♤ [1] An Everlasting Death - The Vampire Diaries

ı 35 ı The Meaning of Sacrifice

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"For all the bruises I've caused and the tears, for all the things that I've done all these years" 

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I STOP and turn to James. "Did you hear that too?" I ask. 

He nods, looking around as we both sprint to follow the voice. 

We round the hallway, nearly running into the same three boys that attacked Jeremy earlier who are now attacking someone else. 

"I thought I knocked you guys out!" I yell at them before sprinting over to the group and ripping them off their new target, which happens to be Matt. "Matt? Are you okay?" 

Before Matt can respond, one of the teens stabs me in the back with a wooden stake. I grunt in pain, turning around to knock him out again when suddenly James speeds over and throws him against the lockers. 

The other two boys raise their weapons at James, causing me to panic. One of them fires the crossbow but James is too quick and dodges it, but not before the flying arrow pierces Matt in the stomach. 

"Matt!" I yell, rushing to his side. 

I glance back at James, worried but he's a thousand year old vampire against two scrawny teenagers. I know he'll be okay, so I focus my attention to Matt. 

"Hey, you're going to be okay," I say, taking Matt's hand. 

I glance at the arrow in his stomach and feel the veins in my eyes swell up as the warm blood oozes all over my hands. I hold my breathe and use everything in me to fight the urge as I pull out the arrow, Matt crying in pain. 

"Oh my god!!" Caroline yells, appearing at my side. "Matt, I'm so sorry," she says, tears falling out of her eyes. 

I bite into my wrist and shove it into Matt's lips, forcing him to drink it. I watch carefully as the wound heals, relief washing over me. 

I turn to see James dragging the three boys into the washroom. I can hear their hearts beating meaning he hasn't killed them, which doesn't surprise me; James isn't the one to kill the innocent and frankly neither am I. 

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"They've most likely been compelled by Klaus and we don't want them to attack again, so I'm hiding them. If anyone finds them it won't look suspicious," he explains. I nod, feeling stupid I didn't do that the first time. If I had, maybe Matt wouldn't have been attacked.

I help him put them in the bathroom, laying them out on the floor. 

"If anyone finds them it will be quite the story," I say, causing James to smile. 

We walk back into the hallway where Caroline holds Matt up, his arm around her shoulder.  "You guys need to get out of here," James tells them. 

"Care, compel him and get the hell out of here," I say. Caroline nods and helps Matt up. 

"Be careful guys. Call me after when it's done," Caroline says.

James and I continue walking down the hallway, in search of Klaus.  

"It doesn't count you know," James says as we walk.

"What?" I ask in confusion. 

"Klaus in Alaric's body. I know that you wanted to look at Klaus with pure hatred the first time you saw him, but seeing him in Alaric's body doesn't count. Not until he's in his own body," James clarifies.