#Bram Stoker sure likes to torture us with long waits

[ninadove]

Nina reads Dracula 🦇

October 26th

Another day and no tidings of the Czarina Catherine. She ought to be here by now. That she is still journeying somewhere is apparent, for Mrs. Harker's hypnotic report at sunrise was still the same. It is possible that the vessel may be lying by, at times, for fog; some of the steamers which came in last evening reported patches of fog both to north and south of the port. We must continue our watching, as the ship may now be signalled any moment.

In a horror movie this would be a “HE’S RIGHT BEHIND YOU” moment. I sure hope this isn’t going to turn into a “HE’S RIGHT BEHIND YOU” moment.

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[duhragonball]

Hellsing Liveblog Ch. 2-3

Chapter 2 is a flashback to the origin of Sir Integra Hellsing.   As established in Chapter 1, the Hellsing Organization is a secret anti-Halloween-monster task force.   From what I’ve been able to tell, they have a small army of guys and they all live and train in a big mansion, and the Hellsing family runs the whole show.   It’s sort of like the X-Men except they actually do cool shit and you only have to keep track of four or five characters.   

It’s implied throughout this manga that the Hellsing Family is descended from Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire hunter seen in Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula.    Shoot, I just remembered I wanted to read the novel so I’d know what this manga was referencing, but it’s too late, I’ll just have to do that later.   I’ve been meaning to read the Great Gatsby for several years, too, and I just never get around to it.   

On the other hand, Integra claimed that her family had been at this since “ancient times”, suggesting that they predate the events of the Dracula novel.  If Abraham Van Helsing was part of their line, then he may have only been carrying on a tradition instead of founding a new one.   I think the conceit of Hellsing is that it regards the Dracula novel as part of its canon.   That is, in this fictional world, the events in the novel really happened, more or less.    I don’t know if that means the novel exists in this world or not.

Whatever the case, it was Arthur Hellsing running the organization up until 1989, when he suddenly took ill.   On his deathbed, he named his daughter as his successor, and asked his brother Richard to help her run things, since Integra was like, twelve, at the time.

Instead, Richard waited three days and staged a coup, forcing Li’l Integra to hide in the ventilation ducts.   He has to act quickly, and kill her before the whole staff finds out what he’s up to, but if he can kill her, he’ll assume control and be set for life.    I’m not really sure what Richard wants out of this.    Maybe he just really wants to run the family business, or maybe he wants to shut the whole thing down and just be a wealthy nobleman without all the monsters.   Anyway, the search for Integra leads to the “underground sector”, which hasn’t been used in over twenty years, so I guess 1969 is about when it was shut down?    It houses a dark arts lab, a library, speciment room, torture chamber, dissecting room, and a dungeon.   That last one tips Richard off, because before he died, Arthur told her that she could find something that would protect her.  

But all she finds inside is a corpse, and then Richard and his goons show up shortly after.   He plans to kill her slowly to punish her for wasting his time, but when he shoots he in the arm, some of the blood splashes on the corpse, and then it comes to life.

Just like Frosty the Snowman, only horrifying.   Richard tries to kill it, which seems pretty stupid, considering how they thought it was dead a minute ago.   That goes about as well as you’d expect, and after slaughtering the goons and taking Richard’s arm, the corpse kneels before Integra and addresses her as “Master.”

Richard apparently knew nothing of this, but the corpse seems to recognize him, at least as far as a Hellsing who’s not fit to head the family.  As Integra shoots Richard dead, the corpse introduces himself as Alucard, the name her family has always called him.  

One thing I find interesting here is that I could have sworn the Hellsing Ultimate anime established that Richard had poisoned Arthur, presumably thinking he would have a clear shot at the inheritance.   But it’s never mentioned here.   Maybe this was something they added in, because honestly, it just makes too much sense.  The implication of this flashback is that there are certain secrets in the Hellsing Family that only got passed down from parent to child.    Arthur and Richard’s father must have known about Alucard, and Arthur was likely the one who sealed him up in the basement in the first place, but neither of them said a word about him to Richard.   Maybe if they had, Richard might have thought twice before trying to take over.   Like the Cheddar Priest, he thought he had it all figured out, but he didn’t know what he didn’t know.

Back in the present day, Alucard is on the shooting range with Seras, teaching her how to shoot.   Seras already knows how to fire a gun, but Al wants her to hit targets at greater distances, using The Force a vampiric “third eye.”   He demonstrates by shooting a target one kilometer away, and hitting it perfectly.   For some reason, Integra is reading the paper nearby, and reminiscing about the her first meeting with Alucard ten years ago.   For some reason, she takes umbrage with the idea that she’s not still a “little girl” like she was back then.   Seras even ribs her a bit, which ticks Integra off.   Of course, Seras wouldn’t think Integra’s a “little girl”.   Integra’s a few years older than she is.  

The main point of all of this is that it establishes why Alucard works for Integra, and what they did with Seras after Alucard turned her into a vampire.   One way or another, Seras is just drafted to fight the Vampire Wars, or whatever they call it.   I find this kind of unsatisfying, because the anime didn’t expand on it either.   Seras just wakes up in the mansion, and Integra tosses her a uniform and says “Get dressed, kid, your shift starts in twenty minutes.”

I think Seras wants to work for the Hellsing Organization, partly because she has nowhere else to go, and partly because she admires Alucard and wants to join his cause.    But it’s never established that Seras has a choice in the matter.  It’s implied that Alucard is magically bound to the Hellsing family.    Integra called him “the research” that her “father and the others were doing.”  Like, you can’t just have a vampire work for you, you have to do stuff to him to make him obey.   I don’t think they’re mind-controlling Al per se.  He seems fully aware of what his role is, and he’s totally comfortable in it.   But he’s not just doing this voluntarily, either.    Integra has some sort of power over him, and my assumption is that Seras inherited that same quality when Alucard turned her.   So now she’s bound to Integra’s orders in the same way.  

But there’s a lot of unanswered questions in this.    I would think Alucard would be expressly forbidden from making his own ghouls or vampire broods.   Yet he drank Seras’ blood without any problems.  Maybe he’s allowed to do it if he has permission?    That might be it.    But then he brings her back to Integra, and I assume she has to make the decision to either keep Seras or destroy her.   I mean, Seras is handy to have on the team, sure, but if this was a good idea, why didn’t they have Alucard do this before?   I guess the situation just never came up.  

I think a lot about what might have happened if the Cheddar Priest had turned her into a vampire.    Would she have become loyal to him?  He said she would have free will, but she’s pretty deferential to Alucard, so what’s that about?   And if she had become a vampire and turned against the Priest, would Al have allowed her to live?   He was on a mission to destroy vampires, so I would think he would have shot first and asked questions later.    Well, let’s move on.

Chapter 3 jumps ahead to August 12, so Seras has been with the team for a little over a month now.   A bunch of murders have taken place in Birmingham (England, not Alabama), and this time no one waits around to call in Hellsing, though they are still surprised to find out she’s a woman.     

This time, the culprit is on the move, and Integra deduces that they’re choosing specific households full of “devout Christians” and spacious walls to write “blasphemous anti-Christian messages.”   Since they’re moving along Route 17, Integra has a rough idea of where they’ll strike next.  

I don’t know what the point of the “blasphemous messages” or seemingly ritual killings is supposed to be, since the killers are just this young vampire couple who only seem to be interested in this for immortality and power.   Their goal seems to be to kill thirteen families, and “they’ll” see to it that they get stronger.   I don’t know if this means some other party has put them up to this, or maybe they mean “they” as in all the families they’re killing.   It’s like this is an initiation ritual or something, except we’ve already seen Seras become a vampire, and she didn’t have to do anything like this to seal the deal. 

Then again, maybe the point of this chapter is to demonstrate that vampires take a while to get all their powers.  When Alucard confronts them, he scolds them, not for their string of murders, but for their lack of conviction, and their inability to transform or fight without guns.     So maybe this couple was trying to jumpstart the process by feeding on several dozen people in a short span of time.    But Al seems to think that isn’t how it works.    I don’t fully understand his moral code, but he doesn’t seem to object to vampires on principle.   Being a vampire is fine with him, so long as you have a purpose to it.   If you’re only in it for immortality and power, with no other reason, then he doesn’t respect you.   Seras wanted to live, but not necessarily forever, and I think she wanted power, but only enough to fight against evil.   That’s what sets her apart in Alucard’s eyes. 

So he kills the boy, but the girl escapes out the window, but Alucard already had that move scouted.

I’m not sure who’s saying “No!” here.   Maybe the girl vampire running down the road.   Anyway, Alucard put Seras on the roof of the house before he went inside, just in case anyone tried to make a break for it.   So all she has to do is shoot down the runner before she’s out of range.  Except she’s 600 meters away, it’s night time, and Seras doesn’t have a scope for her gun.   But Al reminds her to use her “third eye” and it works.  

After it’s over, Seras realizes that she didn’t even feel the recoil of the gun, and she can see in the dark with no trouble at all.   She wonders what’s happening to her, but that seems like a dumb question to ask one month after turning into a vampire.    I’m guessing the first few weeks of it didn’t feel all that different to her, and she probably knew she’d get stronger and better at shooting guns, but now that it’s actually happening it feels a lot stranger than she expected it to be.   In the anime, Seras also points out that she can hear Alucard talking to her in her mind, which is also weird, but I guess she’s got plenty of other weird stuff to process now.

Back at the base, Integra considers the recent increase in vampire attacks.   They’re all jobbers, like this couple Al and Seras killed, and none of them have any particular agenda, except to kill people.    She begins to wonder if someone’s making all these vampires just to cause trouble.  Hmmm...

So, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself here, but this foreshadows Milennium quite nicely, but are we saying Milennium made vampires out of that boy and girl?   Were they behind the Cheddar Priest as well?  Also, “two” doesn’t seem like a huge increase in vampire incidents, so I guess there have been some other vampires running around between Chapters 1 and 3.   Oh well. 

[carryonmywaywardwriters]

Love How You Hate Me - Sam x Reader

A/N: It’s late, but I wanted to get this up before I crash. Hope you all enjoy <3

PSA: I am NOT a minor friendly blog. If you are below 18, please come back when you’re older. I don’t want to lose my blog because you were too eager to grow up. If I discover you, I WILL block.

Series Masterlist

Upcoming Warnings: Show level violence. Mentions of childhood trauma/sexual abuse sprinkled in (not super detailed. I do have my limits). Smut. A lot of detailed smut. Kidnapping. Near death experiences. Etc. Individual chapters will have different warnings as needed. Read at your own risk.

Word Count: Roughly 3,500

“Singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs. With the boombox blaring as we're falling in love. Got a bottle of whatever, but it's getting us drunk. Singing here's to never growing up.” You bellowed along to the song heartily as you stirred the yellow concoction in the pan. Dancing a little in the purple short and lavender tank pajamas you'd donned the night before.

