Chapter 8: Mother Dearest
The next day, after the founders day kick off party, I found myself returning to school like normal. Like Damon hadn't killed my Uncle John and the man didn't just get back up and walk it off. At this point I didn't know whether to be shocked by the idea that both John and Alaric owned rings that could bring them back from the dead, but then again, life in Mystic Falls was no longer the predictable story it once was.
I was closing my locker for the last time that day and was about to leave when Caroline waved me down in the hall. "Hey, I just got the roster for Miss. Mystic Falls." Caroline gushed and smiled widely at me. "And guess what? You made the list!" I didn't mean to physically flinch, but I couldn't help the reaction to the fact that I had actually made the list for the pageant, and of course Caroline noticed. "What is it? What's wrong?"
I let out a sigh and shook my head at the blond girl. "I'm not participating in the pageant, Caroline."
"No, come on Serena. Your mom was really excited about this for you and Elena." Caroline was right. Our mom was excited, but I was never comfortable with the idea of competing for a crowds approval. My mother knew this and promised that it was up to me, that if I made the roster, and if I wanted to bow out, I could.
"I know. But I wasn't." I adjusted my bag and started heading for the school exit. "I'm just not comfortable in crowds, let alone having to compete in front of one." I tried my best to explain how I felt. "Besides, that's one less person for you to compete against." I sent Caroline a smile as we stepped out of the school.
Caroline let out a sigh of defeat and stood on the step above me as I turned to look up at her. "Fine, but I want you to be sure about this. I don't want you to end up regretting this. So think really hard about it before you make a decision. Okay? No peer pressure." She sent me a smile and I let out a small laugh.
"Thanks, Caroline. I appreciate that." I waved goodbye to the girl before heading to the parking lot and getting into my car. The next day I officially dropped out of the pageant after informing Carol Lockwood that I wouldn't be competing. Elena and Caroline would no doubt flourish in such an environment, but it wasn't for me. To many eyes and to many warning bells.
When my sister heard that I had dropped out of Miss. Mystic Falls she had tried to convince me to rejoin, but I denied the request. She even suggested that she bow out, but I made sure she took the idea back. I could tell Elena needed some normal back in her life. In fact, she looked as if she was craving it. I knew my sister, she was never going to fully accept what her life was now. Elena was bound to fight it, but it was too late to go back to what she once had.
As for myself, I embraced the changes that were taking place in my life. I've wanted answers for so long now, and now that I knew the things that went bump in the night were real, I had my chance. I was more than ready to learn the truth, but I was also warry. The last thing I wanted was for my family to be in constant danger.
The day of the pageant arrived and I was once again dreading having to attend another founders day party. But I wanted to support Elena and Caroline. I knew the Forbes girl had worked hard and wanted to win more than anything. This was going to be a long month of being forced to attend the celebrations being put on for the founding families.
I wandered around the manor while we all waited for the pageant to begin. I did well to keep away from the clusters of people scattered around the property. I felt a familiar shift in the air as I stood outside in the backyard and felt an arm loop through mine. Damon pulled me close to his side and began to lead me away from the backyard. "We need to talk." I frowned at his words as we moved towards the side of the manor where there was no one who could over hear us.
"What's got you all freaked out?" I asked as the vampire turned to face me.
"It's Stefan." Damon started. "He's fallen off the wagon. Been drinking human blood and not handling it well."
I sucked in a sudden breath and felt my eyes grow wide. "Oh no." My eyes flickered around and I shook my head at the sight of all the people attending the pageant. "This isn't good. Does Elena know?" Damon shook his head. "You need to go tell her, before she finds out on her own."
Damon nodded. "Alright. Keep an eye out, if you see our wayward brother, let me know. He won't be able to handle this crowd, not for very long anyway." I nodded my head in understanding and Damon headed back into the crowd of party goers.
