Sooo… this year's been pretty wild so far, hasn't it? Ngl, I've been feeling pretty down recently and have been focusing more on self-care and not being stressed 100% of the time, so I'm sorry for not updating in a while. I hope nearly 9,000 words will help make up for it. I'm doing much better now, by the way, so please don't worry about me haha.

As always, thank you so much for following, favoriting, reviewing, and even just reading. It makes me really happy to see those numbers go up because I'm an insecure attention whore.

CHAPTER 3

A

.

Sheila's house, like most of the houses in Mystic Falls, was quite simple in its design. Unlike most other houses, however, its wooden shingles, quaint little porch, and red-brick chimney always made Angela feel at ease. With all the evenings she and her sister had spent inside, it had practically become a second – or third, after Caroline's – home. Sheila wasn't only Bonnie's grandma, but the twins' as well. Bonnie was their sister. And the sight of the older witch glaring at her from the other side of the door was an all too familiar one.

"The hell you doin' here?" She was dressed in a soft-looking robe with her hair tucked away in a patterned silk wrap. As if that wasn't enough to clue her in, her slurred words threw away any doubt she might have had.

Angela gave an awkward grin. "Besides waking you up?"

Sheila glared harder as if to say "exactly." She sighed. "This gonna take long?"

"Umm… depends?"

She rolled her eyes and walked away from the door. "Come in then. Crazy girl…"

Angela did as she was told. She heard Sheila turn the kettle on and made to follow her into the kitchen. Sheila was on her way out, however, and gave another glare when they bumped into each other.

"Now," Sheila sighed as she sat on the couch, "what do you want?"

"Um, well, I think that first an apology is in order? I didn't realize you were still asleep."

"Thank you," she drawled in that lovingly sarcastic way of hers.

Angela cleared her throat and dug the plain-looking box out of her bag. "I think it's about time we separate these. Keeping them together isn't convenient anymore."

Sheila raised her eyebrows and hummed in acknowledgment. "I was going to come to you about that later today." She yawned and took the box. "Give me a minute and I'll get a second one ready for you." Her words were much clearer now that she'd woken up a bit. She disappeared into her bedroom and Angela followed out of curiosity. She was looking through her dresser drawers.

"Don't you have any spare ones on hand?" Angela asked; not in a demanding way, but in a simply curious one.

"I do, but since we aren't in a hurry it'd be best for me to make you a new one." It turned out that what she was looking for was – surprise, surprise – a box, not too dissimilar in appearance from the one she'd previously given her. When she finally found it, she stood back up to her full height and made to exit the room. Angela had the foresight to move out of the way this time. "I keep one or two of these things in case of emergency, and besides, they're spelled differently than yours."

She wanted to ask "What sort of emergency requires a magically sealed box?" but the mental image of someone breaking into the house and looking to steal something important was enough to answer her question.

"Sit down. You're giving me a headache," Sheila's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she realized she was still following her around the house. Angela sat down on the comfortable, beige couch and waited for Sheila to return. She did so shortly thereafter, with the box in one hand and a cup of Bennett brand whiskoffee in the other.

Angela scrunched her nose up at the smell. "How much did you put in there?"

Sheila set the box – which she could now see contained a needle and a lighter – onto the coffee table and took a sip. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully and Angela could see the liquid sloshing around in her mouth. Finally, she swallowed and nodded. "Enough."

Angela shook her head in disgust. "Right… anyway, is this gonna be the same as last time?"

Sheila hummed affirmatively and looked up at her with an apologetic smirk. "Been asking you to bleed an awful lot lately, haven't I?"

She chuckled. "At least you don't make me slice my palm open for no good reason."

Sheila picked up the needle and muttered a spell on the hand that was holding it. It's so she doesn't burn, she remembered, but thought it was a bit pointless to do in her own home. "Why don't you just get an oven mitt? Doesn't this waste your energy?"

She raised an eyebrow and picked up the lighter. "I do hope you know it's impolite to criticize a witch's work when you're so young and human."

Angela leaned forward and rested her arms in her lap. "I'm not criticizing… I'm just curious."

Sheila started sterilizing the needle. "When you're hungry, do you always order take-out? Or do you sometimes cook to make sure you haven't forgotten what to do? Magic is natural, just like one's inherent ability to make food. Cooking is a craft. Witchcraft is a craft." She winked at her and snapped the lighter closed. "That's why it's in the name. Now, give me your hand."

Angela did as she was told. Sheila's hand was warm and motherly, and she didn't realize that her shoulders were tense until they relaxed at the feeling. The needle neared her index finger.

Sheila stared at her. "You're doing this willingly, correct? You don't feel pressured by me or anybody else to be a part of this." The words were unnecessary on a personal level, but needed for the spell. If the box was sealed by her blood voluntarily, then it could only be opened by her blood voluntarily. This was so it couldn't be broken into. Not easily and not without repercussion, at least.

Angela nodded. "I'm doing this willingly." The needle stung a bit and her eye twitched, but it was nothing compared to the pain she felt the night she spoke with Damon. That pain she was reminded of every time she spoke.

Sheila let go of her hand. "First we need to open the old box, so could you please touch it with your finger?"

As she did so, she swore she could feel it unlock, though she had no magic herself. She swung the lid open to see the smooth, pearlescent moonstone lying right next to the old and intricate-looking amber talisman. She withdrew the stone, and after placing it inside the new box, she closed them both. She looked to Sheila. "How do I re-lock it?"

