The Salvatore Sister
Chapter Twenty-Four – A New Leash on Life
Disclaimer: Ugh I don't see why I still put these things but don't own it. Vampire Diaries belongs to LJ Smith, the CW, Warner Bros., Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson, etc.
Spending so much time with Tyler was not as entirely torturous as I had originally guessed it would be. In fact, I would go as far to say that it was, well, fun. Tyler and I ploughed our way through the food he had brought up to his room and we were currently on our one billionth round of 'Left 4 Dead 2', since I kept winning and Tyler wasn't going to let us stop playing until he beat me. For a girl who was born way before the person who invented video games' grandfather was even thought of, I sure could kick ass at video games.
"Y'know," Tyler began after he had just clicked the button to start another game, "Not many chicks I know will sit and play 'Left 4 Dead' and kick my ass at it."
"Do this with a lot of chicks then, Tyler?" I teased, not taking my eyes off the screen, mashing the buttons on the controller, managing to decapitate a zombie.
"Well, like I said," Tyler answered, "Not many play it."
"You know what I meant."
"No," Tyler replied, "I don't hang out with girls all that much."
"Right, you're more of a hump 'em and dump 'em type," I said, quickly glancing at him.
"No, I-"
"It's alright," I interrupted, "I understand. 21st century girls can be a right pain in the ass."
Tyler didn't answer for a second before he slowly said, "...Right."
We were silent for a few moments as our characters on the game burst into a warehouse full of ugly, decaying zombies. Clicking the buttons repeatedly I managed to take out the majority of zombies in the most dramatic fashions my pixelated character could manage. And as I blew the last zombie's head off, blood splattering everywhere and all over the screen, I cried, "Yes! Blowing their heads off is the best."
"You're a strange chick," Tyler mumbled, dejectedly putting down his controller since he lost...again.
"What can I say? I love blood and gore," I said with a smirk.
"I can see."
Oh, he had no idea.
"Anyway," I continued, "Speaking of blood and gore I should probably go home before my brother decapitates me."
"Oh, right, yeah," Tyler muttered, and I couldn't help but notice he looked disappointed. I hated to admit it, but it did feel like Tyler and I had existed within our own little world in the hours we had spent up here, like nothing else existed outside of this room, where we could eat junk food and play video games and act like nothing else was going on in the outside world. It had felt...good.
Together, Tyler and I hopped off his bed and out of his room, then down the grand staircase in silence. And, either to my annoyance or excitement (I couldn't work out which), as we were almost at the bottom of the stairs, Uncle-wolf man-Mason walked through the door. I watched him as he glanced up at us advancing towards him and then groaned, causing me to smirk. This could be fun.
"What'd I tell you about having the girl still here?" Mason snapped.
"Mason..." Tyler warned beside me but I interrupted him, putting on the happiest, girlish voice I could muster:
"It's cool, Ty," I said, "Sorry, sir, I was just having so much fun with your nephew. I hate to be barking up the wrong tree."
Mason surveyed me for a moment before he sighed, "...Look, can you just leave?"
"Mason, what's your deal?" Tyler snapped.
"I'm sorry if I overstepped any boundaries," I continued in the sickly-sweet, girly voice that I never imagined I would adorn, "I really don't mean to make you hot under the collar...sir."
Hehe, dog puns are punny.
Mason had obviously caught onto my awesome puns (if he hadn't I'd have thought him completely brain-dead) because he was full-on glaring at me, and I just smiled sweetly back.
"Mason, I don't know what your problem is but..." Tyler began again.
"Tyler, honestly, it's fine," I answered, "Your uncle's obviously just had a ruff day. I should be going.
With another sweet as sugar smile towards Mason, I stepped around him for the still slightly opened door.
"I'll call you later, okay?" Tyler said as he followed me to the door.
"Cool. Goodbye, Ty," I replied, then turned to Mason, except instead of my goody-goody smile, I cast him a menacing smirk and lowered my voice back to its normal sound, "It was nice to see you again, sir."
I quickly left the Lockwood mansion and had the door slammed shut straight behind me (presumably by Mason). But instead of heading away from the house and out of the estate, I moved to the side and pressed myself against the wall beside the door, listening intently:
"What's your problem with Amelia?" Tyler asked as soon as the door was closed as if he didn't know I had inhumane, super hearing... Oh wait.
