He forgot how it had felt to be a college student. The last time he had decided to attend school was in the 80's and back then everything was different. It was more alive! Music was blaring from corner to corner. Now students stuck closely to their ipods, ignoring the world around them.
"Damon, where are you?" came Elena's voice from the other end of his phone. He looked around trying to find some landmark.
"By some fountain? If that helps." He responded, spotting a small bright brunette sitting alone, a book in her hand.
" A fountain? Haha, you're going to have to be more specific than that." Elena chuckled. Damon sighed. He approached the young girl, who hadn't bothered to look up from her book. He caught the tones of red in her hair, which was pinned up halfway, tied loosely with a green ribbon.
"Um, excuse me?" He interrupted, tapping her head with his pointer finger. She looked up, startled. "Oh, pardon me. I just need to know where I am- I thought you could- HEY!"
The girl's face had froze up, the way Bonnie's did whenever she had a vision. Her brown eyes were unfocused, staring through him, her full pink lips partly opened. In a matter of seconds, the girl's eyes closed and she fell back, falling into the fountain.
"Crap. Crap. Elena I'ma call you back." He said into the phone, ending the call before Elena could respond. He stuffed his phone into his pocket and pulled the girl out of the water. She was coughing, obviously alert now.
"Mind telling me what just happened there?" He asked, knowing all too well that this girl had experienced some sort of vision. As old as he was, and mind you he was OLD, dating back to the Italian Resonance, he knew a vision when he saw one.
The girl gasped for air, shaking her head. Damon rolled his eyes, frustrated. Her black bra was exposed through her white wet shirt, and he could see a gold chain around her neck, with a gold letter "S" hanging from it. A diamond was placed in the middle, giving the necklace a subtle touch. He unbuttoned his shirt and placed it around her.
"Thank you, I don't know what came over me." she said, her voice sounding strangely familiar.
"You saw something, didn't you? Now spill ladybug," he stated, surprised at his choice of words. Why did he call her ladybug?
She looked up at him, her face turning red. He noticed the small splatter of freckles on her pale skin, which gave him the chills. Obviously, Damon concluded, this girl wasn't normal.
"I don't know what you're talking about " she said, squeezing the water out of her hair. "I didn't have a vision."
"Come off it, you're lying." He said, raising his eyebrows. He placed his hands on her shoulders, ready to compel her. He focused his eyes on hers, which didn't help his already present goosebumps, and used his power. "Now tell me exactly what you saw."
She stared at him, and then frowned. "What are you doing?"
He released her, taken back. No human had ever been able to resist his compulsions. He looked down at her again, focusing his power even more now. "Now, tell me what you saw in your vision," he repeated. She blinked back at him, clearly confused.
"Uh, I have to go. Thank you for- um- well here." She said handing him back his shirt. She turned to pick up her things and hurried away, glancing back over her shoulder only once before running off. Damon stood there, amazed and curious about her. Why hadn't his power worked?
Elena handed him a cup of bourbon, on the rocks, and he chugged it down in one gulp. She sat on his lap, folding her arms against him
"You seem distracted," she said, biting his neck playfully. Damon hadn't told her about the ladybug girl he had run into, and he didn't want to. Something was telling him not to.
"I'm just tired." He said, staring into the flames of the little fireplace centered at the end of her dorm. He couldn't remember ever seeing a fireplace in a university dorm before.
"Of what?" She asked.
He looked down at her and kissed her on the lips, throwing his cup on the ground. He heard it shatter, but he didn't care. Neither did Elena. Their kiss had become more passionate, and as he placed a hand on her bottom he felt strange. As if something was wrong. As if something was missing.
He then grabbed her hair, the smooth silky dark hair that he had grown to love and felt something off again. He heard Elena moan, and at a speed only vampires had, they both moved quickly to the bed, where he began to kiss her body, trying to find some comfort. He could feel his fingers searching for something, some familiarity, but none came.
"Oh, Damon, I think someone's coming." Elena gasped, quickly sitting up. Damon looked over at the door in time to see Caroline walk in, a box in her hand. She smiled, shaking her head.
"You two. You guys just saw each other last week and are already making out." She teased, setting the box on the round table by the window. "I bet if I hadn't walked in, y'all would be naked by now."
"Yeah thanks a lot, Caroline." Damon responded, trying to sound normal. In fact, he was grateful she had come in when she did. He didn't understand why, but he was starting to feel uncomfortable kissing Elena. It must be my nerves, he thought.
"So what do you havethere?" Elena asked, getting off the bed and walking over to her. Damon poured himself another drink and watched as Elena pulled out ribbons and cloth out of the box.
"It's for the welcome back party that the frat house is throwing this Friday. The theme is victorian, so I bought these to decorate our costumes with! What do you think?!" Caroline asked, her eyes going from Elena to him and back to Elena. Damon shrugged, not actually caring. Elena clapped her hands together and they both began to squeal.
"What's all the noise for?" Bonnie walked in, wearing a dark blue dress and flats. She threw her bag on her bed and walked over to the girls. "Oh no, don't tell me. "
Caroline nodded. "Yep! Our first party as college students!"
"I think I'm going to wear this frilly thing," Elena joked, holding it up for Damon to see.
"Well, you'll be the best frilly thing at the party." he teased, taking another sip of his drink. He was hoping that he would be more relaxed, but he wasn't. That ladybug from before still bothered him, and he couldn't pinpoint why.
He couldn't compel her, which made his unsettling feelings even worse. Maybe he should tell Elena. He looked at her, and loved how happy she looked. Finally, they didn't have to worry about bad guys chasing her or wanting her dead. She was happy to live (haha live) this new chapter in her life without the distractions of evil vampires and he preferred it that way. It was the least he could do for her.