Chapter 3: The Unbelievable Truth
"Hey, you're up early." Jenna sent me a smile from her place at kitchens island. I sent her a small smile of my own as I ventured into the kitchen.
"Yeah, couldn't fall back asleep." I answered her. The reason I was up so early was because of a memory, one I didnt even understand. But the rush of emotions I felt as I jolted awake left me unable to fall back asleep. It left me feeling frustrated and instead of laying in bed mulling over whatever it was the memory had been about, I just decided to get ready for school.
Jenna and I fell into a comfortable silence as she worked on her collage papers and I poured myself a cup of coffee and tossed some bread into the toaster. As I stood leaning against the counter with my coffee mug in my hands, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I glanced up from my cup just as Elena walked into sight.
"Jenna!" Our Aunt's head snapped up as Elena said her name. "Are you aware of what's going on upstairs?"
I raised a brow at my sister's words and glanced over at Jenna. "Uh-huh." Our Aunt answered.
"And you gave no objection?" Elena asked. I had a good feeling that my sister was compiling about the fact that Vicki had spent the night. I knew this due to the unfortunate fact that I had been awake when Jeremy came home last night with the girl.
"He could be craftier about it, at least make an effort to sneak her in and out." Jenna answered and I smirked into my coffee as I took a small sip of the still hot beverage. "Oh, and just so you know, I won't be home for dinner."
Elena joined me in the kitchen and pulled cereal and a bowl out for breakfast. I saw her smirk over at our Aunt. "Oh, so you're actually going to do it. You're gonna go out with Logan."
"I thought he was a no good scum ball?" I spoke up with my own smirk and Jenna let out a sigh before rolling her eyes.
"I'm going to show up and torture him, yes." Jenna explained. "And have you heard from Stefan?"
My toast popped out of the toaster and I carefully pulled it out and set the golden colored pieces of bread on a plate before reaching for the peanut butter. It's been three days since the founders day party and three days since either Elena and I have heard from Stefan, or even Damon.
"Not since he left that very vague message three days ago. 'Hi, um, Elena, I, um, have something I have to do. I'll, uh, explain in a few days.'" I listened to Elena talk as I smeared peanut butter on my toast. I knew something was going on between the two vampire brothers. I could only hope the two hadn't hurt one another, or worse.
"Haven't you called him?" Jenna asked Elena.
"Nope. Not going to either." My sister stated. While she hadn't called Stefan, I had, and my once older brother had promptly ignored my calls, so I was forced to give up. I was worried and I had no real way of figuring out what was wrong without getting between Damon and Stefan. Something I would rather not do.
"And you're ok with everything?" Jenna raised a brow at Elena.
"No, I'm not okay with any of it. But I'm not gonna cry about it either. You know, I was going to write in my diary this morning and then I thought, what am I going to write? Honestly, I'm not gonna be one of those pathetic girls whose world stops spinning because of some guy." I was honestly proud of my sister's words, but something told me that that wasn't always going to be the case. I knew Elena was falling hard for Stefan and it was only a matter of time before things escalated between the two.
"Ok, then." Jenna nodded her head.
"I'll be fine." Elenas words made me frown slightly and Jenna and I shared a look while Elena ate her cereal. Now I knew those words were a lie.
The school day passed by as it normally did and by the time my last period rolled around, I found myself being cornered at my locker by a very enthusiastic Caroline. "Oh good, I found you!" She smiled widely at me and I felt slightly scared for a moment. "So I need more volunteers for the carwash tomorrow." I frowned slightly and Caroline quickly shook her head at me. "I know, I know. It's not your thing, but please, do it for me."
I blew air out my nose and felt my shoulders sag. I know she wasn't trying to guilt me into doing the car wash, but I still felt bad about the whole Damn thing. "Alright, fine. I'll help out."
Caroline squealed and jumped up and down a few times. "Perfect! Now just remember, it's a sexy car wash so wear your best bikin." I felt my mouth fall open, but before I could protest, Caroline was already walking away. "See you tomorrow, Serena!" She waved at me as she disappeared down the hallway.
I reluctantly waved back at the blonde and turned to walk the other way. It's always been like this between Caroline and I. It didn't take much begging for me to give in to any of her demands, no matter how much I didn't want to participate. But she was my friend, and I knew her heart was in the right place. Which is why I couldn't help but feel guilty about not trying harder to stop Damon from using her like his own personal blood bank.
I felt a lot of mixed emotions when it concerned the Salvatore brothers. I mean, they were once my brothers, my family. I still cared about them, even if it's been over a hundred years since I had last seen them, or even been alive. But I've made new bonds now with the people around me after being reborn as Serena Gilbert. I cared about my family and the friends I've made. So having Damon hurt someone I cared about had my stomach turning in discomfort. I knew it was only a matter of time till I was forced to step between the brothers. I only hope that I don't act too late.
