𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐃
going with the idea that nothing can stop me

THEY WERE NOW on the island that was said to have the cure in it. Echo glanced over at Shane who was talking to himself before rolling her eyes. She then turned to Jack and flung his bag at him which had him stumbling backwards. She laughed at him as he blushed and glanced at Elena who was watching the interaction with a big smile on her face.

Smirking over at her sister and Jack, Echo made her way over to Damon who was sitting and sharpening a knife. She made her way behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her chin on his head. "Why are you all the way over here, handsome?"

He grinned and looked up at her through his eyelashes. "Can't stand the scouts, beautiful."

She chuckled and placed a kiss on his forehead before Shane approached them. She rolled her eyes at him and asked, "Couldn't they have hidden this cure in Hawaii?" She stood up fully and ruffled Damon's hair. "Where the hell have you taken us?"

"Two hundred miles off the Nova Scotia mainland. If you recall, the whole point was to hide the cure on the world's most obscure, desolate island," Shane explained with a grin.

"Oh yeah?" Damon questioned sarcastically. "I thought the whole point was that no one found Silas, the oldest, deadliest freak in the world."

"Yeah, that too," Shane commented, then held up sunscreen and offered it to Damon. "Sunscreen?"

"Is that a joke?" The blue eyed vampire asked, scrunched brows, unamused. Echo, on the other hand, laughed loudly at the question.

"Right." Shane made a face and walked away from the couple.

Echo gestured to her brother and Bonnie who was taking pictures of his tattoo. "I'll be over there, so don't get in too much trouble." She presses a light kiss on his cheek before walking over to them. "I bet you think you're all tough now that you got a badass tattoo."

Jeremy rolled his eyes at his sister, but couldn't help the twitch of his lip as it pulled into a smile. "You're annoying."

Bonnie smiled at them and continued to take pictures as she said, "These symbols must have been left for the hunters, so they can find the cure. And this must be the story of Qetsiyah and Silas. According to Shane, Silas asked Qetsiyah for help making a spell for immortality. She helped make him immortal, only to learn that he planned to use the same spell on another women, not her. When she found out, she freaked."

"So, Qetsiyah killed the other woman?" Jeremy asked interested.

"Yeah." The Bennett nodded before continuing, "Silas was immortal. She couldn't kill him. So she trapped him in a cave, and buried him alive instead."

"Does it say anything about the hunter's purpose in all this?" Echo asked as she crossed her arms, examining the large tattoo.

Suddenly, Shane walked up from behind them. "I was wondering when you'd ask. Qetsiyah created a cure for immortality, and then she buried it with Silas, hoping that he'd take it and die, and end up on the other side with her for all eternity. But he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. So, many centuries later, her descendants created the hunters to find him, cure him and kill him," he explained and smiled at them weirdly. "You know what? I'll explain on the hike. Come on. We gotta get going."

They all glanced at each other before beginning to hike through the woods as the professor lead them.

After awhile, Shane pulled out his phone and held it up but it beeped as though it had no service. "Satellite phone lost its signal."

"Well, that's a good sign," Damon commented sarcastically with an eye roll as he walked behind Echo who was walking beside Elena.

"Is anyone else a little creeped out?" Elena asked the group in worry.

"So, then leave," Rebekah advised snarkily which made Echo whirl around with angry eyes, and a dagger at the blondes throat.

"You are literally not needed here, so how about you leave," she spat out angrily and removed the dagger from her neck slowly. "All you do is whine and complain. You were literally just saying how you hated bugs, and yet you are here. Do us all a favor and swim back home."

Rebekah hissed loudly which resulted in Echo punching her in the nose. And before she could retaliate and attack the huntress, Damon pushed the blonde into a tree with a smirk. "Don't touch my girlfriend, blondie."

Jack was smiling over at Elena who offered him a shy one in reply.

Rebekah growled at them, but didn't do anything else.

IT WAS HOURS later, and night fell quickly so they had to hike through the thick woods using flashlights.

Shane was walking ahead of them still, explaining the whole ordeal. "Centuries after Qetsiyah died, there were these miners who were excavating a well on the island. Suddenly went mad. They bled themselves dry."

Everyone didn't want to listen to him talk, but there wasn't much else to do, plus, they needed to know what they were going to walk into.

"No apparent reason. So, the legend spread that these miners, in exchange for a drop of their blood, saw visions of their lost loved ones in the well they were digging. The word traveled and explorers sought out the well to see if the legend was true," he informed them, barely out of breath from all the talking he just did.

"So, the well was magic?" Bonnie questioned, being the only person that was fully interested.

"Well, you know, some people believe the voices of lost souls were just a wind vortex whipping through the caves, and visions were caused by inhaling the island's poisonous plant life," he answered with a smile.

"And what do you believe?" Elena asked him with furrowed brows as she dug her hand into a bag of marshmallows, and stuffed a handful in her mouth. She then offered it to Echo and Jack who did the same thing.

