The sound of chatter and lockers slamming shut echoed along the school corridor. I have been fighting back sleep ever since I got out of bed, sleep has been a difficult thing of late.
Amy was leaning up against my locker with a bright smile on her face, she is officially dating Sophie, the girl she's been in love with for two years at least.
"I'm just so happy." She exclaimed with a love sick sigh
"I'm happy for you." I said with a smile, her smile only grew wider at that, and I could tell she was thinking about Sophie again. She then fully looked at me and her brows furrowed slightly, she raised her hand and grabbed my face, squishing my cheeks a little bit.
"You look so exhausted. Is everything okay?" She asked, a hint of worry coming through
"Yeah, everything's fine." I said with a smile, trying my best to reassure her.
"You sure?" She asked, still not reassured.
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm just tired. Come on, we're gonna be late." I said as I shut my locker and began to walk towards history. Amy sighed before she suddenly started smiling and acting giddy again.
"What?" I asked with a laugh as I noticed her sudden change in demeanor.
"Sophie's in this class with us." She said happily as she picked up her pace, eager to get to a class for the first time in her entire school career.
The two of us made it into class a few seconds before the bell rang, we sat down at our desks and I noticed Amy staring at Sophie, who was trying not to smile too widely at her.
A man suddenly walked in with a bookbag in hand, he placed it on the desk and clapped his hands together. "Alright class, good morning. My name is Mr Saltzman, and I'm your new history teacher." He picked up a piece of chalk and wrote Alaric Saltzman on the board.
"Alaric Saltzman. It's a mouth full, I know. Saltzman is of German origins. My family immigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now, the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great-grandfather who I will never be able to thank enough." Mr Saltzman said. My lips quirked up at his comment. He didn't seem too bad, especially since our last history teacher was terrible. It's a nice change of pace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Then I ended up at the remains of old Fell's church before I woke up back in the woods." Bonnie explained worriedly. As I was grabbing my lunch from my locker, Bonnie had grabbed my arm and pulled me outside. Muttering something about witch problems. It seems that her ancestor has been haunting her, which is not something I have experienced, yet at least.
"And you always see your ancestor Emily?" Elena asked. Bonnie nodded in response.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" Bonnie suddenly asked
"Yes. Bonnie, we are witches. Ghosts aren't too far fetched." I answered
"I think I'm being haunted." Bonnie said. She looked worried and frightened.
"I don't get it. Why Emily?" Elena asked
"Grams said she was a powerful witch back in the civil war days. This medallion was hers. It's a witches talisman." Bonnie said
"And it all started when you got the necklace." Elena said
"I think she's using it to communicate with me." Bonnie said
"It's possible. It was her talisman, she's probably connected to it in some spiritual way" I added
"What does Grams say about it?" Elena asked
"I can't call her. She's gonna tell me to embrace it. I don't wanna embrace it. I want it to stop." Bonnie said. I nodded in understanding, I would want it to stop too. Being made to walk out into the woods at night is not safe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
School was finally finished, and I was without a ride home. I had come here with Amy, but she was going to Sophie's place. Bonnie and Elena had already left, so that left me with the long walk home after an incredibly long day. I sighed softly as I began to walk down the path, heading in the direction of my house.
"Well, if it's not my favorite witch." An unpleasantly familiar voice said from behind me. I stopped walking but didn't turn around, allowing him to catch up to me.
"If it's not my second favorite vampire." I replied.
"Second huh? Do you like Stefan more than me?" He asked as he stood beside me. I turned to look at him, he was wearing all black as per usual.
"Yes. You're only second because I don't know that many vampires. If I knew more you'd probably be last." I said
"I doubt that." Damon said with a coy smile
"Better believe it, pretty boy." I began walking again, Damon moved quickly to keep up with me.
"Pretty boy. You think I'm pretty?" He asked with a teasing smile. His eyes were bright with mischief.
