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chapter forty-six ━ another team in the race
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❝ who else is trying to find the cure? ❞
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twenty votes and twenty comments for the next chapter!
HER NEED FOR vengeance skyrocketed after she had to hold Klaus in her arms while he sobbed. Melody hadn't seen him so heartbroken before, never. That only seemed to fuel the flames that were already blazing with rage. Yet she forced herself to follow the Mystic Falls group to the island where the cure resided. Melody had told her boyfriend that she didn't have to go, she no longer held the desire to kill Elena on the island. She explained to him that she would wait for the perfect moment to tear out her throat while she was human, but had changed her mind again. Now she had decided to nearly let the doppelganger take the cure and then rip out her heart and crush it to dust.
Klaus kept telling her that it was fine, she could leave him there. Melody had listened but the leaving wasn't easy for her. She worried for him, hoping he didn't do anything stupid while she was gone. And so she promised him to be back in a few days, telling him she wouldn't be very long, depending on long it took to actually find the cure.
And so there she was, stepping off the tiny boat she had journeyed in for a straight eight hours. It had been torture: listening to Elena so much as breathe near her which only seemed to make the boat feel smaller. Rebekah had accompanied her as did Stefan, Caroline had stayed behind to keep an eye on Klaus due to the fairytale woman's request she refused to budge on.
Melody stood there for a moment, taking in her surroundings with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty, seeing as Kol had warned them about Silas before his death. She turned her head to see Elena passing by, carrying her bag that contained all of her things. The thought of burning the bag did cross her mind but she refrained from causing a scene, settling for an irritated twitch of her lips.
"You know, you're not really helping," Stefan spoke up, near her as he was tying a knot to keep the boat from sailing away while they were gone. Rebekah was wandering the shoreline, staring at the line of trees.
Melody scoffed at that, crossing her arms over her chest as she gave a pointed glare to Elena because she felt like it. "You can tie a knot, Stefan. But if you need help tying your shoes, I'm sure I can teach you how to do the bunny ears."
He rolled his eyes though it was hard not to smile as he tried to play it off cool. Rebekah had smiled widely, amused by her sarcasm and wit that rolled off her tongue without her even having to try. The way she knew that the brunette had replied with that without thinking is because instead of smirking, she stared at Elena with hatred, not bothering to move from her spot for a second.
"You giving Elena the evil eye, it's not really helping," Stefan spoke again, silently hinting that this wasn't the time to be causing drama. The time for that was later, much, much, later.
Melody scoffed again, still not moving an inch, her eyes following the Gilbert's every movement across the sand. "And you telling me what to do is pointless because I'm not going to listen. Because Elena has done worse than me just giving her the evil eye. I happen to think I'm being generous in not burning her leg off so she has to hop around to get places."
"You know I can hear you, right?" Elena questioned, walking over to Damon but was speaking to the other team at the same time.
"You know that you weren't given permission to speak to me right?" she retorted, the quick replying lashing out at the fellow brunette. "Peasants aren't allowed to speak to Queens without being addressed first."
Elena stopped walking instantly and spun around fast, speeding over to Melody with the white oak stake, despite it not being made for her. However, she was surprisingly ready for the attack. She used her magic to keep her in place, then grabbed Elena's hand that held the stake and broke her wrist in one swift motion.
A cracking sounded out, followed by a hiss that was made by Melody. "Go ahead, try and kill me. It'll get you nowhere because you want to know why? I'm ready for anything you attempt to do to me. I will rip your heart out and fed it to your brother just for sport." A wicked smirk appeared on her face. She was no longer hiding, she would embrace her darkness this time. Because she needed it to win. "So, you try anything else and I will make sure you do lose that leg."
Melody shoved her backward, turning on her heel as she walked away from them. Stefan and Rebekah trailed after her, the latter smirking and giving a wave to Elena who was holding her hand in pain, wincing. Damon had a clenched jaw, having to look away because he knew that she was making a statement. And he knew what the statement was: she would not stop until she got what she came here for.
Shane came over after Bonnie took pictures of Jeremy's mark, grinning excitedly at the adventure they were about to go on. "Come on, we better start hiking." He started off before waiting for the rest of them, even though Team Melody was already making their way to the trail they would be taking. There was tension among the different groups, a clear warning that they were all on different teams and they all had different intentions on what to do with the cure.
Hours later they were still hiking, traveling up a hill with their backpacks on their backs. Shane was on his phone, attempting to still get service. The only thing he got was a beep. "Satellite phone lost its signal."
