a/n;
i live! sort of, anyways, happy new year, i know things are stressful in the world right now but i hope to provide you with some entertainment and words of encourgageent, we will survive this and you are very much loved
this year i have high hopes for writing more, and i hope to see you again before the month is over, i really must thank you all for your patience as i continue this story that i have been writing since i was eighteen now twenty-six. whew, time flies when you have depression lmao
okayyy NOW GO READ UR HEART OUT!
••••••••••••
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Red was such a vivid color, capable of invoking the most visceral reactions. Associated with so many intense emotions, be it lust, anger, or grief.
She watched the color swirl down the drain, dark redredred flecks followed by suds that smelled sickly sweet. Nausea followed at the sight of her hands, no longer stained with blood but scrubbed until her brown skin felt tender like an open wound —
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Knees already kissed with bruises hit the ground, heart beating fast and faster until breaths were forced out unevenly.
She barely even registered the pain of her thoughtless actions, too busy pressing shaking hands — her hands? those were her hands, right? — on a savage wound. Her teacher was unconscious, his blood quickly staining denim, light blue turning a dark red, tacky like syrup under her touch. Her stomach rebelled with each heavy inhale of metallic that was threatening to drown her.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered, mentally scrambling to figure out what she should do.
He was supposed to be dead already, instead she applied pressure and felt his pulse thumping wildly underneath her touch.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Nova twisted the faucet once more, her motions doing nothing to stop the leaky faucet. Her brown eyes narrowed on the thing as though it had personally done her wrong. It was no wonder that no one used the only unisex bathroom in the school, nothing worked properly.
"Piece of shit school," she said, slamming the bathroom door behind her hard enough to make the janitor drop his bucket, water sloshing over permanently stained floors. And she wish she could feel bad for him, or feel anything at all really, but it had been a long night and it wasn't over yet.
Her sneakers were obnoxiously squeaky on the freshly mopped floor, announcing her arrival to the circus awaiting her return.
"Can we leave yet?" Nova asked tiredly, just barely stopping herself from flinching away from the sudden weight on her shoulder.
Matt had been sticking to her like glue since he had stumbled across her and his coach, both looking as though they'd been casted for a horror movie. He had been the only one lucid enough to call the ambulance, trying to comfort her all the while.
"I can take her home, Sheriff," he offered, mild mannered and polite even after they being stuck talking to the police for what felt like an eternity.
Sheriff Forbes was really nice and understandable, much better than most if not all of her minions. But she was still a cop, even if she was her best friend's mom, and had the best German chocolate cake recipe. She took her cop job very seriously, especially when she was obviously suspicious of this not being a wild animal attack but a vampire.
As correct that assumption was, she wished that the older woman would realize that no, her answers would not change. No, I don't know what attacked him. Lie. I don't know anyone who would want to hurt, Mr. Tanner. Lie, who hadn't wanted to strangle the guy? I thought I saw something in the forest earlier, it had to be a wild animal, right? Lie.
Lie after lie had spilled from her tongue, without thought to the ramifications of her actions or even why she was lying in the first place when it hardly benefited her. She was justifiably shaken and tired, but covering for vampires had not been apart of the plan. Her not calling the police immediately and her insistence that it was an animal that had taken a chomp out of her History teach had only earned her the look of quiet suspicion from the Sheriff.
Sharp heels on linoleum floors echoed loudly in the halls, causing the trio to turn towards the noise.
"That won't be necessary," Grams said, curls unbound and silky brown robe billowing behind her. It was clear that she had left the house in a rush, but she still managed to look graceful in her silk pajamas and heels.
"Sheila." Liz acknowledged, visibly withholding a sigh because they all knew what an upset Sheila Bennett sounded like. Mystic Falls residents might not take her grandmother seriously, with her being a loud Wicca in a town full of Christians and Catholics. But the woman had a reputation of being a stubborn, very radical in her views, and insanely overprotective when it came to her granddaughters.
Bonnie followed behind the older woman at a much slower pace, face pinched until she reached her sister's side. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly, runny mascara the only indication that she had cried.
