A/N: And here is the second chapter! Enjoy and feel free to leave your thoughts. As for Samantha, I suppose there's little need to spell it out, but she is a witch (a bad one...)^^
Enjoy;
Chapter Two, Saving a Life
With the wind ruffling my hair, I peered back at the Grill and rolled my shoulders awkwardly. How often hadn't I hunkered down an iced coffee in the hot, sticky summer days or spent an afternoon playing billiard with Tyler (even though I had absolutely no talent for it)? It felt odd that my brother and I now had to squeeze ourselves through the same basement window Tyler and I had squeezed ourselves through to get into the grill when we'd been running from three older bullies when we were thirteen and fifteen. Fingering the zipper of my jacket I pursed my lips.
"Let get moving."
"Where do we go now?" Jeremy asked as we quickly moved across the parking lot. "I— We're out of there now, but I have no idea where they took her."
"I heard Liz Forbes say they had to take— well someone to the Gilbert House. But— our house makes absolutely no sense."
Jeremy bit his lip, thinking hard.
I waited for him to say anything but after a few minutes I sighed: "Why are they doing this anyway?"
Jeremy turned white: "I— I can't tell you now, but— could you please trust me?"
I probably should have said no. I probably should have told him: 'Hell no!', but he was my brother; wasn't that enough reason to trust him? Running the tongue across the back of my teeth, I ran my fingers across my right temple and sighed: "All right. If you want to find her— this girl— Anna? Then we'll have to figure out what Gilbert house they meant."
Jeremy scrunched up his face, hands trembling and face as pale as a sheet. "Perhaps dad's practice—"
"I— I suppose that would make some sense." I agreed and pulled him behind a dark vehicle when a police car sped by. The glare of the blue lights made Jeremy's face look starkly white. I looked around, wondering how we could get close to dad's old practice building if we, the normal public, were not allowed close. Any car would be stopped and I might not have liked getting into a car myself, but if we were going to get there— we would have to. Jeremy was fifteen he wasn't allowed to drive (not that that had ever stopped him, or me when I was younger for that matter, but I was supposed to be the older sister; I should set the example). Another police car was parked to the right of the Grill (probably Jason Burke's) and I stared at it with a deep frown. I was sure the Rookie agent must not have noticed them doing a runner, yet, but we needed to act fast. Besides, I knew how to steal a car—
It was surprisingly easy. You jammed a tire between the window and the door and popped the lock. Alarms could be difficult, but I knew the brand Liz Forbes used. I knew how to disarm those and I grabbed Jeremy's wrist. It was a long time ago the last time I allowed that part of me to be in charge and I swallowed.
I had always been the wild child of the family— got into trouble at every turn I could. And there was a large part of me that itched to regain that wildness again…
"Come on!"
"What are we—" He started and I dragged him up to the cop car.
"Remember when I got into trouble for nicking Liz Forbes' car?" I asked and Jeremy rolled his eyes.
"You mean when dad got so angry he smashed the toaster against the wall?"
"Yes," I admitted, peering around for anything flat and smirked smugly when I noticed the paint spatula near the front door of the Grill. Popping the lock was surprisingly easy and disarming the alarm a little bit less, but at least I managed it without it screaming its guts out.
I got in behind the wheel and Jeremy stared at me with wide eyes before almost reluctantly settling next to me.
"What?"
"I thought you were— apprehensive behind the wheel of a car."
I shrugged: "Old habits die hard I suppose. And besides, like hell that I would let you drive after the bus comment."
"Gee, thanks for the trust."
I rolled my eyes, pushed my hands flat against the plastic cover on the steering column, jangling it until it came loose and felt around to find the wiring harness connector. Jeremy was staring at me as I proceeded to connect several contact wires as if he'd never really seen me before. The car grumbled several times before the motor started and I steered the car harshly out of the parking lot. It took me a few minutes before I managed to get my nerves under control and another before I felt the adrenalin pumping again.
Jeremy smiled slightly: "Between the two of us, you always were the wildest."
"I only didn't do drugs."
He sneered: "Did Elena tell you?"
"Yep." I agreed. "She seems to think I could help you with that. Not sure what she was thinking though! I mean if you were joyriding in police cars—"
"You wouldn't have been able to judge me if I did that."
