"Cassie."
Her name being called began to rouse her from sleep but she didn't want to wake up. She rolled over the other way, eyes still closed and because her senses were dimmed from still being half asleep, she didn't know who was calling her or whether it was a male or a female's voice. At the moment she didn't care. She had been having such a good dream though she forgot what it was about.
"Cassie. Wake up." The voice ordered.
Cassie tried to bring the dream back and as she did she realized with a jolt, that made her sit up, that the dream had been about Damon. Cassie wiped sleep from her eyes as her senses became fully alert and aware.
"Cassie you need to get up and get ready for school if you are going to ride with Elena. You only have twenty minutes to get ready before Elena and you need to leave."
Cassie now recognized the voice as belonging to her mother. With that realization that her mother was in her room, apparently she only had a short time to get ready for school, the romantic feel good dream she had had of Damon and the remembrance that Damon had been in her room when she fell asleep, Cassie was now wide awake. The first thing Cassie did was abruptly look to her right where Damon had been when she had fell asleep. Seeing that he wasn't there, Cassie breathed a sigh of relief for that would have been really difficult to explain to her mother on why he was in her bed.
Cassie pushed away what remainder of the covers had been over her and she got out of bed. Her mother was going into Cassie's bathroom to fetch the laundry hamper. When Cassie's mother came back out, she said that breakfast burritos were waiting downstairs when she got done getting ready. Cassie nodded before choosing her clothes for the day; a pair of dark blue jeans, a light green tank top and a darker green off the shoulders billowy top. She quickly pulled the clothes on, brushed out her hair and pinned up a few strands with green barrettes, and put on some eye shadow, little bit of mascara and light application of glossy lip balm.
Cassie rushed out of her bathroom and went straight to her desk to gather her school bag. She ignored Damon, who was sitting on the window seat watching her, as she stuffed a book into the bag.
"Sleep well last night? Pleasant dreams?" Damon asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.
Cassie looked up at him suspiciously. "Did you give me those dreams about you?" She accused.
Damon's eyebrows raised and he grinned as he indicated her necklace. "You are wearing vervain. How could I? Whatever dreams you had about me were your own doing. Though me holding you next to me while you slept might have something to do with it now couldn't it?"
"You what?" Cassie asked surprised and a little embarrassed that she had just flatly told him she had dreamed about him when what he said was true and that he couldn't have done it.
Damon smiled a charming, seductive smile that expressed the pleasure he found in what he was telling her. "While you were sleeping, I brushed your hair from your face, lay next to you, wrapped my arm across you and held you against me while you dreamed." His eyes widened teasingly. "Dreamed about me apparently."
Cassie stood there stunned for a few seconds, trying to fight back the rush of warmth and the sudden swarm of butterflies in her stomach. Then she swung her bag over her shoulder and headed for her bedroom door without saying a word.
"Have a good day at school. See you when you get out." Damon called only loud enough for her to hear as she opened the door then entered out into the hall.
Cassie felt the need to rush downstairs not only because of school but because she needed to get away from Damon for a bit before she lost her resolve and abandoned all her wariness in order to indulge in the attention he showed her.
Rushing into the kitchen she saw her mother standing at the sink, Sandy sitting in her high chair eating breakfast and Elena sitting in one of the dining chairs having a conversation with Cassie's mother.
"You girls can get ready for the dance here if you want. I want to make sure I get some pictures anyways." Cassie's mother told Elena.
Elena nodded and looked over towards Cassie as Cassie went to the stove and grabbed up a breakfast burrito. "Yeah that sounds good. I'll bring my stuff over this afternoon and we can just have the guys pick us up here. After all it would be best for us four to stick together." Elena darted a pointed look toward Cassie which caught Cassie's attention.
Cassie wrapped two breakfast burritos in foil, grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator then with a nod at Elena started to head out of the kitchen. "See you after school mom."
"Have a good day girls!" Cassie's mother called after them.
Neither one of them spoke until they were outside of the house and climbing into the car. Cassie put her school bag in the floorboard and began eating on one of the burritos.
"So you know don't you? Let me guess. You found out from Stefan and Stefan found out from Damon right?" Cassie declared.
Elena's glanced over at Cassie curiously and shook her head. "Uh no. I did find out about it from Stefan but he didn't find out about it from Damon."
Cassie took a swallow of water from the bottle. "What? Then how do you know about Daniel, Damon killing him and then Damon staying in my room all last night guarding the house?"
