Chapter 11: Aos Sí
"Are you sure about this?" I stood on the front porch of the Gilbert home with my arms crossed over my chest and a frown on my face. Both Alaric and Elena were still inside saying goodbye to Jenna while Damon was waiting in the passenger seat of Alaric's car. "I don't have to go. You're going to need help with Caroline."
Stefan shook his head and offered me a calming smile. "I'll be fine on my own with Caroline, I promise." He then placed both of his hands on my shoulders and I let my arms fall to my sides. "I know you want answers more than anything, so you need to take this opportunity. Besides," Stefan looked down the lawn towards where Alaric's car was parked on the street, "I'd feel better having you there. Elena needs you and, hopefully, Damon may be less inclined to murder someone."
I sent the younger Salvatore brother a smirk and raised a brow at him. "So you really just want me to so I can babysit our brother?" Stefan sent me a look with twinkle in his eye at my words. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him, and act as mediator between him and Elena."
"Thank you, Serena. It may not seem like it, but Damon listens to you. Just keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't do anything to stress Elena out." Stefan squeezed my shoulder and sent me one last smile before heading into the house.
The plan was to head up to Duke and have Alaric get us in. Then we would have the chance to look through Isobels research and try to find anything on lycanthrope. Having Mason in town put all of us on edge, and the sooner we find out what he is, the better we can defend ourselves if he decides to do something. The energy I felt around Mason was one that had me scratching my head for answers. It was so different and strange, and yet, there was this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me I had felt something like this before.
But my memories of my past lives were unreliable at best. Blurry faces and voices I didn't recognize weren't going to help us in discovering what Mason is. We needed solid proof, and something told me that we were going to get it.
The car ride was a silent one as we left Mystic Falls. I found myself watching the trees pass by as Alaric dove. My stomach was a twisted mess of both excitement and anxiety. While I knew we were looking for answers about Mason Lockwood, I wasn't going to let the opportunity to search for anything about my past, pass me by.
"How are you doing back there?" Damon's voice pierced the quiet. I turned my head away from the scenery passing us by. I glanced over at my sister as she ignored the vampire's comment. I sat behind Damon and could see the exasperated look on Alaric's face as he drove. "You know, this whole pretending to hate me thing is getting a little silly." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Damons words and hoped he wasn't going to be pushing the matter on Elena's feelings towards him. If it wasn't for Jeremy's ring, I was sure Elena would have killed Damon for snapping our younger brothers neck.
I saw Elena roll her eyes out of the corner of my eye before Alaric muttered, "I don't think she's pretending." Under his breath. "You did kill her brother."
Damon let out a scoff and I retaliated by nugging the back of his seat. "There is a huge asterisk next to that statement, he came back to life." I continued to push at the back of the vampires seat until he reached back and whacked at my legs.
"You really don't know when to shut up, do you?" I muttered and ceased my pestering.
"Thanks to a ring that you didn't know he was wearing." Elena pointed out.
Damon turned to look at her. "Why are you so sure I didn't know?"
"Did you?" Elena asked.
"Yes." Damon answered her. Elena didn't look one bit convinced by his words.
"You're lying." Elena argued back.
"Elena, I saw the ring! It's a big tacky thing. Hard to miss." I could tell Damons words did nothing to actually convince Elena that he was telling the truth, even I felt doubt itching at the back of my mind. It was going to take time and a lot more than just empty words for Damon to get back in Elena's good graces.
Silence filled the car as Elena crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head so her focus was set on the passing trees, and not the irritating vampire in the passenger seat. I glanced from the side of my sisters head towards the front of the car. While I'm still sore about Damon killing Jeremy in a fit of emotions, I couldn't help but feel shitty about the whole thing. Damon had no right in doing what he did, but Jeremy was alright in the end. Granted, that is not really the best excuse for killing someone, but I was worried about Damon. How many more blows could he take before he really snaps?
I tuned my head and looked back out the window and watched as the trees passed us by in a blurry of green and brown. Finally, the constant image of trees was replaced by buildings as we got closer to the university.
"So Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department given that most paranormal phenomenon is rooted in folklore." Alaric spoke as we pulled into the university. I found myself staring at the old brick and stone buildings as we piled out of the car and followed the history teacher into one of the grey buildings. Everything here seemed old and full of history, but none more so then the office the four of us walked into.