I did my best to not look like I was currently freaking out inside as I searched the crowd for any sign of Stefan. I grabbed a drink and mingled around as I felt the air around me. I wasn't really hundred percent sure what I was doing, but I was hoping I would be able to feel Stefan before I even caught sight of him. I decided to head inside and search indoors, but I froze when I felt the air change and someone stepped out in front of me.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as Anna stood in front of me. "You know, I didn't believe at first when I first saw you. I thought it was just a trick of the light. But honestly, it's hard to miss you." Standing face to face with the girl, I was finally able to actually recognize her. During my life as a Salvatore I was never one to make friends. Damon and Stefan were all I had and all I found myself needing.
"Anna." I gave the vampire a nod. "It's good to see you again." I kept my words polite and curt. Anna was setting off all the warning bells in my head and her presence put me on edge.
Anna's face went somber for a moment as we stared at each other. "I'm sorry, about what Katherine did to you. I don't quite know how you're here, alive, but I won't ask too many questions. My mother and I just want to live in peace."
"I understand." I sent the vampire a nod. "And thank you, for not hurting my brother." She nodded her head and we went our separate ways. I let out a relieved breath when I felt her energy go away. With Anna gone and the air clear, I reset my sights on finding Stefan; hopefully before he killed anyone.
Before I could find any sign of Stefan, I ran into Damon. "Well, I can't find him anywhere. What about you?" I asked the older Salvatore brother. Damon shook his head and sagged slightly. Suddenly people started to fill into the house and both Damon and I heard the sound of the Mayor's voice speaking up.
"Come on. Hopefully he'll show up for his date." Damon took a hold of my arm and led the way towards the bottom of the stairs. We watched as each girl walked down the steps and met up with their dance partners. We searched the crowd for any sign of Stefan.
Elena's name was called and there was no sign of Stefan anywhere. One of the guys acting as a spare replacement was standing in Stefans place at the bottom of the stairs. I felt terrible as my sister's eyes looked for her date and found no one but a stranger waiting for her. As a last ditch effort I placed my hand on Damons back and gave him a small push. The vampire needed no further prompting and stood in front of the replacement partner. It probably wasn't Elena's ideal partner choice, but it was better than dancing with a stranger.
The crowd moved outside to the backyard and I stood on the side lines as Damon and Elena danced among the other contestants. I knew in my heart that Elena was head over heels in love with Stefan, but as I watched the two dance, I took notice of the way their eyes never left each other and their bodies matched one another's movements perfectly. The way Damon looked at my sister had my heart clenching in concern. The last thing Elena needed was to be caught up in between the two brothers, and I had a feeling that was what was going to happen. Because Damon was falling for her, and he was falling hard.
The dance ended and as I walked with the crowd to the announcement stage, I also kept an eye out for Stefan. I was starting to get really worried when Mrs. Lockwood and the Mayor got up on the stage to announce the winner and there was still no sign of the younger Salvatore brother.
"So, without further adieu. It is my honor to announce our very own Miss. Mystic Falls, Miss. Caroline Forbes." The crowd erupted into applause as the Mayor turned to face Caroline.
Caroline looked stunned for a moment before excitement took over her features. I smiled at the girl and clapped along with the crowd. She deserved this. No one other than Caroline put nearly as much work and effort into things the way she did. I felt proud of her as she graciously accepted the honor. At least life was getting back on track for some people.
While Caroline accepted the award up on stage, I felt a hand wrap around my arm and I was pulled away from the crowd. "There were signs of a struggle in the upstairs bathroom." Damon's voice sounded uneasy as the vampire glanced around the backyard of the Lockwoods home. "The mirror was smashed and there was blood." He paused before looking down at me. "The Amber girl is missing."
"This isn't good." I muttered quietly. "We need to find Stefan before it's too late." Damon nodded his head in agreement and the two of us waited for Elena to get off the stage. As soon as my sister was free of the crowd, Damon swooped in and grabbed her. The three of us rushed though the manor and hurried down the gravel driveway towards Damon's car.
We barely made it to his car before Elena was shouting. "Stefan!" My head snapped in the direction Elena took off in. We ran towards the vampire and the poor girl caught in his grasp. Stefan released the girl at the sight of us and she collapsed to the ground.
"Stefan, come on get control." Damon spoke to his brother as he carefully approached him. "It's okay, come on. Breath through it man."
