Darkness Visible ➳ TVD ✔️

||29|| ''Is his stash any good?''

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Chapter 29! X
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The sun shone brightly on my face as I rode my bike towards the Grill. Thank god we were allowed to wear shorts to work, because the heat had been almost unbearable at the start of summer.

Several weeks had passed since the sacrifice. Stefan was gone, gone with Klaus, and it was more than noticeable. Elena was almost frantic in her hopes of finding him, grasping for every possible straw she could reach. I didn't blame her.

The first half of this year had been a year of sacrifices. Elena. John. And, then, Stefan. Offering himself to Klaus so Damon could live, and we hadn't seen a glimpse of him since.

Elena was annoyed with Damon, because she felt like he didn't take her seriously. Everything she brought to him, every clue she'd found, he shot down.

Whenever I was with her, I could feel her frustration building up more and more. Of course I didn't blame her. Her boyfriend, whom she loved, was gone. And he hadn't tried to contact her. If I was in her position, I'd probably worry too. We were kind of the same like that, she and I. We were stubborn.

I locked my bike outside the restaurant, and soaked in the blue sky and fresh air the best I could before going in. There were some tables and chairs placed outside, by the street, and the doors were open, but if most of my time the next couple of hours would be spent indoors I wanted to cherish it.

After grabbing an apron and a notepad, I stuck a pen into my ponytail. I'd forgotten who was working today, and smiled when I saw Matt unpacking napkins by the counter.

''Hey Matt,'' I greeted.

He looked back over his shoulder. ''Oh, hey!''

''Is Sarah here?'' I asked, and leaned a little to the side to see if she was in the kitchen.

''No, Jeremy was supposed to take her shift today,'' Matt said. ''But he's not here yet.''

''He's been late a lot,'' I frowned. ''Do you know if he's okay?''

''Aren't we all a little messed up by now?'' Matt said, laughing humourlessly.

Matt knew of my involvement by now. He'd overheard one of my conversations with Elena and Caroline a couple of weeks ago. Considering the content of that conversation, it didn't take much to put two and two together.

''At this rate, Roberta's going to fire him,'' I pointed out. Jeremy had gotten a job at the Grill at the start of summer break, but he hadn't handled it very well lately.

''I know.''

I hummed. ''Do you need help?''

''Sure,'' Matt said. The place was kind of empty so far, and everyone that was there to serve Matt had already taken care of. I dug into the pile of napkins Matt had created and started placing them on tables.

After going back and forth a few times, the pile was gone, and Matt was busy brewing some coffee. I grabbed the leftover plastic to put in the bin, when I saw Matt do something strange.

''Hey,'' I tapped his shoulder with my closed fist. ''What are you doing?''

Matt hushed me, and looked around to see if anyone was paying us any attention. ''It's vervain,'' he whispered.

''Your putting it in the coffee?''

He nodded. ''Sheriff's orders.''

''That's actually a good idea,'' I said. ''I mean, it is a good idea.''

''Feel like doing it when I'm not working?'' Matt suggested.

I shrugged. ''Sure. Do you keep it here or...?''