The Young and Gifted

55. field of blood and death

Chaos. That was the only word you describe the state of the Salvatore Boarding School. The Tuar Brothers had destroyed everything, killed a handful of students and were hunting down the ones alive like prey. It was brutal.

Ric weaponed the ones he could find but the students didn't know how to use them. And Hope had sedated Freya when she began to threaten to take her back to New Orleans for her safety. She left her aunt in the infirmary and started a spell to take care of the Taur Brothers.

Meanwhile, Caroline stood in front of the cellars, arms crossed. Clarke was sitting in his cell, legs folded below him. When she looked at him, all she wanted was to snap his neck. "My students are dying out there because of you." Clarke didn't say anything and kept his eyes closed. "What are you trying to do? Summon your Master? News flash, she abandoned you with us."

"Legendarium monsters are not supposed to feel emotions," he muttered, eyes still shut. "And when I realized that she left, it stirred an anger so deep within me--"

"I don't care. Tell me how to kill these monster brothers," Caroline ordered. Amores seemed to be missing from the field of blood and death.

"--I nearly wanted to rip these walls themselves," he continued casually. His eyes flickered open and landed on hers. "But I realized that I felt another emotion too. I actually like you, I feel something towards you."

Caroline laughed. To a point where tears of amusement were streaming down her face and she stared at the sky. "You must be a good actor, a good manipulator."

"Now that my Master is far, I have space to think for myself again. When she arrived, I was utterly at her mercy," Clarke said as he picked himself up to his feet.

"You're a literal monster. I'm not going to believe shit. Everything that we did--everything that you told me was--"

"Real. Her control, the Legendarium's control, wasn't as strong when I was with you. I only had a task to keep an eye on Hope and Landon. I wasn't ordered to sleep with you or go on dates with you. That was for me," he admitted.

"So? You're still a traitor," Caroline swallowed, not allowing herself to absorb his words. Lies. Nothing but lies.

He gripped the bars and glared at her. "Listen to me. You may hate me now but I know how to gain your trust again."

"Never--"

"She's going to the clock tower. And if you don't give her Landon, she's going to destroy Mystic Falls."

*

Kaura hugged Mason to her body, staring off into nothing. She was in pain. She didn't know what type but there was a prominent ache coursing through her body after what she had done. To Mason--to Penelope. She had killed them. Do I really deserve to love? Do I really deserve to feel pain after what I did do them?

She clutched his shirt tightly, trying to remember his smell. The strong cologne, the radiant smile and those rosy lips that always liked to talk. She wouldn't be able to hear his voice again, wouldn't be able to feel him hug her back.

Kaura wasn't sure if she wanted to live anymore after it all. She just wanted it to stop. She wanted the world to stop, she wanted time to stop, she wanted everything to stop. Deep down, she knew how to do it. A switch. Emma had once said the flipping it off would make it harder to determine what's right or wrong. What's real or imaginary. But she didn't care. She just didn't want to be in the moment anymore. She flipped the switch. She snapped it off and it was almost like she was breaking a glow stick.

Air filled her lungs again and she gasped lightly. Her pupils became all white but she didn't move. And without knowing how, she slipped into his subconsciousness and they were now in a field of dandelions. The sun was bronzing her skin and glowing against his.