"Vicki?" I swallowed nervously as the Sheriff looked at me questioningly from her seat. She stood in front of me with her desk in between us.
I watched her nervously, biting my lips to force down the urge to tell the truth.
"I saw her yesterday at the carnival. She was dressed as a vampire, looked really sketchy." The sheriff nodded and gestured to continue. "That was the last I saw of her, I was kinda all over the place trying to keep the carnival going."
Light poured through the huge window the Sheriff sat in front of, illuminating the room. It was pretty but the heavy atmosphere in the room made it harder for me to breathe, let alone enjoy the view. It also didn't help that the Sheriff sat in front of the windows, stared at me with narrowed and suspicious eyes.
Sheriff Forbes picked up a piece of paper and turned it in her hands. "Well according to some members of the student council, you went home early." She glanced at me.
"Unannounced."
I breathed out and nodded.
"Yeah. I went home and now I have my voicemail full of people asking me where I went." I smiled tightly. "I had a huge migraine last night, so I went home. That and someone ruined my outfit. So I went to get changed but the headache got worse, started bleeding from my nose and coughing up blood." I stopped fiddling with my bloodstone necklace and looked at her.
Sheriff Forbes leaned back and started writing all of this down. I watched as she got up and poured me some water, passing it to me.
"Here. For you."
I took a drink from the glass.
Sheriff Forbes relaxed and turned back to look at her notes. "Better?" She asked. I nodded with a tight smile and tried to carry on.
"Matt Donavan said you told him Vicki was on 'some kind of drugs'?" She leaned forward. "Now I understand you've been close with the Donavans since your return and I'm happy to see you support them but was Vicki really on drugs?"
I nodded and drank again from the vervain water. "Yeah..." I breathed out. "Actually no...I don't know." I was confused about whether or not to tell the truth.
She gave me a comforting look and tried to coax me to tell the truth. "Ava, is someone telling you to lie Vicki?"
Yes.
I wanted to say yes but I held my tongue. Instead I just stared blankly at the empty glass.
"Don't worry 'bout 'them' finding out." She said quietly. "You can trust me."
"Liz." I called out, grabbing her attention. "No one's telling me to lie." I said quietly.
The Sheriff turned around so fast to look at me. She opened her mouth to say something when her eyes flickered to amber.
"Vicki was really on some drugs. I was trying to help her. She didn't want my help and then she left." I finished, wiping my tears away.
Sheriff Forbes' eyes flickered to amber again as she dumbly nodded and went back to write down what I said. "I'll take your word for it. Vicki was on drugs." She replied, like nothing had happened.
"Lines up with the others." I heard her mutter under her breath. She looked up at me. "Did Vicki tell you she was leaving town?"
"No." I said with a blank look. "She might have told Jeremy or Matt."
Sheriff Forbes nodded. "So you believe Vicki really has left town?"
"Yes." I said without hesitation. "It's for the best."
She didn't reply and called for a deputy to let me go.
Guilt was eating me inside out for lying to the Sheriff but Elena and Stefan had begged me to not tell the truth as it would put Stefan's life in danger.
I had agreed but I wish I didn't. I wish I could have at least told her Vicki was dead and somehow not put Stefan's life in danger. But I knew that was nearly impossible.
Nervously, I ran down the steps of the Sheriff's office, wanting to get out of the suffocating place as soon as possible but paused on the way to my car when my eyes met a familiar face. I stiffened when his eyes met mine.
Stefan stood outside of the building, right in front of the car park at the foot of the stairs. His front facing the building with his hands in his pockets. He looked worried and guilty, all at the same time.
I didn't blame him.
He really did try his hardest to save Vicki but ultimately he failed when she lost it to her urges. I guess being a vampire isn't for everyone.
I glanced at him briefly, deciding in my head that it would be best if I ignored him. I had nothing against Stefan but I just wanted a day off to clear my head and properly mourn Vicki's death and my friendship with Matt and maybe take a day or two off the whole supernatural mess.
"Ava. Hi." Stefan quietly but nervously greeted me from the foot of the stairs. I adjusted the strap of my bag and prepared to ignore him and walk past him.
"I'm sorry for everything." He tried. I glanced at his face and stared hard. He looked apologetic, like he really meant unlike his brother who I knew had forgotten about Vicki by now.
I swallowed and looked around to check if we were alone before turning to face him, giving him my full attention. "Why didn't you just use the vervain I gave you? Why did you have to stake her?" I asked quietly with a hint of desperation.
Guilt flashed in his green eyes. "I panicked. I wish I did use the...vervain."
I closed my eyes. The image of Vicki's cold dead body flashed across my eyes, haunting me. I knew I wasn't in the position to hold grudges not when I too could have prevented this tragedy.
I looked away. "Elena won't notice but the Sheriff is really suspicious about the whole thing."
I could tell because unlike Elena, my parents didn't keep me in the dark about this kind of thing but I wasn't going to say that to Stefan. The last thing I wanted was to involve them.
"She is?" He asked, clearly on edge.
I nodded. He looked deep in thought. I debated with myself whether or not to tell Stefan about the council. In the end I decided it was best if he knew. I turned my back to Stefan to glance at the Sheriff's office again, to check if Stefan and I were alone. There was still no one but us.
"I mean she is part of the council." I added quietly. His head snapped to me, his mouth agape. I watched him panic for a few seconds. "But I don't think she suspects you." He looked unconvinced, guilty and panicked. "I...don't blame you, Stefan." I breathed out, tired of it all.
Surprise flashed across his face as he gazed at me. "You...don't?" He questioned and turned his back to me for a moment. "I get it, if you would. But you...don't?" He asked again.
I shook my head. "I don't deserve to—" I replied quietly. "—I'm as much to blame as you." I went on. "If anything, I blame Damon." I added as an afterthought, looking away from Stefan.
Stefan nodded. "I'm still sorry." He apologized again. "I really wanted to help her."
"I know, I could tell." I smiled sadly. "Don't beat yourself up."
"You shouldn't beat yourself either. You tried as well." He said. "I want us to be friends, Ava. Not because of Elena but because—"
"Sure." I agreed in an instant. "But just so we're clear, this 'friendship' only extends to you, not Damon or any evil family members you have hiding somewhere. I'll probably take Elena's side more when you two have an argument that is until I get to know you—cause right now, all I know is you're one half of the mysterious Salvatore brothers who happens to be a creature of the night. Deal?"
He laughed. "Sounds good to me."
"Since we're friends now. I will tell you this. No matter what Elena says to you just know deep down she really loves you. I can tell from the way she looks at you. You two have something special" I paused. "And I know, I haven't been around much but some things never change."
"I don't know." Stefan replied lost in thought. "I don't know how I'm going to get on her good graces after this."
"No secrets would be a good start." I pointed out. Stefan laughed. "But seriously speaking. She may seem like she's mad but she actually forgives very easily. Trust me, she can't hold a grudge to save her life." I continued on with a smile.
My smile died when I saw Stefan's face harden and go back to an apologetic look. I turned around to look behind me. I froze when Matt's eyes met mine. I turned back around to look at Stefan.
"It was good to see you, Stefan. I'll see later." I quickly said, trying to get away from Matt.
Stefan nodded and turned to focus on Matt. "I was trying to help her, Matt. That's all." I heard Stefan say as I walked to my car.
I weaved through the almost empty parking lot to get to my car. The cool fall breeze along with the coldness from being around Stefan made it almost unbearable for me to walk.
I pulled my gray cardigan closer to my body, almost hugging it as I quickly walked to where my car was parked. I silently applauded myself for parking it so far.
Before I could get in, I felt someone grab my arm and spin me around. I closed my eyes in surprise and hissed in pain at the grip on my arm. I tried to loosen the strangers grip on my arm without opening my eyes.
"Sorry." I heard Matt mumble apologetically as he loosened his grip. Slowly I opened my eyes. Deep blue eyes greeted me. Worry floating in them. "Ava." He breathed out, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Matt." I replied blankly. "Hi." I greeted him with a tight smile. "I'm sorry about Vick." I said, trying again to get into my car, only to be stopped again by Matt. I really didn't have enough energy to compel him or whatever it was I did.
"I know—why do I feel like you're avoiding me?" He asked, tilting his head and staring at me, frustrated. "Did...did I do something last night? Was it the fact that I stopped Stefan from helping Vicki? Just tell me what I did because it feels like you're avoiding me." He almost shouted out while he dropped his arms to his side and looked at me like a lost puppy.
