{2.02 | This Year Will Be Different | part two}
"What's the difference between an ogre and a troll? One is an onion and the other smells like one."
Landon groaned, dropping his head onto the table. "That has got to be one of the worst jokes I've ever heard."
"I don't think it even counts as one," Elara added.
The assembly ended an agonizing five minutes after Professor Vardeums gave Elara the medal, and the numerous people that stopped her afterwards with questions about fighting Malivore and what happened made her stay behind ten more minutes. She was lucky her class was only a few doors down.
"C'mon, it was clever!" Felix argued, leaning back in his chair. The three had found a spot in their first shared class of two. They sat towards the back, taking up two tables.
"No, it wasn't," Landon countered. He sat next to the vampire while Elara sat at the table behind them. Landon had offered to sit alone, but Elara insisted. Besides, she hadn't wanted to interrupt their debate on who was better: Tony Stark or Steve Rogers.
Personally, Elara was Team Natasha Romanoff.
"But you got it right away."
Elara propped her chin on her arms, looking between the two. "Because you forced us to watch all of the Shrek movies in one sitting. And the one about the cat in the hat."
"Puss in Boots," Landon corrected, earning a small glare from Elara. "Cat in the Hat is Dr. Seuss."
"Whatever. I can still feel my brain melting from how lame your joke was."
Their debate came to a halt when the teacher began her lecture. The class's focus was on the planets and their basic effects on Earth magic. While none of the trio were magic-users, they took it as an elective.
The class went on normally for about five minutes when the door creaked open. The teacher paused, glancing at the door, and a dark head of hair poked through it.
"I'm so sorry," Rosalind whispered, slipping into the classroom. Her backpack hung loosely on one shoulder.
"Ah, Miss Thorne," the instructor announced. "How wonderful of you to finally join us. Please, have a seat."
Rosalind smiled thinly and took a seat at the only empty seatâ which happened to be the seat next to Elara.
"Hi," she greeted in a hushed voice as she dropped her bag onto the ground. Up front, the lesson continued. "Fancy seeing you here. This is Planetary Influence on Spellcraft, right?"
From in front of them, Felix and Landon were doing their best not to make it obvious that they were listening. Felix was succeeding while Landon looked like he was trying to set his notebook on fire with his mind.
"History of Dark Magic, actually," Elara answered, quietly tapping her pen on the table.
Rosalind's eyes widened in panic. "Really?"
"No," Elara deadpanned.
"Oh," she exhaled in relief. "Great, because I was afraid that I'd walked into the wrong class. Again."
Elara hummed, turning her attention back to the front, and her eyes caught Felix and Landon sharing a strange look. They were scheming, plotting maybe, and nothing good happened for Elara when they worked together. The last time the two put their heads together, Elara got shot with a crossbow. Again.
Within the blink of an eye, a tiny piece of paper bounced off the side of Landon's head.
"Ow!" he gasped.
"Quiet, please," the teacher stated, still writing on the chalkboard. She'd drawn a diagram of their solar system. "Now, I'm sure we're all familiar with the order of planets in our system, but what I want you to understand is that the planets are not the only celestial bodies that affect rituals."
Elara tilted her head to the side. She had a small understanding of earth magic from hanging around the twins and listening to Landon's rants, but there wasn't any harm in learning a thing or two more about the resources needed for powerful spells.
"The sun is the center of our solar system, so, naturally, a majority of life depends on it. Without it, we'd freeze to death without its light, or we'd drift away into the vast space beyond. It anchors usâand all the other planetsâ to our solar system. We, as living beings, need the sun. Perhaps even more so than we think.
"And magic, believe it or not, needs the Earth and the moon. Both are eternal objectsâmake sure to write that down, it'll be on your first quiz. Eternal objects are, well, eternal. No matter what, we can rely on them as anchors for our spells. Now, many of you know that nature always finds a balance one way or another, but the moon can shift the scales just enough for a witch to bend nature to their will. My own personal theory revolves around the gravitational effects of the moon, but there's not enough time to delve into that today."
Next to her, Rosalind's hand skittered across her page as she took notes in her own language. Elara couldn't read it if she even tried. The cursive was too...cursive.
Rosalind's hand shot into the air, and the teacher acknowledged her.
"What about comets?"
"Excellent question!" The teacher waved her hand, and the diagram of the solar system blurred. A circular object with a trail of fire appeared next to the Earth. "Comets are often symbolic of change and with good reason. Earth magic witches will use the appearance as a comet to accomplish a spell of change, but only those of the highest power. The stronger the witch, however, the stronger the spell."
