Hey guys, sorry I have not updated in a while, but I have been rather busy dealing with things, and it has cost me a good deal of time. I am very thankful to all of those who have stuck by me and offered me encouragement, and I promise you, you guys are the only thing that keep me going. So, to show you my thanks, I have gone and made an extra long chapter. I am very sorry it took so long to get here, but I promise I will attempt to get the next one up soon, just give me like, a week or so. Thanks to all of you for sticking by me, and I hope you enjoy this next part of Elena's journey.

~Hanieya Okudashu


Chapter 15: I Love You

The next days were quiet for me; I avoided all human contact like the plague, content to just stay in my room thinking over what had happened at Arsenio's over and over again, analyzing, well, just about everything. My brain turned over everything both of them said, trying to find some hidden meaning in them. However, like I just said, the meanings were hidden, thereby making it virtually impossible for me to find them.

On Monday, a fed-up mother forced me out of bed, even though I wanted to plead off sick. Yeah, knowing her? No such luck. Ever. She'd called my name through the door for about 2 minutes before taking drastic action. I'd actually heard her sigh before she opened the door and came barging in. She walked straight over to the curtains and dragged them open, causing me to tug my blanket over my head in annoyance. After that, she'd tugged my blankets off, and guess what? She poured ice water on my head.

I screamed and looked at her in disbelief. "Really?" I demanded, scowling. "First you barge into my room, then open the curtains, then take away my warmth, and then you pour ice water on me? Really? Was all of that seriously necessary?"

She just smiled, twirling the handle of the cup around her left index finger. "Get up and dressed, Elena; you have ten minutes before we leave."

She left a very, very disgruntled me to head into the shower and quickly wash myself clean and go through the morning routine before heading down to breakfast. When I got down there, I just quickly grabbed a piece of toast before heading out to the car to meet my mom.

All along the drive, I just dreaded what I was about to face. Today was my day to see Daniel again, to prove to myself that Arsenio was wrong, that Daniel really did love me, not Alana. Part of me believed his words, wasn't dumb enough to believe he'd make something this big over a little petty grudge, but the other part of me, the extremely prideful part, refused to listen to him, needing proof that of his words. Arsenio was right; he'd only ever lied to me before than when he'd thought he was protecting me, but really, this was too big to just go on his word for.

When I arrived at school, the first thing I saw was Daniel holding a rose as the entrance, twirling it while his eyes rapidly scanned the approaching cars. When he saw me, he gave me a smile and held up the rose. "It seems that someone is waiting for you," my mom teased, seeing Daniel. My parents had remembered nothing about what had happened between Daniel, Arsenio and I; they seemed to think that Daniel had just left me at the door without coming in at all, and Arsenio and his dad had left after getting too bored to wait. Come to think of it, who was Arsenio's dad? Was he a vampire as well? "Aren't you glad I made you get up?" my mom's voice continued, breaking through my thoughts.

I forced a smile for her sake, hoping it was real, and gave a fake cheery nod. "Totally, Mom. Thanks! See you after school!"

I raced out of the door before she could say anything else and went to meet Daniel. He swept me up into his arms and swung me around in a circle the moment he saw me, and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. "How are you feeling today, my lovely darling?" he whispered in my ear as he put me down.

"Much better," I said, trying to keep the cheerfulness in my voice.

However, he must have seen something hidden in my eyes, the haunted look I'd tried to hide from everyone for days, because he asked me, "What's wrong, are you alright?"

When I looked away, trying to find an answer, he asked me desperately, "Are you mad about what I said at your place to Em- er, Arsenio? I'm so sorry I was being mean, but I saw you with him, and you were acting so friendly, that I just exploded! I'm sure he told you about what happened between us with Alana, and I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it's just… when I first saw you, I thought God was giving me the hope I hadn't seen for years, and had given Alana back to me."

It hurt me to hear him talk about his lost love like this, especially when I still wanted to believe he loved me only for me, not because I looked like Alana. Even so, with the way he was going… it seemed like perhaps he had only used me for our similarities. I felt tears building up in my eyes, and Daniel must have seen it as well, because he quickly said, "But that was only at first! I was watching you for so long, just waiting, trying to see if you really were Alana, but then I found this new girl, this amazing person. You were nothing like her, except in looks, but there was a power about you, how you lived life to the fullest and the way you took on everything with a straight face."

His words stole my breath; I didn't know how I was supposed to feel about any of that. What was there that I could say to him then? After hearing all of that, I didn't have the heart to demand if he really was just using me as a substitute for Alana; his words had proved as much. Even so, I couldn't help thinking back to the time when Arsenio had called me naïve; had he been right in doing so? He was right in the fact that I had unlimited faith in Daniel, and I realized that I did have to change that, especially if I didn't want to get hurt. It was so hard though! Especially after hearing all that he'd just said…

"Daniel," I said softly, "I know your name used to be Davide, and I know what you are."

He froze for a moment, before trying – unsuccessfully mind you – to force up a confused smile. "What are you talking about?"

I moved closer to him, close enough that it would look like we were embracing when really I was just talking in his ear. "Arsenio told me what you, him and Alana are. Vampires, is it? I'd quite like not to believe in, but I need solid proof for it. If you can show me that it isn't true, I'll believe you. However, Arsenio was right; he offers me answers, you never have. I need answers now, especially when Arsenio told me you promised Alana that you would kill me. Prove to me that I can trust, I want to love you so much, but if you can't do this little thing for me, I can't, okay?"

I took a step back after that in order to correctly judge his reaction. His face was completely masked in shock; his mouth was hanging open, his eyes huge. It would have been hilarious if not for the seriousness of the situation. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, then asked me, "Do you trust Arsenio more than me?"

Studying him, I struggled to find the words to answer his question. I wasn't even sure if I trusted him or Arsenio more; Arsenio offered me answers, but he'd lied to me while I had no proof that Daniel ever had. "I don't know," I said finally, "Like I said, he offers me answers, but you've never given me reason to distrust you, not until now."

"How have I given you a reason to distrust me?" he demanded, "I've only ever been faithful to you!"

"Then tell me what happened when you came over!" I shouted, my temper finally breaking. I'd tried to be as patient as I could, held in the fire they had all told me I had so I could get answers the civilized way, but I was tired of playing nice girl; I needed someone to answer my questions and I needed it now.

"Would you believe me even if I did?" he retorted, "You already have it set in your mind that your Italian is correct! Would it even matter if I told you my side?!"

"Of course it would!" I snapped, furious that he would even consider that I wouldn't, "You're my boyfriend; he's not! Of course I would listen! You're not even trying and you're already giving up!"

He ran a hand through his hair, his face pinched tight with frustration and grief. "Then what would you have me say?" he snapped, "You place so much trust in E- Arsenio, do you even have time to listen to my side of the story?" He turned to face me, his eyes dark with anger, and some other emotion I couldn't identify, "Tell me right now, Elena, do you believe him more than me? Because if you do, we're done."

His last words stunned me into silence. I just stared at him in shock, my entire system suddenly shutting down. Had I heard wrong? Or was he asking me to choose between the answers I craved and his love? This… this couldn't be happening. "You can't be serious," I whispered. The part of me that wasn't focused on all the drama of the moment dully noted that everybody was staring at us, but I didn't care. "You told me just last night that you loved me!" I cried, "How can you possibly get over that so quickly?! Do I mean so little to you that it's possible to throw me away the moment I want to trust somebody else?!"

"That's the whole point!" he yelled right back at me. Even his face was getting red in his passion. "I want to trust you, but I refuse to be with someone who's only going to end up breaking my heart!"

"What's so wrong about me trusting somebody else?!" I all but shrieked. What was wrong with Daniel? Why was he acting so weirdly? He was usually so loving and sweet… who was this monster that had taken his place? "I never said I'd stop loving you! Are you going to give me up so easily just because someone else will give me answers when you won't?!"

"Those answers are going to be the death of you!" he roared at me, "You're so damn nosy! All the time! Have you ever considered the fact that the reason you don't know about them is because they're dangerous?! Do you think I'm not trying to protect you from the one person that can put you in more danger than anybody else in this hell of a world?! But no! All you do is keep running right at him without thought of any consequences, either to you or to anybody else! Are you so stupid as to not realize that if you keep going with him you're going to end up dead?! Think a little, Elena! Don't act like such a child!"

I stared at him, my eyes unwavering, as he finished his speech. I could feel the tears rising up in me, could feel them threatening to spill. With a forced smirk, I asked softly, my voice shaking just a bit, "Is that what you think of me? A nosy, stupid little kid? It's good to know that's what you're really feeling, Daniel; I guess you and Arsenio aren't really that different are you? You both think I'm just some spoiled little kid that has no idea what she's getting into, but need I remind you? The two of you are the ones that pulled me into this reality in the first place."

Daniel was panting, his eyes dark with anger. However, I saw a flicker in them, just a flicker, making me think that perhaps there was still some of my own Daniel in there. Then, there was nothing on his face but absolute stun. He reached a hand out for me, "Elena," but I took a step back, away from him.

"All I've ever wanted from you," I said quietly, "was for you to prove to me that you loved me simply as me, and not because I looked like Alana, and you can't even do that for me."

"Elena, please," he begged, taking a step closer to me, a hand reached out in desperation.

"Prove it to me," I whispered, "Until then, I don't want to hear from you." With those words, I turned on my heel and fled into the school.

That day, my friends followed me home, badgering me non-stop with questions. Most of me wanted to turn on them and yell at them at the top of my lungs to shut the hell up already, but a small part of me knew that I had to indulge them, or they would probably just call later, and text non-stop until they got what they wanted. Oh man, I wanted them to go away so much!

At last, when I couldn't take it anymore, I lied and told them I was just going home to change; I was actually going out to run for a while. Chloe, knowing I just needed to be alone, decided to be a good friend – for once - and convinced everyone to leave, throwing a knowing smile over her shoulder at me. In return, I made a small heart with my fingers and winked. She smiled, then held her hand in a phone shape to her ear, the universal symbol for 'call me'.

Now, I really, really wanted to not promise and then pretend I forgot, but I also knew that if I didn't do it, Chloe would hunt me down later and force the details out of me. Because of that, I sighed and nodded, giving her a thumbs-up. She laughed and walked away with the rest of our friends, leaving me alone at last.

I walked the rest of the way home on my own, relishing the time to myself. I'd barely had anytime at all to think over the last few days; it'd been so busy. I was being swamped by Daniel, frustrated over Arsenio, my friends would not leave me alone for one damn second, and my school work was piling up on me. I didn't mind Daniel, and I was still trying to figure out what was going on with Arsenio, so that didn't really matter either, since I was the one that kept insisting on talking to him, and well, I couldn't really help the homework thing. So, I would control the one thing I had any control over: my friends.

When I got home, I didn't even bother looking at who was in the house; I just went up to my room and crashed. That day was the first time, in a very, very long time, that I had really noticed my room, the splashes of color, the way my things were organized, everything. Slowly, I took inventory of what was there, starting from my ceiling down. There were my glow-in-the-dark stars; I'd glued those on my ceiling against my Dad when I'd been 8 years old. He'd bought them for me, but he had intended for me to place them on the opposite wall. Even now I thought I made the right choice to place them on the ceiling, despite the 2-week grounding he gave me for disobeying him.

Next came my redwood drawer. The red of the wood still gleamed, after all the years I'd had it. I didn't realize it until now, but now that I saw it, I knew that it was still in marvelous shape, and I loved it. My dad told me he'd bought that for me when I was 1 year old, because since I was a girl, and he'd been raised with 2 sisters, he knew I'd have a lot of clothes.

My polished wooden desk came next. I'd spent so many days just sitting there doing homework, listening to music, talking to my friends on Facebook on my laptop, everything. That desk had never once failed me, and was still perfect even after all these years. It never protested, no matter how much stuff I piled on it, no matter how many stinky clothes I threw on it. That desk was amazing to me.

Then came my bookshelf, my treasured bookshelf. I was always aware of it, but I never fully appreciated it, even once. I had all my books there; all the books I'd accumulated over the years. There were the Franklin stories I'd had as a kid, the Disney Princesses, the Spot books; all the books form my childhood. After that came the books I'd read when I was a pre-teen: Harry Potter, Narnia, Redwall, Bloodwing; all of it. And finally came the books I read now: Vampire Academy, the Iron Fae, Fallen, Strange Angels, manga; all of that was here on my shelf. I read those books on a regular basis, examining each one and amusing myself by creating stories up for them, away from their plots. All that time, that bookshelf had never once collapsed; despite all the books I threw on it constantly.

After that came my bed, my lovely, lovely bed. It was my best friend in this room to be honest, and I do not say that lightly. All my stuffed animals were there, from the smallest teddy bear I'd gotten at the fair, to the one Winsey had given me years ago for my 8th birthday, to the first stuffed princess doll my mom had gotten for me when I was 3. I loved them all so much, and my blanket, my wonderful blanket. It was so warm, so toasty; I spent afternoons hiding under there just listening to music or gossiping with my friends. My bed was so soft, like it was made of clouds; I loved it so much. And my pillow…my pillow was stuffed with swan feathers, smelled like lilac and comfortable as hell times two.

I knew I took everything in my room for granted, I always had; it was human nature. However, I swore I never would again; there were too many things to be grateful for. I wasn't exactly sure why I was thinking like this; hell, I wasn't sure why I even chose today to pay attention to anything, since I'd been completely dozing in class. Perhaps it was the fact that this room knew all my secrets, knew everything about me, or perhaps it was because I had a huge foreboding cloud hanging over my head. There was a part of me, a rather large part now that I examine it properly, that knew something bad was going to happen to me. I sensed it coming; I knew it would be soon, but the fact that annoyed me about that, was that I did not damning know what was going to happen.

I just closed my eyes, content to just lie in my bed once I was finished thinking all of that. I had in mind to sleep for a few hours, and then maybe pull an all-nighter to get my work done. Perhaps that was the smartest thing to do now, and my body for one, definitely agreed with me. But nope; something hated me, and it made sure I would not get even a moment of comfort.

"I don't mean to be a drag, but do you just plan on ignoring me for my entire visit?" a sarcastic voice drawled.

My eyes snapped open to see Arsenio leaning against my doorframe, his arms crossed. My breath caught in my throat the moment I saw him; he was so sexy. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, tight black tee shirt that showed off his muscles, black jeans, and motorcycle boots. Put together with his black hair and golden skin, he looked very, very handsome indeed. I blushed when I thought that; it wasn't right! I already had a boyfriend!

"Well?" he prompted, "First I'm ignored and then I don't even get a proper greeting?" Whoa, dude was being bossy today, wasn't he?

I arranged my features, a scowl appearing on my lips and a glare in my eyes, "What are you doing here?" I asked coldly, "I thought I told you I didn't want to see you anymore." Okay, maybe I'm twisting the events a bit too much.

He raised an eyebrow, obviously thinking the same thing. "Forgive me for correcting you, my lady, but I don't recall being the one that fled after insulting the person that saved her life."

I grew indignant at his insult, and it made me speak rather rashly. "Is your only purpose in this life to belittle me?" Ah hell, why am I speaking like this again?

Again, I felt that all consuming old power. But this time I feared it more than the last; I was scared of it controlling my body again. I tried to push it away, but it pushed back. Vaguely, I heard Arsenio make some snide comment, but I was too busy trying to keep a hold of my body to pay any attention. I curled in on myself, cradling my chest and trying to ignore the pulling I felt inside my body. It was like that thing, was trying to get to me!

I felt a set of hands hold my head and try to move me. I cried out against it, tried to shake him off, but Arsenio was relentless. He made me look at him, and I think he saw the raw pain in my face. That thing, Alana, whatever it was, was tugging at my soul, trying to pull me out of my body. Trust me, even though it doesn't sound very bad, it was so painful! I tipped my head back and cried out my discontent, using all my will power to battle the force. Despite all my efforts, it was getting into me, slowly, slowly. I knew without a doubt that unless I did something soon, she would get me.

I was forced to look into Arsenio's eyes again, but this time he held my gaze and looked right into my eyes, his gaze intense. He didn't speak; he just stared at me. After a moment, he pulled away, his mouth open in stunned comprehension. After a small pause, he grabbed my shoulders and yelled into my ear. "Don't give into it!" he shouted, "Elena, love, listen to me! Do not give into her!" Her? Did he mean Alana? And what did he call me? Was that 'love'? Why would he say that?

Even though my body was screaming obscenities at me, I forced my mouth open, "I… can't… do it!"

He took my face between his hands and looked deep into my eyes, "Elena! You're stronger than her! It doesn't matter what she is; your spirit, your fiery, beautiful, powerful spirit is a hundred times stronger than her! Believe me! You can defeat her! And you will!"

I wanted to say I was sorry, that I couldn't do it, but then he did something that shocked me to no end: he kissed me. My eyes, which had been previously been closed tightly in an attempt to internalize my pain, snapped open as his lips met my own. And, oh, my goodness, in the deepest, darkest part of my brain, the part of me that had been disloyal to Daniel, had never even been able to imagine it being this amazing. Sparks tingled through my body, brought back a feeling that was not the all-consuming power that threatened to take over my being.

Slowly, the kiss consumed me, heating up every single part of my body in ways Daniel's kisses had never done. With the heat that came, the darkness faded, brining me back to myself. I pressed into the kiss hungrily, partly because it chased away the thing that wanted to take a hold of me, and partly because… well, it was just flat out amazing.

His lips were soft, much like butter, no matter how cliché that is. They pressed into me urgently, yet gently, wanting to take his time, as if to caress my own. From the deepest parts of my throat, I made a low moan, a sound I thought I couldn't even make. It would have astounded me, if not for the fact that he had made a low growl in return. The very sound of it made my heart beat even faster than it already was, making me want even more of him.

By then, all traces of the darkness had fled my body, but I didn't even give a damn, the only thing I could think of, was that Arsenio was there, and he was kissing me and holding me like I was the most precious thing in the world. Finally, I broke apart for air, staring deep into his eyes, my chest heaving and my cheeks scarlet. His eyes were wild, a mirror reflection of my own, I was sure, but they were still dark with need. I hadn't even noticed it, but I had somehow ended up in his lap. But still, I didn't care. All I wanted, was more of him. Stretching up again, I searched for his lips, but he kept leaning his forehead against mine, gazing into my eyes.

"Elena," he said hoarsely, his voice breaking with his desire, "I don't want to hurt you, and you'll probably end up regretting this later, but please, I need you to know."

"What is it?" I whispered. My voice was like I had never heard before; low, husky… seductive. It was like a different me, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

"I love you," he whispered desperately, "I've loved you for so long; I love your fiery temper, your spirit, your absolute desire to be who you are and no one else, and most of all, I love you."

My breath caught in my throat, but I didn't say anything. What was I suppose to say? I didn't know if I loved him; I certainly wanted him at the moment, and I trusted him to give me answers and to watch over me, but a love? I had no idea really… When I opened my mouth to speak however, he placed a finger over my lips. "It doesn't mater if you can't say it back to me," he whispered, "I just wanted you to know, that if nothing else."

I nodded, and opened my mouth again. What came out of it, I did not plan, but what I said should have been shocking, but was not really. "I love you too," I whispered, "Simply because you are you."

Leaning down with a small smile, he moved to kiss me again, but we were interrupted, and this time, the voice jarred me to the very core of my being. "Well," a sneer interrupted us, "Isn't this precious? To see my current girlfriend, and the man that killed my previous girlfriend together in a compromising situation. I would say I was surprised, but from the moment I knew Elena was friends with you, Emil, I knew she was a dirty slut."

Whipping my head around, my motion was identical to Arsenio's, both of us gazing wide-eyed at Daniel, who stood leaning against the doorway, a scowl on his face, his eyes bright with betrayal and pure loathing, directed at both of us. He tilted his head, his eyes taking on a cold quality I had never seen on his face, even when I hadn't known him. This was new for me, and I was scared. "This shouldn't surprise me, but it does; I thought you were different, Elena, but I should have known you would break my heart again; why did you think I didn't give you any answers? You didn't deserve them."

With those heartbreaking words, he turned on his heel and strode away with purposeful steps. My heart had stopped beating, and for a moment, I was simply stunned; I couldn't even begin to imagine what my face looked like. Finally, I snapped out of it and bolted to my feet, staring after Daniel's retreating form. "Daniel! Wait!" I called, starting after him. If he heard me, he did not act like it, for there was no expression, no change at all.

"Daniel!" I screamed, beginning to run. I was stopped by a strong hand grabbing my wrist; "What?!" I snapped at Arsenio, my stun changing to impatience, "I need to go after him!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his eyes full of regret and guilt, "but there's nothing more you can do for him; he will not listen to reason."

"What do you know?" I demanded, "You're the one who caused this in the first place!" Turning, I tugged my hand out of his grasp and raced after Daniel. I searched through the building, screaming for him, but he was nowhere to be found. He was gone. Just like I was gone from his heart. I fell to my knees, my shoulders quaking with silent sobs, "Daniel, I am so, so sorry…"