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↳ 002, summer, week 1

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"𝐈 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔" was the first thing she said once stepping in front of the handsome stranger sitting in a tall chair next to a booth. Heat flushed her skin and she felt dizzy with his eyes on her and she had to reach up to brush the hair sticking to her cheeks away. "You bought drinks for my friends over there--" She looked behind her and dropped her outstretched arm that was searching for Naya with a pointed finger. "Anyways, I remember seeing you."

You sound pathetic. Absolutely embarrassing.

He smiled at her, looking down with a light laugh that spilled out from his lips like a chorus of angels singing, or perhaps they were just demons masquerading as something greater.

"Sorry," she murmured, rubbing the back of her neck and hoping she didn't look as sweaty as she felt. "I thought that you were--maybe--" She sighed, clearly embarrassed. Why couldn't she form a single sentence or thought so suddenly? "--I thought you were smiling at me before."

"I was."

Her lips parted but no sound escaped her. His voice was deep and his accent was burned into her ears and she could swear to everyone and everything that the sound of his voice would haunt her in her dreams, dark and alluring and so, so tempting.

"Oh," she blurted, forcefully closing her mouth shut.

You let him go with Naya, now it's your turn. Take what you want. Stop being so pathetic.

"Don't look so shocked," he mused and she noticed the necklaces layered against his chest and her heart fluttered. Beaded and leather and one silver with a dangling cross. He brought a hand up and brushed his knuckles across his scruffy chin and she wondered how it would feel to have his light stubble brush against the insides of her thighs.

"I was surprised," he murmured and she watched the silver rings across his fingers glint in the strange, dim orange and yellow lights, "to see you here, especially since the time I saw you last was so...disappointingly interrupted."

"Disappointing?"

He nodded with another soft laugh. "I had had my eyes on you for the majority of the night before that friend of yours intercepted me."

She smiled, feeling as if she were no longer controlling her body or her reactions. The alcohol was helping, pushing her towards him in a way only lovers would. "Are you saying she didn't entertain you well enough, hmm?"

She could see the light chest hair peeking up from his unbuttoned long sleeve, the henley clinging to his skin in such a devilish way she thought she would surely topple over from the sight alone.

Do you feel it, too? This strange connection? This sense of longing?

"Clearly not well enough, since the fates have brought us together once again." He leaned forward, only slightly, to whisper, "I wanted a chance to say hello, without her getting in between." His eyes moved to something over her shoulder and she looked behind her, noticing Naya with her eyes on them like a hawk as she clung to Dean.

She reached for his drink, bringing it up to her lips with a grin. She tasted whiskey and although it disgusted her, she couldn't turn back now and drank a sip. Licking her lips, she passed the glass back to him and said, "Well, mysterious stranger, you have me all to yourself. Care to buy me a proper drink?"

She couldn't remember the last time, if there was a time at all, when she had been this confident in herself. When she'd approached a man she didn't already know in hopes of getting something out of it. Would he turn her away? Or would he welcome her?

Would he open his chest and allow her to take refuge inside?

"Mine not to your liking?"

"You don't have to get me one, we can keep sharing," she murmured with a small smile as she made a move to sit down across from him.

He stood and she got a full grasp at how stunning he was. He had broad shoulders and as her eyes traveled further over him, she could see the muscles in his arms as well as his legs. He leaned forward to her with the wisps of a grin and murmured into her ear, "Lucky for you," she felt his breath against the shell of her ear and nearly shivered, "I don't like sharing."

He motioned with his head and she saw what he was referring to and almost doubled over in glee. Naya was glaring, her eyes unwavering like a beast ready to pounce and shred it's prey apart. Colette gave her a small smile and welcomed it, all the pain that would follow.

Come on, she taunted. I'm ready for you. I'm not scared.

Tear me apart and watch me smile.

It was the obvious alcohol bumping through her system but she liked to think she'd still have these guts tomorrow, or even next week. She watched the man head for the bar and as he called for a drink, she assessed her situation the best that she could with her hazy mind.