Yeah, I am avoiding you because I let your sister die.
I wanted to say those words. But I held myself back. I had already reluctantly promised Stefan and Elena that I wouldn't tell anyone what had happened last night. I gritted my teeth and looked at Matt.
"No. I'm not avoiding you." I lied. "I've had a huge headache since last night."
"You seem kinda hot. I mean your temperature...I mean you're kinda hot too. I mean..." I laughed watching Matt fumble with words before coughing. I turned away from Matt and started coughing violently. "Oh my god! You really aren't okay." He stated, looking at me wide eyed.
"I'm fine." I bit back, more harshly than I wanted to. I watched as Matt visibly flinched at my harsh tone. "I'm fine." I repeated with a kinder tone and a painted smile. "I just need a break from stuff."
He raised his eyebrows, questioningly. "What kinda stuff?" He asked carefully.
"Stuff stuff." I added vaguely. I just wanted to get away from Matt. Everytime I looked at him, I was met with Vicki's cold, dead eyes.
"Oh okay." He put his hands in his pockets. "Look I don't know what happened between all of you last night but you need to get some help." He said, taking one hand out of his pocket and putting it on my shoulder.
I shrugged it off in an instant. He looked hurt for a second before concern eclipsed his face. "Ava...you're bleeding." He gestured with wide eyes at my nose. Quickly he sprang into action and handed me a tissue.
I grabbed the tissue as I felt warm crimson drip onto my gray cardigan, splattering it red. I carefully put the tissues to my nose, trying to stop the bleeding. "—Your eyes." I heard Matt gasp from the side.
I turned away from Matt to look into the side mirrors of the car. To my surprise, there was little blood pooling in the corner of my eyes. I dabbed some of the blood away from my face, trying to clear my vision and get rid of the blood.
I breathed in and out. "I have to go."
Before Matt could protest, I got in the car and locked it in case he tried to stop me. I glanced at him, apologetically with a hint of guilt before I drove all the way home.
─────⋇⋆✦⋆⋇─────
I stood underneath the shower for what felt like forever trying to stop the blood from flowing out my nose, mouth and eyes. I had practically gone numb staying in the shower for what felt like hours. I wanted to wash the blood away with the guilt. But I knew I couldn't.
I closed my eyes trying to erase everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. Vicki's death. Matt's desperate face. Stefan and Elena's guilt. They didn't go away. Vicki's cold dead eyes stared at my bright amber eyes every time I opened my eyes.
When I opened my eyes I was back in the dimly lit school parking lot. Just like that night, I ran towards Elena and threw an orb straight at Vicki. She hissed loudly in pain as the light sizzled and burned her. But she ignored the pain and dove straight back to feasting on Elena.
I tried to run towards her this time and pry her off Elena myself before Stefan got to her. Maybe I could try to get inside her head and get her to leave Elena alone. But I couldn't. I felt frozen in my spot. Not in control of my actions.
Instead I felt myself trying to prepare another orb of light. I knew this wouldn't do anything. I tried to stop myself and tell Vicki to run. I just watched Vicki pull away from Elena and dive back in immense hate and anger when she stopped.
A large wooden stake stuck through her chest, Stefan had staked her just like that night. She gasped in pain, trying to make sense of what just happened. She stared at me with an accusing look. "Help me." I could've sworn I saw her beg me to save her with her dying breath. But I was frozen in time. Tears slid down my face as Vicki turned to give us all one last look, her eyes settling on Jeremy as he called out her name.
Her face turned gray as veins began to protrude through her face. Jeremy's cries faded out into the background with a white noise feeling my senses.
I coughed loudly, coming back to the harsh reality. Tiredly, I leaned against one of the walls and stumbled to turn off the shower. Breathing in and out.
Steam poured out of the shower as I walked out. I wiped the condensation on the mirror and gazed at myself. My lips had turned a slight blue, skin pale and eyes lost. I clutched the bathrobe around me tighter, walking into my room, closing the bathroom door behind me.
I stopped and went straight to my closet, picking out a new outfit. My blood splattered and destroyed Halloween costume and the bloodied gray cardigan lay discarded in the laundry basket next to the closet. I stared at it with dull eyes.
I ignored it for a second to get a fresh outfit out of my closet. A mustard yellow dress and a thick black denim jacket. This time I remembered to wear my bloodstone necklace. I picked it up and placed it around my neck. I threw on a pair of black combat boots, not trusting myself with heels given my surroundings with vampires running around.
I looked myself over in the mirror again. I looked dead. The blue in my lips were still there. But now I could see just how dead I really looked. There were dark circles from a lack of sleep, my skin was deathly pale. I sighed. At least there wasn't any blood on me anymore. I slapped on some light makeup, opting to skip my signature red lipgloss for a baby pink. I even opted to wear some blush to make me look alive.
"Oh Miss Ava!" Maria's surprised voice startled me in my seat. I turned to face her. Her head poked through the door, her bright ginger hair tied in a braid spilled out in front of her. Her eyes wide in surprise. "I didn't expect you to be home now." She bowed. "Sorry for not knocking."
I nodded with a tight smile and got out of my seat to plug in the hairdryer. I didn't say anything. I focused on getting ready. Now and then, I'd see Maria in the reflection of the mirror, making the bed and cleaning the room. I dried and styled my hair into a simple braid. I froze when I saw her pick up the laundry basket.
"Don't touch that!" I barked out. Harsher than I wanted to.
Maria dropped the basket in surprise and fear. I widened my eyes and got off my seat, walking over to her to make sure the basket was shut. She looked at me nervously. "—Sorry," She began, pausing to stare at the basket. "I was just going to do the laundry." She said quietly.
I breathed out, trying to even out my breathing and fix my composure. "It's fine." I replied. I painted a smile on my face and looked at Maria, friendly. "Sorry, for scaring you" I said with a sheepish smile.
My eyes felt tired. I felt drained. My vision, getting blurred.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
I felt something warm drip down my nose. Holding my hand out to catch the drops. I stared at it in horror. I was bleeding again. Right at that moment, Maria turned around. Her bright ginger hair coiled around her neck. Her eyes widened as she took in my appearance.
I rushed towards the vanity mirror, trying to have a look at my reflection. My outfit was fine. But the bleeding was back. Maria sprang into action and held some tissues up to my face, trying to stop the bleeding. Her hand shook nervously. She was scared.
She pulled back the tissues and checked them. They were caked in blood. She stared at it in horror. I watched in silence as she threw the used tissues into the bin and plucked more from the box, holding it securely to my face. She breathed in and out, trying to calm herself.
I barely held onto my consciousness. I felt so tired. I didn't know why. Tiredly, I put my hand over hers and tried to hold the tissues in place. I gasped as a static shock went through me, there was a buzz in the air. My eyes no longer felt heavy. I felt energized.
Maria let go, slowly. "I'm going get a first aid kit. 'Kay?" She asked me, her voice laced in concern. I nodded. "Good. Hold this in place 'till then."
She gestured to the fresh tissues, I held to my face. I watched as she got off the floor and went to the door. She stopped and turned around, I watched as she swayed a little. Her face looked a little pale.
"St...stay right there." She asked, a little tired.
I nodded. Satisfied, she tried to stand a little straighter and look more awake as she went to get the first aid kit from the kitchen or the study. I stared back in the mirror.
My dark circles which peeked through my concealer were gone. My skin looked healthy. In fact, it looked like I was glowing. My light brown eyes shimmered bright amber before reverting to its usual light brown with amber flecks.
I tilted my head and pushed my face to the mirror. My face really looked like I was glowing. Quickly, I took out a makeup wipe and wiped off my foundation and concealer. Underneath it all, my skin looked perfect. No pores or blemishes. I sat back down in shock.
I threw the tissues and the used wipe in the bin. I don't know what was happening to me anymore. The bleeding hadn't stopped yet. I needed some air. Thinking this, I turned to look at the double doors which led to the balcony. Getting up from my seat, I swung the doors open and stepped out.
The cool fall breeze blew past me, making me shiver a little. I instantly felt better. The buzz in the air was still there. I focused on it as I paced back and forth the balcony, still holding some tissues to my nose.
I stopped and stared out at the garden, absentmindedly stroking a rose flower. All of sudden, the flower felt dead. I shifted my attention to it. The plant slowly died in front of my eyes. It's leaves wilting, flower petals falling and shriveling away. I drew my hand back. In an accident, my left hand lit up with a warm golden glow. I stared at it and tried to make it go away. I didn't want my bleeds to get worse.
