Esmeray was desperate.

She was trying to formulate the best possible plan to retrieve Elijah without running into the man from before. She had gone out once to try and hail a taxi to Mystic Falls, and there he'd been, on a street corner. She'd left swiftly this time, and had placed a spell around the apartment to keep herself safe, but the anxiety was getting to her, and she couldn't think. She hadn't left the house out of fear that he was waiting her out.

On the third day of trying to scheme, the Martins had visited her, likely to see if she was still alive.

"Esmeray," said Jonas, knocking on the door. "Let us in."

She knew it had to be them if they weren't calling her 'Victoria.' She opened the door and ushered them inside, closing the door quickly.

"You're nervous," Jonas observed, narrowing his eyes. "What happened?"

"There's this man out there, I've ran into him twice, I know he's looking for me," she muttered, going to where she had written out the spell for the Unbinding Ritual. "I've finished this- I don't know what's the best way to get to Elijah but I'm really hoping that we find it soon, because I'm going insane."

"We have some news," said Luka as the two sat down on the kitchen chairs. "The Salvatores tried to get us all to work with them."

Esmeray frowned. "What? Why? They know... they know that we're aware of their Elijah takedown, right?"

"I assume that's exactly why they tried to sway us in their favor," said Jonas. "The Bennett girl no longer has her magic, and they know that they need witches."

The hybrid held her hand up. "How is that possible?"

"In your times, I expect that they didn't know how to do spells to remove someone else's magic, because it was something sacred, and it was believed to be a bad omen to remove another's power entirely, which explains why they put you down to try and bind you instead; the magic would be there, just suppressed. Now, there are spells that can be done."

Luka started to pace the room. "Dad," he said, looking up at Jonas. "I just wonder. Even if Bonnie doesn't have her magic... what if they do manage to find the burial ground?"

Jonas looked incredulously at him. "They won't. We tried, Luka, for weeks. Elijah and Esmeray have found nothing. How would they know?"

"The Salvatores- they were here when it happened. We don't have a back-up plan, Dad, and we need to be doing everything we can to save Greta. Maybe... this alliance will be beneficial."

"We will save her," said Jonas confidently. "But Elijah is the answer, not Stefan and his brother. Those people, they're our enemies. They need to be dealt with."

Esmeray frowned. "But Elijah didn't want us to hurt anyone. We can't kill them!"

"No, I never said we would," Jonas said, fumbling with his keys. "I'm going to let Elijah do it. There is something called Astral Projection- it's difficult, but I know a specific type that can be done that could grant us access to the Salvatore House without having to go in. It's what we used to find you, Esmeray. I think I have a plan. We can go in and remove the dagger without being there. Elijah will wake up and slaughter them before meeting back with us, and the plan will go on as he intended it to."

Esmeray pursed her lips. "Alright. But I have never done this spell, I don't know if I can do that on the first try."

"That's fine- you can observe. If we can't manage it, you'll give it a shot. Come with us- we'll head to our apartment... this place isn't safe anymore if someone's found you twice here."

Esmeray covered herself in one of Elijah's coats and followed the Martins out to their car. She didn't see the man from before, but she had a sickening feeling that he was somehow watching her.

They drove to the Martin apartment, and for once, Esmeray didn't feel dizzy, though she kept nervously looking over her shoulder. Inside, she saw stacks upon stacks of grimoires, piled onto each other and tucked tightly into a large bookshelf against the wall visible from the entrance. Jonas cleared a small table while Luka brought nine candles, setting them near the edges. Together, they procured the grimoire with the spell they needed, and Esmeray looked it over, not yet knowing if the pronunciation she attempted in her head was the right one for such spells.

"Do you understand it?" said Jonas, watching as she stared intently at the page.

"Not really," she admitted. "This is not the same language I have used. I would need to first absorb knowledge from the grimoires or someone who practices this, in order to understand it."

Jonas offered her his hand. "Here, go ahead. So that you can start to figure it out while you observe the spell."

She took it, drawing a deep breath as she felt herself taking in the many memories of magic that he had. She flinched slightly, and sank down into the chair Luka had pulled up for her, staring blankly at the table for a minute as the father and son sat across from each other.

"That's useful," she told him quietly. "I didn't know half of those spells existed. Thank you."

Jonas nodded, and offered his arms to Luka. "Are you sure about this?" he told him. "I mean, I would go if I could."

"No, I'm not strong enough to send you," said Luka. "I can do this."

