章節 16: Troubles Find Their Way Into Everything
A/N: I wrote 3000 words for this chapter before, it was epic and then I accidentally deleted it.( a moment of silence for the lost chapter.)
This version is...okay I suppose in some ways but there were details I added in the previous one that I was not able to capture back. The dialogues are different, the way things happened have changed slightly. Sure, it's the same plot but when the details change, so does the overall feel of the chapter. Please tell me this isn't bad (or I might actually cry.) This is the first time this happened to me. I usually don't delete anything. Even the trash bin!
So I had to break up the intended scenes. There might seem to be more inane talks in this chapter and I sorry for that.
Anyway, thank you for the love you guys give me. Really appreciate it. And I am so happy that my writing style was enjoyable to you guys. (Didn't even know I had a writing Style. Isn't that something only veteran writers have?. And I am no veteran. The last work I seriously wrote more than three chapters of was a Harry Potter turns into a girl in fifth year and petunia gives her a party fanfic that got so convulsed that I forget it even exist. I was 15 back then. Yikes. I feel old.)
The Ship wars are still in full swing, with The Lord Nicklaus(In the lead), and Miss Mystic Falls Caroline in front row seat, followed by the threesome of Klaroleena(Yes, it has a name now), followed by Kol, followed by Elijah, followed by 3 Kais and 2 Enzos. We also had 1 Finn. (Don't know why.)
Question: I am writing a character interaction scene for the ships in which the Neena is flirted with and flirts back. Do you guys want to see it next week or the week after? (It's not an official thing. I just wanted to write and see which of the ships would feel natural for me to write right now. This is how I decide on things. I write it on paper, scratch it off multiple times and then when I can't even make out a word in it, I make it digital. It's why the chapters are limited to 1/week. )
Tell me in the comments if you want it. Maybe it could be like the Juicy Content of this fic(Does anyone get that reference?)
Anyway, on with the chapter.
Happy reading!
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Chapter 16
Troubles Find their Way into Everything.
Neena closed the door and tip toed out of her own house like a thief.
She didn't need the Clingy family to follow her everywhere she went. She smiled at that thought. She had a family to complain about. She knew they were only being worried, and her constant stint of getting into trouble or getting wounded was not helping her case.
Neena looked around and then walked towards the purple car parked at the bend of the street.
She grinned at the thought of being able to talk to Bonnie Bennett about magic.
Feeling giddy, Neena quickened her pace and ran to the car.
A crow cawed and sat on her shoulders.
Neena shooed the bird away. Stupid Damon. What did he want?
Bonnie opened the passenger door, laughing. "That's cute."
"What's cute?" Neena asked as she pulled on her seatbelt.
A familiar voice came from behind her.
"You were running like a five year old when they hear ice cream trucks. It was adorable."
Neena looked behind her seat in shock. "Not to sound like Caroline, but what is he doing here?"
"Damon wanted to hang out so he called me an hour back," Bonnie said, suppressing a laugh.
Neena scowled at him. "Seriously? Don't you have better things to do than hang out with teenage girls Damon, and that too so early in the morning?"
"You are trying to make me sound like a creep, Neena. I'm hurt."
"I'm not trying anything. You are being a creep."
"I tried telling him that I am meeting you," Bonnie said with an awkward smile. "But he said he didn't mind. That you wouldn't mind either. He said he always wanted to see my house."
Was he trying to get an invite into the Bennett house?
Neena's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to do, Damon?"
Damon gave her a sweet smile. "Trying to get Bonnie to invite me into her home."
Neena raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Should I be concerned you gave me that information freely?"
Damon scoffed. "You are a smart girl Neena, you would have figured it out."
"I did suspect it."
"See? Why hide something we both know."
Bonnie started the car. "Let's get this over with."
"Drive to the Salvatore Boarding House," Neena said as she took out her phone.
"What?" Bonnie asked in shock.
"What did you say?" Damon asked in shock.
"You wanted to spend time with Bonnie, right?" Neena asked in a sweet voice as she sent Caroline a text message. "We can spend it at your place. If you are going to impose your company on us then I don't see why we should be any less...imposing."
