Party from Hell

4

"Elena! There you are!" Caroline appeared out of thin air. "Can I steal her for a bit?" She asked Damon. He took one of my hands and pressed his lips to it for a second before he let me go and melted away into the crowd. I saw Bonnie say something to Enzo and then come over to us.

"I was just going to get you." Caroline grinned. "It's been so long since all of us were together like this."

"Don't go crying, Care." I laughed. "Come on!"

We danced together, just like we used to, laughing and moving to the music for what seemed like minutes, but it had been almost an hour by the time I glanced up at the clock again. After calling over the loud noise to Bonnie and Caroline, we all squeezed through the crowd. The area where the drinks were was free of people, only one or two hanging around. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Here." Bonnie pressed a cup into my hands and also handed one to Caroline. "Cheers." We all pressed our red plastic cups together and then drank. I laughed, dizzy with all the noise.

"Thank you guys." I looked at Bonnie and Caroline. "This is amazing."

"You had a rocky start." Caroline slung an arm around my shoulder. "But you did it. Why not celebrate it." I smiled, and we all tipped up our cups.

We were just about to go back into the throng of people when I felt a presence behind me. I turned, but there was no one there. Bonnie stopped when she noticed what I was doing.

"Elena?" She asked.

"I'll catch you guys up." I said. Bonnie nodded and disappeared with Caroline.

I slowly walked into the next room, the hallway. I could still feel that someone was there, but I couldn't see or hear anything. The house seemed normal, but my hearing was slightly impaired by the pounding music.

"Hello?" I began to walk up the stairs, letting my mind lead me. There was no reply, but I wasn't expecting anything. On the way, I grabbed a stake from where I knew some were hidden behind a tapestry, holding it to my side.

As I stepped out onto the second floor, I heard a few footsteps, barely making a sound. I whipped my head around, locating the sound. It was in the spare room, the one barely anyone used. Gripping the stake, I flashed with vampire speed into the room.

A girl stood in the middle of the room, everything around her messy. Clothes were strewn across the floor. She looked up and growled as she noticed me. I slipped my hand behind my back, holding the stake out of sight.

"Elena." The girl said. She blurred and then disappeared. The door slammed shut behind me, and I turned to see her standing in front of it, blocking my only exit.

"Katherine." I hissed.

"Just the person I was looking for." She purred, and suddenly she was right in front of me. I thrust my arm forward, aiming for her heart. Katherine grabbed my arm, twisting it, and the stake clattered to the ground.

She smirked, and then her hands were around my neck. I felt a snap, and then the blackness rushed over my eyes.

-

When I woke, lying on the floor of the guest room, Katherine was gone. I sat up, and then realised that my black dress was gone. Instead, I was in the white lacy dress that Caroline had almost given me, and the front was stained with blood. Fresh blood, barely minutes old.

"Are you Elena Gilbert?" A lilting voice asked. I looked up to see a blond, short girl, standing a few metres away.

"Yes." I struggled to contain my hunger at the blood on my dress as I stood.

"I have something for you." She said. I watched as she swept her hair away from her neck, exposing two bleeding puncture marks.

"No!" I gasped, feeling my face change into the monster that lived inside. My body surged towards the blood, and I barely held myself back. "Run!" I yelled at the girl. She didn't move. She had been compelled.

I struggled with myself for a few moments, and then the girl, seemingly robotic, placed a hand on her neck. She held out her bloody palm towards me. I growled and grabbed the girl, sinking my teeth into her neck.

She screamed, thrashing in my arms, but I was too strong. Slowly, the girl grew limp in my arms. Her hands fluttered against me, weakly trying to stop me from killing her. I didn't stop.

"Katherine!"

Clattering footsteps, a bang, and a pain in my stomach. I looked down to see a wooden bullet had been shot at me, just missing my heart. With a growl, I pulled it out, shoving the girl away from me as I did so.

Damon, Katherine, and Caroline were standing in the doorway, Damon holding the gun that had shot me. Katherine was in my dress, looking even more like me than she usually did. She smirked at me and moved to cling to Damon's arm. He gripped her tightly, protecting her.

"Don't move." Caroline warned me.

"But that's Katherine!" I pointed at her. She put a bewildered expression on her face.

"Katherine is a compulsive liar." Damon said, approaching me. Katherine let go of him, and we all watched as he pressed the gun to my heart. "I've waited too long for this."
"Damon." I pleaded, looking into his eyes. "It's me. It's Elena." He faltered, staring into my eyes. I looked down, and then with the hand that wasn't bloody, I pulled my necklace out and held it up. Katherine was good, but not good enough.

"Elena." Damon dropped the gun. "Elena." I nodded, and he reached out, drawing me into his arms. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." I mumbled against his chest. "Katherine can be convincing."

Katherine. I stiffened as I remembered her, and let go of Damon to look. Katherine was gone, and a stake was buried in Caroline's chest.

"Care!" I ran forward, dropping to my knees beside her. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realised that the stake was in the right side of her chest, away from her heart. I pulled it out, dropping it on the floor.

Caroline sat up and flung her arms around my neck. I hugged her back, looking up at Damon. He was kneeling over the girl I had attacked, pressing his fingers to her throat. He looked at me and shook his head. She was gone.