Chapter 23: New Perspective
Caroline was absent and would be for another week or so until she got better and that left most of her work to me. Though Elena had taken over for Caroline with Bonnie's help, it wasn't the same. I had to hear Dana and the rest of the student council complain while I was recovering in the hospital. They had all cheered on the phone when I told them I had been discharged.
I shivered thinking about my sudden discharge from the hospital and the events leading up to it. A minute or two late and I would be six feet under. My 'gifts' were useful again other than being useful to traumatize, this time it actually saved me and I was relieved. If I didn't have that premonition, I would be dead.
I trained extra hard to use my magic, unlike Bonnie, I was on my own. No spellbooks, no mentor or knowledge whatsoever. Everything I was doing was trial and error based. Most of them were errors but at least I managed to gain a little bit more control over the light. There was no controlling the dreams and I had already long given up on it.
Now the only problem was the sudden telepathy I gained a few months back that worked like a faulty light switch. Sometimes I could use it with ease like this morning with my uncle but other times especially in crowds I would lose control and get overwhelmed with a splitting headache that made me want to rip apart my head.
"Finally, you're here." Dana grabbed me by the arm. "Elena is driving me insane."
I stopped myself from falling and turned to look at Dana, giving her a look. "What did she do?" I asked, giving up being annoyed at Dana for her tackle earlier.
"Nothing." She said, dragging me to the site of the annual carnival. "And that's the problem."
"I'm sure she did something…"
"If you count getting on my nerves then yes, she did something."
I grabbed a clipboard nearby with my name on it and started reading it while trying to keep up with her. "Dana. You know it would be nice if you could just skip this whole "Elena sucks" rant you always have and get to the point." I stopped walking and gave her a pointed look. "And before you do that, I'll remind you Elena is one of my closest friends so watch it."
Dana rolled her eyes and agreed to keep her complaints towards Elena to a minimum. "The point is; the carnival is tonight and Elena is nowhere to be seen."
"She texted me this morning and said she would be running late."
"Excuses." Dana snapped.
I rolled my eyes and sighed before looking around. Dana was right, the carnival rides and booths were not set up or in the right place. Elena had managed to follow most of Caroline's plans but not all and it was clear that she had stopped half way through. Knowing her, she must've been caught up in the mess with the vampires again or her family drama that most likely involved John and Jeremy.
I finished my inspection. "We're focusing on the games. The rides are mostly being handled by the people from the carnival, we can't do anything about that but push them or motivate them to work faster. Let's focus on what we can do; the games. So far we have the duck ponds set up along with the milk bottle ring toss, skeeball, kissing booths, ball and bucket toss and the…um water guns."
I was a little unsure so I flicked through the printed pages on the clipboard and glanced around. The water gun section was done.
"The whack-a-mole is half-set up, we just need to add the mallets and—" I craned my head towards that booth and turned back to Dana.
"Actually, nevermind it looks done. The prizes can be added later but the dunk tank, darts, basketball free throws, fishing, the high-striker or the strongman game is half set up. The hammer is missing. Other than that, we just need to add the prizes." I listed it all down and glanced at Dana. "Sounds easy enough." I finished.
"It does. Only if you ignore the people that haven't shown up to put those together or the prizes haven't been delivered yet." She screeched, pointing at the unfinished booths. "There's also the food stalls. Did you forget?"
"The delivery for the prizes are arriving in an hour. I texted Chad, Jeff and Rei on my way here to collect them. Will's on stand by with them to sign the deliveries in."
I passed through some unfinished rides, Dana trailing behind me. Sometimes, she could be more intense than Caroline. It was a good thing I stressed less when other people around me were more stressed.
"And, about the food stalls, we're not handling that so don't worry about it."
"But we do have to worry about making space for them." Dana picked up her clipboard and flipped it to a page. "Look Caroline clearly marked it out here but look at what Elena did in Caroline and your absence." She wildly gestured to the layout drawn by Caroline that I knew too well, I did help edit that and then she pointed to the mess around us. "Look at it!"
"Oh my god, Dana. Re-lax. I'll handle it. Let's take it one step at a time."
I gave her a look and placed a hand on her shoulder, telling her to calm down. She was getting on my nerves now. I looked at her and silently commanded her to calm down.
Her eyes momentarily flashed a pale gold and shimmered lilac before she calmed down and nodded.
"Better?"
"Weirdly enough. Yeah." She answered. "What should we start with?" She asked, looking a little bit more optimistic and less stressed. Somehow that erased the guilt of tampering with the minds of others for a short second. She looked far more relaxed and less anxious than before. Maybe what I did wasn't that bad after all.
"Well, um. I don't know. Since you've been here since 5 am, you can do something lightweight like—" I looked down at the clipboard and flicked through them. "The darts, it's super simple to set up and after that, go on a snack break or maybe go accompany the others for the delivery." I suggested.
She nodded, thinking it was fair. "What about you?"
"I think I'm gonna check the shooting gallery and—the crossbow target shoot." I answered, flipping the pages back and forth. "We'll regroup at 2 pm at the—" I looked around and stopped. "Cafeteria?"
I sighed loudly when she left, throwing my head back. I dragged myself to the shooting gallery and checked on the set-up. We weren't exactly allowed to touch the shooting gallery equipment for the most part for health and safety reasons or something like that but I needed to check if it was set up and tick it off my list of finished attractions.
Thankfully when I got there it was done. I ticked that as complete before making my way to tick the balloon blast section which was next to the water guns which was not done.
The deflated colorful balloons were laying on the shelves where the prizes would be displayed instead of being placed over the targets. At least the water guns for this were installed and seemed to be working.
There was someone from the basketball team nearby that helped me fix the balloons on top of creepy clown heads that had a hollow hole in the mouth for the water. Once the balloons were installed and the extras put away where needed, I made a note of it on my clipboard and started walking around after I thanked the person who helped me.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to ask their name.
I let out a sigh before I even heard him speak. "Someone's been ignoring all my calls and texts again." Damon greeted, walking behind me.
"Someone needs to get a life." I ripped a sheet from the clipboard I was holding and passed it to one of the carnival workers. "Can I help you?"
"Maybe. Carol Lockwood invited me over to her house this morning. Any ideas why?"
"Her husband, the mayor, just died and John skipped town after the mess that was the Founders' Day celebration. I'm sure you can put two and two together." I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world and it was.
"Ah. Council stuff. John skipping town was a surprise. I don't know why Carol doesn't take over the council herself or let the sheriff do it."
I made a face. I don't know if Damon didn't know or he was acting stupid to get a rise out of me. Either way, I decided to spell it out for him.
"Carol's not related to the founders. She's only one through marriage; the same goes for the Sheriff who's a Forbes but has distant relations to the original Forbes family, so distant that some don't even consider her a true Forbes and one of the original requirements for council leaders is for them to be descendent of a founding family."
"Wouldn't someone from your family be more qualified for this?" He questioned instead.
"They would but we don't really associate ourselves with the council anymore." I pointed out like I always did since I came back to town.
At this point, my family and I needed to get tiny cards printed which said those words and everytime someone would ask why we don't work with or for the council, hand them the card and walk off.
"Guess I'm gonna be stuck with Carol for the rest of my day."
My face softened as I remembered Mrs Lockwood's tired and restless appearance earlier that day, so different from her usual put-together self. She had even become less snobby. Regardless of how she felt about her husband, it was cler that she was upset over his death.
"Go easy on her, Damon. She just lost her husband." I said softly.
"He was a dick." He retorted, leaning on a piece of a carnival ride nearby. "I don't know why everyone is acting like they actually miss him. I bet half of this town is actually glad he's gone. This town is full of hypocrites."
"Or maybe they're being respectful and polite, something you should try doing instead of being snarky and...rude. Have some respect for the dead."
"You don't even respect me."
"Technicalities. You're 'living' dead. Emphasis on the living part. Maybe when you actually drop dead, I'll start respecting you."
"No, you won't."
"I guess we'll find out when we cross that bridge."
"Admit it, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone."
I rolled my eyes and looked away, I felt annoyed for some reason. "Anyways, if you're done here, I'd like to get back to work."
Damon grabbed my arm and turned me around to face him. His face was scrunched up as he let out a quiet sigh like he was tired and anxious of what he was about to tell me.
"I'm not done but speaking of the living dead, Katherine's back."
My grip on the clipboard tightened. "I've heard."
"That explains why you've been ignoring my calls. You're mad at me."
"I haven't been ignoring your calls. I've been busy. In case you haven't noticed the mayor's dead and the council is a mess. I've been helping my family out. On top of that, Caroline's hospitalized in the middle of carnival prep so I'm doing a two person job, even though Elena took over with some help from Bonnie, they're not as good as Caroline."
I gestured with my free hand to the half-built booth that I was standing near.
"Also I have no reason to be mad at you because of Katherine's return. In fact, I hope you two sail off into the sunset together and leave this town."
"That's probably not gonna happen, anytime soon." Damon said, looking a little conflicted. "But you're not mad at me." He asked, leaning in but not letting go.
"No. Should I be?" I questioned.
"You don't know."
"Know what?"
Damon ignored my question and instead asked me something else like he was avoiding something. "You haven't talked to Elena lately?"
"I didn't get the chance. I did talk to Bonnie though."
"So you don't know that I—um—nothing."
I rolled my eyes and let out a deep audible sigh. "Oh my god. What did you do this time?"
"Nothing. Nothing."
"So you did something." I guessed. He was dodging after he brought up something. "It's fine, if you don't tell me. I'll just ask Stefan or Elena."
"Elena's not gonna tell you the full story. You'll only hear her point of view and she currently hates me."
"Hates you? I thought you were best friends.." I recalled the two being friendly on Founders' Day but it seemed things had changed.
"Calling us best friends is pushing it—but Katherine happened."
"Okay? So what did your psychotic ex do?"
"She did something."
