"Please join the Mikaelson family, this evening at seven o'clock for dancing, cocktails, and celebration," I read out loud, pacing across the room. "And in the back it says: save me a dance. Yours, Klaus."
"Wow," Caroline muttered, staring as I moved back and forth in front of her. "I-I'm shocked, honestly. Okay, not really. I sort of expected him to invite you."
"You expected him to invite me?" I stopped and stared at her, blinking several times. "Why? Why would you expect big bad Klaus to invite me, personally, of course."
"Because he is your friend?" She sounded as if she were asking me, as if she were unsure. "Ugh, Clara, he's clearly in your friends list, just like we all are. You care for him, he cares for you in a more-than-a-friend king of way."
"You think Klaus likes me?"
"Well, he did tell you to save him a dance," she said, and picked up the box that was laying next to her. "And he gave you this beautiful dress for you to wear! Oh, and let's not forget all of those memories he compelled and then Rebekah returned. If that doesn't say 'I like you,' then I don't know what."
"Do you want it?" I then asked, laying the invitation on her bed. "Care, do you want the dress?"
"What?" She stared at me with big, surprised eyes. "No, no! I can't take it. Klaus gave it to you!"
"I feel weird if I wear it," I mumbled, looking down at the dress. It was a combination of dark and light blue, silver sequins on the bodice. The dress was in fact beautiful, but I felt as if it would not look well on me. On Caroline, on the other hand. "Care, it would look wonderful on you!"
"Then what will you wear to this twisted Cinderella ball?" she asked, making a face. "Clara, I don't want to leave you without a dress."
I moved to the closet and walked to the end, and saw a bagged dress hanging right at the end. With definite care, I gently pulled the dress out and showed it to Caroline with a wide grin. "I'm gonna wear this," I said. "What do you think?"
"Oh my god!" she gasped, grabbing the dress and squealing a bit. "Okay, you can have Klaus's dress, I want this one."
"Ha, ha," I sarcastically laughed and pulled the dress from her hands gently. "There's no way. My fairy godmother is a Lebanese designer and I'm not giving that up for a dress from Klaus."
"Isn't it a bit daring, though?" Caroline asked as I sat the dress on the bed. "I mean, what would Damon think?"
"Oh, screw what Damon will think!" I suddenly snapped, surprising myself. "I honestly don't care what he thinks anymore."
"How is it that you do it?" she quietly asked, following my movements. "How do you forget so easily about things? I still think of the night I killed that guy, and it haunts me every moment. How is it that you forget so easily?"
I thought back to what Elijah Mikaelson had taught me: to push everything behind a red door and clean myself up, that way whatever I had pushed behind the door could not harm me. It was like an event, reoccurring many times in my lifetime. Something bad happened, something hurtful, and I would push it as far as it would go and ignore every single feeling that came with it.
I sighed and turned to Caroline, and gave her a small smile. "It's easy, but I think it pulls me away from my humanity every single moment I do it," I said. "I do something, I push it back, and I do it again with the same amount of pain. And, it doesn't bother me that much because I know that I can push it back and forget about it until I decide to bring it back."
"Then why do you do it?"
"Enough about me," I immediately changed the conversation and smiled at her. "How about you? How are you holding up?"
"As well as I can." She shrugged her shoulders and let out a long sigh. "It hurts, but I need to move on with my life."
"Caroline..." I breathed, giving her a soft smile. "How about we get ready and head to this Mikaelson ball, impress, and have a fun night for the first time in a long time? How about that? Or, we can stay here and binge watch FRIENDS all night."
"No, no!" She stood up and shook her head, giving me a wide grin and a enthusiastic nod. "I want to have fun, I want to go."
"Does this have anything to do with Rebekah inviting Matt?"
She stayed quiet for several seconds. "No," she said. "Absolutely not."
Caroline and I dressed ourselves, laughed, and enjoyed the simple moments as we got ready to go to the party. It reminded me of the many moments I had seen on films, where the main character and her friends got ready for prom together and had such a wonderful time. Instead of a friend, I was getting ready with one of my descendants, and a very good friend.
