"Damon hasn't said a word to me. Every time I try to talk to him, he shuts me down." Stefan stated as him, Elena and I stood beside her locker.
"Do you think he's still trying to find Katherine?" Elena asked, holding her books to her chest.
"I don't know. He waited 145 years, only to find out that Katherine could not care less." Stefan pointed out and I sighed, shaking my head. "I mean, that's gotta hurt, right?" He asked and Elena sighed in annoyance.
"And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." Elena countered sarcastically and scoffed in agreement.
"You have every reason to be upset with him." Stefan replied as he looked between us in defeat. "Have you thought about what you're going to do?" He added and I scoffed once again.
"About what? Isobel, our vampire birth mother, who's related to our vampire ancestors Katherine, who screwed over Damon? Nope. Haven't thought about it at all." I informed sarcastically and Stefan chuckled down at me.
"I'm sorry I brought up." He stated with a small smile and I nodded, looking away from him and down the hall.
"It'd just be nice if we could go through one day without worrying about any of it. No vampire mother. No vampire brother." Elena added and I nodded, sighing in agreement.
"No vampires at all?" I asked and rose an eyebrow in uncertainty before Elena smirked and looked at Stefan.
"Not any other than you." Elena pointed out and I looked away from them. "I just want to get us back to normal stuff like.. School. And homework." She added before gasping. "And here's a thoughtâfun." She stated with a smirk and I laughed, looking back at her.
"That sounds good to me, when do we start?" I asked and shook my head as Stefan and Elena both chuckled before we walked in the direction of History.
-Time Skip-
"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door and annihilate the idiot who attacked us last night." Damon stated in some anger after boarding up the broken window in the library.
"Yeah? And then what? We turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say, 'oops. Sorry'?" Stefan asked in annoyance at him and Damon shrugged.
"I can't believe you made a deal with her." Elena stated in disbelief toward him and shook her head, folding her arms over her chest.
"It was more like a helpful exchange of information." Damon replied emotionlessly and I rose my eyebrow at him. "And it was not like I had a choice. She's.. Scary." He added with a shrug and I rolled my eyes. "Besides, she's gonna help me get Katherine back." Damon stated with a smirk and Elena chuckled dryly.
"Oh, of course she is. Damon gets what he wants, as usualâno matter who he hurts in the process." Elena stated in annoyance and he rolled his eyes.
"You don't have to be snarky about it." Damon replied with a sigh as he walked over to a chair and sat down.
"We woke up this morning to learn that all of the vampires have been released from the tomb. The same one that Grams died closing.. She's earned snarky." I stated angrily back at him and Stefan sighed from next to me.
"Mariana." Stefan stated, putting a hand on my shoulder. I rose an eyebrow and looked at him as he gestured at the fireplace, which had flames ascending from it vigorously. I narrowed my eyes at the flames and took a deep breath before watching the flames crawl back into their confined space.
"This isn't being very productive." I stated and looked back at Damon who tilted his head at me. "I just have to learn to deal with the fact that you're a self-serving psychopathic vampire who cares about nothing but himself." I added with a shrug and Damon rose his eyebrow.
"Ouch." He countered, rolling his eyes in annoyance and I gave him a fake smile.
"We're gonna find out a way to deal with Pearl and her army of vampires, right?" Stefan asked looking at Damon for answers. Damon stared at Stefan in silence before he got up, all the while shooting piercing glances at me before he walked out of the room. I sighed loudly and shook my head before turning to Stefan in defeat.
"I'm sorry, he just makes me so cranky." I stated, running a hand through my hair and Stefan chuckled a bit.
"He makes everybody cranky." Stefan replied shaking his head and I slowly nodded in agreement.
"So what are we going to do?" Elena asked, looking up at Stefan in defeat.
"Damon, Mariana and I are going to handle everything. I promise." Stefan reassured her and I walked away from that conversation as quickly as I could.
"What about me? I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing." Elena stated in protest while I pretended to look at the axe on the wall.