The next day came and after changing at home and returning to the school, I found myself helping Bonnie wash cars. Luckily, Caroline had let me slip by with my sports bra barely visible under my zipped up jacket. Apparently the denim shorts I had on were enough skin for her and I had my long pale colored locks tied up in a high ponytail to keep them out of face as I scrubbed down cars.
"Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you here." I glanced up from the buckets I was filling up with water when I felt a familiar presence approach. Stefan stood slightly behind me and I turned the water off before facing him.
"Yeah, this is definitely not my thing. But peer pressure made me do it." I sent Stefan a small smile before bending down to pick up the two buckets I had filled. Stefan was at my side before I could even blink, both buckets being gripped by their handles in his hands. "Thanks." I led my once older brother to the car Bonnie and I had been working on.
Bonnie glanced up at me and nodded towards Stefan. "Hi Bonnie, do you mind if I steal Serena for a moment?" Stefan asked the dark skinned girl with a calming smile. Bonnie shook her head before glancing over at me. I gave her a reassuring smile and followed after Stefan. The vampire and I walked up to a van that needed to be dried and got to work. "Listen, there's something I need to tell you about Damon. He's locked in the cellar at the boarding house."
"What?" My hand stopped moving and I looked over at Stefan in disbelief. "Why? I mean, wait, I think I know why, but still, what made you lock him up?"
"He's dangerous, Serena. If I had not locked him away, he would have killed another innocent person, he maybe even would have killed Caroline." I felt my blood chill at the thought of Damon killing my friend.
"He promised me that wouldn't." I muttered. I know it was naive of me to say, but still, he was Damon.
Stefan frowned at my words and shook his head. "He's not the same person you once knew, little sister. Being a vampire has changed him. It changed me." I looked away from Stefan and focused my eyes on the damp rag I was using to dry off the van.
"I guess it's just hard for me to believe that he's not the same person I once knew." It was a childish notion, but Damon had been everything to me when I was a Salvatore. He was my protector, my best friend, and my brother. I just didn't want to give up that image of him. Those memories were some of the only clear things I could remember, and I wanted to hold on to them.
"I don't think the Damon we once knew is completely gone." Stefan spoke softly. I glanced up at him and nodded my head. I could only hope that he was right about that.
Before I could say anything else about our wayward brother, I felt an intense heat fill the air around us. I had never felt something like this, or really remember feeling something like this. I turned around and watched with wide eyes as the car Bonnie was washing, burst into flames. Both Stefan and I jumped into action. I rushed in front of Bonnie and placed both my hands on her shoulders. The energy around her had changed so suddenly when the fire started, that I just knew it was coming from the dark haired teen.
"Bonnie! Bonnie stop!" I shook her slightly and Bonnie came out of the trance she had been in. She blinked a few times before I felt the flames go out behind me and the light return to her eyes.
"What just happened?" Stefan and I shared a look at Bonnie's question before I glanced back at her.
"I don't really know. You were in some kind of trance for a moment." I tried to explain the situation to her as the teens around us became frantic at the sudden combustion and extinguished fire.
Bonnie glanced over my shoulder at the slightly burnt car. "Did I do this?"
"I think so, yeah." Stefan answered her. Bonnie's eyes grew frantic as she glanced between Stefan and I.
"Nobody else saw, did they? Don't tell anybody. Please." The words tumbled out of her mouth and I nodded my head.
"Hey, hey, calm down. No one else saw, I promise. Stefan and I aren't going to say anything to anyone." Bonnie relaxed somewhat and nodded her head before taking one last look at the crispy vehicle and fleeing the parking lot.
"What was that?" I asked as I watched Bonnie rush off towards the school.
"She's a witch." Stefan answered. I looked away from the crowd that had gathered around the car and up at Stefan. "Do you remember Emily? She was Katherines maid." I nodded my head slightly. I could faintly remember a woman named Emily, but I didn't spend a whole lot of time with Katherine and mostly avoided the woman. "She was a witch, and Bonnie's her decedent."
"Oh. I guess her Grams isn't crazy after all." I muttered and Stefan hummed in agreement. I hadn't noticed anything different about Bonnie, but when she set the car on fire, I felt a shift in her energy, one I couldn't remember ever feeling before. Something was definitely different with Bonnie and I had a feeling it was only going to grow stronger.
I left the car wash soon after Bonnie did. Something felt off and I needed to get away from people for a little while and settle my nerves. Everything that was happening had my stomach in knots and I just needed some time to sort things out.
I leaned back against the oak tree and took in a deep breath. The fresh air helped calm my nerves down and tilted my head up towards the sky and basked in what was left of the setting sun. I knew things in Mystic Falls were changing; the second Stefan and Damon stepped foot in the small sleepy town, everything shifted.
My phone's buzzing caught my attention and I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the ringing device. "Serena, she knows." I felt my blood grow cold and my spine go rigid. "She ran off before I could stop her."
"Oh." If Elena knew that Stefan was a vampire, then how long until she found out about me. "This isn't going to be easy, Stefan, but I know my sister. She's going to want an explanation and I have a feeling you're probably the best option to give her answers."