"You either tell me what happened or don't. I'll just ask Elena and then I can be actually mad at you."
I didn't mean what I was saying but I guess it was an effective threat. If Damon was going to beat around the bush after bringing something up and then acting like he wasn't going to tell me, I could get my news from elsewhere even if it was slightly skewed against him. Elena would be biased against him but Stefan wouldn't.
I'd use both of their words to come to my own conclusion but did I really want to go through all of that trouble, I didn't know.
"Okay. I screwed up." He admitted after a moment, letting go.
I rolled my eyes and folded my arms against my chest. "When do you not screw up?"
"Let me finish. I screwed up bad." He said. "I went to see Elena and she tried to kiss me."
I scrunched up my face in disgust and shook my head. Elena would never do that. She had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who she nearly got herself killed over. She wouldn't do that.
She wouldn't.
Would she?
No.
"Elena would never do that." I knew her and that was not something she would ever do.
"Well she didn't."
I smiled, knowing I was right but my smile dropped when I noticed Damon's face. No. It couldn't be.
"Katherine?" Not the psychotic vampire ex from hell. She was the last person I wanted to meet, especially after all the memories of both Lydia and Edmund, I had re-lived.
"Katherine."
I was a little stunned. I didn't think Katherine would pretend to be Elena instead of being herself. "So you kissed Katherine thinking she was Elena but you have feelings for Katherine that you're projecting onto Elena. Oh my god!" I covered my mouth with the clipboard, my eyes were wide. "I'm not mad, I'm just grossed out." I took the clipboard off my face.
"I didn't kiss Katherine!" He defended himself and I held my hand out, bringing it down to tell him to lower his volume.
A couple of the carnival workers passing by gave us strange looks. I had to look away, a little embarrassed. I didn't need to read their mind to know what they were thinking. They probably thought this was a lovers' spat.
"What?" He questioned because of my embarrassed silence. "Do you think I'm 'that' kind of person?"
"Sometimes. I mean Elena was a dead ringer for your ex." That he was so madly obsessed with and he had the opportunity to kiss someone who looked like her. I was kind of right to think that. He didn't exactly give me another reason to believe otherwise.
"I have thought about it but no, she's Stefan's girlfriend."
"Didn't stop you before."
"Seriously?" I shrugged in response. "That was different. Katherine was manipulative and Elena is different."
"Oh look there's the point that Stefan and I've been trying to make from the start."
Damon rolled his eyes and continued. "I didn't kiss Katherine who was pretending to be Elena but I admit, I almost did but I didn't."
"Because you remembered that Elena is Stefan's girlfriend and you backed off like the good brother you're trying to be, right?" I was trying too hard to force Damon to get along with Stefan but this was mostly for the sake of Stefan who I had started to consider a friend.
"Not really. I wasn't even thinking about Stefan. I stopped because I remembered what you said that night of the Founders' day celebration."
Damon's answer caught me off guard and I was left speechless except for one word. "Oh." I said, slightly backing away to put some distance between us. "Well, I wouldn't be mad about that."
"It's what I did afterwards that would make you mad at me. I killed Jeremy."
"Wait. What! You killed Jeremy!"
My hands felt warm and from the corner of my eyes, I noticed small dusts of light hovering around them. Not here, I thought. I sucked in a breath, shutting my eyes and letting go before opening my eyes, calming down.
That was close.
"He's not really dead. He was wearing a ring like John's and he came back."
"Doesn't matter. Wha—why would you do something like that?" I tried to rationalize his actions in my head. There was no reason for it. Well, there was one. "Is it because of something Katherine said?"
"Katherine got inside my head and I wanted to talk to Elena about how she almost kissed me when really it was really Katherine pretending to be Elena but Jeremy interrupted us and I lost my temper but at least—I saw his ring and I knew he'd come back to life."
"You didn't see his ring. You didn't care about the ring." I said, backing off from him and putting some distance between us as I ran my fingers through my hair in disbelief. All I could hear were excuses. Excuses that didn't justify what he did.
"I did." He admitted, taking a step forward.
More excuses. It wasn't hard to come clean about what he did. He wasn't like this before. Now, it seemed that he had taken to making excuses for anything he did.
Excuses that I didn't want to hear or believe.
"No. You didn't. I know you by now, Damon. You even noticing Jeremy's ring sounds like an excuse, an excuse that Stefan probably came up with to calm Elena down."
Damon stilled when he heard me.
"Stefan did come with that excuse, didn't he?"
It all made sense now. Stefan came with that excuse to get him off the hook and calm Elena down. Only it didn't work and Elena was back to hating him or avoiding him at best.
"But he came back. Jeremy came back." He had a point.
Jeremy wasn't dead anymore.
What Damon did was bad but being angry at him would not change anything. I already felt that he was a little guilty about what he did.
I sighed and took a step forward before checking the time on my wristwatch. "I'm not mad...there's no point being mad not when Jeremy is alive but don't make it a second time."
"That's it?" He questioned, leaning back, a little confused why I was letting this go. "That's all you're going to say to me."
"Yeah. Jeremy's alive but being angry at you about what's done is not going to change anything or you and it's not that productive for me, not when I have tons of work to do."
I remembered, looking down at my clipboard. There were so many highlighted tasks that I had yet to start on. That and I also had to let my family know about Katherine.
Damon frowned at me. He was a little surprised by my responses. He looked a little relieved, I might have been mistaken or something. "I thought you'd be angrier."
"Like I said, I'm busy. I have a carnival to run and Caroline is absent, which reminds me," I pointed out. "Thanks for what you did. Personally, it wasn't my choice but it was the only choice we had left. She's fine now."
He smiled a little. "It was either you healing her and accidentally killing yourself or me giving her my blood. I picked the easier option."
I nodded. "I figured. You would've done it anyway, for Elena." He cared for Elena more than he cared for anyone else in that room at that time. I knew that.
"Not really." He muttered.
I heard him but I pretended I didn't because letting him know I heard him would mean questioning him about it and I didn't want to know.
Sometimes, ignorance was bliss.
"Is there anything else I need to know? Considering you flooded my phone with calls and texts." I changed the topic.
"Katherine's back. She's already threatened Bonnie and tried to mess with my head. Who knows what else she might be planning. Keep your eyes open."
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were worried about me."
"Maybe I am."
I made a face and shook my head. I didn't believe that he cared for me. I wasn't Katherine or Elena or even Lydia. He was probably trying to mess with my head.
"I'm gonna get back to work and you should go. Mrs Lockwood doesn't like people who are late."
"I'll see you at the carnival then."
"You won't."
I still had a lot to do. The carnival. Katherine Pierce's return. There was a lot to do.
I had a guess that if Katherine was in town then she wasn't alone just like Isobel and John were working together. There was no way Katherine was alone, especially if I went by the events of 1864 where she was found to be working with Bonnie's ancestor, Emily and a bunch of the tomb vampires including Pearl.
Katherine Pierce, in my mind, was someone cunning and not to be taken lightly. Damon thought she was just a nuisance right now but I saw her as a threat to me. my friends and this town.
If an opportunity arose, I'd kill her.
"Sorry I'm late." Elena arrived an hour or two later, avoiding Dana and the rest of the student council on the way. She apologized profusely while explaining to me why she was late.
I nodded in greeting and listened to her explain herself as I snuck a glance at her. I could help but examine her. I didn't feel a deathly chill or anything but I still couldn't help but reach for the bloodstone necklace on my neck.
Thankfully she didn't notice what I was doing.
The two of us quietly chatted while filling the balloons with helium as Bonnie joined us later. I made a face at Elena's recap of events that I had missed and glanced at Bonnie who had just finished telling her side of the story.
"So let me get this straight, Katherine pretended to be you and almost kissed Damon but Damon rejected her and then stabbed John and then you found Jeremy od'd upstairs." I tried to make sense of what had happened in my absence and looked from Elena to Bonnie who shrugged in response. "Wow you've had one hell of a week."
My childhood best friend sighed and shook her head as she unpacked a bundle of plush toys that were meant to be the prizes for the game. "No. Most of it happened on the same night." Elena corrected.
"No way."
"Yeah." Elena said. "Damon almost kissing Katherine and Katherine stabbing John happened on the same night while Jeremy almost od'ing was on a different night. What else did I miss? I feel like I missed something. Oh right. Damon killed Jeremy." She added in a sarcastic tone but her face was dark.
"He killed Jeremy?" Bonnie was alarmed as she gently reached out for Elena.
"According to Stefan, he saw the ring."
Stefan really did come up with that excuse but that was the least of my concerns. I can't imagine finding your biological father slash adopted uncle on the floor bleeding near death and then a couple days later, finding her brother overdosing.
She had one hell of a week.
"Are you okay?" I dropped my things to the side and engulfed her into a hug, patting her back. She returned my hug and exhaled tiredly. When she pulled back, she tried to smile but couldn't and instead just gave me a half-smile.
"Damn, it looks like Katherine paid everyone a visit." I commented lightly.
"Almost everyone." Bonnie corrected. "She didn't threaten or come see you. Did she?"
"Hmm." I picked up my clipboard and pen while turning my back to them.
The premonition or the dream I had at the hospital still haunted me. I was used to experiencing death in my dreams but it was the first time I saw my death.
Obviously I was shaken.
I didn't know if the vampire that tried to kill me was Katherine or a surviving tomb vampire. She sounded a lot like Elena but Elena wasn't a vampire.
I exhaled and turned back to face my two friends who looked concerned. "I don't know actually." I answered after a moment of thinking.
"You don't know?" Bonnie asked.
"No. I don't." I confirmed. "It's a little confusing, if I'm being honest." I added, tilting my head and recalling my dream. It was a nightmare for me, one where I felt helpless. "...I had a dream."
Bonnie and Elena shared a look. Both of them hurried closer to huddle around me while checking our surroundings. "What kind of dream?" Elena asked, dropping her voice.