As if the answer satisfied her, Rosalind nodded before diving back into her notes, and Elara watched as Rosalind jotted down two words in bold before underlining it twice.
The bell rang not long after, signaling the end of class. Elara and her friends had Cryptozoology afterwardsâ a new course introduced by Vardemusâ but Elara wasn't paying attention. While the others gathered their things, Elara stared at Rosalind's notebook, her eyes stuck on the words, and a harsh, curt ringing pierced her mind.
In big, bold letters, Rosalind had written and scribbled out two words that Elara hadn't heard since her father came back from the dead.
BRIGHT WOLF??
~-~-~
Popularity wasn't something Elara liked.
For years, people watched her for the wrong reasons. She was always the "weird, quiet kid," the "angry troublemaker," or, her least favorite, "the gross queer." Popularity meant people always watched your every move, they judged for every little thing. Most small-town kids already had their own assumed perspective of you, forcing you into their own little box.
The popular kids were the ones Elara always saw in the hallways, an entourage following them in hopes of simply being noticed by them. They were the kids that the others placed on pedestals, seeing them as the perfect students. Always under surveillance, they pretended to be perfect, and now Elara had to deal with those consequences.
"Elara! Hi!"
"Can I get your autograph?"
"Did you really kill Malivore with one hand?"
Elara was trying to remain unseen, the same way she had gone through life before, but it was hard to hide when the headmaster declared her a hero for something she didn't even remember doing. It had just been a coincidence that Elara was there when Malivore, miraculously, was destroyed.
And, coincidentally, Rosalind Thorne also transferred to the Salvatore School after Elara's transition and the destruction of Malivore.
The witch turned a corner, leaving her sight. Elara picked up her pace, tightening her grip on the backpack strap. Rosalind Thorne appearing at the schoolâat her doorâcouldn't have been a coincidence. Nothing in her life ever was.
It took two seconds for Rosalind to disappear, and while letting out a frustrated sound, Elara bumped into a broad frame.
"Sorry," she uttered, the word falling out before she even registered who it was.
"It's okay," Jed said. A small smile spread on his lips. "It was my fault, really. I wasn't paying attention."
Elara looked at him wide-eyed. The last time she spoke with Jed, like actually had a conversation with him, was right before his last attempt to make her submit to the pack.
Two weeks into her first semester at the Salvatore School, Elara had finally started getting used to the existence of the supernatural.
"Submit," Jed spit, leaning over Elara, who laid face down on the ground, a hand against her back.
"No," she grunted. She pushed against the werewolf holding her down, but he tightened his grip. Her resistance had slowed, her muscles strained and fatigued. Blood dripped from her nose onto the floor, and she tasted it on her tongue.
"Submit."
Elara pushed again, and this time a kick that would've broken the ribs of a human slammed into her side. Then another struck her leg.
She was already beaten, having been jumped by not one but three of the werewolves at Jed's command. When they managed to get her restrained, which had been much harder than they expectedâ Jed appeared from around the corner. The hallway was empty since the other students were caught up with one of the events across campus.
She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead into the cool wooden floor. "Submit."
"No."
Everything moved in a blur after that. The werewolf went to kick her, again, but her hand broke free and caught the ankle. The next thing everyone knew, the wolf landed on the floor with a crack, the one that had been holding her down was halfway across the hall, and the third was thrown by Elara into the nearest wall.
She stood up straight, and Jed caught sight of the flash of her amber eyes.
The next part of the memory was gone, Elara realized, and she couldn't remember how she went from being injured in a hallway to patched up in her dorm room with a weird, tight feeling in her chest.
"So, uh, how are you?" he asked, a shake in his voice.
The two stood against the side of the hallway as students passed by, sending them quick glances. When Elara first arrived at the school, Jed was insistent on her joining the pack, but Elara was still adjusting to the fact that she was a freaking werewolf and was handling it in the way she knew best: isolation. Jed wouldn't take no for an answer, and Elara was too stubborn to change her mind, even if she did consider the possibility of joining.
"Fine," she answered. She looked past him, hoping to see at least Rosalind's fleeting figure, but her search came up empty. Rosalind had escaped her questioning. "How's the pack?"
"They're good. We're missing Rafael, though," Jed answered. Since Rafael was still stuck in his wolf form, Jed had temporarily regained his position as the alpha. He glanced downwards before continuing, "I...wanted to say that I was sorry. For everything that happened last semester."
