Come As You Are

by FireFlower17

In the wake of her grandmother's death, Ava returns to Mystic Falls, a town her family had fled when she was young to escape demons hiding in the dark. With her return, more strange disappearances and deaths spring up. Slowly her nightmares turn to reality as she descends into the deep darkness of Mystic Falls.

39. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Save The Last Dance

---

"You'd think losing their only daughter would make the Flemmings more caring but you'd be wrong." I heard mom comment quietly through the speaker of my phone pressed against my ear as I hopped around my room looking for my mom's old embroidered suede brown vest.

Mom and dad had left a week ago and had spent the last week at Grove Hill, tending to Isobel's grave. Remains of ashes were found by a gravekeeper at the Grave Hill Cemetery scattered around her grave.

She'd instructed the gravekeeper to gather what he could and collect it into an urn. It was a lot and among the ashes, he found a few clothing items with origins which couldn't be explained. But everyone in our family knew that was Isobel's.

She was really gone. For good this time.

"Oh, what happened this time?" I questioned, finding the vest on top of my vanity and putting it on, letting it hang loose without buttoning it up.

She sighed. "They got her birth day and year all wrong. It should be October 17th 1975 not January 18th 1978. How could they get that wrong?" She complained quietly. "I'm going to have to have a word with them later. How hard is it to get one thing right? I know they didn't care that much but they could've done more."

"Hey, at least they got her a grave when they thought she was gone." I tried and straightened the hem of my bootcut blue jeans.

"That's because they gave up looking for her. Maybe if they were decent people or parents, Isobel wouldn't have turned out the way she did."

"Well, at least there was an effort."

Mom scoffed. "Effort?" She echoed back and I regretted what I just said. "Ava, they declared Isobel dead the minute she went missing. I know I can't talk since I just never checked up on her but at least I had an excuse!"

"You were grieving." I heard dad answer before I could.

"I was grieving." Mom echoed back. "I lost my family. I didn't exactly have time to check on Isobel of all people but those people—the Flemmings they were…her family."

I couldn't help but agree. If they really cared they wouldn't have accepted their missing daughter's death so easily. They would've spared no expenses to find her.

But they didn't.

It was like Isobel running away was enough for them to kill Isobel in their memories and hearts.

In some sense, Isobel and Katherine were more alike than Elena. The only similarities between Elena and Katherine were their taste in men and their faces, other than that, Isobel was more alike to Katherine.

I thought about Katherine's daughter who was taken away from her at birth. She survived but I wonder if she managed to escape her mother's and her descendant's fate.

Maybe the Petrova line was cursed.

"It doesn't erase what she did." I heard mom mumble to dad as dad tried to be more sympathetic. "I still…she shouldn't have taken the easy way out, Gabe."

"But Laila, she was already dead." I heard dad argue quietly but loud enough for the phone to pick up. "She was…a vampire by choice. Remember what Ava told us?" I felt a sharp pang of guilt that I swallowed as I tucked my white flowy shirt into my jeans. "Isobel sought Damon Salvatore out. She wanted to become a vampire. She was dead already."

"Then why would she just…kill herself in front of Elena of all people if she went through all of that to become a vampire?" Mom questioned in turn.

"Maybe she didn't have a choice." I heard the line go silent like they or I had hung up.

I didn't hear anything for a few minutes and I was about to put my phone away, thinking the call was over until I heard my dad ask. "Ava, what did you just say?"

I froze. Damn. I'd said my thoughts out loud without thinking. The damage was done as I could hear dad repeatedly ask me to explain what I meant.

"I'm not exactly sure." I slowly began, already doubting myself. "But…the last time we—mom and I saw Isobel, I noticed she was acting really strange."

"Like?"

"Her speech was a…little drawn out and almost forced. Her eyes were…hazy and face was blank. It was like she was—"

"Compelled?"

"Exactly what I was thinking but I'm not too sure."

"Who else have you told this to?"

"No one else but you two." I admitted. I didn't even tell Elena. She was still grieving even if she wouldn't admit it. "I wasn't fully sure if Isobel was compelled or maybe I just didn't want to face the truth because you know…"

"The only vampires that can compel other vampires are Originals." Dad said and I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "There is a possibility that it was an Original."

"But why would they kill Izzie?" I heard mom cry out.

"Because she knew too much." Dad answered plainly. "Isobel specialized in vampiric folklore with an emphasis on the false curse of the sun and the moon—I say false because it's not academically proven and your aunt Evelyn has confirmed that the curse is fabricated."

"But there's definitely a curse." I pointed out. "Aunt Diana and uncle Nate said that the requirements of the sun and moon curse look like actual ingredients for a ritual."

"I didn't say there wasn't a curse." Dad stated. "All I said was that the sun and moon curse was fake, not that there isn't a curse. There's definitely a curse. I guess the curse has something to do with Klaus."

I paused. I didn't think about the possibility that Klaus could be the one affected by a curse but dad did.

"Why would you say that?" I asked, pressing him for more.

"Because if it was Elijah—the other Original we know of, the curse would've been broken already. I know the Originals are involved with this curse thing because they are well the Originals and the mentions of a curse according to your aunt first appeared in the late 1200s, it's not that old as our bloodline so the Italian branch actually had some records of vampires from that era. There weren't many. I can safely say with the obsession of the Originals over the curse, it was them who started this hoax."

"Because they wanted three different species of supernaturals to be aware of it?"

"Two who would go on a scavenger hunt to look for the ingredients to break the curse but one—the witches would also find the ingredients but to keep the curse."

"And you think Klaus is the one who's cursed?"

"Because Elijah had the ingredients, Ava. If the curse was real, why wouldn't a vampire let alone an Original break the curse if he had access to all the ingredients?" Dad sighed exasperatedly. "He had two warlocks, he knew where the werewolves were, any vampire would do and the most important ingredients were within his reach: the moonstone and doppelgänger."

"But the curse wasn't broken."

"Exactly and somehow Isobel is–was connected to all of this."

"Isobel found out something she shouldn't have, which caused an Original to compel her to kill herself?" Mom summed up.

"I think so." I said.

"I think she found Klaus." Dad stated and I heard mom let out a gasp. "It makes sense."

"Izzie was always looking for things she shouldn't have." Mom commented with a sigh before her tone changed. "But that's over now. You should hurry to your appointment with Dr Rosales, Dr Warren already sent over some of your files from Havensbrook."

"Yeah. Yeah. I know." A quick glance at the clock on the wall and I grabbed my bag.

On the calendar next to my desk, I'd marked my appointment for the therapist in bright red and highlighted it in pastel pink.

"You know how important this is to you."

"I know mom. I know."

"This is your eighth therapist too in the span of six months." Mom complained. "I don't know why you keep changing your therapists every other month. I thought Dr Jeffreys was good for you. Sure Grove Hill was far but Dr Jeffreys is–was great."

I didn't purposely ask my parents to schedule an appointment with a therapist close to Mystic Falls or in Mystic Falls. This town was quiet and sleepy but the problem was everyone knew everyone. The last thing I wanted was for someone from school to find out about my business.

Or worse, one of the vampires in town could compel out my secrets.

Unfortunately that fear was not unfounded. I thought Grove Hill or the towns surrounding Mystic Falls would be safer for me. I guess I was wrong.

I didn't bother to tell mom that there was a small chance that my past five doctors had been compelled. I didn't know how but it was obvious.

By the third weekly session, their eyes would have a glassy and hazy look to them. Their smiles were more forced and movements almost rehearsed.

And all of them would change their minds about me needing to retrieve my lost memories from the night of the Spring Break incident. They'd claim it was my mind's way of protecting me or some other lie I saw right through.

Dr Jeffreys was the longest lasting one I'd had until Dr Rosales. He'd made it to week four before he suddenly stopped pressing me about the incident. That marked our last session. It came right after my grandparents and aunt's death anniversary.

Dr Jeffreys changed and he became just like my other therapists.

I told them all I wanted to remember, not forget but all of them wanted me to forget, leaving me with the same words.

"Death's a traumatic experience for the mind, Ava. Forgetting is your mind's way of protecting you."

All of my past therapists said the exact same thing.

You'd think I was the one who'd died in the most traumatic way possible with the way they talked.

I had no choice but to leave, discharge myself which left me no choice but to bite the bullet and book an appointment myself with Dr Rosales in Mystic Falls at Jenna's recommendation.

Dr Rosales seemed sweet. A soft-spoken woman who always offered me kind words of affirmation. I even confided in her about the strangeness of my last therapists and she agreed they were right but also admitted that it was strange that they all came to the same conclusion with the exact same words to tell me of their conclusion.

She was the longest therapist I'd had so far. We were on our sixth or seventh session. Almost two months. For me that was a record.

"Ava! Are you listening?" Mom and dad both asked, they sounded so tired and annoyed with me.

"Yes. I know. I heard. Don't skip school—I won't. I have to prepare for the 60s dance and don't be late to my appointment."

"Well, you have to say something if you're there." Dad complained and I smiled. "Don't skip school and stay safe. You know what's lurking out there."

"You guys are returning to Washington today right?"

"Not exactly." Mom and dad chorused before dad continued. "We're gonna return the rental at Grove Hill and take a flight to New York after that. Your mom has a two-week conference and I'm meeting with some clients there too."

"Okay. Have a safe flight." I hung up without another word, safely taking my parents' thoughts off my issue with my therapists. They'd worry if I told them.

---

I tapped my feet nervously against the cold hard linoleum floor while keeping an eye on the clock opposite me.

"Relax."

I told myself. I've done this before. I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself as my eyes wandered around the familiar halls of the clinic.

The light lavender walls with thin strips of white running through the walls were soft but too bright for my eyes. While the floors with white and speckled gray spots made it appear dusty no matter how much it was scrubbed.

On the walls, the posters decorated the walls. Some posters were peeling and yellowing from the years it had been on the wall while others were newly stuck and firmly pressed to the wall.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The sound of the clock ticking by was deafening and driving me insane. Maybe I should've stayed home.

I glanced next to me, Jenna and uncle Nate were busy in a deep conversation about Jenna's thesis. Part-way through the conversation, I heard them start talking about Isobel again.

Isobel.

Her death was a shock to Jenna who didn't fully believe that Isobel was really dead. Mom confirmed she was gone and told her that much at first. Slowly, day by day, uncle Nate revealed more like how Elena witnessed Isobel's death.

Obviously, guilt was eating Jenna away but my parents, uncle Nate and I, all convinced her that it wasn't her fault that Isobel died. I still had my suspicions about her death that I had yet to share it with anyone except my parents.

It wasn't Jenna or Elena's fault what happened to Isobel.

Elena was still grieving and I guess in some way so was John. I noticed that he'd left for Grove Hill not long after her death. Maybe Isobel had stabbed both him and Katherine in the back but some part of him did love her.

And in some part, Isobel's death was part of the reason why I sat in the waiting room of my therapist's office on the one year anniversary of Isaac, Jason, Brook and Amanda's death and Hanna's disappearance.

26th April.

Those nights and days were burned into my head and for months, they were all I could think about. I was haunted by that spring break and I was so sure that every single thing was burned into my head but now I wasn't so sure.

I knew one thing: my memories weren't whole.

They were fragmented. Erased or jumbled up. I wasn't so sure.

All I knew was that those incomplete memories had haunted me for months.

Well, that was until I returned to Mystic Falls.

"Ava." Jenna's voice broke through my thoughts as I jolted up. "Your phone's ringing."

Uncle Nate and Jenna stared at me in concern. I plastered a smile on my face, hoping it didn't look like a grimace. I stood up to take the call without even checking who it was.

"Hello?"

"Ava? Hey, it's me, June." June's bright and chipper voice sounded foreign to my ears. It had been too long since the last time I spoke to either her or her brother.

The last time I spoke with them, I had a splitting headache that made me want to curl up. It was around the time when the tomb vampires attacked town during Founders Parade.

I hadn't seen them either. All plans I had with them and my other friends from Havensbrook were canceled. I'd make an excuse every time. That date with August was canceled and forgotten

June and August's desperate voice begging me to leave town echoed in my head, ringing loudly.

"...June?" My voice came out a little strangled and I bit my lips, wincing at my actions. "It's…been a while."

"So it has." June agreed. "You've practically blown us off for months. I-I'd figured you'd at least come back for spring break this year considering…"

Oh.

Right.

The memorial. I'd completely forgotten about it with how busy I'd been lately. Thoughts of the curse, sacrifice and Klaus had overtaken my mind, leaving me no space to think about last spring break.

"I'm so sorry. I…um…I was super busy with everything and I know it sounds like an excuse but I have a lot going on." I winced. My words sounded more like an excuse than I'd realized until the words were said.

"Oh." June was upset. I didn't need to see her face or read her mind to know she was upset. "You…were busy." She said slowly.

I could picture her eyes and lips twitching as she said those words.

"I was busy." I echoed back.

"I'm sure you were. I mean I can imagine it's not easy for you or…us."

"June…"

"No. No. I get it. I do."

"June."

"No, you just moved all the way across the country from Washington to Virginia and cut us off."

"I didn't cut you guys off."

"You sure?" June questioned. "Cause it feels like you did."

"June, just hear me out. I've got a lot going on right now that I can't explain."

"I'm sure you do. School must be a bitch to you."

"School's not the only problem I have. You just don't know because I can't tell you."

"You don't have to." June spat out. "All I know is you forgot about Isaac and everyone else."

"June!" I could never forget about Isaac even if I tried. "Wh-what's wrong with you? Why would you even say that when you know how I feel about him and everything."

"Just making sure you're not disconnected from last year's events."

Disconnected? I blinked and let out a sharp gasp. What was wrong with her? Was she mad I blew her and August off months ago to stay in Mystic Falls? Or maybe she was upset that I didn't go to the memorial and vigil for the friends we lost in Havensbrook.

I heard some shuffling in the background and the phone was snatched out of June's hands. "I'm so so sorry about her." It took me a second to recognize Max's voice, I hadn't heard from him in months. "You know how she is…so damn sensitive about everything."

"I'm not being sensitive." June squeaked out and I could picture her crossing her arms across her chest. I didn't know if August was there or not but if he was, he would be trying to calm his twin down.

"Uh-huh, whatever you say, babe." Max replied, probably grinning at his girlfriend. "Again, I'm so sorry about her. She's...grieving."

"Aren't we all?" I reminded him. "I was there too." I remembered flashes of it, here and there.

June wasn't the only one who lost friends. I lost Hanna and Amanda too. Heck, I'd even mourned a little for Jason and Brooke even if I wasn't close to them.

"That's what I told her. You know, she's taking it extra hard—that time of the year."

"I get it." I said softly. "But I lost friends too. I almost lost my own life."

"Yo-u…d-id…los–e…your…li—fe…" Max and June's voice seemed to seamlessly meld into one chilling, disharmonious sentence.

My throat tightened and I pressed my phone closer to my ear while gripping it tightly in my hand. "What did you two just say? I—I didn't hear that."

"We said…you…d—d. You…should—nev—left—Havensbrook." Again, the couple's voices melded together into a strange cacophony.

A fog covered my mind and thoughts, my head spun. I caught onto the wall nearby to stop myself from falling. A piercing headache made me bite down on my lower lip.

It felt as if something like a needle was being inserted into my head. I could hear their words echo in my mind again like that night. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the glass door of one of the rooms. My eyes were flickering between amberish-gold and silver-violet shade, every time their voice repeated in my mind.

This was the second time this had happened.

"June…Max…" I cried out, letting go to hold my head as the needle was stabbed into my head repeatedly. "S-top."

"You fo–rg-ot…abou—t Isaac…you for—got w—hat th–ey did."

I let out a gasp and doubled over in pain, crouching on the floor holding my head. I didn't even notice Jenna's hand on my shoulders until my uncle's face was in front of me. He was crouching down, saying something but I couldn't make it out. The world around me seemed to speed up and slow down at the same time, drowning his voice out.

"Ava?" My name was the only thing I could make out. I watched his eyes widen in horror as he hurried to cover my eyes from Jenna. He hissed out in pain, drawing back before covering them again.

"That's enough!" August's loud booming voice shocked me and the voices fell silent. The ache went away and uncle Nate slowly removed his hands.

Time returned to its usual pace. The fog in my head cleared and so did the ringing. I could feel and hear everything now. I could even hear August's muffled voice in the background of the call as he chastised June and Max but he wasn't speaking English or any known languages. It was a strange almost melodic language that seemed foreign and unnatural yet for some reason I could make out a few bits.

"...went too far." August said as June argued back. "She'll…get…suspicious of us."

"So? I'm reminding…her what they…did." June barked out in the same melodic language yet from her mouth it sounded almost disharmonious. "She should be here…she'll expose us."

What?

My head was spinning and I couldn't think straight.

"... doesn't work on her." I managed to catch Max's few words. What didn't work on me? "... everything's a mess but you two already knew…"

The more I heard them speak, the more confused I became.

"Av—" I held a finger to silence uncle Nate. I needed to hear them out. I needed to know what the hell was going on.

"Sh—Kamila's granddaughter." I froze and I didn't even notice that I'd hung up until my phone started going cold.

"Ava?" Jenna and uncle Nate called out to me as I looked up. "Is everything okay?" Jenna asked.

I swallowed. Everything was not okay. I was more confused than ever. I shot uncle Nate a 'we'll talk later' look and forced myself to smile.

"Everything's fine, Jenna." I stood up, my knees wobbling a little but uncle Nate made sure I didn't fall. "Just a call from my old friends."

"Friends from…"

"Yeah." I didn't let her finish but she knew enough to not press me for more answers.

Her face scrunched up into concern and her eyes dipped low in sadness. "It'll be okay." She patted my shoulder and drew me in for a hug. "It'll be okay, you'll be okay."

I nodded, burying my head into the crook of her neck and wishing that my mom was still there; she was probably already on her flight. I pulled away quickly and gathered myself.

Just as I did so, my name was called out. "Ava Fitzroy." The receptionist looked around the small waiting room as I raised my hand. "Right this way." She pointed to the hall behind her.

I followed her without another word as she led me to Dr Rosales's room. With a few knocks, she pulled back and left to return to her post.

It took Dr Rosales a few seconds to get the door before I was greeted with a brightly sunlit room. Her curtains were open and she had a bright smile on her face as the sunlight lit her coily brown hair and dark skin, illuminating them. She looked like she was glowing under the morning sun.

"Sorry for the wait." She began, grabbing my file and taking out a few papers. "I had a patient who took some time."

"No worries." I pulled out a chair and took a seat on the plush velvet sofa at the end of the room near the built-in bookshelves, clasping my hands together as I sat down.

Nodding, she took a seat opposite me with a clipboard and pen in hand. "So before we begin the sessions, I'll ask the usual—"

"No to all of them. I haven't had the urge to off myself or harm myself or others."

"Um, not the language I'd use but thank you for the answers." She quickly jotted down my answers and set it aside, turning her attention on me. "So how have you been over all since the last session?"

"The same, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I don't know—I didn't notice anything different."

"Anything new in your life? Any…new relationships?" She inquired carefully and I sighed.

"Just the same old."

"Okay." She flipped over a page, her eyes scanning her notes from the last session. "Let's talk about…Caroline—one of your best friends. A few sessions ago, you mentioned she had…changed but you didn't say how. Now, how do you feel about that change or how did she change?"