You: Don't panicked yet. Going to Salvatore residence with Bonbon and Damon. If either of us go missing contact Bonnie's Grams. He won't hurt Bonnie, so you can find her easily. Love you.
Damon pouted at her in mock hurt. "But I wanted to know what you girls were talking about."
A message rang in her phone.
Carebear: WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!
Neena rolled her eyes. "Magic."
The car swerved on the road.
"Bonnie!" Neena screamed.
"Oh My God, Neena!" Bonnie said. "I'm so sorry! Your words shocked me and I-"
"It's okay," Neena said with a strained smile. "Just drive to his place, Bonbon."
"So, Bonbon, huh?" Damon teased the Bennett witch.
Bonnie groaned in embarrassment.
Neena replied to Caroline.
You: Yup. I must be crazy. But I don't want Damon at Bonnie's place. Call me in an hour to see how things went.
Carebear: Are you crazy? Neena? Why? God! You had better be alive at the end of this brain dead plan of yours.
Neena sighed. Was it a stupid plan? Yes.
You: what else can I do?
Carebear: Go to a restaurant! Or some other public place!
You: I need to talk to Bonnie about the supernatural.
Carebear: Go to Crescent Restaurant then! Didn't you work there! They have private booths, right?
Neena blinked. Why didn't she think of that?
You: You're right! Thanks Carebear! What would I do without you?
Carebear: End up as Demon's blood supply.
Neena laughed.
"Who are you texting to?" Damon asked, curious. He stretched his head to look at her screen.
"Noneya."
"Noneya?"
"None ya business."
Bonnie burst into laughter. "My my Neena. You're feisty today."
"Uninvited blockheads will do that to the best of people and I am a reformed bully."
Damon sighed. "I'm sorry okay. I didn't mean to upset you. What do you want me to do?"
He seemed really sorrowful.
Neena smirked.
Damon backed up at that devilish look in her eyes. He hadn't realized she could have such a look on her face.
"Bonnie," Neena called.
The witch looked at her in trepidation. She didn't like that voice. That was the voice she used back when she was Aleena to Bonnie. It was the 'I'm going to screw you over and you will have to endure it' look she had when she substituted as captain for Caroline on occasion. She had a visceral reaction to it every time she heard it. It made Bonnie want to look at the nearest place to curl into and hide from her.
"Wha-what?"
"Drive to Crescent Restaurant."
Bonnie squirmed. "Isn't that place a bit too high end? And do they even open up at this hour?"
Neena gave her a sweet smile. "Yes, they do. I'm sure Damon can afford a booth. Can't you Damon?"
Bonnie suppressed a whimper. Dear God, she had forgotten the vindictive bitch Aleena Gilbert used to be.
"Anything you want," Damon said, an amused smile fitting his face. "Crescent Restaurant it is."
Neena nodded and then turned back, a satisfied look on her face.
"Doesn't she look like a kitten, Bonbon?" Damon asked Bonnie. "It's like the kitten bites your finger and is satisfied about hurting you and you indulge it because you find it adorable."
Neena scowled.
Bonnie chuckled. "Now you're just bully her, Damon."
"But it's fun!"
"Just drive!" Neena said to her.
The Crescent was nearly empty when they got there. Damon reserved a booth under his name. Caroline kept messaging her throughout the drive there. It got to such a point that Neena blocked her.
"Aleena!"
Neena turned to see who it was only to be pulled into a bone crushing hug.
"It's been so long!"
"Wendy," Neena called, grinning. "We saw each other yesterday when I quit the job."
Wendy pulled back. "Nonsense, is that even a meeting. You have been so distracted since school started that you didn't even text me anymore! Who are your friends?"
"I'm Damon Salvatore."
Neena threw Damon a warning look.
"Wendy Shin."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Shin," he said and kissed the back of her hand.
Wendy smiled. "Same."
"I'm Bonnie," the Bennett witch said with a strained smile. She didn't really like the flirtatious way Damon talked to the waitress.
"Hallo, gorgeous," Wendy said, her tone turning flirty.
