Waking up the next day was less of a challenge than the previous one, now that I knew what to expect from the residents of Mystic Falls, I was way less scared at the thought of another day of school.

The previous night turned out okay, with Caroline continuously flirting with Stefan while I was trying to avoid the looks he kept sending my way. Bonnie was no help during any of this, mainly sitting back and watching like we were a soap opera. When we finally decided to call it a night, I was a little relieved when Stefan insisted that he could make his own way home and that I didn't need to follow through with giving him a ride.

Like yesterday, the first period was History with Mr. Tanner, this time the class was about the Civil War. Again, I questioned whose idea it was to make History the first subject for the day. I was also questioning why Mr. Tanner ever decided to become a teacher, it was obvious how much he didn't like students (though he really loved history).

"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war, in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle?" It was probably the first time he had paused to take a breath all class, glancing around, he finally set his sights on a target. "Ms. Bennett."

Bonnie startled at being called on, looking up sharply from taking notes. "Uh… a lot? I'm not sure, like a whole lot." I couldn't help but smile, but Mr. Tanner, however, was not amused.

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett." Looking around the room again, he zeroed in on someone further back. "Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"

"It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it." Matt answered, sounding half asleep, causing chuckles to erupt around the room.

"Elena?" I cringed at being called on and being the only one he called by first name. "Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?"

"I'm sorry…," I could feel my shoulders coming up to nearly my ears at the attention as I stuttered out my response. "I-I don't know."

"I was willing to be lenient about your absence last year for obvious reasons, Elena." Mr. Tanner didn't even hesitate to cut me down with his words. "But the personal excuses ended with summer break."

"There were 346 casualties, unless you're counting local civilians."

I glanced behind my shoulder at the sudden voice, realizing that it was Stefan who had come to my rescue.

"That's correct," Even Mr. Tanner sounded surprised at the answer, giving me one last glance before turning his full attention to Stefan. "Mister…?"

"Salvatore." He said simply.

(Salvatore…) I thought to myself, that was a name even I could recognize, after all, Caroline had made sure to drill all of the founding family's names into my head in her effort to re-educate me about the town.

"Salvatore…" Mr. Tanner repeated thoughtfully. "Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?"

Stefan seemed to think about it for a moment before responding with, "Distant."

"Well, very good… Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle." Back in lecture mode, Mr. Tanner turned away, silently dismissing Stefan.

"Actually, there were 27, sir." He interrupted again, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on a church, believing it to be housing weapons, they were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts… Mr. Tanner."

《》

The rest of the day, thankfully, went a lot more smoothly than that first class. The other teachers were human beings who understood that if I couldn't remember what year it was currently half the time, I probably also couldn't remember the dates of events I don't even remember being taught about.

Like yesterday, I had a far easier time breathing when the school day was over. This time however, Bonnie insisted on coming over to my house so we could get ready for the party together. That itself was a bit of a struggle considering Bonnie was still quite used to Before Elena's style. Where before I apparently preferred a more girly look with makeup and such. Now, I am far more comfortable in jeans and t-shirts with no makeup. I also apparently liked to wear a lot more jewelry than Before Elena ever did, lots of bracelets and long necklaces to keep my hands busy.

Finally, after much back and forth, I agreed to a spaghetti strap tank top so long as I could wear a leather jacket over it. And I also agreed to let Bonnie do my makeup so long as it was only the lightest application. Applying the shadow and eyeliner was alright, but I couldn't stand the sensation of concealer or blush going all over my face. With a few bracelets and a couple necklaces to complete my outfit, Bonnie declared that I was ready for the party.

By the time we actually made it to the party, the sun was already starting to set, taking away some of the summer heat with it. It seemed like all of Mystic Falls High had showed up, I was pretty surprised to see no adult supervision whatsoever. But considering that every teenager I could see had something alcoholic, I guess it made sense why anyone actually over twenty-one wasn't invited.

"Just admit it, Elena."

I tuned back into the conversation, I was technically a part of, turning back to Bonnie. I glanced around again, hoping to spot Caroline, before answering. "Oh Okay, he's a little pretty."

