Now that winter was beginning to settle in, her and Josiah decided that driving to school would be much better than walking. They'd both just exited their mom's car when suddenly, students still in the parking lot started to buzz. Elowen turned around and found Stefan driving in his bright red car that he never used. She thought it was odd, but still went to meet him nonetheless.
"Nice car," she commented. "It looks way better than mine does at the moment."
"Thought it was a waste to just leave it sitting in the garage."
"Funny. Where was that attitude before?"
"Uhh…." Stefan leaned down and gave her a kiss. "Did the distraction work?"
"Since you admitted it was a distraction, no," she joked. "I didn't know you were coming back today."
Ever since the Founder's Day kick-off party, Stefan had been taking it easy at the boarding house. At this point, Elowen was surprised the school hadn't sent out a truancy letter.
"I wasn't really planning on coming myself. I woke up this morning feeling great and decided it was time to get back in the swing of things."
"Well, that's good to hear. I'm glad you're feeling better. But… um, how are the cravings?" Elowen asked quietly.
"Oh, they're gone," Stefan answered happily. "The worst part is over, trust me."
Elowen tilted her head. It had only been maybe a week and he'd been struggling far longer than that. How did they just disappear like that? Her eyes darted to the trunk of his car. He wasn't hiding something from her, was he? Seeing her get suspicious, Stefan grabbed her face and redirected her attention. Elowen winced. She'd covered up the bruise Luis left with makeup this morning (Esmeralda still had no idea), but it still stung. Stefan grimaced and let go.
"Sorry. Look, I'm okay now. All I want to do from this point on is to spend more time with you as much as possible." He smiled and gave her another kiss. "I also wanted to thank you for helping me through that rough patch. It really meant a lot."
"You're absolutely welcome. Nobody deserves to go through anything alone."
The first bell rang. Everyone that was still lingering around started heading to class.
"We should go or we're going to be late." Elowen gestured towards the school.
"Uh, y'know what? I'll catch up with you," Stefan said. "I just need to grab my stuff out of the car. I'll be right behind you, I swear."
Elowen nodded her head. "Alright. See you in class."
When she got far enough away, Stefan popped open his trunk. There were numerous empty blood bags scattered around inside. Elowen stopped about halfway and stole a glance over her shoulder. Something didn't seem quite right. She shook her head and continued her way to class.
xxxx
True to his word, Stefan trailed into the class shortly after Elowen took her seat. The second bell rang as Alaric entered the room.
"Okay, this week we're going to set aside our regular curriculum for a lesson in local history as we approach Founders' Day. Apparently the community leaders feels it's more important than World War 2, but hey, what do I know?"
The door swiftly opened and Bonnie came rushing through. Elowen sat up eagerly at the sight of her. She hadn't heard a single word from Bonnie ever since she left, so she had no idea she was coming back at all. It was good to see her again.
She took her usual seat next to Elena, who shot her a smile. She smiled back, but as soon as her eyes caught Stefan and Elowen, it vanished. She turned her head back to the board and ignored them.
Elowen wasn't surprised, but it didn't make it hurt any less.
Later, Elowen and Caroline were walking through campus, talking about the upcoming Founder's court. Caroline was obviously chosen as she was from a founding family, but surprisingly, so was Elowen. She'd applied when she first moved to Mystic Falls in a desperate attempt to become more involved in the community and further distance herself from Atlanta. She wasn't planning on taking it seriously, let alone be accepted.
They passed Bonnie as they strolled through the courtyard. The three of them awkwardly stopped in front of each other. Other than exchanging a few text with Caroline, they hadn't talked at all during her absence, and everyone knew she refused to talk to Elowen. To top it off, Elowen and Caroline had grown much closer while Bonnie was gone.
Elowen uncomfortably cleared her throat. "So, uh, how've you been?"
"Good," she answered shortly. "It's been hard to cope since Gram's died, but I'm dealing."
Elowen cast her eyes to the ground at the mention of Grams. She thought she'd managed to move past Bonnie's earlier accusation, but now that she was back, guilt was eating at her again. It felt almost as if she brought it up on purpose.
"Everyone here really missed you." Caroline strained out. The atmosphere was tense. She didn't quite know what to do or say to make it seem better.
"So I've been told. I just had so much to deal with after Gram's funeral. Then Elena told me the tomb spell failed. I honestly didn't want to come back to all this."
Caroline glanced at Elowen at the second mention of Grams. She'd gone awfully quiet. Truth was, she could sense that Bonnie still held her slightly accountable for what happened.
"If you had just told us Katherine wasn't in there, we wouldn't have done the spell and Grams would still be alive! She's dead because of you."
Bonnie's words from before echoed in her head.
"Understandable," Elowen mumbled quietly. Bonnie's eyes moved over to her. She didn't know what to say, but she didn't have to. Elena joined the group before she could decide what to do. She engulfed Bonnie in a hug.
"I tried to grab you after class, but you'd already taken off." She said when she pulled back. "I know we talked plenty, but it just wasn't the same."