"It's bound to you," she said. "Will it to lock."

Angela furrowed her eyebrows and looked at it so forcefully she thought she must have been glaring. "Lock," she thought, and felt it comply. It was an odd feeling, and one that made her feel stupidly powerful for a human. I can only imagine the rush witches get… "I think I did it."

Sheila wiped away the blood that remained on the box and tried hard to open it with her hands. It didn't budge, however, and she nodded with a kind smirk. "Well done. You remember what happens now, right?"

She nodded and placed her bleeding finger on the box that contained the moonstone. This one was a bit smaller, she noticed, and a lighter wood. It's good they don't look the same. Wouldn't do to get them mixed up.

Sheila rested her hands on top of her finger and began muttering in that language she always used when casting. Angela wondered if it was possible for her to learn it. It might come in handy, even if she couldn't use it for spellwork.

A few seconds later, Sheila took a breath. "Take your finger off the box." Angela did so and immediately stuck it in her mouth to try and stop the blood flow. It was a shallow injury, if it could even be called that, and wouldn't take long to heal. Sheila wiped the blood away from the lid and tried to pry it open, once again, to no avail. She nodded in satisfaction. "All done. Where are you planning on hiding this? Keeping them both in the same place would be unwise."

Angela drew her finger from her mouth and nodded. "Agreed. Would you happen to have any wolfsbane on hand? Say… enough to make a well's worth of water really hurt?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "Odd request, but I should've known better. Are the Lockwood boys getting into trouble?"

Of course she'd know about them. She tilted her head and thought about Mason, who Tyler had said was always good to him. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Sheila stood up. "I never use it," she called as she walked into the kitchen, "but I should have enough for you somewhere. You don't need much, to be honest. Even two or three little stems full of flowers would sting, but…" She came back to the living room with a bucket in her hand. She set it down on the floor where Angela could see. She couldn't possibly count it all. Sheila tapped the bucket with her foot. "This should be more than enough. I'd like to keep some for myself, of course, now that I know we'll be having wolf trouble."

Angela nodded and placed the boxes into her bag. "Of course. It's yours, keep as much as you want." As much as she wanted, apparently, was about a third, though the remaining amount still looked like it was enough for what she had in mind.

"I assume you're planning on hiding the stone in a well?"

She smiled. "Taking a page out of the Katherine Pierce Book of Bitchery. There should be enough vervain stored in our house now that we don't really use it on anyone but Jenna. If I dump both herbs in a well along with the moonstone, only a witch or a human could swipe it. Even then, it'd be pretty damn hard to break into the box, and with a locator spell we'd hopefully be able to find it before anything horrible happens."

"Katherine Pierce…" Sheila narrowed her eyes. "That's your sister's doppelgänger, isn't it?"

"Sure is." Her smile turned sarcastic. "Did you know she was one of my favorite characters?" She shook her head. "Now that she actually exists, I don't quite feel the same way."

"I'd imagine." She glanced at the black analog clock above the television. "You should head to school. Leave me to gussy up and put my face on."

Angela grabbed the bucket and stood. "Yes, Ms. Sheila." She neared the front door before she remembered something and spun back around. "Oh! Don't forget to stake out the motel tonight, pretty please."

They'd had a bit of an argument over that. Sheila had, surprisingly quickly, caught on to the fact that Anna's timely arrival had to do with the tomb. She'd argued in favor of killing both her and Pearl before they had a chance to wreak havoc on the town, but Angela had brought up the fact that it'd be far more beneficial to keep them as allies. She had to appeal to Sheila's emotions a bit, bringing up her own dead mother as a reason for why this was important to her, but she finally relented.

Sheila rolled her eyes. "Please. I never forget a thing."

She smiled in relief and opened the door. "Great! Have fun getting dolled up."

Sheila smirked and laughed deep in her throat. "Trust me, baby, if I ever got dolled up, I'd steal Stefan Salvatore away from you."

She nearly choked on her own spit. "Wh- he's Elena's to steal from!"

Sheila raised an eyebrow. "Why's your face burning up, then?"

She brought a hand up to her cheek and saw that it was very, very warm indeed. Not that she'd ever admit that. She scowled, embarrassed. "Get dressed, you old hag!"

Even through the door she slammed shut she could hear the witch's cackling.

.

School was boring, as per usual. Boring teachers, boring lessons, boring, boring, boring. That is, until Bonnie touched Stefan.

It happened in front of the Geometry classroom. They were on their way to Spanish class and the hallway was jam-packed full of students. She should have seen it coming, really, considering how impossible it was to move without grazing somebody.

"Ugh," Bonnie grunted as a senior shoved past her, "can't you just tell me? I need to know if my boys'll defeat Lucifer."

Angela shook her head with a smile. "Sorry, Bon-Bon. Maybe you could try a divination spell or something."

She breathed a sigh. "I've been trying all sorts of different stuff recently, but nothing's been working. I can't help but feel like there's something wrong with me."

"You're a Bennett. I'm sure things'll come to you naturally."

"Yeah, that's what Grams keeps saying, too. I don't know… I feel like I might just need that one initial push or some-"

A gasp cut her off, and Angela turned her head to see her frozen in shock, eyes locked on an apologetic-looking Stefan.

"Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to bump into you that hard."

Of all the times he had to have his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, it was when the only witch in school was wearing a tank top. He had to have heard Angela's pulse quickening.

