Chapter 8
A couple of weeks had passed since the dance and things were more or less the same. The weather was still cold, though they had yet to see even a hint of snow. School was winding down as they approached winter break. Both teachers and students alike were ready for two weeks of freedom. Even Damon and Gwen's research into the tomb and what she might be was stalled, not that they had put much effort into the latter to be honest.
The only difference in her life was Scott. He was still a little nervous around her, but was slowly becoming more confident and talking to her more since the dance. Gwen learned he was actually a friend of Matt's, making her suspect Caroline and Bonnie had had a hand in him approaching her that night. Initially, she'd been offended at their meddling, but ultimately decided to let it go. Gwen liked Scott. However, it was clear to her that he was hoping to be more than friends. She could see herself liking him in that way eventually, but she wasn't in any rush. Honestly, she was enjoying getting to know him.
"That quiz was horrible," Scott whined after fourth period one day as he waited for her to pack up. They didn't have class together, but Scott's algebra class was right next door and he'd taken to waiting for her. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly as he complained about the quiz they'd taken in third-period French. "I totally bombed. I don't even know why I'm still in that class. It's the only reason I'm ever in danger of not being able to play on the team."
"Because it's required?" Gwen suggested, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "And you chose to take it?"
"I didn't though. I signed up for Spanish, but the class was full, so they put me in French." He pouted, acting as if it was most unfair turn of fate. "Everyone knows the Spanish classes are easier."
Laughing at his dramatics, she said, "It's not that bad. If you spent just a little more time studying and less time playing soccer or video games, you might even do well."
"I don't play video games that much," he argued.
"You and Matt have spent the last three lunch periods talking about nothing but video games. Actually, one single video game, I think," she countered as they wound their way through the hall to her locker.
"It's new! There's a lot to talk about!"
"Whatever," Gwen said with a shake of her head. As she exchanged her morning books for her afternoon texts, her phone started vibrating on the top shelf, emitting a bright white light. She glanced at the screen and frowned. She could see the preview of the message, which had 'call me' written in all caps. Whatever it was better be important. The teachers weren't particularly strict about cell phones, but sometimes they'd randomly take one to appear as if they were enforcing the rules.
"Uh, you go on ahead," Gwen said, needing to get rid of Scott. "I need to go to the restroom before lunch."
Surprised by the sudden distance in her voice, Scott stuttered an "oh, uh, sure" and left for the cafeteria in an almost dejected manner. Gwen was too focused on what Damon could want to notice his change of demeanor.
She waited until he disappeared into the mass of students before closing her clocker and turning in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. Gwen couldn't risk anyone overhearing her phone call and knew the bathroom close to the cafeteria would be too crowded. The one by her uncle's classroom, however, would be empty. In addition to its distance from the cafeteria, it helped that only one of the three toilets worked, making it rarely used by the female students. After checking that all the stalls were empty, she locked the main door and dialed Damon.
"About time," he snapped upon answering. "I've been calling for an hour."
"I was in class," she reminded him, ignoring his huff of irritation. "What's so important?"
"I have a lead. I need you to get Johnathan Gilbert's journal."
"Jeremy has it," Gwen said, remembering the ancient journal from her afternoon at the Gilbert's. "Why not have Elena get it?"
"Because," he said through gritted teeth; his patience ebbing. "He gave it to your uncle. I need you to get it. Now."
She dropped the phone from her ear, groaning. Of course her uncle had the journal. It was almost as if he was intent on getting in the middle of the whole vampire mess. Sighing, she raised the phone back to her ear. "I'll call you when I have it."
Gwen ended the call before Damon could make any more demands. After checking that her phone was on silent, Gwen slid it into her bag, thinking about what to do next. The school was small enough that everyone had the same lunch period, unlike her previous school which had rotations. This meant Ric would be out of his office, though not for long. He wasn't making much of effort when it came getting to know his coworkers.
Of course, she didn't even know if he would have brought the journal to school. But, if he had, now was the best time to check. If it wasn't here, then Gwen would go through the office at home, where she'd have plenty of time since she didn't have work that afternoon. Unlocking the door, she opened it just enough to scope out the hallway. It was, thankfully, empty.
Swiftly, she slid out the door and walked down the hall toward Ric's classroom. As she approached, she could tell the room was dark. Reaching out, she twisted the door handle and was surprised to find it unlocked. An irrational feeling of confidence ran through, excited by how well things were going so far. Hopefully, Ric had been just as trusting — or careless, depending on how you wanted to look at it —about his desk as he is was about his classroom.
Leaving the lights off, she walked toward his desk, which was considerably cleaner than his one at home. If the journal was here, she'd find it quickly. The long drawer that sat over one's legs seemed too shallow to hold the journal she'd seen, but she checked it anyway: Nothing but pens, pencils, and an assortment of other desk supplies. Glancing at the classroom clock, she realized she'd already missed the first ten minutes of lunch. She needed to hurry and make her way back to the cafeteria before Ric returned. Quickly, she opened and searched the three remaining drawers, her disappointment growing when each one revealed only student papers or lesson plans or random junk. She was about to give up when her foot nudged something soft on the floor.
