CHAPTER THIRTY THREE    /    ACT TWO

Betrayal is Our Bond

                              Strands of her brunette hair fell from the curling iron as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Steam rose from the curler, prompting coughs from the girl as she watched her face. Angelina released her hair from the iron, allowing it to fall freely over her shoulders and back.

She unplugged the iron and set it on a towel atop of the bathroom counter to cool. A sigh escaped as let her eyes linger on her features for a moment too long.

Ever since she left the Salvatore's home, her mind repeatedly replayed the plan in which they'd use to imprison her sister. But in the back of her mind she couldn't help but hear a timy voice telling her their plan wouldn't work.

Maybe it was Katherine's voice.

Maybe it was something else entirely. Perhaps it was her own fears running rampant through her head. After all, Katherine was smarter.

But she was stronger.

Her fingertips brushed along the edges of her sapphire daylight ring on her finger absentmindedly. She let out a deep exhale before exiting the bathroom and into her bedroom. The soft click of her door closing behind her echoed throughout the house.

Her black dress laid on her bed neatly folded, matching the black heels with stockings. Her fingers ran over her dress, gently touching and tracing the pattern.

She took the dress from her bed and put it on, the fabric slipping easily onto her body. Her movements were almost robotic. Every action seemed choreographed, her every muscle tense. The dress cut off just a few inches above her knees, accentuating the slight curvature of her waist.

Just as she began to slip her feet into the shoes, the sound of light taps from the door interrupted her train of thought. Her gaze moved from her shoes to the door, her eyebrows drawing close.

Instead of inviting them in, she opened the door herself and to her surprise Elena stood on the other side.

"Uh.. can I help you?" She turned back around and advanced back towards her bed to put on her heels, leaving the door wide open.

"I was just looking to see if you were ready." Elena said as she walked further into her room.

"Almost." She replied shortly as she slipped her feet into her shoe. The sound of her heel clicking against the floor filled the air as she placed her heel on the floor and stood up.

Angelina glanced back in her doppelgängers direction, her eyes scanning her up and down when she realized Elena wasn't dressed. Instead she stood before her in her usual attire, certainly not fit for a masquerade ball.

"Um.. are you?" Angelina inquired after a moment of staring.

Elena tilted her head slightly, "Are I what?" Looking down at her clothes, her eyelids widened. "Oh!" She pulled at the sleeves of her blouse. "I just got out of the shower. I haven't even picked out a dress yet."

"You said you were gonna get ready two hours ago.." She muttered as she stared at her.

"..Sorry. I guess I just got distracted."

"Right." She mumbled, nodding as her thoughts drifted once again. Before the Gilbert spoke another word, Angelina began rummaging through the clutter scattered across her bed from which she thought was too much to clean herself in search of her cellphone to check the time.

"What're you looking for?" She heard Elena say whilst swiftly stepping further into her bedroom.

"My phone." When she couldn't find it, she turned to look at Elena expectantly.

"Have you seen it?" Her tone was impatient as she tapped her foot anxiously. Her eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for some sign of it.

"No, sorry." Elena replied quickly, as if rehearsed, while she shook her head. "Did you check downstairs?"

"No.. I went straight upstairs when we came back from Stefan and Damon's house." She sighed and dropped her shoulders. For someone as paranoid as Angelina, she always kept her phone within at least 10 feet of herself at all times.

It never failed to frustrate her when she felt like things weren't right. Especially times like now.

"It doesn't hurt to look, right?" Elena insisted, her voice laced with concern.

She hesitated, staring intently at the Gilbert. "Yeah.. probably not." She conceded quietly.

Angelina rushed passed her and led herself down the stairs alone with her footsteps echoing throughout the house. Elena watched as she hurried down the stairs, eyeing her every moment before making her way back to her own bedroom.

As the Pierce reached the bottom of the stairs, she entered the living room where Jenna, who had barely moved an inch since she'd been brought home from the hospital, sat watching television.

Her head lifted slightly from it's spot on the sofa cushion, and her lips quirked up slightly into a smile when her eyes landed upon her.

"Hey Ang, need something?" She questioned casually as she lowered the volume on the TV.

"Yeah. Um, have you see my phone?" She inquired. Her brows creased into a frown as she scanned her surroundings while Jenna did the same for a few moments before saying,

"Nope, sorry."

