Chapter 7: The Tomb
After the night of the decade's dance, and the unfortunate remembrance of my death by Katherines hand, I found myself stuck between a rock and a hard place. I feared Damon's reaction if I told him the truth about my death. He was so desperate in his goal of opening the tomb and releasing Katherine. I could tell he was starting to become unhinged and I didnt have the courage to face him as his emotions took hold of him. So I stepped back.
I didn't help Elena and Stefan in their search for the journal and kept my distance from the whole idea of opening the tomb. I knew Stefan wanted me to tell our brother the truth, but he kept his word after I asked him not to say anything to Damon. Something told me, deep in my gut, that the whole endeavor of opening the tomb was going to turn out to be not as it seems, and that scared me. The unknown factors in all of this had my stomach turning.
I once again found myself marveling in how strange life had become for me as I sat beside Jeremy on the couch and listened to Damon talking to Jenna in the kitchen. The vampire had invited himself to the Gilbert family dinner and was now cooking some sort of pasta dish in our kitchen. I sat with my back leaning against the arm rest while I had my legs spread out across Jeremys lap as he focused on his video game.
As much as I loved Damon, I felt conflicted with him. I wanted to trust him and I did trust him, with some things, but I knew he was up to something. The uncertainty of what he had planned left me feeling scared of what the consequences of his actions meant for the rest of us.
I heard the front door open and saw Elena walk into the house. My eyes held hers for a moment before she walked passed the couch and headed for the kitchen. I cringed when she froze at the sight of who was currently in our kitchen and peeked over the back of the couch at her.
"Hello Elena." I watched as Damon turned away from the stove and Jenna turned around on the bar stool to look at her niece.
"Hey. Where have you been? We're cooking dinner." Jenna sent Elena a small smile and took a sip of wine from her glass.
"Is Stefan with you?" Damon asked; a knowing look shining in his eyes.
"Um, he'll be here soon." Elena answered. My sister leaned against the counter as Damon went back to cooking dinner. I shook my head and set my focus back on the tv and watched the video game Jeremy was playing. Dinner ended up being a tense affair as Damon and Elena played nice. I could tell Jenna was somewhat suspicious as to why Elena was wound so tight in Damons presence. By the time our meal was finished you could cut the tension in the air with a butter knife. While Damon and Elena stayed back to clean up the table, I retreated to the living room and reclaimed my seat beside Jeremy on the couch.
"You wanna play, Sis?" I looked up from my book, that I had plucked from my bag near the stairs as a distraction, at Jeremy. Before I could answer, Damon took a seat between the two of us.
"I'll take that." Damon took the control from Jeremys hand. "Never played one of these before."
I rolled my eyes at the vampire and readjusted myself so I was curled up on the end of the couch with Damon between Jeremy and I. I did my best to try and lose myself in the pages of the book my english teacher had assigned the class to read. I found my eyes rescanning over the same sentences before I finally moved on down the page.
"Who are you dodging?" Damon suddenly asked and I glanced up from my book.
"This girl Anna." I set my book down on the arm rest while Jeremy spoke and racked my brain for why that name sounded familiar. "She can be, uh, persistent."
Anna, that was the girl I saw talking to Jeremy the other night during the decades dance. Only she wasn't just a normal girl, she was a vampire. I had forgotten all about her after being tossed around like a sack of potatoes by the vampire that chased Elena and I down.
"Is she hot?" Damon asked.
"Yeah, yeah, but she can be weird." Jeremy answered.
"Hot trumps weird, trust me." Before I could nudge at Damons side and get his attention, the doorbell rang and I heard Elena walk out of the kitchen.
"Thats Stefan." Elena called out and Damon stood up from the couch. I quickly stood up and followed after the vampire as Jeremy made a noise of protest. The four of us stepped outside and Elena closed the door as Damon turned his attention to Stefan.