"He has that romance novel stare," She gushed, jokingly. "He stared deeply into her eyes, piercing her very soul."

I couldn't help but giggle at her theatrics, taking another sip of my coke cola through the straw. "I wouldn't go that far… besides, Caroline seems really into him."

"Yeah, well he seems really intoyou." Bonnie shot back before looking around at the party goers. "So, where is he?"

"I don't know." I nearly scoffed at the thought (How would I know?). "Besides, if anyone would know it would be you as the psychic, remember?"

"Oh right… I forgot," she tilted her head back as she smiled at me before shifting her stance and closing her eyes. "Okay, give me a sec, Gram says I have to concentrate."

"Don't you need a crystal ball?" I asked through giggles, looking around the ground for a pretty rock. I didn't find what I was hoping for, not even a simple quartz, but I did find an empty beer bottle. "Here, use this!"

Bonnie laughed at my antics, reaching out to take the bottle I was holding. The moment she grabbed it, her fingers overlapping mine, I felt a shock go through me, freezing me in place. Bonnie, too, seemed to be frozen, her smile gone. But just as quickly as it started, the moment was over with Bonnie yanking her hand away, leaving the beer bottle still in my own.

"What was that?" I asked shakily.

"That was weird, when I touched you, I saw a crow…"

"What?" My mind immediately went to the day before in the cemetery.

"A crow," She repeated, her eyes drifting away as if she was trying to remember. "There was fog…, a man…"

This was starting to get scary with the accuracy in which she was describing the previous day. But before I could voice any of this, Bonnie was shaking her head.

"I'm drunk!" This was said almost pleading. "It's the drinking, there's nothing psychic about it… Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna get a refill."

Before I could offer to go with her or say anything, Bonnie was already turning away from me to cut through the crowd of people and just like that she was gone. I couldn't help but rock back and forth on my feet anxiously as I looked around for a familiar face. But, in the dimly lit clearing, everyone looked like a stranger.

I turned towards the more lit gazebo, hoping to maybe find Caroline to hang out with, only to almost run right into Stefan.

"Hi."

"Hi…" I repeated back, coming out as more of a squeak than anything, slightly unnerved by how easily he had snuck up on me.

"I uh, I did it again, didn't I," his smile was more bashful than charming now.

"Yeah…" I shifted my feet as I shoved my empty hand into the pocket of my jacket and tried to give him a smile. "We really need to stop meeting like this."

"I'm sorry…" He murmured, gazing at me more thoughtfully now, before stating more than asking. "You're upset about something."

"Oh, it's nothing…" I waved my hand airily, glancing around for Bonnie or better yet Caroline's blonde curls. "Bonnie just went to get a refill."

"She, uh, she seemed to be in a hurry." Stefan commented, glancing around too before focusing back on me.

"Yeah…" I agreed before giving him a try at a more friendly smile. "Anyway, why don't we get you a drink? I could go for a refill too."

Leading Stefan to the more brightly lit gazebo where a few coolers resided, filled with beer and thankfully soda as well. I opened two of them that were side by side and dug into the ice to hopefully find myself another coke, I looked over my shoulder at Stefan.

"What would you like, Stefan? It's a party so there's beer and more beer… oh! And coke." I grinned widely at him as I held up the red soda can.

He smiled back at me. "Coke is great."

I handed him the one in my hand and reached back into the cooler for another one. I took the straw out of my empty can and stabbed it into the new one, taking a quick sip.

"So…" I started awkwardly, searching for something to say. Small talk was definitely not my forte anymore. "How are you liking Mystic Falls so far?"

"It's, uh, definitely different to how I remember," he glanced down at his coke as he said this.

"Well, time does tend to do that." I responded, tilting my head at him as I smiled. "Ya' know, you're kind of the talk of the town."

"Am I?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh yeah, mysterious new guy returning to Mystic Falls, it's all I here about." I confirmed, taking a quick pull from my straw. Thinking about the mile long text thread I had on my phone, gushing all about how hot Stefan was.

