Chapter 02
A couple of weeks later, Bella really hoped that TrashPanda was around to talk to her, mainly because she did live in a rich environment of the Supernatural and she wanted to check on a story that Damon had told her about the Sun and Moon curse. Surely there would be an answer in New Orleans?
Bella stayed out of Mystic Falls trouble, she merely wanted to make sure that the curse was what it was and nothing special. Nothing that could harm the Salvatores, after all, Zach Salvatore may have started with her protection, it was his nephews – or uncles – that carried on, without even knowing what she was.
Hell, even Bella didn’t know what she was, but her research told her that she wasn’t a medium but some sort of necromancer and that was dangerous. She was dangerous. If she could raise the dead, she had to be careful. Maybe that was why she wanted to make sure that the curse wouldn’t have an effect on her, either.
CeilingCat: You here?
TrashPanda: Sup?
CeilingCat: What do you know about the Sun and Moon curse in relation to vampires?
TrashPanda: Research?
CeilingCat: Totally. History teacher has moved on to the Aztecs now. Seeing as you’re in the big city and all… maybe you could help me write this paper?
Bella didn’t like the silence. TrashPanda wasn’t talking for a long time while she was online so to kill some time, and not to sound too pushy, Bella made herself something to eat.
TrashPanda: Okay, so legend tells us that vampires and werewolves are real – but they’re not buuuut let’s assume that they are. Long time ago, the vampires and werewolves were fighting and were killing innocent lives while doing so. So the Aztecs created a curse that would allow the vampires to walk only at night and the wolves to only transform at full moon.
CeilingCat: I know that. I mean, I got as far as that. Vampires are the werewolves’ natural prey. Their bite can kill.
TrashPanda: Right! So that’s the curse. However, rumor goes that the curse is fake. It appeared out of nowhere in many cultures at the same time and some people say that it was merely a scary horror story to tell.
CeilingCat: You’re saying a bunch of guys wanted to fuck with believer’s heads?
TrashPanda: Yeah, I guess so. I mean, you can break the curse, or so they say, with a Moonstone, a vampire and a werewolf sacrifice and the blood of a doppelganger. Seriously, for a tiny curse like that? Something else might be at play. Something bigger. More dangerous.
CeilingCat: Like what?
TrashPanda: I don’t know. A hybrid, maybe? They’re extremely rare in lore, so maybe it’s all connected. I don’t know. Nobody is telling me anything here, because it’s not real. I only know what I know because I like connecting the dots, just like you.
CeilingCat: A hybrid? Okay, so for arguments sake and to make my paper even better (and me teacher’s pet for making it exciting!); let’s assume that everything’s real because my teacher likes that, and let’s assume that everything needed is available in one town but the hybrid. What’s the worse that could happen?
TrashPanda: The hybrid breaking his curse and to be able to make more hybrids? I don’t know. He could become more powerful because both of his sides are free. You’re a writer. Use your imagination and good luck on that paper. Let me know what your teacher thinks, this is certainly out of the box thinking, well done!
CeilingCat: Thanks.
TrashPanda: Oh, and I did a paper on Doppelgangers last semester. The research I did was that they’re always hell bent on destroying the other’s lives by manipulation and nasty things. So if you need to see it as real; make them the bad guy in all of it.
CeilingCat: LOL. Thanks! I’ll have this paper written in no-time now! Back to the books!
TrashPanda: Back to the book cave! Xx
Bella continued to live her life after the chat with TrashPanda. She went to school, listened intently when her teacher Saltzman spoke, observed the rest of the gang, but the funny thing was that they weren’t spending that much time in school anymore, and it wasn’t raising any eyebrows from the faculty.
And wow, did she want to stab Moritz’ eyes out with a blunt object. He had gone from being a dork to being Mr. Popular and she suspected that he was on something. Or maybe turned. Damon and Stefan hadn’t turned anyone – to her knowledge, Caroline was an accident – so was this Katherine’s fault? Why would she allow him to walk in daylight? No, vampire was out of the question. Maybe he was a werewolf, an accidental bite from Tyler or his uncle. Moritz was a pig.
