"Stefan, do you want me to stay?" Elena asked Stefan as they walked side by side to the Salvatore Boarding House.
"That's up to you, Elena." Stefan was distracted, not really looking at Elena, but instead the young human girl in Damon's arms. She stirred slightly, but her eyes remained closed, and her heart remained steady.
"I'll stay." Elena whispered, clasping her hand with Stefan's.
The three of them walked until they at last reached the large building where Stefan and Damon resided. Stefan and Elena walked in front and they unlatched the door, making way for Damon to walk through. Damon walked down the many hall ways until he found the room he was looking for. He stepped into his own room and made his way to the large black bed in the center. Elena appeared, seemingly out of thin air, and peeled back the dark comforter. Damon nodded his silent 'thank you' to her and placed the young child on the black silk sheets. He pulled the blanket over her once she looked comfortable and stepped back. Elena stood next to him, along with Stefan, who had walked into the room after Elena.
"How is this possible?" Elena asked. Damon and Stefan both turned their gazes to the confused human, confused themselves.
"I don't know." Stefan said.
"So what do we do now?" Elena asked.
"Now we wait for her to wake up. In the meantime, I really need some blood." Damon said, excusing himself.
"Damon!" Elena grabbed his arm. Damon stopped walking and turned to face her.
"What?" Damon growled. He definitely needed blood, he was getting aggravated easily.
"Don't." She said.
"Don't what?"
"Don't kill anyone." Elena whispered.
"You actually thought…Elena there are blood bags downstairs. I'm not going to kill someone." Damon rolled his eyes and pulled his arm free easily, and walked out of the room.
"Oh." Elena looked at Stefan who snickered slightly. "Shut up." She said, hitting him playfully on the shoulder.
x-x-x-x
Lilia's body felt heavy, as if someone had placed weights on her chest. She found it very difficult to breathe because the air was so fresh, something she had not been exposed to in 145 years. Nearby Lilia heard breathing, steady breathing. She tried to pace hers with theirs. Then she tried to open her eyes. At first she had no luck at all, but with a great amount of effort, she succeeded.
Lilia was greeted with light so bright she couldn't see anything, but her vision became gradually clearer. Lilia looked around, her eyes flashing from left to right in a desperate attempt to figure out where she was.
Elena awoke from her light nap, hearing a rustle of the sheets, and gasped. The little girl's head swiveled toward her, and her head cocked to the side in a confused gesture. Her bright blue eyes skimmed Elena from head to toe and finally met her eyes again.
"Stefan…" Before Elena could finish, he flashed to her side, his eyes not seeing anything but her.
"What's wrong? Are you all right?" Elena sighed. Ever the worrier.
"No…look." She whispered. Stefan followed her gaze and met Lilia's eyes directly. He openly stared at the little female Damon.
"Who are you? Where's Pearl?" Lilia asked Stefan. She stared in confusion when he didn't immediately answer. Damon waltzed in the room at that very second and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Who are you?" Lilia asked, fixing her gaze on Damon instead of Stefan. Damon stepped closer to the little girl and sat in the chair that was placed next to the bed. He prepared himself before he spoke.
"I'm Damon Salvatore." He said, searching the girl's face for any anxiety. There was only confusion.
"We share the same surname." She said, with hints of the previous century in her words.
"Yes." Damon said simply.
"Why?" A curious little youngster she was. "Are we related?"
Damon's gaze flickered to Stefan for half a second before returning to the girl.
"Lilia," He started, using the name that Pearl called her in the tomb.
"How do you know my name?" She demanded, sitting up. She was beyond confused now. Her rapid heart beat and the smell of her fear were very obvious to both the vampires.
"Lilia," Damon repeated. "Stefan and I," Damon pointed to Stefan, who sat on the edge of his seat, holding Elena to his side. "…Are your brothers." Damon let that sink in and searched her face for her reaction.
"Impossible. It's just Pearl and I. I have no brothers, only a deceased Mother." Lilia was full on panicking now. Her heart beat faster at a dangerous rate and her fear was more potent in the air.
"We don't know how either. Mother must've been pregnant when you were born, but back in 1864 she had been dead for 13 years. Also the year you turned 13, correct?" Damon continued.
"What do you mean 'back in 1864'? What year is it?" Lilia's heart wouldn't let up. It pounded its way through her chest and into her throat.
"Lilia, it's 2011." Stefan spoke from behind Damon in a gentle voice.
Lilia looked from Damon to Stefan and back again before she sucked in a deep breath and began to scream.