Come As You Are

by FireFlower17

In the wake of her grandmother's death, Ava returns to Mystic Falls, a town her family had fled when she was young to escape demons hiding in the dark. With her return, more strange disappearances and deaths spring up. Slowly her nightmares turn to reality as she descends into the deep darkness of Mystic Falls.

40. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: The Original Lie

---

England 1492,

Strums of lute and quiet singing could be heard as she stepped into the small ballroom. The air was thick with spiced ale and roasted meats that laid on the stretched out wide carved tables. Men and women dressed in their finest walked past her, arm in arm with some taking to the dance floor.

She patted the skirt of her burgundy dress which was honestly more black than red and took a few careful steps through the crowd. A pause and a hush followed her entrance as the guests of the Lord of the manor looked at her in curiosity.

"Countess Carmela."

With grace, she turned to greet the addressor with a polite and relieved smile. "Lady Margaret."

A lady with striking pale blue eyes and dark hair, curtsied in greeting. A married woman in similar stature dressed in a vibrant green and silver gown. Another countess. Behind her was another lady, almost hiding, a younger barely a woman.

"It is good to see you join us for these festivities," Margaret carried on. "Now that the mourning period is over for the late Earl of Huntingdon."

Scandalized, Carmela covered her face with her sleeves. "You mustn't say those things, my lady. The Earl was my husband. I shan't have you slander him like that." She said with a light tone. The smile was evident in her voice but the sleeve covering her face gave nothing away.

"Yes, of course. My condolences for your loss." Lady Margaret giggled and Carmela laughed. "So I suppose you have been busy sorting out the Earldom. I can't imagine how hard that must be. Now if it was my husband, his family would have shown me the door."

"You jest." Carmela dropped her hand. "I'm sure you'd take care of your matters before the time comes."

"I pray to God I shall." Margaret sighed. "You've got an heir at least who's come of age."

"My husband had an heir, not me." She was quick to correct.

"Is the young soon-to-be Earl not your son?"

"He takes more after his father than I." Lady Carmela replied, a slight hint of disappointment leaking through in her voice and perhaps even loneliness. "But it is good that he is more of my husband's child than mine."

Margaret nodded. She turned to the brunette lady behind her and looked back at Carmela. There she went again, talking all cryptically. It was a miracle that neither her father's or husband's family had sent her away for her strangeness. Yet, Margaret dared not say any of her thoughts out loud.

But Carmela already knew exactly what Margaret was thinking. She always knew.

"Still it is good that he is old enough to take charge without much of your assistance. My son is far too young to even be considered a proper heir."

"Kings have been younger."

"Well, they are kings, my lady. They are chosen by God and we are chosen by them. Very different." Margaret laughed again, holding out her goblet. Quickly, one of the servants of the host filled up her cup with warm ale as she smiled and took a sip. "The Mikaelsons have done the lot for this birthday celebration."

"It is for Lord Elijah's brother."

"Ah, yes. He's quite the man, you know." She said suggestively.

"And I am a widow, a Countess who's trying hard to finish settling my late husband's affairs before letting my son take the Earldom."

"I'm not telling you to marry him, my lady." Margaret smiled at a passing man and eyed him with lust. "I'm simply telling you….that perhaps a lover would be good."

A lover?

Carmela snorted, so very unladylike. Of all the people in the room. Elijah and his brother were the last men she'd ever choose. She'd rather die than pick either of them.

"My husband's barely dead and you're already telling me to get a lover."

"Forgive me, I was just…"

"You're forgiven." Carmela turned away and paused.

Her view rippled like she was staring into a puddle as the lords and ladies in front of her swayed fluidly. It took her a second to recover before an onslaught of voices drowned out her own thoughts. She held her head high and scanned the room.

The room around her spun but she quickly focused on the source of her discomfort. Her eyes wandered around before fixing itself onto a lady with pinned brunette hair and too simple of a gown to belong.

She could hear that woman speaking a few words to another. While the one addressing her held a mocking smile. A new debutante or a foreigner perhaps.

"Who is that?" Carmela asked, motioning subtly to the source of her discomfort.

It wasn't Margaret who answered her but rather the lady behind her who followed her like a shadow. "I, Lady Marianne, sister of Countess Margaret, greet the countess of Huntingdon." Carmela waved her off dismissively, telling her to carry on. "If I may, that girl over there is Sir Trevor's guest."

"Sir Trevor's guest?"

added. "I've heard whispers that she might be his lover." Marianne

"He brought his lover into a ball for Lord Mikaelson?"

"It is what it seems." Marianne replied blankly. "There is another rumor I've heard."

"Rumor?" She echoed and Marianne nodded. "What is it?"

"I've heard, she's in exile."

"For…"

"Nobody really knows."

"Perhaps she had a child out of wedlock." Margaret remarked with a twisted smirk on her face and Marianne frowned.

Carmela waved them off dismissively. She didn't care why that woman was there. The only thing she cared about was knowing who she was and why she was causing such ripples in her vision.

Without a word, Carmela broke off from the two ladies and weaved through the crowd to reach her source of disturbance. An awkward woman stayed at the edges of the ballroom, hovering and waiting for someone to address her as she eyes each of the men and women dancing around.

She was of lower rank.

Not a baroness or a baron's daughter. Perhaps a merchant's daughter?

"Countess." Trevor quickly greeted her with a bow as he slid into her view.

Again she waved dismissively. She didn't have time for such courtesy. "Who is that?"

"Ah, that…" He looked over his shoulder at the awkward lady in the shadows. "My guest. I sponsored her. She's quite special. All the way from Bulgaria."

"That is not what I asked—"

But Trevor wasn't listening. He'd pulled back and had called for the lady. Again as she moved and swayed her hips, the ripples around her became more pronounced. She wasn't human, not completely yet she wasn't a vampire like Trevor either.

Neither was she a werewolf or witch. She couldn't sense a lick of magic from her.

"This is Katerina." Trevor introduced as Katerina courtesied with feigned grace.

"Katherine…"

Carmela blinked and looked around. There was no there but she'd heard an unmistakable voice. Her gaze landed on Katerina once more.

With feigned confidence, Katerina's face turned up and the corners of lips turned upward into a nervous yet sultry smile. But her hands quaked as she clutched the skirt of her brocade gown tightly. She was nervous.

"Katerina, this is the widow of the late Earl of Huntingdon and the mother of the current young Earl." Trevor went on and Carmela noticed Katerina visibly flinching at the mention of the word 'mother'.

Carmela's lips quaked into a small grin. A little hint into Katerina's mind. A mother with a child out of wedlock, exiled from her home. A daughter of a minor noble so minor they didn't have their own estate.

How pitiful.

"I, Lady Katerina Petrova, greet the Countess." Katerina said with a strained voice. "You're as beautiful as the rumors say you are."

"You jest."

"I…don't." Katerina awkwardly made out. "I could hardly believe that a lady as beautifully young as you…" She swallowed and for a second, it was like her words were stuck in her throat. "Could be a mother. My condolences on your husband."

"He made it to thirty-eight. Had he not been so fond of jousting, he might've lived another ten or so years."

"Oh, my condolences, Countess."

"You've already said that." Katerina swallowed and nodded. "Nevertheless, I'll let it pass."

Again, Katerina turned to Trevor who seemed to have slipped away. She turned back to Carmela and said. "...Your child must be young." Her words were strained as her smile. It seemed like she didn't like talking about motherhood or children.

Carmela smiled amicably. "He is sixteen, perfectly of age, a little younger than you. My husband managed to see him reach that age before his untimely death."

"That is a good thing, my lady."

"It is even better he took after my husband."

"I'm…sure that is not true. Children are half of their mother and half of their father."

"You are too kind trying to comfort me." Carmela laughed and took a goblet of ale offered to her by a servant. "I don't mean it as a slight when I say my son took after my husband. It is a good thing."

"For legitimacy?"

"Yes and well, I wouldn't wish my condition on any human."

Katerina's smile faltered. "Wh-what did you say?"

"I don't think any of my children are destined to inherit my gifts anyway."

"Your gifts, my lady?"

Carmela smiled cryptically. "My gifts." She echoed. "Perhaps my younger daughter would."

"You have a young…daughter." Katerina vomited those words out. Just the word 'daughter' sounding bitter to her tongue.

"Not yet." Katerina frowned. "I'll have two and not one but two grandchildren will inherit my gifts."

"I don't understand, my lady."

"I don't need you to." Carmela answered.

"Did I do something to offend you, my lady?"

"I don't quite like all the formality. Speak to me as casually as you like." Carmela said, trying to sound humanely generous.

"How can I—"

"Oh, but you're so far from home. I'm only trying to make you feel at home."

Katerina's smile dropped. She turned to Trevor in confusion, wondering how? How did Carmela know of her predicament if she'd never met or told her. Trevor did not turn around at all.

"I'm sure Bulgaria is very different from England. It's much more…lively here." Carmela carried on with a mischievous grin. "And I hope the two of us can get along well."

She patted Katerina's arm and froze. Images flashes through her mind in quick succession and her face paled. The room spun and she grabbed Katerina's arm in desperation.

Katerina was not human.

A traveler?

Katerina was a doppelganger

"You shouldn't be here." Carmela croaked out and grabbed her hand. "You need to leave. You don't belong here."

Katerina's face dropped and tears formed in her eyes as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She stuttered out an answer that was drowned out by the sudden raise in the volume of the voices around and the strumming of the instruments.

With a light force, she pulled away and apologized to Carmela before trying to get away. Carmela let go just as she was trying to reach out for the doppelganger again. Her attention was stolen by the odd fog of shimmering sunlight in the darkened corner of the ballroom.

She turned to the corner with Katerina following her gaze. "You…" She pointed towards me.

---

With a sharp gasp, I woke up to greet a familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling above me. It took me a second to get used to the light in the room and recognize it. I was still trying to make sense of being kicked out of my own dreams.

I clutched my throat in pain, swallowing huge breaths of air. My chest rose and fell as I tried to escape the satin sheets wrapped around me. I felt cold instantly when the door opened. A glass of water was next to me in a blink of an eye.

"Breathe." Damon tried to comfort me. "Ava, hey. Look at me!"

Shaking, I turned to him and tried to tell him what I saw but my mouth wouldn't cooperate with me. His wide shaking gaze met my fearful ones as he passed me the cold glass of water.

It took me five minutes to recover from my dreams before slowly, I caught my breath and all but drained the glass of water. My head spun around and I was about to fall back into the pillow when Damon caught me. He pulled me towards him, holding me as he whispered words of comfort too foreign for someone like him.

"Better?" He asked, not letting go.

I tried to answer him. Again, my mouth wouldn't move so I just shut my eyes and swallowed. "Give me a second." I answered breathlessly.

"Take all the time you need."

"T-thank you." He nodded and laid his head on top of mine. His cold fingers played with my hair soothingly as I breathed in his scent. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, his voice filled with concern.

I hesitated, the memories of past memories of someone else replaying in my mind. "I saw her…my grandmother." I began.

"And Klaus?"

"Not exactly." It would've been better if I did. At least I'd know what he actually looked like. "I saw the first time she met Katherine."

Damon stiffened. "You saw…Katherine when she was human?"

I nodded. "She seemed very scared and well, not Katherine-like and not exactly like Elena either but she seemed nice. My grandmother didn't know what she was at first."

"Kamilah didn't know that Katherine was a doppelganger?"

"Not at first."

"Then how…"

"She must've seen something when she touched Katherine, her future or something and then she knew."

"That Katherine was a doppelganger."

"And a lamb to the slaughter." Except Katherine didn't know. "My grandmother didn't seem to know about the Sacrifice at that point."

"She must've figured it out when she saw Katherine."

"Probably."

Damon said nothing for a moment and we went over my dream again. I ignored the part about me potentially having an uncle out there that I didn't know. But hearing my grandmother talk, I could guess he was mostly human kinda like my mom.

He turned to me as I pulled away, ready to ask why I was still in my costume from last night or why I was in his bed when he asked. "That's not what scared you, was it?"

"What? I wasn't scared."

"You couldn't breathe and you were panicking."

"I–" I couldn't exactly argue against him. He was right and I sighed. "She saw me."

"Kamilah?"

"Yeah, who else?" I winced at my snarky remark and immediately apologized. "She saw me." I repeated. "I think she knew that one day I'd be looking through her memory."

"She must've been really powerful."

"Not powerful enough to stop Katherine becoming a vampire."

"She tried to prevent that?"

"I told you already that Katherine was helped by my grandmother to escape and it wasn't the first time. She wanted Katherine out from day one."

Damon nodded. It was hard to wrap his head around what I'd just said. I understood. I really did but it was frustrating that he was purposely ignoring that Katherine didn't become a vampire by choice. She wanted to be free.

In some ways, Katherine and Stefan were alike. Both transitioned to be free but only one regretted their choice. Or maybe Katherine regretted it too.

Saying nothing else, I got up from his bed. His sheets fell to the floor as I took a shaky stand. He tried to come around the bed to help me but I held out my hand to stop him.

