Bree's shift finally ended at 5pm.
Damon immediately forced them into the car as soon as Bree had grabbed her things. Aly waved goodbye to the vampires she's met (a sentence she never thought she'll use) and even exchanged numbers with Lexi. By that, Aly meant Lexi graciously wrote her number on her arm.
"Here," Damon tossed her phone back to her, locking the car door behind him, "You've earned it."
"By not screaming?" Aly drily commented, immediately putting Lexi's number down. She had a bunch of text messages and missed calls coming from Elena, worried over where Damon took her. Aly frowned, unsure what to reply. Damon's a dangerous VAMPIRE!!! WRUU??! It looks like shit hit the fan back at Mystic Falls, at least Aly knew that Stefan didn't hurt her sister. Perhaps he liked her well enough.
Her stomach flopped upon seeing angry text messages from her bandmates, and Aly cursed both herself and Damon that she missed practice that day. Aly would just have to make up for it. If she survived the day, anyways.
Aly wondered just how much Elena knew. Sheila had warned her to not tell Elena that she might be a witch as well, but Aly thought that if Elena knew of the supernaturals, then she deserved to know.
Aly would just have to ask Sheila to teach them both. And maybe Bree, if she was up to it.
In all of her dreams, there was one constant. She was never another character, never another person, she always wore the same face. Her own. Through each mirror she had glimpsed through, despite only dreaming, she always saw herself.
Doppelgängers, that was what the man in her dreams said. Aly wrecked her brain, she knew that it meant clones or something. The shadow self. It seemed like a stretch that all the women in her dreams were versions of herself, so maybe that wasn't it. Her very first dream had been about Elena, after all.
They had to be prepared. Especially if there was something about being 'doppelgängers' just like her dreams had all been suggesting. Aly wondered if it was because they were twins. She could still hear Ilya's Mother's cries in the back of her mind, she did not want that to happen to Elena and her.
Aly quickly went through the pages of the grimoire she now owned. She tried not to get sidetracked over the countless spells, rituals, and information that she saw, but upon going half-way she realized there was nothing said about them.
She saw something about werewolves, druids, mermaids, and other sorts of mythical creatures. All the information was extensively thought out, some even going 4 pages long. But there was nothing about doppelgängers.
Was it a fluke? Were her dreams just that, dreams?
Sighing, Aly sent her sister a quick message that she was fine and that she was on her way home.
Aly sat on the backseat as Damon drove, with Bree in front. The witch had her head buried over her own grimoire, reading its contents, no doubt to prepare for what's to come. For some reason, the light mood from the bar has dissipated and became tense. Damon was speeding as he drove.
Aly hoped they wouldn't crash.
Bree broke the silence with a question, "How long have you known you were a witch, Aly?"
"This week?" she answered meekly, this was the first Bree actually addressed her, "I never even knew magic existed until this month."
Bree let out a melodious laugh, "Let me guess, Damon Salvatore came into your life?"
Damon and Aly's eyes meet through the rear-view mirror. "Pretty much."
Damon hummed in response.
Aly looked back to the grimoire the mysterious blonde girl had given her. She lightly trailed a finger through the lettering on her wrist. She had the biggest feeling that even without meeting Damon, she would have been roped into all of it sooner or later. Especially with her dreams and the writing on her wrist, whatever it actually meant. Should she ask Bree about it?
Her phone began to incessantly buzz, making the choice for her.
"Aly!" Elena's panicked voice proclaimed over the phone, "Are you okay?"
Damon scoffed, rolling his eyes. It turns out vampires had superhearing as well.
"Hey, yeah. I'm fine."
"Did Damon hurt you? Where are you? I swear if only I knew I would never have dated Stefan in the first place."
"Poor Stefan." Damon sighed, "Can you turn that thing off?"
Aly ignored him. "I'm fine, Elena. How is everything there? Stefan didn't try anything, did he?"
"No." Elena answered, but her voice quickly began to waver. "Aly you have to get back here right now!"
"I'll be there in a few hours." Aly tried to console her. "Elena-"
"Damon killed all those people!" Elena cried out. Aly bit her lower lip, it turns out Damon really kill those people on the campsite. "He even turned Vicki!"
