1-06

School the next day was, in a word, odd. Mystic Falls, much like every other small town suffered from an issue of no personal space whatsoever. It was the reason that the rumour mill was so effective when it came to information gathering and why secrets were almost impossible to keep.

The operative word, though, being almost.

The true secrets of Mystic Falls were indeed hidden. It was a messy affair, involving falsified reports, something compulsion and spells being layered across areas people weren't supposed to go to, but all in all in had a thin quality to it. At the end of the day, it was very likely that someone could say the wrong thing, or someone already suspicious could find something out and be subtle enough that we wouldn't know about it.

Unfortunately for me, I was a major part of suspicion. I saw it in the gazes that were shot my way, the small whispers people shared as I moved through the hallways and I could even see it in Jeremy's expression. Not even the first class yet and I was already tired of this damned school.

In all honesty, though, they would have been stupid were they not suspicious. The last few months had blurred into one another but since this school year had started I'd missed a lot of school: when Grams had died, when I'd been attacked and after the whole thing with…after the attack with Katherine. They were probably wondering how I could miss all those hours and still be allowed to return.

It helped that most of the administration knew about how this world worked, that they had the tools to protect their pupils. Therefore they knew I was a special case.

"You going to be alright on your own?" Jeremy asked me.

"Yes," I said. "Contrary to what all of you believe, I don't need a constant guard." But I really did. I hated it, that I could be dependant like that, but it was a truth in this regard.

"I know you don't," said Jeremy. "I'm just worried about everything here. You never liked school in the first place and with them focusing so much on you now…" He didn't finish, instead shrugging.

Now that they're focusing on me now it's sort of grating, I finished for him.

"I'll be alright," I said, a sigh in my tone. "I'll just ignore them all. Hopefully they'll keep their questions between themselves."

Jeremy snorted. "Right. Good luck with that," he said. "See you at lunch."

I nodded and went into my class and such a boring class it was. I knew all this, I didn't know the specifics of how I'd learned it but the information was still in my head. Which meant I could afford not to pay attention and still get a passing grade—average because I really wasn't willing to put in the amount of work that would get me all A's.

After an eternity, the first few classes ended and it was lunch.

"This is a lot more normal than I expected you guys," said Luka. We were inside in the cafeteria, the table on the large side because, in our own right, we were now a crew.

"What did you think we'd be doing?" asked Tyler. "Running the school or something?"

"Well…yeah," the boy said, giving off a shrug. "Last place I was at had two circles. They crafted boundary spells so no one would take their tables."

"Cool idea," said Jared. "Which we won't do," he quickly said when from another table Caroline glared in his direction. "Because we're very busy."

"And not that we need to," said Tyler. "Matt and I are sort of big deals in the football team. Our general awesomeness keep people away much like a boundary spell."

"Right," said Luka.

"Travelling around you must have run into a few interesting witches," said Jared. "Interesting spells and the like?"

"Quite the few," said Luka. "Dad's sort of a collector in that regard."

"Oh?" I said. "How so?"

"You don't know?" he asked. "Aren't you clairvoyant or something?"

"Clairsentient," I answered. "And that's not how it works, nor how I would use it. Sure it's a convenience to, if I could, know why you keep moving around, but it doesn't really do to knowing a person."

"Guess that makes sense," said Luka. "Anyway, Dad is sort of a collector of magical tomes and he tries to entrench himself in the culture of any coven that will accept us. It's been that way since I was a younger kid."

"That must have been the life," said Jared and I was a bit astounded that he was missing it, how Luka was drawing himself inward and how he tried to stop his expression from becoming a glare. "Learning all that stuff from established covens."

"Um…sure," said Luka and then he focused on his food. Conversation became stilted from that point on, not getting a particular rhythm until lunch ended. From that point on, I had the particular impression that something was connected to the move, perhaps a traumatic event?

The speculation didn't entirely matter. I hadn't gotten much I didn't know from Luka and I'd been careful in what me and the others said. I still hadn't heard anything of how we'd treat the matter with Luka and his father, but it was better to lean on the side of caution and not saying anything of import.

Class resumed, droning on ceaselessly until much of the day was gone. Then, without any reprieve, Dad and I were driving off to Whitmore University. I didn't like it and the closer I went the damned place the more my mind seemed to be trying to figure out a way out of this; memories were coming to the fore, information I could use to manipulate myself out of this situation and even spell to give the impression that I'd gone.

I stopped myself though, that I was actively fighting this was bad and it was something a of a cry for help. I had to push my way through this and hopefully become better at the end of it all.

The point of arrival and then being escorted through the university to Shane's office was something my mind blocked out. I was a little surprised to find myself sitting in a rather comfortable sofa with Professor Shane sitting to my left. He had a notebook and an expectant expression to his features.

I got the impression that he was waiting.

"There's usually a point in all this where we introduce ourselves," he said. "I mean I know who you are through correspondence with your father and even your grandmother, but whatever the case. Hello, I'm Atticus Shane," he said.

