𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨
2 WEEKS PASSED SINCE being in New Orleans. Elara was forced to stay in the house for most of the time. She had only been out from guilt-tripping Klaus. He let her go out a few times as long as he was there.
Elara at the moment didn't like him. No matter how hard he tried to make it up to her. Even though he didn't go to her pleading for her to forgive him, he had flowers and breakfast for her every morning.
She found it sweet but didn't say a word to him still deciding to hold a grudge. He was a dick and he didn't deserve her forgiveness.
To occupy her so she didn't go forgiving him because, to be honest, she had internally, she was a very forgiving person, but she couldn't let him know that. She went back to Rousseau's, the guy she met happened to be there every time.
After an exchange of numbers, she's talked to him every day since. She obviously couldn't let Klaus know because he'd go crazy. No one was supposed to know about Elara or who she was.
She was careful though. She didn't tell too much about herself, just the normal basic stuff. She was the exact opposite of Sam. He was very open about everything, he was very confident in himself.
They got along perfectly it made her think of Stefan.
Speaking of Stefan communication back in Mystic Falls was kind of hazy. They were busy, and she was busy, but they made time always. There were a lot of things going on in Mystic Falls that Elara had no idea of, they kept it quiet so they wouldn't worry her.
Elara was already emotional with her basically being a high school dropout. She wasn't going to graduate with them, the dream they've had since they were kids wasn't happening.
"What if I drove him over with a tractor?" Elara threw a ball up into the air laying on her back at the end of the bed, "Okay. Where would you get a tractor though?" The vampire asked on her the other end.
Elara froze thinking about that, "Okay, what if I drove him over with the Golf cart?" She changed ideas, "Too slow. What about a motorcycle?" She sat up furrowing her eyebrows at him.
"Stef, you're a genius!" She smiled at him through the laptop and he leaned back in the chair tossing something in his hand back and forwards, "Except there's about a 45% chance you won't make it out alive." He mumbled and she slumped knowing he was right.
She pouted trying to think of better ways to hurt Klaus.
"Hey, Stefan?" He looked back up at the screen catching her sad eyes, "Oh, come on, cupcake we had a deal." He leaned over into the screen talking to her in a soft voice.
She shook her head taking in a deep breath, "I know, I know. It's just...it's not fair. I endured all those years and I don't even get to graduate." It was taking everything in her to not start full-blown sobbing.
This is why Elara and Stefan were friends. They were both emotional little babies, but that also meant when one of them was sad the other immediately attached on.
Basically if one of them was sad, so was the other.
"Graduating is overrated anyway," he tried to calm her down, "you've graduated like 500 times." She had a point. He couldn't say that when he's got over 50 diplomas.
"Exactly so I know."
Elara rolled her eyes and went to say something, but a voice entered both her's and Stefan's room.
"Klaus is gone, wanna sneak out?"
"Damon was bit."
Neither of them heard what was said to the other, but knew they had to go.
The two best friends both turned back to each other with apologetic faces, "hey, smile. It's okay, half the population doesn't graduate. At least you know you don't have a choice." He smiled and she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Love you!"
They both ended the call and Elara turned to Hayley, "So, where are we going?"
The girls left the house and took a cab into the city. Elara knew Klaus would be in the quarter somewhere, but she didn't know exactly where.
She texted Sam, and he told them to meet him across the street from Rousseau's. Hayley was a bit unsure, but Elara eased her worries.
"It's fine he's not another psycho vampire." She told Hayley as they approached the street, "Nope, just a werewolf." He said from behind them.
They turned around in a jump and he stood there with a cup of ice cream, the spoon in his mouth.
He pulled it out smiling at them, "I told you." Hayley sang and Elara rolled her eyes, "Again, at least it's not a psycho vampire." She pointed towards him.
"How many vampires do you know anyway?" He walked alongside them eating his ice cream, "A lot." She took the cup from him eating some of the ice cream.
"And you're not dead?" He asked her knowing how vampires were with humans, "yet." Hayley spoke up for her. She didn't like all of the vampires that were just around all of the time like it was so normal.
To Elara it was. She didn't see them any different than humans. They're just humans with a very, very different diet.
Not that much different.
"Shut up. They're not that bad, and you two are werewolves it's just as bad."
Sam gave her a look disagreeing, "No. what's bad is your humanity." He waved his hand over her figure.
She gasped shoving him slightly, "I'm sorry, but I don't plan on killing anyone purposely or accidentally anytime soon." She mocked bumping into someone causing them to fall to the ground.
She stopped immediately going to the person.
"You're not doing so good, but good luck." Sam gave her a thumbs up and Hayley laughed at his humor high-fiving him.
Elara apologized quickly and went back to the two wolves glaring.
"Anytime soon starting now." She continued to walk in front of them. They laughed behind her, catching up before she knocked someone else over.
Sam took them to explore more of the city trying to steer clear of the places he knew the vampires lurked.
He knew all of their hiding and feeding spots, so he knew exactly where not to take them.
Especially with Hayley being a werewolf they haven't seen before. Sam was lucky. When his pack was cursed he was just a baby.
When he found his way in the quarter picking pockets and conning people he was lucky Marcel found him.
Marcel didn't know he was a werewolf, and neither did Sam. He took him in, looked out for him, made sure he had a place to sleep. When an accident occurred and Sam was on his knees under the moon, Marcel protected him still.
He had his rule about kids, and he cared about this one.
Elara's phone started buzzing like crazy. She pulled it out to see a bunch of messages and calls coming in from Klaus. Even Hayley had a few.
"He's not supposed to be home. Crap." She looked up at Hayley and then Sam, "We have to go, but I'll see you, next time I want cookies & cream." She told as they walked off waving for a cab.
