Chapter 35

Oh, hell.

First Elizabeth. Now, Elena. What kind of game is Danae playing?

William paced the empty road impatiently, checking the black tar surface for any sign that Elena was here. He had checked the car. Nothing there. He had checked the road, the thick forest by the side of the road, the abandoned building surrounding them.

Not a clue.

Frustrated, he walked back to the car, his strides wider and angrier, and slid inside the driver's seat. Moment's ago, he had hung up on Stefan, something he probably should not have done considering Elena had been taken on his watch. How careless was he, that he couldn't even hear Elena being taken?

Something gold glinted from the corner of his eyes and he paused, his face in his hands. Through the spaces between his fingers he could see the shining golden object. Curious, he sat up straight. There, right on the floor of the car, at the passenger seat's side, he could see it, shimmering slightly.

A coin.

An odd thought struck him. What are the chances of him stepping on a weird coin outside after Elena disappeared and then finding one inside the car, near the place where Elena sat.

Slowly, keeping his eyes on his surrounding, he bent down and took the coin. It felt hot in his hand, like burning gold. This one was larger and thicker. Again, the faces of the coin was different from the regular ones. One side of the coin was engraved with a picture of a girl tied to a post. On the other side was an engraving of another girl, with a noose loosely tied around her neck.

Cold fear washed over him, real fear that scared him because before, he had never been scared of anything. Hard as it is to admit, he actually thought himself superior to others. Not Charlie, of course. But the others, the younger ones, the ones whose power couldn't beat his. Yes, he was, maybe just a bit, arrogant, and he had never let anything scare him. The only times when he had felt afraid, no, worried, was when Elizabeth had to meet the council, when he had to wait outside the closed doors to know what was going to happen to her.

Shaking his head as if throwing away his thoughts, he turned the engine on and pressed his foot hard on the accelerator, speeding away.

He didn't now where he was going, or what he was going to do. In fact, this was the first time he went ahead with something without planning carefully. That thought scared him too.


Elena woke up to the sound of something thudding.

Dazed, she slowly opened her eyes. Her head felt sore and something warm and sticky was trickling down her left cheek. She raised a finger and touched the spot. Ruby red blood coated her finger pads when she examined them.

The thudding sound grew closer. Panicking, she stood up and raised her hands in front of her. She could see nothing, not even her own hands. The darkness consumed everything and blindly, she moved around the room, feeling the walls curve as she moved. Odd. Was the whole room circular? Her hands touched something cold and metallic. A door. Her hands travelled further upwards and felt locks, huge iron locks that were obviously locked.

The thudding sound was right outside the door now. Quickly, she staggered backwards and tripped over something, making her fall. Her hands touched something, something furry and wet that wriggled several times before scurrying away. Disgust and horror filled her but she fought hard to keep her mouth shut.

' Still not awake, then?' a gruff voice said from behind the door.

' Nope. Not a sound,' another voice answered.

There was a short pause. Then, the gruff voiced man talked again. ' I can smell her blood. Just get this over with-'

' No. She wants her alive.'

Another pause. Then, the sound of heavy footsteps started again, this time it faded away. Exhaling with relief, Elena slowly backed up, away from the door, when again, she bumped into something. Something moist fell into her arm. Heart racing fast, she looked down and saw the outline of something small, wriggling on her arm. More dropped onto her arms, shoulders and neck. They wriggled down her back, touched her skin. This time, she couldn't stop herself from screaming.


William stared at the coin in his hands. There were two now. The first coin was more bronze than gold, and it felt colder than the larger golden one. The bronze coin had no pictures on its sides, just words, letters jumbled up. It was small, making the letters appear squeezed, like a single word.

One line, lots of letters, one word.

More lines, more letters, more words.

More words.. That would make it a...a poem of some sort.

He stared at it intently now. Yes. He can definitely read the letters better now.

There she sat, among the wreck,
behind doors that will never break,
neither at land, nor at sea,
she knows now that she can never be free


not part of the story obviously- sorry if its a bit short but, hey! we're back=)

Chapter 34

It hurt.


