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Chapter 10:

Jenna Sommers, legendary in Mystic Falls as the most awesome and laidback aunt, slash, guardian, to have ever walked the earth, tiptoed en route to her desired destination, armed with a digital camera for a specific purpose. Peeking into Jeremy's room, she was pleased to see that her nephew was already getting dressed for school. If only she could say the same about her nieces.

Opening Ember's bedroom door silently, Jenna stealthily stood in front of the bed, unable to contain her lips from curving into a fond yet mischievous smirk at the comedic scene laid out before her; Ember was positioned in the middle, her crimson curls splayed wildly over her head like a halo, her right arm hovering over her eyes while her left arm was settled on Caroline's forehead who was huddled into a tight ball, both hands dangling down the bed, mouth opened in a circle with a line of drool clinging onto the bed sheet and her tushy elevated slightly in the air, held by Ember's thigh. Elena, on the other hand posed to be a conundrum. Jenna gaped at the brunette, mystified over how her niece managed to turn in her sleep until her face was positioned beside Ember's feet, and her feet was a hairsbreadth away from the redhead's face.

Shaking her head to herself, she batted away the amusement that was threatening to erupt. Jenna knew that this was a memory that needed to be beheld in the future and framed proudly in the living room, and so, she held out the camera, aptly aimed the lens and then surreptitiously clicked twice, savoring the three teenagers' hilarious reactions. The resounding click, and the bright flash of light in the semi-darkened room managed to elicit three distinguished yelps; Caroline tumbled out of the bed, falling onto the ground flat on her face; Ember's both hands outstretched into a defensive stance, succeeding in pushing a bewildered Elena, who yelped loudly, off the bed, joining the blonde on the floor, and the redhead, well, she glared at her guffawing aunt in quasi-anger.

"What ha-…ppened," Jeremy trailed off as he took in the comedic scene, his chocolate brown orbs traveling from the three disgruntled girls, to Jenna who had tears of laughter rapidly flowing down her face.

Rubbing her bruised tushy, Elena shot up to her feet and glared at Jenna, "What was that for?!"

Clapping her hands energetically, Jenna declared in a singsong tone, "Chop-Chop! You're going to be late for school. You insisted on partying last night, so all three of you shall reap the consequences."

"By scaring us to death? Yeah, Aunt Jenna, I can totally feel the love," Ember drawled sarcastically as she agitatedly mussed her crimson locks upon locating a few strands of curls tangled together from sleep. Jenna merely placed both hands on her hips and smirked, "Well, what I do know, is that there are three of you, and one bathroom. Hurry up or you'll be late!"

And with those optimistic parting words, Jenna and a sniggering Jeremy departed, leaving behind three grumpy, sullen and cranky girls. Finally getting off the ground, Caroline scowled good-naturedly and huffed, "I think we need to relinquish Jenna's title of Awesome Guardian, 'cause what she did was plain evil."

Half an hour later which included three subsequent cold showers, the fully dressed Ember, Elena and Caroline were sitting by the island in the kitchen, greedily slurping wondrous coffee. Jenna casually strutted past them with a cheeky grin, unable to help but quip, "Wow, concealer does wonders for those dark circles you three are profoundly sporting."

Glaring in ample dissatisfaction, Ember growled, "Aunt Jenna, we've got three words for you," Caroline and Elena joined in, and the trio solemnly chanted, "Vengeance is sweet!"

"Alright, alright, I get it, I'm shaking," Jenna rolled her eyes, "Off with you lot, go on, school awaits."

Grumbling loudly, the three girls trudged outside towards Ember's car, an amused Jeremy shadowing them and clambering into the backseat with Caroline. Ember and Elena traded identical glances, recognizing that part of their aunt's devious action was to cheer up Jeremy from Vicki's untimely and horrific death, and they could see from Jeremy's cheerful visage that it worked.

So maybe they'd give Jenna a free pass… just this once.

Dear Diary,

Do you ever get the certain feeling like something is about to go amiss?

If I were to try and construct a sentence based on my peculiar frame of mind, I'd say that I am having an ominous feeling of foreboding. Frustration consumes me as I try and decipher the oddity. It's like, there is this huge and dark shadow looming over my bed as I currently write this gloomy entry and I am at a complete loss over what to do.

To dampen the mood and try a shot in writing a verse of morbid poetry: the dark omen surrounds the mortals and the immortals, the saints and the sinners, those who knew peace and those in torment, and tonight shall begin at a dark hour filled with augury and alarm; dismal and dread.

Something is blocking me from confiding in Jenna, Elena, Jeremy, Caroline and even Stefan or Damon of all people. But then again, how am I supposed to decrypt this damn feeling of mine; 'hey, Laney, Jer, Care, not to worry you or anything, but guess what? For some reason, I feel Death is stalking me. No, not the Grim Reaper, not some black-hooded skeleton with a scythe … but the actual embodiment of Death, looming nearby and waiting for the correct time to strike.'