"That's exactly what you're going to do because that's what's gonna keep you safe." I countered, not turning to look at her.
"Which means nothing if neither of you are safe, either." Elena argued as she looked between Stefan and I.
"What do you mean, we're totally safe. We have the self-serving psychopathic vampire on our side." Stefan answered with a shrug and I chuckled, shaking my head as Stefan looked at me in amusement.
"That's comforting." Elena replied with a sigh before hugging Stefan tightly who wrapped his arms around her as well.
~~~~
I walked down the stairs as Elena was walking up them and rolled her eyes down at her phone that kept ringing in her hand. "Who are you dodging?" I asked curiously as she declined the call. She opened her mouth to answer but there was a knock on the door, making me sigh and answer it. I opened the door and watched Damon quickly walk in, wet from the rain outside.
"You're ignoring me." Damon stated in annoyance as he looked toward Elena and I shut the door behind him.
"The the six missed calls? Sorry, my phone is dead." Elena stated sarcastically as she stood on the stairs above us.
"Is Stefan here?" Damon asked looking around the house in curiousness but I shook my head.
"No." I answered, letting my eyebrows furrow slightly. "Why?" I asked, looking at Elena who exchanged a somewhat worried face.
"Something wrong?" She asked in confusion and Damon looked away from her with a sigh.
"He went to the woods to get food and didn't come back. I can't get him on his phone so I figured he was here with you." Damon pointed out as he looked down at his phone in uncertainty. Elena dialed Stefan's number into her phone and out it to her ear before slowly shaking her head after a few seconds.
"It's going straight to voicemail." She informed, now becoming fully worried as she looked between Damon and I.
"Where could he be?" I asked, looking at Damon who narrowed his eyes back at us.
"You're not gonna like what I'm thinking." He answered emotionlessly and I rose an eyebrow.
~~~
"Pearl, open this doorâI swear to god I'll bust through and rip your head off!" Damon threatened as he pounded on the door that stood in front of us. I watched as it opened a tiny bit and I saw a man from inside, narrow his eyes at Damon.
"Pearl's not home." The man stated emotionlessly. I furrowed my eyebrows at him as he opened the door further and peeled his head out of the door and looked at the cloudy sky. "Hmm. Beautiful weather. Not a single ray of sun in the sky." He pointed out in amusement as he watched the rain fall.
"Where's Stefan?" I asked in a stern voice. He rose an eyebrow and met my gaze before slowly eyeing me up and down.
"You really do look like Katherine.." He admitted with a scoff, ignoring my question completely.
"Where's my brother?" Damon asked in a more threatening manner and the man smirked at him, making his jaw clench. So... this must be Fredrick then. The vampire who attacked the boarding house with his girlfriend, but ended up returning without one.
"Billy." Fredrick stated before widening the door so we had a view of the hallway. I furrowed my eyebrows as two men came into the hall, dragging Stefan behind them before holding him up in their arms. I held in my breath as I met his gaze and saw the tears glazing over his eyes.
"You are dead." Damon stated out in anger and rushed forwards but was stopped by the barrier keeping him from entering.
"Whoa, I'm sorry. You haven't been invited in." He said in amusement and I watched Damon narrow his eyes in disgust. "Mrs. Gibbons." Fredrick added and as if on command, a woman came from behind him. I looked her over slowly, noticing the bite marks she had all over her arms, hands and neck.
"Yes, Fredrick, honey?" Mrs. Gibbons asked sweetly toward him.
"Never let this bad man in." Fredrick stated in a soft tone as he looked back at Damon with a knowing smile.
"I'll never let him in." Mrs. Gibbons agreed with a nod before walking away. I heard Stefan groan from the hallway and I shook my head at him, not knowing what to do.