Dean hadn't mentioned the conversation you two had the week before. Instead, leaving it to settle on your shoulders. He knew just how to apply the pressure without doing much work. Forcing you to consider every angle. As if you'd ever truly leave the bunker.

His unease left you in a predicament, however. If you retaliated, the older Winchester would believe that you were miserable. So rather than raining hell on the younger brother, you simply backed away. Remaining almost, but not quite, civil.

Sam seemed almost disappointed in the lack of response. But, he didn't challenge it amazingly enough. It was nearly peaceful inside the cement walls for the first time in...well, ever.

The night before, Dean had announced there was a ghoul active a few states over. Naturally, he had to go. And along with him? His brother. Or, so you assumed.

Peace and quiet deserved a celebration. Homemade juice paired with farm fresh eggs fit the mood. There was no need to scramble madly to feed the larger than life men. You could let down your guard for a little while. Make yourself a nice breakfast.

“Song suits you,” Sam's voice made you jump as he walked over to the coffee machine, bed hair game strong. You watched enviously as he brushed his long locks back into place with just his work worn fingers. That isn't natural.

“What are you doing here?” You stared at him as if he was a ghost. His lips tugged up slowly. No doubt enjoying your obvious horror.

“Dean left. Not me.” He shrugged, simply. His body seemed to grow larger as he straightened to his full height. Silently daring you to challenge it. “Said he had it, and that was that.”

“Great.” You rubbed your forehead. The tightness climbing at the base of your skull indicated a tension headache moving in. All of the possible repercussions of Sam staying behind danced through your mind. It never ended well. The bickering and hostility grew to unbearable levels without the older brother as a middle man. Not that you'd tell Dean that. Not after the conversation you'd had with him. There was only one way to rectify the situation. “Here.”

Without missing a beat, you plated and slid the perfect omelet you'd slaved over, over to the monster himself. He didn't move an inch. Squinting at the dish as he inspected it. Your eyes rolled before he could even speak.

“What kind of poison is it?” He quirked his brow while poking at the plate. The lack of retaliation from the fish incident left him even more distrustful than usual.

“Every kind of rat poison known to man. I paired it with a touch of hydrochloric acid for a bit of extra bite.” An exaggerated kiss to your fingers emphasized your inner chef. When that only earned a side eye, you sighed. “I was making it for me, but then you had to go and show your ugly mug.”

While Dean taunted his brother for his 'pretty looks, you went to the opposite end of the spectrum. You figured that he needed his ego knocked down a bit. Even if it was the furthest thing from true. The Winchesters had genes that would make the Greek Gods jealous. Rivaling even Zeus when it came to sexual escapades. It was ridiculous.

He took it warily; making a point to sniff the eggs when he thought you weren't paying attention. Another small poke to the yellow fluff ensued. Finding nothing obviously wrong, Sam finally lifted the fork.

“I get sick? Expect something worse than the fish.” He warned before taking a small, experimental bite. You watched as he chewed slowly. Trying to discern if there was anything questionable mixed in.

“Oh, please.” You turned back to the ingredients you'd left out and started making another one for you. “Some of us aren't quite that devious.”

Well, all of the time. You'd definitely put a laxative in his food once or twice after one of his worse 'pranks'. And, might have set up a booby trap or two for him to walk into. Based on the way his eyes flashed your way, he definitely was thinking of those moments.

No one said a word after that. You flipped the new concoction while trying to ignore the hazel gaze that watched every move you made. It made you wonder what was dancing through that too smart head of his. Maybe a new method of torture?

You left him in the kitchen, choosing to go to the library to finish your breakfast. Escaping his presence as soon you could. Not caring in the slightest if it miffed him.

Once you were done, you scanned the thickly lined bookshelves. It was useless. Instead of the unlimited lore you had access to, you pulled out a favorite of yours.

A gentle, relaxed sigh left you as your body dropped into the cushioned chair that rested in the bit of a nook. However, the reading didn't go as smoothly as you'd hoped it would. Instead you stared at the words until they all seemed to blend into a giant muddle.

After what felt like hours, you gave up. Your cell was yanked off of the floor, where you'd set it. The number could have been dialed in your sleep. Sure enough, after three rings, you got the voice you wanted.

“Ghost busters.” Dean answered, making you shake your head lightly with a small smile. It had become his new catchphrase. The man was nothing if he wasn't able to geek out.

“You didn't tell me you were going on your own.” You went straight to business. After all, you were still more than a little unnerved from the younger man's stare. “A little warning would have been nice. I almost had a heart attack when a rouge big foot walked into the kitchen.”

“I just needed some time to myself, Y/N.” Guilt dripped from Dean's voice as he talked. “Look,” A weary sigh left him, “if you need me to come back, I will...but, if you don't? You'll just have to deal, okay?”

“Hey,” You sat up straighter. His tone worried you. Dean didn't like to show any kind of weakness. Ever. “You're okay, right?”

“Yeah,” He answered, but it fell flat. “Like I said. Just needed a little space. I haven't had any real alone time in a few months.” While you'd had plenty. As annoying as Sam Winchester could be? Human socialization was necessary. You could deal.

“I get that...” You trailed off, looking towards the shelves. “Just...be careful.” You knew he was a competent hunter, and then some. He'd saved the world. But, you always felt better when he had Sam by his side.

“Hey, you, too. Try to not let him get you too worked up. I don't know why-”

“I don't either, Dean.” You sighed, and rubbed your forehead. It was a discussion you didn't need. He needed reassurance. “I'll be good, okay? If it gets too crazy, I'll bail until you get back. Promise. Just...go let off some steam, and then come back to us in one piece.”

“Will do, sweetheart.” You heard the smile in his voice. He loved it when you mothered him. Took some of the weight off his shoulders. “See you soon. Don't kill my brother. It's a pain in the ass to get him back.”

“You better. And no promises.” His hearty laugh made you feel slightly better. It made him sound more alive, at least.

You hung up with him. Nothing else needed to be said. Not at that particular moment. If you could put off the unpleasant discussion of room and board longer? You would.

You tapped your fingers restlessly against the table you were seated at. Processing the situation you'd found yourself in. Wondering just how long you could go before the temporary peace fell apart.

Dwelling on it got you nowhere. Instead, a huff left you as you lifted your book. Determined to turn away from the real world for a bit. Miraculously enough, it worked. You lost yourself in the story.

“You're reading Dracula?” The incredulous sound of Sam Winchester yanked you out of the plot sometime later.

He stood there, head tilted as he took in the sight. His laptop in hand. No doubt preparing to search for a hunt of his own.

“It's a classic. Don't know why you're so surprised.” You didn't bother looking at Sam. Hoping he'd simply go away. As if you were ever that lucky.

Truth was, you had a shelf in the library to yourself. Classics and newer novels alike lined it. He had just never paid attention to what you'd brought into his home.

“Never known you to be a fan of classic literature-”

“You don't know a thing about me,” The book didn't lower as you spoke matter-of-factly. Trying to focus on the world in front of you. “You didn't bother trying to get to know me. Ever.”

You'd made a point to take note of things he liked back in the beginning. Attempted to discover things he enjoyed doing. A wasted effort, in the end. However, you still remembered enough.

Sam, though? He'd just ignored everything he couldn't use to harass you. As if all those other pieces of you didn't exist. At one point, you'd been bitter about it. That time had long since past. Leaving you with only a practical attitude towards it all.

“That's not-”

“Name one thing I like.” That time, you did finally set the novel down. Brow raised as you waited. Not really expecting him to come up with anything. You knew better.

“Bram Stoker.” Was the best he could manage with a small frown tugging at his pink lips.

“Doesn't count.” If you rolled your eyes any harder, they were sure to get stuck. “You literally just learned that, Sam. I've been here how long?” That seemed to sink in. For once, he looked almost uncertain in his dealings with you. His weight shifted uncomfortably “Look, Dean's gone. So, let's just make this easy for once. Speak frankly. I'm a bit tired of whatever game we've been playing. I have no idea what I did to become the one person you can't stand. And honestly? I don't care to know by this point. I'll stay out of your way, and you can just enjoy your time off.”

“Y/N-”

“Don't go feeling bad, now.” You got to your feet, holding your book. Glaring up at him for the almost kind tone he'd manged. You didn't want him to show you pity, or remorse. “It's a little late for that...” A deep, steadying breath left you. Calming yourself back down, you straightened your spine. “If you have a problem with me being here, I'll have Bane pick me up. Stay with them-”

“I-I'm not getting the blame because you're looking for an excuse to bail on Dean,” You'd never seen eyes that changed colors so fast. And yet, his did as they flashed. Darkening in that barely contained anger of his; nostrils flared.

You'd done it again. Pressed those buttons that no one else seemed to hit. Only you couldn't understand why.

“Bail on Dean?” You couldn't hold back the snort. The idea so foreign that you could do nothing more than dismiss it. “The only one I'm willing to bail on is you, Sam.” You grabbed your dirty dishes and cell phone before leaving without another word.

As you walked away, Sam couldn't tear his eyes away from your back. Unable to do more than think about your words as he took over your seat.

You weren't wrong. As much as he hated to admit it to himself. When it came to you? If it wasn't something he could use to piss you off, he was clueless.

He turned his head away as you disappeared, glancing over at the shelf you'd claimed. Staring at the books, but not processing any of it. Much like he'd done with you.

Even when you tried making peace over the coffee incident, he'd pushed you away. Right from that first day, he'd been the one bent on confrontation. Not you. Once you'd stooped to his level, it had become comfortable. The one person he could be a boar to without remorse. Well, almost. Some days, he nearly felt guilty.

He didn't quite place what it was about you that made him act like such an ass. It couldn't be boiled down to one  particular thing. It was just you in your entirety. But, when it came to the things he disliked? There was a list.

He despised the way you seemed to lead his brother on. More than once, he'd caught you sneaking into Dean's room at night and then leaving in the morning. And yet, you never even hinted at anything more being a possibility between you two. Pretended it never happened.

Dean might not have realized it, but he deserved far better than being used as a sex object after everything he'd been through. His brother deserved the good life. A wife. Maybe some kids. Hell, even a dog.

The longer you kept him on the hook, the longer it would take for him to find what he really needed. Sam tried to not interfere in that area in Dean's life, but that didn't mean he approved of the way you went about it all. Not in the slightest.

The scariest thing about you? You didn't ever hunt. He didn't even think you could. You knew the book work. And while that had its pros, he hadn't seen you put it to use. Not once. Training to stay in shape? That was a joke.

Your lack of skill was a threat. It was dangerous- mentally and physically- for both his brother and your mutual friends to be attached to someone who couldn't defend themselves. If you didn't break his heart by walking away, you'd do it with your inevitable death.

