The day after Adelaide's breakdown at the founder's council party, Jenna had found Adelaide screaming and thrashing in her bedroom. Elena tried her best to calm her down, but nothing seemed to work. It became so grave that they rushed Adelaide to the hospital, her hand severely injured from breaking the mirror in her anguish.

At the hospital, the doctor informed Jenna that Adelaide was likely suffering from post-traumatic shock. He strongly recommended that Adelaide see a therapist to address the trauma she had experienced since the accident. However, Adelaide was adamant that what she truly needed was to confront Damon Salvatore for what he had done to Caroline.

Days passed, and Adelaide found herself sitting on her bed, attempting to catch up on the schoolwork she had missed. It was then that her brother Jeremy walked into her room and sat beside her. Adelaide looked up, noticing the sadness etched on his face.

"Are you okay, Jer?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I'm sorry," Jeremy replied, his voice filled with regret.

Confusion flickered on Adelaide's face. "Sorry for what?"

"For everything," Jeremy sighed heavily. "For fighting with Tyler, for the drugs, for..."

Adelaide quickly covered his mouth with her hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. "This is not your fault, Jer," she insisted, gently cupping his face in her hands. "I need you to understand that, okay?"

Jeremy remained silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Okay," he whispered.

With a soft smile, Adelaide confessed, "There's just something I need to work out. That's all."

"You really scared me," Jeremy admitted, his voice filled with worry.

"I know, but all you need to know is that I´m not going anywhere," she assured him.

"You promise?" Jeremy questioned, seeking reassurance.

"I promise," Adelaide pledged, pulling her brother into a tight embrace. As she felt him hugging her back, a sense of relief washed over her.

Adelaide was leaning against the locker as she waited for the bell to ring for class. She so did not want to be here right now; she felt like everyone was staring at her. She should have known that everyone would find out about her breakdown.

"You okay?" Elena's voice was soft, filled with empathy.

"I feel like everyone is staring at me," Adelaide said as she turned, just as two girls walked past them. One of the girls leaned towards the other and whispered something that made the other girl laugh.

"See!" Adelaide said, pointing her finger at the two girls.

"So, you had a small breakdown. Big deal," Bonnie said as she walked over and linked her arm with Adelaide's. "We still love you."

"Thank you," Adelaide said with a smile on her face.

Elena was looking through the crowd of students until she spotted Caroline. "Hey," Elena said as she turned towards her sister and Bonnie. "Look."

Adelaide turned to see Caroline smiling away as she bossed people around, handing out flyers for the car wash that the cheerleading squad was organizing.

"It's like nothing has happened," Elena told the two girls.

Bonnie shook her head. "She's in denial."

"Hey," Stefan said as he made his way towards the girls.

Bonnie glanced between the Gilbert sisters. "Hey. You know, I gotta go; I gotta be somewhere right now," she said before quickly walking away.

"I'm sorry I haven't called," Stefan apologized as he stared at Elena.

"No worries," Elena shrugged.

"I was dealing with Damon," Stefan explained.

"And did you?" Adelaide questioned. She didn't want Damon anywhere near Caroline.

Stefan nodded. "Yes, I did. I took care of it."

Elena's expression softened as she regarded Stefan. "Four days, Stefan?"

"You have every right to be upset with me," Stefan began, his voice filled with sincerity. He then turned towards Adelaide, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "But I can explain it all to you. The both of you? Please."

Elena shifted her gaze to her sister, silently seeking her counsel. Adelaide met her eyes, and in that shared look, a silent agreement passed between them. It wasn't Stefan's fault that his brother was a dick.

"Sure, when?" Elena finally replied, surprising Stefan with her willingness to listen.

"The Grill, around four o'clock?" Stefan suggested, relief evident in his voice.

"Okay," Elena agreed, a hint of curiosity tugging at her resolve.

As Stefan left, Caroline approached, her cheerful demeanor contrasting with the tension in the air. Elena watched as Caroline's inquiry about Damon fell flat, the truth of his absence sinking in. Stefan's words hung heavy between them, a finality that Caroline struggled to comprehend.

"He's gone, Caroline," Stefan's voice was gentle but firm. "He's not coming back. I'm sorry." With that, he walked away, leaving Caroline grappling with a reality she hadn't been prepared for.

Adelaide reached out to Caroline, offering comfort in the face of disappointment. "It's for the best, Caroline," she said softly, her empathy a balm to Caroline's wounded pride.

Caroline's eyes betrayed her inner turmoil as she confessed, "I just feel so stupid."

"You're anything but stupid," Adelaide reassured her, intertwining their arms as they walked down the hallway of the school.

Adelaide and Matt were hanging out at the grill after school, playing a game of pool. Matt lined up his shot with precision, and just as he was about to take it, Adelaide caught sight of Elena approaching them.

"Is it four already?" Adelaide asked her sister, her eyes flickering towards the clock hanging above the bar.