"Nothing you need to worry yourself over, Tyler," came Mason's response.
"I think I do if you're going to be a dick to my girlf... to my friend."
I knew for a fact Mason wouldn't have missed Tyler almost saying 'girlfriend', but I didn't understand why Tyler had covered it up; surely girlfriend was an appropriate term for me, or almost anyway.
Mason didn't reply and there was an awkward silence between the two Lockwood's as I stood up against the brick of the Lockwood house. I was about to give up and walk away when Tyler spoke again, his voice calmer than before:
"How was the barbeque?"
"Not great," Mason replied, and I couldn't help but wonder what Damon had got up to to piss Mason off (because surely Damon would've caused enough misery for the werewolf as was humanely, or should I say vampirely, possible), "Are you still pissed?"
"Are you still keeping secrets?" Tyler replied.
"Yeah."
"Then I'm still pissed," Tyler answered, then moved the conversation onto the topic I had been eavesdropping for, "...Hey, y'know, I was thinking about the stone you were looking for. I know a couple of places it could be."
"Do you think this is a joke?" Mason snapped, "If you know where it is then tell me."
"Tell me what triggers the curse," Tyler bargained.
"If I tell you, you won't be able to think about anything else," Mason replied, "I don't want that for you."
"I think I can handle knowing."
"You think that you can handle it, tough guy?" Mason answered, "You have no idea."
"You want your stupid rock or not?" Tyler asked.
Then there was the sound of the two guys struggling before I heard the sound of someone's body being pushed up against a wall, and I was going to bet it was Tyler's – since Mason is a werewolf and all.
"Tell me where it is!" Mason demanded.
"Tell me what triggers the curse!"
"You have to kill somebody!" Mason finally yelled and my eyebrows rose in surprise, "Human blood! You take another person's life away from them and then the curse is yours forever! Can you handle that?"
Jackpot.
"How was the barbeque?" I echoed Tyler's earlier words, but towards Damon when I got home, watching as my brother turned in his chair to watch me walk into the drawing room, a glass of blood in his hand.
"Peachy," Damon replied, "How was operation spy on the Lockwoods?"
"I wasn't spying, Damon...technically," I answered, walking over to take a seat next to my brother, taking the glass of blood from his hand and taking a sip, "Although, I did find out a few nifty things."
"...Like?" Damon prompted.
"Well, you know how I told you about needing to trigger the curse to become a wolf?" I asked him.
"Yes..." Damon replied slowly, "...And?"
"Well... I found out how you trigger it," I told my twin.
"Which is?" Damon prompted again, looking slightly annoyed that I wasn't just coming out with it.
And then I stopped because a fresh wave of guilt rushed through me. Was telling Damon really the smartest thing to do? What if telling Damon how to trigger the curse was putting Tyler in danger? But then I realised that Damon was my brother, if I asked him not to mess with Tyler he wouldn't, right? I mean, I didn't mess with Elena for my brothers' sakes never mind how much I wanted to.
So that was why I answered: "They have to kill someone. A human."
"...Interesting," Damon replied, looking...well...interested, "That means Mason isn't as cuddly as he appears to everyone else. He's killed a human."
"And this way," I began, "It'll be easier to make sure Tyler doesn't activate it."
I watched as Damon rolled his eyes, "Should've known you'd have been thinking about the Chihuahua."
"I'm thinking about us, Damon," I snapped back, "We don't exactly want another wolf on our hands – especially since we can hardly deal with the first one."
"If it's not a full moon Mason's bark is way worse than his bite," Damon told me, "I can handle Mason Lockwood."
"I just don't want you pissing him off too much and sparking an all out war," I told him, curling my legs up underneath me, and reaching to take my leather jacket off and that was when I noticed I didn't have it. Shit, forgot it at Tyler's. I bet he did that on purpose so that I would be forced to visit again, not that I wouldn't anyway. Shut up, brain.
"It might be a little late for that," Damon said with a slight smile that would be reminiscent of a little boy proud of a mischievous prank, like putting worms in his sister's shoes or something. Yes, Damon did do that to me when we were younger. I still haven't gotten him back for that...