Elena had been looking at the road but now Elena abruptly whipped her head around to stare at Cassie with confused surprise. "What? Who is Daniel and why did Damon kill him? And Damon stayed in your room last night? Cassie what aren't you telling me? What has been going on?"
Cassie paused in taking another bite of burrito. "You mean Damon didn't tell Stefan? You and Stefan don't know?"
"We know that Miranda Quinton was killed and we are convinced that it was a vampire but other than that we apparently don't know so you better tell me." Elena turned back to the road and merged around traffic when she got to the main highway that ran through town.
Cassie sighed, leaned back in the seat and began to explain. "Well while I was babysitting Sandy last night, this guy showed up at our door. He wanted to come in and use the phone but I refused to let him in. It was only when the guy, named Daniel, tried to use mind compulsion on me, that I realized he was a vampire…"
Cassie went on to explain every thing that had occurred and transpired between her and Damon. By the time she had finished explaining everything, they were pulling into the student parking lot. Cassie drank more water and took more bites of her remaining burrito.
"Wow Cass. You had a busy day yesterday. I'm glad you're ok." Elena killed the engine and scanned the parking lot for Stefan's car as they both climbed out of Elena's car. "Damon should have told Stefan about it."
"He told me just a while ago."
Both girls turned to see Stefan striding toward them with his bag slung over his shoulder and his shades on. When he stopped next to Elena, he reached out and they entwined their hands.
"So Damon did explain it all to you?" Elena asked as she sidled up against him lovingly.
Stefan nodded. "When he got back to the boardinghouse, just before I left, I asked him where he had been all night. He didn't give me the same details as Cassie gave you but he told me what he deemed was 'need to know'. Damon and I have worked out a schedule to make sure that at least one of us is with you two."
The three of them began walking across the school grounds to the building. Stefan and Elena walked side by side with Stefan's arm around Elena. Cassie walked alongside of them and couldn't help to observe how they truly cared for the other. There was nothing that Elena withheld from Stefan for Cassie had heard Elena say herself that she trusted him completely and loved him thoroughly. Now as they neared all of the other students milling around outside the school before the bell would ring, Cassie again admired their love for each other.
It had Cassie thinking on the current interaction between her and Damon. It made her wonder that if Elena and Stefan could live and love each other like that, could it be possible for her and Damon too? Was it becoming foolish now to still resist Damon's charm when he was already proving how much he cared for her and the extents he would go for her?
Cassie had been so deep in thought on it as they walked that she had missed what Stefan and Elena had been saying. Now she turned her attention to what Stefan was saying.
"This other vampire that is after Cassie is obviously someone who knows of her and has probably been around her. He could be here in the school somewhere or work at a shop downtown. We will have to keep our eyes open for anyone suspicious." Stefan stated quietly as they passed other students and headed for the school doors.
Cassie glanced around at all the outdoor tables and the students who hung out around them. The bell would ring in about three minutes but till then everyone was enjoying the open air, the sunshine and the cool breeze. There were several students that Cassie had meet and knew of that were gathered in groups talking and laughing. The thing to realize was that one of the guys she knew here at school could very well be the vampire that was after her. Cassie didn't know who it could be though. She had met several guys and was already friendly with them. How was she to know who it was?
"Hey Cassie!"
Cassie turned toward the shout and saw Greg McLane, the five foot six red haired guy, coming towards her.
Cassie darted a glance back to Stefan and Elena who had been approached by Matt and Caroline. When Greg hurried up to Cassie he surprised her by wrapping his arms around her, picking her up off the ground and twirling her once. Once her feet were back on solid ground she looked at him and his cute smiling face.
"Uh hey Greg. What's up?" Cassie asked wondering what was with the over enthusiastic hug. He had teased her before and always sat somewhere near her during classes but this was new.
"Aren't you hyped? We get to party tonight not only at the dance but afterwards there is a party out in the woods like the one you invited me too. I went to that party but not until real late, by then I couldn't find you anywhere so I figured that you'd gone home. Anyways there will be plenty of alcohol and music to dance too. You are coming to both right?" Greg's smile was happy and friendly but something about his attitude made her a tad uneasy. Why was he acting this way? She knew that he'd liked her for awhile but this seemed like a bit too much.
"Yeah," Cassie nodded. "I'm going to the dance but I'm not sure about the after party. It'll depend on what my date has planned."
Greg's smile fell and she could see the disappointment in his expression. Was that a flash of anger there as well? "Oh you already have a date? Uh I guess that's… good that you won't be alone. I hope you'll come to the party in the woods but I'll at least see you at the dance right? I really want to spend some time with you."