Her frown only deepened from her words before she nodded. "Hey, where's Jeremy and Alaric?"

"They left for the ball not too long ago." She answered before adding, "I'm just glad Jeremy's getting out for some fun."

"What? They already left?" Angelina asked incredulously, crossing her arms and she nodded in response. "..We were supposed to go to together."

"Oh.. they seemed to be in a rush to go, I didn't even try to stop them." Jenna stated, looking slightly sheepish.

Angelina narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Okay then.." She trailed off slowly before asking in a small, strained voice, "Do you know why they wanted to leave so quickly?"

Jenna only shrugged as she shook her head no, which only left her mind running with even more questions.

"Thanks.." She murmured before rushing upstairs to continue her search for her phone. As she made her way to the top step, she noticed Elena's open door which popped an idea in her head. Without wasting another second she entered her bedroom to where she found her carefully doing her makeup in her mirror. The Gilbert's eyes flickered to Angelina, a small hint of surprise etched her features.

"Oh.. did you find your phone?" She asked as she looked back at her face in the mirror.

"..No, not yet." Angelina replied truthfully before pausing as her eyes scanned the room for Elena's phone. The younger girl's eyebrows knitted together as she watched her movements, evidently confused.

"What are you looking for?"

The vampire didn't answer as she spotted the cell on Elena's nightstand and quickly snatched it.

"What are you doing?!" She heard the girl exclaim as she reached for her phone from her grasp, but Angelina simply pushed her off.

"Relax, I'm just calling my phone to find it faster." She replied curtly as she scrolled through her contacts until she reached her own name name.

"Angelina, stop." Elena protested as she approached her and attempted to take the phone away once again. "You probably just left it at Stefan and Damon's, it's not that big of a deal! You'll find it later."

With a huff she pushed her aside, her brown eyes burning with frustration as she pressed call. An oddly tense silence resonated across the room as they awaited for the phone to pick up. After a few short moments, a light hum rang through their ears which only confused Angelina more.

She eyed Elena who stood there still as a rock with a nervous expression plastered across her features. Hesitantly, she took a step towards the ringing, keeping the phone held close to her ear. The sound eventually led her straight to the white wooden dresser across the room.

She took the handle from the top drawer in her hand and pulled it open, immediately finding her phone atop of Elena's shirts.

Her lips parted slightly as she stared at the glowing, vibrating device in front of her. With a glance over her shoulder at Elena whose hands trembled as they rested on the sides of her blouse, she grabbed it firmly and pressed 'decline'.

"..Why is my phone in your dresser?" She finally uttered, breaking the thick silence.

"I.." Elena gulped, struggling to form a coherent sentence.

The Petrova dropped both cells before speeding towards Elena and before she knew it her hand was at her throat, choking her, and the Gilbert's frail human body was held high against the wall. The vampire flashed her fangs at her, her face contorted in rage as her black nails scraped along her neck and the brunette gagged.

"Why the hell do you have my phone?!" She seethed through clenched teeth as her thumb rubbed harshly against the pulse point in her throat.

A strangled whine escaped Elena's lips as she tried to push her grip away from her skin but she was simply too weak to overpower her. "Tell me, or I will snap your neck in half and throw your cold dead body over wickory bridge. Is that what you want?"

Just as she opened her mouth and finally regained the ability to speak as Angelina loosened her grip, her phone began to ring. Both of their eyes darted down to the offending object that laid innocently on the carpet below. The chocolate haired girl instantly released Elena, who dropped to the ground as desperately gasped for air.

The doppelgänger only ignored her before grabbing her phone and reading the caller ID.

'Damon' it read.

Without wasting another second, she answered the call and held the phone to her right ear.

"Hello?" Putting on her best 'Elena' voice, she said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, though her mood completely darkened when she heard the boy's voice instead.

"Elena, how's it going over there? Does Lina know anything?"

As soon as she his voice rang through her ears, Elena's head perked up from where she sat on the floor. Her eyes widened, but she stood her ground as she knew better than to cross her.

"Everything's going fine," Angelina played along, her grip tightening on the phone as her nickname emitted from the phone. "..How's it going over there?"

"So far so good." He said plainly, though a hint of worry plagued his voice. "We already spotted Katherine begging for the moonstone, now all we have to do is lure her upstairs."

