♤ ı [0] Awaiting the Everlasting

ı 09 ı 1864 {2}

PART NINE; CHAPTER TWO: THE END OF THE BEGINNING

JAMES POV

MY MIND  went into a deep, dark sleep last night. It was almost as if my brain was hardwired to only dream dark thoughts, nothing but nightmares clouding my dreams. No matter how hard I tried to wake however, my mind would not obey. It was if I were trapped within myself, no escape in sight. It's not until the early hours of the morning that I open my eyes, as a loud pounding upon the front door scares me awake.

The clock beside me only reads five in the morning, far too early for anybody to be awake. Both curious and concerned, I spring out of bed and run down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone as I open the front door. Before me stands none other than Elijah, his face estranged and his hands bloodied.

"Elijah? What-" I stare at him in disbelief, my heart starting to race.

"James, it's Blair," he blurts out, his eyes wide and distant, like his thoughts are somewhere else.

"What do you mean? She's upstairs-"

"No," he cuts me off, shaking his head. "She's-"

Before he can finish I sprint up the stairs with vampire speed, opening the door to Blair's bedroom only to realize with horror that her bed is empty, her window wide open. She must have snuck out at night. I was supposed to watch out for her, protect her but she managed to sneak out while I was consumed by night terrors.

With a lump forming in my throat I sprint downstairs back to Elijah, demanding answers. "Where is she?" I say frantically, my fingers shaking.

"She's out in the woods- I-I didn't bring her back I-I didn't want her family to see the body," he stammers, running his bloodied hand through his hair.

Body

"What do you mean body?" I question faintly, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. "Where is she Elijah?" I press, my hands squeezing his shoulders.

"She's out in the woods by the creek-," he says, but I push past him and run before he can say anything more. "James, I-I'm s-sorry!" He cries in a panic while I sprint away, zooming through the forest.

I don't exactly know where I'm going, but I don't stop running. Everything around me seems to be collapsing, like my whole world is falling apart. I thought I had surrounded myself with a wall of bricks, but instead it appears it's been walls of hay this entire time, and now they have come tumbling town. Elijah was right. Loving Blair was dangerous, put her in harms way and offered easy leverage for Klaus. Elijah doesn't even have to tell me what happened and who did what for I already know who did this to Blair. It's rather obvious.

I come to an abrupt stop in the middle of the forest, my feet standing in the middle of a shallow stream. There's a faint whiff of blood floating through the air causing me to freeze in step. I swear my heart stays frozen, not beating as I turn around, my eyes landing on a deathly still Blair leaning against a tree.