Yeona cracks her neck with a grimace. Traveling already wasn't her favorite thing for the sole reason of being locked up in a contained space for hours at a time. Gone was her beetle, replaced by a brand new silver convertible. It lacked the character of her beloved Betty, but with the top down and the wind in her air- Yeona could almost pretend she was flying.

With her hand tapping along to the beat of the music and her giant Jackie O sunglasses covering her bloodshot eyes, Yeona looked like any other college student. It was at times like this that she would make up stories about herself- that she was coming home on a break. A familiar sign comes into view, proudly printed words proclaiming she's made it to her destination.

'Welcome to Mystic Falls' is proclaimed loudly on a stark white sign, the edges of it freshly painted dark green. A chill descends over her the moment her car crosses into county lines. Yeona slows her car to a stop, pushing her sunglasses up to the crown of her head. Birds chirp cheerfully as they fly over her, a jovial breeze of air running its fingers through Yeona's hair. Even a rabbit, fat and happy, hops on by.

Yeona doesn't trust it one bit.

She carefully taps the gas, hands gripping the steering wheel enough to make the poor object groan. Yeona heads its warning if only to avoid not having to bother with getting it fixed. The sign gets smaller and smaller in her rearview mirror as she drives off, and only when it's fully out of sight does she manage to relax.

'This town hasn't changed much.' She thinks.

A deep breath in and she's flickering through the scents of the townspeople, looking for something she can't name. It's like a perfume kiosk explodes in her nose, the scent of prepubescent kids trying and failing to cover their body odor nearly suffocating. The smells belong to a group of freshmen who walk by her car without so much as a glance. There's one particular boy who must think his body spray doubled as a deodorant. The trace of weed is the only thing amusing about the noxious smell and Yeona purposefully plugs her nose as she drives on.

There is a single Starbucks that calls her name; the store is clearly new in the five years Yeona has been gone. She happily parks in front of it, hopping out in excitement to smell something other than stinky teens. A bell jingles as she enters, signaling her arrival.

This Starbucks is just like any other Starbucks, with its microwaved pastries and expensive drinks. But it has the honor to be built in her favorite place in the world, and for that alone, this Starbucks was leagues above the rest. A few of the baristas behind the counter are people she should remember the names of, should recall from their time in high school together. She doesn't remember who she is talking to till she catches a sour glint on the cashier's face.

If she lies through her teeth and drums up a fake smile to pretend she does remember, that's between her and whatever higher power is out there.

Her chai latte with oat milk is the closest to heaven she'll ever get, she thinks with a wry grin as she sits down. Yeona got lucky, finding a corner of the room unoccupied. She settles into the overstuffed chair like it's her job. Which, at this point, it might as well be. Going from 'hero' to 'zero' is a lot of hard work, but Yeona never half-asses anything. Her GPA and the extracurriculars she'd taken had been nice padding for her college applications, but her main selling point had been her art.

At eighteen, it'd been a dream to get into art school. Getting to show off her sculptures, the semi-abstract children of her overworked brain, in actual galleries? Yeona could still remember the feeling of floating.

But then she'd kept getting these dreams.

Haunting dreams of a stag, his great antlers making him appear thousands of feet tall. The exposed bone of his antlers had been choked with spring blossoms, petals of the most gentle ivory falling to the ground as he ghosted about her mind. The first night she'd seen him, she'd been hiding away in the leaves of a great oak tree, peering down at him in awe.

Fog hovered about his snout, concealing his eyes from Yeona's prying gaze. She could have watched him for ages. Everything he did, spoke of grace. An elegance she envied filled him, giving him an utterly aristocratic air. Her own body, half-human and half decidedly not, thrummed with the need to step down from her place in the trees to drift over to him.

Her tails flickered in excitement, the sound of them hitting the leaves catching his attention. The stag turned its head, his root-like antlers threatening to block out the sun as he looked for her.

But every time he almost saw her, she woke up.

A frenzy had taken over her after the first night. It'd only grown, and down did Yeona's life spiral. All she could think about, all she could focus on, was this stag and his antlers made of blooming flowers. Sculpture after sculpture had been trashed trying to achieve anything close to that magnificent creature. There was one night she didn't come home, too focused on her newest incarnation of the stag to keep track of something so trivial as time.