"Damon, what did you do?" I groaned, hitting my forehead off the back of the sofa in an exaggerated way.
"Oh, just stabbed him," Damon answered with a nonchalant shrug, "By the way, silver on a werewolf? Yeah, doesn't work."
"Silver? Seriously?" I scoffed. "Should I be expecting Mason to come at me with a crucifix and cloves of garlic around his neck?"
"Probably not," Damon smirked, "Just vervain and a wooden stake."
"Brilliant," I sighed, "That makes me feel loads better."
The next day, Damon had somehow roped me into helping out at the renovation of the park that was going on. So, being the awesome multi-tasker that I am I swung by the Lockwood Estate on my way there to pick up my beloved leather jacket; my white tank, red plaid short-shorts and black tights ensemble didn't feel right without it – it was a fashion emergency, not because I wanted to see Tyler again, okay? Okay. Yeah, right, Salvatore. I shook my head and quickly got rid of the voice in my mind that had been springing up every so often lately – yeah, I'm officially insane. That you are.
I stepped up to the door and pressed the door bell, stepped back and waited for someone to answer. Unluckily it wasn't Tyler who opened the door (and luckily not Mason either), but Carol Lockwood.
She beamed at me when she saw me and said, "Oh, Amelia, hi."
"Hello, Mrs. Lockwood," I smiled, putting on my polite teenage girl façade.
"What do I owe the pleasure?" she asked and I began to wonder if the smile she always wore was glued on, man, that must hurt her cheeks. And I couldn't help but notice how her kind voice was reminiscent of the fake one I had put on yesterday.
"Um, I left my jacket here yesterday," I replied, "And I was heading to the park so I thought I would come and pick it up."
"Of course," Carol replied with a smile (surprise, surprise), "Come in."
I smiled back and stepped over the threshold of the house, following Carol further into the building.
"Tyler didn't tell me you were over yesterday," Carol said, "I would've liked to have seen you, but I've been busy with mayor duties."
"No problem," I answered, "It must be stressful."
"Hmm, yeah," Carol smiled, "I'll call on Tyler, he'll know where your jacket is. I was going to ask him to drive me down to the park if you wanted a ride?"
"Um, yeah, sure, that'd be great," I answered.
"I'll just be a moment." And with that, she turned and headed towards the stairs.
I allowed myself to wander into the huge living room in the Lockwood house, taking a look around. I walked over to the large marble fireplace, casting an eye over the framed photographs atop it. The Lockwood house didn't strike me as one of those homely types, looking too elegant and impersonal – that is besides the year's worth of memories on the fireplace. Everything from Tyler learning to ride a bicycle, to his high school photos, to wedding pictures of Carol and her late husband. I smiled slightly at the photographs and couldn't help but wish I was born in this time so that I could have my memories with my family documented forever, but hey ho, I was a 19th century girl through and through.
"Hi, Mia," came Tyler's voice from beside me.
I spun around to see Tyler standing in the doorway with his mother just behind him, "Tyler... Hi."
"Amelia was looking for her jacket, Tyler," Carol piped up from behind her son, still freaking smiling.
"Oh, right," Tyler mumbled, "I'll just go get it..."
I watched as Tyler left the room and Carol stepped forward, no surprise, smiling. In fact, her cheeriness was starting to make me freaking depressed – for a woman who had recently lost her husband she sure did smile an awful lot. But then it struck me that her happiness could be just as much as a façade as my human teenager one was.
"I know that Tyler will never ask you," Carol began, "But we'd love it if you joined us for dinner one night soon, Amelia?"
I knew that if she knew my idea of 'dinner' she wouldn't be inviting me, but despite myself I answered: "Yeah, Mrs. Lockwood, that'd be great."
"You could even invite your brothers if you wanted," Carol offered kindly.
"Oh, um, maybe," I replied, imagining the idea of asking Damon if he wanted to have dinner with the Lockwood's which was clearly a "let's meet the future-in-laws" dinner in Carol's mind.
I was glad when Tyler re-entered the room with my leather jacket in hand to distract Mrs. Lockwood from any other matchmaking plans she had within that twisted, mother mind of hers.
"Here's your jacket, Mia," Tyler said. Yeah, I realised.