Elara's brows drew together. Jed? Apologizing? She had faced fairytale creatures, things that only existed in legends, yet Jed apologizing was something unbelievable.
"I was a dick as the alpha, and I'm sorry. For all of it."
Slowly, Elara nodded. With all the changes occurring on campus, especially regarding her newfound hero status, she had expected people to change their behavior towards her.
"Listen, I, uh, I know this is all very sudden," he continued, "but if you ever need anything from me or the other wolves, we've got you. Wolf-to-wolf."
"Thanks," was all Elara managed to say before the bell rang.
Of all the strange things that had started happening since she came back from the dead, Jed Tien apologizing had to have been the strangest.
~-~-~
Elara pushed through the rest of her first day of her senior year. If freshman year Elara had been told that she would not only be a werewolf but a well-liked one at that, she would've laughed. Only three years had gone by since then, yet her old life felt as if it had happened much further in the past. Then again, she possessed over a millenia of memories, so things tended to get switch around.
"Sixteen, seventeen..." Cedric counted as he walked alongside Elara in the hallway. The school day was done, and the students had dispersed through the campus to re-engage in their extracurriculars.
"Are you done, yet?" Elara grumbled, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Almost," he answered. "Eighteen, nineteen, and twenty." Cedric smiled, nodding. "I guess some things never change. There are still twenty boards between that squeaky one and the shifty one."
"Wow, thank you for that valuable guidance. How will I ever use it to, I don't know, save the world?"
Classes had gone by slower than she would've liked, lunch was hectic since people kept approaching her with ridiculous questions, and apparently, Felix and Josie had plans that involved them leaving right after class.
Elara turned the corner towards Vardemus' office. He had requested her presence moments before, and while she was desperate to get out the school and go to Mystic Falls, she knew that Vardemus' request wasn't optional.
"You already did save the world," Cedric remarked. "Malivore is gone because of you and TRIAD has scattered to the four winds. You're the school's hero already." His image vanished before reappearing in the approaching doorway, taking up more than half of it. "You're doing just fine, El. The world is safe, and you do not need to worry."
"For now," she mumbled.
Stepping into the headmaster's office felt odd. The only other times she had been in their was because she was being reprimanded for something sheâprobablyâdid or because of a monsterâ
Monsters. Monsters used to terrorize the Salvatore School and Mystic Falls, and Elara had played a large part in stopping them, but she didn't take care of them. If she did, then why couldn't she remember how she did?
"Welcome," Vardemus' voice greeted. The large, ostentatious office chair spun towards the doorway as she stepped through. "Please, do close that behind you. I'd like to honor our conversation with privacy."
Elara did as he asked, gently closing the double doors, and as she did, Cedric waltzed over to the desk. His blue eyes checked out the changes that Vardemus had made. He scoffed.
"Have a seat, Miss Laurent."
She knew Vardemus couldn't see him. He couldn't hear him, but his eyes drifted over her father before stopping on her.
Hesitantly, she lowered herself into one of the armchairs across from the desk. "You asked for me, Headmaster?"
"Yes, yes." He sat up, his grip on his cane tightening. "I had been meaning to speak with you earlier, but, as you know, a headmaster's duties are never ending." He chuckled. "I've heard many things about you, Miss Laurentâ"
"Just call me Elara," she interrupted. Vardemus lifted a brow. "Please."
"Of course. After all, not everyone looks at the name Laurent fondly. Cedric was certainly an individual within our community."
"Dickhead," Cedric grumbled.
"Well, Elara, I've heard many things about you, some more possible than others." There was a manner to his speaking that Elara didn't like. It was as if he knew he was better than you before he even spoke, his tone like that of a posh adult reprimanding a little kid. "I would like to personally thank you for your services."
Slowly, she nodded. "You're welcome. I guess."
"Your actions not only saved this school but also the supernatural. It is my greatest honor speaking with youâ"
"Why did you call me here?" she interrupted again. "If it was just to kiss my ass, that could've been done during your speech."
To her surprise, Vardemus laughed again, a glint shining in his eye.
"You're very straight forward, Elara. That's rare these days." He pushed himself out of his chair. "I called you here because much like my predecessor, I see an impossible strength in youâ"
Elara sighed. She already knew how this conversation was going to end. Vardemus would warn her about her potential, rave about how reckless she was going to be with it unless she listened.
"--and I want you to use it."
