Linkin woke with the feeling of the sun on his face and a roaring headache. His mind was foggy as he tried to remember what happened. He thought hard trying to break through the haze. Its felt like his head split open as flashes of the night pierced the fog.

Drake handing him the beer.

Then Drake tried kissing him but he pushed him off.

How he began to feel woozy and numb.

Begin dropped onto the ground.

His body jolted up, eyes snapping open with a horrified ghasp. Linkin became painfully aware of his lower bodys throbbing. His panicking an fear ridden eyes taking in his surroundings. It took a moment befor he realised that he wasn't in the woods anymore, but in his room at Shelia Bennett's house.

He was only relieved for a moment. He couldn't remember how he got here or what happened after Drake did what he had done.

Hot water began to pool burning the back of his eyes. Pain flaired through his lower back as he brough his knees to his chest and the tears started to fall, his lips trembeling.

Sheila hadn't slept at all that night feeling off. She just blamed it on her choice of drink, that was until the child she considered her own was brought home unconscious. An by a vampire no less. She had not been able to sleep or get many answers out of the stranger who had brought Linkin to her. But what she did know almost broke her.

She was walking by his room the 100th time in the past few hours when she heard his ghasp. Immediately she went to his side gently bringing the redbface and tear ridden into her embrace.

The elder Bennett had seen Linkin go through alot of things in the time she has known him. But never had she seen the boy break down like this. Not from the abuse of his so called parents. Not even from the bullying of his brother or the other children at his school. Her own tears began to fall as she did her best to comfort him with gent words.

Hasn't this child suffered enough. Her face morphed into one of a mothers rage as she spoke her next words. "I vow to you my child. I will brings hell on those that have hurt you." She promised placing a kiss on his shaking head. I'll show them what messing with a witch's family will rought.

Sheila began to feel drained. She quickly looked down too see the crying boys hands glowing a dark orange. The longer the glow stayed the more she felt like her magic was waning. She was shocked into a quiet stillness.

The sudden silence broke Linkin from his tears. He started to fell a hit of energy pass into him making him open his eyes with a deep inhale. He saw Sheila looking down almost tiredly as her eyes began to close. Worried he looked down to see his hands glow a sun set orange. Frightened he immediately jumped back out of the bed letting go of the woman. He let out a noise of discomfort at the burning pain in his back. But seeing Sheila faint on his bed he pushed past the pain trying to wake her up.

"Shelia?..." Nothing. "Grams?" His voice trembled. He went to shake her arm but his hand glowed again and her breathing hitched. He put his ear over her mouth and heard light shallow breaths.

"Grams, please wake up!" He pleeded as his heart began to race.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god." He wezzed.

What do i do, what do i do. The phone! Linkin painfully ran to the living room ripping the phone off it box. He dialed 911 racing into the room again.

"911, whats your emergency?" A womans voice asked.

"I don't know whats happened. She's fainted and I don't know what esle to do." His viice trembled as his eyes began to well again.

"Okay whats your name sir?"

"It's Linkin."

"Okay Linkin i need you to check if she's breathing-"

"She's... she's still breathing... but it's shallow and uneven." He spoke quickly as he began to panic more and more.

"Okay im gonna need you to check her pulse for me-"

"No! I can't! " He yelldd.

"What do you mean sir?" The woman asked clearly confused.

"There was this orange light when I touched her and it made her like this." He spwed out his panic starting to take over, his breathing heavier.

"Don't worry sir, help is on the way."

...

Bonnie arrived at her grandmothers house seeing a distraught Linkin jittering on the stairs of the porch. A fire truck parked on the street outside of the house.

"Link!" She yelled worried coming up to pull him into a hug.

"No! Don't touch me." He exclaimed jumping back befor touching her. She looked hurt but then remebered the emergency.

"What happend is Grams okay?" She asked him but he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"She's okay. She regained consciousness a few minutes ago." Came the voice of a man at the door. He was one of the paramedics from the firetruck.

"I need to see her." Bonnie pleeded.

"Of cource." He said clearing the way of the door as Bonnie went in.

Linkin was so caught up in his head he didn't notice the man move infront of him. "Can I have a look at that?" He asked him.

Linkin coming back to the world around him wiped the remnants of tear tracks from his face. "What sorry?" He asked confused. His whole back was sore now and he was sitting akwardly.

"You should go to the E.R and get that shoulder checked." He stated flicking his eyes to the bandage that was visible from under his collar. He saw the arm bend with the bandage but no cast or sling to keep it stable. He noticed the kid wasn't sitting straight like he was in discomfort.

An 'oh shit' look graced Linkins face befor he quickly pulled his shirt over the visible bandage. Not without a wince that he mentally scolded himself for. "The E.R's to expensive and im okay, but thank you." He said.

The truth is he can't go to the hospital because that we cause to many questions for dear old daddy. The last thing the Mayor wants is to be claimed as a child beater.

For a moment the mans eyes seemed to trail over Linkins exposed arms where there was spots of bruising. To the fireman they looked alot like hand marks. "All righty then." The fireman said casually, clicking his tongue. He then pulled out a bitt of paper from his pocket and a pen writing on it. "My name's Ryan." He said holding out the piece of paper with a kind smile. "Give me a call if you need someone to talk to or want to get that shoulder checked out. It'll be on the house."

With his none injured arm Linkin cautiously took the papper and just kept it in his hands. The fireman smile seemed to brighten. "Okay. Make sure she stays in bed, drinks plenty of water and not over exhort herself for the next few days." Ryan said. Linkin just nodded.

