Hey you guys!

This is my first story ever, so please feel free to share your contructive criticism with me :) Also I have yet to decide on the romantic angle of this arc, but I'd like to hear your suggestions! I'm kind of trying to build up a slow start, and sort of unravel my O.C, in a way that won't give all of her facettes away too quick. On another note, this story will be taking place as this season is on going; so Ariah will be showing up around the same time as they've agreed to give Mystic Falls to the Heretics (reluctantly might I add) ANYWAYS! Hope you enjoy the first chapter. Any feedback is welcomed feedback.

Full summary

Ariah isn't your typical Bennett-witch. She rarely touches magic, and mostly doesn't play well with others. For the past 6 years she's been searching for her father's grimoire. Using his journal as a guide, to go through all the places where he could have placed it. She already has her mothers' but has no use for it. As her mother was a dark practitioner, drawing her strengths from sacrificial shadow rituals, and Ariah wants no part in that tainted legacy. Instead she wants to reconnect with the elements and the ancestors; like her father did. But she can only claim that side of herself, and her powers through her father's grim.

Ariah was raised in Samoa, around her father's family. Her birth however, happened in Mystic Falls. The one place she hasn't looked. She isn't sure what is in store for her there, as she has no recollection of the town. With no knowledge of why Mystic Falls is in a ghostlike state, Ariah decides to move into her childhood home, not aware of the looming threat and the pending revelations. What will her reaction be when she learns what's really going on? And what role will the prospect of having a cousin play?

Chapter 1: Arrivals and encounters

My hand was on the doorknob. I felt a slight tremble and it was obvious my anxiety level was hitting a new high. I started questioning my reasoning for being here. What in the world was I looking to find? The answer escaped me. This was starting to look a lot like another one of my impulsive ideas. Nonetheless, I still hadn't moved.

I could be across the country by now, sippin' drinks of acquired tastes. But no, instead I decided to go to Mystic Falls, on some phantom hunch, and so here I was. Contemplating whether or not to even open the damn door. Though in all honesty, my reason for being here, on this lovely porch; wasn't solely based on a hunch. It was something more intense. Primal almost. I felt drawn to this place, and the feeling had only intensified after… After everything. Was it really wrong of me to be here? I mean all the journals my father ever wrote, had their origins here. This was his world, his beginning and his legacy to me.

I took a careful look at the bordeaux notebook in my left hand. It felt odd being able to tangibly grasp at my own words. Every thought etched and inked to the pages of this book. I'd never really kept a journal until I came across my fathers. I guess it kind of stuck with me, having a piece of him around and being able to pick his brain. It helped. In more ways than words could express, it just helped. After his passing, he wanted me to have them, alongside the deed to this house.

So why was it so hard for me to open the stupid door? Technically the house was mine, right? My last name was written with big fat letters – so I wasn't exactly trespassing or anything. Yet I felt some type of reluctance, as if I would be greeted by my father's ghost. Or maybe it was something else. Like the town. The town had a weird vibe, it had abandonment written all over it. That didn't really bother me, seclusion was exactly what I needed now. The signs and banners had explained that there was some kind of gas leak, and because of that the air was toxic. Which clearly was a scheme to get the people out of town. I wasn't sure why, but I was thankful there was a neighboring town only 20 minutes away; so grocery shopping wasn't going to be a too far off trip.

*Click*

I turned the key, and finally opened the door. I needed this place, I didn't like to admit it, but I really did. More than anything I just needed to recuperate and breathe. My eyes wandered around the spacious inside décor. So this was where I was born, huh? It had a comfy feel to it. I closed the door behind me, and dragged my duffle bag into the living-room. The house had an almond scent, mildly mixed with vanilla and lavender. It was surprising how well kept everything looked. Especially given the fact that we'd moved out the minute I was born. I walked around for a bit, looking through the rooms, there was a total of 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, an attic, a backyard, and everything looked tidy.