Elena nodded, checking her watch. "Stefan is not here yet?" she inquired, scanning the area for any sign of their missing friend.

"I haven't seen him," Matt replied, turning to Adelaide, who shook her head in confusion. The trio exchanged puzzled looks, wondering where Stefan could be.

"Why don't you play a game with us, Elena?" Matt suggested, noticing the hesitant expression on her face. "Come on, it's been ages since we played. I'll even let you break."

Elena hesitated for a moment before relenting. "Alright, just until Stefan gets here," she agreed, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Great," Adelaide chimed in, walking around the pool table to grab a pool cue and handing it to Elena. She turned back to face Matt, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Get ready to lose," she taunted playfully.

As the game went on, Elena felt compelled to confide in Matt about the unsettling events that had transpired earlier in the day.

"I woke up this morning to get ready, and there was Vicki, casually hanging out in the bathroom as if it's no big deal that they're hooking up," Elena recounted, her brow furrowed with concern.

Matt nodded, sipping his drink thoughtfully. "Yeah, I have to admit, your brother and my sister-that's a weird combination."

"How late is he?" Matt quizzed.

"Hitting the hour mark. But no red flags yet," Elena informed him, taking another shot.

Suddenly, Elena noticed Matt's intense gaze on her. "Which means I'm not discussing boy problems with you," she declared firmly.

"Good," Matt nodded, grabbing a shot glass. "It's not like we're ever going to be best friends or anything."Adelaide chimed in unexpectedly, "Hi! What about me?"

Elena rolled her eyes at her sister before turning back to Matt. "What do you think of Stefan? Is he a good guy?"

"Why? What has he done now?" Matt questioned, intrigued.

"Not any one thing. He's just secretive all the time. I feel like there's something he doesn't want me to know, which only makes me want to find out more," Elena confessed, her voice tinged with a mix of suspicion and intrigue.

"So, like what? You think he's a serial killer and he keeps a clown suit in his trunk?" Matt joked, a mischievous glint in his eye as he teased Elena.

"Hey, never joke about clowns," Adelaide interjected solemnly, pointing her finger at Matt.

we watched that movie once and you had your eyes closed through half of it?" Matt said as he burst into laughter, recalling the incident.

Elena chuckled at the memory as she reminisced with Adelaide. "She had nightmares for weeks after," Elena recalled, shaking her head in amusement.

"We were talking about Stefan, not me," Adelaide retorted with a grin.

"What do we really know about him?" Elena asked, turning to Matt and her sister with a look of curiosity.

Matt shrugged. "He's great at football, a bit of a loner, and, as much as I hate to admit it, he might actually be a nice guy."

"So, you think I'm being paranoid?" Elena questioned, furrowing her brow. Her gaze shifted as she noticed Stefan walking towards them.

"I think you should talk to him," Adelaide suggested.

"Talk to who?" Stefan's voice chimed in from behind them. "I'm sorry I'm late," he added, a hint of apology in his tone.

"What happened?" Adelaide inquired, her concern evident.

"I got held up," Stefan explained. "There was an issue with my uncle."

"You couldn't have called to let me know you were running late?" Elena's worry seeped into her words.

Matt, sensing the tension, interjected, "Okay, I'm gonna go." He turned to Adelaide. "Call me later?" he requested before walking away.

Adelaide nodded, offering a reassuring smile, "Have fun."

Stefan stepped closer to Elena, a look of sincerity in his eyes. "I'm really sorry. It was unavoidable," he insisted.

"What was unavoidable?" Elena pressed for an answer. When Stefan remained silent, she grabbed her sister's hand and began to lead her towards the entrance of the Grill.

"Elena, please," Stefan called after her, his voice laced with urgency.

Elena turned towards Stefan and said, "No, Stefan, don't you get it?" She shook her head, frustration evident in her eyes. "Every question gets a vague non-answer. What is so awful that you're afraid to tell me?"

Stefan hesitated, his eyes shifting towards the ground as if searching for the right words. But before he could respond, an older man suddenly walked up to the three of them. His presence was unexpected, and his piercing gaze seemed to hold a hint of recognition.

"I know you," the man said quietly, his eyes fixed on Stefan.

Stefan furrowed his brows in confusion. "Sorry?" he questioned, unsure of what the man was referring to.

"I know you. How can that be?" the man persisted, his voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.

Stefan exchanged a puzzled glance with Elena before responding, "I think you have the wrong person, sir. I'm not sure what you mean."

The man's gaze lingered on Stefan, his expression unreadable. "You haven't aged a day," he mumbled, almost to himself.

Stefan stared at the man for a moment before he spoke. "I'm sorry. Excuse me." His voice was calm but his eyes betrayed a hint of unease. He turned towards the sisters, Adelaide and Elena, who were looking between Stefan and the mysterious man with puzzled expressions.

"Hey, can we... Can I take you home and we can talk about it? Okay?" Stefan's words were a mixture of urgency and concern as he gently nudged the two girls towards the entrance of the Grill, a popular hangout spot in their small town.

