It was my first day back to school since turning.
Lesson number ONE: Remember my strength.
I slammed the door off my locker, tore pages out of my text books and I'm pretty sure I broke one of our football players collar bones when I bumped into him in the hallway. Not sure how serious I should have taken any of this seeing as all of this was spent watching Bonnie choke back tears of laughter at my incidences. Needless to say by the time lunch hit I escaped as fast as I could out to the empty bleachers by the football field. I used to feel so breakable and then I just felt like I could break anything. I couldn't stop thinking about Damon, walking away from me days before. We had barely spoken since then. A nod in my direction or a hey when we were coming in and out of the house. It wasn't easy. Things had gotten better with Stefan, however. Things would never be the same again, but they were very close. It felt more natural to kiss him again, to lay next to him and to rely on him. I loved Stefan, no matter what. I'd never not love him.
"Seriously, I'm sorry I laughed at you." Bonnie said walking across the beam of the bleachers. I smiled at her as she made her way over to me and sat down.
"It's okay. I guess it was pretty funny." I said, half heartedly.
"So, what's really wrong?" Bonnie asked. Looking at me in that probing, motherly way.
"I'm fine." I shrugged.
She smiled and nodded and we looked silently out onto the football field for several minutes.
"So, you and Stefan are doing good." Bonnie stated.
"Yeah, were fine." I answered. I loved Bonnie but the last thing I needed was her company at the moment.
"Alright, seriously what is going on Elena?" Bonnie stood up and moved in front of me.
When I was human, I had a relative calmness about me. I could adapt to danger, conflict and confrontation. Now, I felt a surge of emotion with every word. I stood up when Bonnie moved in front of me.
"Bonnie! Things aren't okay. You of all people should realize that. Why haven't I even heard from you until today? Bonnie, I can see the individual drops of morning dew on each blade of grass. I can hear birds from miles away...but I can't bring Jenna back, or Alaric. Tyler's dead, or gone? Who knows, we can't even find his body. Matt is STILL in the hospital from almost drowning to death. I'm a vampire!I kissed Damon. Just the other day. I kissed him and I felt like I was a human again when I did."
"Do you think I really thought everything was okay?" Bonnie asked.
"You thought the entire day was hilarious up until now." I pointed out.
She squared off I front of me. Her face dropping to complete seriousness. "It's either I laugh or cry. Which would you like? We've been spending years protecting you, Elena. Now you're a vampire. We failed."
I stood for a moment hearing her words and I felt a stabbing feeling in my chest. I felt the burn of tears in my eyes. Bonnie was defeated and all she saw me as now, was a product of failure. Failure so devastating, she has to cry so as not to weep.
"I'm sorry." Was all I could muster.
"No, IM sorry. I'm sorry we couldn't do better." She turned and began to walk away. Then she turned back and looked at me. "You kissed Damon again because you love him. I can't stand the boy, but he's not so bad." She said. Then she was gone.
Later that day I went to the boarding house after I got a call from Stefan. He wanted me to meet him there. I had been back at my own house for two days. It was so good to be back with Jeremy and I knew he felt relieved to have me home even though I could still tell he was struggling with the idea that I was a vampire. I guess after some time he would get used to it.
By the time I made It there I realized Bonnie and Caroline were there as well. I walked through the door. Stefan was standing just inside the door, holding a large glass of human blood which he handed to me with a kiss on the forehead.
"How was your day back?" He asked.
"Better if you had been there." I told him with a smile.
"I'll make it back in time to graduate." Stefan smiled.
"So what are we gathered for?" I asked watching Caroline and Bonnie chat carelessly on the couch.
About the second I asked, Damon came walking into the living room carrying a paper in his hand.
"Alright class. Your attention?" Damon grinned as Caroline and Bonnie grew quit. Damon held the piece of paper in the air. "This is a list of every person on the council. Every sitting duck I intend to gun down." Damon said.
"Oh okay, so your plan is kill every man and woman on the council?" Bonnie asked, sitting back with her arms crossed.
"No, judgy. My gun is the plastic orange one from the old Nintendo. Let a guy finish talking." Damon rolled his eyes and wagged a pseudo lecturing finger at Bonnie. "We trap all sixty seven members in a designated area using judgy's magic and then me, Caroline, Stefan and Elena all compel them to forget. Easy as pie."
"Compel sixty seven people?" Caroline asked.
"You got other plans Cinderella?" Damon snapped. "Compelling is sometimes the best benefit." Damon said glancing in my direction. I looked at the floor.
"Okay so what building would you like me to put the entrapment around?" Bonnie asked.
