The Last Petrova

Survivor

 I shut my eyes as I hear a muffled shout, and the long scream that follows. I don't know what he's doing to her, and I'd really like to keep it that way. But despite all my efforts, my vampire hearing betrays me. I hear a loud thump, then short, panicked breaths. Two more heavy thumps, like something- or rather, someone- is being thrown like a rag doll from wall to wall. I already know this routine, I've witnessed it dozens of times in the past. Klaus is building his way up so that his victim will be more terrified of what is to come than what's happening in the present. What he's doing to Katherine right now shouldn't be making her scream like this, she's a vampire, after all. But her fear is amplifying the pain by a thousand times.

I grit my teeth and feel blood trickling down the palms of my hand. I open my eyes- I've been digging my sharp nails into my hands the entire time. I'm beyond furious at the way Klaus toys with his victims- he wants to hear Katherine beg for mercy, and once she does, that's when the real fun will begin.

But she never does. I can feel Klaus growing more and more frustrated, and his attacks on her grow heavier. Yet still, she doesn't give in.

Finally, after roughly an hour, Klaus comes out of the room, looking extremely pissed off. I realize I could have used this time to run away and warn the Salvatores- but of course, I didn't. Klaus knows as well as I do that I always have the same reaction whenever someone else is getting hurt by his hands. I stay frozen in place, like I did just now.

"Well, if you really aren't going to go to this dance... I guess I'll just have to go alone, now won't I?" Alaric says as he pulls on a clean jacket, free of any Petrova blood. "Feel free to go wherever you want, but just so you know, I'm going to be keeping an eye on the Salvatores the entire night, and if you so much as take a single step towards either of them, well," Alaric laughs manically. "As you can clearly see, I'm not in that great of a mood. So don't provoke me," he says, right before leaving and slamming the door behind him.

For twenty seconds, I remain frozen on the couch. Then I stand up and head over to the guest room.

I can hear groaning. I force myself to look.

Katherine is on the ground, lying in a puddle of her own blood. She's still conscious, and her wounds are already starting to heal. Both her legs are bent in an awkward angle, and her face looks like it's been beaten in with a hunk of metal. I stare at the shackles on Katherine's wrist. Despite her horrible condition, Klaus apparently thought it would be wise to keep Katherine chained up.

I kneel down next to her. "Oh look. You're back," she mutters, then winces in pain.

A hundred thoughts rush through my mind as I help her sit up. 

'You have no idea what I had to go through- every single sacrifice I had to make to ensure everyone else's safety and happiness! For an entire lifetime, I always put my family first!' 

My own words echo throughout my mind. I stare at Katherine, then begin to laugh. She really is a manipulative genius. Katherine wanted me to have these angered thoughts from the start. She knew who I was, of course she did. She would have had to have known everything about Klaus to always stay one step ahead of him at all costs.

Then why provoke me? Why mock me and call me a person who only thinks of herself? The answer- to make me shout out those words in rage. 

'Every single sacrifice I had to make to ensure everyone else's safety and happiness.'

She wanted me to be reminded of who I was... Or rather, who I used to be.

'For an entire lifetime, I always put my family first.'

I take in a shaky breath. Then I free Katherine from her restraints using the key on top of the drawer next to the door.

"What are you doing?" Katherine asks me suspiciously. I throw the key onto the floor. It sinks into the puddle of blood.

"I've known the Mikaelsons for four hundred years," I say to her. "And if living with them has taught me anything... It's that family is always and forever. You put family above all else."

I sigh. "And I may not know you... But I know the kind of person you are. You're strong, determined, and you never give up. And the few people in the world who possess those rare qualities don't deserve the life you're living. So go," I say, standing up.

Katherine slowly stands up, using the wall to balance herself. "And what about you? He's going to kill you if he finds out you let me go," she says. I raise an eyebrow. "Are my ears deceiving me, or is Katherine Pierce actually caring about someone other than herself?" I say. She scoffs. "Just tell me one thing," I say. She glances at me expectantly.

"Where's Elijah?" I ask. Katherine smiles. "Daggered and locked up in the Salvatore Boarding House, of course," she replies. And just like that, she disappears, leaving me to contemplate every single horrible decision I have ever made in made my life.

Elijah. What would he do if he suddenly awoke with me standing over him? Would he stare and do nothing? Would he snap my neck in two? How would he feel, looking at me again, after what I did to him? Has he forgiven me yet? Or does the rage at betrayal still live on as an eternal flame inside his mind?

Should I escape? If I do that, then what? Klaus will come after me. He will chase me and torment me like he has done to Katherine for the past five hundred years. A part of me is wishing that he'll just go after Katherine instead of coming after me, but I know that's hoping for too much.

And what about Elena? There's no way she can fend off against Klaus on her own. I need to help her. My entire life has been made based on this one girl. If she dies... Then that means everything I've been fighting for will come to an end. 

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