"Who took it?" Damon asked and Stefan let out a breathy sigh
"I don't know." He answered. Damon's face turned up in a sneer as he stared his younger brother down.
"You know what, it's that teacher." Damon started. "There's something really off about him."
"I don't think it was him who took the journal." I muttered out and the brothers turned to look at me.
"She's right, he doesn't know anything. Somebody got to it right before me." Stefan added.
"Then who did? Who else knew it was there?" Damon questioned.
"I think I may know." I mumbled and headed into the house with Damon and the others behind us. I walked into the living room and stood in front of Jeremy. "Hey Jeremy, who else knew about Johnathan Gilbert's journal?"
Jeremy raised an brow at the question. "Uh, just Mr. Saltzman, and uh, Anna."
"The hot weird one?" Damon questions and Jeremy nodded his head.
"Yeah." Jeremy added.
"Wait, who is Anna?" Stefan asked.
"Oh no." I looked over at Damon and the others before we all migrated away from the now weirded out teenager. Once out of ear shot I turned to the others. "Anna was there at the decades dance. She's a vampire."
"Are you sure?" Elena asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. A look of worry clearly showing on her face.
"Yes. I'm sure." I nodded my head and looked at the brothers. "I, uh, recognized her. But I can't really remember where I've seen her before."
"Great." Damon said sarcastically before going back into the living room.
"How do you know her?" Damon began to question Jeremy once again.
"I just know her. She wants me to meet her at the Grill tonight." Jeremy answered and Damon gave him a strained smirk.
"Perfect. I'll drive. Come on." Damon grabbed Jeremy and dragged the teen out of the house.
Elena's phone started to ring as Damon dragged Jeremy out of the house. I let out a sigh and shook my head before turning off Jeremy X-Box and heading into the kitchen to help clean up dinner. I let Jenna off the hook and took care of the dishes and put the leftovers away. Once the kitchen was clean I headed up stairs to spend the rest of the night in my room.
I tried to focus on anything but the fact that Damon was only getting closer to opening the tomb, but that wasn't easy. Worry and fear gnawed at my stomach as I gave up on reading and just laid myself down over the covers on my bed. I closed my eyes in hopes of clearing my head and relaxing. I didnt even realise I had fallen asleep until someone calling my name woke me up.
"Serena?!" My eyes flew open in shock as my body sprung up into a sitting position. Stefan rushed into my room and looked around frantically before his gaze settled on me.
"Stefan? What's going on? What happened?" I was now wide awake as I stood up from my bed and stared at the distraught vampire in my room
"It's Elena. She's gone." My mouth fell open at Stefan words and panic began to seize my body. Stefan paced the width of my room and I felt the air around him condense. "It was Anna. She was here earlier with Jeremy and now she's gone."
"What are we going to do? How are we going to find them?" I asked. Stefan stopped pacing and our eyes met.
"Were going to need help." Stefan left the house and told me to sit put and if Anna showed up again, he told me to call him.
I found myself unable to sleep for most of the night and kept my phone in my hands as I waited for Stefan to update me on Elena. The next day came and I still haven't heard anything from Stefan. I was starting to get desperate and was ready to call the younger Salvatore brother myself when my phone finally rang.
"Stefan? Where have you been? What's going on?" I asked my questions before Stefan even had a chance to speak.
"Meet me outside. I need you to come with me somewhere." He hung up before I could ask him anything. I quickly got dressed and shoved my phone into the back pocket of whatever jeans I had slipped on. Then I was rushing down the stairs, barley even remembering to grab my bag on my way out the door. Stefan waited for me by my car and he gestured for me to hand him my keys. We both got into my little white car and Stefan pulled away from the curb.
"Where are we going?" I asked as the vampire left the neighborhood and drove towards the other side of the small town.
