Disclaimer: See prologue
... ... ...
That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight, I'm
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough
"Mackenzie? Can you stay after class please?" Mr. Saltzman asked just as the bell rang.
She sighed but stayed where she was until everyone had left. He joined her, sitting in the chair beside her.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
She turned to look at him suspiciously, wondering just how much he knew.
"I know it all." He answered her unspoken question.
"By all, you mean…?"
"All." He confirmed. "I'm a Vampire Hunter."
"So can you go hunt Damon?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
He chuckled. "Believe me, I want nothing more than to do that."
"Won't hear any complaints from me." She grumbled.
"Look, I just wanted to make sure you were okay and give you something to help protect yourself." He held up a small weapon with a needle at the end of it. "This is a vervain injector, if you're attacked again, inject it with this and it will be weakened long enough for you to get away."
Another raised eyebrow. "That's the best you got? A shot of flowers?"
"For now, our best three weapons are vervain, wooden stakes, and our wits. So I recommend you have some vervain on you at all times."
"Fine." She griped. "Can I leave now?"
"Of course. If you ever need to talk or anything, come find me, okay? I know it's a lot to deal with right now."
"No shit." She muttered before looking up with wide eyes.
He only chuckled at her language. "Considering what you've dealt with, I'll give you a free pass this time."
She thanked him before rushing out of the room.
"How are you doing?" Bonnie asked, who was waiting for her outside the room.
Kenzie looked around before answering. "Well, let's see, somebody bit me last night, I'm told vampires are real, I'm given a weapon by my history teacher and I'm walking beside a witch, how do you think I'm doing?"
She shot her a sympathetic smile. "I really am sorry to drag you into this Kenzie but maybe there was a reason you moved to Mystic Falls."
"There is. My dad was transferred. That's all it is." She argued.
"Is it?" Bonnie asked as they exited the school.
"Yes." She hissed. "I'm going home now."
"Wait." Bonnie called. "I never got a chance to try your ring, I wanted to do that. Let me run home and grab my grimoire then I'll stop by, okay?"
Kenzie agreed and left the witch, walking home in a hurry. But just like the day before, Damon was waiting for her.
"Go away."
"look, I wasn't the one who sucked your blood. I'd love to and I probably will at some point but this time it wasn't me, you need to know that."
Kenzie stopped and looked at him before finally nodding, something telling her that he was telling the truth.
"Thanks, for telling me that." She finally told him.
"I think for once my brother is right and we do have a newcomer."
"I'm still trying to deal with the oldcomers." She told him as she continued walking.
"That means you need to be careful."
"Yes, because I planned to get bitten last night. I sat there after you left going, geez, so sad that Damon didn't bite me, I really hope another Vampire comes along to bite me, wouldn't that be fun?"
"Oh and there's that lovely sarcasm Redbird."
She sent him a quick glare. "What did you call me?"
He grinned as they stopped in front of her house. "I'll see you later Redbird."
She blinked and he was gone, leaving Kenzie to roll her eyes. She reached her house and went inside, making herself a snack while she waited for Bonnie to get there. While waiting for her, she thought of the journal and perhaps she should give it to Jeremy to look at, she had told him she would pass along anything she came across and if the journal she had didn't belong to Elena, chances were Jeremy hadn't seen it yet either.
Her doorbell rang and she let Bonnie in who immediately set up some candles in her living room, pulling Kenzie's ring out and holding it in her palm as she began to chant in a language she didn't recognize. For her part, Kenzie stood back by the entrance to the room, watching warily.
The ring began to glow and Kenzie couldn't stop the gasp from escaping as the ring began levitating. Bonnie continued chanting, her eyes closed as she grew louder. Finally the glow turned blue and Bonnie gasped, opening her eyes as the ring dropped back into her hand.
"What the hell." Kenzie whispered, staring at the witch.
"Told you I was a witch." Bonnie replied with a crooked smile.
"And you figured something out?" Kenzie asked, brave enough to take only a few steps into the room.
"Yes, there is a spell on here that is well over 200 years old and another one that's not quite as old and from what I can gather, the first spell is something along the lines of the spell my ancestors used for Damon and Stefan to walk in the sun."
"How old exactly are they?"
