A/N: A few words on Alys: For her, I had Anna in mind, the 'cute stalker chick' Jeremy falls in love with. Given that Alys isn't a stalker chick kind of girl at all and has a different background (although she shares a history with Damon), and also because she also represents certain aspects of Lexi, who had this really strong relationship with Stefan and a strained one with Damon, it felt more fitting to rename her. You might want to see her as an Anna/Lexi fuse, although that's not entirely fitting, either. In truth, she takes over the role of yet another TVD person in this story... I guess you'll see!

ALYS

Feeling restless and wrought-up for no apparent reason, I stood at the balcony and stared into the dark. The starlit sky was clear and peaceful, reassuring in its consistency. Yet I couldn't help thinking that soon, its perpetual serenity would be disturbed by a recurring visitor – a comet that had last traveled these skies exactly 150 years ago. It couldn't be long in making its appearance now, maybe in a month or two? I hadn't been paying attention. In earlier times, people had believed them to be harbingers of evil. Though knowing now that it was just a huge mass of ice and dust trapped in its own, eternal path, I couldn't help wondering if was going to bring back evil to Mystic Falls.

I briefly wondered why I should be entertaining these dark thoughts. I had every reason to be happy. I liked living with Elijah. He was a man of principles, kind and understanding. I liked the house we lived in, a typical American two-storey wood building on the edge of Mystic Falls. Although there wasn't really any resemblance to it at all, it reminded me of my home back in South Carolina. I even liked this sleepy town of Mystic Falls, where I had managed to find people whose company was not only bearable, but truly enjoyable. And now Stefan was back with me again, too. Though not my brother in blood, he was the brother of my heart, and I had dearly missed him in the two years that we had been separated.

When Stefan had asked me earlier on if I wanted to accompany him to the spring break party, I had seriously considered going – for a few seconds. Usually, I didn't go to any place where people crowded together, but with him at my side, there would have been nothing to be afraid of, he would have made sure that I was safe. Yet in the end, I had backpedaled. It was hard to break long established behavior patterns, and I had been alone way too long to feel secure with people around me.

It was hard enough in college. On learning that the secretary had seriously messed up with my request for a single room, I had thought about skipping the first semester altogether and starting over next year. I could not imagine how that would work out – me, crowded together with another girl in the same tiny room without any privacy – impossible. Luckily, I had been paired with Elena, and not with her psychic friend Bonnie, who shared the room next to us with Caroline. I tried to get out of her way as much as possible. Poor Bonnie. She couldn't understand my need for distance, especially with her. Most likely, she thought I was a total freak. Maybe I was.

Having Elena as my roommate was an incredibly big piece of good luck in the great misfortune of the circumstances. I hadn't known her before, given that she had moved back to Mystic Falls only shortly before the start of term. But I immediately liked her. She seemed much older than her years . There was a sadness about her, a quiet composure and the same need to build walls around her that I had always felt myself. She never pushed subjects that I didn't want to talk about, and if she thought that my behavior was sometimes eccentric, she respected that, too. It was surprisingly easy and comfortable to be around her.

Given that trust and respect played a major part in our relationship from the beginning, it was not surprising that we had soon become friends. Not like she and Bonnie – it was hard to imagine that anyone or anything could ever come between those two. But for me, it was the first time in years that I opened up to someone again. It felt good to have a friend. Almost normal.

For about a couple of months, I had been elated, believing that I could have a life, have a future again. Until tonight.

I knew something was wrong as soon as I stepped back into my room. I felt a presence, and my heart sank on realizing it was familiar to me.

"Hello, Alys!"

Disbelieving my eyes I stared at the black clad figure that stood half hidden in the darkness of my room. "Damon!" I gasped, shocked, stupefied. He surely was the last person on the planet I had expected to see, after all this time. The very last person I cared to see at all. "What are you doing here?"

He gave me a hurt look that was as false as everything about him – the casualness, the joviality, the charm – and stepped out of the shadows. "What do you think – I'm visiting."

"Turning up out of the blue after ten years, without invitation or previous notice is not visiting!" Especially not if there hadn't been any contact at all – not even so much as a Christmas card. Why here? Why now? Could it be that there really was a curse on this sleepy, innocent town?

He frowned. "You could be could be a little more welcoming than that! You know, say something like: How nice to see you again! You haven't changed much. Your hair is different. I like it, by the way!"

