I don't own TVD.

Welcome back, everyone. Sorry, this took so long but my muse has fled from me. Seriously, I have a lot of trouble writing overly emotional scenes, especially in first person. Now, I'm spent. It may take longer to get the next chapter out. But I'll try my best.

One question: Do readers like the long AN with the review responses or do you guys prefer to receive PMs to respond to your reviews and I can just write a quick sentence to shout out my reviewers?

From this chapter on, Phoebe Donovan is played by Ryan Destiny.

REVIEWS

sddc0: Ha. Gosh no. I've invested too much time and effort into this story to just abandon it. If I did, I'd have to come back to it eventually and rewatch all the shows again to refresh my mind and the story plot points.

fayenight: Oh, wow. I didn't think of Eos. If I wasn't satisfied with my chosen god already, I would totally use her. And Wow, thank you so much for understanding. The show just breezed through the familial relationships of the side characters. I thought that I was taking too long with all the background information and setup before we get to the plot of the shows, but I didn't want to just send the characters into the main plot without explaining their motivations. All this back story will show not only their loyalties to one another but also why they make the decisions that they make in the future. I want to be careful figuring out each character and do them justice.

Blu3b3rryT3a: Oh, more betrayals coming up. I wanted to explore more of Caroline's relationship with her parents. And Jenna was just Elena's aunt who was cannon fodder for all of Elena's enemies. Since there's not much on Jenna's character on the show, I decided to use and mold her into a stronger character. Thanks for the encouragement. I've read a lot of different TVD fanfics that have very similar ideas like the supernatural communication and information networks as well as witches selling their services (seriously I don't know why more of the witches on the show don't do that. They'd probably live longer if they weren't so pig-headed). And it just seemed like a shame that the writers introduced a guy like Slater and then kill him straight after. He might not show up in person, but I'm gonna use him to further the plot. I wanted to keep him to connect my characters to the Originals (since that's how Slater found Elijah and that's what Elena used to contact Klaus' vampires), bring them information about magical artifacts and grimoires and stuff.

I'm gonna rant, but I feel like the TVD producers wasted a lot of the Originals' potential. You'd think these powerful vampires who can compel other vampires would compel their progeny not to do anything that could harm them or their family and have a network of spies to find out if anyone is plotting against them and an army of powerful vampires, but no, for the plot to happen the most powerful thousand-year-old vampires on the show have to be kind of dumb and out of the loop in the supernatural world so every enemy can take them by surprise. It made no sense for them not to believe that Silas wasn't just a myth and could exist, especially since people also believe the Originals were myths. Whew, OK, rant over.

Read, Fave, Follow, Review, Enjoy.


"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair." Mitch Albom (The Five People You Meet in Heaven)


Chapter 12 - Birthdays

October 10, 2005

"Wake up, Sunshine." Caroline turned over in her bed pulling the sheet over her head.

"Ria, why are you always up so early?" Caroline was the one who usually slept over at the Donovan house, but Victoria came over Friday night and stayed the whole weekend for their sleepover.

Victoria smirked as she looked at Caroline under the sheets. "Then, I guess you don't want your birthday present."

Caroline immediately sat up in bed and pulled the covers off her. She ran up to Victoria, wrapping her arms around her as she was almost jumping up in place. "Where is it? What is it?" she asked, looking around her room for her gift.

Ria laughed as she brought her open palm in front of Caroline, passing her other hand over her palm to remove the cloaking spell she placed on the gift. Since her birthday was approaching, Caroline had become a dog with a bone as she tried to find the gift Ria promised for her birthday. She searched everywhere over the weekend but she couldn't find anything. She even tried searching with just her hands with a blindfold over her eyes, knowing full well that Ria could have hidden the gift with magic. And she did.

"Oh my gosh, where did you hide it?" Caroline took the small cylindrical gift box from her friend's palm.

"So you were trying to find it," Ria said, narrowing her eyes at Caroline.

"Of course I was. I needed to know what gift you were gonna give me and if I would like it." Caroline narrowed her eyes at the artistic glass vase, which looked more like a gift from Phoebe than from Ria. "Is this Phoebe's gift?"

"No." Ria rolled her eyes. "Just open it, Care." Caroline raised the glass lid from the small cylinder and stared at the white cream. "I made this for you. I used the water from the Moon Pool and a ton of herbs and natural oils infused with magic to make that. It's a pimple-free magic paste. Apply it on your skin and leave it on for 10 minutes and it will bring all the gunk out of your pores. You, my lovely Caroline, will have pimple-free teenage years. It's totally safe. I spent months working on the right formula. I used my sister as the test subject. It works."

Caroline's mouth gaped open as she looked at her friend. She put the glass on her vanity before she brought Ria in for a hug. "Oh, thank you. This is totally the best present ever." Caroline pulled away and looked down at Victoria from her greater height. "Have I ever told you how awesome it is that you're a witch?"

"Magus," Ria corrected. "Don't call me a witch. It's blasphemous."

"Magus, right." Caroline put it in the back of her mind as she turned back to the cream. "Let's forget about that and focus on getting our facials." The two girls applied the cream on their skin like a face mask and laid down on Caroline's bed as they waited for the time to pass. "You know, you can make so much money off this if you want to sell it. Like your sister's jewelry."

"I thought about that. My sister mentioned it too. She wanted to put it on her website, but I didn't want that. If my sister had her way, they'd be selling for millions and rich girls already have enough money to treat their pimples. They don't need magic. If I could I'd sell it all for cheap to girls who can't afford expensive cosmetics."

