Tallinn's POV:

From my perch on a tree, I watched the car hit my friend, who stood in the middle of the road, and I rolled my eyes at the level of melodrama he employed. Though I was often exasperated with the guy, Stefan would surely be surprised when they reunited. "Hel's mist; he's gonna bring hell to the town." I thought, mildly amused, Smirking.

I shook my head as he awoke from his faux death. He adjusted his bones to their proper places and then sprung forward to attack the person approaching him.

While my friend was sucking his meal, I jumped down from the tree and over to the man whose physical form was now on the ground and whose bewildered spirit hovered nearby. "Hey buddy, you can make googly eyes at yourself all day, or we can grab the girl and start moving. Your choice."

Darren's eyes widened in horror as a man with supernatural powers levitated Brook off the ground. "No!" he shouted. "Stop him! Please don't let him hurt her." He screamed at me as he watched helplessly as Brooke screamed in pain from her neck. My friend started ripping and tearing with his fanged teeth, uncaring of the pain and death he was causing.

"I cannot save her, Darren," I said as I turned to him, my silver eyes piercing the light that made up his spiritual body, "your fate has been achieved just as all humans are born; they also must die as the Norns designed," I said as we walked over to the dead body of his girlfriend.

"We all have a moment in time on the earth, and, unfortunately, there are those who can and do meddle with fate, but that only causes more trouble than it's worth." Brooke was unable to cry, but the expression on her face was nothing less than vulnerable and weak, which made me shiver in disgust; having been alive for more than eight hundred years, I had a hard time sympathizing with humans in their frailty.

Pulled my Artavo out of my belt and engaged my portal runes, then slashed the blade through the air and opened a portal to the realm of the Goddess Hel; I moved on through and motioned with my arm for them to pass, Darren's hand slipped through Brooks, that saddened them even more that they were not corporeal to touch each other again, they followed me, and I led them to their piece in the hall of memory. "You both will be at peace here; you will forget all the sorrow of your life and be among your fondest memories."

The Next Day:

Gyda POV:

I kept my head held high, my back straight, and my hands on the desktop as I sat flanked by my peers. Elena had been placed judiciously behind me in the seating chart, but I was unfazed. Tanner may have wanted to obscure me amongst the throng of students near the back of the class, yet I used it to my advantage. I didn't need to hide; instead, I could employ my disability as an excuse for any difficulties during his lectures.

"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle? Ms. Bennett?" Mr. Tanner said, looming over us with an air of power and menace from his tall, bulky frame.

Behind Elena, right beside Bonnie, who squirmed uncomfortably from the unwanted attention. I used to feel awkward in these situations. Still, now that I could not speak, I was determined to rise above this difficulty and make my presence known; I wouldn't allow our Dick of a teacher to push me away and make me feel insignificant. "Um…a lot? I'm not sure, like a whole lot. Bonnie offered.

I shook my head at her teenage-ness. God, I felt so old for only seventeen. Elena was in front of me, and Bonnie sat next to my row; our history teacher was giving her a hard time, and my stomach burned with fury at his arrogance and pettiness. I wished I could protect her from his mocking tone, but she had to woman up. She had to stop being a valley girl only interested in boys, cheerleading, and clothes. I kept my eyes on the D-bag while he scowled at my friend. "Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett."

I was confident I knew the answer, but Mr. Tanner continued as if I hadn't raised my hand. He moved on from Bonnie and asked the same question again. Even though I shared history with Mom, reading was my pastime with Dad, Music was something I loved doing alone, Art was how I connected with Jeremy, and Elena and I bonded over Romance movies.

I glanced at my sister, who shrugged in reply with wide almond-shaped brown eyes so like mine. But our eyes had difference - mine were deep sapphire blue, burning with determination. At the same time, hers were chocolaty brown and glimmered with caution and a reluctance to assist or speak up for me. Why didn't these girls have courage like mine? Was it because I had come out of the accident worse but ultimately better that I dared to get people to take notice of me?

"Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?" Tanner's gaze moved through the room as he asked each person his question, but I did my best to stay out of his line of sight. I stayed as small and unnoticeable as possible so he wouldn't ask me anything.

Matt replied with his typical nonchalant attitude, "It's okay, Mr. Tanner: I'm fine with it." I could tell that Tanner wanted to reprimand the insolence. Still, as Matt was the Football team's Captain, Tanner was careful not to jeopardize the upcoming game in a week. Tanner merely grumbled, "Hmm."