"What am I doing in your bed?" I took a shaky step forward and found my emergency bag of clothes at the foot of the bed along with all the necessities I'd need.

"You passed out last night while I was driving you home." He answered without a hint of humor in his voice.

Concern masking his face and voice. He was tired too despite vampires not needing sleep.

"I couldn't wake you up." He was in front of me again but this time with a tray of simple breakfast. "I thought you'd exhausted yourself trying to take on Klaus and letting Luka channel you so I did what I thought was the best."

"You brought me back to the boarding house?"

"Nate wasn't happy." He sat me down again and placed the tray of breakfast next to me. "But he wasn't going to invite me in so I had to come up with something and the Boarding House is the second safest place for you to be."

"Wait. You spoke to my uncle?"

"He came back this morning with Jenna."

"Guess I'm going to be grounded for the next week or so."

He didn't laugh. He was still concerned and tried to move stray hairs out of my hair before placing his hand on my forehead.

"No fever." He announced. "Looks like it's just exhaustion."

"I told you, I was fine. I was just tired."

"Yeah, yeah."

"You're not listening."

"Like you were when I told–no, I asked you to keep yourself out of trouble."

"I was just helping Luka and Bonnie."

"And I almost killed Luka after you didn't wake up last night."

I paused. Damon's words echoing in my head before I stood up. He stood up with me and looked me in the eye, unashamed.

"You didn't." I said.

"I threatened him." He said again. "I didn't kill him."

"But—"

"You weren't waking up and your pulse was very slow, I could barely feel it."

"I'm fine."

"But you weren't."

I sighed and turned away from him. It wasn't too late for me to get back in bed but it was his bed and he wasn't my boyfriend, I wasn't his girlfriend. We were just something in-between.

"Go ahead." He looked at me. "Say it. I told you so. I know you're dying to say it."

"I don't have to. You know I was right and I'm not gonna apologize for how I treated Elena."

"I didn't expect you to."

"Because you don't expect anything from me." He sounded a little hurt but he brushed past it and continued. "I get it, she's your childhood best friend but you know she's lied to you more times than I have—not to mention—she could've risked your life and the plan."

"But she didn't."

"Because I didn't let her."

"You were being waay too harsh on her."

"Well, someone had to play the bad guy and I know for damn sure, you or Stefan wouldn't. Bonnie definitely wouldn't and don't get me started on baby Gilbert and baby warlock. Neither of those two have any backbone to say a thing back to Elena or anyone."

"Hey!"

And he exploded. He grabbed my arm, being careful not to leave a mark as he leaned over me. "How many times does Elena have to screw up for you to realize that maybe I was right?!"

"She didn't screw up."

"But she could've!"

He stared at me, pleadingly. His gaze begged me to take his side. I wanted to. I really did but Elena was my childhood friend.

Gnawing at the bottom of my lips, I turned away. I didn't know what to say.

"Damon, I'm sorry."

"I know you are." He replied quietly.

He wasn't in the mood to argue. Nothing I'd say would get through to him. So I just left it at that and moved to finish my breakfast.

His hawkish gaze was overbearing but I ignored it and finished the bowl of oats with strawberries before putting it back on the tray. He took the tray and disappeared, reappearing with the now-full glass of water. He set it down and took his seat next to me again.

"I'm trying…really hard to be better." I heard him mumble.

I nodded silently and reached out for him. "I know." I whispered back and rested my head on his shoulder. "Damon…"

I was interrupted when Stefan knocked on the door. Damon stood up, annoyed at being interrupted. He stood up and reappeared in front of the door, opening it with a loud sigh.

"What do you want?"

"Have you seen Elena?" Stefan asked, looking into Damon's room without any invitation.

Damon threw his hands and motioned to the room. "As you can see your girlfriend isn't here and I haven't seen her since she apologized to me this morning for slapping me last night."

"She apologized?" Damon nodded, offering nothing else. I stood up, almost tripping on myself. "And she didn't go home?" I asked Stefan.

Stefan shook his head. "I woke up and she was gone."

"Maybe she went home after apologizing to Damon."

"Without telling me?"

"She probably didn't want to bother you."

"Have you seen her?"

I let out a laugh and turned to Damon. He wasn't being serious was he?

"I just woke up." I said.

"So you haven't seen Elena?"

Just as I was about to answer, the door creaked open a little more and I could see a flash of dark blonde at the door. Caroline? I thought for a second it was my other childhood friend.

But I was surprised when Lexi poked her head out from behind Stefan's back.

"Lexi?"

"Ava. It's been a while." She didn't even let me talk before I was wrapped in her arms and she buried her head into my neck, smiling. "Oh. Look at you, I love your outfit. Very 60s."

I opened and closed my mouth, turning to Stefan in surprise. What was she doing here? I wasn't complaining, I was just very surprised. I didn't expect her to return to Mystic Falls at all.

"I…just woke up." I said stupidly. "Or maybe, I'm still sleeping."

Stumbling back, Damon grabbed me before I fell. "Why are you in Damon's room?"

"It's none of your business." Damon bit back.

"I didn't ask you." Lexi retorted, glaring at him.

"It's not what you think it is." I cut in before Damon started a fight with Lexi. I should've figured out by now that those two didn't like each other at all. I couldn't blame Lexi. He tried to get her killed for the things he did. "We're…not…you know."

"Yet."

I looked at Damon with a warning and he shrugged. His overconfidence would be the death of him. He didn't say anything and let me carry on, asking Lexi what she was doing here.

Stefan knew that Lexi shouldn't be back in town. I might've faked her death once. I didn't know if I could do it again.

"The oldest and baddest vampire is coming after my best friend's girl so I had to do something." Lexi responded and Stefan sighed.

"So you're here to get yourself killed. Nice." Damon remarked and I elbowed him in the stomach, telling him to behave under my breath. "I mean not nice. Whatever will your boyfriend and Stefan do when you're gone." I elbowed him again, a bit harder and he laughed playfully as I looked up to meet his gaze.

Lexi glanced between the two of us. "Huh." She took a step forward and looked over her shoulder to Stefan, silently questioning her about me and Damon. "Are you sure you two aren't—"

"You know what, I'm gonna take a shower and get changed, let you guys catch up and hopefully find Elena." I said, backing off and grabbing my bag rather than answer Lexi.

"Did you at least eat?" Stefan asked as I was leaving.

I nodded and carried on. "Try calling Elena. If that doesn't work, call Bonnie or Jeremy."

Stefan turned around and took out his phone, leaving the room. I left Lexi and Damon in Damon's bedroom reluctantly, giving Damon another look of warning. Please behave. I really didn't want to walk back into the room to see Lexi and him going at each other's throats.

Surprisingly, when I stepped out of Damon's bathroom, it was quiet. I didn't hear Damon or Lexi. I ran my fingers through my damp hair, heat from my fingers dried it as I went on. I stood in front of the sole floor length mirror in Damon's room and dried my hair before putting it up, tying it up with a scrunchie.

I traded my 60s costume, which was really my great aunt's clothes, for a moss green lace dress, embroidered denim jacket and brown boots. I couldn't hear Damon, Lexi or Stefan but I could feel them. They were still in the house but nowhere near Damon's room.

I stepped out of the room and looked around, grabbing my stuff as I did so. Stefan was pacing down the hall. His phone was pressed to his ears.

"Hey, this is Stefan. Call me when you see this." He said into the phone and hung up, only to try again.

"No sign?" I asked and he shook his head.

"She's probably home." I tried. "And I think I should go, can you let Damon know I went home?"

"You sure, I don't think—"

"You're worried about Elena. I get it but I'm sure she's fine and I'm fine."

He tried to argue once more but I turned my back to him and left. I could hear Lexi and Damon now. Their quiet bickerings could be heard from the parlor. Neither of them heard me step outside.

I didn't let them know either. I had no idea what they were arguing about, I had an idea but I didn't want to get involved.

My phone buzzed in my pocket the minute I even touched my car. I quickly fished it out. Luka's name flashed on the screen, and a pang of concern hit me. I should've apologized for bailing on him the night before.

With a furrowed brow, I answered the call. "Hey, sorry for bailing on you last night. Are you okay?" I asked, my tone laced with worry.

"Ava, it's nice to know you're still alive," Luka's voice sounded panicked. "Did you let Elijah out?"

I blinked, confusion washing over me. "What? No, Luka, I didn't do anything. I was out for the entire evening. What are you talking about?"

Luka's breaths came fast on the other end of the line. "Elijah called my dad. He called him. That—unless he's out, that shouldn't have happened. My dad's freaking out and thinks Elijah believes that we betrayed him."

My mind raced, trying to comprehend the situation. "Luka, I swear, I didn't let Elijah out. I have no idea what's going on."

"You sure? Because it was your idea to maybe get Elijah out." Luka said, his worry palpable.

"I'm sure. Unless, I sleepwalked. There is no way…"

Before I could finish my sentence, I froze. A haunting chill crawling up my spine as I looked up to meet Elijah's cold gaze. My phone fell from my hands, Elijah caught it before it fell, cutting Luka off on the other end.

Half-desiccated, with a palpable air of danger surrounding him, he was angry or annoyed. I couldn't tell but that was the last thing on my mind.

My breath caught in my throat, surprise and confusion etched across my face.

"Elijah..."

I couldn't say anything more as the air around me got warmer and dusts of light started buzzing. But before I could make a move, he moved with a speed that left me no chance to react.

In an instant, the world around me blurred. The last thing I remembered was falling and being caught by Elijah as he looked down at me apologetically.

---

England 1492,

"Margaret." Carmela rushed through the crowd with grace and hastiness, cutting through the guests with ease.

"Lady Carm—" One look was all it took for her to shut her mouth. She turned to her sister and dismissed before following Carmela outside the ballroom. "You're rushing and you've even dropped all formalities."

"Did the witches know?"

"Know what?" Margaret asked, confusion marring her pretty face. She shifted in her spot, pulling at her sleeves and looking around for a soul in sight but there was none. Carmela had made sure of it. "What are you talking about?"

Carmela didn't speak. She stared at the ground, focused on the stone tiles on the floor. Her eyes gleamed a pretty pale gold as she listened in on the voices of the guests around. Only when her eyes had turned back to their typical golden-amber brown did she look up.

"You didn't know." Three words were all she uttered before she turned away from Margaret.

But Margaret was quick, she grabbed onto her acquaintance's sleeve and stopped her. "What's the matter with you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I might as well have."

"What are you talking about?"

"Have you seen Sir Trevor's guest?"

"That girl from nowhere."

"She's the doppelganger." Carmela hissed out, stepping closer to Margaret with rage and fear twisting on her face.

"She's supposed to be a myth."

"So am I yet here I stand before you."

"A faery's existence is different from that of a doppelganger."

"It doesn't matter." Carmela brushed her off. "As if it couldn't get any worse, that doppelganger is a Traveler. A damned one in exile."

Traveler?

Margaret's eyes widened and her heart dropped. "No. I swear I—we witches didn't know."

"Oh please." She scoffed. "Your sister is one of those witches who practically worships Klaus like he's some God—how do you know she and her little friends didn't hide the existence of a doppelganger from me."

"I admit my sister and some of my fellow…witches and warlocks follow Klaus but I swear I didn't know about her existence."

"Regardless, you know what this means."

"The curse…" Margaret gasped out. "We need to leave…"

"Gather your coven and leave." Before Margaret could leave, Carmela pulled her back. "But don't make it obvious or Klaus and Elijah will know. I can handle Rebekah but those two will be much more tricky. I predict the two brothers will be busy wooing the doppelganger til the next full moon…until then…disappear and warn the others about it."

"So you'll stay behind?"

"I must. But do tell the hunters about it too. If the Originals start running again, they'll stop thinking about breaking the curse."

Margaret nodded and grabbed her skirt before she ran out of their hiding spot. She sighed and watched her go before turning to a corner where I stood. A sad smile on her face, telling me she tried.

---

"You didn't have to knock her out." Elena's voice was distant with a touch of concern and it was the only thing I could hear in the middle of a shrill ringing in my ears.

"A precaution." Elijah's voice was airy and almost drowned.

"A precaution?" Elena scoffed. "Ava was the one who came with the idea to undagger you." She pointed out.

It all went quiet again. I couldn't see anything except a few tendrils of light reaching me through my mostly shut lids, let alone hear anyone or anything anymore.

"I have nothing against Ava." Elijah calmly replied, his voice closer than ever. "It really was just a precaution. I needed her to calm down before our little chat. She might be the most rational one in your little group but her magic's too…volatile and easy to trigger."

"That's not true."

"Then you don't know her at all."

"I know her better than you."

"Do you?" Elijah questioned and a quiet filled the air. "Well, I suppose you're about to find out."

Abruptly, the car alarm screamed, jolting me from the stillness. The radio turned on and off, switching channels between. The windshield wipers swept frantically across the already dry window, dragging its rubbery blades across the glass with a squeaky screech.

