"You girls have improved a lot in the last few days, you should be proud of yourselves." Bonnie's grandma said as we all sat down to rest. Sweat beaded across my forehead from the effort of lifting the couch and setting it back down.
"Grams, can you teach us that aneurism trick, the one against vampires?" I picked my head up and looked at Bonnie. What was she talking about?
"There is a spell that can basically set fire to a vampire's mind. It's a good thing to know when you're, you know, a witch. Especially since the vampires are returning to Mystic Falls." Sheila nodded along, agreeing with Bonnie's words.
"Stand up, Hayley." I pulled myself from the overstuffed armchair I was resting in, and she began to instruct me on the spell.
"So I just picture an actual fire encircling their brain?" I asked. Sheila nodded and I grabbed my bag. It was almost time for school.
"Thank you so much, Sheila, it's been a great help." I hugged her. She nodded and pulled away.
"Why doesn't Elena come?"
"Elena doesn't think that she's a witch. I just told her that maybe her powers are coming in late but…Sheila, why did that woman, Katherine, look like Elena?" She didn't answer me as she ushered me and Bonnie out of the house.
"That was weird." Bonnie muttered as we got in her car and drove to the school.
We pulled in and hopped out right to see Caroline.
"Party at the Mystic Grill tonight, see you there?" She abruptly walked away and Bonnie and I shared a look.
"I'll go if you go?" I asked. She nodded and we made our way to our first class. I slept through English and half of Chemistry, but decided to pay attention in History. Half way through that class, I knocked out.
Each and every time I took a nap, a memory displayed in my mind, yet these memories did not contain any of my family or friends. They were of a woman with long brown hair and grey eyes like mine, a man with sandy blond hair and warm brown eyes, and a young boy with the man's blonde hair and the woman's steely eyes. It was evident that these people were my family. The memories were usually of family vacations: Disney World, the Grand Canyon, day trips around downtown Nashville.
The last one was that of a funeral. I remember the smell of rain in the air as the pastor lowered the lid of the casket on the woman with my eyes. I remember the ache in my chest when I went back to school and everyone asked me how I was.
"Come on Miss Gilbert, school has ended." My Spanish teacher tapped my shoulder. I nodded and left the classroom looking for Bonnie.
"Are you okay? You've slept through all you're classes today and I didn't see you at lunch.
"Yeah, I was sleeping in the library." I muttered as we reached my locker. I traded books and grabbed a couple pens.
"Why are you so tired? Is it the morning session with Grams? Because I can tell her that it's draining you, I mean, Hayley you look like hell." I nodded my thanks, but shook my head.
"No, it's different, and I have these dreams, but they're like memories." I whispered.
"Okay…so?"
"Well, they're not my memories. I mean, they are, I feel like they are, but they don't consist of anybody here in Mystic Falls. It's like I've lived a whole different life and it's leaking through." I shook my head and shot her a smile as we got into her car.
"It's probably nothing." She agreed and we drove home in silence. When we pulled up to my house I sighed and told Bonnie I would see her at the party.
'Should I pick you up?"
"No, I'll probably go with Elena." She nodded and left. I opened the door and scoped out the living room and kitchen to see if anyone else was home. There was no call
"Wow." I said softly when I opened the door. Lilies were literally everywhere. Dozens of bouquets were scattered across my room. I touched the petals of one and smelled them. I sighed and turned around, running straight into Damon.
"Forgive me?" He asked a smirk on his face. I frowned. This behavior was not typical of Damon. I mean, getting a girl flowers?
"You know, this is really cliché?" I asked and set my bag down. I moved the lilies off my bed and set them on the desk. There were tons of them around the room and the smell was intoxicating.
"I wanted to say sorry for last night…I was very frustrated." He grumbled and ran a hair through his black hair, causing it to stick up in disarray. Oh how I longed to run my hands through those black waves.
"That was evident." I turned to my closet and tried to pick out an outfit. Time to spice it up! I winced and remembered every party I had gone to with Ella. Those would be her exact words before we raided our closets. I sighed and picked out a floral body-con dress.
"Are going to except my apology?" He asked. I ignored him and looked thoughtfully at the design.
"Hayley." He lifted my chin up by one of his fingers and pressed his mouth to mine. I scowled and shoved him off of me.
"Stop! Why do you always ruin it? Why can't we be just friends?" I asked. I was furious. He can't just call me a tease, and even though I had very strong feelings for him and I wanted to jump his bones every time he did his little eye thing, where he scans your body and lifts an eyebrow quizzically. It got my heartbeat racing every single time. I laid a hand to my chest and took a deep breath.
"You want this, Hayley. Just stop fighting it." He said as he cupped my face, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs.
"This is wrong. I know you Damon; you're going to use me like you used Caroline. I'm going to have feelings for you and you won't even think about returning them. I can't Damon." I felt the tears build in my eyes and the lump form in my throat.
I gathered all my courage and spoke very quietly. The tears were spilling over my cheeks before I even started talking.
"Everyone leaves me Damon. I'm trying to put walls up to protect myself, but you always come in and destroy them, every damn time. How am I to protect myself when every time you look at me, my pulse starts to race and my heart thuds in my ears? How am I supposed to feel when you move on to another girl, but I've already invested my trust and…love into you?" I shook his hands off and wiped my face.
"Hayley…" I looked up at him, and he was completely speechless. I opened the door to my room.
"Please, Damon, unless you are here to stay and take me seriously, and not as just a hook up…I need you to leave. I need you to leave now so I can save myself the heartbreak." I looked at him as he stuck his hands into his pockets. He didn't move.
"Don't you dare stand there and pretend to contemplate it. You have to go." I was whispering now, my voice hoarse from the emotions I was trying to hold back. My face was red from the embarrassment of revealing my feelings to him. He quickly covered his face with a smirk and walked out, brushing past me on the way.
I sighed and closed the door. I heard the front door slam and I slid down the door. After taking a few deep breaths, I grabbed the towel I had used last night and headed to the bathroom start getting ready.