When her mother had found her, Yeona was swaying on her feet, hands raw and bleeding as she worked. Cho-Hee had shrieked, smashing every half-finished stag statue, all because when she'd break one, Yeona would run to the other to keep working. It was a vicious affliction, her need to recreate the monster she'd seen. For surely, it was a monster, right?

It had to be, with how desperately she craved to breathe it to life. There'd been a period of peace, where her dreams went back to dreams and she'd only had her mind to conjure up creatures.

But of course, like all bad things, it'd returned.

And it had looked at her. With blinding lighthouses for eyes, he'd shown a light so bright in her that Yeona woke with tears dripping down her cheeks.

All crushing pressure to make it was gone. Instead, a calm had replaced her shot nerves. The stag had come to life beneath her hands, clay forming into a being that stood taller than her. Petals, carefully crafted, drifted from his branched-out antlers. The closest she could get to the eyes was a pair of tiny floodlights that lit the entire room up when turned on.

That damned stag had been the first and the last thing admitted into Johyun Gallery back in Korea. It was admittedly her magnum opus. Her once overabundance of creativity fled from her afterward. Sure, she's gotten around to making a few smaller pieces. But none of them ever held the power of the stag. None even came close.

The bell at the front of the door jingles and a flood of lavender rushes into the store. Yeona's head turns before she even notices the movement. Long silky brown hair trailed down a small back, the pin-straight strands catching the light in a way Yeona envies. Her raven black hair is piled up in a claw clip, out of her face aside from a few strands.

She's thinking she should switch shampoos when the girl turns around with her order. Elena, stops short, what smells to be a caramel macchiato splashing out of her cup and all over her hand. She spins in a circle, snagging a fist full of napkins before whipping back around. Yeona laughs loudly, jumping to her feet.

"Elena!"

"Yeona!" Elena beams. "Oh my God, you're back!"

They both move in for a hug, careful to avoid Elena's coffee-holding hand. Yeona ushers the younger girl to her table, pulling out the seat for her and scrambling back to her own in excitement. She waits for Elena to gather herself, wiping her hands free of coffee, before starting in on her.

"You've gotten so big! You've got to be at least a Junior now, right? And your hair! When did you start straightening it?"

Gone was the gangly girl, replaced by a doe-eyed young woman with a bright smile. Elena's warm brown eyes twinkled as she talked, the last-minute traces of puppy fat still resting in the apples of her cheeks. Her grin showed her youth, but something in her gaze betrayed her guise as a careful high school student. The more she looked, the more Yeona could find the twinges of sadness that clung to Elena.

It was in the corners of her smiles, the vacantness of her eyes when Yeona would talk and Elena would pretend to listen. Hearing about the Gilbert's death came as a shock- she'd tried to stay in touch, but there were moments in the last year that she'd been unable to reach out. She reaches out now, gripping Elena's hand to squeeze it.

"I won't lie and say I know exactly what you're going through. I can't imagine losing your mom- your dad too, but I know what it's like to lose someone you love."

"Who did you lose?" Elena asks, an infinite sadness that only grief can bring in her tone.

"Remember Se-Hun?" Yeona gives a watery smile.

"No," Elena gasps. "How?"

"It was an accident," Yeona said, avoiding Elena's eyes. "A dog got into our yard while he was gardening and got him. The bites were infected and he just…died on top of our flower bed."

Yeona's hands clenched into tight fists, hatred burning through her as she recounts the story. She omits bits and pieces of the truth, hating having to lie to Elena but not knowing if Elena knew about the supernatural or not. If she told her the truth, that Se-Hun had been killed by a werewolf, Elena might think she's lost her damn mind.

She still remembers the way the werewolf felt beneath her hands, the wolf's limbs shattering like glass as Yeona screamed and raged. The ground had been soaked in blood by the time she was done, the gore of a killer coating Yeona's best friend with its filth. Yeona only had a day with him, praying to any higher being to hear her sorrow, to bring him back to her as he died.

It seemed to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, the inevitable hate spawned by her kind and the werewolves. No matter how hard they tried to fight the prejudice, the results were always the same. Wolves were a blight upon this earth.

Hatred gives way to guilt. It bogs her down, her shoulders slumping till she curls in on herself. Elena's hand rests on her shoulder and Yeona knows that she will not find pity in Elena's face, but understanding.

