Visitation (Vampire Diaries) (Book Six)

Chapter 14__Stay

"I get it," Matt told me, bringing me out of my thoughts. 

"And as strange as it seems, no, I'm not mad at you," I told him. "You tried to contact me to introduce me to who you thought was my sister when my real sister died 20 years ago." 

Matt looked at the alcohol bottles. "And, um, when I couldn't reach you, I told Stefan to call you, but he never did, obviously." 

"Well, if I hadn't broke my phone the night I made my first human kill, then maybe you would've reached me," I told him, taking a drink. 

Matt looked behind me, clearing his throat to get my attention and to get me to stop talking about the supernatural as a girl stepped up next to me. "Hey."

The girl stood next to me with a camera. "Hey, Matt. So, we can go moodier with the lighting if you want or feature more patrons or menu items." 

"Yeah, that sounds good," Matt told her. 

I took a drink, looking at the name tag on the camera the girl was holding.

Sarah Nelson. 

I looked at her in surprise. "You're Sarah Nelson? The photographer?" 

Sarah smiled a small smile. "I didn't know that people this far from North Carolina would know me." 

"Well, I mean, I don't know you, know you," I told her. "But I just got this whole box of pictures from somebody unknown, and the pictures said they were taken by you." 

Sarah nodded in understanding. "That's where all those went." 

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I had an open house for my work not that long ago," Sarah explained. "Somebody told me that a man just came in and bought all of them. Didn't say what for. Just that he wanted it to be a surprise. You have a boyfriend?" 

"Yeah, I do, but I don't think he's ever been anywhere near North Carolina," I told her.

"Well, maybe you have an admirer," Sarah told me. "That sounds pretty cool." 

I chuckled without humor. "Yeah, right." 

I barely noticed that Matt was slowly walking away.

"Well, obviously, since you saw this..." Sarah trailed off, pointing to the name tag on the camera. "You've correctly assumed that I'm Sarah. What's your name?" 

"Nicola," I answered.

"Hi, Nicola," Sarah told me.

"Hey," I told her. 

"Can I call you Cola?" Sarah asked.

"No," I answered. "Anything but Nikki and Cola. Nikki's a family nick name, or closest friends, and I am not a Coke." 

Sarah smiled in amusement. "Okay. Well, I have some more pictures one the camera if you want to see." 

"Sure," I told her. "Just... anything to take my mind off of some things." Sarah sat down next to me, showing the pictures to me. "Wow." 

"I know," Sarah told me. "A lot of darkness. I'm just really into dark subject matter. And now I sound like a freak. Sorry. I'm a little twisted." 

I chuckled. "No, it's okay. These are great." 

"You like darkness?" Sarah asked.

"Believe me when I saw that is all I see," I told her. "And now I'm the one that's starting to sound like a freak." We both chuckled. The next picture Sarah scrolled to had nothing to do with the others, completely provocative. "Whoa, too far."