Consumed
Chapter 1: Things are not what they seem.
4 months later
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The car sped along the darkened road twisting and turning through the forest. The man driving was complaining about the concert they had just seen. The woman looked at her boyfriend with amusement.
"Why did you go with me then?" she asked.
"Because I love you, of course." The man took his eyes off the road for a second to give her a sweet smile. The night suddenly got foggier.
All of a sudden, a figure appeared in the middle of the road.
"Watch out!" the woman screamed. The man tried to break but hit the figure dead on. Tires squealed as the car swerved. The body flew up over the car and landed with a harsh thud on the unforgiving pavement. "Oh my God! We just hit someone!" the woman cried.
"Are you ok?" he asked. She nodded. "Ok, call for help!" He got out of the car and hurried to the prone figure. "Please don't be dead!" he begged the figure. He touched the figure's hand, noticing an ornate silver ring that gleamed dully in the moonlight.
In a movement so fast that the man's human eyes couldn't follow, the figure sat up and with a sickening crunch, tore into his throat. The man could only get out a soft gurgle before he died.
The woman got out of the car. "There's no signal!" She called his name. A loud thump from behind her startled her. Turning around she saw her boyfriend's dead body on the hood of his car with his throat mangled.
She screamed as she turned and ran as fast as she could away from the gruesome sight. From behind her the mysterious figure caught up to her and drained her dry.
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A figure watched as the sun rose above the forest. I shouldn't have come home. I know the risk, he told himself. But I had no choice. I have to know her. Rising from his crouch, he leapt off the roof and landed softly on the ground three stories below.
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Dear Diary,
Today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable. My smile will say, "I'm fine, thank you. Yes, I feel much better." I will no longer be the sad little girl who lost her parents. I will start fresh, be someone new. I'll be that girl who flirted with a handsome and mysterious stranger at the summer party. It'll be the only way I can make it through.
Elena sighed and put down her diary. After getting ready for the first day of her junior year of high school, she stopped and looked at herself in her mirror. The person who stared back at her was such an unfamiliar one. Her mouth seemed to stay in a permanent frown, whereas before she was always smiling. Her eyes spoke of a crippling sadness, of a hollowness that hadn't been there six months ago.
As Elena walked into the kitchen, her aunt Jenna told her that she could make toast. "I'm all about the coffee Jenna." She said as she poured herself a cup.
Her brother Jeremy walked into the room. "There's coffee?" he asked. Elena gestured to the now half empty pot. He moved past her to get his own cup.
"It's your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared." Flustered, Jenna moved to her purse. "Lunch money?" she offered her nephew. Jeremy grabbed the cash out of her hand. "Anything else? A number two pencil? What am I missing?"
"Don't you have a big presentation today?" Elena asked.
Jenna glanced at her watch. "I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at… now. Crap!" Feeling even more flustered, she started frantically gathering her school papers.
Elena urged her to go. Both she and Jeremy were old enough to get to school on time. She turned to Jeremy and asked, "You okay?"
Jeremy scoffed as he brushed by her. "Don't start," he replied.
Hearing a honk from outside, Elena grabbed her bag and left to catch her ride with her best friend Bonnie.
As they drove to school, Elena's mind was miles away and not paying attention to Bonnie's chatter. She kept thinking about gorgeous blue eyes and a sexy smirk. Even though she'd only met Damon once, he'd been on her mind constantly. She hadn't told anyone about meeting him. She hadn't even written any specifics in her diary for fear that Jeremy would find it.
"Elena! Back in the car!"
Elena smiled sheepishly. "I did it again, didn't I? I-I'm sorry Bonnie. You were telling me that-"
"I'm psychic now." Bonnie finished with a superior look on her pretty face.
"Right. Okay, then predict something," Elena challenged. "About me."
"I see—"
Suddenly something hit the windshield of Bonnie's car. Both girls freaked out, but Bonnie managed to slam on her breaks and pulled to the side of the road.
"What was that!? Oh my God," gasped Bonnie. She turned to Elena. "Elena are you ok?" she asked with concern.
"It's ok, I'm fine." Elena took a minute to try to control her breathing.