I sat up with gasp and struggled to catch my breath, aware of the erratic sounds. I could even see the lights inside and outside the car flicker rhythmlessly.

The first thing I noticed wasn't Elena's panicking form as she tried to start the car and turn everything off, it was Elijah. He stared at me in silent amusement. His eyes gleamed with mischief; he was enjoying the chaos but he extended his hand towards me, a sign for me to calm down.

"Breathe." He mouthed or said. I don't remember. I couldn't really hear him. "Relax." I could hear him a little. "Or you'll hurt Elena." He warned, throwing a casual glance towards Elena.

I swallowed air and tried to slow my panicked breathing before I narrowed my eyes towards him. "You did that on purpose."

"On the contrary, I was hoping you'd be calmer when you woke up from a little nap." I glared at him. "Coffee?" He held out a cup of coffee towards me.

"What is this? Peace offering?"

"Something like that."

He handed me the cup and I actually decided to go for it. He smiled in response, not a grin but a smile. It was a comforting smile that I'd turned away from as I covered my face with the warm cup, absorbing its warmth and hiding the redness in my cheeks from it.

"I was told by Elena that you were the one who tried to undagger me..." Elijah carried on.

"It was just an idea."

"I'm sure it wasn't part of your plan to have me against Klaus."

I shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for thinking outside the box."

"I do appreciate that you trusted me enough to even come up with that idea."

"I wouldn't call it trust."

He leaned forward, turning his body to give me full attention. "Then what would you call it?"

"I don't know—using my resources." He chuckled. "Nothing personal but you did kidnap me."

"I was trying to take you out of town and protect you."

"I can protect myself."

"Can you?"

"I can."

Elijah said nothing and I took a sip of the warm coffee. It was sweet, very subtle but just enough. "Is that why you came up with the idea to undagger me?"

I chuckled and the air grew warm, the radio buzzed, changing channels once more. Elijah backed off a little. Still, he was close enough to touch.

"Ava was just looking out for us." Elena cut in, reminding me she was still here. She stared at me with a questioning look and turned to Elijah. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, telling me that we needed to talk.

No, we didn't.

"Well, she needs to look after herself first." Elijah remarked and turned around to talk to Elena.

I rolled my eyes and sat up straight. It was only then that I remembered my phone was missing. I looked at Elena who looked away and sighed, motioning towards Elijah. I sighed and sat back, nothing I said would even get through to her anyways.

"This is for Bonnie." Elena spelled out, glancing at me from the rear-view mirror. "I didn't have a choice."

"No, but it would've been nice if you gave me a heads up." I hated how she never told me a thing before she did something. Thinking about it, I felt less bad about what happened the night before.

"Like you and everyone else tells me about any plans you guys have."

I scoffed. "That's only because you can't lie to save your life."

"I've lied to you before."

"And I could tell. You almost always get yourself killed whenever you decide to call the shots." I pointed out, raising my voice before I heard the car door slam loudly.

Elijah looked between me and Elena, exasperated. Elena turned away first before I leaned back and turned to the window on my right. No one spoke for a while as the car started again. Elena threw me a pointed look of warning, telling me to keep my magic under control and not mess up her driving.

She didn't have to tell me twice. I had a headache anyway so I shut my eyes for a minute or two which dragged on. When I opened them again, we were in front of the Lockwood mansion.

"What are we doing here?" I asked. Elijah held the door open for me, closing it behind me when I got out.

Elena turned around and locked the car. "Your guess is as good as mine." She answered and after two seconds, she said. "I'm sorry…for how I acted in the car. I just wanted to make one decision by myself."

"This is—what your second apology of the day—are you going to do something even more stupid?"

"Seriously?" I rolled my eyes and brushed past her but she grabbed my arm. "I meant what I said to Damon this morning. I don't know how much Damon told you; I'm sorry for slapping him because I thought Bonnie was dead but I'm not sorry for thinking that you guys don't let me do anything. That's not fair! This is about me, Ava."

"That's where you're wrong."

"This is about Bonnie, Tyler and Caroline too." I reminded her. "You're not the only one in danger. We all are and you're being incredibly reckless trying to play martyr. I might've taken your side in front of Stefan and Damon but that doesn't mean I agree with everything you're doing."

"Look I'm trying!" She cried out. "I just don't want to lose anyone again so please just trust me."

I looked away, swallowing the lump in my throat. I was too familiar with loss to say anything. "Let's just hope this doesn't blow up in your face." She tried to smile but her smile was strained and she could only nod.

The two of us were left behind, Elijah was steps ahead of us, nearly at the door. He stood in front of the door, patiently waiting for us to finish our little conversation which he no doubt had heard. I would've been upset or embarrassed but at that moment I was too tired to care.

A few knocks on the door by Elijah and he stepped aside to let Elena handle greeting the mayor. Carol Lockwood opened the door with a smile, masking the almost sigh that slipped out of her lips. She smiled politely at Elena, her eyes brightened ever so slightly when they fell upon me.

"Ava, Elena and…" Her brows furrowed. "Elijah." An odd combination. "What are you doing here?" Her smile faded when she noticed Elijah's state and concern flashed onto her eyes. "What happened?"

"I've had a bit of an incident, Carol." Elijah answered. "I'm hoping you could help."

Mayor Lockwood awkwardly looked behind and then back at Elijah. "Well, I'm on my way to a meeting, so I—"

Elijah cut her off, stepping forward. "It won't take but a minute of your time." He tried.

For a quiet second, Mayor Lockwood's eyes dilated but she blinked and smiled again. "Unfortunately, it's a very important meeting and I can't afford to miss that."

His attempt at compulsion had failed. Elena didn't seem surprised. Carol Lockwood was a member of the Founders' Council and in charge of the vampire hunts. There was no way, she wasn't vervain.

On the other hand, Elijah seemed taken aback by his failure and that made me smile. He stood there, doubting himself before he turned to me. I wiped the smile off my face and looked back at him, innocently.

"Look, we really need your help." Elena tried. Mayor Lockwood brushed off her attempt with ease.

"Carol, we're really sorry to bother you but I swear we won't take much of your time." I said, stepping forward and sparing us Elena's attempts at trying to convince Mayor Lockwood.

"Just for a second." Mayor Lockwood turned to me with a dazed smile, her eyes flickering to a pale gold as she nodded.

Elijah thanked her and said. "Well, first things first. I'm going to need a change of clothing."

Mayor Lockwood stood there confused. Again, I had to pick up where I'd left off. "Maybe you can lend him some of Mr Lockwood's old suits, that is, if Mason or Tyler haven't taken them."

"I can do that." Mayor Lockwood replied. "Anything else?"

I turned to Elijah who said nothing. I took that as a sign and dismissed the mayor. She disappeared upstairs with a few maids following her.

"You know she was on vervain." Elena remarked, folding her arms around herself.

"She wasn't supposed to be." Elijah answered, eying me while I tried to look everywhere but at him.

"Why would you think that?"

"Because I'm the one who got her off it." He replied. "Right before you and your friends killed me." He turned to me like he was trying to read my mind. "Twice." He added turning back to Elena when he got nothing.

"But she wasn't compelled."

"And I suspect Ava here had something to do with this."

I shrugged and turned to look at both of them. "I promised Tyler Lockwood that my family would look after his mom when he and his uncle left town. I'm only keeping my promises."

"I didn't know you promised Tyler that."

"Just because our families have a feud doesn't mean I have to carry that grudge. I owe it to Tyler. And it's my family's duty to help anyone who needs it."

"But not yours." Elijah pointed out. "You had no reason to get her off vervain."

"Are you upset that I ruined your efforts?"

"Yes." He answered without letting me finish. "If you'll excuse me. I'll be down in a moment."

The minute Elijah left, Elena turned to me. She had so many questions to ask and I, unfortunately, had a lot of time. It wasn't like I was going anywhere.

"How did you know Mrs Lockwood wasn't on vervain?" Was the first thing that she asked.

"I didn't." I answered.

"Then how—"

"I gave her some earrings with vervain in them last month and insisted she wore them at all times."

"So you just guessed?"

"Not exactly." I said. "It was more of a precaution."

"Your family still doesn't trust vampires."

I sighed. "And they probably never will."

It was complicated and I didn't like talking about it. Vampires and us never went together. It was like it was in our DNA to be wary of them.

Elena took that as a sign and changed the topic. She apologized for not telling me about undaggering Elijah before reminding me that I was asleep for most of last night and the morning after. She couldn't exactly warn me since Damon didn't leave my side for more than two minutes.

I did understand where she was coming from but honestly, I only suggested undaggering Elijah as a last effort because I knew Klaus was his brother. I knew how important family was. Even if I wanted to trust Elijah, a voice in the back of my mind kept telling me not to.

A few of the Lockwood mansion's maids hovered around us, eyeing us suspiciously. It didn't exactly help that Elena kept acting suspicious. I turned to them and their faces went blank before they cleared out.

"Thanks." Elena mumbled.

"You're acting too suspicious." I replied. "Anyone would think you're hiding something."

"I'm not."

"You sure?" I questioned and she nodded. "Okay, I'll take your word for it."

I stared at Elena in silence before she sighed and took out my phone. "Here." She passed it to me. "I managed to grab your phone while your Elijah was busy with you."

I thanked her and took my phone out of her hand. Thankfully, it wasn't cracked.

"And please don't go through my head."

"I didn't." I turned my phone back on and the screen lit up. "You were fidgeting too much."

I placed my phone next to me and rummaged around my pocket for a sign of my bloodstone necklace. I knew I didn't wear it as much as I used to but it had to be there somewhere. I could feel its cold smooth shiny surface of its face as I fished it out of my pocket. I held it in my hand for a second, debating if I should give it to Elena or not.

"No, I wasn't. I was…was I?"

But Elena had her vervain necklace. There was no point in me sharing my family heirloom with her. I didn't say anything and put on the necklace, slipping it into my dress to hide the stone pendant. Elijah knew what it was and I wasn't taking any chances of losing it.

"Yeah…" A screen of missed calls and texts appeared in front of me. "I think Elijah could definitely tell you had my phone or that you were afraid of him."

"Can you blame me?" She sat down on the seat opposite mine. "After seeing what Klaus is capable of, I get what Rose meant about Elijah."

"Easter bunny." I smiled sadly. Rose was right about a lot of things.

"I wonder what Rose would've done if she was here."

"Play along and then call Damon the minute you let your guard down." I guessed and tapped on Damon's texts. "Geez. 45 missed calls and 87 texts."

Elena grinned and leaned back. "Someone's popular." She teased.

"Yeah, most of them are from Damon." I replied with an uneasy smile. "Where are you? Call me when you see this. I hope you're not ignoring me, sunshine because that is not cool. Call me! I need to talk to you. It's important. Elena's done something stupid—"

"Hey!"

I laughed. "And he goes on and on. Oh wait! There's some from Stefan." She leaned over to check. "It's the same thing except oh wait! Damon sent something different. I know you didn't go home. I really hope you're okay, sunshine and not ignoring me like usual. Are you okay? Did you get yourself kidnapped again—" I pulled back and glanced at Elena. "Do I get myself kidnapped that often?"

"Damon's being dramatic."

"Oh." My face fell when I looked at the text in front of me. "I am so screwed."

"What?"

"Uncle Nate." I totally forgot to call him after I'd woken up. Elena stared at me in confusion and I just stared at the screen in silent horror. Oh, I was getting my allowance cut when I got back home. "I forgot to call him. By the way, Jenna's back."

"Jenna's back?" I nodded. "Can I use your phone to talk to her for a second?" Elena reached out for my phone and I was about to hand it over to her but my hand froze mid-action.

I felt Elijah before I even heard or saw him. Quickly, I pocketed my phone and tried to act as normal as I could. Elena was confused for a single second before she understood what I was doing.

Mayor Lockwood came down a few minutes later, her attention on her phone. She frantically texted away and walked out the door with a quick goodbye to me and Elena. Elijah came down a few seconds later.

He said nothing, regarding me and Elena with a hint of suspicion. I stared out the window, following the mayor's form as she got into the car and stopped herself from driving off by talking to her long-time assistant turned secretary.

"The Martin witches." He began, checking himself in the mirror above the mantle. "I assume they've switched sides."

"They didn't have a choice." Elena defended Luka and Dr Martin.

"So they made a deal."

"Luka almost died trying to free you." Elena glanced at me, hoping I'd jump in. I sat back and watched them. "And Dr Martin almost died too. They didn't have a choice."

"Oh, but they did." He chuckled and turned around to face me. "Impressive. You managed to get not one but two witches to make a deal with you."

"Is that supposed to be impossible?" I questioned, rising from my seat and standing between him and Elena protectively. "They were going to die and I didn't want anyone to die."

He nodded, taking in my words. A flicker of concern passed through his cold face as he took a step forward and I took a step back.

"You should know that faeries don't exactly get along with witches and vice versa."

"Why is that?" Elena asked. "They're both very similar, shouldn't they get along more easily."