To my surprise, I felt the buzz fading away as little specks of light drew itself towards my hand, disappearing. I felt the buzz fade away slowly. I turned to look at the flowers. They were alive again. And my nose had stopped bleeding.
The light faded out, the buzz disappearing. Instantly, I felt better like someone had injected me with an instant dose of energy. Or I had just drank a gallon of coffee with extra caffeine.
Slowly I drew the tissues away from my face and stared at the dried blood. "You're bleeding again?" A voice cut into my thoughts. I looked up and came face to face with Damon.
"Damon." I greeted, tensely. I looked behind me to check I was alone. Maria was still not back. I turned away from him and closed the door. I let out a sigh of frustration. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, already annoyed.
He laughed. "Don't pout, firefly." I rolled my eyes and leaned against the closed doors. "Here, I was thinking we were bonding."
I gagged. "Yeah. No." I shook my head. "I would rather bond with a snake than you. And I hate snakes. I have a deadly fear of them as well."
"Wow. Nice to know, I can help you to get over your fears." He smirked, folding his hands and looking up. "I'm just that great." He looked proud of himself.
I scoffed, clutching the bloodstone necklace. I turned the bloodstone in my hands, staring at him with wide eyes.
"Un-fuckin'-believable." Damon's head snapped to look at me. "How could you be so...so nonchalant. So uncaring after what you did." I accused him, folding my arms, not even bothering to threaten him.
"No threats?" He asked with his eyebrows raised. I glared hatefully at him. He breathed out. He sobered quick, when he finally realized I was being serious. "You're serious..." He trailed off.
"You thought I was joking?" I questioned, offended at the idea.
He shrugged. "I thought you'd be slightly over it—"
My left hand collided with his face. In pain, I flinched and quickly drew my hand back in pain. I hissed, clutching my hand, trying to soothe the pain. The bloodstone felt warm against my chest as the pain slowly faded. I cursed myself for being so impulsive. God, I was becoming Elena.
Damon moved his jaws and dusted off his face. The bright angry red mark quickly faded from his skin, leaving it unblemished and unharmed. "What was that for?" He asked, annoyed.
"That was for Vicki. You bastard!" I shouted in rage. I breathed in and out. "I can't even look Matt in the eye anymore." I paused to catch my breath. "Knowing that I...I let his sister die—"
He took my arms into his hands, being careful to avoid my hands. "You didn't." He said quietly. "Remember. It was me."
He gestured to himself with his free hand and spoke with a smile. I wanted to wipe that stupid smile off his face. He looked away for a second.
"And Stefan, I guess." He added shrugging, his smirk back on his face.
I scoffed, pulling my arms back from him. "Stefan didn't have a choice if you—you just let things be."
He rolled his eyes, looking around the balcony. His eyes stopped wandering. I watched as he carefully took a step back. He looked like he was struggling with himself over something.
"—Do me a favor and get rid of those bloodied tissues. Better yet, go inside." He asked, turning his face away from me.
I looked at me and then looked at the tissues in my hand. From where I stood I could see black veins appearing underneath his face. Understanding what was happening, I slowly backed away till my back hit the door. I fumbled around a bit, trying to find the door handle, all the while keeping an eye on Damon.
I found the handle, turning it, I landed on my back when the door opened. I picked myself off the floor and quickly went to throw away the used tissues and wash my face. I hoped that Damon would be gone.
When I got back, he was still there on the balcony. Maria was still not back or maybe she did come back and Damon had compelled her away. I clenched my jaws and shut my bedroom door this time and walked over to him. Being careful not to cross the line between the balcony and the bedroom.
He had his back turned to me, gripping the iron rails of the balcony. His ears perked up when he sensed me. "Whew, that was close." He smirked. His face was back to normal. "You really need to stop bleeding everywhere."
I crossed my arms and tilted my head. "You're acting like, I like losing my blood." I looked away.
He threw his hands up in defense. "Hey. Some people like that kinda stuff. I'm sure there's an actual kin—"
"—Don't you dare finish that sentence." I pointed at him.
"I was just sayin—"
"—No." I shook my head.
He shrugged. "You probably overused your little glow-in-the-dark thing and now you're suffering." He commented, staring at me.
"Yeah, I figured." I retorted. "And whose fault was that." I muttered lowly under my breath.
"I heard that." He replied in a sing-song voice, touching one of the roses.
"Don't touch the flowers." I barked out.
He drew his hands away and put it up in defence. He turned on his feet and stared at me again. "Y'know I could help with your little problem." I watched as he bit into his wrist. Blood poured out from his wound as he offered it to me. "I'm feeling nice, so here." He gestured to his wrist. I looked at him disgusted. "Don't look at me like that, sunshine. Vampire blood heals people. It'll make you feel all good in no time."
I looked away and took a step back. "Is that what you did to Vicki?" I breathed out. "Offered her—No, you gave her your blood, healed her and then killed her, turning her into a vampire."
"Huh. I thought I was exaggerating but you really are the smart one." He scratched his head. "You figured it out."
"What do you want, Damon?" I asked, ignoring what he had said. "I know you didn't come here because you were concerned or anything..." I sounded tired and bored.
He scoffed and pretended to look offended. "Excuse me for trying to be a better per—" He stopped when he looked at me.
He cleared his throat. His face shifted to a predatory look. I shivered as chills ran down my back. "Alright. I need your help. It's Stefan's birthday today and I just know you're good at planning this kinda thing. Last night was a good show of your planning skills."
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. "Oh right." A look of realization flashed across his face. "I meant the carnival thing."
I rolled my eyes, bored. "Caroline's better at planning these things than me." I commented absentmindedly.
"Is that you giving me permission to go to Caroline?" He looked a little hopeful.
I glared at him hard. "Stay. Away. From. Caroline." I spat out. I loosened my braid a little. "I'll arrange a birthday party for Stefan at the Grill tonight." I agreed, a little reluctantly.
"Great! Just make sure almost everyone in town is there. I'm sure you'll manage. You seem great with people. Oh and—"
"—I'm only doing this for Stefan, Damon. I don't care 'bout you. Stefan needs a break from you." I added.
Damon looked at me confused. He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I need a lot of people. Big crowd. Invite everyone."
"Got it the first time around." I said, waving at him with two fingers.
A knock on my bedroom door made me turn around. Maria was back. I turned my back to him, ready to go open my bedroom door but stopped. This looked too good to be true.
Damon was trying to be a good brother. He wasn't a good brother. He wasn't even a good person. Something was up.
I turned back around to face him. He was still there, waiting for me to open the door so he could leave when Maria came in.
"What are you actually planning, Damon?" He looked at me confused. He was faking it. I could tell from a distance he was. "You're not a good brother, let alone a good person. So save whatever bullshit excuse you have." I added, folding my arms.
He opened his mouth and closed it again. "Nothing really flies past you, does it." He said with an impressed and annoyed look on his face.
"I'm not Elena or Stefan. I don't give people the benefit of the doubt. I would rather be paranoid and safe than trusting and dead." I retorted. "So what are you really up to?"
He shrugged and paced around my balcony, almost circling me. "Well—since you asked. I don't know if y'know of the town council, not the normal one but the one where they are all secretly vampire hating hunters. That town council." He paused. "Judging by the lack of surprise you probably know or you're very tired of me—"
"Both."
"Thought so." He stopped pacing to look at me.
"Where was I? Right. The council now suspects that vampires are in town. I mean of course they are. Stefan and I are literally here looking this good. Mostly me but y'know." I made a sound of disgust. "Anyways. The sheriff suspects vampires that can walk in daylight. I just need to throw her off my trail—"
"—And what better way to do it with a mass gathering where you prove to the sheriff you're on her side." I added, fiddling with my necklace. "You're probably gonna turn some unfortunate soul into a vampire and throw them to get staked by council. Did I get that right?" I asked with a sarcastic tone.
He whistled. "Scarily right. Damn. You're good at this kinda stuff." He walked towards me. "Wanna be partners? In more ways than one."
"I'd rather hang myself."
"Essh. Harsh but anyways, I'm not gonna turn anyone into a vampire." He defended. "I'm just gonna try to throw her off mine and Stefan's back."
"I'll arrange the party for Stefan. You stay away from Caroline. And try not to ruin Stefan's birthday—which by the way includes not messing with his relationship with Elena or messing with him in general." I finished.
"Ugh. Fine." He agreed. I watched as he got on top of the railing, balancing on it perfectly.
