A/N: Somehow the chapters were uploaded in the wrong order. I certainly didn't mean for that to happen, so I fixed it. This was the actual chapter thirty. Chapter thirty-one was already available all week, but now the search of Whitmore College and how they got there, makes more sense (I hope). Chapter thirty-two will be uploaded upcoming Saturday!^^
Like always let me know what you all think^^
o.O.o
Chapter Thirty, Whitmore College
By the time the sky began to lighten, Caroline helped me up the downspout and through my bedroom window. The mission, as I'd gone to calling it that night, had gone well. Getting into Grayson's clinic had been childishly easy. It seemed Youtube tutorials on how to pick locks were an actual thing and when we were inside, we'd moved through every room. I'd forgone the creepy torture chamber — as Caroline called it — but otherwise, the plan had gone perfectly. It had given me great satisfaction throwing the folder and Grayson's disgusting experiments over the floor and it was pure will that withheld me from torching the place down. Somehow making sure canon prevailed in going up in flames seemed like a good thing.
The downside? The clinic might not have cameras, it did have a silent alarm. That and what was I going to do with the ridiculous amount of drugs I now had in my rucksack? When the cop cars pulled up in front of the practice, guns blazing, Caroline had flashed me out and to safety like Thor Odinson would have had with Jane Foster.
"I'd say that went well," Caroline whispered as I busied myself with taking off my hoodie.
"Yeah, until the police arrived," I remarked darkly, slipping off my boots. The rucksack — perhaps I could sell the drugs; okay no, that was bad, scrap that — was bulking, and without a real idea what to do with it, I padded on bare feet over to the closet, pushing it beneath a scarlet blanket. "We have to think what to do with this. I don't think my mom ever really checks my closet but— for the off chance she does, it needs to be gone quickly."
"Right," Caroline nodded and I settled in my usual place upon the window ledge, feet propped up on the window seat.
"At least, there were no cameras. I suppose that gave us some leeway space."
"We'll be fine," Caroline reassured softly and I nodded. I had to believe that.
"What if someone—"
"It's okay," Caroline repeated. "Your mom and brother are both asleep."
I let out a soft sigh before the hairs on the back of my neck prickled upwards. "And Grayson?"
"He's on the phone with the insurance company. Relax. It sounds like he just got the call."
"I hope it'll keep him busy today," I muttered. "How's your mom?"
"As well as expected," she returned, sitting down across from me, nudging my foot with hers. "She's taking it better than I thought she would if I'm honest. I think she's known about it for a while now."
I nodded and for a while, we sat in silence. Pale sunshine began to bathe the room with warmth and a damp, early-morning breeze filtered through the partly opened window. The clock on the nightstand ticked noisily and when the front door downstairs closed with a thud, we watched Grayson Gilbert cross the lawn and get into his car. Caroline made sure to keep herself from his view while Grayson steered his SUV out of the driveway. I watched the hard look pass over Caroline's face and averted my eyes.
"We have to figure out how to find Bonnie."
"We have to find out where they keep the vampires," I said, wetting my lips.
Caroline inhaled softly. "I don't know of a place in this town where they can keep so many people."
I turned to the soft light of the sun and frowned. My thoughts were spinning so fast that I felt physically nauseous and my leg started to bounce. My hands were tingling and my cheeks were flushed. There had been something about a secret society in the fifth season wasn't there? God, I regretted I'd stopped watching the show after the fourth season now and nibbled on my lower lip.
"I think they use a special OR room on the college grounds…" I muttered, frowning. Pity I didn't remember which college and Caroline stared at me.
"What?"
"It made little sense. I didn't understand what the content was and— he wrote an article!"
"What?" Caroline echoed looking as if I'd grown a second head. "What are you talking about?"
"He wrote an article," I muttered, moving towards Elena's laptop, I flipped it open and settled behind my desk, searching the internet. It reminded me of my initial bachelor thesis search and my fingers flew over the keyboard. Muscle memory helped me through the web and within minutes the article popped up on my screen. Instead of a few columns with data that made no sense, the entire article on cell generation was there.