Cassie nodded.
"Great. Can't wait. I've been wanting to spend some time with you for a long while." Greg stated.
"Yeah I'll be there." She replied and as Greg walked away she muttered to herself, 'It's not like I can get out of going.'
The sound of the bell ringing dispersed the groups hanging around and everyone headed for the doors. Cassie turned and caught up to Stefan and Elena who were waiting for her. When she was walking alongside them through the doors and down the halls toward their lockers, Elena turned to her.
"What was up with Greg?"
Cassie shrugged. "I don't know. He hasn't done that before. It was a tad weird."
"Well what did he want?" Stefan asked, his shades now put away in his bag.
"I think that might have been him trying to ask me to the dance with him. He wasn't too happy when I told him I already had a date." Cassie stopped in front of her locker and spun the dial to the correct order of numbers.
"I wouldn't tell Damon about that. He can get very jealous." Stefan leaned against the wall of lockers and waited as Cassie and Elena got what they needed out of their own lockers.
"Yeah Cass. Don't mention it to him. I'm sure he is already on edge about this other vampire who is after you. Let's not make it worse than it is ok?" Elena suggested as she closed her locker.
Cassie grabbed a book then shut her locker too. "Yeah no argument there."
From there they had to part ways for Cassie didn't have her first period with them. She headed down the third hall and stepped into the classroom of her first class, art. Art was the one class she had in which there was no body else in it that she knew, that was until she stepped into the classroom and saw Bryce sitting at the same table she was assigned to.
Cassie went over to the table and took her seat, which was now right next to Bryce's. Curiously she glanced over at him.
He took the hint and knew her unasked question. "I wasn't happy with having my math class so early in the morning so I asked to change it to something that's more enjoyable."
"You got them to change your first period class this late in time? Wow what do you do? Do you bribe them or something?" Cassie joked, kind of amazed.
Bryce's smile was charming as he shook his head. "Nah, don't have to. I just charm them." Bryce wore a wry look that was close to the same teasing, arrogant look Damon sometimes got. "It comes easily."
Cassie couldn't help but grin. How did these guys always manage to make those arrogant looks so appealing?
"So what have you been up to?" Bryce rest his arms up on the table.
"Oh the usual." She lied trying to not think back through all that had really happened. "Texting friends. Spending time with my family. Attending school which by the way you've missed lately. So I should be asking what you have been up to."
Something unidentifiable glistened in Bryce's eyes as she stared into his. She felt the weight of his intense gaze and found that though it made her a bit self conscious, she kind of liked the attention he gave her.
"Well I've been making plans, chilling with friends and thinking about you."
Cassie felt a bit of warmth fill her at his admission to that. She was reminded of how he apparently liked her and took a interest in her. It didn't bother Cassie. He seemed like a good guy. "So you're not worried about truancy then?"
Bryce shook his head. "No. School isn't all that important. There are things, and people…" His gaze intensified on her. "that I care more about."
"Today we are going to start on oils. Pick something that you really enjoy and love. First sketch it then begin on adding color with the oils." Miss Derring began the class instructions for the day. She took examples and held them up for everyone to see.
Cassie had to break her gaze with Bryce in order to try to pay attention. She listened to Miss Derring though she was conscious of Bryce right beside her and how she often felt him stare at her. Once the canvases were given out, Cassie focused on her sketch of a prancing horse with a long mane and tail flowing silkily in the wind. She drew in detail the proud arch of the horse's neck, the eyes full of spirit and the tone of muscle.
She was so into her own work that when the bell rang, indicating the class was over, it surprised her how fast the time had gone. Cassie put away her sketch and though she was curious she didn't have time to see what Bryce had been drawing.
Cassie stepped out of class with Bryce at her side. "See you at lunch?"
Bryce looked unsure of how to answer. "It depends. I'm not sure if I will see you in English and History but I'll see you around."
"Ok." Cassie nodded then headed away down the other hall to go to her science class. As she went she couldn't help but to wonder just where Bryce went when he wasn't in class.
Cassie entered the class room and went down the row to the desk she usually sat at. As she took a seat and got out her notebook, pen and book, she noticed Greg glancing over in her direction often. Despite finding out that she had a date, apparently it didn't mean that he wasn't interested in her. The way he was acting had her wondering what was going on with him.?
Any guesses on what's going on with Greg? Lol just curious to see what ya'll thinkin so far