The Reckoning
It's senior prank night and I'm in a classroom together with Caroline, Elena, Tyler, and Bonnie. While we are scattering rat traps on the floor the door of the classroom suddenly opens making all the traps we already prepared snap shut. As we look over we see Matt standing at the door, surprised by what's happening.
"Oh, come on! Seriously?" Caroline exclaims jumping up from her spot on the floor, "do you know how long it took for us to set all this up?" "Forgot about Senior Prank Night, huh?" Tyler asks him. "Clearly," Matt responds. "How could you forget? We've only been waiting for this since freshmen year," Caroline argues back. "Yeah, Matt," Elena agrees, "if I'm doing this, you're doing this." "I'm kinda surprised any of you are doing this," Matt says.
"Caroline's making us," I tell him from beside Bonnie, making Tyler throw up his arms and Caroline starts her 'seniors speech' again.
"We're about to be seniors," she starts, "these are the memories that will stay with us forever, and if we don't-" Elena interrupts her and continues for her, "if we don't make these memories now, then what's the point of it all?" "Go ahead, make fun," Caroline says, "I don't care."
I smile at her as Tyler starts talking. "You're all lame," he says, "and I've got 10 more classrooms to prank." Tyler leaves the classroom with the bag he brought and Elena follows him out the door. "Hey. Where are you going?" Bonnie asks her. "To superglue Alaric's desk shut. I'm making memories," she answers sharing a smile with Caroline. "Wait up. I'll help," I tell her and go after her. "I love you," Caroline yells after us, and Elena and I link arms as we leave the room.
Outside the classroom, we see Tyler with three other guys. "Get the faculty toilet seats. And Dana needs bodies in the gym. Let's go," he tells the guys handing them some transparent foil as we walk by. Elena scoffs and I chuckle as we turn to walk around the corner and through the door to the next corridor.
As we turn right a man is standing in front of us and Elena gasps and stops walking. "There's my girl," he says. "Klaus," Elena breaths out and the man smirks as I gasp in shock. So this is Klaus?
Grabbing my hand, Elena turns to start running in the other direction but Klaus appears in front of us. "You are supposed to be dead," he says, "what are we gonna do about that?" He grabs her right upper arm and finally acknowledges my presents, "and who might you be?" "Leave her alone, Klaus" Elena tries to protect me, "she has nothing to do with any of this."
Klaus looks at her smirking, "that's not an answer to my question, love." He looks back down at me, "now, let me ask you again, sweetheart. Who are you?" I see his pupils dilate and I answer his question not a second later.
"My name is Annabelle Blackwood," I tell him, "but everyone calls me Anna." I blink a few times confused about why I just did that but then it hits me. He compelled me! I need to get vervain back in my system.
"Hm," he hums satisfied, and grabs me by my left upper arm starting to drag me with him alongside Elena. "Now, back to you," he looks at Elena, "you've put a rather large kink in my plans, sweetheart. The whole point of breaking the curse and becoming a hybrid was to make more hybrids. I haven't been able to do that. Now, my bet is it has something to do with the fact that you're still breathing!" Klaus rants as he drags us down different corridors around several corners.
"If you're gonna kill me, just do it," Elena tells him. "Elena," I warn her but both of them just ignore me. "Not until I know I'm right," Klaus says walking around another corner, "but I do have ways of making you suffer." After having said that he leans against the doors to the gym and opens them, pushing us inside as he follows.
Still holding onto our arms he speaks up to be heard by the other seniors in the gym, "attention, seniors. You have officially been busted. Prank Night is over. Head on home." The students stop filling cups with water and start heading for the doors on the other side of the gym, taking some boxes with leftover cups with them.
"You two," he stops a pair from leaving, "I remember you." "Sorry, who are you?" Dana asks him as Klaus lets go of our arms and Elena pulls me behind her. "Oh, don't worry I wasn't in my right head last time we met. Lift your foot up please, Dana." Doing as told she lifts her foot and Klaus looks over at her boyfriend. "If she drops her foot, Chad, I want you to beat her to death. Understood?"
"Don't, Klaus," Elena starts to argue looking back up at him, "you don't have to hurt anybody." "Oh, come on, love. Of course, I do," he tells her and shortly glances at me before turning back and smiling at Chad and Dana, while Elena has a look of terror on her face. I take Elena's hand behind her back in comfort for both of us as I keep staring at Klaus. Weirdly, I can't bring myself to look away.
