Blood Sisters • The Vampire Diaries [1]

VI. MIDNIGHT MEMORY

A few days had passed. I didn't say much, evading the news and everything involving what had happened during the home game. I'd never seen a dead body in my life. Not even at my parents' funerals. I couldn't handle looking at someone that used to be so full of life, someone that had made me happy and had made me smile, lifeless. I couldn't do it, and even though I hadn't felt that way about Tanner, I felt like my skin was crawling every time that I woke up.

I couldn't sleep most nights, reminded of how cold and pale his skin looked, slick like he was sick. I remembered the way that the side of his neck had been ripped out, the way that his head had fallen backwards, limp and lifeless, blood flowing across the parking lot. Every time that I shut my eyes, there was just a reoccurring loop of fear and sadness playing in my head.

The crow had stopped too, along with dreams. Nighttime was empty and dull once again, like the bird had just been waiting for something to happen to me before moving on. I traced my fingertips along the lace hem of my shorts, lying on my back in bed with my legs hooked up on the headboard.

Somewhere around one in the morning, I fell asleep like that, only because my body was too tired to be awake that it gave up. I didn't dream, but there was this feeling buzzing through me in my subconscious, telling me that I wasn't alone. In my sleep, I could feel someone gingerly run their fingertips along my cheek, and I moved into their touch, tired and in need of something good.

It stopped for a while, and I was awoken by the feeling of a cold breeze. Stirring awake, I realized that somehow I'd wound up with my head against my pillow, my body buried beneath pale white covers. When did that happen? My eyes flickered over to where the breeze was coming from ; an open window.

I didn't remember leaving my window open that night, knowing well that I hadn't done that for a while now, ever since that bird had bit me. I got out of bed and walked over to shut it, peering out of it to see if someone had been in my room - I was really going crazy. I mean, who would've climbed up through my window, and how wouldn't it have woken me up? Maybe Elena or Jenna had walked in and opened it for some fresh air.

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I was getting dressed the next day for a very important event - at least for my family and the entire town it was - when I spritzed on my favorite perfume, finding that it smelled different. It usually smelled like vanilla, sweet and warm, but this time there was a strong hint of some sort of flower, some sort of herb..maybe rose? I placed it back, shrugging off the small detail, before heading back into my room to find my dress. There was a party at Lockwood mansion today, for the founding families, and since The Gilbert's were a part of that, I was supposed to go, but nonetheless everyone was welcome to go.

Elena had to hand over some sort of family pocket watch that mom had promised to give Carol - Tyler's mom - for the event so that everyone could see it on display. But, that watch was supposed to go to Jeremy, and I heard all about it for breakfast that morning, before Elena gave in and let him keep it, letting Carol believe she'd lost it.

I scanned through my closet, before finding my dress that I'd picked out a couple of months ago, saving it for that day. My mom was big into founder's day stuff, so naturally we'd been planning for it. Pulling out the pale peach colored dress, I let out a sigh, not sure if I wanted to even go. Not only that, I was going to be third-wheeling Elena and Stefan, who'd agreed to be her date.

Caroline had Damon, of course, and I guessed that Bonnie and I could just go together. At least, I wasn't the only one that was dateless. As I slid out of my bathrobe, standing clad in bra and panties, my phone went off. Walking over to pick it up, I saw the bird once more. "Uhh - Hello?" I answered, putting the phone up to my ear, as I went over to the window.