Barely A Memory

Chapter 10

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Elena stood rigid in the doorway, eyes firmly set on Katherine's, unblinking. An unspoken sense of rage, resentment, and possessiveness swelled between them. Their posture was stiff, their feet firmly set on the ground, brown eyes burning into brown eyes. Pink lips in straight lines. Eyebrows furrowed in jealousy. If Stefan hadn't known better, he would have thought that there was a fun-house mirror in his doorway... or maybe an entrance to a different dimension. On one side, there was Elena: plain, beautiful Elena, with her converse and long-sleeve shirt and torn up jeans. And on the other side –his side—Katherine stood, the anti-Elena: sexy, bewitching Katherine, with her stilettos and skin tight clothing.

An angel was looking at a demon.

Stefan had no idea what to say. The tension was so thick that he could hardly move. Just then, his phone rang, making him jump, but the girls did not turn their heads.

"You should get that, Stefan," Elena said monotonously, gritting her teeth. Concentrated on Katherine.

He stuttered, "N-no, it's fine. It's just Caroline."

Katherine did not turn her head when she spoke, "By all means, Stefan, go ahead."

He bit his lip and turned the phone off. "No, really. It doesn't matter. I'll call her back. I don't want to-" He stopped talking when Katherine finally turned to look at him, a look of annoyance coming over her previously rigid features. With a sigh, she ran her tongue along her smooth lips. Then, her eyes fell on Stefan's. Her pupils dilated.

Elena watched, completely enveloped by white-hot rage as Katherine's eyes captured Stefan's. When her doppelganger began to speak in that familiar, flat tone of hers, Elena almost snapped. "Go upstairs and call Caroline back. I'd like to have a moment alone with sweet E-le-na over here." Elena clenched her fists when Stefan absently nodded. "If you don't mind."

"I think I'll call Caroline now."

"Good." She smirked, sending a shrug to Elena, who was now fuming. "Oh, but first... Stefan..." Grinning, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and left a slow, steamy kiss on his slow-moving lips. "I hope to continue what you and I started later..." He dazedly nodded and hurriedly walked up the stairs, pulling out his phone and dialing Caroline's number.

"You just compelled him," Elena stated, sounding a little too calm. Internally, she was seething.

"So?" Katherine's cat-like grin only infuriated Elena more, and when she began to giggle, Elena was so tempted to knock the voice right out of her throat. "I like human Stefan, don't you? He's... cute."

"Cute? Are you kidding me?" Elena stepped over the threshold, running her hands through her hair. It was the only thing she could do to keep herself from ripping out Katherine's heart. She had to continuously remind herself that she was human, Katherine was more powerful, and if she ended up getting into a fight over this, Stefan would be the one to have to clean up her blood. So, she decided it was best to avoid violence for now. "What is wrong with you? That's Stefan. He may not remember much, but he's still the same person. He's not a baby or a lost puppy; it's him, and he's vulnerable and lost, and you can't just come in here and take advantage of him!"

"Woah, there." Katherine held up her hands, chuckling to herself. "Did you miss the part where he called me?"

Elena paused. "He called you?"

She nodded.

"How did he even know to call you?" She hated the way that her voice betrayed the cold expression on her face; Elena was absolutely, without a doubt, jealous.