Caroline loudly cleared her throat. Elena's eyes slightly widened as she realized they were standing there. If the situation could've gotten more awkward than it already was, this would be it. Caroline decided to change the subject altogether.
"So, Elena, have you picked out what to wear to the Founder's court?"
"Founder's court? I'm sorry, did I miss something?" Elena looked confused.
"Y'know, the Founder's court! Miss Mystic Falls? They announced it today and you, me and Elowen are on it."
"Oh my god! We signed up for that so long ago…. I completely forgot about it."
"So, are you gonna drop out then?" Caroline asked.
"I can't. Um… my mom was the one who wanted me to enter."
"Oh."
xxxx
The four of them eventually parted ways, albeit a little painfully. When she got home, Elowen gave Stefan a call. It took him longer than usual to answer. Just when she thought it was going to go to voicemail, he picked up.
"Hey. Sorry about that."
"It's okay. Listen, I know it's short notice, but I was sorta chosen for the Founder's court and I sorta need an escort."
Stefan chuckled on the other line. "I would be honored to be your escort."
"Thank god."
"What, you thought your boyfriend would say no?"
"No," she lied. She just thought his behavior had been a bit off today, so she wasn't sure what to expect. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"
"Of course. I love you."
"Love you, too."
Stefan hung up first. He almost seemed anxious to end the conversation. Not wanting to dwell on it, Elowen put her phone in her pocket and made her way upstairs. She'd just reached her bedroom when she heard voices whisper in the back of her head.
"What's Elowen think of the new… you?" It was unmistakably Damon who was talking.
"Nothing's changed. I'm still the same person." And this was Stefan.
"Clearly," Damon scoffed.
"Elowen doesn't need to know anything yet."
"What makes you think she doesn't know already? You won't be able to keep this from her for long, Stef. You know that. You also know how she is about keeping secrets. Better hurry and rip off the bandaid."
"Keep out of my love life, Damon," Stefan snapped.
"Whatever you say. But you've been off the human stuff for years. What makes you think she doesn't want to help you control it? Mull that over, will you?"
The voices faded away. Elowen stood in the doorway for a moment. So, Stefan was still drinking human blood. That wasn't what upset her. Damon was right. She hated secrets.
xxxx
Elowen met Caroline at the Founder's hall the next day. Carol Lockwood and the other judges wanted to interview all six contestants of the court to get a feel for their personalities.
"This year's queen will have the special honor of taking the stage at the hundred and fiftieth Founders' Day Gala. Before we crown our winner, we'd like to get to know a bit more about each of you," Carol explained. "Take it away, Ms. Ramirez."
"Well, at my old school, I was very involved. I was drum major and section leader of two different divisions. I helped revive the drama club and was also in charge of the photography club. Oh, in addition to that, I used to help run the annual blood drive, and I volunteered at the local animal shelter. Since moving here, I haven't been as hands on. I'm still section leader and I sometimes give lessons to the beginning band students when they ask. I play six instruments. Clarinet, flute, trumpet, saxophone, piano and bassoon. I know basic violin, too."
"I heard you helped with this year's decades dance?" Carol asked.
"Oh, yeah! I co-coordinated and organized everything alongside Caroline. We had lots of fun setting everything up."
"Well, I think we've heard everything we needed. You can go ahead and send the next girl in."
Later that day, all the contestants and their respective partners were being taught the Founder's court dance at the high school. Carol was instructing everyone to hover their hands together while walking in a circle.
"Flirt with your eyes," she said. Elowen attempted to squint her eyes seductively, but she must've looked ridiculous, because Stefan laughed at her.
"Hey! Be nice." She pouted as they turned the other way around with both hands.
"Maybe I should, because I can teach you this dance better than Carol Lockwood." He rolled his eyes dramatically in Carol's direction. Elowen shook her head at him.
"Sorry only one of us was around when it was invented, grandpa."
Stefan gaped at her. "Ouch!" He took Elowen in his arms and spun her around. He caught her in his arms and dipped her down. Carol was breathing down their backs within seconds.
"No, no! There's no touching during this part. It's about the near intimacy of a near touch. Very nice, Amber!" She complimented as she returned to her previous spot.
"If you ask me, the near touch thing is overrated," Stefan commented.
"You seem to be in a good mood," Elowen observed. She was hoping that maybe he would speak up and tell her about the blood himself, but truthfully, she wasn't sure he would.
"Is that a bad thing? Would you rather me be brooding and tortured?"
"I guess I'm not complaining." She shrugged.
The first round of rehearsals came to an end. Carol had decided to hold two separate dance lessons for the people who couldn't make one of the times. Elowen, Stefan, Caroline and Josiah were leaving and ran into Elena and Bonnie.
"No Matt?" Caroline asked.
"He couldn't get time off from work to make it," Elena explained. "I had to beg Bonnie to stand in for him."
"That's too bad," Elowen uttered. "Well, we better get going."
