The Boarding House
By: Darkest Ember
Chapter 26: Locked Out Of Heaven
Summary:
Elena and Jeremy Gilbert are orphaned once again and have nowhere else to go except the mysterious Salvatore boarding house…
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the Vampire Diaries characters. This is written purely for entertainment purposes.
Previously:
Elena wasn't sure which was more terrifying, the fear of what's to come or the strange anticipation to partake in this game.
In no real rush to leave, Damon lingered outside the Gilbert residence for a little while longer. He hated this rush of emotion – desire, anger, confusion – imploding within his mind. Here he thought Katherine had a powerful effect on him; those feelings paled in comparison to this. He almost wanted to storm up the porch stairs and compel Jenna to let him inside, but knowing Elena, she'd probably have Jenna protected with Vervain.
It was dark enough and late enough that no one would notice him pacing the front yard. Just because he couldn't get inside, he realized, didn't mean this game had to end. With little effort, he leapt to one of the higher branches of the oak tree just outside of Elena's window. Her curtains were closed, but thin enough that his enhanced vision could catch a glimpse.
Elena looked nervous as she sat stiffly on the edge of her bed. Good, he thought. He wanted her to fear him. If she's scared, she won't be able to think straight, effectively making her easy prey. Now, normally Damon loved a challenge, but this was getting old. He was damn near tempted into compelling her into loving him, if only for a couple days.
The dimming of the nightstand lamp drew Damon from his depressing thoughts. He smirked to himself as he leaned in closer to the glass, listening to her breathing begin to slow down…
The room was almost pitch black, but Elena could care less. Her body writhed beneath his…though she wasn't quite sure who he was. His warm breath danced across her skin as he leaned in closer to her neck. The pleasurable motion between her legs sent her spiraling into a state of ecstasy. She barely even noticed when he bit into her neck. Once she started seeing red spots in the corners of her eyes, she woke up, startled in her bed, covered in sweat.
"What the hell?" she muttered, somewhat disgusted.
"Was it as good for you as it was for me?" she heard Damon ask from somewhere in the darkness. Before she could respond, he appeared right in front of her, so close she could see her own reflection in his crystalline eyes.
Elena screamed as she bolted upright in her bed. Did I really just have a dream inside of a dream? She wondered, eyes dashing across the room, searching for signs of him. Nothing. She was completely alone. But even after confirming that, she still felt uneasy. It was unlikely that her subconscious would've conjured such a scenario. To make matters worse, each time she closed her eyes for an extended period of time, she'd see Damon's taunting face. It was almost worse than any sort of physical torture she'd endured.
After a restless night, Elena ended up staring at the ceiling long before her alarm rang. The last thing she wanted to do right now was leave the safety of her house. But isn't that exactly what Damon wanted – to scare her? To torment her without even being around? Feeling a sudden increase in inspiration, she tossed her blanket aside and got out of bed.
He wouldn't dare make a move around so many people at school.
Matt didn't go home after the incident with Elena. He didn't call anyone, either. He spent the night in the cave-like entrance leading to the tomb where his nightmare began. How could he face anyone after what he'd done? His fists continued a cycle of bleeding and healing as he punched holes into the earthen wall.
He didn't expect anyone to be in the area. Because of his recklessness and ignorance, he nearly punched Bonnie in the face. They both let out a startled gasp, backing away from the other.
"What are you doing here? What's going on?" Bonnie asked, once her heartbeat returned to a more relatively normal rate.
Matt avoided her prodding stare. "I…I'm not handling this vampire business so well, Bonnie."
"I don't blame you," she murmured. "It's going to be alright, though."
"NO IT'S NOT!" he screamed. "It's not going to be alright. Last night, I nearly killed Elena. How can I live with myself?"
Words were trapped in the back of her throat as she stared at him, her mind involuntarily picturing the assault. A part of her despised him for doing that to Elena, but she knew she couldn't fully blame him. He didn't want any of this. Their perilous encounter with the tomb vampires caused this, and for that he couldn't be blamed.
There was really only one thing that could be done. "I am going to help you, Matt. There has to be some spell…some way to make this more bearable for you. Just don't let this bother you. Elena will forgive you, just give it time."