Neena rolled her eyes. "Don't you have a girlfriend, Wendy."
"I was just talking!" Wendy said backing off. "And I'm allowed to look."
Neena smirked. "I'll tell Amber so then."
"Please don't. I'm sorry," Wendy said with a shiver. "Where are you sitting?"
"Booth Ten."
"That's Tasha's section today. Call me when you are free, maybe we can hang out," Wendy said to Neena, raising her eyebrows suggestive lying.
Damon pulled Neena to his side and smiled at the Flirtatious girl. "Sure. But we have some things to discuss today you see, so we'll see you maybe later."
Wendy looked between the three of them, and her eyes widened. "Oh. Um...okay. See you guys later then."
"Bye Wendy!" Bonnie said, her heart beating at the thought of discussing magic with Neena. She knew it was real but she wasn't sure how to handle it. Her eyes fell on Neena. Neena looked so controlled in comparison.
"Bye Bonnie!" Wendy said.
Damon frowned. He felt uncomfortable at the way the girl's eyes lingered at the Bennett witch. "Bye beautiful."
Wendy grinned and waved them away.
The booth Damon booked for them was the farthest from people.
"This place is neat!" Bonnie said, indicating at the little chandelier in their booth ceiling.
Neena nodded. Tasha, a tall brunette came to take their orders. Neena smiled politely.
Bonnie ordered a regular breakfast of egg sandwich and a salad. Damon ordered a bottle of their expensive wine and Neena ordered their most expensive breakfast items. She knew it wouldn't really put a dent on Damon's pocket but she still felt happy to drain his money.
Damon gave her an amused look at her orders, guessing the girl's thoughts.
Neena got a text from Jeremy as they waited for their orders to arrive.
Jerry: Where are you my Queen? Do you know how worried everyone is?
Neena smiled.
You: Make your own food.
Jerry: You are alive! Elena had been going nuts! You know, you didn't talk to anyone after yesterday's events.
You: Talking to Bonbon about magic at Crescent Restaurant. Call you later.
She put the phone down. Another ping was heard but she ignored it.
The food came in and Neena smiled at seeing her orders. Take that, Damon's pocket.
Her phone rang again.
Damon snatched it away before she could attend it.
"Hello, Aleena Gilbert's phone," Damon said, holding both of Neena's hands in a strong grip, away from the phone.
Neena hadn't noticed how thin her hands were until then. Damon used one hand to suppress it.
"Stefan!" Damon said, a gleeful expression on his face.
Caroline must have gone to him immediately after messaging her, Neena thought.
"Give my phone back, you jackass!" Neena said.
"Neena is being a naughty child so she is getting punished, brother. Would you like to see?"
Neena blushed. "Stop making it sound so Perverted you creep!"
Bonnie snatched the phone away from him. "Hey, Stefan, it's Bonnie. Yeah we are fine. Crescent Restaurant. Neena is planning on emptying Damon's pocket, it seems. Yeah. No, don't do that. Oh, was she? Tell her not to worry. I'll drive Neena home myself. Okay, bye."
"Ah man," Damon said. "You are no fun, Miss Bennett."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr Salvatore."
"You could never disappoint me," Damon said with a grin, leaning forward towards her.
Neena was sure if the table wasn't between them, the two would have started cuddling or kissing. She wasn't sure if she wanted that to happen. Bonnie still didn't know much about Damon's nature and Damon was still into Katherine.
"Anyway," Bonnie said a bit loudly than necessary, "You have things to explain, right Neena?"
Her heart thumped. She really wanted to talk about magic with Bonnie but as the time came, she found herself hesitant.
"So...where to begin," Neena asked.
"The beginning," Bonnie said with a strained smile. "And are you sure you can talk about this with Damon present? No offense, Damon."
"None taken," Damon said, leaning back against his seat. "And my advice is to start with the most obvious and then become obscure as you go."
Neena chuckled. That actually made sense.
"The obvious is...magic is real. I am magical, and so are you."
Bonnie looked at her with glimmering wide eyes. Like what she was saying was precious and should be treasured.
Neena blushed at the intensity of her stare.