"Then why don't you do that?" Caroline explained, "You can ask your sister to set up another website just for your stuff and you can sell it to people who can't buy expensive cosmetics." Caroline looked at the clock on the nightstand. Ten minutes passed and she went into the bathroom to clean the residue of the cream from her face. "Oh my gosh. Ew." She came back to stand in the bathroom doorway. She pointed at her face. "Look at all this gunk. Gross." Caroline followed her friend's lead and wiped her face with a tissue before returning to the restroom to rinse her skin with warm water. She touched her face as she looked in the mirror. "Oh my gosh, my skin feels like a baby's. This thing actually works."

Ria washed her face before looking in the mirror. "Was there ever any doubt?" The girls spent the rest of the morning getting ready for school. The October weather in Mystic Falls was quite warm, allowing Caroline to dress fashionably for her birthday. She wore an asymmetrical coral dress with a sweetheart neckline, the front of the dress stopping just above her knees and the back trailing behind her ankles, and a pair of heeled sandals on her perfectly manicured feet. The blonde curls of her hair bounced with each step as she walked down the hall, the crowd of students parting like the Red Sea. Victoria walked beside the birthday girl dressed in a pair of booties, black leggings under a nude skirt, black and white printed long-sleeved blouse tucked into the waistband of her skirt, and a knitted black bonnet on her brunette head of curls.

As they approached the lockers, Caroline gasped at the sight of the decorations of pink and baby blues on her locker. Balloons floated up around the lockers with a large 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' written vertically with golden glitter paper. Matt stood beside the locker with a cupcake in his hand with a lit candle.

"Happy birthday, Care," he said with his usual boyish smile spreading across his face.

"Oh, Matt, thank you." Caroline brought Matt in for one of her signature crushing hugs as Matt quickly passed the cupcake to his sister, who was standing behind Caroline, keeping the flame on the birthday candle burning with little effort.

Matt patted his hands on Caroline's back before she finally released him. "Happy birthday, Caroline." He turned his gaze to glare at his sister. "Thanks for the help sis."

Ria shrugged her shoulders. "You had it handled." She looked at decorations on the locker that Matt had done the night before. "You always understood girls' tastes." Matt grunted at his older sister, who was smirking at the thought of all the shenanigans she, Phoebe, Lora, Jenna, and Caroline had been up to that made him very aware of their different tastes. There's nothing he doesn't know about the five most prominent females in his life so he had no trouble knowing what Caroline would like for her birthday locker decorations.

"Caroline." Caroline and the Donovan siblings turned when they heard Bonnie's voice filtering through the hall. Bonnie came into view with Elena following close behind her. Matt and Ria shifted further behind Caroline when the young Bennet witch came to embrace the blonde birthday girl. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Bon," Caroline replied with a gleaming smile.

Elena stepped forward as Bonnie moved aside to give Caroline another hug. "Happy birthday, Care."

"Thanks, Elena." Caroline clasped her hands in front of her as she looked between her two groups of friends. When they were younger, Matt, Ria, Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, and even Tyler had all been friends in kindergarten and their early years in elementary school. Then, Matt and Ria were very open about themselves and the magic they were learning from their older sister. Caroline was fascinated because she had always liked the idea of magical girls and all the different outfits they transformed into when they were using their magic. Caroline understood that Magical Girls had to keep their missions secret from normal people in order to protect themselves from the bad guys. Caroline had also just joined the gymnastics club at Whitmore and loved seeing Phoebe do the high-flying flips and tricks in her beautiful glittering leotard. To Caroline, Phoebe looked magical.

Elena did not share Caroline's point of view. Elena wanted proof, which Matt and Ria could not give as they had promised their sister they would never show their magic to anyone. Matt and Ria tried to make her understand their promise, but young Elena was a diva and called the Donovan siblings liars and insulted their mother and sister in front of the entire school. Matt and Ria did not care much for their mother, but they were very protective of their sister. Phoebe was their world. She cooked their favorite foods, helped them with their homework, baked them birthday cakes, and taught them magic. They would not stand insults thrown at their older sister. They stopped talking to Elena from then on and turned on their heels to leave the room whenever they saw her. When they could not leave the room, they simply ignored her as though she was invisible.

Bonnie was glued to Elena's side. She had also grown up with her grams talking about magic, but she never saw any proof. She agreed with Elena and denied the Donovans' magical heritage as she did her own. Her grams had also told her to stay away from the Donovans and even called them 'abominations'. Although Bonnie wouldn't go that far, she was Elena's friend and she couldn't stand for how Matt and Ria continued to mistreat Elena by ignoring her every time Elena tried to talk to them.

Caroline grew closer to Phoebe during her years at the gymnastics club at Whitmore. Phoebe quickly took a shine to Caroline when she was younger. The Forbes had an agreement with Kelly to give Caroline a ride home every Thursday afternoon when Kelly would go pick up Phoebe from Whitmore. Caroline also learned about Phoebe's magical abilities when Phoebe made her a crystal pegasus for her birthday using her magic. Caroline spent time with Phoebe whenever she would volunteer to help Carol Lockwood with the town events. Even after Kelly started drinking excessively, Carol and Liz still trusted Phoebe because she was a responsible young woman who took care of her siblings while her mother was out partying. The adults in Mystic Falls would often joke that Phoebe was not really Kelly's daughter as they compared the responsible young Phoebe with Kelly's immature younger self.

Caroline is a peacemaker. She doesn't like violence or conflict and prefers to make friends. She likes to know things about people because she feels like if she can understand someone, she will be able to get along with them better. She could enter any conversation and comfort anyone who was having a bad day. Caroline understood Matt and Ria's perspective as Phoebe made them promise not to show their magic off to anyone and they would never break a promise they made to their beloved older sister. She scolded Elena when she called Phoebe 'a liar and a troublemaker who'll end up turning into a stoner and a drunk like her mother'. She was angry on the siblings' behalfs, but Caroline also understood that Elena was probably repeating words she had heard from the adults around her because Caroline had also heard those same words from many adults in Mystic Falls. She forgave Elena but Matt and Ria drew the line in the sand and never spoke to her again if they didn't have to. She had tried to mend their friendship but Matt and Ria wouldn't budge and Elena didn't understand the damage her few words did while Bonnie took Elena's side no matter what. Caroline became the only thread left connecting Matt and Ria to Bonnie and Elena.

