Chapter 12

Myriam was happy that this was a party and not a formal ball, although she loved wearing elaborate dresses – it still made her feel like a princess. Instead, she chose a blue and gold evening dress and her favourite black heels.

Attending the party was important, this way Myriam could see how much the council knew about vampires and if they were aware that the recent kills were all done by vampires. If so, she’d need to take action, this council was a lot smarter than the one 145 years ago. She wasn’t going to attempt any compelling, just use her ears to listen in on conversations.

Between listening in on the council and definitely running into Stefan and Damon, it was going to be a busy night.

She was one of the first ones to arrive, which gave her plenty of time to have a look at the collection that the Lockwoods had collected from the other founding families. The first thing she saw was… a drawing of herself. It was more like a painting, and she couldn’t believe it was there and wasn’t sure who made it. “Holy shit,” she quietly exclaimed in surprise.

“Remarkable, isn’t it?”

Myriam turned to see Liz Forbes standing next to her, dressed in her sheriff outfit. “Is this a joke or something?”

“Oh no, it’s a drawing from 1864 alright. My ancestors took it, and other things, after the artist died after an animal attack. Only days before this woman had left Mystic Falls and her servant arrived a couple of days later to announce that she had died in an Inn fire. It was quite suspicious… it still is.”

“How so?”

“Because you’re obviously looking like her, which makes me think you are her.”

“How? You said it yourself, it was made in 1864. It’s not humanly and scientifically possible to live that long, I’m 26 years old,” Myriam laughed, shaking her head. “Who is she, anyway?”

“You and her share the same name. Her name is Myriam Hawthorne, ever heard of her?”

She was quiet for a moment as if she was thinking and then shook her head. “No, sorry. I’m the first girl born in a very long time in our line. There’s no Hawthorne in my family tree. Are you sure she was called Hawthorne?”

“Oh yeah, she’s buried here at the cemetery, big red headstone and all,” Liz then handed Myriam a drink. “Sorry for the questions, it’s just…”

“Strange,” Myriam agreed as she took a sip of her drink and tasting the vervain in it. Stupid Zach caving to the city council or at least Liz Forbes! But since she’d been ingesting vervain for a very long time, Myriam didn’t react to it. “Is this drawing the reason I was invited?”

“Truthfully? Yes.”

She let out a small chuckle as she took another sip of her drink. “I think it’s amazing, though. But that truly isn’t me. Perhaps it’s a doppelganger or something? Ever heard of those?”

“Everybody has a twin, anywhere, anytime? I didn’t think you believed in that kind of stuff.”

“Just because I’m a bartender and waitress at the Grill, doesn’t mean that I’m not educated. It’s just that there’s no real job in esoteric, floaty stuff, so it’s more of a hobby of mine… expensive hobby. Student loans are the bane of my existence,” she shook her head laughing. “I should have made better decisions like my parents had wanted me to, but ah well.”

“You’re a witch?”

Myriam then blinked, a confused look on her face. “Witches don’t exist, only in fairytales. I know my herbs and stuff that can help people, but usually only when they believe it works. I’m a mixologist for herbs. I like to carry stones with me because I believe they work on me. It’s a belief. Not magic because magic isn’t real.” Oh, she had become so good at pretending now, it was almost a second nature.

The sheriff barked out a laugh then. “Oh sweetheart, nobody ever told you the legends of Mystic Falls when you moved here?”

“Oh, sure. But vampires? Werewolves? Witches? Really? What drugs were you guys on back then because I’d like some! But legends are just that, not real.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Liz shrugged as she looked back at the painting. “Would you ever use Vervain in your tonics?”

“Vervain? No, not really, there’s no evidence that it gives you high-quality effectiveness. Some people use it for detoxing the body from stuff or alleviate depression symptoms. I don’t tend to use it because other herbs do the job better,” she replied with a shrug. “But if you want me to make you some tea or an ointment with vervain, I’d have to find a place where it grows because despite the town being perfect to grow it, it’s nowhere to be found.”

