The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter Seven

Stefan approached the corner house reluctantly, almost afraid of what he might find. He half turn outed that Damon would impart abandoned his post by now. Hed probably been an idiot to rely on Damon in the first place. except when he reached the backyard, there was a shimmer of performance among the black walnut trees. His eye, sharper than a humans because they were adapted for hunting, made out the darker shadow leaning against a trunk.You as well ask your time acquire back.I had to see the former(a)s fireside safe. And I had to eat.Animal blood, Damon utter contemptuously, eyes fixed on a tiny round stain on Stefans T-shirt. Rabbit, from the smell of it. That seems appropriate well-nighhow, doesnt it?Damon-Ive given mediocre and Meredith vervain too.A quick of scent precaution, Damon said distinctly, and showed his teeth.A familiar surge of irritation welled up in Stefan. Why did Damon al behaviors have to be so difficult? Talking with him was wish well walking between land mines.Ill be loss now, Damon continued, swinging his jacket over one shoulder. Ive got business of my own to construct care of. He tossed a devastating grin over his shoulder. Dont wait up.Damon. Damon half turned, not smell for scarce listening. The last thing we need is some girl in this town screaming Vampire Stefan said. Or showing the signs, either. These people have been through it before theyre not ignorant.Ill bear that in mind. It was said ironi outcryy, but it was the closest thing to a promise Stefan had ever gotten from his brother in his life.And, Damon?Now what?Thank you.It was too much. Damon whipped around, his eyes cold and uninviting, a strangers eyes.Dont expect anything of me, little brother, he said dangerously. Because youll be wrong every time. And dont think you base manipulate me, either. Those three humans may follow you, but I wont. Im here for reasons of my own.He was gone before Stefan could gather words for a reply. It wouldnt have mattered anyway. Damon never listened to anything he said. Damon never even c totallyed him by name. It was always the insulting little brother.And now Damon was off to prove how unreliable he was, Stefan thought.Wonderful. Hed do something particularly vicious just to show Stefan he was capable of it.It was no use. He couldnt keep his mind on the puzzle. He was tired and lonely and in desperate need of comfort. And the stark truth was that there was no comfort to be had.Elena, he thought, you lied to me.It was the one thing shed insisted on, the one thing shed always promised. Whatever happens, Stefan, Ill be with you. Tell me you believe that. And he had answered, helpless in her spell, Oh, Elena, I believe it. Whatever happens, well be together.But she had left him. Not by choice maybe, but what did that matter in the end? She had left him and gone away. at that place were times when all he wished was to follow her.Think close to something else, anything else, he told himself, but it w as too late. Once unleashed, the images of Elena swirled around him, too painful to bear, too beautiful to push away.The first time hed kissed her. The shock of dizzy sweetness when his brim met hers. And after that, shock after shock, but at some deeper level. As if she were reaching go through to the core of himself, a core hed almost forgotten.Frightened, hed felt his defenses tear away. All his secrets, all his resistance, all the tricks he used to keep other people at arms length. Elena had ripped through them all, exposing his vulnerability.Exposing his soul.And in the end, he found that it was what he wanted. He wanted Elena to see him without defenses, without walls. He wanted her to do him for what he was. terrific? Yes. When shed discovered his secret at last, when shed found him feeding on that bird, he had cringed in shame. He was sure that shed turn away from the blood on his mouth in horror. In disgust.But when he looked into her eyes that night, he saw understandin g. Forgiveness. Love.Her love had healed him.And that was when he knew they could never be apart.Other memories surged up and Stefan held on to them, even though the pain tore into him like claws. Sensations. The feel of Elena against him, supple in his arms. The brush of her hair on his cheek, light as a moths wing. The curvature of her lips, the taste of them. The impossible midnight blue of her eyes.But sightly had reached Elena. Elenas spirit, her soul, was still somewhere near.Of anyone, he should be able to summon it. He had Power at his command. And he had more right than anyone to seek her.He knew how it was done. Shut your eyes. Picture the person you want to draw near. That was easy. He could see Elena, feel her, smell her. Then call them, let your longing reach out into the emptiness. Open yourself and let your need be felt.Easier still. He didnt give a damn about the danger. He equanimous all his yearning, all his pain, and sent it out searching like a prayer.And felt nothing.Only void and his own loneliness. Only silence.His Power wasnt the same as Bonnies. He couldnt reach the one thing he loved most, the one thing that mattered to him.He had never felt so alone in his life.You want what? Bonnie said.Some sort of records about the hi myth of omits Church. Particularly about the founders, Stefan said. They were all sitting in Merediths car, which was parked a discreet distance tush Vickies house. It was dusk of the next day