Maddie, Madoue, Madness || Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 3 - An aunt, a niece and the elephant in the room

At the end, Madeline spent the day and the night of the comet at home, hidden in her bedroom with a large black sweater, a large pint of vanilla ice-cream and the sexy voice of Johnny Depp in the first three Pirates of the Caribbean. Nothing was better to make her forget about possible monster haunting quaint little Mystic Fall. Did someone say vampire? Blah blah. Vampires were overrated. Pirates were much better, less dead - except if you were called Barbossa, Davy Jones, Bootstrap Bill and, her two favorite characters of the series, Pintel and Ragetti - and much sexier - cough Jack Sparrow cough. Will Turner wasn't bad himself but there was that broody thing sometimes about him that made him... Well, too broody. Legolas was a much better character for Orlando Bloom to play anyway.

When sleep didn't come at the end of the day, she took a sleeping pill, not willing to wait until Elena and Jeremy came back from wherever they were for the night of the comet, probably thinking of Salvatore and Vicki. Jenna was working on her thesis in her bedroom, her mind filled with so many information Madeline only wanted to cut her head so it wouldn't hurt anymore. That, and she could, at last, really focus on something. Although, now that she thought about that, it would be difficult to think without her head. What a pity.

She yawned. Her eyelids felt heavy so she curled on her side under her quilt. Her necklace, slightly cold because of the metal, was hidden between her breasts. Her bedroom's curtains were slightly opened, and from her half-opened eyes she could see the moon reflecting in the mirror. It was... peaceful. Quiet. She fell asleep with Jenna's musings and the mental image of a monster with sharp canines, blood on his lips and chin, and eyes of a hateful demon.

"Vampires don't exist."

"You are going to be okay."

"It's...going to be o-okay love,"

"I love you."

""She's not breathing."

"And the boy?"

"Time of death, 3:38 a.m."

"Not so pretty anymore looking like that."

"Hello sis, it's Jeremy. Again. Wake up please."

"Please, I need you. I really need you sis."

"M-mom? Where? S-Seb?"

Fear. Hopelessness. Despair. Everything hurt. Someone is there.

"Sebastian? Is it you?"

"Mom? Dad?"

A hand on her shoulder. Her neck torn apart. Blood. So much blood. The red thread yanked her out harshly.

Madeline woke up in a cold sweat, her hair stuck on her forehead and her heart pounding. Her whole body was shaking and she couldn't calm down. She hid her face in her trembling hands. And bit her lips to keep herself from screaming. The voices were already there. Jenna was telling Elena she wouldn't be there in the evening as she had to go at College and would exceptionally spend the night there. She didn't say it, but she was going to drink with some friends as she really needed some time out of her late sister's home. Elena thought of her kiss with Salvatore before she realized she had not thought of their parents this morning. Jeremy was trying hard to not look at their parents' picture.

Overwhelmed, Madeline caught the first thing she could reach - her bedside lamp - and threw it on her wall. The light bulb shattered, pieces of glass falling on the ground.

*What was that?!*

*Maddie!*

Voices, hateful eyes, blood, scream. Her throat hurt and Madeline realized she was screaming. Jenna flung open the door of her bedroom, the wood hitting the wall behind in a loud sound. Jeremy and Elena were behind her aunt, looking worried.