A/N- I'M SO SORRY! I've been super busy with school lately, and ugh, I totally forgot about this haha. I'm sooo sorry! I'm writing chapter 17 and it's taking longer than usual. It's the weekend, but I'm busy this whole week so I don't know if I'll have time. I'll update as soon as I'm one with chapter 17! Excuses, excuses, I know, and I'm actually really sorry! I love all of you guys so much!

Chapter 16- Hello, Damon

Her eyes slowly peel open. Her throat is dry and has a burning sensation for a liquid. Her head isn't hurting and her cheeks are all healed up.

What happened? Am I dead? I thought for sure that I died. Where am I? Why is everything black? Oh, my god. Am I still in the cell? I can't breathe. Why can't I breathe! I feel like the wall is coming closer. I feel so empty. I can start to feel my fingers. They're tingling. But I'm so cold. It's freezing. I'm shivering, but I can't seem to warm myself up no matter how many times I burrito myself in my comforter.

I feel so lost and alone. My eyes are open, but why can't I see anything? At least I think they're open. What if I was actually dead but since the other side is gone, nature had to balance itself again so they created another, other-side? Am I overthinking this? Why can't I feel my toes? Oh, wait. I can feel them now. They're so numb and stiff. Oh, my god. Where is Damon? No, wait- Damon's doppelgänger? I never knew he had one. This is so crazy. So if Damon's doppelgänger is here, then that must mean that-

"Bonnie!" A gleeful voice shouts right next to Bonnie, noticing her movements. "Bonnie, are you awake?" The same voice drops down to a level of concern. She opens her eyes and realizes that she's in her own room. The familiar furniture welcomes her with open arms. Bonnie blinks a couple of times before realizing that she is indeed alive.

"What happened?" She whispers out.

"I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me." Caroline says, visibly frowning at her.

She reaches her hand out to comfort Bonnie, but she flinches away.

"Bonnie? Are you okay? Tell me what happened, please." Caroline says, her voice full of worry and concern. She gives Bonnie a sad look.

Damon's twin kidnapped me. He kidnapped me and tied me up. He cut my cheeks and threatened me. I was so scared, and I felt powerless.

"I don't know what happened." Bonnie lies.

Caroline scowls at Bonnie. She has to stay quiet, for Damon. She can't afford to take the risk of telling them.

If anything, Caroline could be working for Damon's look-a-like. No that's crazy; Caroline would not switch sides like that. She's my best friend; she wouldn't turn her back on me. I can't take any more of this anymore. It's just too much. I need to find him again. I need to see the real Damon. Bonnie swallows down a lump.

"I fed you some of my blood. You were dying and I was so worried." Caroline says, her eyes tearing up, but her lips curve into a smile.

Caroline looked terrible. Blood stained her clothes and her usual perfect golden curls are messed up and frizzy. Caroline quickly reaches over her nightstand to take the glass of water. She holds it out for Bonnie to take. She tilts it down her mouth, and the water rushes down her throat. Bonnie closes her eyes and relishes the taste and feeling of water down her dry throat.

"Ugh water. I needed it, thanks." Bonnie gushes out. She looks around and realizes that something was missing. "Where's Stefan?"

"I think he's with Damon. But he promises to be here soon, I texted him already." Caroline says while wavering her phone in the air giving her a cheeky smile.

"What? Damon?" Bonnie says, her eyes immediately turning more alert. Caroline can hear Bonnie's heart rate speed up.

"Yeah… Why are you getting so tense all of a sudden?" Caroline says, completely oblivious.

"I-I have to go," Bonnie says, almost throwing the comforter off of her bed. She hurries out of her bed, pushing Caroline out of her way.

"Bonnie! Where are you going? What are you doing?" Caroline yells out, confused. She follows Bonnie down the stairs.

"I have to find Stefan. I have to find the real Damon." Bonnie screams out. She opens the door. She walks out, leaving a gaping Caroline at the doorway. She runs outside, and suddenly realizing that she just put Damon's life at risk.

"Oh, my god. No." Bonnie cries out. Caroline speeds in front of Bonnie demanding an answer from her.

