Chapter 24
Miss Mystic Falls
"No, no, no. Guys, those chairs go out on the patio," I said, running a hand over my face.
Now, I knew why I never wanted to be the designer for parties and stuff. It was always a giant mess. The only thing that they were doing with the chairs was stacking them up. They had to go outside and be placed with the tables.
"Look, everyone, grab some chairs and follow me," I instructed, grabbing a couple my own self and moving them outside.
We didn't have that much time before people started arriving and we were already behind. Granted, it wasn't my fault though because the crew assigned and paid to help had been rather late in arriving. Carol had gotten on them for that one.
"Right this way boys," I said, leading them outside.
Once outside, I placed the chairs I'd been holding down on the ground, heaving a sigh. Why did Carol have to order such heavy chairs? I mean, they were pretty, yes, but still.
"Start with four to a table," I told them, moving back inside to grab some more.
T
Elena made her way down the stairs, being careful of her footing. She had her dress in her arms, so she couldn't really see properly. Once she got down to the bottom of the stairs though, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, she found Alaric standing there in a suit and tie.
"Hey, I heard you were driving," Elena said.
"Yeah, I am. Here, let me get that for you," he said, carefully taking her dress from her and freeing up her arms, closing the door afterward.
"Thanks," she smiled, starting to make her way down the hall.
Before she could get too far though, Alaric spoke, asking a question that had been bothering him.
"How, uh, how is Stefan?" Alaric asked curiously, stepping forward.
Elena turned to face him at the question, brows furrowed in confusion.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well, he seems on edge," he told her, his voice concerned.
"He went through a lot. He was in bad shape for a while, but he's bouncing back now," she explained, before stopping.
Footsteps were heard from the other room, revealing John as he came forward.
"Alaric," John greeted. "Hey, buddy, what are you doing here?" he asked, slightly surprised.
"I'm the uh, chauffeur," he told him, not too excited about the tilt he'd given himself.
"Oh, I thought I was driving," John said in confusion, looking up the stairs as Jenna came down.
"No need. We're going with Rick," she said dismissive, causing Alaric to bite back a smirk.
It was kind of funny to be honest. John had absolutely no clue.
"Are we ready?" Elena asked, walking back toward the door with her jacket in hand.
She was getting tired of John's behavior.
"Jeremy can ride with you," Jenna said simply, a smile on her face as she left John standing there.
T
Within a couple hours, people were filling the building. This left me rushing around; making sure everything was in order. Carol had even said that she'd pay me for my work since I'd been doing so much, which was actually pretty nice. It meant that I'd have some spending money to use if I wanted without having to worry about Damon going and paying for things. Granted, if he wanted alcohol, then he was going to be paying for it with his own money.
"Guys, Carol said she wanted the food over here," I sighed, grabbing a tray and carrying it across the room.
This was so tiring, I swear. When I turned around though, I ran right into the very last person I wanted to see.
"Well, isn't this a sight for sore eyes," came the sound of John's voice.
"Go away, John," I grumbled lightly, moving around him.
I became irritated though when he started following me, a drink of some sort in his hand. The look on his face was a smug one.
"Stop following me John," I told him, grabbing another tray of food.
I turned around to find him blocking my path again, my eyes narrowing in annoyance.
"Do you always dress so poorly when attending parties?" he inquired, giving me a humorous smile.
"Are you always such an arrogant ass?" I quipped, quickly moving around him, deliberately bumping his shoulder.
He was so annoying, always has been. It just didn't help because he was always trying to mess with me or at least that's what it seemed like. I'd known the man for years and he'd always been annoyingly crude. I'm not even sure if that's the right word to use for it. He just always had to be right and know everything, even the things that you didn't want him to know. John was always too nosey. It also didn't help because he was so well known.
"Well, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" he asked.
"No. That's me being nice," I replied curtly, sitting the tray of food down on another table and arranging some of the stuff. "Which reminds me, shouldn't you be off annoying somebody else?" I asked.
"Why would I do that when you're so much more interesting to talk to?" he asked casually, causing me to narrow my eyes.
"Don't make me get Damon," I warned.
