Chapter 4: Where the Hell is Caroline?

-x-x-x-

"Further than I've been before,

Touched your hand but nothing more,

No-one's ever looked at me that way."

Matthew and the Atlas – Counting Paths.

-x-x-x-

Expecting to wake up to a phone call from her hyperactive best friend, Skylar was confused to wake up to complete silence.

She hadn't so much as received a text message from Caroline since last night. It wasn't like her, at all. Skye had fully been expecting to her the blonde's voice squealing down the phone to her about how the 'mystery guy' had rocked her world and back again.

After a few attempts to call her with no response, Skylar started to worry, pacing back and forth in her bedroom. It was almost time for school, so close to first period that Skye herself had to rush to get ready and catch a lift from her mother to the school; just arriving in time for the first bell to ring.

Having to endure a full car ride alone with her mother was a rare occurrence, but one that was necessary for that morning. Caroline was MIA and Tyler hadn't really spoken to her since they had arrived home. The fact she hadn't woken up to him demanding a jog brought a slight pain to her chest.

Walking into he classroom, she noticed that Caroline was nowhere to be seen. Panic struck her so hard that she lost her breath for a second. Hoping that she was just being paranoid, she decided that she would wait until break to phone Liz and ask her what was happening. Surely, if anything had happened to Caroline, the sheriff would have come straight to her first? As long as Caroline's mother was nowhere in the immediate area, she prayed that it meant Caroline was safe.

Sighing, she glanced at the empty seat beside her, hoping that her best friend was just late.

-x-x-x-

As third period came ever closer, Skylar started to feel severely on edge.

Caroline hadn't replied to any of her messages and she couldn't get through to the sheriff yet. Care had never gone silent before, even when she was ill, she would usually send Skye a ten-page essay on what was wrong with her and why it made the entire world a darker place.

As Stefan made his way into the French classroom, Skye couldn't help but notice Bonnie's eyes fall to the floor.

"Bon?" Skye asked, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Shaking her head with a small smile, Bonnie quietly replied, "It's nothing. Just something I'm dealing with."

Tilting her head to the side with a raised brow, Skye sighed. "You realise that it's not that easy to lie to me, right?"

"After pushing me to go after him, Bonnie suddenly has a bad feeling about Stefan." Elena explained, sounding exasperated from Skylar's other side.

"A bad feeling?" Skye repeated. "What kind of bad feeling? Are you sure you didn't just eat something that you shouldn't have?" It seemed pretty ridiculous to decide Stefan was to be avoided just because of a feeling.

Bonnie sighed, clearly agitated. "It wasn't like it. When I touched him, I felt…" Trailing off, she shook her head and focused back on the textbook in front of her. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

"When you touched him?" Skye whispered in question. She remembered how accurate Bonnie had been about the night she had touched her own hand, thinking that maybe there was more to this feeling than originally thought. "What kind of feeling was it?"

Looking unsure, Bonnie turned to the Lockwood girl. "Promise me that you won't make a joke?" She asked, clearly unsettled by whatever feeling it was that she'd had.

"I promise." Skye assured. "I trust your judgement."

With a small smile and a quick glance around to make sure that nobody else was listening, she leant in to whisper. "It felt like death."

The pit in Skylar's stomach only worsened with her words. The animal attacks had started the same time that the Salvatore brothers had moved into town, but that had to be a coincidence, right? Clearly, there was no way the presence of the two new residents of Mystic Falls were connected to the attacks.

Nothing seemed to make sense to her anymore.

-x-x-x-

Once lunch had been and gone, Skye's mind was running faster than it ever had before. Caroline still hadn't replied to any of her messages; there had been no communication what so ever. Skylar just knew that something was wrong. She would give her until cheerleading practice, something she never missed. If Caroline didn't make an appearance then she would go round to her house to check on her, if all else failed, she would take the sheriff to the Salvatore Boarding House.

Sighing, she walked into Biology to find that they would be working in pairs for the day. The words in bold handwriting written on the board at the front. Looking around the room, she noticed Stefan sat alone at one of the desks.

She stood for a moment, debating her next move. Was talking to him a wise decision? What if Bonnie's feeling meant that Stefan was just as dangerous as his brother, but just better at hiding it?

"Hey." Skye cautiously greeted, walking over to his desk.

"Hey, Skylar." He replied, the smile on his face conveying his confusion at her approach.

Glancing back at the board before returning her gaze to his own, she asked. "Want to be partners? Caroline hasn't shown up today and I think Elena would appreciate the people she cares about making some kind of effort for friendship?"

Stefan nodded, looking down at the textbook in front of him, his smile becoming slightly more genuine. "Sure, that'd be great." He replied, pulling out the chair next to him for her to sit on.

"She seems super happy since you arrived, by the way." Skye said, trying to start off with some light conversation before she had to ask him about his brother. "It's nice to see her smile again, I was starting to wonder if it was even possible anymore."

"Yeah, I'm glad I came here." He said, his eyes sincere. "Elena is a great girl, she deserves happiness."

"That she does." She smiled in return.

Studying her, Stefan noticed as she fidgeted with the bracelet on her wrist, his features growing concerned. "Are you… Okay? Skye?"

"I'm fine." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I guess I'm just worried about Caroline."

"Is she alright?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she looked at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "I don't know. She hasn't replied to any of my messages, she hasn't called me back. Care usually texts me every ten minutes and that is on a slow day. But today, I've heard nothing; radio silence."

"Do you need someone to go with you to check on her?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed. "If you do, I'll be happy to help. Just let me know."

"Thank you, Stefan." She said, genuinely. She paused for a moment, deciding that now was the right time to broach the subject of his older brother. "Honestly, I could actually use your help with something…"

Eyebrows raised in question, Stefan turned to give her his full attention. "Anything you need."

"Can you tell me about your brother?" She asked, noticing his jaw tense. "Damon?"

It took him a few moments to compose himself before he could respond. "What makes you ask about him?"

Sighing, she shook her head, trying to sort her thoughts. "I met him last night." She confessed. "He seemed awfully full of himself and to be quite honest he… He made me feel pretty uneasy."

"He didn't… Hurt you, or anything, did he?" He asked, giving her a once over to check for any marks, leaning in to ensure nobody else around them could hear.

"No." Skye assured. "No. He didn't hurt me. But I'm sure that Caroline went home with him last night." She explained, hoping that Stefan would give her some kind of idea about his brother. "I haven't heard from her since and I just… I just need to know if I'm right to be as worried as I am."

Stefan's eyes showed thinly veiled panic, trying to hide his emotions from the girl sat in front of him. "I'm sure that Caroline is fine…" He trailed off, glancing out the window. "If you want, I'll contact him as soon as the lesson is over… Try to find out if he knows where your friend is."

"I would really appreciate it." She smiled, apologetically. "I'm sorry that I brought him up, I know you two don't exactly get along."

"It's alright. Damon…" He said, turning back to her. "Damon is just a bit of a sore spot. But I understand why you would be worried. I don't know exactly how long he plans on staying, I just hope that it's not for much longer."

With a small smile, Skye decided that a change in subject was needed. Otherwise, the lesson was going to be extremely awkward and uncomfortable to get through.

"So," She started. "I heard that my brother threw a football at you while your back was turned. I'm sorry about that, it seems that whenever my dad goes out of town for a few days, Ty just needs someone to focus his aggression on."

A small laugh escaped him as the smile returned to his face. "Yeah, it's alright, I think I handled it just fine."

"I heard that too." She laughed. "Good for you, I was told it was a highly impressive catch. Not many people manage to make my brother look like an idiot."

"Well, I used to play football a long time ago."

Tilting her head to the side, Skye pursed her lips as she asked. "Has Elena already tried to convince you to join the team?"

A smirk, much kinder than that of his older brother's, appeared on his face. "You know her pretty well."

"She'll just want what's best for you." She explained. "You've got to make more friends some time, Stefan. Although, I do have to admire your attempt to just phase yourself into her group of friends."

"I try." He shrugged. "Would you prefer I became friends with your brother?"

Scrunching up her face, she scoffed. "I'm surprised anyone is friends with my brother anymore."

"You said when your father goes out of town that he focuses his aggression on someone else… Who was it before me?"

