Whatever It Takes {Two | Alaric Saltzman}

What Are You?

"Welcome, everyone! As part of our ramp-up to Founders' Day, our high school students have followed up on a local legend about a time capsule buried in 1790. With the help of our historical society, they went digging for treasure left behind by the first settlers." Applause followed Abigail's words, growing louder as the curtain behind her was pulled back. "And this is what they found."

It must have been the combination of how long she had already spent looking at everything, how distracted she was at the thought of getting home, and how Matt crossed into her line of sight that made her walk away.

"Hey. You okay?" She slowed to match his pace. "You looked a little shaky from up there."

"Yeah, this morning's been a real mess. I got called into a fight at a coffee shop, these two guys almost killed each other." Matt shook his head. "Mystic Falls just isn't the same as it used to be."

"It's exactly the same as it used to be. We didn't know any better back then because we were kids and the adults hid the darkness from us." She led him in the direction of Caroline who was sitting under a tree. "We're the adults now."

He didn't even acknowledge what she said. "Is that ancient Tupperware?"

Caroline held up the small plastic container she dug up as she moved to sit on a nearby bench. "Abigail, Elena, Bonnie, and I made our own time capsule when we were in sixth grade."

She sat down next to her. "I cannot believe it is still here."

Caroline started taking things from the capsule, pausing when she came across a picture of her on a bike as pink as her helmet next to Liz. "Look at this."

Matt laughed. "Look at your mom's hair."

Abigail was stopped the same way by a picture of her, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline standing on either side of Miranda next to a school bus. "Oh..."

Matt looked from one picture to the other. "Miranda Gilbert. I miss her."

She smiled softly. "Me too."

"Oh, my gosh." Caroline's shuffling about the items of the capsule stopped abruptly. "'Dear Future Caroline, I predict you will win a Tony Award, live in the perfect house and marry the perfect boy.' Ambitious and sadly inaccurate."

"Stefan still locked up?" Matt asked.

Caroline nodded. "But I'm staying positive. I mean, look at Damon. Humanity on and he's a new person. Stefan will get his emotions back, too."

"I just wonder if he's ever gonna feel bad for trying to make me destroy our whole town and kill God knows how many people."

"Stefan's not him-"

"I know, Stefan's not himself. The sirens, the devil, the mind control." He paused. "But it's still him that did all those things. It's hard to keep giving him a pass."

As Matt walked away, Abigail held up two pieces of paper. "Bonnie's sixth grade bucket list. 'Meet Justin Timberlake, audition for American Idol, be on MTV's Spring Break...'"

Caroline laughed into a question, "What does yours say?"

"I wrote a letter like you did. You thought I was copying you. But my letter..." She flipped to the page. "'Dear Future Abigail, I predict that you'll be on the Council, a member of the historical society, and that you will be the mayor's wife...'"

"The mayor's wife?" Caroline's wide-eyed shock was expected. "As in Tyler?"

She nodded. "I had a crush on him for a few years. And then freshman year happened."