BEWITCHED

16. A Moment of Clarity

(A's/N: short chapter, I'm sorry. Also, sorry it's taking so long to write this story. So much has happened in the last few months, and it took a hard toll on my mental health. Lost a job, gained a new job. Parents got scammed and that involved the police. Went through a heartbreaking breakup that I'm still processing. But here I am trying to write fanfictions that I love and that apparently, people love too. Much appreciation to everyone who reads this story, favorited it, comments on it, and loves every bit of it. You guys make life suck less this year <3)

Throwing tiny needles at a board never felt stress relieving as Cameron and Octavia happily competed against each other. Awaiting Godric's entrance, Octavia could feel he was taking his sweet vampire time through her magic as Octavia missed her first target by hitting the only drywall in the apartment. A sigh of frustration escaped her lips as Cameron could only laugh at the very human gesture coming from Octavia. With the recent light conversation about various subjects, Octavia rotated the small darts in her hands as she questioned the urge to ask Cameron about his history. Everything up to this year had been a lie to her from the old vampire himself, but for a reason, she couldn't find, she never felt anger. Feeling the hair that fell past her face, Octavia glanced upward to see Cameron's smile. 

"Everything ok?" He didn't seem too concerned with her sudden silence, but she could see the curiosity in his eyes. Octavia hesitated before asking, not knowing how he would react. 

"I figured you meant well by lying to me about your history, but can I ask why you did so?" Her voice didn't sound angry. Instead, Cameron felt relief from her tone. Looking away from her briefly, he threw one of the three darts against the board, hitting it right in the middle circle. 

"Fear, mostly." He waited to watch for a specific expression Octavia gave him out of confusion and to see if she heard him right. Then, feeling a little victorious, he continued, "After Godric explained what you turned into, I felt somewhat fearful of you. I didn't know how you would react to me, considering the events that led up to your transformation and if your emotions would be uncontrollable. I'm sure you can imagine not wanting to be on the receiving end of your Sera magic if you were to see me as an enemy." 

Accepting her silence and a small smile, Octavia threw one of her four darts at the board, aiming for the middle, but missing it altogether. Cameron couldn't tell if she just had bad aim or was losing on purpose. Feeling grateful that he couldn't read her mind, Octavia spoke her following words carefully, wanting to see his reaction and hear his thoughts. 

"You know, Alec never mentioned you or much of his family outside his parents. So I figured at the time he didn't want them to know he was falling in love with the town's witch." 

"Well, if he was supposed to fall in line with the protection detail for you and your bloodline because of the family he's from, I'm sure you can understand why he kept the secret. I'm sure my descendants had clear intentions and directions when it came to the Sera witches-"

"He once told me he felt like an outcast because of how the village treated him and his parents. I guess I know why now." Octavia interrupted with a brief memory of Alec being bullied centuries ago. 

"A moment of clarity, isn't it?" Cameron hummed, but when he caught Octavia's eyes, both returned the staring contest with a smile. But her smile faded the moment Octavia thought about Godric, who was very close to-

"Indeed," Godric's voice erupted from the front entrance of the apartment, a clear sign Octavia forgot to activate her barriers to protect the building. Though Godric was able to enter the apartment, he clearly waited for Octavia to allow him inside. Without peeling her sight away from Godric's intense eyes, Octavia held out her hands for Cameron to set the darts down gently.