Children Of The Damned

Eliana

My alarm clock went off at four in the morning on Sunday. I was about to do something I hadn’t done since I had lived in California.

I put on some tight sweatpants and my sports bra. I put an old sweatshirt over that since it was bound to be cold outside, and then I put on my old Nike running shoes. The last touch was to get my hair out of my face, so I put it up in a ponytail, not caring how neat it was. I went downstairs and got a water bottle from the fridge and then I stretched for a while, warming up my muscles.

Finally, I let myself out and started walking down the sidewalk at a brisk pace. I thought I had better start slow so I didn’t discourage myself by starting out too fast and losing all the stamina because it had been so long since I had done this.

The whole time I walked I thought about Damon, and how he had encouraged me to do the things I loved. And I knew he was right. I loved doing things for other people, making them happy and making me happy in turn, but wasn’t it time for me to really do something just for myself? Something that gave me instant gratification and also made me feel good in the long run?

I also thought about how there seemed to be this weird tension between me and Matt, like we could never quite resolve all of our problems. I hated feeling like that. The good times between me and Matt were pretty good, but there were definitely times when his jealousy peeked through. Although why Damon had anything to do with that was beyond me. I was a friend Damon could reach out to, and vice versa. Maybe Matt’s jealousy could be explained by the fact that I found it easier to open up to Damon about my problems than Matt. I still wasn’t sure, but Damon exhibited the classic behavior on acts on when they feel they can’t trust anyone. And if that behavior stopped whenever he was around me, then I was happy for that. He needed someone to reach out to that wouldn’t judge him. And I was happy and honored to be that person. Matt was just going to have to accept that.

Finally, I started running, and pulled my iPod from my pocket, putting it on my Workout playlist, which I hadn’t used in too long. And as my legs moved faster, it was as if I left all those negative thoughts behind me, and it was just me and the air whipping through my hair, my feet flying over the pavement, and the music in my ears.

I found myself smiling, not really having a reason for it, which made it all the more amazing. I was just happy. I kept running even as the sun peaked over the horizon and lit up the morning dew on the trees and plants. The front lawns in the neighborhoods sparkled as if they had been littered with crystals or diamonds.

It wasn’t long before I was running over Wickery bridge and I reached the old boarding house where the Salvatore brothers lived. It looked so quiet, probably because the inhabitants were still asleep.

I kept running until I thought best to turn around and go back before I lost my energy. When I got home my water bottle was empty and I was drenched in sweat. I felt my blood pounding through my body, and heard my pulse in my head, which probably wasn’t the best thing. I drank somewhere around a gallon of water (or so it seemed) and then took a long, hot shower.

I was in such a good mood that I sang under my breath as I fixed myself some coffee. I made myself a huge plate of hash browns and scrambled eggs. I had the appetite of a grizzly bear right after hibernation. It reminded me of how I used to be before all the drama, when it was just me, music, running, school, and my friends. Before Richard. Before I really started to hate my parents for never paying any attention to me.

I used to eat all the time, and my friends were jealous because they said they could never pull that off and not be fat. But I ran all the time, and I always worked out. We even had a workout room in the house, equipped with a treadmill, an elliptical, a stair climber, and free weights. I never used the treadmill unless the weather was bad outside, but since we moved to Virginia, I hadn’t worked out at all. I wasn’t fat or even a little chunky, but I wasn’t in shape like I used to be. I lost my toned muscles and my strength, my energy, my stamina.

I was done being that person who never does anything besides school work. There was no way I was going to let myself continue on this way. I needed to pull myself out of this funk before it swallowed me whole. I had been depressed for too long.

I was in such a good mood now that I decided to call Damon. It wasn’t until I picked it up that I realized how early it still was.

“Hello,” he answered in a groggy voice. “Who is this?”

“Sorry, it’s Ana. I completely forgot how early it was. I was just out running.”

“Don’t worry about it. Did you get your blood pumping?”

