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CHAPTER 04: THE BIGGER PICTURE

❝ the world isn't that black and white. ❞

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IT STARTS ABOUT AGE FIVE; what do you want to be? And even a five year old realizes that they cannot just answer that they want to ride their bike around the neighborhood or collect ladybugs. They know they must choose something large with importance or bravery—a cowboy or a firefighter. There must be focus and determination—an arrow aiming toward the target. What are you going to be? You can't say you are going to be a good person, be interested in people, or be a waitress, even if you love to work as a waitress.

When people write books about childhood and about being a kid, they always talk about how endless it is and about how there is no thought of time. Everything just stretches and stretches. But it is unfortunately the opposite. When you are young, you feel like things are constantly ending. As soon as you get used to something, it goes away. There was an old couple who babysat Enola. She would disappear into the backyard where there was an endless path of flowers and butterflies. When she was there, when she was five and on that path, she felt so sure that life was almost over. She felt like most of it had already come and gone. She didn't even know about death then. Now she was all too aware of it.

"Mommy?" Finn inquired in a hushed tone. "Why is Uncle Stefan sleeping there?"

"Because he is a weirdo," Hope answered simply.

"He is not a weirdo," Enola rolled her eyes. "He is just a little hungover."

"Mommy?" Finn wondered. "What is hungover?"

"A hangover is when you eat too much ice cream," Hope explained confidently.

"Who told you that?" Enola questioned through narrowed eyes.

"Aunt Hayley," Hope informed with a shrug. "She is always hungover!"

"I wanna be hungover!" Finn giggled.

"No, baby, you do not want to be hungover." Enola sighed. "Why don't you girls have a seat over there? Draw something for mommy."

When Hope and Finn were seated at a table just a few feet away, Enola looked down at Stefan with slight annoyance. Things obviously did not go as planned. But with Sybil locked up in the basement of the armory everything should be okay. She was unable to hurt them. Or so they thought. Enzo had flipped the switch and Damon was still missing. Fortunately, Bonnie was taking care of Enzo while Caroline handled Damon. Unfortunately, that left Enola with Alaric who had yet to arrive and Stefan who was hungover on the sofa. They were supposed to be interrogating Sybil, which shouldn't be a problem with the devils pitchfork. Enola had no choice but to harshly wake Stefan with a sharp kick to the foot.

"Enola," Stefan gasped in surprise, jolting awake. "You're here early."

"You know you have a bed for a reason, right?" Enola deadpanned.

"I figured I would give you girls some space," Stefan slowly sat up. "How is Bonnie doing?"

"Bonnie is glued to Enzo, despite all the awful things he is saying to her." Enola sighed. "It will probably take another day or two of starving him before she can get started with his humanity switch."

"Well, if anyone can bring Enzo back, it is Bonnie." Stefan nodded.

The doors to the armory were suddenly pulled open by Alaric who came bearing gifts. Gifts as in some much needed refreshments. Three peanut butter blasts, two coffees, and five donuts. He came prepared for the long day ahead. They would need the energy to deal with the annoying siren who was imprisoned below them.

"I wasn't sure what they liked," Alaric confessed, motioning to the peanut butter blasts. "I just guessed that they had the same sweet tooth as their mother."

"You guessed correctly," Enola grinned, setting two of the peanut butter blasts down in front of Hope and Finn

"Thank you, Uncle Ric!" Hope and Finn chorused.

"Of course!" Alaric grinned happily. Though all that happiness seemed to drain when the door to the armory opened up once more to reveal one of his interns. The one who was too nosy for her own good. It would be the death of her.

"Oh. Hey." Georgie greeted with a tray of coffee in hand.

"I thought I told you not to come in today," Alaric frowned.

"Well, I heard there was a coffee shortage and came running." Georgie announced, eyes flickering around the faces in the room as if taking inventory.

"Well, actually, we are in the middle of a major project." Alaric said curtly.

"Does it involve children?" Georgie quirked a brow, glancing at Hope and Finn.

"Didn't have time to find a babysitter," Enola shrugged.

"Okay. I will leave you to it." Georgie nodded, slowly sauntering out the door.

"I can only deal with one temptress at a time," Alaric sighed. "Anyway—have you heard from Damon?"