The dark wood that colored the office gave it a rich feeling as my eyes danced around the artifacts that filled the shelves. The four of us stopped when we got to the desk that was situated at the end of the room. A woman with long brown hair sat behind the desk and glanced up when Alaric introduced himself.
"Excuse me, hi. I'm Alaric Saltzman, I called earlier." Damon, Elena, and I stood slightly back as Alaric spoke to the woman. I stood slightly behind Damon as I continued to glance around the room. There was this strange feeling tugging at the back of my mind as my eyes wandered the room.
"Yes, of course. I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant, comparative folklore." I glanced back at the woman and saw her gaze focused on Elena. I shifted a little and caught Vanessa's attention. For a split second I saw a flash of fear run through the woman's eyes as she quickly looked away. "Uh, let me just grab Isobel's keys." The woman walked around the desk and over to a filing cabinet that stood close by.
Alaric must have sensed the unease and quickly introduced us to the woman. " These are my friends Damon, Elena, and Serena. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition."
Vannessa glanced over the three of us before she sent Alaric a forced smile. "Oh please, Isobel's office is right through there." She gestured to the wooden door beside Damon and I. "Isobel was one of my first professors. I'm a grad student. She was brilliant, and one of the reasons I went into folklore." Vanessa was rambling as she unlocked the door. "Uh, I have to ask, has there been any news?"
Vanessa glanced back at Alaric. He shook his head and said, "No, I'm afraid not." He answered her. Granted, that was a lie, but not one she needed to know the truth about.
Vanessa nodded her head in understanding before turning back to the wooden door. "It's this way." The four of us followed after the woman as she led us into Isobel's office. "I'll grab the light, feel free to look around. It's fascinating isn't it?"
The room was filled to the brim with old looking artifacts and oddities. The shelves that lined the room were filled with old books and tomes. I stepped further into the room and eyed the table that was littered with different sized animal skulls. My eyes moved away from the bones and towards the large bookcase to my left. I couldn't help but run my finger down the spine of one of the books that filled the shelf. My heart was thumping away in my chest as I thought about all the possibilities these books could have for me.
"Where'd she go?" Damon's voice brought me out of my excited thoughts. I turned away from the book shelf and glanced around the room. It was only the four of us now. Vanessa was no longer in the room.
Vanessa suddenly reappeared in the doorway and a shout forced its way through my throat when my eyes saw what she had in her hands. The woman had a crossbow aimed right at Elena and I felt my heart drop into my stomach as she pulled the trigger and an arrow was sent sailing right for my sister. Damon moved faster than any of us could even blink and placed himself between Elena and the pointed arrow. Damon hissed and shouted as the wooden arrow embedded itself into his back. I rushed forward as Alaric grabbed Vanessa and pulled the crossbow from her hands before forcing her from the room.
I quickly pulled the stack from Damons back and dropped the bloody weapon to the floor as the vampire groaned in pain. "That bitch is dead." Damon growled as he stood up straight. Elena was quick to move and placed herself between the angry vampire and the doorway.
"You're not going to kill her." Elena argued for Vanessa's life as Damon glared down at her. I could tell Damon was out for blood as he narrowed his eyes at my sister.
"Watch me." He stated with a purpose. I knew Damon was completely capable of killing Vanessa with no remorse, but we still needed her.
I stepped up and placed myself slightly between Elena and Damon. "She's right, Damon." I started to explain. Damon shifted his glaring eyes at me as I spoke. "You can't kill her. She knew to aim that crossbow at Elena. She clearly knows something, and I bet it's about Katherine. So if you kill her, we lose information, and we can't afford that right now." We were surrounded by information, but we were going to need help sorting through it to find what we needed.
Damon and I stood there with our eyes locked. I could tell he was struggling to not just ignore what I was saying and kill Vanessa without so much as a second thought. Elena stepped closer and Damon shifted his gaze back to her.
"You touch her and I swear I will never speak to you again." Elena vowed. Damon scoffed as his gaze flickered from Elena to the door and back to Elena.
"What makes you think that had any power over me?" The vampire mocked her with a sneer on his lips. "Because I took an arrow in the back for you? You're severely overestimating yourself."