"I'm sorry." Elena whispers. "I know better than anyone how little those words actually mean, but I'll say them anyway. I'm sorry, Yeona. Truly."

Yeona clears her throat, rubbing at her eyes to hide the sting of incoming tears. "Anyways, what did you say you were doing tonight?"

Elena doesn't acknowledge the topic change with anything other than a knowing smile. "Bonnie and I are going to help set up the annual carnival at the high school. Caroline would be there- she's in charge of it, actually- but she's in the hospital right now."

"In the what?! How? Is she okay?"

"Tyler kind of got into a car crash with her and Matt in the car. She's stable for now, but she wasn't waking up…since she can't get out till tomorrow, I thought I would help her out."

"She wasn't waking up?" Yeona shuddered. She hated the idea of Caroline being stuck in a hospital bed with only machines to keep her company. "She's awake now, right?"

"Yeah, she's okay now. She's probably freaking out about not being able to go to the carnival. You know how she gets." Elena sighs. The vein on her forehead that only appeared when she was highly emotional started throbbing. Yeona quirks a smile at the sight of it.

"Well, hey. How about I lend a hand? Then afterward we can go visit her together if you want."

"You know, I'd like that. Maybe they will let us bring her something other than gross hospital food."

"We can grab her some strawberry shortcake cupcakes from Agne's Cupcake Confectionary? She still likes those, right?"

"She'll love that!"

Yeona smiles. "Lead the way, Ms. Gilbert."

"Sure thing, Ms. Noe."


Mystic Falls High School looks the same as it had when Yeona went there. By some kind of miracle, she'd gotten her mom to let her stay until the end of her junior year. But the summer before senior year started, her mom packed them both up and took off to the only place she knew they'd be safe. The hallways of the high school differed greatly from the ones she finished her education in back in Korea. Bittersweet nostalgia stained her smile as she let Elena lead the way.

"Did you get placed in Junior Hall, or did they stick your locker over by the trashcans as they had with Jenna? She'd been so mad, that she tried to force Mason Lockwood into changing lockers with her. She only stopped when she realized how close to The Stoner Pit her locker was."

"I got Junior Hall. They tried to shove Jeremy over by the trash cans, but given how this year has been going, we had to get him switched to Sophmore Patio."

Yeona frowns. "Jer's still getting high? It's just weed, right?"

"As far as I know, yeah, but I wouldn't put it past him to be popping pills."

Yeona bit her tongue. With a thousand and one ideas on how to help Jeremy, she knew none of them would be appreciated. If Jeremy ever becomes addicted to harder drugs…hitting rock bottom might be the only thing that will turn him around. Besides, she used to fuck around and get high with Jenna. Yeona has no room to talk.

It hadn't stopped after high school, either. If one thought the supernatural world didn't have its versions of drugs, they'd be dead wrong. She thinks back to the months after Se-Hun and hopes she locked her car up. She didn't want to have to explain why there were poisons strong enough to bring down a few elephants chilling in one of her bags. The human police would never buy her 'I use them to get high enough to see God' bit.

"What's Jenna said about the whole thing?"

"She's getting worried."

"The Party Goddess Jenna Sommers is getting worried? That's not a good sign."

"Jenna doesn't party like she used to. She's changed a lot since you saw her last- we all have."

Yeona smiled. "I can see that. You're not as free as you used to be, are you?"

"She's going to get major wrinkles if she keeps worrying the way she does," A familiar voice teased.

"Bonnie!" Yeona launched herself forward, gripping tight a laughing Bonnie. "Okay, good, at least one of you is still short."

"Hey!" Bonnie mock frowned. "I could still grow!"

"Please don't, it's hard enough to see Elena at eye level. If you grow taller than me too, I don't know what I'll do." Yeona groaned.

"Feeling your old age?" Elena teased.

Yeona's mouth dropped open before she almost bent over laughing. "Old? Oh, that's great, thanks. I'm an old maid at the overripe age of twenty-four, got it. I see how it is."

"You guys ready? I'm sure the rest of Mystic Falls High can't wait to see one of their favorite ex-party girls."

"Bon, that's all behind me now. I promise there will be no ragers," Yeona put up three fingers, forcing herself to look serious. "Scout's honor!"