"Are we talking about…um…psychic dreams?" Bonnie added. I nodded my head towards Bonnie. "So what did you see?"
"It was about a couple nights ago when I was still admitted to the hospital in the aftermath of Founders' Day." I started.
"It was dark and it was late at night, almost 4 am, way past visiting hours. I dreamt that I was laying in bed when I felt something. It was a vampire. I knew it wasn't anyone we know like Stefan, Damon or even Lexi. It wasn't like either of them to show up out of the blue—so I got up and started looking around. Someone was in my room with me, they caught me and pushed me into the hospital bed and uh…"
I had to pause to gather my thoughts a little. "I think I died in my dream."
Elena and Bonnie shared a look as their faces distorted with concern and anxiety. "And you think Katherine was going to kill you."
"I don't know. I didn't see her but I did hear her speak. I think it was her, she said something about 'paying back what my family put her through all those years ago'."
"The battle of Willow Creek? But that doesn't make sense. Your family wasn't even around for that." Elena said. She was right and wrong. She just didn't know the extent of my family's involvement and I didn't think I should tell her.
"Maybe it was something to do with the council?" Bonnie offered. "I mean she did go after John as well."
Elena nodded and turned to look at me. "Maybe. I don't know but it was so freaky. She sounded a lot like you."
"She looked just like you as well. It was freakish." Bonnie added.
"She is my ancestor." Elena pointed out instead and moved away before changing the topic, something that I welcomed. "Hey, I moved the student booth into the cafeteria."
"Thanks for that. It was on my list and I can just cross that off." I picked up my clipboard and crossed it off then shared it with Elena who scanned over it. She compared hers to mine, making notes over it while Bonnie stared at us.
"You guys, it was Elena's vampire ancestor and she didn't just resemble her like a family member would." Bonnie said, bringing the conversation back to Katherine. "She was you." She added, looking at Elena.
Elena froze up and clutched her clipboard and sighed. "I don't know, I can't explain it. It's creepy, that's all I got."
"How do you know she's not still out there pretending to be you?"
"I don't but I could sit here and be tortured by the not-knowing or I could get these prizes to the ring toss." Elena retorted.
Bonnie then looked at me as I pretended to be busy looking at the other games nearby and checking if they had their prizes. "FYI Bonbon, I can't control my psychic dreams so don't count on me to predict Elena's evil ancestor's next moves."
She sighed before she nodded. She turned to Elena. "Have you talked to Damon since he killed Jeremy or tried to kill Jeremy?"
"No Bonnie, I haven't and I won't but Ava did and according to her he was too busy making excuses so I'm saving my time like Ava told me." Elena snapped. "And I don't want to talk about Damon or anything else that's vampire related okay?" She finished, handing a huge plastic bag full of plushies to Bonnie. "I'm human. And I have to do human stuff. Otherwise, I'm going to go crazy."
I loudly sighed and ripped out another sheet from my clipboard that I had scribbled on. "Guys, can we please focus here? I love catching up but we're really behind schedule." I snapped.
"Okay, sorry Ava." Bonnie apologized, pulling the bag of plushies. "I'll focus. We have to make Caroline proud or she will kill us." She said to Elena. "I don't know how you both do all of this." She added, looking at the booths that I had already set up.
"It's not that hard. You just plan ahead and don't get distracted."
"Easier said than done." Elena mumbled under her breath as I shook my head. I found a carnival worker nearby and handed my sheet in before returning to my friends.
"No. Seriously. How do you guys do it?" Bonnie asked again with a small grin on her face.
I made a face and let out a sigh. It was nice to see her in a good mood but we were on a tight schedule. Elena snuck a peek at me and leaned over to Bonnie. "Well, we obviously know Ava's not human. Maybe Caroline's not human either."
"That explains everything." The two shared a look before turning to look at me and then breaking into a fit of giggles.
I rolled my eyes while smiling. "Hilarious." I commented dryly. "Focus. I'm gonna go back inside and check the booths inside like the arm wrestling booth, in the meantime. Get these two—" I pointed to the two nearby games' stalls. "—stocked with the prizes. Dana and Chad already helped set the stalls up." I finished with a stern look before turning my back on the two and making my way inside.
Inside was no different from outside but it was even busier with students buzzing around, preparing the school for the annual carnival. I stopped in the middle of the hallway and let out a sigh.
I hated being in crowds these days.
There were many people and too many thoughts but I couldn't stand in the hall forever, waiting for the people to pass. I had to get over my problems and move on like I always did.
"There you are." Dana greeted me tiredly as she waved at me. I nodded at her by waving my clipboard and she let out a small laugh.
"Okay, so Elena did something productive—" I narrowed my eyes on Dana. "What? I'm being nice." I motioned her to continue and she carried on. "Anyways back to what Elena did—she moved the student booth to the cafeteria. Thank god for that because that was driving me nuts."
I smiled politely and walked to my locker. "What about the arm wrestling booth?" I looked for a sign of it.
"A couple of guys from the woodworking club said they'd handle it." She replied. "We're still waiting on a couple more deliveries and I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm starting to miss Barbie aka Caroline Forbes, speaking of, how is she?"
"Last I saw her was a week and half ago. It was around the time I was still in the hospital. From what I remembered, she seemed to be fine and was making a recovery. I can guess, she'll be out in a day or two."
"It's nice to know she's making a fast recovery. I can't imagine being in her place."
"Yeah. Tyler's taking days off as well. He feels terrible over this."
"It doesn't help that his dad died that night as well. Poor guy."
My phone started ringing at that moment and I reached over to my right side pocket of my coat, taking out my phone. Caroline's name flashed on it. 'Caroline' I mouthed to Dana before picking up on the third ring.
"Hey Carebear." I greeted with a bright smile, feeling very peppy.
I heard sobs on the other end. "Ava. I didn't know who to call. I need help." She cried out.
I scrunched up my brow in confusion and glanced at Dana who stared curiously at me. I could tell she was trying to listen in on the exchange.
"Slow down. What's going on?"
"I don't know." She cried out. "There's something wrong with me."
"What's wrong?"
"I—" Before she could say anything else, the line went dead.
"Hello? Caroline." I tried.
No response.
I took my phone off my ear and checked the battery percentage along with the cell signal. It was all fine but the call had been cut off. I stared at my phone anxiously and dialed back. Her phone didn't ring. Not once.
"No ringing?" Dana questioned from the side and I nodded. "Maybe her phone died."
"Maybe." I agreed, still concerned by the sobs and cries I heard in the short call. Caroline. Something was wrong with her. After this was done, I should go check on her later.
Dana grabbed my arm, snapping me out of my daze and looked at me. "Please tell me you're not thinking of ditching to go see Caroline?" She narrowed her eyes at me, and turned her head to the side.
"Well—"
She cut me off. "You can't be serious. We still have a lot left to do. Respectfully, I get it. I get why you would blow this off but we can't afford that."
I agreed and came to stop when I noticed Stefan waving at me. I awkwardly waved back and noticed he wasn't alone.
"Would you look at that, Stefan Salvatore and Jeremy Gilbert are actually here today. Great. I'm gonna leave this to you. Please. Please for the love of all that's good, make sure they don't bail out like they always do. We need extra hands."
I rolled my eyes. "Drama queen." I said in a sing-song voice, waving her off before going over to the boys who made space for me when they saw me coming over.
"Good to see you two actually show up to school for once."
"Don't start." Jeremy groaned as Stefan smirked. "I was thinking of skipping."
"No you weren't." I said with a bright smile and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a silent look of warning.
I was sick and tired of these two bailing out, especially Stefan. Like I get he's a vampire who doesn't need school but what was the point of enrolling in school, if your attendance was going to be terrible and you weren't going to do any work, might as well, stay at home.
"Ava. Hey." Stefan leaned on his locker and nodded at me. "Listen, I wanted to apolo—"
"I know what you're gonna say so save your breath. I don't want second hand apologies and if Damon is sorry for whatever reason, he can come and say it to me. Second-hand apologies suck."
"Agree on that." Jeremy spoke up.
"So what were you guys talking about?" I asked casually, not really expecting an answer.
Jeremy looked at Stefan then back at me. "I was asking Stefan how to kill vampires."
"Seriously?" Stefan nodded. "...You're asking a vampire how to kill a…vampire?"
"Yes…"
"First of all, Elena would put an end to that and second of all, I'm probably more efficient than Stefan." I joked.
"You are." Stefan agreed. "But you're not…exactly human." He leaned in to say the last part a little quieter.
"Neither are you, genius."
Stefan smiled and unconsciously I returned that smile with a smile of my own before laughing a little. "You know…Ava's family is technically a family of vampire hunters like mine." Jeremy interrupted.
"Technically yes but they're more…organized and stronger." Stefan corrected.
"I'm joking, by the way." I reminded him it was a joke and not a real offer.
I then started telling Jeremy that it'll take him a long time to get somewhere. He looked disappointed but he was still eager and unrelenting. He really wanted to be a vampire hunter or kill Damon. Admirable, I would say if he wasn't Elena's younger brother.
"So have you been doing this for a while?" Jeremy asked, curious about my level of skill and experience. Stefan perked up and looked at me.
I sighed and nodded. "I've been training since I was a child but my first official hunt was a couple months ago. It was decent. Not that hard but not exactly easy. It helps if you have a supernatural advantage."
"Wait. Were you training before you moved?" I nodded, wordlessly answering his question. "Holy shit, you guys are dedicated."
"Dedicated. Yes. Jeremy and I have been dedicated—" Stefan started stuttering out as Jeremy and I scrunched up our faces in confusion. I caught on quickly and nodded along. "Hello Elena." He greeted his girlfriend. Jeremy made a face.
Elena nodded and grabbed Jeremy who looked like he wanted to anywhere but there. "Hey, did you…" She was cut off by her brother who looked a little annoyed.