"Nope," Stefan sighed. "And that is what worries me."

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Enola liked to think that Hope and Finn were well behaved girls. All she had to do was tell them to stay put and they would listen. Of course she had brought along plenty of toys to keep them busy while she interrogated this siren. There were a lot of questions to be asked. Especially about the devils pitchfork. Alaric had discovered its purpose when it fell off the table yesterday and momentarily stunned not only Lizzie and Josie, but Hope and Finn as well.

Enola and Alaric watched Sybil hum a little tune from the other side of the glass when Stefan tapped the devils pitchfork against the wall. It was soundproof down here, so Hope and Finn thankfully couldn't hear it. Otherwise she wouldn't have brought them along. Just the thought of them getting hurt because of this thing made her blood boil. It was the only reason she had agreed to assist the interrogation. Because she needed to know her daughters would be safe enough. Though she knew that settling for completely safe was out of the question. This was Mystic Falls after all.

"The all powerful siren imprisoned by a fork," Stefan mocked.

"Says the man who can be killed with a stick," Sybil shot back.

"What is it about this thing that hurts you so much and why does it hurt our kids?" Alaric inquired.

"And here I thought you had me all figured out," Sybil teased. "Guess not."

Stefan didn't hesitate to tap the devils pitchfork against the wall, making Sybil visibly recoil in pain. Enola subconsciously looked to the ceiling. If her daughters could hear it, she is certain that they would know. She just didn't like them being so close to something like this. Then again, she had no one to watch them. They had suggested leaving the kids with the nanny, but she didn't trust the woman. The one time she allowed her near her kids, they came home with a sugar rush like no other. And that is saying something considering they already had a pretty big sweet tooth as it is. She just did not trust that nanny. So her kids would stay near her at all times.

"If this disrupts your psychic ability, then why is Damon still your puppet?" Stefan demanded.

"I tinkered with the deepest reaches of his subconscious. If Damon is still serving me, it is because deep down he wants to." Sybil shrugged simply, rubbing her temple.

"Why are you doing this to him?" Stefan wondered.

"It's all Damon, Damon, Damon." Sybil chided. "Aren't you a little curious about who I am?"

"Not really," Enola deadpanned. "All I care about is why this thing affects my daughters."

"Well, fortunately, the answer to all of your questions is a story about me." Sybil grinned, eyes flickering over to Alaric. "You like stories, professor?"

"I prefer nonfiction," Alaric deadpanned.

"Well, then, you will love this one." Sybil concluded. "A long time ago, in a little Mediterranean village, there was a girl. As she came of age, the village girl began to manifest psychic abilities, a trait that had been forbidden in her land for as long as anyone could remember." Her eyes flickered across her audience to make sure that they were still listening. "The fate of psychics was exile. Which is how our poor, innocent, forsaken village girl ended up on a raft—the current carrying her into the rocks of a cold and distant shore. But abandoned though she was meant to be, alone she was not. There she met a girl of the island. Exiled together, connected by psychic ability, two sisters in everything but blood, destined from that moment to one day become the sirens." She turned away from them. "So you see, Stefan, I understand why you would do anything for your brother. Because my sister will do anything for me."

"Will do?" Stefan repeated. "Present tense?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention there are two of us?" Sybil smiled deviously. "Me in here and her out there." Alaric took the devils' pitchfork and harshly slammed it against the wall. "Would you please stop doing that? It is complete overkill."

"What do you mean two sirens?" Alaric questioned.

"I thought you were a scholar," Sybil scoffed. "Every single mythological interpretation of who I am mensions sirens. Plural."

"Well, those same myths also say that you should have the lower half of a bird." Enola pointed out.

"Well, luckily for us all, you can't believe everything that you read." Sybil grinned, sending Enola a seductive wink.

"Enough. Who is she?" Stefan demanded.

"Patience, Stefan." Sybil cooed. "I promise you will find out soon enough."

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Enola spent the next half an hour questioning Sybil with Stefan and Alaric until a cell phone ringing cut through the atmosphere like a knife. Alaric pulled the phone out into the open and checked the caller i.d with bated breath and furrowed brows. A look of worry flashed across his face at the name.

