Forever Is Not Enough

Smoke

1864 - Mystic Falls, Virginia

Katherine looked down the empty hall. She had compelled Elena and Jeremy to stay in their rooms, but she couldn't risk trying to compel John if he had vervain; there was always a chance he could have it on him. He'd been speaking to Mr. Salvatore in the parlor, but she couldn't get the door to Grayson's office open without making noise. The two men carried on below her.

"We can't go on like this John."

The sun had gone down and their conversation had sped up, Mr. Salvatore was obviously in a hurry to get home.

Katherine smiled. Though she wasn't the direct cause for their fear, it made her happy in some way that her own kind had struck fear into the hearts of these men. They were born with only one job: to live. Now, they faced adversity; something threatened their easy existence. They were scared, in a way, of her. They didn't know it, and she wanted to keep it that way, but it filled her with joy to think of the look in their eyes should she ever decide to kill them.

She tried the door handle, but it wouldn't budge and made more noise then she was comfortable with when she shook it. She needed to get to those books and destroy the available information before they became too familiar with it. Just as she was considering sneaking outside and breaking in through the window, she realized the conversation had ceased and footsteps were making their way up the hall. She flew back further into the hall and waited until the footsteps evened out. As John made his way down the hall, she casually began walking towards him. "I was just coming to remind Mr. Salvatore of the time," she lied. "The sun goes down quickly these days."

He smiled awkwardly, "No need to worry."

As they came to meet in front of his office door, she thought she would try something just once. Focusing as hard as she could without being obvious, she looked deep into his eyes. "It's rather cold, isn't it?"

In actuality, it was incredibly hot. A fire was burning in every room to ward off the impending cold and offered light against the dark. She could see sweat forming on his brow, but she just needed to hear his answer. "Indeed," his body shook a little. "I might sleep with an extra blanket tonight."

She was so relieved that she smiled. As of yet, they knew that vervain was a weapon against vampires, but they had no idea how else it would protect them. "That's a good idea, but first, could you unlock the study?"

He looked ahead blankly, fishing in his pockets for the keys. Katherine smirked; what was this man compared to her? He was dough in her hands, raw meat in her eyes. Pathetic, she thought. He unlocked the door and looked back to her dreamily. "Now, go to bed and forget this ever happened."

He nodded and walked the rest of the way to his room without looking back. Katherine entered the room quietly, shutting the door behind her. The room was a mess. There were books upon books strewn across the floor. Some were open and some were closed, stacks started from the floor and towered above her head. Her stomach dipped. She expected a few books on the supernatural, maybe a copy of The Vampyre, but nothing like this. There was literature, journals, and pieces of parchment covering every inch of the room. She could never go through it all... there was a glimmer of hope before, that she could find their source and toy with it. She would have every man in town wearing a frilly skirt if they thought it would protect them. But there was too much to go through now. She took a deep breath to focus herself. There were a few things she needed to do.

First, she went to Elena's room. The girl was sitting on her bed, staring off into space just as she had left her. She looked her in the eyes. "Go downstairs. Wait by the door. I'll come for you."

Elena nodded.

After she had done the same to Jeremy, she made her way to John's room. She could hear him stirring on the inside. She wrapped her fingers around the doorknob and squeezed. The metal squeaked quietly in protest, but bent easily in her hands. She twisted until it finally broke off.

With that, she grabbed a candle and a lantern that sat in the hallway and carried it back to the study. She didn't stop to think once her decision was made. Instead, she held the flame to every thing she could: first, to the open books, and then to the curtains. She stepped back from the fire, weary of the heat, but once the curtains had gone up in flames the rest didn't stand a chance. She took one more second to admire her handiwork before throwing the lantern in the center of the room.

She walked calmly down the stairs, but she could already feel the smoke fill her lungs. When she looked up, she could see a dark cloud hovering over her. Jeremy and Elena stood before the door; they were coughing, but didn't move from where they stood. She put her hands on their shoulders to get their attention but brought a finger to her lips to keep them quiet. She wanted to wait just a bit longer before the poor Gilbert family came running helplessly out of their burning home. She could hear John in a fit of coughs above them, but it only made her smile.

When her niece and nephew couldn't bear it any longer, and their eyes filled with tears and their coughs become nothing more than wheezes, she finally decided it was time. "Jeremy, you woke up to smoke and came looking for us when you realized something was burning. You woke your sister, then me, and brought us downstairs." Her pupils returned to normal and she opened the door. "Now run."