Title: The Covenant
Category: Alternate Universe
Genre: Supernatural/Romance
Pairings: multi
Rating: M
Chapter Rating: T
Warnings: Language, violence, and sexual situations
Author's Note: Inspired by series such as "Charmed", "The Secret Circle" and "American Horror Story: Coven".
Check out Shadowglove's amazing epic "The New Circle". It inspired me to write this!
"There is darkness in light, there is pain in joy, and there are thorns on the rose."
Her eyes raked over the crowded cafeteria, a cool chill creeping up her spine at the familiar sensation of being watched. It had been like this for the past few weeks, the girl sighed internally, gaze flickering over the table that seemed to hold her attention more so than the others.
There they were again. The bane of her high school existence. The so-called friends she had known since the sandbox days, all with their eyes glued to her as if she were a Pariah or something. And she knew for a fact there was nothing on her face or in teeth for them to be staring at her so intently.
She walked swiftly past them without even a nod of acknowledgement before claiming what had now become her seat in the lunchroom, at a neighboring table; occupied by more favorable company.
"Hey, Care." The older blonde greeted with one of her usual dazzling smiles. Lexi had been the one friend from their original 'Scooby-gang', as Elena's kid brother liked to refer to it, that hadn't gone all 'invasion of the body snatchers on her' and completely ditched them.
Even now, it was hard to accept that her friends had simply traded her in for a newer, more English model. The mere thought of the She-Devil was enough to get her blood boiling.
"Lexi, is it just me or are they being extra weird today?" Caroline asked in response, eyeing her tray as if it were the least edible thing she'd ever seen in her life. She looked up, catching the blank stare the girl was sending over her shoulder to where the group sat before speaking up.
"Hate to break it to you, Carebear but I think they're plotting your murder." The blonde said a bit too loudly. A few heads turned in their direction with obvious interest in their eyes. Before Caroline could speak up the arrival of a few more familiar faces cut her off.
"Someone wants to murder Blondie? Where do I sign up?" Hayley voiced in question, a sly smile on her face as she slid into the seat across from them.
"Be nice." Tyler ordered, offering the blond an apologetic smile on behalf of his friend's remark.
Caroline rolled her eyes, opening up her chocolate pudding cup, the only thing that thing that appeared delectable. "You know, I sometimes wonder why people call you a bitch, Hayley. I mean, I just don't see it."
Lexi chuckled beside her, nudging the blond playfully as she enjoyed her small victory with a chocolate treat. It was strange that this band of misfits had become her friends, well at least Lexi and Tyler had. Without them she did not know where she'd be.
"Can someone please tell me we're getting drunk tonight?" Hayley began, kicking her feet up and planting them on the tabletop. The three turned to look at her questioningly before she continued. "The big bonfire tonight? You know, us underage kids, mackin in the woods with cheap booze and music."
The Lockwood nodded his head in understanding. She was right. Tonight was the night of Duke's infamous bonfire. It had only been the biggest topic circulating the locker room since Monday.
"That's right," Lexi spoke up, as if she'd read his mind. "Duke's big return party from Duke is tonight. We should go."
"I'm in." Tyler announced with a devious smile. "I heard Sophie's going stag."
"Sophie? You're trying to hook up with Slutty Sophie?" Caroline interrupted with a laugh, sharing a look with the other two girls of amusement.
"Good luck with that." The brunette said with a mock smile before adding as an afterthought, "I'm so not driving...Car-o-line?"
The three stared at her expectantly, all wearing mirrored expressions. She groaned. It was hard to say no when they were giving her the look. A small smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as she nodded in agreement to their unspoken request.
"Fine." Caroline said with an exasperated sigh, discarding the chocolate covered spoon from her mouth and setting it aside as she continued on, wearing a grin, "But I call dibs on first pick of prom dates this year."
It was hard not to laugh as the girl shimmed about her room, picking up knickknacks and things that did not belong to her before setting them back down and moving on to something else that had caught her attention. It was also hard to think that not only a few weeks ago, she had been the best friend of Stefan Salvatore, or the broody body snatcher, as they now referred to him, as along with the rest of their old friends who'd suddenly decided to play shut-out with them.
