Chapter 06

Bella found herself on the same spot, but Kol wasn’t in front of her, no, instead, Kol was more to the side with Myriam filling some barrel and it was too close to the house. The house. The house wasn’t burning. It was all in tact and nothing had changed.

Nothing, except for the fact that there weren’t flames and Kol wasn’t standing in front of her.

What was going on?

Oh, she felt unsettled, dizzy and confused, but maybe she should take this opportunity to warn them. Again. Because there was no doubt in her mind that Kol hadn’t given her warning to Myriam. Slowly walking over, she pushed her hands in her pockets. “Uh, hey guys!”

“Bella?” Kol looked at her. “What are you doing here?”

“Wishing you a Merry Christmas,” she smiled at him. “And to make sure you’re not going to fry that turkey so close to the house. I think in the middle of the garden should do the trick.”

“It’ll be fine, darling,” he replied as he made his way over to her. “Did you look at the gifts?”

“Yes, but that’s not why I’m here, I’ll thank you for that later,” she insisted as she pointed at the barrel. “That needs to go away from the house or the house will burn, Klaus will try to kill you and then Myriam and Klaus will want to find themselves a room but that will be impossible as the firefighters can’t extinguish the fire because there’s no water source close by for them to use.”

Myriam continued to drag the barrel over to Bella’s assigned spot. “Are you sure about this, Bella?”

“Oh, I’m very sure.”

“Okay, we’ll move it, no worries. Are you staying to watch us do this?”

Bella let out a snort. “This is your project. Your little science project. I already know that it can go wrong in many ways. It won’t even be that tasty when coming out, nothing beats the oven.” She then touched Kol’s arm and smiled. “Thank you, you eased my mind about having you guys do this safely. I’ll stop by in a few hours to talk, okay?”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she nodded before she felt the same sensation as she felt just minutes ago and quickly hurried out of sight as she felt the magic take her back to where she had left. She collapsed to the ground upon impact and was relieved to see the house still in one piece. The pungent smell of oil and burnt turkey settling in her nostrils.

Had she truly travelled in time and changed the outcome of the turkey fry?

She got to her feet and stumbled against the house before rounding it again. Kol and Myriam were standing around the barrel and Klaus was nowhere to be found. She leaned against the back of the house with a big smile on her face. “Kol, I did it!”

Kol’s head snapped to Bella and something was off, but he made his way over to her anyway. “Yes, you left and came back, just like you said. You missed us lowering the turkey.”

“That’s alright,” Bella smiled, tired all of a sudden. “At least I saved your house from going up in flames.”

“But you did.”

“Yes, but I saw the house on fire. I was here. With my dad and the fire department. We were talking about our wishes, I had you read mine and then I wanted to prevent the fire from happening and…” she saw the look on his face. “I sound like a crazy person.”

“Yes, you do,” he said as he put an arm around her. “But you look like you could pass out any second so I think there’s some truth in there. Come, let’s get you inside, darling.”

“I’m a bit lightheaded,” she admitted, leaning into him with a sigh. Oh, that felt good.

He lifted her up and walked into the house with her. He gently sat her down on the couch and helped her out of her coat before wrapping a blanket around her and poured her a drink. “So, you saw the house on fire?”

“I was here. The house was on fire. My dad and I were lounging on the couch at home when he got the call and I came along because I didn’t want to be alone,” Bella said as she looked at him. “I know it’s stupid because the house is fine now, but you didn’t tell Myriam that the barrel needed to be away from the house like I told you, because you thought it was fine.”

“But you came here this afternoon to scold us and we moved it.”

“That wasn’t this afternoon. That was five minutes ago,” she said as she took a sip of her drink and was surprised to find that it was in fact alcohol. Not caring, she took another sip. “I grabbed a hold of you and I said that I wished that I could have done something to prevent your house from burning and I was… I don’t know… I found myself in the same place in the garden, found you and Myriam fooling around with the barrel… and I warned you. And then I came back. I swear, I’m not crazy.”

“Darling, I believe you, but for the life of me I can’t be sure what you are. I’ve never come across a witch that could travel in time.”

“I have,” Klaus said as he walked in with a book in his hands. “She was one of a kind.”

“When was that?” Myriam walked in after him after she had seen Kol carry Bella into the house. “You never told me that.”

“I was told not to,” Klaus replied as he sat down in a chair close to Bella. “Time travel is a fickle thing, change one thing in the past, and it could have major consequences. For instance, you could alter the course of history and the Nazi’s could be back in charge. Or your grandparents would never meet and thus, you would cease to exist.”

“But time travel is not possible,” Kol and Bella chorused.

“But you just did, Bella,” Klaus pointed out. “You witnessed this house on fire because of a mistake my wife and my brother made, and you traveled back to warn them.”

“Unintentionally.”

“And thus, time travel is possible. Unintentional or not,” Klaus smiled at her. “You might want to finish that drink and get Kol to refill it for you, because what I’m about to tell you might… what’s the phrase you use these days? Knock you off your socks?”

