Two months had passed. I had been two months since Jenna and John had died and two months since Klaus had taken Stefan away. Even though Stefan wasn't here anymore, it was still a pretty quiet two months. Not much had happened in Mystic Falls. I got up and looked at the time. It was Elena's birthday. I then realized what the problem was. We were late for work. I shook Anna awake.
"We need to get dressed now." I told her as I began to look for my pants. They had to be around somewhere. I couldn't believe that I became a girl before I had my first job.
"Tell me again why we're both working at the Grill?" She asked as she looked through her dresser. We probably should have set our alarm. I was a little bit hungover but I couldn't let that stop me from going into work. It was more of a necessity than anything. I wasn't sure why Elena wasn't working though.
"Because we have bills to pay and I don't want to ruin my trust fund." I pointed out as I started to undress.
Elena then came in as we were in the middle of changing. The downside of living in a house of three teenage (even though one is a vampire/werewolf hybrid) girls was that no one knocked. It was still polite to do so.
"We need some privacy." I declared with a blush on my face.
"I just wanted to see if you were up because Matt called." She explained after closing the door. "You two are late."
"We know that." I replied.
Within a few minutes, the two of us stepped out, both dressed in our uniforms. There were definitely worse things that we could wear to work. One thing that I thought about trying since I died was seeing if Katherine's compulsion was still in effect. Though, at this point, it probably wasn't even worth it to tell anyone else because everyone remembered me as Mary, and I didn't think that I even wanted to change back anymore. After being a girl for over a year, I had gotten used to it and I didn't think that I would want to have to learn how to be a guy again.
We headed to the Grill in my car. We were both waitresses. Technically we weren't supposed to be, but Mayor Lockwood specifically gave exception to us because of our current living situation. We just had to get one of the older employees to take alcohol to the tables. I was trying to get Ric to be our guardian. Technically, he was the only parental figure that I had left since he wasn't divorced from Isobel.
I saw Caroline as I was preparing to head into in the building.
"So is Elena still trying to bail on her party?" She asked. I hadn't heard anything about Elena trying to bail on her party. She was about to turn 18 and I couldn't think of a reason why she wouldn't want to celebrate it.
"I don't know." I remarked. "We talked for about five seconds this morning."
"Well I do have something else." She declared. She stated.
"Another lead?" I questioned. I had Sheriff Forbes looking into anything that could lead me to finding out where Stefan was. It was kind of a favor for shooting my sister.
"It was an animal attack in Memphis." Caroline explained. "It doesn't mean that Klaus and Stefan are involved in it, though."
"I would put money on them being involved." I stated. I didn't really have extra money to bet, though. "Can you have her drop it off?"
We walked inside and prepared for our shifts. The restaurant was just opening, so we weren't too late, but the two of us were supposed to help open and we obviously hadn't done that.
"There you are." Matt replied. "I need you to switch sections with me."
"Why?" I asked. I didn't even know where my section was yet.
"Because Caroline and Tyler just sat down in mine, and I don't feel like waiting on my ex-girlfriend!" He answered. It sounded like he wasn't over her.
I sighed and headed outside. Technically outside really wasn't anybody's section, but I assumed the table had been assigned to Matt and he didn't want to take it. It was a beautiful day, and I wished that I didn't have to be working, but I would get a break later.
"Hey, guys." I greeted the two of them. They looked surprised to see me. They were probably expecting Matt. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
"Did Matt ask you to switch sections with him?" Caroline questioned before she looked at Tyler. "He thinks that we're dating."
"So does my mother." Tyler added. That was news to me because I thought that they were dating as well.
"Wait, you two aren't dating?" I asked.
"No, we're just friends. There's no way that we'd ever work as a couple." Caroline told me. It seemed like she wasn't giving herself enough credit. I did think that she didn't seem like Tyler's type. Usually, he didn't go for smart girls, but maybe the two of them bonded or something.
I got an hourlong break and I knew that I needed to use it to go to the boarding house. They had to still give me a break since I was a minor. I walked inside and began to look for Damon. I went into his room, and he wasn't there. It would be a pretty bad time for him to be out of the house.
