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"Wake up, Cori..." Jeremy Gilbert's voice echoed through Cordelia's mind, she groaned to herself and rolled over with a huff. "I don't want to," Cori mumbled making Jeremy laugh as the blonde nuzzled her head into his chest. "If we don't go to school, I think the Sheriff will hunt us both down," Jeremy whispered as he ran his fingers through her tangled locks, the action lulling the girl back to sleep. "C'mon... I can't survive school without you, Cornflower," Jeremy added with a smirk using the nickname he had given Cori when they were younger. "Jer, I will punch you if you force me to go to school," Cori muttered before whining as Jeremy moved away from her.

Cori opened her eyes and glared at Jeremy who was changing his shirt, she scoffed before moving to lay on her back. "Jeremy! It's time to get up," Elena's voice sounded through the door before steps down the staircase signalled that Elena had gone downstairs. "You two, Cornflower," Jeremy said as he turned to the blonde who sat up and stretched.

"School is stressful, Jer," Cori whined with a frown. "But you're the one who wants to graduate with top grades to leave Mystic Falls behind," Jeremy reminded her but it was clear he didn't like her plan so much. "Hey, you'll get out of this town too and we'll still be friends," Cori replied. Cordelia Forbes and Jeremy Gilbert were the best friends of Mystic Falls despite Cordelia being almost two years older than him. The fifteen-year-old and seventeen-year-old were practically platonic soulmates who always had each other's backs.

When Cordelia's father, Bill left due to her parent's divorce, Jeremy was the one who stayed with her and cheered her up. And when Jeremy's parents died, Cordelia was right by his side, she never pushed for him to talk about it and she let him grieve in his own ways; she simply looked out for him and assured him that she was always there if he needed someone. "I know. Now c'mon, you're driving us to school," Jeremy told Cori who rolled her eyes and got out of Jeremy's bed to get dressed.

It was common for the two friends to have sleepovers, nothing romantic ever came out of it. The two had never even had a romantic or sexual thought about each other, they were strictly best friends with the common agreement that every best friend has; if neither were married by the time they were forty, they'd marry each other and die together happy. It was a silly pact but it was the moment that solidified their friendship almost three years ago. And they both still firmly believed in that pact, no matter how silly it was.

After getting into some whitewashed jeans and one of Jeremy's graphic shirts, slipping on her Doc Martens before catching her hairbrush that Jeremy tossed her way. Jeremy picked up his jacket before grabbing Cori's bag and handing it to her as they both made their way out of Jeremy's room. Cori went into the bathroom to brush her teeth before wiping the leftover mascara she forgot to clean off last night. Jeremy held out a mug of hot chocolate to Cori knowing she wasn't a fan of coffee, she sipped it as Jeremy stole Elena's coffee from her hands.

"Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared," Jenna spoke as she searched through her bag, Cori smiled at Jenna's frazzled state while Jeremy drank his coffee. "Lunch money?" Jenna asked as she held out cash to Elena and Jeremy. "I'm okay," Elena told her after pouring herself a mug of coffee. Jeremy grabbed the cash out of Jenna's right hand before reaching for the cash in Jenna's left but the older woman pulled away and held it out to Cori, "Need it?" Cori smiled before shaking her head and pushing Jenna's fingers to hold the cash. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks, Aunt Jenna," Cori told her before kissing the older woman's cheek.

Cori looked up to Jenna due to her mother being busy as Sheriff of a small town so when Jenna came to be the legal guardian of Elena and Jeremy, Cori also claimed the woman as her aunt and it didn't take long for Jenna to claim Cori as her niece. "Anything else? A number two pencil? What am I missing?" Jenna asked as Cori leaned into Jeremy who was standing next to her. If you didn't know the two, you'd think that they were a young couple happy and in love with each other, something that others had often assumed but they simply shrugged it off. "Don't you have a big presentation today?" Elena asked making Cori perk up.

"Yeah, you had me help you with it," Cori added before she finished off her hot chocolate and rinsed off the mug. "I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at... now," Jenna said as she checked the time, Cori smirked as Jeremy wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Crap," Jenna pulled her hair out of the bun and adjusted her cardigan. "Then go. We'll be fine," Elena assured her with a soft tone, Cori raised a brow at Elena's sudden brighter mood. "Bye Jenna!" Cori called out as Jenna made her way out. "Bye Cori!!" Jenna shouted back before the door shut. Elena turned to Jeremy with her usual worried brown eyes, "You okay?" Jeremy scoffed as he moved to walk out, "Don't start."

"He'll be fine, Elena. I've got him. You focus on you," Cori told Elena with a shrug before moving to follow Jeremy. "He's my brother, Cordelia," Elena said making Cori roll her eyes. Cori and Elena weren't friends but they didn't hate each other, they simply had different values and personalities; Cori admittedly never liked how Elena acted sometimes. "I get that, Elena. But as you said, he's your brother. Not your son. Stop trying to control him and focus on yourself," Cori told Elena before she walked out of the kitchen. "C'mon, Jer. We gotta go!" Cori told Jeremy before she made her way out of the house.