As the minutes tick away Dana is getting more and more unstable on her leg. "Keep it up," Klaus tells her. "Where is Stefan? What'd you do to him?" Elena asks while I just keep quiet and watch everything unfold. "Stefan's on a time-out," Klaus tells her, his arms crossed over his chest as he's watching Dana.
All of a sudden the door behind us opens and I see Bonnie and Matt walk in. "Bonnie," I whisper as Elena turns around. "Bonnie, get out of here!" Elena yells to her and Bonnie comes to a halt.
In a blink of an eye, Klaus appears behind her. "I was wondering when you'd show up. Now we can get started." Klaus turns back to us, "uh, Dana, why don't you relax? You and Chad sit tight," he tells them and Dana sits down with Chad helping her.
"I assume you're the reason Elena's still walking around alive." "That's right," Bonnie confirms, "if you want to blame someone, blame me." "Ah, there's no need for blame, love. Just, your witchy interference seems to have caused some undesirable side effects. And since you caused the problem, I'm gonna have you find the fix."
Klaus finishes his sentence just as the door opens again revealing Tyler being dragged in by a beautiful blond girl by his shirt and Bonnie moves a bit closer to Elena and me.
"Ugh, get off me." "Hush now," she shushes him, coming to a stop right next to Klaus. "I'd like you all to meet my sister. Rebekah. A word of warning, she can be quite mean." Klaus introduces her as she smirked at us. "Don't be an arse," she responds in the same beautiful accent as her brother and pushes Tyler to Klaus.
"Leave him alone," Elena tries to interfere again but gets ignored. "I'm gonna make this very simple," he walks by us, moving a bit further to the middle of the gym so all of us can see him clearly as he's holding on to the back of Tyler's shirt with his right hand. "Every time I attempt to turn a werewolf into a vampire hybrid, they die during the transition. It's quite horrible, actually."
He lifts up his left arm and bites into his wrist and then feeds his blood to Tyler. Elena gasps in shock beside me as a small "no" leaves my lips.
"I need you to find a way to save my hybrids, Bonnie," he tells her. "And for Tyler's sake..." Klaus continues as a few more "no, no, no, no, no"'s leave my lips, "you better hurry." Klaus breaks Tyler's neck in an excessively big gesture and all of us gasp in horror while he only looks at us with a smirk plastered on his face.
I get away from Elena and walk to Tyler, sitting down beside him. We have become good friends over the last few months because he spends so much time with Caroline. Although I didn't expect it, we got along really well. Seeing him get killed right in front of me is something that will scar me forever. I feel a silent tear running down my right cheek as I take his hand in mine.
Matt kneels beside me, "he killed him." "He's not dead," I tell him and Elena continues for me, "Klaus' blood will turn him into a vampire." "And if Bonnie's successful he'll live through his transition," Klaus adds on, jumping down from the bleachers with Rebekah following him.
"Go on then. Go and fetch your grimoires and enchantments and whatnot," he tells Bonnie as he starts walking towards us. "I'll hold on to Elena for safekeeping," he adds grabbing onto her right arm again, holding her back.
As I get up from my position next to Tyler I look over to Bonnie and see her shaking her head at Elena while Elena nods in reassurance and nudges me to Bonnie, telling me to leave with her.
"You know what, on second thought," Klaus starts, "I think I'll hold on to Anna as well." Having said that I feel Rebekah grab onto my arm, pulling me away from Tyler, and standing me on Klaus' other side. Bonnie looks at me in fear but I only nod at her with a reassuring smile and she and Matt run out of the gym.
Rebekah moves away from me and walks over to Elena, "so this is the latest doppelgänger." She gives her a once-over looking back up, "the original one was much prettier."
"Enough, Rebekah," Klaus interjects before she does more than judge the doppelgänger, "take the wolf-boy elsewhere, will you?" Rebekah smiles at Elena falsely and walks over to Tyler. Gripping his hand, which I was holding earlier, she starts dragging him on the floor behind herself and walks out of the gym. "Just ignore her," Klaus tells Elena, "petty little thing," he continues before turning to me.
