"Need a ride to school?" Alaric asked as I passed him his mug of coffee. I nodded, throwing my backpack over my shoulder.
"Back to normal," I sighed. Alaric pulled the front door to his apartment open for me.
"Nothing about Mystic Falls is normal Annie," he replied. I watched him lock up his apartment and I followed him down the stairs. I grabbed his hand before we headed outside.
"Let's just make the most of it, okay? You will tell Tyler he's going to lead your Founder's float design team like a normal teacher. And I will spend the day avoiding him, like a normal teenager, who was hurt by their friend making out with their other friend's mother. I will check on Stefan, like a normal good friend would do, and I will avoid Elena judging me because I'm sure she heard what happened with Damon. I won't think about Isobel, and her sick obsession with torturing me. I will help Caroline with everything she needs for Miss. Mystic Falls court. Normal, I will be normal. We will be normal." I rambled. Alaric gave my hand a squeeze before leading me to his car. "We can at least pretend can't we?"
"Of course we can. But we do have to tell everyone about Isobel. We can't leave Elena unprotected." I groaned, leaning back against the seat as he drove towards the school.
"I know. Get the gang together and I will be there. But we are not mentioning my part in the conversation at all. Please?" I asked. Alaric looked over at me before nodding once and returning his focus to the road. "Good," I whispered under my breath.
…
As soon as I stepped foot out of the car, Caroline was pulling me off towards the school.
"We have a float to design and we are already behind. Hurry up!" She said dragging me behind her. I shot a quick panicked look at Alaric who chuckled.
"Normal, Annie! Also, meet in my class at lunch!" he called after me. I grumbled as Caroline continued to pull me along. She pulls me into the cafeteria and we take a seat at a table with Bonnie.
"Alright, show me," Bonnie said as Caroline pulled out her computer.
"You already have a design? Then why am I here?" I asked. Caroline rolled her eyes and turned her computer towards Bonnie and I.
"This is what they did last year, and this is exactly what we don't want to do," she said, turning her computer away quickly after. Bonnie nodded, as if she knew exactly what Caroline was talking about.
"Ew, okay. So what are we doing?"
"Southern classic elegance," Caroline announced proudly.
"Gone with the Wind?" Bonnie replied. I looked at her.
"Seriously?"
"It's Caroline's favourite movie," Bonnie replied in a slight whisper. Caroline was beaming. "She channels Scarlett daily." I shook my head and laughed.
"Alright Miss. Mystic Falls. What do you need to me do?" I answered. I watched Caroline look towards the door of the cafeteria. I followed her line of view but didn't see anything. I did catch Tyler's eye as I looked around. He smiled at me and I couldn't stop myself from looking down angrily.
"I need you to find your boyfriend's brother's girlfriend," she replied. I looked back up, meeting her eyes.
"First of all, do you mean Elena? You could have just said Elena. Second, I haven't seen her, I've been staying with Alaric. Third, not my boyfriend. Definitely not my boyfriend." Caroline rolled her eyes at my response and turned to Bonnie.
"Have you seen Elena? She is supposed to be helping," Caroline pouted.
"Nope," Bonnie replied bluntly.
"Okay what's the deal? This whole float is supposed to be about friends creating something together and everyone is fighting. Matt and Tyler hate each other, you and Elena are on the outs and I don't like it! And I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong!" Caroline pleaded.
"Caroline, it's not your job to fix everything. Matt and Tyler need to work some things out on their own and Bonnie needs to deal with this in her own way," I said, looking pointedly at Bonnie. I wasn't quite sure why her and Elena were fighting, but what I did know is they needed to get over it.
"I can't talk about it right now Caroline. I'm sorry," Bonnie said, ignoring me. I slumped back in my seat, crossing my arms in annoyance. I watched Caroline's face fall slightly but only for a moment before she straightened her shoulders and slammed her laptop shut.
"Well, if you can't talk to me, talk to Elena. I'm going to have my float, with my friends, and I won't let you ruin that. I'll see you guys after class." I watched her get up, slinging her bag over her shoulder before disappearing into the hallway.
"What happened?" I asked. Bonnie looked at me for a moment before sighing.