Although they never said a word to each other, they still tolerated each other's existence for Caroline. The two pairs were not going to pick a fight on Caroline's birthday.

"Sunshine, it's time to blow out the candle." Ria stepped in front of Caroline and brought the cupcake to her. Caroline closed her eyes, inhaling deeply before she blew out the flame. Her friends cheered and her school peers around the hall clapped, wishing her a happy 13th birthday.

"Thanks," Caroline said. She looked at her watch on her wrist. "Oh, I have a student government meeting today. I'll see you guys later." She took her cupcake and almost skipped down the hall, leaving her two groups of friends in a tense silence by the lockers.

Matt opened his locker to take out his books for class.

"Hi, Matt," Elena greeted. "Morning, Vicki." Victoria glowered at Elena before she harrumphed and turned to leave without a word. Matt shut his locker before turning around to give Elena and Bonnie a thin smile. "Hey." He spoke in a monotone voice before turning around to follow his sister. "I hate her. You realize she never apologized to our sister for what she said. And why does she keep calling me 'Vicki'? Does she think calling me by a random nickname will suddenly make us friends?"

"She apologized to me so be nice." Matt looked at his sister's eyes that had only narrowed into slits with her brow in a deep furrow. "At least try to. No? Not even a smile?" he joked. He took Ria's arm, stopping her in the middle of the hall turning her to face him. He pulled his sister's cheeks upward to form a smile on her lips and pressed his fingers between her eyebrows to remove the creases. He cringed. "Yikes. No that's not right. Pfft." He doubled over laughing at the grimace he had contorted his sister's face into.

"Ha! Funny," Ria said dryly. "You're supposed to be the nice all-American small-town boy with blue eyes and blond hair. Phoebe is the responsible oldest sister. I'm the bitchy middle child. Let's not try overcoming any stereotypes, okay, little brother." Ria walked into her classroom for the first period before Matt turned into homeroom just as the first bell rang.

When the last bell rang, Caroline joined Matt and Ria as they walked out of the classroom. They found Lora standing in front of the school with a birthday balloon in her hand. "Happy Birthday, Caroline." They all got into Lora's Infiniti FX35 and drove toward the Donovan property, where Caroline would bathe and dress before heading to the Forbes residence for her party.

When Caroline arrived, she received a big hug from Enzo who came to give her her birthday gift since he wouldn't be able to attend her birthday party later that afternoon. He gifted her the complete translated manga series of Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon, both signed by the original artists just for her.

Jenna had just entered her third year in grad school at Harvard so she was unable to come down to Mystic Falls. She wished Caroline a happy birthday via Skype and sent Caroline's gift via Enzo, a 60-piece makeup vanity case. Matt also gave Caroline her gift before the party. Caroline had become impatient so she pestered the rest of them to give their gifts before the party. Matt gave her a set of specially made scented candles while Lora gave her a jewelry set.

"So where's my gift?" Were the first words that left Caroline's mouth when she stepped out of the car with Matt, Lora, and Ria behind her.

The side of her head was throbbing and her muscles ached like never before, but Phoebe pasted a smile on her lips and said, "Oh, not even a hug?" Phoebe held her hands open to Caroline, who quickly hugged her friend before pulling back with a "So, where is it?"

She hadn't slept the night before or the night before that and the night before that and it wasn't just because she was trying to perfect Caroline's gift. She couldn't sleep so she decided to use her restlessness to make sure her friend's party went off without a hitch. Phoebe pressed her lips into a pout as she walked into the backyard, where Caroline's birthday would take place. Round tables were set up in the middle of the yard with chairs for the guests to sit with a buffet table full of food set up against the wall of the house and a table of gifts set up on the other side. A three-tier cake with pink frosting stood in the middle of the table in the middle of the yard reserved only for the birthday girl, her family, and a chosen few. Balloons of baby blue and pink, Caroline's favorite colors, floated all over the yard, tied to the chairs, tables, and the walls of the house. Phoebe raised her hands to the decorations. She had spent most of the day coordinating the party planners and workers to make sure that Caroline had the best birthday ever while also preparing her specialty desserts. "Is this party not enough for you? Look at all these decorations and food and those desserts are my specialty. I spent nights preparing to give you this party."

"Yeah, but my mom helped so it doesn't count. So where's my present?"

Phoebe pouted at Caroline. "Fine." She went to the center table and picked the cylindrical box at the top of the pile of gifts. She brought it back to Caroline, who was almost jumping with glee. Phoebe slowly removed the ribbon and the lid from the box to draw out the suspense before she picked up a beautiful pink crystal coronet with both hands. "Oh, my God," Caroline gasped. The crown looked as though it was studded with jewels but it was woven from molten glass. The colorful gemstones were not gems, rather colorful sand melted, shaped, and intricately placed in the coronet.

"A crown for a queen," Phoebe said. Caroline lowered her head as Phoebe placed the crown on her head. "That's what you are Caroline. A queen who shines bright like the sun." She leaned into Caroline and whispered, "I've enchanted it so it won't fall off," then she added loudly, "unless you're trying to defy gravity, that is." She smiled and kept smiling, subtly releasing a bit of magic to try to dull the pain away. It was Caroline's birthday. No matter how painful the glare of the sun was on her eyes, she kept smiling.

"Thank you." Caroline pulled Phoebe into another hug.

"Caroline," Liz called from the back door that led into the kitchen.

"Yeah, mom?"