That's when he shifted his gaze to me and my sister. I could feel the dislike radiating off him as if he wanted to interrogate me. He hated us specifically as students, but I knew he wouldn't put down someone disabled. But I sensed this wouldn't stop him from being unkind to my twin. "Elena? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events.

I could only imagine the embarrassment and flush creeping up my sister's olive-toned skin; she and I were a lot, and surprises like this were challenging. I'm sorry, I—I don't know. My sister said, trying to get the attention away from her. Tanner huffed annoyedly while stalking closer to her, "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena," Tanner said as his eyes grazed back to me pointedly, "But the personal excuses ended with summer break."

Stefan spoke up, irritated at how Mr. Tanner treated his friends. "There were 346 casualties." He said firmly. Mr. Tanner's eyes narrowed as he regarded Stefan, his expression changing from frosty to pure annoyance in a second. I was surprised that Stefan was speaking up for us; well... me specifically. I expected that he would speak up for Elena; he liked her, but me? That's when Tallinn spoke up. I looked over and was even more surprised that his eyes were pointed at me. "Unless you're counting local civilians, as I'm sure Gyda would have explained if you called on her."

Tanner was shocked that the two new students would be so bold, "That's correct. Misters…?" Gyda cast a grateful glance at her new friend and gave him an appreciative gesture of thanks with her hands. "Langstrom sir, Tallinn Langstrom." I curiously observed my teacher as if they were both in a staring contest.

His gaze was cautious and confused, almost like he had never seen someone like my friend before. It felt like his body was trying to decide whether to stay put or race away from the strange creature standing before him. Elena snapped her head over and with a wide-eyed surprised expression that made me want to laugh because Stefan was speaking up for us. I, too, gave him and Torrin a look of gratitude because they were being brave and sweet to stand up for us as Tanner flung our tragedy in our faces.

"Salvatore," Stefan responded informatively while shrugging his shoulder a bit haphazardly. Elena, I, and the class were stunned and captivated as Stefan boldly posed his answer to Tanner's question. It was so unexpected that a few students broke into laughter, taken aback by the student's defiance of our teacher. His expression transformed from annoyance to fascination as he shifted his focus away from Elena and onto Stefan and Tallinn. "Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?

Stefan nodded curtly in response, attempting to mask his deceit with indifference. Tanner nodded with mild interest, but not enough to stave off a superior attitude and tone. At the same time, he tried to correct what Stefan and Tallinn informed the class. I was annoyed. "Well, very good. Of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle." Mr. Tanner said as he returned to his desk and continued his lecture.

"Actually, there were 27, sir. Confederate soldiers fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are stored in the civil hall if you want to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner." I let out a breathy chuckle which I quickly covered with my hand. Luckily the sound was low enough that it didn't alert anyone to what had happened.

My attention was drawn to Stefan and Elena for a minute, who were making moony eyes at each other, it was cute, but I so wanted to gag and the coming-of-age teen romance cliche that I quickly diverted my eyes over to Tallinn, whose steel-gray eyes caught my deep sapphire blue ones. They were sparkling with mischief and humor. I couldn't help the smile and silently chuckle and his impish behavior.

Tallinn and I were in Art class, and we'd been working on drawing in a still life; we had several different objects to draw. Of course, there was the bowl of fruit and a coffee mug, but there was also one of those tiny burning incense statues that made the smoke look like a flowing waterfall. That was the object I chose to recreate on my sketch pad.

The pungent smoke of the incense hit my nose, the aroma was faint, and I couldn't quite tell what the unique scent was; it wasn't pleasant or rancid, but it was just there permeating the air. It was beautiful to watch the billows of smoke fall over the ridges of the rocky structure like water would down the falls.

It seemed to be dancing as it made its way down. When The last bell of the day soon rang out, echoing in the school halls and signaling the end of the day, I closed my sketchbook. I put my chalk and eraser puddy away before stepping away from my easel. "That was an excellent sketch, Gyda; how long have you been drawing?" Tallinn asked me as he put his sketchbook and tools in his backpack.

"For a very long time, I've loved coloring ever since I was a small girl in pigtails, but I really started drawing when I was ten, and I've been doing it ever since." I signed, placing my bag across my body and walking out of the art room with Tallinn beside me.

I walked out of school and met Elena where Bonnie's car had been parked that morning, she looked like she'd made it through the day reasonably ok, but a sadness lingered in the back of her eyes that shifted her usually bubbly happy demeanor "Hey Sissy, you ok?" I signed to her while my expression conveyed the worry churning in my stomach.

