[Location: The Cross Residence – Dining Room] [Time: 6:45 AM – Two Days After Tanner's Death]
The smell of bacon usually signaled a good morning. Today, it masked the scent of fear.
My father, Robert Cross, sat at the head of the table. He hadn't touched his breakfast. He was staring at a black coffee mug as if it contained the secrets of the universe.
"You're quiet," I observed, buttering a piece of toast.
Dad looked up, his eyes rimmed with exhaustion. "The meeting last night... it went late."
"Did they figure out what killed Mr. Tanner?" I asked, feigning innocence.
He lowered his voice, leaning in. "They're calling it a mountain lion. But Adrian... the people in that room. The Mayor, the Sheriff, Mrs. Lockwood. They aren't just worried citizens. They're organized."
He tapped a small, unlabeled glass bottle sitting next to his plate. It was filled with clear liquid.
"Sheriff Forbes gave me this," he said. "She said to put a few drops in the water pitcher. Said it helps with 'immunity' during flu season."
Vervain.
The Council was mobilizing faster than I expected. Tanner's death had spooked them into distributing the supply to the new inner circle members.
"Weird," I said, picking up the bottle. I uncorked it and took a sniff. It was odorless to a human, but I knew the chemical signature. "Did she say what's in it?"
"Just an herbal supplement," Dad said. "But the way she looked at me... Adrian, I want you to drink the water at home. Humor me."
"Sure, Dad," I said, suppressing a smile. "Immunity is important."
I didn't tell him I was already immune to mind control. I didn't tell him that if a vampire bit me right now, they'd burn their tongue.
"What about the restoration project?" I asked, steering the conversation to intel.
"On hold," he sighed. "Mayor Lockwood wants me to focus on 'securing' public buildings. Reinforced locks. UV filtration on the windows of the Founder's Hall. It's like they're preparing for a siege."
They are, I thought. And they're going to lose.
I finished my toast. "I've got to get to school. Bonnie's helping me with a trig project."
"Be careful, son."
"Always."
[Location: Mystic Falls High – Courtyard] [Time: 12:30 PM]
The mood at school was grim. The flag was at half-mast for Tanner.
I found Bonnie Bennett sitting on a stone bench under a large oak tree, far away from the main crowd. She had a textbook open, but she wasn't reading. She was staring at a leaf on the ground.
The leaf twitched. It skittered across the grass, even though there was no wind.
She was practicing.
I adjusted my backpack strap and approached. I needed Bonnie. Not just as a friend, but as a weapon. In a few months, I would need a Daylight Ring. Only a Bennett witch could make one. And right now, she was terrified of her own power.
"Telekinesis?" I asked softly, sitting down next to her.
Bonnie jumped, slamming her hand down on the book. "Adrian! You scared me."
"Sorry," I smiled. "I saw the leaf. That wasn't wind, Bon."
Bonnie looked around nervously. "Keep your voice down. People already think I'm a freak."
"People are idiots," I said. "And honestly? Given that our history teacher just got mauled by a 'bear' in the parking lot, being able to move things with your mind seems like a pretty useful survival skill."
Bonnie sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's getting stronger. I lit a candle with my mind at dinner last night. My dad didn't notice, but... Adrian, I don't know what's happening to me. Grams keeps talking about 'The Flame' and ancestors, but it just feels like... like I'm buzzing."
"It's energy," I said, using the logic I knew from the show's lore. "Energy can't be created or destroyed, right? It just flows. You're a conduit."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a lighter—a classic Zippo I kept for 'emergencies'.
"Here," I said, placing it on the bench between us. "Try it."
"What? No."
"Just focus," I encouraged her. "Don't be afraid of it. Fear makes you lose control. Just look at the flame mechanism. Visualize it sparking."
Bonnie looked at me, then at the lighter. She trusted me. I was the only one who didn't look at her like she was crazy. Even Elena, bless her heart, tried to rationalize it away. I accepted it.
She closed her eyes. She took a deep breath.
I watched her face. The concentration.
Click.
The lid of the Zippo flipped open.
Fwoosh.
The flame ignited, burning tall and steady.
Bonnie's eyes snapped open. She gasped, a smile breaking across her face. "I did that."
"You did that," I confirmed. "That's amazing, Bonnie."
"It felt... warm," she said, looking at her hands. "Like waking up."
"Keep practicing," I advised. "But maybe do it in private. High school isn't ready for the X-Men yet."
She laughed. "Thanks, Adrian. Seriously. You make me feel... normal."
"Normal is overrated," I said. "Be extraordinary."
Just then, Caroline marched over. She was wearing a yellow sundress and carrying a box of decorations.
"There you are!" Caroline huffed. "Bonnie, I need your opinion. The Car Wash Fundraiser for the Tanner Memorial. Too soon? Or appropriately respectful?"
"Caroline, the man died two days ago," Bonnie said.
"Exactly! So we need to raise money for his... family? Did he have a family?" Caroline paused. "Whatever. Look at this."
She held up a necklace she was wearing.
It was a large, amber crystal set in antique silver.
My heart stopped.
The Talisman.
This was the crystal Damon needed to open the tomb. It had belonged to one of the founding families, then ended up in the Gilbert box, and Caroline had evidently swiped it (or "borrowed" it) from Damon's things or the Gilberts.
"Where did you get that?" I asked, keeping my voice casual.
