Laura's POV
The aftermath of my cemetery snack left me feeling invigorated, a dark hum of satisfaction in my veins. The immediate hunger quelled, my mind was sharper, clearer, and already spinning new threads of deceit. Damon's veiled warnings were amusing. He thought he knew me, thought he had me pegged as just another vamp with an interest in Elena. He had no idea the true depth of my desire, nor the ancient lineage that fueled it. This wasn't merely hunger; it was a primal, almost spiritual craving.
The next day at school was a whirlwind of manufactured normalcy. I sat through history, feigning interest as Mr. Tanner droned on about the Civil War. It was quaint, listening to his embellished tales, knowing I'd lived through far more brutal conflicts. My gaze drifted to Elena, two rows ahead. She was taking notes diligently, her brow furrowed in concentration. The vibrant pulse of her life force was a siren's song, a constant, low-level thrum that resonated with my very core. Soon.
Later, in the crowded hallway between classes, I saw a familiar face emerge from a classroom. Matt Donovan. Golden-haired, earnest, and painfully human. He was talking to Tyler Lockwood, who was already displaying the arrogant swagger of a nascent werewolf. Tyler's scent, a subtle undercurrent of something wild and untamed beneath the cologne, was intriguing. Another piece on the board.
"Hey, Laura!" Caroline bounced up to me, followed by Bonnie. "Guess what? There's a huge bonfire party tonight at the old Wickery Bridge ruins! Everyone's going, even Stefan and Damon might show up." Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"A bonfire?" I feigned polite interest. "Sounds… rustic."
"It's tradition!" Bonnie chimed in, a small smile on her face. Her gaze, however, lingered on mine for a beat too long. She knew I wasn't entirely human. The question was, how much did she know? And how much power did she truly wield? The Bennett witches were a formidable force, even for an Original. I'd witnessed their strength firsthand, though from a safe distance, in my earlier days. They were to be respected, and potentially, contained.
"You should totally come!" Caroline insisted. "It'll be fun. You can meet more people. Matt and Tyler will be there."
"I'll consider it," I said, offering my most charming, noncommittal smile. A bonfire. Perfect. Darkness, crowds, and easy access to new… acquaintances. And the doppelgänger.
Damon's POV
The sun was barely dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in fiery streaks, and already the bonfire at Wickery Bridge was a chaotic mess of teenagers, cheap beer, and bad music. Typical Mystic Falls. I stood a little apart, nursing a bourbon, observing. Stefan was, predictably, hovering near Elena, looking like a tortured puppy.
My eyes scanned the crowd, searching. And then I saw her. Laura Thorne, laughing with Caroline and Bonnie, looking every inch the innocent new girl. It was a damn good performance. She wore a simple dark top that somehow made her look both approachable and utterly untouchable. The way she moved, subtle yet powerful, was a dead giveaway to anyone who knew what they were looking for.
"Still keeping tabs on the locals, Damon?"
I turned to find Stefan beside me, his gaze also fixed on Laura. His jaw was tight.
"Just assessing the new talent," I replied, taking a slow sip of my drink. "She's good. Almost undetectable if you didn't know what you were looking for."
"She's an Original, Damon," Stefan muttered, his voice low and strained. "What could she possibly want with Elena?"
"The obvious, brother. Power. Immortality. The blood of the doppelgänger isn't just sustenance for us. For an Original, it's a supercharge. She probably thinks it'll make her even more invincible." I met his worried gaze. "But there's something else with Laura. A history. Not just with Katherine, but… a different kind of ancient. She's not like Klaus, not overtly obsessed with creating hybrids or building an empire. She's more subtle. More… mischievous."
My eyes flicked over to where Laura was now talking to Tyler Lockwood, a calculating smile on her face. Tyler, still blissfully unaware of his own budding curse. This was going to be a mess.
Caroline's POV
"Oh my god, Laura, you have to try these marshmallows!" I practically shoved a charred, gooey blob on a stick at her. She took it with a polite smile, though she didn't actually eat it. She was still a little mysterious, but so cool. Not like some of the other girls who were all about the drama.
"So, Laura," I chirped, "what's your favorite bonfire memory?"
Laura paused, a faraway look in her eyes. "I remember a bonfire, centuries ago. In a place called Prague. It was after a harvest festival. The locals were dancing, oblivious to the figures watching from the shadows." She gave a little laugh. "They didn't realize they were dancing on sacred ground. Or that some of the revelers weren't quite so… human."
