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Chapter 2:
Dear Diary,
Today is the first day of school where I begin my Junior Year. Today will be the first time I finally confront the mass of Mystic Falls and accept their fake condolences and stare at their sorrowful faces – while I'm completely sober that is.
I bet everyone would expect me to blow up a fuse halfway through class or skip school; but I won't.
I can do this for you mom and dad; I know you're up there in heaven watching down on me and pitying the girl I have become with your aching loss.
It's just, it's hard knowing that I won't bear witness to mom grilling us to behave at school and making sure we had our homework done, or experiencing dad trying to make pancakes for breakfast for the umpteenth day in a row; not even the embarrassment of you both tearing up that your babies are growing up.
Elena, Jeremy and I are a team, and we will get through this, one day, I just know that today definitely isn't the day, neither is tomorrow or even the day after, but soon, one day, you'll both be proud.
I hope I don't run into the Potters, the Blacks and whoever else they brought from Britain with, because honest to god I will cause a huge hissy fit, especially if they dare approach me.
Elena and I came up with a plan; get in & get out.
Nice and easy, very creative.
Whoops. Elena is calling; wish me luck.
Ember Gilbert.
Elena's head popped into the small opening of Ember's room with a sad look on her face; Ember smiled and marched over to her, embracing her in a hug. "We can do this Laney. Together. …Ugh, don't you dare ruin my makeup, you bitch," she laughed shakily, flicking the first teardrop that escaped an eyelid.
Elena giggled and plastered on a forced smile, but hey, it's still a smile, and said, "Come on, Jenna's trying to make us toast. Keyword, trying."
"At least it's not pancakes," Ember couldn't help but quip, engulfing the twins in a gloomy silence. Ember groaned, "My mouth has no filter, sorry Laney."
Composing herself, Elena ran over to the coffee machine and poured three mugs for herself, Ember and Jeremy, "Forget it; we have to get over it someday. Mom and Dad would be glad we're managing to at least start joking about them."
"Toast. I can make toast," Jenna announced proudly. Ember sniggered into her hand, gladly accepting the coffee from Elena, "I heard, and that is very impressive, Jenna."
"Is there coffee?" Jeremy groggily called out, shaking away the last remnants of sleep from his face. "Thank you," he sang, nonchalantly snatching the mug from Ember's hand, halfway to her lips.
"Hey! That was mine," Ember pouted. Delicious steamy caffeine made its way up her nostrils as Elena stuck the mug meant for Jeremy under her nose, "You are a lifesaver, Laney."
"Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared," Jenna continued rambling, unaware of her surroundings as she dug out a few dollar bills from her purse, "Lunch money?"
"I'm good," Ember and Elena chimed out in sync sharing a giddy smile; even though they weren't actually twins, they grew up thinking they were, creating an unbreakable bond between the two girls; they were twins, blood or not. Jeremy however, snatched the ten bucks and muffled out a thanks.
"Anything else? A number two pencil? What am I missing?" Jenna continued rambling, looking like a frantic mess.
"Uh, to breathe," Ember pointed out smartly.
"Yeah, and don't you have a big presentation today?" Elena reminded her, looping her arm through Ember's. Jenna's eyes threatened to bulge out of their sockets and she silently began to cuss. Grabbing her things she dashed out the front door, barely parting them with a farewell and leaving behind three amused Gilbert siblings in her wake.
A car honk sounded from outside and Elena perked up, "That's Bonnie. I'll see you at school. And Em, breathe, calm down and relax. If you see them-" she spat the word with distaste, "-ignore. Kay? Bye."
Ember shook her head in amusement watching her sister follow Jenna's previously rushed footsteps. Piercing Jeremy with her emerald eyes, she nudged her head towards the door, "Come on, baby bro. I'm your ride."