And in their lives, it was inevitable for anyone who couldn't fight. That's just the way things worked when someone was involved with a Winchester. If anyone understood that, it was the younger brother.

Sam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly. There was more. But, those two? Those were the main ones that would destroy Dean. That would end up taking down Sam with it.

You were entirely right. He didn't know you outside of the outline he'd mentally created. Of the list of negatives. Though, he'd never tell you that. Maybe I owe it to Dean to try a little harder, Sam thought to himself. With a sigh, he gave in; adding as an afterthought, and I guess I owe it to her, too.

-

“Go out and meet some people, Y/N.” Alice chimed over the phone. Sounding all too bright for someone in her condition.

“I have met people, Alice.” You sighed, kicking your feet towards the head of your bed while your head hung off the front. Something you'd never quite grown out of. “Too many.”

“Fine. Let me elaborate.” She huffed into your ear, making your lips twitch. Suddenly understanding Dean's amusement when you pulled out that tone. “I'll try to be as blunt as possible here. Be warned.”

“I'm listening.” You answered, knowing it was going to be something completely off field. Sure enough, she didn't disappoint.

“Go have hot, sweaty sex with an orgasm giving god that you have no intention of ever seeing again.”

Sam and Dean would have had a heart attack if they heard their precious, little Alice speaking in such a matter. But, you? You'd heard it all. It didn't even earn a blink in surprise. She'd have been wholeheartedly disappointed in the lack of response.

“I'm almost positive that you just want to live vicariously through me.” You chuckled. Although, if you were being honest with yourself, the idea was tempting.

“Damn straight.” She hissed. Latching onto the plan with claws out. “I haven't been able to have sex in forever! Do you realize how miserable it is? To be forced to be celibate when your hormones are amped up? This is worse than period horny, Y/N. This is horny in a way you can't even begin to imagine until you go through it. High risk pregnancies are the worst!”

“Obviously I can't imagine.” You rolled your eyes at her theatrics. “You're aware that I can't miraculously absorb your ridiculously horny state, right? Me meeting a hot stranger and going to pound town isn't going to ease your misery. At all.”

“I told you. I'll live vicariously through you. Besides, you need a good time. Get you out of the funk you've been in lately.” She was as observant as Dean when it came to you. And you didn't care for it. Not in the slightest.

“Says the one who can't leave her couch.” You retaliated. Sounding more like a bratty child than ever before.

“And I'm still enjoying living more than you. When is the last time you did anything just because you could. Something that was just for you, and you alone? You're constantly waiting on the Winchesters, or on us.” She sighed heavily. As if it had been weighing on her heavily. “I know you thought you'd enjoy the role of 'stay at home mom'. And I know you wanted something less intense. But, you and I both also know that you miss your wild child days.” Part of you couldn't help but to wonder if pregnancy gave her some kind of sixth sense. “A happy medium isn't bad. It wasn't for us, but you? You're different. You're going to go insane if you don't kill off some of this funk.”

“I'm going to let you go for the night, Alice,” You pulled yourself up, cradling the phone with your shoulder. Knowing there was truth to her words. The twitchiness was creeping back on.

“Remember. Hot. Sweaty. Stranger.” She emphasized, knowing exactly what was running through your mind. You ended the call. Only to sit and mull over her words.

You'd hated life under the system as a kid. Bouncing from house to house. Promises of adoption that never came through. You'd run away from it by the time you were sixteen.

To survive, you hustled men at bars. Picked pockets. You lived on the road, in a car you'd hot wired. You'd teased and taunted men to get free drinks and food. Whatever it took to survive.

Once you started hunting, you used the adrenaline rush as a drug. It consumed you. You drank too much, and had no trouble manipulating people to get what you wanted. You let off extra steam with a string of one night stands. Over time, it only grew worse.

Meeting Bane a few months in hadn't helped you slow down. If anything, he'd aided in the trouble. Needing that same level of high from his own demons.

The homes created a second person inside of their victims. It'd been a side of you you'd kept locked away in a failed attempt to encourage people into letting you into their lives. Telling you to let loose. Do whatever, whoever, you wanted when you wanted.

It was surprisingly Alice, your equal in the hell raising department, that helped you lose a little steam years after you'd left your final home. You still didn't understand how it'd come from someone you'd met while dancing on a bar, chugging vodka from the bottle.

By the time you'd met Dean, the couple been more than ready to retire from the life. You? You wanted to remain involved, but you didn't want to die guns blazing. Somehow, you'd ended up playing 'housewife' more than anything.

And in that moment? It wasn't settling right. Stomach twisting, Alice's words danced through your mind again. Your inner minx, who had remained dormant for so long, was starting to become restless. All the signs had been there.

To hell with it... She's right. Your lips pulled up, and a bit of weight that you weren't even aware you'd been carrying left your shoulders. Time for a little, well earned, trouble...

Part Three

Tag: @burningmusicmachine

[geekofmanyforms]

New Beginning:Chapter Nineteen

A/N: I know it's been a while since I have updated and I'm sorry about that. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think. That way I know there is still interest in this story. This chapter has been edited by my Beta Casey.

Jeremy's pencil scratched its way across the paper as he sketched yet another picture of a Bram Stoker-Esque vampire. I laid my cheek on the palm of my hand, my elbow sitting on the dining room table as I watched him. Inwardly I sighed, knowing it wouldn't be long before he started piecing together the missing memories that Damon had ripped from him. This was something I still found myself hating my own sister for from time to time, so I had no doubt Jeremy would feel the same for a while.

A small creak from the floor above caused both Jeremy and me to raise our heads, narrowing our eyes at the ceiling briefly in disgust and annoyance. We were both avidly avoiding the upstairs where Elena and Stefan were doing God only knows what.

Truthfully, I was grateful he was here, especially after he had shown me his little box of treasures — one which held vervain jewelry. Stefan had allowed me to pick out a green and black beaded rope bracelet for Jeremy. It would keep him safe from every mind control obsessed vampire that seemed to run rampant in this town. Still, I didn't like the idea that my sister could be getting her freak on only a floor above us.

My head jerked towards the door when a loud knock interrupted my thoughts. I laid my head down on my arms in silent protest. The door was just too far away, and I really wasn't in the mood to interact with the outside world. Jeremy laughed at my display of laziness and stood from his seat.

"I'll get it, Ellie,"

I stuck a thumb in the air and heard his feet move across the floor as he left the dining room. The front door opened, and the low deep voice of a man told Jeremy the total for the pizza. I ignored them and stood, heading into the kitchen to grab the plates. I could hear Jeremy yelling for Elena and shook my head with a smile. Everything felt so normal for once. When I came back, Elena was bounding down the stairs, her ponytail swaying as she all but hopped towards the door, money in hand. Jeremy brought the pizza to the table, and I helped him fill the plates, my mind a million miles away. I turned my head towards Elena and smiled when she came into the room with Stefan in tow.

They both had the most obvious expressions of satisfaction on their faces. I bit my lip, trying to keep to the laughter from my voice as I spoke.

"Ready to eat? I'm sure you both have worked up an appetite by now," I asked smoothly.

Jeremy, who had been taking a drink, coughed loudly liquid running down his chin as he tried to breathe. Stefan raised a brow as Elena sputtered indignantly, a patchy pink blush starting at her hairline and working its way towards her neck. I smirked at them both, watching Elena's face darken by the second. I pounded Jeremy on the back and caught my sister's eye.

"Remember, Lena. If you're too embarrassed to talk about it, then maybe you're too young to be doing it," I said firmly, in my best motherly voice with a smirk on my face. I reached beside me and handed Elena two plates with a smile. "We'll talk later. Maybe then you can tell me all about Stefan's sexual prowess," I whispered with a dramatic wink.

As I had expected, Elena gasped and shook her head at Stefan. As if he would ever believe I would want to know anything about their 'extracurricular' activities.

I giggled, and Stefan rolled his eyes at me. "Stop torturing your siblings, El."

I sat down with my pizza and watched Elena shoot Stefan loving and thankful glances for the rest of the night.

The next day sped by quickly despite my mind still being a complete mess. The news that Elena and I were adopted had really done a number on her. Along with having to deal with my own jumble of emotions, I had Elena's to deal with as well. It wasn't that I was all that surprised by it. I mean obviously, she is related to the Petrovas, not the Gilberts. It was the fact that I honestly hadn't the foggiest idea who our parents could be. I wasn't used to not knowing things. This whole ordeal was new to me. Usually, I lived, and then I died. Simple as that. But not in this life. In this life, I had a doppelganger sister who was in love with my vampire Ex's brother, and now come to find out we were both adopted. I was at a complete loss. Honestly, not knowing something for a change was really rattling me. What good was being a Reincarnate Original witch if I was as clueless as the rest of them? I despised the feeling.

When Elena and Bonnie had mentioned going to the Grill, I was actually all for the idea, the noise and mundanity of it would help me stay out of my head. I had been nothing but quiet and contemplative all day, and I could tell it was starting to bother Elena. That was until Elena decided to tell Bonnie the whole sordid tale. Now I was being forced to listen to Bonnie express her surprise and sympathy.

"I can't believe you guys are adopted. I never saw that coming."

Elena nodded, taking my hand. "And it gets weirder. We looked at our birth certificate. It lists Miranda and Grayson Gilbert as our birth parents. None of it makes any sense."

Bonnie placed her hand on Elena's, her eyes soft. "Which is why you should ask Jenna," she said.

Elena leaned back in her seat and groaned in annoyance. Bonnie noticing her hesitance leaned in for the kill before Elena could shoot her down. "First of all, the Elena I know would always want the truth, good or bad," Bonnie said.

I looked over at Elena and watched her visibly cave. Her shoulders slumped, and she sighed, all of the air leaving her body as if she were a rapidly deflating balloon.

"And second of all?" she asked, defeatedly.

Bonnie leaned forward, her eyes scanning our surroundings. "You just found out your boyfriend's a vampire, so unless your birth parents are aliens…how bad could it be?"

Elena and I shared a laugh, some of the stress we had been carrying finally melting away. Bonnie leaned away, a triumphant smile on her face. Elena shook her head and shared a glance with Bonnie before bumping shoulders with me.

"Hey, I need to go to the store. My outfit for the dance is severely lacking accessories," Elena said, "Since I know you have a closet full of junk, I decided to force Bonnie along instead."

I placed my hand on my heart and fell against my seat with a massive gasp. "So, is Mistress saying Ellie is a free elf?" I dramatically choked out.

Elena shook her head while Bonnie covered her flushing, embarrassed face with her hands. "You are such a nerd. Yes! You are free. Go!" Elena laughed.

I quickly stood, clutching my bag as if it were an article of hard-won clothing. "Ellie is free!" I gasped loudly with a smile.

