That weekend turned out to be the Festival of Lights celebration. The entire town was helping decorate. Cora had ended up in Caroline and Bonnie's group and was helping them hang lanterns.
"So when you did the spell to send Vicki away, did that get rid of Anna, too?" Caroline asked Bonnie.
"I wish. All I did was block the magic that was helping Vicki get a physical foothold here." Bonnie explained. "Jeremy's still got a direct line to the other side, and as long as he wants to see Anna and she wants to see him, she's still here."
"Are you a witch?" Cora asked, surprised. Then again, it explained her reaction the other night when she'd touched her hand.
"Yeah, I am. By the way, I'm sorry about the other night." Bonnie said. "I don't usually trust new vampires because of the bad things that happen."
"I understand. I've run into my share of witches before and I got a bad feeling from some of them." Cora said.
"Well, let's just say Bonnie's got bad luck when it comes to the bad ones." Caroline explained.
"But I know you're one of the good ones, Cora." Bonnie said. "I kind of picked up on that feeling since we met."
"And I know you wouldn't hurt me unless you had to." Cora told her. "So, I'm a little lost as to what else has been happening around here, other than Stefan becoming an emotionless Ripper."
"Well, Jeremy's been seeing the ghost of his ex, Anna." Bonnie explained. "Apparently, he can see ghosts now."
"How did that happen?"
"I went against the balance of nature when I brought Jeremy back to life, and now I'm paying the consequences."
"Well, you can't avoid him forever, you know." Caroline pointed out. "After all, he is your best friend's brother."
"I know that. I just don't know what to do about it." Bonnie said. Suddenly, a blue Camero pulled up. Somehow it didn't surprise Cora that Damon was behind the wheel.
"Greetings, blondie. Witchy. I think you got your voodoo wires all crossed when you got rid of Vicki Donovan." Cora's phone buzzed. She looked and saw Caroline had texted her.
-Matt's sister. Don't ask what happened, you don't wanna know.
"What do you mean, why?" Bonnie asked.
"Because I'm pretty sure I just got spit-roasted by Mason Lockwood's ghost." Damon told her.
"What?"
"And why would you think that?" Caroline asked him.
"Maybe because he chained me to a chair and shoved a hot poker in my chest." Damon told them. "Let's just say I'm having déjà vu."
"I thought you said that ghosts couldn't physically interact with people." Caroline said, turning to Bonnie.
"They can't." Bonnie said, frowning in concern.
"Yeah, well, I don't have time for a vengeful Lockwood. When I kill someone, they're supposed to stay dead." Damon told them. "Whatever you screwed up, fix it." He drove off after that. Cora was staring after him.
"Has he always been that hot-headed?"
"Probably his way of reacting to bad news." Caroline said. Cora looked at her. "Sorry, I just don't like they guy. He's not a good person, even if he is family to you."
"It's okay, Care. You're allowed to have an opinion." Cora said. Then she noticed a blonde guy looking at the group from a few feet away. "Who's that guy staring at us?"
"That would be Matt." Caroline said.
"They broke up when he found out she was a vampire." Bonnie whispered. "She's still a little bitter about it."
"Is it okay if I catch up with you guys?" Cora asked, looking at her messages. She found she'd missed a call from Elena.
"No problem. We'll be right here if you need to find us." Caroline told her.
A few minutes later, she showed up outside Mystic Grill, where she found Elena and the others. "Hey, sorry I'm late. I was helping Bonnie with the lights."
"No problem." Elena said. "I was just asking Jeremy something."
"So, what do you need me to help you with?" Jeremy asked her.
"I've been going through Stefan's old journals. Every single time that he's gone off the rails in the past, his best friend Lexi's been the one to bring him back." Elena explained.
"So where is she now that we need her?" Alaric asked.
"She's dead." Jeremy sighed. "And you want me to try to reach her, don't you?" Cora looked surprised.
"Uh, yeah, apparently my brother can…"
"I know. Caroline told me. She and Bonnie explained it's because she saved you with magic."
"Okay, so apparently you're caught up, then." Elena said.
"Yeah, but her being dead is something new." Cora told her.
