CHAPTER FIVE / ACT ONE

A Night To Remember

Angelina, Stefan, and Damon stood by one another and observed the dance together for anything unusual while Elena conversed with her friends, Bonnie Bennett and Caroline. During the time they had been there, Angelina and Elena have kept as distant from one another as conceivable to avoid suspicion.

The 1950's were Angelina's favorite decade. Regardless of the entirety of the conflict and all the negativity going on, she was couldn't lie, the music was astonishing. Most of the time, she was either dancing until her feet hurt, or on the run from Klaus.

Yet, during the 1950's, it felt more calm for her. It had been long after she and Kathrine separated meaning she felt all the more free during those days.

"When's this guy gonna get here?" Angelina complained, setting her empty cup of punch on the table next to them. "I'm hungry, bored, and school dances are definitely not as fun as I thought they were."

"You're always bored, nothing new." Stefan argued with her.

"And you're always brooding, nothing new." She rolled her eyes without sparing him a glance.

"How about you guys play nice while I go as far away from you two as possible to keep my sanity?" Damon groaned before walking away from them both and heading towards Elena and her friends.

The brunette rolled her eyes and kept on watching everybody talk and dance together, attempting to discover any individual who appeared to be to some degree suspicious.

However Angelina was concerned as to why Elena had been attacked. Elena didn't appear to have any vampire foes who might really attempt to kill her, in light of what she thought about her. So the possibility is that an 1864 vampire confused Elena with her or Katherine, which was the last thing she needed right now.

"How much longer do we have to wait?!" She complained.

"We've barely been here for ten minutes." Stefan rolled his eyes. "If you don't want to be here than just leave."

"I would, but this is my attempt at getting on your good side." She replied, leaning back against the table that stood behind them.

"And why would you need to be on my good side?"

"Because, Stefan," She began, her tone becoming more series's. "I'm not gonna argue with you every time I see your face. Given what you did today, I'd love to slap the shit out of you, but like I said, good side."

Stefan glanced at her yet she remained gazing at the crowd of teens dancing with a uninterested demeanor all over. Just then, Elena came up behind them, apparently attempting to conceal her face from the crowd.

"Hey, would you like to dance?" She asked Stefan, a small smile forming on her face.

Stefan turned his head away from Angelina and over to Elena, and returned her smile. "I'd love too, but unfortunately, someone has to babysit Angelina."

"I don't need a babysitter, Stefan." Angelina sighed, crossing her arms and furrowing her eyebrows at him in annoyance. "I'm perfectly fine at handling myself."

"And I don't trust that you won't get yourself into any trouble." He replied as he took a look around the dance in search for his brother, who he soon spotted talking to Bonnie and Caroline. "Come on."

Stefan took Angelina by the hand and led her over to Bonnie, Damon, and Caroline. However the two girls had left their table by the time they arrived at the table.

"Where did they go?" Elena asked Damon curiously.

"I don't know." The Salvatore shrugged.

"What'd you say to em'?" Stefan rolled his eyes.

"I was perfectly polite." He told him, which all of them knew that probably wasn't true. "Elena, would you like to dance?"

"I would love to." Elena smiled and turned her head over to her boyfriend. "May I have this dance?"

Elena locked arms with her boyfriend and left Damon and Angelina as Stefan smiled and let go of her doppelgängers hand. Angelina battled to conceal her apparent laugh at Damon, who was just rolling his eyes.

"Wow, Damon." She giggled. "Losing to your baby brother? Weren't you supposed to be a ladies man?"

"Oh shut up." He slapped the back of her head playfully and proceeded to watch the crowd, as well as Angelina, dance.

A few dances passed, and the two stayed silent, quickly hiding Angelina's face from the crowd every now and then to avoid the trouble of compelling them. Just then, the new history teacher, Mr. Saltzman, surprisingly walked over to the two.

"Hey Elena," He greeted Angelina, unbeknownst to her real identity. "It's nice to see you here."

Angelina gave him her best smile, unconcerned about her ability to pass herself off as Elena.

"Hey!" She greeted him, unaware of his name. "Nice to see you here too."