Stefan let out a growl before leaping at his brother and throwing Damon up against a tree. "Stefan stop it!" Elenas' shouts fell on deaf ears as the vampire brothers faced off against one another. While Stefan was distracted by Damon I rushed around the fighting vampires to Ambers side.
"Hey, it's going to be okay." I kneeled and pulled the girl into my arms as I investigated the wound on her neck. Stefans sudden cries of pain made me look up and I took notice that Bonnie had now joined us. It was the first time I had seen the girl since the night of the tomb. "Just hold on alright, help is coming." I did my best to reassure the girl, but she was too stunned to really hear what I was saying so I just stayed on the ground beside her.
"It's okay Stefan." I heard Damon try to reassure his brother, but Stefan didn't seem to agree with him and with a pained look at all of us, the vampire took off into the woods.
Sheriff Forbes arrived with the police and EMTs in tow. She took all of our statements and Amber was taken away by the EMTs to be looked over. Damon covered for Stefan and I stood to the side, away from Elena and Bonnie. The witch and my sister stood talking for a moment before Bonnie walked away. The young witch and I caught each other's eyes and Bonnie looked down with a sad look before heading back toward the manor.
I wasn't going to lie, I wasn't completely comfortable around the witch, not after the night of the tomb. She had promised me. Promised that she would stop the spell. But even as I cried out in pain and begged her to end it, she didn't. What hurt the most was the fact that I had trusted her, she was my friend, and yet she just let me wither on the ground in pain. I knew all of the details of that night, but if she wanted to, she could have stopped using me as a magic enhancer and use her own power to finish the spell.
But she hadn't.
Elena and I ended up at the boarding house over the next couple of days. Stefan had been successfully drugged by Elena and placed in the cellar to detox. We were all hopeful that Stefan would come out of this unscathed and be back to normal, but knowing that he had hurt someone put Stefan in a tough place mentally. I was worried for him. He was truly hurt by his own actions.
On the second day of staying at the boarding house, I decided to head home and grab some clean clothes for Elena and I. I headed downstairs and pulled my jacket on before grabbing my bag that was hanging on the coat hook in the hallway.
"Leaving already little sister?" Damon commented as he walked down the stairs.
"Ha ha, very funny. I think it's time I get out of here and check in with Jenna." I adjusted my jacket and reached for the door knob. "Keep me posted on Stefan, okay, and uh, stay out of trouble." I smirked at the vampire and opened the large wooden door.
"Ha ha, now you're the funny one." The wooden door creaked open as Damon shouted after me. "And stop stealing my shirts!"
I let out a laugh as the door closed behind me and made my way to my car. The last couple of days have been tough on all of us as we watched Stefan starve himself. He had been truly repulsed with himself after attacking Amber and drinking her blood. I found myself having mixed feelings on the matter. On one hand, he was a vampire, it should be only natural for him to drink human blood. But on the other hand, Stefan was a vampire with no self control when it came to blood, much like an alcoholic, and he found himself giving into temptation.
After checking in with Jenna and taking a shower, my phone rang and I found myself being summoned to the school by none other than Miss. Mystic Falls herself.
"I'm really starting to hate how easily I give into your demands." I grumbled as I followed behind the preppy blond who had practically forced me into helping build floats for the Founders Day parade. I was really just being a glorified assistant to the new Miss. Mystic Falls as she bossed everyone else around.
"Oh come on. Don't sulk, we need to make memories for our future. Things we can look back on and smile fondly at." Carolines counter argument was one I didn't fully agree with, but maybe she was right. What was wrong with a few normal human memories?
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled the device out and looked at the screen. "Hey, Caroline, I'll be right back, I need to take this." I left the parking lot and slipped into the school building. I made my way straight to the history classroom and found Damon, Stefan, Alaric, and Elena in the room. I was happy to see Stefan looking much better than when I last saw him.
"Ah, there she is, now then, let's get this meeting started." Damon clapped his hands and took a seat atop one of the desks lining the front row of the classroom. I raised a brow and glanced around at the others in the room.
