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Man, this room was huge! The ceilings were at least twenty feet high and the furniture was all Renaissance-y. The ol' Salvatore brothers must have been very wealthy back in the day. After me and Damon were rescued, I was shuffled to the Salvatore boarding house for questioning. Or that's what it felt like at least. Ric, Stefan, and Elena surrounded me while Damon poured himself a stiff one. I had set Anna's body on the massive table for twelve in the background before I was forced to sit in front of the fireplace.

"What are you doing here, Brighton? How do you even know about vampires?" Ric finally asked me.

Damon spoke up, "It is rather convenient that you show up right when the action happens, not that I'm not happy about that." He raised his glass in thanks.

I connected gazes with him and shrugged off his thanks. "I didn't really do much. Stefan here did most of the work."

I turned to look at Alaric. "To answer you question, my dear brother, I'm here because I heard news of the vampire attack. I remembered that you taught here, so I came to help you."

"You said you've known about vampires for four years. Last I checked you were in school studying art. How did you find out about them?"

I stood sharply and said, "I promise I'll answer your questions but I have to deal with Anna first."

Elena stood up quickly. "What do you mean 'deal with Anna'? You said earlier that you planned on finding out what happened between Anna and Uncle Joh- John. What does that mean?"

"I'm assuming from what happened with the fire and the witch that-"

"Her name is Bonnie."

"Okay, with what happened with Bonnie and the fire that you know about witches and magic. I plan on helping Anna with a bit of magic."

Alaric stepped toward me, "You're a witch too?"

"No. I looked up your family. There isn't a history of witches." Damon interrupted.

"You're correct Damon. I'm not that kind of witch. The world is bigger than just Salem. I picked up a few tricks."

"Tricks? Where did you even learn about magic?" Alaric demanded. I'm stunned that he isn't catatonic with all the new information he is learning about me.

I moved toward the table holding Anna. I began to move her body so that she was positioned on her back with her arms by her sides. "Ric, do you remember when I went to New Orleans for Spring Break my first year at school? That's when I found out about the supernatural." I turned to find that they were standing in a row, looking at me. "Okay, I need seven candles, some vervain, and a knife." They just stood there. "Okay, people, let's move. I only have a small window of opportunity. Go!"

Stefan rushed toward the kitchen while Ric and Elena moved toward the cellar. Damon moved closer to me. "What do you think you're doing?" I could tell that he was confused and a little outraged. He wasn't used to a human girl bossing him around.

I looked up at him; he had a good five inches on me. His eyes were insanely bright and his eyebrows were knitted together, trying to figure me out. "I plan on trying to bring her back." I stated.

"Bring her back? You can't do that! It's impossible! I've never heard of a witch having the power to do that."

"Well, I'm not a witch, per say. I'm just a girl trying to do what's right."

"You're not scared to bring back a vampire?"

"I'm not even sure she'll come back as a vampire. She could come back human. Or she could not come back at all. This ritual doesn't work 100% of the time."

"How does that work? Why even try?" Damon questioned me.

"The ritual asks the gods if they can bring her back. They decide whether she comes back or not and whether she comes back human or as a vampire. I just ask permission." I was uncomfortable with his steady gaze. I moved around the table and turned away to face the foyer. His gaze was heavy on my back. I heard him follow me, strutting around the table to stand behind me. He was close.

"So why even try? The gods can't be merciful all of the time." He whispered to me.

"Why not try? There's always a chance. Better to try and fail than to not try and wonder about it forever."

Stefan came back with the candles and a knife. I straightened up and Damon moved away from me. The air around me suddenly seemed quiet and cold. I hadn't noticed how Damon had affected me until he moved away. I took the supplies from Stefan and began setting the seven candles up in a circle around Anna's body. When Elena and Ric came back with the vervain, I locked eyes with Damon. He was staring at me. I couldn't read the expression on his face.

Elena broke our staring contest, "What do you need the candles and vervain for?"

"She plans on bringing back Anna." answered Damon.

"You can't do that! It's impossible!" Stefan exclaimed. Ric just stared. I think he was reaching his breaking point of tolerability.

"I can't but the gods can." I pointed toward the ceiling. "I plan on asking them to be merciful and bring her back. If they do, great. If they don't, we'll have to bury her." I took the vervain from Elena and placed a bundle on Anna's chest and stomach. As I wondered which vamp would help me with the blood sacrifice, Stefan asked the question. "What did you need the knife for?"

"That's what I'm about to talk about. I need one of you guys to help."

"What do you need us to do?" Stefan asked.

"The ritual has some blood in it. Which one of you can handle human blood? I'm guessing from the dark circles under your eyes, Stefan, that it won't be you."

"I only drink animal blood."

"Yes, he's a sucker for the squirrel and possum blood." I smiled at the pun Damon made.

"Then I guess it'll have to be you. The rest of you can stay and watch or leave. It's your choice."

