Scarlet had woken late the next morning, missing the first hour of school, but with the pounding in her head she doubted she'd be moving anywhere anytime soon. The events that took place after Vicky had left were a little hazy, while Damon slowed down on his drinking, Scarlet had not. The two had continued their two man party till the sun went down, and by that point Damon had left the drunken teen to sleep it off in her bed.
Scarlet's phone buzzed from the other side of the bed where she'd left it, more than likely it was Caroline asking her where she was. She had promised to help out with the Halloween party prep, yet she just buried herself deeper under the duvet to block out not only the sun, but her miserable existence.
Too caught up in her own personal suffering she didn't hear the bedroom door open, or the footsteps making their way across the room, if she had she'd have spotted Stefan coming before it was too late.
The blanket and duvet were ripped from her leaving her exposed in a fetal position in the middle of her bed. Letting out a groan she curled in on herself a little more, squeezing her eyes shut tighter.
"Scarlet, you need to get up. You can't keep skipping school like this." Stefan didn't hide the frown that creased his face, he felt the guilt for what she was going through but that didn't mean he'd let her lose herself like this.
He felt it was his fault Damon killed Zach, and Scarlet would agree on some level. Gently he sat himself on the edge of her bed as she pointedly ignored him.
"I'm sorry," it came out more of a whisper but Scarlet heard him loud and clear, slowly she uncurled herself, turning to look at him as he stared at his hands like he was the living embodiment of Lady Macbeth. In reality he was way worse. She'd read his journals, she knew about his wild side, it was a mystery to her how he could sit there and look so sullen over something he didn't do himself. But this was Stefan all over, when he was on his special diet, he was a good little guilty vampire. When he wasn't however…
She was excited at the prospect of witnessing it, yet rightfully fearful.
"Everyone always is, I find apologies to be a little late however." She spoke up after breaking free from her train of thought. Her head was still pounding and moving had done nothing but make it worse.
Stefan met her tired eyes for a moment and nodded, patting her bare leg he got up to leave, pausing in the doorway.
"Monday morning, you're going back to school." he didn't leave her chance to answer and vanished with his vampire speed.
Groaning, Scarlet made the painstaking decision to force herself into her bathroom to try and get cleaned up. She had a party to attend later, she very well couldn't turn up looking like a drunk spinster. Albeit that would make a great Halloween costume.
Scarlet enjoying her morning coffee alone wasn't new, per say, but it was out of the ordinary as of late. However there was a new vampire staying at the Boarding house, and Vicky hadn't quite got the 'no eating Scarlet' thing down perfectly just yet. Or so Stefan said as he ordered Vicky to stay cooped up in his bedroom, Scarlet wondered if it bothered Vicky...seeing as she died in that room.
So here Scarlet sat, sipping coffee and scrolling social media for something to grasp her attention long enough to distract her from her hangover. Overall enjoying the peace that befell the dining room.
But like many things in Scarlet's life, that didn't last very long. The soft chimes of the doorbell rang out through the house, but before Scarlet could even reach the hallway Damon had answered the door, revealing Elena.
Sighing, Scarlet rolled her eyes and returned to her seat at the dining table. Of course she'd turn up, she just can't seem to stay away, Scarlet thought to herself, draining the last of the coffee from her mug making somewhat of an effort as to not listen to Elena's shrill voice call up the stairs for Stefan.
Quietly Scarlet made her way back to the hallway just in time for Vicky to also make her appearance.
"How long is that?" she called out, clearly being able to hear more of the conversation than Scarlet could. Vicky stopped halfway down the stairs peering down at Elena and Stefan, her eyes only flicking over to Scarlet for a moment.
"W-we can talk about that later" Vicky didn't seem to believe him.
"Hey Vicky, how are you" Elena didn't look nor sound like she genuinely cared, more like she felt obligated to ask the question.
"How am I? You're kidding right?" Vicky challenged, stepping closer to the bannister.
