CHAPTER 6
Rebekah sat in her biology class with a shit-eating grin on her face. Something about the whole encounter with Elena had put her in an oddly happy mood. She loved how bumbling and baffling and dare she say; awkward Elena had become. It was oddly endearing. Rebekah thought about the situation, and was glad at the direction it had taken. Albeit she was a little bit surprised that Elena had taken the initiative.
Rebekah was used to being the one who had to woo and take the leap of faith required for things like this, but she was glad that the connection didn't appear to be one sided. 'I wonder if it feels the same for her…' Rebekah thought, listening to the teacher speak, about how they were going out into the courtyard to examine the living creatures out there, and that everyone had to bring back something to class to examine under the microscopes.
As the class walked down the east wing of the school, she smiled silently to herself. She recounted happily about the way Elena's heartbeat had sped up in the hallway, and had become so loud that it seemed like it may explode from her chest. There were the obvious benefits to being an immortal blood sucking demon- one being able to smell insanely well, not only that but consciously separate smells. Elena's smell filled her nostrils. It was such an easy scent to pick up, it made sense Rebekah guessed, Elena had been walking these halls for three years- it was only logical that her scent would be easily recognized.
Once in the yard, some of Rebekah's classmates stood at the trees, others looked at birds flying overhead, or perched on the roof. Rebekah sat, and looked at the grass. She looked at how tiny all the individual blades were. It brought a slight pang of sadness to her… That something so small was a living thing, something so insignificant was alive; but that she would never be. She felt like a dejected Pinocchio- wanting to be a real, live person.
'How is this fair? How can grass be trampled, and drowned, and cut but still stay alive? When I was once alive, but now I am dead- and yet here I stand; stronger and in many instances better than the living version.' Rebekah battled with herself in her own mind, while subconsciously ripping up handfuls of grass. She looked at the green blades in her hands, remarking that they too were dead, like her. If she could have willed herself to cry, then would have been the moment. 'That's how quickly life can be taken away from you.' She mused, ripping up another handful of grass.
She opened her fingers wide, as a slow but steady breeze blew through the courtyard, sending blades of grass falling, but then soaring up towards the windows of the cafeteria. Rebekah watched them float, almost like tiny green feathers of the earth. As her eyes followed the path of one blade in particular, her eyes focused on a figure just behind the glass. There was a slight glare, but Rebekah could tell that it was Elena. Their eyes met; and Rebekah remembered there date for the next night and smiled to herself.
She looked up again intending to see Elena having walked off, but she remained- Rebekah had never felt like a bug under a microscope before, but this was cutting it close. She wondered if Elena always surveyed everyone, or if it was simply her today. Something about the idea of Elena looking so intently at anyone else, set off a small riot of anger within Rebekah's stomach.
Elena waved at her, a gesture that Rebekah gladly returned. She watched as a newly content Elena attempted to march off- but get into a heated, yet surprisingly short, argument with someone from her class. Rebekah wanted to rush inside to be sure that Elena was okay, but part of her knew better.
Rebekah chuckled to herself, picking one singular blade of grass, and taking it back to the lab.
Once they got back to class and set up microscopes, they examined what everyone brought back, some had brought leaves, rocks, sand just plain old dirt, a few brought back feathers from the birds, but Rebekah was the only one who brought a blade of grass. They set up the microscopes, and looked through them all. Everyone enjoyed looking at the sparkling rocks, and the veiny leaves, and the rough sand, and moist dirt; but no one paid much mind to the blade of grass.
"Now why did you pick what you did?" The teacher asked, going row by row- until he reached Rebekah who was the last person in the last row. She thought nervously for a moment- unsure of what to answer.
"I chose a single blade of grass because in many ways it represents us, humans." She spoke confidently and sure of her answer. People were looking at her as if she were crazy- she wasn't.
"And pray- tell how do you find parallels between grass and people?" The teacher asked, and air of questioning settling into the class.
"Because-"Rebekah began, clearing her throat. "We are a large populace, so large in fact, that if you gathered all of the human species together in one area, we would look much like the court yard. Undistinguishable from one another, just a sea of green- a sea of living creatures. That's what we would be. But if you were to pluck one, or two of five hundred of those measly little blades of grass would anyone really notice?" Rebekah offered, looking at anyone for confirmation that she had made her point. Her palm collided with her forehead, as she explained again, in perhaps simpler terms.
"We become part of a collective whole. Like looking at the grass; you just see grass. You don't see individual blades unless you look close enough. Just like in large gatherings we lose our own sense of individuality- we assimilate to the whole. Nobody would really miss us; not in a way that would have any effect really. Just like nobody will miss this blade of grass." Rebekah finished, the biology teacher smiled brightly at her.
"Well done Rebekah," the teacher began. Now Rebekah could feel all the eyes of her classmates on her. She didn't react however, wanting to seem dignified as 1000 year old vampires tend to be. "I expect you all to read pages 83 to 91 and answer questions one to two, five, eight to ten and fifteen. We will take the questions up tomorrow!" The teacher said loudly over the hustle and bustle of the class as the bell rang dismissing them.
