Capítulo 9: Summer's End
A/N: I realized as I wrote this chapter that it would be too long with the Pilot added in so the Next Chapter is the Pilot.
Happy readings!
***********
Chapter 9
Summer's End
The next day, Neena laid in bed staring at the ceiling.
She didn't have any nightmares the previous night. She was not sure if it had anything to do with the fact that she was knackered or if she was getting over her issues. She was hesitant to test it. She knew her water manipulation was going really well, despite the words of the system and fire manipulation was a very handy element to have control over if you were surrounded by vampires. She needed to get over her issue with fire, not just because of how useful the element was but also because she wanted to master all four elements.
Then there was the System Market. She needed 400 Experience Points and she had two quests that fit the bill. The Meet the Gilbert's quest that gave her 500 points for talking to Elena for an hour and It's Magical quest that gave her 400 points for talking to Sheila Bennett.
Neena was really tempted to take the quest for Bonnie's Grams. It was more appealing than talking to Elena as the Doppelganger judges her motivations.
Honestly, it was like the Doppelganger Gilbert suspected her sister would steal away her life if she was civil to her. The girl did not seem to believe Aleena Gilbert would change even after their parents death. And Neena did not have any secret desire to spend her day trying to prove to the girl that she was being friendly because she wanted to be friendly.
Grams was the better option but there was only one problem.
[Ding!]
[Meet the Gilbert's quest is recommended for the Host.]
'Why?'
[It is the quest with the higher reward.]
Neena rolled her eyes at the condescending tone of the System. 'I know that. But it's only a 100 points difference.'
[Quests of Main Characters should be given priority over quests of Minor Characters.]
'Did you just call Grams a Minor Character? Seriously? She is central to the mental balance of Bonnie!'
[Main Characters are called as such because they are the eyes of the World. Any points that are gained from interacting with them are beneficial to the System. It would make it easier for the System to upgrade.]
'Oh. Is it the same for me as well? Do I become more powerful the more I interact with Elena?'
[No. But it will help you not be kicked out of the world.]
'WHAT!'
[Elena Gilbert must not doubt your identity as her sister. If the Protagonist realizes that you do not belong in this world then the world will become aware of your presence and you will be rejected from the storyline. Kicked out of the world.]
'That's not fair! Is there no measure around that?'
[It's the reason why the System Market is opened only after you have gained favourability with three Plot Characters. The more important they are to the story, the stronger your connection to this world and the more likely your presence will not be obliterated if or when Elena Gilbert realizes you are not her sister.]
Neena gaped. 'Shouldn't this be something I should have known from the beginning? Why was I not informed of this crucial fact?'
[Host 999 was given this information in the Limbo.]
'No I wasn't.'
[Yes you were. The information was removed for Soul Transfer. It is something every System does for smoother travel. The rule came into being because of failed transferring attempts that occurred in multiple System Hosts as they panicked over obliteration of their Soul.]
Neena chocked at the dissatisfied tone the System used. 'That... How do I even respond to that? They had very valid reasons to panicked about. This is the soul we are talking about!'
[The System is capable of safeguarding its Host. It is equipped with all information necessary to prevent World Rejection. The Hosts should follow the words of their Systems for smooth Mission completion.]
'You're not all knowing.'
[I am a Soul Transferring System with 998 Successful transmigrations.]
Neena cringed. So, it was more than a bit all-knowing. Damn her. She asked for that one.
'So...I guess talking to Elena for an hour it is.'
She got out of bed and did her morning routine. She wore a pink t-shirt and skinny jeans.
She smiled at Elena when she saw the Doppelganger during breakfast.
The girl looked at the transmigrator in suspicion, as though waiting for her to pull out a knife or something even though she did give back a strained smile. Small victories.
Damn Gilbert girls and their egos and suspicion of innocent bystanders.
Neena didn't want to be obliterated by the world. That was all there was to it. No need to make it seem so sinister.