Twiddling the charm on her bracelet. "Usually me." She confided. "I don't know what it is… When my father goes away for a couple of nights a month, Tyler and I just can't control ourselves."

"Both of you?" Stefan asked, confused.

"Yeah. Maybe it's my brother's attitude, but I usually get a lot angrier too." She explained, thinking back to the past year.

Stefan let out an exaggerated sigh. "Remind me not to piss you off, then."

A small laugh was exchanged between the pair as Skylar whispered "Noted." The teacher finally gaining everyone's attention.

-x-x-x-

After school, Skylar tried to call Caroline once more before changing into her cheerleading outfit. But once again, there was no answer.

Walking past the football team, she noticed Tanner giving her brother a hard time. Usually she would go to see if he was alright, but it didn't feel like her place anymore. It felt strange not talking to Tyler all day; as though they didn't even exist to each other.

"Have you managed to get through to Caroline yet?" Bonnie asked as Skye sat down to stretch.

"Not a word." She replied. "I'm going to have to go round to her house. She wouldn't miss practice. Hell, if she was missing a leg she'd hop here."

With a small laugh, Bonnie said "Maybe Elena will have heard from her?"

"Maybe." Skye sighed, knowing that there was a very slim chance that if she hadn't her from Caroline that Elena would have. "I'll call her and see."

But before she could pick up her phone, Elena made herself known.

"Oh my God!" Bonnie squealed, pulling her into a hug. "You're here!"

"You're sure you want to come back to the stress of having Caroline order you around?" Skye laughed, hugging her after Bonnie released their friend.

"Yep. I can't be sad girl forever." Elena replied. "The only way to get things back to the way they were are to do things that were." She explained, before turning to Bonnie. "Oh, and you're coming to dinner tonight."

"I am?" Bonnie smiled.

"Mhm. You, me and Stefan." Elena said smugly, Bonnie's smile vanishing. "You have to give him a chance."

As they had a short discussion, Skye looked around to see if she could possibly see Caroline anywhere. Hoping that the blonde would arrive any second, moaning about how she couldn't deal with how ill she felt for the day; how Skye hoped that Care had just been ill.

"Hey, Skye. Can you make it?" Elena asked, breaking the girl out of her thoughts.

"Ehh, yeah. I should be able to."

"Good." She smiled. "It'll be nice to have someone else on Stefan's side."

Nodding, she looked over to the football field. "I'd rather do anything than have dinner at my own house tonight, anyway."

"Is everything alright?" Elena asked, concerned. "I haven't seen you and Tyler even look at each other all day."

"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure out how this has all happened, to be honest. One day he just changed, I don't even know why." Skye sighed.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Elena gave her a reassuring smile. "He'll come around. He's just going through a stupid jock phase, I'm sure he'll go back to normal eventually."

"I hope so." Skye told her, rising up to her feet, phone in hand. "I'm going to try Caroline again, this is getting ridiculous now."

But before she could so much as press a button, loud music signalled the arrival of a car. Glancing over, she noticed Caroline in the passenger's seat, being dropped off by the guy Skye was praying she hadn't been with; Damon Salvatore.

"Oh my God." Bonnie said. "That must be the mystery guy from The Grill."

"That's not a mystery guy." Elena said, standing up next to the two girls. "That's-"

"Damon Salvatore." Skylar dead-panned.

Not paying attention to anything else they were saying, Skye approached Caroline as she kissed Damon and got out of the car. Giving the Lockwood girl a bright smile, raising her eyebrows as she took her sunglasses off, Caroline smirked.

"Sorry I'm late." She said. "I was… Busy."

"I'm sure you were." Skye said, sending a glare in Damon's direction as he smirked at her. "So busy you couldn't so much as text me back."

Giving her a smug smile, Damon faced the road and drove off, leaving Skylar aggravated.

"Calm down, Skye." Caroline laughed. "I'm alright, it's not like I was murdered."

"Well I didn't know that, did I?" The girl snapped. "Why didn't you so much as send me a text to let me know you were okay? You tell me you're going somewhere with a strange guy and then go off the radar? What the hell, Care?"

She sighed in frustration. "God forbid you could just be happy for me. I got the other Salvatore brother, Skye. The hotter one, might I add. Can't you just celebrate my happiness?"

Shaking her head, Skylar tried her best to keep her anger under control, knowing Caroline, there was no way she'd even show a hint of remorse at making her worry. "Fine…" She trailed off, glancing at Caroline's neck. "Since when do you wear scarves to practice? Ashley tried to wear one two weeks ago and you almost threw her off the team."

"Since when is it weird that I accessorize?" She giggled, motioning for Skye to take her place for practice.

Something was off, Skye knew that, she just didn't know what it was.

-x-x-x-

Thankfully, it wasn't long into the dinner that night that Stefan had managed to win Bonnie over. He was talking to her about the Salem witches and she seemed to be drawn into his thoughts on the topic. Bonnie appeared to be over the moon to have someone who had actual knowledge on the subject, rather than her friends who only knew how to make awkward jokes.

Bonnie had been having a hard time recently, seeing the same numbers over and over in her head all throughout the day; drawing them in all of her classes. It was nice for her friends to see her relax about the whole witch thing for once since her Grams had told her about it all.

Just as the conversation came to a close, the doorbell rang. Elena excused herself to answer it, Stefan following soon after; worry clear in his eyes. When Bonnie suggested to Skye that they move into the living room for tea and coffee, Skylar waved her on.

"You go." She said. "I'll just clean up a little bit."

It was an unspoken rule between Skylar and her friends that she would be allowed to clear up when she was at their houses. Being a Lockwood, she never had to lift a finger at home, her parents often hiring people to do all the work for them. Skylar longed to feel normal, to gain experiences that everyone else had. So, her friends humoured her, allowing her to do the dishes and tidy away the things used.

As she cleared the last plate of food into the trash, she heard Caroline's laugh come from the hallway. Turning to see her friend, she stiffened.

Icy blue eyes stared into her own, mere inches separating them once more.

"I didn't mean to startle you." Damon smirked.

"Are you sure about that?" She sneered, leaning back into the kitchen counter. "Because you managed to walk in here without making any noise, you're stood pretty damn close to me right now… And you didn't say anything to me until I had already turned around."

Smirk widening, he leaned in closer. "Maybe you just weren't paying attention."

"So high school girls are your thing then?" She quipped, sliding away from him and across to the other side of the kitchen. "You must be a very interesting guy, I haven't been able to speak to Caroline at all today." She said, opening up a cupboard and taking out a few mugs.

"Ahh, you're the one whose been blowing up her phone." He replied, taking the mugs off her and filling a few of them with coffee.

Confused, Skye glanced between his face and the freshly poured coffee, wondering what Damon was up to. "Yeah, well, when your best friend who never shuts up suddenly goes off the radar, you start to worry about her."

"She is quite the talker." Damon chuckled, his face feigning kindness. "I'm guessing she shares most things with you?"

Squinting her eyes at the elder Salvatore, Skylar couldn't help but feel cautious at the sudden attitude adjustment. His smirk was gone, replaced by a kind smile. His eyes were no longer hard and conniving… But she was certain that he was up to something.

"Well we've been friends forever, so, she tends to lean my way when she needs to talk about something." Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she finished with, "And yet, since you've spent the night with her, I've hardly managed to get ten words out of her."

"Should I be worried?" He whispered, mockingly cupping his mouth so only Skylar would hear him.

"Should I be?" She asked, clearly, raising an eyebrow.

Damon's face hardened, realising that he wasn't going to get through to the young Lockwood for the time being.

"Hey." Stefan greeted, breaking the pair out of their staring contest. "You need any help, Skylar?"

Not wanting to be alone with Damon for much longer, she sighed in relief. "Yeah." She responded, noting the way Stefan's eyes never left his brother. "You can help your brother take the coffee into the living room."

She could feel the tension between the two siblings as she swiftly left the room, marching straight up to Caroline and pulling her in for a hug.

"There you are." Caroline grinned, releasing her best friend. "I was wondering where you were."

Skylar's eyes drifted to the scarf wrapped around Caroline's neck. "I could say the same about you." She rushed out. "Is that another scarf?"

Damon brushed past her, stealing the blonde's attention back before Skylar could get a response.

