Twenty First.
As I walked down the road towards town I saw Damon's car turning towards the house. He slowed as he pulled up next to me. "Well, where are you off to on this fine day?" he asked me.
"I got your note but I decided to head into town anyway."
"Your phone is dead," he reminded me.
"It's back at the house on the charger as we speak," I assured him. "Since I am phone free today feel free to call out the National Guard if I don't make it home by eight. Just be sure to check The Grille before getting the military involved." He smiled and drove off.
I made it into town and stopped at the coffee shop for a shot of caffeine. I found it hilarious that they wrote each customer's name on the cups. They couldn't ever have had more than two people waiting for coffee at one time, they must have been modeling themselves after the big chains. I took my cup and walked back out towards the square. I looked over at the gazebo but it was empty, so I walked slowly by the little shops, popping in and out of a few of them. I sipped my coffee which provided a little extra warmth. It was cooler than I had thought it would be so the caffeine was a welcome treat.
I looked up and saw that The Grille was packed, patrons overflowing out the door and filling the outdoor seating. With that many people there it was very likely I could find someone I knew so I changed my course and headed over. I was still a good distance away when I saw Elena come out the door. She looked stunning in her fitted jeans, her hair curled and heels instead of sneakers. I yelled to her and waved but she must not have heard me. She walked around the side of the building and turned down the narrow road that I had parked on my first night in Mystic Falls. I sped up a bit and made it to the street very quickly. I looked down the road but saw no one. I called out Elena's name again and walked further down the street. After a few more steps I realized that I had missed her and I turned back towards the main street.
Suddenly I felt an arm wrap around my waist and a hand clamp down hard over my mouth. I dropped my coffee and tried to turn around, to twist out of their grasp but whoever had grabbed me was quite strong. I tried again to get out of their grasp, and I thought I might have gotten loose until I felt a stabbing pain in my back, felt the burning and knew I had just been injected with vervain. The dose must have been large because I instantly slipped into blackness, the pain dulling as I drifted away. I don't even remember my body hitting the ground.