and they had just returned from Sues funeral-all but Stefan.This has something to do with Sue, doesnt it? Merediths dark eyes, always so level and intelligent, probed Stefans. You think youve solved the mystery.Possibly, he admitted. He had pass the day thinking. Hed put the pain of last night behind him, and once again he was in control. Although he could not reach Elena, he could beg off her faith in him-he could do what she wanted done. And there was a comfort in work, in concentration. In retention all emotion away. He added, I have an idea about what might have happened, but its a long shot and I dont want to talk about it until Im sure.Why? demanded Bonnie. such a contrast to Meredith, Stefan thought. Hair as red as fire and a spirit to go with it. That delicate center-shaped face and fair, translucent bark were deceptive, though. Bonnie was smart and resourceful-even if she was only beginning to find that out herself.Because if Im wrong, an innocent person might get hurt. Look, at this point its just an idea. But I promise if I find any evidence tonight to back it up, Ill tell you all about it.You could talk with Mrs. Grimesby, Meredith suggested. Shes the town librarian, and she knows a lot about the founding of Fells Church.Or theres always Honoria, Bonnie said. I mean, she was one of the founders.Stefan looked at her quickly. I thought Honoria Fell had stopped communicating with you, he said care proficienty.Stefan was surprised. He didnt entirely like the idea of Elenas journal on di splay. But Honorias records might be exactly what he was looking for. Honoria had not just been a wise woman she had been well versed in the supernatural. A witch.The librarys closed by now, though, Meredith said.Thats even better, said Stefan. No one will know what information were concerned in. Two of us can go down there and break in, and the other two can gravel here. Meredith, if youll come with me-Id like to stay here, if you dont mind, she said. Im tired, she added in explanation, seeing his expression. And this way I can get my watch over with and get home earlier. Why dont you and categorical go and Bonnie and I stay here?Stefan was still looking at her. Okay, he said slowly. Fine. If its all right with categorical. Matt shrugged. Thats it, then. It might take us a couple of hours or more. You two stay in the car with the doors locked. You should be safe enough that way. If he was right in his suspicions, there wouldnt be any more attacks for a while-a few days at least. Bonnie and Meredith should be safe. But he couldnt help wonder what was behind Merediths suggestion. Not simple tiredness, he was sure.By the way, wheres Damon? Bonnie asked as he and Matt started to leave.Stefan felt his stomach muscles tighten. I dont know. He had been waiting for someone to ask that. He hadnt seen his brother since last night, and he had no idea what Damon might be doing.Hell show up eventually, he said, and closed the door on Merediths, Thats what Im afraid of.He and Matt walked to the library in silence, keeping to the shadows, skirting areas of light. He couldnt afford to be seen. Stefan had come back to help Fells Church, but he felt sure Fells Church didnt want his help. He was a stranger again, an intruder here. They would hurt him if they caught him.The library lock was easy to pick, just a simple spring mechanism. And the journals were right where Bonnie had said they would be.Stefan forced his fall out away from Elenas journal. Inside was the record of Elenas last days, in her own handwriting. If he started thinking about that nowHe concentrated on the leather-bound book beside it. The washed-out ink on the yellowing pages was hard to read, but after a few minutes his eyes got accustomed to the dense, intricate writing with its elaborate curlicues.It was the story of Honoria Fell and her husband, who with the Smallwoods and a few other families had come to this place when it was still virgin wilderness. Theyhad faced not only the dangers of isolation and hunger but of native wildlife. Honoria told the story of their battle to survive simply and clearly, without sentimentality.With a prickling at the back of his neck, he reread the entry carefully. At last he leaned back and exclude his eyes.Hed been right. There was no longer any doubt in his mind. And that meant he must also be right about what was going on in Fells Church now. For an instant, bright sickness washed over him, and an anger that made him want to rip and tear and hurt something. Sue. Pretty Sue who had been Elenas friend had died for that. A blood ritual, an obscene initiation. It made him want to kill.But then the rage faded, replaced by a fierce determination to stop what was happening and set things right.I promise you, he whispered to Elena in his own mind. I will stop it somehow. No matter what.He looked up to find Matt looking at him.Elenas journal was in Matts hand, closing itself over his thumb. Just then Matts eyes looked as dark a blue as Elenas. Too dark, full of turmoil and grief and something like bitterness.You found it, Matt said. And its bad.Yes.It would be. Matt pushed Elenas journal back into the case and stood. There was a ring almost of satisfaction in his voice. Like somebody whos just proved a point.I could have saved you the trouble of coming here. Matt surveyed the darkened library, jingling change in his pocket. A casual observer might have thought he was relaxed, but his voice betrayed him. It was raw with