"I'm sorry. I know you guys were friends, too."
"Well, to be fair, I didn't know much about her." Cora said. "Though we ran into each other occasionally. It's like she was there when my real sister…" Her voice faded.
"You have a sister?"
"Had a sister. She was the first one to meet the guys." Cora explained. "One of the bad ones took her in and mentored her and she tried to kill me. She's been dead a long time, almost two centuries."
"Whoa, that must be hard for you." Jeremy said.
"I try to remember the real her when I think of her, not the monster she became." Cora said. "It's difficult sometimes, though. But enough about me. Do you think it's possible to reach Lexi?"
"I don't even know if she's on the other side."
"Is that what it's called?" Elena asked.
"That's what Anna calls it. There's not like an official brochure or anything." Jeremy pointed out.
"So what is it, like some sort of supernatural purgatory?" Alaric asked.
"Well, Anna said it's like being here with all of us, only we can't see her or hear her." Jeremy said. "And she can't interact with anyone. She's all alone."
"Vicki could interact. She blew up my car." Alaric pointed out.
"At least no one was hurt." Cora said.
"Vicki had help from a witch on the other side." Jeremy pointed out. "Anna...She's doing this all by herself."
"I'm just saying, maybe we learned our lesson about summoning dead people."
"Look, even if I wanted to help, I've never even met her." Jeremy added. "It would probably take a while before I could reach her."
"Maybe if you used one of us." Cora said. "Elena and I both knew Lexi, maybe it would help."
"I'm not sure. Ric's got a point." Jeremy said. "After what Vicki did…I don't know if this is such a good idea. Look, you said you came here to help your siblings. Maybe you can figure something out." He walked away.
"Or maybe we can't." Cora said.
"Hey, we'll find a way to save him, Cora." Elena pointed out.
"I know that, but how is what I can't figure out. When I last saw him, he was still refusing to drink human blood." Cora told her. "It's been a long time, anyway. I'm going to see if the girls need help with anything else. I'll meet you later." Elena nodded, and she rushed back to where the girls were.
"I've got a ghost problem to deal with, Caroline." Bonnie was saying when she returned. "Save the Jeremy lecture for later." She grabbed her bag, but suddenly everything fell out of it. She reached down to grab the book, when the wind blew it open to a page.
"Okay, did your grimoire just..." Caroline began.
"I think so." Bonnie said, picking up the book so she could read it. As she did, Cora noticed that Bennett was etched into the side.
"Okay, please tell me that's a recipe for witch cookies." Caroline said.
"Are you scared?" Cora asked her, forgetting about the name she saw for a moment.
"The witch stuff freaks me out sometimes." Caroline told her.
"I understand. I was surprised when I met my first witch. She was very powerful, though she was only about fifteen."
"Wow."
"It's a manifestation spell." Bonnie told them. "It's used to reveal veiled matter."
"What's veiled matter?"
"Ghosts."
"I was afraid of that." Cora said.
"We're going to need a private place to do this." Bonnie said. "Cora, you come too. We could use the extra help."
The three of them started walking. "So, I noticed the name Bennett was on the side of your spell book." Cora said.
"Yeah, it belonged to my ancestor, Emily." Bonnie said.
"Wait, you're a Bennett witch?" Cora asked her. Bonnie was too surprised to answer.
"How do you know about them?" Caroline asked.
"One of my friends when I first moved here was a Bennett witch, too. I believe she was Emily's granddaughter-a young woman named Leslie. She made me this ring after I turned." Cora told them. "She was the closest friend I'd ever had."
"Wow, guess my family really knew how to keep the vampire secret." Bonnie said.
"Stefan was the one who told me to go to them for help." Cora told her. She frowned, wondering if they'd ever have a chance of helping her brother.
"Hey." She looked up and saw Caroline looking at her. "It's okay, Cora. We're going to save him. After all, he'd do the same for us." Cora smiled.
"Thanks, Caroline."
"Hey, just remember, you're not alone in this." Caroline told her. "He means something to all of us and we're not going to turn our back on him."
They entered a really big house. It was completely empty inside.
"So this is where you brought Jeremy back to life." Caroline said. Cora looked at her. "Long story."
