Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry about the delay. Saturdays have become hectic. On with the show...
Chapter 46: A New Beginning
Spring had finally sprung when I had nearly given up hope. Winter had seemed practically harsh this year and I had given up on the idea that it would arrive. Walking outside, I breathed in fresh air and sighed with contentment when Damon came out and slapped me on the back. He looked as happy about the change of weather as I felt. Without having to say a word, we took off running across the lawn, chasing each other and smacking one another until we were exhausted.
"So, it looks like Lena's coming in today with Kat," Damon said and looked at me. I continued to stare at the sky. I did not really have much to say because I knew that that would mean trouble since Elijah was bringing Hayley with him and after the events of the Winter Ball I was not sure that this was a good idea on my brother's part. Sighing, I shook my head
"Yes, well, I guess Elijah will have to deal with his own problems," I told Damon who rolled his eyes.
"Ya think? This is our school now. We can't have Kat and Hayley beating the snot out of each other in the middle of the dining room or any of the rooms. It might be fun to watch and to tape but other than that…" Damon trailed off with a smile. "Do you think I should get another girl to make Lena jealous?" I shook my head "no" but Damon was still speaking as if I weren't there. "I think I should ask Bonnie out. Then she and Lena can fight over me," Damon said with a smirk.
"Damon, you're screwed up in the head," I replied before getting to my feet. "We need to get back to the school because the girls will be arriving soon."
"And you want to change before Care starts in about the grass stains on your pants," Damon taunted me. I looked down at the green spots on my jeans.
"I'll bloody well have grass spots if I want," I replied, striding toward the school and Damon grinned.
"Uh huh," Damon began to chuckle as I glowered at him. "I give you all of five minutes after she gets here before you're up those stairs, digging through your clothes for your best pants." He was still laughing when we got to the front of the building to see a large group of visitors milling about the front lawn.
Spotting Caroline, I felt my lips twitching into a smile. She looked lovely. Her hair, which was mostly dark the last time I saw her, had been highlighted. I suspected that that had happened without her mother's permission. Coming to stand on the edge of the crowd, I watched Caroline smile and speak to various people. She had yet to notice me when she looked to the taller girl beside her who also had blonde highlights in her hair and I sighed. Of course it was Hayley.
Peering around the teenage girl, I looked for my brother to no avail. Perhaps he was already inside looking for Kol who was suffering from allergies this season and did not want to come outside. Turning to walk inside the main building, I heard Hayley calling my name. Feeling my shoulders stiffen, I tried, for Caroline's sake, to force a plausible smile. Yes, I felt sympathy for the girl. That did not mean that I had to like her.
"Klaus," Hayley called. "Hey, Klaus. Over here," she called, waving with her free arm while the other was wrapping around her "little sister."
Smiling tightly, I returned the wave. "Caroline. Hayley. Hello. It's good to see you again," I called with my hands stuffed into the pockets of my jeans.
Caroline scrunched her face up, giving me a look like she thought I was being strange. Coming to stand in front of me, she grinned. "Do you like my hair? I hated being a brunette. It's just not me, so Hayley said she would get her hair fixed with me so if the stylist messed it up I wouldn't be alone looking silly."
"Oh," I replied. "It looks lovely on you," I told her, sparing Hayley a cursory look before taking Caroline's hand and leading her toward the door. "Damon suspects that there will be nonsense this week. However, I suspect that everything will go along pleasantly. Now, tell me, where is my brother?" I inquired and Caroline sighed.
"He couldn't come," Caroline told me.
"Why?" I demanded, feeling my face set into a scowl.
Caroline bit her lip, looking down at the carpet of the entryway.
"Because your dad doesn't want Elijah staying here when I am, again," Hayley told us, folding her arms and looking angry. "I guess he found out from someone about the last time and threw a fit. Now, we can't even talk on the phone, let alone hang out. It's really stupid, if you ask me."
'Which no one did,' I said silently, hating her just a little bit more. I had been looking forward to this visit from Elijah, and so was Kol. Leave it to Hayley to find a way to ruin things once more.
"So, Elijah wants me to do my best to make up for his not being here," Hayley announced as Damon, Elena and Katherine walked inside.
"Oh, look, it's my ex's boring friend. Or is it girlfriend, again?" Katherine asked with a hand on her hip. "You're so on again, off again that I simply cannot keep up."
"Why don't we go upstairs and find something else to do," Damon asked Katherine and Elena, but Katherine wasn't done.
"Elijah is just going to use you up and when he's tired of you he's going to come back to me," Katherine snarled. "I don't even know what he sees in you. You're just some freeloading stray that Caroline feels sorry for and even that is going to get old some time."
Caroline's face was getting redder and I knew she was about to explode. "You don't know what you're talking about, Kat. Just leave her alone." With that, Caroline ran up the stairs with Elena and Damon trailing after her.
Katherine huffed looking at the ceiling. "Whatever," she was muttering, glaring at Hayley and then walking away.
