Thank you to everyone that is reading this and also reviewing. I apologise for not updating any sooner. My next chapter should be up by Sunday.
-Charlie xoxo :)
The Night of the Comet
For over a century I have live in secret. Until now. I know the risk, but I had no choice. I have to know her.
Dear diary. This morning is different. There's change. I can sense it. Feel it.
I'm awake. For the first time in a long time...I feel completely and undeniably wide awake.
For once, I don't regret the day before it begins.
I welcome the day.
Because I know...
...I will see her again.
...I will see him again. For the first time in a long time, I feel good.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and grabbed my jacket of the end of my bed, today is going to be better...I smiled to myself as I walked out of my bedroom.
"Hold on." A voice behind me called. I turned to see Aunt Jenna...in a dress? I scrunched my eyebrows together.
"Do I look adult? As in, respectfully parental?" She question me. I'm still confused as to why she is in a dress.
"Depends where you are going." I stated smiling.
"Jeremy's parent-teacher conference." She said as she walked in front of the full length mirror to look at herself, while I leant against the wall watching her.
"Hair up or down?" Jenna looked over to me as she pulled her hair up.
"Up, Sexy stewardess." I smirked as she let her hair cascade down around her shoulders. "Down, Boozy housewife."
"Up it is." She rolled her eyes at me as I laughed at her. "You're feisty today." She noted.
"I feel good. Which is rare, so I've decided to go with it. Fly free. Walk on sunshine and all that stuff." I said cheerfully as I stepped behind her to peek into Jeremy's room. Jeremy's room...check, Jeremy...nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Jeremy?" I asked looking over her shoulder into the mirror.
"Oh, he left early. Something about getting to woodshop early to finish a birdhouse?" She shrugged. Jeremy? Early? Woodshop? Birdhouse! Wait...since when did the school have a woodshop?
"There is no woodshop, is there?" She asked seeing my confused face.
"No." The smile on my face was now replaced with a frown.
"Yeah." She sighed, finally realising.
"Originally discovered nearly five centuries ago..."Mr Tanner explained. I glanced back at Stefan. Leaning on my left arm to do so. He smiled back at me as we gazed into each other's eyes. "...it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over 145 years. Now, the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration. Are we bothering you? Mr. Salvatore?"
This caused me to look from Stefan and to Mr. Tanner...who was now stood right in front of me glaring. "Miss Stewart?" I shook my head quickly but smirked as the bell rang. Note to self 'be more discrete with longing glances in Tanner's class.'
"I brought it. I told you." Stefan said as he handed me the leather bound book.
"Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell." I read aloud, it was one of my favourites. "You know, I can't believe she didn't use her real name."
"Ah, all the Bronte sisters used pseudonyms. It was the time. Female writers weren't very accepted then." He explained to me. Brains and beauty?
"Where did you get it?" I was curious considering it was a first addition.
"Uh...It was passed down through the family."
"Ah."
"I have lots of books. Go ahead. Keep it." This caught me off guard. Was he serious?
"Oh, no, I-" I smiled and looked down at the book in my hands. "-But I would like to read it again. I promise I'll give it back."
"Okay." He laughed.
"They're keeping her in overnight, but she should be able to come home tomorrow." Matt said glumly as we walked side-by-side outside of the school.
"That's good news."
"Yeah." He didn't look convinced.
"Did you get in touch with your mom?"
"Clara! Matt! Wait up!" A female voice shout from behind us, we turned to see Elena running towards us.
"Hey Lena." I smiled at her.
"Hi." Matt said from beside me.
"Hey guys," She panted trying to catch her breath a little bit. "Mind if I...walk with...you two?" I linked my arm through the brunettes as we continued to walk. "You still giving me a ride to the Grill?" She asked me.
"Sure am. Bonnie and Caroline said they would meet us there." She nodded at me. "So where were we?" I turned to Matt.
"Called and left a message. She's in Virginia Beach with her boyfriend. So we'll see how long it takes her to come rushing home."
"Your mom?" Elena asked quietly and he nodded at her in response.
"Vicki's lucky that she's okay." I said as we walked along the path.
"I know. And now there's talk of some missing campers."
"Did she say what kind of animal it was that attacked her?" Maybe it was a bear or a wolf...something like that.
"She said it was a vampire." Okay...didn't see that one coming. I turned to look back at him as did Elena.
"What? Vampire, as in a bloodsucking creature with fangs?" Elena questioned.
