PROBLEMATIC
I spent my weekend with Elena and Caroline helping Kelly and Matt set up the arrangements for Vicki's funeral. I refused to hear about how her death came about, considering I could feel that she was dead long before she 'disappeared'. I comforted Caroline on the side, as I knew that it was hard to see Matt push her away while he was vulnerable with Elena. They just weren't at that level of trust then, and I needed Care to understand that. I sat beside Matt at the memorial that Caroline and I planned at the school. Surprisingly, people came, and it helped ease Matt's thoughts. Vicki and I never really clicked like that, but she was always there when I hung out with Matt, so it's going to be hard not to see her around anymore.
"Thanks, Lee." Matt put his hand on my shoulder kindly. "I don't think I could have done this without all of you."
"It's no problem, Matt. Vicki was a part of us too, you know?" I smiled at him. Vicki sponsored my first cup of beer. Anytime we were over with Elena, Vicki would give us impressive ways to rebel. We didn't really know her well, but Vicki's presence was never overlooked.
Matt gets a little teary eyed. "I keep glancing at the door thinking she'll come stumbling in with Roxy and Tim." He said, looking at the entrance.
"I know it's gonna seem a little dark, but it's always when the sky is at its darkest that the sun begins to rise brightly in the east." I tell him, lightly squeezing his left shoulder empathetically.
Matt smiles at me. "That was surprisingly deep."
I fail to hide a grin. "Not bad for a kiddie pool?" I said, referring to the dumb, shallow, cheerleader stereotype.
Matt shook his head once as he put his hands in his pockets. "Not bad at all." We indulge in a short laugh, and I noticed the chips bowl was running on empty.
"'Scuse me, Matt-eroo, but the snack table needs tending." I wink at the blond.
He nods, shooing me away. "As you were." He said, jokingly giving me a stern stare. I smirked and texted Tyler to bring the box individual chips from his car.
After about 5 minutes of waiting, Tyler texted me that he needed help. I huffed in annoyance, because he had ONE job! Do the heavy lifting! I wandered the halls of our school, looking for my jock boyfriend on a mission. I stopped in the middle of the hall to call him, because there was no one around. I nearly dropped my phone as I got pulled into a dark classroom.
I yelped before a hand covered my mouth. "Relax." I heard Tyler's voice in my ear. I calmed down and smacked his chest.
"What's wrong with you? You scared the hell out of me!" I whispered furiously.
"Sorry, I just needed to get away." He explained vaguely. Tyler's dark eyes skittered around the room, before landing on mine once again. I saw him swallow, and it was then that I realized what his problem was.
"It's okay, I get it." I carefully pulled him into a hug. "You and Vicki were close." He didn't say anything else, he just made a noncommittal noise. After a few seconds, I could feel him kissing my neck. I let him, knowing that he was trying to forget. His kisses trailed up my neck and I was lifted to the teacher's desk. I was a little uncomfortable with the situation, but I was willing to be there for him. I swallowed hard as Tyler put his hands under my shirt, forcing the bad vibes down. When I couldn't take it anymore, I grabbed Tyler's hand down.
"Tyler?" I wrapped my hand around his wandering one. Once he noticed my expectant gaze, he sighed. "Come on, tell me what's going on."
I hoped I was looking into his eyes because it was super dark in here. I reached up and ran my fingers under his jaw. "I was a dick to her." He finally said, his hands rested on my hips.
"Tyler ..." I started, but was cut off by hand moving mine off him.
"You don't understand, you weren't there." I sighed heavily, nodding along. I knew exactly where this talk was heading. "I treated her like garbage, like she was a toy."
"And you feel guilty about it." I understood.
"I feel like shit. And there's no way to change anything." He walked away from me and ran his hands through his hair.
I squeezed his hand. "Yes there is, you're not that guy anymore. I think you should just be there for Matt and—"
He pulled away from me, "And what if I still might be? I have this anger I can't control, so I try to control the things around me. Is that what you want?"
"What I want is the guy who told me that he loved me. Because that's the guy that I know I could be with." I nudged him out of the way. "And I'm tired of this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde shit, so let me know when you find him." I said as I stormed out of the room. In my frustration, I blushed in embarrassment as I realized that I blasted open all the lockers in the hall. As I turned the corner, I slid down to the floor and held my head in my hands.
