I jolted up for what felt like the thousandth time in my life. Memories flooding into my mind. Anger rising inside me.
Is it so hard for people to stop breaking my neck? I looked around the room. I'm in the Salvatore's. Again. Great.
As I swung my legs over my bed, I could hear shower water pouring, coming from a room down the hall. I followed the sound that lead to Damon's bedroom. Walking in, I could see Damon taking a shower in his lovely, big bathroom with a giant smile on his face. I smiled, obviously happy at the fact that for once after Katherine's 'supposed' death back in the 1800's, my best friend in the whole entire world was happy.
"Well someone seems really happy. Let me guess. Elena has something to do with it?" I said to him, hiding the bit of disgust I wanted to show in Elena's name. I sat on his bed one leg crossed under the other one that I swung unconsciously. Immediately, his smile grew bigger and he turned off the shower water and wrapped a towel around his waist.
"You know it." He stepped out of the shower and went to take care of his necessities. "Hey! You want to know something?"
"Uh. Yeah I do. I am your best friend aren't I?"
Damon chuckles before replying. "Me and Elena kissed last night."
Immediate shock fills every nerve in my body.
"What?! I thought she was still hung up on Stefan."
"I guess she wasn't."
"Well, did you make the first move?" I asked with fake excitement that hid my pure guilt. He was getting hung up on a girl I am about to kill.
"Yes. I am Damon Salvatore aren't I?" He replied mocking me. I stuck my tongue out at him as he came out of the bathroom whistling, knowing I hate that sound. Covering my ears to block out the sound, Stefan strolled into the bedroom.
"Good morning." Damon said to him, stopping the whistle sounds. Stefan didn't reply. He just stared at me with a glare.
"Well.... I think I'll be going now. By my beautiful Damon." Damon smiled at my sarcastic comment as I left his room heading too my room to change.
***
Today was Caroline's birthday. Over the past week, Caroline and I have grown closer. She was the first to forgive me after the Elena-ritual and the hybrid incident, and the first to really understand parts of me that only Avangeline understood. I guess you could say that she connected with my young adult female side and all of its drama. By far, I was extremely surprised that she pulled me in for a hug after I had come to apologize to her and Tyler over Niklaus' behavior. She said she understood in such a really weird way that she couldn't explain it. Maybe fate has deemed us to be friends? I will never know.
Earlier, I had called her while getting dressed to tell her that we are skipping school and celebrating her birthday. She didn't really seem too happy about her birthday. But I ignored that as I walked up the staircase to her front porch, my black knee-high booted heals clicking against the wood. My black waist-high jeans seemed to gleam in the sun light as my black crop that was fitted with a leather jacket of mine did not.
My charm bracelets and rings chattered when I knocked on Care's front door. I pushed back my bangs with the hand that was free, seeing as the other one had Caroline's birthday gift in it. Caroline walked to the door and opened it with a frown upon her face.
"Why are you frowning? It's your birthday. Cheer up." I smiled at her. Care stepped out of her home, shutting the door behind her, and stood in front of me.
"Because I'm a vampire. I'm going to have a never ending amount of birthday's after this. So what's the point in celebrating?"
"The point is Care" I laid my free hand on her shoulder. "yes you're a vampire, but look at it this way. If you were still human, would you be as strong as you are now? Would you be able to get away with anything? Would people be able to follow you're direct order as they do now, then they would have if you were human? No, they wouldn't. You are going to have never ending birthdays. You are going to live to be 23,000 years old and that means 23,000 times you get too celebrate the one day you will always love. The one day that might even become a national holiday. Heck, Maybe even a global holiday. Caroline, you're birthday is important. and we need to celebrate."
After the speech I gave her, Care's frown faded away and was replaced with a small smile. At least I fixed it a little bit.
"Besides I brought you a present." I shrugged. Caroline's smile grew wider before she took the tiny box out of my hand. Ripping the lid off, Caroline carefully undid the rapping. Her eyes shot wide and a gasp escaped her lips. Inside the box, was a necklace that had half a heart that read 'XY Ches'.
