Peacefully, Alex awoke to a room filled with a warm, orange light. The sunshine was desperately trying to make its way through the window curtains, and Alex almost welcomed it in. She slowly rose from the bed and made her way to the window. Temptation was something of a monster inside her, sending her whole body towards the sunlight. She would only have to push back the curtains and feel the light…
"Good morning," Stefan greeted formally, standing in the doorway of her room. "Elena gave me some of her clothes yesterday while you were gone. I put them on the counter in the bathroom down the hall. You can clean up if you'd like."
"Thank you, Stefan," Alex replied tautly like a child caught in a despicable act. He seemed oblivious to her uncontrolled temptation. Quietly, she made her way down the hall to the elegant bathroom. Beautiful tile lay on the counters like smooth rocks that spent their whole lives weathering perfectly in the lavatory. Small, colorful rocks rested in a bowl near the clean, spotless sink. Unfortunately, light could not compliment the wondrous room, for light was not allowed. It was stopped by thick, floral curtains at a small window.
Light now appeared a sort of mystery. How could it be so detrimental for her, yet warm and pleasant for others? Elizabeth could run and play in the inviting sun without a worry. Far away, in a shaded spot, Alex would have to wait, watching her daughter earnestly.
"Wait," she whispered reassuringly. Bonnie mentioned some sort of resistance to the sun that would accompany many other special abilities. And if the ability really was nothing to be so confident in, a magic ring could help her.
She couldn't stand to think about it any longer, so she quickly hopped into the shower and relaxed. Water still felt the same on her body. It was no enemy of any sort. She felt this to be a merciful miracle. But simultaneously she felt a sadness. The water did not appeal to her as nourishment or even pleasure. After only a few minutes, she rushed out of the shower, wanting the haunting reality to end.
Elena's clothes fit perfectly, and Alex praised the fact that something right was happening. The outfit was plain and common, but Alex had no desire for fashion at this moment. Quickly, she smoothed out her whole outfit and headed downstairs. She had a quaint urge to ask what was for breakfast that morning, but then remembered breakfast wasn't such a pleasurable thing anymore.
"Top of the morning to you, Alex," Damon greeted playfully, meeting her at the foot of the stairs. "Hungry?"
"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that," she replied dismally. "To tell you the truth, I feel a bit restless. I don't want to mistake that for hunger, though."
"Well, if we're going out for the day," Damon started leisurely, "I suggest you drink a bit. We don't want any accidents in town."
"I'll teach you how to hunt rabbits later today," Stefan told casually as he came out of the living room. "That is, if you want to go about this in that way."
"Oh, yes, I don't want to drink human blood," she confirmed swiftly. "But hunting an animal…It all seems so cruel."
"Don't worry about it," Damon smirked offhandedly. "Once you see the bunny, your instinct will kick in. It will just be food."
Damon's words sent a chill through Alex's body, and she quickly walked away from the two Salvatore brothers, anxiously standing in the living room. She heard a sigh of disappointment come from Stefan as he took a few steps away from Damon. Slowly, the floor creaked as Stefan made his way to the doorway. He stood there angrily for a moment before speaking.
"Bonnie will be here in a few minutes," he informed sternly. "If you want to test your sun theory, meet me in the backyard."
As Stefan left, Alex felt Damon's worried eyes on the back of her head. "It will just be food? Will I even consider its life?"
"Of course you will," Damon quickly said, stepping towards Alex cautiously. "I'm sorry. Those weren't the right words to use."
"But, Damon, what if you're right?" she asked shakily, wrapping her arms around herself comfortingly. She turned to him, bearing a fearful, grave expression. "What if I can never see somebody for their soul anymore? What if all I hear is the blood rushing in their veins? What if all I can smell is the blood underneath their skin?"
"It's not like that," Damon assured, taking her hands in his. "I mean, look at Stefan and Elena. They're in love. And nothing can break that love. And I know you love your daughter." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly wrinkled picture. It was small and hard to understand, but Alex soon recognized that it was her favorite picture of Elizabeth. The little girl was holding a flower in her tiny hand, observing it as if it contained a whole new universe. Like a hungry animal, Alex took the picture from Damon and stared at it passionately.
"Where did you get this?" she questioned frantically.
"I hope you don't mind," he smiled innocently. "Early this morning I sort of…broke into your house in Brooklyn. I took that picture from one of the desks."
