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Leaving Washington was a difficult task but Elizandra masked her emotions. The last person she'd want seeing her cry was Klaus Mikaelson.
She had her feet kicked up on the dashboard with her dark sunglasses covering her eyes and the radio at a high volume playing a mix of Green Day, Cage the Elephant, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
"In my past, bittersweet there's no love between the sheets, taste the blood broken dreams." Elizandra sang in the most monotonous voice, with her head resting against her hand. Klaus wasn't familiar with the music nor was he fond of it but he allowed her to express herself however she'd like.
Suddenly, she raises her head and looked out the window. Klaus glances at her.
"What is it?" He questions her. Her hand flew to his upper arm and gripped it.
"Pull over!" She demanded like a child who'd seen a candy shop. Klaus swerved onto the shoulder — well, the side of the road. It was a seemingly endless two way road with the green woods on either side. "Let me show you the greatest therapy." She exits the car and stretched her limbs. Utterly confused, he exits as well and meets her on the other side of the car.
"The scenery?" He questions.
"Come on, Klaus. You're a wolf too. You don't feel the urge to take advantage of beautiful woods like these?" She begins to take off her black jacket and throws it on the hood of the car while kicking off her boots. Klaus scans both sides of the roads.
"There could be anybody watching." He warns her but something about the eccentric look in her eyes told him nothing could change her mind. This was the release she needed.
Klaus heaves a sigh and holds out his palm for Elizandra to lay her necklace after unclasping it. She smiles.
"Your clothes?" He asks with a straight face and his brows raised. She smirked.
"Look, Klaus I know we've been on the road together for a day already but I'm not undressing until the third date." She teases him and he rolls his eyes, "I have an extra set in the back, chill." With that, she sprinted off into the woods and leaps into the air; transitioning into her red and brown Direwolf. She landed on her fours with a heavy thud causing the dirt to fling in the air. Klaus's lips parted as he watches the large Direwolf in awe. She was truly captivating and he'd admit it a million times.
She wasn't to be seen for a whole five minutes but he wasn't worried in the slightest. He knew how free it felt to run as a wolf. It was one of the most thrilling feelings in his immortal life.
He gathered her clothes and jewelry and neatly set them on the passenger side of the car.
Suddenly, the atmosphere was filled with a heart clenching howl from the distance. It was mournful. Klaus listens to it intently.
He waited another twenty minutes patiently until the twigs snapping from the tree line made Elizandra's presence known, but he had heard her coming from afar with his vamp hearing.
"Welcome back," Klaus sends her his infamous smirk. It still amazes him how large the Direwolf species were; with her head raised high she was just as tall as him. He still remembers the night Brady attacked him. Now that was a larger wolf and he'd never forget. He opens the trunk of the car where her extra set of clothes were. "I'll turn around." He raises his hands in surrender. Elizandra shifted back to her human form and climbed into the backseat to change.
After forcing Klaus to stop by In-N-Out for two double-doubles — for herself — they were back on the road heading to Mystic Falls.
"Mm, my heart is fulfilled." Elizandra crumbled up the trash and stuffed it in the bag. She reached in the backseat and brought her school bag to her lap; pulling out her sketchbook and art supplies. Klaus's eyes wander to her pages. Elizandra catches his glances and moved her pad out of his view. She shoots him a glare.
"You draw?" He observes.
"Mhm." She hums as she concentrated on the finishing touches of her drawing, "Mr. Lawson, my art teacher, is hosting an event appreciating the art programs at our school. He wants all his classes to display some of our work — which, let me tell you I am dreading. My whole bedroom wall is pinned with art, but my work is only meant for my eyes only. . .and Mr. Lawson's, of course. That's how I get my A in the class." The corner of her lips turn upwards after her last sentence.
"Well, can I at least see?"
She scrunches her nose and closes her sketch pad, "No way."
"I did save your boyfriend." He points out and wickedly smirks. She narrows her eyes at him.