It hurts so much. Elizabeth tried to stand on her toes, tried to put her head above the water to get some air. Even a little would be fine because being underwater for such a long time definitely did not suit her. She yanked at the cords that bound her wrists and immediately, searing pain shot up her arms, throughout her body. 


Wooden cords. Of course. She could feel the splinters digging into her skin. 


So cold, too. 


She was shivering, trembling so violently that the water around her rippled with her every movement.


Wait.


Isn't she a vampire? Vampires can feel cold? Aren't vampires supposed to be invincible and all that? God, it's better if she died right now because between the wooden splinters pricking her skin and the ice cold water, dying seems like a pretty good thing now.


But vampires are immortal. That means she can't die. Which means this won't stop. 


Wow. Great.


Stupid-ass vampire thing.




It hurt.


It hurts so much.


It was as if William was the one suffocating, as if he was the one tied down with wooden cords, as if he was the one with wooden splinters scraping his skin. Hissing slightly, he clutched his head. He hadn't fed for days now and while this has never bothered him before, it did now. His throat felt tight and his jaw hurt. He groaned and lifted his head from his hands, to find Elena staring at him, her eyes wide.


A long silence followed.


' You creep me out sometimes,' she finally said.


' Thanks.'


' You're welcome.'


He bent down again and pressed the heel of his hands onto his forehead. His head felt like exploding.


' So, like, if you're thinking about drinking my blood, warn me first. Give me a few minutes to run,' Elena continued. She turned to him. ' You look like crap.'




' I feel like crap.'


Another long silence.


' So...know where Elizabeth is?'


William made an impatient gesture, as if to tell her to stop talking. ' I can't think right now. My head...feels like...ugh.'


' Yeah...I always feel like that every Sunday morning. Monday, too. Sometimes Thursdays.' Elena tapped her fingers on the dashboard of William's car. She tsked. ' I should probably stop doing that.'


' Where's your phone?' he suddenly asked her. 


' It's in my pocket. Why?' Slowly, she took it out.


' Give me that. I need to call your brother.' He grabbed it from her hands before he even finished talking, his fingers already flying across the keypads. Quickly, he raised it to his ear. ' Damn it! No signal.' He snapped it shut and opened the driver's door. At the very last minute, he turned around and fixed her with a long stare. ' Stay here.'


' Yeah. Sure. Whatever.' She leaned back and stared at the roof of the car. Then, she sat up and looked out the deserted road, expecting to see William deep in heated conversation with Stefan. 


But the road was empty. The deserted road was really deserted. 


She sat up straight now, her heart thumping steadily. Slowly, she stepped out of the car. ' Will?' Her boots made a loud crunching sound on the gravel. ' Will? Will, where are you?' Her voice quavered slightly at the end.
Something was wrong here. She could still hear the sound of her boots against the gravel, but there was another sound. A second sound. The sound of shoes against gravel. 


She whirled around. Something hard hit her temple.


Then everything went black.




' Where the hell are you, Salvatore?'


' I don't even know myself.'


' What? Do I have to save your ass again?'


There was a weak chuckle from the other end of the line. ' Someone got up on the wrong side of the coffin today.'


' Yes. And someone's gonna end up in a coffin if that someone doesn't tell me where he is.'


' Told you, man. I don't know.'


' Man? Man? You've resorted to using 'man'? Are you lost in Woodstock? Are you wearing tie-dyed shirts and flashing peace signs now?'


' Cranky.'


' Blood.'


' Ah, of course. You haven't fed yet.' There was a long pause. ' Let me talk to Elena.'


William turned around and stopped. The car was dark. And empty.


' Where is she?'


William was already striding towards the car and practically ripped the passenger's door open. ' Elena,' he yelled. ' Turning around, he started walking down the road. 'Elena!' 


From the phone, Stefan was also shouting. ' Where is she, William?!'


' I don't know okay? I don't know! She was in there while I was calling you and now, she's not! I told-' William stopped because he felt something under his feet. Something circular. Ignoring Stefan, he stepped back slightly and looked down. A coin. Confused, he picked it up and peered at it. It was an odd coin. Instead of having the usual 'Liberty. In God We Trust,' at the front, there was a bunch of jumbled up words. At the back, instead of having the usual,' USA. One dime,' there were more jumbled up words. 


