Chapter 2: School Begins
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Dear Diary
I'm not as nervous about my first day in a new school as any other teenager normally is. I suppose it was my meeting with Elena and Stefan, who seemed nice enough and Elena even offered to show me around and help out whenever I needed it. The whole chill that I received may actually have some meaning now that I know I'm a Druid, but Stefan's smile and the way we spoke makes it seem that such a feeling could not be right. My mother's looking into it whilst I'm in school, but I'm adamant that I have no reason to fear Stefan.
Whilst he waited for the ink to dry, James gathered his clothes, consisting of a grey long-sleeved three button v-neck shirt, a black denim vest to go over it, a pair of blue denim jeans and his walking trainers which were comfortable than other shoes for him. His messenger bag was placed on his bed, empty for now, but with the catch up work he has to do, he knew that it would fill up in no time just from the first day. His mother opened the door just as he was heading for the bathroom so he could shower.
"Just checking to see that you were up. Normally you'd come downstairs" she said with a small smile.
"Writing a diary entry and making sure I have everything for the first day" he explained. "So do you think you'll be able to find out what that feeling is?" he asked and she sighed.
"I'll be searching through the journals. It'll take me time, but I think one of our ancestors had to have come across this feeling and knows what it meant. I want to teach you the basics of magic tonight as well" she said and he nodded with an enthusiastic smile.
"I look forward to it" he said with a small smile.
"Oh, almost forgot. Me been the lovely mother that I am, I got you a little something" she said, holding up a key, a car key to be specific.
"You didn't" he said in amazement.
"I may have dipped into our family's considerable wealth" she said and he grinned.
"You were the best before but now there is no one that can beat you. Unless they happen to buy me a supercar, then they may have a shot" he said and she put the key on his set of drawers. "I will look after it" he added on.
"Good, because if you scratch her, I'll cry" his mum said, before leaving the room.
He showered and dressed quickly, putting on his ancestor's necklace as well as his ring and he grabbed his new car key and bag before heading downstairs into the living room. He had a question regarding the ring that couldn't wait, otherwise it would drive him up the proverbial wall. He could see she was already going through one of the journals, in fact it was the first one.
"This ring. It's not one of our ancestors', so what is it?"
"It was your fathers" she said with a sigh. "The symbol is more than a reference to the Morrigan. It's the family symbol, it has always been present throughout the family history" she explained and he looked at it.
"I never saw him wear it" James said quietly.
"He kept it for you. Your father cast a spell linking him to it so even in death or his absence, you could channel his power. He told me one night that it was his way of been with you always" she said with a fond smile.
"Hence why you gave it to me before we got here" he figured out and Violet nodded.
"Keep it with you always. He's with you always" she said and he nodded with a small smile.
"I'd best get going… wouldn't want to be late" James said and she made a shooing motion with her hand.
"I'll keep looking in these journals to see if we can figure what that feeling was. And whilst I'm at it, I'm going to try and find that third family pendant"
"Okay, good luck and have fun" he said, heading out the door and he took in the sight of the new car. "Bloody hell, mum, I love you" he breathed upon seeing the four door Jeep Wrangler. "Let's take you for a spin" James said, climbing in and starting it up.
Despite the early morning, he could see everyone was already awake and going about their usual business, most of them with a smile on their face. Monday blues were virtually non-existent in Mystic Falls, it would seem, and even though he regretted a weekend passing by quickly, perhaps in this town it wouldn't be so bad. It didn't take long for him to reach Mystic Falls High and true to her word, Elena was waiting for him alongside another girl, dark-skinned and beautiful. Both of them were chatting amiably when he pulled up and got out, grabbing his bag from the backseat and then locking the car.
"Hey" Elena chirped with a smile.
"Good morning Elena, and I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting?" he asked politely to the other girl who merely smiled.
"I'm the best friend" she replied.
"Ah, Bonnie. Well it's lovely to meet you Bonnie" he said, shaking her hand and he felt a rush of power flow through the touch. Great. Another thing to decipher.
"First stop on the tour, the office so you can get your schedule and then we'll go from there" Elena said and he smiled, thanking her. As they walked, Bonnie continued to point out the obvious which was the feelings that Elena had for Stefan. He'd met them last night for all of a few minutes and he could see it as well.
