chapter 8

Who was fitted with collar and chain?
Who was given a pat on the back?
Who was breaking away from the pack?
Who was only a stranger at home?
Who was ground down in the end?
Who was found dead on the phone?
Who was dragged down by the stone?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It was noon and Jade was sprawled on the couch in her family's home, watching Twilight: Eclipse as she munched on onion chips. It was the only fitting movie for her life right now. Wherever you look there could be vampires, your sister's friend could turn out to be a witch, and your old classmate could come from a family with a werewolf gene. Plus, there were a lot of good abs in it, so she didn't complain. It was one of those rare moments where she could relax, not think about anything. Finally, her head wasn't swirling with questions, she wasn't losing her mind, and she wasn't wondering whether to secure a shelter in a madhouse.

It turned out that the Gilbert siblings had suicidal tendencies. One had entered the tomb where Katherine was drying out, and the other had gone on a mission to surrender to the freaky vampire king. Both of these missions went sideways, although the gang retrieved their precious moonstone. Too bad the little Gilbert paid the price, lenting some of his blood to Kitty Kat. A lot of it. Okay, practically all of it. But she really couldn't care less, at least her new... friend? Was it the right word? Had a little meal.

The thing with Katherine was so fucking weird, she couldn't quite comprehend it. They sat together in that tomb for a while that day, talking about such bullshit towards the end that Jade didn't know it was possible with someone like that. With such reputation. The ultimate vampire slut even laughed. Jade learned that there was a history between Elijah and Katherine, and a pretty spicy one at that. But currently he wants to kill her just like his brother Klaus, so she guessed it was all in the past. Jade, on the other hand, told the intrigued vampire more of her psycho tendencies, which consisted of watered down empathy, indifference to gore and more. She didn't share what caused such traits. After learning this, Katherine asked her if she's sure she's Caroline's real sister.

But the funniest thing was her conversation with Cami about the mysterious blue rings yesterday.

"What? Are you high?" Cami accused, and Jade could imagine the look on her face.

Jade snorted. "I fucking wish, to be honest. But, no I'm not high." She said, rolling her eyes. "Don't you know I know what that sounds like? Believe me, I thought I was living in some fucked-up 80s horror movie, but when you actually see dozens of empty blood bags, and actual fucking fangs in front of you, it kinda makes you change your mind."

"Jade..." Cami trailed off, her 'Jade, what the fuck' tone of voice on.

Jade let out an exasperated sigh. "I know. You don't have to believe me. I didn't believe it at first, either." She flashed her eyebrows. "But you have to promise me something. Fucking must." She said firmly.

"What?" Cami breathed.

"Promise me that you will go to that herbal store on St. Charles Avenue and buy vervain. Keep it with you, make a fucking necklace or earrings out of it. Or even drink it, I don't care. But always, fucking always keep it with you." Jade demanded, her voice stern and unwavering.

"What is it? What does it do?" Cami asked, her voice so fucking uneven, that Jade could laugh.

"It makes sure that vampires don't brainwash you. Just like they did to me when I thought I was crazy. It's toxic, so when they touch it they burn or something." She said, her jaw clenched.

There was a couple of second of silence as Cami tried to process the information. "I listen to what you're telling me and I don't believe it.... But your tone of voice... You are serious as fuck and it gives me goosebumps."

Jade let out a little scoff. "Yes, I am serious, idiot. This fucking town... I don't know if I'm glad that I'm here or not. Also, I need you to go to my apartment and send me more of my clothes."

"No." Cami drawled and Jade smiled. "You're staying longer? I actually miss you here. Nina is too nice, I need my bitch."

Jade barked a laugh, her heart squirming. "Oh, Cams. I miss you, too! I'll come in a short time, there's just so much shit happening here that I have to stay for a bit." She sighed.

"What shit?" Cami asked, her voice suspicious.

"Do you really want an answer?" Jade asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes...?" Cami trailed off, her tone far from being sure.

"My sister was turned into vampire so she could be sacrificed in an ancient curse that is bind in a rock."

