I concentrated on the steady beat of my feet as I ran along the canal. People were staring, staring at my scars, but I ignored them and pushed myself harder. I pushed my earplugs further into my ears and ran along to the beat of Transylvania by McFly. I flew past a young family, mum, dad and pushchair and focussed on the bridge ahead. When I got to it, I slowed to a stop and took a thirsty gulp out of the bottle of water in my hand. I leant over, evening out my breathing and calming my heartbeat. I moved out of the way to let a cyclist past and started walking again slowly. Since my…encounter…I found myself going out running more than ever. This was partly to avoid the stares and rude comments from the chavs at the home, but also partly because in my head I was still running. If I had started running on that night, it would never had happened. So now I had to push myself, had to run, run away from him.
They still hadn't found him. When the police had gone down the alley to get him, he wasn't there. He had just disappeared. I had identified him as a jerk that had left my school a few years ago, all set to become a football superstar, but who had epically failed at tryouts. There were posters everywhere, but he had either mastered the art of being invisible, or was way better than me at running. I sped up again, singing along in my head.
People marching to the drumsEverybody's having funTo the sound of loveUgly is the world we're onIf I'm right then prove me wrongI'm stunnedTo find a place we belong.
My feet moved steadily to beat, taking me back home. I left the canals side and veered off towards the road. It was a pretty quiet road, so after a quick check both ways, I jogged across it. Well. Nearly across.
Racing pacing in the darkShe's searching for a lonely heartShe finds him but his heart has stoppedShe breaks down.
A car came screeching out of nowhere, squealing brakes and exhaust fumes. Time slowed as I looked at the pale blue car in horror, the familiar face of the driver. Hold on. Familiar face?
The car hit my side, knocking me down. My head cracked against the pavement and shooting stars zoomed across the sky. I blinked lazily, trying to work out what happened. A face swam into my vision. The familiar face. Why was it familiar? Oh yeah.
"Cat!"
That's why it was familiar.
"Ow."
"I'm so sorry!" I rolled my eyes – hey, no pain!
"The hell you are!" I growled at him.
"Are you okay?"
"Does it fucking well look like I'm okay?" I pushed him away and sat up slowly. Aaaahh, that's a bit sore. I lifted my hand sluggishly to my head and felt the stickiness there. "Naww shit." I looked at the person who had just ungraciously ran me down. He was staring at the blood, some sort of lust in his eyes.
"Just piss off will you? I'll live." I snapped irritably. He raised one finger and caught a drop of the blood. I moved away instinctively, but his gaze caught mine and I froze. Why did I have to move away? He weren't going to hurt me. I was perfectly fi…
"Shit, Stefan, you crashed my car!" I tore my eyes away from my ex's and looked up. "Woah, Cat. You alright?"
"No Damon, I am not alright. Your bloody brother just ran me over." I shoved Stefan away and stood up. And promptly nearly fell down again. I swayed into Damon's arms and he held me steady.
"Let me look at that." His fingers ran lightly over the cut on my forehead, pushing my hair out of my face, his face all tensed up.
"I'm fine. Just need Stefan here to either face up to me or piss off." I glared at Stefan. So, the first time he's spoken to me after we break up is when he runs me over in his brother's car. Go figure!
"Look, I'm sorry Cat, but it really wasn't working between us." Stefan sounded totally indifferent now, buy his eyes still looked a little wild and he kept looking at the blood on my forehead. Creep.
"Oh yeah. So instead of taking me aside and suggesting that we should just be friends, you decide to shag my best friend behind the bike shed. Dick move, einstein!" I stole the title of a FanFic I had read and threw it at him. Stefan just shrugged.
"What can I say? I'm not very good with tact." Stefan shoved his hands in his pockets and gave me a bored look.
"Since Elena, right?" Stefan's face froze in place. "I know I was just a rebound girl, right? One in a long line of many, I'm sure. But you seemed so kind, courteous, not to mention good looking. I thought you were different. But you're not are you? You just wanted Elena, who is incidentally the doppelganger of the girl you and Damon fought over. And I'm not her." I used all the knowledge of I had of him to insult and hurt him and it worked. He looked crushed.
"Come on, Cat. Let's get you away from here." I felt Damon's arms around me, pulling me away. I conceded to him and let him gently drag me away. He turned back and gave Stefan an evil look. "I liked broody Stefan better."
"Where are we going?"
"I'm taking you back to my house, so we can patch you up. I'm guessing you don't want to go to the hospital." Damon looked across at me. I shook my head. We were sitting in his car, which to his relief wasn't too badly damaged. There were just a few scratches on the bonnet, and they were easily sorted.
"I've never been to your house before. Stefan never took me over."
"Well, as you so nicely put it, you were just Stefan's rebound girl. There are too many memories in the Boarding House for him to share." Damon's voice sounded perfectly even, but I noticed his hands tighten on the steering wheel.