Melody sighed with a roll of her eyes, walking alongside Rebekah. "Joy, we are officially in a horror movie. So let's do what those highly intelligent people and split up." Her words did raise a few laughs and smiles from everyone besides Elena, even Jeremy had smiled. She glanced at the younger boy and couldn't help but smile slightly. Though he had killed Kol, Elena forced his hand, manipulated him and yet no one seemed to breathe a word about it.
"Is anyone else a little creeped out?" Elena asked, gnawing on her lip.
"Did you miss the part where I called this a horror movie?" She then turned to the doppelganger and gave her a sweet smile. "If you are scared sweetie, leave. Out of everyone here, your presence is the least necessary and most excruciating to handle."
Stefan sighed, shaking his head. "Please don't start." They hadn't even made it five hours in and the two were already fighting. He couldn't imagine what would happen when they did find the cure. Because he knew Elena was dying, but he doubted it would be soon now, not after what happened to Kol.
Melody winked at him. "Apologies that I am stating facts you can't handle. Because you see, Jeremy has the spell on his body. Bonnie is the witch that unseals the cure. Shane is the human compass. You, Rebekah, and I have the tombstone, which does god knows what. And Elena has no point and is merely here."
Damon turned his head to glance back at her. "What about me?"
"Comedy relief."
He smirked at that. "Pretty sure that is you, Mel."
She didn't reply to that yet had to put a mask of emotions over her face to cover the smile that was threatening to appear on her lips. Elena did not look very happy that her boyfriend was bonding with the enemy, narrowing her eyes. This couldn't end any faster.
———
More hours passed and night had already taken over the once clear sky, blanketing them in darkness. They were still hiking because they hadn't found a safe place to set up camp, using flashlights to guide their way. However, Melody's source of life was the fire sparks that danced on her fingertips. Everything she did so far was thought through, had a purpose. This was no different. Because she was making sure the opposing teams knew how strong she was compared to them.
"Centuries after Qetsiyah died, there were these miners who were excavating a well on the island," Shane told the group, catching them up on the lore. "Suddenly went mad. They bled themselves dry. No apparent reason. So, the legend spread that these miners, in exchange for a drop of their blood, saw visions of their lost loved ones in the well they were digging. The word traveled and explorers sought out the well to see if the legend was true."
Bonnie rose an eyebrow, looking curious. "So, the well was magic?"
"Well, you know, some people believe the voices of lost souls were just a wind vortex whipping through the caves, and vision were caused by inhaling the island's poisonous plant life."
Melody herself became a tad bit intrigued, knowing how this type of magic worked. It was quite similar to the magic you would find in StoryBrooke or one of the other magical realms. "And what do you believe?" Her steps quickened, her strides longer.
Shane took a breath. "I believe in magic. My wife and my son died within months of each other. And so...I decided to try the well out for myself." He paused to gather his thoughts, his emotions getting the best of him. "I saw my wife. I saw her eyes, her smile. My blood let me see her again."
Damon didn't look convinced. "Yeah, got it. Don't eat the poisonous flowers."
They fell silent again as they traveled, Melody's eyes wandering around as she observed their surroundings. Due to her knowledge of traps in the Enchanted Forest, she spotted the one that lied on the ground instantly. Her eyes went wide. "Stop!" Everyone instantly stood still. She stepped in front of them all. Picking up a rock swiftly, she turned to them all. "Be happy that one of us knows what we are doing." She tossed the rock onto the net which triggered it, swinging it up into the trees. "Stay together. Keep your eyes open."
Everyone glanced at one another, continuing on. Melody got a low thank you from Jeremy, the only thanks she got from any of them. She glanced at him and nodded, smiling slightly but the action vanished in seconds because she didn't trust him completely. But she was giving him the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully, he would be better off without Elena.
While hiking Jeremy had almost been attacked but thankfully someone saved him before he got hurt. Melody had gotten ready to set the culprit on fire before the hatchet was buried into the man's back before he got the chance to kill the teen. Elena had looked surprised that she was willing to protect Jeremy but obviously didn't speak anything of it.
Another hour passed before they arrived at the clearing in the woods, it completely bare of anything. Honestly, it looked just like a camping ground. Stefan asked what this place was, seeing as there was no way this wasn't man-made. Shane didn't turn back to him as he explained to the whole group. "According to island lore, a group of college kids came here for spring break. A few weeks later, they were all found dead, completely drained of blood."
