Chapter Six: Stefanie Salvatore

Three and a half years ago

Mystic Falls, VA

New Year's Eve, 9:50pm

Phoenix had exactly fifteen seconds to army-crawl alongside the inside window of the bar in order to fling his jacket over the security camera before the alarm sounded. This wasn't going to be a problem considering the amount of times he'd literally had to crawl his way out of trouble, whether it be dragging himself home drunk or sneaking out of a one-night-stand's bedroom. He managed the crawl in seven seconds, but wasted a further three seconds on a celebration dance underneath the camera, out of its field of view. So the moment Phoenix finally flung his hood over the lens, Stefanie had to run across the room to the keypad and punch in the alarm code to deactivate it.

"Phoenix, I am not getting caught because of you," Adam snapped, "so don't fuck around."

Phoenix switched on his phone torch. Even though the windows were covered while the bar was being renovated, the thin material wouldn't block out the bright new ceiling lights. "Relax, we'll be out of here before you know it. Get into the party mood."

Raid was yanking back dust sheets from behind the bar, the first two sheets revealing nothing of interest. "Adam doesn't party," he said. "He doesn't flirt, he doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke..." Under the third dust sheet, he found three bottles of bourbon; one was already open. "He can dance, I'll give him that, but not like I do."

"If you mean grinding up against women until you leave an imprint of your dick on her dress, no, I don't," Adam shot back.

Raid took the cap off the bourbon, then, with a wink at Stef, confirmed, "It's a very impressive imprint." He lifted the bottle to his lips and took a swig before passing it to Stef.

Stef smiled, her cheeks flushing with the phantom sensation of what that scenario might feel like, and then looked down at the bottle in her hands. She had no intention of drinking any; truth be told, she didn't really like the taste of bourbon, but there was still something comforting about the smell that made it feel like home. So the thought of that same smell on Raid's lips right now was distracting – and this was a problem. She couldn't be having these thoughts, not while Cristian believed they were still an item. After the party, she reminded herself. A new year, a fresh start. Stef tried to divert her thoughts by studying the bottle, noticing it was nearly empty. Struggling to find her voice, she took a deep breath and uttered, "There must be more in the cellar."

Adam grabbed the two remaining bottles from the counter. "Two's enough. We're not supplying for Cristian's entire party."

"Let's check it out anyway," Raid suggested, following Phoenix, who was already heading into the hallway towards the cellar. "We can grab a few more bottles and hopefully I can find something stronger."

Stef placed the bottle on the counter and followed him. "Stronger?"

Adam came up next to her and leaned in. "He wants to impress Cristian The Magician," he scoffed.

Stef smiled softly, humouring Adam's cynicism. She knew Cristian was a witch – you couldn't grow up in the Salvatore household without learning about witches – and she also knew Cristian knew he was a witch. But Cristian wasn't discreet about it. He couldn't help but flaunt his magic at parties, so he gladly accepted that moniker.

"I need something higher volume. I'm telling you, I have nearly mastered fire tricks," Raid insisted, coming to a stop behind Phoenix as he opened the door to the cellar.

Phoenix shone his torch down into the darkness. It wasn't strong enough to see beyond the wooden staircase. "Think you can throw a little of that fire power my way so I can actually see what's down there?"

"Dad hasn't rewired the cellar yet. The pull cord is at the bottom of the steps," Stef explained.

"Yeah, well, so are cellar monsters, so I guess that means two bottles are enough." Phoenix attempted to close the door, but Raid put a hand out, bringing it to a halt.

"You're a little old to be afraid of the dark, 'Nix," Raid said. "Come on, we're right behind you."

"How about you be right in front of me instead?" Phoenix offered.

Raid scoffed, giving Phoenix's back a shove towards the stairs. The shove caused Phoenix to miss his footing on the first step and subsequently lose his balance, slipping down a further three steps before he grabbed the wooden handrail. As his foot swung out, it struck a canister which continued the clumsy descent down the straight, narrow staircase on his behalf, liquid sloshing out of it, bouncing off each side of the concrete walls as it emptied on the way down.

"Well done, Ra-id." Adam deliberately scorned him using the two-syllable Arabic pronunciation of his name.

"Start saying my name like my father did and you'll wish you'd left the country with him," Raid snapped back.

Then the pungent, acidic smell of paint thinner hit them in a sudden wave. Neither Raid nor Phoenix seemed to be bothered by the smell; the latter even taking in a deep breath, enjoying it. Stef covered her face with her hands, while Adam buried his mouth and nose into the crook of his elbow, complaining the smell was going to linger on his clothes all night. That hadn't occurred to Stef until now. She didn't want her father smelling it on her when he picked her up. She briefly considered changing into something belonging to Cristian's stepmother, Winifred, before the end of the night, but a post-breakup meet-up to return the clothes sounded like a bad idea. In her experience, Cristian did not react well to rejection.