"145 Years left starving in that tomb, thanks to Katherine's infatuation with you and your brother.. First few weeks, every single nerve in your body screams with fire. The kind of pain that can drive a person mad." Fredrick stated and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Well, I thought your brother might want to get a taste of that before I killed him." He added with a smirk before walking away from the door. "Billy." He stated and I watched as one of the vampires holding Stefan, shoved a stake into his side. I widened my eyes as Stefan yelled out in agony before the stake was pulled from him. "Now... You and your bitch have a nice day." Fredrick added in amusement and I clenched my jaw as he shut the door on us.
Damon and I ran off of the porch and walked quickly through the woods to where the car was parked. Elena noticed Damon and I walking towards the car and she got out of it, running towards us as an umbrella covered her.
"What happened, where is he?" Elena asked worriedly as she searched our faces for answers.
"Damon can't get in." I answered and shook my head back at her.
"Why not?" She countered, looking at him in confusion and he sighed.
"Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in." Damon answered in annoyance, trying to think of a different solution while the rain started to drench us both.
"We can get in thereâ" Elena started, gesturing between us and started moving in the direction of the house but I cut her off and grabbing her.
"You're not going in there." I pointed out, putting her back in front of me.
"Why are they doing this? What do they want with him?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows in concern and I turned to Damon who sighed.
"Revenge. They want revenge." He stated in defeat, looking away from both of us and I slowly shook my head.
"We have to do something." I replied and watched him nod in agreement before meeting his gaze with mine again.
"I know." He stated and looked at the woods around us, trying to think of a possible solution but I shook my head.
"We can't let them hurt him. We've got to get him out of there, Damon." I pressed in worry before running a hand through my hair in frustration and Damon turned back to me again.
"I know, Ari. I know." Damon reassured, looking down at me and placing his hands on both sides of my face as he called me that nickname again. "But I don't know how to get him out.. And I'm sure as hell not sending you in there unless we have an advantage." He stated in annoyance before and pulling away from me and moving towards the car.
~~~
"Well, don't you look.. alive." Damon stated and stepped into the hallway that Alaric was walking down. Alaric stopped in his tracks and tilted his head at Damon before sighing.
"You can't hurt me." He replied emotionlessly, making Damon smirk a bit.
"Oh, I can hurt you alright." Damon countered, stepping closer to him and I rolled my eyes.
"Damon." I pressed as I rounded the corner and Elena followed behind me. I watched Alaric look between Elena and I, taken aback but he didn't say anything.
"Mr. Saltzman.. We need your help." Elena stated in defeat. Alaric rose an eyebrow and looked between all of us in confusion.
~~~
"Stefan's in the house." Elena pointed out as she stood in front of Alaric who sat behind his desk. "Damon's a vampire, he can't get in. We need you." She stated in a pleading voice.
"I will be going in with you, butâ" I started, only to be cut off by Damon.
"But her life is valuable. So you're sort of... the bait." Damon admitted sarcastically and I rolled my eyes at his bluntness.
"Stefan told us about your ring." I informed and crossed my arms over my chest while Alaric rose an eyebrow.
"What about it?" He asked, trying to play it off as if he knew nothing about it.
"Let me recapâYou tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life." Damon stated as he leant against the windows. "Am I uh, am I leaving anything out?" He added, furrowing his eyebrows at the thought.
"Yeah. The part where I try and kill you again, only this time I don't miss." Alaric answered threateningly as he stood from his desk and took a step toward Damon but I stopped in front of him.
"Mr. Saltzman, please." I urged, looking up at him in defeat and he folded his arms over his chest.
"It's Stefan." Elena pressed from beside me and I watched as Alaric looked over us carefully before shaking his head.
"I'm sorry, girls.. But it's not my problem." Ric replied with a shrug and I shook my head at him.
"That's a shame. Because the woman in charge of the crowd could help you find your wife." Damon pointed out emotionlessly as he stood up from the window. I looked at him in confusion before back at Alaric who furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing what to think.
"You're lying." Ric stated in an unwavering voice as Damon walked closer to us.
