We Found Love

Dinner with the Originals

I got lost on the way to the dining room. The twisting halls looked the same to me, and I’m pretty sure I saw the same painting twice. But after five minutes of wandering around in circles, I finally found the grand staircase. Akua told me that the formal dining hall was in another, less confusing hallway behind the stairs, and I found the door with ease. I passed a grandfather clock as I walked down the corridor, and saw that I was already ten minutes late. When I finally got to the doors, I took a deep breath, prayed that Klaus wouldn’t be too angry, and walked in.

          Klaus sat at the head of the large mahogany table, sipping what I hoped was red wine from a glass. Elijah sat to his left, and Finn sat next to him. Kol sat to his right, with an empty chair between them – I guess that was my seat.

          All chatter in the room ceased as four pairs of eyes landed on me. Kol’s mouth dropped slightly as he blatantly checked me out. Elijah simple seemed happy to see me, and Finn…well, he just looked bored.

          I noticed that Klaus sat perfectly still, his eyes flickering from my dress, to my hair – I had left it down in wild curls – to my eyes, then back to my dress. His eyes darkened drastically, and I wondered if he was angry that I was so late.

          “Sorry,” I said quietly. “I got lost.”

          They all waved me off and went back to what they were doing before.

          “Right here, sweetheart,” Klaus said, gesturing to the seat next to him. I walked over to the chair, and Kol pulled it out for me, grinning like the Cheshire cat. It gave me chills, and I tried to scoot as far from him as possible without being rude.

          “Hello, Elena,” Elijah greeted, giving me a small smile.

          “Hello, Elijah.” Out of all the Originals, Elijah was my favorite by far. There was something about him I admired.

          “Elena,” Klaus said. “These are my younger brothers, Kol and Finn.”

          “We’ve met,” I mumbled. Finn nodded and Kol smiled a little too innocently at me.

          “Behave, Kol,” Klaus said sharply. Kol rolled his eyes and continued to look at me, despite the daggers Klaus was shooting him.

Klaus and Elijah continued their conversation, while Finn played with his food and Kol stared at me. He was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable; he eyed me as if I were something to eat. Hell, I was something to eat for him.

          A few moments after I sat down, two human servants brought a cart out of a door hidden behind fake plants and began distributing plates to each of us, me being last. They lifted the gleaming lids and revealed heaping portions of filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes, garbanzo beans. The steak was covered in gorgonzola butter, and I felt my mouth water. But looking at everyone else’s plate, I realized that I had the most food.

          As if reading my thoughts, Kol leaned over and whispered in my ear. “They’re trying to fatten you up,” he said. “They think we’re going to eat you.”

          I didn’t find it quite as funny as he did.

          I cut off a bite sized piece and almost moaned as it melted in my mouth. Never had I tasted food this exquisite; ironic how the best chefs serve vampires. Conversation flowed from Original to Original, and I kept my mouth shut. Though the meal was excellent, I still wasn’t comfortable with these vampires, save for Elijah and, to an extent, Klaus. The younger brothers, on the other hand, made me stomach twist into knots – especially Kol.