Dusk til Dawn | n.mikaelson (book one)

XVI: Our Town

"Surprise!!" Briana yelled alongside Bonnie, Elena and Matt and Caroline walked through the front door of the Forbes house. 

"Happy Birthday!" Matt chirped as the girls giggles filled the room. Caroline stood stunned in her place. 

"What are you guys doing here?" The blonde questioned uneasily.

"Well you blew off school and missed our work of birthday art.." Elena smiled at her friend. 

"And I live here." Briana laughed as Elena placed the birthday crown on top of Caroline's head. 

"Change into warmer clothes, we're going to the falls. Smores, campfire.." Bonnie smiled. 

"Cake!" Elena added, "Just like when we were little." 

"Except with tequila!" Briana smiled and wiggled her eyebrows as Matt high fives her.

Caroline softly chuckled with a sad smile. Briana couldn't help but notice Caroline's unlikely behavior. 

"Thank you guys really but um I'm just not really feeling my birthday this year." Caroline confessed, everyone's smiles dropped. 

"I'm sorry what? You've already claimed your birthday as everyone's favorite day of the year." Bonnie spoke

"Yeah Care, cmon growing up you had a whole birth week celebration because 'one day isn't enough'" Briana remembered. She couldn't help but smile at the childhood memory of her sister. 

"But now my birthday is just a reminder that technically I'm dead. Look I didn't even like 17 anyways, and the only point of 17 was to get to 18. It's a filler year, and now I'm stuck in a filler year." Caroline confessed sadly. 

Briana couldn't help but feel her smile drop. Her heart ached knowing her sister was upset. Her and Caroline had often had long late night chats about what being a vampire really meant when Caroline turned. Briana had spent her time trying to remind Caroline of the positives to cheer her up, but deep down she always knew that never aging would wear on Caroline's heart and mind. 

"You're not stuck." Elena protested.

"Yeah, I am, but it's okay. You know, it's all good. I will be fine. I just need to wallow in it for a bit." Caroline spoke. 

"Oh come on Care! Aren't you the one who encouraged me just a few days ago that just because you are supernatural doesn't mean you lose yourself?" Briana stood tall with her arms joking only her hips to act as if she was lecturing her younger sister. 

Caroline's eyes went wide, shocked at her sister's confession.  

Briana rolled her eyes and laughed, "Caroline I love you but you can't keep a secret to save your life. I know you told them the minute our conversation ended." She smiled. 

Briana actually hadn't mind that Caroline told everyone about her triggering her curse. It just meant the less people Briana had to tell herself, and she was okay with that. 

Caroline let out a sigh, "I believe I also told you it was okay to wallow for a while if you were feeling upset."

"Co-" Briana started but was interrupted by Elena. 

"Well, I think I have another idea." 

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"There it is!" Elena exclaimed as the group of girls, and Matt, made their way to the Fell crypt. 

"Okay this is creepy.. even for us." Bonnie said eerily. 

"No Caroline was right." Elena began to explain, "Technically you're dead. You don't need a birthday, you need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life so you can embrace your new one." She smiled at the blonde.