Gosh, look at me go! I hope you're liking it! I'm enjoying writing it, especially now that more characters are getting involved!
Chapter 8"Vicki Donovan was attacked."
Enzo closed the front door behind them, the pair returning home after dropping Caroline off to her grateful mother.
"Damon's officially arrived, then. Stefan will definitely know now, if he didn't already."
"Worse than that," Lia sighed, stripped her jacket off and dropping it on the arm of the couch she proceeded to sit in. "He was at the coffee shop about 20 minutes before you got there."
Enzo growled, stalking over to pick up his angel and planting her in his lap. An arm wrapped around her waist as the other started carding through her hair. "What happened?"
"He was scoping, by the look of it," Lia frowned, leaning in to the touch. "He looked interested in Caroline. He's probably seen her with Elena if he's been watching Stefan."
"He'll want to use her, no doubt, whether to get information, a convenient blood bag, possibly more, to get to his brother, unless he goes straight for Elena."
"He'd be stupid to assume Stefan has left her defenceless, even though he has."
Enzo hummed his agreement as the pair got lost in their own thoughts; Enzo's focussing around revenge and betrayal while Lia was busy plotting how best to protect Caroline.
*TVDM*
"Caroline."
The voice made her pause. Composing herself, Caroline Barbie turned, brightly greeting Bonnie.
"I'm so sorry, leaving you like that yesterday, and for what I said. It was uncalled for,
Bonnie fidgeted uncomfortably before offering an awkward smile. "I see you got home OK."
"Oh, yeah, Lia's brother took me home, like she said. Sorry I was all rambly last night. I was drunk," she rolled her eyes at herself with a grin. "How are you?"
Bonnie's shoulders relaxed and she smiled, immediately jumping in on what her Grams had been rambling about this week as the girls walked the halls of the school.
"So, wait, I'm confused. Are you psychic or clairvoyant?" Caroline asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Technically, Grams says I'm a witch."
Boom.
Caroline zoned out as she processed that information. She'd been told about witches. Lia, of course, having a lot to say about the judgy mortals who thought they had a Godly duty to keep balance. It totally explained why she'd reacted so oddly to Lia.
"They sense things," Lia had said with a roll of her eyes. "Some witches are more sensitive and can pick up more than most, however, all witches are able to tell whether someone is human or something else, even if they don't know what that 'something else' is. I've yet to find out what they sense from me." She'd ended with a cheeky grin.
"So, what did you sense from Lia?"
The question brought the Bennett witch up short. She stopped walking, looking at Caroline in surprise. Caroline, realising she wasn't being followed anymore, turned and scoffed, rolling her eyes in exasperation at the stumped look on her face.
"Oh, please, you think I wouldn't put 2 and 2 together? You're apparently all witchy who-do, you immediately jump down my throat after Lia leaves during your first meeting with her, in which you shook her hand, and you saying stuff about touching Elena and sensing birds and bad weather. I'm not dumb, Bonnie."
"I know," Bonnie immediately defended herself, though she was still trying to comprehend how switched-on Caroline was. Was she always like this? Bonnie was ashamed to say she didn't know. "I know you're not dumb, Care, I was just surprised that you're taking this supernatural stuff so well."
"It wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen," Caroline sighed, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "We're gonna be late."
Just before the girls entered the classroom, Bonnie pulled her aside and looked deep into her eyes.
"Do you know what Lia is?" Bonnie whispered; expression intense. Caroline blinked at her ferocity before rolling her eyes, pulling her arm away and marching into the classroom. No way was Caroline going to tell the girl anything.
*TVDM*
While his songbird was acting the human teen, Enzo was called into a council meeting to discuss the most recent attack.
"It's the closest one yet," the mayor frowned, his hands clasped under his chin and his elbows on the table they all sat around. "We'll have to keep an eye on any new faces around town."
"I'll organise extra patrols at night," Liz nodded, taking a sip of the tea Zach had brewed for them all. Enzo took a sip of his own, hiding a smirk at the familiar burn.