' What the-'


' What? Did you find her? Can I talk to her?' Stefan's voice was just a buzz in his ear. 


' Hey. Did the president issue new coins?' he asked, staring at the coin.


' What the hell? No! Where is Elena? I need to talk to her!'


' Stefan.'


' What?'


' I think she's in trouble.'

Chapter 33: Drown

A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to publish Chapter 33. I had technical issues, but don't worry, it was just temporary. I've got everything fixed. Enjoy, dear loyal readers! =)

The moon was full and pale. It shimmered on the placid sea that the water itself seemed to be made of moonlight. It shone on the sand as well, turning its common dark-brown to softly-lit ivory. There was almost no sound, except for a soft wind in the trees on the hill above, and the gentle lapping of water on polished stone.

Danae padded quietly down the beach. She stopped by a large, smooth boulder, stood still for a minute, leaning against the rock, and pulling the salty air deep into her rather dead lungs.

She loved this. The dark. Somehow, she preferred a mixture of blood and chaos instead of the stillness. It was a chance to disconnect herself from the insanity of her many nights, from all the different masks she put on or pulled off, depending on what was required. It was a chance to get rid of all of the excess and simply… breathe. Exist.

She paused for a minute, letting the chilly water caress her feet, and then moved further in, immersing herself.

This was her favorite part of the whole ritual. When she stepped into the water, it felt as though the tired yet flawless, smooth skin she had worn that day was sloughed off, and a new one grown in its place. It was a kind of nightly baptism, which she had come not only to look forward to, but to depend on. She'd found that if she missed her swim, she’d felt… lonely.

She’d lay back in the water, breathing deeply and regularly, letting the waves rock her gently. The surf on this beach was, for the most part, negligible, and there wasn't much of an undertow. Besides, she'd been swimming here for years, and trusted the water, even thought of it as an old friend. A very old friend.

She gazed up at the moon and the stars, her only companions. They gazed back at her impassively. They didn't care what a horrifying beast she was. They wouldn't gripe at her about the blood she shed from innocents to traitors, they wouldn't try to stop her from engulfing the world in chaos. They would be content, as she was, simply to exist.

She turned herself upright in the water, took a deep breath, and dived.

She'd dived deep, and the water was black and cold, and colder the farther down she went. The pressure ached in her ears, still she stroked downwards, until she touched the sloping, sandy bottom. She stayed there for a minute, gathering herself, and then pushed up off the bottom with her feet, rising so quickly that the ache in her ears turned into a shocked sting.

She broke the surface, gasping, and positioned herself on her back again to catch her breath. As she lay, cradled by the waves, a creeping pool of melancholy spread outward from somewhere in her chest, like the cold, black water towards the bottom. Soon, she would have to leave this nightly haven that had become so important to her and missed it. Danae snorted slightly at this thought. The feel of water on her naked skin. The taste of salt in her mouth, the night breeze caressing her face with tiny fingers.

Those were the things she would miss a lot.

"I have this much," she whispered, referring to the wide sea. "I have this much. I'm foolish to want more." She laughed again, running her hands through her wet hair. "But I do. I need more. And what I need is my dear Elizabeth to be here with me."

--

It felt like drowning.

The last thing she remembered was being in her best friend’s bed, covered all around with warm, cozy blankets. The whispers of the waves in her dreams were almost real as they gently, lovingly caressed the creamy shore had enchanted the young girl, drew her in, until her whole world consisted of nothing but blue. Blue pressed down upon her, but with it she rose, was battered to and fro, and would have gladly met death had she been also cloaked in blue.

She managed to reminisce the best thing that ever happened to her. It was when William seeped gradually into her life, as innocuous as the tendrils of water that had once tickled her naked feet. At first he was like any other charming bachelors, smiling, polite, unique only by his taciturnity. Then things about him began to catch her eye, little things, like the slight twitching of an eyebrow that signified amusement and the deep, probing blue of his eyes.

Immersed deeply. Her limbs began to thrash wildly. Battling the powerful yet invisible pressure exerted on her. Entrapped in the vast expanse of clear azure water, it kept her prisoner. No way out. Her head broke through the surface. Gasped. Barely a breath. The sky gazed down coolly. A colossal comber swelled up and crashed down on her. Spat out fine white sea spray. Frantic flailing of her arms pointedly ignored by the sea.