"I'm going to your place, hopefully she'll listen to me." I heard Stefan moving around and agreed with him.
"Just, uh, leave anything about me out of your explanation. I need to figure out how I'm going to explain myself to her." Stefan agreed to not tell her anything about me, which meant I was going to have to keep the fact that I knew about vampires a secret.
I waited until the sun was just peeking over the horizon before deciding to head home. I didn't want to run the chance of running into my sister. Even if she had no idea of the things I knew, I still wasn't ready to face her. As much as I hated it, I knew this day was coming, and now I had to find a way to best break the news to Elena. Which wasn't going to be easy.
The next day came and I was awoken by the sound of my phone ringing. The sun was shining in through the window and I squinted as I reached for my phone. "Hello?" I asked, still groggy with sleep.
"Good morning, little sister." A sigh escaped my lips as my head fell back down onto my pillow. Damon chuckled though the other end of the phone.
"What do you want, Damon? I thought you were under house arrest?" I muttered and heard a low growl meet my ear.
"Yeah well, I still am." He said in an irritated tone. "So, please, won't you help your dear older brother out?"
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at the fake nice tome Damon was using. "Fine, but I'm only coming over to hear your side of the story. Not to help you."
"Fine. Fine. Just get over here." With that said, Damon hung up the phone and I let my arm fall away from my ear. This wasn't going to end well. With a grunt I pushed myself out of bed and got dressed before heading down stairs and out the door. I was playing a dangerous game, I knew this, but I was still curious and wanted to know what exactly Damon was up to. Curiosity was going to get the better of me one day, I just knew it.
I parked my little white car on the gravel driveway in front of the boarding house. I stared up at the impressive looking building as I stepped out of my car. This was my first time seeing the boarding house. I knew of the place and the descendants who built it and took care of it, but I never really bothered paying the place a visit.
I walked up to the large wooden door and before I could knock, the door swung open to reveal Damon standing on the other side. "Glad you could make it, little sister." I gave the vampire a look and walked past him into the boarding house.
"So why did you call me here?" I asked as Damon closed the door and led the way down the hall and further into the large house. "Wow, this place is huge." I commented as my eyes ventured around the decor and paused slightly when we walked past what looked to be a library.
"Yes, yes. It's a big place." Damon waved off the second question. "I called you here, because I need you to find something for me." Damon turned around to face me and showed me his hand. "My ring."
"Your ring? Why is it so important?" I asked and Damon turned back around and led the way into a large and well decorated living room.
"My ring has a spell on it. One that lets me walk around in the sunlight." I glanced over at Damon when I heard the sound of him pouring something. The dark haired vampire was pouring himself a drink at the bar cart that looked to be well stocked with expensive looking liquor.
"So that's how you two do it. I thought that was just another thing the movies made up." I walked further into the living room and before I could say anything else I noticed a familiar figure laying on the couch. "Is that Vicki Donovan?"
"Oh yeah." Damon answered nonchalantly. "So, about my ring. Our brother took it from me and I want it back. Feel like doing me a favor, please?" Damon sent me a smile showing far too much teeth and I rolled my eyes.
"Hmm, I'm still mad at you about Caroline. But I'll talk to Stefan about your ring." I looked back down at the girl sleeping soundly on the couch. "Just don't kill her, okay?" Before Damon could say anything I turned around and walked out of the boarding house.
"Thanks!" I waved my hand at Damon without looking back and headed towards the front door.
I didn't know where Stefan was and figured he was probably with Elena somewhere. So I drove into town and decided to head to the Grill. After sitting down and ordering a drink, I sent Stefan a text about Damon's ring. The reply I received was a warning to stay out of it and he wasn't going to give Damon his ring back. I let out a sigh and even though I understood what Stefan was trying to do, I didn't see a good outcome happening from this. I thought about not telling Damon about his ring, but ultimately just sent him a quick text. When I received no reply back I buried my phone in my bag and pulled my sketch book out. By the time the bar and restaurant started to fill up it was starting to get late, so I packed up my sketchbook and paid my bill.
By the time I got home the sun had set and I was ready for a shower and bed. But, when I noticed the front door was wide open, I knew my plans were probably going to get derailed. "Damon? What are you doing here?" Both the dark haired vampire and Elena turned their heads to look at me as I walked through the front doorway.
"Oh, hey there, Serena." Damon smirked at me and I glanced over at Elena before looking back at Damon.
"Serena." Elena called my name and shook my head before looking back at her. "You should go upstairs, Damon was just leaving." The dark haired vampire glanced between Elena and I before opening his mouth to speak.
"Tell my brother I'm looking for him." Damon said to Elena before looking at me. "Little pro tip for later, be careful who you invite in the house." I cringed slightly as Damon smirked at me and walked out of the house.
It was quiet between Elena and I after Damon closed the front door behind him. "Uh, what was that all about?" My voice filled the silence between us. Elena shook her head slightly.
"Nothing. He was just asking about Stefan. But he's out looking for Vicki." Elena explained.