"Are we revisiting the idea of a curfew?" Enzo questioned idly, setting the mug back on its coaster.
"No, not until we know it's sticking around," Richard replied, straightening up. "Let's just hope it passes through quickly."
"Next question, then; has anyone questioned Miss Donovan?" Enzo looked at Liz as asked, pretending not to notice the uncomfortable fidgeting of Zach next to him.
"Not yet, she was still unconscious when we left her last night," Liz sighed. "Her condition is stable, though. She's expected to make a full recovery."
The meeting progressed, Enzo having nothing further to add while secretly making plans to visit Vicki on his way home.
Couldn't have her outing Damon, now, could he?
*TVDM*
Stefan panicked.
All day he'd had Matt's words playing through his mind.
She said it was a vampire.
Damon had been sloppy. No, that wasn't right. Damon had done this intentionally. Left a mess for Stefan to clean up.
As soon as school let out, he immediately raced to the hospital. The girl in front of him looked tired, no doubt from the blood loss. She smiled at him while frowning, no doubt wondering why the new kid was there to see her.
"What do you remember of the attack?" Stefan compelled without preamble.
"It was an animal attack. I didn't see what it was, I only heard a growl, it got me from behind and left before I could get a glimpse," she replied in a daze.
Stefan was shocked, suspicious and yet so very relieved. He compelled her to forget he was here before taking off.
Damon had probably let her keep her memories until she told her brother, knowing he'd mention something at school. Another scare tactic to keep him on his toes, but ultimately knowing it was too risky to let her remember for too long.
Huffing in aggravation, Stefan blurred through the woods before stomping through the door of the boarding house, dumping his school bag on a random chair before taking off for a hunt.
He'd no doubt need his strength before the night was through if Damon had anything to say about it.
*TVDM*
Lia hopped in the car, buckling up as Caroline slipped into her driver's seat.
"So, Bonnie's a witch."
"Does she know it?" Lia asked sceptically, looking out the windscreen. "I already knew her grandmother was. The scent on her is too potent to belong to a non-practicing magic wielder. Bonnie, however, only has a hint of magic to her scent. She's probably coming into her powers."
"Huh," Caroline mulled that over for a bit before shrugging. "Makes sense. She thinks her Grams needs to lay off the booze. You should have seen her face, demanding to know what you are," Caroline scoffed. "She shouldn't expect anything, treating you the way she's been treating you."
"No doubt her Grams has also made me more mysterious than I need to be," Lia sighed, rolling her eyes as they pulled into the Mystic Grill. "When we met, she didn't touch me, didn't speak to me, barely acknowledged me at all, actually. Not that I minded. The fewer witches I know, the better. So far, they've had one use for me; getting me daylight rings."
"I could probably find a use for one," Caroline smirked, climbing out of the car and grabbing all the flyers from her boot. "Finding the name and number of that cute guy last night, for instance."
"Uh, no," Lia immediately denied, grabbing a pile of printed paper and following along to an outdoor table. "You do not need a witch for that, not only because you don't want to get involved with him, but because I already know who he is."
"Oh no, it's bad, isn't it?" Caroline groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Why are bad guys always so hot?"
"Undesirable Number One is not hot. You take that back," Lia frowned heavily, waving a piece of paper at Caroline to emphasise her point. "Traitor Salvatore is not hot, pretty, handsome or otherwise. He is a snake that needs its head chopped off."
"That was The Backstabber?" Caroline's eyes were wide and her voice hushed as she leaned over the table. "Have you told Enzo?"
"Of course," Lia was almost offended. "We knew he'd be here soon. He promised his brother an eternity of misery. It was only a matter of time before the asshole caught up."
"Hey."
Both girls looked up to see Bonnie and Elena standing awkwardly by the table. After a beat of silence Caroline rolled her eyes.
"Well? Sit down! These programs aren't gonna fold themselves!"