Bonnie seemed at a loss for words, so she decided to help her out. "Don't worry about it," she forced a laugh. "Talk to you later, Stef!"

Bonnie swallowed and tried to smile at him, but she looked too bewildered for it to be convincing. "Y-yeah, don't worry about it."

He looked at her oddly, but flashed another apologetic smile before he disappeared into the crowd.

As soon as they reached their destination, Angela sat in the desk right next to Bonnie's. "Are you okay?"

She looked at her, wide-eyed and confused. "I-I don't know? When he bumped into me, I felt… weird." She shook her head. "It's probably nothing. Don't worry. It's nothing to worry about." She sounded more like she was trying to convince herself.

"Bonnie. It's me you're talking to. There are few things weirder than me and my situation. You can tell me anything."

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and when she opened them they looked significantly less wild. She gave a tight smile. "It's nothing to worry about."

Angela frowned.

"Hey, uh…" She looked up to see Chad Isaac, a boy that Klaus might one day use. "You're in my seat."

She blinked. Do I care about him? Do I have enough energy to care about him? She leaned back and cocked a brow, feeling somewhere inside of her like she might be a monster. "Sit somewhere else."

.

"Well, anyway, you guys'll be there, right?" Caroline stirred her lemonade with her thin, black straw.

They were sat around one of the outdoor tables of the Mystic Grill. Practice would start next week, so Angela had called for them to all hang out while their workload still allowed it. Or at least, that's what the official story was.

Bonnie gave a sarcastic laugh. "I might. Wouldn't be too happy about it, though…"

Tyler crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. "Yeah, didn't you say something about the comet being a bad omen?"

She snorted. "Try sign of impending doom. Grams seemed pretty worked up about it, but said I should enjoy myself regardless," she snatched one of Angela's curly fries, "the crazy old bat."

Angela huffed. "You have your own fries, you know."

She smiled. "Not my own curly fries, I don't."

"Well it's not my fault you didn't think to order some."

"Well it's not my fault you chose to sit right next to me."

"And to think you two are the oldest," Elena giggled.

Angela straightened up. "You're right! I am the oldest, which means you have to do what I say. And I say you have to answer Caroline."

Elena groaned as the blonde perked up. "Seriously?"

"Seriously?" Caroline mocked her. "Is it so wrong that as your best friend I want to know if you've banged the hottest guy in town yet?"

Tyler's eyebrows rose. "I take offense to that."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and grabbed another curly fry. "As your other best friend, I just want to say that you don't have to talk about anything that makes you uncomfortable."

"Okay, the fact that you keep taking my fries is making me uncomfortable, you little thief," Angela pulled the basket closer to herself in mock irritation.

Elena gave an amused smile. "Appreciate that, Bonnie. To answer your question: no, we haven't slept together. We haven't even kissed yet. We've just been talking."

Caroline looked flabbergasted. "You're kidding." She turned to Angela. "She's kidding, right?"

She shrugged. "She told me the same thing."

Caroline spluttered for a moment. "Elena! He's new, and sexy, and mysterious, and super into you! Capitalize! Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your position?"

Angela nodded towards her. "See, Lena? That's why she's Cheer Captain."

Elena's eyes widened. "Oh, God, don't remind her about cheer, too."

"Well she doesn't need to, right?" Caroline asked expectantly. "Because you're definitely showing up."

Elena just groaned.

"Hey," Tyler frowned. "I don't know if it's a good idea to pressure her, Caroline. It's been a pretty rough year."

"Not all of it," she wanted to object. "We went skiing with Mom and Dad in February. Before they were dead. February wasn't rough." Instead she shrugged and said "It's her choice. And not one she needs to make right this minute. Isn't that right, Care?"

She deflated a bit. "Well… but wouldn't it help things go back to normal? You know, doing things you've always done?"

"I appreciate you trying to help, Caroline," said Elena, "but I'll come to you when I'm ready."

She bit her lip. "Right. Sorry…"

Angela couldn't help but smile to herself. If only Caroline knew the kind of person she'd have been without her help, perhaps she could be as proud of herself as Angela was. That person would have kept pushing, not apologize. She grabbed a curly fry and looked at her sister. "So, anyway… Stefan."

Elena adopted a dry look. "And here I thought you forgot."

"You are into him, are you not?"

"I already said that I thought he was attractive."

"Well, duh," Caroline rolled her eyes, "you're not blind, but are you into him? You said that all you've done is talk."

"I'm just… I don't know. Trying to take things slow, maybe? I don't know if I'm ready yet." Elena's words were reasonable, and had Angela not known the things she knew, she would have believed her. She saw the lie in her sister's eyes however, and the fear. It's not that she isn't ready to be with somebody so soon after what happened. It's that she isn't ready to be with a creature Dad had so adamantly hated. It wasn't like she knew how harmless he was in his current state, no matter how much Angela had insisted he was, and maybe a part of her felt like she'd be betraying their father's memory.

Tyler threw his head back and groaned. "Are we seriously gonna have girl-talk right now? 'Cause I do have other friends I could go hang out with."

Caroline smacked his shoulder. "Hey, this is serious! It's our best friend's happiness we're talking about here!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You know, there's five of us. I think the term best friend lost meaning three friends ago."

"How about the term 'sister?'" asked Bonnie. "We're all basically family."

There was a pause before Caroline scrunched up her nose. "Ew! Does that mean Ty's been my brother this whole time?"