"Vicki?" I titled my head slightly and felt the knot in my stomach come back. Elena nodded her head.
"Yeah, she's missing, but Stefans pretty sure that he can find her." I stiffly nodded my head in understanding.
"Alright then, well uh, keep me updated. I'm going to head up stairs and take a shower." I was trying hard not to be awkward around Elena, but that was hard to do. I knew she now knew about Stefan being a vampire, and all I had to do was pretend that I didn't know as well.
I spent the night thinking about how I was going to tell Elena the truth about me and the fact that I knew the Salvatore brothers more than she thought I did. I knew she wasn't going to take it well. She hated when people kept things from her, and the fact that I've been keeping something like this from her since we were twelve, I knew it was going to break her heart.
I love my family, but I was different from the rest of them. I wasn't a normal teen girl with normal teenager problems, and that was something my sister was just going to have to understand.
I woke up early the next day and slipped out of the house before the others woke up. I drove straight to the boarding house where I was hoping that a talk with Stefan about Elena would help me find a way to tell my twin sister the truth. Worry and stress had filled my stomach with knots the whole night and I knew I needed to come clean to her.
I didn't bother knocking on the front door and invited myself in. "Hello? Stefan?" I called out for the vampire. "Anyone home?" I walked further into the large house and set my bag down on the couch.
"Serena, what are you doing here?" Stefan appeared from behind a door that looked like it led to the kitchen.
"I came to ask you something, um," I pointed at the glassing his hand and frowned slightly at the sight of the red colored liquid inside of it. "Is that blood?"
Stefan glanced down at the glass before letting out a sigh. "Come on." He motioned with his head for me to follow him and I fell into step behind him as he led the way upstairs. We came to a door and Stefan pushed it open and I followed him inside.
"Well hey there, little sister." My eyes immediately found Damon smirking at me from his seat behind a wooden desk. From Damon, my eyes traveled to the brown haired girl lounging on a chair in front of the desk and raising a brow.
"Damon, what did you do?" The girl's energy now matched both the Salvatore brothers and I knew Vicki was no longer human, but a vampire. "I told you not to hurt her. What the hell, Damon?" I let out an exasperated sigh as I moved further into the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed as Stefan closed the door and sat on the chair in front of Vicki.
"Hey, Stefan started this. If he hadn't taken my daylight ring and locked me up, this would have never happened." I rolled my eyes at Damons childish response and shook my head. I turned my attention back to Stefan as he set the glass down.
"So how does this work exactly? What's it going to take to keep her from going on a killing spree through town?" Vicki huffed slightly but I only raised both eyebrows at her. My words rang true and everyone in the room knew that. A newborn vampire didn't exactly scream self control in my opinion.
"Becoming a vampire means all your human emotions are heightened by a thousand." Stefan started to explain. "The hunger can be unbearable, but manageable with practice and control." I frowned slightly at his words and glanced at Vicki. I knew the girl, and self control wasn't exactly something she practiced. "She'll need time to get used to being a vampire before she can leave the boarding house and be among humans."
"Uhg." Vicki groaned. "Why do I have to be cooped up here? Miss. Judgmental over there isn't making me hungry, so I'm perfectly in control."
"What do you mean I'm not making you hungry?" I asked in confusion. I looked at the other two vampires in the room and both looked slightly confused at the statement as well.
"I've never noticed it before, but Vicki's right." Stefan spoke up first. "You don't smell like a normal human. Your scents almost, hidden."
I glanced over at Damon as he sat up a little straighter and scented the room. "No, there's definitely a scent there, it's just buried under something. Like a shield." He sat back in the chair again and shrugged his shoulders. "If it's any constellation, you've never really smelled really good anyway."
My mouth fell open slightly at Damons words and I huffed before sticking my tongue out at the vampire. For a few seconds, as Damon and I made faces at each other, I was reminded of how things used to be between us. The affection and the sibling love we shared was still there, we were just going to need time to find it.
"Whatever. Hey, I'm hungry. Do you guys have anything to eat?" Vicki spoke up and I tore my eyes away from Damon and stared at the younger Donavan sibling. Stefan reached over and picked up the glass before handing it to the girl. "What is it?" She asked as she sniffed the glasses contents.
"It's what you're craving." Stefan answered.
"Heh. Don't lie to the girl." Damon spoke up. "It's so not what you're craving, but it'll do in a pinch, right, Stef?"
I looked at the glass in Vicki's hand and titled my head. "What is it?" Vicki asked again.
"Yeah, what is it? Is it skunk? Saint Bernard? Bambi?" Damon listed off and I finally understood what was happening. The blood in the glass Stefan had given to Vicki, was animal blood.
"Go on. Give it a try." Stefan urged the girl as he ignored Damons words.
"She's new. She needs people blood. She can't sustain herself on that stuff." Damon argued.