Naya was out for blood, that was certain, but she didn't care. The handsome stranger wanted her more than her friend, which still seemed very outlandish and strange to her once sober mind but blame it on the alcohol. And, with whatever happened later, which she hoped would be good, would only bring her more terror in the morning. Especially if she somehow spent the night with Naya.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, noticing Tommy at the bar with Ryan, laughing at something two women to their right were saying. It didn't look like her brother needed her to keep him company after all. She turned to look back towards her mystery man when she gasped, smiling.

He held out a glass filled with a stunning pink liquid, sitting on the rim was a strawberry. "I had to guess what you'd like." To her surprise, he had an identical glass in his other hand which he sipped at as he sat down.

She took the drink and was tempted to down the entire thing after the first bit touched her tongue. It swam in her mouth, light and sweet. "Wow," she breathed, licking her lips as she set it back down. "You guessed correctly."

He smiled and her heart did its little dance again, fluttering and skipping, as he said, "Tell me, why are you here with these people? With her?" She opened her mouth but he rushed out with, "Don't get me wrong, love, it just seems like she doesn't care one bit about you. Not even in the slightest."

"That's just how she is," Colette replied, running her finger over the condensation coating the outside of her glass. She had barely recognized the fact that he had called her love and it sounded and felt so natural.

"She came up to me, the other night in the bar, because she saw me looking at you," he murmured, setting his chin on the back of his hand as he regarded her. She wondered what he was seeing, what she was like to him. "She doesn't like to lose."

Colette forced a smile, as she always did when someone else spoke about Naya. "She's just very...competitive, that's all."

"She is nothing compared to you," he whispered and she found it hard to breathe. Was this normal? Was this right? Could she trust him? Was she still drunk? "Tell me, what would it take to make her furious?"

"Besides just us talking now?" she laughed with a shake of her head. "I'm not sure I want to make her angry."

"Don't you want to live a little?"

Come on, little girl, take a bite from the apple. Drink the poison, live and live until you can't possibly live anymore.

"What do you suppose I do, then?" she asked with a smile that didn't feel like her own. It was like someone had reached inside and was taking control, like she was a puppet on a string and someone's hand was down her throat, pulling her words free.

His eyes were dark but his head perked up at the change in music, something soft and slow playing through the band. "Dance with me."

"Right now?" she gasped and he nodded, already standing. He held out his hand for her to take and she shocked herself by reaching for the drink and downing the rest and wiping her mouth with the back of the hand she didn't place in his.

There were a few older couples dancing and she noticed the group she'd arrived with were at the bar, eating on nuts and chips. She knew Naya was looking at her as the man pulled her close and she wanted him to touch her everywhere. His hand burned where it was placed against her hip, the one in her hand was gentle but she knew there was something dark hidden within him.

That in one split moment he could have her by the throat, suffocating and spitting. He could tear her hand from her wrist with one pull and he could unlock his jaw and bite through tenders and supple, smooth skin like a ripe peach or pear. She would taste sweet as she died.

"What's your name?" she whispered into his head, her cheek pressed against his the best she could. He was taller than her, after all. She laughed softly at how ridiculous she sounded, like they had met at a school function or in an office building on the first day of work. Did he know she would be a senior in high school? Was he in college?

"Yours first," he purred and the sound sent an excited shiver through her and she knew he felt it as his hand squeezed her hip playfully.

She licked her lips, fighting back her smile as he rocked them gently to the soft guitar. She had never felt this way before, not once in her life, this feeling of being wanted so thoroughly and lovingly that it made her insides soft. The loneliness didn't exist here, the anxiety, the horrifying realities of her daily life weren't here to plague her.

"Colette," she whispered. "My name is Colette."

The man pressed her closer with a breathy laugh as he said, "It's beautiful."

"It means 'people of victory,'" she said for no particular reason at all. Maybe it was simply from the desire to sound intelligent but it wasn't interesting, it didn't make her any more intriguing but the man laughed again and spoke to her in a whisper, his breath moving the loose strands of hair by her face.

"It derives from the french name Nicolette with the same meaning."