"What do you want, Damon? What brought you here, all of a sudden?"

"Well, I thought it was about time for me to come back and look after you again."

I had to snort at that. "To haunt me, more likely."

"How rude of you to say that!" Again, Damon gave himself an air of vulnerability. "You can't keep hating me forever, Alys."

No, probably not. Or could I? "Only for as long as I'm still suffering from what you did to me, and there's no way of telling how long that's still gonna be. You ruined my life, Damon. I'm never going to forgive you that."

"Ruined your life? Ah, that's a little melodramatic, don't you think? Don't be so resentful. It's not healthy to bear a grudge – it gives you wrinkles and makes you look prematurely old."

I sighed again. It was useless to try to outwit Damon in a verbal duel. It never worked. He was too smart and fast for that, too trained in the art of witty evasion.

"Why did you come back, Damon?" I tried again, putting the irony aside and giving him a look that was dead serious.

"Funny question! You're my family... or at least, what's still left of it."

I shook my head, trying not to let tears wet my eyes. We had been a family, once. But that was more than a lifetime ago. Until he tore it apart. "Don't pretend it means anything to you. It didn't back then. Why should it now?" And why should I ever expect him to answer that in earnest? Damon took his time, casually striding through my room, inspecting it, as if all the odds and ends in there would tell him what had become of me since we had last met. "Well, you do get awfully lonely after a while. I missed my little sister."

Not knowing Damon, you could almost believe his soft-spoken words. I didn't. Not anymore. "Yeah, very likely so!" I snorted, my bitterness only poorly concealed behind irony.

"It is true! I came to realize that I was a little too inattentive in my responsibility towards you. Considering the people you tend to surround yourself with, I figured you could need a little – variety of influence."

"Thank you, but I have all the influence I care for. And I definitively don't need your attention!" I didn't want any of it. It was going to destroy everything I had come to cherish.

"I think you do! Look at you... do you ever go out in plain daylight? Probably not... Tell me: When was the last time you had something decent to eat, hm? Something that didn't come packed in bags and frozen? See! You're not living healthily." Having made his point, he dropped down on my bed, playfully manhandling my favorite stuffed animal while observing me through half-closed lids. "Speaking of the company you're keeping: Now, who's that boring dude that took up residence with you here? Your boyfriend?"

"No, just another foster son of Elijah," I said flatly, mentally preparing myself for further unfriendly analysis of Stefan that Damon was sure going to deliver. I didn't have to wait long.

"He seems so – I don't know how to put it... It's like he ate something that didn't become him. Kind of depressive. Doesn't he ever smile?"

"Stefan is a very nice guy. I shared residence with him in Chicago, some years ago. He's like the brother I never had." Maybe the last remark was unnecessarily rude. But something in Damon always provoked me to say things that I normally wouldn't have said. Maybe it was an unconscious attempt to provoke some human reaction from him, even if it was hurt or anger. But all I ever got was irony or cynicism.

"Probably a bunny-lover, too, hm?" Damon ventured, his voice full of disdain. "I bet the three of you make one happy family..."

"You've got that right! And don't you dare ruin it for me! I have a home, Damon. I even have friends – something you can't even imagine."

"Maybe I could..." He looked thoughtful, as if he was really considering the possibilities. "Trying to live like a normal, living person. Growing roots. Getting settled... Making new experiences. Maybe even go on a diet, for a while. Just nothing with feathers!" He shuddered. I remembered that he had always despised poultry, even when still a boy. Some things apparently never changed.

"You hate small towns," I pointed out matter-of-factly. "They're boring, there's nothing for you to do!" Another thing that wouldn't change in a hundred years. Damon was no small town boy. Off and away he had always been, looking for constantly changing amusements and challenges.

"I'll manage to keep myself busy. I could enroll in college again. Has been a while. Maybe history this time – I'm pretty good at history. Leaves more time for other things..."

"You mean to pose as a student? Aren't you just a little too old for that?"

He shrugged. "I'm flexible, I can adapt. Though I must admit I had thought about trying to pass myself as a teacher..."

"Yes, I can just imagine how well that would work out for you!" I said sarcastically.

"I'm sure it'd be helpul," Damon said thoughtfully, "being in a position of authority and trust... But as a teacher, you're just not supposed to get involved with students, which would not suit my purposes. I'm afraid I'd compromise myself..."

His tone made me fear that he wasn't joking. "You're seriously thinking of staying here?" I asked, frightened by the prospect. "For how long?"

