The Elusive Katherine Pierce

Bonnie's Offer

• Mystic Falls, 1864•

Once the vervain had worn off, the younger vampires went crazy inside our tomb. They were screaming off the top of their lungs and punching at varies walls hoping they could break through the rock. But I knew their efforts were useless, Katherine had a plan and she clearly wanted us gone. Out of her way, so she could have a happy life without us around to bother her.

When I woke up, Pearl had been sitting next to me and once I saw her, relief filled me because I had someone here with me. Someone who hadn't betrayed me and cared for me as if I was her daughter. But it didn't take me long to realize there was tears running down her cheeks and one look at me, she burst into tears. After a few minutes, her tears ran out and that's when she told me that Annabelle wasn't here. When she woke up, her first instinct was to see if her daughter was among us. When Pearl came up empty handed, she began to fear the worst. But once she found me, some hope came back to her, but she was hurting.

As we sat on the floor, we watched the younger vampires waste their energy in trying to get out. I pity them, they were so young vampires, most of them had been turned by Katherine and some of them were still trying to learn how to control the urges. The ones who had learned control hadn't even gotten their daylight rings yet because Emily was too busy doing things for Katherine that require her immediate attention. Things that involved us being sealed in this tomb.

"I never saw it coming." Pearl whispered. "Katherine played us all, even me."

A tear fell down my cheek, "She left me. She walked right out of that church, and left me there."

"All for her own selfish reasons." Pearl actually chuckled as a tear fell down her cheek. "But she will finally get what she wants, Niklaus thinking that she is dead. Death by fire and with that Katerina Petrova has her freedom at the cost of ours."

Silence fell between us, with the echo of the other vampires starting to fight each other in the background. I glanced down at my hands, my memory flashing back to me reaching out for Katherine to take me with her. I had surrendered myself to her in that moment and that wasn't enough for her.

"She said she would come back for me, do you believe she was speaking the truth?" I asked, breaking the silence.

I could feel Pearl eyes on me while I continued to look down at my hands, before she sighed. "I think there was some truth in her promise, Juliana. Had she only locked you in here, I believe yes, she would come back for you because she knowns you would never breath a word about this incident. But if she was to come back to you now, it would be at the cost of all of us and she would never risk it."

I felt myself beginning to get choked up over hearing Pearl's words and I finally looked up at her with tear filled eyes. "Had I listened to her from the beginning, I would not be in this situation. She would have taken me with her." I cried out before crying into my hands.

Pearl put her hand on my back and began to rub it, "I do not know about that, Juliana." My head quickly shot up and looked at her with confusion. "If Katherine was to choose between you and her freedom, her freedom would come first and you would be a piece of dirt beneath her shoe."

I stared at her, shocked from her words but I knew she only meant the truth behind them. I looked back at the vampires, "Will we ever see the outside again?"

~

• Mystic Falls, Present Day•

Pain.

That is all I felt at this point for there was nothing else to feel. Each time I died, I thanked it. It put an end to my pain, even if it was for a little bit, but it was a relief from my struggling.