Looking down, she saw Ric's brown leather briefcase tucked under his desk. As she crouched down to inspect the case, Gwen chided herself for forgetting about it. She pulled it toward her and opened it. Her earlier disappoint was instantly replaced by a sense of victory. The journal was right there in the largest pocket of the briefcase. Gwen grabbed it and put in her own bag before sliding the case back in place. She exited the classroom, leaving no sign that anyone had been there.
As she half-walked, half-ran back to the cafeteria, she caught a glimpse of a clock in the hallway. She had about twenty left. Plenty of time to get there, eat some kind of lunch, and pretend she hadn't spent most of the hour stealing from her uncle.
Whatever Damon was looking for better be in this journal, she thought.
I have it. Meet me in the back parking lot after school.
Gwen sent the text message, hoping Damon would do as she asked. She couldn't skip class to meet him and didn't want him to randomly show up at school in the middle of the day. Though they hadn't spoken about him since the night of the dance — Ric had been much more interested in Scott lately — she knew her uncle wouldn't react well if he saw her with Damon.
Tapping her fingers as she waited for a response, she smiled in greeting to Matt and Tyler as they sat at their lab station. They all had Biology II together, and their station had been the only one with an empty seat when Gwen transferred to Mystic Falls High. She quickly learned the free seat was, in her opinion, due to the fact that Tyler was an ass and Matt was one of the few people able to overlook it. Gwen could barely tolerate him and that was with Matt sitting between them. She dreaded the day Matt missed class. If there was a lab that day, she might actually kill Tyler.
"Where were you at lunch?" Matt asked.
"I had to talk to Mr. Simmons about an assignment," she explained. "I was having problems with one of the homework questions."
Her screen lit up, Damon's name flashing across it. She grabbed it and set it on the other side of her book. Matt wasn't paying attention to her anymore, however; Tyler was showing him something on his own phone. Glancing down, she opened to text and read Damon's message: Fine. 3:00. Don't be late.
She sighed, relaxing in her seat. At least he wasn't going to nag her for the remainder of the day.
Her final two classes seemed to last longer than two hours. They had a sub in biology, so they spent the period watching a nature documentary. The sub, some recent college graduate looking for a job, didn't care what they did so long as they weren't loud. Most of her classmates spent the period on their phones or whispering to each other. Some, like Tyler, slept. Matt was one of the few that did homework. Gwen alternated between the nature documentary and texting Caroline and Scott. Something was off with the latter, and she found herself growing frustrated with his short replies. Eventually, she stopped texting all together and zoned out until the bell rang.
Her last class of the day was Art History. Gwen had enrolled in the class as a way to get out of gym class since the school didn't offer many electives, but now wished she'd asked for a study hall period. The class was more boring than Algebra II. All they did was read the textbook and write papers. The teacher actually stood up and lectured maybe two times a week. The only silver lining Gwen had been able to come up with as that her teacher wasn't a tough grader.
Gwen had a hard time focusing on today's reading. Her attention switching between her phone, the clock on the wall, and the poorly copied five-page handout. She couldn't explain her nerves. All she was going to do was meet Damon, hand over the journal, and go home. Nothing exciting. And yet she was unable to get through the assignment or sit still in her chair. When the bell finally rang, she practically ran out of the classroom. She had five minutes to get to her locker and meet Damon.
As she made her way toward the gym, a pang of guilt tugged at her. Scott would probably be waiting for her at her locker. He usually met her there after class if he didn't have soccer practice. It wasn't as if it was something they'd both agreed to, she told herself, attempting to quell the quilt. He'd started doing it on his own. She considered sending him a message, but thought better of it. Gwen didn't want anyone finding out she interacted with Damon when she wasn't at work. If it got back to Ric, Gwen was pretty sure Ric's head would explode — and she would be grounded until she was thirty.
The gym was still fairly empty when she walked in. Only the coach and assistants were there, preparing for basketball practice. They didn't pay any attention to her as she cut through to the exterior doors, one of which was propped open to air out the room. For whatever reason, the gym wasn't well ventilated — a major oversight in Gwen's opinion. The propped door might have been a safety risk back in Boston, but it was the best way to keep everyone from gagging on teenager BO in Mystic Falls. Today, it was the perfect escape route.
Damon's light blue Camaro was idling in the lot. From the back stairs, she could see him in the driver's seat, impatiently drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Zipping up her coat, Gwen descended the stairs and crossed the lot to his car.
"About time," he snapped as she slid into the passenger seat.
"I would think that being immortal would make you more patient," she quipped, digging through her bag for the journal. "It's just now three."
He didn't respond, grabbing the journal from her and instantly flipping through its pages. She mumbled a disgruntled 'you're welcome' under her breath and slumped back into the seat, waiting for him to be done. She didn't know if it was part of his enhanced speed or if he just knew what he was looking for, but he settled on a page quickly.
"Of course," Damon muttered grimly, closing the book and tossing it back to Gwen. "Hope you don't mind getting a little dirty."