Yeah, even with the knowledge of me being a witch, there being a magical community in every freakin' country around the globe, the existence of unicorns, dragons and giants, and the new supernatural species we just unearthed lurking about in our idyllic town; I would still be sent to the loony bin as the newest nut-job.

I am at a colossal loss over what to do … my magic is crackling forebodingly from my veins, warning me to beware and to stay in crowded areas, but there is so much I can do, so long I can avoid, before the inevitable finally catches up to me. I don't mean to be depressing, but I can only spill out my guts into my diary … I don't want to worry my loved ones, nor do I want to be stared at weirdly in fear of me falling apart.

Elena would try to understand. Gosh, Laney is my twin sister, my other half, my best friend … but she has no power over this higher being lurking nearby, shadowing my every movement, and … for the first time since discovering I am a witch, I will admit … I am scared… terrified to death, which is ironic since I feel it in my magic, that Death is haunting me.

I am healthy, I am strong, I am powerful, and I am confident in my magic.

I will survive this!

Ember Gilbert.

"Em? You okay?" Elena's concerned voice spoke up from the doorway; bewildered, Ember snapped her head up. She had let her guard down while she wrote the latest entry in her diary, and was surprised to feel a few stray tears run down her cheek, garnering the concern of her twin. Wiping them away, she forced a winning grin and tucked her diary away, "Totes, just thinking about mom and dad. C'mon, we're gonna be late for school."

Elena nodded, visibly pleased and Ember felt a stab of guilt over lying to her twin and using her parents' unfortunate demise as an excuse. Shaking away the all-consuming guilt, Ember grabbed her purse and yanked Elena away from her room. Ember was adamant in keeping her methodical hyperactive disposition in order to keep her loved ones in the dark and away from danger.

It was, after all, for their own good.

Arriving at school, the twins looped arms with Caroline, noticing their recently discovered witchy friend was AWOL again. Caroline sighed, thinking along the same lines, "Bonnie texted me last night, apparently Damon recovered from your little torture session, Em, and he's hasn't stopped harassing her over that damn crystal necklace."

Huffing in frustration, Ember shrugged, "As long as he doesn't harm her, I'm staying out of it. Bonnie has to fight her own battles otherwise she'd be easy prey." Elena nodded in agreement, though the blonde still looked uncertain.

Upon entering the history classroom, the three best friends made a beeline to their fourth nervous quarter and flashed her reassuring looks. The unfortunate fact, was that Bonnie was still in the dark, and completely oblivious over the fact that a vampire was actually hounding her … Ember couldn't help but wonder over when exactly Sheila Bennett was planning on relaying the tidbit of important information to the novice witch.

"Good morning everyone," a jubilant voice spoke up and Ember looked up to see a ruggedly handsome man who appeared to be in his late twenties, early thirties, with friendly hazel orbs, a strong jaw, straight light brown hair and a kind disposition. The aura radiating from him was pure, and Ember's magic purred in harmony, relaxing the redhead entirely.

Alaric Saltzman, their new History teacher gained Ember Gilbert's Stamp of Approval, and she instantly imparted her thoughts to Elena and Caroline, both of whom sighed in relief; at least they wouldn't have another Douche like Tanner – god bless him, or a murderous vampire in disguise with less than savory intentions.

"Where's Stefan?" Bonnie asked after History class; the four best friends were currently sitting in their regular lunch table outdoors, their heads bowed together conspiratorially. Elena's whole mien changed into one of palpable happiness, "He decided to skip and spend some alone time with Lexi before she leaves town to her boyfriend."

Bonnie nodded, and to the other girls' confusion, began checking her surrounding in a state of paranoia. Once reassured at the lack of eavesdroppers, she started to talk in hushed tones, "I've been having these … dreams. My ancestor, Emily Bennett has been haunting me." In excruciating detail, Bonnie relayed her dreams, A.K.A, night terrors, to the flabbergasted trio, "…And then, I ended up at the remains of the old Fell's Church before I woke up back in the woods."

"And you always see your ancestor Emily?" Elena articulated, double-checking for the sake of comprehension. Bonnie nodded in fright, biting her lower lip in consternation, "Mhm. Do you-, you're going to think I'm crazy, but, do you believe in ghosts?"

Much to the dark-haired girl's palpable shock and surprise, Ember, Elena and Caroline simultaneously replied in utmost conviction, "Yes." After all, unbeknownst to Bonnie, Ember divulged to the other two about the many ghosts she conversed with in her world. The wizarding communities reeked with ghosts; the tangible fear of death and what lay ahead in the afterlife resuscitated the mortals' corpses into a ghostly specter, becoming a permanent imprint of themselves after death and maintaining their personalities, cursed to roam amongst the living until the end of time.

Bonnie stared at them in mounting suspicion, prompting the redhead to massage her temples wearily; they really must come clean with the novice witch… and soon.

Changing the subject imperceptibly, Caroline whispered, "But, why Emily?"

Forgetting her suspicion, Bonnie shrugged obliviously, "Grams said she was a powerful witch back in the Civil War days, and that this medallion was hers. A witch's talisman."

Ember nodded in recognition; a talisman could be any object, archetypally an inscribed ring or stone for more magical potency, charmed with magic powers to bring good luck or protect its wearer. Talismans were very popular during times of war, and were sold in the bulk in the myriads of wizarding districts. Emily Bennett must have created the crystal necklace, spelling her own brand of nature magic into it, passed down from generation to generation of Bennett witches for protection. The question was; why did Damon initially have it?

"What does Grams say about … it?" Ember fixed Bonnie with a disapproving stare as recognition flashed in her emerald orbs, "You didn't tell her?! ...Bonnie!"

"I can't, Em! She's gonna tell me to embrace it. I don't want to embrace it, I want it to stop!" Bonnie snapped indignantly, receiving three unified eye rolls and disappointed shaking of the heads from the trio, simultaneously.

The last classes of the day ended; Ember, Elena and Caroline trekked over to the parking lot to meet up with Bonnie and plan the finishing touches of their Girls Night In, however things rarely went as planned, and the trio paused in their destination when they sighted Damon confronting Bonnie in a heated argument. Although they weren't able to overhear a word, it was pretty obvious that the volatile vampire was demanding she return the crystal necklace to him.

"Ugh, can't Damon take a hint already?!" Caroline snapped, but just as she took a small step forward to defend Bonnie, Ember yanked her backwards, and shook her head adamantly, "Care-Bear, we can't keep fighting Bonnie's fights." To the blonde's desolation, Elena nodded in fervent agreement with her twin, "Em is right, Care. Bonnie has to stand up for herself. Damon won't be the first vampire she meets, and we won't always be there to protect her."

Coincidentally, a gust of wind slammed against Ember's form and she shivered imperceptibly, the sensation of being doused in glacial water consuming her, and the foreboding sensation of contagion trickling down her spine. Ember huddled into Elena's side and hugged herself, just as her emerald orbs met inquisitive electric blues in an intense stare.

Paranoia of the enigmatic shadow lingering around her friends, Ember detached herself from Elena and Caroline's side and forced a merry smile, "Laney, Care, I just remembered, I have something that needs taking care of. You two get a ride with Bonnie, kay? And oh," turning around to face twin bewildered miens, Ember added as an afterthought, "Pick up Lexi from the Boarding House, I invited her too! Ciao!"

For the past half an hour, Ember had been delaying her next course of action by pacing frantically around the terrace in front of her house in dizzying footsteps until the irritating vertigo sensation engulfed her. Deciding that she had avoided well enough already, the vibrant redhead squared her shoulders and strolled confidently toward the neighbor's house which was situated directly in front of the Gilbert Residence. Breathing in a sharp intake of breath, knowing that there was no going back anymore, Ember firmly knocked on the front door, and only had to wait a moment before it opened and she came face-to-face with a younger version of Sirius Black from the wavy midnight hair to the enthralling silver-gray eyes.

"Uh, can I …help you?" Leo Black asked hesitantly in a strong British lilt, a suspicious and bewildered glint entering his eyes; Ember couldn't blame him, she had persistently made herself abundantly clear that she wanted nothing to do with the Brits, and here she was, knocking on their front door, instigating a confrontation.

Smiling at the younger boy, though it probably appeared more as a grimace, Ember cordially asked, "Is your father in?" But before Leo could respond to the disorienting conundrum, Sirius Black himself appeared by the doorway, having had overheard the musical nuance of his antagonistic goddaughter, and was currently staring at her in a mixture of hope and confusion.

"Ember, come in," Sirius smiled pleasantly, gesturing for his son to leave and opening the door wider. Ember's grimace became more pronounced and she adamantly shook her head, "Uh, no, I'm not staying for long. Look, I don't mean to be rude or get your hopes up or anything, but this isn't a social call."

Sighing desolately, Sirius grudgingly nodded and closed the front door behind him before waving his hand toward the veranda. Making sure to keep a distance from the redhead, lest he scared her off, Sirius spoke up, "Then what can I do for you, Ember?"

Trying to muster up all the courage that was currently betraying her, Ember tucked a loose crimson strand behind her ear, and bravely held eye-contact with enthralling silver-gray eyes that held quantitative knowledge and a smidge of darkness, "When I attended Ilvermorny, I took an interest in genealogy back then when I was curious about the identity of my biological parents." Sirius winced perceptibly, but kept silent and motioned for Ember to continue, "And uh, I stumbled upon the Noble and most Ancient House of Black. Your lineage is notoriously dark, and dabbled in the unforgiving Magicks of Dark and Black magic… until you, of course, but that's beside the point-"

Sirius' lips quirked in amusement and he interrupted his goddaughter's nervous ramblings, "Ember. What do you need from me exactly? Definitely not to reeducate me of my wonderful family," he sneered sarcastically.