"Yeah, yeah, I set up the goldfish toss—all three hundred goldfish." He said sarcastically before throwing his hands up in the air. "It's gonna be epic!" He faux-cheered before bowing out and leaving.
"And that's my cue to leave and check he actually did the work." I said to the couple, checking my clipboard again. "I'll see you two around." I started leaving but paused, remembering what Dana had told me. "Stefan. Don't you dare bail out on this one. Elena, keep an eye on him."
I waved them goodbye and went back outside and I tried calling Caroline back but again no answer. Her phone must have died like Dana said. She also thought Caroline was pulling a prank and I doubted that. She sounded too distressed for it to be a prank and she sucked at lying. I knew that too well.
Matt spotted me in the crowd and beamed at me before leaving his task and coming over to greet me.
"Hey." He greeted me with a hug. "Do you think it looks presentable?" He questioned, pointing to the fairgrounds.
"It looks unrecognizable."
"That's a good thing, right." I shrugged. "Ava…"
"I'm kidding. It looks great. You guys did a great job." I said with a smile but in the back of my mind, that strange call with Caroline replayed in my mind.
Maybe I should have told Stefan then and there but it was too late. Looking at Stefan, he looked okay today, maybe even a little happy.
Would telling him about the call ruin his day?
Probably. Knowing him, he'd try to call her and it wouldn't go through again.
"—va." Matt called out to me.
Oh god I did it again.
"I said, we're practically done here." Matt being a sweetheart he actually repeated everything he had been telling me and I actually tried my best to pay attention this time. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm just tired." He looked concerned. "Really. I'm fine. I wouldn't have been discharged otherwise."
Though, I practically forced my uncle to take me home a few days into my hospital stay but he didn't need to know about that.
"Have you heard from Caroline?"
Matt thought for a moment and sighed. "I actually visited her today."
"Really? When?"
"It was around lunch I think."
"How was she?"
"Honestly, a little cagey." He said. He looked concerned and anxious at the same time. "I'm worried about her."
"I am too."
I really was.
I had been on the edge ever since Damon gave her his blood. There was that fear that I tried to bury deep down. The fear that was born out of Vicki's death that maybe Caroline would also become a vampire.
I glanced at Matt and reached for his hand to give it a comforting squeeze and he returned the gesture, adding a smile as well.
The twinkling lights of the carnival were so bright and the sounds of chatter and laughter were everywhere. It was nice. It was so far as normal as things could get. I pulled at the skirt of my dress
"Ava?" I heard someone call out for me while I was staring at the entrance for the hall of mirrors. I turned to the source of the voice and smiled. "It is you." Mason Lockwood walked through the crowd and let out a joyful laugh. "I'm surprised to see you back."
"I should be the one saying that, I heard you had fled to Florida."
Mason made a face and shook his head. "And have my brother cut me off completely?" He joked. "I'm actually back for Tyler actually."
I sobered up and sighed. "I know. How is he?" I asked, looking around for my childhood friend.
"He's…coping. I mean his dad died, no matter how…Charlie could be, he was still his dad." Mason looked down, lost in his memories.
No matter what it was still his brother that died. He wouldn't have called Mr Lockwood 'Charlie' otherwise. I guess the rumors of Mason and Mr Lockwood's relationship were only half true.
"Mr Lockwood was your brother before he was the mayor or Tyler's dad."
"He was but we didn't really see eye to eye. I know you can't exactly relate, considering everyone in your family gets along really well, speaking off—" He looked around the fairground and narrowed his eyes as if he was looking for someone. "Carol told me that Nate was back?"
"He was and then he had to go back."
"Jenna's not here as well." He pointed out with a secretive smile that I didn't quite know the meaning of. Maybe it was an inside joke between the two, given that my uncle and Mason were pretty close growing up. Though that changed when Mason packed up and left after high school ended for the two.
"They go to two different colleges." I stated with a blank face.
"They do? Wait." He stepped back a bit. "I thought they both went to Whitmore."
"They did…until uncle Nate decided that he wanted to go to Duke instead so he transferred last September. Jenna wasn't too happy about it."
"I can imagine." He commented with a dry laugh.
Mason nodded and was about to say something but Tyler came back then. Tyler looked between me and his uncle and awkwardly greeted me. I gave him a hug and made simple small talk before I decided I should probably get back to work.
"Well, it was nice to see you two but I have to get back to work. I see Elena and Bonnie over there and they're probably struggling without me."
"We won't hold you up." Mason said with a small smile while Tyler nodded. He looked at where I had gestured towards and his face shifted for a moment as a conflicted look flashed on his face.
"Katherine."
I froze and looked up at Mason who was now busy in a conversation with Tyler. I heard him. I heard him say Katherine's name. Mason knew Katherine or it could be another Katherine, a part of me tried to rationalize. That didn't make sense either.
Why would he freeze when he saw Elena?
I wanted to ask him and maybe try to use compulsion on him. The problem was Tyler and the people around us. I could try to get him alone, it wouldn't work.
I smiled at Mason and Tyler, turning my back on them and went over to Elena. I'll ask uncle Nate to ask his friend about it without being too obvious. I made sure to remember this and tell Stefan about it later. I don't know if I should trust Damon with this, given that his methods of gathering information were a little too rough especially when it came to the matter of Katherine.
"The ring toss is out of Bart and Homer dolls and Team Jacob T's." I heard Bonnie say as I approached the two.
"Okay, I can grab some from the science club. Also we lost a speaker in the karaoke room." Elena replied.
"We need to find Ava for that." Bonnie said just as I sneakily tackled her from behind. "Agh! Ava!"
I snickered, getting off from Bonnie and waved at Elena. "I heard my name."
Elena smiled, checking her head and flicked through her clipboard before stopping at a page. I decided to put Katherine in the back of my mind and actually try and enjoy the carnival as best as I could.
"We lost a speaker in the karaoke room."
"And the ring toss is out of Bart and Homer dolls and Team Jacob T's." Bonnie added.
"The Bart and Homer dolls along with the Team Jacob T's have already been dealt with." I answered. "I know about the speaker, Dana texted me about that. I was actually on my way to find someone with the carnival to fix that."
Elena let out a tired sigh. "How do you and Caroline do this?"
"Oh my god, 'Lena. It's not the hardest thing you've done."
"I'm drowning in work." I scoffed lightly and rolled my eyes. She was being adorable, talking about drowning in work. Adorable. "What's so funny?" I pointed at her.
Bonnie quickly cut in before Elena and I started to bicker again. "Let's just take a moment to appreciate this, okay. Look what you two pulled off."
"I mean it could be—" I shut up when Bonnie glared at me.
Elena didn't hear me as she was busy looking around. "You're right. This is a success. Looks like I can do more than just freak vampire havoc?" She laughed.
"Go figure." Bonnie cheered.
"Baby steps." I muttered under my breath while Elena rolled her eyes at me and grabbed my hand.
"Hey, Carter, right? You're with the carnival." Bonnie approached a guy fixing a stand nearby. Elena and I shared a look and followed her.
The boy, Carter nodded and stood up. "That'll be me." Carter said while eying Bonnie with a charming smile. I looked between the two and grinned.
Oh he was into her.
"Okay, great." Elena exhaled, a little relieved that the problem was getting resolved quickly.
Carter ignored Elena and focused his attention on Bonnie. "Wow." He quietly muttered under his breath. "What do you need, beautiful?" He asked, boldly.
I tugged at Elena's hands and the two of us shared a secretive glance then we both turned our gaze on Carter and Bonnie. We were both thinking the same thing.
Elena and I stepped back, letting Bonnie take center stage. Luckily, our witch friend didn't notice us or she should totally freak out. "What do you know about karaoke speakers?" She asked with a shy smile.
"Why don't you show me the problem?" Carter grinned wider and took a step forward.
A little taken back, Bonnie turned to look at us. She flashed her eyes at us, silently trying to get help with this. Oh god. She was hopeless. "Yeah Bonnie, show him the problem." Elena said, motioning with her eyes.
Could she be any obvious?
"Okay," Bonnie replied, glancing back at us. "Come on." She said to Carter before pausing a little. "Ava, coming?"
"Go ahead. I have to meet up with the rest of the student council and check on the…balloon blast." I lied, acting like I was checking my texts.
Bonnie nodded while Carter was too busy staring at her. I didn't have to worry about him. I read his mind to check he was safe besides he was human. Bonnie could handle herself against a simple human.
"You don't really have to check on the balloon blast, do you?" Elena asked.
"Nope." I said with a mischievous grin. "And we can go take our break, wanna get some funnel cake fries, I'm paying." I offered.
"Sure, I'd like that."
With a grin, I led her to one of two food stalls and ordered us some funnel cake fries. The two of us caught up with each other while munching on the food.
I decided to save the whole 'Mason and Katherine' thing for later. Let's not ruin the night.
Caroline's name flashed on the screen. Without hesitating I picked up the call and held my phone to my ear. "Care, hey."
"I'm here at the carnival." She answered.
No sign of distress or anything. If anything, she sounded more stable than last time but I could detect a hint of anger in her tone. "We need to talk."
"When did you get discharged?"
"This evening. They said I was in great health."
"I don't doubt it." I answered. There was a feeling of unknown dread that was growing in me and I didn't know why. "Listen, is everything okay?"
"Almost." She sighed and I heard the sound of wind rushing followed by some rustling before she continued. "It's about Damon."
I frowned.
Damon?
What did Damon do this time?
"What about Damon?"
"Stay away from him. He's dangerous."
"Caroline…why don't we meet up and talk in person?"
Something was wrong.
First she called me crying and now she's out of the hospital before her discharge date. I had no doubt that Sheriff Forbes would ever allow that.
Caroline before the accident never said anything about Damon because of his compulsion.
"Fine."
"Great. Meet me by the…hall of mirrors." I said, looking around and spotting the hall of mirrors in the distance. "You can't miss me, I'm wearing a really bright mustard-colored dress."