Elena gave me an indulgent and patient smile, "I should be asking you that." She responded, her tone curious, and her big brown eyes were turned to me, filled with compassion. "I mean, you probably dealt with more today than I did, was anyone mean to you? Or disrespectful? " We walked down the street of Main Street, discussing the day's events.

"I can't believe Stefan and Tallinn were brave enough to contradict Mr. Tanner like that," I signed, shaking my head in disbelief. I wish I could have spoken up in class and answered the question myself. It wouldn't have been half as impressive typing out my response on my text translator as if I'd been able to talk. The moment of triumph would have passed and fizzled out.

"I know," Elena agreed in excited flabbergastment, "He's going to be horrible to them now; no doubt he was embarrassed to be stood up to like that too."

Elena and I rounded the corner onto Bontinium Street, it was clear where Elena was heading, so I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, gaining her attention since we'd been walking in contented silence for about ten minutes, "I have a video therapy appointment with my therapist in thirty minutes, tell mom and Dad I say hi, and I miss them will you?" I asked while waiting at the crosswalk for the light to change so I could cross over towards our house instead of the Cemetary.

"Of course, I will; we'll go together another day, yeah? " Absolutely, I signed. We squeezed each other's hands and went our separate ways.

I was surprised to be joined by a large raven flying from streetlamp to streetlamp as I walked. It was weird. It seemed bigger than a normal raven, taller and fatter somehow, definitely different than the one yesterday I'd met at the old Salvatore ruins, but funnily enough, I got that same weird feeling I did when I first met Tallinn and Stefan there was just something about this different bird, something other; that I just didn't know how to put it into words or even have the words to describe it.

When I finally got home, I greeted Jenna, who was just putting her school things on the table so she could continue working on her psychology thesis; when I closed the front door, her head lifted and turned towards me. When she caught my eye, she walked over and greeted me with a smile and a hug, "how was your second day?" she asked as she pulled the lid of her laptop open.

I pulled out my text translator and started typing, "It was a thing; Caroline was a brat yesterday and didn't talk to me today. Mr. Tanner was an ass, but other than that, I didn't have too many problems." Jenna made a face of displeasure, surprised but not surprised at the same time that Caroline would treat her Gyda like that. Still, Caroline had always been shallow and judgy.

"I'm sorry to hear that 'G' I'm sure Caroline will come around once she gets used to having you back, and as for Mr. Tanner…. I'd say let it slide off your back, but I wouldn't do that; maybe you can soap and shaving cream his car as revenge." She teased out.

I smiled at her suggestion and nodded, "It's definitely something to consider." Jenna laughed, went to the fridge, and pulled out the Iced tea, "You want some?" She asked, motioning towards the picture of the bright red liquid.

I shook my head negatively, "I've got a therapy session in ten minutes with my doctor." I responded through my device. Jenna nodded while I walked up the stairs and into my room.

Dr. Hastings had talked me into coming to the bonfire tonight. I had fought with her and told her all the reasons why I didn't want to but, in the end, I had agreed, if only to show myself that I was brave enough not to assume something terrible would happen every time I went to a celebration, but boy was I going to be proved wrong on multiple occasions.

I sat on a log by the fire, near enough to hear Bonnie and Elena. It was a warm night, the Stars were out in total, and the only light illuminating the area was the fourth-quarter moon and the glow of the fire.

I looked around and saw the teens of Mystic Falls High laughing, talking, and carrying on as angsty teens should. Some were going off into the woods to make out, and more, others were dancing to the music while drinking the wine coolers and other alcohol snuck from their parent's wine cellars and alcohol cabinets.

It was so weird to be at a Bonfire party again since the last party had ended in disaster and was the cause of our family's latest troubles; Caroline had avoided us so far tonight, probably still uneasy about talking to me. I miserably sighed out my loneliness.

I felt so out of touch with everything and everyone, even my best friend Bonnie; I just didn't feel like I had anything in common with them anymore. "Just admit it, Elena. You think he's cute."

Bonnie teased. I got up from my spot, determined not to be mopey any longer, "on a hotness scale, he's definitely an 8.5, definitely Gilbert Blyth worthy, accept he's broodier." I typed it out on my text translator. Bonnie beamed at me and moved to wrap her arm around my back to bring me closer to the little gathering. "She's totally right." Bonnie authoritatively announced.

We both looked at each other when Elena's cheeks warmed up in embarrassment; Elena had loved the old movie since Mom had shown it to us when we were twelve and on the cusp of having our first crushes.

