Happy Veteran's Day! I have no clue where they hold the boy auction. I would check with the actual episode, but the TV is being preoccupied by someone else so the high school gym will have to do in this story - sorry for the inaccuracy. With Heidi, she is learning firsthand on not to trust people so easily. She is a gullible person so basically, whatever happens in the chapter are the consequences of her choice to be with Elijah. She'll struggle with her feelings on whether she can trust them or not. What Niklaus did was kind of like teaching her a lesson in other words. You'll hopefully understand with more interaction between Heidi and the Originals. Am I losing any dazzle in my writing? Just curious. Anyways, thanks for reading this far! Thanks for the review/s! Enjoy it, read it, and review it if you can! -Lady Shiri
Chapter Twelve
Passing Of Time
-Mystic Falls, Virginia-
2009
I watched as the car disappeared at the next turn. The moment I took another step on the pathway early morning, I was encased in a hug. I breathed in the smell of French vanilla with the soothing scent of honey. Caroline. "Oh, my gosh. I just heard about what happened," she told me sadly. "Elena called."
"Of course," I muttered rather bitterly.
Hush up, it's not her fault, I scolded myself.
Everyone made bad bets throughout their lives and this was one of them. Unfortunately, the cost had been Sheila's life and Damon's Katherine wasn't even in that damn tomb. I had spent the night over Bonnie's holding on to her curled figure and waiting for her dad to arrive to take my place. It had been a long night and I barely slept a wink when her dad came, carrying Bonnie's sleeping figure to her room before giving me a somewhat quiet ride here. I found out his name was Rudy Hopkins; he asked who I was, why I was there, and how I knew his family. I answered as simply as I could, trying hard to blink back the tears and need of sleep.
Caroline pulled away from me. She was wearing pajama shorts and a tank top, her hair in a low ponytail. "You alright?"
Before I could answer, my younger brother walked out of the house and took Caroline's spot. Ignoring my weary expression, he pulled me into another hug. Why are they giving me hugs so much? "I was worried after Elena's phone call. What were you doing there anyways?"
"I was hanging out with Bonnie."
"We waited for you," Caroline told me. We all glanced up at the darkened sky. From the looks of it, it was only three in the morning.
Winslow inspected for any wounds, pleased that he found none. "You feel okay?"
"Yes."
"You're all sweaty." My second cousin stared at me incredulously. "Are you wearing Elena's clothes?"
"I am, thanks for noticing." I snapped sarcastically, pushing away from Winslow. Disregarding the hurt on her face, I marched into the house. "Now if everyone can just go back to whatever you guys were doing, I'll be going to my room."
I heard Winslow comfort Caroline about my snappy attitude before I slammed the door behind me. Leaving Elena's clothes in piles on the floor, I changed into more comfortable pajamas. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I found myself slipping out of my room and into the bathroom in silence. The lights were still turned on in the living room and if I listened hard enough, I could hear the soft murmurings of my family. They were worried for me, but I didn't really understand what for. Bonnie was the one who had lost a family member; for all they knew, I never even spoke to Sheila before.
Washing my face and hands until my skin turned pink, I dried myself with a towel and took out the contacts from my eyes. Freak of nature, a voice whispered in my ears as I met the weak gaze of my reflection.
They were not murky green as they once were but unusual mixtures of color. Unsurprisingly, they were one of the things Father had always complained about me when I was a child, but as I grew up, I began to care less for my father's words and openly proclaimed my favor for their eccentricity. My stare lowered the the jewelry on my neck - the choker Sheila had given me, and I pressed my thumb on the pendant slowly as if it were the last time; the light thrums of energy gave me small comfort.
Because it would be, I thought with a frown, untying the knot. This reminded me of Sheila too much, adding uneasiness into the bottom of my stomach every time I looked at it.
My neck strangely felt bare, but I paid no attention to that. At the back of the flower, I noticed extra thin engravings of two names I had never seen before - Laelia and Nikanor.