"Oh! Before I go. I should tell you. Be careful not to get your blood anywhere close to vampires." I raised my eyebrows. "Hey! I'm tryna be helpful now. You have no idea how sweet your blood smells to us."
"Thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind." I retorted dryly, opening the door to let Maria in.
Maria clutched the first aid kit in her hands and looked startled when I opened the door. She still looked a little tired. The sudden tiredness didn't leave her just yet. There were now some dark circles forming under her eyes.
She waved the kit in front of my face and let herself in. I watched as she carefully set the kit down on the dressing table while she sat down on the floor. "Found the kit." She said, triumphantly.
I stood there near the door, unmoving. I simply stood there. I glanced at the open doors to the balcony. Damon was gone. The balcony looked empty, like no one had been there. The flowers along with the empty easel, white lawn chairs and table were the only ones there in the balcony.
Mindlessly, I went to take a seat. "I think I'm better now, Maria." I commented, staring blankly at the mirror. I picked up my lipgloss and re-applied it. "Thanks but you can go now." I watched in the reflection of the mirror. She stared at me unmoving and confused for a good five minutes before preparing to leave.
I got up from my seat and picked up the laundry basket and took it to the empty laundry room. I threw the clothes in and made sure there was no trace of blood or dirt in the basket before closing the washing machine and starting it.
I made my way back to my room. On my way there, I flipped open my phone and started calling everyone and anyone I knew to invite them to Stefan's birthday party.
A gnawing feeling in the back of my mind whispered at me to stop and to just let it be. That I shouldn't arrange this. But I ignored it. The invites were sent. The location was set. And things were already in motion.
....
I rang the doorbell and stood back, waiting for the door to open. Sheila Bennett peered through a half open door, craning her neck to see me.
Noticing me, she beamed and opened the door. "Ava." She greeted me with a smile. "Bonnie left earlier, already." She stated. Seeing my lack of reaction she shifted a little. "How can I help you today, child?" She asked, leaning against the doorway.
I swallowed nervously, trying to find the words to describe my problem. "It's a little complicated. I don't know—don't know how to explain it." I said moving my hands trying to describe it.
Sheila nodded understandingly and moved away from the doorway. She gestured to me, to follow her inside. I noticed that she was careful not to invite me in verbally. That was smart.
I kept that in mind next time, I have a vampire at my door. She led me to her living room and sat down on a white armchair. She pointed to a similar colored white couch and I took a seat next to her.
She got up to gather some books, candles, a bowl of water, a bowl of dirt and closed the curtains, letting the room submerge in total darkness. I watched in silence as she lit some candles with her magic and asked for my hands.
The candle light illuminated her face and gave her somewhat of an intimidating appearance. I passed my hands over to her. She gripped them tightly in her grip.
Silence took over between us as I watched her concentrate hard on the task. Suddenly she started chanting. The candles started flickering as a warm breeze passed through the room, flipping papers across the room but never moving the curtains.
Sheila gasped and opened her eyes, letting go of my hands. "Impossible." She muttered, looking down and tilting her head. She turned to her seat and picked up a book from the pile in front of her.
Quietly and obediently, I watched her flick through pages. She breathed out and stared hard at a page in the book.
"You feel empty..." She stated, glancing up at me. "Like there is nothing in you. No energy. No light." She accused me.
Gently, she took my hands into hers. "Wait—" She let go. "Strange. There is light and energy but it flickers—In and out like the candles." She made a sound of realization and got up, clicking her fingers to plunge us into the veil of darkness again. She pushed open the curtains and stood up to face me.
"What is it?" I asked carefully, folding my arms and bringing them close to me. "Do y'know what's goin' with me? I started coughing up blood, my eyes were bleeding and I felt so tired like I would faint." I paused to take a breath.
Sheila's back was still turned to me as she paced back and forth in her living room.
"And earlier today, I couldn't even summon the 'light'." I continued in a distraught voice.
She sighed. "That's because you overwhelmed yourself. You pushed yourself too far in these few days." She turned on her feet to lean over me and look at me in concern.
"I don't know how but you managed to use almost all of your magic to the point, you started burning your own life force. Witches often do it when they perform complicated spells. But you—" She swallowed. "—you just started learning this." She looked away from me and sat back down.
"Child. What did you try to do?" After a moment of silence, she asked me. I opened and closed my mouth, refusing to tell her about Vicki, knowing it wouldn't really help my case. "Defend yourself from a horde of vampires? Resurrect the dead?"
I nearly choked at Sheila's words. I silently cursed myself last night. I should have known my own limits. I tried to compose myself and sat a little straighter. "Is there a way to reverse this?" I asked, ignoring her questions and trying to change the subject.
She raised her eyebrows and dropped the topic. She sighed. "The only thing you can do is rest, maybe try to practice a little without going over your boundaries." I nodded, listening to her suggestion.
"Your magic—" She grabbed my hands. "—is untrained and raw. Until you have them sharpened, avoid pushing yourself to the brink. It's like a muscle, the less you use, the more it aches when you push yourself. The more gradually you practice, the less it aches when you use it. Understand." I nodded. She dropped my hands and stood up. "I truly am sorry that I can't be of more help."
I got up and started heading for the door. "You've done more than enough." I said with a genuine smile.
I engulfed her in a hug. She patted my back, letting go to open the door. I walked out the door but not before looking back. She was standing there, watching over me. Times like this sometimes made me miss my own grandma. Grandma Janine would know what to do. She always did.
─────⋇⋆✦⋆⋇─────
"Oh my god! Hi." Jenna greeted me, crushing me into a hug. She let go and led me inside the Gilbert house. "Haven't seen you or your uncle in ages. How are you guys?" She kept talking as she walked, not even letting me speak.
Jeremy peaked his head out from the kitchen before going back. He waved at me with a half eaten sandwich in his mouth. I smiled awkwardly in greeting, refusing to look him in the eyes. I couldn't.
Every time I looked at him, the desperate image of him screaming over Vicki's body flashed in front of my eyes. He looked at me apologetically as he gestured to Jenna. I shrugged in response and just let Jenna carry on while Jeremy went back to the kitchen.
"—I feel like he's ignoring me." I heard Jenna say before she turned to look at me. "Why do guys always ignore me? Is it something I do? First Logan and now Nate. I mean he was supposed to be my best friend."
"Jenna." I grabbed her arm. "Breathe." I commanded her, stopping her ranting. "I don't know 'bout Logan but I know uncle Nate is super busy with his thesis."
She snorted. "I'm sorry but Nate actually studying is hilarious. Like come on." I gave her a blank look. "Oh! You're...serious." She looked away.
"Yeahh..." I pressed my lips and stared at her awkwardly. "He kinda has to since he transferred to Duke—"
"—HE TRANSFERRED TO DUKE!" She exclaimed looking offended as she clutched her chest in betrayal. "That bastard. And he never even told me."
She freed herself from my grip and stomped over to grab her phone, no doubt to give uncle Nate a piece of her mind. I did not pity that man one bit. I did warn him and he didn't listen. This was on him.
"Hey Jenna!" I called out. Her phone was pressed to her ears as she turned to look at me. "Are Elena and Bonnie upstairs?" She nodded fiercely before going back to ranting. This time my uncle was the one on the receiving end.
─────⋇⋆✦⋆⋇─────
"—There's no windows open, right?" I heard Bonnie ask as I stood outside Elena's bedroom.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and got inside, shutting the door behind me "Right." Elena replied before her eyes wandered to me.
Elena sat on her bed, in front of her was a half-destroyed pillow. Feathers were spread across her sheets while Bonnie sat opposite her. Bonnie turned around at the sound of the door and gestured for me to tightly close it. I did so without hesitation. She wanted to tell Elena she was a witch, Elena only. Not her whole household.
"Hey, you made it." "Hey..." Bonnie and Elena greeted me at the same time.
I just waved at both of them before leaning against the door. Elena stared at me for a while, wanting to say something when Bonnie shifted the attention back on herself.
She turned to Elena and looked around her room. "There's no fan. No air conditioning." She asked, moving her hands around.
"None. What are you doing?" Elena replied, sitting up in her bed.
"Just watch. It's pretty cool." I added in with a smirk. "Cooler than what I can do." I said, getting off the door and coming to take a seat next to Elena who gave me a side-hug.
"Debatable." Bonnie commented tilting her head. "Grams just showed me this. You're gonna love it. You ready?"
