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Hello Fiasco-Hold Me Close

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· ~ε ïз~ ·

Caroline Pov

· ~ε ïз~ ·

"Your friends' lives are at risk."

Those six words echoed in my head, spurring me to lay my foot on the gas of Elena's car.

I had protected them before from some creepy sub for our cheer coach, but something was telling me this was different.

Lexi, like me, was a vampire, though she mentioned being stronger than me... What did she mean when she said, 'older vampires have the upper hand?'

No matter how many times I tried to remember who killed me last December, I

couldn't. Everything was blurry and impossibly fragmented to try and piece together. Bonnie had been the one to find me under a birch tree...laying in a puddle of dried blood. And as thanks, I tried to drain her. Luckily she reacted quickly enough. Surprisingly, she had no hard feelings. She always had a forgiving nature. Out of our friend group, I held the grudges.

The weird thing was, I didn't hate the person who turned me. In all honesty, I was grateful.

Before, I used to be the most self-certain and stuck-up person in Mystic Falls High School. Okay, maybe I still am a little stuck up and even selfish, but the point is my death was a wake-up call I never knew I needed.

Pulling up to the Gilbert-Sommers residence, I managed to relax the wrinkles that had formed on my forehead.

Elena came running out from the back of the homey cabin-designed home, followed by Tom. He

was clutching a stitch at his side. My friend was laughing so hard at him that I feared she would pass out.

I stepped out of the car, the plastic bag from the store hanging in my loose grip.

Elena flipped her head around in Tom's direction. "I thought you promised Jenna and me you would be down to do the 5k run this year at Athasor Park."

I smiled, vividly remembering when my mother took me for a walk every day after she got home from work. The flat stones you walked on looked like a muted rainbow path. Wild flowers grew everywhere in colorful patches, hanging vines adorned the looming Oaks, and wide creeks drifted with fallen flower petals and gurgled in the background with the small woodland animal noises.

Tom chuckled, out of breath, "Now, don't you worry about my promise. I have plenty of time to get back into running shape."

My friend turned back to me, her eyes shining merrily. "What took you so long, Care?"

I gestured down to my dress.

"Oh, Hun, how did that happen?" Asked Tom, a frown on his kind face. I sighed, not meeting his eyes. I hadn't been planning on lying to him.

I let out a nervous laugh, hoping it could pass as an embarrassed one. "Obviously," I gestured to myself. "I had a clumsy moment."

"Huh, I didn't know vampires could get those. Don't you have superior senses and agility?"

"Ooh, you know what they say..."

My smile was too wide to be normal, I prayed they wouldn't pick up on it.

"Anything's possible."

· · · ·

Jenna being especially happy, made me a dainty flower crown for bringing the lighter fluid.

Elena was in the house, cooking up the Southern Mac and Cheese recipe we had learned from our Home Ec teacher, Ms. Bell. The good doctor had put Jenna in charge of the loaded potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil. And Bonnie, after finishing up making her special Bell Peper Salad, had begun thinly flaying the steaks to Tom's liking while he readied the grill.

I was glad to be out of the cooking rush. It was never my thing, but I was happy to set up the cute little wooden picnic table. I cleaned the leaves off and wiped it down with a soapy rag before setting the worn checkered cloth on its rigid surface.

A faint flapping sound made me tense and look skyward. A black bird was circling the area.

Blinking, I let go of the breath I didn't know I had been holding.

What had I been expecting? Some naked person with wings to drop from the sky?

"Hey."

I jumped at the feel of Bonnie's hand on my shoulder. For a moment, I wondered if she could feel my tenseness.

"Are you alright? You seem a bit off." Bonnie's olive green eyes seemed to be staring me down. I calmed. She was just concerned.

She couldn't know I lied. She couldn't guess that her life and Elena's were in danger. And I wouldn't know why until midnight.

I cleared my throat, "I'm a little parched."

From behind her back, she pulled out a plastic cup. I had already recently fed and wouldn't need any more until the beginning of next week. I was comfortable; though after everything, Lexi said, maybe I should take a little extra.

"Thank you," I mumbled before taking the plastic straw between my lips.

