Coreal
patreon
[VD] Ch 8: Friendly Reminder
🕑 Added 2025-09-22 18:18:05 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
When Stefan casually mentioned that he did crossword puzzles to keep his memory sharp, Jack almost burst out laughing. That had to be the most ridiculous thing he'd heard in ages.
He kept listening, hoping to catch some hint about a vampire's weakness, but all Stefan did was talk about love with Elena. Bored out of his mind, Jack gave up on eavesdropping—he had a date with Caroline to get to anyway.
...
Next, Jack and Caroline met at the spot they agreed on, exchanged a few affectionate words, then headed to the field together. Caroline had cheerleading practice, so Jack slipped away.
This time, he didn't wander aimlessly. He drove straight to Damon's place. Not for fun—he just wanted to feel things out. He still didn't know much about this world, and if anyone could spill useful information, it would be a vampire who'd lived for decades, maybe centuries.
"Damon, you home?" Jack knocked on the door and called out.
"What do you want?" Damon opened the door, gave him a sharp look, then turned back inside without waiting.
"I had a nice little chat with Stefan about you, so I know some of your habits. Your dear brother made sure to tell me you're not dangerous—just… playful."
"Anyway, I figured I'd check if you were throwing one of your little parties. If I ran into some party girls marked up with bite scars, I'd finally get to keep my promise from yesterday." Jack stepped inside without hesitation, trailing Damon into the living room.
"What exactly are you?" Damon asked, sinking onto the couch. "Yesterday you moved like a vampire—but you're clearly not. So… what are you?"
After all, vampires couldn't enter a house with living residents unless invited. Damon's suspicion was justified.
"I'm human. My abilities just… look a little like yours." Jack casually pulled out a silver knife, sliced open his palm, and before Damon could blink, the wound sealed shut. No pain, no blood, no scar.
"Human?" Damon scoffed. "With powers like that? I don't buy it. Witches cast spells, sure, but you look more like one of us. Vampires were human once too, you know. Bourbon?" He poured a glass of whiskey and handed it over.
"Magic? Who said I can't do that too? Pour me another." Jack tossed the drink back in one gulp, then slammed the glass down hard enough to shatter it into several jagged pieces. Picking up the shards, he muttered a Horse Talisman incantation, and right in front of Damon's eyes, the broken glass knit itself back together, good as new.
"Not bad," Damon muttered, masking his intrigue with a nonchalant shrug as he turned to refill the glass.
"So… what are you?" He handed it back.
"Still human. Didn't I just say? Just got isekai'd... well, you wouldn't get it even if I explained." Jack wasn't worried Damon could threaten him, but he wasn't interested in giving away his secrets either.
"Here's what I do know," Jack added, swirling his drink. "You're still alive because I've decided not to kill you. Push me again, and I'll find a way to make it happen. So don't test me."
"I made a list of possible ways to kill a vampire — I'll try them all until one of them works."
He set the empty glass on the table.
"Jack?" Stefan's voice came from the doorway. He froze when he saw him sitting there.
"Oh, Stefan. You're back," Jack said casually, glancing over his shoulder.
"Don't look so shocked. I just dropped by to check on your brother. Call it a friendly reminder."
At that moment, Zack walked out of one of the rooms.
"So you are Zack Salvatore, you're home too?" Jack raised a brow.
Zack, who'd been listening in for a while, decided there was no point pretending. Stefan's casual "Uncle" routine wouldn't fool anyone here.
"This is my classmate," Stefan explained, moving to sit down.
"Wait.... you're human," Jack said, standing and stepping toward Zack. "So what's the deal? Did they compel you?"
But as soon as he placed a hand on Zack's shoulder and tested with the Horse Talisman, he realized something was off. "No compulsion. Huh."
"Zack is family. He knows about us," Stefan clarified.
"Then you must also know Damon's been out there killing people. And as a human, you're just… fine with it?" Jack's eyes hardened for a moment, though he quickly eased back. "Forget it. Not like you could stop him anyway. A vampire could just compel you to off yourself, and that'd be that."
He glanced at his phone. A text from Caroline lit up the screen. Dinner plans. Elena, Bonnie, Stefan—all gathering tonight.
"Looks like I should get going. Need to change before dinner at Elena's."
"Stefan, you'll be there too, right?"
He smirked. "Word of advice: try to behave. Tonight's a girlfriends-only kind of thing. They're protective of Elena. And really—don't tell me you enrolled in high school just for fun. A century-old teenager? Come on. I've seen how hard you fight the blood cravings. School is probably the last place you should be."
With that, Jack headed for the door.
---
Back at his own house, he noticed Sarah wasn't around—the kitchen was empty, no lunch prepared. A little odd, but not alarming. People had emergencies. He ate out, came home, and changed clothes before heading back out to pick up Caroline.
They stopped to grab groceries before going to Elena's.
Tonight, Jack was on cooking duty, and with his appetite, he was making enough for seven or eight people.
Finally, they arrived... but earlier than planned.
Once inside, Caroline and the others shooed him toward the couch while the three of them headed into the kitchen. Normally, Caroline wouldn't set foot in there, but with how much Jack ate, leaving Elena and Bonnie to handle it all would've been unfair.
...
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Bonnie was frowning as she explained something.
"You tell me how I'm supposed to explain this. Last night I was watching Channel 90 and suddenly—bam, commercial break. At first I thought it was some phone service ad, but then I see this boy and girl on a bench. He flies to Paris, then back again, they take a picture together…"
"Bonnie, that commercial runs all the time," Elena said, skeptical.
"Exactly. I've seen it too," Caroline chimed in, equally doubtful.
"Fine, then explain this. Today I got tangled up in math problems, and I kept seeing the numbers 8, 14, 22 over and over. Creepy, right?" Bonnie pressed.
"Maybe we should buy a lottery ticket," Elena joked.
"Honestly? I might just do that tomorrow," Caroline said, still unconvinced but amused enough to consider it.
.
.
.
