There was always something most peculiar about Mystic Falls. The atmosphere was uncertain, as if the whole town were holding their collective breaths, waiting for the next tragedy to happen. It was a town whose history was soaked in tragedy, where people had a shorter than average life expectancy.
And this was before all the supernatural shit went down, mind you.
All that shit started with the arrival of Stefan Salvatore. And Damon, of course. I was always uncertain as to whether it was the Salvatore brothers or Elena that caused so much supernatural tomfoolery to happen.
Probably Elena, she always did have a 'magnetic' personality.
Life continued as normal for a while- well, as normal as it can when both of your parents are dead and your siblings are as distant as strangers.
Perhaps it was because of this distance that I never picked up on the little oddities. The clues that softly hinted at something not being right. No, instead I was content to remain ignorant, unaware of the maelstrom of shit happening in my sister's life.
We had been as thick as thieves when we were younger. Elena had been the oldest by all of two minutes which automatically granted her the title of 'eldest', synonymous with ' bossiest'. Dad used to joke about it, making the terrible puns only Dads are capable of producing.
Things changed dramatically after the accident. While we hadn't been on the best of terms due to our different roles in the social hierarchy of Mystic Falls High, we were still close. Elena was the quintessential girl next door- a head cheerleader dating the quarterback. I, on the other hand, was an antisocial bookworm whose main attribute was being the younger sister of Elena Gilbert.
After the accident, we stopped talking completely. I became even more of a shut-in; refusing to leave the house for weeks at a time, escaping reality through the aid of books. Elena pulled away from her friends, opting to wallow in self pity also. Jeremy began to use drugs more frequently, moving from weed to pills at a neck breaking speed.
It all started on a typical afternoon in The Grill. 'It' being the events that would act as a catalyst to my introduction to the supernatural world. I sat at what I had claimed as 'my' booth, the one nearest to the back room, away from most of the noise and bustle of the restaurant which doubled as the local watering hole.
"Fuck me!" I exclaimed, scratching out my attempts at math. Algebra sucked absolute balls. Sighing, I pushed the books aside. They'd still be there in twenty minutes.
I sidled up to the bar, disappointed Daniel still wasn't here. While he may have been a certifiable genius, he never remembered to show up on time to anything. That included, but was not limited to:
Funerals (even the funeral of your best friend's parents.)
Weddings
Bar Mitzvahs (his own)
Award Ceremonies (twice)
If it wasn't for his easy charm, good lucks, and the efforts of his best friend (me), he'd be in trouble a hell of a lot more.
I scanned the bar, not surprised to see Damon nursing a glass of bourbon, chatting with Alaric. The two of them were a near constant fixture at the bar, or, at least Damon was. Alaric was a history teacher, of course.
"And one cherry coke for Ms. Charlotte Gilbert." I jumped, pulled harshly out of my thoughts.
"Thanks Matt." I beamed, excited more than one should be for cherry coke. But it was cherry coke! The best flavour of coke! Plus the Grill only got a shipment of cherry coke once in a blue moon.
Sucking through a straw, I started typing out a text to Daniel- a very frustrated text message that may have or not detailed what I was going to do with his extremities if he didn't get his ass here now.
This is the point where I did something very stupid: I attempted multi-tasking. I had made it halfway across the room before I slipped. I went flying backwards, my arms flailing behind me uselessly. My phone and cherry coke hurtling towards the ground.
If it wasn't for the blonde stranger I would've landed in a heap on my ass. Instead, I was propped up in his arms.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, my cheeks flaring up in embarrassment. Mentally berating myself for being a clumsy idiot yet again.
"It's all right, love. No harm no foul." Despite his words there was something off about this guy. His smile showed a little too much teeth, his words were too placid for someone drenched in cherry cork. A wolf in sheep's clothing.
Speaking of clothing.. "I'm so sorry I ruined your shirt! Do you want me to pay to have it dry cleaned?" It was better to keep him on my good side, after all.
"No, no it's fine," he paused, his eyes squinting, "but might I inquire as to your name?"
This was… strange. Never once in my life did someone in Mystic Falls ask my name. I was always known as 'the youngest Gilbert twin' or 'Elena's younger sister'. We never got 'new people' in Mystic Falls. Who exactly would want to come to the ass end of Virginia?
"I'm Charlotte, Charlotte Gilbert." I extended my hand.
"Niklaus, the pleasure is all mine, Miss Gilbert." His lips ghosted the back of my knuckles, a light dusting. It freaked me out tremendously, if I was being honest. Nobody did this medieval-ass shit nowadays. It was then I noticed how his eyes kept drifting over my shoulders, smirking at the bar.
I cleared my throat, "Thanks for the assist, but I should be good to go. Thanks again" There was something bugging me about this guy, something that was warning me to get the hell out of dodge.
I rushed back to my booth and packed up my shit, Daniel be damned. As I walked through the car park, hairs stood up on the back of my neck. I hurried, nearly sprinting. It was daylight yet dread hung heavy in my stomach.