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Cori and Jeremy split off once they made it to school, the action was normal as Jeremy would hang out with the stoners and outcasts while Cori would be focused on school. She had a plan in place that wouldn't be ruined by anyone, she would graduate at the top of her classes and apply to three different colleges; Stanford, Duke, and Yale. Cori made her way to her locker and grabbed what she needed, pushing her sketchbook aside as someone approached her and stood with a glare. "Where were you last night?" The familiar pitched tone of her twin's voice pulled Cori away from her locker. "I stayed with Jeremy," Cori replied nonchalantly.

"And left me alone to have an awkward dinner with Mom?" Caroline complained as Cori closed her locker and sighed. "You're the one who makes it awkward, Care. Not me," Cori told her before moving to walk away. "You left your older sister--" Cori cut her off, "Older by six minutes. But complaining isn't gonna change it, now if you'd excuse me, I need to get to class." Cori sent Caroline a tight-lipped smile before making her way down the corridor past Elena and Bonnie staring into the office. "See you at lunch," Cori told Jeremy as he walked by, nodding to her before walking into the boy's toilet.

Cori rolled her eyes when she realized she left the book she needed for class in her locker due to Caroline's interruption, she turned to make her way back to her locker. She looked down at her phone as it buzzed with a message from Jeremy informing her that he got busted by Elena, Cori frowned as she knew Elena cared about Jeremy but her added pressure on him was only creating negative responses; Elena needed to learn to back off. Cori went to send Jeremy a reply when she bumped into someone causing her phone to slip from her hands, however, before it could hit the ground, the other person caught it.

"Uh, thanks. Sorry about bumping into you," Cori spoke before looking up to see forest-green eyes that took her breath away. "It's okay, but you should probably pay more attention," The guy spoke with a teasing grin before holding out Cori's phone to her. "You have a good point there," Cori replied as she took her phone, their fingers brushed against each other causing Cori's breath to hitch as a strange tingle shot through her body. "You must be new," Cori suddenly said, something about him seemed to intrigue her. "Is it that obvious?" He asked though he was still taken aback by the feeling that struck him.

"Uh, no, but I think I'd remember seeing a face like yours," Cori replied before she flushed pink and closed her eyes after noticing the amused expression on his face, "I just mean... I don't know what else that could mean." Cori opened her eyes and let out a breath, "I'm Cori Forbes. You?" He smiled at Cori seeing her brush her embarrassment aside. "Stefan Salvatore," Stefan introduced before noticing Cori's brow raise. "As in Zach Salvatore?" Cori asked him. "Yeah, he's my, uh, uncle. I just moved in with him," Stefan told her, Cori nodded in understanding. "Zach's pretty cool, so I'll assume that you are too," Cori said with a laugh before the bell rang.

"And now I'm gonna make you late... Sorry," Cori said before smiling slightly, "What class have you got?" Stefan smiled back, "History with Mr Tanner." Cori sighed before motioning for him to follow her. "Be warned. Tanner can be a nightmare at times but the good news is, I share that class with you," Cori told him before they made their way to Tanner's class, Cori completely forgetting the book she needed. Cori noticed the looks on Elena and Bonnie's faces as the blonde walked into the room with Stefan, the two were talking about random things before they took the final two seats next to each other.

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"Once our home state of Virginia joined Confederacy in 1861, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state," Mr. Tanner began, "People in Virginia's northwest region had different ideals than those from the traditional deep south. Then Virginia divided in 1863, with the northwest region joining the Union."

Cori rested her head on the palm of her hand noticing how Stefan kept glancing at Elena causing Cori to sigh to herself with a frown. Her phone buzzed on her desk, she grabbed it and looked at the screen to see a message from Caroline that made her furrow her brows.

Buttercup 🌼
The new hottie keeps giving you the eyes!

Bubbles 🫧
I doubt it, Care. He's eyeing up Elena.

Buttercup 🌼
I didn't say he wasn't looking at Elena.
But he's giving you lovey-dovey eyes!

Bubbles 🫧
Just stop it, Care. I don't need this.

Cori looked up at her sister who frowned at her, she turned her head away from Caroline only to lock gazes with Stefan who smiled at her. Cori half smiled at Stefan before looking back at Mr. Tanner who continued droning on about the Confederacy that Cori hated learning about, the time of the Confederate was a dark time.

Her attention was taken by her phone buzzing again, she sighed before grabbing it and noticing a message from Jeremy that made her laugh. Stefan watched as Cori laughed, he smiled at the way her eyes lit up; he definitely preferred the smile on her face rather than the frown that was present before.