Bella followed him out of school, she didn’t even know why, really. She and Moritz hadn’t been dating for long and they had separated for even longer, but she hated his guts. There was a fire, a rage, inside of her and he needed to pay for his sluttiness. For his inability to treat women like royalty, like the goddesses they are. He was a pig. A pig!
“Bella! Hey, focus on me,” Damon’s voice suddenly sounded as he grabbed her tightly, turning her around and making her focus on him.
Where did he come from. “What?”
“You can’t just turn people into animals, Bella,” he said as he spun her around again and pointed at the pig, Moritz’ clothes were hanging loosely around him. “No matter how much you hate them, you can’t do this.”
“I didn’t do that!”
“Yes, you did. I saw it with my own eyes. You’re lucky nobody else did,” Damon scolded her as he let go of her and helped the pig out of the clothes before throwing them into the bin. “Now he’s just a pig.”
“He is,” she replied stunned. “I did that?”
“Yep. Let’s get you home. You’re done for the day,” Damon put his arm around her and started to lead her to his car. “You have to be careful, Bella. Wasn’t that what Zach had said? Elijah is in town. He’s a very old vampire and he has a nose for special things like you. Do you want a big target painted on your back?”
“What if he’s the one who can tell me what I am?”
“Trust me, he’s not. He’s a prick,” he opened the passenger door for her so she could get in and drove her home in silence, his mind obviously preoccupied with other things.
“You know, how am I supposed to learn and observe when you don’t want me in on things?”
“Such as?”
“Katherine. The Tomb. The werewolves. The curse. Elijah.”
Damon only smirked as he stopped the car in front of the boarding house. “How am I supposed to keep you safe while I’m busy dealing with the other stuff?”
Bella grumbled as she slammed the door closed. “What if the curse isn’t for breaking the werewolf curse? What if it’s used for other things?”
“Like what?”
“More dangerous things, I don’t know.”
“You’re right, you don’t know. I do. Now, go home before you turn me into a pig.”
“You’re already a pig,” Bella rolled her eyes at him before she walked over to her home.
“Oink, oink!”
~o.O.o~
“So, in my previous class, I was told we’d been covering the sixties because of the upcoming Decade dance,” Mr. Saltzman announced as he started to teach the class. Bella thought he looked different, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “It made me want to fail myself. I did so poorly! Now, what were we discussing in this class?”
“You were supposed to hand us our papers back, Mr. Saltzman,” Jeri piped up with a giggle. “Props to you for finally becoming the absentminded professor!”
“Right, of course,” Saltzman said, furiously blushing as he pretended to rummage through the drawers and the papers on the desk. “Ah! Found them!” He handed the first few ones to the ones in the first row before his eye fell on something. “A paper on the Sun and Moon curse?”
“Aztec,” Bella replied, cocking her head. “Don’t you remember? I wanted to write about something other than the builders of modern society and tackle their beliefs. You said to go for it?”
A fake smile of recognition appeared on his face. “Of course. I uh… I haven’t managed to grade it yet so once everyone has their papers and their grades, you can all do something fun for the rest of the hour while I discuss this with you.”
“Teacher’s pet,” Jessica coughed as she clutched her paper and walked out of class.
“Loser.”
“Nerd.”
More was said, but Bella decided to ignore it. As always. Saltzman would never have announced this so publicly. He was definitely wrong. And she was alone. Luckily he was more intrigued with the words in her paper, so maybe she could disappear. Getting up from her chair, she started to make her way to the door, slowly.
“Isabella, please,” he said as he pointed to a chair. “You have quite the imagination,” he smiled at her, leaning against the desk. “Do you think this could be true?”
“Of course not,” Bella huffed. “You and I both know that the Aztecs weren’t that superstitious. It’s just a fairytale.”
“Quite,” he said amused. “I love it. I’ll give you an A, but I suppose that doesn’t come as a surprise to you.”
“Can I go now?”
“Can I run a theory by you? Since we know the same people?”
“Do we?”