She now realized that she wasn’t dreaming.

Churning current dragged her back down. Little waves of water whipped her cheeks as she disappeared beneath the surface. Vicious salinity of the ocean stung exhausted eyes. Angry streaks of hot, golden sun sliced and pierced through the water blinding her temporary. Dots of vivid crimson danced at the back of her lids. Struck by a sudden bout of frighteningly dizzying sensations which rocked her frail body. Dull pain seared through head and burned her lungs. She desperately needed air.

Pain erupted. Deafening screams silenced by the water. Icy liquid rapidly gushed into her open mouth, sweeping down her throat choking her. She struggled weakly. Battle lost. As she drifted into nothingness, she felt the life slowly seeping out of her body and into the ocean…barely protesting as she was towed down into murky darkness and then she heard a voice screaming her name, “Lizzie!”

But it was too late. The sea received her body, welcoming her arrival to the other world.

A series of cackles boomed across the sea, as if it has gained its chance to utilize its army to bring down the already disturbed world.

Chapter 32

The scene was all so normal.

The Town Square was busy. Women in brightly coloured dresses bustled about, chatting noisily, packages wrapped in brown paper tucked under their arms. A steady stream of people were exiting Madame Marie's, carrying large heavily padded boxes made of dark blue pinstriped silk for the men, pink tourmaline silk with patterns for the women.

Elizabeth stared at them longingly. The Season, the time of the year when extravagant dinner parties, balls and large charity events were held, was just in a few days. Usually, at this time, Elizabeth's closet would already be filled with new dresses, her shoes cleaned and polished and her jewelery laid out for her to choose which to wear. Her mother would already be busy sending out invites for their famous yearly Davenport dinner.

Suddenly she felt like she was being watched. Slowly, her gaze travelled downwards, and she found a small boy staring at her. His light blonde hair was swept to the side by the wind, almost poking his eyes, but he didn't seem to notice.

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that someone had finally found her. Tentatively, she smiled at the boy, but instead of smiling back at her, started walking backwards, his eyes wide. Then, he let out a bloodcurdling scream and ran into the very centre of the Town Square.

Elizabeth knew that it was time to run. Quickly, hiding her face under the wide hood of her cloak, fled the alley, taking the back passage through the woods. At a far distance, she heard the sound of approaching hooves, heading her direction. For the first time, she felt a little smug for being a vampire, because she knew she could outrun the horses at anytime, no matter how good the rider was.

To her left, separating the thinner forest from the thicker woods, was a stream of flowing river. The water was dark grey, and she could see her reflection clearly in the water. Finally, she understood what made the boy scream. Her eyes, usually a clear colour, alternating from emerald green to blue green, was completely dark. Even the whites of her eyes were black. Her hair, usually so sleek and smooth, was unruly and tangled, with bits of leaves caught in them.

A gasp escaped her mouth when her eyes glinted red for a while, followed by a flash of thirst in her throat.

Her thoughts flickered to Chantal. Chantal might help her. They were best friends, right? Why wouldn't she? And if she didn't want to help her, well..

Sighing, Elizabeth cupped her hands and scooped up some water from the river and drank it slowly, ignoring the queasy feeling in her stomach. Then, she wiped her hands dry on her cape and pulled the wide hood over her face again.



Chantal never thought that something like this could ever happen to her.

If someone had said that she would be bitten by a vampire and then recruited by the another vampire, who wanted her best friend dead, she would have laughed at that someone. After reporting them to the authorities, of course, since ideas about dark creatures were not....entertained.

Sighing, she undid the clasp of the pearl necklace around her neck and placed it gently in its blue velvet box. Then, with the same slow movement, she untied the rope of diamonds around her hair and placed it in another box. She could've asked her maid to help her, bu for some reason, she felt like being alone tonight.

Tiredly, she slipped on her white lace dressing gown and cinched it around the waist, when she heard a sudden loud clanging noise outside her balcony. A figure wearing a black cape that was far too large appeared outside.

Chantal froze, not knowing what to do.

