Living Death (TVD)

09. Stone

      Avery let out a scream as the door was suddenly thrown off its hinges by...rocks. She got up and ran to the front to find Elijah standing just a few yards from the house.

      "Elijah...you're okay?" Avery whispered quizzically.

      Everything happened so fast, Avery ran for Elena when all she saw was Elena stab herself but when Elijah had her in his arms she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She felt the same pain from before, falling to her knees as she crumbled over in pain. Avery and Elijah made eye contact until he fell over with a dagger in his heart and Avery followed soon after. 

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      Avery couldn't remember how but she was back in the cabin space, in her room laid with her comforter delicately over her body, up to her shoulders. She attempted to move but everything felt like a semi-truck was right on top of her. Her body was too heavy to move, all she could do was attempt to assess her surroundings with her eyes slowly. She couldn't make a sound as she noticed Elijah and Klaus appear in her sight. She couldn't hear anything but a muffled ringing sound as she stared at the two attempts to explain to her.

      "She cannot hear you," Sheila called from the main area.

      Klaus and Elijah turned to her at the sound of her voice. Klaus stormed up to her, veins poking out through the skin under his eyes as he grabbed the dead witch's neck.

      "What did you do?! Who are you?! I will rip your head clean off and feed it to the dogs." Klaus hissed.

      "Niklaus," Elijah warned.

      "You could kill me but you wouldn't be able to save her if you did. I haven't done anything to her but I can do something to keep her from dying completely." Sheila explained through a hoarse voice.

      Klaus tightened his hold on her but his fingers were ripped from the dead witch's neck as his body was thrown to the side, landing on the bookshelves. The hybrid moved at inhuman speed as he now stood in front of his brother who protected the witch.

      "Allow her to explain, brother." Elijah reasoned.

      Sheila eyed the two brothers curiously, standing straight with her hand tenderly caressing her own throat to soothe the already forming bruise. The brothers turned their heads to look back at Sheila, awaiting an explanation before Klaus decided to take any other rash decision.

      "Her soul is dying. With Elijah being so close to her body, daggered and Klaus not being close enough to keep her soul and body stable. Her soul is tied to you both and your souls being as old and powerful as they are. The closer you are to her the faster her body reforms itself. Elena's daggering Elijah has caused her soul to be in a vulnerable state and the farther away Klaus is from her body to easier it is for her to die completely. She is only alive thanks to you. I can put her soul into a deep sleep, freezing it temporarily for her body to heal." Sheila explained the best she could without revealing that Elena was the doppelganger Klaus was looking for.

      "Then do it." Elijah nodded, guiding Sheila to the room. Klaus sped in between the two and Avery's room to keep Sheila from closing in on the weak soul.

      "Not so fast. How do we know we can trust her? She might just try to freeze her soul to weaken us." Klaus growled, glaring daggers into the dead witch.

      "I have watched that girl grow from the little girl she was until she passed away. I want her to live a happy life, not have to suffer, and watch her sister and brother suffer in the world of the supernatural." Sheila reasoned, stepping in front of Klaus with a glare to match his.

      Klaus narrowed his eyes before allowing a smirk to pass through his lips, stepping back to let Sheila through. Sheila slowly approached Avery's weak soul, coming into sight of her eyes that could only move at a slow pace. Avery's eyes widened at the sight of Sheila, trying to move her heavy jaw to speak but no air could get through. Everything was just too heavy, even the air she breathed.

      "Don't try to talk, girl. Rest." Sheila whispered, gently closing Avery's mouth for her before hovering her hands over the soul's chest.

      Klaus and Elijah moved to the end of the bed, watching the witch chant a strong spell that shook Avery's soul's safe space. Avery's soul slowly began to turn into a whitish-grey color like a statue. As if she were desiccating like a vampire except there were no veins involved. Even the space around them was turning the same color. Avery kept her eyes on Sheila feeling the heavy feeling pass away into a warm feeling like a firey hug. Like her mother and father were there with her and hugging her soul into safety.

      By the end, Avery's soul was frozen into a stone-like material with a glow on its chest where her heart was, imitating the beat. Her surroundings were stone too but it faded out until it met Sheila or the brothers.

      "There, she is safe. But to keep anything from attacking her vulnerable state. This place would have to be blocked off, even from you two." They both nodded, accepting the fact they wouldn't get to see Avery until she woke up in the living world.

      Sheila nodded back and guided everyone to leave, leaving a barrier spell around the entire safe space for Avery's soul. Blocking her inside and blocking others outside.

      Klaus woke up with a heavy breath, thinking about the girl he just had to leave behind along with his brother. He now knew that he needed to find her and help her body to wake up in the living world. He couldn't bear the thought of her being stuck as stone forever.

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Hello, I'm sorry that this is a bit short. I decided to change up my plan a bit last minute. I couldn't see myself continuing this story if I continued with Avery not getting to be around her siblings. So I decided to cut her time in the land of the dead short. This is the end of ACT I. Toodles!~