“No, no, there’s no need,” the sheriff replied as she turned to smile at Myriam. “I have my source for it myself. But thank you for enlightening me. Perhaps you could share your wisdom about herbs with the rest of the council after the party is over?”

“Can it be tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Elizabeth smiled and shook Myriam’s hand. “Congratulations, Myriam, you’ve proven to me that you’re not a vampire,” she said lightly before walking away to mingle with the newcomers.

“And I still think that’s a ridiculous thing to say!” Myriam called after her before she looked at the painting for the last time and sighed. Zak had been so stupid to leave this out, but then again, he hadn’t known she was a vampire. She should have been more careful and made sure that she hadn’t left anything behind.

Speaking of leaving things behind, one of her lockets was on display too. Graciously donated by the Salvatore family. Yeah right, it was likely that it was stolen. She could sense that there was still a demon attached to it. “Oh, you poor thing,” she muttered as she started to reach out to it to release it.

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

Merde. Myriam turned around to face Damon, who looked at her. “I could say the same about you.”

“I like your dress,” he smiled at her. “I knew you weren’t dead dead after your elaborate headstone was placed. Scarlet red stone, beautiful letters and that quote underneath it, seriously? Can it be even more obvious?”

“It had to be obvious to you,” she replied as she looked at him. “You look good, Damon. You haven’t aged a day.”

“Ha!”

“Although I would have never wished this for you.”

“Yeah well, neither had I, but I get to torment Stefan eternally now, so that’s a plus.”

“Or you could just stay away from him and live your own life,” she replied after she released the demon quietly. “And stop allowing history to repeat. Stay away from Elena and stop messing with Caroline. Kill her already.”

“Myriam!” Damon laughed as he put an arm around her and lead her to the dance floor to slow dance with her. “This isn’t your town, it has never been. There is no way that I’m going to allow you to dictate what I can or cannot do with my life.”

“Elena will bring you nothing but misery, Damon, you know this. She’ll hurt you as Katerina has.” She needed to leave. After the sheriff’s interrogation, she felt a bit exposed, vulnerable and Damon was making things only worse.

“Yeah well, you’re likely back in town working an angle, but so am I. Would you like to exchange angles and then maybe work together?”

“I work alone,” Myriam let go of Damon and stepped away from the dancefloor. “Besides, you likely want to free Katerina from the tomb, but I can tell you with certainty that she’s not there. Go have fun with your date.”

Damon grabbed her by the arm and pulled him back towards him. “Tell me where she is!”

“Damon, let go of me!” Myriam cried out in pain as she tried to break free. She could have tried harder, but human and all. “I am not your date!” She then slapped his face so he had no choice but to let her go after the display and she stormed outside to cool off. While she was great at pretending to be human and fooling everyone, the emotions were still getting in her way, but she would never turn them off.

When Damon followed her out, she fought the urge to break his neck. “Tell me where she is!”

“No,” Myriam replied sternly. “That bitch will bring nothing but trouble for you, Elena has the same effect on you and Stefan, so if I can control just a little bit on when or where you’re going to see her, then so be it.”

“You’re not being fair!”

“I’m not? Well, tough! Leave Mystic Falls, Damon, if you know what’s good for yourself. I don’t give a flying fuck about your brother because I’m really angry with him too. But mostly with Katerina for being who she is for centuries. And for turning you both.”

“It’s fine!”

“No, it’s not! You deserve a better life than this. I always imagined you’d settle down and have beautiful babies,” she snarled. “And don’t tell me that’s a load of crap because I have my ways of knowing. You didn’t want this, still, don’t, and that’s why you’re in Stefan’s hair.”

“So what, you’re going to kill Katherine?”

“I have my plans for her, but you need to stay clear of her and Elena. Only more hurt will come from it,” she sighed. “Please.”

“Nope,” he shook his head before walking off. “Since you’re not going to tell me where she is, I’m still going on with my plan.”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

Myriam stuck around until the end of the party and mingled with the rest of them, and at the end of the night, Liz Forbes asked Myriam to reconsider and to join her and the mayor and some others for a little chat. Shrugging, Myriam decided to stick around.

