[THE HOUSE GUEST]

effort over words.

    THE GROUP OF SIX girls walked into the Mystic Grill and immediately was met with a lively atmosphere as people danced and sang along to the band performing on the stage. Juliette's eyes scanned over many people's faces, watching as they looked happy.

They smiled, laughed and spoke to one another, alcohol filling their veins. Having no idea of the dangers that lurked in Mystic Falls. They had no clue that supernatural beings roamed the streets they walked.

Juliette found it ironic and hilarious, how they did not know that Elena Gilbert was in the centre of all the supernatural drama. She was in danger constantly but nobody knew. She was at risk of being used for a psychotic ritual that would help Klaus break the sun and moon curse.

They did not know the constant danger they lived in.

Juliette snapped out of her thoughts as Harlee dragged her toward the crowd of dancing drunk people. The other girls giggle at each other, seemingly enjoying the music.

"I need a drink," Jenna announces, looking toward the bar, where Alaric was walking from. Juliette gave her a sympathetic smile as the aunt walked past her, sighing.

The attention turns to Caroline when Matt walks past the group. The blonde smiled as she spotted her boyfriend, "Hey, Matt." She said, her voice high as she smiled brightly at the blonde boy, who just ignored her and walked passed her, acting as if she wasn't there.

Caroline's smile faltered as Elena, Bonnie, Harlee and Juliette shared a look, an awkward silence passing by them. "Things just got real awkward," Bonnie commented, her eyes wide as Juliette furrowed her brow at the young witch.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Juliette replied, her voice laced with sarcasm as she playfully rolled her eyes, earning a sheepish smile from Bonnie.

"Care, he said the ball's in your court." Juliette tried to comfort her friend, her eyes darting between the blonde and the band, nodding her head along to the music.

"Yeah, but I can't do anything about it," Caroline replied, fidgeting with her fingers as she leaned against a table, a sad expression covering her face.

Bonnie added, "Why not? All you do is talk about how much you care about him."

Caroline looked up from her hands, meeting Bonnie's gaze. "Yeah, but I am still keeping so many secrets." She replied, exasperated with her situation.

Juliette felt terrible that Caroline couldn't be with the person she loved because of her secret. Another example of why Juliette hates the supernatural.

"Alaric's in the same boat with Jenna and maybe that's our mistake." Elena began to talk, meeting Juliette's pensive gaze as she continued to speak. "We're trying to protect the people that we love by keeping them out of it, but in the end, we're hurting them anyway."

Everyone stayed silent for a moment, taking in what Elena said. Juliette looked back at Elena again, seeing that she was already looking at her. The blonde felt like there was a double meaning in what she said.

Juliette clenched her jaw and looked away from her sister. She was still furious with Elena, she had yet to realise how dangerous her actions were. She didn't understand the consequences of her actions.

Even though Juliette trusted Elijah, she wasn't completely sure that if he was disrespected, he would not hurt Elena just because she was Juliette's sister. He was a powerful original vampire who killed anyone who stepped in the way, it didn't matter who.

The tension atmosphere shifted when Caroline suddenly stood up, taking off her jacket and handing it to Elena, before walking towards the stage.

The girls look at each other confused, not knowing what Caroline was planning. Juliette groaned as she saw the blonde make her way onto the stage, taking the microphone from the singer.

"Yeah, I need a drink if I'm going to witness whatever this is." She announced, shaking her head at Caroline who began speaking into the microphone. Juliette dragged Harlee towards the bar, desperately in need of a drink.

And to also question Harlee.

After Juliette ordered a bourbon for the both of them, she immediately turned to face her best friend, who was staring at Caroline singing on the stage, a smile on her lips as she nodded along with 'Eternal Flame.'

"Harlee?"

The pixie-haired girl looked towards Juliette, raising her brow. "Did you find anything?" The blonde desperately asked, her eyes glancing towards Elena, just to make sure she wasn't watching them or trying to listen in.

"Huh?" Harlee looked confused for a second before registering what Juliette had said. "Oh! I researched like crazy, I looked on the internet and in the grimoire I had but I couldn't find anything."

Juliette's shoulders sagged, and her hope quickly diminished. "You found nothing?" She repeated, almost like she was hoping her ears had tricked her and Harlee had found something.

However, that thought was quickly gone when Harlee nodded, sending Juliette an apologetic smile. Juliette let out a groan, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Have you read any more of the grimoire? You might find something in there." Harlee suggested, talking louder as the Mystic Grill erupted in cheers and clapping.

"No, not yet. I haven't had time. I'll try to tonight." Juliette replied, her eyes turning to Caroline and Matt on the stage, kissing. "At least Caroline's issues are resolved." The blonde smiled up at her friend.

Watching Caroline made Juliette think back to her time with Elijah, the many times they had kissed flooded her mind. Ever since he was daggered, she hasn't had a dream with him.

She missed him. Juliette missed him so, so, much that it hurt. It physically pained her to not see him, or hear his voice. She had gotten so used to seeing him so often that it felt normal to her.