"What do you mean by 'the real Damon'? What are you not telling me?" Caroline screams at her best friend. She gives Bonnie the I'm-Not-Stupid-So-Tell-Me-What's-Going-On look that she has mastered all too well.

"Okay, okay. I'll tell you but you have to promise not to tell anyone." Bonnie says in a hushed manner, giving into Caroline. She directs Caroline back inside the house, locking the door behind her.


Damon sits under a large oak tree, staring out into oblivion. He's sitting underneath the tree, not because he wants to, but simply because it's the only thing he can do. Sweat is slowly dripping down his face, stinging all the minor cuts he has on his face.

Sera is sleeping at his feet. Her black shoulder length hair shines in the shade, and her brown- almost black colored eyes smile even when she's sleeping. Her breathing is so soft and peaceful. Damon feels calm and relaxed just by looking at her.

He squirms in his spot, wanting to get comfortable, but if he does, his whole body is going to ache and he can't go through that pain. This is the only time in what seemed like forever where he didn't feel any pain or any headaches. A slight breeze wafts through, circulating the air. He sits there, with the breeze hurdling through his hair, sweeping away and lone strands of sweat he has on his face. The temperature was hot, and it was not the kind of weather where you would want to sit outside in.

Sera has convinced him numerous amount of times to go back to the "cabin" as she called it, but Damon could never pick himself up. It was also an excuse for not wanting to go back to the very place he got tortured in. He would much rather be in a large forest where you can stroll around anywhere, rather than a confined building. And they are so deep into the forest that even they themselves have no idea where they are in the endless forest.

He closes his eyes and imagines a time where Stefan and him were happy, a time where vampirism wasn't introduced into their lives, a time where Katherine was never there so the brothers didn't have anything to argue about, a time where their only worry was what their father was going to do to them next.

He opens his eyes, having to adjust the brightness. He looks at the grass patch Sera is sleeping on top of. Isn't she quite the luxurious person? He mentally chuckles. He looks up at the trees, but not before noticing a silver item on Sera. He looks in her jeans and sees a gray phone peeping out of her pockets.

Wait- is that a phone? That's a phone. Oh, my god, that's a phone. I can call Stefan and tell him to get me. This is finally my chance to leave.

I can't though. I can't run away. It's a rule. Every bone and muscle in my body are screaming at me to snatch it and call Stefan. But I can't. I just can't. I can't. I'll be breaking a rule. I can't. It's overpowering me. I can't no matter how hard I'm telling myself to do it. I ease myself a little, and convince the devil popping up to not take it.

Not taking it is the right thing to do.

I won't get in trouble by Vaughn if I don't take it.

"I'm going to go walk around a bit. My legs are so sore. You'll be okay here alone for about an hour, is that alright?" Sera asks. Damon, now staring at an empty patch of grass from where Sera originally was sleeping on. He gives her a slight nod, and she turns around and walks away. He didn't see her get up, which was odd. He always had keen eyesight and he was always on his toes about stuff, very alert. It's hard to not see a human being stand up, although Sera barely is a human, more like a werewolf. He huffs out, exhausted at doing absolutely nothing.

Damon closes his eyes and starts to sleep.

A whistling sound wakes Damon up from his sleep. He opens his eyes and stares straight into a mirror image of himself.

"Hello, Damon. How's life treating you?" Vaughn says.

"Who are you?" Damon asks. He's surprised that there's someone that looks exactly like him, standing right in front of him. He doesn't find that his double is much of a threat. He doesn't sense anything wrong or off about him.

"Dakota told me that this happened." He says, belting out a laugh. "You stored all the bad memories away in a locked box, didn't you? It's called self-induced amnesia. Tell me, how did you do it?" Vaughn taunts.

He comes closer to Damon. He puts his hand on Damon's shoulders, and Damon scrambles to get away with him. He feels lightheaded, and he feels the blood inside of him scratching at his veins. Damon just shrugs.

"Any who, I brought you a little something," Vaughn says. He opens a drawstring bag and takes a blood bag out.

The red liquid swishes inside of the bag, making Damon's heart leap. He immediately has black veins popping up underneath his eyes, and his fangs were extended. He feels himself leaping in the air to grab the bag, but gravity pulls things down, and that includes vampires.

