Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"What do you mean she's gone?" Klaus clenched his jaw.
"I don't know she's not here." Stas pretended that she didn't know of the true reason why Michelle Dubois left.
"Then find her. I'll send ever vampire in this city on a manhunt for her." Klaus slammed his fists against the desk in front of this.
Stas gulped. "Look, Klaus. I— I don't think she wants to be found." Stas played with her thumbs.
"What do you know?" Klaus growled lowly.
Stas looked down at her perfectly painted toes. "She wouldn't just leave." Klaus mumbled to himself.
"But she did..." Stas whispered to him.
* * *
Of course, Klaus was extremely upset for a few days. But, he soon masked his grief with anger. And Stas masked her anguish with... her facade of a personality. You know... the cold, harsh, materialistic, bougie and petty personality you were introduced with at the beginning of this book? Yeah... well that Anastázia is back.
Rebekah left as well, deciding that it'd be best if she was out of sight and out of mind while Klaus and Elijah figured out the prophecy shenanigan. At least, that's what she told Niklaus and Anastázia. In fact, her curse had returned. The cure Freya had procured for her had failed. And Elijah had daggered and stashed Rebekah's body in a secret place for the meantime.
* * *
A screeching sound from the room next to Anastázia woke her up in a fright. Stas clutched her chest as her heart raced from jolting awake in such a frightening way. Anastázia rushed over to the room when all of the ruckus was coming from: the guest bedroom, where Camille was staying for the night. Klaus was standing over her, screaming out of pure misery at the sight he was looking at. Anastázia's eyes trailed down to look at what he was distraught at, then saw Camille's lifeless body laying, bloodied, on the bed. Her throat was slit and her dark red blood gushed out of her neck.
Stas gasped at the image. It was appalling and nauseating. Camille was Klaus' dear friend and therapist; his reaction was quite appropriate considering he seemed to be losing everyone in those days— Michelle, Rebekah, and more. "What happened?" Stas inquired as she looked around to see what could've caused this murder.
"I— I don't know. I found her like this! I swear it's Aurora!! She wants to destroy my life!" Klaus screamed at the top of his lungs, his throat beginning to get quite sore. In his eyes, he saw Aurora as the one who destroyed his family. Although, that was not entirely the case. Stas remained silent, allowing him to have someone to blame in the blameless situation of their wretched family.
Anastázia approached her dear brother and squeezed him to show her condolences. But their shared hug was soon interrupted by a sharp gasp ringing out into the room. It seemed as if Cami had some vampire blood in her system, because she had just awakened back to life. Klaus rushed to her side and helped her up. The three were all confused and helplessly uninformed. "Tell me what happened." Klaus muttered lowly to her, ready to rip out the throat of the convicts.
Cami looked around the room, wide eyed, still unsure as to what was going on and how she was alive and why she was alive. It was way too soon to begin interrogating her, but Klaus needed to know. "Aurora." Was all Camille had to say before Klaus went off on another shouting rampage.
Anastázia regained her composure and established her cold, snake-like face. She crossed her arms and popped her hip ever so slightly to insinuate she was interested in hearing the story. The story went: weeks ago, Aurora compelled Camille to to take a vile of her blood and slit her own throat on that specific date. "I died." Camille spoke out in realization. Her breaths became ragged and her breathing patterns soon turned into loud sobs.
"She will pay for her actions. I swear to you!" Klaus shouted.
Cami groaned, grabbing her stomach in pain. "What's happening to me?" She cried out.
"You're transitioning. You need bleed, soon. Or you'll die, forever this time." Stas spoke out, harshly and abruptly. Klaus shot her a threatening look, but Stas' cold stare did not waver. She felt that she needed to step up and become the emotionless one of the household now that she held a precious secret that was to protect her brother from becoming damaged anymore. She was the one that needed to take care of the family, physically and emotionally; she was the one that needed to be the hated one of the family, to keep her brothers and sisters from suffering at the hands of outsiders or of their own wicked minds, by taking the blame for being the wicked and cruel member of the family.
* * *
Although it was against Elijah's wishes, Anastázia went out into the city to track down Aurora. Elijah warned Stas to not attack or disrupt Aurora until he retrieved the serratura, the medallion that could lock the family away for an eternity. So, Stas agreed to not attack her— she was simply, scouting her. Stas planned to use her old tactics and manipulate the bitch. Mostly by playing with her mind and emotions, then, in the end of it all, after breaking her down, ripping her heart out of her chest.
Stas went crazy looking all over the city to find the girl, but she was no where to be found. It made her mission a bit more difficult to accomplish, and it was quite the headache. So, she went to the person she knew would be aware of her whereabouts— her brother, Tristan.
* * *
"And you think I would tell you the whereabouts of my own sister?" Tristan sipped at his whiskey as he lounged in his chair after Anastázia asked about Aurora.
Anastázia cackled demeaningly. "It was worth a shot. But, I mostly came to see if I could pry it out of you." Stas narrowed her eyes and began observing Tristan to find any falters in his demeanor.
Tristan scoffed and waved over one of his little vampire servants who brought over a box. Tristan grabbed the box and opened it. The object he grabbed was out of Stas' sight. "You know, we used this on your sister... and I was planning on using this on your brother but, you've proven yourself worthy." Tristan chuckled.
Stas sighed, relaxing into the chair she was seated in because she assumed that Tristan couldn't do anything to her, if anything she suspected she'd be the one to hurt him. Tristan quickly exposed the object he held. It was the cursed dagger that Aurora had used to trap Rebekah at the bottom of the ocean. Before Stas even realized it, Tristan was charging at her with the dagger and shoved it into her chest.
She grunted in pain and desperately tried to grab at him. But it was no use, she was already blacking out. And the world was becoming quiet.