"I hate to say it, but I agree with Damon." I spoke up and Stefan shook his head at my words. "She's new to this, and I don't think animal blood is going to be able to hold her off." Stefan sent me a perturbed look and it was my turn to shake my head. "I just mean that she's going to need time to adjust, and animal blood isn't a normal vampire diet, right?" Damon scoffed and answered my question with 'Yep.'
"Yeah, why can't I have people's blood?" Vicki looked a little too excited at the prospect of drinking human blood instead of the animal blood Stefan had offered her.
"Because, it's wrong to pray on innocent people, Vicki." Stefan argued.
"You don't have to kill to feed." Damon argued back as Vicki sipped at the blood filled cup. "Just find someone really tasty and then erase their memory afterwards. It's so easy."
"I don't think it's wise to have the new baby vampire feeding off of people just yet." I spoke up. "Maybe we can start her on blood bags first."
"Yeah." Vicki nodded her head with enthusiasm at my suggestion.
Stefan shook his head. "There's no guarantee that you can control yourself, even with blood bags, okay? It takes years to learn that." He explained to the new vampire. "You could easily kill somebody, and then you have to carry that with you for the rest of your life, which, if I haven't made clear, is eternity."
"Don't listen to him. He walks on a moral plane way out of our eye line." Damon started speaking. "I say snatch, eat, erase."
"Hey, look at me." Stefan pulled Vicki's attention away from Damon and spoke to her. "While blood bags are an option, it would only be a matter of time before you attack someone with a pulse. But we choose our own path. Our values and our actions, they define who we are."
Damon let out a large sigh and stood up from behind the desk and set the paper down. "Okay, count deepak. I am outta here."
I stood up from the bed and squeezed Stefan's shoulder before following Damon out of the room. I followed close behind Damon as he made his way down the hall and towards the stairs. "Hey, did you hear anything about Logan Fell?" Damon asked as we descended the stairs.
"Uh, no? Why?" I asked.
"Well, considering he's dead due to Vicki killing him last night. I was wondering why there was nothing about the reporter in the paper." Damon explained as I followed him towards the front door.
"Wait, what? Vicki killed Logan?" My brain was having trouble comprehending Damons words as my steps faltered slightly. Logan Fell was well known in Mystic Falls. So it was definitely weird that his death had not already spread throughout the town. I caught up to Damon and before I could ask anymore questions, the dark haired vampire pulled open the front door and I found my mouth snapping shut at the sudden sigh of my sister.
"Serena?" Elena stared at me in shock and I felt my blood run cold and my stomach tighten at the sight of her.
"Uh oh." Damon muttered under his breath. "Well, if it isn't little Miss I'm on a mission."
Elena was quiet as she looked at me. "Uh, I think I hear someone calling my name." I knew it was a cowardly move, but I had no real plan as my mind stalled completely. "Gotta go." I quickly turned around and rushed from the scene. I snatched my bag from the couch and headed out the front door. I couldn't help but pat myself on the back for parking my car at the end of the driveway when I showed up at the boarding house earlier.
I was relieved when I didn't see Elena at school for the whole day and figured she was no doubt with Stefan. The last bell of the day rang and I made my way through the students who were decorating the school for the Halloween festival tonight. I had no plans to attend the party and was focused on escaping the school and hiding out in the woods for the rest of the day to gather my thoughts. But, a voice calling out my name had me taking a pause and as soon as I saw Caroline walking up to me, I knew I was screwed.
"Oh good, I caught you." Caroline sent me a bubbly smile and I did my best to return the look with a more strained version. "So, what are you wearing to the festival tonight?" My smile faltered slightly and Caroline immediately took notice of the look and frowned. "No, no. Come on Serena. You have to go! No one else is excited about tonight being Halloween. Please, say you'll come. I promise not to ask for anything for the rest of the school year."
I felt a sigh of defeat escape my lips and the smile on Caroline's face came back as excitement flashed in her eyes. "I'll never understand why in the hell I always give into your demands, but yes, I'll go to the dam festival." The blond clapped her hands and jumped a little.
"Perfect! Oh, and don't worry about a costume, just come over later to my place and I'll help you get ready." The blond girl winked at me before skipping off down the hall and leaving me to groan in agitation at my inability to tell Caroline Forbes no.
I stuck to my plan of hiding out in the woods for a few hours before heading to the Forbes residence. There I endured the torture of both Bonnie and Caroline as we got ready for the festival. "You know, I really dislike the fact that I give into your demands far too easily." I ground out as I sent the back of Carolines head a heated glare.
"Oh come on Serena. You look great." Caroline spoke up as the three of us walked through the parking lot. "It's a little snug on the chest, but that just heightens the sexy factor." She winked at me and rolled my eyes.
Sexy red riding hood was the last choice I would have chosen for a costume. But it was the only one Caroline had that would fit me, or at least somewhat fit me. She was right about it being tight in the chest area.
When we entered the school I was immediately reminded about why I hated crowds. The halls were filled with rowdy teens as music pumped through speakers and drinks were passed around. I knew a lot of those cups had alcohol in them and wondered why this little party was even allowed to happen every year.
