(1) Just Magic (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Fifty-Two

Cassandra is sat on the lawn, staring out at the road beyond. Damon leaves the Gilbert House behind her and heads down the porch steps towards her. His eyes glance up at the sky. The telltale red sky of 'dreamland', but there are storm clouds too. Deep red clouds in the distance. That's new. Damon sits at her side and pulls his knees up to rest his cheek on as he watches her. She's just staring. There was no resistance this time. No Spongebobs. No nothing. She let him in without issue this time.

"Everything okay?" He asks, she hums and gives a tiny nod but that's it.

"Who was that man in the road?" She asks, Damon frowns.

"We already talked about this" He reminds her. "I don't know" He assures her. She glances at him. "Do you remember anything else about him?"

"No" She whispers. "I never really saw his face. He was wearing a hoodie. All I can remember is that these black boots were coming towards me....." She draws off, staring back at the road again. Damon takes her arm and turns her slightly so she's facing him, so her eyes are on him.

"Until I find him" He starts. "You need to be careful" She lets out a breath and nods. He frowns and touches her arms, wrapped tightly around her legs. "What's going on with you?" He asks as he takes her face in his hands. She's being really weird. Quiet. Sedate really. He actually appears worried about her.

"'M adopted" She mumbles, he frowns.

"What was that?"

"Adopted" She repeats. "Everything is a lie" Her voice breaks as her sedate appearance cracks into tears. Damon frowns but pulls her closer to him. Letting her curl into his chest. He rests his chin on the top of her head, his arms around her as she cries into his chest. He's not really all that good at the comfort thing. But right now, here, she has no one else to do it for her.

..............

Cassandra sits on the floor of her bedroom as she flicks through a photo album, her childhood of lies there on the pages for her to see. How could they never tell them? How could Jenna keep this from them? This changes everything. Who they are. Maybe her powers are genetic. Maybe there is someone in her biological family that can do what she can do. Maybe they can give her answers. She sighs and closes the photo album. What's the point? They clearly didn't want them.

.......

Downstairs, Jeremy is sketching at the dining room table. The doorbell rings and Jeremy gets up to answer it. A pizza delivery guy waits on the front porch. This is Noah.

"Hey. It's gonna be $22" Noah pulls pizza out of the bag as Jeremy looks up the stairs.

"Cassie, I need the money!" He shouts and then turns back to Noah. "Uh, here. Come in. Just put it on the table" Jeremy walks back into the dining room. The young man stands on the front porch for a moment longer before crossing the threshold into the house. He places the pizza on the table while Cassandra jogs down the stairs, retrieving the money from her wallet.

"Hi. Um, keep the change." Cassandra hands the money to Noah who takes it. Noah starts to walk backwards, out of the house.

"Thanks. And you have yourself a good night" He tells her. Cassandra smiles politely and shuts the door. Noah turns around, pulls the hood of his sweater over his head, and walks down the steps of the front porch. It is clear that he is the vampire that caused Cassandra's car accident and now he has been invited into her house.

............

Cassandra is sat back on her floor. She still has a lot to work through. This time, she's studying Elena and her own birth certificate. Just to see. But nothing stands out as being wrong. They look perfectly normal. For birth certificates. She doesn't know what she was expecting. Something to jump out at her. Something obvious. She sighs and sets them down on the dresser. She lifts her hand and curls her fingers, pulling her hairbrush across the room with her powers. She's trying to use them more in the everyday. Maybe then she will build up a higher upper limit. Maybe she won't get nosebleeds or pass out anymore. She motions with her hand and the hairbrush starts to move through her hair. Elena knocks on the bedroom door. Now she is without a car, Cassandra is required to get a lift to and from school with her sister. She misses her solitude.

"Two seconds" Cassandra offers as she moves her fingers, setting the brush down and then holds out her hand, lifting her bag this time. Elena opens the door and then hurriedly closes it behind her.

"Be careful, Jenna could see" Elena scolds. Cassandra takes her bag into her hand, letting her powers disappear.

"You opened the door" Cassandra scolds as she manually pulls her bag up her to her shoulder. "Let's go then..." Cassandra moves past Elena and opens the door but Elena remains routed. "What?" Cassandra asks.

"What happened in Atlanta?" Elena counters, Cassandra tilts her head. "With Damon?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean....what did you do?" Elena asks. Cassandra snorts.

"We went to a bar, had a drink....we went through all this with Stefan"

"I know, but I thought maybe you were just....not telling him everything" Elena offers. "I thought you might tell me..."

"But nothing else happened" Cassandra assures her.

"Do you like Damon?" Elena tries, Cassandra sighs and turns to her.

"In what way?" Cassandra counters. "Romantic? Friend? Sex?"

"I don't know" Elena answers. "Any of them?"

"Honestly" Cassandra starts. "I have no idea...I have fun with him, most of the time, and he's hot. What more do I need right now?"