| meliorism |
chapter fifty four
❝ dangerous liaisons ❞
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To find beauty, you have to look in common places, in the places where you wouldn't stay for long or wouldn't think twice about. Sometimes, to find beauty, was to find yourself. Even if the world was crumbling down right at your feet, there would always be something the war couldn't kill, the beauty your eyes could see.
It was a cloudy day, the breeze was cold, the sun was hiding, it felt heavy all around; but she thought it was a nice day.
Rhena had decided to stay in the garden, just sitting down watching the flowers as a newspaper was laid in front of her. She was still not working nor going to school, but she needed to do something. Cade and Damon had been giving her money for food and to pay the necessary bills, but she felt useless. That's why she was looking for something to do in town in the newspaper.
With pen in hand, she let her eyes wander off the paper for a few seconds, taking a deep breath. She had spent most of the night reading the rest of her aunt's journals, trying to find the meaning of the drawings and writing down all the foreign words in order to find a connection. But she couldn't just let her stuff lay around unprotected, so she had dispersed all the stuff throughout the house.
It wasn't until she realized that she had been zoning out for some time that she blinked a couple of times, rubbing her eyes. She let out a sigh as she dropped the pen into the newspaper and laid down in the grass, looking up at the gray sky. She tilted her head, hoping for a storm to come and wash her away.
"Is this your idea of fun?"
Rhena smiled lightly, still looking up at the sky "it gets better if you let the sounds take you away"
He chuckled "I will have to try that someday"
With a last look at the clouds, she sat up, wiping away her hair out of her face. She smiled at him, and when he extended his hand towards her, she took it, steading herself.
"Hello, Rhena" Elijah smiled, she nodded at him "I came to see how you were doing"
"I'm fine" she sighed, not wanting him to worry. She saw him carrying a bag, it looked heavy, seeing the straight lines poking out of it "thanks for asking"
"See, I don't truly believe you" he motioned her to walk with him, and she did it without opposition. They sat down in the old couch they had, he set the bag on the floor, looking up to see her "You know, Rhena, it's okay not be okay all the time"
"I want to" she mumbled, pursing her lips "I try to"
"Your trying, that's what matters" he put his hand on hers, giving her a smile "but I didn't came to make you sad, I came to fulfill my promise"
Rhena furrowed her eyebrows, not knowing what he was referring to. Elijah picked up the bag and set it in front of her, motioning with his head to open it. She looked between him and the bag before taking it. Her mouth partially opened at seeing the contents of it, and Elijah's only response was a smile.
"What is this?" she whispered, looking up to see him.
"A little gift" he reached into the bag, taking out one of the books and putting it in her lap, the bag was full of them, all sizes and textures "you told me you finished the old ones I gave you, so I figured you needed some distraction" her face soften "and because I know you might not be ready to talk about it, I also got you this" he got one in specific, it was black with vertical red line in the middle. A journal.
Rhena's eyes laid on the book, oh, the irony, she thought.
"Thank you, Elijah" she smiled, a wave of emotion overcame her, because she hadn't done what she loved to do in so long; reading, laughing, going to her nursing classes. It was just lovely that someone did that for her.
"I brought about different topics, you have to keep your mind open and reach out some new things" he put the books back in the bag, and she nodded "now, what did I miss?"
A sigh escaped her lips, smiling sadly at him. The fact that Elijah had never treated her any different had always made her feel good, he didn't judge her actions. He had always been there for her if she needed advice, he was a mentor, in many ways, a fatherly figure.
"I'm going insane" she whispered, not even bothering to think how it sounded.
"Why do you say that?" Elijah frowned, concerned.
"I'm supposed to know who I am, I-I mean, I remember what I am, what I can do, and everything but I just...I'm not me" she looked down, furrowing her eyebrows, not even understating her own feelings "it's like I'm watching my body from above, time passes and I don't even noticed because I'm zoned out"
"Since when are you feeling like this?"
She thought about it. That was the worst part, she didn't remember how it started "since I can feel"
Elijah sighed "that's your curse, little one, you feel too much and see too much to ignore it" she looked up to him "but it's also your blessing, because those feelings and those powerful abilities of yours can get you places, farther and better than you could ever imagine"
"You think so?" she raised her eyebrows lightly as he took her hand.