It was slightly unnerving, although there weren't any signs of someone living in the house. The kitchen was empty, no food in the fridge, and the living room didn't have any personalized objects. The only thing that made me feel connected to this house, was the scent. It was overwhelming. The memories it held and the underlining love it carried. This was home. I actually found the thought of no one else being around, soothing. Sad, I know.

I placed my journal on the living-room table and sat on the sofa. Reality was slowly setting in, and the adrenalin was wearing off.

"Take a deep breath, Ariah. It's done and you're fine."

My reflection stared back at me from the black TV-screen. I ran a calm hand through the wild landscape of my curls. No matter what I did to it, it always looked messy. Untamed, was the only word that came to mind. The spitting image of my mother, I'd been told.

My stomach started turning. The only resemblance I had to her, was that of my appearance. Everything else was different, and I thanked god for that. She was nothing I ever wanted to be like.

My eyes quickly turned back to the duffle bag at my feet. I had to take some safety measures before I could really settle into the house. My hand reached into one of the smaller pockets of the bag. I wasn't going to let a familiar scent snare me into believing this was home, yet. Although the prospect of being burglarized in a ghost town, didn't seem too likely. Other threats did exist, and I wasn't about to be caught off-guard.

I felt my hand grip the very thing I was fumbling for. A solid book came to sight, it almost resembled a relic. My hand slid across the leather surface, following the engraved letters on the front T.

Family grimoires often had the essence of being older than time itself. It probably had to do with the fact that they were passed on, from generation to generation. Spells and chants being added on as the years passed. Although I didn't practice magic, or more specifically didn't want to, I knew now was a time to break that rule. It wasn't that I wasn't capable of conjuring magic, both of my parents had been practicing; so I was more than capable.

I just have a hard time tapping into a clean source of energy, as a witch's powers often gets linked to the grimoire she's utilizing. And as I've been given my mothers', it's safe to say the source is fare from clean. Therefore, I've only ever dabbled in minor spells, everything else has a price. A price much larger than what I'm willing to pay.

That's not to say I wouldn't want to practice proper magic again. I would love to, if I was in the possession of my father's grimoire. His source was bound by the elements, the safest anchor and the purest.

I dusted the cover before opening the book, I knew there was a section about protection spells somewhere. I quickly flipped through the book and found the section, I had to fully open my bag to get the ingredients out. The spell I was using was one of the earliest my mother had learned, therefore it was pretty easy and earthbound. I only needed a couple of herbs, and a drop of my blood. The drop of blood was meant as a binder, so no one else could enter the house. Unless they were related to me. I quickly mixed the ingredients and walked outside, placing a small amount of the herbal mixture on each corner of the house. I then proceeded to cover the mixture with dirt, before stepping back, closing my eyes and exhaling:

"Phasmatos tribum fiat lux hic et nunc igne natura renovatur integra."

The wind became stronger, and it felt as if nature was giving me the green light to finish.

"Incendia!"

I took a step back and saw the four corners, where I'd buried the spell, light up in bright flames. The flames simmered down into smaller white sparks, before they completely disappeared.

I couldn't help but smile. Even though it was a small protection spell, I still felt like an accomplishment. I gave my hand a kiss and put it to the earth. If there ever was a lesson my father prided himself on teaching me, it was to treat the earth with respect and gratitude. And right now I was very grateful, that the earth had allowed me access, to tap into its energy.

I looked at the sky, and noticed the sun was setting. My stomach started growling, and it dawned on me that I probably hadn't eaten since the plane; 7 hours ago. I walked inside and dragged my bag with me. I quickly made myself at home in the biggest bedroom, before showering and getting changed. Propping up my phone, I googled the eating venues in the neighboring town. As I was skipping down the stairs, a series of loud knocks were heard at the door. Forcing me to reenter reality and welcome back the uneasy feeling of my nerves.

