A/N: Hello every one, here is the newest chapter. I did my best dividing the paragraphs a bit more. Thank you, Isanxd and Smiling_Seshat for pointing out the length of some are not as pleasant for everyone as it is for me.

o.O.o

Chapter Three, Silent Companions

I was not Elena Gilbert. At this point, it felt like a moot point to stress, but I needed the reminder. I needed it in case I would forget. In case the horrors and the vampire trouble would make me forget. So, I was not Elena. I was not the perfect older sister (although no one really expected me to be), not an honour student having straight A's (although my marks hadn't been that bad when I'd finally gotten the hang of high school again) and I was certainly not a cheerleader. I had never been a cheerleader before and after four days of excessive training (thank God this was the last day), of the harsh, beating summer sun against my flesh, I felt exhausted, degraded and annoyed.

Caroline Forbes was difficult at best and absolutely horrible at worst. Truly, absolutely horrible— And that while I'd expected it to be kind of fun— not the cheering part, I was very much aware I wouldn't be good at that, but the sunny pictures of the camp, the greenery, the glistening lake and the teenagers huddled around a campfire had made it seem like a nice week out. I'd thought it was just a normal summer camp… Unfortunately, the heat made little difference to Caroline's work-out schedule.

"So when I say a Cone-Motion Approach, I mean a Cone-Motion Approach and not the thing—"

I frowned, my eyebrows puckering in a deep furrow as Caroline chattered on and on, without even noticing I wasn't listening anymore. She seemed so aloof, so far gone in her own world, I would be unsurprised if she didn't even notice were I to walk away.

I had stupidly agreed (or had been coaxed) to accompany Elena's friends and teammates to Cheerleading camp (I had lost count of how many YouTube tutorial clips I'd watched to not make a complete fool of myself), because well, my cover would certainly have been blown if I hadn't. Without the death of her parents, I was sure Elena Gilbert would have liked going to Cheerleading camp.

I was sure that Elena wouldn't do her best to avoid her friends or social gatherings. That Elena Gilbert, the Elena Gilbert I didn't know, who used to be the life of the party and whose body I was stuck in, was the popular it-girl. It was a concept I wasn't used to. I certainly hadn't been popular in high school. Did well enough in the first year of university (wasn't teased and all that anymore), but God, I had no idea how to be the it-girl and it was taxing.

However, it was the only thing I could do. After five weeks and three days after getting stuck in Elena Gilbert's body, I'd found no solution to my problem. I'd googled 'switching bodies', which had already seemed stupid when I typed it in the search bar, and, much to my chagrin, but not to my surprise, had brought me absolutely nothing.

"Elena!"

"Oh," I smiled slightly, "I'm sorry, I spaced a bit."

"Yeah, I noticed. Did you even hear one word of what I told you?"

I hadn't. Perhaps my first assessment of her not noticing me not listening had been a too hasty one and I shrugged helplessly. Caroline was one of those girls, that no matter how bad you had it, she still wanted to be the centre of attention. Human Caroline was a bit of a neurotic, insecure drama queen. Elena was her competition. I was her competition. And although I knew Caroline was a good friend, her insecure nature beneath that bubbly, confident exterior and high social prestige, often made her come off as unpleasant and a tad bit mean. A lot mean actually.

"By God, what is with you?" She grumbled. "You used to be so bendy…"

"Right, thanks, Caroline."

"Well, I say that with complete sensitivity." She retorted and I almost snorted. Complete sensitivity, my arse.

She didn't seem to notice my expression and went on without a pause, telling me to suck it up and get back into shape. Some stupid flu should not stop me from being a kick-ass cheerleader. Good to know Elena Gilbert was a kick-ass cheerleader, but held little muscle memory of the stupid routines.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked, probably drawn by the earful I was getting, stepping up next to me, crossing her arms.

"Elena is not into it."

"She'll be fine." Bonnie defended. She certainly defended Elena a lot.

"She's behind."

"I'll practice with her."

"Fine," Caroline snorted irritated, turning sharply on her heel, leaving me and Bonnie behind.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." I answered flattening my hands over the short red cheerleading skirt. How was anyone comfortable into something that hardly protected your modesty."She's right though. I'm not as good at this as I was before. I don't know—"

"You missed a large part of practice last three weeks."

"Yeah, was she such a she-devil during practice then too?"

Bonnie laughed at that, "You know our Caroline."

"Overachiever extraordinaire."

"Hm," Bonnie nodded, eyes glinting in amusement, "yeah. Grams says she'll grow over it."

