Kiss of Blood: The Encounter

"What about this one?" Caroline asked, her face gleaming. We were in the dressing room at Maudi's Boutique, our favorite dress shop at the Mystic Falls Plaza. The only downfall of this place was that everyone shopped here for dresses. Caroline had on a sunny, yellow dress with a big yellow flower in the front. She looked like a sunshine mom, her future persona.
"Nahh", I scrunched up my face and shook my head, "Too...bright."
Caroline sighed and pouted her lip, "I'm never going to find a dress!"
We've been in this store for almost three hours. I tried on two dresses and decided on a pale orange flow dress with lightly colored petals around the bust. Caroline tried on at least two dozen dresses, and hasn't found a winner yet.
"Caroline, why don't you try on the other dress I tried on?" I picked up the pink dress, ready to hand it to her.
"No", she said frantically, "Damon said I look good in blue and yellow!" I could tell she was frustrated, her face was red and her eyes looked like they were going to burst into tears.
My eyes squinted to her response, though. Damon? As in Damon Salvatore? The goodlooking, beautiful, enchanting...I needed to stop. This is so wrong. Damon and Stefan are hiding something, awful. And if it has anything to do with Bonnie's visions...
"Damon?" I said and threw the dress at her.
She took the dress anyways in her hands and smiled wide, "Yes, Damon Salvatore", she said matter-of-factly, "I asked him to be my date, he said he wasn't going unless I brought him."
My mind went biserk. When has she connected with Damon? Why is Damon talking to Caroline? Not that I cared, but why? And why hasn't she told me about him?
"When did this happen?" I cocked one of my eyebrows, waiting for her response.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder, obviously enjoying the fact of having a beautiful Salvatore on her hip, "Yesterday. I was at the Grill, and so was he."
"So, you guys hooked up over tea?" I asked, floored to her casual response. I wondered what Mrs. Forbes had to say about this. Damon was obviously older than 18, he didn't go to High School, and the last time I checked the law-this hook up was illegal, when going to extremes (if you know what I mean.) Being the Sherriff's daughter must suck.
"Look, Aurelia, does it really even matter if we ate some crumpets too? Damon likes me and I like him. We hung for a little while yesterday and then I asked him to be my date for the Founder's Party. Okay? I didn't think I had to run this by you", she stated and folded her arms over her chest.
"What about your m-?"
"Listen, my mother can't do anything about Damon and I. We aren't a couple...yet", she smiled and twirled a peice of her honey blonde hair.
"Oh", I said. I was getting angry at the world. I felt like everyone had secrets except for me. My mind couldn't keep up with all the thoughts going on in my head.
"Screw Damon", I said and let my anger burst. I was sick of secrets, I was sick of the Salvatore's for screwing with my friendships, and I was sick of being in Maudi's Boutique!
"You're trying on that fucking dress, Caroline! I don't care if I have to strip you down and yank it over your little fake head! You're trying it on, you're going to like it, and we are leaving this store!" I said it so quickly and loudly I wasn't really sure if I was the one who said it. The other customers just looked at me cautiously and continued to search threw the racks of dresses.
Caroline gave me a 'deer in headlights look' before nodding her head and going back in the dressing room. She came out a little while later, "I think I'll just buy this one", she gulped.

I flopped myself onto my bed. I didn't even want to go to this stupid Founder's Day Party. I didn't even have a date. Caroline did though, and she decided to tell me at the last minute! That brings back Damon. Why Damon? Further more, why are the Salvatores here? Just to visit their uncle? Not likely.
I was about to open my diary to keep track of my thoughts when my cell phone rang. It was Bonnie.
"Hello?" I said, shutting my diary and putting it back under my matress.
"Umn, Aurelia, I was wondering. Are you busy right now?" Bonnie sounded hesitant.
"Not really. Why?" I shook my head, even though I knew she couldn't see me.
"Ok. I'm sitting in my car at your house. But, I have to show you something." Her voice sounded edgy.
"Bonnie, yeah, come inside", I said and ran downt the stairs. Since when did Bonnie ask to come into my house? Lately, everyone has been going crazy.
When I opened the door, she burst inside.
"Bonnie, what's going on?" I asked and shut the door behind her.
She responded by yanking my arm up the stairs. I followed her into my bedroom, not like I had a choice, and sat down on my bed.
"Bonnie, what's going on?" I repeated.
"Okay", she gulped, "You don't have any windows open right?" She looked around my bedroom at all my windows.
"No", I rolled my eyes.
"I have something to show you, I think you'll like it", she smiled and grabbed one of my pillows. Everything was fine until she tore it open, making the feathers go everywhere.
"My mother is going to shoot me", I screamed at her. Was this chick going pshycho?
"Just watch", she said calmly. I nodded my head anyways, not really sure what she was trying to prove.
She lifted her fingers over the pile of feathers on my bed and closed her eyes. One of the feathers floated up to meet her finger, dancing around the room. I blinked, hard. This can't be happening. Things like this doesn't happen. I'm dreaming. Wakeup. I'm Dreaming. My mind went biserk and my face went blank.
Bonnie dropped the feather and smiled at me, "I'm a witch, Aurelia. My grandmother wasn't crazy! It's real, I'm really a witch!" The smile on her face said it all, and so didn't mine.
Bonnie shook my shoulders, "Aurelia! Aurelia, I'm sorry. I shoudln't have. This is freaky, I know. At first I didn't think this was real, either." I was frozen. What happens when everything you used to know, isn't what it really is? If Bonnie's a witch does that mean that there's wizards and fairies and trolls? Am I some sort of Superwoman? Related to Batman, maybe?
"Aurelia, are you breathing?" Bonnie was in my face, her eyes bugged out.
"Yes, Bonnie, I'm breathing. But I think I might be sleeping", I suggested and got off my bed.
I should probably figure out if this is real, I thought. So I slapped myself across the face. The sting did it. Oh, this was real. So very real. I looked back over to my bed to see Bonnie playing with more feathers.
Only my friends.

