Chapter Fourteen: When I Come Around

I heard you crying loud, all the way across town
You've been searching for that someone,
And it's me out on the prowl
As you sit around feeling sorry for yourself
Well, don't get lonely now and dry your whining eyes
I'm just roaming for the moment
Sleazin' my back yard so don't get so uptight
You been thinking about ditching me
No time to search the world around
Cause you know where I'll be found
When I come around
~Green Day

The next morning Nilin was startled awake by Jeremy's abrasive voice telling her to wake up. Her eyes snapped open to find him sitting on her hospital bed with clothes in his hands. "Jenna's signing the papers and then you're coming home," he explained.

Nilly sat up and took the clothes from him, "Good morning to you too," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and taking a moment to figure out where she was again. The side-effects of the concussion hadn't fully worn off yet. Everything was still a little fuzzy. It was easy to tell that the pain medication hadn't worn off either. "Where's Elena?" Nilly asked as she threw the hospital sheets off of her.

"With Jenna, I guess," he answered, checking his phone. Nilly got up out of bed slowly, she was still sore. Her neck and back still hurt like a bitch. Compared to yesterday though, she'd take it.

Finally managing to stand, she went into the bathroom to change out of her hospital gown. "Who are you texting?" she called from the bathroom to Jeremy.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Who has you glued to your cell phone?" Nilly asked, walking out of the bathroom. She had a fresh pair of blue flannel shorts on and one of Elena's old cheerleading sweatshirts on. She walked over to the bed and sat next to Jeremy. "Come on, what's her name?" she said, elbowing him.

He sighed, "Her name's Anna." Nilly gave him a goofy smile, wiggling her eyebrows. "Why do I tell you anything?" he mumbled, pushing her away.

"Well, I want to know all about her," she said, sliding off the hospital bed. "But first I want to get out of here as soon as we can and eat. I'm starving."

"Of course, first thing on Nilin's mind is food," Jeremy muttered. Nilly eyed him before promptly kicking his shin. "Ow, god you're grumpy in the morning," he said, rubbing his leg. He was such a baby. She didn't even kick him hard enough to leave a bruise.

"Just remember I might have a hurt hand, but my feet are just fine." Nilin said.

Before the two of them could get into it more, Jenna popped up in the doorway. "You ready to go, hon?" she asked, smiling. Nilin was more than ready.

A nurse came in explaining side-effects Jenna should look out for do to the concussion and how she should check up on Nilly every so often for the next 24 hours. These side effects, which included loss of appetite, vomiting, server chills, fatigue, repeated loss of consciousness and short term memory loss leading up to the injury, were all known as post-concussion syndrome… and after that part Nilin tuned out the conversation and started daydreaming. She didn't snap out of her daydream until the nurse started asking Nilin about her hand. You know, the standard, "Does this hurt when I touch it? How about this?" That went on until the nurse rewrapped Nilin's bruised knuckles and prescribed her some pills for the discomfort.

Finally, Nilly was released from the hospital and able to go home. Jeremy and Nilly followed Jenna out of the hospital and into her car where they found Elena already sitting in the passenger's seat quietly. Nilly slid into the back with Jeremy and leaned her head on his shoulder as they drove home.

The car ride was silent. Nilin knew Elena wanted to talk to her, but was waiting for them to be alone. See, the problem was that Nilly didn't want to talk to Elena at the moment. She knew what Elena would have to say. She knew Elena would ask questions that Nilly didn't want to answer and she knew that the fingers would be pointed at her.

Just the thought of it was giving Nilin a headache. She meant to close her eyes for only a moment, but the next thing she knew they were pulling up to the house and Jeremy was shaking her awake.

Nilin got out sluggishly and went straight to her bed. She didn't sleep, she couldn't. Too many things were going through her head. So she laid there with the radio playing on low, because any louder and it made her head pound.

Jenna brought her some food at one point and Nilly ate it slowly as the two of them talked. Her dad had called and was asking about her. Jenna told him that she was sleeping. Nilly would have to give him a call later to let him know that she was okay. Eventually her aunt left, telling Nilin to rest.

She spent the rest of the day in bed, Elena never talked to her. Mostly, because every time her door would open she'd shut her eyes and pretend to be asleep. It worked because she was left alone the entire day.

