Here is Chapter Thirteen, it's a juicy one so I hope you enjoy! I have Chapter 14 already written, I'll post it either on Friday or if I can get 7 new reviews or follows before then! We're officially at 50,000 words with this Chapter! XO, Eden.
Song: All I Need
Artist: Within Temptation
I'm dying to catch my breath
Oh why don't I ever learn?
I've lost all my trust,
Though I've surely tried to turn it around
Can you still see the heart of me?
All my agony fades away
When you hold me in your embrace
Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear me down
You've opened the door now, don't let it close
After how bad the events of the weekend were, I was almost relieved to head back to school on Monday. At least at school no one was drunk, dads weren't randomly showing up out of nowhere, and no politicians were physically abusing their children. I still felt sick thinking about how Mayor Lockwood treated Tyler; it was no wonder Tyler was such an ass.
Truth be told, I always looked forward to history class. Mr. Saltzman was so unlike any other teacher I had ever had. He seemed to genuinely care about his students, inside and outside of the classroom. We were just getting settled into class while he told us that we'd be learning about the town's history this week when a student I had never seen before came into the classroom.
"Sorry I'm late." She was out of breath as she came into the classroom.
"Looks like we will be at full occupancy today." Mr. Saltzman said. "Welcome home Bonnie."
Bonnie? As in Elena and Caroline's best friend Bonnie? I realized I had never seen a picture of her. She was beautiful; she had dark skin and light green eyes, and her hair was straight with bangs that framed her face perfectly. There was something almost ethereal about her. Why hadn't Elena told me she was coming back?
Bonnie shot Elena a smile that looked more like a grimace, and then quickly avoided eye contact with her. She gave me a look as well, and I realized I must be in what used to be her seat. Instead, she took a seat behind me. Looking over at the expression on Elena and Stefan's faces, I realized that perhaps Bonnie didn't tell them she was coming back. That didn't make any sense; they were supposed to be best friends. If Bonnie wanted to surprise Elena, showing up at school was not the fun way to do it.
After our ridiculous lesson on the town's history, Bonnie immediately jumped up and paced out of the classroom. I looked at Elena, and trailed her out of the school onto the front lawn.
"Bonnie." Elena called out.
"Hey." Bonnie turned around to look at Elena, but kept walking at a pace that made it clear she did not actually want to be followed.
"Hey I um, I tried to grab you after class but you'd already taken off." Elena said, as Bonnie finally slowed. "How are you? How's your family?"
"We're dealing. It's been hard." Bonnie was curt.
"Everyone here really missed you." Elena said.
Bonnie shrugged. "Yeah I just had so much to deal with after Grams' funeral, and honestly after your phone call I just really didn't want to come back."
"I hope you understand why I called . . . I wanted you to know before you came home." I had no clue what Elena was talking about. This was the first I had heard of any drama between her and Bonnie.
"Yeah I understand why. I just wish I didn't know." Bonnie replied.
"I know it's been really hard. . ." Elena started, before being cut off.
"Bonnie! Thank god you're home!" Caroline's perky voice descended upon us. "I know we talked every day, but I missed you! How are you doing?"
"Better. Just better. You know?" Bonnie nodded. "Just glad to be back."
Bonnie's tone completely changed when speaking to Caroline. The hurt was etched all over Elena's face as she observed the interaction between the two.
"I see you've met Lucy." Caroline smiled.
Bonnie turned to me. "Oh, so you're Lucy. I've heard a lot about you."
"Yep that's me. I've heard a lot about you too. It's nice to finally put a face to the name." I smiled, hoping that she didn't hold whatever grudge she clearly had towards Elena at the moment against me as well.
"So, Bonnie. Any big plans now that you're back?" I knew Caroline well enough to know that she was fishing for something.
"I don't know, just try to keep myself busy." Bonnie shrugged.
"Well I can help with that." Caroline perked up at the opportunity to pitch whatever idea she had brewing. "Major wardrobe confab needed ASAP. You need to help me pick the perfect dress for Founder's Court."
"The Founder's Court?" Elena looked confused. "Did I miss something?"
"The Founder's Court." Caroline repeated. "You know, Miss Mystic Falls. They announced it today, and um, you and I are both on it."
"Sorry, what's the Founder's Court?" I asked.
"The Founder's Court." Caroline repeated herself again with an exasperated sigh. "It's Miss Mystic Falls. Come on you guys, the beauty pageant! Lucy, you weren't here during sign ups, otherwise you totally would've made it onto the court, you know, since you're basically a founding family."
