Author's note: oh boy, it took me ages to update, and not even figuratively :P I' am so, so sorry. Writer's blocks and real life interfering with writing suck, period :P Thank you so much for your patience! 3
And don't worry, there's not much left, so please bear with me until I'm done :)
This is so not the best of me but I hope you'll like it one way or another. Please, don't me harsh :) And feel free to dig in now!
Chapter 14
With his heart hammering like crazy and feeling like someone had just punched him in the gut real hard because he couldn't breathe properly, Alaric crossed the overcrowded space not quite caring about having to push and elbow his way forward. He reached the table, stopped and spun around searching the crowd for a familiar glimpse of honey hair or beige jacket, his blood pulsing in his ears, blurring his vision and dimming his senses.
Oh God, he was such an idiot thinking that she was safe in a public place. He should have known better than that, he should have…
Alaric whirled around when someone touched his elbow, practically jumping on the spot out of surprise, and blinked with disbelief when he found Jenna standing next to him, definitely alive and visibly unharmed. And boy, his heart was pounding so hard that for a moment or two he honestly thought that she wasn't real and he was just seeing things if only because he wanted to see her safe so much.
"Here you are," Jenna smiled, oblivious to his inner turmoil.
"Where have you been?" He asked hoarsely and swallowed to make his throat a little less dry, still not entirely sure she wasn't a figment of his imagination.
"Ladies' room," she answered nodding towards the far end of the bar. "John came up with some half-assed small talk and it was either clawing his eyes out, or scramming. And I chose the latter because… well, you know, getting violent with all these witnesses around," she offered him a crooked grin, which faded when she finally gave him a proper look and noted that something was really off. For starters, he was a little too pale for the reason she couldn't define. "You okay?" She reached for his arm, frowning.
"I—" am having trouble with holding my thoughts together. Ric cleared his throat. "Yeah, sure. Fine." He looked around again noting in the back of his mind that he didn't exactly like looking like a moron. "It's… um, it's a little noisy here today, don't you think?" Which was probably lame.
"Yeah, I guess." Jenna was still watching his face closely though. "You sure you're alright? Did anything happen?"
"When?" He asked automatically, slightly distracted.
"I don't know, Ric," she let her lips curve into a soft smile. "You're the one who looks like you've just seen a ghost, not me."
"No, I—" he turned to her again forcing a small smile back, still not entirely back to his senses. And his heartbeat was a bit too rapid for comfort although it was slowly getting back to normal. Crazy as it was, he would really prefer not to let her out of his sight until this entire story was over. And maybe after that, too. "Let's get out of here. Get those movies…" he trailed off when they were sidestepped into the alcove near the window by the noisy crowd making their way toward the exit.
Once the chatter faded, Jenna caught him by his unzipped jacket holding tight and closing the distance between them, not that the small space they'd been squeezed into required it, but still. She could practically feel uneasiness coming from him in thick waves and the fact that she couldn't quite put her finger on why bothered her a lot. She wasn't joking when she said he looked like he had seen a ghost, not entirely at least. Yet, it was also one of the reasons she decided not to push. He didn't look like it was a good idea to begin with. And she trusted him to tell her if it was anything worth telling about. But to be honest, right now she didn't want to think about it, period.
She looked up, fixed her gaze on his. "Or we could," she started rather matter-of-factly, trying oh so hard to keep her voice even, "go to your place and get, you know, reacquainted."
Her offer sunk in, and Alaric couldn't help but grin at it, his tension starting to ease minutely. She knew, without a doubt, how to do it, he thought. How to make things better just by being there. That dorky side of her was a sure thing to save the day every time something was wrong, which was probably what he loved most about her.
He bent down to her ear and whispered, still smiling, "Whatever you want," before kissing a tender spot right beneath her earlobe, which was just as much as Jenna could allow him do in public, although this time the familiar scent and the warmth of him as well as some unsettling desperation almost made her reconsider it.
Ric, apparently, had the same dilemma to deal with as he rested his forehead against hers and exhaled slowly.
"Promise?" She asked hopefully.
"You are truly something, Jenna. You know it, right?" There was amusement in his voice too, and for a moment there, in a shadowed corner, which was just as private as they could get in a noisy bar with blasting music and bursts of laughter, she almost believed that they were the only people in the entire world.
"I can take it as a compliment, right?"
Still, Alaric sighed and pulled back reluctantly, his hands still lying on her upper arms. It didn't go past Jenna that his edginess, or at least part of it, was back, and it made all of her questions rush back. Although the main question remained the same – did she really want to know?
Ric looked around the bar again. Scowled when he spotted John at the counter, probably waiting for his drink, but forced the irritation back. Jenna obviously saw him too, and he heard her huff under her breath.
Okay, so Damon was telling him it was Isobel's doing from the start. He didn't want to believe it back then. And honestly, he still didn't. A vague half shadow or whatever it was that Damon saw a few minutes ago didn't mean that he was right. A woman with dark hair didn't have to necessarily be Isobel, Ric told himself. It could have been anyone.
And why he was still searching for any redeeming qualities in his ex was still beyond him. Not that it was making much sense. But the truth was that even when being with Jenna, and knowing how he was feeling about her, it was hard for him to believe that he had spent a great part of his life loving a woman that turned into a cold-hearted calculative monster so easily. He didn't care that her very nature was about being a monster now. Deep inside, Alaric thought, he'd never accept it and never get over it.
But somehow it turned out that accepting and moving on were two entirely different concepts, and even though he was still getting nowhere with the first one, he believed he was at the very least making progress with the second. He knew that the way he felt about Isobel and the way she hurt him would always be there, as a reminder or precaution. But he couldn't and wasn't going to let his past rule his future. Not in that case. Not with Jenna.
It started with small things. And wasn't it always about small things? Not that finding her favorite coffee mug in the cupboard with flour and mixing bowls or her car keys in the bathroom was the end of the world. It wasn't like she was deliberately putting her shoes in the fridge or washing her clothes in the dish washer, Jenna told herself trying to ignore it as best she could. She forgot to lock her car for the night once – there was no serious need for it in Mystic Falls but the habits she'd picked up at college were still there – and then successfully ruined her white tank top by putting it into the washing machine together with the black sweater. In the grand scheme of things, there was nothing wrong with it either, as well as with a million of tiny things going completely wrong, and she successfully wrote it off to the overall stress and pressure and having too much on her mind, which was true in any case.
Yet, the problem was that it was breaking the routine she was desperately seeking her comfort in, and it was bringing her anxiety and fears to a whole new level. At times she couldn't help but think that her mind didn't belong to her anymore but she couldn't do anything about it, and it was frightening.