"Please come in here." Caroline walked up the steps, closing the door behind her when she entered the house. "Here." Liz handed Caroline an envelope. Caroline looked at her mother for a second before opening the envelope to find plane tickets.

"A one-way plane ticket to New York City and a letter of acceptance from USA Gymnastics!" Her voice rose higher as she whipped her head to look up at her mother. "Oh my God, mom!"

"Your father and I talked to your coach at Whitmore and had him write a letter of recommendation for you. I know you love gymnastics and you want to get to the Olympics. I want to see you at the Olympics, too," Liz said. "When the school year's over, you'll be leaving for New York to stay with your aunt, Sarah."

"OMG, mom." Caroline pulled her mother into the tightest hug she had given that day. She was almost in tears as she was one step closer to her long-term goal. "Thank you, thank you." Her father wasn't able to come to her birthday but his and her mother's gift was the best gift she received that day. No amount of magic skin cream or jewelry or books could ever replace her parent's gifts. It was the best birthday she'd ever had and she didn't mind if any of her future birthdays could match.


Phoebe's POV

"No, Caroline." My gods, my head is throbbing.

"But…" I didn't have to look at her to know she was pouting her lips when I heard her stomp foot childishly.

I kept my eyes looking forward at the forest as I replied in an authoritative tone, "I said no." My hair whipped around my face as the wind wrapped around me. I floated just a foot in the air as I held a ball of fire in my left hand while levitating a 20-pound dumbbell in my right hand. I wobbled in the air as it took all of my concentration to cast all three non-verbal spells at the same time. Telekinesis to hold the weight, a fire spell, and a wind spell to hold myself in the air. All of them were spells I had been practicing for over a decade and mastered that I didn't need an incantation for them, but using all three simultaneously took complete concentration. Especially the flight ability. I think it's just human instinct to always want to be connected to the ground, so the feeling of nothing but air beneath my feet made my intestines twist in knots as I was waiting for the inevitable fall to come while still trying to keep my focus on keeping the levitation spell and the fire spell activated.

I think I might need a massage. My back and neck feel like they're in knots. I turned my head to the side, pulling on the muscle in my neck and shoulders as far as I could. Caroline wanted to talk about my birthday party and I felt like my brain was doing four things at once. And it was making my stupid headache worse. "If we throw a big party and invite everyone in Mystic Falls, then Enzo won't be able to come."

"Fine," Caroline said through gritted teeth.

I closed my eyes, keeping my focus on the position of my body and keeping my magic focused on keeping the flame alight and the dumbbell above my hand. "Just invite our immediate social group and the Bauers."

"What about everyone from the club and…"

"Caroline, it's my birthday and we're gonna have it near the Moon Pool in a forest radiating with magic with our vampire friend," I said. "I'd prefer to keep anyone who's not in the know about our little secret off my property. You can still do whatever you want for decorations."

"Ok. I'll concede defeat on the guest list but promise you won't complain no matter what I do with the decorations."

"I promise." I sighed when I heard Caroline walking away before I suddenly became very aware that I couldn't feel the ground beneath my feet. My feet moved by themselves as I lost concentration and fell to the ground. It was a short fall, only one foot, but my legs buckled beneath me and I fell on my side before the dumbbell fell on my leg. "Son of a…" I hissed, pressing on the site of the injury. Damn, it hurt. I got up and limped over to the edge of the Moon Pool. I raised my leggings up before lowering the injured leg under the water. I felt the magic in the water poking and prodding at my leg until it reached the site of the injury. The bone wasn't broken but the magic rushed into my body as I willed the injured muscles and blood vessels in my legs to repair themselves lest it leaves a bruise before the party.

I haven't been able to stop sighing for the past few weeks. It was like my body was constantly exhausted while also having this excess energy that I couldn't focus. I was trying to do everything at once while doing nothing at all. I didn't have the energy for gymnastics routines or inspiration for my glass art. All I could focus on was magic. Magic that took little to no effort. I wasn't learning any new spells, just practicing a few that I already mastered. And it wasn't like I was enjoying commanding the elements with my fingertips, but just because the excess magic was churning inside my body and I needed an outlet.

I really don't want a birthday party. I sighed once more for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. I lied back on the grass, finding a fleeting bit of peace in the feeling of the cool ground under me and the warm water on my legs. Maybe I'll try taking a nap.

November 30, 2005

I always feel disoriented by the Virginia weather that I check the forecast every morning to make sure I dress appropriately. It's my birthday. It's past Thanksgiving and only 25 days from Christmas. It's the middle of Autumn and yet it feels like it would on a cool Spring day. The meteorologist forecasted that the weather would lower during the early evening so I dressed in a beautiful long red satin maxi skirt with a beautiful high-collared black blouse with long trumpet sleeves tucked into the high waist of my skirt.

Victoria stepped back as she looked at my face. "Seriously, why do you look good in everything?" She forced my body to turn in the chair to face the vanity mirror. Half of my loosely curled hair was in a high ponytail with the other half resting on my back and over my shoulder, framing my round face. I always prefer nude makeup that blends well into my skin, almost invisible to the eye other than the lighter pink and beige eyeshadow and the matte lipstick.

I stood up and went over the full-length mirror, turning my body left and right as I inspected myself from head to toes. "I look hot," I said as I looked at Ria in the mirror. "Nice work, sis."

"Is it a demi-god thing?"

I pulled the moonstone beaded bracelet and my charm bracelet onto my right wrist before sliding the knuckle rings onto my beautifully manicured fingers. Quetzal was the only thing I kept on my left wrist. "No, it's a me thing," I said. I pulled her to stand beside me and wrapped my arm around her waist in a side hug. I looked at her standing behind me in the mirror and the image of our mother flashed before my eyes. With her brown hair, green eyes, olive skin, and oval face, she looked the most like our mother. Matt, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, and me, with my dark skin and dark hair and brown eyes, were the odd ones out who took most after our fathers. It was a long time ago, but I remembered that man, Peter Maxwell. Matt is his spitting image. Ria never liked to be reminded of the similarities she shares with our mother that she even made sure her wardrobe was as different from Kelly as possible. Kelly dressed in tight, dark outfits, with a sexy flair, so Ria preferred loose-fitting clothes, pastel colors, and fashionably elegant. I don't really think they suit her, but she's still figuring out her style.