"You were never a Girl Scout! Liar," Bonnie grinned.

"Alright, alright. You got me there."

"We should start outside, I think I saw the clipboard over with Tiki at the ticket booth Elena."

Elena lets out the longest sigh Yeona has ever heard. "On it."

The other two watch her walk away, standing smack dab in the hallway as if there weren't an entire herd of volunteers trying to get past them both.

"So. How is everyone?"

With a sad smile, Bonnie replied, "It's rough. Really rough, lately. But we're doing our best. Besides, we've got you back. What could be better than that?"

"High school bathrooms are criminal and whoever used it last before me needs to be jailed." She's too busy shaking off the water from her hands to realize that Bonnie and Elena have gone oddly quiet. It takes a moment to register, and when it does, she slowly raises her head.

The two are looking at each other with guilty expressions- ones that Yeona hasn't seen since they were kids. Her eyebrow quirks up. "Alright you two, spill it. What's with the faces?"

"What faces?"

"The we-broke-your-sculpture faces. The faces of guilt. The faces you two are wearing right now."

"It's nothing. We just feel bad that Caroline couldn't be here. You know how much she would have loved hanging out with you again."

"And ordering us around," Bonnie smirks.

Elena nods. "And ordering us around."

"Then I guess we better do our best to appease her." Yeona grins, making grabby hands for the bag of prizes.

Carnivals were never her thing- too many humans and too much cotton candy-coated puke on the floors. She didn't trust any of the rides either, not after the time that a wonky Ferris wheel somehow almost gave Bonnie whiplash. But it was nice, pretending things were like they used to be. Back when things were less complicated, and all Yeona had to worry about was keeping sugar out of Caroline's hands and Elena from secretly fueling Caroline with funnel cake and Coke.

When a young boy sidles up to Elena, Yeona doesn't think much of him. He's cute, with pretty grass-green eyes and fluffy-looking hair. But he's a teenager, and unless Elena and he were high school sweethearts who eventually married, he was going to be one of many of the heartthrobs in Elena's life. But Elena turns to her so expectantly, eyes warmed than Yeona's seen all day, and Yeona pastes the biggest smile she can onto her face.

"Yeona, this is Stefan Salvatore. Stefan, this is Yeona Noe."

"The ex-babysitter," Stefan smiles, putting his hand out for her to shake. "She's told me a lot about you."

Yeona grips his hand just enough to show off a little of her strength, giving a genuine smile when Stefan's eyebrows shoot up. Cold metal brushes against her finger and she glances down. A gaudy ring that looks straight from some ivy league graduate in the early eighteen hundreds greets her. It's ugly, with a giant dark blue stone that makes Yeona's stomach drop to her shoes when she sees it.

Lapis Lazuli. It was the favored gem of Children of the Night. She can feel the zing of magic that rushes up her fingers and the cold sense of dread that usually accompanies vampires. She takes in a deep breath, smelling old books and the refreshing scent of fresh country air. But beyond that, was the faint hint of something else.

Grave dirt.

Even though it's a myth that vampires must be buried before rising, Yeona could bet money that somebody else who could smell them made up that lie. It was subtle like it's been fading. The older a vampire is, the less they smell like they'd crawled fresh from the grave. Stefan is a vampire, and if the vintage jewelry is anything to go by, he's at least a century old.

Yeona grips his hand tighter, her smile turning sharp as a knife.

"Nice ring. "

His eyes narrow, a mighty frown forming. She blinks, Stefan is smiling again, though this time it looks tense. "Thank you. It's a family ring."

"Does that mean there are two of these ugly things out there?" Yeona drops her hand, forcing a laugh.

Elena steps forward, her gaze flitting back and forth between Yeona and her boyfriend. "It is kind of awful, isn't it?

"It's sentimental," Stefan offers, putting an arm around Elena. They share a look, not a single word is spoken between the two of them but a light of understanding shines in Elena's eyes. Stefan shakes his head slightly, a motion Yeona would have missed if she wasn't watching him like a hawk.

"I'm sure it is. Probably almost feels essential. Is that kettle corn? It's calling my name. You two want any? No? Okay, I'll be back."

"But I wanted some kettle corn," Bonnie murmured under her breath, having just walked up to the cluster.