"I believe in magic. My wife and my son died within months of each other," Shane told them sorrowfully. He got pitied and empathetic looks, but no one spoke up. "And so... I decided to try the well out for myself." He began to tell his story on how he found the well, "I offered up my blood and I waited."

"Yeah, got it. Don't eat the poisonous flowers," Damon commented with a sarcastic smile and continued walking with the others following.

"Wait. Stop. Stop!" Shane yelled suddenly and they all stopped, and turned to him with raised brows. "Is everybody paying attention?" He then picked up a large rock. "Our first lesson in survival." He threw the rock and it triggered a net trap that swung up into the trees. "Stay together. Keep your eyes open," he ordered and everyone continued walking again.

Echo frowned, her cheeks puffed out due to all the marshmallows. "I should've seen that."

"These are so good!" Jack exclaimed with a bright smile whisk resulted in one of his marshmallows popping out of his mouth and fall onto the ground. He frowned and looked down at it. "Oops." He then started to giggle which made Elena follow in suit.

After a few moments of walking, they arrived at a clearing in the woods.

Stefan looked around in confusion. "What is this place?"

"According to island lore, a group of college kids came here for spring break. A few weeks later, they were all found dead, completely drained of blood," Shane informed them uneasily, a frown on his facial features.

"Well, tragic for them, brilliant for us," Rebekah commented dully then looked at the group. "Who sleeps where?"

As everyone else began to settle their things around the clearing, Damon and Echo approached Shane.

Damon stood in front of the Professor. "Well, that's lovely. There's a mystery man with a hatchet lurking in the woods and we're just gonna camp?" He questioned incredulously.

"We're safer here than we are hiking in the dark," Shane stated, tilting his head.

"Let's just keep going. You know? Get the cure. Get in, get out." The vampire smirked, and then glared at him. "Where is it?"

Shane humorlessly laughed, then narrowed his eyes. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"Stupid enough to raise an immortal witch, so I'd say..." Damon trailed off and took a step closer to the Professor, "incredibly."

Echo narrowed her eyes at Shane. "There is something sketchy about you. So, if you take even take one move to betray us, I will punch you in the head until it detaches." She then walked over to a spot close to Elena and Jack's tent, and started to set up hers and Damon's.

Once done, he threw her duffel bag inside and motioned for Damon to come in. They laid down beside one another before Echo placed her head on his chest with a fond smile.

"Since Elena doesn't want the cure..." Damon trailed off as he started running his fingers through her hair. "Who should we use it on? Klaus? Katherine?"

Echo rose her brows in thought. "Both, obviously." She smirked and placed a kiss on his chest. "I am going to make sure that everyone that has ever went after those I love will die miserably."

"I am so sorry for everything that Stefan has done to you and Elena," Damon murmured lowly. "A part of me hates him too, but the other part..."

"He's your brother," she whispered, biting the inside of her cheek at the words. That is one of the main reasons why she hasn't killed the asshole yet — Damon loves him still and she wasn't about to betray one of the most important people in her life. "I understand it, I do. I may hate seeing him everyday, but I am willing to allow some of my hate to disappear. But, that'll be only if he stops being such a fucking asshole who thinks he doesn't do anything wrong."

Damon chuckled a little and grabbed her hand on his chest with his free hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

And with that, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

WHEN MORNING ROSE, everyone awoke to Jeremy missing. It got Elena and Echo freaking out.

Elena walked around the camp calling out, "Jeremy!" She walked up to Bonnie in worry. "Did you find anything?"

The witch shook her head with a frown. "He's not on the trail."

Echo held up Jeremy's backpack. "His gear's still here." She ran a hand through her hair as she glanced at Jack who was glancing around the woods with furrowed brows.

Just then Stefan entered the clearing with Rebekah. "He's not at the quarry, either."

"Let's split up," Damon explained, walking up to them with a frown of his own on his face.

"I'm gonna stay and try a locator spell," Bonnie spoke up, determined to find the youngest Gilbert who has and will probably always hold a place in her heart.

"Okay. I'll stay here. I'll make sure she's safe," Shane suddenly said from behind them.

Damon glared over at the creepy professor. "I'll stay here and make sure you're not lying."

Stefan and Rebekah glanced at one another and sighed heavily. "Fine. We'll keep searching the island."

Due to not trusting either of them, Echo quickly said, "I'm coming, too." She looked over at Damon who rose a questioning brow at her. "You watch jerkoff while I watch the most whiniest people ever." He nodded and she started trialing after the blondes, and was quickly followed by Elena and Jack.

"I'm sticking with you," Jack stated with a determined expression. "Dean and Sam would kill me if something happened to you on my watch."

"It's the other way around, sweetie," Echo told him with a small smile. "But, alright." She then glanced to Elena who sent a wide smile her way.