"Great, now we can get headed," Carol chirped, clapping her hands together in weird ass excitement, "You don't mind driving us there, do you Tyler?"
By the look on Tyler's face he knew his mom wasn't really asking him so he just shrugged, and led the way down the hall, grabbing a set of keys out of a dish by the door.
To say the car ride to the park was awkward would be the biggest understatement of all eternity. Tyler continually threw me looks through the rear-view mirror to where I was sitting in the back seat and I actually felt myself blush more than once (yeah, yeah whatever), and Carol kept looking between the two of us, throwing looks that screamed I-know-you-two-are-secretly-hooking-up-and-I-will-look-the-other-way-as-long-as-in-five-years-you-produce-a-considerable-amount-of-grandkids-that-I-can-spend-all-the-money-I-got-from-marrying-into-the-Lockwood-family-which-you-will-get-when-you-marry-my-son. Or maybe it was just my imagination. So that was why as soon as we got to the park, I all but tore the car door open and leaped out, calling a "I need to go find my brothers" to the two Lockwoods and took off to do just that. It did take me surprisingly long to find them but trying to locate two people over the mull of the talking crowds, the sound of Carol's voice being amplified throughout the park as she started her speech, the various tools being applied to work and a stupidly annoying bee that kept buzzing in my ear. But I finally found them by the trunk of a car, and hurried over to them.
"Stefan, please tell me you don't seriously think a hand shake will solve our problem," Damon was saying to our little brother.
"No, actually I think the first chance Mason Lockwood gets, he's gonna drive a stake through your heart and then through mine and then through Amelia's," Stefan replied and I rolled my eyes at the mention of our furry-little-problem, "Because you took it upon yourself to try to kill him. So thank you, because it's not like we have enough problems."
And then Stefan walked right past me, barely throwing me an acknowledging nod.
"What's his problem?" I asked, watching my younger brother walk away.
"Just because I stabbed Mason Lockwood he's gone all hormonal on us," Damon smirked.
"Well, he does have a point," I replied, "Angering a werewolf is clearly going to get us nowhere but six feet under, as much as I hate to admit."
"Don't worry," Damon said, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "I won't let him anywhere near you."
"It's not me I'm afraid for," I mumbled.
Helping renovate the park was honestly the single most boring thing ever, and when Tyler found me again and offered for me to go back to his house for alcohol ("Hey Mia! A couple of us are going back to my place for drinks, wanna tag along?") I was so tempted to accept. That was until I saw the slut that was hanging off of Tyler's arm and I recognised her as the girl who had been hitting on Caroline's boy-toy, Matt, at the swim hole.
"Um, no thank you," I replied, but kept my gaze on the much smaller girl.
"Oh...right," Tyler said back, "I'll see you later then?"
"Um, I dunno."
And then I walked away. I didn't know what was making me so bitter, but I could take a guess and say it was the girl who was leaving with Tyler. But I haven't been jealous in a century and a half; I wasn't going to start again now. I'm not jealous, especially over a human. Just keep telling yourself that, Amelia...
I found Damon again by a cute little lemonade stand, talking to none other than Mason Lockwood himself – I honestly see too much of that guy for my liking.
"Niceness is overrated," I overheard Mason telling Damon.
"That's what I think," Damon said back, faking enthusiasm.
"You know what's not overrated?" I said, joining the conversation, glaring at Mason, "Staying away from my brothers. So do it."
Mason just smirked at me and said, "You have a good day, Amelia. Damon."
But I couldn't help but be suspicious as I watched Mason's retreating back. I would like to say over my one hundred and sixty years on Earth I'd gotten pretty good at reading people, and something seemed not right about Mason – despite him transforming into a wolf once a month. I was too busy watching Mason disappear, with a frown on my face, to notice Stefan's arrival until he said:
"Please tell me you were just bonding."
"Just having a friendly chat," I answered, still watching the way Mason left.
"So what's up with this faux drama in your relationship?" Damon asked and I finally looked 'round at my brothers.
"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked, and I watched on curiously. Stef and the Katherine-Clone were fighting?
"Oh, come on, Stefan," Damon sighed, "You and Elena don't fight. Especially not over me."
"Drop it, Damon."
"With pleasure."