Aly's eyes widened, "What?"
"Turn it off." Damon called, meeting her eyes on the rear mirror once more. "Now."
"You're not safe, Aly! Stefan told me everything! You need to get away from him, right now!"
"I said turn it off!"
"I'm gonna have to call you back." Aly had to rush her words out over Elena's frantic cries. "I'll see you later when I get home. I love you."
Just in case I don't.
I love you.
She dropped the call and quickly put her phone to her pocket before Damon could try to take it from her again.
"Is your sister's voice always that high?" Damon mocked.
"That's what happens when someone kidnaps your family." Aly threw back. "I'll be just as worried." she narrowed her eyes, "You didn't actually turn Vicki, did you?"
Damon only shot her a look. It was all she needed. Aly's stomach churned. She paled, leaning back to her seat with wide eyes.
"Oh come on," He drawled out. "Didn't you just make vampire friends today? We're not that bad."
Aly turned to Bree, but she didn't seem bothered at all. She kept on reading on her grimoire as though she didn't hear anything.
Aly took a sharp breath, "Your friend that we're 'rescuing' from the tomb... They're good, right? Nobody- nobody's going to die, right?"
"She's not going to hurt anyone." Damon answered after a moment of silence. Aly takes note that Bree also intently listened to his answer, momentarily perking up from her grimoire.
It then dawned into her, "It's her, isn't it?" The obvious had been staring at her in the face this whole time. Her dreams of running across the fields with the two Salvatore brothers briefly flashed through her mind. "The girl you've mentioned before," Aly continued, "The one both you and Stefan loved. It's her, Katherine."
"Always the nosy one." Damon shot her a look, "Yeah."
Aly wondered if that was it- if Damon had spent all his time being a vampire waiting for the moment to bring Katherine out of the tomb. But then, "Why didn't you get her out sooner?" Aly asked, confused. "How long has she even been stuck in there? Why is she stuck in there? I thought you said she died in a fire?"
"Well technically she did." He answered curtly. "Bree, do me a favor and fill in baby witch over here."
Bree then proceeded to explain to her what actually happened. Emily Bennett, again the real owner of the talisman, used the power of the comet that had recently passed over Mystic Falls to temporarily trap Katherine, along with 26 other vampires, inside a tomb so that they won't end up getting burned inside a chapel just after being found out by the Founders Council.
Apparently, apparently, the Founders Council were actually a bunch of vampire hunters. Every family, including her own. Hell, even Caroline's! No doubt her parents had known something as well. Why else would they hide the Gilbert Journals from her? There was probably information about the supernatural in them.
Although the time frame didn't add up, the comet had just passed a couple of weeks ago, Damon had already come to Mystic Falls by then, and she hadn't noticed any word over burning the chapel.
Bree smiled at her question, "It happened over a hundred years ago, honey."
Aly gaped, staring at her in shock. "What?" Her head whipped back towards Damon, "But that- that would make you-"
"A hundred and seventy years old." He finished for her.
"Wait-" Aly shook her head, there was one more thing that didn't make sense. "That still doesn't change the fact that the comet passed already. Isn't that the window to open the tomb?"
"It doesn't work that way," Bree explained, "The window is the fact that the comet has passed away 137 years later. Emily's spell is bound over that fact, although the power definitely came from it's passing all those years ago. It doesn't matter now if the comet is there or not, as long as we have the talisman and the moon for extra strength."
"So it's like a gate or a toll?" Aly tried to wrap her mind around it. "You have to get through it first?"
Bree nodded. "Exactly," she smiled up to her. "You catch on quickly. Do you already have someone teaching you?"
"Sheila Bennett." At least that's what Aly thought, she hoped it was still the case. "Emily's descendant, I guess. What about the other vampires?" she couldn't help but ask. "What happens once they're out?"
"They won't get out." Bree shot Damon a look. "The deal is only Pierce gets out of the tomb. No one else."
"And nobody else is getting out of there." Damon reaffirmed. "Don't worry about it."