Neena spent some time with Jenna, helping her unpack her luggage and put everything into place. The rest of the morning was spent making a feast for lunch, with voluntary help from Elena, which was a surprise. Neena dragged Jeremy away from his pining after Vicki Donovan and forced him to help them cut vegetables.
Neena might have been using cooking as an excuse to skirt around from doing the quest. In her defence, she didn't even know what she would have to talk about with the doppelganger for an entire hour. Is that even humanly possible? To talk to a person for an hour?
They had meat stew, mashed potatoes, and fresh baked bread and a decadent dark chocolate song cake for desert.
Neena made Elena call Bonnie and Caroline for lunch with them.
It was a warm and happy atmosphere that afternoon. Neena felt a kind of comfort as she talked and laughed with them that she had never felt before.
This was what it felt like to have a family.
Neena's mind flashed to scenes like this that happened before the Gilbert Parents Death. The gloom and melancholy that silently hung around the house, over all these people since the accident dissipated a bit.
Neena felt Aleena's emotions overwhelm her again, but this time it was not anger. It was a sense of loss that Neena had never experienced before. A feeling that could only be felt by those who have lost their loved ones.
She burst into tears.
The whole table stilled.
Everyone looked at the girl who was laughing at a joke Elena of all people said.
"It wasn't that bad of a joke, Ally. There is no need to cry. I'll make sure that Elena does not have Standup comedy as a career," Jeremy said, unsure of the reaction his Big sister was showing.
Neena snorted at that and started crying harder.
The doppelganger stared in confusion for a moment before her eyes widened in understanding. Her own eyes started to become red. The girl ran away and dashed into her room, shutting her door.
Jenna, and Bonnie ran after the girl, trying to get her to open the door.
"I didn't mean that!" Jeremy said, panicking. "She could become a comedian if she wants it so badly! I'll even buy extra seats or something!"
Neena gave him a teary laugh.
Caroline threw a towel at the boy. "Shut it, Jeremy. That's not it. Hey, Neena, what's wrong? Come on, you can tell me."
Neena rolled her eyes at the childish tone the blonde used. "It's just...it's been so long since we had a family lunch or dinner, and everyone was here and it was all warm and comforting and Elena made a horrible joke and I remembered when we used to have family dinners where dad would make just as horrible dad jokes and-"
Neena started to sob again.
Jeremy stared at her in shock. He then looked towards Aunt Jenna who came to a stop at the step landing. She was also crying. Jeremy looked overwhelmed. He jumped to his feet and walked out the house, Jenna calling after him.
Their lunch ended just like that.
Neena felt guilty.
Everything was going great until she couldn't get a hold of Aleena's emotions fast enough. She didn't want her own emotional issues to be aired like that.
Jenna pulled her green-eyed niece into a hug. "Hey. It's okay. You are allowed to cry when you miss them. Nobody blames you for it."
Bonnie came into the room, her face filled with worry. "Elena is not opening the door. Said she had a headache and wanted to sleep. I think we should be leaving... You know... Um...Caroline?"
The Blonde cheerleader nodded. "Yeah. We should. There is a cheer committee in the afternoon, and I asked Bonnie to help me organize the venue. So we should leave."
"Do you want me to help?" Neena asked, sniffling.
Caroline smiled. "No... You have some rest. You look tired. I'll rope you into it when school starts."
"Okay."
The girls left.
Jenna started to clean up the table and Neena insisted on washing the dishes. She needed to do something to distract herself from the trepidation that arose in her. She wanted to have that talk with Elena.
After what happened that afternoon, Neena had a good opportunity but she was hesitant. It didn't feel right to use their parents death as a shield to complete a mission of all things.
And if she said the wrong thing while talking and Elena some how figured out she wasn't exactly Aleena Gilbert then it was a literal game over for her. She wanted to run away to somewhere Elena Gilbert wouldn't ever look but opportunity to talk to the Protagonist was low as it was and this was the best opportunity.
She walked up the stairs to Elena's room.
She knocked.
The room was silent.
She knocked again.
There was no response from the other side.
Neena took out her phone from her pocket.
She called Elena.
The Doppelganger's phone range.