"Okay. I'll see you there."
When she hung up my phone started ringing again and this time it was none other than Damon.
With a loud and dramatic sigh, I picked up Damon's call. "Damon, what happened now?"
"We have a problem." He stated. He couldn't wait until this week was over, could he?
I rolled my eyes. "No. You have a problem, I have a carnival to run."
"I'm not joking. This is bad."
"Okay? When is it not?"
Things hadn't been going well since he and his brother had returned to this town and I had already complained enough, but by now I'd gotten used to all their troubles.
"Are we done? I have to meet Caroline in five."
"No. No. No. No." Damon replied, sounding panicked. "Do not meet up with Caroline. In fact, stay the hell away from her. Go home if you can."
"Look I understand you don't get along with Caroline but please stay out of my business. She just got out of the hospital and she needs someone."
"No, she doesn't." He retorted. "Stay away from her."
"She's my best friend. I'm not gonna listen to someone who hurt her."
"I'm not doing this to hurt her." He hit back as I rolled my eyes. Of course he wasn't. "Caroline's a vampire." He grinded out.
I froze and looked around before letting a nervous laugh. "This is a joke right? You're trying to scare me. Very funny. Damon. I'm not gonna fall for that." Damon said nothing. "Damon, you're joking right? Right?"
"...I'm sorry."
I clasped a hand over my mouth and let out a sob.
No.
Not Caroline.
My eyes started to water as I bit down my lips. Without meaning to, I accidentally hung up. I was left to process what I just heard.
Why?
Why her of all people?
She didn't deserve this.
Oh my god.
Her mother was a vampire hunter.
This was my fault. I left her at the hospital and she died in my place. The fear that I had came true, Caroline was a vampire. I felt sick.
My phone started ringing again and I held it up to check. Caroline's name flashed on my screen.
With shaky hands, I turned my phone off and left to find the others. They should be in Mr Saltzman's class.
"How did this happen?" Stefan exhaled loudly and looked around once, I noticed his stare and looked up, so did Elena. The four of us stared at each other and he decided to break the silence that was growing like mold on old damp wood.
Damon glanced at his brother. "Well, I fed her blood and Katherine obviously killed her and A plus B equals..." He trailed off, meeting my eyes. I felt even worse than before. Katherine killed her of course she did.
"But why?" Elena asked.
He shrugged in response. He didn't know despite being obsessed over Katherine, he didn't know her at all. "Because Katherine is a manipulative, nasty, little slut."
I slipped a few strands of my hair behind my ear and shifted in my seat. "You really think someone who went to the trouble of faking her death would come back to this town to screw with people she doesn't really know?"
"It's Katherine. It's what she likes to do best; play mind games." Damon defended himself, standing straight.
"That's too simple. She's up to something." I nervously chewed on the bottom of my lips.
Stefan nodded as he also shifted where he stood. "You're right. This doesn't seem simple." I flashed a grateful smile at his direction that he reciprocated before he continued, turning to look at his brother. "And she said 'game on'? I mean, what does that even mean?"
"It means she's playing dirty. She wants us to know." Damon seemed to be in denial.
Denial over many things.
The reunion that he imagined in his head for years was never going to happen.
Katherine Pierce never cared about him or anyone.
"But why Caroline? Elena questioned. I nodded at her and glanced at Stefan and then Damon who didn't meet my gaze.
"I don't know." He answered.
"Caroline must be completely out of her mind, she doesn't even know what's happening to her."
"Oh I think she does. All of my compulsion from the past started wearing off the minute she was in transition."
"That doesn't mean she's not scared or…overwhelmed." I thought back to Vicki who was erratic and prone to outbursts. She couldn't take it and if given the chance to go on, someone else would've taken care of her, maybe it would've been the council.
"We have to find her." Stefan reminded us.
"Yep, and kill her." His brother replied.
"You're not gonna kill Caroline." Elena stated, crossing her arms over her chest and giving me a brief look to check if I was with her.
I nodded along. "No, we're not killing Caroline. There's gotta be another way." Guilt was eating me alive as I paced around.
"There's no other way." Damon said.
"We'll find one."
I didn't believe a thing I was saying. Caroline was someone full of life, I didn't know if she could take this.
"Need I remind you of a tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan?" He folded his arms and looked down at me. "Caroline, of all people, will not make it as a vampire. Her mother is a vampire hunter, so is her best friend." He looked at me and then looked away. "Guys come on, we all know how this story's gonna end, just flip to the last chapter and..."
I flinched back at the mention of Vicki. I still had nightmares about her to this day. Her gray and hollow face flashed in my mind whenever I saw Matt. Vicki was one of my biggest regrets.
The worst part was I could've saved her from the beginning if I told my family about it but I didn't.
"...That could've been Elena or me." I slowly stated. "Would your 'solution' to our problem stay the same?"
His jaws clenched and his eyes trembled. I watched as his grip on Mr Saltzman's desk tightened as well, making a dent in the desk. "It wasn't you."
"It could have been."
"But it wasn't."
"It almost was or…" I looked away and glanced at the window. I could see the bright twinkling lights of the carnival from here and they felt so far away. "...Maybe it originally was supposed to be me."
Stefan took a step in my direction, his eyes wide. "What do you mean?" He asked.
Elena glanced at me and the two of us shared a look. She wanted to tell him. I shrugged in response. She breathed in and then out while she pushed her hair back. "...Ava had one of her dreams and apparently Katherine was going to kill her." She said, looking at me.
"You had a vision." Stefan sounded it out as I nodded.
"You must've witnessed Caroline's 'death' and it spooked you out." Damon tried to reason, dismissing me and not letting go of the idea of killing Caroline. She wasn't going to die, permanently at least.
"I know it was me, Damon. It was my hospital room and my things were there as well. It was supposed to be me."
"But it wasn't."
"Because I freaked out and called my uncle to pick me up, if I didn't I'd be in Caroline's place."
Stefan sighed. "No, if you stayed, you wouldn't be here." He said.
"No…she wouldn't." Damon agreed. His face darkened and his eyes were a little unfocused. "Caroline was the only one with vampire blood in her system, Ava didn't have any."
"You wouldn't be a vampire, you'd be…dead."
Elena shook her head and protested. "Ava would be fine, she can defend herself."
"Except I couldn't…" I replied.
I remembered my nightmare vividly and how helpless I felt. My magic wasn't working at all even after I woke up. It wasn't until the morning after I managed to summon some light, even so it was so little that I ended up avoiding practice.
The three of them turned to look at me with concern while I avoided their gaze. "Katherine said 'game on' but if Ava's dream is anything to go by, that doesn't make sense." Elena said.
"It's Katherine, she doesn't have to make sense."
Damon kept repeating that Katherine was this chaotic woman without a plan. I didn't believe that and it seemed neither did Stefan. Elena looked half-convinced and half afraid.
"Here you go again." I muttered under my breath. "You're underestimating her and by the time she actually shows her cards, it'll be too late."
"Ava has a point. Katherine's up to something. She must have known Caroline had vampire blood in her system but at the same time, Ava didn't." Stefan said.
"Maybe, she wanted to turn Caroline regardless and kill me." I offered.
Stefan grew quiet and Elena looked visibly distraught at the possibility I was presenting here. The possibility of me being permanently dead while Caroline stayed as a vampire, not knowing if her future was the same as Vicki or the Salvatore brothers was grim.
The four of us stayed quiet.
Stefan let my words mull in his head. He looked guilty and upset. He probably blamed himself for the return of Katherine Pierce but I didn't. Surprisingly, I didn't blame Damon either. I didn't blame anyone. Instead, I had this silly little idea that maybe Mason had something to do with her return or Isobel.
Elena's birth mom was still an unknown variable in this whole mess. How she returned all of a sudden and left as mysteriously as she had appeared, it was strange. It was similar to how Katherine was currently acting.
Granted, Isobel is also Katherine's descendent but descendants aren't supposed to act like their ancestors, personality isn't genetic. I acted nothing like Edmund or Lydia and heck Stefan and Damon acted nothing like their father.
Isobel was definitely connected to Katherine somehow and that meant John was in on it as well.
So to note, Katherine potentially had Isobel, John and even Mason Lockwood on her side. It was an interesting bunch of people to note. But what was their purpose? What were they pl—
"Well," Damon clapped his hands together, bringing us back to the darkened classroom. "that was—uh—fun theory but let's get back to the topic at hand; killing Caroline."
"We're not killing Caroline and that's final." I spoke out, distracted.
Katherine's potential plans were all I could think about right now and I felt a little bad for Caroline because of that. I tried hard to push those thoughts out of my mind and focus on Caroline but it was so hard. I couldn't help but wonder what was Katherine planning?
Damon laughed. "You are such a hypocrite." He spat out. "She's not gonna make it as a vampire."
"We won't know if you don't give her a chance."
"You know I'm right, you're considering it too."
Elena glanced at me. She grabbed my arm and looked at me pleadingly. "I know." I breathed out. "I know you're right, killing her would be the right thing to do but…I can't do it."
"Then I'll do it." He looked at me, unmoving. He didn't move his gaze away from me and I didn't look away. I agreed with him. There was a huge chance Caroline would hurt a lot of people and after the tomb vampires and all the people that died because of them, I don't know how I could let Caroline live.
Damon and I silently nodded at each other. He was right. Caroline was a liability.
But it was Caroline, my best friend.
Elena sighed loudly, breaking my thoughts. "Killing Caroline is not an option Damon." She said, sounding so defeated and tired. "Ava, you know Caroline."
I didn't know what to say.
Damon scowled and rolled his eyes before glancing at his younger brother. "Your silence is deafening, Stefan. Wait, wasn't there a school carnival the night you staked Vicki? I never had a town where history repeats itself. You know I'm right."
His younger brother met his gaze with fierce glare of his own. "We're not gonna kill her." Stefan firmly stated.