Alaric sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Isobel is in town." I found my eyes growing wide at the man's words. I hadn't expected the woman to actually show up in Mystic Falls. "She came to the Grill last night and found me in the parking lot."
"Did you ask her if she's working with good old Uncle John?" Damon asked. I took a seat on the empty desk beside him and stared at the history teacher, slash, vampire hunter.
Alaric shook his head. "No, I didn't ask."
Damon shot back with another question. "What about the invention?"
"Didn't ask." Alaric answered. I could feel the air around Damon flex in irritation as the vampire glared at Alaric and his lack of helpful answers.
"Did words just completely escape you?" Damon scolded the man and I rolled my eyes at him before standing up and drawing attention to myself.
"Enough, Damon." I snapped at the vampire before looking at Alaric. "Did you at least find out what she wanted?" Alaric looked past me and straight at Elena.
"She wants to see me." Elena answered. "She asked Alaric to set up a meeting between the two of us."
I cringed at the thought of Isobel wanting to speak to Elena. I didn't trust the woman. She was a vampire whose only ties to us was that she was our birth mother, one who gave us up. Nothing about this felt right.
"She threatened to go on a killing spree if we refused." Alaric added and I had a sense of deflation as I realized that we didn't have much of a choice but to let this happen. None of us truly knew Isobel or her character so we had no way of knowing if she would go through with it. It wasn't really a chance we could take.
I aimed for the solid white billiard ball and smiled as it cracked against the yellow striped one and sent it into the corner pocket. While I looked as if I was completely focused on competing against Stefan in a game of pool, I was really keeping an eye out for my sister as she sat alone at a table waiting for Isobel.
While I was interested in what Isobel had to say, I was still a bit apprehensive. She wanted to see Elena, but why? Was it because of Elena digging too far into her? Or was something to do with Katherine? Everything these days seemed to be leading back to the vampire whose goal in her undead life was to ruin other people's lives.
The energy shifted around the normal humans milling about the Grill as I looked up from the game and spotted the source. I knew I wasn't going to look anything like the woman, but the differences between us was striking. The energy around her matched that of both Stefan and Damons so there was no doubt that she was a vampire.
"What are they saying?" I stood beside Stefan with my back to Elena and Isobel. With his super human hearing, Stefan would easily be able to hear what the two were talking about.
"Isobel knows Katherine. She commented on how much Elena looks like her." Stefan answered as he stared at the two. His voice was low and the two of us looked as if we were sharing a private conversation to the rest of the patrons.
"That makes sense." I commented and took aim at the white billiard ball again to keep up pretenses. "But how does she know her? What's her goal here?"
Stefan stayed quiet as he listened in on the conversation. "She's here for the invention, the one Johnathan Gilbert made. The one your Uncle John is after." Well, now we had an answer. This was something we could work with, but it was going to be tricky. We didn't know what lengths Isobel would be willing to go to get the old Gilbert's invention.
I turned away from the pool table when I felt Stefan stiffen beside me. My eyes met those of my birth mothers and the two of us stared at one another. She had grabbed Elenas arm before the dark haired girl could leave the table. Something passed through her eyes, something quick and if I hadn't already been looking at her, I would have missed it.
The conversation between vampire mother and human daughter ended there and Isobel left the Grill. Stefan immediately went to Elenas side as the girl broke down. I could only imagine the pain she felt knowing our birth mother was just another bad guy in our story. I honestly felt nothing for the woman. Miranda Gilbert was more of a mother to me then anyone else in any lifetime besides my first one.
I left the Grill after Stefan promised to take Elena home. I headed out to my car and was reaching into my bag when the air shifted and I froze in place. "Wow, you really don't look anything like me, do you?" Her voice was dry and flat, and as I turned to face her I looked at the woman who gave birth to me up and down.
"No, we truly don't look anything alike. But then again, I never have really looked much like any of my birth parents." I had let the words slip from my mouth hoping to catch her off guard, but Isobel only sent a small knowing smirk my way. I narrowed my eyes at her. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"
Isobel blinked and nodded. "Yes, I knew that." She started. "I've done my research on you. Tell me, have you remembered all of your past lives yet? Do you know why you've been brought back?"
