Jeremy walked back to his home with a carrier bag full of milk, bread, and just for him, cherry tomatoes. His house was in the middle of a small town, where nearly everything was local.
No one would ever guess that there was Demon Hunters, or for that matter, even Demons living among humans. As far Jeremy knew, his village was relatively demon free, except old but his parents never told him.
The small cozy house came into view, "good morning Jeremy." The neighbours waved, and instinctually Jeremy waved back. The old lady who lived next door went back to her flower gardening.
Jeremy walked up to his door, taking out his key. He locked the door because his parents were both still in bed - got home late, like 4am late. The teen placed his key in the door, but he found that it was already unlocked.
His eyes widened; did someone break in? Jeremy slowly reached into his pocket, living in a hunter life he knew that he should carry a weapon just in case. He pulled out a small silver dagger, quite a nasty weapon to demons.
Jeremy slowly opened the door, walking into his house. "Jeremy~!" His mother's voice called through the hall. The teen sighed, putting his dagger back into his pocket.
He walked down the corridor, making his way to the living room. Jeremy's face showed confusion, not only were his parents in their hunting gear, the others from the Gilbert unit were in there.
"What's going on?" The teen asked, immediately getting hugged. Klaus, his short godfather, wrapped his arms around Jeremy's torso.
"Jer! It's been a while!" The short vampire hunter grinned. Jeremy chuckled, patting the elder's head softly.
"Why is everyone here?" The teen asked, looking over to his parents.
"Because we're discussing business." Elena stated, flattening her long hair. Jeremy nodded, taking the carrier bag into the kitchen. When he came back to the living room, all five of the Gilbert unit were sat on the sofa, except Tyler who was sprawled across the floor.
Jeremy sat on an armchair, just looking out the window until his father spoke. "Jeremy, do you think your training up till now has been good?" Stefan asked, eyeing his son carefully. The teen looked confused for a second, until he nodded.
"You've all individually trained me in all areas..." He answered, finding the whole of this conversation strange and unpredictable.
"That's great!" Elena cheered, clapping her hands together in delight. "We have a proposition for you."
"A proposition?" Jeremy questioned, leaning back in his chair and smiling a little. "I'm listening."
"Well," Matt spoke, his usual smile on his face. "You see, the Gilbert unit has been watching a certain family for some time." Jeremy nodded, showing his interest towards the subject.
"The Salvatore family." Tyler stated from where he was sat on the floor. "They are a noble family, lord, lady, one daughter, two sons. Their home is right in the middle of Mystic Falls."
"What does this have to do with anything?" Jeremy glanced to his parents, catching them sending worried looks to each other.
"Well, we managed to... capture, the eldest son." Stefan explained, seeing his son's eyes widen slightly. "He's called Elijah and we're trying to get him to talk, but he refused." Jeremy furrowed his brows, looking over to his mother.
"What does this have to do with my training?" The teen asked in a sceptical tone, narrowing his eyes a little. Elena smiled sweetly, ultimately fake before bad news.
"We want you to go undercover." She answered, still keeping the sweetness on her face.
"Under-? No! Why me?" Jeremy crossed his arms, acting like a stubborn little kid. Elena chuckled, elbowing her husband in the side so that he would explain further.
"Because, we have established that the Salvatore that causes trouble isn't Elijah, it's his brother Damon." Stefan stated, holding a finger up in a matter of fact way.
"Elijah and Damon?" Jeremy asked with a raised eyebrow, wondering how long this would actually go on.
"They're twins," Klaus inputted, smiling a toothy grin at the teen.
"And about the undercover..?" Jeremy seemed reluctant to even ask, like it wasn't something he should really do.
"We found out that Damon attends a private school called 'Shadow Castle'." Elena explained, pointing out all the details. "It's where the more privileged demons from elite families go. We would like you to watch this Damon, see if he's really the demon type we're looking for."
"Are you joking?" Jeremy laughed sarcastically, though judging by the seriousness of all five of Gilbert unit's faces, it wasn't the best move. Stefan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"This isn't a joke." He spoke, his tone deep and full of sincerity. "We've already enrolled you in the first years, under the name Jeff."