Mr. Saltzman smiled once more and turned his attention over to Damon. "I don't recognize you, how'd you get roped into chaperoning?"

Damon's eyes shifted toward him with a confused expression, unaware of his name as well.

"Alaric Saltzman, I'm the new history teacher." He introduced himself before Damon could ask and held a hand out for him to shake.

"Ah, the cursed faculty position." Damon shook his hand, referring to the death of their recent history teacher before him.

"So I've been told."

"Damon Salvatore." Damon introduced himself.

"Salvatore?" Alaric raised his eyebrows. "As in, uh- Stefan?"

"He's my little brother." He answered. "I'm his legal guardian, hence the chaperoning."

"Do you two know each other, Elena?" Alaric asked Angelina, who was tuning out the conversation.

"Oh uh-" She snapped out of her trance. "Yeah, Stefan and I are dating, so y'know.. Damon and I are friends."

"Oh," He nodded his head. "I hear he's very bright, not that I've had the chance to see for myself."

"Well his attendance records a little spotty," Damon replied. "Family drama."

"No parents?"

"Nope, it's just the two of us." He said. "Well, and Elena of course." He turned his head over to Angelina and smiled sarcastically.

Alaric nodded his head. "You live here your whole life?"

"On and off, travel a bit."

"Really, where? Around the states?"

Damon looked across at him, a combination of irritation and suspicion on his face, wondering why Alaric had been asking so many questions about him.

"Heh- I'm sorry." Alaric noticed his suspicion. "I'm nosy, I don't mean to pry."

"It was nice meeting you."

"You too."

"Nice seeing you Elena, see you in class." He said to Angelina, who gave him another fake smile along with a nod, before walking away from them.

"He was weird." She furrowed her eyebrows as she watched him disappear into the crowd.

"Probably nothing to worry about." Damon shrugged carelessly.

Angelina huffed and adjusted her posture as she examined the dance to find where Stefan and Elena were.

"I'm going to go dance." She told him.

"How exactly are you going to do that?"

"Just watch." She grinned devilishly before stepping off into the crowd whilst Damon watched from afar. She pushed through the multitude of children moving, who were too centered around their accomplices to see Elena's clone running by.

She before long advanced over to the two dancing, and before they could notice her, she grabbed Elena by the hand and swung her around to dance with her.

"Sorry Elena, mind if I steal your date?"

Before she could respond, she spun her around to dance with someone else nearby and went to confront Stefan, who remained there with a miserable appearance all over.

"Can you not pick fights with my girlfriend?" He lectured her, but she didn't appear to mind. She took his hand in hers and began dancing with him, and he didn't stop her. "That was risky and you know it."

"Risky is my middle name, Stefan."

"You're not being careful," He continued to argue with her. "You could get caught."

"Relax." She sighed. "You underestimate me."

Suddenly, a slower song began playing which made Angelina smile.

"How about I lay my head on your shoulder, then it'll easier to hide my face?" She offered just to get him to stop complaining. "Then, we can dance in peace."

"Or, we could not dance at all."

"But you're dancing with me now and no one noticed. I'm just makin' it easer for you."

Stefan rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat, trying not to start a pointless argument with her. "Fine."

Angelina expanded her grin as she set her head on his chest to conceal her face. The past couple of days had been the most chaotic for her, and this was exactly what she needed.

When she's with Stefan, every last bit of her concerns and tensions disappear, and she has a sense of security and assurance. Regardless of his "hatred" for her. However she was very much aware that this would not last forever.

"You can't hate me forever, Stefan." She said, her tone now more serious. "I don't want you to hate me forever."

"Well, once you've given me a reason to not hate you," He began. "Maybe I can tolerate you."

"That's good enough for me." She sighed, a small smile appearing on her face. "Well as long as you don't lock me in a cellar and torture me again."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes as they swayed to the music, waiting for the song to finally end. Angelina had insisted on this dance, and Stefan obliged, even though he wasn't much of a dancer, especially not slow dances, which seemed to be the only thing the DJ knew how to play.