As the teens got to work, they got talking. Bonnie mentioned her Grams talking about the meteor, about its sign of impending doom and Caroline brushed it off while Lia looked thoughtful. Stefan was mentioned, Caroline rolling her eyes at the lack of action.
Elena suddenly stood, collecting her things, proclaiming Caroline right and taking off soon after, Bonnie rolling her eyes and following because Elena forgot that Bonnie drove them.
"I didn't expect that," Caroline muttered, shocked that her words had such an impact. "I was just, you know, playing the normal high school girl. Oh, God, Lia," Caroline looked at the siren with such fear that Lia immediately held her hand and started humming. "Did I just send Elena and Bonnie to their deaths?"
"No." Lia was firm, eyes unyielding as her grip on the teen tightened. "You forget, Stefan is there and so is Zach. Damon won't do anything like that. He wants to make Stefan miserable, he's more likely to seduce Elena away from him."
Satisfied by the logic, Caroline nodded and the girls returned to their folding.
Before long, they were done and Caroline was dropping Lia home to get dressed.
Lia caught the package that was sent speeding through the air as soon as she stepped foot in the house. Blinking, she looked down to see it was from Slater.
"Slater thought you might like that, with Damon in town," Enzo called from the other room.
Grinning, Lia ripped it open to reveal what looked like generic deodorant spray cans, albeit in different sizes. Frowning, she read the note that came with it.
"'Vervain mace?' What's mace?"
"Pepper spray."
"Oh!" Lia grinned down at the four cannisters in new-found appreciation. "Oh, Caroline will love this."
Quickly stuffing Slater's presents in her bag, Lia ran upstairs to get dressed. Opting for a mint green strapless dress that ended just above her knees with a cropped black leather jacket, paired with black gladiator sandals strapped around her calves. Leaving her hair down, she simply pinned one side with a seashell clasp.
"How was Vicki, by the way?" Lia asked as she came back into view. Enzo held his hand for her, waiting until she came closer to pull her onto his lap.
"Just fine, health-wise. Her memory has been modified so all she remembers is being attacked and something taking off before she could catch a glimpse."
Lia sighed. "Are we going to have to play maid for much longer?"
"Nah," Enzo smirked. "I give it another two weeks, tops."
A honk let them know Caroline was here. Lia was already at the door with her bag slung over her shoulder by the time the second honk ended.
"See you later, brother," she grinned as she skipped to her favourite human.
"Caaaaaroliiiiine!" Lia sung as she plopped down in the car, her bag on her lap. "I have a present from Slater!"
"Oh! Is it pretty?" Caroline grinned, already pulling away from the driveway.
"Unfortunately, not that kind of present," Lia giggled as she pulled out one of the cans for Caroline's inspection.
"Is he trying to say I smell?" Caroline raised an unimpressed eyebrow, her eyes going back to the road.
"He's saying you should aim for the eyes," Lia replied, a devious grin stretching her lips as Caroline looked at the van with new eyes.
"Oh my God, is that mace? Like, vervain mace?" she asked, a grin of her own showing her excitement and incredulity.
"Yup! Enough time for you to call me, or get away and then call me," Lia stated firmly, tucking the largest can in Care's glovebox before reaching for the second-smallest one. "You will always call me, gorgeous. If I don't answer, you'll call Loren."
"OK," Caroline agreed easily. She may be fiercely independent, but even she knew that her ability to protect herself against the supernatural was slim as a human.
Lia tucked the can away in Care's handbag, handing the blonde the smallest one meant for her pocket. She showed her the last one before throwing it in her glovebox as well. "That one is for your school bag, if you please."
"Done. Now that I'm locked and loaded, let's go and put those deserters to work."
Lia laughed as she helped Care grab out all the folded programs, following her as she passed a hefty pile to Elena and Bonnie once they arrived before checking on the candles, handing out the papers as they went. Soon they were out of programs and just socialising.