As they succumbed to laughter, Angela could almost fool herself into thinking that everything was going to be fine.

.

Sheila's talk of cooking had made her want to try a new chicken curry recipe, never mind the fact that she was doing her best to keep her mind off of tonight. She'd just covered the skillet and set a timer for 20 minutes when Elena walked through the archway.

"Mmm, that smells good."

She went to wash her hands and glanced back. "You hungry?"

Elena leaned against counter next to her. "Yeah, but I can wait. Don't worry."

She set about washing the dishes she'd dirtied and snorted. "I'm not worried. The kid that burned his tongue trying to eat straight from the pan is at therapy."

Her sister chuckled. "Caroline said that his obsession with food makes sense since he's a Taurus."

Angela rolled her eyes fondly. "Of course a Libra would be into astrology."

She shrugged. "Hey, knowing that witches and vampires and reincarnation are a thing, it doesn't seem that crazy anymore."

Slightly disappointed in her sister not acknowledging her joke, she hummed. "You can say that again."

Elena fidgeted a bit. "Speeaking of Caroline… Are you gonna be doing anything this year? I know cheer's not your thing, but… if I go back to it, it'd be nice to have you around. And you're not too out of shape."

She ignored the implication that she was at least somewhat out of shape, but made a mental note to start working out regularly. It would be smart to eventually ask Alaric or – God forbid – John for vampire hunting lessons. "I don't know, honestly. Guess I could always continue theater, but without Mom being here…" The reason she'd joined in the first place was because Miranda said she'd love to practice all the songs with her.

"You should," said her sister. "She was right, you know. Caroline. It'll help bring a sense of normalcy to your life."

She raised an eyebrow and dried her hands. "Practice what you preach, sis. If you continue cheerleading, I'll continue theater."

Elena seemed to be considering her options. She nodded and stuck a hand out. "Deal."

Angela shook it firmly. "Deal."

They sat down on the island's barstools, waiting for the food to finish cooking in comfortable silence. After a while, her sister spoke. "What do you think he talks about? Jeremy."

The psychiatrist Jenna had taken him to see was one of the best this side of Virginia. Daniel Gills, his name was, and Jenna couldn't understand why she burst out laughing when she heard it.

She shrugged, chin resting in her palm. "Dunno. It's not like we can ask him. Jen said to let him come to us."

Elena's nails clacked against the smooth wood. "Yeah, I know, but… I just can't help but be worried about him, you know?"

She petted her back with a gentle smile. "You worry too much about all the wrong things. He's already come so far. We just need to give him more time."

Her shoulders sagged. "Right. You're right. Sorry."

"You're just being a good sister, Lena. You don't have to apologize."

She stood and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I had you as a role model. If I'm not a good sister, I'm doing it wrong."

.

Angela had barely changed her appearance since getting ready in the morning. She'd added a bit more makeup, almost compulsively re-drawing the brown winged eyeliner that had smudged during the day and patting a hint of red onto her lips, but she couldn't bring herself to do much more.

Ideally, she'd hang out around the town square with the rest of Mystic Falls until Sheila texted to tell her that Anna had arrived. After which she'd have a calm, civilized conversation with the half-a-millennia-year-old teenager and they'd politely agree to open the tomb and retrieve Pearl with minimal casualties. Then again, ideally, her parents would still be alive.

She shook her head. There's no room for self-doubt. If I doubt myself I'll break. That thought, however, only made things worse. If she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown at the thought of talking to one of the tamest vampires she knew of, she had no idea how she'd ever handle the Originals. She leaned against the bathroom sink and groaned. She had already used the toilet twice, but now her insides were causing her a different type of anxiety-induced distress. She figured she'd just have to live with the ulcer forming in her stomach for the next few hours.

We do have some strong red wine downstairs… She rolled her eyes at the thought. No. There are enough alcoholics in this town. I shouldn't learn to rely on something to get me through tough shit. It'd just make me weaker. I can't afford to be weaker.

She straightened up, and after giving her reflection a kind, practiced smile, left to join her sister outside the house.

She found her glued to her Motorola Razr. She looked up when she heard her approach, however, and stuck the phone back in her purse. "Jeremy texted me saying they just got there. You ready?"

"They" being him and Jenna. She had treated him to dinner and ice cream, as was routine whenever they visited Dr. Gills. He'd hated seeing him at first, but then Angela had suggested it might help him learn to like it if he had something yummy to look forward to afterwards. Jenna gave her an excited, double-handed high-five when it worked like a charm.

She smiled her kind, practiced smile, and nodded. "Ready."

The street they lived on wasn't busy, but then again it never was. She could see the odd person here and there, most of them heading in the same direction they were, but the closer they got to the town square, the more people that crowded the sidewalks. Eventually, the sound of cars passing by and voices speaking melted together to create a loud, monotonous sort of buzz that could almost be called comforting.

"Oh!" Elena exclaimed and waved her arm at something. "I see them!"

She followed her line of sight and found Jenna by one of the park's lampposts, cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting something that was just shy of intelligible.

"What!?" Elena yelled out, making Angela flinch and immediately bring a hand up to her ear.

"Hey!" she yelled back in what would have been humor had she felt better. "How about we get closer before you burst my eardrum?"

Her sister nodded, seemingly oblivious to her sour mood, and started speed-walking towards Jenna and Jeremy. Angela's comparatively short legs struggled to keep up. A child is taller than me. The shame.