Stefan wasn't sure what it was about the blonde with the green eyes that made him feel different, that took away the thirst that he fought daily around people and allowed him to genuinely relax. When he came to Mystic Falls, it was purely because of Elena Gilbert and the familiar face she walked around with but his attention was taken by the blonde with a smile he never wanted to forget.

He knew he had to find out more about Elena and how she looks identical to someone he once knew but he wanted to learn more about Cori Forbes. Perhaps moving back to Mystic Falls wouldn't be a mistake, especially with a beauty that outshines the stars in the night sky.

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"Matty is being a baby about this. Just because Elena is hanging around Stefan doesn't automatically mean she's moving on and even if she was, they broke up four months ago, Caroline," Cori told her older twin as the two walked down the school corridor the next day. "It's just unfair, Cori. It's always Elena," Caroline whined to Cori who rolled her eyes.

"It isn't always Elena, Caroline. We are seventeen, we have ages to fall in love. Besides, Matt and Elena were genuinely only together because of the whole childhood friends thing. They never really worked, remember?" Cori expressed to Caroline who sighed, she couldn't deny what her sister was saying.

"Yeah, I guess but the new kid--" Caroline was cut off by the look in Cori's eyes. Caroline had been making comments about the way Stefan had been looking at the younger Forbes the day prior but Cori shook it off and told Caroline it was nothing; she didn't need to get her hopes up for something when nothing would happen. "I'll drop it..." Caroline whined before smirking, "For now."

Cori knew that was the best she was gonna get from Caroline, the older Forbes was a persistent person but she understood boundaries. "Also, thanks for the new necklace, Cori. The smell is pretty," Caroline told Cori who smiled. "It is, isn't it? Grayson showed me," Cori replied before frowning, she missed talking about herbs and plants with Grayson Gilbert.

Caroline sent her sister a sympathetic smile as they walked into their history class, Cori loved history but she despised Tanner and his condescending personality; he had a major superiority complex that really pissed Cori off. And he wasn't a fan of Liz Forbes due to the two times she had pulled him over for a DUI, Cori never let him forget it.

The two sat down in their respective seats, Cori smiled at Stefan before pulling out her sketchbook as Tanner cleared his throat to begin the class. "The Battle of Willow Creek took place at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls," Tanner said gaining Cori's attention, she remembered her father talking about Willow Creek in the past.

"How many casualties resulted in this battle?" Tanner asked the class but no one put their hands up, Cori thought carefully about what she remembered her father had told her about the Battle of Willow Creek. "Miss Bennett?" Tanner asked Bonnie who was startled by his call out. "Um... A lot? I'm not sure. But, like, a whole lot," Bonnie replied with a sheepish smile.

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Miss Bennett," Tanner told her making Cori scoff and roll her eyes. "Mr Donovan. Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?" Tanner asked Matt who looked up with a smile. "It's okay, Mr Tanner. I'm cool with it," Matt replied making Cori laugh to herself.

"Elena? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most historical events," Tanner asked with hopeful eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't know," Elena replied to him with a slight shake of her head. "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena. But the personal excuses ended with summer break," Tanner told Elena who looked down sadly causing Cori to groan to herself.

"Arrogant asshole," Cori said out loud catching Tanner's attention. "Four months, Tanner. There's no damn time limit. Stop picking on people because you have no damn heart whatsoever. It's not our fault your wife left you for the postman," Cori snapped at the teacher.

Tanner's jaw clenched before he stepped closer to Cori's desk, "And would you know the answer to the question, Cordelia?" Cori rolled her eyes at his attempt to get to her, "There were 346 casualties unless you're counting the local civilians." Tanner was clearly unimpressed with Cori's correct answer before smirking, "That's correct. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle."

Cori went to reply when Stefan's voice caught everyone's attention, "Actually, there were twenty-seven, sir. Confederate soldiers fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. And they were wrong. It was a night of great loss." Cori grinned impressed as Stefan spoke his next few words, "The Founder's archives are in Civil Hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts... Mr Tanner."

The entire class was impressed by Stefan's teasing but Cori was grinning widely at the boy. Stefan turned his head to Cori and felt his dead heart skip a beat at the look on her face, she held out her fist to him and he chuckled as he bumped his fist lightly against hers. "Colour me impressed, Salvatore," Cori told him before she focused on her sketchbook, the pencil gliding across the paper unaware of the way Stefan was watching her with intrigue, Elena was watching with furrowed brows and Caroline was grinning happily.

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˗ˏˋ ROSEMARY ˊˎ˗

I hope you enjoyed the introduction. However, keep in mind that I will publish chapters when I want to so don't demand any as I'll ignore them.

And so the Twin Flames have met.
I'll be honest, Elena and Stefan will still happen at first purely because Stefan is there due to her connection to Katherine.

Thoughts on Cori and Jeremy's friendship?

Thoughts on your initial impression of Cori?

Thoughts on Cori and Caroline's bond?

Thoughts on Cori and Elena?

Any extra thoughts?

See you in the next chapter!