ACT ONE; INITIATE CONTACT
SCENE FIVE; TEAM PLAYER
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SALEM TYPICALLY COMES INTO THE SCHOOL ON SATURDAY TO STRAIGHTEN UP HER CLASSROOM AND PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK. Today is no different, though she feels rougher than usual. After yesterday's ordeal she hadn't slept more than two or three hours total, instead laying in her temporary bed at the boarding house wondering how she'd ended up in this mess so quickly.

As usual, there's only a few other people at the school; the custodians, and a few other teachers that are planning ahead, too, so they can have part of the weekend to themselves.

Salem greeted the eleventh grade algebra teacher on her way to her classroom, but didn't stay long to talk. She had far too much on her mind to hold a normal conversation with someone, especially with the last 48 hours playing on repeat in her mind.

When she reaches her classroom, the next part of her routine comes naturally and she's happy to let her mind drift to the busywork of wiping down the tables and planning out the next week's assignments and projects.

The tension seems to bleed out of her shoulders finally as she sits at her desk and scribbles down random ideas she could spring on the students, as she had a preferred method of improvisation when it came to lesson planning. Just as she lets out a quiet sigh, the sound of a knock on her door has her twisting in her chair, shoulders straightening out defensively.

Her eyes narrow into a glare when she sees Alaric standing in the doorway and she pushes to her feet, lunging for him in a swift movement. She grabs him by his jacket and drags him in the classroom, slamming him up against the door to shut it. Her eyes burn yellow and the wisps of her magic bleed from her fingertips into the fabric of his shirt where her nimble fingers are wrapped up in it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?"

"Shit, no– no," Alaric winces, tilting his head back against the door. "It's me, Salem. It's Ric, I swear. No funny business."

Salem's grip loosens just a bit and she tilts her head back, looking up at him suspiciously. "How do I know it's really you?"

The man licks his lips nervously, swallowing roughly. "Okay, um, remember that one time when you first started working here, I wasn't with Jenna yet and we were in my classroom after hours–"

"Okay! Okay, that's enough." She lets go of him, feeling warmth bloom in the apples of her cheeks. "We agreed to never talk about that because it's weird now that you're with Jenna."

Alaric chuckles breathlessly, but nods in agreement. "I know." His eyes dart to her hands, where the yellow hue has disappeared, and when he meets her gaze again his eyes are soft with guilt. "I don't– I don't remember what I did, it's like I blacked out for three days and just woke up."

Her eyes soften with pity, and a wry smile pulls at her lips. "If it's any consolation, I thought you were a vampire and lied to me about it. I was pissed." He looks at her incredulously, and she shrugs, somewhat embarrassed of her defensiveness. "How was I supposed to know?"

They both share a laugh at that, the utter disbelief of their lives that have somehow been intertwined this whole time without them even knowing it, breaking the last of the remaining tension that had been lingering between them.

She takes a seat at her desk and Alaric pulls a chair up from a table, dropping his head into his hands with a groan. "Why didn't you tell me about it?" He lifts his head as he asks the question, eyes dropping to her hands for a moment before he meets her gaze.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He lets out a sigh of defeat. "Yeah, okay, fair. It's just a little weird to think we could've had this all out in the open when we first met."

Salem echoes his sigh, letting out one of her own. "Well, it's not every day you tell your best friend that you're a witch and a werewolf, and the only one of your kind. And my mom always drilled it into my head that I shouldn't tell anyone, because it might be the wrong person and I could end up dead because of it. I never had any problems growing up here, and I didn't think there were any vampires left in town, let alone a secret vampire-killing council."

She scoffs lightly. "Seems like I should be keeping it a secret now more than ever, honestly. I can't imagine they'd be happy finding out that I'm basically a ticking time bomb that's been under their noses this whole time."

Alaric huffs, nodding in agreement. "The Council has become a little... trigger happy, since Stefan and Damon came back to town. It definitely doesn't help now that Carol Lockwood knows about Tyler."

"Knows what about Tyler?" Salem tilts her head, brows furrowing in confusion.

"Damon didn't tell you? He's a werewolf, Salem."

Salem's eyes widen and she leans forward. "What about Carol, then? If she's a werewolf, why is she in the hospital right now?"