"How can you be so sure, about any of this?"
Bonnie bit her lower lip, hesitant. "To be honest, I can't be sure. But I know someone who has all the answers. Let's go see my Grams. Maybe she'll find a spell for you before lunch and we can make it back to school."
Matt agreed, slightly smiling, but Bonnie could tell there wasn't a shred of hope or happiness behind the gesture.
After leaving Elena to toss and turn throughout the night, Damon returned to the boarding house, pondering his next move. His footsteps led him up to her room, or at the least the room that she was staying in. He laughed bitterly at the thought of Elena ever willingly referring to this place as her home.
He loved playing these games with her, knowing that by now she'd already left for school, probably glancing over her shoulder every couple of steps. He could easily go there, capture her, and bring her back to the boarding house.
But what would that accomplish? It would just bring them back into the routine of cat and mouse, nowhere near lovers.
Damon shook his head as he sat down on her bed, wondering where the hell these thoughts were coming from. He was better than that. He didn't need her love.
Thankfully, a distraction came along once he noticed something light green shoved between the desk and wall. With his curiosity peaked, Damon reached for the object and discovered that it was Elena's diary. Unable to resist, he turned to a random page – August 19, 2011. That was around the time her and Jeremy first moved in.
Dear Diary,
I feel like laughing, despite myself. At first, I thought moving into the old boarding house was going to be awful. I mean, you of all people should know, I grew up in my house – I lived there my entire life. Now I was supposed to move into an abandoned building with strangers…but here's where it becomes comical. These strangers, two of them, are insanely attractive guys. Would it be wrong for me to consider myself lucky?
The first guy is Stefan. He's my age, even goes to my school. He has the sweetest smile! And he's been an amazing host these first couple of days, always cooking meals before or after school.
Then there's his brother, Damon. He's a couple years older and is absolutely…gorgeous. I feel like I could get lost in his blue eyes. But there's something about him, something that feels dangerous, but oddly attractive. I feel drawn to him somehow, despite barely knowing him. Stefan's obviously admitted his feelings for me, asking me out after dinner during my sleepover with Bonnie and Caroline, who share my feelings toward these brothers. ;) And even though I said yes to Stefan, a part of me disapproves as I reconsider Damon in all his bad brother glory.
Needless to say, things are going to be much more interesting than I'd expected during my stay at the boarding house.
Until next time,
Elena
At first, Damon couldn't stop smugly smirking. Of course finding out that girls thought he was hot was not a surprise. But after recent events with Elena, he found this all particularly amusing and slightly ironic. How would things have played out if she still didn't know about vampires? The potential of the situation bothered him. A plan began hatching in the back of his head. One simple compulsion would be all he needed to fix things.
Mere seconds after Elena gathered the mindset of a normal teenage girl, she was being called to the principal's office. She groaned as she retreated from her seat in homeroom and made her way down to the office.
The secretary glanced up from her computer upon noticing someone else in the room. "Yes?"
"I uh got called in to see Principal Moore," Elena said, nervously.
"Oh, right. Go ahead, Miss Gilbert."
Elena opened the door and stepped into the principal's office – a room that she could honestly say she'd never seen up until this point in her academic career. She couldn't even imagine why the principal called her in here. Wait a minute, she paused, eyes darting wildly around the room, what if this is one of Damon's schemes. What if he compelled her to call me down here so he could take me?
"Have a seat, Miss Gilbert," Principal Moore said, bringing Elena out of her paranoia. "Or should I say Mrs. Salvatore?"
Elena silently cursed under her breath, instantly realizing where this was going. She held her hands up in defense, pausing as her mind raced in an attempt to figure out an explanation that wouldn't make her sound insane. "It's not what you think," she began.
"Oh really? Elena, don't play dumb. You were legally married. You're not even eighteen yet! And if your prior guardian, Jenna Sommers, was the one who approved this arrangement, then I can see why you were taken away from her."
"Don't you dare talk about Jenna like that!" Elena screamed, standing up and slamming her hands down on the desk. "She has nothing to do with this."
Principal Moore shot her a disapproving glare. "I will not tolerate inappropriate, illegal behavior in my school, Elena."
"You don't understand the situation," Elena replied, feeling exasperated just thinking about this mess. "I can't explain it to you, but you just have to believe me."