' That's Elizabeth,' Danae hissed at her and Chantal started slightly. She can talk to me telepathically?

' Elizabeth?' Chantal called out hesitantly, walking towards the balcony. A long stretch of silence followed this.

' Can I come in? Please?' Elizabeth's voice sounded small.

' Of course,' Chantal instantly replied. She couldn't help but stare critically at the state of her hair and dress. ' You look....terrible.'

Elizabeth sighed loudly and settled herself on the bed, looking out of place. ' Can I please stay here for a while? Without your parents knowing?'

' Say yes,' Danae hissed again. ' Be nice to her.'

' Of course you can,' she said out loud, walking to her bedroom door and locking it. ' You're my best friend before and you're still my best friend now.'


SORRY KINDA SHORT.

Chapter 31: From Dream To Reality

A pale grey sky hung down above a small town that seemed to be situated out in the country away from any large city. The land's graceful hills lazily rose up around it, as the light snow lay upon the earth making the whole scene seemed extremely serene. Inside the small town there was no one outside of their homes, deciding to stay inside and drink warm hot cocoa instead of dealing with the cold outside. Most of the homes in the town were traditional German cottages with a strange quaintness that could make anyone feel at home.

Just outside of the town there was an old sign that leaned slightly to the left and read 'WELCOME TO QUEDLINBURG,' and across the road from it was a large graveyard that sat up and around on of the countryside's many slow-rising hills. Halfway up the graveyard's hill there stood a large gravestone with the figure of a lady on it and in front of the memorial, and on it read 'Danae Vaughan 1637-1789,' and below it: 'The Mother of Oleanders.'

Slowly walking up the hill towards the grave was Danae wearing her usual Tudor black dress underneath her black coat. She looked at the grave, slowly studying the ancient stone memorial taking in every detail of it, never saying a word. Her coat was covered with snow as was her golden hair as she continued to look upon it.

"Elizabeth, just you wait."

--

"Will, why are we going to Germany? And where's Stefan?" asked Elena curiously as she fastened her seat belt before the plane took off.

Will replied, "Elizabeth's actually in Germany. I just know."

"Okay, but what about Stefan?"

He gritted his teeth and replied, "I don't know. Ugh! Don't you ever stop asking questions? Just go to sleep or something!"

Elena scoffed in annoyance, knowing that she couldn't get him out of his sight no matter what happened.

--

Elizabeth dreamed about the battle again. This time, she was watching it up on the balcony at the massive battle that raged below.

On the hellish field, Charlie, Stefan and Will charged ahead blindly towards Danae's men, while the rest of the Their comrades fell back and assisted several pinned down forces. As the three vampires advanced toward them, the five companions of Danae moved towards them on a collision course.

Leading his three man crew through the melee that was war, Charlie started to sense several powerful vampires ahead of them, and closing quickly. Drawing his massive scythe from its holster on his back, he readied it and began to rush forward to his newly found enemies.

'Victory comes only to those who reach for it, not those who avoid it,' he thought to himself as his targets came into view, and his team caught up to him.

"Take everything and give them nothing!" he snarled to his team as they merged with the five vampires in a swirl of silver and blood.

In a flash Charlie's scythe ripped down into one of the vampires' shoulder, cutting deep into the monster's flesh, but not deep enough to sever the limb. With a ear-piercing scream, the monster ripped its arm back and quickly fell away from Charlie, as did the other vampires.

"Hold on! You, Charlie! You may pass, our mistress wants you to meet her at the castle" the vampire that Charlie had wounded hissed towards the vampires, holding his torn shoulder. "No one will bother you, but I'm afraid your friends will have to deal with us" the despicable creature continued, now pointing at Will and Stefan, who moved ahead of Charlie.

"Even without me here, these two will destroy you fools, right?" Charlie replied with a hint of resentful humor as Will and Stefan nodded in agreement. "Will, you and Stefan take care of these idiots, I'll take care of Danae." He continued with a sad smile as he started walking towards the vampires and the castle.

"She awaits you at the balcony, your journey from here shall be clear to him." the wounded vampire said as Charlie passed by him and took off towards the castle. "Now to take care of you pathetic worms!"

"This should be fun!" Stefan said, smirking at the vampires. They brandished their anti-vampire enchanted broadswords, charging at their opponents.