Elena nodded while I looked on with an excited smile. Bonnie looked at me for some confidence boost before taking a deep breath and concentrating on a feather. She started levitating a feather in front of Elena who gasped in surprise and clutched my arm.
"Bonnie, what's going on?" Elena hesitantly asked.
Bonnie brought her hands together, rubbing them to get ready for the big finale. She beamed brightly as she levitated several more. Elena watches on with shock and amazement.
There were feathers in the air like an angel had landed in Elena's room. Elena let go of my arm and sat up. Catching the feathers in her hands, she laughed like a giddy child. Stopping to stare at Bonnie.
"It's true Elena. Everything my Grams told me. It's impossible and it's true. I'm a witch." Bonnie confessed nervously while staring fondly at Elena's happy expression.
Elena paused to look around the feathers floating in her room as she slowly sat back down. "I believe you." She said with a bright smile.
Bonnie turned to me and grabbed my hands. "Please don't tell Grams." She begged me with a pout on her face.
I rolled my eyes. "Relax. I won't." I pulled away and sat cross-legged on Elena's bed. "Besides, 'Lena already knows about me, so it's only fair you don't tell your Grams either."
Elena shrugged in response, catching a feather in hands. "So does that mean you're a witch as well?" She questioned me as Bonnie slowly brought all the feathers down.
"Not really." I replied, pressing my lips together. "I don't know what I am. I'm just me." I added lightly bringing my hand up to catch one of the falling feathers.
Elena nodded while Bonnie focused on bringing all the feathers down. "It's weird huh? After all this time joking about being psychic." She paused to touch a feather. "I really am a witch. You don't think I'm a freak now, do you? I mean you kinda accepted Ava."
"No, of course not. Bonnie I just...don't understand though. If your Grams asked you to keep all this a secret, why did you tell me?"
"You're my best friend. I can't keep secrets from you." Bonnie softly answered back.
Elena nodded, her eyes moving to meet mine with a guilty expression. We really needed to tell someone about this whole mess or the guilt was going to eat us up. I had a feeling Elena was gonna tell Bonnie soon.
─────⋇⋆✦⋆⋇─────
I stood back and watched as the waiters and waitresses at the grill moved chairs and tables around for the party. Some of them brought out some more tables and chairs from the back. Extra lights were added to make the grill look more suitable for a party.
I breathed out tiredly, seeing the place come alive in front of my eyes. I gestured to the manager to open the doors as I stepped away outside for a minute or two.
Within seconds. Early party-goers rushed into the party, calling dibs on tables, some making a beeline for the pool table or the jukebox. I didn't care about them that much.
Cool night air hit me straight in the face as I stepped outside. I picked up my phone and flipped it open. Bright light illuminated the darkness of the night when all of sudden my hands lit up.
I tried to shake the light off and will it to go away. At the same time, I looked around to check that I was alone. I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself like Miss Sheila had taught me to do a few months back.
Carefully, I opened my eyes, the light was slowly dimming away. I breathed out in relief, throwing my head back when I noticed the street lights nearby flickering. The flickering lessened as the glow in my head dimmed. The flickering stopped completely when the glow disappeared.
I looked around once more to check that I was alone. I was alone. I closed my eyes and opened them again, focusing my attention on my phone. I called Elena.
"Hello." Elena's tired voice greeted me as I pressed my phone to my ear.
"Elena, hey. Um. Where are you?" I asked, smoothing out my dress. "I just saw Caroline walk in, Bonnie's gonna be here in a bit but—Where. Are. You?"
I heard her sigh. "I'm sorry, Ava. I think I'm gonna call it a night and stay in. Given the circumstances—"
"No. You're not using that as an excuse. We both know exactly why you're coming out here right now." I barked out.
"I...I don't know what you mean."
"Right. So 'Stefan' has nothing to do with you staying home." I quietly commented, twirling my hair. "I mean..."
I heard her take a sharp breath. "We broke up. He moved on. Let me wallow in peace."
"He moved on? Whaaat? No. 'Lena, are you sure about this?"
"Unless I'm suddenly seeing things then no." She paused. "I went to his house and instead of seeing Stefan, I saw 'towel girl'." She slowly confessed. I could tell from her voice, she was a little jealous. I don't know why, she's the one who broke up with him.
"But you broke up with—"
"—I know. No need to remind me." She cut me off. I snorted.
She regretted breaking up with him. So predictable.
"—So 'towel girl' greets me when I go to his house. She's blonde, attractive, has a great body and seems waaay more fun than I'll ever be."
"I'm guessing 'towel girl' was in a towel when you went to his house."
"And nothing else. When I asked where Stefan was." She paused to take a breath. "Guess what she said."
"Stefan was in the shower?" I guessed without really knowing and hoping it wasn't true.
She made a sound of annoyance. "Stefan. Was. In. The. Shower." She repeated, outraged at the thought of it all. "God, Ava, he moved on. What am I supposed to do?"
"Um, you can either do two things." I started. "Forget about him and come have fun, show him what he's missing or OR you could, I don't know talk to Stefan about said 'towel girl', find out who she really is. For all you know, she could be his sister or something."
"Pass to both." She groaned out. "Any other suggestions? I might get desperate enough and ask Caroline for suggestions..." She trailed off. "Wait. There's someone at the door." I heard her get up.
"It's probably Stefan." I joked.
I heard her open the door. "It's Stefan. You were right." She confirmed my suspicions. "Are you a psychic too?"
I awkwardly laughed, choosing not to deny or confirm what she said. "Are you really saying all of this while leaving him standing on your door?"
"I didn't exactly open the door. Well...I opened and closed it in his face."
"Rude. Open it and talk to him. Sort out your feelings." I said, glancing back at the grill, remembering the party. "Anyways, I'm out. Have to go check out the party. Tell Stefan I said 'Hi'. Bye." I finished, flipping my phone off and walking back inside.
People were everywhere. They were all having a good time, laughing and dancing. I felt good. I did this.
I walked around the grill, greeting people, thanking them for coming. I stayed a while around Erica and the rest of the art club, before making my way around the grill again. I paused when I noticed Stefan walk through the door.
I weaved through the crowd to get to Stefan when I noticed Matt walk past him.
"Matt, just hear me out please. I was just trying to help Vicki. I went through something similar once, I'm really sorry." I heard Stefan apologize to Matt as sincerely as he could while I stood behind Matt, choosing not to greet him. Guilt and remorse held me back in place from reaching out to Matt.
Matt scoffed. "Don't be. It's not the first time she's run off. Turns out Vicki's just like our mother; I can't count on either of them. Thanks for trying."
"You're wrong." I blurted out. I shut my eyes when I realized I had accidentally made myself known. Matt turned to stare at me with an unreadable expression on his face.
Quickly I tried to cover it up by focusing my attention on Stefan. "Stefan. Thanks for coming. Happy Birthday. It's not much but—"
"It's fine. It's more than anything anyone has done for me." Stefan looked between me and Matt in concern. "I'm gonna go find a friend of mine. I'll see you in a bit." He said before he left me with Matt.
I tried to slowly walk away without Matt noticing. But to my bad luck. Matt noticed. He grabbed my arm and spun me around. "Ava." He breathed out.
"Hey...Matt." I greeted him awkwardly, trying to free myself from his grip. "Thanks for coming but y'know I have to—"
"Avoid me." He retorted, tilting his head.
"No. No." Yes. I did have to avoid him if I didn't want to be eaten alive by my own conscience. "I'm not avoiding you...I'm just gonna go look around the party I threw."
"Seriously? Just say you're avoiding me. You're turning out to be like Vicki and my mom. Maybe that's why you tried to defend Vick earlier." He said with a sad smile.
I pulled myself back from him and stared hard at him. "I'm not unreliable, okay. Neither was Vicki."
"Yeah, right." He scoffed. This time, it was him, walking away.
I grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Vicki didn't leave because she wanted to." I paused, trying to choose my next few words carefully.
"She left because she had no choice. She really..." I swallowed, trying to stop myself from breaking down. "She really wanted to stay. For you. But she couldn't." I finished breathing out.
I let go of his arm and stepped away from him. "As for me. You're right, I'm not a good friend. I'm sorry." I started again. "I'm sorry, I just need some space. So please don't be mad at Vic—"
Matt engulfed me into a hug. "Thank you." He slowly let go. "For telling me that. I feel like I needed to hear that 'bout Vick. It feels a little better, knowing she didn't abandon me." I smiled and breathed out in relief. "How are you, by the way. Your eyes and nose were bleeding."