"Until you void this silly marriage and get your life back and track, I don't want to see you on this campus. You're suspended until further notice."
Tears brimmed along the corners of her eyes as Elena walked down the hall, facing people heading to their first period class. She couldn't help but notice several clusters of them, whispering and staring at her as she passed. There's no way they knew anything, if the principal only just recently found out…
"Elena Marie Gilbert!" Caroline shouted, approaching her with a scowl. "So, which Salvatore brother did you end up marrying?" Her voice was dripping with resentment.
If Caroline actually had the slightest clue as to what was really going on with the Salvatore brothers, Elena doubted she'd be so jealous. If she wants them so bad, she can have them, Elena thought, feeling the anger and frustration settle in. "Neither of them!" she snarled, not bothering to stop and explain herself.
She knew there was no way she'd be able to hold it together through any of her classes, so she made her way toward the nearest exit. Just as she was about to push open the door, she swore she heard a stifled scream, a plea for help. The paranoia settled in once again. What if Damon was holding someone hostage, as a means to lure her into his trap?
Cursing her compassion, Elena cautiously stepped into the dim hallway, following the muffled sounds. Once she knew she was getting closer, she dug into her backpack and pulled out a good old-fashioned wooden pencil. Of course it wouldn't be enough to kill him, but it should give her enough time to save his unfortunate victim. Exhaling a breath of determination, Elena whipped around the corner and stabbed the leather-coated back. The groan she heard in response didn't quite sound like Damon.
"Stefan?" she whispered, feeling both surprised and relieved, for some reason.
Stefan tore his fangs from the neck of his fellow student and spun around to face Elena, blood sloppily leaking out of his agape mouth. "E-Elena…I…what are you doing here?"
"Unlike you, I am an actual human student here. How dare you prey on someone like this!" she spat.
Despite his prior feeling of insatiable blood lust, Stefan suddenly felt ashamed. He quickly compelled and healed his victim, hoping it would be enough to calm Elena down. He wondered how much she'd been through since he ran off on his killing spree. She looked so different compared to how she looked when she first moved into the boarding house. Needless to say, the overwhelming guilt easily washed away his hunger.
"Elena, please, just hear me out…"
She quirked a brow at him, keeping her distance. "There's nothing to talk about."
"You'd be surprised. I'm assuming, despite," he paused, pulling the pencil out of his shoulder with a grunt, "the school supplies, you weren't actually going to class. Let's go to the Grill or something."
Elena bit her lower lip nervously. She wanted nothing more to be rid of these Salvatore brothers, but maybe keeping one around would protect her from the other. "Fine," she mumbled. "You have one hour."
Shelia Bennett opened the door, surprised to find Bonnie and Matt standing on her porch. It didn't take much effort to realize why they were there.
"Bonnie, why aren't you at school?" she asked, sitting across from the two troubled teens in the living room.
"I think you know why, Grams. I can't just sit back and let Matt go through this. It isn't fair, and it's not right!"
"It isn't your problem anymore. How many times do I have to remind you not to let yourself get involved with vampires? Haven't you seen how easily they can manipulate us witches?"
"He's my friend. I grew up with him! I'm not just going to ignore this. We need your help."
Shelia took a sip of her tea, contemplating the situation. "I won't be a part of this anymore, Bonnie," she said softly. "If you want to help him, you're going to have to find the spell on your own."
"So, you're saying there is a spell?" Matt blurted, a slight glimmer of hope returning.
"I think you both need to get back to class."
Bonnie stood up with a frustrated huff. How could Grams just abandon me like this? Well, if she won't help me, then I'll just have to do it myself. There has to be a spell somewhere in that huge grimwoire.
Matt, on the other hand, wasn't feeling so positive. "Did you see the way your Grams was looking at me…like…like a monster?" he sighed.
"I've never seen her like this before."
"Even if there was a spell, without her help…"
"Are you saying you don't believe I can do this?" Bonnie barked, shooting him an angered side-glance as she drove back to her Matt's place.
"I don't know what to believe."