Aly frowned, she wondered how exactly will they stop 26 vampires from escaping, and what would happen to Mystic Falls if even more vampires roamed around. Surely they'll be hungry for being stuck in a tomb for so long? Aly had to refrain herself from asking, too scared of the answer.
The Council, Aly thought. Maybe they can stop them.
But judging by the story Bree told her, the council will most likely kill both Stefan and Damon for being vampires. Could she lead them to their deaths? Make the choice for them all? She knew Damon was obviously dangerous, Stefan too, even though he was supposedly 'better' now. If Aly didn't have nightmares already, she was sure she'll dream of Stefan ripping people's heads apart from their body.
Aly gulped, looking through the windows to stop herself from feeling nauseous again. Can she make the choice of condemning a person to death? Even though they're basically the equivalent of an ex-convict and a murderer? Would it be worse or better to just stand by and let Damon open the tomb? A tomb with 27 prisoners inside? What if they all escaped?
Were they all murderers as well? Or were they like Lexi and Lee, just enjoying life the way it is, without harming others, spending the rest of eternity together?
Regardless of what kind of vampire they were, whatever choice she made, what would that make Alyssandra? Was it even her choice? She had no power here, no plan. Aly didn't even know vampires existed 24 hours ago.
Aly closed her eyes, hugging the grimoire closer to her chest as her thoughts screamed at her. What was ethical, at that point?
She didn't know the answer.
Soon enough, the familiar roadway to Mystic Falls began to appear. It was already dark, a quick glance at the clock tells her that it was a little over 8pm. Anticipation began to build to Aly's stomach. She had spent most of her time reading her grimoire, familiarizing herself with the language and vocabulary used in the book. It was very old english, she could only guess that it was made a long, long time ago. That, or whoever wrote it was extremely presumptuous.
Aly read on vampires the most, reading about how fire, the sun, and a plant called vervain was their weakness. She read that they could be staked as well, but Aly doubted that she was strong enough to overcome Damon (or any other vampire that attacked her) with his super strength, speed, and agility. Vampires even had something called compulsion, the ability to take away someone's free will.
The grimoire said it required eye-contact, but Aly wondered if it can be done through other means as well. Lucky for her, witches were immune to such debauchery, at least she felt comforted over the fact that Damon couldn't compel her if he wanted.
Aly guessed that the bracelet Stefan had given her yesterday had vervain in it, as the grimoire explained that it had a distinct rosy smell. A small sniff confirmed it.
There was also a short but informative explanation regarding vampires and their 'anchors', or Epic Loves, as Lexi told her. Nature requires balance, and so with the creation of vampires and their overpowered-selves, with super hearing, running, strength, and that extra dash of mind control, nature gave vampires counters, people to balance themselves over.
The grimoire didn't exactly say how, but it did explain that once a vampire finds their anchor, their 'humanity' will begin to shine through.
Humanity, it said. Vampires were akin to devils in nature, and it was unfair for the rest of the food chain if the predator was near indestructible. Without humanity, it said, vampires were no more different than the animals roaming in the wild.
Aly looked at Damon. It was obvious that he didn't have an anchor, with his impeccable mood swings and destructive behavior. But he was still coherent, he knew how to speak, plan, and think. There was a huge chance that Katherine was his anchor too, because why else would he push so hard to get her out? And yet there was Stefan at the other side of the coin, who was a ripper before, an animal in every sense of the word, but who was sane now due to Lexi's rehab. More sane than Damon, from what Aly was able to put together.
Stefan was 'dating' Elena (not for long, if Aly had any say with it), he didn't have an anchor with him right now either but he showed no 'ripper' behavior. No murder sprees or animal attacks, as Damon no doubt partook in.
So what exactly was this 'humanity' that the book spoke of?
Aly sighed, perhaps she was thinking far too much of it.
She looked at her phone, her last message came from Elena and Jenna from over an hour ago, Elena telling her that everything was going to be fine, Jenna asking her when she would get home. It looks like she was grounded.
They arrive at the remains of Fell's Church moments later, located on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. Bree took a torch, and with a whisper of Incendia, it bursted into flames. She handed it to Damon, and they went underground.