"Well, you uh, you have the mysterious thing going, too… twinged in sadness."

I frowned down at my own coke can, trying to think in the short time I met him when the mask had slipped. "What makes you think that I'm sad?"

"Well, we did, uh, meet in a graveyard." He responded with a dry humored smile.

"Well…" I started, thinking about the previous day, before giving him a smile. "Technically,technicallywe met at school when I nearly ran you over, we only did introductions at the graveyard."

"My mistake," He tilted his head, waiting for me to continue.

I shifted awkwardly on my feet, glancing around again for Bonnie or Caroline to come and save me. "It, uh, really isn't party chit-chat."

"Well, I've never really been very good at, uh, chit-chat." Stefan encouraged gently while still looking at me intensely.

(He really doesn't know how to take a hint, does he?)

"Oh…Well…," I started hesitantly. "Last spring… my parents' car went off Wickery Bridge with me in the back seat. I survived…, they didn't. For a month after I was in a coma…, the doctors didn't think I was going to make it. But… I did. When I woke up… I couldn't remember anything before that hospital room. Not the accident… not my friends or family. Not even the town I've spent my entire life in."

I could see that look on his face now, the same look I had seen on almost everyone after they had learned the extent of my condition. Almost horrified, almost pity but just not quite the same. I had to admit it was far more muted on Stefan than it had been on anyone else, but that didn't mean that I couldn't stillsee it.

"It's called Retrograde Amnesia, which just means that while I still remember how to walk and talk, I can't remember anything to do with people or places… So, that's me…, just an orphan with memory problems…" I finally concluded, holding my coke can close to my chest as my other hand went up to rub at a spot behind my right ear, where the hair there was far shorter than the rest and the skin felt jagged.

"You won't be sad forever, Elena." He murmured reassuringly.

"Yeah, well, I never would have come this far without my family," I smile a bit more brightly, trying to force my body into a more relaxed stance. My smile became far more genuine as an idea came to me. "In fact, I still would probably be locked in my room, refusing to leave if not for Bonnie and Caroline."

Stefan nodded, briefly glancing at something behind me before shifting his attention back to me.

"I like Bonnie, she seems like a good friend." He replied back and I couldn't help but frown internally. (That doesn't look good for Caroline's chances.)

"She andCarolineboth are the greatest friends I could ever ask for." I said, feeling far more confident now as I emphasized Caroline's name. "Bonnie was the one who pulled me out of my self-imposed isolation, but Caroline was the one who really took me under her wing. Showing me all the places, we used to hang out at and reintroducing me to everyone she could."

I wasn't sure if he got the hint as he smiled at me. "They both sound like great friends."

"They are." I agreed, nodding firmly.

"And Matt, he can't seem to, uh, take his eyes off of us," Stefan nodded to something over my right shoulder. I turned to look and saw not just Matt, but Caroline and Bonnie as well. They were huddled up together a way away and I couldn't help but frown at them for leaving me all alone to hang out with Matt.

"I… I really don't know the story on him and me, just that we use to date and that I broke things off literally right before the accident." I replied, giving them one last look before turning back to Stefan. "The only interaction we've had since I got out of the hospital was the one you saw last night."

"He, uh, didn't reach out to you?" He asked, tilting his head at me with a slight frown.

I shook my head as I took another sip from my drink. "Nothing besides a 'Get Well' card while I was in the hospital."

"That must have been hard for you." He noted.

I shrugged, staring down at my coke, trying to avoid the intense look that Stefan was giving me. "It's hard to miss someone when you can't really remember them."

Looking up finally to meet his gaze, I couldn't help but frown as I noticed the skin under his eyes darkening strangely. It didn't take long before Stefan seemed to catch the look on my face as he quickly turned away, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes.

"Are your eyes, okay?" I asked in concern, trying to see passed his hand.

"Oh, um… Yeah, no. It's, um, it's nothing. Um, I just, uh, remembered, I left something in my, uh, my car. I'll be right back."

I blinked in surprise as he all but ran away.

(That's the second one tonight, I wonder if I'm justthatterrifying.)

