DUALITY

Chapter 22: "She pushes people away..."

Amelie went back inside a few moments after Stefan did.

She was starting to feel as though her ears would explode if she heard another bird chirp.

Just last week she adored Mystic Falls' early mornings.

Amelie entered the Gilbert house, her expression sweet as molasses, obscuring the tumultuous thoughts brewing in her mind.

"Yvette seems to need you to contact her, Elena," she announced when she entered.

Elena nodded. "Stefan told me. Yvette talked about helping me not die before she..." Elena trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

"Disappeared out of nowhere, without informing anybody?" Amelie rhetorically finished Elena's sentence, her sweet expression contrasting with the edge in her voice.

Elena's eyes widened in surprise. She'd never seen Amelie display such negative emotion before. She was always so pleasant, charming, and agreeable. The worst she'd seen from her was annoyance or disinterest, like when Rose had kidnapped them.

Oh no, Elena realized. Rose was dying and Damon was left alone.

Deciding that she needed to focus on something else—like saving her own life—Elena spoke.

"I'm going to go call Yvette," Elena said to Amelie, standing up to fetch her phone. She left Stefan and Amelie alone in the room.

When the two were alone, Stefan eyed Amelie, carefully analyzing her demeanour. She appeared normal: her hair immaculate, her smile radiant, her posture graceful. However, when he looked into her eyes, he noticed the storm of emotions brewing as they darkened.

"Are you okay?" Stefan instinctively asked.

Amelie's smile faltered slightly, but she quickly recovered. "Of course not!" she exclaimed, bitterness creeping into her voice. "Since when did Yvette do things without informing me?" She began pacing. She stopped abruptly, turning to Stefan, her right hand pointed at him, promising vengeance. "I swear, as long as the sun shines, I will make Damon pay." Amelie began pacing again, getting increasingly agitated. "No, but what does she think she's doing? We're a team!" she paused again, her voice softening. "Aren't we?" she asked, her voice cracking a bit.

"Okay, you're going to wake Jeremy or Jenna," Stefan told his friend, reaching to place his hands on her shoulders to stop her from pacing.

She scoffed but didn't resist.

"Of course you're a team. She's just..." Stefan paused, attempting to find the right words. "Sometimes, people need to figure things out for themselves."

Amelie's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "We can figure it out together!"

Stefan fought the urge to smile at her eagerness. "Of course, but for now, maybe she just needs some time alone?"

"What am I supposed to do then?" Amelie asked him, folding her arms. "I don't do alone." Her voice went high-pitched as she asked the next question. "Why does Yvette want to leave me alone? What did I do?" Her voice broke at that last part.

Stefan shook his head. "Of course it wasn't something you did. Yvette's just going through a phase."

"So? We shall go through the phase together!" Amelie retorted.

Stefan chuckled, his amusement finally showing. "Maybe, but there are some things she probably needs to figure out first. The harder you push, the further she'll pull," Stefan told her, knowing from experience.

Amelie shook her head. "I still do not understand."

Stefan rolled his eyes fondly. "You could try to."