Ch. I
Disclaimer – All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plots are the property of the creator. The director/author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun. ~*D*~
Author Note – Hello my readers! Sorry its been so long but I just haven't felt like writing. (Sighs) Not to mention my damnable muse keeps finding a way to escape. (Ugh) As for the story, my OFC (Erica) will be reborn as Elena and with all her memories of her past life in tack. (Smirks) I would also like to thank Rrenvy for giving me permission to use their idea for my own story. I'm just sorry its taken me so long to begin writing again. (Pouts) I also would like to know just who you think my OFC Elena should end up with? (Raises Brow) Should Erica be with Damon? Klaus? Or Both? What do you think? (Wiggles Brows, Grinning) Now onto the first chapter of Life And Death!
Notes:
Personal Thoughts
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Erica Martin knew from the moment she could understand the world around her that there was something more then just Life and Death. Something the living were not meant to know or understand. Growing up in an extremely religious family, she was always looked down on for her own beliefs but was never swayed into thinking differently. Even in school, her peers thought her to be crazy because she never seemed to fear doing anything dangerous. It was her undying devotion to her beliefs that drew the being called Death to favor her.
Unknown to Erica, Death had been watching over her since she began to question everything she was told. Death was there when she started school and Death was there when she finally finished. Death watched and waited as she went on with her life, trying to be the best person she could be until a bullet took the very life she had been given. Upon her death, Erica was pulled from the land of the living into Death's embrace and carried into the afterlife and given the knowledge she had been denied while she had walked in the land of the living.
Death is only the beginning.
(Mystic Falls, Virginia)
Rebirth was not something many souls experienced because only those who were favored by Death were allowed to be reborn. Sometimes they would remember certain events from their past lives or they would be completely ignorant but a very few were chosen to retain all of their memories. Being favored by Death and her unwavering devotion allowed Erica to retain her memories as she was reborn into a new world. As she grew older, Erica didn't think twice about the oddities that surrounded her until she was 5 years old and was attacked by a man, who looked remarkably like the actor who played Mikael on the TV show, Vampire Dairies.
In that moment, Erica began to pay more attention to her surroundings and the people she associated with. She quickly came to realize that she lived in Mystic Falls, Virginia (which she knew wasn't a real place) and her friends/family look very similar to the actors and actresses that played them on the TV show. That brought her to her next revelation, Mikael had attacked her which could only mean she was the Doppelganger. Knowing the truth didn't bring her any comfort because it would mean she would need to die in order for Klaus to break his curse.
Of course, if she didn't change very much of the storyline, she would know what was coming. By the time Erica turned 10, she decided to get ready for when Mystic Falls would turn into supernatural central. To do that, she needed to get her parents to agree for her to learn self defense. It took some convening but in the end Erica was signed up at the local dojo for Muay Thai and Judo classes. Her parents seemed to think it was a passing phase but as the years passed, Grayson and Miranda were proven wrong when she continued with her classes and giving it her all.
She quickly moved up the ranks and by the time she was 16, she had received her Black Arm Band and helped other instructors at the dojo. With her being so busy at the dojo, Erica had to step back from cheerleading which upset both Bonnie and Caroline until they were invited to one of the competitions. From that moment on, neither Bonnie nor Caroline questioned her involvement in Muay Thai/Judo and encouraged her as much as they could by going to her matches. Another thing she changed was that she never dated Matt Donovan.
He had asked her out, of course, but when she came right out and told him that while she liked him, she didn't like him more then a friend. Matt had been heartbroken but was able to move on with Caroline, who was now more confident in herself. Erica's relationship with Jeremy was also a lot better then the one he had with Elena on the show. No matter what she was doing, she would always be there if he needed to talk which was how she found out his crush on Vicki a year before the show began. It made her wonder if the writers of the show wanted to isolate Elena from her family.
When the day came that Elena had snuck out to attend a party, Erica debated on if she should do what Elena did because if Stefan didn't see her, he may not be there when Damon shows up. Finally making a decision, she decided to tell her parents about being invited to the party and asked if she could go. With her grades being as good at they were and not being grounded like Elena had been, neither Miranda nor Grayson had a problem with her going. Getting a ride for Bonnie, Erica headed to the party and had a good time, trying not to think on what was coming.
The party did indeed get her mind of the future because as she finished calling her parents, she stumbled onto the main road where she'd meet them. Looking down at her phone she texted Bonnie, letting her know she was heading home for the night so she didn't worry. Not paying attention to her surroundings, Erica didn't notice the body laying into the road as she answered when Bonnie called her. She listened to her friend complain about Caroline and Matt for a little while before she pretended to see her parents pulling up. It was then she heard a name she wished she hadn't.
"Katherine?" A tall, dark and handsome blue eyed male stood a few feet from her, a frown marring his face as his nose flared.
"Um….no." Erica blinked, her mind racing to catch up with what….er….who she was seeing, "I'm Erica."
The guy frowned, "Huh." He gave her a grin, "I'm sorry. It's just..." He tilted his head to the side, "You kinda remind me of someone. I'm Damon."
"Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but its kinda creepy you being out here alone." Erica pointed out, looking around but not seeing anyone else.
"Car broke down a few miles back," Damon lied easily enough. "You should be careful out here at night. You never know what's hiding in the shadows." A sly smirk spread across his face.
Erica rolled her eyes, "Its Mystic Falls." She crossed her arms over her chest, "Nothing ever happens here."
"Oh, I wouldn't be to sure about that." Damon retorted as if he knew something she didn't. "What are you doing out here alone?" Feeling something inside him telling him to stay with her.
"Waiting for my parents to pick me up," Erica replied, glancing down at her phone, "I had to get away from one of the guys who goes to my school and can't take no for an answer," She confessed, momentarily forgetting who she was speaking with.
Damon looked her over, "Why?" His eyes grew darker as he took in her outfit of a pair of skin tight pants with a handkerchief halter top and long black leather jacket, "Surely you have a boyfriend to stop this guy from hitting on you."
"I don't actually," Erica said, wondering where the hell her parents were. "I'm not really sure what I want in that department."
"Well that's not true," Damon remarked, giving her a look Erica couldn't place. "You want everyone wants."
Erica tilted her head to the side, raising a brow, "Oh really?" She mentally squealed at the thought of Damon speaking her favorite line, "What do I want, Damon?" She stared him down, holding his gaze which seemed to surprise him.
"You want a love that consumes you," Damon expressed, stepping forward until he was able to reach out and touch her if he wanted. "You want passion, an adventure, and maybe even a little bit of danger." His eyes darken as they dropped to her dark red lips as she ran her tongue across it.
Before she could answer him, however, a horn honking drew their attention. "It must be my parents." Erica felt her heart beating in her chest at how serious he sounded, as if he wanted that too, "I suppose I'll….."