Who are they? Did she see this before? I was too exhausted to answer my own questions and went to my bedroom, hiding the choker at the bottom of my jewelry case before going to my bed. It was the first night in ages that I slept without forgotten dreams, but as much as I wanted unadulterated rest, it was also the first time I felt so empty in Mystic Falls.
-The New World-
1024
Pound. Pound. Pound.
I could barely hear anything against my panicked heartbeat as I raced blindly across the trees, flinching at every passing shadow that I crossed. Whether they may be trees or thickets, I did not know the difference between safety and danger anymore. Who knew what hid behind them? The instinctive attack I had made on my own uncle had drained me tremendously and I could barely call on my power to help me. I had been a fool to disregard my instincts. Why did I ever trust such a creature, particularly one who had already claimed itself as a monster of death?
A squeal left my lips when my feet tangled into the vines and my hand scraped against the base of the tree, drawing blood. My breath got caught in my throat when Niklaus' voice was closer than I imagined it to be. "Heidi, I can hear your heart."
Staying on the ground, I pressed myself under the bushes in a pathetic attempt to hide. I wished the ground would swallow me whole and keep me hidden until the day ended, keeping me away from this living nightmare. Who would come to save me now? Where was Elijah? Even Henrik? There were too many unanswered questions I allowed Elijah to evade. This was of my own fault for my impulsive choice and my lack of conviction, even with my reckless belief that Niklaus was half as moral as his older brother. "I did not expect you to hide," he called out teasingly. I bit back an urge to scream. "Hmm, is that your blood I smell?"
I backed deeper into the bush and jumped to my feet when another round of sounds echoed through the forest; I wanted to stay but a voice told me to continue running. He is near. Holding back my sobs, I dashed to my left and cringed when I accidentally smacked the edge of my cheek against a branch I did not see. Something trickled down my jaw though I paid the wound no attention.
A cool breeze rushed past me, my skirts picking up at the gust. "You spoil the game," he whispered in my ear.
Whirling around, my eyes landed on empty space. I reminded myself of his extra abilities of speed and strength. A nimble shadow flashed around the area in wide circles, too fast for my searching stare to catch. "Y-You are playing with me,"
"Tis part of the chase." His voice was far away though I had no doubt he could catch up. I turned and raced into thickets of greens and browns with Niklaus speaking behind me, "Do you wish it to end so soon? I can only hope not."
Picking up my pace, I emerged into a flat small field of grass. It looked like a trap in disguise, but I preferred being in plain view compared to running back to where Niklaus was taunting me. Freedom appeared to be on the other side when I saw a smoke trail somewhere near the field. Someone is there.
Forcing back hope, I only made it halfway when my body slammed into something - or someone. I opened my eyes to see a girl standing above me, much to my relief. She had cuts around her face and her plain dress was torn and stained with what looked to be blood. Her dark skin, long thick hair, and an angular face made her a fierce beauty compared to the other girls in my village, and I recognized her. "A-Anika?"
Her dark brown eyes looked down at me in surprise. "Heidi?" She gasped, her foreign tongue mispronouncing my name.
Before I could ask questions as to why she was here, dread filled her features. She reached down and yanked me to my feet with ease, pulling me with her as she ran to the opposite direction. Anika was stronger than any average girl, but she did not seem to be similar to Niklaus or Elijah. A strange feeling flooded through my body at her touch. It was not hostile, but it was also not welcomed. Was she something else? I nearly tripped on my own two feet, and it would have been unwise of me to for it looked as if she would have dragged me along with her, either standing or on the ground.
She yelled in her native language, "We must leave! It is not safe here."
"Wait, Anika!" I warned her wearily, somewhat fluent after many years of dealing with trade. "It is safer here than there. Trust my words."
