[Episode 12 - Children of the Damned - 2]

Stefan pushes our supposed History teacher towards one of the desks "Have a seat..." He hesitates but I motion him in urgency. Stefan examines the blow-gun like weapon and casts a confused yet bewildered look "What is this, compressed air? Did you make it yourself? Who are you?" he moves towards the desk and the man tries not to visibly flinch in uncertainty 

"We're not going to hurt you..."

As a sign of good faith, I take the gun from Stefan and put it on the table in front of him "So...who are you?"

"I'm a teacher..." 

I sigh. "Please Mr. Saltzman, first it was vervain and then it's these?" I wave to the gun with a sigh.

"I'm also a historian. And while researching Virginia, I--made a few discoveries about your town"

"So you show up like Van Helsing?" Stefan scoffs "Come on. Tell us the truth"

"My wife was a parapsychologist. She spent her life researching paranormal activity in this area. It was her work that led me here..."

"Where's your wife?" I cross my arms with furrowed brows

"Dead. A vampire killed her..."

"Where's the Gilbert journal?" Stefan questions, probably not wanting to talk about deaths.

"What do you want with it?" Alaric retorts right back.

"Where is it?" I emphasise. I need some answers, and soon. My phone pings and I take it out.

"It's on my desk..."

"No, it's not" Stefan points out. I sigh and curse my luck. Damon's at the house, working up my family. And we haven't found the journal yet. Today's being very very loopy.

"It was on my desk"

I look sternly at my history teacher "Look, Mr. Saltzman, none of us want to hurt you. And please help us with the diary, we're just trying to prevent any danger that may come over the people of this town, and probably anywhere else. And by the way, I'm not a vampire" I answer his unasked question and turn to Stefan.

"I have to go home, Elena." I explain in as less words as I can. Stefan nods "Be careful"

▹▹▹

Damon deliberately bumps into my sister as she takes out some plates from the kitchen.

"Whoa.." he mutters as if he didn't do that on purpose.

Elena smiles an exasperated grimace and shakes her head as she continues on past Damon to place the plates at the table.

"Don't do that." I scold and Damon turns to me with faux wide eyes "Do what?"

"You know what. That move was deliberate" I state, going to the stove where something is cooking. Didn't know anyone in this house could cook except me. I get the answer in a few seconds when the older Salvatore brother bumps me aside and stirs the pot.

"Well, yeah, I was deliberately trying to get to the sink!" he defends himself. 

I roll my eyes and bump him aside just as he did me, I taste the soup and add some more pepper and cream into it. I go to the fridge and take out some of the corn and white wine. 

"So, where is Stefan?" he smirks over my shoulder, his cheek almost touching mine "He's missing family night, which I am enjoying immensely" he looks towards my twin from the corner of his eye. Elena just scoffs and rolls her eyes, not acknowledging Damon as he wants her to.

Elena takes up more digging, not only for any journal, but something, anything related to our adoption. Jenna, is half drunk or on the way and she whispers to me, keeping an eye on Damon's head where he plays Xbox with Jeremy "He's ridiculously hot" 

Elena's eyes widen and I sigh. She doesn't know the half of it. Ever since the road trip, Jenna's been thinking that I'm interested in Damon. 

Damon Salvatore, is like a postponed holiday - planned but disappointing.

I shake my head and cast a smirk which I'm sure the vampire can hear "He's desperate". I hear him scoff and he kills off the next two people in the game a bit too violently. Our aunt helps us open one of the boxes "What are you doing with all this stuff?"

"I thought there might be something about our birth parents..."

"Have you told Jeremy?"

"We will. When the time is right..." Elena looks to me and I nod. 

We've discussed this and we always end up at one conclusion, that it's better if I do it and Elena then joins in. Elena's sometimes not so good in words and we cannot let anything go haywire in this matter.

The bell interrupts my thoughts and I rush forward along with Elena and Damon, who leaves the games abruptly. Stefan stands at the threshold, ever so somber as he motions us outside. I close the door behind me and look expectantly. As you must have determined by now, my expectations live to be disappointed. 

"Who took it?" Damon paces and shoots off.

"I don't know..."

"You know what, it's that teacher. There's something really off about him" Damon tries to go towards the driveway but Stefan stops him 

"No, he doesn't know anything. Somebody got to it right before me-"

"Who else knew it was there?" he asks and I stay still and silent. I don't wanna out my brother. Knowing my frenemy, my brother is either the enemy or he is a corpse. 

Desperate Damon might be controlled but desperate and angry Damon cannot be. Stefan, however, simply outs Jeremy out when he looks through the window to the oblivious pre-teen. Damon smirks as he makes his way to the door but Elena and I block the door "No. Damon, leave him out of it!" she grits out.

"Why what's the big deal? I'm just talking to hi-"

"And then suddenly you won't" I point out angrily.

"I promise, not a scratch on him. Let's go" he barges through the door. 

And I let him when I see the urgent veiled look Stefan gives me and Elena. Damon marches in and sits on the arm of the couch, putting a light arm over my brother's shoulders "So....I heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?"

"You're kidding me, right?" he scoffs and goes back to his game. Before the vampire can tighten the friendly arm, I ask hurriedly "Jerry, did you tell anyone other than Mr. Saltzman about Johnathan Gilbert's journal?"

"Why is everybody so obsessed with that thing!"

"Who else knows about the journal Jer?" Elena somewhat demands. Jeremy shrugs and answers "Just that girl, Anna..."

"The hot, weird one?" I ask. What? Just because I love my brother, doesn't mean I don't gather blackmail info on him.

"Yeah"

Stefan and Elena are clueless, almost as Damon and I are about this girl "Wait, who is Anna?" 

I shake my head, indicating that I know no more than the name. "How do you know her?"

 Damon fires off, eager with the new lead.

"I just know her. She wants me to meet her at the Grill tonight-"

A smirk finds its way back onto those cheeks and Damon cheers "Great. I'll drive you"
Jeremy mutters a 'whatever', and goes out. 

I stop Damon "One wrong thing, and you're dead. And I'm not kidding Damon". Damon looks at me as if to mean let-me-go-if-you-want-him-to-live. I sigh and watch as my baby brother rides off with the person I least want him to be near.

I turn to Elena and Stefan "So... If he gets to the journal before we do, then-"

Stefan looks as smug as his serious face allows and pulls out a stack of papers. I take it from him and read the first page of many. We fist-bump while Elena peers over my shoulder "What is that?"

"It's a copy of the journal"

"How did you get it?" I furrow my brows as various situations go through my mind and surprisingly, the one of the worst is him and the hunter becoming friends."Well, Mr. Saltzman made a copy and was kind enough to loan it to me..."

"He was?" I cock my head with a teasing smile.

Stefan chuckles "Not exactly, but... I got it."