"I'm not scared of him," John replied.
"Well, you should be because he can rip you apart," I told him, moving to walk off.
I was stopped though when he grabbed my arm, pulling me off to the side. I tried pulling away, but it did me little good.
"I could easily have him killed, Kali," John told me. "You need to learn, vampires are monsters and should not be associated with."
I narrowed my eyes at this, glaring at him as I yanked my arm away.
"Damon's not a monster," I ground out.
"He is nothing, but a murderer," John said. "He has no heart."
"Get away from me before I decide to kill you myself," I threatened.
"I'd like to see you try," he chuckled.
"Don't tempt me John, don't tempt me," I told him, shoving passed him.
T
Making her way up the stairs, Anna removed her jacket, stepping through the entrance of the building. It'd been a while since she'd been there; Founder's Hall, her shoes clicking lightly against the polished floor. There were so many people there, but she made her way through to the other side, standing just outside the doors. That's went Damon spotted her, walking up to her with a glass of champaign in his hand.
"In the running for Miss Mystic Falls?" he asked sarcastically, referring to the getup she was wearing.
"Sometimes you have to wear uncomfortable heels to blend in," she told him, a certain bite to her tone.
He merely gave her a slightly humorous look as he came to stand beside her, looking out at the growing crowd of people.
"I remember this event from 1864," she started. "I was supposed to enter, before everything happened," she said, though Damon felt that it was slightly pointed at him.
After all, it was sort of because Damon and Stefan that things happened. They were a part of it or at least Stefan was, going to their father about Katherine.
"Ah, nostalgia's a bitch," Damon expressed in an uncaring manner.
"If you're just gonna mock me can you move along please?" she asked, wanting to be rid of him.
She could only take so much of his uncaring and snarky attitude. It was then though that Damon turned to her, speaking, getting right to the point.
"John Gilbert, thinks your mom stole an artifact from Jonathan senior, senior back in 1864," Damon said, making conversation with her as he fished around a bit.
"What are you, his errand boy?" she asked, a mocking tone in her voice.
This in itself irritated Damon. Damon was no one's errand boy, least of all John's. The man in question was irrepressible asshole that Damon couldn't stand to be around. It didn't help matters that he'd come to Damon's home unannounced and was acting like he owned the place.
"I don't know what it is, but I don't want him to have it," he said pointedly.
"I could ask her," she shrugged. "But you know, you've made it pretty clear that you don't trust us so why should I even bother?" she asked.
"Because you want to stay in Mystic Falls," he said simply, before adding, "and John Gilbert's in town, making that impossible," he told her. "Find out where it is. He leaves, you can buy a welcome mat."
T
I was going around checking things when suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me from behind. Out of instinct, I elbowed the person, only realizing afterward that it was Damon when he spoke.
"Ow," he chuckled, rubbing his side lightly. "You know, that's no way to treat the guy that's supposed to be your boyfriend," he said, teasing me.
His use of the title was a bit loose though, but I didn't say anything about it.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, voice a bit strained as I spoke due to fatigue.
"Well, I thought I'd come and keep an eye on you," Damon told me. "That and I have to talk to Elena about something," he added.
"And this something would be?" I asked, going out on a limb.
"About Stefan's little…problems," he told me.
Instantly, I knew what he was talking about. He was referring to Stefan's current little blood addiction. He'd already informed me about it and I was left a bit put off afterward. Stefan had been lying to us, all of us, and we hadn't even realized it. It also hurt a bit though, realizing he'd lied so easily to my face when I'd asked him if he was okay, if he was off of it. The boy had lied straight to my face.
"I just hope you know what you're doing Damon," I told him, leaning against the wall.
"Well, I'd be all for this little change if not for the danger that it posed for me," he pointed out, loosely draping an arm over my shoulders and pulling me against him.
I wasn't going to fight his actions at the moment. I was too tired to do so. So instead, I merely leaned my head against him, closing my eyes for a moment.
"Is he going to be alright?" I asked, enjoying our bit of closeness at the moment.
"Eventually," he told me. "He's just been away from it for too long," he explained, before growling in annoyance. "I just wish he could be smarter about it."
