Yeah, so, um, remember how I said not to expect every chapter to be 10,000 words long? This one's over 8,000, sooo… Let's just not have a set chapter length, okay? :p
Thank you all so much for supporting this story! It means so much, and your reviews motivate me and make my day like you wouldn't believe.
CHAPTER 1
BROTHERS
.
Angela hated alarm clocks.
She'd come to this conclusion at age eleven, which was the first time she used an alarm clock. They were noisy, and annoying, and they made her want to murder somebody.
Her sister groaned. "Mmmm, God, just turn it off already."
Angela sat up and blindly followed her command. The sharp ringing finally stopped.
"And here I thought you were a morning person."
Elena huffed a laugh. "I was."
Angela let out a long yawn and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. The rays of early morning sunlight were peeking through the shutters and she groaned at the thought of having to open them. Elena was groggily getting out of bed however, and she figured she should probably follow suit.
"Do you have your outfit all picked out, Lena?"
"It's tradition, how can I not- oh jeez, that's bright."
Angela pulled back from the window and closed it, squinting against the light she freed. "Yeah, imagine being this close to it."
Elena chuckled and opened the door to the bathroom. She paused for a moment and looked back at her with a gentle smile. "Hey. We're gonna be okay."
She nodded. "We're gonna be okay."
Elena's smile grew and she entered the bathroom.
.
The girls and Jeremy quickly learned that Jenna wasn't much of a chef. Angela wasn't much of a chef either, but she took on the role because it gave her something to do; something to help keep her mind busy. She'd gotten quite good over the past few months, she had to say, and her brother clearly adored her omelets.
Otherwise he wouldn't be scarfing one down at that very moment.
"Hey, hey, hey, easy!" Jenna exclaimed. "Slow down, Jeremy, you're gonna choke!"
Jeremy finished the last couple bites and looked back up at her with a wide, toothy grin.
Elena snorted and sipped some of her coffee.
"Jerm's throat is a vacuum cleaner, Aunt Jenna," Angela smirked. "Haven't you realized that by now?"
Jenna shook her head in amusement. "Clearly." She glanced at the clock and a look of panic flashed across her face. "Crap! I'm supposed to be meeting with my thesis advisor!" She stood and looked at them warily. "Are you three going to be okay?"
Elena set her mug down with a smile. "Don't worry, Aunt Jenna. We'll be fine."
Angela nodded. "I can drive Jeremy to school. You should go."
Jenna wriggled a scrunchy down her wrist and tied her hair up into a ponytail. "Alright. Stay safe!" She grabbed her postman bag and was out the door in seconds.
Angela drank some of her orange juice. "Hey, Lena, can you turn the TV on to WPK?"
Elena raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Future thing."
Elena rolled her eyes and adopted a mocking tone. "Future thing." She reached for the remote and the television flashed on.
Logan Fell was standing in front of Wickery Bridge, looking as handsome and douchey as ever, and Angela instinctively rolled her eyes.
"Again," he spoke with his handsome, douchey voice, "If you have any information, please make sure to report it the police. Even if you think it's not important, I promise you: it might just be the missing piece they need."
Two pictures of a man and a woman, aged twenty-four and twenty-two respectively, filled the screen. The subtitle read "MISSING."
Angela pursed her lips. Hello, Damon. "Alright, you can turn it off now."
Elena did as she was told and looked at her, confused. "What was that all about?"
Angela waved her hand dismissively. "Tell you after school. Maybe."
Her sister sighed in annoyance. "Fine."
Jeremy tapped Angela on the arm and glanced at the front door just before a car horn sounded from the other side.
She downed the rest of her orange juice and stood. "Excellent timing, Jeremy!" She looked at her sister. "Sounds like Bon-Bon's here. I'm dropping Jeremy off, could you clear the table?"
She was already gathering the dishes. "On it!"
Angela looked at her brother with a smile and nodded towards the foyer. "Let's go."
.
"So… How are you feeling about going back to school?"
Jeremy shrugged with a shake of his head.
"Yeah, wish I could say the same," she sighed, turning onto Margaret Avenue.
She glanced at his curious expression and gave a tired sigh. "A lot's gonna be happening these next few years, Jer. Just… promise me you'll listen if I ever tell you to do something? Even if it might not make much sense."
His hand reached over to rest on her shoulder. He nodded firmly, and she smiled in relief.
"Thanks, kiddo."
.
Angela could recognize Caroline's piercing shriek anywhere. She barely had any time to process it, however, because she was engulfed in a hug as soon as she stepped through the doors of Mystic Falls High School.
"Oh my God! Angie! You're here! Ugh, I missed you…" Caroline pulled away, her smile brilliant.
Angela laughed. "Care-bear, we went to the Grill literally yesterday."
She pouted. "Yeah, but this is different."
Caroline looked beautiful, as per usual. Her blonde hair fell in gentle curls, her outfit complemented her in an attractive yet school-appropriate way, and just as Angela was going to point out how good she looked, Bonnie and Elena joined their side.
"It's been torture since you've been gone, Ann," Bonnie groaned sarcastically. She shook her head with a grin. "How could we ever survive without you?"
Armed with jeans, purple converse, a bright blue sweater, and straight brown hair that framed her pretty, youthful face, Bonnie looked absolutely adorable.
Elena giggled quietly. "We couldn't."
On the way over to their lockers, Angela made sure to keep an eye out for Tyler and any new faces that looked like Damon.