"Stop." Damon compelled her to do, his eyes dilating, "I want you to get everything you're looking for." Something inside him not really wanting to compel Erica, "But for right now, I want you to forget this happened." He gave her a wink, she wouldn't remember, "Can't have people knowing I'm in town just yet." He reached up, his eyes growing soft as the back of his fingers brushed every so softly against her cheek, "Goodnight Erica." He whispered before disappearing from sight.
"What…?" Erica whispered, frowning as she realized that compulsion didn't work on her but knew she had to at least pretend.
Seconds later, her parents pulled up and stopped. Taking a deep breathe and praying to god that if they did crash they were taken quickly and not made to suffer as she climbed in the back drivers side seat. What her parents didn't know was that she carried a hidden seat-belt cutter/window breaker on her at all times when she was in the car with them because of what she knew was about to happen. As Grayson drove through the darkened back streets of Mystic Falls heading back to the house, him and Miranda both asked her about the party.
Miranda was turned in her seat as Grayson kept glancing back in the rear-view mirror while she explained how the party went, not mentioning her run in with Damon. Even knowing what was going to happen, didn't prepare her for it happening. One minute Grayson was driving and the next they were going over the side of the Wickery Bridge into the water below. Upon impact, the glass windows either shattered or cracked, allowing the water to fill the car faster. Erica groaned, having hit her head on the window as she moved to check on her mother, only to find she was dead.
Grayson groaned as he finally began to come to but winced as he tried to move only to find he wasn't able. He turned to look at Erica and asked if she was hurt. With a shake of her head, Erica fumbled around in the rising water for her keys she kept hooked to the loops of her jeans. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, she quickly found them and unhooked them from her jeans only to drop them. Heart sinking because the water was rising faster she looked over at Grayson and let out a sob, realizing she wouldn't be able to save him.
She frantically tried to get her seat-belt to unbuckle but it was stuck from the water seeping into the mechanisms. Before the car was completely submerged beneath the water, Erica took a deep breathe and held it as she tried to search for her keys she dropped. As she fumbled around in the darkening water, she didn't see a dark shadowy figure swimming in their direction. It was only when the window next to her was smashed that she turned her attention away from her task and realized her vision was darkening around the edges as her lungs began to protest from the lack of air.
The last thing she remembered was of a watery voice saying to 'take her', before blackness took over. Her next thought was that whatever was making that beeping sound was to loud. Opening her eyes, Erica realized she was in the hospital hooked up to a heart machine, which would explain the loud beeping sound. As soon as the nurses were aware she was awake, they began asking all kinds of questions about before and after the crash. She explained what she could before breaking down as her heart broke for what she was unable to prevent.
Friends, family and strangers sent their regards for her loss but very few of them paid a visit once she was able to head home. Once home, Jenna did her best to help her move around since she had broken her leg in the crash and Jeremy seemed to have been glued to her side. Not wanting to stand by any longer, Erica did her best to be there for both Jenna and Jeremy while she healed, herself. For Jenna, she helped around the house, let her aunt cry on her shoulder when things got to hard and tell her stories of when the two were younger.
Jeremy, on the other hand, was slightly difficult to deal with and decided to change things up with him. Purchasing an ounce of weed from a local dealer, that knew her, she tugged Jeremy up to the attic to smoke a couple joints while they went through the older boxes their parents had hidden away up there. It was during one of those times they came across a box filled with quite a few journals, including Jonathon Gilberts. Knowing his journal was important, Erica looked until she found his and began reading through it while Jeremy grabbed one of the other journals.
For hours, they would sit and read through the journals, talking about what was written in them and smoke weed until Jenna would call them down or they got hungry. After finish reading through the journals, including Jonathon's, the two discussed what they had read. Jeremy had been skeptical about what he read in Jonathon's journal until Erica told him about what happened when she was around 5 years old. To say Jeremy had been shocked would have been an understatement. He was floored that someone had tried to kill his sister, when she was only a child.
One of things she left out, however, was the fact it had been Abby Bennett that protected her because she still felt as if it was her fault Bonnie had to grow up without her mother. She then went on to explain that the attack when she was younger had been the main reason behind her wanting to learn Muay Thai then asked if he wanted to learn a few moves. Erica should have realized what would happen because seconds later, she was out in the back yard with Jeremy, showing him a few of the easier moves without hurting himself and Jenna watch from the sidelines, laughing.
As she healed from her broken leg, she suddenly remembered Enzo. Unable to go anywhere until she had her cast off, Erica waited almost two weeks before she was able to head to her father's practice and see if Enzo was still there. Just as she suspected, Enzo wasn't there and neither was anything else that would show he'd ever been there. Hating herself for not being able to save him, she had headed home with a heavy heart. The day that Stefan was due to arrive, Erica woke up early, did a little bit of yoga to calm herself before getting ready for the day.
Once she was happy with her outfit, a dark green tank top, white washed skinny jeans, her favorite combat style boots and black leather jacket, she grabbed her book bag from the only chair in her room and headed down stairs to put on a pot of coffee. Being up first, she knew she'd have at least a few minutes of peace as the coffee brewed but luck wasn't with her as Jenna came stumbling downstairs a few seconds after she put on the coffee. Just as Erica texted Bonnie that she was going to school and could use a lift, the coffee pot beeped signaling it had finished.
"You are a life saver, you know." Jenna mumbled as she stood and poured herself a cup, "Are you ready for today?" She asked, sipping her liquid gold and moaning at the taste.
"As I'll ever be," Erica shrugged, pouring herself a cup of coffee then pouring a second cup. "Don't you have that big presentation today?" Holding the second cup of coffee, winking at Jenna as she took a small sip.
Before Jenna could say anything, Jeremy popped up out of no where and snatched the coffee cup from Erica's hands. "Thanks, sis." Jeremy murmured, taking a sip to hid the grin on his face.
"No problem," Erica replied, turning around and picking up the first cup of coffee she poured. "Jenna?" She raised a brow, tapping the watch on her arm to remind Jenna of her presentation.
"I still have….." Jenna trailed off as she saw the time, "Damn. I have to go." She looked between Erica and Jeremy, "Your first day and I'm totally unprepared." She gathered up her things for her presentation she had left on the table in case such a thing happened, or Erica did, "Either of you need lunch money? Number 2 pencil?"
Jeremy looked like he was about to say something but stopped when Erica kicked him in the leg, "We're fine, Aunt Jenna." She waved her off, "Go." She walked to the kitchen door to make sure Jenna headed off to her appointment, "Bonnie's going to be picking me up in a few anyway."
"Alright," Jenna sighed, checking once again to see if she had everything. "Try and have a good day." She imparted as she walked out the door.
"How are you?" Erica asked, turning back to look at Jeremy, "You didn't have any nightmares last night." She walked over and sat down in front of him.
Jeremy shook his head, closing his eyes, "No." He took a breathe, "How do you deal with everything?" He looked almost ready to break into a million pieces. "I've noticed you helping Jenna while you've been there for me."