Bonnie smiled, briefly nodding her head. "I've been thinking about what my dad said."

Narrowing my eyes, I pulled back from the straw. "He uhh wants me to move in with him." "Elena said I should consider- -"

"What?"

Instead of a growl like I had been imagining, it came out as more of a squeak. She sighed shakily as the chilly breeze blew around her ebony hair.

I wasn't the only one going through it today.

"My mother deserted me when I was four. I mean, it's not l-like he loves me...he left me too."

Bonnie's voice broke on the last word and her heart-shaped face crumpled.

I dropped the solo cup and moved to wrap my arms around her shaking frame.

"Oh, Bon."

How could I have not noticed? I was so wrapped up in my thoughts...

"I want nothing to do with my parents, and she doesn't get that. She called me selfish."

Pulling away from the hug, I place my hands on her shoulders, looking into her tearful eyes.

"I totally get what you are feeling. For the first time in my life, I felt at peace when he died. He couldn't hurt me and my mom anymore. You can talk to me anytime. I'll be there."

She nodded, biting down hard on her bottom lip, drawing blood. "I-it's just so hard to stay calm sometimes. I just want to- -"

"Scream, cry, bang your head against a wall?"

Bonnie sniffled, chuckling weakly, "Of course, in no particular order."

Jenna called for us to start bringing plates to the table. I hugged Bonnie, telling her to sit and rest while I aided in bringing down the food. And for once, she didn't object, insisting that she had to help.

Everyone, even her, needed to step back for a minute.

· ~ε ïз~ ·

Elena Pov

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As I started spooning the savory mac and cheese onto everyone's starred paper plates, I couldn't help but look over at Bonnie.

Her back was hunched, in a way, that made me believe that she was upset. Her wavy hair covered her splotchy face for the most part.

She told me about her dad calling her up. And by the tone of her voice, I could tell she wasn't exactly thrilled. When she told me Rudy wanted her to come to Connecticut to live with him, I jumped at the idea. Sure he was a little deep in politics and possessive, but he had the best interest at heart.

It's what I would have done if my dad was still alive: if either of them were.

I would kill to have that chance.

Though as it turned out, Bonnie retained a completely different view.

She didn't want anything to do with her dad or her mom should she reappear.

And I snapped.

I hadn't meant to, but all I saw was her being unappreciative of the fact; that one and possibly both of her parents still stood on this Earth.

Caroline grabbed my forearm, pulling me from the sea of my thoughts.

"Hey, let's grab some of those cute swirl napkins your Aunt picked up the other day."

Nodding, I allowed her to lead me to the back door, tucking a long strand of hair behind my ear. I had a feeling she knew.

"What the hell, Elena?"

I crossed my arms, taking a defensive pose, not feeling like I had done anything wrong. "I expressed my thoughts - -"

"The three of us just got accepted into Whitmore. Remember when we were in middle school, there were three girls and one promise, planning out their lives. Are you trying to break that?"

Her brows furrowed, and her jaw clenched. I couldn't tell if she was unhappy or mad.

The word break made me shudder. "No, I would never do that. I just think Bonnie not being around her dad would be a missed opportunity."

Caroline's blue eyes stared daggers into mine. Her glares had greatly improved since becoming a vampire.

"For her or you?

I lifted my brows, confused. "I don't know what you mean."

Caroline's shoulders dropped from their tense position. "You would give anything to live with your parents again."

It wasn't a statement. I blinked hard, feeling that familiar stinginess. "In a heartbeat."

She strode forward, wearing a compassionate smile. "And what's your name?"

Exhaling, I scratched the top of my head, "Care, I know my- -"

"Just say it."

"Elena Gilbert."

She nodded, on to something I was not aware of.

"Yes. And our friend since Pre-K's name is Bonnie Shelia Bennett."

Her next move was unexpected, but she had been giving an awful lot of hugs lately.

"I know you are hurting because of your parents and brother, but it's not right of you to dismiss the choices she makes. It's okay to be jealous, but it's her life."

Nothing comes out of my mouth besides empty air. Oh, God, Caroline was right! What kind of friend was I?

And what the hell was I doing...