Caroline's breath catching made Lia look up. Brilliant emerald locked with icy blue.
Damon Salvatore.
Lia looked him over. She grudgingly admitted he was attractive, though he had nothing on the males of her choir back on World One. Tall, black hair, sharp features, dressed in black and leather. He reeked of determination, desperation and anger.
His humanity was definitely on.
Determination that strong? His brother couldn't possibly be the only thing bringing him to town.
Lia gave him one last unimpressed look before turning back to Care, giving her a secret wink. She smiled, turning to the next person to talk to and letting herself relax. Lia felt oddly proud of her human friend and the courage she was displaying. She was also touched at the trust Caroline was affording her. It made her want to prove that she'd made the right choice in being her friend.
*TVDM*
Damon Salvatore remembered seeing Elena Gilbert for the first time.
He'd been torn between joy and rage, thinking that Katherine had been free all this time and hadn't looked for him at all. When he'd found out she was someone else, he'd been intrigued. He'd compelled her to forget their encounter and went about his business, but not before he discovered, like his brother, that the girl was adopted. He didn't bother looking into anything further. He didn't care enough.
She wasn't Katherine.
His brother being in Mystic Falls was unfortunate, but he could deal with it. Let him believe the reason he's here to make sure his eternity is miserable. Less chance of Saint Stefan getting in his way.
He'd scoped the scene, found that his brother was all over the Katherine copy, discovered where she lived and looked into her friends.
Bonnie Bennett; a witch that didn't know she was a witch, or at least didn't believe it. Sheila Bennett would be the one to prove useful, if he was unable to find Emily's talisman.
Caroline Forbes; the sheriff's daughter. Leader of every committee, cheer captain, the 'second best' when compared by most to Elena. She had apparently been a controlling bitch with no filter, but that had changed when the new girl stumbled her way into town.
And then, there was her.
Kaliope Sirena Athánatos.
The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his century and a half. Bright, bubbly, English, intelligent, bored easily.
Incredibly loyal to those she loved, and she loved fiercely.
He hadn't seen her with the brother she supposedly had, but he had seen her with the blonde cheerleader. The way she looked at the Bennett teen the night of the Falls party was enough to cow a grown man. Adding the amount of vitriol in her words to the equation, he's surprised the Bennett novice didn't keel over and die.
And all that rage was over a single, ill-thought-out sentence.
He watched her as she walked over to the next lot of people, looking too adorable in her dress and jacket combo, arm linked with the Forbes girl. She didn't look his way again, not once.
He felt lacking.
He felt like, in those few seconds their eyes had met, she'd stared into his soul and examined him, top to bottom. She wasn't dazzled by his good looks. She didn't find him charming or mysterious. She looked at him like she wished she hadn't.
He felt cheated; like he hadn't been given a fair shot, like her judgement had come too early.
He growled at his thoughts, rolling his eyes as he blurred away. He was here for Katherine; just because a teenaged girl was stunning, didn't mean he was suddenly going to fall out of love with his Sire. If anything, the girl pissed him off. No, once he got Katherine, they'd get revenge on this town and then leave its ashes behind. No doubt Katherine would have fun with the little raven-haired beauty. She never did share well, and seeing a girl eligible for the 'fairest of them all' title would lead to a gruesome retelling of Snow White in which the Queen won.
Smirking, Damon walked into the Grill, looking for a drink and finding his victim. He was surprised she didn't recognise him, though he shouldn't be. Stefan must have done a better job than he gave him credit for.
Didn't stop him from taking her to the roof, though.
"Here, hero hair. Here, boy," he sung as he dragged the sobbing girl with him, leaning her over the side of the building.
She begged, cried, begged some more. He was getting tired of waiting.
"I'm not gonna drop you."
And then Stefan appeared.
"Not bad! Have you been eating bunnies?" Damon teased.
"Let her go," Stefan demanded.
Damon almost laughed. "Really?" he shrugged. "OK, I guess."
He made to 'let her go' off the side of the building, ignoring her squeals to stop as she wobbled precariously on the edge. He rolled his eyes at his brother's panicked shout before throwing the human at him.
He grinned and tried to undo the compulsion his brother had on her with words alone, but apparently the veggie vampire had a stronger hold than he'd believed. He internally shrugged again, instead settling for compelling her.
"It wasn't an animal!" Damon cried dramatically, grabbing her by a fistful of hair and dragging her to her feet. He looked into her bloodshot eyes, his pupils blowing wide. "Stefan attacked you. He's a vampire. A vicious, murderous monster. Stefan Salvatore did this to you."
"Stefan did this to me. He's a vampire," Vicki started trembling as the compelled words rung true through her entire being.
"Come on, Stefan!" Damon shouted, ripping the bandage off and throwing the walking blood bag at his younger brother. "Your lifestyle has made you weak! Feed! You have a mess to fix!"
Stefan struggled; his vampire features drawn to the surface as he focussed on the blood oozing from her neck. With a growl, he threw the scared girl away, panting and stumbling back.
"What do you want, Damon? You want to expose me? Make me a killer again?" Stefan sighed shakily, running a hand through his hair as he met his brother's eye. "You know what? Let her go. Let her run through the town screaming that the vampires are back. Let them chain me up and stake me," he stepped closer. "At least I'll be free of you."
Damon stared at his brother. He really believed what he was saying. Damon chuckled, casually strolling over to Vicki. He couldn't have that; he couldn't have Stefan bringing attention to them because of his sheer stubbornness.
"Come here, sweetheart," Damon cooed before compelling her to forget the happenings of the night.
Damon smirked rose to his full height, moseying on back to Stefan. He dramatically waved his arms toward his victim as if presenting her to the class.
After whining about busting her stitches open and telling Stefan she was fine, Vicki stumbled up and away from the roof, climbing down to the ground below.
"It is good to be home!" Damon sighed, hands on his hips and relaxed as you please. He frowned, pretending to think it over before decreeing, "I think I might stay a while. This town could use a bit of a wake-up call, don't you think?"
"What are you up to, Damon?"
Well, that wasn't good.
"That's for me to know and you to dot, dot, dot," he smirked, about to head off but paused, turning back to his brother with mischief in his eyes. "Give Elena my best."
Taking off, Damon only hoped the easily-read threat to Elena would stop Stefan looking into him and keep him busy trying to keep track of his little human girlfriend.
For now, though, Damon was hungry.
*TVDM*
"Ugh, social events suck," Lia moaned, dropping her head on the table she, Caroline and Bonnie had dropped into at the Grill. Matt was in a booth patching up a newly-found Vicki, and the girls were resting their feet after a long afternoon of event management. Lia had been listening in to the roof production, ready to tell Enzo about what she'd heard and suspected.
"Oh, please, my event would have been perfect if not for Vicki's drama," Caroline scoffed as she watched the Donovan siblings. She shook her head, contemplating while noticing Stefan now talking to Matt. "Has anyone ever noticed that the druggies are the biggest attention whores?"
"Yeah," Bonnie sighed, looking at the scene.
The girls sat up straighter when Stefan approached, asking about seeing Elena. Bonnie gave him her friend's contact info because 'she said so,' and passed it along, making skin contact.
Bonnie gasped, Caroline and Lia exchanged a look while Stefan looked confused and concerned.
"You, OK?" Stefan asked, but Bonnie didn't hear it, too focussed on trying to make sense of what she had felt.
"What happened to you?" the question slipped unbidden before she snapped out of her stupor, eyes wide. "That- that's so rude, I'm sorry. Um, excuse me, sorry."
Bonnie fled, leaving the three remaining in awkward silence.
"Yeah," Caroline drew out, eyes flicking to Lia and back. "She sometimes wigs out. It's kind of her thing."
"Yeah, you should have seen her when she first met me," Lia grinned, amusement shining bright in her green eyes. "She looked at me like I'd grown a tail."