"Elowen, wait," Bonnie called out. At first Elowen thought she'd just imagined it. She kept walking until Caroline grabbed her arm. She nodded her head back towards Bonnie. Elowen blinked, confused at first. She slowly started making her way back to Bonnie, who led her over to a quiet corner.
"Look," she started. "You deserve at least an explanation. It's not fair to just… ignore you like I have been. So, I'm going to be upfront. Grams agreed to do the spell to try and protect us. Protect me. And I helped because Grams was helping and because I considered you one of my best friends. But knowing that the spell failed, it feels like she died for nothing. I blame him," her eyes darted to Stefan, "and Damon. And…." Bonnie trailed off.
"You can say it," Elowen said curtly. "Don't act like you haven't already."
"I actually wanted to apologize for that. The way I acted was… unacceptable. It wasn't solely your fault."
"But I played a part in it, right?"
Bonnie stayed silent. Elowen nodded as Bonnie's feelings were publicly known.
"I don't blame you for acting like you have. You have every right to hate me." Bonnie opened her mouth to refute this, but Elowen held her hand up to silence her. "Don't pretend like you don't resent me at least a little bit, Bonnie. What I don't appreciate is how you made me feel guilty for mourning Sheila. For telling me I didn't deserve to attend her funeral, regardless if it was out of anger or not. Some truth had to be behind it. Sheila was like an aunt to me. She was family. If I had known keeping quiet was going to cost her her life, I would've said something. I was just upset that after going through all that trouble, we weren't even going to find who we were looking for. That Damon, as much as you hate him, wasn't going to get the girl and leave town for good. And while I'm at it, do you understand how much stress you put me under? How you made me feel, telling me Sheila died because of me?"
Bonnie bowed her head, ashamed.
"I went through hell because of that. Fuck, Bon, I still deal with that. It's already been seared in my head that it was my fault." Elowen gave a long sigh as she finally got everything out. "I just wanted to know you were okay," she said softly. "I didn't care if you never talked to me again. I just wanted to hear from your own mouth that you were fine at your dad's. That's all."
"I'm sorry," Bonnie muttered weakly.
"Yeah. Me, too." Elowen glanced back at the others, who were trying hard not to spy on them. They were failing miserably. "You should get to rehearsal before you're late."
"Yeah." Bonnie cleared her throat. "You're right."
"For the record, I still care about you. And I will always wish you the best. I'll just do it from afar now, because I understand and respect your feelings." She gave Bonnie a light smile. "I'll see you around, Bon."
xxxx
After sweeping thrift and fabric stores, Elowen and Caroline were able to find both of themselves a dress for the Founder's court. Actually, Esmeralda was able to revise a dress they'd found and made it look much nicer for the court. The three of them were pretty happy with the result.
Caroline and Elowen helped each other do one another's hair at Elowen's house. They knew it was going to take the longest, so they started as soon as they could. Caroline had very specific instructions for her hair. She wanted the ends curled very big and loose. She was the fussiest when it came to her bangs. Eventually, Elowen gave up and let her finish up herself.
When it came to her own hair, she let Caroline do what she felt was necessary. At this point, Elowen had learned to trust Caroline when it came to hair and makeup. She'd decided on soft spiral curls, claiming that it would make her look like a princess once she got into her dress. Elowen rolled her eyes and had drawled out, "Sure it will."
That was almost an hour and a half ago. It turned out to be a bit difficult, considering Elowen's hair was already naturally curly. She had to straighten it and then use a curling wand to achieve the tight curls.
"Done!" Caroline cheerfully announced. Immediately, Elowen stretched her joints. Sitting in a chair for so long made her legs fall asleep, so she got up to try and gain feeling back. Caroline waited eagerly for Elowen to turn around and take a good look at her hair. She got a bit impatient and grabbed Elowen's shoulders to turn her towards the mirror.
"Take a look! I personally think this is some of my best work. Your hair is so thick that I almost wasn't sure I could finish it."
Elowen reached up and touched her curls. Caroline really had done a wonderful job. She looked like she'd just stepped out a professional salon.
"I love it! Thank you so much, Care."
The doorbell rang. Faintly, they could hear Alaric's voice downstairs.
"Looks like our ride is here." Caroline grabbed hers and Elowen's dress. "You grab my makeup bag. We'll finish up at the venue."
Alaric took the dresses from Caroline when they made it downstairs. Him and Elowen went to load everything into his car.
"Hey… how is Stefan doing?" Alaric asked hesitantly. After his run in with him earlier, he was worried. He'd come to really care about this family. If he had to, he'd protect them from Stefan.
Elowen sighed. "Honestly, I have no idea. I'm certain he's been drinking human blood behind my back, so everything about him right now is a lie, probably. He seems like he's got it under control, but… I really doubt it."
"I saw him at school the other day and he was really on edge. It worried me, actually. Lemme know if you need my help with anything."
"I really hope it doesn't reach that point, but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Ric."
"No problem, Elle."