Bonnie gave her a sharp look. "That sounds a little spooky," she said, but her voice was tight. I could feel Bonnie's magic humming, almost vibrating, whenever Laura was around. It was weird.
Suddenly, a group of guys, including Tyler and Matt, came stumbling through. "Hey, Caroline!" Tyler yelled, already a little too loud. Matt just offered a shy wave.
"Hey, guys!" I beamed. "Laura, this is Tyler and Matt."
Laura's smile seemed to widen almost imperceptibly as her eyes met Tyler's. "Pleasure to meet you both." There was something in her voice, a subtle undertone I couldn't place, that made the hairs on my arms stand up.
Tyler's POV
The bonfire was awesome. Beer, friends, and no parents. Perfect. Matt and I were chilling, watching everyone. Then Caroline came over, dragging the new girl with her. Laura. She was hot, in a quiet, intense way.
"Laura, this is Tyler and Matt," Caroline chirped.
"Pleasure to meet you both," Laura said. Her voice was soft, but there was something about it that made me feel… seen. Like she was looking right through me. And her eyes, man, they were deep. Like endless pools. A weird shiver went down my spine, but not in a bad way. More like… a jolt of energy. Like I'd just had a shot of something strong.
"Hey," I said, trying to act cool. I felt a strange pull towards her, a weird curiosity.
Later, I found myself talking to her near the edge of the woods, away from the main crowd. She was just… listening to me ramble about football, but she made me feel like she actually cared. Like my problems mattered. It was kinda hot.
"You know, Tyler," she said, her voice a low murmur, "you have a remarkable strength about you. A hidden power, waiting to be unleashed."
Her words sent another shiver through me. "What do you mean?"
She just smiled, a knowing, almost predatory smile in the flickering firelight. "Some people are born with dormant gifts. They just need the right… catalyst to awaken them." Her eyes flickered down to my neck for a second, then back up. It was a strange moment, but I couldn't look away.
Laura's POV (continued)
Tyler Lockwood. So much raw potential, so much untapped power. He was a ticking time bomb, and I found his burgeoning curse fascinating. And the perfect pawn. I smiled at him, a mischievous glint in my eyes, knowing exactly the kind of torment that awaited him.
The night wore on. I drifted through the crowds, picking up snippets of conversations, observing. Stefan was still playing bodyguard, his gaze never far from Elena. Damon was being Damon, flirting with a couple of girls, but his eyes kept returning to me, a silent challenge in their depths.
I decided to create a little distraction. I moved subtly through the trees, circling the edge of the bonfire. My senses picked up a lonely, intoxicated college kid, stumbling away from the main group for a moment of quiet. A perfect, isolated target.
I approached him silently, my movements fluid, ghost-like. He looked up, startled, as I stepped into the faint glow of the distant bonfire.
"Hey," he slurred, squinting. "You… lost?"
"Just enjoying the night," I purred, my voice a soft whisper that carried a thread of compulsion. His eyes glazed over slightly. "You look a little tired. Perhaps you should rest."
"Yeah… tired," he mumbled, already swaying.
I leaned in, my fangs extending. The hunger was a fierce, glorious thing now. Not for power, not for ancient lineage, but for the simple, primal satisfaction of life force. This was a purely mischievous indulgence. I sunk my fangs into his neck, drinking just enough to leave him disoriented and confused, but alive. I loved the taste of young, reckless blood. The sweet tang of alcohol, the faint thrum of adrenaline. I pulled back, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, leaving no trace. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. He'd wake up later, feeling like he'd had too much to drink, nothing more. No one would suspect.
A subtle shimmer of power, an almost imperceptible ripple, flowed through me as I replenished my strength. It was just enough to enhance my senses, to make my hearing even sharper, my vision cut through the darkness with predatory clarity.
As I slipped back into the shadows, I heard voices approaching. Damon and Stefan. Damn.
"Did you hear that?" Stefan's voice, low and urgent.
"Hear what, brother? Your conscience complaining about our current life choices?" Damon's usual snark, but there was an edge to it.
"No, a struggle. Over here." Stefan was already moving deeper into the trees.
I smiled, a private, dark smile. Good. Let them search. Let them wonder. The more chaos I sowed, the more distracted they would be. And the more distracted they were, the closer I could get to what I truly desired. Elena Gilbert.
The night was young. And so was my reign of quiet, mischievous terror.