Shifting on my feet anxiously, I glanced around hoping to spot Caroline or Bonnie again. They were unfortunately not where I saw them last. Looking around again, hoping to see, well, anyone, I decided to move closer to the bonfire.

It was sort of funny how lonely I suddenly felt, even though I was surrounded by people. People that I might have known quite well just a few months ago.

I let out a sigh as I finally made it to the bonfire, taking in the strange contrast of intense heat at my front where I was facing the fire and sudden sharp cold on my back. Letting my gaze wonder around again, taking in the people around me. I took another sip of my coke, content to simply stand here and wait for someone to come and find me when a voice to my left made me jump.

"Looking for someone?" I turned sharply towards the person only to find Matt now at my side.

"No!" I responded immediately, wincing at how guilty I sounded. "Well… I mean, you haven't happened to have seen Bonnie or Caroline around, have you?"

"No, sorry," I frowned at his answer. "Look, Elena, I wanted to apologize for avoiding you. I, uh, I really wanted to reach out, I just didn't know how…"

"It's okay Matt, really." I said, trying to be reassuring. "It's not like I was really hurt by it, I couldn't even remember you, let alone anyone else."

That probably could have been said better, judging by how Matt flinched at my words. I apologized softly but he only shook his head at it. "No, you're right… Listen, I know I haven't been there for you like I should have, but I want to be now."

"Matt…" I started hesitantly, shifting on my feet, uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was starting to take.

"Not romantically!" He quickly reassured. "Just- I'll admit that I had wanted to fight you on the brake up that night. I wanted to fight forus. But… then the accident happened and it's like you said, you didn't even know who I was. But, before we were dating, we were best friends and… if it's not too late, I would really like to be friends again?"

It took all of my efforts not to 'aw' at him.

"Matt, I would love nothing more than to be friends with you again." I gushed with a smile so wide it was beginning to hurt.

Only then did Matt smile back at me, transforming his whole face, making him look years younger.

《》

Caroline was mature enough to admit that she was avoiding Elena. Maybe avoiding was too strong of a word, how about not seeking out. But could you really blame her, for probably the first time in forever Caroline was actually truly getting along with Elena.

Not that they hadn't gotten along before, just it had always felt like there was an invisible competition going on between them. Like if they didn't have Bonnie there to act as a buffer, they would be the absolute worst of enemies. Caroline could still remember vividly how close she had come to almost losing the spot as Cheer Captain to Elena last year.

But now, it was like the slate had been wiped clean.

When Caroline had first met this new Elena, who seemed so much smaller than the Elena she had known just a few months ago, she hadn't known how to approach her. Hadn't even known where to start. But…, getting to know her was like suddenly acquiring a little sister. Suddenly she had this person looking up to her and taking almost everything she said as gospel. Now there were no subtle barbs or sly comments. In fact, the few times Caroline forgot herself and did say something mean, it always seemed roll right off of Elena.

So, yes, Caroline was electing to not seek out Elena.

Not because she was mad at Elena, who could get mad at the New Elena. No, the biggest reason Caroline had not met up with her yet was because every time she caught sight of the brunette, she had Stefan Salvatore practically glued to her side. And yes, Caroline knew that she should be going over there to rescue her friend. You could probably spot from space how uncomfortable Elena was with Stefan's interest in her. But ithurt, with how obvious it was that he preferred Elena when Caroline was all but throwing herself at him. And… Caroline didn't trust herself enough to not take out that hurt and anger on Elena.

Did Caroline feel bad about basically leaving Elena to fend for herself, yes of course, specially with how often she saw Elena scanning the crowd. But…, was it really too much to ask that someone, for once in her life, picked her first?

She had thought that she had found her chance when she had gotten to Stefan just as he was arriving at the party. But the moment Caroline turned her back to grab him a drink, he was just gone without a trace. She didn't see him again until she went to check on Elena without her noticing and found Stefan at her side.

Caroline scowled down at her beer bottle, leaning carefully against a tree that was far enough away that Elena couldn't spot her, but close enough that she could still claim that she wasn't hiding. Maybe she should cut herself off with how depressing her thoughts had turned.

