⁀ ˳ ⊹53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyYZPiNY8t
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( gossip of the lamp )53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14ZoK24R7L
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. . . SHINING RAYS set on the blanket of trees covering the forest floor as the young girl makes her way through, struggling to carry the large case. Alongside her is the unsure vampire, Caroline, accompanying her to the tomb.
"Tell everyone I wasn't feeling well and I went home from school," Elena instructs as they near the aging structure.
"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this," Caroline huffs as her blonde strands flow behind her. "I'm a terrible liar!"
Elena waves off her concern, "And keep Stefan busy. I don't want him to know what I'm up to."
"I'm even worse at duplicity and you know this!" Caroline's eyes widen as she continues to try to get her point across.
"You managed to keep me occupied when Katherine paid Stefan a visit," Elena casually throws the past situation in Caroline's face.
"Yeah, because she threatened me. Not that I'm saying that you should use that as a tactic," she quickly makes her point with a hurried tone. "It's... Stefan's gonna see right through me," Caroline whines as Elena finally gives her focus.
"Caroline, as my friend, do you promise or not?" Elena gazes toward her with raised eyebrows.
An unsure sigh leaves Caroline as she pouts, "You had to break out the girlfriend code. Okay. I promise."
"Okay," Elena quickly grabs the heavy bag before entering to the tomb with Caroline hot on her tail.
The blonde's eyebrows droop as she begins to speak, "Why don't you want Stefan to know?"
"Because he would never be okay with me doing this." Her tone falls flat as if she's stating the obvious before carrying on with her descent below the scarce church ruins. Elena's eyes dart cautiously at the stone walls as Caroline follows suit.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" The blonde confirms with the stubborn girl.
Elena turns to face her with a pointed look. "Yes, I'm sure. She's the only one who knows the truth about Klaus. The only one who can tell me how to stop him."
"But," Caroline fumbles over her words, "You're asking for the truth from someone who's probably never giving it. Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah. I can't just sit back and wait. I have to know, Caroline. Please."
The vampire deeply sighs as her attempts to stop the girl remain futile.
Her eyes begin to dart around before she resentfully shuffles forward. Her hands grip the stone door before lifting it out of the way, revealing the trail of darkness where the wanted woman resides. Elena steps forward gripping the large bag anxiously as she stares at the tomb looking for a certain figure, "Katherine?"
"I'll be okay from here," Elena tilts her head back to send Caroline on her way before creeping noise draws their attention back to the tomb. A familiar face staggers out from the shrouding darkness, her feet pitifully drag through the sand as her eyes find the two waiting for her arrival.
"Hello, Elena. You come to watch me wither away?" A sullen face greets the girl as her cracked lips move, "Goodbye, Caroline."
"As long as I stay on this side of the door, she can't hurt me. Please." Elena begs for the girl's departure. Caroline's face remains firm as she unwillingly leaves the two.
"Stefan know you're here?" Katherine immediately berates the girl as she leans herself on the nearest rocky surface.
Elena chooses to ignore her words, "I brought you some things."
A humorous look falls on Katherine's face, "You came to bribe me? What is it that you want?"
Elena tosses the large book over to Katherine's side as she reveals her motive, "I want you to tell me about Klaus."
"You've been busy," Katherine curiously hums.
Elena continues to unpack before showcasing another book, "I also brought you this, it's your family history. It says in here that the family line ended with you. Obviously, that's not true."
"You think that if you brought me some family keepsake that I'd open up?" Katherine remains unimpressed at her pathetic gesture.
"I also brought you this," Elena pulls out a bottle full to the brim with crimson blood. The famished vampire moves to snatch the blood and quench her thirst but the spell contains her.
"You don't look so good," Elena taunts the older woman. "How long before your body shuts down? 10, 20 years? It must be painful to desiccate and mummify. I can't even imagine."
Knowing she has been bested, Katherine pathetically slides to the floor admitting her defeat. Elena meets her there preparing a sip of blood for the hungry vampire before sliding it over with a wooden stick. Katherine's trembling hand grips the cup before scrutinizing the unfamiliar confidence that oozes from the young girl before her. "You have the Petrova fire." Katherine gulps down the blood feeling vitality rise through her.
"More blood?" Elena sarcastically questions the vampire whose only answer is a clenched jaw. Katherine slides the cup over the barrier for Elena to fill.
"It's a long story, Klaus and I," Katherine begins as she watches Elena fill the cup for her second helping. "It goes all the way back to England, 1492 after I left Bulgaria. Or was thrown out."
"Thrown out?" Elena's eyebrows furrow in curiosity.
Katherine's eyes become unreadable to the human as she explains heavily. "My family, your true ancestors, they disowned me. My indiscretions were not tolerated at that time. I had a baby out of wedlock. The shame."
"It was kept a secret?"
Katherine hmms as she guesses correctly, "My baby was given away. I was banished to England and I had to learn to adjust. So I quickly became English. It was there that I caught the eye of a nobleman named Klaus. I was taken with him at first, til I found out what he was and what he wanted from me. And then I ran like hell."
Growing tired of her stance, Elena stretches her legs. "So, what did Klaus want?"
Katherine rolls her head over to glance at Elena, "The same thing he'll want from you, he wants to break the curse."
"By sacrificing the Petrova doppelgänger," Elena's face pales as the horrifying reality dawns on her.
"He wanted to drain every single drop of blood from my body," Katherine speaks grimly as Elena crouches before sliding over a fresh pour of blood.
"What does the Petrova bloodline have to do with Klaus?" Elena brings up an unexplained point.
