Black Magic ▹ The Vampire Diaries [1]

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN
FAMILY MATTERS

"I'd like to blame it all on life."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

     It had been a week since Esther came back from the dead, a week since Henrik had stepped foot in the mansion Klaus claimed to be their family's new home. A week of sleeping in Matt Donovan's spare bedroom and not being able to move out because he had no idea where else to go, not that Matt would have let him move out. He hadn't asked what had happened, hadn't pressed for answers, hadn't even demanded he find a new place to stay. He just asked for Henrik to keep the place clean and left for work and school. Henrik could have gone to school too, since he was technically still enrolled and it was something to do, but he opted out. He didn't see the point. Besides, he knew Rebekah was surely enrolled as well—there was nothing more human than high school, and it was the kind of atmosphere she would have thrived in—and he had no desire to hear her beg him to come home. The thought alone made him feel ill, simply because he didn't think he was strong enough to say no to her.

He was scrolling through his phone that Friday morning, trying to search for places to stay nearby that wasn't the Salvatore Boarding House. He wasn't even sure why it popped up in his searches, considering he doubted the Salvatore brothers were opening any of the bedrooms for rent. He set his chin on his closed fist and let out a soft sigh, sliding down slightly on the wooden chair he was sitting on. Matt's kitchen was small and almost barren. The table only had three chairs, though there was an open spot for the fourth. The fourth chair was now sitting in the living room, working as a place for jackets to be thrown on. The linoleum floor was peeling in places, and the refrigerator could only be opened a little bit before the door hit the edge of the dinner table. One half of the counter was taken up by a towel with dishes left out to dry, and the other was taken up by an old microwave. The coffeemaker was sitting on top of it, wedged between the microwave and the cabinet.

Setting his phone down on the dinner table, Henrik got up and put the dishes away in the cabinet. It was the only thing he could think of doing. His search for another place to stay that wasn't a shady motel was useless anyway, and it was the least he could do to help Matt out in some way. After he was done, he started the process of making coffee. It was the only thing Matt seemed to have an abundance of. He probably piled up on coffee grounds at the Mystic Grill whenever he was running low. Matt hadn't woken up yet, but Henrik couldn't fault him in that. He had worked late last night. It was Saturday. He deserved to sleep in a little, especially since he had to work a small shift during lunch break. When Matt finally got up to go, Henrik had locked himself away in the spare bedroom, so frustrated with all his searching that he didn't have the energy to be around anyone, even if that anyone was Matt.

By the time Matt came home from work, though, Henrik was back to his usual self. He was sprawled across the small couch when Matt walked in, phone hovering over his face as he played a game he was only half-interested in. He was still trying to find another place to stay, but he figured asking someone familiar with the town was better than scrolling aimlessly through the internet. When he noticed Matt standing in the doorway of the living room, a bright smile appeared on his face.

"Good afternoon, sunshine," Henrik greeted, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "Do you happen to know any places around here I could stay that isn't the Salvatore House? I don't think I'd be welcome there, and I don't want to stay in a gross motel and—what is that?" He had finally noticed the thick envelope Matt was holding. Without a word, Matt walked forward and let Henrik take it. Shooting Matt a curious look, he opened the envelope and found a thick invitation inside. He read over it with growing dread. He let out a tired sigh. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."