The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening Chapter Four

By the time Elena reached her locker, the numbness was wearing off and the lump in her throat was severe to dissolve into tears. exclusively she wouldnt cry at school, she t over-the-hill herself, shewouldnt . After closing her locker, she do for the main exit.For the second day in a row, she was coming home from school pay after the last bell, and alone. aunty Judith wouldnt be equal to(p) to cope. But when Elena reached her house, Aunt Judiths car was non in the driveway she and Margaret must all overhear gone give by to the market. The house was still and peaceful as Elena allow herself in.She was glad for that stillness she wanted to be alone powerful straightaway. But, on the early(a) hand, she didnt exactly shaft what to do with herself.Now that she finallycould cry, she give that tears wouldnt be impersonate. She let her corroboratepack sag to the floor in the lie hall and walked sl owly into the living room.It was a handsome, impressive room, the comp letely split up of the house besides Elenas bedroom that be pertinacioused to the original structure. That first house had been reinforced before 1861, and had been almost completely burned in the Civil War. all that could be saved was this room, with its elaborate fire commit framed by scrol guide molding, and the tumid bedroom above. Elenas fathers greatgrandfather had built a new house, and Gilberts had lived in it ever since.Elena sullen to look give away of one of the ceiling-to-floor windows. The glass was so old that it was cryptic and wavery, and allthing outside was distorted, looking slightly tipsy. She recollected the first time her father had showed her that wavery old glass, when she had been younger than Margaret was now.The fullness in her throat was congest, still still no tears would come. Everything inside her was contradictory. She didnt want company, and yet she was achingly lonely. Shedid want to think, alone now that she was trying to, her thoughts e luded her like mice running from a snow-white owl.White owl hunting bird flesh eater crow, she thought. Biggest crow Ive ever seen, categorical had verbalise.Her look stung again. Poor Matt. Shed hurt him, but hed been so comminuted about it. Hed even been nice to Stefan.Stefan . Her spirit thudded at once, hard, squeezing two caustic tears out of her look. in that location, she was crying at last. She was crying with anger and shame and frustration-and what else?What had she very lost today? What did she really feel for this stranger, this Stefan Salvatore? He was a challenge, yes, and that do him different, interesting. Stefan was exotic exciting.Funny, that was what guys had sometimes told Elena she was. And later she heard from them, or from their friends or sisters, how nervous they were before exit out with her, how their palms got sweaty and their stomachs were full of butterflies. Elena had ever ad only when in such stories amusing. No boy shed ever met in h er life had made her nervous.But when shed spoken to Stefan today, her pulse had been racing, her knees weak. Her palms had been wet. And on that point hadnt been butterflies in her stomach-thither had been bats.She was interested in the guy because he made her feel nervous? Not a very good reason, Elena, she told herself. In fact, a very bad reason.But there was also that mouth. That sculpted mouth that made her knees weak with something solely different than nervousness. And that darkness- lowering hairs-breadth-her fingers itched to weave themselves into its softness. That lithe, flat-muscled body, those keen-sighted legs and thatvoice . It was his voice that had decided her yesterday, making her short determined to thrust him. His voice had been cool and disdainful when talking to Mr. Tanner, but strangely compelling for all that. She wondered if it could turn night-dark as well, and how it would sound dictum her material body, whispering her nameElenaElena jumped, her reverie shattered. But it wasnt Stefan Salvatore calling her, it was Aunt Judith sound the front door open.Elena? Elena And that was Margaret, her voice shrill and pi flagstoneg. Are you home? bereavement welled up in Elena again, and she glanced around the kitchen. She couldnt face her aunts worried questions or Margarets barren cheerfulness unspoiled now. Not with her eyelashes wet and new tears expectant any minute. She made a lightning decision and quietly slipped out the pricker door as the front door banged shut.Once off the back porch and into the yard, she hesitated. She didnt want to run into anyone she knew. But where could she go to be alone?The act came almost instantly. Of course. Shed go see Mom and Dad.It was a fairly long walk, almost to the edge of t declare, but over the last three age it had become familiar to Elena. She crossed over Wickery twain and climbed up the hill, quondam(prenominal) the ruin perform, because down into the little valley below.T his part of the graveyard was well-kept it was the old section that was allowed to run slightly wild. Here, the grass was neatly trimmed, and bouquets of flowers made splashes of bright color. Elena sit down by the big stain conducestone with Gilbert carved into the front.Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad, she whispered. She leaned over to place a colour impatiens blossom shed picked along the way in front of the marker. Then she change surface her legs under her and just sat.Shed come here ofttimes after the accident. Margaret had been only one at the time of the car crash she didnt really conceive them. But Elena did. Now she let her mind leaf back by means of memories, and the lump in her throat swelled, and the tears came easier. She missed them so much, still. M new(prenominal), so young and beautiful, and Father, with a smile that crinkled up his eyes.She was lucky to have Aunt Judith, of course. It wasnt every aunt who would quit her job and move back into a little town to take care of two divest nieces. And Robert, Aunt Judiths fianc, was more like a stepfather to Margaret than an uncle-to-be by marriage.But Elena remembered her parents. some(a)times, right after the funeral, she had come out here to rage at them, hot under the collar(predicate) with them for creation so stupid as to get themselves killed. That was when she hadnt known Aunt Judith very well, and had snarl there was nowhere on earth she extended anymore.Where did she belong now? she wondered. The easy answer was, here, in Fells Church, where shed lived all her life. But deep the easy answer seemed wrong. Lately she felt there must be something else out there for her, some place she would recognize at once and call home.A shadow fell over her, and she looked up, blow upled. For an instant, the two figures rest over her were alien, unfamiliar, vaguely menacing. She stared, frozen.Elena, express the smaller figure fussily, hands on hips, sometimes I worry about you, I really do.Elena blinke d and indeed laughed shortly. It was bonnie and Meredith. What does a person have to do to get a little privacy around here? she state as they sat down.Tell us to go away, suggested Meredith, but Elena just shrugged. Meredith and honest had often come out here to find her in the months after the accident. Suddenly, she felt glad about that, and grateful to them both. If nowhere else, she belonged with the friends who cared about her. She didnt mind if they knew she had been crying, and she genuine the crumpled tissue average offered her and wiped her eyes. The three of them sat together in silence for a little while, watching the wind ruffle the deport of oak trees at the edge of the cemetery.Im sorry about what happened, Bonnie said at last, in a soft voice. That was really terrible.And your middle name is Tact, said Meredith. It couldnt have been that bad, Elena.You werent there. Elena felt herself go hot all over again at the memory. Itwas terrible. But I dont care anymore , she added flatly, defiantly. Im finished with him. I dont want him anyway.ElenaI dont, Bonnie. He obviously thinks hes too good for-for Americans. So he can just take those designer sunglasses andThere were snorts of laughter from the other girls. Elena wiped her nose and shook her head. So, she said to Bonnie, determinedly ever-changing the subject, at least Tanner seemed in a better imagination today.Bonnie looked martyred. Do you know that he made me sign up to be the very first one to give my oral answer for? I dont care, though Im expiry to do mine on the druids, and-On the what?Droo-ids. The weird old guys who built Stonehenge and did magic and stuff in past England. Im descended from them, and thats why Im psychic.Meredith snorted, but Elena frowned at the blade of grass she was twirling amongst her fingers. Bonnie, did you really see something yesterday in my palm? she asked abruptly.Bonnie hesitated. I dont know, she said at last. I-Ithought I did thus. But sometime s my imagination runs away with me.She knew you were here, said Meredith unexpectedly. I thought of looking at the coffee shop, but Bonnie said, Shes at the cemetery. Did I? Bonnie looked faintly surprised but impressed. Well, there you see. My grandmother in Edinburgh has the second sight and so do I. It ever so skips a generation.And youre descended from the druids, Meredith said solemnly.Well, its true In Scotland they withhold up the old traditions. You wouldnt believe some of the things my grandmother does. She has a way to find out who youre going to marry and when youre going to die. She told me Im going to die early.BonnieShe did. Im going to be young and beautiful in my coffin. Dont you think thats romantic?No, I dont. I think its disgusting, said Elena. The shadows were getting longer, and the wind had a shudder to it now.So who are you going to marry, Bonnie? Meredith put in deftly.I dont know. My grandmother told me the ritual for finding out, but I never attempt it. Of course-Bonnie struck a sophisticated pose-he has to be abominably rich and totally gorgeous. Like our mysterious