She bit her lip, nodding as they moved in their small circle. Her eyes drifted over the room as he spoke in such a soft voice she wondered if it would sound like this in the early mornings trapped under blankets and soft pillows. Naya was glaring at her but that didn't stop her smile, she looked past her as if she hadn't seen her at all, like the world intended in the first place but fate always liked to play mean tricks on those who were weak.

"My name, funnily, means the same," he was saying and she wanted to drown in him completely but the coincidences of their names was enough to keep her on her feet. "'People of victory,'" he said with a laugh, "it doesn't seem to fit with me and you, not with the external forces at play, of course."

"You mean Naya, don't you?"

He nodded and she draped her arm fully around his neck to get closer.

"But what about you?" she asked. "What forces are keeping you from your victory?"

"Ghosts."

"Ghosts?"

He nodded again, pressing his hand flat against her back and she could nearly feel how warm his skin was through the thin fabric of her shirt. He was incredibly warm, now that she was thinking about it. She wanted to close her eyes, lean her head fully against his and breathe in his earthy scent and think of all the ways his warm hands could touch her but he was speaking in that low voice that made something in her heart flutter like she couldn't think or speak at all.

"My family," he's explaining to her and she's so lost in him that it's embarrassing. Have I known you my entire life? Did you know me before I even knew myself? "My sister, my brothers," there was a slight pause before he continued, "my father."

"Are they...?" She didn't dare speak the word aloud, there was something about the universe listening and enacting her words that frightened her in an incredibly childish way.

"Dead?" he answered for her and she nodded. "No," he shook his head, "not really, just...not present at the moment."

"Do you miss them? Your ghosts?"

He nodded. "It's hard not to miss family, even for as old as I am, it's a pain I don't think will ever fully heal."

"If you don't mind me asking," she was whispering now, scared of her own voice, "but how old are you?"

"Centuries, darling."

She laughed at that because how could she not?

"I've been trying, for some time, to make a family of my own out of these...friends my associate and I have been meeting around these parts," he explained. "We were supposed to meet one at the bar I first saw you in, the same as tonight."

"Did they not show?" she asked, curious now what business he could be in and what type of friends he was supposed to be meeting. Were they dangerous? Were they just like him? Mysterious, kind, and hiding something horrible?

"They did, later on, but not all men should be trusted and I soon realized just that."

She pulled back to meet his eyes, his hand moving to her hip to steady her and also keep her close, which she didn't mind. Her brows furrowed and she whispered, "What exactly do you do?"

"The same thing everyone else is attempting to do," replied the man with a smile that made her want to drag her fingers over his lips. "To find their place in this world, amongst people, amongst an army."

She rolled her eyes, swatting his shoulder as she said, "And how has that been going for you?"

"I'm on the brink of something...magnificent."

"You'll have to let me know someday, if it all works out," she said, sincerely and also a little hopeful he'll want her one day again like this. Would he ask for her number? Would he want anything to do with her once the song ends and she has to leave?

You want love more than you want to belong.

"You'll be the first I call."

"I'm honored," she said which ended in a shrill laugh as he dipped her back and then up again so close that their noses almost touched.

The song transitioned to one that was faster paced and his hands pulled her closer and she felt as if their souls were beginning to merge, that something brilliant was about to occur. It was building and building and she felt a hand touch her shoulder and she was rocked from her delirium.

"Hey, sis, we're about to head out," Tommy said once she turned and her mystery man's hands left her body in a fleeting chill. "You ready?"

She didn't want to seem upset even though she was, god, she was furious. I don't want to leave, I don't want to leave you yet. She nodded anyway with only the softest of sighs. "I'll meet you at the car."

Tommy nodded and looked past her and at the man with narrowed, curious eyes before retreating. She watched for only a moment as Naya pressed in close between Dean and Tommy, her snake eyes meeting Colette's just for a moment before they all slipped out the doors.

"Looks like our time is up," the man said and she turned to face him. He had a ghost of a smile across his face and he ran a hand through his hair. She noticed his skin was gleaming with a fresh sheen of sweat and there was an urge rolling through her, screaming at her to run her hands up his chest, to push him back towards the restrooms or even somewhere outside behind the building.

