Awaiting a Changing fate ↠ Elijah Mikaelson

04

Lottie used her index finger to lift up Jessica's chin and examine where the blood flowed from. She jumped back and stumbled to get up when Jessica's head fell clean off the rest of her body.

"Where is her hand?" She asked, trying to stop looking, but she couldn't. Little bits and pieces of Jessica's body lay scattered throughout the cellar, leaving a clump of corpse for everyone to find.

Surprisingly, Elijah thought that Lottie took it quite well. Even he cringed at the site of this body, and he's seen many before, but not as bad as this. Most girls would run away screaming or crying out to someone else, but Lottie got even closer to examine.

"This couldn't have been a vampire" Elijah shook his head "a) they wouldn't be as stupid as to leave it where someone could find it b) the girl is lying in her own blood, if it were a vampire bat inflicted this, there would be minimal amounts, as that is what we kill for" Elijah explained

"And it couldn't have been you; you were here with me" she said "it doesn't mean you aren't covering for your brother; I've heard many things about him, awful things"

"I assure you that the only reason I am here with my brother is to keep him on the straight and narrow. We may be vampires but we are still honourable people; Klaus wouldn't let her bleed out in the floor either" Elijah retaliated, standing his ground

"Your point is fair" she said "now what I ask of you next will tally up how trustworthy you are"

"What is it you need?" Elijah asked with a keen interest

"Leave this cellar with me without a word of what we have seen" she said "everybody has put a tremendous amount of effort towards this party to be ruined; Jessica isn't going to move, we'll lock the cellar and allow someone else to find it"

Elijah was taken aback by how she suggested the cover up, to buy time and return to festivities upstairs. He feels like an accomplice in a murder neither of them had committed. But if this is what she wishes, if that's what would earn her trust, then he would comply.

He nodded his head "we will wait until everybody has gone home; we don't want everyone speaking of it"

Lottie checked her hands and her clothes for any signs of blood before grasping her skirt and sneakily walking back up the stairs.

Elijah followed, using his hearing to see if the coast was clear. It certainly was.

The two incorporated themselves back into the party as if nothing had happened whatsoever. Though Elijah kept staring at her from across the room, wondering how she was so calm, and how she could laugh and have a drink with her guests, like normal.

But Lottie didn't feel like normal, she looked around the room for her friends, William, Charles, her father. None of them were anywhere to be seen.

After a few minutes of pleasantries with the high society, Lottie excused herself and pushed through the waves of people to look for a familiar face. One that wasn't Elijah Mikaelson.

Eventually she saw the face of her fiancé, blood specks on the corner of his collar and under his chin. "What on earth happened?" She asked, striding up to him. She retrieved her handkerchief from her pocket and quickly wiped him clean.

"I had gotten into a scuffle during cards" he said "everything is fine now"

"Where is your wound?" She dabbed the rest of the blood from him, though some of the red stained his white collar.

"Tis not my blood" after a while he spoke "I was never touched"

She tucked her handkerchief back into her dress and looked at him oddly "you know I don't condone this gambling obsession of yours"

"You know I don't particularly care of your opinions; Tis you that should listen to me" he snapped back, though he whispered it in her ear so nobody could take wind of their domestic

"You've been drinking, I can smell it on you" she observed, grimacing at the stench

"So what if I have?" He said like a rebellious teenager, he rested a hand on her shoulder and slowly began to lower it to her chest area.

Lottie glanced at him sharply, causing him to jump back, feeling a small electric shock through his veins

"You little..." He began to say but was interrupted by the sound of a knife tapping against glass

"Ladies and gentlemen" Joseph sounded "I know our celebrations did not start til late, but better late than never"

Lottie turned around, giving William the cold shoulder.

"First I'd like to congratulate the happy couple on their engagement, and the fusing together of two communities" Lottie and William smiled and waved slightly at the staring eyes "and I would like to welcome William up to say a few words"

There was a faint clap from the crowd as William went up to speak. Lottie didn't care to listen, instead she was distracted by Elijah coming up behind her.

"Are you alright?" He asked "I heard..."

"...I know what you heard" she interrupted, looking straight ahead to seem interested "he is drunk; it happens usually, but he will apologise in the morning"

The speech came to an end and Lottie was then invited up to give a smile and a wave to the guests. Once they had finished, she could leave and go to sleep. She was so worn out from the events of tonight. Everything could wait til tomorrow.

Joseph placed his hand on the bottom of Lottie's back to guide her up to the front. She flashed a smile to the guests who seemed to be more interested in the alcohol rather than them.

"Father I am worn from tonight's events" she turned to him when everybody had lost all interest "I have played my part so do I have permission to leave the party?"

Joseph gave her a cold look "you are to leave your own engagement party? It looks like you aren't even enjoying it" he scoffed "leave, you'll only serve as a weight on the rest of the night"

Lottie nodded her head and quickly walked up the stairs. She had gotten used to the way he spoke to her, it was like everything she did he hated. He would certainly prefer William to be of his blood and not her.

She untied her corset and gripped it tightly to step out and into her night clothes.

She reached over for the curtains to pull them across when a flash of red caught her by surprise. She held her hand closer to her face, why was it covered in blood? It wasn't like she had touched anybody.

Lottie stumbled for the dress that lay on the floor, to take a look for any stains that could've been in plain sight.

But right at the back of the dress, just below where her corset strings would knot, a hand print stained. It was a thin layer of blood, but it still was blood.

And why on earth was it on her dress?