Caroline watched Lexi from her perch at the end of her bed as the music filled the space around them.
It's all the same, only the names will change
Every day it seems we're wasting away
Another place where the faces are so cold
I'd drive all night just to get home
This had been their song. The three of them. Lexi, her, and...Stefan. It was strange listening to it without him here to enjoy it with them, but then again, he was probably enjoying the company of another blond that night. She repressed the urge to gag at the thought of him and the She-Devil together. If they were in fact together. It was getting harder and harder to tell these days.
"I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ri—," Lexi sang, loudly, shaking her long blond tresses to the music before being shoved aside none too gently by Hayley.
"Quit hogging the mirror," The brunette snapped, although the playful smirk on her face was enough to let her abrupt rudeness slide. She touched up on her makeup, running a hand through her wild locks before turning toward them with the final product. "How do I look?"
A chorus of strangled sounds rang out through the room as the two blonds voiced their indifference. Hayley wore a dejected scowl as she plopped down onto Caroline's vacant lounge chair, toying with a lock of hair.
"When are we actually going to be having fun tonight?" She tried again, annoyed at the lack of effort on their part at their quasi-friendship. True, she did not like either of them and the only reason she could stand to be around them was because of Tyler, but seriously, they could at least act like they were content being around her. If not for her, then at least for their mutual friend Tyler.
Speak of the devil. And he shall appear.
The boy sauntered into the blonde's room as if he owned the place, flashing them all a shit-eating grin. "Are we all ready to go ladies?"
Their resounding response of yes was enough for him. He pulled something from his pant pocket. A set of keys, it appeared. He dangled them in front of Caroline's face, suddenly wearing the most serious expression she'd seen on him since that time in the fifth grade when he'd been campaigning for class president.
"Not one scratch. Got it?" He said in a low tone. The blonde smirked, snatching the keys out of his grasp before sliding off her bed and standing before him.
"Don't worry Lockwood," She responded evenly, patting him as if he were an infant on the cheek. "I'll take care of your baby."
When they arrive at the bonfire the party was already in full swing. All around them were classmates drinking, making out, and having fun. Fun, now there was something that hadn't been on her mind for a long time. Not since the 'Scooby gang' had disbanded. Not since her father had bought a one-way ticket out of town and her life forever. It seemed that she had a knack for having people she trusted turn their back on her when she needed them the most. Maybe she was cursed.
"I'm going to look for Sophie." Tyler announced, as if the entire world needed to hear about him newest pending conquest. He was gone a second later, darting through a crowd of partiers on his search for the promiscuous girl that would more than likely hook-up with him tonight.
"Pig," Hayley called after him, scowling at nobody in particular before slinking off to the nearest keg.
"And then there were two." Lexi snorted, crossing her arms over her chest and sending her companion a sidelong glance. As if the some higher power did not think she had suffered already tonight by having to put up with Hayley and a rather horny Tyler Lockwood, a rather promising male appeared before them, eyes set on the older of the duo.
"Lexi." The boy, Caroline recognized from their bio class, greeted warmly. What was his name? Louis...Larry...
"Lee," The older blond exclaimed, unable to hide the delight behind her voice at his sudden appearance. "Wha—Hi. I didn't think keg parties were your thing."
"Well, they're not but..." He paused, a shy smile gracing his handsome features before he continued, "I heard you'd be coming. Do you want to go somewhere and...talk?"
"Oh. Um—" She looked to Caroline for advice, who simply offered a reassuring nod and smile before answering. "Yeah, I'd really like that."
"Cool." Lee responded, smile bordering on painfully big, before casually leading the last friend the blonde had away for the night.
"And then there was one." She muttered under her breath, eyes sliding around her, looking for any other familiar face worth talking to. Her gaze fell over them again for the second time, as the huddled under the gazebo, all drinking and talking among one another.
The first to abandon her had been the most unexpected. Bonnie.
It had been strange to consider the girl her best friend one day, and a stranger the next. And what was worse, the girl could not offer up a single explanation as to why they could no longer hang out.
Following her had been Matt. Poor, sweet Matt. The boy she'd once believed would have never done anything to hurt anyone or make them feel like such an outcast. It stung worse than their break-up at the end of freshman year.