"I've known about magic since...the day I had my..." Neena's eyes went to Damon. He was curious about the look she gave him. The Gilbert witch blushed. Damn it. "Si-since I had my...you know."
Bonnie looked at her in shock. "You've known it for so long?"
Neena shrugged. "My magic was a bit more volatile than yours seems to be. I would be bombarded with visions after visions so frequently that it became hard for me to tell whether something was happening in a vision or in real life."
Bonnie was horrified.
Damon looked just as surprised. From what he had seen she seemed to have it under control.
"I started seeing things that could happen way before it did."
Something clicked in Bonnie's mind. "Is that why you kept begging Elena not to go to any parties last year? She was so pissed at that. Hating her all the time and then telling her what to do."
Neena gave her a self-deprecating smile. "I bullied her, ignored her and was mean to her all our life and then asked her not to do things all her friends were doing. I hated her for not listening to me, can you believe that? What was I expecting her to do? Be grateful for trying to control her decisions? I was angry and delirious all the time. I became paranoid. I hurt Care and everyone else to make it less painful if something happened to you all. I...I was mentally unstable."
"But you seem better now, magically and mentally," said Damon. "How did you try to handle this? Did you go to some witch?"
Neena shook her head. "I stole dad's stash of alcohol. He knew it but didn't stop me. He saw that it was only when I was drunk that I seemed to be all there so he left it at that. He thought I had schizophrenia. Mom thought it was...my p-periods that was effecting me. Hormonal imbalance and all that. I think it didn't help my situation."
"So you saw your parents death?" Damon asked.
She nodded. "Yeah. It was...not good for my mental health. After their death, I...sort of lost connection with everything. Which made it easier to control. The visions stopped. Sort of."
Bonnie sighed in relief. "So you don't have the visions anymore."
Neena remembered her visions as Ivanka. "They have started up again but they are manageable now. But if I do start talking in Bulgarian, be careful what you tell me. I actually did see what happened to Tanner. It's why I could reach him before he lost his blood completely. I couldn't help him though and felt his life drain out of him through my magic."
Damon looked at her, guilty. He hadn't known that she actually saw it.
Bonnie held her hands. "I only saw the numbers associated with his death and I am still on the able to handle it. Do you want to quit here for today?"
Neena shook her head. "I'll be fine."
Damon remembered something. "Why Bulgarian?"
Neena smirked. "I used to be a Bulgarian in a past life apparently."
"Reincarnations are real?" Bonnie asked.
Damon frowned. "I never heard of anything like this before."
"Because you are such an expert on magic from all over the world," Neena said.
Damon smirked. "Of course. I was Harry Potter in my last life. But I was sorted into Slytherin. The books got it wrong."
Neena laughed. "Another thing you have in common with Care, Harry Potter references."
"Are you really okay though?" Bonnie asked.
"I'll be fine, Bonbon. I have it under control."
Her phone rang again. It was Elena. Sighing Neena cut it off. The only call she was going to take was Jenna's.
"What if you can't control it anymore?" Damon asked, furrowing his brows.
"What if it becomes just as unbearable as before?" Bonnie asked in panic. "Are you going to force everyone away again?"
Neena smiled. "I'm not stupid, Bonnie. I pushed you all away and suffered for it. If I hadn't been such a bitch to her, Elena would have listened to me...anyway...not pushing anyone away. Not anymore. I don't think it will be as effective anyway. Almost everyone knows what the issue was."
Bonnie chocked. "Everyone? What do you mean everyone?"
"Damon, obviously," Neena said.
"I still don't know how he knows it," Bonnie said.
"Remember the car accident with me and Care? That's how," Neena said. She was careful not to give details, because if she ruined his plans, Damon would become completely unpredictable and a loose canon. "He witnessed my powers first hand."
"Oh."
Damon smirked. He liked how Neena tiptoed around the issue of him being a Vampire. Although he could see how much of a strain lying to her friend was putting on Neena's mental health.
"Then there is Aunt Jenna," Neena said. "I still haven't shown her some magic yet. She keeps asking."