Her call was cut.
Neena was sure this same scene happened last time as well. She just hoped this one went better.
She was about to call again when the door was pulled open.
Elena stood at the door, glaring. Her eyes were red and puffy and there were tear stains on her face.
She looked so small at that moment. Like a small puppy that was hurt and was growling at you when you got near it. Scared, and vulnerable.
She was just sixteen, Neena thought. A teen who lost her parents in an accident that she survived.
Neena sighed. "Can we talk?"
"No."
The girl started to close the door. Neena forced it open. She pushed the teenager away from the doorway and walked it.
Elena gaped at her as she sat down on the bed. A tiny, TVD fangirl Neena gushed over the fact that she was in Elena Gilbert's room. The room where Stefan, Damon, and Elijah would visit.
Neena cleared her throat. "Elena-"
"What do you want?"
"Don't be rude."
"Don't order me."
"I wasn't ordering. I was saying."
"What do you want?" she asked again.
"We need to talk."
"And we did. Now, leave."
The doppelganger opened the door wider.
Neena rolled her eyes, and walked up to the door. Elena avoided looking at her, staring out the room, waiting for her to leave.
Neena grabbed the door and pushed it shut. She locked it for good measure.
"Hey! What-"
Neena grabbed the Doppelganger and pushed her towards the bed, forcing her to sit down.
"What are you doing, Ally!"
Neena stared at the girl as she glared.
"You always call me that."
"Huh?"
"You call me Ally. For someone you hate, you still use that nickname."
"What are you trying to say?"
Neena pulled a chair to the front of Elena and sat down.
"What are you doing? What is wrong with you?"
Neena considered her words. She wasn't really sure what to talk to the girl for an hour. Elena wasn't Caroline who keeps talking if no one stops her about a verity of topics that make you realize you are never going to keep up with her. Elena gives a summery of her day and that's it. All her ramblings are exclusive Diary only stuff.
"I'm on a quest," she said.
[What are you doing!]
'System. Hey.'
[What do you think you are doing? Are you even thinking? Did you loose your connection to sanity after our talk in the morning?]
Neena forced down a grin. This was the first time she could hear clear emotions in the System's voice. It was the first time it sounded so human.
'I know what I'm doing.'
[Do you? Because it looks like you don't! You could be killed Neena! Your soul could be obliterated!]
Neena found it really hard to keep her face neutral. The System actually used her name. That was just...weird.
'I know what I am doing.'
"What do you mean?" Elena asked, annoyed that she sounded like a broken record.
"I'm on a quest to...talk to you."
Elena frowned. "Why?"
"We have issues, Elena. Issues that prevents you and me, sisters, from mourning the death of our parents together. Issues that need to be resolved if we are to live our life fully. So I...gave myself a quest. To talk to you for an hour."
Elena scoffed and started to get up.
Neena pushed the girl back down.
"Let go of me!"
"Elena? Are you okay?" Jenna called from outside the door.
"Aunt Jenna! Help!" Elena called.
"Elena! What's wrong!"
Neena closed the girl's mouth with her hand.
"Nothing, Jenna!" she called. "I'm trying to talk to Elena about our issues. Please come back and hour later!"
"Okay! Don't kill each other in there!"
"No promises!" Neena said.
She heard Jenna chuckle and leave.
Elena glared at her, and pushed her hand away.
Neena took a tissue from her side table and wiped her hand. There was Doppelganger spittle in her palm. Ew.
"Fine! You want talk about our issues? Let's talk about our issues!" Elena yelled. "Where do we start? You have always seen me as your rival! You care more about Jeremy than me! You always try to make anything we do into a competition! You blame me for every single thing that goes wrong in your life! You always tried to embarrass me in front of everybody at school! You blame me for our parents death! You never tried to ask how I was! You didn't visit me at the hospital and said you wished I had died instead of them! You don't care that Jeremy is doing drugs or that he is hanging out with that Vicki! You always tried to make me look bad in front of our parents! You are doing the same thing now! Jenna, Jeremy, Bonnie, Caroline! Everyone cares more about you and think that I'm being unreasonable!"