"It was really nice to meet you," she mumbled, feeling a blush creep up her neck and cheeks. "I'm sorry but–" She looked back towards the door, not wanting to keep them waiting. "–but I have to go."

"Give me your phone," he said, offering her his open hand and she wasted no time pulling the device from her pocket and handing it over. She watched eagerly as he put in his information and handed it back, their fingers touching. "I'm sure we'll see each other again."

"Another bar, probably," she said with a laugh. She went to say goodbye or to give him an awkward wave as she took a step back but froze. She glanced at him, brows furrowing and said, "You never told me your name."

He was already heading back to his table but he looked at her over his shoulder with a smirk. "Nik. My name is Nik."

The drive home had been near silent, save for the boy's light chatter. Naya sat with her arms crossed, glaring out the window and Colette had spent the majority of the time staring at her phone screen, rereading the man's name over and over again in her contacts.

Nik. Nik. Nik.

She thought of him well into the night once she got into bed. Tommy had dropped Naya off and Colette had to follow her reluctantly into the house because she was still too drunk to drive and her brother was off to sleep on one of the boy's couches. Colette remembered getting into the silken bed, sleepy from one too many shots with heavy eyelids.

Naya had slipped into bed, rolling over onto her side to stare into Colette's blue eyes with her arm tucked under her head. There were still traces of faint glitter across the other girl's eyelids from her eyeshadow she had tried to scrub off in the bathroom, eerily quiet as if letting herself boil over until the perfect moment.

There were nights like these they would sleep wrapped up in the other's arm. Tangled up within each other, sister's from a different life, best friends on the same declining path. There were even some nights when they would stay up whispering, laughing in each other's ears and braiding hair and watching movies. But those times had vanished by thirteen and only got worse as time ticked on and priorities were set.

Naya reached out a long hand and Colette braced herself for the sting and when she felt it, she let out a small breath to stop the cry that was building up in her throat. The sting collapsed into her cheek and by the time it began to recede, Naya had tangled her fingers into Colette's hair and with an awful tug, brought their faces closer together.

"First Dean and then Nik, you're playing a dangerous fucking game, Copeman," she snarled, her breath smelling like stale mint.

"I was drunk," tried Colette in a small voice, feeling Naya's knife like nails dug into her scalp. She wouldn't be surprised that there would be little droplets of dried blood underneath the other girl's nails the next morning.

"You think that means shit to me?" Naya let out a cold, hollow laugh and Colette imagined that her words were truly daggers and she was being split open. "You better stay in your goddamn lane this Friday."

"Who do you want, Naya?" she whispered as the girl unwound her fingers and smoothed down Cole's hair with a gentle motion that only a best friend or mother would give.

Naya smiled, pretty and deranged and conniving. "I want them all."

Colette spent the majority of Thursday admiring herself in every mirror she passed. Touching the light blue bruise from the whack Naya had given her the night before. It would vanish within another day but today was a reminder, exactly what the girl had wanted when she raised her hand.

This wasn't the first time and she knew it wouldn't be the last.

She kept herself locked away in her room, tucked underneath mounds of blankets. She didn't need to come crawling out until Friday night and it arrived with a roar in her head and an ache in her eyes.

Naya was going to pick her up, so she spent the evening making herself look presentable and not at all phased by the anger she'd seen flash in her friends eyes the entirety of Wednesday night. And, to make matters worse, Nik had not texted once and Colette was afraid to be the one to cross that boundary first.

She didn't want to seem needy or weak or as if she liked the man more than it seemed. She didn't want to seem pathetic, especially in the eyes of the ever so watchful Naya who circled her like a hawk with a sharp beak doused in gore, ready to peck until she bled.

Like sharp little knives glued to fingers and aching lips, she was going to peel Colette apart until the only thing that was left was her and her alone. Naya would be the only thing flowing through her veins, thick and sticky like maple syrup left out in the sun.

She had spent most of Thursday staring at the phone but would never admit to that.

When her phone buzzed, she hated how quickly she dashed across the bed to snatch it up only to find it was Naya telling her she was here. Grabbing the drink she'd made for herself from the vodka her parents kept stored above the fridge and her leftover gatorade from the day before, she raced down the steps.

