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VII. THE ART OF BETRAYAL
KATHERINE Pierce was not Ivy's first friend, but she was the first woman Ivy had met from outside of Mystic Falls. She was the first woman that was in a way— proof that a woman could survive in the world without a husband or without tending to the home; that is what made Ivy feel drawn to her.
She was different than Claire and Charlotte— more assertive and confident in herself, despite the circumstances that pushed against her. Ivy didn't favor her over her childhood friends; they were just different.
Claire made Ivy feel protected; she was always there with her sharp tongue and wit. The Gilbert girl was far too smart for her time and she made sure everyone was aware of that fact; Claire Gilbert was not going to settle, nor did she need to. Ivy and Charlotte often joked that she reminded them of Elizabeth Bennet from one of their favorite novels, Pride and Prejudice. She was witty and intelligent but often found herself acting impulsively.
Charlotte made Ivy feel at home; there was a certain warmth the Forbes girl carried with her as she ventured around their town. Her soft mannerisms were endearing, as was her passion for learning and the prospect of adventure. Lottie was their own Jane Bennet— kindhearted and full of life.
She had other friends within Mystic Falls, but they paled in comparison to Claire and Charlotte.
That is until Katherine Pierce appeared.
For the first time since her adolescence, Ivy felt like she was able to connect to someone aside from Lottie and Claire; both girls who also found themselves drawn to Katherine.
They were dreamers in a world for men, but Katherine Pierce had men eating from the palm of her hand.
It wasn't that Ivy was entirely convinced that women were purely meant for the home, but she hadn't ever seen a success story of a woman without a man, that is, one that did not exist within the withered pages of a novel.
And yet, despite her father's hateful remarks about how women would never amount to that of a man, there was Katherine Pierce.
Katherine oozed confidence and demanded respect; more often than not, she got it.
That was the true start of their friendship.
Katherine taught Ivy and her friends how to have men on their knees while maintaining their "ladylike" manners.
Ivy didn't like to get attached, she had a horrible track record with it, but the contrast between the hardness Katherine portrayed and the softness she expressed as times had Ivy intrigued.