"It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere." Bonnie couldn't help but feel a little guilty, knowing what her bestie had gone through just a few months ago.
"Really, I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life," Elena said adamantly.
Bonnie exhaled. Get a grip, she told herself. Out loud, she said, "I predict this year is going to be kickass. I predict that all the sad times will be over and you are going to be beyond happy. And someone both old and new will be the cause of that happiness." Bonnie grew quiet for a minute. She wasn't quite sure where that last bit had come from. Seeing a genuine smile from Elena drew Bonnie out of her weird moment. Bonnie smiled back and then pulled back into traffic so they could get to school on time, neither girl noticing the black crow watching them from the street sign post.
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Elena was barely paying attention as Bonnie lamented the lack of male real estate their school had to offer. Since her parents' deaths, she hadn't participated in the social scene very much. Things like who was dating who, who wore what, and who got too drunk at the last party just didn't seem as important to her anymore.
"—can I still say that?"
Elena managed a decent rejoinder, even though she really hadn't been paying attention. She gave herself an internal shake and focused on her best friend. "No, that's over."
"Ahh, find a man, coin a phrase. It's a busy year." Bonnie's gaze moved to a point past Elena.
Elena turned to see her ex-boyfriend Matt staring at her from his locker. She gave him a halfhearted wave that he didn't return. He looked back to his locker, grabbed a book and walked the opposite direction down the hall.
Elena sighed as she turned back to Bonnie and leaned against her locker. "He hates me."
Bonnie gave her a sympathetic look. "That's not hate," Bonnie said matter of factly. "That's 'You dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it. But secretly, I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits.'"
A chipper voice called out from a few feet away. "Elena! Oh my God." Her other best friend Caroline rushed up to her and gave her a tight hug. "How are you? Oh, it's so good to see you." Turning to Bonnie, she asked, "How is she? Is she good?" as if Caroline hadn't been there for Elena's worst moments of grief.
Before Bonnie could reply, Elena interjected. "Caroline, I'm right here. And I'm fine. Thank you." Internally, Elena wondered just how many more times she was going to have to repeat those sentiments.
Caroline gave her a slightly fake smile. "Really?"
Elena nodded. "Yes, really. Much better."
"You poor thing!" Caroline pulled her into another hug.
"Ok Caroline," Elena said with a strained smile.
Caroline pulled back and asked if she'd see them later. After getting affirmatives from both girls, Caroline resumed her perky smile and walked away to class.
Turning back to Bonnie and seeing the look on her face, Elena told her "No comment."
Bonnie's look of amusement grew as she said, "I'm not going to say anything."
As they walked past the school's attendance office, Bonnie suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Hold up," she told Elena. "Who's this?"
Elena looked past her to see the back of a tall boy with short brown hair. "All I see is back."
"It's a hot back," Bonnie replied with a look of interest on her face. Elena chuckled at her friend.
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From inside the office, Stefan was very careful not to react to the two girls watching him from the hallway. It won't be long now. He listened as Elena followed her brother into the men's restroom and laid into him about his drug use. Perfect situation to engineer a first meeting, he thought to himself. He timed his pace so when Elena came out of the restroom they bumped into each other.
"Pardon me," he said, trying to appear confused. "Is that the men's room?"
Elena flushed with embarrassment. "Yes. Um, I was just, um—I was just…" She smiled and started over. "It's a long story." They both tried to get around each other, awkwardly choosing to try the same direction twice before Stefan gave a wry smile and stepped back to let her pass. Stefan turned and watched as Elena glanced back at him before turning the corner. She definitely had a look of curiosity on her beautiful features.
Not bad Salvatore. Not bad at all.
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The history teacher droned on about the Civil War. Elena sighed as she glanced around the room. Her eyes briefly settled on Matt but she looked away before Matt could catch her looking at him. Taking a chance, she looked over her shoulder at the new guy. He certainly is handsome, she thought to herself. Still, he has nothing on Damon. Even after the crash and dealing with the loss of her parents, Elena hadn't been able to stop thinking about the gorgeous stranger she'd met that night. It was the one thing that she'd kept to herself, that helped distract her from her pain. Stefan suddenly looked right at her and caught her gaze. Elena gave an embarrassed smile before turning back to pay attention to the teacher.