As Ember and Jeremy clambered into Ember's silver Mercedes, a sweet 16th birthday pressie from her Uncle John, their eyes couldn't help but ensnare the movements of their new neighbors, the Blacks. The ruggedly handsome man she recognized from his last visit to be Sirius Black held eye contact, an indescribable expression on his face as a blonde woman, his wife, helped a girl who looked to be her age and a boy who appeared to be Jeremy's age into a jeep. Shooting him a glare, Ember climbed in and slammed the door shut, pressing hard on the gas and speeding down the road to Mystic Falls High.
"Em, promise me you won't let them get to you," Jeremy softly implored his sister. Without taking her eyes off the road, her hands were clenched tightly on the steering wheel and she counted backwards from ten in her head, a convenient meditating technique Uncle John taught her ever since the Gilbert household and by extension Mystic Falls experienced the terrifying and explosive temper that emanated from her.
"I promise, but only if you promise to take care," taking note of Jeremy's confusion, Ember clarified, "I don't trust them around you and Elena, Je. They could spike your drink or place a curse or some hex on you."
"I promise. You worry too much, sis," Jeremy said cheekily. Ember did the mature thing and stuck her tongue out as she neatly parked her car. The siblings split up, Jeremy went the opposite direction, probably to the stoner pit, while Ember searched for her friends, hitting bull's-eye when she glimpsed a head of shiny blonde hair reflecting under the sun.
"CARE!" Caroline Forbes whipped her head around, a mega-watt smile radiating her face when she took notice of her best friend and she wasted no time in rushing forward and embracing Ember in a suffocating hug, "EMBER! I'm not gonna ask how you're doing because that's like, a silly question. I missed you bestie!"
Ember giggled; Caroline always managed to bring out a smile on her face, especially with her bubbliness and amusing ramblings. "Care-Bear, I missed you more! Ugh, and in regards to your unspoken question; I'm getting there." Linking arms together, the two best friends began searching for their other halves and struck luck by the school office.
"Elena! How are you?" Caroline squealed, letting go of Ember's arm to hug her twin while Bonnie made a beeline towards Ember. Once done with all the salutations, Ember asked the million dollar question, "What are you two doing?"
"We're staring at a sexy back," Bonnie vaguely replied, her eyes never leaving the guy talking to the secretary who, from this angle, clearly distinguished her to be blushing profusely. Caroline and Ember swooned when they took notice of his leather jacket; so they had a thing for bad boys, bite them.
Bonnie spoke out in a faux-mystical voice, "I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays the guitar."
Ember and Caroline simultaneously threw Elena an inquiring look, both pairs of eyebrows raised in sync. Snickering, Elena clarified, "Apparently, Bonnie is a psychic."
"Huh, good for you Bon-Bon," Ember smirked. Elena gave her an amused, secretive gaze – there was no way Bonnie was a psychic, unless she had seer blood in her, and since she wasn't accepted into any of the magic schools littered throughout the continents, then it was bogus.
"You have got to be kidding me," Elena suddenly spat out, her eyes narrowing in on the door to the boy's bathroom where Jeremy had just disappeared to a few seconds ago. Ember huffed and glumly followed Elena's angry footsteps; being the middle sister truly did suck when one had to formulate multiple peace treaties between Elena and Jeremy on a constant basis.
Storming in, Elena harshly grabbed Jeremy's face and intently pierced his eyes with her chocolate orbs. She scoffed once she found the glaring proof she needed, "Great. It's the first day of school and you're stoned."
Jeremy yanked his face from Elena's vice grip and heavily scowled, "No, I'm not." His puppy dog eyes implored Ember to intervene as Elena frantically began searching for his hidden stash. "Stop, all right?! You need to chill yourself, all right?"
Woah! Yup, Jer-Bear is definitely as high as a kite. Elena seemed to be thinking along the same lines; snarling, her face morphed into an expression of disbelief. "Chill myself? What is that, stoner talk? Dude, you are so cool," she ended it on a sarcastic note. Groaning inwardly, Ember decided it was time to unfortunately step in. How fun … not!