"I didn't mean it like that." I defended myself, trying to ignore his smug smile.
"Sure you didn't." Damon mused teasingly
"Okay, two questions. One, why are you following me? Two, why are you at my school?" I asked him as I stopped walking again, turning fully to face him.
Damon held up one finger. "Because I can." He then held up a second finger. "I was here to see Bonnie."
"Why were you here to see Bonnie?" I asked, feeling myself grow protective over the younger girl.
"I need something she has, but she won't give it to me." He replied irritatedly
"And what would that be?" I pushed
"A necklace." Damon stated
"The haunted one?" I asked with a raised brow
"Yes, exactly. You know, maybe you could get it for me." Damon said with a smile
"No. And you can't compel me." I stated, shooting him a slight glare.
Damon sighed dramatically. "Why not?"
"Because, Bonnie is my friend, you're not. And I don't even know what you need it for." I said
"You wound me. I thought we had something." Damon said dramatically, I sighed and rolled my eyes at his theatrics.
"Why don't you let me drive you home, or even better, come to the grill with me." Damon asked
"Why would I do that?" I asked him in confusion
"Because you want to know why I want the necklace." He replied
"You'll tell me." I asked incredulously
"Yes." He replied, I couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but I might as well get a free ride out of him.
"Fine." I replied. Damon smiled and then led me over to his car that was parked just behind us. He opened up the passenger door and held it open dramatically. I climbed into his car and hoped that I wasn't making a big mistake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Damon took a swig from his whiskey before he placed it back down on the wooden bar top of the mystic grill. There was an entire bottle beside him that I hadn't questioned. I lent my elbows on the bar and looked at him expectantly.
"So, why do you want the necklace?" I asked him.
"Do you know what happened when I was turned? About what happened to Katherine?" Damon asked me, leaning in closer so no one would over here us.
"Vaguely. I know that she died, and that she turned you and Stefan." I said
Damon hummed softly "Stefan tell you that?"
"Yeah." I replied
"Well, I'll add in a few details. Kathrine and all the other vampires from mystic falls were rounded up and put into the church. Stefan and I had tried to stop them, but we couldn't. They set fire to the church, with everyone inside. But, a certain witch called Emily Bennett put a spell on the church, keeping Katherine locked inside and safe from the fire. She's still there, in the basement of the church. She's alive. And I want her back." Damon explained.
"Katherine's alive?" I questioned, feeling surprised at this revelation.
"Yes. All I want is to have her back In my arms and then I'll leave for good." Damon said
"You still love her? It's been what? 140 years?" I asked him, my voice softened ever so slightly at the realisation. He's still in love, and has been in love for over a hundred years.
"Yes. I've always loved her." Damon admitted
I hummed softly at his admission. "I hope someone will love me that much one day."
"I have no doubt about that, Witchy." Damon said, his tone and his gaze held a certain softness that I have never seen from him before. It gave me a weird feeling in my chest that I pushed down as fast as I could.
"Really?" I asked him
"Absolutely, who wouldn't love you for an eternity." Damon said, his tone was unexpectedly honest, and that feeling in my chest only increased. I tried desperately to push it down.
"An eternity is a long time." I said, trying to not look him in the eyes.
"I know." Damon shrugged.
"Well, I hope you get her back." I said. I hoped that by reminding myself of his mission and the love of his life, it might extinguish the softness in my heart.
"Thank you." He said. The honestly he was exuding was starting to throw me off. But before I could think about it anymore, Stefan spoke up from behind us.
"So, Stefan...you know, I've been thinking. We should start over. Give this brother thing another chance. We used to do it, oh, so well once upon a time." Stefan said as he lent on the bar at the other side of Damon. I furrowed my brows and stared at him, why was he calling Damon by his name?
"I don't, Damon. I can't trust you to be a nice guy. You kill everybody and you're so mean. You're so mean and- you're really hard to imitate and then I have to go to that lesser place." Damon said. It clicked in my mind what they were doing, they were mimicking each other.
