It was several days after I collected Hero from Laura when I heard loud voices from Elena's room. I was supposed to meet Ms. Nelson at the Grill tomorrow morning. She told me that she got an answer from her friend about my paintings yesterday. I wasn't sure what to think about it though… Did I want him to like my art or was I happy with the way it was at the moment? It would actually be pretty neat if they were interested…

"All those animal attacks, those people who died…" my sister shouted, sounding terrified. Well, it seemed as if she finally found out what the Salvatores were. It took her longer than I thought considering she's dating one of them.

"That was Damon," Stefan defended himself.

I could practically see Elena's frown "Damon?"

"Yes. I don't drink human blood," the vampire told her. The only reason I could hear them was because I was standing right under the open window to her room… I didn't really make a habit of eavesdropping on people if it's not important "That's not how I choose to survive but Damon does. I'll explain everything to you but I beg you, Elena, do not tell anybody."

"How can you ask me that?" she demanded.

Stefan sighed "Because you know this is dangerous for so many reasons. You can hate me but I need you to trust me." That was a bit of an oxymoron. I wouldn't trust anyone I hated… It would be like saying that I trusted Voldemort or Uncle Vernon or even Dumbledore. The thought alone was incredibly amusing.

"Just go," Elena sighed "Just go, please. Go. If you mean me no harm, then you'll go."

"I never wanted this," the vampire told her sincerely, climbing out of the window above me.

Just as he wanted to run off, I stepped forward "She'll come around, you know."

"Angel? You heard?"

I smiled lightly "I knew actually and Damon confirmed it before he killed Tanner. Just know that I won't tell anyone and Jay won't either."

Stefan blinked in confusion "Jeremy knows as well?"

"Our Uncle John is part of the council. He and dad told us stories about vampires and everything when we were children. They were a bit too insistent for it to be fake," I shrugged.

Stefan sighed and ran a hand through his hair "You should go back into the house. Make sure that your brother stays inside as well. Damon is out there and I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much," I told him but turned to the door nevertheless. I had promised Jay that I would tell him some more about my old life anyway. So far I had only really gotten through my childhood and my First Year at Hogwarts. It was a bit easier since he read the books as well but since there were quite some differences it took us a while to get through "Goodnight, Stefan." I stepped through the glass door and into the living room.

Half an hour later, Jeremy and I were up in his room. I put up a silencing charm and now we were curled up on his bed with both Blue and Hero to keep us company. The two dogs got along pretty well. There was a bit of jealousy when I started taking Hero with me when I went out but as soon as he saw that we were still giving him attention, Blue calmed down.

"So, what happened in your Second Year?" Jay questioned.

I thought back for a moment and sighed "Well, after the stay at the Dursleys – which ended with me locked into a room for almost a month with the bare minimum of food – I stayed at the Weasleys' until school started. It was there when I noticed that Ron was only in it for the money. He was talking to his little sister about her getting her own share once she befriends me." I went on about explaining what happened with the Chamber of Secrets and Lockhart.

Flashback

I was in detention with Professor Lockhart for flying a car to school. At the moment, he had me addressing his fan mail letters. Seriously? Why the heck do I have to do that? I would honestly rather scrub cauldrons for Snape than be in a room alone with this creep. Ever since we met in the bookshop, he hadn't left me alone. Always giving me stupid tips and whatever else he could think of.

"So, Angel," he spoke up after a few minutes of silence "Have you already managed to use some of my tips?"

I blinked up at him "No, sir."

"You really should, you know," Lockhart murmured, leaning closer to where I was sitting "Being famous is having influence."

It's not like I asked to be famous. I would rather live a normal, boring life with my parents than to be this celebrity. The worst thing was that I was pretty sure I could vaguely remember the night I almost died… No, the night I should have died "Yes, sir." I concentrated on the names and addresses in front of me, ignoring the Professor politely. Not only did I not need his help, I didn't want it either.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my arm and stared at the Professor in confusion. He had stood up, leaning over my shoulder "I was asking whether you were done."

"No, sir," I answered uncomfortably, scooting away from the man as far as I could.

"I think you did enough for today," Lockhart whispered.

Flashback End

Now, he never did anything other than being the creepy stalker he was but that's only what I remember. It was still uncomfortable when a grown man acts that way towards a twelve-year-old.

I talked and talked with Jeremy asking questions whenever he wanted to know something. In the end, we fell asleep curled together with the dogs until the next morning. A glance at the clock revealed that I only had about half an hour left before I had to go to the Grill.

"Crap," I cursed under my breath and jumped out of the bed and over to my room. I quickly threw on some clothes, readying Hero at the same time.

I arrived at the Grill completely out of breath but on time… Okay, maybe I was a few minutes late but I was almost on time. I looked around the Grill, looking for Ms. Nelson. She was over at one of the back walls in a booth already, so I walked over "Morning."

She looked up at me with a smile "Angel," she greeted.