"Right, your grams—" I started and for a moment my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. "Sheila Bennett, right?"

"You've known my grams for ages, Elena!" Bonnie snickered.

I nervously bit my lip. "Right."

"You really are a bit out of it," Bonnie grinned, "did something happen?"

"Besides getting bad at Cheerleading? No, I'm just— I'm tired. Matt and I are still broken up…"

"I'm sure you two will—"

"No, Bonnie, no. Me and Matt. We're over. There's no coming back from it. We'll remain friends. But that's it. Nothing more."

"But you two are so cute together."

"Right," I replied, feeling my cheeks flush hotly, "of course, I'm sorry, but, it really is over."

"Okay—"

"It's fine," Bonnie shrugged and crossed her arms beneath her chest.

"I— I'm going to get something to drink," I mumbled, my mind completely muddled with the new possibility. Sheila Bennett, Bonnie's grandmother, was a witch too. And above all, she was a very competent witch, already well versed in the magical craft and— I hoped she had her phone number in the gold pages. I didn't think Bonnie would react very well to me interrogating her about her grams. I was sure Elena should know where her grams lived and I turned around sharply, stalking away.

Tucking my hair behind my ears, I crossed the vast expanse of grass, towards the other side of the field, towards coach Marlo's cabin. Twirling around, I stole a glance at Elena's teammates, at Bonnie and Caroline, both who hadn't noticed me, tip-toeing towards the door and sneak inside. Although, even if Caroline had noticed me, she wasn't likely to miss me while busy being the Cheer Captain of Hell and I released a breath when the door clicked shut behind me.

I made a wry face when I looked through the cabin, over the simple table, the small rickety bed in one corner and the cabinets with the landline and— the phonebook. My smile was genuine for the first time in several weeks.

The sun had muted in the afternoon sky and a soft breeze ruffled my hair when I stepped out of the car. The forest in the distance a dark outline against the bright summer sun and the houses around me looked a lot like the Gilberts residence. Nice two-story houses with wooden, wrap-around porches. Sheila Bennett's house was like that too, but with a more earthy tint to the columns. In the sun, it was bright orange, sunlight falling in warm orange rays on the brown walls and glinting off the many windows.

I wasn't sure if I recognised the house from the series or not but I supposed the mailbox (reading ' ') should be proof enough I was at the right place. Crossing my arms over my chest, I followed the gravelled driveway and climbed up the rough wood-panelled porch. The rocking chair to my right careened slowly in the breeze and I hesitated, only for a second, before I knocked loudly on the front door.

Sheila Bennett opened her door half a minute later, looking exactly the way I remembered her. Dressed in a green skirt with a dark brown blouse that complimented her almond-brown eyes and her cocoa brown skin, she smiled when she saw me.

"Elena," she greeted.

"Hi, Mrs Bennett," I greeted back, wiping my hand across my forehead. A salty sheen of sultry summer sweat clung stubbornly to my skin and tried for a smile. It really was unbearably humid today.

"Weren't you at cheer camp?"

"Erm, yeah," I agreed, looping my fingers through the waistband of my shorts. "Can I come in?"

Her eyes narrowed at that and, with a short nod, she stepped aside. I recognised it for what it was. A test to see if I was a vampire. See if I could step over the threshold without a verbal invitation. I drew my tongue along my front teeth and stepped inside.

The door clicked shut behind us and I smiled, "Thank you."

"It's fine. Please, come along."

I followed her into the living room. The wood-panelled landing creaked beneath my weight and the crowded living-room was hot and humid, with fussy furniture and the heavy, red curtains, and I settled on the edge of the brown couch, lacing my fingers together. The curtains were drawn and several candles were placed on the coffee table in front of me.

"Tea?"

"Oh, yes, sure."

"So what brings you here, Elena?" Sheila asked settling in front of me.

I had no idea how to answer that and rubbed my hands over my knees. Sheila eyed me with curious eyes. The skin between her eyebrows puckered in a deep frown. I studied her warily, hesitating, unsure what I should say now. I hadn't expected to find a solution, much less a witch— even if I didn't yet know if she could help me and pursed my lips. Perhaps like a bandaid— Just rip it off—

"I'm not Elena." I exhaled in one breath and she stiffened.

"What?"

"I'm not— I'm not Elena!" I repeated my lower-lip quivering. "I—"

"What do you mean, you're not Elena?"

I exhaled loudly, "This is Elena's body, it's just not mine. I don't know how or why— I just— I'm stuck."

"You're stuck in someone else's body?"

"Yeah?"