The reality was, I was more curious than scared. The spell had worked. The pleasantries I exchanged with Mother Earth, made sure of that. So if this was an intruder of the supernatural kind, he would be powerless in the vicinity of my home. On the other hand, if it just so happened to be a human serial killer or murderer, I was pretty screwed..

I quickly peaked at the door, and saw what looked to be a Sheriff. I couldn't be all too sure, as he stood with his back facing me. But the back nonetheless looked like that of an authority. So I just opened the door, hoping to god he wasn't some sick psycho playing dress-up to lure potential victims.

"Can I help you?"

My voice wasn't particularly rude, but it often carried a questioning tone. The man quickly turned around, and to say I was baffled would be an understatement. The guy look my age! Suited and booted in a Deputy's uniform. Which was quit and accomplishment if he indeed was around my age. He seemed just as startled as I was, not that I understood why. Maybe it was because the town was evacuated? That would make sense.

"You're breaking federal law by trespassing a closed off area. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me, so I can escort you away from this area, as it is restricted."

He did his best to seem authoritative, but because of my upbringing I knew how to read people. And it was clear he was doing everything in his power not to lose his cool. It was weird, if I didn't know better, the strongest emotion I could read off of him was fear. Not for himself, but for me. And that made no sense at all. His eyes almost begged me to quickly come with. I had a hard time understanding how he could be fearful on my behalf, when he barely knew me. Maybe it was link to his job, if he indeed was a deputy.

"Unless you show me factual evidence of this so called 'deadly gas leak', I'm staying put. The air isn't contaminated with any toxic waste, so I suggest you don't lie about that, as I've studied toxicology."

I crossed my arms, and gave a small smile. He seemed nice, but something was way off. He seemed to pause, slightly gritting his teeth. It was clear he hadn't seen the toxicology comment coming, and quite frankly neither had I. I'd never studied it, so that was a blatant lie, but he didn't know that, so what was the harm? Besides my comment about the air not being toxic was spot on, so the other part didn't really matter. I awaited his response eagerly, as I didn't intend on leaving. A sigh escaped his lips, before he somewhat regained strength and spoke.

"Listen this area is highly dangerous, and as Chief Deputy of Mystic Falls, I have the authority to take you into custody, as you are trespassing. This house doesn't belong to you, and therefore you have no right to reside in it."

My eyes narrowed, and I did my best not to go ballistic on him then and there. It was evident he was grasping for straws, he had no other choice really. But what angered me was the way he ended his speech. I tried not to get too offended, as it was obvious his choice of words was derived from his fear. Did I truly look like some damsel in distress? Or at least and Island version of that? I took a deep breath and locked eyes with him. My light brown meeting his icy blue.

"How do you know this house doesn't belong to me?"

I smiled wide enough for my pearly white teeth to be shown. I was getting ready to drop some knowledge, when he answered.

"Let's just say I know the family"

He seemed to smirk, like he'd caught me in the most embarrassing lie ever. I couldn't quite figure out what he was getting at? How could he possibly know of my family, if we'd left twenty-something years ago? Unless of course, another branch of the family stayed behind. Either way I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of noticing my confusion.

"Oh, so you knew the exact family that lived in this specific house, did you?"

He was about to answer, when something dawned on him. He scratched his head and look at the street name.

"Actually, the Bennett family I know live on the opposite end of town.. Or at least they used to."

So some had stayed behind. I processed the thought of actually having family close by, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Deep down I knew, it wasn't right to let my mother be the family representative for her side. But it was hard not to. Still, family was the key to many things. Unconditional love, comfort and strength, at least if done right. If given by broken people whom never experience unconditional love themselves, the story could be spun differently.

"Well then, you've probably come to realize how faulty your earlier statement was. This house is indeed my house, I have the deed and the last name to prove it. If you'd like, you can come in and see the deed for yourself. Maybe you'd like to explain why you're so adamant on getting me out of Mystic Falls while you're at it?"