Lovingly, Alex stroked her daughter's glossy face and gave a small smile. It was difficult to find hope in her situation, but Elizabeth's shining blue eyes created new, incredible prospects.
"Thank you, Damon," Alex whispered contentedly.
"And I figured you weren't making a lot of the money in the household," he continued eagerly. "So I left a little money in its place."
"Wow, Damon," Alex grinned, finding Damon's soft, compassionate voice so unlike him. "That was awfully sweet. How much did you leave?"
"A thousand," he stated plainly.
Alex's heart leaped at the word. Such a large amount of money was an unbelievably generous gift. Gratefully, she smiled a warm, glowing smile and nodded.
"That is amazing, Damon," Alex told excitedly. "I mean, it's unreal. I would definitely beg you to take it back, but I am concerned about Elizabeth."
"Of course." Damon had a cheerful expression on his face as he let go of Alex's hands. He paced over to the fireplace and started to tinker with the ornaments on the mantel. "Anything that Elizabeth needs you can still provide for her. Stefan and I can give her all she desires: teddy bears, apple sauce, tickets to Disney World."
Alex let out an optimistic laugh as Damon continued to list all the amusing things a child would want. Finally, he mentioned a pet German Shepherd, and Alex defiantly interrupted, countering his suggestion with the many dangers of placing a large, menacing dog with a small, fragile child. With a haughty smirk, Damon chuckled at her vast knowledge of canine behavior.
"You know, I've always wondered what it feels like to be a parent," Damon told. "I never liked kids, but I guess everything changes when you have a child."
"Everything changes," Alex stressed. "One day, you're walking through high school with your whole life ahead of you. Then you make some bad decisions, and you're pregnant. I decided I would give her up for adoption, but when I held her for the first time…"
Where she hoped strength would build, tears only began to develop. Her eyes were supposed to be a strong barrier meant to help her survive in this new life. They now revealed every thought and feeling she was experiencing. Loss, pain, and despair. It was all shining through. Damon fidgeted with his fingers now, obviously worried by Alex's teary eyes.
"I think now would be a good time to test out your sun resistance," he suggested awkwardly. "If you still want to."
"Oh, yes. Of course," she agreed quickly, wiping a thin falling tear from her cheek.
He led her out of the living room and through a few hallways. Eventually, they encountered a solid wood door that looked magnificent enough to be the front door of a mansion. But it was indeed the door leading to the backyard. Damon opened it delicately and peered outside, apparently studying the sun's rays. He gave a sharp nod to Alex, and she followed him out to the backyard.
Unlike any of the Brooklyn yards Alex saw, this backyard was spacious and beautiful. It was rather a small field of tall green grass and occasional patches of wildflowers. The Salvatore brothers did not seem like people who possessed green thumbs. But the yard, surrounded by an old, black metal fence, was tidy and attractive.
Alex, well aware of the sun's threat to her, found comfort in the awning that extended from the roof immediately above her. The sun could not touch her as long as she stayed put under that awning, but she began to feel an urge to step into the sunlight.
"Well, if you really want to give this a try," Stefan sighed, notifying them of his subtle presence against the brick wall of the house. "Go ahead and walk out slowly."
"I'll go with you," Damon insisted. No objection was in Alex's mind. Curiosity plagued her mind, but a pale fear was deep in her heart. In most movies, vampires instantly melted into nothing when the sun touched their pastel skin. If they did not melt, they suffered immense pain and excruciating burns until they finally disappeared. But Alex knew she had to complete this task. It was already set in her mind.
She looked down at the crinkly picture of Elizabeth she still had in her hand. The tender, innocent face of her daughter gave her invincible courage. Carefully, she pushed the picture into a pocket in her jeans and then took her first few steps into the sunlight.
Warmth was the first sensation. It was a warmth like none other. Her whole body shivered from the overwhelming feeling. It was not unbearable, but it was rather like stepping out to a hot summer day after being locked in a cold cellar. She smiled, unable to feel the true threat she had anticipated.
After a few moments, the heat became more intense, but Alex was adamant about surviving this circumstance. She slowly closed her hands up into fists and tensed them at her sides.
"Alex, if that's enough, you can stop this," Stefan warned persistently. Damon's concerned expression beside her sent the same message.