"I have the other half." I smiled at her. "You put them together and they say 'Sexy Bitches'." I said grabbing my half of the heart out from under my clothing, showing it to her.
"OMG! I love it, Ava!" She smiled widely at me.
"I'm glad you do. Want me to put it on?"
"Yes!" Care put the necklace in my hand and turned around, lifting her hair out of the way. Undoing the clasp, I put the necklace around her neck and clasped it. She turned around smiling before letting her blonde hair down. She is seeming to be more of a sister to me than a friend.
"Come on, let's go shopping. I am running out of clothes." I said rolling my eyes at her.
"Can I drive the Impala?" Care asked, slightly leaning her body away from me in case I blow. I chuckle a bit before throwing the keys to her.
"Don't scratch him up or I am going to have to kill you." I warned her walking over to the passenger side.
"What?! A-Are you serious?!" She gaped at me.
"It is your birthday is it not?" Care nodded her head. "Then you get special treatment today. Oh! And don't worry about paying for your clothes. I got it all under control." Caroline smiled at me before hopping in the driver side, I in the passenger, and starting the car, Queen blasting through the radio.
"Sorry. My kind of music." I said shrugging. Care giggled at me before speeding off down the road.
***
After several hours of shopping, Caroline and I where back at her home, I having to carry all the bags because Care requested it. As she opened the door, I heard a big "SURPRISE" causing me to drop all the bags, cursing.
"Happy Birthday!" I heard Matt say. I grabbed all the bags and rushed them too Care's room before rushing back to her side.
"What are you guys doing here?" Caroline asked. Her smile from before starting to fade.
"Well, you blew off school and missed ours, uh, work of birthday art, so uh..." Caroline started walking towards the three of them before Elena put the purple tiara she was wearing onto her head.
"Change into warmer clothes, we're going to the falls. S'mores. Campfires." Bonnie said.
"Cake. Like when we were little." Elena said smiling crazily.
"Except with tequila." Matt sung in a sing song voice. Caroline gave a little giggle as I chuckled.
"Well I guess I'll be going then. Happy Birthday, Caroline." I said walking back towards the door. Suddenly, all eyes turned to me.
"What is she doing here?" Elena growled. Care turned to look at her, probably giving her a shut-up-she-is-staying look, before turning to look back at me.
"No, Ava. You don't have to go yet. Stay. Really." She said, looking sympathetically at me.
"Nah. It's okay, Care. I can see I am not wanted. Plus I can see they want to spend some time with you. I am just glad I got you first. Happy Birthday, young Caroline." I smiled before exiting out the door and heading towards my Impala.
***
I laid up in bed, reading 'Along for a ride', when Damon walked in.
"Someone seems all mopey." He smirked.
"I am not 'mopey', Damon. Just bored and chose to pass the time by reading." I replied not looking up from my book.
"Well when you're done being 'Bored', you can join Alaric and I for a ride to Founder's hall." He said, leaning against my doorway. I looked up at him from my book. Then back at my book. Then him. Book. Him.
"All right. I guess I'll be coming, but we are taking MY Impala."
"Fine by me."
"I am driving."
"Aw, man."
I rushed over to Damon.
"Ha. Ha. Nice try, big boy." I smirked, squeezing and wiggling his cheek.
***
"I thought Stefan saved your life." Alaric asked Damon. After a bunch of shouting and apologizing in the car, the three of us were walking to the entrance of the Founder's hall.
"He did."
"And now he's willing to risk it just to see how far he can push Klaus?" The two boys seemed to be going on about some mumbo jumbo about Stefan. I wasn't really paying attention, as I seemed to be having the feeling that someone was stalking me.
"Seems so." Damon replied in a sing song voice.
"Well is his humanity on or off?"
"Yeah, I'm thinking there's another option here in play, a bit of a dimmer switch, which is a huge problem."
"Why?" Alaric asked, stopping in his tracks, causing me to run into him. I growled at him before returning to Damon's now stopped side. Who is watching me? What is watching me? I can feel them and it is bugging me. It has got to be the Coven. I just know it.
"Because I can't predict how far he's willing to go until somebody get's killed."
Wait! What are we talking about? Oh, Stefan. That's right.