dark stranger, for example. Particularly if nada else wants him. She cast a wicked glance at Elena. Elena refused the bait. What about Tyler Smallwood? she murmured innocently. His fathers sure enough rich enough.And hes not bad-looking, agreed Meredith solemnly. That is, of course, if youre an animal lover. only those big white teeth.The girls looked at each other and then simultaneously burst into laughter. Bonnie threw a handful of grass at Meredith, who brushed it off and threw a dandelion back at her. Somewhere in the middle of it, Elena realise that she was going to be all right. She was herself again, not lost, not a stranger, but Elena Gilbert, the queen of Robert E. Lee. She pulled the apricot ribbon out of her hair and shook the hair free about her face.Ive decided what to domy oral report on, she said, watching with narrow-minded eyes as Bonnie finger- combed grass out of her curls.What? said Meredith. Elena tip her chin up to gaze at the red and purple pitch above the hill. She took a thoughtful breath and let the suspense stool for a moment. Then she said coolly, The Italian Renaissance.Bonnie and Meredith stared at her, then looked at each other and burst into whoops of laughter again.Aha, said Meredith when they recovered. So the tiger returneth.Elena gave her a feral grin. Her shaken confidence had returned to her. And though she didnt conceive it herself, she knew one thing she wasnt going to let Stefan Salvatore get away alive.All right, she said briskly. Now, listen, you two. Nobody else can know about this, or Ill be the laughingstock of the school. And Caroline would just love any excuse to hold in me look ridiculous. But I do still want him, and Im going to have him. I dont know how yet, but I am. Until I come up with a plan, though, were going to give him the cold shoulder.Oh,we are?Yes,we are. You cant have him, Bonnie hes mine. And I have to be able to trust you completely. cargo deck a minute, said Meredith, a glint in her eye. She unclasped the cloisonne pin from her blouse, then, holding up her thumb, made a quick jab. Bonnie, give me your hand.why? said Bonnie, eyeing the pin suspiciously.Because I want to marry you. Why do you think, idiot?But-but-Oh, all right. OwNow you, Elena. Meredith pricked Elenas thumb efficiently, and then squeezed it to get a drop of blood. Now, she continued, looking at the other two with sparkling dark eyes, we all press our thumbs together and swear. Especially you, Bonnie. Swear to keep this concealed and to do whatever Elena asks in relation to Stefan.Look, swearing with blood is dangerous, Bonnie protested seriously. It means you have to stick to your oath no matter what happens, no matterwhat , Meredith.I know, said Meredith grimly. Thats why Im telling you to do it. I remember what happened with Michael Martin.Bonnie made a face. That was years ago, and we broke up right away anyway and-Oh, all right. Ill swear. Closing her eyes, she said, I swear to keep this a secret and to do anything Elena asks about Stefan.Meredith repeated the oath. And Elena, sodding(a) at the pale shadows of their thumbs joined together in the gathering dusk, took a long breath and said softly, And I swear not to rest until he belongs to me.A gust of cold wind blew through the cemetery, fanning the girls hair out and sending dry leaves fluttering on the ground. Bonnie gasped and pulled back, and they all looked around, then giggled nervously.Its dark, said Elena, surprised. Wed better get started home, Meredith said, refastening her pin as she stood up. Bonnie stood, too, place the tip of her thumb into her mouth.Good-bye, said Elena softly, facing the headstone. The purple blossom was a blur on the ground. She picked up the apricot ribbon that lay adjoining to it, turned, and nodded to Bonnie and Meredith. Lets go.Silently, they headed up the hill to ward the ruined perform. The oath sworn in blood had given them all a solemn feeling, and as they passed the ruined church Bonnie shivered. With the sun down, the temperature had dropped abruptly, and the wind was rising. Each gust displace whispers through the grass and made the ancient oak trees rattle their reprieve leaves.Im freezing, Elena said, pausing for a moment by the black hole that had once been the church door and looking down at the landscape below.The moon had not yet risen, and she could just make out the old graveyard and Wickery Bridge beyond it. The old graveyard dated from Civil War days, and many another(prenominal) of the headstones bore the names of soldiers. It had a wild look to it brambles and tall weeds grew on the graves, and ivy vines swarmed over crumbling granite. Elena had never liked it.It looks different, doesnt it? In the dark, I mean, she said unsteadily. She didnt know how to say what she really meant, that it was not a place for the living. We could go the long way, said Meredith. But that would mean another twenty dollar bill minutes of walking.I dont mind going this way, said Bonnie, swallowing hard. I always said I wanted to be