Judging by the look on his face, Mason had just figured out the same thing I had just a beat late. He wouldn't expose me, I don't think. If Carol was letting him stay here, then she had no idea and based on Tyler's resentment of him, neither did he. Exposing me, meant exposing himself, and I doubt if he was willing to take that risk just to screw me over.
"Couldn't find anymore people to mooch off of so you dragged your sorry ass back here, huh Mace?" I mocked. Just because we had a similar disease, did not mean I was going to buddy up with him instantly. He had questions, and so did I, but both of us had ego's the size of a Chrysler building. He narrowed his eyes at me and his stance told me he was getting offensive, he hated that nickname. He took a step towards me, towering over me in what should've been threatening and fear inspiring. I smiled.
"Now, now Mason, don't get offended, I was only teasing," I said loving the reaction. He scowled, realizing he couldn't scare me and I chuckled lightly. He was only going to try and play dominant. I wasn't having any of that, I wasn't one of his submissive little bimbos. No. I was his so called 'family' though I had my doubts sometimes.
"Mason, my sister and I are going out," Tyler said suddenly. He had been watching the whole things, "feel free to not stalk us," he said coldly, taking my hand and tugging me out.
I changed, pulling on a white blouse and a dark blue spaghetti strap, and my dark blue jeans. "Want to tell me why the hell you have a gun?" I tensed and spun quickly. Tyler was holding it like a pro, years of gaming, and hunting with our dad I suppose.
"Well," I couldn't really think of a way to explain. He waited, albeit, impatiently and after a moment I said, "yeah, I got nothing. Let's go eat and get a few drinks."
"We can't drink at the bar, age happens to be a bit of a problem, especially when everyone knows you," he pointed out. I slipped the gun from his hand, turning and tucking it under my waist band.
"Knows you, have you forgotten brother? Nobody knows me or remembers me, daddy made sure of that," I said shrugging and brushing off the bitterness of my own words.
He stared at me, not really understanding and I brought up an evil grin, "we could have fun, like we did back at the lake house. Be like old times."
Tyler drove us out to the bar, nodding at people as we walked in. Mystic Grill it was called. "Mystic Falls," I said stopping at the end of the bar, where the bartender had been headed. A blond boy, looked young for his age, but who was I to judge? I was only seventeen and people constantly told me I looked at least four years older. Not always a bad thing, maybe it was my attitude, or the stiletto's I sometimes wore.
"New in town?" he asked giving me a friendly smile.
"That easy to tell?" I asked leaning forward slightly.
"New face, small town," he said giving me a flirty grin. "Especially a pretty face like yours, names Matt," he said holding out his hand. I shook it, and smiled coyly.
"Not going to tell me your name?" he asked enjoying the little game we had going.
"You'll know soon enough," I said smirking, he chuckled, shaking his head slightly. I hadn't realized what it was right away, but there was an Other in here, among other things. It was the Other I was more interested in. I wonder if Tyler knew them, if he knew anything. He seemed pretty oblivious to the obvious supernatural energy floating around this town, especially in here. Quite a few interesting people here tonight.
"What can I get you?" he asked smiling.
"Two shots and a beer," I said evenly.
"Make that, fours shots and two beers," a silky smooth and deep voice said behind me. An Other, an other with an ego, great. The look on Matt's face told me everything I needed to know. A player, and a jackass, just great. He nodded, and turned back to the counter to prepare out drinks.
I reached over the counter, pleased to grip two bottles and pulled them up. Tyler and I did this every so often when we were younger. Team up to sneak everything we needed to drink out of the house. A lot of the time we wouldn't even make it home. I smiled, thinking of all of the strange places we'd wake up. One time we broke into what looked almost exactly like our cabin out in the woods. Turns out, not so much. The owners were pissed in the morning, when they showed up to go fishing on the lake. That was embarrassing. Shaking my head, I let the memories fade out as i turned to the guy next to me.
"Damon Salvatore," he said grinning, eyes lighting up with glee. "Just passing through town I take it?"
"Not exactly," I said smiling openly.
Matt turned around, passing us our drinks, and I downed the beer quickly. "Visiting? Wouldn't mind showing a nice girl like you around."
"I don't think that's necessary, my sister here, isn't all that into your type. So why don't you run along Damon?" Tyler voice came in, standing next to me.
