So Human

“Tell me more about you”

Rebecca asked, looking deeply into Matt’s blue eyes, while they were sitting at the same table in the school’s canteen. Everyone else had their eyes on the two, especially Elena, who was checking every move the original vampire made.
Matt shrugged his shoulders and drank a sip of water.

“There’s nothing much to say about me”

“I don’t believe you; I’m sure you’re very interesting” Matt shook his head smiling.

“Believe me Rebecca, I’m the most boring guy ever”

“Let me decide if you are or not. Tell me something, I’m curious”

For a moment, Matt thought the she could really have been interested in him.

“Well, I was the quarterback of the football team but then I decided to quit after I lost my sister last year. My mom is never home. Don’t even let me start with my father, I barely know him. I live alone and I work to pay the bills. That’s it”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If that comforts you, I lost my family as well”

Matt nodded and sighed “I’m sorry. Do you feel alone as I do?”

“Most of the times, but I tend to think I’m better off alone”

In that very moment, the bell rang. Matt felt both relieved –that girl was a vampire after all, he couldn’t trust her- and weird. It was nice to talk to her, even if he was afraid she knew he was just playing a part. Matt was afraid of failing at his plan of being a good pretender.
He walked her to biology and then made his way to math’s class, which he shared with Elena.
As soon as they sat, she started asking him a thousand question, but he really didn’t want to answer them. After their professor started the lesson, Matt received a slip of paper from her.

Please, be careful.

Matt nodded to Elena, hoping she would get calm. She had so much bad thoughts wandering through her mind and he really didn’t want to be one of them.
The time came for everyone at the Mystic Falls High School to go back home, everyone but Matt. He had to get to the Grill in less than ten minutes, because he promised Jeremy he would have taken his place for a couple of hours. Matt hardly denied a favor to his friends.
While walking to his car, he felt footsteps behind him, so he stopped and turned, seeing actually no one. He shook his head thinking he was becoming crazy or something.
He turned back to get to his car, when a figure popped up in front of him: Rebecca.
Matt tried not to make her understand she scared him to death.

“Hey, are you going home?”

“No, I’m sorry. I have to be at the Grill in ten minutes” she seemed disappointed “did you need a ride?” she nodded “I can drive you halfway, but then you have to walk. I’m late, I would have brought you home otherwise, I’m sorry”

“It’s ok, thank you”

Matt thought she would have used her power of compulsion on him but she didn’t. There was something about that guy that was different. He was a good boy and Rebecca didn’t trust him at all, but at least he didn’t treat her like a monster.
Matt started the engine of his truck and drove to the Mystic Grill, where he parked. Both him and Rebecca got off of it and she just thanked him, started walking to the other side of the street, getting to the Salvatore’s house –where she was staying- very fast.
As soon as she entered, she could hear loud music coming from the living room. He reached the room and there she saw Stefan dancing with some random girl who had bites al lover her body. She always loved Stefan somehow and she knew him better than Elena, but still, it was very weird to see him like that. She knew she still felt human somewhere into that body.

“What are you doing?” she asked, turning the volume of the radio down.

“Can’t you see it yourself? I’m having fun”

“Well I guess I’ll leave you to it then” she sighed and walked back to get to her room, but Stefan called her name. She puffed and looked at him.

“Don’t you crave for a bite?” he asked, letting her smell the young girl’s blood from that distance “I know you do”

“That girl is yours, I’m not interested in a threesome”

Stefan laughed “then why don’t you bite your new friend Matt? I know you like him”

“So what?”

“You shouldn’t buy what he says”

“Who says I do?”

“Come on Rebecca, don’t lie to me! I saw you today at school, you have sparkles in your eyes when you see him! What do you think, that he’s going to ask you out and pretend you’re a normal girl? As soon as you will crave for blood, you’ll kill him, and we all know it”

“It’s none of your business, Stefan. Go back biting your girl and don’t bitch me”

“You like him!” he shouted, letting the girl he had in his arms falling to the ground without even care. Since when Klaus turned off his humanity, Stefan was as evil as his brother, and Rebecca didn’t like it. She loved Klaus but she reckoned sometimes he didn’t have limits.
Stefan showed up right in front of the blonde vampire, who sighed.

“I said, it’s none of your business” she tried to walk past him but he didn’t let her go “Come on, Stefan. We’re not 20 years old anymore. And let me tell you, I’m way older than you. I could rip your heart out in the blink of an eye. Let me go”

“Someone here is grumpy, you really must like this guy”

“I don’t like him, I just think he’s nicer than everyone else in this town”

“So you believe him”

“Believe what?”

Stefan grinned “I just think you’re very naive, my dear. Do you trust that guy?”