I liked the movie series generally, but I loved Phantom of the Opera more. It was so tragically romantic, and Phantom was so mysteriously understood, undercut because of something he couldn't control but robust, passionate, creative, and cunning. I wouldn't lie and say I didn't pity him because I most certainly did, and though he could be cruel and deadly, it made him all the more appealing.

"Oh, okay," Elena conceded as she nudged the two of us playfully, "so he's a little pretty."

Bonnie laughed, and I smirked, knowing that my twin was trying to cover her real feelings, so our teasing wouldn't hound her; she'd save her feelings for her journal entries. I was positive that she would write. "He has that romance novel stare." Bonnie sighed wistfully.

I couldn't see Bonnie falling for a guy like that; of course, every girl wanted romance, but for Bonnie, I felt like her love interest lied in an off-the-street meeting, a meet-cute. Where she would be wandering down the street with a coffee cup in her hand and suddenly bumping into an off-the-beat strong working man running late for something, and when they were frantically apologizing to each other for the kerfuffle they'd lay eyes on each other and instantly have a connection.

"What about Tallinn? he's stunning…." Elena said, lifting her eyebrows up and down in flirtatious inquisitiveness.

"Oh my gosh, he looks like he just walked off the runway at fashion week. He's just about as arrogant and cocky as a model to, you know, that song 'I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurt's?' That would be Tallinn's theme song," I replied wistfully. However, the voice that came out of my device was stiff and void of emotional context, making what I wrote all the funnier, causing Bonnie and Elena to burst into raucous laughter.

Third Person POV:

Tallinn and Stefan walk into the gathering on the lookout for the two girls they were there for; before they move forward, Caroline, the blond in his and Gyda's French class, walks up to them. Tallinn rolled his eyes, thoroughly annoyed with the mundane mortal; he had noticed how fallacious she was to Gyda, which made him dislike her.

He rolled his eyes when she locked onto them and started her way over, "Uh oh, Stefan, here comes the piranha to eat you up. I suggest you shut that down and fast before she gets her teeth too far in." Tallinn said as he ignored the blond and strode over to the keg that someone arranged to be brought while looking over the area, hoping to find Gyda somewhere.

Norns POV:

The three malevolent ancient beings stood on the outside of the group of mortal children watching the girl that they had tried to kill when they weaved the accident into her future; they seethed with anger as they watched her continue to live and breathe, though their sole conciliation was that the experience had damaged the girl.

The three destructive Norns, Kaoset, Sorgen, and Doden, stood outside the group of children and glared at Gyda, the girl they had tried to weave death into her future. If they couldn't kill her, they would have to manipulate her into willingly coming to them. The only solace was that she had been hurt by the accident.

The Norns were met with disbelief when they discovered that they could not manage her future. Her resilience and strong willpower enabled her to fight against it. Nonetheless, these powerful beings realized there was a way around this – they would take control of those close to her and use them to direct her toward their side. This became the perfect solution to their trouble.

"Her abilities are going to grow fast if we become active in her life," the Norn of Sorrow, Sorgen, intoned as she and her sisters watched Gyda walk up to her sister, Elena, and their witch friend, Bonnie.

Kaoset, the Norn of Chaos, laughed wickedly and then addressed her sisters, who were aiding her in devising a destiny for Gyda's friend's sibling—an insignificant and unhappy hometown girl nobody valued but their brother. They manipulated her fate to intertwine with the dark-haired, blue-eyed vampire that had recently entered the town with his own intentions, which agreed with theirs. He was what they needed: he was similar to them. Like many of his species, he enjoyed generating mischief, slaughter, and grief. Nonetheless, this vampire was just the start of their plan to force the Daughter of Odin into their service.

"The Volva will experience tremendous suffering and sorrow when she sees her family and friends lose those they love. She'll be so guilty that she can't do anything to prevent it. This should be enough to convince her to join us, bringing her mate with her when they meet and their future child too." The three of them cackled as they began another stage of their plan.

The Norns, fresh in their own magical abilities, were hoping to influence the witch; She didn't understand how magic should be centered around balance and neutrality between life and death as nature goes through cycles of creation and destruction. When they sent out their power to the girl, they coached her toward feelings of anger, judgment, loss, and a false sense of superiority. They knew she would come into their grasp just like so many witches had before. Over time, they had corrupted witches without the other side trying to stop them. The Norns often asked themselves why they were allowed the freedom to do such things.