"Sheila Bennett, that's who we're going to. Bonnie was taken by Anna and I know Sheila will help us if it means finding her granddaughter." My stomach churned and worry continued to dig at me knowing both Elena and Bonnie were in trouble. I felt another question form on my tongue, but I kept my mouth closed as we drove and soon enough, I found myself getting out of my car and following Stefan up to a house I had never been to before.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked as we approached the house and walked up the steps of the front porch. I was nervous about meeting Sheila Bennett, considering I haven't had great luck with witches recently.
"Don't worry, we can trust her." Stefan reassured me and knocked on the door.
Sheila Bennett answered the door and shrunk back slightly so I half way hidden behind Stefan. The air around the woman reminded me of Bonnie, only it was older somehow. The older witch eyed Stefan before her gaze slipped down to where I hid myself. She eyed me before glancing back at the vampire.
"Well, come inside. No use standing out here." Sheila moved away from the door and Stefan followed after her. I brought up the rear and closed the door behind me. "A locating spell will be easy enough for me to do." Sheila spoke as we followed her into her kitchen. I noticed a map laying out on her dining room table and a few candles lit around it. It was easy to tell that Sheila knew what was going on, either because Stefan had already told her, or something more otherworldly.
I watched as Sheila picked up a knife and placed the sharp edge of the blade against the skin of her palm and added pressure. Blood gathered around the knife. She removed it and allowed the red substance to drip down onto the map. I cringed at the sight of her blood and the shift in the air as she performed her magic. My spine grew stiff as I felt the magic in the air, and my blood, grow warm.
"There, that's where you'll find them." The air steeled down and I glanced at the map. Sheila's blood had gathered in one spot and I made out a few words on the page before Stefan looked up from the map.
"Thank you." Stefan nodded at the witch before turning towards me. "Stay here. I'll be back as soon as I have them." I frowned but nodded my head. I would only be in the way if I went with him and understood it was safer for me to stay here. Stefan flashed out of the house and I was left alone with only Sheila for company.
"So, you're the girl who Bonnie told me about." I turned my attention toward the older witch and watched her clean up the blood from her hand with a dish towel. The wound she had made was now gone with no trace that she had ever hurt herself.
"Uh, I guess so." I didn't really know how to talk to the woman. There wasn't really anything positive Bonnie shared with me about her grandmother, but I knew she was helping Bonnie understand what it meant to be a witch.
"Hmm. Bonnie tells me you don't know what you really are." Sheila spoke as she walked around the table and out of the dining room. I slowly followed after her as she walked into her living room. I stood awkwardly as she sat down on an armchair. "Go ahead, sit down." She gestured to the couch behind me. "I don't bite." Sheila smirked at her little joke and I sat down on the couch across from her.
It was silent between the two of us for a moment. I gathered myself and took in a deep breath before speaking up, "So, what exactly did Bonnie tell you about me?" I asked the witch and Sheila sat back in her chair.
"My Bonnie told me that you were different. And I agree with her." She started. "You're no witch, this much I can tell. But you're also not human, not like any normal human I know at least. You're also powerful." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I can feel the power you hold and the bonds you share with nature."
I sat up and leaned forward. My interest peaked and I found myself no longer feeling uncomfortable being in the room alone with the older witch. "What do you mean? Do you know what I am?"
"You're something rare. Something old." She shook her head. "I can feel that something has bound you to the earth, but I'm not sure what you are, child." I frowned slightly and sat back on the couch. "Don't frown now. I may not have all the answers, but I can tell that you're getting close. Soon, you'll understand. So be patient."
Before I could ask her what she meant, the front door opened and Bonnie, Elena, and Stefan came flooding into the house. Sheila and I stood up and I watched as Bonnie flew into her grandmother's arms. I turned away from the heartfelt reunion and made my way towards Elena. My sister and I embraced and I felt the worry from before dissipating knowing she was alright. Stefan, Elena, and I gave the two Bennett woman a moment before walking back into the room
Bonnie and Sheila stood in the center of the room and turned to look at the three of us. "So what do we do now?" Elena brought up.
