, her hair wildly around her. She was still passed out.
"Who the hell are you?" Elena inquired the man, looking at him through tired slits.
"Ssh." He ordered with a smile, "You'll wake your lovely sister."
Elena continued to glare at him, "She's hurt,"
"I know, and her blood smells so good..." He replied, looking at Ariana lustfully. Elena blocked her from his sights with her body, staring at him through narrowed eyes. He was a vampire, "But since you're not important, I guess I'll just have to settle for yours..." He started to lean in, his eyes turning red while his lips parted, revealing white, sharp fangs.
Elena let out a little shriek, but it died in her throat when another woman appeared behind the vampire:
"Trevor!" She scolded, and Trevor immediately stopped his advance, "Control yourself." She had black pixie cut hair, with gray eyes and pale skin. Elena bet she was a vampire as well.
"Buzz kill." Trevor muttered, before disappearing, leaving the three girls in the room.
Elena continued to stare fearfully at the woman vampire, having no idea what was happening, "What do you want with us?"
The vampire peered around Elena, looking at the figure sleeping peacefully on the couch, her face in full view. "Oh my god, she looks just like her."
"But she's not." Elena explained, "Whatever you—"
The vampire cut her off, "Be quiet!"
"She's not Katherine." Elena continued, "She's my sister; Ariana Gilbert, I'm Elena."
"I know who she is, I said be quiet." She continued to order, getting annoyed by the human in front of her. Why was this girl even here? She wasn't the doppelganger. Probably accidentally got picked up by the kidnapper. The vampire almost sighed. Humans were so predictable, leave it to them to screw up an abduction.
Elena was starting to get frustrated as well, "What do you want?"
The vampire couldn't hold in her anger, as she backhanded the human, the slap hitting Elena across the face. For a second, she felt a flash of pain and shock, then her body fell to the ground loudly. She passed out from the blow, lost in the darkness.
"I want you to be quiet." The vampire stressed, then shifted her gaze to the doppelganger. Ariana Gilbert looked exactly like Katerina Petrova. The resemblance was unnerving. Rose almost felt sorry for the human, but it was either Ariana's life, or her own.
Stefan quickly called Damon after finding out from Jeremy about Ariana and Elena's disappearance. They stood outside on the school grounds, where everyone else was in class. Stefan paced around angrily, while Damon glared at the ground, annoyed and frustrated.
Damon had promised himself that he wouldn't fail Ariana again, yet that's exactly what he'd done. Now she was gone, and nobody knew where she went.
"This has Katherine written all over it." Stefan said, finally speaking again.
"Katherine's in the tomb." Damon reassured, "Trust me; I'm the one who shut her in."
"Did you?" The younger Salvatore questioned.
"Did I what, Stefan?"
"Well, I know the hold Katherine has on you." Stefan was speaking out of anger, but he was too antsy to care.
"She's in the tomb, period." Damon glared at his brother, "End of story." That's when he started to think about the night before; the words that were exchanged. "But she did say something to me before I shut her in. I thought she was lying." The last statement came as an afterthought.
"What did she say?"
"Ariana's in danger." Damon simply said.
"What?" Stefan looked at him in disbelief, "And you didn't think you should ask her to elaborate?"
"Everything she says is a lie." Damon retorted, "How am I supposed to know if she's gonna start spouting out the truth?"
Stefan started pacing again, worry for his girlfrie—uh, ex-girlfriend—growing. "We have to go talk to her."
"No, no." Damon blocked his path, "Let me tell you how that's gonna go: We're gonna go ask her for help, she's gonna negotiate her release, which we're gonna be dumb enough to give her, and she's gonna get out—and kill us! This is exactly what she wants!"
"I don't really care." Stefan moved passed him, walking away.
"It's a bad idea, Stefan." Damon stated to his brother's retreating figure.
Stefan turned around, giving Damon a hard look, "It's Ariana." He'd do anything for her.
Damon stared at the ground for the moment, before realizing that his brother was right. If talking to Katherine would help them find Ariana... then he'd take it. Emotions were running wild, frustration and worry surfacing more than others. He needed to find her, the sooner the better.
Whoever was after her, they'd better be ready to die.
Ariana POV:
Aw, hell. My head felt like it was going to explode. Muffled drums sounded in my ears; my head spun, making me dizzy; and whenever I tried to open my eyes, I immediately closed them, feeling the familiar feeling of a headache arriving. Damn it, where was my aspirin?
And where was I?
Looking around, I was on a dirty, old couch in a dirty, old house. It reminded me of a mansion, however it was extremely rundown, neglected, and dilapidated. Paint peeled off the walls in grey and brown splotches while water marks stained the floors and ceilings. Dusted chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the only light came from the tinted windows.
A body lay on the floor below me... I recognized the brown hair, silver dress, red pumps.
Elena!
I almost said her name out loud, then remembered that I had no idea where we were... or who was here with us. Racking my brain, I recalled the scary joker in the mask... he kidnapped us. Why? Then he took us to this... haunted house. Why?
Kneeling down next to my sister, I fought the urge to pass out again, as I took her head in my hands and looked at her cheek, I bit the inside of my lip. A red mark ran across her face, already forming a sort of bruise. Someone had hit her.
Anger flashed through me, and I shook her gently, trying to wake her up, "Elena." I whispered, "Elena, wake up, please."
She mumbled something, sighed, but didn't stir. Letting out a breath, I grabbed her arms, and hauled her up onto the couch, almost dropping her in the process.