"Right. I forgot that I was speaking to a psychotic mind who snaps and kills people impulsively. Fine, go ahead, do whatever you want." Elena stepped aside and crossed her arms.
"You're trying to manipulate me." Damon scoffed at the act Elena had put on. I in turn rolled my eyes at both of them.
"Enough." I stepped between the two and narrowed my eyes at both of them. "Cut it out Damon, we don't have time for this. Elenas right, you can't kill her. We need her help." I explained once again. "So just stop it, both of you, and just play nice for a little while longer." I turned away from the two and stomped out of the room. I was frustrated with the two of them. We didn't have time for bickering and fighting. Our answers were right here. My answers were right here.
I found Alaric standing over Vanessa as the woman sat in a chair. I stood beside the history teacher as the woman sat freaking out over what had just happened. Alaric and I glanced at one another before I looked back at Vanessa. "Hey now, calm down. How about we start over, hm?" Vanessa looked over at me and I offered her a small smile. "My name is Serena Gilbert and this is Elean Gilbert, my sister." I gestured to Elena who had just walked in with Damon behind her. "Were Isobels daughters. Elenas is a descendant of Katherine Pierce. And the man you just shot with a crossbow is Damon Salvatore."
"I'd be extra nice to me right now." Damon sent Vanessa a toothy smile.
"Look, we need your help okay? We need to see Isobel's research, and anything related to Mystic Falls." Elena explained.
Vanessa stood and took a deep breath before nodding her head. "Okay, I'll help." I nodded my head at the woman and the five of us made our way back into Isobel's office.
Alaric helped Vanessa set boxes on the table in the center of the room as Elena and Damon shifted through the other boxes that were placed around the room. I stationed myself near one of the bookcases and started pulling out books that looked like they could help us. While I focused on searching for anything to do with the Lockwoods or Katherine, I was also looking for anything that might have anything to do with me.
"This box checks Katherine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April 1864." Vanessa spoke up. I looked away from the book I was trying to read and watched as she lifted the lid off of one of the filing boxes.
"Is that all there is about her?" Elena asked as she peeked into the box. I set the book in my hands down and moved so I was standing beside my sister. There wasn't much on the vampire who looked like my sister, and that worried me.
"All that I'm aware of." Vanessa admitted. Elena and I shared a look. There wasnt alot there and I knew that worried Elena.
We all went back to searching through the files as Elena went through the box on Katherine. I abandoned looking through the books on the shelves for the moment and dug through another filing box. I was coming up empty as I fished though the box and read over the files. There was nothing even remotely connected to the Lockwoods or even werewolves.
"Hey guys, check this out." Alaric's voice pulled me from my reading and I set the file I was looking through down and joined the others. I stood over Alaric's shoulder as he pointed to the book Vanessa had in her hands.
"There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser-known legends." Vanessa placed the book on the table so all of us could look over the page she was referencing. "Everything from Scandinavian skin-walkers to the Maréchal de Retz." She pointed to the drawing on the page. "Tonatsliitsii Metslii, which roughly translates into the 'curse of the sun and moon.'"
"It's Native American." Alaric pointed out and Vanessa shook her head.
"Aztec. It explains one of the origins of the werewolf curse traced through Virgina." She started and as I looked the picture over something twisted in my gut. "The short story is 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside, made farming and hunting impossible until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon." I titled my head and squinted at the page and Vanessa's words. Something about the legend didn't sound right, but I couldn't place the unease I felt as Vanessa spoke.
"As a result, vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. Where the full moon crests in the sky, who's ever unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf." Vanessa finished.
"Can they control the transformation?" Damon asked.
No. My mind echoed and I cringed. "Mama, where's Papa going?" A voice echoed through my thoughts and I found myself stepping back.
"If it were a choice, it wouldn't be called a curse." Vanessa explained. "Werewolves will attack humans but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice: vampires."
"He's protecting us, my little one." Another voice echoed in my head. I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to imagine the memory that was flowing through my head.
"From what?"
"Well, if werewolves were hunting vampires, I would know about it." Damon argued. My eyes shot open as the other argued about the curse. My thoughts felt muddled as I tried to gather myself and focus on what was happening in this moment.
