The Salvatore Sister

Chapter Seventeen

Arabella eyes her invitation and the box that came with it for the twelfth time this evening. It is an hour before the ball that her brothers ordered her not to go to, but something inside her pushes for her to go. She hasn't even opened the invitation, but she has a strong feeling she knows who it is from. The reason why her brothers told her she cannot go to the ball.

Finding herself grasping the thick paper, Arabella slowly unfolds the sealed invitation. As she turns it to the backside, she anticipates a small note from Klaus. What she finds, however, is a beautiful cursive handwriting.

It reads, 'Arabella, it would be my pleasure on this fine evening to have you accompany me as my date to the ball. Please, consider wearing this if you wish to go. Yours truly, Elijah Mikaelson.'

Eyeing the note in surprise, Arabella turns to the carefully wrapped box and gently lifts off the lid. The dress inside is the most gorgeous thing she has ever seen. The entire gown is midnight black. Its bodice is covered in glittery, sparkly sequins that shine in the artificial light of her bedroom.

Knowing that she is going to this ball no matter how much her brothers protest, Arabella checks the time on the invitation. The ball starts in an hour, which means her brothers will be home to get ready soon.

She gently covers the lid to the box with the invitation inside and slides it under her bed before heading towards her bathroom. She grabs the makeup she received from Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie as a way to introduce her into modern society trends and begins to stare at all the different colors. She could probably spend centuries thinking through the different combinations she can do with her dress, but she doesn't have that kind of time.

The door downstairs opens and closes loudly, signaling her brothers' return. She carefully begins to do her makeup in front of the mirror, not caring if her brothers decide to enter her bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Damon asks suspiciously. Arabella can feel her brother's narrow eyes watching her as she begins the process of doing her makeup.

Not looking away from her task, Arabella grabs one of her different assortments of brushes. "I'm doing my makeup," she responds casually. It's not a lie, she is doing her makeup. It's not the full truth, though. "Considering the fact that you and Stefan wish to keep me locked up in the house for the rest of eternity, I must entertain myself somehow."

Carefully eyeing her, Damon says nothing for a moment before he shakes his head. "Stefan and I will be out late tonight—"

"At the party that I'm not allowed to go to. I know, I know." She waves him away as she goes to start the process of her eyeshadow. "Go get ready for your party. Enjoy yourself." She pauses for a moment before facing him with a grin. "I'll just be here drinking all the expensive alcohol."

Damon glares at his little sister. "Do not touch the good stuff," he warns before exiting her bedroom.

She watches him go before she continues to get ready for the ball. She is going to have to show up quite late to avoid her brothers' detection. By the time they see her in the dress Elijah gave her, she will be at the ball. They cannot do anything then if they wish to keep Elena safe.

The classical music wafts out of the mansion Klaus spent weeks having people build. It has been a little over a century since Arabella has gone to a ball, but the feeling of the place fills her with a sense of euphoria and nostalgia.

As she enters, her eyes wander about the vibrant house, searching for the location of her brothers. Wherever they are, she has to be sure she is in the opposite direction.

Once she believes she's in the clear, Arabella begins to walk away from the front doors only to run into Stefan. "What do you think you're doing here?" He asks with a fake smile on his face.