Empty Crown ⚜ Klaus Mikaelson

13. 𝙎𝙝𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘿𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙨 (𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙂𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙞𝙩)

Imelda let out a groan.

Hazel eyes slowly blinked open and she found her head was splitting. For a brief moment she thought it was because of Iris but as she shot up and groaned loudly, she realized that wasn't the case.

"Hey, you're awake." Alaric's voice was gentle and low. Imelda squeezed her eyes shut and massaged her temples. He chuckled. "You might want to grab a shower, Damon and Elena are on their way."

After last night, Alaric had decided Imelda had enough. He stopped by her house but after a pitiful plea of not wanting to be alone, she had a few bags packed and was now living with her history teacher.

If it was a good thing, neither of them knew, seeing as he let Imelda get black out drunk. At the time, she wasn't complaining and even confessed to calling Klaus and inviting Rebekah into her house. From what she remembered, Alaric never judged her.

"Did you get the pictures printed out?" Imelda whispered, forcing her tired body to stand. She blinked and squinted as he nodded, setting down a brown paper bag. The scent of muffins wafted her way, the urge to shower could wait as her stomach growled.

Alaric chuckled as Imelda descended on the muffins like it was her last meal. "While Damon teaches Elena more about killing vampires, I figured we could go over the pictures, see what we can't figure out."

Imelda nodded, already eating half of a chocolate chip muffin. "Did you take Elena down to the cave?" She flopped down into a kitchen chair as Alaric passed her a take-away coffee cup.

"We did this morning but she had some things to take care of before heading here." Alaric grabbed a muffin and ate it as he began spreading out the photos he took of the caves.

"Well, I'm gonna shower and tell myself I'll never get drunk again." Imelda quipped, finishing off the muffin and downing half of he black coffee. "Don't eat all the muffins." She called, leaving a chuckling Alaric behind her.

Imelda wasn't sure why she felt better, aside from the pounding in her head. All she really knew was that she felt more free. Iris was gone and after her trying to kill Imelda, she saw her sister for what she had been all along.

Iris Parker was the screwed up one.

She was the outcast, the one that wanted to hide from the world but demanded everyone listen when she spoke. She tried to play innocent but she had so many dark secrets she grew to fear the world.

She was controlling of Imelda, she didn't want her to have any friends, she had twisted and wormed her way into Imelda's life so greatly Imelda thought she was the one who pulled away from everyone.

The truth was, Imelda Fell wasn't the outcast.

She could ease into crowds, she wasn't afraid to say to much but knew when to bite her tongue. She wasn't anything like Iris and Imelda was going to prove that to the world but she was going to prove it most of all, to herself.

So maybe that was why Imelda felt better, even as she took a cold shower, rushing through with chattering teeth. As she dried off quickly and dressed in simple clothes she loved, she was going to start from that moment being herself, whoever she was, she'd find.

Imelda would stay human and face this world with her friends that she had never really lost. Imelda not have much family in Mystic Falls, but she wasn't alone and she wouldn't ever be alone.

The only thing she had to figure out was Klaus coming back and turning her. How to save Elena and how to completely free Stefan but Imelda learned that the world passed easier if you took one step at a time.