𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘

𝟐𝐱𝟏𝟓

THE repetitive buzzing that was my phone had woken me up on this miserable morning. I groaned before patting down my dresser to feel for my phone. Then, my hand found it and I lifted my head to look at the caller ID and it read My therapist/history teach. I answered and held the phone to my ear. "To what do I owe the distinct displeasure Ric?" I groaned as I sat up. I scratched the back of my head as I awaited his response.

"I need you to come with me to the old property lines." He said. "Why?" I questioned. "Jenna texted me earlier she's walking with Elijah over there. I just want to make sure Jenna's safe and it's a historical thing, your good at history." He explained in further detail. I mean really Ric this couldn't have been at any other time of the day. "Ric it's like 10 in the morning." I complained.

"I'll buy you nachos and lemonade at the grill after I promise. I just need your help, please?" He vowed. "Fine but your buying and your gonna have to come get me. My parents are gone and I have nothing to drive." I gave in. "Thank you. I'll be there in 10 minutes." He said before I hung up and took a shower and put on an outfit for the day. (A/N the outfit is above :))

After I put my outfit on, I put on my rings and my necklace, grabbed my little backpack with my phone and charger before heading out the door to see Ric already sitting out there. I knocked on the passenger door window. He looked up and saw me before unlocking the door. I opened the door and slid right in the passengers seat before closing the door. "Hey Ric." I greeted shortly. "Hey Amira. Thanks again for this, I don't trust Elijah to be their with her alone." He said with gratitude.

"Well we don't want him to eat her. Everyone loves Jenna and I'm happy to help, especially since your getting me food after." I joked. "Yeah whatever kiddo, put on your seatbelt." He told me. "Ok grandpa." I said while reluctantly snapping the seat belt into the buckle to keep me secure.

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Ric and I got out of the car to see Jenna and Elijah already engaged in a conversation before Elijah turned our way and Jenna followed. "Elijah, this is my friend, Alaric Saltzman and my niece's classmate, Amira James." Jenna introduced us. "Yeah, I got your message about walking Elijah here through the old property lines. I thought I would tag along and with Amira no less seeing as she's my top student. You know us being history buffs and all." Ric stated. I just stood there looking at the eye exchange's between Ric and Elijah. I should've stayed home.

"Where to next?" Ric asked. "I'm pretty curious about the freed slave property owners. Some say, you know, the descendants of the slaves are the true keepers of American history." Elijah answered. "Well, I only brought the surveys. I got that list in the car just give me a sec." Jenna excused herself looking at Ric before heading over to her car. No, wait, come back, the testosterone. Here we go.

"Alaric Saltzman. So you're one of those people on Elena's list of loved ones to protect, you as well Amira." Elijah stated. "I have no idea why. She's not my friend, you could just exclude me from that." I said to him. He tilted his head slightly making eye contact with me. I knew his eyes held some sort of inquisitiveness as to why I had completely discarded the prospect of being on Elena's list. I didn't care about the list or her, we just happened to have the same group of friends because we used to talk and be friends. Talked being the past participle in this instance.

"So is Jenna." Ric said. "You don't have to be jealous. I don't really pursue younger women." Elijah stated with a blank expression. I would rather be anywhere else at this given moment. He gave a small barely noticeable smile before continuing.

"It's a joke, Ric, lighten up." 

"Right." Ric replied shortly.

Elijah patted us on our shoulders before walking towards Jenna. "Today's gonna drag along isn't it?" I let out. "Yep." Ric replied before we both turned around and followed Elijah.

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Now sat at the Mystic Grill with Damon, Andie, Ric and I told Damon about our monotonous morning. "Other than the lecture on the history of Mystic Falls, did you guys get anything out of Elijah?" Damon asked us. "No, it was boring." Ric answered. "That's an understatement. Next time, I'm staying home." I added before shoving another nacho in my mouth.

"Of course, Jenna thinks he's charming." Ric scoffed. "He is." I stated shortly. Ric glanced over at me after my comment and I made eye contact with him before replying sorry. "You sounded jealous. Sound a bit jealous?" Damon asked Andie purposefully trying to get under Ric's skin. "Kinda do." Andie agreed.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this here." Ric said looking at Damon then at Andie, slyly hinting that Andie shouldn't be at the table with us while we're talking about the supernatural. "Andie, she's been compelled not to divulge my secrets. Haven't you?" Damon wrapped his arm around where Andie sat and turned to look at her, directing the question. "Mhm." She hummed before kissing him.