"Off already?" Stella called from the living room where she sat curled up on the couch with a glass of wine in hand and Adam's arm draped over her shoulders. Her parents had always been cute but Cole knew their history started on risky business and lustful glances.

Colette gave them a winded smile and nodded. "Hopefully won't be out too late!"

"Text if you want an excuse to leave early, honey," said Adam with a warm fatherly smile as she threw the front door open and called over her shoulder a loud, "Okay, thanks! Love you!"

She didn't wait for a response as the door shut behind her and she was jogging down her front lawn to Naya's car blaring out a song with a heavy bass that already began to drum within Colette's chest as she neared. Her heart was racing like an angry bird, flapping its violent wings against ribs and muscle, tearing away at an attempt to be freed and its incessant beating didn't stop even as they drove up the long driveway of the Lockwood Mansion.

Colette had known Tyler since they were little, it was inevitable since they'd all gone to school together. She didn't have any strong feelings for him besides irritation and sometimes slight admiration for how he handled the death of his father. Plus, Colette loved his mom. The woman, although incredibly judgmental, had always been kind to her and went out of her way to say hello or ask how she was doing.

It was more than any of her classmates had ever done which was why it struck so deep.

Naya hooked her arm through Colette's and the duo entered the mansion. There was music booming from inside and from what Cole could tell, there might've been a live band but it also could have just been a few of the football jackasses messing around and she settled for that once she felt the familiar thrum and beat of the bass in her chest again to dull out the drone of her heart.

"Drinks," Naya muttered, tugging her alongside her and Colette realized she had her head up, scanning the faces and rooms, circling her meager prey.

Colette saw them before Naya did.

Well, she only saw two of them.

Blondie hair, curled and elegant down a tanned back. Straight brown hair falling into beautiful eyes. They both stood with drinks in their hand, faces serious with furrowed brows and near scowls. Colette wanted to creep closer and she caught just a snippet of the conversation before Naya pulled roughly on her arm.

"There were news reports, Care," Elena Gilbert murmured, her skin glistening under the dimmed fluorescent lights. "There were bodies found."

Caroline Forbes scoffed, flicking hair off her shoulder and giving Elena a long look. "You can't seriously think it was him."

"Damon doesn't think so–"

That was the last she heard and she couldn't stop her mind from whirring. Bodies? That could only mean one thing and it was rushing around inside her head like red flags being waved on a beach as storm clouds erupted overhead.

Colette tried to ignore the worry at the idea of someone being found dead and the golden group somehow being involved. Like, come on! They were in high school, barely eighteen so there was no way they were talking about someone actually being dead.

She unscrewed the cap of her drink and tilted her head back. The liquid was sweet and blue, and as she swallowed she tasted the slight burn masked by the gatorade. She drank as much as she could before Naya poured something clear into two shot glasses amongst the other discarded color cups on the table.

She thrusted one into Colette's hands and she barely had time to wipe her mixed drink from her lips as Naya linked their arms and threw her shot back to which Colette had to do the same in return. Swallowing thickly, she fought the gag and washed it down with the drink she brought.

"Tell me you've seen him yet," Naya muttered, her eyes narrowing as she looked past Cole's shoulder. "He's supposed to be here, I heard from Allison that he'd be here."

"Who?" Colette's mouth was thick and she forced more of her drink into her mouth to swish around as if it were mouthwash.

"Who do you think?"

Honestly, Colette didn't know. It was a tie between Matt and the infamous Damon, both to which she had seen neither. But she wasn't thinking about them as much as she was still hung up about what Elena had said. It made her stomach churn with the possibilities because there was only one person she could think of who could be related to that mess and it was the one man who'd apparently been gone for the summer but it couldn't be him. No, it couldn't.

Could it?

Could Stefan Salvatore have anything to do with random bodies being found? Could sweet, little caring Stefan be the cause of some murderous fiend running rampant in god knows where.

But you do know where, Cole. You know because of the news, because you've been listening like you always do. You always listen.