Her brows shot upwards. "What?"
"I did not stutter. You possess powers beyond what we thought possible of werewolves. If you had been paying attention in Crytpozoology, you would recall my admiration of the discovery of species that we thought impossible. Now, the other students at this school don't understand your nature. In fact, I'm certain they don't even know the truth."
"That was intentional," Elara said. "My nature isn't exactly something that'll draw in new students."
"What is it that the others believe, then?"
"That I wasâmiraculouslyâ resurrected by a witch two weeks after I died. They think I'm still a werewolf."
"And the humans?"
"Think I'm just Elara Laurent. Couldn't exactly say that I'm the same person who went into the ground back in April without questions."
"I see." Vardemus stepped out from behind the desk, unable to feel the glare from Cedric. Elara felt the anger in her chest, the same way she did whenever she saw Alaric.
Her emotions were amplified, enhanced to a level higher than a newborn vampire's. Cedric--or at least his image-- felt what she did, and somehow, she felt what he did.
And she knew that aspect was definitely not going to be a problem in the future.
"So, you want me to use my powers to do what exactly? Howl at the moon? Bark at the other factions?"
"Of course not. You're capable of so much more than that, and as far as I'm aware, you've been figuring that out for yourself." Elara stiffened. "Or were the scorched punching bags and claw marks from a pyrokinetic witch with a cat?"
"They could be," Elara answered, fidgeting with the necklace in her pocket. "The gym isn't just for the wolves."
"Yet you're the only one capable of turning them into ash with just your fists."
"That was pretty impressive," Cedric commented.
Vardemus stood behind her chair. "There is no need to deny your power, Elara. I am well aware of Mr. Saltzman's opinions of your skill. My own does not reflect his. Where he saw something he couldn't control, I see someone who should not be controlled. I see someone who should lead the charge, who should not have to hide to protect the feelings of others."
Elara swallowed. Vardemus irked her. There was just something about him that she didn't like, and her gut wasn't usually wrong. Vardemus was saying the opposite of what Alaric said. He knew of the relationship between Elara and the former headmaster, and he was saying what she wanted to hear. Somehow, he knew exactly what to say.
And Elara didn't trust it. Even if a part of her was leaning towards that desire to show her true strength.
Elara shoved herself out of the chair, pushing it an inch away from Vardemus as she rose to her feet.
"All of that sounds great."
"Precisely. I'd like for youâ"
"But it isn't." Elara stepped away, one hand still in her pocket with the necklace. "Everything you're saying sounds great in theory, but I'm sure you've heard about the Originals, how they possessed power far greater than anyone else."
"Yet most tremble at the very mention of them."
"Yeah, because they ruled through fear," Elara said. "And fear isn't exactly the best tool to keep power. Usually, it leads to people doing everything they can to kill you, and believe me when I say this, I've already dealt with that."
Vardemus' brows furrowed, clearly not expecting Elara to push back.
"I don't know what game you're playing, but count me out of it. The Hellhound isn't some toy, and neither am I."
"Of course not," Vardemus agreed. "You're an aegis."
"I don't even know what that word means," Cedric muttered, rising to his feet to follow his daughter.
"Whatever that means, I don't care. My point isâ"
In her pocket, her phone suddenly rang, the high-pitched bells piercing the room and the conversation. Elara pulled it from her pocket. As annoying as the ringtone was, the caller attached to it was even worse.
She answered, pressing the phone to her ear. "What do you want, Alaric?" she muttered. While she wasn't happy to speak to him, she was glad to have an excuse to end her conversation with Vardemus.
"I've, uh, got a problem at the high school, and I need your help."
Elara sighed, stepping away from Vardemus. The current headmaster shook his head. "Let me guess, someone tried to break into your crossbow locker, again?"
"Not exactly."
"Internet troll?"
"Again, not exactly."
Elara left the office with just one look to Vardemus. Alaric never could get to his point as quickly as she liked, but whatever it was, she knew he wouldn't have called her without a good reason.
"Then spit it out."
"We've got a real troll. Like a big, green, smelly troll that we killed and ran away."
It seemed like her first day was going to be more memorable than she thought.
And who in the hell was "we?"
[a.n. howdy yall. I've been super busy, but now that it's summer, I have much more free time and will be able to upload more. Also, be on the lookout for any messages about future fics that I may write alongside and after this one. I've got lots of things planned that I'm looking forward to sharing with you all. Thank you for your patience and thank you for reading!
~NYM]