Elena entered the living room to see Kol there playing a video game. Kol was one sibling she didn't really know. Her first time meeting him was the morning after finding out she was related to the Mikaelson's. He'd kept his distance, probably to give her space, which she appreciated. However, now that the initial shock had worn off, she decided it might be nice to get to know him a little.
Kol smiled when he saw his sister come in. "Hi."
"Hi. You like video games, I take it. My brother, Jeremy does too," Elena said.
"Yeah, Nik showed me how to play. They're fun. Human's have come up with some pretty decent inventions over the years. Do you play?" Kol asked.
"Not much. Jeremy has roped me into a game or two every now and then, but I'm not very good. He creams me. I'm pretty sure that's why he asks," Elena said.
Kol picked up a spare controller and handed it to her. "Want to try?"
Elena walked over and took the controller before sitting down next to him. "Alright, but like I said, I'm not very good."
"That's alright. Your big brother will teach you a thing or two," Kol said with a smirk.
"That's not going to stop being weird anytime soon. I went from being the oldest to the youngest basically overnight," Elena said.
"Being the youngest can be fun. You can get away with a lot, and it's so much fun to torture your older siblings," Kol said as they started to play. He wasn't the youngest, but he had been close to that for quite a while.
"Yeah, Rebekah said something similar to me," Elena said.
Kol laughed. "Of course, she did. So, what do you like to do for fun?"
"Well, I mostly hung out with my friends, at least when there wasn't a supernatural crisis. We'd hang out at the Grill quite a bit, or at each other's houses. There was also the occasional party or Founder's events. There's not much to do in this town outside of that. Other than that, I'd hang out with my boyfriend."
Kol stopped paying attention to the video game and looked at his sister in horror. "Your what?"
Elena smirked and used Kol's lack of attention to her advantage as she killed his video game character.
Kol turned back to the screen for a minute and then back to Elena. "You killed me!"
Elena continued to smirk. "You should've been paying attention."
"You did that on purpose," Kol accused.
"Maybe," Elena said as she grinned from ear to ear.
"You've definitely been spending too much time with 'Bekah. Alright, we're having a rematch, and then later we're talking about this whole boyfriend thing," Kol said.
"He's not my boyfriend anymore. It's a long story, but he was more interested in getting revenge on Klaus than being with me," Elena said bitterly. She knew that Klaus had forced Stefan to turn off his emotions, but she also knew they were back on now, and they had been back on when Stefan threatened to drive her over that bridge. She also blamed Stefan for the situation she was in now. He had started this when he stole the coffins, and he was the driving force behind opening Esther's coffin.
"Then he was never worthy of you, not that anyone would be," Kol said.
"Thanks," she told him with a smile.
"Now, this is what I like to see," a voice called out.
Elena stiffened, as she did every time she heard Esther's voice. She never knew what to expect from the woman, and she was always on eggshells trying to keep herself from saying or doing something that would make her situation worse.
"I'm afraid you two will have to pause what you're doing. Dinner will be in a half hour. You need to change into more appropriate clothing," Esther said.
"Why? What's so special about dinner?" Kol asked.
"We have a guest coming. It's a bit of surprise for your sister. We should always look well for company. Go and get ready, both of you," Esther instructed.
"Uh, what exactly is appropriate dress?" Elena asked. She was more than a little nervous about this. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of a surprise from Esther. For all she knew, any surprise from the woman would be bad for Elena.
Rebekah appeared in the doorway. "I'll help you with that. I know what's expected."
Elena nodded before getting up and heading out of the room with Rebekah. "So, how formal do I need to dress. Are we talking about just nice clothing, or, you know, Elijah dress code?"
Rebekah laughed as she led her sister up the stairs.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Elena made it to the kitchen with Rebekah just in time for dinner. She immediately noticed that Esther had arrived already, along with Klaus and Elijah, and to her surprise, Caroline was there as well. "Caroline."
Caroline smiled at her friend. "Hey, Elena. It's really good to see you."
Elena immediately took a step towards Caroline, but then she felt a pair of firm hands on her shoulders stopping her.
"Take a seat, dear. Dinner will be served soon," Esther said.