Rebekah didn't seem to care. "Well, tragic for them, brilliant for us. Who sleeps where?"
———
The tents had been set up and a fire was made, their base complete so now they all were relaxing after the long hike they had. Stefan was sitting at the campfire Melody had made. In fact, the said female sat beside him, looking to see that he was holding the headstone in his hands. She got out a bag of marshmallows, some chocolate bars, and graham crackers.
"It's a good thing that there is eight of us because no one else thought to bring s'mores, so I brought it upon myself to conjure some." She got a stick and then opened the bag, putting one marshmallow on it and hovered it over the fire. Stefan smiled and shook his head. Melody grinned and handed him his own. Together they started to roast their marshmallows.
She jabbed a thumb towards the headstone. "What are you doing with that?"
He turned the stick to get the other side of the marshmallow, not looking at her yet. "We're a day away from finding the cure. I'm not letting it out of my sight."
Melody didn't blame him for being protective of the object since it was their only advantage over everyone else. Suddenly some animals screeched in the distance and she jumped, gasping before she calmed down and rolled her eyes at her own reaction. Stefan laughed, shaking his head.
She shoved his elbow playfully, taking her stick out of the fire before she then made her smores. The brunette took a bite and narrowed her eyes at him. "What? I am allowed to be scared. That sounded like a freaking dinosaur okay?"
He was still laughing, looking highly amused at what he just witnessed. "You do realize you're the daughter of Peter Pan, right? I thought being in the wilderness was your thing?" He rose an eyebrow at her, trying to hide the smirk on his face.
The fairytale woman smirked right back at him. "Which is precisely why you should stop teasing me." She took another bite of her smores, giving him the chocolate and graham crackers for his. "I'm very powerful." He had to purse his lip to keep from laughing because she had said those three words with her mouth full. Suddenly things became serious, a sigh escaping her. Once she finished chewing her food, she looked at him. "What are you going to do with the cure once we find it?"
Stefan took a moment to think over the question, looking at the fire when he did. He knew what she was really asking. She was testing him. "If I take the cure...it wouldn't be for her. It'd be for me." Melody sensed his honesty and nodded, looking proud of him.
He finished up his smores before he stood up, leaving her there. She sighed, her eyes finding Jeremy's. Melody whistled, gaining his attention as she waved him over. He looked uncertain about it, glancing around with fear yet but approached her anyways. Yes, he was a hunter, but that didn't mean being in the presence of the woman didn't scare him. She could obliterate him at any moment. And she knew that. Which was why she smirked up at him.
The fire illuminated her face, making her look calm and serene. Jeremy was reminded of who she was: Klaus's girlfriend, the fallen angel. He sat beside her, still keeping distance between them. What he had expected was for her to use her magic on him. Instead, she presented a marshmallow to him with a smile. He took it slowly, putting it on a stick.
"Um. . .thanks," he spoke quietly, his voice much deeper than it was when the first time she met him.
Melody hummed in reply, chewing on her's since she was savoring it. She looked over at him, debating on whether this was a good idea or not. Because a part of her did feel guilty for planning on killing the only family he had left. However, family wasn't just blood, she knew that firsthand. So maybe she could convince. There had to be a piece of him that would agree with her, right?
"I'm curious, was killing Kol your choice or did you do it because Elena asked you to?"
Jeremy stiffened, not the best at concealing how he felt in situations when called for. "And here I thought you called me over here to be nice."
"Everything I do is for a reason, this is no different," she replied bluntly, not sugarcoating it because that wasn't who she was. Then she remembered who this was, how young he was, what was probably going through his head and sighed. She placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Look, I'm beyond pissed that Kol is dead. But Elena is the one who told you to do it. And you listened, out of your love for her, correct?"
He nodded slowly, the guilt shining in his eyes when he looked at her. The teen was surprised by her gentle gesture, having not expected it from someone like her. Melody nodded back at him, treading along since she was heading on the right path so far. "Is there even a shred of you that thinks what she made you do was wrong? She made you kill Kol, which then killed thousands of vampires you will never know the names of. Did she apologize? No, because she doesn't give a damn."
"What are you trying to do?" he questioned, trying to hide the effect of her words. But she was right. Oh, how he despised that she was right. "Turn me against my own sister?"