"So," Caroline's tone was mischievous as she worked on opening her locker, "we're seventeen now. Well… you're seventeen now." She turned to give her a wicked smile. "The legal seniors are way more likely to go out with you."
Angela snorted. "Believe it or not, Caroline, romance isn't really on my mind right now."
"Well," she put her scarf away, "it's on my mind. Ugh," she shut her locker, "I am so ready to meet someone new."
"Talking about boys?" Elena asked as she and Bonnie finished taking their books out and joined their side.
"You know it." Caroline looked at them resolutely. "I am officially over Tyler."
"Should I be offended?"
Angela's eyes widened and she whirled around. "Ty!" She jumped up and grappled him in a giant hug.
Tyler laughed and swung her from side to side. "Hey there, A-game."
She made him put her down and pulled back so she could look up at him. Waaay up at him. "Ugh, jeez, when did you get so tall? Get down here," she tried to grab at his head, "I need to ruffle your hair."
He pulled away from her with a grin and put his fists up in mock-defense. "No way, short-stack! My hair's ruffled the exact way girls like best. Not happening."
"Really?" Caroline asked, eyes narrowed. "Well, is there a way guys like best? You know, just so my next boyfriend doesn't break up with me."
Oof.
Tyler's grin dropped and for a moment everybody was silent. He gave them all a tight, awkward smile. "I, uh, I'll see you guys later." He cast another glance towards Angela and quickly walked away.
Bonnie looked at Caroline with a raised eyebrow. "Officially over him, huh?"
Caroline threw her head back and groaned. "I'm an idiot."
Angela rolled her eyes and swung an arm around her shoulders. "You're a teenager. Come on," she said and started leading her towards English class.
The hallway was jam-packed with students. Scanning the crowd, she saw that she knew everyone who didn't look like a freshman. Is he in the office, then? Oh jeez, what happens if he never even showed up?
"Whoa, hold up," she heard Bonnie say. When she looked back she noticed that she and Elena had stopped walking.
"What…" Elena trailed off when she followed Bonnie's line of sight. They were looking at something in the school's office, and Angela had a pretty good idea as to what – or rather who – it might be.
Caroline led her over to them and joined in their staring. She raised an eyebrow. "Who is that?"
"I don't know," said her sister. "All I see is back."
Bonnie smirked and, not for the first time, she was reminded of Sheila. "It's a hot back."
Angela looked at her, eyebrows raised, and snorted. "A hot back? Really, Bon?"
"Oh shut up, Mrs. Looks Don't Matter," said Caroline. "Bonnie's right. It is a hot back."
Just by looking at the back in question, the man in front of them seemed to match Sheila's description of Stefan well enough. Olive-toned skin that was on the lighter side (ergo possibly Italian-looking,) brown hair with highlights that looked to have been made by the sun, and… well… that was it, really.
He was facing the secretary and she could see nothing of his face.
"Hmmmm…" Bonnie's eyes were narrowed in thought. "Grams said my powers should start awakening this year, so what do you say? Should I try and sense what he's all about?"
Caroline accidentally shook Angela's arm off of her when she bounced in delight. "Oh! Yeah, do that! I wanna know if he's a psychopath or something first."
"First?" Elena asked with an amused smile. "Before what happens?"
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Before I make him fall in love with me, duh."
Angela tried not to snort. I wasn't this boy-crazy when I was young, was I?
Bonnie closed her eyes with a grin and took a large, exaggerated breath. "Hmmm… I'm sensing…" There was a large pause before she finally opened an eye and looked at them. "Nothing."
Caroline groaned.
Bonnie shrugged with a nonchalant smile. "Sorry, Caroline. I tried."
Caroline looked at her sardonically. "I'm sure you did."
Angela chuckled and tugged on her hand. "Alright, I think that's enough lurking. Wouldn't want him to turn around and see a bunch of weirdos staring at his apparently hot back now, would we?"
"No," said her very amused sister, "we wouldn't." She grabbed Bonnie's arm and started leading her towards class.
Caroline rolled her eyes and followed suit. "Fiiine… He does have a really hot back, though…"
.
It was the second class of the day and Angela already wanted to claw her face off. The work they had to do was relatively easy in her opinion, but the anxiety that came with possibly meeting Stefan freaking Salvatore of all people at some point during the day but not knowing exactly when was beginning to put her on edge.
And then history rolled around.
She and Bonnie had arrived to find Elena already in her seat, face noticeably pink. Angela shifted her gaze onto the desk she always sat at and felt her heart stop when she saw who was sitting behind it.
Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore had been handsome, yes, but the man that captured her gaze left her positively floored.
The man that she knew was Stefan Salvatore had a face that would make a model cry. Relatively similar to his brother in that regard, except she wasn't as stressed out as she was the day she met Damon and she was able to fully appreciate his good looks. His jawline was as sharp as a knife and his lips were pink and full. Their edges naturally curled upward, and she could only imagine how dashing he looked when he smiled. His nose was straight and his cheekbones were high, and by the time she finally got to his kind-looking, bright green eyes she could almost think again.
"Whoa…" she heard Bonnie whisper breathlessly and didn't even have to look at her to know that she'd seen him too.
She swallowed dryly. "Agreed."
They looked at each other's flustered face just as Mr. Tanner entered the classroom.