"Your Tyler's sister?" Matt asked completely taken by surprise.
"Older sister, I lived with our uncle a few states over," I said shrugging nonchalantly.
Tyler grabbed the bottles, making sure not to flash them and stuck them in his back pack. He was staring down Damon with cold fury and I suddenly suspected they had a bumpy history. But Damon wasn't backing down and by the looks of it, he was enjoying how much he got on Tyler's nerves.
"You're a Lockwood?" he asked, and I glanced at Tyler, nodding once without looking at him. Damon nodded, as if putting two pieces of a puzzle together he grinned all over again. Though this look said something different. Now he wasn't looking for a lay, he was interested in something else. "What exactly would your type be? What would be more appetizing?" he asked, and I realized it. He knew, same problem though, he couldn't expose me for shit.
"Yeah, tall busty blondes," I said grinning and then I burst out laughing. "Though I do enjoy the company of a man every now and again, tall dark and handsome, and guess who that might be?" I handed Tyler a shot, each of throwing it back simultaneously.
Tyler smirked, and he draped his arm over my shoulder, before leading us out. We got outside and I burst out laughing. "Did you see his face, I don't think he's ever been rejected so publicly before!" Tyler said, and we burst into a whole new round of laughter.
Tyler drove us out to an older hiking trail once we'd ordered more food then either of us could ever possibly eat. It was a family reunion and Tyler was all the family I'd ever need. We parked, the sun going down and I grabbed one of the bags of food and he grabbed everything else. I was supposed to be weaker then him after all.
"What's with you and Mason, you two acted weird today. You weren't always like that," he asked, taking a shot of the peach snapps we'd managed to get. Wonder what Matt thought happened to them, or if he figured out. Oh well, I thought shrugging and taking my own pull of the bottle.
"You don't like him, I don't like him. Besides, that house, as big as it may be, can't hold both of our egos. Time to run that bitch out of town," I said grinning at my own inside joke, though I was referring to him as being a female dog, not a werewolf. He nodded, smiling in a way that almost looked truly happy and sad at the same time. I started thinking of ways to do it legally, and possibly with Tyler's help.
"I missed you know, you were gone for a long time," he said quietly, and I sighed. Please God, don't start crying. I didn't take Tyler for the crying type, but he had a point, I had been gone a long time. Who knows what might've changed.
"That doesn't matter anymore, just means we have to spend more time together to figure each other out all over again. Besides, I think I might stick around a while longer," he nodded, approving the idea.
"Good, I'm glad. Give Mystic Falls a chance to get to know you. Stay in one place for a while, hopefully calm down. Mom says you were just partying all the time, and moving from boyfriend to boyfriend," he said eyebrows raised, in question. He wanted to know if it was true.
"You've been dearly misinformed brother," the warm buzz finally setting into my chest after yet another shot. I turned back to the fire, tossing a branch of cedar into the fire. It crackled and the scent of the burning branch filled the air. Closing my eyes, I drank in everything I could. One of the few pleasures that came from this disease. Being able to enjoy nature at it's fullest.
"What's the truth then? The gun? I know you've been keeping things from me, and I also know you don't plan on telling me, but I deserve to know. Your my sister," he said a little hurt but curious.
"I was moving around, once David died I began travelling around, he had left me a letter, saying he scattered some things for me across the country and that it was up to me to retrieve them. Not sure why he did everything in riddles but he did. He neglected to mention that it would be a very dangerous trip. But I'm home now," I said quietly. Guilt and regret setting in as flashes of what happened played through my mind. I took another shot, staring into the fire.
Flashes of silver fur shifted in my mind fast, a scream, shouting, a single gun shot. Then just a whole lot of growling and moaning. Then silence. The image wouldn't fade, like I was used to. I took another shot, a pool of blood leaking out from behind a closed bathroom door, gliding across broken glass and surrounding a gun.
I lifted my head, looking up at the stars. "I love clear nights like this," I said at the same time he said, "the stars are so clear."
We turned to each other and I couldn't help the smile that matched his. Tyler moved closer, pulling me into his arms, "never letting you leave you. I wont you let you go like last time. I was too young, a boy then. But no one will take you from me. No one. Ever," he swore. I sighed, loving the protective side he only ever had for me and not bothering to move.
I was happier now than I had been in a long time. I only hoped it would last.