I ignored Tyler's calls for the rest of the weekend following the memorial. Not just Tyler's but everyone's. I spent the entire weekend meditating and connecting with nature. Currently I was standing in the forest behind my house, barefooted, feeling the soil of the kinetic energy hotspot underneath my feet. I'd left my hair down and worn my workout pants and hoodie. I walked further in the woods till I found the apex of the energy. I laid my yoga mat down and lied down on it. I relaxed my muscles and realigned my bones. I breathed in the air, letting the air flow through my veins and slither up my muscles.
I let the sounds of the birds flying through the air take over my senses. They flew freely over the trees, the clouds, and the ground below them. I listened for the rabbits scurrying along the ground with haste. I could feel the roots of the tree above me whine as I felt my consciousness slip into its branches. I could feel it's life thrumming beneath my veins.
"I thought you'd be out here."
I brought myself back to my own consciousness, and went into a seated position. I slowly turned to face my twin, toning down the instant relief when I remember how annoyed I was with her.
"Well, you found me." I get up and roll my yoga mat back. "So you're back now?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to be back in time for school." Bonnie explained. I walked past her brusquely, nearly shoving into her shoulder.
"Mal." I hear her sigh. I didn't slow down for her, nor did I speed up. "Mal!" I'm stopped by the hand on my arm.
"So what, you just get to judge me for leaving?" I turn to face her. "You weren't here! I had to do this alone! You have no right."
"Bonnie you never returned any of my calls! You lied to me several times! And for what? You needed me and you did what you always do! You shut me out and go at it alone." I snatched my arm back. "Grams is gone." My voice broke and I tried to hold back the tears. "She's gone and you're all I have. And you can't do that to me anymore." I looked to the ground, "I'm sorry that I left. There were things that I had to know. And I couldn't learn them here."
"I'm sorry too." Bonnie closed the distance between us. "I was just so guilty and hurt."
My gaze softened, "It's not your fault. She knew what that spell could do to her. You have to believe that. You can't hide from magic. We have to learn how to control it."
Bonnie pulled away and turned her back on me. "I don't know."
"It's who we are. And no matter what we do, that's not going to change." I shifted my weight and then walked past her.
"Okay, so what do we do?" Bonnie spoke, following me back home. The funniest thing is that even when Bonnie came to me for help she still managed to sound like she was in charge. People always underestimate me because they assumed that Bonnie was the smarter and more sensible twin. I purposely didn't participate much in class, but Caroline and I got pretty good grades. But because I always seemed boy crazy and Caroline an airhead, only our friends knew that. But anyway, Bonnie and I had a lot of work to do.
Two hours later ...
We've been reading for a while, and I could tell that even though Bonnie was trying, she was failing miserably. This wasn't Harry Potter, there were no magic wands to point with, or fancy schools to attend. Witches in real life have to learn to speak Latin, as the dead language was our language of power. The language was a passageway to the power of witch spirits before us. Bonnie wouldn't be ready for a while, but it was important that she learn how to defend herself. We no longer had Grams to protect us. We had to put our big girl panties on and do it for ourselves. We were not only witches, Grams told me once. We were Bennett Witches. I never got to understand what that meant, but our bloodline was important and Grams made sure that I knew that before she passed on. This would mean a lot of digging in the near future.
Since I'd been back in Mystic Falls, I felt a dark feeling creeping up on me. At first, I was foolish enough to believe that it was the Salvatores. No matter what, I couldn't seem to get bad vibes from Damon. It was weird, considering all the terrible things my friends said about him. If it wasn't Caroline telling me that he was a controlling asshole, it was Elena and Bonnie telling me that he's killed people. But no matter the vibes, the facts were there. He was the reason Tanner was gone, and that Vicki and Zach Salvatore were dead. These were people I grew up with, and despite the fact that I didn't know them all that well or even liked them, they were residents here. Damon was on my radar, and that wasn't a place that he wanted to be on. But there's something darker going on, this had to be just the beginning. Something worse was coming.