"I'm fine," Alex whispered with jaw locked firmly.
Her skin started to feel like it was moving. No, small bugs were crawling over her. Millions of them were on her, irritating her from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. They kept moving violently over her body. She closed her eyes and reopened them, certain she would actually see the infernal insects on her skin. But she could only feel them start to burrow into her. The pain was insufferable. She wanted to scream, she wanted to die.
"Damon!" she exclaimed desperately. "Damon, I can't take it anymore! I can't take it anymore!"
Suddenly, she was whisked away at an incredible speed inside the house. Within the fantastic dash, Damon had wrapped his arms around her comfortingly, and her face had become buried into his chest. She eagerly hugged him back, feeling a true sense of protection.
"We're not trying that again," she heard Stefan mutter in frustration, shutting the large wooden door behind them.
"You lasted longer than anyone else could," Damon assured confidently. "You stayed out there for nearly a minute."
"That's good?" Alex questioned as her skin cooling off. She calmly let go of Damon and made her way to the living room. "I would never want to see one of you in the sunlight."
"Me neither," Stefan grinned lightheartedly. "But all that aside, this will all be fixed when Bonnie gets here."
Scratching her skin every few minutes, Alex waited for Bonnie with Stefan and Damon in the living room. Much to her displeasure, both Damon and Stefan urged her to have a bit of blood to heal her irritated skin. She convinced them to empty the official hospital blood bag into a water glass to make it more civilized. But, though she resisted the wondrous feeling, the blood rejuvenated her body and made her a little more cheerful. Anxiously, though, she passed the glass back to Damon.
"I want to do that as little as possible," she remarked stiffly.
When Bonnie arrived, she acted polite and indifferent. She did not even take one peek at Alex's symbolic burns or mention vampirism. Casually, she ignored Stefan's explanation of the sun's effects on Alex, and the tranquil witch even made enchanting seem like a fine act of business.
"This ring will be your Sun Ring," she explained plainly. "Take is for a moment."
Alex carefully took the ring from Bonnie's. It was a beautiful gold band with a square of blue stone set in it. In somewhat of a trance, Alex admired the ring excitedly. A feeling of disappointment overcame her as Bonnie took the ring back for a small moment.
Slowly, Bonnie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She appeared tense and slightly nervous, but a confident grin adorned her face. The few words she muttered in this daze were difficult to understand as any part of speech. They were merely sounds, impossible sounds made by delicate acrobatics of the tongue and lips. Alex could not understand any of this phenomenon, but she felt relieved when it was over.
"Here you go," Bonnie smiled, handing Alex the ring. "I suggest that you wear it all the time. You never know when you'll have to go into the sun. It should work normally, though your abilities are obviously a bit different. Enjoy the sun, Alex."
"We've got to get to school," Stefan stated abruptly.
"School?" Alex questioned curiously. "Stefan, you're a vampire and you go to school?"
"High school is more entertaining than television," Stefan grinned playfully. "C'mon, Bonnie."
"Damon, aren't you going?" Alex asked, observing Damon's smirk in confusion.
He let out a dark laugh and ran his fingers through his hair. "School isn't so appealing to me. I find other ways to spend my time."
The seductive way he said those words alarmed Alex. She felt taken aback by it, and almost more inquisitive about it. Ultimately, she realized a dim feeling of jealousy was hidden in her shock, and she quickly pushed it all away.
"We'll see you guys later," Stefan said, rushing out the front door with Bonnie.
Ignoring this new, provocative side of Damon that was just revealed, Alex sat down on the sofa and thought of a topic of small-talk. What was exactly interesting small-talk to a vampire?
"Well, it's not really lunchtime," Damon sighed with a grin. "But do you want to go into town and have brunch at the diner?"
"Can we eat people food?" Alex immediately regretted her choice of words as a rather uncomfortable picture of a dog snacking on a hamburger popped into her mind.
"Unfortunately, chocolate can kill us," he chuckled jokingly.
"You know what I meant!" she laughed defensively. "Seriously, can we eat regular food?"
"Of course," Damon informed merrily. "It is an aptitude we share with the humans around us. We can eat and taste. Everything works normally. We're not like those ghastly, sparkly vampires from Twilight."
They stepped out of the house in a jolly mood. Alex became wary for a moment as the sun first fell upon her skin. Now it only felt normal. It was warm and comforting, and she silently thanked Bonnie for the Sun Ring.
