Chapter 10

Walking back and forth for the millionth time that night, Stefan still couldn't stop thinking about Elizabeth. Absolutely nothing and no one but her. "What's happening at the Convention Centre? Is Elizabeth going to be safe?" was all he could think of. Her safety. The safety of the woman he could possibly be in love after his last girlfriend about two years ago. The girl who had left him because he had a possibility of not inheriting his father's wealth. The girl who had crushed his dreams of ever falling in love again. To which, Elizabeth changed the very moment she came into Stefan's view.

Elizabeth Davenport isn't like any other girl he's met before. She shines brighter than anyone else. Her voice sweeter than nightingale. Her irresistable rosy cheeks everytime she blushes. "Why on earth did I let her go to the ball? Her first, and probably the last time going? Her biggest dream crushing into nightmare?" Stefan flinched at the thought of that.

Stefan clutched his fist as his thought dug further. The deeper he thought, the more hurt he felt. He tried to meditate himself by breathing in and out several times while sitting on his couch. Didn't work. He didn't know exactly when, but he was actually lost in thought. Again. Too lost to realise the reality.

"It's so nice to see you! Hey!" Elena Salvatoire stormed in to Stefan's living room, arms wide open expecting a big hug from her big brother.

When Stefan just sat there, reactionless, not even a glance at his sister, Elena's hands dropped. Not just her hands, but her jaw too. "Is this even my brother?" she thought silently. One minute passed, still, he was like a statue. Two minutes. Elena's pose changed every minute. Every second ticking by, she was getting hot; impatient to explode. Five minutes sharp.

"That's it. I can't take it anymore. STEFAN SALVATOIRE! HELLO! REALITY CHECK?" she screamed at the highest pitch of her voice.

"ELENA! You startled me. When did you arrive? Why didn't you call?" he asked, sweating, obviously shocked by the scream.

"Really? Want me to be precise or should I just tell you an assumption?" she emphasized on the word assumption, hands already on her waist."And about the 'why didn't you call' thing, why not check your dear phone?"

"Sorry, Elena. I just drifted for a little while." he apologised, and found 20 missed calls with 5 new messages as he checked his phone. From Elena.

"I've waited for five minutes, on the dot, waiting for you to respond, Stefan. What's it all about?"

Stefan took a while to answer her. He didn't really answer to that question, in fact.

"Why are you here anyway? Missed me?" Stefan joked, changing the topic.

Elena, who was unaware of the change of topic joined in and couldn't wait to catch up with his lovely brother. "Nice one, Stefan. Well, I admit, I do. Don't you?"

Elena was his younger sister, also his closest one. She also looks a lot like him. Her heart-shaped face looked as stunning as ever. As Elena has always been close to Stefan, they used to hang out together with Stefan's friends. Until before he left, that is. Elena's always been praised by Stefan's friends about her beauty. How slim and tall she is, how her long, curly brown hair always gleams her style. Not forgetting her flawless white face. Those are also Stefan's characteristics. Well, some of them. Whenever his friends complimented his sister, he never wanted to miss the credit by saying, "look from where she got her beauty" or some sort of like that.

"Of course, little sister. Oh wait, apparently you're not so little anymore," he laughed. "Why are you here again?"

"You know.."

"MOM" they said in chorus, rolled eyes and laughed.

They missed their moments of laughter. For a moment, he forgot about Lizzie and was replaced by the thought of his sister.

"Hey, we should go out tonight. Celebrate. I'm staying with you. Isn't it exciting?"

"You-" Stefan was interrupted by the ringtone he set up especially for Lizzie.

He made a hand gesture signalling for his sister to wait.

"Lizzie? Are you alright? What happened?"

"You've known it all along, haven't you?"

"Yes.."

"Why didn't you tell me before? None of you did! Not Will, not Heather, not even you!"

"I'm sorry Lizzie. I'm truly sorry."

"You owe me, Stefan. It's lucky they didn't kill me right away. Not that they will. I think. Anyway, I might've been killed, you know that? It was like risking my own life going to this ball!" she blabbered.

"I knew it, but I wasn't sure, Lizzie. You should understand."

"I don't know what to say anymore Stef- AAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Lizzie screamed all of a sudden causing Stefan's heart to beat fast. Again.

"LIZZIE! LIZZIE! ARE YOU OKAY??" he was practically shouting by then.

Elena stared at her brother in horror. "What's wrong with him? And who's Lizzie?" she thought.

"Stefan, who's Liz-"

"There's no time to explain. She's in danger. Lizzie's in danger!"