A sudden boom clobbered into her thoughts. Turning around to see what it was, Charlie stood with his scythe in his hand. He slashed it at her. Dodging the attack, she felt a wound forming on her cheek. She touched it and looked at her fingers. Blood was smothered on it, then she realised.

The battle had already begun.

Chapter 30

Elizabeth opened her eyes and saw her maid, Lucille, dusting the top of her marble fireplace.

' Good morning, M'Lady,' she said without turning around.

Elizabeth yawned. ' Good morning, Lucille.' Then, she froze, her right hand still on her mouth. ' Lucille? What the hell are you doing here?' she gasped.

Lucille turned around, her eyes round like saucers. ' My Lady, if your dear mother heard that, we shall be in a lot of trouble. Her Ladyship Davenport absolutely hates vulgar words!' Then, she lowered her voice to a whisper, as if revealing a dark secret. ' That was why she fired that stable boy last week.'

Elizabeth was too shocked to pay any attention. Quickly, she stumbled up and pulled on her dressing gown. ' Where is my mother?'

' She is at town, accompanying Lady Lucas. They are attending the Rothschilds' party tonight.'

' They are at a party?' Why was everything so...normal?

Lucille looked alarmed. ' Her Ladyship thought it best you stayed at home, since you were ill.'

Elizabeth stopped in the act of putting her slippers on. ' I was ill.'

' Of course. Right after the ball.'

' The ball?'

' We all thought it might be the excitement from Master William's proposal.' Lucille giggled and arranged the red roses in the crystal vase by the door. ' When is the wedding?'

Elizabeth barely heard her. She was already out of the room and racing down the wide staircase. Voices drifted from the library to the hall and she stopped in her tracks.

Will. He's here.

Panicking, she quickly righted her hair and walked into the library. William was in there, with her father, in deep conversation about a hunting rifle. They both looked up when she entered. Instantly, William was at her side.

' Elizabeth.'

Elizabeth stared at him and then offered her hand, not knowing what else to do. ' Hi,' she said.

He grinned, a cute and boyish smile. ' Hi.'

Her father cleared his throat. Blushing, Elizabeth quickly pulled her hand away and hugged her father. ' Father, you're here!' she cried. When she pulled away, both the men were staring at her with a bewildered look. Then, they exchanged another bewildered look.

' I shall just leave you both, then,' said her father, clearing his throat again and walking out of the library.

' So....' Will began.

Elizabeth stared at him and then reached out to touch him. Will seemed pleased but a little surprised. ' It doesn't hurt?' she whispered.

' No,' he answered, looking puzzled.

' It doesn't,' she murmured. Everything was back to normal! Everything! William was here, there were no vampires around and best of all...she wasn't a vampire! Looking around at the familiar library, where she always spent her afternoons curled up by the window seat reading a book, Elizabeth suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia. The smell of baked pie wafted into the room and she immediately walked towards the kitchen without even thinking about it.

' Elizabeth! Where are you going?' William called out behind her.

The kitchen was busy this morning, preparing a breakfast for the duke and duchess of Wakefield who was coming to visit. Elizabeth's childhood governess and very excellent cook, Mrs. Porter, looked up from the vegetables she was slicing. ' Lizzie! Finally, you're up!'

' Yeah, I'm up,' she replied dazedly.

Mrs. Porter looked up and saw Will enter the kitchen and a knowing smile lit up her face. Momentarily distracted, the knife slipped of her fingers and cut into her hand. ' Of all the-' But, she quickly broke off.

Because Elizabeth's two upper canines had grown out and her eyes had a silvery sheen to it.

The kitchen became quiet.

And then, everybody was screaming. Some were reaching for the cloves of garlic hung on the walls, some were grabbing various wooden appliances. While others, like Mrs. Porter, simply stared at her in fright.

Elizabeth wasn't aware of all that. Her head was filled with the sweet scent of blood, enticing her and pulling her closer. Then, Mrs. Porter screamed and backed away, covering her hand with her apron.

Then, Elizabeth realised something. She was still a vampire.

A small yelp escaped her lips and she backed away from the kitchen, and then ran full speed into the thick forest behind her house.

