˖*°࿐chapter five.
v. TO SAVE A FRIEND

———

janelle

"Home, sweet home." I plopped down onto my bed as Stefan helped bring in my last suitcase.

All thanks to the warlock who sucked up the magic from the Traveler spell covering Mystic Falls, we were able to come home with no problems. Except for the fact that Damon let the little weasel escape and now we have to keep our guard up in case he attacks.

Everything in my room was still exactly the way I left it. I kept it magically sealed, so only I could be the one to access it. Which I'm glad I did because we've had a few uninvited house guests up in here.

"You're lucky," Stefan chuckled, leaning against the door frame. "This is probably the cleanest part of the whole house."

I sat up, sliding off my heels and placing them by the nightstand. "It's not my fault the underage teenagers invaded it."

"Well, you get some sleep. It's been a long day," he said, coming over to kiss my cheek. "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Night, Stef," I smiled as he left the room.

I went into my bathroom, removing all the jewelry I was wearing and set it on the counter. I stripped out of my clothes and stepped in the shower, my muscles relaxing under the warm water.

Stefan was right. It was a long day. But something still seemed to bother me. The way Jo's brother looked at me today. It was the same look Klaus would give from time to time. The one that reminded me of how much he cared. How much he loved me.

But that's impossible; a psychopath like him couldn't feel that way for someone. For me.

Right?

I mean, I haven't even said two words to the guy. I hardly know him. In fact, I hardly know his sister, but she's acting as if I've known her for years. Something was off about their family.

But I guess I'll figure it out another time.

———

"So, when did our house become target practice?" I asked Damon, handing him a cup of coffee.

"Jo needed a place to work on her magic," he explained. "I felt guilty for what I put her and Ric through, so I offered up our place out the goodness of my heart." He grinned.

I scoffed, "You felt guilty? That's a new one."

"Don't be so surprised." Damon scowled at me. "Have you seen Elena?" he asked.

"What am I, your girlfriend's keeper now?" I asked rhetorically. It's not my fault if can't keep tabs on her."

There was a crash in the living room, and I groaned, knowing that it was my turn to go check it out. I hopped off the counter that I was previously sitting on and went into the living room.

Liv walked out with her shirt smoking, clearly from being on fire. "Hey, where can I get a shirt?"

"Damon's room. Upstairs, end of the hall," I replied, keeping my attention on the mess all over the floor. "What's going on?"

"Fire spell. Sort of," Jo shrugged. "It turns out, getting back in touch with your magic isn't anything like riding a bike." She laughed anxiously. "I am sorry about that vase, though. Was that expensive?"

"I don't know. But the Smithsonian would. You should call them," I said as the front door opened to reveal Alaric with a paper bag.

Jo stood up, going over to him. "Oh, thank God. Breakfast. Please tell me you brought mimosas."

"Do you really think I'd watch this sober?" He pulled out a bottle from the bag, handing it to Jo.

"Can someone please remind me what it is we're watching again?" I asked curiously.

"Today, we make s' mores. In a month, I win the merge and become the leader of my coven, guaranteeing it's survival. Liv has me on a 30-day regimen between now and the next celestial event."

"Right," I nodded as if I even understood what any of that meant. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have my own coven to deal with. See you guys later."

———

I shimmered into my coven's meeting grounds. It was in the deeper parts of town, close to the cemetery, but it was more of a secluded area. It was cloaked for protection, and only the eyes of a Phoenix were able to see the location. To everyone else, it's just an empty woods.

"Cassandra," I called. "I need to talk to you about something. It's important."

Before I knew it, she had appeared right in front of me in white lights. "What is it, Janelle? Now's not a good time for me."

"I know, but this can't wait," I told her. She pursed her lips before finally crossing her arms, letting me know to continue. "What do you know about prison worlds?"

"Just that they were created by the Gemini coven to imprison witches who misused their powers. Why?" she questioned suspiciously.

"A friend of mine is trapped there," I explained. "I need to know if our magic is strong enough to bypass it without the ascendant used to get in and out."

"Of course, but it would require more than one witch to perform the ritual," Cassandra clarified with confusion written all over her face. "Although, what I don't understand is why you would want to go up against the Geminis. Getting involved with them is the last thing you want. We have a pact, remember?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Life long feud, ended in a great battle, then ultimately came to an agreement, so our paths would never have to cross again. The story is practically glued to my brain."

Long ago, before I was even born, our two covens were literally at each other's throats. Everyone viewed the other as a threat. It was basically a power struggle on who had the upper hand. Many witches died in the feud, so a pact was forced to be made.

The fewer the witches in our covens, the weaker it made all of us. Forming a pact was the only thing that guaranteed our lines would continue. So, yes, I know Jo and the rest of her family are Geminis, but that's not important to me. I just wanted to bring Bonnie home. It's the least I could do for what she did for Damon.

"This isn't something you should be taking lightly, Janelle. You have to be aware of the precautions if you are going to go through with this," she warned with a stern look. "Many things could go wrong if they find out you're messing with their magic."

"I understand the consequences, Cassandra," I replied, "but, all I want is to bring back my friend. She's done so much for my family already. She deserves to be reunited with the people she loves."

Cassandra hesitated for a second, before reluctantly agreeing. "Okay. I will gather the witches. We can meet in a few days to perform the spell."

I smiled, hugging her, "Thank you."

She pulled away from me, smoothing out my hair with her fingers. "Go. Damon needs you."

I opened my mouth to ask what she was talking about, but then I remembered her power of divination; predicting the future. Watching as Cassandra disappeared, I followed her steps, going to find my big brother.

———

"It's not my fault you can't keep track of who kidnaps your girlfriend!" I yelled at Damon while he stood next to Jo outside of the high school.

So, the lunatic stole Elena; no complaints and Damon felt the need to drag me along with him to rescue her. Jo was going to perform a cloaking spell, but being as she's still learning how to get back in touch with magic, I'm the back-up if anything goes wrong. And since this is entirely Damon's idea, something is bound to go wrong.

"Janelle, please," he pleaded. "The plan can't work without you. We'll find Elena, and I'll call when we're ready."

Damn it. I hate this stupid shimmering power. Sometimes, I feel like it's the only thing I'm ever useful for.

"Fine. Just make it snappy. I have better things to do."