***Thanks to everyone who has left a comment. Please do the same for this Chapter. I'd love to know what you think of the story so far. Hope you enjoy!*** This chapter has been edited by my Beta Casey. ***
I hear Bonnie and Elena's voices from the kitchen as I headed down the stairs. I caught the tail end of a discussion about a particular combination of numbers as I hopped over the last two steps.
"Maybe we should play the lottery!" I announced, walking into the living room.
Elena chuckled at me, then turned back to Bonnie. "Have you talked to your Grams?"
I followed the heavenly smell of Chinese takeout into the kitchen. Bonnie and Elena stood around the island, surrounded by a litter of white boxes full of fried rice, lo mein, egg rolls, and cashew chicken. I looked over my shoulder at Elena before I stole an egg roll.
"She's just gonna say its because I'm a witch. I don't want to be a witch. Would you want to be a witch?" She asked us both.
I choked on my egg roll before shrugging.
"I don't see the problem with being a witch. Yeah, it would change your life but you can't change who you are —and denying it won't change it." I said.
"Well, I wouldn't want to be a witch," Elena chimed in.
Both Bonnie and Elena looked at me like I was utterly insane. I sighed — I didn't quite understand Bonnie's issue with being a witch. However, I did grow up in a different time and was raised to believe in my gifts.
"Listen, Bon, I know how insane the whole idea of you being a witch is, but you're obviously going through something. You need to figure out what that is, and if going along with this crazy idea helps, then go for it. Just look at it as an acting gig, get into character and play along." I suggested.
Bonnie's face lit up in amusement. "An acting gig, huh? That actually sounded like good advice. Look at you, adulting." she laughed.
I tossed the last bite of my egg roll in the air and caught it in my mouth. "Adulting?" I said, swishing my red hair around dramatically. "As if."
I laughed and grabbed a few ceramic bowls from the cabinet next to me. I handed them to Elena and helped her transfer the Chinese food into them.
"Putting it in a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody," Bonnie smirked.
We ignored Bonnie's unhelpful comment and smiled at one another. Neither of us had ever been good at cooking. In most of the lives I've lived, I've never needed to learn that specific talent, seeing as I never live past 18.
"Ok, serving spoons. Where are the serving spoons?" Elena muttered softly, looking around the kitchen.
"Middle drawer, on your left." Bonnie and I said together.
Bonnie raised a questioning brow at me before Elena drew her attention.
"Ok, so you've been in this kitchen like a thousand times," she told her. "And you," she pointed at me with a spoon, "you live here!"
"Yeah, that's it," Bonnie said with uncertainty.
She once again made eye contact with me, her green eyes mirroring my own as the doorbell rang. Elena took the two full serving bowls with her and headed towards the dining room. Before I could make an escape, Bonnie had me cornered. I kept my face blank as she looked me over. I could feel her magic brushing against mine. It wasn't nearly as strong, but it was still impressive — just as Emily's had been.
"There is something different about you... What is going on?" she questioned.
I fiddled with the edge of my sleeve as I stared straight at her.
"I don't know, Bennett, you tell me."
Her eyes widened as she moved her hand closer to mine.
"This is insane! I am not a witch," she said.
In a split second, she had her hand in mine. A vision flowed into our minds. I held Bonnie's hand tightly as a scene between Emily Bennett and me played out in front of us. I was watching from inside my past self. I could feel the sweat running down my face as I ran, yet somehow I could still feel Bonnie's hand in my own. In the vision, Emily and I were both running, our long dresses bunched up in our arms. We were headed towards the woods, an angry mob following close behind. Pain and terror covered our faces. Cries of "Kill the witches!" came from behind us as we both tripped and fell.
I tried to help Emily to her feet, but it was too late. I remembered this day; it had been my 18th birthday, and I knew neither of us would live through this. The curse had led us to the slaughter. The group surrounded us and poured oil over Emily's body before throwing a torch at her feet. I closed my eyes and cringed as her body lit up in flames — I knew all too well how it felt.
