𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐲 𝐄𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

...🌺...

𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻, 𝑀𝑌𝑆𝑇𝐼𝐶 𝐹𝐴𝐿𝐿𝑆

𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟗

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐣𝐨𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭, 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.

The Mystic Grill's outdoor patio buzzed with conversation, the clatter of silverware, the low hum of music filtering out from inside.

Bonnie's voice drifted through the crowd before I even reached the table.

"Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom."

Caroline scoffed, swirling the straw in her lemonade. "Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot, and she told you about the aliens."

I pulled out a chair and slid into it. "Be nice, Care."

Bonnie shot me a grateful look before turning back to Elena, who was folding flyers with the kind of intensity that made me think they were the only thing keeping her together.

"So then what?" Caroline pressed.

"So then nothing*,*" Elena said, voice tight.

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "You and Stefan talked all night, and there was no sloppy first kiss? No, anything?"

Elena shook her head. "Nope. We didn't go there."

Caroline groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "Not even a handshake? Elena, we are your friends! You're supposed to share the smut!"

I smirked, sipping my drink. "Maybe he's waiting for you to make the first move."

Elena hesitated. "Maybe. We talked for hours."

Caroline leaned back, exasperated. "Okay, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already! It's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy—sex!"

"Profound," Elena deadpanned.

I chuckled, but the moment was cut short when Elena suddenly stood, grabbing her bag.

"Elena?" Bonnie frowned. "Where are you going?"

Caroline's words seemed to settle something in her. "Caroline's right. It is easy." She exhaled. "If I sit here long enough, I'll talk myself out of it."

She turned to me. "Coming?"

I blinked. "Why?"

"You're my ride."

I sighed, pushing my chair back. "Let's get this over with, then."

...🌺...

The drive was quiet.

The streets were lined with people, their heads tilted toward the sky, waiting for the comet.

"Do you think I'm making a mistake?" Elena asked suddenly.

I turned onto the gravel road leading to the Salvatore house. "I think ever since Stefan came into your life, I'm getting my friend back," I admitted. "Not the mask you wear for everyone else."

Elena's fingers relaxed around her bag. "You mean the one I perfected after my parents died?"

I didn't answer. She already knew.

I pulled up to the house—more mansion than house.

Elena exhaled. "Here goes nothing."

She climbed out, adjusting her jacket.

I leaned against the hood of my car, tilting my head back to watch the sky.

A breeze swept through, and I shivered slightly.

Footsteps reached my ears, and I turned my head—my breath caught.

It was the guy from the bridge.

He stood just a few feet away, hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket, that same lazy smirk playing at his lips.

"It's not safe to be out here alone," he said smoothly.

I raised a brow. "I can take care of myself."

His smirk deepened. "I don't doubt that for a second, sunshine."

Something twisted in my stomach at the nickname.

"But you are outside my house," he added.

I sat up straighter. "You live with Stefan?"

He nodded, stepping closer. "He's my brother. I'm Damon."

Damon.

He held out his hand, expectant. I hesitated before taking it.

The second our skin touched—a jolt.

Not just a jolt—something electric, something sharp and deep, that it stole my breath. My fingers tightening around his instinctively.

Damon's gaze darkened, like he felt it too.

"Selene," I murmured.

His lips curled slightly. "You're Elena's friend, right?"

I nodded, distracted by the way his thumb traced slow circles against my skin.

The contact sent another ripple through me. It was driving me crazy, how my body reacted to him from a single glance or touch.

"You should probably warn her about Katherine," he said casually.

I blinked. "Katherine?"

His smirk didn't falter. "Yeah. His ex."

I frowned, trying to piece the name into something meaningful, but before I could react, he stepped closer, breath ghosting against my ear.

"I'll see you later, sunshine," he murmured.

A shiver ran down my spine.

The world tilted for a second and I swallowed hard, slipping into my car, my pulse still uneven.

Elena climbed in, glancing at me. "What was that about?"

I stared at the house for a beat too long before shaking my head.

"No idea."

...🌺...

The night stretched above Mystic Falls, ink-black and endless, punctuated by the soft flicker of candlelight. The entire town square had gone dark for the night.

I sat alone on a bench near the edge of the square, turning a slender white candle between my fingers. The murmuring voices of the town—laughter, hushed conversations, the occasional clink of glass—blurred into the background, distant and unimportant.

My gaze lifted to the sky, searching the constellations. Orion, Cassiopeia, the North Star—most nights, their light drowned beneath the artificial glow of the town, but tonight, with the square bathed only in candlelight, the stars burned brighter.

A prickle at the nape of my neck broke my trance.

I wasn't alone.

Slowly, I turned. A pair of piercing blue eyes met mine.

"Damon?"

He smirked. "Unless you know another Damon."

Before I could reply, he sank onto the bench beside me, stretching an arm along the backrest, his knee brushing against mine.

I hesitated, fingers tightening around the candle. A question had been gnawing at me and even though I shouldn't, I couldn't help myself. "You don't get along with your brother."

Damon exhaled, tilting his head back to look at the sky. "No. I don't."

A simple answer, but there was weight behind it.

I traced the edge of the candle with my thumb, keeping my hands busy. "You're different."

Damon glanced at me, brow arching. "Different how?"

I turned, locking eyes with him. "With me."