Adam slid past Stef to follow Phoenix, who was continuing cautiously down the stairs and waving his phone torch around to locate the pull cord for the light. Finally, he found it and the lights were on. "Let's just grab what you're looking for and go," Adam grumbled.

Raid took hold of Stef's hand to lead her down the stairs, but she resisted.

"Maybe I should stay up here," she suggested.

"The solvent's running all along the stairs; it's probably stronger up here than around the corner to the cellar," Raid said gently, turning to face her. Seeing her pinched expression, he loosened the knot to his grey scarf, pulled it over his overgrown, messy, black hair, and placed it over Stef's head. His knuckles brushed her cheeks as he brought it down to her neck, bringing her out in goosebumps. Finally, he took the edge of the scarf, bringing a strip of it to cover her nose. "There," he said, his thumb caressing the material so it laid flush against her skin. "I'm not saying the smell of me is a huge improvement, but at least it won't make you dizzy."

Stef wasn't so sure about that.

Raid tugged on her hand once more, but she needed one final pause. She needed to tell him. "I'm breaking up with Cristian after the party."

Raid looked more intrigued than concerned. "Oh?"

"I just don't want it to affect your friendship with him. I know you've been hanging out with him recently –"

Raid laughed quietly. "Stef, he's not my friend." He took a step upwards until they were eye level with each other. He took hold of her scarf and pulled gently until their foreheads were lightly pressed together. "You're my friend, okay?" He smiled, then drew back and led her down the stairs. This time she followed, her hand now covering a smile rather than protecting her from the fumes.

At the foot of the stairs, Raid paused and crouched at a shallow puddle of the paint thinner. It was flammable. That was all he needed. As he dipped a finger into the liquid, he looked towards Stef who was scanning the crates of alcohol with Phoenix, pulling out bottles, not really knowing what she was looking for. This was probably a bad idea. A really bad idea. But, honestly, did she really think he cared about hanging around with her asshole boyfriend? The guy was both a control freak and a loose cannon. It was a bad combination. All Raid cared about was taking him down a peg or two. Cristian couldn't do fire tricks, so that's what Raid had been working on. Yes, it was a figurative dick swinging contest, but he was determined to be bigger and better.

Standing up, he took one last look at Stef before he made the stupidest decision of his life. She caught his glance, smiled coyly, and fidgeted self-consciously with her long hair. She was beautiful, adorable, and soon to be single, and he wasn't wasting any more fucking time. Decision made, he ran the clear liquid along his palm, forming a message.

I LOVE YOU

Fuck, that was cheesy. It was cheesy, wasn't it? The message was invisible. He didn't have to do this. He certainly didn't have to do this in front of fucking Phoenix and Adam. But what if she changed her mind? What if Cristian convinced her to stay with him? No, it was now or never.

Raid rounded the staircase into the storage area, keeping his palm as flat as possible so as not to smudge the message. The cellar was huge, split into two sections separated by the concrete walls of the staircase leading upwards. Barrels and crates occupied one side, nearest to the cellar hatch, and stored furniture was on the other. There was a chill in the air that made Raid glad he was still wearing his coat, unlike Phoenix. Not that Phoenix seemed to notice as he picked through the alcohol with two bottles of cognac already under each arm.

Raid came up behind Stef as she was pulling out a bottle of Everclear from a wooden crate. Trust her to find exactly what he'd needed. Not that he needed it anymore. He couldn't care less about showing off in front of Cristian now. Stef was the only audience he wanted.

He leaned close to her ear, taking in the jasmine and orange blossom smell of her hair, and whispered, "I have a message for you."

"Is it that Phoenix is done and we can leave?" she teased. Her smile slipped into one of concern as she turned to face him. He had an expression she'd never seen before. He was nervous, his chestnut brown eyes struggling to maintain contact with hers.

This was the moment Raid realized how stupid he was going to look. Instead of writing the message on his palm from wrist to fingers, he'd written it from fingers to wrist. Which meant instead of holding his palm out to her, like a romantic offering, he now had to hold his palm up, like he was about to testify in court. He planted his feet apart, steadying himself, in case the ground swallowed him.

"Actually, it's my confession," he admitted, raising his palm to her. She didn't laugh at the odd gesture, of course she didn't, she was too polite for that. Still, it felt more like he was about to offer her a message from the mothership rather than his own heart. He closed his eyes, chanting softly under his breath. The words on his palm needed to glow, not burst into flames, terrifying her. He needed to be focused, controlling the power that flowed within him, the warmth spreading from his core, urging it towards his palm.

The power stalled, the heat wrapping around his heart like it sensed the fear within it. He increased the pace of the chant, untangling the magic that was taunting him, constricting him, almost choking him with his own uncertainty. He imagined her smile. Her lips. The smell of her hair. The soft touch of her skin. He sensed his breathing becoming more even, and he relaxed, the magic uncoiling, his want of her growing. His powers strengthened with his resolve; the heat finally continuing its path towards its intended destination.