"Yeah. Sorry, I know it's creepy, but we needed a private place around here to do the spell." Bonnie said.
"There's no chance it's haunted by the hundred dead witches who were horrifically burned to death in this very spot, is there?" Caroline asked her.
"They're not here anymore. And they made it clear they were never coming back." Bonnie said.
"Are you scared of ghosts?" Cora asked Care.
"Ever since we did that séance last year…" Caroline began.
"Don't remind me." Bonnie said.
A few minutes later, Cora was helping Caroline light the candles. "You're good at this."
"I've helped Leslie with a few spells back in the day. She often drew on the candle's flames for help."
"Bonnie, are you sure…" Caroline began, but Bonnie was already casting the spell.
The wind started to pick up as Bonnie kept chanting. "Bonnie, I don't like this." Caroline said.
"She can handle it, Care." Cora told her. Suddenly there was someone sitting with Bonnie.
"Oh, my God. Is that your..." Caroline began.
"Grams."
"This is your grandmother?" Cora asked without thinking. When she looked at the slightly older woman, she could see how similar she looked to Bonnie.
"She's the one who taught her about her powers." Caroline explained. "She passed suddenly doing a powerful spell."
"Yeah, that's pretty bad." Cora said.
"It still upsets Bonnie sometimes, so if you could not bring it up…"
"I get it."
"I can't believe you're here!" Bonnie said.
"Now stop your crying, we don't have time for tears." The older woman turned her gaze to Caroline and Cora.
"Nice to see you again, Caroline."
"Hi, miss Sheila." Caroline said. Then she turned to Cora.
"There's something familiar about you."
"Well, your family's kept my secret for a long time." Cora explained. "And I'm a friend of Stefan."
"I see. Oh, now I remember. Leslie wrote about a young girl that turned under her home."
"That would be me."
Sheila turned back to her granddaughter. "A fine mess you've made, honey. The witches told you there'd be consequences to bringing Jeremy back and you did it anyway."
"I didn't have a choice." Bonnie said. "I love him and I... I couldn't just let him go." Cora understood how she felt.
"I understand. But you cracked open the door to the other side. There's an old witch over here. She took advantage of it." Sheila explained. "She took advantage of you, honey. When you did that spell to send Vicki Donovan away, she wedged the door wide open. Giving a free pass to anybody with unfinished business."
"How do you know this?" Bonnie asked her.
"Witches talk. Even on the other side." Sheila explained.
"Guess it makes sense." Cora said. "Witches always seem to be very close and protective of their kind."
"What does the witch want?"
"That's original vampire business, not yours. I don't want you getting in the middle of that." Sheila told her granddaughter.
"Well, no offense, Sheila, but when the Originals are messing with our friends and family, we're all involved by default." Caroline pointed out. "Okay, I'll be over here." She walked away.
"I'm here because you upset the balance of nature. And it's your duty to set it right. You need to close that door." Sheila said.
"How do we do that?" Cora asked.
"By burning the witch's talisman."
"Talisman?" Cora repeated, confused.
"The necklace." Caroline said, realizing. "Bon, do you remember when Elena's necklace burned her? How you said it had it's own power?"
"You think it belonged to the witch?" Bonnie asked.
"It makes sense, only problem is the necklace is gone." Caroline said.
"Maybe not." Cora said. "When I showed up a couple nights ago, Elena was at the Salvatore house. She had the necklace in her hand when I entered the room."
"She still hasn't worn it since, though."
"I have the feeling Damon knows where it's hidden." Cora explained. "Chances are, it's probably still in the house. It's not much, but at least a place to start looking."
"Okay." Bonnie said. "Then let's go."
A few hours later, the girls had gone through the Boarding House, but they hadn't been able to find the necklace anywhere, not even where Damon told them it was. "I'll call Elena, maybe she knows something." Caroline said.
"I don't get it. Necklaces don't just vanish into thin air." Cora said.
"Well, apparently this one did." Bonnie said. "So, you knew my ancestors?"
"Yeah, they were really strong and brave, not to mention very bright. They were good at finding solutions to problems. They were also very friendly and warm, willing to help anyone who needed it. Leslie herself was known for being a healer."