"Geez, Elena." I murmured, "I love you, but you're so heavy." Brushing a few strands of her hair out of her face, I stood up and turned away, quietly tiptoeing my way up the stairs, following the sound of other footsteps and voices. My clothes were completely torn and caked with dried blood, almost revealing the skin underneath. No wounds showed though, I was pretty sure I had healed completely, just sore from not moving in a while.
"How's the girl?" I heard a woman's voice say. I moved closer to the lights in the other room, trying to stay hidden.
"Which one? They're both still passed out." A man's voice replied.
"You didn't touch the doppelganger did you?" The woman accused, probably referring to me.
"Give me some credit. Just because she's pretty, doesn't mean that I'd do something to her." The man's voice shifted to one of seriousness and fear, "So, you called him?"
"No, I called one of his contacts. You know how this works."
"Did you or did you not get the message to Elijah?" He raised his voice, and I could identify the accent in it. Both these people—or supernatural occurrences—were originally from England.
"They say he got it."
"Wonderful and what?" The man asked sarcastically.
"So that's it, Trevor." The woman said, in a no nonsense tone. Trevor; that was the man's name. "He either got it, or he didn't." She sighed, "We just have to wait."
"Look, it's not too late." Trevor suggested, "We can leave here. We don't have to go through with this." Fear was obviously present.
"I'm sick of running!" The girl exclaimed.
"Yeah?" he challenged, "Well, running keeps us from dying."
"Elijah's old school. If he accepts our deal, we're free."
This conversation was getting way too confusing for me to follow. So... they were running from... Elijah. My guess was they were all vampires. But what part did Elena and I play in this? What did they want from us?
The floorboards beneath me creaked, and the woman appeared in front of me, her gray eyes flashing dangerously. "You!" She shouted, I froze. Yep, definitely a vampire. "I see that you're finally awake. But there's nothing around here for miles. If you think you're getting out of this house, you're tragically wrong. Understand?"
I nodded, grasping onto the first thought that was in my mind, blurting, "Who's Elijah?"
She looked me up and down, and her eyes softened, "He's your worst nightmare."
3rd person POV:
Bonnie and Stefan were in deep concentration, discussing the issue of where the Gilbert twins were. Stefan wanted to talk to Katherine, while Bonnie tried to dissuade him of that idea.
"I can't undo the tomb spell, Stefan." Bonnie explained, "Even if I wanted to. It took both me and my Grams to undo it the first time."
"But I can open the door, right?" Stefan questioned, "I can talk to her?"
"Yeah... but Damon's right." Bonnie disagreed, "She's not gonna tell you anything, not without something in return."
"I know, but Bonnie I have to do something." Stefan ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, trying to control his emotions of burning rage. "I have no idea who has Ariana and her sister; I have no idea where they are."
"I'm worried about Ariana too, Stefan." Bonnie said, sighing, "What if there was another way to find her?"
"There." Bonnie pointed to where Jeremy's blood had stopped moving, on the map in Alaric's classroom. Near a small town not far from Mystic Falls. "She's there." They had preformed a locator spell using Jeremy's blood to find his sisters.
"That's three hundred miles away." Jeremy concluded.
"No Bonnie." Stefan complained, "We need a more exact location than that."
She shook her head, "That's as close as I can get."
"We can map it, aeriel view will show us what's around there, help us narrow down the area." Jeremy explained.
"Perfect." Stefan already started moving towards the door, "Call me with whatever you find."
"No, no, I'm coming with you!" He stated.
"No Jeremy, you're not." Stefan retorted.
"No, I'm not gonna just just sit here and wait." Jeremy said, "What if they're hurt... or worse? What if they're...?"
Stefan refused to think that way. He pushed the thought out of his mind, the image of Ariana still and unmoving burning into his brain. She was wounded yesterday by Katherine. What if she hadn't healed? What if... vampires... vampires must've taken her. Would they have... drank her blood?
"She's not." Stefan stated, "They're not." He turned to Bonnie as well, "You two go back to your house just in case. I'll call you the minute I find her... them."
"Well, you can't do this alone." Jeremy still tried.
"He's not." Everyone turned to the new voice, seeing Damon enter the classroom, holding the door open. He nodded to Stefan, jaw clenched, "Let's go."
"You're coming with me?" Stefan queried.
Damon gave his brother a look that suggested Stefan was an idiot. "It's Ariana." He stated, before disappearing out the door. Stefan was trying to decide whether he should smirk or grimace at his brother's comment, but nevertheless followed him out, willing to do anything to get the girl he loved back home, and safe.
Damon and Stefan sat in Damon's car, with the owner driving the blue vehicle. They were driving through what they thought was the middle of nowhere, while Stefan searched through the weapons in the duffle bag.
"Alaric sure likes his weapons." Damon stated, glancing over at his brother, who held up a little bottle filled with vervain. "What the hell is that?"
"I don't know." Stefan replied, "It's a vervain bomb or grande launcher or something like that."
"Weird."
"Hey, how much farther is it?" Stefan inquired, changing the subject.
"About eighty miles." Damon answered, both brothers about ready to crush something. They wanted to see Ariana right then, but they had to wait, and it drove them crazy.
"Who do you think took her?" Stefan asked.
"Someone from Katherine's past." Damon guessed, "She said she was running from someone. They got the wrong girl."
"Why do you think they took Elena as well?"