"What?" Bonnie looked at me. "Lucy's part of a founding family?"
"Yeah, she's Elena's cousin. Her parents adopted her from John Gilbert, so she's totally got founding family blood in her." Caroline clearly hadn't filled Bonnie in on this tidbit during their daily phone calls. "They say you don't have to be part of a founding family to participate, but we all know they only let one person on each year who's not part of one and it's just for show."
"Okay, by your logic I would technically not be a part of a founding family." Elena shot Caroline a look. She was definitely sick of Caroline bringing up the whole adoption thing every five seconds. "God, we signed up for that so long ago, I completely forgot."
"So are you dropping out then?" Caroline asked with a little bit too much hope in her voice.
Bonnie smirked. That was so Caroline to want to get rid of the competition. Especially when the competition was Elena, who Caroline seemed to think carried around a perpetual gold medal with her wherever she went.
"I can't." Elena sighed.
"No?" Caroline pried.
Bonnie caught Elena's eye. "Her mom is the one who wanted her to enter."
Caroline nodded. If she was trying to mask her disappointment, it failed. Things seemed to always be tense between Caroline and Elena. First Caroline saw Elena as competition for her boyfriend, and now Elena was her literal competition for some beauty pageant.
"Right." Caroline said, and turned to Bonnie. "So, you'll help me pick out dresses after school, then?"
Caroline didn't give Bonnie the chance to answer before forcing a smile at Elena and me and walking off. Bonnie shot an uncomfortable glance at Elena.
"I have to go." Bonnie mumbled.
"Bonnie wait!" Elena stopped her. "Can we catch up later?"
Bonnie shrugged. "Maybe. We'll see."
Elena was visibly down struck by Bonnie's soft rejection of her. It was surprising to me as well. This definitely wasn't how I had envisioned my first time meeting the third part of their best friend trio.
I waited until Bonnie was out of earshot before addressing the awkwardness. "I take it you didn't know she was coming back?"
"Nope. I barely even spoke to her while she was gone." Elena shook her head. "I thought she just needed space to grieve alone, but turns out she was talking to Caroline ever day."
"I'm sorry, Elena." I sighed. "I don't know her at all, so I can't even begin to imagine what's going on in her mind, but I do know that she's grieving, and everyone does that differently."
"You're right." Elena agreed. "If she wants space, I should give it to her."
"Let's be real, you just want an excuse to avoid the 'major wardrobe confab.'" I teased.
Elena groaned. "I am so not ready for this Miss Mystic Falls thing. I need to see if Stefan will be my escort."
"Yeah you'd better get on that." I joked. "Make sure you have room for a plan B, you know, in case Stefan doesn't want to go with you."
"Come on, be serious." Elena nudged me. "You should come though, it'll be fun. You'll have another excuse to dress up, and you can help make sure Aunt Jenna doesn't burn my hair off."
"Oof, another Mystic Falls formal event? I don't know if I can handle that after the last one." I pretended to mull it over. "Okay fine, I'll go. But I'm not getting in between in inevitable catfight between you and Caroline."
Elena rolled her eyes. "That, I am most definitely not looking forward to."
I'm here on the edge again
I wish I could let it go
I know that I'm only one step away
From turning it around
Can you still see the heart of me?
All my agony fades away
When you hold me in your embrace
Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear it down, what's left of me
Make my heart a better place
The rest of the week buzzed by. I didn't get to see much of Elena, with her spending most of her time preparing for the pageant. Apparently there were all these interviews she had to do, and dances to learn. I was glad all I had to do was look cute and provide emotional support.
From what I could gather, things with Bonnie were still tense. Whatever rift was happening between her and Elena was deepened by Caroline desperately wanting to win the pageant. It felt like it was "Team Bonnie and Caroline" vs. "Team Elena." I for one, was looking forward to the three of them mending their issues and hopefully getting the chance to know Bonnie.
I agreed to meet Elena at her house so we could carpool to the Founder's Hall together. I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to going there again after last weekend's events. Apparently Jenna had solidified her relationship with Mr. Saltzman, as he was going to be driving us. He pulled into Elena's driveway just was I was getting out of my car.
"Hi Lucy, you look nice." He greeted me.
I had already gotten ready before coming over, so that I could focus on getting Elena prepared for the pageant. While I was helping her dress shop, I bought a strapless champagne colored dress. It was rather simple, but still elegant.
"Thanks Mr. Saltzman." I smiled.