Nova couldn't answer that without lying, and so she didn't, choosing to instead wrap her arms around her sister in a manner she hoped was more comforting than robotic.
Grams didn't respond for a moment, running keen eyes over her granddaughter before she turned to the blonde. "Liz," the older woman casual in her greeting, even with quiet fury painted on her face. "You should have called me before you started questioning my underage granddaughter. Alone. I know Martha raised you to know better. Let's never meet like this again."
"Duly noted," Liz replied, appearance more like that of an chastised teenager than a middle-aged policewoman. "You're both free to go."
••••••••••••
Sleep didn't come. Not even with a stomach full of beef stew, bruises nearly healed with soothing balm, and her favorite knitted blanket wrapped around her.
Instead her mind churned as she stared at the purple glow of the butterfly nightlight on her bedside table. Her thoughts wouldn't stop running at full speed and max volume, it was too much for her to even think of comfortably settling into her bed. Her body itched to start doing something, anything, regardless of the fact that there was no way she would get anything productive done at this time.
A soft purr and paws on her chest tore her away from her thoughts, big green eyes looking down into her brown ones, his permanent resting bitch face visible even with only her nightlight cutting through the darkness of the night.
Merlin's presence was a comfort to her and also served as a reminder. She needed to actually finish reading the book on familiars that her grandmother had found for her. It was in fucking French, because of course it was, and was barely five pages long. It wasn't that surprising, given how hard it was to find any written documentation on familiars, but it was frustrating nonetheless. Countless of witches before her had their own powerful animal companion, but out of necessity of secrecy to protect them, hardly anything was written by hand other than bullshit written by theorists and nerds.
Grams had said any in depth knowledge of them had been passed down by word of mouth. But well, Grams didnt know. And their coven had disbanded long ago, scattered to the wind — so unless there was a super secret family group chat that they weren't invited to, she wasn't learning wickety wack from them.
The translation would be.. doable, but it would take less time if she had the type of resources and technology that would be around a mere decade later. Hell, she would even take the cursed owl Duolingo.
Curse being born older with the knowledge of future technology, it was hard out here for a pimp.
She sighed heavily and leaned over to turn on her light, the light of the antique lamp casting the room in a warm cozy glow. With an bleary eyed blink against the light, she ignored the feel of candy wrappers and can bottles and grabbed a peeling leather book and paperback dictionary from underneath her bed. She hummed in contentment when Merlin curled in her lap, his own eyes firm on the book as though he knew how to read.
"Did you learn how to read and write in the afterlife?" She asked him, watching his ears twitch and grinning when he turned to look at her with his big vibrant green eyes. "Can you do taxes now, lil shit?" She pressed kisses on his head, loud and obnoxious noises leaving her mouth with each peck. Having had enough of her teasing attention, he leapt off her lap with a disgruntled meow then settled on the other side of the queen mattress, his back towards her sharp grin.
"Pussy," she muttered, giggling to herself before turning back towards the book that had been giving her a headache. She had only translated a scarce few words, '— thought to be demons, these spiritual companions and their true origin are unknown to us, what we know without uncertainty is this: they aid their other half by all means necessary.' before she was forced to slam both books shut as a headache split her head into two.
Headache aside, she knew she wasn't going to sleep easily tonight, if at all, 'tis her lot in life. No rest for the wicked, money don't grow on trees — she hummed the song underneath her breath, cutting herself off before she could turn it into a bad oprea song.
"Hey, little demon, you up for a midnight stroll?" She couldn't help but grin when Merlin jumped from his perch on her purple satin pillows and onto dark hardwood floors.
Nova tugged on a pair of socks with little cartoon tuna's on them and shoved her feet into worn down sneakers, half dead phone in one hand and almost expired granola bar in the other. She tried her best not to trip over Merlin's lithe body, quickly and quietly making her way downstairs with him at her heels.
She nearly flinched when sudden bright lights hit her sleep deprived eyes.
