The One Who Saved Me

Chapter 10: Feeling better

Walking out of her front door, her books in hand, Elena was finally ready for another day of school. It may not have been the best idea, but she wanted to be as normal as a secret vampire could be. She figured that Stefan had been doing it when she met him. Shooting Stefan a text, she met him in the parking-lot of the school.

"Someone's chipper today." Bonnie and Caroline smiled at their best friend, watching as she secretly sipped some blood from her bag, feeling refreshed.

"Well, I can finally drink blood without it coming back up. I've been feeling stronger..." Elena smiled, shutting her locker door.

Stefan had noticed a change within Elena. It wasn't a bad change, because it certainly seemed positive. Elena had been smiling all day. Stefan hadn't seen this side of Elena since she became a vampire.

Every day, Stefan regretted not stopping Damon from turning her. Stefan knew that if she really had the choice, Elena would have chosen to die instead of becoming like Stefan and Damon. Becoming a vampire was a curse, a curse that Stefan and Damon had been dealing with for over 145 years. Caroline was facing the same curse, but she seemed to be taking it better.

Unfortunately, both Caroline and Elena were stuck with their new lives. But, if a cure was ever created, Stefan would be certain to tell Elena. She'd seem keen to change her life back to normal.

Throughout the day, Elena had been secretly drinking from her blood bag, whether it was in her locker or maybe in a bathroom stall. She couldn't get enough of it, which for Stefan and Caroline was weird, considering less than 24 hours ago, Elena couldn't keep a single drop of blood down. Every sip made Stefan suspicious. Something had definitely changed and he was confused as to why.

"Stefan...what's wrong? Why did you want me to meet you here?" Caroline asked, siting opposite Stefan at one of the benches outside the school.

"Something's off with Elena." Stefan didn't bother with any crap. He got straight to the point.

"How can something be off with Elena? She seems perfectly fine, especially considering she can now drink from a blood bag." Caroline was confused by Stefan's claim.

"That's the thing. When Elena first became a vampire, she couldn't keep the blood down. She couldn't even take a sip without feeling sick and needing to vomit. But then, suddenly, she's drinking out of a blood bag like it's a homemade coffee. You don't think that's a bit weird?" Stefan had a point, but Caroline was still confused.

"Yeah, maybe it's weird, but Elena finally looks like a human, and that's weird considering she's a vampire. I would've been more confused if she still hadn't been able to keep any blood down. But the fact that she can, is good." Caroline reassured Stefan.

"You're missing the point, Caroline. One day, she can't take a sip from a blood bag without feeling sick. The next day, she's drinking from one like she's been dehydrated for a week." Stefan hoped that Caroline would make the connection.

"Okay, I think I get what you're saying. You're trying to figure out the sudden change, right? What made Elena go from hating blood bags to drinking from them without hesitation..." Caroline finally had the right idea and Stefan was glad.

"The flask." Caroline made the connection before Stefan.

"You mean Damon's flask?" Stefan asked, Caroline nodding.

"Damon said yesterday that the flask contained human blood." Caroline reminded Stefan.

"Wait, he told Elena to try and drink from his flask, saying that it helps him, so it'll help her." Stefan was confused by this.

"So, Damon tells Elena to do something and she does it? Is that what we're saying?" Caroline asked.

"Well, that can't be right, considering compulsion doesn't work on other vampires." Stefan opened one of his journals.

"Besides, Damon would've had to stare into her eyes and then tell her what to do." Caroline looked at Stefan, who was flipping through the pages.

"So, if it's not compulsion, then what is it?" Caroline asked, watching as Stefan stopped on a specific page.

"Got it. Back when Damon and I first became vampires, we watched another vampire turn his best friend into a vampire, a short while later, his best friend was doing almost anything that he asked without compulsion. It's called a 'Sire Bond'." Stefan sighed, not happy with this conclusion.

"A sire bond? What's that?" Caroline asked, intrigued.

"A sire bond is the link between the sire and their sired, that exists within the vampire and hybrid species. The sired complies with the direct and indirect orders of the sire in order to show it's loyalty." Stefan read from the journal, feeling a little pissed off.

"Does that mean that Elena is sired to Damon?!" Caroline was shocked by this.

"A sire bond is rare within the vampire species, but more common within the hybrid species. Elena being sired to Damon is a 1 out of 1000 chance." Stefan groaned. He couldn't believe that his girlfriend was possibly sired to his brother.

"It gets crazier. According to others who have experienced or seen the sire bond, a vampire only bonds to their sire when they have feelings for them before they turn." Stefan shut his journal, feeling like he had been betrayed by his brother and his girlfriend.

"Human feelings..." Caroline sighed, feeling sorry for Stefan.

"Vampirism only heightens those emotions." Stefan sighed.

"Wait, let's not jump to this huge conclusion. We need to test the facts. See if this sire bond is really the cause of Elena's behaviour. If it is, well...you're screwed Stefan. But, if not, your relationship with Elena can be saved." Caroline smiled.

"Thanks for the hope." Stefan smiled.