"And then you're going to.." Her voice trailed off, desperately hoping he'd finish her sentance for her.

"Kill her, obviously."

As the words fell off his lips, her amber eyes grew large. She swallowed heavily as her heartbeat quickened as she felt all color drain from her face. She couldn't speak, her throat too choked up by emotions that she couldn't bring herself to verbalize. Her gaze fell onto Elena who remained frozen stiff on the floor as her eyes followed her stare.

"Are you sure everything's alright over there?"

"I have to go."

She didn't give him a moment to respond before she ended the call. The brunette placed her phone on the bed and stared at her doppelgänger. Her eyes traveled from the phone screen, to the floor, and then to her doppelgänger who sat on the floor behind her gripping her neck.

"Who else knows about this?" Her tone displayed less of question and more of a demand as a fire began to burn in her chest.

Elena averted her gaze and sighed before looking at her again. "Me, Damon, Alaric, and Jeremy." Her voice was cautious, hesitant; a sure sign that she was utterly terrified of the reaction she was about to receive.

However to her surprise, the Petrova remained silent. She only grabbed her own phone before storming out of the bedroom and quickly down the stairs, snatching Jenna's car keys. Quickly rising to her feet, the doppelgänger ran outside after her into the front of the house where it'd already grown dark.

"Angelina, stop!" Elena shouted after her, practically panting at her side as she chased after her. She caught up just as Angelina opened the door to Jenna's car. "Stop before you do something you'll regret."

"Trust me Elena, I won't regret a single thing I'm about to do." She said before jumping into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut, and starting the engine.

"Then I'm coming with you." Elena opened the passenger's seat before taking a seat beside her.

"Be my guest, but you're not stopping me." She subtly threatened before speeding out of the driveway.

                             The car door slammed shut as Angelina raced toward the Lockwood estate, where the ball was held. Not far behind, Elena trudged after her, her mind filled with dread at the events that would unfold once she gets inside.

"What do you even plan on doing once you get in there?" She asked suddenly.

"Killing Damon."

Elena nearly tripped over her feet when she stumbled upon hearing those words fall out of her lips. But not only did they shock her, they made Angelina halt momentarily before she resumed walking. And as she continued forward she felt herelf lose all empathy, leaving only pure rage in its place.

"Ang, stop." Was all Elena could mutter as she watched her advance further ahead. "Damon's your friend! You're not thinking straight!"

"I'm not thinking straight?!" She retorted bitterly, pausing for a moment to turn around and look at the brunette angrily before scoffing. "Is Damon not the one who impulsively went after my sister for his own selfish reason?! Does he not always do things before he thinks because everything just has to always go his way?"

"Ang listen! I'm just saying—"

"Ang? So you call me 'Ang' now?!" Her voice raised higher until she was eye to eye with Elena, whose cheeks turned beet red from embarrassment. "Elena, I could snap your neck right now and sleep like a baby tonight."

"As I said before, we are not friends. I don't care about you, or your feelings, what you want, and I never have. So nothing you can say will stop me." Her words were cold and harsh, but she meant every part of it.

She didn't say another word, only turned back around and entered the estate where the party took place with Elena not failing to fall behind. But Angelina didn't care, in fact her mind was so dead focused on finding the Salvatore brother she barely regarded the people she pushed past.

After what felt like decades of searching, they eventually found their way back outside. Except from the corner of her eyes, she found none other than the Bennett witch and Elena's little brother sitting together in the shade of a tree by theirselves at a picnic table while chatting away happily with their backs turned.

When they noticed someone approaching, Bonnie immediately turned and her face shifted into a perplexed expression when she saw the doppelgängers.

"Where is he?" Wasting no time, she walked to the pair, ignoring Jeremy who shot her an apologetic smile.

"Where's who? What's going on?" The witch inquired, a concerned expression written across her face. "And where have you been? We've been waiting for you forever."

"Where is Da—"

Before any of them could even think about uttering another word, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air. They all shot their heads in the direction of the source of the sound and instantly froze when they saw Elena drenched in her own blood, clutching her stomach as her body writhed in agonizing pain.

"Elena!" Bonnie and Jeremy cried frantically as they sprinted towards her, pulling her into their arms tightly, cradling her body while Angelina stood with her eyee wide and her mouth agape.

