Chapter Twenty-Five
The next few days blurred together. I was flicking through a magazine at work, flicking my eyes to the door every so often. I had been avoiding everyone. Jeremy had started to speak to me again, which I felt relieved about. Elena was spending more and more time with Damon. Alaric was never home. I had tracked him down without Jeremy and let him apologize. He was so torn up that he could barely be in the same room as me without looking down at his feet. I had felt guilty for the way he felt. It wasn't like he did that intentionally. I sighed, flicking the page over.
"You have been avoiding me, darling."
I kept my eyes down, my teeth sinking into my bottom lip.
"Can I help you?" I asked politely.
"You can start by making me whatever coffee drink..." I looked up as Kol spoke. He waved off his order. I turned to the machine, starting to make a flat white. "You can also tell me why you have been avoiding me." I paused for a moment, then finished off the coffee, handing it over to him. He went to pull out his wallet and I shook my head.
"It's ok, I can take care of it."
"Can we talk?" he asked, taking the coffee before sniffing at it. I watched as he took a careful sip. "As for coffee, it's not bad."
"I wouldn't know." I shrugged. I barely drank coffee, only a few sips at most every so often. "I'm at work." I said before he could ask me if we could talk again.
He looked around the empty shop with a raised brow. I scowled. "Fine." I grumbled. I walked out behind the counter, sitting across from him at one of the tables. I glanced out the window and sighed, feeling the sun of my face. When I turned, Kol was smiling at me.
"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.
"Nothing, darling." He mused.
"You wanted to talk?" I fidgeted with my hands, trying to calm my nerves.
"Do I make you uncomfortable?" Kol tilted his head to the side. I saw vulnerability flash on his face for a split second.
"A little." I admitted feeling rather silly. Kol has been pleasant, besides breaking my hand and snapping Jeremy's neck that time, he has been nice.
"Why?" he asked curiously. I sighed. How do you explain to a thousand years plus vampire that you felt inadequate and messy? My life was pretty much falling to pieces. My twin was a vampire hunter. My sister is a doppelganger and I was an abomination.
"Because you're an original vampire." I supplied.
He remained silent. I peeked at his face that looked deep in thought.
"I'm sorry." I blurted out quickly. His eyes locked with mine and before I let him speak. I rambled on. "My life is messy. I just don't even know how I think or feel any more." I looked down feeling defeated.
"I see." He responded with. I was expecting him to get up and just leave but he didn't I looked at him a little confused. "Yes?" he asked with a look of confusion of his own.
"I thought you would leave?" I mumbled. Glancing at the door before turning back to him.
"Do you want me too?" he asked.
"No." I answered before I had a chance to process the thought. He nodded and then offered me one of his smiles.
I had finished my shift, Kol had stayed the entire time, walking me home. We had been talking, he had told me a little about the other centuries, well what he could remember before being daggered by Klaus.
"Shame you weren't in the 1920's." I sighed.
"Yes, Bekah tells me it was a good decade."
"From what I have read, yes. Jazz and the art." I smiled, my mind filling with the possibilities of what the 1920's would be like. Rebekah had told me a little when we had set up the dance. "Why couldn't I have been born in that era?" I grumbled.
"If you had, we would not have met." Kol replied with. I scowled.
"But jazz." I said. Like that would be the best answer. He chuckled.
"I agree, jazz is rather beautiful but not my cup of tea."
"It's mine though." I smiled as we kept walking.
"I know." He smiled down at me. I felt my cheeks heating a little. I would be lying if I said that I didn't have a little thing for Kol. It was like he could see me, understand me. I was only use to Jeremy being able to do that. It felt nice that someone else noticed the little things. We arrived at my house; I saw Kol checking his phone.
"Do you have to be somewhere?" I asked.
"No..." he trailed off, before turning to me with a smile.
"Are you sure?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. I had seen him check his phone a few times, maybe he was just being polite. He glanced down at his phone before I saw something flash across his face. It looked between guilt and satisfaction, like he felt both those feelings.
"Kol?" I said after ten minuets of us standing there in utter silence.
"I must go."
I nodded and gave him a small smile.
"Thank you for walking me home. I enjoyed our conversation."
"As did I, darling." He leaned down, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I smiled, reaching up to touch the spot. He had vamp sped off before I could say anything else.
I sat on the couch, spinning my phone in my hand, waiting for someone, anyone, to come home. I hadn't heard from Jeremy, Elena or Alaric all day. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't sense that it was Jeremy. Maybe Alaric had another episode?
I tried calling Jeremy who didn't answer. It wasn't like him not to answer me and since I had tried him forty times in the space of three hours, you would think something was wrong. I then tried Elena; her phone was dead. Dread had me panicking as I tried dialling everyone else. Even Damon. No one answered.
I ran upstairs, grabbing a jumper, throwing on my sneakers and grabbing my small handbag. I locked up and jumped into my car, driving straight for the Salvatore house. As I parked. I jumped out, not bothering with locking my car. I frowned when seeing no one's car here. I ran up the stairs, pounding on the door. No answer. I shouted and walked around the house before feeling my phone vibrating in my back pocked. I fished it out, not brother to see who it was.
"Hello?" I said a little sharply. Feeling like my heart was pounding a hundred miles a minuet.
"Jords, where are you?"
"Jer, what's going on?" I asked instead of answering his question. I was feeling anxious and angry and just, all over the place.
"Where are you?" his tone was sharp. I frowned, pulling my phone away from my ear to glare at it before I replied to him.
"Salvatore house."
"Come home."
"No! Not until you tell me!" I shouted.
"Come home, NOW!" Jeremy roared through the phone. I flinched. I could feel this darkness around him, and it was swirling. I tried to suck as much as I could, but it was out of control.
"You're scaring me Jer." I spoke quietly.
"Jordan, please." He said after a few minutes. I sighed, hanging up and driving home. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. I pulled up, seeing Jeremy's truck in the driveway. I ran to the front door, he pulled it open. clearly, he had been waiting in the living room for me. he pulled me inside before I had the chance to catch my breath. I watched as he stepped outside, like some sort of warrior or solider. Vampire Hunter. The words echoed in my head, eyes widening in realization. He was in hunter mode. He walked back in, locking the door behind him. I blinked at him as he folded his arms across his chest.
"No hug hello? No sorry, Jordan for ignoring you?" I quipped.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and I felt a chill roll down my spine. I had never seen him like this before.
"Jer?" my tone soft and gentle as I tried to find my twin and not this hunter.
"She's one of them." his words were a dead calm and I just blinked. Who is a what? I cocked my head to the side, confused by his words.
"What?" I asked in disbelief. What was he going on about? What the hell was wrong with him?
"Elena..." He gritted out. My heart banged inside me. I could feel this sick feeling washing over me. I shook my head, backing away from him. tears already in my eyes. Was Elena dead? No this couldn't be happening.
"No...no no no." I cried, feeling tears wash down my face. I fell to my knees, face falling into my hands as I mourned my older sister. My heart shattering into a thousand pieces.
"She's a vampire."