BLONDIE • the mikaelsons

chapter two

CHAPTER TWO

Elena and her vampire boyfriends were being overly secret in the most obvious way. Every time I'd enter a room, they'd pause their conversation to eye me suspiciously, as if I actually cared about what they were whispering about.

A couple of weeks had passed, which had mostly consisted of me binge watching sitcoms whilst hiding from my relatives. Jenna had tried many times to have a friendly conversation with me but I shut her down each time. I was being cold towards her but I just couldn't stand the false sincerity. I couldn't bear her acting like nothing had changed, like I hadn't left Mystic Falls years ago with plans to never return.

The medical boot was gone, thankfully, but my foot was far from what it used to be. I could now hold my weight on it but dancing was still out of the question. To say that I was being grouchy about it was an understatement.

I hobbled out the physio and waited outside the building for Elena to pick me up. Currently being unable to drive has unfortunately made me reliant on help. Jenna usually dropped me off and picked me up from my appointments but she was busy today so I was stuck with my twin sister.

I checked the time after a few minutes of standing there to discover that Elena was late. I tried not to be too irritated, after all, she was doing me a favour, but her lack of tardiness grated on me. When it came to me, Elena was consistently unreliable.

When we were children I had been desperate to have a bond with her but despite sharing a womb, we just didn't click. Elena used to promise me that she'd sit with me at lunch, only for her to forget. She used to ask me to help her with homework, only for her to never show up.

I don't think that my twin is a bad person by any means. I've witnessed her kindness and I truly believe that she has a beautiful heart. Unfortunately that heart doesn't beat for me.

I let out a frustrated sigh as I looked in the direction she should be coming from. When my phone buzzed, I checked it to find a message from Elena.

ELENA
Sorry, something has come up! I'll make it up to you! xx

At least she bothered to let me know this time, even if it was ten minutes later.

I had managed to cut my ties so thoroughly with Mystic Falls that with Jenna and Elena out of the picture, I had no one else to call. There was, of course, my brother, but he didn't have a license and was currently at school. With this in mind, I made the reluctant decision to walk home.

I knew it was risky to do so much so soon, but technically my doctor said I could walk on it, plus, I had no other way of getting home. Unlike the big city I had spent the last few years of my life in, there were no taxis in Mystic Falls.

I began my walk home at a rather slow pace, hoping to warm up my foot. By five minutes in, I was already panting. I hadn't been able to exercise since the accident and it showed. As a ballet dancer, I always exercised regularly. I was used to having stamina- something my vampire ex-boyfriend often commented on. He liked that I could keep up with him.

I hated how my mind kept drifting to him. I ended things because he was a deceitful bastard and yet he was living in my mind rent free. The saddest thing was that with the exception of our last day together, I didn't have a single bad memory of him.

I desperately missed the person I thought he had been.

Lost in my thoughts, I almost didn't notice when a car pulled up beside me. Looking up, I was met with a mirror image of my face.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, I had an argument with Stefan." Elena said wearily.

"I thought you weren't coming?" I frowned at her.

"I wasn't but I really didn't want to let you down." She replied with an apologetic smile, "Hop in!"

With a sigh, I hobbled around to the passenger side and got into the car that definitely did not belong to my sister.

"Nice car," I said, buckling myself in, "Whose is it?"

"It's Stefan's, he let me borrow it." Elena said as she began to drive.

"You had an argument with Stefan and he still let you borrow his car? That's awfully nice of him." I commented.

"What can I say? He just can't stay mad at me!" Elena said with a grin, "How was the appointment?"

"Yeah, it was pretty good, my foot is healing up nicely." I replied, casually looking out the window as she drove.

"Well that's good then!" Elena said with an encouraging smile, "You'll be dancing again before you know it!"

I let silence fall over us for a few minutes before asking, "Hey, Elena, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure." She shrugged.

"What's it like being a vampire?" I asked, gaging her reaction.

She sent me a confused look, "I don't know, you'd have to ask the Salvatore's"

"I'd much rather ask you," I replied, my mouth tilting up at the corner, "After all, you have way more experience than they do."

She let out a nervous laugh, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You can drop the act, I know you're not my sister." I said and watched in fascination as her entire demeanour changed in a matter of seconds. Whoever she was, my lookalike was an impressive actress.

"How did you figure it out?" She asked, looking almost impressed.

"I shared a womb with Elena." I deadpanned, "I know when I'm in her presence."

"So you willingly got into a car with someone you knew wasn't your sister?" She asked, looking at me with light horror.

I shrugged, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"I could kill you." She suggested.

"Are you?" I asked with an amused smile.

"No, I just wanted to have a bit of fun," She replied begrudgingly.

"I like fun!" I said with a grin, "Wanna grab a drink sometime?"

"Are you coming on to me?" Her eyebrows furrowed, trying to work me out.

"Ew, I was just trying to be friendly. If I wanted to look at myself during sex, I'd get a mirror." I said, rolling my eyes, "So, you must be a doppelganger. What's your name?"

"Katherine." She replied hesitantly, still not seeming able to work me out.

"Are you going to answer my previous question?"

"What?" Katherine asked, shaking her head in confusion.

"What's it like being a vampire?"

"It's... Pretty cool?" Katherine replied, the side of her mouth tilting up, "I think you're my favourite twin."

I genuinely felt quite flattered at her comment, "Thanks, although I don't really have much competition."

Katherine pulled up outside my house. I gave her a quick once over to make sure she wasn't planning on pulling anything before opening the door and stepping out the car.

"It's a shame you're blonde, I'd love to masquerade as you." Katherine said as I peered in at her through the open window

"You can borrow some bleach if you want?" I suggested.

"And risk damaging my hair? Please." Katherine rolled her eyes before pressing her foot hard on the accelerator.

"Thanks for the ride." I shouted after her.

I chuckled to myself as I pondered what else this town had in store for me.

Originally published: April 13th 2024