The men surrounded me, pinning me to the ground before the vision faded. The scene changed to one of Katherine and me standing in a meadow filled with flowers. Beside us, Emily stood, lifting flower petals into the air. We all smiled as they danced around us. I raised my arm, my hand in a fist; as I opened my hand, every flower surrounding us flew into the air, their petals falling to the ground. I looked into the sky, smiling; it was magical. Bonnie released my hand, and the vision fading quickly. She stumbled away from me, coughing and choking. I lifted her hair as she gagged over the kitchen sink. The surge of magic had been too much for her.
"What the hell was that? Why were you and Elena there?" she asked.
I leaned against the sink once her gagging had ceased.
"Well, Elena wasn't. The woman who looked like Elena was actually her ancestor." I answered.
Bonnie pulled away from the sink and looked me over carefully.
"What about you?" she said.
"Um well, that's a bit more difficult to explain..." I ran my hands through my hair with a grimace. "I'm a witch,"
Bonnie's eyes widened. I coughed awkwardly, then continued.
"I was cursed by another witch a long time ago, cursed to be reincarnated over and over. All my memories always come back to me and seeing as I always have the same soul, I'm basically the same person — just with different life lessons." I explained.
"So, I am a witch?" she asked
"Yes, you are. The woman you saw — her name was Emily Bennett. She was a good friend of mine and a powerful witch, the same as you. It runs in your family." I said.
Bonnie ran her hand down her face. "Wow, that's a lot to take in. Does Elena know about you?"
She suddenly frowned. I quickly raised my hands in the air.
"No, and she can't! A Lot more comes with my curse, and I don't want her involved. Please, Bonnie." I begged.
I watched as she mulled over my request. With a giant huff, she consented. "Ok, it's your life."
I stepped closer to Bonnie and took her hands in mine.
"Listen, I'll help you as much as I can, but it would be best if you went to your Grams. I'll come with you if you want."
Bonnie gave me a thankful smile. I felt terrible for her, all this power coming at her out of the blue. It would be a lot to take in for anyone.
"I might just take you up on that, El. For now, let's get this dinner over with."
I started to follow her into the dining room before she stopped in her tracks. She turned to face me a suspicious expression on her face.
"You know what's wrong with him, don't you?" she asked.
I stepped beside her and put my arm on her shoulder. "Yep and I'm not telling. You'll have to figure that out for yourself. Just know, he is a good guy."
I had my moments with the Salvatore brothers, but that didn't change the fact that I knew deep down they were both good guys. I pushed past the kitchen door and walked into the dining room. Elena had done an excellent job of making the table — she'd even lit candles for the occasion. I held in my laugh as I sat down beside Stefan, eyeing me warily. He must still be upset by everything I had told him. His forehead was wrinkled, and his eyes red and blotchy. Elena was babbling on incessantly so I could tell I was the only one to notice his poor mood. Leave it to my sister to be so self-absorbed she didn't even notice her own boyfriend was upset.
When Elena and Bonnie had started on their own conversation about cheerleading, I grabbed Stefan's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"You ok, Stef?" I whispered under my breath so only he could hear.
His face twisted for a second before he responded. "Damon isn't taking any of what you told us well — and frankly, neither am I. We care about you Elandra, we always have," he whispered.
I let his hand go and picked at my food. I knew this would happen when I told them. Both Salvatores have always had a bit of a hero complex. Even though they knew things were different between us now, they still wanted to help. I knew what I had to do to help them come to terms with this; I just didn't want to do it this way. I wanted my last year to be one of peace — but now that plan was out the window.
"We will figure this out, Steffie," I said with a wink.
I hoped using his old nickname would help calm his nerves. His answering smile was breathtaking.
"You're going to let us help save you?" he whispered in shock.
I nodded, holding back a frown. I hated that they would have to someday come to the realization that nothing could be done. I guess it couldn't hurt to let them believe what they wanted for a while longer. I nodded slowly and rubbed a circle around his thumb before letting go of his hand. Elena and Bonnie's conversation had come to a full stop to once again include Stefan.
"Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him, and..." Elena started but was quickly cut off by Bonnie. It was painfully obvious she was still against Stefan.
