You're chapter is here! Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've just been stuck and then this wouldn't get out of my head and I like to expand my fan fiction branches wherever I go.
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Enjoy!
The Grill wasn't that busy at this hour. Most of the teenagers were in school, others were working. So the only few people in there were heavy drinkers, unemployed people, or people who basically had no life and had decided to finally venture out into society.
Damon Salvatore was among them, although to say he was a heavy drinker could be classed as a bittersweet comment. Sitting at the bar with a glass of whiskey was one of the past times that he enjoyed, the time on his own was just a double whammy seeing as Stefan or Elena wouldn't be around pestering him, especially over his drinking habits.
As he looked down at the drink in his hand, he heard someone plopping down on the second stool to his right and the faint sound of a bag being dumped on the counter.
"Bourbon, now" the voice seemed to belong to a woman, a very pissed off woman. Damon couldn't help but raise his head a little to look over at her. The side of her brown hair was clipped back and he could just about make out the eyelinered eyes and tiny, almost doll-like, lips she had. She was looking down at the table, rooting through her handbag.
"Little early to drink isn't it?" he couldn't help but comment over to her.
"Can't say much now, can you?"
Damon decided to let that one slide. He liked her sarcasm for some reason. It wasn't everyday he found a woman that didn't swoon over him. It was refreshing to be around someone different, with the exception of Elena, but she wasn't that much fun. "Rough day?"
"You have no idea"
Damon just looked at the exasperated woman, who had finally found the phone in her bag. The woman froze and looked over at him. She wasn't about to go into detail about her day with a complete stranger, especially when he was sober and bound to remember everything. She broke eye contact with him and looked up and down the counter, "Where the hell is my bourbon?"
"Why haven't I seen you around here before?" the man, who had been lucky enough to order his whiskey earlier, asked. Her accent wasn't American, it was Irish and Damon was one of those people who knew everyone in town if possible. He wasn't sure if he liked knowing that there was someone in the town, which he had helped to found, that he didn't know. He liked having his dirt on people.
"Because I only arrived here last month and have been a recluse, seeing as I was too so busy setting up shop here"
"What kind of shop?"
The stranger woman let out a sigh and looked down at her bag before turning back to him. "And why the sudden interest?"
"Well, it's a small town."
"So? ...I've seen smaller towns than this"
"Okay, you seem to be in a worse mood now, so lets rewind and start this conversation again" Damon suggested, refusing to apologize to this woman and instead scooting over to the stool beside her. Damon wasn't the type of person that would say sorry for anything, he always had a point or a meaning behind everything he did, accident or not.
"I'm Damon, and I'm not a stalker. I'm just a guy at a bar that doesn't like the morning sunlight" he said as he offered his hand.
The woman smirked and let out a breath, before looking down at her bag again and turning back to Damon to shake his hand.
"I'm Cliona"
"Pretty name, not something you hear everyday"
"It's a long story. My parents were big into stories"
"So you opened shop here, how did you come across this town?"
"I'm not cut out for the big city, I wasn't raised in one. I tried it, New York and California; it isn't all it's cracked up to be….at all"
"So you've been in the country a while then" Damon asked, as a bartender put the woman's order in front of her and took the money.
"Yeah, it's really just myself and a friend. We decided we wanted somewhere like the place we came from, maybe just a slight bit bigger. And we ended up here"
"So you opened a shop, no offense but….sounds kinda boring"
"Trust me, boring isn't the word" Cliona replied bitterly, looking at her phone again. "I went to college, I got a degree in Photography and where am I? Running a shop. A shop that the delivery men can't find to save their lives."
"Delivery men make your day horrendous?"
"That's only the tip of the ice-berg"
"I take it that it's important stock."
"It's the stock that we'll have when we open the shop. It was supposed to be this Thursday."
"Who opens a shop on a Thursday?"
"Word of advice, never go into business with a whack job" Cliona said, avoiding Damon's tone.
"Dually noted"
Cliona's phone decided to ring at that very moment in time. She picked up her glass and knocked the whole drink back, amazing the man beside her, before picking up her bag, saying 'bye' and running out of the building, ringing phone in hand.