She sported a light brown haircut with dark blonde highlights cascading loosely down her back. She had on a rose high-collared dress with a black belt around her waist, where the dress flared down to her calves, clearly showing her white wedged pumps. "It's an us thing. We Donovans have good genes."

Victoria met my eyes in the mirror, her green eyes narrowing at me as though she realized the double meaning behind my words. She gave me a tight-lipped smile and agreed, "Yeah." She took the oval moonstone necklace off the bedside table and clasped it around my neck. "But, today is your day, sister." She settled my hair back over my shoulders and kissed my cheek before we heard a knock on the door. The door opened to reveal Matt. "What is it, little brother?" Ria asked, her head still on my shoulder.

"The Bauers are here. Carrie wants to see you," he nodded to me.

"Wait." I stopped him when he turned around to close the door. "I want to see you," I said, beckoning him into the room. He rolled his eyes, used to my antics by now, but still stepped into the room, followed by Bear, the Newfoundland, who seemed to always be one step behind Matt. He placed his hands in his pocket as he stood before in white sneakers, black jeans, a plain black shirt, and a printed black and white jacket. He was still only twelve years old, soon to be thirteen next February, but puberty had come for him and he was going through a growth spurt, needing new clothes almost every year. "What do I always say?"

"Beauty is therapy for the eyes," Matt and Ria replied in unison. And I do enjoy shopping for his wardrobe just as I still do with Enzo.

The dog came close to me, panting as I passed my fingers in its thick fur. "Little brother, you're gonna be such a heartbreaker when you're older. Doesn't Elena have a crush on you?"

Matt's blue eyes turned icy as he glowered at me through narrowed slits. "Sister, please don't say that name in our house," he said in monotone. "We don't want to accidentally summon her, now do we?" He turned back to the door and said, "And poor Carrie's still holding your gift bag because she wants to give it to you personally." Bear followed behind him once more.

After he left, Ria turned to me and said, "Hey, you okay? When you touched me, I felt your magic. It was…" she tried to find the words, "intense."

I smiled at her as I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yeah. I just need to meditate to release a little pressure." I told Ria, "Why don't you go get ready? I'll be right out." She nodded in agreement. She left and shut the door behind her, leaving me alone in the room as I collapsed on the bed. My hand trembled as static electricity discharged from my fingers.

There was something wrong with my magic. I could sense the instability of the magic building up in the core and I haven't been able to find the reason for the sudden surge of magic power. I reached over to the bedside table and took the crystal cylinder. I exhaled deeply as I poured all the excess magic into the crystal. Even with meditation, I hadn't been able to release as much magic as I want to like I had done with the Moon Pool and the woods surrounding the property. I had to put the magic in crystals and gemstones like a battery and enchanting herbs and woods with the excess power I had, literally, at my fingertips. I let the crystal fall on the shag rug as I closed my eyes once more when I felt the core's power calm.

After a long while, I stood up and went back to the full-length mirror. After I fixed my blouse and skirt, I place my feet into the pink wedge heel shoes and clasped the metal strap with the dangling pearls around my ankles. I pressed my skirt down with my hands, placing a smile on my lips before leaving the room.


"Phoebe!" Carrie threw herself at me the moment I stepped into the backyard, wrapping her arms around my waist as I patted her back with one hand while holding the bag in my other hand out to the side. I smiled down at the younger girl as she looked up at me with her shimmering brown eyes. "Happy birthday." My eyes caught the sight of a man with the same caramel skin as Carrie moving toward us. "Happy birthday, Phoebe," he said with a kind smile. His eyes shimmered the same brilliant brown as Carrie's.

"Thank you, Mister Bauer."

"I've told you to call me Daniel."

"You and your wife are two people that I respect very much," I said. We'd had this argument many times before. He would tell me to call him by his first name and I would respond respectfully with his surname. "And I would prefer to show my respect, mister Bauer." The poor man looked exasperated as he simply raised his eyebrows rather than argue as he had done many times before. He seemed over the constant back and forth as he said, "I've given your gift to your blonde friend. She was adamant that all the gifts should be left in the drawing room to be opened later."

I raised my eyebrows and smiled at the thought of Caroline lecturing Daniel Bauer about the proper gift etiquette she planned for the party. And knowing her, she wouldn't let anything mess with her perfect vision for the party. "I hope she didn't seem rude. She's just a very enthusiastic perfectionist."

"Yes, my marriage has taught me not to argue with those."

"Mommy's the one who chose your gift. She said you'll love it," Carrie said to me. "And your house is like super awesome. It's so full of magic. I feel it like tiny raindrops tickling my skin."

"I'm glad you like it, but try not to take in too much, alright," I said. I touched the four gemstones on the arrow-shaped pendant around her neck to feel the magic contained in the spells I enchanted in the stones. A moonstone charged every month to store her excess power while her young body was still growing, agate to stabilize the power already within her body, bronzite for protection, and clear quartz to not only help her focus on learning magic, but also focus and balance the power in the other three stones. I walked around Carrie to Mister Bauer and held the gift bag out to him. "I know it's my birthday and you're the one who's supposed to give me a gift, but I don't know when I'll see you next, so I prepared this. It's as much information I can give you on Carrie's magic and how to help her gain more control. Lora and I made a special crystal for her to keep her visions at bay until she decides to consciously use that ability. Just put it on her bedside table. A few beginner spells, nothing lethal. And I put three charm bracelets in there, too, for you, Carrie, and your wife. The charms in the bracelets will warn you of any supernatural creature nearby who wish you harm, and a protection spell. There's a healing potion there too, for emergencies only." I leaned closer to him, lowering my voice. "And three vials of vampire blood just in case any of you have an injury that the healing potion can't cure. But, please be careful. Vampire blood can only cure wounds, not illnesses, and try to stay out of danger for 24 hours if you use the blood. Just tell your wife to be careful. She hasn't triggered her curse so far and I don't want her to have to go through that. Everything else is explained in the book."

