INDIGO BENNETT WAS USUALLY GOOD AT MINDING HER OWN BUSINESS. Growing up as an empath, she kind of had to. If she didn't, other people's emotions would start effecting her own, and well — an emotionally distraught witch wasn't something that people usually wanted to deal with. But as she stood outside of the Lockwood mansion, clad in the Edward Cullen graphic shirt she'd gotten for Christmas and a pair of hot pink sweat pants, she didn't have any choice but to be nosy. She was looking for Elena Gilbert, her little cousin's doppelgänger friend who always seemed to be in some sort of trouble.
Up until now, Indigo had been pretty adamant about being left out of the Mystic Falls supernatural drama. She was smart enough to know that staying away from vampires was the safest bet, especially since they were the reason her grandmother had tragically passed away. For the most part, everyone respected her decision...until now.
Apparently, something happened at the ball, and Elena needed someone to make sure she got home safely. And since Indi seemed to be the only one in town who hadn't gone to the masquerade, the job fell on her. Indigo didn't necessarily want to do it, but Bonnie had sounded desperate, and she figured it wouldn't take long.
She was wrong.
It had been fifteen minutes without any trace of the doppelgänger, and Indi was starting to get antsy. Indigo tapped her foot impatiently as she craned her neck, searching for the Gilbert girl. The event seemed to be drawing to a close, with people pouring out of the front door in droves. The influx of emotions hitting her all at once definitely wasn't doing anything to soothe her building anxiety. If Elena didn't show her face soon, Indigo was going to go back home. Although Indigo had about a decade of experience with controlling her power, it was still hard to control herself in large crowds. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally set the Lockwood mansion on fire from being overwhelmed.
Just then, her phone buzzed in her hand, drawing her attention away from the crowd. "Hello?" The witch answered without looking at the screen.
"Hey," Bonnie's worried voice invaded her ears. "Are you taking her home?"
"I can't find her. And if she doesn't show up soon, she's going to be shit out of luck." Indi clicked her tongue, squinting through the crowd.
"Indigo!" Her cousin hissed.
"What? I can't just keep standing here with all this energy hitting me all at once. I'll expose myself." She informed her curtly. "Besides, still I need to study. If I fail my Euro test I'll cry."
Indigo didn't plan on staying in Mystic Falls a minute after walking across the graduation stage. The only reason she'd even agreed to move to the sleepy town was to keep Bonnie company after Grams' passing. But Bonnie had been keeping her mind occupied with supernatural shenanigans, leaving Indigo to wallow alone in her grief, so she'd basically uprooted her entire life for no reason.
"Don't you think Elena's life is more important than your history grade?" Indigo could practically hear Bonnie's eyes rolling from the other side of the phone.
"Bonnie, my life isn't even more important than my history grade. Why didn't one of her boyfriends take her home?" Indi questioned as she resumed her search.
"She only has one boyfriend — Stefan. You know that."
"Yeah, well that's not what it looked like at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. Elena and Damon were eye fucking each other in front of everyone. Not that I'm judging her...I would probably dip my toes in both ponds, too. They're both super handsome." She rambled.
Bonnie let out a soft snort. "Damon is a grade A asshole. It kind of cancels out his attractiveness. Stefan, on the other hand..."
As Indigo listened to her cousin speak, she noticed a man pacing back and forth with his hands tucked inside of the pockets of his slacks. It wasn't the tacky masquerade mask and top hat that drew her attention — he was a vampire. Indigo narrowed her eyes at the cold, familiar aura of death that surrounded him. She sensed that he was freshly turned, too, which meant that it obviously wasn't Stefan or Damon. So who was he?
The man turned his head towards her, causing her to freeze. She couldn't tell if he was looking at her or not, but looking in her general direction was enough to spring Indigo into action.
"Hey, Bon, I have to go." Indigo averted her attention to the mansion, speed walking towards the entrance of the masquerade.
"Do you see her?"
"Uh...maybe." Indigo furrowed her eyebrows.
"What does that mean? Either you see her or you don't."
"She's right next to me." Indi lied distractedly, squinting into the throng of masked guests.
"Let me talk to her."
"Can't — my phone's breaking up. Love you, bye!" Indigo briskly hung up. Her intuition had never failed her before, and right now, it was telling her that something bad was about to happen.
The witch grunted in annoyance as she moved through the hoard of people standing in front of the entrance. "Move it, assholes." She snapped, ignoring the shouts of indignation as she pushed them out of her way.