Bonnie motioned for Skye to sit next to her, the latter not taking her eyes off of Damon and Caroline the whole time. Stefan's glares towards his brother kept her on edge, she didn't trust him in the slightest. And from how tense Stefan's shoulders seemed to be, Skye had a feeling that there was something the younger Salvatore wasn't telling her.

He had told her that Damon wasn't a good guy, leaving out any details. And for once, Skylar believed that the details would be extremely important.

-x-x-x-

About an hour later, the group were all having a conversation about Elena and cheerleading; how she didn't really seem to enjoy doing it anymore.

"Oh, it's just cause her parents died." Caroline said, making Skye's eyes widen. She wasn't going to go there. "Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be way more fun."

Catching her eye, Skylar mouthed. 'What the fuck?'

Looking between her best friend and Elena, the blonde realised what she'd just said. "And I say that with complete sensitivity."

Damon turned to Elena, looking remorseful. "I'm sorry Elena, I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die."

"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon." Stefan chimed in, clearly agitated.

"Ah, you know what, you're right Stef. I'm sorry." He started. "The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up." He smirked.

There it was. The proof Skylar needed that Damon Salvatore was up to something. She couldn't really tell what it was, wondering if he was trying to get in between Elena and Stefan? Not wanting to really deal with the awkward exchanges that were no doubt away to follow, she offered to do the dishes.

"Oh no, Skye, you don't have to." Elena said, starting to stand.

"Sit back down, Elena." She commanded. "At my house we have people to do everything. Let me experience real life."

They both laughed as she conceded and sat back down with a smile.

After just a few minutes of Skylar rinsing off the dishes, she heard a voice enter the kitchen.

"One more." Damon called, holding up a glass.

Holding out her hand, she gave him a quick thank you as she tried to take the glass from his hand. But her fingers were wet and slippery, the glass slipping through them instantly. Closing her eyes, she waited for the inevitable smash to echo around the kitchen.

But it never came.

Opening her eyes, she saw Damon holding the glass out to her once more, a small smile on his face.

"Wow." She said, taking the glass. "Insane reflexes Salvatore. Is it your entire family that has those or just you and Stefan?" She asked, thinking back to the stories of Stefan catching the football today at school.

"We had a father who demanded the very best." He replied, watching her as he leant against the counter.

"I can understand that." She replied, thinking about her own father. "Father's seem to give their sons a hard time, huh?"

Damon sighed, shrugging his shoulder. "So, it would seem."

And for just a moment, Skylar wondered if that was the reason Damon was how he was. After all, Tyler was turning into a complete ass and she was sure it was him breaking under the pressure their father put onto him. Maybe Damon was actually a good guy, deep deep down.

"So, what's it like being the mayor's daughter?" He asked. "He give you a hard time?"

Shaking her head with a small smile, she handed him one of the dishes to go into the dishwasher "No." She said. "Honestly, he's pretty amazing with me. It's Tyler that he seems to expect the most from."

"I'm sure he'll get over it." Damon replied.

"Have you?"

Giving a quick smile that seemed forced, he swiftly changed the subject. "So, what about you, then? Where do your issues lie?"

"My mother." Skye answered, honestly, suddenly wondering if a genuine conversation might bring the real Damon to the front, hoping to catch him out for even just a second. "I fully expect her to have at least five guys lined up for me to meet at the Founders Party."

"There isn't already a lucky guy in your life?" He asked, seeming genuinely surprised. "I thought for sure that bracelet you wear was a gift from some love-sick fool."

"I guess he's love-sick in a way." She chuckled. "My dad actually gave me this just over a year ago. There was this flower that I had found on one of our family trips that I just loved. I went back to the field every day we were there, I just wanted to experience that scent for the rest of my life." She explained. "But there was hardly any of the flowers left, so he got one of them made into a bracelet for me to keep."

Damon seemed caught in deep thought, staring down at the piece of jewellery. "Very thoughtful of him." He pondered. "Do you ever take it off?"

"Not really." She shrugged. "To shower? I suppose…"

He nodded, placing the last plate into the dishwasher.

"And for football games." Skye added as an afterthought. "Caroline refuses to let anyone accessorise on the team unless we can all match."

