A/N: Oh my... 204 reviews in no time? Wow. You guys are CRAZY, thank you SO SO much for the love and enthusiasm! I really loved reading every single one of your reviews (this one "This was a very eye opening chapter. Very smart move to do it from Katherine's pov" particularly pleased me so whoever you are, thank you!)
And as promised, here's the new chapter! Do you want to find out how Maya is going to react once she wakes up? What is your guess? Surprised? Angry? Scared? Thankful? Let's find out! And please, keep telling me what you think of the story in reviews. (:
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters. This is a work of fiction written for entertainment purposes, but the original characters and original storylines present in "My Paper Heart" are my own work.
I could tell from her heartbeat that she was finally about to wake up. I stood up quietly and made my way over to the window, leaning against the frame.
It only took a few minutes before she eventually opened her eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered a few times, her body slowly processing her surroundings. Her eyebrows were drawn together, her hands unconsciously groping around the sheets. It was easy to surmise that she was feeling lost and confused. Predictably, her cerulean eyes ended up drifting to me.
She immediately sat and backed up against the headboard. If she hadn't been so weak, she would probably have already disappeared through the door by now. She glared at me with anger and hurt laced with something new; fear. It made me grit my teeth. I turned my head casually to look through the window.
"You're in my hotel room," I informed her in a detached tone. "You've been unconscious and sleeping for almost twenty four hours…" I turned my face slowly to look at her. "Do you remember what happened?" I asked her quietly. She opened her mouth slightly to answer but closed it again, obviously confounded.
"I heard you scream," I started nonchalantly while she continued to stare at me with her mistrustful eyes. "By the time I found you, I just had time to catch your head before it hit the ground when you collapsed." She didn't have to know that I had been there from the beginning. Something flashed suddenly through her eyes, lasting barely a second. I could tell she was remembering, but there was something else mixed in with her realization. Something that looked like… wonder and discomfort. This observation caused me to speculate that she might have been aware of her "abnormal" eyes before fainting in the woods. On her side, Maya seemed to also try to figure out if I had witnessed them or not.
She finally broke eye contact with me, letting her eyes roam over the comforter, and from the way she suddenly tensed, she had finally noticed she was half naked. She grabbed the sheets urgently and pulled them over her body. For a split second I was certain that I saw her hesitate. Which wasn't making any sense. She looked like she was reluctant for the fabric to touch her skin. I saw her jaw suddenly drop, an inaudible gasp passing her lips and I knew that she had realized she was wearing my underwear. She didn't hesitate this time and immediately wrapped herself in the bed sheets.
If looks could kill, I would be dead right now. The daggers she was shooting at me were poisoned with rage and disgust. With her messy, dark silken hair framing her face- and those deadly icy blue eyes, she looked like a ferocious feline.
"You've had a fever for pretty much half the time you've spent here…" I pretended not to notice her silent and resentful accusation, wanting to establish that I hadn't do anything blamable. "I had to remove your drenched clothes to avoid making your condition worse. They are on the chair next to the bed, dried and clean. As for your underwear, the landlady of this Bed & Breakfast, who happens to be a respectable old woman, took care of them and changed you into those."
Her gaze was bouncing between her clothes, the door and me. She had been looking for an escape route since she had awoken, but now she was also looking for something else. I restrained a knowing smirk from rising on my lips.
"Your stakes are on the dresser next to the door," I informed her, pointing vaguely in the direction I was referencing. I didn't keep them with me, knowing it would be frightening for her but I wasn't stupid either. She had broken one of my ribs with her fist only. I therefore made sure to place the stakes far enough away so that she wouldn't have time to run and snatch them if she decided to be unreasonable. She gave me an intense, dark look, seemingly trying to decide what her next move would be.
Suddenly, Maya clenched the hem of the sheets and threw them aside. She started balancing her weight on her hands so that she could get out of the bed. I sped towards her and squatted down in front of it to block her way. She immediately jumped backwards at the opposite side of the bed and flattened her back between the headboard and the bedside table. Good thing she didn't have a stake within easy reach because I could tell from her fierce features that it would have been buried inside my body right then. I raised my hands very slowly and defensively in front of me, notifying her that I had no intention of hurting her. I was very displeased by the way she was looking at me, and hated that she was now obviously scared of me. Perfectly aware though that I was the very one responsible for it, I cursed inside my head and willed myself to calm down.
"Don't try to stand right now…" I started softly. "You lost a lot of strength with the high fever. You need to eat before you start walking around, or you're going to fall or pass out again." I lowered my hands cautiously against the end of the mattress. "Once you have eaten a good breakfast, I'll drive you back to your house." She gave me a suspicious look.
"If I eat your breakfast, you're letting me go?" she croaked with difficulty, her throat parched from illness. I stopped a pleased grin from appearing on my lips. She was finally talking to me.