Suddenly, Stefan pulled back, indicating his desire to leave the dance floor. Angelina caught his signal and they maneuvered through the crowd of dancing teens toward where Elena stood.

As they moved, Angelina caught sight of the worried look on the Gilbert's face, her own eyebrows furrowing in concern. She quickened her pace toward the doppelgänger, her heart suddenly heavy with worry.

"The back corner," Elena explained, which drew their attention to the back of the room, where a mysterious man in a black hoodie stood with his head held low and his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Get Damon," Stefan ordered as he urgently took off towards the man in the hoodie, the Petrova trailing behind.

The man saw them coming after him and took off into the darkness. They hurried after him into the hallways which was overwhelmed with a bunch of students, making it harder for them to find him.

"Over there!" Angelina spotted him turning a corner into an empty hallway, and when the coast was clear, they both sped over to him.

Stefan took him by the coat and tossed him against the lockers. She scrunched her nose, confused. The person resembled some normal, possibly high, teenage boy. Not some rapid vampire.

"What did I do?" The boy spoke calmly.

"Where is he?" Stefan furrowed his eyebrows, realizing he most definitely wasn't the guy either.

"I was getting a soda, and then this guy gave me his hoodie." He answered truthfully.

"Great." Angelina facepalmed herself as Stefan let go of the boy and he immediately walked away from them both.

"Let's split up," He said. "But just stay away from people, got it?" He ordered before walking off back into the crowd of people.

Angelina shrugged off her initial frustration and darted down another dimly lit hallway, her eyes scanning eagerly for the man. When he remained elusive, she ventured into one hallway after another, distancing herself from the bustling crowds of students that filled every corner.

Finally, she stopped in a corridor, her forehead creased in confusion. Just as she was about to turn back and search for Stefan, a commotion erupted from the cafeteria at the end of the hall.

Without hesitation, Angelina dashed into the cafeteria, where she found a man in a somber, dark suit launching an attack on Elena.

With lightning speed, she lunged towards the man, grabbing him by the shirt and hurling him off Elena, sending him crashing to the floor. As she turned to check on a frightened Elena, she gestured urgently towards a mop nearby.

"Elena, toss me that mop!" she demanded, her eyes locked on the threat.

Elena, trembling but obedient, hesitated before grabbing the mop and tossing it to her. With a swift motion, she snapped the mop in half, turning each piece into makeshift stakes before the man could even rise to his feet.

He sprang up, moving towards her with menacing speed, but before he could strike, she thrust one of the stakes into his chest, the wood sinking deep but missing his heart by inches.

With a sharp groan, he seized the stake with one hand and her wrist with the other, twisting her hand and ripping out the stake from his chest, flinging it across the room.

"Okay then-"

"Angelina!" Stefan's voice echoed across the cafeteria, snapping her attention away from the vampire. Without a second thought, she aimed a swift, hard kick at the vampire's knee, sending him crashing to the floor.

Turning towards Stefan, she watched as he approached her alongside Elena. Just then, the cafeteria doors swung open, revealing Damon's entrance, his eyes locked on the vampire.

"Hey, dickhead!" Damon barked, carrying the other end of the broken mop. "Nobody wants to kill you, we just wanna talk."

Ignoring Damon's remarks, the vampire lunged towards the doppelgängers with ferocious speed once again. Damon tossed the stake to the other side of the room, where Stefan caught it. Just as the vampire closed in, Stefan stabbed the stake into his chest, sending him collapsing to the ground.

"Now you feel like talking?" He taunted him.

"Screw you." The vampire snapped.

Stefan took the mop and drove it deeper into his chest. "Wrong answer."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's fun."

Angelina pushed the stake deeper into his chest, scraping against the edges of his heart. She reveled in the way he screamed in pain.

"Ang, stop it, you're killing him." The Salvatore interjected, pulling her away.

"Yes, that's sort of the point!" She argued. Anxiously balling her fists, she groaned in frustration. The more information the man gave out, the closer they would be to opening the tomb. She herself had no idea how to open it, which already came as a disadvantage to her. She didn't need everyone else finding out too.

He rolled his eyes before returning his gaze to the vampire. "What do you want with them?"

