The witch broke the quiet like a stone through glass.
"I'm Elizabeth," she said suddenly. "Elizabeth Olsen."
Aiken looked at her for a moment before lifting his glass. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth," he said — not with the polite emptiness of a stranger, but with the warm weight of someone who understood what it cost her to say it.
"Anyway..." Elizabeth deflected, her voice shifting like a curtain drawn over a window. "What was that spell you used before?" she asked, genuine curiosity bright in her eyes.
"Ah, that..." Aiken muttered. "I don't know."
"You— you don't know?" She blinked at him.
"Yeah. When I saw how much magic you had, that spell just... came to mind."
"It came to your mind?" she repeated, even more flabbergasted. "Are you telling me you just invented a spell in that moment?"
"Yep."
"And the Latin?"
"Oh, I'm practically a native speaker in Latin," Aiken said casually. "I felt bad for the other kids at the Gemini Coven not being able to understand something so easy... though fortunately, I hated them."
"A-ah..." Elizabeth could only stare. This guy…
"What about that Connective Magic of yours?" he asked then, leaning forward slightly. "How'd you learn it? I mean, your coven didn't even want to see you."
"I just overheard the witches practicing and tried to imitate them," she said. "It was… hard. I couldn't control my magic, couldn't even manage the weakest spell. Only after my strange powers were sealed could I do proper magic."
"You're quite the genius then," Aiken chuckled. "How about we teach each other the spells we know?"
"Eh?" Elizabeth turned to him, puzzled.
"You don't want to?"
"N-no, I'd love to, but… where's the catch? I don't think I know something you don't."
"Actually... I'd be the one getting the most out of it." He took another sip of water. "Besides telekinesis, a fireball, making cursed objects… oh, and that blood magic… I don't really know any real spells."
"Really?" she said, still doubtful.
"Yeah. I got kicked out at eight, spent all my time reading magic theory in the archives. No practical spells there. Now that I think about it, they probably kept the good stuff locked in some magic-sealed room."
Elizabeth chuckled suddenly.
"What?" Aiken asked.
"Nothing." She smiled at him. "Okay, I agree."
"Then it's an agreement." He grinned.
Elizabeth chuckled again before her tone softened.
"You know… even after my powers were sealed, I couldn't live a normal life. I had just started high school. I'd even met a guy I liked…" Her fist tightened.
"Then those fucking vampires broke our pact. They enslaved every witch in the Keaton Coven… forced us to make special objects for them. They… raped and killed anyone who resisted. Fed on us. Tortured us when the work wasn't good enough."
Aiken stayed silent, letting her words fill the air.
"I didn't care about the other witches," she admitted coldly. "They could've all died for all I cared. But I couldn't live like that. Just when I'd started to live a normal life, it was stolen from me. The world must really hate me…"
She shook her head, eyes glistening. "I tried to escape. Just when I was about to be caught, I ran into Milo, Alan, and the others. They saved me. Treated me like family. But…"
Her voice grew hollow. "Even with them… I can't feel alive—"
A splash of cold water hit her head.
"Ah!" she yelped, hair dripping. "What the hell are you doing?"
"You were getting too dark," Aiken said with a smile. "Thought I'd refresh you a bit."
"You!" she shouted, and promptly dumped her beer over him.
"Ah…" Aiken groaned, blinking through the dripping foam.
"Pfft…" Elizabeth snorted before bursting into laughter. "Hahahahaha!"
Aiken wiped his eyes, then started chuckling too.
...
A couple of days later, the four of them stood near Aiken's Porsche.
"My little treasure!" Alan exclaimed, immediately wrapping his arms around the hood. "I missed you!"
He turned sharply to Aiken, his expression suddenly deadly serious. "You treated it good, right?"
"Yeah, Dad…" Aiken replied, exasperated.
Milo chuckled. "Is that the car he bought using all his savings?"
"Yeah…" Aiken sighed. "We didn't even have enough money to eat after that."
Beside him, Elizabeth chuckled softly, the corners of her lips lifting.
"Well…" Aiken opened the driver's door. "I think I'm gonna head back to Mystic Falls."
"Mystic Falls, huh?" Milo said.
"Isn't that… where Bill lives?" Alan added.
"Bill?" Aiken asked.
"Bill Forbes," Milo clarified. "You know him, perhaps?"
"Forbes… oh, is he… Caroline's father?"
"No, I think her daughter's name was Cindy—" Alan began, only for Milo to cut in with an exasperated sigh.
"Yes, her daughter's name is Caroline."
Everyone turned to stare at Alan.
"What? Cindy's a better name!" Alan said defensively.
They all sighed in unison.
"Anyway," Aiken continued, "He doesn't live there anymore. He divorced with Caroline's mother and I think... he moved to Georgia with his new boyfriend."
"His boyfriend?" Alan barked a laugh. "Haha! I knew he was gay!"
"I swear, you're like a big kid, Dad," Aiken muttered.
Alan flushed slightly as Milo and Elizabeth chuckled.
Aiken slid into the driver's seat and turned the key, the Porsche's engine purring to life. "I better get going before it gets too dark… I have school tomorrow."
"Let's go!" Alan suddenly shouted.
"Dad!" Aiken whipped his head to the side and saw Alan already sitting in the passenger seat. "When did you get in?"
"Just now," Alan grinned. "Since we've finally cleared out the vampires from this city, I think I can go back to living with my son."
Aiken sighed.
"Why the long face? You don't want your old man back?"
"Yeah…" Aiken replied with another sigh.
Alan chuckled. Aiken smiled faintly.
"Milo, take care," Alan called.
"Elizabeth," Aiken said through the open window, locking eyes with her. "Remember—this is the start of your life. Don't let anyone, or anything, take it away from you. The world can be cruel, but you're stronger than it is. Live it on your terms."
Elizabeth's breath caught; the sincerity in his tone reached her in a way few things ever had. For someone who had faced years of loneliness, his words carried more weight than he might ever know.
She hesitated, the faintest color rising to her cheeks—not from shyness, but from a kind of quiet vulnerability she rarely allowed herself to feel. "Actually… could I come with you?"
"Come… with me?" Aiken repeated, surprised.
Alan smirked. "Elizabeth… don't tell me you've taken a liking to my son? Aren't you a little old—"
Before he could finish, his mouth snapped shut, held by an invisible force.
"Shut up, Dad," Aiken said flatly.
Milo laughed as Alan tried to pry his lips apart to no avail.
Everyone joined in, their laughter ringing in the cool evening air. Aiken just smiled. Elizabeth did too, though hers carried a different weight. This… this warmth, this ease, this shared moment—she had never known anything like it.
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Also, how am I managing the relationship between Aiken and Elizabeth? I want to take this slow, not rush it like I did with Bonnie. Does Elizabeth feel less than her age personality speaking?