Kiss of Blood: The Encounter

"Hair up or down?" Elena stood in my bathroom mirror in her blue gown for the Founder's Party. Traditionaly, Elena and I get ready together for just about everything. I helped her put her curls into a low, side pony tail.
"You look gorge!" I smiled and clapped my hands, "Stefan will be so star strucked!"
"Let's hope so. He didn't seem to happy this morning when I called him", she sighed and put her earings in.
"What do you mean?" I fumbled with my white strappy wedges, trying to make them cooperate.
"Oh, the typical arguing between him and Damon can sometimes set him off", she shrugged.
"Makes sense", I nodded and stood up, spinning in a circle. The bottom of my orange dress twirled in the air. The thought of Damon wanted to make me punch babies. The nerve of that guy made me sick.
"Damon can be alright though", Elena added, "You just have to understand him."
Pfft. My mouth went agape. Understand him? Damon? Yeah, right.
"Understanding Damon is like trying to uncode the ascii code", I choked.
"Just give him a chance and some time, Aurelia", Elena corrected.
"Since when do you defend Damon?" I asked with a smirk. Befriending a cheatah would be eaiser than trying to understand Damon.
Elena rolled her eyes, "You ready?" And she walked away.

I found Bonnie near the quiche. The Founder's Party was really going great. Even Tyler was enjoying himself near the champagne, talking it up with Amber Reilly (choke). Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood, the Mayor, were mingly amoung the crowds. Almost everybody went to the Founder's Party, even if they weren't related to any of the Founding Families. Traditionaly it's hosted at the Mayor's Mansion-which is the Lockwood's.
"Does your grandmother starve you?" I teased Bonnie. I hadn't really seen her since that day at Stefan's house. She had sat there all day barely saying a word, and when she did it was always something that flared Elena up.
Bonnie stopped eating at smiled. I missed this side of Bonnie. The one who was always smiling, ready to take on the world, the one who gave the best advice.
"Nah", Bonnie shook her head, "Bored I guess."
I nodded and took a seat next to her. The sun was shining in the tall windows, casting light everywhere.
I could see right through Bonnie's smile. Her eyebrows were in a straight, worried line. There were two worry lines on her forhead to match. Her hands sat in her lap, twitching nervously.
I sighed, "Bonnie, I'm your best friend." I noted, not smiling anymore.
Bonnie frowned and leaned her head on one hand, "I was afraid of this happening."
"What's wrong? Please tell me", I said and took her other hand in mine.
"It's complicated", she eased her hand away from me, looking in another direction.
"Wow, Bonnie, I thought you knew me better than this", I edged. There was no way I was going to let her not give in.
"Aurelia, it's really nothing to worry about", She shook her head, her eyes pleading me to stop. I just couldn't.
"Then why are you worrying about it?" I questioned. I sat upright in my chair. Obviously something was very wrong.
"It's just normal witch stuff", She said causually. She was trying to put it off like it was no big thing.
"Normal witch stuff?" I questioned. Since when was witch stuff normal?
"Aurelia", she whispered, "Could you keep it down?" I put my hand over my mouth. I didn't mean to say it that loudly.
"Bonnie, maybe I can help you", I told her. I didn't want all this to build up on Bonnie. I wanted to be there for her just like she had always been there for me.
"And what do you plan on doing? What could you possibly do?" She asked frantically.
"I don't know", I said lowly, "Because you won't tell me." I crossed my arms like a little girl and stuck out my bottom lip playfully. I wanted to lighten up the mood.
Bonnie sat there for a moment shaking her head, "It won't be a big deal to you, but it is for me", she hesitated.
"Alright", I smiled and leaned towards her.
"I can feel another power here", she stated. Six words. I was expected something more complicated.
"Like a vampire?" I asked more quietly this time.
"No", she rolled her eyes, "Like another witch."
"Oh", I nodded, "So...?"
"Well, me and grams are the only witches in Mystic Falls. I'm trying to figure out why there would be another one at the Founder's Party." Only one came to mind.
"You mother!" I said like I solved the mystery.
"Please", she scoffed, "Like she didn't already cross my mind. And besides, grams said she lost her powers."
"How?" I asked. It never hit me that a witch could lose their powers.
"She didn't tell me."
"Well if a witch loses their powers, then they could probably get them back too", I added. It only made sense.
"Do you think we just go to the store to buy powers? It doesn't work that way", She said harshly. I nodded and sat back in my chair.
"But, if you see someone unfamiliar let me know", Bonnie added, "They could be a suspect."
"I've been looking for you two!" Caroline chirped from behind me. I saw the disgusted expression on Bonnie's face.
I turned in my chair to see Caroline latched onto Damon, his eyes playfully lingering on mine.
