ten haunted

✧

         THE MORNING LIGHT GLIMMERED DOWN THROUGH THE BREAKS OF THE BRANCHES DOWN ONTO THE FOREST GROUND. Squirrels skipped around the ground before racing up trees as birds flew around, chirping away and singing to each other as Lux approached Stefan who stared at the fresh dirt that remained separate from the rest.

A makeshift cross made from sticks marked the grave, the only signifier. No tombstone that told a name, though Lux didn't need one to know who it was for. Stefan didn't turn towards her or indicate that he heard her approach though he obviously did, and she didn't announce her presence as she crept towards him until she stood next to him.

Her gaze went to the man beside her. His features were like stone; giving nothing away as he stared at the ground, but his eyes...his eyes held a fury that intermingled with an intense sadness. Grief beyond anything that she could imagine. She had lost. Lux had one family member – her beloved uncle at the cost of her mother, never knowing her grandparents or her father – but she was too young or too distant to understand the grief that Stefan faced.

He had years with Lexi. A century, maybe. She didn't know how long they had been friends, truly, but it was too long for him to be unaffected by her passing. Lux lost her mother when she was a toddler and only grew up knowing what was gone, not knowing what she had lost. And there were black spots in the spaces of her father and grandparents instead of people, but that was a void rather than losing people.

Elena would understand, and she wished that she had brought her for a moment, but then maybe it wouldn't make it better. She didn't really know what would – or if anything could, really.

"I'm sorry about Lexi," she said softly, not knowing what else to say. That's the line, right? I'm sorry for your loss. That's what she said when Elena's parents died at the funeral, when she hugged her friend so tightly only to get on a plane weeks later and shut them all out because she turned into a bloodsucker who could only think of draining all her friends dry. But it never felt quite right, quite complete. Always a little too lacking.

"Yeah, me too," he returned bitterly.

Lux looked at him. "She sounded like a really good person – a good friend. I wish I got to know her better."

Stefan's lips quirked upwards. "She would've loved you."

"You think so?"

"She loved anyone who make me stop being so...broody, as she said."

Unable to stop herself, she let out a laugh. "Broody – yeah, that sounds about right. Yeah, I think I would've liked her, too."

Stefan smiled and a serene silence fell between them as the birds continued to sing and the sun snuck into the scene. Lux looked down at the gift bag she brought. It was probably an inappropriate time, but she never cared for being appropriate, and he needed something to cheer him up.

"I never did get you a birthday present," she brought up, "Solely on the account that I didn't know it was your birthday because you so rudely didn't tell me beforehand."

He shook his head. "I don't need anything."

"Too late. Already bought it. And, before you laugh, you should know that I didn't know what to get you, and it's very childish, because usually I get Matt some Pokémon cards – he used to be obsessed with them as a kid so I still get him some every birthday as per tradition. And I usually cop out with Tyler and get him a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods, so I'm expertise with guy gift giving is not great."

"Lux, you're rambling."

"Sorry, I'm stalling – I'm nervous," she sheepishly smiled before handing him the bag, "Here."

He took it, moving around the tissue paper before pulling up a copy of The Giving Tree. She twisted around the hair tie on her wrist. "I know it's childish, but it's my favorite children's book, and I know you like reading, even if this isn't like a literary classic or a novel, but I thought you might how sentimental it is. Uncle Tim says my mom used to read it to me every night."

She added the last part softly, tucking in her hair behind her ear. Stefan stared at her for a moment. "Lux? It's a wonderful gift. Thank you."

She smiled at him. "Course. And next year, we're going to celebrate your birthday exactly how you want, and it's going to be perfect – especially because I'm actually going to know it's your birthday this time."

✧

IT WAS STRANGE to perform as Lux the Human after being Lux in the woods. Lux acted as she needed; all-knowing of the supernatural and the deaths. She knew what happened to Vicki, saw Lexi's skin turn grey and lifeless at the hands of Damon in front of Sheriff Forbes, and had to live with all the emotions that came with her ever-changing life. Lux lived as a guilt-ridden girl in a never-aging body who lived in her childhood home knowing she would never truly reach adulthood.

But Lux the Human went to high school and cared about grades because they mattered for college, and college mattered for her one lifetime career (because of course she would have one lifetime to have a career, as a human.) Lux the Human never killed people or witnessed the death of anyone else, thought of vampires as nothing more than the work of TV shows or movies, not reality.

And all of it made her want to laugh and cry, throw things at the wall and give up. She had only been doing it for a month or so and she wanted to throw in the towel. How weak. How pathetic.

She got out of her car, throwing her bag across her shoulder and readying herself for the day. Already hearing Elena and Caroline across the yard she headed a course towards them before she felt a hand tug on her arm. "Lux –"

Blinking, she turned to Matt, and groaned internally at the sight of him. That was rude, wasn't it? It wasn't anything against him, really, it was just their awkward date and she didn't really know how to move past it.