There was a full minute of silence there and Jade started examining her nails, thinking she must go to get them done soon. "Oh." Cami muttered. "You're really sure you're not high?" She asked and Jade smiled in amusement.

"Why, do you offer?" She asked cheekily and she could practically feel her friend's eyeroll.

"I'll send you the clothes." Cami mumbled.

"And?" Jade drawled.

"I promise to buy that... vervain thing. How do you even know they sell it there?" She asked suspiciosly.

Jade kissed her teeth. "Oh, I was just passing by..."

"Jade."

"I bought weed there."

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

"I love you, kiss your doggie from me!" She exclaimed, making kissing sounds to the microphone.

"For the last fucking━"

Just as Jasper was about to explain to Bella where his battle scars were from, she heard someone barge into the house. She lifted her head from the pillows and took a quick glance, furrowing her eyebrows at the sight.

"Mum? What are you doing here?" She asked, raising herself to a sitting position and resting her arms on the back of the couch.

Liz looked at Jade for a moment with a blank expression on her face, unable to stop herself from thinking how... teenage she looks. It made her heart ache. "I forgot my wallet." She said, snapping back to reality.

Jade hummed for a second, looking around. "There's one lying on the coffee table here." She grabbed the wallet and tossed it to her mother.

Liz caught the wallet and gave Jade a small smile. "Thanks, sweetie." After a few seconds, her smile faltered and she let out a deep exhale.

Jade frowned, tilting her head. "What's going on?"

Liz sighed again and approached the couch, taking a seat on the back of it. "I just came back from Carol's. Some girl from Florida came to her door and asked about Mason━apparently he never made it. He's officially declared missing."

Jade blinked. "Oh, shit." She mumbled.

Jade nodded softly, staring into space with her lips formed in a straight line. "You don't happen to know where he is, do you?" She glanced at her disheveled daughter.

Jade pouted, shaking her head. "No, I don't. We're not actually best pals." She flashed her eyebrows, to which her mother pursed her lips in agreement. "I'm sure he's off to some tropical island and sipping drinks with tiny umbrellas and forgot to tell anyone. That's totally something he would do." She stated, leaning back on the couch. This is something he could do, however Jade has not forgotten the fact that he is a werewolf, which is dangerous to vampires.

And within seconds she guessed who could potentially be behind his disappearance.

"I hope so. I don't like this." Liz muttered, glancing at her wristwatch. She abruptly pulled herself from the couch. "Okay, I have to go. Duty calls."

"Have fun." Jade exclaimed singingly, returning her eyes to the TV. Why Jacob has a fucking eight-pack at sixteen? Where are his zits and awkward facial ha━

"Jade?" Her mom called from living room door.

Jade whipped her head back to her mother with raised eyebrows. "Yup?"

"I'm glad you decided to stay a bit longer. We've missed you." Liz said lowly, with the most sincere eyes her mother ever gave her. She smiled at those words and let out a soft nod. Liz smiled back and returned to her direction to the front door.

Then there's that. That perpetual dance around each other with her mom, who acted like Jade was a ticking bomb and walked around her like eggshells. It wasn't far from the truth, Jade has a lot to say to her mom, but somehow she doesn't want to broach the subject at the moment, reveling in her bubble of artificial calm.

She watched the movie for a while longer, unable to focus on it, her thoughts focused on the missing Mason. If these idiots had seriously kidnapped him, or did something else, she had to find out more. Was it her business? No. Did she care? Also no. She got up determinedly from the couch and headed to her room to get ready to go.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

She was dressed in a black tanktop with a print, partially hidden by a burgundy leather jacket, her pale blue jeans were standing out against the dimly lit atmosphere. Doing a quick scan of present customers, she quickly found the person closest to the one she originally wanted to find. Doing a quick stride, her black heels powerfully clicking on the restaurant's floor, she sat down forcefully across the surprised man. He looked back at her, his eyes widening in surprise. She held his gaze, her own eyes burning with determination, slightly narrowed.