"It is Seline," Alaric informed, handing the pitchfork over to Stefan. "I have to take this."

"Check on my girls while you are up there," Enola said. "Make sure they stay out of trouble."

"Will do," Alaric saluted before disappearing down the hallway and up the stairs.

"Seline," Sybil hummed in a teasing manner. "Suspicious name. Very siren-esque."

"How about we just focus on you and your sister?" Stefan suggested snidely.

"I think I will just wait for Alaric to get back," Sybil decided. She took the metal chair for the corner of her room and set it directly in front of the glass before taking a seat. Or trying to. Stefan hit the pitchfork against the wall again, earning a deep scowl and a grimace in return.

"You are stalling. Who is she?" Stefan demanded.

"You think hurting me is going to speed this up?" Sybil spat. Stefan hesitated before finally lowering the pitchfork. "Thank you."

"Can we please get on with the story?" Enola huffed in annoyance.

"So impatient," Sybil teased. Enola glared. "Alright. Fine." She cleared her throat as she thought of where she had left off and picked up from there. "Despite enjoying each other's company, the two sisters had another constant companion. Hunger. The one who had survived on the island this long had a plan. Call out to passing ships until they were eventually rescued. But the girl of the island knew better. She had done this before. Called out to passing sailors with her mind. But no matter how keen her psychic reach, the shoals around the island were sharper."

"So you beached the ship?" Stefan inquired.

"Try annihilated—dashed upon the rocks, dooming its sailors to death. But the silver lining was that their sweet, sweet provisions would soon wash up on shore, leaving the sisters at odds. One found joy in their deaths, while the other felt a lump in her throat that she could not swallow." Sybil explained, eyes flickering to Stefan. "Stop me if this is familiar; one good sibling determined to live like a monk and one evil sibling willing to murder to satiate their hunger." Stefan didn't respond, forcing Sybil to continue. "Oh, come on! You get it. The parallels are too good. Our story is your story, Stefan. So now here is the test; which girl are you?"

"The world isn't that black and white," Enola said. "If it was, then sisterhood would be a lot less complicated."

"Spoken like someone who has a sister," Sybil smirked. "Tell me, which girl are you?"

"Being siblings means you will peel the rinds of your oranges and while the smell of citrus saturates the air, you will find yourself handing over half for an equal share." Enola said. "Because being siblings is willingly going half hungry to share life's sweetness."

"You sound just like her," Sybil chuckled, but there was no humor behind it this time. "She insisted the island would nourish them, and when it didn't, her faith was shaken. God did not provide. That was up to her sister. That was up to the girl of the island." She looked almost reminiscent. "The other side of the island was the wild boars domain. It was dangerous, but she knew she must hunt. And behold. God was good."

"Or maybe there were no boars on the island," Stefan suggested. "You kept luring ships into the rocks. Killing for provisions."

"And do you want to know the sickest part of all?" Sybil teased, eyes gleaming mischievously. "There were no provisions on the ships. Only sailors. And so, an innocent girl became a monster all because her older sibling forced her to adopt her lifestyle, even if it meant killing and eating men to stay alive. So I ask again—which girl are you, Stefan?"

"Here is all you need to know?" Stefan leaned forward. "Whatever Damon and I have done to one another in the past, whatever Elena and Enola go through together, it has all been forgiven. That sibling bond can last lifetimes."

"It's true," Enola sighed. "Even though I won't be able to see my sister for a hundred years, I know that we will come back stronger than ever."

"Maybe you have overestimated your sibling," Sybil shrugged. "And clearly I have underestimated mine."

Enola saw the reflection behind her in the glass a second too late. And then she felt the burn of vervain spreading through her veins a moment later before dropping to the ground. The last thing on her mind when she fell into a dreamless sleep were her daughters who were blissfully unaware just upstairs.

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Enola woke up to the sound of cicadas buzzing and water running. It took a lot of strength to peel her eyes open. Then the thought her daughters did the rest. She shot up only for her head to smack directly into another. They both cried out in pain as they flinched away from one another. It took the both of them a moment to adjust before facing one another in confusion. They were no longer in the armory, but in the middle of nowhere. This was shaping up to be a really annoying day.

"My daughters—"

"Are just fine."