The older Salvatore shrugged, "Again, wrong girl. Maybe Elena was with her at the time, and the kidnappers decided to take both of them." He tilted his head, "Once they realized that they didn't need Elena, they may have disposed of her."
Stefan turned to glare at him.
"What?" Damon pretended to be innocent, "Better her than Ariana."
They both remained silent after that. A minute or two passed, and Stefan spoke up again, "Thank you for helping me."
"Can we not do the whole road trip bonding thing?" Damon said, uncomfortable, "The cliche of it all makes me itch."
"Oh, come on Damon." Stefan almost rolled his eyes, "We both know that you being in this car has absolutely nothing to do with me anyways."
All thoughts turned to Ariana, and Damon smirked, "The elephant in the room lets out a mighty roar."
"Well, it doesn't have to be an elephant." Stefan stated, "Let's talk about it."
"There's nothing to talk about." He tried to divert the subject.
"That's not true. I'm sure there is." Stefan was clearly just as uncomfortable and weirded out by this conversation, but he needed to know. Deep in his mind, he already knew that Damon loved Ariana, but he was trying to get his brother to admit it. "Just get it out. I mean, are you in this car because you want to help your little brother save the girl that he loves?" He paused, "Or is it because you love her too?"
Damon remained silent, staring ahead of him tensely. Of course he loved her, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. If he did, it would hurt both of them that much more. And right now, was the worst time for the brothers to be distracted.
"Hmm?" Stefan pushed. "I mean, come on, express yourself. I happen to like road trip bonding."
Damon rolled his eyes at his brother's obvious reach. "Keep it up, Stefan. I can step out of helping as easily as I stepped in." Now Damon was the one lying.
"No, you see that's the beauty of it." Stefan turned to him, "You won't. You'd never so that to Ariana."
It turned silent for a while after that, each thinking about a certain girl. Damon didn't want to reveal his feelings for fear of others using Ariana as his weakness. He had many enemies—most of which he'd killed—but some still roamed the Earth, and if they ever found out the girl who held the place in his heart, she'd never be safe.
Ariana POV:
"Why are we here?" I asked the woman vampire again, as I followed her into another room, this one just as dirty and dusty as the one before. Books lay scattered across the ground haphazardly, falling apart by a mere touch.
"You keep asking me these questions like I'm gonna answer them." She simply answered, basically ignoring me as she tried to cover up the sunlight streaming through the windows. Then it hit me; these vampires did not have daylight rings. I wondered how old they were.
"Why won't you?"
"That's another one."
I sighed. Seriously? I was totally having one of my mood swings. Give the human girl a break. "You got us, okay?" I said, walking closer, "It's not like we can go anywhere. At least you can tell me what you want with us."
"You're sister—Elena, is it?" She questioned, "She wasn't supposed to be caught. Humans sometimes can't distinguish between two people." She rolled her eyes and looked at me, "You obviously look nothing like your sister, but I guess only the supernatural can see that easily." She paused, "I personally want nothing with you; I'm just a delivery service."
It was a relief to hear that Elena was safe... but I wasn't. "Delivery to who?" She didn't answer me, "Elijah?"
She smiled, looking away, "Two points to the eavesdropper."
"Who is he?" I questioned, "Is he a vampire?"
"He's one of the vampires, the originals." She responded.
Again, I was totally lost, "The originals?"
"Haven't the Salvatore's been teaching you your vampire history?" She inquired.
"You know Stefan and Damon?"
"I know of them." She elaborated, "A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones." She smirked, "I'm more of a sucker for the bad boys though, but I digress."
A picture of Damon suddenly appeared into my mind, but I shook it away. "Who are the originals?"
She turned to me, stopping her quest to cover up the sunlight, "Trevor and I have been running for five hundred years." She explained, "We're tired, we want it over. We're using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess." These vampires were old; stronger than Stefan and Damon.
"Why me?"
"Because you're a Petrova Doppelganger." She replied. "You're the key to breaking the curse."
"The curse?" My brain finally started functioning properly as I connected the dots. It seemed so simple now, "The sun and the moon curse?"
"Oh, you do know you're history." Obviously, this vampire thought I was a complete idiot. Oh well, I probably was. Just another human who needed to brush up on five hundred years worth of facts.
"What do you mean by I'm the key?" I continued, "What about the moonstone?"
"The moonstone is what binds the curse. The sacrifice is what breaks it."
"The sacrifice...?" I looked to the ground, my eyes widened in realization.
She confirmed my thoughts with her next words: "The blood of the Doppelganger." She stared at me intently, "You're the Doppelganger. Which means, in order to break the curse, you're the one who has to die."
Fear flashed through me, settling in the pit of my stomach. I could never be free, could I? I was forever stuck in a world that apparently wanted me to die. First comes the car crash, then the vampires and werewolves... this curse...
Yep, the universe wanted me dead. That's all I had.
Wouldn't be the first time.
"What else?" I queried.
"Captivity has made her pushy, eh?" Trevor entered the room suddenly, carrying a large painting in his hands. "What do you want to know doppelicious?" He winked at me then placed the painting on the window, hissing when the sunlight burned his fingers for a few moments.
"Who were you running from?"
"The originals."
"Yeah, she said that." I gestured to the other vampire, "Who are they?"
"The first family, the old world." He responded, "Rose and I pissed them off." Rose cleared her throat, and gave him a look. "Correction, I pissed them off, Rose had my back for over half a millennium, they wanted us dead." He kicked a book across the room, and the pages scattered like dead leaves in Autumn.