"Well, for now, you need to stay here." Stefan spoke up and Sheila raised a brow at the vampire and scoffed.
"A prisoner, in my own home? I don't think so." We all looked at Sheila and I felt the air grow tense. She was right of course, but what were we going to do now?
"I can't protect you if you leave the house." Stefan pointed out and the older woman shook her head.
"We'll protect ourselves." She announced. I looked over at Elena as she turned to face Stefan.
"We need to let him have Katherine back." A shiver ran down the length of my spine at my sister's words and I stared at my twin in shock before looking up at Stefan. "He's not going to stop until he gets her. If we help him, maybe that ends it." Stefan glanced over at me and sent me a look, but I shook my head. The last person I wanted knowing about what Katherine did to me was my sister. I knew Elena, and she would no doubt feel guilty for my death, even if she had nothing to do with it.
"No!" Bonnie spoke up in shout. "He doesn't deserve to get what he wants." She argued and I shifted in my spot. I didn't want Damon to let Katherine out of the tomb, but he was desperate and I didnt know what else we were going to do to stop this from happening.
"What other choice do we have?" Elena spoke up.
"She's right." I said and the other glanced over at me. "I don't want to fight Damon, and I don't want to open the tomb. But if the tomb is the lesser of two evils, then we open it." I had hoped my words would ease my fears and worries, but the lies that left my lips did nothing to stop the storm raging inside of me.
"Witches being pulled down by vampire problems. As much as we tried to stay out of it." Sheila spoke up and we all looked over at her. The witch looked at Stefan and spoke to him, "I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will be all over."
"We still have to get Damon to agree." Stefan pointed out.
"He already agreed once." Said Elena.
"Yeah, and then we double crossed him. So now he's angry." Stefan argued.
"He's hurt. There's a difference." Elena pushed back. "I think I know what I have to do."
Sheila nodded her head at my sister's words. "Good. Get him to agree and we'll open the tomb." The older witch paused and we all looked at her. "There's one more thing. Bonnie and I may not be enough to lift a spell like this. Were going to need help." Sheila's eyes looked directly at me and I felt my bood grow cold. I swallowed thickly at her words.
"Wait, Grams, I don't think that's a good idea." Bonnie spoke up. "Serena had a really bad reaction when Emily destroyed the crystal."
"Whatever Emily did, it hurt Serena." Stefan added.
"It's okay." I spoke up and the other all looked at me as my eyes stayed focused on Sheila. "I'll do it. I'll help in whatever way I can." I could see Elena and Stefan frown out of the corner of my eyes and knew they didn't agree with my decision, but I would help. Even if it meant letting Katherine out of the tomb.
I stayed with Bonnie and Sheila and went with them to the tomb. I stood back as the two witches set up for their spell. I couldn't help but feel nervous as I watched them. I can remember was the unbearable heat I felt when Emily did whatever it was she had done to me. Although now I understood. Emily had used me as a magic source. Sheila had explained that Emily had used me as a source of pure magic. It made her spell stronger, which is what Bonnie and Sheila were going to do to open the tomb.
Soon Damon, Elena, and Stefan had joined us and we were almost ready to begin. Damon glanced over at me and his brows frowned.
"Why is Serena here?" He pointed over at me and both Elena and Stefan frowned.
"Damon, I'm here because I want to be here. What ever I can do can help get this dumb tomb open, so just let it go." Damon scowled at my words but shut his mouth and seemed to drop the matter. It felt nice to know that at least he still cared, but now isn't the time to back down.
"Air. Earth. Fire." Sheila sounded off and the torches around us lit up and light filled the hole we were all standing in. I felt the energy around us flex and I wrapped my arms around myself as heat flashed through my blood for a moment.
"Water." Bonnie spoke up as she poured a bottle of water out onto the ground.
"That's it? Just from the tap?" Elena raised a brow and Bonnie sent her a look as Sheila spoke up.
