(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Three

Cassandra sets her mug of tea back on her desk before moving to the bedroom door. Elena on the other side, knocking slightly for her sister's attention. She just wants to check on her before she leaves for the Grill.

"Just checking" Elena offers. "I know that you said...."

"Matt just text to warn me" Cassandra stops her before she can finishes. "Tyler's at the Grill, so...no, I will definitely not be going"

"You can't let him control your life, Cas" Elena offers. "He's in the wrong...not you...why should you have to avoid him? He should be avoiding you!"

"Elena" Cassandra stops her with a small chuckle. She's touched by Elena's defence but it isn't necessary. She wasn't planning on going anyway. "I didn't want to go, remember..."

"I know" Elena agrees. "But..."

"It's not Tyler" Cassandra assures her, Elena hums sceptically. "It's a little about Tyler" Cassandra corrects herself because yeah, maybe it is about that, maybe she's not ready to see him again. "But it's mostly because I just...want to have some solitary time" Elena touches Cassandra's door and nods a little.

"Okay, it's just fries you want bringing back?" Elena asks softly, Cassandra smiles to herself.

"Yeah, just some fries...." Cassandra assures her, then listens to Elena moving away from her room. Cassandra lets out a breath and rests her forehead against the door. Her whole summer has been nothing but solitude. Locking herself away from the people in her life whilst she dealt with the changes going on in her body, the eruption of her powers. She looks down at her hand as red mist curls around her fingers. It is for the best. She can't risk hurting anyone with this. Especially the people that she loves but she does miss the relationship she did have with Elena before all of this. They were best friends. Now she feels that slipping away.

.................

Later, Cassandra sits on her bedroom floor, this time with a small bowl of fries that Elena did bring back from the Grill. Elena sits across from her, legs stretched out next to Cassandra's. She'd let her sister in. It's a start. She's decided to try and be more open. She's going to survive her grief, she is going to survive the death of her parents. Whatever happened to her that night. Whatever gave her these powers. Whatever it was. It woke something in her. A need for survival. But no one can survive in this world alone. She needs her sister and her best friend at her side. And she will tell her about the powers, once she is more comfortable with them herself and what she can do. Elena is telling her about the new guy. Stefan. Going through everything that Caroline found out. But something about him still rubs Cassandra up the wrong way.

..................

It's weird to hear Mystic Falls so quiet. Cassandra has never heard or seen it so...silent. She's dreaming. She is aware of that much. There is a red sheen to her dreams. Has been since the accident. She blames her new powers on this, as they are the same colour and seem to be similar in nature. Plus the town square is all but empty, during the day, which never happens. She looks down at herself to find she's wearing some red leather jacket, it's longer than her current one, a brighter shade of red too. It's more like a leather trench coat. She touches the lapels and looks around the square as the sky darkens around her. Something is wrong here. She spins on the spot as she tries to figure out what it is that is wrong. She sees it in the sky. A black cloud moves towards her at speed. Her eyes narrowing as she watches it. Something about it telling her to run. But she doesn't she stands her ground. Her stance shifting to defensive, her hands held out at her side, balls of red energy forming in her palms. It appears in her dreams she has much better control and more understanding of her powers. She barely had to think about that. She cocks her head when she hears it. A noise on the breeze. It's the sound of wings. It's not a cloud. It's a swarm. A cauldron. It's bats. Cassandra throws up her arm, a force field of energy forming in front of her. The bats fly straight into it, disappearing in a puff of black smoke. She keeps the shield up. Just in case. But it falls silent again. She lets out a breath and pulls the shield back. There is a figure now standing in front of her. The new student from school. This Stefan that Elena was telling her about. She frowns at him. Veins creeping up under his eyes before he lunges forward.

.........

Cassandra wakes with a scream, red most erupting from her hand and shattering her bedside lamp causing her to jump and snap her head around. Her heart pounding in her chest. She swallows, fighting the urge to run to the bathroom and hurl up that nightmare. She lets out a breath and takes a deep one following it.

"Cas?" Jenna's worried voice breaks through the quiet of the house. She's standing on the other side of the bedroom door. Not wanting to just burst in. "You okay?" The door handle turns as Jenna moves to enter. Cassandra throws out her hand, rest mist hitting the door and pushing back against Jenna. "Cas..." Jenna starts when she can't get through. "I just want to know that you're okay....."

"I'm fine" Cassandra bites out, she doesn't mean to sound so hostile, and it is not Jenna's fault, but that dream has her skin crawling, has her filled with a rage she can't explain.