"Of course she's not, that would make her look insincere." Scarlet smirked, looking up at Vicky as she spoke. "Now, if you can dodge the rays of sunlight and join me in the dining room I could probably raid Stefan's stash for you" Scarlet didn't wait for any sign of agreement from Vicky and headed straight for the basement. Down there was a fridge with several bottles of animal blood, Scarlet wasn't sure what kind of animal but she hoped it wasn't anything too cute.
When Scarlet finally made her way back to the dining room, only making a slight detour to the kitchen for another mug for Vicky she was mildly disappointed to find she had two extra guests at the table.
"I don't recall extending the invitation to the two of you" It was then she noticed all three had coffee mugs in front of them. Setting the mug of blood down in front of Vicky she took note that the mug in Vicky's hand was filled with hot coffee and raised an eyebrow at Stefan. It came as no surprise when Vicky quickly abandoned that mug for the one Scarlet set down.
"I know it's only Animal blood, but Damon doesn't tend to keep blood bags in the house. He likes his fresh" Scarlet patted Vicky gently on her head, watching as the young vampire in front of her gulped her drink down greedily. Elena however looked a little more than put off, she sat with her arms crossed looking more and more uncomfortable as time went on.
"Scarlet, I'm trying to work with Vicky here. She needs to learn-"
"Spare me Stefan, in fact spare us all." Scarlet walked back around the table to where she'd been sitting earlier, "You're no angel when it comes to being a vampire, and perhaps instead of teaching abstinence you should teach her control."
"And I greatly regret my past life, I don't want that for Vicky."
"Well it's not about what you want!" Vicky stood from her seat, raising her voice. "Eugh I have to pee, why do I have to pee? I thought I was dead. I'm going to the bathroom." she added before storming out the room. It really was like watching someone go through puberty, but like, on steroids.
"I'll go grab a bottle, new vampires tend to be extra thirsty." Stefan promised Elena he'd be right back before disappearing down into the basement leaving Elena and Scarlet alone.
Scarlet shifted in her seat, propping her legs up on the dining room table as she went back to scrolling through her Instagram.
"How do you do it?" Elena broke the silence, trying to fill in what she felt was an awkward void between the two.
"Do what?" Scarlet didn't so much as look up from her phone, not willing to give Elena any more of her attention than she needed too.
"You know, be so calm around them. You treat this like it's normal!"
"Elena, this is normal. You're the one who's had the wool pulled over their eyes their whole life, and if you can't deal with the amount of death that follows my Uncle Stefan then perhaps you should call it quits."
"Stefan doesn't-" Elena started but quickly fell silent as Vicky rushed back into the room speaking a mile a minute, she was like a toddler mid sugar rush.
"False alarm, my body's been acting all funky. But it's a good kind of funky." Scarlet couldn't be 100% certain, but she'd been scheming alongside Damon since she could talk, and if you were to ask her, Scarlet would definitely say Vicky was up to something.
Who has false bladder alarms?
"Who are you calling?" Elena questioned as Vicky pulled out her phone dialling a number.
"Jeremy…" she stated like it was a given.
Scarlet could feel the tension in the air grow as Elena continued to berate Vicky over Jeremy, she supposed she could intervene but then again she was a lowly human who stood no real chance against Vicky. Smirking to herself she spared the pair a glance before returning to her phone to message Caroline about the school Halloween party about costume decisions.
"Let's get one thing straight you perky little bitch, you had my brother whipped for fifteen years and then you dumped him. When I look at you that is ALL I see, just so you know"
"Scarlet" Elena choked out looking towards the girl who still had her feet propped up on the table looking nothing but nonchalant as she watched Vicky pin Elena to the wall.
"What? Oh! You want me to help you…" Scarlet grinned, reminding Elena a little of Damon in that moment, "My advice Vicky, use a little more force. She should be gasping for air" Scarlet winked, getting to her feet.
"You girls have fun!" she called over her shoulder and made her way out the room leaving Elena to her own comeuppance.
Scarlet had to admit, seeing Elena pinned to the wall with a look of utter shock and terror was the cherry on top for Scarlet's morning, it almost added a little pep to her step as she quickly made her way up her room for some much needed solitude.
