Thirteenth.
As my mind slowly drifted back to the present I realized that two of the benches were now available. I sat on the one across from The Grille and pulled out my e-reader, but I couldn't concentrate. Memories kept sneaking up on me as I read, distracting me from the story. After fifteen minutes I gave up and walked across the street. Once inside The Grille I ordered a frozen coffee drink and sat down at one of the small tables. I fished around in my bag for my journal and the pen. I stared down at the blank page for a moment and then dove in.
I hadn't written anything since I came to Mystic Falls and so much had happened. I knew I had been sitting there for a while because my next sip of coffee was melted and had started to warm. I finished writing and placed the journal back into my bag. I looked around the large room, it had filled up significantly since I had come in, the pool tables were taken, the bar had only a few open stools and most of the tables and booths were filled with diners. The waitress came by the table and asked if she could get me something. I ordered a club sandwich even though I had almost no appetite. I was still trying to digest what had happened with Bonnie.
I nibbled on a few chips that came with the sandwich and didn't even noticed Damon coming in until he slid into the booth right next to me with a glass of whiskey in hand. He reached for a chip and I pushed the whole plate over to him. "Take it all, I'm not hungry."
He looked at me questioningly. "What's wrong?" He asked. I didn't answer. Instead I mumbled something about needing to go to the restroom; I pushed him over, slid out of my seat and crossed the dining room. Once in the bathroom I locked myself in a stall needing a few minutes of solitude to collect my thoughts. When my mind had calmed I exited the stall and turned on the sink letting the warm water flow over my hands, it relaxed me. I turned off the sink and grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser on the wall.
I heard the door behind me open as someone entered and looked up into the mirror just in time to see her face and my entire body went cold. As she entered a stall I started to tremble and grabbed the sink for support. What was happening to me? I saw her reflection as she walked behind me, but there was nothing about her that I recognized, long dark hair, dark eyes, slim figure, a smile as she looked over at me in the mirror. I turned and quickly exited the bathroom. Stepping back into the crowded room was a shock to the senses, the volume had raised dramatically and the lights had dimmed down somewhat allowing the individual lamps on the tables to glow. I looked over towards my table and saw Damon talking to a group of people. Bonnie looked up and waved and the next thing I knew I was crashing through the front door rushing out into the cool night.
I walked quickly away from The Grille trying to put as much distance between myself and the girl in the bathroom as possible. I was numb, my mind blank as I rushed towards the boarding house. I barely heard Damon yelling my name from behind, but in the next moment he was at my side, grabbing my arm and stopping me in my tracks. He moved in front of me with a vaguely concerned look on his face. "I'm fine," I told him, "I'm just not used to large crowds." He knew that I had seen Bonnie wave before I bolted. "I'm not feeling well, and after getting a good look at myself in the bathroom mirror I decided it was time to head back. The cool air is helping a little."
"I can drive you back you know," he offered.
"No thanks, I think the walk would do me some good." I knew that he didn't believe me, but he smiled, handed me my bag that I had left in the booth and turned back towards The Grille as I headed in the direction of the house.
I was desperate to get into bed, this day had been too overwhelming; so much for a relaxing day of reading in the square. The unpaved road that led to the boarding house was silent and there were no street lights here. I thought back to my unfortunate incident in the woods a few days before and picked up my pace. My feet pounding on the ground with each quick step got louder and louder and made me more and more uneasy. I decided to make a run for it, I knew there would be lights on when I reached the house so I took off. By the time I made it to the front door I was out of breath, I looked around the brightly lit front yard and laughed quietly to myself. Who had ever heard of a vampire being afraid of the dark?