The Other
The flames ceased along with Jonas's life, bringing an end to the cacophony of sounds.
I glanced around the room, noting that the blonde and the busboy had left at some point during the commotion. The boy and the girl were now standing, her arms wrapped around him. The girl who had loaned me her phone was also standing now, having awoken at some point during the chaos.
I breathed an internal sigh of relief that she had only been knocked out. Another boy I hadn't noticed before was now holding her.
Only the dark haired man and I were alone—me struggling to remain upright while he carelessly tossed Jonas's lifeless body to the floor.
"Who are you people?" I finally asked when it seemed as if no one else was going to speak.
They exchanged glances at my question, but seemed at a loss for words. After everything that had just happened, I couldn't blame them.
The girl who had called Jonas's name stepped forward. If the boy beside her was reluctant to release his grasp on her, he didn't show it.
"My name is Elena and this is my boyfriend, Stefan."
My eyes flitted to the boy beside her. He seemed perfectly fine now, apart from his obvious worry for her.
I knew the kind of pain Jonas could inflict and from his cries earlier, he had experienced quite a bit too. The fact that he was able to compose himself so quickly was more than a little unnerving. There was definitely something about him.
The girl with the long dark hair—Elena—pointed to the girl who had loaned me her phone.
"That's Bonnie and my brother, Jeremy."
"Hi," Bonnie offered a small smile.
I wasn't sure how to respond. Here we were, standing in the middle of what had practically been a warzone, and they were making introductions?
I had asked who they were, but what I really wanted to know was what their parts were in this. Had they known about what Jonas was doing? Did they even care that he had kept me locked away in that house?
More than that, I wanted to know what they were. Jonas and Luka had been witches, but what about Elijah? Was I right in labeling him as a vampire?
He didn't fit the usual description, but there had to be exceptions, right? A special ability that allowed him to blend in well?
I had thought I was on the right track, but now I wasn't too sure.
The blonde had lunged for Jonas similar to how a mountain lion might pounce on its prey and she had fangs. She had bitten him, but he hadn't been affected by the venom. My own experience with James confirmed that. There was no way he would've remained standing and fighting like he had.
Finally, there was the dark haired man. Not only had he appeared out of nowhere, but he had ripped Jonas's throat out. There was no way a mere human could do that.
Their actions screamed vampire, but there were so many inconsistencies. The most significant one being their eyes. There wasn't a pair of red or gold among them, nor were any of them dark with thirst.
"We don't have time for this."
I simultaneously blinked and flinched at the dark haired man's sudden close proximity, watching as his eyes went very wide. They were an icy shade of blue that only seemed to confirm my point. No one could fake their admittedly beautiful shade with a pair of contacts.
"You will tell us everything," he ordered in a coaxing voice.
He spoke the same way Elijah had, with a calm sort of authority that bordered on dangerous. Being this close to him, I was able to notice the dilating of his pupils as he spoke. I had been under a lot of stress when Elijah had tried this on me, but I realized the shift was familiar.
"Not until you answer my questions," I shot back, secretly delighting in his shock at my resistance.
I was relieved that he hadn't been able to persuade me, grateful for whatever kept my mind safe. It was scary enough, knowing that I was essentially helpless at the hands of a vampire. At least my thoughts would always be my own. They couldn't take that away from me.
He snatched my hand from my side and I had a moment of fear that he would hurt me for my insolence. I wasn't naive enough to believe that these people were on my side just because Jonas seemed to be their enemy. From the newly acquired smirk on his face, I knew he was aware of the reason for my discomfort.
Instead of snapping my wrist as I knew he was easily capable of, he lifted my hand to his mouth. His touch wasn't cold like I had expected, nor was his skin as hard as stone. Still, I expected to feel the unforgettable burn of a vampire bite, but to my surprise, it never came.
I watched his tongue peek out of his mouth as he gave the dried blood on my hands a quick lick, making me hiss when his tongue scraped across the wound.
Vampire.
"Damon?" someone else called, but I was too busy staring at where my blood had just disappeared to determine who.
Had he really licked me?
"No vervain," he replied. "She's delicious, actually," he added as if he were discussing cuisine.
I blushed, despite everything, which only made his smirk widen.
"Vervain?" I asked curiously.
Before I got an answer, the blonde returned and cut in.
"We'd better leave before my mom shows up."
A collective sigh rang out in the room, as if this was a normal occurrence for them. For all I knew, maybe it was.
That's what worried me.
"Why don't we finish this discussion at the boarding house?" Stefan suggested.
They began moving toward the door, glancing expectantly back at me as they did.
Did they really expect me to just follow them? I wondered incredulously.
"I'm not going anywhere."
All eyes shifted to me, but I didn't falter at their attention. I was tired of decisions being made for me. Besides, I still had no idea who these people were.
The girl with the long brown hair that had identified herself as Elena, stepped forward.
"I know you must be scared, but we aren't going to hurt you."
She sounded genuine, but then, so had they when they told me I was a part of their family and that they loved me. I took a deep breath.
"Look, maybe you're telling the truth. I don't know. But I just managed to get away from Jonas... and I can't just... I can't go with you," I replied honestly.
"Okay, we really don't have time for this," the dark haired man reiterated, who I surmised must be Damon.
I watched him warily as he stepped closer, smirking in a cocky way. There was something so condescending about the expression that I found myself growing more annoyed than frightened.
"Here's the thing," he began, his grin almost Grinch-like as it stretched. "You can either come willingly, or I'll be forced to treat you like a child and carry you. Which would you prefer?"
His voice had grown almost sickly sweet at the end and although I knew he was stronger than me, I found myself wanting to refuse. The image of the ease in which he had ripped out Jonas's throat only minutes ago made me bite my tongue.
He was entirely capable of forcing me to accompany them and if I wanted to retain any dignity, I would be better off just going along with their wishes. After all, there was a slight chance that they were telling the truth and only wanted to help me.
I scoffed at the thought, knowing that my luck couldn't be that good. Regardless, I knew my limits—I had been entirely too aware since I had moved to Forks—so I heaved the sigh that I knew would signal my defeat.
"Good girl," Damon smirked and I didn't even try to withhold the glare that followed.
...
The drive was relatively quiet, each of them seemingly unsure of what to say. There was someone on either side of me and I tried not to think about how easily I had allowed myself to be boxed in, or the likely possibility that once we reached this boarding house, they wouldn't let me leave.
In the end, there was really nothing I could do, no one I could call to help me out of this. I felt guilty for forgetting to call Charlie, though I didn't really know what I would've said to him had I remembered.
I couldn't very well tell him I had been kidnapped because he would have so many questions that I wouldn't be able to answer. Anything I did tell him would just make him search for answers that would inevitably put him in danger.
We pulled into the driveway of what I assumed was the boarding house, although it didn't really look lived in. It looked like a place that had withstood the test of time, yet still had the uncanny ability to look the same as it did when it was first built. Almost as if you could step through time and not even notice.
I followed them into the house, silently hoping that I wasn't making a terrible mistake. Although they hadn't actually used violence to coerce me into accompanying them, I wasn't unaware of my predicament. I was outnumbered and even without they're super speed and strength, they could easily keep me from leaving.
More than that, I was tired. Just so damn tired that I really didn't think I had another escape attempt in me should it come to that.
The idea of giving up entirely was steadily becoming more appealing, as I tried to keep my mind distracted from the knowledge that the people I had loved like a family, had stopped caring.
Maybe I should stop caring, too.
...
There should be less of a wait for the next chapter,
considering that it was meant to be posted with this...and is close to being finished.