-Three-

"Adi?"I hear someone calling over the soft sound of a gentle knock on my bathroom door. I was lying, having fallen asleep, in a tub of ice and warm water to ease my sore muscles for tonight's dance.

"Yes?"I call, lifting the rag off of my eyes as more light aside from the window and few lit candles on the sink streams in. Bonnie stands in the door way next to Jeremy and Caroline. Care nudges Jeremy toward my bedroom door once she notices I'm in the tub, and steps into the bathroom with Bonnie. Bonnie sits on the toilet lid while Caroline crosses her legs under her next to the tub.

"What are you doing?"She asks softly, flinching from the chill of the porcelain. I smile and rest he rag back over my eyes.

"Trying to ease my muscles before the dance tonight."I answer simply. Caroline takes the rag off of my face and laughs softly.

"Why?"She asks.

"I've been training to protect myself from vampires and werewolves."I answer simply again, a smirk on my lips. Her eyes dull faintly as she looks at Bonnie.

"Do you trust witches?"She asks. Shit, not her too. I sigh and shrug.

"I've always been fascinated by them, but have I met one, no."I say, watching her carefully. She smiles widely and closes her eyes. In seconds the flame on each candle rages a good foot into the air. I jump faintly and smile.

"That's cool."I laugh softly. Caroline grips my hand on the side of the tub and looks at me.

"You don't have to be scared of us. We won't hurt you."She says sweetly. I put my cold hand over hers and smile.

"I know you won't. I just want to be prepared for the ones who do."I say honestly, swallowing a giggle as her skin breaks out in goosebumps. Bonnie laughs softly and snaps her fingers, blowing out the candles, and turns to grab a towel. She nods for Caroline to stand and opens the towel. Caroline stands and helps me stand, stepping out of the tub and into the towel. Bonnie wraps it around me and rubs my back gently.

"We'll protect you."She smiles. I glance toward the door and jump when I notice both Damon and Jeremy standing in the frame. Damon laughs and gives me his hand, nudging Jer out of the way as he leads me out of the bathroom.

"You forget who wrapped a towel around you and held you when you fell in the shower."Damon chuckles, hugging me close. I sigh and roll my eyes. Yes when I was 8 years old I got in the shower and lost my footing, falling and calling for help. I dislocated my shoulder from the landing and Damon was the one that came to get me out of the shower, popped my shoulder back into place, and held me as I cried. He's always been there for me. He bends down and picks me up, throwing me onto my bed.

"Get dressed, Buggie. You all should really." He says, turning from me to Caroline and Bonnie as Elena walks in. I roll my eyes at the nickname he hasn't used since my 10th birthday. It made no sense, but whatever. Caroline claps and jumps up and down giddily, flashing out of the room. I'm assuming to get all of their costumes and accessories. I shake my head and smile. This would definitely take time to get used to, but it wouldn't be hard. I couldn't hold a grudge unless it was something bad and while relaxing in the tub I realized that Zach was just trying to protect me. I understood that.

I untie my long brown hair and shake it down, drying off and slipping into black lace underwear and matching bra. Caroline whistles as she closes the door, handing Elena and Bonnie their things as she walks to the bed. She pulls mine down off the door and lies it on the bed next to hers.

Bonnie tugs on her panty hose first and then her black, silver and white dress. It looked beautiful on her, form fitting and accenting her skin well. Elena tugs on her panty hose and does her makeup in a towel before slipping on her white dress. Caroline and I do our makeup together, laughing as we try to share the vanity mirror, and then do our hair. Everyone curls their hair and pin it up to make it look shorter. Caroline zips up my silver one the shoulder dress and slips my head piece on, sticking the white feather that matched my boa into the band. She slips her reddish pink dress on with her white gloves and lets me put her head piece on her, pinning the feather in her head band too. Each of us had a long pair of knotted white and beads, though Elena and I had an extra short, black necklace to accent the look. I clasp the straps on my silver heels and stand, looking at myself in the mirror.

'You look beautiful, my Queen.'I could hear Nik whisper softly. I blush and laugh as Caroline takes her phone out and takes a picture of us all together, looking for him secretly. I sigh once again not finding him. What did I expect? That he'd be here to take me? That he'd be real at all?

"Wow."Stefan breathes, looking Caroline over with wide eyes. I roll my eyes and nudge her toward him. She laughs and pulls me along with her, walking past him. Elena walks toward a very dapper Damon and kisses him. I laugh faintly and watch as Bonnie steps up next to Jeremy and Caroline steps up to Stefan once he reached the foyer.

"Aw aren't you all just adorable."I tease, smiling. I fold my hands in my lap, resisting the urge to bite my lip as the sensation of an arm wrapping around my waist presses into me. Jer pulls me out of my daze and waves us all out of the house.

Once at the school, I realized just how much work Caroline out into planning this. The gym was beautifully decorated with red, black, white and gold. A chandelier even hung low from the ceiling. It was amazing. A song starts as we step in and slowly but surely I'm left alone, talking to a girl from my history class.

