Mia spent the rest of May trying to behave like a normal person. She knew she needed a strategy to tell Stefan the truth. In fact, she needed to know the real Stefan, because the person she saw with Rebekah and who killed anyone without mercy, in an insatiable bloodlust, was not who she had imagined her brother would have become.
She wrote letters to Katherine about this. She knew that Kat had seen a lot of things in more than 300 years of life, so maybe they could do something about it, help Stefan in some way. Kat didn't send a long response. She just wrote that Mia should be very careful, not say anything and that she was going to visit her in Chicago early so they could tell the truth together.
During this period, Mia behaved like a cat in the night, lurking around the corners of Nik's house, trying to collect any kind of information she could. She and Stefan had no direct contact - only when Rebekah sometimes took him to Gloria's bar. The blonde also didn't spend much time at the lake house and soon Mia discovered that she spent most of her nights at Stefan's apartment downtown.
And then there was Nik. She wanted to tell him about Stefan, but there were so many factors involved. And there were so many layers that she didn't yet know about him. There were things about Nik that fascinated Mia: the protective but never abusive way he treated her, his infinite knowledge about basically everything, the way they had the same sense of humor, his dimples, his blue eyes, the smell of his skin, the way his lips fit perfectly on her neck.
But there were things about him that had begun to scare the ballerina: the way that, in the few conversations with Stefan, he entertained himself with the sordid details about the deaths. How he casually mentioned bloodbaths he had committed in the past. She realized that he had control, unlike Stefan: when Nik fed, like Mia, he always stopped before the victim fainted and always compelled them to forget what happened and go home and rest.
It's not like Mia hasn't killed people: Katherine raised her to be a woman who could defend herself and attack when in danger. Since she was young, Mia knew she would be like Kat: a survivor. But survivors only kill when there is a need to do so.
The possibility of talking to Stefan, so close to her, was slowly driving her insane. Mia felt that as spring was leaving, her sanity was leaving with it. There were so many things that she needed to know from him. She also needed to know why he and Damon weren't together. And she really needed to hear from him that Damon was alive.
As much as she tried to behave normally - performing at the bar on weekends, meeting Nik, feeding, drinking champagne until the sun came up, doing it all over again - she was afraid that someone would see the truth. And Mia knew that the closer she was to Nik, the more transparent she became.
Therefore, in early June, she explained to him that she would have less free time because she would return to training classical ballet at a studio near Hyde Park. It was true. She had compelled the owner of the studio and she spent hours alone in the mirrored room, dancing, spinning, repeating the movements obsessively. She knew that if she were human she would have reached exhaustion already.
"You're going to spin so much that you're going to change the axis of the earth, you know that, right?" Nik said, leaning against the doorstep of the mirrored room. She hadn't invited him, nor given him the address. He didn't need any of that to find her. Mia stopped her pirouette and gestured for him to enter.
In the tallest tip toe of her pointe shoes, she was almost his size. He folded his arms over her and she kissed him slowly, losing her hands in the curls of his dark blond hair. Mia didn't want to talk about what was going on. She wanted to be there, in the present, with her body pressed against Nik's, who held her by the ass and pressed her against the mirrors.
Mia wrapped her legs around Nik's hips, and felt his pulsing erection. She was frantically kissing his neck, trying to take off his shirt. She wanted him to rip off her clothes and fuck her so hard until she didn't need to think.
However, Nik gently stopped and set her back on her feet. He cupped Mia's face, seeing that she was flushed, breathless and nervous. He could actually see through her.
"As much as doing this is what I've been dreaming about for the last few months…I don't want to have sex with you because you need to escape some problem. I've done this a lot. It's not worth it" Nik said, stroking the vampire's brown hair that was tied into a high ponytail.
"Geez, thank you, Mr. Perfectly Fine" Mia replied ironically. She pulled away from Nik and sat down on the floor to take off her pointe shoes. She was frustrated, horny and couldn't believe he would refuse her after so many months.