With an angered scoff, she led me straight ahead - neither left or right. I did not have breath to talk over my labored breathing, but I was amazed that she did. "Do not believe the lies of those people, Heidi! The travelers - they are not of this nature! Oh, what I have seen in these mornings alone!"
I knew she spoke of Elijah and his family. My hand slipped from hers and I slowed to a jog. "Do you know of what they are?" I asked with a hint of revelation.
"Monsters! Creatures of the shadows!" She let out a cry of frustration when we both heard something nearby and jerked me to a random direction away from the noise. Our pants did not bring enough air into our lungs and soon my mouth went dry. "They had taken me from my village only nights ago and-"
Anika let out a gasp when three people suddenly stood in front of us, two brown-haired men and a green-eyed woman. They pulled Anika away from me as if her nails were not already deep into my skin, tearing scratches when we separated. The younger man of the two eyed my wounds hungrily and without warning, he stood beside me with his lengthened fangs plunging into the crook of my neck. An ear-splitting scream filled the air and it had taken me a while to realize that it belonged to me. The two who held Anika still stiffened, their malicious eyes turning to me with newfound craving.
"-wait!" I heard a pained gasp as he wrenched himself back, but it was too late. As fast as the pain arrived, it disappeared when he was ripped off of me.
I turned to see him thrown away from me, blood seeping out of his chest and through his pale shirt. Above me stood my immortal lover. To my utter horror, the man's heart was in his hand. He had ripped that vital organ brutally out of his body and had not batted an eyelash. I forced myself to take in much needed air, remembering that he was not human. Perhaps something the kills without a thought?
"Do not touch her so informally." Elijah faced the pair with a composed expression, but his oak brown eyes were furious. I feared for anyone who were met with such a stare. "Do you not heed my warnings?"
"O-Of course, Elijah," the man stuttered.
His angry stare flickered to me, his stony face hardening at the wounds. "Then what I see are mere illusions? I smell the blood."
The woman shook her head meekly. "She had suffered them b-before our encounter-"
"Minor injuries," her companion blurted out.
It shocked me at how obedient and obsequious they were at his presence - vicious wild animals tamed by his look alone. What made Elijah any different from them? His strength? His clear power? Anika was released and she collapsed beside me, both of us looking at Elijah in fear when he stuck the man down. He wailed in pain and crouched on the ground while he pressed his hand on his scarred face. His nails clawed the entire half of his face - catching skin and muscle - and Elijah stared at him indifferently.
"Minor injuries, were they not?"
"Elijah," I breathed out, rather horrified that he could do such things and yet be so gentle with me. I need not fear him, but could I really feel admiration for a man who murdered? I found myself saying yes despite what I witnessed. Elijah had killed to save me, a gruesome thought to accept, but it was the truth no matter how frightening the sight before me was. I have gone mad, I murmured in my head.
When his enraged glare turned to me, I barely held back a flinch. It softened into a concerned look once he was aware of my fright. "Do they hurt?" Elijah asked. My hand reached up to the deep puncture wounds and felt the small curves of the torn skin, nodding hesitantly. I could not lie when he already knew the truth.
Before I could say anything, Anika jumped to her feet and interrupted in jumbled Viking. "Stop feeding her false looks of concern! She must know what you are under those masks you wear!"
"Anika-"
She whirled at me, outraged. "No! Speak no more, Heidi. You are told of everything but the truth."
Displeased at his own lack of comprehension for our second dialect, Elijah warned, "You must watch how you speak of those who you cannot afford to aggravate - myself and my family."
"Is she your pet?" Anika sneered. She wobbled backwards, bruised from how the pair handled her ruthlessly. What had happened to Anika? I hoped it did not involve Elijah, but I knew that was useless wish. He was somehow the leader to these creatures; the way they dared not anger him made it painfully obvious. The man and woman barred their fangs to Anika, clearly in wariness for her audacity and disrespect. "A desperate act to slow me down? You and your crowd of demons have hunted me down for many days!"
"She is human as you are not, werewolf."