Damon gave me a speculative glance. "For as long as it takes."

"As long as what takes?"

He raised his eyebrow. "For my secret master plan to be put into motion," he said cryptically.

Okay, now we were getting to the heart of the matter. It wasn't for me that he had come back. There was something else. Was it just a coincidence that he appeared just now, like the comet in the sky? Definitively a bad omen! I couldn't help myself. "What are you up to?" I asked another, entirely useless question, probably sounding desperate by now. Exactly like he wanted me to feel.

He smirked. "It wouldn't be secret anymore if I told you now, would it?" he retorted smugly. "Well, I suppose I could give you a hint, though: It has do to with the truly lovely memento you sent me recently..."

"I didn't send you anything." I frowned, puzzled. "I wouldn't even have known where to find you, had I been looking for you, given that you never enlightened me as to where you went after you left London."

"Where should I have gone to, Alys? Home, of course."

"Home?" I echoed foolishly. I refused to accept the consequences this assertion suggested, hoping for a misunderstanding. "But I thought you were somewhere in Europe..."

"I was – for a while. When I learned our dear - let's call him 'Uncle' - Zach had passed on I came back – only to find out that our dear ancestors' mansion had been put up for sale. Shame on you! How could you let that happen?"

"What was I supposed to do? He left no living relatives, remember? Besides, it's time we let go of the past and move on, don't you think?"

"No-o!" Damon said, stretching the word. "It has a lot of memories in it. It belongs to us."

"It's a huge house on huge grounds – we're not farmers anymore, for heaven's sake!"

"I know!" Again, that inscrutable wink. "That's why I decided to do something else with it."

"You bought it?" I echoed, stunned.

"Well, I didn't exactly buy it, but inherit it. Turns out Zach had nephew, after all..." Again, that inscrutable wink.

He made a hotel out of it. As the pieces fell together, my legs gave in and I had to sit down. "Oh my god! You own the place! You were there!"

"M-hm." Damon confirmed with a smile, looking smug. And I had my classmates straight into the lion's den!

I felt myself blanch. "God, Damon, I swear, if you harmed my friends in any way..."

"Relax," Damon responded with false reassurance. "I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done, too. Though on second thought... I guess I did - given that I don't walk so high up on moral ground as you do and know how to reach for an opportunity. Anyway, my well-intended plans for the evening were thwarted when I stumbled across the little dark haired one. It was a hell of a blast from the past..."

"Elena?" I asked, truly alarmed by now. "Whatever do you mean?" He had never met Elena before. Or at least I didn't think he had. Where? How?

"Did you never notice whom she resembles? Well no, you wouldn't... I believe you never actually met her."

"I have no idea what or who are you talking about!"

"Katherine. Elena looks just like her. It quite shocked me when I saw her face."

Katherine. Dear God, how I had come to hate that name. If Elena reminded him of her, it scared me to even imagine the effect she must have had on Damon. "What have you done to her?"

"Unfortunately, I didn't get to do much of anything with her. We were both too freaked out. But I'm hoping for a chance to make up for that soon..."

"Damon, no! You leave Elena alone! She's been through enough already."

He pulled a face. "Are you just putting me into the same category of traumas and catastrophes as the death of her brother and her beloved parents?" he asked, pretending to sound hurt.

"You know about that?"

"Well, I made some enquiries, of course. And now I can't wait to find out more about her."

So he came back here because of Elena, who ressembled his former lover and the woman who scorned him. "Why? What could you possibly want from her?"

"Well, that's for me to know and for you to dot dot dot..." He smiled, like a cat with a pot of cream.

"Please, Damon! Can't you at least try to act like a human being, for a change?"

"I'm afraid I can't – for obvious reasons! Now, come on, Alys, lighten up! We'll have fun, I promise!" He got up from the bed and headed for the door.

"Usually, when you say something like that, it's for you to have the fun and others to have the damage", I muttered, knowing how bitter I must sound.

The doorknob already in his grip, he turned. "You know what your problem is?" he asked, wrinkling his forehead.

"Beside having a psychopathic, obsessive brother, you mean?"

"You won't consider people for what they really are."

"Which is?"

Damon lowered his voice, his eyes and his tone gloomy. "Prey!" he said and, with another meaningful wink, left my room.