"You two can't stop staring at one another in History" Bonnie pointed out.
"Elena, I met you for a few minutes last night and it's clear to see"
"You see! He's a guy and he can spot it" Bonnie exclaimed.
"You do know that not all males are emotionally retarded?" James said with a raised brow.
"Yeah, but they are usually the gay ones" Bonnie said and he chuckled.
"Try the halfway mark" he said easily and both girls stopped to look at him in surprise. "To answer your un-worded question, yes I am bisexual. It doesn't take a psychic to know that's the question that was running through your minds" he said and Elena was the first to speak up.
"That was a rather blunt confession"
"Well you're friends, I would hope. So it's better to be honest with everything. I'm an open book, you can ask me anything and I will answer without resignation" he said with a small smile.
"Of course we're friends" Bonnie said with a soft smile. "And I am curious about that symbol" she said as they started walking.
"It's a Celtic symbol, known as the Open Triad. It's what my family are associated with, that and the Triquetra" he explained. "My mother has a pendant with that one"
"Do they mean anything?" Elena asked.
"Supposedly they were linked to the Morrigan, a group of three Celtic Druidess', who are also the founders of my family, or rather one was. I have one, my mother has another, but the third has been lost for over a century" he said as they arrived at the office. "I'll tell you the rest once I've got my schedule" he said, quickly heading in and handing in his personal file and receiving his schedule which was taken from him by Bonnie. "Its fine Bonnie, not like I needed to read it in any case" he said sarcastically.
"You have history with me, Elena and Stefan this morning as well as English and Biology" she said with a grin. "You get to watch her make lovey dovey eyes at Stefan"
"I don't make lovey dovey eyes" Elena protested.
"Longing glances?" James asked whilst Bonnie snickered.
"Nor do I make longing glances"
"If you want us to phrase it better, we could say that you are admiring the physical form of your boyfriend?" he suggested and she mock-glares at him. "I take your silence as a sign of surrender and therefore a confession. And to think you're stuck with me" he said with a grin just as the bell went for classes to begin.
Both James and Bonnie took great amusement in watching both Elena and Stefan constantly looking over at one another and then turning away if they were seen by the other. Tanner constantly tried to catch Elena out, however Stefan always came to her defence, not only by answering the question, but also by adding details that he left out. On one occasion, Tanner asked James to look up a certain fact that he didn't believe and it turned out to be true, and the Brit barely supressed and amused smirk when he confirmed it. Of course Stefan saw through it and grinned.
Biology was a saving grace as Stefan and Elena were lab partners and so sat next to each other so there wasn't much staring going on there. However Bonnie and James had taken to speculating what their hushed conversations were about throughout the lesson, or by imitating them, which had earned them a scolding from the teacher, but the two shared a laugh. They soon had a break and Elena glared at the two.
"You are so lucky that you two are my friends" she muttered.
"Yes we are, otherwise where else would we get our kicks?" Bonnie asked with a grin. It was then that a blonde girl with an enthusiastic smile dressed for the beach approached.
"Hey guys! Who's this?" she asked.
"James Cecil, pleasure to meet you…" he let it hang.
"Caroline Forbes" she introduced and he shook her hand. "So will you be helping out at the car wash to raise funds for the athletic department?" she asked, already looking over his lithe form, forgoing subtlety.
"I only just found out about it, so I'm afraid that I won't be" he said with a rueful smile.
"What will you do for the rest of the day? The rest of the day's cancelled" Elena said and he shrugged.
"I might head home and help my mother search for that pendant. Plus she said she had found something that might interest me and don't ask me what, as I don't know. It was lovely meeting you Caroline" he said, bidding the girls farewell.
"He's cute" Caroline said.
"You have a fifty percent chance for he swings both ways" Bonnie said and she grinned.
"I love a challenge"
James pulled up in front of the house and went inside where he saw his mum dressed in a black jacket that had a single yellow stripe on the chest with a white shirt underneath. She also wore long dark brown pants tucked into a pair of black boots and she actually had a backpack on, a light attached to one of the straps. The resemblance was too uncanny for him to not make a reference, so he rose a brow and put his messenger bag on the floor.