"You're going to try and fix this though, right?" I asked, raising a brow in question.
He groaned in response, rolling his eyes after a moment.
"Do I have to?" he asked childishly, switching his hold to more of a headlock.
"Damon, don't make me kick your ass," I warned, trying to push him off.
He just grinned, a chuckle escaping him.
"I won't let him destroy anything," he joked, ruffling my hair.
As a result, I kicked his ankle harshly, earning a faint hiss from him with I managed to strike a sensitive spot.
"Watch it!" he hissed, before letting go to rub his ankle. "You're so abusive to me," he whined.
"Well, I wouldn't have to be if you didn't act like that," I said pointedly, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Well, aren't you at least going to kiss the boo boo you made?" he asked, a small pout on his face.
"Nope," I said simply, shaking my head.
I then watched as a smirk formed on Damon's face, his hands slowly backing me against the wall, face coming close to mine.
"What are you doing?" I asked slowly, my breath catching in my throat for a moment.
"Taking what's mine," he said, drawing his face closer.
"Damon, I don't need the Lockwood's to-," I was cut off though when he pulled me into a kiss, his lips on mine.
Why did he always have to do this? Playing with me in public just to get a point across to other people. Either that or he just loved to embarrass me. Granted, I'd say it was a bit of both really. It wasn't until I felt the smirk on his lips growing that I shoved him away, glaring at him.
"Would you stop messing with me?" I groaned, making my way toward the staircase.
"Never," he told me, following me up.
"Ugh, now what are you doing?" I asked.
"Going to talk to Elena," he said as though it were obvious.
"Can't you wait til later?" I asked skeptically. "They're getting ready to go on in a few and she's supposed to be getting dressed."
"Exactly."
My eyes widened as I turned to him, getting ready to hit him.
"I'm kidding!" he told me, laughing at the expression on my face.
I merely narrowed my eyes at this, smacking him in the arm and walking off. The bathrooms needed fresh hand towels.
T
Having just gotten done with her hair and makeup, Elena walked into the changing room. Amber Bradley, one of the other contestants was inside, dress already on. She seemed a bit anxious, but gave Elena a smile, before explaining that she got anxiety attacks sometimes. She'd told her that she'd be fine though, walking out of the room and leaving Elena to change. So, stepping over to the mirror, Elena grabbed her dress. She jumped though when she pulled it back, finding Damon's reflection in it.
"Hey, you can't be back here," she told him.
"We need to talk," he told her.
"Does it have to be right now?" she asked skeptically, holding her dress in her hands.
"Normally, I would have a completely different outlook on what I'm about to tell you, but since it could really inconvenience me, I'll…squeal," he told her, his lips pulled back into a firm line.
"What are you talking about?" Elena asked, shaking her head.
She had absolutely no clue what he could be talking about.
"Stefan's still drinking human blood," he replied gravely, watching the look of disbelief on Elena's face.
"What?"
"A month ago, I would have rejoiced," he told her. "But with the council back on the alert, it is not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle."
"I know he's been a little edgy, but he said that was normal," she told him, trying to defend Stefan.
"He has a fridge full of stolen blood bank contraband in the house," he told her, practically spelling it out for her how serious it was.
That's what finally did it for Elena, sending her over to the couch to sit down. She was in shock.
"Oh my God…" she breathed out.
"He has no idea what normal is. His entire existence isn't normal," he said before pausing in his explanation. "Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood, but he spent all this time fighting it when he should have been learning to control it, and now it's controlling him instead."
"I can't believe this. I mean, it's Stefan that we're talking about here," she said desperately as Damon shook his head.
"Stefan on human blood Elena; he'll do anything, he'll say anything because he's not gonna want to stop. Trust me."
With that, Elena sat there as Damon's words soaked in.
T
Stepping inside, Jeremy looked around for a moment, spotting Anna at walking toward one of the counters.
"Anna!" he called, catching her attention as he walked over to her.
She'd grabbed herself a drink, before turning around to face him.
"What is it?" she asked, wanting to be elsewhere.
"Come on, don't be like that," he told her.