"There!" I said, tapping the screen hard enough to make it flicker, "There it is."
"There what is?" Caroline asked, staring at the explanation of the formula of whatever grow factor they had used. They had gotten from some vampire and I felt my hand grow clammy.
"Funded by Whitmore College."
"You think—"
I swallowed, rubbing my fingers along my temples. "That the college who founded the creepy research paper and probably also the creepy experiments has something to do with them? Yeah, that's exactly what I think." I bit my lower lip, uncrossed my legs, and frowned. The college or the organization that funded someone's research often had more to do with the examinations and the trials than they did on paper. I'd dare say, that was where that creepy organization was located. I vaguely remembered having seen a few scenes of some blond weirdo hurting a dark-skinned boy— but— I wasn't entirely sure what that had all been about.
"So, you think Bonnie is at Whitmore College?" Caroline asked and I shrugged.
"I hope so."
"I doubt your parents are going to let you go there." Caroline mused. "What, after eloping with me?"
"No, probably not at this moment, no—"
Caroline nodded. "Right, exactly so how do you want to—"
I munched on my lower lip, intertwining my fingers. "I'm considering taking my SATs before or after I turn eighteen this year. I think visiting colleges would be a logical follow-up…"
"Seriously?" Caroline snorted.
"Yep," I agreed. I didn't particularly want to go to college like Elena Gilbert, but I certainly didn't want to be longer in high school than I had to. I didn't want to do another year of it. Besides, I had taken my SATs before. I could do it again. Caroline slumped down on the arm of my chair and scrolled through the article. A shuddering breath expelled from my lips and I too read over the explanation of a new growth factor (aka vampire blood) as a reagent for healing the gravest injuries.
"I can't believe he would do this," I muttered
"He doesn't consider them human," Caroline piped up nervously.
"I'm pretty sure that's the same excuse the Nazis had, Caroline," I whispered. "Besides, you just don't do this. To want a murderer to die, I can somewhat understand. I understand why some people are in favor of the death penalty, but this—" I shuddered and turned the laptop off.
We didn't speak much more that day. Only the next did decide on a plan.
We were sitting in my bedroom that afternoon too. The afternoon sky was a wintery, iron grey, a sharp contrast to yesterday's weather, and faint daylight filtered in through the windows. Caroline was sprawled out on her stomach while I had drawn the desk chair next to her. I'd printed a map of the college building, the campus, and even the hospital near the college. The hospital was the most logical place to conduct tests, but, of course, a private clinic somewhere in that area as possible as well. I had no idea of really knowing and drew back with a sharp breath, running my hands through my tousled hair.
Exhaustion was steadily seeping into my limbs, and slowing my mind. I made a rather unsuccessful attempt at muffling a yawn and drew a pale-blue quilt around my shoulders. Caroline was marking several rooms and locations where an underground lab might be possible, twirling the bright yellow highlighter between her nimble fingers.
"Perhaps the morgue—"
"How do you keep a dozen of vampires there unnoticed?" I interrupted softly.
Caroline let out a groan and shook her head. "I don't know— magic?"
"Perhaps," I conceded. I wouldn't have thought they had a witch on their side, but— it would make sense if they had. A witch could have cloaked Bonnie from both her grandmother and later Bree. "I'm not sure how we could know for sure, but you have super-hearing."
"I do," she agreed, "and I have super-strength and speed. Not sure what good that will bring us now."
"If those people keep the vampires somewhere on campus, experimenting on them, don't you think you might be able to hear them— or, I don't know smell their blood?" I asked, curling my arms around one of my knees. "Do you think you could?"
"I— I guess." She responded hesitantly. "I suppose it's worth the try."
"I don't know what else we're supposed to do. There is no way Gray— my parents will tell me anything." They wouldn't believe it if I would suddenly change my mind about vampires, just out of nowhere. "I suppose we can—" I closed my mouth with an audible click and shook my head, "—no, we can't. That would be wrong."
"You're making, oh so much sense, right now."