Inside the tomb was a huge stone barrier that looked like it led to somewhere, Aly guessed that the vampires were inside it. She awkwardly stood at the side, stealing quick glances at Damon who guarded a wound up staircase that led to the exit out. For a while, Aly watched as Bree got to work, making rune markings on the ground.
Quietly, to not disturb the witch at work, Aly asked, "What are your plans once she gets out?" At his stare, Aly continued, "Romantic Getaway? Murder Sprees?"
"Maybe." He took something out of his jacket, and Aly's eyes widened upon seeing a blood bag.
"Were you carrying that all this time?!"
"Can't have Katherine all desiccated-" He snapped, "Unless you're willing to make a donation."
Desiccated, meaning dry as a paper bag, thirsty as fuck, will definitely murder a human to quench bloodlust. Aly's response was a quick "No."
"There's something I have to tell you." He gave her a long look. Already, Aly didn't take his changed demeanor as a good sign. "I don't want you to freak out once she gets out."
Aly pursed her lips, hoping that it doesn't involve anything life-threatening. "What is it?"
"You and Elena look exactly like Katherine."
She didn't expect that. At all. "What- what do you mean?"
"Exactly as I said." He answered, "Like a long lost triplet."
"Like doppelgängers," Aly concluded. She swallowed a bile, rubbing her hands down by her skirt. Aly wondered what were the odds that her dreams, Katherine, and being her doppelgängers were all connected. Judging by how things were going down, the answer was probably a whole lot.
Damon hummed, "Freaky, right? It's why Stef's all worked up about little ol' Elena." He snickered, "He knows he can't get the real deal. You don't sound surprised?"
She was more surprised that Elena was dating a guy who dated a girl that looked just like them, Aly shook her head. She was going to demand her to break up with him as soon as she got home. Ignoring his pointed question, Aly asked, "Wait so Stefan stalked us? He knew?"
"Technically, Stefan stalked Elena."
"But we're twins. Why Elena specifically?" Her eyes widened, "Don't tell me that she's his mate."
Damon's expression became serious. "I don't know." He admitted, "I suppose there's just something about you."
"What do you mean?"
"It's like we know you're there," Damon said slowly, as though he was thinking of the explanation on the spot. "But we're being repelled. Remember about what Lexi said?" Aly nodded. "Our mates, we're naturally drawn to them. But with you it's the complete opposite."
"But why?"
Damon aggressively sighed, "How am I supposed to know?" He demanded, "You'll have to figure it out on your own. Once Katherine's out we're out of here."
That was a good thing, it meant less deaths in their town. It also meant that Damon was letting her go as soon as it's all over. She was going to get home, she just needed to ride the tide a little longer. "Okay."
"We have a problem."
Of course.
Damon's head snapped so fast towards Bree Aly wondered if it hurt. "What is it?"
"There's something blocking me," Bree explained, standing up from her crouched position, she narrowed her eyes toward the giant stone. "There's a powerful spell that's blocking me from lifting Emily's work."
"Then lift that first."
"It's not that easy!" Bree snapped, "The spell was casted recently. But I can sense that whoever did it is related to Emily." She gave them a look, "You don't happen to have a Bennett witch nearby, do you?"
Damon swore, flashing away in an instant.
The two remaining witches looked at each other, before following him off in a run. They approached him just in time, or rather, they reached them just in time. Stefan Salvatore, Sheila Bennett, and Elena Gilbert stood out despite the darkness of the night. In an instant, Elena tries to run up to her, but Stefan pulls her back.
"Sheila, it's so good to see you again." Damon said sarcastically, "I thought you said you didn't want anything to do with this."
Sheila raised an eyebrow. "As a Bennett witch, it has everything to do with me." She said cooly, "Alyssandra come here."
Aly gulped, staring at them both with wide eyes, before opting to break a run towards them. Damon catches her mid-waist and they both tumble to the ground, with him screaming. His temporary setback, was that- a setback because soon enough he once again had her in his grasp. Aly struggled but his grip remained firm.
"I wouldn't do that again if I were you!" He called out, one of his hands moved towards her neck, and Aly knew that with a single move she would be dead. Her eyes met with Elena's horrified ones, and with a sudden sense of calm, she shook her head to beg her to NOT move. Stefan seemingly understanding her, kept a hold on her sister.