"The Lockwood place. Caroline you just stay hidden for the time being, but we'll need you when the compelling starts. The more of us the faster. Stefan, you've been in touch with Forbes and Lockwood since that night so go tell them to come up with any story possible to bring the council together. Yes, I know they've been horribly discredited and when they mention that tell them to figure it out. If they say it's impossible, tell them to try harder." Damon Said.
"You never quit being a confederate soldier. Did you Damon?" Caroline smiled.
Bonnie left to do the spell. Caroline went back to Bonnie's house. Stefan left to warn Liz and Carol. I was left alone with Damon. I walked over to where he was busy separating papers on the end table.
"What are you doing, soldier?" I smiled.
He smiled, still looking down at his papers. "Strategy."
"Caroline kind of made me think of that." I said.
"Think of what?" He said.
"You were a soldier once. We never talked about it. It made me realize there's a lot we've never talked about. I know a lot of Stefan's human life...but not as much about yours." I said.
"Yeah? What would you like to know? I was a normal guy I guess. Fought for my country for honor. Believed in love, family...wanted kids and a love I could hold onto. Then I lost it forever and became a bitter, selfish, monster. Much like you know me these days." Damon said. He picked up the extra papers he didn't need and threw them into the fire.
"You're not a monster." I said walking up behind him.
"Elena, I told we have to stop this." He said watching the fire.
My stomach dropped. I hadn't done one thing wrong but it was as if he could read my thoughts. What was going on in my head was wondering how Katherine managed this. Why were these two men the most irresistible creatures on earth?
"I know." I whispered.
He sighed and turned to look at me. Then a wicked smile stretched across his face.
"Screw it." He said grabbing me around my waist and pulling me into him. He looked at me for a moment long enough to take my breath away and make my stomach have butterflies. Then he kissed me. Wildly. I didn't even try to hesitate. He backed me against the wall, kissing my neck. I ran my fingers through his hair and felt like I was on fire. I felt the pressure in my eyes and I knew eyes were changing and my teeth were growing. It was hard to control now that it was new. With the feeling I had now, the raw wildness of it I couldn't help it. Damon paused looking at my face and grinned.
Although I loved the sincere part of Damon and I had admitted to myself that the badness in Damon was also something I loved. Especially at the moment.
We stumbled down the hallway and into his room. He pulled my shirt off and when he his hands ran across the skin on my bare skin I felt like I was going to black out.
"Why does this keep happening?" I whispered. Then I pressed my lips to his as we crashed into the bed.
" Cause I should have left." He whispered, his fingers playing under my bra.
I looked at him, wondering if he was serious. He began to kiss my neck but I pushed him back.
"What did you say?" I asked.
"I said I should have left. We obviously have some problem...if you want Stefan...I need to get out of Mystic Falls." He said, his face changing from sex, to sadness.
"No." Was all I could say.
"Yes. Unless you're okay with this." He said pressing his mouth into mine. His tongue playing across my lips. I kissed him harder and he started to slide my skirt up.
"No." I said again.
He looked at me confused.
"I'm not okay with this. You were right we have to stop this." I said.
Damon looked me deep in the eyes for so long, I could barely stand it. Then he nodded as if he expected this all to happen.
"After I'm done taking care of this council thing, I'm leaving for New York. I have kind of a place up there. I'm going to leave Mystic Falls. You and Stefan will be better off." He said.
"I don't want you to go." I said.
He got off the bed and slipped his shirt back over his tan, muscled body line.
"I know you don't now, but in the end you'll be glad I did."
"Don't do this for me." I said jumping off the bed.
"Then please...let me do this for me." Damon pleaded.
There was a heavy pounding on the front door. Damon and I went into the livingroom and Damon opened the door.
There was a girl standing there. My age, maybe a couple of years older. Light brown hair, bright green eyes, a pretty tan. She was beautiful.
"Damon Salvatore?" She asked.
"Yes." He answered.
She pulled a stake from behind her back lunged towards Damon.
"No!" I screamed. Before I even realized I was doing it, I grabbed her around her waist and pulled her away from Damon. Damon got to his feet and hovered over the girl. He pulled the stake from her hands and threw it.
"I'm sorry." She whimpered, looking into his eyes. "I don't know why I just did that." I she said through tears.
"She's compelled Damon." I told him.
He looked at her for so long, hovered over her that I got uncomfortable. Then I realized he was compelling her.
"Tell me who compelled you to come here." He said.
"Klaus." She answered.
Damon looked at me shocked.
"What did he say?" Damon asked.
"He told me to tell you, it's not over. He wanted me to stake you and if I failed...to let you kill me." Her voice cracked with fear.
"I'm not going to kill you...what's your name?" Damn ordered.
"Molly."