Bonnie offered a small, polite nod to both Leo and Caroline as they joined the circle, taking a slow sip from her own drink. But her eyes, sharp and observant, missed nothing. She watched Elena carefully. Her best friend was maintaining a flawless expression of calm interest, but Bonnie knew her too well. She saw the slight tightness around Elena's eyes, the way her smile didn't quite reach them, and the deliberate avoidance of looking directly at Leo for more than a heartbeat. You can't hide it from me, Bonnie thought, a pang of sympathy and concern stirring in her chest. I know that look.
She was about to subtly steer the conversation toward Elena when a sudden, sharp sound sliced through the party's noise.
From the darker tree line beyond the bonfire, a familiar voice, pitched high with panic, shouted, "Somebody! Help!"
The shout ripped through the party. Everyone stopped and turned toward the woods, their faces full of shock and confusion. The music and talking cut off, leaving a heavy silence.
Everyone looked—except Leo. He only turned his head slowly. A heavy feeling of knowing settled in his gut. He had been waiting for this.
He already knew what was happening out there in the shadows. Damon Salvatore had bitten Vicki Donovan and was probably already gone. And now, just as he expected, Elena's brother Jeremy was the one shouting from the woods.
It was all unfolding exactly as he remembered.
His train of thought was broken by a voice, sharp with confusion and alarm. He looked over and saw Elena's face change. Her polite party mask vanished, replaced by raw, sisterly fear. Her eyes were locked on the tree line where the shout had come from.
"Jeremy?" she breathed, the word almost lost in the quiet.
Then she was instantly moving, pushing through the stunned crowd without hesitation. Her drink fell from her hand, forgotten, spilling dark onto the dirt. Stefan reacted instantly, his protective instincts overriding everything else. He was only a step behind her, his expression serious and focused. Bonnie, after a quick, worried glance at Leo and Caroline, hurried after them, her movements fast and anxious.
Leo stood for a moment, watching the three of them disappear into the crowd near the tree line.
Next to him, Caroline let out a sharp, startled gasp. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered, her voice tight with alarm. "Was that Jeremy? What's happened to him?" Her eyes were wide, glued to the spot where Elena had vanished.
Without waiting for an answer, her fear quickly turned into a need to act. She grabbed Leo's arm just above the elbow. Her grip was surprisingly strong, her fingernails pressing into his skin through his jacket sleeve.
"Come on!" she said, her voice no longer a whisper but urgent and commanding. She didn't ask; she simply just pulled, turning her body toward the commotion. "We have to see what's going on!"
Leo didn't resist as Caroline pulled him along. With his free hand, he reached out and set his wine glass down on the nearest wooden table, not even looking to see if it was steady. A part of him felt he had no real choice but to follow this crowd. But another, colder part settled into a strange calm. Fine, he thought. Why not go and enjoy the show? Let's see how much damage Damon left behind.
They pushed through the gathering crowd at the edge of the clearing. The music from the party was now just a dull thump at their backs, replaced by the rustle of leaves and the worried whispers of everyone staring. Caroline's grip on his arm was tight, her steps quick and nervous on the uneven ground.
Elena's first, sharp burst of fear eased as she reached Jeremy. He was okay—shaken and streaked with tears, but not hurt anywhere. She dropped to her knees beside him, her hands going to his shoulders. "Jeremy, what happened? Are you hurt?"
But his wide, terrified eyes weren't looking at her. They were fixed on Vicki. Elena's gaze followed his, and her relief vanished, frozen in her chest.
There, on the side of Vicki's neck, was a dark, wet patch. Blood was still seeping slowly from it. As Elena leaned closer, her stomach turned. The wound wasn't a scrape or a cut. It was two distinct, deep punctures, too neat and round to be from any branch or rock.
A cold dread, different from any she had ever felt, crawled up her spine. What animal could do that? her mind whispered, desperate for a sane explanation. A bear? A mountain lion? But the marks looked almost… deliberate. The woods around them suddenly felt much darker, and the comforting crackle of the bonfire seemed very far away.
Caroline and Leo pushed to the front of the murmuring crowd. The scene came into full, awful view.
Jeremy was on his knees, Elena now beside him with her hands on his shoulders. But Jeremy wasn't looking at his sister. His pale face was with tears as he frantically patted Vicki Donovan's pale cheek. She lay utterly still in the dirt, her head tilted at a sickening angle.
And there it was. Even from a few feet away, the wound was unmistakable. A dark, wet smear stained the side of Vicki's neck. In the jittery light from a dozen phone screens, the two precise puncture marks gleamed—too deep, too neat, and too horrifyingly deliberate to be from any animal.
A collective gasp ripped through the students, followed by the frantic, overlapping clicks of phone cameras.Caroline's hand, which had been gripping Leo's arm, finally went slack, falling to her side as she stared, her mouth agape.
Leo just watched, his expression unreadable.His eyes drifted away from Vicki's still form and landed on Stefan.
Stefan was crouched nearby, his green eyes fixed on the bite marks on Vicki's neck. His expression was grim, his jaw tight. He wasn't shocked like the others. He was studying the wound, recognizing it.
As if feeling the weight of Leo's gaze, Stefan's head turned. Their eyes met across the short, chaotic distance. For a second, they just looked at each other. Leo's look was steady, observant. Stefan's was filled with a dark, knowing urgency.
In that silent glance, no words were needed. Stefan saw that Leo wasn't panicking either. And Leo saw that Stefan already understood exactly what—and who—had done this.
Without a word, Stefan broke the stare. He stood up smoothly, his movements quiet and deliberate. He gave the scene one last, pained look, then turned and melted into the crowd, disappearing into the shadows beyond the party lights. He didn't need to stay. He already knew who he had to find.