I huff and puff as I finally reach the gates of Mystic Falls High School. Who knew it was so far from Uncle Brian's? Long story short, upon reading that text, I had high-tailed it out of there without a second thought and sneaked in to my room through the window. I took the quickest shower in the history of mankind, threw on the first thing I could lay my hands on and grabbing my stuff, used the window as my exit route too.
I had no doubt Uncle Brian would be none the wiser to my activities, he is always late in the mornings so he doesn't have the time to notice anything. But turns out I misjudged the distance between his house and the school. I must have lost five pounds atleast...
I sit down in my seat just minutes after the bell stops ringing. Mr Saltzman, our History teacher, gives me a semi-strict glance and begins today's lesson. He's a pretty cool teacher. He's younger than most of the other faculty, and he actually seems passionate about his subject. He makes even the dullest of the stupid wars seem interesting. And he's lenient with us.
I take special note of one name during roll call. Stefan Salvatore.
That surname. It is the same as the one on that fancy gravestone. That really old one. His family must have been living here for generations! The Salvatores must be one of what Uncle Brian told me are the founding families of Mystic Falls...
Lost in my thoughts, I don't notice that almost everyone has left the classroom. That is, everyone except Caroline and Stefan Salvatore. Caroline appears to be chatting about something quite enthusiastically, but Stefan doesn't seem to share her excitement. It actually looks like he's trying to get away but she's not letting him. It's funny how he has his brows all furrowed up but he has to smile in response to all that she's saying. I decide to help him out of this predicament.
"Hi Caroline!" I call out softly.
Both of them turn to look at me. Caroline smiles instantly, though I can tell she's a bit distracted. Stefan Salvatore just looks politely surprised.
"Oh I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."
"Oh no no, not at all Seraphina. Here, meet my friend- Stefan Salvatore," she gestures to him. "Stefan, meet Seraphina Montez. She has joined just recently," she indicates me to him.
"Pleasure to meet you," he holds out his hand.
"Same here,"I smile back. It happened again. The weird static-y thing. When I shook his hand. Is it something in the water here?
"So, Seraphina....I was just asking Stefan to come with me to the library. There is some important research I have to do there, and more the numbers, quicker the work, right?" she gives a shaky laugh. "Wanna join us?"
"Sure, let me just check my timetable..." I see that I do indeed have a class free right now. "Okay, let's go!"
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It's been half an hour and all Caroline has done is pick up a few dusty volumes from the shelves and stack them in a neat pile on the table. All colour co-ordinated. I am sitting here with Stefan, just observing her.
"What? Don't look at me like that! Have you never heard that 'a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind' ?" she says.
"Yeah I have. It's followed by, 'What then is an empty desk a sign of?' " Stefan remarks dryly. I hide a smile.
Caroline huffs. "Okay. I know. But what do I do? These are so thick and scary looking I can't bring myself to open them. You know I'm not one for these, Stefan," she's giving him the puppy dog eyes now.
Stefan sighs. "Fine, give them here. I'll look up whatever you want. And then I'm going to go check up on Elena."
"His girlfriend," Caroline replies to my questioning glance, "She's not feeling very well. So she's resting. At her home."
Oh. Okay. Is it my imagination or is Caroline a bit flustered at the mention of his girlfriend? Does she ....?
"Which year was this war you are supposed to write about, Caroline? You could have just asked me, I could have told you everything about it." says Stefan, leafing through a stack of papers she handed to him. Everything? There have been lots of wars in Virginia in the last few centuries. I know because I was perusing through my history book a few days back, when I was bored.
"You that good huh?" I say jokingly.
Stefan looks at me a little blankly, then smiles and shrugs. "Yeah I'm kinda..into history."
"Oh me too, but I find all those bloody wars a little...well, uninteresting." I tell him awkwardly.
Stefan chuckles, "You find wars uninteresting? Most of History consists of wars, don't you think?"
"No, not at all. That is a pretty common misconception actually. History includes much more than just wars. It has eras. Art, music, fashion, principles. Everything changes with these eras. New things invented and discoveries made. That is all history. And this is what I find so fascinating about it. Though it's still a bitch trying to memorise all the dates.." I add with a smile.
Stefan had been listening to me with interest all this time. It's good to know someone genuinely interested in History, like me. All my friends back home are always cribbing about how boring and hard it is. Let's just say they are more Caroline than Stefan in this matter....
He nods and opens his mouth to say something but his cellphone starts ringing just then. Glancing at the caller ID, he says "I need to take this call, I'll be back," and leaves the library.
Caroline, who had been busy in her own phone till now, glances up anxiously as he leaves. "Caroline, is something wrong? Are you alright?" I ask her. Why is she so nervous today? She gives me a troubled look, then rights her expression and smiles, shaking her head. "Oh no, nothing is wrong, I'm fine, why do you ask?"
"I don't know... you seem a bit, jumpy" I tell her honestly.
Caroline laughs it off. "Oh no no there's nothing like that.."
Stefan returns and starts gathering his things. "I'm sorry Caroline, but I have to go now, something has come up. I need to talk to Elena too, she's not picking up her phone..." At the mention of Elena, Caroline's eyes widen, I notice. She's breathing quicker. Are my suspicions correct...?
"....Oh and, Seraphina, it was nice talking to you. I would definitely like to know you better." Then with a smile and a nod in my direction, he turns to go. Caroline gets up from her chair suddenly and exclaims, "But Stefan! I almost forgot to ask you something. It's really important! About...um , about Damon! Something I need to tell you now."
Stefan looks at Caroline, then glances at me and then looks back to her. Caroline nods. "Seraphina, I need to go right now but I'll see you at lunch, okay?" she says to me with an apologetic expression
"No problem." I smile and wave my hand, "I must get to class anyway."
As I leave the library, I can't help but think back to her behaviour today. First there, near the cemetery in the morning and now here, with Stefan. Something is definitely up with Caroline....
YOU ARE READING
Look Closer
Fanfiction"It's Mystic Falls. Nothing bad ever happens here." Or so Seraphina Montez thought. Sent to live with her uncle as her parents went on another one of their official trips, she wasn't sure if she loved the town or hated it. Soon it seems to her that...