"So, you won't be wearing it tomorrow night?" He asked, following her over to the kitchen island.

Confused, she sat down on one of the stools, turning to face him with questioning eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason." He smiled, sitting down next to her. "So, what about living in the Lockwood Mansion, what's that like?"

"Okay, Salvatore. What do you want?" She asked, no longer buying his nice guy act. "You want me to invite you back to my house? What, you're going to steal a bunch of expensive family heirlooms before you skip town?"

Eyebrows furrowed, he let out a short laugh. "What makes you so sure I'm leaving town?"

"Are you kidding?" She asked, eyebrow raised. "You're the mystery guy who sweeps into town in a leather jacket, fools around with a couple of high school girls so that he doesn't have to make any kind of commitment." She explained. "Forgive me for thinking you're not the type to settle down in one town."

Glancing at the living room, he sighed. "You caught me, I'm a traveller." He said. "But I have enough money that I don't need to steal anything."

"Fair enough." Skye shrugged. "So, you're only here to mess with Stefan's relationship then?"

"I don't-"

"You know what I'm talking about." She stressed. "Don't try and deny it. Bringing up his ex-girlfriend, giving Elena flirty little looks… Why are you doing it?"

Shaking his head, he folded up one of the placemats. "It's a long, complicated story."

"I bet I already know the summary." She sighed dramatically, putting the placemats away as he folded them.

Raising up three fingers, he said "You get three guesses."

"You both dated the same girl?" She asked with a smirk.

"Are you a detective?" He leaned in to whisper.

Leaning forward, she whispered back, mockingly. "I don't even think you try to be subtle."

"Guilty." Damon smirked.

Feeling herself getting lost in his clear blue eyes; she found them almost hypnotising in a way. She didn't know if it was the human version of Damon coming out or if she was just tired, but she suddenly didn't feel as cautious around him as she had until that moment. Realising how close they were, she drew myself back, knowing that Damon was not a guy to be interested in. And even if he was, she would never be capable of hurting Caroline that way.

"What happened? Your sibling rivalry drive her away?" She snorted.

Damon kept his focus on the placemats he was folding. "She died in a fire. It was a tragic loss."

Immediately feeling awful about the joke she'd just made, she reached over and gave his hand a slight squeeze in comfort. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

His features twisted into confusion, looking from their hands up to her eyes. "What for?"

"You lost someone you cared about… It's not something that you get over easily." She explained. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Damon looked at her with an expression that she couldn't quite read; the air between them shifting slightly.

Skylar had found the human part of Damon that she had been looking for, but now she had no idea how to react to it. The pressure of his father, the rivalry with his brother, topped off with the loss of the girl that he loved; it was no wonder he came off as he did. She suddenly felt like she understood him.

The man in front of her, was never going to give Caroline what she wanted; was probably going to hurt her friend's feelings terribly when his eventual rejection came… But Skylar no longer felt like her best friend was in danger.

Feeling the urge to lighten the mood and end the intense moment between them, Skye chuckled. "By the way," she started, taking her hand away from his. "I'd stop with the flirty remarks to Elena. Care has a whole thing with her and guys… I don't think you're ready for the drama that comes with an insecure Caroline."

"Noted." He barely mumbled, his stare never wavering from her face.

His attention was finally shifted over to Elena and Bonnie as they walked into the room.

"You okay?" Elena asked. "Need any help?"

"Sure." Skye smiled. "If you could just check I put everything away right, I get worried."

"Of course." She smiled. "Thank you for offering to do all this."

As the two girls walked in to join her, Skye's eyes lingered on the older Salvatore as he walked away towards the living room.

-x-x-x-

That night, Skylar was sat at her desk as she listened to the music coming from Tyler's room.

He was angry that Stefan had made it onto the football team, angry that he'd basically made a fool of himself while trying to embarrass the youngest Salvatore. So, he was in his room, listening to loud music and probably breaking anything he didn't have an emotional attachment to.

Skye was just glad that their rooms were far enough away from their parent's. If their dad came back from his trip out of town to the news that Tyler had kept their mother awake all night with loud music and crashes, she feared what he'd do to Tyler. She guessed that's why Tyler got away with certain things, like sneaking Vicki in. It's because there was no real way for their parents to know about any of it. They very rarely come to check on their children at night.