"Hey, Matt," she smiled forcefully.

"Hey," he shoved his hands in his front pockets, "Listen, I just wanted to talk to you about, you know, the Halloween dance –"

"Right," she cut him off, "Listen, Matt, I think you're a great friend..."

"But you weren't feeling it?" he finished. She hesitated before nodding, "Yeah, I got that feeling. Look, it's alright. No hard feelings."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, more-so for reasons he didn't know and she couldn't tell him, because how could she tell him that she killed his sister without exposing the supernatural? How could she tell him that she put a stake in Vicki's chest because his sister was going to eat Elena? Nothing about that was explainable without all the context that she couldn't give him. So she settled with the apology. A flimsy apology that meant nothing really.

He smiled. "It's alright. Look, I gotta go. I told Tyler I'd meet up with him before first period."

"Yeah," she nodded, watching him walk off before letting out a breath and continuing towards Caroline and Elena.

"Hey, guys," she greeted, trying to throw off her guilt from her face and instead throw on a mask of general happiness.

Elena threw her a half-hearted smile while Caroline waved. "Have either of you talked to Bonnie?" Elena asked.

Lux shook her head. "No, why?"

"No, I'm mad at her. She needs to make the first move," Caroline held up her head.

"Be the bigger person," Elena urged.

"Impossible in her presence," Caroline scoffed.

Lux shook her head, "Now you're just being dramatic."

"Why are you so pissed at her anyway?"

"She's a thief, that's why," Caroline answered, "I gave her my necklace, and she refuses to give it back. It's a matter of principle."

"Why do you want it back? It's not for Damon, is it?" Lux asked, sneering as she mentioned his name. Her blood boiled at the thought of him, wanting to rip him apart for everything he'd done – compelling Caroline, manipulating her, killing Lexi. God, he was the worst. Part of her hoped that Stefan killed him.

Caroline reeled back, a flicker in her eyes of something else before shook her head. "No, I just...want it."

"Right..." Lux edged on, frowning.

"I still think you should apologize for trying to grab it off her," Elena attempted.

"She's the thief!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Alright. Well, I tried. I'm officially out if it."

"Good," Caroline smiled, triumphant, "Your turn. Where's Stefan? Have you talked to him?"

"He's avoiding me," Elena shifted uncomfortably.

Lux frowned. She didn't know what last happened in the saga of Elena and Stefan, but last she thought they were...alright, maybe? Were they still broken up, or had Stefan said they were back together? No, he hadn't mentioned that, and neither had Elena. They weren't together, she was sure of that, but she thought they were alright. Elena was relaxed around her, so surely it wasn't anything to do with her being afraid of Stefan being a vampire.

"Why?"

Elena hesitated. "It's complicated."

Caroline hummed, eyes snapping to Lux next. "You're talk to Stefan, right? Like, you're kinda friendly with him? Have you seen him?"

"Me? I mean, I guess we talk, but I haven't seen him," she lied. Telling the truth had too many strings. The bell rang, saving her from any further questions and she gave a sheepish smile to Caroline, "I'll see you later."

Waving goodbye, she walked away with Elena. The brunette hesitated again before whispering, "How is he?"

She paused. If Elena was asking her, then Stefan wasn't talking to her, or she wasn't talking to Stefan – either of those options didn't bode well for her. And they were both her friends, and Stefan was in a delicate situation, but Elena looked so sincere and helpless. "He's grieving," she settled on, "Give him time. He lost his best friend."

Elena nodded, not asking for more, not that Lux would give her more. She had said more than enough. They took their seats in history where Bonnie already was, scribbling in her notebook with her head down.

Lux sat down, getting out her notebook and pencil before looking up to see a new teacher at the front of the class. He was writing his name in chalk with his back turned so she couldn't see his face. The rest of the class settled in as the new teacher finished spelling out his name before facing them.

"Alaric Saltzman," he started out, "It's a mouthful, I know. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Saltzman is of German origins. My family emigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead greater-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. You'll probably want to pronounce 'Alaric' but it's 'Alaric', okay? So, you can call me Rick. I'm your new history teacher."

He smiled, setting off to continue where Coach Tanner left off with their lessons because their substitutes let them use the period as a study hall rather than a history class. She leaned back in her seat. Well, at least he seemed nice enough, and good to look at.

✧

WITH THE END of the school day, Lux found herself intertwined with Bonnie and Elena as they finally had a chance to ask Bonnie if she was alright. Not wanting to get into it during any classes, and split up during lunch because Bonnie evaded them in favor of using the library to study, they finally cornered her exiting the building to leave when it seemed that Bonnie was ready to cave anyway, explaining her repeating dreams.

"And, then, I ended up at the remains of the old Fell's church before I woke up back in the woods," Bonnie finished.

