(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Seventeen

Ambulance lights flash through the parking lot of the high school. Tanner's body having been loaded up and ready to go. Cassandra can't bring herself to care. He was a terrible teacher and an even worse human being. She fiddles with the end of her scarf and then snorts.

"What a twist" Cassandra comments as she and Elena watch the ambulance drive Tanner away. Elena gives her a look and shakes her head.

"This isn't a tv show, Cassie, he's dead..." Elena scolds her, Cassandra snorts and looks at her sister.

"Yeah, and he was a dick...." Cassandra points out. "The bad guy always gets it in the end..." She shrugs and then walks away. Elena closes her eyes and lets out a breath. She then follows after Cassandra.

"You're not at all curious what happened?" Elena asks, Cassandra glances at her. "What kind of animal could be doing all this? Why would it come out of the woods and attack someone in the middle of town?"

"Human intervention through overhunting is wiping out its natural prey and forcing it to branch out into populated areas to seek out a new food source?" Cassandra counters. Elena gives her a look. "I don't know, Elena, but it happened..." Cassandra shrugs. "Whatever it is, is clearly picking targets that are bad people, me and you...we will be fine because we're not bad people" Elena nods a little. "Now...I'm cold and I need to pee...So I'm going home, do you want a ride or not?"

"No, it's okay, I'm going to find Bonnie..." Elena offers and then walks away, heading back to the last place she saw Bonnie. Cassandra sighs a little and shakes her head. This whole town is a freak show.

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

Damon is looming in Cassandra's bedroom. She is fast asleep, curled up among her blankets like a little burrito. Looking rather toastie and comfy. Damon reaches down and brushes her hair back from where it covers her face. Fingers grazing over her cheek. She shifts slightly in her sleep before settling again. He pulls his hand back and looks around the tiny room. And it is small. Bed. Dresser. Wardrobe. That's it for 'big' furniture. The vintage television is a surprise, by vintage...it looks like it's come straight out of the 70s but it is set up to work with a DVD player. With dials and everything. He looks over her box sets of old sitcoms. 50s. 60s. 70s. 80s. Literally, her collection of DVDs are all sitcoms or westerns up to and including the 2000s so far. She must really love them. He snorts a little and then glances over his shoulder as Cassandra moves. He watches her a moment. Waiting to see if he's woken her up. He has. She sits up and glances around the room. But he's gone. She lets out a breath and runs her fingers through her hair, shaking it out behind her. Clearing her throat she leans across to reach the DVD pile, settles on something she wants to watch before getting it ready to go. She turns on the television and climbs back into her bed as an episode of Bewitched starts to play. She hugs her pillow closer, resting her chin on it to watch the show. It's one of those things that allows her to escape. She can forget about Tanner. She can forget about Vicki and Tyler and her parents. She can just focus on the story unfolding before her. Lose herself in it. She can forget that there is something wrong with this town and that feeling inside of her that is warning her of it. She wants to ignore it. Warning bells. This whole town is one big warning bell right about now.

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

Jenna cocks her head, watching Cassandra curled up on the couch with a blanket, a stack of DVDs on the table ready to be watched. Jenna touches the top of Cassandra's head and she looks up at her. Jenna moves around the couch.

"Are we coaching it today?" Jenna asks as she sits next to Cassandra, who pulls her blanket further up her legs.

"I have nothing to do..." Cassandra is quick to defend.

"Hey, no judgement" Jenna stops her. "I was actually going to ask if I could join you" She adds and sinks into the couch a little. "How has school been? We haven't had a chance to talk this week....."

"You don't have to worry about me," Cassandra tells her, Jenna just gives her a look back.

"Of course I do....we're family. Family always worries" Jenna argues and nudges Cassandra who gives her a small smile. "So Chinese food and John Wayne?" Jenna asks her, Cassandra nods with a smile.

........

At some point in the day, Jeremy joins the two of them, sat on the floor, back against the couch. He watches as Jenna gathers a few of the empty takeout boxes from the table and then leaves the room before he turns to Cassandra who doesn't look at him. He shifts from the floor and onto the couch at her side.

"Elena told me she told you about Vicki" Jeremy admits, Cassandra hums and nods. "Are you mad?" She looks at him.

"Not at you" She assures him. He nods a little. "It's not your fault" She looks back at the television. She knows it must have been Vicki. It has to be Vicki's fault. She's the elder. The adult. Jeremy is the child. She should never have gone after him in the first place.