Chapter 4

Again I awoke startled from another restless dream, another night disturbed by vampires and fiery eyes. Angry I threw the blue book at the wall across from me. It hit my target with a soft thud before landing on the floor and repeating the noise. That was when I remembered the book wasn't mine. Slowly, still weary with sleep I crept out of my warm bed and crouched next to the book. Even in its tattered condition it managed to survive a teenage tantrum. I picked up the book when a page did escape its clutches and I bent back down to retrieve it.

I walked back to my bed I turned on my bedside light, although the light escaping my curtain was enough to see it wasn't right to read in. I opened the paper realising it wasn't lined like the pages of the journal. This small square was plain, folded small and forgotten, and had the same brown tinge as the others in the book. I unfolded it to find it was an envelope; I carefully opened it looking inside and found a dried purple flower, at first guess, it looked like lavender but when I pulled it closer to smell it didn't have any scent at all. Confused I looked closer at the flower, I noticed that even in the dried and aged state of the flower, I could easily see the how the lavender was an unusual size and its shape; almost like a pine cone, that's when I knew my first guess was wrong, it was the herb I saw a picture of yesterday, it was vervain.

I closed the envelope and folded it back up placing it in my pocket before trudging down stairs.

"Mum..." I started looking for the right words
"it's alright!" She interrupted "Just don't ditch me again. I'm not too keen on the girl next door" she smiled.
"I'll be here tonight!" I promised
"Good. You're not the only one who has friends you know!"
"Well..."
"Come here" she said pulling me in for a hug. I pulled away kissing her on the cheek.
"Thank you"

-

"Tired?" Jeremy smiled. I took my seat next to him yawning. I nodded. "About last night..."
"Sorry!" I exclaimed. Last night I had been so flustered by the sight of my amber eyes that I ran after Meeko to the car, letting mum say goodbye, I had sent a quick text of apology and goodbye of my own, before snapping at my mum. I sighed and Jeremy let the subject drop.

Art carried on as usual, mine and Jeremy's project was almost complete despite the fact that we still had a whole week until the project was to be handed in. We talked through most of the lesson, which of course got me in trouble when I started laughing. It was hard to imagine that I had only been at the school for a week. I was yet to make more friends but it didn't bother me too much, I wasn't the most social person before I came to Mystic Falls, and I wasn't expecting it to change.

"Cbeebies!" Alannah cried, I groaned and changed the channel for the tenth time.

"Nooo!" Jack moaned in response. "I want Ben 10!"

"Ugh! I want doesn't get!" I grumbled. I heard him sigh but he was absorbed into the cartoon before he could say another word. Bored, I turned to my phone and sent a message to the only person I could think of writing too.

'Hey! Watsup!'

I dropped my phone on my stomach and turned back to the TV. A minute later my phone buzzed.

'Hi! Nothin much... wanna meet up?'

I smiled at the reply.

'Can't! Stuck with kids!'

I sent the message chuckling quietly to myself. I hadn't even put my phone down when it vibrated a second time.

'When do you get off?'

I looked at the time, I had only half an hour before mum would get home, she would put the kids to bed then it's a Friday night, there's no reason why I couldn't go out.

'Half an hour...ish'

'Meet me at the Mystic Grill when you get off.'

'Nice! Looking forward to it.'

I didn't seem to mind the next half an hour, and as mum promise she arrived on time, put Jack and Alannah to bed, and let me go out. I ran up stairs briefly to change and adjust my makeup. I grabbed a handbag and all my things and headed outside. I'd been to the Grill before, when we first moved here, mum wanted to eat out and it was the first place we'd found. The walk there only took ten minutes and when I arrived there I noticed Jeremy's absence. Frowning I grabbed my phone. I'd never thought Jeremy to the one to ditch a girl. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey! Jeremy... I'm at the Grill"

"Crap! I'm on my way! I'll be there in five!" with that he put the phone down. I sighed and went and sat in a booth near the door so that Jeremy would be able to see me when he arrived.

The problem with sitting so close to the doors was that I was still really close to the bar. There was a lone figure dressed in black matching his longish black hair. I looked down at the cup mats and started flipping them over, again and again, and when I next looked up the man at the bar was staring straight at me, his dark blue eyes following my every move, the smile looked wrong, fake, almost as though I was something to eat.

"Don't come over, please don't come over!" I chanted to myself but as I uttered the first word he stood up walked over. I followed my first instinct and grabbed my bag standing up and fleeing outside before the figure could get nearer. I would wait for Jeremy in the cold outside. As I stepped out, I looked behind me to check that the creepy guy wasn't following.

"Thinking of ditching me did you?" the voice came at the same time I ran into something firm. I looked up. Jeremy looked down with an amused smile on his face.

"Hey! You were the one that stitched me up." I accused and we turned and headed back into the grill.

"So what's up ditcher?" Jeremy asked jokingly. I lifted an eye brow.

"I was going out for air!" I pressed on.