I swallowed. I didn't really expect her to talk about Caroline first. "I guess I've gotten more used to it now. It's just sometimes I feel a little torn between her and Matt. He…doesn't know that Caroline's…changed."

"Right." She noted down what I said and looked up. "How does that make you feel? Sad? Annoyed? Angry?"

"Guilty."

"Guilty." She echoed back, shifting closer. "How so?"

I blinked. I didn't know how to say what I felt without telling her the truth. "Well…Matt's sister, Vicki passed away. Caroline was the one who found her body."

"And do you think that triggered the change in Caroline?"

"Partially."

"Okay, and I'm assuming Caroline confided in you which led to you keeping it all from Matt?"

"Well, no—er, yes." I didn't know what to say. "It's complicated." I said with a sigh. "Caroline wasn't supposed to…change." I said softly, burying my head in-between my hands.

"Why not?"

"Because she wasn't!"

"But what does it have to do with you?"

"I left her."

"You left her?"

"I left her all alone just like I left Isaac. I shouldn't have left them alone even though I knew they were in danger."

Dr Rosales's face scrunched up and she nodded sympathetically. "I understand but Ava, you are aware that Isaac was not Caroline or vice versa."

"I know." I cried out but I still couldn't help but blame myself. "I just…Isaac wasn't supposed to change either." I gasped out, sniffling. "He wasn't…supposed to die."

"But we can hardly control things like death, Ava." Dr Rosales said softly, offering me a few tissues. "From your notes and the news, Isaac Crane was someone with a past criminal record. He attempted to kill you and actually killed a few of your friends. You were the victim, Ava."

"Was I?" I didn't feel like it. "I feel like I could've done more if I spoke up about how weird Isaac was being."

"Yes, maybe you could've but I want you to be completely honest with yourself—do you think your intervention would've stopped Isaac or would you become just another casualty?"

"I…don't know."

"Understandable." She scribbled some more words down and looked up. "It's okay to be confused and hurt but what you're doing is trying to shoulder blame for the actions of a dead boy. You mentioned to Dr Warren that Isaac wasn't a good boyfriend."

"The worst." Just thinking about everything he did gave me a headache. "A cheater, liar and oh, did I mention he tried to crash my brother's car with my cousins in it."

"You did." She confirmed. "You also mentioned that one of your younger cousins—Flynn? He had to be taken to the ER."

"Yeah, he did and all because I didn't want anything to do with Isaac."

"Then it's not your fault." She concluded. "What happened is not your fault. Your behavior or self-blame and self-doubt is completely normal but you need to understand that you're not responsible for the actions of others let alone your ex-boyfriend."

"But I could've stopped him."

"How?" She questioned, putting down her clipboard with the notes. "How would you have stopped Isaac?"

"I–" I didn't know. I didn't take any weapons because I didn't think vampires existed outside of Mystic Fall back then. I didn't even have access to my magic. "I don't know."

"Because you couldn't." She said softly. "It's natural for victims of tragedies like you to blame themselves for said tragedies. It's not your fault. What happened was beyond your control. You're not the one to blame for Isaac's actions and I hope you don't conflate Isaac's behavior with Caroline."

"I didn't."

"Subconsciously, you did." She pointed out, the end of her ballpoint pen directed at me. "You went from talking about Caroline's change to Isaac and spring break. You are whether you like it or not, conflating your problems with Isaac."

"I didn't realize."

"Naturally, you wouldn't have but that's why I'm here." She turned the end of her ballpoint pen and pointed it towards her. "I'm here to help and tell you that Isaac and Caroline are not the same. No one in this town is like him, at least not in the sense you think they are. I can tell that you've been slightly distanced from your childhood friends from our past sessions."

"I'm afraid I'll hurt them like I hurt Matt by not helping Vicki."

"But accidents happen, Ava." She said softly. "You didn't know Vicki Donovan would die of a drug overdose."

That's not what happened but I couldn't correct her.

She carried on. "But even if she didn't, you didn't get her killed. Vicki's life and death were not in your hands."

"No, but I could've…saved her."

"We could all wish we could do a lot of things. Realistically, it's not possible. You didn't have control over her or her life. Her death is hardly your fault. Besides, you tried your best to be there for Matt when she passed."

"I did but maybe it was more out of guilt."

"Guilt over Vicki? Or Isaac?" I didn't know so I let the silence build up. "Regardless of why you did what you did, it helped Matt and I'm sure he'll forever be grateful to you."

"Would he?" I questioned. I could still remember his accusing voice in my head. "I don't know."

"I'm sure he would because regardless of the reasons behind your actions, you were a good friend who was there for him at his lowest."

"I was…"

"You were." She said with a smile, happy at the small progress. "And now you need to start taking steps away from what happened last spring break. Start forgiving yourself. It won't be easy but I know you can do it."

"I don't know. I still have nightmares about it."

"That's natural." She put her clipboard to the side and looked at me with clasped hands. "What happened to you was extremely tragic and traumatic but you shouldn't allow that to hold you back. Allow yourself to take a step forward and let yourself be happy. Stop distancing yourself from your friends because of self-blame."

"I wish it was that easy but it's not. I just…I just don't know how." I lifted my head from my hands and looked out the window. "I can't even let myself fall in love without feeling like I shouldn't or maybe something will go wrong like what happened with Isaac."

"Isaac is not here, Ava." She reminded me. I knew that, still his memories were haunting me. "He can't hurt you and I'm sure whoever you want to fall in love with isn't Isaac."

"No, he's worse." I joked.

Damon…

Why did I even think about him? I tried to erase his image and name out of my head but it just wouldn't leave.

"Ava?" Dr Rosales's concerned voice brought me back into that small therapist's office on the fringes of Mystic Falls. "I hope you're not thinking of Isaac. Forget about him, he's gone to a place where he can't hurt you or your loved ones anymore."

It was funny how determined Dr Rosales was to make me forget Isaac yet the ringing voices of June and Max played back in my mind. They didn't want me to forget him. It was like they wanted to stay trapped in the past with them or maybe it was something else.

"N-no. I wasn't." I sputtered out. "I was thinking about…" I trailed off but the small smile of Dr Rosales made me turn red in embarrassment.

"Do you…want to talk about it or him or her?" She offered.

"I don't know if I should talk about him." I began, balling my fists to the side. "He's very…annoying. The bane of my existence. The most annoying person I've met and the most persistent but also one of the prettiest. He's so annoying but somehow…"

"Somehow you like him."

"I'm not sure."

"It's okay." She said. "Take your time to fall. You're still young."

"No, it's not that. I just…I feel so conflicted when I'm with him. Do I kiss him or try attempted murder?"

She giggled. "Oh, so you do love him but you're holding yourself back."

"No, no. I don't…I don't love him. I just…"

"You just…" She echoed back. "It's okay to fall in love again, Ava. Forgive yourself."

"I don't love him. I—" I didn't know how I felt but all I knew was that I would hate it if he just left town. "Oh god." I gasped out and Dr Rosales grinned. "I think I do love him."

She picked up her notes, writing it down. "That's good. That's really good progress but I hope you're careful and give yourself more agency and remember to not distance yourself from your friends. It's good to have a support system of family and friends."

"Well, I'm trying. I'm trying really hard to not let them go." I really was but Elena's martyr attempts were not helping. "I've even made friends with Elena's boyfriend."

"The one who you were wary about?" I nodded.

"I found out we have a lot in common. More common than me and his brother who I guess I'm in love with."

"Excellent progress. Keep that up and soon, you'll be taking giant leaps to moving on."

I couldn't help but laugh at her words and she seemed genuinely pleased with me.

"And before we end our session, is there anything else you'd like to ask or tell me?" Her pen held up in silent anticipation as she waited for me to answer her.

I hesitated for a second. I wanted to remind her about my fragmented memories, the distorted nightmares along with the strange accompanying voice that oddly tried to comfort me into forgetting.

"The nightmares…" I began quietly, trying to pluck courage to speak up. "I told you about my nightmares."

"You did." She confirmed. "You also mentioned that you believe the nightmares were parts of your memories that you'd lost in the accident."

"Yes, I asked you a few sessions back if…if you could help me get them back?"

She stilled, sitting upright. Her pen clattered to the floor, the sound echoing across the silent room. She didn't say anything as the clock ticked by. Then almost mechanically, she bent down to pick the pen up.

"Ava," I heard her say my name in a quiet, chilling and raspy distorted voice. "Why…would you want to remember something so horrible?"

"Well, you said you'd help me and said it might help me in my recovery."

For a second, she looked a little lost before nodding at my words like this was the first time she'd heard anything of it. "I understand I did but I think after this session it would be best to let those memories stay forgotten."

"But you said—"

"I know what I said." She waved me off. "But you have to understand death's a traumatic experience for the mind, Ava. Forgetting is your mind's way of protecting you."

The air in the room froze and I couldn't breathe for a second. Dr Rosales seemed unaffected like what she'd said was nothing out of the ordinary. I stood up, taking steps back. She frowned, standing up as well.

"Ava?" She tried to reach out to me, stepping in the light.

"What did you just say?"

"Hmm?" She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?"

I noticed it then; her eyes had a slight glassy absent look to them.

She was being compelled.

"Your last client…" I breathed out, reaching for the door. "Who was it?"

I held my breath and she looked confused, opening and closing her mouth before becoming still as her eyes flickered into a pale gold-lavender before returning to its usual hue.

"I…don't remember." She said and I nodded, turning my back to her and reaching for the door.

My hand wrapped around the cold doorknob as I pulled around it, trying to get out. I tugged at it violently and it opened with a quiet click.

"Thank you for everything. I'm discharging myself." I didn't wait for her to finish before I was already out the door.

Another therapist. This wasn't a coincidence anymore.

Uncle Nate and Jenna jumped up from their seats, surprised to see me storm out of the room. One look at my uncle and he knew; it happened again. He didn't wait a single minute before he was already at the front desk requesting papers to stop my sessions. I was done with therapy.

Jenna seemed so lost and confused but I didn't have the energy to explain it to her. She already didn't believe in vampires. There was no point adding more burden to her. I just wanted to get to school and forget all about this.

---

School was buzzing with excitement when I stepped inside, an excitement I didn't share. There was this awful nervousness in the pit of my stomach that I couldn't shake off. I didn't even know why I was so anxious. Maybe it was my awful therapy session or maybe it was the two cups of coffee I had on the way to school but I felt sick, jittery and too hyper aware of my surroundings.

"There you are." Dana's chirpy voice almost made me groan.

I turned on my heel and plastered a smile, straightening my posture and said. "Hey," I tried to match her tone and thanks to coffee, I sounded exactly like her or maybe more like Caroline. "How's the prep going?"

"Great." And she meant it. I could always tell whenever Dana was sarcastic. That subtle lift in the corner of her lips, the darkened gaze and the bitter tone but she wasn't doing any of that. "Everything's running smoothly. Too smoothly."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yes except…" I didn't like the sound of that. "I don't know if the lights were delivered."

I sighed. The lights were an important part of the decoration. What did she mean she didn't know? Caroline was supposed to have dealt with it.

"Were they not in when you came in this morning?" I asked, taking one of the clipboards from her and flipping over a few pages of the plans and deliveries along with the inventory of the decoration to check. "Did Caroline not get them out from the supply closet?"

"See, I don't know because I or any of us students," She spat out. "Weren't allowed to handle such a delicate package. I think one of the teachers was supposed to sign the deliveries in."

"And? I know that. Caroline should've gotten the lights out."

"If it was in the supply closet." Dana reminded me and I pursed my lips. The lights were not in the supply closet. "I don't know if they signed it in. I don't have notes of it." She looked down at the clipboard she'd passed me and gestured for me to read the whole thing. She wasn't lying or making things up and that just over-complicated things for all of us. "I was going to ask Mr Saltzman because you know Decades Dance and history and he's the—"

"History teacher." I finished for her.

"Exactly." She clicked her fingers and threw her head back. "Now imagine my disappointment when I found out he didn't even come in this morning. Apparently, he was running late."

"I'm sure he had a good reason."

"I respect that but come on, he's getting paid to come into school." She retorted, pouting. "It's not like him to not be here in the morning considering he practically lives in school. I don't even know if he has a life or even a girlfriend."

"Dana." I quietly warned and she rolled her eyes, leaning against the lockers. "Focus. I'll check in with him after history. We'll focus on the rest for now."

"I can do that." She perked up a little. "I have the clubs working on the handmade 60s pop art. The art club made a pretty good mock-up for everyone to follow."

"And the posters?"

"Art club handled it thanks to Caroline. Even though I'm not her biggest fan, I can admit she's running things here like it's the military." Dana joked and I shook my head, flipping over another page. "Maybe it's because her mom's the sheriff."

"Uh-huh. I think things are looking good." I actually felt a little better now after talking with Dana. She probably had no clue but she practically made my day a little bearable. "You can relax and tell Will to relax too. I'll check in with Mr Saltzman about the delivery and get back to the rest of the events' committee and the student council before the end of the day."

She nodded, taking out a brightly colored green post-it note and making a note of what I said. "I don't think we'll have to worry about Will. He seemed pretty happy with everything since the budget was actually underspent this time. This is going so much better than the last Decades Dance."

"Don't…" I placed a finger on my lips and shook my head. "Don't jinx it, Dana."

Laughing, Dana didn't know what to say but it wasn't like she could as Caroline marched straight up to us and looked at me expectedly with a thin smile and raised head. Dana's laugh died and with a frosty smile, she walked away. No matter what, she never could get along with Caroline.

"Oh good, you're here." Caroline said, checking me over. "I was getting worried."

"I had an appointment." She nodded. "But what's up?" I half-expected her to blurt out her thoughts about Matt, give me an update with his situation.

Instead, Caroline only talked about the dance, at least at first. "What's up is that the lights might not be signed in or accounted for. I don't know if they are here. I asked the receptionist and she said it was signed but I don't know where it is."

"Dana said the same thing."

She folded her arms around herself and bit her lip in silent frustration. "This is ridiculous." She breathed out. "Mr Saltzman was supposed to sign them in and ask the janitor to take them to the supply closet for us to collect in the afternoon but guess what I saw when I walked into the supply closet."

"No lights?" I checked the papers in front of me on the clipboard.

"No lights." She echoed back. "I don't even know if Mr Saltzman is here." She huffed out, annoyed.

I guess I was a little annoyed but the problem was so miniscule that I didn't even care. "Caroline, breathe."

"I am breathing." Caroline said through clenched teeth. "Things could go so wrong if we don't get the lights and I haven't even gotten a date for the dance."

"We could go together."

"I already asked Matt."

I should've expected that. "And Bonnie might go with Luka or Jeremy." I guessed, catching Luka's eye as he passed by with a few yards of fabric. He raised his brow in question and I shook my head. "I guess I'm dateless."

"Ask Damon." Caroline suggested and I turned to give her a sharp glare but my cheeks felt a little warmer. "It's just a suggestion. You know he'd never turn you down."

"I'm sure he won't but he has no reason to come to the dance."

"Apart from being your date."

"Whatever."

"Well, all this talk about dates and we haven't finished setting up the lights. What if there's no dance in the end because Mr Saltzman didn't sign the deliveries in or or what if he lost the lights?"

"Relax. I have history next, I'll ask him after class."

"Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you." Probably nothing. Caroline was a lot more capable than most gave her credit for. I watched as the smile slid off her face and she moved closer. "Have you seen Matt? I haven't seen him around."

I hadn't even heard from him since that day we had our talk. He did text and ask to see me but I'd been so busy that I'd blown him off, telling him I had plans and now I felt bad thinking about it.

"No, I had my therapist appointment this morning and I can tell you that I am done with therapy." I sighed.

"You're better?"

"Worse." I said with a sad laugh. I didn't even want to think about it. "But no, I haven't seen Matt."

"I figured. The football team was in the gym handling the ceiling decorations and stuff. Tyler's not here…" She trailed off, biting her lower lip as she stared at the floor. "And Matt's not here either. Luka's been a big help but I don't know if it's enough. I don't know if we're gonna set up everything in time."

I patted her shoulder with a smile and said. "Don't worry about it. We'll make it. Everyone's working hard and hey, if all else fails, I'll rope Stefan in to help."

She flashed me a smile as the shrill ringing of the bell made us jump before we burst into small fits of giggles.

"By the way, are you sure you want to be Jackie Kennedy?" I asked.

She tilted her head and nodded with wide eyes. "Well, duh. She's like one of the biggest fashion icons of the 60s. Obviously I wanna go as her." She turned to me, her arm in mine. "Besides, you're going as Twiggy."

"I'm not going as Twiggy." I corrected her. "I'm just going as a regular mod girl. One of my great aunts had an original Mary Quant dress from the 60s."

"Is this the crazy one?" I nodded. "She might've been insane but she had some killer fashion. Didn't you wear one of her dresses to the last decades' dance?"

I nodded again and Caroline giggled. I know it was hilarious but not for me. Great aunt Penelope's madness was not funny considering she actually did kill a few people mistaking them as vampires. We didn't talk about her in our family for a reason and all I knew about after the last decades' dance was that she killed herself in her cell at an asylum.

---

Class had already started by the time the meeting ended. I could see Mr Saltzman standing by his desk from the small window on the door.

"The 60s. I wish there was something good I could say about the 60s, but...Actually, they kind of sucked. Except for the Beatles, of course. They made it bearable."

"Except pop culture wasn't included in our curriculum." I interrupted, already regretting it the moment I said it. God, I sounded like such a know-it-all.

Mr Saltzman paused. His eyes slowly widening and he swallowed, letting out a little laugh of disbelief like he couldn't believe what he was hearing…or seeing.

I ignored him. I knocked on the door even though I was already inside and walked in. "Also the 60s weren't that unbearable."

He turned to me and again, he looked at me with a mixture of shock and surprise like he wasn't expecting me to be there.

"Debatable." He said after a second of silence.

"I'm sure anything was better than the 50s. Besides, was there the Civil Rights Act of 1964?" I heard a few murmurs of agreement.

"I mean that's pretty important." Luka chimed in from the back of the class as few students murmured in agreement.

"Of course. Of course."

I raised my brow in question and slowly made my way towards him. Mr Saltzman was acting strange but I chalked it up to Isobel's death. His ex-wife that he'd searched for so long was dead now.

Yet, I couldn't shake off the feeling there was something more. He watched me take each step before I handed him a note that I really didn't need. His fingers brushed against mine and I froze.

I expected to hear Mr Saltzman's thoughts amplified. Instead all I heard was a mixture of strangled static with Mr Saltzman's confused voice.

"Ava?"

I plastered on a thin smile and looked up at him. "Sorry, I was late. Events' committee meeting."

"Events' committee meeting?"

"For the upcoming dance?" Was all I said before I turned and went straight to my seat at the back of the class near Matt who looked concerned for me.

'You okay?' Matt mouthed to me and I nodded, flashing him a convincing smile that I hoped didn't look like a grimace. 'You sure.'

'Perfectly fine.' I mouthed back, passing him a poster of the dance. 'Caroline's waiting.'

I could feel eyes staring at me and for a second I became self-conscious, thinking the entire class might've been watching me. When I looked up, everyone seemed too busy to care enough to stare at me. It took me a second to notice but I swear, Mr Saltzman was staring at me.