Mister Bauer released a breath as he looked at me before taking the bag with a shaky hand. His wife was an untriggered werewolf and his child was not only untriggered but also a magus. He was just a regular man, but the supernatural had found a way into his life. His child started having visions of events that happened in the past that she discovered that his wife and her ancestors could turn into wolves on every full moon. They didn't even know that Mrs. Bauer was of Native American descent. "Thank you so much," the man said, looking at the bag with relief as tears filled his eyes. "You have no idea how grateful I am for everything that you've done for me."

I wriggled my fingers nervously before I just wrapped my arms around the man's waist. 8 years ago, I didn't even know this man existed, and yet he had become such an integral part of my life. Daniel Bauer was my grandmother's fund manager. He came with the lawyer who gave us my grandmother's last will and testament and gave me his contact information for emergencies. When the house was being completed, he was the one who handled the bills to the contractors. When Kelly stopped working, money stopped coming into the household. I couldn't afford to buy food to feed my family and I was scared. When I contacted him, he came to me personally with a plan for a monthly stipend for food and other necessities. Since then, he has helped me manage all the household finances and my personal investments over the years. He saved my family and I wanted to return the favor. It wasn't until his daughter began to have visions that I was finally able to help to start giving back to him for all the things he had done for me. "You don't have to thank me. I, too, am very grateful for all the help you've given me and my family." I could feel tears welling in my eyes as I tried not to think about what would have happened to me and my siblings had my great-grandparents not been smart with their money and left an inheritance. Or if it wasn't this kind man and his family who made sure to check up on me and my siblings when they realized we could no longer rely on our mother. "There's no way I can ever repay you for everything you continue to do for us. Thank you."

He lightly patted the back of my head before I pulled out of the hug and turned away. I raised my head to keep my tears from spilling and smudging my mascara. "Caroline will kill me if I ruin my makeup." I pulled a small handkerchief from my skirt pocket and dabbed them carefully under my eyes, making sure not to use too much force. I inhaled a breath to calm my emotions before I turned back to Mister Bauer. "So, if you ever need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."

Caroline came to drag me away from Mister Bauer when she declared it was time for the photos according to her event itinerary. The photographer was the only stranger on the property as we all lined up for our photos. There were singles, doubles, triples, and group photos with multiple different configurations and poses, in different settings around the large property. The only person who was unable to make it was Jenna as she had to return to school after the Thanksgiving break, but she promised she would Skype later that night after she finished with her classes.

Everyone around the table erupted in laughter as we ate and told stories of our childhoods and our lives. "... and I finally realized that she wasn't really making me fly with the wings, but was actually using telekinesis to levitate me. The feathers didn't even move like wings," Ria said and laughter rang around the table once more. We sat near the Moon Pool, all of us, Magi, slowly releasing magic absorbed by the large battery

"I don't think I remember that," Matt said. "I was just 2 years old. You know, sis, you're kinda like a drill sergeant when it comes to magic."

I mocked a gasp as I brought my hand up to my chest. "I am not."

"You made us levitate individual leaves in the middle of a forest…"

"... and rocks," said Lora.

"... and water droplets one morning after the rain and collect them together in a large floating ball of water," Ria added.

They continued adding without a breath. "You turned the house into a fortress with all the wards you set up. Protection wards make sense," said Caroline. "I think bullets can bounce off your windows."

"... a ward for cleaning so no dust or dirt linger," Enzo added.

"You can do that with magic?" Carrie asked with wide eyes before turning to her father. "Dad, when I learn to do that then I won't have to do chores. We never have to clean the house."

"Nothing I hate more than cleaning." I cringed at the memories of the hours I spent at home on the weekends doing nothing but sweeping, dusting, mopping, and laundry. Nothing was worse than cleaning day every Friday so I made spells so I never had to clean again. I was quite satisfied with the results of the spells I placed around the house. Although there are some I've never had the opportunity to make use of. But, I am certain they will be useful in the future. Especially to keep out and remove unwanted and disrespectful guests.

"Sister Phoebe," Carrie said with eyes shimmering, "can you teach me that spell?"

I looked at Carrie. The spell not only makes sure dust and dirt or any debris cannot enter the house but also ensures that dust that forms naturally due to daily life is constantly removed whenever the doors and windows are open. It's a complex spell of my own creation, but I don't mind sharing spells and magic with my friends. I smiled at her before saying, "Sure, I will, in the future. I've already given your father a journal for you so you can start writing your own grimoire. The spells in there already are to help you gain more control over your magic as well as learn some simple spells. Once you've mastered that, we'll move on to more complex spells and you can create your own spells to add into your grimoire."

She nodded furiously, her eyes never leaving mine, as she absorbed every word that left my lips. A look of determination crossed her eyes that I couldn't help but smile. The pain in my body that had plagued me for the past few months had left as I looked at the smiling faces of my friends as they were deep in their conversations. But, as I looked around the table once more, I almost forgot that she wasn't there. There's Carrie and Mister Bauer, then there's Enzo, Lora, Caroline, and my siblings, Matthew and Victoria. And an empty chair.