"I'll get you some!" Yeona shouted over her shoulder. Bonnie sputtered and Yeona huffed a laugh.

"How does she do that?"

"Bionic hearing, remember?" Elena muttered.

The kettle corn station smelt like heaven. She buys a couple of the jumbo bags in hopes that if she gives one to Elena, she'll forget that Yeona was antagonizing her boyfriend. Did Elena know? She seemed to, from the looks they were giving each other. A boy bumps into her, almost sending one of her bags to the gross carnival ground.

"Watch it," She scowls, readjusting her armful.

"Sorry. Wait, Yeona?"

Yeona looks at the boy bewildered. Traces of weed and the overpowering smell of body spray greets her. Underneath it is a hint of something familiar, something warm. Almost like fresh laundry, but in human form. Dark brown eyes look at her smugly from behind floppy brown hair.

"It's Jeremy."

The little brother of Elena is long gone, a young man towering over her in his place. He grins and it's the same smile she'd gotten to see weekly before she left, only without the missing front tooth and chocolate smeared at the corners. Yeona drops her kettle corn and pulls Jeremy into a hug.

"You're so big now! Seriously, what the hell, didn't I tell you to not grow up?" She ruffles his hair, ignoring the annoyed look he shoots her.

"You act like that's something I can actually control," Jeremy says dryly, smirking.

The two stood there, catching up. A breeze pulls some of Yeona's hair free, her side bangs getting into her eyes. It only takes a moment to fix them, but when she opens her eyes again, Jeremy is gone. His bag of kettle corn has joined hers on the floor, the top left open and letting a good chunk of its fall out across the dirt floor. Yeona frowns, brows furrowing as her gaze flits about in search of her lost friend.

Bourbon, sharp and strong, floods her nose. The metallic scent of blood follows it, along with the dying smell of grave dirt. Yeona takes a deep breath in, eyes rolling into the back of her head as warm leather and something a lot like rosewood taunts her. Every predatory instinct she has slid forward, taking hold of Yeona and dragging her off into a dark corner.

The source of the smell holds Jeremy by his throat, a leather jacket, and a head of black hair her only glimpses of identity. Jeremy's eyes meet hers over the man's shoulder and his attacker stops talking. The man freezes, inhaling sharply. He turns over to look over his shoulder, letting Yeona see a sharp nose and bared teeth.

"Damon," Jeremy warns.

For a moment, Yeona thinks that the vampire is going to break Jeremy's neck for speaking. A heaviness hangs in the air around them, each of them holding themselves as still as possible.

Damon's hand opens and Jeremy drops. He stumbles back and Yeona starts forward. A woosh of air and Damon disappears. Jeremy falls back into Yeona's arms with a huff. The spot where Damon had just been seemed oddly empty like he'd taken a chunk of the energy of the earth with him when he'd left. Yeona shakes her head as if to shake off the thought.

"I'm fine," Jeremy sighs.

"That didn't look fine. It looked a lot like he was threatening you."

"Yeona, don't. Damon's not someone to mess with. I'm fine." A muscle in Jeremy's jaw ticks, his eyes downcast.

"Alright," Yeona puts up both hands offering him a small smile. "If you say so."

Jeremy doesn't smile back, shuffling off and leaving Yeona to standalone awkwardly. So the Gilbert children know two vampires, huh? And both were older, at least well into their first century.

"Let's hope it's just two of them," Yeona mutters.


They were finally sitting down. The three of them were eating a late lunch, the bags of kettle corn Yeona had purchased sitting open around them. Bonnie had picked the area, already knowing the best places to sit far enough from people that they'd have their privacy. It was a makeshift bistro, with deluxe sandwiches and fresh coffee. Whoever had decided to go with this idea and not the typical hot dog affair was a genius.

"I'm telling you, Jeremy knows some sketchy people. If I see that dude again, I might have to break out some moves."

"What moves, you didn't even do sports in high school." Bonnie laughs.

"You are one of the most unathletic people I know," Elena agrees.

She has to bite back a smirk. Sports wasn't something she could have taken part in, even if she'd wanted to. Too much risk of exposing herself. And who likes to get sweaty on purpose?

"You'd be surprised. A lot has happened since I left."

"Well, let us know what he looks like at least. Just in case we need to help you fend him off," Elena bumped her shoulder against Yeona's.

