The Doppelganger's Keeper

Chapter 4: Missing Link

Elena found herself easily distracted once school started and after learning that the oldest vampire in the history of the world was coming after her, she needed it. They were already two weeks in and with homework, and cheerleading and prep rallies, it was easier to ignore the feeling brewing inside. Of course, she did still have her training at the boarding house, but it had been reduced to the weekends, and Ric would usually tag along to assist. He was a good buffer, but their friendship usually meant a team effort of poking fun at her lack of strength and slow reflexes.

Stefan had stuck around, and enrolled in school, much to Damon's amusement, but it was also a way for Damon to feel secure, knowing that Elena would be safe when he couldn't be there. Although it had been quiet lately in Mystic Falls, Damon knew it was only a matter of time before there would be some excitement. Something about this town attracted the supernatural; it was a hot spot. The long-standing history of mystical energy was deeply seeded in its roots, from the hundreds of slaughtered witches, to the vampires that were sealed in the tomb, to the werewolves that used to run rampant a thousand years ago...evil was drawn here.

For now, Elena would enjoy the calm before the storm. It gave her the opportunity to believe that she was leading somewhat of a normal life.

Elena stopped at her locker between classes, switching out her books before she heading to homeroom. When she closed the door, she jumped, seeing the person on the other side. "Geez!" she laughed breathlessly. "You scared me."

Stefan cracked a smile, looking down at the ground briefly. "Sorry...I'll work on that."

She raised her brows. "You'd think I'd be used to it by now. Between the two of you, I'd probably die of a heart attack before ending up as a doppelganger sacrifice." She mumbled the last words quietly with a sarcastic inflection. Joking about it made her looming death easier to deal with.

However, it made Stefan visibly uncomfortable. "Don't do that. It's not funny, Elena." He stated seriously. They had been spending more time together since school started, and while her genuine optimism and zest for the present was refreshing, he noticed that she put this wall up when it came to her future. As if she didn't expect to have one.

She laughed, and started to walk down the hall. He fell in step with her. "What? Look...I have to joke about it, Stefan. If I don't then my life really is as tragic as it seems. My parents are dead," she continued seriously. "I'm a doppelganger to my evil 500-year-old ancestor, and I have two vampire bodyguards protecting me from a thousand-year-old Original that wants me dead. If I don't laugh about it..." she sighed shaking her head. "I'd probably never stop crying."

He stopped walking, frowning deeply. "I'm sorry...for what you've gone through." He looked deeply in her eyes, his hand comfortingly on her forearm. "But I promise, Damon and I aren't going to let anything happen to you, okay?"

Elena nodded. Stefan had become a good friend over the last few weeks, but she could tell that he held more interest in her than just helping Damon keep her safe. He liked her, and if she was honest, she kind of liked him too. It was nice to talk to a guy that she could be herself around; that she didn't have hide her life from. And the way he looked at her, as if he saw deeper than the superficial layer she wore on the outside, was comforting. But it was Damon's words that rang in her head that stopped her from returning the flirty glances. Not Stefan.

Lightening the mood, she changed the subject with a bounce in her step, as they continued down the hall. "So, are you coming to the game tonight?" Stefan gave her a hesitant glance. "Oh, come on! It's spirit week. Show a little spirit." She playfully nudged him.

He smiled. "Maybe."

"Well, I'll be there." She gestured to herself in her uniform. "Obviously...maybe you can cheer me on." Her lips quirked into a cheeky smile of her own.