Nilly laid there, thinking. She remembered everything, now. Caroline's words were burned into her brain. Even though she tried not to dwell on it, she couldn't help it. They scorched her. She attempted to think of something else, but every time she did her thoughts wandered to last night.
She thought she had had a dream last night. Her memory of it was all hazy, like a dream, but it seemed so real. It had to be a dream though, but for some reason she couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't. Her thoughts once again began to drift, this time to Damon. Damon, who had starred in her strange, doped up dream… Nilin shook her head and tried to blow the whole thing off, blaming it on the concussion.
Something was going on though and she knew it. She knew Damon was keeping things from her and clearly Bonnie and Elena had been too, but who else? Stefan? Tyler? Jenna? She had the feeling that something was off ever since she set foot back into Mystic Falls. Nilin thought Bonnie telling her that she was a witch would get rid of the hunch, but it didn't. If anything it certified that something was going on in her home town, but again Nilly came up blank with what it could be.

When her theories began to sound crazier than usual, Nilin took a couple pills Dr. Fells had proscribed to her to dull the pain and help her sleep. She then spent the night in a restless sleep, tossing and turning.

Her dreams we're blurry and confusing. People's faces popping up here and there. Clouds of smoke and most of the time she was in that meadow again. None of it made any sense. It thoroughly freaked her out. So when she woke up early the next day, the first thing she did was throw the doctor's pills in the trashcan.

The house was silent as Nilly got out of bed and quietly showered. Letting the water run until it was cold, then she dressed quickly. She pulled her hair in a bun— a difficult task when working with a bum hand. She was forced to ignore the fly-a-ways that escaped from it, her hair looked as good as it was going to. She wrapped her hand back up, like the nurse had showed her, grabbed her keys and left the house. Nilly didn't want to talk to anyone, her thoughts were still scrambled and she didn't want to spend another day in bed, two days was enough.

All she wanted was a quiet place where she didn't have to think.

Getting in her car, she drove into town and parked outside a small book store. It had been there for years. It was a small nook in the wall that her mother had taken her to when she was younger. It was old but warm looking with dark brick walls and a large window in the front of the store. The window was filled with stacks of old books and the wooded sign above the door read 'Reader & Seethe Books'.

Nilly pushed open the front door, setting off the little chime of a bell above it and stepped inside. The inside of the store was cozy. Shelves and shelves of books lined against the walls and stacked in corners. In the left front corner of the room sat a small wooden counter, an old rusty looking cash register and a pile of books that were placed on top of it. Nilly noticed someone behind the counter, sitting on a stool with their nose stuck in a book.

She walked up to the counter and said, "Hi, there." The person stuck a finger out, telling her to wait and flipped the page of the book. Nilly backed away a little and waited, then the person slammed the book down.

"Done," announced the girl behind the counter with a triumphant grin. "Sorry about that," she continued, smiling at Nilly. "I was at the end of the book. Too good to put it down, you know what I mean?" she winked. Nilly smiled at the girl, she was very eccentric.
"Don't worry, I understand," Nilly told her, chuckling a little.

The girl laughed, "I'm Michelle, but you can call me Shellie."

"Nilly, nice to meet you." Nilly greeted, nodding her head.

Shellie looked to be around Nilin's age. She had the long brown hair that went all the way down her back. It started as a dark brown at her scalp but the longer it got the blonder it got. It faded, going to the end of her tips, which were the blondest. It hung around her face lightly and highlighted her sharp features.

She had dark eye shadow on and lined her eyes with black eyeliner. Her eyes were a beautiful color, swirls of green and brown. She had a black headband that went across her forehead, matching the black jacket she had on. Under the jacket she had a simple pink colored shirt, with black butterflies across it. They got smaller the closer they reached her shoulder, until they disappeared.
Nilly looked back up at the girl, "That's an adorable shirt."

Shellie, who had her elbows leaning forward on the counter, straightened up and looked down at her shirt. She blushed slightly, "Oh thank you. I made it myself. I kinda have a fascination with butterflies."

"Really, well I wouldn't have known you made it." Nilly said, finding it easy to make small talk with the slim girl.