"Yeah, she wakes up last night, mutters, 'vampire', and passes out." He confirmed.
"Okay that's weird." I said, there are no such things as vampires.
"Think she was drunk...So, what's up with you and the new guy?" He suddenly asked looking over at a picnic table with Stefan sitting on it, he had his back turned toward us.
"Matt, the last thing I wanna do is hurt you." I don't want to hurt him more than I already have. He has enough on his plate at the minute.
"You know, I'm actually gonna go back to the hospital. I wanna be there when Vicki wakes up, get the real story about last night."
"Okay." I whispered.
"Well that was awkward." Elena said sarcastically as Matt walked away from the two of us. I looked at her. "Sorry, not the right time, I was just-"
"-trying to cheer me up with a sarcastic comment." I finished for her. I took the arm that was linked with hers and wrapped it around her shoulders. "It's okay, now let's go. Care and Bon are probably wondering where we are." We turned around and I looked over to where Stefan is...was, I could have sworn he was there a minute ago.
"Well, I was talking to Grams. And she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity." Bonnie was explaining to Elena, Caroline and I as we sat outside the Grill, folding flyers.
"Mm. Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens." My mouth as well as Elena's and Bonnie's had dropped as we stared at the blond girl. "So then what?" She turned to me after shrugging off her previous comment.
"So then, nothing."
"You and Stefan talked all night. There was no first kiss, or touchy-feely of any kind?" What type of girl does she think I am?
"Nope, we didn't go there."
"Not even a handshake? I mean, Clara, we are your best friends. Okay? You are supposed to share the smut."
"We just talked for hours."
"What is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already." This said caused Elena to choke on her coffee and receive a pat on the back from Bonnie.
"Okay, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex." My blond haired friend finished with a smirk plastered to her face.
"Profound." I quipped back having Bonnie and Elena nod in agreement.
"Mmm." Was the only this I got out of Caroline, she does have a fair point though.
"Where are you going?" Bonnie questioned as I started to get up from the table.
"Caroline's right. It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it..instead of doing what I started the day saying I was gonna do." I paused for a second taking in my best friends shocked faces. "Come on Elena."
"W-what?" Elena stuttered out.
"Your coming with me." I said sternly.
"Why?" She asked slowly, unsure of what was happening.
"Because I'm your ride home...remember?"
"Oh, um...yea..I remember."
I slammed the door of my car shut as Elena and I got out at the Salvatore boarding house.
"So, why am I really here with you? You know well that I could have gotten a ride home with Bonnie or Caroline." She knows me too well.
"You are here with me because if this goes wrong I have a backup."
"Okay, that's seems like a good enough answer." We walked up to the front door and I rang the bronze bell that was hanging besides the door, twice...no answer. This is getting us nowhere. Giving up with that idea I knocked on the wooden door a couple of times making it open with a creek.
"And the creepy mansion invites us in." I mutter to Elena as I pushed the door open further.
"Stefan?" I called out as I walked into the house with Elena hot on my tail. "Stefan?" Still no reply.
This house is amazing, everything looks so...vintage. The door creaked from behind us like it did when we first entered the house. Elena heard it to seeing as she turned in step with me. The wind must have blown it open. Suddenly a crow flew through the open doorway causing a gasp to escape my throat. I spun around and came face-to-face with a pair of blue orbs.
"W-we're sorry for barging in. The door was..." I looked back pointing at the door which was..closed? "...open."
"You must be Clara. And you must be Elena if I'm correct? I'm Damon. Stefan's brother." Did he say brother? Wait how does he know our names?
"He didn't tell me he had a brother."
"Well, Stefan's not one to brag." Cocky much? "Please come." He gestured for the three of us to go further into the house. "I'm sure Stefan will be along any second."
"Wow. This is your living room?" Elena gushed from beside me as we both stood in awe.
"Living room, parlor, Sotheby's auction. It's a little kitschy for my taste...I see why my brother's so smitten." I looked at him confused, smitten about what?
"It's about time. For a while there I never thought he'd get over the last one." I shot a sideways glance at Elena to see her mouth 'the last one?' to me.
"Nearly destroyed him." Damon finished as he looked at me waiting for me to reply.
"The last one?" I would have thought he would tell me, I mean I told him about Matt didn't I?
"Yeah. Nikolett . His girlfriend?" Nope never one mentioned a Nikolett. I shook my head at him as if to say 'I had no idea.'