Damon would've preferred to wait until the end of the school day to take Elena back to the boarding house, but he simply could not contain himself. Why bother prolonging the inevitable? But things didn't go so smoothly once he got to Mystic Falls High. He walked past the classroom that Elena was supposed to be in, per the compelled secretary. She wasn't there.
But someone else was – Caroline Forbes.
"It's been a while, Blondie," he whispered into her ear. He'd waited outside the classroom till class was dismissed then snaked his way through the student body till he reached the easily manipulated cheerleader.
Caroline nearly screamed as she spun around, bluntly ecstatic to see him. But even so, she frowned and pushed him away from her. "Why aren't you with Elena?" She pouted bitterly.
"Funny you should ask. I was hoping you could tell me where she was."
She scoffed. "Go find that little whore yourself."
Damon's eyes darkened as a hand shot out and gripped her arm. He shoved her up against the locker, keeping his actions subtle enough to not draw unwanted attention from the daydreaming students passing through the hall. His pupils dilated as he compelled her to tell him where Elena was.
"I only saw her this morning for a couple seconds. I wanted to ask her about the marriage but she stormed off," Caroline replied in an uncharacteristically monotonous tone.
That wasn't the answer Damon wanted to hear. "Call her right now and ask where she is," he growled, fingers sliding around her neck.
Caroline struggled to dig her phone out of her backpack. She dialed Elena's number and waited for her to pick up. Three, four rings were passing and still no answer. Caroline could feel her heartbeat triple its pacing.
"Yeah?" Elena answered, a noticeable edge in her voice.
"Hey, Elena, um, where are you?"
"I got suspended. But I'm sure you already knew that."
"Actually, I didn't. But really, where are you?"
There was a long pause before Elena responded. "I'm at the Grill. Why?"
"I…uh…wanted to apologize, for how I treated you earlier."
"Can't you just do it over the phone?"
"I think it would be much more effective in person. See you soon!" She panicked and clicked the end-call button before Elena could continue her interrogation.
Even though she was terrified, Caroline still managed to strike up the courage to give Damon a bitchy expression. "Satisfied?"
Damon had been listening to the entire conversation and was still trying to figure out why Elena would go to such a public place, instead of retreating to her safe haven of a home. It didn't help that he could detect Caroline re-developing a backbone. Surely, he had enough time to fix that.
"Not even close," he smirked darkly. Without a warning, he used his supernatural speed to toss her into a nearby janitor's closet. Since he could see in the dark, he chose to leave the lights off and add to her torment.
"Please just let me go," she cried. "I did everything you asked me to do!"
Damon reached out and traced her collarbone, fingers lingering at a strong pulse point on her neck. "Sometimes that's just not good enough," he breathed out.
The sound of her rampant heartbeat in this confined space was enough to undo him. His fangs sprouted out of the gums and peeled through her flesh with ease. He placed a hand over her mouth, gripping her cheekbones and stifling her screams.
Of course he couldn't kill her, since she obviously still had some purpose. So, with some regret, Damon forced himself away from her neck and left her there, a crumpled, bloody, terrified mess. He didn't even bother to wipe her blood off his face as he strolled down the halls of Mystic Falls High. He was in far too good of a mood to care.
"That was weird," Elena murmured, staring at the screen of her phone.
"What?"
Elena glanced up at Stefan, almost forgetting that he was there. "Oh, just Caroline. Apparently she might be stopping by to apologize…"
"In that case, maybe I should hurry up," Stefan joked.
"Don't worry about it. I don't think she's serious anyway," Elena shrugged. "So, why don't you start spilling your guts. Isn't that why you wanted me to come with you?"
Stefan laughed softly, stirring his coffee nervously. He didn't even know where to begin. "I don't think I'm going to be 'spilling my guts' necessarily. Actually, I was hoping you would do most of the talking. I want to know how you're doing…really."
"I think you know how I'm doing, Stefan. My mind is still trying to process all this supernatural stuff. You know, when my parents died, I thought that was the worst experience of my life, but now I realize it was only the tip of the iceberg. Even without the, um, vampires involved, this whole situation with you and Damon…it's like torture."
"I kept my distance from you for a reason – not because Damon told me to, either. After I killed Vicki, I knew that I couldn't control myself, not after so many years of denying myself blood. I ran away because I didn't want to hurt you."