"I see you smiling or Jenna chuckling and I feel a little less sad for a few minutes." Erica explained the best she could, "I'm also not saying I don't have moments where I break down but when I do, I try to do it away from everyone. Getting asked 'How are you' is tiring after a while." She cringed, remembering what she had just asked him.
"It does." Jeremy grinned, feeling what Erica was talking about before his sadness crept back in, "How do you keep the darkness away?" He licked his lips, looking to his hands, "There's been moments I've just wanted everything to just stop. Stop hurting. Stop caring. Just everything stop." He blinked his eyes rapidly to keep tears from falling.
Erica felt tears well in her eyes as she got to her feet, pulling Jeremy into her arms, "I see you, my little brother that still needs me." She told him, whispering as she felt him tighten his grip on her, "I see Jenna, who has lost the last living family member she had. And I'm not talking about you and me. I'm talking about her parents and sister." She pulled back, using her thumb to wipe his tears away that fell, "Knowing I have to keep you safe and happy keeps me going. You and Jenna make me remember I'm not alone."
"I love you, Eri." Jeremy whispered giving her a sad smile before he stepped back, "I'm gonna head over to Chad's to hitch a ride."
"Love you, too, Ere." Erica kissed his cheek, which caused Jeremy to playfully cringe as he wiped it away before heading out of the house.
Erica took a deep breathe as she made sure the coffee pot was turned off and all cups were placed in the sink before she gathered her things and headed out front to wait for Bonnie. Ever since the death of their parents, she hadn't been able to stay alone in the house because she felt as if she let them down. She could have stopped the crash but felt deep down that no matter what she had done, Grayson and Miranda's time was up. Locking the door behind her since both Jenna and Jeremy had keys, she walked out into the yard only for Bonnie to pull up. Saying hello, she climbed into the front passenger seat and buckled up.
"I wont ask how you're doing but I would like to know." Bonnie began, glancing over at Erica as she pulled back onto the street.
"I'm doing better," Erica answered, honestly. "Some days are harder then others but I'm doing better." She smirked, wiggling her brows, "Weed also helps."
Bonnie laughed, shaking her head, "I still can not believe the girl who protest the use of drugs, smokes weed." She could tell her friend was doing better today, "Weren't you the one who kicked Tyler's ass when he brought a pack of cigarettes to school?"
"Weed is completely different, thank you very much." Erica retorted, pretending to be offended as she tried to hide her smirk, "It's been scientifically proven that marijuana is extremely useful in some situations." She explained, forgetting what would be happening and turning slightly in her seat to look at Bonnie better, "I'm not saying its for everyone but it has helped Jeremy deal with everything that's happened." She turned back around in her seat, fixing her seat-belt as if a sixth sense told her to.
"Uh huh," Bonnie sounded skeptical but said nothing else, deciding to change the subject. "Well…. Grams says I'm psychic." She glanced over, noticing Erica staring out the window. "Eri back in the car!" She slapped her friends shoulder.
Erica turned around and returned Bonnie's slap with one of her own, "I was listening." She settled back into her seat, "You were saying something about being psychic."
"Yeah," Bonnie said but was interrupted by a crow slamming into the front windshield. "Oh my god! What was that?" She hit the break, stopping the car from going anywhere as she turned to Erica, "Are you ok?" She could see her friend breathing hard and wide eyes staring at something she couldn't see.
"I'm ok." Erica whispered, blinking her eyes as she mentally slapped her forehead for forgetting about Damon's little crow trick, "Just a little freaked out but that's normal, right?" She gave Bonnie, what she hoped was, a sincere smile.
"Good." Bonnie nodded, making sure Erica was speaking the truth before a smile spread across her face as she began driving once again, "I predict this year is going to kick ass and you'll get everything you want." She sent a wink to Erica, not realizing how she stiffened.
Erica hummed her agreement as she stared at the crow sitting on the road sign as Bonnie drove pass. Swallowing the small ball of fear that began to shimmer in her gut, she tried to focus on Bonnie and what she was saying. The only problem was for some odd reason she felt as if she was being watched even as she could tell no one was following them. Trying to ignore the sensation, Erica asked Bonnie a few questions about what she believed and if Shelia had finally lost it. By the time, her dark skinned friend pulled into the school's parking lot, she realized just who it must have been watching her because another crow sat on the sign that said student parking.
Doing her best to ignore the crow, Erica made idle chitchat until Bonnie parked the car then quickly got out. Her, now, witchy friend just laughed at her as the two of them headed up to the high school. As they made their way inside, some of the other students called out their greetings but only a few came over and asked how she was doing. Erica just bit her tongue and thanked each of them while saying she was fine, over and over all the way into the school. Once her and Bonnie passed through the doors, all greetings stopped which she was forever thankful.
"Erica!" A high perky voice called out as a blonde barbie looking girl came over and pulled her into a hug, "How are you?" She pulled back, turning to Bonnie for conformation, "How is she? Is she doing ok?" Caroline Forbes was a one person tornado that came through a town and wiped it clean with as much energy as she had.
"She is right here, Care." Erica pulled out of Caroline's arms, which right now reminded her of an octopus, "And I'm doing better. With everything that's happened I decided to take a step back and just spend time with Jenna and Jeremy."
Caroline stood shocked for a moment, processing what she was just told, "Everything!?" Her mind swirled with things she needed to get done, "Ugh!" She groaned as she took a deep breathe, trying to calm herself, "That means I have to find another stand in. I really wish you would have told me sooner, Eri." She then back stepped, realizing her mistake, "But I like totally understand why you didn't."
"Its ok, Care." She waved off Caroline's apology because that was just how Caroline was, "I am really sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Erica apologized again as Caroline heading off after saying her 'see you laters' to put up a notice for cheerleading tryouts. "God, I feel like a total bitch," She groaned as they headed to their lockers to grab the books they needed for their first class.
"Don't worry about it," Bonnie said, bumping her shoulder against Erica's while her friend slipped her book into her book bag. "As long as you can play back up if she needs you, I'm sure Care will forgive you." She grinned, seeing her friend acting somewhat normal.
Erica rolled her eyes as they made their way pass the front office only for Bonnie to stop her. "What?" She asked, noticing that Bonnie was staring at the 'new' guys back.
"Hold up." Bonnie looked the guy in the leather jacket over, "Who's this?" A grin spread across her face.
"No, clue but he has a nice ass." Erica commented, earning an elbow from her friend, "What? Its true and its not like I can see his face." She said, still staring at Stefan's ass.
Bonnie hummed, tilting her head to the side, "Ok. Your right." She could agree that he did have a nice ass, "I'm sensing Seattle and a guitar."
"Really?" Erica noticed that Stefan was compelling the lady behind the front desk, "Naw, I don't see it." She bit her lip thinking on how she could fuck with Stefan, "I was thinking more of a writer from Chicago." She noticed him tense slightly then relaxed.
"Hey, I'm the psychic, not you." Bonnie hip checked her, "Leave future telling to me." She had a grin on her face, telling anyone looking she was joking.