At one point I separated from the others to use the bathroom, but before I could rejoin them, my arm was grabbed. I turned to face whoever had reached out for me and found Stefan. His energy flowed over me and pushed the stifling energy of the humans around us, away. "Stefan? What are you doing here?" I asked the vampire. I had expected him to stay with Vicki, not attending a high school festival.
"Have you seen Vicki anywhere?" He asked over the sound of music and I felt my eyes go wide before I shook my head.
"Oh no." I muttered and Stefan's face grew even more worried. "Wait, I may be able to find her." I could easily tell the difference between a normal human's energy and the energy of a vampire, but I had never used that to find someone before. I took in a deep breath before closing my eyes and reaching out. I didn't know what I was reaching out for and just focused on clearing my mind. Then I felt something. I was reaching out past Stefan and the energy that flowed around him and found something similar. "Quick, this way."
Stefan followed after me as I rushed to where I had felt the energy come from. As soon as Vicki was in his sights, Stefan grabbed her and I followed the two into an empty classroom.
"What, you're following me now?" Vicki accused Stefan as the three of us stood around in the empty classroom.
"You didn't really leave me much of a choice." Stefan argued back.
"You really shouldn't be here, Vicki. It's dangerous." I added and the baby vamp rolled her eyes.
"Let me out of here." She demanded and Stefan sent her a stern look.
"Vicki, crowds like this, it makes it even harder for you to keep yourself under control." Stefan started to explain.
"I'm fine." I couldn't help but scoff at the teens' words.
"Really?" Stefan asked and Vicki hummed in response. "No headache? You're stomachs not screaming at you? You're not feeling light headed or anxious or cranky, like if someone looks at you the wrong way you could just rip their head off?" I cringed at the thought of the blood bath Vicki could have caused just on her own. "Do you wanna know what that's called? It's called hunger and it's only gonna get worse and worse every minute that you pretend like it's not controlling you."
Vicki went slightly pale at Stefan's words and I hoped she was finally beginning to understand the extent of what this all meant for her. Then again, she was only a teenager, and I had a feeling she wasn't going to take everything Stefan said to her to heart.
"Thank God." The silence in the room was broken when Elena suddenly burst into the room with Matt right behind her.
"What's the matter?" Stefan asked her.
"I lost track of Jeremy. I was worried." My sister explained and felt my stomach drop. I had almost forgotten that Vicki and Jeremy had a thing going on. The last thing I wanted was for Jeremy to get hurt by Vicki if she lost control.
"What's goin' on?" Matt asked and all of us looked over at the blond haired jock.
"Everythings fine, Matt." I stepped up and tried to explain. I saw Elena glance over at me from the corner of her eye.
"I told you to quit bothering me." Vicki spoke up and I sent her a glare.
"No. Vicki, don't do this." Elena begged and Matt glanced between all of us in concern.
Vicki ignored Elena pleading as she looked up at her brother. "Matt, he won't leave me alone." Matt turned his gaze onto Stefan.
"You need to back off, man." The older Donavan sibling said to Stefan.
"Matt, listen to me, it's okay, just-" Matt cut me off as he sent Stefan a heated glare.
"No, it's not okay. What the hell is your problem?" Matt asked Stefan and I felt the air grow tense. This was the last thing we needed.
"Stefan. A she's gone." Elenas words had me looking away from the two men as I looked for Vicki.
"Shit!" I exclaimed. "I'm going to go try and find her. Look for Jeremy!" I shouted and ran out of the classroom. I could barely hear Stefan call out after me, but I ignored his voice and searched the halls for the missing vampire. I felt a familiar energy just out of reach and rushed through the back doors of the school. I ran towards the busses where I felt the dense energy grow stronger and found Jermey yelling for Vicki to stop. "Vicki!" I shouted the girl's name and stood my ground as the vampire turned towards me. "Run Jeremy!" I shouted.
Vicki rushed me and I suddenly found myself skidding across the asphalt and slamming into the brick wall of the school. "Unf!" I groaned in pain as I tried to get my hands underneath me. I vaguely heard Elena's voice call out to me.
Stefan appeared at my side suddenly and he quickly pulled me up onto my feet. "Get inside." He pushed me into Elenas arms and I slumped beside my sister. "Go." Elena held me up as the three of us rushed for the door leading back inside of the school building. Jemery opened the door and motioned for Elena to go in first. But the boy was suddenly pulled back and thrown to the ground.
"Elena!" I screamed for my twin when she was pulled from my arms. Elena screamed out in pain as I witnessed Vicki bite into her neck. With a sudden flood of adrenalin, I rushed the vampire attacking my sister and tackled the vampire to the ground. We rolled away from Elena until I landed harshly on my back with Vicki above me. She snapped her teeth at me and I felt fear fill my stomach as I looked up into her blood red eyes. I struggled to keep her jaws away from me as she leaned in close to my face.