Bella did as she was told and Kol refilled her glass for her. “Thanks,” she smiled at him.

“The witch I encountered… was you.”

“What?”

Klaus nodded. “You… she… traveled back in time to give me this information, about yourself. She knew that messing with time was something she shouldn’t do, but she was determined to meddle with your future because she didn’t look so well,” he explained as he handed her the book and opened it to the pages she needed to see. There was a drawing of an older Bella attached to it, no doubt drawn by Klaus.

“Wow, I looked like that?”

“You looked quite out of sorts, yes,” he replied, gesturing to the book. “You’ll recognize your own handwriting in that book. Please read that.”

Bella let out a breath and shifted so that Kol could see it too. Hi Bella, it’s me… you. Bella. Sorry. Joke. Breathe, relax, everything is going to be fine.

Instead of you having to spend years of finding out who or what you are, I’m writing this to tell you now. Trust me, it’s for the best. I’m not going to say anything that might do harm to your… our future. Apart from this.

Remember how they told you that the Cold Ones were created by accident by a group of witches called the Travelers? Here’s another fun fact; most of modern society is related to at least one Traveler? Not the Mikaelsons, of course, but people like… Charlie. He’s nowhere near related to the Travelers who turned into Cold Ones, but from a different line that’s more related to everyone the Mikaelsons have dealt with in the past.

So, almost everyone has dormant witch genes. The Travelers – and their counterparts the Gemini – are long gone or in hiding, never being allowed to stay in one place for too long and you come from such a watered down line that it doesn’t even matter.

Until magic is being put in the mix.

You see, you were bitten by James. Fuckward never managed to get all the venom out, so it stayed in your body. It didn’t do anything for years, not until Kol used his blood to heal our foot. Give it a few more weeks to permeate, your 18th birthday… some well-intended thoughts…

Congrats, you’re a witch!

What kind of witch? Well… That was a tricky one to figure out. You can travel in time, yes. And you can do some spells. Only when you supercharge yourself by touching or holding a powerful object or person.

Don’t worry, it’s okay to be a siphoner.

That way, we can’t get in over our heads and feel overpowered.

So, this is your way out from the Volturi and the Cold Ones. Have fun. Be responsible. And read the rules that I’ll write out below this.

Bella.

P.s: Kol is an amazing teacher. Let him teach you. Don’t be afraid, you’re kickass!

Bella just stared at the pages in disbelief. Well, not disbelief, because this was her handwriting and yes, Klaus had drawn her, but what the hell? “You roofied me.”

“I can assure you, the only buzz that you’re feeling right now is that of the alcohol, but your words are true, Bella,” Klaus replied kindly. “You felt the need to give yourself a crash course, so you can blame your future self when you encounter her. She didn’t tell me why, nor did I ask, because she made it clear that too much knowledge could have altered the future.”

“But if she was so worried about altering the future, then why tell me now?!”

“Likely because with you knowing now, things will turn out better,” Klaus replied. “Time travel… it’s unheard of. It’s science fiction. Or at least, that’s what we believed. But here you are.”

“Or maybe she wants to prevent you from doing something stupid,” Kol said as he shifted so he could look at her. “We all know that you haven’t been in the right frame of mind lately.”

She let out a snort. “I’m fine. If this is all real then I have to start thinking about the future, I guess,” Bella replied before quietly finishing her drink and got to her feet. “Uh… thank you for the information, but I’d uh… better get home. Charlie must be worried that I suddenly seemed to have disappeared.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll drive you home,” Kol said with a nod. “Then I can compel him if needed.”

“No, I’ll be fine, thanks,” she smiled at him before nodding to Klaus and Myriam. “Again, thank you. Have a good night. Don’t set anything else on fire.”

“I’ll drive you home,” Kol said again as he followed her to the door. “It’s a long walk. No discussion.”

Bella sighed as she stepped down the steps to the house. “Fine, but only because I’m pooped, I’d be fine walking home on my own otherwise.”

“Of course you would,” Kol replied as he helped her in his car and got in himself before setting off. The car was quiet until he turned onto the normal road. “It must be strange for you right now, to discover you’re a witch.”

“Yeah,” Bella let out a snort. “But I’m safe, right? I mean, I can’t do things by myself?”

“Don’t worry, you’re safe,” he nodded. “Just don’t get angry or wish for things when you’re around your shifter friends and one is touching you. You might accidentally hurt someone or set one of the houses on fire.”

“Seriously?” She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Set a house on fire? You mean like you and Myriam did?”

“We didn’t.”

“No, because I fucking saved your ass.”

“And discovered you’re a witch,” he pointed out. “And while you’ll likely be fine, I think we should help you with getting it under control.”

“Why? As long as I don’t touch one of you or one of the shifters, I’ll be fine.”

He had to admit, he was slightly disappointed with this sentiment, but he could understand her reasoning. All she wanted was to be normal and to be left alone. “You really think that?”

“Yep.”