"You don't understand, love" Nik said and sat down on the floor with her "I fancy you. But I don't want just your body, Mia. I want all of you. I will wait for the day when you can make this decision with a clear mind."
Mia didn't know what to answer. She stared at the floor until Nik gently lifted her chin so he could look into her deep blue eyes again.
"I don't know what's happening to you. But I know this is about feeling out of control" He responded, pointing to the mirrored room around him. "It's your escape mechanism. I also have mine. For me, art, painting… everything is about a world and a universe that I can control."
The dancer took a deep breath and smiled a little.
"There's nothing happening to me, Nik. Sometimes I just do that. Dance for me, especially ballet, connects me back to my human part. And sometimes I miss what I lost in that version" Mia lied. She knew Nik wouldn't truly believe it, but she prayed he wouldn't push her further.
"Well, since that's it, I also came here today to invite you to the biggest event for Chicago's scandalous and supernatural elite" Nik said in an ironic tone that accentuated his British accent and made the scene even funnier. He took a small envelope from his coat. "My dear sister has organized a gala for tomorrow. Summer Solstice. A family tradition. Your presence is mandatory."
The party was tasteful, if a little loud.
Rebekah prepared everything luxurious and extravagant to please the guests, with a full jazz band, dancers and countless boxes of liquor. She rearranged the furniture in the house so that the gigantic living room became a dance floor and had a huge crystal chandelier installed so that no one would have any doubt that she and her brothers were very rich and could afford anything.
Mia was getting ready in one of the house's upstairs suites after Nik picked her up. He insisted that the dress she would wear tonight would be a gift chosen by him.
On the bed, there was a black box with a long white shiny silk dress with a deep neckline, which left Mia's entire chest exposed. The dress's fit was light and she chose to tie her brown hair into a bun with braids. She was finishing looking at herself in the mirror when Nik opened the door and walked in.
"You look ravishing, love" He said and approached the vampire. Nik hugged her from behind and started stroking her neck, which made Mia shiver from head to toe. "You look perfect dressed in white. But the neck is missing something."
Nik opened a velvety red box and pulled out a diamond necklace. Mia couldn't hide her surprise and delight. He slowly placed the jewel on her neck and kissed her gently.
"Nik…I don't even know what to say" Mia continued looking at the mirror while admiring the necklace "It's beautiful. I will keep it forever."
"Forever is a long time" Nik whispered in Mia's ear "But I like this sweet illusion."
The couple decided to go downstairs and head towards the room where the party was taking place. The music was already loud, waiters were serving drinks everywhere and more people were coming into the house all the time, which made Mia wonder where they knew so many people.
As they entered the room, everyone stopped to look at the couple. Rebekah motioned for them to approach the side window, where she was smoking a cigarette and holding a glass of champagne in her hand. Although she looked beautiful, wearing a long dark green dress, she had an expression of impatience and boredom.
"Finally, you guys came down" Rebekah said and looked Mia from head to toe. "Nik, I have to admit, you have good taste. The necklace is wonderful. But did Mia need to wear it today? The hostess cannot be overshadowed" Bekah said and took a sip of the champagne.
"You look marvelous, Bekah, you know that. I would never be able to outshine you" Mia replied in a gentle tone.
She had already realized that Rebekah had many insecurities and acted like a child. She responded to the blonde's spoiled manner with friendly lines and managed to break the ice barrier that seemed impenetrable a few weeks ago. Mia decided to change the subject and get straight to what mattered. "Where's Stefan? I still haven't seen him today."
"He's having a meal in the kitchen" Kol appeared with two glasses of bourbon in his hand and handed one to Nik "Bekah, you have to choose your suitors better. He's going to leave a mess. Bodies everywhere."
"I really like Stefan, Kol," Bekah said, ordering more champagne and a glass for Mia. "You can't condemn him. You are much worse than him. Kol, you are probably a sociopath who also kills people randomly and makes the lives of several witches hell. Nik, on the other hand, keeps letters from all the people he killed, in addition to controlling all of our lives as if we were puppets."