"Cross my heart and hope to die…" I answered lightly as I drew a cross above my heart with what I hoped was a friendly smile on my lips. I was trying to lighten up the mood, but failed miserably from the intensely skeptical look she had on her face. I noticed her attention being drawn away from me for a split second. If I didn't have super hearing, I probably wouldn't have even noticed, but her reaction coincided with the noise of someone putting their weight on a step.
"Speaking of breakfast…" I said cheerily. I stood up slowly and went to open the door. Mrs. Flowers appeared on the doorstep with a tray in her hands.
"Oh! The young lady is finally awake," she exclaimed in a relieved voice. "We were worried sick about you, dear," she continued with a fond smile on her lips. We? She was taking a little too much of liberty for my taste.
"I made you breakfast. Miss Katherine told me it was your favorite," she announced to Maya, proud of her cooking. It took all of my self control not to snap the neck of that annoying chatterbox like a twig.
Fortunately for her, my attention had been refocused by Maya's reaction. She had flinched slightly as soon as Mrs. Flowers had put the tray on her lap. It was obviously not in fear. I raised an eyebrow discreetly, but remained silent.
"Eat it all up, dear. You need to get some strength back," Mrs. Flowers continued joyfully. "Oh and before I forget..." She plunged her hand in the front pocket of her apron. "I took good care of your lingerie. All washed and ready for you to wear." She added the underwear to Maya's pile of clothes.
"Thank you Mrs. Flowers," I spoke up firmly, dismissing her. She nodded at me and wished Maya a full recovery before disappearing. I closed the door behind her and made my way back to the window.
Maya was examining the food like it was poisoned. She glared at me, then back at the tray before hesitantly picking up a strawberry. She finally started to eat the pancakes and drink the orange juice while gracefully nibbling on grapes and strawberries now and then.
She sent me quick annoyed glances all along and was obviously trying to find answers on my face. It was easy to imagine she was worried that I had seen her strange eyes in the woods or noticed her odd behavior since then, but I had no intention of bringing up the subject unless she directly asked me. Similarly, I would not try to apologize for my behavior two nights ago. She was obviously not in the condition to talk about it and would probably find my attempt inappropriate. I snapped out of my thoughts when I noticed another strange attitude from Maya.
She was eating every piece of food lying on the plate, except for bacon. I knew for a fact that she loved bacon. And yet, she was devouring everything but that, purposely avoiding the couple of fruits that had been touching the fried meat. I watched her closely, sincerely wondering what was currently happening inside of her.
She finished her orange juice in one gulp and defiantly pushed the almost empty tray toward me on the bed. I nodded in return and was quite surprised when she didn't try to stand up right away. She was staring at me expectantly. I frowned and tried to stop my eyes from rolling in annoyance when it finally hit me. I turned around with my back facing her and looked at the window. When I heard the telltale rustling of fabric, I knew that privacy was indeed what she wanted to get dressed.
When the room went quiet again, I turned around slowly and was slightly disappointed to see her inside clothes again. She was looking at me warily, obviously expecting me to break my promise. I dug my car keys out of my pocket and held them up for her to see before I walked to the door. She stepped back slightly and seemed baffled that I had actually not lied to her. I smiled to myself once I had passed her.
"Please, close the door behind you," I told Maya in an amused tone. I took the stairs down and heard the door click shut as her footsteps sounded behind me.
When we stepped outside, she immediately raised her hand above her eyes to protect them from the light, confirming my suspicions. All of her senses were abnormally heightened. No wonder she had acted like she was a vampire in transition. I shot her a sympathetic look but put my indifferent mask back on when she brushed me off tersely.
"This way," I said detachedly, motioning to my car.
The ride to her house had been heavily silent. I had thought that we were back to at least exchanging small sentences again, but I was obviously wrong. I parked in front of her house and spoke up before she had a chance to flee.
"No matter what you're going through right now, you should talk about it with your friends…" I said quietly. She shot me a harsh side glance. "Believe it or not, I know how hard it can be to deal with this kind of situation by yourself," I continued with a small smile on my lips. She frowned, her harsh look now laced with confusion.
"You should at least call them. It would be wiser for you not to stay here alone today…" She remained silently bewildered before quickly getting out of the car. When she reached her front walkway, I rolled down the car window.
"Maya?" She hesitated for a moment before turning around warily. I pulled out her stakes from beneath my seat and handed them to her through the window. She looked at me with distrust and surprise, not moving an inch. I titled my head to the side in understanding and shook my hand slightly to encourage her to take them.
She took a cautious step toward me and carefully grabbed the end of the stakes, making sure to keep me at arm's length. I let go of them and gave her small smile. Rolling up my window, I started the engine and drove away.
Then I pulled my phone out of my jacket pocket and dialed Damon's number.