"Uh, what else was there? The Cuban missile thing, the...we walked on the moon. There was Watergate." Mr Saltzman continued on from where he left, his eyes darting between me and Elena.

Watergate?

That was the 70s.

"Watergate was the 70s, Ric." Elena corrected but accidentally called Mr Saltzman by his nickname and I flinched when I heard her make that mistake. "I-I mean, Mr. Saltzman."

"1972 to be exact." I added, taking out my notes and not looking up. Mr Saltzman was no doubt staring at me and Elena.

Matt seemed to have noticed as well. I got a quiet notification on my phone and I knew it was a text from Matt.

"No texting in class." Mr Saltzman warned Matt with a pointed look.

Matt muttered a quick apology and gave me a look. I mirrored it. Mr Saltzman was acting weird.

"And Thank you Elena." He said looking at Elena. "And…Ava." He added, dragging my name out even though my name was short with only two syllables.

He turned away from me and carried on. "The 60s, 70s—it all kind of mushes together up here." He laughed and turned his back to us before scribbling down something on the board.

A page number from the textbook. That was sub work in the absence of Mr Saltzman not when he was here. We were supposed to go over the Civil Rights Act that day. Unless, he didn't make a lesson plan but it wasn't like him to be so lax.

Stefan turned around and shot me a look of question. Even he knew we didn't use textbooks that often at least not since we had Mr Saltzman. It was Tanner who preferred textbooks not Mr Saltzman who preferred we used textbooks as a revision material or reference.

Both Stefan and Matt expected me to interrupt Mr Saltzman again and correct him. But I didn't. Bonnie hadn't noticed anything yet and neither did Elena. They probably had the same idea I did. Maybe Mr Saltzman was grieving?

Yeah, that was reasonable.

"Ava, can I borrow your textbook?" Matt asked.

"Sure." I scooted closer to his desk and put my textbook between our joined desks.

"Mr Saltzman is acting a lot like Tanner." I heard Matt say as I busied myself taking notes.

I chuckled. "Maybe Tanner's spirit took over him."

Matt seemed to freeze. His face scrunched up in deep thought. "Are ghosts…real?"

I was taken aback by his question. I was only joking but I didn't expect Matt to seriously ask me that. "I don't know. I was kidding, you know?"

"Right. You were joking." He seemed almost disappointed by my answer burying his head into his notebook. "So what do you think about Caroline?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…how do you feel about her and Stefan?"

I frowned. "You're not making sense."

"Never mind." Matt flipped over a page and busied himself scribbling away.

Caroline did compel away his memories, right?

I stared at Matt for a second, debating whether or not I should look into his head but Mr Saltzman's voice interrupted my train of thoughts.

"I hope you two are working back there." Mr Saltzman said with a strange grin that looked so foreign on his face. "Wouldn't want to separate you two."

I narrowed my eyes and plastered a smile on my face. Not saying anything. I'd confront him later after class.

The bell rang and immediately, everyone started shuffling out of the room. Elena, Bonnie and Stefan waited a few seconds for me before I motioned them to go ahead. Matt had already left, being dragged away by the football team to help with the decorating.

I waited at the back of the classroom, going over my texts. Dana's texts stayed on my screen, her constant reminders asking me to check if Mr Saltzman had signed in the packages for the decorations—mainly the lights.

Busy replying to Dana and Caroline's texts, I didn't even notice that everyone had left the class and I was the only one left or that Mr Saltzman was watching me.

Neither of us spoke for a second but I was surprised to see him standing right in front of me. It took me a second to find my voice or get my head around what I needed to do as I took a step back.

"S-sorry if I'm bothering you but I was wondering if you signed in the deliveries for the lights for the dance?" I cursed myself for the little stuttering at the start but tried to play cool. He found me amusing or funny as a light…fond smile was painted on his lips.

"The lights?" He echoed back, looking puzzled but that smile didn't leave.

"Well, you said last month you'd handle the deliveries and leave them in the supply closet." I pointed out, taking another step.

"I did. Didn't I?" He turned away and I couldn't see his face. "Sorry, it slipped my mind. I did sign…something in but I think the janitor handled it."

"You think?" I questioned.

"I'm sure."

"Okay." I didn't know what else to say except he kept contradicting himself. I was better off finding another teacher or asking the janitor.

Mr Saltzman looked at me expectedly like he was waiting for something. He seemed too chipper for someone who I thought was grieving. Again when I focused on him I heard that strange static mixed in with his confused voice.

"Is…that all?" He asked, taking steps closer to me.

I nodded and turned to leave but stopped. "Actually, how are you?" I asked.

"How am I?" He questioned back. "What's this about?"

"Isobel?" His ex-wife? Was he pretending like everything was fine so it would go away? "You spent years looking for her and now she's dead. You must be devastated."

"Ah." He looked like he'd forgotten about her completely. "Isobel—right, she died. I don't know…I feel nothing, I guess."

"You already accepted her death when she became a vampire, didn't you?"

His eyes widened a little in mild surprise. Why did that surprise him so much?

"Yes. That's exactly it. You know...we were estranged for a while."

"I thought you two were fine and she blindsided you by leaving."

"I meant we became estranged after she became a vampire."

I frowned. He wasn't making any sense. His answers and words, they sounded like something Isobel would say or something she would've told others.

Without thinking and against my better judgment, I came close to Mr Saltzman and looked up at him. His eyes weren't glassy and his face wasn't blank like Dr Rosales, no, it was all clear but for a second I could've sworn I saw his eyes flicker to a darker blue.

"Ava?" He called out to me, reaching for me but I stepped back out of his reach. "Is everything okay?"

"Did you see Isobel before she…um…passed away?" I mentally flinched at my choice of words.

He let out a nervous laugh. "What makes you think that?"

"I'm just checking if you weren't compelled or anything."

"I think you're worrying too much."

"So I am." But I had my suspicions. "You're probably just thinking about Jenna right now."

He laughed. "It's like you read my mind." He joked.

"I wouldn't even if I could." I quipped, gathering my things into my arms. He tried to help me but I was quick, shoving my books and notes into my bag. "You don't like it when I read your mind and I can barely control myself."

Again, there was that silence. That chilling silence that appeared after every time I spoke like every little thing I said was a new information he'd just learn. I half-expected him to agree with what I said or reassure me like the Mr Saltzman I was used to.

Instead, when I looked up, he looked back at me with a sad look on his face. "You're having a hard time, aren't you?"

"...I guess." I said slowly. "But it's nothing new. We're all going through something."

"Yes but you're only human and humans aren't built to take in what normal faeries can."

That was more like Mr Saltzman. Maybe I was worried over nothing but the cold feeling of anxiety wasn't washed away by a few words.

'But what did he know what normal faeries could take?'

I laughed, shaking my head. "You know you're more human than me, right?" I questioned, taking a seat on my desk and crossing my arms around myself. "You keep forgetting that I'm part faery but you're a whole human."

"I…am." He said slowly. "I'm being a hypocrite, aren't I?"

"A little bit." I said with a smile that he reciprocated. I would've thought he would be more annoyed or upset. "You're more human than me and you're the one who decided to seek out what's in the dark with all your little Van Helsing cosplay—and I say this with complete respect."

I expected him to get mad as he turned away. He covered his mouth with his hands, his body trembling before I heard a few laughs escape. He was…laughing. Like actually laughing.

"Van…Helsing cosplay." I heard him breathe out between his laughter. "I'm sorry. What were you saying…" He said, still laughing.

"Well, I'm not trying to be mean—"

"You're not."

"I needed to hear that."

I cocked my head to the side. "Really? I mean you get upset whenever uncle Nate and I point out you're not like us."

"It's nothing personal."

"I guess you took it personally because you felt like you failed Isobel."

"E-exactly."

There was something off about him and it wasn't grief. "I…have to go." I picked up my bag off the floor, a pen spilling out and almost landing on the floor.

Mr Saltzman caught it before it fell. "Easy there." He handed back my pen, dropping it into my open hands, his finger grazing mine and for a second, my vision went black.

Rain poured over me as I gripped my chest with my trembling cold hands. The smell of blood, sweat and dirt was overwhelming. My chest burned and ached like someone had pulled it out and shoved it back in.

Sirens of ambulances and police cars could be heard behind me. I shivered violently despite the heat blanket they had covered me with.

My hands were covered in blood with pieces of glass and metal embedded into my skin and flesh. My body ached, I could hardly move.

I leaned against a nearby tree for support while a policewoman stood in front of me, guarding me. She said nothing but would throw sympathetic glances at me now and then. But suddenly, she walked away without a single word.

I tried to stop her but my voice wouldn't come out. My throat was on fire and I couldn't speak. A shadow loomed over me and I didn't dare look up.

Please…

"Ava." I heard someone call out to me. I ignored them at first and didn't respond. "Come on, look at me."

I sniffed as tears started to form in my eyes and a death-like chill coiled around me. Please, make it stop. Not now, not after everything.

"Please…"

The man said nothing but instead I heard the sound of gravel. He crouched down to my eye level and looked at me. He reached for my hands and held it while with his free hand, he pressed something down into the palm of my hand.

It burnt into my skin as I struggled to breathe and choked on air. I shifted my gaze from my hand to the person in front of me. His dark blue-green eyes bore into mine as he slowly brushed away stray pieces of my disheveled and rain-soaked hair out of my face. He never let go of my hand all the while.

"I need you to calm down, love. Forget…ab—"

I stumbled back, catching myself before I fell. Mr Saltzman stared at me in concern, his hand outstretched.

In a quick jerky motion, my own hand went up to my face, swatting his hand away in the process. I was crying. I was crying and I didn't know why.

"Ava?" He called out to me and I swallowed, that cold anxiety enveloped me and I couldn't breathe.

I heard a few knocks on the door and I almost let out a sigh of relief when I saw Luka outside the door.

Awkwardly , he poked his head in and I had never been so glad to see him. "Sorry, is Ava—ah! There you are. Bonnie and Dana are looking for you. It's about the decorations that the woodworking club was handling. I can't find Caroline so…" He trailed off and glanced at me and then Mr Saltzman. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"

"Yes" "No" Mr Saltzman and I said at the same time before I carried on, not letting him speak. "Not at all, I was just asking about the lights."

"The lights?" Luka echoed. "Reiko found them. Mrs Saunders signed them in and left it in the drama class—well, in the theater. She thought the dance was going to be there."

"Oh." I awkwardly looked back at Mr Saltzman who seemed almost annoyed at Luka but he hid his annoyance quickly behind a false smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I guess I was just bothering you."

"Not at all." Mr Saltzman said with a smile. This one was more genuine than the one he'd shown Luka.

"We'll…get out of your hair." I said, walking to the door and taking Luka with me.

Luka was rightfully confused but he didn't say a single word until we were away from the history class. I picked up my pace and all but ran all the way to the gym.

"Woah, slow down." He said, catching up to me. "What was that?"

"What was what?" I tried to play it off but Luka narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"That." He said. "You're being weird."

I laughed. I was being weird? I didn't think so. "No, I think everyone around me is being weird." I retorted plainly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about but all I know is that you and Bonnie told me that Me Saltzman was on our side."

"So I did." I did say that but at that moment, I didn't know if there was something wrong. "I don't know if there's something off about him or I didn't take my meds."

"Your meds?"

"Don't worry about it." I said but Luka was worrying about it. "Maybe I'm just overthinking it."

He pursed his lips and tilted his head; he didn't believe me. "I…I don't know." He said softly, looking around the crowded hallway like he was looking for someone. "You are…a faery." He all but whispered 'faery' before he carried on. "You guys have a strong built-in danger radar or at least that's what my dad said."

So I wasn't being paranoid?

Luka didn't know how much I needed to hear that at that moment. I was never more grateful to him then than ever. He didn't know and I wouldn't tell him.

"There you two are!" Bonnie sounded breathless, glancing between the two of us. Her face scrunched into a concerned frown as she reached out to me, grabbing my shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

"Huh?" I tilted my head. "Why? Do I not look okay?"

"You look kinda pale like, are you sick?" She turned to Luka for an explanation but he shrugged. "Is she okay? What happened?"

"N-no. I'm just…" I didn't know what to say. How many times had I lied to Bonnie or Caroline and Elena that I was just tired or it was nothing. I had lost count. "Can we talk about it somewhere else?"

Ever so quick to catch on, Bonnie's eyes widened and she quickly nodded. "Alright." She patted my shoulder and quickly changed the topic as Stefan approached from behind us. "We need you in the gym."

"I know." I said, a weight lifted off my shoulders as I turned to Stefan. "Hey, what's up?"

"We need you in the gym but I guess Bonnie's already told you that." Stefan stopped in front of me, blocking the hall.

"And Luka." I motioned behind me and Luka waved with a small smile, reminding him that he was still there.

"And Luka." He echoed back with a smile and a nod of acknowledgement. "Yeah, I'm not sure where you want the lights and the rest of the football team are kinda struggling at the moment."

"You're helping the football team?" I was surprised he even bothered to talk to them.

"Well, I was on the team."

"You were on the team?" Luka seemed surprised. Well, I'd be too if I wasn't here from the start of the year. "Sorry, I meant—"

"No, no, don't take back what you said." Bonnie giggled, glancing at Stefan as she did so. "I totally get what you mean. He's got that loner thing going on so he stays away from all the fun."

"Hey." Stefan cracked a smile. "I can be fun."

"Sure, grandpa." I said with a grin and he rolled his eyes. "I'm kidding." I laughed and he shook his head.

"Oh I know." He said and explained to Luka why he was helping the football team. "I used to be on the football team before Mr Saltzman came in. Mr Tanner our old history teacher and the former coach—"

"Thanks to your brother." I whispered.

Stefan made a face and carried on. "Picked me to be on the team. Barely made it to one game before it all got messed up."

"Damn," Luka looked almost sad. "That sucks."

"It did." Bonnie agreed. "I really wanted that game night to work out. I worked so hard on my cheer routine too." She said with a sad and distant smile.

"But that's in the past. Hopefully, the new game season will be much more peaceful." Stefan tried to be optimistic but Bonnie and I stared at him blankly. His optimism was adorably awkward and very misplaced. "Come on, where's the school spirit?" He tried with a lopsided grin.

"Dead." I said.

"Six feet under." Luka added.

"Never existed." Bonnie chimed in and we all had to pause to look at her.

Did she forget she was a cheerleader or something? She shrugged off our silent question and smiled. Well, there was our answer.

"We should get back to the gym. I think the football team's struggling a little this time." Bonnie turned to the gym and back to us. "You know with Tyler gone…"

"Right." My throat felt dry whenever I thought about Tyler. He really didn't deserve what happened to him but he was trying to get better. "Tyler's not here."

"Would be nice if he was." Bonnie softly admitted.

"I'm sure he's doing fine." Stefan said, trying to ease the tension between us all while Luka was confused.

"Tyler…the were—" Bonnie covered his mouth and shook her head while mouthing 'time and place' over and over again.

And that was how Elena found us.

In the middle of the hall, Bonnie covered Luka's face while Stefan and I stood to the side, trying to hold back our laughter. She seemed so puzzled at what we were doing but didn't make one comment.

"Is she…trying to suffocate him?" Elena asked softly, looking between me and her boyfriend.

"Close." Stefan joked. "She's trying to shut him up."

"If I wanted to suffocate him I wouldn't do it in the middle of the hall." Bonnie let go of Luka and glared at him to not say another word about Tyler or the supernatural and he nodded.

"Exactly. Too many witnesses." I chimed in with a smile before clearing my throat and turning to Elena. "I'm guessing I'm needed in the gym?"

Elena nodded. "Caroline went off to check on the posters and the other decorations while we were putting up the lights and…"

"Cool, I'll be there and we all need to talk later by the way."

"We do?" And I nodded, glancing around the little circle we'd formed in the middle of the hall. "Is it about…"

"I don't know."

I didn't know if Klaus was related to Mr Saltzman acting strange but if he was, then we were screwed. Klaus was closer than we knew. I just hoped that wasn't the case.

---

Dana paced around the gym, checking each and every one of the decorations while Chad followed at her heels. I stared at them, not making a sound.

"Those streamers need to be higher." I pointed and she cursed.

"Damn it." She turned back to me. "I knew it. Caroline told me they need to be higher."

"Whatever. It's fine if we can't—"

"No. No. We got it." Someone from the football team yelled out but he was quickly shot down by another of his teammates. "Maybe after lunch?"

Murmurs of agreement echoed through the gym and I nodded. "Alright everyone go get lunch, we'll pick this up after we're done."

"But–" Dana tried as Chad tugged his girlfriend's arm. She sighed and turned to me. "I really wanted to get this done."

"And we will." I reassured her. "It's not the end of the world if the strimmers are hanging a little low."

Okay, maybe it wasn't the end of the world; it did look a little off and seemed like a safety hazard. But was I gonna tell Dana that then and there? No, she was stressing herself and me out. I was already on high alert with everything weird that was happening and maybe the possibility of Klaus being around.

"Okay. We'll do it after…" She paused, scanning the strimmers and streamers again before she rushed towards the table with the tools and stopping in her tracks. "Where's the staple gun?" She turned to Chad and the other members of the football team who shrugged.

"I remember seeing it with Jeff." Rei answered, sounding more confused than sure. "But I'm not too sure."

Jeff took a step forward. "I left it in the art classroom—the one near the doors leading to the football pitch."

"—which is locked." I said with a sigh. Mrs Saunders never left her classrooms unlocked whenever she or the other art teachers went off to lunch. If that wasn't a sign we should take a break, I didn't know what was. "Okay, let's take a break then."

Stubbornly, Dana stood her ground and glared at the lowly hung strimmers that were in a position where anyone could rip them up. She circled around the gym as students began to leave and soon enough, only the student council were left in the gym. I debated leaving but stayed, hoping that I could persuade Dana to go take a break.

"You know what, I'm just gonna go grab something to eat." Will said, backing away with Jeff and Rei following him.

"I'll get you a sandwich or something." Chad said and followed after the ones who'd left, leaving me with a stressed out Dana.

Neither of us spoke and I again thought about leaving. I would've left if I didn't bring packed lunch but I stayed and watched an anxious Dana. "Is everything okay?" I found myself asking. Dana was a perfectionist like me and Caroline but this dance prep had brought out something more in her. "You…don't look that good."

"I'm fine." She mumbled out. "I'm fine." It was like she was trying to convince herself that everything was okay when it was not.

"You sure?" I pressed.

She said nothing for a moment, gnawing the bottom of her lips before in a small voice she said. "Sarah and Aimee should've been here." There was a crack in her voice as she swallowed and let out a deep pained breath, her eyes trembling as she looked away. "I-I miss them. They should..be here, helping out, living and just…being here."

My heart dropped because nothing I'd say or do would bring those two back. I felt awful. I knew what it was like to lose friends and being left in the dark so I could imagine the burning pain Dana felt over the losses of Aimee and Sarah—they still hadn't found Aimee's body.

"You probably think I'm annoying."

"Not really." I said softly, keeping my distance. "I know what it feels like. They should've been here but…" I sucked in a breath and let it go, tears stinging my eyes as I blinked them away. "They'd want you to go on."

