Hello again everyone!
Thank you so much for your lovely reviews. As always, it always delights me! I'd thought sending a PM to everyone thanking them for their reviews, but I much prefer shout outs. I've always done that.
As for this chapter, I'd say this - let the plot develop at its pace and I promise we'll understand Kol, Arianna and the story much better! :)
So, without wasting much time -
BarbarafromGR - Thank you so much for your review. And no, Arianna has had no prior experience with an immortal so it is absolutely safe to assume that the vision was completely Kol's doing! I hope you like this installment and be kind to review :)
LucyRider17 - Thank you so much for that review! I hope my story keeps you equally interested further and I hope to see another review soon! :)
appreciation - Don't I simply love your reviews? Oh yes, I do! I totally understand about being picky when it comes to fanfics - I'm a victim too. What surprises me is some good ones have hardly any reviewers you know because of which the authors tend to abandon it. Its pretty bad. Anyway, I do not consider Kol to be "soft" or "romantic" to say in the least to be very honest. He is detached and twisted. A charmer most definitely, but the charmer who is as good as poison. I'm also trying to keep Arianna a little low-key for now and mysterious so that it leaves a bit for the reader's interpretation of her character. I've always believed one interpretation of a character is never the correct interpretation so all your reviews and thoughts would probably help me understand the way the character comes across too! As far as their first interaction goes, all I'm going to say is - Lets just wait and watch! Please do leave a review for this one too, I really look forward to hearing from you! :)
LysaLoo62 - Thank you for your encouraging words! I hope to hear more from you :)
Kathryne Buzolic - I like that pen-name by the way :P Anyway, it's very big of you to put me at such a pedestal. I hope I can live up to your expectations and wish you luck with all your stories too! I hope to hear more from you! :)
bettingonalice01 - Firstly, thank you so much for pointing that one out. (Although I was expecting no one noticed.) I happened to come across it only after having posted the chapter, which means I'll have to be more careful in the future. And don't worry about being "rude". I love constructive criticism, it only helps us improve! I hope this next chapter keeps you entertained! :)
Cielja - Thank you so much for your review! It makes me happy that you liked my story so far. I'd love to hear more from you! :)
Now now,
Happy Reading!
Chapter 3
"Nate, wake up." A feminine voice called his name, momentarily disturbing him from his deep slumber. A ray of bright light flickered on his eyes making him irritable. He grumbled and turned to continue sleeping on his side.
"Nate man, come on. We gotta go." A male voice called out, giving him a playful kick on his back. He recognized the brazen gesture instantly. It was Gary, his classmate.
"Piss off dude." He sighed in exasperation and rolled on his back on the forest floor before sitting up, disgruntled to be woken up. Gary chuckled.
"What time is it?"
"Time to get to school handsome." He felt soft lips caressing his own as Lynette pulled him up with herself, his lips never once leaving hers. He smirked, pulling the redhead closer, against his body. She pushed him away playfully brushing the leaves off his messy hair.
Nate parted with his friends from the woods reluctantly, pulling out his earphones as he headed towards his house. To Nate his life was nothing short of a thespian film about a rich kid who had parental issues and a sister who couldn't care less. It probably served as the only feasible explanation as to why he had been so taken by the new group of friends he chanced upon one evening in the woods.
They were free-spirited, uninhabited. They helped him ease and rid the pent-up frustration that had culminated in him for years. They provided him with alcohol and illegal pot which his mother would never have approved of. He laughed sarcastically. She was hardly ever around to approve and disapprove of the acts of her son. The way he saw it, atleast it would get him some attention from his mother, good or bad.
His hoodie covered his hair from the moist dew of the morning. He hated Mystic Falls and the perpetually cold and wet weather. The boundary of his house finally appeared before him, only a few meters away. He would have to make a jump over the walls and enter through his window if he wanted to remain inconspicuous. It wasn't a problem for Nate. He was practiced. He had been sneaking out for over two years now, since he was fourteen.
Just as he was about to take to his usual drill of playing hide and seek before beginning to climb the fencing wall, a house keeper opened the rear gates and walked out carrying a polythene of trash, forgetting to close the gate behind her in the process. She was surely the new addition. Nate thanked his luck and made no haste in sneaking in.