“Damon and Stefan? I saw you get out of Damon’s car this morning when he dropped you off. You and I both know they’re vampires and that they’ve been after this curse for quite some time trying to save Elena. Don’t play dumb with me, Isabella.”
“I’m not. I’m not involved in any of that.”
“Then why the extensive research on a curse, that according to you, doesn’t exist?”
“Because I do that. I tell stories.”
“What if it were real? There is no Sun and Moon curse, only one curse, meant to bind something much more powerful than your ordinary vampire or werewolf?”
Definitely not Saltzman. Bella sighed as she tiredly ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t care. Damon told me about the Original, Klaus, yesterday and for all I care it’s his curse to break. I’m not involved in their problems.”
“But what if Klaus kills them?”
“Kinda their own fault, isn’t it? For finding Elena? For getting to know her and setting things in motion?” Bella chuckled darkly. “I mean, I’ve warned Damon countless of times to just walk away, but he can’t. Because Elena looks like Katherine and Katherine is a bitch. For all I care Klaus kills Stefan because Stefan is barely hanging on by a thread and please, a vampire that feeds on animals? What kind of vampire is that? You know as well as I do how Stefan was when he was drinking human blood a few months ago. He’s a danger.”
Alaric smirked then. “What of Damon?”
“Damon’s nice. He pretends he’s an asshole who doesn’t care but he’s nice. Kind. Warm. I feel privileged to see that side of him that he rarely shows others.” She couldn’t remember if she told Rick about herself, probably not. Damon, and in a way Stefan, were the only ones who knew that she was something but what was still a mystery to all of them. “Damon’s a victim of Stefan’s bullying and the sole reason he’s a vampire in the first place. If it were up to me, Stefan would have been dead a long time ago but hey, I’m a mere mortal and you’re too much of a wuss to kill him.”
“He’s the brother of my best friend.”
“Is Damon your best friend, though?” Bella said as she got up from her chair and walked over to Alaric, staring him right in the face. “Because I don’t think you’re Alaric Saltzman.”
“How so?”
“Your aura. Good day,” Bella said as she snatched her paper out of Not Rick’s hands and walked out of the classroom before turning around and peeking her head around the door. “And for your information, this wasn’t my paper; this was research for Rick,” she said before turning around and heading out of school. She could feel her heart rate return back to normal before she burst out in a fit of laughter. She had sounded just like her mother. What was the world coming to?
No, but seriously, there was a dark shimmer or muddled colors around Saltzman that had alerted her, something she hadn’t seen before. Was she now going to have to read up on auras?
She stopped by the groceries store as she walked home from school; not wanting to bother Damon in having to pick her up. She wasn’t even sure why he dropped her off in the first place; Bella could have easily taken her own car.
Mystic Falls still felt different; something was coming and nothing would be the same again. Then again, she turned Moritz into a pig, what the fuck was up with that? She still couldn’t wrap her head around it. Bella had done some digging on the internet, googling for transformations from a human into an animal but all she got was shapeshifting; like werewolves, dream interpretations and anime and that wasn’t it, was it? She’d forced the shapeshifting upon someone else.
What freaked her out the most was that she was intrigued by it, and didn’t feel any remorse. At all.
When she arrived at her house, she was well aware of the amount of crows that were following her the moment she crossed the driveway of the boarding house. “Overkill much, Damon?” She muttered under her breath and stopped in her tracks when she saw this guy standing at her front door. He was immaculately dressed and looking around, curiously. “Can I help you? The Salvatores live in the big house!”
“Oh, I’m well aware of that, thank you,” the man turned to face her, a pleasant smile on his face. “Do you live here?”
“I do, but I don’t remember ordering something and it usually arrives at the big house so…” Bella readjusted the bag in her hand so she could use it as a weapon if needed and pushed past the man, opening her door and getting in. If this guy was a vampire, and he likely was, then she was safer inside. “Again, can I help you?”
“I’m curious,” the man replied. “I’m an historian and I was merely looking around on the Salvatore property as it’s old and perhaps I could find something of interest. This guest house isn’t on any document.”