"You two really are brothers, aren't you?" I said, laughing slightly at their mimicking game. Stefan smiled and shook his head while Damon shot me a look of unamusement.
"Can I get a coffee, please?" Stefan asked the bartender as they passed. "So, what's with the bottle?"
"I'm on edge. Crash diet. You know, I'm trying to keep a low profile." Damon replied
"You could just leave, find a new town to turn into your own personal gas 'n' sip." Stefan said
"I'll manage." Damon said. The bartender then placed a cup of coffee in front of Stefan.
"Thanks." Stefan said
"You don't have to keep an eye on me." Damon said as he poured more whisky into his glass.
"I'm not here to keep an eye on you." Stefan stated
"So why are you here?" Damon asked
"Why not?" Stefan asked. He picked up Damon's bottle from the table. I stood up from the bar stool and picked up my jacket. I slipped my jacket on and Damon stared at me with a confused look.
"Going somewhere?" He asked
"Yeah, I'm gonna leave you guys to your brotherly bonding and head home." I said with a shrug
"You're gonna walk?" He questioned. I don't know why he was asking so many questions.
"Yeah." I said with furrowed brows
"You sure? I can drive you home." Damon offered. I tilted my head to the side slightly, a confused look gracing my face.
"Yeah. I'll be okay." I replied
"Okay." Damon said, he nodded and then turned around, following Stefan towards the darts board. I turned around and headed for the door, thinking over everything that had just happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The tense silence that I walked into when I made it home was strange. Elena, Bonnie and Caroline were standing around the haunted, amber necklace that was placed on the kitchen island. I raised my brow as I looked between the three of them.
"Is everything okay?" I asked confusedly
"You were right. The necklace is haunted. I threw it away and now it's come back. It appeared in my bag." Bonnie exclaimed
"You're lying." Caroline declared, obviously not believing Bonnie.
"I'm not lying to you, Caroline. I swear." Bonnie stated
"It's true. I watched her throw it into a field." Elena said
"Well then explain it." Caroline asked
"Emily?" Bonnie questioned as she looked to Elena and I
"Who's Emily?" Caroline asked
"The ghost." Bonnie stated
"Oh, the ghost has a name now?" Caroline questioned skeptically
"Caroline, please." Elena hushed her, keeping her attention on Bonnie.
"I wonder why she won't leave me alone." Bonnie said
"Okay, what is going on? Why am I not a part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time." Caroline asked in a frustrated tone
"That's not true." Elena disagreed
"Yes, it is." Bonnie stated. "I can't talk to you, you don't listen.
"That's not true." Caroline argued
"I'm a witch." Bonnie said, knowing that Caroline won't believe her
"And don't we all know it." Caroline said sarcastically.
"See? That's what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something. You don't even hear it." Bonnie said in an upset voice. She then stormed out the kitchen and headed for the stairs.
"I listen. When do I not listen?" Caroline asked
"Um, I'm gonna go upstairs. This is getting intense." I said dramatically with a wave of my hand. Elena huffed as I spun on my heels and headed up the stairs towards my room. It's been a very long day, and I do not want to deal with any more drama than I have to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Loud banging sounds and yelling echoed through the wall from Elena's room. I sat up in my bed and furrowed my brows, wondering what it was that they were doing. But after a moment they seemed to calm down. I let out a shaky sigh and lay back down again, realizing that my heart was beating a little too fast all of a sudden.
I took deep, slow breaths to try and calm down. I guess all of this supernatural stuff has really put me on edge lately.
Just when my heart started to slow and my anxiety decreased, all three of the girls screamed loudly. This time I could hear the panic in their voice alongside some loud thuds. I very quickly shot up out of bed and ran to Elena's room.
"What's going on?" I asked the two girls who were banging frantically on the bathroom door.
