Redamancy | Elena Gilbert

Chapter 34

As soon as she felt like she could breathe and talk normally, she washed her face and left the house. Elena accompanied her to an exhibition at her high school where Professor Atticus Shane was apparently presenting in order to acquire the notes about the Hunters.

He handed her a large stack of research, not asking what exactly she was looking up (she didn't think to mention the Hunter's Curse in particular). She sat in the library, looking through every single page thoroughly until she found a particular paragraph.

She read off the page aloud for Elena to listen, "'The tormented vampire will never be freed unless a new hunter is awakened. The potentials receive the legacy of the Hunters who came before them and will carry the Curse in case they are killed on their journey.'" She sat up. "This is it. If we get a potential to kill a vampire, we can help Chris."

Elena nodded, still not aware of what the importance of the Hunters really was. "Well, Jeremy is one, but I don't think he'd do it."

Rosalind nodded. "I know. But he met Chris, maybe... maybe he'd be willing..." She knew that if it would help Chris, she could tell Jeremy the truth about where the map led. He would gladly do it to aid his sister. At least that's what she hoped. "I need to go talk to Klaus. Thank you for sitting here with me. I promise... this is going to help."

"I trust you," said Elena, who, albeit skeptical about why Rosalind didn't tell her the true reason, knew that she wouldn't be doing anything for sinister reasons. "Be careful."

"I will be," promised Rosalind.

When she got to the mansion, it was quiet once again. An unsettling sort of quiet.

"What happened?" she asked the hybrids when she found them drinking in the foyer. "Where is Chris?"

"Dead," said Thomas numbly. "He's dead."

Rosalind's heart dropped into her stomach. "No... no, no... what happened? How—?"

"Klaus told him about the Hunter's Curse," said Jo between angry tears. "And he told him that he probably would need to be put out of his misery. He said his death could count for something and Chris said yes because he was scared of losing his mind. So the Gilbert kid killed him. Stefan Salvatore brought him, and he staked him. Now there's a new Hunter. But Chris is gone. And it's my fault."

"Josiah, no," said Rosalind immediately. "Oh, god, please don't say that, it's not your fault. None of you are at fault for what happened. This... this is on me, and it's on Klaus. We should have been honest, we should have protected you better." Her fists clenched. "I'm going to talk to Klaus. This isn't going to happen again."

She found Klaus in his art room, working on another painting. As soon as he turned to face her, she slapped him.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" she shrieked. "There was a way to fix him! A new Hunter had to be awakened, and the hallucinations would have stopped. The torment would have been over."

Klaus's head was still tilted to the side, and his jaw was tight. "Jeremy would have needed to kill a vampire anyway, love. Chris agreed."

"Probably because he didn't know there was another way! Oh my god, Klaus, you can't just do that! You can't... you can't..." she turned away, hands trembling against her temples as she tried to keep from destroying all the things he had in the room. "You shouldn't have done that. We have just lost a third hybrid. Aside from you and I, there are only thirteen hybrids left."

"We needed a new Hunter," said Klaus quietly. "Jeremy already knew the truth, and he wished to help Elena. He wants the cure for her, just as you do. I did what needed to be done. You will be happiest when you see Elena at her happiest, and for that to happen, she needs to return to being human. I want to expand the Pack, and I don't like to see you miserable."