Klaus rifled through the closet of the man he was possessing, his lip curling in disdain as he pawed through the cheap, mass-produced garments. He'd hoped for something that wouldn't make him feel like he was scraping the bottom of the fashion barrel, but it seemed his host had a penchant for attire that screamed 'discount store special'. He wasn't as much of a snob about his clothing as Elijah who considered wearing anything that cost less than nine thousand dollars to be grossly barbaric. Or Rebekah who'd always been of the opinion that the more something cost the better it looked on her. But he still had some standards. Unfortunately, the closet didn't contain anything that met them.

"Ugh! Who is this guy, Safari Sam?" Klaus muttered to himself, a mixture of frustration and revulsion colouring his tone. He eyed the array of lacklustre options before him, each one seemingly more uninspiring than the last.

He plucked out the two least offensive shirts and held them up for inspection, turning to address Katerina, who sat nearby with a mixture of resignation and fear in her eyes.

"Okay, bad, or badder?"

"The dark colours suit you better."

"Oh, thank you, honey." He said sarcastically, flinging the checked shirt aside with a disdainful flick of his wrist. Settling on the plain black shirt, pulling it on with a sense of begrudging acceptance.

"Okay, pop quiz," Klaus continued, his mind already racing ahead to more pressing matters. "The moonstone is in the Salvatores' possession, correct?"

"That's what Elijah believed," Katerina confirmed, her voice tinged with a hint of apprehension. "They used a fake one to trap me in the tomb and gave another fake to the witches working with Elijah."

"Okay, gonna need to get that from them before the full moon," Klaus mused aloud, his thoughts churning with possibilities. "Luckily there is no shortage of people in this town to leverage in return for the stone."

"Don't forget, they're allied with Elijah," Katerina reminded him, her words a sobering reality check. "Who may or may not still have a dagger in his back courtesy of John Gilbert."

"Right." Klaus acknowledged as he finished buttoning up the shirt and slowly crossed the room to the chair Katerina was sitting in. His mind already formulating plans to outmanoeuvre Elijah. "Better watch out for him just in case. Such a buzzkill my big brother. What else?"

"That's it," Katerina replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Klaus approached her slowly, a predatory gleam in his eyes as he loomed over her. He reached out to stroke a hand down the side of her face, relishing the way she recoiled from his touch.

"Oh, so jumpy," Klaus taunted, his lips curling into a sinister smile.

"Please, just... kill me. I've told you everything that I know," Katerina pleaded, her desperation palpable.

He leant forward caging her in with a hand on each arm of the chair, enjoying the way she trembled and fought to escape from meeting his gaze.

You see, I believe that you believe that" Klaus whispered, his voice laced with menace. "But what would you not know? What could they be keeping from you? Hmm? Anything? Tell me."

Klaus leaned in closer, his gaze locking with hers, his compulsion taking root, as he sought to extract every last morsel of information from her unwilling mind.

"John told Isobel that the Salvatores' are looking for a way to break the curse without anyone being sacrificed. He didn't know why."

"One would assume it's to save the doppelganger. That's usually the reason people try to interfere. Isn't that why dear Trevor helped you escape." He smirked at her, "Not that it matters. I will get the moonstone. The doppelganger will die. And you dear Katerina… you will pay for your crimes against me."

"Please. Just kill me, Klaus, and be done with it."

"And show you kindness?" He asked, voice soft as a whisper, "I've searched for you for over five hundred years. Your death is going to last at least half that long."

He pulled a pocketknife he'd found amongst the teachers belongings out of his pocket and opened it, holding it out to Katerina.

"I want you to take this knife… And stab yourself."

She reached out slowly and accepted the blade, every inch of her body screaming reluctance, but she could not escape the compulsion he had placed her under. Plunging it down into her thigh, biting back the grunts of pain that fought to escape from her throat.

"Now take it out." He instructed.

She yanked it back out, wiping the blood away from the fast-healing wound.

"Now while I'm gone, I want you to do that over and over and over again and if you get bored," his lips curved into a cruel smile, "switch legs."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go lay eyes on my precious doppelganger."

Maybe taunt her a little bit too if the opportunity arose. He leant forward and softly kissed Katerina's forehead.

"Oh, don't look so glum, Katerina. The fun is just beginning." He walked away and grabbed a jacket from the hooks by the door. "Again." He ordered, loving the pain filled groan Katerina let out as he left the apartment.