"You," he says pointing at me. I turn away from the door Rebekah just walked out of and look at him. "Come," is the only thing he says and walks over to the bleachers again after letting go of Elena, sitting down he motions for me to sit next to him and I do so.
Astonishingly I am not as afraid of him as I thought I would be from what my friends have told me about him. I find him more fascinating than scary.
"Tell me about yourself, love." I look up at him, feeling small because of the height difference. "What do you want to know?" I ask him and he smirks at me. "Anything important to you," he says and my eyes move to my hands, starting to pick at my fingers again.
"Well," I start, "I like to draw. Paint. I also write. Poetry and lyrics, stuff like that. I don't think I'm that good though," I shrug at that, my eyes moving back up to his face. He is smiling, genuinely smiling. Klaus has a beautiful smile.
"So, you're an artist," he states and I nod, "I guess you could say that." My voice is quiet but I'm sure he heard me anyway.
Suddenly the door to the gym clicks and I see Stefan walk in as I look over. Klaus's smile disappears like it was never there as he also looks over at Stefan. I can hear Elena breathe out his name and see him shortly glance at her.
"Klaus," he says.
"Come to save your damsel, mate?" Klaus asks in return still looking at him and I stay quiet, not wanting to get any more involved than I already am.
Stefan slowly walks in our direction, "I came to ask for your forgiveness and pledge my loyalty."
"Well, you broke that pledge once already," Klaus now turns away from Stefan, staring straight ahead.
"Elena means nothing to me anymore," Stefan defends, taking more steps towards us. "Whatever you ask of me I will do."
"Fair enough," Klaus's smirk returns and he gets up as I follow him with my eyes. As he starts walking toward Elena he says "let's drink on it. Kill them," he points at Dana and Chad, stops walking, and turns to Stefan. "What are you waiting for?" He asks. "Kill them."
"No. Stefan, don't." Elena interferes again and I roll my eyes. Like that's gonna stop Klaus. "He's not gonna hurt me. He already said-" but Elena doesn't get to finish what she was about to say as Klaus walks up to her and slaps her so hard over her face that she falls to the ground. As Elena screams out I can see Stefan rush over in vampire speed and tries to attack Klaus. Told ya! Stupid idea, Elena.
He fails miserably and ends up getting choked by Klaus, who holds his neck in a tight grip. "She means nothing to you? Your lies just keep piling up," Klaus states, obviously having had enough.
"Let her go," Stefan pleads, "I'll do whatever you want. You have my word."
"Your word doesn't mean much. I've lived by your word all summer during which time I never had to resort to this. Stop fighting," Klaus compels Stefan and I move forward in my seat as the situation gets more and more dramatic.
"Don't do this. Don't do this," Stefan begs him but Klaus isn't bothered by this.
"I don't want to," he tells him, "all I wanted was your allegiance. Now I'm gonna have to take it." As Stefan continues pleading, Klaus compels him, "you will do exactly as I say when I say it. You will not run. You will not hide. You will simply just obey."
As Klaus lets go of Stefan's neck Elena breaths out a little "no" and Stefan stumbles back a few steps. Staring up at Klaus wide-eyed, Stefan just stands there, unmoving.
"Stefan," Elena breaths out desperately, being completely ignored by the two men. "Now, kill them, Rippah," the Original demands, and Stefan's head slowly moves in Dana's and Chad's direction as his eyes go bloodshot red and the dark veins under his eyes start appearing.
Stefan speeds over to Dana first, sinking his fangs into her neck as Elena gasps loudly and Klaus smirks. I just sit on the bleachers, staring at them as everything happens and Stefan moves on to Chad. Weirdly, I still do not understand why I am not reacting the same as Elena but that I am taking this in way too well for my own good. Is this healthy? Is my brain not registering that all of this is happening right in front of me?
My confused thoughts are interrupted by Klaus's voice. "It's always nice to see a vampire in his true element," I look up once more to see him crouching down next to Elena who is sitting on the gym floor staring at the scene in front of her. "The species has become such a broody lot." "No. You did this to him," Elena says with venom in her voice as Stefan turns around revealing his face with blood smeared around his chin. I can't keep myself from letting out an annoyed groan at Elena, which Klaus notices as he glances up at me.
"I invited him to the party, love," Klaus argues back as Stefan wipes some of the blood away. "He is the one dancing on the table."
• to be continued •
Word count: 2657