Alaric shakes his head, confusion blossoming on his face. "Carol isn't a werewolf, it comes from Tyler's dad's side– why is Carol in the hospital right now?"

"I don't know, it was on the news this morning before I left to come here. Apparently she fell and hurt herself, or something."

"Did they say if she was gonna be okay?"

Salem shakes her head slowly. "No, but I'm sure she'll be fine. It must just add insult to injury with Tyler up and disappearing, though. But, now that I know about the werewolf thing, I kind of get why he'd disappear. I wouldn't exactly feel safe staying with someone who thinks I'm a monster, even if she was my mom."

Alaric furrows his eyebrows and sinks into the seat a bit, giving Salem a questioning look. "Yeah, but he'd come back to see her, right? All hurt feelings aside, she's all he's got left."

The woman hums, shrugging a shoulder. "One would think, but I can't say I know what goes on inside a teenage boy's head, let alone a teenage werewolf's head."

Alaric nods in agreement. "Yeah, but,"

He pauses, wiping a hand over his scruffy face. "Let's say that Tyler does come back to town– he's putting himself at risk just showing up here."

"Risk for..." She trails off, urging him to elaborate.

"Klaus needs a werewolf for the ritual he's gotta do,"

Realization dawns on Salem. "Right, so he can become a true hybrid, or whatever. Katherine told me about that while I was with her at your place. He needs a vampire for it, too, right?"

Alaric nods in confirmation. "There's plenty to choose from, he could have his pick. But werewolves– they're rare. They don't just come along. If Klaus knows about Tyler, he could be planning to take him."

"I mean, yeah, but how would Klaus even know about Tyler? Especially now that he's run off to God knows where,"

Alaric's frown deepens at her question and they fall into silence for a short moment, running through the thoughts in their minds.

After a minute, Salem's eyes widen and she slaps her palm down on her desk. "Carol fell and hurt herself this morning, the full moon is literally tomorrow, that can't be a coincidence."

"What, you think Klaus orchestrated Carol's accident?"

"From what I've heard about him, I wouldn't put it past him. He's had a lot of time to get this right, Ric. I think he'd do just about anything to make sure he's got what he needs, including hurting his mom to flush him out of wherever he's been hiding."

"You're right– shit," Alaric mutters the curse, pulling out his phone as he stands up.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Calling Damon," Alaric pushes her by the shoulder as she stands up to follow him, a pleading look suddenly falling over her face. "You're staying here."

Salem scoffs. "I'm almost positive that we just talked about how I can protect myself, considering the whole hybrid thing."

"I know," He huffs. "I know you can. But considering you barely escaped Klaus last time, I wouldn't push my luck trying to do it another time. Just stay here, please? I promise I won't ask you again."

Salem glares, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm not staying here, but I won't go with you."

"Salem,"

"I was leaving anyway!" She throws her hands up defensively. "I'll go to the Grill, and you can meet me there when you're done doing whatever it is you're doing, okay?"

Alaric sighs before reluctantly nodding in agreement. "Yeah, alright, fine. Call me if something happens, though."

"I will," She nods, before crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not happy about this, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Alaric shakes his head, turning to walk out of her classroom. "But at least you're safe."

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Salem stepped out of the bathroom at the Grill, only to be immediately pushed back inside. She made a noise of surprise before her breath was knocked from her lungs as she was shoved against the wall. Her eyes snapped open from where she'd flinched them shut, and she finds herself staring up into unfamiliar blue-gray eyes that glare down at her.

"You keep managing to escape me, which is something not many people can do," The man's accented voice is low and gravelly, and Salem inhales sharply at the realization of who it is.

"You're Klaus, I take it?"

The man smirks slightly, tightening his grip on where he's got her arms pinned against the wall. "Lovely to meet you in my real body, I suppose. Though it was awfully fun playing friends with you in your teacher's body."

Salem grunts, pushing against his grip to no avail. "Not very polite of you to go around possessing people, though. I wouldn't have minded meeting you in your real body from the start."

Klaus's eyes burn with smugness and satisfaction, and he tilts his head down at her, eyeing her closely. "You're good at the innocent art teacher facade, but I see through it. You're practically radiating power, Salem. What good will it do you, playing for the other team?"

