Children Of The Damned

Eliana

Caroline was not at all happy when I came to pick her up.

“What took you so long?” she asked as she half fell into the passenger seat where Damon Salvatore had been sitting only a few moments before.

“Oh, thank you so much, Eliana, dear cousin, for picking my drunk ass up from a completely illegal party instead of calling Sherriff Forbes,” I said mockingly.

“Shut up.”

“Seriously, Caroline, you’re gratitude is astounding.”

“What took you so long?” she asked again, completely ignoring me as if I had said nothing in the first place. Pretty soon I was going to stop covering her ass.

“I gave someone a ride home. His tie blew out.”

“Who was it?”

Apparently I wasn’t going to get out of telling her so easily.

“Damon Salva-”

“Are you kidding me?” she shrieked. “That guy is bad news, Ana.”

“Yeah, that is what I keep hearing from people. Supposedly, he is a total womanizer. Whatever. Those games have never worked on me before, and they won’t work now.”

“Plenty of girls thought the same thing.”

I had a feeling she was one of those girls.

“I’m being totally serious, Ana. He will take what he wants from you and then throw you away like an empty candy wrapper before you even realize what’s happened to you.”

It all sounded pretty silly to me. After all, how could any guy have that much of an effect on anyone?

“So, are you going to the Masquerade Dance?”

“Yeah. I’m going with Tyler Lockwood.”

“I thought you didn’t like him.”

“I don’t.”

Of course. I should have known she would rather be caught dead than be seen at an event like that without a date. Even if it meant going with someone she didn’t like.

“Who are you going with?” she asked me.

“Matt Donovan.”

“Do you like him?”

“He’s…nice,” I replied. In truth I had only accepted his request because we were friends and no one else had asked me. Actually, I couldn’t think of anyone else I would have wanted to go with anyway. He was so kind and sweet to me, and he was so shy and full of hope when he had asked me out, that I didn’t have the heard to turn him down.

“That boy is delicious. I know girls who would kill to have him on their arm.” I had the suspicion that Caroline, again, might be one of those girls.

“He’s a gentleman,” I said. “I probably wouldn’t have wanted to go with anyone else anyway.”

“Oh, I almost forgot you’re Miss High Standards.”

“Whatever.” She was always teasing me for being picky. I was too nice to tease her for not being picky enough.

I dropped her off a block from her house so her mom wouldn’t know that she wasn’t already in bed, and then I continued on the drive back to my house.

Stefan

Halloween was fast approaching, and Damon was already formulating possible plots on how to spend that particular evening.

He had arrived home late, and I suspected he had been off preying on sorority girls at the nearest college, whom, of course, were unable to resist his charms…and compulsion.

Damon fixed himself a drink and the dangerous smile that remained plastered on his face worried me.

“What have you done this time?” I asked warily.

“Relax, Stef. I’m just having a little fun.”

“That’s what worries me.”

“I think I am going to go to that cute little Masquerade they have going on at the high school.”

“Why?” I asked, incredulous. “There’s no alcohol there. No drunk sorority girls. You will be bored as soon as you walk in the door.”

“On the contrary. I think I am going to enjoy myself quite thoroughly.”

“And why is that?” I was almost too afraid to ask. Sometimes it was better not to know.

“Do you know Eliana Forbes?”

“Yes,” I said hesitantly. “Caroline’s older cousin. Why?”

“My tire blew out. She rescued me, sitting there helpless on the side of the road, and gave me a ride home. Very pretty girl, that Eliana. Much prettier than Caroline.”

“What are you up to?”

“Nothing,” he said with mock innocence. “She has just gained my interest.”

“I feel bad for her already.”

“And why is that.”

“Eliana Forbes is a smart, charitable good Samaritan. She helps others, Damon. You only help yourself. I doubt she’s very impressed with selfish bad boys. Unless, of course, you plan to compel her.”

“I like a challenge every once in a while, Stefan. And actually, I don’t think I will need any of my supernatural gifts. I have plenty other ones that I can easily use to win her over. Everyone knows the innocent nerdy chicks dig the bad boys.”

“This won’t end well,” I tried to warn him.

“Does it ever?” He grinned.