"As opposed to what?" The older witch snapped back before returning her focus on the spell.
"I just figured maybe it would have to be blessed or mystical or something." Elena muttered as the Bennett witches seemed to ignore her.
Bonnie glanced over at me and our eyes connected. "Were ready." I let out a shaky breath before stepping forward so I was in the witches circle. I looked up at Bonnie.
"Can you promise me something, Bonnie?" The young witch nodded her head. "Promise that you'll stop when it gets to be too much, please."
"We will. I promise." Bonnie vowed and I nodded my head. I let out a less shaky breath and squared my shoulders. Bonnie and Sheila turned to each other. The air went still before they started to chant. Heat filled the air first before I felt in my blood. I gasped out at the sudden change in temperature before my jaw locked and I fell to my knees. My blood began to boil as I felt heat scorch through my body.
I pushed my head into the dirt and squeezed my eyes closed. It took every bit of self control I had to not scream out in pain. My tears forced their way out of my squeezed eyes and burned trials down my cheeks. I pushed my forehead further into the dirt and tried to focus on anything other than the fire burning it's way through my body.
The chanting continued and I felt my hold slipping. I barely heard my own screams as my blood rushed through my ears. I hated this. I hated this so much and all I wanted was for it to stop. I cried out for it to stop, but it didn't. No listened to me as I cried and begged for it to end. Why did this have to hurt so much?
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the fire in my blood finally died down and I could feel the cool air brush past me as my skin became clammy. I fell onto my side curled up as I sucked in as much air into my lungs as I could. There was a low ringing in my ears and I could barely make out what was being said around me. My muscles twitched and I flinched at the feeling of the involuntary movements coming from my limbs.
"I'm sorry Serena." I heard Bonnie's voice speak up and panic dug its way into my belly. I clawed at the earth and tried to pick my head up.
"No, no, no. Please, no more. Bonnie, please." She promised me. I had put my trust in her. But she didn't listen to me. The Bennett witches channeled their magic and the power they took from me surged through them. I didn't bother holding in my cires this time and screamed as the fire flooded my veins.
I cried out and curled up further in on myself. My fingers dug at the earth and my mind fell away from the present. "You have been convicted of witchcraft, Serena Smith. How does the defendant plead?" I screamed out and withered in pain. "No! No! I want to go home! Please, Mother! Help me!" I didn't want this. I didn't want to see this again. These memories that seemed more like nightmares.
Cool air settled around me and I felt myself giving into the darkness. "Shhh, love. I promise you, nothing will ever hurt you. Not while I stand beside you."
I fell and fell and fell, until light finally pierced the darkness around me. My blood was no longer on fire and I felt free of the pain. I found peace as the gentle warmth of the sun washed over me.
"What are you doing all the way out here, love?" His voice pierced the silence around me and I found myself opening my eyes. The world was blurry and out of focus. "You worried us when we couldn't find you this morning."
I looked up from where I sat and saw the blurry image of a man approaching me. The sun shined at his back and I couldn't make out anything but his figure. "I'm sorry, Nik." My voice let my lips and I brought my knees up closer to my chest. "I'm not used to this, living in the village. It's a lot of people all in one place."
The figure came closer and I watched with blurry vision as the man sat beside me. A pleasant warmth settled in my stomach and I leaned against the comforting figure beside me. "Shhh, love. I promise you, nothing will ever hurt you. Not while I stand beside you." I trusted his words and culled up closer beside him. I felt safe and warm as I gave in to his words.
"Thank you, Nik."
I peeled my eyes open and winced at the light shining in through the curtains. The pleasant warmth and feelings I had felt from my memoires dissipated as I came back to the present. I recognised the scent of my own bed and curled up under the covers more. I winced in pain and whimpered as my muscles spazzed and twitched. Tears stung at my eyes and I prayed that sleep would save me from the pain I was feeling. But sleep evaded me.
"Hey, how are you feeling." Elena's voice broke through my thoughts as I tried to focus on anything but my aching body. I didn't bother saying anything and simply listened to her footsteps as she walked around my bed. She gently slipped in beside me and laid her head on the pillow close to me. My sister and I stared at one another and I watched as her hand gently took hold of mine. "You've been asleep for a whole day. A lot happened." She whispered.
I squeezed her hand and she let out a soft breath. "Sheilas gone. Opening the tomb took a lot out of her." I frowned at my sister's words. While I wasn't in favor of any witches, I still felt some sort of empathy for Bonnie's loss. "And um, I found out something about our mother. Our birth mother." She paused and gathered her thoughts. "She was Alaric's wife, before she disappeared. They never found her body." Elena grew quiet once more as I processed her words. Then something flickered in her eyes.
"What is it?" I asked in a low voice. Elena frowned and she shifted slightly. Her hand gripped mine and I felt my curiosity spike.
"Katherine was never in the tomb." Her words sent a shock wave down my spine and my eyes went wide. She was never in the tomb. "She's been free this entire time."
I felt angry and heartbroken. Angry that I had gone through all this for nothing, and heartbroken for my brother. Damon had spent years pinning over a woman who never needed his help in the first place. Katherine could have found Damon at any time during the last 146 years. But she didn't. I hated her. I hated her for hurting my brothers, for hurting me.
Elena stayed with me until my eyes closed once more I found myself finally falling back asleep. When I woke up again the sky outside was dark and I was alone. I was able to push myself out of bed and stumbled my way into the shower. The warm water helped ease some of the soreness in my muscles. After my shower I slipped back into bed and leaned against the headboard with my journal in my lap. I was hoping that working on some of my drawings would act as a helpful distraction.
"Knock, knock." I looked up from my journal and saw a familiar blonde head poke through as my door opened. "Hey there, how are you feeling?" I smiled at Caroline and closed my journal before setting it aside. Caroline stepped fully into my room and shook around a familiar looking to go box in her hand. "I brought you your favorite. French fries from the Grill."
"Thanks, Care." I smiled at her and she skipped up to my bed.
"Elena said you had a nasty cold." Caroline said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Uh, yeah. But I'm definitely feeling better now." The Forbes girl smiled at my words. I could tell something was eating at her and I flipped open the to go box and set it between the two of us. "So, you want to tell me what's going on?" Caroline was my friend and I cared about her. She was one of the few people I knew still able to live a normal life and have normal teenager problems.
Caroline let out a groan and bit into a french fry with a hint of frustration. "It's Matt and his crazy mother, who just so happens to hate me." I raised a brow at her words and grabbed myself a fry.
"Ah, I see." Matt Donavan had been Elena's long time best friend turned boyfriend last year. But after the accident and the death of our parents, she broke up with him. I hadn't noticed that Matt and Caroline grown closer over the weeks and felt bad that I hadn't been as involved as I could have been. "Do you like him, I mean, is he worth it?"
Caroline fiddled with a french fry between her fingers as she looked down. "Yes? No? I mean, I really like him and I like being with him. But I just don't think he feels the same." She admitted. I nodded my head in understanding. I had never had a relationship like that, at least one that I could remember. "I just wish he wasn't so hung up over Elena. I mean, I feel bad about being so bitchy about that, but still."
"I get it. But why not just go with it, for now." I laughed at the look Caroline sent me. "I know, I know, going with it is not your thing. But still, if you're enjoying his company, then continue to enjoy it. If this doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. Move on." I popped another couple of french fries into my mouth as Caroline went over my words.
"You know, for someone who gives such good relationship advice, you really suck at this whole dating thing." Caroline giggled while I simply shrugged my shoulders.
"Not my scene, at least, not right now." I picked at the greasy tasty treats as Caroline shifted so she was completely facing me.
"No, that's not good enough, new goal for this year, get you a boyfriend." I snorted and almost choked on a french fry at Carolines words. "Oh, it can be like our own little secret mission."
I laughed aloud at the girl's words and found the ache in my chest gradually lessening. Now I remember, this is what feeling normal felt like. Sitting and discussing trivial things while eating french fries, it was kind of nice.
I begged Jenna to let me stay home from school for another day before she finally set her foot down and deemed me well enough to go back to school. So I pulled myself up out of bed and got ready. My limbs were no longer sore and I felt far better than I had the day before. Unfortunately, the ache in my chest had decided to make itself my new burden.
I absentmindedly rubbed at my chest as I made my way down stairs and headed into the kitchen. After taking a mug filled with coffee from my sister's hands, I popped a couple pieces of the bread into the toaster and leaned against the counter. The coffee tasted like a godsend and I relished in the warmth it left in my stomach as I pushed the ache in my chest to the back of my mind.
I grabbed my toast and set my empty mug in the sink and followed Elena towards the front door. "Come on Jeremy, we're heading to school! Walking out the door now!" Elena shouted up the stairs as I stepped around her and pulled the front door open. I stopped and felt Elena come up behind me as the two of us found a familiar face standing on the other side of the door.
"Serena! Elena!" John Gilbert, our uncle, smiled at the two of us. I glanced back at Elena with a curious look. He had been the last person I was expecting to see show up at the house.
"Uncle John, hi." Elena greeted him as we both stood aside and let the man walk through the front door. Our Uncle wasn't someone that either of us knew well. He wasn't around much and we didn't have very many memories with him. Jenna walked into the hallway and eyed John who was now standing inside the house.
"Jenna." John greeted her and our Aunt crossed her arms over her chest.
"John, you made it." Jenna didn't seem real enthusiastic to see the man, but then again, she never was. She had never been a big fan of Uncle John.
Our Uncle sent Jenna a smile and shrugged his shoulders. "I said I'll be here before noon."
"Oh what you say and what you do are typically two very different things." Jenna pointed out to him.
I glanced away from the two adults when I heard Jeremy coming down the stairs. The younger Gilbert had a smile on his face when he saw John standing in the hall. "Uncle John, whats up?"
"Hey!" John smiled at Jeremy as the boy stepped around Elena and I to get the older man. "I had some business in town. I thought that a visit was in order."
"How long are you staying?" Elena asked.
"I don't know yet." The man answered.
It grew quiet for a moment. "Alright then. I think it's best we get off to school, you know, before we're late." I said and gave my siblings a look and sent John one last smile before heading out the door. Uncle John and I aren't close. In fact, we hardly knew each other. Even Elena didn't really know good old Uncle John. He just wasn't around.
I kept to myself busy during the school day and tried my best to focus on class work as a distraction, hoping that the ache in my chest would go away. I was used to pushing the feeling to the back of my mind, but the dull pain seemed to only dig further into my heart. Half way through the school day I ran into Elena and Matt and was reminded that tonight was the Founders Day 150th anniversary kick off party, and as much as I hated the idea of going, as a Gilbert, I didn't have much of a choice in the matter.
The end of the school day came and I forced myself to get ready for the kick off party. I slipped on an old dress and did something mediocre with my hair before slipping into the back seat of Jenna's car. When we made it to the Lockwoods the Founders Day kick off party was in full swing as founding families mingled together. I separated from my family and went off to find myself a drink.
"Hey there, little sister. You're looking quite nice tonight." I turned my head and found Damon standing beside me, granted I had felt the vampire when he got close enough and knew it was him, but I was still shocked to see him show up. "I take it you're not enjoying the crowd tonight." I sent the vampire beside me a look and frowned into my drink.
