BLUE BANISTERS ➥ Damon Salvatore

TWENTY- ONE ◦ Primitive

I AWOKE FROM A DREAMLESS SLEEP,  a pounding headache, the relentless thud echoing through my skull like a drumbeat. It was as if a thunderstorm had raged in my head all night. Disoriented and groggy, I pushed myself up from the old, creaky bed and tried to make sense of my surroundings.

The room spun around me, making it hard to focus on anything, but I managed to stumble over to the bathroom. The harsh, white light from the bare bulb above made my headache even more, and I squinted as I reached for the faucet. The cool water flowed into my cupped hands, and without thinking, I drank straight from the tap. The liquid was refreshingly cool, soothing my parched throat and my pounding head. I dared to look up into the mirror, and the reflection that stared back at me sent a shiver down my spine. My skin was ashen, an eerie shade of gray that made me look like a ghost. Dark circles, like bruises, hung beneath my sunken eyes, and my hair was a tangled mess. I looked like a living corpse, a haunting reminder of the night's excesses.

The headache persisted, and my reflection stared back at me with a mix of horror and concern. What did I do last night? I couldn't remember, but the state of my appearance was a stark testament to the toll it had taken on me. I had to piece together the events of the previous evening, find out what had led me to this disheveled state, and somehow, nurse myself back to health. As I stumbled back into the dimly lit farmhouse living room, the throbbing in my head gradually began to subside. My first instinct was to call Damon, my closest... friend? I picked up the landline phone and dialed his number with trembling fingers.

The phone rang, and my heart raced. The memory of him and I in that hotel room after... What if he remembered, oh he definitely does. Then, a familiar voice answered, "Hello?"

Relief washed over me as I heard Damon's voice. "Damon," I said, my voice shaky, "It's Lana-Beth. I can't remember anything from last night, and I feel... ill."

Damon chuckled on the other end of the line, a sardonic and all-too-familiar sound. "Oh, Lana, you always know how to have a good time," he said, his tone filled with amusement.

Before I could respond, a chill ran down my spine as Damon appeared in front of me out of thin air. My heart raced as I stared at him, a mix of shock and confusion evident in my eyes. How had he done that? Had he been watching me the entire time?

I blinked in disbelief as Damon reassured me, "Lana, you're just hungover. Trust me, I've seen it all, and this is nothing. You've got that immortal constitution, remember? A little too much fun with the wrong kind of drink won't take you down."

Suddenly, my memories came flooding back, like pieces of a puzzle falling into place. The loud music, the laughter, and the clear liquid in a shot glass. I had been at that bar with Damon, surrounded by random people, indulging in blood from less than willing donors. It was a wild night, and it was all coming back to me now. Damon's grin widened as he saw the realization on my face. "There you go," he said. "See? It's all coming back. Now, what do you say we make the most of being resilient, somewhat immortal creatures?"

I took a deep breath and held up a hand to Damon, a mix of emotions swirling inside me. "Hold on, Damon," I said, my voice tinged with both relief and anxiety. "It's not just the memories from last night that came back. All of my memories have returned, every single one of them." I could see the surprise in his eyes, but he didn't say a word. The truth was, I had been living with a gnawing emptiness where my past should have been. The prospect of losing all my memories had haunted me, and last night's reckless escapade had inadvertently brought them back.

A wave of gratitude washed over me as I continued, "I don't care how it happened, Damon. I don't care what you had to do to get them back. I'm just so grateful to have my memories again. It's like I've been living in a fog, and now the sun has broken through the clouds."