"Wait! I'm already enrolled, without even consulting me first?!" Jeremy stood abruptly from his chair, glaring at his father.
"It's fine, though you are only fifteen, you do look older." Elena smiled, sitting cross legged on the sofa, kneeing Stefan and Matt. "First years are seventeen at this school, and their are four years in total. Damon Salvatore will be in third year starting September."
"So I'm going to a private school full of demons?" Jeremy asked in a serious tone, getting five nods in return. "Don't you think demons will be able to smell that I'm human?"
"Of course not!" Klaus laughed, twirling a gun around in his hand. "You have some vampire blood, remember? That will cover up your human scent, the other demons will just think you're a low class vampire." The teen frowned, that didn't really sound that appealing.
"So I'm a fifteen year old pretending to be seventeen, I'm a low class vampire and I'm using my hunter name?" Jeremy recited everything he was just told, still frowning at the idea.
"And, watching out for Damon Salvatore." Stefan reminded, "I'll send you a picture so that you can keep your eyes peeled."
"By the way, what did you mean by 'type' of demon before?" Jeremy questioned suspiciously, raising a brow again.
"Oh," Elena chuckled, "the Salvatore family are very interesting, the Master is a Vampire and the Lady is a Succubus. Each of their children are Vampire Incubi, very rare." She smiled, grabbing her demon journal from the coffee table.
"You're sending me to watch an incubus and vampire! In one body!?" Jeremy seemed horrified, considering that Incubi and Vampires were at the top of the deadliest demon list. But, now he had to stalk a guy that was practically both! "How can he be both!?" The teen screamed, feeling freaked out.
"Easily, it is possible." Tyler said, looking at the teen like he was stupid. "There was a chance that you could have been born vampire if Stefan was the vampire and Elena was human." Jeremy just made a confused face, not really knowing where the whole explanation was going.
"Jer, come here." Elena flicked her wrist, urging her son to approach her. Jeremy slowly did as he was told, walking up to his mother. "This is a very rare artefact." Elena held up a pendant; it was the shape of a tear drop, not much over the size of a £2 coin, hanging on a beautiful silver chain. The pendant itself was turquoise mixed in with sky blue.
"What is this?" The teen asked as his mother placed the necklace in his palm.
"It's a anti-demon charm." Stefan answered, smiling at his son. "If you have this on, demons can't use their influences on you. After all, we are asking you to perpetrate stalking an incubus vampire, and since you are a virgin it will attract Incubi and vampires in gener-"
"Dad!" Jeremy's face was red, his eyes becoming downcast.
"What? Are you not a virgin?!" Stefan's eyes narrowed and all eyes fell onto the teen. Jeremy's face heated up anymore; what an embarrassing subject.
"I am!" He cried, almost crushing the pendant in his hand. Elena sighed, taking the pendant again and tying it around Jeremy's neck.
"Never take it off." She demanded, knowing how things could end. Jeremy nodded, not really wanting to take it off after what his father just said. The teen's phone buzzed, seeing a message from 'Father'.
Jeremy opened the attached file, a photo. The picture came up and the teen's eyes widened slightly; he'd always thought that Incubi weren't that good looking because they didn't have to be, but this... This was different.
The picture showed a man, or more a nineteen year old teenager. He had dark hair, styled or natural like ultimate bed hair. He had a handsome face with piercing eyes and plush lips. His body looked well worked and it was obvious that he had a pack, due to his tight wife-beater.
Jeremy's cheeks flushed slightly, he'd never really seen anyone that handsome and mysterious looking before. Elena noticed her son's face and chuckled, flicking his head gently to snap him out of it.
"You're not falling for his looks are you?" She asked, making her son snap out of it straight away.
"No!" Jeremy growled, though the blush was still on his face. "I just thought that Incubi don't look good, well that's what my books say."
"They're ancient." Stefan stated, not finding it amusing how the teen was blushing over a twisted demon. "It's not only Succubi that are irresistible to the eyes, Incubi are irresistible as well now a days."
"That's why you have the pendant." Klaus inputted, "if you blush at just a picture, seeing him in real life might be too much." The teen couldn't help but blush again; why the fuck was he in this situation?