She walked briskly down the hall, realizing how slow humans seemed to move. It all seemed like slow motion to her, as she was used to using her super-human speed most of the time. She had to slow herself down quite a bit in order to even be close to human speed, and even then, she appeared to be briskly walking. She would figure out how to slow herself down properly soon enough.
She stopped by her locker, opening it and placing her Data management and Biology textbooks back, and instead reaching for her Shakespeare Anthology. She didn't eat human food, it actually made her gag. Her stomach wouldn't hold it down- she had been too long on her blood-rich diet to try to switch it up now.
She sat alone at one of the tables facing the spot where Elena had stood what felt like only moments ago. She opened the book to page 395 and began to read from Act IV, Scene XV of Antony and Cleopatra. She had always had an affinity towards Shakespearean writing, even his poems somehow spoke volumes to her about the human condition. But also the inhuman one she possessed.
She read through quickly, understanding and interpreting the story thus far. A sad smile crept upon her face… 'Poor Cleopatra.' She thought, running her hands along the worn spine of her Anthology. "To loose one's universe to death is such a tragedy, to lose one's self to death- that is worse.' Rebekah reasoned internally. She remembered the way she died, the way she was turned into the beast she had become.
It was a calm autumn day and all of the Mikaelsons had been out enjoying themselves that day. The crisp air a reminder that the cold harsh winter was going to be coming in a few short months, and that they had to prepare. Tonight was to be their harvest feast- the last grand dinner of the year.
Rebekah had always been so appreciative of the harvest meal. They cooked what perishing provisions they had accumulated over the last few months, and used them. Everyone always tended to leave the kitchen table happy and full to the brim. It was a feeling that Rebekah enjoyed and waited anxiously for a whole year.
She wasn't even sure if she would be able to attend next year's feast, as she would be old enough to be married off- which no doubt her parents would be inclined to do as soon as possible- so she would allow a bit more indulgence this year.
The night was falling, and the family was ushered into the small hut that they called their home, the table took up the majority of the living space, and was furnished with all of the trappings, potatoes, and boar meat, chicken and other fowl, and fresh green beans from the garden. Rebekah's eyes could scarcely absorb all of the food that she could possibly eat.
The family sat down, gave thanks to nature for the sustenance which it had so graciously provided, and dug in. There was even wine. Rebekah had never been permitted to drink wine before, but there was a chalice set right in front of her, and it appeared that everyone had one, except her mother.
"Mother, I think I may accidentally have your chalice in my spot." Rebekah had offered, assuming that it had just been a mistake in the setting of the table, her mother shook her head and gave her a nod signalling that she was allowing it.
"Don't overdo yourself Rebekah." Her father cautioned. But Rebekah had already downed her glass- unsure about the tangy and yet somehow sour fruit taste. There was a certain must to it that she couldn't quite place- but she didn't argue or complain. They ate in jubilant tradition, reminiscing about the past year since the last harvest feast had happened.
It didn't take long for the six children to become tired- and sluggish with their full bellies. The non-verbal exchange between their mother and father was missed, as he rose from the table and walked towards the entrance of the door. It remained silent for a few moments, save for the sighing and groaning of the six children with their astronomically full bellies. Rebekah was the first to go, the sword pierced through the back of her chair, through her spine and erupted out of her abdomen.
The pain was severe- she could feel her collapsed lung as she tried to breathe but to no avail as her lungs began to pool with blood drowning her. Her vision faded as the blade was ripped back through her body. She gargled on the warm blood which was released with every exhale. She could hear faint shuffling and screaming- but she couldn't move. Her chest rose and fell laboriously as she fought for breath. For air that was just out of reach, but so necessary to her survival.
Necessary but unavailable- she shuddered, her last and final breath escaping her, her body became rigid and she lost consciousness.
She was jolted from her revisitation when the bell rang reminding her that it was time for her English class, and she got up- Her Shakespeare Anthology in tow, and made her way down the hallway. It was so densely packed with students, she was being bumped in to. Not that it hurt her, not that it could hurt her- she just found it increasingly more annoying as time bore on that people could not seem to extricate themselves from her personal space.
Her English class was basically useless to her. One thing Rebekah did understand was English- She understood subtle nuances and the gradual shifts of the characters within a story. She knew how to work it all out in her mind, and come up with a conclusion, or at least draw speculation from what she was reading.
The class read Act IV, Scene XV; which Rebekah had already familiarized herself with earlier- She understood this play better than she understood most. She understood the longing and the heart ache, and all of the emotions that Cleopatra demonstrated. After the class had finished the scene, the teacher asked someone in the class to explain. Rebekah hadn't even bothered to open her book, and this prompted the teacher to choose her as a target.