"No! Absolutely not!"

The tension in the room crackled like lightning as Damon's voice thundered against the walls, his words a vehement denial of the risky proposal laid before him. Aradia, with an air of calm amidst the storm, sought to reason with him, her voice a soothing counterpoint to his mounting frustration.

"Damon, at least try to be reasonable," she implored, her tone tinged with an understanding borne of centuries of wisdom.

"Reasonable?" Damon's retort sliced through the air like a knife. "I think I'm being perfectly reasonable about not letting my thirteen-year-old daughter do something so risky."

The weight of his concern hung heavy in the room, a palpable presence that seemed to stifle even the breaths of those gathered. Yet, Aradia remained resolute, her conviction unwavering in the face of opposition.

"She won't be doing it alone," she reassured him, "They'll be a group of us working in unison. The same as when we removed the spell from Stefan."

But Damon remained unconvinced, his scepticism etched into the lines of his furrowed brow.

"It's still risky, though, or you would have led with that," he countered, his voice a bitter reminder of the stakes at hand.

"Maya will need to be the one to lead the spell, to channel the power that breaks the curse. And yes, there is some risk, but it's minimal." Aradia sighed, "Honestly, Damon, the biggest risk in this isn't the spell. It's someone else trying to interfere. Whether that's Niklaus himself or any number of people that he's pissed off over the past thousand years."

Elijah, ever the voice of reason, lent his support to Damon's apprehension.

"I too am wary of allowing my niece to do something that carries even a modicum of risk," he admitted.

"Thank you." Damon waved a hand at Elijah, and glaring at the others in a clear gesture of 'See. He gets it.' His frustration evident in the rigid set of his jaw.

"I understand your concern, Damon." Aradia said gently, "I really do. You asked us to find another way to break the curse and we have."

"Try again." Damon retorted, "I asked you to find another way, so that I could protect Maya from getting hurt, not so she could be placed directly in harms way."

"There isn't another way." Galen spoke for the first time since the five of them had sat down to discuss breaking the curse. "If there was, we would have lead with that. We've examined the grimiore Lord Mikaelson provided, we've spent weeks examining the moonstone. There are only two ways to break the curse. The Sacrifice of Three, or a descendant of the Original Witch casting the counterspell."

"Damn it!" Damon began to pace up and down the living room, dissatisfaction evident in every part of his frame.

"Maya is the only one who can do it." Galen added. "There is no other choice for this, not unless you want to sacrifice three lives, one of which might possibly be your own. I know I don't know Maya as well as the rest of you, but I think she'd be willing to risk it to keep people she loves safe."

"She's THIRTEEN!" Damon bit out through gritted teeth, "A child. It's not her job to protect us, it's our job to protect her."

Aradia and Galen both poised to speak once more, their determination evident in the set of their shoulders, but they faltered as Himiko intervened with a mere flick of her hand. The room fell silent, all eyes turning to her as she addressed Damon with a quiet authority that brooked no argument.

"Damon," she began, her voice carrying a weight of conviction that demanded attention. "Maya is my student. If I did not believe her capable of doing this, I would never have allowed either of them to tell you of the possibility."

Damon bristled, his initial instinct to retort stifled by the force of Himiko's gaze. He turned to face her, his mouth poised to respond, but a single glance from her was all it took to quell his protest. Despite her diminutive stature and gentle appearance, there was an aura of power that emanated from Himiko, a quiet strength that rendered even the boldest of adversaries speechless.

At four feet nothing, with hair as white as freshly fallen snow and a face etched with the wisdom of ages, Himiko seemed the epitome of fragility. Yet, beneath that seemingly delicate exterior lay a formidable force to be reckoned with. Damon couldn't help but marvel at the sheer presence she commanded—a presence that eclipsed even the formidable matriarch, Narcissa, in its intensity.

In that moment, as the weight of Himiko's words hung heavy in the air, Damon realized that he stood not only against the counsel of his peers but against the unwavering conviction of a woman who had seen far more than he could ever imagine. Even Aradia, by far the oldest person in the room, and Elijah, with a millennium behind him, didn't carry the same weight that Himiko did. Whether because they were immortal and Himiko was not, or simply because she had faced harsher battles than they ever had, he didn't know. All he knew was that his defiance was futile, for in Himiko's presence, there was no room for doubt or dissent.

