[CRYING WOLF]

in a room full of art, I'd still stare at you.

JULIETTE LEFT CAROLINE'S WITHOUT any sleep, she was too afraid to because she knew she would dream of Elijah and it would be too awkward, especially after last night.

She couldn't believe that she allowed herself to kiss him. It was the one thing she vowed never to do.

If Elena or any of her friends find out what she did, then she would be dead in an instant. They would hate her and never trust her again.

It was better this way—avoiding him and pretending he didn't exist, but she didn't expect it to be this hard. She only missed one dream and she's already crashing, weirdo, get a grip of yourself!!!

When she came back to her house, Alaric told her that Damon wanted to talk to the two of them about something important, so she went back out the door again, not even having time to relax before the day's theatrics started up.

Whilst they were in the car, it gave Juliette time to think over her whole situation. She had lost her parents a year ago and left the town they died in—the town she severely hates. Juliette then got accepted into a college in Kentucky, so she immediately packed her bags and left.

Some told her that she was selfish and how dare she leave her grieving siblings behind, but Juliette was grieving too, most people seem to forget that. They expect that just because Juliette was an adult at the time, she shouldn't get to grieve and that she needs to stay strong for her family because she had two teenagers to look after.

But she physically couldn't cope with her parent's death, Juliette was having nightmares nearly every night, drinking more than she should and isolating herself. She couldn't be strong for her family when she was hurting too.

Juliette built a new life for herself in a small town located in Kentucky. She could be a new person. No one knew about her parents so she did not get pitiful stares as she passed by or given dirty looks from women who expected her to do more for her family.

She was a new person in Kentucky and she loved it.

When Elena called one day, asking for Juliette's help, the blonde wasted no time buying a plane ticket and flying out to Mystic Falls. When she had returned, Elena had somehow managed to get herself entangled in the world of the supernatural.

Juliette helped Elena with her problem but then was forced to stay when another one popped up. After they solved a problem, another one seemed to arise. It was like a continuous cycle that never seemed to end.

From the very day her parents died, Juliette began to have dreams with a mysterious man. He had told her his name was Elijah, and he was just a figment of her imagination, he wasn't real. The blonde continued to have dreams with him, she would tell him her deepest darkest secrets, and she would go to him whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on.

She didn't know why she was having dreams of him, she just thought that since she went through something so traumatic her brain was trying to comfort her.

Elijah was her everything, even though, to her, he wasn't real.

But the day Juliette and Elena got kidnapped by Rose and Trevor, she found out Elijah was real and he was linked to a sacrifice that the Gilbert sisters were both needed for.

Juliette didn't understand why the same man she had been dreaming of for over a year was standing right in front of her, ready to kidnap her. That was the day she also got the infinity mark, even weeks after getting it, it was still very prominent on her forearm. But why does she have it and why did she get it when Elijah showed up?

Over time, Elijah slowly revealed that he too was having dreams with her, they're dreams were connected but he wouldn't say why. He couldn't tell her yet, was his exact words when she asked.

She also couldn't forget the aneurysm, moving objects with a flick of her wrist on two separate occasions and the voices she kept hearing.

Juliette doesn't understand what's going on with her, and why these things are happening to her but one thing she did know was that she wasn't going to stop until she figured it out.

"Hey, Juliette?" Alaric's voice broke her out of the stupor she was in, she looked around and realised that they were at the Salvatore boarding house. Juliette looked over to the history teacher who was staring at her. "You okay? You have zoned out the entire ride here." He asked, slight concern etched in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, uhm sorry, I didn't get any sleep last night. That's all." Juliette lied as she and Alaric chuckled before they got out of the car. They walked up towards the big oak door, but they didn't get a chance to knock as Damon opened the door.

"Have a great day, honey." He said as Andie Star leaned in to kiss him, the same woman he supposedly rejected last night at the grill. Andie pulled away and turned around, looking slightly flustered as she noticed Juliette and Alaric standing there, awkwardly.

"Oh. Hey, Alaric, Juliette." She smiled and waved to the pair, the blonde waved back to her friend while Alaric gave her an awkward smile. The news presenter turned back to Damon and gave him a flirtatious smile, "Later." She said before turning on her heels and leaving.

"New woman of the month, eh?" Juliette asked, earning a snicker from Alaric as Damon rolled his eyes.