"I know you will" he nodded "one day, you'll look back and learn much from those feelings, they'll help you into a better place and that way, you'll guide others into a good path"
The two stayed quiet for a little bit, Elijah still taking her hand to help her out the nerves. A touch always calmed her down, even though it should've been the opposite.
"I'm losing my mind" she chuckled, shaking her head "but I will have it back soon, I know"
Elijah tilted his head, smiling "How are you going to do that?"
Rhena smiled back, but didn't answer his question. Instead, she looked down at the bag, where a white envelope stood out from the rest of the books. She took it out, showing it to him, maybe he had misplaced it.
"Ah, yes, I almost forgot" Elijah chuckled, taking his hand away from her. He signaled her to open it and she carefully did it, it looked too fancy to be ripped apart.
Rhena read what it was written with furrowed eyebrows. They were inviting her to a ball, their family ball. She turned the invitation around and saw something written in black bold ink.
To our special guest, we look forward to seeing you and accompanying us this special night.
- E. N. R. K.
Her eyebrow rose, looking up at Elijah. He nodded his head, already knowing what she was thinking.
"You're our special guest, so arrive early, missy" he smiled, causing her to chuckle.
She shook her head, sighing lightly "I don't know, 'Lijah, I haven't been to a dance in some time and I—"
"You don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want to, but it would mean a lot if you're there" he stood up, she immediately did the same, putting the books in her hand down "we also want you to meet our mother"
"Mother?" she questioned, furrowing her eyebrows. There was something off, something wrong, because her necklace began to burn against her skin lightly "but I thought—"
"She's back and wants us to be all together again, that's why we want you to meet her, because I consider you like family" he confessed, making her smile tightly "I hope to see you there, Rhena, contact me if you need anything"
Rhena nodded "thank you"
The two walked around the front of the house silently, the invitation still in hand. He turned to her, giving her a kiss on the temple before speeding away, leaving her to read the invitation once again.
She turned to walk back into the house, but then she saw a light purple present bag in her doorstep. It was not there before, she would have seen it. She looked around, trying to figure out if someone was near her.
Slowly, she began to approach it, wary of it. It would have been anything, there were people out to get here after all.
With a last look around, she crouched in front of the bag, looking into it. Her hand immediately found some type of fabric, so naturally, she took more of it, only to find a burgundy dress.
Her mouth opened, watching in awe the design. It had thin straps, the top was heart shaped, where fine design was carefully covering the top and the fall out. It had a double layer, with the first one being just the flowery design. She let out a surprised breath, she had never seen such a pretty dress, or worn something like it. At the bottom of the box, there was a smaller horizontal box, containing some beautiful earring.
Inside the bag, there were two notes. She eagerly took it, thinking perhaps Elijah had given it to her as another surprise. However, she raised her eyebrows, taken back. Rhena sat back on the concrete, shaking her head with a smile on her face.
Dear Rhena,
I hope the dress is of your liking, I choose it just for you. I recall you telling me you haven't attended a dance in quite some time, so I figured you needed something new and suitable for you. I hope to see you tonight.
- Rebekah M.
She passed into the next note, still with a smile on her face. Her cheeks blushing a little, not knowing what she did to deserve such gifts.
Dear Rhena,
I hope you like your gift and you wear it tonight. It would be an honor if you come, and demonstrate your beauty to everyone around. Save me a dance.
- your dear friend, Nik.
Rhena chuckled looking between the notes and the gifts. The ball was that night, what terrified her the most was the people, their stares, their hush voices, their actions. But they were waiting for her.
She needed to take her life back on course at some point, someway, somehow. Even though she had taken little steps before, perhaps it wouldn't be so harmful if she started now.
With a last sigh, she took the bag and walked around the house, going back to where she was. She picked up the newspaper and the bag of books and headed inside, where she happily made her way upstairs.
Leaving the bag on the bed, she began to make her way to the shower. She was going to get ready to go to the ball, she was going to do it alone, the old memories haunting her like a shadow.
