For What You Are

Kara remembered Damon Salvatore.

It was an unfortunate moment for her when she saw his annoying face in her mind. However, she shrugged it off. The bet was still on. Six more days.

Kara went about a rushed morning routine after seeing the time, but Ally looked at her strangely when she walked into the kitchen.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Sure,” Kara replied. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just thought with the throwing up and seemingly extreme pain you were under school would be out of the question today.”

I’d thrown up? she thought, I guess that slipped my mind.

“Well I feel fine now,” Kara said happily, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. “By the way, when’s my board payment due?”

“Whenever,” Ally replied. “I’m not fussed. Although, I do hope you cleaned up the mess on the carpet.”

“There was no mess,” Kara said in confusion. Walking back into her room, Ally followed her, her face growing equally puzzled. “I could swear...” she trailed off, walking back to the kitchen.

As Kara picked up her car keys, Ally came rushing out from her room handing me a wooden charm. “Here,” she said pressing it into my hands.

“Uh...thanks?” Kara said glancing at the carved heart.

“It was my mother’s, but I want you to have it.”

“Ally, I couldn’t.”

“Yes you can,” she said turning Kara around and all but pushing her out the door. “Now get to school. You’re already late.”

“Thank you!” Kara called from her car as she waved at Ally. She smiled in return before stepping back into the house.

Kara sped to school arriving just in time to see everyone filing in the main doors.

“Yes!” she whispered, stepping out of the car and rushing up the stairs.

...

Music, Biology and Japanese flew past. And what Kara felt worse about was that she had no clue what was going on in any of them. It was like the topics had been wiped from her mind completely and most teachers realised it, pulling her aside to speak to her about it.
Offering no answer because she had none, all she could do was claim temporary mind blanks. History came around and it wasn’t much better. However, Kara did know a lot about Mystic Falls. In history, she answered heaps of questions which only very few people could answer them. And most of them a part of the same groups. The Bonnie, Elena, Stefan kind of group and the Kale, Hailey and Kara group. Elena and Bonnie both seemed surprised when Kara answered a few questions but Stefan, Kale and Hailey all glanced at her curiously. Glances which she blatantly ignored.

“How’d you know that stuff?” Kale asked as they walked out of the school.

“Reading, I guess,” Kara responded with a shrug.

“In one night?” Hailey asked incredulously.

Kara smiled in confirmation even though she couldn’t actually remember what she did last night.

“Salvatore,” Hailey whispered to Kale, shifting her head to the left.

“Which one?” Kale replied, his eyes scanning the grounds. “Oh. That one. I’ll go say hi-Where are you going Kara?”

But she’d already left her bag and was walking over to him with a smug smile plastered on her face.

“Well Damon Salvatore, it appears you’ve lost.”

“I’ve lost nothing young one. Except perhaps a little dignity by hanging around a school yard,” he said, leaning against a tree.

“So the hundred dollars that’s about to go missing from your wallet doesn’t ring a bell?”

“Oh, you still remember that?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

“Of course I do,” Kara scoffed. “It was only yesterday.”

“Aha,” Damon muttered. “Well, you shouldn’t be remembering that so...” Looking directly into Kara’s eyes he continued, “There was no bet ever made. You have no reason to stay away from me.”

“What’s wrong with your eyes?” Kara asked before what he’d said actually hit her. “And really, trying to convince me the bet never took place, isn’t going to work.”

“You're right, it obviously isn’t. In which case I shall see you tonight at Kale’s party, with your money. Isn’t that right Kale?”

In her peripheral vision, Kara could see Kale waving his hands frantically, suddenly just behind her.

“A party Kale?” she asked doubtfully, turning to face him. Stopping his hand motions immediately, he replied sheepishly, “I was going to invite you.”

“As I can so obviously tell.”

“Oops,” Damon’s voice cut through once again. “I appear once again to have said something unwanted, so I’ll leave you two to chat. Pick you up at seven?”

“Whoa!” Kara said in momentary shock. “A second ago it was I’ll give you the money at the party and now it’s a date?”

“Seven,” he reminded her before walking away.

“I hate you!”

He held up his hand in acknowledgement of her statement. But she was seething because it either didn’t affect him or he’d been told it so many times that he didn’t care anymore. She was going for both - not that it helped in any way.

“So what’s the go with this party?” Kara asked turning back to Kale, still annoyed.

“It’s supposed to be a closed event. Invites only.”

“And I wasn’t invited because...”

“You weren’t around when the invites were sent out,” he said starting to walk back to Hailey.

“Oh...so dress requirements?”

“It’s uh...old, I guess. Anything earlier than the 1990s.”

“I have four hours Kale,” Kara reminded him.

“Hailey?” Kale asked as they returned to her. “Have you got any clothes you can lend her?”

“Um...” she looked Kara up and down. “Yeah. I’ve got a friend who gave me some stuff.”

“Cool,” Kale said, “I leave her in your capable hands. Seven, my house.”

“We know,” they replied in unison before looking at each other and smiling. Kara actually
had a feeling this might be fun.