Ruins || The Vampire Diaries [2]

30: The Day I Tried to Live

   From my bedroom, I could hear Jeremy lifting weights and groan loudly. Elena fumbled around with bags, the sound of balloons bumping into each other. Caroline was on the phone with her mom, asking questions that she already knew the answer to, but she just needed to hear her mother's voice. Stefan was walking around downstairs, the sound of liquids in a bottle matching his footsteps.

   They were all smiling and laughing, moving around since early in the morning. I, on the other hand, sat on my bed and stared out the open window. My hands were folded on my lap, thumbs playing with each other. The breeze was gentle, the curtains moving smoothly with it as if they were dancing together. Sunlight came through perfectly, casting shadows against things and making it appear as if the room was painted a brighter colour than it actually was. There was something peaceful about getting lost in the dust that danced under the sunlight.

   It was February 5th, a day I had spent alone since 1864. I hated February 5th. 

   There were three knocks on the door, and then a breath following after. "Hey, can you come downstairs and help me decorate?" Elena asked, a soft smile on her lips. "Jeremy was on decoration duty, but he's just lifting weights. Apparently, he can't be bothered to stop and help."

   I stared at her for several seconds, allowing her words to actually sink in. It wasn't that I didn't listen, but the words came in slowly when I was half tired. I stood and nodded. "Yeah, okay." I followed her out my room, downstairs, and to the kitchen. "What's the, uh... What's the occasion?"

   "It's Bonnie's birthday!" Elena sported a big grin on her face, a hint of excitement in her eyes. There was also sadness. I knew that it was because Bonnie was still in the prison world, alone. "She would have wanted us to celebrate it with smiles: eat her favourite foods, watch her favourite movies, all while wearing matching pyjamas."

   "What she would have wanted," I repeated. I didn't know Bonnie that well, but from what I knew about her, she preferred to spend more time with her friends than with random strangers. Her friends were her family, and they meant a lot to her. Instead of focusing on the sad aspects, I walked over towards the few cupcakes on a stand and picked up one from the bottom. "Do you think Caroline would mind if I took one?" I stared at the cupcake for several seconds, then put it back. "You know, nevermind."

   "Is there something wrong with it?" Elena asked, taking a stand next to me. She stared down at the cupcake, then turned to me.

   "No, it's just that I..." I stopped mid-sentence and forced a smile on my lips. "I don't like vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting."

   "Clara is more of a lemon cake kind of girl," Damon said as he walked in. He stood on the other side of the counter, hands on top of it as he glanced from the brunette to me. "Lemon blueberry, if I remember right."

   I nodded, a smile forcing itself on my lips as I remembered the memory. "My mom used to make the best lemon blueberry cake! The cake was perfect and lemony with a few blueberries in it, and then the frosting had lemon zest and three blueberries on top." I forced myself to stop talking once I realised I had rambled on. A soft, breathy laugh left my lips as I apologised.

   "Hello?" The voice was familiar and loud, one that we didn't want to hear.

   I leaned my head back and squinted my eyes a bit, as if that would allow me to hear better. "Was that..."

   Elena shook her head. "That's impossible because why would he..."

   Damon shut his eyes and pressed his lips into a straight line. "He didn't. He's all merged, he's packed, and on his way to Portland!" His voice rose as the words left his mouth, a yell on the last word.