"You woke up in the woods? Like sleepwalking?" Lux blinked and Bonnie nodded furiously.

"And you always see your ancestor Emily?" Elena added.

"Mhm. Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Two weeks ago I'd say no, but now..."

"Because I think I'm being haunted."

Lux groaned. Just great. Anything supernatural being that had to be real. First vampires, then witches, now ghosts. Couldn't one creature just remain a fairy tale rather than reality? She just wanted to leave some things to fiction. Sometimes it was better that way, because believe her, it was not glamorous burning bodies of drained victims and burying them in the woods in the middle of the night.

(Of course, that was pre-Damon. He might be an asshole, but he did teach her snatch, eat, erase which was a total lifesaver. She hadn't killed any of her victims since – which she was quite proud of.)

"I don't get it. Why Emily?"

"Grams said she was a powerful witch back in the Civil War days, and that this medallion was hers. A witch's talisman."

"And it all started when you got the necklace?"

"I think she's using it to communicate with me."

"For what?" Lux questioned, "Like, she wants to talk to you. Okay. Why? What does she want? It's probably not to experience the twenty-first century, so there has to be something she wants."

"I don't know what she wants. She just keeps saying that she needs help and that it needs to end, but I don't know what it is."

Lux frowned.

"What does Gram say about it?"

Bonnie shook her head at that suggestion. "I can't call her. She's gonna tell me to embrace it. I don't wanna embrace it, I want it to stop."

Elena sighed, looking like she wanted to say more before something caught her eye. "I'll meet you at the car," she said before taking off. Lux looked over, catching Stefan sitting up one of benches in front of the school.

"At least he's talking to her," Bonnie said.

"Yeah," Lux nodded. She focused on the conversations of other students as to not hear them, giving them their privacy as best as possible. She flipped open her bag, cursing before looking back up at Bonnie. "I forgot my math textbook in my locker. It'll take me like two minutes but I gotta go back in grab it."

"Alright, I'll meet you at my car?"

"I drove myself to school, but I can meet y'all at Elena's?"

"Or you can keep your car here and I'll just drop you home later and pick you pick tomorrow? Come on, everything with Emily is really freaking me out right now and I just really don't wanna be alone."

Lux sighed. "Fine. But you have to buy me coffee tomorrow," she raised an eyebrow, pointing towards Bonnie before racing off into the building to her locker. She didn't need the coffee necessarily, it didn't taste the same as before nor did it have the same affects, but it certainly curbed her cravings and any sustenance made being around humans more bearable.

It was quick work to her locker, turning the dial to open it and pulling out her textbook. "Hey," a voice sounded as she closed it, Tyler Lockwood standing on the other side.

"Hi," she blinked, frowning a little. Of course she had talked to Tyler before, they had grown up in the same town and Matt was friends with Tyler, so while he and Elena had dated Tyler stuck around. She had been to his house, he had been to hers, they partied together, talked, but not regularly enough for this to be ordinary.

"Have you seen Matt?"

"Um, not since this morning," she brushed her hair to the side and swung her bag around, opening it to put her textbook inside before clasping it closed and slugging it back across her shoulder. "Do y'all have football practice or something?"

He shook his head. "Not today. Coach is giving us a break, for once. No, he asked me to go to the sheriff's office with me. He wants to Sheriff Forbes if she has any info about Vicki."

Her heart beat in her chest. If she were human, it would've been rapidly, but in her undead state it only managed to pick up the pace but a millisecond. Still, she swallowed and calmed herself. "I thought Vicki ran away," she managed, thinking back to the cover story Stefan told her. It made the most sense – their mom ran off, so why wouldn't Vicki do the same? Paired with her drug problem and already flaky behavior, no one would question it.

"Yeah, but Matt's not buying it. Said Vicki wouldn't do that to him," Tyler shook his head.

Except Matt. Of course Matt.

They moved through the school towards the exit. "What do you think?" she couldn't stop herself from asking."

He sucked in a breath. "Do I wanna think she ran off? No. But do I have a better explanation? Nah. Still, I'll stick by him."

Lux nodded numbly. "You should do that," she cleared her throat, "Listen, I gotta go. Try waiting by his car, but you'll find him."

Without waiting for his response, she scurried off, rushing outside and to the parking lot as her breathing got heavy. She wanted to sob, choking back on it because it wasn't like she could have a breakdown at school. God, it was like she was being eternally punished for killing Vicki, constantly reminded of what she had done. And didn't she deserve it, too? She had done it – she had willingly done it without hesitation to save Elena. Hadn't even considered another possibility. Acted without trying to even tackle Vicki off of Elena and knock her unconscious.

No, Lux just killed her. Damon was right. It took a monster to know one, and she was.

Just as she calmed herself enough, she got to Bonnie's car at the same time Elena approached. "Bonnie?" Elena asked, and Lux took a look at the shaken state her friend appeared to be in.

