A/N: Found some free time to write and decided to squeeze in a short prologue that stemmed from the consequences of events in Sweet Cruelty. Unbeta'ed for now as my usual beta reader has gone MIA... and apparently, COVID'19 is really here to stay. I hope everyone is socially distancing. Stay safe y'all and Happy Reading~

What if this reality that we perceive is not what it seems? What if it's not real? We're only just imagining it, right? This feeling inside you in the dreams you dream, the people who pay a visit in them, the ventures you take, the places you go, the things you taste, even if they're not real, you still feel every bit of them.

Lefyser's dreams took her back to her quaint decorated classroom. She's sitting in her chair, grading a stack of papers. But as she reaches to turn the page, the papers sink into the desk and there's this brunette sprawled over her lap, face down, naked from waist below, and squirming uncomfortably. Her hand would caress the naked rump, her fingers inching higher until they disappear between the soaking wet folds. Without conscious thought, she fingers this nameless girl until a moan breaks.

A voice whispers in her ear, and her body does what it's being told. It almost feels like a wet dream but the naked flesh feels so solid against her hold. The brunette's hands reach back and spread those ample delightful ass cheeks while her legs fall open until Lefyser sees the faintest pink and what looks to be thin long stripes.

Her thumb traces the faint welts, ignoring the sharp gasps released. She murmurs, "Who did this to you?"

"You did."

Her brow furrows in deep concentration but it's like her brain has flipped the off switch because her mind draws a blank.

She looks down and questions wonderingly, "What is your name?"

The girl doesn't reply; she just stays put, hands still holding her cheeks. It's… weird. Like it's a dream and yet it doesn't. Odd, isn't it? If it's a dream, you could control how and which path to unfold.

An unbidden thought rolls out and she finds herself asking aloud. "Are- are you my student?"

She'd almost dismiss it immediately when she's met with silence. But the girl replies quietly, "Yes. Would you please vibe me?"

Maybe it's the shock. She doesn't know... doesn't understand…

She gives a hysterical laugh. "V-Vibe you? I- I don't-"

"It's in your second drawer to the right."

True to her words, the sex toy which cannot possibly belong to her, sits innocently between the hole puncher and some colorful paper clips.

"This isn't mine," she protests as her fingers gingerly pick up the vibrantly red vibrator. The brunette doesn't say anything else. Lefyser could feel her skirt getting wet; her eyes zoomed in on the source. It's the nameless girl's dripping arousal.

Mind made up, her voice crackles as she comes to a decision. "If I asked you to get off my lap and show your face, would-"

The girl doesn't even protest; she pushes herself off in a smooth motion and stands with her hands by her side, legs spread slightly apart. She could feel her lips dry. It's the older Gilbert.

"I need you to vibe me," Elena murmurs. Her eyes are glassy, staring vacantly back at Lefyser.

"Why can't you do it?"

Elena shakes her head slightly in response. "Because I'm not allowed."

"Who told you that?"

Elena sighs heavily and her gaze drops down to the vibrator on the desk. "The same person who's in your head and who owns the toy."

It's too much to process it all. This is sodomization on one of her own students no less. If this gets out, she could lose her job, her license, everything.

"Would you please?" Elena pleads, and she notes there seems to be a layer of desperation coating those words.

She looks at the toy, her tongue darting out to wet her lips in a nervous quirk. "What happens if I don't?"

Elena's facial expression twitches slightly before replying, "You really don't want to find out. You won't like it. I promise."

"Will she hurt you?"

Elena slowly nods and a chill overcomes her, hands trembling by her sides. Lefyser tries again. She whispers, "If you tell the principal-"

A harsh chortle escapes the brunette and she's shocked by the high-pitched frequency. It doesn't sound like Elena who grins toothily in sheer bitterness. Her admission throws her off. "She has him wrapped around her finger."

Lefyser blinks and wonders. "How… do you-?"

Elena continues, "She had me sit on his desk in front of him whilst he stripped me bare and-"

The lilting voice nudges her to ask. Lefyser could feel an intense yearning to know more… and her hand rises on its own accord to her own horror, her fingers seek out the student's shaved fleshy folds. The other hand picks up the vibrator off the desk and rubs the toy achingly soft against the poor girl's exposed clit.

