Hello readers,
This is my longest chapter so far so forgive me for how long it took to finish. Feedback is not only welcome but encouraged, so review :)
"If you go out into the woods tonight, you better no go alone," I whispered to myself "it's lovely in the woods but it's safer to stay at home." I smiled, it was such an appropriate song for hunting. Dead leaves crunched under my feet softy while my quarries feet managed to find every twig in the woods. I sighed, hunting was much more fun when humans knew how to flee properly. This pitiful creature had stumbled and stumbled, he was only alive because I needed something to kill the time.
My phone started buzzing. I smiled, my alarm had just gone off. "Okay little human it's time to end this pathetic chase," I called. I heard his heartbeat flutter then beat more strongly and faster. I caught the human in about a minute. He struggled and screamed. I threw him on the ground after I'd taken a few mouthfuls. He clutched at his neck horrified. "Oh stop it," I told the whimpering human. "Now if you can answer this riddle you get to live, you have three guesses," I explained. He seamed shocked but nodded weakly. I smiled accidentally exposing my blood coated fangs. "Feed me and I will live, yet give me a drink of water and I shall die, what am I?" I asked.
The humans eyes revealed that he didn't know the old riddle. "uh I-I don't know," he stammered, "Wrong answer two more guesses," I said. He grouped for an answer, "A cactus?" he said. "Nope, thought that's an original answer," I replied. His forehead was creased with concentration lines. "Fire!" he exclaimed after a few minutes of silence. I was rather surprised. "Well done, come here then you can leave." I commanded. He shrank away from me, I sighed, "Don't be stupid you won and I keep my word." When he finally worked up the courage to face me I compelled him to forget me and what happened in the woods.
I drove him to the hospital, after I got directions to the Gilbert household. It was an old house. It looked pre-civil war. The wooden exterior was coated with white paint and the shutters were a greenish grey. It wasn't my kind of house, but then again I'd lived in castles for most of my life so my concept of a house was a little skewed. The veranda's nice, I noted knocking on the door.
It was answered by a cute teenager. He took in my appearance with an admiring gaze."Hi, um, I'm Jeremy," he said after he'd finished staring. "Alverna Mikaelson," I told him, flashing a smile, "can I come in?" he looked startled for a second. Then suspicious. "Yes little one I'm an Vampire." I sighed. "What do you want," he asked distrustfully. "I'm here to see your sister, we have an arrangement." I answered. He didn't believe me, what a surprise.
"Elena! There's someone here to see you." He shouted over his shoulder. No taking his eyes off me. Normally boys didn't take their eyes off me for a completely different reason. The slim pale girl came to the door with an apprehensive look in her brown eyes. "Why does no one trust me?" I asked. "Because you're related to Klaus." I voice a remembered from earlier today answered. I smiled at Stefan who had encircled Elena's waist with his arms. "You don't pick your family," I said. Stefan smiled back and nodded in agreement. Elena invited me in then.
As I walked into the living-room, I remembered Enzo's request. It would be hard to drain Elena with Stefan and her hunter brother hovering over her like mother hens. "I love you, always and forever," Stefan whispered in Elena's ear. I almost gagged. "Lets begin," I said professionally.
"Have you done this before?" Elena asked apprehensively, as I pulled out the syringe. I shot a look of exasperation at her. "Nope, in a thousand year's of being a Vampire I've never taken blood." the sarcasm dripped off my statement. "She meant with a syringe," Jeremy retorted angrily. "What did I do to get on your bad side hunter." I asked him innocently. He growled and stormed up some stairs. Probably to sulk in his bedroom.
Once I had three vials of Elena's blood I gave her my phone number and told her I'd be in contact if I needed more. Sensing the hostility from upstairs I didn't hang around too long. I had absolutely no idea what I did to annoy Little Gilbert. But being hated by a teenager with anger management problems was the least of my worries.
I watched the house from down the street, waiting for Stefan to leave. Around three in the morning the love birds finally parted. Thank god I though I would have to wait until the lovestruck teenager went to school.
Her window was easy to find it was the one Stefan had sneaked out of. She was dozing under a thin blanket. I didn't care enough to actually study her room. But the overall theme was girly. I left the sleeping Elena in her room to deal with the only threat in the house. Little Gilbert. His room was typical messy teenage boy. He was studying a Math textbook when I banged his head into the desk, knocking him out cold.
You would assume that Elena would have better protection. Apparently no one thought their precious golden girl was in danger with a untrained hunter in the house and magic keeping uninvited Vampires out. Well, they shouldn't of invited Niklaus's favourite sibling in. I was unsure weather to kill her or kidnap her for further use.
I decided kidnapping was the better option. What better peace offering than a Petrova doppelganger. She struggled until I compelled her to pack a bag and come with me quietly. I couldn't believe they didn't have her bathing in vervain. She was silent until we were in the stingray.
"Why are you kidnapping me?" Her voice was steady but her eyes panicked. "It's simple, I have a deal with someone to kill you but, you'd make a much better peace offering to my brother," I explained driving out of mystic falls. "I'm not a present you can just give away!" Elena said outraged. She started to open the door but I flicked the locks on before she could jump out.
"That was a stupid thing to try, at the speed we're going at now you would die, painfully." I explained. "I'd rather die than be stuck with Klaus forever." she said defiantly. "What makes you think you'll be with him forever. I give him three mouths before he becomes tired of you." I told her grinning. "You're a sadistic manipulative parasite," she spat. "Ouch," I thought.