"He was just here – Damon just showed up here and he threated me."

Lux shared a look with Elena. "Come on, let's get in the car," Lux said, climbing into the backside as Bonnie took the driver's and Elena the passengers.

There were five minutes of tense silence as they pulled out of the parking lot and got onto the road. Lux observed the state that Bonnie was in before carefully pressing, "What did Damon say to you?"

"He just wanted the stupid necklace! Kept calling it his – but I know it's not! It was Emily's, it belongs in my family, so I don't know why he thinks he has a claim to it. And he knew about Emily, too. And about how I was waking up in the woods – said the next time she comes out to play, tell her a deal's a deal."

"A deal's a deal?" Elena muttered to herself. Lux reeled back in her seat. Emily was from the Civil War times, around the time Stefan and Damon were human – they could've known her. She had to ask Stefan, or maybe Elena could, but she didn't think she would like the answer either way.

Bonnie shook her head wildly. "He's bad news. He really scared me."

"You need to stay as far away from Damon as possible."

"I'm trying! He just keeps showing up!"

"Quite possibly his worst trait," Lux agreed, "You just can't escape him no matter how much you try."

"I don't want you to be alone. You're sleeping at my place tonight, we can make a whole night out of it. Lux, you in?"

"Well, seeing as Bonnie's my ride to school tomorrow, yeah. I just have to call my uncle to let him know."

"Good."

Bonnie let out a frustrated noise before pulling over to the side of the road and getting out of the car. "Whoa! Where are you going?" Elena questioned as Lux asked, "What the hell, Bonnie?"

They both got out as well, following Bonnie as she grabbled with the necklace, pulling it off and throwing it into the field before smiling victoriously.

"Are you okay?"

"Now I am. All my problems were because of that thing. I can't believe I didn't do that sooner."

"What's your Grams gonna say?"

"Grams isn't the one being haunted by a hundred and fifty-year-old ghost, is she?" Bonnie snapped.

"Touché," Lux conceded, "Come on, let's get to your house."

✧

AS SOON AS they got to Elena's house, Lux called her Uncle Timothy to tell him that she could be spending the night while Bonnie told her dad and Elena called Stefan before informing her aunt. After Lux brought up asking Caroline to spend the night, Elena and Bonnie shared a look before agreeing.

"I'm not apologizing for not giving the necklace to her," Bonnie crossed her arms, firm on that boundary before saying yes.

"You won't have to. I'll get her to apologize to you. She needs to," Lux said, which was enough for Bonnie's affirmative which in return was enough for Elena's.

It didn't take long for there to be a knock at the door, which had to be Stefan because Caroline couldn't have made it there so quickly. She had to run home to get some clothes and then the sheriff's to tell her mom. Bonnie stayed in the living room while Lux went with Elena to get the door.

"Hey. Thanks for coming. I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important," Elena told him.

"I know that," Stefan nodded in acknowledgment.

Lux looked between them as they moved onto the porch, closing the door behind. "Okay, ignoring the obvious awkward tension between you two because we don't have time to get into that nor do I really want to right now, let's talk about your brother."

Elena nodded, her eyes wide as she turned to Stefan again. "He threatened Bonnie."

"What would Damon want with Bonnie?" Stefan asked in disbelief, but not unconvinced, just not understanding.

"She has this necklace. Caroline got it from Damon, and she gave it to Bonnie, and now Damon wants it back. He's tormenting her."

"Over a necklace?"

Lux shook her head. "Caroline said he got it the night of the Founder's Day Ball. It was in one of the donated items."

"And it's not just any necklace. It has to do with Bonnie's heritage. It belonged to one of her ancestors who lived here during the Civil War..." Elena blinked, eyes turning sharp at him, "When you and Damon lived here."

Stefan looked uncomfortable before admitting, "Her name was Emily. She was Katherine's handmaiden, and a witch."

Lux's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Who's Katherine?"

Stefan shook his head. "It doesn't matter right now."

"Right..."

"You know? About Bonnie?" Elena asked, surprised.

Oh, yeah. That too. Elena hadn't discussed Bonnie with Stefan before. They all had their own secrets with each other, knew different pieces of information.

"The first night that you invited me over for dinner, I made the connection," Stefan told her.

"And now Damon knows, and for some reason he wants that necklace."

"Bonnie said earlier that a deal's a deal – that's what Damon told her when he threatened her. Did Emily and Damon make a deal or something back in the day?" Lux asked him.

Stefan shook his head. "I don't know. What does the necklace look like?"

Elena stumbled on her words, "Um, it's an antique iron setting with a –"

"– with an amber crystal. I know it. It belonged to Katherine. Emily gave it to her, which means that..." he trailed off.

"What?"

Stefan's mouth tightened in frustration. "I don't know, but I'm gonna find it out. Let me talk to Damon."

"Will he tell you?"

"I'll get it out of him."

