A knock at my door at 8 O'clock at night could only mean one thing.
Someone had found me after a year of trying to forget about vampires, there was no need to ask who had found me as the heavy insistent knock could only mean one person and that person was my ex-boyfriend.
I opened the door and he stood there smiling at me. "Hello Elizabeth, it's been quite a while hasn't it? How are you?"
"I'm very well thank you Damon. How are you?" His eyes narrowed at the frosty reception he got from me but he was still smiling which really irritated me.
"I'm very good, thank you. May I come in?"
"That won't be such a good idea, I'm sorry."
That made him stop smiling and he was starting to get annoyed with me for being impolite.
"You can't still be angry at me for that unfortunate little incident with Sarah surely? That was over a year ago,"
"That unfortunate little incident?
Oh you mean when we had that argument over you wanting to turn me and then you got pissed off and attacked my oldest friend, who was also my best friend I might add.
She hasn't spoken to me since and you never apologised, so yes, I am still angry with you."
I went to slam the door in his face but he put his foot on the threshold so it wouldn't shut all the way.
"Alright! I'm sorry, I was angry- there, I've said it. Now will you let me in?" I sighed and gestured for him to come in, just as my hunky neighbour from the flat above came down the stairs all dressed to go out.
"Liz! Fancy a night on the tiles? A group of us are going to Oceana if you fancy it." Chris had gorgeous long brown hair that was normally left to flow loose, but tonight it was tied back for the occasion, setting off those deep blue eyes of his nicely.
"I'm afraid she's otherwise engaged for tonight," purred a silky voice behind me.
Chris looked a bit startled and then just smiled and shrugged, "sorry love. Didn't know you had company. I'll see you later."
I shut the door and turned a murderous look on Damon, "do you mind? You're not my boyfriend anymore and you have no right to stick your nose into my business!"
The truth was I had been plucking up the courage to ask Chris out for the past six months, we had spoken briefly to each other when crossing in the lobby and collecting our post, but this was the first time he had asked me to join him and his friends out clubbing- one step closer and now it was ruined thanks to Damon.
But he just shrugged and smiled as he investigated and analysed my flat, "you've still got the sword I gave you for Christmas then?" He said as he walked into the living room.
"Yes, I'm very attached to it." He got it down and unsheathed it, turning it in the daylight and inspecting the edges, "I had this specially made you know. I know how much you loved Dragonheart."
I smiled at the memory of opening a long box on Christmas Day and seeing the sword in its sheath. As it was modelled originally on Richard The Lionhearts' sword Stefan was impressed for about two minutes until I unsheathed it and he saw the scratch running down the middle on both sides- that was when he guessed what it was and started shaking his head in his I should've known way.
"You keep it sharpened, that's good. It can be used for combat you know."
"I know, you told me." Damon put the sword back carefully on the magnetic holders on the wall plaque and looked around the living room with great interest.
"So how's my brother these days? Has Elena got bored with him yet?" The question I'd been dreading, how was I going to answer this one?
"I wouldn't know, I haven't seen him in a while."
His eyes widened in in surprise and suddenly he was so close I couldn't move and his eyes narrowed- not a good sign, "but I'm sure you knew that already which is why you're here."
"I have no idea what you mean."
"If you haven't seen Stefan yet then you're on your way to see him.
I know you Damon, the only reason you apologised so freely is so that you can report back to Stefan, so now you've seen my flat you can let him know that I'm fine and that I don't want to see either him or you again."
He whirled round and glared at me. "Just so I can clarify the situation, you haven't spoken to my brother in how long?"
"Since just after we split. You've had a good nose around, I'd like you to leave now."
"Why aren't you speaking to Stefan?"
"Why don't you go and ask him that?" That surprised him, he took a deep breath and said that he'd see me later.
"Don't bank on it! I'm moving out tomorrow!" I called as he slammed the door on his way out.
It was nearly true, I was moving the day after and only had the living room left to pack up and then it was back to a nice cosy vampire free zone.
The next day I had to nip to the local supermarket for a few bits, on the way back my bag split which was just my luck. I was angry that Damon had found me and even more angry that after a year he thought he could just walk back into my life and expect me to fall into his arms and I was angry that we both knew that sooner or later I would.
However, I was going to make damn sure that I put up a bloody good fight first.
"Lizzie! Here, let me take that," I turned to see hunky Chris pulling out a spare carrier bag. We started loading stuff into it and he laughed when I confessed I wasn't having a good day, "boyfriend trouble?" he asked.
"No, ex-boyfriend trouble actually. Decided to let me know he was back after a year abroad."
We walked on in silence for a bit before the subject was changed and Damon was all but forgotten about, instead we talked about everything from what was on TV tonight to how drunk he had gotten the previous night.
Once home he said he would take my bags in for me and I honestly thought my luck had changed when he put them in the kitchen and suddenly realised he didn't have his keys on him. "Well the caretaker finishes his lunch in half an hour, you can stay and have a cup of tea if you like," I offered. It was accepted and while he was nosing round my living room I made the tea, but when I brought it in he had found a photo that was taken just over a year ago in Atlanta and worse still he recognised Stefan and Damon.
"Aren't these the blokes that claim to be vampires? The Salvatore brothers right?" he asked as he dug it out of the box I'd literally thrown it into.
"Oh, um, yeah." I said quietly.
"My little sister's in to all that Twilight stuff, she went mad when the papers said that vampires were actually real. She had a crush on the older brother- what his name?"
"Damon,"
"That's it! Damon Salvatore! Hang on a minute, is this you and your ex?" He had finally twigged, it was time to 'fess up. The paparazzi had long stopped trying to photograph me, I wasn't as interesting as Damon and had virtually gone into hiding anyway. "Um, yes, it is."
"Oh. So I recognise Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley and the other two girls who are in the tv series, but not anyone else."
He sat next to me with the picture in his hands, this wasn't turning out how I expected, all I needed now was for Damon to walk through the door and I'd go mad. I sighed and looked at the picture, there was nothing for it.
I pointed out and named everyone, including Damon and Stefan, Chris stopped me at Damon and it suddenly sunk in who my ex was. "You're kidding me right?" I shook my head.
"That's a pity. That's a real shame, because that means you must be Elizabeth Roberts and I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to kill you."
I looked at him uncomprehending, then his face started to blur and I thought it was just me. But then he started to get bigger and his voice deeper with a growl behind it, I had no idea what he was changing into but I had to get out of there.
I tried to run to the door but he grabbed me by the arm and twisted it, I couldn't even reach my mobile to phone the police. "Damon will be round soon and when he comes round you'll already be beyond saving, then it'll be his time to die slowly and painfully," he was actually growling now and I his fingers were growing into huge claws.
But then I heard a ripping sound as his clothes tore and I looked back to see a massive great reptilian head looming above me and I screamed at the top of my lungs, as long and loud as I could in the hope that someone would hear me.
"Shut up!" I could see the inside of his mouth all the way to the back of his throat and I thought I was going to die right then. "Why me? I haven't spoken to them in a year! Damon just came round to tell me he was back and I told him to go away!"
"He came round to see you though Lizzie, that means he still cares about you. If you tell me where they both live then I'll make your death quick and as painless as I can as you've been a good neighbour. If you don't then I'll burn you alive and chew you bit by bit."