"Am I?" Damon countered, now standing next to me. "Why don't you ask her for yourself? Coward." He added before putting a hand on the small of my back and gesturing me forwards. "Come on, Gilberts." Damon stated as he started walking us towards the door.
"Alright. Wait." Ric stated quickly and we all turned towards him again. "I'll go." He admitted and I gave him a grateful smile. I watched as he walked back toward his desk and pulled out a bag from his bottom drawer. I slowly walked back over to the desk as he opened the bag, revealing the stakes and knives it held.
"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night." Damon stated with a smirk as he looked down at all the weapons.
"I have you to thank for that." Alaric replied emotionlessly and I rose an eyebrow at some type of darts Elena pointed at.
"What are these?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows down at the needles.
"Those are tranquilizer darts fillies with vervain." Ric answered and I tilted my head at them in curiousness.
"Just get me in, I'll get Stefan out." Damon pointed out with a sigh and I looked up at him in annoyance.
"That's your plan? Your just gonna take all of them on by yourself?" I asked with a scoff, making him look back at me.
"Well, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully." He answered sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at him and watched as Elena grabbed a dart from Alaric's stash of weapons before I quickly took it away from her.
"Whoa, what are you doing?" Alaric asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"I'm going with you guys." Elena answered as she looked at the three of us with a serious expression and I chuckled.
"No, no, no, no. No way." Damon countered in protest as he shook his head.
"You need me. I'll get in, you could distract them and then I'll get Stefan out." Elena suggested as she looked between us again.
"You'll get yourself killed. You're not going in there." I stated as I put the dart back into place and eyed her carefully.
"I'm going in." Elena argued and I looked away from her in annoyance.
"So when you get us in, make sure to look out for as many vampires as possible. I know how to sneak around to where they can't hear me and I can only look out for one person at a time. You'll basically just be in the way." Damon stated as he looked at Alaric before at me, making me roll my eyes again.
"Damon, nows not the time to be the Lone Ranger." Elena stated sarcastically and Damon looked at her and narrowed his eyes.
"Fine, Elena. You can drive the getaway car. You're not going in the damn house." I countered in frustration, wanting the argument to end.
"You can't stop me. It's Stefan we're talking about here. You don't understand." Elena argued and looked away from me, making me scoff.
"Oh, I understand. I understand completely. He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong. I get it." I stated sarcastically and rolled my eyes back at her.
"Can you just not joke around for two seconds, Mariana?" Elena asked in disbelief, now raising her voice at me.
"I can't protect you in there, Elena. We don't know how many vampires there are and you can get your head ripped off, like that." I stated, snapping my fingers at her angrily. "I can't be caught up thinking about your safety because this will turn into a bloodbath that none of us walk away from. Including Stefan." I warned and watched her eyes glaze over at my words, but she needed to hear them. "I know. I get it.. I understand." I whispered, shaking my head in defeat and looking at Alaric and Damon who watched the scene.
"If we're gonna go, let's go." Alaric stated, clearing his throat awkwardly and I nodded in agreement before we walked out of the school.
-Time Skip-
I watched the backdoor of the house open in front of me and I saw Alaric and Miss Gibbons. They stood in the kitchen while a desiccated vampire was laying on the floor feet from them. I looked inside and noticed that the blender and the kitchen sink faucet were turned on, so the other vampires in the house didn't hear us. "Ma'am, I'm sorry but you're gonna have to invite a friend of mine inside." Alaric stated as he looked at her and gestured toward Damon who stood beside me.
"Oh, I'm sorry. He's not allowed in the house." Mrs. Gibbons countered in a sweet voice as she looked at Damon who sighed in annoyance while I walked into the house curiously.
"Yeah, I know but you gotta make an exception." Alaric stated in urgency as he shook his head at her.
"Get her out of the house, now." Damon said loudly over the rain that poured outside. Alaric pushed Mrs. Gibbons out and into Damon's arms. Damon grabbed her by the shoulders and stared at her as I examined the desiccated vampire below me while Alaric stood by the kitchen door, watching for more vampires. "Now, Mrs. Gibbons tell me the truth. Are you married?" Damon asked as he compelled her.