"Um, hello?" He said hesistantly, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"Saltzman." She drawled his surname, crossing her arms and leaning on them on the table. Her stormy blue eyes piercing his own. She knew who he was, her nosy nature would not allow otherwise, in addition to Caroline's stories, she did her own research on the internet and maybe. Maybe. In her mom's files. Convicted a couple of times for assault charges and had some restraining orders. How is he a teacher, she didn't know.

He raised his eyebrows. "Wha━Oh." He made a face in realisation. "You're Caroline's older sister. Jade, isn't it?" He asked, narrowing his eyes, as if trying to imagine her next to Caroline. He noticed similarities that are not apparent at first glance, such as the fact that the color of her eyes was almost identical to Caroline's, a dark cobalt blue that resembled the ocean during a storm. Her hair was identical color as her sister's, but not as curly and much longer. However, the biggest similarity was that calculating expression on her face, as if she knew everything about you before you even spoke, determination and fire bubbling from her eyes.

She rolled her eyes in disdain and made a disapproving noise with her tongue as a sign of her annoyance. "Since you're best pals with the older Salvatore..." She trailed off, bringing herself closer to him and looking him in the eye with a stern expression. He eyed her in confusion, but didn't move away. "Where's Mason Lockwood?" She asked suspiciously, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she studied him for any sign of deception.

"Huh?" Alaric breathed, stunned by the question. He had not expected her to bring up the Lockwood, he heard that they were friends in High School, but did she now about his real whereabouts? He nervously ran a hand through his hair, trying to formulate a response, but he was at a loss for words.

Jade huffed in annoyance, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. "He's been officially declared missing."

Alaric almost choked on air at her words. He knew that sooner or later someone would get concerned about the guy, but preffered the later. Much later. He quickly composed himself, clearing his throat and trying to maintain a neutral expression. "What?"

"Are you deaf?" Jade asked, leaning her head on her finger and arching her eyebrow. "Come on, you're not that much older than me, Saltz." She let out a small scoff and smirked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Alaric ran his hand through his face, ignoring her comment. "What do you mean, he's been declared missing, why?"

She wiggled her finger in his direction, shaking her head at the same time. "Ah-ah. I asked first."

Alaric sighed. He had heard that the girl had recently been doused with the truth about the supernatural world and he was fascinated by her acceptance of it. He knew Caroline had told her everything she knew, including the truth about the Lockwood family's lycan origins, so he figured there was nothing to play dumb about. "He's..." He trailed off and Jade raised her eyebrow in anticipation. "Dead." He breathed, tighting his lips. "Damon killed him."

Jade pouted, staring blankly at the table and acknowledging the confession. "So I was right. Damon fucked with him, then killed him before Mason could've killed him on the next full moon." She leaned on her hand again and glanced at the teacher.

"Yeah." He exhaled deeply. "Damon sent Carol a message that he went to Florida, where did the police contribution come from all of a sudden?" He asked in a low voice.

"My mother said that some girl showed up at Carol's doorstep looking for Mason. Saying that he never made it." Jade flashed her eyebrows up and down and clicked her tongue.

Alaric leaned back in his chair and began to pull out his phone. "I'm gonna call Damon."

She nodded and stood up from her seat, turning to the bar's direction. "And I need a drink. A strong one."

He sighed and dialed the vampire's number. "Make that two."

She whipped her head toward the teacher. "Knob Creek?"

He let out a small smirk. "Oh, I like you already."

She lips turned into a wicked grin and turned around to the bar again. When she returned, they clincked their glasses and began to get to know each other more. Alaric found that Jade was a quite interesting person, especially since it turned out they both had a passion for fighting and questionable morals. Jade found it intriguing that Alaric was Damon's best friend, since they were so different. She wondered what brought them together. Probably alcohol. As they began to arrange their first sparring session, none other than Damon Salvatore sat down.

"Ah, if it aren't my favorite humans." The vampire clasped his hands, a wicked smile gracing his face. "Ric." He gave him a firm nod. "Harley." He turned his head to the blonde and gave her a wink.

"Salvawhore." She gave him the fakest smile she could muster, which only seemed to amuse him, as he slipped to the chair next to her.