They got back to the plantation both of them arguing about who to go in first.
"C'mon, he'll snap my neck the moment I'm in," Hayley whispered.
"And I'll snap his so seeing as if I do that I'm dead and if you go you're dead, I'm gonna let you go," Elara responded both of them staying out on the porch.
"Why don't you both step in and let me choose." The door opened and he stood there angry.
Elara turned to him with an awkward smile. She stood next to Hayley all sweet before she shoved Hayley forward walking behind her, "She made me. I'm innocent."
Hayley scoffed, "Not true you wanted to meet up with your little boy toy." She blurted and they both stopped turning back to Klaus.
She was not supposed to say that.
Klaus didn't even know what to say to that. He didn't even care that they were gone anymore, he cared about who they were with.
She didn't even tell him.
Not that he expected her to.
He wanted to know who the guy was, he wanted to kill him. He was going near what didn't belong to him, and Klaus was taking it back.
"Um, I'm sorry, we shouldn't have left, but we were safe the entire time, and you can't just keep us locked up in here."
Klaus didn't meet her eyes as she looked up, "Pack a small bag, we're leaving in 10 minutes." He told her before walking away.
He went into his art room gripping the edge of the table. He held his head down looking at the drawn pictures of her.
Lifting his head up he saw her everywhere.
"Let me try." She stole the paintbrush from his hand with a mischievous smile. He was painting one of his many artworks that to her looked like a simple object, but whenever she asked it was so much more.
The painting had bright colors. Tons of orange, pink, and yellow. She analyzed the array of colors all organized by color from lightest to darkest.
Klaus pulled her down to his lap resting his head on her shoulder, "Love, I mean this when I tell you don't do anything you'll regret." He whispered against her skin.
"Well, then, you shouldn't have let me do this." She went over to all the dark colors dipping the brush into a dark blue shade.
She raised to brush to the canvas and he tickled her sides. She squealed in shock pulling back. Her hand swiped over the canvas rubbing the blue onto the painting.
She looked at it placing her hand over her mouth. She was joking when she said that, but now she felt bad.
She ruined it.
"Oops." Fell from her lips and he lifted his head looking at his painting that now had blue strained across.
Elara began apologizing feeling bad, "I won't ask for ice cream in the middle of the night anymore for a...mo—no a week. Nik? please don't be sad." She poked her bottom lip pout looking at him in guilt.
"Dove, it's fine," he kissed her cheek looking back at the painting that seemed to look better now than it did before, "It's perfect." He took the brush from her keeping her in her spot.
He continued to paint using the blue to his advantage.
"Where are we going? Why couldn't we bring Hayley? And I don't even know if I can be on a plane."
She bounced her leg nervously while Klaus kept his eyes closed looking through old memories.
"You're still in your first trimester, you and the baby are healthy. it's safe to fly." He mumbled keeping his eyes closed.
She looked at him surprised at the fact that he knew that information.
"I'm 1,000 years old. I know things." He lied. Before she got pregnant the only thing he knew about pregnancy was how to get pregnant. But when the love of your life is carrying your child you start to learn things.
"Right. Where are we going?"
Klaus didn't want to tell her yet. You could say it was a surprise, "You'll see."
The entire plane ride was quiet and full of anxiousness. She was so confused. The jet landed in a warehouse where a car was waiting for them.
They didn't have any suitcases, so they were out pretty quick.
While driving Elara seemed to notice some things. Everything was starting to look very familiar.
They passed a lot of familiar buildings and she gasped turning from the window to Klaus squealing.
"Oh my god, oh my god! I love you so much! Oh my god!" She rushed out in excitement shaking in her seat.
He drove to their high school parking right in front of the school. The parking lot was full so he didn't really care.
Elara jumped out causing Klaus to laugh at her giddiness, "Take it easy," he walked next to her to the back of the school.
Stefan called for his blood to cure his brother. Along with that, he had a surprise. After some talking to Sophie he got her to let Elara leave New Orleans.
Of course, she still kept them linked, so they wouldn't try to run off, but he very kindly made it happen.
"I have some business, there's something waiting for you in the senior hallway." He opened a door for her and she smiled happily at him.
Without thinking she wrapped her arms around him, "Thank you, for everything." She held onto him tighter and he hugged her back taking all of her in before she pulled away.
He immediately felt empty once her touch was gone.
He watched her leave with a slight smile just seeing her happy.
Elara walked down the familiar halls reliving all of her memories. Although a lot of tragedy happened in these halls, a lot of good things did too.
Turning a corner she saw her friends standing in their caps and gowns. She cupped her face as her eyes glossed with tears.
Stefan held her gown folded in his hands with her and diploma on top. With a lot of talking to the principal, they were able to get her to agree to let her graduate.
Elara did most of the work being a model student. She had the grades, the work, the support, and the vote of all of her teachers.
With no compulsion or control of any kind, they won them over.
Elara was just that good.
"You deserve this. It's not overrated, it's the perfect moment. You did it, Elara, you graduated." Stefan walked towards her holding everything out to her.
She sniffed running her hand over it all lightly.
Her emotions were all over the place right now, "How?" She looked up at him with red eyes.
"We all went and talked the school into letting you have this, but you did most of the work."
"We didn't want to do this without you, we would've stormed into New Orleans if we had to." Caroline laughed, "We promised to do this together."
Elara nodded hugging Stefan first, "I love you. You know that right? I'm so naming my kid after you, don't tell Damon though." The two of them laughed before pulling away.
She hugged the rest of her friends and smiled.
They're all here. Together.
Their promises of Freshmen year are all coming true.