The door yanked open, Bonnie with her phone to her ear appearing and looking at Elena. "Can you tell my dad that I'm actually staying over at yours tonight? He's convinced that I'm at some boys house and lying to him."

Elena sighed. "Yeah, I got it."

She left them, going inside with Bonnie. Lux turned to Stefan, "You think you get it out of him."

"I have to."

"You mentioned Katherine twice. She sounds important," Lux treaded but she could see how tense the mention of her name made Stefan now. "Come on, you know I have to pry a little."

"Katherine was – she was important, but she wasn't good. She played both of us when we were human, compelled us, made us drink her blood...she's the reason we turned."

Lux looked down. It made her think back to the night she turned. It was all a haze, really. There was alcohol involved, and an older man who was hot and interested in her. It felt like freedom; it felt like living the life her mother was supposed to live, like everything she was supposed to do. And when he said do you want this forever naïve little Lux said yes because she didn't know what that meant. And then forever ended up being Dancing Queen, Only Seventeen forever with the desire to drain everything with blood in sight.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's alright," he stood tall, straightening out his jacket, "I'll get what Damon wants out of him. You stay here with Bonnie in case Emily tries to communicate with her."

"Will do," she promised. "Stay safe."

He nodded before running off and she walked back inside. Bonnie muttered goodbyes to her father on the phone as Elena turned on the TV, lounged on the couch which Lux sought to join her on. "I should do my English homework," the blonde voiced before crinkling her voice.

Elena laughed. "Yeah, but do you want to?" taking a look at the expression on her face.

"No," Lux admitted.

"Neither do I," Bonnie groaned, "The last thing I want to think about is school on top of everything."

"Okay. An hour decompress break and then we'll reconvene for homework, how about that?" Elena decided.

Lux raised an arm. "Hear, hear!"

Content to turn her brain off for the next hour, she relaxed into the cushions of the couch with her friends, curling up with a blanket until the episode passed and Elena cut the TV off. Lux reluctantly inched off the couch and into the dining room with her friends to start on homework, which they worked on with idle conversation until there was another knocking at the door.

"Hey, Caroline," Lux smiled at her friend, who waved and put her bag down in another chair.

"Hey, guys. Ugh, homework. I don't wanna even think about that right now," Caroline shook her head, "What about dinner instead? I'm getting hungry, how about you guys?"

Lux looked to Bonnie, who didn't seem keen on talking to Caroline until they cleared the air. Elena, however, nodded her head. "I could eat. How bout we do some breakfast for dinner?"

"That's good with me," Bonnie got up and Lux followed, nodding along with the group. It didn't really make a difference. While blood types had difference tastes, A positive was sweeter to her while B negative tasted more like a bitter coffee, human food lost that sharpness. It wasn't completely mush – there was still something there that made it worthwhile to at least eat that she didn't have to force it for appearances (though that's why she mainly did), but it was more like grits without salt and pepper or cheese. Plain, lacking any spice or flavorings with only hints of what they used to be.

As Elena got out the eats and Bonnie fiddled with the bread and toaster, Lux shot Caroline a look and when that didn't work, a sharp elbow to the ribs. Caroline sharply inhaled and rubbed her ribs before finally sighing and turning to Bonnie, "I'm sorry. There, I said it. If you want the ugly-ass necklace, keep it. It's yours."

Bonnie looked at Caroline for the first time since the blonde arrived. Guiltily, she asked, "Will you hate me if I tell you I threw it away?"

"You threw it away?" Caroline harshly asked.

"I know it sounds crazy, but the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it."

"You could have just given it back to me."

"Why? So you could give it back to Damon?" Elena turned an eyebrow to her.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Screw Damon. Are we doing manicures or what? Who has their kit?"

"Mine's in my bag," Bonnie offered.

Nodding, Caroline went off to the counter to Bonnie's purse. "So, Elena...how long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last? Is it...like a permanent thing?"

Lux turned a sharp eye to Elena. It wasn't her business, really, but it also was. Elena had been her friend since they were toddlers, and Stefan was her only vampire friend. He was her moral compass as she tried to figure out her new life. So, yeah, sue her if she was a little interested in their romantic lives.

"I don't know, Caroline."

Caroline slammed down Bonnie's purse. "Why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?"

"What?"

"Caroline!"

Holding up the necklace, Caroline gave Bonnie a betrayed look. Lux' mouth opened in shock. "Holy shit," she let out.

"I'm not lying to you, Caroline. I swear."

"It's true. We watched her throw it into a field!" Elena cried.

"Then explain it."

Bonnie reeled back. "Emily."

Caroline's expression tightened in confusion. "Who's Emily?"

"The ghost."

Mocking her, Caroline asked, "Oh, the ghost has a name now?"

"Caroline, stop it," Lux admonished her.

"I wonder why she won't leave me alone," Bonnie turned to them.