"I could always try to go in person," offered Esmeray, tapping the side of her head. "There are new spells I can try."

"Not happening, you're in enough danger as it is with the mystery man that was following you," said Jonas. "We can do this. I'll stay anchored and use all my energy. If you feel weak, Luka, tell me, and I can channel Esmeray."

"I can do this," Luka repeated. "I want this just as much as you, Dad. I promise."

They linked hands, and Esmeray watched as they closed their eyes. "Concentrate on Elijah," prompted Jonas. "Picture him in your mind."

Luka's eyes opened. "I got it. I'm in the Salvatore House. Elijah's body must be here."

"What do you see?" asked Jonas.

"Elena and Damon. They're reading."

"Good. If Elijah's there, you'll sense him. Stay focused."

"Tell him to check the place where you found me," offered Esmeray.

Jonas nodded. "Are you going to check the cellar, Luka?"

"Yes," the boy replied. "I can sense he's down here." There was a pause. "I found Elijah. I'm going to try to pull the dagger out." Another pause, but then Luka grunted, his face contorted in effort. "Elena's... fighting me."

"What's wrong?" asked Jonas, furrowing his eyebrows.

"She's... stronger than me."

Esmeray and Jonas shared a grave look before the man gritted his teeth. "That's because it's not Elena," he told his son. "It's Katherine Pierce. Luka... kill her."

"What?"

"She's a vampire- find a stake and drive it through her heart."

Another pause, and Luka's eyes darted around. "Got it," he said. "I stabbed her in the side- she can't take it out. I'm going to try and remove the dagger again." But that was the last thing he said. Only a few seconds had passed before Luka burst into flames.

"LUKA!" Jonas yelled as he and Esmeray leapt to their feet. "LUKA!"

Esmeray slashed her hand in the air, trying to extinguish the flames, but he hadn't fully exited the Salvatore House- a part of him was still there and someone was exposing him to fire. Jonas grabbed at a blanket, pressing it onto his son's body as he yelled in agony, trying to stop the pain. The flames ceased after a moment and Luka crumpled to the floor, charred and nearly unrecognizable, his breathing slow.

"Oh my God-" gasped Jonas, tears flooding down his face. "Luka- Luka- I'm sorry... please... just wake up... open your eyes..." he dove back to find any grimoire with a spell to heal him, but Esmeray was already kneeling beside him, murmuring very rapidly in a language that Jonas didn't understand.

"Move!" he told her, shoving her aside and interrupting the spell to cast his own. "Victas Phesmatis Ex Eleto. Revertas Phesmatis Ut Victas. Victas Phesmatis Ex Eleto..."

But it was too late. Esmeray stared down in disbelief. Her spell wouldn't have worked even if Jonas hadn't interrupted her. She'd never dealt with a burn victim, and her magic couldn't have reversed the damage. She could hear he wasn't breathing and his heart had ceased to beat, which made Jonas yell out as he began to sob.

Esmeray's lip quivered, and tears pooled in her own eyes. She gave a shaky breath, and all the candles were extinguished. Several of the grimoires flew out of the shelves and the ground trembled. She grasped at her own temples and leapt to her feet, stumbling out to try and limit any damage to the Martin apartment- she didn't need to make it any worse after Jonas had just lost his son.

"I have to go," she was mumbling to herself as she went out into the streets, trying to find out how to get to Mystic Falls. "I have to... I have to get Elijah..."

If anyone had tried to stop her in that moment, it was very likely that they would have been killed on the spot. Esmeray wasn't realizing it, but all around her, the buildings were cracking and shaking, and the sidewalk was sinking with every step she took. The grass that peeked out between its cracks was dying, and two car windows shattered the instant she walked by.

She had watched many people die. She knew not everyone could be saved. She herself had killed someone to trigger her curse.

But this ached. She thought of how the Salvatores and their friends had neutralized Elijah, and how they had now killed Luka. When she thought of them, she saw only evil, and she felt hatred rising in her chest. She wanted them to suffer and she no longer cared whether Elijah would be angry when he realized that she had hurt someone. It didn't matter- she wanted revenge.

It might've been easier to enact if she knew where she was going. Even with all the knowledge she had taken in, she had no clue how to get to Mystic Falls, and she had no intention of running around until she found it. She knew, based off of the memories, how to hot-wire a car and drive, but she didn't trust herself to do that- no road would be safe with her on it, and knowing how anxious she felt, she thought it was a better idea to just go on foot. She might pop several tires and leave herself in an explosion.