Noticing the interaction between Elena and Stefan, Bonnie pulled her phone out and texted Elena.
Hawt-E. Staring U. –B
Elena grinned as she put her phone away.
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After school, Elena didn't want to go home right away. She didn't want to have to deal with Jeremy's issues and trying to do and say what her mother would if she was alive. She wasn't her mother, and she didn't have the first clue how to help Jeremy. Deciding to visit her parents, she made her way to the Mystic Falls Cemetery. As she walked through the gates, she heard a bird cawing. She looked around but couldn't see a bird. She walked to her parents' plot and settled down against a tall tombstone a few feet away. Pulling out her diary, she started writing.
Dear Diary,
I made it through the day. I must have said "I'm fine, thanks," at least 37 times. And I didn't mean it once. But no one noticed. When someone asks, "How are you?" They really don't want an answer.
The same crow from earlier landed on her parents' tombstone. It's cawing interrupted her writing.
"Okay? Hi, bird," she said, feeling kind of stupid. The bird cawed again. Feeling weirded out, she said to herself, "That's not creepy or anything." She tried to go back to concentrating on writing, but before she could she noticed a thick fog quickly rolling in around her. Feeling that the crow and the weird fog were somehow connected, she stood up and shooed away the bird. "That's what I thought!" she stated with satisfaction.
Deciding to go home, she turned to pick up her bag and diary. Unfortunately, the crow had not flown off like she had thought, and was perched on the angel's wing of the stone she had been sitting against. Now feeling even more creeped out, Elena grabbed her bag and darted for the woods. Looking back at the tombstone, she could make out the shape of a man standing next to the angel. The fog was too thick, and she couldn't make out a face. She tripped over a root and fell back on her rear.
Suddenly feeling like she was being hunted, Elena scrambled to her feet and started to run away. Stefan materialized in front of her, almost causing her to run into him. Startled, Elena gasped.
"You ok?" he asked mildly.
"Were you following me?" she queried, still trying to calm down and catch her breath.
"No, I, uh, I just—I saw you fall." Real smooth Stefan. You sound like a stuttering moron! He berated himself.
Elena looked at him with disbelief. "Uh-huh, and you just happened to be hanging out in a cemetery?"
"I'm visiting. I have family here."
Damon watched from the tree branch high above Elena and his brother. Once again, his brother had no idea that Damon was so close. He hadn't really meant to scare Elena to the point of running off into the woods. Now he had to watch her interact with Stefan, and push their second meeting off. He wanted it to be perfect.
Hearing Elena and Stefan lightly flirt with each other was enough to make Damon nauseous. A breeze softly blew through the trees. Immediately, both vampires could smell the deliciously intoxicating scent of Elena's blood. Knowing that Stefan's control was shaky at best, Damon lowered his stance into a crouch, ready to move with a second's notice if he made even the slightest twitch towards Elena.
Elena moved to a rock and lifted up her pant leg to reveal a nasty cut. "Oh wow, look at that. That is not pretty." She looked over a Stefan, noticing that he had looked away. "You ok?"
Feeling the veins around his eyes rising to the surface, and feeling the change overcoming him, Stefan shut his eyes and stopped breathing. It sort of worked, but her tantalizing scent was still with him. "You should go," he warned her softly. "Take care of that."
She rolled her pant leg back down. "Really, it's nothing." She turned back to Stefan, only to find that he'd disappeared. "What a weird guy."
Damon slowly relaxed his tense muscles. That had been too close for his comfort. He'd have to move up his plans.
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I lost control today. Everything I've kept buried inside came rushing to the surface. I'm simply not able to resist her.
Pausing in his writing, Stefan glanced at her diary, lying on his desk. He had already read it. He craved to know everything about Elena, even her most private thoughts. Deciding to go she her, Stefan stood up and put on his jacket.
Everything about her affected him so strongly. He would need to work on his control and the only way to do that was to be around her.
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Bonnie listened to Caroline chatter about all the information she'd been able to find out about Stefan. "His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with his uncle at the old Salvatore boarding house. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favorite color is blue." Caroline smiled smugly as she paused to take a sip from her drink.
