✔ | Allure, S. Salvatore

✔ | 25 - 𝑫𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝑴𝒐𝒗𝒆

She bent over the kitchen platform to crane her neck around the pillar. In the living room couch, she could see Jeremy's mop of dark hair, ever so messy without her to comb into dignity. Her brother was crouched over, scribbling some remaining parts of his homework before school.

"Oh great mind of the future," Kat sing-songed, "Would your Majesty oblige me with getting thine ass up to the car?"

"Huh." he continued without answering her.

"Hey donkey," Kat announced, "I'm ordering you to pack up quickly. We're bolting to Hell in a few."

Technically, Kat was supposed to be polite and normal to him, acting as if Damon didn't compel him to get his life in order. But calling the only boy in her family names like donkey, Betty Crocker and Shinchan seemed to be normal enough.

Jeremy bit into his pencil, trying to align his papers tardily. "You know what? I don't even understand what you say half the time..."

Kat rolled her eyes, rushing to him with a stapler in hand. She carefully arranged the sheets, happy with quite the dedication he had put into it. Handing them to Jeremy, she gave a sleek grin, "That's because you were dropped on the head as a kid."

"I bet you were the one who did it... Mad Hatter."

Kat blew a raspberry, "That's a compliment by the way. By the way, we're making a pit stop at Care's. Remember your rules?"

Jeremy looked from under his hair that Kat combed through with her fingers. She pushed his head down to her height, prompting him to list the rules as she set his hair right.

"Don't say The Notebook is boring. Don't talk about Anna Karenina. Don't talk about her mom."

"And if she brings it up?" Kat quizzed.

"That's a trick question." Jeremy was taught well, "Because even if she did, only you have the right to handle that conversation."

"See? All you have to do is be trained." Kat smiled. She hadn't almost hurt him with just a series of normal hand-brushing. Today was good already.

Maybe she thought of that too soon.

"I've known her for a long time," Kat overheard a familiar voice from the porch, "I'll handle it. We don't know if her parents told her anything about the Council..."

Another voice supplemented the statement, "Isn't it risky to try now though? She might go in search of it all."

The Gilbert siblings made their way towards the door, Kat acting very deaf to what Jeremy couldn't hear.

"All my other sources have come up dry. The Gilberts are the only chance we've got."

She opened the door, eyes widening as a part of her facade as she beheld none other than Sheriff Forbes and Mr. Saltzman at her doorstep.

"Sheriff! And Mr. Saltzman... Good morning."

"Hi, good morning." Alaric's smile was polite while the Sheriff's was maternal. Jeremy returned a respectful greeting and a handshake.

"Sorry, we were just going to knock. Caught you at a bad time?"

"We were just to pick up Care actually..." Kat shrugged. "Jenna's actually asleep, she was up late writing her second thesis paper,"

Jeremy snorted at that. If only Meryl Streep was here, she'd kiss Kat at the face she'd made.

"Oh, we wanted to meet you Kat," Liz corrected.

Kat shared a silent moment with Jeremy. Slowly, he began to make his way to the garage. "I'm calling shotgun."

"Thank you."