Grams was laid out on the leather recliner, the muted flat screen playing re-runs of the Nanny. She was dead asleep, snoring like a lawn mower with the twins first (and last) joint knitting project wrapped around her in a mess of purple and green hues.
She picked up Merlin before he could run towards the older woman and wake her up, holding him as one might hold a squirming toddler. She took one last look at her, a rush of fondness filling her as she watched her sleep peacefully, beautifully alive. And then slipped out the house through the kitchen door.
Nova nearly slipped on her untied sneakers and onto the cold hard ground when the fur baby in her arms clawed at her. "Damn son, ok," she said, letting him wiggle free until he was out of the prison that was her embrace. He looked up at her with his big green eyes that seemed to glow even brighter underneath the moonlight.
"Rude little shit," she said, briefly bending down to tie her shoes before quickly running to catch up to his fast paws.
She didn't bother taking the lead, content to watch him as they trekked their way past house after house. This late at night Mystic Falls was peacefully quiet but for the sound of crickets and the occasional dog barking in the distance. She watched his long glossy tail swing high in the air, his movements only slowing when they heard sudden noises that both of them couldn't help but turn their heads to in unison.
Her mind cleared with each step, too focused on putting one foot in front of the other and not losing sight of Merlin to let her mind spiral.
And maybe, just maybe, she should have questioned the unwavering pace he set, as though he had a clear destination in mind. Unfortunately, by the time she realized where they were, it was too late to turn back.
"Well, shit," she said, breathing out the words and sighing deeply when she came face to face with the dilapidated house.
Chills ran through her, body trembling as she unconsciously stepped forward.
She had only been here once before, their grandmother had them pay their respects to their ancestors that had died on these grounds. It had been a disturbing experience for a young pre-teen to go through, reincarnated or not.
There had been something disquieting about being able to feel the agony of the spirits, those who had deaths that were similar to hers. Although her burning had been less purposeful, it was still nonetheless a hard way to go.
Even after years avoiding the place, she still felt the same sense of dread and pain that poured into her and threatened to overwhelm her.
Most people never really thought about the horror of ghosts and spirits. How they were people before they became spectral spectators. People who had died that were stuck watching the world, their family and friends, slowly move on without them. People who felt such intense emotions that it seeped past the veil, steeping the most idyllic atmosphere in their feelings, until even normal humans could feel it.
How easily that could have been her, given a change in fate (how discerning it is, that some days, she feels more ghost than not).
The crack of a branch accompanied by a loud squawk of a bird snapped her out of her haze. Her heart nearly leap out of her body, stomach in knots that was slow to loosen even when she turned around and met a familiar face.
Bonnie, in all her cheetah print pajama glory, looked more confused than when they figured out they had magic, which was saying something. "What are you doing here?" they both spoke, in near perfect unison.
Bonnie smiled wryly at the synchronization, coming to join her on the creaky porch, standing shoulder to shoulder as they looked up at the house that seemed even more daunting in the dead of the night.
"I don't really remember much," her sister started, rubbing her bare arms in a vain attempt to warm herself. "Only that I woke up in the middle of the woods, and there was this strange bird, a crow.. it guided me here."
… A crow?
She glanced at her sister, trying to hide both her surprise and at her words. It was just..it could very well be a coincidence, crows were used as messengersfor many beings including Nature, but a crow of all things leading her sister here? Alarm bells rang in her mind, her eyes scanning the surrounding forest with clenched fists.
"What is it?" Bonnie asked, casting her own eyes towards the forest in hopes of finding whatever had her so on edge.
"Nothing," she replied unconvincingly, sighing when her words earned her a raised brow and side-eye. "Just doesn't seem very smart, following a strange animal into a forest in the dead of night."
Merlin began to purr very loudly, reminding them of his presence by rubbing his head against their legs repeatedly. His paws clinging to her socks and claws threatening to break through to skin.
Bonnie narrowed her hazel eyes at her, looking between her and her familiar with suspicion in her eyes. "Yeah, it seems like dumb decision making runs in the family." She responded before walking to the door, taking the initiative to push the door open.