My phone went off then and I sighed before apologizing to the group. It was Dana, there was an emergency at one of the stalls. I had almost forgotten about the carnival. Priorities, I guess. I can only hope I didn't bump into Caroline on my way to Dana.
"I have to go. Carnival emergency." I breathed out, putting my phone away and grabbing my stuff before waving at Elena and Stefan.
'Hypo-crite.' I saw Damon mouth as I left. My nails dug into my skin as I clenched my fist tight. Closing the door behind me, I hurried over to Dana.
Dana waited for me near two stalls that had suddenly shut down. She had her hands on hips while her boyfriend, Chad worked hard to calm her down. When she spotted me, she hurried over with a tired look on her face.
"Major issue." She said, gesturing to the two stalls that had been fenced off. "Some kid lost their hearing aid here and if that wasn't enough, one of the skeeball machines broke, it doesn't count properly and the score is all wrong." She finished with a loud huff.
I nodded, distracted while surveying the two stalls. The lights for the skeeball stall were turned off but the shutters were still open. There was a small crowd of people gathered around and at the forefront was a boy who looked distraught.
That was him, the boy who lost his hearing aid.
I walked over to Will and asked him if that kid was the one who lost his glasses. Will nodded before going back to the skeeball machine. He was supervising the repair of the machine.
"Okay. Um. Is that person with the carnival?" I asked Dana and Chad.
"Kinda. I think." Dana answered.
"Let me make this more clear, is he one of the technicians?" Dana shook her head. "Was he managing the stall?" Chad nodded. "Great. He's not gonna be able to fix that." I commented with a sigh. "Chad, do me a favor and find someone called Carter or someone who is a technician like him. They're usually hovering on the outskirts of the carnival grounds. Can't miss them."
Chad took off and left. "We still have that kid with the lost hearing aid." Jeff pointed out.
I had no idea where he had come from but it was then that I noticed that the rest of the student council were all there. They were all searching for the hearing aid, even Rei was there.
"Hi, did you lose your hearing aid?" The boy nodded teary eyed. That explained why the other stall next to the skeeball was fenced off. "Were you playing balloon blast before or the water gun?"
"We were at the water guns' stall." An older woman answered for him. She gripped his shoulder and was clearly frustrated with the boy. She must be the mom.
"Okay." I said with a bright smile. "I was talking to your son." I added. I was tired and this woman was not helping. I sighed and turned back to the boy. "Now, where were you actually?"
The gnawed at his lips before he shrugged. He didn't remember.
Great.
I turned away from him and combed my fingers through my hair, walking away from him. I stood over the closed water gun stall and leaned against the counter. My hand accidentally grazed one of the water guns and I started to feel a little dizzy.
My vision blurred a little and images flashed into my mind. I felt like I was going to be sick. I clasped a hand over my mouth and waited.
The images faded, bringing me back where I was before.
"Hey, you okay?" Dana asked, reaching for me. I moved away from her, nodding.
Wordlessly, I stood straight and walked over to the balloon blast section. The mom and son watched me as I did so. I stopped between the two stalls and looked down.
On the corner of the balloon blast stall, something black and shiny caught my eye. I hurried over to it and picked it up. I turned it over in my hand, letting a deep sigh, I stood up and held it up in the air.
"Found it!" I called out to everyone.
"You found it?" The mother asked, dragging her son over with her. She was sweating with concern as she narrowed her eyes and scanned the object in my hand. I held it out for her and she took it, thanking me as she did so. She turned it over, running her finger over a spot.
She helped her son wear it again. "Don't forget to thank the nice girl, David."
David, the boy who lost his hearing aid, mumbled a quick thanks before he went back to his mom. I threw my head back and signaled to the people managing the water gun stall to reopen it. A chorus of 'finallys' were heard.
"One crisis solved." I said, standing next to the skeeball stall.
"Well, the skeeball machine is still broken." Dana reminded me and I rolled my eyes.
Yes, I knew that, Dana.
Just as she said that, Chad returned with one of the carnival workers with him. I was surprised to see it wasn't Carter. I didn't comment on it until the man was done fixing the skeeball machine took a while.
"Thank you for that." Dana commented while smiling brightly. She was calmer than before. "I mean first the karaoke speakers and now this."
The man nodded in thanks and I thought then it would be a good time to bring up Carter. Maybe he was with Bonnie? Who knows. "Hey, you know Carter, right?" I asked, stepping forward.
"I was wondering when someone would ask me about him." He said.
"Excuse me?"
"Carter's the one who sent me here."
"Oh. Was he busy with something else? He helped us a lot with the karaoke speakers." Chad said.
"He wasn't busy, just injured."
Rei asked in a small voice. "...What happened?"
The man laughed a little and then got up to check the back of the skeeball machine. "He tried to fight someone." He answered. "Obviously, he lost. He says he doesn't know why he even started the fight—can't remember, he said. Yeah, right. Uh. Can someone hold up a flashlight for me?" He asked, reaching out for the tool set he had placed on the counter. "It's with Carter's tools." He added.
Jeff and I both moved to help. He grabbed the flashlight before me, my fingers missing it by an inch, it grazed the flashlight instead.
I felt lightheaded and the lights appeared scattered in my eyes as I leaned my head against the wall of the skeeball stall. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
When I opened my eyes, it was darker than where I was. The lights of the carnival were further. Sounds of joyful screams and chatter were muted and faded.
I knew what was happening. This wasn't real. This had already happened or it was going to happen. I didn't know which it was.
Taking a deep breath, I took a step forward and my vision started to clear. The gravel beneath my boots crunched loudly as I walked towards somewhere. It was noticeably colder, there was that awful death-like chill that made me stop and compose myself.
A loud sigh echoed nearby and I looked up to see a figure shrouded in the half-darkness sitting on a trailer. He seemed to hold up something to his face before bringing his hang back down again. Carefully, I walked over to the silhouette and the image became clearer. I could see him clearer now.
It was Carter, the guy with the carnival.
He held a tissue to nose and brought it down again to check. I noticed then that he was bleeding. Right, his co-worker mentioned, he got into a fight. Carter didn't seem to notice my presence. They never did. He continued to wipe his nose of the blood from his fight when he paused.
I heard familiar cries in the background. The same cries that got Carter's attention. Slowly, I turned around to face Caroline who looked distraught. Her face streaked with tears as she sobbed and muttered something under her breath. She was struggling.
The heightened senses must be getting to her and being at the carnival as a newborn vampire wasn't the best thing for her. It wasn't the best thing for Vicki either. The more people there are, the harder it is to control herself. I could relate a little with my mind-reading but this wasn't about me.
"Caroline…" I spoke out without meaning to as I reached out to her.
She looked straight past me.
"Hey, is everything okay?" Carter called out to her. I had almost forgotten he was here. It seemed I wasn't the only one who noticed her struggles.
Caroline looked at Carter again before she let out a sob. "...I'm so sorry." She cried.
Carter's face was scrunched with confusion for a split second. I knew what was coming before it happened. I panicked and tried to push him out the way but I went right through him, falling to the ground.
"What?" That was the last thing I heard him say before Caroline rushed him and bit into his neck.
He screamed out in pain before she dove in again, then throwing him back onto the trailer. His back hit the metal trailer with a loud 'thud' and he cried out in pain before attempting to escape but Caroline was faster and hungrier.
Dark veins appeared under her when she came back up to breathe.
My vision became blurry. Tears blinded me as I choked on air and clasped my mouth with my hand to stop myself from crying.
Caroline's face was covered with blood and she kept going until he stopped moving completely.
I had to find Caroline before she killed Carter or anyone.
Vicki's death flashed onto my mind as I flinched.
I ran through the carnival, weaving through the crowd and trying to find them. I kept checking for that particular place. Come on. I needed to hurry before Caroline killed someone.
"...Caroline?" I gasped when I finally stumbled upon the scene from my vision.
Caroline was sitting on Carter's chest as she viciously dove into his neck. Hearing me call her out, she stopped. I heard her cry as she slowly looked at me. She shook her head in disbelief noticing me.
"Ava, I…"
"No. No. No." In shock, I covered my mouth with my hands as I let out a cry.
"Please help me." She cried, sniffing as her tears mixed with the blood on her face.
Unconsciously I took a step back. The death-like chill coiled around me like a snake while the subtle urge to kill intensified. My mind screamed at me to do something but I was frozen in place. I didn't know what to do.
This was so different from Vicki.
"Please…" She cried out again, getting up and standing up. "Help me." She shook wildly, staring at me with bloodshot eyes and dark veins underneath her eyes. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"...But you did." I accidentally gasped out. Instantly I covered my mouth and shook my head. "No. No. No. This can't be happening." I said, shaking my head. The lights around me started to flicker as a silent buzz of power filled the air. I felt my hands getting warmer. No. I didn't want to hurt her. I shut my eyes and breathed in and out, trying my best to control myself.
"Ava, please. You're my best friend." She cried out reaching for me but the moment she came close to me, she stumbled back. Her eyes glazed over and turned black as the dark veins darkened. "No. No. Not now!" She screamed out before attempting to bite me.
Light blinded her and she was thrown off me in a second, landing on the gravel floor with a loud crunch. Gravel cut into her skin but the cuts and bruises healed within seconds of her getting them.
"What are you?"
"I don't know." I took a step back, the wisps of light formed an orb around my hand before it became distorted, changing shape. "You attacked me…"
"I couldn't stop myself."
"I know, Care."
I looked at her. Her face was caked in blood and dark veins threatened to come out. I didn't recognize her.
"No, you don't!" She screamed out. "You don't understand, I killed him or I think I did." Her sobs turned louder as she struggled to breathe and come to terms with what she had done. Unlike Vicki, Caroline was trying so hard to hold on. "You can't even look at me."
"Caroline…" I drifted off when the chill grew a bit more intense and the urge to kill grew a little. "Damon." I turned around to see him walk over.
