𝟏𝟗

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ━═☆

"It's not you, is it?" Izadora asked from where she sat with her legs crossed in the Bernard's household's living room, speaking freely as Cassie and Serena were outside, getting the week's grocery, "I refuse to believe that I am wrong. You don't look like you could kill or even hurt anyone but yourself."

"You didn't say that at the party. You said that I was a vampire and it was about time my nature kicked in," Charlotte looked unphased as she proceeded to claim to had hurt the girl that Stefan attacked.

Izadora nodded, rising to her feet before she walked over to the fridge, "Orange juice? It always calms me down, helps me think better."

Charlotte didn't reply as the former vampire huntress shrugged to herself and poured two cups of orange juice, their kitchen was openly a part of the living room but the vampire's back was to the kitchen as Izadora walked up to her, smiling softly and offering up the glass.

"I know you didn't do it, Charlotte," She started, sipping on her drink as the brunette sighed, taking her glass politely, "You are covering up for someone and I would like to know who."

"Just kill me and get it over with. There are no other vampires in Mystic Falls," Charlotte claimed, holding onto her glass as she avoided the wrinkling face of her supposed niece, "I know it looks like I would never hurt someone and I normally wouldn't...but it was a moment of weakness and the girl is still alive?"

Izadora hummed, nodding to herself as Charlotte took her first sip of the orange juice, instantly spitting it out and coughing out hysterically, feeling the vervain burn down her throat, "See, I don't believe in collateral damage. I don't have to kill you if you have done nothing but if I have to torture the information I need out of you...," She trailed off, looking down at Charlotte as she struggled to breathe.

"Then that's exactly what I will do."

✵ ✵ ✵

She fluttered her eyes open, blinking back a few tears as she looked around her. It seemed as if she was underground, she looked around her, spotting the desiccating vampires, all of them envying that her last bit of blood was minutes ago and they had a very short time before they were to be just lifeless rotting bodies.

Charlotte tried to move, noticing the shackles on her hands. The brunette shook her head, tripping on her dress as she stood up, "No, no! I can't be in here!"

She struggled, attempting to get the shackles off her hands as she stumbled upon a body. Charlotte screamed, backing away as he groaned out, "The more you struggle, the quicker you wither away."

"No...no...this can't be happening," She inhaled sharply, leaning against a wall for support, "Not again, no...Somebody get me out of here!" Charlotte banged her hands against the rocky walls as involuntarily wracked sobs shook through her, "Please...I can't be stuck in here again! Please!"

In the real world, Charlotte was tied up in the Bernard's basement, sweat covering her forehead with a frown on her face. She was turning around, imagining herself back in the tomb, her eternal nightmare.

Izadora watched her in amusement before bending on the floor to shake her awake, "Charlotte, wake up! Wake up!"

She gasped awake, out of instinct and fear, her hand was curled around the old woman's throat before she frowned, surprised at what she had done. Charlotte attempted to retract before Izadora stabbed her arm with a vervain-ed knife.

"Ahhhh....," She screamed out, pulling her hand back, "Why are you doing this to me...Just kill me already. I have had enough of being locked up underground!"

Izadora shrugged to herself, rubbing a hand over her neck before dipping a wet cloth into some bowl, "You will stay here until you give me some names to go after."

"I already told you that I know nothing, Izadora!"

"Well, this wet cloth will make sure you don't wake Serena or Cassie before school," She said, sitting down and leaning forward to wrap it around Charlotte's mouth. The brunette screeched, holding back her tears as the wet cloth, dipped in vervain, stung her skin, "Have fun denying me the truth."

"I will see you in the morning, maybe then you will feel like talking."

Izadora gave her a short glance before turning on her heels and locking the door after her then she walked upstairs. Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut as the tears rolled down her cheeks, the same cheeks that were being burned off as she found it hard to breathe anything that wasn't vervain.

"Char...?" Serena recognized, walking into the basement, "Oh my God, Charlotte, you are bleeding...your face...What the hell is going on?" She questioned, unlocking the door as Charlotte shook her head, pulling herself backward and away from her niece.

"Charlotte, your face...let me help you," She walked up to the brunette writhing in pain against the wall before she pulled the wet cloth off her face, noting her groans of pain and how her face began healing as soon as the cloth was taken off.

Her eyes fell on Charlotte's arm, finding the knife still impaled in her arm, "I need to take you to a hospital, if I pull this out, it won't stop bleeding."

Charlotte gritted her teeth, holding back a groan as she asked, "Just pull it out, quickly."

"But Char—"

"Just trust me, Serena. Please."

The human Bernard nodded, wrapping her hands around the knife before she pulled it out. Charlotte bit her lip so hard that it was bleeding so she could suppress a scream. "Charlotte, I am so sorry...Why did Nana Izzie do this to you? She must be insane!"

"No, no, your grandmother is not insane," Charlotte shook her head, correcting her, "I...just need you to get me out of here and I will answer all of your questions tomorrow. I promise."