Rebecca shook her head “Not really. I said I just like to talk to him”

“Well, be careful. He could be the only human you know, but he’s still Elena’s friend”

“And that should matter because…?”

Stefan walked back to the girl laying on the ground and touched her neck, just to notice she was dead “because, he knows everything. He knows who you are, and he’s just helping his friends to find the right way to kill you” he laughed “I didn’t think you were so stupid”

“You’re bluffing”

“Why would I?”

In that moment, Rebecca believed Stefan words. He grinned and watched as she ran upstairs to close her bedroom door with strenght, like every other girl would have done.

Rebecca sat on her bed staring at her shaking hands. She couldn’t believe what Stefan said but she couldn’t think he was lying. He was right, why would have he?
She felt both frustrated and disappointed: she didn’t trust Matt at all but still, she thought he could have been a nice guy to talk to. She wasn’t even thinking about biting him; the thought crossed her mind once, but not anymore.
He looked so pure and kind with her, that for a while she almost fall for it. If Klaus would have known, he would have probably slapped her in the face. And he had every right to do it.
She was becoming weak, she was changing, and she couldn’t let humanity take control of her.
Rebecca felt like she almost missed her brother: he wouldn’t have never let that happen.
She stood up her bed and stared at her reflection in the mirror: no one could have fooled her.
No one would have ever do it again, especially not Matt Donovan.

“Bonnie, I didn’t expect you here”

The witch smiled weakly to her human friend and asked him to follow her in a quiet place. Matt didn’t know why the girl seemed so worried, and that’s why he followed her without even saying a word. They entered the changing rooms and Matt could tell, Bonnie was nervous.

“Bonnie, if that’s about Jeremy, I am actually doing his job right now. He said he had stuff to do, but don’t be mad at me, I don’t know if Anna is involved” she interrupted him.

“It’s not about him, Matt. I’m worried about you”

“Well, thank you, but as you can see I’m not in danger, at least not right now”

“My point exactly” Matt knew there was something really wrong by the way she talked “I had a vision while I was coming here. I saw Rebecca and it happened”

“What did you see?”

“Why don’t you stay at Tyler’s tonight? It might be safer”

Matt shook his head “you forgot, tonight it’s full moon”

“You forgot, Tyler’s now a hybrid. He can turn whenever he wants to”

“It’s hard when you’re the only human around” they laughed a bit but then Bonnie got back being serious “come on Bonnie what’s wrong?”

“Ask someone if they can stay with you tonight. If the vision I had is true, Rebecca will come to your house and try to kill you” Matt’s blood became ice at those words “Ask Damon or Alaric, but please don’t be alone”

“Are your visions always true?”

Bonnie didn’t reply but looked Matt in his eyes and asked him again to be safe that night. He nodded and called both Jeremy and Alaric, asking them if they wanted to join him for a pizza.
They told him they were busy, so the last choice Matt had was asking Damon. They never properly talked but Elena trusted him, and as Matt trusted Elena….

“Yeah?” Damon’s voice sounded not really surprised “Hi, Donovan. How is my favorite human in town?”

“I have to ask you for a favor”

“Yeah, I might have heard about your little… blonde vampire problem, and I’m not talking about Caroline”

“I’m serious. I need your help”

“If you’re trying to bring your sister back again I’m sorry but I can’t let you do it”

Matt puffed “I’m begging you Damon”

“Ok, go on. What do you want?” Damon never cared a lot about Matt but he knew Elena did, that’s why he always tried to resist when he wanted to bite him.

“Bonnie said Rebecca will try to kill me tonight, and she told me to ask you if you could come over and…” the vampire interrupted Matt.

“and what? Curling your hair while watching Titanic? I’m sorry man I’m not into that”

“Can you be serious for a moment!?” Matt asked nervously.

“Ok, ok, I was just kidding man. I’ll come over tonight and protect you from barbie Klaus. I’ll see you later” Damon ended the call with the human guy and sighed. Then he got back into his big house to see his brother dealing with a body on the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing?”

“Hiding that body?”

“Bingo. Why don’t you help me?”

“Hell no, I don’t want to get my hands dirty” he walked to the alcohoolic side of the room, drinking a whole glass of whiskey in just a sip.

“That was mine” Stefan said, taking the girl’s body on his shoulders and walking to the basement of their house.

“You said it right, it was”

“What are your plans for the night?” Stefan asked, while Damon followed him.

“Why do you care?”

“I don’t”

“Exactly. Go on and find another cute girl to have fun with” Damon walked back upstairs leaving his brother to finish what he started “see you later baby brother”

When Matt had to go home that night, he felt worried and afraid of being alone. Rebecca could have easily followed him home. Thankfully she couldn’t enter until he invited her in, but there was no way he would have done it. He walked fast to his car and when he opened the driver’s door he felt clearly a presence behind him. He turned and saw Damon.