Suddenly Vicki sucked in a gasp of air and her gaze turned glassy. The rabbid vampire started to go limp and I pushed her away from me. The teen landed on her side and I noticed the pointed piece of wood sticking out of her chest, covered in her blood. The energy around Vicki faded until there was no longer anything coming off the girl.
My gaze shifted away from Vicki and saw Stefan standing over us. It was deftly quiet for a moment as we all took in what had just happened.
"Vicki! Vicki! Vick!" Jeremy cries had me breaking out of the trance I had found myself in and I looked over at Elena doing her best to restrain our brother. Stefan quickly went to her side to help keep our brother from racing to the dead girl's body.
"Get him out of here." Elena said to Stefan. The vampire took Jeremy by the shoulder and led him away from us. I looked away from the two as they disappeared inside and looked back to the girl laying dead beside me. Her skin was grey now and the veins on her face had spread out over her body.
I didn't look away as Elena carefully sat beside me. My body sagged against her and the two of us sat there in silence. I took in a shaky breath and felt my body shiver as the addrenal from earlier eased out of my system. I looked away from the dead girl in front of us and glanced over at my twin. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to bring myself to say something, anything. Elena immediately caught on and shook her head at me.
"We can talk about later." The air around us grew quiet once more.
My head lifted when I felt a familiar presence get close. My shoulders sagged as Damon came around the corner and took notice of us. The dark haired vampire took in the scene before speaking to Elena. "You should go. I got this."
Elena made sure I could sit on my own before standing up and facing the vampire. "You did this. This is your fault." She hissed at him.
"You confuse me for someone with remorse." Damon said back and I watched one with wide eyes as Elena tried to hit the vampire. But of course Damon was faster then her and easily stopped her flist before she could strike.
"None of this matters to me. None of it." It was Damons turn to hiss at Elena. I frowned at my brother's words. He was wrong, I could see it in his eyes.
"People die around you. How could it not matter? It matters, and you know it." While Elena spoke, Damons gaze flashed back to me and I felt my gut clench at the look in his eyes. There was something in that look, something that had me thinking back to my life before this one.
"You need to leave." Damon looked back at Elena. "Your wounds are bleeding and you need to leave."
"Fine." Elena turned around and started to walk back towards me but Damon stopped her.
"I'll take care of Serena." Damon said. Elena glanced back at him and was ready to argue.
"It's fine, Elena." I stood up on shaky legs. "Go home and take care of yourself." My sister wasn't convinced, but I could tell she was running out of energy and just wanted this night to end. I felt the same way, but I just really needed a moment alone with Damon.
Elena said nothing but turned around and left the area. A breath fell from my lips and I watched as Damon picked up Vicki's body. "Stay here." Was all he said as he disappeared. I waited with bated breath until he came back. Damon walked up to me and carefully wrapped one arm around my waist and led the way to his car. "Hold on, little sister."
Neither of us said anything as he drove. I did my best not to think about the girl laying dead in the trunk behind me. Tonight had been terrifying, to say the least. But even if Elena and Stefan blamed him, I didn't feel any anger towards Damon. Something was wrong, I knew this. My brother was lost, and I could tell tonight had affected him, even if he hid it well. I just hope he didn't continue down this path, because I knew it was only going to hurt him the more he pretended not to care.
When we made it to the house, instead of going inside, I planted myself beside Stefan on the porch swing. My body was sore from being tossed around by a vampire, but I knew there was no way I was going to just fall asleep. Things had to be talked out and my sister was going to need answers. The two of us sat in silence until Elena stepped outside.
"Are you guys okay?" She crossed her arms as she stood in front of us. I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. I wasn't exactly okay, but I would get there.
"I, uh, I wanted to help her. But instead," Stefan shook his head and cleared his throat. "How's he doing?"
"He's a mess. I don't want him going through this again." Elena said. "He's just a kid."
"Elena, what can I do? I, what can I do to help? I'll do anything." Stefan begged and I placed a hand on his shoulder. There wasn't much he could do. Jeremy was going to mourn, just like we've done before.
"Can you make him forget?" I turned to look at my sister and shook my head.
"Elena, no." I spoke up. "We can't just erase this like it never happened. We can't do that to Jeremy." I watched as my sister shook her head at my words.
"I can't watch him go through this again, Serena. I just can't." Elena took in a shuddering breath. "Stefan, please. I don't know how he'll ever get past this. I just want him to forget everything that happened."
"If I did it, there's no guarantee that it would work." Stefan poaused. "Because of who I am. Because of how I live. I don't have the ability to do it right."
"I can do it." We all looked up at Damon as he stepped up onto the porch. "If this is what you want. I'll do it."
"It's not right." I spoke up. "These are his memories you're messing with. It's not right."
Elena looked down for a moment before speaking. "It's what I want."
"What do you want him to know?" Damon asked and I let out a sigh.
"I want you to tell him that Vicki left town and she's not coming back. That he shouldn't look for her or worry about her." Elena d paused and took in a deep breath. "He's gonna miss her, but he knows it's for the best."