Bonnie sunk down in the booth as I jaunted merrily towards the door smirking at my twin. I waved with a wink before I slipped outside. I smiled brightly, having enjoyed the small embarrassing display that I knew had helped distract my sister, even for a moment. I took a deep breath, glancing at the beautiful blue sky above me. It was a perfect day. I cocked my head to the side for a moment and decided I would enjoy it today. No drama, just fun. After all, tonight was the 50s dance. It might actually be nice to enjoy it with my friends for once.

Pulling out my phone, I sent a quick text to Caroline before hopping into my car. It wouldn't hurt to check on Damon before I tried to have any fun. I knew that if anyone could ruin a drama-free day, it would be Damon Salvatore. I might as well head off his plans before they ever had the chance to come my way.

I didn't bother knocking, knowing they would be alerted of my arrival as soon as my tires had hit their driveway. I bounded into the front room and frowned when I didn't find anyone. Usually, at least one of them was there to greet guests. I raised my hand and cast a quick detection spell, finding Damon in the library. With a raised brow, I fixed two tumblers of Bourbon and headed that way. As I rounded the corner, I could hear the heavy thumps of something repeatedly hitting the floor. I slowly glanced around the corner and found Damon standing in front of one of the large wooden bookshelves. I stepped up beside the couch that sat a few feet away and watched him for a moment. He was looking through each book intently, obviously searching for one in particular. The sleeves of his black dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows, his raven hair messy as if he had run his fingers through it repeatedly in agitation. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was unaware of my presence only a few feet away from him. However, I did know better, so I just stood still and waited, giving him the time he needed to collect himself.

I could tell he was angry and losing his patience. His long pale fingers ran across the titles of a few books before he pulled them from the shelf, looking through their pages quickly. He then tossed them to the floor, where they joined the rest in the pile that surrounded his feet. My inner bookworm winced at the many haphazardly strewn books now scattered across the floor. It made me angry to see books treated so disrespectfully. Still, something told me now was not the time to pull out my inner librarian. His searching slowed, and his rigid posture started to slump as he turned on his heel towards me.

I raised one of the crystal tumblers of Bourbon and smiled. "Take a break. The books will still be there for you to abuse later," I teased lightly.

His blue eyes warmed briefly before they once again hardened as he locked down his emotions. Stepping down the stairs, he headed in my direction, taking the proffered alcohol and downing it in one swift motion before leaning against the bookshelf behind him.

"Are you looking for a lead on Em's Grimoire?" I asked.

He nodded his head in an affirmative, and I walked up beside him, downing my own drink; the harsh burn more than welcome.

"I'm looking for my father's journal. I know he had something to do with what happened to you and Emily. If anyone knew what happened to her Grimoire, it'd be him."

I ran my tongue across my teeth and shook my head. I had no clue where Giuseppe would have hidden Emily's Grimoire, but Damon was right, I'm sure he had something to do with our burning. He had taken it as a personal slight against him and his family when he had found out about me. He not only helped murder me but from what I heard, he had destroyed my family as well.

"I completely agree. If anyone can help us find it, it'll be him." I said.

Damon turned around and headed back up the steps towards the bookshelf he had been rifling through. He reached up and pulled another book from the shelf. He let the cover fall open — flipping through the pages, before tossing it to his feet and grabbing another. I tried to keep my features from contorting in annoyance, but as soon as the book landed with a small thumb, the spine cracking open — pages fluttering. I knew it was to no avail. I quickly stomped up the steps and snapped my fingers, watching the books on the floor gently fly through the air and land in neat piles beside the shelf.

"You could at least show the books the respect they deserve. Don't take out your annoyance on them, Salvatore," I snipped.

I pulled off my jacket and sent it and my bag flying over to the couch, kissing my drama-free day goodbye. There was no way I could leave these books alone with the disrespectful vampire. Damon smirked, his blue eyes crinkling.

Very slowly, he deliberately pulled a book from the shelf with both hands, as gently as possible. "So, I take it you're staying to help then?" he asked.

I growled at him and started on my own section, taking a book and examining it before catching his eye as I bent down slowly, gently placing it on the stack near my feet. Damon snickered at me but followed my lead. We worked in silent comradery for another hour before we heard someone walking into the room. Stefan casually stepped up the stairs, his hands in his jean pockets — the perfect picture of ease. He glanced down at the ever-growing stack of books at our feet with a raised brow and cocky smile.

I took a step away from the shelf and crossed my arms. "Can we help you, Stef?" I asked with a polite smile.

Stefan approached me with ease, and I narrowed my eyes. He was going to push his luck again. I could feel it. Why did he always insist on pushing Damon? Yes, most of the time, his brother deserved it after everything he had done, but really it only made things worse.

"Just wondering what you're both looking for?" Stefan looked over my shoulder at Damon, who had stopped his search, his back still turned away from his brother. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be at school, Ellie?"

Damon turned towards us and stepped beside me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "She is welcome to stay as long as she wants, Stef," he said, enunciating Stefan's nickname with narrowed eyes.

Stefan's eyes fell on Damon's hand on my shoulder and then to all the books on the floor, his eyes hard. "Damon, she has more important things to do than be here, helping with whatever this is," he said, waving his hand around at all our hard work.

I growled menacingly at Stefan and took a step towards him. "Stefan Salvatore! You and I both know I can learn nothing knew at that ridiculous excuse for a High School that I haven't already learned in the hundred I have attended before it. So don't you dare treat me like some helpless teenage girl. I am over a thousand years old! If I choose to spend my time here with your brother, then that is what I will be doing. You will do well to remember who you're speaking to!"

My voice wavered between a high pitched screech and deadly calm. Stefan's eyes were wide and almost fearful as I took a few deep breaths.

One.

Two.

Three.

I stepped away from him and took another book from the shelf, effectively ignoring them both.

"I'm sorry, Elandra. You are right. I just don't like you being involved with all this," he said calmly.

I scoffed lightly, and Damon raised his brow beside me, but I kept my eyes on the books in front of me. "Stefan, my twin sister is the Petrova doppelganger. I am a Reincarnate. I'm pretty sure my life is already dangerous and insane as it is. So what is adding a bit more craziness gonna do?"

Stefan chuckled and looked at Damon with his brow raised. "What are you guys looking for Damon?" he asked again.

Damon leaned next to me, and I continued looking through the books. I had no intention of getting involved in their sibling drama. I had enough of my own. Besides, theirs tended to end with stakes shoved in painful places, and I don't heal as quickly as they do.

"Not your concern," Damon said.

Stefan leaned towards him, his arms crossed. "No, but putting Elena and Elandra in harm's way, that is my concern," Stefan said, his voice hard as steel.

I was shocked to hear my name added on to his little display of Alpha male possessive behavior. I turned around quickly when Damon growled, pushing past me to attack his brother.

"Elandra is not your concern, brother!" Damon growled.

I stood in front of Damon, my hands on his chest as Stefan came up behind me. What was he playing at?

"Don't act like you care, Damon. You're just using her. You're bitter because one of us gets to be with the person that we love, and poor Katherine is just out of reach. Unless there's another way for you to get into that tomb. Is that what Bree told you? Is that what you have El here helping you with? If so, then that's pretty sad, Damon. That you would force her to help you get back the woman you chose over her," Stefan weakly said.

Damon took a few steps back, his breathing ragged. For a moment, I wasn't sure what to do. Stefan had taken things too far, and he knew it. His eyes were clouded with regret, but I could tell he was fishing and hoping that one of us would reveal something to him. Damon was in no mood to fight with Stefan right now, so it was up to me to handle him. I turned slowly and tossed my hair over my shoulder. My lip curled with distaste, and I narrowed my eyes hatefully at Stefan.

"You're pathetic when you're fishing, Stefan. Damon hasn't forced me to do a single thing. I have and always will choose him because I want to. Now go. I think you're missing school, and we all know how dreadfully important these human experiences are to you," I sneered.

Stefan's face fell and I could, once again, see the regret, especially after the moment we had so recently had. He had pushed me, and we both knew it was too late to take back what he had said. He had used my past with Damon against us both, and that's not something I will so easily forgive or forget. He moved towards me, but I raised my hand, motioning for him to just leave it. Thankfully, he didn't push me and slowly backed away, leaving Damon and me alone. I turned around and wrapped my arms around Damon as soon as I knew Stefan had left the house. I ran my fingers through his hair, hoping that I could give him some comfort.

"Don't listen to him, Day. You're not forcing me to be here. Don't forget we have already left the past in the past, where it belongs. All is forgiven," I whispered.

I could feel Damon's warm breath on my shoulder and tried to control my heartbeat. All I needed was to make a fool of myself. Before things could get too awkward, Damon pulled away. I looked into his crystal blue eyes and smiled, running my fingers across his jawline.

"Let's find this stupid journal. Before Saint Stefan gets home from school," I said. Damon smirked the worry that had been etched across his beautiful features smoothing into his usual flawless cocky demeanor. "This is why you're my favorite, Elandra."

I spent the rest of the day searching the Library with Damon to no avail. The journal was nowhere to be found. Before Stefan got home, I decided it would be best if I wasn't still sequestered at the Boarding house. I didn't feel like going home yet and knew if I did, I would most likely be hounded by Elena, so instead, I decided to just get dinner at The Grill. As per the norm, it was reasonably busy. I was more than a little annoyed to find my plan of avoiding Elena had flown right out the window when I noticed her and Bonnie at a table in the corner. I quickly slid past them and headed towards the bar, hoping to sneak some take out and then pull a daring escape. I found Matt sitting at the bar and slid beside him while I waited patiently for attention from the bartender.

"Hey, Ellie. What are you doing here?" Matt asked.

I smiled brightly and leaned against him. "I am going to attempt to get some food and pull a runner without my less beautiful twin noticing my existence," I whispered conspiratorially.

Matt leaned back and looked behind us, glancing around until he caught sight of Elena. Leaning forward again, he raised a hand until the bartender, Ben, caught sight of us. Ben slid up to the bar and leaned forward, tossing his dingy off white rag over his shoulder with a smirk.

"What do you need, Matt?" he asked, eyeing me up and down.

Matt shot him a glare before he pointed his thumb at me. "Think you can help out, my friend?"

When Ben smugly smiled, leaning down onto the bar to get closer to me, Matt quickly put his arm around my waist, clearing his throat roughly.

"With the menu and taking her order," he quickly clarified, eyes narrowed.

I grinned, loving Matt's brotherly protective side. I knew he definitely needed to have someone to protect since losing Vicki, and if that was me, then I had no issue with it. Matt had always had a bit of the white knight syndrome, and maybe if he felt like he had someone to call family again, he would feel less alone in the world. I had always loved Matt, anyways.

Ben stood back and shrugged, not a care in the world, as he handed over a menu. "Fine, don't get your panties in a bunch," he sighed.

