Prophecy

Witch Wine

Chapter Four

The sky is just beginning to darken as Elena and I step out, the fading light casting long shadows across the streets of Mystic Falls. There's a quiet hush that falls over the town at this hour, a sense that something is waiting just beyond the edge of sight. It's a feeling I've come to expect here, but it still gives me a chill. We're taking the short walk to Bonnie for tonight's sleepover. 

We walk side by side, our footsteps echoing softly in the cool evening air. The occasional flicker of a streetlamp casts a dim glow, but it's just enough to keep the path visible. Despite the quiet, or maybe because of it, the town feels alive in a way that's almost unsettling, as if it holds secrets it's waiting to reveal.

Elena pulls her jacket tighter around herself and glances over at me, breaking the silence. "It's weird, isn't it?" she says, her voice low. "Being out here, it feels like everything's holding its breath."

I nod, understanding exactly what she means. "It's like that a lot here. Mystic Falls... it has this energy."

She smiles, though there's a hint of unease in her eyes. "Yeah, it definitely does."

We walk in silence for a few more minutes, and I can tell she's watching me out of the corner of her eye, like she's working up to something. Finally, she nudges me with her elbow, her expression turning curious.

"You've been a little distracted lately," she says, a teasing note in her voice. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

I chuckle, trying to play it off, though my mind immediately drifts to Damon. "Just adjusting to Mystic Falls, I guess. And... I met someone."

Elena's eyes widen, her curiosity piqued. "Ooh, really? Spill!"

"There's this guy... Damon. We ran into each other in town. He's a little mysterious, but there's something about him that I can't quite figure out," I admit, my thoughts returning to the way he looked at me, like he could see right through me.

Elena raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "A mysterious guy in Mystic Falls? Sounds like trouble already."

"Maybe," I say, shrugging. "But I haven't had a chance to really meet anyone since we moved here. It was nice to feel noticed, you know?"

Elena's expression softens, and she links her arm with mine. "Hey, you're totally worth noticing."

I chuckle an shake my head.

We walk on, falling into a comfortable silence, both of us lost in our thoughts. As we near Bonnie's house, I can't shake the feeling that Mystic Falls does indeed have secrets—and that whatever they are, they're already pulling us in, bit by bit. Bonnie's house feels warm and inviting as Elena and I step inside, but there's an underlying sense of excitement in the air, like the night has something hidden up its sleeve. We find Caroline sprawled on the floor in front of the coffee table, flipping through a magazine with a glass of wine already in hand.

"Finally!" Caroline exclaims, looking up at us. "What took you guys so long? I'm almost halfway through this bottle." She grins, but there's a mischievous glint in her eye.

Bonnie rolls her eyes, handing us each a glass of wine. "I'm pretty sure Grams is going to kill me if she notices these missing, so we might as well finish them."

We clink our glasses and I take a healthy gulp of the homemade witch wine. At some point I'm gonna have to tell Bonnie about me being a witch. But she hasn't even begun to start practicing and still thinks her grams is crazy. TIme will settle it. We'll get there.

We settle into our spots on the floor, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows around the room. Caroline takes another sip of her wine and fixes her gaze on me.