Kaoset, the Norn of Chaos, gave an unsettling laugh as she looked upon the budding witch. Bonnie saw disturbing visions already influencing her toward the Malevolent Norns. Kaoset found great joy in manipulating innocent minds and exploiting them to use magic for their own purposes to save humanity from monsters. She felt empowered knowing that she could now influence most events around her, something, not even Odin and his gods could do.

Doden, the Norn of Death, replied as they watched the beginnings of their plans enacted when the Valkyrie and Stefan, the good Vampire, showed up at the party.

Tallinn POV:

When I spotted Gyda standing next to the witch and her sister, I couldn't help smirking at the vision she made, three teenage girls standing huddled together, laughing and gossiping about everyday girl things, hair, clothes, boys... It made quite the picture, and I wanted that for Gyda. Still, I knew she wouldn't get to have a lot of that because of who she was as an emerging Volva, a Valkyrie in training, and the Daughter of Odin. Gyda would have precious little time to do fun mundane things like that. I will have her busy training in Runic Magic, learning to defend herself, and helping her control her visions.

But I was curious and justified my eavesdropping as taking care and looking out for my charge as I engaged my hearing runes and concentrated on the conversation between Gyda, her sister, and the witch.

"so where are they?" Bonnie asked as she looked around the party for the two new guys, she believed her two best friends were interested in, "I don't know. You tell us you're the psychic one." Gyda nodded in agreement giving Bonnie a challenging expression with a purse of her lips and the arch of her burgundy eyebrow while adding from her text device, "Yes, Mystic Marry, reach into the void and pull out the answers we seek."

Bonnie smirked at Gyda's catty response, then straightened and put herself in a stance of authority over the stars and the spirits. "Right, I forgot. Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate."

Gyda garnered her twin's attention and mimed the shape of a circle, then made mystic wavy motions over one of her hands holding an invisible crystal ball, then pointed to Bonnie. Realization purveyed through Elena's mind as she understood what Gyda was trying to convey; she nodded with a glint of happiness as she interrupted their friend and excitedly exclaimed, "Wait, you need a crystal ball."

I scoffed softly and rolled his eyes in exasperated amusement. I watched my charge motion to one of the empty beer bottles on the ground before their feet. It was hilarious how they were asking a fledgling witch to give them knowledge of the future when that would become Gyda's job as a Volva (seeress).

Elena reached down and gave their dark-haired friend the bottle. The twins watched with bated amusement as Bonnie took it when she touched Elena's hand. Bonnie pauses for a moment, caught in a flash of images but returns to her senses almost as soon as it starts. She abruptly pulled her hand back, startled and unsure of what had just happened and what she had seen.

Elena stepped forward in worry, watching Bonnie's breath come out erratically as if she were scared. Gyda gripped her friend's arm in comfort, trying to offer her strength. I could see that Gyda had noticed her friend's shivering body, and she immediately pulled her jacket off and wrapped it around the witch's shoulders. Bonnie gave her a small smile of gratitude, "Thanks," Bonnie interjected softly. At the same time, Gyda responded with a pat on the witch's arm before Elena questioned what had happened. I was interested to know what the fledgling witch had seen too. "What was that?"

I watched Bonnie intently as she shook her head, unsure how to explain. I could tell that she was scared, this being the first time she really experienced Psychic visions, Gyda had been the same the other day, and probably the first time she experienced her visions after the accident when I activated her divine and innate magic by marking her with Runes for the first time, "that was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow..." Bonnie trailed off, biting her lip in worry.

My charge looked at her sister worriedly because that was parallel to her experience with Odin's Raven, who had followed her earlier. I watched Gyda's expression turn from mild concern to questioning as she typed on her text translator, asking, "Why did you see a crow?" the device asked Bonnie.

That pronouncement startled Elena because it was just her experience after Gyda left her to go home. The incident had been out of the Hitchcock Tv show. "What?"

"I saw a crow. There was fog, a man..." she shook her head to dispel the creepy feeling that was crawling up the back of her neck.

My attention was brought back to Gyda and the girls as Bonnie tried to shake off what she'd seen as the effects of intoxication, "I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it." Bonnie interlaced in her shock and fright. "Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna get a refill."

The twins watched their friend flee from them, not allowing them to worry over her. Stefan stepped up beside me, gave me the side eye, and jerked his head towards the twins telling me he wanted to go over and talk to them. I agreed, having the need to be closer to my charge and see if she was okay because the way she was wrapping her arms around herself, I could tell that she was unnerved but trying to keep up a strong front for her sister, just as a warrior should.