"Why not?" she asked, before checking around her, her voice turning into a whisper. "You were basically using me to turn you into a vampire so you could be with someone else," she told him, her voice betraying her hurt.
"No, I wasn't using you," he said quietly.
"Really? And how would you like to define it?" she asked curtly.
Jeremy let out a faint snort, before placing a hand on her shoulder, leading her the other way.
"Look, I don't think it's any worse than you becoming friends with me so you could give your mother my blood," he told her, causing her to stop and stare at him.
"How do you know that?" she asked, eyes slightly wide.
He wasn't supposed to know anything about that.
"That's not important," he said dismissively.
"Seriously, Jeremy, what do you know?" she asked.
"Everything. I know everything," he said quietly, a solemn look on his face.
T
"This is all my fault," Elena said, pacing back and forth. "I'm the one who fed him the blood in the first place."
Just as Damon was about to say something, he stopped, barely even turning as Steve stepped into the room.
"Uh, what's goin' on in here?" Stefan asked, sticking his hands in his pockets as he walked forward.
"I was…just filling Elena in on your extra-curricular activities," Damon said quietly, slightly uncomfortable.
Elena may not have been able to see it, but Damon could see the faint look of hurt and disappointment in Stefan's eyes. Damon had told Elena the one thing that Stefan hadn't wanted him to, but Stefan merely shook his head and laughed.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, pretending as though he had no clue.
"I know about the blood, Stefan," Elena told him, watching as Stefan shook his head once more.
He'd known this would happen, that this would be her reaction.
Feeling uncomfortable, Damon decided to speak, moving toward the door.
"I'm uh… I'm gonna be downstairs, drinking," he told them, slowly moving past Stefan.
He didn't dare make eye contact with him as he walked past, feeling his brother's gaze upon him. Perhaps Kali had been right. She basically told him not to, yet he'd done it anyway, telling Elena about Stefan. Now, there would be obvious tension between them and he was to blame. Damon merely hoped that Kali would do the whole 'I told you so' thing.
T
After talking with Jenna for a few short minutes, I found the hand towels, making my way to the bathroom. I'd told her that I'd meet her and Alaric downstairs for Elena's performance, but that I first had to take care of the bathrooms. It wouldn't take long. I was startled though when I heard the sound of glass shattering, quickly pushing the door open.
"Everything okay in…" I stopped when I saw who it was, my brows furrowing for a moment, before I felt my eyes widen. "Stefan?" I whispered, taking a step back when I saw the dark look on his face.
T
Already having Amber Bradley called down, the Mayor called the next girl.
"Miss Tina Fell, escorted by Bartholomew Whitmore," he announced, the sound of clapping soon following as Tina descended down the stairs in her beautiful pinkish orange dress.
At the top of the stairs, Elena stood with Caroline, looking down at what she could see.
"Do you see Stefan anywhere?" Elena asked nervously.
Caroline joined her at the railing of the balcony, looking down at where the escorts were supposed to be standing.
"Nope. Just my boring fill in escort," Caroline told her.
"What happened to Matt?" Elena asked, brows furrow slightly.
"They wouldn't let him out of work," she said in disappointment. "Wait, what happened to Stefan?" she asked, turning to look at Elena.
"I don't know, he just disappeared somewhere, I don't know," Elena sighed, before asking, "What am I doing? I never should have gone through with this."
"What do you mean?" Caroline asked quietly, unsure about Elena's sudden turn around.
"I need to find Stefan, this isn't me, I'm not this person anymore," Elena said quickly as she tried not to freak out.
"No, no, no way, no," Caroline said, shaking her head. "You had your chance to drop out and believe me I was all for it because there is no way that I could beat you. Elena, you're doing this because it was important to your mom," Caroline said gently.
Elena nodded her head slightly, unable to say anything though as Mr. Lockwood began Caroline's introduction.
"Miss Caroline Forbes and her escort Jeffrey Lockwood Hamilton," he announced, drawing Caroline forth as applause broke out downstairs.
Elena was up next.
T
Downstairs, Anna and Jeremy stood, still talking.
