The Gilbert Twins (Book 2) (ON HOLD)

Chapter Twenty Two: Before Sunset

The next morning Holly forced herself to go to the school to help clean up the gym. Caroline was originally supposed to do it, but Holly had offered. She just wanted to get out of the house, she couldn't bear to be there a second later. It was just too depressing to think about it. Alaric was dead. He couldn't be dead, could he?

She opened the gym doors and saw Rebekah who had apparently returned back to her own body angrily cleaning up balloons. She raised an eyebrow in Holly's direction. "And what are you doing here? Where's Caroline?"

"She couldn't make it." She lied.

Rebekah shrugged. "You're late, you were supposed to be here at eight."

"Rebekah it's 8:02," Holly said frustrated.

"Exactly, I manage to come on time to clean up after the dance that I didn't even get to attend." She replied hotly.

Holly detected sadness in her tone and she sighed. Rebekah was right, Holly knew that deep down all Rebekah wanted was to be a normal high school girl and yet she had missed two school dances and one of them had been Holly's fault. "I'm sorry about your mom, I know she wasn't the nicest person, but still I'm sorry."

Rebekah nodded. "I'm sorry about your teacher, he seemed like a really nice guy."

Holly bit her lip. "He was."

"I'm going to go clean up the hallway." Rebekah exited the gym and was halfway through when she ran into Alaric. She felt a chill go down her spine. "You're supposed to be dead."

"I am." Alaric pinned Rebekah against the locker, he held up the white oak stake and was about to stab it against Rebekah's heart when Holly pulled him away from her. "Rebekah, run." She shouted.

Holly saw a flash go next to her, Holly turned around and before she could even blink, Alaric came behind her and snapped her neck.
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Elena was upstairs trying to figure out which room to paint first-Aunt Jenna's or her dead parents. Her cell phone rang and she frowned when she saw caller ID-Alaric. "However this is, is not funny." She said into the receiver.

"Well, who else would it be?"

"Ric?"

Alaric turned towards Holly who he had forced into a chair. Two wooden pencils were jabbed in her hands to prevent her from moving. A cloth dosed with vervain was wrapped around her mouth so that there were burnt marks and there were tears falling down her face. Perfect. "Listen closely I'm at the school and I have your sister and if you want to keep her alive, I suggest you come here right away. If you tell anyone where you're going, I will kill her."
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Holly raised her head, it took every ounce of will power not to scream in pain. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't Alaric, that it was his evil alter ego, Alaric would never do this. She heard the door creak open as Elena came into the room.

Alaric smirked. "Right on time."

"Holly." Elena whispered as she looked at her injured sister. "Let her go Alaric."

"Free her yourself."

Alaric and Elena exchanged looks as Elena walked towards Holly. Elena gently stroke her sister's hair. "It's going to be ok, Holly." She pulled out the pencil and Holly neatly moaned in relief. But the painless experience lasted only a few seconds because Alaric jabbed the pencil again in her hands.

"You said that you would let her go!" she said.

"How many times do I have to tell you Elena?" Alaric shouted. "Stop trusting vampires."

"Alaric, please," Holly whispered as Alaric took the vervain rag from her mouth. "Please don't do this, this is not you."

"This is me, Holly." Alaric said as he placed the vervain rag in vervain again and placed it again over her mouth. Holly's skin stated to burn. "The real me."