buried down there in the old one.Will you stop talking about being buried Elena snapped, and she started down the hill. But the farther down the narrow travel guidebook she got, the more uncomfortable she felt. She slowed until Bonnie and Meredith caught up with her. As they neared the first headstone, her heart began beating fast. She tried to ignore it, but her whole skin was itch with awareness and the fine hairs on her arms were standing up. Between the gusts of wind, every sound seemed horribly magnified the crunching of their feet on the leaf-strewn path was deafening.The ruined church was a black silhouette rotter them now. The narrow path led between the lichen-encrusted headstones, many of which stood taller than Meredith. Big enough for something to hide hind end, thought Elena uneasily. Some of the tombstones themselves were unnerving, like the one with the cherub that looked like a real baby, except that its head had fallen off and had been carefully placed by its body. The wide granite eyes of the head were blank. Elena couldnt look away from it, and her heart began to pound.Why are we stop? said Meredith.I just Im sorry, Elena murmured, but when she forced herself to turn she promptly stiffened. Bonnie? she said. Bonnie, whats wrong?Bonnie was staring straight out into the graveyard, her lips parted, her eyes as wide and blank as the stone cherubs. Fear swear out through Elenas stomach. Bonnie, stop it. Stop it Its not funny.Bonnie made no reply. Bonnie said Meredith. She and Elena looked at each other, and suddenly Elena knew she had to get away. She whirled to start down the path, but a strange voice spoke behind her, and she jerked around.Elena, the voice said. It wasnt Bonnies voice, but it came from Bonnies mouth. Pale in the darkness, Bonnie w as still staring out into the graveyard. There was no expression on her face at all.Elena, the voice said again, and added, as Bonnies head turned toward her, theres someone postponement out there for you.Elena never quite knew what happened in the next fewer minutes. Something seemed to move out among the dark humped shapes of the headstones, shifting and rising between them. Elena screamed and Meredith cried out, and then they were both running, and Bonnie was running with them, screaming, too.Elena pounded down the narrow path, stumbling on rocks and clumps of grass root. Bonnie was sobbing for breath behind her, and Meredith, calm and misanthropical Meredith, was panting wildly. There was a sudden thrashing and a screeching in an oak tree above them, and Elena found that she could run faster.Theres something behind us, cried Bonnie shrilly. Oh, God, whats happening?Get to the straddle, gasped Elena through the fire in her lungs. She didnt know why, but she felt they had to make it there. Dont stop, Bonnie Dont look behind you She grabbed the other girls weapon system and pulled her around.I cant make it, Bonnie sobbed, clutching her side, her pace faltering.Yes, you can, snarled Elena, grabbing Bonnies sleeve again and forcing her to keep moving. Come on.Come onShe saw the silver twinkle of water before them. And there was the clearing between the oak trees, and the bridge just beyond. Elenas legs were wobbling and her breath was whistling in her throat, but she wouldnt let herself lag behind. Now she could see the wooden planks of the footbridge. The bridge was twenty feet away from them, ten feet away, five.We made it, panted Meredith, feet thundering on the wood.Dont stop Get to the other sideThe bridge creaked as they ran staggering across it, their steps echo across the water. When she jumped onto packed stigma on the far shore, Elena let go of Bonnies sleeve at last, and allowed her legs to stumble to a halt.Meredith was bent over, hands on thighs, deep-breathing. Bonnie was crying.What was it? Oh, what was it? she said. Is it still coming?I thought you were the expert, Meredith said unsteadily. For Gods sake, Elena, lets get out of here.No, its all right now, Elena whispered. There were tears in her own eyes and she was shaking all over, but the hot breath at the back of her neck had gone. The river stretched between her and it, the waters a dark tumult. It cant live us here, she said.Meredith stared at her, then at the other shore with its agglomerative oak trees, then at Bonnie. She wet her lips and laughed shortly. Sure. It cant follow us. But lets go home anyway, all right? Unless you feel like spending the night out here.Some unnameable feeling shuddered through Elena. Not tonight, thanks, she said. She put an arm around Bonnie, who was still sniffling. Its okay, Bonnie. Were safe now. Come on.Meredith was looking across the river again. You know, I dont see a thing back there, she said, her voice calmer. perc hance there wasnt anything behind us at all maybe we just panicked and scared ourselves. With a little help from the druid priestess here.Elena said slide fastener as they started walking, keeping very close together on the dirt path. But she wondered. She wondered very much.