I gaped at Anika. Was that the reason for that strange feeling earlier? "Werewolf?" I echoed in disbelief.
"Better werewolf than dark creatures who feed on the blood of the innocent!" She screeched.
"Blood," I whispered, glancing at the stains on my skirt, sleeves, and skin. The chalices Henrik and Rebekah drank from were not filled with thick red wine. That man had bitten me to drink the blood from my veins, not to purposely cause me pain to any exposed flesh. When Uncle Johan had tried to attack me, his demonic eyes stayed on the wounds on my cheek with voracious thirst. Looking back to Elijah with new perspective, I repeated aloud, "It was the blood. You and your family drink blood-"
In a blink of an eye, Elijah was standing directly in front of Anika. His voice was low with menace. "You had your warning, mongrel. Who are you to speak of dark creatures when you yourself have broken your own curse? Who was it that you killed with your tainted hands?"
"If it was not you," she spat, "then it was your dear brothers who forced me to do such a horrid thing! Werewolves are not immune to your dirty tricks, demons! Twas either my family or them. I chose my family."
Concerned, I stood up, rushing to Anika's side. "Elijah, no! Please do not harm her!" He opened his mouth to say something when we all spotted Niklaus enter the field and not far behind him was my uncle. His clothes were torn, but he had healed perfectly. Pushing aside my rising spite and fear for Niklaus, I took a step forward. "Uncle Johan-"
Elijah slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me back. "Do not, Heidi. He is rather new with his tendencies to seek an easy meal."
I stayed put with reluctance, but continued quietly, "I-I am glad you are well."
Uncle Johan wore a guilty expression. "I must apologize. I was weak against the need for-"
"There is nothing to forgive," I replied with a small smile. "You are not the only one who has acted wrongly."
"I suppose you are to blame for her injuries," Elijah said to Niklaus with a frown. When his younger brother grinned, he shook his head. "I still do wonder why I try to believe your words. This has not been the first letdown in the years."
"You should be thankful as she was," Niklaus disagreed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Those injuries were self-inflicted and were brought down onto her skin without any force of my hand. If I had wanted her dead, your lady would not be standing beside you. We would not want a repeat of last time, do we now?"
At the corner of my eye, Elijah's jaw tensed. "No, I would not."
"Neither do I; though my actions have led us to now. I imagine if things had went your way, poor Heidi would never get the answers she desired."
"You lie," I boldly hissed.
Niklaus avoided my accusing glare and focused his attention on Anika. An inhuman grin spread in his face and I immediately worried for Anika's sake. We were not friends, but civil acquaintances during our brief introductions during trade. She lived with the natives of the land and despite her beauty, was avoided by the men of the village. "Love, it is time to join us. It shall either be a complaisant visit or an unplesant one - tis to you."
"Monster!" Anika spat, along with other foreign curses that could make any maiden's ears turn red.
I shivered at his choice of words. "What is it that you shall do with her?"
"Brother, I suggest you leave with Heidi. You have much to explain." When my uncle moved toward me, Niklaus stopped him. His lips moved yet I did not hear the words. Uncle Johan glanced at me helplessly before helping the two others to drag a screaming Anika away.
She turned to me for help, but I could not reach her. No one would listen to our pleas. "My family, Heidi - find them for me! Tell them! Protect-"
"I will, I will! I-I promise!"
Silent, Elijah took my hand in his and pulled me away with his unnatural strength. The touch sent chills down my spine - cold and dark like death. I had not felt such iciness when my skin met his before. Had my feelings for him blocked such harshness? "We must go."
"But Anika-"
"I do not care for her as I do with you."
Fighting back when we left the field, I argued, "She is as young as I and I shall not let her die, werewolf or not."
"My loyalty is to my brother," Elijah reminded me almost heartlessly.