"What happened?" I asked curiously.
"He made the same mistake countless others did: he trusted Katerina Petrova." Rose answered.
"Katherine." Of course, how was I not surprised. Even locked up in a tomb, she was still screwing with everyone.
"The one and only, the first Petrova Doppelganger." She explained.
"I helped her escape her fate and now I've—sorry—we've been marked ever since." Trevor said.
Rose cut in, "Which is why we're not gonna make the same mistake again." The message was clear: I was on my own.
Returning to the couch in the so-called living room, Elena still lay on the cushion, breathing heavily, but nowhere near awake. Sighing, I sat down next to her. At least she wouldn't be hurt. If the two vampires were nice enough, the'y point Elena in the right direction, so that she could go back home; to Jeremy and Jenna.
My eyes caught sight of a crunched up piece of paper, and I opened it up, confused but curious. It looked fairly new. On it, the words read:
Stefan and Damon are coming for you. -B
Smiling, I held the paper to my chest. Bonnie had found me... but along with that thought came a feeling of dread. Rose and Trevor were old and strong, how would the Salvatore brothers be able to fight against them?
Turning to Elena, I shook her shoulder vigorously, needing her to wake up. In a fast move, her arm shot out and connected with my shoulder. I fell onto the floor from the force, too lazy to move for a while.
"Thanks for that, Elena." I stated sarcastically, groaning as I sat up on the dirty ground. God, my dress was so messed up. The hem practically went up all the way to the top of my thighs... exposing my entire leg. One inch shorter, and I'd be cutting up the moldy couch for some covering.
I stood up and watched as my sister finally came to, blinking a few times.
"Hey, Ariana." She yawned, "Ya know, I had the strangest dream that..." She took in her surroundings, and sighed.
"Not a dream."
"I can see that." She snapped, laying down again. "Fuck." Shaking my head, I handed her the piece of paper from Bonnie. She snatched it from me, and nodded, "Oh goody, they're coming to the rescue."
"Well, at least you'll make it out of here." I said sincerely.
She gave me a side-ways glance. "What are you talking about?"
I sighed, "They captured you by accident. Apparently, I'm the key to breaking the sun and the moon curse. Rose and Trevor said that Elijah—a really old vampire—is coming to take me for the sacrifice."
"You're on a first name basis now?" She questioned.
"Not the point."
"Whatever," She replied, confused, "Wait... so... what do you mean by sacrifice?"
Taking a deep breath, I shrugged, "They didn't really tell me the details... but since I'm the Petrova Doppelganger, I have to die in order to break the curse. Katherine was the first Petrova Doppelganger... I don't know how many there are, but what I do know is that I'm a doppelganger too."
"This is insane." She stated, "So... they're just handing you off to be killed?" I didn't say anything, and she continued, "That's crazy. What a bunch of selfish little pricks! I swear, where is the bitch? She's the one who hit me, I'll go show her what a real punch is supposed to feel like."
I grabbed her arm when she made a move to get up, "She's also a vampire who's five hundred years old."
"How do you know all this?"
"I asked Rose and Trevor while you were still passed out." I explained. "You aren't involved, so you don't have to worry."
"I don't care about that." She insisted, looking offended, "What I'm worried about is you! Some old vampire is coming to get you, yet you act like everything's perfectly fine!"
"It's not like I can do anything about it." I retorted. "We're in the middle of nowhere with vampires who will stop us before we take a step out of this mansion."
She sighed, rubbing her temples, "How is it that you always get yourself into these kind of situations?"
"It's a talent." I muttered sarcastically.
She smiled, and punched my arm lightly, "Seems like I'm rubbing off on you."
"Yeah, that must be it." I stated dryly.
Taking a deep breath, she dropped her voice to below a whisper, "Let's just hope the Salvatores get here soon. If they have weapons with them, there's a chance they could kill the vampires holding us captive."
Great, more killing. What's worse, is that Stefan and Damon might not win. It took both of them to take down Katherine, and now they were up against two vampires at least the same age as my ancestor. They'd need all the help they could get.
They could get hurt today... or worse. It was always a life and death situation with us.
3rd person POV:
"We're getting close." Stefan stated, looking out the window of the car for any indication of a sign. "Jeremy said there's an access road just past mile marker 6."
Damon listened without acknowledgement. Taking out a blood bag, he drank the contents. From the corner of his eye, he caught his brother staring at the blood, and smirked, "If you want some, just ask."
"I want some." Stefan said.
"Ah, that's so sweet." Damon mocked, "You gonna be all big and strong and save your girl, but don't worry, I've got your back, it'll be fine."
"I'm not joking," Stefan stated. "I've been drinking a little every day. I'm slowly increasing my intake and building up my strength." Damon thought for a second, than passed the blood bag over to Stefan, where the younger Salvatore took a sip.
"Does Ariana know you're drinking blood?" Damon queried, taking back the bag of blood.
Stefan fought the urge to smile at his next words, "I've been drinking hers."
Damon didn't say anything for a moment, as he processed what Stefan had said. Jealousy ran through the older vampire, "How romantic." He muttered, glaring at nothing. Drinking some more blood made him feel better, as he continued, "Since we're road trip bonding, remember the days when all you lived for was blood? You were the guy who ripped someone apart just for the fun of it."
"You mean when I was more like you?" Stefan retorted.