"Alright!" He exclaimed with a clap of his hands. "Get in your seats, people. It's finally time to learn about the state you live in."
With one last shared glance, she and Bonnie hurried off to their seats. Angela tried her best to keep any blushing to a minimum, but when she was stood next to her desk and he looked up at her with a warm, inviting smile, her cheeks felt as cold as the sun.
.
"Did you see Hot Back Guy!?" Caroline whisper-yelled during lunch. "He sat next to me in Geometry! I almost had a heart attack!"
"He sat behind me in History," she shook her head. "It should be illegal to be that pretty."
"You see, Elena?" Bonnie gestured towards Angela. "Even 'Mrs. Looks Don't Matter' admits he's gorgeous."
But I also know every single thing about him. She shrugged. "Hey, just 'cause I don't think they matter doesn't mean I can't recognize when they're blatantly impeccable."
Elena rolled her eyes and stabbed a piece of broccoli. "Oh, okay, fine, so he's a little pretty. What's it matter?"
"This could be good for you!" Bonnie said, hope clear in her eyes. "He was totally shooting you looks. Going out with him could help your life go back to normal."
You sure about that, Bon?
"Heyyy," Caroline whined, "who says Elena gets to have him?"
"Oh, right, my bad," said Bonnie. "Angie's here, too." She shrugged with a mischievous smile. "I guess they could just flip a coin."
Caroline's mouth dropped open and she let out an indignant noise that made the rest of them burst out laughing.
"Hey, um, can I sit here?"
Angela looked up to see Tyler, lunch tray in hand and looking extremely out of his element. She, Elena, and Bonnie all turned to look at Caroline, who bit her lip nervously.
After a moment she released it with a sigh. "Okay."
Tyler gave them a smile that was almost relieved and sat down between Bonnie and Angela.
And then there was silence.
I should say something, shouldn't I?
She finally cleared her throat. "Sooo… when are you two gonna talk about your breakup?"
Elena turned to her, eyes wide. "Angela!"
She shrugged. "What? They need to have this conversation sooner or later; I'm tired of feeling like I need to choose between them."
"You don't-"
"That's not-"
Caroline and Tyler glanced at each other and stopped talking.
Tyler cleared his throat. "Uhh… You can go first."
"No!" Caroline said too loud and quickly calmed her tone. "No. You go first. Really."
"Okaaay… well, uh, I was just gonna say: that's not true. You don't have to choose between us. You're our best friend."
"Yeah!" Caroline motioned towards him. "That's… That's what I was gonna say, too. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way…"
Angela raised an eyebrow. "You did. You do. So please, for everyone's sake – including your own – have an honest, open conversation with each other. Soon."
Tyler wouldn't meet her eye and Caroline looked thoroughly reprimanded.
"Yes, Mom…"
.
"Hey," Elena approached her after school, "you wanna come visit Mom and Dad with me?"
Angela shut her locker and turned to look at her. "Yeah, sure. Jenna texted me saying she picked Jeremy up, so we can drive straight there if you want."
Elena nodded with a gentle smile. "Sounds good."
.
"Sooo," Angela adopted a conspiratorial tone, "talk to Hot Back Guy at all?"
She groaned. "Not you too."
Angela laughed and turned onto Lemmon Street. "Hey, I'm your sister. It's my job to tease you about boys."
Elena let out a sigh. "His name is Stefan. And no. I did not talk to him."
That's about to change reeaal quick. She didn't voice her thoughts however, and silence filled the car for the rest of the drive.
Mystic Falls was lovely in September. The days were warm but not unbearable, and the nights were chilly at worst. They passed the street Caroline lived on and she thought, not for the first time, about how bizarre this new life of hers was. Bizarre and dangerous.
Bizarre and limited.
She couldn't remember many personal details from her previous life. Her name, appearance, her birthplace, and what her family was like were all things that escaped her. But the experiences she had? Those she remembered. She remembered visiting France and Sicily and Austria; seeing a man propose to his girlfriend on top of the Eiffel Tower; watching Rigoletto from one of the boxes of the Teatro Massimo; eating ice cream in Vienna. She even knew that she lived in England for quite some time, but couldn't remember exactly where.
But Angela Gilbert… Angela had never left America in her entire life.
Maybe once we catch a break we can travel the world for a bit. She smiled at the thought and parked in front of the Mystic Falls Cemetery.
Elena hopped out, and as Angela turned the engine off she could see her sister closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. Angela left the car with a mischievous grin on her face and took a loud breath.
"Ahhh, the scent of dead people. Love it." She slammed the door shut.
Elena turned to look at her like she was insane. "Hilarious."
Angela chuckled and walked through the large, iron archway. She could hear her sister's footsteps following her.
Walking through the garden of graves, Angela tried to look for the Salvatore brothers as subtly as she possibly could. Other than a handful of ordinary visitors however, she couldn't see a single sign of human – or vampire – life.
Elena sighed and sat down against a statue when they reached their parents' gravestone, and Angela looked up at it curiously. A woman that looked more like a goddess was standing with her hands pressed against her cheek and her eyes closed as though in sleep.
Pretty…
Angela sat down on a bench not too far away and grabbed the pencil and sketchbook that she kept inside her bag.
Now… What am I meant to do first? She made a small noise of remembrance as she recalled Tyler telling her to start by sketching the basic shapes. Drawing a statue can't be too different from drawing a person, right? She put her pencil to paper and was halfway through sketching the details of its face when she heard a loud caw.