Finally, Indigo's eyes fell on Elena, who was walking slowly with her arms wrapped around her torso. Her puffy, teary eyes remained glued to her Converse covered feet as she struggled to keep one foot ahead of the other. She was in deep thought, oblivious to the potential danger she was about to get into. Elena Gilbert always managed to look like she'd just stepped out of the page of a magazine, even when she'd obviously had a hard day. She wasn't dressed up — in fact, was dressed down. Elena's plain long sleeved tee was tattered and stained, and her long, brown hair was tangled and matted at the ends, clumped together by what looked like blood.
"Damn it." Indigo grumbled, reaching out to grab Elena's forearm. A wave of fear overtook the human girl for a second before settling into confusion once she realized it was just Indigo who was touching her.
"Indi — Jesus, slow down!" Elena yelped as Indigo hastily dragged her towards her obnoxious, bright yellow convertible. "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure. There's just something wrong. I can feel it." Indigo's magic bubbled in her veins as they made it out of public view. She tried her hardest not to let her own worry seep into Elena. "I'm taking you to Stefan."
"Wait, you can't." Elena shook her head indignantly.
"Why not?" Indigo's steps slightly faltered.
Elena sheepishly gazed at the shorter girl. "Stefan and I....we broke up."
"So?"
"I'm avoiding him right now."
Indigo blinked at the girl in frustration. She didn't know much about Stefan, but from what she'd learned from Bonnie, she highly doubted that he would let petty relationship drama eclipse his worry for her safety. But Indigo didn't have the time to question her about it, so she pursed her lips and offered another suggestion instead.
"Okay, then I'll take you to Damon."
"But—" Before Elena could say anything further, the man from earlier appeared behind her, wrapping an arm around her neck as he put a cloth over her nose.
"I didn't sign up for all this," Indigo hissed, raising her hand to perform a spell. Just as she opened her mouth, something was placed over her face, and before she knew it she was greeted by darkness.
┏━━━ ━━━┓
Indigo, like most other people, had never been kidnapped before. Being a witch usually gave her a leg up over normal people in situations like these. Besides, it wasn't like it was a regular a occurrence for people — well, unless you were Elena Gilbert. So when she woke up and realized that she was in a dusty, abandoned house instead of the comfort of her own bed, she screamed. Or at least she tried to. As soon as she opened her mouth, a hand was slapped over it.
"Shh!"
Indi's head slowly whipped around to find Elena holding a finger to her lips, her eyes widened in panic. Indi tried to sit up, but then registered the fact that she'd been hog tied. "What...?" She wiggled around in confusion, trying to get herself out. It was obvious that she had been drugged, since her movements were sloppy and sluggish.
"You're awake."
Indigo's heartbeat sped up as an unfamiliar man appeared in front of the couch, squatting down so that they were eye level.
"Who are you?" Indi slurred. He buried his face in her neck, taking a large whiff. Indi tried to wriggle away, but with the drugs in her system, she was having a hard time focusing on her movements.
"Just a taste." He whispered, his eyes darkening with hunger as thick veins grew underneath them.
"Hey, get away from her!" Elena yelled, using her untied legs to kick him away from the older Bennett witch.
"Fine. Maybe I'll take a bite out of you instead." He hissed as he rose to his feet.
"Trevor!" A pretty, short-haired woman snapped as she stomped into the living room. "Control yourself."
"Buzzkill." He muttered, giving the girls one last glare before stalking away.
The woman stood in front of them, staring at Elena intensely as she crossed her arms over her chest. Indigo was confused, and delirious, and her limbs were aching. Plus, she really had to pee. She groaned, dropping her head down onto the disgusting smelling couch.
"My God," the woman breathed out in wonder. "You look just like her."
"But I'm not." Elena shook her head. "Whatever you—"
"Be quiet."
Elena let out a shaky breath. "I'm not Katherine. My name is Elena Gilbert. You don't have to do this."
"Be quiet."
"What do you want with us?" She pressed on.
Indigo heard a slap followed by a soft thunk as Elena fell back onto the couch.
"I want you to be quiet." The woman hissed.
Indigo let out a slow, deep breath as she closed her eyes. In between the drugs in her system and the utter confusion about the situation she'd found herself in, she was positively drained and she didn't see any point of fighting it. Indi and Elena were trapped with two lunatics for the unforeseeable future. As she dozed off, she couldn't help but curse Bonnie. Indigo had been doing perfectly fine from the safety of her own home, and now she was probably being sold off into some vampire sex trafficking ring because her cousin wanted her to play taxi for the night.
Sleep came and went before she knew it. Indigo didn't know exactly how long she'd been out, but once she regained consciousness, the first thing she registered was an obnoxious screaming match.
