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ACT TWO;TARGET IN SIGHT SCENE SEVEN; THE STORIES WE TELL ─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────
SALEM'S HAND MOVED SMOOTHLY ACROSS THE CHALKBOARD AS SHE FILLED IN THE SHADOWS OF THE LANDSCAPE SHE'D BEEN DRAWING. The dust of the chalk swam around her head and she felt it tickle her nose, making her scrunch her face up as a sneeze crept up on her.
Dropping her hand away from the drawing on the board, she used her chalk-free hand to cover her mouth as she sneezed. Shaking her head, she huffed out a displeased sigh when she realized she'd snapped the chalk in her hand, and she dropped the two pieces onto the tray beneath the board.
"Salem!"
She startled, head snapping towards the door as Alaric rushed towards her, quickly wrapping her up in a hug. She groaned as he squeezed her, and she patted his back before demanding to be put down.
"Jesus," She rubs her sternum, glaring up at him. "You'll break my ribs at this rate, Ric."
He disregards her dramatics, looking down at her with pure relief shining in his eyes. "It's so good to see you," He sighed softly. "I know we talked on the phone, but I just– I needed to see it with my own eyes, you know?"
Salem shrugs, giving him a slightly sarcastic smile as she turned in a circle before him. "Here I am, in one perfect piece. Did you miss me that much?"
Alaric rolled his eyes, but smiled at her. "'Course I did, you left me here with Damon all summer."
"A crime worthy of the death penalty, honestly," She hummed, turning back to the chalkboard to pick up a new stick of chalk and continue shading the large, crashing wave stuck in motion on the board. "But you survived, didn't you?"
"Barely," He snorted, eyes watching as she filled in some empty space with the white chalk. "You, uh– were you here last night? When everything happened?"
"I was,"
"And..."
"And?"
Alaric shifts, looking uncomfortable. "Well, Stefan's– Klaus turned his humanity off. He's, uh, a bit of a wildcard. And he had Elena in the hospital,"
"I'm aware," Salem turns her head, raising an eyebrow at him. "Ric... I know that you've been taking care of Elena and Jeremy since everything happened with Jenna– and I know that it's been hard, but I,"
She shakes her head, looking away from him again. "I don't know if Elena or Damon told you, or if Stefan did at some point, but I'm not exactly playing for your team. I never was."
"Salem,"
"You should get to class, Ric," Salem drops the stick of chalk, turning to face him as a warning bell sounded through the school. "You don't want to be late on the first day back."