Elena wasn't happy, but she knew not to fight right now. She would just have to be happy that she was seeing her friend, even if she wasn't allowed to hug her. She went over and took her seat next to Elijah.
Kol and Finn soon entered the room.
"Caroline, dear, I'm not sure if you've met my other sons properly. This is Finn and Kol," Esther said.
"Hi. It's nice to meet you both," Caroline said before shaking both their hands.
"You too, darling," Kol said.
"Ms. Forbes," Finn greeted.
They all took their seats, and then the staff came out with dinner and placed it on the table. The Mikaelson's served themselves, while Klaus served Caroline.
"Elena, Caroline and I had a lovely conversation yesterday. I believe you have a good friend in her, so I will allow her to visit you, with my permission, of course. There will be some conditions though. You will be allowed to see her only in my presence, and as I said, she must have my permission before hand."
"Yeah, I agreed to your mom's conditions, of course. I would never want to go behind her back or do anything she wouldn't approve of," Caroline said sweetly.
Elena had to cover up a smile. Caroline was clearly in kiss ass mode. It was a mode her friend barely ever used, but Elena knew it well. She knew Caroline didn't mean anything she was saying. "Okay. Thank you, Mother."
Esther nodded.
Caroline could barely keep the anger off her face. Esther was making Elena call her 'Mother'. It didn't shock her, but it did anger her. She could tell Elena hated it. She was doing it because she knew life would more miserable than it already was if she didn't. "So, how have you been, Elena? I know that finding out you weren't who you thought you were must have been very hard."
"Yeah, it was. I didn't handle it well. I tried to run away. I shouldn't have done that," Elena said before glancing at Esther. If Caroline could play the kiss ass game, she should try to do so too. It was the best way of surviving this. It was just very difficult because she truly hated Esther.
"No need to dwell on that, darling. That business is behind us," Esther said.
"A lot of good came out of it though, right, Elena? You have a family now. You have a mom and older siblings," Caroline said. She sort of meant that. Some good did come out of it. At least Elena had siblings that cared. Klaus cared, and she believed at least Rebekah did too. She was sure Elijah was on that list as well. He'd cared about Elena even before she became his sister.
"Yeah, that's nice," Elena said genuinely. She was getting closer to her siblings. She was closest to Elijah, but getting to know Kol and Rebekah was nice too. It was only Finn and Klaus that she had a hard time being around, and even Klaus was marginally better than being around Finn or Esther.
"Will you be coming back to school soon?" Caroline asked.
"I don't know," Elena said before looking at Esther. No more had been discussed on that since her first morning in the mansion.
"I have given that more consideration. I would still prefer to homeschool you, as I'm not sure that I trust the public school system, however, Elijah has reminded me that that is not the norm, and we are trying to fit in around here. I will allow you to return to school, Elena, but there will be conditions. If I find you've broken even one of them, I will pull you out immediately," Esther warned her.
"I won't. I'll abide by any rules you set. I promise," Elena said quickly. School would be her only chance for any kind of freedom. It was the only place she wouldn't be afraid to even have a conversation with another person without fearing that she'd be overheard.
"That's good to hear. Rebekah will be joining you, as you already know. Finn will drop you off and pick you up each day. If you attempt to leave the grounds while there, not only will I pull you out, but there will be severe consequences," Esther warned in a hard tone.
"Are threats really necessary, Mother?" Klaus asked in an irritated tone.
"No, It's okay, Klaus. I understand why Mother is worried. I shouldn't have tried to run that first night. I'm really sorry about that. I won't do it again," Elena swore. She was laying it on thick for Esther, but she truly didn't have any intention of running. She knew it wouldn't do her any good. Esther would find her and make her life even more unbearable.
Klaus gave his sister a half smile. She was learning how to play this game. He was glad. Hopefully, it would keep her on his mother's good side until him and his siblings could find a solution.
"That's good to hear. Now, from what I understand, that young vampire from the ball, Stefan also attends school with you. I want you to steer clear of him. You are not to have any unnecessary contact with him or his brother. Rebekah, as I will be unable to enforce that myself, I expect you to do it," Esther said.
"Of course, Mother," Rebekah said.
"That's all for now, Elena. You can return next week," Esther said.
"Okay. Thank you, Mother," Elena said before returning to her food.