While she had been figuring out what to do, Jonas had already gone to bring about his own revenge. Stefan Salvatore hadn't been able to stop him from heading after Elena Gilbert. Esmeray might've caught up to him if she hadn't stopped to do a Locator Spell first. By the time she entered Mystic Falls, she had missed the main event, but regardless, she marched right up to the door of the Gilbert House, knocking furiously on the door.

She heard several conversations inside had stopped. The door opened, and she saw Stefan Salvatore. Behind him were two women who looked identical to each other- Elena and Katherine. Damon Salvatore was there, too, and Esmeray could hear voices upstairs that indicated Bonnie Bennett and a boy she assumed to be Elena's brother, Jeremy.

"If it isn't the Wicked Witch of the East," said Damon, wiggling his eyebrows. "Elijah's bodyguard."

Esmeray glared at him. "Which one of you killed Luka Martin?"

"That would be me," said Damon indifferently. "And we just killed Jonas too, so-"

Esmeray raised her hand, but Stefan quickly caught it before she could do anything. "It was an accident," he tried to plead. "We didn't know what was happening, and then Jonas came after Elena."

She wretched her hand out of his grip. "I could easily burn this entire house to the ground and put up a barrier that would trap you all inside of it. I would feel nothing if I did it."

"Woah, woah, woah." One of the doppelgängers held up her hands. "Victoria, I really am sorry, I didn't even know-"

"You're Elena," said Esmeray, looking at her beadily. She looked at the other woman. "Which means you are-"

"Katherine," said the vampire, staring at her and making a face of distaste. She looked over at Elena. "You're welcome, by the way, if it wasn't for me, Jonas would have killed you."

Esmeray held out her hands, and the house shook, making them all focus their attention on her. "I just want Elijah back," she said darkly. "Luka didn't deserve to die, but if Jonas is dead, I won't say I feel sorry for him. That's where impulse gets you, I know that for a fact. I'm following Elijah's orders, not Jonas's, and he didn't want us to hurt any of you, especially not Elena."

Damon made to speak, but Stefan stopped him. "We want to work together," he offered her. "We don't want Elena to die, but we still want to kill Klaus."

"Elena isn't going to die, you imbeciles!" she snapped. "If I do this spell, she'll be perfectly fine- she doesn't need to be sacrificed!"

"I told you," said Katherine venomously to the others.

"We didn't trust you," snapped Damon before turning to Esmeray. "So it's true, then. You're a hybrid, Vicky."

"Yes," she admitted, not thinking that she needed to be worried. "And my name isn't Victoria, it's Esmeray. So, are you going to give me Elijah back, or not? He was never trying to hurt any of you- if you hadn't gotten in the way, he would have told you that Elena was going to be safe. I don't wish to work with any of you unless Elijah himself thinks it's a good idea. Give him back to me, now."

The porch cracked, and she saw some of the wood under her feet had splintered, a small piece snapping out of place. "Nice try," said Damon, coming out to stand beside his brother. "How do we know we can even trust you? You're like a magical puppy damaging everything near you. It's like uncontrollable teething. What did Elijah promise you?"

"If I do this, I will be safe," she said, crossing her arms. "Niklaus won't be able to hurt me. I will be free, and I have already been granted sufficient knowledge about this world so that I can live in it, at peace."

Elena looked at the two brothers as if she wanted to listen to her. "Damon..."

"Nope!" Damon moved closer to Esmeray. "Nice try, but it's not happening. Maybe if we see that you can play nice with us, we'll let you have him back."

Esmeray's eye twitched, and it took every ounce of self-control to keep herself from sending the roof flying into the sky. "I'll let you sit with my proposal until tomorrow," she murmured, glaring at Damon. "Give me back Elijah and I'll convince him not to kill you all. As you've seen, the doppelgänger doesn't need to die, and it would be a shame for her to live after the rest of you idiots have been murdered. I'll be back here tomorrow to see what you decide."

_

The entire next day left Esmeray feeling incredibly excited. Maybe she had succeeded in threatening them, and they would decide to wake Elijah and give him back.

She made her way back to the Gilbert House in the late afternoon, after spending a lonely night in the apartment without Elijah there. She had looked out the window in the early hours of the morning and seen the same mysterious man was waiting at the entrance of the building, as though he expected her to come trotting out at any second. Gritting her teeth, she'd remained inside, and when the time had come to find Elena and the Salvatore brothers, she slipped out through the back entrance.