His loyalty. My eyes lowered to the ground as I wiped away the tears that escaped. "You are a man of honor; you had promised many things - one of them to keep to the truth, and yet that too was a lie. My family was not in good health, Elijah. I am to be with you yet my uncle has turned into that. Who shall my aunt have now? Oh, when will you tell me what I want to know? I have done what you asked despite the warnings-"
He reached out to brush my cheek dry before he touched the bleeding marks on my neck. A flash of possessiveness crossed his face, mixed with strife and anger. "I do not wish to be the cause of your tears."
"I promised as well," I said softly, trying to ignore my anxiety for Anika to concentrate on Elijah alone. "I do care for you more than I should and compared to any man. P-Please do not doubt that, but there is much to be said. I cannot continue on this path blindly."
"Heidi, I have not broken oaths before. Trust me that I shan't now," he tried to assure me. "I will tell you everything, but not here. Come."
Elijah offered his hand and I hesitated, glancing back at the field. "I-Is she to die?"
"I am sorry."
Squeezing my eyes shut - as well as my heart - I clenched my teeth together. "And y-you approve?"
"There are other plays at hand. I cannot go against my brother. There is only so many words he will listen to, but he will still do as he pleases; that side of him shall never diminish."
I opened my eyes to stare at him. It had only been this morning since I had awoken and yet so many things happened. I had changed as well. "I shall keep to my oath," I whispered, ignoring my selfish side, "if you shall keep yours. I know you will for you are a man of your word and I a woman of mine, but I will not do nothing against this. I will not support such acts of murder upon those who have done nothing wrong - the innocent." I managed to gasp out, "I am stuck between two paths."
He sighed. "I admit it had been greedy of me to demand what I had."
"You did what I could not, and I am somewhat happy that you know of my feelings for you." I confessed, reddening, but the tears sprung back to my eyes. "But do not be mistaken. I do not regret my choice and I will stay by your side, but not as your lover."
Elijah nodded solemnly, but there was no betrayal or anger in his voice as he said, "I knew of your decision minutes before, perhaps even days. You see me as a monster, do you not?"
Wait, he had known all this time? "No, though I cannot lie and say I am not scared of you - or not terrified at your ease to kill, you saved me. I cannot see a monster if you are my savior; and if I cannot allow myself . . . to be your partner," I began uncertainly, wiping my tears away in shame, "then perhaps as companions? Friends?"
He did not seem pleased - more like troubled - at his title of my defender, but the corners of his lips twitched at the hopefulness in my voice. I could only hope he was not mad at me for my change in mind behind his calm demeanor. "I suppose that part does come first in a relationship."
I managed to smile in return and took his hand. "Thank you . . . for understanding." I whispered to him sincerely, forcing my voice to steady.
"Always," was his short reply.
The walk to the house was silent. What needed to be said would be said later on, but for now we were both lost in our thoughts. The only thing that kept me going was the warm hand around mine, savoring this moment into my heart. I could not feel the touch of death anymore for my emotions were clouded with dejection, anger, and resolve for what was moral; I knew what was right, but this was much harder than I had realized - being near a man who I wanted dearly and yet couldn't have. Temptation to bring back my words rose in my chest. Who knew from having almost everything one morning to losing so much more at the end of the day was this painful?
No!
I forced back such negativity. This was my decision and it came to be this way because of my choice alone. I could not support people getting killed for a cause I had no knowledge of, and I wouldn't allow myself to for I would disgrace my aunt and my moral upbringing. Forcing a smile, I concluded that I could settle for being friends - I had to. The treasured moment of this morning was locked deep within my mind. The embraces and kisses would not - could not happen again. It was for the best for both of us; him being immortal with his loyalty to his family, and I taking a stand for what I believed in.
We had no future now that I thought about it. Avoiding Elijah's gaze, I sighed. Only companions - friends.
Far from my cognition, my heart felt like it was breaking.
