The Masks We Wear & The Monsters We Become

Bonnie leaned forward, intrigued. "What's the topic?"

Vanessa met Bonnie's gaze, then let her eyes sweep across the room. "The Masks We Wear & The Monsters We Become."

The classroom was silent, heavy with anticipation. Vanessa stood at the front, her presence commanding, her dark eyes scanning each student as if she could see through their carefully constructed facades. Outside, the morning sun streamed through the windows, but inside, the air was thick with something else—something unseen yet deeply felt.

She took a slow breath, setting a worn book on her desk. "Today's lesson will not be an easy one," she began. "It will challenge you, maybe even unsettle you. But if you take nothing else from this class, remember this—every choice you make has a price, and every path you walk leaves a shadow behind."

The students exchanged glances. Elena shifted in her seat, still reeling from the events of the past few days. Stefan sat rigid, his fingers curled into fists beneath the desk. Bonnie and Caroline listened intently, while Matt furrowed his brow, unsure where this was going.

Vanessa's voice lowered, drawing them in. "Let's begin."

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She stepped forward. "If you could have everything you've ever wanted—your deepest desire, your greatest ambition—but in exchange, you had to give up something you hold dear, would you take the deal?"

A murmur rippled through the class. Matt scoffed under his breath, but Elena bit her lip, suddenly uneasy.

"History and literature are full of people who did," Vanessa continued. "Faust, a scholar, who sold his soul for knowledge. Macbeth, who murdered his way to a throne but lost his soul along the way. Innovators, leaders, celebrities—people who let their ambition consume them, only to realize too late what they had lost."

She paused, then added with a knowing look, "And then, of course, there are those who live in the shadows, who strike bargains with things they don't fully understand. Witches who make deals for power. Vampires who trade their humanity for immortality. Werewolves who surrender to their rage."

A thick silence settled. No one spoke, but the supernatural students felt the weight of her words.

"Power is never free," Vanessa said softly. "Even if you don't realize it at the time, everything you take comes at a cost. The real question isn't whether or not you can pay—it's whether you're willing to live with the price."

Her eyes landed on Elena. "Have you ever made a choice you thought was small, only to realize later how much it cost you?"

Elena swallowed hard.

____________________

Vanessa turned, writing a single question on the board.

"Do you act differently depending on who you're around? If so, which version of you is real?"

The class shifted uncomfortably.

"Jekyll and Hyde," Vanessa continued. "One man, two faces, neither fully real. Gatsby, a man who built an identity to fit the world he wanted. Spies, revolutionaries, hidden rulers throughout history—people who wore masks so long, they forgot their own faces."

She folded her arms. "But let's not pretend this is just history."

She let the words hang in the air.

"In Literature, Vampires hide their true nature. Werewolves suppress their urges. Witches live in secrecy. Gods dare not show their true selves. Even humans—people like you—play roles. At school, at home, on social media. You wear different faces for different people. The question is… if you had to live with just one version of yourself forever, which would you choose?"

Caroline's throat tightened. She thought of all the times she'd smiled through pain, pretended to be someone she wasn't. Bonnie looked away, her mind flashing to the secrets she had to keep. And Stefan—Stefan sat motionless, his mask slipping, revealing something raw beneath.

"Sometimes a mask is protection," Vanessa said, "but sometimes, it's a prison. And the longer you wear it, the harder it is to remember who you really are."

____________________

"Now," Vanessa continued, "let me ask you this—are some people just born bad, or does the world make them that way?"

She paced slowly.

"Frankenstein's monster—was he evil, or was he made that way? Shakespeare's villains—were they naturally cruel, or did life push them there?"

Her gaze darkened. "Look at the world. Some of the most feared figures in history—criminals, warlords, tyrants—were once children. Innocent. Pure. So, what happened?"

No one spoke.

"Now think of the beings in the dark," Vanessa murmured. "Vampires. Werewolves. Witches. Were they always monsters, or did something happen first? Were they created? Were they broken? Now think of the divine…what moves them or were their actions preordained?"

Elena exhaled shakily, her mind flashing to Damon, to Klaus, to Leon. Had they ever been innocent? Had they ever had a choice?

"No one wakes up a monster," Vanessa said, voice softer now. "Something always happens first."

She let that sink in before delivering the final blow.

"If you were pushed far enough, would you become the very thing you fear?"

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Vanessa's voice turned somber. "Do you believe your future is already written, or do you have the power to change it?"

She listed the stories. Oedipus Rex, a man who tried to escape fate and walked right into it. Dystopian novels where systems were built to control people, yet they tried to break free. The cycles of history that repeated, over and over again.

Vanessa's voice dropped to a near whisper. "The strongest chains are the ones we don't realize we're wearing."

The room was unbearably quiet.

"But maybe, just maybe, they can be broken."

She looked at each of them, lingering on Elena, then Stefan.

"If you could change one thing about your fate, would you actually do it? Or would you be too afraid of what comes next?"

_______________

Vanessa closed her book.

"There's only one final question I want you to answer," she said.

She walked to the board and wrote:

"Are you living the life you were meant to live, or the one someone else decided for you?"

For some students, the meaning was philosophical. For others, it was a challenge.

For the supernatural in the room, it was a warning.

The old rules didn't apply anymore.

A new era was coming.

The only question was—who would they be when it arrived?

_________________

The classroom was empty now, the echoes of Vanessa's words still hanging in the air. Elena stood by her desk, hesitant, her fingers gripping the strap of her bag. She had wanted to leave with the others, but something held her back.

