Chapter 12

Both Zach and Liz turned around. Liz's hands were extended, gun pointed straight at the newcomer. The newcomer held an identical stance and a gun was pointing at them. Looking past the gun Zach recognized the girl from the Gilbert funeral. The one with the dog.

Liz took the girl in noting she didn't tremble and that the gun was securely gripped and promptly deciding to speak down to her wasn't a swell idea. Instead she kept her gun pointed at the girl. The same girl that stayed with Jenna, who made a comment about covering up vampire attacks. What was she doing here?

"Who do you call when you catch the police breaking and entering?"

Bella asked, one side of her mouth tilted in a humorless grin. Zach held back the urge to snort. The girl wasn't exactly tall, dressed in a faded Led Zeppelin t-shirt that fell off her shoulder and two things on her head as if she was trying to communicate with planet zhong. The gun was intimidating however and so were the red marks on the side of her neck.

"I have permission to be here. Is that gun registered?"
"It is. So why don't you stop ruining that plant before I show you how well I can point and shoot?"

Liz decided to change tactics, considering she and Zach were kind of breaking in, since the agreement with Grayson was verbal and Grayson was dead.

"The plant Zach is ruining, it's deadly to vampires. We need it to protect people and Grayson Gilbert grew it. Along with the pot on the side of the plant."

Bella's lip quirked but she didn't look away from Liz and that Zach guy.

"I'll get the locks changed."
"What are you doing here?"

Zach asked.

"I'm living in the apartment above. The Gilbert house was getting a tad crowded. Wait, you said a plant is deadly to vampires? Since when?"

Liz and Zach exchanged looks.

"Since ever."

Zach replied. Bella was shaking her head.

"No wonder you can't catch your vampire. You don't know the first thing about them!"

Liz stared at the girl

"Why don't we both put the guns down because, frankly, I'm getting a cramp and compare notes?"

Bella nodded but waited till Liz began lowering her own gun to do the same. Once Liz's gun was back in its holster at her hip, she placed her own next to a bright yellow plant. Then she took the few steps needed to reach Liz and Zach wondering if the plant could block the sparkling of vampires and save the retinas of the nearby humans. Perhaps it wouldn't be deadly for vampires but it'd definitely be good for the humans.

"What's that?"

Liz asked when Bella reached them. She was about to make the introductions but the somewhat healed puncture wound on the girl's neck got her hairs up,

"I had a run in with your vampire last night at the bridge."
"And you walked away? You're lucky"

Zach felt his stomach tighten. If she had seen Damon, he definitely would have to come clean.

"What happened? Why didn't your report it?"
"I would if you were at the station. The receptionist said you were working the day shift and I didn't think it'd be a good idea to just tell anyone. As for what happened, I was coming back from Jacksonville, a guy was laying face down on the bridge. Went out to see if he needed help, he tried to bite me, he decided not to after giving me this and a couple bruises, told me to forget it ever happened and blurred away."

Bella's voice came out much stronger than she felt. In fact she felt quite queasy at the memory of those icy blue eyes. Eyes that should be red or black, but weren't.

"You don't seem too shaken up."
"I'm good at pushing uncomfortable things to the back of my mind."

She said, omitting how it made sleep impossible. They didn't need to know that.

"Tell you what, why don't you join us at the council meeting tomorrow? This is something the rest need to hear"

Zach proposed, hoping to be able to get rid, or imprison Damon the next day. Stefan would help too. Liz nodded

"It's a good idea"
"Um, what council would that be?"
"It's a council made up of founding families. We make sure to keep our townspeople safe from supernaturals."

Bella blinked

"That's actually smart."
"Gee, thanks"

Liz muttered under her breath, causing Zach to grin at her. Then he tore up a handful of vervain leaves and a tiny flower and handed them to Bella.

"You'll find out more tomorrow but for now, use this for your morning coffee, like you'd use tea leaves or Greek coffee, or somewhere where it has contact with your skin. Even the smell of it is enough to keep a vampire off you."

Liz stifled a large yawn and made small talk with Bella, while Zach quickly finished relieving the plant from its leaves and flowers and put it in a black sack. Then everyone walked out of the lab, Bella picked up her gun, locked the lab and kept the keys.

Goodbyes and goodnights were said as Bella waited for them to leave the yard before closing and locking the front door. Then she opened her hand and threw the vervain on the floor with a gasp.

"Shit that hurts!"

She examined her palm and blew softly on the burn the plant had left there. On the mirror mounted on the wall she saw the small veins protruding under her eyes, keeping company to the eye bags the sleepless nights recently had given her.

"What the hell?"