“You’re not an historian,” Bella flicked on her computer. If TrashPanda was on, she could type help or something. Bella’s phone was dead and couldn’t send a text to Damon. “I know you’re a vampire and if you’re wondering why two vampires allow a human to live on their land, well, you got me there. I have no idea, but the rent is great.”
The man chuckled at that. “You remind me of someone I’ve met a while back, her name was…” the man paused, as if he was trying to remember. “Renée Higginbotham. Using sarcasm as a defense.”
“You know my mom?”
“Ah! You must be her daughter, Isabella.”
Bella narrowed her eyes on him. “Bella and how do you know my name?”
“My family and I have been keeping an eye on yours for a very long time. What a coincidence that I happened to run into you, in Mystic Falls of all places.”
“Why have you been keeping an eye on my family?”
“I have my suspicions about your family after an encounter with your mother and your father,” the man replied simply. “The male line of the Higginbothams is quite fascinating and nothing is known of your father’s side of the family. Tell me, is your grandfather still alive?”
“Grandpa Nate died when I was 18.”
“Interesting…”
“You’re creeping me out.”
“Oh, not to worry, Isabella. I mean you no harm.”
Bella snorted. “Yeah, no offense, buddy, but one of my landlords said the same and he tried to take a bite out of me too.”
The man’s lip curled in disdain. “The Salvatores have been nothing but a thorn in my side since my arrival here in Mystic Falls. Was it Damon?”
“You’re going to stay away from Damon or…”
“Or what?” the man took a step closer to the door, but Bella was fairly certain he wouldn’t be able to enter. “Instead of listening to me, they do the complete opposite of what I have said. They’re making things harder for themselves, and, for myself. My patience is wearing thin. I’d rather spend my time with more intellectual beings than them, but alas. I shall punish Stefan then. You will have nothing to fear.”
“I don’t want you to do anything,” Bella shot at him. “I’m quite capable of taking care of myself.”
“Are you?”
“Yes,” she replied as she pointed that the pig that had come to join them on Bella’s porch. She had to stifle a grin as someone, likely Damon, had dressed it up in an ugly sweater. “That used to be a boy. Unless you want to turn into what he is, I suggest you’ll leave me alone. I’ve had enough to deal with today and I’m tired.”
“You’re a witch.”
“Sure, whatever,” Bella shrugged. “I want you to stop nosing around my family, too. It’s creepy that there are beings as old as yourself stalking regular human beings. Life is hard enough without having to think about the supernatural aspect of it all. Leave me alone,” she then took a deep breath to calm herself. “Go stalk Elena or something. She’s the doppelganger. Far more interesting.”
“Elena and I have an understanding, it’s just that her protectors are idiots.”
“Not my problem. That’s theirs,” she countered. “Should I see you again, in front of my house, leering, I will alert my landlords and I will have you forcibly removed.”
He smirked then. “I’d love to see them try. Have a nice day, Miss Bella. Thank you for the entertainment that I needed today.”
Bella rolled her eyes and slammed the door shut before starting to unpack her bag of groceries. She then put her phone on the charger and called Damon, telling him about some stalker on their property and in front of her home, seemingly knowing a lot about her family.
“You didn’t antagonize him, did you?”
“I was my usual cheery self.”
“Damnit, Bella, that was Elijah. He doesn’t like to be insulted.”
“I didn’t insult him! Jeez!”
“Did you disrespect him?”
“He disrespected me first by showing up here and started to ask questions. I guess we’re even. Now, just a head’s up, I don’t think Alaric is Alaric.”
“No, he’s Klaus.”
Bella groaned as she sat down on her couch. “What are you up to? Do you need my help?”
“Nope, just stay where you are. When it’s all over, I’ll come to you.”
“Damon!”
“Not up for discussion, Bella. I promise we’ll be fine. And, if not, the deed to our house is in the study. All you have to do is sign it and it’s yours. It’ll keep you safe until you figure things out. But don’t worry, I promise we won’t die or anything. That would just be stupid.”
