AN: During this self-isolation time with covid-19 taking over the world, I am going back editing / re-writing this story. Along with the character-name change from Madison to Camryn, there will also be other changes and edits happening to this story, as I go through each chapter carefully reading them over before reposting. When edits and re-writes of each chapter are finished, I will repost and hopefully continue on and finish off this story as well :)

Camryn Gilbert is the younger cousin to Elena and Jeremy, who just so happens to be a witch. Camryn didn't find out she was a witch until after her father had died, leaving her an orphan like her cousins. She then moved in with her grandmother, who then told her about her witch ancestry. This is the story of how the youngest Gilbert tries to balance high school, vampires, werewolves, as well as trying to maintain a healthy social life, without dying.

-Begins in season 3 on Prank Night at the school.

Edited April 25th, 2020.

Chapter 2

Cammi woke up the next morning in her bed, groaning. It was way too early to be getting up after the night she had. Rolling onto her side, seeing that it was a little after six, she knew it was about that time that she had to be getting up. Unfortunately, school doesn't bother to wait for you, even when there is a supernatural crisis going on in town.

Sighing, Cammi slowly dragged herself from the bed, silencing the alarm on her phone that was set for a 6:30 A.M. wake up call. Slowly and tiredly, Cam pushed herself through her morning routine. Taking a quick shower, washing, and shaving everything before hopping out to dry off and brush her teeth and comb out her wet locks. Next, Cammi applied her regular coconut-scented body cream, which matched the scent of her shampoo and condition. Once finishing with the body cream, Cammi moved on to her skincare routine for her face. Using face toner, eye cream, vitamin C serum, and lastly, her coconut face cream. Once down with her skincare, Cammi moved on to blow-drying her long raven locks. Standing naked as her hair was drying, letting her body soak up the body cream and face products before putting clothes and makeup on.

Ten minutes later, with her long hair completely dried, Cammi moved over to her closet, getting dressed in the clothing that she had set out the day prior. Her outfit was simple, but also on-point with the current trends. Slightly faded black 'torn and worn' skinny jeans tucked into her dark gray combat boots. For a top, she had a simple dark blue scoop-neck cut shirt that was tucked only into the front of her jeans loosely, grabbing a wide black leather belt to finish off the look. Once her body was dressed, Cammi moved back into the bathroom, starting on her hair, giving herself her signature loose beachy wave curls. Then for makeup, she kept it light, with foundation, light eyeliner with mascara, a small hint of pink blush, and a tiny pop of pink on the lips.

Cam knew that if she were living a more 'mundane' life, the events of last night would have been freaking her out way more than what they really were now. And, perhaps, if this was only last year, before any vampires had come back to this tow, she would be freaking way more out. But, with discovering magic three years ago and vampire and werewolves in the last... the events of last night almost felt like any typical day of the week now.

Of course, it was surprising.

None of them had really expected Klaus to come back to Mystic Falls so soon... if at all. And to see Stefan with emotions off, was unhinging. But Cammi was sure, that they could find a spell or something to break the compulsion and get Stefan back to normal. There had to be some way to get him back...

But on a positive note, no one died!

Expect Tyler. Technically.

But he came back - as a hybrid - but still, not dead, completely that is...

Clearing her mind from the previous night's events she made her way down to the first floor of the old manor home of her grandmother's. The smell of bacon and eggs hitting her nostrils as she made her way down the back staircase that led to the eat-in kitchen/living room combo. The front of the old house, where the larger, more grand-like staircase sat at, is where the formal dining and sitting room was at. The sitting room once was a study/library but was relocated to the attic of the home. Cammi's Nana thought it would be better suited in the attic, tucked away from visitors and any prying eyes. Wouldn't exactly go over well, having a person come across one of their many grimoires.

"Mmmm, smells great! Whatcha making Nana?" Cammi sang out, setting her school bag down next to the barstool she was hopping up on to at the kitchen snack bar.

Her grandmother smiled at Cammi's positive attitude. "A good tasty batch of scrambled eggs with a side of bacon and toast. This should get you off to a good start for the first day of your junior year!"

