"Oh dio mio! Si tratta di tre del mattino! Che Accidenti!"
Cursing loudly she answered her cell phone. After over two years in Italy, the national language flowed easily from her lips, and her temper was faring as well. Which idiot called her three o´clock in the god damn morning anyway?
"Dia? It´s… it´s Jeremy. I have no idea what you just said, but I… I really need to talk to you." He sounded desperate and so lost, it got her wide awake in an instant. Never was she able to stand seeing her little brother distressed.
"What's wrong little one? Did something happen?" She was worried, as always about her baby brother. Since their parents died? At least once a week she called, checked in with Jenna, looked over his school records, she did what she could from Italy.
"Yeah, you could say that, you… you know, that probably sound crazy and you think I'm raging mad but… I… I died. I… my neck got snapped, by Damon Salvatore who is a vampire. Then tonight, there was this school carnival and he threatened me. And I got brought back from the dead by a ring, which saved me from a supernatural death. Bonnie is a witch, Elena is dating a vampire and Jenna is absolutely clueless and…"
"Jer! Breath, I don't think that you are case for a mental ward, I know about the existence of the supernatural world, all about vamps and witches, stakes and vervain." She heard him take a deep breath on the other end of the line. So she was pretty much in the picture, with Mystic Falls happenings, she was keeping tabs there as well.
"How do you know?" This was a difficult question, she couldn't just blur out Oh, I was cursed, got killed and triggered it, now I'm more supernatural than I was before, nope, that wouldn't do it. God, this felt like the dreaded sex-talk.
"I am supernatural, kind of like Bonnie?" The question sounded a bit lost, she had to admit. She was never good at explaining, because she usually wasn't one to share, especially if she doesn't want someone to know.
"So you're witch?"
"Describes it the best."
"T he reason why I called was… I know it sounds selfish… but I need you, I need you home, please come home Dia. I really need my older sister, the one that isn't trying to control my live. And Jenna is missing her best friend, so please come home." Begging, he was begging her to come home. It broke her heart, to hear him like that, but she can´t just stand up and leave.
"Arkadia please, I don't know if I can do this alone, not with Elena's Doppelgänger, Katherine running around, she cut Uncle John's fingers of and…" Arkadia stopped Jeremy midsentence, her thoughts in over drive. This can´t be happening. Nothing but destruction came from Katarina Petrova.
"What did you just say? Did you say Katherine?"
"Yeah, looks exactly like our sister." Elena was not her sister, not anymore.
"I'm coming Jer, will try to grab the next flight."
"Really?" He sounded so surprised, like he doesn't know she would always come.
"Yeah, I´ll see you soon." With that she hung up.
_~*'*~MONSTER~*'*~_
Stefan sat on the ground next to Caroline, her breathing was still erratic, and he was sure if she would have been human, she would pass out. Could vampires pass out? Well he wasn't so sure on that one, but he wasn't about to try it.
"Caroline, you need to calm down. What can I do that we haven't already tried? Talk to me!" Sharp intakes of breath, was his only answer for a long time, her vampire heart was beating furious in her chest and her emotions were unleashed. In short, Caroline was a complete mess.
"Can you… you call Dia?" Barely above a whisper, but Stefan heard the quietly stuttered question. He had no idea who this was but took her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Pressing CALL he held the phone to his ear, listen intently at the lyrics began to play.
Tonight I'm so alone
This sorrow takes ahold
Don't leave me here so cold
Never wanna be so cold
It sounded oddly familiar but he couldn't quite place it. Perhaps something Lexi introduced him to, because that was defiantly to her liking, maybe direct next to Bon Jovi? He had no clue.
Your touch used to be so kind
Your touch used to give me life
I've waited all this time
I've wasted so much time
Caroline calmed down slowly as the lyrics drowned on and on. "You know Caroline you could have just asked for music if it is helping you." Stefan thought really one song would help her?