“What is she doing here?”

“Relax, Richard,” the sheriff replied. “She’s here at my invitation, it’s likely that we can use her knowledge about herbs, where to put it in and how to cultivate it. Zach Salvatore’s underground vervain garden could need some expanding,” she added before looking at Carol. “Did you get the Gilbert Watch?”

Oh, was she going to have to fool that old thing again?!

“No,” Mrs Lockwood replied with a sigh. “She said it’s still packed up with her parents’ belongings, and she can’t find it.”

“I can get it.”

Myriam didn’t like Logan Fell. She hadn’t liked his ancestors much either, but they had been easy to manipulate. Not this scumbag who was the town’s celebrity.

“Good, we’re going to need it,” Sheriff Forbes nodded.

“Are you sure?” Carol Lockwood asked carefully.

“Five bodies drained of blood, I’m sure. They’re back.”

“Sorry for interrupting, but what am I doing here and who’s back?” Myriam piped up.

“As I said, you may need to grow some vervain plants, help Zach Salvatore out and-”

“No, we don’t know if she’s a vampire or not!” Logan interrupted. “She’s new to Mystic Falls!”

“Do you take me for a fool, Logan?” Liz shot at him. “I had her drink wine spiked with Zach’s vervain, and she didn’t flinch. Myriam also walks in daylight, and she doesn’t even believe in vampires, witches, and werewolves. She’s human. And the Gilbert Watch will prove it. No vampire is that crafty.”

“Yeah, no. You’re all nuts,” Myriam let out a snort. “If you’d like I can whip up something that stops you from being afflicted by whatever is ailing you, but I don’t want to have anything to do with your crazy.”

“You look like the drawing we had in the parlor, aren’t you the least bit curious to find out if she’s your relative or not?”

“She’s not, I told you, I’m the first woman in a very long time. And I came to Mystic Falls for some peace, a fresh start. I don’t want to be dragged into your shenanigans or smoke what you’re smoking, thank you,” Myriam said as she got to her feet. “But don’t worry, it’s bartender/client privilege, and I’ll not tell a soul that the town’s council has lost their marbles. Have a good night,” she said before she excused herself and left the house.

They knew. It was a good thing that Zach had warned her about the smarter council and if Damon and Stefan were going to get themselves in trouble, then so be it. Damon, she might save, but Stefan? Nah. Besides, it wasn’t her mission. She needed to keep Elena safe. For her husband.

The next few days she kept her head down and worked her shift at the Mystic Grill, now that Vicki was incapacitated – in more ways than one, Myriam had heard the news about the deaths of the stoners and no doubt Vicki Donovan had been involved somehow – Myriam was pulling double shifts. And, for a few days, it was quite nice not to see Damon around. But, according to one of the spirits she had under her command, Damon was locked up in the Salvatore boarding home, and Myriam couldn’t see that end well.

Three days later, Zach was dead. Damon had killed him.

Another day later, Myriam killed Caroline, but instead of drinking her blood or anything, she compelled Caroline to kill herself dramatically – falling from the bell tower would make a bold statement.

Myriam believed she had spotted Anna the vampire at some point, and Logan Fell showed up to be a vampire. Knowing that Damon only turned people for his own enjoyment and Stefan was on the bunny diet, Myriam deducted that Anna was the culprit.

When Stefan’s friend Lexi came to town, Myriam decided to go home for awhile. Elena was going to be safe now that Caroline was dead, Vicki was taken care of, and the city council believed that Myriam was human. So she went home for a ‘family emergency,’ and she wasn’t sure when she was going to come back.

She found Klaus in upstate New York in some vampire dive bar with a cute, tiny brunette all over him, but him drinking his glass of blood while ignoring her. “Alright tiny ninja, get your hands off of my husband, he’s mine,” Myriam growled before she put her arm around him and crawled into his lap. “Hello,” she smiled at him.

“Did you have to be rude to Sameen?”