Cammi smiled, digging into the large plate set in front of her. Her Nana had always been the nurturing type, cooking her way more food than needed - not that she wasn't complaining! She loved getting large portions of mouthwatering homemade meals! In counter to that, Cammi was definitely grateful for the metabolism she had inherited from her mother's side of the family! So far, it's been able to keep up with her grandmother's cooking, and fingers crossed it would continue that way! "Yummy, looks great, Nana!"

Lauren Blake smiled at her only grandchild, finishing off the last of her own plate, picking up her coffee mug, humming as she took small sips from it, "What are plans for after school, honey?"

"I'm not sure, I guess just going over things with Caroline to see when cheer tryouts are gonna be and all that. Then I suppose, I'll most likely head to The Grill with whoever to hang and grab some dinner," Cam answered with a shrug, shoving another large bite into her mouth. "What about you, do you have a shift at the hospital today?"

Lauren paused, taking another sip from her coffee, "I have a mid-shift today. Then I'll be heading to The Grill as well, just to check on things and make sure the supplies are all stocked up."

Cammi snickered, shoving more food into her waiting mouth, "Isn't that Jimmy's job? He is the manager, after all Nana."

Her grandma sighed, setting her mug down to move the dirty pans from cooking breakfast into the sink to rinse off, "Yes, it is." She answered back a bit stiffly, "I just want to make sure that everything's in order and that the numbers are adding up correctly..."

"Nana!" Cammi scolded the older lady, teasing her. "You have to let up some! Jimmy is amazing at what he does, and you know it... he's never messed up an order or miscounted The Grill's earnings. You know that he's an honest and trustworthy man."

"I know, I know!" Her grandmother signed, finishing up rinsing the pans, placing them in the dishwasher. "I just - I want to make sure that nothing is out of line is all. Your father opened that place when he was only twenty-six, with the earnings he was making from your Uncle's practice and completely redid the building both inside and out. I think initially, he was opening up the place to impress your mom. Before it was The Grill, it was their old local hang out when they were kids, which had shut down a year or two after they had graduated high school and was sitting empty for years till he brought it. I just don't want it to go under with those two both gone now... It'll be yours when you are older, just like your father's home, and I only want to make sure that it will add to your life, not burden or stress it."

Cammi nodded in understanding, "Nana, of course, it won't be a burden for me. Dad built that place up when he was busy saving lives as a doctor - and he trained Jimmy really well."

"Yea, yea..." Nana nodded back, knowing Cam was talking sense. Of course, she knew Jimmy was running the place right. The man began working at The Grill when he was twenty-two, the fourth year after the restaurant had opened, and he had idolized Charles Gilbert for giving him a shot. Charlie had given the man a chance that so many other places in town refused to give him. Jimmy, back then, had been known as the high school druggie drop out to the town. He had only gotten his GED a few years back, and was currently working on his business and management degree at the local community college. He was now ten years sober now. Lauren knew that Jimmy had definably proven himself over the last few years to both the Gilbert family as well to her. "Your dad did do good with Jimmy; I can't deny that. I just worry is all, which is in my job description of grandmother to do so..." She gave a small smile to her granddaughter, draining the rest of her coffee, "Anyways, off with you now! I'm sure you want to meet up with everyone before classes start, so go on, get!" her grandmother teased her, shooing her away with her hands.

Cammi laughed, glancing down at the time on her phone knowing her Nana was right. Shoving the rest of her toast in her mouth in a hurry, she jumped up from her seat, "Yea, yea, I'm going, I'm going!"

Chugging down the rest of her orange juice, Cam handed over her dirty dishes, giving Nana a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks as she did so. Checking the time on her phone once more, Cammi quickened her pace, hurrying her way to the attached garage where both her grandma and her car sat parked. Elena had group text her, Caroline, Bonnie to meet up twenty minutes early to discuss last nights events more in person.

Making her way into the attached garage, which housed, both her's and grandmother's car, Cammi hopped into her BMW hybrid. Cammi only had the luxury car, since it was her dad's before he had passed three years ago. Her Nana saw no point in selling a practically brand-new paid off vehicle. It was only purchased three months prior to her dad dying, and seeing as Cam would need something to drive something when she turned sixteen, they kept it. Nana had had it adequately stored for the last three years when Cammi wasn't able to drive, making sure that the engine and tires and all that didn't deteriorate as it sat gathering dust. The car wasn't all decked out like some BMW's were, having only the basic tech features inside as well as making sure it was a hybrid engine. Charles Gilbert was a simple man. He liked luxury but preferred to keep those items rather simple than more complex like some did.

