Chaos (Satisfy Series Book Five, The Vampire Diaries)

Ch. 4: For Whom the Bell Tolls

"Well, in the teme of morbid town tradition, you go back to the 1820s when everyone was so paranoid about the cholera thing that they would occasionally bury a body a wee bit before its time," Damon told him.

"So, we have a holiday dedicated to burying people alive?" Stefan asked. 

"Well, they were so paranoid that they would actually request to be buried with a string attached to a bell above ground, and then the whole family would hang around the grave for 24 hours in hopes of hearing the bell and that their loved one would come back," Damon told him.

"But now it's just really--it's really a kick-ass excuse to get hammered," I told him. A waitress came to our table, starting to pick up the empty glasses. "Hello."

"Hi," the waitress told us. 

Stefan stared at the waitress' carotid artery.

I looked at the waitress. "Uh, hey. We'd love another round, please." 

"You got it," she told us, walking away.

Stefan watched her go. He snapped out of it, looking at Damon and me. "What the hell was that?" 

"That, my brother, was you jonesing for something a little stronger than a blood bag," I answered.

"So, what's the problem?" Stefan asked. "You two spent the whole day trying to convince me I was a vampire. I'm convinced. Let me act like one." 

"well, unfortunately, Stefan, there are two types of vampires in the world, okay?" Damon asked. "There are those that can handle moderation, and then there's you." 

"Well, I'm no shrink," Stefan told us. He hesitated, looking at us for reassurance. "Right?" 

"Right," I answered. 

"But maybe killing our father and turning into a vampire and all the trauma associated with that is what made me become a vampire who feeds on people and then rips theirs heads off, but now that I don't have all those memories and all that guilt, maybe the Ripper thing won't be such a problem," Stefan told us. 

"Let's not try it out, okay?" Damon asked. 

The bell rang. 

We clinked our glasses, about to drink.

Elena walked up to us. "And there I thought catching up on nearly two centuries would be a drag."

"Remind me of your name again," Stefan told her.

Elena seemed a little hurt. "Elena."

"Elena," Stefan repeated. "Right."

Elena looked at Damon and me. "You haven't told him about me?"

"200 years is a long time," Damon told her.

"I'm not getting into that," I told them.

The bell rang.

I drank.

"Right," Elena said. "Well . . ." 

Elena drank.

*****

Damon, Elena and I were still sitting at the table.

"So, Mr. and 'So Far, So Good," Elena told him. She looked at me. "Miss 'We Can Handle Our Brother, Leave Us Alone.'" I smiled. Elena looked at Damon. "Mr. 'We Know What We're Doing.'"

"Hey, I never said we know what we're doing," Damon told her.

"Hmm," Elena hummed, grabbing her phone and dialing a number.