𝑨𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒔𝒎 - 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑫𝒊𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔

「Chapter 13」

Elias woke with a start, confused to find himself in bed with Enzo next to him looking concerned.

"What's wrong?" Enzo asked.

Elias shook his head to clear it. "I just had the strangest dream."

Enzo looked curious. "Oh? What about?"

"I was in the woods and accidentally time traveled 1000 years into the past," Elias recalled.

Enzo raised an eyebrow. "Interesting dream. Speaking of, I did find you passed out in the woods earlier. What happened?"

"Oh, I was just training with my magic," Elias explained, memories coming back. "I must have overexerted myself and collapsed."

Enzo nodded in understanding. "Pushing your limits can be dangerous without supervision. Perhaps you shouldn't practice alone again."

Elias sighed. "You're probably right. I thought I was ready, but the dream felt so real..."

He trailed off, reflecting. It had seemed incredibly vivid, but it must have been a vision mixed with magic exhaustion. Still, a part of him wished it had been real.

Enzo gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Get some more rest. We can talk about it when you're feeling better."

Elias agreed, settling back into Enzo's arms with a contented hum.

Curled against Enzo, Elias suddenly asked "What day is it?"

"Monday, why?" Enzo replied.

Elias sat bolt upright. "I have school!"

Enzo groaned dramatically as Elias jumped out of bed. "Ugh, Responsibilities? What a dreadful way to start the day."

"Some of us have school," Elias said wryly, rummaging for his clothes. "Not all of us can be immortal vampires."

"Playing hooky builds character! Stay here, we can have real fun," Enzo cajoled with a roguish grin.

Elias shot him a look. "As tempting as that sounds, these absences add up. Don't need any more trouble."

Elias' eyes shone happily. "Besides It's only a few hours. And then I'm all yours."

"Counting the minutes already," Enzo chuckled. With one more lingering kiss, Elias forced himself out the door.

-----

Elias slumped at his desk, ready to impale himself with a pencil. School was hell with a capital H.

At least Stefan was here, although from Bonnie's suspicious glances, she clearly knew what Stefan was. A baby witch versus an old vampire could get messy fast.

Elias sighed heavily, more than ready for this day to end.

Noticing his sour mood, Stefan asked "Everything okay?"

Elias waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just one of those days, you know?" He offered a small, reassuring smile.

Stefan studied him for a moment before nodding. "Well hang in there. We'll get through it."

"Thanks, Stefan," Elias said appreciatively. Always able to count on him for a morale boost.

With Stefan's steady presence beside him, Elias powered on through the remaining classes. Just had to tackle one monotonous hour at a time.

----

"Please, can we leave?" Elias implored, giving Stefan a desperate look.