"No." She answered honestly, shaking her head.
"Parents, children, anyone else who lives on this property?" Damon asked again and I rose my eyebrow at her to see her furrow her eyebrows.
"No, it's just me." Mrs. Gibbons answered with a small smile and I exchanged a knowing look with Damon before I nodded.
"I'm sorry." I stated with a sigh before I twisted my wrist and watched her neck snap, making her fall back on the porch.
"You were supposed to convince her." Ric stated towards me in both shock and anger as Damon walked inside.
"It doesn't work like that." I countered in defeat and shook my head in disappointment.
"She was human." He informed before Damon pushed him away from me in annoyance.
"She was compelled. She couldn't have been convinced. Now get out of here and hide the body." Damon stated emotionlessly. Alaric opened his mouth to protest but Damon him out onto the porch and closed the door quietly behind him. Damon looked at me with furrowed brows and I nodded back in reassurance before he walked silently out of the kitchen. I looked down at the dead vampire in front of me before my eyes fell on a closet in the corner of the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and groaned lightly in annoyance before I picked up the vampire and dragged him into the closet.
"Billy!? What's the hold up!!" I heard Fredrick's voice yell from down the hall. I clenched my jaw and shook my head in annoyance as I quickly stepped into the closet also once I heard footsteps come from the hall. I quickly closed the closet doors behind me as the footsteps walked into the kitchen and I held my breath. I heard the blender get shut off as well as the kitchen faucet and I furrowed my eyebrows. I slowly clenched my jaw as the steps came closer to the closet and I heard someone start to pull on the doors. I quickly kicked the doors open and saw a vampire shift in anger at me. I clenched my fist instinctively and pulled my arm back toward me and watched the vampire gasp as his heart was ripped from his chest. I sighed in relief while the vampire's body desiccated in front of me. He started to fall towards the floor but I caught him and put him down gently so he wouldn't draw too much attention.
~~~
I walked softly down to the basement, being careful not to make much noise. I stopped in a doorway that lead into the hall in front of me. I rose my eyebrow and slowly peaked my head out of the doorway. Around the corner, I saw a vampire sitting in a chair while to music on his iPod or something as he guarded a door. I quickly pulled myself back into the doorway and got the vervain dart from pocket, holding it in my hand. I heard the vampire slowly stand from the chair and start to walk in my direction, making me furrow my eyebrows. Did he see me? I hugged my body close to the wall and watched the vampire pass by the doorway I was in. He stated down the hall he stood in, in curiousness, clearly having something catch his attention. I took my chance and sprung, shoving the dart into his neck quickly and moving back as he groaned and fell to the ground. I moved my gaze in the direction he was looking in before I saw Elena poke her head out at me from behind another corner, making me scoff. "Are you insane?" I asked in disbelief. "Come on." I added in annoyance and gestured for her to follow as we walked down the hall and toward the door the vampire was guarding. I opened the door carefully to make sure there weren't other vampires before Elena and I walked in. I heard Elena gasp and my eyes fell on Stefan whose hands were tied to the ceiling above him with vervain ropes.
"Elena.. You shouldn't be here." Stefan stated weakly toward her, breathing heavily since his airway was practically being shut.
"She was supposed to stay in the car." I pointed out in annoyance and looked over his shirtless and bloody chest. I turned to see another vampire who was tied to a chair with vervain ropes also, but knives were plunged into his legs, pinning him there. "He a good one?" I asked, looking at Stefan who nodded back at me in agreement. I slowly sighed and pulled the knives out of his legs, hearing the vampire groaning in pain as I did so but he nodded at me in thanks. "Now the ropes." I added, carefully untying them from the vampire's hands and turning back to Stefan. Elena pulled the rope that hung Stefan to the ceiling and I groaned, catching him in my arms so he didn't fall to the floor. "Okay, guys, let's go." I stated with a stern nod once Elena grabbed Stefan who leant against her. "Can you get him to the car?" I asked, looking over the two as we walked out of the hell room.