Damon drove a 1967 Chevy Camaro, and though Alex was never particularly interested in cars, this one intrigued her. Perhaps it was the way Damon lovingly looked at it, or the spectacular condition it was in after all these years. But that car was a somewhat beautiful object.
"You like it, huh?" he smirked, sliding his hand along the passenger door.
"It's definitely stunning," she commented excitedly.
He opened the passenger door in mocking bashfulness. "You're too kind to my girl. Care to take a ride?"
As they drove into the busy part of town, Alex realized how easier it would have been to just run at super speed to the diner. But the delight on Damon's face reminded her that they were still people. They could be normal and enjoy activities. Being a mother to Elizabeth in this situation seemed very possible. But when Damon commented how the music of today was much better than the music of two-hundred years ago, her hopes were dampened.
"So, all your family is dead?" Alex asked gloomily.
"Well, except Stefan," he informed casually.
They arrived at the diner in only a few minutes. It was a traditional diner with polite employees, cozy booths, and simple food. Alex quickly ordered an omelet, too distracted by her circumstances to truly think about her order. After a few minutes of silence, she figured it would be best to ask Damon as many questions as she could.
"Damon, how do you become a vampire exactly?"
He leaned back in his chair and blinked his eyes lazily. "Well, it's really a simple process. A person has to drink a vampire's blood and then die. That person will wake up as a vampire."
"So that's what happened to me," Alex breathed, the chilling scene playing out again in her mind. "It was so savage."
"Believe it or not, most of the vampires around here chose to become one," Damon continued, taking a sip of his water.
"What?" Alex hissed. "Someone would actually choose to be a vampire?"
"That's what happened to Stefan and I," Damon told. Alex sent an eager, anxious look his way, and he continued. "You see…This is sort of embarrassing. About a hundred and fifty years ago, when Stefan and I were still human, we both fell in love with this girl named Katherine Pierce. She was playing us both, because she was an evil, cold-hearted vampire."
"Well, did you both know that she was a vampire?" she asked earnestly.
"Towards the end we did," he answered smoothly. The word "end" caught Alex by the heart. "I was totally willing to join her. But our father found out about Katherine's bloody secret and went crazy."
She wondered if Damon fully understood how dark and discouraging his words were. But another aspect of his words piqued her interest.
"Damon, you said both of you were in love with her," Alex began curiously. "Did she ever choose one of you?"
He gave a bitter smile meant to hide a blaring anger in his eyes. After taking a sip of his water, he sighed wearily and resumed.
"I thought our father had killed her," he told solemnly. "When he shot Stefan and I, her blood was in us, as we were ready to join her in this unfortunate lifestyle. I didn't want to turn into one anymore, since she was supposedly dead. In fact, I wanted to die. But my brother convinced me to turn, and I awoke as a vampire." His somber expression quickly changed to a tame resentment as he took another sip of water. "Long story short, it turned out she wasn't dead. But it didn't matter. She chose Stefan."
Alex observed Damon's resilient eyes. The story was so sad and disheartening, but he remained almost normal in its retelling. After a long time of silence, he smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. "But I'll never have to see her again."
"Where is she?" Alex asked. Her tone of voice insisted this information was desperately important. Of course, it was only her compassion and love for romance that kept her on edge.
"She's in a tomb underground," he replied calmly. "It's a special, magic tomb, though. Vampires can't escape the tomb because it's been cursed. We've gone through a whole lot of pain to get her in there, though."
"She's trapped there?" Alex questioned anxiously. "Isn't that a little cruel? Does she really deserve it?"
"Definitely," Damon muttered. "She definitely does."
Alex pondered if Damon's words were justified. Reluctantly, she decided that to one day meet Katherine would explain everything. But she couldn't dwell on her right now. There were still so many questions to be asked.
"Damon," she called softly. "What did Caroline mean when she said Elena was the perfect gift for vampires this Christmas?"
"It's all such a mess," he chuckled darkly. "Elena is a Petrova doppelganger, and so is Katherine, actually."
"I don't understand," Alex told impatiently. "A doppelganger. That's someone who resembles another person, right?"