"Wolves." The voice from the past echoed.
"Not if there aren't that many werewolves left alive." Vanessa countered. "Hundreds of years ago vampires hunted them to almost extinction."
"Why would they do that?" Elena asked.
"To protect themselves. Legend has it that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires." Vanessa answered and all of our eyes turned to look at the only vampire in the room.
"Oh." Damon breathed out.
After the history lesson on werewolves and the revelation about a werewolf's deadly bite, we continued our search for anything on the Lockwoods and their connection to werewolves. I stood over another box as I shifted through the files that filled it.
"Hey, have you don't any research on doppelgängers?" I looked up from the file I was reading and saw Elena talking to Vanessa.
"Well, the words mean a lot different things to different cultures, but typically a doppelgänger is a living, breathing double of oneself." Vanessa explained to my sister.
"Did Isobel have anything that explained the link between me and Katherine?" Elena asked.
Vanessa shook her head. "That's all she had on Katherine, unfortunately, but I can tell you that doppelgängers usually torment the people they look like, trying to undo their lives. Not exactly uplifting." I scoffed and shook my head.
"Not exactly." I muttered as I looked back down at the file in my hands.
"And more things we already know." Elena let out a defeated sigh. "Just… I want to know why we look alike."
"Head scratcher, isn't it?" Damon spoke up. I glanced up at the vampire and rolled my eyes. He just couldn't hold his tongue.
"Do you know something, or are you just being yourself?" I couldn't help but let out an airy laugh at my sisters words as I went back to reading.
"Well, if I know anything, I'm not gonna tell you, not with that attitude." Damon shot back.
"That's good, Damon, and this is coming from someone who wants to be my friend, but you what? Friends don't manipulate friends, they help each other." Elena snapped before turning away from Damon and putting space between her and the vampire. I was really over the pestering and arguing going on between Damon and Elena. As much as I loved my sister, I knew her better than anyone, and right now she was sounding like a hypocrite.
After another thirty minutes of searching, we all decided to call it quits. We found nothing on the Lockwoods, but our day wasn't a total waste now that we knew more about werewolves. While we had something to go back home with, there were still so many questions running around in my head. After searching through file after file and book after book, I found nothing about myself in Isobels notes. It was heartbreaking.
While the others left Isobel's office, I took my time as I placed files back into boxes and closed their lids. As relieved as I was that we at least had something, there was still the selfish part of me that just wanted to stay and continued searching for anything that would lead me to the answers I craved. I didn't want to lose hope, but I couldn't help but feel terrible as I placed another useless file in another useless box.
"Serena?" I looked up when Vanessa said my name. The woman stood near the doorway of Isobel's office with a file in her hands. "Isobel had this file hidden away. I found it months ago when I was sorting through some of her stuff for the university." Vanessa held out the thin manila folder. I stepped closer to the woman and slowly reached out to take the file. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I grasped the folder in my fingers.
My eyes focused on the cover. SERENA, was the only thing that printed out on the cover of the file. My throat closed up slightly and I carefully cleared my airway before looking up at Vanessa. "Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me." She nodded her head and turned around to leave the room. I looked back down at the file in my hands before stuffing it into my bag and followed after Vanessa.
We left Duke with our minds a little clearer as we made our way back to Mystic Falls. My bag felt ten times heavier as I held it on my lap. Rapid fire questions went through my head as I stared out at the passing trees. What would I find within that folder? What secrets did Isobel know? And did I really want to find out?
My heart clenched within my chest as the car stopped and I suddenly found myself back in Mystic Falls. The need to get away from everything rushed through me as I stepped out of the car and made my way up to the front porch. There was a mess of feelings currently overflowing within me as I thought about the folder in my bag. What had my birth mother discovered about me? What secrets did she know lay hidden within the vaguely thin folder currently hiding in my bag? My stomach twisted with an anxious excitement that I had never felt before. This was the closest I have ever gotten to finding the answers I've been craving since I was a little girl.