After our little squabble she spent the next half an hour glaring daggers at me. However when her anger dissipated it was replaced by fear. Fear of me, Fear of Klaus and most of all Fear of Death. Ugh. Why did she have to project her emotions so loudly. It was bad enough containing my fear, I didn't need hers. The drive to Kentucky was more than a little unpleasant.
When we finally got to my destination I was ready to kill Elena. I decided that keeping her in the car was best for her health. Gravel crunched under my boots as I approached the modest white farmhouse. "Marina!" I called from the farmhouses picket fence wary of the magical buzz from the houses shield. "Alverna?" the question came from a willowy woman dressed in a short summer dress and cherry spotted apron, who emerged from the house to stand on the front porch. Her delicate face was dusted with flour and there was some in her mousy brown hair.
A broad grin spread across my pale face. She lowered the barrier and let me in. We embraced at the base of her stairs. Marina was a head taller than I was, and I had to look up to met her green eyes. "How have you been?" She asked me her Russian accent thick. "Not particularly pleasant," I answered "Father,has returned." Marina gasped. "Not Mikael," she whispered. I nodded gravely. "I need your help to find my brother," I said. She nodded. "I'll be inside shortly I just have to get someone quickly." I told her as she turned to go inside. I heard a faint murmur of approval from her as she disappeared inside the farmhouse.
Elena was trying to escape. Unfortunately for her I was smarter, faster and stronger than she was. "Let me go!" she screeched at a painful pitch. Dear god why did they keep her alive? "You're being foolish child." I told her dragging her out of my car. She kicked and screamed and clawed at my arms. "I swear to god if you damaged my car I will peel your skin off and make it into a handbag." I told her finally dragging her inside the fence.
I hauled her up the steps and threw her inside Marina's home. She tried to fight past me but as I said before. I'm faster and stronger and smarter. I pointed these things out to her until she gave up and slouched on the worn wooden floor. "Was that really necessary?" I asked. She glared. "This is Marina Kavinski, an old friend of mine." I said gesturing to the witch. Elena looked towards Marina hopefully. But when she saw the stern expression Marina had adorned her hope died. "Marina, this is Elena Gilbert, A Petrova doppelganger." She looked down her nose at the girl who had destroyed her peace with futile screaming.
Her hostility was almost tangible. "If your voice rises above a whisper, I will do despicable things to you." Marina told Elena. "You-you can't, Sh-she needs me in unharmed." the cowering girl stuttered, in a whisper. Marina smiled. It wasn't a nice smile, it was a smile full of malice and unspoken threats. "Your body maybe, but your mind is mine to play with." she said.
"Well, know that the ground rules have been established, do you have anything good cooking?" I asked hopefully. Marina laughed brightly and ushered me into the kitchen. Leaving a confused and scared doppelganger in her hallway. I wasn't concerned with her escaping, Marina had lowered the barrier and now she couldn't get past the fence.
Marina got straight to business, after I had emptied her cookie jar. "Now do you have some of her blood?" She asked me. I nodded, and passed the vials to her. "Good we can begin." I found a comfy chair to sit on while Elena sat on the floor, far away from Marina and strangely close to me. It appeared I was the lesser evil in her eyes.
Marina surrounded herself with lit candles and had a map of the world sitting in front of her. She poured a vial on to the map and began to chant something in Latin. Although my mother was one of the most powerful Witches to walk the earth I didn't inherit her power, Rebekah and Henrick got that. So I didn't pay much attention to the words.
The candles suddenly flared and Marina spoke. "He's in America." then she reached for a map of the U.S.A, poured another vial on it and began chanting again. "Colorado," she said. Marina concentrated on the map. The blood began to swirl and twist as if in pain and then it exploded all over her and she screamed. Elena shrank back and whimpered while I rushed to her side.
"Are you okay?" "What happened?" I bombarded Marina with questions. "I'm fine" She answered wiping the blood off her face. "He's somewhere near Brighton, I could see exactly where because he's go a warlock with him, He's strong." I got up to get some tissue paper for her.
Once she was cleaned up I thanked her and told her to keep the third vial as a gift. She gave me a slice of cherry pie for the road and some double chocolate muffins. She gave Elena nothing but a look of disdain. It's not hard to get on Marina's bad side, but once your there, well you have to something monumental to get on her good side again. I don't think Elena was too troubled by that though.
We set off to Brighton Colorado but before too long Elena complained she was tired. I forgot she was just a human. So I got a motel room for us then I went hunting. It didn't take long to find a lonely soul at the bar next door to the motel.
My blood bag was a handsome guy in his early thirties. He had recently gotten a divorce and wanted to drown his sorrows. I didn't play my usual game with him because I didn't have time and I kind of felt bad for him. Occasionally my humanity reared it's ugly head in the form of compassion. After I'd taken a few sips from him, I compelled him to forget me and find someone else to love.
Well my good deed of the century was done so I left the bar and went back to the motel room. Only to find Elena trying to pry one of the windows open. "That thing has been painted shut for fifty years Gilbert." I said from the doorway. She spun around in panic.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I would be disappointed if you didn't at least try to escape once." I told her. "You, would?" She asked. I laughed, "Oh course, I need a reason to do this." I told her. Her eyes widened seconds before I sunk my fangs into her pretty little neck.