000
Cliona wasn't seen again until Wednesday night and she didn't come alone either. A tall blonde woman was with her. The blonde was like a supermodel in her black dress and had attracted quiet a few stares. She seemed to be from England, from what Damon could hear.
"A bottle of blue WKD and a glass of red wine, thank you" she had said to the bartender, before turning to Cliona and saying that she was going to the bathroom and left.
"Not on the bourbon tonight I see"
"I'd love some actually, but I have this thing with my friend that that I can't go on any heavy liquor around her, and even if I do, not only does she lecture me, but she also decides to drone on and on about stereotypes. I don't have a pot of gold. I don't have red hair. I don't even say the word 'potato' either"
"Poor you"
"I'm not here to whine. I'm here for a night out, and to celebrate for the future"
"Oh yeah, your shop is tomorrow isn't it. I take it you got your stock then."
"Eventually"
"Well good luck for your future" Damon said, raising his glass to the woman across from him, "So what do you think of our small, humble town by now?"
"Some assholes, you get some everywhere though. Some nice people, woody…..very American"
"Yeah, we're still trying to work on that" Damon replied, sarcastically.
"I like it…I don't care to be honest, I can never stay in one place for ages…Must be why people thought up holidays and vacations"
"Cli. Want to sit over there in the corner? You know I don't like the counter" came a voice, which turned out to be the blonde friend that had gone to the bathroom.
"Sure, you nab a seat and I'll bring over the drinks"
The blonde gave a quick glance at Damon and gave him a sly smirk before walking off to find a seat.
"That the nut job business partner?"
"Whack job." Cliona corrected, slightly taken aback that this stranger had actually remembered everything in the brief few words which they had shared earlier, "Trust me, you don't know her yet, she gets really bad. But I didn't tell you that" Cliona said as she picked up the drinks. She gave a quick wink to Damon, signaling for him not to inform her friend about what he had just been told about her, before going over to the seats in the corner.
"Who was that?" the blonde asked her friend in astonishment, as her wine was placed on the table in front of her.
"Just someone I met before"
"That you failed to mention?...I think I'm gonna like my stay here"
"Delia no!"
"What? I'm not allowed have my fun, apparently you already have"
"Cordelia, the world does not revolve around men!"
"You always did say that you liked them tall dark and handsome" Cordelia said, ignoring her friends protests and glancing back at Damon, who was smirking to himself.
"At least let us get settled in first, please!"
"Well" Cordelia said, picking up her glass and holding it close to her chest, almost looking like a snobby British stereotype which she definitely wasn't once you got to know her "Seeing as you said please".
Cliona rolled her eyes and took a swig out of the bottle in front of her.
000
"Welcome, welcome, welcome"
"Where did you put it?"
"Put what darling? ...Welcome, welcome"
"My laptop!"
"I told you- no business tonight. Welcome"
"Why did I ever go into business with you?"
"Because you knew that you'd never get this far. And now look where we are, you should be thanking me"
Cordelia was standing by the door, welcoming people into the shop. Cliona was standing next to her, whispering furiously, as Cordelia let her friend's mood fly over her head. She enjoyed welcoming the people into the shop. She had always been the more sociable of the two, Cliona was the one that went on messages and looked like she was doing nothing, while in actual fact, she managed most of the business and book keeping.
"Go over to the till, I think that someone needs attention"
"But-"
"I'm sure that there are some nice guys here somewhere, might even want to earn a little cash"
"I'm going; I'm going…no need to be such a whore about it"
The blonde merely stuck out her tongue, a reflex that only Cliona could spark off, before turning back to the newcomers at the door.
Tables had been laid out with food and drink and music could be heard faintly behind the chatter amongst the town's people.
This was the open party for Cliona and Cordelia's new shop. They were using it to advertise and to allow people to get a taste of the shop. It was really just a party which was being held in a shop, but some people had decided to start buying already. The pine wooden floors had been polished and waxed; the lights had been toned down, as not to be too over powering.
The space was quiet large actually, shelves that were going to be put in the centre of the room were currently residing in the back rooms of the shop. They would be brought out tomorrow. But people were already looking at the things on the shelves which had been pushed up against the walls. Hopefully the shop would take off, and seeing as some people were already buying, that just may have happened.
Cliona had just taken the money for some girl's eye shadow when a tube of fake blood was dropped onto the counter.
