Witchlight

Running passed groups of kids clustered in the main hall, I quickly pushed my way out of the school’s main entrance. I took the steps two at a time, my shoes slapped against the concrete sidewalk as I ran to my car.

I saw Rachelle’s car still parked between Elena’s car and a pickup truck as I pulled out my keys. After unlocking my car I yanked open the door and jumped inside the driver’s seat. I started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot at full speed headed for Rachelle.

A long five minute drive later I turned down Rachelle’s street and there, standing on her front porch was the man I had seen in my dream. He was tall with blonde hair and startling blue eyes. He spun around at the sound of my screeching tires and took off in a flash as I came to a stop in front of Rachelle’s driveway.

I could see Rachelle through the now open door, legs shaking and holding the door for dear life as I ran up the steps to her porch.

“Alex! Hurry, please!” she yelled. “There’s some creepy man lurking around claiming that he knows something about me!”

When I finally reached her a second later I could see her face was red and blotchy from crying. Snot was hanging from her small nose, if I hadn’t known the dire situation we now found ourselves in I probably would have thought it was a bit comical in the way she looked.

“I saw him,” I told her as I pushed my way past her and into the house, closing the door behind me and locking it. I made sure that both the dead bolt and the door lock were secure, “I saw him with you and Jeremy in the woods”.

She looked at me sharply as I ushered her into the living room and had her take a seat on her mother’s prized sofa. We’d have hell to pay for it later, but right now Rachelle and I needed to figure out what to do.

“Where’s Jeremy?” I asked sitting next to her. “What’s going on?”

She shook her head confused, “You saw him Alex?”

I nodded my head slightly in reply, “I don’t know where Jeremy is,” she said. “He might have gone back to school or something”.

Her breathing was ragged and tears were still flowing down her cheeks, “Something is happening Alex, and it doesn’t feel right”.

She put her head in her hands as a sob wracked her body, shuddering in fear. A second later she looked up with determination, “We have to figure out what’s going on”.

I shook my head in agreement, “I’ll call the others”. I grabbed my cellphone from my back pocket, “Matt? Elena? Maybe Stefan?” I asked numbly. She nodded her head and I quickly dialed Elena’s number. Elena always knew what to do.

She picked up on the first ring; her voice full of concern, “Hello?” she said. “Alex?”

I breathed in deep through my nose and let the cool air from Rachelle’s air conditioner ease my racing heart. I spoke urgently, “Something’s wrong Elena, someone attacked Rachelle today!”

She gasped on the other end of the phone, “Is she alright?”

“She’s fine now,” I said. “A little shook up and scared out of her mind,” I explained. “We both are”.

“Did you call the sheriff?” she asked.

“No, they can’t help us,” I said. “Look Elena, I need you to come over here as soon as possible and bring Stefan with you,” I told her.

“Okay but-,” she started.

“No buts Elena, this is serious,” I said. “Someone is after Rachelle and he wasn’t human! I can feel it”.

“Alright, I’ll be over in ten minutes,” she told me. I could hear rustling in the background and quite chatter as Elena shifted on her end of the phone. “Stay put and make sure all the doors and windows are shut and locked, don’t answer the door for anyone but me, got that?”

“Yes,” I said softly.

“Alright, I’ll be there soon. Stay safe,” she said before hanging up.

I closed my cellphone and placed it on the coffee table in front of me and looked at Rachelle. At some point during the call she had stood up and had begun to pace back and forth in front of the coffee table as she waited. She looked at me expectantly, “Well?”

“She said she’d be here soon,” I said as I watched her walk back over to the couch and sit next to me. We sat back and looked at the ceiling, our hearts had finally settled to a soft thump-thump and we waited for Elena and Stefan to arrive.

Ten minutes later a knock sounded on the front door scaring Rachelle and I into another fit of erratic heart beats and shallow breaths. We looked at each other, our eyes wide with fright as we both stood up and wandered over to the door. My skin rippled with electricity was we came closer to the door. My hands felt slick with sweat as I reached for the door lock.