He knew she never spoke anything more or less than the truth. However harsh that truth might be. Her reminder that Maya was her student, that she carried the weight of responsibility for his daughter, just as he did. Well, those words held more sway than all the arguments Aradia and Galen could make combined. Aradia might be headmistress of the Academy, but Himiko was her teacher, her mentor, her guide. Or as Maya put it, the Jedi Master to her Padawan, her very own Obi-Wan Kenobi, her Yoda. They shared a bond that no one else could understand, not even him. If Himiko believed Maya could perform the spell, then that was the truth. If Himiko had any doubts, she'd have snatched the moonstone, tied up Elena and delivered her, a werewolf, and a vampire, directly to Niklaus herself.

"Maya can do this." Himiko repeated, "It's not nearly as risky as Aradia and Galen are making it sound. No riskier than any of the other magic I've been teaching her anyway. Beyond that, she will not be alone, we will be there with her. If at any point I feel the spell is too much for her, then I will stop it immediately."

Damon groaned, running a hand through his hair, but was saved from replying by the arrival of Stefan who led Bonnie and Elena into the living room. His brother's frown was much more pronounced than usual, alerting Damon to the fact that something was wrong, as opposed to Stefan just brooding as normal.

"What happened?"

"Klaus compelled one of the students at Mystic Falls to give me a message." Elena told him, before Stefan could answer. Despite the fact that Damon's question had been aimed at his brother.

"What, precisely was his message?" Elijah asked.

Aradia, Himiko, and Galen exchanged looks before standing up, preparing to leave.

"We'll leave you to deal with this." Aradia said, "Think about what we said. We'll see ourselves out."

Damon nodded, and the three of them left, nodding to Bonnie and Stefan as they walked past, and completely ignoring Elena's presence and curious gaze.

"Miss Gilbert?" Elijah prompted.

"That he'd be at the dance tonight and would I save him the last dance."

"So don't go." Damon suggested, checking the time.

They still had about an hour before Maya was due home, but he wanted Elena out before that happened. Having no desire to explain to her about the wixen world, despite the fact that as she was technically a supernatural being, she was legally allowed to know. He didn't trust her, plain and simple. A knock came from the front door and Stefan stepped out and came back in followed by Alaric a moment later.

Elena huffed and frowned at Damon.

"It's the decade dance Damon. I can't just not go."

"Sure, you can. The sixties weren't even that great anyway, segregation, Vietnam war, threat of nuclear annihilation, etcetera. The sixties were pretty rubbish when you think about it. Except for the Beatles, the Beatles made it bearable."

"That's what I said." Ric said, flashing a grin Damon's way.

"I'm going, Damon." Elena replied stubbornly, "We just need to make a plan in case Klaus makes a move tonight."

"Plan away." Damon replied, with a carefree wave of his arm. "I will be busy. Maya's having friends from school here for a sleepover and I am chaperoning."

"You could at least pretend to take this seriously." Elena complained, pouting at him.

"I'm taking this very seriously Elena. If you're worried about Klaus showing up. Then don't go, it's as simple as."

"I'm going." Elena repeated, glaring at him.

"Then that's your problem. Not mine."

"Maybe Damon's right." Bonnie suggested, "maybe we should just give it a miss. It's just one dance."

"No! No." Elena shook her head, "Klaus does not get to just come in and mess with my life. I'm going to the dance and I'm going to have fun."

"I don't know Elena…" Ric began.

"I'm going Ric."

"In that case, if it will ease your mind Miss Gilbert, Miss Bennett, perhaps I might attend as a… I believe they call them chaperones?" Elijah glanced over at Alaric who stared at him for a moment, seemingly stupefied, before nodding.

"Yeah. Sure, I can put you down."

Elijah inclined his head, and spread his arms in a there you are gesture whilst looking at Elena.

"Thank you, Elijah."

"Not at all. I will see you tonight."

"Come on." Bonnie tugged on Elena's arm slightly, "We'll go to yours and grab your stuff, then you can get ready at mine."

The two of them left, followed by Alaric. Stefan sighed and shook his head ruefully.

"Sorry. I did try to convince her to give it a miss, but she was insistent. I thought if more of us told her the same, she might start to listen."