"What is going on? Why am I not a part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time," Caroline frowned.

"That's not true," Elena shook her head.

"Yes it is. I can't talk to you. You don't listen," Bonnie told her.

"That's not true."

"I'm a witch," Bonnie revealed, which only got a scoff from Caroline.

"And don't we all know it?"

Bonnie shot up a hand, as if to physically exclaim that Caroline had made her point for her. "See? That's what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something. You don't even hear it." Shaking her head, Bonnie stormed off, stomping up the stairs.

"I listen. When do I not listen?" Caroline asked the others, but Lux just shook her head.

"Even if you don't believe in it, Bonnie does, and laughing at her isn't making her feel good. She already feels like she's going insane," Lux said, putting the eggs and bread away since it didn't look like they were eating dinner anytime soon. She could feel Elena's eyes track her but she didn't mean the gaze, not wanting to find out what was there.

"I'll apologize," Caroline said behind her. She nodded at that, hearing Caroline wander off after Bonnie. Once everything was put away, she and Elena followed too, but giving enough space for Caroline to say what she wanted to Bonnie first.

It didn't take any effort to hear them, though the door to Elena's room was closed and they were coming up the stairs. She should feel bad for eavesdropping, but the enhanced hearing ruined everything in her life now.

"Bonnie. Look, it's just not me. I don't believe in the...'woo woo'. But, if you do, then...okay. I'm in. That's all it takes for me to jump on board, because I consider you to be my best friend. And I'm saying this, knowing that Elena and Lux are outside listening to my every word. Look, I didn't know how real this was for you, but I'm listening now. Okay?"

She turned to the side, trying not to feel hurt by Caroline calling Bonnie her best friend. It shouldn't hurt in any capacity, they were all friends, had always been friends since diapers and always would be, but she always felt closer to Caroline...and yeah, maybe Caroline was just saying that to make Bonnie feel better, but still – hearing it didn't make her feel good.

"Lux, Elena, y'all can come in now. We're done," they turned the knob, seeing Caroline and Bonnie on the bed, "There is just way too much drama in this room. So, what do you guys wanna do? I have an idea. Why don't we have a séance?"

Bonnie shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Come on. Let's summon some spirits. This Emily chick has some serious explaining to do," Caroline pressed, which was enough for Bonnie to break and for them to form a circle on the bed, holding hands.

"What are we doing?"

"I don't know."

"Be quiet and concentrate," Caroline told them, taking charge, "Close your eyes. Now take a deep breath. Bonnie. Call to her."

"Emily, you there?"

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Really? Emily, you there? That's all you got? Come on."

"Fine, geez," Bonnie sighed, "Emily, I call on you. I know you have a message. I'm here to listen."

The candles Caroline insisted they set up immediately flared stronger. Lux reeled back on instinct. "Did that just..."

"Yeah, it just happened."

"It's just the air conditioning," Bonnie denied. Lux looked at her in trepidation. Okay, maybe the séance wasn't such a good idea with a witch, but how was she supposed to know? Common sense?

"Ask her to show you a sign. Ask her. Emily, if you're among us, show us another sign," Caroline called. They waited another moment. Nothing happened.

"See? It's not working," Bonnie said but then the windows burst open, "I can't, I'm done."

She ripped the necklace off and threw it onto the ground next to the candles which blew out. "Get the light. Please, get the light!"

Lux got off the bed as she was closest to the door with the light switch. "Hold on. I got it."

As the lights came back on, Bonnie stood frozen, a contrast to her thrashing state just seconds ago. "You guys, the necklace. It's gone."

Lux looked around, assessing the open windows and going to them before looking around the candles and the bed. Elena shook her head, "Okay, fun's over, Caroline. You made a point, and I get it. Now give it back."

"What? Well, I didn't take it," Caroline denied as they heard a noise from inside the house, "What? What happened?"

"I don't know. Nothing," Elena left the room, calling out from the banister, "Jeremy, are you home?"

Lux looked down the candles, one flame still flickering and bent down to blow it out. A second later a door closes and then Bonnie slams her fist against it. "You guys open the door! Help me!"

"Bonnie! Bonnie! What's going on, Bonnie?"

"Bonnie!"

She rushed to the door, trying to turn the knob at normal strength without luck before pushing further with supernatural strength and still – nothing. There was a magical resistance pushing her away. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself.

And then, the door opened, like it had never been locked at all, and Bonnie calmly walked out.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Elena asked.

Bonnie blinked, but her face was so barren of emotion it sent chills down her spine. "I'm fine," Bonnie said in a voice that almost wasn't her own.

"Unbelievable," Caroline rolled her eyes, "You were totally faking it."

"Caroline, come on."

"No! You scared the hell out of me!"

Bonnie began to walk towards the stairs as Elena called after her but the witch didn't turn back, only evenly saying again, "I'm fine. Everything's fine."

