The vampire diaries part 1 (The Awakening)

Chapter Thirteen

Elena stood within the circle of adults and police, waiting for a chance to escape.

 She knew that Matthad warned Stefan in time—his face told her that—but he hadn't been able to get close enough to speakwith her.At last, with all attention turned toward the body, she detached herself from the group and edged towardMatt."Stefan got out all right," he said, his eyes on the group of adults. "But he told me to take care of you, andI want you to stay here.""To take care of me?" 

Alarm and suspicion flashed through Elena. Then, almost in a whisper, she said, "Isee." She thought a moment and then spoke carefully. "Matt, I need to go wash my hands. Bonnie gotblood on me. Wait here; I'll be back."He started to say something in protest, but she was already moving away. She held up her stained handsin explanation as she reached the door of the girls' locker room, and the teacher who was now standingthere let her through. Once in the locker room, however, she kept on going, right out the far door andinto the darkened school. And from there, into the night.

 Zuccone! Stefan thought, grabbing a bookcase and flinging it over, sending its contents flying. Fool!Blind, hateful fool. How could he have been so stupid?Find a place with them here? Be accepted as one of them? He must have been mad to have thought itwas possible.He picked up one of the great heavy trunks and threw it across the room, where it crashed against the farwall, splintering a window. Stupid, stupid .Who was after him? Everybody.

 Matt had said it. "There's been another attack... They think you didit."Well, for once it looked as if the barbari , the petty living humans with their fear of anything unknown,were right. How else did you explain what had happened? 

He had felt the weakness, the spinning,swirling confusion; and then darkness had taken him. When he'd awakened it was to hear Matt sayingthat another human had been pillaged, assaulted. Robbed this time not only of his blood, but of his life.How did you explain that unless he, Stefan, were the killer?A killer was what he was. Evil.

 A creature born in the dark, destined to live and hunt and hide thereforever. Well, why not kill, then? Why not fulfill his nature? Since he could not change it, he might as wellrevel in it. He would unleash his darkness upon this town that hated him, that hunted him even now.But first... he was thirsty. His veins burned like a network of dry, hot wires. He needed to feed...soon... now.The boarding house was dark. 

Elena knocked at the door but received no answer. Thunder crackedoverhead. There was still no rain.After the third barrage of knocking, she tried the door, and it opened. Inside, the house was silent andpitch black. She made her way to the staircase by feel and went up it.The second landing was just as dark, and she stumbled, trying to find the bedroom with the stairway tothe third floor. A faint light showed at the top of the stairs, and she climbed toward it, feeling oppressedby the walls, which seemed to close in on her from either side.The light came from beneath the closed door.

 Elena tapped on it lightly and quickly. "Stefan," shewhispered, and then she called more loudly, "Stefan, it's me."No answer. She grasped the knob and pushed the door open, peering around the side. "Stefan—"She was speaking to an empty room.And a room filled with chaos. It looked as if some great wind had torn through, leaving destruction in itspath. The trunks that had stood in corners so sedately were lying at grotesque angles, their lids gapingopen, their contents strewn about the floor. One window was shattered. All Stefan's possessions, all thethings he had kept so carefully and seemed to prize, were scattered like rubbish.Terror swept through Elena. The fury, the violence in this scene of devastation were painfully clear, andthey made her feel almost giddy.

 Somebody who has a history of violence, Tyler had said.I don't care, she thought, anger surging up to push back the fear. I don't care about anything, Stefan; Istill want to see you. But where are you?The trapdoor in the ceiling was open, and cold air was blowing down. Oh, thought Elena, and she had asudden chill of fear. That roof was so high...She'd never climbed the ladder to the widow's walk before, and her long skirt made it difficult. Sheemerged through the trapdoor slowly, kneeling on the roof and then standing up. She saw a dark figure inthe corner, and she moved toward it quickly.