"Hi." He greeted me. I turned around and saw more of Damon than I ever wanted to. I blushed and turned around with a very bright blush on my face.
"You know you should really learn to knock." He quipped as he came in front of me wearing a towel. That wasn't much better, but at least it was something. "What if I was indecent? So what can I do for you, Working Girl?"
"I got another lead from Sheriff Forbes." I explained as I held out the piece of paper.
"You mean you got another dead-end." He countered as he came over and took it from me. Thankfully he was wearing a towel.
"You don't know that." I argued. He didn't seem like he was that interested in finding his brother. "Stop being so pessimistic."
"How about you stop being so optimistic?" He challenged. He was once again getting on my nerves. "Or maybe I should try it? This is going to be the one place that we find Stefan and can convince him to come home."
"Fuck you." I told him as I headed to the doorway. I really didn't have the time for his crap. "I'm going back to work."
When I got back, I needed to vent, and I decided Anna would be the person I vented to. I also needed to get some food. Fortunately, I was able to get some of that from work.
"It feels like I have to fight with Damon every time I bring him a lead." I stated between putting some fries in my mouth.
"Did you ever think that maybe Damon doesn't want to find him?" She asked. I had but I couldn't find a reason for it.
"That doesn't make any sense though." I pointed out. "Stefan is in this mess because of him. If I had gotten Elena into a mess like this, I would do whatever I could to get her back. If I didn't have to work, I would go there myself."
"Well I don't understand how Damon thinks." She replied. "I do know that going looking for him for him would be a bad idea since my dad thinks you're dead and might try to kill you again. I wonder if he even knows that I'm a hybrid."
"So do you have any idea what I should wear to Elena's party tonight?" I asked. "Her 18th birthday is kind of a big deal, even though Bonnie can't be here."
"Well I do think that not a lot of people will be paying much attention to you, so it's probably okay to wear whatever you want." She pointed out as I rolled my eyes. "Is this going to be one of those nights where you get drunk?"
"That's pretty much every night that I don't have to work the next morning." I pointed out. Though, I wasn't acting the same as when my parents died because I really wasn't as sad. I also had the trouble of trying to live in a new body. "It works even better since I found the perfect hangover cure."
"That's probably not healthy." She replied. "For someone who doesn't want to be a vampire, you're tempting fate a lot."
"I was talking about vervain." I stated in shock. She looked at me in surprise. "It turns out that it cures hangovers. Who knew? So what are you are going to wear?"
"Well I'm just glad that I don't get hangovers." She remarked. "I'm going to wear a dress and it would probably be a good idea for you to wear one too."
"So can you just change into a wolf any time that you want?" I asked her. I wanted to know about that. Some werewolves could do that like the ones in New Moon or Blood and Chocolate.
"I mean I haven't tried doing it. I don't think it's a good idea for me to try it." She pointed out.
That night, I decided to wear a red sequin party dress and heels. I really wished that I could have shown Stefan what he was missing. I had heard of the idea of a revenge body, even though my body wasn't that different. I still thought that I looked hot though. I was comfortable enough in my body that I wasn't afraid to wear something a little sexy every now and then. Elena was upstairs. Damon was going to help her make an entrance. We were currently waiting for her. I already had a glass of bourbon in my hand when Anna came over to me.
"I got you something." She told me. What she gotten me? Why had she gotten me something? I then thought that maybe I should just let her finish so she could tell me.
"You're supposed to get something for the birthday girl, not her sister." I quipped.
"Well, this is something that I figured that you'd want more." She replied as she pulled out my necklace. Klaus had thrown it into the quarry during the sacrifice, probably because he was irritated with it being in the way of my neck. "Damon found this and gave it to me to give back to you."
"Thank you." I told her softly. It was at that moment that I couldn't help but realize how beautiful she was. I wanted to kiss her. She then walked behind me and placed it around my neck, just like Stefan had when he had first given it to me.
"So, what did you get for Elena?" She asked me.
"Oh, I got her this nice perfume that she wanted." I explained, no longer in my daze. I was pretty sure that I was already beginning to get drunk. "So, do you have any plans for the party?
"No, I haven't done much as far as relationships since Tina and I broke up." She remarked.