Dana nodded and turned back to me with an awkward smile like she was trying to show me that she was fine. She wasn't. Even if I couldn't feel her emotions, it was all so obvious from her face that I could feel her emotions anyway just by looking at her face.

"I still need to fix those strimmers." She said after a moment of silence. There's the Dana I knew. "Or I will kill a football player."

"Cool it with the murder, Dana."

I looked back at the strimmers. Orange, purple, blue, green and red shiny strips of plastic that were hung according to their complimentary colors were hanging a little close to the ground, I'd admit but I really didn't want to have them redone.

"You know you're gonna have to find a teacher to get into the art classrooms since Mrs Saunders already went home for the day."

"What day is it?"

"Monday." Dana threw her head back in frustration. "It's bland sandwich day."

"Great. All the teachers probably went out to eat—"

"Except Mrs Halpern who usually sticks to the staff room to mark papers and…Mr Saltzman."

"Mrs Halpern is not going to let me into the art classroom—Mr Saltzman, it is."

"Well, good luck." I patted her shoulders and turned right around to leave.

I was barely out the door when Dana grabbed my arm. "You're not coming with me?"

"No. We don't need two people to get a key to an art classroom and I need to have lunch."

I left Dana behind but she was right behind me, on the lookout for Mr Saltzman. Passing by, I waved at a few people from the yearbook committee and walked out of the gym to grab my bag with my lunch from my locker. As my luck would have it, I collided straight into Mr Saltzman.

"Easy there." Mr Saltzman caught me before I fell and I immediately jumped as a shock ran through my body.

"Sorry, you startled me." I tried to laugh it off but my awkward laugh and the way I kept looking over my shoulder for a sign of Caroline, Elena or Bonnie was a dead giveaway that I was not comfortable with him. "I'm…just tired with all the planning…"

"For the dance?" He guessed and I nodded repeating what he said. "Don't stress about it. I think you're doing a great job."

"Thanks. I'm not usually this jumpy, I'm just…tired."

"You said that."

"So I did."

"Did you take your meds?"

"Yeah, I–no, I haven't. I probably should. I've been skipping since I started my therapy but I stopped going today so—"

Wait.

When did I ever tell Mr Saltzman about my therapy appointments or the fact that I was taking medicine for my mental health.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Ticking of the clocks nearby in the hall and the classrooms was all I could hear as blood rushed to my head and I felt like my head was spinning. I could clearly see Mr Saltzman calling out to me, trying to get my attention but I couldn't hear him.

"W-when did…I…um…tell you about me being in therapy?"

I watched as his eyes widened in surprise as a small grin spread across his face. It only lasted a quick second before it was gone.

"You did." He laughed uncomfortably.

"No, I asked 'when' like when did I tell you?"

"I don't know. Some months ago—your…uncle was there and so was Jenna."

"I don't remember."

"You sure?" He took a step forward and I took a step back. "Because I do. And it's in the school records."

"Oh." The school records would also have my medical history and some of my teachers would also know about it. "I forgot. I'm just—"

"Tired?" He guessed and I laughed. Oh god. I was that predictable. "I get it. You should take it easy with everything, maybe take a few days off school, skip the dance and just…enjoy yourself."

"Excuse me?" Mr Saltzman was telling me to skip school. I didn't know if I was hearing things right or maybe I needed my meds bad. "I—"

"Sorry to bother you, Mr Saltzman but I really need your help." Dana interrupted, cutting into the middle of our conversations as I almost let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, you're here too."

"Just leaving actually."

I didn't even wait for either of them to speak before I went straight to the cafeteria. I was lucky that there was a decent crowd inside and outside the cafeteria as students flowed in and out, grabbing a quick lunch to-go before returning to help with the dance prep.

"Over here." Elena grabbed my wrist without a warning and dragged me over to a table in the middle of the room, sitting me down. "It's crowded and you looked a little lost."

"I did?" I wasn't aware. "I think I'm just slowly losing my mind."

"What else is new?" Bonnie laughed and poked at her lunch. "You're always going insane or maybe you're having a vision that you keep forgetting."

I stared at Bonnie with thin eyes and shook my head. "I'm not always going insane and I'm not sure if I had a vision."

"Uh-huh." Bonnie smiled and I rolled my eyes before taking out my lunch. "Oh you brought your own lunch again."

"You want me to have sad sandwiches?" I fired back light-heartedly and opened my lunchbox, revealing a chicken wrap sliced into two with a small tub of fruit on the side.

Without warning, Bonnie and Elena pinched a few grapes from the small tub while I sighed and passed two strawberries to Bonnie. "You guys. You have an orange on your trays."

"Not the same." Elena said. "By the way, Jenna called this morning." She eyed me and slowly took a bite of her cold turkey sandwich.

I knew it was coming. Jenna staying over at my house was something I should've told Elena but I also knew it wasn't my place to say it. I waited, staring at my lunch for her to continue while Bonnie awkwardly glanced between the two of us.

"She told me…that she was staying over at your place." I tried to search her voice for a hint of malice or anger but there was nothing but a faint sense of defeat and maybe understanding. "And that Nate had offered her to stay."

"I was going to tell you but—"

"No, I get it." She cut me off and took another bite of her sandwich. "I get it. I lied to her and she needed space. I just wish I knew she was close."

"I'm sorry. It just wasn't my place to tell you. Jenna wanted to be away–"

"From me and Jer." She finished for me. "I know. I lied to her about Isobel and John. I kinda deserved it. She also called to say she was sorry about…Isobel. Did Nate…" She struggled to speak for a second, pinching at the bread in her hands. "Did Nate tell her about Isobel?"

"My mom did, actually." Mom had taken Jenna to the side and explained to her that Isobel had died but for good this time. Unlike my uncle, she ignored the vampire stuff. "She thought Jenna deserved to know."

"Oh." She nodded. "Thanks." She let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Jenna came around because of that I guess."

"No, I'm sure she didn't." Bonnie tried and I nodded.

"I know, but the timing…"

"—Is a coincidence." I finished for her and gave her a few strawberries. "Jenna cares for you and I told you she'd come around after a while anyway. Now, it's Mr Saltzman who has to worry about her not coming around."

Bonnie nodded. There was a small grin on her face as she leaned close and asked. "Did it finally happen?"

"Did 'what' finally happen?" Elena and I said at the same time.

"You know…" Bonnie glanced between the two of us before looking over her shoulder. "Nate and Jenna hooking up."

"Bonnie!" Elena gasped and I laughed. "I mean I don't think they are into each other."

"Oh they are." I corrected. "They just don't know it yet."

"It's a matter of time before they finally get together and you know, it's going to be epic. Years of mutual pining from friends to you know..." Bonnie took a bite of her sandwich and made a face before laughing.

"Jenna's still with Mr Saltzman." I pointed out.

"For now." I made a face. "You guys don't believe me but give it a few years and we'll be attending their wedding."

Shaking my head, I turned back to Elena. "Moving on, did Jenna say anything else?" I questioned.

Elena sighed. "Nothing but that she's actually going to stay on campus this time and Nate's going with her—"

"No way. Uncle Nate's going with her?"

"That's what she said." I pouted, annoyed that my uncle forgot to tell me he was leaving town with Jenna. "Did he not–" I shook my head and she patted my shoulders. "Well, I think it's for the best for Nate to be with Jenna given…" She trailed off, not wanting to talk about Klaus or vampires in general.

"Anyways, you guys have your costumes?" Bonnie swiftly changed the subject.

"I'm good to go—I'm gonna pick up something from Stefan's," Elena said and turned to me. "Ava?"

"I'm wearing another one of my great aunt Penny's dresses. This one's from the 60s." I answered, finished one half of my wrap.

"Your crazy great aunt?" Bonnie questioned and I flinched.

"Bonnie!" Elena playfully hissed out.

"That's the one." I said, ignoring Elena's attempts to chastise Bonnie. "She might've been crazy but she had taste and great mod dresses. I even tried it on and got it fitted."

"You tried it on?" Bonnie questioned and I nodded. "Are you sure her insanity didn't rub off on you from that dress?"

I coughed and choked on my lunch, laughing as Elena giggled and hurried to pass me my water bottle. Playfully, she slapped Bonnie back, laughing.

We stopped laughing when Dana came straight to our table, standing in front of it. She was probably here to talk about the staple gun. "Oh hey, did you manage to get into the art classroom?" I asked but Dana looked confused for a second, scanning our table before her eyes landed on Elena.

"Hey, Elena, there you are." She greeted Elena and ignored my question. "Okay. This is going to sound freaky, but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you're going to the dance tonight."

Bonnie and I shared a look. Dana knew Elena was with Stefan. Why would she even ask that? "...Tell him she has a boyfriend." Bonnie said with a grin, thinking nothing of it.

"You could at least meet him." Dana pressed on.

"Oh my god, Dana. You know Elena's dating Stefan." I reminded her but she wasn't looking at me or Bonnie.

"He'll be at the dance tonight." She carried on. "Look for him. His name is Klaus."

My heart dropped and Elena turned pale. Bonnie's eyes widened as the three of us traded looks of fear.

Elena, trying hard to be brave, let out a soft awkward laugh in an attempt to ease the tension and said "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

Unphased by our reactions, Dana pressed on with a…blank look on her face. "His name's Klaus. I know the name's stupid, but I swear he's hot."

I stood up and grabbed Dana. "What'd you just say? About Klaus?"

Confused, Dana turned her head to the side, her brows scrunching up in confusion as Bonnie looked around wildly. I couldn't feel anything, not that dreadful cold chill or anything.

Then how the hell was Dana compelled?

"Where is he? Is he here?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know." Dana threw my hands off of her. "What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing." I said, softly backing away when I noticed Dana's bracelet that I swear wasn't there before.

"She's been compelled." Bonnie spelled out.

That bracelet was all I could think about. A cheap silver-colored band around her wrist that I knew wasn't there before. Dana wasn't the one to wear accessories whenever she was working on something, she said it got it in the way.

It couldn't be…

Bonnie and Elena looked up at me expectedly, hoping that I'd be able to read her but I couldn't. All I could hear was broken thoughts that made little sense.

"I…can't read her." I said quietly, turning to my friends who both looked terrified.

Ignoring me again, Dana carried on with her eyes glued to Elena like she was following a script. "But he wants to know if you'll save him the last dance. How cute is that?"

"Adorable." I quipped and took a sip of water from my water bottle. "Dana," Now she looked at me like she just remembered that I was there. "Who were you just with?"

"Excuse me?"

"Wonderful, she's been compelled to forget everything and I can't read her."

Elena's eyes widened and she looked up at me. "N-nothing? Nothing at all. That can't be right."

I nodded but my attention shifted by the thin silvery metal band around Dana's wrist. At first glance, it looked cheap and misshapen but the closer I stared at it, the more I noticed matte gray little camelias molded onto the band that were darken around the edges like time had eroded away pieces of it little by little. "Dana, where'd you get that bracelet?"

"Ava…we have bigger things to worry about." Bonnie tried to stop me but Dana smiled—no, she grinned unnaturally. Her lips stretched from ear to ear and her eyes sparkling but still so dull.

She held her right hand up and I nodded. "Klaus gave me this. Cute, right?"

I would've said ugly and something that should've been in a museum but I held my tongue. "Adorable." Was all I said with concern and panic building up inside.

"Actually, it was for you. I was kinda trying it on." She took off her bracelet and Elena panicked. "A little reunion gift."

"What do you mean, Dana?" Elena glanced between me and Dana. I shrugged helplessly while Bonnie tried to make heads of the situation in front of us.

"Reunion gift?" I questioned with a laugh of disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" Dana didn't look like she was joking. Her awkward smile, forced peppy voice and that blank look of compulsion didn't have any sign of her joking. Even if she was, it was probably rehearsed and scripted by whoever compelled her. "I-I don't know a Klaus."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive!" I looked at Elena, begging her to believe me. I didn't know Klaus but if I did then how? "I swear you guys, I don't know Klaus."

"Are you sure?" Dana repeated.

Bonnie shook her head and reached for me. "You sure, Ava?"

"Bonnie," Elena stood up. "You know Ava. She would never lie to us but…are you sure you didn't meet him during your time in Washington—maybe in passing—"

"I'm sure I never saw Klaus! I would've told you guys first if I did." I wetted my dried lips and turned back to Dana. Before I could even figure out what she was about to do. Her left hand clamped around my right wrist tight.

"Dana, what the hell—" Bonnie was cut off as Dana slid on her silver bracelet into my wrist, holding me down as the silver burned my skin. I let out a gasp of pain and bit my tongue to hold back a scream.

Tears clouded my vision as I gripped the bracelet around my wrist tightly, ignoring the searing pain in my left hand as I flung the bracelet to the ground. It bounced off and rolled on the floor before stopping at the foot of the table.

Where the band of metal had touched, a burnt band of skin was left behind alongside a stinging pain. Elena grabbed my wrist gently and looked at Dana with wide eyes while Bonnie picked up the band with hesitant movements. She ran her fingers around the metal band and looked up at me. No reaction from her but I was in blinding pain.

"A cheapshot."

"Your wrist is burnt, Ava. He had Dana attack you." Elena tried to touch my wound but I pulled away, flinching before she even managed to touch my wound.

I shook my head. "Not an attack. I feel like he was checking something and he sent you a warning."

"What are you talking about?"

"I have no idea." I confessed. "But I didn't think Dana was here to hurt me—not completely. She was checking something." I gathered my things and stuffed my lunchbox with the half-eaten chicken wrap back into my bag. "I'm gonna put some cold water on this. Hopefully, it heals faster this time."

"Hopefully?" Elena questioned. "Ava, you're hurt!"

"I noticed." I turned to Bonnie who had her phone out, probably texting Luka and Jeremy. "Stay here with Elena. I'm going to find Stefan and maybe Mr Saltzman—do not leave each other's side and keep your vervain necklace close."

Bonnie nodded and I left the cafeteria, holding my wrist in my hand while trying so hard not to cry. I ignored the few people who tried to stop me and ask what happened and the obvious curious gaze of students passing by.

Realistically, I should've gone to the nurse but even the nurse couldn't help me with my weakness to silver. Was this even silver? The metal band, I'd left it on the cafeteria floor but I had no idea if it was really silver. It smelt a little bit like iron. I remembered distinctly that there was a thin band of a darker metal that ran through the entire band in the middle.

It couldn't have been silver.

Silver hurt but not as much as whatever the band was made out of. My wrist was on fire, like my bones were melding with the flesh and skin of my body when the metal band touched my skin. It still felt like it was burning even though the bracelet was not on my wrist anymore and I couldn't feel myself healing.

---

My wrist was tightly wrapped in a neat but thin layer of white bandage by the time lunch ended. I got some strange looks here and there from a few students. I couldn't do anything about it apart from lying here and there. I guess I was lucky that school ended early that day but I didn't go home.

Elena and Bonnie made a beeline for my AP biology class the minute the bell rang. I saw them outside the small window on the door, pacing around and motioning to me to leave. I didn't react and pretended to pay attention while keeping an eye on the door.

Stefan joined them soon after right before I was allowed to go. We didn't need to speak to know that we all needed to gather and talk about Klaus' first move.

"Klaus made his first move." Stefan began, walking straight into the living room with Bonnie, Elena and I on his heels.

"And welcome home, little brother—no, how was your day, Damon?" Damon greeted his little brother from the mezzanine overlooking the living room. "I got all of your texts, surprised that Ava even bothered to actually text me this time and I don't see Ric around…" His smirk fell when noticed the grim looks on our faces. I blinked and he was standing right in front of me, I jumped at his closeness. "What happened to your wrist?" He asked, carefully picking up my injured wrist and caressing the bandage while waiting for my answer.

"Allergic reaction." I answered with a pointed look.

Bonnie scoffed. "That wasn't an allergic reaction, Ava." She shook her head. "Your skin…"

"It was burning." Elena finished for Bonnie with widened eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Can you not pretend like it's not that bad? It was obviously bad. I've never seen you like that."

"Silver?" Damon quietly cut through my two concerned friends with a somewhat logical and rational tone.

I looked up at him in surprise. "Not too sure actually." I admitted. "It felt like a mixture of two metals."

"Well, that changes things."

"Back to Klaus." I pulled away my wrist. "He made his first move. Apart from the trick he played on me—"

"Not a trick." Stefan butted in and gave me a look of disbelief. "Elena said that apparently Klaus knows you?"

"And I don't know him." I retorted with more bite than I intended. Okay, maybe I was a little bitter and angry but I deserved to be. Klaus was confusing me. I didn't know him but he went ahead and attacked me anyway. "But I think he knows what I am. Probably tried to take me out right before the dance."

"Klaus knows you're a faery?" Bonnie questioned. "How?"

I hesitated and looked at Damon again. Neither of us had told them about my reaction to silver at Jenna's dinner party. He surprisingly kept it to himself and I didn't tell anyone.

"You…don't have to tell them if you don't want to." Damon said softly. "It's not something to share."

"But I should."

"You don't have to."

Elena looked between the two of us, confused at the secrecy. "I'm sorry but what is going on? Are you two hiding something?"

"It has nothing to do with you." Damon said, almost like he was tired.

"Damon." I hissed and he ignored me.

"Well, we should know about it if it's to do with Klaus."

"It doesn't have anything to do with Klaus. It's…" Like a bandaid being ripped off, I told myself and said. "It's me. I'm not allergic to silver but rather, it's my…weakness apparently but I am getting used to it."

"Oh." Bonnie let out a soft gasp. "I-I didn't know."

"I didn't say."

"You didn't have to." Damon butted in again. "It's not something you just bring up in a conversation."

"Is that why you couldn't compel the Sheriff?" Stefan asked, ignoring his brother and I looked at him, slightly impressed that he even remembered that. "Isn't it?" I nodded. "So Klaus knows your weakness."

"I did say I'm getting used to silver. It doesn't hurt as much as it did." Everyone just stared at me blankly before simultaneously looking at my bandaged wrist. "This…wasn't silver only. I know it and can we get back on the topic of Klaus? He knows me but I don't know him and he invited Elena to the dance."

Damon frowned and let out a laugh. "As if he can't get any worse."

I could agree with that. His interest in Elena was given, she was a key ingredient of whatever ritual was needed to break the curse. I, on the other hand, should've been ignored mostly. I didn't expect him to attack me.

"I say we go to the dance, we find him." Damon suggested and I could already see all the different ways that could go wrong.

And apparently so could Stefan. "Really? How are we going to do that? We don't even know what he looks like." He glanced at me in disbelief, almost signaling me to back him up. I didn't need to be told twice.

"Something tells me he's not going to be sixteen and pimply." Damon offered.

"You know there's adult chaperones at the dance too, right?" Luka reminded him as he walked in.

"And here comes baby warlock to preach to us like he didn't try to stab us in the back before." Luka glared at Damon and stood next to Bonnie, waiting.

"Adorable coming from you." I mumbled and Damon grinned at me.

"I'm just reminding you that an Original is not someone you take so lightly." Luka bit back. "I didn't notice anything different so that means Klaus managed to blend in, unlike Elijah."

Stefan nodded. "He could be anywhere at any time." He said. "He compelled somebody at school." He glanced at his anxious girlfriend and a determined Bonnie who I could already tell was trying to come up with a plan. "I guess it's not as safe as you guys thought, huh?"

