I was definitely worried in the morning when I didn't hear from Stefan. All I needed was text saying that he didn't kill Damon. I ended up putting on a burgundy sweater with a black skirt and tights because it was a little cold. As much I didn't want to admit it, I kind of liked wearing skirts. Stefan hadn't answered any of my calls and one thing that crossed my mind was that he tried to kill Damon, but Damon killed him instead. I seriously hoped that wasn't the case.
I hitched a ride with Elena to school. There really weren't any good spots for motorcycles at the school and they also wouldn't sell me a parking pass because my grades were kind of bad. Why did you need to have good grades to drive to school? As soon as we got there, she met up with Caroline. As far as I could tell, the two of them had not hooked up the night before. I wasn't sure if I wanted them to or not. They might make a good couple. Was I starting to think like a girl if I was considering something like that?
"So, I'm confused about this thing." I told the blonde. She was mad at Bonnie for some reason that I didn't understand.
"It's simple. I hate Bonnie because she's a thief. I gave her this necklace and she won't give it back to me." Caroline explained. I didn't think that necessarily made her a thief. It was a bit of a bitch move, but I was pretty sure that she wasn't obligated to give it back just because Caroline asked for it.
"Is that the ugly necklace that Damon gave you?" Elena asked. When did Damon give her a necklace? It didn't seem like something he would do. I looked at my own necklace. I was really only wearing it because Stefan said it would prevent me from being mind controlled by Damon.
"Yes, but I want it to back." Caroline answered. Why did she want it back? I would think that she wouldn't want anything Damon gave her.
"You could be the bigger person." Elena suggested.
"That's impossible with her." Caroline sighed. No, Caroline was clearly taller.
"That's it. I'm out of it." Elena replied. I was never in it. It still confused me. "So, I heard you got really drunk last night."
"Yeah, Matt took me home." She responded before we heard the bell. I needed to get to my locker. I didn't see Stefan anywhere, but it looked like I wouldn't have time to wait for him. I wished that I had Damon's number to see if he would tell me anything. I would have to see if Caroline still had it. I couldn't believe that I was considering calling Damon to see if he was still alive.
We were getting a new history teacher today. I hoped that he would be better than Tanner and he would also stay away from vampires, though Damon seemed more in control than he was before. It appeared like he was saving Sheriff Forbes from Lexi, so he had to have some sort of plan in place. Stefan told me that Damon killed him to prove he was a monster…or something.
I walked into my History class to see a man in his early 30s. He had the name Alaric Saltzman on the board. I had never seen a name like that before.
"Good morning, everyone." He greeted before he started to write his name on the board. "Alaric Saltzman. It's a mouthful, I know. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Saltzman is of German origins, but I'm from Boston. Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. So, you can call me Ric. I'm your new History teacher."
"Is this US History?" A female voice asked from the doorway. Everyone turned to see an Asian girl standing there. She was cute.
"So, I see someone here is just as new as I am." Mr. Saltzman declared. "What's your name?"
"It's Anna…Clarkson." She replied. I was expecting some more…well Asian. Also, she seemed oddly hesitant about her own name. She could have just been nervous because it was her first day of school though. I wondered if I should talk to her. I usually didn't try to introduce myself to new students, even though the last new student was Stefan, but for some reason I wanted to talk to this girl "I just moved here."
After class was over, he came up to me. I had a feeling that this wouldn't be the best conversation. He probably knew that I was failing the class.
"Margaret Gilbert?" He asked. I liked that name even less than Mary, even though I was starting to get used to it now.
"It's Mary." I corrected. I at least wanted him to call me that. Even if I could say my real name, there wasn't any point to it because he wouldn't believe me anyway. Stefan believed me probably because he was a vampire.
"I need to talk to you. Are you free during lunch?" He questioned. I didn't have anyone to sit with especially since Stefan wasn't around, so I could probably swing by.
"Yes." I answered. I had a feeling it was about my grades.
So, at lunch, I went to his classroom where he was eating a sandwich. His lunch wasn't very imaginative, but I supposed he wanted something that wasn't messy, and it was probably still better than the stuff from the cafeteria.
"You wanted to see me?" I asked him.