"Hey, I'm gonna go brush my teeth. I don't want the blood to ruin the taste of Tom's steaks."

· · · ·

"Where did you two run off to?"

Glancing to my left, I saw that Tom was sitting beside Bonnie, telling one of those corny jokes to cheer her up. From where I stood, it looked to be working.

"Why did the scarecrow win an award?"

My friend shrugged, scrunching up her nose. "Hmm, that's a hard one."

One of the sides of Tom's mouth lifted, "Well, he was outstanding in his field."

Her shoulders shook as she laid her head on the table, laughing.

"What would this night be without cute napkins?"

I smiled at Caroline, thankful that she managed to grab them.

Now that everyone was seated, Jenna insisted we eat. She was different from my parents, stabbing my fork threw the bell pepper salad and mac and cheese. Never did she insist that we pray over our food. I did not miss Sunday mornings entrapped in that crowded congregation. Even after Jeremy left, she remained present but kept her distance. The way she explained it to me was that she never liked children. It was one of the reasons that there was a rift between my mother and her. She didn't want that responsibility. She told me that if Jeremy and I had been younger, she wouldn't have taken us in. That's one reason why she let us... I mean me, kinda do my own thing. And I appreciated that.

"Mmm, Bon, this is incredible and pretty... What's in it?" Jenna said, shoveling another fork full of the bell pepper salad.

My friend smiled smally, sipping on her water.

"Two pounds of sweet mini bell peppers. Half of a medium sweet onion, thinly sliced. Two Tbsp of fresh dill, chopped. Two and a half Tbsp of fresh lemon juice. Three Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

Half a tsp of garlic salt and a pinch of black pepper."

We all sat in silence, "How did you come up with that?" Tom asked kindly, writing something down on the star wars notepad he always carried in the breast pocket of his flannels.

She blushed, "I just did. I have a lot of free time around the house."

"It's amazing," Care's eyes rolled back as she took her last bite. She opened her loaded potato, laughing at something Aunt Jenna said.

"Elena," she spoke my name softly, "Is this the mac and cheese Ms. Bell used to make us?"

I nodded, meeting Bonnie's olive eyes, smiling sheepishly. God, why'd I just do that?

She cleared her throat, looking away and taking a sip of water, "It's really great."

Slumping in my seat, I nibbled on a bit of the steak. Later a phone call would be in order later tonight. I couldn't stop screwing up today. Maybe it would be easier to apologize on the phone...

· ~ε ïз~ ·

Caroline Pov

· ~ε ïз~ ·

Our last moments together were spent joking with full bellies. Tom being the most sensible one who wasn't laughing loudly, advised we start to clean up. Elena gave Bonnie and me warm smiles, promising to meet up at the Grill the following morning. Elena's long plaits blew behind her as she ran off in the house's direction.

Tom and Jenna pounced Bonnie and me with hugs and warm wishes for a safe trip back home.

I held my leftovers in one hand while the other gestured that she climb onto my back. I had done this a couple of times before whenever Elena's car wasn't available or Bonnie's was in the shop (it practically lived there).

This time it was. Though, I had this feeling Bon didn't want to ask for a ride after their disagreement.

They both required some time to cool off. That didn't change the fact that a conversation still needed to be had about it.

"Hang on tight. Jenna makes a serious loaded potato, and if I had to choose - -"

She laughed, burying her head down on my back, "That's very respectable of you."

And then I was running, darting in between the ferns on Jenna and Tom's property.

Bonnie's house, the one Grams had left her, was only a couple of miles away. I never moved at top speed when I was carrying someone or leftovers for that matter...

"Ah," she slipped off my back, shaking her head, "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

"But it's fun, right?"

She ran her hands through her wavy hair, "Like a rollercoaster."

I laughed, walking Bonnie to her door. "I would ask to come in, but" I trailed off. She sighed,

leaning against the wood door and rubbing her temples.

"That phone call from Elena will come at any minute."

That last word reminded me of the remote meeting I was having. Looking down at my watch, I had an hour before midnight.

"You don't have any plans tonight, do you?"