But at least this time, they didn't feel so dark.
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Upon entering the mansion, she was in awe. If she thought it was beautiful before, now it had doubled. She smiled lightly, watching all the light and decorations, she couldn't imagine living in a home like that.
Even though she was tense and felt awkward, she still walked inside the room. She ignored stares and wrapped her hand around the glass of champagne that one of the waiters had given her when entering.
At first, she couldn't find any familiar face. It seemed like the whole town had come out to greet and embrace the new rich family, perhaps trying to form a connection in order to have status, a word she hated. In her eyes, it was all an illusion, one they were all part of.
Rhena's eyes examined the immediate crowd as far as her eyes could see. She caught the eyes of her uncle, who was surprised to see her at first, she could see that he was debating whether to continue talking to Elena and Stefan or go to her and ask why she was there. In the end, he fulfilled his promise. Damon raised his glass towards her, mouthing a compliment her way. She smiled, thanking him.
Her eyes moved away from the trio, taking a deep breath. She looked down at the burgundy dress, long but not to the point where she could trip over herself. She had her old low heels, wearing the long crystalline earring Nik gave her. She had half of her hair up, adoring the ponytail with a soft look with curls.
But no matter how good it all seemed, she didn't put her guard down. Maybe it was the paranoia, but she just couldn't feel safe anywhere. It was a constant battle that would forever be there, keeping her in her toes, being ready for everything.
That's why when she felt a pair of eyes on her, she tried to dissimulate, but was very aware. She took some of the champagne, letting her gaze travel around to find the source. But just as she was about to start walking, someone stood in front of her, causing her to stop.
In front of her stood one of the Mikaelson siblings, looking at her with a smirk in his face. She raised her eyebrows lightly, not expecting him or anyone else for that matter to approach her.
"I believe we haven't met properly" he bowed slightly, extending his hand towards her "Kol Mikaelson"
She looked between him and his hand, then she remembered she was there to be a little more open and get her life on track. So she smiled lightly and took his hand, thinking he was going to shake it, but instead, he kissed it gently, smiling up at her.
"Rhena Bekker" she was a little taken back, it wasn't usual for anyone to act with that kind of chivalry "nice to meet you"
"Pleasure to meet you" Kol let go of her hand before looking into her eyes, tilting his head "You were there the day we were awoken, correct?" she nodded "my brother refused to tell me anything about you besides your name, so, why don't we—"
"Oh, piss off, Kol"
A wave of blonde hair stood next to Rhena, interlacing their arms together. Rebekah smiled at her, her mouth opened in awe at seeing her wearing the dress.
"It fits perfectly!" Rebekah exclaimed, causing her to chuckle.
Rhena nodded "it does" she smiled "thank you, Rebekah, it's very beautiful, you didn't have to"
"Nonsense" Bekah shook her head "I love it, I'm glad you wore it"
"We were in the middle of a conversation, Rebekah" Kol turned to his sister, causing the blonde to raise her eyebrow.
"Were, Kol, now it's our conversation" she smiled sarcastically at him, and he narrowed his eyes at her.
Rhena looked between the two, wondering if she should run or do something to prevent an argument. It wouldn't be the first time to break off a fight between siblings, if she was being honest.
"It all looks wonderful" Rhena's voice interrupted whatever was on both of their minds, and they turned to her "thank you for the invite"
"Thank you for coming" Kol smirked, causing Rebekah to roll her eyes while she smiled lightly.
"Come along, Rebekah, Kol, it's time of tradition"
They turned behind her, where Elijah stood. He was wearing his usual suit, but somehow he looked more elegant than before. He looked over at his younger siblings before looking at Rhena.
"You look astonishing" he complimented, causing her to smile.
"Thank you, Elijah" she nodded at him, just as he signaled the other two to come with him.
"If you'll excuse us" he gave her one last smile before walking towards the center of the room.
Rhena finished her drink and a waiter took it away. She walked towards the main area near the staircase, where she was greeted by people. And right in the stairs, the Mikaelson siblings. Her eyes watched every single one of them, when a woman began to descend, causing her alarms to go off.