Just then Jeremy walked by chatting with some of his friends, not smelling of anything other then his body spray. "Thank god," Erica whispered, looking relieved, "I was a little worried he wouldn't show up for class."
"He seems to be doing better," Bonnie commented, watching as he joked a little with his friends before heading into the boys bathroom.
"He has his good days and bad days." Erica told Bonnie with a sigh, "I'm just glad he isn't hanging around Vicki Donovan." She pursed her lips, eyes narrowed as she watched said girl cling to Tyler like a limp rag, "I don't like her."
Bonnie hummed, "The only ones that do like her, have screwed her." She leaned over and whispered to Erica, earning a chuckle from her friend, as the warning bell rang, "I'll see you later, Eri." She said as she followed the guys example and headed to class, "Try not to kill Tanner before I get there."
"No promises!" Erica yelled after Bonnie as she started walking backwards only to hit something. "Shit." She spun around only to tense when she realized she ran into Stefan Salvatore. "Um…..Sorry about that."
"No worries." Stefan gave her a small grin, "I'm Stefan Salvatore." He found it rather frightening how identical to Katherine this girl looked.
Erica cleared her throat as she tried to calm her heart rate knowing Stefan could hear it, "Erica Gilbert." She decided to be friendly but cautious, "I haven't seen you around before, are you new?"
"Um….yeah." Stefan nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets, "I just moved back." He took a breathe only to tense as her scent filled his lungs and caused his hunger to rush to the surface.
"Oh!" Erica pretended to not notice the slight change of Stefan's eyes as he took in her scent, "Well, welcome to Mystic Falls." She gave him a tight smile as the final bell rang, signaling they were late, "I'll see you around." She gave him a small wave before leaving him standing alone in the middle of the empty hall.
Hurrying to her first class, Erica made her excuses for helping a new student before grabbing her seat as she listened to her science teacher go on and on about the solar system. A few hours later, Erica walked into Tanner's class wanting to bang her head against the wall because of how bored she was since she already knew the answers. Seating next to Bonnie and Caroline, she waited for the dick….er….teacher to begin class. Luck wasn't on her side as Stefan walked in, handed Tanner a slip of paper then took a seat not far from her, in a location he could stare at her without being to obvious about it.
Halfway through class, Bonnie texted her that a 'Hawt-E was staring her'. Mentally groaning, Erica glanced out of the corner of her eye to where Stefan was seated and sure enough he was watching her. Wanting to nip the fact 'they weren't going to be an item' in the butt, she sent a text back to Bonnie and Caroline that if they wanted to go for the new guy she wished them the best stating she wasn't looking for a relationship. She also stated she was going to work on herself before hooking up with anyone. From then on, Erica didn't receive any other texts about Stefan.
When the last class of the day rolled around, Erica had had enough with the sympathy looks and decided to skip her last class. Much like on the TV show, she headed to the cemetery and picked a quiet spot near where her parent's were buried before pulling out her journal and writing about images of an empty tomb, an older style necklace and a grave filled with bones and a single book. True, she could have written down that she knew Katherine wasn't in the tomb but she knew Damon wouldn't believe her thus needed to see for himself.
Erica also wrote down about her little run in with Damon before the crash that took her parents life and that what he said had touched something inside her. She continued writing about feeling a connection to the man 'Damon' and wondered just who he was, along with the fact his eyes dilated for some odd reason as he told her to forget about her encounter with him. Writing that since he didn't want anyone to know he was in town, she would keep her meeting him a secret. Just as she was about to write about what today was like with all the stares, a loud caw broke the silence.
Jumping slightly at the sound, Erica looked around only to spot a crow sitting on the headstone directly across from her. Its head was tilting from one side to the other as studied her. Knowing exactly who it was, she rolled her eyes and went back to writing in her journal. There was no doubt in her mind that Damon was trying to scare her but she wasn't going to fall for his parlor tricks. Seconds later, a thick fog began to roll through the cemetery earning a sigh from her. Deciding it was time to leave, Erica gathered her things, making sure her journal was in her bag before getting to her feet.
"Alright." Erica said, brushing the dirt off her pants, "Alright, I'm going." She grumbled as she made sure her journal was in her bag before making her way back through the cemetery. "You didn't have to run me off, ya know." She stated as if she were talking to the dead that filled the cemetery, including her parents.
"Um….who are you talking to?" Stefan asked, stepping from behind a tree which scared Erica half to death.
A scream ripped its way from Erica's throat as she spun to find Stefan standing there, "Jesus, dude!" She took a few deep breathes to calm herself, "You need a fuckin' bell or something." She shook her head, shifting her bag higher up on her shoulder, "What are you doing here?"
"Visiting family," Stefan replied, causing Erica to cringe. "Who were you talking to a few seconds ago?" His eyes scanned the area but couldn't see anyone.
"Oh!" Erica looked slightly embarrassed, "I….was…..uh….talking to the dead." She motioned to the cemetery behind her, "I decided to visit my parents when I think they were telling me to leave."
Stefan raised a brow, "Um…" He didn't really know what to say, "They spoke to you?"
"No," Erica shook her head, blushing slightly. "I was writing in my journal when a crow showed up out of no where and fog appeared." She shifted, glancing to her watch to see she still had a little bit of time before having to meet Caroline and Bonnie at the Grill.
"That's odd." Stefan whispered, frowning as he listened to the sounds but didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, "I'm keeping you from something." He noticed her looking at her watch, like she was keeping track of the time so she wouldn't be late.
"I'm suppose to meet my friends at the Grill." Erica explained, wondering if she was suppose to invite him to the grill like on the show. "You wanna come with? With you being new, I doubt you know many people yet." She decided to with the storyline of the show for now.
Stefan pursed his lips, "Are you sure?" He didn't want to seem to eager to spend time with her, "I don't want to intrude."
"It'll be fine," Erica told him, already knowing what was coming when they arrived. "I will have to warn you, though," She sighed, shifting where she stood, "My friends will no doubt interrogate you when we show up together."
"Why?" Stefan raised a brow, wondering what would be so shocking that she'd invite him along, "Have they not seen you with a guy before?" He had watched over her since he pulled her from the car but hadn't seen her leave the house to much except to buy an ounce of weed.
Erica wrinkled her nose as they began walking towards the entrance of the cemetery which was close to her home, "Not really." She shrugged shifting her bag higher on her shoulder when it slipped, "I'm more into martial arts then dating."
"Oh." Stefan was a little shocked that Erica was into martial arts, "What kind of Martial Arts?" Just when he looked at her, she stumbled over a tree root and he reacted to keep her from hitting the ground, "You ok?" His nose flared, scenting if she was bleeding anyway.
"I'm good." Erica sent him a grin before getting her feet under her, "Guess I wasn't looking where I was going." She continued on with Stefan keeping on hand on her elbow to keep her from tripping again, which she thought was sweet and a good idea with his trouble with his blood lust. "As for what I'm into, that would be Judo and Muay Thai. My dad thought it would be good for me to learn." She blinked back the tears as they made it out of the cemetery and headed down the road to where she lived, already knowing he knew because he'd been spying on her.
