The smell of bacon dragged me out of my perfect little daydream haze. For a second, I just lay there, tangled up in my brand-new pastel pink comforter, smiling like an idiot. Sunlight poured through the window, birds chirped outside like they were auditioning for a Disney movie, and downstairs, I could hear the soft clatter of dishes.
Liz Forbes. My mom.
In this life, at least.
God, it was weird. But it felt...right.
Dragging myself out of bed I threw on a cute little yellow sundress because even when life hands you time-warping second chances, you should never leave the house looking basic and skipped down the stairs.
"Morning, sweetie," she said, flashing me a tired but genuine smile.
And oh my god, my heart actually squeezed. She looked younger than I remembered from the show. Less stressed. Happier. Like the weight of all the upcoming supernatural drama hadn't crushed her yet.
"Morning, Mom," I chirped, sliding into a seat at the breakfast table.
There were pancakes. Bacon. Scrambled eggs. Orange juice in a real glass, not a Solo cup.It was like a Norman Rockwell painting, but, you know, less creepy.
"You're up early," she said, setting a plate in front of me.
"Big day," I said brightly, stabbing a piece of pancake. "First day back at school."
Liz laughed a little. "You act like you're excited."
I shrugged, chewing. "New year, new me," I said around a mouthful of syrupy goodness.
As I stuffed my mouth with syrupy goodness, I caught a glimpse of the calendar on the fridge. 2008. My heart skipped a beat. I had exactly one year before everything in Mystic Falls would flip upside down before Elena would lose her parents, before Stefan and Damon would return, before vampires, werewolves, and witches would become daily news in this sleepy town. For now, Elena still had the perfect life: her parents were alive, and she was happily dating Matt Donovan. No Salvatore drama yet. No Originals. No chaos. Honestly... it was kind of boring.
Boring. So boring. Painfully boring.
I almost wanted to cry.
I mean, don't get me wrong I loved the idea of not being murdered by random vampires every other Tuesday. But...where was the fun in that? How was I supposed to shine when the town was still one big, sleepy suburban postcard?
I had one whole year before the real party started.
One year to practice my powers. One year to get really good at magic. And, oh yeah figure out how the hell to use my time travel ability without, you know, exploding myself.
Because while the glittery cosmic being had oh-so-generously given me the memories of how awesome I could be... It forgot the tiny little detail of teaching me how to actually do magic.
I sighed inwardly. I needed to practice my powers and fast. Especially if I wanted any chance at surviving the madness to come.
I grabbed my bag after breakfast and I grabbed my car keys from the kitchen counter. Thankfully, in this life, I had a car I tossed my backpack into the passenger seat, slid behind the wheel, and cranked up the radio. Some peppy pop song blared from the speakers as I peeled out of the driveway, the morning sun catching the shine of my freshly polished car.
The wind whipped through my hair as I sped toward Mystic Falls High
As I pulled into the school parking lot, heads actually turned. Some guys whistled. I gave them a little wave, laughing to myself. Still got it, I thought smugly, I slung my bag over one shoulder and strutted toward the front entrance.
I kept walking, my heels clicking lightly on the pavement, until I spotted two familiar figures ahead Bonnie Bennett and Elena Gilbert, chatting animatedly by the school gates. Bonnie had her signature sweet but sassy look going on, and Elena looked like the poster girl for 'All-American Perfection.'
"Hey, you two!" I called out, catching up to them. "Ready to suffer through another mind-numbing day of lectures?"
Bonnie laughed. "Morning, Caroline. You know you love school."
Elena grinned. "You're the one who signs up for every extracurricular activity, remember?"
I tossed my hair dramatically. "Please, I do it for the social life. Obviously. Who actually learns anything in high school anyway?"
They laughed, and together we walked toward the main building, blending seamlessly into the typical, peaceful rhythm of high school life.
The day dragged on in a blur of boring classes and whispered gossip. History class was about as exciting as watching paint dry, and in chemistry, I may or may not have accidentally caused a minor explosion trying to flirt with the cute lab partner assigned to me. Not my fault he couldn't handle a little Caroline charm.
By the end of the day, I was practically vibrating with pent-up energy. I had magic now. Real magic. And I was stuck pretending to care about quadratic equations? Kill me.
Finally, the last bell rang. I said goodbye to Bonnie and Elena with promises to hang out later, then practically sprinted home.
Back in my room, I grabbed a random potted plant from the backyard garden and set it in the middle of my floor. I sat cross-legged in front of it, staring at it with fierce concentration.
"Okay, Caroline," I muttered. "You got this. Bloom, baby, bloom."
I closed my eyes, focusing on the feeling of life inside the plant, the pulse of nature just beneath its surface. I imagined it growing, blossoming under my will.
When I opened my eyes, the plant shuddered... and then, before my very eyes, a vibrant pink flower burst into bloom.
I gasped. "Oh. My. God. I did that!"
Laughing like a giddy maniac, I moved on to bigger things. I picked up my textbooks and focused. Within seconds, they lifted into the air, floating lazily around me.
"This is amazing!" I squealed, spinning around and sending a notebook flying across the room.
I spent the next hour levitating everything that wasn't nailed down pillows, lamps, even my laptop carefully. It was like a scene straight out of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and I was living for it.
But magic wasn't my only gift.
I had something way cooler: the ability to travel through time. The only problem was... how the hell was I supposed to activate it?
After several minutes of pacing and talking to myself like a crazy person, I finally decided to just go for it.
"Okay," I said, sitting down cross-legged again. "Focus, Caroline. Think about where you want to go."
I closed my eyes tightly, imagining a different time a time full of legends and danger and epic betrayals. I pictured ancient Greece, 2,000 years ago, during the time of Silas, Amara, and Qetsiyah. The original love triangle that literally broke the world.
I focused harder. Take me there, I thought. Take me to them.
Suddenly, a rush of wind surrounded me, like a tornado made of pure energy. My body felt weightless, and for a split second, I thought maybe I had just killed myself with magic. But then
BAM.
I landed hard on warm, dusty ground.
When I opened my eyes, I gasped.
I was standing in the middle of a bustling ancient city, sunlight pouring down from a crystal-clear sky. Around me, people in flowing robes moved gracefully through stone-paved streets. Marble temples gleamed in the distance, their pillars reaching for the heavens. The air smelled of fresh bread, salt from the nearby sea, and something sharp and metallic magic, maybe?
The buildings were works of art themselves: carved stone facades covered in ivy, colorful mosaics depicting gods and heroes, massive amphitheaters where people gathered to share news and drama. Horses trotted past, pulling wooden carts loaded with fruits, vegetables, and vibrant fabrics. Men with bronzed skin and long hair argued passionately at market stalls, while women in flowing white chitons laughed and gossiped under the shade of olive trees.
My heart thundered in my chest. This is it. Ancient Greece. The time of legends.
I glanced down at myself and realized I was still wearing yellow sundress Not exactly ancient fashion. Fantastic, I thought dryly. I'm officially a time-traveling tourist.
Still, I couldn't help but grin.
"This," I whispered, spinning slowly to take it all in, "is going to be so much fun."
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