"Think Civil war." Bonnie replied.
Kenzie shook her head in awe. "This, is insane. This is some crazy dream, right? Or- or a trick. Yes, a trick you play on the new kid."
"I wish I could say it was." Bonnie told her. "But it looks like you have some ancestors that used that ring for the exact same reason Stefan uses his."
"I have vampire relatives?"
"Had, more than likely. Especially if that ring has been passed on."
"But you said there was another spell on there right? What kind of spell."
Bonnie looked down at the ring before glancing back up at the redhead. "Honestly, I'm not too sure but I think it has something to do with the reason you can't be compelled while wearing it."
"Like vervain?"
"Maybe but I can't find traces of vervain in it, it's something else completely."
"So that's why someone got me last night?"
Bonnie nodded. "And why Damon had no effect on you while you had it."
"So, can I have it back?" Suddenly the thought of being without the ring scared Kenzie more than she could imagine. She was still trying to wrap herself around what kind of town she had moved into. That her new friends were witches and vampires and if a werewolf showed up anytime soon, there was a good chance she would lose it.
"I know you hate this but is there any way I can hold on to this a bit longer? I just want to try and figure this out."
"And what do I do in the meantime? Become snack food for the vampires. Are you sure this isn't a prank the new kid thing?"
"I won't leave you unprotected, I'll make sure you have vervain, plus you have what Alaric gave you."
"I guess." She grumbled as Bonnie began to pack everything up. "Are you leaving?"
The witch looked up and noticed how panicked Kenzie look and she felt awful for the new girl who had just arrived and was immediately thrust into this world that she was so sure was make believe.
"I'm stopping by Elena's before meeting Caroline for the pageant rehearsal, did you want to come?"
Kenzie was immediately nodding, looking extremely relieved. "I wanted to catch up with Jeremy too. Apparently we both have a common project."
"we're not even in the same grade as him." Bonnie pointed out.
"I know but he's doing extra credit for a class and our topics are alike. Just hold on." She ran upstairs to get the journal and tucked it into her bag before joining Bonnie again, both leaving to walk to Elena's house.
"I should warn you." Bonnie told her as walked. "Things are a bit strained with Elena and myself right now. In fact the day you stopped me with your ring, she was trying to talk to me again and then we decided to put it all aside to deal with you and your stuff."
"Okay." Kenzie hesitantly replied, confused as to why she was being told all this.
"I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you were wondering why things seem tense."
"What happened with you guys?"
Bonnie shrugged, focusing on the ground in front of her as they walked. "There's a lot you need to learn still. About this town, its history. There was a bunch of Vampires buried in the tomb under Fell's church. My grams and I lifted the spell so Damon could go in there for Katherine, who apparently is an exact replica for Elena. It's weird, I know but Katherine wasn't in there and it took a lot out of my Grams and I. She died later at home and she died for nothing. We didn't close the tomb properly and now they're all out."
"And you blame Elena?" she didn't understand. It wasn't Elena who had done any of that.
"No, I blame Stefan and Damon and because she's with Stefan…."
"It makes for awkwardness but honestly, why be mad at Elena because she's with Stefan, then again, that seems like something I would do but I'm sorry about your Grams."
Bonnie gave her a small strained smile as they walked up the steps and rang Elena's doorbell.
"Hey." Elena said with a small smile.
"Hey, I hope you don't mind if I tagged along, is your brother home?"
"Yes, he's upstairs. Jeremy." Elena yelled upstairs. "Kenzie is here to see you." She looked back at the new girl. "I didn't know you knew my brother."
"We spoke briefly. He seems cool."
"He is." Elena confirmed. "Please though, just be careful. His girlfriend died and was just… found. It shook him up a bit."
"Died how?" She whispered, seeing Jeremy coming down the steps.
"The official reports say drug overdose." Elena's tone told her that wasn't the whole story and Kenzie was able to make the connection.
"Does your brother…"
"No, not at all so you can't tell him, please." Elena begged her.
"I won't." Kenzie promised as Jeremy greeted her. She smiled back at him, suddenly realizing she couldn't give him the journal she had, Elena would freak.
"I was just wondering if you found any info on the history paper."
"A few things, why don't you come up to my room?"
