The only sound accompanying Anna was the soft tap of her boots against the polished floor. The school, usually a cacophony of teenage energy and chaotic noise, was now eerily silent, save for the distant thumping of music bleeding from the gymnasium. Anna hurried through the shadowed corridors, a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. They were supposed to be discreet. This… this was a mess.
She reached the end of the corridor, her breath catching in her throat. There, bathed in the dim, flickering light of a faulty fluorescent bulb, stood Noah.
Anna vamp-sped across the distance, arriving before Noah with a silent whoosh. He turned, a slow, devilish smile spreading across his face as he looked down at her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice a low, seductive purr.
Anna sighed, frustration etching lines on her face. "Trying to get the journal, as in sticking to the plan. Something you're not doing. Leave the girl alone."
Noah's smile didn't waver. "I like her. She looks like Katherine."
"She's not Katherine, Noah. Okay? Katherine is in the tomb." Anna spoke with forced patience, as if reasoning with a child.
"I know," he said, his eyes glinting with a dangerous light. "But until we open that tomb, I've got her to play with."
Anna's control snapped. "Don't be stupid. That girl is with the Salvatore brothers, not to mention what Ashley's presence here means. If anything happens to her we're dead. They won't hesitate."
Noah scoffed, his shoulders slumping with nonchalance. "They don't scare me. They never have."
"Please, Noah," Anna pleaded, her voice laced with urgency. "Don't do this. You're going to ruin everything."
He finally turned his attention back to her, his expression softening slightly. "You've got nothing to worry about. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You will get what you came for. Just let me have my fun." He delivered the words as if it were a perfectly acceptable excuse, a valid reason for jeopardizing their entire operation. "She looks like Katherine," he repeated, the words hanging in the air like a morbid mantra.
With a final glance at Anna, Noah walked past her, pulling the hood of his dark jacket over his head, effectively disappearing into the shadows. Anna watched him go, a sense of dread settling in her bones. He was spiraling, and she knew, with chilling certainty, that she couldn't control him.
Meanwhile, back on the crowded dance floor, Damon Salvatore was doing what he did best: wreaking havoc. He had found a girl, a willing participant in his game, and was shamelessly groping her bottom as they glided across the dance floor. Elena watched from the relative safety of the punch bowl with Stefan, a mixture of amusement and exasperation on her face.
"You really can't take him anywhere, can you?" she said, shaking her head.
Stefan offered a wry smile. "Uh, no."
Elena's gaze swept across the room, and she suddenly stiffened. Across the dance floor, half-hidden in the shadows, she saw Noah in his hoodie. A cold shiver ran down her spine. She turned back to Stefan, her voice tight with urgency.
"Stefan, the back corner."
Stefan followed her gaze, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the figure in the hoodie. Recognition flashed in his eyes.
"Get Damon and Ashley," he ordered, his voice low and urgent.
Without waiting for a response, Stefan surged forward, weaving through the dancing crowd, his movements swift and purposeful. The boy in the hoodie had already exited the dance floor and was walking down a crowded corridor, disappearing into another, darker hallway.
Stefan quickened his pace, jogging after him. He rounded the corner into the darkened corridor and saw the figure disappearing around another bend. With a burst of supernatural speed, he vamp-sped forward, grabbing the boy by his hoodie and slamming him against the unforgiving metal of the lockers.
The boy looked up at him, his face blank, devoid of any emotion. "What did I do?" he asked, his voice flat.
Stefan stared at him, confused. This wasn't the predatory gaze he had seen on Noah's face. This was just a kid.
"Where is he?" Stefan demanded, his grip tightening on the boy's hoodie.
"I… I was getting a soda, and then this guy gave me his hoodie," the boy stammered, fear flickering in his eyes.
Stefan's gaze darted around the corridor, his mind racing. He realized, with a sinking feeling, that he had been tricked. Distracted. He had left Elena alone.
~~~~~
Elena navigated the crowded dance floor, her eyes scanning the faces for Damon or Ashley.
Her cell phone buzzed, the sudden noise jarring against the festive atmosphere. She pulled it from her pocket and answered, her voice barely audible over the music.
"Hello, Elena." The clipped, unfamiliar voice sent a shiver down her spine.
Elena froze, her senses sharpening. "Who is this?"
"That's not important. What is important is what you're going to do."
Her heart hammered against her ribs. She glanced around, trying to pinpoint the source of the call.
"There's an exit door behind you. You have five seconds."
"No," she managed, the word weak and trembling.
"Or your brother dies."
Elena's gaze flew across the room, landing on the punch bowl. Jeremy stood there, awkwardly serving punch to a small group. Standing near him, seemingly engrossed in his own phone, was a figure she vaguely recognized. It was Noah. A cold knot clenched in her stomach.
"I can snap his neck so fast, I bet there wouldn't even be a witness. Now, start walking." The voice, undoubtedly Noah's, was devoid of emotion, a chilling contrast to the vibrant party around her.
Elena began to back away, her eyes locked on Jeremy and Noah. "Don't you dare touch him."
"Keep walking. Through the door."
Each step backward felt like wading through treacle. Noah started to stroll past Jeremy, still absorbed in his phone. Elena held her breath, her muscles coiled tight, ready to scream, to intervene, to do anything to protect her brother. But Noah passed Jeremy without so much as a glance.
Relief washed over her, quickly followed by a deeper, more terrifying fear. She abruptly ended the call and bolted for the exit, adrenaline surging through her veins.
She burst through the door and fled down the sterile corridor, her heels clicking against the polished floor. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw no one. Had it been a bluff? A cruel, twisted joke? She couldn't take the chance.
She rounded a corner and came to a set of double doors, their surfaces cold and unyielding. She tugged at them frantically, only to find them chained shut, secured with a heavy padlock. Frustration and panic welled up inside her.