"I don't know what to do, right now," I whispered, "but we can't do nothing. Bonnie doesn't deserve to be treated like some lab rat. No one does."
"Let's go with your first plan." Caroline decided. "Let's visit Whitmore College. It's worth a try."
"Okay." I sniffed and frowned. "Give me a day or two to figure out what to say to my parents."
Caroline nodded, straightened her Burgundy vest, and moved towards the window. "Keep me informed, all right?" And before I could do more than nod, she was gone.
The news I wanted to take my SATs at the end of the school year went over surprisingly well. Apart from surprise coloring both of their faces, Elena's parents seemed equally proud. I didn't think they were realizing that apart from taking my SATs earlier, I would try getting into a college (and get away from this stupid town) earlier as well. Either way, it was surprisingly easy manipulating Miranda and Grayson to visit Whitmore College.
With the celebrations coming, Headmaster Clearwater had issued several free afternoons. Which was why we would be visiting the college on a Thursday afternoon. Miranda couldn't come along — Miss Mystic Falls didn't plan itself — which was why I sat in the passenger's seat of Grayson's SUV. Jeremy had come along for the ride, sitting in the backseat texting away. He didn't speak to any of us.
It was sunny out. A perfect Virginia day and Grayson's ring glinted in the warm light of the late winter sun. I stared at the large, tacky blue stone and nervously shifted in my seat. Created by Emily Bennett and given to Jonathan Gilbert they should be capable to bring someone back from supernatural caused death. Looking at it now, it made my fingers itch and I ran my tongue over my front teeth.
Folding my hands into my lap, lest I did something stupid, I turned to stare outside. Accompanied by the deep rumble of the engine, Grayson's SUV moved down the small lane that wound its way between the trees, away from Mystic Falls. The car was surrounded by trees crowding together at the edge of the asphalt. The branches were backlit by the soft, warm sunlight, spreading a dappled blanket out over the ground.
I watched as the landscape was swathed in deep green-tinted shadows. And before long, I watched the thick foliage make way for the busy highways. Thirty minutes later, I watched the highways bleed into increasingly empty side roads. In another ten, we'd reached the suburbs of McKinely, the houses have seen better days. Large cracks ran up the dark bitumen road and the paint of the houses seemed to be curling off the walls, the veranda, and the doors, much like moldy rinds. I couldn't help letting my eyes flit over the rough, burly wooden porches, realizing rather late how affluent the town of Mystic Falls was. I watched the houses bleed into a row of deserted warehouses lining the right side of the street, doing my best to concentrate on the larger buildings, eyes flitting along with the details (anything to avoid talking to him), but they passed by too fast.
The car had passed on into the main part of town and in the distance, I thought I noticed Whitmore College, standing out, the sun breaking through the clouds and I shielded my eyes against the sudden onslaught.
"Are we almost there yet?" Jeremy piped out from the backseat and Grayson tutted.
"Now, now, son, patience," he admonished lightly.
Jeremy snorted, "Sure, you try being patient after an hour being cooped up in the backseat of your car, dad. Besides, I won't be starting college in three years. What's the point?"
"It's good to check out your options, Jer." I tried gently and I slowly turned to look at him.
His mouth pursed in distaste or weary skepticism. I couldn't tell. He wasn't speaking to me. Hadn't been since returning the second week of Christmas break. The way his mouth tightened and his eyes narrowed, made me think he wasn't planning on speaking to me now, either. I looked away, just in time to notice Grayson turn the car into a large, underground garage.
"Are we here?"
"Yes," Grayson agreed easily, pulling the SUV into a small slot at the back first level.
The second, the key was removed from the engine, I unstrapped my seatbelt and threw the car door open. Grayson and Jeremy followed suit, the car giving a reassuring beep when it locked, and I let Grayson lead the way out of the garage. Elena's father seemed to know his way around the place, easily migrating through a pair of glass doors and up a set of stone stairs. Within a few minutes, we were outside, crossing what I assumed was the college campus and I had to jog to keep up with Grayson's brisk walk. I didn't have to pretend to be curious. My eyes flitted over the sloping, busy grounds. I scanned the area where students were lounging on the grass, onto the iron fence near a set of trees to the right, and on the green park, benches settled by one border of the grounds. Grayson led us down a paved dirt path, surrounded by old-fashioned black street lamps, veering off from the main path and I wrapped my arms around my waist. The white building, the central building of Whitmore College was towering and square.