"Yes, Stefan, exactly." Damon stated, "Back when you put blood into me so I could be a big bad vampire. I wonder if Ariana would be so quick to open her veins to that guy." He was clearly speaking out of envy and jealousy, "By the way, what happened to that guy? He was a hoot."
"He found something else to live for." Stefan said, thinking of the brunette beauty. Damon held the same train of thought, and didn't speak for a while.
Ariana POV:
Rose kept guard of Elena and I at the top of the stairs, while we just sat on the couch tensely, waiting for something to happen. Be careful what you wish for...
Trevor charged into the room, shifting his intense gaze to Rose, "He's here! This was a mistake."
"No, I told you I would get us out of this." Rose stated, trying to calm down her friend, "You have to trust me."
"No!" Trevor exclaimed, "He wants me dead, Rose!"
"He wants her more." She jerked her head to the side, gesturing to me.
"I can't do this." Trevor shook his head in fear. "You give her to him, he'll have mercy on you, but I need to get out of here." He started moving towards the door quickly.
Rose grasped his arm tightly, spinning him around to face her, "Hey! What are we?"
Trevor's gaze softened as he stayed put. Sighing, he answered, "We're family."
A knocking sounded from far away, probably where the front door was, while the two vampires whipped their heads to the source of the sound, alarm, surprise, and fear morphing their features.
"You're scared," I observed obviously. They looked back towards me, staying silent. This wasn't good. If these two very old vampires were scared... then what would my reaction be?
"Stay here," Rose instructed us, moving out of sight, "And don't make a sound."
Elena and I shared a look, then I stared at Trevor, who was practically shaking with fear. Whatever he had did to Elijah, it must've been something big. Katherine must've screwed with him, and Trevor wasn't able to resist not helping her. I guess Katherine was trying to escape her fate... and now I wanted to escape mine. But I couldn't. Because if I did, who knows who would get hurt?
Rose came back, but I barely noticed her... A handsome man in his late twenties arrived at the top of the stairs, gazing at me like he just saw a ghost. He had brown hair and eyes, with a prominent jaw line, wearing an expensive tailored suit. Was this Elijah? The vampire everyone was afraid of?
3rd person POV:
Elijah couldn't believe his ears. A doppelganger? Katerina's descendant? Alive? Impossible. But he continued to follow Rose deeper into the old mansion, figuring that if the vampire was lying, he'd just rip her heart out.
When they reached the stairs to the main room, Elijah was vaguely aware of Trevor shaking violently near the staircase, but that's not what captured his attention. Two teenagers stood side by side near the worn couch, both of which whipped their heads up to look at him.
However, his focus remained on one. She was a doppelganger, identical to Katerina. Dark, long, wavy hair framed her face and shoulders, light, ivory skin showed wherever the mini dress tore or didn't cover. Red, full lips pouted slightly when her light brown eyes gazed through him, as if looking deep into his soul.
It was strangely unnerving.
No one he'd ever met before could make him feel that way with one look. Not even Tatia, whom looked the same as this beautiful doppelganger in front of him. This girl was different. She held fire and light within her, not the steel that Tatia possessed or the darkness that surrounded Katerina. No, this doppelganger was unique and incomparable.
Elijah observed all of this within a second, then flashed forward suddenly, planting himself in front of the girl. Both the doppelganger and her sister—Elijah guessed—gasped at the movement. He bent down, almost as if he was going to kiss the girl, then redirected his path, and instead smelled her neck. He had an urge to bite into the doppelganger's soft flesh and drink her sweet, scented, blood.
Now he was certain that she was human.
Surprise came across his face as he leaned backwards, gazing into the girl's eyes, finding them beautiful, sparkling like diamonds.
"Human." He stated, smiling, "It's impossible. Hello there."
The girl jumped a bit at Elijah's address, but continued to stare at him evenly, not letting fear get to her.
Stefan and Damon stepped out of the stationary car, both of them carrying their own set of weapons while Stefan threw the duffle bag over his shoulder.
"The house should be just beyond those trees." Damon announced, looking at Stefan's figure who was already heading towards the pointed direction, "Wait, I got a lot more experience than you do with these sort of things."
Stefan shrugged, looking back, "What is your point?"
"My point is, whoever has Ariana and Elena is probably who was after Katherine in 1864, and before that." Damon said obviously.
"And?"
"And it puts them at five hundred years and strong." Damon continued, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yeah, I'm certain I want to do it." Stefan suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.
"Because if we go in that house, we may not come back out."
"Alright, then I won't come out." The Salvatore's remained perfectly calm.
"So noble, Stefan." Damon smirked.
Stefan shrugged, turning around to walk to the house, "I can't think of a better reason to die, but if you want to stay here, I'll totally understand." Stefan said that, knowing that his brother would never abandon Ariana. They would both die for her, which was why they didn't have any second thoughts when about to enter the house.
Damon followed his brother, then said, "Just so we're clear; if I get to Ariana first, and we can't defeat the vampires, then I'm making sure that she's safe before I go back for you and Elena."
"That's how I want it." Stefan agreed, "She comes first."
Damon nodded, content, continuing with his brother towards the house.
Ariana POV:
"We have a long journey ahead of us." Elijah said, grazing my arm with his fingertips. I shivered, "We should be going."
"No!" Elena exclaimed to Elijah, "You can't just take her!"
"Elena." I gave her a hard look, planting myself in front of her, trying to block her from Elijah. I looked back at the vampire, who was gazing at me curiously, "If I agree to go with you, will you return my sister back to her house?"