"It isn't the song, she just never changes it, always the same, it's soothing. You know? Dia never used another song because; she knows it makes us instantly better, because she is always helping."
Don't leave me alone
'cause I barely see at all
Don't leave me alone
I'm
"I've never heard any of you talking about her, who is she?"
"The sister we never had, she took always care of me and Tyler, Jeremy was always trailing behind her, but now she is always just here over summer break, but last year she doesn't come home."
Falling in the black
Slipping through the cracks
Falling to the depths, can I ever go back
Dreaming of the way it used to be
Can you hear me
"Hey Baby doll, why are you calling me in the middle of the night?" She sounded concerned but wide awake. Stefan heard the purring of an engine in the background.
"Yeah, I'm Stefan Salvatore, Caroline told me to call you, and she isn't in good shape right now." Caroline took the phone from him and mustered even a tiny smile, Stefan was amazed, he should seriously remember that when they would work on Caroline's control.
"Hey Dia."
"Carrow, Baby doll, is everything all right? Are you hurt, did something happen? Jer already called me, in the middle of the night." She felt warmth slowly creep through her, it was always nice hearing those nicknames and endearments.
"Come on, talk to me Baby doll." And with that Caroline broke. She blurt it all out, from the accident to waking up in the hospital, over being killed by Katherine, right to being a vampire, a murderer, straight over all she was compelled to forget. Then she did a spot landing on an emotional meltdown.
Stefan couldn't believe Caroline just told her that, compulsion didn't work with a cell phone. Perhaps this girl didn't believe it and thought Caroline was nuts?
"Do you hate me now?"
"Carrow, you aren't a murderer, you didn't do it with purpose. It was an accident, you didn't mean for it to happen Baby doll. Every supernatural being killed one day or another. I mean you woke up in a hospital, surrounded by blood; it is a miracle that you didn't go on a rampage, this is just a sign that you'll be truly great as a vampire, with great self restrain and control."
"I wish you would be home, you always make it better, no matter how bad it is."
"Well, considering I'm on my way to the international Airport of Florence to be cramped in an airplane for, to take a wild guess, 15 to 17 hours straight, your wish is in the making. Oh and make sure your vampire friend doesn't try to compel me, because we both know it will end badly… for him. And I know you can hear me Stefan, so take this message to your lovely brother, if he is as much as thinking about harming Jeremy, Tyler or Carrow again, I'll rip him to shreds and make him beg for his death." The line went dead, and Stefan had shivers running down his back, her tone and voice were bone chilling, playful and cheery all the same. She sounded to him pretty much insane.
"Who was this you had me call Caroline?" His weariness was clearly detectable in his voice.
"This was Dia, you know she is supernatural herself, told me about it. I don't know what she is, but it's really badass. You don't want to be Damon you know? I never really thought it was true what she told me, but considering what I am now, guess she told me always the truth. If I could remember all I perhaps would know more than you and Damon bout the supernatural. She dragged those magical books with her all the time, they seem to be alive, my mom said every time, that it was just my imagination run wild. But often the text just appeared in front our very eyes, other times she would wove pictures, moving images directly on the pages, at times they seem like from a thousand years ago.
Elena hates her, because in her opinion the world always resolved around Dia, but that was never the case. She chased her away, showing constant distaste and hostility towards her. At every opportunity she got, she told Dia to leave, because everything would be better without her. 5 Years ago she accomplished her goal, Arkadia left, first to Russia, then France, followed by Cuba, and lastly Italy, leaving a bunch of kids behind, that mostly depended on her." She was filled with deep sadness, Dia was always there, and even when she was gone she tried to help them. Picking up her phone at the ungodly hours of the night.
"Why did I never hear of her?"
"Because Elena hates her with passion, always getting mad, or breaking in a rant when we speak of her, so we just stopped talking about her, it's easier that way."
"And who is she exactly?" Caroline answered his question with doom in her eyes and sorrow in her heart.
"Her full name? Arkadia Viktoria Gilbert, she's Elena's older sister."