TrashPanda wasn’t around that night and Bella had to admit that she was a little scared when she could smell smoke coming out of the woods. For some reason, she felt the need to sit on her porch all night with tea and hot chocolate and just watch. Listen to the sounds around her. Listen to human screams in the distance until they died out. Some foxes had burrowed underneath the porch, Bella could hear them whimper in fear. Other than feeling slightly uneasy, Bella felt at peace; it was a beautiful full moon out and she could feel the weirdness of the day roll straight off her back.
When morning came, she was still awake and was fascinated by a wolf approaching her on the porch. There was fresh blood around his muzzle and Bella tried to remain calm; she wasn’t an idiot. Full moons meant werewolves but the sun was up now so if this was a real werewolf, he’d have turned already. No, this was a real wolf and it was beautiful.
“Hello,” she greeted the wolf calmly. “Aren’t you gorgeous?” She slid off her chair to lower herself to the ground and held out her hand to the wolf. “I mean you no harm. It’s okay.”
The wolf touched her hand with his nose and breathed in her scent before coming in closer, laying down next to her and put its face in her lap. “Alright, you can take a nap,” Bella said quietly as she scratched the wolf between his ears.
Weren’t wolves vicious in the wild? Even in zoos? What was she, really? Snow White? Dr. Doolittle? Either way, she was amazed and allowed herself to bask in the specialness of it all.
Bella had shot herself in the foot by being distracted by other things than making sure she could get into a college. She had aced her exams and, upon Damon’s insistence, had spent two weeks in Florida over the summer. It was great to be surrounded by fluffy stuff, by Disney and even seeing her mom for a day or two.
Oh, as much as Bella wanted to talk to her mother about what was going on in her life, she knew she couldn’t. Her mother would get scared, but Bella could tell that Renée saw that things had changed within Bella. She wouldn’t press the matter and have Renée lead the conversation and unfortunately it never strayed in the supernatural area of their lives.
It had been the first time since Grandpa Nate’s funeral that they saw each other and spending time on the beach was nice for the both of them. Bella confessed to her mother that she was worried about her future, seeing as she hadn’t applied for college. Renée encouraged her to work more at the Mystic Grill and take the year off, mainly because she had worked so hard over the last few years and deserved a break.
Not opposed to the idea, Bella returned to Mystic Falls with a spring in her step and then found out that Stefan had skipped town with Klaus, that he was back on feeding off of humans and that Damon was looking for him. Family. Pain in the butts.
And why was it a good idea to celebrate Elena’s 18th birthday at the Salvatore home? Bella hated the noise coming from the house, who knew that Elena had so many friends? She sighed when there was a knock on the door and got up to open it. “Stefan,” she said surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“I need you to come with me.”
He sounded like Stefan. But this was Stefan on human blood. He had already tried to bite her before, what had changed? “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Come with me, or I will burn this house down and I don’t care if you’re in it.” Stefan reached for her and pulled her out of the house, his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming and sped off with her. The experience was surreal; she could feel every movement, she could feel Stefan’s strength and she could feel how the wind cut into her skin.
The trip was over before she knew it and she found herself suspended from the ceiling of what looked like a TV studio. She was tightly bound, and she could see the ground from where she was. She’d be dead if she’d hit the floor. “Damnit, Stefan!” Bella was afraid of heights, this wasn’t going to end well, at all.
“Shut up, Bella,” Stefan’s voice sounded from below. “I can’t compel you to be quiet, but if you know what’s good for you, you’re not saying another word.”
Bella’s heart was pounding so hard that she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. Her lungs were compressing and she couldn’t breathe properly. “I’m afraid of heights!” she managed to cry out. What if the ropes she was bound with would break? Tear under hear weight? She’d fall to her death and she really didn’t want to die.
“Not my problem!”
“Stefan!” She could feel something sharp tear into her and lodge itself into her body. It hurt and maybe it was a good thing that she couldn’t move her arms to pull it out, but for some twisted reason, the new pain was a distraction from her fear of heights. She could breathe again but with every breath, she could feel the object work against her skin. Blood was coming out of her, she could smell it.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she could hear someone enter the building. The silhouette told her it was Damon. What was Stefan up to? Bella whimpered against her restraints, she had started to feel light headed and was sure that she was going to die.