"Enough!" Edging in the middle to create space between her two siblings, Ember turned to Jeremy, "Jer, go back to class, but please try and stay sober during school hours." When Jeremy opened his mouth to further argue his case, Ember abruptly held a hand up to silence him, "I said try." Nodding glumly, Jeremy dashed out the door. Now Ember was left alone with a shocked and surprised Elena, "Laney, you have to take it easy on us. Unlike you, Jer and I don't know how to deal with mom and dad's death in a healthy way."
Elena's face morphed to sadness, burning holes at the ground as she stared at her feet, and Ember knew that she returned to blaming herself. Embracing her, Ember continued in a soft tone, "Everyone mourns differently. You became more introverted, visiting the cemetery and write constantly in your diary, Jer began drugs and I bury myself in alcohol. I would be a hypocrite if I yell at Jer for his inappropriate way of dealing."
"But Em, I'm scared, I can't lose you and Jeremy like I did mom and dad," Elena's eyes began to well up, a pout joining her tears. Wiping them away, Ember gave her twin a comforting smile, "It's not permanent, Laney. One day, Jer and I will call it quits, but you constantly hounding us, especially Jeremy, it won't do any favors or speed up the process. You remember what dad used to say –"
"Forbidding a teen, only motivates them to rebel harder," Elena laughed, recalling one of their dad's many words of wisdom. Beaming, Ember continued, "Exactly, and I'm including myself in this. It's like reverse psychology."
Leaving the bathroom, they both ran smack dab right into the new guy's hard rock chest. He had prominent chiseled features, a hard jaw, with forest green eyes and perfectly groomed rich, brown hair that looked naturally tousled. His brows furrowed slightly in confusion as he stared down at the bewildered and dazed twins, "Uh, pardon me. Um… is this the men's room?"
"Yes. Um, I was just, uh, we were –"Ember interjected her sister's embarrassed stuttering, hoping to save her face from looking like a fool in front of the sexy new guy, "Sorry, ran into our brother, carry on with your business." An amused smile flittered on the new guy's face as Ember yanked Elena towards Bonnie and Caroline, both of whom were trying, and failing, to suppress their laughter at the twins' predicament.
"Classic you two, real classic," Caroline giggled, looping her arm with Ember's free one, and the four girls made their way to History with Mr. Douche Tanner.
The four girls sat in their regular seats with Ember and Elena beside each other, and Caroline and Bonnie respectively behind them. Ember couldn't help but notice the new guy wouldn't stop staring at her twin, and she inwardly smiled – maybe new guy was exactly what Elena needed.
But Ember's blood ran cold when four new teenagers entered the classroom and handed over slips to Mr. Tanner. They were two boys and two girls; there was no mistaking them. Messy, jet black hair, a round face with glasses and hazel eyes – Harold Potter for sure; the other boy was tall and gangly with long hands and feet and an equally long nose with many freckles, blue eyes and ginger hair; one of the girls, she knew to be the daughter of Black, had dirty blonde hair, pale skin and azure eyes; the last girl had crackling bushy brown hair, coffee brown eyes and haughty features.
Fucking great!
Elena, Bonnie and Caroline glanced at Ember unsurely, but she merely offered them a half-smile as Mr. Tanner introduced them to the rest of the class.
"Class, we have four new exchange students from England; Harold Potter, Ronald Weasley, Cassiopeia Black and Hermione Granger."
"Can you believe it? They're actually attending Mystic Falls High! Like, what the hell?" Ember growled at the top of her lungs. She was pacing around the kitchen like a lunatic where Jenna and Elena were currently watching her dizzying footsteps in amusement and sympathy. "I mean, why! Shouldn't they continue their magical education? Unlike Ilvermorny, Hogwarts require seven years of schooling–"
"Alright, enough. Calm down Ember," Jenna interjected soothingly, grabbing her arm lightly and seating her beside Elena who instantly placed an arm around her waist. Kneeling in front of her hysterical niece, Jenna decided there was no point keeping information from her, "I heard that there are three more teenagers from Carol Lockwood. Violet Potter and Leo Black are in Jeremy's grade, and there is a Ginny Weasley a grade below you."