"Rebekah, enough" Nik said in a scream that caused the band to stop playing for a few seconds. Mia remained silent and looked at her glass of champagne. She had more questions about Nik's family dynamics than she had answers. Rebekah left the ball room and was followed by Kol. Nik ran his hands through his hair and downed the drink he was holding.
"Sorry, sweetheart" he replied, stroking Mia's hand. "Family problems."
He walked away across the room and Mia deduced that they were looking for Rebekah. She grabbed another glass of champagne and headed to the kitchen. She couldn't miss the opportunity to speak to Stefan alone.
The white marble kitchen had blood stains all over the wall. The sound of Mia's heels made Stefan turn and face the vampire, letting the lifeless body of a girl he fed fall to the floor as if it were paper.
"Hello, Mia. Do you want to join the party?" Stefan asked with the red veins on his face still showing and his fangs sticking out. Mia breathed and concentrated on not showing that she was scared.
"No, actually, I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you… I'm just looking for a place to escape the party for a bit. You know, family fights, champagne problems, all this stuff" She replied, sitting on the kitchen counter, one of the few places that wasn't covered in blood. Mia, now is the time, she thought. She had to attack. "But you know what it's like, right… siblings. They always fight, but they are always together. Do you have siblings, Stefan?
Stefan went towards the sink and turned on the tap to wash his hands and face. Amazingly, his suit wasn't stained. "A brother, but it's like I don't have one. We don't get along." He turned off the tap and turned to Mia, still with a suspicious look in his eyes. "What about your family?"
"All dead" She responded quickly "My mother died shortly after I was born, my father and my brothers… they died during the Civil War. Some battles, stupid ideologies in the South, that sort of thing."
Mia tried to look away from Stefan. She felt like at any moment Damon's name was going to slip out of her mouth. She couldn't stop wondering if it was the love for Katherine that had really destroyed their relationship or if it was the difficulties encountered on the path of a vampire's life.
"I had a sister. She died during the Civil War too, a smaller conflict that left civilians as victims" Stefan said and Mia nodded. She always imagined this moment, but she never knew what she would truly feel "Amelia. She was 8 years old. She was hit in crossfire. She was the only good thing to come out of the Salvatores and she was killed like that."
Mia took a deep breath. This was the version documented in the Mystic Falls archives.
"I'm so sorry, Stefan" Mia looked at her brother's face, which seemed empty and distant "For your sister. I hope one day you can make things right with your brother."
"It's funny, you have his eyes" Stefan stared at Mia for a few seconds as if he was looking at a puzzle. Their gaze was broken when Nik appeared in the kitchen looking for Mia, with a bottle of champagne in his hands.
It's okay, Mia thought, maybe it wouldn't happen today. Tomorrow I'll make it.
She walked alongside Nik to the door of the house, which was still receiving more people. Of course he had asked her what she was talking about with Stefan. Mia lied and said they were talking about relationships, that she wanted to help him and Rebekah.
"Do you always have a party for summer solstice?" Mia asked, still following Nik's footsteps to the garage, where there were three convertible cars. "I thought celebrating nature was more of a witch thing."
"Ever since we were human, our mother celebrated the arrival of summer and we had almost a festival" Nik replied and opened the door of the red convertible for Mia to enter "It also happens to be my birthday."
"I can't believe you're just telling me this now, Nik!" Mia almost screamed and gave him a little slap on the chest, and he smiled "Oh my God, I feel horrible. I couldn't buy a gift."
"Don't worry darling, we still have until midnight. My greatest gift now is leaving this loud party, but I owe you a dance. It's a promise." He started the car and left the property.
"But where are we going?" Mia asked, feeling the wind ruffle her hair as Nik sped down the highway.
"To a secret place. I hope you don't mind skinny dipping."