The Songbird

CH 3

"So, Elijah was one of your music professors at the music academy you went to a few years ago?" Damon stops me in the middle of the sidewalk. He called asking where I was and I told him that I was taking Meatball out for his walk. Two minutes later, we were walking my normal route and he asked about how I knew the original.

"Yeah. Well, obviously I didn't know what he was back then." I rolled my eyes as Meatball pulled me over so he could sniff a leaf. "He was my vocal teacher for those three years. Then, I got the call about my sister and I told him that I was going to finish the year and then go home. Matt persisted that I finished the year since that's what she would want." I finished with a whisper; speaking of my sister's death was still hard.

"Yeah, I'm still sorry about that." Damon whispers. That's one of the reasons why I don't bring it up, he always apologizes and then gets weird. "Do you know if he ever compelled you?" I shake my head at him because I know what being compelled feels like. Stefan compelled me once and then told me about it once I discovered everything.

"He was my mentor. I told him all my problems. He became family." I said as I watched Meatball stare at a squirrel rustling in a bush. My guard dog, I roll my eyes, he finds everything a threat. "I don't know what you want from me, Damon. I only know him as my former vocal teacher. He left before I finished the semester that year. He actually left the day I told him about my sister and everyone. The new teacher told me that Dr. Smith had family troubles to deal with." I turn to Damon as I start to feel tears come to my eyes, "Can we please stop talking about this? It's pretty rough since I never got a decent explanation because he was murdered within five minutes of me seeing him again."

"Sorry, Rissa," Damon says, he brings me into a hug as I try to calm my breathing. "I know it was hard, but there wasn't anything else we could do."

I pull away as soon as I hear him mumble the last sentence. "You didn't have to kill him," I grumble staring at his feet. Before he can respond I tug onto Meatball's leash. "Time to go Meatball. Matty will be getting off his shift soon." Meatball and I start to make our way back home as we leave Damon at the park bench by himself.

As we make our journey back home, I decide to go by the Gilbert's house to see if Jeremey might be there. He is always the one to cheer me up. I start to see the house and feel myself get a little more excited to see my best friend.

"Clarissa." I hear behind me. I stop immediately as a chill goes down my back. I'm hearing things. I know I am. It can't be him, I just watched his body decay yesterday. A wooden stake kills vampires. "Claris–"

I whip myself around to reassure myself I was hearing things. "No... No... You're dead." I say to him.

"For centuries." Elijah smiles at me. "I can escort you home and explain everything. Or, you can tell me you want to never see me again and I will let you be..." He waved his arm a little, "for the time being."

"If I let you walk me home will you answer all my questions?" He nods "You'll explain why you left and why you never told you were a vampire? Most importantly why you're still alive?" He nods once again and holds out his arm for me.

I look between his arm and his eyes. I looked to the Gilbert house before I slipped my arm around his and started walking. "You can start by explaining how you're here and not decaying in that house."