"My lips are sealed." She continued. "Gross. Glad I finished my nachos." I grimaced. "This is too weird." Ric chimed in. "I just need the right opportunity." Damon said with his plotting evil face taking over his expression. "Oh. There's Jenna with her new boyfriend." Damon smirked as Ric and I turned around to see Elijah and Jenna making their way into the grill.

"Hi." Damon greeted them with a little wave. "Hey guys." Jenna greeted back with n endearing smile on her face. "So I hear you two had quite a meeting of historical minds today." Damon directed at them. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." Jenna smiled while glancing at Elijah briefly before she turned her attention back towards Damon. "Well, as much as I'd love to continue this, I've got papers to grade." Ric said. "Yeah and I'd rather be anywhere but here." I followed suit before gathering all of my trash on my tray.

"No, you know what? We should continue this. Let's have a dinner party." Andie suggested looking at Ric and I seeing as we were ready to leave. "Ooh, my girl full of good ideas. I'll be happy to host. Say tonight. Maybe?" Damon said too giddily. He's up to something, he is way to happy about this. "It's good for me, Jenna?" Andie said before looking at Jenna. "I don't know if tonight works-." Ric started to answer for Jenna before she cut him off. "I'm free." Jenna stated.

"It'd be a pleasure." Elijah stated before everyone looked towards me. "Oh, I'm getting an invite?" I questioned. "Yeah why not kiddo it'll be fun." Andie said. Damon smirked and raised his eyebrows at me. "Ok." I replied shortly. "Great." Damon said. This day just got even longer. I'm gonna need a drink after this.

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I was helping Andie and Jenna set the table since the guys were sexist and had the women to do the hard-work while they sat and drank on their asses. Andie sighed before breaking the silence in the air by asking Jenna a question about Ric. "So what's going on with you and Alaric? I feel like there's some tension." Andie asked. "I don't know. I really like him. It's more than like and I want it to work, but I can't help but feel that he's hiding something from me. And then I've got John whispering things in my ear about him." Jenna spoke up. Anyone from a mile away could tell that Jenna was hurt by the prospect of Ric lying and keeping things from her, and John putting his nose in their business and stirring the pot isn't going to make her feel better.

"Like what?" Andie questioned. "Things I don't want to believe. Things I don't believe, not if their coming from John's mouth." Jenna answered. "Oh. Well, there you go, then. Trust is the key to any relationship. I mean, I am so grateful that Damon tells me everything." Andie smiled. No honey, he's using you as his walking, talking, functioning, living, human blood bag there's a difference.

Jenna went over to go open the wine and set it on the table but she was having trouble opening it with the opener so Andie went to get Ric out of the study to help her open it. Ric then entered the kitchen after a while and succeeded in getting it open. The awkwardness between them was just on another level. Thankfully, the doorbell rang cutting the tension short. Jenna walked over to the door to go and open it and John appeared on the other side of it. "Who invited him?" Jenna question agitatedly.

"John. Surprise. Leave." Damon said making his appearance and stopping in front of John. "When Jenna told me she was coming to a dinner party for Elijah, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games." John rebutted. "No games. Therefore, you can turn around and walk out the door." I said. "It's just a friendly dinner party." Ric agreed with me. John then turned to Damon for confirmation. "What they said." Damon said shortly.

Shortly after John arrived, then came the guest of honor himself, Elijah. "Good Evening." Elijah greeted ever so elegantly. "Thank you for coming, please, come in." Damon invited. "Just one moment. Can I just say that if you have anything less than honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider." Elijah warned. I watched the interaction with concern etched on my face considering one of the last few times they had any encounters was when Elijah stabbed him in the neck with a pencil.

"No, nothing, nothing dishonorable. Just getting to know you." Damon promised with false reassurance. "Hmm. Well, that's good. Because, you know, although Elena and I have this deal, if you so much as make a move to cross me, I'll kill you and I'll kill everyone in this house. Are we clear?" Elijah asserted with upmost certainty. "Crystal." Damon answered. Elijah then aimed his attention in my line of view along with Jenna's.