He paused as the door knocked and Ric walked in a few minutes later.

"There you are." Damon said.

Ric smiled sheepishly and looked—no, scanned the room, his eyes lingering on Elena for a second longer than it should've before he settled his gaze on me as I took a step back to stand behind Damon. "Sorry I'm late." Ric said.

Damon waved his excuse off and instead focused on his plan that could totally not go wrong. "Hey, I need you to put me down as a chaperone at the dance tonight. Klaus made his first move."

"Why don't you just go as my date?" I said those words before I could even think and I pursed my lips, turning away from him.

He paused and I could see a slow teasing grin appear on his face. "So you're asking me to be your date?"

"I never said that."

"You just did."

"I said that because—the plan…to stop Klaus. It's not like…anything meaningful." He grinned and I rolled my eyes. I think I heard Bonnie sigh as she pulled me back. "You were my date at the last decades' dance when we had another vampire problem so I figured…"

"Uh-huh."

Ric cleared his throat, interrupting us. "I'll put you down as a chaperone then." And Damon clicked his tongue in annoyance.

With that matter dealt with, Elena didn't waste time getting back to questioning the plan. "Okay, so we find him and then what, hmm? What's our plan of attack?"

"Me." Bonnie said. "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him." She looked around the room with a fire in her eyes and a challenging bite to her voice that made me proud and concerned for her at the same time.

No matter how much power she had, it could still go wrong. I hadn't forgotten what had happened to Ms Sheila and she was one of the most powerful witches I knew.

"That's not going to be that easy. I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around." Ric said.

Damon nodded. "Alaric has a point. I mean, what if he…" He trailed off, his eyes landing on Bonnie before he tried to ambush her but Bonnie was quick. She threw him to the opposite end of the room with just a look, not even a spell was cast.

Elena and I grinned at each other, holding back out laughter. "You okay, there?" I asked, coughing as laughter threatened to bubble out of me. "Need a hand?" Damon rolled his eyes and jumped to his feet.

"Well, I was impressed." Stefan commented.

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original." Bonnie said, turning to Elena. "I can take down anyone who comes at me. I can kill him, Elena. I know I can."

"I don't know…" Elena swallowed as she wrapped her arms around herself and glanced at Stefan and me. "I don't want you guys to get hurt because of me."

I rubbed her back in comfort and tried to smile at her. "And this does sound a little risky." I added.

"I can help too." Luka chimed in. "Bonnie can take Klaus while I can keep the rest of you safe—" Luka's eyes flickered to mine before he turned his head towards Bonnie. "It's the least I can do for you."

"So that's the plan?"

"Sounds risky." Stefan repeated my words and I nodded.

"The plan seems too…simple and I don't know, I just don't feel so good about this."

Damon laughed. "Is that your 'faery' instinct telling you that?"

I didn't say anything and stared blankly at him, ignoring the gazes of my friends before I turned to Elena and Stefan and said. "I'm gonna go home and get changed for the dance, call me if you need anything."

"I'll come with you." Bonnie tagged along back to my house.

We stopped by her place to grab her costume before heading to my place to get ready. Elena was getting ready at Stefan's and Caroline was getting ready at her place since Matt was picking her up.

---

"I don't know, I just have a bad feeling about everything." I said, straightening out my dress.

The dress had a black daisy pattern against a white background with a jewel neckline, a band of white at the top of the neckline. I paired it with white tights and black gogo boots that belonged to great aunt Joanne. I looked great but I felt awful like maybe we should all stay home.

I could hear Bonnie's heavy red gogo boots clicking as she walked back into my room, smoothing her dress. "Totally valid but we have a plan." She sat down in front of my vanity and looked up at me. "Now are you going to help me do my makeup?"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the palette I'd picked out. "I'm just saying, I've been getting weird feelings about this whole thing."

"Uh-huh." Bonnie nodded, picking up my sketchbook from the vanity. "I get it you're worried. Elena's worried too. You both were targeted by Klaus."

"Besides that," With a light touch, I tilted Bonnie's face and went for the orange shade, painting it on her lids. "I've been on the edge the whole day."

"Your therapy appointment didn't go well."

"No." I admitted, tapping the excess of the eyeshadow brush. "It was bad like I think my therapist was compelled."

"No way." Bonnie moved her head and I nearly put orange eyeshadow all over her forehead. "How?"

I sighed and moved her head back to its previous position. "I don't know." I carried on, going for another layer of the shimmery orange eyeshadow. "But it wasn't the first time."

"You think Klaus might be stalking you?"

"I thought about that. I don't know why he would."

"You're a faery." Bonnie pointed out as I pulled back and let her check her face in the mirror. "Luka told me that faeries are as rare as they come. For all we know you could be the only faery on earth."

"Luka told you." I grinned and she rolled her eyes.

"We're just…friends or trying to be friends. He's been teaching me some spells and how to brew certain potions since his dad's out of commission." Bonnie tucked her hair up and pinned it, shyly avoiding my gaze. "I did help him too since he and his dad decided to move out of their apartment and buy a house for their own safety—I helped them move…but Jeremy was there as well."

"Aren't you having fun."

She elbowed me to my stomach but I dodged, laughing. "We're just friends. Besides, I'm with Jeremy."

"So it's official then, you and Jer." I couldn't picture those two together before but somehow they were together.

"I guess so." She picked up her phone and sent a quick text. "Oh by the way, Elena's here."

"Wait. What?" I was not expecting her to come over. I mean she was always welcome but nobody told me she was coming over. "I thought she was getting ready at Stefan's."

"No, she said she was picking out her outfit at Stefan's."

"That's not what I remember."

"I mean you were zoned for the entire day." I couldn't argue against that and shut my mouth. "I wish Caroline was here too."

"You know I can't invite Caroline in."

"I know your family would freak out." Bonnie sighed. "At least, she's getting ready with her mom—having a bonding experience and all."

"Bonnie," I said with a faux gasp. "You know the sheriff's not that old." Bonnie cracked a smile.

"...And Elena's at the door."

Putting down the eyeshadow brush and the makeup palette, I turned away from Bonnie and went downstairs.

The house was eerie quiet with the absence of my parents, my uncle and Jenna. My footsteps and Bonnie's quick taps on her phone as she texted Elena were all I could hear. Somehow in the past few weeks, I'd gotten used to their chatter and now that they were not there, the house felt empty.

I went straight to the door, greeting the butler and a few of the maids before I unlocked the door. Elena stood outside with her back facing me, her dress and shoes in her hand.

When I opened the door, she turned to me with a smile but her smile crumpled. "Oh god, you guys are already done."

"Not quite." I moved aside and watched carefully as she stepped past the threshold of the door and the reception before I closed the door behind her.

Bonnie followed after me. "Ava was just finishing up my makeup."

"So you're both almost done and I'm late."

"You're not." Bonnie and I said at the same time. "But you will if you keep standing there." I added, grabbing Elena and Bonnie by their wrists and dragging them upstairs to my room.

Bonnie sat back down in front of my vanity while Elena dumped her bags into the corner of the couch in my room. She grabbed her dress, purple piece and some white gogo boots before rushing to the bathroom to get changed.

I turned back to tilt Bonnie's face towards me. She closed her eyes as I swirled the liquid liner around in its pot before wiping the excess on the insides of the pot. With a quick glance at a 60s magazine on my vanity I painted Bonnie's liner on both eyes and took a step back.

"Done?" Bonnie asked.

"Done." I confirmed and leaned over the vanity to get a closer look at my own makeup, picking up another eyeliner brush to do my own liner. "I think I'm gonna do Twiggy since my outfit screams Twiggy."

"That'd be cute. You have big eyes like her."

"Yeah but lashes, should I paint them on?"

"Yes!" Elena said, coming out of the bathroom all dressed up. "By the way, can I borrow your straightener?"

"Here." I passed her the straightener and Bonnie grabbed the curling iron to curl her hair.

"Pins?" She asked and I opened the drawer of the vanity, pulling out a bundle of pins.

She took a few and started putting them in as we all crowded around the vanity. I painted my black eyeliner on top of a powdery teal shadow and drew lines underneath to mimic lashes.

"Switch." I passed Elena the palette while she passed me the straightener. "So did Stefan say anything about the plan?"

"Only that we're both against this." Elena looked at Bonnie who ignored her. "I can't imagine no one getting hurt tonight, maybe you two should stay in."

Bonnie laughed, setting down the curler on a towel I'd placed on the vanity. "After you roped us into this dance, I don't think so. We're all ready anyways."

"I don't know we could take some pictures and crash here and watch a movie at the movie theater in the other wing of this house." I said, opening up a bag of chocolates and passing it to Elena and Bonnie. "You could sleep over too 'Lena, make it a night."

Elena raised her brow at the bag and I shrugged. What? My blood sugar levels were going down. I was feeling a little lightheaded. I don't know if it was the heat from the straightener and the curler or if it was my anxiety.

Hesitantly, Elena took a few of the chocolate bites, unwrapping them and popping them into her mouth while throwing away the wrapper. Bonnie didn't hesitate and took three, unwrapping them at the same time.

"It's not a bad idea for you two to stay." Elena said, her mouth a little full so her words came out muffled. "I mean Klaus can't get us here."

Bonnie scoffed. "Look at you two. This isn't like you."

I raised my injured wrist and waved it in front of her. "Hello? Are we forgetting what happened today at lunch?"

"Exactly. Klaus attacked Ava. What if you can't handle him, Bonnie?" Elena went in for another chocolate and reached for the eyeliner.

"I can handle him." Bonnie insisted, handing me a few pins to pin her hair to the back.

I pinned her hair. "We're just worried. You have more magic in you than normal and remember what happened to your grams…"

"I'm not her!" She turned around, almost slapping my face with her hair. "I'm stronger than her thanks to the power of those witches."

"We're just worried." Elena repeated, coming to my defense.

I nodded and finished doing my hair, curling the ends in the opposite direction so they'd fan out at the bottom before taking a step back to gather my hair together to make half-ponytail bouffant.

Bonnie passed me the hairspray with a handful of pins. I went to the bathroom to do my hair, conveniently avoiding the brewing argument between my two best friends. I could hear their raised voices through the door and hummed under my breath to distract me.

Klaus and my friends from Havensbrook haunted my mind. I was close to telling both Elena and Bonnie everything but I held myself back.

When I was done, they were done arguing and were cooling down. The bag of chocolates was half-empty sitting on the vanity. Elena was leaning over the vanity to get a closer look at the mirror to put on her earrings. She passed me a thick white ribbon that I tied up into a bow and some white earrings shaped like two big hanging daisies.

"So…what'd I miss?" I asked carefully, glancing between Elena and Bonnie.

"Nothing much." They both said at the same time with the same icy tone.

"Okay." I didn't believe that.

I waited for a few seconds, messing around with my collection of perfumes and letting the silence build up. I picked up the daisy shaped perfume bottle, eying my friends in silence as I did so.

Bonnie finally couldn't take the silence anymore. "I'll bite. I told Elena that I can take Klaus down and called her out for recklessness because unlike her, the two of us can actually handle ourselves."

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt because of me." Elena cried out in frustration.

"So you'll hurt yourself to stop us from getting hurt?" Bonnie fired back. "Do you hear yourself Elena?"

"Crystal clear." Elena bit back. "I'm not hurting myself.

"Klaus isn't just coming for you! He's coming for all of us!" Bonnie threw back again reminding her that she wasn't the only one in danger. "You putting yourself at risk is not helping anyone."

"I'm a doppelgänger. There isn't another one like me."

"And Ava's the only faery!"

I frowned and shook my head. "I don't think I'm the only faery around. I think there are more, probably hiding."

"I'm sure there are." Bonnie quipped sarcastically.

"I know there are." I insisted. I didn't know how but I was sure of it and now it was Bonnie frowning.

"But for all Klaus knows, you're the only one and you're a threat while Elena's out there being a liability."

"I'm not!" Elena cried out.

"I believe that and I'm sure Ava believes that too."

"She has a point." I said quietly. Both Elena and Bonnie's heads snapped towards me. "But Elena has a point too. It's too risky for you to take Klaus on your own."

"Risky? Ava, Klaus attacked you through Dana and threatened Elena!" Bonnie reminded us, shaking her head. She grabbed a random perfume bottle off my vanity and spritzed it a few times.

"He didn't threaten Elena." I tried to correct her and she glared at me. "All he did was ask Elena to dance through Dana and was super narcissistic about it too."

Elena giggled and even Bonnie cracked a smile. "Narcissism aside, Klaus is a threat." Bonnie said.

"We never said he wasn't." Elena replied. "All we said was we're worried."

"This plan is too simple and has too many holes in it." I chimed in.

"Okay, I promise I'll stay safe and won't get myself killed, happy?" Bonnie said, throwing her hands up in defeat.

Elena and I looked at each other in silent judgment. Do we trust Bonnie's words or not? Elena didn't and neither did I but hesitantly we reached for her. The three of us hugged each, promising that we'd be safe.

---

Damon leaned against his car and waved at me with a lazy grin. Jeremy got out of the front passenger side of the car and smiled brightly at Bonnie. He held up a small bouquet of flowers and I turned to Bonnie.

Bonnie and I shared a look. She was happy that Jeremy was here but annoyed that Damon was the one that decided to bring Jeremy over to my place. She raised her brow in a silent question asking if I'd arranged this. I frowned and she got the message that it wasn't me.

"Damon." Bonnie tensely greeted with a cautious eye before she all but skipped towards Jeremy. "Hey, you." Her sudden brightness was engulfed by Jeremy's embrace.

Awkwardly, I pulled at my dress and looked away. Damon whistled quietly and I glared at him. He only shrugged in response.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, someone asked me to be their date." He said, leaning behind me. "I bought flowers."

"For me?"

"Who else but my date?"

I rolled my eyes and elbowed his stomach but he dodged and spun me around with a playful grin on his face. "I never asked you to be my date."

"But you were expecting me to ask you and I'm a gentleman."

"I'm sure you are, Mr Salvatore." I teased in my best impression of Lydia.

He blanched and made a gagging gesture. "You know Lydia was like my sister."

"And she was in love with you."

"Debatable."

"I literally lived through her memories."

"Freaky." He held out his arm and looked down. "Shall we go or are we going to play another round of push and pull?"

I scoffed and took his arm, ignoring the silly little smirk on his face and the curious gazes of the only real couple there. I let him lead me back to his car and he let go to open the door, holding the door open. Okay, he could be a real gentleman sometimes but I never would forget the things he'd done.

Baby steps, right?

He was trying to improve. I stared at him, thinking back to what Dr Rosales had said. Damon wasn't Isaac. No, he was worse. Much worse. Like Isaac was the Easter Bunny compared to Damon who was probably the nightmare of so many people.

But he was trying.

"Those two are taking too long." Damon said, craning his head to look outside at Bonnie and Jeremy. The radio softly played in the background; he turned down the volume and rolled down the window. "Hey—" I pulled him back and leaned over to roll up the windows of the car.

"Don't interrupt them." I said.

"I'm trying to get us to the dance quickly."

"And they'll probably won't be able to spend time if Klaus does show up."

He tilted his head to the side, his eyes turned to the roof of his car. "Fine. I'll be a good sport and behave."

"Good."

I leaned back and Damon did the same before we both turned our heads, meeting each other's gazes. He stared at me for the longest time. Neither of us were speaking. We both knew the conversation that was coming. I was technically leading him now and I felt awful just thinking about it.

"You're…trying." My voice was barely above a whisper and the coral tint painting my lips felt dry. "You're actually…trying to be good."

"Does that surprise you?" He returned my words with the same tenderness that I didn't think Damon had.

"Yes." I barely said it. I think I mouthed my answer but he heard me regardless, smiling sadly in response. "And honestly, I'm scared."

"You're scared…" He echoed. "...of me?" He asked tentatively.

I shook my head. "No." I mouthed again. "Of myself." I answered honestly. "I'm scared that I'll like you more than I want to and…" I'll be the one to get hurt.

I swallowed those words and said nothing more but watched as Damon's electric blue eyes widened under the pale yellow-white lights hanging outside the driveway of the Fitzroy manor. His shock turned to happiness before he reached out to me with a trembling hand, his fingers on my lips.

"T-that's not a problem I can't fix." Damon stuttered out.

I was more surprised by his stuttering that I didn't even notice Bonnie and Jeremy approaching until the back car doors opened.

Immediately at the sound, Damon and I pulled away, sitting up straight as if nothing had happened. But my cheeks and the tips of my ears were hot and probably red. I swallowed and patted my beating heart as I tugged at the ugly bloodstone necklace around my neck.

Oh, I could picture my ancestors especially Lydia and Edmund rolling in their graves.

"So what did we miss?" Jeremy asked, blissfully unaware of what he and Bonnie had interrupted.

"Um," Damon fumbled around with the buttons of his car, increasing the volume of the radio before speaking. "Just going over the plan."

I nodded, agreeing with him. "Y-yeah. We were…just talking about the plan for taking down Klaus." I pulled the collar of my dress and tucked in my necklace, hiding it out of sight. "Bonnie will use her magic, Stefan and Damon will be the distraction. I'm the backup while Luka's gonna watch over everyone else and make sure no one dies."

"Simple." Damon stated and started the engine.

"But," I said, drawing silence into the car while Damon pulled his car out of the driveway and onto the road.

After a moment, both Jeremy and Damon said at the same time, surprising each other. "But?"

"I can't help but think Klaus might know we're coming."

"Another one of your visions?" Damon questioned and I shook my head. "Then what?"

"I just have…a bad feeling like Klaus is already walking among us—God, I sound stupid, I know but just trust me on this. I feel like he knows Bonnie has all this power."

"That means we won't have the element of surprise." Jeremy added up what I was trying to say and I was never so grateful for him. "That doesn't sound so good."

Bonnie scoffed. "So what if we don't have the element of surprise? I can take them."

"I believe witchy."

I caught Bonnie glaring at Damon right before the car stopped. "Bonnie." I called out to her and the engine roared back to life. Damon smiled in thanks and adjusted the rearview mirror to look at Bonnie from the front of the car. "Did everyone forget that Klaus has his own witches—powerful ones. Luka mentioned that his sister wasn't the only recruit."

"No, I didn't forget." Bonnie retorted. "Luka already said he'd deal with his sister."

"I don't think his sister is going to be the one at the dance or involved in this. If anything, the witches will probably stay at a distance."

"But not far enough for us not to worry." Damon scowled and sighed. "Okay, we might need a plan B. Any thoughts or ideas?"

Nobody had any ideas. I was grateful that they were going along with my hunches. Unfortunately, I had little to counteract whatever Klaus might've had planned. I hated that. Usually, I was buzzing with ideas and plans. At that moment, I had nothing.

Jeremy, on the other hand, had something. He coughed loudly to get some attention and Damon exhaled loudly as I gave him a warning look to not be mean before he motioned to Jeremy to continue.

"What if Bonnie faked her death?" Jeremy suggested.

I think I had to pause to reconfigure my brain or something because his idea was both the stupidest and the smartest idea I'd ever heard off. Faking someone's death wasn't new. I'd done it before—well, my family and I had done it before with Zach Salvatore. I'd done it too with Lexi. Jeremy's idea wasn't completely out there.