Juliette always knew that she had fallen for Elijah, but now that he was dead, her feelings hit her like a brick. She never realised how much she depended on his presence—his steady gaze, the sound of his laugh, even the way he filled the silence. It was as though she had been holding her breath all this time, and now, with him gone, the weight of her love crashed down on her, suffocating her with the grief she hadn't expected.

Harlee noticed the way Juliette zoned out, her eyes glued on Caroline and Matt. The best friend immediately knew what was going on his the blonde's mind. "You miss him." She stated, watching as Juliette turned her way, a surprised expression on her face.

Juliette slowly nodded her head, sighing as her fingers immediately moved to fidget with the golden bracket on her wrist. "It's wrong, I know, but I can't control how I feel."

Harlee took Juliette's hands into her own, "It's not wrong, Juliette. Unfortunately, he's the enemy of your sister, but it's not wrong. You can't control who you fall for, it's not your fault." The brunette comforted, her soft gaze fixed on Juliette.

"But what will Elena think? What about Stefan and Damon? They will be so mad if they found out." The blonde frowned deeply, her situation troubling her deeply. Her family and friends wouldn't understand. They wouldn't understand how Elijah was there for her after her parent's death, it didn't matter that it was in her dreams, it still happened.

"Why do you always worry about what the others think?" Harlee questioned, just wanting her best friend to be happy, she hated seeing her like this.

Juliette shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, I guess when I left after my parents died and then came back, I think I kind of felt guilty?" She spoke, her voice unsure of what she was even saying. "It didn't matter how many times Elena and Jeremy told me they didn't hate me for leaving them, I always had a feeling they did. So I guess the reason why I try so hard to please is because I let them down then, and I don't ever want to let them down again."

Harlee felt her heart break for her best friend. She met Juliette two weeks after she moved to Kentucky, they didn't know anything about each other, just that Juliette was new to town and needed someone to show her around.

And ever since that day, they became inseparable. They did everything together, had deep conversations about life at 3 am and helped each other. When Harlee introduced Juliette to Spencer, she knew that they immediately it off.

Spencer and Juliette began dating soon after being introduced to each other. They became a little trio, spending countless weekends together, making memories together filled with laughter.

Harlee understood when Juliette broke up with Spencer, that they both weren't ready for a relationship but still wanted to stay friends.

They both also understood that Juliette had to leave Kentucky to go back to Mystic Falls. Her sister needed her help and Juliette would always do everything in her power to help her sister.

Harlee just wanted Juliette to be happy. And if Elijah was the person who made her happy, then why was it such an issue for the blonde?

"Juliette, when you talk about him, it's like he's the only person you can see in the world. Everything else fades away, and it's just him. I can see the way your eyes light up whenever you speak about him." Harlee spoke, gripping Juliette's hand tighter. "You haven't been this happy since Spencer, please for the love of God, do something for yourself for once."

Juliette smiled gratefully at Harlee, appreciating the comfort she offered. The blonde took a moment to think over what Harlee said. It was true, she was the happiest she had ever been, and Elijah was the main reason for that.

She couldn't deny it anymore.

Juliette wanted Elijah so, so badly.

The two girls made their way back to Jenna, Elena and Bonnie. Caroline is off who knows where with Matt. The group happily enjoyed the night, laughing and giggling with each other as they spoke.

However, that all stopped for Juliette when once again, an excruciating pain forced her to stop talking. Her skull felt like it was crushing in on itself as she gripped the table with her hand, her knuckles turning white from the force.

No, please not now.

This can't be happening.

Juliette quickly moved away from the girls, stumbling through the crowds of people as her vision clouded slightly. Harlee's voice echoed from behind her as she grabbed Juliette's arm, helping her to make her way outside.

Once the cold bitter hair hit Juliette's face, the pain intensified, causing her to crash to the floor, landing on her knees as she held her head in her hands.

A guttural sob passed her lips as Harlee kneeled down next to her, her hands on her shoulders, trying everything she could to help her best friend.

"Juliette?!" Harlee called out, tears brimming her ears as Juliette continued to sob. Harlee couldn't bear to hear her like this, it pained her too much. The brunette didn't know what to do, she knew Juliette got the headaches occasionally, but this was the first time she had ever had to deal with them.

Juliette's fingers pulled at her hair, almost as if that would stop the agonising pain. Her sobs came out in ragged breaths as the voices arrived too, making the pain even worse.

"Make it stop." She wheezed out, the voices doubling in volume, not allowing Juliette to even hear herself scream in pain.

"I see you."

The malevolent voices coaxed out, their tone sounding almost like they were mocking her.

"Oh God, Juliette, please!" Harlee cried out, tears now streaming down her face as Juliette only continued to sob, her head now in Harlee's lap as all the brunette could do was hold her, hoping the pain would stop soon.

Glass shatters and screams suddenly erupt from the Grill causing Harlee to gasp as she looked toward the building. Something was happening inside, her mind immediately went to Elena and the other girls.