"I don't know?" Caroline said
"It's Bonnie." Elena said. The two of them were in a panic, but not as much as Bonnie. Her voice sounded truly terrified.
Elena then ran out of her room, saying that she was going to check the hallway and the other door. I walked over to the bathroom door and placed my hand over the wood. The energy that was being emitted from inside was immense. Something was going on. This magic felt ancient.
Bonnie's screaming became more frantic and the lights began to flicker. I attempted to use my magic to push the door open, but whatever it was that was keeping them shut was stronger than me. Bonnie's screams grew more and more intense until she suddenly fell quiet. The lights stopped flickering and everything felt normal again.
The bathroom door slowly opened to reveal a terrified Bonnie. She had her face hidden in her hands.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Elena asked worriedly
Bonnie dropped her hands from her face and straightened up. Her expression seemed strange. "I'm fine." She stated
"Unbelievable. You were totally faking it." Caroline shook her head
"Caroline, come on." Elena said softly
"No, you scared the hell out of me." Carline exclaimed loudly. She then turned away from the bathroom door and walked away.
"Bonnie?" Elena asked. Bonnie seemed to look at Elena in confusion before her expression turned neutral.
"I'm fine. Everything's fine." She walked past the two of us to leave the bathroom, and when her shoulder brushed against mine. The moment she touched me, I knew it wasn't her. It wasn't Bonnie. I stared after her with wide eyes.
"What were you guys doing?" I asked frimley
"What? We were having a seance, to contact Emily." Elena said
"Oh shit." I muttered before I began to follow "Bonnie" into the hallway.
"I can't believe I fell for it." Caroline said as she followed her as well
"Are you okay?" Elena asked
"I must go." Bonnie said, sounding rather formal
"If she's leaving, I'm leaving." Caroline said
"You guys can't leave." Elena said
"Oh, I can. I've had enough fake witch stuff for one night." Caroline stated angrily.
"Thank you for having me. I'll take it from here." Bonnie/Emily said
"Take what from here?" I asked her
"Where are you going? Elena asked
"Back to where it all began." Bonnie said as she slowly made her way down the stairs.
"Bonnie. Bonnie. Oh, my god. Emily!" Elena called out, having come to the same conclusion I had. Emily stopped in her tracks and stared up at us.
"I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed." Emily stated. Him. Damon.
Elena rushed down the stairs towards her, but it was too late. The door slammed shut and locked itself, stopping Elena from getting out. I walked down the stairs behind Caroline, my mind swimming with thoughts.
I should call Damon. If the necklace is destroyed then he can't save Katherine, but what will he do to Bonnie if I do. He could kill her, he probably would. And I can't take that risk. Not with Bonnie.
"What's happening?" Caroline asked
"I don't know. The door, it's not-" Elena was cut off when the door suddenly swung open. The two girls screamed at Jeremy who was just coming home. Jeremy softly said ah at the girls screaming in his face before he stepped around them and headed for the kitchen. If the situation wasn't so tense I might have laughed.
"I'm out of here." Caroline said shakily as she ran out the now open front door. Elena quickly picked up her phone and dialed a number.
"It's Bonnie." She said into the phone, I have a feeling she called Stefan.
"Emily is possessing her. She said something. She said I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed. And then she just left."
"I don't know. Fell's church. By the old cemetery. That's where she took Bonnie in her dreams. We have to help her, Stefan." Elena said. She then took the phone away from her ear and put it in her pocket.
"Stefan's going to find her." Elena said
"Good. We should go too. Maybe I'll be of more use to her than a vampire." I suggested
"Okay. Let's go." Elena nodded. The two of us quickly left the house and began heading for the old church.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elena was ahead of me, running through the dark forest as fast as she could. I was keeping a close pace behind her as we headed towards Fell's church. My heart was pounding and my lungs were burning as I gasped for air.