"Wasn't that dangerous?" Bonnie asked. "Considering what happened?"
"They never knew of her witch heritage. To them, she was just a medicine woman working at the local hospital." Cora explained. "I also picked up on a few details about natural healing remedies." Bonnie picked up another book and flipped through it. She showed the page to Cora.
There was a drawing of a young woman with red hair. She was looking toward the blue sky above her. "I think this is you." The young witch said. "Do you think Leslie could've drawn it?"
"Maybe. Or one of her kids." Cora said.
"Okay, this is getting ridiculous." Caroline said. "Apparently one of Elena's friends is trying to help her out, so I guess we're back to square one."
"Well, I'm going to go see if there's anything I can do." Cora said. "Call me if you find the necklace." She threw on her denim jacket and headed out the door.
When she got to the town square, she immediately collided with someone. "Sorry."
"I'm sorry." Then she noticed who she bumped into.
"Jeremy. We really need to stop running into each other. Literally." She added.
"Yeah, that's going to leave a mark." Jeremy said.
"So, what has you running around in a rush?" Cora asked.
"I'm looking for Anna."
"That ghost girl?" Cora asked.
"I'm worried about her. I know it's crazy, but…" Then she saw what he was getting at.
"You never said goodbye, did you?" Cora realized.
"The last night, she was captured by the council." Jeremy explained. "They killed her."
"I'll help you find her." Cora said. "I know what it's like to never say goodbye to someone." She was thinking of her family, her ex, even her…
"Anna." She turned and saw a girl with dark hair. She and Jeremy walked over to her.
"So you're the famous Anna."
"And you're that girl that's trying to get the Salvatores on the same side." Anna said. Cora was surprised that she knew that. "I've been watching."
"Is everything all right?" Jeremy asked her.
"Ask your ancestors." Cora noticed a guy standing near them.
"What are you doing here, Frederick?" Anna asked him.
"Well, it's a founder's celebration. And we Have got some unfinished business with the founding families." He said. Suddenly, there was a scream. Cora turned and noticed a body. She turned toward Anna, who looked horrified.
"I'm guessing he's not a friend of yours."
"Not ever." Anna said. "We kicked most of these guys out. I have no problem with doing it again if I have to."
"You and what army, little Annabelle?"
"Jeremy? What happened?" Elena asked, running over. Cora glanced around, but the ghosts had disappeared.
"The ghosts of those vampires from the tomb showed up." Jeremy said. "They killed someone."
"This is getting serious." Cora said. "We've got to send them back before they go after someone else."
"Where is Anna now?" Elena asked Jeremy.
"I don't know, okay? I don't even know for sure if she took the necklace." Jeremy said.
"She was the only person who heard us talking about it. Of course she took it." Cora watched her closely. "We have to get it back. We have to destroy it and then close the door."
"I know, but..." Cora turned to Jeremy.
"You're not over her." She said. "You guys never got a chance to say goodbye, and now you're afraid to lose her all over again."
Elena seemed surprised. When she looked at Jeremy, she knew it was true. Then she looked back at Cora in shock at her analysis. "I told you, I'm good at reading people. Besides, I know what it's like losing someone you were in love with."
"She's right." Jeremy said. "I know I shouldn't still have feelings for her, but I do."
"But she's dead, Jer." Elena told him. "Gone. Everything that you're holding on to is in the past, Jer." Cora looked over her shoulder and saw Anna re-appear.
"Hey." They all turned and saw her.
"He's at the beginning of his life, Anna." Elena told her. "You're just holding him back." Anna showed them that she had the necklace. Elena turned to Jeremy. "Call Bonnie. Tell her that you have the necklace. Get her to send the ghosts away." She left.
"Anna," Cora said. The ghost girl looked at her. "Thanks."
"I'm sorry, guys."
"Hey, I get it." Cora said. "I had the feeling you were looking for someone when you disappeared before. But I'm sure you'll find whoever it is even if the spell works."
"Thank you. By the way, I think I saw Caroline's car." Anna told her. "There's a small path near the woods you can use to catch up with them."