The pain came right back as I felt an ache build up in my chest. Why does it always feel like my family is incomplete? As if some piece of me is always missing? My breath quickened as I looked toward the house, paying no mind to the conversations going on around me. My mind went back to her. She wasn't here again. On my birthday and she's not here. The last time we celebrated my birthday with her was in 1996, almost a year before granny Amy died. Then there was Matt's 4th birthday in February 1997 and Ria's 6th birthday in August 1997. Hers was the last birthday we had together. Then, Amy died. I didn't even want to celebrate my own birthday that year without my great-grandmother, but I was still there for Matt and Ria in 1998. I made their favorite meals and baked them their favorite cakes, making sure they enjoyed their day, even if it was just the three of us. I understood that my mother needed to mourn. She lost her parents when she was really young and granny Amy was the only person she had who loved and cared for her for decades. I only knew my great-grandmother for six years, so I knew that I could never understand my mother's grief. I wanted her to take time for herself to grieve before letting go and moving forward. But, she seemed to have moved backward instead.

My heart beat in my ears when our eyes met. She stood still in her tight black dress, her brown hair curled and perfectly resting on her back with her face made-up. She had a large bag over one shoulder and her purse under her other arm. My back was stiff as I stared at her, my leg trembling and my thumb tapping each finger nervously as I looked into the green eyes of my mother. I wanted to see her since I knew she hadn't left the house in the morning since the car was still in the driveway. All my thoughts were on her and then I found myself in front of her in the house. I gnawed on my lower lip, trying to find the words I wanted to say to her. I opened my mouth, a rush of air going down my throat as I had failed to breathe for the past several seconds. I swallowed my words when my eyes trailed down to find a suitcase trailing behind my mother. A suitcase. A suitcase. Why does she have a suitcase? I tilted my head as I looked back up at her. My mind was muddled. Everything in my vision was swimming. The door was open. There was a car on the road. And there was my mom. There was nothing else as the rest of the room fell away. And my mom was looking at me with guilt in her eyes. Like I had caught her in the midst of a horrid crime.

"What is this?" I finally found my voice. "Mom, what are you doing? What's with the suitcase?"

She was tapping the heel of her shoe on the tiled floor, her eyes cast down as she gnawed on her bottom lip. After a long pause, she finally got the courage to look at me, "I'm leaving."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving with Pete. I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I can't do this anymore."

Do what? What is it that she can't do anymore? "Do what?" I couldn't understand it. She was talking like she was leaving and never coming back, but she always came back. She always came back. I shook my head. I was thinking too much. It wasn't out of the ordinary for my mother to leave for the whole day or two. I massaged my eyelids with the palms of my hands. Ugh. I could feel another headache coming on and my mother was once again the cause. "Okay. Whatever. I'll see you tonight or tomorrow morning."

I turned to leave, but stopped midstep when she said, "I'm not coming back." Damn, this headache is making my ears ring. It was like someone was beating inside my head like a drum. I wonder if this is how Zeus felt when he begot Athena. There was some commotion around me and I felt Enzo's hands on my shoulders. He looked at me with his brow furrowed, worry marring his hazelnut eyes. "I'm fine, Enzo. It's just a headache."

Matt and Ria stood in front of me, looking at our mother as they argued.

"What are you doing?"

"What the hell?"

I could hear my siblings and my mom yelling at one another as they took the argument onto the front yard. It was exhausting. I just let out a sigh as I followed them into the front yard, trying to catch a bit of the argument as sound returned to my ears. "Do what?" Ria asked.

Kelly yelled as she stood in the front driveway, "I can't do this!" Her voice dropped an octave. "I can't do it. The family, the kids. I got pregnant at sixteen and then I had a kid. Then another kid and another kid. I was a kid too. I just wanted to have a little fun with some college guys and my boyfriend. I couldn't go out with my friend because I had school, then I had work. I had to wake up and breastfeed in the middle of the night. I never got to enjoy my life." The tone of voice rose. "It's my life and I want to enjoy it anyway without the burden of my three annoying kids judging me just like everyone else in this godforsaken little town."

Silence. Just panting and heavy breath from both sides. I walked between Ria and Matt and stood in front of Kelly. "What the hell are you talking about?" I finally asked. Maybe I'm dense or maybe it was the headache but I barely understood the words that came out of my mother's mouth.

She lowered her eyes once more before looking back up at me. "I'm leaving with Pete and I'm not coming back. It's just for a little while," she said her eyes almost pleading. "I need to live for myself from now on. I need a bit of time to enjoy myself and then when I'm all better, I'll come back."

What did she just say? She just said she was leaving. With her boyfriend. So she can have fun? She wants to enjoy her life? By doing what? I really don't understand people. No matter how many lifetimes, how many experiences, I don't understand people's emotions. Why can't humans just be logical? She's my mom. It's my birthday. She's going out with her boyfriend? And she's not coming back? Why? She usually leaves to hang out with her boyfriend and her friends every day and now, she feels like it hasn't been enough?

She can't put one day aside for me? Her daughter. It's supposed to be my sweet sixteenth birthday and Caroline cares more than my own mother? "It's my birthday and this is your gift to me?" Click. The gears in my mind shifted as I replayed the conversation I just had with my mother. Click. She's holding a suitcase with a guilty look in her eyes. Click. She's going away with Pete and she has no idea when she's coming back. Click. Everything was just falling into place. I already knew this would happen.

When Victoria was just born, she was a vocal child. She cried a lot and had difficulty falling asleep when she awakened in the middle of the night. She was a nocturnal creature. I knew my mother would leave. In a future where I did not exist, she left, and Victoria, who was the eldest, had to start working to take care of Matt and the house bills. Victoria fell into drug abuse, turned into a vampire, and was killed soon after. Matt was left alone to take care of himself, never knowing his sister was dead in a ditch. He became of victim of the vampires who came to Mystic Falls, his life always threatened by the monster of the week.

