A/N: Hey y'all sorry for the update gap but I had to work on some of my other stories before I got follower hate mail. I'm just kidding, I haven't gotten hate mail... yet. So, they wanted to know if Godric dies, if Brenda wakes in General Hospital, and what happens with the Volturi. (There is my shameless plug for my other stories :D)
Anyway, back to Heather. I have soooo much planned for this story and onward. I will be finishing the whole season, it will just take some time... so enjoy the ride. Also, I'm a slow burn kinda girl so please keep that in mind for the love relationship regarding the characters. :D
Musical Inspiration:
Cool Kids - by Echosmith
(Playlist link updated in profile)
Tracing The Sparks
Chapter 4
Fuming
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Mystic Falls High— the epitome of television high school perfection stood before me in all it's teen wholesome goodness. It was as if I was just waiting for the students to begin snapping their fingers and break into a choreographed dance routine.
Sighing, I shifted my new backpack to a different angle and continued up the walkway to my new school. Stares and whispers began to be directed my way. I ignored them and reminded myself they were just 'acting extras' anyway. I wonder how much that job pays on the show. And what do you put on your resume— high school student #34 for angsty vampire drama series?
Once inside, I focused on the door numbers and searched for the one that was meant to be my homeroom. Catching the blue eyes of Matt Donovan, I smiled before I glanced to the friend by his side and my face morphed into a grimace. Someone did not look happy to see me. Instantly, memories of my first night working at the Grill over the weekend, took hold.
...
Getting into the swing of waitressing wasn't going to bad. Okay, so I was actually only refilling drinks but Robert wanted me to ease into things slowly and shadow Matt for the night. Surprisingly, the local blond heartthrob was very patient with me. I liked Matt instantly. He took the time to introduce himself and tell me that we had been friends since elementary school. He was a little bummed though that I didn't get to meet his sister who happened to call out 'sick' that night. I however, was not. I was in no rush to greet Vicki Donovan— I always loathed that character.
After the dinner rush, things began to slow down. I decided to linger by the bar and study the menu better. I figure I might as well start memorizing these dishes now since I am going to be stuck here serving them most nights. Having just gotten down the list of appetizers, my ears perked when I heard voices raised. As I looked over my shoulder, I could see Matt arguing with a dark haired guy. I knew this person was one of the important ones to the storyline— Jeremy or Tyler. To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to them on the show and could never tell them apart. Not really caring, I turned back and put my concentration onto the menu's entrees.
"Tyler, don't do it man," Matt's voice broke through.
Well, that solves the identity mystery. Before I had the chance to look up again, I was suddenly turned in someone's arms. I was shocked to see the one I just learned was Tyler holding me. Shock turned to horror when his lips rammed onto mine. Panic seized through me and my eyes widened in fear. Realizing this guy was trying to shove his tongue into my mouth, I forcefully pushed him away. I could hear glass breaking in the distance but ignored it as I launched the edge of my palm into his nose. Watching him stumble backwards, the reality of what I had just done hit me full force.
Oh wow, that actually worked. All those stupid self defense classes my father made me take years ago echoed through my head. Use the palm, push the nose to the side forcefully, run. For a brief moment I felt horrible for my reaction, but it became overshadowed swiftly as anger set in. "What the hell?"
"Damn it Heather!" Tyler said holding his now bleeding nose.
"You kissed me!"
"I think you broke my nose."
I was exasperated by that fact that even through his muffled voice he still sounded pissed at me. The nerve of this guy. "Because you kissed me. Why would you do that?"
"Because you're my girlfriend!" he yelled.
"What? Nooooo." This-is-not-happening. Shit, why didn't I look more thoroughly through those pictures in my room. "But— I don't even know you." Okay, so I knew of him, but he doesn't know that, yet this is how he chooses to reintroduce himself to his girlfriend. What an asshat.
"Heather, we have been together for over a year."
Ugh! I am really beginning to wonder about old Heather's choices. Sighing, I reached over the bar, grabbed a dish towel, and handed it to him as a peace offering. "Look—" Jeremy, no wait, he's not Jeremy.
"Tyler," he finished for me and held the towel to his face.
"Tyler—" I pronounced it slowly hoping it would stick this time, "I don't recall anything about my life before I woke up and to be honest, I was team Edward. You and me, I'm sure we had a great run but our time together is over. Move on to better things, meet some new people, find a new girl." I was rambling and knew it. Oh! Who was he with before, think Heather. That's it. "Ya know, Matt said he had a sister. How about Vicki? I bet you two would get along swimmingly."
Tyler just stood there staring at me with his mouth open until his eyes began to narrow. Without a word, he turned and stormed off.