"Oh, you two haven't had the awkward ex's conversation yet."
"Nope." Yet, this conversation is awkward enough.
"Opps. Well, I'm sure it'll come up now." Oh I know it will.
"Or maybe he didn't tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end."
"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end." I said unsure of what he was getting at.
"I'm a fatalist." I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and I felt Elena tense up beside me.
"Hello, Stefan." He was still looking at me as I turned to see Stefan standing at the entrance of the living room.
"Clara, Elena. I didn't know you were coming over." Stefan said in a monotone.
"I know, I should have called-" I began but was cut off by Damon mid sentence.
"Oh. Don't be silly. You're both welcome any time. Aren't they Stefan?" A ringing noise interrupted the brothers staring contest and my focus came onto Elena pulling her phone out of her pocket.
"I'm sorry. I have to take this." She said nervously. "I'll wait in the car for you, Clara...oh and it was nice to meet you, Damon."
"It was a pleasure to meet you to Elena." He replied back to her sweetly.
"See you in school Stefan." He gave her a simple nod as she walked out of the house with her phone pressed to her ear.
"You know. I should break out the family photo albums or some home movie. But I have to warn you he wasn't always such a looker." Damon piped in as soon as she was out the door obviously to embarrass Stefan.
"Thank you for stopping by, Clara. It was nice to see you." I guess that's my cue to leave.
"Yeah, I should probably go. It was nice meeting you, Damon."
"Great meeting you too, Clara." He grasped my hand in his and brought it up to his lips to place a kiss on it. Don't blush. Don't blush Clara. Judging by the smirk on his face I blushed.
"Stefan?..Stefan?" I questioned him as he was blocking the way to the front door. He merely moved out of the way, glaring at his brother. I awkwardly let myself out of the house and got into the car with a waiting Elena.
"What happened to backup?" I asked her in annoyance.
"Sorry, but I had to it was my aunt. She said she was gonna be home late...something about extra hours at work. So is it okay that I hang out at yours till she gets home? I don't want to be in that empty house alone." I feel bad for snapping at her now.
"Oh..sorry and sure you can, Jenna won't mind, your practically part of the family." She cracked a smile and I knew I was forgiven.
"He's on the rebound and has raging family issues."
"Well, at least it's an ex-girlfriend, wait till you date a guy with mommy issues." Jenna said as Elena and I sat at the table eating ice-cream drenched in chocolate sauce.
"Or cheating issues." Elena mumbled with a mouthful of ice-cream and Jenna nodded understandingly.
"Or amphetamine issues." Just then Jeremy entered the house completely ignoring the three of us and headed up the stairs.
"Jer, Jeremy, where were you?" Jenna called as she chased after him. I leaned over to Elena to whisper in her ear.
"Amphetamine?" she tried to hide her laughter but we were both distracted when we heard Jenna and Jeremy.
"Oh, no, no, no." She shouted and threw the apple in her hand at Jer's back...nice shot.
"Ow. Why? Why did you do that?" He turned to face her annoyed.
"Listen up. Quit ditching class, or you're grounded. No discussion." Wow, I've never seen Jenna act like this before...something must have happened.
"Parental authority. I like it. Sleep tight." Jenna looked pissed as he gave her a thumbs up and walked up the remaining stairs but covered it up when Elena brought her back into reality.
"Whoo! Two points to Jenna!" Elena cheered.
"Come on you." I laughed at her. "I'll drive you home. I'll be back later Jenna."
"Tonight, night of the comet."
"Would you like a program?" Bonnie and I asked some passersby as we walked through a moderately busy main square as Elena had gone off in search of Caroline for more programs, seeing as we running low on the ones she had given us in the first place.
"He didn't call, huh?" Bonnie questioned, we were back on the subject of Stefan.
"Or text. Then I realized we never even exchanged that stuff. We never got to the texting part." How could we have forgotten that stuff?
"That's an important milestone in any relationship."
"Isn't it? The timing is wrong, anyway."
"When is it ever right?" she pondered
"I'm not ready, Bonnie."
"Who is?" She pressed.
"At least I put myself out there."
She gave me a disbelieving look. "Is that what you're calling it?"
"What do you mean?" I said looking down at my feet nervously.
"All I'm hearing is reasons why you can't."
Bonnie and I made our way through the newly crowded main square looking for Elena and Caroline. It was now nightfall and the moon and stars were settled in their regular places in the sky. I spotted our two friends out of the corner of my eye and we approached them arm in arm.