Shellie looked down smiling, wrinkling her nose. "Thank you," she said again. Then she looked up and asked, "What can I help you with? Anything specific you're looking for?"

"Well, do you have any old classics around?" Nilly asked, leaning her arm on the counter.

Shellie smiled, and hopped off the stool, revealing that she was a little taller than Nilly. "Follow me, they're upstairs," she said, almost skipping to the staircase. Nilly followed her to the back of the store and up the steps. They groaned under their feet as they went up.

The second floor of the shop had that same cozy feeling to it. In the far corner of the room there were two long sofas, mix matched and patched up all over the place. A tall reading lamp sat between them and old books were piled on the floor on the side of the couches. There was a large triangular window that took up most of the wall that was right above the front entrance. The window was lined with more books and most of the light filtered in from it.

Staring at the books, Nilly noticed someone by one of the shelves in the corner. She followed Shellie up to the girl. "Hey Mags, meet Nilly," Shellie said.
The girl turned around and Nilly looked her over. She was very pretty and had the strangest features about her that all seemed to work. Her dark brown hair was braided to the side and hung over her shoulder. The tips of her hair were dyed a deep scarlet red, and she had a streak of the same color running down the front. Her eyes were mesmerizing, they looked almost yellow, like honey. They reminded Nilly of an animal's eyes at night. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She was wearing a simple green and blue flannel shirt, the sleeves rolled up, with a teal tank top underneath. Her bermuda shorts were ripped and went to right above her knee. Nilly noticed a tattoo on her leg. It was something written in Latin or something, Nilin wasn't sure.

She held out her hand, "Nilin, but just call me Nilly."

"Magnolia," she said, shaking Nilly's hand.

"Are you two related?" Nilly asked, gesturing between the two girls. They looked at each other and then back at Nilly. "Sadly," Magnolia said walking over to another bookshelf.

Shellie rolled her eyes, "We're cousins."

"With the displeasure of getting stuck with the same shift," Magnolia called over her shoulder. Nilly laughed, they reminded her of Jeremy and herself, the way they teased each other.

Shellie had walked over to Magnolia, making some sarcastic comment about something. Nilly was still chuckling about their interaction, but a book over on one shelf caught her eye. She went over to the book self and squatted down, reaching for the book when she heard a low growl next to her. She pivoted her feet slowly turning around and gasped. There was a dog, teeth barred and fur lifted, not more than five inches from her face. Nilly backed up a little, bumping into the book shelf. The dog growled again, and stepped towards her.

"Lee-Roy," Magnolia yelled from the other side of the room, "Heal." Lee-Roy's head dropped and he walked over to her. He sat down at her feet and looked up, she rubbed his head. "Sorry about that, he doesn't like his books being touched," she said smiling. Nilly stood up, feeling the pain in the base of her neck for the first time today. She almost regretted throwing the medication away, but they had given her such disturbing dreams that it wasn't worth it.

"It's okay," she said. Nilin walked up to Magnolia and Lee-Roy, her bandaged hand held out. He sniffed it and then with a low wine, bowed his head allowing Nilly to pet him. "What kind of dog is he?" she asked, looking up at Magnolia who was a good six inches taller than her.

"He's a mix, mostly Husky though. I've had him since he was a puppy," she said, scratching Lee-Roy's ear. He looked up at her and wined again.

Just then, Shellie returned a book in her hand. "Try this," she said. "It's has a bunch of old poems about myths and legends. I think you'll like it." Shellie smiled, handing the book to Nilin. "Though I don't know if you'll be doing much reading with a concussion," she continued with a innocent smile on her lips.

This made Nilin pause. "How'd you know I have a concussion?" she asked. "Are you a med student or something?" she asked jokingly, looking over the young girl.

But Shellie answered seriously. "Or something," was all she said, still grinning.

Nilly looked over the book, before looking back up at the two girls. "Uh, yeah this is what I was looking for. Thank you," she said quickly. "How much?"

"Come downstairs, I'll check you out." Magnolia told her, starting for the stairs with Lee-Roy following. Nilly trailed behind them, she stood at the counter while Magnolia punched numbers into the cash register.

"Seven dollars and ninety-nine cents," she read as Nilly placed the book on the counter. She turned to pull her wallet out of her bag when someone caught her eye. There, standing on the sidewalk across the street from the bookstore with one hand behind his back as he waved at her with the other, was Damon.

