Chapter Five: The Turning Point

Stefan's eyes traveled slowly down Elena's slim arm, following her sleek lines until his eyes stopped at her exposed neck. Oh how I wouldn't love to… Stefan tore his eyes from her just as she pulled her hand from the top shelf- cup in hand. He couldn't deny the hunger that consumed him whenever he caught a glimpse of her neck.

He always tried to feed before he spent time with her; but these days, the two were nearly inseparable so it was often hard to get away.

Stefan cherished the moments he spent with Elena, which even he found odd. How could two people form a healthy relationship when one of them never even spoke? But it was true. In the past three weeks, the duo had become rather close. The majority of their time they spent in each other's company. They gardened, cooked, watched tv, read, and even wrote in their journals together. By now, Stefan had become nearly a professional at reading Elena's facial expressions. Everything she needed to say was written all over her face. Or so he thought.

That night, after Stefan cleared the dishes and bid goodnight to Elena, he returned to his room in solitude. When he first spoke to Mrs. Flowers about renting a room at the boarding house he had specifically requested a room on the top floor. He was familiar with the building and knew that every room on the top floor had access to the roof. This made in more convenient for him to come and go as he pleased.

Stefan took one last look around his room, pulled the pocket stairs from his ceiling, and climbed up the ladder into the warm spring night. He needed to eat, and he needed to eat now.

A few minutes later, Stefan found himself in the woods. There has to be something here for me to eat. Just then, a small white rabbit ran out in front of him.

****

Dear Diary,

Stefan has been spending more time with me lately. We seem to do everything together. He even helped me make dinner for Mrs. Flowers and the others tonight. I really enjoy the company. But... I think it's more than that. I think… No. I won't admit it. I can't admit it. I couldn't do that to Matt's memory. I don't care if it's been years since we were together. I still care about him. I think I always will. He was my best friend first… and always. You can't just forget about your best friend…

Elena

****

Standing over the, now, lifeless rabbit, Stefan wiped the last remains of blood from his lips.

He hated living like this. He hated having to kill a defenseless little creature just to sustain life. They were living breathing creatures too and they didn't deserve this. But, in his eyes, killing an animal was the lesser of two evils.

He drew his eyes from the animal and took in his surroundings. Something about this place looked so… familiar. Suddenly, a force consumed him, overtaking his being. It drew him towards a clearing in the forest. Images flashed before him.

This is it! This is the place! But it couldn't be. All this time and it was right under my nose.

****

Stefan quietly crept into his room, closing the door to the roof behind him. He glanced at the clock. 2am. One of the many downsides to being one of the "undead" was the incessant boredom that consumed you during the night. While the rest of the world slept, you remained awake. After all, vampires really didn't need to sleep, just as they really didn't need to eat or drink.

Stefan lye down on his bed and pulled a newspaper from his nightstand. He used the night to catch up on the news so that he would have something to tell Elena in the morning.

He opened the newspaper to the international section and began to read. But something stopped him when he was only two lines into the article.

A piercing scream burst through his wall. Stefan sprang from his bed in an instant. He rushed to the door, swung it open, and quickly tried to determine where the shrieking was coming from.

Elena?! It couldn't be. But it's coming from her room.

He knocked frantically on her door. "Elena! It's Stefan." The screaming only continued. He tried the door and to his surprise it was unlocked.

Twisting frantically on her bed, a sleeping Elena screamed with such horror in her voice that it was frightening to anyone that heard it.

Stefan swiftly traveled to her bed and sat down beside her. "Elena," he whispered, while gently stroking her hair. "Elena, wake up." With a start, Elena's eyes ripped open but she continued screaming. "Hey, hey, it's just me, Stefan," he softly cooed to her. Elena became aware of her surroundings and abruptly stopped screaming. But in an instant, hysterical crying consumed her, rattling her entire body. "It's okay. It was only a dream" his hand returning to her hair. With tears streaming down her face, she struggled to sit up. Her sobbing had become so overpowering that she could hardly breathe. Stefan wrapped his arms around her and lightly rocked her back and forth. "It's over. You're safe now. Everything's going to be okay." Elena's arms reached around his body and held him closer as she continued to cry. If only that were true, she thought to herself.

Elena continued weeping until it seemed that her tear ducts could not bear to produce any more liquid. With her head resting on Stefan's chest, she slowly drifted back to sleep remaining cradled in his protective arms.