Before Stefan could push the sisters out the door, Elena pivoted towards him, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Wait. What was that about?" Her tone was firm, demanding an explanation.

Stefan hesitated, his gaze flickering between Elena and Adelaide. "I don't know. Uh, nothing," he muttered, attempting to downplay the encounter with the man who had now disappeared into the crowd.

"Right, nothing," Elena repeated, her voice tinged with skepticism. "Okay. We're going to leave." Without waiting for Stefan's response, Elena gripped Adelaide's arm and swiftly led her out of the Grill.

Adelaide had told Elena to go home and that she would join her soon. There was something she needed to do. Adelaide didn't know how long she had been sitting inside her car, staring up at the Bennett house. "You can do this," she told herself before she finally mustered up the courage to get out of the car and walk up the front porch steps.

She took a deep breath before she knocked on the door. The anticipation was making her heart race, but she knew she had to confront the truth. The door swung open, and Adelaide found herself face to face with the woman she needed to talk to.

"Adelaide?" Sheila Bennett said, her expression showing a mix of surprise and confusion.

"Are Bonnie a witch?" Adelaide blurted out, unable to contain the question that had been gnawing at her for days.

Sheila was taken aback for a moment, but then a knowing look crossed her face. Adelaide held up her hand, signaling for Sheila to hold off on any response.

"If she is, are you one too?" Adelaide pressed on, her voice trembling slightly with a mix of fear and curiosity.

Sheila paused for a moment, studying Adelaide before finally nodding. "Come in," she said, opening the door wider to let Adelaide inside.

As Adelaide stepped into the living room, she felt a wave of emotions crashing over her. Sheila followed her inside and gestured for Adelaide to take a seat on the couch beside her.

"I knew this day would come," Sheila began, her tone filled with a mix of solemnity and reassurance.

Adelaide couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at Sheila's words. "So, you know what's happening to me?" she asked, her voice filled with a mixture of hope and trepidation.

Sheila took Adelaide's hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Yes, I do. And you're not alone in this. You're not crazy, Adelaide."

Adelaide let out a shaky breath, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders at Sheila's words. "Then what is happening to me?" she inquired, her eyes searching Sheila's for answers.

Sheila's gaze held a depth of knowledge and understanding as she spoke, "What do you know about reincarnation?"

"Reincarnation?" Adelaide questioned with a confused look on her face.

Sheila nodded her head before she said, "Yes. Reincarnation."

"Are you talking about people who have been born before?" Adelaide asked. When Sheila nodded her head, she spoke, "What does that have to do with what's happening to me?"

"Wait here," Sheila said as she stood and walked out of the living room. Adelaide didn't know how long she had been waiting before Sheila walked back into the living room holding an old-looking box in her hands.

"This is why," Sheila said as she sat the box down on the coffee table and opened it. "From the moment you were born, I knew you were something special," Sheila said as she pulled out an old photo from inside the box and turned towards Adelaide with a smile on her face. "And when you grew up, I realized just how special you were," she continued as she held out the photo for Adelaide to take.

Adelaide looked at her with a confused look on her face before she took the photo. What she saw made her eyes go wide. "That's me?" Adelaide said as she looked up at Sheila with tears in her eyes.

Sheila shook her head. "Yes and no." She pointed her finger at the photo. "That's Elisabeth Salvatore"

"What did you say?" Adelaide remembered that Stefan had called her by that name at the founder's council party.

"I know what you said," Adelaide cut in as she stood. "This," she said, referring to the photo in her hand, "doesn't mean anything."

"Take a real good look at the photo," Sheila told her, motioning towards the locket Adelaide wore around her neck.

Adelaide looked down at the locket before looking at the photo again. It was the same locket she was wearing. "How old is this photo?" Adelaide asked as she sat back down on the couch.

"Around 155 years old," Sheila told her as she reached out for the box, closed it, and held it out for Adelaide to take. "It belongs to you," she said, noticing the confused look on Adelaide's face.

"What?" Adelaide questioned.

"Everything inside this box belongs to Elisabeth Salvatore."

"Then why do you have it?" Adelaide asked.

"I don't know. It was amongst some of my Great-Great-Great-Great grandma's things," Sheila explained.

"What was her name?" Adelaide inquired.

"Emily Bennett."

"Emily," Adelaide said as she ran her fingers over the box with a smile on her face. Adelaide looked towards Sheila. "I think I knew her."

"I do too. And when you remember everything, you must tell me everything about her," Sheila said.

"Do you think I will remember?" Adelaide asked.

"You are already starting to remember," Sheila said with a smile, but the smile quickly vanished from her face. "You must promise me you can never tell anyone about me and Bonnie," Sheila told her with a serious look.

"What?" Adelaide asked with a raised eyebrow as she saw the smirk on Adelaide's face.

"So if you're witches, does that mean that Emily was one too?" Adelaide questioned.

Sheila shook her head before she said, "Yes."