Bonnie and I needed to be ready, we needed each other to make that happen. As long as there were vampires in the town, we needed to find a way to protect our friends and ourselves. As soon as I walked back into the room, Bonnie's eyes were glued to my attire.
"And just where are you going?" I smiled as I twirled around for her. I was wearing a light blue A-line cocktail dress that fell just above my knees, the dress had silver embroidery across the bodice and was very form fitting. I pulled my curly fro into a high bun, leaving out a few tendrils in the front.
"The Founder's Day party." I say, turning to check my hair and makeup in the mirror. I could still see Bonnie's judgemental face.
She sat up straight. "Tyler must have really done it this time." My salty twin mused.
"I'm not going for Tyler." I rolled my eyes. "Apparently even long distance Dad can't escape Mrs. Lockwood. He sent a check in the mail for me to hand deliver to her." Really he suggested that Bonnie do it, but I found it first. Honestly, I wasn't even sure what I was going to do if I saw Tyler. He asked me if I was still coming tonight and I told him I'd think about it. If I called him right now, he might even come pick me up. I shook my head to squash that idea. Nope, Malia Bennett needs no escort.
I'm going stag.
As I took my ticket from the valet guy, I realized that he slipped his number in my hand as well. He winked and me and I smiled awkwardly, sliding the number in my handbag, so he could leave me alone. As I crossed the threshold of Town Hall, I inwardly sighed. This party was exactly what I had expected; boring as all hell. Waiters were everywhere, holding up metal trays of full champagne glasses. Numerous members of the founding families mingled about each other, some enjoying themselves, others looking absolutely miserable. I could see why, the music was terrible and the alcohol was supervised. And not to mention the people. The Fells were definitely considered the Wayans of the town. They bred like rabbits in the summertime and I swear you can bump into two generations without realizing it.
I grabbed a champagne flute off a tray, downing it surreptitiously. I spotted Jeremy first, looking like he didn't want to be here. I intended to be in and out, so talking to Jeremy was a no-go. I looked to my left, looking for a quick getaway, so I could find Carol Lockwood. When I spotted the two Salvatore brothers at the door, I almost cussed. Emo boy it is, then.
"Jeremy!" He jumped slightly, as he hadn't noticed that I slithered up behind him.
"Christ!" He held his hand to his heart.
"Relax J, it's just me." I look at the younger boy weirdly.
He took a deep breath. "You're here, how are you here? I thought this party was founded by family members only."
I resisted the urge to side-eye him. "Watch it, Jeremy."
The boy rolled his eyes. "You know that's not what I meant."
I flashed a card. "I was invited, calm your tits."
I looked around the corner and caught the eye of the bad brother. I excused myself from Jeremy and calmly made my way toward a lively and talkative Carol Lockwood. And I would have walked the entire way to the woman had I not had this crazy feeling take over me. Something else was going on, and I could feel multiple energies in the room that just did not belong. In the corner of the room, there was a man that I had never seen before, so I wasn't too sure that this was a member of the founding families. Without thinking, my legs moved in the direction of the proposed uninvited guest. I had no plan, no idea of what I was going to do if it turned out that the mysterious stranger was dangerous. And then all of a sudden he was looking at me. He had dazzling green eyes, skin color matched mine, and his swagger was unmistakable. I wasn't sure if I was suspicious of him, or entranced. Either way nothing was going to stop me from just speaki-
I broke my trance as I nearly bumped into a waiter carrying yet another tray of champagne flutes. I guess the theme of the night was extra toasty, huh Carol? I turned back to the direction of the man, and he was gone. I looked around the corner and all I could see was the door to the back patio close.
"Lia?" I turned quickly, slightly startled by the sudden noise. It was none other than my supposed boyfriend, with a liquor bottle in his hands. "I didn't think you were coming."
"And I wasn't. I was just dropping this off for your mom." I explained, watching his movements closely as he closed the distance between us. I could see clearly now that he held a bottle of vodka. His dad's expensive vodka.
"Looking dressed for the party?" He challenged, taking another swig of the bottle. He reached me finally, and I swallowed. Tyler was looking fine as hell tonight, and I could tell he was a little buzzed, so I was hoping he wouldn't say anything stupid and ruin this moment. "You look ..." I raised an eyebrow as I waited for him to continue. "Amazing." He then ran his finger down my face, and as he stopped at the base of my throat I swallowed, because drunk Tyler was a total asshole, but buzzed Tyler? I could feel my mouth going a bit dry.