"95c please" Cliona said, not bothering to look up at the customer.
"Seriously? Wow…you guys are sure to take off with prices like that"
That had grabbed Cliona's attention and she whipped her head up to meet the blue eyes of the man she had seen at the bar, twice this week.
"You came to the opening?" Cliona asked, taking the dollar she had been handed and getting the change out of the register.
"Have to support the town's economics"
"Seriously?"
"God no. I was curious. You never did tell me what kind of shop you run"
"Curiosity killed the cat you know"
"Ah. But satisfaction brought him back"
Cliona couldn't repress the smile that appeared on her face as she looked up at Damon again and handed him his change, "That's right, and is this satisfactory enough? No hopes or expectations crushed?"
"Honestly, it's not what I expected, but then again, you seem to be a hard enough character to read"
"Well this is only the third time that we've met"
"Touché"
"Enjoy your evening"
"I plan on it, might see you around"
"Maybe"
"That went well, or at least, as well as can be expected" Cordelia said, closing the doors and locking them as the last of the night's guests left. Cliona had begun to empty the till and lock the money away in the safe which was kept in the back room.
"Tomorrow should be easy enough then" she called out to her blonde friend, who had begun throwing paper plates and cups into a black bin bag.
Cliona re-entered and began to pull down the blinds and close the shutters on the windows.
"Tomorrow will be a blast. We'll get to know the people of this town and we'll make lots of money and I'll find a good looking guy who-"
"Please, Delia….don't even finish that sentence" Cliona said, but couldn't help giggle. "God you can be so shallow"
"I'll have you know that I can be quiet deep"
Cliona scoffed, "Yeah, as deep as a puddle"
"I take offense to that"
"Well it was my intention"
Once the trash had been collected and left out, the two women looked at each other, waiting for one of them to speak. Unfortunately, it was Cordelia who went first with, "I saw lover boy here today"
"You know, you think that you're funny. When you're actually irritating. Go drink some tea"
"Go have a pint of Guinness"
"I would, only you're here"
"Oh yeah…our little rule"
"Don't even know why we have that stupid rule. It's not like I have a drinking problem"
"You might"
"And you might be paranoid"
"Am not"
"Yes you are, believe it or not"
"Look I'm going, I have to go and see someone about stock"
"At this hour? Where are you really going?"
"Look. Are you going to lock up or what?"
"We'll discuss this in the morning"
"Love you!" Cordelia said, picked up her keys and coat and ran from the room.
"And for some off reason, the feeling is mutual" Cliona muttered to herself, as she began to turn off the lights and went out the back door. The air had a slight chill to it, as she turned around and locked the door. The sky was pitch dark, making Cliona grateful that she had parked the car so close by.
She crossed the road in front of the shop, pulling her long black coat closer to her. She pressed the button on her keys and the lights of the car flashed, indicating that it was open.
Cliona just wanted to go home and pretend that she wasn't in a strange place, and on her own.
000
You are the hole in my head
You are the space in my bed
You are the silence in between what I thought
And what I said
The radio played, waking Cliona from her sleep and making her groan sleepily before rolling over and slapping the alarm clock. She lay on her back for a while, just staring at the ceiling as the morning light decided to flood in through the curtains. The orange light reflected on the silver jewellery box which rested on Cliona's dark wooden drawers that had been placed by the door to her bathroom. Box's still took up most of the room; she had yet to find time to unpack.
Today was the first official day of working in the shop.
Today people would come in and look around. Cliona would smile and try to get to know the customers and the residents of the town. Cordelia would tease Cliona and try to convince her to go on the dating scene, which would be rejected swiftly. Today would be normal and happy.
Cliona couldn't help but groan as she pulled herself out of bed and went to shower. She had to admit that one of the things that she liked about this new house was the size of the bathroom. It wasn't small but it wasn't massive either, as amazing as that would have been. Cliona wasn't into extravagance. In fact she pretty much hated it and pitied anyone who had been surrounded by it. She couldn't help but feel as if all of those people were secretly under some sort of pressure, whether it was to be perfect or not, she didn't know. All she knew was that it wasn't her scene. But, by God, did she love her bathroom.
After she showered, she pulled on a pair of black jeans and a long sleeved black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Wasn't to business and wasn't too casual, perfect.