"More like a carbon copy," Damon sighed dully. "Elena looks just like Katherine. And someone before Katherine looked the same. Elena is a descendant of Katherine, and they are both known as Petrova doppelgangers. Elena, as a Petrova doppelganger, has the ability to break the Sun and Moon Curse, which is the curse that keeps vampires unable to live in the sun. Katherine once had this ability, but now, since she's a vampire, she doesn't. Of course, Elena would have to be sacrificed in order to break the curse. That's why we've been protecting her for a while."
The expression on Alex's face represented great confusion, but she soon shook her head and regained a calm exterior. She played with her hair coolly and concluded Damon's long speech as an answer to most of her questions. Their food came, and she ate her omelet slowly. Knowing it would do nothing for her body made eating it slightly unsavory. As she took another bite, she remembered something in Damon's speech.
"You said Elena was a descendant of Katherine," Alex started. "How is this possible? A vampire can't have children, right?"
"That's the strange thing," Damon stated intuitively. "Obviously, Elena must be related to Katherine. But Katherine turned into a vampire at a young age, and she certainly couldn't have been married by that time. And it was simply a catastrophe for a woman to have a child out of wedlock."
"Present company not included?" she asked playfully.
"Of course not, milady," he grinned impishly. "But, who knows. Katherine could have had some illegitimate children before she turned. She's a harlot now. Perhaps that's a trait that carried with her since the beginning of her life."
"Hey, it's hard being a single mother," Alex interrupted defensively. "If Katherine was at all…promiscuous before she had the child, she definitely learned a lot caring for it."
"She doesn't show any of those learned lessons," Damon insisted gruffly. "Anyways, I can't even think of Katherine being a mother. That kid would be dead in a moment."
But Alex was already on to another thought. "So, Katherine is Elena's ancestor. And she can see her still today? They look the same?"
"I mistook her as Elena many times, I will admit," Damon informed regretfully. "They look exactly the same. But there's something in their eyes that tells them apart."
"So Katherine had the chance to attend her own daughter's funeral," Alex continued shakily. "My gosh, that is horrifying."
Damon gave a small smirk, insinuating a sly joke was just on the tip of his tongue. But his eyes dropped and his smile faded as he realized just how shocking Alex's expression was. She looked on the verge of tears, like a ghost was pulling her heart to and fro, placing ghastly images in her head. This present idea certainly wasn't all fiction. As Alex stared down at the table in fright, a coffin was before her, holding her precious Elizabeth as an old woman. Alex herself was perfectly young and beautiful, standing among the crowd of mourners around the coffin. She looked all around her, noticing that her own mother was nowhere to be found.
"Alex, please don't worry," Damon murmured, leaning towards her. "Don't think about whatever you're thinking. It's a little scary to watch."
The few minutes of fear and despair were interrupted by Alex's desire to heed Damon's words. She quickly examined her present situation, remembering that Elizabeth was indeed safe from harm and provided for. Eventually peace overcame her misery, and she leaned back in her chair wearily.
"Maybe I do need a drink," she sighed. "Oh, wait. I won't fall into temptation. I simply won't."
"You're too difficult," Damon grinned. "Now, I want no more mood swings from you. We're going to have fun today, you hear? We can take a pleasant stroll through the park, make a fireplace in the woods, or even go shopping-"
"Or visit Katherine," Alex interrupted optimistically.
Damon shot a menacing glare her way. His sudden expression of remorse suggested he meant no harm to Alex by his angry look. Though Alex knew she had hit a nerve, she eagerly stared at him for an answer.
"No, Alex," Damon replied tiredly. "That's out of the question."
"Oh, come on, Damon," Alex argued instantly. "Maybe she knows something about the spell the witch cast on me. Maybe, being a Petrova doppelganger, she knows a few secrets about curse-breaking sacrifices. Don't tell me you haven't thought of it."
"Alex, you can irk me easily," Damon grumbled. "Look, get used to being a vampire first. Katherine can lure you into her spell. She can manipulate you even from within a cursed tomb. It's just too dangerous. You could get hurt."
"Don't forget that I'm an all-powerful vampire," Alex reminded bitterly, folding her arms like a peeved child. "I can compel other vampires, supposedly. How does that work, anyways? Is it like the movies where Dracula puts a gorgeous mistress into a trance to keep her in his castle?"
"Pretty much," Damon replied drearily. "We can compel humans to do whatever we want. You can do it to vampires, like the Originals."