"Hey, we got you two candles." Caroline passed an unlit candle to each of us.
"Hi. Thanks." Caroline linked her free arm through Bonnie's seeing as her other was linked with Elena's. I smiled at the three girls before heading over to Matt.
"Hey." I spoke softly.
"Hey." He greeted me in return as his candle now lit mine.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." He looked me in the eye and smiled but when I looked into his all I could see was sadness. I turned to the next awaiting person, my eyes set firmly on the two candles.
"Thank you." A familiar voice sounded through my ears, I looked up to see Stefan smiling at me.
"Hi."
"Hi." I looked over my shoulder to see Matt staring intensely at us while Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and Tyler were engrossed in conversation. I walked further away from them as I stared up into the blackness that was the sky. I felt a presence come up behind me, I didn't bother to turn around seeing as I knew who it was.
"You know, that comet it's been travelling across space for thousands of years. All alone." Stefan whispered in my ear.
"Yeah, Bonnie says it's a harbinger of evil." I laughed humorously, it didn't look evil though...the way its turquoise colour outshone the moon, it looked...beautiful.
"I think it's just a ball of snow and ice trapped on a path that it can't escape. And once every 145 years, it gets to come home...I'm sorry about yesterday. I wasn't myself."
"You seem to spend a lot of time apologising." He moved so he was now standing beside me but I continued to stare up at the comet.
"Well, I have a lot to apologise for. Yesterday, that wasn't about you, okay?" I finally gave up not trying to look into his eyes and instead I dove into the two pools of green.
"You didn't tell me you had a brother."
"We're not close. It's complicated." You can say that again.
"Always." Complicated? Tell me about it. Now it's about to get even more complicated. "He told me about your ex. Nikolett?"
"What did he say?" He asked hesitantly.
"That she broke your heart." I stated, silence...never a good answer.
"That was a long time ago." He said after a while.
"When you lose someone, it stays with you. Always reminding you of how easy it is to get hurt." Flashes of that night at the bridge came back to me. My screams mixed with those of my parents were ringing in my ears. I looked up trying to blink away the tears that were threatening to spill. Stefan stepped in front of me and I could see the guilt written all over his face.
"Clara." He started softly.
"It's okay, Stefan. I get it. You have no idea how much I get it. Complicated brother? Check. Complicated ex? Check. Too complicated to even contemplate dating? Double check." Complicated life? Triple check I thought to myself.
"It's okay. We met, and we talked, and it was epic but then the sun came up and reality set in." We stood there for what seem like hours in silence. "So..." I couldn't find the right words to say so instead I blew out the candle and walked away leaving him there.
We had all decided to move inside to the Grill to get something to drink but my mind was still stuck on the events of earlier.
"Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?" Jeremy asked in a panic as he approached our table.
"You're her stalker. You tell us." Tyler snidely replied. Stalker? What was he on about?
"I can't find her." A worried Jeremy stated ignoring Ty.
"Probably found someone else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, you've been replaced." Whoa...Pill pusher? What's Jer been up to now?
"What's with the 'Pill pusher'?" I faced Ty seeing as he was to only one who knew what was going on.
He nodded in Jer's direction."Ask him."
"You wanna do this right now?" Oh no this cannot be happening.
"Are you dealing?" I asked incredulously getting straight to the point.
"She's never gonna go for you." Tyler teased Jeremy, which probably isn't the best thing to say at the minute when I have just found out my brothers a drug dealer.
"She already did. Over and over and over again." Vick and Jeremy? Jeremy and Vicki? Together? What else don't I know?
"Yeah, right." Tyler scoffed disbelievingly.
"Okay, you slept with Vicki Donovan?" A shocked Elena said from the left of me, she has always thought of Jer as a younger brother.
"What she means is, Vicki Donovan slept with you?" A wide eyed Caroline put in rudely from across the table.
Tyler looked between Caroline and Jeremy "There's no way."
"And I didn't have to force her into it." Jeremy snapped back causing everyone around the table to stare at Tyler awaiting his reply. Force?
"What the hell is he talking about Ty?" Matt questioned, trying to get the truth out about his older sister.
"Nothing, man. Just ignore him. He's a punk."
"You know what? Why don't all of you shut up and help me find my sister." A pissed off Matt suggested.
"We'll check the bathroom." A quiet Bonnie spoke for the first time...I almost forgot she was there.