Rachelle grabbed my hand quickly and nodded towards the door with a distrustful expression on her face. Oh right, I need to make sure it’s Elena and not that man again. “Whose there?” I yelled through the door. My hands shook as the sound of my own voice reverberated against the walls and back to us.

“It’s me Elena!” we heard softly on the other side of the door. Rachelle and I looked back at each other and smiled as we let out a breath of air we had both been holding in. I was pretty sure she was feeling the exact same way I was; a bit ruffled and stupid for thinking it could be anyone but Elena.

Rachelle unlocked the door and quickly opened it to show a lot more people than what we had initially thought were coming to our aid. Standing on the porch was: Elena and her brother Jeremy, Bonnie and Caroline behind them. Even Mr. Saltzman stood their gallantry behind Caroline but, there was no Stefan. No, in Stefan’s place was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life. He had dark chocolate brown hair and crystal blue eyes. He was dressed in dark jeans and a leather jacket pulled over a dark burgundy v-necked sweater. He was absolutely gorgeous.

“Elena!” I heard Rachelle cry as she enveloped her into a massive hug. Tears came rushing down Rachelle’s face once again as our friends comforted her. One by one everyone walked through the door and filed into the small living room situated left off of Rachelle’s front entry, until the only person left standing was the handsome stranger.

"Well aren't you going to let me in?" he said devilishly.

“I- what, who are you?” I said stupidly.

Elena walked up to the door behind me, “It’s alright Alex, that’s Damon”.

I looked at her questioningly, “He’s Stefan’s older brother”.

“Oh okay,” I said. “You can come in”.

I watched as he gave me a smirk and walked through the doorway and into the house. I followed him into the living room after I relocked the door and sat next to Rachelle on the couch. I looked at everyone crowded into the small room. Jeremy and Alaric were standing near the fire place their backs leaning against the wall, their arms folded to their chests. Elena and Bonnie were sitting across from me and Rachelle on the two formal chairs in the room. Caroline was sitting at Rachelle’s feet in front of the corner table and Damon was leaning against the far wall with his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

Elena was the first to speak, “Tell us what happened? What did he look like Rachelle?”

Rachelle sighed and sat up; she racked her hands through her hair as she began to tell everyone what had happened. “He was tall and handsome,” she said. “He had blonde hair and bright blue eyes that were filled with a darkness that I have never witnessed before,” she continued.

Shock made its way across their faces as Rachelle continued explaining what had transpired in the woods and then on her way home and finally how the man had tried to get her to let him in.

“It’s Klaus,” Jeremy said quietly looking at Elena. “Isn’t it?” anger flashed within his eyes as he glanced quickly at Rachelle and then back over to Elena.

“Whose Klaus?” I asked as I watched Elena nod in Jeremy’s general direction.

Damon stood up and walked towards Rachelle and me, “Klaus is a very old and powerful hybrid. He kills whatever is in his way until he gets what he wants and it seems to me what he wants is you”.

He lightly grabbed Rachelle’s face and raised her chin so that her eyes were looking directly into his, “The question is…,” he said. “…is why?”

Rachelle choked on a sob as he dropped his hand away from her and backed away.
“A hybrid?” I asked. “A hybrid of what?” I said loudly.

“Klaus is a vampire-werewolf hybrid,” Alaric piped up. “He’s very dangerous and he’s been around for centuries”. I watched as he addressed my question from across the room with a blank almost dead looking expression on his face.

“What?” Rachelle and I said at the same time. I was confused and scared, who was Klaus and why was he after Rachelle? Elena went on to explain Klaus’s origins and the rest of what had been happening the last couple of months since Stefan had showed up to Mystic Falls in the first place.