Maybe having Vicky around wouldn't be so bad, Scarlet pondered, pulling out her art supplies as she readied herself to finish off the drawing of Damon from the previous night. She'd once again made an attempt at drawing his eyes, but alas they just weren't right. They never were, and thus there were two large dark scribbles instead, a common theme among Scarlet's portraits.
As day formed into night Scarlet found herself peering into her closet looking for something to wear to the school's Halloween party, she'd promised Caroline she would make an appearance. In all honesty, Scarlet was looking forward to spending some time outside the boarding house, maybe she'd even get some time with her bestie if Elena was too preoccupied with her super secret Vampire drama.
Scarlet sighed for the fourth time, flicking through the hangers in her wardrobe looking for anything she could make into a costume with minimal effort.
"If you say 'I've got nothing to wear' with that size of a closet, I will eat you" Vicky teasingly threatened from where she lay on Scarlet's bed. She figured pestering the only other girl in this mansion of a house would make being locked up like a prisoner more fun, but she was still bored.
"I thought you were here to help, not hinder? What are you going as anyway?" Scarlet asked, eyeing up a red lace capelet she'd stashed away a few winters ago. All she needed was to pick a cute black dress and then maybe she'd have something to work with.
"Oh I can't go," Vicky huffed in frustration. "Your uncle, or whatever he is, Stefan forbids me from leaving this house!"
"You're a vampire now Vic, there's nothing standing in your way of just walking out of here you know?" In all honesty, Scarlet wasn't sure why the freshly turned vampire was still here living with her stuffy uncle Stefan rules. Night was upon them, if she'd been Vicky, she'd be long gone under the cover of night never to be seen again. Well not by the citizens of Mystic Falls that is.
Looking through a few more dresses Scarlet had to contain herself when she spotted the perfect dress, pulling it out along with the capelet she held them up together trying to fully assess the situation she had going.
"She's not wrong." Damon stood in the doorway leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed, he had the little devilish smirk on his face as he looked at Vicky hosting her own personal pity party.
"Why did you do it?" Vicky asked, barely lifting her head off of the pillow to ask. Scarlet looked up from her outfit and watched Damon think about his answer. He quietly made his way over to Vicky, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.
"I was...I was bored" It was a very Damon answer Scarlet thought, he'd always been impulsive for as long as she'd known him.
"You did this to me out of boredom?" Vicky turned to look at him incredulously, not really believing what she was hearing.
"It's one of the pitfalls of eternity." he snarked, looking over at Scarlet thoughtfully for a moment. Over the years Damon often found himself bored, but he was never bored when he came to visit his niece. He loved stealing her away for adventures before her dad even noticed he'd been there.
"Yeah well now I'm bored, and all I can think about is blood, blood, blood. What is with that?" she whined in response, hitting the bed with her fist each time she said blood to emphasise her point.
"You'll get over that, you've just been cooped up all day" Damon paused, smirking. "How about we take Little Red's advice and go see what's outside?"
"Great! But before you dash, what do you think about this for Little Red Riding Hood?" Scarlet asked holding up her dress and capelet for both Damon and Vicky to see.
"Is that why you call her Little Red?" Vicky asked, smirking at the younger teen in front of her. Vicky admired the relationship the two had, and in some ways envied it. She loved Matty but they weren't as close as they used to be when they were kids.
"I, for one, think it would look perfect." Damon answered, ignoring Vicky's question entirely. "Be ready in an hour, I'll drive you" he added, rushing both him and Vicky out of Scarlet's room.
Scarlet really had to hand it to Caroline, she'd gone all out with this year's Halloween party, there were haunted houses in some of the least used classrooms and school hallways, stalls with all sorts of carnival games, and of course the Lockwood Special. Albeit that was Tyler's addition to the whole event.
"Eugh no thanks, last year I was hungover till thanksgiving" Bonnie answered, rejecting the glass offered to her by Tyler. Caroline however had no qualms about drinking it, she grabbed both glasses, giving one to Scarlet as she called Bonnie out for being a lightweight.