I quickly looked over the menu and ordered something for both me and Matt, much to his dismay.

"You didn't have to do that, Ellie," he said, not meeting my eyes. "I have some money." he finished.

I bumped his shoulder with my own. "I know. I just wanted to repay you for your chivalry, Mr. Donovan," I said, placing my hand on my heart and batting my eyes excessively.

Matt laughed, rolling his eyes in amusement. "Well, thanks."

Ben brought Matt a plate of food and handed me a to-go container with a cheerful wink. "Thanks," I said as he walked away.

Matt glared at his back, and I shook my head with a smile. "I-I just want you to know that I don't need help, Ellie."

He looked down at the job application he had been filling out since before I had arrived. I hadn't wanted to draw too much attention to it. I knew Matt wasn't the most financially stable, and he was really touchy about the subject of money.

"I know that. I would never treat you like a charity case. You're just Matt to me," I said, stealing one of his fries. "One of my dearest friends."

With that said, Matt took a deep breath, and I could see a lot of the stress he had been holding in finally let up a bit.

"So you're gonna be working here then," I said, easing him into the subject.

Matt took a drink of his soda and nodded. "Yeah, busboy," he grimaced.

I spun around on my stool and leaned against the bar, facing the rest of the restaurant. "So? It sounds like a good job for me. Easy way to make some cash. Plus, you'll still be able to see your friends since we all basically live here," I chuckled.

I leaned in and gave Matt a kiss on the cheek, grabbing my take-out box.

"You'll do great," I whispered.

His blue eyes shined as he smiled at me. "Thanks, Ellie Bean," he said.

I scrunched up my nose and pushed his head down roughly with a grumble. I hated that nickname, and he knew it. I could hear his laugh as I headed stealthily towards the exit. All the while trying to keep Elena firmly in the corner of my eye. I hoped she and Bonnie would remain focused on their own conversation.

I felt almost as if luck was on my side when I heard my sister's chipper and surprised voice.

"Elara?"

I stopped in my tracks and let my head and shoulders fall as I turned to meet her gaze.

"Hey, Elena. I didn't know you were here," I said, my voice dripping with false surprise.

Elena's doe eyes squinted in disbelief as they raked over my body, stopping at the foam box in my hands. As soon as she saw it, her lips thinned, and she huffed in annoyance.

"Elara Marie Gilbert, you little liar. You were trying to escape like some prison inmate," she whispered, screeching as she did so.

I swear my sister could make herself sound like a banshee even when she was whispering. It was a great skill.

I winced and slowly opened the box. Showing her the bacon cheeseburger and fries inside.

"Wanna fry?" I asked, trying to appease her as if she was some Greek Goddess.

Elena reached out and picked up the bun from my burger, lifting it and setting it aside before removing the top piece of bacon. She replaced the bread and closed the lid. Narrowing her eyes at me, she ate the bacon. I scoffed loudly in disbelief.

"I said a fry, Elena!"

Elena sidestepped me and headed outside, still nibbling on my stolen bacon. I spun on my toes and followed her.

"I did not say that I would apologize, Elena. I did not kill someone. I just tried to avoid you. That's a minimum of two fries kinda punishment. NOT a slice of bacon. The punishment should fit the crime, Lena," I said.

Elena wiped her hands on her jeans and shook her head. "I picked the punishment, and I wanted Bacon. So deal with it,"

I was about to harass her again when her cell rang, interrupting our sibling squabble. She answered it quickly, holding it to her ear as we walked toward her car.

"Hello," she said.

I made it to my car, which was nearer than Elena's, and placed my food in the passenger seat. I watched Elena for a second, and my stomach plummeted as she froze in fear. I forgot everything and rushed towards her. She stood in the middle of the parking lot, her mouth gaping open as she looked frantically around her.

Her eyes found me, and she dropped her hand from her ear, clutching her phone tightly.

"Ellie, it's the vampire I hit with my car!" she frantically said.

I looked in front of us and saw a man in a hoodie walking towards Elena. Without thinking, I pushed her towards her car and shoved her inside.

"Go to the Boarding House, Elena,"

Elena stared at me, her brown eyes wide with fear. "No! What about you?" she yelled.

I growled in anger and looked up at the man that was still approaching us at regular human speed. Obviously, he was just playing games. I looked around, making sure no one could see what I was about to do and let my hand filled with a blue ball of electric light. I flung the ball of magic at the vampire and watched as it threw him back a few feet. Elena gasped in shock, and I slammed her car door shut before I ran to my own. Once I was safely inside, I honked my horn, alerting Elena that I was ok. She ignited her engine and started out of the lot. Once I saw her leave, I quickly threw my car into reverse and pulled out of the parking lot after her, speeding down the road towards Damon and Stefan.

I was pacing back and forth in front of Elena and Stefan, where they sat on the couch in the Boarding House Library. I couldn't believe I was back here after already spending my entire day scouring through every book in this room. I was pulling on my fingers nervously as Elena explained everything to Stefan, who was as always, the pillar of support everyone needed.

"Why me? What does he want with me? A-And if he's trying to kill me, then why call first?" Elena asked.

Stefan stood and walked around the couch so that he could face her. "That's because we're predators, Elena. We hunt, We stalk; It's often as exciting as the kill," he said, sitting on the table behind him and handing her the vampire compass. "I want you to take this,"

Elena lifted it from his hands and sent me a weary look. "This is Jeremy's pocket watch. How did you get it?" she asked, ever the dutiful sister.

"I found it after Logan Fell died and gave it to Damon," I said.

Elena raised a brow but thankfully didn't ask me any questions. She opened the lid and observed the inside in confusion.

"What happened to it?" she asked.

"Well, it's not just a watch. It's a...it's sort of a compass, but it points to vampires," Stefan stuttered out his explanation.

I sat next to him and looked at my confused sister. "I used it to help Damon find Logan Fell after he turned. It pointed me right towards him. You'll be able to know exactly who is a vampire by using this," I said, touching the cold metal of the golden compass.

Stefan gently took Elena's hand in his own, showing her how the compass worked. The needle began to whirl around in a circle before it finally clicked into place, pointing directly in Stefan's direction. Elena looked up at him in shock and then met my eyes.

"Why did dad have this?" she asked.

I turned my head towards Stefan and let out an audible sigh. "The Gilberts were one of the founding families, and back in 1864, they were among those who sought to eradicate the vampires. The compass was used to find us," Stefan said with a wince.

Elena looked at me in fear. "If we were hunters, then that means we hunted more then just vampires. Did we...did we hurt you?" she whispered.

I closed my eyes and looked away from her. "Elena, it doesn't matter. That was a very long time ago," I said.

Elena took my hand and squeezed it tightly. "It matters to me," she said, voice tight.

I could feel Stefan's eyes on me, and I avoided him altogether. I had never told anyone who all had been there the night Emily and I had burned.

"The Gilberts were a part of mine and Emily's burning," I finally said.

Elena's eyes filled with tears, and I took her face in my hands. "Elena, it's ok. That was so very long ago, and I wasn't a Gilbert then. I was a Miller,"

I took Elena in my arms and allowed her to cry for a part of me that she would never know or fully understand. "How can you love us after what our family did to you?" she sniffled.

I pulled away from her and shook my head. "Because their sins will never be your own. Just as I do not blame Stefan or Damon for what their father did that night," I said.

Elena's eyes widened, and she looked at her boyfriend in shock. "Your father was there?" she asked.

Stefan looked away from us and nodded slowly. "He was the one who started it all," he said hatefully.

I looked down at the compass and pressed it closed. Stefan looked at Elena again, he reached up and caressed her cheek. "I want you to keep this. That way you'll know if you're ever in danger," he said.

Elena smiled at him, and I could tell they needed a moment. I stood quietly and stepped out of the Library. Memories of the past following close behind me.

Somehow I had been roped into helping Jenna clean the living room before the dance. "Ya know just cause we are dressed like we are from the 50s doesn't mean we have to act like it," I pouted as I adjusted my 50s style yellow polka dot dress.

Aunt Jenna, who was dressed up in her own 50s gear, rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, please, you'll live, Cinderella," she smirked.

I raised my hand across my forehead, careful not to hit my hair, which had been a terrible hassle, and gasped. "Oh, stepmother, please release from this prison of manual labor!" I said dramatically.

Aunt Jenna laughed and helped me fix the yellow ribbon that was holding my hair up and keeping the two tight curls atop my head in place. I had forgotten how much I had hated 50s hairstyles. "You are sure the red of my hair doesn't clash too much with this yellow dress?" I asked her, feeling a bit self-conscious.

Jenna smacked my arm and sighed. "You look amazing."

Before I could respond, Elena bounded down the stairs in a cute yet simple outfit. She had on a blue shirt that she had paired with a red belt that wrapped around her middle, capris, and white snickers. Her hair was teased so that it looked fuller on the top, and she wore a blue headband. She looked adorable.

"You look great, Lena," I said.

Elena spun around with a giggle and eyed me up and down. "So do you." She walked closer to me and leaned next to my ear. "Not fair that you have all that previous experience, though. That is so cheating!" she said.

I pulled away with a laugh, and Jenna shot us a questioning glance but chose to ignore our odd behavior as she turned towards Elena and heaved out a massive sigh. "I spoke to the insurance company, Cars totaled. You'll have to share with Elara or use mine for now," Jenna said.

Elena and I both nodded. "So, you're coming to the dance?" Elena said, looking at Jenna's clothing choice.

Jenna smiled a bit smugly, and I crossed my arms and tapping my foot. "Alaric asked me to help chaperone," she said.

I clapped my hands and let out a little whoop. "Yes, Jenna! Get it!" I said.

Elena glared at me, but I had my eyes on Jenna, who had crossed the living room and was now leaning against the couch, acting as casual as she could. Elena grabbed an apple from the bowl on the dining room table and took a bite.

I could feel the atmosphere in the room change, and Elena finally let the question she had been dying to ask out. "Why didn't you tell us, Jenna?"

Jenna, who had been taken back by the sudden change of topic, looked a bit startled. I felt bad for her. It hasn't really been her decision to make, and then she had lost her family. Who would want to drop that bombshell on someone after they had lost their parents?

"Your mom was gonna do it eventually. I never thought I'd have to," she said, looking at us both with grief plain on her face.

Elena looked down at the apple she had been eating as if it held the answers to the universe. "If our mom was here right now and I asked, she'd tell us the truth," Elena said.

Jenna stepped forward and held her hands close to her chest. She took a deep breath and started from the beginning; the day Elena and I had been born, the day our mother had handed us over to Miranda and Grayson. I listened carefully, although it really didn't matter to me why she had done it or how. She would never be my mother. I had one already, and she had been a lovely woman.

"What else do you know about her? The girl?" Elena asked after Jenna had finished her tale.

Jenna looked at us and sighed. "Just her name. Isobel," she said.

