To Be Or Not To Be » Stefan Salvatore

Chapter 23 - A Storm is Coming

Tension hung heavy in the air, thick and suffocating, as different pairs of eyes exchanged glances of irritation and confusion.

A perky blonde, a brooding hero, and a lovely brunette sat around a table in the Mystic Falls High library, held hostage by a thousand-year-old vampire and a high school girl with a grudge.

They didn't know why.

Not yet, anyway.

So, they waited—impatiently—for the Original to finally speak.

And when she did, things only became more perplexing.

"Class is in session," Rebekah announced, a smug smile playing on her lips. "You've all been compelled; you know the rules. Answer my questions honestly. No disobedience. No one leaves. April, my sweet, take notes. This is how you get answers in this town."

She leaned forward, eyes glinting with mischief. "Let's start with a little quiz. In the year 1114, my brother discovered, thanks to yours truly, a brotherhood of vampire hunters with tattoos that grew with each kill. These tattoos revealed what, Elena?"

Her words were light, almost playful, but the undertone was razor-sharp.

The blonde turned toward the brunette with a saccharine smile—sweet but laced with venom—waiting.

Elena hesitated before answering. "A map."

A satisfied hum left Rebekah's lips. "Which led to...? Caroline?"

The other blonde let out an exasperated sigh, compelled to answer despite herself.

"A cure for vampirism."

"Perfect. So we're all caught up." Rebekah's grin widened before she turned her attention to the only male in the room. "Stefan Salvatore. The last time we saw each other, you had a vampire hunter, but to decode the map, you needed the location of the hunter's sword. You got that out of me by using my own sister against me. Assuming you found the sword, you also found the cure, and yet, you're all still vampires, which means something went wrong."

She barely left them a moment to respond before her sharp gaze flicked to April, who was furiously scribbling in a notebook.

A brow lifted. "What are you doing?"

April looked up, wide-eyed and sheepish. "Oh, um... you told me to take notes."

"I wasn't being literal, darling." Rebekah rolled her eyes, but then reconsidered. "Although, now that you mention it... a flow chart would be nice. Index cards. Pushpins. Go, fetch."

The raven-haired girl scrambled to her feet and hurried off.

Stefan exhaled sharply, irritation clear in every line of his face. "You're wasting your time. We don't know anything."

Rebekah barely spared him a glance. "So you just gave up? I thought you would do anything to save Elena. Even if it meant taking the cure yourself so you could grow old and die with her."

Silence.

Elena stiffened, shock flashing across her face. She hadn't known that.

Rebekah frowned. "Why do you look so surprised?"

No answer. No one met her gaze.

Her frown deepened. "I'm missing something. What is it?"

"They broke up, okay?" Caroline snapped, arms crossing over her chest.

Rebekah rolled her eyes again. "Yes, I know that. I was there. But I thought you two still loved each other? I thought Elena was your epic love, Stefan. You would have fought for her. So why didn't you?"