Ryan did the same before turning back to the fire truck with his partner heading off on there way.

Linkin went to stand having to grab the railing to pull himself up. He stopped midway hissing in pain about to fall before a pair of hands caught him from under the shoulders.

"Hey now, take it easy." Came the voice of someone familiar helping him up.

"Stefan?" Linkin asked confused craning his neck seeing the new kid moving to beside him.

"Link, is she okay?" Came the voice of Elena as she walked up the porch steps.

"She's okay now. But I think Bonn might need a little bff support." He said. Elena gave him a sympathetic nod befor making her way through the door.

Stefan watched her go in before he look to the visibly in pain Lockwood.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"No, everything hurts." Linkin sighed. He was shocked that he just said. "I don't know why I told you that." He said confused.

Stefan just smiled akwardly. "Maby you just find me trustworthy. Also your good at hiding your pain, but not that good." He said and I felt wave of fear, my heart started racing. "Hey it's okay don't worry. Let's get you inside." He said.

Stefan ushered Linkin into the kitchen of the house and boiled the kettle making a cup of tea for Linkin. He also did a pot of coffee for everyone else who's no doubt going to need some.

What Linkin didn't see was Stefan bite his finger and drop some of his blood into his tea befor stirring it. "Here." He said handing Linkin the warm mug. He didn't hesitate to begin sipping it. An as seconds passed in silence he began to feel his physical pain dull until he didn't feel any at all.

Confused he looked from his tea up to where Stefan was standing by the stove only to witness him move in the blink of an eye to beside him.

Linkin was relieved to finally be able to move without pain but nearly jumped back as he met Stefans forest green eyes. "You will not ask why or how you healed so fast. You will accept it, move on and tell no one." Stefan said in a low commanding tone.

For a moment Linkins mind began to cloud but the energy he seemed to get from Shelia drained a little and his mind cleared. He blinked for a moment, his face contorted with confusion. "What are you doing?" He asked the boy standing over him.

Why didn't that work? Stefan though before trying again. "You will not wonder how you healed fast and just accept it and move on." He said in the same commanding tone.

Linkin didn't break eye contact and even saw Stefans pupils expand before shrinking again when he finished speaking. He felt the fog again and some energy dissipate along with the fog in his mind. "What the hell do you think your doing?" Linkin growled getting up off his seat.

"Why isn't it working." Stefan said confused.

"What?" Linkin demanded.

"The compulsion worked before." He said befor he thought.

"What do you mean, worked before?" Linkin said with a raised voice.

"Linkin look. I can explain but I need you to keep your voice down." Stefan spoke, almost pleadingly.

Elena walked into the kitchen hearing Linkin raise his voice. "Is everything okay in here?" She asked looking between the 2.

Stefan smiled looking at Elena befor both turned to Linkin. Stefans eyes holding a silent plee to not say a word about what just happened.

"It's fine. We're good here." Linkin said. His eyes looked to his feet, his day had only just began an he was already over it. "I'm just gonna go to school." He said grabbing his phone off the kitchen counter and heading for the door.

"Linkin." Elena called from behind him.

"Just tell Grams I said im sorry." He said not turning around. He was messaging the last person he wanted to. But he had already missed the bus and knowing his brother, he was already gonna be late for school.

...

"Why are you staying at Bonnie's grandmas house so much lately?" Tyler asked as he made a turn off the main road towards school.

Maby because our dad is an abusive ass hole and your mom hates my guts. He thought bitterly.

Tyler took his eyes off the road to look at his younger brother. "Dude." He said giving him a look.

Oh. He realised he didn't actually answer the question. Seeing his brother face with realisation he looked back to rhe road. They had to swerve a little in order to avoid hitting a fox. Linkin just rolled his eyes at his brothers crappy driving.

"I have more fun." He said.

"Psht." Tyler snorted. "How much fun can a drunk old hag be." He snarcked.

"Don't talk about her like that." Linkin said with venomously.

"What? She is." Tyler said defensively, ticked off by his brothers sudden attitude. After the tone his brother used on him it had a bubble of anger rise in him as they came into the scholl parking lot. Tyler already in a bad mood from behing yelled at by his dad for behing late to school. Then having to go out of his way to pick up the family issue. He was boiling at this point as he turned off the engine and turned to his younger sibling with a daek look. "Aplologise." He said.

"What for?" Linkin said plainly.

"Talking back." He deadpaned, eye twitching.

"Go screw yourself." Linkin said not in the mood to be a push over today. He grabed his bag and went to get out of the car. But before he even opened the door he felt the hard an familiar punch as his brother socked him across the face.

Linkin lip got spilt from one of Tyler's bulky rings, he could taste the blood on his tounge. He wipped his dripping bottom lip with a finger and raised it to see he did inded bleed. Link scoffed and he actualy just smiled. Even letting out a laugh.

"What's so funny ." Tyler said menacingly.

"Your mom hits harder." He said befor getting out of the car and heading into a place he one day wishes to bring to ash's.

I know this story is pretty dark an a bit of a debby downer. But it's gonna be a hell of a character development im planning for little Linkin.

I'll be honest, this chapter was kinda a filler but also key to the story.

What do you guys think Stefan meant when he said "it worked before.". What could he be talking about i bet your wondering. Well that answer will come, but later haha.

If any of you feel so inclined, you should check out some of my other published work.

Don't forget to comment an vote.

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