"What's happening?!"

"I.. I.." Her voice faltered as she attempted to form coherent sentences.

Just then, another gash appeared on her left shoulder before it began bleeding out profusely.

"What's going on?!" Jeremy exclaimed, fear lacing his every word as his sister's breathing increased rapidly.

"It's Katherine.." Realization dawned upon Bonnie as she looked at her bloody friend in horror before turning towards the younger Gilbert. "She's linked to Katherine! Get whatever's happening up there to stop!"

He hurridly nodded his head before dashing into his way into the building. Just as she heard her sisters voice, Angelina went to follow behind him but was quickly put to an immediate stop when Elena mustered up all of her draining strength to raise her weak hand to grab her by the arm.

"Angelina.." Her breaths were labored. "I know your, ugh.. mad. But you can't do this."

The anger in her eyes was almost blinding. It was that look of uncontrollable anger that makes you shiver and ran cold chills down your spine. The vampire stood there for what felt like an enterity before shaking her head and yanking her arm away.

"No." But the moment her feet began to move, she felt yet another hand on her except this time she couldn't move.

"Wha.."

"I don't know what's going on, but you need to stay here." Bonnie's stern tone put the doppelgänger to a halt as she realized she was trapped in a spell which kept her from moving.

"What did you do?" Angelina let out a breath gasp as she desperately tried to move.

"You're not going anywhere, not until everything here is figured out." The witch said, returning her attention back to her weak friend.

Soon, another gash appeared on Elena's hands and she let out a panicked groan. "Bonnie, it hurts.."

"I can't break the spell, Elena, I'm sorry." The witch responded in a sympathetic tone as she reached for her friends hand. "But I can try to take some of the pain away, okay?"

When she received the nod of consent, she closed her eyes. Slowly, she placed her index fingers onto Elena's wrists. With all her might, she sent her energy into her friend, trying hard to alleviate some of the pain inflicted upon herself.

The atmosphere cooled, but the tension was still thick as ever. Within just a few moments, Jeremy returned running through the doors of the house and over to them.

"It stopped. Are you okay?" He spoke in a quick breathless manner, looking between the three girls with worry plastered onto his face.

"Are they?" Angelina interrupted.

"They're stuck in there with her." He responded quietly as he glanced at the upstairs window. "Katherine had a witch link her to Elena, everything she feels Elena feels."

A look of realization flashed across Bonnie's features. "That girl I saw.." She breathed out before sighing softly and shaking her head.

"What girl?" Angelina raised a brow in confusion, but her questions didn't matter to Bonnie.

"The one inside. She's the witch, I know it." Her answer was vague, but before any of them could press further she rose from her seat, meeting eyes with Jeremy and Angelina. "Stay with her, keep the pressure on her shoulders." Without giving the trio another glance, she quickly made her way back inside the house by her lonesome.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Angelina questioned impatiently.

"We wait."

"So we sit and wait around for what? Damon to kill her?" Angelina huffed out as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And I can't even do something about it."

"Stefan's with them," Elena stated calmly, holding her wounds as her brother sat by her side. "He won't let that happen."

Angelina just continued to glare at the girl in disbelief, but remained silent.

A deep silence fell over them, but for Angelina it felt as if it almost too loud for her to handle. She didn't know what to do with herself or how long they'd sit and wait, and the longer she waited the more frustrated she grew.

It wasn't only the fact that she was unable to help her sister that felt weighed her down, but the fact that the person she trusted most was the reasoning behind this mess.

And it only made her feel like a mess.

                             About thirty minutes later, still nothing had progressed. Elena sat with her brother, still in pain though she was slowly getting better. On the other hand, Angelina stood by them while her eyes were dead focused on the doors to the estate, watching for anyone to come through.

But less then five minutes later, figure made its way out of the mansion, making a straight line towards their group. Angelina recognized the shape of Bonnie, but she didn't speak, only stared.

But not long after, two others followed which she realized to be Damon and Stefan.

With a wave of her hand, Bonnie lifted the spell off of the doppelgänger, allowing her to move again. Elena noticed her doppelgänger revving up towards the brothers and grabbed her by the arm once more.

"Angelina, please." She whispered, desperation evident in her voice and pleading eyes.