"You guys made it!" Jenna still had to raise her voice in order to be heard over everybody's chattering, but at least she didn't make her ears bleed.

"We made it," Elena smiled and ruffled Jeremy's hair. "Did you have fun, Jer?"

He nodded, his round, blue eyes just about sparkling. That made Angela relax a tiny bit and she allowed herself a smile. Seeing her baby brother happy, after all that he'd suffered, never failed to lift her spirits.

"What'd you have to eat this time?" she asked, unable to stop her hand from petting his brown hair back into place.

He glanced up, likely trying to remember how to sign it, and then brought his head back down determinately. He confidently signed the word "China." Angela almost snorted at the coincidence. If she remembered correctly, Anna and Pearl were of Chinese heritage. Anna and Pearl… Her smile was gone in an instant.

"Oh yeah?" she asked, fingers still running through his hair. "Was it good?"

He nodded rapidly, inadvertently knocking her hand off his head.

"Elena! Angie! There you are!" It seemed to be becoming a pattern for Caroline to be the first of their friends to greet them. Tyler trailed close behind and gave a grin when he noticed the only other male member of the MFMs.

"Hey there, big guy!" He made a fist with the hand not occupied with holding candles, and Jeremy bumped it with no small amount of gusto. They even did the whole explosion thing afterwards, which made her smile again. "How's it hanging?"

He gave two thumbs up and grinned. Caroline gave him a pinch on the cheek, causing him to rub it in mock annoyance. "Hey, Jeremy!" She handed the two candles she was carrying over to the twins. "I grabbed these as soon as I saw you guys. Tyler has-"

"I've got the one for the coolest kid in town," he handed one to Jeremy. "And Aunt Jenna."

She grabbed hers with an eye-roll. "Thanks, Lockwood."

Elena chuckled. "You forgot to get ones for yourselves."

"Well, I don't know about you," Caroline adopted a haughty look, "but I was raised with manners. And manners say that I serve myself last."

Angela reached up and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Do ignore my sister, well-mannered lady. We believe she might have been raised by wolves."

Caroline's face briefly twitched in a way that betrayed her mirth before she schooled it again and doubled down on her haughtiness, going so far as to raise her head up slightly. "Why yes, I do believe you're correct. Shame that such beauty is wasted on a great, lumbering beast."

Try as she might, she couldn't stop the loud, surprised laugh from escaping her lips.

Elena's mouth dropped open in indignation and she smacked a giggling Caroline's arm. "Lumbering beast? I'll show you lumbering beast! You have three seconds to start running. One…"

Caroline took off with a squeak. Elena followed suit, shoving her candle into Jenna's arms and not even bothering to count all the way.

Jenna sighed wistfully. "Ah, to be young and student debt-free."

"Oh, come on, Aunt Jenna. You're still young." Tyler wiggled his eyebrows. "And beautiful."

Jeremy made gagging noises before a very unimpressed Jenna spoke. "Kid, you don't get to call me 'aunt' and hit on me in the same breath."

Angela could hear them going back and forth as she checked her phone for any activity from Sheila. She found none, so she started pushing Tyler forward. "Give it up, bud. She was way more into your uncle, anyway."

She heard rather than saw Jenna gasp and say "Jeremy, I swear, I don't know what she's talking about."

They stopped in front of the candle suppliers. "Is Bonnie here?"

He gave a nod of thanks at being given a plain, white candle. "Haven't seen her yet." They moved away to a quieter spot and he sounded nervous as he spoke. "Hey, was it just me, or did she seem kinda weird? After school."

It wasn't just him. Nor was it meant to be. She'd seemed fine enough, but her movements were just a bit too forward; her words louder than usual. Angela wasn't sure she'd have noticed had they not spent so much time together, and she was surprised at how good an actress she was.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Didn't she say that the comet was a bad sign? Maybe she was just worried."

"Yeah, maybe."

Somebody slammed into her back, making her move her legs apart to steady herself.

"Ha!" Elena's hands grasped her shoulders. "Safe! Touching Angie means I'm safe!"

She turned her head to see her sister being followed by an exasperated-looking Caroline. Hair that was earlier styled prettily was now unruly and wind-swept.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "That was never a rule! What are you talking about?"

She could feel her sister's sweat sticking to her skin as she adjusted her hands to grip her better. "It's a rule now."

"You're just saying that because you knew you were gonna lose!"

Elena let go and moved to where she could see her. "I have no idea what you mean."

Angela snorted. Elena had a bit of a reputation as a cheater when it came to any games they'd play. When they were thirteen, she'd almost managed to convince everyone that she – and only she – had the right to make a second prediction every turn in Clue. Angela had called her out on that bullshit hard. She loved her twin, adored her even, but she sometimes wanted to strangle her and her competitive little ass. A sentiment she often shared with Caroline.

"Ugh," she flicked some blonde hair out of her face, "whatever. I didn't want to get all sweaty anyway."

Angela's cell phone pinged.

All eyes fell on her.

Swallowing nervously, she brought it out of her purse.

Sheila: They're here.

Her throat dried up. Here we go… "I, um, I don't feel so good."

Caroline moved close and muttered as low as she could. "Are you sure-"

"Yeah," she cut her off. "I don't know, I feel a bit dizzy."

The plan, quite simply, was to act like she was deceiving them into thinking she felt unwell and had to go home. In reality – rather, in the reality she wanted Damon to believe – she'd decided to ditch them and go see Bonnie at Sheila's house. She figured that he might be tailing her, and she didn't want him to suspect anything was off.