She added a few odd necklaces which she had picked up over the years and then put on a light bit of make up and eyeliner, before going downstairs to grab her keys and jacket and heading out the door, not bothering to check up on Cordelia.
Cordelia lived by a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy and Cliona was only more than eager to agree. Cordelia liked to live a fast life when it came to men, whereas Cliona valued her privacy. In ways, they were polar opposites. Cliona had dark hair and dark features with pale skin while her peer had tanned skin and blonde hair with light features. The English woman was out-going and dived in with both feet every time something new happened to her. She liked to talk and she liked to socialise and conform and be like everyone else.
The Irish woman liked to be on her own, she liked being different and she liked to close herself off from most people. Trust was something that people had to earn with her. She was close to Cordelia, maybe even closer than she was with some of her own family members. She had known her since she was twelve years old. They had been through everything together and had witnessed each other on their highs and their falls. They had stuck together through thick and through thin, even through college and arguments with their own families. And now here they were, in a new country with a new life and a new shop that they were going to run. She didn't care if she never met anyone that way that Cordelia liked to imply, Cliona would be content in just living in a big house with tonnes of cats, looking back at past victories and achievements.
In less than half an hour, Cliona was in the shop and turning the sign on the door to 'open' after pulling out the shelves and stacking them.
Of course, especially with it being their first day, no one entered the shop immediately. This meant that Cliona got to sit behind the counter with her feet up and a book in her hands. She tried to concentrate on her book but she kept looking out of the window. Mystic Falls wasn't busy. It was early too and most people were either working or in school, seeing as it was a week day. It reminded her of the time her mother had decided to start a shop and had left Cliona in charge, even then no one decided to grace the shop with their presence. Except her own shop was in the middle of a town, which made her feel a little like the Ghost Whisperer, except it wasn't an antique shop.
Cliona and Cordelia's shop sold a selection of items, but it wasn't a pawn shop. They sold guitars and albums, clothes, make-up, posters, herbs and incense- which was currently burning behind the counter- along with jewellery and other assorted items. It sold occult items but it wasn't necessarily an occult shop. Cliona liked to see it as a home away from home for teens that didn't quiet fit in. She had told Cordelia in advance that if the shop were to become a huge success, she'd somehow get an extension and make an area filled with bean bags and coffee. She liked the idea of the place being a comfort zone when comfort zones were hard to come by. Cliona loved the strange and unusual and she also loved teenagers, mostly because she never forgot what it was like to be one herself, even if it had only been a couple of years ago.
A car passed and Cliona turned back to her book, only to nearly fall off her seat behind the counter after a loud knocking could be heard on the window.
A small plump red haired woman dressed all in pink waved cheerfully through the window before going to the door and walking inside. Cliona didn't recognize her, so she had definitely not been at the party last night.
"Why hello there, I'm Cecile and I'm your new business neighbour. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself and let you know that if you ever want anything, even if you run out of bread at lunch time, that you're to come straight to me" she smiled. She gazed around the place, "My my. And what kind of shop is this?"
"Knick-knacks, the usual" Cliona said, casually.
"Yes, I suppose we are running low on black rubber ducks for key rings" Cecile murmured, obviously displeased at the black rubber which she had picked up from the shelf that had Duck Off written on its front in big white letters.
"The kids love them" Cliona pointed out, not leaving her position from behind the counter.
"I see. And you do music too, I see" Cecile said, spotting the acoustic guitars and moving over to them near the other end of the shop, finally making Cliona move and go over to her.
"Do you play yourself darling?"
"A little, I don't really-"
"Oh good. We could always use extra hands for the town choir. A musician is just a bonus", she clapped her hands together in utter joy. "What can you play?"
"I don't any-"
"Oh come dear! What do you like to listen to?"
"Hard rock, grunge-"
The look on Cecile face when it dropped was enough for Cliona to stop talking. In actual fact, she did pick up her guitar sometimes, but she wasn't going to tell this strange woman, especially when she seemed a bit uber-religious.
The shop phone rang at that moment and Cliona spun around and ran to the counter to answer it " Riot Next Door, how may I help you?" she asked into the phone, turning around to glance at Cecile taking in the clothes on the rack by the walls. Cliona could have sworn she saw a sneer on the woman's face when she saw the short tartan skirts and black tank tops.