Also, there were memories, like those that she told Ric about. Memories of the things she couldn't recall happening but that were definitely real – like, recognizing the people she'd never met or knowing where everything was in the places she'd never been to.
Jenna checked it once just for the hell of it. She went to the old cemetery one morning because she couldn't get the image of the Thomas Fell mausoleum out of her mind. She'd been there before of course but since the cemetery was no longer in use, most of the crypts were locked and sealed to keep the curious and the homeless out. Effortlessly, she found her way among the tombstones without even giving much thinking to it and opened the wrought iron gate, which, to her endless surprise, bore no sign of a chain or a padlock to keep it protected. The gate let out a blood-chilling screech and gave in unwillingly. The thought of bringing the flashlight was a little belated and Jenna kicked herself mentally for not thinking about it earlier. But all in all, the light coming from the outside was more or less enough to save her from tripping once her eyes got used to semi-darkness.
Jenna walked along the wall absently pausing before the memorial plate. She had never been inside before, if only because it had always been locked for as long as she could remember. But knowing exactly what was written on the plate, every single word of it, made chill run down her spine. Just like with the damned Fell's Church secret escape passageway – she simply knew. How – she didn't want to know. Realizing that she couldn't turn her mind off and couldn't escape was more than enough to freak her out.
In most cases, each time these memories were coming, there was something else lurking in the periphery of her vision, and she fought hard to try and see who or what it was, if only to make a small step in the direction of understanding what the hell was this all about. But it was too smart and too fast to let it happen. Just like with that small piece of memory she had about the time she'd spent in the Fell's Church tunnel, it was never enough to be of any help. And it was making her feel trapped inside of her own head which of course was weird and uncomfortable by definition, but beside that, it was settling a desperate dread inside of Jenna making her think she'd never be able to get her normal life back.
And then, just to make it even more exciting, there were dreams – on these rare nights she'd let herself catch a couple of hours of restless sleep – full of frightening things she couldn't understand, and blood, and death, and fangs tearing through her delicate skin and sinking into her neck and drawing life out of her. The dreams where she was seeing her sister's blood-stained face. There was sadness in Miranda's eyes, and accusation as if she wanted to tell Jenna how disappointed she was with her little sister. These dreams were leaving a weird aftertaste of some incompleteness that Jenna wasn't able to shake off for a very long time. It was sticky and wrong, and she couldn't help wishing to claw them out of her mind.
Of course she was doing her best to ignore all of that, if only for the sake of her sanity, as if fearing that the blackness could pull her in and never let go. Plus, she had enough of other stuff to think about beside her growing paranoia and a prickling feeling on the back of her neck as if someone was constantly watching her. The problem was, it was easier said than done, and she couldn't exactly help looking back every now and then while walking down the street to make sure no one was deliberately following her. And even if they were, how would she tell? But she knew that she couldn't let it take over her. Except that she didn't have a choice.
One night Jenna slipped out of the bed and padded blindly across the dark room to the adjacent bathroom, still half-asleep. She flipped on the light and managed to make two whole steps in before she stopped short, her blood freezing in her veins as she woke up momentarily. "Wanna play?" was written on the mirror over the sink in what could have easily been her crimson lipstick but what she was pretty sure was blood.
It was like a punch in the gut. Jenna swallowed hard staring at the reflection of her very pale self marred with bright-red lopsided letters, feeling like her entire world was spinning around her. Numbly, she took a small step backwards, and then another one. The walls seemed to be closing in on her and she needed to escape. She needed to get out of there before the feeling that her face was all but pressed into the creepy message suffocated her. Her heart was thudding heavily somewhere in her stomach. And then she span around when she bumped into something behind her, barely holding back the squeal that rose in her throat.
"Jenna?" Ric squinted sleepily at her, his voice low and hoarse. He blinked waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light.
Relief washed over her, and Jenna let out a heavy breath she didn't even notice she was holding. With that near heart-attack over the creepy message moments ago, she almost forgot Alaric stayed for the night and the light must have woken him up as well. Relief washed over her. Having him near somehow brought the world back to its place. At least she wasn't alone.
"There's—" Jenna started, turning around, and faltered.
The mirror was clean. Not a trace of anything on the smooth surface, which, to be honest, shocked her a lot more than what she saw initially. Or what she thought she saw.
"What?" Ric asked, confused. He observed the bathroom over her head.
Jenna felt his hand rest on the small of her back, the warmth of it soothing her instantly. Alright, fine… "I—" she studied the mirror again, but nothing changed. "I thought—I thought I saw—" she breathed out and shook her head looking up at him. "Nothing."
"Jenna, are you okay?" Ric's brows drew together as he watched her warily.
"Yeah, I just… it's…"
"What?"
"I had a weird dream, I guess." She forced a weak smile and rubbed her eyes tiredly.
Alaric swept the bathroom with another glance, then leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. "Let's go back to bed."
She couldn't say if he believed her or not, but he let it slip, which Jenna was grateful for.
Okay, maybe she wasn't entirely awake when she walked into the bathroom. Maybe she'd had a dream that she'd forgotten completely about but that had affected her sleepy mind one way or another, making her see something that wasn't actually there. It was impossible to imagine that someone could have sneaked past them and written it, and then erased it somehow with both of them standing right there. But crazy as it was, she'd still prefer to think that that was exactly what had happened because the only other option meant that she was probably losing whatever was left of her sanity.
Jenna stifled a yawn and flipped over the page fighting to stay concentrated on the lines of words. She was camped out at the University Library for almost three hours already, buried in the books and assignments. Her eyes were sandy and her head was buzzing a little but she was oddly determined to get it over with now. Being behind was one of the factors, but not having to carry a stack of books home was what actually held her there.
She liked the libraries for some reason, the smell of books, and leather, and wood, and the tranquility of the reading halls. Especially this one, with the maze of tall book-shelves and huge floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the small courtyard with several marble benches and a fountain in the middle. Plus, it was practically empty now, save for a couple of other grad students Jenna spotted when she walked in. And, basically, all she could hear all this time was the ticking on the clock and rustle of turning pages. Her own determination to finish as many of her tasks as possible was kind of surprising but she decided to go on with it for as long as it lasted.