"His incubus sexual pull won't affect you if you keep the pendant on." Stefan said in all seriousness, "promise me that you will never take it off."
"I-I... promise." Jeremey stuttered slightly, the whole idea of this starting to scare him a little. Stefan sighed in relief, happy that his son understood.
"There's one more thing..." Elena smiled, pulling a home hair dying kit from behind the sofa. "Just so no one suspects that you could be the famous hunters Nina and Paul's son, we'll have to dye your hair." Before Jeremy could answer, his mother grabbed his arm and dragged him into the kitchen.
While Elena and Matt were doing Jeremy's hair, the other three were explaining more of the mission. "Klaus will take you to the bus stop." Stefan started, reading through a journal book.
"Bus stop?" The teen frowned, not really knowing what this would all be like.
"Yes, on September 3rd, in other words, today, the Shadow Castle school bus will appear at certain bus stops." Stefan leaned against the windowsill, closing his journal. "You'll be on with other first years, so try and make friends before you get there."
"Are you kidding me, I have to catch a bus everyday?" Jeremy sighed, slouching in his chair a little. Tyler chuckled, leaning on the small dining table.
"It's a private school," he smirked, "dor~ms!"
"What?!" Jeremy almost jumped to his feet, but Elena was holding him in place. "I can't share a room with someone, that's just crazy!" The teen seemed shocked, he defiantly didn't feel comfortable being in a room with a demon.
"It's fine, they're all single rooms." Elena said from behind, finishing up the teen's black roots. "You have your own room, bathroom and fridge. Don't forget, it's a prestigious school." Jeremy sighed, until yet another question came to him.
"How can I go when we're not that rich?" He asked seriously, sounding like an innocent teenager.
"We've got it figured, you're on a scholarship." Matt answered, smiling and removing his rubber gloves. "You have good grades already, so you'll be able to pass it off."
"Anyway," Klaus interrupted, "there's nothing wrong with lying a little, this is for a good cause." He smiled, knowing that his logic was best.
"Go shower now," Elena ushered the teen to stand, "wash this out of ya hair and tell us what you think when you're done." Jeremy nodded walking towards the stairs. "We'll pack your suitcase, all the essentials and nothing left out."
Jeremy finished his shower, taking an extra long one to calm himself. He'd never been in the field before, it had all just been training and practice exercises. He dried his now brown hair, sighing.
He didn't actually look to bad with brown hair, in fact it might have suited him more than black did. Jeremy walked to his bedroom, hearing that there was someone in there. He tightened his towel around his waist and saw that his parents had just finished packing his suitcase.
"Oh, Jer." Elena smiled, dragging the suitcase off of the bed. "We've packed and you have to wear your uniform to the school." Stefan grabbed onto his wife's hand, dragging her out of the room so that Jeremy could get dressed.
The teen sighed, shutting the door behind them. He quickly grabbed some boxers, discarding the towel. After a good look over the clothes, Jeremy decided to just get dressed.
The uniform seemed standard; black dress pants, crystal white shirt, black blazer and optional waistcoat - which Jeremy didn't wear. The shoes were, oddly, full black converse and there was also a tie. The tie was striped yellow and black, like a bumblebee.
Once Jeremy was changed, he studied himself in his large mirror, sighing at how posh he seemed. He quickly grabbed his things, such as his iPod, phone, headphones, skateboard, wallet, shoving them all into a backpack. He quickly grabbed some more things as well, before running back down the stairs.
Jeremy came back into the living room and a camera flash momentarily blinded him. "Just want a memorial!" Elena sang, hiding the camera back into her pocket.
"Great..." Jeremy sounded so sarcastic it was unreal. Stefan rolled his eyes, dragging the teen's case out to the car. But not his car, it was Klaus's. the teen frowned, tilting his head to the side childishly. "Why are we going in Klaus's car?"
"Because I'm taking you, there's more risk if your parents take you." The shortest hunter explained, walking out to his car - A Mercedes.
"What time does the bus arrive?" Jeremy asked, starting to feel regretful for doing this.
"2pm." Elena answered, hugging her son tightly. "Aww my baby~! Call us and text when you're lonely!" She sniffled, hugging even tighter. Stefan joined in, squeezing the teen from the other side.