Elena panted at the end of her rant.
Neena gawked at the girl. "Well... Those are a long list of issues. Alright. Where do I start..."
Elena glared at her.
"I'm not turning you into a bad guy in front of anyone," Neena said. "I'm trying to change. I know I was a bitch to all of you. Especially you and Caroline. So, I decided that maybe showing a bit more...maturity would be better."
Elena scoffed.
Neena sighed.
"I thought I would act...nicer," she said as she made eye contact with her. Blue and brown eyes clashed, one calm and the other spitting fire. "Jenna saw that, and felt relief because that was one issue less she had to deal with, Caroline saw that and saw an opportunity to maybe rekindle an old friendship. Bonnie saw it and was happy I was not making neither of her friends miserable and so decided to give me a chance. Jeremy saw me trying to change and thinks he is closer to his big sister unlike before. In this list of reasons, only Bonnie's has anything to do with you and that too is minimal."
Elena opened her mouth to talk but Neena held up her hand. "My new change has nothing to do with you. It's all on me. I was not trying to make you look bad. You were being mean and antagonistic even though I tried not to get in your way, that is what made you the bad guy. It's all you."
Elena scowled. "And what about Jeremy and Vicki? I-"
"If you tell a teenage boy not to do something, he is going to do it, Elena."
"So I shouldn't be stopping him?" Elena asked in disbelief.
"I didn't say that. He is fourteen. I get where you are coming from. He is just smoking weed and stuff. Get on his case for that if you want to. He is your brother as well, I'm not going to tell you to stop. Just know that it pushes him away and makes him want to do it a long time more than he otherwise would have."
"And Vicki? You are okay with that?"
Neena sighed. "I'm not. But I am not going to police my little brother on his love life, Elena. Like I said, he is fourteen. They will break up sooner or later. Vicki doesn't really love him and as time goes on he will see that. Besides, the whole Vicki thing is his way of dealing with grief, so how can I put a stop to it?"
Elena scowled even more.
Elena was stubborn about the things she thought was right and wrong and Neena disagreeing with her, or not doing anything about it made her even more angry.
Neena was sure that if Elena had been a religious person she would have been those people who try to 'save' those around them too.
"And I guess, I am sorry..."
Elena looked surprised. "For what?"
"For saying you should have died instead. I didn't mean that. I was angry and lashed out. I wish mom and dad didn't have to die but I don't want you dead. And it's not you fault that there was a horrible weather on that night. It's on you for sneaking out but their death was because of shitty weather."
Elena looked at her in shock. Her lips trembled. She burst into tears.
"It's my fault! It's my fault! I did this to us! I did this to us!"
Neena's body moved before she registered what she wanted to do. She pulled the brunette into her embrace.
The Doppelganger broke down. She was basically wailing.
They spent a few minutes like that.
Elena moved away from her. They sat in awkward silence.
"Let's talk about the rest of the issues that you said. I didn't embarrass you at school. You were being a cheerleading bitch, the type that you see in movies. I retaliated in the same tone and then you turned into a crybaby. You dish it out but can't take it. Your like that kid who is warned not to eat the cake or you will be grounded but you still do it and then are shocked that you were grounded."
Elena fidgeted. "I think we had enough heart to heart for one day."
"I don't. I told you, I'm here on a quest. To talk to you for an hour."
"You can't be serious about that!"
"Oh, but I am."
"This is stupid. Who does something like this? This is crazy."
"Yes, my own brand of crazy."
"Ally, leave."
"Elena, no."
"You are acting like a child."
"You are changing the subject. This is the prime example of not taking it as you give it."
Elena groaned. "Fine. We will do it your way."
Neena grinned. "Now, about the sibling rivalry. That's normal. Everyone with siblings do that-"
They spent over half an hour unloading their issues. Well, it was more like Neena explained while Elena wished she could be anywhere else. Somehow, their talk devolved into Elena's break up with Matt. Uh. And that quickly escalated into an argument about Twilight of all things.