"Um, alight then. Good luck and happy trails," I called after him before placing my head into my hands. Happy trails? What the hell is wrong with me? Shaking my head off of the situation, I noticed the patrons of the grill gawking in my direction. "Okay, people, shows over— back to your dinner." With my announcement, I walked behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of water. I hope Matt isn't upset I pimped out his sister.
...
Back in real time, I stared at Tyler's black and blue face while giving him a sympathetic glance. All I received in return was a daggered gaze so I hurried off to my homeroom quest. After bumbling through the halls for another 10 minutes, I found my destination.
I noticed the maps and civil war memorabilia on the walls immediately. Darting my eyes to the teachers desk, I let out a groan. Of course I would get Tanner as a homeroom teacher as well. Straightening my shoulders, I trudged my way to the front of his desk and waited for him to look up.
"Ah— Miss Bradbury. I assume you want your locker information and class schedule." He fingered through a list of packets and handed mine over. "Let's hope that memory loss of yours will give you a clean slate to instill some actual study plans this year."
It took everything in my power not to roll my eyes. With a fake smile, I left towards the lockers and established it was easy enough to open. After storing some of my items, I found myself back in the classroom sitting down.
Now that I had a chance to check out my schedule, I looked it over with care. It was your standard list of high school classes. My science class was at an average level so I made a mental note to plot my way into getting on the advanced roster. Studying the paper some more, I was pleased to see I would be taking home economics. Cooking had become a bit of a hobby since I had spent many weekends alone making my own dinner. That reminds me, I need to re-download the Allrecipes app. As I was looking through my purse for a phone— the one I now realized I left at home, a female voice caught my attention.
"What locker number did you get?"
Raising my head and coming face to face with the girl in the desk next to me, I smiled at the local pretty witch who was a part of my fictitious inner circle. Bonnie Bennett returned a friendly smile and swept her long dark hair behind her ear. I glanced down and fumbled through my papers. "Um— 215."
"Oh good, it's right next to mine." Her smile widened as she held out her hand. "I'm Bonnie, we were great friends before—"
I didn't let her finish as I returned the handshake. "Before my brain was scrambled." She looked embarrassed at my response, but I quickly gave a chuckle to let her know I wasn't offended. "It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm adjusting."
Bonnie nodded sympathetically. "Well, let me know if you need help with anything, and I mean anything. I know you don't remember, but we have known each other since we were tots and we were always there for each other. That doesn't change for me."
"Thanks." I grinned. The one thing I couldn't figure out is how 'Story Heather' fit into the group equation. I knew from watching the show that Caroline was school princess, Elena was America's sweetheart, and Bonnie was the backbone of support. So what does that make me? It seemed out of everyone, Bonnie would be the best person to help me figure that out. I may be going against the minimal contact rule on this one, but I'm really not up for more surprises. Also, truth be told, I always loved her character. Being Wiccan myself, I was fascinated by her use of magic. Sure I did spells, but in the real world where magic doesn't exist, I rely on the laws of attraction for my spells to be a success. Making up my mind, I leaned in closer to her. "Can you tell me about how I used to be?"
"Yeah." She gave the sweetest smile. "I can do that."
And so began the tale of Heather's life as Bonnie started with 'In kindergarten, you stole my glue—'
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By the time lunch rolled around, I was thrilled to find that the cafeteria was easy enough to locate. After grabbing a tray and shuffling through the line of teenagers, I was able to snatch a cheeseburger and fries that surprisingly looked edible. Now, it was time to find a table and avoid the awkwardness of not knowing anyone. I found a free one by the window and sat down placing my tray in front of me.
Wanting to seem busy, I opened my notebook. Earlier in history, I had tried to drown out Tanner's voice so I started to work on what I recalled of my family tree. I also noticed that during that period Stefan's desk was only a few across from mine. After shooting him a quick smile, I kept my head down for the rest of class. I knew he would just be having eye sex with Elena anyway. Today would be the beginning of their relationship in all it's epic glory. Blah— to much angst for me. Yeah, yeah, I know— don't be jelly Heth.
A tray dropping lightly in front of me made me look up. Speak of the devil.
"May I join you?" Stefan asked.
"Be my guest," I said and watched him sit. Popping a fry in my mouth, I scribbled another fact I remembered before bringing my attention back to him. "How's your first day going?"
"Pretty good, thanks," he replied before staring at my notebook. "What are you working on? You have been writing in that all day."
I slid it across to him. "My family tree. I'm sorta stuck after my great grandparents." Leaning over my food I pointed to the names. "See there, my grandfather Charles had a twin sister Maggie. Their father was Bartholomew Sparks. Other than some fun facts, that's all I have before I hit up the archives."