"Faeries are tricksters and witches are more straight-forward. You can trust a witch but you can never fully trust a faery. They'll always find a loophole to any deal they make."

I laughed, poking the insides of my cheek. If he was trying to get under my skin, he was really close to succeeding. "Are you suggesting something?"

"Nothing about you." He cooly replied. "But your grandmother, on the other hand—"

"Has been dead for decades." I cut him off with a sharp look. "I don't even know her."

"But you are her granddaughter and even she had difficulty getting a witch to make a deal with her let alone two witches of the same bloodline." He said. "You've just put a target on your back and I don't mean for the witches, I mean with Klaus. If he knows what you're capable of, he will come for you."

"He already did." Elena said and Elijah's eyes trembled. His gaze flickered from Elena's face to mine, he stepped closer, almost examining me. "Klaus, compelled a student at our school to give Ava a bracelet—she had some kind of reaction to it and since then, her magic's been…a little out of control."

"He was testing her."

"Testing me for what?"

Elijah didn't answer. "And Katerina?" He turned away with a nod once he was done examining me. "She would have been released from my compulsion when I died."

Elena looked at me before she answered. "Klaus took her. We think that she may be dead."

"I doubt that. Not Klaus' style." He said. "Death would be too easy for her after what she did."

"I don't understand. You say that you want Klaus dead, but you still made Katherine pay for betraying him."

"I have my own reasons for wanting Katerina to pay. There was a time...I'd have done anything for Klaus."

---

England 1492,

Carmela glided back into the grand ballroom, the silk of her gown sliding against the polished stone floors. The opulence of the evening hung in the air, mingling with the soft melodies of the musicians. As she navigated through the swirling sea of vibrant dresses and tailored doublets, a collision with a solid presence brought her to an abrupt stop.

Elijah.

His gaze, sharp and penetrating, met hers as he offered a polite smile. "Lady Carmela, enjoying the ball?" His words were laced with an underlying tone.

Carmela's lips curved into a gracious smile, a practiced mask of social decorum. "Indeed. The festivities are quite splendid. You and your siblings have outdone yourself for Klaus."

"I thank you for your compliments."

"I don't see your sister anywhere."

Elijah looked around and shrugged. "You know how she is, probably found some young lord to obsess over."

"You should treat her with care, she is your only sister."

"That is true." Elijah's smile deepened, revealing a glint of subtle amusement. "It's a shame…"

"What is?"

"It seems some of our guests have left before Klaus has made his entrance."

"Is that so? But guests leaving early is not a rare occurrence."

"It is when most of them are…special guests."

Carmela's eyes flickered, acknowledging the veiled meaning in his words. "How upsetting." she replied with a tinge of diplomacy, attempting to mask her own reservations about the unfolding events.

She tried to move gracefully away from Elijah.

But he was quick. His hand gently, yet firmly, caught her arm, halting her. "You look a little distracted, Kamilah." Carmela's mask cracked slightly and her eyes grew cold. "Is there something on your mind?"

"Perhaps," She wrenched her arm away and looked up at him. "But it doesn't matter because you'll hardly pay me any mind."

She tried to brush past him again but he blocked her path. "Is this about Sir Trevor's guest?"

Her eyes trembled and she breathed out. "You are aware that she's a doppelganger."

"Sir Trevor has bought us a gift."

"That girl is a lamb to the slaughter."

"My brother has been plagued by his curse for centuries, it is only fitting that he takes precedence over the life of a simple girl."

"She is a traveler. A damned one." Carmela spelled out and watched Elijah's face bloom in surprise. "There is a chance that this…attempt at breaking the curse will fail and Katerina Petrova will be one of the innocent lives lost."

Elijah laughed. "It's hilarious to see you care for a mere human."

"I may have my own views on humans and humanity but I know a waste when I see it!"

"It will not be a waste." He said and turned away, about to rejoin the ball.

"You'll regret it." She stopped with her words as the candles swayed.

Just for a flickering second, the ballroom was plunged into darkness. Elijah had stopped. Gasps and surprised giggles rang through the entire ballroom.

Carmela strode towards Elijah in confidence. For a brief moment, he was sure he saw delicate clear glittery insect-like wings overshadowing his form, ready to fall and crush him in their embrace.

He stared at the shimmering wings. Its metal-like golden frame twisted and turned into impossible shapes. The clear stained glass like flesh or net in-between glittered before his eyes. He didn't move but swallowed in fear, staring where Carmela was with a trembling gaze, trying to feign confidence.

They were nightmarish yet so breathtaking, he was captivated. It almost reminded him of dragonflies. Just for a second, he felt fear like he'd never felt before.

Those hauntingly beautiful wings were gone as if it was just a mirage and only Carmela stood before him.

"You will regret and rue the day you met Katerina Petrova. That girl," She pointed to the girl at the center of the ballroom, surrounded by men like insects buzzing around a flower. "Will not break the curse."

Elijah swatted her away. "You just don't want the curse to break."

"I am looking out for you and your family. If Klaus breaks that curse, he will not be the brother you know."

"Klaus is my brother regardless of his true nature."

"He is an abomination." Carmela replied without flinching. "Abandon the idea of breaking that curse, let Katerina go. If you hold onto her too tightly, things will spiral out of control and before you know it, all hell breaks loose."

"I refuse."

"Why do you refuse to understand that the curse on Klaus is the only thing that's keeping him in check?"

Elijah said nothing. He eyed the busy ballroom for a sign of his brother. "You once said that nature learns from the mistakes of its creation, will nature not learn to live with the abomination that is Klaus? I'm sure it can balance itself or perhaps there is something else you're not telling me."

She grew silent, her eyes flickered to the side where I stood and she gave me a hard look. "I'm trying to protect my own blood just as you are trying to protect yours—"

Was all she said before applause interrupted her.

"Your brother's here."

"So he is."

Elijah left Carmela standing at the fringe of the ballroom. Carmela didn't move even when Klaus greeted from a distance, holding up his goblet of wine. She only nodded her head in greeting and turned away.

Faintly, I could hear Klaus' voice but it was a crushed and jumbled mess. I could hear him and see him go to Katerina, cutting through the crowd with ease. But his back was turned to me.

"From…wh–ere h—ave you come, Katerina?" I heard his broken voice.

"I'm new to town, my lord." Katherine said innocently, trying to hide her true status as an exiled.

"Katerina is from Bulgaria." Elijah answered and Carmela could be heard mumbling curses under her breath.

I tried to move and catch a glimpse of Klaus but I was already being pulled out of my vision.

---

"Klaus is your brother." Elena's voice brought me back.

The sudden brightness in the room hurt my eyes and I blinked a few times, resisting the urge to rub them. I stared at the ground in front of me, ignoring Elijah's heavy gaze on mine.

"Yes. Klaus is my brother."

"I heard that. I'm still processing."

Elijah smiled. He didn't turn away from me, silently questioning me. He expected me to share anything that had happened between us. I didn't. It wasn't like I did it on purpose. I just forgot. I didn't tell Elena that Klaus was his brother or I couldn't remember if I did.

My mind was a mess.

"Yes, I'm a little behind on the times, but I believe the term you're searching for is "O.M.G." He said and I almost mimicked his smile, stopping myself quickly before I did so.

But Elena had picked up on my quietness. "You're…not surprised." Elena said with slow realization.

"Because she already figured it out before you all."

"No," I corrected. "You slipped up and I caught you."

"How perceptive." I rolled my eyes and sat back in my seat. "Most people wouldn't have noticed my little slip-up."

"You know your slip-up was the reason I trusted you less." I retorted.

"I can't blame you but I meant I said, I'll protect you and Elena and kill Klaus."

"I still don't buy it." I mumbled and turned away, my phone felt heavy in my pocket, not as heavy as Elijah's gaze on me. "Klaus is your brother." I repeated.

"So there's more of you—more Originals?" Elena carried on, missing what I was trying to get across or maybe she just wanted answers.

"Yes." I answered before Elijah could.

"You saw something you shouldn't have." Elijah remarked, standing over me.

A flicker of grandma Mila's memories passed through my mind and in that moment, I was glad that Elijah couldn't read my mind.

Elena was definitely suspicious. "There's what? A whole family of Originals?"

His eyes dimmed a little at the mention of his family and a sad smile graced his cold face. He still didn't look away and neither did I. It was like we were both trying to read each other's mind. Impossible. Yes but it didn't hurt to try for me.

"My father was a wealthy landowner in a village in Eastern Europe." Elijah answered. "Our mother bore seven children."

"So your parents were human?"

"Our whole family was." He confirmed and I wish I had my journal to write this down in. "Our origin as vampires is a very long story, Elena. Just know...We're the oldest vampires in the world. We are the Original family, and from us all vampires were created."

"Your parents are what? The vampiric Adam and Eve." I remarked and the corners of his lips quaked. "But how did you all become vampires? I'm sure it's not natural. Immortality from death isn't natural."

"Ah, but it is."

"No, it's not."

"Ava, you don't know that." Elena cut in.

Except I did. "My grandmother—on my father's side, was a witch and so is my uncle and aunt. They told me that there's a natural order of things. Vampires are not natural so there was a process, a spell or something for you and your family to become…vampire."

"Close. It is truly remarkable how good you are at figuring things out and I will neither confirm nor deny your little theory." Elijah replied. "I'll tell you in due time."

Yet for a second, I think I saw guilt and fear on his face.

"How long is that?" Elena countered.

"That's not something you should concern yourself over."

Elena stiffened and her face darkened. She and I shared a look. She was annoyed and now she knew how I felt. Elijah was insightful but he was so frustrating to talk to.

"So Klaus is your brother." Elena went back to Klaus, moving on and letting go just for a moment. "And you want him dead?

Silence ensued and Elijah stared at us. I saw a range of emotions flash across his eyes, none of it being reflected in his stoic face. He didn't want Klaus dead and as if he could sense it, he turned to me with an almost conflicted look, torn between a plea and a threat.

"I need some air." He said instead. "I'm still feeling a tad...dead. Come."

I sat there for a moment longer, just listening to the clock on the mantle. Elena grabbed her coat and reached for me. I wanted to stay rooted to my seat and refuse to go outside.

I knew the minute, I went out that door, I wouldn't be seeing the exterior or even the gardens of the Lockwood mansion. I'd be dragged into another memory that wasn't mine. I hated seeing those even if they were helpful.

For some reason, Elijah seemed to trigger these visions of the past more often. All the more reason, I didn't want to follow him. Elena's hand already wrapped around my wrist, pulling me with her and dragging me outside.

The light from the front door was blinding. Following Elena, I passed through the threshold, waiting to be plunged into a memory that wasn't mine.

To my surprise I saw nothing but a concerned Elena and suspicious Elijah.

"You okay?" Elena held out her hand for me.

I almost took her hand instead I shoved my hands into the pocket of my denim jacket. "I'm fine, just tired." I lied.

"Would you like to sit down on the steps?" Elijah motioned to the steps leading down to the vast gardens of the Lockwood estates.

"I said I'm fine."

Elijah regarded my words and nodded. "I'll take your word for it." He held out his hand and I stared at it blankly. "But just in case, you don't trip and fall."

"I'm not that tired that I can't walk."

"So flighty." Elijah took his hand back but still kept an eye on me.

I grabbed onto Elena's arm and steadied myself instead. He carried on like nothing. "So as you've seen, nothing can kill an Original. Not Sun, not fire, not even a werewolf bite. Only the wood from one tree. A tree my family made sure burned."

"The white oak tree." I said, remembering it from my family journals.

"That's where the white ash for the dagger comes from." Elena added.

"Yes." Elijah confirmed. "As Ava mentioned, nature has an order and witches are their servants. The witches won't allow anything truly immortal to walk the earth. Every creature needs to have a weakness in order to maintain the balance."

"So the Sun can't kill an Original." Elena said. "Why is Klaus so obsessed with breaking the Sun and Moon curse?"

I stopped abruptly. Sometimes, I wondered if I spoke into the air with how much everyone—mainly Elena and Damon ignored me. But then again, the only people I'd confided in the curse not being real were really Damon, Rose and Slater. Rose was gone and Slater was out of town. Damon didn't care if it was real or not.

Elijah seemed to have caught on that I knew that curse was fake. He smiled. "Right. The curse of the sun and the moon. It's all so...biblical-sounding, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't call it biblical." I replied.

"Ah, so you figured it out." His grin grew wider and his eyes lit up.

"I had my guess but now I know for sure. It helped that my family is so…resourceful."

"Perhaps one day, we could discuss more about that." He said, standing right in front of me.

Confused, Elena tugged at my sleeve. She wanted me to spell it out for her even though I already did. "I don't get it. What's going on?" She looked between me and Elijah like we had some hidden secret between us.

"It's fake." I stated.

"What?"

"The curse of the sun and the moon is fake." Elijah replied for me.

"Wait." Elena stumbled back and I kept her close. "I don't understand. How is that possible?"