"I didn't see much. But he has black hair and a leather jacket. Seemed like a major tool."

"Ah, that's Damon," Bonnie says with a frown.

"If it was Damon, you should stay away from him. He's nothing but trouble."

"What, is he a serial killer or something?"

"Something like that." There goes another knowing look. Bonnie and Elena had only glanced at each other for a moment but it helps rattle lose the piece of info Yeona had been missing.

Elena and Bonnie know exactly what's going on. They had to, with all the secret looks. Jeremy knew too, and he did not like Damon whatsoever. Did Sheila tell Bonnie about her witch nature before she died? For Bonnie's sake, Yeona hoped she had.

The hair on her arms prickles. Musk and the smell of the forest threatened to choke her. It wasn't like Damon's scent, one that called her- no, this scent was acidic in the back of her throat. On reflex, Yeona grips the two girls and brings them closer to her.

"What is it?"

Yeona glanced around the carnival grounds. The scent of wolf drifted away, taunting Yeona with its residual notes of feral animosity. No werewolf comes bursting from the bushes, foaming and rabid, so she drops her hand from their shoulders. Her gums ache, the threat of her fangs dropping keeping her silent.

"Yeona?" Bonnie prods.

"Sorry," She tries to smile but it comes across more like a grimace. "I think I'm just overstimulated. I'm going to go get some water."

"We'll be here when you're done."

"Go ahead you guys, don't wait up for me. Go win me a stuffed animal or something. Make it cute."

"No wonder Caroline is so bossy. She gets it from her."

"Heard that!"

"Damnit!"


It's like the werewolf has disappeared. Yeona stalks through the crowd to look for it, her eyes stinging every time she gets too close to the scent. She can follow its trail just fine, but each time she thinks she's found it, it's gone in the wind.

Being at the high school when the daylight goes out is oddly nostalgic. Nights of sneaking into the school to get drunk on the football field were what took up most of her summers. She used to lay down by the bleachers, bottles of beer around her, her tipsy gaze full of Jenna's smiling face. Just the thought of Jenna brings warmth to Yeona's body. But instead of two inebriated girls flushed together, a funnel cake stand stood.

A scream erupts from somewhere not too far from where she stood. It was quickly muffled and Yeona almost passed it off as somebody scared by one of the janky rides. But blood saturates the air. Saliva wells in her mouth, thick and vicious, threatening to drip down her lips. She presses them together tightly and swallows.

With a shuddering breath, Yeona follows the scent of blood.

Her ears prick, the sounds of skin being bit into setting a frantic quality to her steps. Images of Stefan, of Damon, digging their dirty fangs into one of her girls-

It's enough for a bit of the beast to shine through. Her fangs slip from her gums, crowding her much too human mouth. Her gaze cuts through the dark, everything in sight magnifying as light bounces in and off her irises. Moaning drags her forward into a shadowed part of the park, only a single flickering light bouncing off two fumbling bodies and a truck with its bed pulled down.

White blonde hair glows under the warm artificial light, tumbling and curtaining a woman's face. A man thrashes in her hold, his dark skin slick with his own blood. A different Yeona, one she's left behind, would have asked if the blonde minded sharing her meal.

But this Yeona pushes down every instinct she has to pounce on an already wounded prey. "Hey! You're feeding way too close to the humans, are you trying to get caught?"

The blonde stops her slurping. "Huh?"

"The humans. There are children here. You're going to get yourself caught," Yeona replies slowly, a flicker of irritation making her eyes burn bright for a moment.

Vanilla and copper make an oddly appetizing combination but that thought shatters like glass as the light bounces off the blonde's crimson-covered face.

Caroline looks frightened, her normally sky blue eyes a demonic mix of black and scarlet. Thick inky veins trail down beneath her eyes and a set of baby-sized fangs peek out from carmine-coated lips.

"Yeona?" Caroline whispers.

"Holy shit Car," Yeona runs to the shaking girl, flinching as the man's body drops back on his truck bed.

Caroline falls into her arms, shattering. Thoughts and theories race through Yeona's frazzled mind, ideas of how this could have possibly happened bouncing around. Caroline was supposed to be in the hospital, how did she get out? She must have compelled somebody, there's no way a doctor would okay the injured daughter of the sheriff leaving without being accompanied.