Looking up again to check on Elena and Stefan, Caroline couldn't help but perk up when she saw that Elena wasn't with Stefan. She in fact was now standing by the fire with Matt of all people. And judging by the smile that was splitting the brunette's face, the conversation was actually going well. Which meant that Stefan was more than likely by himself and maybe that was just what Caroline needed to get him to see her.

Glancing around at the party goers, Caroline ran a hand through her hair to make sure that there wasn't any twigs or tree bark there. Once she was confident that she didn't have any of the fauna stuck to her, Caroline made her way to the gazebo for a better vantage point.

Frowning to herself when she still wasn't spotting him, Caroline looked back to the bonfire to check on Elena. She was nodding along to something that Matt was saying. Perhaps there would be a Gilbert/Donovan wedding in the future. That was actually quite romantic, now that Caroline thought about it, that their love could survive tragedy and amnesia. Maybe Elena would even let her plan the wedding. Hopefully, considering that Elena seemed to have lost her fashion sense along with her memories. Maybe she could even get Elena to agree to-

Caroline's train of thought was sharply cut off when she finally caught sight of Stefan. He was coming out of the woods of all places, ducking under a rather low branch, looking around. Whatever he was looking for he obviously found as he seemed to zero in on something.

Caroline followed his line of sight and immediately found Elena, who was waving bye to Matt as he departed. Both of them were smiling far more brightly than Caroline had seen either of them smile in a long time.

With a renewed since of determination, Caroline swallowed the last of her beer and set the bottle firmly down on the gazebo railing. Running a final hand through her hair to make sure it was properly tousled, Caroline drew in a deep breath and strutted in Stefan's path.

"Hey! There you are…" Caroline purred at him, tilting her head down so she was looking at him through her eyelashes. "Have you been down to the falls yet? Because they are really cool at night… and I can show you… if you want."

"I think you've had too much to drink." Stefan commented with a small, amused smile as he glanced away.

"Well, of course I have. So-"

"Caroline." He interrupted almost gently, any hint of a smile now gone, and Caroline's stomach dropped to her feet. "You and me, it's not gonna happen. Sorry."

Caroline watched as Stefan stepped around her, not even sparing her a second glance as he continued on his way to Elena. Elena, who wasn't even interested in him. Elena, who had obviously caught sight of Stefan and was beginning to shrink in on herself at his approach. Huddling around her little can of coke that she wouldn't even have had Caroline not made sure that there would be something non-alcoholic for her.

And as if a switch had been flipped, Caroline was suddenly furious.

Caroline had done all she could to be as welcoming as possible to Stefan. She had put in a lot of work to learn everything she could about him, like his birthday and favorite color. She had greeted him as warmly as she could every time, she saw him. And still, he picked Elena over her. Sure, maybe she wasn't as nice as Elena or as genuine, but she tried her hardest to at least turn his head. And all she got for her efforts was a 'never gonna happen, sorry'.

"Caroline!"

And just like that, the switch was flipped back.

Elena was all but skipping her way over to Caroline, skirting around Stefan as she did with a quick greeting, before bouncing to Caroline's side.

"You've been avoiding me all night." She teased, linking their arms together and immediately began tugging Caroline in the opposite direction.

And… and Caroline could only follow as Elena led the way, away from Stefan as if he wasn't even there. Away from all of Caroline's insecurities over a boy who ultimately didn't matter to Elena at all.

"So, I saw you and Stefan talking, how did that go? It didn't seem like a very long conversation, I hope you at least got a date out of him, right? I really did try to talk you up to him, but he didn't seem to be getting the hint." She paused for a breath finally, glancing back at Stefan before looking back up at Caroline. "I just didn't know what to say. 'Hey! my friend is really into you and you guys should date' just felt a bit too strong, ya know?"

Caroline couldn't help but smile back at her, falling even more in love with this new Elena than she had been. Not that she hadn't loved Elena before, but now, she truly, genuinely, liked this Elena.