His idea did get a laugh out of Damon and a 'you tried' look from Bonnie who seemed too endeared with her boyfriend to judge her boyfriend. She just patted his shoulder and looked at me, hoping I'd come up with an alternative plan.

But instead I found myself agreeing with Jeremy. "Not a bad idea."

"It sounds ridiculous. I can't believe you're even entertaining him like I get it you're trying to be nice but come on." Damon complained.

"I'm just saying if we need the element of surprise to get Klaus like we did with Elijah then maybe making him think that Bonnie's gone will make him lower his guard."

"When you put it like that—"

"It makes sense." Bonnie finished. "But how are we going to do that? There's no spell in my grams' grimoire that lets someone fake their death."

"What about Luka?" Jeremy suggested, actually sounding mature and putting his jealousy to rest. "He cursed Ava, didn't he?"

"It was a sleeping curse."

"If we ask him for something similar, I think we can pull this off."

"Really?" Damon questioned sarcastically, turning to us.

I hurriedly moved his head, turning it back to the road before he crashed us into a tree. "I do have an alternate plan." I suggested, sitting back down.

"Finally. Let's hear it."

I hesitated, already knowing I'd get a chorus of no. I could already feel the overbearing gazes of the three in the car. "Elijah." I breathed out his name and Damon's grip on the wheel tightened. "Hear me out but he's an Original and he wanted Klaus gone. We undagger him and I try to negotiate a deal with him—well, I can't make a deal with him, he won't make one with me but I can try to get him to come around."

Damon laughed. "I'm sure you can. I have no doubt about it."

"Look, it seemed like he wanted to keep me safe so if I tell him and exaggerate that Klaus attacked me…"

"He'd be more willing to help." Bonnie finished for me and hummed under her breath. "Not a bad plan."

"Yeah, we're not doing that." Damon wouldn't budge. "Let's just fake Bonbon's death."

"Okay, sure. I'm sure it has nothing to do with you being jealous." Jeremy teased.

"I will throw you out of my car right now, Jeremy."

"Guys!" The oncoming bickering that was coming stopped immediately.

---

The bass thumped loudly as I stepped out of the chilly night and into the warm glow of the decorated school gym. The '60s dance was in full swing, a kaleidoscope of colors and retro tunes enveloping the room. I'd parted with Jeremy and Bonnie after getting out of Damon's car while Damon left to go look for Stefan and Elena.

I slipped through the crowd, scanning the room for any sign of Klaus. I don't know what I was looking for but maybe a feeling of something…cold and dead. There was nothing there. The dim lights cast long shadows on the dance floor, making it difficult to distinguish faces in the pulsating mass of people.

Amidst the swirling dancing students, I spotted Luka. He was dancing with Tiki and the sight of them twirling around brought a brief smile to my face. Luka's eyes locked onto mine and with a subtle nod, he excused himself from the dance.

We met in a quieter corner of the gym, away from prying eyes and ears. The pulsating beat of the music faded as Luka cut through the crowd with practiced ease.

"Enjoying the dance?" I greeted with a small smile as he excused himself from the dance to join me.

He flashed a warm smile, a trace of caution lingered in his darting eyes. "It's not bad. Surprisingly lively."

I nodded, glancing around. Tyler's absence was obvious. His football friends all gathered in a small cluster on the other side of the dance floor, near the punch bowl in a quiet but heated argument whether or not to spike the bowl. If Tyler was here, the punch bowl would already be spiked.

Surprisingly, Mr Saltzman didn't do anything to stop them. I noticed him lingering in the center not the edge like the other chaperones and teachers. He saw those football players spiking the punch bowl and only laughed. I looked away before he could notice, catching a glimpse of Matt and Caroline staring at the punch bowl with a difficult look on their faces.

They missed Tyler and I guess so did I.

"Could've been more lively." I said sadly and Luka said nothing in response.

He didn't know what to say. So instead, he asked. "So, is the plan still on track?"

"Check your phone."

Luka's expression shifted to annoyance as he fished his phone out of his pocket. "Couldn't you just tell me this?"

I shook my head and made a motion to him to not read his messages. "I'm not sure if Klaus is here or not but I have a feeling we lost the element of surprise."

"What makes you think that?"

"Call it paranoia or my faery instinct."

Luka sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe we should've just un-daggered Elijah. It's not too late. This—" He held up his phone in front of me. "Sounds too convoluted and risky."

"Apparently it's a bad idea."

"Is Bonnie really on board with this?"

"Took some convincing but yeah." Luka said nothing and I could tell he was worried about Bonnie. "You're worried."

He sighed. "You're not?"

"I am but I trust Bonnie and the new plan sounds okay. If all goes wrong, we can just un-dagger Elijah."

We turned to leave the gym when a voice stopped us in our tracks. "Ava, leaving so soon?" I turned to see Mr. Saltzman blocking our exit. Mr. Saltzman's hand shot out, his unnaturally cold hands wrapped around my gloved wrist like a shackle. "Are you sure you're okay?" His eyes gleamed with a strange intensity that looked strikingly bluer under the colored lights.

"I'll be back. I just need…some air."

Luka hesitated, glancing at me. "Uh, yeah, Ava's not feeling too well. We were just going to get some air."

Mr. Saltzman's smile faltered for a moment before returning. "Well, I can take her to the infirmary." He offered.

Luka stepped in, playing the protective friend. "Nah, I got it. Thanks, though."

Reluctantly, Mr Saltzman backed off. We were about to leave when he stopped us again. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again. His gaze stuck on me. "You're not scared…or anything, right?"

I let out a nervous laugh. "Scared? Of what?"

"Klaus…"

"I don't have to be." I said with a light smile. "We have a plan."

The lights above us flickered and the music distorted for a few seconds. I heard a few screams and gasps echo through the gym as I looked up at the ceiling and back down at an impressed Mr Saltzman. I brushed past him to hurry outside.

The tension lingered in the air. Luka shot me a questioning look, but I shook my head subtly. Not here, not now. The gym door closed behind us, leaving the muffled sounds of '60s music and laughter that had resumed behind.

"Why did you lie to Mr. Saltzman?"

I took a deep breath, my gaze fixed on the hall in front of me. "There's something off about him. I can feel it."

He sighed and looked back at the entrance to the gym in the distance. The muted thumping music could be heard from where we stood on the other side of the school. "We really should've un-daggered Elijah." He said again.

I shook my head. "No, we stick to the plan. We'll meet Bonnie, Jeremy, and Damon. We can't afford to let our guard down, especially with whatever's going on with Mr. Saltzman."

Damon, Bonnie, and Jeremy were already waiting near one of the English classrooms. Damon leaned casually against the wall, a smirk playing on his lips. "Took you two long enough. Thought we might miss the dance by the time you two got here."

Ignoring his comment, Jeremy addressed Luka. "Change of plans. We're going to fake Bonnie's death."

Luka's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're kidding right? Why do you even—"

"Because Tinkerbell here thinks Klaus already knows our plan so our element of surprise is gone." Damon cut in.

"And faking Bonnie's death is going to fix things?" Jeremy and Damon nodded while Bonnie and I shrugged.

Jeremy explained the details, and I could see the skepticism in Luka's eyes. It was a risky plan, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I shared a glance with Bonnie, who wore a determined expression. She was ready for anything.

Bonnie turned to Luka, her eyes searching for answers. "Luka, your dad's grimoires and research, is there anything that could put someone in a death-like sleep? We need a convincing way to fool Klaus."

Luka hesitated, glancing between us. "I don't know. Even if there were, I don't carry those grimoires and my dad's research with me to school."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed, a knowing glint in them. "You keep a grimoire in your locker."

Both Jeremy and I turned to Luka, surprised. Damon, on the other hand, couldn't resist making a snarky comment. "Looks like baby warlock's been planning to hex up the school."

"Funny." Luka rolled his eyes, clearly uncomfortable with Damon's words. "It's for Bonnie, sometimes I teach her magic between classes."

"You teach her magic?" Jeremy questioned.

"Jeremy!" Bonnie and I hissed out. "It's just magic. How else do you think I got better?" Bonnie added.

"You know I'd love to engage in this drama but can we please focus, people!" Damon said, violently clapping his hands together to get our attention. "You sure there's nothing in there? I don't know, maybe a sleeping curse? The same curse you and your dad cast on Ava for Elijah to kidnap her."

Luka shot Damon an annoyed look. "We were trying to protect her on Elijah's request—Ava would've been safer outside of this town."

"Appreciate the sentiment." I said quietly. "But terrible method."

"Sorry." He mumbled out.

"We don't need an apology right now." Damon cut him off. "What we need is a sleeping curse so is it there?"

Luka sighed, conceding. "Yes, it's there. But we need to be careful. The spell is powerful and not something to be taken lightly—one wrong move and Bonnie could be cursed for a lifetime."

He led us down the hallway towards his locker. The school hallway was silent and empty with muted thumping music and some laughter in the distance. He fumbled with the lock, retrieving the worn grimoire from within. As he handed it to Bonnie, he glanced at us.

"We'll need to perform the spell in a secluded place that's not too far from where Bonnie will be. I don't want any unwanted attention and I need to concentrate." He flicked through the pages of the grimoire, stopping at the page with the sleeping curse. "And there's one more thing. This spell requires a significant amount of magical energy. Last time, I drew it from my dad, but..."

"But he's not here," Jeremy finished Luka's sentence, understanding the implication.

Luka nodded. "Exactly. I'll need another source of magic to make it work."

Damon, ever the skeptic, crossed his arms. "And where do you think you're going to draw this magic from?"

Luka hesitated before glancing at me. "...From Ava."

Damon's eyes narrowed, his skepticism turning into outright resistance. "Absolutely not. We can't risk it. Ava's not a magic battery, and last time, she used too much of her magic, it nearly killed her."

I cut in before Damon could argue further. "I trust Luka. If drawing magic from me can help Bonnie, then so be it."

"Well, I don't trust him." Damon's concern etched across his face but his words were harsh. "Did you forget what he did to you?"

Of course, I didn't forget. "Then trust me."

"You're being very reckless right now."

"I'm looking at the bigger picture." I stepped forward. "I can do it. I've improved since then, and if it helps Bonnie, I'm willing to take the risk."

He sighed, relenting. "Fine, but if anything goes wrong—"

"I'll sever the connection and immediately stop drawing magic from Ava." Luka continued.

Damon looked at him distrustfully. Bonnie stepped forward, almost shielding Luka and only then, did Damon back off. "Nate's got some timing." I heard Damon mumble under his breath as he turned away from us.

I agreed. It would've helped if uncle Nate was here. Luka wouldn't need to draw magic from me.

Carefully, Luka took a picture of the spell in the grimoire, ensuring that the details were captured. He shut the grimoire and opened his locker again before placing it in the back of the locker. I heard him mumble a quiet spell and watched as the grimoire disappeared in front of my eyes.

"Clocking spell?" Bonnie asked and Luka nodded. "You've gotta teach me that one."

"Maybe another time." Jeremy cut in before Luka had a chance to answer. "We should get back to the dance before anyone notices."

We made our way back to the gym, the distant sounds of '60s music grew louder accompanied by Jeremy and Luka's quiet bickers with Bonnie chiming in every now and then. The pulsating lights blinded me for a second, and we re-entered the lively gym.

Damon, still visibly uneasy, lingered a few steps behind us. Unconsciously, I slowed down before I caught up to his pace while Luka, Bonnie and Jeremy went on ahead. If he noticed, he didn't make a sound or reaction. He was far too busy in his own thoughts—not that busy to reach out for my outstretched hand. I didn't think he'd take it but his fingers intertwined with mine as we walked side by side.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked. "About Luka and maybe Bonnie using you as a magic battery?"

"You're worried." I squeezed his hand and said. "I can handle myself. Luka promised he'd stop if it got too much for me. You should worry about you and Stefan—Klaus is pretty strong."

"But we have Bonnie."

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't be on our guard, Damon."

I didn't get to hear Damon's response. "Where have you guys been?" Stefan asked, his eyes curious and cautious. He took a step back when he realized that he interrupted Damon. "Is everything okay?"

Damon turned to me expecting me to spill my guts and honestly, I wanted to but when I saw a happy Elena, I couldn't do it. She really wanted this night to work and so did I. So I ate my words and smiled, shaking my head.

"Nothing." I said. "Damon was just being Damon."

"Is that so?" Stefan eyed his brother cautiously and tried to press me for more when Elena wrapped her arms around his waist and peeked out from behind him.

"What's going on?" She asked and her eyes narrowed on Damon's hands on mine. "You know the whole date thing was a joke, right?"

"No." Damon fake gasped. "But I even brought flowers."

I smiled and elbowed his stomach playfully, admitting. "You did get my favorites."

"You got her flowers?" Elena eyed Damon with narrowed eyes before turning to her own boyfriend. "He got her flowers. Are you sure that's Damon?" She asked Stefan.

Stefan took a step forward and pretended to think. "Not sure, maybe he's possessed."

"Or maybe I'm being a gentleman?" Damon fired back and I rolled my eyes.

"And I'm over whatever this is." I said and turned away.

"Ava." Elena giggled, grabbing me. "We were all just messing around."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure you were." I couldn't help but smile. "I'm gonna go find someone to dance with."

"You're abandoning me." Damon said.

I shook my head and sighed. "You're supposed to be a chaperone, Damon."

"And looking out for Klaus." Stefan added. "Not following Ava around."

"I'm her date."

"That was a joke, Damon." Bonnie said, catching up to us with Jeremy and Luka behind her. "Besides—" She was cut off and my smile dropped.

A quiet buzz interrupted the music and I turned to the stage. Dana stood on the stage in front of the mic with an unnatural rehearsed smile. Elena and Bonnie both turned to me in alarm. I frowned.

This was not part of the dance.

"Thanks for being here, everybody." Dana spoke into the mic and I had to cover my ears over the sudden screech of the mic.

Elena tugged at my dress, pulling me closer to ask over the voices. "Shouldn't you be there?"

I shook my head. "We didn't plan this." And I know we didn't plan this because I saw Caroline and the rest of the student council. I caught sight of their confused faces with Rei even looking afraid of Dana doing something risky.

"We have a special shout-out tonight." Dana carried on, her lips stretching wider. "This is for Elena." She looked straight at Elena from above the stage. "From Klaus."

The song changed and I felt sick, stumbling back but Damon caught me. Stefan looked around the dance floor and turned back to me, silently asking if I could feel something or even read something. I couldn't.

Elena's shoulders caved in and she shifted closer to her boyfriend. She was afraid, even if she didn't want to say it out loud. Klaus' little stunt had gotten through to her and she was afraid.

I'd admit so was I.

Not because he was close, no, because I didn't know where or who he was. For all I knew, Klaus could've been right next to us.

"That was a lame, cheap shot." Damon tried to ease the tension with his words but it did little to reassure me. "He's just trying to bait us."

"Consider me baited." I replied and looked around.

"I know everyone here." Elena said.

"Maybe he's not here." Luka offered. "Just wants us to believe that he is."

"What? To scare us?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Klaus sounds like the type of person who thrives of fear." Stefan agreed.

"I don't know…call it my faery intuition or me overthinking but I think he's here."

Damon scoffed and changed the topic. "It's a party, people." He said. "Blend. Let him come to us."

I don't know how that was a good idea but apparently Bonnie thought it was and she even said it. Jeremy tried to protest and even call Luka over but Luka had split, gone to find his date.

Before I could say another word, Elena and Stefan hard turned to each other and Damon held out his hand out.

"You're not serious." I said.

He shrugged. "Oh come on. Don't like you and I don't have fun during these dances and plus you find a little bit about my past."

I was so tempted and I hated that I was tempted. Before I knew it, I blinked and Damon had his arm around me while his hand was in mine, we were swaying in the middle of the dancefloor among my classmates. I got a few strange looks but I ignored them to look at Damon who was staring at me with a soft smile.

I sighed and laid my head down on his chest. I know, I was getting too comfortable with him but it was even more tiring to argue all the time. "So…" I started, I don't know why but I just, I needed to say something. "The 60s, how was it compared to the 50s? I mean you said the 50s was kinda bad for you—"

His hands tightened around mine and I saw him swallow a lump in his throat. I felt a pang of guilt in my chest and tried to pull back from him and leave the dance floor. Clearly, I crossed a line that shouldn't have been crossed. But he wouldn't let go.

"Aren't you a curious cat?" He quipped and spun me around. "Well, the 60s weren't all that bad." He answered. "I saw the Beatles a few times, lived in England—nothing too crazy."

"England?" I repeated, looking up at him. "That's a little…"

"Different?" I nodded. "Let's just say I needed a change of scenery after the 50s."

Neither of us spoke for a second. His hands tight around me in a desperate hold like he was holding onto his lifeline, afraid of letting go. I knew it wasn't my place but I couldn't help but wonder what exactly happened that made him this way…

Maybe the 50s was the rea—

I froze when I felt Damon's head lay down on top of my head. "This is nice." He murmured. "We're not arguing for once."

He managed to get a quiet laugh from me. "I'm trying a new approach." I said softly. "But that doesn't mean you're forgiven for everything."

"Hey, I'm trying." He picked up his head off mine and looked at me. "You know…I think you'd really like the me from before."

"I don't know, you said that before but personally, I think he'd annoy me."

"Annoy—now, that's a first."

"Considering Damon Salvatore from then was madly infatuated—no, obsessed with Katherine Pierce, I would say you would annoy me enough to just up and leave."

Damon laughed. "You're never gonna let that one go." I mouthed a 'no' with a giggle, forgetting that maybe I shouldn't be in his arms. He spun around and dipped me low. "But thank you." He said. "For asking me about…"

He brought me, slowly loosening his grip. "I—'' I didn't know what to say. I didn't think he'd even want to talk about the past. "We all have things we don't want to talk about…I just—you don't have to go out of your way to talk to me about things you don't want just because you think you're in love with him."

A look of hurt flashed across his face and he grabbed my hand. "I don't think. I know. I have feelings for you…not Katherine or Elena but you—even if you don't believe me."

I looked away. My chest aching as I did so. Damn it. "Damon…I—"

"I think I see Ric." And just like that he'd changed the subject. He was afraid of another rejection and I was afraid to tell him how I really felt.

"I see him too." I said and he nodded, letting go of me but I grabbed onto him. "Damon, I don't…hate you!"

His eyes widened in shock and I felt like biting my tongue. "You…"

"I don't…hate you." I repeated like I was in pain. It wasn't fair for me to keep us in this strange between of being neither friends or lovers. I needed to tell him—rip the bandage off. "In fact, I–I—I think I lo—"

"There you two are." I was cut off by Mr Saltzman.

Mr Saltzman had the worst timing ever. I let go of Damon and glared at him. Damon gazed helplessly at me, willing me to carry on and for a second, ignoring Mr Saltzman completely. But the moment was gone and I was once again overwhelmed by the onslaught of thoughts of everyone around me.

"Did I…" Mr Saltzman slowly looked between us. "Interrupt something?" He sounded sorry but he did not look sorry at all like he'd done it on purpose.

"Yes." "No." Damon and I said at the same time.

"So I did."

"No, it's…" I spared a glance at Damon and swallowed my confession, saying that. "It was nothing."

Mr Saltzman nodded but Damon was hurt. I knew he was despite that ever present smirk on his face. "How are you? You didn't look so good before…" He trailed off, eying Damon.