Nova gasped and looked down at her feline friend, who looked back at her, expressive eyes showing no sympathy."Unbelievable, the audacity," she mumbled under her breath, only quieting when they entered the home that was for all intents purposes, a burial ground.
Her hand gently swept across a rickety wooden table near the entrance, soot and dust darkening her fingers. Eugh, this place was dirtier than last time. And more dangerous too, she noticed when she narrowly avoided falling through a crack in the wooden floors.
She grabbed her sister's top, using her sister as a napkin and a way to get her attention. "We should pay our respects," she quietly said, doing her best to not giggle.
Bonnie nodded her head in agreement, her footsteps careful on creaking floors. "Grams alter should still be here somewhere," she replied, green eyes roaming the place with a solemn look on her face that served to quickly sober her amusement.
White candles were laid on the only stable surface in the home were quickly lit along with the last lemongrass incense. Crystals that held wisps of their magic were readjusted with care. A carefully planned offering was usually placed on the alter — from powerful objects to fresh water — but they made do with a few beautiful stones and blue cardinal flowers they found scattered outside.
Nova watched as blue petals burned underneath her sister's steady gaze, eventually turning to ash that fell onto the alter. And with their heads bowed over the makeshift alter, the twins sent a gentle flow of their magic to the spirits surrounding them. It wasn't the kind of magic that served any other purpose than to warmly acknowledge the spirits that stood before them.
Nova opened her eyes first, never too keen to leave herself vulnerable around people, not even dead ones. She waited for some kind of sign, painfully aware that both her and her sister been drawn here purposefully. She turned to her sister, already tired of the silence and eerie feeling of invisible eyes watching her.
"What do you think we were called here f—"
Darkness took hold of her, drowning her in it until it was all that she knew.
•••••• ••••••
Light enveloped her, warm and bright. Nearly too bright when her brown eyes opened, forced to squint when everything became too much. Her eyes were slow to adjust to the warm light, slowly she began to take in her scenery.
She was surrounded by bright green grass and flowers that were nearly as tall as her. Above her, tall oak trees tangled together and threatened to cover the bright blue sky, and yet the sun still managed to find its way through. She swiftly turned around when she heard the creak and then slam of a door, eyes wide when she saw the old house no longer looked touched by time.
It was no longer a sight of mourning, the layer of dirt, soot and overgrown greenery cleared away. Instead the windows gleamed underneath the harsh glare of the sunlight, pearly white paneling only partially covered by neatly trimmed ivy that reached the roofing. Near the gilded open door stood a figure too far to make out, but very clearly looking in her direction.
"What the fuck," she said, sighing up at the skies as though it would give her an answer.
"Nova!"
Nova turned at the call of a familiar voice, very nearly falling in her efforts to get to her sister quickly, tense muscles only relaxing once they were shoulder to shoulder.
"What the hell is happening? Where are we?" Bonnie asked, as though she would know any better than her.
She shrugged in reply, turning her head back towards the home only to find that the figure was no longer there. Typical ghost shit. "Best guess…our ancestors brought us here. Who knows where here is." She said with a tired frown in her face, idly beginning to wonder why she had even gotten out of bed.
Her sister hummed in agreement, following close behind her towards the house and its open doors. "Hello? Anyone here?" Bonnie called out before walking inside, her voice echoing in the high ceiling hallway. It was a wonder, the way the house looked properly cleaned and didn't carry the stench of mold and dead animals; the wallpaper was no longer peeling, but a beautiful shade of green with dark wood paneling below, fresh flowers were in gold vases and the floor was stable though creaking underneath her feet.
"If we die like them white girls in a horror movie, know I'm blaming your ass — Hello? Anyone here? Really, Bon?" Nova said in a furious whisper, slapping her sister on the arm and giving her a what the fuck look.
Bonnie was not amused by her at all, rubbing her arm as though she had actually hit her with any strength involved. "Well, what else am I supposed to say?" She rolled her green eyes, staring at her and now thoroughly distracted from their surroundings.
"The two of you are not what I had expected," a soft voice interrupted any replies that Nova might've had, instead she clung to her sister's hand, her sister clinging just as tight, heartbeat galloping in her chest regardless of her blank expression.
