My Sunshine | Camille O'Connell

(18) Bloodletting | Part 2

"So what exactly did our brother do to incur this boy's wrath." We were both walking through the woods without a map or the half-werewolf scent machine, so saying we were lost would be an understatement.

Currently, my brother and I were taking turns with vamp hearing to detect any sounds that might be Hayley. Maybe we should've followed Klaus.

"Well, first of all, 'going after his girl' might be the understatement of the century. If you remember Caroline Forbes, the Gilbert girl's friend, our brother became obsessed with her. You know how he gets with his infatuations. She was with Tyler Lockwood at the time and took it upon himself to meddle in a teenage relationship to turn her against him. My favorite story he tells is when he heroically healed her werewolf bite after forcing Tyler via the sire bond to bite her in the first place. Granted, she did have unexplained feelings for our brother, but those were hidden behind love for her boyfriend. Second of all, the sire bond in itself was a disgusting use of power. You weren't there to witness the extent of the shit Klaus was making those poor sods do. It was like compulsion on crack. When Tyler managed to break free he returned to Mystic Falls and led a rebellion with Hayley to free the others. That's not what upset our brother. No, what angered him was their plan after they'd been freed to lock him up somewhere to rot. It reinforced for him how the only loyalty he can achieve is through force. This of course is a false narrative, if he'd stop inflicting his will over others like Tyler or Stefan Salvatore, he might actually have friends. All he has to do is something called earning it. The only truth was what happened to Tyler's mum. Poor Carol, I actually quite liked her. She had a fire." By the end, Elijah looked speechless.

"Ah, so worse than he let on?" Was all he could say.

"Even my interpretation doesn't scratch the surface. It's easy to blame Tyler for everything that happened, but the truth is he was justified in every case between them. Klaus likes to change the story that Tyler struck first, but Klaus started this when he used the boy as an experiment to make his hybrids. That's what he meant by 'first.' That being said, if he's here to harm Hayley he will suffer. Still, can't help but sympathize after what he's been through." Elijah nods at this.

"You all certainly kept yourselves busy in that town."

"Surrounded by enemies does that. Those kids, I'd never done anything to them, yet I get lumped in with my brother. Actual scum." That for some reason, Elijah will defend. Despite the Gilbert boy driving a stake through our brother's heart while his sister helped.

Deep breaths. We're on a mission. Deep breaths.

This one seems different though. There's no tears threatening to spill. Only my blood boiling and a ringing in my ears as I clench my fists tighter.

"Talia!" I manage to hear over the noise, which brings me back to my big brother. "I understand feeling anger, but we need to focus on finding Hayley. Like you said, we cannot lose ourselves." If only you knew.

But you never will.

Not if I have anything to say about it.

'Even though your sister begged you. Selfish bitch!'

Where is Hayley? This is taking forever!

"So what do you reckon is happening back in the Quarter? I bet Marcel is enjoying his original-free day." First one in months.

"With us gone and the last witch elder dead, I imagine a very quiet afternoon." I forgot about that. With Agnes dead, the harvest can't be completed.

Davina is free!

I wonder if she knows. I wonder if Marcel has told her yet.

"Were you being sincere? With your deal to help the young witch?" I know my brother likes to say he's a man of his word, but he can be slippery at times.