Tennessee. Bodies popping up along the East Coast. She'd heard about the gore and entrails being left but a numerous amount of rabid animal attacks and Mystic Falls had surely had their fair share throughout the year but not as horrible as this.

Not as terrifying as heads being torn clean from the shoulders of strong men and women.

Colette touched her neck and turned back to face Naya and was surprised to see her no longer by her side. She looked around the room and spotted her by the door and to her shock, she was standing by the door to go outside twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Completely lost in Damon Salvatore's eyes like a lovesick vulture.

Naya was particularly stunning tonight and Cole was beginning to realize she'd done everything deliberately. The straightened hair, the light golden eyeshadow, the subtle makeup against her cheeks and lips, even the skinny jeans. She'd gone out looking like Elena, well, as Elena as she could get.

And it seemed that Damon was enthralled by it because Colette watched as he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms, smirking as Naya worked her usual magic. She had the art of seduction and flirtation down like the back of her hand.

She was agile and limitless before striking like a cobra, jaw unhinged and bloody with sweet nothings and her cherry lip gloss. She had the force of a hurricane running through her when she had her sights set and locked, she could derail trains with a single look, she could wipe out towns with a single strategic touch of her hands. She was a devil in disguise. A monster with the face of a beauty queen.

Colette watched her friend place a hand on the side of Damon's arm and she felt something bubble up inside her and she turned with a scowl. She didn't get far, jostling into a hard body and yelping as liquid splashed across her shirt and found that whatever had been in the cup had been warm.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry," the voice rushed out and when Colette looked up she was shocked to find herself staring into baby blues. He smiled. "Colette, right? We were in history together last year."

"Yeah, Matt, hey," she said with a nod, holding the ends of her shirt away from her stomach. She frowned and let out a small laugh as she looked up at him and asked, "Strawberry daiquiri, really?"

He flushed, dropping the cup on the nearest table and reaching for something to help clean up the mess, spilling down her cleavage and inching closer to soaking into the fabric of her jeans. He came up with a napkin and gave her a sheepish smile. He looked as if he was ready to begin dabbing at her shirt but she snatched the napkin from him which only made him flush even deeper.

Colette narrowed her eyes at him as she did the best she could with what little she had. His blonde hair was tousled across his forehead and his eyes were slightly pink, his stare slightly blank as he regarded her. "Matt...are you high?"

"Shush!" he rushed out, grabbing her arm. He lowered his voice to a near whisper, "Don't...don't tell anyone, okay? It's just something I'm trying out right now."

"And is it working?"

He rubbed the back of his neck with a soft laugh and Colette remembered how much Naya had once loved that laugh and wondered if she still did. "It's getting the job done, that's for sure."

"Looks like you're taking notes straight from the Jeremy Gilbert handbook," Colette said which earned a nice laugh out of Matt, his cheeks flushed. "Well," Colette smiled, "I'd love to keep chatting but it seems I need to clean up."

"God, I'm so sorry about that–"

"It's fine," she reassured him but he didn't take the bait.

"At least let me ask Tyler if he has anything you can wear," he was rushing out and before she could stop him, he was moving past her and towards the Lockwood boy heading outside.

Colette crumbled the wet napkin in her fist and went towards the restroom. It was easy to find, even with the beat of alcohol in her head and the distraction across her chest and stomach. She knocked once, mumbling out, "Door's unlocked, hope no one is in here–" She pushed it open with her shoulder and stopped dead in her tracks as the soft whispers died down.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, feeling a deep blush creep up her neck to her cheeks. "I'm sorry, the door was unlocked and I didn't think–"

"No, no, you're fine!" Caroline said with a smile before her eyes trailed down to Colette's chest. "But it looks like your shirt isn't. God, what asshole spilled that on you?"

Colette blushed harder as she laughed out, softly, "Matt."

"I swear he doesn't have a single clue anymore at these parties," Elena said with a roll of her eyes. She motioned with her head as she said, "Here, come in, we can help get you cleaned up at least a little bit."

