The Donovan Twin;

Chapter 6: Breathless

26th September 2010;  

The past couple of days had passed in a blur. Clara finally felt settled and she couldn't help but smile as she arrived at her new place of work. She had secured the job at the grill in a matter of minutes, something about a sudden vacancy needing filled. It also kind of helped that her brother already worked there. She knew that the job would really help Matt and as soon as she had told him about it he couldn't hide the relief that took over his features. He had been trying to hide his worry about being able to provide for the both of them but Clara could see it clearly. After all, she'd known him all of her life.

She walked through the doors, confidence radiating from her smile. As soon as she was in the back, she hid her bag away in her locker and tied an apron around her waist. She had the option of either a t-shirt or an apron and, while the apron was a little more fiddly, it was far more preferable. The apron was plain black with the Mystic Grill logo in the bottom corner and it held her pen and pad in it's little pockets. Clara would never admit it to anyone but she secretly loved having a job at the grill. It felt normal. A lot more normal than the past couple years of her life, and she was grateful for that.

Slowly, Clara walked up behind the bar. The grill was pretty quiet and it seemed that everyone had already been served so she didn't have much to do. Wiping the bar down, she let her mind wander back to her life before things went bad. Although it made her feel somber, it also made her smile to herself. Despite the fact that things eventually blew up in her face, the good memories were still there. She jumped when she heard someone clearing their throat in front of her.

"Hi! What can I get you?" Her speech was almost mechanical, used to saying that select phrase that she was trained to say. She almost didn't know how to react when she actually knew the person standing in front of her.

"Oh-- Sorry, Ty. It's just part of my whole customer service thing... So, you want anything?" The smile on Clara's face told Tyler everything he needed to know about how she was feeling. It made him smile as well. The fact that she was so comfortable around him again was comforting to him too. However, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head, words that he had to say which he couldn't quite get out.

"No, no. I'm just here to see you." Those words would normally be accompanied with a smile if someone said them, but Clara noted the serious look on Tyler's face. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach at this realisation.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Panic coursed through her veins. She knew that it wouldn't all be okay. There's no way that she could just come home and act like nothing changed. Matt could be hurt. Or maybe an old 'friend' had dropped by to say hi just like they promised. There were too many opportunites for life to be flipped on it's back. Before Clara could get too panicked, Tyler cut in again.

"No! No, calm down. Nothing's wrong. I just need to talk to you..." Clara noted the pained expression on Tyler's face as he spoke, as if he didn't mean what he was saying.

"Ty, I don't--"

"Please. Could you meet me in the park tonight? At about eight?" Clara's eyebrows furrowed at that question. It wasn't like Tyler to want to talk just the two of them. Even when they were at their closest, he never really liked to open up, but here he was, seemingly wanting to talk seriously. She ran out of words and instead of speaking she just nodded, curious as to what he had to say.

After the confirmation, Tyler stood up and left the grill without another word. He was acting so strangely that Clara couldn't help but become slightly worried. Clara felt bad for not being there for everyone through all the crap that had happened while she was gone and she was scared that that guilt was going to eat her up.

She decided to just push the worry and guilt aside for now, focusing on getting her job done. It wasn't long before someone else sat down, demanding a drink. The day passed like that, everything moving like clockwork more or less. She saw a few more people she knew, Elena, Bonnie, even Damon, before heading home for the day, proud of the money she had earned.

xxx

It wasn't long before night came, and before she knew it, it was time for Clara to meet Tyler. She struggled to hide the nerves from Matt as she pulled her jacket over her shoulder.

"Clara, you don't have to go. Just call him, he won't be mad." Matt had been pretty persistent that she didn't meet him ever since she told him about the plan. It was strange to Clara that Matt was so against it, but he had explained to her that Tyler had been acting strangely. Now, Clara wasn't the most perceptive of people, but even she could tell that Matt knew more than he was letting on.

"Matty, I have to. It seemed like he really wanted to talk to me." Clara didn't want to go, but now that she was back in town she didn't really have any excuses not to go. Maybe Tyler was just acting strange because he needed help with something. Or maybe he really just wanted to talk. Either way, Clara didn't feel right avoiding him.

"Look, he's been acting really weird. I think he's angry about something. Please, stay safe." Clara rolled her eyes at his words. Obviously she would stay safe, but it's not like Tyler would ever do anything to hurt her. They were best friends, even after all this time.

"I will. See you later, Matty." She sent a small wave her brother's way before stepping out of the door. She was only about ten minutes away from the park, so she figured she'd just walk. Reduce her carbon footprint and all that.

Before she knew it, she had arrived at the park. There was no sign of Tyler so she decided to just pick a bench and sit at it. She always loved the benches that faced the fountain. She could sit there for hours on end just watching the water fly up and then fall again. It was one of the few things she used to find relaxing in this town.

After a few minutes, she heard a car park close by. As she turned to look she spotted Tyler walking towards her, and sent a small smile his way. However, that smile dropped away from her lips when he made no effort to smile back.

"Tyler, what's wr---"

Her air supply was cut off as soon as his hands wrapped around her neck. She tried desperately to grab at his hands but he wouldn't let go. This wasn't Tyler. It couldn't be. She looked at Tyler with pleading eyes, begging him to let her go. A warm tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and streamed down her face, towards the large hands which were choking the life out of her. That's the last thing she felt before everything went black.