"I can't believe I fell for it," Caroline shook her head.

"Where are you going?" Lux walked after her.

"I must go."

"You must go? Bonnie, since when do you talk like that?" Lux asked, not letting up.

"She's leaving. I'm leaving," Caroline agreed.

"You guys can't leave."

"I can. I've had enough freaky fake witch stuff for one night."

"Thank you for having me. I'll take it from here."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to where it all began."

"Back to where it all began...? Oh my god, Emily!" Lux exclaimed, trying to open the door after Emily closed it but finding it spelled closed again. She put all her strength behind it, but still, nothing. "No! No!"

"What's happening?" Caroline asked.

"The door – it won't open!" Lux answered, finally pulling back for a bit of respite.

In that second, the door opened from the outside as they all screamed, but it was only Jeremy, who looked at them all in confusion. "What the hell?"

Caroline shook her head. "I'm outta here," and didn't waste another moment before leaving the haunted house.

As Jeremy passed, going upstairs, Lux turned to Elena. "Call Stefan tell him everything."

She nodded, getting out her phone and doing just that.

"What's wrong?" he asked on the other side, already sounding panicked. Well, she didn't think his talk with Damon went well either.

"It's Bonnie."

"What happened?"

"Emily is possessing her. She said something."

"What did she say?"

"She said 'I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed.' And then she just left."

"Where do you think she went?"

"I don't know."

"Where it all started," Lux interrupted, "She said she was going back to where it all started."

Elena looked up at her with realization. "Fell's church, but the old cemetery. That's where she took Bonnie in her dreams. We have to help her, Stefan."

"Just stay there. I'm gonna find her. Tell Lux to meet me there."

He ended the phone call, but Lux nodded regardless. "You stay here. I'm gonna go there and I'll bring Bonnie home. Stefan and I – we won't let Damon hurt her."

"I know you won't. You stay safe, too."

Lux sent her a smile, but didn't promise anything either way before speeding away into the direction of the old cemetery, glad that she had spent her whole life in the town to know where she should go. When she was almost there, she met up with Stefan, and close behind them there was a tree branch that snapped. Turning around to reveal Elena, she only slumped her shoulders in disappointment.

"I told you to stay home," she said.

"It's Bonnie," was the only explanation Elena could give.

Traveling the rest of the way together, they got to the church ruins as Damon was impaled on a tree branch, which Stefan picked him off of. "It hurts. This is why I feed on people," Damon told his brother. Lux raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on his words.

"Stefan," Emily in Bonnie's body acknowledged the younger Salvatore brother.

"Hello, Emily," he returned the greeting.

"These people don't deserve this. They should never have to know such evil," the dead witch said.

Lux looked to Stefan but he didn't seem to be understanding her either. "What do you mean evil?"

"Emily, I swear to God, I'll make you regret this," Damon threatened.

"I won't let you unleash them into this world."

"Them? What part of the story did you leave out, Damon?" Stefan questioned his brother.

"What does it matter?" Damon deflected.

"Emily, tell me what you did."

"To save her, I had to save them," Emily revealed, but Lux still looked at the three in confusion. Save them? Save her? She didn't understand.

"With one, comes all."

"Who did you save? Who's in the church?" Lux voiced finally, looking between Emily and Stefan, knowing Damon wouldn't answer her even if she held the answer for all his problems.

"The vampires who were in town when we were human," Stefan told her.

"I don't care about them," Damon shook his head like a beast, "I just want Katherine."

Katherine. That's that name again. The important one that Stefan tensed up at. The one who toyed with them – who turned them. She's in the church with the others? Oh. So it's all about love.

"I knew I shouldn't have believe a single word that comes out of your mouth. This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge," Stefan accused his brother. Or maybe not.

"The two aren't mutually exclusive."

"Damon, you can't do this."

"Why not? They killed twenty-seven people, and they call it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get."

"Twenty-seven vampires, Damon. They were vampires. You can't just bring them back."

"This town deserves it," Damon sneered.

"You're blaming innocent people for something that happened 145 years ago."

"There is nothing innocent about these people, and don't think for a second it won't happen again. They already know too much, and they'll burn your little grandwitch right next to us when they find out. Trust me."

"Things are different now," Emily said.

"Don't do this," Damon begged.

"I can't free them. I won't," then she began chanting, "Incendia!"

The pentagram Emily carved into the dirt around her set ablaze, creating a barrier separating Emily from the others.

"No! No please," Damon cried.

"Bonnie!"

"No!"

Emily thew the necklace into the air and it exploded, the shards flying everywhere. Completing her spell, Lux watched as Bonnie's eyes rolled to the back of her head until it was just white as she collapsed and she cried out for her friend. Waking up, Bonnie looked around at where she was before crying out in confusion.