“You scared the hell out of me”

“Thank you” he smiled “so, I thought you needed a body-guard for the whole ride home so here I am. Do you have beer in your fridge at home? I’m not staying otherwise”

“I do have beer. And whiskey”

“You are a smart human. Come on, drive” Damon got on the truck and waited for Matt to start the engine and drive. The whole ride was silent, and Damon could hear Matt’s heart beating fast. He always knew that guy was fraightened by him, but there’s no way to blame him. Damon was surprised when he met someone who wasn’t afraid of being in the same room as him. Infact, he was very surprised by Elena, being so brave everytime they were together. But Elena knew she was Damon’s biggest weakness; he would have never hurt her.
That was the only thing the two guys who were now sharing a car had in common.

“Wow, your house is…so banal”

“I’m taking that as a compliment” they walked to the front door and Matt entered, leaving Damon outside.

“Ehm, I can’t come in. Invite me in”

“Oh right. What if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll see you in another life”

“Ok, You can come in” Damon stepped into Matt’s house and looked around, remembering that time he had a thing with Matt’s mom.

“How’s your mom?”

“You really don’t wanna know”

“You’re right, I don’t. I was just trying to make conversation, we have a night to spend together. So, where’s my beer?” Matt gave Damon a bottle of fresh beer and they both sat at the kitchen table. Matt started cooking for himself while Damon watched the TV and commented every single part of the football match Matt wanted to see himself.
While Matt was eating his dinner, the door bell rang. Damon didn’t have a proper plan but as long as Rebecca couldn’t come in, they were safe. Matt went to the door and opened it, finding Rebecca smiling and with a pizza in her hands. She was wearing a beautiful mini dress that was showing way more than it was allowed. Matt pretended he was happy to see her.

“Hey, Rebecca, what a surprise!”

“Hello. I thought you might be hungry so I brought a pizza, maybe we could eat it together”

“Ehm…well I’m actually eating right now…”

“I’m crap at timing” they laughed nervously “we can still watch a movie together”

“I have to study for a test tomorrow, I’m sorry”

“Ok… but at least let me in” Matt sighed and hoped Damon had something in mind to help him. Rebecca was waiting to go into the house but she knew it would have been hard.

“My house it’s a mess… I can’t let you see it like this”

“You can’t let a girl wait for you outside your house, it’s not polite”

At that point, they both heard Damon’s voice.

“I’m sure it’s not polite to kill you either” Matt saw Damon popping up behind Rebecca, and stab her with a knife in her back “Matt, take this and put it into her heart” Damon threw a stick to Matt who fast got it into Rebecca’s chest. In less than a second, Rebecca’s skin became grey. She was dead for real, then?

“Why did I have to do this?”

“Because I can’t use this stick to kill another vampire, or I will die too. It can be used just by humans, and if you take it out of her body, she will live again. She’s an original, you can’t kill her that easily… didn’t Bonnie or Elena tell you these things?” Damon asked in disbelief.

Matt shook his head “they don’t want me to get into trouble”

“As long as you live here man, you’ll always be in trouble, so I suggest you to get as much informations you can to protect yourself. Drinking verbena isn’t enough” Matt nodded “come on, take that pizza, I’ll take the body. Let’s go inside, I’ll teach you something while we eat”

They got back into Matt’s house, leaving Rebecca’s dead body in the hall, while they were eating pepperoni’s pizza and Damon was explaining Matt the whole history about original vampires. When Damon decided to go back home, he took Rebecca with him.

“Be safe” he said before leaving for good “I’ll tell Elena you’re ok”

“Thank you Damon” the vampire nodded “you’re not that bad”

“I am, believe me. But if I do something wrong to you all, Elena will personally kill me, and I can’t let her do that. I have a reputation to maintain” Matt smiled “goodnight Donovan, and don’t let cute girls get in your ways, especially if they’re vampires. Don’t trust anyone but who you really know” Matt nodded and told Damon goodnight, thinking he was damn right, and thinking Elena was right when she said his plan to get to know Rebecca better was suicidal. If Damon wouldn’t have been there that night, he would have been dead for sure.

Matt sighed and closed the door behind him, walking upstairs to his bedroom, looking forward to go to bed after a weird day like that. Staring at the ceiling while trying to sleep, he thought about his last days. As long as he tried, it was impossible to stay away from danger when you had friends who were vampires, werewolves, witches or dopplegangers.
It didn't matter if he wasn't like them: human or not, it didn’t matter at all, once you lived in Mystic Falls.