Damon nodded crisply, understanding Stefan's reasons for bringing Elena over and inviting Ric, even if the intervention hadn't worked. He glanced at Elijah who was frowning pensively.

"Something wrong?"

"Not at all." Elijah replied with a shake of his head, "My brother enjoys playing his games. I doubt he means any actual harm to anyone tonight."

"So, you think he just won't go?" Stefan asked.

"That, or he'll attend in someone else's body so he can have his fun without risking himself in the process."

"He can possess people?"

"Oh yes, it's a favourite trick of his." Elijah set down his glass and stood. "I suppose I should go and get ready. Please give my apologies to Maya, and inform her that I am looking forward to attending her soccer match tomorrow."

"Will do."

"Oh, by the way. I understand your apprehension with regards to Maya being the one to break the curse. Understand and share it. But I also am well acquainted with Lady Aradia and Himiko, they would not put any child in needless danger. It is your choice whether to allow it, and I will support your decision either way."

Damon nodded.

"Thank you. I'll think about it, we have time."

"Indeed, we do."

Maya, Sora, and Kamala piled onto Maya's bed and peered at the screen of the laptop Maya had placed on her lap. Maya had it pulled up to a website she'd stumbled across by accident when she'd been looking for more glitter bombs after Damon had confiscated the last ones.

"So, what you just anonymously send them glitter?" Kamala asked.

"It doesn't seem that vengeful" Sora added doubtfully.

Maya nodded firmly.

"Most adults hate glitter. It gets everywhere, makes a mess, and when you finally think you've cleaned it all up, you find it all over again." She explained, an eager gleam in her eyes.

Understanding dawned on her two friends and they both nodded. Finally seeing the beauty of her plan.

"Lets do it." Kamala said excitedly. "You said there was three of them, right?"

Maya bit her lip slightly, then nodded, firm in her decision. John Gilbert and the Mayor were both definites, she'd been wavering on Alaric for a bit, but decided then and there that he still deserved some punishment for what he'd tried to do to Damon, even if she'd eased up a bit over the past month or so.

"Do you think we could send one to Grace Porter as well?" Sora asked, an unusually baleful look in her eyes.

Kamala and Maya exchanged looks, both shrugging to let the other know they had no idea.

"What's she done now?" Kamala asked.

"Do you know her address?" Maya said at the exact same moment, perfectly willing to throwdown for her friend, even without knowing what Grace had done to upset Sora this time.

Sora sighed and ran a hand through her long black hair.

"The usual, she kept making snide remarks all the way through gym class and then again at dance club this afternoon. She said I looked like a drowned rat after swimming, and that I had two left feet on the dance floor. She also made fun of my outfit, my earrings, and my backpack. She's such a bully, I can't stand her."

Maya and Kamala exchanged dark glances. Grace Porter, an untriggered werewolf, with some fey blood in her background, was notorious for her less-than-pleasant demeanour. Her penchant for snide remarks and disrespectful behaviour had earned her a reputation among the girls in their year, but it seemed she had reserved a special animosity for Sora.

Ever since some undisclosed incident in Gym Class at the beginning of the academic year, Grace had made it her mission to make Sora's life miserable. Neither Maya nor Kamala shared gym with Sora, unfortunately, so they couldn't always be there to back her up. But on the few occasions Grace had tried something with them present, she had ended up walking away unsuccessful in her attempts to put Sora down.

Maya and Kamala were completely unwilling to stand for someone bullying their friend, and both of them were fully willing to fight Grace if she made it an issue, and Grace knew it. Even as she knew neither of them would make the first move, so mostly she restricted herself to verbally attacking Sora in the classes she shared with her, that the two of them weren't in.

So, an envelope filled with glitter and a note telling her what a terrible person she was being was the perfect way to get back at her without getting in too much trouble if someone did figure out it was them. The only problem was figuring out a way to get it to her, since none of them knew her address.

"I know." Maya said after they'd thought about it for a while. "I'll get it delivered here, then we can find a way to slip it to her at school without being found out."

"Leave it on her desk, for her to find." Kamala suggested.

"Or slip it into her locker when nobody else is around to see." Sora said a beat later.

"We'll figure it out, once we have it." Maya decided.

All three of them shared gleeful looks as they arranged for four envelopes of glitter, for four deserving recipients.