Enola and Stefan whirled around to find Sybil standing there with a wide smile. Just a few moments ago there was a thick piece of glass that separated them. Just a few moments ago they were safe. Now, however, they were in the middle of nowhere. It made no sense. Until it did. Whoever vervained them, left them vulnerable to attack. Now neither of them could ring that pitchfork to stop her from invading their mind.

"What did you do to us?" Stefan demanded.

"Are you in our heads?" Enola narrowed her eyes.

"Technically the both of you are in mine," Sybil teased. Stefan and Enola tensed before quickly looking around. "There is no place to run. So walk with me."

"Is this where you attack our psyche?" Stefan questioned.

"Is this where you make us your loyal slaves?" Enola wondered.

"Normally, yes." Sybil confessed. "But the boss has other plans."

"The boss?" Stefan frowned.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Enola demanded.

"He thinks the both of you are worthy of hearing the whole story," Sybil explained shortly. "Shall we continue?"

"Well, we have nothing better to do." Enola sighed. "That is assuming my daughters are just fine like you said they were."

Sybil grinned lazily before continuing the trek down the trail. Enola and Stefan shared an unsure look before following. They knew that this was the only way to get out of this—by doing exactly what she says. Even if it was humoring her for a little bit. Assuming it would only take a few minutes to finish the story.

"For years, my sister and I lived as cannibals. One willingly, the other blissfully ignorant. Until I discovered this." Sybil led them into a dark and dreary cave where human bones seemed to be the only thing that remained. "Where my sister had buried the sailors she had murdered. Only visible at low tide. It is the perfect hiding spot."

"You discovered?" Stefan echoed. "You're not the girl from the island, are you? You're the village girl."

"I tried," Sybil whispered sadly. "I tried so hard to be good. My sister forced this existence on me."

"Do you expect us to have sympathy for you?" Enola quirked a brow.

"Maybe, maybe not." Sybil shrugged. "It all comes down to the same question; which siren is your spirit animal?"

"Oh, this is ridiculous." Enola muttered.

"I couldn't believe it," Sybil continued, lifting a skull into her deadly hands. "All those years my sister had tricked me into eating human flesh. But I had to hear it from her mouth. So I confronted her. You should've seen the look on her face." The sound of footsteps echoed off the cave walls. "Oh, wait. You will. Here she comes now." A familiar figure sauntered into the cave with a corpse being dragged behind. "I believe you two have met my sister. Seline."

"Seline is the other siren?" Stefan gaped.

"I knew I couldn't trust that bitch," Enola scoffed.

"What's more shocking? That she secretly fed me human flesh or that she is now masquerading as a freaking nanny?" Sybil scoffed, dropping the skull before taking a few slow steps towards Stefan and Enola who immediately began backing away.

"Let us out of here," Stefan demanded. "Now."

"Why? So you can go warn Alaric?" Sybil hummed.

"Obviously," Enola nodded. Sybil just smiled.

"You're assuming that I'm going to let you remember this when you wake up," Sybil chuckled. "Sorry. Orders from above." She paused. "Well, below."

Enola and Stefan backed into a wall with nowhere else to go. Sybil reached out and placed a hand on their temples, sending them back into the real world where magic was real and everything was fucked. It took them both a moment to focus on the two faces hoovering a few inches away from them until one of them spoke up.

"Mommy?" Enola blinked her surroundings into focus to find her daughters staring down at her with wide eyes. She immediately stood up and began checking over her kids for injuries.

"I'm offended that you thought I would hurt children," Sybil frowned from behind the glass.

"What did you do to us?" Stefan demanded, quickly stepping in front of Enola and her kids.

"You tell me. What do you remember?" Sybil inquired, watching them closely.

"You confronted your sister. She turned you into a cannibal against your wishes." Stefan said.

"And who is my sister?" Sybil teased. Enola and Stefan shared a look. Sybil smiled. "You don't know."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. A statement that told them everything and nothing at the same time. A statement that garnered more confusion than understanding. A statement that they didn't quite understand. And once they did, it would be far too late.

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AUTHORS NOTE.
i try to add just enough context. it is easy to forget the actual plot if it has been a while since you watched it. anywhore,, i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. until next time, my loves!!!