"Where is she?" Damon roared, fortunately soothed down by the loud music blasting once more as if a student and a teacher haven't misteriously dissappear. Of course, if that was a normal ball in a normal school from a normal town, under no peculiar circumstances, no one should worry about it. The power went out a little and shortly came back – it happens. The teacher could have been searching to fix the problem while the student probably went to the bathroom.
Celia, Caroline, Stefan, Jeremy and Damon knew better. Klaus sent his witches after Alaric before, for some unknown reasons and Elena is the one he is after. Their nerves streched at the point of breaking, frantically looking for either of their missing people. When it became obvious they weren't in the room anymore, the five friends split up to search the whole building and outside in the nearby surroundings.
The one who found the lost lamb was met with an unexpected view. Alaric pulled a squirming Elena behind him, tighteninh his hold on her the morr she tried to break free. The man completely ignored her rightful questions and protests, keeping quiet and stoic the whole time. Celia, for she caught them in the yard in the back of the school building, screamed after them – mainly, mostly, only after Ric – to stop. Not the smartest ideas she had, nor the one with the best outcome, but the history teacher did turn around.
"Great. Now what?" The brunette witch murmured under her breath. Before she could make up her mind, Elena and mr. Saltzman were both gone.
She furrowed her brows in confusion. "What?" Her wishper got carried away by the wind, yet the question remained as true as if spoken out loud.
Wierd. The girl watched the invisible trail they left behind, the image of lifeless eyes looking back at her from above Alaric's half turned shoulder tugging at her memory. It was as if he saw through her, or the gaze of a stranger staring at her.
"Maybe Klaus compelled him." Stefan mused. A strong, standing possibility. And still, Celia believed it not.
"Does it matter? We need to find Elena!" Damon shushed any further argument. The brunette witch and the blonde vampire went with Jeremy and, respectively, Stefan while Damon remained to wake up Bonnie and have her help him.
As fascinating as it is to see how a bunch of teenagers roam aimlessly on the misty paths of a small town, looking for clues that don't even exist – or they don't know what they look like – and wasting time hoping for a destination out of reach, what Elena did during her small but serious search party's attempts to save her is way more entrataining.
She had the honour to meet her murderer before the sacriffice had to happen. The one and only notorious Klaus Mikaelson led her to a small, bought not rented apartament at the borders of the town. Katherine was there too and a huge, high coffin shaped box leaned on an entire, otherwise empty wall. On the floor, a circle draw in white dust was decorated with candles every here and there, right in front of it. In the middle, a witch kneeled, eyes closed in concentration, murmuring words Elena did not understand.
"Ric, you've been compelled, but I've seen people break free of it. If you hear me, I know you can too!"
Alaric watched her for a second. Then he laughed so hard his head fall backwards. "I am sorry, swetheart," he spoke, except it wasn't him anymore. The voice even sounded different when those four words leaved his mouth in a perfect british accent. One that seemed so old and powerful it couldn't be normal. "I am afraid mister Saltzman is not quite available right now."
Ric's face smiled an actual mocking grin, filled with superiority. "You are not Alaric!" Elena said, meaing to sound sure of herself, but fear clouded her tone and it came out as a fearful question – the kind students breath out in class, scared of being wrong and made fun of despite being sure of the answer.
"I'm not," the man nodded and voiced his agreement.
"You're Klaus."
The man smiled again. "Indeed."
"But how?"
Not that Klaus Mikaelson would have wanted to answer her, but he didn't got the chance to. The quiet witch rose from the ground and Elena could take a better look at her.
"It's you!" She gasped. Bonnie befriended a warlock earlier that month who helped them gather intell about thei enemy. His sister has gone missing for a while and they suspected Klaus kidnaped her too. Ever since, the Bennet witch ranted on and on about her, eager to bring her back to her family. So, it was easy to recognize the short girl.