"Why did the two of you break up anyway?" I asked. I had never really gotten an answer to that.
"You should probably ask her. I'm pretty sure that she'll have a different answer than me." She declared. "I'm not bitter at it though. I've been through breakups before. There is just one problem. I've been really aroused lately. Well, I kind of always am and being a teenager makes it worse. It's one reason why it would probably be better for you to wait to become a vampire."
"I just have a feeling that it's not going to be something that I end up having any control over when it happens." I stated. "I don't want to be like Isobel."
"You will never be like Isobel." She promised me. "Just because she technically gave birth to you doesn't mean anything. You know I think that you could use fun right about now. Let's dance."
She grabbed me and began to spin me around. There was no denying that dancing with her was always fun. I guess one of the best parts was that she loved to do it and she loved to do it without me asking first. I really did feel like I was gliding along the clouds.
So, after we finished dancing to strange European pop songs about sex, I decided to get another drink. It was then that I noticed that there was a stoner group. I also found Caroline.
"Is that my sister over there?" I asked. I wasn't sure why she was hanging out with stoners. She told me that she didn't like being with Vicki's stoner friends.
"Yes, and I'm pretty sure that's Matt over there with her." Caroline stated. I couldn't believe that my sister was a druggie. I supposed that it did explain why she was eating so much. I couldn't help but wonder if she was using drugs to cope with the fact that she had been shot and then brought back to life. "I've driven him to drugs."
"And apparently Bonnie being gone and Jenna dying has done the same to Elena." I replied. "Or maybe it has to do with being shot."
"Hey guys." Matt said with a chuckle as he walked over to us. I wasn't sure if I should do anything. It was Elena's birthday, and she could get high if she wanted to. The biggest issue was that she was making it difficult to maintain a buzz. It was kind of like when Stefan was having his blood issues. I hated the fact that I always felt like I needed to watch out for everyone. She would definitely be able to eat as much cake as she wanted.
I also noticed that while Caroline and Tyler weren't dating, she definitely wanted to date him because she compelled the school slut to leave Tyler alone. I couldn't believe that Tyler had brought her to the party even he wouldn't be able to get herpes as a werewolf. Did he really want it that bad?
"So, what are you drinking tonight?" Tina asked me. She had a cup of beer in her hand.
"I think it's Jim Bean or something." I replied. "I honestly don't care about what's on the label as long as what's in the bottom tastes good? So why did you and Anna break up?"
"I mean there was the fact that her father is a super powerful vampire that could easily kill me. And I don't think that I want to date a vampire. Have you ever thought about going to Alcoholics Anonymous?" She questioned. Was kind of question was that?
"I'm not an alcoholic. I just like to drink." I stated. "Honestly, I'm no worse than Ric or Damon."
"I'm pretty sure that both of them are alcoholics too." She remarked. She was really starting to make me mad.
"I don't need anyone to judge me, especially someone who's had a DUI." I pointed out.
"I've been to the meetings and while I don't consider myself to be an alcoholic. I think that you are." She replied. Why would she go to meetings if she didn't think that she was an alcoholic unless she was in denial.
"I don't need to hear any of this anymore!" I replied as I charged upstairs.
I wasn't an alcoholic. I just had a lot of issues because nearly every member of my family was dead. In my opinion, I was handling it pretty well because a lot of people would have gone insane. I opened the door to Damon's room because he was picking up his girlfriend that I was pretty sure that he felt nothing for. In fact I even forgot that he had a girlfriend sometimes.
"This room is occupied!" Caroline shouted. I walked in to see that she was chowing on a blood bag. "Sorry, I thought were some random."
"What's going on with you and Tyler?" I asked. I needed to get some answers there.
"Nothing's going on between us." She replied.
"Caroline, you compelled a girl that was going to sleep with him to go away." I stated. "You like him. It's okay to like him."
"We're two different species. We're all wrong for each other." She declared. I knew that they didn't make a lot of sense, but I was pretty sure that the attraction was there.
"All I am hearing is reasons why not." I remarked before I noticed something strange about the room. "Has that whiteboard always been there?
"I don't think so." Caroline replied before we turned to look at the back of it.