"No!" Elena protested again, but I ignored her.
"You're willing to sacrifice yourself for your sister?" Elijah questioned.
What kind of dumb question was that? "Of course I am," I continued, "Please, have someone take her safely back to the house, or at least tell her which direction to proceed in."
I wasn't sure how Elijah was looking at me now. Awe? Amazement? Curiosity? Regret? But the unemotional mask was back on his face, as he said, "I give you my word, that no harm will come to your sister and she will be returned back to her home safely. This is only valid, however, if you agree to come with me unresistingly."
I nodded, still frightened.
"One last piece of business and we're done." Elijah said, turning around to walk towards Trevor.
Elena slapped my arm suddenly, and insulted, "What the hell is wrong with you? Did those chemicals that knocked you out fry your brain or something? Or is it just you being... you?"
I looked at her, "I'm trying to keep you safe."
"How?" She inquired, "By handing yourself over to be sacrificed?"
"It's the best option we have right now." I tried to persuade her. We definitely weren't getting out of here anytime soon. Since there was a very slim chance that I'd make it out of this house alive, at least I could guarantee Elena's safety. I wasn't sure whether I could trust Elijah's word—since many vampires seemed to be cunning and deceitful—but it was worth a try.
We stood by the sidelines while Elijah approached Trevor in a predatory-like way, watching the scene unfold before us.
"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah." Trevor said, tearing up, "I'm truly, very sorry."
"Oh no, your apologies not necessary." Elijah stated, still circling the younger vampire.
"Yes, yes it is." He continued, "You trusted me with Katerina and I failed you."
"Oh yes, you are the guilty one, and Rose aided you because she was loyal to you, and that now I honor." Elijah stopped in front of Trevor, staring down at him, "Where was your loyalty?"
I had a feeling to where this was leading.
"I beg your forgiveness." Trevor pleaded.
"So granted." Elijah replied. Trevor went to smile, thinking that he was free... but Elijah didn't spare a second. His arm moved so fast that I didn't see the action. All I registered was that one second Trevor was standing there, and the next his body was falling towards the floor, while his head traveled across the room, a clean slice.
The sound of the impact followed later, and Rose broke down into tears, seeing her friend dead. Elena and I stood there shocked, disbelief showing.
"You...!" Rose started towards Elijah in anger and rage.
"Don't, Rose, now that you are free." Elijah commanded, shifting his gaze towards me, "Come."
Now I was really freaked out, definitely not wanting to get any closer to the vampire. How could he do that? That was... he didn't forgive Trevor for something that happened five hundred years ago. What a way to hold a grudge.
Elena, who was holding onto my arm, suddenly blurted, "No, what about the moonstone?"
"Elena!" I hissed.
"What do you know about the moonstone?" Elijah glanced between the two of us.
"I know that you need it and I know where it is." Elena stated. Why was she telling him this? He was a vampire, he could easily get the answers out of us without anything in return. I knew that she was just trying to help, but it wasn't gonna work.
"Yes?" Elijah pushed, nearing us.
Elena glanced at me, "We can help you get it."
"Tell me where it is." Elijah simply stated, and I moved in front of Elena completely, pushing her back.
"It doesn't work that way," I tried to say with confidence, getting antsy by how close he was to us. He may need me for the sacrifice, but he didn't need Elena. He could hurt her just like he did Trevor, and that wasn't happening anytime soon as long as I was there. We had a deal. If I was to go with him, he'd keep my sister safe.
Elijah stared at me in amusement, "Are you negotiating with me?" He looked back to Rose.
"It's the first I've heard of it." Rose stated, tears still present.
His pupils dilated and constricted a few times, until I realized that he was trying to compel me. Frustrated, he glanced down to my neckline, "What is this vervain doing around your neck?" He reached, tearing off the vervain necklace Stefan gave me. Throwing it to the ground, I tried backing up, feeling exposed. But he caught my head, and wound his fingers into my hair, bringing me back to him. "Tell me where the moonstone is."
Fighting the urge to reply was impossible, and my lips formed words on their own, "In the tomb, underneath the church ruins."
"What is it doing there?"
"It's with Katherine."
"Interesting." He murmured, and I came out of his spell. I glared at him a bit, hating how easy it was for him to control me. Elijah examined by body with his eyes, making me freeze up as he took in my torn and bloody dress. "Who wounded you?"
He wasn't compelling me, but I answered anyway, "Katherine."
"Hmm." He said, a flash of anger arriving in his eyes, "Remind me to deal with her later."
Slowly pulling his hand away from my head, he instead grasped my upper arm, and pulled me with him. Before we could get far, a sound of breaking glass filled the room from upstairs, and all of us glanced at each other.
Elena's wild eyes met mine, I knew we shared the same thought; Stefan and Damon. No, if they were here, that meant that they were ready to fight. They couldn't go up against Elijah, could they? They'd get hurt, wounded...
"What is that?" Elijah asked.
"I don't know." Rose replied, frightened.
"Who else is in this house?" Elijah persisted, glaring at her.
"I don't know." She repeated.
Holding tightly onto me, Elijah dragged us upstairs, while Elena held on to my arm, cutting off my blood flow. My mind was too occupied to care. We entered another room, near the entrance I think, where there was a huge staircase to greet us leading up to other rooms with high ceilings.
The wind rushed passed us, and I recognized the movement as vampires with super speed. Damon and Stefan were here. Elijah handed me off to Rose, and she caught my arm. Elena, not expecting the movement, lost her grip on me, and stood there, lost.