Stefan looked a little uneasy when they reached the porch, "I'll….um…"
"Come on in, Stefan." Erica waved off his concern as she opened the door and walked in, knowing he would need entry to protect her from Noah if that psycho got invited inside, "You don't need to wait outside for me." She motioned him to the couch as Jenna stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Hey, Aunt Jen. This is Stefan Salvatore. Stefan, this is my Aunt, Jenna Sommers, my mothers younger sister."
Stefan looked rather uneasy as he shook Jenna's hand, "Its nice to meet you, Ms. Sommers." He noticed Erica leaving him alone with her aunt as she headed upstairs to where he assumed her bedroom was, "I'm truly sorry about what happened. My uncle told me about the accident when I arrived last night."
"Call me Jen or Jenna. None of this Ms. Sommers stuff and its nice to meet you as well, Stefan." Jenna thought Stefan seemed like a nice guy but wanted to grill her niece on who he was, "Why don't you have a seat on the couch while I go see if Erica needs help getting ready." She sent him a wink before hurrying upstairs to find Erica having already changed her shirt and was now touching up her makeup, "So…" Jenna raised a brow as a smirk spread across her face while she leaned against the door frame, "Stefan?"
"Don't. Start." Erica told her aunt as she finished touching up her little make up (Mascara, Eyeliner-both black, and red lipstick). "Stefan is new to town and I invited him to hang out with Bonnie, Caroline and I since he doesn't know anyone because he just moved here." Which was true since the people he would have known were most likely already dead.
Jenna narrowed her eyes at her niece, "Sure. Let me just say I approve." She stated bluntly, not knowing Stefan perked up downstairs as he listened. "He seems like a real nice guy."
"He's not my type, Aunt Jenna." Erica hated saying it but it was true, "I'm just trying to be friendly." She knew Stefan could hear her but she didn't want to give him any false hope, "You know I like older guys."
"I know," Jenna groaned as she remembered how Miranda reacted to find out her baby girl liked older guys, "You telling your mother that you liked older guys when she tried to get you to date Kyle Richards was the funniest thing I ever heard." She snickered, watching Erica pull her wallet out of her purse and pull some money and a few cards out. "I swear your mother almost had a heart attack." She was stopped from saying anything else as she saw Erica put the money she pulled from her wallet into her bra then slipped her ID and bank card into her right front pocket. "What are you doing?" Jenna questioned Erica, unsure as to why she was putting money in her bra.
Erica grinned, a mischievous twinkle sparkling in her eyes, "These are the only two suckers who I trust with my money." That caused Jenna to gap at her like a fish as she finished getting ready by slipping on a few of her favorite rings and a necklace she had gotten for Grayson for her 16th birthday.
"Smart ass." Jenna whispered, rolling her eyes at Erica as they headed downstairs to where Stefan was waiting, "Do you have any idea why I would get a call from Tanner on your and Jeremy's first day back?" She stopped Erica at the top of the stairs.
"I have absolutely no clue, Jenna." Erica shook her head, really not knowing why Tanner called Jenna in since they had been on summer break most of the time they were morning their parents death. "But if I had to guess, I would say it has to do with Jeremy." She knew it was wrong to think so but she wouldn't cry when Damon finally killed the asshole, "He's been gunning for Jeremy ever since dad got him booted off the city council."
Jenna groaned, running a hand through her hair, "Great. Thanks for the heads up." She walked beside Erica down the stairs, "Have fun you two." She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, "Oh, Oh, wait." She motioned for them to stop before they walked out the door, "Here goes." Jenna cleared her throat, trying to look at the two stern, "Don't stay out to late, its a school night."
"Well done, Jenna." Erica gave her two thumbs up as she chuckled at her aunt, "Come on, Stefan." She waved goodbye to Jenna before shutting the door behind her.
On the way to the Grill, Erica filled Stefan in on what happened during the summer including her parents being killed but didn't say a word about seeing Damon. Stefan returned the favor and told her a little about his history while editing it into something less supernatural. He even told her about his brother he didn't talk to which caught her by surprise since he hadn't told Elena at all and she had to find out by going to the boarding house. Upon entering the Grill, every eye turned to stare at them causing her to mentally groan at the attention.
"For the love of god," Erica mumbled glaring at everyone in the room. "Shows over people!" She called out with her hands cupped over her mouth to help her voice travel, "Yes, I am showing the new kid around. Did anyone else think of doing this?" She watched as everyone in high school seemed to duck down in embarrassment.
"Your right, Eri." Matt said, standing up and making his way over to where she stood with the new guy, "Hi. I'm Matt Donovan." He held his hand out for Stefan to shake.
Stefan returned the kids smile, "Stefan Salvatore." He shook the guys hand, "Its nice to meet you."
"Then welcome to Mystic Falls, man." Matt welcomed Stefan with a slap on the shoulder, "If you get tired of the girls, you'll be more then welcome at our table." He motioned to the table where Tyler Lockwood, Nathan Fell and Derek Groves sat, waving at Stefan.
"Maybe later." Stefan declined, seeing Erica waiting patiently on him as she mouthed she was sorry to her friends for being late. "Erica did invite me to meet her friends."
Matt waved off his concern, "No worries, man." He told Stefan with a grin, "Invitations always opened." H turned to Erica, "How you doing, Eri?"
"I'm doing ok." Erica stated once more, "Some days are better then others." She waved at Tyler and the other guys from the football team.
"Just don't forget you have friends you can turn to," Matt told Erica, giving her a hug before pulling back, "Now you better head over or Care is going to kill me from keeping you and Stefan from her interrogation." He winked before heading back over to the table with the other guys.
With a smile, Erica lead Stefan over to where Bonnie and Caroline were sitting, trying to look as if they weren't spying, "Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends before you head over to the guys." She ribbed him in a good nature way as she they reached the table and sat down. "Hey guys. Sorry I'm late but I ran into Stefan and we got to talking."
"Talking, huh." Bonnie wiggling her brows, looking between Stefan and Erica, "Is that what they're calling it now?"
"Yes, talking which is the only thing we did." Erica retorted, glaring at her friend, "Nothing else happened." She tried to kick Bonnie but the girl moved her legs.
Caroline rolled her eyes at her friends antics, smiling at Stefan. "I'm Caroline Forbes." She leaned forward, "The eyes and ears of Mystic Falls. If you need to know anything just ask."
Bonnie elbowed Caroline earning a glare from her friend, "Bonnie Bennett." She gave him a friendly smile but didn't hold her hand out to shake. "Please ignore the crazed blonde next to me."
"Its nice to meet the two of you." Stefan greeted, looking between Caroline and Bonnie, "And we really were just talking." He defended her as he sat next to Erica, "I kinda scared her as she was leaving from seeing her parents."