"Wait, I just realized! You can do magic? As in magical magic? Make things fly, change colors, stuff like that? How! Show me!" Bonnie grabbed Neena's hand in excitement.
"It's not that impressive," Damon muttered, glaring at the girls' joined hands.
"Jealousy becomes unattractive very quickly," Neena said to him.
Damon narrowed his eyes at her. Veins starting to form the corner of his eyes.
Neena created a water ball and threw it at him.
Damon glared at her through wet hair. "You are so dead."
"You look like a drowned cat," Neena said with a sneer. Why did she do that? Was she becoming complacent around him that despite knowing his capabilities, she still tried to agitate him?
Damon took the glass of water from the table and poured it above her head.
Bonnie scurried away from them both. "What are you two, five year olds?"
Neena grinned and made another waterball. "I have more ammunition than you, buddy."
Damon's face twisted between exhilaration and horror.
"Who else knows!" Bonnie asked, trying to stop the fight from escalating.
Neena blinked. Right. She came here to talk about magic with Bonnie. She poured the water into a glass.
"Caroline."
Bonnie sighed. "That's not a surprise."
Neena nodded. "Then Jeremy knew because I explained it to him. Then Stefan I guess."
"How did Stefan know?" Bonnie asked in confusion. She turned to Damon who was using tissue to dry his face. She suppressed a chuckle at that. "Did you tell him?"
Damon snorted. "I wouldn't tell Stefan anything that could give me an edge over him. And his girlfriends' sister being a witch is a definite edge."
Neena sighed. "Mystic Falls has something called as The Council."
Damon froze.
Bonnie looked at her in confusion. "What?"
"It's a council founded during the first settlers of the town. They call it the Founder's Council. Their purpose is to make sure that the residents of this town are safe from Witches, werewolves and vampires. The Founder's Day celebration is a ruse to hide their meeting. Every founder's family has books on the supernatural experiences of this town. Stefan must have read some of them."
Bonnie was still shocked. "What will they do if they find out about us?"
"I think you know the answer, Bonnie."
Damon frowned. "The council is still active?"
"It never became inactive. Anyway, that's about it."
"Wait," Bonnie looked confused. "What about Elena? Haven't you told Elena yet?"
Neena cringed and shook her head.
Bonnie looked at her with pity. "She is going to kill you."
"I'll cry at your funeral," Damon said to her. "And tell Elena that I knew it before she did. That will make her want to resurrect your soul and kill you again."
"We will save you the second time," Bonnie said, laughing.
"I won't. Maybe the fourth or the fifth time. Or maybe never. Wouldn't it be fun watching her being killed again and again. Just imagine. I know I can."
Neena created a waterball again and threatened to throw it at him.
"Why water? Why not fireballs?" Damon asked in confusion.
"Don't want to accidentally burn something," Neena said and created a waterball in her other palm as well. "Now choose, Bonnie where should I hit Damon with this for imposing his company on us?"
Her phone rang again. Caroline this time.
"Bonnie, Choose."
"Your phone is ringing," Damon said, hoping it would distract her enough to run away at a human pace. He did not want to expose his vampire speed to Bonnie yet.
"I heard. Bonnie, love. Choose."
"Um..."
The door to the booth burst open.
Stefan stood to one side, Caroline on the other, both carrying an apologetic and annoyed face each. Between them, eyes trained on the pale figure of Neena stood Elena Gilbert.
"what?" Elena asked in a shock.
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A/N: Dun Dun Dun.
Does this chapter seem natural? Did it seem forced? I am binge writing this and am really unaware of the good in this chapter.
And that was this week's chapter. I wanted Elena to know about Neena after she knew about Vampires to give it a more dramatic impact but here we are.
I should explain that I just felt bad for Elena at this point. I mean, all she knew was that her sister saw Tanner die and it effected her so much that she looked like a zombie and her traumatised sister is missing in the morning. She just lost it I guess, thinking of what might happen to Neena. Damn my brain, always subverting my laid out plans.
Anyway, thank you for the lovely comments, reviews, votes, kudos and collections. They are lifelines.
Stay home. Stay safe. I need sleep. Bye guys.
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