Ember could feel a lot of hostility toward his family, and decided to avoid that forbidden topic. Grabbing the bull by its horns, Ember blurted out, "What can you tell me about Death?"

Dark eyebrows rose magnanimously, Sirius Black never expected such an enigmatic question to be emitted from his goddaughter's mouth, and he couldn't help but dumbly repeat in bafflement, "Death?"

Swallowing the huge lump that took dwelling in her throat, Ember emphatically nodded and clarified her precise meaning, "I don't mean the No-Maj personification of Death like the Grim Reaper, or Hades God of the Underworld. I mean- … What is the Magical Community's uptake on the mythus of Death; the magical perspective to be exact."

Sirius' eyebrows knitted together in palpable confusion as he scrutinized the teenager's mien. She was dead-serious; her expression betrayed no mockery. "Why are you coming to me with this?"

"Honestly?" Ember enunciated slowly, only to receive a vigorous nod in response from her breathtakingly gorgeous dark-haired godfather, "Like I said before, your ancestry is notoriously dark. I have heard countless of stories about the infamous Black Library and the many secrets it harbored, and since the Lord Black lives ten seconds away from me, I figured it to be very profitable for my sake, ya know, compared to fruitlessly searching through Liberty Lane."

Sirius let out a bark-like laughter, and if Ember were being honest with herself, the sound filled her with familial and nurturing warmth, but she batted the unsolicited feeling away, reminding herself that Sirius Black conspired with the Potters in tossing her away like yesterday's trash. Musing over his next words, Sirius carefully articulated, "I won't lie to you, Ember, but I didn't share the same fascination as my family over the darkest books in the library. But the only lore of Death in our community is from the Tale of the Three Brothers-"

"Beedle the Bard," Ember gasped aloud, recalling one of her favorite books sitting idly in her room regarding a collection of stories for young witches and wizards; the magical version of Fairy Tales. Sirius nodded, but before he could enunciate another word, the familiar voice of his best friend rang out in evident shock, "Sirius-, Ember?"

In the blink of an eye, the cordial assembly between godfather and goddaughter reached fruition. Ember's stance changed discernably and she shot up to her feet, barely sparing a glance at her biological father, "Thank you, Mr. Black. You have been a great help-"

"Ember please, stay for a bit, talk to me- to us," James pleaded.

Sighing in annoyance, Ember instigated eye-contact with James Potter and found the entire Brady Bunch congregated around him. Lily and Violet Potter gazed at her imploringly; Harold Potter glared at her angrily while Hermione and the Weasleys stared back impassively, with the exception of Bill, whose eyes noticeably lit up upon seeing her. However, before Ember could avoid them further, her eyes connected once again with intense electric blues, and never before had she felt gratitude toward Damon Salvatore … until now.

"Excuse me," she muttered, stubbornly bypassing the unyielding Brits and making a beeline toward the elder Salvatore who was smugly smirking at her from the terrace, "Damon, here for round two?"

Ignoring the redhead's cheeky quip, Damon kept his eyes focused on the group of Brits, never once averting eye-contact, "Friends of yours?"

"Either you say what you came here to say, or leave, Damon. I'm in no mood," Ember snarled through gritted teeth. Damon nodded and patted the empty seat beside him; huffing indignantly, Ember ignored the audience congregated in the terrace of the Black Residence and glared inquisitively at the volatile vampire.

"Throughout the two days of unbearable pain, I've been thinking over my actions, and I have reached a conclusion. Instead of going through my schemes alone and ending up in excruciating pain, I should just come to you," finally tearing his eyes way from the myriad of curious eyes, Damon faced Ember solemnly; "I need your help."

Crimson eyebrows rose in surprise, yet to the Salvatore's immense astonishment and secretive gratitude, she didn't throw around any derogatory remarks or mocking words. Instead she nodded and matter-of-factly said, "It's about Bonnie's necklace isn't it? The talisman belonging to Emily Bennett that you somehow had in your possession…"

Snorting without humor, Damon smirked, "Of course. I won't even bother to ask how you're so omniscient. I'm going to just go out and say it before the flock of estrogen arrives for your little get together." Inhaling a sharp intake of breath, Damon started his diatribe, "Back in 1864, Emily Bennett and I made a deal; the woman I love, my sire, Katherine, was caught amongst the other 26 vampires who lived in this town by the Founding Families. At my request, Emily used a celestial event to draw energy into that talisman and gave the crystal power to keep her safe in the tomb. The-"

Ember interrupted with a gasp of sudden realization, "The comet! Despite the popular belief, you didn't really return to Mystic Falls to make Stefan's life a living hell, you returned because the comet passes once every 145 years… which coincidentally happened to be this year!"