"Jenna. Amira. Wonderful to see you two again. How are you guys?" Elijah asked walking up to us with a pleasant smile on his face. "Nice to see you." Jenna said. "Hi." I greeted and plastered a fake short smile plastered on my face. "You look incredible." He aimed towards Jenna. Then he looked over at me and held out his hand for which I'm assuming he intended me to shake. I shook his hand firmly and smiled before we retracted our hands from each other. He then walked with Jenna into the kitchen while I looked over at Damon who was at the door.

"How comforting." I remarked sarcastically. "Your telling me." Damon said shortly as we both followed them into the kitchen as well.

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Everyone had a nice glass of wine, well scratch that, more like everyone had a nice few glasses of wine. As in plural, meaning many. Damon thought he was being funny and gave me apple juice like I was a five year old who ordered Dino nuggets and fries. Mind you, I am a witch, a huntress, and a teenager, I've been drunk before. Also I still like Dino nuggets and fries...

"I hate to break it to you, Damon, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town." Jenna informed Damon as she poured more wine into his cup. "Hmm, do tell." Damon encouraged. "Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the 1690s. Over the next hundred years they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution." Elijah recapitulated in intricate detail. "Hmm. Because they were witches." Jenna said jokingly. Elijah, Damon, and Ric made silent jabs at me with their eyes. They might as well just tell everyone at the table I'm a witch with how apparent they were being.

"Yeah, but there's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem." Andie chimed in. Literal proof just sitting right in front of your face nothing to see here. "Andie's a journalist. Big on facts." Damon said while making eye contact with me only for me to roll my eyes in response to his halfwitted statement. "Well, the lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighboring settlement, so these witches were rounded up they were tied to stakes in a field together and, uh, burned. Some say you could hear the screams from miles around us. They were consumed by the fire. Could you pass the..." Elijah explained casually.

"I wouldn't repeat this to the historical society." Jenna laughed. "It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me." John interrupted everyone's good time with his comment. What a buzz kill. "So why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?" Damon brought up to Elijah. "You know...a healthy historian's curiosity, of course." Elijah answered. "Of course." Damon smirked. This like weird unspoken yet spoken tension and conflict that the had could be felt at the table. To say it was awkward would be an understatement.

"Does anyone care for some cognac? I have a bottle I've been saving for ages." Damon offered getting up out of his chair. "None for me thanks. Nine bottles of wine is my limit." Ric declined. "I could use some." I mumbled under my breath. I was just done with this dinner. Damon is going to cause more issues with the dashing, classy original and we're all going to die.

We all got up from the table. This was the sexiest part I was talking about. "The gentlemen should take their drinks in the study." Andie told them. "I have to say the food was almost as wonderful as the company." Elijah complimented. "I like you." Andie said turning to Elijah with a grin on her face. "Here you are, gentleman make yourself useful. Hmm?" Jenna said as she handed the dirty dishes.

I walked in front of him and placed some dirty dishes on top of the ones she gave him. I smiled cunningly at him to which he smiled shortly at me. Jackass I thought to myself before looking up and seeing Alaric trying to get some dirty dishes from Jenna but she wouldn't let up. And that was my cue. My phone started ringing and I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Steven.

"What's up Steven." I said. "Mira, John's trying to get Damon killed. You can't let him dagger Elijah." He said fast paced. I felt his anxiousness on the other side of the phone. "Wait. Wait hold on slow down. Are you sure? How do you know?" I asked. "It's in Johnathon Gilbert's journal. You can't let him do it." He said worriedly. "Yeah. Yeah okay. I've got it, make sure Damon doesn't die. Well not die again. I'll call you back later." I said. "Thanks Mira." He said thankfully. "Yep. You got it dude." I said before hanging up the phone.

Ric looked up at me as he walked back into the dining room where I stood. "We have a problem. Like a BIG one." I asserted.

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Ric and I then barged into the study Elijah and Damon had been in. "Gentlemen, we forgot about dessert." Alaric said with a fake smile on his face. "Elijah?" Andie said in a questioning tone while holding out her hand for him to hold. "Miss Star." Elijah said before walking over to her and holding her hand and leading her out of the study.

Damon then looked at us with a gobsmacked expression on his face. He then smacked Ric and threw up his hands. Ric and I pointed at the dagger on the table. Damon then made a what about gesture with his hands. I scavenged around  for a pen and paper to write it down so we won't be heard by Elijah. I found one and scribbled on it writing 'the dagger will kill you if you wield it' in all caps.