She looked over in the direction of the noise and found a black crow resting on top of her parents' gravestone.
Oh, lord…
She shifted her eyes towards her sister, who had paused in her writing and was looking up at it skeptically. It cawed again and once more after that, and flapped its wings.
"Okay," she heard her mumble and saw her wave at it. "Hi, bird. That's not… creepy or anything…"
Angela would have snickered if she didn't know exactly what was happening. The fog that began to crawl across the ground seemed to come from absolutely nowhere, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.
"Okaaay," she said as she put her sketchbook back into her bag, "that's kinda creepy…"
Elena looked nervous as her eyes followed the fog that was quickly surrounding her. The crow cawed and gave another flap of its wings. Her sister gulped audibly and stood with a start. The crow cawed.
"Shoo!" Elena shouted as she anxiously tried to drive it away. It flapped its shiny black wings one last time and flew off. She straightened up and let out a relieved breath. "That's what I thought…"
Angela finished putting her things away and stood up. She saw the crow land on the pretty statue and tried to warn her sister just as she started turning around. "Uh- Lena-"
It was too late however, and Elena came face to face with the crow. She startled backwards with a gasp. It cawed loudly and Angela hurried next to her. Elena carefully bent down to retrieve her bag, never once taking her eyes off the bird.
"Come on, Angie," she said. "Let's go home."
Angela gave the surrounding area another quick look-around but couldn't see Damon anywhere. She nodded, beginning to feel a bit nervous herself.
Elena's clammy hand grabbed her own and started dragging her towards the entrance of the cemetery. Before the path could turn out of sight, she slowed down and looked back to where the crow was. She breathed in a shaky gasp, and Angela glanced back curiously.
Aaand there he is. The goosebumps that erupted on her skin nearly hurt.
Standing partially hidden behind an angel statue, Angela could see the silhouette of a man. The fog obscured his figure too much for her to be able to make out any discerning features, but she knew that it was Damon Salvatore.
Angela tugged on her sister's hand. "Let's go, Elena."
She didn't need to be told twice, as she all but popped Angela's arm out of its socket with how quickly she started running.
Angela struggled to keep up and watch her feet as they zipped between the trees and shrubbery that were scattered throughout the graveyard. They came to a decline, and the speed at which they were running caused Elena to trip and fall when the ground became level. Angela was barely able to grab onto the tree her sister had fallen against, and she saved herself from being dragged down with her.
She let out a hiss as pain erupted in her palm. I think I grazed it.
"Slow down, you're gonna get us killed," her voice was tight, and her sister scrambled back up.
Elena turned to look at her before her wide eyes spotted something just behind her shoulder. She gasped, and Angela whirled around…
…and immediately sighed in relief.
Stefan.
His worried eyes darted between them. "You okay?"
Elena's face relaxed as she swallowed to try and stop her panting. She nodded quickly and glanced back in the direction they'd come from. "Were you following us?"
"No. I, uh, I just saw you fall." His gaze shifted onto Angela and he furrowed his brows. "Did you hurt your hand?"
She tore her eyes off of his face – this is so goddamn weird – and glanced down at her palm. It looked red and irritated, and she could see the marks where the rough bark had scratched her skin.
She grimaced. "Ah. Yeah." She looked back up at him with a tense smile. "Nothing a first aid kit won't fix."
He nodded at her and Elena spoke up.
"So, um, what are you doing in a cemetery?" She chuckled breathlessly. "It's not exactly a hotspot around here."
"I'm visiting," he said. "I have, uh, family here."
"Oh." Her sister looked mildly ashamed. "Right. Wow. Sorry. Tactless. I-it's the fog. It's making me foggy. And then back there," she pointed, "there was this- this bird, and it was all very Hitchcock? For a second?"
Angela was fighting to suppress her grin. Stefan wasn't fighting his smile at all, and it seemed to be affecting Elena quite a bit. He does look dashing when he smiles.
"Th-that is the bird movie, right? The Hitchcock…" She trailed off and huffed an embarrassed laugh. "I'm Elena."
"I'm Stefan."
Elena smiled bashfully and shrugged. "I know. We have History together."
She very nearly rolled her eyes.
Stefan nodded obliviously. "And English, and French."
Her sister continued to get lost in his eyes as she nodded minutely. "Right…"
Should I go? I feel like a third wheel… God, he's gorgeous.
"Uh… You've got a…" Stefan leaned over and gently worked a leaf out of Elena's hair. She'd yet to take her eyes off of him.
Quick. Say something. This is awkward.
"So! Stefan. Your surname sounds familiar… you say you have family here… Are you by chance a founding family member?"
Stefan dropped the leaf onto the ground and looked at her. "Uh, yeah, Zach's my uncle. I don't know if you know him."
Elena gave a gentle nod, her smile intact. "Yeah, he used to push us on the swing when we were little." It seemed nearly painful for her to turn and look at her. "Remember him, Angie?"
More than you know. "Of course I remember him! He's always been nice to us."
Stefan stared back at Elena for a moment before his eyebrows furrowed. "Did you hurt yourself?"
Elena blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Did you hurt yourself?"
"Oh… um, I don't know…" Elena walked over to a tree stump and rested her foot on it. She pulled her pant leg up and Angela's pulse quickened at the sight that was uncovered. Shit, I knew this was probably gonna happen, but that is a lot of blood.