She scrambled up to her feet surprisingly fast for her age and her eyes went wide and cold, "And you know about me."

"I— yeah!" I agreed and curled my fingers tightly in the hem of my shirt.

"How?"

"I'm not from here… I know a lot." I muttered and the icy expression on Sheila's face forced me to continue. To explain how I suddenly, somehow transferred into Elena's body right before her parents should have driven off Wickery Bridge. I explained how in my universe (for what else was I supposed to call all of this) this world was just a story, a series of the supernatural and I hadn't even watched it all. Still, I knew most of the key points and hesitantly I told Sheila Bennett about what would happen to her granddaughter. I suspected that was what truly caught Sheila's attention.

"You're saying she dies…"

"Plural times." I muttered and Sheila's eyes lighted up in anger before beckoning me to follow. I did so, reluctantly, my arms wrapped tightly around my waist and my eyes narrowed. I'd never seen witchcraft in real life before and I nervously twisted my fingers together. "What are you planning to do with me?"

"I need to see what you have seen." She explained, leading me into a kitchen. The counters were tea-stained, the table old and rickety, covered in several candles, the wax pooling on the wood and I let my eyes flit over the numerous chipped mugs and the blue ceramic teapot.

Sheila moved towards the middle of the kitchen, smoothing her hands out onto the table, spreading out a foul-smelling greenish paste and I scrunched up my nose. If she noticed my disgust, she didn't let on and patted the table almost invitingly, "If you could lay down in the middle of the table?"

"What are you going to do?"

"This spell allows me to access your memories and Elena's."

"You're going to pick inside my brain?"

"It won't hurt you as long as you relax." She explained. "I won't be able to see everything, we simply do not have the time, nor does the human mind remember every second of every day. That would be far too taxing…"

"Sounds really promising," I muttered remembering the episode where Klaus' witch tried to ruffle through Stefan's mind. It certainly didn't look pleasant nor like a very relaxing experience, but I didn't think I really had a choice. My shoulders slumped in defeat and I rubbed at the back of my neck warily. "Fine. I'm not sure what you're trying to find."

"The truth."

"I told you the truth."

"I have no reason to trust your word alone." She told me seriously and I sat down on the table. I suppose I couldn't fault her for her logic. If a girl I'd known for years (since childhood?) suddenly claimed she wasn't that girl anymore and told me she knew I would die, quite soon at that, I would probably be suspicious too.

A chill ran down my spine when I lay back onto the table and flinched when Sheila yanked my arms away from my sides, spreading my fingers in an odd downward arc and settled behind my head. Carding my hair away from my forehead, she pressed damp fingers against my temples. It smelled odd, like flowers and fresh leaves and grass and I forcefully closed my eyes. Relaxing was a bit too much to ask, but I did manage to lay there more relaxed than I would have if I'd been in a dentist's chair (I considered that a positive point). Sheila began chanting in what I assumed was Latin. I recognised a few words, but most sounded acerbic to me.

"Ng," the gasp wheezed past my half-parted lips and my back arched up from the table. Unpleasant was a bit of an understatement. My thighs trembled, my fingers curled into claws and my face flushed while a bright orange light started behind my eyelids. The chanting became louder and I started to quiver and tears clung to my lashes, dusting over my cheekbones.

Flashes of my life, flashes of the series followed each other in quick succession and when I thought I could no longer take it, it stopped and my muscles eased out and my body hit the table again. I was breathing hard and my face gleamed with perspiration. Sheila was breathing hard too, her fingers trembling against my temples and her eyes blinking owlishly. A trail of blood seeping from one nostril.

"What happened to Elena?" She asked slowly and I frowned.

"I— I don't know."

"You've never heard her? Inside of you?"

"No!" I started and my eyebrows furrowed. "Was I supposed to?"

"That all depends on the curse, honey."

"So it is a curse?" I clarified, sitting up and laying an arm over my bent left knee.

"It's an unusual one. I cannot find even a trace of Elena." Sheila muttered and I quickly sat up, nausea creeping up up my throat. "No memory of her remains in your head…"

"I don't understand. She's not in here with me?"

"No, and that's the unusual part. If someone put you in her body, Elena's being would be there too. Dormant, but they're all the same."

"I still don't—"

"I cannot help you. I must think of my family— I—"

"Would helping me put your family in jeopardy?" I asked defensively.

"Helping you, it won't do anything. Someone swapped your bodies. And only the someone who did can resolve it again. My guess, it was accidental. A protection spell gone wrong and you were randomly selected. Perhaps you were at the same place at the same time in your world as Elena's was in hers…"

"So, Elena is in my body?"