"You can call me Ric outside of class." He said. "Just want to keep things casual when I'm hanging out with Jenna, you know?"
I nodded. "Right."
Ric knocked on Elena's front door, and she answered looking extremely frazzled. I really felt for her, this pageant thing was so obviously not her thing, but she felt the need to uphold her mom's legacy. That had to be hard.
"Hey." Elena smiled. "Heard you're driving."
"Yeah I am." Ric replied. "Let me get that for you."
Elena handed her dress bag to him as we stepped into the house. "Thanks."
"Uh, how is Stefan?" Ric asked.
Elena turned around, a look of concern on her face. "What do you mean?"
"You know, he seems on edge." Ric shrugged.
"He went through a lot." Elena said. "He was in bad shape for a while, but he's bouncing back now."
Ric nodded, but still looked concerned. I didn't bother to pry; I just assumed it was something to do with his parents. Damon was his legal guardian, and something bad had to have happened for them to end up in that position.
"Alaric." A voice came from the kitchen. "Hey buddy, what are you doing here?"
Elena shot me an apologetic look as John Gilbert emerged from the kitchen. I knew he was staying at their house, but she had assured me that he wouldn't be involved in the activities of the day.
"Well I'm the uh, chauffeur." Ric explained.
"Oh, I thought I was driving." John replied.
"Oh, no need. We're going with Ric." Jenna joined the conversation as she descended the stairs.
Jenna had on a grey satin one-shoulder dress, and her hair was pulled to the side in a curled ponytail. She looked absolutely beautiful, and the smile on Ric's face as he watched her showed that he definitely agreed. They made a great couple.
John nodded and looked at me. "Who's your friend, Elena? I didn't catch her name last time she was here."
"That's Lucy." Elena shifted uncomfortably.
"Lucy, huh." John eyed me. "What's your last name, Lucy?"
"It's um, Adams." I said.
Elena cleared her throat. "Are we ready?"
Jenna nodded. "Jeremy can ride with you, John."
Elena waited until we were in the car to address what had just happened. "I am so sorry, Lucy. I had no idea he was even here."
"Do you think he knows?" I gulped, thinking about how horribly awkward it was to interact with John.
Jenna looked at us in the rear view. "Knows what?"
"What a colossal ass he is." Elena replied.
Jenna laughed, and I tried to read Elena's face. Evidently, she hadn't told Jenna that John was my birth father. I guess that would be a big bomb to drop on her, seeing as that technically made me Jenna's niece. I had a gnawing feeling in my stomach that I was going to have to have a conversation with John eventually.
After seeing it last weekend, it was no surprise to me that the Founder's Hall was absolutely beautiful today. The grand staircase was draped in tulle and Christmas lights to create a charming walkway for the contestants. Flowers were everywhere, and the doors were propped open to let the unseasonably warm breezes flow through the building.
Upstairs, the council had set up a space for the contestants to get ready. Caroline was sat right behind Elena, and was ignoring her, and by association Jenna and me as well.
"Thanks for helping me." Elena smiled at Jenna as she curled one of the final strands of hair. We had pulled her hair half up, secured with a blue-jeweled clip, and curled the rest.
"Don't thank me until you're sure your hair isn't going to burn off." Jenna laughed.
Elena put her makeup brush down and gave a sad look to Jenna in the mirror. "You know, I remember when my mom and I were first applying for this she was so excited."
"So were you, if I recall." Jenna pointed out.
"I was." Elena agreed. "She just made it sound like so much fun. Lot's has changed since then."
"Well I hate to break it to you, but it's a little late for cold feet." Jenna said.
Elena shrugged. "I don't have cold feet I just . . . I think I'd be enjoying it a lot more if she was here."
"I'll tell you one thing, your hair would have a better chance if she was." Jenna tried to lighten the mood.
I reached out to squeeze Elena's hand. She was definitely feeling the absence of her mother today. I wondered what she had been like before her parents had died. The way everyone treated her, it was like she was an entirely different person.
"Ok, I should go put my dress on." Elena got up and looked at the curling iron. "Be careful with that thing. Don't hurt anybody. Lucy, come with? I might need help with the zipper."
I nodded, and followed Elena down the hallway to the changing room. It was a wonder she even knew where she was going; the Founder's Hall was huge. There was already a blonde girl in the room, pacing back and forth. I hadn't met her before.
"Are you okay, Amber?" Elena asked her.
"I hate being the center of attention." She replied. "I get panic attacks."