-Mystic Falls, Virginia-
2009
I snuck out of the house when Bonnie called me a few hours later, disrupting my sleep. Winslow and Caroline were heavy sleepers and far from morning people during Sundays. Bonnie was inside her car down the pathway. Her eyes were red from crying, but her expression was fixed with newfound resolution. She turned to look at me when I neared her car. "I'm leaving," was the first thing she said. Her voice was raspy as if she cried the whole night, which she probably did.
My eyes widened. "What?"
"Not forever," she clarified for my benefit. "I'll come back after a while. I just need time after . . ."
I refused to cry for I hadn't in years. "Um, if that's what you need."
Bonnie suddenly got out of the car and hugged me. As awkward as I felt in her arms, I patted her back in response. She let out a sniff against my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Char."
"For what?" I asked, bewildered. "You're the one who lost your grandmother."
"You lost Grams too."
That was when everything crashed on me. I finally knew why Winslow and Caroline acted the way they did. They knew I was bereaved of a grandmotherly figure despite not having a clue why or how. Sheila hadn't been my family, but I cared for her. Was this nature talking again? Wordlessly, I returned the hug. When Bonnie pulled back, she said, "I'll call you, okay?"
"Don't get lost," I warned with a pitiable smile.
She returned it with her own watery one, got back inside her car, and drove away before six chimed on the grandfathers clock. The last witch of Mystic Falls was gone, and so was the only one who understood what I was going through. I went to the kitchen and tried making breakfast as an apology to Winslow and Caroline, tried being the operative word. The fire alarm and the smell of burning bread managed to get them to their feet and into the kitchen, running. "Is there a fire?" Winslow asked as Caroline and I waved the smoke away.
I cleared my throat, already uncomfortable. "I, er, wanted to say sorry about this morning."
"So you're trying to smother us alive?" Caroline joked, giving me a small smile. "It's fine, totally. I forgive you."
When we looked to Winslow, he stared at me with shock. "What?" I asked, irritated.
"You said sorry."
"So?" Caroline shrugged, trying to save the rest of the pancakes. She later discovered it wasn't worth it and threw the burnt crisps into the garbage bin.
"You never say sorry."
I rolled my eyes. "Yes I do."
"Well, you never mean them." He scoffed at my miffed expression, "Where were the sorrys you owe me for sixteen years of teasing and torture?"
Caroline laughed at his dramatics with me following hesitantly. My heavy feelings over her death made my smile feel strained, but the others didn't comment on it, at least out loud. The blonde silently handed him the skillet and we leaned back into the counters as he worked on breakfast. It really made life easier having a wannabe chief in the house. "I'm the older one," I replied simply, "It's my job to make sure you're miserable, and who better to do the torturing than moi?"
He didn't have a reply to that and grumbled throughout breakfast. It was after she finished her plate when Caroline informed us, "Today's completely full for me, ugh! I'm helping out Mrs. Lockwood today with the Boy Auction."
I raised an eyebrow. "Sounds absolutely delish."
Shooting me an annoyed look, Winslow asked, "What's that for?"
"You know the annual Founder's Day celebration?" When we nodded, she answered, "Well all the proceeds go to that. It's kind of like a fundraiser."
"I'll help you," I declared, heading up to my room, "if you can bring extras along."
She followed me to my room, grinning. "Sure, I'd love another girl to come with! Matt's going to be helping out too, but I can't exactly talk about other boys with my boyfriend."
"Good thing I'm single," I told her with a smirk.
Caroline shook her head at me, slying pointing out, "The boys have to be, like, older than eighteen. I heard Mr. Saltzman is going to be there."
I frowned. "Ew, are you still hung up over that crush idea? And besides, that doesn't mean we can't have a look,"
With another laugh, she left to change in her room. I quickly slipped into pearl white shorts, a black long-sleeved shirt, and scarlet red boots with matching chandelier earrings. Tying my hair into another high ponytail, I put on my contacts, thick white eyeliner, and sufficient layers cherry flavored lip gloss. I met up with Caroline downstairs and she had her car keys in her hands. "Ready!"