"The only reason I'm still talking to you is because I feel so guilty about leaving you down in the tomb. But Elena, she let Damon go in, she let Stefan go in, and then she ran in. Gram's died because she held the tomb open for so long. And then, it didn't close. And those vampires hurt people, including you. Grams died, and there is nothing to show for it. And I blame her. I blame Elena." My eyes widened and I tried to touch her hand but she pulled away.
"I am so sorry Bonnie," I tried but she closed her eyes, her jaw tensing.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said finally. Standing up from the table and storming off, leaving me alone. I sighed, looking down at my hands.
"Everything okay over here?" I looked up to see Tyler taking a seat across from me. I shook my head.
"Don't you have to shove your tongue down someone's mother's throat?" I snapped. He looked a little hurt.
"I didn't know you knew about that," he said softly.
"Yeah, well I do. And I don't want to talk to you right now." I stood up from the table and started to walk away but I heard Tyler's footsteps following me.
"You left. We were having fun and then that guy showed up and you left. I finished the bottle and followed. I just happened to find Matt's mom looking distressed and sad. It just kind of happened okay? I was looking for you." I stopped and turned to him.
"Don't blame this on me. You need to man up Tyler. Start by apologizing to Matt." I turned back around and left, this time hearing no-one following behind.
…
When lunch rolled around, I found myself struggling to avoid eye contact with Damon as he strode into Alaric's classroom.
"Sorry I'm late. My dog ate my uh… never mind." I shook my head at him and looked down at my feet. "What is with all the furrowed brows? I mean Annie's are constantly furrowed when I'm involved but the rest of you look serious."
"I saw Isobel last night," Alaric started. My chest tightened as he mentioned it. Damon instantly turned to look at Elena.
"Isobel is here? In town?" Damon asked. Elena wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. "Did you ask her about Uncle John? Are they working together?"
"No." Alaric answered simply. I thought back to John at the hospital and shuddered.
"No they're not?" Damon questioned further.
"No, I didn't ask."
"What about the invention? Did she know about the tomb vampires?" I watched Alaric shake his head at Damon's many questions. "Did words completely escape you?"
"Damon," I snapped. He turned to look at me.
"Where were you last night?" He asked, " I thought you were just going out for some air." I shivered and forced myself to look back to the ground.
"I stayed with Alaric last night. We talked about Isobel. I may have a bit of information that may be useful," I suggested, trying to bypass Damon's intense stare. The room was silent and when I looked up, everyone was looking at me.
"Well?" Damon pushed.
"John was asking about the Gilbert device. He wanted to know if you had it," I told him, crossing my arms. I saw his brows pull together and his eyes darken.
"And?" he replied simply. I shot a look at Alaric, who also looked a little unnerved by the news.
"And I told him I didn't know. It's not like you tell me anything important. I just thought I should update you, since the man you killed seems to be after something you don't want him to have," I snapped back. The room was silent around us before Damon took a deep breath.
"What did Isobel want?" Damon said, tearing his glare off me and focusing back on Alaric. I shot a quick glance at Elena and Stefan. Stefan was looking down at his feet, while Elena pushed herself off the desk she was leaning on.
"She wants to see me Damon," she said. Damon turned to look at her. Stefan sighed.
"Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting. We don't know why or what she wants," he explained to his brother.
"You don't have to see her if you don't want to," Damon spoke softly to Elena. My chest tightened and I sucked in a breath.
"Yeah, I don't think we really have a choice. From what I heard, the other option isn't very pleasant," I said quietly. Damon's piercing eyes turned to meet mine.
"Why?" My eyes shot over his shoulder at Alaric. Alaric gave me a short shake of his head. I cleared my throat and met Damon's eyes.
"She threatened to go on a killing spree Damon." His eyes flicked around the room.
"And I take it that's not okay with you guys?" he asked, teasingly. I sighed.
"Damon, this isn't a joke. This is serious. We have to make a plan here. Elena has to meet Isobel, but we don't have to be stupid about it," I snapped. He rolled his eyes and looked at Elena as she began to speak.
"I want to do it. I want to meet her. If I don't, I know I'll regret it," she said. I nodded approvingly and went to gently touch her arm. This was a huge step, and as much as I disagreed with the girl, I knew she was probably terrified.
"We will be right there with you," I told her reassuringly. She smiled up at me. I heard someone clear their throat and expected Damon to step in with some cocky remark but I was surprised to see Alaric crossing his arms and staring at me.