"Did you know that your old teacher had a bitch folder?" He responded. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be if I wasn't a girl. I couldn't help but wonder if he hated me not only because I didn't come to class, but also because I would constantly show him up because I was pretty sure that I knew more about history than he did. "No joke it's on the label. It's basically a testament about how much he hated you."
He then tossed it in the trash. I couldn't help but smile.
"Don't worry about it." He added. He seemed like he was nice at least. "But we do have something that we need to talk about it: your grades. Now from what I get you're very smart, but your attendance is very poor, and you didn't turn in assignments."
"Let's say the hatred was mutual." I commented. I knew that it wasn't best strategy. In fact, it was probably a very bad. "I've been trying to fix it lately and at the beginning of the year, I was still trying to get over my parents' death."
"Well, I am sorry for your loss, but I don't how you can pass without help at this point." He told me. I had a feeling that he was going to offer me some help. One of the other reasons that I hated Tanner so much was from his lack of sympathy. "Fortunately, I'm willing to offer you some help. I want you to write me a paper about anything you like as long as it's local and you don't use any internet sources. I think if you can get an A, you'll be back on track. You have a week."
"Thank you for the opportunity and I promise I won't let you down." I told him. I did need to figure out what I was going to write about. The stuff about my parents was true, but it still wasn't the main reason.
I then noticed Anna outside of the room. Apparently, she wanted to talk to him too. After school, she ended up finding me. So, it looked like I wouldn't need to the be one who initiated contact with her. I was not used to people wanting to talk to me.
"So, I couldn't help but overhear that Mr. Saltzman assigned you a paper." She noted. That was a bit of a weird conversation starter. She probably could have at least introduced herself first. "I could help you do some research if you'd like."
"Okay sure." I agreed. I then realized maybe I should introduce myself to her at least. "Wait, shouldn't we have some kind of introduction first? I'm Mary Gilbert."
"Well, you already know my name." She stated.
"You could still say it because that's how introductions go." I pointed out.
"Fine, I'm Anna Clarkson. It's a pleasure to meet you." She quipped with a fake smile as she shook my hand overenthusiastically. I rolled my eyes at that.
"So do you have a car?" I questioned, deciding to change the subject. "Are you 16?"
"Yes, and yes." She answered as she led me to the parking lot where a classic car was parked. It seemed to be a Dodge Charger like my dad used to have. When she said she had a car, I was expecting something that was maybe ten years old, not 30 years old or older.
"Where did you get this?" I asked in surprise. I couldn't help but wonder how much she had paid for it. Yeah, her parents had probably paid for it, but I was impressed.
"My mom knew a guy that collected old cars. It was kind of a moving present." She responded as she opened the door and let me in. "The only problem is it's really bad on gas."
"You should see my bike some time." I declared. "I can't drive it to school though."
"I never pictured you for a biker babe. I bet you look hot in leather." She said before I blushed.
She drove me to the library and helped me find some reference books.
"So do you have any idea what you're going to write your paper about?" She asked.
"Well, I know my family was among the town's original settlers." I replied. I was basically making that up on the spot. "I wonder if they have books about them here?"
"I heard that a lot of those founding families wrote in these old journals." She replied. You know I never thought about that. It would probably be better than one of the reference books. "Maybe you should see if yours has one."
At that moment, my phone began to ring. It was Elena. I answered it in annoyance. Why did she have to call at that exact moment? Couldn't she leave me alone so I could finally have more than one friend?
"What?" I asked.
"I need you to come home." She told me. Why did she need me there? "There's a witch thing that Bonnie and I need to talk to you about."
"Okay, fine, I'll be right here." I promised. I didn't know why I needed to be there just because I knew Bonnie was a witch. I looked over to Anna. "I need you to give me a ride home."
She didn't ask any questions and just dropped me off at the house. I was glad that she was so understanding about it.
"Who was that?" Elena asked. Bonnie was also there.
"She's a new girl in my History class." I answered. "What is the problem?"
"Damon has been threatening me because he wants this necklace that belonged to my ancestor Emily who has been haunting me." Bonnie explained. That meant that Damon was still alive. I hoped that Stefan still was as well. Also apparently ghosts existed as well. That was good to know.