"Oh, thanks," said Colette as she tossed the wet napkin into the bin and stepped inside as the door clanged shut behind her. Caroline turned the water on and they waited for it to heat and they filled the void with chatter.

"So, you're Naya Pérez's friend, right?" asked Caroline with a watchful eye. "Colette Copeman?"

"You were in our history class," Elena perked up with a grin. "You got one of the highest scores on the exam last year."

Colette cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Wow, how'd you find that out?"

"Alaric," the girl admitted sheepishly and it clicked for Colette suddenly as she snapped her fingers and pointed with a grin, "Right! He was, oh god, Elena I'm so sorry about what happened to Jenna."

Elena gave her a small smile and nodded. "He was dating her and, well, he's become part of the family now."

"That's good," she breathed in response, "to have him around after everything." She glanced at Elena as Caroline soaked a rag with warm water. "How are you doing? I haven't seen Stefan around since the school year ended."

Colette, shut your big fat mouth, she could hear Naya snapping at her but she wanted to know. She wanted to dive into all of their secrets and to be one of them. She wanted in.

"He's visiting family," Caroline rushed out as she handed her the rag. "Out of state, of course."

"Of course," said Colette slowly. She dabbed the rag against her shirt, feeling the warm water soak through the thin fabric across her stomach. A little voice in the back of her head told her not to believe them and she did just that. There was something in the way the two girls kept glancing at each other that spelled out a different story, one that would surely frighten Colette but she didn't care. She kept rubbing at the stain and said, absentmindedly, "Is that why you were talking about bodies, earlier? Think Stefan might've had something to do with it?"

She reached forward, running the rag underneath the warm water as the noise in the room seemed to go quiet. Elena and Caroline were still but as Colette looked up from the water and into the mirror, she saw they were staring at each other.

"What?" Colette asked, feeling something spark inside her. This is how Naya controls a room, how she controls people. You're learning, Cole. "It's kind of difficult to not eavesdrop or even not pretend to care when you overhear two girls at a party talking about dead bodies. They were dead bodies, right?" She shrugged. "That's what I'm assuming at least. Just seems kind of like a funny party topic, don't you?"

What the hell has gotten into you? Colette asked herself as she ran the rag over the skin of her belly and chest, pulling her shirt up to expose the sweet pink slush staining her bra. She worked the rag over the stain, sopping up as much of the drink as she could. She felt like she was no longer living within her own skin, that she was just a puppet on Naya's long string or someone else's entirely.

She would never have dared to speak out like this. To confront the two girls with such casualty that it seemed like a normal day to day conversation. She wanted to blame the alcohol so she did just that.

Caroline grabbed her shoulder and Colette gasped as her back hit the wall, the impact startling a shocked breath from her. "How much do you know?"

Colette's mouth fell open as she scowled, trying to get out of the girl's tight grip. "Know about what? God, Care, get the hell off me!" 

She shouldn't be afraid of Caroline Forbes. Sweet, blonde, bubbly Caroline Forbes. Captain of the cheerleading squad, honor student, Miss Mystic Falls, future prom queen, and the most popular girl in school Caroline Forbes. But the strange, dark look in the blonde's eyes told Colette an entirely different story.

This girl, no, this woman, was dangerous. She wasn't someone to mess with or even trick. Something told Colette that she never wanted to see her get mad.

Her grip tightened and Colette gasped again. Caroline took hold of Colette's jaw and forced her to look into her eyes and it felt like her legs would go out from underneath her. She stared into Caroline's eyes and felt like she was falling into them, like she was swimming in her irises and she could not escape even if she tried.

Look away! A voice screamed at her, banging inside her head but she couldn't dare.

"Forget what you heard tonight," Caroline said in a slow voice and Colette felt dizzy.

She nodded her head, head swirling. Forget, forget, forget.

What was I supposed to forget? What's the big deal? Why am I sticky?

She blinked and stumbled forward, completely alone. The water in the sink was running and she rubbed her eyes with her free hand, confused. Had the water been on the entire time? She pulled her phone out and frowned. It had only been thirty minutes since she got here but she didn't have a clue how she got into the bathroom or why her skirt was slightly sticky but it had something to do with the sweet smell of strawberry coating her skin.