“Oh, yes I did! It was amazing. I can’t believe I ever stopped. Anyway, I called to ask you if you wanted to hang out today.”

“Like you have to ask. Silly girl,” he said, and then there was noise in the background. “I just have to get dressed and get something in my stomach and I’ll be right over. What do you want to do?”

“I have some 80’s movies lined up for us to watch. Are you a fan?”

“Of course,” he said, and I could practically hear his signature smirk through the phone.

“See you when I see you then, I guess.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said, and then hung up.

________________________________________________

Damon

“What are you doing up so early?” Stefan asked when I bounded downstairs pulling a black t-shirt over my head. My boots were still untied. “And why do you look so happy?”

“I’m spending the day with Ana. 80’s movie marathon. I couldn’t expect you to understand the magic of John Hughes.”

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to charm her. After all, she does have a boyfriend, who just so happens to be a good person, unlike yourself.”

“I can be a good person when…motivated correctly.”

“What is that supposed to mean, Damon?”

“It means that this is none of your business and you should go about your own pathetic, goody-two-shoes life as if we never had this conversation.”

I walked over to the freezer, retrieving a bag of blood. I popped it in the microwave. I couldn’t stand blood if it wasn’t at least somewhat close to body temperature.

As I retrieved the blood from the microwave, prepared to leave the room and escape Stefan’s judgy words of advice, I heard him speak again.

“Oh, and Damon?”

“Yes, brother dearest,” I said with mock syrupy sweetness.

“If you hurt her, she will never trust you again. I hope you know that. She’s not wired to forgive those who hurt her.”

“I know more about that than you, trust me on that one,” I said, and took a long draw from the blood bag before I left the room.

A half of an hour later, I knocked on Ana’s front door.

She answered the door, and the classic smirk I loved to wear wiped off my face. She was wearing sweatpants and her hair looked damp, and hung in soft golden curls around her face. She smelled like she had just gotten out of the shower. She was wearing no makeup, and I didn’t know why she really bothered to anyway.

I only faltered for a split second, and then the smirk was back.

“Come on. We are going to have so much fun being vegetables today. You have no idea. I have munchies and coffee, and just about every John Hughes movie ever made.

She started the parade of movies with Some Kind of Wonderful, then continued right on to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club.

Once we got to the part where everyone was pestering Claire about her virginity, the phone rang. Ana paused the movie.

“I’m sorry, it’s Matt. I have to take it.” She answered the phone, giving me an apologetic look.

I thanked whatever god there was for my superhuman hearing when I heard his end of the conversation through the phone.

“Hey, Ana. I was wondering if you wanted me to come pick you up for dinner at the grill?” he asked. Funny that he just sprung this on her without having any idea what her plans were for the day.

“Actually, I am hanging out with Damon. Sorry.”

“Why are you hanging out with him?” he asked, sounding thoroughly annoyed at the idea of it all.

Almost as if Ana knew I could hear, she excused herself and walked down the hallway to the kitchen, where I could only hear her end of the conversation as she spoke to him in hushed tones.

“Really, Matt? Are we going to have this conversation right now?”

She paused while Matt talked on the other end, and then said, “Look, all we are doing is watching movies. Do you really have that little faith in me? Besides, Damon is just a friend.”

Another pause. “You’re being silly. I’m not going to talk to you when you’re being like this.”

Another pause. “Whatever, Matt. Goodbye.”

She walked back out into the living room. “I’m really sorry about that,” was all she said, and all of the sudden she felt closed off. The conversation that had been flowing freely between us throughout the movie stopped, and we sat in strained silence as she hit play on the movie again.

She remained tense. I could see it in the set of her shoulders and in the way she sat, her arms crossed and her knees tucked up against her chest.

When the movie was over, it had already grown dark. Instead of putting in another movie, she turned off the television and turned to me.

“I’m sorry. I’m just really tired all of the sudden.”

“Of course,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Maybe,” she said, and suddenly I hated Matt for ruining our evening.