"Tell me more," she more or less whispers.

Elena squeezes her eyes shut and she could have sworn a couple of droplets trickle down her cheek. "He kissed me and marked my nipples. His hands were on… my breasts. They trail down my stomach and then… he pinches me wide open."

Her fingers slip past the slippery folds and pump into the achingly tight passage slowly. Her thumb finds the tip of the smooth ridges, switching on the vibrator. She presses the vibrating head against the nub more firmly until a low moan spills and the girl's hips roll helplessly.

"What else did he do?"

"He-" Elena hiccups, "He fingered me in my pussy and my ass."

"Did he fuck you?" Her eyes are bloodshot, head shaking vigorously in denial. Lefyser eggs on, "Tell me… or I'll just edge you until you leave a puddle."

She whines like a bitch in heat, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other, ivory cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Elena quietly replies, stammering as she relays her tale. "She… gave me a crop spanking… on- on my kitten. Made me cum until I was red and- and then she had- had me sit on his lap… with his fly open while she took photos."

Her thumb rubs Elena's exposed clit and is rewarded with a quiet gasp. She trades it for the toy, jamming it roughly against the over-sensitive nub. Elena's breaths grow ragged, her hips moving back and forth with the slightest of motions. Every few seconds, another heavy gasp spills forth, completely at the mercy of a well-stimulated clit. Lefyser rubs it harder and soon enough, Elena's hips buck violently against the vibrating head, her thighs quivering as she comes.

She places the vibrator back into the drawer, noting the thick viscous fluid trailing down the brunette's inner thighs. She murmurs appreciatively, "What does she do with the pictures?"

"I- I don't know," the poor girl pants, trying to catch her breath. She's lying slumped, pressed against Lefyser's calves, her head rolling tiredly against the cold brass desk leg. The lilting voice grows stronger as though it has moved past her ear and has settled in the forefront of her blank mind. It squeezes past her hollow cheeks, guiding her tongue as her mouth follows the shapes, transforming syllables into an instruction.

"Time for your inspection, pet."

These aren't her words. Someone - something else has taken the wheel.

Elena shakily rises from her stupor. "Yes, Mistress." She says, her head ducks down in shame. Not-Lefyser intones, "Rest on your elbows on the desk, ass up, legs spread wide apart."

Elena obeys without hesitation and Lefyser is treated to a full inviting view of her student's slickness. Horror fills her gut, she can't unsee what she'd never wanted to see… and yet, her own panties soak themselves with her own arousal. Dread churns nauseatingly in her stomach until it's impossible to tell one from the other.

Not-Lefyser's palm strikes against the flushed pinkish flesh, causing sharp startled yelps as the exposed clit takes the full brunt. Pearly white liquid sneaks out of Gilbert's entrance, trickling down the quivering toned thigh. Not-Lefyser dips her finger in to smear it all over the girl's glistening folds. "You're soaking, dirty girl."

Another brunette enters her classroom, her strides deliberate and purposeful, as she sashays towards Elena Gilbert still docile and bent over her desk. In her hands, Lefyser notes, hold a medium sleek, silver chain with a clip dangling at one end. The woman walks behind her, brushes some of her stray hair from Lefyser's jugular. Dare she say a light caress would be mildly off-putting? She could feel the tip of this woman's pointed fingernail lightly scratching against her skin. She hums and coos behind Lefyser. "How is my pet, Miss Lefyser?"

The woman comes to a stop on Lefyser's other side, her sharp nails tenderly caress Elena's soaking vulva. They prod mercilessly at the poor girl's itty bits, causing a steady stream of cum snaking out as Gilbert's body violently convulses a second time. Lefyser weakly manages, "She- She's… perfect. Very responsive."

"Lovely," the woman murmurs pleasantly. She pets Gilbert's ass. "Time to go."

The chain chinks in her hands and Elena flinches at the sound. She whimpers, cowering from her weakened position. "Please, please don't use it. I- I can't."

"Shh… yes, you can," the woman coerces.

Gilbert drops to her knees, her hands grip the bottom of the woman's skirt. Lefyser detects an hysterical unhinged desperation. "Please. I'll do anything… You can use any other toys on me, just not this one."

