Ignorance ➹ Niklaus Mikaelson

Chapter Two

Grief

My head was spinning as I looked at my dad. He didn't look like himself. They had stuffed his body and put makeup on him to make him look more alive. What was the point? It was no secret that he was dead. I have always hated funerals. Everyone gives you sympathetic looks if you're related to the deceased. I hated it. I hated that everyone was watching me as I approached his casket.

Seeing him like this was surreal. It felt like just yesterday he was lecturing me about my drinking problem. He couldn't do that anymore. He couldn't bicker with me about my unhealthy habits anymore. He couldn't be there in those desperate times of need. He was gone. I needed him now more than ever.

"You alright?" Elena asked from beside me. I continued to watch as they lowered him into the ground.

"He's gone, Elena," I cried. "Our dad is gone." Although John Gilbert was never publicly known as Elena's dad, he was her biological father and I knew that she loved him.

"It's okay, Morgan," she rubbed my back. "He did a good thing. He saved my life. He's a hero."

"Heroes don't die," I shook my head. "They risk their lives for the greater good. They take down the enemy. Good conquers evil? What ever happened to that? Since when does the good guy die?"

"Life sucks," she stated, staring blankly at the casket.

"Yeah, well death isn't exactly a walk in the park either," Stefan said, coming up from behind us.

"Then what's the point?" I questioned.

My whole life I had spent making memories with the people I love, and then I watched them fall apart in one day. What was the point in happiness when despair trailed closely behind? It seemed like we were doomed from the beginning.

"Maybe you find something along the way that makes it all worth it," Stefan suggested, staring lovingly at Elena. I felt a smile tug on my lips before I left the couple.

I wanted something like that. I wanted someone who loved me unconditionally. Someone that would do anything to protect me. That person didn't seem to exist at the moment. Maybe I was destined to be alone.

I walked over to the younger Gilbert, who was just as upset about John's death as I was. They weren't very close until these past couple of months. They formed a bond from their hatred for vampires. Jeremy, however, could see the good ones from the bad ones. That was partially why I left. My dad was obsessed with the Salvatores. Part of me thought that if I left, he would follow me and leave them alone. He didn't seem to care that I left. He only wanted to protect Elena.

I wrapped my arms around my cousin, feeling his tears splash against my skin. All I could focus on was all of the grief that vampires had seemed to bring me. I just wanted it all to end. It needed to end for Jeremy, Elena, and my sake. I don't how much more loss we could take. I slowly backed away from Jeremy and smiled sadly at him before leaving.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I stood on the edge of Wickery Bridge with an eery feeling in the pit of my stomach. I climbed over the railing and hung my legs off of the side. I stared down into the dark waters below, imagining the car flying off of the bridge. I could hear their terrified screams echoing throughout my mind. I could imagine Stefan going in to save the day yet again. I cringed at the smell of death.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then I stood to my feet, feeling completely empty. I didn't want to do this anymore. I lifted one foot from the ground and hovered it over the edge. I shut my eyes tightly before falling forward, but instead I made impact with the ground. My side was cut a little, but other than that, I was fine. I looked up to see a man standing there with blonde hair and a worried expression written across his face.

"Are you alright, love?" He questioned, searching my face. I nodded my head, breathing heavily. "You're bleeding."

"I'm fine," I insisted. "Nothing that won't heal within a few days." I pulled my shirt down to cover the small wound. I tried to stand up, but my side burned. I winced as I fell back down to the ground.

"Why?" The man asked, now looking at the water. "Why would you jump? What's so awful that would cause you to take your own life?"

"Everyone I love dies," I said, tears streaming down my face. "My dad has been dead for two months and my friends have been covering it up! M-my mom was murdered and my aunt and uncle crashed off this very bridge. Everyone around me dies. I was just doing the world a favor."

"No," the man shook his head. "Everyone dies. It doesn't matter who they know or love. Everyone has a time and it was just their's."

"But it wasn't," I disagreed. "He wasn't supposed to die. Elena was. And my mother wasn't either. She was attacked by some monster. And my aunt and uncle, they shouldn't have been out that night. They weren't supposed to die. They weren't supposed to leave me."

"Your John Gilbert's daughter?" The man asked. I nodded my head and wiped the tears away from my face. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize," I groaned. "Everyone always apologizes. There isn't anything you could have done." I stared down at the water angrily. "It should have been me. I should've been the one to link my life to Elena's."

It was silent and I began to finally calm myself down. The man sat down beside me and leant over towards my side. He lifted my shirt a little to examine my cut. I noticed the veins beginning to show under his eyes, but I wasn't afraid. He put my shirt back down and looked me straight in the eyes.

"That looks really bad," he changed the subject. "Let me heal you." I shook my head in disapproval at the vampire. I didn't know him and I wasn't going to drink a stranger's blood. That was so awkward. He ignored me and bit into his arm anyways. Then he ignored my protests and forced me to drink.

At first I kept my mouth completely shut, but my side was stinging and I finally gave in. I always hated drinking vampire blood. It was really disgusting when you thought about it. I felt the burning sensation in my side slowly fade away and I let go of the man's arm.

"Thank you," I sighed, slipping my legs back over the bridge once more. I swung them back and forth.

"It was a pleasure," he smiled. "Because now I know, that you won't do anything stupid tonight or you'll be here for eternity."

My jaw dropped. He did that so I wouldn't kill myself. How clever. I watched him as he smirked and couldn't help but admire his looks under the moonlight. It was too dark for me to see his eye color, but I imagined they were beautiful like the rest of him. I was really attracted to this stranger. I didn't even know his name.

"Who are you anyways?" I asked, my eyebrows shot up. The man looked at the moon before glancing back down at me.

"A monster," he answered, refusing to meet my eyes. "I don't see how you're around me when you don't know me, but know that I'm a vampire."

"You just saved my life. I don't think you would kill me after that," I responded. "You don't seem like a monster to me."

He stood to his feet and brushed himself off. I climbed to my feet as well, seeing as he was about to leave. He pushed the pieces of hair back from my eyes and tucked them behind my ear. He dropped his hand away from my face and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" I yelled behind him.

"I'm doing you a favor. You won't want me to stay when you know who I am," he yelled back, still having his back facing me.

I ran up to him, hoping he wouldn't speed away. Luckily for me, he didn't. He turned around and smiled sadly at me. He glanced down at my hand on his arm. "My name is Klaus," he finally said before disappearing.