"Where is this necklace?" I questioned. The being haunted part was kind of farfetched, but I supposed if witches and vampires could exist, ghosts could too. It still seemed kind of unrealistic but given the fact that I had been turned into a girl, I didn't really believe that anything was impossible.
"I threw it into a field." Bonnie told me. That meant it was handled. Then why did I need to be there so quickly.
"So why are you telling me this?" I asked.
"I want you to talk to Stefan about it." Elena replied. "He's Damon's brother and he might be able to find out why."
"Okay, but I promised Jenna that I would have dinner with her at the Grill tonight." I declared.
I sent Stefan a text and told him that it was urgent. He was over pretty quickly. I was glad that he came over because it confirmed to me that he was also still alive. I would need to talk to him about what happened with Damon later.
"I didn't see today after school." He replied. Why did he decide to show up after school, especially if I wasn't expecting to see him after school?
"I had to go to the library and start working on a paper." I replied. I then realized that I needed to start the paper. It would have to be tonight. I needed to see if we had that journal somewhere. Maybe Jenna would know. "Was there something that you wanted to tell me? I know Damon's alive."
"I'm not coming to school anymore." He replied. "I need to stay away from you."
"Well good luck with that because I still need your help." I told him. I didn't know if I believed him or if I was just choosing to ignore what he said because of what else was going on. "Damon's tormenting Bonnie over this necklace of her ancestor Emily's. Bonnie's a witch by the way."
"I knew that and I knew Emily. That necklace belonged to Katherine. Emily must have given it to her." He explained. "I'll do this for you, but it's probably not safe for us to be together."
"I couldn't feel any safer than when I'm with you." I pointed out. It was like he was trying to push me away, but I was going to push back. "I'm sorry about Lexi, but I know you have feelings for me.
"I should probably get going." He stated. He didn't deny that he had feelings for me and I was pretty sure that I was actually developing feelings for him even though I knew that I shouldn't. I sighed because I needed to go meet Jenna at the Grill. I would also rather be there than at Elena's slumber party, even though it was really just Caroline and Bonnie coming over.
When I got to the Grill, I happened to notice that Damon was there and Stefan arrived not long after, but I needed to let them work it out for themselves. I also noted that Mr. Saltzman was there by himself. There did not seem to be Mrs. Saltzman. I sat down at the table with Jenna. One of the downsides to Vicki being dead was there was no one willing to give me liquor anymore.
"I love a man that can dine alone." Jenna commented.
"I thought that you weren't over Logan." I reminded her. I still didn't know what happened to him. I was leaning towards the idea that Damon had killed him.
"Oh, I've sworn off men forever, but I can still admire from afar." She explained. I knew that wouldn't last. She had been with too many men to make me believe that.
"Well, I could introduce you if you like." I offered. She shook her head. I was probably still going to do it. "So do you know if we have any old journals from around the Civil War?"
"Your dad had a bunch of that old stuff in the attic. Maybe you should see if it's in there." She suggested. That would be helpful. "Why do you need it anymore?"
"My teacher that you have been ogling assigned me a paper that can help me pass History." I declared.
"I'm not ogling him!" She replied. I couldn't believe how in denial she was.
"Yes, you are." I argued. I then noticed that he was walking this way. "He's coming over here."
Jenna blushed as he walked over. She started to move her hair out of her face.
"Mary, it's good to see you." He remarked. It was a little weird for him to come over to say hi unless he was coming over to see her under the guise of coming to see me.
"This is my aunt, Jenna Somers. She couldn't help staring at you from across the room." I introduced. I actually really liked making her blush because she had done it to me with a girl that I liked when I was 13. Revenge was a dish best served cold. I did wonder if things happened the same way or if she thought it was a boy.
At that moment, I noticed that Stefan and Damon were no longer there. I couldn't help but wonder where they had gone. I hoped that they were trying to resolve their issues. They might not be able to do it all in one night, but they could at least start to try to resolve them.
At that point, the second new face that I had met found me by the bathroom.
"Hey Mary, how are you doing?" She asked me.