The woman turns to Lefyser with a smile. "Miss Lefyser… if you would chaperone the excursion…"

Lefyser blinks in confusion. How does this entail an excursion?

The woman's facial features blur in front of her like melted, dripping ice cream. Its exterior layer peels back to a more tan, gruff figure with a concerned expression, waving distractedly to catch her attention.

"Miss Lefyser? Miss Lefyser, are you okay?"

Her eyes blink multiple times as her limbs flex in shock. Alaric Saltzman stands just a few feet away, waving his hand awkwardly. Something feels heavy in her hands and in her confusion, she releases the offending object. It clatters to the floor in a loud shatter, splintering in pieces. It's a mug. Her long-forgotten afternoon cup of the day sends the cold brown liquid sloshing all over the floor, staining the bottom of her skirt and her toe-covered heels.

She stares at Saltzman rushing into action as he busies himself gathering paper towels from the pantry behind. He tears a whole lot of sheets and dumps them on top of the cluttered mess. Her hands shake and her voice quivers like grass in the wind. "Where am I? Is she still here?"

Saltzman's in front of her again all of a sudden. He grabs onto her trembling hands and takes a few steps backward, urging her forward. He leads her to a worn grey couch. His eyes are kind and patient, as she unceremonially drops on the couch. "We're in the breakroom. Nobody else is here."

She calms down for only a moment, taking in the brightly lit scenery. But it didn't feel like a dream. She tells him so with flushed cheeks and sweaty hands gripping the couch cushions. "I had a dream. A most terrible dream. There was this woman telling me to do some terrible things. Oh my god, I can't say it." She stares at Saltzman, wide and unguarded. "If people find out, I lose everything. Oh my god, what have I done?"

Saltzman squints in confusion and then his face pales. "Do you remember this woman? What she looked like? What's her name?"

Lefyser shakes her head in denial. "I- I can't. It's so hazy. Every time I try to focus, she just slips away."

"I can't help if you don't give me anything to go on," he counter-argues.

"There have been more and more dreams recently… and she's always inside every single one of them." Her lips quiver as she confesses, "But you've gotta promise you won't go telling."

Saltzman nods. "Alright, alright. I won't. I'll try to help in whatever capacity-"

Her words exit in a rush as she stumbles over them, anxious to spill it all out. She trusts Saltzman over her other colleagues. And based on her 'dreams', some of them pop up with that woman in tow. "It's the girl - the only constant. Elena Gilbert."

Saltzman turns a shade whiter and he looks away, staring in the far distance. She scoffs internally. "You said you'd help me out-" She accuses. "I'm as good as dead if they find out. I can't lose my job! I-"

"You need to go," he interrupts.

"What?"

He turns back and his eyes, once kind and patient, have turned solemn and tired. His voice drops a decibel and Lefyser scrambles to catch up. He repeats, "You can't stay here. You need to leave. Now. I'm not joking, Carla. Leave tonight. Just pack everything you can take with you. Start over fresh in another town or state." He nods to himself. "Yes, better for you to move to another state."

He rises from the couch and gestures for her to do so. Bewildered by the turn of events, she finds herself escorted out of the school and into her own Hyundai. He leaves her with a parting remark. "Don't return to Mystic Falls ever if you want to live."

She yells at him. "If I want to live? Are you fucking threatening me?!"

Saltzman just meets her head-on. "No, you don't understand. I've been in your shoes. I know what it's like to have blackouts and funny dreams you claimed are just terrible dreams. Allow me to enlighten you, Carla. They aren't dreams. They're lost memories. You've been hypnotized. I don't know who you met with and frankly, I don't care. I do know this. Even if you resign and still live here, in this town, you won't be safe."

She shakes her head in denial. "I've nowhere to go. I came here to start fresh," she implores.

"You have to do it all over again. I'll tell the others you're feeling under the weather," he reckons as her hands grip the steering wheel tight. He presses his hand over her shoulder for a long moment before he replies, "Just a fair warning... if you ever encounter Elena Gilbert or someone who looks like her… you'd run the other way. Don't talk to her. Just run."

"I- I don't…"

This is frankly, getting weirder by the minute. But Saltzman has pulled his guard up completely. He is serious after the last instructions he'd given. He just turned and returned back to school.

What the fucking hell was that all about?

A/N: Review, please. I love to hear what you think...