"I'm sick of running!" The man furiously exclaimed.
"Oh yeah? Well running keeps us from dying!" The woman snipped in the same manner.
Indigo blinked, the sluggishness slowly drifting away as she tried to sit up. Her arms were on fire, and her bladder needed serious relieving or she was going to end up peeing all over herself.
"Uh, excuse me? I have to use the bathroom!" She called out. Indigo glanced around the empty living room, realizing that Elena was no longer beside her on the couch. Her heart dropped; had she already been taken somewhere? Was Indigo next?
She glanced out of the curtain covered windows, her dark brown eyes reflexively squinting at the bright beam of sunlight that sprayed from the sides of them. It was daytime, which meant that someone would've noticed that they were missing by now. And since she felt too uncomfortable to even attempt contacting anyone via magic, their only hope was Bonnie.
Relief filled her chest as the captors dragged Elena down the stairs. "Elena, you're alive. Great. Now can one of you untie me so that I can use the bathroom?"
"That won't be happening," the woman narrowed her eyes at Indigo. "You're a witch. Once we take those ropes off, there's no telling what tricks you'll have up your sleeve."
"How do you know what I am?" Indigo straightened her back. "Who are you?"
"My name is Rose. Your name is Indigo Bennett. Born on February 2, 2002." Rose smirked.
A shiver ran down Indi's spine as soon as the words fell from her lips. These people knew her name and birthday, and prior to this, she'd never seen them a day in her life. The smug look on the woman's face made Indigo clench her jaw in annoyance. What the hell did they want with her?
"How do you know that?" Indi wondered aloud.
"You're originally from New York, correct? Manhattan to be exact. Your parents are Ivan and Irene. Ivan, Irene, Indigo...it's a little corny, but cute."
"How the fuck do you know my parents?" Anger zipped through Indigo like lightning.
"I know a lot of things about you," the woman crossed her arms. "And if you want your family to live to see this evening, you'll do what I say. Both of you." Rose eyed Elena, who swallowed thickly at the threat.
Indigo didn't take lightly to threats, and she made a mental note to hold a grudge against Rose until she was in a position to actually do something about it. At the moment, she was weakened and vulnerable. Although whatever they'd used to put her down was wearing off, she was still slightly delirious, and her bladder felt like it was about to burst all over the ratted, beer-stained couch she was laying on.
"Can you please let me use the bathroom now?" Indi groaned out. She didn't know how much longer she could hold it in.
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepl—"
"Oh, for Christ sake," Trevor snapped, walking over to Indigo with a scowl. "I'll take her. But if you try anything, I swear you'll regret it."
Indigo nodded as he began untying the right ropes. She hissed once they were off, staring down at the rope burns that covered her arms. She took her time standing up, seeing as her limbs were numb from being locked in the same position for hours, but as soon as she rose to her feet she plopped unceremoniously onto the wooden floors.
"Ow." She groaned, pain radiating in her jaw.
"She needs help," Elena spoke up. "She can't walk."
Trevor huffed, tossing her over his shoulder. Indigo let out a noise of indignation as he sped to the bathroom, placing her on her feet. "Go ahead."
Indigo's face dropped as she took in her surroundings. The bathroom, like the living room, was dusty and dirty looking. Mold covered the sink and the bottom of the toilet, and there were dried blood stains everywhere. She bit her lip as she contemplated what to do. Would peeing herself be better than potentially catching some incurable disease from using this bathroom?
"Hurry up," Trevor said. "I don't have all day."
"Alright." She wearily sighed. "But...can you turn around?"
"Why on earth would I do that?" He tilted his head. "I don't trust you, witch."
Indigo rolled her eyes. "Glad we're on the same page. I just want to use the bathroom without you staring at me and my private parts."
"Fine. But if you try anything—"
"I'll regret it, yeah yeah yeah. I got it the first time. Face the door now." Indigo nodded impatiently.
He sent her a stern look before following instructions. Indigo pulled her pants down and swiftly did her business. Much to her surprise, there was soap and toilet paper available, which raised her suspicions. Vampires didn't need to use the bathroom — or at least, she didn't think so. Just how long had they been plotting this?
Indigo glanced at herself in the small, dingy mirror, cringing at her reflection. She looked rough. There was crust in her eyes, and her hair was tangled and matted atop of her head. Her lips were chapped and ashy, and she had bags the size of coins resting beneath her eyelids.
"I look like shit." She said aloud. "Hey, do you guys happen to have, I dunno, toiletries or something? My breath stinks. And I need to shower."