"Have you been waiting for long?" I questioned "I overslept."

"I only arrived a few minutes ago as well, so it's no problem. Now, let's get down to business." Ms. Nelson held out a piece of paper to me with a grin "I hold here the response of my friend to your portfolio."

I hesitated before grabbing it nervously. While I was always telling myself that I didn't care what would come from this, I was terrified of them hating the stuff I painted. It might have something to do with the fact that mom and dad would always encourage me to continue and tell me that I could get far with my art… But it was a parent's job to say stuff like that, right? No matter if the paintings looked like crap or if they were amazing.

Hello Andrea,

You said that this was the work of one of your students? I mean, you said that her work was amazing but this is something else. I showed several of the paintings to the Art director of one of the museums here in New York and they were interested in displaying a few of them.

There is a show in a few months where lots of Art enthusiasts from all over the world look at artworks they would like to buy. I think your student has a good chance of earning quite a bit of money. I'd like you to tell her to send us some of her original canvas paintings within the next two weeks.

I can only say that I'm amazed and can't wait to meet this young lady.

Richard

I gaped down at the email in shock. They wanted me to… And make money? From my hobby? He liked my paintings "I…"

"You seem shocked," Ms. Nelson remarked.

I shrugged "I never thought that they would actually be interested. I mean, there have to be so many people who can do better than that."

"Be that as it may, you still have your own unique style. Your paintings have an underlying message that speaks to everyone who cares enough to understand them," she told me with an encouraging smile.

"I – I should go and… and get the canvases ready. Thank you so much for this," I whispered before I remembered something "What about New York? How will I get there?"

Ms. Nelson looked down at the print "Well, I thought that I could take you. It gives me a chance to see Rick again and you have adult supervision. The show is on a weekend, so that wouldn't be a problem."

I nodded "I'll talk to Aunt Jenna and get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you again… I still can't believe it." It was so overwhelming but a happy sort of overwhelming. I couldn't wait to tell Jenna and Jay about this. What would they say? I think mom and dad would be happy for me. Now I only had to worry about the part whether I would actually sell something.

Deciding against buying breakfast, I went back home after a small jog. When I entered, I heard Jeremy in the kitchen "Jay," I bounced "Guess what."

"They liked your paintings?" he exclaimed.

I nodded with a huge grin "If Jenna allows it, I'm going to New York soon and meet several Art collectors and everything. I might even sell some of my paintings."

My brother rushed forward and pulled me into a tight hug "See, now you just have to believe us about your work. All of us told you that what you paint looks professional."

I kissed his cheek "Thanks, brother. I'm going to go upstairs and get the canvases together… Maybe start another. How about I cook later? Aunt Jenna will most likely be back by then."

"Sure," he agreed "I like your food."

I didn't get to cook because Vicki came over to see Jeremy, acting very weird. She was extremely sensitive to the sun and generally behaved as if she had taken drugs. Matt arrived at the same time as I came down the stairs.

"Hey, Vic," the blond boy murmured "How are you doing?"

"Not good, Mattie," she sniffed "I hurt."

Matt sighed "Okay, where does it hurt?"

The next thing she said made me inhale sharply. No way… "My gums. My jaw hurts. My gum… there's something in my gums and it hurts."

"Vicki," I called to get her attention "Look at me for a moment, would you?" I stepped closer to her. My hand came up to gently cup her chin "This is bad… Do you know what happened?"

Matt and Jeremy looked at me weirdly "What happened to her? What do you know, Angel?"

"Jay, think about the stories Uncle John told us," I pointed out "Matt, I'm sorry but you should go. It's safer if you aren't here right now. Jeremy will go with you and explain, okay?"

Vicki wasn't even listening anymore. She was shaking her head, looking incredibly close to tears "Turn it off."

I immediately grabbed the remote to the TV that was on but turned down so low that I could barely hear it "Better? Vicki… Talk to me." While the two boys left, I guided the newborn vampire up the stairs into my room. I shut all the blinds, darkening the room as much as I was able to "Do you know what's going on?"

"No," she sobbed, curling up into a ball.

I knelt down in front of her "You're in transition, Vicki. You remember the man who attacked you in the woods at the party?"

"Vampire," Matt's older sister whispered "You mean he made me into one?"

"Not quite yet," I disagreed "It's your choice whether you want to complete the transition now. If you don't drink human blood within twenty-four hours of waking up, you're going to die."

"Mattie?" Vickie asked tearfully "I… I don't want to be a monster."

I closed my eyes, holding back the tears "Do you think you can hold back when I bring your brother up here? Maybe you should talk to him and then decide?"

Vickie looked up at me "I don't want to hurt him."

"If you really want to see your brother, I can protect him. You won't be able to hurt him," I assured her.

"Please."

I squeezed her shoulder and put a spell on the room, so she wouldn't be able to leave. When I was sure that she would stay in here, I closed the door behind me and ran down to where the two boys were talking "Have you told him, Jay?"