"Suddenly you care who lives or dies?" Alaric asked him rudely. Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the nail bed.
"I have a small list." Damon said giving him the asshole look.
"Talk about humanity dimmer switch." He scoffed.
"Screw you." Damon said. I looked up to the founder's hall before sighing.
"Can't the council meetings ever just be a council meeting?" The two boys looked over at me and shook their heads. Great! I am so under-dressed.
**
The boys and I separated from each other not too long ago. They had some business to take care of and so did I. I needed to talk with the Coven.
I walked my way to the backyard of the founder's hall and towards the lake that was a bit ways away from it. Taking a sit on the grass, I dipped my fingers in the water, and closed my eyes. Suddenly, I was in the middle of a judgement room. Five Judge chairs stood high above me, each holding people dressed in all black and wearing masks that could be worn at a masquerade ball. The person on the far left of me wore an all white mask, the one next to him wore all red. The one in the middle who sat parallel from me wore all black, the one next to him wore all blue, and the last person wore an all green mask.
"Ava." They all said together. Which I find really creepy.
"I am sorry I have come without warning, but I need to ask of you something."
"What is it?" Asked the white masked man.
"I need more time to kill the doppelganger. Three months is not long enough for me."
"And why should we give you more time?" The red masked lady asked.
"Because I have made some very bad choices which has resulted in her growing apart from me. Plus she has a close knit group of friends that will defend her over everything."
"What.... kind are these friends?" Asked the blue masked man.
"Vampires. Witch. Human..... and a Hybrid."
"Dammit, Ava! You let a hybrid get too her?!" The green masked man yelled.
"Yes, I did. But do not worry. They are on bad terms right now. They are separating. The Hybrid is no problem."
"It better not be!!!" Yelled the red masked.
"I am sorry. But I need more time!"
"I do not think you deserve more time!!!" Yelled the white mask.
"I think she does!!" Yelled the blue mask.
Suddenly, an argument jolted between the four of them.
"ENOUGH!!!!" Boomed the black masked man, who was sitting their quietly before. "WE SHALL GIVE HER MORE TIME!!! AVA!!!" My eyes shot up to him, not letting fear show in my eyes. "YOU HAVE ONE YEAR TO COMPLETE YOUR MISSION OR YOU AND NIKLAUS WILL BE EXECUTED!!!!"
"Yes, your honor. Thank you." Oh, no... I can not fail. I can not let the Coven touch him. I have to kill Elena, and I have to do it soon.
With that, my vision was soon engulfed by the view of the lake. I took my hands out of the water and wiped them on my clothes.
I have one year.
One year.
***
I was walking around the back part of the Founder's Hall when my phone began to ring.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Ava!" I could hear the worry in his voice.
"Tyler. What is it?"
"It's Caroline. Klaus asked me to bite her. And I couldn't help it." I sighed at his stupid sire bond.
"Where is she?"
"At her house."
"I'll be there. Tyler?"
"Yeah?"
"Stay several, several feet away from her. And do not lay another single fang on her skin."
"I will." I hung up my phone and rushed into my Impala before driving towards Caroline's.
***
I rushed out of my car and inside Caroline's house and into her room. There I saw Matt standing above Care's bed as Caroline's mom sat beside her holding her hand as Care groaned in pain.
"Matt. Ms. Forbes." I said walking over to the other side of Care's bed and crawling up next to her.
"Ava! We need your help. Tyler--"
"He bit her. I know. I know." I said interrupting Matt. "Mathew, I need you to get me some warm water in a large bowl, stat." Matt following his orders did just so. "Ms. Forbes, I need you to get me 2 rags. Preferably, one thick one and another that I can tear up." Ms. Forbes still sat there looking at Caroline and nodding her head.
My impatience grew.
"Ms. Forbes! Please! I need you to hurry!" I shouted a bit at her, getting her attention, causing her to do immediately as I asked. As I waited for the two to come back, I pulled out my cell phone with the hand that was not holding Caroline's. Care groaned out in pain.
"Shh.. It's okay, Care. I'm going to get you healed don't you worry. I know someone." If I am correct about the way this curse works, then there is only one person who can save her...