"Tyler..." I moved away from his touch. As much as I cared about him, the hurt that I remember feeling wasn't just going to go away.
He dropped his finger. "I was wrong. The way I treated you was fucked up."
"Tyler ..."
He continued. "Just let me finish, Vicki was supposed to be no one to me, a flavor of the week, but something about her reminded me of something. Reminded me of someone." His stare burned into mine. I might not be a saint, but I was no Vicki Donovan. And I say that with complete sympathy. He better make his point fast. "She was forcing me to treat her better, to be better, like you did. And it took me till now to realize that I was trying to turn her into you, when she just wasn't. And she died with that impression of me. That's the worst part."
I could feel myself melt. I rolled my eyes at my conscience. "Tyler, you can't take it back." I found myself shrugging. I put a hand on his shoulder. "But you can honor her by being the best you."
He didn't answer me, but he set the bottle down to the desk and wrapped his arms around my waist. "And I'll make it up to you, I promise."
"I'm definitely holding you to that." I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I smiled as his lips took mine into a kiss. I could feel his hands lowering to my bottom as he deepened this kiss, and as much as I wanted to take it further, I had to stop here.
"Ty, we really can't do this right now. Your mom's waiting for me." He sighs, obviously annoyed but steps back. I peck him on the lips, "Go meet up with Matt, I'll meet back up with you guys after."
"Okay." I peck his lips twice and he smacks my derrière. I yelped in surprise.
"Don't take long." He warned, and I could tell he was not joking. I backed out of the room and nearly bumped into Elena and Stefan. Great, more people.
"Hey!" I hug her back. "I see you and Tyler made up." Elena gestures to my boyfriend's less than smoove exit out of the study.
"I guess you can say that." I acknowledge the vampire next to her. "Stefan."
"Ms. Bennett." Stefan winks at me.
"Malia!" Mrs. Lockwood managed to find me first, "I see you brought the envelope." Her eyebrows furrowed, "I was told Bonnie was attending on your father's behalf."
I answered her comment brightly, "Bonnie's not exactly the social butterfly. So here I am." I place the envelope in her waiting hand.
"Well, you look lovely." Her tone implied that she actually thought so. "Enjoy the party." She nodded to Stefan and Elena.
"It's funny I was going to ask you, how is Bonnie?" Elena's puppy dog eyes reappeared. Bonnie and Elena were pretty much conjoined twins so I'm sure it was hurting her that Bonnie was avoiding her.
"I'm not going to lie to you, she's angry. And confused. There were things about Grams that she doesn't understand. Things about us that she never wanted to know." I sighed heavily. "But we're keeping ourselves busy. Because we'll be damned if we can't protect ourselves in times like these." I saw Elena's expression change into guilt and sadness.
"Right. Of course." The pain was evident in her eyes. "Just tell her that I'm thinking about her."
"I'll let her know." I promised. I honestly couldn't stand by and let Bonnie and Elena's friendship crumble. And I definitely couldn't leave Elena hanging. Not knowing what I know, and keeping in mind the danger in town. It bothered me that the selfish bastard that Elena entangled with still walked the town without a care in the world, meanwhile the woman I saw as a mother lied in a cold, dark grave. I focused myself, threw my all into practicing magic and discovering what I was capable of.
"Thank you."
I smiled pleasantly. "No problem, Lena." Elena and I turned to look for Stefan, who had been pretty quiet, only to find that he was no longer around. "What happened to Edward?"
I was met with a dry look. I had the decency to express a sheepish smile. "He's been acting so weird lately."
My stare turned thoughtful. "What happened out there while we were all kicking ass in that house? You and Stefan were bloody. What happened?"
"Nothing we couldn't handle, Malia. Everything's fine." Gilbert told me pleasantly. "I should find Stefan."
"Yeah, it's okay." I waved her off.