Yet, she was definitely getting tired, which became obvious when she caught herself re-reading one and the same line for five times in a row without actually understanding what it was saying. She screwed her eyes tight for a few seconds and pinched the bridge of her nose letting out a long exasperated sigh. Opened them again and looked longingly at the now empty plastic cup wondering if she was up to going for some more coffee or finishing the chapter she was struggling through first. Coffee sounded like a brilliant idea although finishing the chapter would probably give her some inner satisfaction. She had already had a stack of paper filled with her notes, which she knew would take her a while to sort out. But she wasn't done yet, so—
It was her phone that started vibrating on the table making her all but jump in her seat that made the choice for her in the end.
Not wanting to disturb anyone, Jenna grabbed it and headed hastily for the exit, having that very goofy expression she normally had when the caller ID read Ric.
"Hey," she breathed out slipping out into the cool corridor and closing the door behind her back. Knew she was probably glowing and grinning like a fool too, but decided not to give a damn. To hell with her face that was going to crack from smiling any moment. Who cared?
"Thought I'd check on you," Alaric said, and she could hear a smile in his voice.
"As in, did anything creepy happen?" She joked as she leaned her back against the wall.
"As in, you've been awfully quiet all morning," he said softly. "And I don't always know if it's a good or bad sign."
"I've been trying hard to do something useful for a change," Jenna informed him proudly. "That's why I'm stuck in the library and buried under the piles of books for another couple of hours."
"Sounds exciting," he admitted, chuckling.
"You have no idea," Jenna studied the stone floor smoothed and polished by thousands of feet over the years. "And that's exactly why I am going to go all wild afterwards and come to your school and kidnap a couple of your students."
He made a sound that she interpreted as amused snort. "Is that a part of your taking over the world plan?"
"No, it's more like a part of a quality girls' time plan."
"Oh… I thought you were kidding."
"About kidnapping? Never!" She let out short laugh. "If you see Elena, tell her I'm going to be there some time around four, would you?"
"Big plans?"
"Shopping, movies, the usual," Jenna pushed herself away from the wall and strolled slowly down the corridor.
"Ouch!" She could practically see him flinch.
"Yeah, you wouldn't want to be caught up in this," she giggled. "What about you, Mr. Saltzman? What are you up to?"
"Football practice." He must have stepped into the class or some other quiet place because the background noise on his end of the line faded slightly. "Nothing as exciting." He paused. "I, um… I thought you were going to come over and stay tonight."
"I will," Jenna smiled. His awkward uncertainty was making her feel warm all over. "Aside from shoes, bags and stressing out my credit card in general, I've got some other plans that are going to require your active participation."
"Oh, well, that—that changes everything." She felt him smile, too. "Look, I've got to—"
"Sure, I'm—I'll see you later, Ric."
"See you later."
With a contemplative smile still playing on her lips, Jenna made the rest of the way up to the vending machines in the hall, the sound of her heels on the granite floor echoing in every corner of the nearly empty building. The part of the campus mainly occupied by grads was practically dead, which, of course, would change once the midterm started.
Jenna fished a few coins from the pocket of her pants and dropped them into the vending machine one after another promising herself she'd get some real coffee as soon as she got out of here while she waited for the styrofoam cup to fill with what was as close to coffee as Fanta was to the fresh orange juice. Yet, it seemed to be working as decent fuel for now so she decided to pretend it wasn't that bad. Her other option was to have a ten-minute walk to the student café on the other side of campus – and also meant she could grab a slice of pizza, too – but in the end she decided not to waste her time lest she lose her buzz.
Okay, Jenna decided, she'd go through a few more chapters, and then call it a day. Before her mind actually melted, which wouldn't do any good to her thesis in any case. And boy, she was so going for these killer pumps she saw the other day in that new store, even if her credit card would need a serious rehab after that. They were so worth it!
Smiling to herself, she stopped by one of the tall windows and looked outside at the park that the front entrance was facing. The sun was shining high in the clear blue sky today and the wind was playing lazily with the bright-colored trees and fallen leaves chasing the latter down the alleys. It looked like everything was trying to sip in as much of that warmth as possible. She knew it was deceptive though, and that in reality the air was cool and the wind was chilly, making one want to wrap the jacket tight round their body and bury their nose into the layers of scarf – and that was exactly what these few people she spotted were doing – but hidden inside the cozy warm library, Jenna had to admit that the day was lovely indeed.
She took a small sip of her coffee-wanna-be and let her lips curl into a small half smile when her thoughts drifted back to Alaric against her will and to how he tried to feed her some omelet in the morning when she was fighting oh so hard not to be late for once. And that was probably one of the reasons she assumed that he was the one calling her when her phone started to vibrate again.
"Shouldn't you be running around the field in that gray hoody of yours?" Jenna asked jokingly throwing the empty cup into the trash-bin in the corner. "Ric?" She called when he didn't respond and looked down at the screen. The caller ID was hidden, to her surprise, but the timer was still blinking. "Hello?" Her smile faded and she moved closer to the window in case someone on the other end of the line couldn't hear her because of bad signal. The reception here was weird most of time because of thick stone walls. "Who is it?" But the dead silence told her that whoever was trying to reach her had hung up.
Frowning, she looped her hair around her ear and dialed Alaric's number, that poor imitation of coffee coiling heavily in her stomach, making her regret she'd touched it. He didn't pick up though, which didn't surprise her because the practice probably wasn't over yet and he, in fact, was most likely running around the football field in that gray hoody that she was normally finding hot. Well, under other circumstances at least. And it definitely wasn't he who called her a minute ago, that she was sure of now, and the thought made chill trickle down her spine.
"Okay, fine," Jenna muttered under her breath and looked up… and all back jerked backwards because a huge black crow lowered itself on the naked branch stretched towards the window, folded its enormous wings and cawed loudly, peering at her with its big oily black beads of eyes. It looked too much like the one that she had found butchered not so long ago that it was eerie. But then again there was no shortage of crows around here, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Except that it freaked Jenna out even more than the phone call. "Leave me alone," she said firmly to the crow.
She took another step back, and then turned around and pushed the door to the ladies' restroom that was right behind her, more than eager to avoid the crow's scrutinizing gaze that seemed to be drilling right through her. Walked up to the sink and leaned against it studying absently the smooth white surface as she tried to collect her thoughts together again while deliberately ignoring the leaps of her heart. It was just a crow, for heaven's sake! One of millions, perhaps. And maybe it meant absolutely nothing.
Except that it scared her. There were no creepy phone calls for the last few days, and it was only now that Jenna realized how much better she felt without them. Without jumping every single time she heard her phone coming to life. It felt though like they were letting her get used to it only to start it all over again. The easiness she fought so hard to maintain while trying to pretend she was still having a normal life was gone without a trace. It wasn't over and she knew it. Whoever was doing it, was having a smart game, striking when she was expecting least and making her want to hole up somewhere and never get out.
