Fall

Chapter 54: The Return

I sit up sharply at the feeling I'm being watched, opening my eyes to a barely lit hospital room. Elena's by me, tilting her head and sending me a small smile. "Hey, you're awake. How are you feeling?" 

Frowning, I turn to see that Ms. Skuld is gone. "Uh...I'm feeling a lot better. Weak, really weak, but a lot better. They've got me on prednisone." I answer half-heartedly. The hairs on the back of my neck are raised and I have that cold, itchy feeling in my skin when a vampire is nearby. Are one of the Salvatores here? Maybe they're outside my room, or visiting John's room? 

"Good, that's good." She sighs, moving slightly closer to me. Her voice sounds different, the same, but not the genuine care that usually comes from Elena's voice. I watch her intent, watch the way she moves. It's slinkier, like she's some sort of femme fatale in a film noir. And she's not wearing her necklace."I was so worried about you."

Katherine. Does she think she's fooling anyone? "So, are you here to take me home? The nurse just released me. Which is great, since you know how hospitals make me feel." All of this is fake, all of this a lie. If this was Elena, she'd ask me what the hell I'm talking about. 

"Yeah, yeah I know." She gives me another sympathetic smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I know how you get in hospitals. But I was just dropped off by Stefan. I don't have a car with me, you'll have to wait to the morning." 

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sure Stefan wouldn't mind if you called him back to pick us both up. Go ahead." I urge her on, giving her a saccharine sweet smile of my own. 

"I would, but I forgot my phone." She presses her lips into a thin line, looking like she's losing her patience with me already. I'm not sure if this is the smartest idea, egging her on. Testing her. But I don't know why else Katherine would be visiting me in the hospital bed unless to kill me. And I'm not sure why she's doing the Elena act now instead of just getting on with it. Maybe she doesn't know much about Valkyries? 

Sitting up fully now, I nod to my jeans on the chair nearby. "My phone is in the pocket over there. Just hand it to me, and I'll call Stefan to pick us up. Or Damon, whichever." She seems to blanche at the idea of Damon picking us up. I'm not sure why, maybe she doesn't like him as much as Stefan. 

Nodding, she sighs and saunters over to the chair. "Alright." She walks over to my jeans languidly, fluidly, and I take the time to get out of the bed as quietly as possible. It's hard, with a pulse oximeter attached to my pointer finger. "It's dead." She says without turning around, even though I can dimly see the light of the screen from behind her figure. 

I slowly pick up the oxygen canister from next to me and lift the heavy metal high, getting ready to hit her with it. "Well, thanks for trying Katherine." At my words, at her name, she turns to me with a slight amount of shock on her face. It doesn't last long, because I swing the metal canister with all my might and watch as she twists, hitting the wall before tumbling to the ground. I wait a moment, canister high, waiting for her to get up and attack. When she doesn't, I grab my jeans and phone and run out of the room, dropping the canister and trying to put each leg into a jean while booking it. I need to get home, now. 

I don't make it far, maybe a block or two, before she's in front of me suddenly. I blame my crap lungs for not taking me farther. "You knew the whole time, didn't you? What gave me away?" She tilts her head to the side, as if assessing a specimen under a microscope. "We haven't officially met. I'm Katherine." 

"Yeah, I know." I respond. "I'm guessing you're the vampire that got into the house and attacked John?" I keep myself aloof, not wanting her to know how rattled I am. Walking, my house is too far to make it before she gets to me. And even if I get there, she's already been invited in.