Lucien stared at the blackboard, trying to focus on Mrs. Henderson's lecture about ancient civilizations.
Two weeks had passed since their arrival in this peculiar town – two weeks of settling into the Salvatore Boarding House while his father remained unconscious, two weeks of Trevor and Sam researching Dracula, two weeks of Dean growing increasingly restless with inaction.
And now, somehow, he found himself sitting in a middle school classroom, pretending to be a normal thirteen-year-old.
"The ancient Egyptians developed sophisticated irrigation systems that allowed their civilization to thrive along the Nile,"
Mrs. Henderson was saying, her pointer tracing the river on a colorful map. "Who can tell me which crops were most important to their economy?"
The arrangement had made sense when Trevor proposed it.
They needed to maintain their cover story as family friends visiting the Salvatores.
A kid Lucien's age should be in school. Zach had connections to create the necessary paperwork.
Simple.
What wasn't simple was the conversation they'd had with Kate over the phone last night.
"Bobby's reinforced the entire property," she had assured them, her voice crackling through the speaker. "Iron, salt, every ward he knows. Adam's even helping paint sigils."
"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" John had asked from his bed, finally conscious but still weak, his voice barely audible.
"We're safer separated, you said so yourself" Kate had replied, though not without each word feeling like ash in her mouth. "Dracula's fixated on Lucien. He can't risk spreading his forces or drawing attention by moving his castle freely. Klaus would notice."
A sharp pain beside him drew Lucien from his thoughts.
Bonnie Bennett – seated at the desk to his right – winced suddenly, her hand rising to her temple. Lucien glanced at her with casual interest, then froze.
Standing behind Bonnie was... something.
A creature that shouldn't be there - how had it snuck up on him?
Blue-skinned and tall – at least seven feet – with limbs too long for its torso. Its body seemed composed of smokeless blue flame, shifting and flickering like a candle in a draft.
White fire formed what might generously be called hair, obscuring most of its face. Its hands – if they could be called that – rested on Bonnie's shoulders, long fingers with too many joints digging into her skin without leaving marks.
Lucien blinked hard, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks. The creature remained, now bending down to whisper into Bonnie's ear, its mouth moving against the back of her neck, occasionally passing through it as if intangible.
Lucien's mind raced, he looked around, looking to see if anyone else was seeing this, but Mrs. Henderson who was in front of the class, eyes towards the everyone, wasn't seeing the thing.
Meaning it was invisible.
Creature of fire - blue fire.
Invisible to normal people.
... Whispers...
'A... Jinn...?' Lucien questioned himself, recalling what he'd read.
Bonnie rubbed her temple again, frowning at her notebook. The creature's whispers continued, one hand moving to her chest, passing through her back to reach her heart.
Mrs. Henderson's voice faded to background noise as Lucien observed the entity. Still no one else seemed to notice it – not even Bonnie herself, though she clearly felt its effects.
The creature's whispers were too quiet for Lucien to make out, but Bonnie's expression darkened with each passing moment.
Suddenly, the Jinn gripped Bonnie's head between its grotesque hands and squeezed. Bonnie gasped softly, her face contorting in pain.
Without thinking, Lucien reached out and grabbed the creature's wrist.
The contact was shocking – like plunging his hand into ice water. The Jinn's form felt solid yet wrong, like touching something through water.
The creature's head snapped toward him with unnatural speed, its neck bending at an impossible angle.
The white flame-hair parted, revealing a face that made Lucien's stomach turn – hollow sockets where eyes should be, skin like cracked porcelain, and a mouth full of needle-teeth arranged in concentric circles.
It tried to pull away from Lucien's grip, then attempted to grab him with its free hand – but something prevented it. An invisible barrier seemed to exist between them, allowing Lucien to touch it but not the reverse.
"Mr. Winchester?"
Lucien startled, suddenly aware that his arm was raised in the air, gripping something no one else could see.
"Do you have a question?" Mrs. Henderson asked, eyebrow raised.
Lucien released the Jinn's wrist, thinking quickly. "Yes, ma'am. I was wondering how the Egyptians' irrigation techniques compared to those of other civilizations?"
Mrs. Henderson's expression shifted from annoyed to impressed. "An excellent question. The System actually had several key differences with others..."
As the teacher launched into her answer, Lucien glanced back at the Jinn.
It had retreated slightly, its hollow eye sockets fixed on him with unmistakable fear and hatred.
It continued whispering to Bonnie but now kept its distance from Lucien, moving to her other side.
