The knock that echoed through the house was a strong one, pressing against my ears and stirring me from a subtle sleep. Sammy grumbled next to me, my feet on the ground as I shook my head, running my fingers across my face to wake myself up.
Another knock hit my ears as I groaned myself, Sammy settling into the couch as she wrapped herself in the flannel blanket that covered the sofa. The cold air hit me as she tried to get back to sleep, it was late. Too late for a visitor.
"We have a major fucking problem Pierce." Damon pushed his way into my house, his hand cold against my shoulder as I scoffed, standing back. He was looking around, having been invited in once before for something trivial. He wasn't my biggest threat at the moment- I could always handle him.
"Shh," I hissed, lifting my head up slightly as I gestured towards the sleeping girl on the couch. Damon raised his eyebrows, a slight smirk replacing the smug one that was always plaguing him. I shook my head, pinching the bridge of my nose. "What's wrong?"
"Stefan," He whispered back, not wanting to draw attention to himself. "Anna stopped by an hour ago. After they kidnapped him, Pearl forced them all out of town."
I lifted my chin, drawing in a breath. This was bad, my whole theory on the blood bags missing from the local banks. John making it his personal mission to bring justice to the small little town of Mystic Falls. "It could still be them, though."
"I think we both know it's not." He let out a small sigh. "Stefan got a taste of human blood. Elena's blood. I know he said that he stopped, but I don't think he did."
I glanced at Sammy for a second, her breathing steady as a slight snore moved past her lips. She was out cold, her chest rising and falling in a slight rhythm. Damon watched for a few seconds too, my fingers pressing against my hairline.
"He hasn't been at school." I shook my head. "I think he's breaking."
"I know he is."
The day was young, cars surrounding the small patch of park that was in the middle of town. Our feet crunched against the fallen leaves- brown and dead. The noise was almost calming, the scent of a pending snow filling our lungs.
It had been raining a lot lately, making sure that the air stayed cool, even if the coming pageant runners didn't get the memo. The whole entire town was crumpling under traditions. The little festival was later this week- everyone rushing around and trying to keep things under wraps.
Sammy's hand squeezed my shoulder slightly, a strange look having crossed her features. She looked worried, eyebrows creasing. As she moved her hand down my arm and grasped my fingers with hers.
"We need to talk." She whispered, I could barely hear her over the cars passing, but yet, it sounded like thunder against my eardrums. I was inadvertently listening too intently again, enough to raise my fingers to my ear slightly.
I lifted my chin slightly, not saying a word. She clearly had something to get off her chest, something that was swimming in her mind since this morning.
"I'm a very light sleeper, Rowan." She said.
"Are you?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "A good actor as well."
She shifted her weight, clenching her jaw. Sammy always seemed so innocent to me, her focus wondered a lot, but it never lead me to believe she was catching on to anything. The way she was staring at me now was a different story.
She ignored my comment. "That man, the Salvatore that stopped by your house this morning. He's not the one that stole from the blood banks, is he?"
I stared at her, my mouth slightly agape as she started walking forward, stalling a couple of seconds before I shook my head clear and walked with her. The town was quiet now, something I hadn't anticipated.
"No, it's the saintly one with the hero hair, right?" She didn't look over. "He has really nice eyes. They're nicer than yours."
"Oh, fantastic." I scoffed. "You've got a keen eye and a sense of humor."
"I'm observant, Rowan." She said, taking a long swig of the coffee that was still scalding hot. The scent was still strong. "Not as stupid as you think I am."
"Sam, I never said you were stupid."
"You assumed though," She scoffed "This whole town just assumes that the sheep who attend their schools and show up on church every single Sunday can't read through the signs. Can't read through all the signs that point to vampires."
I lifted my eyebrows slightly, letting out a sharp sigh. I couldn't' tell exactly who she was. What she was. Part of me felt sick to my stomach knowing that there was a high chance she knew the whole entire time. A common theme that usually ended with the death of one or more parties.
"There are a lot of them."
"Signs?"
"Vampires." She scoffed, her hair falling into her gaze. "Come on, Ro. I know you're recovering from those nasty tomb vampires. But I need you to keep up with me."
She tapped my temple with her hand, trying to get me to focus. Her touch was chilling, but gentle as if nothing had changed. I'm sure nothing had on her end. For all I knew, Sammy had no reserves about exactly what had been happening in Mystic Falls.
I grasped her hand quickly, not putting any force into it. I held her there, though, her sharp blue eyes skewered me, sharp and pointed as she almost dared me with her gaze. I didn't do a thing, my own breath short and labored.
"Who the fuck are you?" I snarled, never taking this tone with her.
She smiled, one that was still as innocent as she seemed to be. I couldn't tell anymore, not with the way she stood up to me like this. She knew exactly what I could do, her heart beating like a human- never slowing to a cold circulation.