Bree held a hand up towards Sheila, and it shook in an obvious strain to stop the witch with whatever force-magic they were doing. Sheila looked between her then back to Aly- and with seeing the upper hand- their battle was over. Bree's arm dropped in relief.
"Damon, let her go." Stefan's voice was firm, and it somehow broke through Elena's cries.
Aly hadn't noticed that her sister was crying.
"She has nothing to do with this." Stefan continued, he slowly took a step closer with a hand raised up, much like one would approach a dangerous animal. "Damon you don't want to do this."
"You don't know what I want." He hissed.
"Don't come closer!" She warns them. "Elena-" a bubble of panic went up her throat and she hiccuped. Aly wanted to tell Stefan to get Elena far away, she wanted to tell her sister to run, she wanted to tell them all that she didn't want to die. But all the words died on her throat as Damon's grip tightened on her neck.
"You want Katherine back!" Stefan exclaimed, "Hurting Aly isn't going to do that."
"It's gonna help the process!"
Well, that answered why Damon tagged her along in the first place. Leverage.
Damon pulled her harshly towards Sheila's direction, "Lift the spell you did to the tomb."
"27 Vampires Damon!"
"Lift the spell!"
Aly whimpered against his hold, sniffling. She refused to break her eye on Elena, instead offering her a watery smile. It seemed to just break her sister more.
They enter the tomb entrance once more, the candles instantly lighting up through Bree's doing. Sheila closed her eyes and recited a spell from a language Aly has never heard before. She feels it before Sheila was done reversing it, like a gentle whiff towards her own spirit. Aly would have asked something if her heart was not banging right out of her chest.
"Let her go." Elena sobbed, "Damon, please. Please let her go."
"Tell your girlfriend to shut up." He answered coldly, "Now, the tomb itself. Open it Bree."
Desperate to not let the vampires out, Sheila stepped forwards. "I can't let you do that."
Damon lifted Aly up with his iron grip and she wailed. "You're not in the position to argue! Open the tomb or Elena can say bye-bye to her twin !"
All powerless to the situation, the trio did nothing but helplessly watch as Bree opened the tomb, Aly still struggling against Damon's grasp. For a moment, his hold on her seemed to relax. "I'll let her go once Katherine and I are out of town." Damon's voice broke through the eerie silence. He looked at Stefan. "And you'll never see us again."
The two brothers stared at each other before Stefan looked back towards her. Tense, he nodded, "Okay."
Aly feels another wave of magic, and she sniffled as she felt Emily's barrier spell break. The giant stone seemingly moved on its own, rolling to the side. They all stared at the dark passageway.
But then something else unexpected happened.
Bree choked on air. She grabbed her throat as she sputtered out blood. Damon cries out as she falls down to the ground, heaving, before she completely stopped breathing altogether. In the background, Aly could hear Elena's shocked gasp.
"Do you honestly think Emily wanted to help you?" Sheila asked coldly.
Damon gave her a harsh glare, and Aly stared at Bree's dead body. Quickly, Damon pushed them both in the tomb, a torch held on his other hand, the last thing she heard were Sheila and Elena's protests.
Damon lets her go when they enter deep within the tomb. She hits him immediately, moving as far away as possible, he flashed right in front of her before she could run her way back out.
"You told me you won't hurt me!" Her voice came out croaky, and her hand flew towards her neck, wincing at the bruised flesh there.
"I didn't want to." Damon had the audacity to look worn down. Aly pressed herself against the wall, wanting to be anywhere else but there.
"You said-"
"I'm not gonna kill you!" Damon exclaimed, exasperated. "Though I can't say the same with dear old grams ."
"Bree-" Aly hiccuped again, and they both stood there for a moment, taking in what just had happened. Bree died right in front of them, presumably because she opened the tomb. It was a trap, Sheila said so herself. Emily never intended the vampires to escape. "Did- did you know she would?" die.
"No." Aly wondered if he still would have asked her if he did. "Come on," Damon jerked his head for her to follow, making no move on touching her this time. "We have your triplet to find."