"Uh, if everyone could gather, please" Elijah began to talk, she approached, causing her to be in a direct line from them, she could feel their stares "welcome, thank you for joining us, you know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to come and stay evening with the dance"
Rhena's eyebrow rose, looking up to catch the eyes of Esther, the two stared at each other for a few seconds before the mother smiled, but she didn't return it, causing her smile to drop and continue to search the crowd.
"Tonight's pick is a centuries old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourself a partner, please join us in the ballroom" Elijah motioned all of them to walk that way.
Rhena chuckled, she was not going to dance, even if the roof fell on her head, she was not—
"May I have this dance?"
Her head turned quickly, only to discover the youngest Salvatore looking down at her. Her eyes widened at little, which only caused Stefan to chuckle.
"I'm not a good dancer" Rhena shrugged, but Stefan didn't give in.
"I am, you just have to follow" he took her hand and guided her to the ballroom. At least she was glad he didn't grab her wrist.
Rhena and Stefan stood at the line, arms around each other and following the music. She caught the eyes of some people, but she quickly looked away. She didn't need any drama, not right now.
"You look tense" Stefan muttered once they began to dance. She pursed her lips, following his lead with the few things she remembered from her dance class.
"Well, I can't exactly relax when I have a bounty on my head, can I?" Rhena raised her eyebrows, and he nodded in agreement.
"You're a big girl, I'm pretty sure you can pulverize anyone that threatens you" he made her spin and took her hand again "that's your power, right?"
"Right" she nodded, narrowing his eyes at him "well, good thing you will never find out" he furrowed his eyebrows, while she tilted her head "unless..."
They had to change partners, and she shook her head, she had left him with the wondering sentence. She arrived at the arms of another man, and she sighed a slowly.
"Hello, love" Klaus smiled, holding her tight.
"Hello, Nik" she nodded at him, smiling lightly.
"You look beautiful tonight" he looked at her, seeing the earring he gifted her.
"So do you" she complimented, causing him to chuckle and look down before meeting her eyes again. He looked around for a little bit, when he found someone, but he quickly looked away, not wanting to raise suspicions, but she knew, she would always know "are my eyes deceiving me, or Nik has a crush?"
Klaus' eyes widened and he turned to her "have you gone mad?"
Rhena chuckled "liking someone is not a crime, Nik" she shook her head lightly "but I won't press the matter if you're not ready"
"I'm ready for everything" Klaus defended, she raised her eyebrows.
"Even for love?"
He had to make her spin and change partners, but he had a deep look in his eyes. She didn't turn around to look who he was staring at, if he wanted to confide in her, that would be his choice.
The moment she landed on the other person's arms, she recognized him. He always wore the same cologne, the one she had gifted him a couple of years back. She heard his laugh, so she decided to look up, raising her eyebrows.
"Those dance classes really didn't pay off, did they?" he tilted his head. She opened her mouth, acting offended.
"Says the one that taught me first" she tilted her head as well, and he rolled his eyes, but had a smile on his face.
Damon made her spin and she faced the opposite direction, where she caught the eyes of Kol. He sent a smirk her way but Damon made her turn around, but didn't say anything.
"You look nice" he grinned, moving away a strand of hair "You should have told me you were coming, I would've picked you up"
She smiled "sorry, I didn't think you would come" she shrugged "but we can leave together, if you want"
"Tell me when and I'm out the door right behind you" he kissed her cheek before letting her go onto her next partner.
When she was passed onto her fourth partner again, she couldn't help but feel that it was set up. Kol smiled at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him.
"I thought you were across the room" she raised her eyebrows, but he only looked at her innocently.
"I was right next to you" he acted taken back, but she knew he wasn't.
"Must have been my imagination, then" she shrugged and he nodded in agreement. She shook her head, he was just like his brother.
"What are you?" he questioned out of nowhere. She looked up at him, pursing her lips.
Although it was time to switch partners for the last time, Kol didn't let her go. The next guy had to walk around them to take the free girl, glancing at them.
"I'm pretty sure we had to switch" she raised her eyebrows, unimpressed.