"Thanks. Good luck, Anna." Cora said. "Jeremy, I'll call you later." She ran off into the woods. Once she made it through the clearing, she found a car crashed near a tree. Cora could see there was a woman inside, unconscious. Then she noticed the ghosts from before headed toward it. She looked over the car and saw Bonnie and Caroline in it talking.
"Bonnie, you've got your ghost boyfriend drama. Elena has hers. And right now the mother of mine is about to be ghost bait." She heard Caroline saying. "So go and send them all back to the other side, okay?" Caroline got out of the car. Cora ran over to her side.
"Need some back-up? I saw the car just as you pulled up." Cora said.
"Let's show them not to mess with our parents." Caroline said. They both ran toward the ghosts.
Caroline managed to knock one of them down while Cora got the other one. Suddenly, the main one grabbed Caroline from behind. Cora pushed him off of her but before she could punch him, he disappeared. They both looked around and saw the others had disappeared as well.
"She did it." Cora said.
"Well, that's Bonnie." Caroline told her. "She always comes through in the end. Come on, we better help Mayor Lockwood." They headed over to the car.
"Are you okay?"
"I have no idea what happened." Mrs. Lockwood told them. They helped her out of the car gently. "This guy appeared out of nowhere."
"Well, it doesn't look like there are any serious injuries." Cora said.
"Who are you?"
"She's a friend." Caroline told her.
"And you're sure about this?"
"She wouldn't have helped me fight those guys off if she wasn't a good guy." Caroline said. "Besides, you've kinda misjudged before." She added.
Cora looked at the two of them. "I guess you're right." Mrs. Lockwood said. "I've been misjudging a lot lately, but I trust you."
"Thanks, Mrs. Lockwood."
"We better get you out of here." Cora said.
"I can take her home." Caroline told her. "I'd ask you to help, but…"
"Hey, no problem." Cora said. "I have to stop by Elena's on the way home anyway. She left her backpack at my place the other night."
"Okay." Caroline said. "Wait, how…"
"She texted me her address." Cora explained. She turned to Mrs. Lockwood. "Are you sure you can walk?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I've suffered worse before, believe me." She told her.
Cora had just showed up outside Elena's house at the same time Jeremy arrived. He looked kind of…defeated. "Hey."
"Are you okay, Jeremy?"
"I think Bonnie just broke up with me." He said. He shook his head. "I guess I kind of deserve it, seeing my dead ex behind her back."
"Hey, it's not your fault, Jeremy." Cora said. "You were in love with her. Sometimes it's hard to move on, especially when you never get the chance to settle things before they…" She broke off, noticing his expression.
"Have you ever been in love before?"
"In love, I'm not so sure of. But I was widowed for a year before I turned." Cora told him honestly. "I was quite fond of him, though."
"Still, I blew it."
"Just give it some time." Cora said. "I haven't been here long, but I really hope things work out with you two."
"Thanks." Jeremy told her.
"Um, I came to drop this off. Your sister left it at my place." Cora said, holding up Elena's backpack.
"If you want, I can take it in." Jeremy said. "It seems I've gotten on the bad side of every girl I know today."
"They're just angry, they're not going to kill you." Cora pointed out. "Eventually this will just blow over."
"I hope your right."
"I've had years of experience, trust me." Cora told him. Her phone started vibrating. "You should probably go in?"
"Sure you don't want to…"
"Yeah, not tonight." Cora said. "I have enough family stuff going on of my own. I don't need to get involved in anyone else's."
"Right. Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize to me. I'll see you around." Cora walked away from the house and looked at the text message. It was from Damon.
I think we found something that can help us get my brother back to his old annoying self.
Cora dialed his number. "Are you serious? You really found something that might get us out of this mess?"
"It's too soon to tell right now, but I'm with Ric and there's definitely something down here." Damon told her.
"Where's here?" Cora asked.
"Some underground tunnel. Long story."
"You know, how about you explain it tomorrow?" Cora asked. "It's been an exhausting day."
"Same here. I'll show you where it is tomorrow."
"Okay." Cora hung up, then headed back to the Boarding House.