"You're missing Elena's introduction," Anna told him.
"I don't care," he breathed out.
"She has no idea you read her journal?" she asked quietly, her earrings swaying as she moved her head to look up at him.
"She keeps things from me, I'm gonna keep things from her," he said simply.
"What are you gonna do now?" she inquired. "Now that you know everything that she's been hiding from you?"
"I don't know," he shrugged, thinking things over for a moment. "There's a part of me that's so angry, you know, that she covered up what happened to Vicki and erased my memory, but there's also this other part of me that's glad," he said, pausing for a moment. "I… I don't want to remember Vicki like that."
"As a monster?" Anna assumed.
"No, as someone who wanted to hurt me," he told her. "I mean, I don't even know what Kali's hiding… She…she nearly got killed because Vicki attacked her for trying to help me."
It was Anna's turn to speak now, to make her peace with him. He'd made his with her, so she felt that it was only fair to explain herself properly.
"When I met you, you were just a part of my plan to get my mother back, but then things changed…" she told him, her words becoming gentle and heart felt. "All the time we spent together… I would never do anything to hurt you, not now. You know that right?"
Jeremy nodded his head, giving her a small half smile.
"Yeah, I know that."
T
"Stefan, would you slow down?" I exclaimed, nearly tripping as he continued to pull me along past the parking lot and down the street where the excess cars were parked. "You're walking too fast," I told him.
I winced as he continued to pull me along, his grip bruising.
"Stefan, please," I whimpered. "Just let go. I'll go get Damon and then everything will be alright," I told him, only to have him shove me roughly against his car.
"No!" he hissed, fangs bared.
That soon changed though once he realized what he'd done, quickly moving to apologize.
"I-I'm sorry," he told me, carefully touching my arms. "I didn't mean to," he said, checking my shoulder.
"I know, Stefan, it's the blood," I said, already knowing why he was on edge.
"Damon told you?" he assumed, pulling away, a scowl on his face as he started pacing. "Damn it, now you know too. Why did he have to do this? Ruin everything!"
"Stefan, there's no reason to be upset. I'm not mad," I assured him.
"I'm not upset, I'm hungry!" he hissed, turning on me in an instant.
T
Looking down at the flashcards in his hands, Mr. Lockwood read off the next name.
"Miss Elena Gilbert, escorted by Mister Stefan Salvatore," Mr. Lockwood announced.
Upon hearing this, Damon began looking around for his brother. He was nowhere to be seen as Elena slowly descended the stairs, trying to hold in the look of disappointment on her face when she looked around for Stefan.
Seeing the look on Elena's face, Damon quickly made his way to the bottom of the stairs, standing there to fill in for his brother as her escort.
Elena gave Damon a smile once she got down to the bottom of the stairs.
"Where's Stefan?" she whispered.
"I don't know," he replied quietly, taking her hand and slowly leading her outside, a pleasant smile on his face for those around him.
Once outside, Damon and Elena stood in their respected spots, before bowing slowly bowing to one another.
"What are we gonna do?" Elena asked quietly, her head near Damon's as she curtsied.
"Right now, we just have to get through this," Damon told her, moving back and standing up straight.
After that, they both rose their left hand, keeping them a inch apart for one another. Music began to play as they began to walk counter clockwise, their gaze locked with one another, their steps smooth and graceful. They would get through this.
T
"I don't hurt people…I don't," Stefan told himself, pacing around.
"Stefan, look, just calm down," I told him. "It'll pass and then everything will be okay again," I assured him.
"No it won't!" he hissed, turning to face me, his face dark.
I felt a bit of fear run through me, a flash of memory. Jason.
"You have no clue how much I want to rip into you right now," he told me, stepping toward me.
Out of instinct, I backed away, trying to keep my distance. It didn't last though once he grabbed hold of me, his fingers gripping my shoulder painfully. I couldn't move.
"Stefan, please," I begged, feeling my eyes water.
"I want to kill you," he said slowly, mouth twitching. "Tear into your throat and feed…drain you dry," he told me, his voice deadly calm as he stared down at me with hungry eyes.