ELENA

Given that the night had been unexpectedly long, I slept in the next morning. We had planned on meeting at Caroline's and having breakfast together, before I went to see Alys at her house in the afternoon. I was secretly hoping that Stefan would be back from his errand by then, or if not, that I would get Alys to come and bring him along in the evening.

As I had guessed, Caroline had been thrilled to learn about my 'conquest' as she put it, although there was an undertone of envy to her reaction. That I should meet with a boy after having driven away hers seemed unfair to her. It was useless to point out again that I had done nothing to provoke such a weird reaction from the guy she had thrown herself at. She didn't appreciate that I called him a weirdo, either.

"You have no right to lecture me, you know..." she said, while we were making coffee and laying the table. "After all, you did about the same thing – inviting a guy out barely after having met him... He might be a jerk just as well."

"It's not the same at all," I protested. "Firstly, I know his name, secondly a trusted person has vouched for him and thirdly, inviting him to a crowded place with a group of friends does not equal taking off into the woods with a stranger."

Before Caroline could say anything in response to that, Bonnie came in, a newspaper in her hand. She looked troubled. "Have you two heard what happened last night?" she asked, sitting down at the table and putting the newspaper down in front of her.

I had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"Vicky Donovan – she got attacked. They don't know what it was, presumably some kind of wild animal."

"Oh my god!" I sank into the chair next to her, staring at the headline in disbelief and quickly scanning the article. "Is she badly hurt?"

"She lost a lot of blood and was totally freaked out. She is still in hospital, but I guess that's also because she was pumped with alcohol and some other shit."

"How do you know?" Caroline asked, equally shocked. Presumably, that just put a different perspective on her little venture.

"Matt told me. I met him on my way here. He was just about to head over to the hospital to bring her some stuff."

"So that's the business Mom had to take care of urgently this morning..." Caroline exclaimed. "She wouldn't tell me why she was so worried when she left." Liz, Caroline's mother, was the local sheriff. "How terrible! Matt must be out of his mind. Is Vicky going to be okay?"

"From what I know, her state wasn't critical. They just keep her under surveillance, presumably because she is still in shock."

"I would be, too, if I got attacked by something out of the woods," I said, shuddering. "How could that have happened – a wild animal attack in the park? And nobody noticed?"

"Well, from what I heard, she had ventured off the party grounds into the nearby woods." The towns park with the festival grounds bordered the woods, but this was not some remote Rocky mountain village. "Still, an animal attack... Just how likely is that?"

"Actually, there have been some reported cases over the years," Caroline said, pouring each of us a cup of coffee and setting it in front of us. "About 20 years ago, Marianna Lockwood, Tyler's aunt, even got killed by some wildcat. And there have been attacks on hikers every now and then. Probably it's just one single animal that is venturing about."

"God, just thinking about it gives me the creeps! See what could've happened to you yesterday night, Caroline!"

"I wasn't all by myself, neither did I take off into the woods."

Bonnie frowned. "What are you two talking about?"

"Caroline met some mysterious guy at the party and took off with him. I ran after her when I thought I had heard her scream."

"I did not scream! We were just – kissing. And then Elena came barging in on us and drove him off. I don't even know his name."

Bonnie appeared shocked. "You let yourself be kissed without even knowing the guy's name? How nuts is that?"

Caroline sighed. "I know. It was a little unthoughtful. I've never felt like that before... he was so incredibly hot, and charming... You should have seen his eyes!" Her own eyes got a dreamy shine, and she sighed again, more deeply this time. Bonnie raised a questioning brow at me, clearly doubting Caroline's sanity. I shrugged and threw her a silent you-know-Caroline glance, while she resumed her mourning. "And now I'm most likely not gonna see him ever again. I wish with you being psychic and such, you could just conjure his name and his phone number..."

"Well, maybe I could..." Bonnie tentatively offered, exchanging another questioning glance with me. Caroline's head flew up. "Really? You could? Have a try!"

"Yes, please!" I supported Caroline's plea. "If you came up with that, she might eventually forgive me for scaring the poor guy off!"

"I would need something of his to concentrate on – something that belongs to him or that he has touched..."

Caroline smiled impishly. "Well, he touched me!"

"I'm afraid that's not gonna work, since there have been quite a few people who have – no pun intended! I need something more specific than that, something more personal."

"I'm sorry, I forgot to pull some of his hair out when we were kissing. My fault!"