"Spicy as ever." He mused, taking a sip from her drink. She responded with a glare and snatched the glass from his hands, wiping the space where his lips touched. "Do that again and I'll cut your dick off." He was about to retort, but his ears perked up when he heard someone asking about the missing wolf. "Mason's mystery woman."

Alaric nodded gently, eyeing the girl. "Yeah. Where is Mason anyway?"

"Decomposing in his truck." Damon responded, accenting the last word carefully, his eyes not leaving the woman on the opposite side of the Grill. Alaric glanced at the vampire with a raised eyebrow and shook his head. Jade furrowed her eyebrows and snapped her gaze from the woman to Damon's.

She scoffed. "In a truck, really? Do you know how it probably reeks in there? Do you want them to find him, or what?" She grimaced, shaking her head in pure disbelief of the stupidity. He was old as fuck, didn't he know how to succesfully bury a body? She learned when she was ten.

Damon tore his eyes from the girl and fixed it with Jade's. "Why aren't you sobbing? Wasn't he your bestie?" He snorted, his voice patronizing.

"He was not my bestie." She twisted her face at the wording. "The only thing we had in common was drug-pumped parties in high school." She rolled her eyes and took a sip from her glass, which was now Damon-spit-free.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her words and the overall lightness at the topic. "And you're..." He trailed off, lips twisting in a grimace. "Cool. With the fact that I've killed him?"

She gasped, slaming her drink at the table. But not forcefully. She liked causing scenes, but not ones when she can be charged for murder from. "Oh, no Damon. What have you done?! I'm gonna call the cops! You're a monster, how could you?!" She shrieked, fake crying and fanning her face with her hand. Damon raised her eyebrow and she let her face fall to normal. Alaric chuckled. "I'm not Elena." She said and turned her face to the drink, taking a sip and glancing at the girl.

"No, you're not." Damon muttered, mostly to himself. Jade was oblivious to the weird look he gave her, but not Alaric. He gave his friend a disbelieving gaze and rested his face on his fingers in evaporation.

"Besides, a werewolf running around means that Caroline could be in danger. Not on my fucking watch." She said lowly in a dangerous tone.

Alaric sighed. "Yeah, what about the Florida girl? She could be a werewolf, too."

"I hope not, being it's a full moon, Ric." Damon grumbled. "We should definitely find out, though." He said and pulled a string bag from his pocket.

Jade squinted her eyes and dipped her head toward Damon. "What the fuck is that, weed?" She mumbled with a huff. "But that'll probably work, since she's from Florida and all. Surfer girl, all groovy and shit."

"It's not weed, Snoop Dogg." He scrunched his face. "It's wolfsbane." He said like Jade was supposed to know what the fuck he was talking about. Damon rolled his eyes, pulling the bag back in his pocket. "It's like the doggy equivalent of vervain." He explained and Jade let out a small 'oh', nodding with twisted lips.

She clicked her tongue. "So what, you wanna drug her? Slip it into her drink?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup, that's pretty much the plan." Damon replied with a proud smirk.

Jade scanned his face for a couple of seconds with both eyebrows raised. "Are you a fucking idiot?" She scrunched her face and turned to Alaric. "Is he a fucking idiot?" Alaric's eyes darted between her and his friend. "Of course he is." She scoffed, rolling her eyes and leaning back on her chair.

Damon gave her a malicious smile. "Do you have something on your mind to share with the class?"

She narrowed her eyes at the vampire and crossed her arms. "Yeah, I do, dumbass." She said. "Did your peanut brain thought about what you're going to do afterwards you piss off a potential werewolf during a full moon?" She spat in low voice.

"I'll kill her." Damon smiled and she could feel how proud he is of his idea.

"Have you ever killed a giant dog?" Jade blinked in anticipation.

He squinted his eyes, dropping the smirk. "No."

Jade snorted. "You're more stupid that I thought."

He clicked his tongue and smiled again. "Ah, I didn't know you care for me, Harley."

"I fucking don't. Of that you can be sure. But I don't want a werewolf with rabies running around the town with my vampire sister in it."

"Damon, she's right and you know it." Alaric butted in. He exhaled a deep breath and turned to the blonde. "But do you have any other idea?"