There stood a spirit, with dark brown near black eyes peering at them from underneath the lip of a white bonnet. Her back was straight, her brown and cream skirts were full and plenty and held by a corset unseen but easy to recognize if you knew what to look for.
"Who are you and why did you bring us here?" Bonnie asked, her guard immediately up underneath the watchful gaze of the spirit that stood before them with the fireplace lit behind her, casting eerie shadows upon her face.
"You know me, although your sister might know me best," she answered, quiet but firm as her eyes left the younger to look at the eldest. "It is after all, in her nature to know things that most should not."
Huh? She didn't know this woman, as far as she knew, she didn't know any spirits personally — Oh…. "Oh!" She said out loud, realization hitting her last minute as she took in the calm spirit once more from head to toe. It wasn't her face that was recognizable, but the simple fact that this woman was wearing clothes that were obviously from the time period that Mystic Falls was hesitant to let die, the civil war period.
"You're Emily, aren't you?"
Emily simply nodded once, folding her hands together with an assessing look in her eye. The girls had seen old faded pictures of the woman before, so it wasn't like she was forced to recall memories of another life. It was different though, being shown pictures of long dead family members versus being confronted by them in the not-so flesh.
Bonnie eventually made the same connection, her eyes wide and brow furrowed. "You're.. you're our fourth great-grandmother."
Her brown eyes softened some, walking closer towards them with a swish of her skirts. "Yes, we are family," she confirmed, still studying them as though their existence was a puzzle she had to piece together.
It was unnerving, to be placed underneath such a microscope by someone with such power.
"Why did you bring us here? …Where is here?" Her younger sister questioned again, green eyes peering into long dead brown ones.
Emily took her eyes off them for a moment, taking the time to take in their surroundings with a blank expression that soon cracked to reveal what could only be described as grief. "This place used to be a safe harbor," she started to explain, belatedly realizing they were waiting for a response. "Now it is a memorial ground, a fragment of what used to be. Pulling your minds here into this place… it was the only way I could contact you from the Otherside."
Other than possessing them, she thought dryly, but refrained from saying it out loud.
"Huh, weird," she mumbled, eyes scanning the room as though the other spirits would pop out the walls — which was highly possible. "Well, we all know we didn't come here to have tea and crumpets. Lemme guess, this about the Salvatore's?"
"Among other things," Emily confirmed, her words vague in a way that most spirits tend to be. "There are others that know of the Tomb and their eyes follow you. What ever plans you might have, you mustn't allow the Tomb to be opened. It will only unleash misery and death upon Mystic Falls."
"…And uh, hypothetically," she started, coughing into her fist. "If that's no longer a choice that can be made without dying? What then?"
Emily's eyes seem to pick her apart piece by piece, laying out the contents of her soul and finding even the deepest laid secrets within her. "Then you two must prepare yourselves," she advised ominously, that infamous Bennett determination shining through. "And I will help."
"We, will help," another voice amended, footsteps clicking on hardwood floors.
•••••• ••••••
Rudy Hopkins was more ghost than human, here then gone in moments, and even when he was there with his quick wit and keen eyes, he was never quite fully corporal. Always with one foot out of the door moments after he had arrived. Never completely present long enough for the interactions to have much meaning. It was an experience one might have with the dead, the ghosts that were always roaming, stuck in the past and unable to interact with the living.
Only, Rudy was fully able and breathing.
Capable of providing financial support and being the hardest working person at his job. Only to come home and not even bother to connect to his daughters past superficial conversations.
And the girls were used to this, had to get used to this, growing up quickly with bruises on their hearts when they realized they would have no stable family unit outside of each other. Always counting down precious minutes, swallowing down hope for change in his behavior and watching as he either drowned in work at home or eagerly escaped to another place for a work trip.
Today happened to be the former, unluckily for them, as they stuffed mud soaked pajamas into the wash, protected from the chill of the night in their fluffy robes. Their conversation slowed to a halt when they heard the opening and closing of a door, and eventually footsteps that creaked and echoed in the dead of night.
