"Excuse me, I'd hate to be a bother,"

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Stefan and Damon had shown up at the Gilbert household with a plan to retrieve the moonstone from Katherine, not realizing that Clarissa had already left.

In their haste, they hadn't noticed that her car was gone from the driveway, a detail that they might have found odd if they had been more observant.

But they brushed off her absence, attributing it to her preference for walking around town, and continued with their conversation.

Elena had not given much thought to her sister's missing car either, knowing that she was her own person, free to come and go as she pleased.

This would prove to be a grave error. If Clarissa executed the plan she had formed, Elena and the rest of the group would never see her again.

Clarissa studied the screen intently, her gaze calculating and focused.

It was clear that she had devised a plan that carried a level of risk, one she would not undertake lightly.

Her reasons for plotting this scheme were unknown, but whatever they may have been, one thing was certain: Elena played a crucial role in the plan.

Clarissa was willing to go to great lengths for her twin, even if it meant placing herself in danger.

Clarissa sat in the car, her dark locks pulled into a bun and secured with a simple clip. Her leather jacket was beside her on the passenger seat, the silence in the vehicle almost overwhelming.

Her mind was filled with a whirlwind of thoughts, as she tried to decipher the voices and the meanings behind the mysterious sentences.

"Find me,"

A voice that sounded oddly similar to her own, but not quite. Not as harsh as Katherine, not as soft as Elena.

"How could you do this to me?"

Her own voice, strained and filled with emotion. Almost as if she was on the verge of tears.

"Hello, my sweet girl,"

The voice of Isobel, her biological mother.

"And so I shall,"

An unfamiliar male voice, one that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Time for a speech,"

A female voice, with a hint of affection. Someone she hadn't met yet, perhaps?

"Hello, darling,"

Another male voice, this one full of mischief and excitement for trouble.

"Come back, please come back,"

Her own voice once more, but tinged with desperation, sorrow, pain, and grief.

Clarisa shook her head, trying to focus on the road ahead. She couldn't let her thoughts spiral out of control.

She took a deep breath, the sound of the engine the only noise that occupied her mind. It was calming in a way, grounding her in the present.

She had to stay focused. She had a destination in mind, and she needed to keep her mind clear to reach it.

The miles seemed to go on forever as she continued to drive, each moment feeling like an eternity. 

Her thoughts would occasionally drift back to the voices, but she pushed them away each time. She couldn't afford to get distracted, not now.

Grace and Faith glanced at their mother from time to time, their gazes holding worry.

They knew what the voices meant and why she had them.

Those were fragments of the future.

Fragments of Clarissa's future.

After locking the car, Clarissa took a glance at her reflection in the driver's side window. Her appearance was crucial to her plan. 

She wanted to come across as kind and easy to talk to, so she had adorned herself with a silver necklace and star earrings and had carefully styled her hair to frame her face. 

A sweet, loving smile played on her lips, her eyes filled with warmth and openness.

She knew that her best chance of success was to be underestimated. People tended to let their guard down around those they believed were less of a threat, and she banked on using that to her advantage.

Katherine observed the scene with her dark eyes, a small, unnoticeable smirk tugging on her lips.

Maybe her starting admiration for the doppelganger wasn't for nothing.

Clarissa Gilbert was not such an innocent girl she made people believe.

As she walked towards the entrance of the building, she took a deep breath and centered herself. 

She was ready to put her plan into action.

Clarissa entered the coffee shop, her eyes taking in the cozy atmosphere.

She approached an older woman who worked there, greeting her with a soft smile, her hands linked together in front of her. "Excuse me, I'd hate to be a bother," Clarissa began, her voice almost hesitant.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're not bothering at all, what can I do for you?" the elder woman replied, her smile warm and kind.

"I'm looking for someone who works here. His name is Slater," Clarissa explained, tucking a strand of her hair back behind her ear.

The woman kindly provided her with Slater's address, seeing as he wasn't present in the coffee shop.

Expressing her gratitude, Clarissa thanked her genuinely before leaving the shop, a small, determined smirk tugging at her lips.

Back inside the car, Clarissa set her hair free, the curls falling around her shoulders and framing her face. With a few quick touches, she applied just a touch of makeup, transforming her look from innocent and sweet to confident and poised.

She was ready.

Clarissa approached the apartment with a focused calm, only to realize the door was locked. Without hesitation, she took a few steps back and kicked it open, taking care to avoid making too much noise.

As she entered the apartment, she took a moment to assess her surroundings. It was far too quiet, almost eerily so.

That's when she saw him. Slater was lying on the floor, his skin grey and desiccated, a wooden stake sticking out of his heart.

As the realization settled in, Clarissa felt a mix of surprise and disappointment. This was not part of her plan. She had wanted to talk to Slater, not find his corpse.

With a deep breath, she forced her feelings back down and began to look around the surrounding area. There had to be clues here somewhere.