I wore a mulberry coloured open shoulder dress with tone on tone star filaments. It felt as if I had a shower of comets, a constellation of embroidery that enfolded a magical night in a parallel universe of dream and mystery. A glittering garnet with the afterglow of Borealis splendour. It was fancy, and thought perfect for whatever twisted Cinderella ball the Mikaelson's were throwing. I was Cinderella, and my Prince Charming would be myself as well.
The Mikaelson mansion seemed to be brightly illuminated and packed with expecting attendees that were excited to see both the house and the strange family they didn't know that much. I walked in behind an middle-aged couple, and stopped to look at the house. Marble, expensive floors, a giant chandelier in the centre of the room; the mansion screamed money and victory.
From the other side of the room, I saw Klaus Mikaelson approaching with one of his smirks on his lips. "Well, that's not the dress I sent you."
"Yes," I breathed, glancing down at myself. "I decided to wear something more me. But, thank you for the dress. It fit Caroline well."
"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or be hurt that you would deny me the pleasure of seeing you in a classic," he chuckled. "Oh, but I much enjoy this dress. It looks beautiful on you, Clara."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help but let a small smile spread around my lips. Klaus had always been a charmer, but it pushed further when it was someone he didn't dislike. I glanced up and looked at him, slightly tilting my head to the side. Before I could let out a word, he raised a finger and turned. I watched him walk up the stairs, joining his family by the staircase. With a deep breath, I looked around and noticed the two founding members of the Save Elena Squad. I moved to them slowly, allowing myself to let go of every problem inside of me I had dragged inside the mansion.
"Well, look who was invited," Damon said, glancing at me as I got closer.
"I'm Klaus Friend Number One," I chuckled, taking a stance by his brother. "He's Ex-Friend Number Two."
"I'm Friend Number Zero," Stefan responded, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
"Right," I breathing, nodding. "I forgot you and Klaus had a fight."
"More like tried to kill us," Damon muttered from his brother's side.
"Welcome," Elijah's voice rang through the room. He was accompanied by Klaus and Rebekah, but there were three other people I had never seen. "Thank you for joining us. You know, whenever our mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance."
"Do you see who I see?" Damon quietly asked.
"Oh, yeah," Stefan responded.
"Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if you could all please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom." Elijah concluded his speech, and smiled at everyone with such grace. He looked like a king, with such a regal and elegant presence emitting from him.
Damon immediately went to Elena, and Stefan stared all the while. In mere seconds, the pair went to the ballroom. Stefan stared, his eyes hard. I laid my hand on his arm, and gave him a smile. "Want to dance?" I asked. "Come on, Stefan. It's boring to just stand here and depressingly stare."
He stared at me for a couple of seconds before nodding. A smile appeared around his lips for a couple of seconds, but it left as soon as it came, and he grabbed my hand. We moved to the dance floor, and got in place. When the song began, we followed the waltz.
"Come on, Stefan," I said, giving him a soft chuckle. "Give me a smile for a few more seconds, at least."
"I'm worried," he said.
I sighed. "When are you not?" I took a deep breath and tilted my head slightly to the side. "Come on, do I always have to pull you out to dance? Remember the Lockwood's masquerade party? I had to pull you out or you would have moped around and wait for Katherine to appear. Oh, and the parties back then. I had to ask you to dance just so you would stop drinking the champagne or to pull you away from the girls trying to pry."
A smile appeared around his lips, but it left as soon as it came. "I've asked you to dance," he said. "The night you died, I asked you to dance."
"You said it was a very important question," I recalled, grinning. "I should thank you, again, because it honestly made me forget about how shit that night was."
"Are you trying to make me smile?" he asked, giving me a very small smile filled with amusement.
"Of course I am," I said. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try to make the great Stefan Salvatore smile?"
"You know," he breathed, "Clara, you look beautiful tonight."
His comment surprised me, but my lips reacted on their own and spread into a smile. "Thank you," I uttered, looking up into his eyes. "You look handsome tonight, Stefan. Hmm, I kind of like you better in a tux."
"Is that a compliment?" he chuckled.
"Of course it is," I tittered, shaking my head. "You always looked attractive, but in a tux. Hmm, there's something about a man in a tux."