Thankfully, Cam had driven her car over to Elena and Jeremy's last night before catching a ride with Elena to the school for prank night. It had taken some convincing to get all three of the current residents of the Gilbert home to let her drive back to her Nana's last night. Elena, Jeremy, and Alaric all being nervous that the two Originals could be waiting as soon as she left the safety of the Gilbert house. But after arguing for a good twenty minutes, the three had finally caved, but only if she kept them on the phone until she entered her home and locked the door behind her.

Thankfully, she was right.

Cam had gotten home in one piece, and there were no run-ins with any vampires.

None in sight actually.

From what she could see of, that is.

Just because she didn't see them didn't mean they weren't lurking around nearby.

It didn't take long for Cam to pull up to the school. Ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders all mauling around the front of the school and parking lot, talking and laughing with friends, seemingly all of them having no care in the world. - And clearly, none knowing what had actually occurred at the school the previous night.

Lucky them.

Taking a deep breath, Cam tried to push all negative and depressing thoughts out of her head. There was nothing she could do for Dana and Chad now... nothing she could really do for Stefan at the moment either. All she could do was just hope for the best and try to remain positive and keep doing and being good. Cam geared herself up with that mindset of being good, grabbing her bag and phone hopping out of the car, locking it as she headed towards the building.

Her mood was quickly lifting. The other student's light and happy energy starting to transfer over to her, lifting the bit of dark gloom that was still hanging around. Her witchy senses naturally grabbing onto those light energy waves surrounding her, using them to lift her own spirits and energy up.

As soon as Cammi entered the school main entrance, she was bombarded by a tall blonde filled with anxiety and nerves, "What's got you so giddy?" Caroline asked, confused.

"Well, my dear sweet friend, it is a new day and a new school year, which means it's a fresh new start." Cammi hummed as she made her way down the junior and senior wing of the school, checking along the long line of lockers for hers. "And I am determined to make this year a good one!" Finally, her locker number on her school schedule came into view. "I mean it can't be any worse, then what last year's was, right?"

"Famous last words, huh?" Jeremy laughed, appearing what seemed to be out of thin air, he fiddled with the locker next to hers, him having the locker directly beside her's. They had been locker neighbors since sixth grade in junior high when lockers were first assigned. Having the same last name kind of cemented that into stone for the two, with locker assignments being given through alphabetical order by last names.

It was sometimes a blessing to have her cousin as a locker neighbor, seeing as she and Jeremy were as thick as thieves with one another. But also, it was sometimes a curse as well in Cammi's opinion. Particularly, when a boy was talking to her at the lockers... Jeremy was always there, always at the exact right moment. Butting in, saying she wasn't interested, making sure to chase them away before they could even get anywhere.

Quite annoying, it was now that she actually thought about it.

Cammi loved the boy to death and would take a bullet for him in a blink of an eye. But he really did play the overprotective cousin/brother role a bit too much at times.

Cammi stuck her tongue out at the tawny-haired boy, "Har, har, so funny you are Jer." After two attempts at the new combination on her locker, she finally got it opened.

Just like all previous years, the hardcover books that each class she was enrolled in were stocked up on the upper shelf of the locker. Taking another glance at her schedule, Cammi tapped along the spines of the books before she came across her Home Economics text. Mystic Falls High required all students to have a minimum of two years of Home Economics to graduate. Even though she was a disaster at the sewing and building/fixing of things, she wasn't the worse when it came to baking and cooking but also was not the best either.

It was an added bonus that they got to eat whatever they cooked/baked when it was the food days in class.

"How's Tyler doing Care?" Cammi asked, holding her book to her chest.

Instantly, Caroline's smile fall from her face, "He seems perfectly fine!"

Cam felt her eyebrows raise up, "Oh?" She paused, "Isn't that a good thing?"

The blonde's arm flared around her dramatically as she stomped her feet in annoyance, "Well, yea! But that's not the point!" She whined, grabbing the smaller raven-hair girl by the shoulders, "He has the utmost control and apparently needs no guidance or help to adjust!"

Jeremy leaned into the two girls, "And is that a bad thing?"