Sam glanced towards the Mayor's wife, Mrs. Lockwood walking towards us with her dignified stance and chin held high. She was wearing a skirt that was way too short for this weather, the nails of my free hand moving into the Styrofoam cup cracking into the surface.
"Play nice," I said under my breath, begging her in a way as I moved our hands down and intertwined our fingers. She wasn't protesting, instead she put a big smile on her face and greeted Carol happily.
"I was just looking for the two of you," She said, her eyes searching our faces. "I have a proposition for you."
"Oh? What kind?" Sam said.
"Well, Tyler has decided last minute that he wants nothing to do with the show." She let out a sigh, thinking too deeply about how her son didn't even want to play house anymore. He had a temper, one that took after his father. Without Carol, they would fall into themselves. The whole town knew that. "Would you two be interested in being our final couple?"
We both stared at her for a second, taking exactly what she said in. This was breaking tradition, but I didn't think any of us minded. She wanted the elegance and openminded thought process to bring the town together, with the blood banks being robbed senseless, everyone was on edge.
"Of course, we would." I agreed, feeling Sammy's grasp tighten around mine, she was sweating, nervous and shaky.
"Perfect!" Carol clapped her hands together, "You missed the first couple of practices, but you can work one on one with Matt and Caroline. They'll show you the ropes."
"No Worries," Sammy smiled forcefully "I'm sure Rowan knows it like the back of her hand by now."
I stared in complete and utter disbelief, not having much time to comprehend exactly what had happened in the park yesterday. Sam refusing to acknowledge anything was wrong. Six of us were standing across from one another in the large cleared out cafeteria of the high school.
My jaw was clenched, arms crossed over my chest. I had been lulling over the information that Sammy spilled. She knew almost everything, but never threatened to spill. Instead, she bore into me with her sharp gaze- her accusatory one.
Caroline seemed to notice the tension, her own breath sharp as she stood next to Sam. She would glance over once and awhile, her chin lifted.
We had been going through the dance all morning, the sun showing that it was nearly late afternoon. The girl across from me never once took the smile off of her face, but everyone stifled their groans as Carol spoke about a new run through.
"Okay, Okay." She held up her hands. "I trust you all know the steps by now."
She started walking around all of us, her thin tipped heels were echoing as we stood in silence. "I expect all six of you to be on your best behavior. Girls, your call time is 6am sharp. Boys, yours is 8."
Mrs. Lockwood clapped her hands in rapture, or maybe motivation. I couldn't really tell. My focus wasn't exactly on her anymore. She was out of there quickly, though, leaving the rest of us to pack up our sweaty workout clothes into backpacks.
Caroline and Matt were silent, but Elena and Stefan were a different story. The two of them mumbled about a lot, but I didn't have it in me to listen in. He was losing control, part of me wanting to leave it for his brother to deal with.
Sam grasped my elbow, her touch still soft and delicate. "Was that nice enough?"
"It was fantastic." I said, kneeling. I shoved a few papers into my bag, staring at her shoes every once and awhile. She wore leggings and a loose fitting tank top. I stood, close enough to feel her hot and minty breath on my collarbone. "You're not going to tell me who you are."
"I never said that."
"You didn't have to." I snarled as her fingers messed with the edge of my collar. I wanted to push her away. "As far as I'm concerned, as soon as this dance is over, so are we."
"Rowan," She sighed. "I don't want to end this. Whatever the hell this is. I just wanted you to know that you don't have to lie. That I was here for you the whole time."
I let out a sharp sigh, pushing her hand away from me as I turned around and started walking towards the doors. Care and Matt watched me carefully, Sammy staring as if she was broken. For all I knew she was. A piece of me was too. We had spent so much time together, sharing so many aspects of our life- to the point of me beginning to trust her.
My footfalls were loud in the hallway, the side of my keys digging into my palms. I could almost feel the jaded edge poke through my skin- the sting keeping me calm for the time being. I needed to get to my car.
Stefan slammed his own car trunk shut, something I knew he'd never do. That car was his life. Elena leaned against a nearby tree, Bonnie speaking quietly to her. I didn't even know she had gotten back into town- the witch was furious with everyone involved the night of the tomb opening. I didn't blame her.
I struggled with pushing my own bags into the back seat of my truck, the cold of the day beginning to get to me.
"You heard all of that, didn't you?" Elena was next to me now, leaning heavily on my door as I glanced up at her, probably enough pain in my eyes to tip her off to something. "Oh, Ro- She didn't mean it. She's just upset and"
"I didn't hear a thing." I stopped her right there, knowing that she would defend bonnie until her face turned blue. "It's not that."
"It's not?" She raised her eyebrows, running a shaky hand through her hair. We were all scared, it seemed. Scared of things that we couldn't control. Stefan was an outlier at this point, the kidnapping taking so much of a toll on him that even Elena couldn't reign him in.