A flicker of something passed through his gaze—something unreadable.

"Why?" I pressed.

For a moment, he just looked at me.

The surrounding square seemed to fade, the laughter and candlelight nothing more than distant echoes. Goosebumps prickled across my skin, but I wasn't cold.

"Do you want to hear a story?"

I blinked. "A story?"

Damon nodded, his voice quieter now. "Yes."

I wasn't sure why, but I found myself nodding.

Damon leaned back slightly, his arm still resting along the back of the bench, close enough that I should feel warmth radiating from his skin. But all I feel was coldness.

"Once, a long time ago," he started, "there was a woman who traveled far from home with her sister. She was promised to a man—a man of great power, wealth, and cruelty."

The candle in my hand wavered.

"But despite the arrangement, despite the vows she had yet to take, she met someone else. A man who saw her for who she truly was, not just as something to be owned."

I swallowed.

"She loved him," I murmured.

Damon's lips quirked. But there was no humor in it. "More than anything."

A breeze swept through the square, making the flames waver.

"But love isn't enough," Damon continued. "Not when betrayal is involved. The woman's sister found out about the affair. And whether it was jealousy, anger, or fear—she told the betrothed."

My stomach twisted.

"It was too late when the sister realized her mistake." Damon's voice was quieter now, but sharp, cutting. "Because the woman was killed. Right in front of the man she loved."

I lowered my gaze, fingers trembling against the candle.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

"What happened to him?" I asked.

Damon's jaw tightened.

"He made a promise," he murmured. "That he wouldn't stop until those responsible were dead."

A shiver ran down my spine.

Damon stood.

I lifted my head just in time to watch him disappear into the crowd, his figure swallowed by candlelight and shadows.

I exhaled sharply, pressing my free hand against my chest as if that could settle the erratic beat of my heart.

Why do I feel like I've heard that story before?

"Selene!"

I twisted at the sound of my name, just as Jeremy pushed through the crowd, his face pale under the flickering light.

"Jeremy?" I stood. "What's wrong?"

His breath was uneven, his eyes wide with panic.

"I—I can't find Vicki," he rushed out.

...🌺...

"Stefan found her."

Jeremy didn't look at me. His fingers twisted together, knuckles white, the tendons in his arms pulled tight. He sat hunched forward on the couch, elbows braced against his knees, staring at the floor like if he focused hard enough, the world might make sense again.

"I heard," he muttered.

I exhaled, lowering myself onto the couch beside him.

The Gilbert living room smelled faintly of old wood, a lingering trace of coffee, and something warm—like the ghost of family dinners and a time before grief carved its way into these walls.

"Jeremy," I mumbled. "Talk to me."

His jaw flexed, his throat bobbing with a hard swallow.

"I'm so tired of talking," he croaked out, voice rough at the edges.

My chest ached at the way his words cracked.

"I can't help if I don't know what's going on," I tried.

Jeremy exhaled sharply through his nose, finally lifting his gaze. His brown eyes were glossy, pain rippling just beneath the surface, raw and unspoken.

"I love her," he admitted.

A single tear escaped, slipping down his cheek before he wiped it away like it burned.

"But she wants Tyler."

I nodded slowly. "And it hurts."

Jeremy swallowed, nodding once.

"Like you'll never be okay again," I finished.

His brows pulled together. "How?"

"How do I know?" I echoed.

He nodded, searching my face for something I wasn't sure he'd find.

I blinked, frowning slightly. "I just do."

It wasn't a lie.

Pain like his was something I recognized. It lived in my bones, an old wound that never quite healed. Though different as mine comes from a place of loss from never knowing my family, it was still similar.

I reached out, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It will get better."

Jeremy let out a humorless scoff, looking away.

"Maybe not right now," I admitted. "But one day, it won't hurt as bad anymore."

His fingers curled into fists. "I just don't know what she sees in him."

I didn't answer. Instead, I pulled him into a hug before he could overthink his pain into something self-destructive. He stiffened at first, but after a moment, his shoulders sagged, and he leaned into me.

I rubbed his back in slow circles, the way my mom used to when I was little. "I know, Jer."

His breath hitched against my shoulder.

"But you've got to stop doing drugs," I said.

Jeremy tensed.

He pulled back slightly, eyes locking onto mine.

"You're like the little brother I never had," I continued, keeping my voice steady. "And I don't know what I'd do if one day you weren't here anymore."

Something flickered across his face—shock, guilt, something like shame.

"I mean it," I pressed. "Promise me."

Jeremy hesitated, but only for a second.

"I promise," he muttered.

A slow breath escaped me.

"Good," I said, offering the smallest of smiles. "Now, do you want me to stay until Elena gets home?"

Jeremy glanced toward the TV, reaching for the remote. "Can we watch a movie?"

"Sure, Jer." I pulled my knees to my chest as he flipped through the channels. "Whatever you want."

...🌺...

𝐀/𝐍: ANOTHER UPDATE!!!

As promised, I am going to get these chapters up for the rewrite as quickly as I can.

This isn't a long chapter since it was mostly a filler. But...there were a few Selene and Damon moments in here. Honestly, I love them so much.

I hope you guys enjoy the update!!!

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒: How are we feeling about the rewrite? Are you team Damon or Team Stefan? What are you looking forward to in the rest of this book?

-𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