I grinned: "My point. Besides, drugs are bad, baby-brother."
His retort died in his throat when I turned off the main road and we noticed the roadblock. My mouth fell open and my eyes widened. "Damn, they brought out a lot of cars."
"Do you think—"
"We can pass. It's dark enough." I whispered and changed the gears. Jeremy had never looked so young as he did then and he slumped down in his seat. If I'd expected an exciting ride, I was sorely disappointed. Although three police cars blocked the old sandy road leading to our father's office, bright police lights tinting everything blue, the police officers must have gone out patrolling and I parked the car to the far right between a tall copse of trees. Jeremy peered around with a white face.
"What if she's not here?"
"She is!" I said, not sure what made me feel so sure about this and I switched off the engine. Dad's office building was pale even in the darkness of the night. "Let's go and find— Is that Uncle John?"
Jeremy frowned, following my line of sight. A man with dark, short-cropped hair moved along the street, his face hidden in shadow, but I had known Uncle John for years. So had Jeremy: "Yes, he's back in town."
"Yuck," I muttered, "why didn't you warn me about that!"
"I forgot how much you dislike him."
"He acts like my dad when he thinks I need some scolding," I muttered and crossed my arms over my chest. Jeremy rolled his eyes and inched up on his tiptoes.
"I don't think the front door is being guarded."
I snorted: "Thank God the police force around here still sucks."
Jeremy smiled at that and we moved forward, we doubled back into the woods when someone's footsteps drew closer and hid into the dark shadows provided by the large fir trees. We pressed ourselves against the rough bark of a tree and I narrowed my eyes, squinting through the dark. The second person was moving the other way and was a few inches smaller then Uncle John was. Jeremy seemed to recognise her, but I had not managed to see her face and after Jeremy had curled his fingers around my wrist, we hurried along. The underbrush snagged at my denim-clad legs and I grumbled irritatedly under my breath.
"Why dad's place?" I asked softly, yanking my jacket lose from a creeper and I pulled him along to the back of the building. It was probably a far better plan to take the utility door than stomp through the front.
"Dad was part of this secret order," Jeremy answered and I gave him an unimpressed look. "He was. I swear. There is this council that rounds up supernatural beings."
I swallowed: "Supernatural? Like— Werewolves, fairies and vampires?"
"You've got the latter right."
"They think they're killing vampires!?" I hissed and clasped my hands over my mouth in response. Jeremy froze and we waited with bated breath for someone to come looking for us. When no one did, I lowered my voice as much as I could. "What do you mean they're killing vampires? Do you mean Jonathan Gilbert's odd journals?"
"Yes," he agreed and I shook my head in denial. He was moving again and I shook the fast-beating terror that tried gripping me. Blowing something up, was the last thing we needed and I followed after him.
The way we moved across the damp leaves, fingers trailing down the rough bark of the trees reminded me strangely of the games of hide-and-seek we used to play in our courtyard when I was six and he was five years of age, but I couldn't dwell on it. I breathed out in relief when we managed to reach the utility door and for a moment I was hit with nostalgia. In front of our dad's practice, I felt my mouth dry and I inhaled sharply. Jeremy had already slipped inside and I followed quickly, afraid of being caught. It was odd. There was a roadblock but hardly any, if any, police. It made it easier, but God, police in Mystic Falls was the least organised force of them all.
"Jer," I hissed, "Wait up!"
I crossed the hall quickly and stilled. Something was coming up from the chairs, some kind of energy, an aura and I willed my nerves to stay under control. When I got upset, scared, really worried, strange things always tended to happen. I wasn't entirely sure why or how and I wasn't too willing to delve into them either, so inhaling deeply, I dug my nails into my palms. "Downstairs."
"What?"
"I think— I think they're downstairs."
Jeremy didn't bother waiting for an explanation (because how could I even know that, but I had known things without explanation far before the weird feelings started to accompany them; much like premonitions), threw opened the door and thundered down the stairs. He was a lot faster than me and I saw him disappear through the cellar door when I was still at the top of the stairs.