Elena Gilbert is a terrible liar. My instincts were telling me to investigate and figure out what happened, but there was so much going on that I didn't think I had the as I decided to find my boyfriend and enjoy the party, I felt the aura of death behind me. It was pretty obvious who had forced their way into my space. As I turned to rebuff whatever he had come up with to annoy me, I noticed the look on his face. It was stark seriousness, which I could say still looked weird on his classically attractive face. But there was a hint of mischief, and that drew my attention. I was now interested. Loosely, if anything.
"Sassy Witch." He held out his hand for me to take. "While I've gotten your attention, we might as well."
I couldn't resist the urge to take a good look at him in his suit. The way the dark suit brought out the cobalt in his eyes was sinful. Simply unfair. My face was blank but I believe he knew what I was doing with my eyes. Damon smirked at me, to which I rolled my eyes. I looked at him directly, waiting for the punchline.
I raised an eyebrow. "For what reason would I want to be seen with you?"
"Information." Damon smirked wider, making my eyes narrow. "And," the vampire paused for dramatic effect. "I have acquired a few Bennett cookbooks over the years."
Now I was confused, and a little suspicious of his intentions. He just happened to have in his possession a few Bennett grimoires and was willing to give them to me? He wanted something. Vampires always did, that's why you always have to watch your back.
"I get it, you don't trust me." Making a split decision, I put my hand in his. I didn't expect warmth, but his hand wasn't exactly icy either. It was soft and cool and even though I could feel his death, I kept my expression calm and collected. I took him by surprise, which only registered for a few seconds, and then his smirk returned.
"No, I don't." I let him lead me to the dance floor. "Why would I trust the selfish asshole that has hurt my family? Twice." I reminded him. "And don't think I forgot about Caroline."
"You're right." Damon's irritation was evident. "You shouldn't." He answered in a smarmy tone. Clearly he didn't like being held accountable for his own shit. Tough titty, bloodsucker. "So why are you here?"
"Curiosity, mostly." Damon seemed to be leading me into a simple waltz. "You must be desperate if you came to me for help."
He sported a fake smile. He spun me around and twirled me back in, where he squeezed me uncomfortably. "Understand that you're useful, but the second that you're not-" I cut him off as he grabbed his head in agony. His mouth was pressed in concealed anger, as he nearly collapsed. Sheriff Forbes rushed over quickly.
"Damon really needs to watch the wine." I comment as she needlessly helped the vamp off the floor. Damon glowered at me as I let him go. My pointed look spoke volumes. I sighed, because honestly we could've had a decent conversation without him inserting that useless vampire bravado.
I found myself checking corners for Matt or Tyler once more, to let them know I was heading out soon. I had to struggle to mind my business once I noticed John Gilbert stalking Damon Salvatore. I thought about following them, but decided against it. Hopefully he didn't do anything stupid. I caught Stefan by the dance floor with a drink in his hand, watching the crowd. As much as I would rather pretend he didn't exist, maybe he could help me find Matt.
"Stefan!" I called as I got closer to the man. As I reached him, he slowly looked over at me. Honestly, he looked a little dazed and I resisted the urge to pry. I have a naturally curious spirit. "Have you seen Matt or Elena?"
"A few minutes ago. They went outside for air." Stefan gestured to the backyard french doors.
"Thanks." I headed in that direction, hoping that maybe Tyler was with them. I grabbed my white cropped sweater to fight off the cool air. As I reached the backyard, I heard a few surprised squeaks and a few oohs and ahs. Something was going on.
"Tyler, stop!" I heard Elena shout. "You're hurting him!" The second I heard Elena's voice, I pushed my way through the crowd to see what was happening.
I saw Tyler on top of Matt fighting. I pulled my shoes off my feet and moved Elena out the way. Kelly Donovan was on the ground next to an overturned table with blood on her forehead, looking very guilty and Tyler was punching his best friend like a man possessed. What the hell was going on?
"Tyler!" I shouted at him.
He wouldn't stop and I was afraid of what I might do if I tried to stop him. My magic was useless around too many people. I couldn't risk getting exposed. "Elena, get Mr. Saltzman!" Anyone but the mayor honestly. Although there was no need, he had already come through the crowd.