If she wasn't pretending to deceive them and flat out said that she was going to see Bonnie, the most logical conclusion would be for at least one of them to insist they tag along. Why did she not want them to tag along, then? Because Bonnie needed moral support for something related to witchcraft, of course, and Angela was the only one that knew she was a witch. It'd be quite out of character of her to drag her out of the broom closet like that. In truth, nobody would be joining her because taking them to speak to Anna would make them a liability, no matter how much Caroline had tried to convince her otherwise.

"Do you need some air or something?" Tyler asked, voice a bit too loud to be inconspicuous.

Elena shot him a look. "Yeah," she said, much more convincingly. "I can go get you some water."

"No, I… maybe it'd be best if I went home. I think I need to lie down."

Her sister furrowed her eyebrows. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. No, I'm okay. I don't feel like I'm about to pass out or anything. I promise I'll call you as soon as I get there."

Caroline rubbed her back a bit too forcefully. "Don't forget, okay? And tell me if you want me to bring over some chicken noodle soup."

She smiled weakly and gave her her candle. "Of course. Tell J and J what happened. You guys enjoy yourselves, alright?"

Tyler nodded firmly. "You too."

She was surprised at how well she was walking, considering her legs felt like jelly. After a while, she passed the wrap-around porch that marked their house and dug her phone out. She dialed her sister's number to say that she made it to their bedroom.

"I love you," she responded, and Angela almost wished she hadn't. It made the possibility of her never seeing her again feel all the more real. She said "I love you" back all the same.

The cicadas' song that rung out in the still September air helped ground her as she knocked on Sheila's door.

After a moment, Bonnie swung it open and gave a tight smile. "Hey," she moved out of the way, "I assume this means you got my text?"

"Yeah," Angela walked inside and heard the door closing behind her. "What was it you were trying to do exactly?"

Bonnie brought up a piece of paper to show her a note she'd written out. Follow my lead and then take the candle I point to - as long as you hold it no one will be able to hear you or any objects affected by you. "A divination spell," she said, "like you suggested. Not to see what'll happen in Supernatural. Just to see what'll happen tomorrow at school."

She nodded to indicate she'd finished reading the note. "And?"

"And," Bonnie quietly set it down, "nothing. Nothing happened. How original. God, I feel so useless."

She frowned. She knew there was some truth mixed in there. "Hey, don't say that. You shouldn't try to force it. It might have the opposite effect."

"Yeah… My brain knows you're right, but it's hard for my heart to, too."

Angela reached forward to bring her into a hug. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

She felt her sigh. "A sleepover might be nice?"

"I told the guys I was feeling dizzy and went home."

Bonnie pulled back. "I can tell them you were lonely and decided to pay me a visit. Now," she gave her a meaningful look, "do you want to watch a movie?" Oops. Guess I don't have a choice.

She paused for a moment before shrugging. "Sounds good to me."

Bonnie smiled in relief and led her to her room. "Might as well get comfy on the bed. Any suggestions on what to watch?"

"Not really." She sat down. "You choose."

"We… could re-watch High School Musical?"

Her eyes widened in genuine excitement. "Oh, man! Ugh, it's been so long. Shame Caroline isn't here, too." And shame I won't actually get to watch it.

Bonnie snorted and joined her, sliding the laptop to rest between them. Angela knew she didn't have to bother with grabbing the DVD. The girls had been so obsessed with the movies when they first came out that they'd all ripped a copy onto their computers. Or rather, Bill Forbes had, seeing as he actually knew how.

"It's only a shame for you and Caroline," she said. "If I have to sit through another live performance of Bop to the Top, I might just rip my hair out."

Angela snickered. "I make a hot Ryan and you know it."

Bonnie shook her head with a smile and double-clicked on the file. "Whatever you say, Ann."

As the title screen faded into view, Bonnie gently nudged her and pointed to the stout, blue candle on her vanity. Angela carefully got up, the sound of the duvet shuffling easily being able to be interpreted as her getting comfortable. She walked over as quietly as she could and picked it up.

Funny. The others are all holding candles for a fun bonding experience and I'm doing it to save my life. Or potentially save my life, assuming he's even following me. She couldn't take that chance, however. It was better to be covered on as many fronts as possible.

She saw there was a snuffer covering the wick and went to remove it when Bonnie moved her hands in a frantic "stop" motion. She took her phone out of her pocket and after a bit of clicking – during which she said "I should probably tell them you're staying over" – she showed her the message she'd constructed: remove it+the spell breaks. fire is bright 2. he has eyes.

Angela nodded to show she understood. She took a long, steadying breath. There was absolutely no guarantee that, even after the lengths they'd gone to, this would work. Hopefully, if Damon was following her, he'd believe that she was still in Sheila's house when she was actually speaking with Anna. That was the reason she couldn't have genuinely gone home: there was no way she could think of to sneak out. The back door led to a fenced garden with no gate, all the windows she could climb out of were visible from the front, and the time it'd take for Sheila to cast the spell on the candle, leave to stake out the motel, and for Angela to arrive home and grab it would potentially be too long. Candles are still made of wax after all, and wax melts. By leaving it with another Bennett, however, the spell could be activated right as Angela arrived to the house by way of DNA; saliva in this case, as far as she knew. Not to mention that Sheila's house was closer to the motel in the first place.