Then, like dominoes falling one after the other, Stefan and Elena had followed suit. They'd begun hanging out with Rebekah freaking Mikaelson, or She-Devil as she preferred to refer to her as. Which, in every cosmic universe amounted to only one thing. They're minds had been taken over by aliens and Rebekah was the ringleader.
As if they could sense her hardened stare they all craned their heads toward her. Quickly averting her gaze, she drifted over to the bridge that overlooked the falls, thankful that for the time being it was just her out there.
"Caroline!" She stopped dead in her tracks. It had been a while since she'd heard her name on those lips.
The girl turned around slowly toward the sound, surprised to see the approaching figure of none other than Stefan Salvatore. Her eyes widened slightly before she quickly composed herself, a look of indifference usually reserved for Hayley etching its way onto her face.
"Caroline, hey." He greeted, acting as if this wasn't the first time they'd talked in weeks.
She fidgeted where she stood, internally debating on whether or not to just blow him off; turn tail and run.
"Hey." She hadn't meant for it to come out sounding soft, but it had. That was the effect Stefan had on her.
"H—how are you?" The boy began, face a contortion of varying emotions that told her he was having as much of a difficult time with this as she was. The only difference was he had been the one to turn his back on their friendship, not the other way around.
"Why are you talking to me, Stefan?" Caroline asked blatantly, running a hand through her hair. "Won't that piss off Rebekah...or something."
His expression reverted to one of sadness. "It's not like that, Care."
Stefan reached an arm out, hoping to offer some form of reassurance to her...comfort, but the blond wasn't buying what he was selling, no matter how sincere he sounded. She flinched away from his touch, taking a step back and reaffirming to herself that despite how much she cared about the Salvatore, he had contributed nothing to the maintenance of their friendship.
"What's it like then?" Caroline snapped, raising her voice as a swirl of anger and hurt ran throughout her body. It was then that she realized that apart from feeling sad and insecure, she was also fucking pissed off.
A flickering of light overhead caught her attention. She looked up, frown on her face, observing as the string of lights lining the bridge walkway had begun to glare brightly down on them. Brighter than she'd ever seen them.
Something wasn't right. The lights seemed to be getting brighter as the seconds ticked by. Much like her anger.
"Caroline." The gentle voice called out to her, drawing her attention. She was met with a tight-lipped smile, a faint hint of something in his eyes as he stared back at her. The way he had spoken her name...it had been a long time since he'd used that undeniably sweet tone on her.
"I—gotta go." The words fell from the blonde's lips as she turned heel and retreated down the opposite end of the bridge, leaving the boy, who she had once held on the highest of pedestals for perfection, behind. They weren't friends. At least, not anymore. They'd made that perfectly clear with her and Lexi the moment they had shut them out.
Unlike the Stefan she had once knew, this one did not chase after her, did not offer an inkling of solace or comfort. And all she was left with now was the memory of what had once been. They boy she had once...
The blond snagged a red, plastic cup, filled with one on the greatest mysteries of life. Bottoms up, she thought as she downed its contents; face contorting into one of disgust before allowing the burn to travel down her throat and to the pit of her stomach.
"Caroline." Now there was a voice she knew all too well. With a defeated sigh, she turned to face the one person she disliked more than anyone, more than Hayley for that matter, in Mystic Falls.
"Rebekah." Caroline said evenly, mentally picturing the English girl all over Stefan. God, she hated her so much. The girl crossed her arms over her chest, already on the defense. This would be the first time that the She-Devil had ever spoken to her. Two 'body snatchers' in one day. Something was definitely up.
The offending blond squinted her eyes, almost staring through Caroline, with scrutiny. It was as if she were looking for something. The fact that the girl who had stolen her spot as Cheer Captain as well as her spot in the lives of her old friends was enough to send her emotions into overdrive once again for the second time that night. Was she so much better than her as a friend? She didn't even talk to anyone outside of the group she had formed with Stefan, Bonnie, Elena, and Matt.
"Can I help you?" Caroline spoke up in question, unease and irritation obvious in her voice at the unwanted attention being paid to her.