"Rose." Elijah stated.
"I don't know who it is." Rose said again.
I did. Elena did.
"Up here." A voice whispered from the top of the marble staircase. It was Stefan. Elijah vampire sped up there, looking around, but apparently finding nothing.
"Down here." Damon's voice whispered somewhere behind me, but when I looked back, I saw nothing. They must've been hiding behind the grooves in the wall. A sound like a crossbow firing reverberated around us, and I glanced up to see a stake lodged in Elijah's hand. Annoyed, he takes it out, the wound instantly healing.
Suddenly, something flashed, and grabbed me, pushing himself so that I was between him and the wall. Green eyes stared down at me, his finger on his mouth, telling me silently to be quiet.
"Excuse me." Elijah's voice came from around the wall, though I couldn't see him. He seemed pretty pissed off, "To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't. Do you hear that?" I heard wood snapping, and my heart sped up. "I repeat, you cannot beat me. So, I want the girl, I'm gonna count to three or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?" A pause. "Maybe I'll start with her sister."
I gave Stefan an alarmed look, and pushed myself around him. He grabbed my arm, trying to stop me, but I shook my head. Giving a low sigh, Stefan pressed something into the palm of my hand, and let me go. I looked at the round glass filled with liquid, recognizing it as a vervain grenade.
I walked out into the open, appearing at the top of the staircase. The house looked entirely different from up here. Elijah held Elena by her hair with one hand, roughly pulling her around while a large stake was grasped by his other hand. He stared at me, reading my face.
"I'll come with you." I said, "Please don't hurt my sister or my friends, they just wanted to help me out."
He threw Elena to the ground like a rag doll, then blurred until he stood a few feet next to me, scrutinizing me while I gasped.
"What game are you playing with me?" He asked.
From behind my back, I pulled out the metal screw connected to the vervain grenade and threw it into Elijah's face. The bomb exploded on impact, and I jumped away, landing on the ground while glass shattered. Elijah shouted for a moment when his skin burned, but he instantly healed. My eyes widened in fear, but suddenly another shot was heard.
Stefan appeared on the other side of the hallway, shooting many stakes out of his compressed air weapon. It barely did any damage to the older vampire, so Stefan threw the weapon to the floor and rushed towards Elijah. They tumbled down the staircase, landing on the ground floor. Stefan stayed down from the impact, but Elijah easily rose, stake in his hand.
No.
Before Elijah could hit Stefan, Damon arrived with a hat rack, and plunged it into Elijah chest, staking him to the front door. Grey veins lined Elijah's face, until he finally stopped moving; dead.
Rose vampire sped away, while Damon started to advance towards her. "Just let her go." I told him, and he looked at me, smiling when he realized that I was okay. Unwounded for the most part.
Oh my god.
They defeated him. Elijah was... he was actually dead. A feeling of dread was followed by relief as I realized that we didn't have to deal with him anymore. I didn't have to die, and Elena—
She had gotten back up, and breathed a sigh of relief when our eyes met each other.
3rd person POV:
Ariana ran down the staircase, trying not to trip in her heels as she went towards the others. Stefan and Damon smiled, relief and love covering their features, each wanting to hold her, thinking that she was going towards them.
But she didn't.
She flew straight into Elena's arms, hugging her fiercely, closing her eyes in happiness. Damon and Stefan shared a look, an understanding between them while they watched the interaction between the Gilbert twins. The Salvatores nodded to each other, acknowledging that they had been victorious in saving the girl they loved.
"Are you okay?" Ariana asked her sister, concerned, "Are you hurt?"
Elena rolled her eyes, "I'm fine. I should be asking you that question."
"I'm okay." They hugged it out again, and Ariana smiled over her sister's shoulder looking at the brothers. Damon and Stefan both gave her concerned looks, but Ariana nodded, telling them she was fine. She mouthed, "Thank you" and they mouthed back:
"You're welcome."
Ariana POV:
Damon and Stefan were both so persistent on the way back home. They kept trying to help me, as if I was a delicate little flower. Wanting to make sure I was okay, they even followed me to my house. I was able to convince them that I was fine, and they left me alone, Stefan embracing me before he left.
Elena and I went up the staircase of our house, Jeremy already stood at the top, "Ariana? Elena?" Before he could reach us, Bonnie rushed in front, pulling me into a bear crushing hug.
"Are you guys okay?" Jeremy asked us.
"We're fine, we're okay." I looked to Elena, and she nodded. Shifting my gaze back to Bonnie, I smiled, "I got your message, thank you."
Bonnie attacked me again, embracing me as she cried out in relief, "I'm just so glad you're okay." Glancing at Jeremy, she let go of me, and my brother pulled both me and Elena into a hug. He kissed me on the top of my head, and we all just stood there for a moment, tears and dirt staining our clothes.
I got to see my brother again. I got to see Bonnie again.
I've survived another day.
"The problem now is how I'm gonna get this dress off of me." I said, pulling away to show them the torn lace and silk. The blood had dried, and now it clung to me, the clothes sticking all over my skin. Great, this would be painful to strip off. Jokingly, I stated, "I may have to wear this for the rest of my life."
"At least it looks sexy on you." Elena smirked.
"Please," Bonnie gestured in the air using her hands, "She could make a cardboard box look sexy."
