The Cousin

The next day was the first day of school. For me anyway. I dressed in my Black Veil Brides attire and walked down the steps to find Elena. I had just poured myself a glass of milk when my phone vibrated I looked down at the new message I had just received from Liz.
Hey, have you found a new home for your horses yet???
“Shit,” I mumbled, forgetting about looking for a new place for them with all the vampire things going on. I frowned.
No. Sorry. I’ve got a lot going on right now. I’m still looking though! I’ll let you know when I’ve found a new place for them.
I sent the text as Elena walked into the room. “Morning,” she smiled half-heartedly. I nodded a hello and took a drink of the milk. “Ready for school?” she asked grabbing a granola bar out of the cabinet. I shrugged and she laughed. “Come on,” she said waving me to the door. I chugged the rest of the milk and then set the glass in the sink before dashing after her onto the bus.
Once we got to school we met up with Caroline in the parking lot.
“Oh, my God!” she cried seeing me. “Selene! I’ve missed you!” I smiled as she pulled me into a hug and then linked arms with me as we walked towards the school. She then began to tell us about what happened to her last night. I frowned hearing what Damon had called her and the fight between her and Bonnie.
“Have you talked to Bonnie,” asked Elena.
“No, I’m mad at her. She needs to make the first move.”
“Be the bigger person,” sighed Elena.
“Ugh, impossible in her presence.”
“Why are you so pissed at her anyway?” asked Elena.
“She’s a thief, that’s why. I gave her my necklace and she refuses to give it back. It’s a matter of principle.”
“All right,” sighed Elena, “I tried. I’m officially out of it.”
“Good. Your turn. Where’s Stefan? Have you talked to him,” questioned Caroline.
“He’s avoiding me.”
“Why?”
“It’s complicated.” The bell rings and Caroline unlinks arms from me, “I’ll see you later,” sighs Elena as she and I walk away as I wave.
“Bye,” Caroline smiles, waving.
Elena shows me to the front office where I pick up my schedule. She smiles seeing that my first class is history along with her. We head off to class and she frowns seeing the seat next to her vacant. I frown knowing its Stefan’s seat.
“Does he have assigned seating,” I murmur to her.
“Uh. I don’t know, we have a new teacher,” she frowns sitting down. I wait just inside the door. Bonnie pushes past me, a frightened look on her face as she takes her seat. Just then a man walks through the door after her. He stopped and looked at me.
“New student?” he questioned. I nodded. “Ah. Well, we’re on the same page then Miss…” I handed him a slip of paper with my name on it and that also explained my condition. He read it over quickly frowning. “I’m sorry to hear about that, Selene. I will make sure to keep that in mind. Um. Let me look and see if you have a seat already.” He walked over to the desk and looked at the seating chart, “Over there,” he said pointing to the back corner. I smiled at him nodding a thank you and then took my seat. “All right. Good morning, everyone,” he said putting his things down. He rubbed his hands together and turned to the chalkboard, “Alrighty. Let’s see.” He then began to write on the chalk board. I set my stuff down with my notebook open ready to take any notes. “Alaric Saltzman,” spoke the man. “It’s a mouthful, I know. It doesn’t exactly roll of the tongue. Saltzman is of German origins. My family immigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now, the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough.” I smiled. “You’ll probably wanna pronounce it “Al-a-rick” but it’s “Alaric,” okay? So you can call me Rick. I’m your new history teacher.”
******
Later that day Elena and I were sitting outside with Bonnie as she told us about her nightmare.
“Then I ended up at the remains of old Fell’s Church before I woke up back in the woods.”
“And you always see your ancestor Emily?”asked Elena. Bonnie nodded. “Huh.”
“Do believe in ghosts?”
“Two weeks ago, I’d say no, but now—“
“I think I’m being haunted.” Bonnie said, freaked about the whole situation.
“I don’t get it. Why Emily?”
“Grams said she was a powerful witch back in the Civil War days. And this medallion was hers. It’s a witch’s talisman.” Bonnie said showing the amber stone.
“And it all started when you got the necklace?”
“I think she’s using it to communicate with me,” frowned Bonnie.
“Okay, what does Grams say about it?”
“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 and I sighed frowning. The bell rang and we all stood up to head for our different classes.
******
I was walking to the parking lot with Bonnie, looking through the crowd for Elena when Damon came out of nowhere and having us almost run into him.
“Okay, it’s your last chance,” he sang to Bonnie.
“I’m gonna scream,” whispered Bonnie as she walked around Damon, grabbing my hand and pulling me with her.
“Oh, no, don’t do that. Let’s stay on point. Listen, I want my necklace.” He said following after us.
“You can’t have it,” growled Bonnie.
“I can’t take it, but you can give it to me. I’m trying to help you here.”
“I don’t want your help,” snapped Bonnie.
“See you do want my help and you don’t even know it. You know why, you little witch? Because you have stumbled into something you need to stumble out of.”
“Just leave me alone or I swear—“
Damon blocked her way to the driver’s side of her car. Bonnie held me behind her as he spoke. “Nope, no threats. Look, A, you hurt me last time, B, I wish you no harm. Believe it or not, Bonnie, I wanna protect you. Let me help you get Emily off your back.”
“How do you know about her?”
“I know a lot of things,” Damon said as he leaned closer to us, backing us up to the car parked next to Bonnie’s. “And I know more about that crystal than you do. And I know that she’s using it to creep inside of you.” Damon lightly touched the side of Bonnie’s face. “Huh? See how scared you are?” he mocked, “And you should be, because I will get that crystal even if I have to wait for Emily to give it to me herself. So next time she comes out to play, you tell her,” Damon then opened Bonnie’s door for her and put his chin on top of the door, “that a deal’s a deal.” Bonnie rushed into the car and pushed me to get into the back. I glared at Damon as I opened the back door. “Oh, don’t look at me with those eyes, Princess,” he smirked. I flipped him off as I climbed into the backseat and slammed the door behind me. Bonnie then tore off to the other side of the parking lot to pick up Elena.
******
“He’s bad news, Elena,” Bonnie complained after she had told Elena the encounter we had just had with Damon. “He really scared me.”
“You need to stay as far away from Damon as possible.”
“I’m trying,” Bonnie whined. “He just keeps showing up.”
“I don’t want you to be alone. You’re sleeping at my place tonight. We can make a whole night out of it.”
I smiled leaning forward, “Slumber party?”
Elena laughed nodding. I looked over at Bonnie who was glaring down at the amber crystal. She then pulled the car over and got out.
“Where are you going?” asked Elena.
Bonnie pulled the crystal from her neck and then walked out to the field and threw it. She then stomped back to the car and got back in.
“Are you okay?” asked Elena.
“Now I am,” smiled Bonnie. “All my problems are because of that thing. Can’t believe I didn’t do that sooner.”
“What’s your grams gonna say?”
“Grams isn’t the one being haunted by a 150-year-old ghost, is she?” countered Bonnie.
“Okay then,” smiled Elena.
“So, slumber party?” I asked the girls.
They both smiled. “Defiantly,” nodded Bonnie.