"He rejected me actually." Caroline was honestly impressed with how nonchalant she sounded.

"What?" Elena gasped.

"Yep," Caroline brushed a lock of hair that had started to bug her back over her shoulder. "I guess I'm just not good enough for him."

"But…" Elena murmured, looking both hurt and disappointed as she looked between them again before focusing on Caroline. "Who could be better?"

And that was the gist of it wasn't it, to Elena, this wasn't a competition for Stefan's interest. It was soobvioushow much Elena wasn't interested in him back. Caroline had almost laughed out loud the night before when she had seen the surprise on Elena's face when Stefan had been a bit too heavy handed in his intentions. No, the simple fact that Caroline had made her interest known was enough to ensure that Elena would be doing all she could to help. Because, to Elena, there were no sides to this.

《》

I couldn't help the incredulous look on my face as I looked between Caroline next to me and Stefan who was still behind us. I couldn't read the look on his face as he continued to stand there watching us walk away. I looked back up at Caroline who merely gave me a shrug in response to my question.

Before I could say more or even offer any sympathy to a surprisingly composed Caroline, I happened to glance over her shoulder and see Jeremy. He seemed a bit wobbly on his feet as he was all but stumbling away from the some-what lit party and into the far darker woods.

"Oh! Jeremy!" I called out without a second thought, he had to have heard me because he did glance over, but he didn't stop.

Caroline looked over as well, raising an unimpressed eyebrow as she turned back to me. "Where is he going?"

"I don't know," I murmured back, my concern only raising as I lost sight of him. "Hey, I'll be right back."

Caroline gave a light shrug in response. "Okay, but hurry back. I'll find Bonnie while you do that and then we can finally have some girl time."

I couldn't help but beam at Caroline's words, the worry I had felt over her avoidance of me finally dissipating. "Sounds like a plan! Is it okay if Jeremy joins us for that girl time?"

Caroline let out a very put upon sign, "I suppose, if youinsist."

Giving her one last quick smile, I made a dash towards the dark path leading into the woods after my little brother. I faltered only for a moment once I got past the tree line, looking around for where he could have gotten to.

"Jeremy?" I called out once I spotted him further down the path. "Wait up!"

Instead of answering Jeremy let out a loud groan, throwing his head back, but he did finally pause allowing me to catch up to him before he continued down the path.

"What's wrong?" Now that I could see his face it was obvious that something was wrong. His mouth was set in a tense frown and his eyebrows were scrunched together.

"Nothing." He responded (way too quickly if you asked me). I raised my eyebrows at him, and he grimaced back. "Just… I don't understand girls…"

"They are quite weird." I sympathized, before giving him a grin. "If you explain boys to me, I'll explain girls to you."

Jeremy laughed at that, finally relaxing from an angsty teenager back into my goofy little brother. "That's not a fair trade, I've been a boy my whole life, you've only been a girl for- what? Three months?"

I let out an outraged gasp, bring a hand up to cover my heart for added affect. "Well- Jeremy!"

Before I could get another word out Jeremy suddenly pitched forward, almost landing on his face with a yelp. I froze when I caught sight of what he had tripped over, it wasn't a rock or a tree root, it was a person.

"Vicki?" Jeremy gasped as he stared down at her. "No… oh my god! It's Vicki!"

I dropped to my knees next to him, taking in the smear of blood on the side of her neck. "Jeremy, I need you to move."

When he didn't respond to my words, I looked back up to find him staring back unblinking, mouthing something I couldn't make out. "Jeremy! You need to move!"

When he failed to respond again, I shifted how I was kneeling on the ground for better stability and promptly shoved him over. He yelped as he fell, but he was back up again fairly quickly so I knew he couldn't be that hurt. When I turned back to Vicki, I couldn't help but flinch away as I found her skin had suddenly turned gray, like all the color had been sapped away. The veins on her face were bulging grotesquely, making her look like she had been dead for months.

I blinked and abruptly the grayness and bloating was gone.

