Chapter 14: In Search of Answers

While exploring the city, I came across the Mystic Grill. "This is where Caroline told me to go if I needed any information," I remembered. I walked in and approached the bartender.

"Hello, friend. Could you give me some information?" I asked.

"Sure, how can I help you?" the bartender replied, with a friendly smile.

"Where can I rent a house around here?" I asked. "I've been looking for a while, but I haven't found anything yet. I mean, the sheriff told me where it was, but since I don't know anything around here, I ended up getting lost. At least the Mystic Grill is well located and easy to find..."

"Sure, brother. The address is here...", the bartender replied, handing me a paper with the address.

"A few minutes later..."

"Thanks, man. Have a good day at work," I said, leaving the bar.

"Well, here we go..." I muttered, as I walked towards the indicated address.

As I walked, I lost myself in thought. "Man, I really feel weird being here in this place," I mused. "I mean, all I know about him is from the show. If only I had some kind of superpower... But no, I'm just a human being. At least for now..."

"A few moments later..."

"Hello, sir. Good morning. Are you the owner of the apartment complex?" I asked, approaching a man standing at the entrance to the building.

"Yes, hello, young man. Yes, it's me. Why are you interested in moving into one of them?" he asked curiously.

"Actually, yes. I want to rent one of those apartments. I just arrived in town and I don't have anywhere to stay...", I explained.

"1 hour later..."

"Well, that's all right. The apartment is mine now," I thought, pleased. "Honestly, it's not very nice, but it's good enough. I'll only be here for a year."

"I have to buy other things, but I'll leave that for later. Now I'm going to the library to do some research."

"So this is the Mystic Falls Public Library," I thought as I entered the imposing building.

I approached the service counter.

"Good morning. I'm new in town and would like to do some research," I said to the attendant.

"Of course," she replied with a gentle smile. "You just need to sign this paper with your name and date of birth, and then feel free to do your research. Just don't make too much noise, so as not to disturb others."

"Sure, no problem," I agreed, signing the paper.

"Some time later..."

"Interesting, there are many stories in this world," I thought as I read the library books. "Witches, werewolves, vampires, monsters, ghosts, and more."

"But there's nothing interesting here. Just fairy tales, no affirmations, just bedtime stories..."

"I need to find something, but I'm sure I won't find it here."

"Well, let's go for a walk," I decided, leaving the library.

As I walked through the city, I found the school.

"Hmm, it's definitely bigger than my old school," I noted. "And this city wasn't shown in the series either, but it's definitely very big. I had to walk a lot to get here."

"Let's keep walking until we find something..."

"Here is the famous Salvatore mansion," I thought, recognizing the imposing house. "Everything is closed. I need to wait for Zack to leave the house to go in. I'm sure he's home, the car is still nearby."

"About an hour and a half later..."

"Shit, I'm tired of waiting. I'm leaving..."

"Vroom," I heard the sound of an engine. "Look how lucky I am. He's leaving."

"He left. Let's go."

"10 minutes later..."

"Hahaha, that was too easy. That idiot left the back door open," I thought as I entered the mansion. "Come on, I need to be quick. I'll start by searching the upstairs rooms."

"Damn, nothing here. Let's go down..."

"Okay, here's Zack's diary," I thought, finding the book hidden in a drawer. "Unfortunately, Stefan hasn't come back yet. It's impossible for me to find his diary around here. If I'm not mistaken, he comes back a few months before the beginning of the series."

"Well, since I've done that, let's get some vervain."

"Okay, I've already left the house and now I'm going back to the apartment."

"About 4 hours later..."

"Zack's life is very sad. He's always afraid that Damon or Stefan will come back, and he's very resentful of Damon for killing his wife and baby. This has created a great hatred for vampires in him. He supports Stefan, but he also doesn't like him."

"Sure, it's interesting, but there's nothing special about this diary. Just reflections on your life, your sufferings and other things in your daily life."

"HOLY SHIT, I HAD ALL THESE PROBLEMS FOR NO THING... SHIT..."

"Wait... There's one place I haven't visited yet. Giuseppe Salvatore's tomb and Emily's grimoire."

"Okay, I'll do it tomorrow. Right now I just want to sleep."

"About 2 days later..."

"Well, I have it in my hands. That's the only interesting thing here for me," I thought, holding Emily's grimoire. "It's like a human can channel magic from a place where there's a lot of ancient magic accumulated. It's possible to take some of that magic for oneself and use it for certain spells..."

"What I really want is to use magic like it's never been used before. Now I know that it's possible for an ordinary human to channel magic into themselves and use it for small spells. But to do that, I need to find a place where there's a lot of magical pressure, or where a supernatural event has occurred."

"First of all, let's learn all the spells and words in this grimoire. Then, I'll make a deal with Grandma Sheila Bennett... I'll give her the grimoire and she'll give me magic... That is if she agrees, of course..."