Stefan left the house with his blue shorts with a flower designed and a matching blue plain t-shirt with his stylish cropped hair and entered his new silver Mercedes Benz F700. Elena suddenly appeared at the passenger's seat without Stefan realising.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked urgently.

"If it's not obvious enough, I'm sitting down, on the passenger's seat. Duh."

"I know how much you adore sarcasm Elena, but this isn't the right time."

"Fine, but I insist. I'm going with you." she gritted through her teeth.

Stefan shrugged and accelerated as Elena put on her seatbelt. For her, safety comes first.



"Let go of me! You-" she said as someone grabbed hold of her mouth, her nose, causing her to be unconscious.

"Target passed out," said Madoc to her partner in crime, Heather.

"Bring her in," Heather demanded.



"Who on earth just messed with the cables? ANYONE! FIND THE MAIN SWITCH! I CAN'T SEE A DARN THING HERE!" yelled Charlie at the meeting room.

Everything seemed chaotic although no one could see anything in the room as dark as a night without a moonlight. But with screams of "HELP", yells of "IT'S DARK", the sound of heels running and demands of "SWITCH ON THE F-ING LIGHT", it's absurd that the room, and everywhere else in the Convention Centre, isn't in a disastrous state.



"So, what do we do next, Heather?" asked faithful Madoc to his not so loyal partner.

"Well of course now that she's in the rightful hands, unlike Charlie, who's too coward to do any harm," she paused to scoff, "We can do anything! She has Danae's power, Madoc, I can feel it."

"What are her powers, actually?" Madoc replied, gaining greediness.

"Well, I suppose there's just too many to mention," was all Heather's reply. Truth be told, she didn't know exactly what powers Danae held. She was just craving for the power.

"So, how are we supposed to divide them equally?"

Heather laughed aloud, hearing Madoc's naiveté. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'll never share it with anyone. Not even you, Madoc."

"What about our agreement earlier?"

The reason Madoc wanted to cooperate with Heather in the first place was because he wanted to be seen as someone with prestige and powerful. Heather had promised him that earlier as long as he would help her kidnap Elizabeth and grab her power.

"Look, honey, don't mind about the phony deal we made earlier. It's nothing!" said Heather as she hung her arm on his shoulders.

"I'll never forgive you for this Heather. I'll make sure Charlie finds out about your foul play."

"Firstly, you don't have to forgive me. Secondly, he won't find out because.." Heather said as she grabbed a sword and beheaded Madoc. "You're dead."

The deadly laughter of Heather's was unbearable. Elizabeth, who had actually been conscious since the conversation about Danae's power started, she had actually heard everything. She couldn't believe Heather could be that low just to steal someone else's power. She even wondered if Heather would do the same in fight for a man they both love.

Elizabeth squinted to find herself in a dim lighted room, a small one, with a collection of swords in a descending position from top to bottom. She noticed that one was missing, so she assumed that it was the one Heather used to behead Madoc just a few seconds ago. The walls of the room were covered in a blood red wallpaper, with frames of paintings hanging on them. Elizabeth quickly closed her eyes in case Heather was staring at her, to make sure Heather didn't realise her head had been was sligtly moving to screenshot the view into her head. And her instinct was right. Heather was staring at her.

"I can strangle Elizabeth to death right now. Her power is everything to me, but what would they do to me if they find out about Madoc's death?" Heather spoke a little too loud. Elizabeth could hear her vividly. "I say let's just play the game. Slow and steady. I will get her power eventually.. And Will too. Join the game, Lizzie."

Elizabeth wasn't sure whether Heather knew that she was conscious or not, whether she was talking to her or not, but she continued her little act; pretending to be unconscious. She, however, was certain, Heather was grinning with her newly invented plan. Elizabeth suddenly felt goosebumps all over her body. She had a feeling that Heather wasn't even close to joking when she mentioned her plan.

To Elizabeth's surprise, she felt something cool and sweet smelling at her lips. Heather's hand was the cool one, and, Madoc's blood was the sweet one. Elizabeth suddenly knew what Heather was doing. She was planning to accuse her of killing Madoc. Elizabeth panicked but she stayed still, trying hard not to lick the unbearably sweet blood.



"Where on earth are we going, Stefan?" asked Elena, panicking. "Why are you zooming like there's no tomorrow?"

"Hey, I warned you to stay. I'm on a mission to save someone." Stefan replied with the same intonation.

"Mission? What are you, a spy?"

"Well, no. Just my responsibility."

"My brother has learnt about responsibility, that's very good. Thanks to this girl- what's her name again?"

"Lizzie. Elizabeth Davenport." He rushed. "And, here we are."