"Do you need some privacy so you can change?" Elena offered.
"Actually I'm just gonna go get some air." Amber said, and scurried out of the room.
I stifled a laugh as I exchanged glances with Elena. Why sign up for a beauty pageant if you hate being the center of attention? Then again, Elena was here, and she clearly wasn't enjoying the attention. Elena reached for her dress, then jumped and turned around. I followed her gaze to see Damon standing in the corner of the room. Was here there the whole time?
"Hey." Elena's voice wavered. "You can't be back here."
"We need to talk." Damon said.
"Does it have to be right now?" Elena held up her dress, indicating that she had other matters to attend to.
"Yes, in fact, it does." Damon's eyes went over to me. "Alone, if you don't mind."
Elena shot me a pleading glance, and I nodded. Clearly this was one of their secretive moments. I ducked out into the hallway, and heard the door click shut behind me. Sighing, I walked along the hall and looked out one of the windows at the people beginning to gather to watch the pageant.
Part of me was inclined to just accept that Elena, Stefan, and Damon would always have this weird secretive air about them. The other part of me was frustrated. It wasn't fair to just kick me out and exchange glances behind my back as if I wasn't there at all.
Stefan came up the stairs, looking flustered. "Have you seen Elena?"
I gestured down the hallway. "She's in there, talking to Damon."
He rushed down the hallway and pushed the door open. I tried to peer in, to catch a glimpse at what was going on. Elena looked shocked.
"What's going on in here?" Stefan asked.
"Just filling Elena in on your extracurricular activities." Damon said nonchalantly.
Stefan shrugged. "What are you talking about?"
"I know, Stefan." Elena said.
"I'm gonna . . ." Damon looked between the two of them. "I'll be downstairs. Drinking."
Damon shut the door behind him, and cocked his head at me when he saw that I was trying to get a glimpse at what was going on with them. I looked away sheepishly.
"Do you often try to listen in on other people's conversations?" He approached me.
"Do you often crash high school beauty pageants?" I replied.
"Only when the contestants are as beautiful as you." He smirked.
My cheeks flushed. "I'm not competing."
"Well then, the other girls should consider themselves lucky." Damon murmured. "They would stand a chance against you."
I cleared my throat, wanting to change the topic. "Is Stefan okay?"
"Believe me when I tell you that Stefan is none of your concern." Damon's gaze hardened for a moment at the mention of Stefan, but then it softened again. "Save me a dance, okay?"
I couldn't even agree before he paced off and disappeared down the stairs. Something about him always left me unable to find my words. He was always so effortlessly charming.
Carol Lockwood breezed down the hall and knocked on the door to the dressing room to usher Elena towards the rest of the contestants. She was clearly interrupting a heated discussion between Stefan and Elena, and was angry to discover that Elena still didn't have her dress on. Carol coolly instructed Stefan to wait downstairs with the rest of the escorts.
I reached out to grab Stefan's arm as he stormed by me. "Stefan, is everything okay?"
He shook my hand off without a word, and continued into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. I looked back to Elena, but she had already shut the door again. I guess she didn't need my help with her dress after all. Moments later, I heard glass shatter in the bathroom.
"Stefan!" I yelled.
I looked around. There was no one else to hear the sound. I forced the door open, and Stefan turned to glare at me. I gasped. His irises were completely dark, and the whites of his eyes were blood red. The veins under his eyes protruded in a way that I had never seen on another person. His teeth were bared, and his breathing haggard.
"Oh my god." I whispered. "Your eyes. They're . . . oh my god."
Stefan held his hands up, and I watched his eyes shift back to normal. "I can explain. It's okay. Come with me. I'll explain everything."
Stefan grabbed my arm with so much force I was sure it would leave a mark, and dragged me with him. I was so stunned, I couldn't even protest. He took me down the hallway and towards a different stairway, and out a side door.
My thoughts were jumbled. His eyes . . . the way his teeth were . . . I was right? Stefan was . . . a vampire? I had speculated it, but to actually witness it and have it confirmed was a whole other thing. My brain was having trouble processing it.
I should have been scared to follow him, especially with the way he was gripping my arm, but it was Stefan. He was Elena's boyfriend. He would never hurt me. I just wanted to finally get the answers that no one else had offered me.
"Where are you taking me?" I finally asked.
"I don't know." Stefan huffed.
"Stefan . . . doesn't Elena need you for the ceremony?" I realized she would be left alone if he didn't go back.