"Oh no, its fine." Caroline waved off his concern, thinking Stefan and Erica make a cute couple, "So, were you born here in Mystic Falls?" She blew a kiss at Matt, who was looking at her.
Stefan relaxed slightly when he realized Caroline must be with Matt from that little exchange, "Yeah." He could admit that Caroline was rather pretty but he liked Erica even with what he heard while she had been speaking to her aunt, "I moved back to stay with my Uncle Zach at the old Salvatore Boarding house."
"What about your parents?" Bonnie asked, taking a sip of her soda and wondering if his parents moved here before him or were coming later.
"They died when he was younger," Erica injected, waving Vicki down so she could take their orders. "What? He told me on the walked here." She shrugged, telling Vicki what she wanted followed by Bonnie, Caroline and Stefan, who only ordered a glass of water.
Once Vicki left with their orders, Caroline turned her attention back to Stefan, "Siblings?"
"Older brother that I don't speak with." Stefan answered, not really wishing to speak about Damon. "We don't really get along." He frowned, wishing it were different between him and Damon but knew nothing would ever change.
"I'm sorry," Caroline cringed, deciding to change the subject. "Since you've just moved back then you may not know about the party tomorrow night out by the falls."
Bonnie explained, noticing a twinkle in her friends eye as she looked between Stefan and Erica, "It's kinda like a back to school party. Everyone from freshmen year and up attends."
"Are you going?" Stefan asked Erica, wondering if he could be her escort for the evening.
"We all are." Bonnie spoke up before Caroline could, sending the blonde a questioning look, "You should come."
Stefan had to wait to give his answer as their orders arrived. "I'll have to see if Uncle Zach needs me to do anything but I'll try to make it." He told them as he sipped his water while the three girls shared a large plate of cheesy curly fries sprinkled with pieces of bacon. "Are you sure you can eat that all?"
"Yes." The three said in unison which was slightly creepy but caused Matt and the others to laugh, "You can have some if you want." Caroline offered as picked up a rather large fry dripping with chili, cheese and bacon bits but Robert spoke up from the guys' table.
"Don't do it man!" He looking worried while the others were trying not to laugh, "It's a trap! You'll end up with nothing but a nub left where your hand should be." This earned him a glare from all three girls, "Those girls are vicious! They almost took off Matt's hand when they offered him some." He pointed to Matt who had his hand facing away from them with his fingers folded so it appeared that he only had his thumb left.
Caroline stuck her tongue out at Robert while Bonnie did her best to ignore them and Erica picked up the first thing she could, which was the salt shaker, and started to throw it only for Stefan to pluck it out of her hand. Robert looked spooked while Matt hid behind Tyler. The rest of their time at the Grill was about the same only with different people. When it was time to head home, Stefan offered to walk Erica home while Bonnie took Caroline. She had tried to tell Stefan she didn't need him to walk her home because she could look after herself but he was adamant.
Finally giving in, Erica sent Stefan to wait on her outside, saying she had to use the little girls room before apologizing to Bonnie and Caroline for being late. She also explained to both of them that she had absolutely no interest in dating Stefan or any other guy at the moment. After getting a promise from Caroline that she wouldn't try and hook her up with Stefan, she said her goodbyes and made her way outside where Stefan was waiting on her to walk her home like she was some damsel in distress. On the way home, Erica explained to Stefan that her father had taught her self defense.
Stefan acted as if he understood but she saw the disbelief in his eyes as he dropped her off at her door. Once he was gone, Erica headed inside and up to her room. Saying hello to Jenna, who was sitting in the living room, she headed up to her room, wanting nothing more then to prove Stefan wrong. Finally alone her room, she kicked off her shoes and dropped down on her bed, pulling out her journal. She wrote down about how Stefan walked her home, acting as if she was some kind of damsel in distress not believing she could take care of herself.
Even though she knew Stefan was thinking about her not being able to fight off a vampire, Erica knew she was able to since her instructor had been a vampire, not that Grayson knew what Master Chi was. Glancing up at the clock and realizing the time, she closed her journal and picked a new location for her to hide it. While she knew Stefan would never think about reading her journal, she was a hundred percent sure that Damon and Jeremy would read it if they had half the chance. In fact, Erica was pretty sure Jeremy has already read her journal at some point.
Trying to stifle a yawn, she yelled goodnight to Jeremy while in their connected bathroom as she got changed for bed, ignoring the black crow perched on her window sill and climbed into her cool sheets. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Erica was out like a light. When the sun rose the next morning, her little peeping tom was gone allowing her to get dressed for the day in peace. Once she had finished getting ready, she snatched her book bag off her chair and headed downstairs to find everyone was still in bed asleep since it was only a little after 6 in the morning.
Wanting to do something special, Erica quickly whipped up some scrambled eggs, coffee and toast before either Jenna or Jeremy got up. As soon as their noses told them food was available, they appeared in the kitchen dressed for the day. The three of them sat at the table, eating breakfast as they had before school started up again. Once everyone was done, it was time for Erica and Jeremy to head to school which left Jenna with clean up duty. Upon arriving at school, Erica went to see how Caroline and Bonnie were doing while Jeremy headed off to find his friends.
Everything seemed to be going good until they had Tanner's class and he began talking in his usual condescending manner. Their subject for the day was none other then the history of Mystic Falls, which most of them knew because of who their ancestors were. What was written in the history books, however, wasn't the same as what was no doubt written in each of the founding families ancestral journals. Erica knew what was written in the Gilbert's journals because she had read through them with Jeremy, to give him a sneak peak into what they needed to get ready for.
"The battle of Willow Creek took place right here in Mystic Falls at the end of the war," Mr. Tanner stated as he looked around the room. "How many causalities resulted in the battle? Ms. Bennett?" He raised a brow, looking at Bonnie expecting for her to answer the question.
"Um….like a lot?" Bonnie did read there was a fight but couldn't remember the exactly number. "I'm not really sure." She shrugged, earning chuckles from those around her.
Mr. Tanner, on the other hand, just glared at her, "Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett." He then turned his attention to Matt Donovan, "Would you care to take this opportunity to show your not the stereotype jock, Mr. Donovan?"
"Naw," Matt replied, stretching out in his seat, "I'm good, Mr. Tanner." A smirk spread across his face.
"Mmmhmm," Mr. Tanner glared at Matt before turning his attention to, Erica, "Ms. Gilbert, surely you can enlighten us about the towns most significant historical event?"
Erica mentally rolled her eyes, "I think it was somewhere around 330." She answered, deciding not to give him the exact number but close to it, "I also believe there was 27 civilian casualties."
"You were partly correct, Ms. Gilbert." Tanner seemed peeved that she knew a partial answer, "It was 346 but there was no civilian casualties." He told her, smug that he could still correct her in front of the others.
