by L. J. Smith
For a moment, nobody spoke. They were all too shocked by this suggestion. Then Faye broke the silence. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said. “You and Adam have spent half your lives trying to find the Master Tools.”
“I know,” Diana said. “But after all we’ve been through, and now that we’ve defeated Black John, I feel like that much power can’t be good for us, or for anyone.”
Cassie was as surprised as Faye. These words didn’t sound like Diana at all, or at least not like the Diana that Cassie had known.
Adam appeared taken aback as well, but he kept quiet. Leaders spoke first. Those were the rules.
Cassie felt the attention of the group settle upon her. They were a triumvirate now, which meant her power was equal to both Diana’s and Faye’s. She wanted to use her authority well, to state her opinion openly and intelligently, but she didn’t want to go against Diana.
“What made you change your mind?” she said.
Diana crossed her thin arms over her chest. “People change their minds all the time, Cassie.”
“Well,” Faye said, focusing on Diana with her honey-colored eyes. “I disagree entirely. It would be a waste to not use the Tools. At the very least we should experiment with them.” Her mouth formed a cruel smile. “Don’t you agree, Cassie?”
“Um,” she said. It was weird. Cassie kind of agreed with Faye on this one, which may have been the first time she ever agreed with Faye on anything. She didn’t want to side with Faye over Diana, but how could they just destroy the Tools? What if Black John came back? These were their only means of self-defense. She wished Diana had discussed this with her before now.
“We can talk to Constance for help getting rid of them,” Diana offered. “If that’s what we decide to do.”
Melanie’s great-aunt Constance had been helping the Circle with their magic. Since she’d tapped into her powers to nurse Cassie’s mother back to health last winter, she’d become more willing to share her knowledge of the old ways.
“Constance probably knows a spell we can use,” Diana said. “And with Black John gone for good, I bet she’ll agree it’s time to put the Tools to rest.”
Cassie could see Diana felt strongly about this. As did Faye—that familiar fiery anger had snuck its way into her sharp features.
“We should take a vote,” a strong voice called out. It belonged to Nick, who rarely spoke at Circle meetings. Hearing him express an opinion on this caught Cassie off guard.
“Nick’s right,” Melanie said. “We should all have equal say in a decision so important.”
Diana nodded. “I’m fine with that.”
Faye dramatically swept her red nails at the group. “Vote then,” she said, with the confidence of someone who’d already won.
Melanie stood and stepped to the center of the room. She always called out Circle votes, Cassie noticed. “All those in favor of destroying the Master Tools,” she said, “raise your hands.”
Diana’s hand went up first, followed by Melanie’s own, then Laurel’s. After a second-long pause, Nick raised his, and then finally Adam.
Cassie couldn’t believe it. Adam had voted with Diana even though she knew he’d rather experiment with the Tools.
“All those in favor of keeping the Tools,” Melanie said, “raise your—”
“Wait,” Cassie called out. She’d gotten distracted and lost the chance to choose Diana’s side.
Faye laughed. “You snooze, you lose, Cassie. And a vote against Diana is a vote for me.”
“Wrong,” Cassie said, surprising herself as she said it. “It’s a vote for me.”
She paused to look at Adam and saw he was smiling proudly.
“I propose a third option,” she said. “We keep the Tools, in case we need them. We don’t destroy their power, but we also don’t experiment with them.”
“In that case,” Faye said, “I’d be happy to keep the Tools safe until we need them.”
“Not a chance,” Adam said.
Cassie raised her hand. “I wasn’t finished.” She eyed Faye and then Diana. “I propose that each leader hide one of the three relics, so they can only be used if the whole group knows about it.”
Everyone got quiet then, as they mulled this new possibility over in their minds.
It was a good idea, and Cassie knew it. What she didn’t know was how she’d come up with it right there on the spot like that. When she took control of the floor, she hadn’t had the slightest idea what she was going to say.
Diana spoke first. “That does seem like a fair compromise,” she said. “Melanie, I call for a revote.”
“I second the call for a revote,” Nick said gallantly.
Melanie raised her eyebrows. “Okay then. All those in favor of…Cassie’s idea, raise your hand.”
All hands went up, except for Deborah’s, Suzan’s, and Faye’s.
“It’s decided then,” Melanie said.
Faye stood perfectly still. She didn’t move a muscle, but a dark shadow fell over her face.
Suzan bounced out of her chair. “Oh, well,” she said. “I guess that’s that. I’m starving. Can we go eat now?”
“Yeah, let’s go get tacos,” Sean said.
One by one, everyone stood up and began gathering their things, talking about meeting at Melanie’s aunt Constance’s later to practice their invocations. Diana snuffed out the candles and turned down the lanterns. All the while, Faye remained motionless.
“You,” she said.
Instinctively, Cassie took a step back even though Faye was across the room.
“Don’t be too proud of yourself.” She sauntered over to Cassie and leaned in close. Cassie could smell her heady perfume and it made her dizzy. “You may have won the battle,” Faye said. “But…well, you know.”
Cassie drew away from Faye’s reach. Her fear still got the best of her every time Faye threatened her. Whether or not Faye was actually stronger was beside the point. She had the singleness of mind of a sociopath and a complete lack of conscience. Faye couldn’t be reasoned with, and that was what made her dangerous.
“We’re on the same side,” Cassie said weakly. “We want the same thing.”
Faye narrowed her honey-colored eyes. “Not really,” she said. “Not yet, anyway.”
It sounded like a threat, and Cassie knew Faye never made an empty threat.
About the Authors
L. J. SMITH has written a number of bestselling books and series for young adults, including The Vampire Diaries (now a hit show), The Secret Circle, The Forbidden Game, Night World, and the #1 New York Times bestselling Dark Visions. She is happiest sitting by a crackling fire in a cabin in Point Reyes, California, or walking the beaches that surround the area. She loves to hear from readers ([email protected]) and hopes they will visit her updated website, www.ljanesmith.net.
KEVIN WILLIAMSON is the show runner and executive producer of The Vampire Diaries. His credits include the critically acclaimed television series Dawson’s Creek and the blockbuster horror franchise Scream.
JULIE PLEC is the co–show runner and executive producer of The Vampire Diaries. She was most recently a writer-producer of the fan-favorite television series Kyle XY.
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Other Books by This Author
The Vampire Diaries novels
VOL. 1: THE AWAKENING
VOL. 2: THE STRUGGLE
VOL. 3: THE FURY
VOL. 4: DARK REUNION
THE RETURN VOL. 1: NIGHTFALL
THE RETURN VOL. 2: SHADOW SOULS
THE RETURN VOL. 3: MIDNIGHT
THE HUNTERS VOL. 1: PHANTOM
THE HUNTERS VOL. 2: MOONSONG
Stefan’s Diaries novels
VOL. 1: ORIGINS
VOL. 2: BLOODLUST
VOL. 3: THE CRAVING
VOL. 4: THE RIPPER
VOL. 5: THE ASYLUM
VOL. 6: THE COMPELLED
THE INITIATION AND THE CAPTIVE PART I
THE CAPTIVE PART II AND THE POWER
THE DIVIDE
Copyright
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Stefan’s Diaries Vol. 6: The Compelled
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. Copyright © 2012 by Alloy Entertainment and L. J. Smith.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-0-06-211398-6
11 12 13 14 15 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
EPub Edition © JANUARY 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-211399-3
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