"Serena? Are you okay?" I looked up and found Elena staring at me with concern in her gaze. I wanted to tell her, I should have told her, but I didn't.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind." I knew she didn't believe me, but she didn't push for any more information, which I was grateful for. I needed to do this on my own, for now. This was my journey, and as much as I wanted to spill my guts to my sister and open the file with her, the more selfish part of me wanted to do this on my own. I stood on the front porch and watched Elena walk inside. My bag felt heavy on my shoulder as my hands clutched at its leather strap. Guilt flooded my stomach, but I turned away from the front door without a second thought and headed for my car. One way or another, even if this file didn't have the information I wanted, I was going to find my answers.
I parked my car in the usual spot at the trailhead and made my way through the trees on the familiar dirt path. My heart was pounding away in my chest as I left the path and walked off into the trees. I was hoping the peaceful setting of the clearing would offer me some comfort. As exciting as this all was, I was still reminding myself that the file Isobel had on me may not hold the answers I'm looking for, and honestly, that scared me. I was starting to feel apprehensive about the thin file I was putting all my hope into.
The sun was still high in the sky by the time I walked through the trees and found myself standing in front of the old oak tree. I stood at the edge of the small clearing for a moment as I stared at the twisted trunk. I did my best to gather my thoughts and push out any self doubt I was feeling. Instead of sitting against the oak, I crossed my legs and sat myself down so there was a gap of green space between me and the old tree. My bag was laid out in front of me as my eyes caught sight of the ominous coroner of the tan colored file peeking out of the dark colored bag.
I stared at that corner for a long moment; my eyes refused to look away and my hands refused to reach out and grab the file. My limbs felt frozen and my heart refused to stop it's endless dancing within my chest. I forced my eyes to close and inhaled a deep breath through my nose before and held the air in my lungs for a long moment, before releasing it back into the world through my lips.
As soon as I reopened my eyes, my hand was reaching out for my bag and I was pulling the manila file out of my bag. The file was thin and light in my hands as I held it between my fingers. I took another deep breath in hopes of claiming nerves as I started at the large black letters that spelled out my name on the front of the file. My fingers moved and hovered over the opening of the file before finnlay grasping it and opening the folder.
I felt my throat close up as my heart jumped in my chest. My eyes scanned over the single page that filled the folder. Almost all of the typed out information was blacked out with ink, blocking my eyes from reading what had been typed out. On the top right corner of the page was a small square where a picture once was, but it was also covered by black ink. My eyes flickered back to the rest of the page as I looked for anything that was salvageable. Then I saw it. There, in the middle of the page, was a single word that had been left untouched by the black ink.
Fae.
I stared at the word until it became blurry and I had to blink to clear my vision. The word echoed in my head as I repeated it over and over. Fae. Fae. Fae. Fae. Fae. I felt like a broken record, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the only word that was readable, it was all I had. This single word was all I had, and I had no idea what it ment.
Suddenly, I felt a wave of frustration rush through me. My blood grew hot and my hand fingers curled and clenched tightly at the file in my hands. I felt angry and bitter at that one word and in a flurry of emotions I threw the file and watched as it fluttered to the ground before the old oak tree. My shoulders slumped and I blinked back my tears as my heart broke at the realization that I had gained almost nothing from the file Isobel had made about me. "I just want to remember." I muttered under my breath as I sat there. "Please. I just want to remember."
There came no answer to my pleading. I was alone.
I wiped at my tears and took a shaky breath as I composed myself as best as I could. This isn't the end, this couldn't be the end. While I didn't have much, the file still held at least a single clue. That word had to mean something. I stood up and stepped forwards towards the tree. I stood with my feet together and stared down at the file that lay closed on the grass before the old oak tree. I reached down and grabbed the file. I stood there for a while as my thoughts went raging through my mind. There was no part of me that wanted to give up, but I needed this. I wanted this.
My mother came to the forefront of my mind and I felt my heart stutter in my chest. My real mother was someone I found myself craving to know. I wanted my memories of her, I wanted to know her. She was a constant figment in my memories where she played such a big part in my dreams. While I could hardly see her or make her out, I always knew it was her who my memories were trying to remember as I slept. I felt her love and her familiar touch as she sat with me in a familiar clearing. Her hair flowed around her in waves like a silver waterfall, and while I couldn't make out much of her features, her red eyes stood out on her pale face she spoke softly to me in my dreams. There was this inhumane glow to her that made it seem like the sun was radiating from just under her skin. I wanted to know her. I wanted to remember everything about her. I wanted to know everything; all of it.