"Damon gave it to me," Caroline beamed, touching the stone. "Well, he 'let me borrow it.' Isn't it pretty? It goes perfectly with my dress."
Damon gave it to her.
Of course. He was using her as a mule. He wanted the crystal in play, charged by the comet or the upcoming alignments, but kept it on a human pawn so Stefan wouldn't find it in his room.
"It's stunning," I lied. "Very vintage."
I stared at the crystal.
If I stole it, I stopped the tomb from opening. If the tomb didn't open, the tomb vampires didn't get out. If the tomb vampires didn't get out, Pearl didn't get out. If Pearl didn't get out, I couldn't get the location of the other supernatural artifacts she knew about.
Also, if I stole it, Damon would tear the town apart looking for it.
Let it play out, I decided. But track it.
"You should be careful with it," I said. "Antique settings can be loose. You don't want to lose it at the Car Wash."
"Please," Caroline scoffed. "I never lose anything."
"Right," I smiled.
Target marked. Caroline has the crystal. Bonnie is developing her magic. The pieces are on the board.
[Location: Whitmore College – Maxfield's Outer Lab] [Time: 4:30 PM]
I swiped my keycard. The light turned green.
The lab was quiet. Dr. Maxfield was teaching a lecture, leaving me unsupervised for two hours.
I locked the door behind me.
I went to my backpack and pulled out the block of White Oak I had cut from the bridge.
It looked like a piece of rotting firewood. But to me, it was gold.
I placed it on the stainless steel workbench.
I couldn't leave it like this. If Maxfield saw it, he'd throw it out. If a vampire saw it, they wouldn't recognize it, but they might smell the ancient magic if they got close enough.
I needed to process it.
I pulled out a heavy-duty rasp and a glass collection jar.
I began to file the wood.
Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.
Fine, pale dust fell onto the table.
The dust was what I needed. For the Upgraded Original spell, the white oak needs to be an ingredient in the serum, not a stake.
It was slow work. My arm ached. But I treated it like meditation.
One gram. Two grams.
While I worked, I thought about the next hurdle: The Vampire Transition.
I couldn't stay human forever. It was too risky. One snapped neck and "Apex Ambition" was over.
But I couldn't just get turned by anyone.
If I turned now, I'd be a basic vampire. Weak. If I waited for the Upgraded serum, I'd be human for two more years.
I needed a stopgap. A way to be better than a normal vampire, even before the Upgrade.
I looked at the centrifuge on Maxfield's desk. I looked at the notes on the whiteboard regarding "Cellular Density."
There was a theory in the fan fiction community—and hinted at in the lore—that the age of the vampire who turns you affects your starting potential. But more importantly, your human physical state matters. Mikael was a warrior before he turned; he became a destroyer.
I needed to be at peak physical condition. And I needed to be turned by powerful blood.
Katherine Pierce.
She was nearby. She was watching.
Or Damon. He had Original-adjacent bloodlines, but he was chaotic.
No. There was another option.
Logan Fell.
He was about to be turned by Anna. He would have the vampire blood in his system soon.
I shook my head. Focus on the Oak.
I filed until I had a small pile of dust. I swept it into a test tube, labeled it "Quercus Alba - Sample A", and hid it inside a hollowed-out container of powdered bleach in the supply closet.
Nobody looks in the cleaning supplies.
[Location: The Mystic Grill – Back Alley] [Time: 8:00 PM]
I was leaving the Grill after grabbing a takeout burger.
"Hey. You."
I stopped. I knew that voice.
I turned around. Damon Salvatore was leaning against the brick wall, tossing a coin in the air.
"Damon," I said, keeping my posture relaxed. "Stalking high schoolers again? It's a bad look."
Damon chuckled, stepping out of the shadows. "I'm not stalking. I'm protecting. My brother is very fond of you. He thinks you're the 'moral compass' of the new generation."
"Stefan's a good guy," I said. "You should try it sometime."
Damon's face hardened. He moved—fast.
He was in my personal space instantly, his hand resting on the wall next to my head. He wasn't attacking, but he was caging me in.
"Let's cut the crap, Adrian," Damon whispered. "You're smart. You're observant. And you're way too calm for a kid living in a town where people are getting eaten."
He leaned in, sniffing the air near my neck.
"And you smell like a garden," he murmured. "Vervain."
My heart hammered. He knew.
"My dad puts it in the water," I said instantly. It was the truth (mostly). "The Council gave it to him. I drink the tap water. Is that a crime?"
Damon pulled back, studying me. "The Council. Of course. Daddy's a new recruit."
He looked disappointed. He thought he'd caught a hunter, but instead, he just found a Council brat.
"Well, that's annoying," Damon sighed. "I can't compel you. Which means I have to do this the old-fashioned way."
He grabbed the front of my shirt.
"If you get in my way," Damon said, his eyes turning cold and dead. "If you tell Stefan anything about what I'm doing... I won't kill you. I'll kill your dad. Then your mom. And I'll leave you for last."
He shoved me back. I hit the dumpster with a thud.
"Have a nice night, Adrian."
Damon turned and walked away, whistling.
I stood there, breathing hard.
He was escalating.
I touched the pocket where I kept the Gilbert Watch.
I needed to accelerate the timeline. I couldn't wait for Junior year to end.
I needed to kill a vampire. Soon.
To prove to myself that I could.