She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly as she counted to ten in her mind. Lifted her head up to meet her gaze in the mirror and stared at her confused expression for a while. It was getting old, Jenna thought. And it was getting tiring, too.
A blur of a movement caught her attention making her glance up, and then she froze when she saw someone standing at the door behind her. Well, someone was a bit too vague, perhaps, since it was impossible not to recognize dark mane of perfect hair, pale skin and condescending smile on the coral-red lips.
Isobel.
Jenna whirled around, her breath hitching… and then there was no one. The bathroom appeared to be empty.
"What the…" she glanced around the small room once again.
Her eyes brushed along the dark-green tiled walls. The doors to all three stalls were slightly ajar and there was no sound coming from the inside. Everything looked completely still. No, she was definitely alone, unless Isobel decided to hide in the post-box sized cabinet under the sink. There was no stir of air, no movement. The only sounds she could see now were soft rumble of the ventilation system and the thudding of her heart. But she did see Isobel, didn't she? She couldn't have imagined that—
"That's just great," she muttered. And was it just her or did she actually catch a faint whiff of the expensive perfume hanging in the air – the one she remembered from the time when she'd met Isobel at Ric's. Yeah, keep believing it, Jenna.
But what if…
She crossed the distance to the door in two big strides, yanked it open and looked up and down the wide corridor. The sunlight was streaming through huge windows. The flowerpots with palm-like things were placed near the walls between them and the plants were hungrily sipping the sunshine in. Jenna always liked this place because it reminded her of castles and historical movies. It had class, and dignity, and that air of respectability that she was finding comforting.
Not now, though. She wasn't feeling safe in the confines of the building anymore, and the emptiness that she considered to be soothing not ten minutes ago became frightening now. Her gaze went to the window but the tree was empty, and there were no crows outside as far she could see. Yet, the feeling that someone was looking at her, that she wasn't entirely alone, was there, and she hurried back to the reading hall purposefully forcing herself to ignore the uncomfortably loud sound of her heels on the stone floor.
She didn't look back or even around herself as she walked – not wanting to show her uneasiness in case someone was indeed watching her or scared of what she could actually see, Jenna wasn't sure. Her hand wasn't steady when she pulled the heavy door open and stepped inside, and it was only then that she let out the breath she didn't even notice she was holding.
It wasn't even funny, but Jenna couldn't help being relieved to see an elderly librarian sorting out a stack of books at the registration counter, a guy sitting by the window and flipping through something that looked a lot like encyclopedia and a couple of girls in the corner to the right from her scribbling something in their notepads with admirable dedication. Another guy in his mid 30s and with ginger-red hair that Jenna remembered from the Sociology class walked out from behind one of the bookshelves and headed for the counter.
She followed him with her eyes and then shook her head. None of them seemed to so much as bother to acknowledge the fact of her appearance, too lost in their own business. In fact, all of them looked so ordinary and normal that her jumpiness started to seem utterly ridiculous. Her mind shifted instantly to her own unfinished tasks and she cringed inwardly.
"Thanks for killing the mood," Jenna grumbled under her breath, not addressing anyone in particular as she made her way back to her desk.
There was no way she'd be able to focus on social behavior patterns any time soon, and she knew it, so she might as well grab a couple of books to finish her assignment later and head back to Mystic Falls. And if she was lucky enough, she'd probably be able catch a part of the football practice before Elena was free from her indentured servitude – aka Founders Day Committee meeting. Also, it most likely wouldn't hurt to ask Jeremy what excuses he was normally using when he decided to skip doing his home-tasks.
Here's to being a role model, a small voice inside of her head singsoned mischievously but Jenna pushed it away. God knew she wished her own school stuff was all she had to worry about.
Once at her desk, she stashed a folder with her notes into her bag and started sorting out the books, trying not to look around every ten seconds in case Isobel was lurking somewhere behind the bookshelves, which would be a little too close to a full-blown paranoia, and which was exactly what she wanted to avoid. As a matter of fact, the idea of going back now was getting more and more appealing. Jenna smiled to herself at the thought of sitting on the bleachers for half an hour like a proper fangirl and watching Ric play football. Boy, she needed to start thinking about something else for a change!
She put the last book aside deciding she didn't need it, reached for her jacket and froze. A small card was lying there right beneath the book, too distinctive on the red-wood table not to notice it. Delicate floral ornament on the front side made it unmistakably familiar. It looked exactly like the other three that Jenna had seen before.
She swallowed hard past the nauseous feeling rolling in her stomach and reached for it slowly as if expecting it to disappear any moment. The way Isobel disappeared from the bathroom. Okay, fine, she kind of hoped for it because it was just as much as her mind could handle. But it didn't, and her fingers brushed against the rough paper texture. Warily, she picked it up fighting a wish to look around, her hands shaking slightly, and opened it.
Inside, the message was short and simple, and frighteningly familiar, too.
"Wanna play?"
Alaric saw Damon the moment he opened the door to his class. The vampire was sitting in his chair, his legs crossed at the ankles and resting leisurely on the desk as he was flipping lazily through what Ric assumed was one of the student reports. His brows were drawn together and his lips were moving soundlessly as he was making his way down the page.
"What do I owe the honor?" Alaric snickered, wondering how much sense it would make to point out that Damon wasn't at home. Not much, he decided in the end, and chose not to bother.
He was running a little late after practice because they got slightly caught up before the game next week, and he had a stack of works to check and grade before he could leave, and he would really like to get it over with sooner than later. If this was a social visit, he'd really appreciate it if Damon made it short.
"Your girlfriend over there is stressing out," Damon replied without looking up and poked his thumb indefinitely somewhere to the side. "I'm keeping her a company."
Alaric's smile disappeared instantly as soon as he spotted Jenna standing by the window. She turned when he walked in and gave him a small awkward wave.
"What's going on here?" He asked in alarm, crossing the distance between them. "You okay?" His voice dropped a little as he ran his hand down her arm brushing his fingers lightly against hers, his eyes wandering around her features.
His hair was still damp from the after-practice shower, Jenna noted absently, having to curl her fingers into her palm so as not to reach out and rake it. It was neither time, nor place – nor company, come to think of it. She felt a faint scent of soap coming from him, and something inside of her loosened a little, easing the tension.
"I called him when I couldn't reach you," she said in a low voice, her gaze flickering towards Damon who tried oh so hard to appear disinterested even if they all knew he was catching every word.