Stefan pushed me against his car. "I can't think about that right now. Be quiet."
"I was right." I ignored him, and thought aloud. "You're a vampire."
"Yes, you're right. Congratulations." Stefan was clearly angry. "I told you to stop digging into it but of course you didn't listen to me because of that freaking necklace."
Stefan grabbed my locket and ripped it off my neck, throwing it into the woods. I almost cried out, and tried to duck away from him, but he grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eye.
"You're going to stay right here with me, do you understand?" His eyes dilated as he spoke.
I no longer felt safe with him. He seemed unhinged. I knew I needed to run, but all I could do was nod in agreement. Even when Stefan let go of my shoulders and started to pace back and forth, I couldn't bring myself to leave him.
"I'm sorry. I'm not very good to be around right now. I've been drinking the human stuff and it's really screwing with my head." Stefan explained. "Oh. She knows now. God she wasn't supposed to find out, I didn't want her to find out now everything's ruined."
"Stefan," I spoke cautiously. "Whatever's upsetting you . . . whatever you did . . . I'm sure it's going to be okay. Elena will understand."
Stefan let out a dark laugh. "I'm not upset, Lucy! I'm freaking hungry!"
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. "Do you want to hurt me?"
"No." Stefan shook his head, and I almost let myself breathe out a sigh of relief. "I want to kill you. I want to rip into your skin, and I want to feed on your blood. Under your skin . . . pulsating . . . flowing."
My heart dropped through my stomach. This wasn't Stefan. This couldn't be happening. But it was. I needed to get away from him. But I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move? Stefan stepped towards me and ran his hands through my hair, sending a chill down my spine. He pushed it behind me, and ran a finger down my neck.
"Your carotid artery . . . right there . . ." He eyed my neck. "If you puncture this just right, you can control the blood flow. It takes practice but . . . it doesn't have to make a mess. You don't have to waste any."
"Stefan, please." I could hear the shakiness in my voice. "Don't do this. Think of Elena. Please don't do this."
"You're right." Stefan chuckled. "If I do this . . . if I give in . . . there's no going back."
"Then don't." I pleaded with him.
Stefan licked his lips. "I just want one taste, that's all I need. Just one taste."
His eyes darkened again, the veins protruding from his face. Why did I go with him? Deep down, I knew what he was. I shouldn't have let myself be alone with him.
I screamed as loud as I could when he bit into my neck, praying that someone would hear. I knew it was no use; we were too far away from the hall and the music would be too loud. The pain was unimaginable. White hot, radiating from my neck.
"Stefan, please." I choked out through the pain as he sucked the blood from my neck.
By some miracle, he actually pulled away from me for a moment. I leaned against his car. I still couldn't bring myself to go away from him.
"I can't do this." Stefan paced back and forth, wiping blood onto his sleeve.
"Stefan. It's okay." I tried to calm him, for my own sake. "I'm not hurt that badly. I'll be okay. We'll be okay."
"No you don't understand!" Stefan yelled. "The thirst, it's too strong. It's too much . . . you need to go. I need you to run like hell."
As soon as he said it, it was like a weight lifted from me. Suddenly, I was able to move. I turned and ran into the woods, away from his car. I could feel blood dripping from my neck, onto my chest and dress, and I wasn't sure if I would even be able to make it back to the hall. I was so dizzy. I almost lost my balance as I ran right into . . . Stefan.
"You said to run." I whimpered.
"I changed my mind." Stefan growled.
I let out another scream before he silenced me with his hand, biting back into my neck. I realized I had failed. Stefan was going to kill me. The animal inside of him, the animal that he was, it was going to win.
I could feel myself getting weak as Stefan drank from me. His hands clenched on me were the only reason I was still standing. All I could think was that this was it. This would be how I die. My parents would be left with no kids. All because I wanted answers about vampires. How ridiculous was that?
"Stefan!" I heard Elena cry out. I wasn't sure if it was real or if it was just my mind playing tricks on my in my final moments.
"Stefan." Damon's voice sounded.
Stefan released his grip on me, and my legs buckled under the weight of my own body. Through my blurred vision, I made out Elena's terrified face, Damon, and . . . Bonnie? I knew that it wasn't real as soon as I saw Bonnie trailing Elena.
I shut my eyes. I was so tired.
I just needed to close my eyes for a moment. The darkness was so comforting.
I tried many times but nothing was real
Make it fade away, don't break me down
I want to believe that this is for real
Save me from my fear
Don't tear me down
Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place