Civil Twilight
Civil Twilight
By: Megan
Chapter 5: Bending the Rules
“Stefan?”
Elena called the name through the hollow house, her voice echoing alongside its borders, yet no one answered. Staring down at the coffee table in front of the antique red sofa, something caught Elena’s eye. Picking it up, a small flurry of butterflies entered her stomach, and a warm stinging sensation invaded her throat.
It was a photograph. And it was entitled, “Katherine, 1864.”
“Well, I guess the cat it out of the bag, isn’t it?”
Turning around, Elena saw Damon enter the room from behind her, a casual smirk gracing his familiar features.
Elena looked back at him with a dumbfounded expression on her face. Damon made his way to the couch, and sat while taking of his trademark leather jacket, while putting his feet up on the table where Elena had just picked up the picture a moment before. Looking up at the confused and upset girl to the right of him, Damon’s smirk just grew several centimeters wider.
“If you need an explanation, I just got back from lunch, so I have all day.”
Elena shook her head slightly, before pacing around the room, once, twice, and then three times before making her way to the couch where Damon sat, taking a seat beside him. And, gathering herself together she replied with, what she considered, a comment and question dripping with enough sarcasm and disdain to match his own.
“So, anything you would like to share?”
“This should really be Stefan’s place but…”
“I need to know why I dated someone who I just discovered was a vampire several weeks ago has a picture of his ex-girlfriend who apparently-“
“Is your doppelganger?”
Elena shuddered; the word was so horrific and disgusting. She had to know why, if anything, Stefan had been with her for that period of time. She had cared for him, been entrance by him, and he had made her happy most of all. Elena had to know that it was not simply because she shared a striking resemblance to a woman who had used and abused him some 100 years ago in a tortured past full of secrets.
“I have a feeling I’m not going to get a straight answer from Stefan.”
Damon smiled. “And you think you will get one from me?”
As a slight pause bridged into an even longer and prolonged silence, Elena replied with a thought that was just as confusing as it rang brilliantly true.
“Despite everything Damon, I don’t believe you have ever lied to me about anything.”
“Just let out a few chosen key-points about the lifestyle.”
Elena let out a tiny laugh.
Damon took the photo gently from Elena’s hand, and with quiet and wide-eyed simplicity stared at it admirably, seemingly transfixed by Katherine’s innocent stare frozen forever in time.
“Her name was Katherine Price, that was her full name. Her family were traders, coming in from the North. They had elected to stay with us for a while, by a recommendation from several friends. She had a younger sister, Clara. And…”
Damon paused and Elena saw something in that second that she swore made her catch her breath. Liquid seemed to flood Damon’s eyes for a brief instant, before they receded back, so that tears would not fall on his cheeks, as his throat restricted and he swallowed, replacing the grimace on his face with a smooth easy smile. And with that he stood up, walking towards the entrance to the foyer.
“Well, you’re not going to tell me anything else?”
Damon turned, looking at Elena with a threatening expression.
“Like I have said before, it is Stefan’s place, not mine. You said to me that I had never lied to you, well I haven’t. She was beautiful like you; she looked exactly like you. Why my brother pursued a relationship with you I have absolutely no idea his true intentions. Ask him yourself.”
“But-”
“Ask Stefan.”
And saying that sentence with a hard finality, Damon left the room, leaving Elena to do nothing but make her way back home. She could not face Stefan now. Making her way to the car, Elena felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was Bonnie. Picking it up, she feigned a cheerful voice, pretending that she hadn’t just experienced another scaring situation that she could add to her own mental list of all of them that were happening to her these past several weeks.
“Hey Bonnie, what’s up?”
“You okay, Elena? You sound a little upset.”
Damnit, brush up on your acting. Elena thought to herself.
“Oh, no I’m fine.”
“Good, because no matter what you say you are coming to the Ball tonight!”
“Wait? Your going?”