Damon groans out as he face plants right into the dirt. He can hear Vaughn laughing at Damon. This brings total déjà vu to Damon; back when he threatened to drink Elena dry to Stefan, and Stefan's butt hurt self-came hurtling at Damon through the windows. Except now, the circumstance has changed. He's basically Stefan and his doppelgänger is Damon.

"Nuh-uh-uh. Not so fast, Salvatore. You need to earn this." Vaughn pronounces.

"Earn it? What am I, a dog?" Damon angrily replies back. He's craving blood, he needs it to live, and it's been too long since he had a sip of blood.

"More or less." Vaughn jokes wittingly. "Now, dog, kneel down to me."

Damon stands there hesitantly. He glares at Vaughn, giving him the stink eye. Vaughn notices how Damon wasn't obeying and ripped open the bag. The plastic sound tugs at Damon's ears. He started pouring some slowly into the ground, wasting the precious liquid. Damon's heart falls with the liquid. He stares at the small puddle of sticky red juice on the dirt. Somehow, his legs gave out and collapsed. He was kneeling to Vaughn. He quickly holds the bag upright again, smiling at how obedient he was.

"Do you really want it?" Vaughn teases.

"Yeah." Damon numbly says.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"Yes, sir." Damon mumbled out embarrassed that he has to do this.

His pride is starting to diminish. Vaughn could tell that he was starting to break down the walls Damon has formed. Before he would be disobedient and defiant, but now he's more discouraged and broken. Something Vaughn has wanted Damon to be ever since he kidnapped him. The more vulnerable Damon is- the more Vaughn thinks of how he was a dispirited kid when he was little.

"You obey Dakota and I or else I'm going to kill Stefan and cloak Elena." Vaughn threatens.

"Yes, sir." Damon gives in. He can't let Stefan get hurt.

"Good. Drink up." Vaughn says, throwing the blood bag at Damon.

His reflexes have slowed down, but not slow enough to miss the bag. He holds the bag, his fangs extending and black veins pop up from underneath his eyes. He squeezes the blood into his mouth, the blood rushing against his throat, rushing down. It's like fireworks in his stomach. He feels strong again. He feels great. A huge weight lifts off of his shoulders. He feels his body starting to function again, his heart beating, and his blood pumping. He feels like a whole different person.

"What do you say?"

"Thank you, sir," Damon says, almost like as if he was compelled.

"Good. Now," Vaughn walks closer to Damon, holding his chin up to face him. "You are going to remember every single thing we did to you. I'm sick of you feeling completely oblivious. You are going to listen to us, and you are going to comply. If you don't, I will make sure of it that you never get back to Stefan and that you never see Elena again. I will make sure that you rot in here. You either comply or you don't. Your choice." Vaughn says, his pupils constricting.

In reply, Damon's eyes dilate as he scrambles to get up on his feet. He feels the need to worship Vaughn, for whatever reason. He can feel himself getting stronger when he stands up. Vaughn stares at him, waiting for an answer.

"I will comply, sir," Damon says, almost robotically. Vaughn gives him one sterner look before he breaks out in a smile.

"Good! Now, I have to go. Listen to your little friend." Vaughn says before whistling away.

God dammit. Vaughn is getting better and better at pretending to be me. This is bad, right? But some reason, a little piece of me just doesn't care. I feel safe here. It's night already. Time sure has passed by. I haven't been keeping track of time or days for that matter. How long have I even been held captive for? All I know is that it's been way too long. But even if they come now, it's too late. I can't be saved. I don't need help. I'm too far-gone for them to pull me back up. I'm a mistake, a screw-up, as some people would say. The moon's up, bright and beaming. It's a big full moon tonight.

Wait.

It's the full moon.

Seraphina Caverly.

She's a wolf.

Oh, my god.

Where is she?

I should be more worried. I want to get up and run. Run away, run as far as I can possibly go. But I can't. I'm exhausted, even though I just drank blood. What is this, a side effect? I want to just stay here and sleep. I won't take long- it'll just be a little nap, that's all. And once I wake up, I'll be as fresh as a daisy. I can feel my body resting, but my mind is all over the place.

But I'm so tired…

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-Angela