The tomb looked like it came right out of a horror movie, Damon's torch being the only light source didn't help anything. Aly wiped her face, taking in a deep breath as she followed him. She got scared of the first body she saw, gray and corpse-like. It looked like all the life got sucked out of it, strands of hair fell off its face and mixed with the cobwebs. She would have thought that it was a skeleton if she didn't see the leather-like skin that protruded against the bone.
To think that she was about to find 'herself' looking just like that freaked her out even more.
She clenched her jaw and looked away, trailing a little faster behind Damon. They walked in silence, and they ended up looping around twice, thrice before-
"She's not here." Damon's broken voice carried out through the tomb despite being just a whisper.
Aly turned around, gazing through the bodies that surrounded them. "Are you sure?" She could hardly recognize any features on the bodies. "We could check-"
"She's not here! " Damon yelled and threw the torch away. Aly jumped, breath hitching as she took a step back. The fire from his torch caught, and the cave illuminated even more, casting shadows against Damon's distraught face as he began to pace, muttering angrily. "This doesn't make any sense- they locked her inside."
"Damon-"
"How could she not be here?" He looked around where they were- helpless. Aly couldn't help but feel slightly empathetic, knowing that all he did was to get Katherine out. She almost felt sorry, if only he didn't kidnap and hurt her. If Damon was sure that Katherine wasn't there, Aly doubted she ever was.
Damon punched the wall and she flinched, dusts particles fell off from the ceiling. He looked at her with wide blue eyes, searching.
He certainly wasn't going to get an answer from her.
They broke eye contact upon hearing a huge BANG outside the tomb, along with a shrill scream. Aly knew that voice anywhere. They rushed outside, Damon reaching them in an instant.
How the fuck did Logan Fell get there?
The scene outside was somehow more appalling. Logan stood just by the entrance door, gun in hand, next to Bree's very dead body. Stefan laid on the floor, bleeding and grunting in pain with Elena cradling his head in fright.
Filled with unadulterated rage, Damon whisps so fast towards Logan nobody had noticed it. Swiftly, he bites down Logan's throat, ignoring his screams- before finishing him off with a small but loud 'crack'. His dead corpse falls down, motionless.
Next to herself, Aly could hear Elena desperately calling out the murderer's brother.
"That's enough!" Sheila exclaimed, she flicked her hand and suddenly Damon blasted away, hitting himself against the wall. Aly flinched, she dropped down next to her sister, looking at Stefan with wide eyes. "Oh my god."
Stefan was bleeding out, he held his own torso and grunted in pain. "What- what do we do?" Elena asked.
"Stay away from him." Sheila answered.
Elena looked up to her in surprise. "But we can't!" she argued, "He'll- he'll-"
The twins both jump in shock as Stefan pulls the bullet out of himself, screaming in pain. He dropped the bullet next to them, and Aly could clearly see that the bullet was made out of wood. He instantly began to heal.
That meant one thing, Logan knew. Had he known all this time?
Aly looked back towards Logan ( oh god the smell ). His gun lay a few feet next to him, it suspiciously looked custom made. And yet there was something else, something more familiar was on the ground. Controlling her building anxiety-ridden stomach, she crouched down to quickly snatch it up.
It was the Gilbert Watch. The very same watch she had Jeremy keep. It had been modified, the inside was no longer a watch itself, instead it was replaced by a compass.
Aly looked back from Logan's body ( Bree's and Damon's body were so close to her ) then to Stefan, then back to the watch. She then moved to where Sheila was, watching the compass closely. It pointed straight at Damon's and Stefan's direction.
Aly held it with a mix of fright and awe. "It- it's a vampire tracker."
"Is he dead?" Elena whispered.
Aly didn't want to look back. "Yeah."
Two people were dead. Two people died right in front of her. Aly swallowed a bile, gripping the watch tightly.
"Let's get you two girls out of here." Sheila grabbed them both, and Aly almost flinched at the contact. She looked at the elderly woman then back to Stefan. It seemed that Sheila trusted him despite not liking him.
