Previously on Flightmate...
E, B and C are on a trip to Europe. Plane crashes, D&E stranded on an island, they bond. E escapes to get to J, E meets A&G. D finds her and they fight. D promises a night of fun at the Carnival. A tours D&E around the village, A&E confess feelings/secrets. A feels betrayed by what E said; leaves E on the bridge.
Chapter 18: Things That Don't Deserve Crying
After spending an hour on the bridge and crying until her head pounded, the beauty of the garden started to calm her down. Even then, why did I feel so empty? I never liked him that way. I guess, I just don't like betraying people. And the true love bit was over the mark.
Slowly, she re-entered the museum and walked out the front door, her eyes trained on the floor. She tried to cheer up but how could she, when she was still in the eye of the storm? The memories already flooding her like years had passed.
As soon as she stepped out the door, she was roughly grabbed by two strong hands.
Her hands automatically went to throw the person away but they never let go. Elena saw red. She'd had enough of people today.
She blindly punched the person in the face, in complete rage, not once making eye contact. It could be the President of the United States of America and Elena wouldn't care. She was the most violent when emotional. The hands finally loosened their grip on her shoulders. Elena breathed a sigh a relief. She stormed off. She turned right on the street and headed nowhere.
The same hands gripped her hips again, spinning her around swiftly. Elena was going to make another blind and reckless move, like kneeing the man (she was sure it was a man), when hands curled around her middle and pulled her in. After smelling the familiar scent of chocolate roses, Elena didn't know whether to run or to kick him. It wasn't his fault, even though Elena flirted more than necessary only to piss Damon off. All she knew that tears were pouring down her face and she didn't want to run the town with a puffy and wet face. She really didn't need people to ask her incessant questions.
Then again, Damon wasn't people, was he?
Quickly, she buried her face in his chest. She wanted to cry, however her eyes had emptied themselves dry. So, she contented herself by hugging him tightly. Elena didn't know what he'd make of her distress but what she did not expect was a hug. He enveloped her like grass on Earth, like cream on bread, like a nest around a bird. Elena felt comforted. She felt understood. And it made her question everything.
Either way, she could do with a hug.
'Elena,' he breathed in a low voice, 'do you want to go to your room now?'
She couldn't speak. She felt her head bob front and back in a nod.
'Come on,' he led her out of his embrace. If Elena could turn green, she would've then as she tried to hold back the influx of vomit.
'Damon, I can't,' she mumbled, afraid that speaking would increase the speed of puke in her food pipe. The smells and noise of the people in the market a few meters ahead were not helping. 'I'm going to throw up.' she admitted in a constricted voice.
'Oh no, try and hold it together for a few seconds, Elena please,' asked Damon, swiftly checking the surroundings for a secluded area. Finding one, he dragged Elena there and held her hair back. She threw up her half-digested food.
After she was done, she rose, standing a few steps away. 'Well I bet that was a sight to see,' she exclaimed sarcastically.
Damon completely ignored her sarcasm. He had his concerned look on his face. 'Anything left in you?'
'No.' Elena mumbled miserably.
Damon continued. 'Hungry?'
She nodded.
'I don't feel like talking to the witches here. As much as you hate it, I think the next best step for u-you is to get back to Aaron's.'
She groaned. 'Really Damon?' She raised an eyebrow. 'That's the last place I want to go right now.'
Damon smiled. 'There's the Elena I know,' he said, causing her to look at him with narrowed eyes. 'The angry Elena is the most like you, I think. Crying doesn't suit you. I am not telling you to never cry... I am telling you to not cry over things that don't deserve crying.'
Elena narrowed her eyes and relaxed, deciding it wasn't worth it. 'How about we do this somewhere else? I don't want to talk about what happened here.'
Damon nodded understandingly. 'How about I get the food and we go someplace else?'
'Thank you Damon,' Elena said, before she could stop herself. 'For being so nice to me.'
She smiled cheekily at Damon's face. He'd looked at her like she'd kissed him on the mouth. 'I punched you in the face and almost kneed you in the groin, Damon, don't look at me like that' she looked away, shyly. 'No hard feelings?'
'No hard feelings.'
'Here you go,' Damon finally said, returning with a bagful of food.
He chose a spot on a hill facing the village. Elena's hair was ruffling in the light wind, memories of happier times rushing back. The atmosphere was so serene and calming that she couldn't help but feel happy, her inner turmoil forgotten. She was there right now, with Damon. There was no point thinking about what she'd do to make it up to Aaron. First, she needed some time off.
Grabbing the bag hungrily, Elena pulled out a pack of noodles and two steel forks. She honestly did not know how he had access to ready-made food if they were supposed to not be undetected. Witches. They probably have contacts everywhere. Along with knowing the weak points of people they don't trust. She only knew them for a while (since yesterday for god's sake), but she was intuitive and knew they were a manipulative and rule-abiding bunch. Rigid, yet loyal to people they trust. She saved that information for later use.
