"Eleanor." A voice said, but it sounded like it was the wind speaking. Eleanor furrowed her eyebrows and turned around, trying to look for the voice.
"Hello?" She called out. Her voice echoed in the woods that she stood in.
"Eleanor." Hot breath hit her neck. She whipped her body around, coming face-to-face with her mother. She was dressed in what she used to wear back in the 700th century. An upset look was planted on her face, the exact same one as the day she told her that her and Nik were going to get married.
"Mother. W-What-" Her mother cut her off.
"You cannot be near Niklaus." Her mother's accent was thick and stern.
"Why? I l-love him?" It came out more of a question. She bit her lip, not exactly sure if she agreed with the answer. All her and Nik seem to do is fight. It's been a few weeks since the last sign of any loving affection between the two of them.
"No, you don't. He will try and kill you. You cannot get close to him. You cannot trust him." Her mother said.
"But, 300 years ago, when you said that you didn't like him, you hurt me. You hit me because you didn't want me to be with him. How can I trust you? Aren't you dead anyways?" Eleanor questioned her mother.
"You have to trust me. I tried to stop you from being with him because I knew what would happen. I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen to me. You fell for him, and I tried to stop you. You betrayed me." Her mother sighed.
"But you're dead!" Eleanor exclaimed hopelessly.
"Yes, I am. But I am still your mother. You should trust me. I raised you to be a beautiful, smart, healthy girl. I was going to tell you everything when you were old enough." Her mother explained to her.
"You daggered me! You tricked me into thinking you were dead!" Eleanor shouted.
"No, I didn't! Elijah killed me! Esther daggered you! I tried to stop you from getting close to them so none of this would happen!" Her mother yelled back. Eleanor's hardened expression became soft. Everything that her mother just said, felt right. Her eyes looked everywhere except her mother. She felt as if a missing puzzle piece has been found. She knew her mother was telling the truth.
~
Eleanor sat up in bed. Her heart was racing, there was sweat on her forehead. She looked to her side and saw Damon slowly opening up his eyes. She wiped her hands on the sheets and pushed them off.
"Eleanor? What are you doing?" Damon asked in a groggy voice.
"I-I'm, uh, getting some water." Eleanor lied.
"Let me show you to the kitchen." Damon got out of bed and walked to the doorway. Eleanor was too late to deny, so she slipped out of bed and followed Damon. Her and Damon made their way into the kitchen, where it was lit up by the sunrise.
"Thank you." Eleanor said when Damon handed her a glass of water. She took a sip of it and watched Damon.
"No problem. What were you dreaming about?" Damon asked and leaned on the island. Eleanor almost choked on her water.
"W-What?"
"I know you were lying. So, please, what were you dreaming about?" Damon's tone of voice was harsher.
"Just, um, a bad dream." Eleanor shrugged and bit her lip. Damon raised an eyebrow, not believing her.
"A bad dream?" Damon said in disbelief. Eleanor nodded and took another sip of water.
"So, was your mother involved in it?" Damon continued to ask her.
"Um-"
"You can't lie to me, Eleanor. I know when somethings not right. You can trust me, you know? I won't do anything to hurt you." Damon said softly and pushed himself off of the counter. He took a few steps closer to Eleanor.
"Can I trust you?" Eleanor asked, very unsure. Lately, she's been having a bit of trouble with trusting people.
"Of course. I can understand what you are going through." Damon said truthfully. Eleanor pondered for a few minutes.
"Okay." She sighed. "It was about my mom. She keeps on showing up in my dreams. I can see her walking around sometimes, calling my name. I don't know if it is real, or just an illusion. But it feels so real, Damon. Like, I dreamt about her. She told me about how I can't be with Nik. I wanted to deny it, that I love him, but I couldn't! Then I got mad at her, saying that she's just a ghost, and that she's the one who daggered me. I also accused her of faking her death. But I was wrong, Damon. I was so, so wrong. She told me Elijah killed her, that Esther daggered me. I knew she was telling the truth, dead or not." Eleanor sighed when she finished.
"Wait, Esther?" Damon asked, confused.
"Nik's mother?" Eleanor said, as if he was supposed to know who she is.
"But, she's dead. We killed her. How can she communicate with you?" Damon furrowed his eyebrows.
"What? I don't know. Maybe it's some witchcraft." Eleanor did not know what else to say. She was pretty much stunned by what was just said. She had no idea that Esther was ever killed. Eleanor shrugged it off, leaving the problem for another day.
~
"I have to go, Eleanor." Damon walked into the living room. Eleanor was sat on the couch, reading one of the many books in the Salvatore house.
"Why?" She closed her book.
"I just have to. Some hybrid problems. I'll be back soon, so make yourself at home." Damon smiled at her. He left the house before Eleanor could respond.
~
Eleanor shot up off the couch when she heard a creek upstairs. "Hello?" She called out. Chills went down her spin as she felt something, or someone, staring at her. She whipped her body around and gasped when she saw who was staring at her.
"Elijah?" Eleanor said breathlessly.
"Eleanor." He said briefly.
"What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in months." Eleanor asked him. Elijah sighed and took a seat on the couch.
"I need your help, Eleanor." He looked up at her.
"With what?"
"I need you to find the cure."
"What?" She furrowed her eyebrows. All of the sudden, Elijah's body faded into her mother's. Eleanor's eyes widened and she took steps backwards.
"You need to find the cure, Eleanor. You're wasting time." Her mother took steps towards her. Eleanor wanted to move, but it felt like her feet were glued to the floor. Her mother reached out and clasped her hands around Eleanor's. As if she was setting some spell on her, her body started to feel as if it was on fire. Eleanor screamed out in pain as her mother chanted Latin words that Eleanor had no idea what they meant.
"Please! Let go!" She begged her mother. Her bones and muscles ached. She wanted to rip her own hair out, anything to get rid of the pain.
"I'm sorry." Her mother said with sad eyes. She released Eleanor's hands and the pain stopped. Eleanor fell to the floor with heavy breaths. She looked up and her mother wasn't there anymore. She let out a sigh of relief and stared out the window. A full moon lit up the sky, but it took the light out of Eleanor's eyes.
Her bones started breaking and twisting into unhumanly form. Eleanor couldn't do anything but scream and cry. She knew what was happening. Her mother killed someone for her, so she could trigger the werewolf curse.
And there was nothing Eleanor could do to stop it.
~