“Stefan,” Damon’s voice sounded.
“Hello, brother.”
“You don’t write. You don’t call.”
“Need you to stop following me,” Stefan said calmly before shrugging. “Causing some problems.”
“With who, Klaus? I’m supposed to care what he thinks?”
“What you’re supposed to do is let me go.”
The voices were distant now, Bella couldn’t hear what they were saying as the world spun out of focus and she passed out.
She came to on her porch. Her head was in someone’s lap and there were a multitude of blankets over her, but she felt fine, or so she believed. Bella opened her eyes and looked up at Damon, confused. “What happened?” Oh, her voice was gone. Or her mouth was dry.
“Stefan wanted to make a point,” Damon said bitterly as he helped her to sit up. “If I keep coming after him, he’ll kill everyone. He made me choose between you and Andi and damnit, why do you have to be so special, Bella? I had a lot of fun with Andi and it’s your fault that she’s dead now. What am I supposed to do now?”
“Not to blame me for one,” Bella looked down on her shirt and saw the imprint of a knife surrounded by some blood. Her blood.
“I had to feed you my blood or you would have died,” Damon said dismissively. “Can’t you just figure out what you’re supposed to do and leave?”
“No, I’m sorry, Damon, I can’t. And I’m sorry that Andi’s dead, but you know what? From now own, I’ll be the princess in the tower and not open my door for everyone while you’ll be my keeper and bring me food and water every single day,” she replied angrily, getting to her feet. “If he doesn’t want you to find him, then don’t! If Elena’s so desperate to find him, then have her look for him. Start living your own life for once!”
“Says the princess in the tower.”
“Who turned a boy into a pig,” she warned him as she opened the door. “Maybe I should move. Live above the Mystic Grill or something. There’s space.”
“It’s not safe!”
“And you wanted me to leave!”
“You’re so infuriating!”
“So are you!” Bella went inside and slammed the door shut before heading straight to the bathroom to clean up. What the fuck. She was supposed to stay out of all of this. How could she have been so stupid?
Dressed in her comfy pyjamas and fuzzy slippers, Bella poured herself a big glass of whiskey to stave off the jitters as she turned on her computer. She needed someone friendly to talk to and she hoped that her friend was online. Before she could even look for her, a message popped up.
TrashPanda: Yo!
CeilingCat: Hi! It’s been a whiskey kind of day, hope you don’t mind, but I plan on getting drunk.
TrashPanda: I’ll join you. What happened?
CeilingCat: I have a great friend but his brother is a jerk right now. He’s in cahoots with some nut who strolled into town a few months ago and they’re traveling now. This brother came back to town to make sure his brother would stay clear and used me to do it.
TrashPanda: Seriously?! Are you okay? Do I need to call the cops or something?
CeilingCat: Nah, I’m a little sore and spooked but I’m in one piece thanks to my friend. It was just very scary and something I thought wouldn’t happen to me because I keep my nose out of things.
TrashPanda: Sounds like you’re involved with the mafia or a secret society if you say it like that.
CeilingCat: LOL. I just want to get drunk and for you to cheer me up, but I suppose secret society comes close.
TrashPanda: Ohhh! Are you like… in a cult?
CeilingCat: You’ve known me for years, Trashie. Wouldn’t you have known by now if I was? How’s college?
TrashPanda: I decided not to go. I’m actually on the move a lot these days. My boyfriend got me a laptop and we’re playing hide and seek cross country with some friends of his. Quite fun, really. One of them is a complete nut, though. He’s lucky he’s still breathing.
CeilingCat: Now, what did I tell you about your anger?
TrashPanda: I know, I know. I can’t help myself. Hey, how about instead of hurting my jerk, I’ll come over and hurt your friend’s brother instead?
CeilingCat: You don’t have to do that. It’s fine.
TrashPanda: Or, you could come out and join us.
Now, that was tempting. Bella didn’t fancy working at the Mystic Grill every single day for another year until she could apply for college and she hadn’t made any headway regarding to whatever the hell she was. And despite everything, staying in her house observing and learning finally had become boring, too.