"A real sister wouldn't ask that of you," she hissed, her accent seeping through. The fire grew a bit brighter, her dark magic flaring. She was in control this time though, she didn't want to hurt him. "A real sister would have done everything in her power to make sure there was another way. And if that was the only way, she wouldn't have gone through with it."
Jeremy threw the stick into the fire, no longer in the mood. His body shook slightly, trying not to cry. Why was he being so emotional? Because he knew all of this deep down? "I'm a murderer."
Once the word was breathed, Melody's eyes widened. She grabbed both of his hands, turning his body towards her. "Look at me." He looked up at her slowly, the tears heavy in his eyes, weighing him down. "You are not a murderer. You feel guilty, you feel awful deep down, and you know that what you did, was not you. Being a hunter made you feel that way and Elena fueled that drive you have to kill vampires. The only person to blame is her."
She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "Elena used you and continues to act like she didn't. Because she's convinced the world revolves around her. It doesn't." Her voice began to sound a bit like her pleading to him. "Jeremy, deep down you know that you lose your sister a long time ago. And you don't deserve to have this weight on your shoulders, you are much too young to know what that feels like. You deserve to be free, to make your own choices, to be rid of this drama."
Her head tilted to the side so she could look at him, seeing as he had looked down again. "I know you think I'm some kind of monster. I promise you, I'm not. And the reason why I am telling you all of this is that I don't want you to be angry with me when this is all over. I don't want you to feel like without Elena you have nothing." She caressed the tops of his hands, smiling softly. "When you graduate, or before you even do, leave Mystic Falls. Go to Storybrooke."
Jeremy looked up at her fast, alarmed. "What?"
Melody laughed slightly. "I said what I said silly. Go to Storybrooke, find my family. Because believe me, that place is full of opportunities, full of second chances. And plus, the only drama that's there is when my dad is going to explode the entire place." He couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm serious. I know it seems odd and sudden coming from someone like me. But, you remind me of my little brother Henry. And if your older sister isn't going to look after you, I will."
A moment passed and it seemed like he didn't know what to say. Yet Jeremy smiled, sniffling as he looked at her gratefully. He could sense she wasn't lying and he had always known deep down that Mystic Falls was no longer home, Elena was no longer his sister. And he needed a fresh start. Maybe StoryBrooke could provide that for him. He knew what Melody was trying to tell him though. Elena was going to be dead soon enough.
"Thank you," he told her honestly.
She grinned and winked at him playfully, getting him another stick and marshmallow. "Don't mention it, kid." Then she pointed her stick at his face. "Tell anyone what I just said and I'll burn you in this fire."
Jeremy chuckled and nodded. "Understood."
———
The next morning, Jeremy had vanished. Melody had cursed herself, thinking that the teen had taken her advice a little too soon. But when she had gone through his tent, she found his gear still there. That only meant one thing, someone had kidnapped him. Her blood boiled. There was another team in the race and she was determined to find out who was the leader. Much to her disappointment, Elena was searching for him. Out of sibling love or fear that her spell to unlock the cure was gone forever, she didn't know.
Stefan had gone in the direction of the Quarry while Melody went with Elena and Rebekah. They were wandering through the woods, searching everywhere. The fairytale woman had tried to look for tracks that would give away where he had been taken but found none. Whoever took him knew what they were doing.
"Jeremy!" Elena called out at the top of her lungs. "Jeremy!"
Rebekah was annoyed, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you yell louder? Maybe we haven't drawn enough attention to ourselves already."
Her snarky reply didn't rally up the doppelganger at all. In fact, she didn't seem all that concerned because here she was, deciding to bicker with the two instead of focusing on the task at hand. She could have easily brushed the blonde off. Instead, she went along.
"I'm sorry, and how are you helping?"
Melody scoffed for the first time that day, her strides longer than Elena's, more confident in where she was stepping than the fellow brunette was. "Oh please, don't get all jealous that we are faster, stronger, and smarter than you. We have a purpose as I said so yesterday when you were complaining about an ant on your leg."
"Preaching to the choir, Mel," Rebekah sighed, linking arms with her best friend. "I tried to be her friend, but somehow, I ended up with a dagger in my back because I'm the evil one."
"Technically, you didn't achieve evil status until you killed me," Elena replied.
Melody had seen a trap ahead but didn't bother stopping it. She pulled Rebekah back just before they reached it, letting Elena walk onto the trip-wire which set it off. Then a wooden stake went straight through the Gilbert girl's stomach, making her gasp in pain. Identical smirks appeared on the faces of the females behind her.
