Fifteenth.

I woke early the next morning feeling like I could easily sleep another three or four hours, but I was looking forward to an early start. I climbed out of the bed, grabbed some clothes from the dresser noting that I would have to do laundry again soon, and made my way into the bathroom. I wasn't going for a pristine look today, just presentable. I pulled on my dark jeans and socks, took off the camisole I had worn to bed and shimmied into a clean maroon tee. Looking in the mirror I inspected my face, the dark circles under my eyes had lightened a bit, but the red rimmed eyelids were still fairly prominent. Since my plan was to go out hunting in the woods alone I didn't bother trying to cover it up. I gathered my hair at the nape of my neck and braided it down my back. One more quick look and I was satisfied.

I grabbed my shoes and headed down the stairs silently in my socks. As I let the front door click closed behind me I took a deep breath of the cool morning air. The grass shimmered with dew and the smell was glorious. I sat on the wall and put my shoes on. I felt like running, so I took off into the woods at top speed. I tried to stay near the tree line so I wouldn't scare all of the animals off. It felt so good to finally have some solitude, freedom to just run and not worry about anyone seeing me. This was the kind of downtime I craved in order to face the day.

A half hour later I was back on the Salvatore's front steps fed and happy. I took of my shoes and left them outside to avoid tracking the woods in with me. I looked around the house but seeing no one awake or lurking I ran up to my room, grabbed my e-reader and headed back down to the parlor to read. I settled down on the couch silently hoping that the rest of the day would continue on this peaceful track, but I knew how quickly things could change, so I decided to just live in the moment and take advantage of the quiet while it lasted.

I quickly lost myself in the story and lost track of time. Twenty minutes later, just as I was getting to a really good part in the book I heard the front door creak open. I assumed it was Damon and didn't turn around until I heard a girl's voice asking if anyone was home. I sat up and turned to the door. There she was, the same girl I had seen in the restroom and in the pictures last night. I waited for that feeling of terror to overtake me, but it never came. I stood up and walked towards her. She saw me coming and reached out her hand, Damon must have given them a glowing description of me the previous night. "Hi, I'm Elena, and you must be Norrah." She said as I nodded.

I reached for her hand, and when we touched I did feel something but this time it was a calming, peaceful warmth that flowed through my body. "I came by looking for Stefan, I thought that he would be here," she told me.

"I'm not sure if he is or not, I actually hadn't met him yet," I said in reply. As if on cue a handsome sandy haired young man came sauntering down the stairs. Alexia had described him to me before but I had no idea how different he and Damon looked, very attractive, just in a different way. He approached us and said hello to Elena before turning to me. "Hi, I'm Norrah, and you must be Stefan. I'm so sorry we haven't had the chance to meet before now."

"No to worry, Damon filled me in. Our house is your house," He told me as he smiled. I was so grateful that he hadn't gone into more detail about what Damon had said that I could have kissed him, but that probably would have been a bit awkward. "Would you like to join us for breakfast?" he asked me.

"No thanks, I already ate." I replied assuming he would understand. He nodded at me and they left.

I decided that I didn't want to read anymore so I climbed the stairs to put my book away, grabbed my bag and my camera and headed back out. I looked up at Damon's room but the door was still closed and I didn't hear anything so I padded back down the stairs in my socks, put my shoes on out front and headed back into the woods. I was still so fascinated by the old ruins of the church and the buildings, but what I really wanted to see was the falls. I walked a ways through the woods and then stopped to listen. I could hear the water flowing a little ways off so I headed towards it, stopping every now and then to listen and change direction slightly.

After about fifteen minutes I came to a clearing and a wooden bridge. I could hear the rushing water, even feel a little of the spray before the falls came into view. The view from the bridge didn't disappoint. I took a few pictures then put my camera back in my bag and rested my elbows on the wooden banister. I closed my eyes and just listened. The sound of the rushing water was soothing and reminded me of my home in England. Some days after a nightlong rainstorm the creek would crest it's banks and the water would rush down through the forest. These days I would hurry to finish my morning chores and then I would take Maddie to the raging creek. We would pick out leaves, drop them in the water and watch them race down towards the connecting river that led out to the sea. Those kinds of memories always made me smile.

I opened my eyes and was instantly transported back to the present. I lingered around for a few more minutes before heading back into the woods. I made my way past the old graveyard and noticed all of the crypts with familiar names, they must have belonged to the founding families I had heard about. I walked in a little further and passed the old cellar with the large wooden door at the bottom of the stone steps. Remembering my feelings the last time I was here I picked up my pace a bit. I made it to the church cellar a few minutes later and started snapping pictures. I walked down the stone stairs and came upon the slab, still in front of the tomb with the pile of boulders in front of it. I took a picture and then put my camera and bag down and started moving the stones out of the way.

I was about halfway finished when I heard a rustle of leaves and footsteps coming toward me. I threw myself against the wall across from the tomb and waited. The footsteps got closer and then someone started coming down the stairs. I held my breath and waited. Whoever it was stopped a few steps before the bottom. I listened as they turned and walked back up and away. I was confused so I stepped away from the wall and started slowly towards the stairs looking up over my shoulder. I was about three feet away when a figure came flying down the stairs in a blur, knocking me to the ground. I rolled backwards and jumped to my feet ready to attack but seeing who it was stopped me just in time. I punched him in the shoulder as he laughed at me.

"How did you even know where I was Damon?" I asked as I brushed the dirt off of my clothes. "I didn't leave a note."

"Well for someone who has spent most of her life in the woods you aren't very good at hiding your tracks. Besides, I could hear you hefting those rocks around. Throwing a boulder out of a pit and onto the ground above can get pretty noisy." He smiled at me and leaned up against the dirt wall. I grabbed my bag and my camera from the ground, looked over at him just in time to see him rubbing his shoulder where I had struck him, then I took off up the stairs through the woods and back to the house.

I didn't bother taking my shoes off this time, and I ran through the door and up to my room, slamming the door and locking it behind me. I turned around and jumped when I saw Damon sitting on the edge of the bed. "How did you beat me back here?" I asked. Even running at half speed I should have been able to beat him easily. He smiled and gestured towards an open window. I guess after living here for a good part of his life he probably would know a few shortcuts. I walked over and slammed the window down and locked it in place.

"Oh, don't be a poor sport," he told me as he rushed in front of me before I could reach the door. "Elena called and asked us to meet her and Stefan in the square to talk. I reluctantly agreed not wanting to argue with him. As he drove down the road he tried to strike up a conversation, but I was still angry about him messing with me at the tomb. Finally he gave up, but not before telling me that if there had been any question in his mind about my relation to Elena it was gone. "Your ability to hold a grudge over something trivial is rivaled only by hers," he told me. I smiled at that; we were of fine stubborn stock she and I.