"Exactly," Damon nodded, impressed with her quick deduction skills, "The deal was, Emily protects Katherine, who is currently desiccated for 145 years in the tomb under Fell's Church, and in return, I promised her lineage would survive and that I would protect them to the utmost of my ability. That is why I didn't take the easy way out and kill Bonnie for the necklace."

"You want me to return the Bennett talisman to liberate Katherine from the tomb," Ember stated; they were engulfed in a comfortable silence while Ember pondered over Damon's genuine honesty and his plight, and to Damon's mounting surprise, she nodded, "I'll help you. I promise."

Taken aback by the conviction in the redhead's words, a nonplussed Damon asked, "Why? Why would you help me? A vampire you've been threatening since the very beginning and one you made no secret of hating?"

Ember smiled benignly, "Something you should know about me Damon is that I feel compassion toward every living being with redeeming qualities. I hold no prejudice like those judgmental servants of nature. Emily negotiated with you, and struck a deal. You've kept your word, and she has no right to back out of hers, no matter the consequences… she should have thought of the penalty of her agreement before she made one with you. In my world, when two individuals partake in an agreement, in a vow, the words are binding and should not be taken lightly. So yes, I will help you, but we do it my way, Damon. I don't want to add more to the death count."

The patent smirk returned and Damon genuinely said, "Thank you." Curious about her odd wording when she said 'her world', Damon decided to let it go for now and stood up to leave, remembering the promise he made to his pesky brother about meeting up at the Grill for a night of 'brotherly bonding'. But before he indiscreetly left, Ember called after him, "By the way Salvatore. I don't hate you, I just don't like the way you do things."

As Damon deposited himself on the empty stool beside his younger brother, the volatile vampire finally understood why exactly many people were drawn to the enigmatic redhead who held such potent power.

Girls Night In was supposed to be a reprieve from the outside world, and especially a break from the myriad of supernatural quandaries, unfortunately, Murphy's Law applied, 'anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.' Instead, of commencing a romantic comedy marathon with a large buffet of popcorn, chocolate, candy and Ben and Jerry's, the five girls were adding the finishing touches for a miserable séance, a horrible idea from Caroline Truly, so that they could question Emily about the talisman.

Ember didn't have a chance to convey to Elena, Caroline and Lexi the exact reason why Damon was adamant in gaining the necklace, and why Emily was haunting Bonnie. After Ember detached herself from her friends at school, Bonnie threw the talisman out the window and into the abyss of a field, yet the necklace magically returned to its rightful place in Bonnie's bag.

The idea of summoning the dead turned Ember's insides and the eerie foreboding sensation that haunted her all day increased, yet the redhead was dismally outnumbered; that was how Ember Gilbert found herself sitting between Elena and Lexi in a candle-lit circle, and as Bonnie took pointers from Caroline and appropriately beckoned Emily, the flames flared stronger.

"You guys, I don't like this," Ember warily muttered, her emerald orbs nervously scoping the room. The words barely left Ember's mouth when the windows burst open with a resounding crash and the lights dimmed completely, engulfing the five girls in pitch blackness.

"I can't," Bonnie yelled, panicking hysterically. In a random bout of folly, the novice servant of nature grabbed the talisman wounded around her neck and ripped it off, blindly tossing it into the circle. "Get the lights! Get the damn lights!" she screamed. With Lexi's sharp acuity, she flashed over to the switch and turned on the lights, her chocolate brown orbs locked onto Ember's quivering form in concern.

"The-the necklace, it's gone!" Bonnie gasped, prompting four pairs of eyes to burn a hole onto the ground where the necklace previously laid. Ember tangled a hand nervously through her thick curls, adding pressure onto her scalp as she whipped her head around fervently, "I told you! I effing told you all that this accursed séance was a horrible, horrible idea!"

"Em, now isn't the time for 'I told you so's'," Elena sighed, placing a comforting arm around her twin, frowning at the incessant shaking.

"There!" Caroline suddenly shrieked, pointing a finger in the direction of the bathroom floor. Bonnie sighed in relief and hurried over to don it, but just as she picked it up, the bathroom door slammed loudly in her face and wouldn't budge. The air was permeated with the despairing and frightful screams of Bonnie while the four girls attempted to open the door. Even Lexi's vampire strength was useless.

Ember shook her head rapidly and huddled against the wall, "It's no use. This is Emily's doing! You can't fight the dead unless they are in a corporeal form!" Just then, the door slowly creaked open, and they all stared worriedly at a perfectly poised Bonnie who was currently staring at them blankly.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked hesitantly, taking a few cautious steps toward her while Caroline and Lexi sandwiched a suspicious Ember. Dismissing Elena's concerns, Bonnie aloofly announced, "I'm fine."