He hurriedly made his way towards the back door and was just headed up the stairs when he felt a pair of eyes almost crafting holes into his back.
"Nathaniel Griffiths." A stern, shrill female voice sounded from the passageway and Nate made no mistake to recognize to who it belonged.
He turned around with much reluctance. "When did you get back?"
"Where were you?" she counter-questioned.
"What are you? My mother? Bossing me around?" he snapped, irritated.
"No, I'm your elder sister." She bit back stomping in anger towards him. "And because I'm the only one who can either save or kick your ass, you'd better be answerable for your whereabouts." She leaned close to his face and muttered angrily.
"Back off Aria. You've been back, what? One day?" he walked away from her hurrying towards his room upstairs. The silence was a clear indication that mother had already left for work.
"Nathaniel, don't you think I'm letting you off lightly." He heard his elder sister yell from downstairs. He was annoyed. He slammed his door shut pacing angrily in his room. He was livid.
He was angry at his sister for treating him like a petulant child. Angry at her for thinking that she could just waltz into his life after three long years and behave like nothing had changed, like he was still answerable to her; angry at her for pretending to care – angry that a part of him still believed that she probably did care.
He punched his fist into hard wood desk and winced in pain, retrieving his hand instantly. The clock on the wall reminded him that he was in desperate need to nurse his hurting hand and change in time for another nightmarish day of school.
He sniffed his clothes, hoping he could pass them off for the day but he smelled of alcohol and weed – lots of weed.
He definitely needed a shower.
A frown creased its way to Arianna's face at the retreating form of her younger brother. She was worried, incredibly so. She wondered what had changed so dramatically about her brother in her absence. She reminisced about the young boy of fourteen when she had left. He had pretended to be unmoved, but she knew he was upset over the prospect of losing his elder sister – the only one he could rely on.
What troubled her was, if she wasn't mistaken and by experience, she certainly couldn't have been mistaken – why she could smell traces of a terrible combination of marijuana and alcohol off her brother's clothes. Could it have been possible that Nate had taken to substance abuse? She pondered.
She shook her head with an exasperated sigh. It was too revolting an idea to even be given a thought. No, her brother was a good kid; a bit damaged maybe, but she trusted that he was definitely wise to avoid considering substance abuse as a solution to anything.
She decided she would have a word with Nate later. For now, there were more pressing issues that demanded her immediate attention – like the vibrating cell phone in her hand.
"I'm coming mom. 10 minutes." She certainly had a busy day before her.
The terrifying nightmare from the previous night would have to wait a little longer to gain her full attention.
Eleanor watched as her daughter assisted Dr. Wilder like a dedicated student as he taught her the basics of hypnosis, giving her a practical demonstration.
Arianna made her proud. Arianna had been through a lot, yes and though Eleanor would have never admitted to it, she knew she was to blame equally for their strained relationship. Her thoughts however were directed only in one direction – Arianna's nightmares seemed to have returned to haunt her. She knew better than to pester her daughter. Arianna had always been stubborn and unyielding even as a child, save to her late father.
Peter!
She sorely missed his presence through every day that she spent, hoping that she wasn't letting him down, hoping that she wasn't being a terrible mother to their children, and simply hoping.
"I'm tired. God I'm tired." Arianna walked into her mother's chamber without knocking, plopping herself on the couch at the other end of the room.
She picked up an apple from the coffee table before her and started biting into it like a starved child.
"So, how was your day?" Eleanor corrected her posture in her chair and looked at her daughter with a sweet smile.
"Umm, yeah t'was good I guess." Arianna deliberated for a moment, chewing her food. "Dr. Wilder is a really nice guy. Lots to learn." She nodded, continuing to give the apple her full attention.
The elder woman was cautious before she spoke next, for she knew they were clearly approaching a sensitive area and if not handled properly, she was at the risk of losing all that had been achieved over the past couple of years between her daughter and her.
"Dr. Wilder will be happy to have you as an intern." She tried to look busy, flipping papers from the file before her, attempting to look nonchalant about the statement she had just made.
The young brunette looked at her mother with a knowing look. "Mom, Denver is not negotiable." She finished curtly.
"I'm just saying darling." Her mother shrugged, casually. "This is after all your ancestral hospital built by your forefathers."