"I'm fine. I just felt a little sick, maybe it was from Klaus' stunt at lunch but I'm good now."

"Special dedication, huh?" Mr Saltzman said, looking around the room. "This guy's a little twisted."

"I'm not impressed." Damon replied, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"No? Ava?" He turned to me.

The way Mr Saltzman was looking at me made me want to keep my thoughts to myself. "I have nothing to say." I said.

"Nothing." He echoed back. "You're afraid." I swallowed with a slight shake of my head. "You are…" He said and I took a step back, colliding with Damon's chest.

Damon scoffed. "Tinkerbell's just not impressed like me."

Whatever negative I felt towards Mr Saltzman seemed to disappear in an instant as I let out a sound and looked up at Damon. "Tinkerbell?" He grinned and I rolled my eyes, elbowing his stomach. "You know what, I'll see you two later. I'm gonna go get a drink."

"Oh, come on, it was a joke." I heard Damon say but I was already heading to the punch table.

Honestly, I just wanted to get away from Mr Saltzman. There was something off about him, I just didn't know what. I paused and looked back. He was still standing there to the side while Damon had gone off to talk to Bonnie.

But Mr Saltzman wasn't watching Damon or the dance…

Before I could figure out what he was looking out, he turned to look at me and I froze. I don't know why. I just froze. Hastily, I turned my back to him and grabbed a cup of punch.

"You okay there, Rosy?" Matt asked. I didn't even notice him coming up to me.

"Just…peachy." I answered slowly. "I don't think dances are my thing if I'm being honest."

He laughed. "Says the one who made this whole thing happen."

"Caroline and the student council helped—it's a team effort."

"I'm not saying it's not…" He trailed off and looked around like he had something to say. "We…haven't—I haven't seen you around lately."

"Oh." I had been avoiding him a little since Vicki had died and no matter how hard I tried to bridge that gap, I just couldn't. I struggled to be around him because everytime I looked at him I remembered that I failed Vicki.

But what the hell was I doing with Damon?

I flinched at my thought and rubbed my forehead as a dull ache formed in my head. Matt hesitantly reached out for me and touched my shoulder in concern. "You don't look so good, I mean, your costume looks great—you look great—it's just…"

With a smile, I looked up at him. "Nice to see you still ramble when you're nervous." He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I'm just kidding. I know how I look but I'm fine, really. I'm just tired, planning a dance kinda takes a lot out of someone like me."

"You sure, it's not Damon?"

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I saw you two…" He said slowly. "Is he your date?"

"I mean—" I was going to deny it but I couldn't. Damon was technically my date. "It's nothing serious." God, I felt awful.

"I hope so." He replied and looked back at the punch bowl. "Punch is not spiked."

I sighed with a sad smile, knowing exactly what he meant. "Have you heard from Tyler?" I asked carefully, checking his reaction.

He flinched and shook his head. "Just a text here and there. He's alive and that's all I know." I nodded.

He was distracted, humming the music under his breath but his eyes were distant and sad. He let out a deep sigh and stared out into the dance floor.

"Matt," He looked up at me. "Is…everything okay?"

He nodded. "I was just…thinking."

"Thinking? About?"

For a second, he let the silence between us build up, being only filled by the thumping music. "Nothing." He said after the pause. "Absolutely nothing but how do you deal with something like…finding out that someone—no, the people you love aren't who they say they are?"

I stared at him with wide eyes, blinking. "What? What do you mean?" I questioned with nervous laughter spilling out of me. "What does that even mean?"

Matt mimicked my laughter. "I don't know. Ignore me. I'm being weird. I just miss Vicki a lot."

"She would've loved this." I said softly.

"Yeah, she was a sucker for this kinda stuff." Matt agreed with a wistful look. "...It would've been nice…if you came back earlier." I could've sworn I heard him say but before I could ask him about it, the song had ended and another was about to start.

Caroline was standing to the side within our view, waiting patiently with her hands clasped together but the panic in her eyes told me enough. Stefan had told her about Klaus. She and I shared a look before I let Matt go and he went back to Caroline.

I watched them for a while until they were both out of my sight and until Stefan came up to me and held out his hand for me. I looked around before I took it. For someone who didn't like dancing, he sure did dance a lot.

"You look nervous." I said quietly.

"You're not?" Stefan countered, humming the music under his breath. "Klaus is supposed to be stronger than Elijah."

I sighed and nodded while swaying with the music. "I know. You know, we could've taken Elijah out of your basement and struck up a deal with him."

He shook his head. "Too risky. He tried to kidnap you and Elena, remember?"

"I know but he was willing to hear Elena out and make a deal with her."

"He still kidnapped you, Ava. You can't keep forgetting about yourself."

"I—" I didn't know what I was going to say but my thoughts were jumbled and my words were stuck in my throat and all I could hear was the faint echoes of Dr Rosales words in the background against the music. "I don't know. He didn't seem…that bad—compared to Klaus."

"They're both equally bad. Klaus tried to kill you."

"You don't know for sure."

Stefan cocked his head to the side and gave him a look of disbelief. "You're downplaying what happened at lunch today. You're in denial."

"I'm not in denial."

"You're in denial." He repeated again, shaking his head. "Have you talked to Damon about this?"

"I'd rather not bring it up again. He's too…"

"Reckless?" I nodded. "Elena's the same. I know you, Bonnie and Luka have another plan." I froze. "I won't ask you what it is since you haven't bought it up, but Ava," I looked up at him. "Please don't put yourself at risk. Even if you think you can handle yourself, you don't know your own limits."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Stefan. Really helps."

"I just don't want you to die. You're my friend."

I smiled and tilted my head to the side. With a teasing grin, I repeated what he said. "Oh, we're friends now?"

He rolled his eyes and walked off after the song ended. I was about to follow him when I froze. I felt someone's eyes on me. I looked around and that feeling of being watched was gone.

I stayed by the punch table just watching the crowd with a light smile on my face. Soon enough, I'd lost track of my friends except for Caroline and Matt. I'd catch glimpses of the tentatively happy couple now and then but Bonnie, Elena, Jeremy, Stefan and even Damon were nowhere to be found.

As I scanned the room, wondering where everyone had disappeared to, a trio of unexpected faces approached me. Jeff, along with Rei and Will, were making their way through the crowd. Jeff's expression held a mixture of concern and confusion.

"Hey, Ava," Jeff greeted, a hint of worry in his eyes. "Have you seen Chad around? We've been looking for him."

"And Dana." Rei chimed in. "I can't find either especially after Dana's little shout out."

"Like who is Klaus?" Will wondered.

I shook my head, my smile faltering. "No, I haven't seen either of them. What's going on?"

"Nothing." Jeff answered and looked around the room. "They've just both been super weird."

"Like how?"

"Dana's shout-out to Elena?" Rei pointed out again. I was trying to ignore that. "We don't even have a Klaus in our school."

"No, we don't." Jeff agreed. Even if he was an airhead at times, I didn't expect Jeff to be that perceptive.

Rei chimed in, her tone laced with curiosity. "I don't know if anyone's noticed but both Chad and Dana have been acting weird ever since Mr. Saltzman pulled them aside. Did Mr Saltzman put them up to this as a prank?"

"A pretty lame prank if it is." Jeff joked. He paused furrowing his brow.

I tilted my head, puzzled. "When did that happen?"

"When did what happen?" Jeff repeated and I sighed.

"Mr Saltzman pulling Dana and Chad aside."

Will, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "It was when we were setting up for the dance. They went outside with Mr Saltzman, and when they came back, they seemed a little…different."

Concern gnawed at me. Something was not right. I knew it but I just couldn't put my finger on it. "You guys should go check outside. Maybe they're by the lockers." I tried.

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, they might be outside. Thanks, Ava."

I watched them leave without saying another word. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. There was something wrong with Mr Saltzman. I didn't know if he was compelled or something else but all I knew was that I needed to find Stefan and Damon or even Bonnie and Luka. I needed to tell someone about my suspicions before it was too late.

I began weaving through the crowd, scanning for familiar faces. The lively dance continued around me, but my focus was on finding Damon or even Stefan and Luka. But I couldn't find anyone. I caught a glimpse of Elena and Bonnie with Mr Saltzman.

As I approached them, it became evident that something was terribly wrong. Elena wore a look of fear, her eyes wide and panicked. Bonnie, standing beside her, mirrored the concern etched on her face. Mr Saltzman seemed to be attempting to calm them down, but the urgency in their gestures spoke volumes.

The three of them spotted me in the crowd and made their way toward me, plowing through the dancing students with a sense of urgency that sent a chill down my spine.

"Ava!" Elena's voice was hurried, quiet and filled with panic as they reached me.

Bonnie added her concerns simultaneously, creating a cacophony of worried voices. "Ava, it's Jeremy, Klaus—"

"Slow down, both of you." I urged, trying to make sense of their frantic words. "Breathe."

Mr Saltzman took control of the situation, his expression grim. "Klaus has Jeremy."

The words hung in the air, and a surge of suspicion coursed through me. "What?" I asked. I didn't believe him. "What do you mean Klaus has Jeremy?"

"He took him."

I blinked and Mr Saltzman's eyes trembled with a mixture of emotions I couldn't detect. I tried to read his mind to discern if he was lying but again all I got was static with his confused thoughts invading mine.

"Ava, come on. We can't just stand around." Elena tugged my arm in a desperate plea.

"Jeremy could be hurt." Bonnie exclaimed, fear evident in her voice.

Damn it.

I felt so confused and helpless. All I could do was nod. My instincts screamed at me, a nagging feeling that something wasn't adding up. Still, I decided to go along with Mr Saltzman for now. We left the gym hurriedly, maneuvering through the crowded hallways toward the exit.

When we stepped outside, I slowed my pace and let Bonnie and Elena along with Mr Saltzman take over while I stayed back. With a quick glance at Mr Saltzman, I discreetly pulled out my phone, texting Jeremy without anyone noticing.

'Jer, call me to tell me you're okay'

- Ava

With a quick swipe, I put my phone on silent and waited. It took Jeremy a second before he called back.

"Just saw your text, what's going on?" He sounded panicked and now, I was panicking. Jeremy was fine. "Ava?"

I hung up without a word to Jeremy and sent another text.

'Where are you?'

- Ava

'With Luka'

- Jer

'Is everything okay?'

- Jer

"You're falling behind, Ava" Mr Saltzman called back to me, his pace steady as they walked through the empty school halls. I pocketed my phone and made sure, he didn't see me.

I offered a half-smile. "Sorry, not used to walking in my great aunt's boots."

He chuckled, playing along and looked over his shoulder. "Is that the aunt that went crazy?"

I raised an eyebrow, almost stopping. "...Did I tell you that?"

He only smiled in response, offering nothing. It was becoming more obvious that there was something seriously wrong.

I knew I mention great aunt Penelope to my therapists, confiding in them that I was afraid of turning out like her. Who wasn't? Everyone in my family was afraid to become another Theodore or Penelope.

Elena seemed to catch on to my suspicions as she slowed down until she was just next to me. She reached and grabbed onto my arm in silent comfort. "Okay, so where are you taking us?" She asked, sharing a look with me.

We both silently agreed that something was not right.

Mr Saltzman ignored her question and simply said, "Just a little further."

And that was all Elena needed to stop.

This was not Mr Saltzman.

"Wait." She said to me and Bonnie. "...Something's not right."

"Where's Jeremy?" Bonnie pressed, her voice tinged with worry.

Mr Saltzman replied with a chilling laugh as he slowed down. A chill ran down my spine as I took a step back, pulling Elena and Bonnie with me.

There was a silent humming in the air and the flow of air became warmer, more clammy as the lights above us started to flicker one by one. "He's with Luka," I reassured them, my eyes locked onto Mr Saltzman. "I just called and texted him."

Mr Saltzman looked up, not in fear or concern but in silent awe before he looked over to Bonnie but Bonnie was confused. His eyes lit up, wandering to mine and his lips quirked up into a ghost of a smile. "Always the smart one in your group, Ava."

"What's going on, Ric?" I asked, taking a step forward as the air crackled with magic.

"I just had to get away from that dance." He answered like he wasn't even listening to me. "The sixties, ugh. Not my decade." He went on as I took a step backward, pulling Elena and Bonnie with me. "I mean, whose call was that, anyway? I much prefer the twenties. The style, the parties, the jazz."

"Alaric." Elena called out, looking out over my shoulder as Mr Saltzman took slow steps towards us. "Are you on vervain?

"Now why would you ask me that question, Elena?"

"He's being compelled." Elena tried to justify.

"Nope. Try again."

"He's not compelled." I said. "I'd know."

"Of course you would, wouldn't you Aveline? I'm sorry it's Ava, isn't it? Always so perceptive." He grinned and my heart dropped. "It was lovely to see you again."

"Again?" Bonnie echoed, suspiciously looking over at me. "What are you talking about Ric?"

"He's not Ric." I stated in horror.

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

The lights above us flickered erratically, casting eerie shadows on the walls. "I think he's possessed." It was the only explanation I could think of.

"Oh you're good." Mr Saltzman grinned maniacally. "You're very good. I should've taken you out before but unfortunately I underestimated you."

"Who are you?"

"Ouch and here I thought you knew me well." He didn't look hurt at all. "I'll let you three take a guess."

Elena stared at Mr Saltzman and then at me. We both were thinking the same thing. "Klaus!" She gasped out in surprise.

Mr Saltzman–no—Klaus grinned wider. "Surprise!"

"Oh, no." She gasped. "No, it's not possible."

"Oh, I hate being right." I mumbled and Klaus grinned.

A shimmering wall of light shot up between us and Klaus. He let out an impressed gasp, his eyes wide, marveling at the wall.

"Just relax, you two." He said. "I'm not here to hurt either of you, especially not you, Ava." He looked over at me and Elena, his gaze lingering on me.

"You attacked me first."

The dusts of light broke away from the wall to form a few small orbs. They scaled the wall, ready to attack.

"Nothing personal." He retorted with a light shrug. It felt personal to me but I didn't say that outloud. "Neither of you are on my hit list tonight." He carried on.

"How reassuring." I quipped and dragged my hands into the air with a trail of dusts of light gathered into my palms. "You're still coming after us anyways."

He shrugged. "Well, like I said, not tonight. Tonight's reserved for the witch." He grinned at Bonnie, ready to attack her just as the lights above us flickered off, almost like I had absorbed the lights.

Bonnie muttered a spell and Klaus was thrown against the lockers. Elena stumbled back, tugging on my arm. Klaus got up, unharmed. He was more amused than angered.

"Now, did I mention that I knew a witch?" He mused. "You're gonna have to hit me a lot harder than that."

He rushed over to her and she threw him against a display case, smashing the glass. I flinched at the damage but he didn't even look phased even when he fell to the ground.

All he did was laugh.

"By all means...fire away!"

Without even thinking, I shot a blast of light at Klaus. The stench of burning flesh filled the air as I heard Elena let out a sharp gasp. I'm so sorry Ric. The dusts of light gathered around me, pulling back from Klaus—Mr Saltzman's body as I grabbed Elena.

"Now that," He chuckled. "was impressive but you still have to try a little harder, Ava."

I shot another blast of light, pushing him into the lockers. Light collided against his body, shattering into particles before reforming into orbs.

The orbs pulled back to give him momentarily relief before they shot straight at him. He dodged one, only to get hit by another, burying him into a set of lockers. The metal lockers folded and crumpled under the intense heat from the light while Klaus laughed.

"That's good. Very impressive but keep going and you'll tire yourself out, love." My blood ran cold. "And you know I'd hate to see you die tonight."

Damn. I was already starting to see spots in my vision. I stood my ground, sucking in a deep breath and tried to draw in the magic that had escaped me. I could fire away but it wasn't Klaus that I was attacking. I was attacking Ric, Mr Saltzman, my history teacher who was friends with my uncle and Damon. Even though Ric's burnt flesh and skin healed too quickly for a human; he was still undeniably Ric.

In silence, Bonnie glanced over at me. We were both thinking the same thing. We could take him out. This would be easy. He was in a human body. Maybe if we both attacked together…

"You know, if you kill this body, I'll just get a new one." He said as if he read our minds "Maybe Jeremy." He looked at Bonnie.

Bonnie took in a labored breath. "Ava, take Elena and start running." She commanded.

"What?" I stared at Ric's possessed body healing from the burns. I didn't want to just abandon him like this. "Bonnie, we can't just—"

"Go. Run! Go!" She pushed us back and all but shoved us towards the back doors.

"Damn it!" I shot a quick blast at Klaus over Bonnie's shoulders and threw an apologetic look to Ric's body before grabbing Elena.

I ran the opposite direction, pushing my body through the doors. Bonnie followed us. The doors locked behind me. Elena tried to drag her feet but I tugged her along.

Bonnie and I came to a crashing stop, turning around to look at the closed door. We both looked at each other. This wasn't part of the plan.

I heard the door behind us open and a chill ran down my spine. Instantly, I was on my guard. Orbs of light formed around me as I turned around, ready to attack but the minute I saw Damon, I let out a sigh of relief and the orbs crumbled into dusts circling me.

In concern, Damon checked me over before rushing towards us. "What happened?" He asked.

"Klaus." I breathed. "He's here."

"Klaus is in Alaric's body." Elena filled in for me as I tried to breathe. My lungs were on fire.

His wide eyes trembled as he studied our breathless forms. He wasn't expecting this either. None of us were. We all thought Klaus was making cheap shots.

"What?"

Cautiously, Bonnie looked back at the door again. "He's possessing it or something."

The door behind Damon opened again, Luka ran in. "What happened?" He said, ready to attack.

"Klaus is possessing Mr Saltzman." Bonnie repeated. "Is that even possible?"

Luka's face paled. "Shit." He cursed out. "I'm sorry I should've anticipated this but yeah, it's…possible. Possession is a complicated spell. That means the witches on his side are just as capable or more."

Damon sighed and looked at Elena. "Go find Stefan." He barked out. "Now."

Elena nodded but she didn't move. All she could say was a silent 'okay.' But her feet were planted onto the linoleum floors of the school hall. She stared at the floor with wide eyes, breathing heavily.

"Now." He repeated coldly.

She was about to leave but paused to look at me. "I'll be right there." I lied and turned to Luka just as Elena ran past us.

Damon and I waited for Elena to be out of hearing distance before we turned to each other. "Remember the plan, okay? You and Luka…"

I nodded. "We need to do this outside. I need…something to draw from."

He scrunched up his face in question. But Luka beat him to it. "You know how to draw from the earth and life?" He asked, surprised.

Bonnie glanced between us in confusion. We both ignored her and Damon as I reluctantly admitted. "A little bit. I've been…practicing. I found out the hard way."

"Doesn't matter."

"What are you two talking about—"

"Don't worry about it, Damon." I cut him off. "Luka and I'll get the spell for the sleeping curse going."

Reluctantly, Damon nodded. He wanted to argue with me but we didn't have the time. He let out a sigh and nodded at me. "Be careful and don't push yourself." Was all he said before Luka and I broke out into a sprint, leaving Bonnie and Damon alone.

---

I led Luka through the labyrinth of Mystic Falls High's halls and came to a crashing halt at the door that led to the football field. Putting my weight against the doors, I pushed the door open.

