Silent Vows || Elijah Mikaelson

iv. Halloween

A week had passed since the Jamie was startled awake by the dream. Vickie had started to date Jeremy. Elena and Stefan were going through problems. Vickie disappeared. And Elena and Stefan were broken up? Jamie honestly wasn't sure about the last one, but seeing as it was only two days ago that she held her sister in her arms as she cried, she had a good idea about what it meant. 

Now she laid in bed with Elena next to her, where her sister had been sleeping for that past nights. This meant that Jamie slept for only a few hours a night. No different than usual, but she was worried that she would wake up from the same dream again and worrying Elena was not on her to do list. All she had planned was to attend the Halloween festival tonight because 1) Caroline was dragging her and 2) there would be candy and Jamie loved candy especially anything sour. 

The sun filtered through the windows of the kitchen, casting soft light on the floor as Jamie sat at the Kitchen table. the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air, mingling with the faint aroma of taste that had just popped up in the toaster. she poked at her cereal, swirling the soggy flakes around the bowl, her appetite nonexistent. across the table, Elena stared at the mug in her hands, her eyes lost somewhere in her mind. 

"You should eat something," Jamie said quietly, her spoon clinking against the ceramic bowl as she set it down. 

Elena didn't respond right away, her focus fixed on the steam rising from her coffee. Finally, she looked up, offering Jamie a smile. "I will," she said, though they both knew she wouldn't. At least not that morning. 

Jamie sighed, getting up to grab her backpack from the chair by the door. She hesitated, glancing back at Elena, who had returned her gaze to the mug. "You coming?" 

Elena shook her head, a new look of determination settling on her face. "No.. I need to go see Stefan." 

Jamie frowned, concern flicking across her face. "Do you need me to go with you?" 

"No," Elena answered, standing up. "I'll be fine." 

Jamie hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, well, if you need me, just call, and I'll be there."

"I know you will," Elena replied softly, her eyes meeting Jamie's briefly. There was gratitude there because Elena knew deep down that if she called, Jamie would come. 

"Okay," Jamie said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you later." 

She left the house, the chill of the morning air biting at her skin as she made her way down the steps. Despite the crispness of the autumn day, she felt heavy, as if the weight of everything was pressing harder than usual. Her mind flitted between thoughts of Elena, Jeremy, and the unsettling dreams that refused to let her rest. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the night ahead at the Halloween festival, would bring more than candy and costumes. It would bring death.  

♕

The halls of Mystic Falls High buzzed with activity, students chattering about costumes and weekend plans as they moved from one class to the next. Jamie drifted through the crowd, her head down, trying to keep to herself. She wasn't really in the mood for talking to anyone, but she knew she couldn't avoid it forever. 

She stopped by her locker, spinning the combination lock absentmindedly. The clang of metal echoed as she opened it, the mundane action grounding her for a moment. Her eyes fell on the small photo taped on the inside - a picture of her, Elena, and Jeremy from years ago. The three siblings were throwing snowballs at each other as their mom laughed in the background of the picture. Jamie stared at it for a moment longer than necessary, a lump forming in the back of her throat.