Angela opened her eyes, and after swallowing to try and calm the storm in her mind, gently waved goodbye. Bonnie's eyes softened and she smiled reassuringly. "I believe in you," she seemed to say. Her chest warmed. Children as she might sometimes see them, she was incredibly lucky to have such good friends.

She walked out the room and into the kitchen, where she saw the back door. Bonnie's note had said that any objects affected by her would also be silent, but she still couldn't bring herself to open it normally. She slowly, quietly twisted the doorknob and stepped into the night air, eyes immediately scanning it for any sign of Damon. She hesitantly started walking when she saw nothing.

There was a cluster of trees behind Sheila's house that led to the other side of the block and she moved through it as sneakily as she could. They'd tested it last night, the Bennetts, and found that someone could go through it without being spotted from most angles. From there, she only needed to cross the open street, trespass on some houses, cross the street again, and she'd arrive at the motel.

She was lucky she didn't encounter anybody. Constantly glancing around as she was must have made her look quite suspicious, especially when she slipped in between private property. At one point, she saw light streaming out though a ground-floor window and noticed a kid from her school playing Minecraft in his underwear. She'd nearly had a heart attack until she realized he hadn't seen her, after which she'd nearly blown her cover by laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

She could see the motel's neon blue sign. All things considered, it was a handsome-looking place. No Four Seasons, but certainly not sleazy either. She noticed Sheila's car and approached. Checking briefly that, yes, she was inside, she opened the passenger's seat door and sat down. The smell of sage was almost overwhelming.

"Do you sense him?" she asked as soon as Sheila took the candle.

She shook her head, extinguishing the spell. "Just the two in there."

She felt a weight lift off her shoulders and allowed herself a deep sigh. "That was a bad plan."

She could see the edge of Sheila's lips quirk upwards. "Full of holes. But you worked with what you had. Are you ready to go in?"

"Before we do… If something happens to me tonight and only you are able to escape, I want you to tell Elena something."

She made an inquisitive noise.

"First, tell her that I love her and all, but… tell her to check the baby stuff." She had hidden clues around the house that only Elena would be able to follow; a treasure hunt that began with a picture book they'd loved as toddlers and ended with the bottle in the yard.

"The baby stuff?"

She nodded. "It's important, I promise."

Sheila sighed. Angela could hear the beige, leather driver's seat creak as she turned to pull her into a hug. "I won't let anything happen to you," she spoke against her head. "You drive me insane, you worry me sick, but I care about you too much to let anything happen to you. So don't be stupid and die, alright?"

She nodded into her shoulder. "I won't." Wouldn't those be some funny last words?

Sheila pulled back and gave her a stern nod. "Good. Now let's go."

They climbed up the stairs to reach the second floor and stopped in front of a plain, white door labeled "14." After a shared glance, Angela raised a hand and knocked twice.

They waited for approximately ten seconds before the door opened a crack to reveal a young man's face. A familiar young man.

Ben… it's Ben.

Ben McKittrick was older than her by two years and had been a star football player at their school. She'd been hoping that Anna would be the one to greet them, truth be told, as, though she hadn't remembered exactly who he was, she remembered him having considerably fewer brains than her. Meaning that he was more likely to immediately try and eat them.

He swung the door open a bit more and gave a charming smile. His eyes were dark. "Can I help you?" He doesn't even remember me.

She smiled back, much tighter than he did. She felt safer knowing that Sheila could stop him if he tried something, but her heart was still pounding against her ribcage. I wonder if he can hear. I wonder if all he can think about is draining me. "Not really. I believe that Anna and I can help each other, though."

He tensed for a second before his face twisted. She could see his eyes turning red, the veins beneath them becoming prominent. He made to lunge at her before he was flung back into the room. The door opened completely from the force, and she could see a young woman standing behind it. Anna. She could practically hear the wheels spinning in her mind.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Sheila hissed, eyes intense. They rested on Anna. "We didn't come as enemies. We came as allies, much to my protest, but if that baby vampire can't keep his fangs in his mouth, I'll do it for him."

Anna's posture was tense; alert. Her dark brown eyes shifted to and fro between them until she blinked and addressed Ben. "Do as she says."

He pushed himself off the ground and looked back at her in disbelief. "What, are you serious?"

She swiveled her head to glare at him. After a moment, he huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine."

Sheila closed the door. Angela nodded and tried to smile at them, but she was sure she looked frightened. "Thank y-"

"Start talking," Anna snapped.

Now that she could see her properly, she had to admit that she was quite pretty. With long, black hair that fell in choppy waves, a smooth, oval-shaped face, almond-shaped eyes, a button nose, and plump, pink lips, she was sure she would have described her as cute if she didn't know how easily she could snap her neck.

"My name is Angela Gilbert," she said, "and this is Sheila Bennett. We want to help you get your mother out of the tomb."

Anna shifted minutely. "What do you know about my mother?"

"I know that her name is Pearl. I know that she was turned in by my ancestor, Johnathan Gilbert, a man who let his bigotry win out over the affection he had for her. I know that she's not a bad person, and I know that you're not a bad person, either." She nodded towards Sheila. "If you were, you'd be dead by now."

"And you know this how?"

She hesitated. Last time she tried to tell someone about her situation, he threatened to kill her. How would she explain how she knew in a way that would make Anna believe her? And why, why hadn't she already thought of this?