"Actually there was," Stefan popped up, causing all eyes to snap in his direction. "Confederate soldiers fired on the church believing it to be housing weapons but they were wrong. 27 civilians lost their life that day." He could tell that Mr. Tanner wasn't thrilled about him speaking up, "If you go to civil hall, I'm sure the town founder's archives are there so you can brush up on your facts."
Mr. Tanner narrowed his eyes at Stefan, unhappy about be proven wrong, but continued on with the rest of the class. By the time the bell rang to signal the end of school, everyone from Mr. Tanner's class were more then ready for the party at the falls. Erica said her goodbyes to Bonnie and Caroline after promising to meet up before heading home to get ready. Walking through the door, she said a quick hello to Jenna before rushing up stairs. Even though the party wouldn't start until 7, she wanted to make sure she had enough time to get ready.
Dropping her bag on her vanity/desk chair, Erica began stripping off her clothes as she headed into the bathroom to take a shower before dressing for the party. Forty five minutes later, she stepped from a steam filled bathroom back into her cooler bedroom. Goosebumps broke out on her visible skin as she headed over to her closest, only to stop in front of her full length mirror. While she may look almost identical to Nina Dobrev, who played Elena on the Vampire Dairies, there were some differences or at least what Erica thought were differences.
She had red highlights throughout her straight long dark brown, almost black, hair and light brown eyes with a blue ring around the center of her pupil. Dropping the towel she had wrapped around her waist, she took in her lightly tanned skin which was a couple shades lighter from Elena's olive complexion. Remembering what she could of Nina Dobrev, the actress was slender but didn't have much womanly curves. Erica, on the other hand, had an hourglass figure with a size 25D bra, small waist with only a small spare tire and a firm yet soft perky ass.
Her skin was also smooth and unblemished unlike in her past life where she had numerous scars. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Damon's crow once again sitting on her window sill staring at her. Mentally wondering what the hell Damon was doing spying on her, Erica did her best to ignore the crow as she headed to her dresser, pulling out a thong and bra set in dark red. Slipping on her underwear then bra, she had to lean forward to situate the girls into the cups of the bra before standing up straight. Once she was done, she glanced at the clock only to see it was slightly pass 4.
Still having almost 2 hours before she needed to get ready, Erica slipped on a pair of sleeping shorts and tank top before heading downstairs. Jenna had been doing school work when she got home but now she was sitting in the living room, glaring at the TV with a man, Erica recognized as Logan Fell, talking. Not wanting to get in the middle of whatever was going on in the living room, she slipped into the kitchen to grab a snack before the party. Knowing she was going to be drinking, she wanted to make sure she had food in her stomach or she'd have one hell of a hangover.
Sneaking back up to her room, Erica ate the food she pillaged and wrote a little in her journal about how she was feeling something bad was going to happen at the party. An hour before the party would start she finished writing in her journal and decided to do something very unlike what Elena would do. She rolled a joint, knocked on Jeremy's door to let him know what she was going to do and headed downstairs. Jeremy was right behind her as she grabbed a few things from the kitchen and headed into the living room where Jenna was still sitting.
Without much persuasion, Erica and Jeremy got Jenna high causing her to relax and sprawl out on the couch. Leaving the roach with their aunt, they headed upstairs to get ready for the back to school party. A few minutes later, Erica came downstairs to find Jenna raiding the kitchen for munchie food which caused her to double over laughing at her aunt's antics and was exactly how Jeremy found them. Once everyone was able to talk without laughing, they said their goodbyes and Jeremy and Erica headed to the party.
Upon arriving, they quickly realized that the party was already in full swing as music blared through the trees and Tyler Lockwood was passing out booze in red plastic cups. As Jeremy headed off to find his friends to hang out with, Erica first grabbed some booze before going to search for Bonnie and Caroline. It didn't take her long before she found Bonnie near the bonfire where they had promised to meet up. Searching the area, she also spotted Caroline who was dancing rather provocatively with Matt, no doubt drunk already.
Greetings were made and booze shared before the two girls grabbed Caroline, interrupting her grinding on her boyfriend and pulled her to the center of the floor. Five songs later, Erica and Bonnie tapped out and headed over to rest while Caroline heading back over to Matt, who she began to make out with. The other two groaned, pretending to get sick as they turned their backs on the two only to spot Stefan standing not to far from where Tyler was handing out booze.
"He did come," Bonnie whispered, nudging Erica's shoulder. "So, what do you think about him?" She wiggled her brows as she took a sip of the booze in her red cup.
"Who?" Erica asked, pretending not to know as she looked everywhere but at Stefan, her eyes just skimming over him.
Bonnie rolled her eyes at Erica's actions, "Stefan." She took a bigger drink since she was designated sober driver. "I figured he'd flake because he hadn't shown up yet."
"He may have had to help his Uncle with something." Erica defended Stefan even though he didn't make her heart flutter.
"True." Bonnie agreed deciding this would be her last cup, "But I think he came here because of you." She nodded to where Tiki was trying to flirt with Stefan.
Erica shook her head, "We did invite him to the party, Bonnie." She noticed that Stefan seemed to say to Tiki what he had to Caroline on the show from the way Tiki stormed off, "Just because he came, doesn't mean he came for me."
"Yeah, sure but I don't think so." Bonnie snorted, watching as Stefan made his way over to where her and Erica were standing, "I'm going to grab some water to begin sobering up." She winked at her friend before turning and walking away just as Stefan appeared at Erica's side.
"Hey," Stefan greeted, watching as Bonnie left them on their own. "I didn't mean to scare Bonnie off." His green eyes were sparkling as he stared down at Erica.
Erica mentally groaned, "You didn't." She denied even though she knew Stefan had heard what Bonnie had said, "She just went to grab some water to help sober her up."
"She seems like a good friend." Stefan remarked as they began to walk around.
"The best." Erica agreed, nodding her head as she took a drink of her own beer, "So how are you liking the party?" She didn't really know what they should talk about.
Stefan shrugged, his hands shoved in his front pockets of his jeans, "Its pretty good." He lied, not really liking being near so many humans. "Better then some of the other parties I been to."
"Good." Erica mentally winced, kicking herself as she tried to think of what Elena had said, "You know, you're kinda the talk of the town." She couldn't help but notice the looks many of the girls were giving Stefan and her.
"Am I?" Stefan raised a brow, knowing some of what others were saying.
Erica nodded, "Mmm hmm." She hummed, sipping her beer, "You're the mysterious new guy, so yeah, you're the talk of the town."
"Well, you have the mysterious thing going, too." Stefan told her as they stopped a little ways from the party. "You also seem a little sad."
"While I can agree to the sad part," Erica finished her beer, deciding not to get another with what was coming, "I'm not that mysterious. Not like you." She nudged him with her shoulder, giving him a smile.
Stefan forced himself to smile as her scent wafted up to his nose, causing his bloodlust to rise, "You wont be sad forever, Erica."
"I know." Erica noticed the dark veins begin to creep up Stefan's face, "Hey, you ok?" She frowned, tilting her head, "Your eyes…"
"I think I got something in my eyes." Stefan explained, turning his back to Erica, "Are you thirsty? I'm gonna go get us something." He then hurried away before he lost control and tried to attack someone.