I stood up from beside Stefan and walked towards the steps of the porch. I leaned back against the railing and crossed my arms as I watched Damon walk up the stairs. I don't like that we were taking away Jeremy's memories. For one thing, he deserved to have a choice in the matter, and I knew that if it ever came to light that we did this to him, he would hate us for it.
"Part of me wishes that I could forget, too." Elena had taken my place beside Stefan and I did my best to make it seem like I couldn't hear everything she was saying. "Forget meeting you, finding out what you are and everything that's happened since."
"Is that what you want?" Stefan asked her in a soft tone.
"Yes, it is. Because I don't want it to be like this. I don't wanna feel like this." She paused and I closed my eyes. "But I can't. With everything that's happened. I can't lose the way I feel about you."
"It's done." The silence that had filled the air after Elena spoke was shattered by Damon. I turned around and pushed away from the porch railing. I brushed past Damon and walked into the house. I made my way up stairs, and after passing Jeremy's room and peeking inside and seeing him asleep, I made my way to my own room and closed the door behind me.
I sat on my bed with my legs crossed, and my sketch book resting in front of me, when Elena finally opened the door and stepped inside my room. My eyes watched her as she closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment. I patted the space on the bed beside me and she walked around and sat down next to me.
It was silent between us for a long moment before Elena finally spoke up. "I don't really know where to start." She spoke quietly and I nodded my head in understanding.
"Do you remember our twelfth birthday?" I asked and Elena nodded her head.
"You got really sick and ended up sleep walking that night. Mom and Dad had a heart attack when they couldn't find you the next morning." She rehashed and I glanced down at the worn leather on the cover of my sketchbook.
"Yeah, they found me the next day in the backyard." I added. "But, something else happened that night. I wasn't just sick with any normal cold. That night, something changed. I changed." I paused and gently ran my fingers through my hair. "I've always been different, but after that night, I became so much more than just, different."
"Serena, what happened?" I turned my head to look at my sister and I gave her a small smile in hopes of reassuring her as best as I could.
"I started to remember things. Memories from a different lifetime started to come back to me." I watched as Elena's face twisted in confusion. "At night I dream of my past. Some memories are clear and I can decipher what's happening in them. But others are not so easy for me to remember." I grabbed a hold of my sketchbook and pulled into my lap before flipping through its pages. "In another life, one I lived over a hundred years ago, these two were my brothers."
I watched Elena's face as I handed her the open sketchbook. The page was littered with sketches of Damon and Stefan. I date every sketch I work on, and this page was dated five months before Stefan ever came to Mystic Falls.
"How?" She whispered. "How is this possible?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't have that answer. I have no idea what I am. I just know that I've been brought back for a reason, what that reason is, I have no idea." I watched as Elena flipped through my sketchbook. I never let anyone look at my drawings, but I knew she needed something to focus on while I spoke. "It's not just memories that have come back to me. I changed on a more, stranger leve, then just that. It's like I have this sixth sense now. It's hard to explain."
Elena looked up at me from a sketch I did of Damon. She looked confused and I once again shrugged. "I don't understand it either, but it's a part of me. It's why I get so uncomfortable in large crowds. Being surrounded by strangers just puts me on edge." I took in a deep breath and tried to stop my heart from pounding so loudly in my ears. "I don't think." I paused and glanced over at my sister. "I don't think I'm a normal human."
The air grew quiet and Elena closed my sketchbook before setting it down on the bed in front of her. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" Elena asked.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on top of them. "I didn't want to worry you. I wanted you to keep on living your normal, perfect life." I started to explain. "Elena, I love you. You're my sister. I never wanted to tell you because I didn't want you getting sucked up in something like this." I waved my hand around and Elena looked down at her folded up legs. "But I guess that was useless."
"I… This is, alot." Elena spoke up. I nodded in agreement. "You were Stefan and Damon's sister?"
"I was Serena Salvatore." I answered. "The younger sister to Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Our Father thought I was another man's child and ignored me for the most part of my life. But Damon and Stefan were good brothers. They took care of me." I sat up straight and placed a hand on Elenas shoulder. "I know this is a lot, and I'm sorry for not telling you."
My hand fell from her shoulder as she stood up from the bed. "I can't, I just need a moment." She muttered and I watched as she crossed her arms over her chest. "This is a lot of information. I need time, Serena."
I nodded. "Okay." My voice was low but I knew she had heard me. I watched as my sister walked around the bed and left the room. The air around me felt stiff and tense and I had to fight the urge to take a walk in though the woods. It was late and sleep was the safer option. So I dressed for bed in a simple sports bra and a pair of workout shorts before slipping under the covers and closing my eyes.
I knew, deep in my gut, that things were never going to be the same after tonight. A door had been opened for all of us, and while it scared me, I felt myself walking through that door with no hesitation. Where this would lead me, I had no idea, but I was willing to make this choice if it meant I had even the slightest chance of finding any sort of answer to what I am.
A/N: A big thank you to the new Followers and everyone who has Favorited this story. I really appreciate it and love the fact that you guys are enjoying it so far.
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