An hour passed by.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host 999! You have completed the Chain Quest Meet the Gilbert's quest 3: Talk to Me.
Reward: 500 Experience Points!]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host 999! You have satisfied all requirements to open Clause 5, System Market. Please note that all trade in market are done through Host Points! Host gain Host Points through Quest rewards.
Opening of System 143 Market for Host 999: Mission World 666 in progress. 10%... 20%... 40%... 70%... 90%... 100%
System Market 143999 opened successfully.
Please explore the new features and leave you rating!]
Neena blinked.
Elena titled her head. "What?"
"It's been an hour."
"So?"
"Quest Complete."
"You can't be serious."
Neena grinned. "Don't have a beard, or a godson, or lived 12 years in Askaban. Sorry. I'm not."
Elena snorted and then laughed. "God, You are such a nerd! Why didn't I know you were such a nerd!"
"You are a SlytherGriff and I'm not."
"Are really going to keep up the Harry Potter clichés now?"
"Don't see why not."
Elena rolled her eyes.
Neena returned to her room after that.
'System! Show me the System Market!'
[Ding!]
A holographic, cartoonish cupboard appeared in front of her.
'What the hell is this?'
[System Market of Host 999.]
'Does its aesthetics have anything to do with my being a temporary Host? Or are you just that horrible at interior designing?'
[The System made the look of the Market according to Host preference.]
'My preference is this? Why do I not remember discussing this with you? Were you assuming?'
[Ding!]
The hologram changed into futuristic, blue tinted shelves. It was breath takingly beautiful.
Neena scowled. 'So you were assuming!'
There was silence.
Neena huffed and looked at the items on market.
All the things in it were divided into basic, intermediate and advanced.
Strength potions, health potions, healing potions, blood potions, scar salve, wound salve, medicinal kits, first-aid kits, ration kits, beauty kits...
Neena looked at them all in amazement. And they all cost 10, 50, or 100 Experience Points based on the level they were in. Just this much would make the System Market a heavenly thing to have.
But the real things were things that started at Experience Points of 500 to 50,000.
Stakes of all sizes. Vampire blood in small, medium, and large vials, vervain perfumes and soaps, wolves bane perfume and soaps.
Jewellery containing vervain, daylight jewellery.
Actual guns. Guns! It had guns!
Neena felt excitement bubble in her as she looked through the item list.
Werewolf venom at 10,000!
Doppelganger blood at 40, 000!
Werewolf bite cure at 10, 00, 000!
Did the System wean Klaus off his blood? Where was it getting these stuff?
The most expensive thing on market was a white oak stake costing 50,00,000 Experience Points.
Neena felt dizzy.
White Oak.
'Damn System! You are OP! No wonder the world would kick us out! You are too much of a cheat code!'
[Thank you.]
Neena saw a glowing blue crystal on one corner.
'What's that?'
[The next button.]
'There's more?'
[Yes.]
Neena clicked on the crystal.
The items disappeared.
A new list of items appeared.
Almost all of them were books, and scrolls.
'System? Is this what I think it is?'
[Every Grimoire that ever existed in this World.]
Neena gaped.
'I feel like I should fall to my knees and start worshiping you.'
[The Host is revealing her weird fetishes again.]
'Shut up! You stupid strings of data! I don't have weird fetishes!'
[Host dreamed of Nicklaus biting your neck and you moaned, aroused by the thought of it.]
'How do you know that! Were you spying on me!'
[The System just assumed. The Host conformed she dreamed of this right now.]
'I just played by Artificial Intelligence. That's just embarrassing.'
She looked at an information that she avoided reading when she was looking through the items.
[Present Host Points: 50]
Neena was surprised.
"Where did that fifty come from?" she muttered.
[After 400 Experience Points were deducted and the System Market opened, 100 Points were left. 50 Points went to System and 50 Points went to Host.]
'Huh. Lucky me.'
She immediately purchased two basic strengthening potions, a basic blood potion and a basic healing potion.