As much as I knew that Kelly started this, I saw that she was hurt and helped her up. "I swear I'm sorry, Malia. It just happened." I looked at Tyler, who was now calm and with his father. His face shone with guilt and remorse. For beating on his best friend or for doing whatever he did with Kelly. Who knows? Who cares.
"Malia." Elena called my name, probably from concern. I said nothing, I just helped up Matt and brought him into the nearest bathroom. "It's okay. It's fine." I told her as I waved her off. "Find Stefan. We're fine here."
"I don't want to leave you guys." She looked conflicted. I'm sure she noticed Stefan acting weird all night. Honestly she was better off keeping her vampire boyfriend and his homicidal brother in check.
"I'm fine, Elena." Matt spoke. After a short stare down, Elena retreated, albeit reluctantly, back to the common area. Matt sat on the toilet and I gave him a tissue for his bloody nose.
"If you don't want to talk, we don't have to but-" Matt cut me off.
"She has to go. I can't do this anymore." My eyebrows rose from his outburst.
"What are you gonna do?" I asked him. Legit question considering Vicki was gone too.
"I'm packing her stuff." He then looked right at me. "I have my job at the Grill. I'm paying all the bills anyway."
"You know you'd have to get emancipated, right?" At his pursed lips, I continue. "My dad knows a good lawyer." My lips form a small smile. Matt tried to return it, but only came out as a grimace. Then Matt's phone started to ring. Caroline. That girl probably heard about the fight faster than me. "I'm gonna go." I stepped out the door and looked around the room. No one was going to notice if I left anyway, so I did.
I drove slowly, taking the scenic route back to town. I felt humiliated and betrayed. How dare he throw away his loyalty like I hadn't gone against my better judgement to rekindle our already doomed-to-fail relationship? I was still in so much shock that I hadn't realized that I was being followed. I stopped at the pharmacy, where I knew I could get a tub of ice cream, popcorn and a sleep aid in the same place.
That slimeball cashier Grisley, I mean Grisham felt the need to comment on my look despite my shitty mood. "Finally inviting us common folk to the Founder's festivities, huh?" I stared expressionless until my receipt came up and snatched my bag off the counter. "Bitch." I heard the asshole call after me. I flipped him off as I exited the store, and settled on heading home. Elena elected to text me, figuring out after calling three times that I wasn't in a talking mood. She wanted to make sure I got home okay. I answered her quickly, and made sure she knew I wasn't about to talk about anything. Bonnie understood immediately as she saw me come through the door. Elena tells Bonnie everything so I was quite sure that she knew already.
** Close by in the Dark **
The Bennett twins that my mother told me about actually existed. The prophecy that imprisoned my family for centuries was close to being fulfilled. The curly-haired one, called Malia, would be the one to break the curse, she had to be. She was so powerful that she was even able to see through my cloaking spell without even trying. I had to get her to trust me, otherwise I would never convince her to unlock her true potential. Hopefully once I can convince one of the twins, the other will follow.
She was a petite one, my mother told me they would be beautiful, most Bennett women were. But this one was hardened, one could tell from the pain hidden in her eyes. I'll have a plan, in due time, but first I must warn the others. They would help me set off a chain of events that would change this young one's life forever.
**Back to Malia**
I was tired, that much was evident, but I couldn't sleep for the life of me. The sleep aid was supposed to knock me out for several hours, but I only slept for three measly hours. Tomorrow morning I had cheerleading practice and the last thing I wanted was to look like a zombie. Not when Caroline was returning, and definitely not when there were tomb vampires lurking around town. But there was something else bothering me. Who was that guy watching me at the party? It was like he was there and wasn't at the same time. What was he doing there? And why was my magic drawn to him? I had way too many questions but little to go on so I decided to let it go.
For now.
... To be Continued ...
A/N: Can't tell you how long its been, but here's a new one if anyone wants to read. I have half the next in my docs but I'm in school and planning a friend's wedding till the end of May, so definitely nothing will be ready before that. BIG thanks to the folks who are still reading. I don't know why but thanks anyway.
You know the deal; I DON'T OWN THE PLOT OR THE CHARACTERS OF THE CW'S VAMPIRE DIARIES.
Just Malia and her additions to the story, and trust me, there's A LOT.