'So are you ready to share what happened?' asked Damon, quietly. He was sitting next to her on the light brown rocks.
Elena examined his face. 'Don't you already know? I thought you'd have compelled Aaron to spill.'
'I could have,' Damon admitted wistfully. Elena blinked. Did he refrain from compelling Aaron because... it upset me? No, that can't be right.
'I saw him appear out of nowhere.' He continued on. 'Not exaggerating but, he showed up in front of an abandoned landsite.'
'Abandoned landsite? What landsite?' Elena racked her memory. 'We were in a museum!'
Damon raised his eyebrows. 'What are you-' he paused suddenly, then smiled in defeat. 'Witches. They jujued the place so I couldn't see it. I saw something else, something they wanted me to see.'
'Why would they do that?' Elena asked, confused.
He looked at her pointedly.
'Vampire. Secrets. Right.' She said, ripping open the plastic.
'So why did he take you there?'
Elena heard the caution in his voice, but that didn't help. She stopped midway, her noodles dangling in the air, peering at Damon from underneath her lashes. She wondered how much her conscience would let her tell him. She decided on a cropped version.
'We looked at some witch artifacts. I think we covered half the museum because it was just so big. Aaron filled me in on the backstory of some of them.' Elena tasted the noodles. 'It was…interesting.'
'What backstory?'
Elena felt the sweat comically pour on the cheek hidden from Damon. 'Strictly confidential information. Sorry. Can't tell you,' she swallowed a big mouthful of noodles, while breathing in at the same time. Damon pat her back as she choked on the noodles.
'So let me get this straight,' said Damon after he made sure Elena wasn't dying on him. 'Aaron Whitmore tells you something that is a witch secret, after knowing you for a day. You believe it, something bad clearly happens - you storm the building more pissed than you usually are.'
Elena was thankful that he didn't mention her crying. Seriously, where did he lock up the real Damon?
'Why do I think your breakdown had something to do with the backstory he told you? Why do I also think that the seduce-Aaron plan is no longer go-go?' he dipped a finger in her bowl and curled a few noodles around it. He then proceeded to slowly eat it, just like in ads on TV, except he didn't know he was doing it. Elena saw him do that before. Her Damon was here all right. She was unable to look elsewhere. She stared at him directly, paralyzed, feeling like a cat.
'Fine!' Elena finally looked away. 'I'll get it out of you soon. But first, you need to cheer up,' he raised a finger at her. 'Hey, I just remembered! There is a carnival in an hour at the market square. Would you like to come?' he asked, feigning surprise as if nothing pleased him more than the thought of a carnival.
'Sure, Damon! That sounds like a great idea!' Elena replied with just as much fake enthusiasm. 'I am so glad you are giving me a choice in the matter!' she said, mustering all traces of sarcasm left in her.
Damon smiled at her and Elena burst out giggling. 'Hey you agreed early today!' Damon pointed out. She looked at him again and realized the smile disappeared off his face. He was serious. 'I am still not giving you an out because I have been where you are. I know what it is like to get your heart crushed by people to whom you shouldn't be handing your heart in the first place. You probably want the universe to delete itself right now. Staying alone right now, is not the best thing you could do for yourself right now. Thankfully, I had a few friends who showed me a good time when I was in that dark place.' he continued, 'And I would hate...' Elena scrutinized his face for something she didn't understand, 'to not be that friend for you.'
'So if I do this,' she tread carefully. 'It is because you care - and you do care - about your friend right?'
He spun another noodle strand around his finger. 'Let's not push it Elena.'
In Flightmate, Elena is different than the TV Show!Elena, as you probably noticed. I want to write her in a way girls haven't been written before. Not as shy, introverted, calm-headed but raging, chaotic yet still the emotional rock for people they love (cough cough Damon).
6x02: One of the best episodes of TVD ever. Let's be honest, how many of you people knew 1x19 and 3x01 were The Scenes? Whilst our entire OTP journey has been rendered moot in Elena's mind, let's write and read fanfictions to fill the void in our hearts. Do you think Alaric would be able to return her memories? The writers are such geniuses though. As much as I hate what happened, it is juicy writing. Also, my OTP is turning into the Vow goddamit
Speaking of voids in our hearts, I finished Twist and Shout for the 1st time. Go Tumblr it if you don't know what I'm talking about. Tell me about the void in your heart and let's wallow together.
I also failed at stalking Misha Collins. The SPN cast were in Toronto this weekend.
P.S. On 8tracks, would you rather listen to a COMPLETE soundtrack of TVDS6 or 6x01-6x07, 6x07-6x15, 6x15-6x22? Tell me down below. Also, if you could go to my 8tracks and listen to THE COMPLETE SOUNDTRACK OF SEASON 6 OF THE VAMPIRE DIARIES SO FAR, that would be brilliant.
STALK ME
Twitter: anupapaya
Tumblr: arrogantanupapaya
YouTube: anupyathekiddo (Anupapaya Poopy)
8Tracks: Anupapaya
You clicked, you read, now you- happy Thanksgiving.