"If it's Klaus... I don't want his help..." She whispered, her voice hoarse from the groaning.
"Shh.. Just take it easy." I said giving her a small smile and kissing her forehead. I started dialing Nik's phone in a rush.
"Hello, love. Miss me already?"
"Nik. You better get your ass over here right now."
"And where would that be, love?"
"You know exactly where you asshole." I clenched my teeth.
"Aw. Dear Caroline. Has she started hallucinating, yet?" Klaus snickered
"Niklaus....." I whispered. "I am begging you. Please, Niklaus, she is my friend. The one of the only ones I have left.." I whispered even lower, trying to keep the tears from spilling. Silence filled the phone.
"I'll be there in a few, love."
"Thank you, Niklaus."
With that, the phone clicked and I put it back in my pockets.
"Don't worry, Care. I've gotten you some help." I said squeezing her hand as Matt and Ms. Forbes walked in carrying the things I needed to clean Care's wound.
***
Sometime after cleaning Care's wound, I pulled the covers on her and ended up laying down next to her, falling asleep.
I heard the sound of feet walking towards us. Judging from the heavy footsteps and the fresh mint smell that filled my nose; I knew it was Nik who had just walked in. Keeping my eyes closed, I wanted to listen in on the two's conversation.
"Are you going to kill me?" I heard Care ask.
"On your birthday? Do you really think that low of me?" Nik answered.
"Yes." I held in the snicker that I wanted to release so bad but did not want to blow my cover. I felt Nik move closer towards Caroline and pull the covers that hid the bite.
"Oh, that looks bad. My apologies. You're what's known as collateral damage." I held in the impulse to snap Nik's neck from his comment.
"I love birthday's. Especially, Ava's. She always knew how to celebrate." Nik said. I could feel his gaze on me.
"Yeah. Aren't you two like.... a billion or something?" Care asked.
"We have to adjust your perception of time when you become a vampire, Caroline. Celebrate the fact that you're no longer bound by trivial human conventions. Just like Ava here does. You're free." He whispers to her.
"No. I'm dying." Care answers back. Somehow in her moment of death she can still be strongly opinionated. I felt the other side of Caroline's bed dip a little.
"And I could let you die.. If that's what you want. But Ava here would be very upset." I felt my non-beating heart stop. "If you really believe your existence has no meaning. I've thought about it myself once or twice. Over the centuries, truth be told."
Now I definitely knew my undead heart stop. I can't believe he thought of doing that. Did he know how much pain he would put me through? Then again you did make him believe you were gone, Ava. I heard something say inside my head. It's probably just my subconscious.
"But I'll let you in on a little secret. There's a whole world out there waiting for you, great cities and art and music.... but most of all.... to Ava you are her world. We are her world. She is part of your's and is my world. That is genuine beauty."
Instantly, my heart melted on the spot. I didn't know he still felt that way. That he still felt that I was his world. I thought that he was just joking when he put me in that coffin, when he came to see me that day. But he snapped my neck many times... He must hate me a bit.
"You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask." I heard him finish.
"I don't want to die." I heard Care begin to cry. I felt Care being lift up a bit next to me.
"There you go, sweetheart. Have at it."
The sound of teeth biting into flesh filled my ears. Relief filled my body as I now knew that my dearest friend would live many years.
**
Nik stayed until Caroline fell asleep. Taking that as my chance, I decided on opening my eyes, only to see that Nik now stood hovering over me. Our eyes meeting each others. The brightness that filled our eyes many years ago, sparked once again.
"Nik..."
"Shh, my love. Words need not to be spoken." He interrupted. Reaching down he scooped me into his arms and carried me out of Caroline's house.
"Niklaus I--"
"Shush, my darling. Just sleep." He whispered. With that, I laid my head against his broad chest and closed my eyes. Oh, how I've missed this.
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Hey, guys!! EEEEEEEE!!!! I was so fangirl-ing over this Klava moment!!! I know I shouldn't but I sooooo ship my own characters together lol. I am currently working on Chapter 18 right now so that will be up here soon.
<3 Gabby