He'd put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot before Gwen could process what he'd said. She shoved the journal back into her bag, looking around wildly and trying to find an escape.
"Wait! Where are you taking me?" she demanded, panic growing.
"On a field trip to the family crypt," he said dryly, not taking his eyes off of the road. "It's time I visited my father."
The sun had nearly set by the time Damon finally pulled off the dirt road they'd been traveling on for the last twenty minutes. After her initial protests of being dragged along on this adventure hadn't persuaded him to drop her off at home, they'd passed the majority of the drive in silence. When she'd agreed to help Damon free Katherine, Gwen hadn't realized that meant helping him dig up a grave, his long-deceased father's no less. She supposed that oversight was on her; Damon was a vampire after all.
She followed his lead and got out of the car, eyes trained on the thick forest bordering the road. Groaning, she glanced down at her footwear. Her boots were more of the fashion kind than the hiking kind. Between the growing darkness and a lack of a path, she'd be lucky to end this day without a broken ankle. Shutting the door, Gwen turned toward to the back of the car where Damon was opening the trunk.
"Don't tell me you actually drive around with shovels in the trunk of your car," she said, hoping her bravado masked the unease she felt at the thought.
"Always be prepared," he said, before slamming the trunk closed. "But we won't need them."
Gwen folded her arms, stopping a couple of feet away and raising an eyebrow. "Why not?"
"That's Elena's car," he explained, pointing to the dark SUV that was parked several yards away. Gwen wondered how she'd missed it. "They're already here."
There was something wrong with his voice. He sounded as if he was trying to swallow something. Gwen glanced at him. He wore an expression of pain mixed anger. Even though he knew Stefan and Elena had planned to betray him, it still hurt him. It was as if whatever hope he'd been holding onto was destroyed. In spite of her own fear and guilt, Gwen felt bad for him and was surprised their decision seemed to bother him so much.
"We should go," she said gently, breaking through his thoughts. "It's getting dark, and I don't have your night vision. Or even a flashlight."
Silently, Damon led them into the forest, which blocked out a surprising amount of the remaining light considering most of the trees had lost their leaves. Gwen stumbled over roots and twigs as she struggled to keep up with Damon. If she fell too far behind, she worried she would be lost out here forever. It's not as if they were following an actual path. She briefly thought of asking how he knew where he was going, but nearly fell headfirst over a log when she took her eyes off of the ground.
What light there'd been at the beginning of their walk had long since faded, making it even harder for Gwen to keep up with Damon. She wanted to say something, but was afraid of his anger being directed at her. Eventually, he did slow his pace, though Gwen wasn't sure if that was for her benefit or if it was because they were close. She hoped they were. Blisters were forming along the sides of her feet, and Gwen still had no idea what she was going to tell Ric about where she'd been. They later they were out, the more suspicious he'd be.
"Stop," Damon said, holding out an arm to ensure she actually did.
She did, straining to hear or see whatever it was he did. After a moment, she could make out the sound of low voices and spotted a few a bit of light peaking through the overgrowth. It was Stefan and Elena — no one else would be out here. They weren't far away, maybe the length of classroom separated them from her and Damon. Gwen was surprised Stefan hadn't heard their approach. He must have been too distracted with digging up his father's grave, she mused.
"Now what?" Gwen whispered.
"Stay out of sight until I call you," he directed, leaving her alone in the dark.
Carefully, she crept toward where the other three were. With every step, the nagging in the back of her mind telling her to turn and around intensified. She ignored it. There was no way she could find her way back to the car with out Damon. For better or worse, Gwen was a part of the Salvatore feud now. She slid behind a tree, heeding Damon's warning to not be seen. As she did, she couldn't help but wonder why he even brought her here in the first place.
Peering around the tree,Gwen took in the scene before her. The first thing she noticed was Stefan's terrified face as he pleaded with Damon, whose back was to her. A knot formed in her stomach as Gwen realized Damon was holding Elena hostage. She knew he felt betrayed by them, but she didn't think he was hurt enough to go as far as killing anyone. Watching Stefan, however, Gwen started to get the feeling she had underestimated Damon.
"Damon, please," Stefan begged, holding out a hand as if trying to calm a wild animal. "Let her go, and I'll give you the book."
Damon scoffed. "You think I'm going to trust you after this? Hand over the book and I'll let her go."
Stefan nodded, jumping down into the grave to retrieve the grimoire.
"Gwen," Damon called, not taking his eyes off of Stefan. "Get the book."
Heart pounding, Gwen stepped out from the shadows. She crossed the space quickly, wanting this to be over. As she knelt down to take the spellbook from Stefan, she couldn't quite quell the guilt that rose as she met his gaze.
"You're not compelled," he observed, surprise temporarily displacing his concern fore Elena's well-being. Elena gasped behind her, a disbelieving 'what' escaping her. Ignoring them both, Gwen took the book from Stefan and retreated behind Damon, careful to avoid eye contact with anyone.
Damon hesitated before letting Elena go. As she and Stefan ran toward each other, Damon turned around, grabbed Gwen's upper arm, and practically dragged her back to the car.