"Oh my God, Elena, we need to get you home!"
Her sister hissed as she looked at her wound. "That is not pretty."
There was movement in the corner of Angela's eye, and she turned to see Stefan facing away from them. When he spoke, his voice was shaky and clipped.
"She's right. You should go. Take care of that."
Angela affixed her gaze onto her sister and saw her rolling her pant leg down.
Elena shook her head. "Really, it's…" Her voice trailed off as her head turned to look at him. "…Nothing."
Angela glanced back, and where Stefan had stood there was now only empty air.
.
"Hey, hey, not so hard," Elena hissed.
Angela gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry."
She placed the ointment-covered Q-tip back onto her sister's cut, making sure to press lighter this time. Elena sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
When she was done smearing ointment on her sister's wound, Angela reached back into the first aid kit and grabbed a bandage.
Elena broke the silence. "You don't think he was a… you know, do you?"
Angela felt her chest fill with pride. My sister… She glanced up at her as she covered the cut. "What makes you say that?" She patted her thigh. "All set."
Elena retracted her leg from its place on Angela's lap and set it back down onto the floor. "He freaked out at the sight of my blood… he seemed to teleport away…" She gently shook her head. "It would be my luck, wouldn't it?"
Angela frowned. "Hey, even if he is a vampire, he seemed nice. Dad was wrong, you know… Not all of them are evil."
Elena stared at her, clearly worried. "Do you know that for sure?"
She nodded firmly. "Yes. Of course there are some that kill for sport and all, but… vampirism doesn't automatically make you a monster. It just heightens what's already inside of you; the bad, yeah, but also the very, very good."
Her sister relaxed for a moment before her eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, didn't Dad need to tell you about vampires? How do you know all of this?"
She gave a half-smile and shrugged. "I always knew. I just needed him to tell you and Jeremy."
Elena's mouth dropped open. She pushed Angela's shoulder with a breathless laugh. "I didn't know you were the evil twin."
Her half-smile grew into a grin. "And don't you forget it."
Their laughter was interrupted by Jeremy trotting down the stairs.
"Jerm-worm!" Angela stood up and brought him into a quick hug. "How was school today?"
He moved his hand in a so-so motion. They both sat down next to Elena, who immediately ruffled his hair.
"Does that mean it was boring?"
He gave a giant nod, making the girls chuckle. He pointed at the first aid kit and looked to them, question clear in his eyes.
"Lena scratched up her leg," said Angela. "And like the wonderful sister I am-" Elena let out a snort "-I helped patch her up."
He made an 'oh' shape with his mouth.
She saw Elena's eyes widen. "I almost forgot! Jer, how've you been doing with sign language?"
He ducked his head and grinned sheepishly.
Angela glared at him. "Don't tell me you forgot to study again!"
His sheepish grin only widened.
Elena stood with a sigh. "Look, how about we all do it together? Every day at 5 PM, starting tomorrow, we get together at the dining table and have a group study session." She smacked the outside of her thighs in a shrug. "Might be more fun that way."
Angela signed the word 'agree' and looked at Jeremy with a raised eyebrow. He rolled his eyes and nodded.
Elena smiled. "Great. Now… I'm gonna go do some homework before me and Angie go to the Grill." She playfully narrowed her eyes at Angela. "You should do the same."
She rolled her eyes and stood with a groan. "Yeah, yeah… Just know that I blame our sister for taking away our quality time, Jer."
He grinned and signed 'agree.'
Elena lunged at him and started tickling his stomach. "Smartass!"
Angela turned and walked up the stairs, smiling widely at the sound of her brother's bright, innocent laughter.
.
She'd just finished putting on some lip gloss when she heard a knock sound from the ground floor.
Now who could that be?
She decided she didn't care enough to get up and check, so she busied herself with making sure that her newly-applied makeup looked good. Satisfied that it did, she started putting her things away.
Another knock sounded, but this time from behind her bedroom door.
"Angie, are you ready?" asked her sister.
She grabbed her purse and stood up to open the door. There Elena stood, and Angela motioned up and down herself as if to ask "what do you think?"
Her sister gave an appreciative nod and smiled at her. "You look good."
She flipped her wavy black hair cockily. "When do I not?"
Elena smirked. "When you're being arrogant."
Angela laughed as they descended the stairs, and was immediately surprised at the sight of Stefan waiting outside the door.
Oh, yeah. I totally forgot.
Elena looked at him oddly. "You didn't have to stay outside, you know."
He gave an awkward smile and looked around the inside of the house. "I, uh, didn't wanna intrude."
Her sister shot her a glance as if to say 'See? Totally a vampire,' but instead said "I hope it's okay if Stefan comes with us."
Angela smiled at him warmly. "Of course! It'd suck for the new kid to have no friends."
Elena gave her an utterly flat look.
This is going to be fun.
.
"So, you were born in Mystic Falls?"
They were sat at a large table amidst the busy, jovial crowd of the Mystic Grill, and the girls had seemingly made it their mission to dig up any and all information they could about one Stefan Salvatore.
He hummed affirmatively and set his drink down. "And moved when I was still young."
Caroline had had her turn, so now it was Bonnie's. "Parents?"
His gaze flicked downward. "My parents passed away."
A silence fell over the group.
"…I'm sorry," Elena breathed and it seemed to Angela like she wanted to hold his hand. "Any siblings?"