She leaned her head against her hand in wonderment. A couple of long moments passed when she straightened up. "Wait." She mumbled. "Vampires can't compel werewolves or witches, right?" She glanced at the men, which they gave her a nod in response. "So, try to compel her to do something. Just subtly, Damon. I know that word is probably foreign to you." She gave him a look, to which he side-smirked, obviously proud of himself. Narcissistic jackass.

"What if she's a human on vervain?" Alaric questioned.

"Won't he be able to sniff it out?" She glanced at the raven haired vampire.

Damon gave her the biggest smirk she's ever seen. "He will. Jade Forbes, you fucking genius."

Wow, full name. Damn. "I know." She mused, flashing her eyebrows and downing her drink in one gulp.

So they sat like this, Jade and Alaric, watching the vampire in action. Jade just prayed that he wouldn't somehow manage to upset the potential werewolf. Which would be very easy, since he annoys her with every fucking conversation. She really regretted not having supernatural hearing when she saw the girl's face when Damon turn on his charm. They sat like that for maybe an hour, and during that time Jade and Alaric started to become somewhat friends. She found that the more Saltzman had drinks, the more Jade began to laugh. She finally understood why the two got along so well━Alaric was a great drinking buddy. Alcoholic? Yes. But so was she. They were currently standing outside of the restaurant, Jade smoking a cigarette.

"Oh. she's a werewolf, alright." Damon mumbled under his nose, joining them and leaning on the Grill's wall.

"You couldn't compel her?" Alaric questioned.

Damon kissed his teeth, shaking his head. "Nope. Also, she reeked like a wet dog, which was also a sign." Jade snorted in amusment. "And she knew I was a vampire, too."

Jade rolled her eyes. "You dumbass."

"She smelled my bloodbreath. What I was supposed to do about it?"

"I don't know, eat a mint?"

"Tell me you didn't piss her off." Alaric groaned.

"And why would you accuse me of that?" Damon flashed his toothy smile at his friend.

"Gee, who knows." Jade muttered under her breath, taking a puff from her cigarette.

"I didn't. I was a perfect gentleman." Damon tilted his head and gave her a smirk.

"It doesn't matter. She knows. Look up." Alaric said, pointing at the full moon. "Just go home, lock your doors, spread the wolfsbane around it and just... don't be you."

"Such an adorable bromace." Jade mused with a pout, the boys gave her a glare in response.   "Don't tell me there's more..." She trailed off with a gasp.

Damon was about to say something, as always, but Jade cut him off. "Okay, I gotta go home, too much dog conversations for one night. See ya." She saluted them with her cigarette and turned on her heel, taking a lazy stroll towards her house.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Forbes' house was not far from the center of town, so after maybe 5-10 minutes, she was home. Entering the house, she found a strange silence. She glanced at the coat rack by the front door and noticed the absence of her mother's sheriff jacket. She was still sitting at the station, no surprises there. She furrowed her eyebrows when she saw that Caroline's shoes were also missing. Walking quickly upstairs, she found the same silence. She opened the door to her sister's room and, as she expected, found it empty.

She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and dialed her number. Jade hoped she's at Elena's, or Bonnie's, or wherever she's hanging out. Because if she's outside... she'd better not be, for her sake.

"Yeah?" Caroline's voice resonated on the other line.

"Where are you?" Jade practically snarled through the microphone.

"Um, you see... I━" Caroline stuttered.

"━You have to be fucking kidding me." Jade mumbled, face palming herself.

There was a sigh on the other line. "I'm with Tyler, helping him through his first transition." Caroline said sheepishly.

Jade eyes widened like pennies. "Are fucking insane, Caroline?" She exclaimed to the phone. "I may be a noobie at this supernatural shit, but even I know that one fucking scratch means death!"

"It's okay, I'm behind bars. He can't get in."

"You're unbelievable." Jade whispered, looking at the ceiling in desperation. "I'm asking this question twice tonight. Have you seen a fucking werewolf trying to get behind those bars of yours? I'll answer for you. No, you hadn't. So get your ass home right the fuck now."

"It's gonna be okay, Jade. He needs me." Caroline tried to justify.