She regarded herself in the mirror, turning the water off and hanging the rag up. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and fixed the smear of eyeliner under her eye. There was a gleam to her skin, a fresh coating of sweat.

Leaving the bathroom and heading down the hall, she spotted Naya. The other girl was twirling a strand of hair around her finger, resting her weight on one leg in her natural stance of doting lover. She was in a heated conversation with Damon and Colette had the urge to go in and pull the girl away but she held her ground and made her way outside instead.

The night air was cool for the summer and the bass from the music was slowly leaving her chest as she walked towards the bench that overlooked more of the stunning property. The Lockwood mansion had been around for decades and was filled with rich history and even hosted events from now and then including Founders Day and the Masquerade Ball last year. Colette had gone to both of these events of course, tucked into the side of Naya.

They did what they normally did at events as fancy as those. Stole champagne and got drunk in the bathrooms and by the gardens. Sometimes it was easier to drink than pretend to be someone you're not.

Colette sat down and the bench was cold. She liked being by herself, away from the drama and haze of alcohol and smoke. She needed a breather, just a moment to collect herself before going back for seconds and thirds. It was only when Naya was preoccupied with a boy or man that Colette needed these breaks.

And it didn't seem like the girl was going to give up Damon anytime soon.

At least, that's what she thought.

"What are you doing out here alone?" the voice rang out and Colette turned, watching as someone sat down next to her in the darkness. The only lights coming from the twinkle lights hanging around the porch behind them.

"Just needed some fresh air," replied Colette.

"Saw Matt spill that drink all over you," Naya said with a small laugh. "God, I forgot how much of a clutz he can be." She gave her a side eye before smiling as she said, "You smell like a fucking strawberry patch."

"I feel like I just rolled around in them," murmured Colette with a small laugh of her own as she peeled her shirt from her stomach. "I've got melting slush down my bra."

Naya joined in on the gentle laughter, draping an arm against the back of the bench with a settled sigh. It felt normal, like they were finally going back to how they were before things became so focused on popularity and boyfriends and girlfriends and the need to force a reputation out of lust and glares.

Naya crossed one leg over her knee, her usual bouncing foot strangely still. "It's only the beginning of summer but it already feels like the end." She stared off towards the lake, its waters so dark that it looked black, like a stagnant pool of something rotten and empty. "It's all going to end, you know."

Colette pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side as if to ask 'what?'

Naya drummed her fingers against the bench and Colette could feel the small vibrations against her back. "Everything that happened this year, all the deaths and all those tragedies, I think...I think it's only going to get worse."

"Ny, what the hell are you talking about?"

Naya looked at her for a moment, eyes twinkling with the stars. She gave her a watery smile and Cole had the urge to reach out and brush her cheek with her fingers to stop her from crying. She hated when she cried. It made her human and it was easier to think of her as a machine, as the constant go-go-go girl. She never stopped, she never doubted herself, she never did anything to bring on an emotion over than spite, revenge, love, and anger. She was the one who never broke.

"I see things," the girl confessed in a small voice and Colette wanted to laugh, surely she was just drunk. Drunk on hootch and Damon Salvatore's seductive smirk.

"You're fucking with me, right?" laughed Colette, brows furrowing as Naya didn't smile or joke. "Naya, you are joking, right?" Colette's smile faded and her heart picked up an unsteady beat and she nearly choked on the cool air.

Naive little Cole, if only you saw the truth hiding right in front of you.

Naya's features grew more serious and she turned back to the lake, the darkness reflecting in her eyes. "Everything ends in blood, Colette. No one is safe," her lips trembled, "no one is going to be safe when they come. It's all going to end with fire and blood and gore."

AUTHOR'S NOTE━━eeee hope you guys liked this!!!! all very much unedited oopssss and also dragged on foreverrrrr so sorry!!!!!!

next chapter might be a bit short, still figuring out some of the early plot details 

lmao i cant wait till things get steamy yall wtffffff

rip cole rn bc of naya's creepy ass comments at the end

like/comment and ill ask for your hand in marriage :)))