"Annie, I just remembered, I have something I need to discuss with you before class," his eyes shot to the confused vampires in the room, "privately." I narrowed my eyes but nodded.
"Of course Alaric," I looked away from him back to the Salvatores. "So what is the plan?"
…
When the bell signalling the end of lunch rang and we had a complete plan, Damon took off and Elena and Stefan went to their lockers to get their books for class. I started to walk out of the room but was pulled back.
"Annie you aren't going." I let out a breath and turned back to Alaric.
"I want to help-"
"I'm trying to help you. Isobel is way too dangerous and she wants to hurt you. She won't hurt Elena, I don't believe she would hurt her own daughter. But she has no connection to you. And she has already threatened you. I'm not risking it," he ranted.
"Alaric,"
"No," he cut off, "No Annie, for once think about your own safety. You've put yourself at risk enough for a vampire lifetime. Enough. You are staying at the apartment, and if I have to get Damon to lock you in, I will." I narrowed my eyes at the threat.
"You wouldn't." He simply crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. I growled at him. "Fine. I will stay out of it. But if you don't keep me updated the entire time, I'm going to presume the worst and come after you. Got it?" He nodded. I shot him back a single nod of my head before turning to leave the classroom. "Good."
…
I paced the living room of the apartment the entire time they were gone. I kept checking the clock on the wall as the time passed. I pulled out my phone and found no new messages. I growled at the device before shoving it back in my pocket. After an hour passed I went for the door. I had heard nothing and I wasn't sitting her like an idiot waiting anymore. As soon as I reached for the handle the door swung open and Alaric stormed in.
"Hey buddy. aren't you forgetting something?" a voice called from the hallway. I turned and saw Damon standing on the other side of the doorframe.
"Come in Damon," Alaric said, going to pour himself a drink in the kitchen. Damon walked by me with a smirk and closed the door gently behind him.
"House arrest Red? What'd you do this time?" Damon teased. I smacked him hard on the arm and went to follow Alaric in the kitchen.
"What is he doing here?" I growled. Alaric sighed and finished the rest of his drink.
"We need to come up with another plan. John and Isobel have to be working together. She asked about the device," he explained.
"Which she knows I have," Damon added. I shot him another glare.
"Of course you do. Why not throw it in the ocean and tell the bitch to swim?" I suggested, taking a seat at the island.
"Because then she would just kill everyone or try and compel someone to get it for her. We have to keep it as far away from her as possible," Damon explained, he took the newly refilled drink from Alaric's hand and downed it.
"So what is your plan then Damon? A fun little game of keep away? Won't she kill everyone anyway?" I asked. I shot Alaric a look which he ignored.
"What do you two know that I don't?" Damon asked taking a seat next to me. I shifted a little further away on my seat.
"Nothing," I snapped back. I felt his hand touch my leg, his finger running up and down my thigh. I brushed him off and stood up.
"Isobel threatened Annie," Alaric said, leaning back on the kitchen counter, watching the interaction. I say Damon's playful smirk fall from his face. His eyes grew dark as he looked up at his friend.
"What?"
"She was on house arrest because I wasn't letting her go anywhere near Isobel after last night," Alaric explained. I stared at him shocked. I thought we weren't telling anyone.
"Alaric-"
"Last night?" Damon asked. I narrowed my eyes at Alaric and shook my head.
"Annie was with me at the bar when I met Isobel last night," he explained. Damon stood up so abruptly I jumped back. He looked between Alaric and I.
"And you weren't planning on telling anyone?" he growled.
"No, it was no one's business," I stepped in, cutting Alaric off from whatever else he was going to say.
"Annie, if you are in trouble, it is our business! Stop being so stupid!" he shouted. I took a step back as his voice rose.
"Damon," Alaric warned. Damon's fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. I saw his jaw tense before he met my eyes. He closed the gap between us quickly, taking my face in his hands. I instantly grabbed his wrists with a startled gasp.
"Stop trying to save yourself. I'm here to help," he whispered, looking deep into my eyes. I closed my eyes carefully, taking a shaky breath.
"That's how I've lived my entire life Damon. I'm not going to change it now," I breathed in reply. I could feel his warm breath on my lips as he leaned in closer. I opened my eyes again. His face was the most gentle I've ever seen it. I heard Alaric clearing his throat from the other side of the room and I looked down at my feet. Damon kissed me gently on the forehead and took a step back, turning back to Alaric.