Jenna left after our talk, and I anxiously sat with Elena, deciding I didn't feel like arriving at the dance alone. I really don't care if I was third-wheeling, and neither did Elena, not after what we just found out. This whole day was supposed to be stress-free. So much for that. Elena patted down her pants and sighed.

"I forgot my phone upstairs. I'll be right back,"

I watched her go and felt a strange sense of foreboding in the air. Something was coming. I stood quickly and listened to Elena on the stairs.

"Where is he?" she said, speaking to someone on her cell. She stopped in front of me, and I could tell she was listening to whoever was on the other end of the phone.

She held the compass in her hand, and I could see the dial spinning rapidly. Something was definitely wrong.

"Oh, thank God. This compass was spinning. Stefan must be here," she said.

I looked at the compass and started to panic. I looked around quickly, my eyes rapidly scanning our surroundings. Elena still hadn't noticed my reaction yet. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck lift as if someone was watching us, and my head involuntarily started to rise. Above us, I saw the vampire from the road braced on the ceiling. His eyes red with hunger, fangs bared and ready for the hunt, black veins growing under his eyes. I gasped in shock and my hands rose, sending a wave of magic at Elena on instinct. She dropped her phone with a scream and fell to the floor. Her body flew across the room and away from the hungry vampire. He growled menacingly at my interference and fell from the ceiling, landing behind me. I spun around, just as he went for my neck. I sent another wave of magic at him, and he fell to the floor.

Before he could get up, Stefan came bolting inside from the kitchen. "Elena!" he yelled.

The vampire looked between Stefan and me, and with a hiss, vamp sped out of the house. Stefan looked at me in shock, but I raised my hand and pointed towards a seriously freaked out Elena. As he helped her to her feet, I swayed on the balls of my feet. The shock and sudden use of powerful magic, making me feel weak. Before I could sit down and rest, I was assaulted by a doe-eyed doppelganger.

"Oh my God, Elara! You saved me." she cried into my chest.

I ran my fingers through her hair and whispered nonsensical words to calm her. "It's ok. We are ok," I said.

Elena looked up, and I wiped the tears from her face. "You are seriously strong. You have to teach Bonnie how to do that!" she said excitedly.

I ran my hands down my face and shook my head. "Lena, normal witches can't channel their magic the way I can. They can't just shoot it out of them like that," I said, trying to explain it in the simplest of ways.

Elena pouted for a moment and then placed a hand on her hip. "Well, I'm sure there is plenty of other stuff you could teach her. She would really benefit from someone as powerful as you mentoring her,"

I clasped my fists tightly and tried to reign in my temper. Now was not the time for this. Ever the peacekeeper, Stefan stepped forward and held up his hands.

"Let's table this discussion," he said. "for now."

Elena grumbled but conceded. Thank the Gods. A rustling could be heard at the front door, and Elena immediately jumped behind Stefan. I glanced at him quickly, my hand raised, but he shook his head with a natural expression.

Damon bolted inside at vamp speed and engulfed me in his embrace. I tried to breathe but was being crushed by his enthusiasm.

I reached up and ran my hands through his hair. "I'm ok, Damon," I reassured him.

He pulled away quickly, finally realizing we were not alone in the room. He turned towards Stefan, his face hard.

"How the hell did he get in?"

Damon stepped away from me as he started to pace in front of the couch.

I brushed my dress off and watched him as he tried to reign in his temper. His face was hard and almost empty, but his eyes were crackling with emotion, a storm ready to break at any moment.

"Damon," I said.

He stopped his frantic pacing almost immediately and turned towards me. I raised both my hands in the air and took a deliberate deep breath, raising my hands up as I inhaled and down as I exhaled. "Breathe," I said with a smile.

He rolled his eyes and took in a deep and annoyed breath of air, then gestured with a smirk, as if to ask if I was pleased with the way he had taken in oxygen.

I giggled and raised my eyes to the heavens in exasperation. "He posed as the pizza guy last night, Day," I explained, catching his eye before looking at Stefan, who laid his head in his hands.

Damon chuckled darkly. "Well, he gets points for that. Did he say what he wanted?" he asked.

Elena raised her head and glared at Damon, her hand on the back of her neck. "No. He was too busy trying to kill Elara and me," she said.

I raised my hand in the air, twirling my index finger. "Actually, he didn't show me all that much interest. I don't think he wanted me. Elena seemed to be his primary target. I was just in the way,"

Damon raised his brow and glanced at Elena in annoyance. "Well then, maybe you should stay home tonight, El. You've used up too much juice as it is," he said, eyes scanning me.

I felt my mouth drop open and my hands folded into fists. "Hell no, Damon. There's no way I'm staying here. I will be going, and that's final. I will be there to protect my sister. She is too important in more ways than you know,"

I could see Elena's eyes cloud with tears, and I sat down beside her, taking her hand in my own. She may have thought it was purely out of sisterly devotion that I wanted to protect her, but that wasn't the only reason. She had a purpose, and I would be damned if she got herself killed or turned into a vampire before she could live up to it. Because if she did, then Jeremy and everyone we love would go down with her.

No, I would figure out a way to save her and help Niklaus. This time everyone would get what they wanted. From the corner of my eye, I could see a ghostly grey figure come down the stairs and take a seat, a cocky smirk on her face as she twirled her blonde hair around her finger.

"Oh, you've become awfully protective of your sister, Elandra?" Rebekah cackled in glee.

I tried to keep my face straight and ignore the specter of my best friend. It had been a while since I had seen her.

"Do we have any idea who he was?" I asked the brothers, trying to stay on topic and keep my mind away from the Original.

"No," Damon said.

Stefan glared up at him, an unconvinced look on his face.

Damon scoffed in annoyance, tossing a hand in the air. "Don't look at me like that. I told you we had company," he spat

Rebekah stepped down the stairs and beside Damon, placing a hand near his shoulder. "He looks like he is telling the truth, El. You know I have a knack for being able to tell when someone is truthful. Comes from years of Nik's utter bullshit," she said with a smile.

I coughed through a laugh, the boys looked at me with narrowed eyes. Elena patted me on the back and glanced at Damon in fear. "You think there is more than one?" she asked.

Damon looked at me, eyes soft and full of warning. "We don't know," he said, blue eyes never leaving my green as he sat on the arm of the couch next to me.

Stefan took Elena's hand and leaned over, looking at his brother. "Damon, he was invited in," he said, voice hard.

Damon nodded in understanding as Elena looked between them, not yet grasping their meaning. I patted her hand and glanced at Rebekah.

"You'll have to make sure they kill him, Elandra. Then make sure your family stops inviting people inside. It could become a problem," Rebekah said.

I let out a sigh and nodded. Rebekah was right, things would only get more dangerous, and I didn't want to have to worry about random vampires popping in on me at all hours of the day and night.

"Then we go get him tonight," Damon said.

He looked down at me with a half-smile. "Since you're so determined to go, are you sure you're up for it?" he asked.

I bit my bottom lip and stood, placing my hands on my hips. "Are you, Mr. Salvatore, because I was born ready," I said with a playful sneer.

Damon scoffed, lifting himself from the couch. "I'm always ready," he said, widening his eyes with a smirk.

Rebekah gagged from the corner of the room, and I ran my eyes over her form with a grin. "God, he is so annoying. What did you ever see in him?" she asked, glaring at Damon's oblivious form.

As soon as Elena drew the attention of the brothers, I stepped closer to the corner of the room that held the invisible specter of Rebekah Mikaelson. I crossed my arms, keeping my eyes trained on my sister, who was taking in the plan for the night, her brown eyes wide as Damon filled her in on what she would need to do to draw out her vampiric stalker.

I casually lifted my hand and cast a silencing spell, as to not be overheard by the sensitive ears around us and leaned against the wall behind me.

"Where have you been, Beks?" I asked, my voice betraying the worry I have felt in her absence.

Rebekah's grey face turned towards me, the prominent veins covering her beautiful features puckering as she smiled brightly at me. I hid my wince with a smile and watched Stefan comfort a terrified Elena as Damon rolled his eyes, turning around to catch my eye before sticking his finger in his mouth and gagging dramatically. I laughed but stopped as soon as Stefan scrunched his eyes up at me. He gestured toward a saddened Elena. To mollify him, I sighed and stuck out a shaming finger towards Damon, rolling my eyes. When he laughed loudly, I grinned and sent Stefan a shrug.

Rebekah shook her head next to me, and I grumbled at the way the two brothers interacted. Sometimes I felt like they would never be the way they used to be. It was sad the way they had allowed Katherine to destroy their relationship.

"I was with Elijah," Rebekah finally said. I casually turned my head in her direction, her blue eyes were bright against her grey skin. "He plans on killing Niklaus. We cannot allow him to betray Nik like that. It will damage their relationship beyond repair,"

I gasped, the air leaving my lungs in one swift burst. I felt like she had punched me in the stomach. "What? Why would he do that? He of all people knows of Nik's paranoia. He would be heartbroken if 'Lijah betrayed him in such a way," I said, my voice broken.

Rebekah nodded slowly, and I swallowed the betrayal I felt at Elijah's actions. I would let her explain before I passed judgment on my brother.

"Nik told him that he buried all of us at sea. Elijah thinks he has lost us all, Elandra," she said.

I wanted to scream in anger at Niklaus. I felt my magic swirl through me, as I fought with my emotions. My skin glowed brightly with power, and I forced the surge down, biting my tongue until I could taste the coppery tang of my own blood. I felt the static of my magic flitter across my fingertips as my nails bit into the palms of my hands. I took in a few deep breaths so that I wouldn't reveal my outburst to the brothers and Elena. They were all still only a few feet away from me, in an in-depth discussion about our latest vamp attack. I shook my head and rubbed my forehead roughly. I just couldn't understand why Niklaus would do something so cruel to the one person who had always been there for him. Elijah had even been the one who had helped after he had murdered me when he had thought I was some sort of Doppelganger. He had saved him from himself more times than even I cared to know.

I casually turned my head towards Rebekah, my back straight, face firm. "I will take care of this, Rebekah. When he gets here, I will make sure he knows the truth. I won't let him do anything that gets him daggered...or worse," I said.

Rebekah's shoulders slumped in relief, her grey face falling forward as she sighed. "Thank you, El. I honestly don't know what my brothers and I would ever do without you,"

Rebekah's hand came to hover beside my left cheek. I smiled weakly, my memory conjuring up all of the many points in time where the Mikaelsons had proven how very easily they had moved on without me.

Her blue eyes crinkled in annoyance, her lips pursing.

"Don't do that to yourself!" she snapped, slipping in front of me. "We never forgot about you, Elandra Rioult!"

