chapter three. going insane

season one—————episode two.

      CLAYTON AND LILY SOLACE WEREN'T AT home when Elodie woke up. She assumed her parents had slept at the hospital with Dalton, when she checked her phone, she had a text from her mom telling her exactly what she had thought.

      As usual, Caroline had picked her up. Ranting about how much she wanted a boyfriend—Elodie offered her two perfect good options, Matt and Tyler, only for her to reject them.

      "Maybe you don't need a boyfriend Care! I think you're amazing just the way you are," Elodie added as the two climbed out of her car.

      Caroline scoffed, "you're just saying that cause you have the hottie new guy pining after you."

      Elodie's smile dimmed slightly as she watched Elena and Stefan walk into school smiling at each other. "Yeah, well I think Elena broke both our dibs."

      Caroline scoffed, storming away from her as Elodie headed to history. As soon as the bell rang, Mr. Tanner jumped straight into his lesson. Near the end of class, Mr. Tanner began his lesson on the comet. "Originally discovered nearly five centuries ago, it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over a hundred and forty-five years. Now the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration." Mr. Tanner paused to look at Stefan and Elena, both of them watching each other clearly oblivious to the rest of the class. "Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Glibert?"

With the slight shake of Elena's head, the bell rang and once again, he sighed angrily, dismissing the class. "Actually, Ms. Solace, stay behind."

      Elodie swallowed harshly, nodded as she packed her booked ups slowly, waiting for whatever Mr. Tanner needed. "Yes sir?"

      Her teacher sighed, rounding the desk to rest in the front of it, "my actions, yesterday. They were extremely unprofessional, and I give you my deepest apologies. You were correct with the dates, and my frustration got in the way with my teaching. I won't let it happen again, so I am sorry."

      Elodie couldn't help the smile that crossed her face, "it's alright. I shouldn't have corrected you, but I appreciate your apology. I'll see you tomorrow Mr. Tanner."

      Elodie almost skipped out of the class, the weight pressing down on her chest having been removed as she replayed his apology over and over in her mind. She had always heard the stories from others about how no one wanted to be in his class—and she certainly hadn't ever heard of a story that ended in him apologizing. She couldn't wait to tell Caroline.

After school, Elodie met up with Caroline, Bonnie joining the two blonde quickly. The dark haired girl catching the two up on everything she had learned about herself. Caroline glanced at Bonnie, "I'm confused, are you psychic or clairvoyant?"

"I'd like to know too!" Elodie raised her hand softly.

Bonnie smiled at the shorter blonde, "technically, Grams says I'm a witch."

"That's so cool, B!" Elodie cheered.

"My ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something. Grams tried to explain it all, but she was looped on the liquor, so I kinda tuned out. Crazy family, check. Witches, I don't think so, sorry Ellie."

Elodie smiled sadly, "it's okay. Something cool is going to happen at school, sometime."

"Well, if you're feeling pretty witchy, feel free to conjure up the name and number of that guy from last night." Caroline grinned.

Elodie paused in front of the two girls, "what guy? Caroline Elizabeth, what guy!"

Caroline blushed, "just this guy I met at the Grill last night. He was so hot! Hotter than Stefan."

Elodie laughed, "and how did I not hear about him before now?"

"There just wasn't a time," Caroline shook her head.

Elodie scoffed as Bonnie shook her head, "I think you are officially crazy Care, I didn't even see this guy. Why didn't you just talk to him?"

Caroline shrugged, "I don't know, I was drunk!"

      Bonnie turned to Elodie, "also, what did Tanner need you for after class? Did he yell at you again?"

      Elodie shook her head, "I thought he was going to yell at me again too! But he actually, apologized? I know it should crazy but he sounded really sincere and everything!"

      Caroline laughed, "Tanner? He apologized? To you? God, is hell frozen over?"

      "Care! That's so rude, maybe he was just going through something, and didn't mean to be so mean!" Elodie tried to reason.

      This time Bonnie added, "Ellie, I know it's hard to understand but Tanners a dick. He's never apologized to anyone in his life I bet."

      "I just wished you had recorded it," Caroline mused, crossing her arms.

"Well, he was nice about it! So it's all in the past, but I'm have to go check on Dalton before I have to head to my shift at the animal shelter. I'll see you girls later!" Elodie spoke, promising to text Caroline when she got home before walking out of the school, her bag bouncing on her hip as she glanced around the parking lot.

A horn honking drew her attention as Stefan's car turned out of his parking spot, "need a ride."

Elodie laughed, throwing her head back as she nodded, climbing into his car. "Look at you, saving me once again."

Stefan laughed, "where do you want me to take you, Elodie."

The blonde smiled, "the hospital please, I need to check on Dalton."