It didn't take us long to come close to the church. The sight and the smell of a blazing fire was enough of an indicator. We ran out of the woods to see Bonni standing in a pentagon of fire. It was roaring up towards the sky as she threw the necklace into the air. Stefan had to stop Elena from running into the fire.
As Emily continued her spell, I siphoned some magic from my necklace, just to be safe. I felt the familiar hum in my veins as it flowed through me.
The necklace exploded as it flew upwards, sending an array of sparks flying in all directions. Damon cried out "no!". The sound made my heart break a little bit, the anguish in his voice was evident.
The necklace was destroyed, and Emily's mission was complete. The fire immediately died down, leaving smoke and ash in its wake.
A second after the fire stopped, Damon was in front of Bonnie. He growled angrily and sunk his teeth into her neck.
"No!" I cried out. I threw my hand out, pulling him away from her as fast as I could. Bonnie fell to the ground and I pushed Damon harshly against a nearby tree.
Both Stefan and Elena ran over to her. I glanced down at Bonnie to see blood seeping from her neck, teeth marks prominent on her skin. More rage came over me and I tightened my grip on Damon.
"She's alive, but barely. I can save her." Stefan said. I turned my head to see him biting his own wrist. He then forced the wound into Bonnie's mouth, getting her to drink his own blood.
I turned my head back to Damon, he was in pain, but it wasn't just because of me. I could see the sadness and the heartbreak etched into his expression.
I sighed heavily and let him go, he fell back against the tree while breathing heavily. He might as well have been looking right through me. Part of me wanted to feel sorry for him, but the other part was unbridled rage.
"Her neck. It's healing." Elena said. I turned around to see the wound on her neck closing up before it fully disappeared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had taken a little less than two minutes for Damon to wander off into the woods. I listened as he walked away and then stopped, not going any further than a few feet away. Elena was crouched over Bonnie as she slowly came back to consciousness again. Stefan's blood was doing wonders.
I sighed softly and turned on my heels, deciding to go and confront him. I wandered into the woods for a moment before I saw him sitting on a fallen tree. His hands were interlocked in front of him and his posture was tight, like he was folding in on himself. I walked over and carefully took a seat beside him on the tree.
"Did I hurt you?" I asked quietly
"A little." He shrugged. "But I deserved it."
"Yeah. You did. You hurt Bonnie, so I hurt you." I stated, not shying away from what I had done. Damon nodded and huffed a sigh, his sad eyes cast downwards.
"But...I am sorry, about Katherine." I said hesitantly. Damon glanced up at me and shot me a tight lipped smile.
"Thanks, Witchy." He said quietly. I hesitated for a moment before I reached over and placed my hand on his knee, attempting to give him a small amount of comfort. He glanced up at me in surprise but I focused on the trees in front of us.
A twig snapped, causing me to glance up, Stefan was walking towards us with his hands in his pockets. I removed my hand from Damon's knee and folded my hands on my lap.
"Katherine never compelled me. I knew everything, every step of the way. It was real for me." Damon said to Stefan without looking up. "I'll leave now."
Stefan nodded and turned around, heading back to Elena and Bonnie. I can imagine the things she is thinking right now. She's probably even more terrified than I was when I first found out.
I glanced over at Damon, his eyes were full of unshed tears that threatened to spill over. I sighed softly and placed my hand on his arm. "Are you really going to leave?"
"Yes. Why? You gonna miss me?" He asked, he was trying to joke around, but the sadness in his voice was still prevalent.
"Maybe." I admitted, he looked over at me with surprise in his sad eyes, evidently not expecting me to say that. If I'm being honest. I wasn't expecting me to say it either, I was even more surprised to find that I actually meant it.
I sighed softly and stood up from the tree branch, I gave Damon's shoulder a squeeze before I stepped away. "Good bye, Damon."
"Bye, Florence." Damon replied. I walked away from him, leaving him sitting in the forest by himself with a strange heavy feeling In my chest.