"Yeah, what about you?" Elena countered in confusion and I sighed, walking toward the stairs that I came down from.
"You rescue, I'll distract. Go." I answered quickly before walking quietly back up the stairs. Once I made it to the top, I looked carefully around the corner before I walked slowly down the hall. I heard loud voices come from another hall near me and I furrowed my eyebrows. I heard loud grunts and I quickly walked down another hall to see two vampires hit and kick Damon who was laying on the floor below them while Fredrick watched in amusement. I clenched my jaw and narrowed my eyes at Fredrick who noticed me out of the corner of his eye but vamped out of the house. I looked back at Damon to see him taking both vampires on still and slowly getting up from the floor. One of the vampires noticed me and vamped towards me and grabbed me by my shoulders, pinning me back against the wall. The vampire snarled at me, trying to bite me but I yelled out and shoved him back. He landed on the floor beside Damon who was on top of the other vampire, punching the hell out of him. The vampire that attacked me, got up and was about to vamp at me again but groaned as a stake went through his chest from behind. I sighed in relief as the vampire fell to the floor, showing Alaric who stood behind him and held his air-compression gun in hand. Damon looked up Alaric also once the vampire he leant over was unconscious below him.
"I'm going after Fredrick." Damon stated and quickly stood before vamping in the direction that Fredrick went.
"We should go help him." I informed, going to walk after him but I heard a creak from the stairs and I looked towards them in confusion. I rose my eyebrow before a vampire jumped over the railing and attacked Alaric, biting into his neck from behind me. I widened my eyes and grabbed another dart from my jacket before running at the vampire and plunging it into his back. The vampire groaned and falling to the floor unconscious, making me sigh loudly while Ric touched his neck and examined the blood on his hand. "Damon will give you blood." I reassured with a short nod. I heard footsteps come from behind me and I quickly turned towards then only to see Damon come back into the hall.
"Fredrick's gone." Damon stated in defeat and I slowly nodded and looked over all of the bodies surrounding the hall.
"Let's get out of here." I said and Damon nodded in agreement as I walked to the front door and they followed behind me.
"I'm gonna kill him." Damon stated in frustration as we opened the door and walked out onto the porch. The three of us stopped in our tracks as eight more vampires were walking towards the house, surrounding it.
"How many of those vervain darts do you have left?" Damon asked quietly, not looking at Alaric as the vampires continued to get closer and closer.
"One." Alaric answered with a sigh and I slowly nodded, feeling my breath hitch in my throat.
"Not gonna be enough." I countered sarcastically before we all walked backwards into the house and quickly closed and locked the door behind us.
"So what you said to get me to do thisâabout my wife.. It was a lie, wasn't it?" Ric asked as we stared at the door uneasily, waiting for the vampires to knock it down.
"Yep." Damon answered quickly as thuds started coming from the door and I steadied myself.
"Stop. What's going on here?" A woman's voice asked sternly from outside. I rose my eyebrow as the door was unlocked and slowly opened, revealing a beautiful woman who walked in with Anna. She must be Pearl.. Anna's mother. I watched Pearl slowly scan the bodies surrounding the floor before she narrowed her eyes at Damon. "What did you do?" She asked in disbelief.
"Me?" Damon scoffed back at her in annoyance. "Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing my brother." He informed, walking toward her and Pearl slowly nodded and looked away from him.
"Trust me. The parties responsible for this will be dealt with." Pearl reassured quietly and set her gaze on me, looking me over in curiousness.
"Our little arrangement doesn't work unless you learn to control them." Damon stated angrily as he pointed a stake at her throat.
"This wasn't supposed to happenâ" Pearl started but I cut her off.
"Well, it did." I countered, making her and look back at me. I watched her tilt her head and give me a smile, for whatever reason.