She wasn’t going away because she was running, but because she felt like it. Besides, she could use a little bit of normality in her life. Damon had taught her some self defense moves, so she didn’t need him. Why not?
But for some reason she was hesitant. Trashie hadn’t been that forthcoming over the years and now she wanted to meet up and have fun? Just like that?
TrashPanda: You still there?
CeilingCat: Yeah, just thinking, that’s all.
TrashPanda: Why? What’s the worry? We’ve been friends for so long, Cat. Would be nice to see you face to face. Enjoy some freedom. Like… oh, skinny dipping, get drunk and dance around a bonfire!
CeilingCat: That sounds like a lot of fun, yes. I certainly have the time but… I can’t help but wonder if TrashPanda’s account got hacked and taken over by someone else.
TrashPanda: Paranoid much? I like it.
CeilingCat: Well?
TrashPanda: Like yourself, I am part of some sort of secret society. But I don’t have to hide anymore. Look, I get it, if you’re worried about your safety, then I completely understand. I give you my word that you’ll be safe. Who knows? You might learn some new things along the way!
CeilingCat: Fine. Where do we meet up?
Bella couldn’t believe she was going to do this. Damon had been so kind to her and keeping her safe, but she needed to escape this madness a bit longer. Disney had been nice, but she needed to get out more. Make connections. Be connected. Whatever. And if Trashie’s account was hacked by a serial killer, then so be it. At least Bella would have lived a little.
TrashPanda: We’re currently leaving Chicago.
CeilingCat: That’s an 11 hour drive!
TrashPanda: Oh, well, we’re going to drive for 11 hours to a little town called Mystic Falls, have you heard of it?
Fuck.
CeilingCat: You’re kidding me.
TrashPanda: No, the woods are luscious and I hear the people are friendly. How far of a drive would that be for you? It’s in Virginia, close to Lynchburg.
CeilingCat: I can do that easily.
TrashPanda: Good. Now, we’re going to have to deal with some business first, but how about we meet up in two days? Let’s say… their restaurant the Mystic Grill, 3 pm?
CeilingCat: Business? I thought you were on a freedom trip, doing whatever you wanted?
TrashPanda: I am 🙂 I merely don’t wish for our first meeting to be right in the middle of danger.
CeilingCat: Danger? The fuck, Trashie! What are you getting me in to?
TrashPanda: You’ll be safe, don’t worry. Talk to you soon! Xx
Bella wasn’t sure what to expect, but Trashie didn’t show up on the day that they had agreed to. Which was probably fine seeing as Stefan was back in town and he had brought along Klaus and his sister Rebekah. And Katherine. And Mikael.
It’s one thing to meet someone you’ve talked to online for years, it’s another to bring them into harms way with all those vampires on the loose. Damon wanted Bella out of town. Bella refused, as always, and instead made sure that she had food for a week inside her house and enough booze to entertain herself while she worked on some of her stories, something she hadn’t done in quite some time. Hiding away in her little house, waiting for the storm to calm down, waiting for Trashie to come back online.
Bella was hurt though. She had to admit that she was hurt by Trashie not showing up, but in hindsight, it had been for the best.
It appeared that Klaus was the crazy one in town now, one to look out for. It was entertaining to see that he used everyone as his entertainment, too. Perhaps he wasn’t crazy, merely bored. He had the power to take revenge, seeing as he was an Original vampire and could compel normal vampires. Scratch that, ever since the Sun and Moon curse was broken, he was a hybrid.
Didn’t she talk to Trashie about the curse and let their minds go completely wild on it, thinking that the curse wasn’t for normal werewolves?
TrashPanda: Are you still talking to me?
Bella opened her messenger and sighed. Was she? CeilingCat: I spent money to get to Mystic Falls and you weren’t there.
TrashPanda: Things got a little hectic. I’m sorry. Forgive me?
CeilingCat: Are you okay?