"Hey, thought you two were knocked out. I know your grandmother is. How'd the game go?" Rudy inquired, inquisitive eyes scanning around the cramped laundry room, as though an answer would appear in the darkness of the room.
"Fine, it was fine," Bonnie lied, a tight smile on her face that belied the stress of everything that had happened. Her sister, bless her soul, though was surprisingly good at hiding her own feelings, was absolutely horrible at lying.
It was embarrassing.
"We just had to have our own private party," she started, razor sharp smile that wavered in its intensity but got its point across. "We snorted hard cocaine before we practiced some ancestral witchcraft. You know, normal teenage girl stuff."
Bonnie hit her with a half-dry blouse, its sharp edged sparkles nearly snagging on the fabric of her fuzzy purple robe. "Not funny," her sister said, side eyeing her as though her jokes were ever going to be taken seriously.
She could confess her love of hentai in complete seriousness and still be treated like a joke. It was the downfall of always being as funny as she was, one just assumes a clown never leaves their clown shoes at home on occasion.
"I see you've been spending more time with your grandmother," he noted, tone dry and yep, he didn't believe not a word out of her mouth.
Mission accomplished folks, all is good in the hood — damn, why was everything moving? Holy shit, did she become so powerful in one night that she could now feel the turn of the earth?
"I am a god," she mumbled, ignoring the 'bitch, the fuck' look her sister sent her.
She placed her hand on the mint green painted walls, looking around in amazement at her new p— oh, never mind, she was just sleep deprived and got hit with vertigo.
Thankfully, no one seemed to verbally question her lapse in sanity.
Rudy held a mug in his hands, piping hot and wafting the faint smell ginger as he leaned against the doorway. "I missed a call from the school's secretary, Mrs. Clarke, some hours ago," he said, taking a sip and pausing to take in the look on their faces. "Do either of you have any idea as to why she was calling?"
She bit her lip, sharing a look with her sister that communicated a whole conversation within minutes. They couldn't hide this entire night from him, it was inevitable he would find out eventually. He was absent and emotionally negligent, but he wasn't fucking stupid. Sadly.
"Our history teacher," Bonnie started, but couldn't finish, her hazel eyes dimming and lips turning downward in a harsh twist. "Mr. Tanner was rushed to the hospital before the game could even start. We don't know if he's going to survive the night."
Bonnie almost killed their father that night, and she could only watch as he nearly met his Maker via choking on heartburn relief tea.
….It was kinda funny.
She could understand that those were alarming words to hear form your kids and no, she didn't want him to actually get WASTED the GTA way — funerals were expensive, endlessly long, and exhausting; the three E's, if you will. He didn't know all that though, and so the near hysterical cackles that slipped from her mouth were probably not appropriate and definitely not appreciated if the looks she was getting were anything to go by.
Bonnie patted his back gently, offering him her long abandoned water bottle like the sane daughter she proclaimed to be.
"Damn," he said after clearing his throat, his perpetual frown already deepening. "Tanner was barely in his forties, what the hell happened?"
"It was an animal attack," Nova lied, y'know, like a lying liar. Sam and Dean's mummy on fire. "They've been happening a lot more lately."
She couldn't help but tense when her father grew deadly still at her words. His eyes were full of emotions that she couldn't even put a name to before he put on his best poker face, the kind that's won him countless of game nights.
... sus, so very suspicious.
"Are you girls alright? You didn't get hurt by this.. animal, did you?" Rudy inquired, looking them over head to toe.
"We're fine," the twins lied, in unison this time with their horrible lies. Thankfully, their father let it go for now, bidding them goodnight after making sure that all the doors and windows were locked in a near obsessive manner.
Again with the suspicious behavior, it was obvious something was up with her Darth Father and she wouldn't rest until she got answers— or grew bored.
"Looks like we have a mystery on our hands gang," she said, turning to address an nonexistent audience before she giggled her way to bed.
Notes:
/) /)
(•-•) - for you my dear reader 3
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