𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚: Abeyance || D.S & S.S (TVD) **REWRITING**

[*Chapter Fifty-Four*]

"There she is... Darcella. Darcella Gilbert? Quite a lacklustre surname, don't you think? The compassionate, noble, and protective sibling who would bathe this town in red if I so much as dare to think to hurt those she cares for," she pauses with a wicked grin. "However, I'm curious. John never mentioned there was another sibling. A hunter, no less. I guess that's at his and Grayson' hands, no doubt."

"Adoptive. Darcy is my adoptive sister," Elena cut in before slapping her hand over her mouth, realising what she had just blurted out.

Isobel smirked, enjoying the flash of alarm on Elena's face. "If I knew it was that easy getting you to speak up, I wouldn't have spent two hours trying to chat up poor Matt."

Elena glared at the female vampire. "Matt is not involved. The same goes for Darcy and my brother."

Isobel stared at her daughter, her face passive. "I wonder... I wonder If you would go to the same lengths as Darcella will to protect her family and the Salvatore'. I have no doubt they would protect her with their lives, but you, Elena, I'm unsure. Would you? If the shoes changed feet, would you defend her if she came to be in grave danger?"

Elena opened her mouth, her features full of hesitancy. "Of course, I would. She's my sister, just as much as Jeremy is my brother."

"You lied," Isobel smirked at her shocked face and wide eyes. "You hesitated."

Elena shook her head, dismissing her words. "No, you're putting words into my mouth. Look, you shouldn't be here. You need to leave."

Isobel ignored her, her eyes passing over the crowd, tracking Darcy now with a hammer in hand as she nailed a wooden beam to the float. Jeremy stood a few feet away, just as he promised. Two peas in a pod.

Wouldn't it be a shame if something were to tear them apart? Maybe a death or two?

"No, I don't think I will. You see, I have some friends here too. Look, you see that man over there, standing next to Matt by the Float?" she gestured to a tall, bulky, bald man standing next to Matt. "His name is Frank, he's very handsome, and he's also quite handy. He'd noticed that the axles were a little rusty, which is very dangerous. So, all you have to do is apply a little bit of pressure and...."

"No, Matt!" Elena cried, darting forward just as Frank jumped on the trailer, but Isobel grabbed her arm, yanking her back to her side. "Stop, let me go!"

She didn't. Instead, Isobel forced Elena to watch as Frank jumped conveniently behind Darcy. His force and bodyweight brought the trailing crashing down, crushing Matt's arm. Elena watched with bated breath as Frank next barrelled into Darcy, knocking her off her feet and out of sight.

Elena tried screaming and crying, hitting and smacking Isobel to free her, but her attempts were fruitless as the vampire dragged her away.

She missed seeing Darcy' body fly into the crowd and crash onto the hard tarmac and hidden behind the float. The persons hovering around were forced to stomp and stumble over her frame, not having enough time to move out of the way, also giving Frank the perfect diversion to grab Jeremy and flee.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena sobbed to Isobel. "Darcy!"

Isobel tightens her grip and yanks her back when Elena continues in her attempt to wrench herself free. "Stop. I'm showing you how easy it is to hurt people you care about," she said.

"And you're doing this just because of Johnathan Gilbert's invention?"

"Hand it over, and all will stop," Isobel states.

"Damon is not going to give it to me," Elena scoffed, wincing when Isobel dug in her nails into her forearm. Her features elongated, confused, watching as her biological mother's face changed into something ominous.