❝  death keeps knocking on my door  ❞

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Sex.

A completely normal activity you do with someone you love romantically. Not, necessarily, your best friend.

However, Josie Saltzman did it anyway.

And right after the fact, went to Europe with her sister. Completely avoiding her best friend Katherine on the way out.

Maybe it was a mutual avoidance, though. As Katherine literally made sure to stay away from the witches hall as much as she could before Josie left. So for that, she spent much of her time in the basement, with a old dead man who claims to be called The Necromancer.

She leans against the bars of the cell as Alaric slams a meat cleaver into the Necromancers head. "Was that really necessary?" Says the monster.

"I told you I need answers."

"Why would I help you? You have me in chains." Necromancer huffs. "This indignity will not go unpunished."

Sighing, Katherine vamp speeds at the monster, breaking his chair, and pinning him to the wall. "We have been at this for days. Answer our questions, or I'm gonna peel your skin off like a grape and eat it with my salad." She snaps.

The Necromancer chuckles. "A pretty vampire, aren't you?" He asks her. "Lots of death reeking of your body. I wonder what your mother would think of what you've become." Katherines smirk falters, but she doesn't move. Dr. Saltzman grabs another chair. "That threat; a rather grotesque effort, considering it will feel like the delicate tickle of a feather."

"All right." Katherine moves him back into his new chair, Dr. Saltzman whipping out a blowtorch. "Let's see how this feels."

"Dr. Saltzman."

They all turn to see Hope. "Oh, there you are, lovely girl. I was wondering if you'd come visit me again. How's your friend, the one I saw you with earlier, trying to steal an illicit peek at me?" He smirks.

"As we speak, he's having an emotional reunion with his dead girlfriend." Katherine frowns at Hopes words, glaring at Necromancer. "I assume we have you to thank?"

"Poor dear. Her spirit was clinging to him like a vine in winter. It took barely any effort. Just a little wrinkle of the nose, and poof." He grins. "Young love reborn. You're lucky that's all I did. The way you've treated a man of my stature, you should be ashamed."

Alaric tosses his hands in the air. "Literally nobody knows who you are." He says as he walks away.

Necromancer scoffs. "That's impossible."

"I'll check on Raf." Alaric says, Hope following close behind.

Katherine walks away from the monster. "You're a natural born killer, aren't you?" She turns her head to glance at him. "And quite miserable with life too. I-If you want an end to this misery, simply bring me the knife and I'll be on my way-"

"Katherine!" Alaric calls. Katherine shakes her head, focusing on her shoes as she slams the cell shut, walking away.

"I take it things aren't going well?" Asks Hope as she walks alongside Katherine and Alaric.

The Valentine rolls her eye. "He's a diva." She replies.

"So what's the plan?" Hope glances at Alaric. "I know you don't want to give over the knife, but we can't have him raising the lost loved ones of every person in this school."

"I will handle it. I have questions that need answers."

Katherine chimes in. "And I will be ripping off his fingers and feed them to him one by one." She smiles.

"Okay, well, I'm not sure your methods are the most effective." Hope replies.

"My methods are quite effective, just let me use them." Katherine argues.

Alaric rolls her eyes. "Girls. I said I will handle it. Now, just stay away from him." Alaric snaps. He turns around, Katherine looking up when the two of them freeze.

"Katherine." The woman was short, but taller than Katherine when the vampire isn't wearing heals. Her long dark wavy hair is curled beautifully. She wears a purple blouse and black pants.

Hope frowns. "Who's that?"

Katherines eyes are wide. "My mother." She chokes out. Antionette Valentine looks around the building. Without a second thought, Katherine vamp speeds at the woman, shoving her into the wall. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Antionette struggles under her daughters grip. "Get your hands off of me, you filthy bastard." She growls. But she's no use, no powers.

Katherine slams the woman's body into the wall. "How about I shove them in your chest and rip out your ugly heart?" Her veins pop out from under her eyes, and students begin to stare.

"Katherine, stand down!" Alaric orders. Katherine sneers at her mother, counting the ways she could rip her face off with a pencil sharpener. "Katherine!"

The vampire drops her mother in an instinct. Antionette pants heavily. Katherine turns around, an evil glint in her eyes. Chuckling, she smirks. "Game on." She hums before walking past Alaric.

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Antionette groans as her daughter ties her to a chair. "Is this necessary?"

Katherine rolls her eyes. "Why are you here?" She orders.

"Like I know, last thing I remember is you killing me." The woman snaps.

"After you tried to stake me!" Katherine argues.

"And now you're cursed to be unable to die until your 17 years of vampirism are over." Antionette sneers. Katherine falls silent. "How long has it been? That Alaric fellow seemed to have aged. And if that girl was Hope Mikaelson-"

Katherine cuts her off. "It's been sixteen, Mother." She said, her face stone cold. Antionette hums, smiling to herself. "Why did you do it? I would've died so much sooner if you had just let me be." Katherine says.

Antionette chuckles. "You were the age of 17 when you decided life wasn't worth living." Katherine frowns, remembering the days quickly. "You were so beautiful, so pure. So, happy."

"And then you tried to kill me in the Harvest, and then you worked for Dahlia." Katherine says coldly.

"And then you ruined it all by killing yourself and turning you into one of those horrid creatures." Antionette cries. "My baby, my legacy, a monster." Katherine stares her down, only feeling anger.

Katherine shakes her head. "I was nothing of the sort until you cursed me to die." She says. "I could've been good. I could've been happy. I could've married the love of my life."

"Kaleb Westphall? Please," Antionette scoffs. "He was useless. You were so much better than him."

"I loved him." She sneers. Katherines eyes water as she falls to her knees. "I never even got to be human with him, or Matt. I never got to know what it's like to be happy with someone for a life time, because of you." She cries. "You made me like this. You're the reason I died!"

Antionette shakes her head. "It was all your fault."