"Very easily." I said. "Think about it, a curse that appears in almost every other folklore without any variations or further evidence, is that not suspicious?"

Elena stared blankly at me and I sighed. Elijah laughed. He was enjoying this. No sign of sympathy on his face and I wanted to just leave. As much as I loved my friends, it was a miracle that they were still getting through school without much being done.

"A lot of these 'folklores' don't even have a werewolf or vampire myth—at least in the sense that we know of." I carried on. "Like the aztecs, I mentioned this at Duke, they don't have a vampire myth that correlates with the curse and they don't have werewolf myth either—and if they don't have a vampire or werewolf—what curse are they talking about? Not to mention, the skinwalkers is a native myth, not an aztec myth. It's like someone decided to just put everything they knew into a blender and spread it around like fact."

"But there were drawings and scrolls."

"Klaus' work. He's a good artist." Elijah chimed in. "And I'm a little offended that you thought the myths were amateur. I put a lot of effort into it."

I made a face. "I'm sure you did but let's be honest, you got incredibly lucky that no one really looked closely at the web you and your brother were weaving."

"I suppose you're right. I was fortunate that neither werewolves, witches or even the vampires thought too much of it." He admitted and checked on a still Elena who was trying to wrap her head around what I'd just said. "Well, it's not like they could. They were desperate."

"Wait. Wait." Elena interrupted, backing away from us. She stared at the ground with wide eyes in disbelief. Everything she knew so far was that the curse was between two species. "You were right."

I nodded sadly. "It happens a lot."

"Faery instinct is a powerful thing." Elijah commented and I rolled my eyes. If I had to hear about my so-called faery instinct one more time.

"That's not—" Elena was going to scream or shout or cry out in frustration. Instead, she turned around, still processing what we were talking about. "Klaus drew the Aztec sketches about the curse?"

"Roman scrolls, African tribal etchings, and any other culture or continent we felt like planting in it." Elijah listed.

"But why?"

"Easiest way to discover the existence of a doppelgänger or to get your hands on some long, lost moonstone is to have every single member of two warring species on the lookout."

"And on top of that, you had some witches scrambling to find them." I added.

"Exactly, we had three species looking for it."

And not one managed to succeed until now.

"So it's not Aztec at all?" Elena asked again.

"Obviously no. It doesn't add up with the other existing folklore and the evidence is sparse." I answered. "Aunt Evelyn confirmed that it's mostly seen as a hoax by the archeology society."

"It's not real…" She murmured.

"The curse of the Sun and the Moon...is fake." Elijah stated. "It doesn't exist."

Even though I'd expected it to be a hoax, to hear things first hand from Elijah was a little surprising. I never realized how far the two brothers had gone to paint such an elaborate hoax. I guess Elena and I were on the same boat.

She had backed away from Elijah and me, creating a small distance but she still stayed close enough to me in case Elijah tried anything. Despite her attempts to trust Elijah, it was still hard for her. Again, I was the same. I really wanted to trust Elijah. I did.

At the same time, he wanted his own brother dead even though he'd admitted he'd have done anything for him in the past. I saw his arguments with my grandmother too and it only confused me. What happened between then and now to make him hate Klaus so much?

Whatever it was, I'd half-hoped that a memory of my grandmother would force me to get lost in the haze. Nothing came. I tried to focus on her in my thoughts and all I got was a dull headache. I tried to focus on Elijah and all he did was tilt his head, stare at me in quiet fascination.

Nothing came.

I was on my own. The same boat as Elena and I had no choice but to rely on Elijah to fill in the gaps. Why did he want Klaus dead? Would he even answer that? I didn't think it was likely, not unless he got something in return.

And then there was Elena, so lost and confused. She'd gone still and had stood there for a while now. I thought about reaching out for her, to bring her back to the conversation and maybe push her to ask why he wanted Klaus dead.

Then again, Elena didn't seem to care about why Klaus and Elijah's relationship had soured like I did. She was rightfully focused on the curse. Her life was on the line and so was Caroline, Tyler and Bonnie's.

Klaus and Elijah's brotherhood was the last thing on her mind but it was all I could think about. Somehow, I had a feeling that Elijah was not on our side. Maybe he'd honor his promise to protect but to kill Klaus was something I didn't trust him to do.

As if the moment of reprieve was over, Elijah carried on explaining the curse and bringing Elena back to the conversation. "Klaus and I faked the sun and moon curse dating back over a thousand years." He began, not phased by Elena's shock.

"A lot of effort and time went into that." I commented, still thinking about how sincere he was being about wanting Klaus gone. "You weren't lying when you said you'd do anything for your brother in the past."

"Thank you." Elijah's face had turned to stone yet a flicker of emotion was there in his eyes as he was for a second pulled into a memory of the past. "Kamilah helped, she came up with the name."

Oh. I'd almost forgotten her involvement with the Originals. "Did she?"

"When she was younger, she was reckless and…more agreeable but unlike us who had been frozen in time, Kamilah was ever changing." She split from them. That was what he was trying to say. "The Kamilah I knew is not the same as the grandmother you would've known if she'd lived."

"But she helped you and Klaus fake the curse." Elena said slowly and Elijah silently agreed. "Then why…"

"Why what?"

"Why would she help Katherine escape if there's no curse?"

Cold water had been dumped on me and I froze where I stood. My heart pounded and my hands went cold. I couldn't feel or hear anything but my heart beating against my chest. Maybe Elijah could hear how loud my heart was beating but that wasn't on my mind. I looked at Elijah with a wide fearful gaze. I didn't know if he knew.

But to my surprise, he didn't seem phased by it. "There's a curse." He simply said, ignoring the part where Elena had accidentally exposed my grandmother of helping Katherine escape centuries ago. "Just not that one. The real one's much worse. It's a curse placed on Klaus."

Elena nodded and turned to me with a questioning look. I shrugged. I was vaguely aware of the true curse. I wasn't sure of anything. Besides, I couldn't say much without drawing Elijah's suspicion about how I knew things I shouldn't have. Elena was on her own.

She sighed and asked. "What are you talking about?"

"A curse on Klaus not on werewolves and vampires." I spelled it out for her.

"A curse Klaus has been trying to break for the last thousand years." Elijah carried on. "And you are his only hope."

"What is this curse?"

Just as she'd said it, her phone started to interrupt. Her face scrunched up into a deep frown as she bit her lips.

Elijah sighed. He was annoyed at being interrupted and I guess I was too. A shared look between us and he was already passing Elena her phone back.

"It's Stefan." She said to me, pressing her phone to her ear and dragging me back away from Elijah as she took her boyfriend's call. Right, as if that would stop Elijah from listening in.

I stayed at the side, just close enough to reach for her arm and ready to act if I needed to. But instead, I watched the color drain from Elena's face. Her wide doe eyes looked up at me in silent horror and fear.

"Jenna."

"Klaus went after her in Ric's body."

"...She knows."

"I never wanted her to find out that way."

"Oh god. What d-do I do?"

"I need…I need to see her…I need to leave."

I heard her thoughts and I stopped thinking. Oh god. Klaus. He'd made another move. I didn't expect him to. I don't think anyone did but to go after Jenna. She was probably terrified. Her boyfriend who she'd been having trouble with was possessed by one of the oldest vampires in history. Now she knew all about vampires.

"At least…Nate was there."

Elena hung up, panic clouding her face. She couldn't breathe, let alone speak for a moment. "Klaus went after Jenna. We have to go to her."

"I'm afraid that wasn't part of today's arrangement." Elijah wouldn't let us leave, not until we were done.

"I'll stay." I offered. Elena wanted to argue but I knew she'd put Jenna before me. Jenna and Jeremy were her family, the only ones she had left.

"But—"

"Go." I nudged her towards her car and brought my hands back to the necklace around my neck. "She needs you. I know uncle Nate's not gonna be enough."

"I'll be back." Elena promised me, her hand squeezing mine before she turned to Elijah. "You have my word."

"That doesn't mean anything to me until you live up to it." Elijah calmly stated.

"I can vouch for her, I'm staying behind aren't I?"

Reluctantly, Elena left. She looked back once and I turned away, walking past Elijah to go sit on the steps overlooking the vast grounds of the Lockwood estate. I stared at the garden and tried to gather my thoughts, ignoring Elijah altogether.

"I'm gonna make a quick call." I said to him after a moment of silence.

"Didn't Elena take your phone with you?" I grinned and fished out my phone, holding it up for him. "Of course, you have your ways."

I didn't say anything more and turned on my phone. I scrolled past Damon's messages, sending him a quick 'I'm okay' text before going to my contacts and finding uncle Nate's number. He picked up on the first ring.

His tired and panicked voice greeted me. "Where are you?" He asked, skipping the greeting. I could hear him pacing in the background as I pressed the phone tightly to my ears.

"Safe." Was all I could muster after a quick careful glance at Elijah's hovering form. "I'm safe and at the Lockwood estate."

"Ava." His sharp but breathless tone told me he was afraid and anxious. "Klaus was here." He said slowly.

"I heard from Elena," Another glance at Elijah whose face had scrunched up into a frown. He was obviously listening in. "Is Jenna okay?"

"She's scared and making really dumb jokes but most importantly she believes me…us. She believes in everything I ever told her about."

"Including you being—"

"Yeah, I—" He choked on air and started to cough before clearing his throat. "I always wanted her to believe me, you know, she's my best friend. The one I've known the longest. I trust her, I wanted her to believe me but not like this. I didn't think Klaus would come after her."

"Jenna and Jeremy are Elena's only family."

"So?!" He raised his voice at me. He barely ever raised his voice. My grip on my phone slackened. "I don't understand why Jenna had to be the one in the line of fire today—what the hell did you guys do?" He asked in a much softer way than before.

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ava."

"Nothing. Forget about it."

"I swear to god if you don't tell me what happened, I will bring your parents into this."

I bit the bottom of my lips and swallowed. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me." He fired back. "I've been taking care of you and your brother since you two could walk, only for you both two grow up to be suicidal idiots!"

"Uncle Nate!" I hissed out, remembering Elijah was still here. "Look, nothing major happened. Klaus apparently compelled Dana at school and she had this bracelet. Dana forced it onto my hand and it just…burned me."

"It just burned you?" He repeated. "It just burned you and you didn't tell me."

"I was going to."

"When?" He questioned. "When Klaus killed you? He came after you just like he came after Jenna. You didn't think that was important to tell me."

"I was going to tell you."

"I'm sure you were or maybe I'd find out from Stefan or Damon."

"Can you just listen to me for once?"

"Can you?" We were going in circles and I was getting tired. And it seemed he knew that too when I heard him sigh. "I've asked Jenna to move in with me for a while and bring Jeremy too. Elena's gonna be spending time at the Boarding House so I figured she'd be safer with…me."

"Right." I didn't think too much of it. "And what did she say?"

"Asked me for help with packing. She's more upset for not listening to me and Miranda but we'll get through this."

"Right." I didn't know what else to say. "Look…I'll talk to you when I get home."

All the while, Elijah sat in silence, his presence a subtle reminder that I wasn't entirely alone. I didn't even notice him. He'd taken a seat on the steps next to me. He was silent throughout the entire call, just sitting there with his hands in his lap. He was listening in but made no moves of interrupting.

"You know, it's considered rude to listen in on other people's conversations," I remarked, my voice carrying a subtle hint of annoyance.

Elijah turned to face me. "I can't exactly help it. You chose to call your uncle in front of me."

"I was hoping you'd give me some privacy."

With a subtle smile, he leaned forward. "I think it's fair since I traded my past with you and Elena."

"Because your brother is coming for Elena."

"And you." He added. "You seem to forget you are in as much danger as Elena Gilbert. Klaus may not kill you but you are valuable enough for him to keep you around and believe me when I say, you don't want that."

"Because I'm not my grandmother."

"Kamilah had a say. She's not you and you're not her."

"Are you calling me weak?"

"On the contrary, I was complimenting you."

Oh.

Speechless, I bowed my head, letting my hair curtain my face. Subconsciously, I had been comparing myself to my grandmother; I'd never admit it out loud. I was weaker than her. But, it was comforting to hear from Elijah that maybe being different from her was a good thing. Sure, I was weak but maybe I was better than her in some area that she was weak in.

At the same time, deep down I wanted to know about her. I might've resented her a little for the predicament I was in, I still wanted to know more. Elijah, Klaus and Katherine were the only three who knew her before she was Mila. Klaus and Katherine were not an option to turn to but Elijah was.

I sucked in a breath and looked up, moving my hair out of my face. "What was she like? My grandmother—Kamilah?"

As if he was expecting it, Elijah sighed and clasped his hands together. "A very difficult woman, though Klaus might say otherwise." He said, his voice measured but a hint of fear leaked through it.

"You were afraid of her." I said without thinking.

"Understandably so." He replied, not a hint of shame. "Kamilah was a force, a true representation of nature. She was complicated and…cruel. Very selfish. In some ways, she was like Katerina you know now but in some ways, she was…like you." He said, turning to his side.

