Singing Blood

The Birthday

"Kill this one quickly," he ordered, eyes turning to the other woman. "And make that one suffer. I'll be in the car."

He walked out of the front door with an uncanny smile on his face.

"Please don't!" the first woman begged, looking at the other man. He just stared at her emotionless before his face transformed and he bit into her neck. The screams of terror that followed could be heard from miles away.

It was the morning of Elena Gilbert's eighteenth birthday and the teenager was currently on the phone with Caroline while she walked down the stairs into the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" she asked her friend.

"Just shopping for the party you're trying to bail out on," Caroline replied nonchalantly.

Elena groaned inwardly. She wasn't in the mood for partying. Not with Stefan still out there.

"I never said yes in the first place."

"You were never going to which is why I planned it anyway. And my mom wants you to call her."

"Did she find something?" Elena asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"An animal attack in Memphis. It's the third one this week in Tennessee."

Elena stepped into the kitchen where Jenna was currently making coffee.
"And you're sure it's a vampire?"

Jenna looked at her and the two exchanged a short glance.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that it's Klaus," Caroline reminded her.

"Doesn't mean it's not," Elena contered, gently pushing Jenna out of the way. "I'll call her."

"Well call her on her cell."

"Tell her thank you for her help."

"All right," Caroline said. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you in a bit."

"Oh, Caroline wait, just...keep tonight small. Please?" Elena begged her friend.

"Wear something pretty," was all Caroline replied before hanging up.

Elena sighed and shook her head. Jenna looked at her from across the kitchen counter.

"Was that uh...Stefan news?"

Elena shrugged.

"Could be more Klaus victims."

"You certain Stefan's still with him?" Jenna asked.

"Easy to be certain when the alternative is that he's dead," Elena said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Then she looked at her aunt.

"The next time you're meeting Elijah and Marianne, can you ask them again if they know anything? Please?"

Jenna raised her eyebrow at her niece.

"I thought we're not going to mention her name anymore?"

Elena sighed.

"Look. Do I like that you're still hanging out with the person who betrayed us all? No. But you're going to do it anyways so might as well use the opportunity when it presents itself."

"Well, you're not going to get any information, Elena. Neither Elijah nor Marianne will tell anyone where Klaus and Stefan are. We already had that topic."

Elena opened her mouth to say something but Jenna interrupted her. "No, Elena. I don't want to argue with you on your birthday and I won't spy on or abandon my best friend just because you're mad at her for betraying you when you all betrayed her first. End of discussion."