Stefan nodded, and the ride there was spent in a comfortable silence between the two. When they pulled into the Hospital parking lot, Stefan was the one to break the silence. "Want me to come inside with you?"

Elodie shook her head, "no, it's alright. I've got to do this myself. But again, thank you for the ride Stefan."

"It's my pleasure," he smiled at her, making sure she made it into the hospital before speeding away.

Her parents had texted her the room number, so Elodie just smiled politely at the nurses in the front. Heading up to the second floor, and following the signs to Daltons rooms—211. Vicky Donovan was just a room down, and Elodie was going to check on her once she made sure Dalton was okay.

      Her father was asleep on the chair, her mother most likely at work or getting food in the cafeteria. Dalton was sitting up on his bed, a stupid sitcom playing on the TV and he texted on his phone.

Elodie knocked on the door frame, "I don't think a phone is good for a concussion."

"El! Oh my god, mom and dad have been so overbearing, you need to save me," Dalton spoke, throwing his phone to the side as he gestured to their father.

Elodie smiled, pulling the boy into a hug, "you do have a concussion, Dalton, pretty sure that warrants a bit of protectiveness."

Dalton scoffed, pushed Elodie away. She pulled away from him, eying the bandage on his forehead and the cuts on his arms, "you scared me pretty bad."

"Come on Ellie," Dalton shook his head, "no harm done."

Elodie scoffed, "the bandage on your forehead and the concussion mom told me you have says a different story."

"Hey! I'm supposed to be the older sibling here, stop acting like mom," Dalton shook his head, laughing.

A voice from the door caused the two siblings to jump, "is that supposed to be a bad thing, Dalton James?"

The two glanced behind them, finding their mother holding an apple as she smiled at them. Elodie laughed, "I think you're in trouble," she mused.

"She can't do anything to me, I'm the one in a hospital bed," Dalton remarked.

"You're also the one who wouldn't be in a hospital bed if you hadn't snuck out and disobeyed your grounding," Clayton remarked, having woken up and walked over to his wife. Elodie shrugged, nodding as if to say I told you so to her brother, who only scoffed and shoved her shoulder away.

"Hey! Don't bully me, I'm the one in a hospital bed," Dalton crossed his arms.

"If it makes you feel better, pretty sure the football teams gonna lose without you," Elodie added, having seen them warming up as she left, without their star wide-receiver the team was stuck with a transfer from Cardiff High School—who wasn't the best player according to the team at Cardiff.

Dalton scoffed, as a nurse spoke up, "well they better get used to it because he won't be playing for at least six weeks."

Elodie knew her brother was going to blow a fuse, so she smiled and hugged him once last time, promising to visit later. Lily stayed with the nurse and Dalton as Clayton promised to drive Elodie to work.

Once in their car, Elodie turned to her father. "Any word from the police on what happened?"

"They are trying to write it off as an animal attack," Clayton Solace shook his head, disappointment lacing his words. "That Vicky Donavon is much worse off, but your mother and I think it was much deeper than that. At least she does, I'm just glad Dalton only came out with a concussion."

"What does mom think it was, or what happened?" Elodie questioned, pulling her eyebrows together in confusion.

Clayton laughed, "oh gosh, she's too much of a storyteller, she thinks a vampire attacked the two of them." Elodie went quiet, thinking about what her father said. The silence encased the car for a few minutes, the two of them pulling up to the animal shelter before her father spoke again. "Don't take your mother's fantastical ideas to heart, I think she's just going a little stir-crazy, wanting to make sure Dalton is okay and everything."

Elodie swallowed harshly, nodded. "Yeah, vampires sound pretty crazy dad."

Clayton reached over, ruffling Elodie's slightly curled hair, "hey, but some campers were killed not too far from the Falls, so I don't want you staying at the house tonight. Your mother and I are going to spend the night with Dalton, make sure he's alright. Can you stay with Caroline? And possibly have her pick you up as well?"

Elodie nodded, smiling, "of course, dad! Just text me if anything changes with Dalton."

Clayton nodded, pulling away after his daughter had shut the door to his car. She waved goodbye as his car disappeared from her view, grinning she skipped into the shelter.

      "Afternoon, Ben!" Elodie smiled at the boy at the front. He was a senior at her high school, and she had even tutored the boy last year.

      "Ellie! It's nice to see you," he smiled.

      "Is Ryan here?"

"Yeah, he's in the back. A shelter two towns over sent us some of their rescues so he's finding space for all of them." Ben nodded to the back doors.

      Elodie grinned, bouncing on her toes, "oh! What did we get?"

      Ben glanced at the paperwork on the desk, "I think they sent over a couple dogs, maybe a cat or two and some bunnies."

      Elodie almost screamed, clapping her hands as she started towards the back, "thanks Ben!"