"You got all that in one day?" Bonnie asked her incredulously.
Caroline waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, please, I got all that between third and fourth period. We're planning a June wedding."
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"I'm meeting Bonnie at the grill," Elena told Jenna as they passed each other in the family room.
"'Kay, have fun!" Jenna stopped and faced Elena. "Wait, I got this. Don't stay out late, it's a school night."
Elena giggled at her aunt's antics. "Well done, Aunt Jenna."
Still smiling, Elena walked to the foyer and opened the front door only to pull up short. Standing before her again was one Stefan Salvatore. Jeez, this guy is practically stalking me.
Stefan gave what he hoped was an intriguing smile. "Sorry I was about to knock. I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier. I know it was…strange."
"No worries. I get it, blood makes you squeamish."
Stefan gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "Um, something like that. How's your leg?"
"Oh it's fine. Just a scratch, barely." Elena's tentative smile turned into confusion. "How did you know where I live?"
Stefan had to think quickly. There's no way he could tell her he'd been following her for months. "It's a small town. I asked the first person I saw." Seeing the uncomfortable look on Elena's face, he quickly pulled out his ace. "Um, I thought that you might like this back." He handed her diary to her.
Elena gasped in relief. She'd been looking all over for her diary since this afternoon. "Oh, I must have dropped it. I—Thank you."
"You're welcome." Stefan rushed to reassure her. "Don't worry, I didn't read it."
"No?" Elena's instinct for detecting lies was screaming at her. Stefan wasn't being honest with her. Not about how he knew where she lived, and certainly that he hadn't read her diary. She stepped back further into the house and retrieved her coat from the hall closet. "Thanks again for bringing this back."
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Oh, um. Yes, I'm meeting a friend at the Grill."
Stefan pounced on that. "Do you mind if I tag along?" he asked with a hopeful look on his face. "I don't really know anyone in town yet."
Elena was still feeling uncomfortable, but didn't want to seem like a bitch for telling him no.
"Sure."
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Bonnie looked at Matt sympathetically. "Her parents died four months ago, Matt. You just need to give her more time."
Hearing the door open, Bonnie watched as Elena walked in with Stefan on her heels.
Matt felt his heart clench as he saw what Bonnie was looking at. "More time, huh?" he said, with pain in his voice. Matt got up and went to play pool with Tyler.
Elena came over to the table, Stefan right behind her. Caroline came over to the table and sat down too. There was no way that she was going to let Elena have the new hottie all to herself.
She decided to start off the conversation, and to know more about Stefan. "So, you were born in Mystic Falls?"
"Mm-hmm. And moved when I was still young."
Caroline fired off another question. "Parents?"
Stefan sighed and sat back in his chair. This was something that he could use to get Elena to care about him. After all, they shared the common bond of losing their parents too young. She just didn't need to know that he had killed his father. "My parents passed away." He looked to Elena, barely keeping the triumphant smile off his face when he saw her looking at him with genuine empathy.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Any siblings?"
"None that I talk to," he replied. Even better, he thought. Now she'll think that I'm all alone in the world, and that I need someone. She'll want to be that someone.
Noticing how focused Stefan was on Elena, Caroline decided to bring his attention back to her. "So Stefan since you're new, you don't know about the party tomorrow."
"It's a back to school thing at the falls," explained Bonnie.
Stefan looked back at Elena. "Are you going?" he asked her.
Before Elena could answer, Bonnie answered for her. "Of course she is!"
Elena looked at Bonnie with a look of slight irritation on her beautiful features. She really hadn't planned on going to the party. Now she felt like she'd have to go, otherwise she would never hear the end of it from either of her besties. Maybe Damon will be there.
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Stefan's bedroom door swung open and banged against the wall as Zach stormed in.
"You promised!" Zach held up the newspaper and shoved it into Stefan's hands.
After reading the paper's headlines, Stefan handed the paper back to Zach. "This was an animal attack," he dismissed.
Zach scoffed. "Don't give me that. I know the game. You tear them up enough, they always suspect an animal attack. You said you had it under control," he accused.
"And I do." Stefan's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Please, Uncle Stefan," Zach begged. "Mystic Falls is a different place now. It's been quiet for years, but there are still people who still remember. And you being here, it's just going to stir things up."