"i've got a plan. Both of you stay here. Alaric, don't let her leave until I say so," Damon ordered. He turned towards the door, pulling it swiftly open.
"Damon! Don't do something you are going to regret!" Alaric shouted after him. I saw Damon's tense shoulders beneath his leather jacket.
"If you are going to see her Damon, don't. Nothing good will come of it," I called after him. He didn't look back, he simply walked out the door and pulled it shut behind him. I turned to look at Alaric shocked. "Why did you tell him? We were fine keeping it quiet!" I shouted. He held his hands up in surrender.
"Annie, I had to. He's going to talk to her. He's angry and determined," he explained.
"He could get hurt!" Alaric came over and wrapped his arms tightly around me.
"He can handle himself. It's you I'm worried about Annie. You and Elena. And we need Damon to protect you both." I leaned into his chest.
"Fine. But I'm not staying here. I'm going to talk to Elena," I said as I pulled away from him.
"Annie," Alaric sighed. I shook my head and grabbed my coat from the couch.
"I promise I am just going to Elena's. But she just met her birth mother for the first time today, after recently learning she was adopted. That's got to take a toll on her. I'm just going to check to see if she is okay," I explained. He sighed but nodded.
"Text me when you get there," he said as I turned towards the door.
"Yes dad," I mocked, pulling the door shut behind me.
…
I knocked on the door, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Elena pulled the door open, her eyes rimmed red as if she had been crying.
"Oh Elena," I immediately pulled her in for a hug. I felt a few tears hit my shoulder and I pulled her tighter.
"Who is it?" I heard someone call from upstairs. I let Elena go and look up to see Bonnie. I smiled at her. "Hi Annie."
"Hi Bonnie," I replied.
"Thanks for coming Annie. I didn't see you at the Grill, is everything okay?" she asked. I shook my head and chuckled.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I'm here to check on you. Today has been … a lot." She nodded. "Well, what are we going to do about it? Today sucked but it isn't over. Let's find a way to end on a high note! Movies and ice cream?" I asked. The girls nodded and I walked in to join the girls' night.
…
Alaric dragged me to the school the next day to help build his founder's day float. I did my best to avoid eye contact with Matt and Tyler which of course was difficult. I watched them out of the corner of my eye as Tyler walked up to Matt while he worked.
"Hey man. Caroline tells me you've been on your own for the past two weeks. Is everything okay?" Tyler asked. This peaked my interest. Last I had talked to Tyler, I pretty much demanded he apologize to Matt.
"You're asking me about my mom. Seriously? Look man, why don't I just tell her to give you a call when she comes back to town?" Matt snapped back. I put my hammer down quietly and looked over at the two.
"Dude, that's not what I meant okay? I'm just trying to… I don't know what to say," Tyler went on.
"The word is apologize Tyler," I said stepping in. Both the boys looked over at me, seeming startled by my sudden presence.
"Annie?" Matt asked confused. I saw his gaze shift quickly to my neck where the mostly healed bite mark was. I looked down shyly, letting my hair fall over my shoulder.
"Alaric has me on float duty today," I explained. They both nodded. I met Tyler's eyes. "Apologize?"
"Oh yeah, I just really wanted to say-" Matt held up a hand.
"Not now man. You're a dick, end of the story," he said. Tyler nodded.
"I know." We both watched Matt walked off.
"You tried," I whispered. Tyler turned to me.
"Why did you even step in?" he snarled. I held my hands up in surrender.
"You looked like you were struggling. I figured I would help you out. Sorry. Won't happen again," I said walking away. I heard him growl under his breath and take off the other way. I saw Elena talking to Jeremy and I decided to go catch up with the Gilbert's. That was before Jeremy stalked off and Isobel appeared behind Elena. I froze but the vampire saw me and gestured me over. I looked around, desperately seeking Alaric or Stefan, or even Damon.
"Annie, I don't like waiting!" Isobel called. I quickly walked over to her and Elena.
"You've met?" Elena asked. Isobel pulled me into her and ran a finger over my cheek. I pulled away but she tightened her grip.
"Oh Annie didn't tell you? If you didn't do what I wanted, I was going to torture her," Isobel said. Elena's eyes widened.