strain. You just think of the worst thing you can imagine and thats always the truth, he said.Matt Sudden concern stabbed at Stefan. Hed been too preoccupied since coming back to Fells Church to look at Matt properly. Now he realized that hed been unforgivably stupid. Something was terribly wrong. Matts whole body was rigid with tension lying just under the surface. And Stefan could sense the anguish, the desperation in his mind.Matt, what is it? he said quietly. He got up and crossed to the other boy. Is it something I did?Im fine.Youre shaking. It was true. Fine tremors were running through the taut muscles.I said Im fine Matt swung away from him, shoulders hunched defensively. Anyway, what could you have done to upset me? Besides taking my girl and getting her killed, I mean?This stab was different, it was somewhere around Stefans heart and it went straight through. Like the blade that had killed him once upon a time. He tried to breathe around it, not trusting himself to speak.It was th e truth. Stefan waited a moment and then added, levelly, But its not the whole problem, is it?Matt didnt answer. He stared at the floor, pushing something invisible with the side of one shoe. Just when Stefan was about to give up, he turned with a question of his own.Whats the world really like?Whats what?The world. Youve seen a lot of it, Stefan. Youve got four or five centuries on the rest of us, right? So whats the deal? I mean, is it basically the kind of place worth saving or is it essentially a pile of crap?Stefan shut his eyes. Oh.And what about people, huh, Stefan? The human race. Are we the ailment or just a symptom? I mean, you take somebody like-like Elena. Matts voice shook briefly, but he went on. Elena died to keep the town safe for girls like Sue. And now Sues dead. And its all happening again. Its never over. We cant win. So what does that tell you?Matt.What Im really asking is, whats the point? Is there some cosmic joke Im not getting? Or is the whole thing just on e big freaking mistake? Do you understand what Im trying to say here?I understand, Matt. Stefan sat down and ran his hands through his hair. If youll shut up a minute, Ill try to answer you.Matt drew up a lead and straddled it. Great. Take your best shot. His eyes were hard and challenging, but underneath Stefan saw the bewildered hurt that had been festering there.Ive seen a lot of evil, Matt, more than you can imagine, Stefan said. Ive even lived it. Its always going to be a part of me, no matter how I fight it. Sometimes I think the whole human race is evil, much less my kind. And sometimes I think that enough of both our races is evil that it doesnt matter what happens to the rest.When you get down to it, though, I dont know any more than you do. I cant tell you if theres a point or if things are ever going to turn out all right. Stefan looked straight into Matts eyes and spoke deliberately. But Ive got another question for you. So what?Matt stared. So what?Yeah. So what.Yeah, so what? Stefan leaned forward. So what are you going to do, Matt Honeycutt, if every bad thing youve said is true? What are you going to do personally? Are you going to stop fighting and swim with the sharks?Matt was grasping the back of his chair. What are you talking about?You can do that, you know. Damon says so all the time. You can join up with the evil side, the winning side. And nobody can really blame you, because if the universe is that way, why shouldnt you be that way too?Like hell Matt exploded. His blue eyes were searing and he had half risen from his chair. Thats Damons way, maybe But just because its hopeless doesnt mean its all right to stop fighting. Even if I knew it was hopeless, Id still have to try. I have to try, damn itI know. Stefan settled back and smiled faintly. It was a tired smile, but it showed the kinship he felt right then with Matt. And in a moment he saw by Matts face that Matt understood.I know because I feel the same way, Stefan continued. Theres no excuse forgiving up just because it looks like were going to lose. We have to try-because the other choice is to surrender.Im not lively to surrender anything, Matt said through his teeth. He looked as if hed fought his way back to a fire inside him that had been burning all along. Ever, he said.Yeah, well, ever is a long time, Stefan said. But for what its worth, Im going to try not to either. I dont know if its possible, but Im going to try.Thats all anybody can do, Matt said. Slowly, he pushed himself off the chair and stood straight. The tension was gone from his muscles, and his eyes were the clear, almost piercing blue eyes Stefan remembered. Okay, he said quietly. If you found what you came for, wed better get back to the girls.Stefan thought, his mind change by reversal gears. Matt, if Im right about whats going on, the girls should be okay for a while. But you go ahead and take over the watch from them. As long as Im here theres something Id like to read up on-by a gu y named Gervase of Tilbury, who lived in the early 1200s.Even before your time, eh? Matt said, and Stefan gave him the ghost of a smile. They stood for a moment, looking at each other.All right. I guess Ill see you at Vickies. Matt turned to the door, then hesitated. Abruptly, he turned again and held out his hand. Stefan-Im fortunate you came back.Stefan gripped it. Im glad to hear it was all he said, but inside he felt a warmth that took away the stabbing pain.And some of the loneliness, too.