Click. Tears slowly filled my eyes as I remembered that long ago, I had worked to stop it from happening. To stop her from leaving. A loud shriek rang through the air. My throat was on fire as the tears finally fell. "NO!" I stepped closer to my mother's face, blurred by the tears. "No! I did it. I did everything right. I gave you space to grieve. I let you do whatever you wanted, so long as it didn't physically hurt Matty and Ria." I paced in front of her, passing my fingers through my hair. Maybe I missed something. Did I do something wrong? It should be different. The future should be changed. "You're not supposed to leave." I turned to her, grabbing her hands, as I swallowed. She's not supposed to leave. She's not supposed to leave me. She can't leave me. "When I was little, when Ria or Matt woke up in the middle of the night, I played with them, and I fed them, and I changed them so that you wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night. So that you wouldn't be fed up with child-rearing." I begged. My mouth was dry with thirst and all I had was the little amount of saliva I would occasionally swallow to wet my throat. It hurt. Like there was an obstruction in my throat. My head hurt. My eyes hurt. My feet hurt. My back hurt. My heart. Everything hurt. "We used to watch TV together on the couch and eat ice cream. When I was little, you told me to come to your room to sleep with you whenever I would have a nightmare." My voice fell as a whisper in the howling winds as darkness slowly descended upon us, blocking the light of the sun. I opened my mouth only to choke on my words as I found it difficult to breathe. My hair waved wildly in the wind. I fell on my knees before her, grasping her legs as I begged, "No, you can't. You can't leave me. Mommy, please. Whatever it is, I'll fix it. Tell me what to do and I will. I'll do anything you want, so please don't leave."

She pulled herself back as I fell forward, feeling the wild magic in my body finally reach the surface of my skin. The heat was too much. It hurt. Everything was burning inside me as I watched her enter her car and drive away. I watched the car turn into the street, disappearing behind the house, leaving me. Forever. It's so hot. It hurts. I grasped onto my head as I finally released everything inside me. "NO! NO! Please, mom. Mom, come back." Blood and magic roared inside me. Screams and shrieks filled the silent air as I stood up, walking down the driveway, to the street in the direction of the car. I stood in the middle of the street. Which way did she go? I turned left and I turned right. There was nothing. Nothing but trees dancing in the wind and an empty street. Mom's gone. I need him. "Dad. Daddy," I called, raising my head to the sky as I wandered aimlessly. Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter. The rain came down in full force, drenching my clothes and hair in a matter of seconds, leaving me looking as though I had just gone for a swim. I raised my head to the gray sky that wept with me. I poured out all my grief and shock and rage and sorrow into an ear-piercing wail as I cried once more for my father. "Daddy, please. I want to see you. Please come back. Help me," I whispered. I couldn't find any more energy to scream and cry. The sky was already crying for me. I just wanted my dad. Mom left me. She abandoned me. Surely, dad wouldn't.

I felt his divine presence standing behind me, the fluttering warmth of his wings around me. "I would never abandon you, daughter." I raised my head up to find myself surrounded by the darkness. "I am here. I am always with you." Everything fell away. The turbulent magic and the raging emotions. There were no more. I exhaled deeply, feeling at home as I clung to his arms, burying my face in his chest. No more pain. No more cold. No more hot. I fell against him, unable to hold myself up on my own weight. Numbness and lethargy replaced all the blood and magic that burned in my body not a few moments before.

"You came." Relief. Comfort. I exhaled shakily, my hands still holding onto him for fear he would disappear.

"You called. We cannot always be together, but I will always come for the celebration of your birth."

"Can I stay here with you?" I asked. "It's my birthday. You'll stay, won't you?"

"I will." He raised me up into his arms, carrying me into the cave as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Come, daughter. It is your birthday. Let us celebrate your homecoming. Together."


I finished the last section in one sitting. I had difficulty with Phoebe's mindset, transitioning from her birthday celebration to her abandonment.

I have difficulty writing emotions in first person, but I really wanted to try to have Phoebe narrate her distress.

I wanted nuanced characters. Matt is nice to everyone but he's fiercely protective of his family and can be cold towards people who harm his family as we see with how he interacts with Elena and Bonnie. Victoria is bitchy and arrogant toward most people around her, but with her friends and family, she's compassionate as we saw how she handled making tea for Jenna when she was crying over Logan. But she's still a sensitive 14-year-old teenage girl. Caroline has a strong sense of loyalty toward her friends and is kind to everyone and has an infectious enthusiasm.

Also, just because it's the small town of Mystic Falls, I'm not gonna make everyone date everyone. In my story, Matt and Caroline are friends, and Matt is the younger brother of Caroline's best friend. Matt is never going to date Caroline in my story. We already see that Matt is on the outs with Elena so he's never gonna date her. And frankly, I really don't care who Elena and the other members of the Scooby gang date since we won't be in Mystic Falls for a while soon.

We also see Matt and Ria's sibling relationship while they're in middle school. Based on what the show showed us, even with Vicki turning to drugs, Matt cared for her a lot, which I think means that they must have had a good relationship when they were children.

As for the Cardcaptor Sakura and Sailor Moon references, I wrote that Caroline thought of Phoebe as a magical girl with outfit transformation, then remembered those two anime. I feel like Caroline would like them, especially because of the clothing transformations.

Thanks for reading.

CHARACTER AGES AS OF NOVEMBER 30 2005

Lora Heinz - Born June 8th, 1979; Age 26

Jenna Sommers - Born September 12th, 1980; Age 25

Phoebe Donovan - Born November 30th, 1989; Age 16

Victoria Donovan - Born August 20th, 1991; Age 14

Caroline Forbes - Born October 10th, 1992; Age 13

Matthew Donovan - Born February 26th, 1993; Age 12