      She heard his chuckle as she pushed open the back doors, also squealing as she saw Ryan handling a fluffy white blob. He laughed as she hastily pulled on a pair of gloves before taking the blob of fur into her arms.

      "That's Zeus," Ryan added before picking up a dark brown bunny, "this is Hera."

      "They're adorable!" Elodie smiled, scratching under the chin of the bunny, "and so small, Ryan!"

      "I think they were born a couple weeks ago, so they should still be pretty small. There's twelve, and the one request from the shelter were to keep their names as the Greek Gods and Goddesses." Ryan chucked, "you've already met Hera and Zeus," Ryan then began towards the other ten bunnies, listing them off one by one.

      "You know there's actually thirteen gods, right?" Elodie added, watching as Ryan looked at her confused.

      He shook his head, "no, there's twelve. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Dionysus, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Ares, Demeter, Aphrodite and Hermes. See, twelve."

Elodie shook her head, squeezing the little white rabbit closer to her body, "nope. You forgot Hephaestus. The greek god of fire, metal working, the works. Son of Hera and he was married to Aphrodite before she cheated on him with Ares."

Ryan laughed, "okay history nerd. I didn't know you knew that much about Greek Gods, I shouldn't have asked."

Elodie grinned, "trust me, I'm full of surprises."

"Clearly," Ryan nodded, "okay hand me back Hera, I've got to finish her check up, you've got to get that kitten Star to check up on. Make sure she's all clean and everything, Ben should have your paperwork up front."

      Elodie nodded softly, smiling as she handed the bunny back to Ryan before skipping down the hall towards the cat section. She greeted all of the new arrivals, four in total—three male cats and one female kitten that seemed to hate the world. She had hissed at Elodie as soon as she had approached her, but with a small treat she had allowed Elodie to get close enough to pet her, only for a second before she swiped at her again. Reese, as her name plate read seemed too sweet for her, but Elodie knew that she would have her cuddly in no time.

      A few animals down, Star sat calmly in her cage. Meowing only when she saw Elodie, the bright grin on her face. She blinked, and for a second a flash of yellow illuminated the room. Elodie didn't notice as she unlocked the cage, and immediately lifted the kitten out. Star began purring once she was in her hands, Elodie scratching at her head as she made her way to the front. Ben was still sitting at the front desk, greeting a customer.

      Elodie stood by the back doors, smiling at Star who was getting slightly restless in her palms. She continued petting the cat until the customer had left, walking over to Ben who pulled the cat from her hands only to be hissed at. Star swiped at the man because Elodie pulled her away and she immediately began purring once more.

      "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry, she's been so sweet to everyone, Ben! Are you alright?" Elodie softly pet Stars fur, watching Ben with worry.

Ben glared at the cat, "yeah. Never really been a cat person."

Elodie grinned, "hopefully you'll convert by the end." He scoffed, shaking his head wildly only to jump as Star hissed at him again, taking another swipe. "Oh gosh, okay I'm gonna take Star back to her cage, but can you see if she had all her tests run and everything."

      Ben nodded, open his mouth to speak, but Elodie was already turned away from him, kissing at the kittens head once more. He sighed, typing away to find the files she requested as Elodie softly placed her kitten away, kissing her one last time. When she came back, Ben was missing but there was a new file on the desk. She smiled, grabbing the paperwork as she began to flip through it.

"Elodie!" Ryan shouted, pulling the folder from her grasp as she read over one word—vampire.

"Oh gosh! I'm sorry, I thought that was the folder Ben had gotten for me," Elodie shook her head, frowning softly.

Ryan laughed nervously, "no it's alright. I shouldn't have left confidential files on the front desk."

Elodie nodded, watching as he hurriedly walked into the back, passing Ben who was holding a new file. Elodie smiled softly at him, her mind running rampant as what she had read. She mindlessly grabbed the folder, thanking him before heading to the back. She opened Star's gate, placing her in her lap as she sat on the floor, reading through the papers.

Ryan let her go early, knowing that she didn't have a car. Ben waved goodbye to her, watching as she began her walk home. Elodie almost ran all the way home, knowing that Caroline would pick her up at her house. Not wanting to inconvenience her much more with picking her up.

Elodie unlocked the door, making sure the lock clicked closed behind her. She began to head up the stairs, pausing when glass shattered downstairs. Elodie swallowed the urge to call out, remembering how the girl who called out to the murder in horror always died—at least that's what she remember from the movies Caroline had forced her to watch through her fingers. She slowly stepped off the stairs, reaching for the umbrella hanging near the door.

She held the umbrella in front of her, her hands shaking as she stepped closer to kitchen. She took another deep breath, stepping closer to the kitchen doors as she softly nudged it open with her weapon of choice. She threw the door open, swinging the umbrella around the empty kitchen. Elodie sighed, her shoulders dropping as she glanced at the broken glass on the ground. She laughed to herself as she walked to the front door, only to freeze as the door was swinging open.