"I believe so."

"But then there must be a way to—"

"I doubt it. Magic has a price. And the price of such hefty magic will in all probability result in the death of the witch."

"Fuck!" I muttered and carded my fingers through my hair. It stuck to the back of my neck and I clawed my fingers through the tangles. "Fuck! There must be a way. I mean you believe me now, right? There must be something that can be done?" I continued, feeling the one hope shattering I still had held onto and ground my teeth together. "I mean you don't know for sure the witch is dead. You don't know for sure there is no way back—"

"Elena— ah, girl," Sheila started and I frowned. Was she not even going to ask for my real name? "There is no way of finding the person who did this. There is no connection, no trace to the witch nor to Elena's soul. It's highly possible you were chosen randomly. It's possible Elena remembers nothing of her life. To make sure, she'll live it." Another bout of nausea curled through me as Sheila leaned down to grab a can of Coca-Cola and offered it to me. "Here, drink this. It will make you feel better."

"Right," I agreed, blinking back the tears and Sheila reached out her hand as if to touch me, and then, thinking better of it, turned and sat down on a chair. I stared down at my hands, loosely wrapped around the Coca-Cola can, trying to stop myself from throwing up and breathed in deeply. My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears I could hardly hear anything else and I jumped up, shifting the can from one hand to the other before settling it on the tea-stained counter: "I— I have to go. I— should go home. I should go to Elena's home. I—"

"Can't tell anyone."

"I doubt anyone would believe me," I grumbled. I was quite sure Sheila would deny my story. Somehow, she didn't wish to be involved. Perhaps now, she didn't wish to be involved with anything Elena Gilbert involved, and could I really blame her? Then again, perhaps, I could. Perhaps, I should, for I had no way to change this situation myself. And, now she said I couldn't change it. That the one who'd caused this situation was probably dead and that he or she was the only one who could reverse it. "And what am I supposed to do with the Elena situation? I take it you saw what will happen to her? What will happen to me? I'm pretty sure you know more about vampires than I do…"

"I protect my own."

"Right, thank you." I hissed and almost ran out of the house.

Just as I'd almost reached the dark SUV, Sheila's voice echoed through the air, "Elena!"

Head whipping around I squinted against the bright sunlight and my mouth twisted in distaste, "Yes?"

"I need you to keep Bonnie away from all of this."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" I snapped back. "When Damon comes he'll want your help."

"You can leave that vampire to me…" she told me darkly.

Another bout of anger burned through me and I quickly clambered in the car, afraid for what I would say if I didn't. I'd understand if she couldn't help me, but her pure unwillingness to try and help me, that was a difficult pill to swallow. I wouldn't have wanted her to die for me. I'd just hoped she could figure out a way how I could right what was wrong. I'd hoped to find a way to get out of this all together and now— I couldn't even get away from the fate of being Klaus' human blood bag.

I wasn't even aware how I'd gotten home, the car coming to a screeching stop in front of the Gilberts' residence and I stomped inside, weekend bag draped carelessly over my shoulder. The air inside the house was thick, humid and heavy, even worse than outside but at least, inside I was safe. At least, I was safe for now.

Flopping back on the bed, I rolled onto my side, propping my head upon my elbow, my eyes fixed on the window seat. Tapping my thumb against my lower lip, my eyebrows furrowed in thought, left hand picking at the stitching on the pillowcase. Perhaps, if I kept a low profile, Klaus wouldn't figure out I existed? Perhaps, if I kept a low profile— Rolling over on my back I swallowed noisily. I didn't really have a better plan but if I stayed under the radar, I could actually have some semblance of a life, even in someone else's body.

To be continued…

A/N: I love Caroline. I want to stress that point. I love her from the comfort of my couch behind my laptop binge-watching the first four seasons. However, I do think she was a bit of a slave-driver in earlier seasons and I certainly think you would have a hard time being a cheerleader under her command. Not-Elena certainly seems to think so—

Ah, and how evil of me to still not disclose her name. I guess when you write from an I and my perspective, you don't really think of yourself by your first name (I don't), which is why you have not learned it. Learning it will be in a fit of inspiration… But for now, feel free to guess. Her name will be somewhat linked… Has to do with the spell… That's all I have to say about it.

This story is beta'd by the amazing HPuni101!

Next chapter Thursday, May the seventh. Feel free to leave a review. I love those:) What did you think of Sheila. Think I nailed her? Did you expect her? Love to hear from you all.