Replaceable [Damon x OC]

Chapter 4

The dark sky allowed the radio to glow brightly as the car drove down the road. Aelynn felt warm inside and out and Elena laid across the back seat wither head resting on her sister's lap. The teen stole a glance at her father from the rear view mirror, he had a small smile on his face though his disappointment in his two daughters showed though having picked them up from a party on what was supposed to be family game night. Aelynn wanted so desperately to know what he was thinking; was he mad? upset? Her mother sat in the passenger seat, her eyes closed as she dozed off, also not too happy with Aelynn or Elena either. She wanted to ask, but never got the chance to.

Before she knew it, the car was spinning. She hit her head on the window on her left side while trying to hold onto Elena so she wouldn't slide around the back of the car as they spun out. it had happened in an instant, they were on Wickery Bridge and then they weren't. Aelynn didn't remember the car going off the bridge, she barely even remembered holding onto Elena. Her eyes slowly opened and something didn't quite feel right, she felt lighter and everything looked dark. She tried to breathe. Water, she was under water and trapped in the car.

Aelynn nearly screamed herself awake, shooting straight up in her bed as her hands came shakily to her face. Her breathes came out slow and ragged as she tried to ground herself. After a few minutes she removed her hands from her face, allowing herself to look at her dark room. The moon was coming through her curtains, shadows from the trees cast a beautiful pattern across her furniture. That's when she saw something in the corner of her room. Shadows caught the edges of it, making out an almost human silhouette. She covered her mouth as not to scream and wake everyone up as she had the first few weeks home after the accident. Aelynn blinked and rubbed her eyes. When she opened them, the figure was gone.

The girl let out an annoyed sigh as she went to her bedroom window, her heart still being rapidly from her dream. She hated that her mind still took her back to that night, how it seemed to haunt her.

It was at this point that she decided to look at her alarm clock. The time read 5:21. She didn't even think she got more than five hours of sleep since coming home last night after the bonfire.

_ _ _

"Do I look adult?" Aelynn looked up to see her aunt Jenna dressed up.

Aelynn made a face at the woman, "depends on where you're going," she went back to looking out the back door as she sipped coffee.

Jenna let out a sigh, "Jeremy's parent-teacher conference," she paused, then moved all her hair up in her hand, "hair up or down?"

"Sexy stewardess," Her sister answered. There was silence for a beat then Elena responded with, "Boozy housewife."

Aelynn allowed herself to let a small laugh out as she got up to put her mug in the sink.

"Up it is," she heard aunt grumble, "you're feisty today," she commented to Elena.

"I feel good, which is rare. So I've decided to go with it. Fly free, walk on sunshine, all that stuff," her sister explain.

"Are you sure it's not because of your new crush?" Aelynn prodded, her voice not nearly as upbeat as her sister's. She watched as Elena's face turned a light pink at her question.

"Where's Jeremy?" She changed the subject.

Aelynn shrugged, "I heard him leave earlier this morning, I couldn't tell you what time though, definitely before 6:40 though," she replied nonchalantly.

Elena's shoulders dropped, "you're not having trouble sleeping again, are you?"

The older sister shrugged, "I'll be fine."