“Well, I hate to burst your bubble, darling, but there are magical objects in this world. Ordinary looking objects. They’ve been created by witches and the contain magic. Your toaster could be magical, for example.”

“Don’t be stupid.”

“I’m not!” Kol laughed as he kept his eyes on the road. “I used to make those kinds of items, and some witches know how to make them as well. You never know whether an object is magical or not.”

It wasn’t the stupidest thing she’d heard today. “Fine… I won’t touch anything.”

“Or, we could have daily sessions on you trying to get control over your power. We could explore what you can do,” he replied. “And when you’re in control over your power, you’ll be safe to touch whoever or whatever you want to.”

“And until then?”

“I’d suggest staying clear of the pups.”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t like them. They’re my friends.”

“Nah, darling, I don’t care much about shapeshifters or wolves. Do I need to remind you that my brother is half of those things?” He said as he turned the corner to her street. “I’m more worried about someone seriously getting hurt, and it won’t be you.”

“With what! All I can do is travel a bit back in time.”

“That we know of,” he pointed out. “Better safe than sorry, darling. I know you like your friends, so it’s best to stay clear of them. Your boyfriend might not like it, but you’ll have to keep him at bay.”

“My what?” Bella laughed. “Boyfriend? Who? Jake? Are you kidding me? He’s my best friend. I could never…. No! I could never see him as… oh, that’s gross.” She visibly shuddered at the thought. “No, I told you. No more boys for me. I’m cursed.”

Oh good, Jake wasn’t her boyfriend. “You’re not cursed, darling. You’re blessed. Your future is a lot different now than you’d thought this morning, you can start anew, do whatever you want.”

“IF I get it under control.”

“When. Not if. I have all the faith in the world for you that you’ll get it under control. It’s a matter of when,” Kol said as he parked his car in front of the house. “And if I were you, I’d keep this to yourself too. Don’t tell the pups just yet. Wait until you’ve got it under control and until you’ve gone to Volterra.”

“What?”

“Well, you have to go there in person to show the Volturi that you’re a supernatural being. They might get an inkling when you start killing the Cold Ones after you but you know, common courtesy and all.”

“Great. Let’s add that to the list. Get a job,” she sighed as she got out of the car. “Thanks for dropping me off.”

“I’ll pick you back up tomorrow, let’s take advantage of the fact that school’s not due to start in another week!”

“But…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it fun,” he grinned. “Have fun, Bella, I see you tomorrow.”

Bella watched Kol drive away and then headed inside the house. “Hey! I’m back!” When she didn’t get a response, she headed into the kitchen and found a note from her father.

I’m at the Rez. Join us when you want to.

“Yeah, no,” Bella sighed as she poured herself a glass of water and headed upstairs to get a nice hot bath, and then hopefully sleep and wake up to think this was all a dream. People didn’t become supernatural overnight, did they? There was no way that she traveled in time and saved a house from burning. No freaking way.

~o.O.o~

She woke up the next morning by the sound of ticking. Shaking the fog out of her head, she realized someone was throwing stones against her window and after stumbling to the window, she looked who it was.

Below the window stood Kol, a big smile on his face. “Good afternoon! I’m here to pick you up!”

“What?” Bella blinked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “Afternoon?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve just woken up.”

“I have…”

Kol huffed. “I’ll wait for you outside, just hurry up.”

“You could just-”

“Don’t say it,” he interrupted her. “Don’t invite a vampire like me into your home without fully trusting us. Without invitation, neither me or my family can enter your home.”

“So you don’t want to?”

“Only when you’re ready.”

Bella sighed. “It’s cold outside.”

“I’ll live,” he smiled at her. “Now, hurry up.”

Okay, so yesterday hadn’t been a dream or nightmare, but it had been real. Bella stared at Kol for a moment before retreating and finding some clothes to wear. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but while she wanted it gone yesterday, she was okay with it now. She needed to be able to get it under control.

Bella grabbed a sandwich and her stuff on her way out and looked around before looking at Kol. “Where is your car?”

“We’re taking your truck today,” he nodded. “As I said, it’s a lot more sturdy than my car… my car is also not built to drive around in weather conditions like these…”

That was a lie. “What happened?”

Kol winced. “I might have wrapped it around a tree when I turned onto the normal road…” He admitted as he looked at his feet before looking at her. “I’m merely glad it didn’t happen last night when I brought you home.”

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine, darling, I healed on the way over. The car, however, is lost. I might have to re-think my love for fast cars while we live in Forks. Any suggestions?”

Bella shrugged. “Something like my truck, perhaps? I dunno, you could go for a newer model. Or a 4×4.”

“I could! Yes!” Kol laughed. “Great idea! Now, hand me your keys, I’m driving.”

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere where we can practise your skills in some relative warmth and not in a general vicinity of Forks.”

“But in the two hour radius?”

“Of course. Although you shouldn’t be afraid anymore.”

“Until I get this under control I’m going to be afraid,” she nodded as she gave him the keys and got into the passenger seat. “Let’s go.”

One Comment:

  1. Cool witch power. Glad she was able to save the house.

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