Chapter 8 : Herbs and History
The Mystic Falls Public Library smelled like industrial carpet cleaner and old paper.
Some things were universal across universes. I'd spent countless hours in libraries during my previous life—college, graduate school, the desperate research binges of a man trying to find meaning in corporate reports. The smell triggered sense memory so strong I had to pause in the doorway and breathe through it.
Different life. Focus.
Mrs. Mosely sat at the circulation desk, a white-haired woman in a cardigan who looked like she'd been there since the building opened. She peered at me over reading glasses as I approached.
"Can I help you, young man?"
"I'm working on a summer project about local plants. Herbal remedies, that kind of thing." The lie came easily. "Do you have anything on Mystic Falls botanical history?"
Her face brightened. "Oh, how lovely! We don't get many students interested in local flora. Let me show you what we have."
She led me through the stacks—local history, Virginia ecology, a surprisingly detailed section on regional agriculture. The books she pulled were old, some with leather bindings and gilt-edged pages, the kind of records that small-town libraries accumulated over centuries.
"This one is particularly good." She handed me a volume titled Mystic Falls Historical Flora and Fauna. "It has cultivation records from the founding families. The Gilberts and Fells were quite accomplished gardeners."
"Perfect. Thank you."
I settled at a corner table, away from the windows, and started reading.
The records were exactly what I needed. Page after page of plant varieties grown in Mystic Falls during the 1860s—herbs, flowers, vegetables, medicinal plants. The founding families had been obsessive cataloguers, documenting everything from potato yields to rose hybrids.
And then, tucked between entries for lavender and rosemary, I found it.
Vervain (Verbena officinalis): Cultivated extensively by Founding Families 1858-1864. Significant plantings at Salvatore estate, Gilbert property, Historical Society grounds. Cultivation ceased following the vampire troubles. See attached map for garden locations.
The vampire troubles. They'd written it down, documented their supernatural crisis like it was a bad harvest or a rough winter. The casual acknowledgment made my skin prickle.
The attached map was faded but readable. Three locations marked in careful ink: the old Salvatore property to the northwest, the Gilbert residence on Maple Street, and the Historical Society greenhouse near the town square.
I photographed everything with my phone. The map, the cultivation records, the cross-references to other founding family documents.
The Salvatore property was out. In three months, it would be occupied by Stefan and eventually Damon. Walking onto their land to steal vervain was suicide.
The Historical Society greenhouse required membership, which meant applications, interviews, and background checks that would flag any interest in vampire-repelling herbs.
But the Gilbert property...
Elena's house. Her parents' garden. A casual visit from a concerned friend wouldn't raise any alarms.
I was packing up when Mrs. Mosely reappeared at my elbow.
"Finding everything you need?"
"Yes, ma'am. This is exactly what I was looking for."
She smiled, then hesitated. "You know, you're the second person this month asking about vervain specifically."
My hands stilled on the books. "Really?"
"Oh yes. The Forbes girl was in two weeks ago. Elizabeth's daughter—Caroline, I think? Very interested in the same records you're looking at."
Caroline. Or her mother, using Caroline as cover.
Sheriff Forbes was on the Founders' Council. She knew about vampires, even if she didn't know all the details yet. If she was researching vervain, it meant the Council was already preparing for something.
"Small town," I said. "Everyone has the same homework assignments."
Mrs. Mosely laughed. "I suppose that's true. Well, let me know if you need anything else."
She wandered back to her desk. I finished packing up, checked out a book on Virginia native plants for cover, and headed for the exit.
The afternoon sun was brutal after the library's cool dimness. I sat in my truck with the windows down, thinking.
Caroline Forbes researching vervain meant the Forbes family was either in the loop or getting there. In canon, Sheriff Forbes had been part of the Council, had known about vampires before the Salvatores arrived. She'd supplied vervain to protect the town.
If I could connect with that network without revealing what I knew...
Later. First, get your own supply.
The Gilbert house was five minutes away. Elena had lost her parents two months ago. A friendly visit from an ex-boyfriend who wanted to check on her wasn't suspicious.
And if I happened to ask about her mother's garden...
I started the truck.
The air conditioning rattled—it had been broken when Matt bought the truck, and neither of us had ever fixed it. I drove with the windows down, hot wind whipping through the cab, and turned onto Maple Street.
The Gilbert house looked smaller than I remembered from the show. White siding, green shutters, a wraparound porch that had seen better decades. The lawn was overgrown—grief made yard work feel pointless—and the flower beds were wild with neglect.
I parked at the curb and walked up the front steps.
The doorbell chimed inside. Footsteps, then the door opened.
Jenna Sommers—Elena's aunt, newly appointed guardian, clearly overwhelmed—blinked at me.
"Matt Donovan?"
"Hey, Ms. Sommers. Is Elena home?"
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