Lightbringer
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Have you ever had to walk or drive by a car crash and do nothing?
Not as in having to stand back because 911 told you to when you called them and you know it's best to let them do their job, but actually having to stand by, watching and monitoring everything that happens and not being allowed to act?
Well, if you haven't, let me tell you it is extremely difficult. Nonetheless, it is a rule that I have always observed and lived by, not necessarily because I believed it was the right thing to do but because it was the way I had been raised.
People like me don't take any part in all the blood feuds between supernatural species. Vampires, werewolves, hybrids, spirits of all kinds; the only ones we care about are witches. They are the ones we are meant to watch, assess and report about. Then, depending on the decisions taken by our elders, we take action or withdraw. However, our taking action must not influence the course of things under any circumstances; we must only take out the witch or witches that "manifestly go astray" in the "most discreet way possible" using however "any means to said ends".
Yet, with all the experience I gathered within two decades on this earth and the knowledge learned from the wisdom of my elders, I went astray. I broke the rules, affected the course of things and became part of the supernatural scenery I had always been taught to watch from afar. I thought I could make a difference; hoped my good intentions and my strengths could somehow help leave the world a better place, so I entered the game.
I played by their rules for a time and then I lost.
My name is Andy Moreau and this is my story.
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One
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I guess we could say it all started with a gift from Alice. We can discuss later how much of a gift it turned out to be but for me, it was a chance I didn't dare believe in until the moment I saw my parents' house grow smaller in the rearview of my car. I was really, actually, undoubtedly leaving our little town on the Canadian border for a new, wonderful and unpredictable adventure: college.
Of course, as anything coming from Alice, it did not come for free; I, second lieutenant of the clan, was certainly not to set off somewhere completely out of the family's reach, and my choice of a college definitely wasn't my own. I was being sent where one of us was needed, being assigned to a case and expected to assess and report the situation, as in any other mission. The way I occupied my free time and kept my cover rolling was not the clan's concern and knowing that, knowing how much I craved for a normal existence and an undergrad education, Alice had volunteered me.
My rank and my willingness to go undercover on a campus had been an advantage in the negotiations; the elders knew what I was capable of and didn't oppose any objection, so only my father was not overjoyed with the idea of sending me so far from home for a mission that wasn't limited in time. Fortunately, Alice was head of the clan: her decisions were law.
As a result, I left on a sunny morning of summer and drove south all the way from Vermont to Virginia, all packed up and ready to attend classes at Whitmore College. As I drove and drove for hours, windows open, music loud and hair in the wind, I couldn't stop smiling to myself, not once. I remember casting a glance to the file resting on the passenger seat every now and then, just to remind myself that I wasn't entirely free, that I was on a mission. Regardless, going undercover as a student was the best thing that had ever happened to me and still today, I am very grateful for it.
I remember pulling into the parking lot that first day, already wearing my nice-college-girl uniform as I called it. Of course, I couldn't just go around wearing my dark combat leathers: I needed to adapt to my environment and so, my wardrobe was now mostly composed of plain blue, white or green tank tops, jeans shorts, summer dresses and cute shoes. My hair, naturally brown and usually held up high on a tight and flawless ponytail was now a nice golden shade of blond and loose on my shoulders. Good-bye for now, witch-hunter look, hello sweet-freshman-Andy.
This look I had chosen for myself didn't render me any less lethal, but I would definitely come across as an innocent and average college human, who could fit in and get discreetly acquainted with all my targets for investigation. No one ever really pays attention to the nice girl next door looking around, so that was my plan; and it worked for a good while.
That same day, after I was done dealing with the paperwork and moving in, I took care to show up at the Scull Bar downtown McKinley, where I had scheduled an interview for a position as bartender. Alice had not fed me the details but I knew it had been a great deal of indirect networking to have my curriculum appear on top of the pile and be selected by the manager. I remember Dominic didn't have much time for me that day: he showed me around, introduced me to a few staff members that were here and after a short Q and A, gave me a contract to read and sign and said my first shift would start the next day at noon.
This side job was a perfect opportunity for me: a bar was always a good place to hear gossip and I knew one of my targets was working there. Besides, it would actually help with my fees and everyday expenses; plus, it was a place where I felt rather confident and somewhat at home. Indeed, after graduating from high school, I knew there was little chance for me to ever attend university, which didn't stop me from wishing and dreaming – maybe a little too loud to go unnoticed by my family. I was already an active member of the clan and, when I was not on mission somewhere in the States or over the border, I was a bartender at a local bar in our town, Zola's, and saving money in hope to take a couple more courses online next year. Now I didn't need to save for online courses anymore, since attending classes had become real, but the experience collected at Zola's would be put to good use.