"Are you seriously going to pull that card on me every time?"
"It's worth a try."
☾ ✶ ☽
The ride home seemed shorter than the way to Washington. They drove past Mystic Falls' border when Elizandra woke from her nap. She pulled back the hoodie and brushed down her hair with her hands
"You should probably pull over here. I can drive myself home." Elizandra suggested. He obliged and pulled over on the shoulder. They exit the car and meet in front of the SUV.
"And how will I get home, hm?" Klaus asks, an amused tone lacing his voice.
She crosses her arms and smirks, "I'm sure you can use your vamp speed."
"Hm" He hummed. She uncrosses her arms and looks up at him in all seriousness. She lets out a heavy sigh. He slightly tilts his head to the side.
"Look, Aidan would be dead right now if you hadn't saved him, so," She awkwardly fiddled with her hands. "thank you. I mean it."
Klaus glances at the ground; his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He looks up and lightly smiles, "Well, you'd be a wreck right now if I hadn't. I'd hate to see you frown."
Her stomach flipped and she hated the feeling. She inhaled deeply and bid a quick farewell, "O-kay. Goodnight, Klaus." She held up her fist and he awkwardly pumps it. She walks around him and rolls her eyes at her painfully embarrassing actions. With the sound of a whoosh through the air, Elizandra spun around. Klaus had vanished, and she was left with an odd feeling longing for him to have stayed with her. She quickly shook off the feeling and entered through the driver's side.
☾ ✶ ☽
Showering right as she got home had been the highlight of her day.
"I've missed you." Elizandra says, dragging her feet to her bed and falling face first. The towel wrapped around her head flung forward as she did so. She props herself up on her elbows and reaches for her phone off her nightstand. She dials a number and places it between her shoulder and ear. With her free hands she begins to paint her nails a dark shade of navy blue.
"Hello?" The feminine voice questions.
"Hey, it's Elizandra. I texted Damon for your number. Felt like talking to someone, or whatever a typical teenage girl does."
"Oh my god!" Caroline screams causing Elizandra's face to scrunch. "You're not dead! Oh, that's a relief." She let's out a sigh and a chuckle.
"I'm hard to kill. . .actually, no one's ever really tried killing me." She began to trace back any memory. "Maybe twice. Can't remember. But, I am a growing Direwolf, I should start looking over my shoulder."
"Um, okay. . .you're home right?"
"Yes, I just got back. Why?"
"Perfect. I need you to — drumroll please — help me decorate the cafeteria for the dance! Look, I know you're going to say no — "
"I'll do it." Elizandra nonchalantly replies.
"No, no, I need you please. It's more fun than you think. You get to boss around the helpers — wait, did you just agree?"
Elizandra rolls her eyes and sets the nail polish bottle aside and waved her left hand frantically to dry. "Yeah, can't be too bad. Plus, I'm lonely and since you're all vampires I can't invite any of you over." She stands from her bed with her phone in hand and walks over to her closet.
"Elena and Bonnie aren't vampires."
"I don't know Bonnie, yet, and Elena — well, she's a cool girl."
Caroline expected her to continue but she caught on that's all she had to say about Elena. "Well, lucky you, you get to meet Bonnie tomorrow, officially! I'll make sure of it."
"Splendiddd." Elizandra says monotonously and begins searching through her closest, sliding dresses and shirts to one side. "So, what's the theme of this dance?"
"70s."
"Damn." Elizandra spat and averts looking at the closet.
"What?"
"I don't own an 70s costume. I have a 20s. Not too late to change the theme, Care." She says the last sentence in a song-song voice.
"Meet you at the school tomorrow!" Caroline teases and hangs up. Elizandra huffs and shuts the closet door.
☾ ✶ ☽
Elizandra woke up feeling under the weather. She wasn't sure why. Maybe her subconscious was still clinging to Aidan. It hurt to think he's living his new life in New Zeland right at this moment without any memory of Elizandra or what they shared.