Despite the grim discovery, she had to put aside her feelings and focus on the task at hand. There were clues to be found, and she would uncover them.

Clarissa moved through the apartment like a woman on a mission. She searched high and low for anything that could provide a clue.

Finally, she came to a stop in front of a computer. Without hesitation, she took a seat in the chair and began to type, her fingers flying across the keyboard with practiced ease.

"You can hack?" Jeremy asked, his expression a mix of curiosity and surprise.

Clarissa shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered by his reaction. "You'd be surprised at what I can learn when I'm bored," she responded simply.

"Isn't it illegal?" Bonnie interjected, looking at the brunette with a slight frown.

Clarissa shrugged again, her expression indifferent. "The guy's a vampire. For all we know, he didn't even buy it and compelled it for himself," she shrugged, her words having a certain logic to them.

As she found valuable information, the corner of her lips quirked into a sly smirk. She reached for a phone and began to dial a number, her fingers deftly punching in the digits.

Clarissa spoke firmly, her tone leaving no room for misinterpretation. "Listen carefully. I have a message for Klaus. The doppelganger is alive. She is willing to surrender without any resistance. She will be waiting in an apartment in Richmond,"

Faith looked at her mother with a mixture of concern and confusion. "You never told us this," 

Clarissa returned her gaze, a hint of regret in her eyes as she responded. "I don't know. Maybe I was trying to protect you,"

Elijah sat across from Jonas Martin, his expression stoic and emotionless. "So, how exactly does this spell work?" he inquired, eyeing the personal items that had been placed on the table in front of them: Clarissa's necklace, her journal, a polaroid picture of her and Caroline, and her camera.

Jonas held out his hand, which held an envelope cutter. "Give me your hand."

Elijah responded by holding out his own hand, his expression betraying no signs of the pain he could be feeling as the warlock cut across his palm.

Jonas then pointed at the polaroid picture with his free hand and instructed further. "Place it here,"

Elijah followed the instructions, placing his bloodied palm over the picture.

"No, that's my favorite photo," Clarissa said, her lips tugging into a frown. 

She crossed her arms, leaning against Caroline stubbornly, as if hurt by the notion, causing the blonde to wrap her arm around her.

"Now take my hand," Jonas instructed, setting down the blade and extending his hand towards Elijah. "Close your eyes. Relax your mind and look for her."

Elijah obeyed the warlock's instructions, closing his eyes and opening his mind in search of the doppelganger. He blocked out the warlock's soft chants, focusing solely on his search.

Clarissa utilized the wait, moving Slater's body onto the bed.

She felt a pang of sympathy for him, as it was clear that his death had served a purpose, either to deliver a message or to prevent valuable information from being given to individuals like herself.

Despite the fact that Slater was no longer alive, Clarissa took care to gently place him on the bed, closing the door behind her as she stepped out of the room.

It was a subtle gesture, but it revealed Clarissa's character - her capacity to show care and respect, not just for the living but also for the deceased.

Despite his stoic nature, Elijah couldn't help but admire Clarissa's actions. He found himself unable to suppress a slight smile, intrigued by the complexity that the Gilbert girl seemed to possess.

He found himself interested, despite her being so young. There was something in the way she handled herself that made her seem older, more mature, and experienced beyond her years.

She was an intriguing blend of innocence and wisdom, a paradox that he had never encountered before. And he wanted to understand her, to uncover the layers beneath her seemingly calm exterior.

Elijah's eyes opened, his gaze steady and collected, feeling a sense of satisfaction. "I know exactly where she is," he declared, his words confident and resolute.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Clarissa turned around, her attention immediately drawn to the sound of the door being flung open. 

Three vampires had entered the apartment, and she couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the thought of three vampires being sent for her.

"This many people for little old me?" she quipped, a small laugh escaping her lips, amused by the absurdity of the situation.

But before anyone could respond, one of the vampires crumpled to the ground with a sickening crack, revealing Elijah standing behind them.

Clarissa's expression shifted from amusement to curiosity as she noticed Elijah's sudden appearance. "I thought you were dead," she mused, her head tipping to the side by an inch, although she felt a slight flutter in her chest. 

As if she was glad he was alive.

Elijah's lips curled into a slight smirk at her comment. "I'm harder to get rid of than you think," he replied, his gaze fixed on her.

Elijah then turned his attention to the remaining two vampires. "Does anyone else know that you're here?" he inquired, his gaze intense.

"No," the vampire responded, his voice quivering with fear, anticipating what was to come.

Elijah let out a hum of acknowledgment before swiftly ripping out the vampire's heart, letting the organ drop to the floor. "Then you have been incredibly helpful," he stated, a sense of satisfaction in his tone.

He moved towards Clarissa with blinding speed, and she didn't even blink at the sight of the vampires being killed so ruthlessly.

Elijah's expression shifted into what could almost be described as an amused smile, his hand briefly caressing her cheek before he disappeared, leaving Clarissa alone in the apartment.