With one hard hit I sink the eight ball into the pocket and beat Tyler at pool. An excited grin sneaks onto my face. When Tyler sees my grin he rolls his eyes playfully at me. I may have won the game, but Tyler succeeded on giving my mind some temporary peace. The pressure of reality had been relieved and for a quantity of time my only aim was to beat Tyler at pool.
Earlier when we walked into the grill I had been disassociated with the world going on around me. It was like I was in auto pilot mode, my body making the moves, but no thoughts were going into those actions. Since finding my birth certificate I have been trying to make sense of my more than complicated life.
My mother told me long ago that she gave me my father's last name, because that is what he would have wanted. Yet, she didn't put his name on my brith certificate? A girl identical to myself is emerging in my dreams, trying to advise me in life without giving me the answers I want. And to top it all of I have powers that make me think I am a witch. However, I have this ever-present feeling there is more to me than that. Somehow I opened a door to all the unknowns in my past, and now I couldn't close it.
Walking into the grill, Tyler could tell I was only half listening to what he was saying. With one look he knew that all of this was upsetting me, even if he didn't know what 'all if this' was, so he suggested we play pool. Tyler knew what most people didn't.
I will deny it if someone points it out, but I can be a tad competitive. Only my closet friends know that, and they all think 'it's adorable' that someone sweet like me can get competitive. Tyler knew a good competitatin would distract me from what ever it was bothering me. And I can't lie, beating Tyler Lockwood at something did make me feel a little better.
Tyler leans his pool stick on the table and walks over to me. A burst of color burst out onto my cheeks as he comes close to me. My arms wrap around his neck when he stops in front of me.
"You cheated somehow." Tyler teases, pinning me between him and the pool table. His arms are on both sides of my waist, and all I can smell is his strong cologne. The smell of woods and musk dances past my noise, making me smile. I look up into his brown eyes, wondering how after sixteen years we finally ended up together. All through middle school and high school I had a silly school girl crush on him, but he hadn't seemed interested; that is until now.
Tyler goes to lean and kiss me, but someone interrupts by clearing their throat.
"When did you guys become a thing?" I look past Tyler to see Matt walking our way, hands in pocket and a toothy smile on his face.
Even though Matt looks a little surprised at Tyler and I being together, I know he is happy about it. Matt always teased me about having a crush on Tyler when we were younger. Often he would try to insinuate that we should be a thing.
With a big grin, I wiggle out of Tyler's grip and walk over to give Matt a hug. Matt laughs, embracing me in his arms. Being around him and Tyler put me in the best mood now.
"Things happen when you keep two people waiting. Man, you said you would be here two hours ago!" Tyler complains to Matt, with his arms crossed.
"Oh hush Ty, you barely noticed he was missing. Tyler was too busy trying to figure out how I was crushing him at pool." I laugh, giving Tyler a playful wink. Matt puts his arm around my shoulder announcing that he taught me everything I know; which is true. Matt used to hate playing with me because I was that bad, so he taught me a couple tricks.
"Hey guys, have you seen Stefan?"
Tyler, Matt, and I all look over to see Elena walking towards us. She looks slightly annoyed and also a tad concerned. I had almost forgotten that Stefan and Elena are supposed to meet here tonight. Stefan must be late, which probably means Damon did something to get under his skin.
Elena and Stefan have been bickering back and forth since the Founder's Party. Stefan keeping secrets from her is slowly eating at their relationship. Elena has been trying to make it seems like it's not effecting her, but I can tell it is. After everything that has happened to her in the last year, I never thought I would see her be the ever-glowing happy person she used to be. Then Stefan came along, and she has become happier than ever been. I would hate for that go away.
"We haven't seen him." Elena quietly nods her head, starting to walk away, but Matt stops her. "But hey, would you wanna kill some time and help me beat Lia and Tyler at pool." Matt smiles one of his cute smiles at her. Our group of friends has been somewhat divided these days. Seeing Elena next to Matt, Matt trying to be cute, brought back nice memories. Memories of when life had been a tad more simple.
Elena goes to turn down the offer, but I egg her on. "C'mon when is the last time all four of us have hung out together? Can you even remember the last time all of us were together?"
It had been before Elena and Matt even dated. I think Caroline forced us all to some party or something. That night was the first time I had ever been drunk, so the details are a little hazy. I just remember a small group of us were sitting by a bonfire making s'mores. Bonnie, and I were laughing over something small, because both of us were more than tipsy. Everything seemed funny to us in that moment. Caroline was telling us about this guy she thought was 'soooo good looking'. Tyler, Matt, and Elena were sitting on a log across from Bonnie and I. They were talking about something embarrassing that had happened to Matt earlier. I remember looking around, thinking how great it was that we have grown up together. How through all the years we stayed close. I looked over at Bonnie that night and told her that we could withstand anything together; we were those people that would raise our own kids together.