"Sammy knows." I said, my voice smooth.
"You told her?"
"No, That's the thing. I didn't say a word. It's like she's threatening me. I don't know how to handle the situation." I glanced away, a bit embarrassed. Usually I could hold my own against anything, but this was someone that I had grown feelings towards. Someone that I had learned to love. A human with an anger embedded so deeply inside of her that something was off. "I don't know how to handle any of this."
Elena shifted her position, messing with the edge of her bag. She looked tired, tired of everything. "We'll figure it out. Okay? Whatever she wants, she's not pulling it just yet."
Caroline's touch was gentle as she pressed her fingertips to my shoulder, her hands cold and breath hot. Both temperature's mixing as she zipped up the back of the dress I was forced into. My own breath was drawn short, mind on other things than just the simple obligations of being a teenager in Mystic Falls.
"You seem tense." The blonde called out, running her hands through her own hair as she glanced into the mirror. Elena was touching up her makeup in a nearby chair, her eyebrows knit together as she thought too much into everything surrounding us.
"Oh, I'm glad." I told her with a slight smile. "Because I am."
"Hmm," Caroline hesitated for a second, staring my way through the mirror. Her eyes reflected everything almost as well. "You and Sammy looked upset yesterday."
"We were," I ran my fingers across the seam of the dress, a nervous habit. "We are."
We were quiet for a few seconds as I let out a deep breath and stilled myself, Elena struggling with a pair of earrings. "That doesn't matter though. We're here to have fun. Right?"
"Or at least look like we are." Elena said from the corner as she stood up, knowing that the three of us had to get ready for our little dance. It was nothing special, a few moves in front of a crowd to a slow waltz.
The whole entire thing seemed rushed, Mrs. Lockwood telling us to take our places at the very top of the long spiral staircase. Matt and Sammy were at the base of the stairs, but Stefan wasn't. Elena pulling in a sharp sign as we each had our names announced. Stefan still didn't show by the time I took Sam's hand, her nails digging into me as she plastered on a fake smile.
"You look very nice." She said under hushed breath.
I thanked her, a bit of a subconscious mumble. The air was chilly despite the sun that hung so high in the air. People were surrounding the court yard as we lined up. Damon took Stefan's place, Elena stealing a few glances my way as the music began to play.
"So Stefan really does have a blood problem?" Sammy asked as we went through the moves- never touching, but always a few inches apart.
I moved my gaze up to meet hers, she seemed genuinely concerned. "I suppose we all do if you look at it in a certain light."
She nodded, circling me as we let the rest of the music escape our minds. The moves were so familiar to me now, though I had never attended the pageant with a girl before. They never allowed it. I was always escorted by some random guy, sometimes even the Mayor's own son.
"You're hurt." Sammy said, hesitant as we held our hands up against one another. "I never meant to... I just. I wanted you to trust me, Rowan."
"That's the last thing I have for you right now." I whispered as we ended the dance, her body close as applause moved through the yard. The rest of the couples dispersed, Mrs. Lockwood going into a speech as she told us to enjoy the rest of the day while the judges worked against a clock.
"hey," She grasped my hand, pulling me close as we stepped off to the side. "Please, just talk to me."
"You want me to talk to you?" I said, a bit too loud as a few people glanced over towards us, raising their glasses midway to their lips. I cleared my throat and lowered my voice. "Sammy, You won't even tell me who you really are. How you know who I am. And you want me to talk to you?"
"That's all I've ever wanted." She said, voice a low growl against my ears. "Rowan, do you know how many people come to the confessional?"
"What?" I whispered harshly.
"Do you know how many people come to the confessional at the church?"
I stared at her dumbly. She had never mentioned church before, much less talked about it openly. I suppose I had never asked her either. She was staring at me, her eyes searching my face as her lips started to part slightly.
"My father works there, you know." She laughed "Actually my whole family is really involved with the church, and people tend to talk to an empty box more often than not."
I knit my eyebrows together, trying to piece exactly what she was saying. "You're telling me that someone walked into your families church and confessed all of their sins to you?"
"I'm not a bad person, Ro." She said, scratching the back of her neck. "One of those tomb vampires walked in and spilled everything. Heard a heartbeat I suppose. But I was damned as soon as I heard your name come through his lips."
Part of me wanted to muscle up some form of a sentence, but I couldn't. Instead I just stared. Watching the girl who I had been dating for a few weeks now. We talked, but she was so reserved about a lot. I was too. Neither of us willing to spill too much about our homes and backgrounds.
"I realize that you have a lot of people after you." She said, voice shaking. "But I'm not one of those people. I like you Rowan."
"I like you too, Sammy." I whispered, "But this... all of this. It's not safe. I can't risk it."
[A/N: This chapter was just a whole bunch of talking, and I'm super sorry about it. I just didn't have it in me to write any action scenes today.]