Throughout the remainder of class, Lucien observed the creature's behavior, cataloging details for later research.
The Jinn never stopped its whispers, but now divided its attention between influencing Bonnie and watching Lucien with clear caution.
When the bell rang, Lucien gathered his books slowly, watching as Bonnie left with the Jinn trailing behind her like a grotesque shadow.
"This is going to be a problem," he muttered to himself.
------------------------
The cafeteria was loud – full of loud conversations, laughter, the clatter of trays, and the unmistakable smell of food.
Lucien had selected a corner table, hoping for solitude to process what he'd seen.
The Jinn had followed Bonnie into the cafeteria, continuing its whispers. From this distance, Lucien could observe without being obvious.
Bonnie sat with a couple girls her age that one that he reasoned immediately from his past life's knowledge of the show to be Elena Gilbert.
Elena was laughing at something some girl said, her dark hair falling over her shoulders.
Even from across the room, Lucien could sense something unusual about her – a subtle warmth or resonance in her presence.
He dismissed it as likely related to her doppelgänger nature.
That wasn't his concern right now.
"You're the new kid, right?"
Lucien looked up to find Caroline Forbes standing over him, blonde hair perfectly styled, bright smile firmly in place. Without waiting for an answer, she continued.
"You can't just sit alone on your first day. That's social suicide. Come on, you're sitting with us."
Before Lucien could protest, Caroline had grabbed his tray and was marching toward her table, clearly expecting him to follow.
With a resigned sigh, he did.
He was kinda on autopilot really, still processing that in this place right now, not too far from him was a seven foot tall abomination.
"Everyone, this is Lucien Winchester," Caroline announced as they reached the table. "He's staying with the Salvatores. Lucien, this is Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Tyler, and Dana."
Lucien nodded politely as he took the empty seat beside Bonnie – directly across from where the Jinn loomed behind her.
The creature immediately noticed him, its body contorting with rage. It hissed, the sound audible only to Lucien, like static in his ears.
"So," Caroline began, leaning forward, "why did you move to Mystic Falls? Nobody ever moves here."
"My dad's recovering from surgery," Lucien replied, keeping his eyes on Caroline while acutely aware of the Jinn's increasingly agitated movements. "We're staying with the Salvatores while he recuperates."
"Are you related to them?" Elena asked.
"No, just family friends."
The Jinn was now circling the table, moving behind Lucien, its clawed hands reaching for him but stopping short – as if hitting an invisible wall. It snarled, revealing multiple rows of teeth.
"How long are you staying?" Matt asked, seeming genuinely interested.
Lucien shrugged, fighting to maintain a normal expression as the Jinn's face pressed against the invisible barrier near his ear, its teeth gnashing inches from his skin. "Depends on my dad's recovery. Could be a while."
"You should join the science club," Caroline suggested brightly. "We're doing a project on local ecosystems, and we need more members, especially boys. They never volunteer."
"Because it's boring," Tyler interjected, earning a glare from Caroline.
"It is not boring. It's important environmental work."
As Caroline launched into a passionate defense of scientific exploration, Lucien considered his options regarding the Jinn.
He could attempt to use the Force against it, but without understanding the rules governing its interaction with him, that seemed risky.
Whatever was preventing it from touching him was clearly effective – disrupting that protection could be dangerous.
The Jinn continued its attempts to reach him, clawing at the invisible barrier between them. Its hatred was palpable, but beneath that, Lucien sensed fear – it was terrified of him.
"Lucien?" Elena's voice broke through his thoughts. "Are you okay? You seem distracted."
"Sorry," he replied, refocusing. "Just a lot to take in on the first day."
Elena smiled sympathetically. "I bet. Don't worry about Caroline's recruitment efforts. You don't have to join anything until you're settled."
"Elena," Caroline protested, "he needs to get involved. It's the only way to make friends."
"Or he could just, you know, talk to people," Bonnie suggested quietly, speaking for the first time. Her eyes met Lucien's briefly, curious and slightly suspicious.
The Jinn immediately intensified its whispering to her, causing Bonnie to wince and look away.
"Are you alright?" Lucien asked her directly.
"Just a headache," Bonnie replied. "I've been getting them a lot lately."
"I'm not surprised with all the tests coming up," Caroline said. "Speaking of which, are you joining our study group? We meet at Elena's on Thursdays."
Lucien weighed his options.
'Everyone is really open in this town, inviting someone to a study group who you just met at a friend's house... Is this normal? Is this a Mystic Falls thing or an America thing?" Lucien thought to himself, since he in his previous life didn't grow up in America, and honestly wasn't the most social kid.