Fidgeting with the charm on her bracelet, she glanced over at the pile of smashed CDs in the corner of her room; thinking back to the argument that she'd had with Tyler when she'd gotten home from Elena's house.

-x-x-x-

"Where have you been?" Tyler asked her as she walked into the house. "Do you realise how stressful dinner is when I'm the only kid in the house?"

"I was at Elena's." She replied. "She wanted us to help Stefan settle into town a little better."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "Of course, it was because of Salvatore."

"Listen, I get that you're mad that Stefan made the team, but surely it's a good thing? With another good player, and don't say that he isn't a good player because I saw him, then there's a better chance of winning tomorrow." She said, making her way towards her bedroom.

"Yeah, and another player for dad to compare me to." He sneered. "It's not exactly something I need right now."

"Ty, it's going to be fine. You're good at what you do. Dad will come around, I know he will." She said, trying to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

But he batted the hand away. "Cause he's been so chill about every so far." He scoffed, looking at his sister as though he couldn't stand the sight of her tonight. Slamming the door to his bedroom, he apparently decided that their conversation was over.

Storming into her own bedroom, she was seething. How could her brother treat her so terribly for going round to a friend's house for dinner? It wasn't like he never did it himself. What an asshole.

Not being able to stifle the anger bubbling up inside of her, she quickly grabbed the closest thing to her and threw it against the wall. She watched as the CDs all tumbled out of the small rack that they were in, before moving over to them.

She picked up each case one by one, smashing it to pieces and throwing them away once they were destroyed beyond recognition.

-x-x-x-

Their father was always expecting more from Tyler than he was her, and she agreed that Tyler never seemed to do anything that their dad deemed worthy enough of praise. But she'd stopped trying to reason with their father a long time ago, realising that it always just seemed to make things worse for her twin brother.

A part of her wanted to apologise to her brother for the fight that they'd had. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it, even with their dad being awful to him, it just wasn't enough of an excuse for him to be a complete dick to everyone around him. But she missed her brother, missed being able to tell him everything, missed being able to laugh with him.

She just missed him.

Sighing, she got into bed, deciding to deal with the pile of trash that she'd created in the morning. She wondered if she would actually hear from Caroline before the game tomorrow or if she'd still be too caught up in Damon to contact anybody else.

Damon.

She wasn't sure what to think of him anymore. It always seemed hard to decipher if what he was saying was a lie or the truth. He only ever changed his facial expressions slightly, meaning you had to really concentrate if you wanted to pick up on anything.

Which is why she'd been so caught off guard when she'd tried to comfort him. The look in his eyes; as though he just never experienced any form of kindness until that moment. She'd never had someone look at her that way before; like she was someone completely different from the rest.

Maybe Damon wasn't an awful guy, maybe he had just learnt to expect the worst from everyone, to expect the worst from the universe. Maybe he was trying to protect himself from the cruelties of the world by pushing everyone else away… But that was no excuse for the way he acted.

She guessed there wouldn't really be an opportunity for her to find out.

Glancing over at her balcony windows, she started to drift to sleep, the crow perched outside on her balcony as it always was now.

-x-x-x-

Standing out on her balcony, Damon watched the young Lockwood girl sleep peacefully.

She had been kind to him, regardless of his actions towards her or her friend. She had shown him comfort, even whilst knowing that he was trying to ruin his own brother's relationship.

Damon hadn't experienced either of those things in a long time.

He almost felt bad for the things he would have to do. The pain he would no doubt cause her and her friends with his mission to free Katherine from the tomb.

With one last glance, he turned, leaving to think about his next move for the night of the game.

Skylar wouldn't be wearing her bracelet, he would have to find her alone somehow.

He just wasn't sure when he was going to get the chance.

-x-x-x-

"Well, if I could apologise,

Put the light back in your eyes,

No-one's ever looked at me that way."

-x-x-x-

A/N: We're almost back up to date. We're getting there! It's happening.

Welcome to anybody new! Thank you to anybody who is re-reading it all.

I hope you're enjoying this version!

~ fawningfantasy x