I nodded, and we began to walk closer to the girl's we were just behind them as they turned around; Elena was startled, but Gyda remained poised but wary, even though we had made headway in creating a relationship where we could begin to work together, we still had far to go. "Hi," Elena gasped, having been startled by our unannounced presence.

"Hello/ Hi," Steffan and I greeted the girls. My greeting was poised for Gyda as Stefan's had been for Elena. We looked at each other and chuckled at our laughable interaction with each other; Gyda and I eyed each other, knowing that we should leave her sister and Stefan alone to talk; Gyda turned to her twin and began to sign, "I'm going to show Tallinn the Fall's we won't be long," Elena blushed to know her sister was giving her time alone with her crush. Still thankful nonetheless, she nodded and gave me a piercing glance that said I'd better take care of her sister or else.

Mockingly I raised my hands in surrender just before Gyda guided me towards the waterfall just on the outskirts of the party. " You and Stefan are the talk of the town from every girl that's old enough to notice you don't have cooties." Gyda signed while eyeing me once over, appreciating that I was dressed better than half the guys here.

I knew she appreciated sophistication and Style. It was clear from the outfit she was wearing, which was an off-shoulder bohemian style peasant shirt, which was shorter in the front and longer in the back showing off her brown high-waisted leather leggings, paired with platform style Indian Squaw boots that came up to her shins. Her outfit was graceful, sleek, and functional, everything a Valkyrie needed to be. "Well, I'm not interested in what all the girls think about me. None of these girls have what I'm looking for," I said as a double Entandra.

Gyda Snorted at my comment, which was why I wanted to make her laugh, "And what exactly are you looking for? Because you'll get a lot from a lot of people if you aren't careful who you keep around you." Gyda signed as we stopped in front of a railing that kept us from going closer to the drop-off that overlooked the waterfall below us.

"I'm looking to fulfill my destiny," I replied secretly as I leaned my arms on the wood railing, looking out into the rushing water while keeping my listening runes engaged. I followed Stefan and Elena's conversation while Gyda and I walked closer to the forest. At the same time, Elena and Stefan made their way toward the bridge.

Norns POV:

The three of us grinned wickedly as our plan started to take shape. First, we had planted the seeds of dread and mistrust in the witch, and now it was time for the intricate web of lies and death to begin. We focused on the blond vampire as he attempted to keep his monstrous nature obscured while pretending to be human; however, it was causing his appetite for blood to surge due to letting down his barriers around Elena, Gyda's fraternal twin. Soon enough, Elena and we would witness his fabrications unravel, mainly when the following phase of our plot unfolded. As malevolent Norns, we could feel the other vampire we had woven into Vicki's future drawing nearer to the gathering, we could sense the intent they had implanted in him to stir up animosity between him and his brother and bring havoc and misery all around them, and we loved every bit of it. Yet we knew our counterparts were executing their plan to foil our yearning for Disorder, Death, and Misery.

"I'm sorry. You're upset about something." Stefan replied to Elena's pensive expression.

"Oh, uh, no, it's- it's just Bonnie. She's...You know what? Never mind. You're...here." the sister said, trying to get her mind off her worries for her friend; for Gyda, Elena was perceptive, knowing that her twin was keeping up a brave front of not being scared that something might happen at this party like something happened at the last one. I could feel the attraction wafting off the two of them from so far away that it was grating. And I almost gagged when Stefan huskily replied, "I'm here."

Gyda POV:

I could feel the thoughtful expression on my face, the way the wind played with my hair, the way I held myself, even the way I stood beside him pondering. I looked at him in wonder, not at his obvious good looks, quaffed and well-combed hair, or fine clothes. Still, at the way his head was tilted up, his eyes closed as if waiting for an answer from the sky, his lips were pursed as if he was waiting for me to denigrate his proclamation of his belief in fate, each ear was pointed towards the waterfall, his body language spoke of such serenity that I didn't want to disturb the artistry of him, he was a standing statue of the Thinker "Destiny huh," I thought to myself.

Gazing out into the trees, I heard the roar of a river pouring into the lake below, replenishing what had been lost to the summer heat in an endless cycle. A gust of wind blew my hair into my eyes, and I brushed it away. As I watched the forest, I remembered a Christmas long ago when my father had read A Christmas Carol with me when s I was thirteen or so. "Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which if persevered in, they must lead, said Scrooge, but if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!" The idea of fate and destiny weighed heavily on my mind as I remembered the three figures standing on the bridge before our car broke through the barricade and went off wickery bridge.

