ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH | TVD [2]

VI • SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

six. smells like teen spirit

Mystic Falls Woods

A genuinely amused, curious and enthusiastically smiling Rosie is watching closely as the defensive human doppelgänger, Elena Gilbert, is diligently training in pure determination on one of her legal guardian's mannequins. He shows her how to stake a vampire with a sleeve and two stakes in it.

"So the pressure of your punch ejects the stakes." The teacher, Alaric Saltzman, pointed out in order to teach both girls near him as his students.

"Easy enough." Elena tries but the stakes remain in the sleeve, "That's weird." She tries again but it doesn't work, "Must be jammed or something."

Her best friend chuckles, "You're not strong enough, Elena. Better start lifting some weights, put some meat on your bones, make yourself fit."

Elena fakes a smile in embarrassment, "Thanks for not sugar-coating it."

"She's right." Alaric takes something out of his duffel bag and Rosie takes it.

The hybrid shows it to the chestnut brunette, "Do you know what this is?"

Elena shakes her head a little, frowning cluelessly, "No. What is it?"

She raises it in the air and catches it perfectly, "It's a vervain grenade. I've used one before. Once you do too, then you know the element of surprise is your only advantage when it comes to a vampire." Rosie effortlessly pulls the pin out of a grenade and throws it in her best friend's hand, "Surprise."

"Oh my God." Elena quickly throws it in the air and the grenade explodes.

"Well done." The caramel brunette commented sarcastically.

"This isn't a joke to me, Rosie." Elena angrily pulls off her sleeve.

"You think she's joking? Vampires will take whatever they want. They will hurt whoever they want. And they'll do it without remorse. It's their nature." The knowledgeable History teacher warned the vulnerable human girl before he looks back at the vampire/banshee hybrid, "No offense, really."

"None taken." Rosie shakes her head a little at his 'subtle' reference.

"You don't have to use pronouns. You can say Stefan." Elena mentioned.

"He can't. It's a sensitive subject." Rosie mentioned in return as a reminder.

"Right. Look, I get why you're here. We both do. Stefan hurt you. You don't want it to happen again." The eighteen-year-old's legal guardian retorted.

"But you both think that I'm crazy. To believe that I can protect myself from a vampire who's flipped the switch on his humanity." Elena assumed.

"No, I think you found a way to get out of bed this morning. And that makes you the strongest person I know. I think that you can do pretty much anything." Her intuitive hybrid best friend truly encouraged her, smiling.