"Okay Tomb Raider, what's going on?" he asked.
"Three things, one I found out what that feeling meant, two, I know where the pendant is as well as the Grimoire of Danu and thirdly, supposedly the Morrigan took a green liquid capable of prolonging life for a few centuries to the grave. Not immortality but longevity" she said and he looked interest.
"The Grimoire of Danu and a life extender?"
"Written by the Druid from which we are descended" she said and he grinned.
"Where to?"
"The family crypt beneath the house" she said nonchalantly and his eyes shot open. "Our family kept all of the bodies here, where they could be preserved with magic. The Grimoire and the pendant are buried with the bodies of the Morrigan, so we are literally tomb raiding" she said, gesturing for him to follow, tossing a torch at him. "Our family was full of surprises" she said, moving a bookcase that was in the main hall and flicking a switch, the panel sliding open. She flicked on her light just as he did.
"What about that feeling?" he asked and she shook her head.
"I'll tell you once we get the pendant and Grimoire" she said earnestly.
They began to walk down a set of steps, the entire crypt smelt damp and it could be seen that it hadn't been tended to in quite a while. They reached the bottom of the steps to find a solid stone door blocking the way with a stone inscription carved clearly into it as well as a faint green Open Triad at the bottom of the inscription. Violet grinned and turned around.
"Okay, Magic 101: the rules" she began.
"You're going to teach?" he asked, looking around.
"You'll learn the theory as well as the practical. When it comes to using magic, you must remember that you have a limit to how much power you can use. Channelling doesn't take all the strain of using magic away, merely delays it. And remember, the magic we use is connected to the spirits of other witches and Druids, do not use it for negative purposes, and more importantly do no upset the balance of nature" she instructed and he nodded.
"So the door?"
"It reads: 'Only the descendants of Danu, Almeda and Caird may open the door to the final resting place of the Order of the Three'" she said and sighed happily. "Wonderful. This will require the two of us to move" she said.
"What do I need to do?" James asked pocketing the torch for a moment.
"Stand next to me and hole out you left arm" she instructed. "Telekinesis is all about moving something with your mind, your arm can better direct the object. I will move the right half of the door whilst you move the left" she said and he nodded. "You need to concentrate in order to achieve your goal"
With a deep breathe, he focused on his goal as did Violet and the green Open Triad lit up, to which they moved the door aside, revealing a long passage way with torches. His mother smiled and raised her hand, pointing at one torch and then moving her hand faintly in the direction of the others on her mental command, making them light. James pulled out the torch and switched it off, aware he had left it on and the two of them carried on, with the younger Cecil amazed at what he had managed to achieve.
"That was incredible" he said with a grin.
"Most first time Druids don't manage their first use of telekinesis so easily. Then again you always are a focused person" she said fondly as they walked down the corridor.
"Is it just the Morrigan that are buried here?" he asked and she shook her head.
"No, but they are in the central chamber which we're just about to enter" she said and he looked around.
The room was pure marble and domed, in the centre were three stone coffins arranged triangularly with a Triquetra symbol in the middle, each point connected to one of the coffins. They could hear the whispers of the spirits as they looked around. There were three statues, all of them of beautiful women and they looked amazed.
"They were beautiful" James said in wonder.
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Violet nodded in agreement, before looking at one of the tombstones, whilst James stood on the symbol where he heard a faint click and the sound of running liquid. The Triquetra turned green as the indentation was filled with a liquid to which his mother grabbed three vials.
"They took this to the grave, thinking that it would be useful to the descendants. It was only meant to be used with the most benign purposes in mind such as protecting the balance of nature in a more turbulent time or to pass on knowledge in person to many generations of Druids" she said, scooping up some in three vials.
"Why did they never take it?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Because of what they did whilst under the control of Arthur. One thousand men marched on Badon Hill in the morning and all had died by nightfall, not by the stroke of a sword, or by the impalement of a spear" she explained.
"They believed they weren't worthy?" he asked and Violet nodded.
"Danu had cast a spell ensuring that Druids and witches who have committed an atrocity could never use it. If they were to ingest it, then they would die. The same would happen if it was used for personal gain. Only the pure with altruistic reasons can give themselves the gift of longevity"
"How much did you read?" James asked with a raised brow.