"Exhaustion." I stated. "I worked too hard over these past few days." It wasn't technically a lie. I did exhaust myself using my 'gifts'.
He nodded, digesting what I had just said. "You do work yourself too hard. Try not to overdo it." He said, walking away from me.
Watching him, walk away. I breathed out in relief. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. But I knew Matt and my friendship would not be the same ever again.
I walked over to the bar and ordered myself some fries and a burger with some lemonade. I then went over to take a seat at a close-by table. Caroline came over and sat opposite me with her drink in hand.
"Ava Fitzroy, you have truly outdone yourself." She said and started clapping.
A waiter came over and placed my food in front of me. I thanked them and picked up my burger. I made sure to remove any tomatoes from them.
I put the tomatoes to the side of the plate. Finally I took a bite of my burger, savoring the taste of the beef and cheese with the caramelized onions.
"Caroline, are you drunk?" I asked, putting down the burger.
"Pfft. No. Maybe." She replied, taking one of my fries. "Can I?" She asked, gesturing to the plate of fries.
"Knock yourself out." I wiped my face with a napkin. "Isn't it a little early to be getting drunk?" I questioned, taking another bite out of my burger.
She groaned. "Please don't go all 'mom' on me right now." She pouted as she shoved a couple of fries down her face. "But...you can blame Damon for that." She said, her eyes slightly unfocused and red. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.
"Why am I not good enough? Why is it never me? Like Elena gets the guys and attention without even trying, Bonnie has the whole witch thing and she's so good at everything she does." She gestured to me. "You have the grades, the money and talent. And I have nothing." She started complaining. "It's not fair. Why can't I have something?"
"Caroline..." I started. She put her hands up, trying to stop me. "What did Damon do this time?"
Tears spilled from her eyes as she wiped them away, a little. "Nothing. It was my fault. I—" She stopped to swallow back her tears and stop herself from breaking down. "—I gave Bonnie this stupid ugly necklace for Halloween. You remember, right? A big ugly orange amulet thing." I nodded, remembering that piece of jewelry all too well.
"Well, Damon wanted it back. So I went and asked Bonnie for it. She said no." She continued. "And Damon really wanted it back so I...I almost ripped the thing from her...um...neck." She took another fry from the plate and dipped it into the ketchup.
"Caroline!" I gasped out, putting my burger down. "What the hell—"
"I know. I know. I'm a terrible friend. But Damon really wanted it." She sniffed.
My eyes widened as I stared at her. "So you decided to try and rip it off Bonnie's neck?" I repeated with my own words, trying to make sense of what she had said. "Bonnie could have been hurt."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, now I'm hurt. Not that anyone cares."
"I care but..." I trailed off as I breathed out in frustration. "But you do realize that was not the way to go with things."
She pouted, grabbing my drink and took a sip. "Yeah. I realized." She stopped, her eyes becoming unfocused. "He said I was stupid. Useless. And shallow."
"Don't tell me you actually believe him." I questioned, leaning towards her with wide eyes. I clasped my hands and tilted my head to stare down at her.
She snorted. "Yeah. He's not wrong." She said in a quiet voice.
"That's not tru—"
"Look around you." She gestured to everyone in the grill. Some people from our school were looking our way while most people were too lost in their own world to notice Caroline's little breakdown. "Everyone here is here because they wanted to see you one up me."
I tried to protest when she stopped me.
"I don't need to their read minds to know how annoying and bitchy they think I am. Y'know...hic...people rejoiced at school when they found out you were the student body president. Even though I didn't even run. They were like 'good thing it's not Caroline Forbes' or..." She went on.
"Okay. You're going too far. No one thought that." I tried to placate her.
She snorted again. I clenched my jaws and cursed Damon with all my heart. I hoped that bastard stepped on a wooden lego dipped in vervain while being in the sun without his stupid ring. Maybe then he will know the pain he puts others through.
"Please. I've heard stuff around how Damon dumped me and people saw him with you." She stated, trying to hold herself together. I looked at her like she had lost her mind. "First Elena and Stefan now you just had to go and steal—"
"Caroline, sweetie. I love you but please don't you dare finish that sentence." I cut her off, finishing my burger before she made me throw up. I pushed the almost empty plate away.
"Okay, I don't know what Damon has said to you. But he's a bastard. Don't listen to him." I started, taking her hands in mine. "He's good looking. I will admit."
She made a move to pull her hands away and get up and leave.
"But. He's an asshole. And I'm too goddamn pretty to ever waste my time and youth on someone like him. And so are you." I let go of her hands. "God to think you would even...I think I will throw up if you mention that again." I turned to look at her again. "Cheer up. Get drunk. Forget about him."
She laughed a little. She bit her lips. "I'll try but no promises." She said, her mood slightly better than it was before. She got up and walked away to get herself a drink.
"Don't get too drunk." I called out to her but she turned around and stuck out her tongue. She was gonna get wasted. I just hoped her mom would not show up.
Elena sat not-so alone near the pool table, gazing at it longingly. Unfortunately, she was in the presence of Damon. Just who I've been trying to avoid all night.
I huffed and stalked towards her. "—Elena, I took away the suffering." I heard Damon say to Elena as I approached her.
"You made it!" I beamed brightly, wrapping my arms around her. She smiled weakly, her eyes focused on a couple behind me. I turned around to see Stefan playing pool with a mystery girl.
Damon was about to say something to me when I glared at him to leave and not ruin my night. He put his hands up in defense and walked away. Seeing him leaving, I turned back to Elena who stared at Stefan, longingly.
"Are you just gonna stare at him or are you going to make a move?"
"I don't know." She whimpered. "I want to but..."
I rolled my eyes and put my hands on her shoulders. "Order yourself a drink. It's gonna be a long night at this rate." She tried to protest. "You love him. Even if it takes the whole night, you two are gonna sit down and talk about your feelings if that's the last thing to do." I backed away from her when I noticed Erica calling me. "I'm gonna go talk to Erica. Remember, talk to Stefan."
─────⋇⋆✦⋆⋇─────
The party was in full swing by now. Half the people were wasted. Including Caroline, to not my surprise. Matt had taken her home after apologizing to me for leaving early.
Bonnie had disappeared into the crowd somewhere. Tyler was getting more and more wasted, and was probably going to start a fight soon.
But I felt good. I felt good when I looked at Elena and Stefan from a distance. I breathed out in contentment, happy that they had made up.
A blonde girl approached me while I sat alone watching the crowd of party-goers from a table near the bar. I shivered as a chill ran down my back as she took a seat opposite me. She was a vampire. I tried to disguise my discomfort and not look at her.
"So you're Ava. The girl who returned to town, is best friends with Elena and the one who threw this kick-ass party." She stated, looking at me with a friendly smirk. Her smirk was so different from Damon's. It was almost comforting.
I nodded, acting bored. "And you are?" I asked, feigning a lack of interest to make her leave. I didn't know her but I knew she was a vampire.
"Lexi Branson. A friend of Stefan." She introduced, extending her hand to shake. Reluctantly, I took it. It was cold. Deathly cold.
"Relax. I'm only here for his birthday then I'm off." She lightly commented, taking a shot. "You and Elena always look like you're on edge. At least you do a better job of hiding it behind your fake snobby act. No offense."
A realization dawned on me as I realized who Lexi really was.
"Towel girl." I accidentally blurted out.
I instantly regretted it. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to hide. I put my head down, looking away from her and took a sip of my lemonade.
She laughed, downing another shot as she did so and shook her head side to side. "Wow! That's like the second time someone has called me 'towel girl'—not that I mind. I've been called worse." She stated, leaning towards me.
"Right. Just ignore what I said." I replied, removing the straw from my glass and just downing the lemonade.
I wish I had taken something with a little alcohol instead. At least I'd forget this embarrassing moment.
I put down the glass and stared at her. "So you're only here for Stefan's birthday?"
She nodded, replacing my empty glass in front of me with a shot glass and poured some tequila. "I stole this from the bartender." She waved the bottle of tequila around. "A truce." She gestured to the glass.
"Stefan told me you're one of the good ones. That and you're descended from vampire hunters—" She paused to look around as she leaned in and lowered her voice. "—plus you have a really cool ability to produce sunlight from your hands which can hurt vampires. So a truce." She again gestured to the shot glass.
Saying nothing, I downed the glass with ease. "Stefan told you all that?" I questioned out-loud, unsure what to make off her. She nodded again, pouring us both another drink.