"When I went here, I had so much fun," Grayson divulged and I nodded.
"I'm sure," I whispered because I could. I could understand. College was a fun, amazing time. It had been, at least, when I'd started it. The place where I'd finally started to live on my own (if you could even call it that, since I was part of student housing, with a roommate and all), making my own decisions and I had been looking forward to finishing it. Or at least, that had been my goal. That had been my goal before. The building looked recently built, yet its entire decorum seemed old-fashioned instead. I imagined going there for a moment. Imagined myself stalking down these paths, my beige canvas rucksack slung over one shoulder. After all, choosing a college was like painting on a blank new canvas. I could choose differently now. I could choose whatever I wanted because, in this universe, I had no one to disappoint. I barely cared if I did disappoint Elena's parents. After all, when I saw Elena with my ex-boyfriend, I'd decided I would live for myself and not for the expectations of people I didn't know. I thought that was fair too. I deserved to build a life, didn't I?
Or at least, try and built one. I knew I was on borrowed time. At some point, Klaus would roll in and I had no idea how to deal with him again. Furrowing my brows, I forced my attention back to Grayson. His face was lit with emotion.
"Whitmore delivers brilliant English literature students," he remarked. I blinked owlishly.
"Oh," I breathed, "that's great."
The back of his neck flushed red. "You want to be a writer, right?"
"Perhaps," I conceded (I didn't think divulging all of my secrets right now was a smart move).
"That's what you've wanted since you turned ten."
"I do enjoy writing and literature," I answered easily, "but I want to be sure. There are several introduction classes on several subjects next April and I want to consider all of them thoroughly."
"Hm," he mused and the sun appeared from behind the clouds.
I squinted against the hazy light, suddenly noticing Caroline's indistinct silhouette, near the back building. When my eyes got used to the brightness, I let them subtly glide over her. She was dressed casually, short pink skirt and a matching sweater, leaning against the red brick wall, sunglasses perched on top of her head and she looked like she was reading something from a textbook.
I smiled, giving her a small, subtle waggle of my fingers, before following Grayson up towards the main building. I couldn't believe how spectacularly our plan was going. We were both at Whitmore College, Grayson would be blissfully unaware of my plan when I went exploring and I could meet Caroline. He was in his element too, chattering on and on about past adventures in these very halls
I heard the door sweep shut with a soft click behind me and tagged slightly behind. Grayson was amicably telling Jeremy about something he and his friends had gone through and I let my eyes glide over the pictures on one wall. It occurred to me that several of these stories had been told before. It occurred to me that the scant knowledge I'd had learned the past few months was just that— scant knowledge. I didn't know this man; as if I hadn't figured that out the last few days.
"So dad—," Jeremy started as one hallway bled into another, "—where did you and Mister Lockwood pull the peck and feathers prank?"
"That was in the science room," Grayson answered fondly and leaned towards us, whispering the next words conspiratorially, "and to this day, your mom still thinks it was Richard who filled her desk drawer with maple syrup, but— that was me."
I let out a glade of laughter, easily catching their attention, and managed a smile. "So, dad, do you think I can take a look around by myself?" I asked.
"Oh," Grayson smiled, "of course. Jeremy, do you want to go with—"
"No."
Grayson's jaw went slack. "She's your sister."
"I don't care."
"It's fine," I shrugged. "I'm sure, Jeremy will be fine by himself. There are no angry boys to sucker punch him in his face, after all," I added childishly, cementing his resolve to not accompany me. It worked like a charm and I watched Jeremy's face flush darkly.
"Go to hell."
"Guys," Grayson huffed out an unamused laugh, "could you please act like your age?"
"I am not going with the backstabbing bitch." Jeremy snapped and I winced.