He then reached his other hand out, gently touching my neck, playing with the skin. It was like he was in a daze, a trance.
"Right there," he told me, pinching lightly at the skin. "It's right there," he whispered. "The carotid artery."
"Stefan…" I breathed out, swallowing the lump in my throat.
I could feel myself shake as I stood there. I was scared. Like Damon, never once did I think that Stefan would hurt me. Now, I was starting to think otherwise.
"Just one bite…" he whispered, hand reaching down, gripping my necklace.
He then tore it from my neck, tossing the onyx pendant to the ground at our feet. I could hear it clatter on the pavement, my mouth going dry as he brought his face close to mine, our lips only a breath away.
"Don't fight it," he told me, staring me in the eyes.
It was then that I felt my body still, eyes watering. I couldn't fight. I couldn't run. I couldn't scream.
"One bite," he told me, tilting my head to the side and pushing away my hair.
I felt it a moment later, his teeth sinking into my flesh, pain searing through it. It was like fire, the pain stabbing away at me. I couldn't even fight the tears that slipped from my eyes as he gripped me tightly, drinking from me, blood sliding down my collarbone. This was nothing like Damon.
T
Everyone was gathered around the short stage as Mayor Lockwood came in, a smile on his face. All six girls were standing there, waiting anxiously to find out who the winner was.
"Before I crown the winner, I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community," Mr. Lookwood announced. "I'd also like to give a special thanks to another member of our community who's work and determination has helped make this event possible tonight. Our friend and teacher, Miss Kali Henderson," he said, clapping his hands as he looked around.
Everyone applauded as he began looking for Kali. When he couldn't find her anywhere though, he turned back to the crowd, giving them a smile.
"She must be working still," he chuckled. "A real go getter that one."
"Where do you think Kali is?" Caroline asked quietly, her question directed toward Elena.
"I'm not sure," she whispered back. "I figured she'd be with Damon."
"So, without further a due it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls…" he paused for a moment, hands clasped together. "Miss Caroline Forbes!" he exclaimed, the crowd cheering in response.
"Congratulations," Elena smiled, giving Caroline a hug.
The girl was actually surprised that she had won, being so sure that it would have been Elena.
"I won," she said in disbelief, moving to take the sash.
T
In the bathroom, Liz and John stood, looking at the mess that had been left. Glass filled the sink from the broken mirror.
"There's blood on the glass," John noted, watching as Liz tentatively touched the broken mirror.
There were also a pile of hand towels on the floor, looking as though someone had come in a dropped them by accident. There was no blood on them though. Something else that they both had realized was that Kali was missing. John was pinning it on Damon, but he kept those thoughts to himself.
"Get me Damon Salvatore," Liz ordered, turning to one of her deputies.
T
With a shaky breath, I sat there on the ground, my hand pressed against my neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It was bleeding freely, soaking into my shirt and staining my hand. I still couldn't believe that he'd actually bit me.
"I can't do this," he whispered, gripping at his head.
He was trying to fight it, try to fight the blood lust, but it was obvious that it was a losing battle.
"Stefan, we need to get Damon," I told him, keeping my hand pressed against my neck.
He didn't seem to hear me though as he continued to pace, going back and forth. Then, after a moment Stefan got down in front of me, gently touching my face. His face was dark as he pulled my hand from my neck, touching it.
"Stefan…" I choked out, shaking.
I wasn't exactly terrified of him, but it bothered me as I watched him bring his hand to his face, smelling the blood. He then sucked it from his fingers, the veins popping out even further now.
"I need you to run," he told me, locking eyes with me. "Run for your life," he ordered, moving away from me. "Run!"
I had no choice, but to run after that, speeding off into the trees as my feet kicked up the leaves and dirt beneath me.
T
Standing there off to the side, Damon waited for Elena. He'd gotten word from Liz about the mess upstairs. It didn't help that she told him about Kali, that no one had seen her since earlier. It's like she'd disappeared. He merely hoped that that wasn't the case.
Once Elena rejoined him, he pulled her into another room, making sure to keep things discreet.
"What is it, did you find him?" she asked.