Jeez we have colourful clothes too you know. We aren't a bunch of Satanists. Cliona couldn't help but think.
"Thank God I reached you" Cordelia breathed into the phone, Cliona could practically hear the smile in her voice.
"Well where else would I be? Some of us keep up with our responsibilities you know? You're lucky you didn't promise me that you'd be here with me on our first day or I'd have you dead already by now!" Cliona had to whisper harshly into the phone, her back to Cecile, but still getting an odd look from her anyway.
"Relax hun. I'm sorry okay?"
"What's his name?" Cliona asked simply. There was no curiosity, it actually sounded a little bored and monotonous.
"Ryan" came the reply, Cordelia wasn't going to waste time in beating around the bush with Cliona, she wasn't stupid and she could never lie to her. Firstly, she knew how Cliona felt about lies and how it had affected her past, and, secondly, Cliona knew when she was lying, whether she had the heart to do it to her or not.
"You with him now?"
"Look. I know how this looks. We actually didn't do anything. We just talked and drank some wine. It was so relaxing and so nice. I think that this guy could be the real deal"
"You think that every guy is the real deal" Cliona responded, not bothering to keep her voice down anymore, she didn't care if it seemed professional or not to Cecile, it was her shop and she would do as she pleased.
"Oh quiet you. None of us could drive because we were after drinking"
"So? Get a taxi"
"Well, that never occurred to us, sorry Miss-I-Have-All-The-Answers."
"Hey!"
"I crashed at his place, and no we did not sleep in the same bed. Although I wouldn't have complained if-"
"Bye" Cliona hung up before she could hear anymore. She had a customer to deal with...or as close as she would probably ever come to one today.
Cecile turned around and looked over to the brown haired woman by the counter, "Friend?"
"Something like that, calling in sick"
"Well" Cecile said her sweet act so fake that it made Cliona stuck between slapping her and getting a puke bucket. If she stood this woman for a second longer, she was sure that her teeth would turn black and all fall out. "I hope that everything is okay. If you need anything, remember I'm only next door." And with that she was gone.
Cliona thought to herself that if she was ever going to direct a production of True Blood and was forced to cast town members, this woman would be the next Maxine Fortenberry, except the actual character was blonde and had a thing for chilli, which she highly doubted Cecile did.
Cliona shook her head and returned to her position behind the counter. She had just picked up her book, planning on sitting down and resuming her reading, but was interrupted when a teenage boy walked in.
"Hey" he said a little shyly, his hands in the pockets of his black hoody.
"Want to have a look around or would you like something in particular?"
"Um" Cliona could tell that he was so nervous that he was thinking of leaving, by the way that he was edging near the door.
"No wait." Cliona wasn't going to let this customer go without a fight. She could at least do with the company. God only knew she needed some proper company after Cecile. She needed to know that there were some people that she could get along with somewhere in this god forsaken town.
"You like...band tees? Music? Video games?"
"Yeah" the boy replied quietly.
"Well I'm sure that there is something here that you'd like, and seeing as you're our first customer, you get a discount" Cliona said, not even thinking. If Cordelia were here she would have blown a gasket, but she wasn't here and Cliona considered it as payback for last night. She may have told her to go last night when they were locking up, but she had expected her to come back...and then she had said that she was going to see someone about stock. Had Cordelia lied to her? Cliona only realised this now. Well godamnit, she may as well give the kid in the shop something for free now.
"Hm...Let's see. I think I'll class you as a bit of a...Nirvana fan?"
"Sure, how did-"
"You have a badge on your schoolbag"
"Schoolbag?"
"Backpack or whatever you say over here"
"Cool"
"Well, this one looks like it should fit" Cliona said, pulling out a medium sized grey Nirvana shirt and handing it to the new kid.
"Wait, you said that I got a discount, how much of a discount?"
"50%...$2.50 please"
"Seriously?"
"Well...yeah"
"Wow, man you guys are cheap" the boy said to Cliona, who was now behind the counter again. The kid fished through his wallet and handed Cliona the correct amount of money, forgetting all about his shyness. And that's how we do it Cliona couldn't help but think smugly to herself.