Ember's body stiffened as though someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water on her; Violet Potter? So the Potters had another daughter; Ember truly believed that the Potters cast her away because they wanted to raise Harold alone and groom him into the wizarding world's savior without having to divide their attention on another sibling – boy was she was wrong.
"Em, are you okay?" Elena asked worriedly; the hurt and anger on her sister's face didn't escape her, and she knew where Ember's thoughts were at, "So they have a daughter, screw them. You're better off without them."
Swallowing a lump from her throat, Ember gave her aunt and sister a shaky smile but firmly stood up, "You're right. I already wiped my hands clean from them. I'm strong and proud to be a Gilbert. Let's go to the Grill, Bonnie and Caroline are waiting for us."
Jenna sighed in relief and shooed them away. Elena happily followed Ember and as they opened the front door, they abruptly halted when they found themselves face-to-face with the new guy.
"Sorry, I was about to knock," he said sheepishly, drawing a friendly smile from the twins, "I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier. I know it was… strange." Ember shot Elena a questioning look, one that went completely ignored as she smiled up at the new guy.
"No worries, I get it. Blood makes you squeamish," Elena laughed gently.
"Okay," Ember interjected. "Before I continue calling you 'new guy' in my head, I'm Ember Gilbert, Elena's twin sister, and you are?" Ember offered her hand. He laughed and gladly shook it, "Stefan. Stefan Salvatore."
"Well, Stefan Salvatore, I'm going to wait in my car and leave you two to chat," Ember winked at him, breaking a smile from his face while Elena groaned into her hand; she knew exactly what Ember was not so subtly hinting at.
Drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, Ember only had to wait a few minutes before Elena and surprisingly, Stefan, clambered into her car. Clearing his throat, Stefan said, "Elena invited me along, you don't mind?"
Ember threw him a cheeky grin, "The more the merrier. Buckle up you two."
There was a palpable tension in the air once the two Gilberts arrived at Mystic Grill with Stefan in tow; if looks could kill, Stefan would be six feet under by the glare Matt was giving him. Skipping over to their regular booth, Ember beamed at Caroline and Bonnie, and crowed out, "Hello besties."
"Someone's in a good mood," Bonnie smirked, however, Ember didn't fail to notice the subtle glances her two friends traded. Groaning as Elena and Stefan grabbed a seat, Ember said, "Okay, is this about the newbies? 'Cause yes, Jenna told me about the other three and I don't care, so moving on…"
Caroline dragged Ember in for a hug before she began interrogating Stefan – something the three other girls had predicted; it was inevitable after all, Caroline had a talent for gathering information out of people.
"So-" Caroline prefaced in a business-like tone, "-You were born in Mystic Falls?"
"Just go with it, Stefan. It's classic Care," Ember winked in response to Stefan's bemusement.
Now amused, Stefan nodded, "Mm-Hmm, and moved when I was still young."
"Parents?" Bonnie chipped in. A somber look appeared on Stefan's face. "My parents passed away," was all he had to say on the topic.
"I'm sorry," Elena gave him a sympathetic look, one that Ember joined in on, "Any siblings?"
"None that I talk to. I live with my uncle," Stefan abruptly announced closing that specific subject; yikes, tension, tension. Seems Stefan doesn't have a perfect family life, but then again, from the outside, Mystic Falls may look like a picturesque and idyllic town, but really, every family has a bunch of skeletons piling up in their closets; not halcyon.
"So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow," Caroline pointed out, her eyes glittering with glee at the opportunity to grab the new guy's attention. Ember facepalmed and traded an awkward glance with Bonnie; it was immensely obvious that Stefan was solely interested in Elena.
"It's a back to school thing at the falls," Bonnie put in, but Stefan only had eyes for Elena as he asked her, "Are you going?"
Smiling smugly, Ember chirped, "Of course she is."