My heart stuttered in my chest. "No, no I haven't quite remembered some older memories." I didn't specify and frowned as the vampire scoffed. My body was tense and I took notice of the distance Isobel kept between us. "What do you know? About me, about what I am?" I asked as I took a step forward. Isobel took a step back and I raised a brow. So I hadn't been wrong back in the Grill. When the two of us made eye contact, the emotion I had seen flash through her eyes was fear. She was afraid. But of what?
"What has you so afraid, Isobel? I'm not nearly as strong or deadly as you." I commented and took another step forward. "What do you know?"
Isobel smirked and matched my step with her own as she kept her distance. "Oh sweetie, I wouldn't touch you with a fifty foot pole. Not if I want to stay alive."
I tilted my head in confusion and stared at the woman. "What does that mean?" Isobel only continued to smirk at me and before I could ask anything else, the vampire was gone. I let out a curse and angrily reached into my bag and pulled out my car keys. She knew, she knew what I was and had the answers I needed. But I had a gut feeling I wasn't going to be getting those answers, at least not from her.
The next day we all saw that things were escalating now that Isobel had entered the picture. She was a wild card and we were going to have to play this by her rules. Because she wasn't afraid to cause some damage and that included taking our little brother as collateral. The only problem now was Damon. Now that we had the invention in our hands, there was no way he was going to be willing to just give the device up to Isobel.
"No, absolutely not!" Damon shouted out. I found myself standing beside Elena as we tried to convince the vampire to give up the vampire hunting device.
"Damon, we don't have time for this. Isobel took Jeremy and we need the invention to get him back." I argued. Damon glared at me and I in turn glared right back at the stubborn man.
"I'm not gonna give the device to Isobel just so she can give it to John who is no doubt going to turn it on to kill me. I like being a living dead person." I rolled my eyes at the older Salvatore. While I understood where he was coming from, he wasn't really listening to the fact that Isobel had Jeremy and was no doubt going to hurt him if we didn't hand over what she wanted.
Elena pulled up between us and looked at Damon. "Just hear me out. Please." Damon now turned his glare onto Elena. "It'll be useless, okay. Bonnie can take its power away."
Damon's eyes found the witch standing somewhat behind Stefan. "I don't trust her." Damon stated and as sad as it sounded, I didn't trust the witch either.
Bonnie stepped up and I moved so I was now standing beside Damon while the witch spoke to the vampire. "I can remove the original spell." She spoke and I crossed my arms and glanced at Damon.
"John and Isobel will never know." Elena added and I watched as Damon weighed his options. Trust the witch who he tried to kill, or do this his way and potentially end up with a dead Jeremy.
"She has Jeremy, Damon. He doesn't deserve to get hurt in this." I spoke up and Damon turned his eyes onto me. He knew I was right, but he was still not convinced.
"No, I'll get Jeremy in my own way." Damon snapped, but we were running out of options, and time.
"Really? How do you plan on doing that?" Stefan stepped up and stared at his brother. "Because Isobel is a vampire and Jeremy could be dead the second you walk through the door."
Damon shifted and glanced between each of us before his eyes landed on Bonnie. "Are you even up for this?" Damon looked the witch up and down. "You're no Emily Bennett. Emily knew what she was doing."
Bonnie gave Damon a look. "I've been practicing." She stated. I could believe that, but did that mean she could deactivate a device that was over a hundred years old?
Damon rolled his eyes at the young teen. "It's not piano lessons, honey."
"What's your favorite book?" Bonnie asked and Damon narrowed his eyes at the witch.
"What?" He asked.
"Name a book, any book." Bonnie stated again and this time Damon thought up an answer.
"Name a book, how about 'Call of the wild', Jack London?" Damon suggested. Bonnie turned from us to look at the bookshelf on the other side of the room. A book suddenly flew off the shelves and Damon reacted and caught the object as it came hurtling toward his face. "Jack London. Great parlor trick."