"There were signs of a struggle in the upstairs bathroom," Damon told her, a serious look on his face.
Having followed Elena, Bonnie stood outside, watching and listening.
"There was blood…and Kali's missing," he told Elena, swallowing the lump in his throat.
He had a bad feeling about this. Then again, he didn't think that Stefan would actually do anything to hurt Kali, but given how he'd been lately, Damon couldn't be positive.
"Oh my God," Elena gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. "You don't…you don't think he'll hurt her, do you?" she asked.
"Let's just find him, okay?" he said, not wanting to answer her question. "Let's get your coat come on," he told her, guiding her from the room so she could get her coat, Bonnie quickly following after them.
T
I pushed all the strength that I had into my legs, running as fast as I could. The Founder's Hall was in sight, but I had a feeling that I wouldn't make it. This was proven true as Stefan appeared in front of me, grabbing me by the shoulders.
"Stefan, please," I choked out, fear in my voice.
I didn't want to die.
In that moment, I looked up into his eyes, all kindness and understand gone from them. There was only hunger, an animalist hunger that left me paralyzed. In that moment, I was sure that this would be the end. I was going to die tonight and it wouldn't be by some stranger, it wouldn't even be by cancer or old age. No, it would be by Stefan's hand.
"Damon…" I whispered, tears in my eyes.
A moment later, Stefan bit down into my neck, tearing away at the muscle.
A scream escaped me as he held me there, blood flowing down my front. I was going to die, choking on what little blood that I had left.
T
Damon felt his eyes widen when he found his brother, his breath caught in his throat. Not only was he feeding on someone, but that someone was Kali, his Kali.
"Kali…" Damon whispered, unable to move.
"Stefan!" Elena screamed.
Upon hearing her scream, Stefan pulled away, dropping Kali to the ground. She barely even moved, the only sound he could hear coming from her being that of choking. She was choking on blood, her blood. That same blood was now dripping from Stefan's mouth, betraying the monster that he had become. Damon didn't even recognize his little brother, his face dark and covered in blood. It was like a bad dream turned real.
"Stefan, come on, get control," Damon said gently, carefully making his way toward him, hands up defensively as he kept Elena back.
He had to help Kali, otherwise, she was going to die. If he didn't help her, she'd be lost forever. Damon wouldn't be able to live with that, not right now. He depended on her too much for his sanity, and now it was slowly dying, disappearing with each and every second he stood there.
"It's okay, come on," Damon said, slowly getting closer to Stefan. "Breathe through it man," Damon told him, reaching his hand out.
Before Damon could touch him though, Stefan grabbed him, throwing him through the air and against a tree.
Damon let out a groan, but was up in moments, watching as his brother started toward him. He was growling, a snarl on his face.
"Stefan, stop it!" Elena cried out.
Not listening, Stefan continued toward Damon, intent on attacking him. He stopped after a moment though, his steps faltering as he gripped his head in pain. He stumbled, crying out. All eyes went to Bonnie after that, watching as she stood there, eyes staring unblinking at Stefan. She was the one causing it, but after a few moments she blinked, finally stopping. It was as though she'd broken Stefan from his trance, the look on his face becoming fearful as he looked around.
Stefan first tried going toward his brother, unsure of what to do. That soon stopped though as he looked back at Elena. She looked mortified and he soon understood why. Kali was laying on the ground, blood covering her front as she continued to choke on her own blood, bleeding out from the neck. He'd done this to her, hurt her, scared her. Stefan had nearly killed her.
"Stefan, its okay," Damon told him, but his words did little for his brother.
Instead, Stefan ran, not bothering to look back as he ran.
T
I continued to choke as I laid there, coughing, trying to breathe. It was painful, my neck searing with white hot pain.
"Just hold on," I heard Damon tell me, pulling me into his arms as he knelt down beside me.
He didn't even bother looking at the wound as he bit down on his wrist, tearing it open and placing it to my lips in a hurry. It seemed to be all that he could do to not force it down my throat as I coughed. I had to turn my head away for a moment, spitting my own blood from my mouth.
"Please…" Damon breathed, pressing his wrist to my lips again.
