Undeniable.

My eyes fluttered open to the dark room surrounding me. I sat up, stretched, and looked around at Damon’s bedroom. I didn’t know if I should still call it that, though. He hasn’t been home in so long… I shook my head. He would be home as soon as it was safe. Once everything calmed down.

I sighed. Sometimes I wondered if I should just call someone from my family to come and take care of me while Damon went on one of his “missions”—but I wouldn’t know if I had anyone left to call.

I stood up from the bed, and walked against the hard wooden floorboards across the room. My bare feet stuck to its smooth surface from the humidity, and my light blonde hair started to curl. Gosh, I wished this place had some air conditioning. Or, that I knew how to use it.

I walked down the carpeted steps with a sticky grip on the banister. Gosh, my head hurt! My foot faltered, and I nearly fell down the rest. That’s not a good sign, I thought. I closed my eyes, and took steadying breaths like I usually did when I wasn’t feeling well.

I knew all I had to do was call him, and he’d make me feel better again. But, he’s been so busy that I didn’t have the heart to pick up the phone.

I took another cautious step down, and then one more. Almost there, I thought, just a few more—

I didn’t make it.

I fell down in a pile of limps at the bottom. I screamed in agony as I noticed my leg twisted in the wrong direction.

Okay, I just gotta calm down, and call Trent or Liam, I thought as I crawled toward the coffee table to retrieve my cell-phone. I started dialing, dizziness and pain blurring my vision.

“Hello?”

I closed my eyes at hearing his deep, soothing voice.

“Damon?” My voice shook as I tightened my grip on the phone.

“Izzy,” he breathed. “Why are you calling me? I told you it was too dangerous!” I could hear the anger boiling in his voice.

“I-I’m s-so-sorry. B-but I fell down the st-steps. I-I’ll ca-call—”

“I’ll be right over.”

He hung up before I could respond.

I sighed, and set the phone down beside me. Just calm down, Izzy. This is nothing to freak out over. Sure, you twisted your leg, but it’s not the end of the world, right? Right? Of course, I thought in a failed attempt to make myself feel better. Damon will be here in a second. All I have to do is—

I grunted as I tried to adjust myself in a more natural position, and only succeeded in making my discomfort worsen. I closed my eyes, and tried to think of anything but my leg. The image of what could be wrong with it just below the surface of skin was one of the most disturbing pictures to have ever crossed my thoughts.

I felt vomit build up in my throat, and before I had any chance of soothing myself, I puked all over the floor. I started crying, partially from the pain, and partially from the foul taste to have entered my mouth.

“Oh, God, Izzy,” Damon said as he walked in, crouching down beside me. “What happened?”

“I got sick,” I said, putting a hand to my mouth as I tried to hold back a second course of throw-up. It was a wasted effort, and I was soon surrounded by the vile puke.

“You done yet?” Damon asked. It was probably meant to be a joke, but his face was so serious that I couldn’t tell.

“I-I think s-so,” I stuttered, shaking from the sudden lack of energy.

He nodded, almost to himself, and picked me up. “Try not to get sick in the car,” he murmured jokingly, forcing a half-smile for me. I nodded as I was soon released onto the leather seats. “Buckle up, Iz.”

I fastened my seatbelt as I was told.

“Hold on tight,” he said as he raced out of the gravel driveway. I choked back a scream of terror as he sped down the road, obviously having no regard to the speed limit.

“Slow down!” I yelled.

“Why?” he asked, peeking at me through the rearview mirror.

“Because we’re gonna die with you driving like this!”

He chuckled at me, shaking his head. “Calm down, Izzy, we’re perfectly safe.”

I stared at him like he was crazy. Just because he was a Vampire with lightning-fast reflexes did not mean I wanted to place a bet on my chances to live through this.

“Damon, I feel sick. Please slow down,” I begged. He sighed, and slowly eased his foot off the gas. “Thank you,” I murmured as I tried to regulate my breathing.

“So, mind explaining to me how you managed to break your leg?” he asked.

“I fell down the steps,” I muttered reluctantly.

“Yes, I get that, but why did you fall down the steps?”

I stayed silent. He looked at me from the rearview mirror.

“Something going on that I don’t know about?” I shrugged. “You’re not suicidal now, are you?”

I looked at him like he was crazy. “What?”

“Look, I read this thing online, and it said—”

“I’m not suicidal,” I interrupted. “Pinky promise.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “Fine. Save me the few bucks it would take to hire a psychiatrist.” I giggled at him. “Oh, you think that’s funny?”

“No,” I said between giggles, “I think it’s humorous.”

He rolled his eyes, chuckling.

“Can you please turn on the radio?” I asked.

“We’re almost there, Iz.” I pouted. “Fine,” he said in defeat, switching on the radio. I grinned, and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. He chuckled. “Quit that.”

I leaned back, and sucked in a sharp breath.

“Everything alright?”

“My leg hurts. That’s all,” I muttered.

“We’re almost there, Iz.”

I nodded to show that I heard him, and before I could blink, we had zoomed straight into the ER parking lot. Damon rushed to my side, opened my door, and pulled me out of the car before I had a chance to process my surroundings. He ran right into the overly-sanitized ER room, and made it look like I may very well die in the next second. I barely had time to roll my eyes at him before we were surrounded by nurses and their dull uniforms. Someone should really give them an update.

“What happened?” a nurse asked.

“I fell down the steps.”

“Anything else?”

“Uh…I’ve been having dizziness, shortness of breath, fever, and vomiting,” I answered, watching as Damon’s eyebrows raised in surprise as they put me on one of their uncomfortable beds.

He was about to follow as they carted me away, but was stopped by a nurse, who said, “Sir, you’re going to have to fill out…”



“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” Damon asked, his eyes locked on the road. It was a sign that he was tensed; frustrated.

“It didn’t seem important…” I winced as I prepared for what was sure to come.

“You didn’t think it was important when it is important.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just because I’ve got a lot of things going on, Isis, does not mean that I have forgotten about you. If you’re not feeling well, then you need to tell me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“This is completely inexcusable; not to mention irresponsible! I’m your dad, Isis—as far as the court says—which means that I’m supposed to know this kind of stuff!”

“I’m sorry, Damon.”

He took a breath to calm himself down. “I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me about this. Is it because I’m not around anymore? I’m trying, Izzy, really. But, things just aren’t going so smoothly right now. I thought it would only be a few weeks—instead, it’s been nearly a year.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“But it is,” Damon continued. “It is my fault, Izzy. I’m supposed to be taking care of you, but instead I’ve been more engrossed in avoiding you, and getting myself into deeper shit than I was before. I can’t believe I had been so selfish—”

I sighed. He’s just blowing off steam, I thought to myself. But that didn’t make me feel any better. I didn’t like Damon putting all the blame on himself. It wasn’t healthy. Yet, that seemed like that was all he ever did. He always managed to find some way to make it his fault—to point fingers at himself.

“—Would it help if I moved back in, Izzy?”

I looked at him for awhile, trying to figure out if he was serious. “It doesn’t matter, Damon.”

“Yes, it does, Izzy. I’ve been slacking for too long. Look what’s happened to you!” He pointed at my broken leg in its cast. “I feel like I don’t know you anymore. I don’t know who you’re socializing with, what you’re doing, if you’re safe—”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not!” he declared. I sighed, and waited for him to continue. “You can’t live by yourself anymore. I’ll drop you off at my place, and then I’ll go get your stuff.”

My eyes widened at hearing this. Oh, no.