I was shocked. It was basically a list of every lead that I had given him, and some other ones that I hadn't, but they were pretty much all animal attacks. Pretty much all of them were on the East Coast, going as far as Tennessee.
"What is all of this?" Caroline asked. Had she not looked at some of the stuff that her mother had given me?
"It's what I've been giving Damon." I replied. "He's been looking for Stefan without me. I can't believe that he's been looking without me."
Needless to say, I was pissed when he finally got back. I found him outside.
"What are you doing out here?" He asked.
"When were you going to show me your secret collection of leads that I had been giving you?" I countered.
"It's nothing but a bunch of dead ends." He replied.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were keeping track of Klaus's victims?" I yelled.
"Because they're not Klaus's victims, they're Stefan's." He explained. No, there was no way that Stefan could have killed all of those people.
"What?" I responded in shock.
"Stefan's flipped the switch." He added. "He's killing people and he's liking it. I just got back from him killing my girlfriend. He doesn't want to be found."
"No, that can't be true." I denied.
"He's gone, Mary, and the sooner that you accept it the better." He told me.
At that point, I heard a gun go off and saw that Damon had been shot. I saw that there was a deputy standing there with a gun in his hand. What was going on?
"The sheriff says that you're untouchable. I disagree." He declared.
"No." I replied as I went over to try to get the gun away from him. Even though I was mad at Damon, I didn't want him to die. I then heard a second shot and realized that I had accidentally fired and hit the deputy. Because he had used a wooden bullet, it basically killed him instantly. That was why gun manufactures stopped using wooden bullets. I had just killed someone. First, I had to get the bullet out of Damon and then he was able to bury the guy.
I walked out of his room and made sure to grab another bottle. I had to find Anna because she was my ride home. I also couldn't help but wonder if Elena had gotten home safe. I'd never been high before, but I was pretty sure that you weren't supposed to operate a vehicle while you were high. I found Anna was downstairs.
"You look like you're having a rough night." She commented.
"Well Damon basically doesn't even care about finding Stefan anymore and Elena is a druggie, and people are judging me for drinking and I just killed a guy. Have you seen Ric?" I asked.
"He said that he wasn't going to be staying over anymore." She replied. "He wanted to move on with his own life. What do you mean you killed a guy?
"A deputy was trying to kill Damon and I accidentally shot him. You see this is why we need to have jobs." I explained. "We're the only ones that can take care of ourselves. I really want to go home now. Can we go home?"
"So, are you going to stop looking for Stefan?" She asked. "I mean you still love him, don't you?"
"I don't know." I answered. "I mean, yes, I love him, but I don't know if he's going to come back ever."
"Well maybe we should go home and sleep on it." She suggested before she took me to her car. I was pretty sure that she had only had a few drinks.
Once we got home, I noticed that Elena and Matt were eating ice cream in the kitchen. It was a little bit funny to see. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that they were back together, but I was pretty sure that they weren't on a count of Elena being a lesbian. I was pretty sure that Matt didn't have romantic feelings for her anymore and I didn't think she ever had them for him.
A little later, I was getting changed for bed while Anna was brushing her teeth. I always wondered if vampires liked to have their fangs nice and sharp or if she did it just to seem human. I was happy that becoming a hybrid really didn't seem to change her that much. She was still the same person that she was before. The truth was that I had been thinking about her a lot lately and probably in ways that a best friend shouldn't. I thought about trying to move on from Stefan and I was pretty sure that she would be the perfect person to do it with it. She was someone who loved herself and didn't have any problems with what she was, and I didn't have any problems with it either.
I then noticed that my phone was ringing. It was from an unknown number, but I answered it anyway. I knew that I probably shouldn't but for some reason, I felt like I should.
"Hello?" I answered. There was no response. It was then that I was hit with an idea. I couldn't help but wonder if he was calling me, but he didn't want to say anything, possibly because he didn't want Klaus to know about or possibly because he couldn't find the words to say. "Who is this? Stefan? Stefan if this is you, I want you to know that I still believe in you and I still love you. I won't stop until we can be together again."
So Mary had to save Damon's life and also she met a new witch. Secret Circle doesn't get a lot of representation anymore. What challenges will Mary face going forward? Please don't forget to review.