He seemed to go blank, mouth open and eyes staring straight at me. I took this as a sign of victory, and stepped away from the door, with a minor smile, so he could enter. It took him a couple of seconds to register the gesture, but he slowly got inside. He didn't speak until he stood midway in the hallway. I quickly turned around, when I heard his steps stop. I was already one foot inside the living room, ready to get the deed.

"So, you're related to Bonnie, aren't you?"

I looked at him, trying to remember the name. It didn't ring a bell, so I just shrugged.

"If her last name is Bennett, yeah, we might be related."

The answer didn't suffice him, so he quickly caught up with me, right as I was about to hand him the paper.

"If you're related to her, then what in the world are you doing here? Are you on some kind of suicide mission!?"

His grasp around my wrist tightened, and I was in complete shock. His eyes seemed frantic, resembling that of a deer, right before it gets hit by a car. His fear was almost intoxicating, until it dawned on me. He was physically grabbing me, he might not have noticed it, but I did. I quickly got free and leaned over, only a few inches separating our faces. The anger within me had hit a peak, and when I finally spoke, I spoke through gritted teeth. No one had laid hands on me like that for a long time.

"Grab me again, and so help me god, I'll make sure you end up in the nearest psych ward. Here's the deed, look it through, and get the hell out of my house."

I spoke calmly although I felt a fire consume me from the inside out. I didn't respond well to physicality's, especially from people who know nothing about me. Still, his question nagged me. What the hell was he talking about, suicide mission? This was starting to get too suspicious. I had my hand stretched out towards him, so he could take it and look at it. But instead he kept looking at me, with a look that had apology written all over it. As I thought, he'd reacted out of impulse, and it was clear he felt apologetic about it.

"I'm sorry, it's just.. No one's supposed to be in Mystic Falls, it's really not in your best interest to stay. And I do believe you're the owner of this house, but you should really come with me, miss? I'm sorry what's your name?"

He'd finally realized that he only knew my last name. But I still had no understanding of his fear. I felt like blurting out that the house had a protective force field around it, and that nothing supernatural could come in. But I didn't. Instead I just looked at him, for what seemed the longest time. I don't know why, but there was something about the whole atmosphere that just changed. And that's when I felt it. Someone was outside, the spell I'd done had connected me to the earth around and in my house; and right now, I felt something unwanted outside my premise.

"My name is Ariah, did you bring someone with you?"

I shook his hand, looking straight at my closed front door. Whoever was outside, was coming closer and closer. The deputy clearly was unnerved by my sudden question, and shook his head. And that's when it hit me, this guy knew more than he was letting on.

He knew.

"I'm Matt Donavan, and we need to get to my car, right now."

He was now staring at the door as well, so I quickly shifted and looked at him. My stare being blank and distant. He seemed to understand that I knew, but I still had to hear it.

"Deputy Donavan, what exactly is outside my door?"

Time stood still for a moment, his eyes once again pierced mine. And for a split-second a new emotion washed over his features. Anger. A sense of subtle rage.

"Most likely one of the heretics; a vampire able to conjure magic, they use the blood they drink as a power source."

That was not the answer, I had expected. A werewolf, sure. A vampire, why not? But a freaking hybrid between a witch and a vampire, what the hell was happening here?!

I quickly grabbed my mother's grimoire and flipped through it vigorously. I wasn't sure how long the barrier would stay up, if whatever was out there, could use magic. The deputy, Matt, seemed to be highly confused, looking at the book and back to me numerous times. He didn't seem to put two and two together, so I speed the process along.

"Right now Deputy, me being a witch is the least of your worries."

"Guess you really are related to Bonnie after all, do you think there's a spell to dismember one of those things?"

He pointed to the door, not really being fazed by my witchy-whereabouts. He seemed to have become a bit calmer, but why escaped me. His eyes were demanding an answer, and I wasn't quite sure if using the heavy artillery would be worth it. after all, these spells had a price, not only on my body; but my soul as well.