Overcome with anger, Damon rushed towards her, ripping into her neck. Lux and Stefan ran to her, Stefan barreling towards Damon and pulling Damon off her. Lux could smell the blood from Bonnie, how tempting, but she didn't let it get to her.

"She's alive, but barely. I can save her," Stefan told them as Lux cradled her. He bit into his wrist before feeding it to Bonnie who weakly gulped down the blood.

Lux watched in awe as the wound began to close. "Her neck, it's healing," Elena voiced. She looked at Stefan, shedding another tear and holding Bonnie tighter.

After about ten minutes, Bonnie was conscious enough to be moved, able to be moved and stand on her own. She hugged herself, still shaky and Lux couldn't blame her. Stefan wandered off after Damon and Lux kept her ears open just in case but most of her attention was on Bonnie.

"Katherine never compelled me. I knew everything. Every step of the way. It was real for me. I'll leave now," Damon admitted to him without prompting from his brother. Though she didn't know the full effects of Katherine, she could grasp that the woman held a large amount of control over both men. It wasn't for her to deal with tonight at least.

Bonnie shook her head, looking over to the place where she had been attacked. "I don't understand, guys, what happened to me? He attacked me, and his face was like..."

"How do you feel? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just this blood. I don't know..."

Stefan approached them, but as he did, Bonnie recoiled and sucked in a breath out a freight, keeping her eyes trained on him, weary of his existence now.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he assured her.

"What's going on?" Bonnie looked to her friends.

"We'll explain everything, Bonnie. Okay? Let's just get out of here. Bonnie. Bonnie, look at me. Trust me. He's just going to hurt you. Come on. Come on."

Elena led Bonnie to the car as Lux stood back with Stefan. "I didn't our blood did that," Lux admitted, "I know that night – the night I was turned – I fed from that guy...but I didn't know vampire blood could heal people."

"It can. We heal fast and we can heal humans fast, too," Stefan confirmed.

She nodded again, not knowing what else to say but what saved when Elena approached them. "Is she in danger of becoming...?"

"No, she has to die with my blood in her system. So, keep an eye on her tonight and make sure that nothing happens, and once it leaves her system, she'll be fine."

"I'm gonna tell her the truth."

"You sure?"

"We can trust her," Elena nodded at him before turning to Lux, "Will you be there with them when I do? Tell her what you told me?"

"Yeah," she nodded. She took another look between the two, "I'll be in the car. Night, Stefan."

She tried to push their voices from her ears, but there was too little to focus on. Earlier at the school it was easier, other conversations to follow from her classmates, but now in the woods – in the dead of night – there were only the crickets and Bonnie's uneven breathing in the car, so she couldn't be blamed when she heard Stefan tell her that he was leaving Mystic Falls.

Stopping herself outside the car, she froze, waiting for Elena to get back to the car before looking back at Stefan, who was looking to watch them leave. "You go, I'll meet you there," she nodded at Elena before walking back to Stefan.

"You're leaving," she stared at him.

"You were listening."

"It was hard not to."

Stefan looked away from her, up to the trees as to not meet her eyes. She still looked straight at his face, demanding for him to try and face her. "My uncle is dead, so is Lexi, and Vicki Donovan. All because of Damon. I led him here."

"From what it sounds like, he would've turned up here on his own either way," Lux disagreed, "And I'm sorry about them. I'm sorry about Zach and Lexi, and you know how sorry I feel about Vicki, but leaving now isn't gonna bring them back. But you were right to come here, because you helped me so much. I need you here, Stefan. I don't know what I'm doing – I didn't even know about the blood thing until twenty minutes ago because of you! Please."

Stefan finally met her gaze, looking at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Lux. You were a really good friend, and that doesn't have to end. You still have my number and when you graduate, we'll try and find each other. Until then, I have no doubt that you'll be able to figure everything out, and you won't have to do it alone. You'll have Elena and Bonnie. Goodbye, Lux."

He ran off, leaving her behind. She wanted to scream, to cry out at the universe and its cruelty, but all she managed was a choked sobbed and some tears falling down her face before she pulled herself together and arrived at the Gilbert house.

Bonnie was distraught over the news of vampires being real, even more so at the news that Lux was one, afraid at first, pulling back after Lux told her. It broke her heart to see that resistance, same as Elena's before Elena pulled her close and said that it didn't matter after all, because they were still friends and always would be.

"I'm still me, Bonnie," she told her friend after revealing everything, clinging onto her every ounce in humanity still left in her bones, "I'm still the same Lux that you knew a few months ago who was human, and I'm still the same Lux who you thought was human two hours ago. Nothing about me has changed."

It was almost the truth. She was close to being the same, but so far from being that Perfect Lux. She was Lux the Vampire, and Lux the Never-Aging Girl. Forever stuck while her friends marched on, eventually leaving her behind. And it would be sad, but before she thought she would at least have Stefan. Now, it seemed, she would have no one.

How cruel of fate to give her this bed to lie in.