"I am going to drink until someone here is hot enough to make out with" she proclaimed.
"I think I might join you in that endeavour, Care, but if anyone sees that creep Rue hanging near me...bail me out," Scarlet added, feeling mild disgust as she thought back to the last big party she attended.
"Sounds like a plan" Tyler toasted, clinking their glasses together. "I have to ask, why are only two of you witches? You could have had the whole hocus pocus going on" Tyler added after taking a drink. Both Caroline and Bonnie were in witch costumes with matching hats and brooms, Caroline had tried to get Scarlet to join in but she'd been adamant she wasn't going as a witch especially after the amount of time she spent looking through her wardrobe.
"Bitch please," Scarlet snorted "witches are a dime a dozen tonight." She wasn't exaggerating either, her point was further emphasised by two girls a year below them skip on by in similar witch outfits. Tyler laughed, nodding in agreement, Bonnie just looked a little bit put out though.
"You said I looked cute!" Caroline whined, gently shoving Scarlet in annoyance. She'd spent over an hour getting ready with Bonnie in an effort to look perfect.
"You're always cute, not my fault everyone else had the same idea!" Scarlet took a drink, mulling over the options for entertainment for a moment. "Say, anyone up for a run through the haunted maze?"
"You can count me out" Bonnie was the first to answer, and was always such a party pooper.
"Boring as usual. Ty? Care?" she probed, looking between the two. Tyler nodded, but Caroline looked a little reluctant to leave Bonnie on her own before changing her mind.
"Why not, I came here to have fun and that's what we'll do!"
The trio left Bonnie in their dust, laughing as they passed screaming kids running from the haunted maze. Scarlet couldn't help but jump out at them, scaring them further. Caroline had to pull her back to keep her from getting a little carried away, her and Tyler laughing all the while.
As the trio made their way through the maze they got separated, Caroline and Tyler caught up with their friends' in the cheer squad. They were never a big fan of Scarlet, like a lot of people in this school, so she wondered off on her own people watching and Scaring unsuspecting people as she passed. Man, she really did love Halloween.
"Another Lockwood special?" Tyler offered from behind, taking Scarlet a little by surprise. Most people were staying clear of her, especially with the glare she wore on her face. So she found it a little odd that Tyler would approach her, even more so that the two rarely ever spoke to one another. But she'd had to admit to herself, he was looking good in that Gladiator costume.
"Sure" She accepted, taking the glass he offered in his outstretched hand.
"Why is it when we're at parties, you always end up glaring at everyone from the side lines?" Tyler probed, settling himself against the lockers alongside Scarlet.
"The majority of this town bore me to tears Tyler," Scarlet turned to rest on her shoulder so she could look at him dead on. He copied, resting his weight on his arm against the lockers.
"But...perhaps you could be a little more interesting." Scarlet reached out, tracing the outline of Tyler's pectoral muscle with her nail teasingly, he matched her smirk with one of his own once her eyes met his.
"I suppose I could accommodate" Draining the last of his drink, he tossed the plastic cup over his shoulder and cupped Scarlet's cheek. Roughly he pushed her against the lockers pressing his lips against hers feverishly, she ran her fingers along the nape of his neck with her free hand as she eagerly kissed him back.
Pulling away for just a moment, she downed what she could of the cider in her hand, tossing the rest over the person to her right and went right back to making out with Tyler.
And that's how Damon found them not twenty minutes later.
"Little Red...Scarlet!.." Damon called out to her over the loudness of the spooky hallway but to no avail, he then settled on a different method and yanked Tyler away from his niece to finally grab her attention, "Stop making out with jocks, you don't know where they've been." he snarked, pointedly ignoring Tyler objection to being separated from Scarlet.
"Come on, I need your help with something" Damon grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him, Scarlet bore hole in the back of Damon's head as he did so, knowing that trying to break free was ultimately futile.