Suddenly, a phone rang and Raid instinctively withdrew his palm.

Stef looked down, apologising as she reached into the pocket of her jeans. "Shit, it's my dad, I need to take this," she panicked.

Raid nodded solemnly as she stepped aside to answer the call. He looked down at his palm, the words finally glowing seconds too late. He pinched his lips in frustration and clamped his palm shut, extinguishing the message. Even the universe knew what a stupid idea that was.

Phoenix approached Raid surprisingly empty-handed. "All done," he declared, Adam shuffling up behind him cradling six bottles, looking like the exhausted husband who had regretfully handed his wife his credit card.

"Wha... How?!"

They all turned towards Stef, who was flustered and pacing, one hand grasping onto her skull like she was trying to keep her sanity intact.

"Dad, you can't! It's New Year's Eve!"

Stef brought the phone away from her ear, checking the screen, confirming that her father had hung up. Her eyes darted towards the alcohol Adam was holding and she rushed towards it, taking two bottles and heading back to the crates. "Put it all back. My dad knows we're here – he's on his way – we've got to go."

"Oh, shit!" Phoenix yelled, following in Stef's footsteps, grabbing a further two bottles from Adam. "How'd he find out?"

"I don't know!" Stef groaned, trying to find empty slots in the crates where she could return the drinks. "Sniffer dog? Telepathy? Private investigator? Does it matter?"

The final bottle put away, the four of them gathered together and rounded the corner of the cellar towards the staircase, suddenly stopping in their tracks at the sight in front of them. The puddles of paint thinner were alight, orange flames quickly eating away at the fuel until it diminished from knee-height to ankle-height within seconds.

"What the fuck!" Phoenix yelled. "How...?"

Adam put an arm out, trying to calm him. "It's okay, the floor's concrete, just let it burn out."

Raid stepped forward, turning to look up the staircase. The entire thing was blazing, rising flames blackening the timber steps and handrails. This was him. He'd done this. He'd lost control of his power. Raid's gaze trailed from the steps to the concrete walls, to the wooden door and frame at the top of the stairs. Then he noticed the wood beam ceiling. Then the vertical timber posts stretching from floor to ceiling throughout the cellar. Whether they were load-bearing, he couldn't tell. The furniture, the wooden crates, the glass bottles, the thermal pressure, the smoke. He had to get them all out, fast.

"Adam, call 911! Phoenix, haul the scissor lift over to the hatch, now!"

"The what?" Phoenix yelled.

"For fuck's sake, Phoenix!" Raid grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the large platform mechanism where he instructed him to help him drag it across the cellar towards the hatch.

Stef could already hear Adam asking for the fire department as tears started to build up in her eyes. Her father was on his way. He could get here sooner. She had to tell him to hurry. She pulled out her phone and started to dial. At first she could do nothing but sob at the sound of his voice, her mind racing, the thick smoke layering the ceiling, wondering if this was going to be the last time she spoke to him.

Her voice cracked in desperation. "Dad, help us! We're stuck!"

The lift was finally situated under the hatch and Raid began raising the platform.

Stef continued, "Phoenix, Raid, Adam – we're all here at the bar and we can't get out. Please hurry!"

The phone was suddenly snatched from Stef's hand and Phoenix's voice replaced hers. "Mr Salvatore, don't worry, we're getting out right away." He spun around to the sound of banging as Raid was lying flat on the raised platform, kicking at the locked hatch, trying to break it open. He turned and coughed loudly over the platform's edge as smoke filled his lungs.

Damon was screaming at Phoenix on the other end of the line, demanding to be handed back to his daughter. "Where are you? Are you in the cellar? Answer me, Phoenix, or so help me–"

Raid jumped off the platform, his priority to now fill his lungs with oxygen rather than continue with the hatch. Adam covered his mouth and climbed up, taking over from him, thrusting his leg up at the hatch repeatedly until he also had to jump down for air.

"Everything's fine, don't worry," Phoenix repeated into the phone, his wavering tone and subsequent coughing fit offering Damon no reassurance.

Raid slammed into Phoenix, wrestling him for the phone. While Raid was taller, Phoenix was quicker, managing to slide the phone effortlessly between each hand, dodging each attempt Raid made to grab the phone from him. When Raid finally had him in a headlock, Phoenix rasped, "We can get out of here. Her dad's going to kill me."

Tightening his grip, Raid snapped, "I'm going to kill you, now give Stefanie back the phone!"

In a move Phoenix was about to instantly regret, he lifted the phone. The decision already made to throw it directly into the concrete wall, the device was already leaving his hand as he caught the final words from the speaker: "There's a key..."

The phone hit the wall and shattered.