"Is she really a vampire?" Matt questioned disbelievingly.

I shook my head "Not yet. Vickie is in transition and she doesn't want to be a vampire. Listen, I'm going to go with you up to my room where you're going to talk to her. Accept her decisions. Whatever it is she'll decide, okay?"

"What do you mean?" my classmate asked, looking at me pleadingly "She's not going to die, is she?"

I took a deep breath "If she doesn't drink human blood soon, she'll die. I know that she's the only one you have left, Matt but… Anyway, come on. I don't know how long it's been for her." The younger Donovan followed me up to my room, where his sister was still curled up. I wish that I could do something for them but I couldn't. It was completely up to them now "Do you mind if I stay in here? She asked me to make sure that she can't hurt you," I murmured.

"Yeah, yeah," Matt nodded absentmindedly "Vick?"

Vicki turned her head towards her brother's voice "Mattie? I'm scared."

"I – I know," he answered "I am too. You don't want to feed, do you?"

"I'm so sorry, Mattie. I don't want to leave you like mom did but I can't live like that," she sniffled "Promise me something?"

His voice sounded suspiciously wobbly "Anything."

"Remember me like I was before?" Vickie pleaded "I should have taken care of you better… I let you down."

Matt walked closer to her and pulled his sister into a hug "I love you, Vick. You could never be like mom. Never."

I could see the older girl getting weaker by the second. Dammit, Damon. I know that you were proving a point to your brother but you shouldn't have done that. While I wasn't too close to Matt, he had been my sister's boyfriend, so I was around him for quite some time. He was an amazing boy. Caring, forgiving and smart. One day, he'll get the life he deserves, just like I did… Until then, I'm definitely going to help him as best as I could "I'll make sure, he's okay for you, Vickie. I promise." I turned to the boy "Are you sure you want to be here for this?"

Matt bit his lip and I could see how hard it was for him but he nodded "I have to."

I sighed and knelt down next to him, hugging him gently. The hug was a bit awkward but I was putting as much comfort into it as possible. It didn't take long for Vickie to still completely and once she did, Matt just broke down. I pulled him closer to me, shielding him from the view of his older sister's dead body "Come on, Matt. You don't want to stay in here." I coaxed the older boy down the stairs and into the living room "Jay, can you stay with him? I'm going to call Liz."

"Yes, Angel," Jeremy murmured, close to tears as well. He sat down on the couch next to his friend and pulled him closer. Blue joined them, comforting the two boys simply by being there while Hero attached himself to my heels. I was close to crying as well but I had to be strong for Matt, for Vickie. I failed them… The least I could do was to take care of it now.

I dialed Liz Forbes' phone number and waited until she picked up "Hello?"

"Liz, it's Angel Gilbert. I have a bit of a problem," I told her quietly.

"Angel? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly "Actually, I'm a bit busy right now. Can I call you back?"

I shook my head, knowing that she couldn't see it "It's important. You know that there are vampires in town, right?" There was a gasp at the other end of the line but I stopped her from saying anything "One of them killed Vickie Donovan. She… she refused to transition and died a few minutes ago. I don't know what to do know."

"Where are you now, sweetie?" the Sheriff's voice asked me softly, soothingly.

"At home with Jeremy and Matt. They both know as well," I murmured "Liz, please. I really need your help."

I could hear her walking and the sound of a car door closing "I'll be there in ten minutes and take care of the body. Just… hold in there, alright?"

"Okay," I whispered, handing up the phone. After several seconds of staring at the wall, I made my way back towards the two boys and curled up next to them "She'll be here soon. Matt, I –"

"Don't," he cut me off weakly "It's not your fault, Angel. And you're right… It was Vickie's choice and I can't even say that I blame her. What do you think will happen now? I'm alone."

I exchanged a look with Jay, leaning my head against the blond boy's shoulder "I'm not sure. I guess, we'll have to wait for Liz to come but Jay and I will be there for you. Always," I vowed "Plus, Jeremy makes an excellent therapist."

Matt laughed tearfully "I can imagine. Thank you, guys." Our chatter faded into silence as we were all sitting, huddled together closely.

By the time the doorbell rang the three of us were twisted together. However we actually did that, I had no idea but standing up didn't sound very appealing at the moment.

"Hero, door," I commanded and the German Shepherd mix darted off.

"Angel?" Liz called out from the direction of the front door.

I craned my neck "In here," I shouted back.

"How are you three doing?" she asked, sitting down on the coffee table.

Jeremy grimaced "How do you expect we're doing?"

"Vickie is upstairs in my room. Middle door… the dark room," I told her, locking away my emotions for the moment. I would deal with them once I was alone and Matt was feeling better. This wasn't about me now and I didn't plan on making a scene or anything. To think that just a few hours ago, I was happily thinking about New York and now…

Liz nodded "Thank you. I will take care of it and then we need to talk about your situation. Especially yours, Matt."