"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle? Ms. Bennett?" Mr. Tanner loomed over Bonnie. Ember rolled her eyes dramatically as she twirled a blood-red strand around her index finger in absolute boredom. Tanner had a gift for putting anyone to sleep in an even more effective way than a Sleeping Draught ever could.
Bonnie had the expression of a deer caught in the headlights as she met Tanner's gaze head on. "Um … a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot," Bonnie managed to say, the corner of her lips lifting into a small smile as the class burst out into chuckles.
Tanner glared at the offending students and quipped, "Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett." Like a vulture, he swooped over to Matt's desk, "Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"
Matt was laidback, causally rocking his chair back, a playful smile on his handsome face, "It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it." He winked at an amused Ember, who high-fived the air in response and offered a thumbs-up, ignoring the four pairs of eyes she could feel glaring at her from the Brits.
Tanner's eyes pierced Matt and Ember before a smirk crept onto his lips. Picking out his next prey, he barked, "Elena? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?"
Poor Laney; she shyly ducked her head from all the stares focused on her and stuttered, "I'm sorry, I-I don't know."
He loomed over Elena's desk, casting a giant shadow in her wake and spoke in a condescending tone that made Ember want to rip him a new one, "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena. But the personal excuses ended with summer break."
Elena looked like she was about to break out into tears at any moment and Ember felt her protective instincts emerge; Ember couldn't help but loudly mutter, "Dick." Gasps echoed around the room, and even Elena, Bonnie and Caroline were staring at her, wide-eyed. The shadow fluidly travelled to Ember's desk and she glanced up impassively at Tanner's rage-filled face. "What was that, Ms. Gilbert?" he snapped.
"I called you a dick," Ember shot back reproachfully.
Tanner stood to his full height, apoplectic with rage, he gritted out, "Excuse me?"
"You're excused," Ember drawled out, staring at Tanner as though he were a bothersome fly. The whole class was torn between horror and enthusiasm as they watched the verbal Ping-Pong match between Ember and Douchebag Tanner.
Leaning over Ember's desk, Tanner sneered, "You think you have a free pass to speak with a teacher with such obnoxious disrespect?" Ember met his glare full on and snarled, "No, but when a teacher announces my parents' death so brazenly, you have awaken my ire, Mr. Tanner. What? You expect Elena and I to just get over our parents' death after four months? Shame on you! If you are going to speak with such disregard about the calamity of our parents' death, then you bet your ass I'm going to disrespect you in class!"
The classroom was engulfed in silence; basically, you could hear a penny drop; Mr. Tanner inhaled and exhaled loud breaths, unable to find the perfect retort to Ember's statement. Fortunately for him, the bell rang. Throwing Tanner one last loathsome glare, Ember packed up her books and fled the classroom with Elena, Bonnie and Caroline on her heels.
She found herself surrounded by clapping students, some of her classmates patting her back in a camaraderie fashion, and Ember knew that by the end of the day, word would have spread around Mystic Falls that 'Mr. Tanner got Tannered by Ember Gilbert.'
Before Elena, Caroline and Bonnie could get a word in, the four girls found themselves cornered by the four Brits. Hermione Granger strode forward, looking utterly scandalized, "How dare you speak to a teacher with such disrespect! You should go and apologize!" she all but demanded in a know-it-all voice.
Simultaneously, four jaws dropped and they stared at the bushy-haired girl in disbelief. The other three Brits formed a protective stance around her as though they were preparing for a fight. Striding forward, Ember's green eyes flashed and she spoke with venom, "Listen here you bushy-haired bitch! Never approach me again, you may worship the ground teachers walk on and situate yourself so far up their asses, tweezers couldn't pluck you out, but recognize who you are talking to before you open that fat mouth of yours and torment people with your god-awful voice."
Caroline supportively looped an arm through Ember's and spoke in her best bitchy cheerleader voice, "If you want to live peaceful lives in Mystic Falls, then don't speak unless spoken to in regards to us, otherwise, we will destroy you, your families and your social life."