"A lot. Our history is actually pretty colourful" she said, placing the vials in her backpack.
"Now, we just need to retrieve the pendant and the Grimoire" James said with a smile.
"Danu's coffin contains it" she said.
James walked over to the right coffin and pushed with all his strength, moving the stone lid so that he could see and reach inside. He stopped when he saw the body. Danu was preserved perfectly and she looked young. The woman was beautiful in a pure white dress and her raven hair framing her oval face which looked peaceful, as though she were asleep. He saw the surprisingly well-preserved book lying on her abdomen, and he read the inscription.
"May my descendants find use of this, should they find it" he read aloud. "Thank you Danu" he said, gently moving her hands that covered the book and placing it next to him whilst he crossed her hands over her heart gently. James then went to the other side and pushed the lid closed and he felt a gentle gust of wind next to him, something comforting to him. "Have you found the pendant?" he asked as his mother finished closing one of the other coffins and brought up a small box. She opened it, revealing a pendant identical to the one that she wore.
"The Open Triad was the lead, and the two Triquetras were its companions" she said.
"Now that we have what we need, let's go and leave them to rest in peace" he said, and they headed out the way they came, the torches extinguishing as they passed and the stone door closing once they passed its threshold. Violet flicked the switch that sealed the crypt with the wooden panel and then looked at her son.
"We'll talk about your vibe" she said, sounding a little nervous.
"How bad is it?" he asked and Violet sighed. "Mum?" he urged.
"The vibe that you had from Stefan could best be acquainted to a vampire" she said and he looked surprised.
"A vampire?" he asked, shocked.
"It makes sense actually. The Salvatores were part of a massive hunt for vampires back in 1864. Two brothers, one named Damon and the other, Stefan fell in love with a girl, Katherine, who was revealed to be a vampire. Our ancestors took part in the hunt, for vampires are considered abominations in nature and therefore they upset the balance" the elder Cecil explained and then he looked concerned. "What?"
"Elena. She is going out with Stefan" he said and she rose a brow.
"This is starting to sound cliché" she said and he shook his head.
"It just doesn't make sense. I'm a good judge of character and Stefan seemed like a decent person and he can't compel me to think that" he pointed out and she nodded.
"You are a good judge in character. A vampire he may be, but that doesn't mean he isn't feeding on an alternative source. Vampires were believed to be responsible for large quantities of donor blood going missing back in England and animal blood makes an alternate food source"
"Then that's what he's doing" he said resolutely.
"Well he must be invited in the house if he wants to come in. That lies with you and me, so if you trust him as much as Elena does, then that's fine by me"
"I need to learn magic so I can protect myself"
"Absolutely, however, there is a method to teaching. You have to start of small and work your way up the ladder" she said and he sighed. "Just be glad you can't be compelled, and just in case I think I'll start putting vervain in our drinks" she said and he nodded. That way, a vampire would cease to feed on him and it would leave him or her weakened.
"Patience is a virtue. Thankfully Stefan is the only vampire in the town, that we know of anyway"
"Hmm, onto more upbeat topics. What the bloody hell are you doing home so early?" she asked.
"There was a car wash at the school and those not participating were let off as most of the student body were helping out in some form or another" he explained and she nodded. "And besides, you were about to head downstairs into a crypt that required two Druids to open. We have three vials of liquid longevity, a Grimoire written by Danu and the pendant, don't question a good thing" he said, sitting down and sighing.
"You've taken the whole Druid and vampire thing rather well" Violet said after a moment's silence.
"It's a part of me, a part that I can't change so it's better to accept it. And when you find out you can cast magic, anything is possible, including vampires" he said and she nodded.
"We'd hoped to keep you out of the supernatural life for as long as possible. Teach you magic only and not actually discuss what creatures actually exist, so we'd have all the time we needed" she said and he smiled. "You would have learned at some point or another, but we wanted to make sure you learned everything that you could"
"Well I know now. And that explains why you used to slip vervain into my tea" he said and she grinned.
"Subtlety was never my forte" the eldest Cecil said with a sheepish smile.