"But you still killed innocent people, and I still suffered from Damon's demented plans. I'm never going to escape him, am I?" They locked eyes, each able to see the sorrowful truth in each other's eyes.
Stefan wasn't sure what to say. Even with his recent killings, he wasn't quite strong enough to face Damon. Maybe if he had some help…
"That's not necessarily true," he exclaimed, startling Elena slightly.
"What do you m–?"
"I'm not strong enough to take him on my own, but I have a friend who can help."
"You have friends outside of Mystic Falls?" Elena teased, suddenly feeling rejuvenated.
"Ha-ha," Stefan said, rolling his eyes as he scrolled through the contacts in his phone. "This one in particular is my oldest friend."
Damon sped over to the Grill, hardly able to stop himself from smiling. Once he gave Elena his gift, he was sure things would start going according to plan. He brought Elena's journal, hidden in the inside pocket of his leather jacket. He was going to pretend like he just happened to stumble upon her prized possession, act like the nice guy, then compel her to forget everything that he'd ever done to her, replacing those memories with some of his own design. It wasn't entirely wrong. After all, she didn't seem to mind him at all before finding out that he was a vampire.
He walked along the sidewalk, glancing through the large glass window. He found Elena almost instantly, nearly dismissing the fact that she wasn't alone. Freezing in his tracks, he fully turned to peer through the window and saw that she was with Stefan of all people.
Damon came there intending to erase Elena's bad memories, but now wished for nothing more than to erase his own. He was surprised to feel sadness settle in before anything else. Why was it always Stefan? Every single time. What am I doing wrong?
A heated rage warmed his flesh as he glared at the pair, laughing and smiling. When was the last time Elena looked at Damon like that? Stefan is no better than I am, yet there Elena is, practically drooling over him. I think it's time to crash their party.
Admittedly, Elena didn't expect to get much out of her time with Stefan. But now, things seemed much better than they were this morning. She had hope, instead of fear. Even if Damon were to pop out of nowhere and try to take her, Elena knew that Stefan wouldn't let him.
"I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me, Stefan."
Stefan smiled, glad to see her feeling better. Even though he could stay here with her forever, he knew he couldn't. Once he took care of Damon, he too would leave and let Elena live in peace.
Before he could respond, something came hurling through the window. As they turned around, blood sprayed onto their faces. Bodies were being thrown into the Grill, landing on tables and plates of food. People fell into a frenzy, running around and screaming, all while dodging the corpses being flung at them.
Stefan felt the spilled blood trickle down his face. Even though he was willing to help Elena, he was still nowhere near capable of controlling himself around blood. He didn't want to leave Elena alone, but him staying near her would probably end up being a greater threat in the end. He sped to the back of the restaurant, heading for the back door. Maybe with some luck, he could at least find out who was responsible for this.
Elena was terrified. Stefan disappeared in the crowd of frantic diners. It was all too ironic. Just as she realized that Stefan was her source of security, he disappears the moment danger shows up. She needed to get home.
Manners flew out the window as she elbowed and shoved her way through the crowd, heading for the lesser used side entrance. She occasionally glanced over her shoulder, ensuring that she didn't have any unwanted followers. While doing so, she ended up running into something – something that certainly wasn't the door she was heading toward. Her head whipped around, revealing that she'd run into a person. But as her eyes crept higher up, she screamed.
Damon, covered in blood, stood in front of her, a menacing look lighting up his icy eyes. She shook her head, crying and backing away from him. "No..." she whispered.
"Looks like I win," he grinned, fangs exposed.
In the next chapter: Bonnie dabbles in some black magic, which has some surprising consequences. Stefan calls Lexi into town to help him fight off Damon. Elena fights him as best as she can, but Damon is too emotionally blinded to stop himself. How will it all turn out?
THANK YOU: MelissaSomerhalder, DElenabound, Guest, anon, ScottishGirlx, 4everMrsAcklesSomerhalderWes ley, delenawolves, Dez2sweet, lauren1213, KaterinaPetrova, beverlie4055 for your comments and patience. I'm sorry for the delayed update :-/ I'm going to work on developing this story a little more so it doesn't feel like I'm writing in circles lol I'd say there are probably 5-10 chapters left!