But it hadn't just been a simple parlor trick. I had felt the energy in the air shift as Bonnie concentrated on what she wanted to happen. She had used her natural magic to pull the correct book from the shelf and send it flying at the vampire. She was getting better, but that didn't mean I was on her side. I was going to need time and proof that she wasn't going to pull something like that again.
"Were doing this, Damon." Elena spoke up. "And we're doing it my way. Now give me the device. We're wasting too much time."
"I don't trust you, I tried to kill you." Damon looked to Bonnie and I took the moment to step up to Damon.
"You're right." I spoke as Damon's eye met mine. "Listen, I don't like this either, but we don't have much of a choice. You're just going to have to trust her."
The older Salvatore mulled over my words before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the invention. I let out a sigh as the vampire handed it over to Elena. "Thank you." Elena whispered before handing the device to Bonnie.
Damon's eyes left the two teenage girls and came back to me. "Thank you, big brother."
"Yeah, lets just hope you're right about this." Damon added and I nodded my head in agreement. Johnathan Gilbert's device was now spell free. I was putting my trust in Bonnie and I could only hope I had made the right decision in trusting her. Now we needed to make the trade.
Town square was empty as I stood beside Elena. Isobel was right on time and approached the two of us. I took a couple steps back and gave the vampire space to approach Elena. My body was tense and I hated the fact that we were so out in the open, but after this exchange Jeremy would be safe and hopefully that would end Isobels time here in Mystic Falls.
"Where is the device?" Isobel asked immediately as the three of us faced off.
"Where is my brother?" Elena shot back.
Isobel glared at Elena. "This isn't a negotiation. Where is the invention?"
"Our brother first, then you get your invention." I shot back at the vampire. Isobel raised a brow at the both of us.
"Do you really think that I came alone?" With a wave of her hand two strangers appeared from behind Elena and I. From the way their energy felt I knew the two were human, but they had more than likely been compelled by Isobel to be her little minions.
"Did you really think that we came alone?" I smirked at Elena's sass and watched as both Damon and Stefan appeared from behind Isobel. We had the high ground on the vampire and she knew it.
Isobel rolled her eyes and scoffed at us. "For god's sake, call home." I raised a brow and glanced at Elena. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the house phone and waited for someone to answer.
"Hello?" I let out a sigh of relief and nodded to Elena. Jeremy was home.
"Hey little brother, are you doing alright?" I questioned. Jeremy answered that he was fine and that Uncle John had hit his head. I could hear Jenna in the background and hung up the phone after saying goodbye. Isobel's end of the bargain had been met.
"You were never gonna hurt him." Elena stated as she looked to our birth mother. I didn't share the same opinion.
"No, I was going to kill him." Isobel answered and I glared at the woman. She really wasn't making it hard to hate her. "Don't go looking for any redeeming qualities in me. I don't have any."
That I could believe, but Elena continued to push it. "But you took a risk with Damon. How did you know he was gonna give it to me?"
Isobel smirked. "Because he's in love with you, and if he didn't give it to you, he was bound to give it to his little sister." Her eyes looked at me, she knew I had been a Salvatore, but that didn't shock me. If she knew Katherine, then she would know of my life as a Salvatore.
Damon shifted and looked uncomfortable at the earlier statement. "Thank you." Elena says to Isobel as she hands the device over.
"For what?" The vampire asks as she tucks the device away and out of sight.
"For being such a monumental disappointment." Elena answers back. "Keeps the memory of my real mother perfectly intact."
"Goodbye, Elena. As long as you have a Salvatore on each arm, you're doomed." I could tell her words made Elena uncomfortable. "Katherine was smart, she got out. But, we all know you're not Katherine." Her eyes left Elena and she looked back at me. "You're the one they should all be watching. You're the most dangerous thing in Mystic Falls."
Isobel was gone and the four of us were left alone. I stood stalk still as Stefan embraced Elena. Isobels words shook me to the core. There it was again, dangerous, but what did that mean? What made me dangerous?
A/N: Thank you for all the love and support! Quick reminder, I did go back and do some rewrites to chapters 1-7. Feel free to go back a reread those chapters, if you want to.
Mondays are post days.
Stay safe everyone.