"Have you ever heard of the term parasite?" It was Sheila who spoke. Angela furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Parasite? Like plants? Recognition shone in Anna's hard eyes, however, and they relaxed in surprise before looking at her.

"How old are you?"

Angela blinked at the question. "Uh, seventeen. Why?"

Anna let out a breath of disbelief. "You're Elena Gilbert's twin. That's impossible."

Her eyebrows furrowed even more. "What are you talking about?"

"It's impossible for a doppelgänger to be a twin," she said. "No one knows the exact magic behind them, but doppelgängers come alone. They're a unique magical event. I heard Emily Bennett talking about it."

"People have studied them," Sheila cut in. "Doppelgängers. Only a few people, and most of it is theory, but you'd be hard-pressed to meet a witch who hasn't read up on the topic at least a little bit. And a witch as powerful as Emily? There was little she hadn't read up on.

"There existed a warlock a few centuries ago named Ahmad Fahim. He was mentally unstable; a complete paranoiac. But, he came up with the theory that if a doppelgänger was born a twin, the other twin would actually be a devil that would bring about the end of the world. Most of his ramblings are nonsensical, the product of too much time spent in isolation, and I found the question he posed completely useless… until you were born. What if a doppelgänger that comes into this world is plagued by a parasite?"

Angela wasn't given any time to process this information before Sheila addressed Anna. "What other interesting things did Emily say?"

"I… she told my mother about the very first vampires. Mainly that they were ruthless and cruel. She told her about what happens after a supernatural creature dies. About the other side. She said that it's dark and lonely."

"Did she say anything else about the afterlife?" Angela wanted to shake her as they kept talking like nothing was wrong. "I'm a parasite," she wanted to cry out. "A creature that was never meant to be. I knew I was a curse, didn't I? Who says I'm not a devil, as well?"

"She said that it's possible to find peace or fall into oblivion." Anna paused for a moment. "They had a conversation about reincarnation once. Mother was raised a Buddhist. She didn't really believe in anything by the time they met, but she asked if there had been any truth to it after all. Emily said that there was, but that people rarely got reborn and no one knew how it really worked."

Sheila's eyes narrowed. "That's all she said?"

"You're saying there's more?"

She hummed. "Nothing that would be relevant to what your mother wanted to know, but… yes." She rested a hand on Angela's shoulder. She barely felt it. "She's a very special girl, this one. Rather, a very special woman."

She couldn't hold her tongue. "A very special parasite."

"Yes," said Sheila, and she felt as though she'd slapped her. "Not only is she a parasite, but she was reborn into a universe different than the one she lived her previous life in. She's even more special than her sister, I'd say."

She heard a snort from across the room and saw Ben leaning against the wall. She'd forgotten he was even there. "Doppelgänger? Parasite? Alternate universe? They can't seriously expect you to believe this horseshit, right?"

Anna remained silent for a moment, staring straight ahead with unseeing eyes. Finally, she focused her gaze to meet Angela's. "You may be a parasite," the term wasn't used maliciously, but it still stung, "and you may be from an alternate universe. It sounds completely insane, but Emily…" She sighed and shook her head. "Still, none of that explains how you know about me and my mother."

"Well, if that sounded crazy," she sighed, "get ready for this horseshit…"

.

"So… you're telling me," Anna spoke slowly, "that you were born in a world where the events surrounding this town were a fictional story?"

"Basically."

"Babe," Ben scoffed. "They're obviously lying, there's no way in hell-"

"Ben," Anna snapped, never taking her eyes off of her. She looked close to murderous. "Shut. Up."

His teeth made a sharp click sound as he shut his mouth, and Angela could easily imagine steam exiting his ears. Anna's face turned calmer as she addressed her.

"The founding family patriarchs kept journals. You're a Gilbert. How do I know you didn't just read about my mother?"

"How would I know she was in the tomb? How would I know you'd arrive tonight to begin your quest in releasing her?" Anna didn't seem completely convinced, but she'd been open to hearing her out so far. Angela's anxiety still hadn't completely vanished, but it'd diminished somewhat. Things were going better than expected. She sighed. "What do you have to lose by accepting my help?"

Anna gave a small, sarcastic smile. "I've learned you can lose quite a lot by doing just about anything."

"You can lose a lot by doing nothing, as well."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a fact. You and your mother will likely lose your lives if you choose to do things without my help. That's my end goal in all this: to prevent as many pointless deaths as I can. That and to protect the people I care about."

Anna tilted her head. "And if those two interests ever conflict? If somebody needs to die for no good reason other than to save the people you love some grief?"

She was silent for a moment. "No death is pointless if it results in helping the people I love. I'm sure you can understand my viewpoint, having turned this one for that sole purpose." She heard Ben growl at her for not referring to him by his name.

Anna smiled. It wasn't a sarcastic smile, and though it was still small, it looked sincere. "If your story is true… why are you trusting me with it? You don't know me personally. You don't know whether I'll sell you out to someone that could rip you from your life and use you for their own gain. You don't know whether I'd use you for my own gain."

"Maybe… maybe it's because you need to give trust in order to get it in return. Or," she grimaced, "maybe it's because I need you to help me as well. With something relatively small, but still very important."

Anna raised her eyebrows as if to say "go on."

"Do you remember the Salvatore brothers?"

She rolled her eyes. "Who doesn't?"

"Well," she winced, "I may have told Damon that you wanted me to help free Katherine from the tomb…"