"Jeremy!" Elena began shouting as they got far enough away from the clearing. "Jeremy!"

"Why don't you yell louder? Maybe we haven't drawn enough attention to ourselves already," Rebekah mused sarcastically which had both Echo and Elena clench their jaws.

The older twin looked to the blonde and glared. "I'm sorry, and how are you helping?"

"I'm stronger than you and faster than you and I'm quite certain I can charm the islanders a lot easier than you.," the Original listed arrogantly with a smug smile.

"Are you serious?!" Echo laughed loudly at the blonde who turned to her with a raised brow. "Is this really about the fact she's prettier and a better person than you which results in people choosing her over you?" She rolled her brown eyes. "And you call Elena whiny and selfish. Honestly, get over yourself."

Stefan sighed heavily in annoyance. "All right, we get it. You hate each other. Can we just keep going, please?"

"I tried to be her friend, but somehow, I ended up with a dagger in my back because I'm the evil one," Rebekah sneered viciously.

"Did you expect any less?" Elena asked, annoyed with the blonde. "Yes, we were beginning to become friends, but you were still going to choose your family over us. If I didn't do what I did, you would've messed everything up."

"Also," Echo spoke up, "if she didn't dagger you, I would've."

"Also, you didn't quite achieve evil status until you killed me," Elena snapped angrily. And in result to her anger, she stepped into a trip-wire and set off a trap. Rebekah quickly sped to stop it from impaling Elena and they both exchanged glances as the brunette tried to catch her breath. "Thank you," Elena breathed out, sending a small smile towards Rebekah who simply didn't respond.

Echo grabbed Elena and pulled her away from the trap, letting out her own breath of relief. "Thank Chuck you're alright."

"I never quite understood your references," Rebekah commented slightly as she pushed the trap out of the way.

Echo smirked and tilted her head. "That's because I'm from another world." She then ignored the blondes wide eyes before genuine o Elena and Jack. "We should head back to see if they found anything."

They nodded in agreement and they walked off, leaving Stefan and Rebekah standing there.

"What did she mean that she is from another world?" Rebekah asked as she watched Echo curiously.

Stefan started to walk off, continuing their search without the twins and Jack. "She's literally from another planet."

LATER ON, THE twins and Jack made their way to the clearing, confused to see no one in sight. They went to a nearby shed and searched it, just to find it empty, as well. When they walked out of the shed, they were approached by Rebekah and Stefan.

"Where is everyone?" Jack asked, pinched eyebrows, frown, and crossed arms.

Stefan looked at them in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, Bonnie's not here and Shane's stuff is all gone," Echo explained with pursed lips.

"Oh my god," Rebekah gasped and sped over to her bags. "The tombstone's gone." She looked at Stefan, then began rifling through bags inside Elena's tent, breathing heavily with a panicked look in her eyes.

Elena entered behind her with an offended scowl. "What are you doing in my tent?"

Rebekah sped over to her and grabbed her tightly by the throat. "Where's the tombstone? What have you done with it?"

"Get your damn hands off of my sister now, bitch!" Echo screamed loudly as she raised her gun to Rebekah's head.

Rebekah breathes heavily through her nose and released Elena with a growl. "All you people ever do is betray me and here you go again!"

"Hey," Jack whispered as he helped Elena up and away from the angry blonde.

Rebekah looked over at Stefan in offense. "Was any of this real? Or was it just a ploy to distract me while Shane ran off with the tombstone?" She questioned him frantically.

"Are you daft?" Echo asked incredulously and then snorted. "I don't trust Shane probably more than I don't trust you or Stefan. And I certainly still don't trust Bonnie too much, so why the fuck would I allow this whole thing to happen?" She clenched her jaw. "Oh, that's right, because I'm not dumb."

The Original just glared at Echo for a few seconds before nodding, and then turning her hard expression on Elena.

After a good minute of just a state off between the rivals, Elena glanced to her sister before they had a silent conversation with one another.

Once Echo rolled her eyes, and then hesitantly nodded, Elena lifted up some material, and withdrew the white oak stake from under it.

"I didn't take it, but here." Elena extended the stake toward Rebekah. "Consider this a peace offering."

"Don't you get it, Elena?!" Rebekah shouted with a huff. "There is no peace. We're all screwed!"

"Exactly, Rebekah." Echo rolled her eyes at the annoying blonde. She didn't want the blonde to have the stake, but it's the only thing to make sure she didn't betray them. "We're screwed. Bonnie's gone. Shane's got the tombstone. Jeremy's missing. Who knows where the hell my boyfriend went." Yes, she was worried about him, but she also needed to make sure that Elena and Jack was safe, and that was only if she was with them.

"So, us five, right here, this is all we've got," Elena stated, raising her brows. "So we're either in this together... or it's over. For all of us." She held out the stake to Rebekah again and the blonde took it with a nod.