"Goodbye teacher's pet," Ember sneered, her eyes spitting fire at the other three who were gaping at them with shock, and together the four girls bumped shoulders with them and passed through.
"Can you believe that stuck-up bitch?" Ember growled at her friends. Elena and Bonnie tried calming her down, and Elena said in a soft tone, "I'm sure after today they'll back off."
"Somehow I doubt it," Ember muttered.
Ember was currently standing with Bonnie and Elena in the party at the woods discussing Stefan. Ember had already been stopped countless of times by people hell-bent on congratulating her for Tannering Tanner – obviously, Douchebag Tanner was the least popular teacher at Mystic Falls, and everyone enjoyed watching him get dissed by a student.
"So where is he?" Bonnie asked Elena who was searching through the crowded woods for a specific Mr. Salvatore, much to Ember's amusement; who knew they would hit it off so quickly?
Giving Bonnie a cheeky smile, Elena said, "You're the psychic one, you tell us." Giggling, Ember ducked down and retrieved an empty beer bottle from the ground, "We cannot have a psychic without her faithful crystal ball."
Bonnie rolled her eyes, but acquiesced. As her hand went to grab the bottle from Ember, she made the smallest contact with Elena's skin and a gasp escaped her lips. Ember and Elena shared confused looks once Bonnie spaced out, and before they could shake Bonnie from her trance, she abruptly pulled her hand from Elena's.
"What?" Elena asked with confused eyes.
"That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow," Bonnie's voice came out in a whisper. Elena stiffened in shock, but Bonnie continued onwards with her speech, oblivious to the brunette's reaction, "A crow. There was a fog, a man-" She abruptly shook her head, plastering on a nervous smile. "I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok I'm gonna get a refill," she rambled, and scrambled away from the stupefied Gilbert twins.
"Em," Elena hesitantly said in a small voice, and Ember knew that whatever Elena had to say, she wasn't going to like it, "Everything Bonnie just said- I saw it today at the cemetery."
Ember frantically shook her head, "Bonnie can't be a Seer, Elena, it doesn't make any sense-" before she could get another word out, Stefan appeared by their side with a friendly smile. The twins shakily returned it and Ember promptly left in pursuit of Caroline who she knew would be seeking solace in a bottle because of Stefan's obvious crush on her twin.
Spotting Caroline's glaringly depressed state, Ember went to approach her when a girl popped into her line of vision; she had raven black hair that cascaded down to her shoulder-blades and familiar hazel eyes, and Ember knew exactly who she was.
"Violet Potter, hi," Violet smiled awkwardly, giving Ember a small wave. Folding her arms against her chest, Ember coldly responded, "I know who you are, what do you want?"
Violet's nerves skyrocketed as she regarded Ember with scrutinizing hazel eyes; Ember differed greatly from the Potters – unlike Harry and Violet, she had emerald green eyes brighter than Lily's and blood-red hair that poured down to her lower back, a huge contrast to Lily's auburn shoulder-length hair. She had olive skin and an oval-shaped face with large doe-like eyes and plump-petal lips. All in all, Ember Gilbert was utterly gorgeous with a rocking body, and even though she shared a slight resemblance to Lily with a mixture of James' aristocratic pureblood features, she differed from them immensely.
"I-Look, I wanted to make peace," when Ember's perfectly sculpted brows rose to her hairline, Violet nervously ploughed onwards, "I want us to be friends, I've always wanted a sister, and I know our parents were horrible to you, but I –"
Having heard more than enough, Ember rudely interjected, "You are not my sister; I already have a sister called Elena and a brother called Jeremy. My parents died." At Violet's crestfallen expression, Ember spoke in a softer voice but kept it detached and firm, "Look, you seem like a sweet girl, unlike the rest of your family, but I want nothing to do with y'all. James and Lily cemented it sixteen years ago. The only way peace could be made is if you'd all stay the hell away from me, my friends, my family and my town. Excuse me."
Ignoring the pair of eyes piercing her back, Ember embraced her blonde and bubbly friend and snatched the tequila bottle from her grip, taking a large and hearty sip herself, "What's wrong Care-Bear?"