The corner of my eyes stung as tears threatened to escape, my chest tightening in protest as I fought down a broken sob. I leaned forward and stepped away from the troublesome specter. I knew that if I stayed near her any longer, the dam I had so painstakingly built up over the centuries would break. All the emotions I had hidden away would pour out of me, and I couldn't have that. Now was not the time to reevaluate how I felt about the Original family. I ignored her pained protest and stepped closer to Elena.

"So, are we ready to go?" I asked.

Maybe taking out the vampire who had it out for my sister was exactly what I needed.

Elena and I entered the dance each on the arm of a Salvatore, which of course, caused quite the little uproar. Several of our fellow students had gasped dramatically as if we had arrived naked and draped across them. I rolled my eyes, laughing at how stupid they all looked. I stepped past the students, all dressed in their best 50s getups. "This Magic Moment" was echoing through the gym as I took Damon's hand and swayed my way across the dance floor towards Caroline and Bonnie, who danced together near the refreshment table. I smiled brightly at them and pulled Damon into a dance.

"Hey, ladies. We have a mini issue. So I want you both to stay inside and away from Lena until I find you, ok?" I told them, leaning closer as Damon spun me.

The girls looked at me oddly, fear on their faces. "What's going on, El?" Bonnie asked.

I shook my head in exasperation and caught Damon's gaze. He rolled his eyes and spun me into Caroline's arms as he took Bonnie.

I giggled madly but took Caroline in my arms and spun her around with a flourish. "Listen, witchy poo. We had a little surprise visitor earlier. He is here trying to get his paws on Elena. Stefan and I need to deal with this because he has been invited into the Gilberts. Got it?" Bonnie frowned, her mind obviously whirring with the new information.

I stopped dancing with Caroline and stepped closer to Bonnie. "I want you and Caroline to keep an eye on Jeremy for me and stay here. Please. We have this handled. But I need someone I can trust to protect everyone else, Bon," I said, searching her eyes for understanding.

I knew she was powerful enough to protect my brother and Caroline. She just needed to believe it. Finally, it clicked with her, and her green eyes hardened with emotion. She nodded her head sharply and took Caroline's hand, walking towards Jeremy, who was standing by the far corner of the room, next to Alaric. I sighed and leaned against Damon, but tilted my head as I noticed the sharp look Alaric was shooting at my raven-haired ex. What the hell was that about? His dagger filled glares stopped as soon as Jenna joined his side, and I decided to file it away for later perusal.

"Dance with me?" Damon asked.

I glanced up at him and smiled. "Hell yeah! Show me some moves from Grease! I regret not being able to see what you were like in the 50s," I giggled.

Damon rolled his eyes, pulling me further onto the floor, and spinning me into his chest. "I am not showing you any moves from Grease. I left the 50s in the 50s," he said.

I stuck out my bottom lip and tried my best puppy dog eyes. "Come on. I had very boring parents in that time. I never got to go out dancing and having fun. I was very much a Sandy without the sexy transformation at the end," I sighed.

Damon's eyebrow raised, and he smiled. "So you wore poodle skirts and dated athletes?" he asked with a smirk.

I laughed lightly, laying my head on his chest. "No, I never even got to date that go around. I pretty much studied until I died. It was all very boring," I said.

Damon lifted my chin until I met his eyes. "Damn, Ellie. How many times have you died a virgin?" he asked in shock.

I pulled away from him, chuckling madly. "Damon! Only you would ask someone that." I slapped his chest and started looking around for Elena and Stefan.

After finding them dancing with bright smiles on both their faces, I took Damon's hand and started pulling him towards the punch table. "And the answer is...too many times," I sighed regretfully, glancing back at him with a grin.

He laughed, shaking his head. He let my hand go and took two plastic cups, filling them both with fruit punch. I scrunched up my nose in distaste but took the drink with a simple nod of thanks. "Well, what about this time El? Do you need a little assistance?" he asked cockily.

I sputtered coughing lightly, the sticky punch running down my chin. I picked up a napkin from the table and wiped it away quickly, ignoring Damon's laughter. I raised a brow and narrowed my eyes. "Nah, not this time. Tyler Lockwood took care of that ages ago. Did a pretty good job of it as well," I smirked.

Damon growled lowly, crushing his empty plastic cup in his hand with a glare, blue eyes flashing in anger.

I bit my bottom lip, my eyes never leaving his. Our little stare down was interrupted as Alaric stepped up next to Damon.

"Hey, Elara. Are you having a good time?" he warily asked, obviously catching on to the tense atmosphere.

I kept my eyes trained on Damon, who was still fighting against his anger, pale pink cup crushed in his hand. "Yeah, Alaric. I'm having a blast. Just reminiscing here with Damon," I moved my eyes away from Damon. I smiled at the History teacher I knew was hiding...something. "I was just about to remind him that the past is better left in the past. As he should already be aware. Don't you agree, Mr. Saltzman?" I said, watching his reaction with interest.

His shoulders tensed, all emotion that had been previously bubbling in his eyes was shuttered immediately. He shut everything down, quickly becoming an empty shell of the man we were all coming to know, and I now knew it had something to do with Damon Salvatore. Great, just great. I internally sighed, rubbing my teeth together in irritation.

"Yes, I agree. The past should stay in the past," he said, his voice robotic.

I rolled my eyes and took Damon's arm in my own.

"You know, I don't recognize you. How'd you get roped into chaperoning?" Alaric asked, reaching out his hand towards Damon with a fake smile on his face. "Alaric Saltzman. I'm the new History teacher," he said, taking Damon's hand and shaking it.

Damon's eyes narrowed as he took in the History teacher that had taken over for the man he had murdered. "Ah, the, uh, cursed faculty position," he taunted.

I leaned my head on his arm and sighed. "If anyone cursed the position, it was you, Day," I grumbled, knowing he'd hear me.

"So I've been told," Alaric said, watching my interaction with Damon closely.

I could tell he was ill at ease with the way I was standing so close to him. It was so undeniable that Alaric knew exactly what Damon was, I could see it in the worry that lit up his eyes. It was more than just the fact that Damon was older. It was sweet that he was worried about me. I knew he was a good man, but I needed to know more, especially if he was interested in my Aunt Jenna.

"Damon Salvatore," Damon introduced himself, brushing my hair from my shoulder, his eyes firmly on Alaric's.

Alaric looked towards Stefan and Elena and lifted his thumb in their direction. "Salvatore, as in, uh, Stefan?" he asked.

Damon looked at his brother before looking back at the man in front of him in ever-growing interest and irritation. "He's my little brother. I'm his legal guardian, hence the chaperoning," he answered.

Alaric nodded, then once again looked down at me, watching Damon as he wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger. "I hear he's very bright, not that I've had the chance to see for myself," he said.

Damon easily maneuvered around the new aspect of the conversation, brushing my hair down my back and standing straighter as he answered. "Well, his attendance records a little spotty. Family drama," he said.

I coughed out a small laugh, running my tongue across my bottom lip as Damon handed me another glass of punch. Alaric frowned down at me, probably guessing I knew more than he had thought. Maybe he feared I was compelled? I drank my punch swaying to the new change of music. Damon smiled at me, shaking his head.

"No, parents?" Alaric asked.

My face fell, and I stopped dancing, my own anger starting to mount at his intrusive behavior.

"No, Ric, their parents are gone," I said through clenched teeth.

I sat down my cup on the table and took Damon's hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm going to go dance with Stefan and Elena. Find me when this little Spanish Inquisition is over," I whispered.

I spun on my heel and glared at Alaric as I swayed towards Stefan and Elena. I smiled when I saw Stefan spinning my sister around in the middle of the floor. Coming up behind him, I took Elena's wrist and pulled her away, yanking her against me. Elena yelped in surprise, and I laughed brightly at her. Stefan stood behind me, and I danced backward until I was against him.

"Dance with us, Stef! Come on. I never got to do anything like this with you or Damon as Elandra. Make it up to me," I pouted.

Elena tugged on a piece of my hair, and I gasped. "Damn, Lena! Gentle on the merchandise," I said.

Elena put her chin on my shoulder and looked at Stefan. "You don't have to dance with her, Stefan. She's terrible and trying to guilt you," Elena laughed.

I spun her around, her brown her smacking me in the face as I did. "She lies, Stefan! I would never!" I gasped, my eyes wide in faux shock.

I made my chin wobble comically as I spun around Stefan with my sister in my arms.

"It's just...you owe me, Stefan. You're supposed to be my brother, and yet you've only danced with me twice Stefan...twice. Not to mention you were mean to me earlier today," I pouted.

The corner of Stefan's mouth turned up as he watched me pulling Elena around in circles, my head snapping in Stefan's direction at every turn. "We don't have time to dance, Ellie. We are supposed to be keeping our eyes open for Elena's little admirer," Stefan said, his eyes sweeping our surroundings.

Elena slowed our spinning procession around the dance floor and swayed closer to Stefan. "Maybe he's not gonna show," she said hopefully.

Stefan looked down into her big doe eyes and smiled at her innocent and hopeful expression. "You mean I've been forced to watch Ellie dance for nothing?" Stefan snarked, winking at me.

Elena threw her head back in laughter. I spun her into Stefan's arms with a smirk, laughing as she squealed in surprise. Still, Stefan caught her with ease, her hands landing on his broad chest, once the shock cleared from her expression she ran her hands down his chest, her full pink lips spread into a bright smile. "Elara, dancing! Ahh, the horror," Elena joked.

I scoffed beside them, swaying by myself. "I am an amazing dancer!"

I could see an intense moment was beginning to brew between them, so I casually made my way off the dance floor. Blowing out an annoyed huff of breath, I decided to once again head to the punch bowl and grab myself another disgusting cup of punch. Other than dancing and making out in dark corners, what else is there to do at functions like this?

Scooping out the disgusting sticky liquid and pouring it into a clear cup, I leaned against the table and scanned the crowd for Damon. I wasn't all that surprised when I found him quickly. Internally I groaned at his ridiculous display. It seemed he had quickly found himself a distraction. I watched in disgusted interest as he groped the girl's ass, effortlessly gliding them across the dance floor. She was pinned against him in a fashion that was better suited for a nightclub than a High School dance. I took a sip of my drink and sighed when I found it had yet to be spiked. Damn High Schoolers needed to get their act together. Where were the troublemakers when you needed them? I heard a familiar giggle and looked up to find my sister and Stefan standing next to me.

"You can't take him anywhere, can you?" she asked.

I looked back at my scandalous ex and shook my head as Stefan answered for me.

"Uh, no," he said.

I sat down my cup on the table behind me and looked up at Elena when she let out a low gasp. "Stefan, the back corner," she whispered.

Stefan looked in the direction Elena had denoted and then down to me. "Get Damon. Stay together," he said.