"I'll check the square." Matt nodded at her before making his way out of the Grill.
Jeremy began after him. "I'll come with you."
"Oh, no, no, no. You are coming with me." I dragged him along with me, stopping at the enterance of the Grill.
"So that's your game now? Dealing?"
"No, I'm not dealing." Not dealing my ass.
"I'm sick of the tough-love speech, Jer. It's clearly having no impact."
"You and Jenna, between the two of you-" No this is my turn to speak, he needed to hear this.
"We could stop. Send you to a therapist where you'll sit and group and be forced to tell some stranger how you let your life fall apart. Or you could talk to me."
"I vote for none of the above." And with that said he walked out of the Grill.
I ran up the wooden stairs of my house making my way to my room. I have given up trying to look for Jer since he left me at the Grill. I could hear someone rummaging around in Jeremy's room. Burglar! Where's my bat...wait I don't have a bat.
"Jer?" I called out as I slowly made my way towards his room.
"Nope, it's me. The hypocrite patrol." Jenna's voice made its way from his room...Phew no burglar.
"What are you doing?"
"I've become my worst nightmare. The authority figure who has to violate a 15-year-old's privacy." She announced as she continued searching. "Jackpot." She produced a bong from one of Jer's boots. "I see the hiding places haven't gotten any more creative."
"What brought this on."
"Your ass-hat of a history teacher shamed me good yesterday." Jenna exclaimed as I sat on the end of Jeremy's bed. Ohhhh I see, I'm not the only one who thinks he's an ass.
"You got Tannered. Been there." I chuckled.
"Discover the impossible, Miss Sommers.' Got it. Thanks. Like I didn't already know I was screwing up." She was continued to frantically search for pot in his dresser.
"You're not screwing up, Aunt Jenna. I would tell you if you were."
"Yes, I am. You know why? Because I'm not her. She made everything look so easy. You know, high school, marriage, having you...I can't do it. I'm gonna say or do the wrong thing and he's gonna get worse, and it's gonna be my fault." She sighed sitting down in Jer's chair opposite me. "It's impossible."
I knelt down in front of her and looked her in the eyes. "This is just the fear talking. You're a little scared that's all." Sudden realization hit me. "We all are...I have to do something. But are you gonna be okay?" She nodded and gave a grateful smile, seeming lost for words.
Breath Clara, breath, breathing is good for the body. I waited outside the Salvatore boarding house nervously as I rung the doorbell. The door soon opened followed by a shocked Stefan.
"Hey." I breathed out the long breath I was holding in.
He moved to the side. "Would you like to come in?"
A smile crept onto my lips. "The comets actually this way." I gestured behind me and walked to the low wall of the porch, I waited until he was beside me before I started speaking.
"Sorry for barging in. Especially after earlier." I apologised.
"No, no. I'm glad you're here. The way we left things. I didn't like it."
"So the thing is, I got home tonight planning on doing what I always do. Write in my diary. Like I have been since my mom gave me one when I was 10. It's where I get everything out, everything I'm feeling. It goes in this little book that I hide on the second shelf behind this really hideous ceramic mermaid. But then I realized that I'd just be writing things that I should be telling you." I rambled slightly out of breath.
"What would you write?" Stefan spoke gently. I moved to sit on the wall and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
"I would write: 'Dear diary, today I convinced myself that it's okay to give up. Don't take risks. Stick with the status quo, no drama. Now is just not the time.' But my reasons aren't reasons, they're excuses. All I'm doing is hiding from the truth. And the truth is that...I'm scared, Stefan. I'm scared that if I let myself be happy for even one moment..that the worlds just gonna come crashing down...and I don't know if I can survive that."
He thought for a second before answering. "Do you wanna know what I would write?" He asked looking at me which I nodded in reply to.
"I met a girl. We talked. It was epic." I smiled slightly as he began quoting my words from earlier. "Then the sun came up and reality set in.' Well, this is reality. Right here."
My gaze flickered from his eyes, down to his lips as he moved closer to me, our lips almost touching. He lent forward until his lips found mine in the middle. Our first kiss. His hand rested at the base of my neck as his soft lips moved against mine as I cradled his cheek with the palm of my right hand. The kiss was gentle but passionate at the same time , sending my stomach erupting into a million butterflies. I could feel my pulse racing, a thousand beats a minute as I pulled away leaning my forehead against his as our eyes never left each other's, seeing the happiness reflected in them.
-Please review :)