Bonnie gave a regretful shrug. "I'm afraid I cannot help you, then. But look at it this way: If the guy is meant for you, he'll surely show up again."

"Well, I hope you're right. Otherwise, I'll have to think of some evil scheme to pay Elena back. Talking about you..." Caroline fixated me with her eyes and smirked. "Time to fess up, girl: You and Stefan just talked all night?" she enquired, not at all trying to appear less nosey or hopeful for some juicy news. "There was no sloppy first kiss nor touchy-feely of any kind?"

"No, we didn't go there."

"Elena we are your friends. You are supposed to share this with us!"

"I do! It's like I said: We just talked for hours, which was really – special."

"I don't get it! What's wrong with you? It's easy: boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex. Don't always make it so complicated!"

"I'm not! Making it complicated, I mean. After all, I tried the whole thing with Matt, remember? It simply didn't work."

"That's because Matt is awfully boring. You should try someone exciting, like..."

"Like the guy from last night, I got it! Besides, Matt is not boring – he's responsible and caring. Maybe you should try someone like him for a change, instead of always falling for the all attractive bad guy who in the end always treats you like shit. Talking about Matt, I think I'm gonna run. I'll go and check on him before driving over to Alys' place and hear how Vicky is doing."

"Good idea. Tell him we're sorry about what happened. If there is anything we can do to help..."

"I'll let him know. See you tonight?"

"At eight at the Grill!"

*'*'*'*'*

Matt's family lived in a somewhat rundown neighborhood of Mystic Falls. His was another broken family – his dad having run off long before Matt could remember, his mother being an over-taxed single mom who switched her boyfriends as often as others changed their underwear. She had long ago quit to be of any support to her children, which was probably why Matt had taken on responsibility for his sister.

Not only did I admire him for that, but also for the fact that he would not let himself be dragged down. He had been working hard in school to get good grades, and now he was equally hard-working to save money for college, while at the same time helping to sustain his family.

Just when I stopped my car in front of his house, Matt's truck pulled into the driveway. As it turned out, he was just coming back from the hospital. He looked in truly bad shape, as if he hadn't slept the entire night. Which probably was exactly the case. I put my arms around him and held him tightly for a second.

"I heard about Vicky. I'm so sorry, Matt! How is she doing?"

"She'll be okay. It's not the wound that is bothering her doctors so much. According to what they found, she was pumped with alcohol and some really serious shit. God knows where she got it from. It was probably not for the worst that she got a lot of it out of her system with the blood loss."

"Did she say what kind of animal attacked her?"

"That's the weirdest thing. She said it was a vampire."

"What?"

"Yes. She briefly came round, muttered 'vampire' and passed out again. She must have been having some really bad hallucinations from the drug cocktail she took."

"How long will they keep her in hospital?"

"Probably another couple of days. They want to make sure she doesn't develop an infection. They highly recommended to send her into therapy, after that."

"Because of the trauma? Or do they believe her to be nuts because of the vampire thing?"

"Mostly in order to cope with her drug problem, but probably also for those reasons. It wasn't the first time she took something stronger than alcohol. I found some strange pills in her room that definitively weren't prescription."

"So maybe a therapy could turn out to be a good thing for her... a chance to turn her life around."

"Yes, if she'd agree to it." He sighed. I touched his arm, wishing I could offer some comfort. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, but thank you, Elena. It helps to have someone to talk to, and I truly appreciate that you still care."

"Of course I do. You're my friend. Just let me know if there anything you need, okay?"

"I will. At the moment, all I desperately need is some sleep. Sorry if I don't ask you in."

"No, that's quite okay, don't worry. I'll be off."

"Take care!" I gave him a brief hug and watched him vanish into the house. Poor Matt. As if he hadn't enough on his mind already.

Still somewhat preoccupied I drove over to Dr. Daniels's house, which was on the other side of town, almost on the outskirts. It was also bordering the forest, which made me a little uneasy today. Fortunately, the driveway went up right to the entrance.

It was almost four, and due to my stopover at Matt's, I was running a little late. Alys didn't seem to mind. She accepted my apology without really listening to it. She seemed preoccupied, too, even more brooding than usual. We went up to her room for privacy.

Out of politeness, she enquired about the party, but she clearly had her mind set on something else entirely. I asked her if everything was okay, but she evaded an answer. "It's nothing – I'm just having some family issues."