The brunette cast a questioning look in her direction, but with a roll of her eyes she snatched her arm away and continued making her way towards Damon. As she got closer, she noticed an apologetic expression on his face as he watched her get closer.

"Angelina, I can explain—"

She wanted to kill him, she did. But as she approached him and the tears began to form in her eyes, all she managed to do was swiftly form her head into a fist and allow her hand to come crashing against his cheek causing his lips to twitch as his jaw clenched in response.

He held his hand to his cheek and touched his bottom lip before noticing a hint of blood on his fingertips. A few gasps could be heard throughout the group as well as a few dropped jaws, leaving everyone speechless and a bit embarrassed.

"God, you're so selfish." Angelina gritted her teeth, glaring daggers at his him. His eyebrows raised faintly the moment he noticed the small pool of tears in her eyes.

"I don't get why you're so surprised, Angelina." He spoke, and the hint of sarcasm in his voice only angered her even more. "You betray me, I betray you. It's how we bond!"

She scoffed and roll her eyes, ignoring his sarcasm. "My plan would've worked if it weren't for you!"

"No, your plan would've gotten us all killed!" He shot back, ignoring the stares his brother and friends were sending his way. "It was us or her, and I chose her. Why does it matter anymore? She's alive, she's safe. She's upstairs knocked out. It worked out in the end."

"Why does it matter? It matters because you're supposed to be my friend!" A tear dripped off her chin as she glared at him. "Did you think I just wouldn't care if you killed her?"

"Don't act like you haven't done some terrible things in your life either." His reply was harsh and cold. "If you seem to have forgetten, you're the one who lied about her being in the tomb. Maybe if you weren't a liar we wouldn't be in this mess!"

She stood there stunned, staring at him in complete shock. "You're right. I did lie. And I have done some terrible things, but I did it to protect all of you. And at least I don't sit on my ass all day while everyone else has to clean up my messes! At least I apologize for my mistakes and don't drink it off!"

"Shut up." The anger in his eyes were visible, and his fists tightened as he grew more aggravated with her.

"Do you even realize how no one in your life wants to be around you? Not Bonnie, Stefan, not me, and barely even Elena. Do you even know why that is?"

Her breathing became quicker. "Because you're a selfish asshole who thinks about nobody but himself."

The two of them just stood there staring each other down with expressions full of rage, but also full of regret. Both were ready to say whatever words came out of their mouths; anything that could make the situation worse than it already was. But as much as both wanted to yell at each other and argue with each other they knew nothing would change if they continued to act this way. So instead, he stormed off in a rage fit away from everyone else.

As soon as he left, Angelina looked around to see the eyes on her. There was pity and sadness and sympathy in each pair of eyes.

She let out a faint sigh as she wiped the tears from her eyes and began to walk off towards the parking lot.

"Angelina." Stefan's voice sounded edging close behind her, though she kept walking. "Please, can we talk?"

"I don't wanna talk right now, Stef. I'm sorry." She shook her head with a soft tone.

He stopped in his tracks and watched her leave, reluctantly complying to her. Though he watched with a solemn expression etched onto his face. But not long after Elena began to follow behind her as well.

"Angelina.." Elena followed her into the empty, dark parking lot. "You're not actually going to kill him, are you?" She spoke softly as the two made their way through the rows and rows of cars.

"I don't know Elena, just stop talking." Angelina's voice was low and exhausted, yet laced with emotion.

"But—"

Suddenly, the sound of her voice trailed off in mid air. When she could no longer hear her, the Petrova turned her head to see she had vanished.

"Elena?" Her name escaped her mouth, though no answer met her ears. "Where are you?!" Her words hung in the air for a few moments, hoping to catch a glimpse or maybe even a whisper of Elena's voice. But all she heard was the sound of the wind rustling the trees.

"Ele—"

And within the span of a second, she felt a strong collision to her head, knocking her unconscious to the ground.

AUTHORS NOTE
this chapter is so mf long i cant

im so sorry for the wait, ive been having the worst writers block and absolutely no motivation to write literally anything but i'm super duper excited to write the next chapter bc its a full flashback chapter from 1492 with klaus!!

also ik it took so long to update and some people might've thought that i abandoned this book, but i can assure you that i have zero intention of doing that with this book or any of my books

anyways tysm for reading baes