Redamancy | Elena Gilbert

Chapter 31

"There is darkness in all of us," said Rosalind. "You saw mine yesterday. I... I couldn't really control it when the grief was still fresh. But Klaus helped me get it out of my system. We spar, we talk, I cry it out. And I feel better. I keep it at bay. And little by little I learn to manage it by focusing on what I want to leave behind when I inevitably die. What legacy I want there to be for those who remember me. I want to do good for my Pack, for Tyler, for my aunt. And I can't do that if I let the darkness take over. It's in there, it is, and sometimes I can let it out, but I know the difference between right and wrong and provided I keep myself mentally healthy and have a good outlet, it can't control me. Yes, some darker parts of you might begin to emerge. But don't fight them right away. Try to understand them, where they come from, what it means. Accept it, and focus on what you want to make of it. Shoving it down as if it doesn't exist isn't healthy. But you can manage it, I know that."

Elena nodded, and stepped back. "I think I need another drink."

"Good," said Rosalind. "Let's practice snatch, eat, and erase, if you'd like. You don't have to be the one that feeds. You can just watch what I do and be the one to 'erase' at the end."

"Are you sure?" asked Elena nervously. "What if I lose control?"

"You need to have more faith in yourself. Don't assume you'll lose control. You're stronger than that. You've been through too much to be so easily swayed by the scent."

They cornered a woman in the alley behind The Mystic Grill. Rosalind demonstrated how to compel, having the woman stay still and not feel fear or pain.

She stood behind her, biting into her neck and starting to feed slowly, then pulling away so Elena would smell the blood. Immediately, her vampire face surfaced.

"You smell the blood," said Rosalind. "But you don't want to feed on her, and you don't want to hurt her. You also don't want to scare her, so just concentrate on not letting that face out. Tell that face it can only come out when you're going to eat. That's your eating face. You're not eating now. You're going to heal her."

Elena concentrated, breathing several times. She closed her eyes. "No," said Rosalind. "Keep them open. Look at the blood, smell it, but remind yourself you don't want to feed. You've fed already, and you don't want to hurt her."

It took a few more times of trying, but at last, her fangs receded, and the veins beneath her eyes disappeared. Elena was still looking at the blood, but her vampire face was gone.

"Good," said Rosalind. "Now, bite into your wrist, draw some blood, and heal her."

Elena moved closer, and cautiously bit her wrist, then pressed it to the woman's mouth. She healed instantly. "Now compel her," said Rosalind. "Tell her to go back to normal. To forget what happened. To get some rest for the next day. Anything you want."

The doppelgänger held onto the woman's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Go back to normal. Everything is okay. Forget us, and the fact you were here. Go home, take the day off, and relax, you've earned it."

Rosalind wiped the blood off the woman's neck, then watched her walk away.

"See?" she said, leaning onto Elena. "You did it. And each time, it will get easier. Until eventually your vampire face won't ever pop out unless you control it."

"That felt a lot better," said Elena, sounding more hopeful and enthusiastic than she had in the morning. "I feel... safe."

Rosalind smiled. "Good. So, I'm going to take you home, and then I'm going to go check on Bonnie. Klaus mentioned last night that she had something happen with the witches because she put him back in his body. After that, I'm making dinner for the hybrids. I'll see you tomorrow, same time."