"What's happening to me," Caroline sobs, clutching at Yeona like she's the only life jacket for miles and her boat has just capsized.

"It's okay, you're okay. This is normal for your kind- there are always going to be a few slip-ups, I know it's scary, but you need to calm down okay? Breathe, Car. Breathe."

"What am I?"

It's a crack in Yeona's heart, each shuttering cry Caroline releases fracturing the fragile organ further. It's impossible to not think of a much younger Caroline, throwing herself into Yeona's embrace as she cries for her father to come back home. Yeona can only grip the girl together, ignoring the dangerous strength that has now taken residence in the usually cheery blonde.

"You're a vampire, sweetie. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Not if you don't want it to be."

"I don't want to be a vampire, I don't want to be a killer!"

"Then you won't be. You can't change what you are, but you decide how you want to live this new life you've been given."

"Hey, Blondie." Yeona looks over Caroline's shoulder, finding herself stuck in freezing waters.

If Caroline's eyes were the color of the summer sky; bright and warm and reminiscent of ice-cream-filled days- then Damon's eyes were like being dropped into the Alaskan waters during the dead of winter. It's a sickening kind of calm that floods her veins, but instead of letting the overcome her, Yeona lunges for him. Something slips from Damon's hands, clattering to the gritty pavement.

Caroline picks up the stake, lips wobbling. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No, he's not." Yeona hisses, baring her teeth at Damon.

As if struck by a heavy club, Damon stares at her, dazed. Yeona sits perched on his chest like a bird of prey, crushing the very breath from his body. There's a suggestion to the tilt of his head, any anger on his face washing down the drain.

"Who are you?" Damon breathes.

"Yeona! Caroline!" Elena shouts, running as fast as her human body allows. She reaches for Caroline, who stumbles away from Elena's hands like they were two spitting vipers. Stefan shadows her every move, his eyes honed in on Yeona, brows furrowed.

She was starting to think that was his typical expression.

"No! You killed me, don't come near me," Caroline says. She vibrates in place, an animal backed into a corner and ready to bolt.

"No, that wasn't me, that was Katherine," Elena begs. "Caroline, I would never hurt you."

"Get off of my brother, please." Stefan steps forward, hands out and fingers spread open.

"Not while I still have questions. I will rip your brother's heart right from his chest if they aren't answered."

Damon snorts, twitching beneath her. "You don't have the-"

Yeona's clawed hand rakes across his chest, shredding his shirt like tissue paper. A humming starts in the air, the smell of a storm on the horizon falling upon the group. Damon stills, looking down. Blue sparks race around Yeona's fingertips. She leans in close, their noses almost touching.

"You don't know what I'm capable of. Don't try to call my bluff, because this isn't one. Those kids are mine, my responsibility. I won't let you take Caroline from me," Yeona snarls.

"What are your questions," Stefan interrupts, shooting his brother a warning look.

"Tell me who the hell Katherine is and where I can find her."

"We don't know. Katherine Pierce is an elusive, manipulative bitch." Damon says.

"Katherine Pierce, huh?" Yeona squints, mentally jotting the name down. "Alright. What are you two doing in town and why are you sniffing around the Gilberts?"

"I come back home every few decades. I saw Elena and knew I couldn't leave. She's my mate." Elena steps into Stefan's arms, her eyes wide and pleading with Yeona.

"It's true. The second we met, we just clicked. It's like nothing I've ever felt before, Yeona."

Yeona frowns. "So you're going to turn her then?"

"I don't plan on ever turning," Elena says softly.

"Trust me, it's as stupid as it sounds," Damon rolls his eyes. "But they don't listen."

"Elena marches to the beat of her own drum. All my girls do," Yeona sighs. "Then why is this one here?" She taps a clawed finger on Damon's chest, ignoring his stupidly blue eyes.

"To make my life miserable."

"He does a really great job," Elena mutters spitefully.

She weighs her options carefully, looking skyward. She could let Damon go, and get answers for his weird looks and the flurry of sensations she's currently fighting off. Or she could kill Damon and risk angering Elena's 'mate'. Yeona knew very little about vampires and their mates, only that they had them and that depending on the level of compatibility, the draw to each other is inescapable.

To think one of her girls is tied down to a random immortal man with no plans of turning herself is the most confounding and irritating discovery she's made today.