"So he trusts you." I stated. "Then I guess I have no choice but to trust you as well but then again Stefan is also related to Damon." I commented dryly, taking another shot.
She blanched and groaned. "Let's not even ruin this night by mentioning that scum."
"Point taken." I said clinking my glass with her's and downing another shot. Feeling like I would get along great with her.
She giggled childishly. I could tell she was a little tipsy. "Exactly. I totally turned his offer down the first time 'round for this party 'till Stef mentioned you were throwing the party. I mean thank go—"
"—Wait. Damon invited you before Stefan." I asked. My eyes wide with horror. My brain connected the dots.
Lexi laughed a little. "Yeah, why?" She questioned, tipsy and euphoric.
Colors swirled around me as I closed my eyes in shock. When I opened them I wasn't at the grill. I was standing in the dimly lit parking lot of the grill. More precisely, I was somewhere near the back of the grill. It was empty.
Almost empty. A woman was being dragged by her feet by two men while another woman led her to a car. Suddenly, the woman being held woke up, revealing her face to me. It was Lexi. Her face was distorted and monstrous as she pissed at the woman in charge, Sheriff Forbes.
Lexi used whatever strength she had left in her to shove the two men off of her with each of the men crash landing on two different police cars. She then turned her attention to the Sheriff. She hissed loudly, baring her fangs in warning.
The two women stood facing off against each other in the parking lot. Gunshots rang through the parking lot as Lexi tried to take a step towards Liz. Sheriff Forbed had shot her, slowing her down. She kept going. More gunshots. And suddenly silence.
I cupped my mouth in shock. I gasped at the image in front of me. There was a stake right through Lexi's chest being held there by someone. I knew it was a man from the back. His face turned away from me hidden in the darkness.
I watched in horror as her face turned that horrid deathly-gray shade Vicki's had as she slowly slid down to the pavement...
I gasped. "Oh my god." I muttered, realizing Lexi was the sacrifice.
She was the vampire Damon was going to use to throw the sheriff off his trail. In shock, I grabbed Lexi's hand, ignoring the chill I stared at her with determination.
"You need to get out here right now."
Lexi drew her hand back and poured herself another shot. "Why?" She laughed. "I thought we were on a truce—" I quickly grabbed her arm and attempted to drag her away from the bar.
"We are. That's why I'm telling you for your own good to leave." I attempted to warn her.
But I failed as I noticed Damon approached us. His eyes narrowed and he gave me a look of warning as he took a seat at the bar.
Lexi glanced at me and then at him. Her eyes narrowed as she got up, pouring a few glasses and taking it over to Damon. I watched her walk up to him with the drinks
"All right, the shots are a bribe. I need you to answer a question. What are you really doing in Mystic Falls?" I heard her confront him.
I pursed my lips and didn't move from my table, debating with myself whether or not to get involved. Lexi seemed like a good person. Stefan trusted him.
God. Why was I stupid enough to trust Damon would ever do anything 'nice'. This whole thing wasn't for Stefan it was to get rid of Lexi and throw the Sheriff off his bloody trail.
Two birds with one stone. It was a good plan, I wasn't going to lie but it wouldn't be Damon if his plans didn't include someone's death.
Rolling my eyes, I got up. Taking my empty lemonade glass with me, I took a seat next to Lexi. "—I have a diabolical master plan." Damon replied to whatever Lexi had said before shifting to stare at me. He did not look happy.
I turned to the bartender and asked him to refill my glass with lemonade. If the Sheriff was here, I did not want to be caught with alcohol let alone a vampire or two. I felt Damon narrow his eyes as I accepted my lemonade and took a sip without looking at him.
"So you do have a diabolical plan..." I lightly commented, inserting myself into their conversation. Lexi turned to me, her face distorted with confusion. "And I thought I told you to stay away from Caroline." I asked him
Damon groaned and downed his shot. "It's—nothing big." He tried to justify himself while ignoring Lexi and the comment about Caroline.
"Right." I put the glass of lemonade down, swirling my straw around the drink. "I'm supposed to believe a pathological liar?" I raised my eyebrows, staring down at him hard.
"What is it?" Lexi questioned. "What's the diabolical plan that even she doesn't know?" She leaned forward to look at Damon.
"If I told you two it wouldn't be very diabolical, now would it?" He retorted and went back to drinking.
Before I could reply, my gaze wandered around the grill. My eyes widened as it settled on the entrance. The sheriff and a few of her deputies surrounded a girl who looked scared. I watched as the girl looked around the grill. Her eyes searching around for someone.
"Janet is so into me. Wonder if we'll—"
"This party is off the hook."
"Ava really outdid herself."
"—I'm so gonna dump his ass for this—"
"Ava's coming for Caroline's place. Poor Caroline, her boyfriend dumped her and now she's gonna lose the Queen B pl—"
I clutched my head in pain trying to read that girl's mind, only to be met with a barrage of uninvited thoughts shouting out at me. The voices mixed with the blaring loud of music and chatter of conversation felt painful. It felt like my head was being split in half.
"You okay, sunshine?" Damon asked, getting up from his seat to come over to me. He leaned over me while Lexi looked on in concern.
"Who attacked me?"
"It was—him. No! Her!"
"Who was it?!"
"—It was her. That blonde girl."
Shrugging his hands off me, I quickly reacted and grabbed Lexi's arm without anyone noticing.
"Leave right now." I commanded quiet enough for me to hear.
I knew Lexi and Damon would both hear me. I only needed Lexi to hear me. She stared at me confused before she made a move to go but stopped to glare at Damon. I growled in frustration and wanted to drag her outside but I couldn't. Not without drawing attention to myself.
But before she could move any further from the bar, the sheriff came over and injected Lexi with vervain. I watched in horror as Lexi slumped over, unconscious.
"Oh my god!" I exclaimed in shock, clutching my necklace to comfort me.
Sheriff Forbes attempted to assure me with a look but it failed. "What are you doing?!" Damon asked in feigned outrage. I really wanted to punch his face.
She said something to Damon that I couldn't hear properly before she turned to me. She placed a hand on my shoulders and stared at me conflicted. "I'm sorry you had to see this but this is for your own good." She tried to justify herself, stepping back to stare at both of us. "Now if you'll excuse me."
Damon's face returned to his normal cocky self with the Sheriff's back turned. I turned around to glare at him hatefully. Before going off to find Stefan and maybe save Lexi. He didn't try to stop me.
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I didn't run to Stefan, instead I put on a smile and went around party-goers calming them down, reigniting their fun. I wanted to take attention off Lexi, the less attention there was, the more easily we slipped unnoticed by the deputies.
"Ava." Stefan greeted me, clearly distraught. While Elena looked confused and scared about all of this.
I grabbed both of their hands and tried to lead them to a back door. "We already tried to leave. They wouldn't let us." Elena commented while Stefan kept a watch.
I didn't say anything and just led through the door to outside. "Yeah, well. They don't know all of the exits to this place." I retorted quietly, keeping my voice audible but not too loud to catch anyone's attention. "Stefan. I'm so sorry. This was not what I planned." I apologized.
Stefan nodded, dragging both me and Elena to the parking lot. We hurried to where Lexi was. Just like in my vision, she was being held by two deputies.
Elena was about to make a sound when Stefan held her mouth and flashed over to the side of a building, gesturing to me to hide next to them.
Slowly, he let go of Elena, unwrapping himself from her. "We...need to do something." Elena whispered. He nodded.
"I could distract the Sheriff, long enough for Lexi to get away." He suggested.
Elena turned to look at him, she grabbed on his arms in an attempt to stop him. "What if...what if you get caught instead." She asked, gazing at him in concern. Stefan looked conflicted as did I.
I knew we didn't have much time, when Lexi threw the two deputies across the parking lot. I knew it was time. We needed to act fast.
I stared down at my hands, remembering what had happened earlier with the lights outside the grill, my phone when I was talking to Elena that night. I could also control people's actions, make them believe what I wanted them to do. Vervain was not a problem for me. A plan formed in my head.
I swallowed and stared hard at my hands. The first round of gunshots rang through the parking lot. Sheila Bennett's warning flashed through my mind. But the plan was formed. Clutching my hands tightly, I knew what I had to do.
"...I have a plan." I whispered sharply to the couple next to me. "I'm gonna take out the lights, maybe get inside the Sheriff's head, make her believe she got the vamp." I recited my plan out loud, taking a step forward.