"It's really tedious, but," Katherine pauses sipping on the red liquid. "The curse was bound by the sacrifice of Petrova blood. Witches are crafty with their spells. The doppelgänger was created as a way to be able to undo the spell. Once the doppelgänger reappeared, the curse can be broken."
"So you ran before he killed you?" Elena concludes.
"Something like that," Katherine purses her lips watching as Elena hugs her legs to her chest. "As I'm running, I come across the cottage and I beg them to let me in. Rose finds out I'm in trouble with Klaus and wants no part in it. So, she locks me up and plans to give me up at nightfall."
"Rose never ended up taking you back to Klaus, did she?" Elena guesses based on current events.
"No," Katherine answers. "But not because she had a change of heart. She tried, yes, but I was relentless in freeing myself. She found the knife I had and took it from me. Then, force-fed me her blood to heal my wounds. But she got distracted, and because I was so desperate, I strung myself and let my body hang."
"You killed yourself?!" Elena finds herself distraught at the thought.
"Klaus needed a human doppelgänger," Katherine points out. "As a vampire, I was no longer any use to him."
"But it didn't work. You didn't really escape, you've been running from Klaus ever since," Elena, once again, finds herself confused.
"I underestimated his spirit for vengeance but living in a suitcase is better than dying so you can have your blood spilled over some silly little rock." Katherine pauses noticing the torn look overcoming Elena's face. "What's wrong? Afraid I'm right? You don't want to die? There's another way out," the vampire scratches her wrist offering the fresh blood to Elena.
"Better hurry. Your opportunity is going, going, going," Katherine loudly hounds Elena as her cut heals itself. "And gone. I made the other choice."
"Just tell the story," Elena mumbles directing her gaze to the grey wall.
"Fine," Katherine clears her throat. "I woke up, figuring they had cut me from the ceiling. Trevor was disappointed and Rose was annoyed, and yet I was hungry and ready to go. Rose tried to kill me that day. But I moved and she struck the old woman instead of me. And the chance to feed was right there and I left."
Elena scoffs, facing Katherine, "Rose and Trevor spent the last 500 years running because you used them. Trevor just got killed."
"I never thought he would last that long." Katherine quips directing her gaze at the cold floor.
"You don't even care that you ruined their lives," Elena tilts her head, eyes full with blatant judgment.
"I was looking out for myself, Elena. I will always look out for myself," Katherine firmly explains. "If you're smart, you'll do the same." Silence covers them both as Katherine skims through the heavy book as Elena ponders on her next move.
"So, how much of your little story is true?" Elena demands an answer as she gets back on her feet.
"I have no reason to lie, Elena. I have no reason to do anything but sit here and read and rot," Katherine taunts her as she turns back to face the young girl.
"Okay, assuming it's even partially true, that's the reason why you came back isn't it? Because you wanted to be the one to hand me over to Klaus."
"Five hundred years on the run, I figured maybe he'd be willing to strike a deal," Katherine shakily rises on her feet.
"So you got Mason Lockwood to find you the moonstone," Elena begins to assemble the pieces to the puzzle.
"Right again."
"What else do you need to break the curse?" Elena begs for the answer.
"Hmm, look who is getting smarter," Katherine sarcastically compliments the human.
"It's not just me or the stone, is it," Elena begins to pace as Katherine watches silently. "Otherwise there would be no reason to trigger Tyler Lockwood's werewolf curse."
"Witches and their spells: so many ingredients," Katherine fakes a deep sigh. "So many people to sacrifice."
"So you need a werewolf?"
"Believe it or not, they're hard to come by," Katherine shrugs her shoulders slightly.
"What else?" Elena urges her to continue.
"A witch to do the spell. Mine bailed but Bonnie will do just fine."
"What else?" Elena figures Katherine's holding back.
"A vampire."
"...Caroline," Elena mumbles as realization washes over her.
"It could have been anyone I suppose," Katherine locks eyes with the disgruntled Elena. "But I like the poetry of Caroline.
"However, you're missing one thing," Katherine reveals her last card.
"What is it?"
"I'll tell you, if you hand over the rest of the blood that is," Katherine offers her a deal.
"What? No! No, I'm doing that. Tell me first." Elena's face scrunches as she refuses her deal.
"I mean it's your loss, and again, I have nothing to gain from this besides watching you realize there's nothing you can do to stop Klaus. Come on Elena, what's one more cup of blood to you?" Katherine asserts herself. Elena's cogs turn as she realizes she stands to lose more than if she watched Katherine starve. In the end, she knows that every bit of information on Klaus counts.
Elena's eyes stun Katherine with a subtle hate as she throws the rest of the bottle toward her, "Now, talk."
"Good girl," Katherine evilly smiles as she tucks the plastic bottle away. "Now, as I've been on the run I've heard things. Rumors of a woman, who never leaves Klaus's side."
"And what about her?"
"They say she comes from a lamp, and Klaus carries her around to his bidding."
"A lamp? Like a genie?" Elena finds herself growing detached from the conversation believing the vampire was spewing nonsense.
"Don't like what you hear then leave." Katherine gives her a pointed look.
"Continue," Elena rolls her eyes as she closes her mouth.
"They say she's from an ancient coven, but that's beside the point. She's said to have unimaginable power, enough to tip the scales in his favor. But something happened and he lost the lamp. Now, I was going to find her but seeing as I can't now, you can."
"So, if I can find it, I might be able to stop him?" Elena's being quickly fills with hope.
"Perhaps, but be careful. If he finds out what you're doing before you get the lamp then, it'll be much worse for you."
"Wait, so you were gonna just hand us all over to be killed?"
"Better you die than I," Katherine gives a phony smile, before sauntering off into the tomb.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