"Do you know they are having it all wrong here?" The vampire tapped his finger on the page he was reading.
"They are not first-hand witnesses of the Civil War, Damon," Alaric pointed out. "Well, not all of them at least," he added before turning to look at Jenna again. "What happened?"
She exchanged weird looks with Damon, who let out a small snort, and it was then that Ric finally noticed something lying on one of the front tables. Something he didn't register at first because it was completely irrelevant up till the moment he was sure Jenna was fine. A small white square of paper which he, unfortunately, recognized immediately.
"Again?" He asked, frowning. Picked it up and opened it.
"My life is so exciting," Jenna sneered humorlessly.
He let his gaze run along the words a few times. "How did it happen?"
"I left the reading hall to talk to you," she explained, "and found it when I got back."
"Tell him the fun part," Damon encouraged her, busting his fake indifference.
"What fun part?" Alaric's eyes darted between them warily.
Jenna rubbed her forehead, hesitant. "I think I saw Isobel."
It wasn't entirely unexpected but surprising nonetheless.
"Isobel?" He echoed, feeling slightly lost.
"I don't know, Ric," she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration caused, obviously, by her inability to understand what was going on. "I'm not sure." Looked from Alaric to Damon to Alaric again. "I think I saw her. In the mirror in the bathroom. She was standing behind me, but then I turned around and she was gone. And maybe it was nothing and I didn't see anyone… But a few minutes later I found this," she pointed at the card. "Well, that's… that's it."
"Another fun part," Damon prodded her and turned over the page. "Remember my joke about the cursed faculty position, Ric?" He asked thoughtfully. "It doesn't look like a joke anymore. How much are they paying you to deal with this load of crap, anyway? Must be a lot."
"What?" Alaric ignored his comment entirely as he watched Jenna, not expecting to hear anything good.
"The blood they used to write the message…" she paused to let out a long sigh. "Damon says it's mine." She demonstrated him a small cut on her index finger.
"Yeah, and we had to use your stationery to find it out, hope you don't mind," Damon called out.
Okay, that was probably a little unexpected. "Are you sure?" Alaric gave him a dubious look, his frown deepening. Rational part of him knew that it wasn't entirely impossible since Jenna was kept in that damned dungeon for a while and they had unlimited access to her blood. But the other part, the protective one perhaps, made his stomach twist at the very thought of someone doing this to her. And that other part was definitely winning.
"Yep, I'm the most efficient DNA test in the history of… well, in the history, period. Since I exist longer than any other DNA test," Damon gave him a thousand-watt smile.
The Grill was packed – the way it usually was at dinner time – but they managed to find a table in the corner and squeeze into two benches on both sides of it, practically saved from being overheard by the endless chatter and laughter coming from the pool tables nearby.
Jenna leaned forward on her forearms studying Damon somewhat apprehensively across the table. "Seriously, what is this thing with the crows, anyway?" She asked.
His brows arched. "Come again?"
"Why crows? Can't you, I don't know, use someone nice? Like… squirrels? Or other cute animals from Bambi?"
"Yeah, because you would be totally cool with the cute little deer following you around," Damon snorted. "Besides, Bambi is exclusive Stefan thing, go ask him."
"My point is – why does it have to be so creepy?"
"Because we're the vampires, Jenna, not Easter Bunnies."
"Yeah, that slipped my mind." She flinched, slanting against the back of the bench. "How are they doing it? Even if all of that wasn't real, the crow, Isobel… if they weren't actually there, I still don't get how they are doing it. How are they getting into my head to make me see things?" She chewed on her lower lip.
"Compulsion?" He offered nonchalantly, brows quirked up. "It's as simple as that."
Jenna and Alaric exchanged puzzled looks. "Impossible," Ric shook his head.
"I'm vervained inside out," Jenna reminded Damon. "In fact, I have so much of this stuff inside of me it's a miracle I'm not blooming." she made a funny face as her fingers ran absently along the bracelet that Alaric gave her and that had bits and pieces of dried vervain hidden in the beads. The corners of Ric's mouth tugged up slightly at her wording. And then the thought struck her. "Unless…"
"Unless?" The vampire drawled casually. "I've never tried the steak here. You think it's good?"
"Do you think I could be immune to it?" She asked cautiously, ignoring the stake comment. The words tasted weird in her mouth. "To vervain, I mean. Do you think it's possible it doesn't affect me? Is it even possible at all?"
Ric tensed beside her, waiting for Damon's response.
Intrigued, Damon finally put away the laminated menu he was playing with. "Not that I've ever heard of." Lips puckered, he regarded Jenna thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed and head inclined slightly to his shoulder. "But that's… that's interesting."
So, that's what the guinea pigs normally feel on the laboratory table, flashed through her mind.
The waitress brought their drinks.
"Well, there is only one way to find out." Jenna shrugged, her voice bearing more determination than she was actually feeling. She made a theatrical pause, then leaned forward again. "Compel me."
"What?" Damon blinked.
"What?" Alaric whipped his head to stare incredulously at her. "Jenna, I don't think—"
She turned and looked somewhat desperately at him. "Look, I—I have to know. If that's the case—"
"Then you're screwed," Damon prompted helpfully.
"Thank you!" She called back without looking at him.
Ric opened his mouth not seeming particularly thrilled with the idea, but then heaved a long sigh and closed it again, shaking his head with disapproval. To be honest, she wasn't that excited either, especially assuming it was Damon she was asking to do it, and even though he was Alaric's friend – in Damon's understanding of friend, she still had doubts about it going smooth as long as he was concerned if only because he had trouble written all over him, like – always!
Jenna turned to Damon then and scolded him. "And you… if it works and you make me so something dirty, you're so going to regret you didn't die 145 years ago."
Which made Alaric let out a soft chuckle that he attempted to mask by clearing his throat and pretending to be suddenly interested in the colorful coaster beneath the glass with his drink. He did spare Damon a warning look though, and Jenna felt his hand land of the small of her back, which she knew was more an automatic gesture rather than conscious, but it made her feel slightly better about the plan that screamed Stupid.
"Charming," Damon drawled, his lips forming into a sly grin as he leaned slightly close to her, too. This very moment he looked like a little boy who got locked in the candy shop, and she was half a step away from changing her mind about the whole idea. "This is going to be interesting."
Yet, she took a deep breath and let go.
