After a few days, I noticed that Stefan was always alone when he came by. Not that Damon had ever joined him but I found it curious that he wasn't even mentioned.
When I asked about him, Stefan turned to me and gave me a very stern look. "He left town, Scar. He's a bad person." I loved that Stefan used my nickname.
"Why did he leave town?" I asked. Everyone seemed to be making Damon out to be some kind of monster and I didn't understand it.
"He was abusing Caroline," Elena later told me. "When she started wearing scarves, it was to cover up wounds." I was more than a little shocked. Needless to say, I didn't like Damon anymore. "I saw her in the bathroom at the party and she accidentally showed me some mark on her back and they were everywhere! I mean, he hurt her and she didn't tell anyone."
"I knew there was something weird about him," I said, now totally wary of Damon.
"Speaking of weird, something's up with Stefan." I looked at her weirdly. This was the first time she'd ever brought him up with me. Elena was very private about her relationship with him and it made me think that she realized I liked him.
"Don't tell me he's anything like Damon," I said, almost jokingly. Then I looked at Elena closely, this was not a joke.
"After the car wash today," she began. I hadn't gone. "I went with Logan Fell to the news station because this older guy had come up to Stefan and acted like he knew him, he said something about how Stefan hadn't aged. When I saw the guy again at the car wash, he told me that he remembered Stefan from the 1950's." My eyes widened. "I went to the news station and looked and sure enough, there were animal attacks back then. They closed in on the Salvatore boarding house and Stefan was there. I mean, it was him. No doubt about it. What does that mean?" My heart had started racing.
"That makes no sense to me. But you know, now that you mention it, I could've sworn I've seen him get hurt and yet have no injuries." Elena nodded, she had too. "I mean, with Bonnie's witchy intuition and everything, I have to say I'm a little more open to stuff. If he wasn't always out in the sun, I would guess he's a vampire." Elena sat down and put her head in her hands.
"Oh my God, he is one. I can't do this." She started breathing heavily and I got worried.
"It's not my real opinion, Elena!" I said, hoping to calm her down. But I knew she knew. This was real. The freaky animal attacks, the idea that someone had come into my room at night, Stefan never aging. It all fit.
"It's true, isn't it?" I gulped. Elena was too sensible to believe in anything like this.
"You should talk to him about it. That's the only way we'll get answers." She turned and looked up at me.
"You go. He'll tell you. All he's done lately is lie to me." Katherine and Elena looking alike ran through my head. "Seriously, go and you can tell me. I'd rather hear it from you."
I quickly went and got in the car. I shakily buckled my seatbelt and hassled to turn the key in the ignition. The entire drive to Stefan's house was terrible. I was certain I was going insane. He couldn't possibly be a vampire. I parked the car and turned it off but left the keys in the ignition in case I needed to run away. I didn't even have a chance to knock on the door before Stefan had opened it, holding a stake in his hand. He dropped it immediately. I looked up at him, a little more than scared, and prepared to lose him as a friend forever because of what I was going to ask him.
"What are you?" I asked. He fumbled with his hands and I noticed how handsome he looked. Snap out of it.
"Scarlett, I-" he began.
"No, just tell me what you are." He began to move closer to me and I backed away. "Elena told me what she knows and I think I've got it figured out but I need to hear it from you."
"I'm a vampire," he said reluctantly. I backed away again and made a noise that almost sounded like a sob. I put my hands to my mouth and Stefan came towards me. "Don't be scared of me." I turned and took off towards my car. Immediately, Stefan appeared in front of me. I screamed. "Please, don't run from me, Scar." I pushed away from him and got in my car, thankful I'd left the keys in the ignition. Once I got home, I quickly ran into my room and shut the door. Elena wasn't here and neither was Jeremy or Jenna.
I felt a draft and immediately turned. Stefan was standing in front of my open window. I ran and tried to open my bedroom door to get out. I felt him push me against the door and force it closed. I almost couldn't help crying. "I'm not here to hurt you," he whispered while not moving away from me. "Just please let me explain." I whimpered against the doorframe and nodded. He moved enough away from me so that I could turn a bit and I was taken by surprise when he hugged me against the door. I gasped a little and reluctantly hugged him back.
"Did you do that to those people?" I asked, not knowing whether I wanted an answer.
"No, that was Damon. I don't drink from humans." I was still trying to take this in. He finally moved away from me and I sat on my bed with him.
"Damon is a vampire too." It wasn't a question. I actually should've figured him for one before I even considered Stefan. "He wasn't exactly… abusing Caroline, was he? He was feeding from her."
"She didn't know it. He compelled her to forget." I nodded a little. I figured she hadn't known. "The necklace I gave you contains an herb called vervaine and it makes sure he can't compel you."
"What exactly is compelling?" I asked.
"He'll look in your eyes and you'll go blank. Sometimes, vampires do it to get honest answers but most of the time, they do it to be able to feed on someone and make them forget it."
"And vervaine will make sure they can't do it to us?" He nodded.
"It's in the necklace I gave to Elena too. Listen, I'm going to make sure that Damon leaves so he no longer poses a threat. I understand if you don't want to be friends with me any longer."
"No, I do. This actually doesn't matter much to me now that I know you won't hurt me." He smiled a bit.
"I'm going to talk to Elena about it now. I doubt she'll take it as well as you have."
