— — — — — —
"Mm, yeah, that's right. I also lost my way."
"Elena, which way to the cemetery gate again?" Stefan asked.
"Just keep going down that road—you'll see the entrance," Elena replied, first answering Stefan and then pointing Jack in the right direction.
Stefan brushed a stray leaf off Elena's shoulder, earning a small "thanks" from her. Jack nearly rolled his eyes—watching these two flirt was enough to make a guy lose his appetite.
"Yeah, thanks. I'm heading off then," Jack said quickly, eager to get out of there before he was force-fed any more of their disgusting lovey-dovey energy.
He didn't dare run at supernatural speed since he was still close to them—no need to reveal his powers—so he kept a normal pace down the mountain trail. But just a couple minutes later, he caught sight of Stefan sprinting downhill at full speed.
Jack's reaction time was way faster than Stefan's running, so he clearly noticed the change: Stefan's eyes had turned red, blood veins spreading around them, and sharp fangs glinting in his mouth.
"So that's what a vampire looks like…" Jack thought to himself, quickly activating the Rabbit Talisman and rushing back toward Elena's location.
She was fine—just staring at a small cut on her hand and calling out for Stefan.
Jack turned back down the path. 'Guess Stefan lost control when he saw blood.'
'So vampires here can't resist human blood, huh? Definitely dangerous creatures.'
Now he knew a few things for sure: vampires were super fast, had some sort of mind control ability, could summon mist, and apparently weren't afraid of sunlight—definitely not like the old legends.
He wondered how many vampires there actually were… and if they had any more powers he didn't know about. Either way, he'd better hurry up and unlock more talismans—mind control alone was already something he wasn't sure he could resist.
Scratching his head, he decided to drop the subject for now. "Forget it—first thing's first: food."
He followed the path down to the cemetery gate, hopped into his sports car, and drove to a restaurant he found on the GPS. The food was decent—not as good as in 2025, but good enough, and the meat was tasty.
Jack was basically a carnivore—life was too short to skip meat—so he left the restaurant pretty satisfied.
Back at his house, he didn't overthink things and instead embraced the sacred tradition of midday nap… except he ended up sleeping until nightfall.
When he woke up, the first thing he did was look for food—only to find his fridge completely empty. He'd forgotten to shop for groceries earlier.
With no other choice, he grabbed his keys and drove out to find an open place to eat.
"Oh? Hi, Bonnie," he greeted as he walked into a small café-style restaurant that was still open.
Bonnie was sitting with a guy and chatting, but she turned with a smile. "Hi, Jack."
She began introducing the blond guy beside her. "This is Matt.'
"Matt, this is Jack—he just transferred here today," she added.
"Nice to meet you, Matt." Jack shook his hand, then looked around. The place was pretty full. "This seat isn't taken, right?"
"Perfect timing, actually—I owe Bonnie for showing me around earlier," Jack said, hoping to share the table rather than wander around hungry.
"Go ahead, sit," Bonnie said with a welcoming smile.
As soon as he sat down, Jack started ordering. This place was more like a bar-café, so the menu was mostly drinks, fruit, and light snacks—burgers and fries at best. He ended up ordering a sampler platter, five burgers, and a drink.
"How's she been? Has she mentioned me?" Matt asked Bonnie in a low voice.
"It's only been four months since her parents died," Bonnie said softly. "She keeps smiling like everything's fine, but she's not. And no, she hasn't brought you up. Stop hesitating and just call her."
"She broke up with me. It'd be weird if I just called," Matt muttered.
"Then give her more time, Matt," Bonnie said with a helpless sigh.
Just then, Elena walked in—with Stefan right beside her.
Matt's face darkened instantly.
"This is your idea of giving her time?" he snapped at Bonnie, then stood and walked over to Elena.
"Must be rough for you, huh? Stuck in the middle of all this?" Jack said to Bonnie.
"It's not what you think," Bonnie said awkwardly.
"Hey, you're the first friend I've made here, so I can tell you're all pretty close. Can't blame you for being caught in the middle. But if you really want to help Matt, you should get Elena to talk to him directly—get everything out in the open," Jack suggested.
"I know… but Elena's been through so much lately. I don't want to add to her burden," Bonnie admitted.
"Then I'd say Elena's lucky to have a friend like you," Jack said, dropping the subject as Elena and Stefan approached.
"Hey," Jack greeted them casually, just as his food arrived.
Caroline Forbes showed up a little later, and after introductions, conversation flowed easily. It was obvious she was curious about both Stefan and Jack—but since Jack was busy demolishing his dinner, most of her attention ended up on Stefan.
"Jack, what about your parents? Did they move here with you?" Bonnie asked as she watched him finish off most of his burgers.
"They passed away. I came here alone," Jack said calmly.
"Oh, sorry… Any other family?" Caroline asked gently.
"Nope. I came to pay respects to my last surviving uncle. He left me a house here in Mystic Falls, so now I live alone. The family estate is being managed by a trustee—guess you could call him my legal guardian," Jack explained.
"Then neither of you probably know about the party tomorrow," Caroline said, eager to change the heavy topic.
"Think of it as Mystic Falls' back-to-school celebration," Bonnie added.
Stefan asked directly if Elena was going, and Bonnie answered for her—so Stefan promised he'd be there.
"Will there be good food?" Jack asked, looking hopeful.
"Seriously? That's all you care about?" Caroline laughed. "Parties are supposed to be fun!"
"Hey, I live alone now. Not much else to care about. At least food never lets me down." Jack chuckled.
"Fine, fine—I'll come tomorrow. Worst case, I'll bring my own snacks," he said after swallowing the last bite of his burger.
"Speaking of which— What do you think if I bring a whole lamb tomorrow and roast it over the fire?" Jack asked, only half joking.
Caroline and Bonnie exchanged a helpless look.
"Yeah, let's not go that far," Bonnie said with a laugh. "But I promise I'll bring plenty of food for you. You won't go hungry."
.
.
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