▎FORGOTTEN FLAME ▎
»»———— act two. KATHERINE
CHAPTER TWENTY ━━ food and lies
As Bella walked into the mystic grill, she frowned as she saw luka storming away from Bonnie and Jeremy. She boy bumped into her, making him pause as his hand touched her arm.
Luka looked at her with wide eyes, making her frown. "Are you okay?" She asked him as he snapped out of it.
But all he did was walk past her, making her shake her head in confusion. She had no clue what he saw when he touched her, but she knew it wasn't good.
Bella sipped on her drink as she listened to damon and Alaric talk. "Other than your lecture in mystic falls, get anything out of elijah?" Damon asked alaric as Bella rolled her eyes.
"No, it was boring." Alaric breathed out as he played with a spoon. "Of course, Jenna thinks he's charming."
"You sounded jealous. He sounds jealous?" Damon turned to Bella, then the girl beside him, who was his new girlfriend.
"Kinda do." She nodded her head.
"Yeah, he does seem charming though." Bella nodded his head as alaric pulled a 'really' face. "What?" She frowned as Damon shook his head.
"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this here." Alaric nudged his head to Andie Damon.
"Andie? She's compelled not to divulge my secrets, haven't you?" Damon turned to Andie as he put his arm around her shoulders.
"Mh-hm." She hummed as the two kissed, making Bella and alaric face each other with disgusted faces. "My lips are sealed."
"That's just too weird." Alaric shook his head.
"I agree with the teacher." Bella added as she stirred her straw in her drink.
"I just need the right opportunity." Damon sighed as Bella shook her head at him.
"You're not killing him. He's here to help elena." Bella warned him as Damon waved her off.
Then Damon tilted his head as he looked at the entrance of mystic grill. "Ah, there's jenna with her new boyfriend." Damon grinned. "Hi." He spoke to the two as alaric tried to hide behind Bella, who pulled a confused look.
"Hey, guys." Jenna smiled brightly as she walked over to the table. Bella smiled politely at the redhead.
"I heard your two had, uh, quite a meeting of historical minds." Damon grinned as he pointed to Jenna and Elijah, who stood behind her.
"Yeah. I guess you could say that." Jenna smiled as she turned to elijah.
"Well, as much as I'd like to continue this, uh, I have papers to grade." Alaric cleared his throat as he threw some money down.
"Totally." Bella hummed as he sent her a look, making her look down to her drink.
"You know what? I think we should continue this." Andie spoke up as alaric stood up. "Let's have a dinner party."
"Ooh, my girl. Full of good ideas. Me and Bella would be happy to host." He pointed at himself and Bella. "Say tonight, maybe?"
"It's good for me. Jenna?" Andie asked as they all agreed.
"It would be a pleasure." Elijah nodded his head with a smile.
"Does that mean I get to cook?" Bella looked at Damon, a hopeful look on her face. When Damon nodded, she grinned in victory.
Arabella was thrilled that she got to cook. Cooking was her specialty. So she did just that as she prepared the table with andie and Jenna. "So, what's going on with you and alaric?" Andie spoke up. "I feel like there's some tension."
"I don't know." Jenna sighed as Bella placed the plates down. "I really like him." She said as andie hummed. "It's more than like. And I want it to work. But I can't help but feel like he's hiding something from me. And then I've got John whispering things in my ear about him."
"Like what?" Andie scoffed.
"Things I don't wanna believe." Jenna shook her head as she placed the last plate down. "Things I don't believe, not if they're coming from johns mouth."
"Oh, well, there you go, then. Trust is the key to any relationship. I mean, I am so grateful that damon tells me everything." Andie chuckled as Bella bit her tongue, watching the two girls.
"Yeah, you have no reason not to trust ric, Jenna. He's a good guy." Bella defended the teacher as Jenna nodded her head. "Now I'm going back to the kitchen before I burn the food." Bella grinned as she walked back towards the kitchen.
Bella groaned as she saw John walk into the house. "Why is he here?" Bella narrowed her eyes as Damon stood beside her.
"He invited himself." Damon shrugged ad Bella shook her head, sending piecing glares to John.
Then there was a knock on the door, making Bella open it to see elijah. "Good evening, Arabella." Elijah smiled down at the girl as she smiled back.
"Thank you for coming. Please, come in." Damon held bellas shoulder as he invited the vampire in.
"Just one moment." Elijah sighed as he looked at damon. "Can I just say that If you have less-than-honourable intentions, about how this evening is going to proceed, i suggest you reconsider." Elijah told damon as Bella looked up at her brother.
