𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 | 𝐭𝐯𝐝

21

Sundance sat down outside with Elena. They took a sip of their coffees and Elena began writing in her journal. Sundance stared at her hands, thinking of Bonnie's grandmother. "Hey, Bonnie, it's me just checking in, seeing how you're doing. We miss you here. Don't let your aunt drive you too crazy." Elena left yet another voicemail. Jenna walked out. "Come home soon. Love you." Elena hung up.

"What are you guys doing out here? It's cold." Jenna hugged her white sweater closer to her. "Thinking, writing. The, uh, funeral for Bonnie's grandma, it brought back a lot about mom and dad. I was wondering...you said that you would do some digging about them, the adoption." Elena looked up. Sundance took a long drink of her coffee. Jenna nodded. "So did you? Dig?" Elena nudged. "Yeah, come on inside." Jenna walked over to the door.

Jenna pulled out her laptop and sat down at the dining table. Sundance and Elena stood next to her, removing their jackets.
"Your dad kept everything from his medical practice-records, logs, old appointment books." She pulled out a journal and opened it, showing a page to Elena, then Sundance. "I found an entry from the night you were born. Patient and birth date. Isobel Peterson."

"Do you think that's her real name?" Sundance inched closer. "Pregnant teenage runaway? Probably not. First name, maybe. But where'd she get Peterson? Classmate? Best friend? So I binged it. I searched for all the Petersons in this area born the same year as Isobel, found 3--2 men and a woman, Trudie, who lived in Grove Hill, Virginia." Jenna pointed out.

"Damn, Aunt Jenna. You are a whole FBI agent." Sundance snickered. Jenna shrugged. "I know." She smirked. "Grove Hill? That's not far from here." Elena pointed out. "Well, watch this." Jenna pulled up an image of Isobel in a cheerleading outfit. Elena smiled. Sundance rubbed her back. "She'd be so proud...I hope." Sundance mumbled the last part.

Elena nodded and turned around, then hugged her sister.

"Trudie still lives there. This is her address." Jenna handed Sundance a post-it note.
"What about Isobel?" She asked. "I couldn't find anything about her."
Elena and Sundance looked at each other sadly and sat down at the table. Jenna paused before she divulged new information. "Listen. There's something else. Mr. Saltzman, Ric, his wife was from around here, and her name was also Isobel."
"Wait. "Was," as in..."
"She died." Jenna sighed.

SALVATORE HOME

Damon was feeding off a young sorority girl in the library. There were other girls dancing to the song "Black Hearts (On Fire)" playing in the room while their friend died in the arms of a monster. Damon came up for air after feeding. "How do I taste?" The girl asked seductively.

Damon replied, slurring on a few words since he was drunk. "Oh, so much better than your friends. But shh. Don't tell them. They might get jealous."
The lights flickered on. Stefan walked into the room. "No! Buzzkill Bob." Damon said in disgust.

Stefan turned the music off. Damon looked up at him blearily.
"Greetings and salutations."
"Can we talk?" Stefan looked around.
"Yeah."
"Without the Tri-Delts."
"Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of them. They're really good at keeping secrets." Damon smirked.

Stefan got his way through and he and Damon conversed in a private corner while the girls lounged around on the sofas. Damon had a bottle of booze in hand.

"You're worried about me. That's nice. Don't be. There's no need. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I spent the last 145 years with one goal: get in that tomb. I succeeded. Granted, Katherine wasn't in there to be rescued, but why dwell? You know, it's so liberating not having a master plan, because I can do whatever the hell I want." Damon took a swig of his drink.
"That's kind of what I'm afraid of." Stefan crossed his arms.
"Relax. I haven't killed anyone in...too long." Damon sighed.
"Those girls?" Stefan looked at the sorority girls. "....Will end up in their dorm with headaches, think they blacked out. Business as usual. Predictable you didn't pull me over here for a pep talk. So drink up." He pushed the bottle into Stefan's chest. "Spill it, brother." He finished. Stefan grabbed the bottle and placed it to his side.