Caroline huffed, "No." She blew a lose strand of hair out of her face dejectedly. "It's just not fair... I felt so alone when I was turned and had wished someone other than my best friend's boyfriend was there to help guide me through the change. Not that there was anything wrong with Stefan back then, but that's not the point! And Tyler has that, and everything I wish had, and he doesn't need it! It's not fair!"

Jeremy laughed at Caroline, thinking she was overdramatic for no reason. If Tyler was handling the situation well, then he didn't see what the mental blow up from his girlfriend was for. Cammi standing next to Jeremy, elbowed him sharply in the ribs to get him to shut up. Sure, Jeremy knew Caroline well from years of growing up and spending a lot of time around her because of Elena and Cammi... but he clearly did not know when to shut up. As a human, Caroline was sensitive, as a vampire, it was amplified at times. Over the last five months or so, she had definably gotten more control over her emotions since first being turned at the start of the previous school year. But, in all reality, the vampire was still only an eighteen-year-old girl. And eighteen-year-old girls were known to still have over-emotional and dramatic fits from here and there, and this seemed to be the start of one.

"I'm sure he needs you Care," Cam started to soothe her friend, reaching a hand out to rest on the blonde's arm. "Honestly, he may be having an easier time just simply because he was already a werewolf... And remember you already helped him adjust to being a werewolf last spring. So maybe after that big transition from then, this one is just an easier go? It not being so dramatic as the first change?"

Caroline opened her mouth then instantly shut before opening it once more, "Huh..." She paused, her eyebrows scrunching together. "I didn't think of it like that."

"Clearly." Jeremy huffed from beside Cammi, this time getting his foot stomped on from his cousin to keep his mouth shut. God, she loved the idiot, but he really was an idiot at times.

"What Jeremy is trying to say," Cammi hissed out, glaring at the boy beside her. "Is that you were there for Tyler night and day when he needed you for the werewolf transition, Caroline. He was still learning about the supernatural world back then, just learning of the existence of it when he was compelled to kill someone and triggered the werewolf curse on himself. When we had all learned about vampires and werewolves, we were all freaked out by that. This time around, he already knew all about that, and maybe because of that, he's able to adjust easier to being not just a werewolf by a vampire too." Cammi smiled as she watched her friend start to nod her head in understanding.

"You're right..." Caroline sighed, staring down at the school floor. "Maybe, I was just feeling jealous that he seems to be adjusting to being a vampire so much easier than I did?"

Jeremy stepped up, "Like Cammi said, you didn't even know about vampires when Katherine killed you. You weren't prepared and didn't really know what was happening to yourself. Tyler has you and everyone else to help ease him into things now that we are all aware and prepared for it now."

Cammi nodded, agreeing with her cousin, thankful that his idiot side was finally shutting up and his more sensitive and understanding side was opening up. "Yea, he had the advantage here, that you were robbed of and didn't have."

"Yea..." Caroline nodded, still sounded a bit unsure.

"Seriously Care, don't stress over it. Tyler is not you and you are not Tyler. You did the best you could when you were first turned. And yea, you made some mistakes the first month or two as a vampire, but you were freshly turned and now look at you!" Cammi smiled up at the taller girl, "You have more control then both Stefan and Damon combined and that are one hundred and fifty plus years older than you!"

Caroline laughed, finally starting to see the light and understand, "Yea, I guess you guys are right."

Cammi laughed back at her friend, rolling her eyes playfully, "Duh, of course, we are always right!"

Jeremy shook his head at the two girls before him, how their emotions could go from one hundred to zero in just seconds always amazed him.

After a few more reassuring words to the blonde vampire, Caroline parted from the Gilbert duo to find her own locker and textbooks for the year. "You ready for the amazing wonders of Home Economics partner?" Jeremy asked as he reached into his own locker for his book.

Cam leaned against her locker letting out a small laugh, "I'm only ready for this class when I know we get to eat our work, otherwise, never."

Jeremy nudged her playfully as they made their way down the hall towards their class, "I swear, one of these days you're going to wake up as a six-hundred-pound women on a new episode of 'My So Called Life.'

Cammi snorted, "You're just jealous of my amazing figure."

"You wish."

Edited April 25th, 2020.

All right! Chapter two now edited and revised.

Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy with covid-19 and that all your loved ones are safe as well!