Elodie reached for her phone, typing in the phone number to Caroline from memory. She rushed up the stairs, closing her door as softly as she could before clicking the lock and rushing to shove her chair under the knob. Not knowing if it would work like it did in the movies.

"Caroline?" Her voice came out as a whisper.

"Ellie? Are you okay? I was going to leave to pick you up in about ten minutes." Caroline told her.

"I think someone's in my house."

Caroline was silent, and Elodie could hear her moving around, "what?"

"I think someone broke in. Someone shattered a glass and the front door was wide open when I knew I had locked it."

"So you're outside?" Caroline questioned.

Someone slammed against her bedroom door, as she began to cry. "I'm in my room. Care, I'm so scared."

"Fuck," Caroline whispered, "I'm going to call my mom. I'll call you right back."

"No, Care!" It was too late as Caroline hung up the phone.

Elodie was sobbing as she watched the doorknob move, before her door shook some more. She moved to the back of her room, the corner where her bookshelves sat, as huddled there. Her phone forgotten on her bed as Caroline called her over and over. Her door cracked, bending to the will of the person on the other side. Her hands glowing a bright yellow that had Elodie even more terrified.

A flash of black hair before police sirens began to fill her ears. The person on the other side growled, slamming into the door once more before they disappeared. Elodie didn't know how much time had passed before Sheriff Forbes was knocking at her door, letting her know it was safe.

Elodie was shaking, the Sheriffs words blurring. Her breath was leaving in uneven splits. Elodie wasn't unfamiliar to the feeling of a panic attack—she had gotten them much more when she was a child. Normally they would appear whenever her father would leave for another few months, she had been terrified that that would be the last time she had ever seen him. They had lessened as she grew up and her father had more time to explain exactly what was happening, but Elodie would still need to take her anxiety medication every few times her father would leave—especially on his longer trips.

Elodie should've known exactly what to do in the event of a panic attack. Her therapist had made sure of that, but god she couldn't remember any action to do. The exact number she needed to count, the senses she needed to compare. Elodie had forgotten everything.

A loud clattering had her panicking harder, but someone had quickly pulled her into her arms. Elodie's head pressed against a chest as the soft patter of a heartbeat filled her ear. She didn't know how long it took, but slowly she allowed herself to hear everything around herself. After her hearing, the rest of her senses came back to her in a few seconds. She pulled away from the person, finding Caroline Forbes holding her tightly.

      Elodie broke down into another fit of sobs, holding onto her best friend tightly. Caroline was whispering in her ear, trying to calm the girl as best she could.

      "Ellie, let's get you out of here," Caroline whispered, helping Elodie up. She made sure Elodie didn't see any of the damage to her home as Caroline led her outside. The EMT's rushed to the two girls, helping Elodie into the ambulance as they double checked she was alright. When her door had begun to cave, some of the pieces of wood had sliced at her skin. Thankfully nothing had found purchased but she still had a bit of dried blood on her.

      Elodie watched in a daze as cops rushing into the home, moving in and out as they checked the home for anything or anyone. Liz Forbes walked towards the two girls, her face soft.

      "No one is in the house," she spoke when she reached her daughter and her best friend. "There are no signs of a break in, a window in your room was left unlocked, Elodie. We believe they had snuck in through there and then hid somewhere else in the home until you got back."

      Elodie froze, feeling the sinking feeling of another panic attack come on. Caroline covered Elodie's ears, the coldness of her fingertips drawing her back in. "God mom! She did not need to hear that right now, she's terrified."

      "Sorry Caroline," Sheriff Forbes shook her head, "Elodie needed to know. Why don't you take her home, she needs some rest."

      Caroline nodded, helping Elodie down from the bed of the ambulance. She led her to her car, helping Elodie into the passenger side before running to the drivers side. They drove in silence, Elodie's shaking subsided slightly, but when Caroline would glance at her, her hands still shook like she was freezing.

Caroline helped Elodie into the house, leading her up to her room before letting her get dressed in some of Caroline's pajamas. Elodie silently climbed into Caroline's bed, holding the weighted stuffed animal Caroline loved to her chest. Caroline joined her right after, holding Elodie as she fell asleep.

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KENNEDY SPEAKS :

extra long chap bc we hit 100 read and i love all
of you, but i love it more when things i
plan/foreshadow come to light and im excited
to hear everyone's thoughts! :)) but very unedited
sorry pookers.

so, besides this updates will def become very
less frequent because school is kicking back up
and so is my sport ( im a diver if anyone cares and
i love it lots of fun ) so maybe once a week?
darkest before dawn will be starting back up come
tomorrow so i'm gonna try and alter my focus between
the two!