I took a deep breath and, despite my hesitations, leaned forward to try and listen for any breathing. When I couldn't hear anything, I glanced up at Jeremy with uncertainty. He was sitting on the ground next to us, his hands were up in his hair, making him look like he was having a mental breakdown (He probably was).

"Oh my God!Oh my God, is she dead?" he asked, sounding strangled.

"I-I don't know." I hadn't wanted to touch her in case she was, but I couldn't think of any other way to be sure. So, with all the hesitation in the world, I reached out and pressed two fingers against the side of her neck.

I only had a moment to register a faint flutter under my fingertips before she suddenly came alive with a gasp, making Jeremy and I both let out screams at the almost horror movie awakening. While Jeremy fell backward in fright, I couldn't help but lean forward, the relief that shot through me was dizzying.

"Vicki! Vicki, can you hear me? Do you know where you are?" I asked, desperately trying to keep her awake. But it was in vain, as her eyes that had been rolling erratically in their sockets slowly closed again. "Vicki!"

I tried gently patting her cheek to get another reaction, but she was unresponsive. I looked up at Jeremy as a new determination filled me. "Help me get her up! We need to get back to the party!"

I grabbed Vicki's arm and tried to pull her up into at least a sitting position. "Now! Jeremy!"

Finally (finally), he seemed to come back to life, jumping up and grabbing Vicki's other arm. It took a bit of maneuvering to get her up off the ground. She was quite lucky that Jeremy had just finished a growth spurt, otherwise we would have had to drag her. Once we have her situated in Jeremy's arms, we're off, back towards the party. Holding tightly onto Jeremy's hoodie to keep us anchored together, I led the way, over tree roots and rocks and under low hanging branches.

The relief that slammed into me when we finally broke through the tree line, made me almost lightheaded.

"Somebody Help!" I all but screamed. "Vicki's been hurt!"

"Vicki?" Matt was the first to respond to my yell, immediately breaking through the crowd of people who were just standing there, staring at Jeremy and I. "Vicki! What the hell!"

He was at our side in a moment with Tyler at his heels. I paid them both no mind as I led Jeremy towards one of the picnic tables closest to us.

"What happened to her?!" Tyler demanded even as he helped Matt and I clear the table so Jeremy could lay Vicki down.

"Somebody! Call an ambulance!" Matt called out to the people now surrounding us.

Tyler too seemed to notice the growing crowd was pressing in a little too close for comfort as he swung around. "Everyone back up, give her some space!"

"I think she got bit by something! On her neck!" I told Matt before turning to the crowd. "Does anyone have anything I can use to stop the bleeding?"

Someone did thankfully step forward offering up a hoodie that seen better days, but I couldn't worry about that with how close the wound could be to any vital veins. "Thank you."

"Vicki! Vicki, come on, open your eyes! Look at me!" Matt all but begged, gently brushing some of her hair out of her face.

《》

It felt like forever for the paramedic and police to get there as I continuously held someone's old hoodie to Vicki's neck. I felt like jello as I stepped out of their way, one of them taking my place with proper white gauze and a quick 'good job' thrown my way.

Backing up a few more steps, I blinked as I realized that Jeremy was no longer by my side.

(Where could he have gone now?)

My search for my wayward brother was briefly distracted by the paramedics finally bringing out the gurney to load Vicki up on. It took some time, but once they had her secured, they were off back to the ambulance with Matt following behind.

"Hey," Bonnie appeared next to me from out of nowhere, startling me. "We're gonna go to Mainline Coffee, wait for news. Do you wanna come with?"

I opened my mouth to decline, but just as I did, a wave of anxiety hit me, the image of a crying Caroline filled my mind. Frowning, I looked back at Bonnie. "Yes… would it be okay if Jeremy came with us?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay," I nodded to myself. "I find Jeremy and meet you back at your car."

I turn to go but a quit call of my name from stopped me. "There's no way I'm psychic, I know that… But whatever I saw, or I think I saw, I have this feeling…"

"What?" I asked when it didn't seem like she was going to continue.

In the few months that I had gotten to known Bonnie again, this was probably the most serious I had ever seen her. "That it's just the beginning."