Damon regarded the scene in front of him with a detached look before he glanced at me. I know what he was thinking. He walked over to Caroline and stood in front of her but not before giving me a look to not get closer to them.
"Damon."
"If you're not gonna do it, I'll do it." He reminded me and glanced at the body of Carter.
Caroline sniffed back her tears and glanced at Damon before crying again. "I think he's dead." She stated. "I killed him. What's wrong with me?" She questioned before crying into her hands.
I tried to reach out for her but stopped when I remembered what had happened earlier. Somehow, I made her lose control. I stood back a few distance away from the two. I watched as Damon carefully walked up to her and lowered his voice.
"Hey, hey it's okay. I can help you." He comforted her, much to my silent surprise. He was comforting her. It was so unlike him.
"You can?"
"Yeah, I have to." He replied, glancing at me and smiling a little. I scoffed and shook my head. It was partially his fault in the first place.
"What are you gonna do?"
"The only thing I can do." He inched closer. "I'm gonna kill you."
My hands started getting warmer as I almost ran towards him. "Damon! Please." I called out to him. "Please…let me handle this." He shrugged and rolled his eyes while mouthing 'hypocrite' at me but I didn't care.
Caroline was my best friend and this was my fault. I'd handle it.
Was I selfish?
Yes.
But I didn't want to let her go.
Damon moved aside and gestured towards Caroline. "The floor's yours."
"Caroline, hey." I hesitantly took a step forward. "Look, I know you're afraid…but it's gonna be okay."
She looked up at me with teary wide eyes. "Really?" I nodded. She glanced at Damon and took a step towards me. "I was so scared." She cried within an arm's reach. She reached out to hug me but that suffocating death-like chill stilled me.
"It's okay. We'll fix this. I can fix you."
I couldn't breathe.
I felt hot and cold at the same time.
Caroline was in front of me but Damon was behind me, reminding me that this was not the same Caroline I knew.
Tears blinded me as I repeated what I said before. "I can fix you…"
My hands felt warm as I reached out and touched Caroline's cheek, wiping her tears away. Her tears evaporated at my touch and she flinched as my touch burned her. I bit my lips and forced my magic to come out.
"Come on, firefly." Damon whispered in my ears. "Do it."
"Do what?" Caroline asked, glancing at the two of us before she started to retreat but I didn't let her get away as I quickly grabbed onto her wrists. My touch burned her wrists. "Ow. Ava, you're hurting me."
Tears fell down my face, blinding me. "I'm sorry, Care but I…"
Her skin sizzled and burned her wrist. Her wrist blackened as she struggled to get out of my grip. "Ava, let go. Please!"
"Go on! What are you waiting for?" Damon was at my side now, looking down at me, beckoning me to go for the kill. "Go ahead, kill her! Kill her! Or she kills you!"
"What? No! I'd never—Ava please!"
"Kill her!"
Light engulfed my hands as Caroline shrunk back. "Please. I don't wanna die." She cried out, trying to pull away.
"Yeah, but you are already dead." Damon reminded her with a sarcastic laugh.
It wasn't her fault, she didn't want to die or become this. She didn't choose that.
"Don't say that, okay? Just help me!" She cried out, looking at me again. "Please…Ava, you're my best friend."
"What are you waiting for?" He glanced at me. "Are you gonna do it or should I?"
"I…" I hesitated. My head hurt a lot. There was that awful buzzing that was back. "I can't!" I cried out and let go, pushing Caroline away.
Light threw her across the parking lot with a loud crunch as I fell to my knees. I couldn't do it. I couldn't hurt Caroline.
"I'm sorry." I said to no one in particular while staring down at my hands. Dusts of light hovered over my hands as I folded and folded my fists. "I couldn't do it."
Damon crouched down next to me and nodded. "It's okay." He held out his hand and put his other hand behind my back and helped me up. "I get it. I do."
I relaxed a little and stepped back. He slowly let go. We stared at each other and I couldn't help but let out a sad laugh. I couldn't do it. He smiled in response but it was cut short when Caroline got up.
"Caroline, I—" I didn't get to finish as Caroline's face changed and she glared at me before rushing towards me with her fangs out.
Damon rushed in front of her with a stake raised. I panicked and I raised my hands in front of me. "Don't!" I shouted out as a burst of light shot from my hands.
The burst of light missed him and shot at the ground, melting it. Surprised, I glanced up to see Stefan tackle his brother.
The stake was on the floor.
Caroline was sobbing hysterically as she looked at me in horror.
Elena tackled Caroline and pulled her back as well but she was too distracted by what I did to notice.
"I…I'm so sorry. Ava, I didn't mean to." She cried out while Damon laughed.
"That's cute." Stefan glared at him and pushed him back away from Caroline.
"Caroline. I…" I tried while racking my brain on what to say but I didn't know what to say at all.
Caroline let out another sob before noticing Elena. In sudden rage, she pushed her off of her and screamed at her. "Get away from me! You killed me!" She hissed at Elena, baring her fangs at Elena.
She hissed in sudden pain and jumped back as her skin started to sizzle a little. Surprised, she looked down to see tiny dusts of light hovering around her then she looked at me.
Her eyes widened in betrayal.
"I'm sorry but I can't let you hurt anyone else." I held my hand out, directing the dust of lights from Caroline to Damon, keeping them both in check while taking a few steps forward.
"No, no, no, no, Caroline, That wasn't me." Elena tried to clear her name, I had to pull her back from getting so close and stay in front of her. "You know that. That was Katherine."
"No! Then why did she look like you?! And why, why did she do this to me?!"
"Caroline, I need you to calm down." I looked at her, attempting my mind trick on her. For a brief second, her eyes flickered to pale gold with flickers of lavender as she nodded. "Good. Now breathe. It's going to be fine." I don't know how I was doing this to Caroline but I guess it was working.
I looked at Stefan and then gestured to Carter. He nodded before I ran over to check on him.
Please, please, don't be dead.
I chanted under my breath while checking his pulse. My hands were still warm and my chest felt heavy as I waited and waited while checking his pulse.
I breathed out in relief. It was faint, very faint, he was fading fast but it was there. If I didn't hurry, he'd be dead soon.
"He's alive!" I declared before checking him over.
Damon chuckled. "Save your time. He's gonna be dead soon."
Stefan and I glared at him before Stefan looked at him. "Can you help him?"
"I was going to try." I placed my hands over his wounds and pulled the dusts of light away from Damon and Caroline. #
The light enveloped Carter as it vibrated and hummed lightly. I felt the warmth transferring from me to Carter as the multiple bite marks that even had flesh ripped out, slowly healed.
It would take a while before he healed completely.
I felt a little lightheaded and dizzy but I held on. Carter had too many wounds on him, from the fight to Caroline's attacks. I couldn't fix it all.
I needed to pace myself or stick to fixing the major wounds. I needed to focus. I missed a few things while I was busy with Carter and I didn't know how much time had passed.
"You know, giving him vampire blood would be so much easier." Damon offered. I glanced at him weakly and shook my head. "You sure? You can barely keep your head up."
"I'm fine. There's just too many wounds." I breathed out as Caroline sniffed.
"How are you doing that?" Caroline asked while Elena attempted to get her inside.
"She's special." Damon answered and I rolled my eyes.
"...Knock it off. Leave her alone."
I heard footsteps and I heard her before I saw her. Oh great. Not her. This was going to be a mess. "Caroline?" Bonnie softly called out.
She must have spotted the blood on Caroline's face. She looked around and froze when she saw me hunched over a heavily wounded Carter. "No, you're not; you can't be."
"Bonnie?" Caroline tried to talk to her but I didn't see what exactly happened.
"Oh, god!"
I closed my eyes and focused all my energy on Carter. "Stefan, get Caroline out of here."
I heard Stefan take Caroline away and then silence followed. "I can't believe this is happening." Bonnie said. "Ava, did you know about this?"
I sighed. "If I did, I wouldn't be trying to keep Carter from dying, Bon." I snapped. Instantly, I felt bad. "I'm sorry…I just—"
"No. I get it. I get it."
"God, you two are so dramatic." Damon lightly commented. "Hey, sunshine, I think it's better for you to let that guy die." He called out to me before turning back to Bonnie. "Come on, don't pout about it. I got a body to bury." He added. "Leave him, Ava. We'll just dump him in the quarry."
"God. Shut up!" I hissed.
"Someone's a little cranky." He laughed while I huffed loudly, so tempted to direct these dusts of light at him. "I thought you were calling the shots." I think he was talking to Elena, I wasn't too sure. "No? Hm, it sucks to be you, buddy."
I opened my eyes to check on the wounds. The tips of my fingers were turning a little pale and blue, I would be at my limit soon. Come on, Carter. I folded my fist and focused the light on certain areas while I silently prayed.
Carter gasped a little before his breathing returned to normal. I sighed in relief but my relief was cut short when I heard a shout of pain from Damon.
Oh no.
Not now.
I looked at Damon as he grabbed his head in pain and fell to his knees while screaming in pain and I glanced at Bonnie. She was glaring at him hard while her face was tear soaked. Bonnie looked at me and then at the tap nearby.
Water sprayed onto the floor before she turned to Elena. "I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt." She said while still keeping Damon on the floor.
"I didn't do this!" Damon hissed out.
"Bonnie, it wasn't his fault." Elena tried to reason.
"Everything that happens is his fault, Elena."
"Bonnie, what are you doing?" I looked at Damon, knowing what was going to happen. The water caught on fire as it went towards him, circling him before it devoured him. "Bonnie, stop it!"
Carefully, I pushed myself up. My knees wobbled a little as I hobbled over to get off the trailer. "Bonnie, this wasn't his fault."
"Not you too." Bonnie glared at me.