And this is how it started; how I met and gradually became friends with my three targets. I knew there were more people involved, vampires and werewolves running around but they were not my case, witches were. I put in the time, the words and the smiles to become the nice friend; not the one they would talk about while they were in a middle of a supernatural crisis – which, I have to mention, happened surprisingly often around here – but I was there to hear pieces of conversations and witness scenes, all the while remaining silent and unseen.
True to my nature and my duty toward my clan, I reported twice a month and diligently followed the orders I received. Though it was all part of my mission, it was a thin line between acting as a friend and actually being one, and in the course of a few months, this life became my own; I had grown used to it. I was not prepared for everything that was about to happen.
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McKinley, Virginia – May 2012
I stir in my sleep and wake completely, eyes squinting at the diffused first lights of morning. I stare blankly at the sky before I realize it is of rather clear color and not as dark as it is supposed to be. Shit. I roll over and fold the sheets around my naked body as I silently leave the room, picking up clothes where I can spot them. My purse is there on the couch and I grab my phone on the table. The battery died, no wonder the alarm didn't go off.
I contain a sigh and glance up at the clock: nearly six. Shit. I waste no time as I get dressed and leave the building. When entering my suite, I come across Jessica. Since the brown-haired party queen doesn't raise a questioning eyebrow at me, I figure she has just risen from bed and I head directly to my room, sparing us both any risk at conversation; I know better than to talk to her before her first coffee.
During my run across the woods, I keep glancing at my black sports watch and cursing myself for my indulgence of last night. I don't go over to a guy's place very often but I know that when I do, I inevitably wake up later than usual and miss part of my morning training, which is bad for several reasons. First, it is not that easy when you are in college to just 'find the time' to do stuff. Going to classes and studying takes time, working at the bar takes time and so do having a social life and monitoring my witches. So try fitting hobbies such as hand-to-hand combat or knife fighting in your schedule while keeping it a secret. Not very easy, right?
The second reason why I hate missing my morning training is because I am simply used to having it; I have been used to it for years now, it keeps me going and when I don't get all that energy out of my system I get rather prickly. I just don't like missing it, which is why it hardly ever happens. Eric's blue eyes though. As my lips stretch in a smile, I exhale deeply and start running my way back.
The door opens and, as Mrs Gordon stops talking and looks up, everybody turn their head toward the late runner. Liv has the decency to look the part when she gives our professor an apologetic face and mouths the word 'sorry', then she begins walking toward her usual seat. She comes to a halt when noticing it is occupied and I see her exchange a glance with someone – probably her twin Lucas – before spotting a free slot next to me.
She casually sits down and takes a pen and a notebook out of her backpack before leaning back in her seat and staring angrily at the guy a few rows ahead of us. The phrase 'If looks could kill' crosses my mind but I keep any thought to myself, knowing better than to draw her attention on me right now. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present 'Stealing away Liv's time with her precious brother', or How To Make Liv Parker Very Angry In One Faux-Pas.
This scene reminds me a lot of the first time she came to sit next to me, last semester: I had only been at Whitmore College for a couple weeks and I had barely established contact with all three targets, her being the first one because we worked at the Scull Bar together. And that morning, I remember her coming in late and staring daggers at the brunette sitting next to Lucas. She quickly scanned the room, identified me as "Newbie-Andy", as Clarke used to call me at work, and came to fill the free slot next to me.
After some time, Liv shared a thought on the brunette trying to make a move on her brother and how that should be fun to watch, to which I barely shrugged, saying Lucas was cute and she simply retorted that he was gay. The fact that I didn't look affected or anything probably earned me a couple points and when I mocked disappointment and joked about having to find someone else to marry, she smirked.
Olivia Parker smirked at my joke, meaning it was possible that we had the same kind of sarcastic humor. I think that made me friend material and that is probably when she started warming up to me – in her own way. That day was the day I gave her my phone so she could enter her contact and she hesitantly handed me hers, allowing me, with a few moments of inattention on her part, to plant a tracker on the device. True progress indeed.
I focus back on the class, typing my notes on my laptop and several minutes go by before the girl next to me sighs heavily. I finish typing a sentence before distractedly turning my head to her, raising a brow. Meeting my gaze, Liv shoots an angry look at the intruder sitting next to her brother before glancing back at me and the smirk I offer her.
Liv nudges me and pulls a fair, curly lock of hair behind her ear before glancing at my screen and jolting down a few words. I only enlarge the font size so she can see without squinting and we don't speak for the rest of the class. Liv and I are very different persons but we are pretty much the same when it comes to company: we talk to people when necessary – and I am much better at it than her, by the way – but we are also very comfortable with silence. This is probably the reason why, of all three targets, she is the one I ended up getting closer to.