"No!" Jeremy howled and what followed was a loud wallop and I quickened my steps almost tripping over my own feet and felt my eyes widen when I stumbled through the door. Uncle John lay face-first on the floor, while Jeremy was cradling a petite Asian girl (who probably was just as tall as I was) to his chest. However, it was; not necessarily that sight that made my eyes widen. I was standing in what once was Doctor Gilbert's cellar where he'd normally kept a large variety of moving boxes, but was now filled with almost comatose people, sprawled out onto the wooden floor, fire licking at the walls. Among them was Mayor Lockwood, looking up at me with wide horrified eyes.
I watched stupefied as Jeremy pulled his girl-friend in his arms and turned to me: "We have to get out of here."
"You're kidding right?" I whispered back, glancing at Richard Lockwood again. "We can't leave all of them here."
"Sam—"
"Get your friend to the car," I ordered him and Jeremy looked as if he wanted to argue.
"Jeremy, I trusted you, even though I know there is something seriously wrong here. Now you need to trust me. I— I'll explain, even if I think you'll be horrified."
"She's a witch, Jer," the Asian girl suddenly cut in, eyelids heavy and seeming rather content in the arms of my brother. I peered at her with a frown. I'd never labelled the things I could do as witchcraft but now that I thought about it, it seemed to match rather well.
"Don't be silly— Sam?"
"I never really had a name for it," I answered lamely, now truly regretting my hesitation to delve deeper into all that I could do. "I guess 'witch' works."
The girl's eyes widened and her mouth formed an 'O'. "You never understood."
"Take her out, Jer!" I ordered grossly.
"I get the answers?"
"As will I," I retorted bestowing them both with a stern look and Jeremy turned to the staircase, the steps creaking loudly under his feet as he thundered upstairs. With me standing in the middle of the room the fires remained dormant as if something was controlling them and I seriously hoped that I was doing so. I waited until I heard the door upstairs slam and returned my gaze to the other people again. There were so many of them and even though I agreed with Liz Forbes that Richard Lockwood deserved some horrible fate I felt rather conflicted if it should be the fate burned to death.
My eyes closed and I concentrated. There was a thrumming sort of warmth spreading within my body and my pulse started to race. Listening to the crackle of the fires I willed, hoped and tried to make them stop. My fingertips grew hot and twitched. I had no idea if what I was doing was even working until something started to hiss, distinctively similar to a campfire being dowsed with water. When I opened my eyes again, the fires were gone and it was much easier to breathe.
However, I did feel slightly faint and curled my fingers in the sleeves of my jacket. I'd wondered before if that was how I'd miraculously survived from the car crash that killed both my parents but I couldn't linger on it long because my uncle was stirring, one hand going to the back of his head, where a welt was swiftly swelling. I wasn't sure what I should do. The fires had died and Uncle John was regaining consciousness. It seemed more logical to get out while I still could. He might be able to restart the fire, but he would also be quite out of it. The other people seemed well enough and perhaps I would not get a price for bravery for it, but I turned on my heel and took the steps two at a time. I was almost upstairs when a boy almost ran me over.
"What? Who are you?" He gasped and I frowned.
"Uh—" I couldn't get away with pretending to be a cop. I was too young for that.
"No matter," he whispered and moved past me in one step at the same time Uncle John wrenched the door from the cellar open and stared up at me and the guy for only a second before he pushed him aside. His eyes were gleaming manically and I did the only suitable thing a sixteen-year-old trouble maker could. I turned around, about to make a beeline for the door but then something was jammed into the side of my neck. I gasped in shock whirled around with wide eyes and waited to drop dead or anything. The syringe Uncle John was holding was now empty and I'd call his expression calculation if he hadn't just—
"What?"
John's furious face remained absolute clear, no dark spots or fatigue clouding my sight and I frowned. Anger was the next logical solution even if his expression eased in some resemblance of the face I'd grown up with: "What was that for!?" I demanded angrily and the man looked momentarily at a loss of what to do before slamming the door towards the room full of suspected weirdo's and Tyler's father closed.
"Thank God," Uncle John whispered and his hand shot out, grabbed me and yanked me close. His other arm pressed against my neck, pushing painfully against my jugular and I struggled futilely. I only saw Elena's surprised and scared face for a moment before darkness surrounded me.
To be continued…
A/N: Next update after the weekend. Let me know what you think!