Ric stood. "Bri, I'm gonna leave. I can't handle too much more today. You know where I live. Bye Elena, Stefan."

As he passed Stefan, he whispered, "Make sure he doesn't kill her."

Stefan nodded. "I heard that Ric! I won't eat your baby sister! She's too cute to snack on just once!" I blushed at the compliment and I shook my head at Damon and the expression on Ric and Stefan's face. If Damon is like this all the time, I'm in trouble.

"Don't worry, Ric. I'll be just fine. I can take care on myself."

After Ric left, Stefan left to go upstairs. He knew that he wouldn't be able to handle my blood. Elena chose to stay.

"I have to make sure Damon doesn't eat you. He has a tendency to do that to people." Damon smirked at her and she smirked back.

I began to move and light the candles. "Okay then, Elena, stand over there. Damon, stand on the other side of the table." Once I was finished lighting the candles, I moved to my side of the table.

"Um, Damon, I'm gonna need your hand." I grabbed the knife and quickly sliced his palm open. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I told you there would be blood in the ritual."

"I thought it would just be yours!" He pulled his hand back to cradle it. We both watched it close and I sighed.

"Now I'm going to have to cut you again. Be a big boy and be still." I snatched his hand away from his chest and sliced it open. Before he could pull it away again, I smeared some blood on my finger and marked my forehead and cheeks with his blood. He stopped still and watched me. I took some more of his blood and did the same on Anna's face.

"Here," I handed him the knife and my left hand, "Do mine and do exactly what I did."

He stared at me for a second before he gently cut my palm. He hesitated before he took my blood on his index finger and moved to wipe it on my face.

"No," I took his hand in mine and a shock goes through me. Did he feel that too? My eyes moved from his hand to his face and I could tell he also felt it. I took his finger and smeared my blood on his face. He inhaled and I could see him trying not to lose control. His eyes turned red for a split second before he exhaled. He didn't breathe for the rest of the ritual. I wiped more blood from my palm onto his finger and matched the bloodlines on Anna's face with my blood. I also made a cross of our blood over her heart.

When I finally let go of his hand, I became aware that Elena was still in the room. How much had she seen? I had totally forgotten where we were. As I looked down to make sure everything was where it should be, I noticed that Damon's hand had closed up again. I groaned. "Stupid vampire healing." I muttered. Damon snickered and placed his hand in mine again. As I slice his palm open for the third time, I began to concentrate. "Don't speak. Close your eyes and concentrate on Anna." I instructed Damon and followed his lead. As I interlaced my fingers with his over Anna's body, I felt the electricity coursing through me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Anna.

-Damon POV-

She began to chant and I lost myself in her voice. Who was this girl? She did not seem the type to know- what was that? Swahili? Interesting. I could the room become warmer. A breeze started and I opened my eyes to look around. The candles' flames were a foot tall and Elena was frozen in place staring at what was happening in front of her. Brighton was still chanting and swaying with the movement of the wind that was blowing in the closed room. I closed my eyes. I didn't understand it. In all my years of being the living undead, I had never seen anything like this. As her voice grew louder and louder, the room got hotter. I could feel the moisture on my skin. I could hear Brighton's heartbeat pounding away with the rhythm of her chant. Surprisingly, it didn't make me hungry. It made me want to press my ear to her chest and fall asleep to the sound of it. I hadn't felt this way since… well since the Civil War. It shocked me. I didn't know if I could trust her. Plus she is Alaric's sister. Whatever happened between us would not bode well with him. I liked that. I brought myself back to the ritual. I could feel a powerful presence in the room. I would never admit aloud that it scared me a bit. This was all new and I wanted fervently to see what happened after the ritual ended.

-Brighton POV-

I stopped chanting and the wind swelled once last time and died down. The ritual had worked. The gods were merciful, now we would just have to wait. I hoped it wouldn't take long. Just as I thought that I heard a gasp. I opened my eyes to find Anna sitting up and gazing around. Damon and Elena looked shocked and mystified.

"Anna? Are you okay?" Damon asked her. She turned to look at him then me. I gave her a little wave.

Elena moved toward the table. "Anna, how do you feel?"

"I feel sore." Anna moved to get off the table. I stopped her. "Hey, you just woke up. Give yourself a little time."

"It's so quiet." She looked at Damon for understanding. "Why is it so quiet?" He furrowed his head at her question. He realized something.

"There are three heartbeats in the room."

Elena's confused. "But there's only supposed to be two."

My eyebrows shot up in understanding. "You came back human."

Elena gasped. Anna looked at me in confusion and then noticed the blood on my face. Her face turned pale and she threw up all over Damon.

"I guess that means that she's squeamish." I chuckled at Damon's expense.

I assumed that when Stefan ran downstairs that he had been listening all along upstairs. He stopped behind Elena and stared at the scene before him: a now human Anna, groaning in discomfort, a puke-covered Damon, looking disgusted, and me, hiding my laughter behind my hand.

"Need a towel, Damon?"

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