“That’s what she was called?” Myriam replied as she looked at the retreating groupie. She did have a wonderful body and no doubt she was physically strong. Sameen looked like she had fallen from grace from something. “I like her, can I turn her?”

“You’d have to turn her girlfriend Sam too.”

“Oh, the possibilities,” she grinned before kissing Klaus passionately. “Can I?” Myriam asked while kissing him.

“We’re supposed to keep a low profile, love,” he broke off the kiss with a smile on his face as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Leave the pets alone. How are you faring in Mystic Falls?”

She sighed as she signalled to the bartender that she wanted something strong. “Did I tell you about the big ass drawing that they had of me at the party?”

“I’d love to get my hands on that,” he smiled at her. “Is that why you’re here? Did they find out who you are?”

“No,” she smiled at him, running a hand through his hair as she picked up her glass of whiskey from the bar. “Zach Salvatore knew, he had my back. The sheriff was doing everything in her power to see if I was a vampire or not, but I managed to convince her by walking in the daylight and ingesting alcohol stuffed with vervain. In fact, they wanted my help due to my herbal knowledge and whatnot… which was my own fault. But yeah…” She sighed as she downed her drink. “My supposed friend killed my friend. Zach’s dead. I killed one of the nasty teenagers by having her step off a tall building, and when I was sure everything was somewhat under control, I left. I just need a breather. Teenagers and teenage vampires suck.”

“We’ve all been teenagers.”

“Yes, but we’re not stuck in that time. And while Kol and Rebekah are, they are more mature than those… fragile teenagers in Mystic Falls. And that broody asshole… he has hero hair, it’s ridiculous. Who is he trying to emulate? Edward Cullen?”

“Who?”

Myriam sighed. “A fictitious vampire. He sparkles when he gets into sunlight, likely because burning to death is a bit too morbid for teenagers to read. I swear, I can see badly written inspired by Twilight books popping up in the future with people wanting to do better or whatnot.”

“Who writes that drivel?”

Myriam shrugged as she kept toying with his hair. “I wanted to get out of Mystic Falls for a while, but I promise you, you’ll like the playground when everything is in place.”

“And what of the moonstone?”

“You really want that specific one? There are others, more powerful ones, you know. I have a few in my possession.”

“Yes, that specific one!” Klaus scowled. “Everything needs to be perfect, and that moonstone is the perfect one! Besides, it’s still my property! Katerina stole it from me!”

“Alright, alright,” she shushed him with a kiss. “I’ll make sure you’ll get that particular moonstone, I promise, my love.”

He sighed as he toyed with her hair, visibly relaxing. “What have I ever done to deserve you, love?”

“Your brother brought in a stray, and you allowed her to stay and to become a part of the family, of course, you deserve me,” she smiled at him. “I’m yours. Forever. Now, take me home, you and I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

She licked her lips as she looked at him through her lashes. “I’m in the mood for my favourite banana.”

They spent their days together in bed, eating the best food they could get and soaked up the culture in New York at night, going to some operas and plays. Myriam loved Raúl Esparza in Speed-the-Plow, a satirical dissection of the American movie business. Not all plays were dull, and this had indeed been a fun one. Still, nothing could top 2006, where she and Klaus went to see Spring Awakening and Les Miserables.

While they never snacked on the talented actors and singers, they did snack on some of the theatregoers although Myriam rather snacked on some of the transients and criminals that crawled around in New York.

~o.O.o~

She went back to Mystic Falls in the second week of December – reluctantly, but she had appearances to keep up, and it wasn’t long before she was caught up with everything that was going on. Nothing had changed. In fact, things had gotten worse.

Caroline was now a baby vamp, and she wasn’t liking it at all. She blamed Myriam for her death, but it had been Damon feeding Caroline his blood so when Caroline died, she became a vampire. Myriam was going to make Caroline her bitch she just needed a little bit more time and less heat on her return from holiday.