"That's not my intention!"
"Then what is?" demanded Zach. "Why did you come back? After all this time, why now?"
"I don't have to explain myself." Stefan reminded Zach that he was his elder, and not actually his nephew.
"I know that you can't change what you are, but you don't belong here anymore." Zach watched with satisfaction as his words hit Stefan where he intended.
"Where do I belong?" Stefan asked Zach mournfully.
Zach's reply was filled with resignation. "I can't tell you what to do, but coming back here was a mistake." Zach dropped the newspaper on the floor and left the room.
Suddenly feeling the need to see her face, Stefan pulled out his first journal and stared at the picture he'd tucked inside.
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Elena wearily climbed into bed. The night's roller coaster of emotions had exhausted her. First was Bonnie's weird moment where she had practically described the events from the cemetery. Then the moment where she had told Stefan about the car crash. And then, chasing Jeremy into the woods and finding Vicki.
She laid there for a few more minutes before she decided to write in her diary.
Dear Diary,
Tonight was weird. Bonnie telling me that she saw a crow and fog, and glacial blue eyes just weirded me out. How could Bonnie know what had happened at the cemetery? And how could she possibly know about-. I can't even write it down. It's all too weird.
Even Stefan was acting weird. I know he was lying to me earlier. I feel so unsure about him. I like him, but I feel like there's so much that Stefan is keeping from me. A relationship with him would never work if he lies and keeps secrets from me.
Bonnie was right, because I feel it too. This is just the beginning.
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Stefan burst into the boarding house, startling Zach, who was sitting at his desk.
"Somebody got attacked tonight, Zach. And it wasn't me." Stefan rushed up the stairs and into his room. He paused for a moment, sensing a presence on his balcony.
A crow flew in the open French doors and perched on his wardrobe. Oh, no. Not him, he silently pleaded. He turned and faced his brother.
"Damon."
A satisfied smirk tugged at Damon's mouth. "Hello brother."
"The crow's a bit much don't you think?" Stefan asked petulantly.
"Wait until you see what I can do with the fog." Oh yeah, he was definitely rubbing his brother's nose in the fact that he was much stronger than Stefan ever would be.
"When did you get here?" Stefan asked, trying to be civil.
"Well, I couldn't miss your first day at school." Damon smiled sarcastically at Stefan. "Your hair's different. I like it."
"It's been fifteen years Damon."
"Thank God. I couldn't take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look?" Damon chuckled as he walked the perimeter of Stefan's room. "Did not suit you. Remember Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads."
Stefan was tired of beating around the bush. "Why are you here!?" he demanded.
Damon stopped walking and said with mock seriousness, "I miss my little brother."
"You hate small towns," Stefan reminded him. "It's boring. There's nothing for you to do." It was imperative that he get Damon to leave before he found out about Elena. There was no telling what Damon would do if he did.
"I've managed to keep myself busy."
The meaning behind Damon's words sickened Stefan. "You know you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you."
Damon gave a mock wince. "Ah. That could be a problem…for you."
"Why are you here now?"
"I could ask you the same question. However, I'm fairly certain that your answer can be summed up all into one little word…" As Damon walked to him and stopped in front of him, Stefan's heart sank as he realized what his brother was going to say.
"Elena. She took my breath away. She's a dead ringer for Katherine." He pinned his brother with a hard look. "Is it working Stefan? Being around her, being in her world? Does it make you feel alive?" He smiled vindictively.
"She's not Katherine," Stefan said with conviction.
"Well, let's hope not," Damon mocked. "We both know how that ended. Tell me something. When was the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?" It was so much fun to bait his brother.
"I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not gonna work."
"Oh?" Damon shoved his bother. "Come on. Stop it. Let's do it. Together. I saw a couple of girls out there. Or just, let's cut to the chase," he snarled as he kept shoving his brother, trying to get a reaction. "Let's just go for Elena!"
Stefan finally shoved back as his hold on his control became perilous. "STOP IT!"
"Imagine what her blood tastes like!" Damon taunted him mercilessly. "I have."