Caroline choked on her drink while Stefan just blinked, his frown lines remaining just as deep as before. He nodded at the women, taking his little slip of paper and leaving.
"So, you're an idiot," Caroline stated, unimpressed. "And Bonnie now has Stefan on her radar," Caroline tilted her head in thought. "Do you think she knows about…?"
"No way," Lia denied, waving her hand for emphasis. "She asked what happened. It means she felt the vampiric death vibe that Slater said witches supposedly feel, but had no idea what it meant. She's about as switched on as a light with no bulb."
"Didn't you say her Grams is a practitioner?" Caroline asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh yeah," Lia puffed out a breath from her cheeks, shaking her head in disappointment. "Her G-Ma is doin' her dirty."
Caroline examined her friend like she was an interesting specimen in a petri dish. "Who teaches you the things you say?"
"The internet," the 'duh' was heavily implied.
"I feel like you need a time out. Or a change in viewing material," Caroline said, half exasperated and half concerned. "Maybe watch Friends, instead."
"Huh," Lia tipped her head as she pondered. "I thought about it, and have decided that, yes. I am offended that you believe the content I watch needs to be monitored. I'm curious about this 'Friends,' though."
"Be offended all you want," Caroline rolled her eyes as she stood. "You're as bad as a child. You learn something and have to repeat it until you either get bored or learn something new."
"You're talking but I can't hear any reason for me to stop. All I'm picking up is that you know me so well!" Lia pinched Care's cheeks before bouncing away, cackling like a little gremlin as Caroline shouted after her.
Lia hid, but didn't stray too far from the blonde's side; she could hear Damon hanging around. She ignored him for the most part, simply making sure she knew where he was as she listened to her friend's shoes strut toward her.
She narrowed her eyes as she heard blue-eyed Salvatore move, blurring closer to Caroline. She stayed out of sight, listening and watching to confirm her suspicions.
"Lia? It's not funny anymore!" Care shouted, rolling her eyes as she dug through her bag for her keys. She pulled them out just as her phone dinged. Quickly flicking her gaze over the words, she dropped her cell back in her bag and stiffened her spine, strutting to her car like she didn't have a car in the world, though the two words rung through her head over and over to keep her confidence high.
Trust me.
She heard steps. She heard them again along with rustling. Her hand shook as she tried to unlock her car, dropping her keys. She scoffed at herself, feeling very much like the first victim in a horror movie as she bent down to grab them. Coming back to full height, she finally turned and couldn't hold her flinch as she found Damon Salvatore not a foot from her.
"Sorry," he wasn't. "I didn't mean to startle you." He definitely did.
"No, it's OK. I was kind of hoping to see you again," Caroline smiled, making sure to include her eyes to make it appear more genuine.
Damon smirked. "I know."
"Cocky, much?"
"Very, much."
"Cute."
It was Damon's turn to swing around, a little too fast by human standards. His breath caught at the innocent smile that was gazing up at him before he smirked.
"I think you have me beat on that one," he cooed as he booped her nose, amused when her eyes tried to follow the action.
Her smile turned impish as she replied, "I know," before turning to the blonde he'd set his sights on. "Come on Care, Loren's waiting up for us."
"Right," Caroline looked at Damon and offered a flirty grin. "It was nice to see you again, Mr Mystery."
Lia snorted before Damon could slip a word in. "Wow, does he have his own comic? Is he Marvel or DC?"
Damon chuckled, surprising himself.
"Well, can we get a name?" Caroline cocked her hip as she leant on the open driver's door while Lia made her way around the car.
"I suppose you'll have to find out in the next issue," Damon smirked, eyes going to the little fae. "I'm sure I'll see you again."
He watched the girls get seated and drive off, not too angry about his plans going up in smoke. He'd find himself a cheerleader to have fun with, maybe a classmate.
In the meantime, he felt the urge to go digging into the life of little Miss Snow.