"My new girlfriend. Andie star, action news." Damon smirked as Juliette shook her head in disbelief.

"It's not called action news." Alaric corrected.

Damon's smirk fell as he spoke, "I know. I just like saying it. Come on." He gestured for the two to come in as he walked away from the door.

Alaric and Juliette share a look as they both shake their heads at their friends' antics before coming in, Juliette shut the door behind her as she leaned against the back of the couch while she watched Damon.

"So, John Gilbert gave me this to kill Elijah." Damon started as he picked up a cloth and unrolled it, revealing a dagger. Juliette furrowed her brows at what the vampire said, why did they want to kill Elijah? What about the deal?

"Wait, why do you want to kill Elijah? The deal he made with Elena, he said he wasn't going to hurt us." Juliette uttered, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked confusedly at Damon.

"You didn't tell her?" Alaric questioned, his voice low, almost like a whisper as if Juliette wasn't right in front of him and could hear what he was saying.

"Tell me what?" Juliette hissed, once again looking at Damon for answers.

"We're planning to kill Elijah, we can't trust that he will stick to his deal. It's the best thing to do to keep Elena safe." Damon responded.

"But isn't he helping us with Klaus?"

"Well, we can deal with Klaus ourselves but first is dealing with Elijah." The vampire concluded as he turned to Alaric, who was handing the dagger to Juliette.

The blonde looked at the dagger, it was silver with ancient intricate designs. She had a weird feeling in her stomach as she looked at it, she didn't understand why they were planning to kill Elijah when he was practically saving their asses all the time.

"He said you have to dip the dagger in the remains of an old white ash tree that dates back to the Originals, if there's any truth in that." He stated, his eyes narrowing with a mix of scepticism and curiosity.

"So you think it's a set-up?" Alaric inquired.

Damon shrugged, "it could be. Guy's a weasel. Wouldn't put anything past him." Juliette hummed in agreement as she handed the dagger back to Damon, not wanting to look at the thing that would inevitably kill Elijah.

The vampire placed it on the table as he walked over to the bar, pouring himself and Alaric a glass of bourbon. Juliette scoffed as he handed the glass to the history teacher, "And where's my drink?" She crossed her arms, straightening up with a look of impatience.

"When you pay for the glass you broke you can have a drink," Damon replied smoothly.

"Okay, how much was this stupid glass? I'll pay you right now so you stop going on about it." Juliette rolled her eyes as she grabbed her wallet from her pocket.

"$250," Damon said casually, not missing a beat.

Juliette froze for a moment before putting her wallet back into her pocket, "Actually, I think I can put up with whining for a little bit longer." She remarked, earning a snicker from both Alaric and Damon.

Who buys a glass for 250 bucks?

A Weirdo that's who.

"What are you up to today, Mr. Saltzman?"

Alaric gets up from the couch and walks over to Damon, placing the glass down. "Well, Jenna and I were supposed to go to her family's lake house, but somehow, we both got roped into doing this Historical Society thing at the Lockwoods."

Juliette also gets dragged into going after Carol Lockwood practically cornering her at work and playing the dead husband card.

Something glinted in Damon's eyes as he realised something, "Where Elijah's the guest of honour." He stated as a smirk made its way to his lips. Sorry, what?

I'm not going anymore.

Alaric looked over to Juliette who had the same thoughts as him, "Tell me you're not gonna kill him at the tea party." The history teacher sighed, raising his brow. If that was what Damon was planning to do, it wouldn't surprise Juliette. Anything that man does doesn't surprise her anymore.

Damon gave them a look as he said, "No. That would be stupid." Juliette raised her brow at him but all he did was shrug, well most of the things you do are stupid so we gotta ask.

"I want to know his endgame before I kill him, but I do think it's time Elijah and I officially met.'' The vampire finished, picking up the dagger and annoyingly began poking Alaric with it. The former gave him a look, clearly not impressed as he turned to Juliette for help.

"Put the dagger down, you idiot."

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    JULIETTE HAD GOTTEN A RIDE from Damon to the Historical Society tea party, not really wanting to be there for multiple reasons. One being that Elijah would be there and Juliette was not ready to face him after their previous encounter, not yet anyway. And two, these parties the founding families threw were so incredibly boring, it was ridiculous.