I was left with Hayley who thankfully decided to keep her mouth shut as we walked up the stairs to find Elena and Caroline yelling at each other. Each of the girls was defending her sister while Damon was watching. "Let's go outside," Damon suggested. "There shouldn't be so many people out there anymore." I suspected he did not want to be in the room when things went flying. Which they usually did when the girls got into this topic.
"Whatever," Elena snapped, tossing her hair over her shoulder and walking out the door. "Where is Stefan?" she demanded as we walked down the hall.
"Why do you care?" Damon snapped at her and I felt my eyebrows rising.
Elena stopped and looked confused. "Because he's my friend. And he's your brother. Why would you ask me that, Damon?"
Damon now looked confused and uncomfortable. "I don't know. It must be the fumes of teenage jealously are permeating my tender lungs." He placed his hands to his chest and began to cough. "Oh, they're gagging me."
"Where are Marcel and Enzo?" Caroline asked me.
"They went home for the week," I informed her.
"Huh," Caroline looked unhappily at her feet. "Elijah's always saying that he's going to find a way to bring you home but I don't believe him anymore."
"You shouldn't because he's a big, fat liar," Elena proclaimed with a sneer directed at Hayley. "He says stuff that doesn't mean anything. And he doesn't care about any of us. He sucks."
"Elena's just pissed because she's in love with Elijah," Caroline announced and Elena's face turned pink, then red, then purple before she fled from our little group.
Damon looked pale at this little bombshell. "What? That's not possible."
Caroline scoffed at him. "Believe it or not, Damon. There are other guys on the planet earth than you."
"But he's old," Damon protested, still in shock.
"It's just a crush," Hayley reassured Damon. "I used to have crushes on lots of guys when I was Elena and Caroline's age."
"I can believe that," I muttered and Caroline gave me a dirty look. I rolled my eyes as we walked outside. Katherine was a yard away, walking back and forth and waving to no one in particular.
"What is she doing?" I whispered to Caroline.
"She's practicing her Miss America walk. She told me that it's important to know that when her modeling and acting career starts. And she's working on trying to be the junior prom queen this year," Caroline told me.
"Oh," I felt confused as Elena followed her sister, waving her hand in the air as if she, too, were running for prom queen. It seemed rather ridiculous to me but apparently it was taking Elena's mind off her earlier embarrassment.
Caroline continued to watch as the Gilbert sisters were joined by Stefan who was waving both his hands and his hips in an overly dramatic manner. "Damon," Katherine called, waving her hand in a "come here" gesture. "Come judge us," she called with a laugh and a happy smile.
Damon got up and ran over to sit closer to the "contestants" and yelled mocking insults at Stefan who stuck his tongue out at his brother. Caroline sighed heavily, pouting as she looked at the group. "If you want to go join them it's okay," Hayley whispered. "Klaus and I can keep each other company for a little while."
Caroline grinned and leaning over, she kissed Hayley on the cheek. "You're the best," she whispered before running off.
I sat back and watched Caroline in silence for several minutes before the teenage girl at my side decided to break it. "It's okay if you hate me, you know. I get it. If I were in your position I would really, really hate me." Taking a breath, Hayley blew it out. "Look, I had no idea that your dad would lose it like he did about what happened with me and Elijah. And you were never supposed to end up being part of this," Shaking her head, Hayley looked at the sky. "But like I said. If it's easier for you to hate me because of what happened then I get it. I mean I know that Caroline told you to be nice to me or something, but you don't have to be…"
I placed my head on my knees and continued to watch Caroline who looked so very happy. "I don't hate you. Actually I do. I don't know. I don't know you," I said, feeling confused. Although I did know her. I knew things about her that would more than likely make her quite upset if she knew that I knew.
Hayley nodded, "Well, I want you to know that whatever it is that Elijah and I are to each other, that doesn't change who he is to you. He's still your big brother. And he has been working really hard to find a way to bring you home and bring your siblings back home. Because that's Elijah. He protects the people he cares about. And he's my friend. Above all else, he's my best friend and he's trying to take care of me. So, I don't know what's going to happen with us next week, let alone a year from now so I don't know if you'll even have to deal with me for much longer."
Looking at Hayley, I wondered what she wanted me to say. She turned to look at me and I found myself speaking. "You're part of our group. For better or for worse. So, you'll always have a place to come to."
Smiling, Hayley looked at the group of posing girls and one boy. "You know that Elijah still cares about Katherine. A lot. And I figure that at the end of the day that she's right and they'll end up together. For some reason that doesn't bother me because I know that in spite of Katherine acting like a colossal bitch towards me, it's because she still cares about Elijah and she's in pain. And, in spite of what she thinks my reason for being is not to make her life hell. I just like Elijah and I like spending time with Elijah for as long as we have. But at the end of the day it is what it is and you have to take happiness where and when you get it."
Thinking about Hayley's words I had no idea what to tell her. Maybe she was right and maybe she was wrong. At that moment I felt every year of my eleven years of life and none of those years could help me through this dilemma. I guess that it was my lack of experience that was preventing me from being able to see the situation clearly. Or I was too close. Or too far away. Whatever it was, I hoped that I would never be entangled inside the kind of mess that Elijah had found himself bound up in.