"Don't look at me like that. I blame him for a lot of things and I mean a lot but this isn't one of them. I hate how he treated Caroline in the past and I guess I always will unless he finds a way to redeem himself somehow but this wasn't his fault." I gasped out, jumping down from the trailer. I landed on my feet and wobbled a little. "If you wanna blame someone for Caroline, blame me and yourself."
Bonnie scoffed. "This wasn't my fault!" She spat out.
"But it was. You asked him to give Caroline his blood at the hospital because I was too weak to heal her. We're both equally at fault and if it wasn't Caroline, it would be me except I would be dead…so please, just stop. Save your anger for another day."
"No!" She hissed at me before turning her attention back to Damon. The fire grew more as it consumed him. He screamed out in pain.
Elena looked at me for help as I tried to steady myself. "Bonnie! Bonnie, stop it! You're going to kill him!"
"Enough!" I held my ears as Bonnie's thoughts and emotions poured into my head and I fell to my knees clutching my head. I heard Bonnie gasp and the flames died instantly. Her eyes flashed to a pale gold as she clutched her head in pain.
She looked at me accusedly with wide eyes as she trembled. "Why did you—" Elena grabbed Bonnie and tried to stop her from restarting her spell, she shook her off. Bonnie's gaze was on me while I stared at the ground, shaking quietly.
"You were going too far." I retorted, glancing down at Damon. "Usually, I agree with you on this but this time I can't." I massaged my forehead and got up.
The dusts of light had scattered and were now hovering over me like a barrier, it was a little draining. I breathed in and held out my hand, drawing them back to me before they dissipated.
"Why not? He deserved this."
Caroline was still our friend and I didn't want Damon dead anymore, not when Katherine was running around the town. I tiredly glanced at her and told her I would tell her later.
A loud gasp was heard as Carter sat up. Terrified, he looked around with sweat running down his face. "Wh—what happened?" He asked, looking at the four of us.
Bonnie looked at me then Elena and Damon while trying to find the words to come with an excuse. Damon got up and shrugged. He was tired.
"You fell asleep." I simply answered. Carter tried to argue before he quickly reached for his neck and ears. He pulled at them and checked them before looking at us. I was lucky that the light burned away the blood or made the blood go away, or we would have a major problem. "Looks like you had a nightmare."
His eyes flickered to a pale gold as he nodded numbly. "I had a nightmare."
"You probably don't remember the nightmare."
"I don't remember the nightmare."
"Good. Now leave."
Carter nodded and hobbled off the trailer. He walked off in a trance while the three of us stood there.
Bonnie looked away as she cried silently before she walked away. Elena tried to talk to her, only to be brushed aside. She was left standing there as Bonnie left her behind without hearing a single thing she had to say.
I didn't bother to stop Bonnie, I knew she needed space. We all did, especially Caroline.
"Hey," I caught up with Stefan in the parking lot. Caroline trailed behind him, keeping her distance from me. "How is she?"
Stefan took a look at her before answering. "A little better than before. She's confused, very confused, about Katherine, about what happened. Everything is coming back to her and it doesn't help that all her emotions are heightened."
"She's going to be okay, right?"
"I think so." He looked at Caroline and asked her to get in the car before leading me away from her, back to the fairgrounds. He stopped when we were quite far from the car. "She's doing good trying to control herself, much better than Vicki."
"Can I see her?" I wanted to see her, to apologize to her.
Maybe it was selfish of me but I felt terrible, knowing I could've saved her if I just got her out that night with me.
"Ava…" He took in a sharp breath before shaking his head. "I'm sorry but it's best for both of you to stay away from each other."
"But Elena—"
"Elena's different from you." He cut me off. "You're different."
"How am I different?
"You're a little more…I don't know how to explain it—I guess the only thing I can say is that she'll lose control when she's around you." He looked away and started walking back but he stopped. "You can see her when she manages to control her urges, until then, I promise to take care of her."
I sniffed and wiped the tears that had formed in my eyes. I get it, I really did. I just hated how different I was from Elena.
"...Thank you."
I guess I should do something to repay him.
"Are you coming back after dropping her off?" He nodded. "Okay, meet me under the—ferris wheel, when you're back."
Stefan looked at me confused before he nodded and disappeared in a blink of an eye. He went back to get Caroline home.
I glanced around and saw all the volunteers and carnival workers gathered nearby, talking before they packed up. Unfortunately for them, I had other plans.
"Hey, guys." I said, going up to them. "Can you all do me a favor?" They all looked up at me, curious and some annoyed. I clapped my hands together once and their eyes flickered to a pale gold as they nodded. "Good."
The carnival was still going late into the night.
There were some people scattered around, some teenagers and a few confused families. I admit, this was not the most ethical thing I had done in my life but sometimes you had to break the rules to make the people in your life happy.
Besides, I made sure to check on the carnival workers and volunteers. Those that really had to go, went and the rest could stay for an hour or two.
I looked around, pacing in front of the still operating ferris wheel, waiting for Stefan. There were still no signs of him or anyone I knew. Bonnie was home by now, so was Caroline and Matt. As for Elena, she also went home but she'd be back soon.
"You made it." I stopped pacing around and looked at Stefan.
Stefan looked around, a little surprised. Still he was smiling so I count that as a win. "What is this?" He asked. "Did you—"
I nodded and walked him over to the ferris wheel. "I pulled a few strings and managed to keep the carnival open a little bit longer but it's mostly closed off. I thought you and Elena needed a little time off to have the most perfect carnival date and…a break really from everything." I laughed a little.
He chuckled quietly and shook his head. "I was actually planning to come back later." He replied, taking a step towards me.
"You mean break in and enter when everyone was gone—which by the way is a crime, trespassing to be more precise."
"Thanks officer. I didn't know that."
"Daughter of a lawyer."
He laughed while rolling his eyes. "I don't know what to say."
"Well, a thank you would be nice but I'm not really asking. Just go get Elena and have some fun. God knows you two deserve it."
"What about you?"
"Don't worry about me. Just go." I walked behind him and gently shoved him forward before peeking up at him from the side. "Go get Elena and have the best carnival date that would put rom-coms to shame. Go."
"Okay. Okay. I'm going."
Without a warning Stefan disappeared and I was left there alone. I waited a few more minutes before he returned with Elena. She waved at me confused before I waved at them and walked off, leaving the two alone.
Looking back at the ferris wheel, I stopped when I felt someone behind me. "Damon." I greeted, turning around to see him. He nodded at me before walking towards me. "What are you doing here?"
I noticed he had changed out of his previous outfit and looked slightly different. He had two cotton candies in his hand. He held one out. "Cotton candy?"
I rolled my eyes and carefully took it from him.
"Did you poison it?" I asked with a slight grin on my face.
I was pretending, I know but sometimes pretending helps make things a little better or maybe I was lying myself.
"No. Did you want me to?" He broke a few pieces of the fluffy pink candy and ate it. He made a face. "Tastes artificially sweet."
"Well, sometimes you need something artificially sweet to feel something."
"Was that your attempt at being profound?" I shrugged while stuffing a piece of cotton candy into my mouth. It melted on my tongue and I instantly tasted the sickly sweetness. "So why are you here? I thought you'd be home by now, plotting."
"I was and then Jeremy tried to attack me. That was fun." He answered. "He tried to whittle a stake. Cute."
"Oh no. Is Jeremy okay?"
"I'm the one who was attacked." Damon pointed out.
"But are you dead? No."
He sighed and looked at me. "Is this about Caroline?" Partly yes and partly no but I didn't tell him that. "Look, it wasn't your fault. Katherine—"
"How long am I going to blame her, Damon?" I asked in turn, so tired. I felt lightheaded. "I know it's her fault but…I can't help but think what if? What if I took Caroline with me that night. She wouldn't like this."
"I can't answer that."
"No, you can't."
I looked up at the ferris wheel that had started turning clockwise. I could vaguely see Elena and Stefan's silhouettes.
"You were right. I am a hypocrite." I answered, holding a piece of cotton candy in my hand.
He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "No. No, I wasn't. You care about Caroline and not just Caroline which reminds me, thank you." I glanced at him with a brow raised. "For saving me from Bonnie."
I chuckled and ripped another piece of cotton candy. "She wasn't really going to kill you, Bonnie's not that powerful…yet."
"Still." I stuffed the piece of cotton candy into his mouth and smiled, my head spun around a bit and I had to take a few steps back. "Easy there." He steadied me with a hand on my waist. "I don't understand why you always have to overdo it."
"Me neither." I answered honestly. "Damon." I gently pushed him away a little. "...I can't do this anymore."
"What?" He was stunned and blinked a few times before nervously laughing. "What do you mean?"
"I can't keep fighting, not after Caroline." I couldn't carry on like this. Aunt Evelyn was right and I was wrong, I was too naïve to think I could protect my friends. "Katherine went after Caroline, what if it's Bonnie or Elena or Matt, next? I can't do that. I can't hurt myself watching them get hurt or die."
Damon shook his head and tried to say something. "Katherine—"
"—Is dangerous and I'm so tired." I closed my eyes and swayed on my feet a little. I was going to faint, great. I felt nauseous and my mind felt cloudy.
Wind brushed past me furiously and when I opened my eyes, I wasn't under the ferris wheel anymore. I was home, standing on my balcony, alone. I looked around for a sigh of Damon or anyone but I was alone.
The doors to the balcony opened and Gina greeted me. She glanced behind her and then at me. Before she could ask me anything, I walked past her and went to change but not before asking to be alone.
I meant what I said. I was tired. I was so tired. Katherine was dangerous and I knew a lot but so little about her. I was afraid of what she could do. Caroline was only the beginning for her, Elena, Matt or Bonnie or even I could be next.
Author's note: There's some major changes to this chapter especially with the way Ava reacted to Caroline. I hated the last version especially the ending, like I thought about it a lot so I decided to switch it up a little.
Also thanks to Child of Dreams for correcting me on one of the dates for Lydia's journals. That was a mistake on my part, my bad. It's been fixed now, hopefully.