I pondered the fate and destiny of mankind and the notion that some people were chosen to fulfill specific roles in life. For example, Christopher Columbus was selected to find the Americas, Augustus Caesar unified Rome, and Elizabeth I reigned peacefully over England. Did everyone have an unavoidable purpose on earth? It was a perplexing thought.

As I watched the waterfall below us, each droplet of water I imagined represented an individual life meant to lead its own course. But how much control did we really have in our own lives? Did we have free will to fall where we may, or were we bound by a predetermined path falling into one lake, adding to what was already there? "I can't decide if depending on an outside source to give your life direction is foolishness or security." My hands spoke what my voice could not.

All I knew for sure was until the accident, I didn't believe in anything, and now my life was on shaky ground. I felt the need for security, "Are we any safer with a plan that shows us the way, or was it better to throw caution to the wind?" I asked in response to Tallinn's earlier statement.

Tallinn smiled in response to my question, his eyes gentle and wise beyond the years he appeared to be, "We are all on a journey together, and of course, it's always wise to have a plan. But that doesn't mean an absence of risk. Even with a plan, things will change, and our decisions will become more complex. So, let's embrace the challenges and see where they lead us." He pushed me away from the falls and led me toward the forest. Tallinn was silent in thought for a moment.

His eyes still look towards the sky, deftly missing the roots and bumps in the terrain that could have him flat before speaking again. "Fate and destiny have their place, yes, but so does free will-we all have choices to make in this life." He looked down at me thoughtfully and added, "You know better than most that life is short; we must choose our paths wisely."

I could feel myself becoming increasingly drawn into this thought process as I watched the water gush onto rocks below us, not knowing where it came from or where it would go next, somehow that rung familiar to me, but that couldn't be right; I knew where I came from, but after the accident, the future had become so uncertain... but I was determined to meet it out no matter what it held for me. Despite all the questions running through my head, it seemed so peaceful here.

Tallinn's POV:

As Gyda and I approached the edge of the forest, I squinted my eyes, leaning my head to the side as if I were listening to a voice whisper; I could still hear Stefan and Elena talking. They were chatting about the car accident that he happened upon, and I was ordered to go to "Last spring. My parents' car drove off a bridge into the lake. Gyda and I were in the backseat. She and I survived, but...they didn't, I didn't have a scratch on me, but Gyda lost her voice because of it... So that's my story." Elena lamentably intoned.

I could hear the haunting compassion in his voice; he hated that Elena was sad, just as I hated knowing that the loss of Gyda's voice was the sacrifice she had to pay to become what she was supposed to be. "You won't be sad forever, Elena. And I feel Gyda will become all the stronger for her disability."

Suddenly there was an energy surrounding the party, and as I sensed it further, I could feel the need to feed come from Stefan, and I engaged my Rune that I had marked on him long ago to jolt him with pain as a reminder to get his head out of the naughty places in his mind, and away from the voices that told him to feed, but I also felt the list of names of the dead come to the fore of my mind and Vickie Donovan's was blinking in and out of focus,

Tallinn's POV:

Something about what he had seen wasn't right, I could feel a heaviness in the crowd, a weight that was settling, and it felt familiar, something that I couldn't quite place, but I knew I'd felt it before. I heightened my senses, including my sight, hearing, my sensitivity to magic, and my sense of touch, because even unseen things could be felt if you were attuned to it. "And there it is," I murmured, walking closer to Gyda, surrounded by the energy I felt.

The energy in the forest did not come from her, yet I couldn't see the Norns who had woven it—their power was so great that even the gods couldn't see them. It was like a web had been spun around her, but it wasn't touching her; she was its nucleus, while its tendrils spiraled outward towards everyone else around her, clinging to them like spider silk to skin. The web of destiny was almost impossible to shake off. All at once, I realized what I felt: the power of the Norns' Wyrd web.

"Dam," The thought struck me like a bolt of lightning that maybe, just maybe, the Fates were present here. Were they benevolent or malevolent? I had no clue. At least not yet...I tried to distract myself, knowing that I couldn't interfere with whatever was happening or about to happen, so I made easy conversation for the time being.

"The stars are shining brilliantly tonight, wouldn't you agree? They're just twinkling little orbs of oxygen and gas, helpless to resist my gaze."

Gyda scoffed and shoved me with her hip. I laughed as we stood side by side, "they are beautiful; I bet you like to think that the moon and planets align just for you don't you," she signed to me.