"And the Originals are?"
"The first few vampires to exist." His voice was now very dry and cold. She understood how annoyed he had become of her, and she shut her mouth for the rest of the meal. Though she was quite unsatisfied by all the unanswered questions she had, she let the beauty and peace of MysticFalls take her. She found a smile deep within her heart, and the day seemed brighter.
"Hello, Damon," a kind, gentle voice greeted as a short, dedicated blond woman in a sheriff's uniform walked up to the table. Damon replied to her with a warm grin as he scoot over on his side of the booth.
"Sheriff Forbes," he called, gesturing to the seat beside him. "Sit down. I'll buy you a cup of coffee."
"I would deny, but I'd like to meet your friend here," Sheriff Forbes admitted excitedly, taking a seat beside Damon.
"Of course," Damon smiled innocently. "Sheriff Forbes, this is my friend Alex Somers. She's visiting for a while."
"It's nice to meet you," Sheriff Forbes told happily, reaching out to shake Alex's hand. "We don't get many visitors to the town. Are you staying at the Mystic Hotel?"
"I'm staying at the mansion," Alex informed simply, shaking the Sheriff's outstretched hand.
The Sheriff raised one eyebrow and looked at Alex curiously. Damon seemed to fidget uncomfortably from Alex's words, and Sheriff Forbes gave him a clever smirk. Alex's mouth fell open as she realized she may have become part of a naughty reputation of Damon's.
"You never cool down, do you?" the Sheriff chuckled.
"Oh, no, Sheriff," Alex called desperately. "You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking."
"Well, I'll at least say you sure do pick the pretty ones, Damon," Sheriff Forbes suggested, casually rising from her seat. "I'll have to take a rain check on that coffee, Damon. You two have a nice day."
"You as well, Sheriff," Damon mumbled wearily as the Sheriff left. Alex stared at Damon in horror.
"You're going to let her believe I'm some sort of concubine of yours?" she questioned crossly. "I can't enter this town with that sort of reputation."
"Don't worry," he sighed, rubbing his eyes lazily. "Sheriff Forbes isn't one to gossip. But if she lets it slip, I'm sure the part about you being a vampire will overshadow all those concubine rumors."
"Oh, sure," she hissed sourly. But his playful grin stole a laugh out of her, and she had forgotten all about her embarrassment.
They moved onto a long conversation about the important people of the town. Alex learned that Caroline was Sheriff Forbes' daughter. She then asked if the Sheriff was a vampire herself, but Damon answered negatively with a demeanor of sorrow and slight irritation. It was clear that Caroline's existence as a vampire was not a choice, but rather the exact same helplessness Alex felt. Damon went on to explain how Sheriff Forbes did not know of Caroline's state, but Alex did not need to know anymore, and she couldn't stand to know anymore. The whole experience was still fresh in her mind. She could barely endure the pain of her own situation, and a more vivid understanding of Caroline's would only make everything more heartbreaking.
Damon told of Elena's brother Jeremy, who was actually her biological cousin. The whole thing was absolutely confusing, but Alex focused only on a few of Damon's words. He mentioned Elena's biological mother was a vampire now, and that hit Alex right in the heart. This woman was in the same circumstance Alex was, or so it seemed. When Damon explained that Elena's mother chose to be a vampire, Alex felt anger and resentment towards the woman. She then rushed the conversation onto the rest of the inhabitants of MysticFalls.
"As for werewolves," Damon started offhandedly.
"Werewolves?" Alex exclaimed in astonishment. "Please don't tell me they're real too!"
"They are," he laughed coolly. "Yes, they're quite real, though not too many are in MysticFalls. Actually, vampires and werewolves are related in a way. But that story would take much too long. The check is coming now."
"Tell me," Alex begged hastily.
Damon grinned humorously and threw a twenty dollar bill on the table. Completely on edge, Alex followed him out of the diner and into his car. He started driving in no particular direction, as she could tell. She was only interested in what he had to say.
"You see, back in the day, way back in the day," he started, "vampires roamed freely in the night and day. And werewolves could change into wolves at any time. Apparently, both were terrible monsters, having no consideration for human life. So a witch or shaman, something like that, made the Sun and Moon Curse. The curse keeps the sun an enemy to vampires, but it also caused werewolves to lose their ability to change into wolves whenever they want. Breaking the curse would really only be useful to werewolves. I mean, us vampires can just wear something made out of Lapis Lazuli."