"Guess who was prancing around my house this morning?" Elena says with disgust. Blinking away the memory, I give her a questioning look. "Vikki, she was walking around the house all nonchalant about hooking up with my little brother."
That is a sight I am glad I was not around to see. I like to think Jeremy is still Elena's innocent kid brother, even if that's no longer true.
Matt face morphs into a look as if he just tried a lemon for the first time. He leans over the pool table to take his turn, since Elena had taken the first shot. "Yeah, that's weird. Next topic."
"How late is Stefan right now?" Tyler sneers, causing me to jab him in the stomach with my elbow. Tyler is still not a fan of Stefan's, considering he had just walked onto the football team and become the star member.
"Ty, don't be rude." I tell him, pulling out my phone that was vibrating. Speak of the vampire, and he shall call. "Hey, I have to take this call."
As I exit the grill I look around to make sure none of them followed me. I hate being sneaky, but if Stefan was calling me it was definitely going to have something to do with Damon. "Hey, everything okay?"
"Damon just tried to kill Zach. I hate to bother you, but I am supposed to be at the grill meeting Elena-"
"Stefan stop talking, it's fine." I assure him. "Let's just trade places. You come here and I will babysitting Damon. You shouldn't let him steal your happiness."
I hear Stefan let out a sigh of relief. Stefan has been wound up tight since he put Damon in their basement. I felt bad for Stefan, because unlike me, he was stuck at the house for most of the day just watching Damon slowly become weaker and weaker. I had been able to help, along with somewhat balance my normal day to day life.
"I will be there soon. Thank you Lia, I mean it."
Tyler was slightly agitated when I told him I had to cut our hanging out short. I told him I made a promise to help someone out with a project of theirs some time ago, and that I couldn't just break that promise. Lying to him made me feel bad, but Stefan deserves a break from our homicidal vampire in town, Damon. Also, I still had a ton of things on my mind that Damon may or may not be willing to help me out with.
Before I open the door to his cell, I put up the invisible barrier. Wouldn't want to become a personal blood bag to a famished vampire. Not that I think Damon would do that. He has had ample opportunity to hurt me if he wanted and he never has.
"Back already? Even desiccated I must be attractive." Damon's chuckle is pathetic sounding. I can tell he is deteriorating more and more by the day. A pang of guilt sounds in my chest and I try not to let him see that seeing him like this makes me feel bad.
"Well when someone tries to kill their uncle when their brother is supposed to be on a date, I guess am the one to call to help babysit." I sit down, pulling my knees to my chest. I watch his chest struggle to rise and fall; his body fighting to be able to function properly.
"You know Violet was a lot more loving and understanding than you are." Damons words don't hurt me. I too had noticed she treated him with a kindness that seemed beyond friendship, almost motherly.
"Did you love her?" The question had been weighing heavily on my mind. Had Damon been in love with my look alike? I had never seen a face like the one he made when he looked into her child's eyes. Something about that look told me when Damon cared, he cared more deeply than most.
"Not in the way you are thinking. When I first met her, I didn't understand her. She was always so motherly, and it could be annoying." Damon laughs under his breath, and as he takes a deep breath in, his ocean blue eyes connect with my bright blue ones. "But, I learned it was only because she loved with everything in her. In her eyes you could do no wrong, through everything she would love you just the same. I think she cared for me more than my own parents."
Moments of silence pass between the two of us. From what I have seen, I could tell that every word Damon had forced out was true. Violet had treated Damon like he was someone she needed to bring under her wing and nurture.
Damon's eyes close shut, as if he is relishing in a memory of her. It would be nice to see what he is seeing, but I leave him alone. No matter what he does, from the what I have seen in my flashbacks of her, I know there is a good person in him.
"Have you lost control since the Founder's Party?"
I tilt my head to the side, seeing Damon is once again looking my way. After the Founder's Party I had worn that locket I found in my storage locker and the ring Stefan gave me everyday, hoping a connection to my past would help keep my emotions calm and so far it is working.
"No, I think I am learning control."
"Nope."
I furrow my eyebrows together at him disagreeing with me. He must know something I don't.
"That ring is what is keeping you in control. Violet told me without it her powers would have outbursts. You want to be able to conceal who you are from others? Never take it off." Damon's eyes closed. His breathing was getting slower and slower. This time I don't think he is remembering things. This time I think he is slowly losing touch with reality.