"Yeah, I heard," she said.
I gave Stefan a sympathetic smile. In Bonnie's defense, it really was for a good reason. She didn't know what he was, yet— but she knew it wasn't good. I mean, what person would want their friend to be in love with a bloodsucking vampire? Even if they were one of the good ones...
A relationship with a vamp can end one of two ways; death, or an eternity of being undead. Neither option is really all that glamorous to someone that cares about you. Believe me, I've thought about it for myself at one point, before I realized vampire blood wasn't an option for me. Katherine offered to save me, and I had obviously considered it. For me, it was a simple choice; I was already immortal in some ways. Being a vampire would be better than living a half-life. For Elena, though, it won't be easy. She has the chance at a full life. One where she could have children and grow old before moving on to the next life. One I'll never get to witness. Elena and I have never really gotten along, but she was still my sister, and I wanted her to be happy.
"Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" Elena asked, staring at an irritated Bonnie.
Her face was scrunched up in annoyance. Anyone could tell she didn't want to speak about her family with him, and all the witchiness that accompanied them.
"Um, divorced. No, mom. Live with my dad." Bonnie said, moving her food around with her fork.
I looked down at my chopsticks and smirked at her. I expertly picked up a noodle and ate it, challenging her with my eyes. As I had expected, she laughed at my dorkiness and grabbed some chopsticks. I was hoping to lighten the mood and had succeeded.
"No, about the witches. Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches. It's really cool." Elena said
I swear, my sister doesn't have an ounce of tact in her! How anyone could ever fight over her or her ancestors, was beside me. It's not like any of them had been frickin' Helen of Troy.
Bonnie once again scowled irritably. "Cool isn't the word I'd use," she said, meeting my gaze.
Stefan looked between us with a curious look on his face.
"Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800s." Stefan said, a professor like tone to his voice.
I hid my smile behind another eggroll, earning a glare from Elena.
"You're gonna bloat if you eat all the egg rolls, Elara." she sighed, shaking her head.
I rolled my eyes at her taking yet another eggroll in protest. "I'm not gonna live forever, Lena. Might as well enjoy life."
This time, I earned a glare from Stefan. He mouthed "Not funny!" at me, with a look that could kill.
"My family came by way of Salem," Bonnie said, a hint of pride in her voice.
I could see a lot of Emily in her. It was a comforting thought to think that I hadn't actually lost Emily. She would want me to look after Bonnie for her… even if it was actually Damon, she had tasked with the duty.
"Really? Salem witches?" Stefan asked, as if he was astonished.
"Yeah," Bonnie said.
I pushed away my plate, finally full, and sat back in my seat. "I would say that was pretty cool," I said.
Stefan nodded in agreement as Elena ate her bland white rice. I scrunched up my nose at her and pushed some fried food her way. She pushed it back towards the middle of the table with an irritated sigh.
"Really? Why?" Bonnie asked.
"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity," Stefan explained.
"Yeah, they are," Bonnie said.
I stood at the sound of the doorbell, more than excited to escape this annoying and stressful hell.
"I wonder who that could be?" Elena asked.
I walked past the living room, glancing longingly at the tv and couch, to answer the door. I unlocked the top lock leaving the chain in place and opened it slowly. An uneasy feeling settling in my stomach. A familiar head of blonde hair caught my attention.
"What are you doing here, Care?" I asked my eyes taking her in. She smiled up at me brightly, her blue eyes shining, a pie tray in her hands.
"Surprise! Bonnie said you guys were making dinner, so we brought dessert," she said cheerily.
I grumbled softly at the word "we." shutting the door and quickly unlocking the chain. I swung it open and stood to the side. I could guess who she meant.
"Who is we, Caroline?" I said, already knowing the answer.
"Hey, Ellie bean!" Damon enthusiastically said, stepping into view; ruffling my hair as if I was a child.
I pushed his hand away and stepped outside, closing the door behind me. I stepped in front of Caroline and looked her over. Physically she looked ok, her skin was still a bit pale, but other than that she looked good. I touched her skin; it was warm. She didn't feel like she had suffered excessive blood loss. I made sure she still wore her bracelet and looked into her eyes. She took a few steps back, which I followed and raised a brow.
