Chapter 12: Soundless World

It wasn't long until morning arrived, much to Elena's disappointment. She lay in the comforts of her bed, the covers stopping just below her chin. One arm was tucked under her head as the other was laying over the covers, her fingers busy picking at the fabric. The curtain was getting begged to be pulled open as the sun light tried breaking into her room. Elena huffed and took her glaring eyes from the ceiling, only to move them over to the curtains. The thought of leaving her bed was like trekking Mount Everest. Her head thumped with pain, a headache beginning to form as she lifted her head and moaned in annoyance. Her head felt heavy, real heavy. It was lack of sleep. When she got Damon's text message, it took a while for everything to set in before the tears started. She was sobbing her heart out and she couldn't stop.

Damon. She just couldn't get him out of her head. He was a vampire, something she had known to be a dangerous creature. Her dad use to tell her stories and she use to brush it off, laughing at him. Now, she wasn't sure if it was so funny anymore. He had never hurt her, never. Even when they spent so much time together. He was sweet, he took good care of her and made sure she was always alright. Unfortunately, it left one question unanswered. Katherine. They looked alike, which she didn't understand, and when she had first met Damon, he called her Katherine. Did he like her because of the resemblance?

A knock on the door chased her thoughts away as she glanced up, not ready to leave the square room with 4 walls. She wasn't ready to talk to anyone yet, so maybe if she didn't respond, then they would think she was still sleeping. A knock came again, causing her to sigh quietly. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she huffed.

"Come in!" She called out as she tucked her hair back behind her ear. The door slowly opened, Jeremy standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, "What?"

"Are you gonna move your lazy ass out of bed sometime today?"
"Unless there's a life or death situation, then no." Elena snapped, not amused.
"Jeez, who stole your cookies this morning?" He frowned, scratching his head.
"Jeremy, I want to be alone AND seeing as it is MY room, I think I should be allowed that privilege."

Laughing, he rolled his eyes, "Well, mom and dad want to have a word, so that 'privilege' as you call it, doesn't matter."

After dodging the flying book that Elena had launched his way, he left the room in a hurry. As the book hit the door with a loud thump, Elena groaned in annoyance. Just a few seconds earlier and the book would have met his head.

Looking over at the clock on her bedside table, she let out a breath. It was 8.30 am. Still early, but then again to some, it wasn't. Dangling her legs over the edge of the bed, she got to her feet and stretched her arms over her head. She was going to have to face the world sometime today, whether she like it or not.

Staring into the mirror, she practiced forcing a smile. It was going to be hard to act cheerful when she couldn't climb out of the black hole she had found herself lost in. Looking down at her feet, her eyes lingered on the blue converses that she had picked to wear with her jeans, top and leather jacket. She wasn't feeling to play dress up today, so she gave her hair a quick straighten and pulled it up into a high ponytail, putting on a dash of mascara to brighten her face up.

"Elena!" She heard her mom call as she fitted some studs into her ears.
"I'm coming!"

Taking a glance around her room, she checked to make sure it was tidy enough before walking out and closing the door behind her. Patting her front pocket, she felt her phone and nodded as she made her way downstairs. This was it. The day begun with the 'parent talk'. Walking into the kitchen, she took a breath and sat at the counter.

"Good morning." Miranda placed a plate of buttered toast down in front of her with a forced smile. Oh, she knew that smile well, "Eat."

"You wanted to talk?" Elena mentioned, lifting one of the slices as she bit into it, the buttery taste tingling her senses. Getting up, she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat once again.

"Your attitude lately." Miranda began.
"Sucks." Elena finished, taking another bite.
"Sucks? Uhm, sure. I don't know what's going on with you."
"It doesn't matter. I'm sorry, okay? Like...really sorry. I'll start bucking up and stop giving you so much grief. You and dad that is. I'll quit giving you a hard time."

Miranda stared at Elena, shock evident on her face as she was speechless. Jeremy smiled, continuing to eat his cereal as he listened to his music. Grayson walked in, trading a look with Miranda as she gave him a nod. Smiling, he pressed a kiss to the top of Elena's head.

"Morning princess."
"Morning dad." She replied, finishing off her slice of toast, leaving the other one to sit.

Hearing her phone beep, she quickly slipped it out of her pocket as she seen Jenna's name pop up. Biting her lip, she opened up the text and inhaled, reading it.

Meet me at the Grill. We need to talk.

Jenna xx

Wonderful. She already knew what that conversation was going to be about. How many talks was she going to get today? Pushing the plate away, she smiled lightly and hopped off of the stool.

"Thanks for the toast." Taking a gulp of water, she kissed her mom and dad's cheeks, giving Jeremy a smile as she walked out, "I'll be back later."