"You didn't answer my question" Kol presser again, she sighed.
She knew the song was about to end, as she wanted to enjoy the night a little more before going home. However, she also knew he was not going to let it go easily.
Rhena made sure no one was looking when she took his hand, squeezing it a little before letting some of her fire burn him. Kol's face changed from satisfaction to pain really quick. He looked at her before looking at her hand, taking it to observe a little closer. But just as he was about to examine it more, the music stopped and she took a step away from him. She bowed like the rest of the people, needing the dance. But when she looked up, she flashed her glowing eyes at him before returning to their normal stage.
Without any further exchange, she nodded at him and began to walk away. She knew he was not the only one watching her; she was going to get scolded for doing that, but she got lost in the crowd before anyone tried anything. Disappearing would always be her specialty.
"I'm a little creeped out, are you not?"
Rhena shrugged lightly "I've seen weirder"
"That shouldn't be an answer, Rhen" Caroline raised her eyebrow, but she only took another sip of her glass.
"I'm just saying, if this guy that likes your friend is trying to make conversation to bring up her interests, he might really be trying" she put her hand up in defense "is she's not uncomfortable with him, maybe she feels something for him but it's just scared of reaction, maybe her own"
Caroline pursed her lips, looking into her own glass. After having a conversation with Klaus, she had to go and talk to someone about it, someone who wouldn't press or go tell anyone else. Care started telling her about the situation, but instead of telling her it was about Klaus and herself, she invented an imaginary friend.
"he has done bad things" Caroline looked at her briefly before looking around "and she can't be attracted to him, it would feel like a betrayal to so many people"
"Everyone has done bad things" Rhena turned to her, further eyebrows "but I think some people are meant to be, and if they truly like each other, maybe they can make it work" Caroline looked at her, causing her to shake her head "or maybe it's a mistake, I don't know, feelings are complicated" she looked away, but then she frowned, realizing something "wait a minute—"
"Is that a new dress?" Caroline asked, looking at her up and down.
Rhena let out a small breath "yeah, Rebekah gave it to me"
Caroline's eyebrows rose "what?"
"What?" she frowned, seeing how her mouth opened in surprise.
"First she tries to get Tyler, then Matt and now you?" Caroline shook her head angry "she's trying to get my best friend right in front of my—"
"Caroline!" Rhena took her shoulders and she stopped talking "Rebekah is not trying to get me away from you, she was being nice and got me a dress because I didn't have anything new to wear" she tilted her head "besides, I can be friends with you both, there's nothing wrong with that"
"It's just...I don't want her to take you away from me" Caroline muttered, but she simply shook her head.
"Come on, Care, the only person who can drive me away from you, it's you" Rhena let her go and leaned against the walk "she's not bad, you know, she may look like it, but you need to give her a chance first, have you consider that?"
Caroline didn't respond, but leaned against the wall as well. Her mind was occupied between what was happening with Klaus, her dad, where was Tyler, Bonnie's state and what was happening to Rhena. She was so focused that she didn't see Rhena's body jerked up, only her hand went up to her neck.
"What's wrong?" she asked, standing straight to see her.
Rhena furrowed her eyebrows "nothing" she lied, shaking her head. She didn't want to tell her about the sharp pain that spread in her body, like a bone snapping "I'm going to the bathroom, okay?"
"I'm—" Caroline was about to offer going with her, but then she saw Klaus in the other room and lost her chance. When she turned to Rhena again, she was gone.
Of course something must have happened, the town was cursed. By judging the level of pain, someone must have gotten their neck snapped. As she walked around the mansions she whispered the words, trying to find who was the one that got hurt. When Damon's face appeared in her head, she wasn't surprised.
Rhena would simply look for him and get him home, that would be the best thing in order to avoid any further confrontation. She made sure he was not in any of the rooms in the first floor before going upstairs. Instead of just bargaining into each room, she called his phone, trying to find the sound so she could follow it and get to him sooner.
However, just as she was about to go to the other side of the many rooms, a door opening made her stop. She didn't want to look suspicious or be accused of something she wasn't, so she hid in the corner, where there wasn't a direct line in the way of the door.