I nodded quickly and took Elena's wrist firmly in my hand. Stefan took off seconds later across the dance floor, pushing students out of his way as he went. The man in the hoodie that Elena had noticed exited the dance quickly, leading Stefan away from us. I looked away from Stefan's retreating figure and pulled Elena towards Damon. Before we could get more than a few steps away, Elena's cell rang. We both looked down at the silver device as if it were a ticking time bomb. Elena lifted the phone to her ear and swiped her finger across the screen. I leaned closer to her and put my ear next to her's.

"Hello, Elena. Here's what you and your sister are gonna do. There's a door behind you. You have five seconds," the man said.

I pulled away and started looking around us, searching for him.

"No," Elena gasped.

I looked at her and noticed the moment she gave in. He had obviously said something to her, her face paled. She spun around on her heels towards the punch bowl where I saw Jeremy, our Jeremy, and behind him was the vampire.

Elena looked at me in pure fear. "If we don't go, then he is going to kill Jeremy, Elara!"

My stomach fell, and I stepped up beside her, taking the phone from her grasp. I kept my eyes on the vampire a few yards ahead of us as I deliberately placed it against my ear.

"I can snap his neck so fast I bet there's not even a witness. Now, start walking. Both of you. No magic," he spat.

I nodded, taking Elena's hand, pulling her forward slowly, my eyes never leaving our very human brother. "If you touch our brother, I swear to the Gods there is not a place on this Earth you will be able to hide," I said with venom.

I guided Elena backward towards the door, feeling her body shake in fear behind me.

I heard him laugh, and it made my blood boil. "Keep walking. Through the door," he said.

The vampire started past Jeremy, who was oblivious to all that was happening around him. Thankfully the vampire decided not to touch him, but my eyes never left him as I hung up Elena's phone. When I could no longer see the vampire, I turned towards Elena and pulled her quickly past the exit.

"Run, Elena!" I shouted, pulling her behind me.

Our feet pounded against the glossy tile floors as we fled down the corridor, I glanced behind us to see if the vampire had followed us out yet but found no one. Elena's red face stared back at me in fear. Her brown eyes were red-rimmed and glassy. I pushed her into the next corridor, and we started to run until we came across a set of double doors. Elena pushed at the doors, but I stopped her when I saw the chain wrapped around the push bar.

"Elena, it's locked!" I said.

She nodded, her breathing ragged. I took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"We're gonna be ok," I whispered.

She gasped out a cry and looked behind us. I turned around and found the vampire calmly stalking toward us. I pushed Elena behind me, ready to take him on my own if I had to.

"No, Ellie," she cried, pulling me into the next corridor.

I ran behind Elena, letting her lead me. I tried to ignore the eerie feel of the empty school. The only sound coming from our haggard breathing and the squeaking of our shoes. Finally, we made our way to the double doors of the cafeteria. I helped her push open the doors, and we both ran inside. Elena rushed to the other side of the room, where another set of doors led to the exit but yelled out in frustration when she found them locked. I stood in the center of the room, watching the entries we had come in through, waiting for the vampire to burst through, my hands lifted in expectation. I was just about to ask Elena if she was ok, but was stopped by the double doors bursting open. I didn't even have the chance to move my hands before the vampire sped towards Elena.

Elena attempted to bolt away from him, but he was faster. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her towards him. She screamed in pain and utter fear, struggling to get away. I let my hand filled with a bright cloud of magic, tossing it at the vampire. It flung him back against the wall and gave Elena the moment she needed to stand and run towards me. I pushed her behind me and bent my knees, lowering myself into a fighting stance. Elena sniffled behind me, I could smell blood and knew she was injured somehow.

The vampire stood, extending his fangs, and sped towards me. I lifted my hands in the air and pulled them back against myself before pushing them forward, yelling out in anger as I cast a large force of pure magic against him, sending him spiraling into the air. The vampire flew skyward, his arms flailing out around him as gravity took effect and started to send him back towards the ground. Elena and I watched him fall, our mouths open in shock as he landed hard on a table. He was shockingly impaled by several pencils that had been stored in a container right where his chest now lay. Of course, with our terrible luck intact, none of them hit his heart.

As he started to remove the makeshift stakes, Elena looked around us and ran behind me, finding a bucket and mop. She quickly grabbed the mop handle and snapped it against her knee until it broke in half, creating a very poor but semi-useful stake. I wanted to laugh, but I was still a bit of shock from my excessive use of magic. Elena rushed forward and realizing what she was planning, I ran to join her. The vampire stood, and when Elena tried to shove the stake in his chest, he grabbed her wrist, reaching for the stake.

I took it before he could and jammed it in his stomach. He yelled in anger, grabbing a handful of my hair and went for my neck. Elena screamed and shoved the stake further into his stomach with her other hand. Still, before he could sink his teeth into me, Stefan came from outta nowhere and ripped him away, tossing him to the ground. Elena ran towards me, tears falling from her eyes, and wrapped her arms around my neck. The vampire stood, yanking the makeshift stake from his stomach and tossing it to the ground with a growl.

"Hey, dickhead."

The vampire looked behind Stefan to where Damon was standing, holding a real stake in his hand.

"Nobody wants to kill you. We just want to talk," Damon finished with a smirk.

He looked down at me, eyes scanning my form. When he saw nothing concerning, he walked up beside Stefan, eyes on the vampire. Before either brother could speak again, the vampire smiled and sped at Elena and me. Damon threw the stake at Stefan, who grabbed it and staked the vampire in the stomach, almost directly where I had gotten him only moments before. Elena winced beside me, and I stood bringing her with me. I stared the vampire down, not feeling an ounce of sympathy for the asshole who had tried to kill my sister and threatened my brother. The vampire grunted in pain, falling to his knees. Damon walked over towards Elena and me, taking my hand and leading me towards Stefan.

"Now, you feel like talking?" Stefan asked.

I let go of Damon's hand and leaned over the vampire with a sneer.

"Screw you," he spat.

I lifted my hand and saw Stefan's fascination as the bright blue flames flickered across my fingertips. I placed my hand on the vampire's chest, just above his heart, and watched in satisfaction as his back arched off the table. His face scrunched up in pain as wave after wave of my magical signature shocked him. It was the equivalent of being in the electric chair. When I thought he had finally had enough, I lifted my hand and stepped away as he gasped for air, little whimpers leaving his lips against his volition. Damon watched me, his face blank. Elena turned away, disgust in her eyes as Stefan continued his bought of questioning.

"That was the wrong answer. Why are you doing this?" Stefan asked.

The vampire sneered, turning his head and looked at Elena, eyes taking in her face. "Because its fun,"

Stefan wrapped his hand around the stake and dug it in a little deeper, the vampire groaned deeply in pain. "What do you want with Elena?" Stefan asked, his voice beginning to fill with annoyance.

The vampire lifted his head and glared at Stefan in hatred. "She looks like Katherine,"

All at once, all of our heads snapped towards the vampire impaled on the table. How could I not have seen it? Of course, this had something to do with Katherine. As soon as Katherine's name was mentioned, Damon was alert. I shook my head and looked away from him.

"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked.

The vampire laughed, his eyes hateful. "Oh. You thought you were the only ones." he laughed through a cough, a painful gasp causing his head to fall back against the table. "You don't even remember me," he said.

Damon leaned over the vampire, and I walked closer to him, tilting his face in my direction. The longer I looked at him, the more familiar he looked, but I just couldn't place him. "What's your name?" I asked.

The vampire looked into my eyes and smiled at me. "Noah; you look just like the Miller girl I helped burn," he laughed his teeth covered in his own blood.

I let go of his face roughly, my memory of him coming back in full force. I remembered Noah, he worked right alongside the Sheriff, rounding up vampires and witches alike. I backed away from them and stood next to Elena, who wrapped her arms around me.

Stefan watched me sadly, his green eyes filling with anger.

"Tell me how to get in the tomb. Hmm?" Damon asked, his head tilting in my direction briefly.

Noah lifted his head from the table and spat at Damon. "No," he said.

Stefan leaned back and drove the stake deeper, am an extreme look of satisfaction on his face. Noah gasped in pain, his voice gasping out in fear. "The Grimoire."

Damon looked down at him in disgust. "Where is it?" he asked.

Stefan twisted the stake, blood starting to cover his pale hand. "Check the journal. The journal. Jonathan's journal. Jonathan Gilbert's," Noah pleaded.

Damon stood up and grimaced in annoyance, catching my eye. I nodded, letting him know without words that I would help him get ahold of that journal. In fact, I knew exactly where it was. Jeremy had it. Stefan took over the questioning as Damon took a moment to compose himself, finally realizing how close he was to getting into the tomb. The tomb that held absolutely nothing for him.

"Who else is working with you?" Stefan asked.

Damon stood next to him and looked back down at the vampire. "Who else is there?" he reiterated Stefan's question.

Noah panted in anger and shook his head. "No. You're going to have to kill me," he said in desperation.

Damon looked at Stefan, rolling his eyes with a nod. Stefan removed the stake quickly, looking at me as he raised it above Noah's heart, green eyes bright. I understood that he was doing this as much for me as he was for Elena. I smiled at him and nodded. Curling his lips into a half-smile, he shoved the stake into Noah's heart. Elena gasped in shock as he fell to the floor, his skin greying as he desiccated.

Elena stepped forward, her hands pulling on the ends of her hair. "What do we...how are you gonna find the others now?" she stuttered in shock.

I placed a hand on her shoulder with a sigh. Damon looked at her as if she were a frightened colt. "He had to die. Besides, he helped burn your sister alive once upon a time," he said.

Elena looked at me but quickly looked away. Stefan took pity on her. "Elena, he's been invited in," he said.

The sound of a door opening, had us all tuning in time to see the reflection of Alaric through one of the doors windows. Stefan looked at his brother. "Go. I've got this," he said.

Damon nodded, heading out of the cafeteria. I just hoped Alaric didn't do anything stupid enough to get himself killed. I'd hate to lose out on the opportunity to learn his secret. Not to mention he and Jenna made such a cute couple.

I watched Elena and Stefan curl up together on the couch from my place on one of the top stairs. She was telling him how nice it felt to fight back, how much more powerful she had felt. I tried not to think about the fact that she would be feeling more and more like a victim soon. There was no doubt in my mind that Katherine would have fun trying to torture her in any way she could. Then Niklaus would come along and force her to help him break his curse. I stood from my seat and headed up the stairs, passing by Jeremy's room where I could hear him talking on the phone with someone, a girl by the sound of it. At least somebody was able to have a bit of normalcy in their life. I shut my door behind me and plopped down on my bed beside Rebekah, meeting her blue eyes.

"I will help you with Elijah when he gets here, Beks. Tonight though, I'd like to be alone."

Rebekah's eyes clouded over with remorse, and I watched as she slowly faded away. Not even bothering to change into my pajamas, I rolled on my side and closed my eyes, wishing for the oblivion that came with a peaceful night's sleep.