"Stay safe," his voice was deep and serious agin. "If anything happens, text us and we'll come get you." Jeremy nodded, hugging his parents back just as tight.
After another five minutes of hugging, Jeremy moved on to Tyler. Hugging the werewolf hunter as he wished the teen good luck. Lastly was Matt, though he stopped the hug.
"Before we say goodbye and I cry, I have something for you." The weapons dealer opened his trench coat, where endless weapons were hooked. "Take this silver dagger, it's a lot newer and effective than your old one." He passed the weapon to the teen, pointing at his belt.
Jeremy got the gist, hooking the blade to his belt and hiding it. Matt quickly reached into another pocket, pulling out a small pistol. "This gun doesn't effect humans, but it does damage demons. Also, take this case of silver bullets." He quickly stashed the bullets into Jeremy's bag.
"Thank you." The teen smiled, he'd had training in shooting but he'd never had to do it. Matt took the gun, lifting the teen's blazer and slipping the pistol into an inter pocket.
"Keep them on you." He said with a stern face, until it melted into a smile and a stray tear. "We'll miss you!" Matt wrapped his arms around the tall teen, letting Jeremy pet his head.
"Lets go," Klaus called, "it's 1:27, we could miss the bus." Jeremy quickly hugged each of them again before climbing into the car. Klaus started the engine, pulling away from the teen's house. Jeremy waved out of the window, seeing his mother sobbing on his father's arm.
The car sped off down the street, making Jeremy feel even more nervous about how this was actually happening. He'd been nagging for ages about how he wanted to go on a real mission, he was trained enough. Klaus sighed, seeing the teen fiddling with his backpack - which was now on his lap.
"Do you want me to go over you undercover profile?" The elder asked. Jeremy nodded, leaning back and listening to his godfather. "You're name is Jeff, you are seventeen and a vampire. Although, one of the main rules of the school is to never reveal your nature or use influences on anybody." Klaus turned a corner, seeming to know where one of these special bus stops were.
"What lessons are there?" Jeremy asked, almost scared to know the answer.
"I think you pick them on your first year opening, which is either today or tomorrow." Klaus thought, gasping as he realised he missed a turn off. He backed up a little, turning left like he should have done.
Jeremy glanced out the window, seeing the quiet, flower filled, neighbourhood they were on. Klaus pulled the car over, only a few blocks from the bus stop.
"I'll get you're suitcase." His godfather stated, while Jeremy threw his backpack back over his shoulders. Klaus got the case and wheeled in over to the stop sign, the teen following closely behind.
Jeremy glanced down the road, seeing if there was any sign of a bus. "Right it's now... 1:48, so your bus will be here soon." Klaus checked his watch, making sure that they weren't late.
"Do I have to flag it down, what does it look like?" The teen asked, curious as to what an expensive private school's bus will look like.
"You don't need to know, the bus driver will see your uniform and stop." The elder replied, quickly wrapping his arms around Jeremy. He buried his face into the teen's torso, squeezing him tight now and again. "I gotta go or the bus won't stop."
"O-okay." Jeremy patted his godfather's head, making him pout childishly. Klaus hugged the teen one more time before returning to his car.
When the car was completely out of sight, Jeremy felt a nervous chill roll up his sides. That was until he checked his watch, 2:03. The teen chuckled, he wasn't expecting it to be completely on time, that would have been creepy.
Jeremy was about to sit on his suitcase, when a black double-decker bus came down the road. Jeremy found it suspicious but it had to be the bus; he was about to flag the bus down until he remembered Klaus's words.
Sure enough, like his godfather said, the driver glanced at Jeremy and the vehicle came to a stop. The doors slowly opened, but Jeremy didn't show the intimidation. He dragged his suitcase on, glancing down the bus.
"Welcome to Shadow Castle bus." The driver said, his tone nothing more than a monotone. Jeremy bowed his head, dragging his bag down.
There weren't that many people on the bus; they must have been upstairs. Jeremy went right to the back, placing his suitcase in front if his legs. The nervousness was starting to sink in now, just the thought of it was making him woozy.