For her surprise, Elena came out of the room. She looked a little confused, but determined, at the same time. She analyzed her for a couple of seconds until the Gilbert girl walked downstairs, leaving her in the shadows.
Rhena waited a couple of seconds before coming out of hiding. She wondered why Elena was there, and why neither of the Salvatore were with her, like they always were. She shook her head and was about to go down as well when the door opened again, and then Esther came out.
The witch looked surprised to see her there, but she smiled nonetheless. The moment their eyes connected, little whispers murmured blurred lines in her ears, repeating and chanting something. Her necklace, along with Rhys' began to burn lightly against her chest. A warning. The woman had bad intentions.
"Hello, Rhena" Esther looked pleased the moment she came out of the room, and she couldn't help but think she was planning something. She didn't buy her act.
Rhena didn't return the smile, just looked at her. That erased any trace of a smile that was in her face, because she knew Rhena could see her. After all, the witches on the other side didn't whisper her name for nothing.
The Bekker girl looked away and was about to go down to the first floor as she originally planned, but a chuckled stopped her. She turned to the woman, her eyebrow raised.
"Leaving so soon?" Esther asked, tilting her head.
Rhena turned to see her, shrugging "there's nothing to do here"
"It's a pleasure to meet the future of your kind, my child" Esther ignored what she previously said and started walking towards her.
Rhena smiled quickly "Nice to meet you too, if you'll excuse me—"
"I was wondering if you would like to have tea with me" Esther pressed, about to get to get too close for her liking, but Rhena raised her hand lightly, causing her to stop, she looked at her hand before looking up at her eyes "I am not here to harm you, child"
"No offense, but I prefer if you would leave me alone" Rhena took a step away, the voices increasing while a buzzing sound began to travel around her ear. She moved her head uncomfortably, not liking the way the witch made her feel.
"I would just like to talk, there's so much you have to learn" Esther smiled, she looked down at the stairs, where she was about to do the toast "I knew people like you, some of them helped my family when they were created"
"I'm glad to hear that" she said dryly, causing the witch to clench her jaw.
"You know, child, I'm not here to—"
"Don't call me child" she furrowed her eyebrows, the voices increased, whispering to get out of there, other whispered to get rid of her "I'm not your child" she looked at her before taking a step back "if you'll excuse me"
Rhena turned around, going into a new hallway to get the hell away from her. Due to her actions, she didn't see Esther raise her hand, whispering something. The witch was casting a spell on her, trying to get her to sleep or to try and enter her mind to get her help.
However, the moment she finished chanting, the results she hoped for were not there. A red faded wall appeared behind Rhena, making the spell bounce away. She stopped in her tracks, noticing her necklace turning black. Then, when Rhys' necklace turned a darker blue, she knew they were doing something.
Rhena turned her head back, staring at Esther. She saw her put her hand down, that's when she realized the witch tried to send a spell at her. She growled lowly. It wasn't the first time someone tried it, but that would be the last time someone succeeded.
She was not theirs to play with anymore.
Instead of retaliating, she turned back around and walked away. She wouldn't go that low on her level, to shoot a spell at someone's back was something she would never do. Unlike some people, she had honor.
Rhena walked away, trying not to lose her cool. The voices had gone away, but not the bad feeling in the pit of her mind.
She was about to continue her search of Damon, when she saw him going down the stairs, angrily. She heard Esther's voice, doing a toast. Even though she didn't have a legitimate reason not to trust her, she felt it was all a cover up. It was like having a second Morgana show up in her life.
With a quick pace, she descended the stairs. She shook her head when a waiter tried to give her some champagne, she tried to go through the people, but everyone was too focused on Esther to notice her. And right as she finished her last words, they all raised the glass up high and proceeded to take a sip from the champagne.
The conversation slowly started again and she stood on her tiptoes to look for someone. She tried to find Damon, or Elijah or Klaus, the unsettling feeling was becoming more and more evident every second it passed.
In the end, she found all of them, but they were all too close to Esther for her to do something; except Elijah, who was talking to Elena. She contained her anger and took a deep breath before walking towards them, acting as natural as possible.