I stand up and break the barrier as I walk towards the door. A groan comes from behind me, my noise from closing the door must have woken him.
"I am not dying in here Lia. And when I get out we have work to do."
"Tell me, is he good in bed?" Caroline gives me this teasing smirk and I throw my beach cover-up I was showing her at her face.
She ducks, barely dodging it, not that the thin red fabric would have done any damage at all. "I haven't slept with Tyler, Caroline. We haven't even been together that long!"
We are deciding on what to wear for the "Sexy Suds" charity drive. Caroline is being insistent that I wear a two piece without shorts. Meaning the cover-up that I had thrown at her is not allowed.
"Okay, but the sexual tension has always been there." Caroline rolls her at me, picking out a nice blue two piece that I had gotten towards the end of the summer. I did adore it, but wearing it and washing a car, like some playboy bunny made me feel slightly uncomfortable.
"If I wear it, I am not taking off my shorts Car. I don't want wash cars just in my two piece." I reach over and take the hanger from her, and hold it under my arm. Biting at my bottom lip I am hoping she allows me to break the two piece only rule.
"Ugh fine Lia. If you need to wear shorts, then you can wear them! But it is not necessary, because you look great without them!" I look over at Caroline with a small grin. It's always nice to have people compliment you.
When I look her way I see Caroline scrunch her face together, slowly shaking her head. "Car, you okay?"
I try to walk towards her, she backs away from me to go sit on her bed. Both of her hands brush her hair back. "It's nothing...I...uh. I am fine."
"Maybe you should lay down and get some sleep." I tell her, sitting on the bed next to her to rub her back. Caroline looks at me her blue orbs show a cocktail of being scared and confused. And I have no idea why.
"Do you guys think Caroline has been acting strange today?" I finish squeezing the excess water water out of my sponge and look up to see Matt staring broodingly at Elena and Stefan, whom are talking by the pay station. Bonnie seemed to have walked over there to grab some more towels.
Every since last night Caroline has been acting kind of funny. She's been acting almost paranoid, looking over her shoulder and other strange things like that. No one else has seemed to pick up on it except me.
I plunge my fist into the cold water, grabbing the hose that was sitting in it. Putting a kink in the hose, I pull it out and point it towards Matt. Letting the hose unkink, the frigid water sprays all over him.
"Lia! What the heck!" Matt, now drenched in water, looks over at me with a annoyed expression. An expression that ceases to exist when he see's I am bent over laughing at him. My arms wrap around my stomach as I giggle to myself. I find myself leaning against the car, so I won't fall over from laughter.
A car pulls towards us as Bonnie comes back, more towels and sponges in hand. "I leave you two alone for two seconds and when I come back one of you is soaked. This is a charity event, not a waterworks place." Bonnie kids, giving Matt a look. Matt points at me, like a child tattling on his younger sibling.
"I think three people to one car is excessive. Especially if that one guy over there is washing a car by himself." Tiki sneers at us with her hands on her hips, tilting her head in the direction of the guy.
Bonnie gives Tiki an unwelcoming frown, the three of us don't always get along. Tiki believes she should be captain, so when Caroline isn't watching she tries to boss us around. I try to stray away from confirmation and just do what she says, but Bonnie actually has a back bone. Bonnie stands up to her, not allowing her to push us around. What would I do without Bonnie?
When I look around to see the lonesome guy, I see she is talking about Stefan. If it makes Tiki happy, and doesn't cause a public argument, why not just give her what she wants? "Don't worry Tiks, I will help him out." I force a nice smile, and tell Bonnie and Matt I will see them later.
The warm air kisses my skin, making me feel comfortable in just my bikini and shorts. My long white-blonde hair tumbles down my shoulders in waves. I feel like I should be on a beach right now, drinking a mango icy.
Stefan looks my way when he hears me coming. It's strange, normally when I don't know people too well I would feel self conscious in this attire, but with Stefan looking at me I don't feel that way at all.
"So, how did last night go?" I hold my hand out, offering to take the sponge from him. He complies, handing me one and then leaning over the nearby bucket to pull out another one.
"Good, it went good. Thanks again for helping me out. Did you have any problems with Damon?"
"We are trying to trust each other, right?" I stop cleaning the car window, glancing over at Stefan. He nods his head at me, ring water out of his new sponge. "Then I think I should tell you Damon showed me something the other night..."
"Was it what happened to Violet?" Stefan pauses for a second, his eyes filling with regret.
"Yeah, yeah it was." I rest my hip against the car, my voice soft. The flashback plays over again in my head. Violet would rather have died than hurt Stefan. A person doesn't do that for just anyone. Stefan was special to her, and from the look in his eyes, she was just as special to him.