That didn't sound good. Did she have a fight with Elijah? Or was she referring to her real family – the one she never mentioned? "Do you want to talk about it?" I inquired hesitatingly. Probably she wouldn't, but it seemed like the right thing to offer.

"Not yet. I'm still hoping for them to pass."

Whatever was worrying her, it was most likely something I wouldn't be able to help her with. I just hoped it hadn't anything to do with Stefan. "I met your brother, yesterday..." I told her, reluctantly.

"What?" That actually seemed to shock her. I looked at her quizzically, wondering what was wrong. "Well, Stefan was at the spring break party and we almost literally ran into each other. We talked like forever. You were right: I really like him."

"Oh, I see." Alys relaxed. "Okay. I was just... surprised that he had gone there."

"So was I. Technically, I had met him at the cemetery before that, but that was a rather brief encounter. I lost my diary, and he found it."

"Yes, he told me about it, yesterday afternoon. He wanted to drop it off at your place."

"I wasn't in. He said he would leave it with you, for me to pick it up this morning."

Alys frowned. "Funny, Stefan never mentioned anything to me. He left home early this morning. He had probably meant to leave a note and forgot..."

"Don't worry – I've asked him to come to the Grill tonight, and he said that he would. He can give it to me then."

"You asked him on a date?"

"It's not exactly a date, though I guess I wouldn't mind that, either. He's seems a really nice guy. He's easy to talk to."

"Sounds like you two had a great evening."

"We did. Just that it had come to a very unpleasant ending, without us noticing."

"What do you mean?"

I was just about to tell her about the attack on Vicky, when the door to her room was suddenly yanked open and someone, seemingly oblivious to our presence, dropped in. The sudden appearance of the man - who I never met before - made me jump.

"Oops. Sorry for bursting in like that!" he said. "I didn't know you had a guest..."

Alys didn't react warmly to the offered apology, but returned his boyish smile with an icy expression. "You do now," she simply said, glaring at him, wordlessly ordering him to leave.

Clearly taken aback by her hostility the stranger frowned at her, then turned his gaze on me. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" he inquired, smiling again. It was hard to judge his age. I thought him to be somewhere in his mid-twenties. I also realized he was strikingly handsome. Alys remained in her rigid pose. "No, actually, I'd prefer not to."

"How very rude of you," he chided. "Well, I guess I'll have to do it myself, then." He crossed the room, coming over to where I was perched on Alys' bed and offered his hand. "Hi. I'm Damon."

"Elena," I automatically retorted, accepting it. I wasn't able to say anything else. He had the most unusual eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Elena!" he said with a most charming smile, then briefly paused. "You look familiar. Have we met before?

For some reason, I was flustered. "I don't think so..."

"Ah, well – you'd probably remember if we had..."

Wow. What an arrogant prat. But I couldn't deny that he was right. Most likely, I would have remembered him. He sure looked memorable.

"Damon!" For some unfathomable reason, Alys was seriously pissed. Damon looked back to her innocently. "Alys?"

"Close the door again! From the outside!"

"Sure. One more thing, though, just so we can plan... is your friend staying for lunch?" The question, spoken with a smile, seemed fairly inoffensive to me. Yet Alys looked at him as if she wanted to scratch his eyes out. Whatever her concerns were, having lunch at Dr. Daniels's house was obviously a no-go. Since she seemed too vexed to even answer that, I did, feeling embarrassed. "Oh, no, actually, I'm not staying. We'll be going out later."

"Ah, what a pity!" he exclaimed, sounding truly regretful. "Well, ladies – have fun then!" With a wink, Damon drew back and closed the door as Alys had asked. She took a deep breath, looking upset.

"Just who was that?" I asked, still trying to figure out what just had happened.

"My wayward brother, Damon."

I was puzzled. So far, I hadn't even known Dr. Daniels had added yet another member to his patchwork family. The term 'foster-child' didn't seem to fit in this context. He looked definitively too adult to be in need of parental supervision. "Another foster brother, you mean?" I asked, just to make sure I had understood her correctly.

"No. Unfortunately, we're blood-related. Damon is my real brother. He's been away for a couple of years – in Europe, for all I know. I haven't heard from him in a while."

"Doesn't sound like the two of you had a close relationship..."

"I don't think anyone could have a close relationship with Damon. He's arrogant, cynical and extremely annoying. Besides, I don't agree with his lifestyle, and neither does he agree with mine." Whatever that meant. I wasn't going to inquire.