"You look like you're planning on eating some of them alive," Caroline told me honestly, fighting back a squeal of approval when Winslow glared at both of us. He had quickly grown to care for Caroline the same way he did for me so Matt wasn't really in his good books. There was nothing he could do about it anyways, Matt being almost twice his size.
"So is every other middle-aged woman in this town going to this thing," I argued lightly.
"Please be careful," my younger brother put in.
"Are you going somewhere today?"
"Over at Nicole's."
I frowned. "Er, well, have fun I guess."
To my annoyance, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh, we will."
Caroline and I met glances as we closed the door behind us. "For a minute there, I thought that was Damon we were talking to," Caroline noted, turning her car on.
I could only nod stiffly; I wasn't getting over what had happened that quickly. Damon might not have forced Sheila or Bonnie to do the spell last night, but he started this all on his own. I could only imagine him getting drunk over the lost love of his life. The drive was filled with loud music, the both of us not caring who heard us on the road, especially since the backseat was bare of any complainers of our tone-deaf singing. She parked at the edge of the school's lot and we met Mrs. Lockwood at the double doors. She was a woman with short brown hair, light baby blue eyes, and angular facial features with thin lips pressed into a scowl.
"Ah, Caroline. Yes, you're here, you'll be helping out with selling the raffle tickets later on." Her eyes went to me interestedly. "Hello, you are?"
I made no move to offer my hand and neither did she. "I'm Chardonnay Blackburn,"
Her lips pursed in thought. "Are you Beatrice Archer's daughter?"
When I nodded, she smiled a little too warmly. "Oh, so nice to meet you finally. I had heard of you arrival, but I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself earlier. I'm Carol Lockwood. I was, er, friends with your mother before she became an model. My husband's the mayor."
"Interesting," I remarked, not knowing what else to say to her. "Erm, I'm here to help?"
"We do need a pair of hands," she murmured, giving me a warning glance. "Can you be trusted with money?"
"I don't need anymore than I already have," I retorted rather haughtily, annoyed at the suggestion.
Her smile became forced. "Fine. You can help Caroline then." She left us to scold a woman about the wrong color of balloons.
Caroline shot me a questioning look about earlier, but I shrugged it off. I didn't need to rant about how Carol reminded me of some types of women in New York; not the good ones either. The recalled memories alone made my blood boil with irritation. We set up the table beside the entrance of the gym, putting a plastic covering over the wooden surface and the slip-in box on top that would hold part of today's profits. We were about to sit when Matt and a woman approached us almost cautiously. Caroline stiffened beside me, but other than that, wore a cheerful expression.
"Caroline, Char," Matt greeted, "this is my mom."
The woman was short with light brown - almost red hair and clear gray eyes that narrowed at Caroline. "We've met when you two were so elegantly sucking face last night," she told us curtly before turning to me. Her expression lightened drastically. "And who might you be? You look familiar."
"Chardonnay Blackburn,"
She let out an excited gasp. "Oh, dear. Tell me that your mom's Beatrice Archer,"
"She is," I avoided Matt's surprised look.
"Oh, my God! I just adored your mom when I was back in high school! She was so popular and insanely beautiful - every girl's icon and every guy's dream. Obviously that meant something since she's out there, making a fortune and having photo shoots." She gushed, tugging on my ponytail and eyeing my jewelry a little enviously. "You look so pretty, Chardonnay. You have her face. Probably a looker for some guys, hmm?"
I was uncomfortable at hearing about my mom, but nodded. "Right, who are you?"
"Kelly Donovan - an absolute pleasure to meet you."
"You too. I just moved here."
"Oh really? Do you know anyone else here? Elena, probably?" She continued when I nodded again, "She used to be Matt's girlfriend, you see. They were always a good match. Matt's just on his rebound girl so maybe they'll get back together."