"They look like the Pierce girls."

Angelina's head perked up and everyone turned their head towards her.

"Excuse me? I'm Angelina." She stepped closer to him to get a better look on whether she had seem him before or not. "How do you know me?"

"You don't even remember me." He scoffed.

"No, I don't actually."

"Tell me how to get in the tomb." Damon interrupted.

"No."

Once again, Stefan twisted the stake in his chest, causing him to yell out in pain. He let go of the stake but continued to let it sit in the man's chest.

"The grimoire!" He said in a shaky tone.

"Where is it?" Damon continued to interrogate him. When the man didn't answer, Stefan twisted the stake once more.

"The journal!" He yelled. "Jonathan's journal! Jonathan Gilbert's."

"Can't you just kill this guy already?" Angelina bit her lip and tapped her against the floor nervously.

"No, you're gonna have to kill me." The man whispered.

"Fine by me." She exclaimed before ripping the stake out of his chest and stabbing it through the guy's heart, his blood splattering on her face. Slowly, this body turned gray and became limp as he fell to the floor dead.

"What do we-" Elena stammered in a panic. "How- How are we gonna find the others now?!"

"Is that how you say thank you? Be glad your alive." Angelina spat as she threw the stake to the ground and walked out of the cafeteria alone, wiping the blood from her face.

"There's no way that he was working alone." Damon remarked, lounging against the doorframe opposite Stefan and Angelina, while Elena had already left the building to head home.

"You are." Stefan remarked which his brother ignored. "So the grimoire, it was Emily's, right?"

"It's what you need to reverse the spell? When the founding families burned her, they took her things, and you are hoping that dad's journal would tell you where it is."

Angelina perked up, intrigued by the discussion, particularly the grimoire. If it held the answers they needed to undoing the spell and opening the tomb, she needed to find it before they did. At the very least, destroy it before they could read it.

"Look at you, putting all the pieces together." Damon gave his brother a sarcastic compliment. "Good for you."

"I was half right. Well it's out there now, let the games begin."

"My offer still stands," Stefan responded.

"Yeah, with some hidden caveats, no doubt."

"No, nothing hidden about it." He denied. "No lies, no deception. I'm there when you open that tomb. You and Katherine go, and the other twenty six vampires die."

Angelina bit her lower lip even more firmly as before, almost drawing blood. Stefan, according to what she knew, didn't want the tomb to be opened as much as she wanted in the first place. Now she'd be up against two Salvatore brothers at once which is the last thing she needed.

Nonetheless, she needed them to believe she wants to help them as well.

"If I agree?" Damon continued to question.

"I'll help you."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm your brother."

"Nah, that's not gonna cut it." He shook his head.

"Because I want you gone." Stefan answered truthfully.

"Me too." Angelina spoke up, lifting herself off the door frame.

"You said you didn't want her back?" Damon furrowed his eyebrows, suspicious of her intentions.

"I've come to the conclusion that I want Katherine out of the tomb just as much as you do. I'll help the both of you. Like Stefan said, no lies, no nothing." She exhaled.

Damon stared intensely at the two, contemplating their offer, and a small silence fell over the three.

"Okay." He whispered in agreement. Before anyone could say another word, he walked away from the two towards the exit with Stefan just about to follow behind when Angelina grasped his arm.

"Do you trust me now?" She asked him bluntly. "I mean I did save your girlfriend's life today; I think I should gain some sort of trust from you."

Stefan looked up and down at her as she let go of his arm and gazed down at the ground, waiting for an answer.

"I'll tolerate you now." He said, though the same stoic expression remained on his face. Angelina smiled, though it didn't feel right. His trust was just what she wanted. But now that she has it, all she can think about is how guilty she feels as she dug herself further and further into her pit of lies.

If they do manage to open the tomb, she couldn't imagine the reaction she'll receive when they realize Katherine wasn't in there. Not only from Stefan, but from Damon as well. The one time she receives their trust, it was all a lie; and it was killing her.

AUTHORS NOTE
i like this chapter cause it actually feels like the stories actually getting somewhere

double update in one day 🤓

ty for reading loves ❤️❤️