"So – is he going to stay with Dr. Daniels as well?"

"Hell, no! They don't get along at all. He only reluctantly allowed Damon to stay here for a couple of days until he found something. He plans to rent some place near college."

"Is he enrolling, too?" He seemed too old to be a student, but neither did he have the air of a teacher. Maybe he was doing his post-doc, or something.

"He didn't care to enlighten me as far as his plans are concerned," Alys said, sourly. "One thing's for sure, though: He does have a plan. He always has."

So Damon was most likely the family issue that Alys had hoped would be only passing. "Since when is he back?" I asked, still trying to make sense of all the implications she had made.

"He turned up last night – all out of the blue – or rather out of the dark. I thought you had run into him accidentally when you said you had met my brother..."

Okay – that explained why she had been so startled when I mentioned it. Though her reaction seemed a little exaggerated to me. He had been reasonably polite. But then, what did I know?

"I'm sorry for his intrusion. You were just about to tell me something about yesterday night – something about the evening ending badly... What happened?"

I told her about the attack, and Alys paled. In fact, she looked totally horror stricken, and I felt the need to alleviate the impact my news had on her. "Vicky's going to be okay," I assured. "I spoke to Matt just before getting here, and it looks like they might let her out soon." I decided to leave out the vampire part, which – apart from only serving to humiliate Vicky – would probably freak Alys out even more. At least, I had the distinct feeling that she wouldn't think of it as even remotely funny. "Well, given that we all could use some diversion: Is there really no way I can persuade you to make an exception and go out with us tonight?"

"Thanks for asking, Elena, but no. I'm definitively not in the mood for that. But next time for sure, okay?"

ALYS

I was more shaken than I cared for Elena to know. Right after she left, I stormed into the guest room that Damon occupied, almost knocking out the door with the fury I felt.

"Hey – what are you doing?" he said, not even looking up from the book he'd been reading. His voice sounded slightly bored. "If you want to get back on me for barging in on you, keep in mind that it's Elijah's house that you're bringing down in the process!"

I was not in the mood for a battle of wits. "The girl in the park yesterday, Vicky... tell me that it wasn't you!" That caught his attention. He looked up questioningly, yet unalarmed. "Well, I presume I could, but would you believe it?"

"I won't believe for a second that it was an animal attack! What a coincidence – the first night you show up here, and a girl is having her throat ripped out!"

"I did not rip her throat out!"

"It was you who attacked her!" I shouted at him, frustrated, upset and bitterly disillusioned. "I can't believe you did that! How could you, Damon?"

He snapped his book shut. "Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes! It wasn't my fault that it turned out like that!"

"Damon! You assaulted her!"

"Well, yes, but what did she expect? At her age, girls should know better than to follow strangers into the woods."

"She probably did not expect to have her throat torn out!"

He frowned. "You mean she would have deserved it if I had raped her instead?"

I chose to ignore his usual sarcasm. "At least you could have prevented her from almost bleeding to death!"

Exasperated, Damon put the book down. "That's been my intention before she ran away screaming! How was I to know that she'd been messing around with drugs? Added to that, she had so much alcohol in her system that I'm still having a hangover! At the crucial moment, I was a little beside myself. Unfortunately, drugs do have strange effects on any attempt to alter memories."

I fixated my gaze on him. "You have to go to the hospital and take care of it," I told him, trying to sound stern.

"Nah," he said, playing it down. "Don't worry. She's a lunatic. Nobody will believe her if she spills."

"Damon! It's her I'm concerned about!"

Some of his pungent sarcasm crept back into his voice. "Well, then I suggest you go and do something about it."

"You know perfectly well that I'm not good at picking people's brains!"

He curled his lips. "That's because of your pathetic diet. You know it makes you mentally weak. Besides, if you want to manipulate people, you really have to mean whatever you're telling them to do."

"Damon, I can't... you know that!" I was beginning to feel desperate. "Someone has to help her – she's probably out of her mind with fear because of what you did."

"You confuse me for someone with remorse! Go and ask your little surrogate brother. I'm sure he'll jump in." He picked up his book again and gestured me out of the room with a twitch of his head.

I probably would have cried if I still had tears to spill. Up to now I had hoped that some part of the brother I had known was still buried deep inside the man he had become. But there was nothing human left in him, no feeling, no compassion. He would bring death and destruction into the small, sane world that I had managed to create for myself. And I had no idea how to stop him.