'Being around Bonnie more would allow me to observe the Jinn and potentially find a way to help her, since its clearly hurting her.'
"Sure, if that's okay with everyone."
"Of course it is," Elena assured him with a warm smile.
The Jinn let out a sound like steam escaping a pressure valve, its form seeming to expand and contract with rage.
For the remainder of lunch, Lucien maintained the appearance of a normal conversation while observing both the Jinn and Bonnie.
The creature never stopped its whispering, and Lucien noted how Bonnie's expression would occasionally darken, her responses becoming slightly sharper before returning to normal.
When the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, Caroline extracted a promise from Lucien to join them again tomorrow before hurrying off to her next class.
Matt and Tyler left together, discussing basketball practice, while Dana departed with a casual wave.
"What class do you have next?" Elena asked as they cleared their trays.
"Science with Mr. Phillips," Lucien replied.
"Same as Bonnie. I've got English," Elena said. "See you guys later."
As Elena walked away, Lucien felt that unusual warmth recede.
Walking beside Bonnie toward science class, with the Jinn hovering between them, Lucien considered how to approach the situation. Direct intervention seemed risky without more information.
"The headaches," he said casually, "have you seen a doctor about them?"
Bonnie shrugged. "My Grams says they're growing pains."
"Growing pains?"
"She's big on the whole 'becoming a woman' thing lately," Bonnie replied with an eye roll. "Everything is a sign of my 'emerging womanhood' or whatever."
Lucien nodded, reasoning that Sheila Bennett was likely referring to her granddaughter's emerging witch powers.
What she maybe didn't know - cause if she knew, she would've done something about it already right? - was the Jinn's influence complicating matters.
'Or is she helpless about this thing?
...
Can't be right?'
"My family has some herbal remedies that might help," Lucien offered. "I could bring some tomorrow."
The Jinn hissed violently at this, moving closer to Bonnie's ear, its whispers becoming more urgent.
"I don't take stuff from people I just met," Bonnie replied, her tone suddenly cold. She blinked, looking surprised at her own response. "Sorry, that came out harsh. I just... I'm fine, really."
"No problem," Lucien said easily. "The offer stands if you change your mind."
They reached the classroom and took their seats, the Jinn resuming its position behind Bonnie, occasionally casting hateful glances at Lucien throughout the lesson.
------------------------
When the final bell rang, Lucien found himself oddly exhausted. Maintaining a normal appearance while being the only person aware of a malevolent supernatural entity was mentally draining.
Outside the school, he spotted Trevor's Land Rover waiting in the pickup line. He bid goodbye to Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline, who were walking home together, then made his way to the vehicle.
"How was school?" Trevor asked as Lucien climbed in, his tone lightly mocking.
"Weird as hell," Lucien replied, waiting until Trevor had pulled away from the school before continuing. "There was a a thing attached to one of my classmates - I think it was a Jinn."
Trevor's casual expression vanished, replaced by sharp focus. "You saw a Jinn? You're certain?"
"Blue skin, made of something like fire, but no smoke, whispering into a girl's ear and causing her pain. Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
Trevor whistled low. "That's... unusual. Most people can't see them at all."
"So that actually was that? A Jinn?"
"Based on your description, yeah. A Qareen most likely - a personal demon corrupter," Trevor confirmed, turning onto the road leading to the Salvatore Boarding House.
"Ancient beings that exist parallel to humans. Created from smokeless fire as humans were created from clay, according to Islamic tradition."
"This one was attached to a girl named Bonnie Bennett." Lucien stated.
Trevor's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Bennett?"
Lucien nodded. "She doesn't seem aware of her powers yet, but yes." he continued - Trevor having explained to the Winchesters about the Bennetts being a witch family, but not the demonic kind, and to stay the fuck away from them.
"That makes sense," Trevor muttered. "Jinn are drawn to power, especially untapped potential. A Bennett witch coming into her abilities would be irresistible."
"It was hurting her," Lucien said. "Causing headaches, whispering things I couldn't hear. When I grabbed its wrist, it couldn't touch me back – like there was some kind of barrier."
"You touched it?" Trevor asked sharply. "Directly?"
"Yeah. It freaked out when it realized I could see it."
Trevor was silent for a long moment, then sighed. "Look, you're a smart kid so you probably know this already, but Jinn are of the two types basically. Those that follow Iblis - a fallen angel Jinn, and those that don't. Those that don't aren't important right now, but they're basically like humans, can have their own beliefs, cultures, religions, etc.