"By all means," I gritted out, turning sharply on my heel. I didn't wait for Grayson to call on me and quickly stalked away. Finding my way back to the back of the building where I'd seen Caroline last was easy. Finding Caroline, though, wasn't. Or at least, when I turned the corner and stepped up onto the grass field and off of the dirt path, I didn't see her. And I panicked. I didn't dare yell her name and— I tripped over a blunt-edged rock when I turned around again, craning my neck to see the blonde vampire. It was not even surprising. One minute I was the poster child of subtlety and manipulation, the next I was sprawled out, face-first into the dirt. Swaths of knee-high, greenish grass were tickling my cheeks and I groaned.
"God damned!"
"Are you okay?" A man's voice from my left inquired and I pressed my forehead against the grass.
"No."
A short, snorting sort of sound filtered through the air, and I could imagine the amused expression this stranger was wearing. "Do you need some medical aid?"
"My ego probably would," I answered drolly and slowly pushed up onto my knees, peering up at the blond stranger. He was handsome, in his early thirties, and smiling down at me with impossibly blue eyes.
"I'm sure your ego could handle a dent or two?"
"I suppose," I muttered, studying the round slope of his cheeks, his strong chin, and the barely-there stubble. He was very handsome, lithe, and pretty, and in the sunlight, his dark blond hair looked almost golden. "Do I know you?"
"Your Grayson's kid, right?"
My eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know that?"
"I've seen your picture once or twice." He grinned. "He likes to speak about you."
"Oh."
"My name is Wes Maxfield. I'm a colleague of your father's."
"Oh!" I echoed, recognizing that name. My heart lurched. "You published that article with him?"
He nodded, seemingly pleased and I forced a smile on my face, even though I felt as if fire ants were crawling up my limbs, beneath my skin. I realized I was staring a tad too long to be decent and felt my face flush darkly. I hoped he would interpret it as a teenage crush and awkwardly got to my feet, shifting my fingers around my lower arms.
"My dad's here too," I tried, but my voice sounded too high to be considered normal.
Maxfield didn't seem to notice, his voice almost lazy when he answered. "Hm, I should go and say; 'hello' then, hm?"
"Yeah," I agreed, "I'm sure he would like that."
"It was nice meeting you, Elena,"
"Erm, yeah you too," I agreed and he turned away while I remained seated on the grass. When he was well out of earshot I smacked my lips. "Well, that was weird."
"Yeah," Caroline agreed, having appeared from God-know-where and she smiled, "You seem to attract weird."
"Caroline—"
"I was really worried he would take you with him," Caroline muttered and I smiled.
"You and me both."
"What took you so long?" she said, watching me with poorly disguised impatience.
"Oh, perhaps I should have mentioned I was going vampire seeing with you?" I suggested rudely.
"Okay, point taken."
I rolled my eyes. "Did you—"
"There is a cellar near the students' houses, it's deep beneath the building." She whispered.
"Oh?"
"I can't get in though." She whispered
"So?"
"It smelled bad, Elena."
I scrubbed my hands over my face. "Shit, you think that's—"
"I don't know. There's too much noise around here, I can't tell for sure."
"It's worth a try, though."
She nodded and I toyed with the large brown buttons on the front of my coat. It was too warm to be wearing it, the sky a cerulean blue, and the gentle breeze laced with a warm, grassy scent. I could go inside, I didn't need an invitation, but me alone? I laughed, slightly hysterical, and again, scrubbed my hands over my face. My lips twisted. "We have to get whoever lives there to invite you in."
"Easy if they don't know about vampires…"
"Hard when they do know about vampires…"
I frowned, I practically felt the flutter of my pulse beneath the fine skin of my throat and ran my tongue over my teeth. "But not impossible!" I frowned. "I can get in."
"Hm, yes, that sounds like a solid plan." She sarcastically drawled and I had to stow away the impulse to stick my tongue out. Caroline rolled her shoulders and I followed her down the dirt path and to the student houses. They were all red-brownish brick, surrounded by high freshly budding trees and I craned my neck to look at the high paned windows. Caroline led us to the building furthest from the street, surrounded by a thickly grown garden, heavy with shrubs and trees. It was hard to see past it from the road and I wondered what kind of figure lived there. It didn't look like student housing.