There is a saying that Ember is extremely fond off, 'looking into one's eyes, you would hear what one is not saying, for the eyes speak louder than the voice ever will.' Bonnie's hazel-green orbs had always been expressive, and sparkled when achieving eye-contact with her friends; currently, hazel-green orbs were detached, regarding them impassively except for the perceptible disdain once they connected with Lexi's warm brown orbs.

"Try again… Emily," Ember sneered, emeralds glaring maliciously at the bitch that possessed her witch. Emily's lips spread into a haughty half-smirk and she ducked her head in acknowledgment, eliciting gasps from the other three, "You are quite the clever wand-wielder. But I cannot stay. Thank you for having me."

"Oh my God!" Elena and Caroline gasped in unison, trading wide eyed stares of horror and disbelief with an equally shocked Lexi.

They followed Emily down the staircase, and much to Elena, Caroline and Lexi's confusion, Ember snarled through gritted teeth, "I won't allow you to back out on your agreement, Emily! Your descendants should not reap what you sowed!"

Her hand halted on the doorknob and a moment later, Emily whipped around to face Ember with a haughty mien. "I feel sorrow over your misplaced allegiances, Ember Gilbert, or," a cruel smirk replaced the pitying stare, "is it Rose Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived?"

"Fuck you, bitch!" Ember snarled, going to lunge at her if it weren't for the trio of girls behind her who instantly held her back in a stronghold. Alien hazel-green orbs narrowed, and Emily straightened up imperiously as she twisted the doorknob, "I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed."

And she vanished from their midst, spelling the door shut behind her. Even with Lexi's superhuman strength and Ember's repertoire of unlocking spells, the door wouldn't budge until suddenly, after a minute of aimless yelling and pulling and banging against the door, it opened from the outside, and they instinctively screamed in unified alarm.

"What the hell?" Jeremy scowled. Irritated brown orbs morphed into concern upon noticing the four girl's terrified expressions, "Em, Elena, what's going on?"

"Later!" the twins chanted hurriedly; the four girls ignored the myriad of curious stares from the Brits and clambered into Ember's car who immediately stepped on the gas and blurred down the road, "Elena, call Damon or Stefan, let them know that Emily possessed Bonnie and is headed over to Fell's Church by the old cemetery to destroy the talisman."

Used to Ember's foreknowledge over practically everything, the girls fixated the redhead with their utmost attention as she drove like a maniac down the road while explaining her previous conversation with Damon. Suffice to say, Elena shared Ember's lack of enthusiasm and massive disdain pertaining Emily's backstabbing; the twins were noble to the core, and when a deal had been struck, followed by a vow, it must be upheld, no matter the consequences. Lexi and Caroline were indignant over the abhorrent actions of Emily and hoped that Ember had a plan, because Damon would wreak havoc on the town if that talisman got destroyed and he was kept from Katherine – no matter how manipulative and bitchy she was, according to Lexi; everyone deserved to be reunited with their love.

The quartet arrived just as Emily began drawing a pentagram onto the ground, and they heard Stefan confront Damon in horror, "Twenty-seven vampires, Damon. They were vampires. You can't bring them back!"

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything, boys," Ember announced in fake cheer, her emerald orbs glaring daggers into Emily, "Bitch!" Damon sagged in visible relief and sent a grateful smile at the redhead, much to Stefan's confusion, his forehead furrowing in confusion as he flashed over to the quartet's side in case they needed protection. "Stop this now, Emily, or I'll make you."

"You don't scare me Rose," Emily snarled, pausing in her administrations, and although Ember was furious with the dead witch, she inwardly smirked at the palpable fear displayed on her best friend's features.

Caroline snarled aggressively and clenched a fist, "Her name is Ember, Emily. Use it!"

Ember took two confident steps forward, grinning maliciously at the sinner masked behind the saint's face, "I believe I do scare you, Emily Bennett. You've been watching from the beyond you know my powers, the potent magic running through my veins. You know that compared to mine, your magic is parlor tricks and I can put a hundred of you down easily!"

Emily decided to preach to Ember's compassionate side, her mien morphed imploringly as she beseeched her with desperate eyes, "These people do not deserve this, Ember. They should never have to know such evil. You are a good witch; do not allow innocents to suffer due to my past mistake."

Shaking her head pitifully, Ember spoke with utmost conviction, "I am not a good witch, nor am I evil. This whole light versus dark magic is all bigoted drivel, Emily. Magic is magic, whether it is light, dark, grey, black. You are classified on how you use your magic. You struck an accord with Damon in 1864; you should uphold your end of the bargain lest your descendants suffer your consequences. As a powerful witch, you of all people should understand the significant magic behind a contract, whether it be verbal or printed."

There was a stifling silence in the air as they all waited for Emily's next action. Unfortunately, she chose wrong. "Sorry," she whispered to Damon.

"NO!" Damon yelled in anguish, eyes widening as fire started to surround the pentagram. Ember growled lowly in her throat and subsequently whipped out her wand and with deft ease, incanted, "Aguamenti! Accio Bennett Talisman!"

Before the fire could be set ablaze, they were abundantly extinguished, and the accursed talisman that resided tightly in Emily's fist sprung directly into Ember's opened palm. Hazel-green orbs glared spitefully at the redhead, "NOO! You shall pay for this Ember Gilbert. You won't get away with this!" And right before the shocked spectators' eyes, hazel-greens lit up with recognition and Bonnie collapsed onto the ground, staring with intense fear at her surroundings, "Em, Elena, Care? What, what is going on? H-How did I g-get here?"

The second Emily vacated the premises back into the afterlife, the familiar chill of despair engulfed the redhead, yet she shook it off and adamantly plowed onwards, smiling wearily at a relieved Damon, "Keep this safe, huh? Especially from any acrimonious Bennetts."

"Ember. Thank you," Damon's words were colored with genuine gratitude; Ember nodded her head in cognizance and sluggishly retreated to her car, leaning against the hood and waiting for the girls to join her.

"Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Bonnie snapped; sighing wearily, Elena nodded, "When we reach the house, we'll tell you everything. Just be patient. Em, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just… exhausted. You drive," Ember tossed her the car keys and hugged Lexi in farewell as she was heading back to the Boarding House with a confused Stefan and a jovial Damon. Resting her head on Caroline's lap in the backseat, the redhead ignored the odd psychedelic sensations and reveled in the tranquil silence since her head was pounding hellishly.

"Home sweet home," Elena called out, sotto voce, parking the car by the driveway and jumping out. Ember groaned aloud and stumbled out of the car, a hand pressed against her left temple in agony.

"Ember, are you okay?" Ember could hear Caroline's worried voice addressing her from a million miles away; Ember swayed on her feet, garnering the attention to be fixated solely on her. The redhead could have sworn a multitude of varied voices were frantically calling her name, yet she didn't have the strength to open her mouth which felt like sandpaper. White dots captured her vision, and she felt a glacial temperature consume her every fiber. She sluggishly extended a hand to grab onto a solid form which blurrily resembled her twin, but her hand clasped onto thin air and she began experiencing the feeling of falling from a plane.

In reality, Ember Gilbert collapsed heavily onto the pavement; Elena, Caroline and Bonnie were frantically calling her name, shaking her body into consciousness, to no avail. Their helpless cries brought the attention of the Brits, who stampeded over to them. Lily studied healing at St Mungo's and so, she immediately began waving her wand, fear gripping her heart over whatever ailed the daughter she abandoned.

"Em, please, don't leave me! Ember, wake up!" Elena cried hysterically, not once relinquishing any skin contact with her unconscious twin. Bonnie ran into the Gilbert Residence, beckoning Jenna and Jeremy at the top of her lungs. Caroline quashed the fear over her best friend dying on her and called Stefan, rapidly informing him of what happened and hoping that vampire blood would heal Ember.

"What the bloody hell happened?" James yelled, his face flushed, hazel orbs never leaving his daughter's unconscious form. Jenna and Jeremy pushed to the front, their faces panicky as they watched Lily Potter aimlessly chanting spell after spell with no results. Bonnie gaped in unadulterated confusion, but wisely kept her mouth shut as it definitely wasn't the time to demand answers.

"Should we call an ambulance?" Jenna inquired, her voice trembling as she smoothed the sweaty hair from Ember's pale and clammy forehead. Her body wracking with tumultuous sobs, Elena rapidly shook her head, "I do-don't think it's medical, I think it's supernatural. Emily might have cursed her."

"Who the hell is Emily?" Sirius raged, silver-gray eyes transforming into a stormy gray, resembling thunderclouds as he mentally planned retribution toward this Emily person.

"My ancestor," Bonnie whispered forlornly, hazel-green orbs widening in fear. A new voice echoed around them, "Nah, Emily is a bitch, that's what she is!" The owner belonged to Damon, who was in the forefront, Stefan and Lexi shadowing him and the Brits gaped in shock, for a moment forgetting the unconscious redhead as they observed them flash abnormally to the congregated group.

"Stefan," Elena grabbed her boyfriend's arm, eyes red-rimmed as she was reduced to a blubbering mess, "I don't know what happened. She was complaining about being tired, but I thought nothing of it, and she, she-she just fainted."

Damon grimaced, electric blue eyes burning into the redhead's skull in concern. Despite their rocky start, he liked Ember Gilbert, and after she faced down a powerful dead witch for him – a vampire she held no allegiance to – he owed it to her. Kneeling down beside the immobile redhead, Damon's face vamped out and, ignoring the cacophonies of shocked yelps from the Brits and Bonnie's sharp intake of breath, bit into his wrist, shoving it into Ember's mouth.

Nothing happened.