His eyes bored into mine and I looked away from his heavy gaze. I dug my fingers into the stone steps and took a deep breath, trying to ease the strange flutter in the pit of my stomach. "Are you…saying that my grandmother is the reason why Katherine is the way she is?" I asked instead, trying to ease the sudden tension between us.

"No." He replied without a moment's hesitation. "You're giving Kamilah a little too much credit. Katerina was always cunning. Kamilah simply aided her."

"Oh but she wasn't all good."

"How would you define good?" He asked in turn.

Again, he'd left me speechless.

How would I define 'good'?

I didn't know.

My definition would be someone who was helpful and kind but what was kindness? I didn't know the answer to that and Elijah knew that I didn't. His subtle grin and twinkle in his eyes told me he knew I didn't know how to answer his question.

"Don't think too much. It's not an easy question but it is a question that Kamilah used to ask me often." He cut through my thoughts and carried on. "That was how she was, neither good nor bad. Just a…trickster, a powerful one. I never understood why her parents abandoned her yet the more I spent time with her the more I realized that there was no one more dangerous than Kamilah."

"How was she dangerous?"

"She just was."

He wouldn't offer anything more. I'd just have to accept that. At least, I knew for certain she'd been abandoned by her family. "She was left behind by her family and that's how you all found her."

He nodded, relieved that I'd chosen to move on. Whatever Kamilah did to him in the past still haunted him centuries on. It was a shame she was gone. Even if she wasn't my grandmother, she'd be a great weapon against Klaus.

"Kamilah was a changeling." He said softly, almost whispering the word 'changeling' as if saying it outloud was taboo. "Her parents had traded her for a human child because she was not like them and we'd stumbled across her during our…journey. In some ways, we were alike."

"Abandoned by your parents and wanderers?"

"More like scorned by them but you're close. I'm sure you can relate."

I paused, turning back to him. "Excuse me?"

"Your parents, they weren't around raising you, were they?"

"Because they were busy." I retorted. "They didn't abandon me. They were there, they just didn't have much time to spend with me since they were so busy."

"I'm sure they were."

"They were." I fired back, raising my voice. "My dad's a lawyer and my mom's a surgeon. They didn't have time for me and my brother. And you're the one to talk—you're trying to kill your own brother!"

"My brother is Klaus."

"Fair point." I conceded, choosing not to press the matter further. Instead, we sat in a contemplative silence, each lost in our own thoughts.

"I apologize." He said after a moment of silence. "For what I said."

"Thank you for admitting you're wrong. I'm not like her, I didn't get abandoned."

"No, you didn't but it's not unheard of for faeries to leave their children behind. Though, in recent times, it's become more rare."

"I didn't get abandoned." I repeated, a little frustrated. "I didn't even know I was faery until I came back to town. I was normal or as normal as I could be being from a family of hunters."

Elijah chuckled, the sound carrying a touch of amusement. "A family of vampire hunters. I've heard much about your family, yet I find it fascinating that there's so little knowledge about them."

"We keep to ourselves," I replied, a guarded tone in my voice.

"There's a parallel between us."

I laughed. "There really isn't."

Elijah leaned back, his gaze contemplative. "But there is and it's interesting. I'm part of a vampire family, and you, from a family of vampire hunters. It's almost poetic in a sense."

The tension between us momentarily eased, and I found myself studying him. Elijah, an original vampire and me, a descendent of a vampire hunter and a faery.

We were the antithesis of one another yet we sat next to each other, distance filled by air. We were enemies but somehow, we were working together. Somewhere out there, the universe was laughing at the way things had ended up.

"Did anyone in your family ever bear a mark?" Elijah inquired, his eyes fixated on mine.

His words knocked the air out of my lungs and for a second, I let my emotions show on my face. I was usually so collected but his question really threw me off. How did he know?

I knew the truth—that occasionally, members of my family bore a mark. Great aunt Penelope and uncle Eric were the last ones in the family to have the mark. Uncle Eric died young while great aunt Penelope had lost her mind.

The mark wasn't something we were proud of. It was a symbol of bad luck and shame for us. Some of my ancestors had even gone far to approach witches to remove the mark with no luck. They had to resort to marrying witches. Of course, that didn't help either. Grandma Janine couldn't remove the mark from uncle Eric either and could do nothing but watch him suffer from madness.

Nevertheless, we'd never tell anyone about the phantom mark that appeared like a tattooed birthmark one day and stayed until death. It wasn't just a matter of shame.

"I'm not sure," I lied, maintaining a façade of innocence. "No, I don't think so."

Elijah's brows furrowed in mild skepticism. "Curious. You know I've heard stories about some in your family succumbing to madness. Stressful occupation, vampire hunting."

I tensed, careful not to betray the truth. "You have no idea." I responded, the lie slipping easily from my lips. "But I don't see what that has to do with a mark?"

Elijah shifted seamlessly to another topic—my family dagger. His curiosity about its resemblance to the weapon Elena had used on him hung in the air. I stifled a sigh, preparing to weave another web of lies.

"No," I replied, feigning innocence. "It's not similar at all. Just a family heirloom."

Elijah persisted, trying to press me for answers. "I shared what I knew about the curse. I believe we could help each other."

"I'd already figured most of it out." I pointed out.

"Can I at least see this heirloom once?"

"I don't have it." I lied. "My family took it away and gave it to my brother. He put it in the family vault. Even if I wanted to show you, I can't." It was an elaborate lie but I knew he'd recognize that dagger if he saw it again.

"Convenient," he remarked, the word carrying a weight of skepticism.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the landscape. The setting sun painted the sky in hues of red and gold, a breathtaking canvas of burning clouds. In that moment of silent awe, I wished I had my sketchpad to capture that moment.

"Elena's not back yet," Elijah mentioned, breaking the silence that had settled between us.

I glanced at him, a tinge of frustration in my voice. "Her aunt was in danger. Jenna and Jeremy are all that she has." I finished, wrapping my arms around myself.

Elijah said nothing in response, and instead, he silently extended a hand, a wordless invitation to return inside. I remained seated on the steps, overlooking the sprawling gardens of the Lockwood estate.

"Do you ever get tired of it?" I found myself wondering aloud. "The sunsets, the sunrises, just...living."

Elijah, standing beside me, considered the question. "At first, it did," he admitted. "At one point, it all became too ordinary, too mundane for me yet with time, I found myself thinking of bigger things. immortality has its way of changing one's perspective."

"So you stopped focusing on the trees to see the forest?"

"More or less." He said with a small smile.

I turned the question back to him. "...Have you ever thought about being human again?"

My thoughts drifted to the Salvatore brothers. Stefan who'd manage to find peace in clinging onto humanity and his countless attempts to feel alive and normal. Then there was Damon. He'd rejected the idea of being human altogether, seemingly thriving in his state as a vampire but sometimes, I'd see flickers of moments where he looked almost sad at the loss of his human life. I couldn't tell if he missed it or not.

Elijah's gaze fixed on the horizon, the dying embers of sunlight reflecting in his eyes. "I have," he confessed, the weight of centuries etched in his contemplative expression. "But I don't regret the life I've lived if that's what you're asking."

His words held a certain elegance, a grace that spoke of the countless years he'd witnessed. "You have a way with words." I remarked, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

Elijah's smile widened, and there was a playful glint in his eyes. "You're not bad yourself," he countered.

"Are you thinking about immortality?"

"Maybe." I said, my gaze fixed on the darkening sky. "It's terrifying to think about, living forever and watching people you know and love wither and fade out of existence. I don't know how my grandmother managed to live for so long without losing her mind, and I don't know how you've held on."

"There were phases." Elijah confessed, his gaze now distant. "Eternity can be a daunting companion, especially when spent alone. I wasn't alone. I had my family."

"Now you want your brother dead." I countered, "Eternity seems to rip the joy out of life. It's what caused your relationship with your family to break down, isn't it?"

Nothing was said in response. His gaze lingering on the horizon, where the last traces of sunlight painted the sky in hues of amber and lavender. He dusted himself off and stood up without another word; that topic of conversation was over between us.

Elijah draped his coat over my shoulders. His fingers brushed against my ear, a gesture so subtle I might've easily overlooked it. Yet, I didn't. My ears seemed to get warmer and I looked up. Our eyes met, my reflection mirrored in the depths of his gaze.

He turned away, his attention shifting to the horizon where the sun had set, leaving only the remnants of a twilight sky. The evening breeze carried a subtle chill, but the warmth from Elijah's coat was a comforting embrace against the encroaching darkness.

As minutes passed in silence, the sky transformed into a canvas of stars. Elijah broke the silence, his voice cutting through the stillness. "Your phone is buzzing."

I didn't say anything and fished out my phone. The soft glow of the screen illuminated my messages. All from Damon. He decided to go rogue with Andie Star. I was upset for a second when I read Andie's name, crushing that feeling and moving on. He and Andie went to investigate Ric's apartment.

They found Katherine.

She wasn't dead. I knew it. For someone like Katherine, death would be too easy so I wasn't surprised to read that Klaus had compelled her to stay inside the apartment. No doubt Klaus was torturing her and using her. That did little to reassure me.

Katherine knew a lot more about us than we knew about her and Klaus could compel her to tell him anything.

I sent a quick message back to Damon, finally replying after hours. He sent one back instantly and asked if it was safe to call. I said no, obviously. Elijah was still there. I didn't want another of my calls to be heard, especially one from Damon. I reassured him I was fine and turned off my phone to see Elijah waiting at the top of the steps for me.

With a tired sigh, I got up and climbed the steps. Elijah held out his hand for me again and this time I let him escort me back inside.

I curled in front of the fireplace in the Lockwood parlor and watched as Elijah lit the fire. We sat there in silence and watched the fire before I heard Elena's panicked thoughts. Without a word to Elijha, I made my way to the front door to see Elena.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the front door of the Lockwood mansion open or the fact that I was standing in front of her. It took her a minute of standing still in front of her car before she noticed my presence.

"Not good?" I asked.

Teary eyed, Elena shook her head and hugged herself. She tried to speak but the words were caught in her throat and all she could make out was. "She…knows." If I didn't hear from my uncle I'd be shocked but the impact had dulled. "I…didn't want her to find out like this."

"But she's fine."

"A little shaken up but she knows, Ava. I didn't want her or Jeremy in this."

"She needed to know." You couldn't live in this town and not know anything about what lurked in the shadows. There were more chances of death caused by ignorance in this town.

"I just…I wanted her to know when things were much better."

I bit my lips and shook my better. Things were never going to get better from here and out, at least not immediately and not unless, they decided to leave this town. I always thought this town was cursed.

"Jenna needed to know." I repeated. "No, she deserved to know the truth but just not like this."

"Are you saying that I should've been honest from the start?"

Yes. "I'm…saying that Klaus would've gone after her regardless. No one in this town is safe, Elena." I said softly. "Jenna was luckier than anyone else that Klaus was in Ric's body and that my uncle was there. Anyone else might've not survived that."

"Klaus threatened her, Ava!"

"Uncle Nate told me. I spoke with him earlier."

"She can't stay home anymore, it's not safe anymore."

"I'm sorry." I engulfed her into my embrace, pulling her closer. She swallowed and buried her face into my jacket and I felt her damp face. "We'll get through this."

Elena pulled away, shaking her head. "I don't know if we can."

"We have to try."

"We do, don't we?" She sighed. "Stefan won't let me give up."

"Why would you want to give up?"

"What would you do if you were in my place?" She countered.

I didn't even need to think about it. "I'd run and erase everything there is out there about me."

She laughed bitterly. "You'd pull a Katherine."

"No, I wouldn't put other people's life in danger because of me. I said I'd erase everything—that meant memories as well—memories of everyone that's ever known me. I don't know how much that'll take out of me but if worse comes to worse, I'd run and be forgotten."

"I can't do that."

"We could try that." I mouthed and she shook her head. "You should come in," I tugged at her sleeve. "It's getting colder."

Elijah stood by the fireplace, his gaze fixed on the fire before flickering towards Elena. I could sense the weight of his scrutiny, a silent acknowledgment that he'd overheard us outside. He knew. He heard us and he didn't say a word and just stood there with his hands to his side.

His focus shifted, his eyes narrowing on the scene before him. Elena's worried expression didn't seem to capture his attention immediately. Instead, his gaze returned to me with a complex look—a mixture of concern, pity and…something I couldn't quite place.

His piercing stare lingered on me, his expression holding an unspoken question. I knew he had heard my conversation with Elena, the admission of what I would have done if I were in her place. The weight of his silent scrutiny settled in the room, a palpable tension that heightened the already charged atmosphere.

I didn't back down and returned his stare, locking my gaze with his. But the more seconds passed by the more, I couldn't help but think how different it all was—how different he was. Still, I couldn't help but wonder; who he was truly looking at—Kamilah or me?

I couldn't help but think of Damon and the way he used to see me. Before, I'd catch glimpses of the same carefree youthful smile he'd given Lydia in my memories. I'd know then sometimes, he wasn't looking at me—he was looking for Lydia. He was looking for something he'd lost so long ago.