Before she was even in the forest, a small voice entered her mind.

' See Lizzie? They just hate vampires,' Danae whispered.



Elena looked at the deserted Arc catacomb before her. There was a faint metallic smell in the air, like blood. Looking down, she saw bright red spatters on the walls and the floors.

William was still looking around, checking to see if Elizabeth was here.

' You know, I may not be a vampire,' Elena began,' but it's kinda clear to me that Elizabeth isn't here. Or my brother,' she added in an angry tone.

' Danae must've taken her somewhere. She wouldn't leave her here.'

Elena groaned. ' Perfect. So we went here for no reason at all?'

' I was just checking,' he muttered as they went out.

' I hate your sister,' she said in reply.





Elizabeth looked up. Will? She had just heard his voice. He was saying,' I was just checking.' He sounded near yet so distant.

' Will?' she whispered. Receiving no reply, she just curled up against a tree trunk and buried her head in her hands, crying.


William froze when he heard the voice. It sounded so much like Elizabeth. She had said, 'Will?'

The car he was driving stopped in the middle of the road, earning several curses and angry honks from other drivers but William ignored them. He steered the car to the side of the road. Exhaling, he leaned his forehead against the steering wheel.

Again, there was her voice. But she was crying this time.

' Um..Are you..okay?' Elena asked him but he shushed her.

' Elizabeth?' he whispered tentatively.




Elizabeth looked up and quickly dried her face. It really was William's voice.

' Will? Where are you? Are you still at the kitchen?' Then, she added in a very small voice. ' Tell Mrs. Porter...I'm sorry. Tell everyone I'm sorry.'

' What? The kitchen? I'm not in the kitchen? I'm in my car.' There was a long pause. ' Isn't Mrs. Porter your governess...from way back home?'

Elizabeth froze and then quickly pushed her damp hair out of her face. ' I just saw Mrs. Porter. I don't know what's happening, Will! Everything was finally right and then...'

' What do you mean right? Where are you, Elizabeth?'

' I'm at home, Will. But, I'm not sure it is.'

' Home. You mean, England?'

' Yes, Will.'



A loud honking sound filled the car along with William's curse.

' What did I do now?' Elena asked, puzzled.

' Danae.'

' What?'

' Danae sent Elizabeth back home.'

' How? And how do you know?'

' I just talked to her.'

' You talked to her?'

He ignored her. ' They don't like anything different than humans back then.' Then, he turned to her, his eyes filled with fright. ' They burn them.'

Chapter 29: A Small World

I am not a monster.

Elizabeth repeated the sentence over and over, as if chanting a spell to change the fact that she was a vampire.

She tried to push it out of her mind and reverted her attention to Stefan who was lying helplessly beside her. His fangs were in between his lips, smothered with her own blood. She could see her reflection on Stefan's grey eyes. A reflection of a monster. A bloodsucking monster who just sucked a precious soul out of the person she loved.

" Aww. Stop whatever you're thinking. This is your fate, Elizabeth! Why can't you accept it? You're a monster. Say it! " Danae yelled, her chuckles intesifying the air even more.

Elizabeth shook her head vigorously. " This isn't happening," she whispered.

" It's already happening, " Danae grinned, ' Soon, human race will extinct and we shall rise out of the shadows that protect our secret, our existence."

The thought of every inch and ounce of an innocent human's life and many more lives taken for the sake of building an empire was just mind-boggling. A world inhabited by souless beings would be an apocalypse and it all started with... her.

She screamed, burning the once golden, elaborated room then her vision went black like it was a regular thing.

---

Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes and caught sight of a chaos. Vampires and blood everywere. A male vampire was holding Danae Vaughan in his arms. She seemed weak, contributed by the long sleep she endured. Finally realising that they were in the middle of the battlefield, Elizabeth's face was lifted by the tip of a sword. Blue eyes met her green ones. She gasped in horror, tears streaming down her face

Will...

His 'men' surrounded him in a battle position, protecting Danae and himself. She squinted her eyes and saw another party opposite them.

The vampire council?

They were here. The last time she remembered they looked like princes and princesses going to the ball but now.. they looked like warriors in their polished, shining armour. Elizabeth tried to keep her eyes open, wanting to know what was going to happen, but she couldn't resist the exhaustion that hit her.