"It's Cleopatra; she's watching Antony wither away into nothingness. And she's clutching on to him- because she loves him. When he dies, her hopes of happiness die with him- She believes she will find nothing worth living for in the world, comparing it to a sty. It's tragic really- that she became so attached to this mortal being who was destined to perish, that once he had, she felt it was no longer worth living." She finished, taking the teacher by surprise. Rebekah knew of love and loss, and so she identified with it more than she did any other play. Ultimately it still ended in tragedy; but it was nothing like the imbecilic and trivial plot that Romeo and Juliet followed. No- this was true love; the loss of true love… While Romeo and Juliet was simply a demonstration of childish feelings where true love did not have time to blossom.
The class went smoothly, and Rebekah found she was free a lot sooner than she was expecting to be. She didn't have a class last period, so when the bell rang, she made her way to her locker, and grabbed her stuff, and put it all in her bag. She didn't really know why she was bothering to take anything home with her… She didn't study- she could simply recall everything she ever learned from memory; another perk of being an immortal blood-hungry demon.
She walked slowly down the hallways, trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible, she just wanted to be out of here, to go home and feast. She was admittedly starving. She would have to remember to either get blood bags, or feed twice as much as she usually did tomorrow. The thirst was becoming a burning sensation in the back of her throat, and it was driving her wild. She had half a mind to just sprint full kilter to her car- but she couldn't risk it.
She almost made it to the exit when she spotted Elena- being her usually odd and reclusive self. Sitting alone on the bench by the door. Rebekah wanted to leave, she did- But something inside of her told her that she needed to take a moment to touch base, to make sure that Elena was okay.
"Hey how are you faring?" Rebekah asked plopping down hard on the bench next to Elena. The other girls eyes shot up in surprise, and the look transformed into happiness. Rebekah could feel the girl's heartbeat quicken, and begin pulsing loudly.
"I'm alright I suppose, and you?" Elena asked her, Rebekah pondered it for a minute noticing how Elena's fingers fidgeted with each other. 'Perhaps another nervous tick?' Rebekah wondered to herself. She smiled realizing that this was the second time today that she had made the girl nervous.
"I'm doing quite well, I was just about to go home…" She said getting up, and slinging her back over her shoulder. "Do you fancy a ride back to yours?" Rebekah waited for an answer, praying that she said yes, but didn't wait around for a response- but heard Elena shuffle and gather her things as quick as possible and follow Rebekah out to her Nissan.
She opened the trunk and plopped her bag in there, knowing that it would not likely move from there until the next morning when she was forced to bring it all back into the building to pretend like she was learning. She heard Elena plop into the passenger side with her books and bags, and Rebekah slammed the trunk. The sun was shining brightly, Rebekah smiled; rolling her daylight ring around her finger three times.
She walked back to the driver's side door, and opened it and sat down, she turned and put her seatbelt on and tuned the key in the ignition. She could hear the motor ignite a droplet of gasoline, and spring to life. It brought a smile to her lips the way her car purred beneath her fingertips.
Elena gave Rebekah directions to her house, and Rebekah did her best to focus on the driving, but Elena's intoxicating smell filled the entire car- her human smell. It reminded Rebekah of how thirsty she was, how bad she needed a snack. She was so tempted to just pull over and bury her teeth into the soft and supple flesh of Elena's neck, but it took everything in her to refrain. She could feel her eyes darken the way they did when she fought extremes of any kind. She composed herself as they rounded the corner onto Elena's street- Rebekah drove into Elena's drive way and stopped the vehicle. Elena got out, and when she did Rebekah witnessed a bit more of Elena's thigh. Creamy like caramel, and so inviting- but forbidden. 'For now.' Rebekah thought.
"Would you like to come hangout for a bit?" Elena offered, Rebekah could tell she was anxious for her to say yes, but she declined. She had to. There was no way she could stand being in such close proximity to Elena for much longer, especially not alone.
Rebekah was afraid of what she might do… Elena's rejected look almost broke Rebekah's heart, and so she offered to come over tomorrow after school for a little while before they were scheduled to meet up at the Grille. Elena's jubilant smile was all the reward Rebekah needed to know that she had done something right.
Once Elena made it inside the door, Rebekah backed out of the drive way, and drove down the road towards her own home. Her throat was burning so badly- If she didn't feed soon, she was going to go mad. When she reached the apartment above city hall, she went to the bookshelf and moved it. Behind that there was a nice little storage unit, she opened the padlock, and reached in for a bag of O-Negative. She placed the straw to her mouth, and began to drink.
She drank it all down- but there was still a hunger left… Not for blood no. But for intimacy. She felt lonely. Her loneliness only fueled her desires for "HUMAN" companionship. At that precise second, she wished she had accepted Elena's offer to hangout. It would have been so simple to compel the girl to behave as she was fed on, or even initiate intimate contact…
Rebekah shook her head. No. She was not going to manipulate Elena. She would not ever gain her trust, or love by compelling her to do anything that she did not naturally want to do. 'Humans have free will- I can't just go taking it away.' Rebekah scolded herself for even thinking of something so ridiculous. But in the back of her mind she wondered how Elena would react if she made her move. Would it scare the poor girl away, or were the signals she had been putting out enough of an inclination to where her true desires led? Rebekah didn't know, she wished she could read minds- even just for a second so she would figure out how Elena Gilbert felt about her exactly.