Cosmic Love

The next morning I woke up to everyone gathered in the attic. A bright stream of light was shining through the window, landing on Damon. Stefan was sitting in a chair across from Vicki who was in another chair. She just shut a cell phone as I walked in.

“I don’t understand why I have to stay cooped up here. Why can’t I just go home?” whined Vicki. I went and sat by the window near Damon. The sunlight streamed in and warmed my back. Damon shot me a good morning smile before turning back to the paper he was reading.

“Because you’re changing, Vicki,” responded Stefan patiently. “And it’s not something you want to do alone.”

“There’s nothing about that Logan guy I killed in here. Not a word.” He folded up the paper and picked up the compass. “Someone’s covering it up.”

“What is that?” asked Vicki looking at the compass.

“This is a very special, very old compass. What was Logan Fell doing with it? Aren’t you curious?” he asked Stefan.

“Well, if you’re so worried that somebody’s onto you, why don’t you just leave town, Damon?” retorted Stefan. I simply rolled my eyes.

“We should all be worried,” said Damon. And the way he said it I felt a chill travel up my spine.

“Hey, um, I’m hungry. Do you have anything to eat?” asked Vicki. She was like a toddler. I wanted to stake her. Stefan moved and got her a mug. I could smell the blood in it, animal blood, and wrinkled my nose.

“Here,” said Stefan handing it to Vicki.

“What is it?” she asked looking in it.

“It’s what you’re craving,” explained Stefan as he sat in his chair again.

“Don’t like to the girl,” said Damon amused. He had gone back to reading the paper. “It’s so not what you’re craving, but it’ll do in a pinch.” Damon shot a look towards Stefan. “Right, Stef?”

“What is it?” asked Vicki now more curious than ever.

“Yeah, what is it?” teased Damon. “Is it skunk, St. Bernard, Bambi?” It was all a joke to Damon.

“Go on, give it a try,” Stefan urged Vicki as she held it up to her lips.

“She’s new,” said Damon impatiently. “She needs people blood. She can’t sustain on that stuff.”

“Yeah, why can’t I have people blood?” asked Vicki suddenly excited.

“Yeah,” joined in Damon just to rile Stefan.

“Because it’s wrong to prey on innocent people, Vicki,” lectured Stefan passionately.

“You don’t have to kill to feed,” piped in Damon. “Just find someone really tasty and then erase their memory afterwards. It’s so easy.” He and Vicki shared a smile.

“No, no, no,” piped in Stefan quickly. “There’s no guarantee that you can control yourself. Okay, it takes years learn that. You could easily kill somebody and you’ll have to carry that with you for the rest of your life, which if I haven’t made clear, is eternity.” The whole while Stefan said that Vicki just drank the blood and seemed to pay him no mind.

“Don’t listen to him,” said Damon. “He walks on a moral plane way out of our eye line. I say, snatch, eat, erase.” He made it sound so simple but until Vicki can learn to control herself she was going to be stuck with animal blood. We couldn’t afford another kill. We couldn’t really afford to have a newborn on our hands either.

“Hey, look at me,” said Stefan to Vicki. She was so easily pulled by Damon’s dark side it was pathetic. “We choose our own path. Our values and our actions, they define who we are.”

“Okay,” moaned Damon sick of Stefan’s preaching, “Count Deepak. I am out of here,” he said getting up out of the chair and moving down the staircase.

“Can I have some more?” Vicki asked Stefan. She licked her fingers to get the smallest amounts of blood. Not wanting to be near her I got up and followed Damon downstairs. As I hit the landing the front doorbell rang.

I turned the corner to see Damon leaning against the door, Elena out front. She looked intimidated but still set on not showing her fear at the sight of us. “Is Stefan here?” she asked, her voice echoing.

“Yup,” said Damon drawing out the word.

“Where is he?” asked Elena not in the mood for games.

“And good morning to you, little Miss I’m-On-A-Mission,” retorted Damon wanting to keep up the game and just to bother her.

“How can you be so arrogant and glib after everything that you’ve done?” said Elena folding her arms across her chest. I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to slap her.

“And how can you be so brave and so stupid to call a vampire arrogant and glib?” retorted Damon obviously resisting the urge just as much.

“If you wanted me dead, I’d be dead,” said Elena.

“Yes, you would,” agreed Damon.

“But I’m not,” smirked Elena.

“Yet,” Damon and I said at the same time.

“Where is Stefan?” asked Elena a little bit more quiver in her voice. She knew not to push anymore.

“He’s upstairs,” said Damon, “singing The Rain In Spain. Knock yourself out.” Damon moved past her and outside, giving her a challenging look. She came inside and closed the door behind her.

“I don’t like you,” I simply said to her before moving towards my own room.

“Stefan?” I heard Elena call but ignored her and drowned her out with the noise of the shower. I stayed in my room all day. I didn’t want to go out and I didn’t want to hear Vicki whine and complain either. I read my book all day. I became so absorbed in it that I didn’t stop until it was dark and I was finished. I looked out the window then to see Stefan and Damon standing in the front lawn.

Quickly I moved down to see them. “What’re you two doing standing out here?” I asked.

“Vicki ran away.” Damon said it like a dog might run away from home.

“Damon, this is serious. She could hurt someone,” said Stefan, angry that he’d lost her.

“Better get looking, then,” said Damon and gave him a smirk. I didn’t move from where I was.

“Aren’t either of you going to help?” he asked.

“If it were up to me, I’d stake her,” I said. Stefan could tell I was being completely honest and nodded his head. He didn’t look for a reply from Damon.

“You’d stake her?” asked Damon once Stefan took off.

“She’s like a whiny toddler. I can’t stand the bitch.” One corner of Damon’s mouth moved up in an amused smile. “We should go out there though. We can’t have here destroying the town.” With a long sigh Damon agreed and we decided to head out. Damon would go to the grill where she worked while I’d go to Jeremy’s. We figured Stefan had her house covered already.