This time, I managed to drink a bit, swallowing. It hurt, but I managed to do it, coughing a few times in the process. I could then feel his blood slowly starting to work, doing its job in fixing the wound. Even though it was healing, he still didn't pull his wrist away from my mouth, determined to fix what had happened.
"I'm okay," I told him, giving him a small smile as I pulled his wrist away from my lips, taking in a deep breath. "I'll be okay," I promised, closing my eyes.
"I should have kept a better eye on you," he told me, cupping my cheek with his hand.
It didn't take long for him to notice that my necklace was gone, eyes searching the area of my neck.
"Where's your necklace?" he asked, brows furrowed.
"Stefan…" I breathed out, a shiver running through me. "He tore it from my neck. It's by his car," I told him.
"Damon, is she okay," I heard Elena ask.
"I'll be fine, Elena," I told her, turning my head to look at her.
She was keeping her distance, same with Bonnie. Both looked scared and shaken. We then heard the sound of the sheriff's car pulling down the street, headlights on.
"Damn it!" Damon hissed, looking behind him for a moment. "Kali, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to bare with me," he told me, before leaning down and biting into my neck.
I let out a cry of pain as he did this, tears in my eyes as I gripped his shoulder. It was the first time that his bite had truly been painful, making me cry. Never once had his bite hurt this much.
"I'm sorry," he whispered upon pulling back, his hand stroking my cheek gently as he wiped at the tears.
He made sure to wipe his mouth on his sleeve, ridding himself of the blood on his mouth, getting enough off of it before taking my hand and placing it on his face. The act itself was deliberate.
"Girls, please, stay back," Sheriff Forbes said, quickly making her way over as she pulled a small radio out from her jacket. "Get me a medic down here," she said into the radio, making her way over to us.
"It's gonna be okay," Damon told me, pressing his lips to mine.
"My God…Kali, are you alright?" Liz asked, looking down at me.
"Yeah… I'm fine," I told her, wincing as I spoke.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I… I don't know," I told her, acting as though I was trying to remember.
I knew how this worked. I had to pretend that I was possibly compelled or that it was an animal attack. I wasn't supposed to let her know that I knew anything about the vampires.
"I didn't see what it was," I told her, brows furrowed. "I…I can't remember."
"It's alright," she said gently, before turning toward Elena and Bonnie. "Did you girls see anything?" she asked.
"No," Elena said. "We just found her here and then we called Damon. I didn't know what to do," she explained.
Liz then turned toward Bonnie, hoping for a similar story.
"We didn't see anything," she said quietly, shaking her head.
"Alright," Liz nodded, looking back toward me and Damon for a moment. "Why don't you girls get back to the party?" she suggested. "Me and Damon will take care of this," she told them.
"Take care of her," Bonnie said, slowly turning around and walking off.
Elena followed after her, leaving the three of us behind.
After they were gone, Liz pulled her radio out again in irritation.
"I said I need a medic people," she said urgently, moving back toward me. "You're going to be fine Kali," she assured me, taking a look at my neck.
The bite marks there were obvious. Since Damon hadn't had time to do anything, that's why he had to bite me. There had been no other option, given the amount of blood that covered me, I would have had to have been bitten badly. Luckily, Damon hadn't bitten me nearly as hard as Stefan had. Stefan had torn right into me, nearly tearing my throat to shreds.
"Damon…I'm tired," I told him, curling up against him as I shivered.
"Just bare with me," he told me, taking off his jacket and placing it around me.
It was warm and comforting, helping keep my shivering at bay.
"It'll be alright," he told me, keeping me close as he caressed my cheek. "It'll be okay," he promised, kissing my forehead.
Okay everyone, that was chapter 24, the second half of the Miss Mystic Falls set. PLEASE, let me know what you think? I worked really hard on this.
If ANYONE has ANY IDEAS, PLEASE let me know.
Also, what did you think about Stefan attacking Kali. What about Damon's reach to it? Even Damon biting her after healing her? Let me know your thoughts on everything.
PLEASE, REVIEW AND MESSAGE! :) THANKS EVERYONE!