"I'm not playing for any team, I just don't want anyone to end up dead on my watch."

"How kind of you," He hums, eyes roaming over her face. "You'll end up dead that way."

"Because of you?"

"That's always an option, if you want it to be," He smirks, grip loosening ever so slightly. "But I think I'd have far more use of you alive."

Salem scoffed, pushing against his grip again, though uselessly. She figured if he was going to kill her he'd have done it already, so the fight she was putting up was just for show. "I'm not going to be your puppet, Klaus. Even I know I'm way too powerful to be an evil minion."

"No, no," He shakes his head, taking on a condescending tone. "Of course not. I'd have much bigger plans for you, if you decided to join me."

"Bigger plans, huh? Care to share?"

"I can't reveal all of my secrets now, can I?"

She sighs, clenching her hands into fists at her side, silently resenting the fact that her curiosity is piqued, a fact that she's sure he is also very aware of. "I guess not."

He hums, his eyes locking onto hers and piercing through her two-toned irises into the crevices of her mind. "You don't strike me as the type to self-sacrifice,"

Salem huffs a cold laugh, shaking her head against the wall. "Oh, really? You don't think I'm capable of a suicide mission?"

"No, I think you're plenty capable. I just don't think you'd actually do it," He seems to be set on this ideal, like he has any idea of the kind of person she is. Salem is loath to admit that he's right, though. She would never sacrifice herself.

"So, what," She breathes out. "Just because I don't play martyr, you want me on your team? You don't even know me."

"I don't have to know you to know that you're powerful," He says, almost deadpanning it like it should be an obvious thing. "I don't take kindly to threats, and you seem to be the biggest one here. So, you have two options. You join me and live, or you go against me and die."

Salem scoffs and he reaffirms his words by pushing her back against the wall, taking away the little leeway he'd unintentionally given her throughout the conversation. She grunts at the force of it again and flicks her eyes up to his, glaring at him from beneath her lashes.

"Make your decision soon, teacher. After I finish my ritual, I don't plan on staying in town."

Salem can barely take in a breath before he's suddenly gone, and she drops her head back against the wall with a soft groan. "Shit,"

She pushes off the wall and swings the bathroom door open, finally walking out past a girl that was pushing her way into the bathroom. Her eyes scanned the familiar surroundings of the Mystic Grill, and she let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Alaric and Damon sitting at the bar, looking worse for wear.

Walking up between them, Salem grabs the tumbler of bourbon Damon had sitting before him and threw it back with a wince as the burn traveled down into her empty stomach. She set the glass back down on the bar with a dull thud and looked between the two men.

"So," She clears her throat. "I just had a super fun conversation with Klaus in the bathroom, which is not how I pictured our first meeting going."

Damon groans softly, pinching the bridge of his nose as Alaric suddenly signals for another round from the bartender.

"What'd he say to you?" Ric gives her a once over, seemingly scanning her for injuries that wouldn't be there anymore even if they'd existed in the first place.

Salem pauses, weighing her head back and forth as she grabs the freshly poured drink that was set down in front of her. "Oh, the same thing he said to you guys, I'm sure. Gotta cover all his bases."

She doesn't tell them about his offer, because she knows it would just rile Ric up, and she really doesn't want him to get himself killed doing something stupid.

"Look," Heaving a sigh, Salem finishes the rest of her drink and steps back, looking at Damon and Ric. "I know this is all really bad, but I haven't been involved in this shit since I was born, alright? And no offense to all of you, but I don't plan on getting myself killed any time soon. I can recognize a loss when I see one, and this is exactly that."

"So, what, you're not gonna help?"

"If you guys can find some way to solve this and my help is required, then yeah– I'll help you out. But I think maybe we should all cut our losses, and think logically."

Damon scoffs. "Logically, like, letting Elena die."

Salem tilts her head at him, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Yeah, if that's what it takes for Klaus to not massacre the whole town."

Her words earn nothing but silence, and she shakes her head, reaching out to pat Ric's arm as she walks behind him. "I'm going home. Come find me if you guys discover a miracle, I guess."

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author's note; i have the next eight chapters of this book already written, so knowing what's coming im just so impatient like sdfsdf

 edited and published; 2.8.23. 

- liz