The tomb vampires were out, and Myriam wanted to kill them all, but they’d been smart, they’d compelled a human to allow them in, but to keep others out, and as long as Miss Gibbons remained alive, there wasn’t anything Myriam could do. But Pearl and her friends needed to die like they should have done in 1864 but hadn’t because of Katerina. While Pearl and Anna were deemed somewhat docile, Myriam didn’t like the others. And Pearl and Anna’s association with Katerina made them targets anyway.

But maybe Anna didn’t deserve to die. All she had wanted to was to free her mother – which she succeeded – and have a life with Jeremy. Which happened until Vicki Donovan ended up dead after the storm and Anna realised Jeremy wanted to turn into a vampire to be with Vicki. Not with Anna.

Myriam wasn’t sure if she had to do something when Stefan was taken by the tomb vampires or not. It was Stefan, after all, Damon’s brother. But it seemed like Damon and Elena had it all under control, asking the new History teacher Alaric Saltzman for help. Oh yes, Myriam was shocked to find out that the good teacher was also a vampire hunter. And a semi-decent one at that. And that his wife was now a vampire – turned by Damon – and that his wife was Elena’s birth mother.

What a mess, but oh so entertaining!

She kept an eye on the rescue efforts, of course, and was tempted to help Stefan and Elena when Damon and Alaric were doing whatever they were doing, and Stefan had been taken down. Elena had fed Stefan her blood to save the both of them, which was the start of another good drama series, wasn’t it?

Goody-two-shoes Stefan who hadn’t had human blood in a very long time had now human blood in his system. Good thing Myriam had free access to the boarding home to keep an eye on him, much to Damon’s dismay. Myriam had set up a room for herself in one of the spare rooms so she could keep an eye on Stefan because she had her ways of keeping an eye on him while not doing so physically.

And she wasn’t happy with what she was hearing from her friends. Stefan was drinking human blood, a lot of it, saying that he was fine, but he clearly wasn’t. She wondered if the reason why he was on animal blood was because he was an addict. A Ripper. Her demons confirmed it. Who would have thunk? Stefan Salvatore, the addict.

“You can’t be around Elena like this, you know,” Myriam said as she leaned against the doorpost and looked at the vampire who was trying not to drink human blood and do everything in his power to distract his mind and suppress his urges. “You could take a bite out of her, and I can’t have you do that.”

“I don’t want to, and I’m fine,” Stefan countered agitated. “I can control myself, I’d never hurt Elena.”

“You say that now, but what if… I don’t know… you two get all cuddly, and you smell her blood, hear her heartbeat…”

“Myriam, why are you back? I never got to ask you,” he sighed as he looked at her. “You don’t seem to want to talk to me and yet here you are.”

“I don’t like you. You killed your uncle Zak, who was nothing but kind to me, so forgive me that talking to you isn’t high on my priority list. Keeping Elena safe, is,” she said harshly. “I can help you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Come to me when you realize you’re not,” she snapped as she looked at Damon who had just walked in. “Hey, what about I give up my rental home and stay here until my home is finally done renovating?”

“No thanks,” Damon scowled. “We don’t need you being a helicopter parent.”

Myriam let out a chuckle and shook her head. “So who’s going to be my date to the Founder’s Day event then?”

“You’ve been invited, again?”

“Relax, they all think I’m a human, I drank champagne laced with vervain a couple of months ago while the sheriff was grilling me about the drawing you guys donated for the history part of that particular party. Thanks for that.”

“How the hell did we know that you were still alive!” Damon countered angrily.

“No, I’m not angry about it, but they like me now. Because I know my herbs. They probably think I’m a witch or something.”

“I supply them with vervain! ME!”

“And I’m telling them how to use it properly, so what?”

“You’re not going to the event.”

“You can’t stop me from going, Damon, because it’s likely that Elena’s going to attend too, and I need to make sure she stays safe. You two seem to be doing a poor job at it,” she countered. “Besides, your brother is not doing fine. I don’t want him to slaughter the council and everyone attending that party.”

She went up to her room and summoned a demon before ordering it to stick to Stefan and to try to help him fight his urges, to make the transition back to animals a bit smoother. If the demon wasn’t successful, Myriam promised the demon that he’d burn eternally. In slow motion.

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