Harlee prayed silently that they were safe.

She couldn't leave Juliette out here to suffer by herself.

"Pathetic little wench!"

The voices called out, sounding distorted as Juliette could do nothing but listen. She didn't know how to stop the pain or the voices, she would just have to wait it out. But how long could she last?

The first time she had the headaches she passed out, and then the second time, they only stopped because Elijah got daggered.

How can she stop them this time?

How can she keep herself conscious?

Juliette could still hear the faint voices, though, she couldn't make out what they were saying. It all mushed together like it was a different language or just random rambles.

Eventually, the pain subsided and the voices came to a stop, leaving Juliette to just try and control her breathing as she sobbed into Harlee's lap.

Why was this happening to me?

Harlee hushed the girl, her fingers comfortingly running through Juliette's hair, soothing the blonde as she calmed herself down.

Juliette slowly began to sit up, despite Harlee's protest. The blonde sniffled as she wiped the tears from her cheeks, looking toward the petrified-looking Harlee.

"Jesus Juliette, I didn't realise they were that bad." The brunette breathed out, her eyes wide with shock as she could barely even process what just happened. "Why haven't you told anyone?"

Juliette shook her head, hissing from the remnants of pain that still lingered. "No, I can't tell anyone. They need to help Elena first." The girl replied stubbornly, her face tensed.

Harlee scoffed slightly, "You can't just keep this yourself, Juliette. This is serious, you can't handle this all by yourself."

Juliette opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering, both girls' heads snapped towards the Mystic Grill. "Something's happening inside," Harlee informed, helping Juliette from the floor carefully.

"Come on." The blonde gestured for her friend to follow as she opened the back door to the grill, emerging into the kitchen, which was completely empty.

Juliette furrowed her brows at the lack of people, tonight was an especially busy night at the grill, they had a lot of people here. So why were there no workers to be seen?

The girls walked out of the kitchen and into the main bit of the restaurant, stopping still when the sight of broken glass, flipped tables and spilt alcohol everywhere.

Juliette furrowed her brows at the scene, though, her direction was directed towards the sound of someone crying. The blonde walked further into the area, spotting Caroline on the floor, her wrist pressed to Matt's lips.

Juliette spotted the massive wound on his neck slowly begin to heal as Matt stared up at her bewildered. "Care, what happened?" Juliette asked and she immediately kneeled next to the sobbing blonde, her eyes pinned on Matt, making sure he was okay.

"It was Jonas, his son is dead and he came here looking for Elena." She managed to get out, her breathing uneven as Matt's eyes closed. She pulled her wrist away as she covered her face, her entire body shook with sobs.

Juliette pulled the blonde into a hug, her hand rubbing her back as she continued to cry. Matt had seen what Caroline was, and the one thing she didn't want to happen, happened.

All Harlee could do was stare down at the scene, her eyes wide as she tried to process everything. So much had happened in such a short amount of time.

Was it always like this here?

✧✧✧✧

    JULIETTE SIGHED AS SHE walked toward her house, exhaustion completely taking over her. She had just walked Harlee home and couldn't wait to just snuggle up in bed and sleep.

Juliette knew that would not happen though, she still wanted to read more of the grimoire. She needed to know more about Seraphina, it was the only thing she could think about.

Juliette just couldn't understand why her family hadn't mentioned Seraphina. Yeah, she was a witch, but why was she so hated? There were a bunch of witches back then, why was Seraphina nearly killed over something she couldn't control?

The blonde sighed as she reached her house, slowly walking up the steps. Just as she was about to grab her keys from her bag, a voice rang in her mind.

"Juliette."

The blonde didn't expect to only hear one voice instead of a hundred at the same time. This voice did not sound like how the voices usually sounded like.

"You must listen very, very carefully."

Who was this voice?

It sounded so familiar to Juliette, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"Do you understand?"

Juliette furrowed her brows, a bewildered look on her face as she listened intently. She didn't feel like she did when she got the voices, this time was different. But why?

"In my apartment, there's an amulet."

The voice began, Juliette listened carefully, trying her best to understand what the voice was saying but also figure out why it was so familiar.

The blonde squinted her eyes slightly before they widened. She knew who it was. She knew who this voice was.

It was Jonas.

But why?

Why was he communicating to her like this?

How was he even doing this?

"I need you to find it. You need it, Juliette. Make sure you find it."

The voice trailed off at the end, it echoed in her mind as Juliette processed what he had said. An amulet? Why did she need an amulet? And why was it in Jonas's apartment?

The blonde stayed silent for a moment, hoping Jonas would add more to what he said. But he never did. His voice echoed in her mind, almost like it was reminding her of what she needed to do.

Juliette furrowed her brows, frowning deeply as she opened her door, confused about everything that happened today.

The blonde stopped in her tracks when she saw Stefan, Elena, Damon, and Katherine in the living room. "What is going on?" She asked, her brow raised as she closed the door behind her. "And why is she here?" She pointed towards the