Erica didn't say a word as Stefan hurried away, instead she went in search of Bonnie. It took her a few minutes but she finally found her dark skinned friend sitting around the bonfire staring into the flames and drinking what she hoped was water. Sitting next to Bonnie, she didn't say anything for a few minutes before deciding to break their silence.
"You ok?" Erica nudged her friend with her shoulder.
"Hm?" Bonnie blinked as if coming out of a trance, "Sorry, I was lost in my own little world."
Erica raised a brow, wondering if Bonnie's powers were trying to come through, "I asked if you were ok."
"Oh." Bonnie nibbled on her lip, "Yeah I'm fine." She ran a hand through her hair, "Its just I feel as if something bad is coming." She blew out a breathe she was holding.
"Maybe you're predicting something happening in the future." Erica remarked, not telling how right Bonnie was about something bad happening.
Bonnie sighed, sipping her water, "Sure." She didn't believe her Grams saying she was a witch, it was just to far fetched to believe.
"Well why don't you predict something for me?" Erica offered, looking around, "You'll need a crystal ball but I think this will do." She picked up an empty beer bottle, holding it out to Bonnie.
"Alright," Bonnie rolled her eyes, as she went to take a hold of the bottle only to touch Erica's hand and a vision of a crow, fog and a man flashed through her mind causing her to jerk her hand away. "Um…. I think I drank to much." She suddenly got to her feet, "I'm going to see if I can find some more water."
Erica pursed her lips, frowning as she stood up when Bonnie did but didn't go after her friend. Shaking her head, she tossed the bottle into a trash can not to far from where she stood and began to walk around the party. She spotted Caroline and Matt making out on the edge of the woods while Jeremy was sitting with his friends getting high. Deciding to relax a little, Erica made her way over and snatched the joint from Jeremy when he went to pass it to Chad. Everyone but Jeremy froze as they watched her raise the joint up to her lips and took a hit before holding it out to Chad.
When they realized she wasn't going to bust them from smoking weed, they began joking around and telling Jeremy what an awesome sister he had. Once the joint was finished, Erica said her goodbyes as she went looking for Stefan. Feeling extremely calm from the weed she smoked, her tripping over Vicki Donovan's bleeding form caused her mind to come to a screeching halt when she realized what just happened. Seconds later, her mind caught up to her and she yelled for help. Matt and Jeremy were at her side in an instant as she pressed her hand against the bite wound on Vicki's neck.
As someone called 911, Erica ordered someone to give her their shirt to stop the bleeding. Seconds later, her brother held his shirt out to her to use. Without a second thought, she pressed the shirt against Vicki's neck while Matt tried to get his sister to talk to him. It took almost thirty minutes before the police and ambulance to arrive but once they did Erica was asked to moved back and let the professionals take over. Once she stepped back, she felt arms wrap around her. Looking to her left, she saw that it was Jeremy who was holding her which caused her to break down.
"Shh." Jeremy whispered, rubbing Erica's back, "You saved her, Eri." He hated seeing his sister fall apart.
"I know but….." Erica closed her eyes, trying to stop the flow of tears.
Jeremy wiped the tears from his sister's cheeks, "You had a flash back, didn't you?" He pursed his lips, "From the crash."
"Yeah," Erica admitted, trying to calm down. "Just seeing Vicki covered in blood reminded me of mom." She looked to Jeremy, giving him a sad smile, "I'll be ok."
"I know," Jeremy pressed a kiss to the side of Erica's head. "Come on. We need to call Jenna to come pick us up." He walked her over to a picnic bench and sat down, pulling her down next to him before pulling out his phone and calling Jenna.
A few seconds later, Bonnie and Caroline made their way over to the pair, "Hey guys." Bonnie said, holding her friend up who was pouting, "I'm taking Care to the Grill to mainstream coffee to sober her up. Do you guys need a ride?"
"Jeremy called Aunt Jenna." Erica replied, leaning her head against Jeremy's shoulder. "She should be here soon."
"Good." Bonnie commented, noticing that Liz Forbes had pulled up. "Shit. Come on, Care. We gotta go." She waved goodbye to both Jeremy and Erica as she hurried Caroline to her car.
(Salvatore Boarding House – 11:33 PM)
Zach Salvatore headed up to his room for the night leaving Stefan sitting in front of the fireplace watching the flames dance, lost in his memories. When the front door burst open, Stefan jumped to his feet and rushed to see who threw open the door. The doorway was empty but a crow suddenly flew into the room, over Stefan's head. Just as turned around, Damon Salvatore appeared, the crow sitting on his shoulder and a smirk spread across his face.
"You should see what I can do with fog." Damon gloated, wiggling his brows as he turned on his heel and headed into the sitting room.
"Damon." Stefan said, following after his brother after glancing to the stairwell to see if Zach had come to check on the noise. "What are you doing here?" He crossed his arms, staring his brother down as Damon poured himself some bourbon.
Damon set the decanter on the counter then took a sip before he said anything. "I couldn't very well miss your first day of school, now could I?" He raised a brow, taking another sip of his booze, "And besides, that Erica is almost a dead ringer for Katherine."
"Erica isn't Katherine, Damon." Stefan retorted, hating the fact his brother was once more going to cause more chaos.
"Thank god for that." Damon said, toasting Stefan with his glass, "We both know how that turned out." He gave Stefan a pointed look before finishing his bourbon.
Stefan glared at Damon, tensing when he mentioned Erica, "Stay away from Erica." He didn't want her hurt because of Damon's recklessness. "You may think everything is all fun and games but where you go, people get hurt."
"That's a given," Damon agreed. "We are vampires, lil' brother." He walked over and pinched Stefan's cheeks, "Although, I wonder. How long has it been since you've had something a little stronger then squirrel?" He wiggled his brows as Stefan pushed him away.
"I know what you're doing and it wont work." Stefan told him as he turned to leave Damon on his own.
Damon, not liking his brother turning his back on him, rushed forward and slammed him against the wall with his hand around Stefan's throat causing the house to vibrate. "Careful there, Steffie." Damon sneered, looking down at his young brother, "You should know better then to think you're stronger then me. You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people." He shoved away from Stefan, hearing Zach moving around in his room, "I think we woke Zach up." He looked over towards the stairs, seeing his nephew standing there, "Sorry, Zach."
(~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)
Author Note – So what do you guys think? Do you like it? Love it? Hate it? (Raises Brow) I would also like to say that I will ignore all FLAMES so please don't write them. (Looking At Certain Readers) You know who you are. (Clears Throat) Anyway, who do you think Erica should be with? Damon? Kol? Klaus? All three? (Wiggles Eyebrows) Personally I was thinking of Damon/OFC/Kol or Kol/OFC/Klaus. (Hums) What do you think? Til the next chapter, keep reading and reviewing!
~*Dragon*~