"So...ditching school?" she asked casually, leaning on the counter, her chin resting on the palm of her hand.
"...I'm still learning even though I may not be in school right now"
"Oh really?"
"Yeah"
"Like what?"
"Like how they say 'schoolbag' in Ireland...goes well into my cultural studies"
Cliona laughed. She had to admit that she liked the kid, he had some spunk, that little glint of sarcasm that Cliona had in herself.
"Glad to know I'm funny"
"I'm sorry, I just need the laugh. I had someone in here before you and... Let's just say that they are those people that you'd just love to hit but you can't because you can't make enemies on your first day"
"Yeah...it sucks...at least give it a week"
Cliona let out a bark of laughter, "You're right"
"Usually am"
Cliona looked at the kid again; she honestly couldn't believe that she was bonding with a teen dosser. She liked him though, he wasn't an asshole. "What's your name kiddo?"
"Kyle"
"Well then Kyle, it seems that we are in agreement with each other. I'm Cliona" the shop owner said, out-stretching her hand, which was taken and shaken.
"Cool name. Is it like...Irish?"
"Duh. No shit Sherlock"
Kyle smirked and looked down at the floor, his new purchase in his bag-pack and his hands in his pockets. "What does it mean?"
"What?"
"Your name"
"I have no idea"
"How do you not know? You're Irish, so don't you speak Irish?"
"You'd be surprised at the amount of us that don't"
"So you can't speak it then"
"I can...I'm just...My vocabulary is slowly diminishing"
"Well...say something Irish"
"Maybe some other time" Cliona smirked over to him.
"So, do I know this person? That you wanted to hit?" Kyle asked, obviously not wanting to go into an uncomfortable silence.
"Maxine Fortenberry" Cliona muttered to herself.
"What?" Kyle said. Cliona liked how he didn't use manners and say 'excuse me' or 'pardon'. He was a kid and he was taking full advantage of it.
"That Cecile one, from next door", Cliona replied, pointing her thumb in the direction behind her.
"Oh, my dad hates her"
"What about your mother?"
"Dead...when I was small. I don't remember a lot"
"Oh. I'm sorry, but I bet you're sick of hearing that huh?"
"Yeah"
"I know the feeling"
"You lost a parent?"
"No...It's complicated"
Now it was Cliona's turn to prevent a silence, so she continued on with the original conversation topic. "So what do you know about her?"
"Church every Sunday. Likes pastel colours. Hates kids like me. Hates people that wear pure black, with the exception of hairdressers. The woman is a walking cliché"
"Hates kids like you. Why? Cos you like black hoodies and smoke pot?"
Kyle's eyes widened in shock. "How did you-"
"You didn't honestly think that I only figured out your music tastes from your bag did you?"
Kyle was speechless, he was like a fish in water, the way that his mouth opened and closed.
Cliona reached beneath the counter and pulled out a bag of chips and handed them to Kyle, "Help yourself"
Kyle didn't know what to say, so he sat on the window sill and began to pick away at the bag, until eventually he couldn't take it any longer. "So what, you're not gonna kick me out?"
"God no. You're cool kiddo. You don't give a shit and you live in the present. And not to mention you have a decent taste in music, which is incredibly rare" Cliona said, coming to stand by Kyle and leaning back on the counter with her arms crossed.
"You think I'm cool?"
"Dude, if I were a teenager again, I'd totally date you"
Kyle smirked and looked down at the bag in embarrassment. "And as for the pot, I don't care. Being a teenager is a time for you to experiment! Have fun. Make mistakes. We've all done it at some point. Smoke a cigarette or a joint. Drink some beer, get drunk! Crash a party"
Cordelia would definitely have put a stop to her now, if she were here. And that was only if she hadn't already done so when she had noticed that the kid was a pot smoker. Thinking of Cordelia made Cliona smile as she said the next bit.
"Oh and by the way. You can smoke pot out back, just don't leave any around or use the premises as a drug trading area. I wouldn't want to sack my newest employee"
And with that, she yanked the bag of chips away.
And there you have it folks! The first chapter. Sorry for it lacking in awesomeness. I'm a backwards person. I have Damon in it first and THEN I introduce the new character. Also I have a thing for 'C' names with this story.
Review! And please no flamers!
Skitz
;)