"Mom, this is Mystic Falls. No." Arianna's tempers were beginning to flare. She realized that off late her line of tolerance had been wearing thin.
"I haven't seen you in years Arianna; don't you think I am entitled to enjoy my daughter's company?" Eleanor suddenly burst out, tired of convincing her stubborn daughter.
She looked at her mother for a minute, contemplating. She couldn't put a word to the charge of emotions coursing through her. "Not at your convenience mother. Not at your convenience." Her voice was soft, breaking, almost inaudible, yet firm with a flicker of her characteristic obstinacy. Eleanor could see tears beginning to pool in her eyes but before she could say another word, Arianna had already exited her chamber. She could only hear the light click of the door and see her daughter's untamed burgundy hair.
Arianna walked towards the exit hurriedly not wanting to stay in the vicinity of her mother. She was hurt. She felt guilty for not being home more often. She felt guilty of the fact that she chose to stay away out of her volition. She leaned against the wall in one of the empty corridors.
The words from earlier that morning resurfaced. She felt blameworthy for her brother's disturbed teenage. She felt culpable for being selfish. A silent tear traced its path down her cheek. Irritated at the sign of weakness, she desiccated it roughly.
She sniffed, sinking her hands further into the pockets of her chinos when abruptly she felt the familiar mild pangs of pain in the internal muscles of her head. Before she knew, her vision turned blurred and she felt like she was losing herself to her nightmares again.
A pretty blond girl lay on the hospital bed, the pace of her heartbeat steady. Her thick hair was fanned on the white pillows that her head rested on. She was enjoying her peaceful, quiet slumber with a contented smile spread on her face.
Her rhythmic breaths signified that her condition was stable; the IV drips had been stopped a while ago. Fast approaching from a distance, a petite brunette appeared. Arianna could vaguely remember the girl. She had a feeling that they'd known eachother.
She watched from a distance as the two girls spoke in a low voice. Suddenly the blonde girl's expressions morphed from cheerfulness to one of utter terror and before Arianna could do anything, she saw the petite brunette smother the other girl with a pillow. The blonde struggled with all her might to push her captor off her, but failed miserably flailing all the while.
Gradually her flailing hands fell beside her, defeated and her sobs were no longer audible. The heart rate monitor only gave away a monotone signal. The brunette was careful to replace the pillow under the lifeless body of the girl.
She quickly surveyed her surroundings before walking away from the ward. She turned around for a second, looking at the young blonde, smirking.
A hint of recognition glimmered in Arianna's eyes.
The sight she had witnessed traumatized her to silence. With experience she had come to trust the truth in her visions. But could it really be? Beads of sweat were beginning to trickle down her forehead and she felt her fingers beginning to tremble. The cold night air from the open window gave her goosebumps and she could sense eeriness begin to cloud the air around her.
She felt a hand grasp her shoulder and yelped, turning around instantaneously, her skin pale, eyes wide.
Melanie looked at her friend's ashen face. "Arianna?" she smiled, a bit perplexed by the trembling appearance of the girl before her.
"Mel." She whispered softly, breathing deeply. Her shoulders slouched with relief and she closed her eyes as her friend embraced her.
"Are you alright?" Melanie asked, a bit concerned, directing them towards the closest seating area. Melanie caressed her friend's arm soothingly, resting Arianna's head on her shoulder.
"I'm… I'm okay…" Arianna panted, struggling to regain her composure. "I'm fine." She finally looked up at her friend and smiled. "Just… This place is creepy." She sounded exhausted.
"Yeah, tell me about it. About time they replaced that damn flickering light bulb." Melanie looked towards the empty corridor with distaste.
"So, you came back and I'm to know it from your mom?" she shot her friend an agonizing look.
"I'm sorry. I was about to call you today but you know mom…" she finished shaking her head.
"Yeah yeah. Tell me about it over beer." Melanie rolled her eyes at her friend and stood up pulling the brunette along with her. She smiled contented and they hurried towards the exit. Before leaving, Arianna looked one last time at the deserted corridor. The flickering light bulb seemed to have been fixed.
So, why bring Melanie into the picture? Any guesses? Should we keep her?
I've always loved reviews so very much. Please be kind by leaving a few! :)
