Dissipating Darkness [Klaroline]

Chapter 1: Welcome Home

I look toward the oil painting that holds the moonlit night with its rays finding its way down toward a female's silhouette. The rays are illuminating her far more than necessary. It is almost as if they are drawn to her and only her. The woman's face is turned upward; like she is enjoying the light that has ridden her of her darkness. I must have had too much to drink the day I painted that. Even I know there is no such thing as light breaking its way through darkness. The darkness is far too strong to let something so meek and transparent break through its solid hold.

I take a tentative sip out of my glass. My throat almost recoils into itself. Rebekah has without a doubt found the blood I was keeping and replaced it with the animal garbage she has insisted that we start to drink.

I sit the glass of blood down onto my mahogany nightstand and turn toward the full length mirror to the left of my bed. I can see my veins protruding out of my neck and face as I force myself to transform into the beast of which I hate. I breathe heavily as I look into the mirror and make eye contact with the inhuman eyes that are looking back at me. I bring my hand up and swipe a finger over the steel-like fangs that are now jaggedly sticking out of my gums.

"Nik? Are you ready to go? I swear you take longer than I do to get ready." As my bedroom door swings open, I turn to face my sister; the beast gone and now a subtle smirk on my face.

"Dear little sister, I am sorry to keep you waiting. I only wanted a few minutes to indulge in a drink. I have come to the conclusion that you have now replaced all my blood with your...substitution. Correct?"

Rebekah only smiles as she walks over to the nightstand, picks up my glass, and takes a wistful sip of the imitation blood. I can almost see the grimace she is attempting to hide. Sure, it's blood, but there is nothing like the blood from a human's vein. To feel the warm life slowly draining from the throbbing vein is to feel something that is probably akin to Heaven. I feel that I am entitled to that feeling, since I know I will never make it to the place.

"Nik, you know I don't particularly like the blood as much as you do, but I just believe that this is a great step in the direction of actually living somewhere for a while."

"A while meaning until people figure out you never seem to age a day over eighteen and I a day over twenty-six?"

I start to walk down the extravagant hallway that leads to the living room. I try with failure to ignore the incessant talking of my younger, and much more optimistic, sister.

"Oh, but Nik, even while we're here, we can actually make some friends or something. Then, when we finally decide to leave Mystic Falls, we can just tell those friends that we are moving away, and that they may come to visit us whenever they feel the urge to!" Rebekah and I continue the walk to my car.

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Once we are situated and on the way to the Mystic Grill for dinner, I decide to reveal my opinion about Rebekah's tactless plan.

"You know, that is actually such a great idea, Rebekah. Care to tell me what happens in, say about thirty years, when our friends start to look like they could be our parents?"

She doesn't even hesitate before answering.

"We just compel them to not notice the age difference. Come on, Nik. This is elementary!"

I can feel my eyes roll as I continue the five minute drive to the grill.

"Remind me again why two Originals are sitting at some less than two-star sandwich grill eating only God himself knows what?"

"Well, this is where everyone who's anyone hangs out." I roll my eyes yet again as I take a small bite out of the horrid sandwich Rebekah has ordered for me.