When the class is over, Liv and I leave the room together and we only take a few steps because I know she is waiting for her brother.
"So how was Occult Studies anyway?"
"Interesting enough," I answer, "Though you would say you didn't learn anything new."
"Right. I mean, I would come but it's so early," she complains, "Johnson's theories are interesting though," she shrugs, "Sometimes."
I snort, "You say that like you know better than him."
"Maybe I do," she says with a mysterious smirk, and I know damn well she does.
"I'm sorry, did you get a PhD in Occult Studies since last night?" I mock, "Cause I'm pretty sure that's what it takes to be a lecturer here at Whitmore."
"Yeah," she jokes with a wince, "I declined the position when they offered it to me. The wages were okay but the part where I'm supposed to teach… I mean, the students…" she trails off, mocking disgust.
"I wouldn't want to have you as a student," I laugh.
"I wouldn't want to have me as a student," she nods, "Will you email me your notes though?"
"Already have. It's not the first time you've skipped the class."
"Thanks, mom," she mocks, checking her phone for said email.
We come to a halt and turn around to see Lucas wave goodbye to the guy from our literature class and walk toward us. Luke is a very cute guy; he has the same light blond hair as Liv, a wider and easier smile and his eyes are a light blue whereas Liv's are a blueish gray. Although they look very alike, their personalities couldn't be more different. I mean, they are very close and protective of each other, very loyal and serious, but they are like the sun and the moon: Lucas is fun, easygoing and full of heartwarming smiles when you know him, while Olivia is prickly, unbothered and bitchy. She has her own humor and she can be pretty sensitive too but it is not something anyone gets to see; it certainly took several months before she let me in. Sort of.
"Enjoyed the class?, Liv asks him rather sharply, "Or were you too distracted by that guy making eyes at you?"
"Don't be like that, Liv," her brother answers with a smile, "We were listening. And had you been on time, Jason wouldn't have taken your seat in the first place."
"Jason, huh?" I discreetly say and I get a playful wink from Lucas.
"I overslept," she half snaps, "It happens."
"I guess it does," he mocks before adding, "But then, you're not the only one."
My lips twitch in an amused smile before I realize he is staring at me, his head cocked. Liv's gaze follows and my face freezes as I quickly try to figure out what gave me away.
"What?" I ask.
Lucas raises a hand and pulls on a golden lock of mine, "Your hair was still kinda wet when you came in. You showered late."
Damn. He really is good at noticing stuff, which wouldn't be so concerning if I didn't have so many things to hide. We stare at each other for what seems to be a long moment. Sometimes, I feel like he knows that there is more to my story than I let on and it's like he wants me to remember that if he wanted to, he could very well find me out. Our silence is broken by Liv, who conveniently clears her throat, arching a playful brow at me as her lips stretch in a smirk, "Struggle to getting up, didn't we? Cutie I saw you with at the bar last night?"
"You didn't notice; you don't get to ask," I say with a shrug, "Anyway, I'm gonna grab something to eat before my shift. See you later."
As usual, I don't wait for their answer to take my leave and that is why, as usual, it only takes them a shared glance before I hear Liv's voice, "Hey, we're hitting the Commons for lunch. Wanna join?
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Aster's (not so) quick word: Oh, hello there :) I'm Aster Maris, French student who likes to pretend she can write in English and all. Sooo, here were go, posting my most-adanced project so far!
As we begin with this story, a quick word/shout-out/big-thanks to Lau of my Heart, for always supporting me, encouraging me, putting up with me and my questions about how-does-this-work, and for being the first soul to lay eyes on this precious baby of mine. All the love to you, my friend 3
Also, as mentioned previously, yours-truly's first language isn't English, so don't hesitate to be indulgent on mispellings and other mistakes, and feel free to kindly let me know if anything can be done to imrpove a sentence that made you cringe ;)
So here's the first chapter. It's a lot of setting things and introducing Andy and how she got here in the first place, but we'll get to dive more into the story soon ;)
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Disclaimer (cause you gotta find a place for this bad boy, right?)
This is a work of fanfiction using characters form the world of The Vampire Diaries, which is a TV show developed by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, and based on a series of books of the same name written by L. J Smith.
Save for the Lightbringer community (which is mine), all the characters are owned by Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson and L. J Smith, and I do not claim ownership over them or the world of The Vampire Diaries.
The story I tell here, about their characters and mine, is my own invention; it is inspired by, but neither purported nor believed to be part of Ms. Plec, Ms. Smith and Mr Williamson's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line.
I am grateful to Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson and L. J Smith for their wonderful universe and stories of The Vampire Diaries, for without their work, my story would not exist.
This being said, enjoy:)
- Aster Maris