"No, nothing dishonourable. Just, uh, getting to know you." Damon shook his head as Bella saw right through his lie.
Elijah hummed as he nodded his head. "That's good." He said as he walked in. "Because, you know, although elena and I have this deal, If you so much as make a move to cross me, I'll kill you and I'll kill everyone in this house." He said as Bellas eyes widened. "Except for the honourable witch of course." Bella smiled at that. "Are we clear?"
"Crystal." Damon said as he shut the door.
"Jenna. So wonderful to see you. How are you?" Elijah smiled as he saw the redhead.
"I swear to god, If you have something planned I will slaughter you before Elijah gets the chance." Bella warned Damon.
Bella sat beside jenna as the redhead poured some wine into her own cup. "I hate to break it to you, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town." Jenna said as she tilted her head.
"Hm, do tell." Damon turned to Elijah, who sat across from bella.
"Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the 1960s." Elijah spoke as Bella pulled a face, eating the food she made. "Over the next hundred years, they developed this community where they could feel safe from the persecution."
"Hmm, because they were witches." Jenna hummed as Bella looked down at her plate.
"Yeah, there's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem." Andie spoke up, as some eyes were on Bella.
"Andies a journalist. Big on facts." Damon pointed his fork at Andie.
"Well, the lore says that there were this wave of anti-witch hysteria. Broke out in the neighbour settlement. So these witches were rounded up. They were tied to stakes in a field together and, uh, burned." Elijah continued as he sent a look to Bella, who drank her drink. "Some say you could hear the screams for miles as they were consumed by the fire."
"I, uh, wouldn't repeat this to the historical society." Jenna chucked as Bella nervously chucked.
"It's starting to sound a little like a hoist story to me." John spoke up as Bella rolled her eyes, pulling a look as she shook her head. She did not want John there and especially Not eating the food she made.
"So why do you wanna know the location of these alleged massacres?" Damon asked Elijah, ignoring John.
"You know, healthy historians curiosity, of course." Elijah shrugged his shoulders.
"Of course." Damon repeated.
"Would anyone care for some cognac? I have a bottle I've been saving for ages." Damon spoke as he stood up.
"None for me, thanks. Nine bottles of wine is my limit." Alaric sighed as Bella quietly chuckled to herself, finding it amusing how he couldn't handle wine.
"The gentlemen should take their drinks in the study." Andie said as Bella frowned as she stood up.
"Arabella, I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company." Elijah smiled at Bella, making her smile back.
"Thank you, Elijah." She nodded her head as she picked up some plates.
"You're not a gentleman. Make yourself useful. Hm?" Jenna hummed as she passed the plates to John. Arabella hummed in agreement as she placed her plates on top of Jenna's.
"Yes, leave the women to clean up." Bella scoffed as she sent a glare to Damon. She grew suspicious of her brother.
"He's up to something." Bella turned to alaric, who pulled out his phone. He quickly explained that it was stefan and that Damon was planning to kill Elijah.
So Bella and himself walked though the study. "Uh, gentleman. We forgot about desert." Alaric cleared his throat. Bella needed to get Elijah out of the house before her brother could do something stupid.
"Yes, the best part of the night." Bella continued as she turned to Elijah. Bella held out her hand as she sent Elijah a quick look, making him frown, but took her hand nevertheless.
As Bella and Elijah walked out of the study, she quickly grabbed the paper from her pocket and handed it to Elijah, signalling him to be quiet. Bella was not risking her brothers getting killed because Damon was stupid.
He frowned as he looked at the rushed writing on the paper, but clenched his jaw as he read it. He scrunched the paper up as he placed it in his pocket, giving Bella a nod as he mouthed a 'thank you.'
Elijah knew he could trust the witch. But he was still confused about the vision Luka had when he touched Arabella. And also the tattoo on her arm, that looked very familiar.
"I need to go help jenna with the desert." Bella quickly told him as she walked towards the kitchen.
"You've got to tell me how you leaned to cook this good." Jenna sneakily took a bye out of one of the brownies Bella made.
The witch smiled as she grabbed the plates. "Just a bored girl growing up and found out that cooking was a specialty I had." She said as Jenna smiled.
"Now you can come to ours whenever so you can cook for me." Jenna grinned as Bella smiled, nodding her head.
"Of course, Jenna." Bella walked into the room to find everyone else but Elijah. Bella had a bad feeling as she placed the plates down. "Where's elijah?"
"He left." Damon replied as bella clenched her jaw.
— MADSTERS NOTES
BRO just daggered bels new bestie and also future brother in law. Mans not having it...