"Is it really that bad for vampires?" he asked.
"It burns them if it makes direct contact with their skin and if ingested can leave them weak for a day or so" she explained and he nodded. "So why didn't you stay for the car wash, James?" she asked and he smiled.
"These clothes weren't meant to be worn washing cars, and I'm a little self-conscious. There were a load of football players there" he said and she grinned. "That and a girl named Caroline was not very discreet. I think she was undressing me with her eyes" he said and she laughed at that. "Plus I just wanted to come home and relax, instead I end up going into a crypt beneath our house to grab three vials of liquid longevity, an old spell book that was owned by our ancestor and a pendant that can channel the powers of one of the Morrigan" he said and she smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, much more relaxing than lounging around" she said.
"Almost. Still prefer the living room to the crypt" he said, before holding his fingers apart slightly. "But only this much" he said sarcastically. "So, what's on the agenda?" he asked.
"Well I can teach you more about telekinesis?" she suggested.
"Sure, that'd be great" he said and she smiled.
They'd spent a while going over the basics of telekinesis with the help of a couple of feathers that his mother had pulled from an old pillow. The exercise was for James to move an object with his mind and nothing else, not using his arms to direct the feather. He was told to get it to do as he desired and he could see why it was easier to use his arms. It relieves the strain, and it requires less of his concentration. Then she threw the other ones up and he immediately focused on having them levitate where they were.
"Excellent" she said proudly as he lowered them back into a pile.
"I felt a little strain, but I am new to this, it's to be expected" he said and she nodded.
"Druids pick up on their magic faster than witches" Violet explained.
"How else are we different?"
"Druids are more skilled in using mental abilities, such as divination, telepathy and empathy. Some spells that are used on another's mind, such as a spell which basically gives the target a brain aneurysm over and over again, is amplified. If a regular witch were to use it then it would cause great pain and bring any creature to its knees, but if I were to use it, I would floor them with the amount of pain" she explained.
"Such magic is permitted?" he asked, a little horrified.
"It is as a defence against the supernatural" Violet reassured.
"So I need to learn that if vampires are indeed returning to Mystic Falls" he said and she nodded.
"Learning that spell will be tricky, considering that we don't have a vampire to use as a target and even if we did, we'd need to know that this vampire had committed an atrocity" Violet said.
"And Stefan is the only vampire I know. However if I use that spell on him, well one, he'd likely kill me, quite literally, and if he doesn't then I'm sure Elena will. Besides, he hasn't given me a reason to use that spell" he said and she nodded.
"I can teach you the technique and what to do, but the practical is next to non-existent"
"Learn as I go along, I suppose" he said before sighing. "How do I use empathy?"
"Okay. I am going to look completely emotionless. There will be no indicator of emotion in my face, my body or my eyes. You will have to focus on me so you can figure out my true emotions" she said and he nodded. Violet was sat straight, her breathing even and her honey eyes were no longer warm which was odd for her, and her face was utterly black. He rose a brow at the odd look before focusing on what he wanted to achieve. His mind brushed against hers, a contact that startled him for a moment before he allowed it. Her true emotions were revealed. Happiness, contentment and pride were in turn imparted onto him, and a smile slips onto his face.
"You're awfully chipper" he said and everything that made his mother look like she had emotions was back, the warmth in her eyes, the smile and her posture was relaxed.
"You must be careful when using this ability, not only will it wear you down but you will be a little influenced by others emotions. If I felt malice and anger, that would influence you. With a bit of mental training I can help you block that" she said and he grinned from ear to ear.
"We have a lot to do"
Dear Diary
Becoming a Druid has opened my eyes to everything. The nature around me astounds me more so, and I now feel a compulsion, if you'll pardon the reference, to protect it. I'd thought that adapting to this would be more difficult, however I find it increasingly easy. There is no denying that it's difficult, on some days I would wear myself out and my nose would bleed, but a little bit of rest usually does me some good. On another note, my mother has given me the vials of the Morrigan potion for safe keeping, citing that they were mine, but they were only to be used if the need is rather pressing and my reasons are altruistic. Yet, I still don't have my father teaching me all of this alongside her like they planned. If only he were here…