"I wasn't always a good guy Lia. I am sorry for what I did to her." Stefan sighs, walking towards me.
"But you are now. You saved me that night in the hospital, after Damon attacked Vikki. Didn't you?" Stefan nods his head at me, taking in every word. "Jeremy told me my head injury had been pretty serious. Since being found I hadn't been conscious and then that day when you were visiting I just woke up. As for Violet, I can't except your apology, but I am sure she would never have let you say sorry. You didn't mean to hurt her, the blood lust got to you."
"Bonnie..." Stefan looks past my in utter shock. Bonnie? What did she have to do with Violet?
"Bonnie?" Stefan grabs my shoulder to turn me around. Turning towards what he was talking about my eyes latch onto the to scene unfolding before me. Bonnie is standing feet in front of a car that is engulfed with flames. Everyone around her is fleeing. Panic spreads through me and I race over to her, my hands grip her arm as I put myself between her and the car.
"Bonnie! C'mon we have to move!" Bonnie doesn't move, her body frozen in place. Her face is scrunched together in anger, her eyes narrowed, and her hands in fists. People around us are screaming and running away from us, but I won't leave Bonnies side. Stefan tries pulling the both of us away but, a realization has come over me, and I too am stuck in place. It dawns on me that this fire isn't a danger to Bonnie, because she is the one who caused it.
I grasp one of Bonnies in both of mine. Taking a deep breath in, I focus on the car. Please let this work, please. A pulsing wave of white light shots from me, putting out the flames. Bonnie gasps breaking out of her trance.
"Did I do that...Was that me?" Tears spill from her terrified eyes, and I don't say a word.
Stefan must have nodded, because she wraps her hand in her hair, not knowing what to do.
"Lia, Stefan, please don't tell anyone." Bonnie runs from me, and when I try to follow Stefan holds me back.
"We can't help her with this."
A crushing feeling fills my chest. Bonnie has no idea what's happening to her. I should be there for her. I should tell her the truth, but I knew that wasn't for me to do.
"No one saw what I did?" I look up to Stefan, my eyes clouded with unshed tears. If people saw what I had done they wouldn't understand. The last thing I needed was people trying to figure out what I was. I am not even sure what I am.
"You put out the fire?"
"Yea."
Stefan brings me into a hug. I rest my face on his clothed chest, wrapping my arms around his back. Maybe I was the only one who could see the white light.
The drive to the boarding house is silent. The car gliding down the road was the only sound that filled the quiet. When we went to leave Sexy Suds I asked if I could see Damon, and Stefan agreed. For some reason the only person I want to talk to about my day is Damon. It doesn't make sense, but that's how I feel.
As we pull up in the driveway I notice the door to the house is wide open. Dread fills me, and I can feel that something bad has happened since we were here last. Before the car fully comes to a stop, I unbuckle myself. Stefan shouts my name when I open the door, tumbling over myself to jump out of the car.
"Damon!" I yell, running into the boarding house, towards the basement stairs.
Bounding down the steps, my mind plays out every scenarios of all the things that may have gone wrong. Turning the corner to the second round of steps I see exactly what did. The door to the cell Damon was in is open, and laying beside it is Zach Salvatore. Blood pooled around his body, and his skin was ghostly pale.
Leaning on the wall for support, I try not to collapse on the ground with a scream. This is not something I thought I would see, another life taken by the hands of Damon. The tears I had kept in at the car wash flow down my face.
Stefan appears beside me, pulling my back into his chest with one arm. For a couple seconds neither of us move. My hands grip tightly onto his arm, the only support I have, because my body feels weak.
With one swift movement Stefan picks me up, and in a blink of an eye we are in the living room. He lets me go, running to one of the book cases. Quickly, he opens drawer after drawer.
"Stefan, what are you doing." I brush the tears from my face, collecting myself.
"I am going to kill him." Stefan pulls out a wooden steak. Right now I should feel relieved that if Stefan kills Damon no one else will die from his hands, but the only the I feel is horror. Damon can't die; I don't want Damon to die.
"Stefan no! Don't do this. It's not what you want." Stefan walks towards the front door, and I sprint to catch up with him.
"Of course it's not what I want, but it's needed. Damon isn't the person you think he is Lia! There is no humanity left in him."
"Yes, there is. I swear there is."
"Lia." Stefan's hand lands on the door knob, his voice harsh. "Damon has to die."
The door opens and we both stop in our tracks.
"What are you!" Elena shouts at the both of us.
A clatter sounds when Stefan drops the wooden stake to the ground. Elena looks over at me, finally realizing I am beside him.
"Lia? Stefan what's going on?"