"I don't have the device," she said quickly. Isobel sighed and started twirling a strand of my hair around her finger.
"Oh I know, I just want to be more involved in your life Elena. I am your mother," she said. I shuddered.
"I don't want you in my life," Elena snapped back. Isobel's grip grew on my arm and I felt the bone crunch under her grip. I tried my best not to cry out but Elena could see the pain on my face.
"I understand that. You already have a lot of people that you care about but I've been studying. Let's see if I got this right. There's the witchy best friend, Bonnie," she said pointing over at her. Isobel smiled. "Gonna stay away from that one." She then shifted her gaze to the younger Gilbert. "Oh… sad little brother Jeremy." I watched her eyes flicker to Caroline. "And there's Caroline… obnoxious Caroline. I got all of my info from her by the way. She had no idea who I was and she wouldn't stop yapping. Oh…" She moved her finger so she was pointing over at Matt. I pulled suddenly in her grip and I saw her lips curl up. "And there's Matt, friend, ex, happy's future ex. Lots of connections there. And it seem to have struck a cord with Annie as well. Interesting." I glared up at her.
"Matt is not involved in this," Elena stated quickly.
"He's involved with you, isn't he?" Isobel asked cooly. I tried to pull out of her grip again, only to feel the newly broken bones grind together.
"Look, you shouldn't be here. You need to leave," Elena said as bravely as possible. Isobel hummed quietly, looking darkly down at her daughter.
"No, I have some friends here too. Look," she pointed, focusing our attention back towards Matt, "You see that man over there, standing next to Matt by the float? His name is Frank, he's very handsome and he's also quite handy and he'd noticed that the axles are a little rusty, which is very dangerous." I pulled again, harder this time.
"No!"
"All you have to do is apply a little bit of pressure…" I felt Isobel's finger tips dig deeper into my arm.
"No Matt!" Elena cried. I felt blood begin to run down my arm as Isobel's nails dug gashes into the flesh.
"And…" Frank jumped on the trailer and if came down on Matt's arm. Elena tried to run but Isobel's other arm reached out pulling her back.
"Why are you doing this?" Elena cried.
"I'm showing you how easy it is to hurt the people that you care about," Isobel said in a falsely sweet tone. Elena's gaze shot down to the blood trickling down my arm. Isobel pulled me tighter into her side. I let out a short gasp, my wide eyes meeting Elena's. I felt my body go cold in fear.
"And you're doing this just because of Johnathan Gilbert's invention?" Elena asked quickly. Isobel nodded.
"Hand it over and this all will stop," Isobel explained, releasing Elena's arm.
"I already told you, Damon is not going to give it to me," Elena spoke frantically.
"He might now," Isobel said looking down at me. I met her eyes and snarled at her. She chuckled. "Tell him I don't like to be threatened." With that there was a flash and suddenly Isobel was dragging me into the back of a car. Frank stood behind her, handing her a length of rope. I pushed myself back on the seat as she grabbed at my arms, quickly overpowering me and tying my wrists together before moving on to my legs. "Make my life easier and keep quiet so we don't need to gag you too. Though Frank may enjoy the challenge." I glared sharply at her. She got into the passenger seat and Frank in the driver's before they took off.
"What the hell are you planning on doing with me?" I asked.
"I thought I made that painfully obvious Annie. I plan on torturing you until I get the Gilbert device," she replied calmly. Not even looking back at me. I pulled on my restraints, but of course nothing came of it. If anything the ropes felt tighter around my wrists.
"What did he say to you?" I asked. I noticed the corner of her lips pull into a frown.
"He came in, thinking he had the upper hand. He threatened me about going after Elena," she said. I felt a deep unwelcome pain in my chest and I looked up to meet her eyes in the rearview mirror. "Did that hurt? Thinking Damon wanted only to protect Elena?" she asked. I didn't reply, only narrowed my eyes at her. "He got pretty violent when he mentioned my threatening you. Looks like you both have Salvatore brothers, Elena has Stefan and you, Damon."
"I don't have anyone," I snarled back. Isobel smirked.
"Of course."
I groaned trying to pull myself up in the seat to look out the window. Isobel fell silent, rubbing her fingers over Frank's bicep as he drove. I stared out the window sighing, wondering what could possibly happen next.