But this was different. Elijah's look was complex, filled with a depth I couldn't quite grasp. No sign of fear or caution he'd shown Kamilah. It was like he wasn't looking at the past but rather, it was like someone had seen the sun for the time in centuries—a strange way to put it, I know.

"Elena's back so we can pick up where we left off." I said and took my seat, almost slipping away from his vision.

"So she is." He said with a ghost of a smile gracing his cold stony face, relieved that she'd kept her promise for once. "Welcome back."

Elena didn't even waste time on the pleasantries. She shot me a look and took off her jacket. "Tell me. What is Klaus' curse?"

Elijah gestured to her to sit down and he sat down next to her, opposite me. He glanced around the room, checking if we were paying attention and then began his tale. "My family was quite close, but Klaus and my father did not get on too well. When we became vampires, we discovered the truth. Klaus was not my father's son." I let out a soft gasp and he nodded. "My mother had been unfaithful many years before. This was her darkest secret. Klaus is from a different bloodline."

"So he wasn't human like you and the rest of your family?" I asked.

"None of us knew until that moment." He nodded. "My father was furious, he hunted down and killed my mother's lover and his entire family. Not realizing, of course, that he was igniting a war between species that rages until this day."

"A war between the species?" Elena guessed.

"The vampires...and the werewolves."

"So Klaus' real father was from a werewolf bloodline? What does that make Klaus? A werewolf? Or a vampire?"

"He's a hybrid." I gasped out.

"He is a hybrid and deadlier than any werewolf or vampire."

Abomination. "Nature's true abomination." I said without thinking as if I was in a trance.

"An abomination?" Elena echoed.

Elijah flinched and just for a second with flickering flames there was a flicker of fear on his face. It was gone in a blink. "Nature would not stand for such an imbalance of power. Therefore the witches, the servants of nature, saw to it that my brother's werewolf side would become dormant."

"That's the curse that Klaus wants to break?"

"He wants to trigger that part of him that's a werewolf. If allowed, Klaus would sire his own bloodline. He'd build his own race. Endangering not just vampires, but everyone."

"And how does Ava come into this?"

"She doesn't." Elijah answered and didn't offer anything else.

"Then why is Klaus after her?"

"You don't have to worry about that, you only have to worry about yourself."

Elena stood up, walking away from him. "You're not telling us everything."

"Unless, he can't." I said. "It's not something to do with my grandmother, is it?"

"No," He admitted. "You and faeries have nothing to do with Klaus' curse but that doesn't mean you're not important…faeries are rare, not as rare as doppelgangers, rare nonetheless. Your grandmother did help me see the error of my ways and convinced me against the Sacrifice."

"But you still helped Klaus." Elena pointed out despite noticing that Elijah had swiftly changed the topic. There was something he was hiding. "If Ava's grandma really convinced you, why did you help him?"

"I helped him because I loved him. That's changed, now he must die."

"But can you actually do it?" I asked and he didn't say anything. "He is your brother—even if you two don't share a father, you loved him enough to be willing to kill innocents."

"I can do it. He's gone too far."

Despite how sure he sounded, there was an undercurrent of doubt to his voice. He didn't fully trust himself.

Elena didn't pick up on his hints of doubt and carried on. "We have the dagger now. We can stop him."

"He's a hybrid." I reminded. "A vampire and a werewolf—the dagger is for Original vampires only."

"You seem to know an awful lot about the dagger." Elijah mused.

"I thought it was common sense." I replied coolly, not giving him hints that my family had been digging into their past.

"I wouldn't say it's common sense, I'd come up with something much more…believable."

I chuckled and Elena turned to me in silent question, I ignored her and rose from my seat. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"I'm just pointing out that in this room, there's two of us who come from families of supernatural and out of the two of us—one is known for hunting vampires, I wouldn't be so surprised if your family had crossed paths with mine."

"I'm sure you'd know."

Elena made a sound. "Ava, you know something about the dagger?"

"No, I know as much as you." I lied and Elijah couldn't help but smile; he knew.

"As Ava said, the dagger will not work." Elijah dropped the topic. Yet the look on his face told me, it wasn't over yet. "When a werewolf is wounded by silver, it heals. An Original can't be killed by anything but white oak ash on a silver dagger. Therefore, the dagger is useless on Klaus."

"Klaus can't be killed." Elena stated, reaching out for me. Her hand wrapped around my wrist and tightened as she stumbled backwards a little.

"There's one way to kill any supernatural species...at the hands of the servants of nature themselves."

"So a witch or a faery?" Elena guessed.

"Not a faery. They don't serve nature. They serve themselves and are merely a part of nature itself—one might call them a reflection of nature, unpredictable and ever changing."

I scoffed and Elena ignored me. "So we need a witch to channel magic…a lot of it." She said but mostly to herself. "But it would kill them." Bonnie was still on her mind and her near-death haunted Elena, I couldn't blame her.

Elijah didn't listen to her fears and instead carried on. "The curse must be broken during the full moon. When Klaus is in transition. That's when he'll be at his most vulnerable. A witch with enough power...can kill Klaus." I glared at him for his callous behavior but he didn't care. "I believed the Martins would've been enough but unfortunately, I seem to have made a miscalculation."

"A miscalculation?" I echoed, thinking about how both the father-son duo almost died in their quests to revive him—no, they did die. If I didn't have the ability to heal, they'd be dead and gone, just another set of deaths that no one would care about.

"I'm sorry about their near-death experiences." He said almost as an afterthought and I still wasn't happy about it.

"I'm not the one who needs to hear that." I pointed out.

"Regardless, we don't have a witch with that caliber of power."

Elena turned to me and I sighed. Right, we had Bonnie but even then, I don't know if I'd want to risk her like that. But Elena didn't wait for me to make up my mind. "What if I told you that we knew a witch that could channel that much power?"

"Then I would tell you there's one more thing that you should know."

I shut my eyes and fell back into my seat, nothing I'd say would make a difference anyway. I don't know if Bonnie or even Luka would appreciate Elena talking about them to Elijah but she'd already started to speak. Elijah would put two and two together and figure out Bonnie was our witch and she was getting help from the Martins.

I zoned out from their conversations and looked at the flames, focusing on the burning logs. My vision blurred and I almost groaned. Not again.

---

England 1492,

The air was colder than before and the room in front of me was dimly lit save for a single flickering candle. I was in an empty bedroom alone or so I thought.

Carmela was perched by the window in a light chemise with a thick wool shawl wrapped around her. She reached out for the starless skies with her fingers and sparks flew out of her fingers. Sparks turned to little moths and flew around the room, illuminating the room.

A knock at the door and she smiled. With a wave of her hand, the open door flew open and an anxious Elijah appeared on the other side.

"Now, what brought you to my door in the middle of the night, my Lord." Carmela stood up and walked over to Elijah, almost floating. "It's quite improper for a man and a woman to meet at such a time—"

"I'd appreciate it if you skip your little games tonight, Kamilah."

Carmela's smile dropped and like a mask had been stripped off her face, her eyes lost their honeyed brown shade and glowed brightly like gems. "Now what did your dear siblings do this time?"

"He doesn't care about her." Elijah brushed past her and made his way into her room.

With another wave of her hand, the door shut behind him with a quiet click. Carmela stared at him for a second before she disappeared in a blink of an eye, reappearing by the window. She was perched there again like she'd never left her spot.

"Katerina?" She guessed and he nodded. "Ah, you mean like I told—no, warned you about? Can't say I'm surprised. This is who Klaus is. I'd thought you'd know of your brother's nature or perhaps…"

"Perhaps what?"

Carmela's lips twisted into a sly smile that made Elijah swallow whatever he was going to say. "Perhaps, you've fallen for her—Katerina. You've fallen for her, haven't you?" And Elijah didn't answer her question. His silence told her enough. "You realize this is the second time this has happened for you. You've fallen for a shadow of someone you couldn't have."

"Katerina is more than a shadow, she's her own individual being and she is innocent."

"So are every other victim of your family." Carmela said boredly. "You've only chosen to care because you believe yourself to be in love with her and she might love you now and maybe then but she will pick someone who will never choose her. Isn't it funny? You both will want what you cannot have and Klaus too. All of you are stuck in a maze you cannot get out of."

"Cease your riddles, Kamilah."

Carmela laughed. "I'm simply telling you as it is. Katerina may love you but she loves herself more. That she has in common with your brother."

"You're wrong…about Klaus and Katerina."

"Klaus and Katerina both care for people…just in different ways."

"If you lie to yourself enough, it becomes the truth."

"Kamilah…" Elijah called out to her. "Klaus cares about you. You're his only friend and he was upset that you'd chosen to settle down for a…human."

"Is that admission that he had my husband killed? A hunting accident? Do you understand how ridiculous it was to be told that he was mauled by foxes of all things?! He hunted foxes for a sport, Elijah!" Elijah bit his tongue and looked away. Carmela turned away, sighing. "I will not forget this."

"You said Katerina didn't deserve to die." He said after a moment of silence had passed and Carmela's rage had hid itself again behind her cold golden eyes. "Tell me it was not a lie?"

"It was not. Unlike you and your family, I tell the truth more often than you'd think."

He nodded, his eyes grew desperate as he licked his drying lips. "Then help me." He whispered-pled to Carmela. "Help me save Katerina."

"Because you've grown to love her?"

"I can't help it."

"You're pathetic." She scoffed. "You wouldn't help an innocent girl or anyone else unless there's something for you to gain from it."

"I don't gain anything from saving Katerina, if anything I'm already putting myself at risk by concealing the fact that you'd warn many covens about the Sacrifice—they'd already left and taken many of their own with them. Do you understand how angry Klaus was when he had to scour the nearby villages for witches who were experienced yet naive and ignorant enough to follow him? Do you? I even hid the fact that you'd warned the Brotherhood of our location—why would you do that? Do you understand what I had to do to hide our trail?"

Nothing was said and Carmela blinked. She cracked a smile and sat back against the window sill, swirling dusts of multicolored light around her fingers. "I stopped listening after the first few words. I don't care about Klaus—I really don't. It's not like he'll see me again after this attempt fails and it will."

"You seem so confident."

"Because I am." Carmela countered. "I might not see things clearly but from little I've seen your love is not going to be enough to save Katerina."

"So the Sacrifice will happen and Katerina will die regardless."

"That is not what I said." She shook her head with a pointed finger, shaking left and right as if she was chastising a child. "I said; she will die. I never said how." Elijah frowned. "But you will see her again."

"I don't understand."

"You will one day." Carmela went back to watching the skies.

"I don't care. All I want is a way to bring someone back to life after death."

"So you do intend to go through your little brother's whims? Aren't you such a good big brother?"

"Kamilah!" He growled out her name and she laughed.

"Don't!" She bit out and the single flickering candle in the room died before the room burst with light from little orbs circling Elijah. "Don't threaten me, Elijah! You know what happens when you kill a faery."

"I'll make a deal with you." He pleaded and all the candles in the room and even the fireplace burst into life. The orbs disappeared.

"You want to make a deal with me? What do I get? I already have everything I need. I know Klaus killed my husband despite your deafening silence."

"You wanted to save Katerina."

"Along with the witch and the poor wolf that was dragged into this; you and your brother keep the poor thing chained in the dungeons. Let's not forget the willingly sacrificial lamb of a vampire—whoever that is."

"That won't be possible. I just want Katerina to live."

He was not going to budge. Even his little rebellion against his younger brother wasn't extreme as he'd thought it to be. Katerina was the only one who'd live.

"I'll give you my blood for a revival potion and even imbue it with my magic. In exchange," She paused, standing up again and letting the shawl fall. Her wings that had been hidden underneath her skin unfurled up, overshadowing Elijah's form as she bent down to look at him from the window. "Tell me how your mother managed to make you and your family vampires."

"I already told you—"

"No," She cut him off. "I want the truth."

"We told you the true way our mother made us who we are!"

"The whole truth. You and your family never told me the full truth."

"We did." He insisted.

I thought it was telling the truth with how insistent he was but Carmela—my grandmother thought otherwise.

"I don't believe that."

"I don't care about what you believe I told you what you needed to know." Elijah disappeared and appeared in front of Carmela. "All I ask is that you save Katerina and keep this from my brother."

"Are you threatening me, Elijah?"

"If I must."

"You know what happens when you kill a faery, don't you?"

Elijah took slow steps back as if Carmela's words had burned him.

"I want to know how exactly your mother made you and your siblings into vampires and in exchange I'll give an elixir made from my own blood that can revive Katerina after her death." Elijah blinked and he was back at the door with his shoulders touching the wooden double doors. "You'll have exactly four hours to get Katerina's corpse away from Klaus before she awakens. Do we…have a deal?"

He nodded, desperate to save Katherine. "I'll make the deal."

"Done." Her wings furled, revealing a stone urn-like container behind her. It was like she'd predicted his desperation and had taken steps to prepare it. She passed it to Elijah and stood back. "I should warn you that any elixir made with the essence of a fae has conditions."