Stefan fingered through my notes with a nod. "Twins run in the Sparks family."
"Really?"
"Yes, from the history I know— the original founding Sparks had three children. A boy and a pair of twin girls," he said making direct contact with my eyes.
His gaze was intense and held so much mystery. The looks he always gives make me question what he is thinking. Before I was able to respond, the shuffling of chairs being pulled out made me turn in their direction.
"There you are." Caroline Forbes smiled widely looking to me and then glanced curiously at Stefan. "We usually meet outside for lunch, what are you doing in here, Heather?"
"Caroline," Elena began as she settled into her own spot, trying not to stare at Stefan. "You know Heather is going to take some time to get back into routine, the least you can do is introduce yourself."
I know that's code for 'our friend doesn't remember shit'. Watching the three new females at the table, I smile and try to fill the deafening silence. "I guess I will know for next time."
Caroline said her name and gave me a side hug before zeroing in on the latest handsome student. "So— Stefan, where did you move from?"
Just like that, the questions started like rapid speed fire. Stefan was graceful as usual with his answers and since I knew most of what there was to know, I concentrated on my burger. After taking a bite, I heard Caroline shriek. To my surprise, I found my new girlfriends gaping at me. "What?" I questioned with a mouthful and ignored Stefan's snickering.
"You're eating a burger." Bonnie pointed out.
After swallowing and taking a quick sip of soda, I was still confused by their surprised glances. "So?"
"You're a vegetarian, you haven't eaten meat in like forever. In fact it's usually a couple times a month you go all PETA on us," Caroline sped out. A loud laugh escaped my lips, especially when I saw Stefan's nervous face. Aw— don't worry bunny eater, I won't give ya a hard time. "Well, consider me a carnivore now," I said and continued eating.
Once the shock wore off, Caroline's questioning of Stefan continued. "Have you heard about the back to school party at the Falls? Oh—" She turned to me. "I forgot you probably don't know about it. We go every year."
"Well, count me out," I replied. "I am off tonight because I am covering for Matt and Vicki tomorrow. Sorry." I shrugged. Actually, I was glad the two of them asked to switch days. It meant my little investigation could start sooner.
Stefan looked from me to Elena before responding. "I guess I could stop by." His agreeing to go made Elena's smile brighten. I tried to convince myself that this was a good thing. If those two got together as destined, it's less of a distraction for my plan. Yeah, the thought of them as a couple stung a wee bit since I liked being around him, but I have no time for unrequited crushes. Plus, hello— did you forget about Phil? I just need to keep reminding myself this place isn't real and I don't really belong here.
The bell rang and I rushed to clean up. Taking my notebook back, I gave Stefan a smile and a wave before leaving the table. Sighing, I made my way to another classroom. When will it be 2:30?
~[^^^]~
Pulling into the parking lot of a brown brick building, I shut off the engine and watched the patriotic flag whip in the wind high on it's pole. Exiting my car, I tried to find the best way to enter the station. I could take the little stone path that led to the main door or I could go for one of the bay doors that were currently open. I settled on the second option and peeked my head through. Curious about the ongoings inside, I could see at least one fireman washing down a truck while the others donned Redskin jerseys and yelled at the television. Not wanting to interrupt the game, I opted to speak with the one actually doing some work.
A man in his early twenties popped his head up over the cab of the fire truck at the sound of my voice saying 'hello'.
"Hi there." He grinned. "Well, let's see—" He pushed himself to a standing position. "I am going to guess you are looking for someone otherwise you came here to report a fire. For the record ma'am, we do recommend dialing 911 and not actually running to the fire station for help."
I couldn't help but laugh at him with his lopsided smile. He was actually really cute in that southern gentleman kinda way. "No fires today. I am actually looking for someone. Can you point me in the direction of your fire marshal?"
"Oh yeah." He wiped his hands on a towel before pointing off to his left. "The chief's office is right down there, second door."
"Thanks." I smiled and began towards the route he gestured to.
"Hey," Mr. Gentleman yelled out, "what's your name?"
Tilting my head, I gave him a little smirk. "Heather."
"Heather," he repeated and nodded his head as if he liked saying it. "It was a pleasure meeting you Heather, I'm Bo." He finished with a wink.
"You too, bye Bo," I trailed with a giggle and turned back to my quest of finding the right office. It was no time to get distracted with flirty boys, I came here looking for some answers. Who knows when I will be off from work again. Thinking of the Grill made me wonder if the gang had met up there yet. If I recall the first episode correctly, Stefan should have crossed paths with Elena in the graveyard and then followed her home. The girls would be interrogating him for information at the restaurant right about now. Wait, didn't Caroline pretty much do that at lunch already? Hm, no matter. Back to the plan Heth, you do your thing and let them do theirs.
