Children Of The Damned

Eliana

After school I decided to head over to the Mystic Grill to say hello to Matt. I wanted to make amends with him, but I also wanted him to know it wasn’t going to be acceptable for him to play the jealous boyfriend card.

First I went home and finished my Government homework and my English essay. My parents were in their separate offices doing their financing when I left.

When I arrived at the grill, I saw Damon sitting at the bar, and pretended not to see him. The words Stefan said played on repeat in my head: He’s not good for someone as nice as you.

I spotted Matt walked around with a gray bin, clearing tables. I walked up to him, all the while feeling a pair of eyes rested on me.

“Hey, Matt,” I said softly, and he tried walking past me as if he hadn’t heard me. “Matt!”

Surprised that I would raise my voice, he turned back to me. “What, Ana? I’m working.”

“I know. I just…we didn’t leave things well last night. I wanted to talk to you.”

“I get it, Ana. I don’t need the ‘we-are-better-off-as-friends’ talk.” He looked dejected and angry as he started to walk away.

We stopped in the hallway outside the kitchen where we were hidden from any prying eyes.

“Hey! What makes you think I am going to give you that talk?” I found myself feeling more than a little frustrated with him. “I just don’t know why you were feeling so insecure last night.” I whispered the last part so no one else would hear.

“Because you were making dreamy eyes at Damon Salvatore. Sorry if that makes a guy insecure, Ana.”

“Relax, Matt. I danced with him once. And while I won’t deny that he is attractive, it’s you that I care about. I don’t know Damon, but his own brother, among various other people, has told me what an ass he can be. You’re not like that. You are sweet and caring, and you have been nothing but wonderful to me since I moved here. I don’t want you to be worried about Damon or any other guy, Matt.”

Relief washed over his face, and he used his free arm to pull me to him. He kissed my cheek, and walked off into the kitchen.

As I turned out of the hallway to leave, I rammed right into a warm body.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, smiling a polite smile in apology, and looked up to see who I had run into. The smile quickly slid off my face. “Excuse me,” I murmured, trying to side-step him, but he moved with me.

“Are you okay? You looked upset when you walked in.” But while his voice seemed to display a sincere concern for me, his wicked smirk said otherwise. It said he was playing a game with me that he had every intention of winning.

Well, he was going to have to get used to losing.

“I’m fine. I need to get home before I’m late for dinner.”

“Another time, then,” he said, giving me a predatory smile.

I shuddered as I left. It was a mix of distain and something much more primal. Something like fear.
____________________________________

Damon

I left shortly after Ana, wanting to get away from Matt before he could some close enough for me to snap his pathetic little neck.

Ana had done everything in her power to completely ignore me. It had done nothing but prove to me just how afraid she was that Matt was right about her feelings. I knew she was afraid she might actually start craving my company.

Her look of complete distain was enough to tell me that she had been hearing stories already. I heard what she had said to him: “I don’t know Damon, but his own brother, among various other people, has told me what an ass he can be..”

______________________________

Back at the boarding house, I confronted Stefan.

“You have been telling everyone what a sweetheart I am, haven’t you?”

“I did what I had to. I told you going after Ana wasn’t a good idea. You’ll do nothing but hurt her.”

“And what makes you think that, brother? don’t you think that Ana should get to decide that for herself?”

“Ana doesn’t know what you are, Damon. She can’t possibly comprehend what a danger you are to her.”

“And did Elena know about you when you started seeing her? I think not. I believe I can recall the freak out that ensued when she found out you were a bloodsucking creature of the night.” I chuckled.

“I think we both know my intentions were very different from yours in this case. You don’t want to love Ana, Damon. You want to possess her, feed off of her. You want her to be your lovely little puppet, and I am doing what I can to protect her from you.”

“Stefan, when are you going to learn that you have never have, nor ever will be able to stop me from getting what I want?”

“I’m hoping one day you will realize that you are still my brother, and that the brother I used to know is still in there somewhere. The brother that wouldn’t want to hurt Ana, or anyone like her.”

“What’s so special about Ana that you want to protect her so fiercely?”

“Why don’t you tell me what’s so special about her that you want her so badly? This is as bad, if not worse, than when you pursued Katherine.”

“Ana is not Katherine,” I spat.

“You’re right, Damon. She’s not. She is far too good and far too innocent to ever be her. So please, I beg of you, leave her be. Let her lead the human life she is meant to live.”