Say You Remember Me

The girl before me shook her head. “No. Sorry.” She was a young vampire; maybe only a few years reborn. She had striking green eyes and red hair to match. She was short and slender but looked like she could take someone on if provoked.

I tried not to seem as frustrated as I was. The fifth dead end I’d reached in six months. “Alright. Thanks anyway,” I mumbled, walking passed her.

This bastard knew how to cover his tracks, for as young as he was. I learned that he was only a century old, hardly old enough to be as clever as he was. Which is half the reason why I was getting so frustrated. But I couldn’t hope he get hit by a wooden bus or accidentally fall on a broken broom handle; if he was going to die, it would be by my hand and no one else’s.

My phone vibrated and I sighed. Elena’s monthly check up. She always called once a month to tell me all the things I didn’t want to know of what was going on without me in L.A. I never picked up when she called and I only ever listened to her messages when I was bored or simply wanted to hear a familiar voice.

A couple times, I thought about changing the number, but I didn’t want to be completely cut off from her, to be honest. I didn’t personally know anyone in Europe and it was nice to hear the voice of someone I did know. It kept me sane sometimes when I just felt like going on a random killing rampage.

I waited until my phone told me almost excitedly that I had a new message, then I clicked it and listened.

“Damon, it’s Elena,” she made a short, frustrated laugh. “It’s always Elena, though, huh? I’m not gonna tell you how worried I am about you or how…..angry I sometimes am with you. No, I actually have some better news. If you even remember her, I went to Stephanie’s wedding today. It was beautiful, but sad. No one’s quite gotten over her yet, either, Damon. Mrs. Ashwern has Moira living with her, still and everyone’s still worried that she’ll commit suicide. Helen gets really angry at them for saying that, though. I don’t what to believe.
“Where are you, Damon? If you’re still hunting Jeremy, please, let me and Stefan help you. Or at least pick up the damn phone. I don’t call that much, you know. And I know you’re hurting, but…Damon, please…..I need to hear from you,” She sighed heavily. “Take care of yourself, Damon. We really miss you—Stefan and I.”

I should have clicked the phone off a long time ago. A part of me did and didn’t care that Elena was worried. And I didn’t know what I’d do after I found Jeremy, but all I knew was that hunting him down was the only thing I could do right now.

What did Elena expect from me, anyway? Did she want me to sit by Liv’s grave and go about the rest of my life wondering ‘What if….’. Did she want me to stay with her and Stefan and drink animal blood just because I had fallen in love with a human that was now, in fact, gone forever? No. “What If” would be solved when Jeremy was mangled and not a second sooner. And I couldn’t even go back to L.A if I wanted to; which I honestly didn’t.

I leaned against the hood of my car and sighed. I always knew that having an affection for humans wasn’t good for any vampire, let alone me. I knew it and still…..I shouldn’t have let it happen. She might still be dead because Jeremy is a psychopathic bastard but at least I wouldn’t feel this burning hole in my chest where my heart used to beat. At least it wouldn’t have affected me.

“Hey,” the girl I had just spoken to walked up to me. She batted at her hair that blew into her face. “You never told me why you were looking for Jeremy.”

“What’s it matter?” I muttered.

“Hey, he may be crazy now, but he wasn’t a couple years ago,” the girl defended hotly. “Now’s what matters, though, right? And if you’re looking for him…..I want in.”

I laughed without amusement. “There’s no way I’m sharing his kill with you. Sorry.” I started toward the driver’s door.

The girl followed me. “Please. I can help. I may not know where he is now, but I know places where he has been, possible hideouts.”

I almost slammed the door shut and glared at her. “Then you better damn well tell me.”

A smile curved on her lips. “You’ll have to take me with you. Look, he did some horrible things to my best friend when he changed me.”

My eyes widened. “Wait—he changed you?”

The girl nodded.

I sighed. Damn. I would need this girl. She wouldn’t know where he was, but if we ever got close, she could sense him nearby. “Get in.”

The girl bounced over the passenger’s side and slipped in silently, shutting the door gently. She didn’t bother with a seatbelt, and neither did I as I drove out of the dark parking lot.

“What’d you say your name was again?” I asked.

“Nicole,” she answered.