Jenna usually drags Juliette to them so they can suffer together through the terrible classical music and the nosey rich women asking multiple intruding questions about their lives.

The blonde sighed as they entered the elegant living room, she had spotted Jenna making her way over to them and practically beamed with joy. Finally! I can stick with Jenna the whole day so that I won't have to go near Elijah! It's a win-win.

"Damon, what are you doing here?" She questions as she looks over to Juliette, who smiles and waves at her. Jenna has never really liked Damon; he was too arrogant for her taste, and she also doesn't like Elena and Juliette hanging around him.

Before Damon could answer, Andie suddenly appeared next to him. Juliette looked away and scanned the room, watching as people talked to each other, most likely about boring, fancy stuff. Her eyes stop moving when they make contact with Elijah's from across the room.

It was only for a second before he turned back to Carol, who had started talking to him. Still, Juliette felt her cheeks burn red as she stared at the floor, memories of their kiss invading her mind.

Suddenly, Juliette felt herself being dragged as she noticed Damon was pulling her in Elijah's direction and she immediately began to panic. "Actually, I want to get a drink first—" she spoke, desperately trying to pull her arm out of the vampire's iron grip.

Before Juliette could say anything else, they had already been noticed by Carol. "Damon." She announced as Damon finally let go of the blonde's arm and hugged the mayor. Juliette scoffed as she rubbed the area, feeling a certain someone's gaze on her but she refused to look up.

"Elijah, I want you to meet Damon Salvatore. His family is one of Mystic Falls' founding families." Carol Lockwood introduced.

"Mm-hm." Damon hummed as he looked at Elijah, a look of challenge in his eyes. Elijah returned the gaze with his usual calm demeanour. "Such a pleasure to meet you." Damon continued.

"No. Pleasure's mine." Elijah responded smoothly, his tone polite but his eyes sharp.

Juliette stood awkwardly between them, feeling the tension rise as they shook hands. She glanced at Carol, who seemed oblivious to the underlying hostility between the two men. Juliette desperately wished she could melt into the floor to avoid this uncomfortable encounter.

"And you have already met the lovely Juliette Gilbert, as you were telling me." All eyes turned to the blonde who wanted to run away from this. Her eyes move from Carol's to Elijah's, her heart skipping a beat.

Elijah's gaze softened as he looked at her, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "Yes, we've had the pleasure," he said, his voice gentler now.

Juliette managed a weak smile, feeling her cheeks flush. "It's... good to see you again, Elijah." She stammered, desperately hoping this awkward moment would pass quickly.

Juliette and Elijah's eyes locked for a brief, intense moment. His gaze, though softened, carried an enigmatic weight that made her heart race. The fleeting smile on his lips only deepened the conflict within her.

The blonde quickly looked away from the Original and focused on her fingernails as her entire face felt flushed while she ignored the conversation between Carol and Damon.

What was she doing?

Why was she blushing every time he looked at her?

It was pathetic, the way her body was reacting to anything that he did.

The blonde looked up and once again scanned the room but stopped when she saw a familiar face. She furrowed her brows as Harlee Jackson stood across the room beaming at her. "Uh, excuse me." She mumbled to the three as she walked over to the girl.

"What are you doing here?" Juliette giggled as she pulled the girl in for a hug. Harlee Jackson was Juliette's best friend from Kentucky, when she lived there, they were inseparable. They always did everything together.

"I missed you, and my parents finally let me go on a vacation by myself." Harmless said, her eyes sparkling with genuine joy as she hugged Juliette back. The friends stood together, their embrace a comforting reminder to Juliette of the life that she left in Kentucky.

Juliette pulled back slightly to look at Harlee, her eyes bright with excitement. "I can't believe you're here!" She exclaimed, her earlier tension melting away.

Harlee grinned, her enthusiasm evident. "I know, right? I heard that you were in town and couldn't pass up the chance to see you. I'm so glad I did."

Juliette laughed, her mood visibly lifting. "Yeah, looks like I'm staying a lot longer than I expected."

Harlee gave her a sympathetic smile, "supernatural drama keeping you busy?"

"You have no idea," Juliette replied, shaking her head with a mix of amusement and frustration.

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Oooo a new character introduced?? how you guys liking her so far?

23/07/24