Jenna could practically feel the warmth of his touch like it was physical as she stared into his ice-pale aquamarine eyes noticing despite herself every detail of the intricate texture of his irises. She barely registered that his pupils widened slowly making his eyes practically black and leaving only a thin rim of pale blue on the edge. The moment when the noise and bursts of laughter that were filling he bar moved to the periphery of her attention and then disappeared altogether went past her but, oddly, she couldn't care less. Absently, she felt herself being pulled somewhere, her mind getting strangely blank and foggy. It was like being surrounded by soft warm clouds. Well, it felt weird but probably good kind of weird. Except that her entire world was now focused on Damon Salvatore but for some reason Jenna found herself being pretty much okay with it.
Damon leaned even closer to her bringing their eyes to the same level.
"So, Jenna," he started in a low soothing voice that seemed to warp around her like a blanket, "why don't you dump your boring history teacher here and run away with me to… I don't know, Brazil?"
She gave the words time to sink in, and then suddenly this bubble around her burst as if someone pierced it with a needle. Still staring into Damon's eyes, Jenna blinked shaking it off completely. "This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"Yeah, me too!" Alaric straightened up in his seat glaring daggers at the vampire, probably wanting to burn him down to ashes, and obviously fuming.
"Ouch!"
"I knew it would end like that," Jenna breathed out, nodding to herself, and regarded the vampire darkly, too. "Seriously?"
"Well, news flash – it didn't work," Damon beamed, not at all taken aback by Ric's heavy "What the hell was that?" gaze. He fixed his eyes on Jenna then. "You're definitely not immune to vervain. For better or for worse."
"What if it did work?" Alaric asked angrily. His whole body went rigid – without surprise or outrage he couldn't tell. Well, no, not surprise. Somewhere in the back of his mind he'd been expecting something like that, perhaps. Yet, a part of him was somewhat shocked nonetheless.
"Then, I guess, we would all have to reconsider our summer plans," Damon shrugged nonchalantly, more to annoy both of them than anything.
Ric pinched the bridge of his nose and then let out a God help us all sigh. In any other situation he would have probably found it amusing. Now though... well, if it did work after all, he'd find a stake and make a nice canapé of Damon Salvatore.
"I should have known better than that," Jenna muttered, shaking her head.
"Is that the disappointment I'm hearing?" Damon mocked.
"Don't flatter yourself," she returned in the same voice.
"What do we do now?" Alaric turned to Damon, too.
"Um, guys, I don't want to question your words," Jenna asked before Damon even opened his mouth – not that he had the answer – and looked at them in turns, "but are you sure Logan is… dead?" They regarded her with confusion. "It's just—something is so wrong about this whole situation that I'm ready to believe anything already."
"Nope, he is definitely out of the picture," Damon shook his head and tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. There was no was that the corpse he saw when Liz called him that night could have walked away. His phone let out a string of shrills. He fished it out of the pocket and read the message. "Duty calls," he lightened up. "Looks like we have another client." And added in response to puzzled looks. "Someone's dead. Guess how?"
Jenna blinked. No, she was not going to get used to it. Ever.
Alaric looked at her. "You okay?" She nodded. "Do you want me to take you home?" He asked, his hand moving back and forth across the small of her back.
"No, I'll stay with you," she shook her head.
"What about quality girls' time?"
"I'm too much of a party killer right now." Jenna flinched, frustrated. "Elena and the gang are better off without me right now. Besides, I'm sure they are going to lock me in the bathroom before I know it so that I wouldn't be ruining the mood."
"Alright," he smiled and reached to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Get a room," Damon rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'm going to talk to Sheriff Forbes and see if she has any news. And you two," he looked at them in turns, then rolled his eyes again, obviously giving up. "Stay out of trouble."
"June 23, 1864, Mystic Falls
They are getting smarter and a lot more dangerous. Council doesn't want to believe that but I am certain that the daylight is no longer as safe as we used to think. I can understand them. The truth like that shatters everything that forms our existence but even though I have no proof that they can walk among us, I know that they do. I can feel it, sense it. There is no other explanation of how they know us so well. Only being close and communicating with us can give them that.
Unfortunately, we are helpless. And recent attacks – so bold and almost taunting – have set panic amongst the townsfolk. I am not ready to give up though. There should be a way to detect the demons of the dark in their human form, and I will find it. I keep it a secret for now, but there is hope. I am determined to find a way to create a device that would help us see their true faces. I will find a way and I will prove that I am right-"
Jenna turned the page over carefully and reached for her mug only to find out with disappointment that it was empty. She looked over her shoulder. Yeah, so was the pot. On a sigh, she got up and strolled into the kitchen, her bare feet making no sound on the cold tiled floor of the cooking area. She looped her hair around her ears and found a jar of grinded coffee in the cabinet, hoping Alaric wouldn't mind her consuming most of his supplies in just a few days. Well, nights. Filled the coffee machine then and pressed the Turn On button, making a mental note to grab some coffee the next time she stopped by the grocery store.
She yawned, unable to help it, and glanced lazily around herself, her thoughts reeling. "Wanna play?" – the exact same message she saw before, or sort of saw. Whatever. Was it a coincidence? A foreboding? Or something bigger than that? A true message for her to… what? God, she was so going to go crazy long before she had answers to all these questions, Jenna thought sourly. She wasn't even sure it wasn't a figment of her imagination to begin with. For all she knew, her whole life could be nothing but a twisted dream.
Yeah, that was probably one of the side effects of the excessive consumption of coffee.
Meanwhile, Alaric woke up, disturbed by her absence. Blindly, he reached out for the warmth of her form and then forced his eyes open when he found the other half of the bed empty.
"Jenna?" He lifted his head assuming for the barest of moments that she could have left, before catching a thin strip of light beneath the bedroom door. On a sigh he climbed out of the bed and headed out, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes as he walked, led by the sounds of life coming from the kitchen.
She was standing by the counter, her back turned to him, dressed in one of his long button-up shirts and tapping her fingers on the smooth plastic surface as she waited. Thick smell of fresh coffee hung in the air, and the coffee machine beeped quietly just as he stepped into the pool of light. Smiling, Alaric came up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. For a moment, he buried his face in a soft mass of her hair breathing in sweet scent of her lime and strawberry shampoo mixed with something that was purely Jenna.
Recently, the need to touch her, hold her, feel her became almost overwhelming as if the warmth of hers was the only thing holding his world together. As if he was scared that if he let her go for too long, she might simply disappear like a dream at the break of dawn. As if something could take her away from him.
Ric pressed his lips to a tender spot at the curve of her neck.
Jenna giggled. "Hey, it tickles."