Bonnie stuck her key in the lock, "All I ever do is hang out with my two best friends and their loved ones."

"You could date."

She shook her head, moving her dark hair to one side of her neck. "Because of my parents and Grams, I have trust issues. That makes relationships ten times harder."

Bonnie was right, of course.

I hugged her goodbye, my heart pounding in my chest in excitement for the meeting.

· · · ·

It was 11:59 on the dot, and I was tapping my feet against Wickery Bridge. Black clouds covered the stars, I couldn't tell if they held any rain. There were occasional rumbles of thunder and I hoped that it wouldn't rain.

Almost a decade had passed, and it hadn't changed much. The road was redone to look new. Of course, the old wood railing had been replaced with concrete after a tragic accident.

Sticking my fingers against its cool surface, I let my mind wander.

What exactly could endanger my friends?

Hearing someone lowly humming a catchy pop tune. I turned to see - -

"Lexi?"

The girl flashed her pearly white teeth. I noticed she had switched out of her olive-colored jacket for a brown one, and her pendant was now a choker.

"That's me, and I wasn't sure you'd come."

For once, I bit back a sassy retort. Rocking back and forth on my heels.

"How are my friends' lives in danger?"

She turned her back to me, looking over the other side of the bridge. "A powerful...warlock is after your friends...for their blood."

My eyes widen of their own accord. "Blood?"

I detected the subtle nodding of her blonde head. "In this world, blood has more capabilities than just keeping you and me going. It can be the missing component to a spell or the key to unlocking something. Blood just gets weirder and weirder the more you learn about it."

"Spell?"

She whipped her head around, brows sharply arched and mouth frowning. "Didn't I tell you that he was a warlock already?"

"And that means..." I trailed off, watching as Lexi rolled her eyes. "A step up from a regular witch. I've met ten and they were all straight up evil - -"

"And is this one just as bad?"

She barked a laugh. To me, this hardly seemed to be the time to do that.

"He's worse."

Lexi smiled enthusiastically. I wish I had her energy at a time like this.

"Good thing you're going to college. You have a lot of studying to do, blondie."

Ignoring the pet name, I persisted with my questions. "So, why does he need their blood?"

Her emerald eyes glinted in the dark, "Because their ancestors swore they never would. If your friends willingly gave their blood, it would break the curse that had been placed on him.

And he would be free to rise again."

I scoffed, "They would never do it willingly."

She gave me a once over, "If they could save their friend's life, they might think twice."

"How do we protect ourselves?"

Her silence made my nerves a wreck. "You don't. He is weak now. In a different body, the host

happens to be very aware and is fighting against him." Lexi's voice broke at the word host.

"He's just being slowed down."

My inquiry hung eerily in the air. It had answered itself.

What's my next step?

The older vampire across from me seemed to read my mind. "For starters, don't tell anyone." "But - -"

She put her finger to her lips. "The last thing we want to do is act prematurely, wait it out."

I groaned, and she continued as if not noticing, "There is a reason I singled you out. You are good at keeping secrets."

"Their lives are in danger - -"

Lexi stepped towards me, "And so is yours. There is a reason I haven't told you everything. Knowing too much is like putting a blinking target on yourself. Knowing too little is also dangerous."

I put my head in my hands, groaning. The headache I felt coming on started from the back and wrapped all the way around.

"This doesn't make any sense... How do you know all this?"

Exhaling, she unclenched her jaw, "My friend is the host, and I'm helping him. And because he

considers me a threat"

The look in Lexi's eyes was panicked when we began to hear the cawing of crows. Dozens of them it sounded like.

"He is after me."

Biting my lip I tapped my foot, wanting to ask more questions but also not wanting to overstep. She handed me a small slip of paper.

"If anything weird happens, call this number and I'll be here as quickly as I can."

She offered me a friendly smile before jumping over the side of the bridge.

I covered my hand with my mouth to hold in my scream, this girl's crazyBut could I trust what

she told me? How could I protect my friends? Who was this warlock anyway?

ʚɞ : ʚɞ : ʚɞ

A/N: This chapter was a couple of words shorter than the last but I hope it was still an enjoyable read! Wishing you well Please Review!!!