"Well, my sister is having a sleepover, my best friend is with his brother and my aunt is macking on our teacher, so I guess I'm free to hang out with you." I retorted.
"I'm glad to know that I am so high on your list." She quipped. I could tell that we would get along pretty well since she had a similar personality to me. "How do you like foosball?"
"I guess I could play a game or two." I replied as we headed to the table.
"So how do you feel about vampires?" She asked me as we started to play.
"I have to say that I'm quite fond of them." I replied with a smile. Okay, so the only one that I liked was Stefan. "Does every Goth kid like vampires?"
"No, and it's not just restricted to Goths anymore." She pointed out. "This Twilight stuff has brought vampires to the masses, even if they are horribly bad. It's the best and the worst thing that could happen to vampires."
"I suppose but Alice is one of the most awesome vampires ever." I replied. I didn't have fantasies about fictional characters, but if I did, she would probably be in one of them.
"Okay, the series would be much better if Alice was the love interest." She agreed. I did agree with her on that. I thought Kristen Stewart had better chemistry with her despite only be in a few scenes with her. I was probably going to see the new movie, even though I thought it was probably the weakest of all of the books. At that point, my phone rang again, and it was once again Elena. I wondered if this was going to witch-related once again.
"It's my sister again." I stated. "I'm sorry. I have to take this. Hello?"
"Emily is possessing Bonnie and she said that she needed to go back to where it all began or something. I think she meant Fell's Church." She explained. Why did Bonnie's problems have to keep ruining my time with Anna?
"Okay, stay at the house and I'll fix this." I instructed. I then went to relay the information to Stefan once I was away from Anna. She seemed like a really nice girl, and I hated that I had to ditch her again. I couldn't help but wonder if there was a way to have any friends that didn't know about this stuff.
I then made my way to the church as fast as I could. Fortunately, I had Jenna's keys. I hoped that I would be able to get there in time. I didn't even know what to going to happen, but I was a little nervous. I couldn't help but notice that the stuff seemed to be far underway when I got there. Bonnie/Emily was surrounded by this circle of fire before she threw what I assumed to be the necklace in the air, and it exploded. She then looked dazed and confused before Damon ran over and bit her neck. Stefan managed to tear her off.
"She's alive but just barely. I can save her." He stated before he fed some blood into her mouth. I probably shouldn't have been surprised at that. Many pieces of vampire lore mentioned the healing properties of it. Bonnie managed to open her eyes about halfway through and looked even more confused. This was going to be a little bit challenging.
"Mary, what the hell is going on?" She asked me a few minutes later.
"I promise I'll explain everything on the way back home." I declared. "Right now, I need to talk to Stefan."
I noticed that Damon had a look of absolute heartbreak on his face. I had never seen him upset before, but I needed to talk to Stefan.
"You did it." I told him. "You saved her life. You're a hero. You don't need to stop seeing me at school or at all because you're a good guy and I think I want to be your girlfriend."
"I can't." He responded. What? "Everything bad that's happened here is my fault. I can't be with you, Mary. In fact, I need to leave. I can't stay here."
"Stefan, no, don't go. I need you here." I begged as tears started to leave my eyes. "I'm not afraid of you."
He just kissed my forehead instead of my lips. He seemed to be breaking up with me before we even got together. I didn't think that was possible.
He walked away and I went over to Bonnie.
"So, before I tell you anything, I want to promise not to tell any of this to anyone, especially not Elena." I said. I didn't want to find out about this stuff again so soon. "Just tell her that Emily destroyed the crystal and then stopped possessing you. Now Stefan and Damon are vampires. They were alive during the Civil War. All of those animal attacks were really Damon. I don't want Elena to know about this because she found out when Vicki tried to kill her and me. Damon turned Vicki into a vampire, and she went rabid and attacked us, so Stefan had to kill her. Elena looked so broken by seeing her die. Damon had to erase her memories so I could insure that she would make it through the night and that's where we are right now."
"What did Stefan say?" She asked.
"He's leaving town and me behind." I replied. "I know that we're not really friends, but could you give me a hug?"
So Mary is falling for Stefan even though he rejected her. Alaric is played by Chris Evans. Please don't forget to review.