Making a decision, I got to my feet and looked down at Hayley who gave me a curious look. "Come on," I said, holding out a hand and pulling her to her feet. Heading toward Katherine and her entourage, I stopped beside Damon. "Go join them," I ordered Hayley who looked at me and then at Katherine who was busy telling the younger kids what to do.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Hayley told me backing away from the group.
Katherine looked over at us with her hand on her hip. "Gee, Nik, did you decide to come help judge because you're so very bored with your conversation with my lesser replacement."
Hayley opened her mouth to retort when I stepped between the teen girls. "I dare you both," I looked from Katherine to Hayley, "to get along. Even if it's just for today. Just call a truce."
Katherine gave me a look like she wanted to bite me but she rolled her eyes. "Fine. One day. Alright. I will give it one day and after that all bets are off. Marshall, get in line. You're about to learn how to walk like Heidi Klum. I know that it's hard when you have two left feet that are far too large, but try to not fall over. It kind of kills the show."
"Could you at least try to be nice?" Damon asked Katherine who chuckled.
"Honey, that is me being nice," Katherine replied before clapping her hands and grabbing Elena, placing her little sister at the front on the line with Caroline behind her, Stefan behind Caroline and Hayley behind him. She stepped behind the other teenage girl. "You always end a fashion show with your showcase look and that means that your best model should be walking the runway," she informed us. "Now, move, ladies."
"I'm not a lady," Stefan protested.
"You look like one," Damon called out to his brother.
Katherine shook her head. "Just move, you brat."
"Stop being so bossy," Stefan told Katherine who glared at him.
Elena ignored the argument going on behind her and began to walk across the grass, waving her hand and then tossing her hair which slapped Caroline in the face. "Ow," Caroline cried out, placing a hand to her face. Stefan had begun to walk behind Caroline and ran into to her when she suddenly stopped. Hayley did not notice that Stefan had stopped because she was trying to show that Katherine was wrong about her having two left feet and then she ran into Stefan. Katherine stopped behind Hayley and rolled her eyes.
"You people are hopeless," Katherine complained.
"That's because you're a lousy teacher," Damon proclaimed. Getting up, he walked over to where Katherine had told the group to start. "Elena, come here," he called. Elena came to stand by his side. "Now, this is how you do it in fashion shows," he informed her. "Walk, walk, walk," he began to stride across the grass his head held high and his body moving in a straight line before he stopped and glared around at his invisible audience. "Pivot," he ordered Elena. "And then turn," he whirled on his heel. "Now, walk back." Striding back to where he had come from, he smiled at Elena who grinned at him.
"Oh, my god," Katherine gasped, staring at Damon like she had never seen him before and then she was grabbing him by the shoulders. "You're it! You're the answer," she told him, holding him tightly as he stared at her like she had lost her mind. "You're going to be my coach and my muse and my manager. You're going to help me become a star. Congratulations, Damon, you're going to be famous by association," she announced giddily.
Damon looked at me and began to mouth, "Help me," as Caroline looked at me as well with an amused look on her face.
Katherine was telling Damon how they were going have to be in constant contact for the next year so that they could become a "cohesive team" as Caroline snuck over to me. "I think that Damon just found his calling," she whispered to me with a giggle.
"Yes," I replied as Elena crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at her older sister with her boyfriend. "I think that his calling may get him killed by one of the two Gilbert girls. However, I'm not sure which one."
Caroline giggled, "Well, he always wants to be the center of attention. Now, he's got Kat's and then some."
"Yeah," I replied with a grin. I was just happy that I had Caroline's full attention again and that there was someone keeping Damon occupied. It's not that I was jealous. We were all the best of friends. However, there was still a part of me that feared as we got older that things would change us in ways that caused all of us to do things we would never think possible mere years before.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and for reviewing. Seriously, I love reviews so when you find the time send me one.
Aleix2106: Yes, the drama was getting to be a bit much. That's why I tried to cut down on it a bit. Delena was my first OTP for TVD and Klaroline was my second so you know no matter how hard the road for them becomes they will always find their way back to each other. Kat and Elijah have a long road ahead of them that spans not just this story but the next two and I'm looking forward to writing all of the ups and downs. I wanted to show that people can change no matter how awful they might seem so Vaughn had to return. Care and Lena are one of the big friendmances in this story and they have a lot history that will unfold over the years, some of it good, some of it not so much but they love each other so they'll overcome the obstacles.
ObsessWithElijah: I liked it too.
Guest: Sequels. Three to four of them. Think of HarryPotter or TheHungerGames because the story is far from over. Just this first story is coming to an end.
Tippy093: Thank you. I wanted to bring Vaughn back and find a way to show him in a humorous light. Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine how kids growing up ten years after I was a child would think or behave but I have noticed certain trends like the mature elements/just being kids.
CB4389: Thank you for thinking that the plan with Bon and Enzo was great. I try. No, you're right. This is that story. Klaus is being a bit stubborn as usual and he wants to make this decision on his own. I do believe that you will find out what Klaus is sick from in chapter 49 and you will see his decision in chapter 50. Trust me, you'll like what he chooses to do.
Peace,
Jessica