Smirking at her, his black eyes caught hers. Nilly's cheeks got red as she jerked her head back quickly. She turned back to Magnolia. "Here you go, sorry about that," she said, handing her the money.

"Damon Salvatore, huh?" Shellie winked, leaning on the staircase banister.

"Yeah, I know his brother," Nilly explained quickly, and looked down.

"Huh, interesting." Shellie mused.

"Yeah, well I should get going…" Nilly looked back out the window timidly, the sidewalk was empty now. A unsettling feeling caused her stomach to flip. Maybe she should wait until she was sure the ghost was clear. She looked up again, "Um, on second thought do you mind if I hang out here for a little?" she asked. It wouldn't be the first time Nilin had hid from her problems.

"Sure." Magnolia said with a strange smile.

Damon strolled through the town causally, meandering his way along the side walk to the Mystic Grill. He hadn't meant to stop in front of that bookstore, he'd barley noticed it in the past, but something had made him. Sure enough, through the front window, he saw her dark brown hair wrapped in a bun and a quick sight of her blue eyes. He put on his most charming smile and waved to Nilin. With his vision, from across the street he could see the blood rush to her cheeks as she ducked away meekly.

It made him laugh at how adorable she was.

For some reason he couldn't get the image of her yawning out of his head. The way her eyelids had sagged with sleep and her lip curled softly in a smile made her look younger. She had reminded him of what pure innocence looked like, something he hadn't seen in a while. But he knew she wasn't completely innocent, he could sense that about her even in her dreamy state. He knew that if he went poking around he'd find skeletons in her closet.

Still it was strange that he could sense her presence in the store and pick it out aside from everyone else buzzing around the town. He continued to walk, finished with having his fun. There was something about Nilin that kept her on his mind. She was a very unique girl, Damon smiled to himself. He could almost put off his plan to rescue Katherine from the tomb, as long as Nilin was there to entertain him. But he had to keep moving, he needed a new plan now.
The witch had destroyed the amulet, the only known key to opening the tomb. Now it was gone and Damon was at another dead end. He was about to kill Bonnie in the woods the other night, one simple jerk of the head or bite to the jugular and she would be dead.

The only thing that had stopped him was the glance he saw of Nilin's body on the ground like a rag doll. It froze him in time and then all he wanted was to get out of there. Which he did, of course, leaving his brother and the humans to take care of it.
He needed to find out another way to open that damn tomb, the only way to do that was to talk to a witch. But he had a feeling Bonnie wasn't up for chatting with him. So, now he needed to find another witch, one with enough knowledge to help him.

Damon walked into the Grill and sat down at one of the stools at the bar. "What can I get for you?" said the perky blonde bartender.

He flashed her a smile, "Just a bourbon, please."

She smiled at him, clearly intrigued. "Isn't it a little early for something that strong?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

Damon's eyes flashed to the clock behind her head. Twelve o'clock, this was late for him. "It's never too early," he said, winking at her. The bartender giggled as she handed him his glass. "Thank you very much, Brandie," he said reading her name tag. More giggling form her and few more witty comments from him and his lunch plans were set.

This town makes it just too easy. It almost took the fun out of it... almost.

She was sort of cute, though blondes weren't really his type. He hoped he wouldn't kill her, but who knows he hadn't fed in a while.

"My shift ends in a few minutes," Brandie said.

His jaw ached slightly as he ran his tongue over his canines, which were beginning to sharpen. "Perfect," he replied, flashing her another dazzling smile.

Author's Notes:
This chapter was a lot longer than I realized. I don't usually post on Thursdays but since tomorrow is the 4th of July I'll post the next chapter for you guys. Tell me what you think of Magnolia and Shellie. Very interesting girls, right? Anyway, thanks for reading :) Favorite, Follow & Review!

And for those celebrating the 4th of July tomorrow, have a fabulous Independence Day!
RLS

Check Out the Outfits:

Go to Polyvore DOT com and attach the following to the end of the url

Nillin: /chapter_ten_part_nilin/set?id=90417364

Shellie: /chapter_ten_shellie/set?id=90381715

Magnolia: /chapter_ten_mags/set?id=90393856