The ones that follow Iblis - or Azazel as he was formerly known-"
The name Azazel immediately made Lucien think of Yellow Eyes, watching from the dark, remembering when he saw them years ago when they were packing to join his family and hunt.
"-These corrupted Jinn, they're parasites. They feed on negative emotions, whispering evil thoughts, gradually building a negative aura around their hosts."
"Why?" Lucien asked,
"Control," Trevor replied grimly. "That negative aura eventually allows high-level demons to control these individuals remotely, like puppets on strings, without the limitations of direct possession. They say jump, and these evil people will ask how high."
Lucien frowned. "Why bother with that when possession is a thing?"
"That's the million-dollar question," Trevor said, turning onto the long driveway leading to the boarding house. "My theory? There must be cosmic rules limiting possession that we haven't discovered yet – divine protections that the demons are working around through this indirect method."
He parked the Land Rover and turned to face Lucien fully. "These corrupted Jinn target the influential and powerful most aggressively. It's why so many wealthy and powerful people engage in evil shit."
Trevor turned silent for a moment, while he gave Lucien a side glance, and turned his focus back onto the road, having apparently made a decision, "You're a hunter, so I won't sugar coat it. I don't know if you've heard of it - its the thing that comes easiest at the top of my head right now - the 1988 Franklin scandal."
"It's about political and business figures being said to be p*dophiles, trafficking kids. A whole trafficking ring. In 1990 it was called a 'carefully created hoax.' People can say what they want, but I believe it to be as true as the fucking sun."
"See, these parasites, when you give them an inch they'll take a mile. Once you engage in a bit of evil they whisper to you, you gain that bad aura, making you more susceptible if you don't know they're there, and then more easily convinced to do evil."
"This blows up, they make you the most demonic, evil, scum of the earth actions, like going after kids, doing satanic rituals, sacrificing people, to then being as I said, able for high enough level demons to completely control them."
'I... really don't like the sound of this...' Though Lucien grimly.
Trevor turned silent for a long moment, till he sighed, "Look kid. I'm telling you this, cause I've... seen how your family looks at humans, your big brother Dean and I have had a few beers, and talked about Hunter business, personal experiences, and the like, and I know how your family is very focused on how evil the supernatural is."
"To me though, they're neglecting how evil the humans they convince to their side can be. Some of those humans, can be called more demon than demons. I just want you to know that, and not hesitate if you meet them, and kill them when you get the chance."
For some reason, Lucien felt that Trevor's words were far more relevant right now than some distant future...
"Now, about the girl, it was Bonnie right?" Trevor asked, giving Lucien a sideglance, who nodded silently, clearly in a lot of though.
"She's probably got as a Bennett immense magical potential," Trevor reminded him. "Her bloodline is one of the most powerful witch lineages in existence. If demons could control that power..."
"Can we help her?" Lucien suddenly asked, finding his voice again. "Remove the Jinn somehow?"
Trevor's expression grew troubled. "It's not that simple. These things are everywhere, Lucien. Probably the only reason you can see this particular one is because it must be exceptionally powerful for its kind, making it visible to your supernatural senses. Most people go their entire lives with these entities attached to them, never knowing."
Lucien winced, having already read and known about this, Trevor's own earlier explanation something he has thought about as well, "That's... fucked up."
"Welcome to the real world," Trevor said with a humorless laugh.
"According to Belmont family records, Dracula once commanded a group of Jinn for information gathering. They can travel between planes of existence, even flying close to Heaven to eavesdrop on angels – who throw meteors at them when discovered – or visiting Hell freely. Made them invaluable spies."
As they exited the car and walked toward the boarding house, Lucien fell silent, still processing everything Trevor had told him.
Trevor placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure something out."
But as they entered the boarding house, Lucien couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this situation than Trevor was telling him.
The explanation didn't sit right – no, it's not that it didn't sit right.
It's the timing.
Why did Trevor go into such specifics right now, and why did Lucien feel it has something to do with Mystic Falls...
--------------------------
(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
So, I've been gone for a bit. Busy with life.
About what Trevor stated, the Franklin Scandel is a real thing in real life, I'm not calling anyone having done something bad until proven in a court of law.
It's just that with the whole Epst'in case (I'm censoring myself, cause I have no idea, if some words can't be in chapters on webnovel or not, have never heard that it can't, but I'm taking precautions.
Went into quite the rabbit hole, and picked up some knowledge of dark shit, and now its inspired me for quite the villains.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)