Except, she didn't seem afraid or in the slightest bit out of place. Moreover she happily announced whatever spell she prepared was ready, motioning to her supposed tortioner to step in the circle.
"Listen, I don't know who you think I am, but shut up. I need to focus now."
"You don't have to do it. We can escape him together."
Elena recieved an annoyed glare at her proposal. "Why would I want to run away? I came here willingly."
"But, your brother, your father... they're worried. They are looking for you."
The girl groaned in uneerstatment, rolling her eyes. She wore a black hoodie that reach to her knees and a pair of dark brown jeens. She pulled her messy, seemingly dirty hair from her face and ignored Elena and her rants about escaping and her family. The witch had yellow nail polish, but the colour started to wear off. She must have worked hard for the evil hybrid. And not even forced to.
"But why?" The doppleganger dreaded whatever the spell was and kept talking, trying to buy some time. She hoped would be enough for her friends to rescue her.
"I don't owe you an explanation for my life choices. Now be quiet or I'll make you so!" Grenda, for that is her name, threatened. She strayed away from her coven's ways and ended up in Klaus' witches arms. She stayed there, helping the all powerful original, amazed by him.
When both her abductor and his loyal magic wielder were not paying her any attention, too focused on that creepy looking speel made in what now became a dark room, lit only by those candles, Elena tried to break free.
But the room held one more person she appearantly forgot about. Katherine Pierce, the other doppleganger, speed up and landed in front of poor Elena. "Nah, nah", the vampire mused. "You can't leave. But look at the bright side, at least you will be dead soon. Who knows for how long I have to endure his manners."
Katherine's voice meant to taunt her twin from another era, yet fear laced within her too. Five hundred years ago, she was in Elena's place. To cheat her fate, she hanged herself and turn into a vampire, useless for Klaus' sacriffice. Ever since, she ran from his wrath. And now, she was his prisoner.
"Let go of me!" The younger doppleganger struggled.
"No can do, Elena. Not even if I wanted, which I don't particulary do."
Before Elena could catch up on the meaning of what she just said – perhaps if she realized some things wold have been different in the future – the huge box opened and a siluethe stepped out.
Alaric's body, deserted on the floor like a piece of useless lump brought down by a powerful storm, laied still. The only sign of life still being inside him, a small raised of his chest every now and then, did not calm Elena's nerves. She watched him with worry, but soon, her attention moved to the unknown figure who exit the box.
It was a man. Tall, lean but muscular, with curly? blonde hair that framed messily his head from the hard travel inside four, crammed walls. His eyes stared at her, gleaming with mischief while his lips curled up in a crooked smile.
He clapped his hands at his back and walked out of the circle. "Thank, you, Grenda. Much better now."
Elena tried to step back, but Katherine's grip still on her stopped the sudden movement. "No need to fear me, love. As dear Katarina here, you are my guest."
"Klaus" the teenage girl spit in fear and hatred, not knowing what else to do or to say.
"You'll have to excuse the modest place. I needed something that wouldn't atract too much attention and frankly, I don't think your teacher could be seen in luxury." When he talked, a thick, british accent hit Elena's ears. It was ancient, old, but powerful and elegant. Too bad such terrible words left his mouth.
"Ric! What did you do to him?" This time she pushed forward in an attempt to reach the unconcious man. Katherine allowed it, after Klaus did too. The smile never left his face, but the vampire doppleganger's face turned paler seeing his real body again. The same face that haunted her from place to place for five centuried, now onve more so close to her.
"Do not fret, Elena. He'll be fine. I simply needed to borrow his body for a day." His lips spreaded more in a charming smile that behold nothing good or charming.
Lips parted, teeth grazing the inside of the bottom one and eyes wide as a deer in a flashlight, Elena gulped. She could not leave the figure looming over the entire place as he owned not just the room, but everything and everyone inside it too. Worried, she sunggled closer to the limp, sleeping tacher and waited, fearing for tomorrow.