---

The sharp bite of canines into her skin was agonisingly painful as Mike, the handsome blonde vampire closed his mouth upon her neck. Then, just like that, the pain disappeared only to be replaced by a rush of bliss and joy. It was... indescribable. Nothing mattered than the sweet sensation of the bite. The bite was the only thing she wanted everyday since she was captured to the underground palace full of the Ancient Ones. A plan to escape was the last thing she wanted to do.

Suddenly, there was a bang on the wall and all the wonderful feeling flowing through her stopped abruptly, causing her to fall limply on the bed. This irritated Elena. She tried to adjust her vision to see why the bite had stop. She glanced up and realised she wasn't looking at a blonde guy anymore but instead a tall figure with jet-black hair. He seemed familiar but she couldn't make up who he was. She didn't want to think. Her thoughts were cloudy. All she wanted was the bite.

" Salvatoire's sister?" the man asked monotonously.

The name made her froze. Salvatoire? She knew this.. Yes, it was her last name, she thought. Elena nodded.

" You're high."

" Who are you? " Elena whispered, slowly making out the words.

" William Carstairs."

The name was familiar. She heard this name before from.. Lizzie. Lizzie... the girl his brother was protecting. Elena was trying hard to remember. The bite had made her memories to be cloudy.

" C'mon. We have to get to Elizabeth. " William lifted Elena up and headed out the room.

William's fast movement was faster than a normal vampire and this made her very dizzy. Her eyes became heavy and her sight turned blurry. The last thing she saw was Mike lying on the the ground, unconscious.

---

Will drove fast to the De Arc. He didn't care about the traffic. All he wanted was to go to Elizabeth.

" Ugh. Can't you get any slower? " Elena groaned, waking up.

Will glanced at her, giving that 'Excuse me?' look and sped up the car. He took out a bottle of water under the chair and handed it to her. Elena hesistantly took it and drank the whole bottle in one gulp.

" The endorphins should disappear in a few minutes," Will exclaimed.

" My head hurts." Elena replied, slightly ignoring him.

" You're bitten everyday since you were captured. I don't find that a surprise."

" What happened? I don't remember a thing, " Elena stopped as she remembered the joyous feeling she experienced the last few days. " Wait, I do remember that I was.. "

William continued her sentence, " ... high. Yeah, it happens when human got bitten. They're like drugs. They're addictive. You were addicted too and you willingly wanted it, y'know."

Elena still felt the amazing feeling that poured into her everytime she was bitten. It was like all the happiness in the world entered her. He was right, they were addictive because she currently tried to resist the urge to offer herself to get bitten by William. It was quite embarrassing to admit so she didn't say a word after that.

Elena looked at William who was staring straight on the road.

" Hey, what were you doing in the palace with the Ancient? You're Lizzie's boyfriend, right? Stefan said you died."

Will gritted his teeth, trying to hide his anger when Stefan was mentioned.

" I live there. "

" What? You live there? What do you mean? I thought you're the good guy. " Her fear was blatant in her voice.

" I am. I just... they saved me from the council. I was going to die using my power the other night. I think I actually did die."

" How? But they are all under Danae! She wanted to kill Lizzie!''

" You don't understand, Salvatoire..."

" What the hell, boy?!Yes, I don't understand! Don't you want to save Lizzie?! She's been through a lot! How could you be under Danae?!" Elena yelled as she boiled in anger.

William instantly pulled over, held the stirring wheel tightly and glared at Elena. Elena squinted at him, but felt herself back up in her seat under his glares.

" Danae is the only family I got. That's why I'm under her. "

" Danae.. she's my half sister. "

A/N: Hey, it's Fifi here. Got a message from Izza Romzi at 5.43AM. She asked me to proofread the chapter, so I did. Well, I'm not a good proofreader, but I did try my best editing this. I hope all of you enjoyed reading Forbidden Blood because we're currently on the climax of the story and that means we're near to the end of Forbidden Blood. One of you did ask whether we planned to make a sequel. To answer that, we are still uncertain. Besides, this blog is all about being random. Hehe. See ya! =)