He let out a soft throaty sound against her skin, and she felt his body vibrate behind her back with suppressed laughter.
"What are you doing up?"
Jenna put the mug down onto the counter. "If I spill this on your shirt, you will have no one to blame for it but yourself. You know it, right?"
He chuckled. "Screw it."
"My coffee or your shirt?" She specified sagging against him, her brows arched.
"Either. Both." Ric bent to kiss her shoulder, his voice hoarse and sleep-affected. He threw a curious glance at the table and looked quizzically down at her. "What's going on here?"
Jenna followed his gaze. "I got a little caught up with some stuff," she explained after a short hesitation. Freed herself from his grasp and finally filled her mug. "You sure you don't want some?" She asked before taking a small sip so as not to scald her tongue.
Alaric shook his head letting out a small subtle sigh and studied her camp once again not quite pleased to find the Gilbert journal among her psychology books, as well as his research folder with the stuff he collected about the vampires. And Isobel. His brows furrowed at the sight of the latter. It wasn't a big deal, not really, but for some reason he didn't feel all that comfortable with Jenna going through his personal notes. Okay, they were somewhat relevant now and her curiosity was understandable, but all this stuff still belonged to the part of his life he didn't want her to get involved in. Not to mention they were a little… private, regardless of how close and open they were with each other.
But it wasn't what bothered him most now. The problem was that this whole situation hit a little too close to home causing a weird feeling of déjà vu and stirring the things he preferred to keep locked in the far corner of his mind.
Alaric pinched the bridge of his nose, his gaze traveled along the open books and other stuff once again. "Why don't you tell me what is this all about?"
"I don't understand—"
"Baby, every time I wake up at night, here or at your place, you're somewhere else, reading, or studying, or… drinking coffee." He looked helplessly at her. "It's not like I'm complaining but I kind of assumed that sleeping with you meant… well, sleeping with you."
The last part was meant to sound like a joke but an awful amount of truth in it stung making Jenna's smile fade instantly. She walked back to the table and put her mug on the coaster by the open book. "I'm a little behind with my paper," she made a funny face and gave him a small half-smile, probably well-aware that it was too lame for him to buy it.
Ric let out an exasperated sigh, not really up to dancing around it. Yeah, okay, he got it. She had a lot to deal with now. The one thing he didn't want to understand was why she had to exhaust herself in the process. "You really think it's possible not to notice that you function purely on caffeine and never sleep?" He caught her gaze when she looked up for a brief moment before breaking the eye contact again.
"I—it's not true."
"Well, when was the last time you actually slept?" She didn't respond. "Jenna… just—just talk to me. Please."
She took her lower lip between her teeth keeping her eyes down. Should have seen it coming, right? He wasn't blind or stupid, and he definitely deserved better than listening to her half-truths and crappy excuses, if only because he cared enough to notice stuff. Or mainly because she hated lies, almost as much as being a total mess and having to acknowledge it.
Jenna turned to him. "What if it happens again, Ric?" She asked in a voice that came out small and miserable despite her resolve to keep it firm. "I have no control of myself when I black out. What if it happens and I do something? What if I hurt someone?" Restlessly, she ran her hands through her hair and then let them fall down helplessly. "What if I hurt you?" He voice dropped and she shook her head.
"Don't." Alaric caught her by the wrist and pulled her close. "C'mere." His arms wrapped around her form holding her tight. "Stop it, Jenna." He whispered into her hair. "Don't think about it. You're safe with me. I will never let anything happen to you. I will never let anyone hurt you." Ric kissed the top of her head. "Never."
He ran his hand soothingly down her back, feeling that something loosened inside of him when she relaxed into his body, which was just as much as he could do to help her. She was exhausted, obviously. He could feel it and he hated it. Alaric let out a long sigh. He could barely remember the last time she had decent sleep, and it seriously bothered him. It was reminding him of all the nights when she was waking up with a start from the nightmares haunting her, her whole body shaking with suppressed screams. Normally, she refused to talk about it, and he couldn't break through to her when it happened. Almost like now. She didn't want to let him in.
"I'm scared, Ric," Jenna murmured into his chest in a muffled voice.
"I know, baby."
"I'm tired. I feel like I am losing my mind sometimes, and I want it to stop."
"I know." He brushed his lips against her hair again. "But you can't go on like this. You have to sleep, Jenna. It's not right." Yeah, like she didn't know it already. "You only make it worse. You've got to rest."
She shook her head – without determination though. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not," he breathed out.
"I have to deal with it, Ric." On a sigh, Jenna pulled back and walked up to the table to pick up a stack of clippings she'd been through so many times that she practically knew them by heart. Yet, weird as it seemed, it was all useless. She had basically had a whole load of crap. Well, not entirely, but pretty close. "I have to find the connection."
Ric put his arms around her waist and looked at the chaotic mess over her shoulder. "Found anything interesting?" He asked with genuine curiosity, deciding not to push.
Her natural reaction would be to push back, and they'd never get anywhere like that. He had studied the journals already. Most of them at least. None of them seemed to have information they actually needed. Although he did have a tiny piece of hope that maybe Jenna saw something that he didn't.
"A lot," she chuckled. "But nothing helpful, unfortunately." She grimaced. "I've been reading about Jonathon Gilbert's inventions lately. Like that compass thing, or the rings." Jenna leaned back against his chest, encouraging him to tighten his grip on her.
"What about them?" He lifted his hand, with hers lying on top of it, to study the ring in the dim light of the reading lamp.
"Well, nothing," she brushed her fingers along the back of his hand pausing slightly to feel the texture of the ring beneath her fingertips. Even being in contact with his body, it still felt cool against her skin. "But the very idea of them and the fact that he came up with it… it's pretty amazing." She looked up at the outline of his profile. "It's good to know you're safe."
Alaric smiled crookedly. "Only from some badass supernatural forces," he grimaced. "Paper cuts are still all mine."
Jenna smiled before falling into silence for a while. "Did you forgive her?"
The question surprised him but she didn't need to specify for him to guess who she was asking about. They didn't talk much about Isobel. Jenna never was hostile or avoiding, no. On contrary, she showed surprising support and understanding every single time the topic came up. But she definitely didn't feel comfortable about it, no matter how hard she tried to mask it. And he honestly couldn't remember her initiating any conversation about his vampire ex before. Yet, he wasn't completely oblivious to the fact that she gave the matter a thought or two but he didn't want to make it worse, so he never asked, preferring to deal with his past without dragging her into the mess.