“So… let me get this straight,” I said slowly. “Stefan and Damon are vampires?” they all nodded. “Caroline was accidently turned into a vampire by Damon when Katherine killed her after her car accident?” nods again. “And Klaus is some Vampire-werewolf hybrid that killed Jenna and sired Tyler who was already a werewolf to begin with, and Mayor Lockwood was accidently killed when the Sheriff’s deputies went behind her back and gathered all the vampires from the Mystic Falls church tomb and in the process almost killed Damon?” once again they all nodded. “Bonnie is a witch?” nods. “And Elena is a doppelganger who looks exactly like Katherine?” nods all around the room were seen along with an irritated scowl thrown in from Damon.

Rachelle and I looked at each other skeptically but, none the less believed what Elena had just told us. It actually made perfect sense. Caroline’s drastic behavior changes, the way she moved so gracefully now. Bonnie’s magical aura that seemed to glow all around her and Tyler’s beastly gate and the darkness that I had sensed in the depths of his eyes. It also explained all the mysterious deaths and disappearances that plagued Mystic Falls, but it still didn’t explain why Klaus was after Rachelle.

My blood ran cold with the thought of my best friend within the clutches of this monster. This monster, who had destroyed everything that had ever been good in this town. He had turned Stefan against Elena and all of our friends. It didn’t matter to me that Rachelle and I had been kept in the dark. I was angry, I was pissed… I wanted Klaus dead.

A burst of bright light exploded in the room as every light bulb shattered and popped. The girls screamed and the guys jumped away from where they were standing to get away from the falling shards of glass.

Bonnie and Rachelle looked at me shocked. I could feel their minds racing with questions and I know they could feel mine too.

“What the hell was that?” Caroline asked as she picked slivers of glass out of her hair.

“I think…” Bonnie said, “That Rachelle and Alex are witches”.

Everyone’s eyes widened as they looked back and forth from Bonnie over to Rachelle and me.

In my head it actually made sense really, the weird dreams of Klaus and Rachelle in the woods. The exploding light bulbs and the burst of light, the way I was able to feel when Rachelle was in danger. It all made perfect sense, I was indeed a witch. How? I do not know; no one in my family had ever shown that they could conjure magic. What did this mean? Why was Klaus after Rachelle? So many questions raced through my mind. I needed answers and I needed them now. I didn’t know how I’d find them, but mark my word I was going to get them one way or another.

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“I need those witches!” he yelled as he slammed his fist down against a door frame. “They the only thing that stand between me and complete control”.

He paced back and forth in front of a teenage girl who had a terrible glint in her eye and a dangerous aura surrounding her pretty face. She watched as his anger got the best of him and once again slammed his fists down on the poor defenseless door.

Dark energy oozed out from his aura in black inky tendrils. If she had been human she thought, I would be scared out of my wits. But alas she was not, “Don’t worry Niklaus,” she said. “You will have the witches”.

He turned towards her. “Just work on the blonde; her blood knows us. She will come, after all she is our only surviving human ancestor,” she purred as she haphazardly picked dried blood from under her finger nails. “It amazes me how mother was able to keep such a secret from father before he brutally murdered her,” she said in distaste.

Klaus shoved the girl up from the couch she was sitting and flung her across the room. Holding her by the throat against the wall he roared, “Do not speak of father”. His eyes turned bright yellow and black, so dark it would have every mortal cowarding in a corner.

“Yes Niklaus,” she said. He let go of her throat and stepped back.

“They cannot find out about the prophecy,” he said to her. She nodded in agreement and started towards the door.

“… and Rebecca,” he said after her. She turned and looked at him stating a flat yes in response.

“Watch Stefan, I don’t trust him. I may have compelled him but, you never know what a silly vampire will do,” he laughed menacingly. She nodded once again and walked away.

“I will have those witches,” he said to himself. “If it’s the last thing I do”.

You could hear his laugh reverberate off the walls as he lightly stroked a coffin that was cleanly hidden in the shadows. Soon he thought, very soon.