"Look at me, Caroline," I said.
I used my gift and seeped into her mind. I checked for any fuzzy or missing memories. When I found nothing, I backed off.
"Go ahead and take the pie inside Care. I have something I need to ask Damon." I said, looking only at him.
Caroline gave me a speculative look and opened the door, heading inside. She was quickly replaced by an angry Stefan.
"What are you doing here, Damon?" he growled, advancing on his brother.
I stepped in his path and placed a hand on his chest. When he stopped, I gave him a small reassuring smile. Turning back to Damon, I crossed my arms.
"How did you get Caroline to agree to let you come with her?" I asked curiously.
She appeared to be ultimately herself, and I needed to know what tricks he was trying to pull.
Damon ran his hand through his hair with a smirk. "I used my animal magnetism. I don't need compulsion to get her to do my bidding, Elandra," he said.
I closed my eyes, trying to reign in my temper — it didn't work. I opened my palms and pushed him against the house using magic. I tilted my head and bit my lip.
"Listen here, Damon. That girl is my best friend, and I'll be damned if you get her involved in all this supernatural bullshit! Leave. Her. Alone!" I spat angrily.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and calmed down a bit, I closed my hands, quickly releasing Damon from my spell. I pulled my shirt down and adjusted my hair. When I was done fixing my appearance, I took in a deep breath and ran my hands down my face.
"Just please don't bother Caroline again," I said.
Damon stood up, straightening his clothes. "Fine. But, you can't just avoid me, Elandra. We have to figure this curse out while we still have time."
I took a step back and finally looked at him — really looked at him. His eyes showed immense exhaustion. His dark hair was ruffled and messy from his hand continually running through it; a nervous habit. His blue eyes were dull and lifeless. I finally understood how much my curse had affected him. I shook my head in anger.
"Don't you both see what this is doing to you? This is a part of the curse. It hurts not just me, but anyone I care about. That's why I wanted to keep it a secret." I said exasperatedly.
I felt Stefan's hands on my shoulders. My body sagged under his touch, and Damon noticed instantly.
"So you and Stefan hanging out now, huh? It seems like you really don't need my help, not when Saint Stefan is available," he growled.
Stefan's hands left me within a second.
"Damon, he is here for Elena, not me. But, I have agreed to let you both help me." I said.
His face lifted slightly. "Ok, so you gonna let me in?" Damon smiled.
"You know you've already been invited in." I sighed, opening the door and letting them both pass by me.
By now, everyone had converged to the living room. I flopped down onto the couch and lifted my feet onto Elena's lap. Stefan snorted a laugh as she threw my feet off her, nearly knocking me off the couch.
"I cannot believe Mr. Tanner let you be on the team — Tyler must be seething. Good for you, though, go for it." Caroline said.
I smiled lovingly. Most people thought she was a self-absorbed bitch, but I loved her. She was funny, smart, and loyal — all the things I look for in a friend.
"That's what I always tell him. You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it." Damon said with a boyish grin.
I heckled lightly at his fake enthusiasm. "Yeah, cause that's exactly what you do, isn't it, Damon? Wait! No — that's getting drunk and living in the past. Sorry, my mistake,"
His eyes narrowed at me, and I earned a slap on the arm by Elena. "Elara, behave!" she whispered angrily.
Stefan meanwhile was biting his lip to keep from laughing. Thankfully, Caroline started jabbering away, bringing the attention back to her.
"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines..."
"I'll work with her. She'll get it." Bonnie said.
"Well we could put her in the back," Caroline said thoughtfully.
Caroline's talkative nature was something I was grateful for today, even if she was talking about cheerleading. I sat back against the couch and put my head on my hand. This whole conversation was boring — she acted like cheerleading was the essence of life. I loved Caroline, but she was so naive. I wished my biggest worry in life was not learning a cheerleading routine...
"Just put her in the mascot uniform and have her jump around," I blurted out.
I bit my lip and squinted. Oops. Maybe I should've thought before I spoke. Elena kicked me in the side with her foot.
