Hinting Beneath the Shell
"Her Escape"
Fingers so soft, feeling so deceptively familiar upon contact, traced over his skin. They danced and swirled over the bare flesh of his chest, leaving tendrils of flame in their wake. With his eyes squeezed shut along with his mind, Stefan was able to pretend it was someone else above him. He could almost make himself believe it was Elena pouring her love into his body through her touch.
Katherine sunk her nails into Stefan's neck and snapped, "This will not do!" The anger quickly faded into giggles. Gently she tried, "Open your eyes, Stefan." He ignored her coaxing, transforming her soft drawl to one more menacing. "Open. Your. Eyes. Stefan," she growled, sinking her nails further into his flesh.
Stefan's eyes snapped open and turned to Katherine. The look he gave her we filled with pure hated, but they also conveyed a question he was unable to hide. The signs were to real to ignore. Could he read her thoughts?
"Oh, Stefan, Stefan, Stefan," she teased, her usual, childish playfulness back in full swing, "didn't you know you were projecting again?" She traced a pinky nail over his lips and smiled like a cat.
A look of shock flickered across Stefan's face.
"Indeed you were, my Stefan," she said sadly. "That little girl," she began, dragging over 'little' and 'girl' like one would remove dung from a shoe, "has made you so human. It's disgusting!" she spat. "The way you've gone after that blood bag, that cow, makes me sick."
Stefan broke from Katherine's grip, allowing her to pull some of the skin from his neck in the process. He ignored the pain and instead focused on pinning the vampiress beneath him. Succeeding, he grabbed both of her arms and also pinned them to the bed.
Her eyes became dark and she bucked upward against him.
"Oh Stefan! I do love it when you take control like this," she purred.
"You. Will. Not. Speak. About. Elena. Like. That," he said carefully, attempting to keep a grip on his quickly fading control. Stefan hated Katherine nearly as much as he loved Elena, but he didn't want to kill her. He had promised himself that he would help her find her humanity. Of course, if the beast within him was released he couldn't be certain that he could keep that promise.
Katherine easily broke from Stefan's grip and flipped him over so that she was the one pinning him to the bed.
"I know you never planned on turning her," she said slowly, letting the words hang in the air.
There was something in those words. Beneath it lingered a dangerous threat, Stefan couldn't ignore. He could taste it like raw meat on his tongue. It was nauseating and, at the same time, absolutely terrifying. Stefan could almost hear her add, "but accidents happen." Almost.
The male vampire hid his fear well, as he had put walls in his mind up to keep Katherine out, but she knew him better then any other. She was beneath his skin and even though he was hiding himself so well now, she could feel his emotions like they were her own. Katherine loved him, she simply knew it to be true and she wanted him to be happy with her. Still, his worry was delicious to her. It was the first sign of him breaking.
Katherine smiled to herself. Her plans were already unfolding. She would have Stefan, but first she would break him. She would break him to save him and then he would be all hers.
Fall break came like a breath of fresh air to the drowning girl. She needed so much to just get away from Mystic Falls. Even if it was only for a week, Elena needed to just be a normal girl on vacation. No vampires, no dopplegangers, no werewolves, no magic and, most of all, no Salvatore brothers. Now, more than ever, for the first time in a long time Elena had come to realize that she needed to be alone.
Elena finished packing her large, brown suitcase to the brim. She added her diary to the top and was just able to squeeze the luggage shut, with a snap of the clasps. Pulling it off the bed and onto the floor, she was so thankful that Jenna had give her a bag with wheels. The thing was so full of options that anyone else opening it may have mistaken it for Caroline's.
Caroline and Bonnie. Elena would miss her two best friends immensely! They were going on a vacation to the Florida Keys - an effort that had taken months upon months of saving up on all of their parts. Of course, Elena had planned on going with them as well, but, due to the recent traumatic events which were dangerously moving into normal territory for her, the girl found she just couldn't bear going right now. Undoubtably, she would be like a raincloud carrying them all down. No. She needed to go somewhere alone.
The dreary girl smoothed some clear lip gloss on her lips and gave herself a once over. Smiling in satisfaction at her reflection, Elena grabbed the handle of her luggage and made her way out the door. Jeremy popped up when she passed his door and carried the bag down the stairs for her, ignoring her objections entirely.
"Thanks," Elena said quietly, smiling in affection. The siblings had their ups and downs, with quite a few fall-outs added to the mix, but in the end of the day, they loved each other.
Jeremy just shrugged and carried the suitcase out the door to Jenna's car. Their aunt was letting Elena use the Gilbert's only car for the break.
Elena excitedly waited, her hand extend away from her body with the palm tautly held open. After a moment, she began tapping her foot causing Jenna to raise her eyebrows. The aunt gave her niece an, "are you serious?" look, which the teenager responded to by throwing her hands in the air in a show of exasperation. Jenna laughed and held the keys out, which Elena snatched instantly.
"Be safe," Jenna insisted, as Elena began running for the door. The girl turned around and quickly engulfed her aunt into a strong hug, sealed with a quick peck on the cheek.
"I will. Thanks!" the girl mumbled before tearing out the front door and bolting toward the car.
"You're all set," Jeremy said, loudly smacking the car's trunk once with his hand.
"Thanks, Jer!"
The brother allowed himself to be pulled into a tight hug. After awhile, just before Elena could pull away he tightened his grip around her.
"Be safe, okay?" he said, his tone serious. For a split second Elena thought she was hugging her Father. Jeremy sounded so much like the man and Elena's heart both cracked and soared.
"Of course!' she laughed, smiling brightly at her little brother. He really was becoming a man. Elena knew it was because of this that she could trust him to keep Jenna safe while she was gone.
They broke apart. Elena made her way toward the door on the driver's side and yanked it open. She quickly hopped into the seat and couldn't keep herself from bouncing up and down. Jeremy laughed at her childish antics and she stuck her tongue out at him.
'I can't believe I am going on a road trip by myself!' Elena thought, excitedly.
The car pulled out of the driveway, carrying a waving, giddy Elena along with it. Jeremy and her aunt, who was still on the porch, waved back. Sadly, she pulled her face away from her only remaining family and set her sights on the trip. Smiling, she accelerated forward, beginning her trip, her precious escape.
A/N: Now where did Damon get off to?
The response for the last chapter was nil. I'm hoping this one is a little more up to your standards. I know everyone wants to see Elena and Damon together… believe me, it's coming and it'll be worth the wait. I'm just trying to make it seem more realistic. After all, Damon has done many unforgivable things to Elena, her friends and her family, which he hasn't shown much remorse about… yet.
I need feedback. Read and Review. Thanks :D!
~ Lucine Raven