I've been haunted by my memories my whole life, and not just in this lifetime. They have always been just out of reach and while maybe it doesn't even matter if I ever remember them, but I want those moments back. I want to be able to put their names to their faces. I want those blurry and untouchable images to become something more. I wanted more than just the memory of those soft, fathomless brown eyes, and I know that knowing them will only be a reminder that these people from my life lived so long ago are now long gone from this world, I want them to live on in my memory. I know they meant something to me once, and I want to know those feelings again.
My hands clutched at the file in my grasp as I took in a deep breath. This isn't the end and I refuse to give up, not when I finally have something, even if it's something as small as a single word. I was just going to have to work with it.
During my hike back to my car, my mind was filled with thoughts and ideas for what my next move was going to be. I knew I was going to need help, but who do I go to? Elena had enough on her plate with everything already going on in our lives, and there was no way I was asking Stefan and Damon, not when they were needed to keep Elena safe. There was always Caroline, but the girl was already going through so much with becoming a vampire, the last thing I wanted to do was stress her out with my own problems. That really only left one person I could go to with this, and while she was the last person I wanted to speak to, she was also my best bet on finding out what Fae means.
When I got into my car, I dug my cell phone out of my bag and pulled up Bonnies number. 'Can you meet me at the Grill tomorrow? It's important.' I sent the text and waited a moment to see if she would reply. My phone buzzed in my hand and opened the message. 'Yeah. I can meet you there around 4.' I sent her a confirmation text and let my phone drop into the passenger seat. The air in my lungs escaped through my lips in a long sigh. I could only hope I was making the right decision in turning to Bonnie for help.
The next day came and I was able to get out of the BBQ Aunt Jenna was throwing and made my way to the Grill. A part of me felt for not telling Elena about what I was doing, she was my sister and I knew she was going to find out at some point, but for now I knew it better to keep her in the dark, for now.
The bar and restaurant was mostly empty when I arrived. It was ten minutes before four so I figured Bonnie hadn't shown up just yet. I slipped into a booth where we would have some privacy and set my bag on the table in front of me. I wasn't exactly thrilled about turning to the Bennett witch for help, but I knew Bonnie was truly coming in her witch blood, and with Emily's grimoire, she no doubt had more resources then I did.
I felt the air shift slightly and I looked up to see Bonnie making her way towards me. I could tell she was practicing her magic by the way the air felt so different around her. While I didn't quite understand what it ment, it was interesting to find that there was such a change to the girl now.
"Hey, thanks for coming." I spoke up as Bonnie slipped into the seat across the table from me. The witch offered me a small smile and I knew she was just as nervous as I was about this meeting. She had given me plenty of space after the tomb incident and I could tell she wanted to talk about every time I saw her. But now isn't the time to hash out what happened at the tomb. "I need your help with something. I may have come across something that can help me find out what I am and who I was in the past." I pulled the file out of my bag and set the bag on the seat beside me before placing the file flat on the table.
I pushed the folder across the table towards the girl. Bonnie sent me a look before tentative reaching out for the file. "What is this?" She asked as she lifted the file off the table and opened it. I saw her eyebrows creas together as her eyes scanned the single page.
"This is a file Isobel made about me. This was all I could find in her office at Duke." I started to explain. Bonnie glanced up at me before taking another look at the mostly inked out page.
"Fae? What does that mean?" She looked up at me and I could only shrug my shoulders at her question.
"I wish I knew. This is why I asked you to meet me here. I need your help in figuring out what this means." I paused and Bonnie closed the folder before setting it down. "I don't remember much of my first life. It's a blurry mess with fragments and pieces that I can't figure out. But this," I tapped the file with my finger. "This is all I have to go on right now, and I need your help with figuring this all out, please."
Bonnie was quiet as she took in my words. Her eyes were glued to the file and I could tell she was mulling over all that I had just unloaded on her. Then her eyes connected with mine and she nodded her head. "I'll help you." I felt my shoulder slump slightly and I sent her a thankful smile, one which she returned. "I'll look through Emily's grimoire and see if I can find anything that has to do with this word." She pushed the file back across the table and I picked it up. "I promise, I won't let you down, Serena."
