cast no shadow. (the lost boys).

Chapter Twenty-One: Shadows of the Turning Tide

We made our way back to the cave under the cover of darkness. Lucy walked between David and me, her eyes darting around, fear etched into every line of her face. I couldn't blame her. It wasn't just about saving her boys anymore—Max had them all under his thumb, and it was going to take more than just the two of us to free them.

David was silent as we reached the cave, the firelight flickering on the walls as the others stood waiting. Paul and Marko looked up with cautious hope as we entered. Laddie was tucked under Dwayne's arm, his small face peeking out, eyes full of questions he was too young to ask.

"We've got Lucy," I said, keeping my voice steady even though I felt like I was walking on the edge of a razor. "But we're not done yet. Max is stronger than we thought."

"We can't take him alone," David added, his eyes hard. "Not like this."

The weight of his words hung heavy in the cave. Marko shifted uncomfortably, and Paul clenched his fists. They knew it too. Max wasn't just a vampire anymore. He was something more. His hold on the Emersons, his power—it was suffocating, like a shadow growing over all of us.

I knew what I had to do, but the thought of it twisted something deep inside me. I hadn't spoken to Klaus since the day he sent me to Santa Carla, furious with the way I'd been handling my vampirism. I could still hear his voice in my head, cold and distant: 'You need to learn control, Lizzie. And if I can't teach you, someone else will.'

Max was supposed to keep me in line, but now... he'd become the very thing I was supposed to avoid.

David caught my eye, his gaze piercing. He knew what I was thinking before I even said it. "You're going to call him, aren't you?"

I looked away, staring into the fire as if it held the answers. "We can't do this without help. I have to call Klaus."

The tension in the room thickened. Marko shot David a wary glance, and even Dwayne shifted uneasily. Paul broke the silence first, his voice dripping with skepticism. "Your brother? The one who sent you here in the first place? What makes you think he'll even help?"

I took a breath, trying to steady my nerves. "Because if there's one thing Klaus hates more than anything, it's someone trying to control his family. And that's exactly what Max is doing."

David nodded slowly, though his jaw was clenched. "Fine. But don't think for a second that your brother's going to walk in and save us out of the goodness of his heart. He'll have his own agenda."

I gave him a small, bitter smile. "Klaus always has an agenda. But if it means taking down Max, I'll deal with it."

Paul raised an eyebrow and motioned toward the back of the cave where a rusty rotary telephone sat on a crate. It looked out of place in the cave, but David had insisted on getting it. "Just in case we ever needed to reach someone outside this place," he'd said.

Now, I was glad he'd thought ahead. I stepped over to the phone and picked up the receiver, the cold weight of it settling in my hand. It had been months since I last called my brother, and the thought of hearing his voice again sent a chill down my spine.

I dialed the number, my fingers shaking slightly as the rotary clicked back into place. The cave was dead silent as the line rang, each ring louder than the one before. After what felt like an eternity, a voice crackled through the line, sharp and familiar.

"Elizabeth," Klaus drawled, his tone carrying a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I swallowed hard, my throat tight. "I need your help."

There was a pause, the silence on the other end stretching, heavy and expectant. When Klaus finally spoke again, his voice was darker, more serious. "I assume this isn't a social call. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, sister?"