"If I had a good side, not a way to get on it." Damon stated in annoyance as he walked past her and Anna, pointing the stake at her in annoyance. Damon walked out of the house and Alaric and I followed after her in silence.
~~~
I walked out of Stefan's room after making sure he was okay, and started walking down the hall. I heard the sound of drawers opening and closing from another room before I peered into a doorway to see Damon standing without a shirt on as he went through one of his dresser drawers. I walked past it, not thinking much of it before I rose an eyebrow and slowly walked back, leaning myself against the doorway of his room before crossing my arms over my chest. "Stare much?" Damon asked in some amusement as he was still turned away from me and I rolled my eyes. I didn't reply, making him raise an eyebrow and look at me from over his shoulder.
"What you said today, about you not having a good side... You know that I know that's crap, right?" I asked sarcastically and watched him stare back at me in silence before he threw a black T-shirt over his head. "I mean, I've seen your good side, DamonâAnd to be honest, I feel like I'm the only one who ever does." I added with a slight shrug.
"Or have you?" Damon asked with a playful smirk and I gave a dry scoff in response.
"You don't treat me like you treat everyone else and you know it." I countered, making Damon walk over to me. "And I'm still trying to figure out why that is, but you don't make it very easy." I admitted with a sigh of defeat as he stood in front of me now, watching me with a small smile playing on his face. "I'm not Katherine, Damon." I added quietly. Damon's smile slowly dropped and he tilted his head down at me.
"I know that you're not." He stated, looking me over slowly and I furrowed my eyebrows. Damon raised his hand toward me before gently running his thumb over my cheek. The two of us stared at each other in silence before my phone rang. The two of us pulled away and I grabbed my phone from my pocket, looking down at the Caller I.D and answering it.
"Hey, Jereâ" I started but immediately cut myself off once I heard the urgent tone in his voice. I furrowed my eyebrows and looked up at Damon who was staring at me in some concern. "What? Waitâwait, what's going on?" I asked, shaking my head before I felt my heart skip a few beats in my chest. "Oh, no." I whispered, defeat settling into me.
~~~
I rang the doorbell and stood outside for a few seconds before the door opened and Sheriff Forbes stood in front of me. She gave me a small smile and moved to the side, welcoming me in. Once I walked in, I looked into the living room where Kelly sat on the couch, her tear stains covered by mascara. Jeremy and Tyler both sat in silence at the table in the kitchen and I sighed deeply before walking through the kitchen and into the hall. When I made it to the doorway of the hall, I saw Matt coming out of Vicki's room and when he turned to me, my eyes glazed over at the sight of him.. He was a complete wreck. Matt stared at me as we both stood in silence for a few seconds before he started slowly shaking his head in defeat and I sighed. "Matty." I whispered, walking toward him quickly before we engulfed each other in a hug and he instantly started crying on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry." I whispered, holding him as he cried in my arms.
"She's gone, Mar.. Vicki's gone." Matt sobbed into me and I slowly nodded in agreement, feeling my eyes glaze over more and more.
"I know." I whispered, shaking my head back at him. "I know." I repeated, rubbing his back in reassurance. I saw Caroline staring at us from the corner of my eye before she looked down in defeat. I let Matt cry into me for what seemed like minutes before I slowly pulled away from him. "Listen to me." I started, grabbing Matt's hands hands in mine. "You're going to get through this. You'll learn to live and breathâAnd I'll be here every step of the way." I whispered in reassurance before standing on my tip toes and kissing his forehead gently. When I pulled away from him, I nodded towards Care who took it from there. I walked into the kitchen and saw Jeremy and Tyler, still sitting at the table in silence. "You okay?" I asked quietly down at Jeremy who didn't look up at me.
"I'll be in the car." He answered emotionlessly and I slowly nodded in agreement as he got up from the table and walked out of the house. I looked over at Tyler who didn't say a word to me and I slowly moved over to him.
"Ty?" I asked uneasily. I watched as he looked up at me with red eyes before he stood and hugged me tightly and I sighed deeply, hugging him back.