The walk over to the Grill was torture. All she could keep thinking about if she would see anyone. Matt, Caroline or even Damon. Stopping outside the door, she took a deep breath, her hands shaking from nerves. What the hell was going on with her? She hadn't felt this way for weeks. The more she thought about it, the more wound up she got. Damon was her rock, her confidence but now it was gone. Shaking her head, she nudged the door open with her hand as she stepped into the warm atmosphere.

The smell of liquor hit her as soon as she stepped through the door. Frowning, she rubbed her nose as it made her feel uneasy. There were some people, but it was mostly empty. She stopped in her steps when she seen Matt and Caroline at the bar. Oh wonderful, just what she needed. Glancing around, she sighed when she seen no sign of Jenna. Looks like she wasn't here yet. Hearing footsteps, she turned around, hoping to see Jenna, but instead she came to face with Stefan. Uh, things were getting better by the second.

"Elena, hey."
"Stefan." She responded quickly, not wanting to have this conversation. It was going to be one of those 'I told you so' or 'I was right' conversations, "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to see how you were coping." He gave her a gentle smile.
"Coping?" She frowned.
"Well, you know about me and Damon...what we are."
"I bet your glad. You never wanted me and Damon together from the start."
"I just wanted what was best for your safety." Stefan told her.
"Which isn't Damon? Who is it then, huh?" Elena raised an eyebrow.
"Well-" He went quiet.
"No. Don't you dare Stefan. Don't you dare say that he isn't good enough and that you are."

From the corner of her eye, she could see Matt and Caroline watching them like halks. Did she never get any privacy? Tucking her hair back behind her ear, she cleared her throat nervously and shook her head at Stefan.

"Wow, she moves on quick. From one brother to another." Caroline commented.
"Uh," Elena took a deep breath, knowing just to ignore and walk away, "Bye Stefan."

Turning on her heel, she walked towards the door and froze in her steps when Damon walked in. Their eyes met as the world around them slowed down. The pace of her heart grew faster as all the feelings came flying back at her. Here he was in front of her. The blue eyes that she couldn't erase from her mind, no matter how hard she tried.

"Elena." Damon spoke, his voice intoxicating.
"Damon." Elena whispered, her heart jumping up into her throat.
"Elena!" Jenna walked in, sensing the tense atmosphere, "Change of plans."
"Thank god."

Elena's eyes met Damon's one last time before she rushed out of the Grill after Jenna. She thought she would have suffered a panic attack if she stayed there any longer. Following Jenna over to her car, she got in as she looked over at with raised eyebrows.

"No, I wouldn't bother asking." Elena shook her head.
"Okie dokie. Lets go to the Falls."
"No. Lets go to Wickery Bridge. It's calming."

"What's going on Elena?" Jenna questioned, leaning against the railing.

"Oh Jenna." Looking down at the water, she frowned. Where did she start? A guy that she likes is a vampire and his blood is some sort of magical healing source, which means she avoided going to the hospital. "It's all so complicated."

"Is this to do with Damon?"
"Yes."
"Why did you have his car Elena? AND why is there no trace of the crash on you? You were a right state."
"Oh, that...I don't think you'd believe me. Let's call THAT a miracle. As for his car-"
"Hmm, fine, a miracle. The car?"
"I found out something when I was at his and I panicked, taking off...with his car. Where is his car?"
"The junk yard." Jenna shrugged, "It was wrecked."
"What?" Damon was going to be mad. He loved that car.
"Don't worry. He knows. I bumped into him this morning."
"Oh."

Frowning, Elena closed her eyes as the breeze blew around her, calming her exterior instantly. Jenna's phone began ringing as she answered it quickly, walking along the road.

"Speaking? Alright, alright bye." Hanging up, she sighed and turned to her, "Honey, its work."
"That's fine." Elena turned to smile at her, "Go ahead."
"You don't want a lift back?"
"No. I think I'm gonna stay here for a while."
"Alright honey. Be safe. I'll call you later."

Jenna smiled, waving and got into her car, driving off. Smiling, Elena tilted her head back. Everything would be okay, she just had to believe it and have a positive attitude. The only question now was...Damon.

"Uh, I'm in need of a decent drink."

Tucking her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket, she walked along the road, the sun shining down on her, making her hair shine. The wind pushed her forward with some force as she held herself still. The trees rustled, a whistling echoing through the forest. The brunette bit her lip, looking around her. It suddenly just got eerie. The kind that left you shaken. She was getting herself worked up for no reason. She started walking again, continuing along the road as she took a deep breath.

A wisp of wind came along, pushing her with force as she was grabbed from behind causing her to scream. The scream echoed through the trees and through the sky as she felt a sharp pain in her neck. Trying to struggle only made it worse. Someone was biting her, draining her of her blood. Gasping in pain, the world around her was spinning as she felt herself getting weaker with each pull of blood taken out of her. It was getting darker by the second. What was happening? Darkness engulfed her as she collapsed into a soundless world.

A/N: Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed :) Who's the Player is out next :)

Thank you for reading!

Shauna

xxx