He gave a mildly amused smile. "None that I talk to. I live with my uncle."
I have to do it. I have to poke it with a stick.
"Then you do have siblings?"
"Uh… yeah. A brother." He grimaced apologetically. "Sorry, I don't really like talking about him."
"I'm sure Angela didn't mean to pry," Elena said, and shot her a glare.
Caroline sat up straight. "So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow."
Bonnie stirred her milkshake and nodded. "It's a back to school thing at the Falls."
Stefan turned his head to look at Elena. "Are you going?"
Her sister looked at a loss for words, her face beginning to turn pink.
"Of course she is."
Angela, Caroline, and Bonnie all glanced at each other as they spoke in unison.
Elena bit her lip in amusement, eyes still locked on Stefan. "Of course I am."
Angela saw Tyler approaching them from where he was at the pool table.
"Hey!" She patted the empty seat next to her. "Sit down; meet Stefan."
Tyler did a bro handshake thing with him and said "Hey, man. I'm Tyler."
He nodded with a smile. "Hey. Stefan."
Tyler sat down next to Angela. "I would've come over sooner, but I was proving a point to Matt Donovan," he snorted. "Thought he could beat me… I kicked his friggin' ass."
Elena giggled and furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah, I-I thought I saw you two talking smack at some point."
Angela pouted. "Damn, I wish I'd been there." She shot Stefan a playful stink-eye. "Why do you have to be so gosh-darn interesting?"
He smiled and breathed out in amusement. "Sorry, I'll… try to tone it down next time."
"No," said her sister. She gave him a gentle smile. "No, you're perfect the way you are."
.
Angela hated alarm clocks.
This time, she didn't have to wait for her sister's prompting before blindly and frantically shutting it off. She flopped flat on her back and let out sigh that was more a whine.
She heard Elena's sleepy chuckle and the ruffling of bedsheets as she moved around. "Good morning to you, too."
"Shut up," Angela groaned and covered her face with a pillow.
Her sister's laugh was bright and happy and filled her chest with warmth. Try as she might, she couldn't help but smile.
.
"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls."
Angela could feel anger slowly building inside of her as she remembered what William fucking Tanner would say to her kind, sweet sister today. He better not. I'll get to him before Damon ever has the chance.
"How many casualties resulted in this battle?" His gaze settled on Bonnie and he nodded at her. "Ms. Bennett?"
She looked like a deer caught in headlights and nervously glanced around her. "Ummm… a lot?" She gave an awkward smile. "I'm not sure, but like, a whole lot."
Tanner smiled meanly. "Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett."
Bonnie looked guilty and embarrassed, and Angela thought she would crack a tooth with how hard she clenched her jaw.
He rested his gaze on Matt. "Mr. Donovan," he drawled out. "Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"
Smartass. Her thoughts were far less sweet than her sister's words had been just yesterday.
He gave a half-smile and his voice was nonchalant when he spoke. "It's okay, Mr. Tanner. I'm cool with it."
A few chuckles broke out and she smirked small. Tanner hummed and nodded sarcastically. His gaze fell in front and to the left of her, on her sister, and Angela prayed for his sake that he wouldn't say anything stupid.
"Elena? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?"
She could see her shake her head. "I'm sorry, I… I don't know."
His eyes were hard and he spoke low. "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena… but the personal excuses ended with summer break."
She felt the blood in her veins turn cold in fury. You're dead.
"Perhaps you should ask me, Mr. Tanner," she said kindly. "I was the one that found our parents' mangled bodies, but history's still a passion of mine… in spite of your efforts."
There were significantly more chuckles this time. She could see one student putting his fist up to his mouth. Elena turned to look at her with a disbelieving, open-mouthed smile.
William fucking Tanner narrowed his beady little eyes at her and smiled cynically. He walked back to lean against his desk. "Or perhaps I should give you detention. Second day of school and you're already making trouble, oooohh," he hissed, "not a good look, Gilbert."
Brave man; picking on children.
She smiled at him sweetly. "My special treat to you, Tanner. I know how bored you get without the attention of pretty, underage girls."
The accusation that he was a pedophile was completely unfounded, but it made him clench his jaw in anger and so she didn't care. The chuckles became proper laughs, and she could hear Bonnie's quiet, amused "Oh my God."
His eyes were furious. "Alright, alright!" he yelled out. "Settle down!" He reached into his desk and took out a sheet of paper. "Congratulations, Angela. You just made plans for the rest of the week."
She tilted her head and grinned. "Wouldn't miss them for the world."
There was relative silence as the class calmed down, and Tanner tried again. "Can anyone tell me the casualties of this very important battle? Anyone?"
"There were 346 casualties," she heard Stefan say from behind her. "Unless you're counting local civilians."
Tanner clapped his hands together and pointed at him. "That's correct! Mr…?"
"Salvatore."
"Salvatore, hm? Any relation to the town's original settlers?"
He seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Distant."
Tanner nodded and walked in front of his desk. "Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle."
Give it to him, Stef.
"Actually," he said and it sounded like he leaned back in his chair, "there were 27, sir. Confederate soldiers… they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong… It was a night of great loss." He cleared his throat. "The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts… Mr. Tanner."
That sparked a new wave of giggles to spread through the room, and Angela couldn't stop herself from joining in.
.
Elena and Bonnie crowded her as soon as they left the classroom.