The three of us laughed, and Jeremy groaned. "No more." He complained, "It's hurting my ears." That sent all of us into another frenzy of laughter, and we had a group hug, content in finding happiness after the long, treacherous, day.
3rd person POV:
Stefan and Damon stood in the living room parlor of the boarding house, while the older brother poured a glass of scotch. "Ariana wanted to be with her siblings, I'm guessing." Damon stated, giving Stefan a glass of the alcohol.
"Yeah. Thanks." Stefan received the glass, drinking the contents. "Listen, what Rose told Ariana about the curse..."
Damon waved him away, "I know, we'll keep her safe."
"You know, the only way we're gonna be able to do that is if we're not fighting each other." Stefan said, eyes searching around the room arbitrarily, "We let Katherine come between us. If we let that happen with Ariana, we're not gonna be able to protect her."
"Yes, Stefan." Damon tried to change the subject, "Heard it all before." He went to move away, but his brother's voice halted him.
"Hey."
"What?"
"I'm sorry," Stefan said sincerely.
"About what?"
"For being the guy who made you turn one hundred and forty-five years ago."
Damon rolled his eyes, "Enough, Stef. It's late. Don't need to rehash that."
"You know what?" Stefan explained, "I've never said it out loud. I guess I just need to say it and you need to hear it: I'm sorry. What I did was selfish. I didn't want to be alone." He paused, "I guess I just needed my brother."
They stood there for a moment, bonds reforming. Damon finally broke the silence, "Brother or not, I'm still always going to pick Ariana."
Stefan nodded in agreement, "So am I."
Ariana POV:
Elena and Bonnie helped me out of my ruined dress earlier. I was right, it took at least an hour to wash off every piece of clothing material out of my skin. After Bonnie left, and Elena and Jeremy went to their rooms, I changed into white short-shorts and a navy blue tank top. Checking my arms in the mirror, there were no signs of my previous wounds, no signs of any new ones either.
I was a little sore, but other than that, completely healed and new, like this whole adventure was a nightmare. Leaving the bathroom to enter my bedroom, I sighed, closing my eyes slightly, wanting to fall asleep. Utterly exhausted, I thought about making those few steps to lie down into my soft bed.
But no, I couldn't. Just my luck, somebody showed up.
"Cute PJ's." Damon sat on my window sill, the panel open. He smiled at me.
"Hey." I said, "You know it's great to see you, Damon, but I'm tired."
He smirked, stood up, walking towards me holding up something, "I brought you this."
I gasped, inspecting the piece of jewelry in his hands as he came closer. The silver shone and the red gem glittered all different colors in the light. "I thought that was gone," I stated, reaching for it with a smile. That vervain necklace was special to me. Not only did it protect me from vampires—or so I thought until Elijah ripped it off me—but Stefan had given it to me, and it was a constant reminder of the guy I loved. "Thank you."
Just as I was about to touch it, he pulled it away from me, out of my reach.
"Damon," I pleaded, looking at him strangely, "Please give it back."
He hesitated for a moment, then stepped closer, saying, "I just have to say something."
I couldn't bring myself to move away from him, "Why do you have to say it with my necklace?"
"Well," He was hesitant again, trying to come up with an answer, "Because what I'm about to say is... probably the most selfish thing I have ever said in my life."
"Damon..." I knew where this was heading, and I didn't know whether or not I wanted to hear it.
"No, I just have to say it once." He stated, looking at me intensely. He planted himself inches away from me, his piercing ice blue eyes freezing me on the spot. He wasn't compelling me, but it almost felt like he was, "You just need to hear it." All humor had left him, and he caressed my face tenderly with his free hand. "I love you, Ariana." His voice floated like honey as it reached me, love and affection radiating off of him. What he said was the truth, "I love you more than you can imagine. And it's because I love you that...I can't be selfish with you." He paused, "Why you can't know this... I don't deserve you... but my brother does."
I looked up at him, entranced. He declared his love for me, yet he was gonna make me forget? Why? Because he loved me... because he didn't think he was good enough...
In my own way, I did love Damon, and not just because he was Stefan's brother. I loved him for who he was... I loved how he made me feel, how in danger, I felt safe around him, and when we were alone, he made me feel dangerous. It was a strange connection... but I liked the feeling... I was attracted to it...
The only problem was... I loved Stefan more.
Damon leaned in, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. The feeling warmed my face. He continued to run his hand through my hair slowly, "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this." He whispered softly, gazing at me in adoration.
He seemed sad though... so sad. It was killing him to do this, and I felt the need to stop him, to tell him not to make me forget... But I didn't. "Damon..." Was all I got out.
"But you do." He finally said. A tear escaped from his eye as his pupils constricted. My mind was taken over by a white and black blankness. It erased something... what was it erasing...? I opened my eyes.
Wait, where was I?
Looking around the room, I saw that I was in my bedroom. Wasn't I in the bathroom a second ago? My window was open. Glancing down at my neck, I found my vervain necklace there.
Okay, something wasn't right. Something had happened... my necklace couldn't have just suddenly appeared. Analyzing my past events, I couldn't remember anything. One minute, I stood in front of my bathroom mirror... and the next...
Nothing.
Many things happened in this chapter. Which was your favorite part: Brother bonding, Elijah's debut, Damon's confession?
If you have any ideas or suggestions to improve my story, please review or PM me. And thank you for reviewing, I love love love them! I also love how there's so many of you who read my story, you're all awesome.
Anyone else counting down the days till summer break? I know I am.
Until the next update!
-Spiralcloud