"What gave you that idea?" I sassed back as I looked off into the crowd. Damon scoffed, but he didn't leave my side. I felt better with Damon at my side. He made the strange feeling of being in danger go away. It was something that I had noticed at the decade dance. "Thank you." Damon didn't say anything, but he slipped his arm over my shoulders in understanding. Guilt suddenly flooded my mind when I remembered the last time I had seen Damon. "I'm sorry." I muttered as the two of us started to walk around the manor. "About Katherine. I'm sorry she did this to you. Made you feel this way."
A small part of me knew it was wrong of me to keep things from him about Katherine. But I also knew that now wasn't the time. Damon said nothing, but I felt the air around him shift and condense with emotion. Damon led the way out onto the balcony that overlooked the fron the yard of the manor. The cool air felt nice on my skin. My once brother and I made some small talk before the two of us were interrupted by the sudden arrival of John.
"Ah, Damon right?" Damon and I turned around to John standing in the doorway. John glanced over at me and I could see the worry shine in his eyes for just a moment. "Serena, why don't you head back inside and enjoy the party. I'm sure your sister is wondering where you've disappeared off to."
I glanced between John and Damon before taking the hint. John kept his gaze on Damon as he herded me back inside. I turned around one last time and sent Damon a look. "I'll come find you later." The vampire sent me a wink and I turned back around and headed back inside the manor. I could only hope that things didn't get out of hand between the two. Although, knowing Damon, I had a feeling something was bound to happen one way or another.
The other party goers were beginning to gather in the front room where a small stage was located. I stuck to the back of the crowd and did my best to push the feeling of claustrophobia to the back of my mind. All I wanted to do was go home and get away from the warning bells that were going off in my head.
"Thank you all, thank you very much. Thank you all for joining us tonight. In just a few moments we will officially begin the countdown to our upcoming Founders Day celebration and it's a very special one this year." I watched from the back of the crowd as Mayor Lockwood spoke to the founding families.
"Serena." I looked away from the proud and arrogant Mayor to find the school's new history teacher, slash, vampire hunter standing beside me.
"Hey there Mr. Saltzman." I greeted the man and he gave me a small smile before shaking his head.
"No need to call me Mister, Serena. We're not at school." He commented and I simply shrugged my shoulders before looking back at the town's mayor.
"And, I would like to welcome back one of our town's favorite sons to do the honors of ringing our official charter bell. John Gilbert, would you please join me up here?" The Mayor called out into the crowd and John made his way to the stage.
"Uh oh." Damon suddenly muttered under his breath as he appeared beside me. "Look at his hand." Alaric and I glanced away from the sudden appearance of the vampire and looked at John's hand. I took notice of the blue ring on his finger.
"I looks like mine." Alaric held up his hand. He was right, the two rings looked identical.
"What does that mean exactly?" I asked the two. Damon glanced down at me before looking over my head at Alaric.
"It means that this would have been a big coincidence if he didn't just come back from the dead five minutes ago." I stared wide eyed at Damon as he admitted to killing John. While I had expected something to happen between the vampire and John, I had not been expecting to hear that Damon had actually killed John, or that John had miraculously come back to life. "Where did you get that ring?"
"Isobel, my wife." Alaric answered.
"Who gave birth to Elena and Serena, under the care of the esteemed Dr. Grayson Gilbert, John's brother." Damon's words bounced around in my head.
"I guess that means John knew Isobel." I muttered out so only they could hear me.
"I think it means John knows a lot of things." Damon stated.
I looked up at the man on the stage. I had a bad feeling flooding my body. Something was going to happen, something that none of us were prepared for.
A/N: Thank you to all of you reading this story. I'm loving the process of creating this story and cant wait for the next few chapters. I've been working hard to get this story right and I feel confident that you'll all love the next few chapters. So I thank for reading, really, it makes me so happy.
I have now completed a few rewrites for chapters 1-7. A few things are different, but the overall plot of the story has not changed.
Shout out to the reviews and positive feedback. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them and leave a review.
Stay safe everyone.