"How do you not have a date,Adi? You're beautiful."She says softly, obviously self conscious. I smile and nod my thanks.

"No one asked me."I answer truthfully, stepping away and tapping the shoulder of an underclassmen. I lean into his ear and whisper that she wants to dance with him. He smiles and nods his thanks, turning and asking her to dance. She giggles nervously and accepts, hugging me. I smile and wave her after him, filling a cup with punch.

"How the boys at this school could pass up an opportunity of a lifetime as great as having the pleasure of calling you his date is beyond me, but may I correct their mistakes?"A voice whispers in my ear, fingers tracing over my collar bone. I smile and look down into the cup.

"I can't dance with a ghost, Nik."I say softly over the rim of my cup as I take a drink. He chuckles as a cream suited arm reaches around me and puts my cup down. He wraps his arms around my waist and leans into me.

"Then don't."He whispers, kissing my neck. I sigh and turn to face him. His eyes shined under the cream fedora he wore, pulled down enough to shadow his features. Before I knew it, without moving it seemed, I was standing in the middle of the dance floor with his hand on my hip and the other in my hand.

"I'm a hybrid, Lina."He whispers only loud enough for me to hear after a while. A slow song starts to play and he pulls me close, wrapping his arms around my waist lovingly.

"I'm a werewolf and a vampire. An ancient one at that."He says softly.

"How old are you?"I ask with my head on his shoulder.

"Roughly 1,000 years old."He answers as if it were nothing. I pull away and look at him.

"My siblings and I were turned into the very first vampires from a spell our mother put on us. To activate the spell, our father shoved a sword into our chests and waited for us to wake up again. The problem was that I wasn't his son. I was born to a werewolf from another village."He explains, glancing over my shoulder. I turn but his eyesight lead me toward Matt and his date. They were innocent.

"Is that why your face looks different than the man who attacked me?"I ask softly, eyeing Damon and Stefan dancing happily over his shoulder. He nods slightly and turns my head to look him in the eye.

"I may be old and dangerous, but I'll never hurt you."He promises, kissing my nose. I smile faintly and stand on my toes, ready to kiss his lips, when Elena walks past me. She nudges me with her hip, a playful way-to-go-smiles plastered to her lips as she walks toward the punch table. Nik smiles and inches up deeper into the crowd, keeping me close.

"How am I the only one that sees you?"I ask softly, pulling away to look him in the eyes. He smirks and brushes his fingers over my cheek.

"I'm too fast to let anyone I don't care to see me see me."He answers, obviously holding back a laugh. I smiles and shake my head. If he really was real, then that may explain why I'm always left alone when someone else enters the room. But I wasn't going to get my hopes up yet.

After a few more songs our group decided to leave and go back to the boarding house. I was too tired to care and fell asleep against Damon in the back seat. He chuckles and carries me up to my room, lying me in bed and taking off my head piece and shoes. He kisses my forehead and pulls the blanket over me before walking out.

This dream was different. Usually Nik finds me in a park and we walk for what seems like forever just talking and laughing. This time, I found myself standing in the middle of a 1920's bar. I was still in Mystic Falls at the Grill no less, wearing my costume from the decade dance. I lean against the pillar next to me, smiling and watching as The Rat Pack sings on the stage were I knew the pool table now stood.

"I figured you'd like a change in scenery, love."Nik says softly, kissing my hair as he leans into me, his arms wrapping loosely around my waist. I turn to look at him and bite my lip at the change in his wardrobe. He stood behind me in simple black slacks, black dress shoes, and black suspenders over a slightly unbuttoned yet tucked in white button down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked hot, and the smirk playing on his lips told me he knew it. I wrap my arms around his neck and lie my head on his chest, eyes closed and singing along with the song faintly. Somehow I knew every word.

The bliss of being in his arms didn't last long. A man jerks me away from him in a blink of an eye and growls, flashing his fangs. His grip was much too hard on my arm as he pins me against the wall. Terror consumes me, though something seemed familiar about the boyish glow in his bloodied stare. I had no time to figure it out before his fangs were tearing at my throat, his voice chuckling in my head swearing that Nik was just using me. I push against his chest with little effect, vision blurring quickly.

"Nik! Nik please!"I yell, struggling to stay alive. It felt so real, and for a moment it was. Until Nik finally reaches me and throws the younger man across the room. He picks me up and holds me close, opening his mouth to say something with tears in his eyes just as Damon and Elena come into view. It wasn't real at all, though the pain in my neck was still there. I rub my neck and look at their worried faces.

"What?"I ask softly, looking at them. Elena touches his arm, looking at him knowingly before glancing back at the door where Caroline and Stefan stood.

"We heard you screaming, Adelina. We heard you calling for him."Elena says softly. Great, now everything's real for them. Now I'm crazy. Now they know.