"So they're not like the ones in Twilight?" Alex assumed quickly.
"Thank goodness," Damon sighed. "No, they just turn on the full moon. But from what I hear, it's extremely painful."
"And some werewolves live in MysticFalls?"
"The Lockwood family has werewolf blood," Damon explained. "I'm not sure about Mayor Lockwood, who died a little while ago. But Tyler his son definitely is a werewolf. And Tyler's uncle was."
"Was?" Alex asked nervously. "What do you mean was?"
"He was working with Katherine," Damon told with gritted teeth. "He was dangerous. I had to terminate him."
"You killed him?" Alex's voice was filled with great horror, and she now stared at Damon with a new view. "You actually killed a man."
"All vampires usually kill at least one person," he said defensively. "You're lucky Stefan found you. If you were left alone any longer, you would have murdered a whole town."
Alex readied herself for a strong defense, but stopped in her tracks as she realized Damon's words were very true. Just two days ago, she was using all her strength to restrain her from pouncing on two innocent campers. A merciless image of their bloody, disfigured bodies appeared in her mind, and she did not bother Damon about it for the rest of the drive.
They went straight to the Salvatore mansion after their brunch at the diner. Both of them were slightly perturbed by each other, but they understood this was all part of this horrid transition. Alex tried to fight the monstrous feeling inside her, the feeling of being only a predator in this world to prey upon the innocent and unsuspecting. She could in fact become a creature who longed to drain the blood from even her own daughter if it so satisfied her thirst. The whole thought was chilling, and she sat alone in the living room, dreading it was actually a reality.
Damon, who had spent most of the day in the library, appeared for a moment to announce he was leaving on important business. He bid her farewell after letting her know Stefan was on his way home. This was only terrible news for Alex, for she knew Stefan had intended to teach her how to hunt rabbits. She swallowed what seemed like a gallon of air, and then concluded she had no choice but to learn the tricks of the trade.
When Stefan arrived, Alex was standing alone in the entrance hall. Her body was tense and cold, but her eyes showed vigilance. Placing his backpack gently on the ground, Stefan gave her a sympathetic look.
"You'll get used to it," Stefan assured softly.
Get used to it. That meant she would have to do this forever. There would be no end to this. She would never be able to be a mother to her baby girl again. Slowly she would watch Elizabeth grow up from afar. And she would get married, have children, retire…die.
Before she could break down into tears, Alex followed Stefan out the front door of the mansion. They silently walked down the sidewalk, making their way to a bright forest with little trees. Dead leaves crunched loudly underneath their footsteps as they walked through the woods, examining the subtle beauty it had to offer. Stefan made a sudden stop and made a hand motion towards Alex. She obediently stopped her walking as anxiety slowly filled her mind.
"Do you hear it?" he whispered delicately.
Alex sensed a soft rustling in a pile of leaves twenty yards ahead of them. "Yes."
"That's a rabbit," Stefan explained quietly. "Your new abilities make you perfectly capable of hunting it. Just run up and grab it."
The idea was horrifying, but Alex listened to Stefan's words carefully. Without another wasted second, she rushed to the rustling leaves, reached in, pulled out a helpless rabbit, and stared at it for a moment. The slow movements of the creatures made her realize she was thinking in fast motion, a concept that shocked her at first. But she soon could only concentrate on the rabbit's guiltless, naïve eyes. It appeared almost stupid, yes, but it was certainly alive.
Alex knew she couldn't wait any longer. Deadening her senses, she made a powerful twisting motion with its head, and heard the loud crack of its fragile neck. Tears filled her eyes as she realized exactly what she had done, but she didn't stop.
The rest of this moment would be better described by writers such as Stephen King. But not he, nor anybody, could document the horror and dread that filled Alex's body. Satisfaction was only a slight feeling that was overshadowed by her guilt and heartache. A creature had died by her hands, and she had killed it willingly. She then realized the terror that was truly provided by vampirism. There was no legal or harmless way of going about it. It was a popular belief that people who became vampires lost their souls. That idea became more and more plausible as Alex stared at the dead rabbit in her hands. She then decided to steal blood from a hospital was more human than buying life from another creature with the currency of death.