"Stefan completely blew me off for Elena," she sniffed in response. Ember's face morphed into guilt and she held her best friend tighter, "I'm sorry Care, I really am."
Suddenly, Caroline opened her mouth wide and burst into a humongous tirade, her voice growing louder with every sentence, "I'm inappropriate, I always say the wrong thing. And … Elena and even you always say the right thing. You two don't even try! And he picks her. And she's always the one that everyone picks, both of you, for everything. And I try so hard, and… I'm never the one."
Placing the bottle on the ground, Ember grabbed Caroline's shoulders and calmly said, "Hey, hey, hey. Listen to me. I know it may seem like it sometimes, but there's no competition here, shit happens, and if guys are too daft to see how amazing you are, then they're blind and missing out on someone amazing and incredibly special, and you wanna know why?"
Wiping her tear-stained face, Caroline mumbled dejectedly, "Why?"
"Because you're Caroline Forbes, neurotic planner extraordinaire, most amazing friend in the world. Your mega-watt smile alone can brighten up anyone's day and when I need a shoulder to cry on, I look for you. I love you Care-Bear," Ember told her, adoration and solidarity seeping into every heartfelt word. Caroline burst into happy tears and tightly embraced her best friend.
However, their moment was interrupted by an ear-splitting scream and they turned to see Elena's terrified face emerge the deep clearing from the heart of the woods with Jeremy directly behind her, an immobile body in his arms.
"Somebody help!" Elena screamed desperately. Ember and Caroline raced over to Elena and Jeremy's side. "Vicki? Vicki, what the hell?" Matt's horrified voice broke over them as he stared huge eyes at his sister's unconscious and bloody form.
"What happened to her?" Tyler demanded, joining the clustering group on the ground.
Matt's voice desperately beseeched the mass in the party, "Somebody call an ambulance!"
Absentmindedly, Elena announced in a trembling voice, "It's her neck. Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood-"Elena gulped, her eyes widening in cognition once she understood the meaning behind her words.
Ember's eyes zeroed in on Vicki's neck, trying to locate the signature bite beneath all the blood and the blood pumping through her veins turned to ice; there were two symmetric pinprick holes that resembled a …
The three Gilberts shared identical horrified looks, their faces morphing into one of recognition and the unspoken word reverberated instantaneously in their heads;
Vampire!
CAST:
Ember Gilbert – Jesica Ahlberg (Red Hair!)
Elena Gilbert – Nina Dobrev
Jeremy Gilbert – Steven R. McQueen
Jenna Sommers – Sara Canning
Caroline Forbes – Candice King
Bonnie Bennett – Kat Graham
Stefan Salvatore – Paul Wesley
Hermione Granger – Emma Watson
Violet Potter – Maia Mitchell
A/N: Please be honest, how did you like this chapter?
A few explanations needed; obviously with a member of the Gilbert family well-versed in all things magical and supernatural, Elena, Jeremy and even Jenna wouldn't be clueless, am I right? Ember obviously shared everything about her world to them…
I changed many things in this chapter from canon, and I didn't copy-paste much. Also, I don't know if you noticed how different Caroline seemed? The answer is simple, Ember and Elena are extremely close, and Caroline is closer with Ember, so she would be included in many things and not be treated like the pariah best friend until season 2 that is, like she was in canon.
How did you like the inclusion of Ron, Hermione and Ginny? Somehow I don't see the Boy-Who-Lived leaving without his sidekicks. I know I didn't introduce much about James, Lily and even Sirius, but in time they will appear, I have to situate them appropriately into the story.
Sorry for all the blathering *shy face* but is there anything you would like me to change? Add? Any characters from Harry Potter you want me to introduce into Mystic Falls?
Oh, and also, Harold Potter is his name, but his nickname is Harry, for any of my readers that were confused.
And last but not least to end my long-ass note, (SORRY); I am currently writing chapter three so it will be up in a couple of hours.
R&R.