"Hello Aurelia", Damon gave me his crooked smile. It was hard not to be swoon over.
"Hello", my face hardened.
"Bonnie, swell to see you again", Damon looked over at Bonnie with his playfully grin. There was obviuosly a second meaning behind this.
Bonnie ignored him, playing with her quiche.
"Alright then", Damon mumbled and looked backover at Caroline, "We haven't seen the heritage display yet."
"Right!" Caroline chirped again, "Aurelia please come with us! I have so much to tell you."
I looked back over at Bonnie who waved me off. I got up from the table, knowing I was going to dread this. Caroline latched her other arm with me and we made our way over to the display.
The heritage display was in another room off of the foyer. I recognized the Gilbert compass Elena had brought over sitting on a stand next to a Gilbert family journal. I made my way over to the Founder's Party registry from 1864. Caroline and Damon were close behind me. I ran my finger over the names engraved on the plaque, recognizing Caroline's ancestor-Sherrif William Forbes-and a couple others. I stopped when my fingers ran over two very familiar names-Stefan Salvatore and Damon Salvatore. I let my hand slide off the plaque, turning to look at him.
"What are your names doing on the registry from 1864?" I asked, looking him right in the eyes.
"Oh, you know", he said casualy, "My family likes to keep the names flowing."
I nodded, now understanding, "That's so cool."
Damon was still staring me in the eyes, "Isn't it?"
I nodded, "Did they tell you anything about them?"
"All I know", Damon said while slowling walking away, "Is that the both of them were in love with this one girl-"
"The same girl?" I questioned in disgust.
"That's what I said", he continued, "And they would do anything to be with her-even kill eachother."
"That's awful!" I said in horror.
"Can we not talk about his", Caroline said, uneasily. I had forgotten she was even there!
Damon ignored her, "But one night, she died in a horrible fire. And the brothers were so angry, they tried to save her, but it was too late. They accused eachother of her death, and killed one another. One had a sword to the heart, the other died from a loss of blood."
"Did you read that online or something? Obviously, you wouldn't know the story if they both died", Caroline rolled her eyed and crossed her arms.
Damon pursed his lips, "And nobody cares what Miss Caroline thinks." His voice was like daggers.
I stood there not saying a word. I couldn't believe two brothers could do that to eachother. Hurt eachother like that-emotionally, physically, and mentally.
I watched Damon open a drawer in a stand. He searched threw it until he shut the drawer and smiled at the crytal necklace in his hands.
"What are you doing?" I asked as he slid it in his pocket.
"It's mine", he stated and was about to walk away.
"Put that back!" Caroline said frantically, not wanting him to get caught.
"No, I left that there until I could come back to get it", Damon explained. I watched as he stared Caroline straight in the eyes, "Now move." Caroline stepped out of his way, letting him snake past her.
Tears flooded to her eyes as she marched out of the room. What the hell? I followed Caroline into the bathroom where she leaned over the sink, letting the tears swell out of her eyes. Her pink scarf was dangling in the sink.
I ran over to comfort her, "He's just an ass."
She sobbed, "He's more than that to me thought."
I rubbed her back, "Caroline, you deserve way more than any of that", i said referring to how Damon had just treated her.
She looked at me, her mascara running down her face, "No", she shook her head, "He reminds me everyday."
"Reminds you about what?" I questioned as I got some paper towel to wipe her face.
"About how I don't deserve him", She cried more.
"Oh, Caroline", I put her face in my hands, "You know how untrue that is."
She responded by crying more.
"Take this thing off", I said, referring to her scarf, "It's like ninety degrees out."
"No!" She yelled and yanked it away. But I had pulled it off enough that I had seen it all. She noticed the change in my espression as I stood there staring warily at her neck.
"What did he do to you?" I said as I put my hands over my mouth.
She froze, "No-nothing." She just shook her head rapidly.
"Caroline, you let him hurt you?" I couldn't feel anything for a moment. It felt as if the whole room was spinning.
She didn't say anything.
"Why did Damon do this?" I said and pulled the scarf off her anyways. Her neck was full of bloody scars, some open and other's trying to heal. It looked at is she'd been putting little slits in her neck.
"How do you know it was Damon?" She confronted.
"Well, you aren't deying it", I stated, "Why did he do this?"
"He didn't mean to!" She cringed and took a step away from me.
"Wow, Caroline", I shook my head, "You're afraid of me yet you aren't afraid of him?"
"Stop asking questions!" She cried and slid down the wall, putting her face on her lap.
I felt sorry for her. How embarrased she must have felt. But, there was anger building up in me. How much I wanted to slit his throat, rip his heart out, and walk all over him. This was the day I officially hated Damon Salvatore.