She nodded, waving at the girls before following Jeremy upstairs and into his room.
"So what did you find out?" she asked.
"Can I ask you a weird question? Do you believe in vampires?"
She started at the question, before trying to force herself to remain calm. "Vampires? Ask me that yesterday and I'd laugh in your face."
"But something happened." He guessed, causing her to shrug. "I- I need to tell you something. I know we've spoken once but I need someone who isn't anyone that's been here. I read my sisters diary."
"And?" She prompted.
"Her boyfriend is a vampire. His brother is too. Vicky died because of Damon and Stefan then she had Damon erase my memory somehow, by-" He stopped, trying to remember the word.
"Compelling." She offered without thinking before her eyes widened.
"So you do know about this?" He asked in disbelief.
"I just found out, I promise. My ring was the same ring vampires use to walk during the day, they thought I was one, then one bit me. It was all a mistake, really."
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Can you please tell me everything you know?"
Kenzie briefly hesitated but seeing the pleading look on his face, reached into her bag and pulled out the journal, handing it to him. "Someone, I don't know who or when, exchanged this journal for the one your sister gave me and I read everything in here."
"Wow, thanks and now I have something for you." He put the journal on his desk
"What?" she asked.
"Well, after the Miller's left Mystic Falls in the late 1800's, they migrated West before finally settling in California."
"Which still means nothing, Miller is a very common last name."
"That's true but it's a start, want me to keep looking?"
"Sure." She replied as there was a knock on the door before it was opened by Elena.
"Mrs. Lockwood just called and one of the Fell cousins fell ill."
"So?" Jeremy asked her.
"We need another member for the court and Bonnie flat out refused. Can you please step in Kenzie?"
"Court, for what?"
"Miss Mystic Falls pageant."
"Are there no back-ups?" Kenzie asked with a raised brow.
"There is but here's the thing, all the interviews are done, most of the rehearsals are done and the chances of you winning would be slim to none. We just need-"
"A warm body to fill the court?" Kenzie finished for her.
Elena nodded. "I know it's kind of a raw deal but we need someone who is okay with that and can pick up the dance steps fast."
"Dance?"
"There's a dance between them and the escorts."
"Which I don't have." She pointed out before both girls turned to look at Jeremy.
"What?" He said, finally catching on. "No, not going to happen."
"Please?" Elena begged him.
Kenzie shrugged. "I'm in, I can pick it up fast plus I look super cute all dressed up. In fact I have this adorable purple dress for my school's formal I never got to wear. And it would be nice having someone I know." She hinted at Jeremy.
"Not my thing." He told them.
"Please?" Kenzie now begged. "I'll help you more with the project we talked about."
He thought it over for a bit before finally nodding. "Fine, I'll help but only for Kenzie."
"And I'll help only because I love dressing up and everyone should know who I am." Kenzie grinned. "What do I have to do?"
"Come to rehearsal, right now. I'll call Mrs. Lockwood and tell her we have someone to stand in."
Elena left and Kenzie shot Jeremy another smile. "I do love dressing up but I really appreciate you not leaving me alone in front of everyone."
"As long as you keep helping me." He said with a smile. "Shall we go get tortured?"
"Sure."
… … …
"Honor your partner. Stay focus, right hand around. Flirt with your eyes, left hand around." Mrs. Lockwood instructed.
"This is seriously a dance?" Kenzie asked Jeremy as they turned around each other holding a hand up, palms facing each other without touching.
"Both hands." Their instructor called.
"I think I'm regretting agreeing to this."
"It's not so bad." Jeremy said with a small smile. "It gives us a chance to talk. Did you see Mrs. Lockwood light up when we told her you just might be from the Miller line?"
"Thanks for that by the way."
"She looked like she didn't want you here so that helped."
"Again, thanks for that."
"No! No! There's no touching during this part. It's about the simple intimacy of the near touch." Mrs. Lockwood cried as Stefan spun then dipped Elena. The two straightened up and she turned her attention to the other girls. "Very nice, Mackenzie. You have caught on so fast to this and the town will be thrilled to know we have a possible founding member back in our midst."
"This is all your fault." She muttered to Jeremy.
He laughed as they continued dancing.
…. … …