Alaric took his time to choose the words carefully, feeling like he was walking on thin ice. "I don't know," he admitted in the end. "You don't really forgive something like that. It's more like you learn to live with it one way or another." Slowly, she nodded after a short pause. "Look, Jenna, whatever I feel about Isobel and regardless of what we had in the past, it doesn't change the way I feel about you," Ric said quietly then.
"I know," she looked up again, smiling softly.
He kissed her temple. "Can we go to sleep now? I know all this stuff is damn exciting, but can it wait till… I don't know, daylight?"
"Are you trying to small-talk me into sleeping?" Jenna narrowed her eyes regarding him suspiciously.
"Does it work?" He asked hopefully.
"Maybe," she laughed. "Okay, um…" She looked down again for a moment. "You go, I'll be there in a couple of minutes."
"No." Old trick. Alaric saw a sign a battle on her face. He sighed. "Okay, you want to know what's going on. Fine, I get it. Will we go to sleep if I tell you?"
"And you know, huh?" Jenna turned to look him fully in the face, her brows quirked up.
"Sure."
The tone of his voice and his expression did not imply he knew a thing but her curiosity piqued, and she was willing to play along. "Really?"
"Of course." Smiling, Ric reached out to run his fingers through her hair, framing her face. "Someone likes you very much because of how beautiful you are." His eyes wandered around her features. "That's usually what the whole stalking thing is about, isn't it? And I can almost understand it, you know." He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Minus the crazy psycho part." Made a funny face making her break into a grin before leaning down then to plant a kiss on Jenna's forehead.
"And if it's a she?"
"If it's a she… then she is dead jealous." Alaric brushed his lips lightly against hers.
"You can't be serious even for a moment, can you?"
"Oh, I am," he assured her. "But you keep talking and distracting me from… being serious." He slanted in for another kiss.
"I am having these dreams again," Jenna said quietly when he pulled back to lean his forehead against hers. "About my sister's grave. And there is always so much blood." The memory made her shiver. "I don't know what's wrong with them but they feel so bad."
"They are just dreams." Ric whispered wearily. They'd done it before, so many times. "And they are not even yours, to begin with. Don't let them do this to you."
"I just want it to stop," she sighed desperately. Looked up to meet his eyes for a moment before wrapping her arms around him seeking for whatever comfort he could give, as if he could shield her even from herself. "Please, make it stop."
…She did fall asleep eventually, leaving Alaric one on one with his own restless thoughts. He propped himself on the elbow and trailed his fingertips down her cheek. A gesture he couldn't hold back. Her breath was deep and even, and her sleep was dreamless, apparently. He liked watching her sleep, Ric thought. Liked how peaceful she looked and how perfectly her body was fitting against his.
In the end, he sighed, kissed her shoulder and put his arm protectively around her waist, tugging Jenna close against his form. Instantly, she found his hand with hers in her sleep and linked their fingers, holding tight. She'd been doing it a lot lately, without even realizing it, he could bet. As if she needed to be sure he was always there. The vulnerability of the touch broke his heart and made him smile at the same time. They had a nice thing going on, which seemed almost unbelievable sometimes. And even though Alaric wasn't particularly fond of what was going on with Jenna, he couldn't help enjoying the closeness they'd developed lately.
He liked having her around. Liked the way she was making him feel so alive, and safe, and wanted again. He liked making love to her and waking up next to her in the morning. Mindless bar flirting aside, Jenna was the first woman he'd been with after Isobel. Not that it mattered though. It had never been just about the physical part, although it probably touched and pulled some strings too – if only because she changed things, gave him hope, made him believe again. It was frightening and exciting, and he didn't want it to stop.
And he was scared as hell of what was going on with her. Of the things he couldn't help her with. And he was even more scared of not being able to do anything, of being helpless. Not to mention that the unfairness of the situation was just beyond him. What did she do to deserve all of this? Hadn't they both had enough already?
If Damon was right, it would be kind of ironic if at some point he would have to protect the woman of his present from the woman of his past, Ric thought ruefully. He sighed, letting his eyes drift close at least, lulled by the monotonous sound of her deep breath. Well, one thing he was certain about – he had never been more serious in his entire life than when he said he'd never let anything happen to Jenna.
~And I will walk on water
And you will catch me if I fall
And I will get lost into your eyes
And I know everything will be alright
"Storm" by Lifehouse~
The shrill of the bell announced the end of the first period, and Alaric was that close to actually heaving a sigh of relief alongside with eighteen of his students. God, he needed coffee – like really! Even that thing from the cafeteria would probably work at this point. He wasn't quite up for a small talk he'd have to endure in the teachers' room where the quality coffee could be found. Which was a crash of all his standards, perhaps, but he couldn't quite care any less right now. All he needed was to keep operating somehow.
"Chapters eleven and twelve," he called back after the students that didn't hesitate to start filing out of the class. "They will be in the test. Special points to those of you who will at least know what the book looks like," he added gaining a couple of snickers, and then finally sank into his chair reaching for the journal to mark the topics they'd covered before he actually fell asleep or something.
And then jerked his head up when a shadow fell across the paper to find Elena standing by the desk. The rest of her class was gone already. His gaze flickered towards the door for a moment to make sure no one was there.
"Elena?"
"Hey," she smiled, if a little uncertainly.
"Is everything okay?" Alaric asked cautiously, as if expecting… well, he wasn't expecting any good news lately, period. It was probably getting quite ridiculous, and he kicked himself mentally.
"Yeah, except for the test part," she flinched.
"Sorry about that," he let out a small chuckle.
"It's okay," Elena tucked her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "Um, look, Jer and I—we're cool with you and Jenna." Which kinda wasn't news, so she went on, "But could you at least ask her to pick up her phone every now and then when she stays over at your place?"
Alaric blinked. It was hard for him to process any information now, leave alone something that confusing. "What are you talking about?"
"Jenna's professor – or thesis advisor, I'm a little lost here – called this morning. He said he couldn't reach her on mobile. Apparently, she wasn't picking up and he decided to try the landline instead. I couldn't help him much, unfortunately. He asked to ask her to call him back. So if you could just—"
"Wait, wait," he put his hand up interrupting her, his insides twitching uncomfortably as Elena's words were slowly making their way into his mind. "When did this happen?"
Elena frowned a little, too. "Right before I left for school," she said carefully.
"But that's impossible. Jenna left early. She should've been back home by then."
To be continued…
Typos and other mistakes are all mine, please ignore them :) And remember – I love reviews, and they are always highly appreciated!
Thank you for reading!
Side note - yes, I am obsessed with Lifehouse, deal with it! :)))