I couldn't help but smile as she silently giggled as I laughed aloud, "How were you after Mr. Tanner's little tantrum today?" I tried not to let my discomfort show, not wanting to be seen as vulnerable by my new acquaintance. But it was clear that Tanner ignoring her and saying those things to her sister bothered her.

"I wanted to slap his face, scream, and rage at him for daring to speak of the ending of our excuses over the summer." her hands were a flurry of movement, and her frustration was evident.

She looked into my eyes, trying to read what I was thinking, but all she would see was a worried swirl of concern rolling around in my silver eyes. We stood silently for a moment, "do you believe in the Gods, Gyda?" Tallinn asked me.

I could see that the query stunned her; I was doing that a lot tonight. I suppose with our discussion about fate and destiny not too long ago, she hadn't expected me to be someone interested in religion or spirituality, but I didn't need to be.

" Before the accident, I would have answered no—I went to church because that was our Sunday ritual. Now, though?" I could tell that Gyda's thoughts drifted back to what she'd told me she saw on the bridge before her parent's car crashed: "Three women standing in the middle of the road, ancient and mysterious like a scene out of a Greek myth about the Moirai (fate goddesses), but it didn't fit into this neat narrative. It just felt wrong." she had said.

Her body began to shake as she thought back and tried to concentrate harder. I knew these signs she was trapped in a barrage of images, Tyler and Vickie out in the woods making out, Tyler pushing up against Vicki, Gyda could hear the girl pleading for him to let her go, her being saved by Jeremy, her walking in the forest alone and being swept up by a monster who was biting into her neck.

Another image pushed its way through with a tall black-haired man standing in front of an open window in a bedroom that looked like it was built in the early 1900s, and Stefan's back was facing the Volva; she knew who it was because Stefan was so descriptive and unforgettable different from Tallinn, and the dark-haired man in front of her, I felt her body flinch in my hold scared of the image she was seeing, she could hear the two talking,

"Well, let's hope not. We both know how that ended. Tell me, when's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?"

I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not gonna work.

"Yeah? Come on. Don't you crave a little?"

Damon, the dark-haired man, started hitting Stefan. And cajoling him, "Stop it."

"Let's do it. Together. I saw a couple of girls out there. Or just, let's just cut to the chase, let's just go straight for Elena and her sister."

I clung to Gyda's body as it violently shuddered; I even had to engage my strength runes to keep her from hurting herself. She weakly pushed her hand to her temple, letting me know that her head was probably throbbing like the beat of a drum as she watched the images, which were powerful and vivid, "the sound," she voicelessly moaned, "so loud," I understood as I read her lips.

As I spoke calming words to her, I could only imagine that I barely penetrated the haze of sound and images flitting through her mind. I could imagine it was as if we were on two opposite gulfs, or I was underwater, and her hearing was muffled.

Biting her lip and clenching her fist was all she could do not to scream.

The following vision was of Me, Elena, and Jeremy watching Vickie Donovan being lifted into an ambulance and then driving home with Jenna in her car while watching ambulance lights swirl in the distance.

When she came back to herself, we were sitting on the ground. I was at her back, speaking softly into her ear, words in a language she didn't understand; her breath was coming out in heaves like her body had gone without oxygen. My strong arms were wrapped around her, one across her chest just under my chin and the other across her belly, "what...?" she weakly signed, "What was that?"

She leaned her head against my chest and raised her face to my eyes; her expression was questioning. I could see the struggle in her eyes, wanting and not wanting to be told what was going on. Still, after warring with myself for a minute, I became determined to tell her something of the truth. I could see that Gyda knew that I really didn't want to but understood that I would say to her what I could, "your different, Gyda, in so many way's" I began as I wiped the damp, sweaty hair away from her face.

"You have a bloodline that gives you gifts, gifts that until you learn to use and control them and until you reach a certain point and age, your body will have trouble like this," I spoke calmly.

I explained that it was like her powers were trying to break free, but they weren't quite ready yet. I could tell that she didn't want to believe me, but there was no denying what she had just gone through.

Gyda POV:

He helped me to my feet; I swiped the dirt and tree needles off the back of my pants. I wanted to ask him more questions, but I was nervous too. I wanted to know, but then what would I find out? I wasn't sure I wanted to know right this minute.

We wandered back to the party, and I went and sat down near the fire just to rest and collect myself. Tallinn found me a bottle of water, I thanked him silently, and he wandered off to meet new people, or so I thought.