"You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena," Damon said.
"Oh, it's just because her parents died. Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase," Caroline took a sip of her drink, "She used to be way more fun — and I say that with complete sensitivity." she added awkwardly.
"It's ok, Care. I'm just glad I have El and Jer. I don't know what I would do without them." Elena said
What an odd moment of sisterly kindness. Usually, I'm not mentioned in her sibling bonding speeches. My stomach dropped, and I quickly stood and swallowed the lump in my throat.
"I'm gonna go for a walk, I could use some air," I said quickly.
Before anyone could say a word, I was out the front door. I couldn't stay there any longer. Knowing that Elena would be losing someone else close to her very soon affected me tremendously. I ran off the porch and kept running. I had no idea where I was planning to go, but I just needed to run. I put everything I feared behind me and just ran from it all. I felt constricted in my jeans but didn't care. My muscles burned as I pushed myself forward. I didn't stop until I saw Wickery Bridge in front of me. I stopped right in the middle of it and sat down. It was stupid, but I didn't care. I laid down and looked up into the sky. The clouds blocked out the light of the stars, it reflected my mood perfectly. I felt blocked by everything that was going on in my life. Every new day only brought me closer to my last one. It's an odd feeling, knowing you're going to die. It really makes you reevaluate your priorities. You never really know how lucky you indeed are until you know you're going to lose everything you have. Even though I've lived hundreds of lives, leaving one never gets easier.
"You planning on dying early this time?" a familiar voice said.
I sat up quickly and spotted Katherine leaning up against the bridge. I jumped up and ran into her arms. "Oh God, I've missed you, Kit Kat!" I squealed, using the nickname I had given her ages ago.
Katherine's eyes narrowed — obviously still against the name — as she hugged me back, before pushing me off her. "I see you're still the clingy type," she said, looking down at her nails. I pushed her arm and sat on the side of the bridge. My legs dangling over the edge. "This is where my parents died. Well, my current parents. I don't really know why I'm here." I said a questioning look on my face. I really had no clue what led me to this bridge. But something Katherine had said had started to make me think. She sat beside me, and we both stared at the water below us.
"Would it really be so bad to die early, Kit? I mean, it would put so many people out of their misery. Both of the Salvatores think they can stop the curse." I said.
Katherine's face was angry and surprised. Her hair blew gently in the breeze, and she brushed it behind her ear. "You know something. I never thought I'd see the day when Elandra Rioult gave up. That's not very Viking of you, ya know." she said.
Hearing my real last name made my eyes water. It had been a very long time. "Katherine, I'm just so tired," I whispered.
I laid my head on her shoulder, and we both sat in silence.
"They will be here soon. That's why I'm here — I'm preparing a few things. It will earn me my freedom, El. If anyone can help you put in end to the curse, it's them. You just have to tell them." she said.
I sat up and tried to make out her expression, but she was wearing the darkness like a mask. "The last time I met him he killed me because he thought I was some doppelganger sent to haunt him," I said.
"Yeah, well that was a very long time ago. Just don't mention that during that life you're the one who helped me escape him. Without you, I would never have gotten out." she smiled.
"Yeah, and he found me when he was looking for you and snapped my neck." I laughed.
That had been one of my quickest deaths, I was only 15 at the time. I was working in the castle, unaware of who owned it until I met Katherine, and she explained her situation. I still remember the surprise on her face when I showed up in her room.
"Did I ever thank you for that?" she said.
"Yeah only every five seconds while I led you outside and to your meeting point with Trevor," I said.
We both laughed at our mutually fucked up past.
"Stay out of my way while I'm here Elandra. I don't want to hurt you, but I will get my freedom." she firmly said.
I knew what Katherine was capable of, but she also knew I would fight for my family.
"You know I can't let you hurt my friends or family Kit. But, I'm not going to go out of my way to mess with your plans. The only time I'll get involved is if you try to hurt someone I love." I told her honestly.
She held her hand out to me, and I shook it. "Well then, may the best bitch win," she said.
I shook her hand and smiled.
"Here, here,"