ALMOST IS NEVER ENOUGH | TVD [4]

II • NEVER LET ME GO

two. never let me go

Whitmore College, Professor Saltzman's Occult Studies Classroom

After class has been dismissed, Melissa/Minerva steps into the junior-level Occult Studies classroom without knocking, to find Alaric and Bonnie at the front of the lecture hall, in which her best friend gestures her to join them. Melissa/Minerva does so without hesitation and sees the blackboard written and underlined 'Death', to which she mentioned, "Remind me again why I'm not taking this class? Oh, right. Because I'd be studying myself up."

Bonnie Bennett chuckles, "Who is amazing, by the way. You ready?"

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be here." Minerva replied in an obvious tone.

"Where are you girls going?" Alaric darts his gaze between them curiously.

"Nowhere that concerns you." The brilliant senior smiles mischievously.

"I have to admit, a part of me is depressed by your choice of lecture topics for today." The junior reported to the professor, "Another part is amazed."

"What did you talk about, exactly?" Her best friend asked him curiously.

"I talked about what happens after death." The young man chuckles.

"He was pretending like his good looks are the reason the class is so full." Bonnie lowly told her best friend and they share a look before giggling.

"I'm not." He laughs, followed by the two girls, "I mean, we've all heard the same stories they have about Mystic Falls. Ghost sightings, poltergeists--"

"Zombies!" The older girl called out playfully, making the trio laugh again.

"So I talked about it, of what's behind all of these stories. You know how almost every culture has the lore of a creature or being that cheats death? So I ask you, why do our brains insist on inventing the most unbelievable things? It's because--"

"--Because the reality of death is actually the most unbelievable thing of all." The young senior cuts him off, unabashedly, rather proud of herself.

The Occult professor nods in agreement, "Mmhm. So I told them that the most terrifying thing that they're going to encounter in Mystic Falls is a trespassing ticket. So, everyone should just stay out, for their own good."

Bonnie and Minerva nod along before the older former spoke, "So, the Great Mystic Falls Evacuation Plan isn't going as well as everyone hoped..."

Alaric chuckles, "Well, they turned it into a ghost town. That part worked. Unfortunately for us, ghost towns are like amusement parks for college kids. The Heretics have killed ten people already. Two last night-- idiots looking for a ghost selfie." He shakes his head a little at the breaking news report.