My eyebrows arched upward. Kelly didn't seem to like Caroline much. "Caroline's my second cousin," I told her straightforwardly.
She shrugged. "Distant family's different, really. I always had a hard time believing Liz was Beatrice's cousin. They were always different."
I snapped, "Actually, Liz got the better side of the coin."
Before Kelly could ask me about what I meant, Matt pulled her away, saying something about checking the place while it wasn't as busy. "Er, they need help in the gym," he fabled as he shot us both apologetic looks over his shoulder before they disappeared inside.
Caroline then raged about how unfair it was for Kelly to judge her biasedly since Liz and Kelly did not mix well with each other. I offered a few supporting comments here and there. People were starting to fill in after nine o'clock struck. It wasn't a surprise that at least ninety-five percent of those attending were women. Caroline and I had to muffle a few laughs at the desperation that reeked from their outrageous choices of clothes. The only men that came were the helpers from school like Matt and Tyler.
Speaking of Tyler, he had came up to me to blame alcohol for his behavior at the nineteen-fifties dance. I quickly forgave him before telling him that it had always been harmless flirting between us, nothing else. He seemed to accept that and we proceeded to share a few liquor shots Tyler had sneaked under his mother's nose. He had needed it to pass an hour of watching a lot of middle-aged women drooling over a handful of younger guys and I desperately just wanted the buzz, not exactly the whole package. We hid in the janitor's closet, ironically, before going back to our jobs. We weren't couple material - that was for certain, but we could grow to be good friends, drinking buddies for the lack of better terms.
"Where were you?" Caroline asked curiously, setting up the chairs. The gym was filled with a lot of women, their chattering filling up the large room.
Teasingly, I winked. "With Tyler."
She made a face. "Um, ew."
I sat with her during the auction, snickering under our breaths when the bidding began. I also noticed Elena and Stefan in the crowd but made no move to approach them. When Mr. Saltzman walked up to stage as bachelor four and after that horrid interview, Caroline and I were choking on our laughter. Matt shook his head at us, but his lips twitched in amusement. Mr. Saltzman did not belong on the stage and I pitied him for accepting Mrs. Lockwood's offer to join this auction in the first place.
"I'm so glad we came today," I muttered absentmindedly.
"Of course you are," Matt teased, chuckling.
To our surprise, the fifth bachelor turned out to be Damon. I bit back cries of annoyance when the whole crowd literally swooned at his voice and his aura of obnoxiousness. I too would've found it as a turn on if I wasn't aware of what I knew and I couldn't help but feel angry that he was drunk at a time like this. It was so obvious his words were slurring and he was barely steady on his feet. Sheila had died for this man's benefit? It was almost sickening to watch him stumble about.
"Are you arlight?" Caroline questioned as she eyed my troubled expression.
I forced a smile. "Eh, the auction's over . . ."
After cleaning up and leaving the filled box in Mrs. Lockwood's hands - who was very pleased with the results of the auction, Caroline and I walked to her car across the lot. I saw Elena, Stefan, and Damon outside the school's premises, talking to some random guy with a bouquet. He gave it to Elena who was unnaturally pale and shakily accepted it, the Salvatore brothers behind her glaring at him menacingly. Then the man turned around and walked straight in front of a moving truck; it'd be a miracle for him to have survived that, but it was obvious that he was now dead.
My mouth hung open in shock while Elena let out a surprised shriek. Caroline followed my gaze and gasped. "Oh, my God!"
Something was happening again - something bad - and it involved my not so favorite three people at the moment. I could feel it in my gut but I wasn't sure if I wanted to get involved, particularly when I had a choice this time. While Elena was looking over the broken body like the rest of the gathering crowd, Stefan and Damon turned to Caroline's voice. Their gaze slid to me almost immediately, wary of how I would react. For a while, they just stared at me as if silently asking if I was going to join them or not with this.
I only stared back blankly, hearing myself reply, "Oh, my God indeed."
