Visitation (Vampire Diaries) (Book Six)

Chapter 3__Welcome to Paradise

Caroline rushed to stand between them, facing Stefan. "Stefan."

"Good news, girls," Enzo told us. "I thwarted a vampire. Bad news... Stefan has become a vampire hunter." 

"What are you doing?" I asked.

'Why don't you ask him?" Stefan asked, turning around, walking away.

I turned to face Enzo. "What the hell did you do now?" 

Enzo had killed Ivy.

~~~~~~

After dark, in the middle of the woods, I saw Caroline trying to call Stefan when she saw him.

Stefan tried to avoid her.

Caroline rushed in front of him. "Stop, okay? I am sorry. I did not know about Ivy, but..." 

"But what?" Stefan asked. "What? I was fooling myself, I was using her as an escape? Yeah, I know what you think, Caroline." 

"Well, actually, I was gonna say, 'But killing Enzo won't bring her back'," Caroline told him.

"No, but it will stop him from reminding me of my brother, of what I did to Nicola," Stefan told her. "I kill him, I can leave this place, and I can start over again."

"So that's why you left all those messages on my phone, promising apologies?" Caroline asked. "That's why you visited Elena? That's why you came to this party, just to kill Enzo and start over?" 

"Yep," Stefan told her.

"I don't believe you," Caroline told him. "I know that a part of you misses this place and these people, your friends. I know that being back here reminds you how much we need you. How much Nicola needs you. How much... I need you. But if I'm wrong, then go ahead. Just go. Start over, but, God, if I'm right, if just a little part of you came back to check on Elena, who's had an unbearable four months, or Alaric, who just came back from the dead, or Nicola, your only family turned vampire five months ago, who needs you right now, or me... If even just a small, little part of you came back to check on me... then stay." 

Stefan hesitated before walking away quickly, leaving.

Caroline started to cry. She realized I had been there, standing in the treeline.

I looked at her sadly, walking closer, wrapping my arms around her. 

Caroline continued to cry, wrapping her arms around me.

~~~~~~

Caroline and I went back to the swimming hole to meet up with Elena.

Jeremy walked up to us. "Have you guys seen Sarah?" 

"No," I answered. "Why?" 

"There's no ice," Jeremy answered. 

"I think you'll live, Jer," Elena told him.

"Nicola compelled that girl to go get ice," Jeremy told her. "She didn't." 

"Well, why not?" Caroline asked. "Is she on vervain?" 

"No," Jeremy answered. "She had to go into Mystic Falls to get it. She had to cross the border." 

"Compulsion is magic," I realized. 

Jeremy looked at Caroline. "Which means that every memory you compelled away came back." He looked at Elena. "So, Sarah, the girl you attacked..." He looked at Caroline. "And you compelled..." 

"Knows what I am," Elena finished.

I looked between Caroline and Elena. "She knows what both of you are." 

Oh, boy.

~~~~~~

In the woods, I looked for Sarah frequently, never knowing where to look.

I stumbled upon Matt and Tyler trying to load a truck with used kegs.

"There you are," Tyler told me. "Did you get my text?" 

"No, phone died," I told them. "No, instead, I'm looking for a magically de-compelled, vampire-attacked girl who could expose all of us, because that is how I wanted to spend my Saturday night."

"Then I should go help look for Sarah," Matt told us. "She might be in Mystic Falls, and I'm one of the only people that can go in there." 

"You do that," Tyler told him. "I got this, dude. I'll see you in a bit." Matt walked away to find Sarah. Tyler looked at me. "Sad jocks are kind of like sad clowns. You know, they're pathetic but kind of hilarious." 

I started to walk past him. "Not in the mood, Tyler." 

"Uh-oh," Tyler said. "That sounded like a threat."

"No," I told him as I walked past. "Just a request." 

Tyler turned after me. "Look, did I do something to piss you off?" 

I stopped walking. "You tell me." I turned toward him. "What could you possibly have done to piss off the newbie vamp that her vampire ancestor told you to look after her without actually telling her so that she would think her ancestor that's more like a brother doesn't care so that he can start over and try and fail to create a new life for himself?" 

Tyler's expression filled with surprised understanding. "Stefan told you." 

"Clearly," I told him, turning away.

"Look, I didn't help you because Stefan told me to," Tyler told me. "I helped you because I wanted to." 

"Right, and when I never really wanted your help in the first place," I told him.

Tyler shook his head in confusion, grabbing my arm to stop me. "Why do you do that? Why do you push people away like that?" 

"I always have," I told him.

"But my question is, why?" Tyler asked. "The way you do it, it's like you think that you don't deserve help. Like you don't deserve to even be loved." 

I shook my head. "I don't." 

"Why would you think that?" Tyler asked.

"In case you haven't been paying attention to our lives for the past four years, whoever loves a Salvatore..." I trailed off, looking at him. "They end up paying for it." 

There was a long moment of silence. Neither of us spoke, looking at the other.

I broke the silence, sighing, turning around, walking away and leaving him alone in the woods. 

I still had to find Sarah.