"Don't worry, she'll call you never!" Damon called out towards Tyler over his shoulder, pushing his way through horny teenagers to get to the exit at the end of the hall.
"Seriously Damon, I was in the middle of something there!" Scarlet bemoaned as they passed through the doors towards the school buses parked out back. Damon paused to look down at her in mild amusement.
"I thought I taught you to aim higher, have better taste" he said, wiping off a smear of her lipstick from her bottom lip with his thumb.
"I don't know if you've noticed Damon, but this town is lacking in that department" Scarlet had shamelessly spent many hours with Caroline comparing the guys in their class, deciding who was hot and who was not on many a sleepover. Tyler had at least made it on to their top 5 list, but the list barely went up to 10.
"Well I can't fault you there. Now come on, we're on clean up duty" Scarlet followed Damon as he led them past several school buses in quiet confusion. Did Vicky kill someone? Why do I have to clean that mess up? She thought to herself as they came to a stop.
Just past Damon, Scarlet could make out a girl in a white dress kneeling over a body, the girl's hair was too long to be Vicky's.
"You should get out of here, we've got this" As Damon spoke, the girl turned revealing a terrified looking Elena and a very dead looking Vicky. Vicky was ashen and full of bulging dark veins across all visible parts of her body, Scarlet had seen a few dead bodies in her short life but this one was definitely the most disturbing, and certainly her first dead vampire.
"You did this, this is your fault" Elena stood slowly, fear and anger taking over making her shake all over. Scarlet had only briefly seen Elena earlier in the night but she could have sworn she'd had been blood free, the wound on her right bled through her white nurse outfit and stood out. But it was her shoulder that seemed to have the worst of it, there looked to be a bite wound that bubbled with drying blood.
Scarlet could only assume Vicky took a bite out of Elena, but she very much doubted that Elena staked her in return...
"You're confusing me with someone with remorse," Damon answered, peering over Vicky's corpse. This just made Elena angrier, she lashed out trying to shove Damon but he didn't budge an inch, when that didn't work she struck out again trying to slap him. Scarlet snorted at the attempt, Damon caught Elena's wrist and held it tightly in place.
"None of this matters to me, none of it!" He said, shoving her hand away with just enough force to make her stumble. Scarlet took this opportunity to step forward and make her presence more known, she rested her hand on Damon's shoulder, peering down at Vicky who lay there in a cheap vampire costume.
"People die around you, how can this not matter?" Elena's face contorted as she angrily berated Damon, to Scarlet it all seemed a little naive. Elena seemed to blame Damon for everything bad that happened yet didn't even notice she was dating someone who was no different. Some would argue, worse.
"They die around Stefan a lot more, perhaps you should find a new boyfriend" She chimed in, getting a little tired of Elena's ignorance.
"She has a point"
Elena once again launched an attack towards Damon, but this time Scarlet stepped in grabbing Elena's wrist tightly and pulling her towards her. Sure, she couldn't do shit against vampires but humans? That was an even playing field.
Scarlet's free hand made its way around Elena's throat tightly, her long nails digging into her flesh. "You had your free pass at hitting him, Elena. So why don't you run along like a good little bitch."
Roughly, Scarlet shoved Elena to the floor and stood over her as she gasped for air, clutching her throbbing neck. Damon stepped closer to Scarlet, wrapping an arm around her shoulder smirking.
"You need to leave," he paused to smell the air, closing his eyes for a moment. "Your wounds are bleeding." Elena scrambled to her feet and backed away from the pair as quickly as she could without taking her eyes off of them till she was far enough away.
After a silent moment, Damon laughed. "You, my beautiful little niece, never cease to make me proud" Scarlet just rolled her eyes and pulled away from Damon so she could face him.
"Sure, now tell me. How are we getting a dead body out of a crowded Halloween Party?" She asked, once again looking down at Vicky's corpse.
"Fetch the car around" Was all Damon said, he tossed his keys in her general direction and crouched over Vicky.
AN: So I have literally sat down for a solid week and forced myself to write. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but it's the best I could do with my current head space. I hope you all enjoy. :D