"I'm telling you it's not her." Rebekah ranted, and it was then that the blond in question noticed they were no longer alone. The other 'body snatchers' had joined their leader, all looking at her with different expressions, still holding the same level of intensity. Her gaze landed on Stefan's for a moment who offered her a smile of encouragement.
"She is. I saw," The Salvatore disagreed, taking a step forward, separating himself from the group and placing himself between the two blonds. "The lights were the brightest I've ever seen them."
With a huff, Rebekah peered over her shoulder, frown clear as day on her face. "That could have been a power surge."
"I'm telling you, it's Caroline." The girl was lost, trying to follow their conversation with no luck.
"Can you please not talk about me like I'm not standing right here?" She blurted out in agitation. "If this is some ploy—"
The thunderous echo of a 'slap' rang out through the woods. Eyes widening in shock at the assault, Caroline's hand flew to her cheek, glaring darkly back at the She-Devil.
"You Bitch!" She shouted and as she did, the wind suddenly picked up around them; a cold front of something that they could only describe as pure energy circulating the ground in which the girl stood, in the form of moss and dead leaves.
"It is her." Elena whispered, voicing what was running through everyone's mind. Her brown orbs grew, head raising toward the sky as storm clouds began to swirl into form like a painter running their brush over a blank canvas with the darkest grays and blacks imaginable.
It was amazing. To think the one they had been looking for was Caroline Forbes. The girl who did not believe in all the 'woo-woo' witchy stuff. To think...
A roar of thunder broke her train of thought.
"Caroline—" Bonnie began with a worried note in her voice, although she wasn't looking at the blond. In fact, it appeared as if her attention was focused on the dark clouds above head. A flash of lightning seemingly close by made them all jump.
"If she doesn't calm down, she could hurt someone." Matt warned as another flash illuminated the night sky.
"Caroline." A voice called out to her, somewhere far off in the distance...It was hard to focus on its source, not with the sudden feeling of fire running throughout her body. The tingling sensation in her hands, the slight sting in her cheek a reminder of the pain she'd been feeling since her friends abandoned her. "Caroline, look at me."
A feeling of warmth graced her body, a pleasant feeling. Her eyes focused on the face that was now only a hair's breadth away from her own. Forest green orbs gazed into hers, pleading with her.
"Breathe." He spoke softly, hands traveling from her shoulders and cupping her cheeks gently. The blonde stared back at him, a storm of emotions flashing across her face. His fingers stroked along the line of her jaw, brushing the corners of her lips as he did his best to soothe the girl. "That's it."
Stefan nodded his head in encouragement as the blond followed his instruction, mesmerized by the sea of blue in her eyes. "Breathe in, breathe out."
The first drops of rain fell a moment later, and then a downpour.
"They made it rain," Matt spoke in awe, eyeing the two. "It really is Caroline."
There was utter surprise in his voice at the realization. They had found their sixth. The final member of their coven. Their circle. The missing piece had been in front of their faces all along.
"Wha—what are you talking about?" Caroline asked in obvious question after a beat, turning away from the Salvatore and his touch to address the group.
"There's no easy way to say this, Care—" Bonnie began before breaking off.
"I didn't quite believe it myself when they told me," Elena picked up, offering her a halfhearted smile. "The thing is, Caroline, you're a—"
"You're a witch." Rebekah sighed, ignoring the roll of eyes from her friends at her lack of tact. "We all are."
"Oh my god...you are all crazy." Caroline stated as it was the most logical explanation she could come up with for their sudden interest in her after so many weeks of making her feel like an untouchable. The only reason she could muster out as to why Stefan would suddenly talk to her after so long. She ran a shaky hand through her damp hair, pushing her bangs back and out of her face.
"Caroline," His voice drew her attention away from the others, and he took hold of her hand. She could not deny there was a spark of electricity that flew up her arm and down her spine at the contact. Her eyes flickered down to where their hands touched. A strange sensation of understanding filled her as she looked up, meeting his stare. His nod was the only confirmation she needed.
For as long as she'd known the boy, she had believed every word that had ever fallen from his lips. And now, it seemed she still did. How could she not, with such honesty behind those green eyes. It wasn't just that either, it was the slight earnestness behind them as well that got to her.
"I'm a—I'm a witch."
.
.
.
tbc
please leave a review / sorry for any mistakes made, they are all my own