She was stopped by Katherine before she could turn the corner to get onto the street the house was on.

"Katerina," said Esmeray knowingly when the woman materialized in front of her. "Pleasure to meet you formally."

She gave her a tight-lipped smile. "I want to talk to you," she said, beckoning for her to follow her away from the house. "Because I heard you were having a little problem with a stalker."

Esmeray raised her eyebrows. "How did you know?"

Katherine lied to her with ease. "That same man has been trying to snatch up my friend Isobel for ages," she said. "Elijah and I go way back, he told me."

"I heard about you two. You were the one who told him that the others had rescued me. I appreciate it."

"Sure thing," said Katherine smoothly. "Listen, you're not safe here. I don't know what their plan is but I guarantee they don't want to give Elijah back. I tried to get him earlier today, but... those little idiots moved the body. I don't know where it is, and I worry that they were the ones who tipped Klaus off."

Esmeray went rigid. "What?"

"Not long after they found out that Elijah woke you up, that man appeared, didn't he? I know for a fact he's tried to deliver my friend Isobel to Klaus- she's Elena's biological mother."

"Alaric's ex-wife," mused Esmeray knowingly. "That's who it is..."

"Yep. I've tried to protect her from him while protecting myself because I knew he'd kill Isobel to find Elena, and as much as I dislike her, I don't want her to end up being killed, either, because the Salvatores won't be any fun if she dies. I think that man has been trying to get you to Klaus." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a familiar stone. "I retrieved the moonstone, and I think you and I would benefit from an alliance with each other. I want Elijah back just as much as you do, and trust me when I say that I want Klaus dead more than anything, because I don't want to die and I don't want Isobel to die, either."

The hybrid pursed her lips. "How do I know I can trust you? I thought... Elijah was chasing you too. Why would you want him back? He also trapped you in the tomb."

A cleverly induced fake-blush rose to Katherine's cheeks. "I expect Elijah didn't tell you that he released me from the tomb," she lied. "Those late night meetings... they were with me. I've always had feelings for him, Esmeray, that kind of love doesn't go away. I just can't act on it so overtly because Klaus would kill us both. Don't you want Elijah to be happy? The others are just being stupid... they don't understand the Originals the way I do, and I tried to convince them to give Elijah back to you, but they don't want to, and you and I both want him to be here, safe, and in charge of this ritual. Damon and Stefan are losing their minds over the truth- they don't think that Elena will be safe. They know nothing. Please, Esmeray. Let's help each other."

Esmeray had never been in a situation like this, where a manipulator swayed her in their favor. She had no idea Katherine was lying. She didn't know that Elena had actually intended to give Elijah back to her once she learned she wasn't going to have to die. The hybrid bit her lip and looked at the vampire in front of her. "The Martins are gone," she murmured. "If you and I are allies... we can pretend to work with the Salvatores to get Elijah. I need them so that I can find out about the location of the witch massacre. If we can get close enough to them, I can look into Damon's mind and get the information we need, while you get Elijah. We'll both take him to the apartment and the plan can go according to what he wanted." She pressed her fingertips together. "What's in it for you?"

"The freedom I desire to be with the man I love," she said simply. "I can stop running. I can be safe, and Isobel can be safe, and you'll be safe, too. You can be in this world like a regular young adult, if you want. I'll throw in a bonus- you can see my memories once we kill Klaus."

Esmeray thought about it. "Elijah said I could see his memories, too, once Klaus was dead. Two ancient vampires..." She had decided that she wanted to ally herself with Katherine. Though she didn't fully trust her, she wanted to work alongside her. She'd just been about to tell her 'yes' when she realized how far away they now were from the Gilbert House. She turned around and saw the mysterious witch man was approaching her, his arm outstretched.

The hybrid tried to grab Katherine's hand to make her run away with her, but she let out a strangled gasp, holding her head. She looked at Katherine, who had on a smug smile, waving at her before speeding away.

The man came toward Esmeray, who was whimpering, and extracted a small syringe with a needle attached to it. He injected it into her, and she croaked out loudly, thrashing and feeling her eyelids beginning to droop, her body seizing as though lava had been pushed into her veins at a high pressure.

"They were right about you," he said with a dark chuckle. "This amount of wolfsbane would barely sting a normal wolf. But you really are more sensitive to it..."

Esmeray tried to force herself to her feet, but the last thing she felt was her head being slammed onto the concrete before everything went black.