The night of the going back to school bonfire Echo was with Caroline and Bonnie. Caroline's boyfriend would be visiting over the weekend so Echo decided to tell her snatched body's best friends about the supernatural. Bonnie was egging Echo on, "Come on, Elena. Admit it?" Echo played dumb, "Admit what?" Caroline called her out, "Oh, you know what. Stefan is totally drooling over you." "I admit it. He's pretty to look at," Echo shrugs. Caroline looks around, "Then where is he so you can oogle him?" Echo shrugged, "I don't know. Why don't you tell us, Bonnie? You're the psychic."

Bonnie laughed as she shook her head, "Oh, right. Let me see. Grams said I need to concentrate." Echo followed OG Elena and grabbed an empty beer bottle, "Hold on. You need a crystal ball." When Echo handed Bonnie the bottle, their fingers pushed against each other and Bonnie froze. She seemed to be in a trance for a moment before looking at Echo, "Who are you?" Bonnie dropped her hand, "I'm sorry. I'm drunk. I'm going to get a refill." Bonnie rushed away from her best friends with Caroline following her, "Bonnie, wait!" Echo watched them run then turned around and was startled, "Ahh, quit sneaking up on people."

Echo playfully hit Stefan in the chest. The vampire laughed as he braced himself against the hits, "Sorry. I did it again, huh?" After Echo calmed her heart down she smiled, "You made it." Stefan nodded, "I did. I normally don't go to parties like this." "Yeah, the last one I went to ended badly for me," Echo stated with a look of sadness. She was thinking of the last party her and Zheko attended with Tool and got the call from their mother, basically disowning them from the rest of the family besides their dad. Stefan thought she was thinking of the night he saved her from drowning.

"But I can't stay home all the time. I might miss all the fun, "Echo moved to walk through the party. Stefan followed her, "Where are we going?" Echo smiled, "Have you seen the falls at night?" They walked onto the bridge near the falls which was the town's namesake. Standing in silence and observing the falls before Stefan broke it, "Bonnie and Caroline seem to be good friends." "They're great friends. We've been friends for as long as I can remember," Echo half-lied since she doesn't want to reveal that her and Zheko are body snatchers. Stefan faced Echo after looking around, "Uh, Matt can't seem to take his eyes off us."

Echo sighed, "He was that one childhood friend that you felt obligated to date since it was expected of you. But, it just didn't work. We are better off as friends but he doesn't feel that way." Stefan nodded, "He feels you guys were going to the stereotypical high school sweethearts that get married after graduation and never leave your hometown." "Exactly! But I wanted more than to be the stay-at-home housewife with two kids, a dog, and the white picket fence. But he can't seem to let it go," Echo ranted.

They stood on the bridge a few more moments before Stefan's hunger kicked in. Echo knew this was coming, "Are you okay? Your eyes are red." Stefan quickly turned around, missing the smirk on Echo's face, "Uh yeah. There must be something in my eye. You know what, I'm going to get us some drinks." Echo slowly moved back to the party and looked for Zheko. She sat next to him, speaking amongst themselves, "So far everything is playing out the same for me. What about you?" Zheko took a drink of his beer, "Vickie tried to get me to go into the woods with her. I told her in a not so nice way that I wasn't interested. We'll probably hear all about it at school tomorrow."

Stefan grabbed two water bottles and was looking for Echo when Caroline came up to him. "Hey, Stefan," Caroline had an overly sweet smile on her face. Stefan felt a little creeped out, "Caroline. How can I help you?" The smile never left Caroline's face, "I know you're into Elena and she seems to like you too." Stefan kind of knew where this was going, "I do like her." "Good, because if you hurt her, I'll gut you and hang your intestines from the flagpole at school," With that same smile on her face, Caroline went back to the party. Stefan was impressed by Caroline and at the same time a little unnerved.

Finding Echo sitting by her twin, Stefan sits on her other side. He hands her a water bottle, "Caroline is very protective. She just gave me the shovel talk." The twins burst out laughing. Zheko calms down first, "Yeah, Caroline is like that. She's a great friend." Echo nods in agreement, "She is. Her and Bonnie both." The three of them were enjoying each other's company when a fight broke out. It turns out, Tyler and another guy were fighting over Vickie. Everyone could see she was loving the attention. But she stupidly got too close to the fight and the other guy punched her instead of Tyler and broke her nose.