Stefan chuckled, rolling his eyes but keeping the amused look on his face. There was something about him that made me feel at ease. It was as if he were my own aromatic therapy, my own little piece of calmness in all the chaos, and it surprised me because he wasn't supposed to make me feel so calm. This green eyed vampire that danced with me wasn't supposed to make me feel the way I was feeling, so giddy and calm and okay.
He twirled me and suddenly I was in someone else's arms. I let out a groan when I looked into the icy blue eyes of the man that held my waist. "Great," I muttered. "It's you."
"Clara," Damon greeted me, giving me a smile. "You look beautiful. The dress compliments you"
"I know," I said, rolling my eyes. "Careful, Damon, your girlfriend is just a few feet from us." I glanced at Elena, who was dancing with Stefan and had an obvious expression of joy.
"She's not my girlfriend," Damon responded, rolling his eyes.
"Really?" I chuckled. "You act as if she were."
"You're just jealous."
"Of?"
"That I love Elena more than I love you."
I swallowed hard and looked away from him. My breathing accelerated, and my fingers dug themselves into the skin of his shoulders. It surprised me to hear him say that, and it felt as if my chest would cave in from the sudden slap of words. I let out a sarcastic chuckle and shook my head. "Hmm, you're right," I hummed, letting out another chuckle. "I am jealous; I'm jealous you've shown her more love than you have ever shown me."
"Clara..."
"Oh, there's no need to apologise," I stopped him, shaking my head. "You are saying the truth, so why would you apologise? For hurting my feelings? No, your words just make it so much easier for me to let you go."
Damon's face hardened as we moved side to side to the song. "So, what now? You moved on? Stefan your new toy?"
"Jealous?" I lightly grinned and arched a bow. I glanced at Stefan, seeing him dance peacefully with Elena. His eyes met mine, and at that moment I felt daring and excited. I pulled myself closer to Damon, my lips close to his ear. "You shouldn't be jealous of your brother, Damon," I quietly said. "You had me twice, and you broke my heart those two times. Now, I'm breaking yours."
Damon twirled me, just like Stefan had done, and I was with another dance partner. In front of me stood the man that saved me from destroying more of civilization, the man that resembled royalty, Elijah. I smiled at him as we danced. We didn't share a long conversation, just simple words about how we were both glad that we were both okay. And then, I had another dance partner, the man that had been a both a monster and an angel.
"Klaus," I softly said as we began to move. He was graceful, his feet moving with care and precision.
"Clara," he greeted back. "I can see that you've had quite the fight with the eldest Salvatore. It was surprising to hear those words come from your mouth, but also really—what do the people say these days—hot."
I chuckled. "I can look like a housewife,"-I smiled as nice as I could-"but I can also look like the bitch that ruined your whole life."
He laughed and shook his head. "I must say, I do enjoy this Clara quite a lot."
"That's something bad coming from the Big Bad Wolf."
"How do you do it, love?" he asked, arching a brow. "Oh, don't tell me that you use the whole noble Elijah thing. I had always wondered how you pushed things back so easily, and I thought it was because you were just as heartless as I was, but I never imagine it would have been the Elijah thing."
"Oh, you're not heartless," I chuckled, shaking my head. "Don't you remember, Klaus? You compelled my memories because you began to care about me. You said you'll start to hate me, but I don't see you that happening. In fact, I see the opposite."
"I take that back," he hummed, shaking his head. "I'm not enjoying this new Clara a lot. What did you do this time, turn it off or push every emotion through the door?"
"I'd be more ruthless if I had my humanity off," I rolled my eyes. "I'm pushing everything back: caring and helping and blah, blah, blah."
"You're not able to do that here, love," he chuckled, smiling. "Mystic Falls makes you care."
"Yeah," I breathed, glancing at my surroundings. Everything felt okay, but it was just that specific moment of dancing. "Mystic Falls makes me care; I hate it. Sometimes I think it's better to leave."
"Leave," Klaus quietly said, causing me to turn my head back to him. "Leave Mystic Falls, Clara. What's the point of staying here if you hate caring so much? Nothing is tying you to this place, especially not Damon Salvatore. What did you do to those feelings? Did you push them back, suppress them behind that door in your head? Very Elijah-esque, but even my dear brother has his limits."