TrashPanda: Yes, why wouldn’t I be? Come back to Mystic Falls. I’ve fallen in love with this city and we’ve bought a house. Well… no, that’s a lie. It’s a house that’s been in the family for years and I’m renovating. If you like it, you could stay 🙂
CeilingCat: I AM in Mystic Falls you dipshit. I live here. And you know this because I told you this years ago. So who are you, really?
TrashPanda: Come and find out 🙂 xx
Bella let out a cry of frustration as she got to her feet and kicked against the desk, instantly regretting it because now her foot hurt. Oh, she needed to leave her house because she was getting cabin fever, but was she really going to drive around Mystic Falls to see which house was being renovated and was she really going to walk into an unfamiliar situation blindly?
Yes. Perhaps it sounded strange, but she’d been careful ever since her mother left, she emancipated and started to live on the grounds of the Salvatores. This carefulness had lead to Stefan nearly killing her and for Damon to have to save her and other weird shit. And she wasn’t afraid.
If Trashie was a serial killer and would kill her, then maybe that was what she had lived for. To be killed. If Trashie wasn’t a serial killer but truly her friend, then Bella would be safe.
And yet, despite her not being afraid, she packed a can of mace and a stake in her purse before grabbing her keys and headed out to her car. If she was lucky, nobody was home at the boarding home and she’d get away without being noticed.
Mystic Falls wasn’t a big town, but if you didn’t know what you were looking for, then it was a huge undertaking. She drove for what appeared to be a couple of hours before deciding to take the road less traveled. After all, the Salvatore boarding house wasn’t on a main road, either, and she stumbled upon a magnificent looking home that looked quite busy with builders going in and out of the house as if they were working for their lives.
What had Trashie gotten herself into?
If this was the house, then Bella was seriously impressed. She parked the car and stared at the house and the movement for quite some time before there was a knock on her window, startling her. The woman, likely in her late twenties, waved excitedly at her and Bella got out, not sensing any danger coming off of her. “CeilingCat!” she smiled widely before hugging her gently. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person! Sorry for having lied to you about who I am but… it’s the internet.”
Bella looked at her ‘friend’ in shock. Trashie was taller than her, but perhaps that was due to the towering heels she was wearing and immaculately dressed in a pants suit, still, a little playful and punk, she was wearing a bright pink shirt underneath her dinner jacket. Her hair was jet black with thick strands of grey in it, dyed, of course. Bella thought it looked like a raccoon… which is what basically a trash panda was.
“I’m Myriam Jenkins and yes, I do hail from New Orleans so not all I’ve told you is a lie.”
“Nice to meet you?” Bella said confused and pointed at the house. “Yours?”
“It’s the boyfriend’s house. We haven’t been able to spend a lot of time together mainly because he was running from someone while hunting down someone so… he invited me over,” Myriam looped her arm through Bella’s as she started to walk towards the entrance. “I’m the thing he likes to keep a secret from the rest of the family. Or at least as far away from his family as possible.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Oh, definitely,” Myriam grinned. “The sex is great! Anyway, keep an open mind, alright? He’s the one who’s been chatting with you too after getting curious.”
“I don’t do threesomes.”
“Not asking you to, honey. The boyfriend is mine and I’m his. We’re your friends. I am your friend.” She gently squeezed Bella’s arm. “You’re safe here. Besides, wouldn’t you like to have another place to hide in other than your little house?”
“I guess,” Bella said puzzled as she looked at her. “Wait, how do you know I’ve been hiding?”
“Just our conversations. You were lonely. But no more. Not if you don’t want to be,” Myriam said as she opened the door and lead her into the hallway where a big staircase was being built. “Beautiful, huh? Pardon the mess, it’ll be over soon.”
Myriam was right, it was beautiful. Bella thought that the outside of the house was impressive, but inside, it looked even better. She got lost as she looked around and it took a gentle tug from Myriam to get her back in the present.
“Now, meet the other half of the TrashPanda, my boyfriend,” Myriam said as she turned Bella around to face him.
“Hello, love, Klaus Mikaelson. So glad to finally make your acquaintance,” he said as he gently took Bella’s hand and kissed it, as he lovingly smiled up to her.