“Yes, Grams got me an invite and you need to be there or I will be so incredibly bored. Caroline is going to be there too. She couldn’t stop talking about it at all in class today.”
“Hey, is she doing any better?”
“Much better, she seems to have forgotten almost completely about Damon.”
“Good.”
Wearing her mother’s deep midnight velvet gown, Elena looked at herself in the mirror above her cherry-wood dresser in her room. She had been very surprised when Aunt Jenny had laid it out, as it was quite revealing, however Jenna was never one to play by the rules, she always tended instead to bend them.
Elena ran her brush one more time through her silky black hair, not wanting it to appear too curly, as Bonnie had insisted that she style it, instead of simply pulling it up in a loose pony-tail or tight bun.
She fixed the straps on the dress again, rubbing her narrow shoulders and feeling strangely insecure, as her eyes wandered to the plunging V-neck on the backless black dress that framed her slim form perfectly.
“Elena where are you? We are going to be late!” Aunt Jenna’s voice drifted faintly from below. Elena sighed and gave herself one last mental pep talk. You can do this. You used to love big events and fancy parties all the time. What do mom and dad have to do with it? And it’s a good thing. You’ll be able to take a break from the drama.
Meeting Jeremy downstairs, he gave Elena a 'hope you survive this' look as she opened the screen door and headed outside where a series of three cars were parked. Aunt Jenna’s, Logan’s, who was holding Elena’s Aunt’s recently manicured hands as they stood by the hood of his car, and… Stefan’s. Who stood in a sharp black tuxedo by his Black Audi, giving Elena a shy smile.
The sky overhead was blue, milky and opaque, serving as a backdrop to the autumn leaves that were a stark contrast to Stefan’s pale outline that become part of the picture in Elena’s eye against them.
He took several steps towards her in his shinning patent leather shoes, saying softly and trying most desperately to cut through the awkward moment in the lightest way possible, “I really didn’t have a choice. She forced me to come.”
Elena let out a breathy sigh. Yes, Aunt Jenna broke the rules as well.
To be continued...
Please review. :)
By: Megan
Chapter 5: Bending the Rules
“Stefan?”
Elena called the name through the hollow house, her voice echoing alongside its borders, yet no one answered. Staring down at the coffee table in front of the antique red sofa, something caught Elena’s eye. Picking it up, a small flurry of butterflies entered her stomach, and a warm stinging sensation invaded her throat.
It was a photograph. And it was entitled, “Katherine, 1864.”
“Well, I guess the cat it out of the bag, isn’t it?”
Turning around, Elena saw Damon enter the room from behind her, a casual smirk gracing his familiar features.
Elena looked back at him with a dumbfounded expression on her face. Damon made his way to the couch, and sat while taking of his trademark leather jacket, while putting his feet up on the table where Elena had just picked up the picture a moment before. Looking up at the confused and upset girl to the right of him, Damon’s smirk just grew several centimeters wider.
“If you need an explanation, I just got back from lunch, so I have all day.”
Elena shook her head slightly, before pacing around the room, once, twice, and then three times before making her way to the couch where Damon sat, taking a seat beside him. And, gathering herself together she replied with, what she considered, a comment and question dripping with enough sarcasm and disdain to match his own.
“So, anything you would like to share?”
“This should really be Stefan’s place but…”
“I need to know why I dated someone who I just discovered was a vampire several weeks ago has a picture of his ex-girlfriend who apparently-“
“Is your doppelganger?”
Elena shuddered; the word was so horrific and disgusting. She had to know why, if anything, Stefan had been with her for that period of time. She had cared for him, been entrance by him, and he had made her happy most of all. Elena had to know that it was not simply because she shared a striking resemblance to a woman who had used and abused him some 100 years ago in a tortured past full of secrets.
“I have a feeling I’m not going to get a straight answer from Stefan.”
Damon smiled. “And you think you will get one from me?”
As a slight pause bridged into an even longer and prolonged silence, Elena replied with a thought that was just as confusing as it rang brilliantly true.
