001. You exist too much

Mystic Falls, 2010

"Where's Caroline?" Eva asks Elena, running through the carnival with her.

Caroline was presumably dismissed from the hospital after being in a car accident and spending two nights there. Only thing is she's now a vampire.

Eva knows about vampires; how they control and how they kill. She's known about them for years, especially with her gift (now: faded) where she can sense supernaturals through their aura. She met her first vampire shortly after Aunt Margot's wake, but Eva doesn't remember this. She doesn't remember much of when she was eight years old and her mom moved them to Boston. There's some flashes here and there. She does remember having her mom with her and going to the private school her grandparents insisted on, Eva hated that school.

Eva thinks this is why she doesn't remember much of that year in her life, school simply had been too much for her. That is the explanation her mom once gave her. Besides, it's not something she dwells on.

Eva is back in Mystic Falls and Boston is long forgotten among the places she's lived in. Because that's another thing about her life, after Boston, her mom never let them stay in the same place for long.

But back to the vampires and her friend Caroline becoming one, Eva has no fucking clue how she'll handle this one. Four months in Mystic Falls and her life is stranger than before. Somehow she always figures it out.

       Along her parade through the carnival with Elena, they run into Stefan. Elena stops to talk to him, it's safer if he's with them. Although Eva slips away, she's frantic to find Caroline.

       As she passes the stands and turns a corner that leads to the back of the carnival, she's the first to find Caroline.

       The sight before her unsettles her. Caroline is on the back of a pick-up, kneeling next to an unconscious guy, and there's blood. A lot of it. It can only mean that the guy may not be unconscious but dead.

Eva comes closer timidly. She's thankful that it's dark and it makes everything hazy. The last thing she wants is a clear scene. Caroline peers over her shoulder, eyes landing on Eva. She seems to smile when she sees her friend, it's gruesome.

None of this is right. Caroline shouldn't be covered in blood. Tonight was supposed to be their first break from all the chaos.

Eva meets her eyes, there's no smile to match her friend. But they both seem to have tears in their eyes. Caroline says her name in the soft way she always does. For the first time, Eva is not sure if she can handle this.

"Who are you?"

As accusatory as the question is phrased, it makes Caroline wonder who she is. A night ago she'd been a normal seventeen-year-old girl, now she's a dead girl with a hunger. Nothing is as it'd been, she's not who she was a night ago. What does that make her?

Caroline looks at herself, eyes trained on the blood on her hands. She doesn't have an answer.

Eva cares more about the innocent man that will die tonight. She gets in the back of the car with Caroline, though she tries to be as far from her as possible. She's scared of her friend. It shouldn't be this way.

Eva kneels on the other side of Caroline's victim, there's blood on the collar of his shirt. Two punctures on his throat that Eva can't make out in the dark. His chest doesn't rise anymore.

He can't die, Eva knows this—not in Caroline's hands. There's only one way she may be able to save him: magic. But there's a holdback to this, Eva hasn't practiced magic since she was a child. Her mom doesn't allow them to.

She's never known why, she's not one to question her mom. But it's never come to this—a situation where the use of her magic can save someone's life.

Eva lets herself break the rules. In a way it is for Caroline. Eva doesn't want her friend to become a killer—to lose her innocence.

It's a good thing that she can read up on spells.

"Please live, please live, please," Eva chants to herself as she hovers her hands over the man's chest—right where his heart is. She recites the spell that could get his heart to kickstart, hoping for a miraculous result.

She doesn't notice when Damon arrives and Caroline realizes the truth better than her. "He's dead," she tells him shakily. "I killed him."

Eva doesn't give up on trying to save him, Caroline can't bear to look at them. Her head lowers. "What's wrong with me?"

"Hey, hey. It's okay. I can help you."

"You can?"

Although Caroline sounds hopeful, Eva doesn't trust Damon. She never has. Everything about him puts her on edge, him being a vampire only makes it worse.

"What are you gonna do?" Caroline asks, looking up at him.

"The only thing I can do," Damon says, then glances at Eva. He's not sure if she'll be a problem in his plan. He risks it anyway. "I'm gonna kill you."

       "Please don't! I don't want to die!" Caroline cries.

       Eva looks up at Damon, attention finally on him. She sees Caroline's fear too, it makes her so...human. It shouldn't be possible—not after she became a vampire. Caroline is not who she was but it doesn't mean all of her is gone.