"Micah Bennett," I said.

A silence stretched between us before Professor Shane gave another of his short nods. "And do you mind telling me something about yourself, Micah? So I can better know you."

I couldn't help it but my mind ran a blank at that question. Something about myself? "I'm a boy, man, whichever," I said. There was something in Shane's expression, a slight bit of irritation? Or was I projecting that? "I'm sorry," I said. "But that's something I really can't answer. I've never been able to answer that because what exactly do you want from me? That question is so vague that you could want to know my name, to knowing my interests to my hobbies or any other small fact about me."

"I'm guessing, then, that you don't like vagueness," he said. I gave him a nod at that. "I suppose that could be a facet of your ability. You know everything and so when one asks you something vague, it falls on you to fill in the blanks, and in the going you could give them more than you should."

"An astute observation," I said.

"It's my job," he said. "Observing and helping you to see yourself. Which is a little harder when I don't know you. Going back to my original question, but clearer. Tell me about your hobbies. What you do for fun."

I allowed myself silence, thinking over the question and running it over.

What did I do for fun?

I posed the question to myself and tried to think. The facsimile had had fun, in hanging out with Jeremy or going to the movies or my reading. But though I could find similar interests, those were more the facsimile's hobbies than mine. Mine were…what?

Ever since my mind had been freed I had only studied magic or tried to make sure my family and friends weren't killed by one person or another. That didn't really leave any time for anything in the way of hobbies.

"I study magic," I finally said. "Hang out with friends. Make plots and plans."

"Really? And do you enjoy doing those things in that particular order?"

I shook my head. "I'm lucky enough that all those thing are interconnected," I told him. Jeremy was not a witch, but he was experimental enough in his own abilities that he could work while I worked. There was also the fact that Jeremy knew how my mind work, he was aware enough of me that he knew I was running one plan or another in the background of everything else going on.

When I thought about our relationship, the amount that I told him versus were I told other people, I was aware that I might have trusted him more than even my sister. Sure, Bonnie knew about the White Oak, but I hadn't told her about the sign or my plans to remove the bridge from play.

"You seem lost in thought," said Shane. "Where did you go?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but then my mind caught up with me, fully considering this and everything else.

"Why should I trust you?" I found myself asking. "Why should I trust this? That, right now, we aren't being listened in on? That everything I tell you won't be taken by the first vampire that sees me going to therapy."

"I've been expecting that sort of questioning since you first arrived, actually," he said. "Many of my patients, especially those who have enemies, ask me the same thing and I tell them that I have protections. My wife, when she lived, was a powerful witch with a penchant for boundary spells. She gave me something that, when activated, set up a boundary spell. It's active right now."

"And your mind?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"I've trained it so that compulsion doesn't work on me," he said. "I've even trained it further, so that I compartmentalise all information and, if I'm feeling enough pain, making it so I can't access that information."

"So in essence you're an Occlumens," I said.

Shane chuckled. "Yes. I am an Occlumens."

"I can't help but think that this is not enough," I said. "That it will only take the right person to use what I tell you for their own ends."

Shane was quiet for the longest time, looking at me, before something set in his eyes. "I have the feeling that you know something, someone in particular that's going to make a try at that."

"I do," I said. He was quiet for the longest time before he gave another nod.

"Me? You know about Silas? About my wife?"

"I know about a lot of things," I told him. "And part and parcel of that are your plans concerning getting your wife and child on the Other Side."

Shane sat straighter, a cold look in his eyes as he looked in my direction.

"I'll assume you're telling me all of this because you want something from me," he said. "I even have a suspicion that you agreed to this session to make this demand."

"No," I said. "Or yes? My Dad thinks this will help. I think there's a chance it might help and I want that. I'm aware enough to recognise that what I'm using to deal, the anger, is not healthy. But my mind is ultimately against all this because I think I might be scared. No. I know I'm scared."

I shook my head, getting my mind in order. "I'm rambling. Focus," I said, the last to myself. I took a breath. "My mind came up with this as a defence mechanism, but thinking on it the idea has merit. I don't want you dealing with Silas."

Shane didn't say anything but I could see it in his eyes.

"He's a very dangerous man and he'll use you without giving you what you want. I, on the other hand, have as much of a stake in this as you. My grandmother's on the Other Side. She won't like me taking her away from that but I believe that anyone that would willing accept death as though it was inevitable—especially a witch—is stupid."

"This all seems too…convenient for me to just accept it," he said.

"It's certainly better than hoping to hypnotise Pastor Young to kill twelve people," I said. Shane frowned at that, confusion on him. "You would have thought of it and succeeded in doing it. This the better way out. I'm not about to kill people for getting power. I already have means of doing so."

"Help from your ability?" he asked. I gave him a nod. "Okay," he said. "Okay. I'll do it. Do this. Not plan on getting Silas. Instead I'll help you to doing that, releasing my wife and son from the Other Side. How can I help you?"

"A start would be therapy," I said.

"That, I can do," he said. "So let's begin…"