“Despite everything Damon, I don’t believe you have ever lied to me about anything.”
“Just let out a few chosen key-points about the lifestyle.”
Elena let out a tiny laugh.
Damon took the photo gently from Elena’s hand, and with quiet and wide-eyed simplicity stared at it admirably, seemingly transfixed by Katherine’s innocent stare frozen forever in time.
“Her name was Katherine Price, that was her full name. Her family were traders, coming in from the North. They had elected to stay with us for a while, by a recommendation from several friends. She had a younger sister, Clara. And…”
Damon paused and Elena saw something in that second that she swore made her catch her breath. Liquid seemed to flood Damon’s eyes for a brief instant, before they receded back, so that tears would not fall on his cheeks, as his throat restricted and he swallowed, replacing the grimace on his face with a smooth easy smile. And with that he stood up, walking towards the entrance to the foyer.
“Well, you’re not going to tell me anything else?”
Damon turned, looking at Elena with a threatening expression.
“Like I have said before, it is Stefan’s place, not mine. You said to me that I had never lied to you, well I haven’t. She was beautiful like you; she looked exactly like you. Why my brother pursued a relationship with you I have absolutely no idea his true intentions. Ask him yourself.”
“But-”
“Ask Stefan.”
And saying that sentence with a hard finality, Damon left the room, leaving Elena to do nothing but make her way back home. She could not face Stefan now. Making her way to the car, Elena felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was Bonnie. Picking it up, she feigned a cheerful voice, pretending that she hadn’t just experienced another scaring situation that she could add to her own mental list of all of them that were happening to her these past several weeks.
“Hey Bonnie, what’s up?”
“You okay, Elena? You sound a little upset.”
Damnit, brush up on your acting. Elena thought to herself.
“Oh, no I’m fine.”
“Good, because no matter what you say you are coming to the Ball tonight!”
“Wait? Your going?”
“Yes, Grams got me an invite and you need to be there or I will be so incredibly bored. Caroline is going to be there too. She couldn’t stop talking about it at all in class today.”
“Hey, is she doing any better?”
“Much better, she seems to have forgotten almost completely about Damon.”
“Good.”
Wearing her mother’s deep midnight velvet gown, Elena looked at herself in the mirror above her cherry-wood dresser in her room. She had been very surprised when Aunt Jenny had laid it out, as it was quite revealing, however Jenna was never one to play by the rules, she always tended instead to bend them.
Elena ran her brush one more time through her silky black hair, not wanting it to appear too curly, as Bonnie had insisted that she style it, instead of simply pulling it up in a loose pony-tail or tight bun.
She fixed the straps on the dress again, rubbing her narrow shoulders and feeling strangely insecure, as her eyes wandered to the plunging V-neck on the backless black dress that framed her slim form perfectly.
“Elena where are you? We are going to be late!” Aunt Jenna’s voice drifted faintly from below. Elena sighed and gave herself one last mental pep talk. You can do this. You used to love big events and fancy parties all the time. What do mom and dad have to do with it? And it’s a good thing. You’ll be able to take a break from the drama.
Meeting Jeremy downstairs, he gave Elena a 'hope you survive this' look as she opened the screen door and headed outside where a series of three cars were parked. Aunt Jenna’s, Logan’s, who was holding Elena’s Aunt’s recently manicured hands as they stood by the hood of his car, and… Stefan’s. Who stood in a sharp black tuxedo by his Black Audi, giving Elena a shy smile.
The sky overhead was blue, milky and opaque, serving as a backdrop to the autumn leaves that were a stark contrast to Stefan’s pale outline that become part of the picture in Elena’s eye against them.
He took several steps towards her in his shinning patent leather shoes, saying softly and trying most desperately to cut through the awkward moment in the lightest way possible, “I really didn’t have a choice. She forced me to come.”
Elena let out a breathy sigh. Yes, Aunt Jenna broke the rules as well.
To be continued...
Please review. :)