Rhena approached the two, the first one to see her was Elena, who was surprised to see her come to them. But she only sent her a look before jogging to Elijah, wrapping her arms around him. He seemed surprised for her actions, but returned the hug anyway.
She turned her head so Elena or anyone else wouldn't see, her eyes looked around quickly before looking down "don't trust her" she whispered, barely audible, only for him to hear.
Elijah tensed, but didn't ask any questions. He trusted her. Slowly, the two separated. She looked up at him, sending a message with her eyes while she smiled to keep up the act.
"Thank you for the invite, Elijah" she nodded at him, trying not to look at anyone to give away any clue.
Elijah took her hand, giving it a gently kiss "thank you for coming, Rhena"
Rhena smiled, she looked briefly at Elena before letting go of Elijah's hand. She just needed to get Damon and get the hell out of there.
If she wasn't paranoid before, now it had doubled. Her throat has started to itch, like something acid had gone down and she was experiencing the aftermath of it.
Rhena cleared her throat, looking down as she walked quickly to the entrance of the mansion. She tried to dissimulate, not wanting to be the center of concern of anyone, it was already bad enough that they had seen her act as a fool throughout the night.
As she got close to the doors, Damon stopped in her way. He was about to say something to her when he was her face; he knew something was up. He approached in a quick pace towards her, holding her shoulders as he inspected her face for any visible signs of distress.
"What's wrong?" he questioned, frowning as his eyes widened. She could see that he was visibly upset too, which made it worse for her.
Rhena shook her head "I don't know, but it hurts"
"Where?" he asked, and she held her throat, massaging it gently. It had happened out of nowhere, one second she was just looking for the exit and then the pain appeared, but no matter how much she whispered and tried to look, she couldn't see who was hurt, so her conclusion was that she had caught a cold or something similar.
Damon sighed "what for me outside, we're getting the hell out of here" he squeezed her shoulders before going up the stairs.
Rhena was visibly confused, wondering why he was going there, but did what he asked. She exited the house, tightening her coat around her body. The air was cold, but she enjoyed it, one of the maybe perks of living in fire.
She walked to the front of the house, thinking maybe he forgot something and was going to retrieve it before going home. She let out a sigh and looked around, her eyes settling in the woods. They were dark, the shapes consuming all the light that could enter, only the moonlight was allowed. Although she had been in the darkness between the trees, she couldn't help but wonder what else could there be.
Her mind was so focused in the depths of it that she didn't see the struggle up in the balcony. It wasn't until a loud noise caught her attention, making her flinch. Instantly, she recognized Kol's face. Then, to her horror, Damon jumped out of the balcony and landed near Kol's body. They were fighting.
"Damon!" She began to jog towards them, but her uncle quickly snapped his neck and she stopped, staring at him.
The door to the mansion opened again and Stefan came out, shouting his brother's name. Her eyes landed on Kol, she hated seeing people unconscious, but she knew he could be fine.
"Are you crazy?" Stefan's voice brought her to reality, causing her to look up.
When she did, the Mikaelson siblings along with Elena were standing there, looking at Damon and her.
"Maybe a little" Damon muttered, looking at the group as well "far be it from me to cause a problem" he looked at Elena, and she sighed, knowing she was the cause of him acting that way.
Damon turned around while Rhena stared angrily at Elena. She knew the girl had said something to make him emotionally upset, causing her to be upset. But just as she took a step forward, Damon's voice stopped her.
"Rhena" he called, causing her to stop. She turned to see him and he sent her a look. Rhena raised her hands in defense and took a couple of steps backwards.
Rhena looked at them all for one last time before turning back and following Damon, feeling the intense stares behind her back.
Once she caught up to him, the two didn't talk. However, she took his hand and gave it a squeeze. She knew that he didn't want to talk about it, but at least he would know that she was there whenever.
"Don't date, Rheny" he muttered silently, she smiled lightly "you're too young, live first"
"Don't worry, D, I'm not" she looked ahead, letting the moonlight guide them.
She had been broken hearted too many times by different means that she just wanted to do one thing. Live.
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