Trevor whipped around to face her with an incredulous expression. "Toiletries? Do you think this is a five star hotel?"
Indigo shrugged as she brought her hands up to at least attempt to make her hair look less disastrous. "More like one star. You guys obviously plan on keeping us here for a while, since you took the time to buy toilet paper and hand soap. You could've at least went the extra mile and got toothpaste and washcloths."
"You—" his face contorted into anger. "Listen, you little brat. This is simply a delivery service. That's it."
"Delivery service? To who?" Indigo frowned in confusion.
"None of your business," he barked. "Let's go."
Trevor grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the bathroom as she struggled to keep up with his quick movements. "Excuse me! I think I deserve to know who you're trafficking me to!"
He ignored her, and once they were back in the living room, he tossed her back onto the couch next to Elena. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring daggers into the side of his head as he went to stand next to Rose.
"They're going to hand us off to a vampire named Elijah." Elena whispered under her breath. It was a pointless effort, since both Rose and Trevor had the wonderful advantage of super hearing,
"Ah. Two points to the eavesdropper." Rose let out a small chuckle.
Indigo furrowed her eyebrows. "And what exactly is this random vampire going to do with us?"
"He's not just some random vampire," Rose shook her head. "He's one of the vampires. The originals."
"The originals? Like...one of the first ones?" Elena asked, her eyes widening slightly.
"Nice guess. Have the Salvatore brothers been teaching you both your vampire history?"
Indigo let out an annoyed breath. Of course this all circled back to Damon and Stefan. What hadn't? Everything shitty that had happened to her, Bonnie, and the rest of the Mystic Falls residents could be traced to those two idiots. If it weren't for them, Grams would still be alive, and she would be back in Manhattan and not stuck in some abandoned house in the middle of nowhere.
Elena leaned forward at the mention of the Salvatores. "You know Stefan and Damon?"
"I know of them," the short haired woman corrected. "A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan — she said he was one of the good ones. But I'm more of a sucker for the bad boys." Rose's lips tilted into a small smile.
"Do you really think we give a shit about your love life right now?" Indigo raised her eyebrows. "Tell us who the hell the originals are!"
Rose let out a long sigh. "Trevor and I have been running for five hundred years. We're tired and we want it over. So we're using you two to negotiate our freedom."
Indigo detected a slight hint of sadness in her voice, but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad for her (or Trevor). They'd been kidnapped and used as bait to get them out of whatever mess they'd gotten themselves involved in.
"I don't understand," Elena's frustration radiated off of her in waves as she stared at the vampire. "What do we have to do with that?"
"You are the last human Petrova doppelgänger. You're the key to breaking the curse."
"Curse? What curse?" Indigo asked, glancing back and forth between Elena and Rose. Maybe choosing to be out of the loop wasn't the smartest idea after all.
"The sun and moon curse," Elena pursed her lips. "It would allow werewolves to turn at will, and vampires to walk in the sun without needing daylight rings."
"Huh," Indi bit her lip as she thought about her one and only encounter with a werewolf. "That would suck. Wolves are already temperamental enough as is — and vampires would be killing people left and right."
Elena folded her arms over her stomach with a nod. "Which is why we can't let them break it. But...I thought the moonstone breaks it?"
"No, the moonstone is what binds it. The sacrifice breaks it."
Indigo and Elena looked at each other in shock as they processed the new revelation. "What sacrifice are you talking about?" Elena spluttered.
Rose faced them with a grim expression. "The blood of the doppelgänger is needed to break it. And since you're the doppelgänger, you're the one who has to die."
Fear, anger, panic, and shock hit Indigo all at once as Elena began internally freaking out. It was a powerful wave of emotion that made Indigo grit her teeth. She racked her brain, trying to find something to say that would make the situation at least slightly better.
"Maybe she's wrong," Indi tried to rectify the situation. "I mean, she said the blood of the doppelgänger. Wording is important when interpreting spells — witches can be tricky bitches sometimes. Maybe you just need to give a few drops..."
"No. She has to be killed." Rose stated firmly. "I'm sorry."
Elena let out a choked noise, her usually olive-toned face morphing into the color of a sheet.
"Okay, so what does that have to do with me?" Indigo spoke up. Elena's emotions were starting to get to her, and if she didn't get herself under control, her magic would take on a mind of its own. "Elena is the doppelgänger, fine, but I'm just a witch. Why did you take me?"
Rose's eyes slid over to her cautiously. It was clear that she was contemplating whether or not she should answer the question. Finally, turned around to face the large stack of books that were piled up in the corner.
"Well, Indigo Bennett, you are the bride."