"I said STOP!" Stefan's control finally broke and he went for his brother. Growling furiously Stefan leapt across the room and barreled into Damon, sending them both crashing through the window. Stefan landed face down with a deep grunt. Stefan groaned as he pushed himself to his feet.
"I'm impressed." Damon called from his casual perch on the hedges next to the driveway, about twenty feet away. "I give it a six. Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face *grrr* thing it was good." Damon laughed at the pissed off look on Stefan's face.
Stefan wasn't quite sure how Damon had managed to slip his grasp. The fact that he had given Damon the reaction that he'd been looking for just pissed Stefan off even more. "You know, it's all fun and games, Damon, huh? But wherever you go, people die," Stefan lectured self-righteously.
Damon shrugged. "That's a given."
"Not here!" Stefan decreed. "I won't allow it!"
An amused look settled on Damon's face. Of course his sanctimonious little brother was going to try to control him. "I take that as an invitation," he taunted.
"Damon, please. After all these years, can't we just give it a rest?" Apparently Stefan was not above begging.
"I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word." Damon reminded hum cheekily.
"Just stay away from Elena!"
Damon cocked his head as if just noticing something. "Where's your ring?" he asked. Stefan looked down, realizing that his ring was indeed missing. Damon continued. "Oh, yeah, sun's coming up in a couple of hours. And, poof, ashes to ashes."
Stefan couldn't help the look of vulnerability that he gave Damon.
His brother chuckled again. It was so damn easy to get to his brother. "Relax." He stepped closer to Stefan and held out his hand. "It's right here." He opened his hand, revealing Stefan's ring.
Stefan cautiously took the ring and put it back on. Before he could react, Damon went game face and grabbed him by the throat. With an impressive display of casual supernatural strength, Damon effortlessly flung Stefan into the wall of the garage. When Stefan landed it was at Damon's feet.
Damon looked down at him with contempt. "You should know better that to think you're stronger than me," he warned. "You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people. I wouldn't try it again." Hearing a rustling noise from the house, the foreboding look on Damon's face melted into a sarcastic smile. "I think we woke Zach up." He called out to the house. "Sorry Zach!"
Stefan watched as Damon walked away whistling. He couldn't help but feel that things were going to get much, much worse.
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Caroline's head was throbbing. She wasn't even sober yet and she'd already progressed into the hangover stage.
"Keeping drinking your coffee. I gotta get you home," said Bonnie. "I gotta get me home."
Caroline pushed her hair back from her face in defeat. "Why didn't he go for me?" she lamented. "How come the guys that I want never want me?"
Bonnie shook her head at her friend as she gently replied. "I'm not touching that."
Neither girl noticed Stefan spying on them from a darkened corner. He'd hoped to find Elena with them. No such luck. Just Caroline complaining to Bonnie about being second best to Elena. He was still so angry from his altercation with Damon that he didn't even care that he'd hurt Caroline's feelings. Deciding to give up for the night, Stefan headed back to the boarding house.
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I couldn't have been more wrong. I thought that I could smile, nod my way through it; pretend like it would all be ok. I had a plan. I wanted to change who I was; create a life with someone new. I thought that Stefan could be that someone. Someone without the past, without the pain. Someone alive. But it's not that easy. The bad things stay with you. They follow you. You can't escape them, as much as you want to. All you can do is be ready for the good. So when it comes, you invite it in, because you need it. I need it.
Elena looked up from her diary and glanced out the window. There in the front yard stood a figure with piercing blue eyes. Elena gasped and blinked. The yard was dark and empty. I must have imagined it. Returning her attention to her diary, she wrote one last sentence.
I need to see him again.
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So I worked tirelessly to get this chapter out to you guys. Just to explain a bit, I will be following canon quite a bit as far as major plotlines go, but I will be changing things around. I also have a few curve balls that I'm planning on adding into the mix. I don't plan on staying too true to canon by the end of the first season. I have a good part of the next chapter written, so if I get some time over the weekend I'll hopefully be able to get that done. I have another Delena scene that's been written since before I started this project, and I can't wait to post it! It probably won't be for several chapters though.
Please, please, please leave a review and let me know what you think. It gives me the motivation to get the new chappies written and posted for you to read!