       Eva hesitates in saving her from Damon. That's still your friend, she tells herself. She's not gone.

       In her inner turmoil, she's missed part of their interaction. Damon has his arms around Caroline now, one hand rubbing her back and the other raising a stake, positioned so that it goes through Caroline's heart.

       "It's the only way," he says.

       Caroline is still crying on his chest, Eva is still spectating. Damon thinks Eva won't stop him, he knows she doesn't practice magic. Without magic, she's deficient.

       Eva doesn't act—not until Damon starts to move the stake, inching closer to Caroline's heart.

       "Damon, no!" she yells, heated. She does something neither of them expect, she uses her magic. Hand aimed at Damon and spell memorized, Eva chants, "Motus."

       Damon is thrown back—away from Caroline. Stake still in hand and a look of surprise on his face, surprise that turns into indignation. But Caroline is safe, Eva saved her.

It's all perfect timing since Stefan gets there and takes care of Damon. Elena is also there, ready to comfort Caroline.

But Caroline doesn't accept her comfort, exclaims that Elena killed her, and moves closer to Eva, only ready to accept comfort from her.

       Eva tries to offer her some comfort by caressing her shoulder, but her touch is too stiff and she keeps staring at the blood on Caroline's face. Caroline does not mind but she doesn't seem to acknowledge it either.

Elena tries to explain that it wasn't her, it was Katherine. Caroline doesn't understand, she insists on knowing why was this done to her.

Stefan approaches her, cautious like one would tend to a wounded animal. "It's alright, Caroline, come with me."

Damon stands away from the group, arms crossed over his chest, looking like he's accepted his defeat. "She will die. It's only a matter of time."

Stefan, with a protective arm around Caroline, says, "Yeah, maybe so, but it's not gonna happen tonight."

"Oh, yeah, it is." Damon, in a flash, picks up the stake from the ground and lunges at Caroline.

Elena steps in between them, ready to defend Caroline. Her chest heaves faster, there's a certain fear she has for Damon. Still, she's defiant against him, "Damon, she's my friend."

Damon hesitates, Elena gets to him. She's always had an effect on him. Damon lowers the stake. "Whatever happens, it's on you."

Stefan takes Caroline away, Elena seems to have a silent argument with Damon, and Eva is left there, contemplating the innocent life that was lost tonight.

The man is dead, Caroline is unrecognizable. Eva has broken the rules for nothing.

Halle gets home from work late that night and somehow her daughter isn't there yet. But that's not her first concern, instead, it's that of the wax dripping down the candle she keeps in the middle of the dining table.

The flame has long gone extinct but there's evidence that it once burned.

It can only mean one thing—her daughter has broken their rule and used her magic. It's only a matter of time now.

       Distressed, Halle presses her hands to her head. She calms her breathing, keeps herself from getting angry. It's okay, her daughter doesn't know. Eva doesn't understand, Halle never let her understand.

       All she tells her is that they can't use their magic—never more than that.

       Halle likes that Eva never asks for more than that. She doesn't think she can bring herself to tell her if she did. Once she asked why they keep moving, work was the reason Halle gave her. Eva left it at that.

       But now Halle thinks that if she explained to Eva why, she wouldn't have used her magic. Halle has told her so little that Eva doesn't even know what the candle she keeps is for. Halle wishes she knew how to handle it all.

       All that she can find herself hoping is that the use of Eva's magic was worth it.

It all goes downhill from now.

       Halle calls Eva. Eva doesn't pick up.

       Halle slams the phone on the dining table, lets out a quiet curse. She hopes Eva is at Elena's home across the street—that there's not more to this and her daughter is safe.

       But Halle needs her home. Desperately.

       She calls Eva again. No answer. She texts her, telling her to come home immediately. Ten minutes go by till she finally gets an answer. It's a text from Eva, telling her she's on her way. Although Halle gets some relief, she's annoyed that the girl doesn't call her back.

       Just a text.

       She mutters something about children these days.

A strange thing happens then. The door is thrown open as if the strongest wind just gushed into the house. Halle bolts her head towards the sound. "Eva...? Hun?"

It's not Eva.

It's who she least wants it to be.

short first chapter. intro to Eva's character, some of her internal conflicts. some caroline/eva crumbs. i fear there's things i should add. but let's say that it's to keep the mystery.