"Oh my God, Angela!" Elena's face was lit up by her bright, bright smile. "I can't believe you talked back to him like that!"
"Seriously!" Bonnie was fighting a laugh. "Between you and Stefan…" she shook her head. "Maaan, Caroline and Tyler missed out big time."
Angela bit her lip and bounced from the adrenaline rush that still hadn't fully gone down. "Seriously. Ugh, I just wanted to rip his throat out- oh hey, Stefan!"
Elena shot her a glare that was weakened majorly by her ensuing laugh.
Stefan stopped next to them and looked at her with a smile. "Hey. That was…" he looked down and chuckled silently, "that was pretty good, what you said back there."
She shrugged with a grin. "Tanner's a grade-A asshole, and no one talks about my family like that. He had it coming." Is that what you'll say when he's dead, as well? The fact that the thought of him lifeless on the ground didn't bother her at all made her feel odd. "What you said was pretty good, too."
He nodded in thanks, looking amused.
Elena let out another giggle. "Well thank you… both of you. Hey, we should get to class, but, um, Stefan," she glanced at him sweetly, "I'll see you tonight, okay?"
He nodded, smile still in place. "See you tonight."
She linked her arm with Angela's. "Now come on. We need to tell Ty-dye what my staunch protectors did."
.
Angela was in the bathroom, contemplating just how much she cared about Vicki Donovan.
She didn't have any feelings for her either way, she decided, nor did she have any feelings for her brother, Matt, but Elena and Tyler considered him a friend. Vicki getting hurt would undoubtedly hurt him which would in turn hurt them, and that, she decided, she didn't like the sound of.
But if I don't give Damon a plaything he might get bored and go after someone I care about… She sighed as she finished applying cat-eye eyeliner, and reached for her mascara.
They'd hate me if they found out… She didn't like the sound of that, either. But some sacrifices, she decided, had to be made for the greater good.
She put on some nude pink lipstick. And who's to say you know what the greater good is?
She made sure everything was applied well. Regardless… I'm the only one with a shot at achieving it.
Maybe it was already achieved. Maybe you screwed everything up already.
I don't believe that. I can't believe that, or else I won't be able to keep going.
Face it, Angela… You're a curse. Your parents suffered more than they would have because of you. Jeremy's a mute because of you. You're alone in this world… Just like you were in the last one.
She jumped back from the mirror and all but ran back into her and Elena's room.
Her sister glanced up at her from where she was applying blush. "Hey… you okay?"
She nodded and forced a smile. "Yup! Ugh, I'm just so excited for tonight."
Elena smiled and put her blusher away. "Honestly? Me too."
Angela sat down on her bed. "Really, now?" she drawled out suggestively. "Does a certain handsome Salvatore have anything to do with that?"
She huffed and took out her lip gloss. "Isn't this what you and the girls wanted?"
"Hey, I'm not complaining," she smiled. "It's nice to see you like this."
Elena finished applying her makeup and stood up to grab her purse. She turned to look at her happily. "Well then what are you waiting for? Let's go."
.
Angela could recognize Caroline's piercing shriek anywhere.
"Oh my God, you made it!" she exclaimed happily, blonde curls bouncing as she rocked Elena back and forth.
Her sister laughed. "We couldn't miss it, could we?"
Caroline pulled back and looked at her sternly. "Not if you wanted to wake up tomorrow."
Angela giggled. "I think what Lena meant to say was 'we wouldn't miss it.' You look hot as hell, Care-bear."
Caroline beamed at her. "Thanks! You look super hot, too!" Her gaze turned mischievous. "Now, what do you say we strut on over with our hot selves and find some guys to party with?"
She rolled her eyes with a grin. "You go ahead. I don't really hook up with strangers that could murder me come morning."
"Elena!" Bonnie called out as she neared. "Angie. You're here."
"Hey, Bonnie," her sister greeted her warmly.
"Hey," said Angela, "um, I'm gonna go drink some alcohol and forget that school exists for a couple of hours. You guys have fun."
Elena nodded at her. "Alright. Try not to do anything stupid."
She snorted as she walked away. "Which twin had to cover your ass when you stole Dad's tequila again?"
She could hear her sister's shouting from behind her. "You said you'd never talk about that!"
She grabbed a beer from the cooler a good ways away from the bonfire and scanned the crowd for Vicki Donovan. The sound of MGMT's Kids was almost deafening in her ears and made her realize that she was standing only a few feet away from the stereo.
She walked away, closer to the woods, and heard someone calling her name. She turned to look at the source of the voice.
"Hey," she smiled. "What's up, Ty- oh my God!"
He didn't give her time to finish talking before he picked her up and spun her around. She let out a squeak and wriggled in his grasp.
"What are you doing, you crazy bastard!? Let me down!" she tried to keep her tone firm, but her laughter ruined the effect.
He set her down with a loud, happy sigh and grinned. "Just greeting Mystic Falls' resident badass and stander-upper to teachers."
She narrowed her eyes at him and his giddy-looking self. "You're drunk, aren't you?"
He motioned around them happily. "It's a party, Angie-wangie. I'm supposed to be drunk."
She raised an eyebrow. "Angie-wangie, huh? That's a new one."
He booped her on the nose. She blinked.
"Alright, Tyler, I think you need to sit down for a bit," she said with a giggle and led him over to a bench.
"You're not my mom," he groaned but sat down regardless. He turned to look at her wickedly. "You'd make a hell of a MILF though."