It was only when I was in the safe, comfortable interior that I let out the breath I hadn't even realised I had been holding in.
I was safe.
I repeated the mantra like a prayer, trying to calm my ever-beating heart.
I was safe
,,,was I?
This man had rattled me in a way like never before.
By that night I had nearly forgotten about the incident. Damon had checked up on me after, eyes frantic as he observed that I was, in fact, in one whole piece.
I spent the rest of the night helping Jenna do chores, just your typical Saturday night. Daniel had been on the opposing side my cold shoulder. He deserved it as far as I was concerned. The only untypical thing was Elena's absence. She nearly always had dinner with us.
It was as I drying up the plates with Jenna the house phone trilled.
Swinging around my Aunt wrapped in an adorable kiss the cook apron, a smile on my face, most of my worries down the drain, I approached the old style phone on the wall that I so adored. It was cute. Bright yellow with a little bunched up chord like back in the day. I wrapped a manicured hand around it and brought the object piece to my ear.
"Gilbert residence, Charlotte speaking."
"Charlie?" My twin's breathless voice exclaimed, "I need your help."
My heart froze in my chest and I couldn't speak, couldn't think for a second. As mad as Elena could make me, she was a part of my heart. She was my twin. Every shaky breath I heard inspired a new swell of desperation within me.
"Tell me what to do. Where are you? What's going on?" Jenna rushed to my side, seeing the expression on my face, hearing desperation in my voice.
"Who is it?" she asks. I'm just about to open my mouth and explain when Elena pipes up again.
"You can't tell anyone, if you do he's gonna kill me" there's the sound of a crash and then a whimper and I instinctively throw my hand out to grasp Jenna's.
"Tell me what I can do, please."
Thump, thump, thump. Utter silence and I'm about to have a full on panic attack when she breathes out three strangled words.
"Come outside. Alone
It was obvious that Jenna absolutely did not want me to go outside, but what choice did we have? This was Elena's life we were talking about. Taking a deep breath, I mustered up what little confidence I had and strode quickly through the house.
I had hardly taken two steps outside when I felt a sudden explosion of pain reverberate throughout my skull. My vision blurred, dark spots rapidly engulfing the entirety of it.
Before I completely backed out, I heard the makings of a British accent.
I awoke to soft earth underneath my head and an awful taste in my mouth. Almost as if somebody had shoved a bunch of old pennies in my mouth.
Blood is more likely, don't you agree?
I startled at the alien thoughts that had interrupted my own stream of consciousness. What in the fresh hell was this?
Yet another who has no clue as to my identity. How droll.
I mean… should I have known the identity of it? Had I offended it? How could I offend something in my head?
Quit panicking, child, I haven't got all day. Now you'll wake up in a few moments time with a bad headache. I wish this would be the biggest problem for you. No, instead you've been activated. Initiated into the ranks of the Liln. Or, as mortals have called our kind, Succubi.
This...this couldn't be happening. This all-encompassing darkness? Impossible. The voice in my head? Impossible. The fact that the aforementioned voice was trying to convince me I was a supernatural creature (or nah?) ? Impossible.
You mortals are all the same. Do you know how hard it is to be over 1200 years old and have to teach the basics all over again? Here's the deal: you're a succubus. You'll need to feed on the sexual energy of other beings in order to survive. Perks are you'll be less susceptible to manipulations of the mind. The Fae Folk will glad to see you upon your return, I'd advise you to seek shelter with them. Those not of Fae origin will be attracted to you; dangerously so. Get far away from the night stalkers. Live well, my child.
It sounded like it was saying goodbye but I didn't want to leave! I wanted to stay! Despite the short amount of time spent here, the darkness had become my home, the voice my protector. I didn't want to leave the warm embrace of death had filled me with a comfort I'd never experienced..
A tiny prick of white light filtered in from the far right. My feet began to step towards it, completely of their own volition. My mind urged me to stay yet my body moved on.
Time to face the day.
It felt like the air was punched into my chest and I awoke coughing like my lungs were giving out. My eyes filled with tears as a liquid I knew was blood came out with each cough. Everything was blurring and I was having trouble breathing but I did recognize one thing.
Fire.
And fear.
Giant flames surged too close to me, taking up my falling gaze, and I could taste the terror in the air. It was something I had never been able to experience but it was palpable. Thick and overwhelming me.
The more time I spent coughing, the more I awake I became.
There was a foreign chanting far off somewhere, and I felt like I could hear more than what I was supposed to, I could hear the cries and sniffles of multiple people, and when I finally stopped heaving, I whipped my head over and was met with a familiar face.
Elena was here. And she was scared.
"Why are you ALIVE?!"
The thunderous roar of the British man that had made so many recent appearances sounded like a fucking scream in my ear and I fell back from my sitting up position in fear, scrambling back away from him.
Shit.