I had learned everything about pushing back from Elijah, who was a master at it. Just as Klaus had said, I had pushed back every emotion of Damon behind the red door. In pushing them back, I had come to realize that Mystic Falls didn't feel that much like home anymore. It could have been because my home was a person, but that person had a home in someone else and that someone else couldn't decide on a home.
"I have homes in every corner of the world," Klaus continued. "Just tell me where you wish to go."
"It's like you want me to leave," I breathed, shaking my head. "Whenever I decide to leave, then I'll come to you and ask for those keys."
Before he could say anything else, I pulled myself away and went up the stairs. It all sounded chaotic around me, as if there was a fight going on somewhere in my surroundings. I kept my hold on the skirt of my dress, the gentle cloth bundled up in my fist as I moved. In one of the rooms, I heard shuffling. In the library, Stefan was pacing around with a dead Damon a few feet away from him. He stopped pacing when I walked in. I gazed from him to his brother to him, confused.
"Do I need to ask what happened?" I asked, raising a brow.
"Uh, Elena needed to talk to Esther alone and she asked for my help," Stefan explained. "W-what's wrong? You look troubled."
I smiled and shook my head. "Nothing," I said. "I'm just really deep in thought."
"With?"
"With what ifs," I responded, sighing and crossing my arms. "You know I'm a pretty big what if thinker."
"Did Klaus get to you?" he asked as he came closer. "He's been getting on everyone's nerves recently. Maybe that's why Esther personally asked to meet Elena."
"It wasn't Klaus," I assured him. "More like everything."
"Something tells me that it has to do with him." Stefan pointed at his brother with his chin. "Does it?"
"Eh," I responded, chuckling. "He's included somewhere in there."
"I understand how you're feeling."
"Do you?" I quietly asked. "Stefan, you may feel something similar, but it's not the same. You had the girl and I almost had the boy. You break hearts, I get mine broken. We're similar in the aspect that we care, and we keep caring even if it keeps slowly breaking us. If we allow ourselves to look back, all we'll feel is pain."
"I heard you say you were going to break his heart," he jested, bumping me with his shoulder. I rolled my eyes, annoyed, yet I smiled. Stefan had this thing in him that made me smile. He turned when he heard something move. I turned as well, and saw Damon waking up. "Easy, buddy. Don't want you doing anything stupid."
Damon stood and rushed to his brother. "Where's Elena?"
"Exactly where she belongs," Stefan answered. "Talking with Esther."
"What did you do?"
"Ah, don't blame me," he mused. "This was all her, right down to the broken neck." He pushed Damon off of him, glaring. "You know, maybe you should stop being such a controlling dick, Damon."
"Wait, Hang on," he chuckled. "I'm the problem here?"
"You're a liability, brother."
"I'm trying to keep her alive, Stefan."
"Yeah, well, your emotions are getting in the way of our plan."
"My emotions?" He rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. "How is this even happening right now?"
"Maybe because you care too damn much," Stefan retorted.
Damon stared at his brother for a few seconds, then glanced at me. For those quick seconds that he had his eyes on me, I felt my breath get caught in my throat. It was obvious that I had yet to push away every feeling that I had for him. My love for him would not fade as fast as I wanted to; it would take time, patience, and above all, my want for it to happen. There was something in side of me that told me not to let go, to continue to love him, but there was another part that told me to let go. I needed to let him go, like a child letting go of a balloon they loved dearly.
He marched away without a second glance, causing his brother to let out a sigh. I inhaled and wrapped my arm around Stefan's, giving him a small smile. "Come on," I softly said, pulling him with me.
Stefan came with, walking besides me. He felt warm, like a blanket covering me on a cold night. I was a vampire, and temperature wasn't supposed to make me feel any different, but with Stefan... He made me feel all kinds of warmth and coldness, as unusual as it was. It was as if he were the sun on a cold winter's day, where it was snowy and cold, but the sun gave you that bit of warmth that made it feel all the better.