I found myself sitting in a booth at the Grill by myself. I needed time to think about life. About everything. I saw Matt walk over to me. He worked at the Mystic Grill with his sister, well until she went missing. He had a pot of coffee in his hand and a white towel layed on his shoulder.
He smiled and took a seat across from me, "Are you alright?"
"Didn't we have a conversation like this once before? If I remember correctly, it ended with you stomping off mad", I reminded him of Tyler's bonfire.
He gave a light smile and nodded. That's when I noticed his dark pouches under his eyes. It was must be rough living by yourself at 17, not knowing where your older sister and mother ran off to.
"Did you hear any more about Vickie?" I asked. Honestly I was worried for Matt. He was such a good kid, smart, cute, funny, sensitive. It's too bad.
He shook his head, removing eye contact, "Nope", he sighed, "I'm better off", he added, "Now that she's gone, I won't have to worry about her anymore." I knew he didn't mean it.
I reached across the table and took his hands in mine, "I know everyone has already said this to you, but I mean it-if you ever need anything, Matt, you know where to find me."
He nodded, "Aurelia, you're one of my closest friends-I could even consider you family."
"I feel honored", I smiled as he pured more coffee into my cup.
He got up and added, "See you around." I watched him walk off, back to do his job.
I added some more creamer and sugar to my coffee, intentively stirring it with my straw when I saw some one else slide into the booth across from me. Startled, I looked up. His blue eyes glittering, showing off his devilish smirk. Damon.
"Hi, Damon", I said in monotone. I put down my straw and began to take a sip of my coffee, trying to show him I wasn't interested. Maybe he's just outgoing and friendly, I reminded myself. But for some reason I knew this was unlikely. And for another reason I felt like he was just using Caroline. Bonnie's had some creepy visions of Damon, and if I knew any better, I would stay away.
"Don't be so happy", he noted sarcastically before waving over a waiter to order a coffee for himself too.
"I don't remember inviting you to sit here with me...at the Grill", I snapped. Damon's face glowed. He was happy I was arguing with him, the satisfaction was readible on his face.
"You're the worst company in the world, Aurelia", he teased, putting his arms behind his head and leaning back against the seat.
"I'm glad you got the hint", I hissed and coninued reading the newspaper. They talk a little about Vicki Donovan missing, supposively she fled town, but not too much more.
"Caroline's mentioned you a lot", he says, staring at me, waiting for my response. I wouldn't give him the pleasure.
"If you were a guy, I'd call you a dick right now", Damon folded his hands on the table and stared me in the eyes. I looked away, getting a little paranoid. What was with him? Why did he want to talk to me?
"And just because you have a dick, doesn't mean you have to act like one", I shot back and folded the newpaper, officialy ready to take on whatever he threw at me.
"If I wanted my come back, I would have wiped it off your mother's face", Damon's eyes sparkled. He enjoyed. He purely enjoyed bickering. What a bitch.
"Wow, Damon. I'm surprised, you keep lowering your bar. Soon enough you'll be in hell", I kept pushing, to see how far he would go. I was well known for my witty come backs. That's why nobody dared to question me at school.
"Already there, sister", Damon's smile got larger and so did his eyes.
"Well doesn't that explain everything?" There wasn't suppose to be another meaning behind it, but of course I was referring to Bonnie's vision. I got up and was ready to go back home, I was tired of everything.
"I didn't even get my coffee yet! Besides, everyone wants to be seen with me in public", he grinned, flashing me his beautiful blues.
"Cocky much?" I threw on my sweatshirt and walked away.
I couldn't help but hear him mutter, "Very much."

That night I was putting away some of my clothes my mother has folded for me. I could hear my sister across the hall arguing with my mother about a tank top. My phone went off on my bed. So, I walked over to look at the caller ID. Elena.
"Hey, best friend", I smile while shoving the last pair of socks into my dresser, struggling to keep all the contents from spilling out of the drawer.
"I have to tell you something important", she said quietly. Oh boy, I thought to myself, what's next?
"Umn, okay", I mangaged to say while jumping onto my bed and getting under the covers, it was already ten o'clock.
"You remember Stefan tell you that he was staying with his uncle? Uncle Zack", she clarified then continued, "Well, Stefan found him outside the house. Dead." She said it so casually it scared me. I kept a soft scream from slipping out of my mouth.
"Oh my goodness! How is Stefan?" I was worried for Elena. What if Stefan had to move back? He wouldn't have a gaurdian here in Mystic Falls.
"Stefan's fine. But, Aurelia-"
All the sudden it occured to me. Caroline was bitten and drained-luckily not killed, Vicki Donovan is still missing somewhere, and now Stefan's Uncle Zack is killed. All these deaths in about a month? In a little town? This didn't seem right to me.
"Do you know what caused him to die?" I interupted.
"That's what I was getting at. Aurelia, I want you to listen to your father and stay inside at night, okay? Stefan and I are inviting you to the boarding house tomorrow along with Caroline and Bonnie. We all need to talk about something extremely serious", Elena's voice was dead on serious. Her tone was somewhat striking.
I nodded my head, suddenly not even feeling safe in my own house. What if Uncle Zack was dragged out of his house, and slaughtered to death? I shivered.
"Yeah, alright. I'll be there", I told her.
"12 o'clock", she said before hanging up.
I dropped my cell phone next to me on the bed and kept the lights on. I was not sleeping in the dark tonight.