I swallowed. "Okay, let me handle this."
"What?"
"Try to stop me, you don't want to come in, get me?"
"No, I don't—"
"Just follow my lead. Stay here, but insight."
Caroline stared at me as if I'd grown a second head and I strolled towards the front door. Fixing my hair and straightening the lapels of my coat, I tried to a smile. The same smile I'd seen on all those door-to-door salesmen that had come by to sell hoovers or whatnot and I crossed the strip of lawn towards the front door. The doorbell echoed through the house and I rolled on the balls of my feet.
It opened a moment later, revealing a dark-skinned woman with short-cropped hair and large golden earrings. She gave me a confused look and my lips quirked up even higher.
"Hi my name is Ellen Harper," I greeted, smiling gently and the dark-skinned woman frowned.
"Hello?"
"I'm sorry to bother you, Ma'am, I'm here for a school project. We're researching the readiness of people to install solar panels." I explained, hitching my bag higher up my shoulder and started to look for my dairy. Taking a pen out as well I smiled again. "Well, my friend over there is too, but she thinks it's awkward to go calling on people. I can't see another way to get people's opinions. Would you be willing to answer a few questions? We can offer you a reward of twenty-five pounds?"
"For what class is this?"
"Physics," I answered readily. "Can I?"
She let out a long-suffering sigh and stepped aside, giving me a short nod. I swayed inside, stopping when I'd stepped over the threshold and turned to Caroline, feigning expiration. "Why don't you come too?"
"I don't go inside with strangers."
"It's perfectly fine," the woman said, seemingly unsure what she would do with two teenage girls as well and I fumbled in my coat pockets, yanking my phone free. "Jeez, I've got a cellphone."
"I don't know—" Caroline muttered and the woman sighed,
"Just come in or don't, I've got more things to do." The woman finally muttered.
I knew Caroline was smiling now. It was surprising how well this little manipulation game had turned out and followed the woman, who introduced herself as Dianne Freeman, further into the house. Dianne led us into the drawing-room. A wide, low-ceilinged room with oakwood drawers and an oakwood table, and there were pictures. A lot of them were on top of the drawers and hanging on the walls. Three boys in a playground, on the swing, older versions of the same boys in neat school uniforms, smiling in front of a school bus, and finally the recenter ones of the three boys, now teenagers, settled on a park bench.
"You have a nice family," I commented, turning around— just in time to see Caroline flash forward.
The woman didn't stand a chance and watching her use a move I'd only ever seen in movies, yapping her into the neck with tensed fingers, the woman dropped down in a dead faint. With a soft exhale, Caroline crouched down beside the fallen woman, rummaging through her handbag until she found the syringe she had been looking for.
"What are you doing?"
"Making sure she stays down for a while," Caroline replied as she stuck the needle in Dianne's neck.
"Wow, someone came prepared," I muttered and felt my mouth dry as I saw the entire syringe being emptied. "What is that anyway?"
"Rohypnol," she breezily replied.
"You roofied her?"
"Well, yes, Wikipedia said it would sedate and probably cause amnesia— seemed useful."
"You thought the date rape drug was useful?" I commented drolly and Caroline shrugged.
"Come on, basement."
I nodded, shrugging my coat off, and Folded it beneath Dianna's head. Pushing my hair up in a high ponytail, I followed Caroline through the house. The basement itself wasn't hard to find. From the landing the third door to the left, but inside it was pitch dark. A narrow room with cold iron stairs dominating the middle, leading down. Apprehension crawled up my skin and I gave Caroline an anxious stare.
"Ready?"
"Not really," I whispered. "If we are wrong… This is a home invasion."
"We will be fine. If we're wrong, I'll compel her."
I exhaled loudly. "That doesn't make it right though… Do you still smell—?"
"It smells horrible."
"Okay, let's go then."
(To be continued….)
A/N: Next update upcoming Saturday:)