Turning back, she saw him. Noah. Walking calmly, deliberately, towards her, his face an impassive mask. The certainty of her peril slammed into her.
Elena whirled around and sprinted down another corridor. She yanked open a door, finding herself in the cavernous school cafeteria. Rows of empty tables stretched before her, the silence amplifying her fear. She raced across the room, towards another set of doors, hoping for an escape. They were locked as well.
Across the room, Noah flung open a set of double doors with unnecessary force, the sound echoing through the empty space. Before Elena could react, he moved with supernatural speed, a blur of motion across the room.
She tried to dodge him, but he was too fast. He grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. A scream tore from her throat, a primal sound of terror. She struggled, kicking and clawing, but his grip was unyielding.
He pulled her close, the coldness of his skin a stark contrast to the heat of her fear, then flung her across a table. The metal legs buckled under the impact, sending her crashing to the floor.
The air was knocked from her lungs. She scrambled back, her eyes darting around for anything, anything at all, to defend herself. Her fingers brushed against something small and cylindrical. A pencil.
She snatched it up, her heart hammering against her ribs. Noah tossed the mangled table aside and strode towards her, his eyes burning with a predatory hunger.
Elena sat up, clutching the pathetic weapon in her trembling hand. He grabbed her and slammed her against the wall, the impact jarring her teeth. He leaned in, his face a mask of inhuman desire. His fangs extended, long and sharp.
He was going to bite her.
Desperation fueled her. She lunged, stabbing the pencil into his stomach.
Noah recoiled, surprised. He looked down at the insignificant puncture wound, disbelief flickering across his face. He plucked the pencil out, his eyes narrowing.
He advanced again, his movements slower now, more cautious. Elena braced herself, ready to attack again. Noah raised a hand defensively, but she didn't hesitate. She thrust the pencil forward, aiming for his face.
The pencil went straight through the palm of his hand.
Noah stared at his impaled hand, a low growl rumbling in his chest. While he was distracted, Elena stabbed him again, this time in the shoulder, and shoved him to floor.
He struggled to get up, his face contorted with rage. Elena scrambled backwards, bumping into something cold and metallic. She turned to see a mop bucket, filled with murky water.
She grabbed the mop, broke the wooden handle over her knee, creating a makeshift stake.
Noah ripped the pencil from his hand and lurched to his feet. As he stalked towards her, she thrust the stake forward, but he was too quick. He grabbed her wrist, his grip like a vise.
He wrenched the stake from her grasp and tossed it aside. Hope dwindled to nothing. He advanced, his eyes fixed on her neck. He was going to bite her.
Elena screamed, but before his fangs could pierce her skin, a blur of motion intervened. Stefan slammed into Noah, sending him sprawling across the floor.
Noah struggled to his feet, turning to face his new attacker.
Damon stood there, nonchalantly twirling a stake between his fingers. "Hey, dickhead."
Noah's gaze shifted between Damon, Elena, and the stake.
"Nobody wants to kill you," Damon continued, his voice deceptively calm. "We just wanna talk."
Noah smirked, then suddenly lunged back towards Elena.
Before he could reach her, a swarm of bats materialized from the shadows, coalescing into a human form. Ashley stood over Noah, her hand plunged deep into his chest.
Noah gasped, his eyes wide with pain and surprise. He dropped to his knees.
Ashley's voice was low and menacing. "You so much as twitch the wrong way and I'll rip out your heart."
Stefan stepped forward. "Now you feel like talkin'?"
"Screw you," Noah spat, defiance flickering in his eyes.
Ashley tightened her grip, just a fraction. Noah groaned, his face contorting in agony.
"You wanna try that again?" Ashley asked, her voice a silken threat.
"Why are you doing this?" Stefan pressed.
Noah laughed, a short, ragged sound. "Because it's fun."
"What do you want with Elena?"
Noah's gaze flickered to Elena, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "She looks like Katherine."
Stefan, Elena, and Damon exchanged shocked glances. Ashley raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.
"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked, his voice tight with suspicion.
Noah chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. "Oh. You thought you were the only ones." He gasped, his breath coming in ragged bursts. "You don't even remember me."
Damon leaned over Noah, his expression hardening. "Tell me how to get in the tomb. Hmm?"
"No," Noah rasped.
Ashley squeezed harder. "I guess you don't like living."
"The grimoire!" Noah yelled, his voice cracking.
"Where is it?" Damon demanded.
"Check the journal. The journal. Johnathan's journal. Johnathan Gilbert's."
Outside the cafeteria, Anna peered through the window, her face a mask of helplessness as she witnessed Noah's torture. Damon stood up, grimacing.
"Who else is working with you?" Stefan demanded.
In the hallways, a door creaked open. Anna heard the sound and vanished, melting back into the shadows before she could be caught. Alaric appeared in the corridor, walking purposefully towards the cafeteria.
"Who else is there?" Damon repeated, his voice laced with impatience.
"No. You're gonna have to kill me," Noah said, a strange satisfaction in his voice.
Damon looked at Stefan, rolled his eyes, and nodded to Ashley. Without hesitation, Ashley ripped out Noah's heart. Elena gasped, recoiling in shock. Noah fell to the floor, his body rapidly desiccating.
"What do we... how are you going to find the others now?" Elena asked, her voice trembling.
Damon shrugged. "He had to die."
"But..."
Stefan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Elena, he's been invited in."
They heard a door open and saw Alaric approaching, peering through the window in the door. Stefan looked at Damon.
"Go. I got this."
Damon walked out of the cafeteria, leaving Stefan to wrap his arm around Elena, comforting her.
Ashley sighed. "I guess I'll take care of the body."