I just rolled my eyes at my brother's 'dispute' and crossed my arms over my chest. Yet another argument between my brothers' because of Miss Gilbert. Great.
"Would you like some lemonade?" the little girl behind the stand asked, holding up a plastic cup towards Damon.
"Thank you, sweetie," Damon said with a fake smile.
I watched our surroundings, completely bored, as I heard Damon slurp on his lemonade behind me. That is, until, Damon let out a great raking cough and spit out his lemonade all over my shoes.
"Hey! Watch-" I began to scold him, but stopped when I noticed him bent double, apparently coughing up a lung.
"Damon?" I asked at the same time Stefan asked "What's wrong?"
"Vervain," Damon spluttered out, "Vervain!"
"Come, sit down," I said guiding him over to a bench, "Stefan, get him water or something, will you?"
Stefan quickly got him a cup of water, and I noticed him stick his pinky finger in it to test for vervain, before he gave it to Damon.
"I'm gonna kill him!" Damon declared as soon as he'd downed his water, trying to get up, but Stefan grabbed his shoulders and stopped him. We both knew who 'him' was...
"Listen to me!" Stefan said, "Sit. Sit!"
"He's not a dog, Stef," I said, "Unlike some. I wonder if Mason knows how to play dead, we could teach him? But not playing..."
"Lia's right," Damon said, "I'm not listening to anymore of your 'give peace a chance' crap. He's dead."
"Okay, I don't like it, but he's making threats," Stefan agreed and I smiled, "He could expose us. We need to put him down."
"That is the smartest thing you've said in a long time, Stef," I told him with an excited smirk.
"Alright," Damon said, and it was impossible to miss the excited and satisfied look in his eyes, "Let's do it."
As if he had heard us and was heading in the perfect place for us to kill him, we spotted Mason jogging up a hill with two garbage bags in his hands.
"Woods," Damon said, looking in Mason's direction, "Trash can duty. Come on."
This will be fun. Even more fun than my awesomely punny dog puns...
We stalked after Mason into the woods, and positioned ourselves so that we had cornered Mason in a triangle, and I couldn't help but have my heart leap in excitement, I had wanted to do this ever since he'd first glared at me at Mayor Lockwood's memorial service. Good things come to those who wait, Amelia. Shut up, random internal voice. Now is not the time.
"Don't look so surprised," Damon said as soon as Mason saw us, and I had to disagree with my brother, there was no surprise on his face at all, "You knew this was inevitable. Go ahead, run. We'll give you a head start."
But instead of running, Mason bent low to the ground for some weird reason or another. But I didn't dwell on that thought for too long because out of nowhere, the sound of guns being fired ripped through the air, and then I felt two-three-four explosive pains in my stomach and chest, before I felt the soggy, cold of the forest floor. And then nothing.
Except through the darkness I heard a voice that seemed to be coming from no where and everywhere: "Took you long enough, Amelia."
Um, what the hell?
AUTHOR'S NOTE.
Haha dog puns ah I crack myself up. Sorry sorry sorry sorry for the extreme lateness on this chapter, my summer's been just awful with loads of stuff happening to me, I mean yesterday I was in hospital but I'm all better now so it's cool. I promise you won't be waiting this long for the next one. And this was crappy so sorry again. Hope all your summers haven't been as crappy as mine
I got so many long reviews for the last chapter which I love so much. Long reviews are better than loads of them haaha.
THANK YOU TO Purple Dragon of the Flames for submitting so many reviews. Thank you for making me actually write this.
And also to:
Shannon the Original
Olivia
Megan
Guest Amelia will be finding that out in due time, don't worry I haven't forgotten about it, but there's a set point she's going to find out. Thanks for the review
Tvdlover87654
GleekStarKid
marana1 you may get your wish for Amelia/Klaus, if you haven't already please vote in the poll for more chance of seeing this couple hehe :)
xInsanelySarcastic
klaufia Thanks again for the crazy long review. Long reviews are my favourite
Damon Salvatore's girl everything with Amelia will be explained soon. Maybe it's Bonnie, maybe it's not...
Elena Spath
Also thanks to Kelly for being an awesome friend and listening to me prattle on about all my ideas and plot twists all day long. And not laughing at me.
Love you all, please review?
-Megan.