I held up the paper in his face and he grabbed it to get a closer look before looking up at me and Ric with agitation written all over his face. He shoved the paper back in my face before we walked out of the study. When we made it back to the table everyone had already been seated and making conversation. Damon's sour mood could be seen by anyone genuinely paying attention.

"Great. Oh, that's so great." I heard Andie fangirl as I took my seat in between Ric and Elijah. "Ric, would you do me a favor and grab the notebook out of my bag?" Andie asked. I could see Damon side eyeing John from across the table and John wanted to know why. "Elijah did John tell you he's Elena's uncle/father?" Damon asked sparking up conversation. "Yes, I'm well aware of that." Elijah said matter of factly. I mean are we really surprised here. Of course Elijah is going to know everything about Elena she's the oh so righteous doppelgänger that Elijah intends to hand over to Klaus. Well, so I've been told that is.

"Of course, she hates him, so therefore absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list." Damon said condescendingly while eyeing John. "Ric, it's in the front pocket. On the—you know what? Excuse me, guys. Sorry." Andie apologized before dismissing herself to help out Ric. Inevitably leaving me at the table with Elijah, John, and Damon, much to my dismay.

"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how you intend on killing Klaus?" John questioned. "Gentlemen, there's a few things we should probably get clear right now. I allow you to live solely to keep an eye on Elena. I allow Elena to remain in her house living her life with her friends as she does as a courtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take her away from you and you'll never see her again." Elijah warned calmly. Okay don't get me wrong here but, Elijah is utterly petrifying. He is a silent serial killer and he kills people in such a graceful way. If I didn't like him that much I'd probably be shitting my pants just like John is right now.

"Ok. My first question is when you got here to mystic..." Andie asked sitting back at the table. Elijah was just sitting there waiting patiently until I heard his screaming and groaning beside me. He had started to desiccate to the point where his veins had protruded and his skin had turned a chalky grey. I stood and looked to see Ric being the cause of the act as he let Elijah slump in the chair. Ric then yanked the dagger from Elijah's body and we all stood there looking at him.

He placed the dagger on the table and looked at Damon. "Now, get rid of him before Jenna comes back with dessert." He told him. And Damon complied and said alright prompting Ric to make his leave from the dining room. This is going to go wrong, just like everything else. I felt this lingering sense of dread and even a little guilt pool in my stomach. As though I had butterflies in my stomach yet it felt completely worse. I went in the kitchen and got a cup and poured some tequila in it with some juice. If I'm going to be here any longer, I can't do it while being sober.

I then began to feel my cell vibrating in my pocket. I grabbed and just answered it without looking at the collar ID. "Mira!" Steven's voice blared through the phone. "Steven. Two calls in one night, I'm kind of concerned here. What now?" I asked. "Did Alaric pull out the dagger?" He asked frantically. "Yeah..." I spoke hesitantly. "Because the dagger has to stay inside Elijah's body for him to stay dead." He told me. "Oh shit. Yeah, I'm gonna have to call you back."

I ran around to see if I could find Damon to tell him our newest addition to the extended list of dilemmas we already possess. I found him and ran up to him. I dragged him all the way to the cellar where he and Ric had stored Elijah's body. Only when we got their, Elijah had already been gone. Damon turned around and looked at me before he told me he was going to the lake house where Stefan and Elena had been. I just told him I was going home because I was tired. Which I was, I have been out all day. I told him I needed him to speed me to my house so I wouldn't have to ask Ric to drive me back home. Mainly because he has a lot of issues with Jenna he needs to figure out.

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Finally, in my bed at least. I at least wanted to sleep for a million hours. I needed to play catch up anyway. I had showered and everything fortunately and as soon as my head hit the pillow , I felt my eye lids begin to droop and become heavy as sleep took over me.

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WHOOP WHOOP!! That is another chapter of irreplaceable love y'all. How are we feeling? How is life going? Tell me all of those things and more. Make sure to  vote and to comment and subscribe to my chann-. Lemme stop. Anywho this chapter is over 3k words and I had some fun writing it. I'm genuinely excited to see Amira in action and to see her develop into the great character I know that she can be. I love you guys 3000 and until next time.
-b❤️❤️