Luka took the lead and we both ran across the concrete path before crossing over to the grassy field. I looked around wildly at the football field. There was no one in sight, not even a few misbehaving students who'd snuck off from the dance to make out or do some drugs.

"You ready?" Luka asked, looking up at the clear night skies.

"I don't know how this works." I admitted and he nodded, holding his hand out.

"We need to get on the ground." He sat down on the floor. "Touch the grass, the earth with one hand to tether yourself to the earth."

I followed his words. The cold grass blades did nothing to lessen my anxiety and fear coursing through my veins.

"You'll draw in the life from the grass and earth underneath, amplify that power and pass it onto me." He instructed. "Put your other hand in mine and close your eyes. Focus."

"Okay." I breathed out. "When do we start?"

"When we get Bonnie's signal."

"What signal?"

The minute that question left my mouth, the overhead lights surrounding the football field lit up, casting its spotlight on us. Luka looked up at the lights, bobbing his head. He closed his hands around mine and shut his eyes.

I followed his actions. I felt warmth flow in from my left hand as the grass underneath my palm shriveled up. The cold freshness withered in seconds as I felt it's life being drawn away.

My right hand felt cold as Luka held on tight, muttering a spell repeatedly. The overhead lights shut off in an instant when Luka started his chant. He stopped after a moment had passed and let go.

"We need to go." He got up, pulling me up. "The last part of the spell is that I need to see the subject."

"This is temporary right? The sleeping curse?"

"Just for three to four hours." He confirmed.

Bonnie wouldn't get hurt and that was what I needed to know. I nodded and we both ran back inside.

It was eerily quiet through the halls. Luka stood in the middle, confused on where to go. He looked at me for guidance and I didn't know either.

Bonnie's face flashed in front of my eyes for a second. Without a second thought, I ran backward, turning around, and sprinted straight to the cafeteria.

In front of the locked doors of the cafeteria, Elena and Stefan struggled desperately, their faces etched with panic. Elena's tear-stained eyes met mine, and desperation colored her voice.

"Bonnie" Elena sobbed. "She's in there alone." She looked over her shoulder at me. "Ava, do something! Blast the door or... or something!" She sobbed, her pleas echoing through the hallway.

Stefan collided with the door again but the door didn't budge at all. I was about to do something when Luka stopped me, shaking his head. "Luka!" Stefan grunted out and pushed against the door again.

"The door's spelled." Luka stated plainly. "Bonnie spelled the door."

"Well, un-spell it!" Elena cried out. "Please!"

Luka stepped forward, attempting to unlock the door with his magic. The atmosphere crackled with tension as he concentrated, but his efforts were halted when Bonnie's eyes locked onto his. Through the small windows into the cafeteria, Bonnie gave Luka a sad smile.

His choice was clear—he had to protect Bonnie, even if it meant lying to Elena. "She's too strong but I'm trying."

"Try harder. This Bonnie! You owe her! Please!" Elena begged.

With a shaky deep breath, Luka stopped chanting. He shut his eyes and took another breath before starting another chant, a different spell with a different purpose. Neither Stefan or Elena noticed but I did. It was this or losing both Mr Saltzman and Bonnie at the same time but letting Klaus live.

We had no other choice.

Luka stopped chanting and the lights inside the cafeteria died in a split second as Bonnie crumpled to the ground with a jerk. Elena's anguished scream filled the air as the cafeteria doors burst open. I know it wasn't real. I knew it. Still I couldn't help it.

"No–Bonnie!" Her name came out of my mouth like a strangled cry as the lights in the cafeteria roared back to life. My feet were already by Bonnie side before I knew it and I couldn't stop the tears running down my face.

It wasn't real.

I kept telling myself. She wasn't gone. No, not for real. I knew that but my heart felt heavy as I took in heavy pained breaths. Elena shook her head in denial, dropping to the floor next to me.

"No! Oh!" Elena sobbed, her cries getting stuck in her throat. "Bonnie! Bonnie, Bonnie! Bonnie!" She cradled Bonnie in her arms and held her close, sobbing while checking her pulse. She gently rocked her while calling out to her. "Hey, hey."

"She's not breathing!" Elena cried, looking at Stefan and me. Tears streamed down her face and mine as I looked away. "Please, tell me she's fine, Ava. Please!" She begged. I didn't look at her in fear that I'd break.

Shaking her head, Elena turned to her boyfriend, desperately calling out to him. "Stefan! Stefan, I can't find her pulse! Stefan! Do something, please! Stefan, please! Just give her blood, do something, please!"

Stefan looked up and in a soft tone, he apologized. "It's too late. I'm sorry."

" No! No. No, no, no, no, no!" Elena shook her head desperately as tears streamed down her face. "Bonnie! Bonnie, please, no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"

I turned away and looked at Luka who could do nothing but stand there helplessly in the distance from Bonnie's cold body. I gave Luke a look that said that 'we should tell her'. He closed his eyes and shook his head once.

Suddenly, Elena jumped towards me. "Ava! You–you can save her!" She cried out, pulling me by my wrists and all but dragging towards Bonnie. "Please! Please! This is Bonnie! You can save her!"

"Elena." Stefan tried to calm her down but she elbowed his hand away and held on tight.

Her reddened tear-soaked face stared at me pleading silently to do something. I almost forgot that this whole thing was a charade and almost touched Bonnie. But I was lifted up from the ground and away from Bonnie by Damon who'd rushed in.

He glared at his helpless brother and a sobbing Elena. "Great. You're trying to get Ava killed as well. We're down a witch and you're trying to kill the only faery on our side."

Elena gasped out loudly, sucking in painful breaths of air as she turned her heated gaze on Damon. "No." She softly murmured. "No. No. I would never. I just…I–I–Ava, Ava—Ava can save Bonnie, Damon. Stefan can't be-because it's too late but Ava can, she's done it before. You know that too, right? It's Bonnie!"

He huffed out and turned to his brother. "Stefan, get Elena out of here." He motioned towards the door. Elena sat there frozen in disbelief. "Baby warlock." He called out to Luka. "Help me deal with the body."

"Deal with the body?" Even Luka was shocked at his tone. Surprised, he turned to me, asking if this was part of plan.

"Did I stutter, Luka? You can do your little cloaking spell you showed Bonnie earlier and help me deal with the body."

"What do you mean, deal with it?"

"The sheriff can't know about this." Damon's tone was clinical. "Last thing we need is another mysterious death."

"Damon…" I softly called out to him, shaking my head. Even if this was a charade, he was going too far. "We can't…"

"Right. We can't." Elena let out a sigh of relief that I was still present in the room, not shellshocked. My silence and stillness had almost scared her. I couldn't blame her. I didn't know how to act and lying at that moment would get back to me. "This is Bonnie!" She exclaimed.

Damon ignored Elena and looked at his brother pointedly. "Get her home. Now. So I can clean this up." He turned to me to check if I was fine. "You good."

For a second, I didn't say anything as I watched Stefan grab Elena and help her get up. She stood there shakily, staring at me with wide pleading eyes, begging me for a reason for my silence. I couldn't give her anything.

"I'm…okay."

"Okay enough to check on Caroline?" He asked carefully.

I nodded and slowly backed off. Elena watched me leave in silent horror. I heard her ask quietly 'what about Bonnie?' but I pretended I didn't hear a thing and left the cafeteria. I felt sick even though I helped plan this.

---

Caroline noticed me the minute I came back. But she wasn't the only one. Chad and Dana stood around the sides of the entrance, almost drowned out by the crowd like they were guarding the door. The dance floor had thinned considerably since the last time I was here. Many had gone home or taken to the parking lot to hang out.

I turned to Dana and she made eye contact with me, giving me a hollow smile. Her eyes, even in the dim colorful lights, looked glazed and hollow. She was still compelled. I didn't have to look at Chad to know he was the same.

'Wake. Up.'

Dana stumbled, clutching her head like a jolt of pain had shocked her. I heard a groan and turned to the other side of the door to see Chad hunched over a table like he was in pain. But it was gone as quickly as it had come.

Both of them stood up straight and looked around the room like it was the first time they saw it.

"Ava?"

I felt Caroline's presence before I saw her and without even responding I wrapped my arms around her, placing my head on her shoulders. Caroline, though surprised, knew exactly what to do as she patted my back in comfort.

"Is everything okay?" She asked cautiously.

"Honestly," I pulled back. "I don't know." I answered. "But whatever happens—whatever Elena tells you, don't freak out. Okay?"

Bewildered, Caroline could only nod. "Is Klaus…"

"We…saw him, well not him exactly." I began. "He's possessing Mr Saltzman."

I watched her face crumble. "No." She breathed out. "How? Since when?"

"My guess is probably Spring Break or around Isobel's death." I should've called it. "I should've known something was off."

"You couldn't have been sure but is he gone?"

"I think so but just to be safe, look after Matt and make sure he has vervain with him and stay away from Mr Saltzman for the time being."

---

The kitchen in the boarding house was filled with a tense silence as I poured water into a cup. My phone lit up with a message from Caroline, Matt and Dana. I didn't open any of the messages, keeping my focus on the cup in front of me while my untouched cup of coffee sat off to the side.

The tension in the air was palpable when Damon entered, his gaze flickering over to me. He closed the door behind him, concern etched onto his features.

"Hey," He greeted cautiously. "Are you okay? Any symptoms…from overusing your magic?"

"I'm fine." I answered without turning to him. "Luka was pretty helpful. He knows more than I thought—more than Slater and more than you."

"You're upset."

I glanced at him, my expression revealing more than my words. "I'm fine." The response was curt, a clear indication that I wasn't thrilled how he acted with Elena.

He studied me for a moment, clearly sensing my discontent. "Look, Ava, about earlier—"

"Did you deal with…Bonnie?" I interjected, cutting him off.

Damon nodded, his tone serious. "Yeah, Bonnie's taken care of, and Jeremy's safe. Luka cast a protection spell on both of them."

Satisfied with his response, I turned away to measure out a teaspoon of dried vervain and added it to the cup, stirring it in with a deliberate calmness. The atmosphere in the kitchen was strained, and Damon, seemingly undeterred, tried once more.

"Are you upset?" he asked, his voice soft but probing.

I chose to ignore him, turning on the tap and grabbing a plate to plate the pizza I'd picked up on my way here. I plated the pizza and threw it in the oven. The rhythmic sounds of water hitting metal of the sink and the low hum of the microwave created a momentary distraction. Only then did I break my silence.

"I think you went overboard with Elena," I finally said, my tone measured. "Were you trying to hurt her?"

"I had to make it believable." He said defensively. "Klaus needed to be fooled, and you know Elena's a terrible liar."

I sighed, still not convinced. "You went too far, Damon. At the very least, you could've given Stefan a heads up. This isn't just about fooling Klaus—you're always a little too rough."

"Well, I'm sorry that I hurt her feelings but someone had to be the bad guy here and if it had to be me so be it." Again he wasn't listening. "Because I know you wouldn't be able to do it."

"That's not–"

"You froze up." He said. "Back there when Bonnie fell, you froze even though you knew…you froze. I had to be the one to be cold, not you. Forgive me for trying to protect everyone from Klaus and stick to the plan."

"You don't think you overdid a little?"

Damon's gaze flickered, a mix of frustration and understanding in his eyes. The microwave beeped, indicating that the pizza was ready just as the kitchen door swung open. Stefan walked in. His eyes immediately landed on the running taps and the now-silent microwave, suspicion on his face.

"The water's running." Stefan said, furrowing his brow.

I glanced at the running taps, feigning forgetfulness. "Damn. I must've forgotten to turn off the taps." Stefan's suspicion lingered, but I swiftly reached for the cup of tea, taking out the vervain leaves and flower before handing it to him. "Here, tea for Elena."

Stefan eyed the cup, then me, and finally, he asked. "Is everything okay?"

Before I could respond, Damon interjected, his tone casual. "Stefan, might want to go and calm Elena down. She's giving everyone a headache."

"Speak for yourself." I mumbled and picked up my cup of coffee, cradling close to me. Stefan didn't move and just glanced between me and Damon for what felt like the longest time.

"Tea's getting cold." Damon mused and opened a hidden freezer to get a blood bag out for himself. "Go."

Stefan slowly backed off and I watched him go before I turned to Damon and said. "I'm gonna tell her."

Damon's expression tightened. "Ava, she's too hysterical right now. She won't listen to you or anyone. We're better off waiting for her to calm down before dropping that bomb on her."

"She deserves to know, Damon. Keeping her in the dark won't make things better. She'll be more upset if we drag this on."

He threw his hands up in defeat and I left the kitchen. He followed me out to the living room where Elena sat around the fireplace with the cup of vervain tea held close to her chest. Stefan was in front of her, trying his best to calm her down but she wasn't listening.

Elena stood up, the minute she saw Damon. Her eyes were red and swollen. "What did you do with her?!" She demanded, her voice trembling with anger.

Damon, seemingly unfazed, ignored her and turned to Stefan. "Will you please calm her down?"

"Don't talk like I'm not standing right in front of you."

"Please calm down." Damon said sarcastically.

Elena refused, her tears started to flow again. "You knew!" She accused him, stepping forward. "Didn't you? You knew that if she harnessed all that power, that she would die, didn't you?"

"Yes. Yes, I knew."

The minute he said those words, Elena slapped him across his face. I flinched and looked away, meeting Stefan's equally surprised face.

But before Damon could respond, Elena turned her attention to me. "Did you help Damon get rid of Bonnie, Ava? Did you? Did you know about this? Oh god. She was our best friend."

"Elena—" I tried to defend myself but she turned away from me.

"Elena, you know Ava wouldn't do that." Stefan tried to calm her down but she pushed him aside.

"That's why you and Luka disappeared, wasn't it? You knew! You could've saved her!"

I took a step forward, ready to speak, but Damon beat me to it. "Leave her out of this. She didn't do anything."

"That's the problem! She didn't do anything!"

The room hung heavy with tension and I couldn't take it anymore. "Bonnie's fine!" I cried out and took a step back, wanting to get away from. "She's alive, okay! I just—we had no choice but to fake it!"

Elena's eyes widened, emotions swirling in a mix of shock, relief, and confusion. "What?"

"Bonnie had to die." Damon continued from where I had left off. "Klaus using Alaric's body was a total surprise. Even Ava didn't see it coming. Klaus' trick earlier screwed with her abilities." Unconsciously, I grabbed my injured wrist. "Bonnie wasn't prepared for that and he wasn't going to stop, and we weren't going to be able to stop him until he knew she was dead. He had to believe it."

"So we had to…fake it." I added, my voice was quiet as the flickering flames behind her. "Luka and I, we left Bonnie behind so he could help Bonnie and cast a sleeping curse—the same one he used on me before except less permanent." I explained and sucked in a deep breath. "Trust me when I say that I wanted to tell you everything. I just couldn't."

Elena was left speechless. Her breathing calmed, her eyes were still red and wide as she nodded to herself everything Damon and I had just told her. "Then you—I'm so sorry. I—"

Damon ignored her, his attention turning to me and cutting her off. "Let's go, Ava. I'm taking you home."

I nodded and grabbed my bag by the fireplace. Stefan gave me an apologetic look that I just ignored but before I walked out, I turned to Elena. "I left some pizza for you in the kitchen. It's in the oven."

"Ava…" I turned away and walked out before Elena could say another word but my name.

I was too exhausted to deal with anything anymore. I just wanted to go home, even if I'd be home alone. Maybe being alone would be good for me. I had too much on my mind anyway.

The night air was cool, a stark contrast to the heated emotions inside. Damon appeared a few minutes later and let me into his car. He didn't say a word and put on the radio, letting the quiet tunes fill in the gaps of silence but he looked over to me every now and then to check on me, to see if I was fine as I drifted off.

A heavy weight pressed against me. I could hear sirens in the distance. Voices echoed like distant whispers, muffled and indistinct. I felt numb but heavy as if every limb was weighed down, and the realization that something was wrong slowly seeped into my consciousness.

Through the haze, I caught a few snippets of conversation. "Only three survivors," One voice said, the words disjointed and disorienting.

"Four." Another voice corrected. "Devin Park—he's the one who just gained consciousness."

"Thanks Janet." The first voice said.

I could hear the shuffling of equipment and the low hum of activity, but my attempts to move or respond were futile.

"No response." The nameless voice announced. "Time of death—"

"Wait." Janet's voice broke through the fog as she opened my eyes, shining a light to check if I was breathing. The sensation was strange, like being submerged underwater, the world distorted and distant. Panic crept in as I realized I couldn't make them understand that I was aware, that I needed help.

But I couldn't move.

I wasn't drowning or submerged, I was frozen in ice. My limbs and every little muscle and vein were paralyzed.

The bright light was all I could see as the numbness started to fade. I could feel the tingling sensations on the surface of my skin. It was like a prick at first and that's all I could feet before pain raged through me like a storm and suddenly I was aware of all the little cuts and bruises scattered on my skin.

But I couldn't move.

"Did you see that?" I heard Janet say as the light in her hand flickered off. She paid it no mind and mumbled something about it being old and needing replacing. Her attention was on me, I couldn't see it but I could feel it.

"See what?" The first voice asked. "Just get a stretcher and put her in a bag. We need to clear up soon and head back to the lakehouse. There's more bodies there."

"Her fingers twitched."

"You must be seeing things. It's been a long day."

"Defibrillator!" Janet's voice pierced through the murkiness, and I heard another EMT rushed over, carrying it.

Electricity surged through me, a jolt that seemed to pierce the barrier between consciousness and the void. It was an odd dance of sensations, a desperate attempt to bridge the gap between life and whatever lay beyond.

"Again!"

I tried to gasp for air and grab the rope that was being dropped to pick me up. But it kept slipping from my fingers like it was sand. I tried again and again to break through the veil of unconsciousness and wake up but all I could do was twitch under the electrical currents like a fish out of water.

"Stop! She's gone!" Another voice cut through the urgency. Another jolt of electricity flowed through me and I was so close…

"Sir, you can't be here!" Another voice I didn't recognize yelled out. "We need you to get back or you will be arrested."

"Move!" I heard a familiar voice amidst the haze. "I need to get to her!" He barked out.

Another jolt of electricity flowed through me as I tried to discern who it was but my memories were lost in the water I was drowning in. Another jolt and suddenly, lights flooded my senses.

Colors overwhelmed me like a torch was being shined into my eyes. Everything was loud like someone had increased the volume of the world around me to the max. The worst part was I could smell the blood, sweat, dirt and the burnt remnants of the crash around me. I recoiled in disgust, curling around myself into a spiral.

The sirens died and came back alive as the lights of the ambulance and police cars flickered violently. Scattered sounds from radios joined the storm as I covered my ears and shut my eyes. But someone was crouching over me, holding me, trying to get me to open up.

I didn't open up. I could barely hear their muffled voices but I could feel the cold deathly chill suffocating me, tightening itself around me like a noose.

---

Author's note: This took a while. I know I've been focusing on my Hunger Games' fics, again I didn't forget about this one. I had this half-written since mid-October. This was going to be a Halloween update but I had to keep going back and re-reading and editing. It's a long chapter, I know. The 60s dance episode is one of my favorite episodes and I had to do it justice. I didn't want to leave with a small update. There's probably still errors here, I know.

But enjoy and thank you for the comments!