Matt

Portland, Maine

The call came in at about eight-thirty P.M. while Matt cooked dinner in his one-bedroom apartment, wearing a bright red cardigan and dark jeans. The lights were flickering like crazy, but in the moment, that didn't seem odd to him.

He had just bought the place after the last tenants hauled-ass, and yes, Matt knows how that sounded. But when working on a limited busboy's salary, Matt figured one busted-up ceiling, two non-functioning TV screens, and unmatched brown and burgundy couches weren't that terrible. Certainly not a reason to move back to the town of horrors.

Sure, when most of his friends back home were of the supernatural variety, ie: vampires, witches, and everything in between, maybe he should have aired on the side of caution before answering the phone. But how the hell was Matt supposed to know his entire life would flip on its axis as he prepared pasta under an overhead light?

Matt's cell buzzed just when he put his dinner on the black-topped stove. He picked it up from its precarious position on the granite table, glancing down briefly toward his caller ID.

Matt gasped. The room spun, circling around like a drain. How the blond kept his body upright during this moment astonished even him, given his knees, arms and legs trembled violently. Because the person calling Matt's phone was himself.

A bolder pressed down on Matt's chest, kidnapping the air from his lungs. Finally, he answered. "H-hello?"

Matt's voice responded, sounding no older than he was now. "Stefan's gonna ask you where Elena's lavender and green book is soon. You're going to tell him it's in the upper-right drawer in her bedroom, behind the shelf. Understand?"

Matt's body went cold all over despite the heat in his kitchen. In the case Matt would confuse the both of them, he'd take to calling the other Matt phone Matt. Not original, but eh. "And before you say something stupid like Stefan's dead or Tyler said to wait another year, Elena brought Stefan back to life, or at least his physical body, and Tyler's a dick."

Matt's brain started computing again. "Elena did what?!"

Phone Matt ignored his outburst "Elena deserves to know what she is, Matt," phone Matt's tone grew soft. "Damn the consequences."

Matt agreed. "Oh, another thing. You may think you know what/who I am. You don't. I am not you from some distant future. I merely take on the form of the person I'm contacting," phone Matt informed Matt.

Matt laughed, a little deliriously. "Noted," he said. Matt almost hung up, but then phone Matt spoke up. "Hey, Matt? Can I give you some advice?"

Matt shrugged, figuring he was already insane. "Sure. Hit me," he intoned dramatically with a sweep of his hand. "Go home," phone Matt said wistfully. "You don't know how long you'll have one. Just go home."

Matt's suspicious meter beeped in his head. "Why?" He drew out the question. Phone Matt sighed, like he was dealing with a particular insubordinate child. "Call it a favor for an old friend," phone Matt sounded like he held in a laugh.

'Cause that's not cryptic as hell, Matt thought. "Goodbye, Matt Donovan. Until we meet again," phone Matt's voice distorted. "And trust me, we will."

The call cut out.

\AN:

Hello, hello, my darlings! I hope you enjoy this very (very) short chapter while I get ready for chapter 7. This mini-chapter is a setup for the rest of the series (yes, I said series) and I hope you love it! Thank you so much for reading.