"Of course, it does."

"I'm doing you a favor, be grateful." Elijah clammed his mouth shut and looked away. "Make sure that no one, not even yourself, gives Katerina vampire blood. It'll render the elixir useless and before I forget—this won't work on any witches so you better pray and hope that Katerina is not gifted in magic despite being a Traveler."

"Done."

"There will be a noticeable side effect. Katerina's lifespan will be extended beyond a human's and she might become more…sensitive to emotions."

"That's all?"

"You're not worried?"

"She'll live and that's all I need to know."

"You're a fool." She said in a small voice and a sly grin on her face. She had him exactly where she wanted him.

"Then I'll take my leave."

Carmela nodded and turned away dismissively. She took back her seat by the window, opening the door with a gesture of her fingers. Elijah said nothing and left her alone as the doors shut behind him.

---

Damon and Stefan were at each other's throats. Literally. Elijah turned to me and I had to look away. I noticed the broken bookshelf with books spilled onto the floor and broken splitters of wood laying on the floor. Stefan was covered in a thin layer of dust from the crash while Damon was unharmed.

"Stop it, Damon!"

Lexi ran forward and pulled Damon away from Stefan hissing at him. Her eyes turned dark and veins appeared underneath her eyes.

"Oh here we go again! You always have to play the peacemaker, don't you Lexi?"

Damon pushed her hand away, grabbing onto wrist and twisting it but Lexi grabbed him by the throat. She pushed him against the wall.

I heard a quiet crack and Stefan was already up. He'd grabbed one of the broken pieces of the shelf and was about to approach Damon when Elena rushed forward.

Instinctively, I raised my hand. In response, both brothers convulsed, dusts of light covered their bodies and Lexi was caught in the crossfire. Their skin burned until it became unbearable, forcing them to release each other with pained expressions.

"Stop!" Elena yelled out.

I lowered my hand and took a deep breath, muttering quiet apologies before backing out. "Seriously?" Damon said between pained breaths.

I threw my hands up and motioned to the mess he'd made. His blistered and red skin healed just like Lexi and Stefan. The three looked at me warily before they made moves to stand up. I watched them carefully, my eyes following Damon who seemed to forget his anger and annoyance and was more focused on the fact that Elena and I were back.

"You must be Elijah." Lexi greeted, helping Stefan up. "You walked in at an awkward time. We haven't met…" Stefan's hand tightened around Lexi, protectively and he shot me a look. He didn't trust Elijah. Understandable. He almost lost Lexi once. Didn't help that Lexi knew Rose and Trevor along with Slater. Three of whom Elijah had wanted dead.

"Alexia Branson, turned 1680. You've got a history of reforming deadly vampires and even aiding wanted ones." Elijah calmly stated.

Lexi scoffed. She didn't seem a bit surprised that he knew about her friendship with Rose and Trevor. "It wasn't their fault that they made a mistake. Trevor didn't have to die for it and Rose…" Lexi didn't finish her sentence, turning away to take a moment to remember how Rose didn't even get to enjoy her freedom at the expense of Trevor's death before dying a slow agonizing death.

Elena nodded along and bit her lips when Rose was brought up. I knew Elena thought about Rose often. She was at Rose's side when she was withering away. I could imagine she felt little guilt towards not being able to do much.

Even Damon seemed affected, looking away and distracting himself with cleaning up the wreckage. Elijah was the only one who seemed unphased.

"I don't know what happened to Rose-Marie after she was granted her freedom but—"

"She's dead." Damon cut him off. "Werewolf bite, in case you wanted to know."

For a second, I thought I saw a sign of pity on Elijah's face. A sign he might've cared a little or maybe I'd deluded myself to think that he cared. He didn't but he made a good show of putting on airs of being someone who did.

"My condolences. I wasn't aware you two had grown close." He didn't care. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Do tell why you're here in my home." Damon said and glared at Elena.

"I was under the impression the Boarding House is currently under the ownership of Elena Gilbert not a Damon Salvatore."

"This is a safehouse or was for Elena." Lexi spelled out tiredly. It seemed that Damon and her were for once on the same page.

Elena didn't appear apologetic. She didn't have to be. I was there when she renegotiated the deal. It seemed like a good deal. "Elijah and I have renewed the terms of our deal." She simply stated as the Martins walked in.

The minute he saw Elijah, Luka paled and took in deep pained breaths, turning to his dad with wide eyes. His breathing grew more forced and quicker like he was about to have a panic attack. Dr Martin pulled his son behind him, being careful not to drop his clutches and faced Elijah with his head held high.

"Elijah." Dr Martin greeted him carefully. "You're back."

"And you're injured." Elijah regarded the warlock with a scrutinizing scan and blinked.

"Paralyzed actually."

"I seem to have missed quite a bit. I heard you almost died."

"I did die." Dr Martin answered, his hand tightened around his son's. "I had no choice but to switch sides to save my son and myself."

"Yet you're injured."

"I couldn't heal him completely." I interjected. "Even when I made the deal, I couldn't do it."

"Still, it is quite a feat for a half-faery to make deals and revive not one but two individuals."

Three. I almost spilled that I'd brought three people back from near-death. Zach Salvatore was the only one nobody in that room knew about and I had to keep it that way. I might've grown to trust the Salvatore brothers but I made a promise to Zach. Besides, it was better for him and his daughter to live this way.

"That's great except she almost died both times." Damon exaggeratedly said.

"That didn't happen." Stefan countered.

"How would you know?"

"I was there." He reminded his brother and he was. "Ava's stronger than you give her credit for."

I mouthed a quick 'thanks' to him and he smiled in return before remembering Elijah was still there. Lexi took a step forward.

"I don't know what deal you and Elena have but—"

"This has nothing to do with you, Alexia." Elijah cut her off.

"Lexi." She corrected. "And I'm here to help her."

"She's also part of the deal." Elena added, fearing that Elijah would hurt her. He was more than capable of doing it but I didn't think he would. Lexi was not a threat to him and even Rose was spared despite crossing Elijah.

Elijah sighed and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind and with that, I suppose then it's three of you that will not come to any harm but in exchange…" He paused. "I only ask for one thing in return from the two of you." He finished staring down the Salvatore brothers.

"What's that?" Damon asked.

"An apology."

Damon blinked and turned to me with a look, asking if Elijah was serious. I nodded. Yes, he was being serious. I know, I thought it was simple too.

"That seems simple enough." Lexi commented, turning to Damon and silently telling him to apologize. He wouldn't move.

Stefan did. He didn't waste time to step forward with a quick apology. "I'm sorry for the part that I played in your death." He said being sincere. "I was protecting Elena. I will always protect Elena."

"I understand." Elijah said curtly and I could picture a younger him, the one who was once in love with Katherine.

I blinked and it was gone. I turned away, refusing to look at him in fear I'd be pulled back in Kamilah's memories again. Elijah noticed but he said nothing.

Damon didn't apologize. Even when Lexi nudged him and gestured to say something. He wouldn't. He kept his resolve strong, backing away with a distrustful glare pointed towards Elijah. He was upset that I had actually stood by and did nothing.

Well nothing I'd do would work. Elijah was our safe bet even if I didn't fully trust him. If all else failed, my plan B was to take Elena, Jeremy and Jenna with me and my uncle back to Havensbrook. That town was hard to find and vampires couldn't get in. It was the safest place in the world.

The downside was that Elena would have to spend her life in hiding but it was safe. I just knew she wouldn't go along with it if I asked. She'd worry about Bonnie and Caroline. Right, I couldn't take Caroline with me and she'd end up on the run alone.

"Ava," Elena called out to me and I snapped out of my thoughts. "You there?"

"Sorry, I'm here. I was just…"

"Daydreaming or…" Elijah mused with a knowing look. He knew. I froze like a deer in the headlights. He knew that I was seeing the memories of my grandmother.

"Please tell Damon that this plan's going to work." Elena begged.

I blinked and stared at her blankly. My throat going dry, I wasn't even thinking about the Sacrifice. I was thinking about keeping my own secrets.

"I—" I tried to get out. "This is the only plan we have, Damon. For better or worse, this is it."

Damon stared at me, shaking his head. "No!" He fired back. "No, you don't for a second believe that!"

"Damon—"

"I know you!" He paced around.

"Damon." Stefan tried and he threw his hands off of him. "Just listen to them."

"You're just gonna let your own girlfriend die, Stefan?" He threw back. "Then what? Klaus kills Elena and maybe Bonnie then comes after Ava and us? Is that the plan?!"

"Hey," Lexi tried to pull him back before he attacked Elijah. "Don't do anything stupid." She warned. Even though she'd rather he was out of her sight, she wouldn't let him die for Stefan's sake. "He's older and stronger than you."

"I promise you Ava will not come to any harm." Elijah said.

"Yeah and I believe that." Damon pulled his arms away from Lexi and glared at Elijah. "Heck, Ava doesn't believe that either."

"Damon. Stop." I said through clenched teeth, pushing him back with my hand on his chest. I looked at him and tried to tell him silently that I had a backup. He wasn't listening.

He put his hand over mine. "After everything you did for your friends, you're gonna let two die?" He asked and I couldn't say anything, Elijah would hear whatever I said.

"I'm gonna trust Elena on this one."

"Of course you are." Damon let go of my hand and stormed off.

"He's angry but he'll come around." Stefan said and Lexi made a face.

Elijah watched Damon leave with a difficult look on his face. Turning away when Lexi replied with a quiet, "Debatable." She eyed Elijah and patted Stefan on the shoulder before she disappeared.

I lingered in the room and watched in silence as Stefan finished picking up the pieces while discussing with Elijah about Elena's plan. Elena seemed so sure of herself that I didn't know how I'd break it to her that I didn't trust Elijah anymore especially not after seeing Kamilah's memories.

He loved his brother. As touching that thought was, it made me trust him less. If Klaus could speak to him and he might, Elijah may switch sides. He meant well, I'm sure but his love for his brother was strong.

In some ways, he was like Stefan who couldn't hurt Damon even when Damon screwed up.

"I have to go." I said to Elena. "Uncle Nate's probably worried." She nodded and looked back at Stefan and Elijah who were deep in discussion. "If you want, you can come with me and see Jenna."

She hesitated, torn between discussing the plan and seeing Jenna. "...I'll pass for now but keep me updated."

"Sure."

I stepped out into the hallway, the echo of my footsteps reverberated in the silent halls. I took my phone out and texted my uncle a quick message, telling him I'd be home soon and replied to another text from Matt.

I didn't even notice the soft and desperate cries echoing in the halls coming my way until I'd collided with Andie Star and my phone was on the floor, cracked. I glared at Andie. What the hell was she even doing here?

She didn't say anything when she saw me. Her sobs came out broken as clutched a scarf tightly to her neck. Her disheveled appearance took me by surprise, so different from her usual self.

"Andie," I called out to her and tried to get her attention. "What are you doing here?"

"I—" She tried, looking around wildly. She was a journalist, she shouldn't have been there. "Damon. I was here for Damon."

A jolt of envy struck me and I glared at the floor before snapping out of it. It wasn't my place to feel that way.

"Oh." Was all I said before I smelt the pungent stench of wet iron.

No warning given, I grabbed her hand holding the scarf to her neck and ripped it off her neck. She panicked and tried to fight me off but I was stronger. Her neck…

I had to back off. The slight envy I felt died when I saw her bleeding neck. A chunk of flesh was missing. My stomach turned.

"D-did Damon do this?" Andie swallowed her tears and lied. "Andie…tell me the truth; did Damon do this?" She nodded again as her eyes shimmered.

"I–I tried to help him. I just wanted to be there for him." She cried, clutching her neck. "He said…he needed a friend."

"Bad time to be nice, Andie." I muttered and grimaced at her wound.

I placed my hand over her neck. My hand lit up, light flowed out and engulfed her wound. The blood burned off and when the light faded, her neck was healed and unmarred like nothing had happened.

"What did you—"

"Don't question it." I patted her shoulder and she nodded blankly. "Can you drive back? Did you even drive your car here?" I asked while I handed her scarf back.

"No." She replied and covered up her neck. "Can you please drop me off at home—I'll give you directions."

I nodded and led her out the house. She grabbed onto me, following me out while looking over her shoulder. I sighed and kept up my silence, pausing when I was outside.

Andie hurriedly got into my car when I unlocked it and put on her seatbelt. I was about to get in when I felt cold but there wasn't a breeze in the air.

On the second floor of the Boarding House, I saw a silhouette of something or someone looking at me. I couldn't see clearly. The shadow moved behind the curtain and was gone when I came closer to the Boarding House.

"He wants to be alone right now." Andie said from the car, the car door half-open. She shut it with a loud slam and sat back.

With one look back at the now dark window, I got into my car and started it. I pulled out the driveway, Andie laid her head on the window after turning on the radio. I took my eye of the road once to check on her and she was lost in a daze.