"Thank you, Bonnie."
I left the Grill soon after Bonnie did and headed out to my car. The sun had set and the stars were just starting to peek through the blackness of the night sky. I sat in my car for a moment as my mind went through the events of the last few days. My stomach twisted slightly in anticipation at what was bound to be thrown at us all next. With Katherine in the picture now, we were all left waiting for the other shoe to drop, for her to make her move.
I took in a deep breath and shook my head in hopes of ridding myself of the negative thoughts that were slowly invading my mind. Katherine was back and I hated the fact that I was afraid of her. She haunted my dreams some nights, and that fact that I would wake and have to see her in my sister's face was another nightmare all on it's own. But Elena was nothing like Katherine. I trusted Elena and loved her, she was my rock and I would do anything for her, even if that meant having to face someone who killed me.
When I pulled up in front of the house I had hope that the BBQ was finally over since Damon's car was nowhere to be seen. The last thing I wanted to deal with tonight was Damons antics and confronting Mason Lockwood. I had no plans of being anywhere near the supposed werewolf unless I had to.
With a slam of my car door, I was left out in the middle of the street as I locked the vehicle. I was alone, with only the soft caress of the breez to accompany me. But as I stood there and listened to the silence the night had to offer, I felt something. My spine when rigid as the hair on the back of my neck stood up and goose bumps broke out across my skin. I could hear my heartbeat in my ear as my breath became trapped in my lungs. I turned around slowly and saw a figure standing in the middle of the road. She wasn't close and her face was obscured by the darkness of the night, I knew who she was.
"Katherine." The air in my lungs finally escaped and the figure before me took a couple of steps closer. I stayed perfectly still as she became easier to see. She looked exactly as she once had over a hundred years ago. A shiver ripped down my spine as her lips curled up in a sinister looking smile.
"Serena, you're looking good. How old are you now, 17? That must be a record for you, yeah?" Her words sent a shot of anger through my body at the way she mocked me. But my unwavering fear of the vampire in front of me kept my feet in their place, and I hated her even more for that. "I have to say, I wasn't really expecting you to come back. But, you being here does answer a few questions I had, so I can't say I'm disappointed."
"What do you know?" I shoved the question through my teeth in a hiss as I tried to push my fear down. I wanted to know everything she did, if she even knew anything. There was a possibility that her words were a bluff, but Katherine was someone who would learn all that she could about someone, just so she could hold information over them.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Her words and tone had my stomach reeling. I knew there was no chance of her actually spilling her guts, so her words had me even angry due to the fact that she knew she had something over me.
I clenched my fist in frustration. "I'm not interested in playing your games, Katherine." I ground out as my anger fought back against my fear. I couldn't let her play her games and get into my head. I wasn't abou to let her use my feelings and wants against me. I had to be stronger than that. I have to think about my loved ones before my own personal wants. Elena needed me. "I've grown since we last saw each other. I'm not the same little girl you killed."
"Oh, I have no doubt that you've grown." Katherine took another step closer and her gaze roamed over me before she spoke again. "But you'll always be the same scared little girl, in every lifetime." She was gone before I could even blink. The air grew lighter without her presence, but my body was still stock still as her words ricocheted in my head.
Did she know? Did she know about my life before I had been born a Salvatore? How could she? There couldn't have been any evidence that I had been alive before, at least not anything that could prove it had been me. I was born with the same looks, even the smale name, in each new life, but that didn't mean someone could find that out without proof. Then again, this was Katherine, and even if she was lying about knowing anything, she no doubt had done all the reacher and digging she could have one me, even going as far as to recruit Isobel to help and keep a file on me.
Seeing Katherine had opened a box of questions and emotions that I didn't want to sort through. She was cruel and selfish, and would do whatever it took to get what she wants. My only question now, the one that mattered, was what did she want? What is her end goal in all of this, in coming back to Mystic Falls? What is she after and what is she willing to do to get it?
A/N: This chapter wasn't easy to get done. I've been at a stand still with how to move forward from this part of the story, but, I did it.
Shout out to all the new followers and thank you so much for reading. I'm a little behind on chapters right now so I'm not really sure if I'll have the next chapter ready by next Monday. But I'll do my best to get it done.
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Stay safe everyone.