"How are you going to do that?" Stefan asked.
"I don't know...I'll try."
Elena grabbed onto my arm. "What if you get hurt?" I shrugged her hand off me and tried to summon all the magic I had left in me to an orb in my left hand. I placed both of my hands together and concentrated hard.
"I don't know, this seems risky. How do we know you can do all of that, safely? She can't even be compelled. Not from this distance and not when she's on vervain." Stefan tried to stop me.
I looked at them both. "We don't have time to think of a better plan." I turned away as the second round of gunshots rang out.
Lights all around us started flickering violently.
There was a slight buzz in the air. I felt my hair whip around my face as I absorbed that energy in the air. It felt euphoric. Like nothing I had ever felt before. Car alarms started going off. The noise caused the Sheriff to lose her focus.
"Stefan." I breathed out. "Try to get Lexi to run. The Sheriff's distracted." I stated, still holding my hand up.
The light from my hand, bathing us in a warm glow. Stefan nodded, flashing over to somewhere closer to Lexi so she would hear him
I kept my hands up, focusing all my attention on the Sheriff.
"Sheriff. Put down the gun." I slowly began. I knew the deputies were out cold. They wouldn't be a problem. I watched from a distance as the Sheriff lowered her gun. It worked. I controlled the Sheriff without looking at her. I breathed out in relief. But my job was far from over.
"You're going to step away from the vampire." I paused, thinking hard what to make her see.
In the end, I settled on the vision of what would've happened. "You shot the vampire but Damon Salvatore came and staked her before she could hurt you." I added, moving a little forward in a trance.
Blood dripped down my nose.
"Instead of her body turning gray. It turned into ash. And now you're going to pick up your deputies and walk away." I finished. But I didn't put my hands down.
I coughed. Blood dripped down my chin. I watched blankly as Lexi flashed away from danger.
"Ava!" Elena shouted, trying to stop me.
Someone grabbed me and pinned me to the wall. "Stop. You're hurting yourself." I heard someone say to me. It was Damon. Or I think it was. I couldn't think straight.
My mind was a blur. All I could think about was keeping the magic going. I shook them off and kept my focus on the Sheriff.
"Stefan!" I heard Elena or someone who sounded like Elena scream out in help.
The street lamps all shattered around us as. The car alarms were getting incessantly louder. It was deafening. But I didn't care. I put more energy into the orb, staring at it in awe.
I coughed again, more blood pouring out of my mouth. My eyes felt heavy. They started to droop. The light dimmed slowly as my eyes shut completely, plunging me into complete darkness.
Strangely enough, I didn't feel the pavement when I fell. I faded in and out of consciousness. My eyes focused on the starry night when I came back for a while. Wow, I messed up. I regretted not listening to Miss Sheila's warning.
At least, I saved someone, I thought. I hope I did. I didn't want another person to lose their life.
Please don't be dead.
"Please don't be dead." I heard someone beg as a warm metallic liquid ran down my throat. I almost gagged at the taste. I wanted to spit it out. "Don't you dare spit this out." That same person spoke out again. I was convinced this person was really trying to kill me.
Before I could protest and shove their hand away from my mouth. I faded out again. The last thing I remember was that the stars were so damn bright that night.
─────⋇⋆✦⋆⋇─────
This wasn't happening but I couldn't calm down. I had this dream before. Why was I seeing this again? God. Was I in hell?
The heat from the flames felt suffocating. It felt real.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Shutting my eyes, I tried counting in my head like last time, trying to focus on myself. I kept counting from one to ten, back and forth. Slowly, I peeled my eyes open, hoping it would all disappear. But it didn't.
The fire was raging and it surrounded me. And like last time, it wasn't the only thing surrounding me.
There were people on the floor, some passed out due to the fire or some unknown cause. And some were clutching their heads in immense pain. The screams of anguish rang through the air intertwining with the smoke from the fire.
Get me out here. I wanted to scream. Wake up. I slapped myself. Wake up. Wake...
"...up" I woke up with a sharp gasp, my lungs desperately trying to take in air.
I knew from the moment I opened my eyes. I wasn't home. I felt silk sheets underneath me. The ceiling above me was different. It was dark and wooden.
My ceiling was not wooden. I felt my hand around the bed. It was huge. I tried to grip on to the dark silk sheets and push myself up, only to fail and choke.
There was a sharp bitter metallic taste in my mouth. I brought my hand to my mouth, trying to sit up again. Dried blood flaked off the corners off my mouth. What the...
My eyes widened in horror. I tried to rub my mouth and get rid of the blood around my mouth. I tried to get up again, only to fall back down.
"Easy there, sunshine." Damon's annoying voice broke me out of my haze.
I slowly turned to look at him. He stood in the doorway of the room, holding a tray. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at what he was holding. A glass of water and some tablets.
Mustering all the strength I had, I pushed myself off the bed. He flashed over to me, putting down the try on the bedside table and helped me get up. "Wh—Where am I?" I asked, staring at him confused. I hated myself for how weak I sounded.
Damon backed off and handed me the water and pills. I reluctantly took them. "Relax. It's just water and some painkillers. Not poison." He remarked, looking over at me. "As for your question. You are in my awesome bedroom."
I nearly spat out the water. Instead I coughed. "Easy there. You don't wanna cough out blood again. Was not pretty the first time 'round." He commented, taking away the glass. "Took a lot of my blood to even get you working again."
"Blood?" I questioned out loud before a sickening realization came to me. "You gave me your blood!" I accused him, almost wanting to throw up.
He gripped my shoulders, stopping me from doing anything. "If I didn't do anything you would have died." He spat out.
"If you didn't do anything. I wouldn't be in that situation in the first place!"
He drew back, turning away from me. "I had a plan."
"A terrible plan."
He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "It was a plan nonetheless which would have gotten the Sheriff off mine and Stefan's trail."
"You mean yours. Not Stefan." I paused to take in a huge gulp of air. It was still so hard to breathe. "You wouldn't even need a plan in the first place, if you didn't kill all those people!" I tried to get off the bed.
Damon flashed over and pushed me back down. He rolled his eyes and backed off. "Whatever." He ignored what I said. I glared at his back as he went and sat at an armchair nearby. He picked up a book. "Sleeping beauty's awake." He called out.
A moment after, Elena, Stefan and to my relief Lexi walked into the room. Elena wrapped me into her arms, rubbing circles around my back. I could tell how shaken up she was. She pulled back and stared at me.
"Don't ever do that again. Please." There were dried tears on her face.
She took a step back, allowing Stefan to come closer. "Ava. Thank you for what you did. If you didn't. I can imagine—"
"But I did and that's what matters the most." I cut him off, mustering up a smile. "I don't regret saving Lexi." I answered, looking at Lexi, who hid behind Elena. She looked guilty.
"I guess I should thank you. Thanks for thinking I was worth saving."
Damon snorted. "Yeahh and she nearly died saving you too." He muttered loudly.
I clenched my jaw and glared down hard at him. Turning away from him, I stared at Lexi. "It's not fair to die for someone else's mistakes." I breathed out, clutching my chest in pain.
Lexi flashed over to me and gently pushed me back onto Damon's bed. She brushed my hair away from my face and engulfed me in a hug. I melted into her embrace. For once the chill that haunted every time I came close to vampires didn't scare or hurt me. Instead it comforted me.
"Thank you. For saving my life—For looking after Stefan." I heard her whisper to my ears before pulling back.
I said nothing for a while. Damon shut his book loudly. "All right. Visiting hours are now over." He got off from his seat. "It's getting late. Get out of my room."
I rolled my eyes and looked at Stefan and Elena. "Hey. Can either of you drop me home?" I asked.
"Ava..." Stefan started. "I think it's best if you stayed the night." He offered. I almost bought his offer but one look at Damon made me change my mind.
I sighed and nodded. "Fine, but can I at least move to another room?"
"This is the best room in the house." Damon got up and stood at the foot of the door. "You're lucky I'm loaning it to you."
"Thank you but I'll pass."
Damon said nothing for a while before leaning in. "No. You can't move anyway. You're staying here. End of discussion."
"Ste—" But Stefan had turned away. He agreed that I should stay in his brother's room for now with Lexi promising to check in one me to make sure Damon didn't kill me or anything, much to Damon's annoyance.
Reluctantly I leaned back into my pillow and shut my eyes when almost everyone left. Damon stayed, returning to his seat. He watched me as I fell back asleep, clutching his covers as the world around me dimmed.