"I don't give a single fuck what he needs!" She shouted, anger clear in her voice. "I need you to be safe, in a house, not in the fucking woods where there is another lethal dog running around!"

"What?" Caroline gasped.

"Yeah. The girl? Who's been asking around for Mason? Werewolf." Jade said in a calmer voice. "So flash here right now or I'm coming there." She threatened.

Caroline sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll be there in a sec."

"You better." Jade hissed, hanging up.

She began stressfully running around the living room, rearranging whatever she could, correcting pillows and wiping off non-existent dust with her hand. She kept muttering to herself as she moved, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Suddenly, she stopped and stepped back when she heard the front door opening.

With a quick step, she walked out of the living room into the hallway and felt a huge stone drop from her heart as she saw her sister pulling off her shoes. The sisters looked at each other for a moment, if sight could kill, Liz would already be preparing an outfit for Caroline for her coffin. For that moment, Jade managed to take a few steps toward her younger sister. As they continued their sight battle, Jade reached out her hand and whacked Caroline on the head.

"Are you insane?!" She shouted and Caroline responded with a glare, fixing her hair.

"I just wanted to help him!" Her sister shouted, pointing at the door.

"You could die!" Jade yelled back. After a second, she let out a humorless chuckle. "One scratch. Not even a full bite. One scratch and you're dead. There's no fucking cure, you would just drop dead." She shook her head.

Caroline scoffed, eyes darting around the house for a second. "Don't you think I know that? But you didn't see him. His bones all started to break at the same moment, he needed someone to be there." She shuddered at the thought of it, and shook her head. "I couldn't just leave him." She said firmly, pushing past Jade and walking angerly into the depths of the house.

Jade widened her eyes in disbelief, staring into nothingness where her sister just stood. "I don't care about the mutt!" She shouted and strided after her. "All I care is you. You living, breathing, standing here." She pointed to the floor. After a second, she rolled her eyes. "The leaving part in quotation marks." She mumbled under her nose and Caroline let out a soft snort.

She pointed her finger at Caroline, taking a step forward. "Don't you dare do that again or I swear to god I'll chain you in here."

"I'm not going to let him struggle alone." Caroline retorted firmly, her gaze pure iron.

"God, Caroline." Jade breathed, putting her hand to her forehead. "So you'd rather risk your life so he can have a companion to turn into a dog?"

Caroline scoffed and turn her face into a grimace. "I forgot how insensitive you could be."

"If being insensitive means that I have a shred of self-preservation then yes, I am."

"You? Self-preservation? Seriously?"

"Don't fucking turn this to me." Jade almost growled, tone vicious. "Is that so bad that I don't want you to fucking die?" She exclaimed, expanding her hands in the air.

That snapped something inside of Caroline. She looked at her sister, at her angry eyes, her desperate body language, listened to her frightened voice, which continued to bounce off the walls. She was scared. Caroline didn't remember anyone worrying about her as much as Jade does now. Caroline knew what was going on around her, she wasn't stupid. She knew that Elena'a safety was number one priority. She agreed, of course, she loves her beyond life itself. But what about her? Caroline is cast aside, attached to the task of sticking with the werewolves, where she could easily get herself killed. And no one batted an eye. No one paid any attention, because, after all, it's just Caroline. Shallow, stupid, disposable Caroline.

But she won't give up about Tyler, either.

She took a step forward and pulled her sister into an embrace. "No." She breathed into Jade's hair. "I'm sorry." She whispered and Jade closed her eyes and hugged her little sister back with a sigh. Caroline held onto Jade tightly and silently, until she felt her sister's body start to relax.

"But I'm going to be there for him. No matter what you say." She said as she pulled back.

Jade just stared at her sister with a blank expression, silently praying to something to give her the strength to not fucking kill her right there right now.

a/n: i still haven't wrote shit i'm having a block god help me

but i'm leaving for a week and won't be able to write anything so i'm posting this little chap (only 5k words) in hopes that u won't forget about lovely jade here

btw how to overcome a writes block,?????? i hate iTTTT

lil spoiler for the next one; chaotic duo aka J&A