Serena nodded, struggling to get the shackles off of Charlotte's hands, "It's alright. I will help myself out of them when I get out of here," She brushed it off, looking up at the window, "Can you open that one?"

"A window, I will get you out from the door—"

Charlotte interjected, shaking her head, "No, it will wake her up...If you find a chair or a table, you would be a lifesaver right now."

"Alright," Serena stood up and got out of the cellar before coming back seconds later with a table, she was holding it up before she put it just under the window, "C'mon," She offered Charlotte her hand and the brunette was careful not to trip on her dress as she rose to her feet.

"Look, I need you to know that your grandmother is not a bad person and you shouldn't be scared of her and I promise to clear everything tomorrow," Charlotte assured her niece before she unlocked the small window and attempted to crawl out of it, luckily she had never been much of an eater and she only cherished that fact then.

As soon as Charlotte was out, breathing fresh air. She bolted out of there, stumbling a few times on her way but fortunately, it was midnight and she could freely vamp-speed through the streets without gaining confused glances.

Eventually, she arrived at the Salvatores', barely able to walk anymore as she raised her fist to knock the door. A few seconds later, Damon turned up at the door, "Cher..."

"Don't overreact...because I am...totally fine," She slurred out, taking in a deep breath before she passed out, Damon was barely quick enough to stop her from colliding with the floor.

"Hey, I have got you. I have got you."

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte woke up in her bedroom, thankful enough that it wasn't a basement or the tomb. She inhaled sharply, pulling herself up on the bed as she realized that she was no longer in last night's dress, rather in her pijamas. The brunette looked up to find none other than Elena Gilbert at her door, with a glass of blood in her hand.

"Don't worry, I am the one who helped you change," Elena assured, offering her the glass of blood that Charlotte took eagerly enough, "I just thought you wouldn't want to wake up in last night's dress that was pretty much ruined."

The Bernard nodded, taking small sips from her glass of blood to keep her shaky self-control intact, "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

Elena nodded, giving her a reassuring glance, "So, if you don't mind me asking, what happened after you left with Miss Bernard?"

"She...poisoned me with vervain, locked me up in her basement which brought up things I didn't want to think of again...and then Serena broke me out," Charlotte stated, leaving out nothing as she remembered how she would have to tell her niece the truth.

"Wait, Serena knows that you are a vampire?"

"No, not yet."

"But you can't tell her," Elena shook her head, "It would put her in danger."

"I can't lie to her and I can't let her think that her great grandmother is a monster who tortures innocent teenage girls in her basement either," The vampire crossed her arms after putting her glass of blood at the nightstand.

"Well, it's up to you but just try to take it easy on Serena..."

"I will."

Charlotte looked up, questioning hesitantly, "What did you and Damon do about...Stefan?"

"He is in the cellar...," She trailed off.

The Bernard chuckled dryly at the irony, "Looks like he and I had a great night. He, for something he did and me, for covering up for him. Just like the old days."

"Except punishments then were less traumatizing."

✵ ✵ ✵

After showering and looking at the mirror for a few minutes, just gawking at how her face was back to normal. Charlotte shoved her hand in her sweatpants' pocket and walked down to the cellar with a bottle of animal blood in her other hand.

Elena was sleeping after the day she has had with trying to feed Stefan and failing. Damon, however, was outside running an errand with Alaric Saltzman. Charlotte was awake because apparently, she took the title of the new babysitter.

"Still not going to eat?"

"Just go away, Charlotte."

She shrugged, unlocking the cellar, "I wish I could," Charlotte walked inside and sat down, "But even when I want to go away, somehow, I can't."

"So, there are two ways for this. You, drinking willingly, which is what I recommend," She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, "Or I will force you to drink it."

"What happened to free will?"

"I have been here, Stefan. Okay? The difference is, I didn't deserve it, actually, no one deserves to be locked down here and starved till the point where the blood stops running through your veins," Charlotte said, pulling the bottle's cap off, "You want to feel guilty, you are allowed to do that. But you will not starve yourself, not on my watch and not while I am still breathing."

He shook his head, stressing out, "I deserve this."

"No, you don't."

Stefan chuckled, unironically, "You are the last person to have this conversation with me, considering all the pain I brought you."

Charlotte shook her head, taking his hand in hers, "You are wrong because I have tried to hate you but it didn't work, okay? When I look at you, I don't see the reason I suffered. I see the person who told me that it's okay to be myself, even if I was naive. That the problem wasn't in me being extremely nice and sensitive, you told me that I don't have to change to fit anyone's perspectives of how I should be or how I should live this life."

"I owe it to you to help you get out of this state."

She pulled his ring out of her pocket and placed it in front of him, "You are not a monster, Stefan. A monster doesn't have to face any guilt or remorse. I trust you, so put this ring to use and when you are ready to talk and feed. I will be upstairs."

✵ ✵ ✵