"I'll let him go. But if either of you hurt the girls, I won't be very happy. And you won't like it when I'm unhappy."

"Clearly," Damon mutters. "Can you get off me already? Or at least not sit on me like a fucking vulture? I'm sure there are better positions we can find ourselves in."

"Okay, gross. You are on my shit list for the stunt you just tried to pull with Caroline. I don't sleep with people on my shit list."

"We'll see," Damon says vaguely, a smug smile on his face.

Yeona rolls her eyes and steps off of him, gentler now that she has determined he isn't much of a threat. He is still older than her, and likely insane if the glint in his eyes as he looks her over is anything to go by. But she's dealt with many insane men- once you've met one, you've met them all.

"What's going on?" A voice draws everyone's attention, their heads snapping to the newcomer.

Bonnie stands beneath the swaying light, disbelief on her face. She looks unbearably young and Yeona clocks exactly when the realization hits her. Bonnie's face crumples and she whispers under her breath, begging a deity who will not listen for this to all be a dream.

"If Blondie goes on a killing spree, this is on you two," Damon points at Yeona and Elena, pushing himself off the ground.

"Shut up, Damon." Elena tries to soothe Bonnie, who can't take her eyes off the bloody and crying Caroline.

Bonnie reaches forward, heartbreak emitting from her the moment her skin touches Caroline's. A horrible picture paints itself as Bonnie inspects the dead boy, a muffled cry escaping her. Yeona closes her eyes. She had liked him. She whirls on Caroline, voice shaking.

"You killed him. Caroline, you killed him!"

"It was an accident," Caroline sobbed.

"He's still dead, accident or not, you're still a murderer."

"Bon," Yeona's eyes flicker between the two girls, stepping in close. "She's new at this, very new. Nobody warned her about any of this. You have to know she's still your best friend."

"Yeah Bon, I'm still me."

"I don't believe you. Not after this." Bonnie backed up slowly, turning her heartbroken gaze on Yeona. "And you, what are you? You aren't a witch, your energy isn't right. You aren't right!"

"That's a good question." Damon drawled. "What are you? You're no vampire either."

Stefan puts an arm around Caroline's shoulder, whispering into her hair as he leads her away. Yeona eyes them warily but gives Stefan a nod when he looks back. The two disappear into the school.

Bonnie marches over and grabs hold of Yeona, her jaw clenched. Yeona's eyes flicker electric blue and Bonnie lets Yeona go with a gasp.

"What was that? Storms, there were so many storms. And fur! What the hell was that?!"

Yeona knew what she'd be seeing. Lush fur meeting skin, the dancing of lighting across black skies. It's an unfortunate thing that she had to see it all so soon, because, by the looks of it, Bonnie now saw past all of Yeona's facade. Once her kind revealed themselves to a magic user, the magic-user would never be fooled by them again. It's what brought down many a Kumiho- the revelation of their true kind too much for many shamans to bear without thinking they were accursed demons.

Bonnie looked at Yeona like she were a demon now.

"You're right. I'm not a vampire or a witch. I'm something a lot older than both species."

"You're a-"

"A Kumiho."

"What the hell is Kumiho?"

"Think of a fox spirit. Our species are kind of like cousins, actually."

"But you just said your kind is older than vampires?"

"Where do you think the maker of vampires got the idea from?" Yeona asked with a smile.

"So you're just like them," Bonnie accused.

"Eh," Yeona stuck out her hand and gave it a limp shake.

"I have more questions," Damon said, pointing at Yeona. "But right now, we have a body to move."

Bonnie and Elena looked at each other uneasily.

"You two go wait by the gates. I'll help Damon."

Damon and Yeona watched as the girls trodded off, turning to each other when they were finally out of sight.

"Alright. Let's get this over with."

"You have fun with that," Yeona turned on her heel, shoving her hands back in her pockets as her features returned to normal. "I'm going to go get some funnel cake."

"You said you were going to help me!"

"Yeah, well, I lied. Have fun!"

AN: Hellooo! I'm currently on vacay but I wanted to finish this chapter and get it out of the way. I hope you enjoyed the reveal! I could have waited longer, but that'd be hard to go since a lot of the story evolves around Yeona's thoughts and feelings. But more about her species will be revealed as we progress.

Take care!