I grabbed two glasses of champagne when we descended the stairs, and handed one of them to the green-eyed vampire that kept the same bleak look in his face. Gently, I bumped into his shoulder with mine, giving him a small and reassuring smile. My smile faded when I saw the woman from before standing by the stairs, a glass of red-ringed champagne in her hands. She clinked the glass, causing everyone to turn to her.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," she began. "Waiters are coming around with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy than to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" the crowd echoed.
While staring at her, at Esther, I took a careful sip of the champagne in my glass. I turned to Stefan when I saw her look back at me. "I think I figured out who was it that gave me their blood for me to turn," I told him, changing the conversation. "It was Anna Zhu."
"Anna Zhu?" Stefan questioned, raising a brow. "Pearl's daughter? Why do you think that?"
"At the party, she gave me a red-tinged champagne and said it was rose," I recalled, nodding and quickly glancing back as Esther, who had more than half of her champagne left. "She gave me a few glasses, and each one got darker in colour. I think she knew that Katherine was going to kill me."
"Look at that," he chuckled. "It took you a few years, but now you have your answer."
I shook my head, smiling. "Oh, you know, after a hundred and fifty something years of guessing I finally figure it out after attending a party thrown by the family you're trying to kill. No big deal."
"And what made you think back to that time and figure it our?" he asked, crossing his arms in a hint of amusement.
"Conversation, the glass of champagne, the atmosphere." I glanced back at Esther, who was speaking to Carol Lockwood. "People."
The ball, party, twisted Cinderella party-thing that the Mikaelson's threw, ended the moment Damon decided to snap Kol Mikaelson's neck. His excuse was that he was crazy to the point where it would cause a problem, and that was said while looking at Elena. It was then where I wanted nothing more but to slap him, make him see some sense that it was in no way smart. But, Damon being Damon, he wouldn't comprehend.
I took off the dress, which felt like ruffled stars on my skin, and hung it in the closet with a sigh. If I could, I would have danced for longer and enjoyed the few hours I had with the wonderful dress. With a nod, I put on a pair of pajamas and turned to the bed. Surprise hit me when I saw a small box with a card on top. It was the same kind of box that Klaus had given me with the dress, the same kind of card that held the inviting words to his mansion.
I took the card and opened it: Anywhere in the world, I told you. How about Greece?
Inside the box, was a single silver key. It wasn't old like those skeleton keys that led one to darkened places, but one that belonged to a simple door or lock. It surprised me to see a simple thing from Klaus, who was known for his big and splendid things. I then looked back at the card, and reread it over and over again.
"Greece," I uttered, shaking my head. "He sure knows how to surprise someone."
"Greece?" someone questioned by the door. I turned my head to see Stefan leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed. "You're leaving?"
"Now why would I leave when the fun's just starting?" I let out a soft chuckle, then a sigh as I laid the card inside the box with the key and closed it. "I'm not leaving."
"Then, what's that?"
"Klaus wants me to leave," I explained, crossing my arms. "Well, no, he doesn't want me to leave. We just... He made me realize some things, then I said some things, and he offered me a house to stay in if I ever decided to leave. Anywhere in the world, and he gave me a key to Greece."
"Wasn't that where he compelled your memories?"
"Stupid, don't you think?" I smiled and pushed the box under the bed. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Wait, Clara." Stefan took a seat next to me by the bed. "Um, I want to thank you for tonight."
"I didn't do anything," I said, scratching my head. "I just pulled you along for a dance."
"And that dance made me realize a few things," he nodded.
"Like?"
"Like..." He took a deep breath, and gave me a small smile. "Like, I shouldn't be such an idiot to the person that cared for me the most these past few months."
"Aw, you're confessing your love for me," I joked, pushing him with my shoulder. "I'm honoured, Stefan."
"Clara," he sternly, yet amusedly, said. "If I ever confess my love for you, it would in no way be like this."
"So, that means that your confession is soon to come?"
"You keep waiting," he chuckled, shaking his head. He stood and walked away, but stopped by the door and turned back at me. "Goodnight, Clara."
"Goodnight, Stefan," I uttered, smiling. Right then, I felt okay. I felt like I could finally take a big gulp of fresh air and not drown.