"Whoops, I forgot to tell you that was there," Melody laughed darkly. She pulled the stake out of Elena before she and Rebekah continued walking. "I would go heal up if I were you. Oh and by the way..." She turned around to look at the younger girl. "That was for Jeremy."
Only two hours had passed before the two were making their way back to camp, arm-in-arm, true partners in crime. Thankfully this trip was helping to strengthen their bond and suddenly Rebekah found herself slowly realizing that maybe not being in a relationship with Melody was a good thing. Because she liked being friends with her, confiding in her, and it was blatantly obvious that she was devoted to Klaus.
"Haven't we been through here before?" Melody questioned with a frown, wondering if they had made a loop on accident.
"It all looks the same to me."
Rebekah then stepped on a rock that triggered another trap. Melody gasped and threw her hand up, on instinct, as did the Original, using her magic to stop the spear from flying straight at them without her knowledge. Both of them had screamed, fearing the worst. They lowered their arms soon after they realize it was now floating in the air.
"Nice reflexes," Rebekah complimented.
Melody took a deep breath. "Thanks, a force of habit I guess." She looked around. "Jeremy's not here. I think we should go back and see if Bonnie found him with the locator spell." Together they walked back to the camp to find Stefan and Elena standing in the middle, looking frantic. But there was no one else around. "Where is everyone?"
Stefan shook his head. "Bonnie's not here and Shane's stuff is all gone." Melody's heart dropped as he held up the empty bag that had the one thing that held their advantage over everyone else. "The tombstone's gone."
Her mind went into panic mode, sprinting towards Elena's tent. She rifled through the bags the doppelganger had while Rebekah was breathing heavily behind her, looking panicked and heartbroken. There chance to find the cure was gone.
Elena entered to see the two, going wide-eyed. "What are you doing in my tent?"
Rebekah sped over to her and grabbed her by the throat. Melody turned on her heel to face them, glaring at the younger female with such hatred that rivaled everyone's dislike towards Katherine Pierce. She hissed at her, her dark magic flaring up. "Where's the tombstone? What have you done with it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Like it's not bloody obvious?" Rebekah yelled in her face, trying not to kill her on the spot. "All you people ever do is betray us and here you go again!"
Stefan came in before things got worse and before Melody lost control. "Let her go. She didn't take it." His eyes went to the fairytale woman who was still glaring but was at least trying to calm down, her chest rising and falling rapidly. If only Klaus were here to tame her fury. But he wasn't. So they were all at the mercy of her temper.
Rebekah released Elena, unfortunately, looking at Stefan as she started to question his loyalty to herself and Melody. "Was any of this real? Or was it just a ploy to distract me while Shane ran off with the tombstone?"
"You think I would do that?" He questioned, looking truly offended that she would think that low of him, after all he gave up to be on their side. "You think I would let some psychopath run off with the cure? Every single moment of my last 146 years has been ruled by the pain of being a vampire. And this cure ends that. It ends the guilt and it ends the suffering. And you really think I would jeopardize that?"
Melody gave Rebekah a knowing look before she looked at Stefan. "We believe you, we don't believe her." She gave Elena a long and hard stare, clenching her fists to keep herself from punching her in the face at that very moment.
The first person to move actually was the doppelganger. She bent down and withdrew the white oak stake from underneath some fabric on the floor. "I didn't take it, but here." She extended the stake towards Melody. "Consider this a peace offering."
She laughed without humor at that. "A peace offering? Do you think that changes anything? We're all screwed. Bonnie's gone. Shane's got the tombstone. Jeremy's missing. Damon is who knows where. So, us four, right here, is all we've got to find this cure." They were all listening to her. "I don't trust you and neither does Rebekah. Don't think that you giving us the stake means anything."
Then she took the stake from her and left. Not even a day on the island and they were already having problems, complications. But none of them could think of who they would be competing with. Who was the other team? Who was also fighting to find the cure?
———
I understand that the scene between Melody and Jeremy was sudden but I do believe he deserved better in the show and I think how Elena treated him was awful. Sure she did fight for him at times but otherwise, he was tossed aside. Julie Uck also should have given him better than what he got. So with that being said, I'm giving him a happy ending. And yes, Jeremy will be going to Storybrooke! Which means he'll be immortal like the rest of the town. And I also know who he will be with.
Can you guess who it is?
I hope you guys have a great day/night and don't forget to vote on this chapter, comment your thoughts, and follow me for updates!
( credit : @pepperronys )