Vanessa, who had been gathering her notes, finally glanced up. "You have something on your mind, Elena," she said knowingly.

Elena hesitated before stepping forward. "It's about… the memories," she admitted, her voice quiet, uncertain.

Vanessa's gaze sharpened. "Go on."

"I saw us—me and Leon. I felt it," Elena confessed, shifting uncomfortably. "It wasn't just an illusion or some trick. It was real."

Vanessa nodded, unfazed. "It was."

Elena searched her face for anger, jealousy—something. "But you're his wife. Shouldn't you be mad? Upset?"

Vanessa chuckled softly and leaned against her desk. "Why would I be? My husband is… a beast in bed."

Elena's eyes widened, heat creeping into her cheeks.

Vanessa smirked. "I know what he's capable of. When I can't last, he suppresses himself. I understand if he needs another woman or two."

Elena swallowed. "Another woman or two?" she repeated, her stomach twisting.

Vanessa simply shrugged. "I've accepted it. But you?" Her expression darkened slightly. "I personally disapprove."

Elena frowned. "Why?"

Vanessa's gaze turned piercing. "Because you already have two boyfriends. Leon's women must be single-minded. If you can't give yourself fully, you have no business being in his bed."

Elena's breath hitched. There was something unnerving about the way Vanessa spoke—calm, firm, almost like she was passing judgment.

Then Vanessa tilted her head, studying her. "You need a man like Leon," she said, voice low and deliberate. "I saw how Stefan reacted. That's the kind of man who turns you on?"

Elena felt like the air had been knocked from her lungs. "I… no, I mean—I don't know," she stammered. "It's not that simple."

Vanessa said nothing, only giving her a knowing look before turning back to her papers. The conversation was over.

Elena left the room in a daze.

____________________________

Caroline and Bonnie were already waiting for Elena near the lockers when she arrived. They had been whispering, but as soon as they saw her, they both smirked.

"So…" Bonnie began, folding her arms. "Did you get any clarity?"

Elena sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Not exactly."

Caroline exchanged a glance with Bonnie before leaning in, looking to lighten the mood. "You know, Bonnie and I were just talking… about what we all seem to be avoiding."

Elena tensed. "Which is?"

Bonnie's smirk turned mischievous. "Aside from the whole Stefan torture thing, you put on a pretty good show, Elena."

Elena's face went hot. "Oh my God—"

Caroline giggled. "And you took it. That man is huge—your body is so tiny. How did you even—"

"Caroline!" Elena gasped, covering her face with her hands.

Bonnie grinned. "I don't know…" she mused, a playful glint in her eyes. "I might."

Caroline made a scandalized noise before bursting into laughter. "I could never," she declared, but her giggles betrayed her curiosity.

Elena groaned. "Can we not talk about this in the middle of school?"

The girls laughed, the weight of everything momentarily lifted. With teasing smiles and hushed whispers, they made their way to lunch, their laughter trailing behind them.

The cafeteria was buzzing with energy, students flowing in and out in waves of chatter and laughter.

Outside, near the lockers, Elena barely had time to register her surroundings before Stefan grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside.

"Stefan—" she started, but his expression silenced her.

His jaw was clenched, his eyes dark with barely restrained emotion. "We need to talk."

Before she could protest, Vanessa's voice cut in. "Gilbert, everything good here?"

Elena turned, catching Vanessa's sharp gaze. There was an unspoken warning in it—an awareness of Stefan's volatility.

Elena forced a nod. "Yeah. It's fine."

Elena looked into Stefan's eyes, "Just go. He won't do a damn thing."

Vanessa stared for a moment longer before walking off, but Elena could tell she was still watching.

The moment they were alone, Stefan's mask cracked. "You saw it," he said, voice rough.

Elena sighed. "Stefan—"

"Don't deny it," he snapped. His hands curled into fists. "You saw what he did to you, and you felt it. Didn't you? You remember everything."

Elena swallowed hard. Of course she had. Every single touch, every single moan—she had lived it as if it were her own. And worse, she had seen him, standing there, restrained at the end of the room, watching, his dick hard and oozing.

Elena looks off to the side.

His breathing was uneven, his eyes stormy. "I hate that he touched you. That he—" His face twisted in frustration. "And I hate that I—"

He cut himself off, turning sharply, and in a flash of anger, he punched the wall beside her. The sound cracked through the air, students nearby glancing over in alarm before quickly looking away.

Elena's heart pounded, but not from fear.

From rage.

She had tried to be understanding, but now, standing here, watching Stefan unravel, Vanessa's words came back to her.

"You need a man like Leon. I saw how Stefan reacted. That's the kind of man who turns you on?"

The image of Stefan—her Stefan—climaxing while watching her being stretched and railed by Leon burned in her mind. The way he pulled her into the abyss as Stefan enjoyed the show.

Her fists clenched.

"I need time," she said, voice tight. "But I am going to confront Leon."

Stefan's eyes flickered, but she didn't give him the chance to say anything else. She turned and walked away, Stefan grabbed her arm.

Elena snapped towards him, releasing the restraint holding her tongue.

"You hate it so much that you did to me as he did. You didn't change a fucking thing, Stefan. And still you managed to miss that mark. Next time, take better notes and instead of jizzing on the floor. Now, let me go!", she hissed.

Elena broke free, leaving Stefan standing alone, seething.