The Ones Who Saved Us

Chapter 1

Almost a year has passed since I killed Demetri, and I was physically free of him. Mentally, though, it was quite the opposite. I haven't slept properly in a year due to the memories of Demetri and Damon that haunt me the minute I try to close my eyes. I spend my days taking short, frequent naps so that I can stay awake long enough for my brothers and Papa to not notice how much I had been affected by everything that had happened after Mom died. They couldn't know how much I was struggling, how much I wanted to stop existing. How much I wanted everything to just stop.

Thank God for Hunter or I don't think I would have been able to survive. It took a while for me to trust him, but I eventually told him my real name. I sneak out to see him at least four times a week, sometimes more depending on how bad I'm hurting on any given day. I wasn't coping in the healthiest way, but it was the best I could do without them knowing. My family was finally safe with no looming threat, and I refused to be the reason why this sense of normalcy was disrupted.

It was the night before school started after the holidays, at least it was for Teddy. I hadn't gone to school in a year, choosing to do online school instead. The idea of spending eight hours away from my brothers and Papa made me anxious. I could deal with three hours, maybe four at the most. But eight? That was just asking for a panic attack.

I made sure to see my friends every weekend, though. Jamal, Cara, Raphael, Marco, and Arya have helped me so much over the months, even if they didn't know it. It didn't help that I was starting to have feelings for Arya, feelings that only further intensified when she came out to me and only me. I hadn't seen her in some time because of how busy she had been during winter break, but that would change tonight.

I was meeting up with them at midnight. It was tradition for my friend group to sneak out to a nearby park and hang out the night before school started after summer and winter break. Arya said that she had exciting news to share with us today, and I was hoping that she had finally gained the courage to come out to the rest of our friends. All of us would accept her, and that had become clear when I had come out as pansexual to them last summer. I knew it would take a lot of courage for her to come out, especially when she wasn't sure how her family would react, but I would be there for her when she was ready.

I was waiting for Papa to come check on me like he did every night. Then, I would sneak out to see my friends.

A knock on my bedroom door brought my attention to where Papa was standing, smiling at me.

"Hi, honey. I just wanted to see you before I went to bed."

I opened my arms for a hug as Papa laughed and sat next to me, wrapping his arms around me. Letting out a yawn, I leaned closer into Papa's body, basking in the warmth and love he radiated.

"Aves, are you having trouble sleeping?" Papa asked.

"No, why are you asking?"

Papa kissed the top of my head as he said, "It's only nine o'clock, and you seem tired. I'm an old man, which is why I'm going to bed now. What's your reason?"

"I just stayed up late last night reading and didn't get much sleep," I lied as I tightened my grip around Papa's torso. "You don't need to worry."

They couldn't know about the nightmares that plagued every second of my sleep. I couldn't burden my family any more than I already had.

"You're just like your mother," he chuckled. "She always had her nose in a book, especially right before we would sleep. I had to bribe her to get her to put the book down and get some rest."

"Bribe her with what?" I asked, looking up at him

Papa smirked and shook his head. "Adult things."