"Damon, why, why-, why isn't anything happening?" Caroline sobbed, her baby blue eyes staring beseechingly at a somber Damon; Stefan was the one who forlornly uttered the damned words, "We cannot heal the dead."

"She's, NO! NO! Ember isn't dead! Don't say, don't say that!" Jeremy yelled at the top of his lungs, unable to process another loved one – worst of all, his beloved older sister, dying on him. Ember was absolute, the mere thought of her dying was laughable.

"Oh my God!" Lexi cried out, tears cascading down her face as her brown orbs stared at the unconscious redhead in an unhealthy mixture of disbelief and denial.

Damon shoved his whole body onto the ground beside her, wiping the unfed blood from his wrist onto his shirt uncaringly. Staring apologetically at Elena, Jenna and Jeremy, he solemnly spoke, "I cannot hear her heartbeat. I'm sorry."

Cold.

That was the first thought that reverberated in her head; her whole body was flushed against frosty marble. Paroxysmal shivers erupted onto every sliver of uncovered skin. Emerald orbs roamed the owner's body in confusion before a gasp of shock echoed around the empty hall from her pouty, petal-shaped lips. The same emerald orbs widened at the indecent state of undress and began scouring the alien room greedily for something to cover herself with.

The thought barely entered her mind when neatly folded clothes appeared within arm's reach. She decided to decipher the oddity after getting dressed, and so, the gorgeous girl hurriedly donned the pure-white long-sleeved tracksuit which contrasted deeply with her waist-length crimson curls and olive complexion. Breathing a sigh of relief now that she was immune to the biting glacial temperature, emerald orbs carefully scrutinized her surroundings, her forehead burrowing in confusion when she saw no signs of recollection.

Sighing in aggravation, she opened her mouth, a shout at the tip of her tongue, when a familiar foreboding sensation consumed her. The putrid sensation of death. All her sensorimotor skills honed in on the ominous intrusion, and she felt her heart beat loudly against her ribcage at the dark shadow looming in front of her, formulating into a humanoid form.

"Who are you?" Ember demanded, mustering up all her remnant courage.

But the blackened shadow merely stood still, its contour radiating with a spiritual gray fog.

Upon receiving no reply, Ember groused out, "Where am I?"

Nothing.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Nothing.

"Are you the specter that has been haunting me all day?"

Finally, the shadow moved. It took two determined steps toward her, but Ember adamantly stood rooted in her spot; she was not about to give this … eerie shadow, the satisfaction of intimidating her.

"Are you going to answer me? Or is this a battle of wills?" Ember snapped, irritated beyond belief over the unmoving actions of the faceless, nameless shadow.

The shadow began swirling ghoulishly, and suddenly, an unclear sound escaped from the indiscernible shadow followed by a hoarse cackle, "You are asking the wrong questions, dearie."

Repressing the shiver from the distorted voice, Ember swallowed a huge lump from her throat, "Am I … dead?"

The shadow loomed closer, standing a hairsbreadth away, and Ember could feel the chilled breath escape from its concealed lips, "Almost, try again, dearie."

The potent magic flowing through her veins fuelled her instincts, and her body quivered in fright, and her emerald orbs widened significantly as she knew the explicit question she should have asked from the very beginning.

"Are you Death?"

CAST:

Ember Gilbert – Jesica Ahlberg (Red Hair!)

Elena Gilbert – Nina Dobrev

Caroline Forbes – Candice King

Jeremy Gilbert – Steven R. McQueen

Jenna Sommers – Sara Canning

Bonnie Bennett – Kat Graham

Sirius Black – Patrick Dempsey

Leo Black – Zac Efron

Damon Salvatore – Ian Somerhalder

Stefan Salvatore – Paul Wesley

Lexi Branson – Arielle Kebbel

James Potter – Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Lily Potter – Amy Adams

A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Du-Du-Dum! Muahaha! XD

This chapter was very long since it had many important factors. Tell me your honest opinion over the chapter… it couldn't be all rainbows and butterflies and all related to canon, I had to go off-grid slightly. So, Ember died? OMG … maybe … I ain't telling *innocent face* Don't kill me!

Did you like the confrontation between Sirius and Ember? Honestly, I love James and Sirius and it kills me to write Ember treating them with venomous hostility, but eh, what to do.

How did you like Lexi joining the girls for the girls' night in … it hadn't been done before, and so, I thought … why not? And the Damon/Ember teaming together! Told ya it won't all be Damon Bashing! ALSO, did you like the first scene with Jenna?

Let me know your thoughts over the many changes in this chapter from canon! (Honestly, I thought Emily was a Bitch (pardon my language); I mean, she's so judgmental and I hated how she went back on her word with Damon after all he did for her and her descendants.)

On a side note; Servants of Natures are powerful in their own way… however, I feel the Harry Potter canon magic is more potent and better. So in my fanfiction, wand-wielders are extremely powerful in comparison to Servants of Natures and shouldn't be trifled with.

R&R.