"Sure sure" he muttered but I could tell he was only teasing by the twitching of his lips. I looked around room. Somehow, the sudden disappearance of the strange man only made me more nervous. We walked over to a booth next to the one I had originally been sitting at.

"What do you want to drink?" Jeremy asked

"Coke?" I passed him some coins "thanks." As Jeremy went to get some drinks I looked around again and still no sign of the man. Maybe I had been imagining it, lately my head was pretty messed up. I sighed and told myself to get a grip.

When Jeremy returned I noticed him looking at something behind me, I turned and noticed the empty pool table. When I faced him he was smiling

"Fancy a game?" He asked. And I immediately shook my head "why?"

"I have absolutely no idea how to play!"

"I'll teach you!" reluctantly I stood up and followed him to the pool table. Jeremy put a coin into the side of the table and it suddenly came to life rattling with rolling balls. Out of a hole in the table he pulled out ball after ball and placed them in a black triangle all but the white ball. When they were in place he removed the triangle and moved the white ball to the opposite side of the table. When he looked up at me I raised my eye brow.

"Okay, the aim of the game is to pot all of your balls" I rolled my eyes

"I knew that!"

"Fine, I'll break and explain it as we go along." Jeremy grabbed a wooden stick with a blue end and used it to hit the white ball which in turn rolled forward at such a speed when it hit the triangle the balls dispersed urgently, bouncing off the walls.

"You're good!" I complemented

"My dad taught me" he said looking proud. The word almost tore me in half but I kept my face straight and concentrated on trying to balance the pole between my thumb and fore finger.

"Now just push forward" I followed his instruction and watched my ball spin forward towards another, it lacked the power of Jeremy's first shot so the ball it hit barely moved. I frowned. I stepped back as Jeremy lent forward for his shot.

"What about your dad?" the question startled me "sorry, don't want to be intruding" I sighed.

"Disappeared ten years ago" I answered. Jeremy stood back up without even taking his shot "Disappeared? Sorry" I smiled at him "I lost my parents last year" I gave him a reassuring smile.

I had barely survived losing one parent the thought of losing both made my stomach twist in a painful knot. "Hey, don't you have younger siblings?" Jeremy changed the subject.

"Yeah, I had a step dad for 6 years." I answered watching him take his shot. I heard the clunk of a potted ball, he took another shot.

"He didn't teach you pool?"

"Nope never let him" I sighed, "I hated the bastard." I leaned forward for my next shot.

"Oh yeah, you have to hit the stripy ones." I took my shot which moved similarly to my last.

"aren't you supposed to be teaching me?" I asked watching my ball roll and hit the wrong ball.

As the evening passed we didn't bring up the subject of our parents though we did discuss my life in England, old friends, and all while Jeremy kicked my ass at Pool. By the end of the game, including numerous fouls from me and none from Jeremy, I was in fits of laughter. My phone buzzed when the game finished.

'You coming home? Xx'

It was from mum. I looked at the time

"Crap, its eleven o'clock"

'Just about to leave, sorry xx'

"We should probably go" Jeremy said breathless with laughter. Before I could reply my phone buzzed.

'I could give you a lift... if you want?'

I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly what that text implied

"You want a lift?" I asked Jeremy

"Sure why not"

'Please x'

"Wanna wait outside?" I asked using my hand to fan myself. When did it get so hot in here?

"Yeah." Jeremy led the way outside. As soon as the doors opened I smiled at the sensation of the cool breeze hitting my red cheeks. We carried on talking until mum arrived and didn't stop when we got in the car. Jeremy was polite and included my mum in the convocation. Luckily the drive wasn't long enough for my mum to start on the embarrassing anecdotes but by the time I got home my throat ached and my voice was all raspy.

It was late when I finally got to bed and as I was drifting off I heard my phone buzz. Unwillingly I opened my tired eyes I picked it up noticing a message from Jeremy. I winced in the bright light from my screen, blinked a couple of times when the words became clear.

'Hey! Planning a Halloween party at Stefan's tomorrow. You wanna join?'

I chuckled quietly. I wasn't much of party girl and he was well aware of it after out long debate today.

'Me, and a party :/'

'Yeah! Plus it's a great way of making new friends!'

I could almost hear him laughing at the other side

':/'

'Please?'

'Fine! Where?'

'My sisters driving I'll pick you up tomorrow at 12'

'That didn't answer my question?'

'It's a surprise'

'Okay! Don't know how I'm gonna sleep now with that stressful day planned! :L'

'Just shut up and sleep! Goodnight :)'

'Night :)'

A/N And because the chapter contains Damon, it used it's super vampire speed to get here :P Did anyone else have a mini fan girl moment when Damon made his appearance? … Or was that just Roo? :L Hope you enjoyed it guys Hopefully chapter 5 will be done soon and if anyone wants to tell Roo's teachers to stop giving her essays to complete that'd be a big help :D Please Please Please review.

Thank you.

Love TwattyandRoo xxx