But, she pushed her emotions aside like she always had. She promised to help Caroline and there was no way she was going to cancel because of her own personal problems. So, here she was nearly dragging her feet down the halls of the school on her way to the cafeteria.
Now she was wishing she cancelled after all. She barely stepped foot into the cafeteria and Caroline is already arguing.
"Oh," Elizandra groans under her breath and attempted to slowly step out of the cafeteria. Caroline acknowledges her presence and with a frantic wave of her hand she gestured her over. Elizandra huffs lightly and approached Caroline and Rebekah Mikaelson. Two blondes; that's never good. Two vampire blondes in a disagreement; world destruction.
"It seems your only purpose in this mess-of-a-group is to serve as their guard dog." Rebekah says to Elizandra while staring at Caroline.
"Right." Elizandra bobs her head lazily. Rebekah casts her a glance and looks her up and down.
"Pretty." Rebekah hums. Elizandra narrows her eyes and looks down at her sweats and hoodie. Rebekah looks back at Caroline and continued their earlier discussion, "20s, and that's finally."
That's when Elizandra finally looked around the cafeteria and noticed the decorations. "Oh, Caroline, I thought you said 70s, but I do like this much better."
Rebekah hums amusingly, and tells Elizandra, "Were going to be great friends." She scurries away to bark now orders. Caroline groans aloud and grabs Elizandra's shoulders and shakes her entire body.
"Hey, hey!" Elizandra grabs Caroline's shoulders in return and puts distance between them with her strength, "Personal space, Care."
"You're supposed to back me up!" She whined.
"I would if I knew about what."
"This!" Caroline waved her hands maniacally in the air, gesturing to the cafeteria. "The Original Barbie decided on changing the decade dance theme to the 20s."
Elizandra suppresses a chuckle, "Care, you're the original barbie."
Caroline groans again and throws her head back, but couldn't help her laugh.
After helping a begrudging Caroline finish the decorations for the dance they headed to the Grill to grab a bite. After lunch, Elizandra headed back home. She enjoyed Caroline's company the most. She hasn't had the time to "bond" with the others yet. She figured if she was going to stay in Mystic Falls for a while longer, might as well befriend the supernaturals of the town. The humans were too bland and boring — apart from Matt and Alaric. They were the exception. Well, she was unsure about Alaric as of now. Caroline caught her up on what she missed. Elizandra's been meaning to visit the guy, but ever since the incident with Aidan, she hadn't been feeling like seeing anymore good people in twisted situations. It amazed her though how Matt, on the other hand, always dodged the supernatural bullet. Elizandra suspects there has to be some supernatural inside him. But, he always answered her "no" every time she asked "but are you one hundred percent sure, Matt? It has to be one hundred."
Speaking of which, after she finished making a sandwich — yes, she was still hungry — there was a knock at her door. She dropped her sandwich on her plate with a groan.
"Can't I just be left alone?" She says to herself while walking across the foyer and to the front door. She was surprised to see Matt grinning big on her doorstep.
"Hey!" He says, "Uh—I hope this isn't weird or anything, Caroline told me your address, but I wanted to stop by. I noticed earlier at the school your. . .vibe or whatever, it's been off since you came back from your trip. Caroline said you wouldn't tell her, so I just figured a human-presence would be better? Or am I just stepping over a line. . ." He rambled and started to scratch the back of his head and awkwardly repositioned his stance. For the first time today she felt her lips turn into a genuine smile. He felt relief rush through his body and relaxed. Elizandra chuckled. She could smell the angst pulsing from his body.
"That'd be great, Matt. What do you have in mind?" She asks, to Matt's surprise.
He opens his mouth, "Uh — honestly. . .I didn't think I'd get this far."
"That's alright." Elizandra extended her arm to grab the keys from the table beside the door and walked out. "I'll drive!" She smirks.
"Okay." Matt says, bewildered, as she walks right past him towards her SUV sitting in the driveway. "Wait — where're we going?"