The twins side eyed Stefan and noticed he became uncomfortable with the sight and scent of blood. Echo gave him an excuse to leave, "Are you squeamish?" Stefan didn't say anything but nodded his head and stood to leave, "I'll see you guys at school." "Oh okay, see you," The twins said in unison. Stefan would have been creeped out but he needed to get away from the blood before giving into the Ripper. After the twins knew Stefan had left they went looking for Caroline and Bonnie. They were going to take them to their house and explain everything about the supernatural. Even tell Jenna so she is not in the dark and can be protected without the lies.

Echo had gathered Bonnie, Caroline, and Jenna into the living room while Zheko made some coffee for everybody then joined them. Echo cleared her throat, "Okay. Zheko and I have some things to tell you guys. You may not believe us but we want you to keep an open mind." Bonnie says something first, "Whatever it is you can tell us." Jenna and Caroline nodded in agreement.

"Well, you remember the stories our uncle John told us when we were little during sleepovers? About monsters, vampires, witches, and werewolves?" "I remember your parents getting mad at him for telling those stories. But Miranda used to tell them to me when I was little," Jenna says. Zheko jumps in, "What if we tell you they're not just stories?" The twins wait for a response. Caroline was the first but soon the three girls were laughing, but they noticed the twins weren't smiling at all.

"Wait, so the stories are true? How do you know?" Caroline asked. "It's a long story but the short version is that Mystic Falls used to have vampires and witches amongst the townsfolk. The Battle of Willow Creek is actually a cover story for the rounding up and burning of the vampires and witches. Bonnie, the stories your Grams tell you about magic and your family is not a figment of her drunken imagination. Your family comes from a long-line of witches. And Grams is probably going to be very upset we told you anything. I really think you should talk to her," Echo could see the disbelief in their eyes.

Zheko takes over, "We understand if you don't believe us. It's kinda out there." "I'll say. Why are you telling us this?" Caroline's voice raises a little. She is a little unnerved by what is being said. Echo makes eye contact with Caroline, "We want you guys to be aware of what's out there. To take measures to be safe. Did your coffee taste a little bitter?" Caroline waves that off, "Oh, that's how my coffee always tastes." Bonnie nods to what Caroline said.

The twins share a look that did not go unnoticed. Caroline's shoulders slump, "What is it?" Echo clears her throat again, "The coffee had a herb called Vervain in it. If you're already used to the taste it means someone has mixed it into the coffee." Caroline didn't want to believe what she was hearing. Her mom is the one who brews the coffee every morning, "What does that mean?" "Vervain is used against vampires. It's poisonous to them, weakens them if they are injected with it, and protects you against compulsion. Which is like mind control," Zheko informs them.

"If that's true then that means my mom knows about vampires. If she wanted to protect me, why hasn't she told me?" Caroline was getting more and more upset as she thought about it. "I don't know why she kept it from you. Maybe to protect you but in the long run, you not knowing is more dangerous. Makes you more vulnerable. All we can tell you is to mix Vervain into everything; perfume, your soaps, foods, and drinks," Echo tells her. The twins spend a little more time answering questions that they can before Bonnie and Caroline have to leave.

The twins were loading the dishwasher when a thought hit Echo, "Did you notice nobody got attacked tonight?" Zheko nodded, "I did. It was supposed to be Damon attacking Vickie. Did he show up to the cemetery?" Echo shook her head, "Nope. No crow or fog. And come to think of it, I have no missing time gaps in my memories. So I don't think Damon compelled me to forget meeting him. And there's been no dead bodies since Stefan showed up." "Huh? Something's off. Damon should have made his appearance to Stefan already," Zheko is just as confused now.

The next day the twins rode their Harleys into school and once again everybody was staring. They were even more shocked that Elena Gilbert also rode a Harley. Echo met up with her friends, "Hey, you guys okay?" She could see they both were sleep deprived and upset. Caroline scoffed, "My mom denied ever adding anything to our coffee. Now that I know, it's hard to not feel betrayed that she's hiding this from me." "Yeah, and Grams chewed my ear off. She says it was not your place to tell me anything and then she left for work," Bonnie exclaims.

Echo peeked over their shoulders and saw Stefan at his locker. The tilt of his head told her that he was listening to their conversation. Echo sighs, "Well, all we can do is be observant of our town and hope nothing weird happens. Caroline should have no problem being the observant one, right?" Caroline crosses her arms, "Are you saying I'm nosy?" Bonnie snorts but tries to hide it with a cough. Echo giggles a little, "Not nosy per se, but if I wanted the dirt on Misses Green from the bank then I know who to ask." "Oh that was last year's scandal," Caroline gossips. Both Bonnie and Echo laugh at their friend.