Knocking on the door, a deep voice on the other side gave me access to come in. Upon entering, I found an older man hunched over a desk and writing out some type of paperwork. He was a bit burly with his dark mustache and wide shoulders. Sporting a baseball cap with an engine number patch, the man's unruly salt and pepper hair had curled outward underneath it.
Giving me a once over, his brows furrowed together. "Um, can I help you?"
"Yes, you can," I said sitting down and glancing at his name plaque to make sure I had the right person. "Chief Mitchell," I addressed him, "you responded to a fire two years ago at a flower shop, I was hoping you could answer some questions for me about it."
The chief blew out a breath and leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, I remember and as I told your father," he emphasized, making sure to let me know that he knew who I was, "there was nothing that could have been done. The whole situation was a tragedy."
"Sir, I am sure everyone did their job to help save my mother. I know the whole thing was a horrible accident. That's not why I am here. I want to know about the fumes."
"The fumes?" he asked while his eyebrows raised towards his hairline in disbelief.
"Yes, sir, the toxic fumes— I would like to know more about what happened," I pressed on.
"Look Kid, it was just some bad smoke that cleared up on it's own. The issue was handled and that's the end of it," he spoke with an air of finality and went back to his papers in an attempt to dismiss me.
Oh, you poor man, you have no idea how persuasive I can be when I want something. "The article in the paper said it made people sick, but didn't explain how." Watching him closely as he brought his eyes to mine, I caught a quick look of nervousness before it was masked by annoyance.
He shrugged his shoulders and shifted his eyes. "Just a bit of nausea, no big deal."
Liar. "I don't think so, there is no way you evacuated people in a mile radius for a little upset stomach."
"Jesus Kid, let it go!" He huffed. "Stop worrying about stuff that happened two years ago. Go out with your friends and get a milkshake or something."
Is this guy serious? Really, a milkshake? Dammit, now I am going to have that song stuck in my head. "First off, stop calling me kid, my name is Heather. Secondly, I am a concerned citizen and it is in my right to ask questions about my well being." I put a hand to my chest for dramatic effect. "If you are not able to supply me with the answers I need," I said and sighed innocently, "maybe I should start with the other shop owners and local residents. However, I do fear that my line of questioning might cause a panic. I mean, who knows if this toxic plant is growing in their own backyard. Maybe that's not poison ivy they have— imagine how quickly the emergency room would fill with alarmed citizens."
The chief looked at me aghast and swallowed. "Anyone ever tell you that you have a nose for politics."
I pondered that briefly. Maybe I should have stuck it out with with Tyler. Letting out an unintentional laugh at my thoughts, I quickly focused back onto the conversation. "No plans there, I just want answers."
"Tell me why," he demanded.
"That is my family's building, something inside there made people sick and I am trying to find out exactly what that was. I, like my mother, know all about plants but I can't determine the species if I don't know the effects."
"Look, ki— Heather," he corrected, "I was at Woodstock, I'm not naive as one would say to the result of certain substances. But the smoke coming out of that shop was like nothing I ever experienced."
"What do you mean?" Now, he had me really curious.
"I mean, the hallucination." He shook his head. "It was just so unreal. Something like a mirror the size of a door just placed itself in front of me."
"You could see yourself?" I questioned, surprised at that notion.
"No— the town," he spoke in a lowered voice. "It was like looking at a mirror of the town, but it was different. I saw across the street, at the park. Through the mirror, I could see huge lights and people standing around. I saw the letters IES. When the smoke cleared, the mirror was gone. I asked around, everyone saw the same exact thing. It's one thing to hallucinate, but for all of us to have the same hallucination— that's unheard of."
Okay— yes, that is definitely freaky. "Did you notice a smell?"
"Yeah." He nodded and squinted his eyes as if trying to recall it. "It was musky like moss but sickeningly sweet at the same time."
"Thank you." I smiled. "Thank you, for telling me the truth. You've been helpful. I won't take up anymore of your time." As I stood to leave, the chief spoke up once again.
"Heather, make sure you do keep that information to yourself. As you mentioned, we don't want to alarm anyone."
"No worries, I simply came in to thank the man who made a valiant attempt to save my mother and the people of Mystic Falls. Thank you, sir." I gave him a genuine smile before walking out of his office.
I bit my lip as I pressed the unlock button on my car remote. One more piece of the puzzle uncovered. A mirror world— what could that possibly mean? I analyzed that very question throughout the drive home.
Alright, raise your hand if you started singing 'My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard'? C'mon, don't make me feel old. :D Fav/Follow/Review!