Loud banging startled us both, although it quickly came to a halt. And just as Deputy Donavan exhaled in relief, the door was blown up. A beautiful brunette was gazing in at us, with a devilish smirk. She tried to step in, but was pushed back several steps. At least the protection barrier still worked.

"That's a cute spell, witch."

A blonde girl came into view, with a taunting laugh. She examined me and it was clear Donavan was feeling anxious on my behalf. My spell seemed to amuse them, which reminded me of what their source of magic was; their vampirism.

They wouldn't be able to break the barrier, because nothing unnatural could overrule the natural balance. Magic 101. I got up with a smile of my own, walking up to the door. Not too close and not too far.

"Cute, huh? Seems to me, you can't break this barrier, solely because of where your magic has its source."

This seemed to anger the brunette the most, the blonde one just looked flustered.

"Oh, we'll break it alright, wait and see!"

She tried to pull off a confident smile, but she knew it would be impossible. Everything had its balance, and this one seemed to be tipped in my favor, thankfully. But they clearly weren't going to give up easily, even though they knew what the outcome would be. They would still try.

"You know the rules, Donavan. Anything found in Mystic Falls with a pulse, is ours to play with. And guess what, she has a pulse."

The blonde had an accent when she spoke, something that almost overshadowed what she'd just said. I looked back at Deputy Donavan, not understanding whatever agreement they had. My eyes had gotten pretty big at this point.

"If Lilly wants a truce to be upheld, you can't just kill whatever you like or whomever you like!"

Donavan's voice was stern and fuming with anger. It wasn't often I saw a seemingly normal human seizing up a full blown heretic. But then again, I'd never seen a heretic before. Both of the two girls seemed to look at each other, as if to assess the situation. He might've actually gotten through to them.

I stopped staring at them and turned towards Deputy Donavan silently whispering 'good job'. He didn't seem as sure of his actions, as I momentarily was.

"You're right about that, killing her wouldn't be in our own best interest. But teaching her a lesson, sure would."

The look on Donavan's face made me turn towards the women, but not quick enough.

I felt a severing pain go through my neck, as I blinked and notice the heretics no longer were in sight. I held my neck, feeling like my head was spinning in high paced circles. I felt as though warm fluids were being splashed on my hands and neck, what kind of spell was this?

Deputy Donavan quickly helped me, balance my weight by wrapping my left arm around his shoulder. I still wasn't completely sure what they'd done, all I knew was that I was losing more and more energy. As if being drained.

"A spell shouldn't have been able to penetrate the barrier, how the hell did they do that?"

My voice was groggy, even to my own ears. At this point Deputy Donavan was carrying me somewhere. I just couldn't figure out where. I could swear, it felt like my body was floating further away with every step he took.

"We need to get you to a hospital."

"A hospital. Why? They can't fix the spell, Donavan."

"This isn't a spell, Ariah! She threw a dagger at your neck. Your main artery is punctured, but she didn't cut it all the way through. How did you not feel it when it hit?"

"I. Felt. Something."

"Ariah, stay with me okay, just stay with me!"

Now, it made sense. I was literally getting drained, by the major blood lose. As my grip on reality was slowly slipping, I wasn't even sure if I was in the car, or if Deputy Donavan was even driving. It felt strange, and cold, and my vision wasn't helping me in any way.

It's probably a very random thought to have, during a near death, close to full on death experience: but Deputy Matt Donavan was one of the good guys. Truthfully, I didn't know him on an in depth level. All I knew was that when I didn't even know I was in harms way, he tried to save me. He didn't know who I was, where I was from or if I was even a person worth saving. He didn't care. He just tried. And is still trying!

People like him are what restore my faith in humanity. Well, that's at least until he screws it up, and I lose my faith in humanity all over again. Yes, because I'm just a pessimist like that. And because no one can be that good and not have something wrong with them. But for now he's still a good guy, and if he manages to get me to a hospital before I die; he's an even better guy.