"Sorry if I hurt you too. You know, saying about Elena and Katherine." I suddenly realised how much it could have hurt Damon too.
"Don't mention it. I'm no stranger to rebound girls, although I much prefer to call them soriety girls." Damon smiled at me and I shut my eyes.
"Sorry."
"Don't worry." Damon looked at the road ahead, closing the subject. What can I say? I don't take hints.
"Katherine really got to both of you, didn't she?"
"Yup. Me more than Stefan though. She was very difficult to resist." Damon gave a small smile, like he had some private joke. "Then she died and Stefan got over her and I didn't and then Stefan met Elena, and he fell in love, and I came along, and I fell in love, then she went away and Stefan lost it and I just gave up." Damon looked at me, showing me everything he had lost through his eyes.
"Life's a bitch."
"Oh definitely. She strings you along and then drags you through the mud." We pulled up outside a huge old house, and Damon cut the engine. "Home sweet home."
"Woah. You have a big house."
"Welcome to the Salvatore Boarding House." Damon came round to my side of the car and opened the door. I got out and my knees gave way. Damon caught me before I hit the floor.
"Stefan hit your head pretty hard on that road, didn't he?"
"You could say that." I breathed dizzily. Damon hoisted me up in his arms and carried me towards the Boarding House, as if I weighed 8pounds rather than 8stone. He through the door that was already open and took me through to what I think he would call the living room, and what I would as-big-as-my-school-sports-hall. He dumped me on a sofa and closed the door. A face-cloth suddenly appeared in his hand and he held it out to me.
"Put it on your head. It'll clean it up a bit." I obediently started dabbing around the cut on my forehead, wincing as it stung. I saw his face, which was angled away from me. He caught me looking and gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry. Stefan and I are both a little … sensitive to blood, shall we say?" I frowned. The Salvatore's were really weird.
"O…kayyy. That's fine." I held the cloth over the cut to stem the bleeding.
"Is there anywhere else that it hurts?" Damon asked awkwardly. I could tell that he wasn't used to this whole, nice guy, thing.
"Oh, only everywhere." Damon looked worried. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. It's just a bit of blood and a couple of bruises. I don't think anything's broken." Damon didn't appear to be breathing. "So why did Stefan have your car anyway?" I tried to distract him.
"We had a little disagreement, and he took off." Damon spoke through clenched teeth. I rearranged the washcloth to cover more of the blood, thinking that he just didn't like looking at it or something.
"Doesn't he have his own car?"
"Yeah, but he correctly guessed that it would wind me up more if he took mine."
"Fair do's." I looked around, trying to find something to fill the awkward silence with. "Big house."
"Inherited."
"Oh." Every time there is an awkward silence, a gay baby is born.
"How's your head?" Damon's eyes flickered to the cut and I swore that they darkened.
"Oh, I think the blood it clotting now." I carefully dabbed it, and was relieved to find it beginning to scab over.
"Let me." Damon reached out, almost as in a trance, and gently wiped his fingers over my head. When he brought them back, they were stained red. He seemed transfixed by the blood.
"Dude, you okay?" I asked him. He didn't respond. "Damon? Hello?" His eyes never left my blood on his finger. "Earth calling Damon, do you copy?" I waved my hand in front of his eyes, and he finally snapped out of it. "Thank God! I thought you'd been possessed by alien's or something."
"Excuse me a second." Damon abruptly stood up and walked out of the room. I stared after him, confused. What was his problem?
When Damon dropped me off back at the home that evening, I was seriously suspicious. He had been acting funny all day, and it was really starting to bug me. After I had escaped Amy's worried clutches, and even more staring and digs from the chavs, I ran up the stairs two at a time and burst through my door. I slid down against the wall, hand on my head. Something was not right. I was going to find out what.
HeyyyooSo here is the next chapter of 'The Other Brother'. Soo sorry for the long wait – my life got on top of me and I got buried! I will be attempting another story soon (because of my poll), but at the minute I don't have any idea's.
But anyway! Competition time!
Because I don't really have any idea's for another Damon/O.C story at the minute, I need YOU to help. Think of a name for a story and leave it in a review. The person who leaves the best story name wins! I will then write the story with that name and alsooo…the winner will get an exclusive look at a Harry Potter fic that I have cautiously started! How cool is that? So yeah, leave your idea, and the winner will be announced at the next update.
Also, should Cat find out about the big bad 'V' word in the next chapter? You tell me…
And…..VAMPIRE DIARIES IS BACK IN THE UK! Can't wait until Tuesday for episode two!
Until next time, meine freunden….
Peace Love and Damon (and Tom Fletcher)
ThisLooksLikeAJobForMe
Saskia
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX