About ten minutes later Michael came back to my room, following him was my oldest brother Josh.
"Hey Josh." I greeted him, not moving from the spot on my bed.
"Hey." He replied as he jumped on my bed next to me.
"Carter, you might want to thank me because dad was saying something about grounding you for a week but I told him why you did it and he decided to let it go." Michael told me, while he was putting the movie in my DVD player.
"Thanks Mikey." I smiled knowing he hate being called that.
"It's the east I could do, you saved me from my social studies test and you just got done being grounded today so… yeah."
Okay guys the movies starting so shh!" Josh joked as the three of us sat on my bed and watched the movie on my 42 inch HD plasma screen TV.
Just when the movie was over our dad walked in my room.
"Get ready to go to your aunt and uncle's house; we'll be leaving in about fifteen to twenty minutes." He announced. It looked like he just woke up from a nap because his short hair that spikes up was in all disarray and his brown eyes were watery.
"Dad" I spoke up stopping him from walking out of my room.
"Yeah Carter?" He answered; I couldn't tell if he was still mad even though he knew why I did it. I climbed off my bed and walked over to him.
"I'm sorry for pantsing Michael." I apologized looking my dad in the eye.
"I know Carter, and I forgive you. And no matter what you do I'll always love you. All three of you." He responded looking at the three of us.
I gave him a hug. "I love you too dad." I mumbled in his chest.
"I love you too dad." Josh and Michael also said. They walked over and joined the hug, making it a group hug.
I couldn't help but think the only person missing in the hug was mom. I miss her so damn much!
"Okay, you need to get ready." Dad announced again and he walked out. Following him was Josh then Michael leaving me in my room.
I remember just like it was yesterday, when Uncle Damon showed up at my best friend Nicole's house the night my mom died.
*Flashback 3 years ago*
"Masen where are you!" Nicole and I asked our other best friend who was also sleeping over Nicole's house.
"Come on we're really creeped out from the movie!" I yelled. We just got done watching 'Dead Silence' and we're really creeped.
"Ha!" Masen yelled jumping out from behind the couch making Nicole and I scream at the top of our lungs. Good think Nicole's parents aren't home.
The three of us fell on the floor just cracking up laughing.
Then we heard a knock on the door and we stopped laughing on the dot.
"Who could that be?" Masen asked as the three of us stood up. Then there was another knock. Nicole shrugged looked kind of freaked.
The three of us walked to the door slowly. "Who is it?" Nicole called through the door.
"It's Carter's Uncle Damon!" he called back. We sighed with relief as Nicole opened the door.
"Uncle Damon what are you doing here?"
I was expecting his usual smile he always gave but his expression was gloomy and very sad.
"There's been an accident." His voice was shaking, sounded like he was trying to hold back tears.
"What kind of accident." I narrowed my dark brown eyes I got from my dad.
"Your mom. She was driving home from the store and another car hit her." He explained still trying to hold back the tears that were fight their way out.
"Is she okay?" I felt the tears start to form behind my eyes.
He shook his head. "She's in critical condition at Mystic Falls Memorial Hospital. That's where your brothers, dad, aunt and cousins are right now."
"Well let's go!" I yelled running to his car, not even bothering to say bye to my best friends.
I heard him ask Nicole and Masen if they wanted to come but they can't they can't leave the house.
It was a quick ten minute drive to the hospital.
He parked the car and we ran in.
"Excuse me where's Elena Salvatore's room?" He spat out as he tried catching his breath.
"She's in ER 5. Straight down the hall." The female receptionist answered looking at the computer.
We burst through the doors that the receptionist directed us to.
When we walked through the doors I saw my dad and the rest of my family looking into my mom's room with tears streaming down their cheeks. My dad's face was drained of color and happiness. At that moment he turned and looked at me, I knew something bad had just happened.
My dad started walking toward me as I was quickly walking towards him.
He was shaking his head as I was trying to get by him. "I wanna see mom." I whispered as he stopped me from proceeding forward.
"No Carter." He whispered looking into my eyes.
"I wanna see mom!" I yelled louder trying to escape his hold on me.
"Carter, your mom's gone." He said softly through his silent tears.
"No! Let go of me! I wanna see her!" Finally I broke free from his barricade and I ran down the hall that seemed like miles long. I heard my Uncle Damon running after me.
I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw my mom lying there lifeless in that bed. It didn't even look like my mom. She had wires and tubes attached to her and she had bruises and cuts all over her face. I couldn't see anything else because she was covered with a sheet. I couldn't move. My whole body felt like it was numb.
"Carter." My Uncle Damon whispered next to me. I just felt his two muscular arms wrap me in a hug as I gradually fell to the floor sobbing in his chest; soon joined everyone else in my family.
I heard a faint conversation coming from the next room.
"How's the other person?" A patient asked the doctor I assume.
"I'm sorry she didn't make it."
"How old was she? Did she have a family? What was her name?" The patient asked frantically.
"She was thirty-two, her name was Elena Salvatore and yes her family is outside."
A giant pit grew in my stomach as I watched the doctor push the young patient out of his room.
I stood up and started walking towards them.
"Hey!" I yelled causing the doctor and patient to stop and look at me. "Aren't you one lucky guy! You kill my mom and you only come out with a broken leg and some cuts and bruises!" My dad walked over to me trying to calm me down.
"Carter, shh calm down." He tried pulling me back but I shook out of his grip.
"How can you just stand there when the guy who killed mom is sitting right there!" I screamed by now a lot more people where in the hall watching and the guy who hit my mom looked like he was crying. The guy was about maybe nineteen.
My dad grabbed and held my head gently in his hands and looked in my tear filled eyes. "Because if I do anything I know it won't bring your mother back. It was an accident and we'll get through this. We'll all get through this, together." More tears were falling from my eyes as I nodded burying my head in his chest. I felt him lay a kiss on the top of my head and the rest of my family joined in on the hug.
*End of Flashback*
"Carter, you ready?" Michael asked knocking on my open door.
"Umm yeah." I answered wiping my tears away before he noticed I was crying.
Fifteen minutes later we arrived at Uncle Damon and Aunt Sam's house.
"Hey Uncle Damon!" I exclaimed giving him a hug after he opened the door.
"Hey Carter!" He replied returning the hug.
I brushed past him to greet my Aunt Sam.
"Hey Aunt Sam!" I skipped to her and gave her a hug.
"Hey! Let me guess, you had a Monster today?"
"Yup!" Then my cousins Jason and Vince walked in the room and I ran and hugged them too.
All of a sudden I had the urge to jump on someone's back. I don't know why, I just did. I decided to jump on Uncle Damon's back.
He was in the kitchen with my dad and his back was facing me, perfect!
I did my awesome ninja run and jumped on his back, scaring the shit out of him! It was sooo funny!
"Damn Carter!" He exclaimed but started laughing.
"So how's it going?" I smiled wrapping my arms gently around his neck so I wouldn't fall; he also supported me by holding the back of my legs.
"Going pretty good." He chuckled then stopped suddenly. "Carter, what's this?" He said gesturing to the same cut on my arm that Michael did.
"Oh my gosh! It's nothing. I just scratched it when I was reaching in my locker. Michael asked the same thing!"
"Okay." He let it go. My dad looked concerned though.
"Do you have any Monster?" I asked jumping off his back and he nodded.
"Carter didn't you already have one today?" My dad asked setting down the cup of coffee he was drinking.
"Yeah, so its Friday can I have another one? Please?" I gave him my famous puppy dog eyes.
"Okay, but only one more." He gave in.
"Thank you!" I ran to the fridge and took out a blue Monster.
Was this over before, before it ever began? Your kiss your calls your crutch, like the devil's got your hand, This was over before, before it ever began your lips, your lies, your lust like the devil's in your hands My ringtone for one of my best friend Nicole.
*Phone Conversation*
"Yo yo yiggidy yo!" I answered smiling.
"I'm a suicide risk."
"Juno?"
"No it's Morgan Freeman, have any bones that need collecting?"
"Ha only the one's in my pants!"
My dad and uncle were chuckling at how Nicole and I answer the Phone. We use the lines from one of our favorite movies 'Juno'.
"So what's up Nic?" I asked jumping up on the counter only to get pulled off my Uncle Damon.
"Nothing much. There's this bonfire tonight at the park, Masen and I are going, you wanna come?"
"Of course, let me ask my dad and I'll call you back." I answered then hung up on my phone.
"Daddy, Can I go to a bonfire in the park with Nicole and Masen tonight? Please?" I asked flashing an innocent smile.
"No." He replied bluntly walking out of the kitchen and into the living room where everyone else was watching TV.
"Buy why?" I whined.
"I don't want my thirteen-year-old daughter in the park late at night."
"But I'll be with Masen and Nicole!"
"Yeah, and I'll bet anything that their parents don't know that they'll be there."
"Actually they do."
"Really, unsupervised late at night?" He narrowed his eyes at me and everyone looked away from the TV and turned their attention to us.
"Yeah" I said confidently, even though it's probably not the truth.
"You're still not going. That's final." He turned his attention to the TV now.
"Ugh!" I sighed angrily plopping down on the couch next to Josh. "You're such a dick sometimes." I whispered to myself, but Josh had heard me. My dad heard something but I don't think he actually knew what I said.
"What'd you say?" My dad asked looking me square in the eye; he was dead serious; the whole room was so silent.
"Nothing"
"That's what I thought."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to the bathroom." I announced getting off the couch. I made my way up the stairs, walked down the long hallway and to the bathroom.
I took out my phone and called Nicole.
"Yo yo yiggidy yo!" Nicole answered.
"Ugh! I'm pissed!" I totally sighed ignoring our usually greeting.
"I take it you can't go."
"I'm not allowed to, but I'm still going."
"You're going to sneak out?"
"Yeah, it's not like it's the first time." I answered looking through cabinets in the bathroom.
"True. So meet at my house around 8:30, and then from there, we'll walk to the park." She told me.
"Alright I guess I better go. I'll see you later."
"Okay! Bye!"
"Bye!" with that I hung up.
I found what I was looking for; a razor. It wasn't used so that's even better.
I locked the door and sat down on the floor, bringing the razor to the skin of my left arm.
Just as I was about to bring the razor across my arm, someone knocked on the door.
"Carter, pizza is here." It was my seventeen-year-old cousin Vince.
I sighed, leaning my head against the door. "Okay, I'm coming."
I stood up, I was going to put the razor back but I decided to put it in the pocket of my dark denim shorts.
I walked downstairs and joined the rest of my family in the dining room. I plopped down between Uncle Damon and my fifteen-year-old cousin Jason.
"What's your problem?" Jason asked noticing my anger as I chomped on a piece of my pizza.
"She's mad at me because I won't let her go to the bonfire at the part tonight." My dad answered for me.
"I just don't see what the big freaking deal is." I grumbled with a mouth full of pizza.
"Carter don't talk with food in your mouth please." Dad said, I rolled my eyes and picked up my second can of Monster.
'Crap what time is it?' I thought to myself. I casually took my blue envy and checked the time, wow 8:20 already?
Umm, I have to go to the bathroom." I announced standing up.
"Again, you just went." Michael asked.
"Yes Michael again" I finished proceeding my way to the stairs. But instead of going in the bathroom I went into Vince's room and to his window.
I climbed down the tree and ran off the huge property.
It took me about ten minutes to get to Nicole's house.
"Hey Carter!" Nicole greeted giving me a hug.
"Hey! We should probably get going, because I don't know how long we have until they notice I'm gone." I told her as Masen came to the door.
"Hey Masen!" I gave him a hug.
"Hey!" He smiled.
"Bye!" Nicole exclaimed to her parents and closed the door.
It took us about then minutes to walk to the park, but it took like five minutes to find the bonfire.
*As this was going on*
*Stefan's POV*
"What is taking Carter so long? It's been like ten minutes." I asked to no one in particular.
"I'll go see if she's alright." My nephew Jason volunteered getting up from his chair.
*Jason's POV*
I walked up the stairs to the bathroom to find the door open and Carter not in there.
I was walking down the hallways and she was nowhere to be found. I walked by my brother Vince's room to see his window wide open, which he never does.
Carter…I bet she went to the bonfire.
I slowly made my way back down stairs.
"Is she okay?" My mom asked, she was the first person who noticed I walked back in the room.
"Uh, she's kinda not up there." I answered fidgeting.
"What?" He threw his pizza down on the plate.
"She probably went to the bonfire." He said standing up angrily from his chair.
"Stefan, you want me to go get her?" My dad asked him as he also stood up.
"Yeah, I'll come with you." With all that said, my dad walked over to my mom giving her a kids and my uncle and dad left the room.
*Carter's POV*
Nicole, Masen and I were sitting on tree stumps while eating Marshmallows as this guy who is friends with Vince came up to me.
"Hey Carter." He sat down putting on arm around my shoulder.
"Hi Chuck." I smiled. He's always hitting on me, even though I'm thirteen and he's seventeen. But, he's harmless.
"Well I'm gonna go, talk to you later." He got up and walked away.
I turned to Masen and Nicole and just laughed.
My smile faded right when I saw a familiar face.
Masen and Nicole turned around when they noticed my expression.
"We have to get out of here before he sees us." I said referring to my dad who was walking through the crowd.
Both of them nodded before we started making our way to the woodsy area but we stopped when I ran into someone rather tall. I looked up and saw…