During History, Tanner rattled on, "This friday we are celebrating something that occurs every 145 years. The passing of the Comet. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity." Echo could see Stefan smirking out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face him and he was already looking at her. They smiled at each other but then it dropped when Tanner spoke, "Miss Gilbert? Mr. Salvatore? Am I bothering you?" Stefan shook his head but Echo, "Yep. Total mood killer." The class laughed just as the bell rang.

Throughout the day, Stefan would pay close attention to Bonnie, Echo, and Caroline. Their conversation from this morning is still fresh in his mind. He has several scenarios running through his mind. Do they know? Are they involved with the council? Things of that nature. Only thing Stefan could think of is to ask Echo after school.

The final bell rang and Stefan rushed to catch up to Echo as she neared her Harley, "Cool bike." Echo looked up at Stefan, "Thanks. We got them this summer." "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to hangout sometime?" Stefan asked. Echo thought about it, "Sure. When?" Stefan stuffed his hand in his pocket, "Um, tonight at the Salvatore Boarding house. It will be just me and my uncle." "Oh, how is Zach?" Echo wondered. Stefan smiled, "Getting better. Still a little rough from the divorce and his ex and daughter moving across the country." This was... different. Didn't Damon kill Zach's wife while she was pregnant with Sara?

Echo was bewildered at this point. She shook her head of the thoughts, "Okay, I'll head over in about an hour. Does that work for you?" Stefan nods, "That works for me. I'll see you then." They smile at each other and part ways. Zheko had stood by his Harley waiting for Echo to talk to him. She looks at her twin, "Zach is divorce? Damon didn't kill her? Something's not right." Zheko put on his helmet, "You're right. I expected to have dealt with Caroline being his plaything by now." The twins mounted their Harleys and rode home. Zheko was going to dig through Grayson's stuff and see if he can find anything about past "attacks" in Mystic Falls and Grayson's Whittmore office work.

After doing homework and getting ready, Echo headed to the Salvatore Boarding house. Finding the place took a bit since Echo didn't ask for directions but she made it. Zach had answered the door when Echo rang the bell, "Elena? What are you doing here? You look different, what happened?" Zach opened the door wider so she could walk in. Echo stepped past Zach without a verbal invitation and the guy relaxed a bit, "Hey, Zach. It's a long story. But I'm here to hang out with Stefan." Zach grew concerned, "Oh, you shouldn't be here." "Uncle Zach," Stefan came up behind Zach.

Stefan interrupted before his great-so-many-times nephew said anything else. Echo moved around Zach to stand near Stefan, "It's fine, Zach. We're just going to hang out for a bit." Stefan glared at Zach as he led Echo to the sitting room. Echo was impressed with the size of the room. Seeing it on screen does not do it justice. It is beautifully unique. But she can't help but feel like some of the touches that Damon has added over the years are missing. She is becoming concerned that the timeline may not be the same at all. What other things are different?

While Stefan was giving a short tour of the Boarding house, Zheko contacted his twin. "Echo, I found something. It's not looking good." Echo was half paying attention to Stefan while she listened to her brother. Stefan had shown her the kitchen and realized it's completely modern. No Damon decorating touches anywhere. She responded to Zheko, "What did you find?" "Joseph Salvatore was the last Salvatore to be killed in an animal attack in 1953. That was also the last "animal attack". Echo, I don't think Damon escaped from Augustine." Zheko was also now concerned.

Echo's mind was reeling from this information. She was so distracted she didn't hear Stefan trying to get her attention until he grasped her upper arms. Which startled the girl and she reacted by grabbing his wrists and twisting as hard as she could to get him to let go. When Stefan yelled out in pain, Echo snapped back to reality, "Oh my god! Stefan, I'm so sorry. I was lost in my head and you startled me."

Stefan grunted while holding the more injured wrist against his chest, "It's fine." He discreetly popped his wrist back into place and shook his hands out. "I'm so sorry. I just reacted," Echo apologizes again. "It's okay. I'm okay. Are you okay?" Stefan was concerned. "I-I don't know. I have a lot on my mind. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Echo turned and left before Stefan could say anything else. He would've chased after her but Zach wanted to know what happened and why she left so fast.

When Echo got home, she and her twin searched through every journal the Gilberts had for any clues about what had happened. The more they read the more it appears that the Gilberts have been involved with Augustine since its conception. The only logical plan the twins could come with is to investigate Grayson's old office, maybe even visit Whitmore college. If they find Augustine, then they will do what they did best and take them out. After all, they were the Expendables.

AN: So, Caroline, Bonnie, and Jenna know about the supernatural. I wanted them to know early on, so they never become victims of ignorance. I think I'm going to pair Zheko with Kol and Kai, or maybe just Kai? Haven't decided yet.