Her mouth dropped open and she could feel her cheeks beginning to burn. She smacked his chest. "Tyler Lockwood, what has gotten into you?"
"Alcohol, wangie… Alcohol."
She snorted and took a swig of her beer. "Clearly."
Her eyes scanned the crowd once more. She had to admit, the kids in charge had decorated the place beautifully. Golden hanging lights were placed everywhere and made to look like stars, the wooden gazebo looked warm and inviting, and the bonfire that they were sitting next to seemed to be dancing to the beat of the music.
"You haven't seen Vicki Donovan by chance, have you?"
Tyler looked confused. "Uhhhh, no? Why would I?"
Her heart dropped in realization. Who says it's going to be Vicki? It was Tyler who dragged her into the woods in the first place, and he's sitting right beside you.
She stood up with a start.
"Hey, um, I'm gonna go." Her tone sounded nearly frantic to her ears, and she tried to calm down. She shot Tyler a smile. "I just remembered something."
He furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "You okay?"
She nodded as happily as she could. "Yeah! Yeah, everything's fine!" She leaned over and gave him her beer. "Have fun, okay?"
"Yeah. Okay. Call me if you get in trouble or anything," he said, still visibly worried.
She smiled a bit more genuinely. "Of course, Ty. Thank you."
Glancing to where her sister and Stefan were now talking, she made for the woods in their exact opposite direction.
Maybe Elena and Tyler don't need to get hurt, after all.
The woods were densely populated, and she only had to be twenty feet inside of them for most of the golden light to disappear.
How good is Stefan's hearing? Didn't he say once that it was worse than Damon's because of his diet? She wasn't willing to take that chance, however, and so she kept walking.
What am I even gonna say? "Hellooo? Mr. Big Bad Salvatooore? I know you can easily murder me, but I just wanna taaalk!" Fucking idiot.
A twig snapped behind her and she whirled around. She swallowed dryly. Was that an animal? Fuck. No. This is a thing they do, I remember this. If I turn around he'll be right there, won't he?
"If that was you, Damon, I'd kindly ask you not to eat me!"
Hearing her heart beating in her ears, she slowly turned around, and…...
…nothing. There was nothing there.
And then the wind got knocked out of her.
She gasped, her right hand instinctively reaching up to try and pry away whatever was squeezing her throat shut. She managed to keep her eyes open long enough to see two cold blue eyes staring back at her.
"D… Da-" It was hard to talk, and her left hand joined her right in order to try and get him away from her.
Wait… My left hand.
She shoved her left wrist as hard as she could against his hand and she saw the skin begin to sizzle and burn.
In her fight to keep her eyes open, she could see his face twisting into a pained grimace. She pressed her wrist against him even harder and he finally pulled away from her, crying out through gritted teeth.
She dropped onto the ground and brought her hands up to her throat. She coughed and took a loud breath. Fuck, can I talk? He didn't crush my vocal chords, did he?
"Shit," she breathed, and felt relieved at her voice coming out normal… if not a bit hoarse.
She could see him holding the hand that she had burnt and looking at her in bewilderment.
"How do you know my name?"
She swallowed painfully. I need some tea or something. "I never forgot it." She showed him her left wrist. "Vervain tattoo. Your compulsion didn't work."
He flashed to her eye level and grabbed her face. He turned it this side and that until finally he let go.
"Angela."
She rubbed at her cheek. Damn, if vampires aren't strong. "The one and only."
"How did you know I was here?"
She sighed and massaged her aching throat. "There's a lot I know that I probably shouldn't… We can talk all about it later. For now, let's just say that I can see into the future, okay?"
His cold blue eyes were narrowed and she finally had a chance to look him over properly.
He was gorgeous like his brother, but in a completely different way. There was a clear resemblance in their coloring and bone structure, but where Stefan's hair was very clearly brown, Damon's looked to be black under the low light of the moon. Where Stefan had an almost boyish charm to him, Damon's charm was pure, unadulterated sex appeal. His eyebrows were arched, and his lips were thinner than his brother's, and though her mind wasn't the dirtiest in the world, she couldn't help but imagine them twisted in a sexy smirk.
He stood and yanked her up.
Jesus Christ, I'm not a ragdoll.
His hands were still firmly around her biceps. "Why did you come here? If you knew that I'd be here, if you knew how easily I could kill you, then why did you come?"
"Because I want to help you, okay? Now stop jerking me around like that, I'm still human."
His eyes narrowed momentarily and he roughly let her go. She walked back to lean against the tree she'd been pinned to.
"Thank you," she said and started combing her fingers through her hair.
They spent some time in silence, Damon simply staring at her and Angela making sure that she was okay. He'd crossed his arms, head tilted down and eyes looking at her dangerously.
Finally, he spoke. "What do you mean you want to help me?"
She sighed.
It's now or never.
"I want to help you open the tomb."
In case I wasn't clear enough, the characters in this story don't look exactly like the actors that portray them in the TV show. You're more than welcome to pretend like they do of course, but I think it'd be a tiiiny bit silly for that to be the case in the actual TVD universe (assuming it exists? Lmao that sounded weird.)
Also, I really don't like copying scenes from the show, but I felt like it would make too much sense for Elena to drag Angie along to the cemetery with her and couldn't convince myself otherwise. All things considering, I don't think it turned out too badly haha.