Both sisters in shock, they follow Sheila out, Stefan trailing behind ( He was carrying Damon, Damon who killed Logan. Logan who shot Stefan. ) "Wait- what- what about the tomb?" Aly asked. "What about the others?"
Sheila reassuringly rubbed her back. "We'll find a way to close it."
"How?" She demanded, "Emily only managed to place a barrier on it through the comet."
"But then will they wake up? We can't just leave them there." Elena asked in a panic, looking back towards the open tomb.
"We'll find another way," Sheila answered firmly. "I'll burn the tomb to the ground if I have to. Nobody else knows about this tomb, correct?" At this, both Aly and Stefan nodded.
"Not even I knew." Stefan admitted, "And I would never have known if I haven't gone to you earlier today."
Sheila nodded. "Well, it's a good thing that we found Emily's grimoire." She said drily. Aly looked at Elena in question, her expression said 'later'. "You two girls, you need to head home." She then turned back to Stefan. "Your brother-"
"I'll handle Damon."
"Two people are dead, Mr.Salvatore."
"And it wouldn't have happened if you kept the other side of Emily's deal."
The duo stared at each other. Aly held her breath, hoping that she wasn't going to witness another person dying that night.
"You knew Bree would die if she did the spell."
Sheila pursed her lips. "I did."
"Then let us go." Stefan said softly, "Too many people already died tonight. You never have to see Damon and I again. I'll- I'll take care of Vicki."
Vicki. Right. Damon turned her.
"Then leave," Sheila said, "Leave and never come back."
Stefan looked at Elena, who instantly averted his gaze, staring at the grass instead. Stefan flashed away with Damon in his arms.
"What about Logan?" Aly asked, what about Bree? "What are we- what are supposed to tell Jenna?" What about her bar?
Sheila grimaced, "You mustn't tell her anything. You mustn't tell anyone anything," she said, "It's too dangerous. You both saw what happened today."
"Are we just supposed to forget?" Elena asked harshly, "After everything's that happened?"
"We were supposed to not know any of this!" Aly exclaimed, "I-" The weight of everything that's happened weighed on Aly once more. But then, someone else flashed away from the corner of Aly's eye. Her head whipped towards it, eyes narrowed down. Sheila looked at her with concern.
"What is it?"
"I thought I saw something." Aly admitted, pulling Elena closer. "Did you see?"
"I didn't." Elena shook her head. Her twin looked at the direction where Stefan had ran off to then back at the tomb entrance. "Let's- let's just go home."
~ soulmark ~
The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Aly completely buried herself under schoolwork and extracurriculars. She had no word from Stefan, Damon, and Vicki, and she completely avoided Sheila, not even bothering on calling Bonnie anymore, though her absence in school left a huge gap on their friend group.
Elena and her spoke nothing of what happened, both seemingly content with burying the memory to the very back of their minds. That was until Thursday dinner, where Jenna angrily ranted about how Logan Fell had gone once more, and how Jeremy had completely skipped that night, bothered by how he only received a message from Matt that Vicki had ran away, did the two girls lock themselves up in Elena's room and talked.
They told each other everything. Aly spilled the truth about her dreams, the mark on her wrist (which Elena saw from the moment she explained), her experience with Damon, and even the grimoire she received from Bree's Bar. In return, Elena told her about Stefan's unusual behavior, their wild goose chase in trying to find Emily's journal to stop Damon, and that-
"Stefan mentioned something." Elena had tears on her eyes, but her sister was determined to not let them fall. "I don't know if it's bullshit or not but he said something about me. About us. He called me his mate. He told me about what it meant. And now he's just gone."
Aly held her sister close, "Elena-"
"I didn't even get the chance to react. To think about what it means to me." Elena frustratingly wiped her eyes, "I didn't even get to say anything. I tried calling him and I even asked Zach if he knew where they've gone but everything just happened so fast, and now he's just gone." She looked at her with wide eyes. "He made me feel better, happier than I have in ages. He made this hole in my chest disappear. He made me feel like everything was finally going to be okay because I have him, and I believed him, Alyssandra, because I felt it. But then he left me. Like all of that meant nothing, and now I don't know what to do."
Edited: December 2, 2020