She grinned. She was more secure about her survival than she ever was before.
It made her realize one thing though.
It was too tempting to keep doing quests all the time just so that she could buy everything in the market. She had to be careful not to get addicted to it. Really, really careful.
Jenna called her downstairs to help her move things. It amazed her how many things needed to be put into storage. Neena ended up dropping a box as her foot hit a chair's leg and fell.
Elena came down to see what the ruckus was and got roped into helping them.
After that Neena suggested they watch a movie together. Elena gave in after a look from Jenna and the three looked through the Gilbert Movie Collection.
Jeremy returned in the evening, kissing Vicki goodbye.
The sight he walked into was to see the ladies of the house cuddled in a single blanket watching Titanic.
Seeing the crying face of Elena and Jenna and the laughing face of Neena, the boy tried to sneak away before they noticed him.
Neena jumped up and pulled him to the couch.
The Titanic had started to break into pieces.
By the end of the movie, all of them were in tears except for Neena who did have red eyes.
Jenna called her heartless.
Neena shrugged. She never cried because of movies. She cried because of TV series of course, but not movies. Maybe it was because she did not get as much of a chance to get attached to the characters. She cried at uncle Iroh's Eulogy for his son after all.
That night, dinner was warm in a way Neena had not experienced before.
This was her family. Not just Aleena Gilbert's.
The rest of summer went by quicker. Neena's summer was spent doing her summer job, cooking food on weekends, listening to Caroline's complains of the things that went wrong in any of her many charity works, talking to Bonnie about the witch stories her Grams would tell her in drunken stupor.
The witch still didn't believe that she had powers but took the witch stories as a way to connect with her Grams and Neena.
Neena's face, according to Bonnie, was like Bambi as she listen to the stories the witch retells. It gave Bonnie a way to love magic and look at it in wonder. She didn't think she would have the childlike excitement Neena had to magic but she did come to understand her new friend through it.
Her favourability had risen to Close Friends.
The title of the favourability, as far as Neena could understand, was what the people thought of their relationship. It was not determined by the System. The System just measured it.
Her own perusal of magic dwindled as she did too many things and was always too tired to do more. It didn't help that she had started fire bending and her own trauma held her back.
Dying by fire really held you back from fire bending. Who would have thought.
She was really becoming an Aang.
And she missed Damon's crow.
The man had stopped spying on her. Or she thought so because she couldn't find his crow anywhere.
Stefan was still in his Edward Cullen phase though. She actually saw him multiple times. He was inconspicuous about it and she was sure the only reason she caught him was because she was looking for him.
Weirdo.
Her endeavour to grow vervain was still on going. And it surprisingly brought the family closer as Neena started to do gardening with Jenna, Elena and Jeremy. The last two were forced to participate by Jenna when she found out it was a therapeutic activity.
They all discovered that Elena was hazardous for plants and that Jeremy had the green thumb. It went well until Jeremy asked if he could grow weed plants. Elena started to hose him instead of the plants.
As Neena laughed at the two, she was suddenly pulled into a warm hug.
"Thanks you," Jenna whispered to her.
Neena grinned cheeky. "Your welcome."
Jenna snorted and twisted her ear.
"Sorry! Sorry!"
Jenna let up and they returned to taking care of the plants.
Jeremy and Elena joined them. Well, Elena sat next to them and stared which was all they would allow her to do. Especially Jeremy with his named plants.
Neena was sure he would deny it if she asked him but she saw him cooing to a few rose bushes. That boy was a Neville in secret.
Summer ended with the Gilbert family becoming more like a family than a collection of traumatized individuals and school days began.
**********************************************
A/N:
Neena was a bit of a badass when she had that talk with Elena. I was not expecting her to be so assertive during that conversation. I was planning to make it awkward and stilted but Neena just went off script and I liked the way she turned out. What do you guys think?
Please don't forget to Vote, favourite, or leave Kudos, Wherever you are reading this at.
And please leave review of the chapter and story all whole. How are the characters? Liked it.
Stay Home. Stay safe. 😍
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder