Falling → Stefan Salvatore [2]

The Murder of One

Chapter 03: The Murder of One

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It was still equally as hard to adjust, no matter how many weeks went by. Becoming what she had become had flipped her world around... changed her in ways she never knew she could be changed. When she looked herself in the mirror, she saw someone she didn't recognize. Her reflection was the same, but the person behind it wasn't.

There was a certain guilt that followed her with every move she had made. Though she hadn't hurt a single person and though she hadn't truly given herself over to the darkness, she couldn't help but notice the wickedness that sat behind her eyes. And regardless of how pure she may have been, she couldn't help but feel as if she had been stripped of every last bit of innocence she had left.

She walked down the steps of the staircase in her home, being cautious with every step she took. She felt trapped in her own body; something she had never felt until the moment the euphoric taste of human blood slid down her throat.

Her eyes found her father, who appeared to be whipping something up in the kitchen. She furrowed her eyebrows, finding it odd that he had taken up cooking. He had never been the chef he was making himself out to be in that moment. He was the man who would order takeout nightly, unsure of how else to feed himself and his daughter. He turned around as if he could sense her presence, smiling at the sight of her. Her lips turned up slightly, putting on the facade of being the same girl he had always known as she had been doing far too much lately.

"I'm surprised you're not off with those friends of yours." Her father knew more of her circle of friends than she was aware of. He made sure to keep quiet on his opinions of them, hoping that his daughter was smart enough to judge their character correctly.

"I'm tired." She lied. Truthfully, they had informed her of everything they had been doing, inviting her to tag along, but part of her was afraid to take part in any of their usual vampire drama, worried that it would tear away her last moments of being a normal girl. "Since when did you start cooking?"

"I picked up on it a few weeks ago." He responded, seemingly proud of himself for not burning their house down just yet. "Care to lend a hand?"

She nodded, agreeing to assist him with whatever he needed. She walked over to him, taking a stand right beside him. He opened one of the drawers that was screwed to the island in the middle of the kitchen, picking up a knife and handing it to her, nudging his head towards the uncut vegetables that she was meant to slice into dozens of pieces.

She carefully sliced the onions, bringing her eyes to water. She blinked rapidly, attempting to send the water away, but instead, a tear fell out of her eye.

Her father looked over at her, letting out a laugh as soon as he noticed the water escaping her eyes. "Struggling?"

"Just a little." A smile appeared on her face, reminding her of her humanity. Of course she still had the emotions of a mortal, but she wasn't one.

She sliced yet another onion, her attention driven away by her thoughts. She felt a sharp pain in her finger, bringing her back to reality as a gasp left her mouth from the pain.

"That doesn't look pretty." Her father quickly pulled off the rag that hung off their oven, walking over to her to help manage her wound.

Though as he looked down at her finger, he saw that there was no longer a cut. Sure, blood remained on her finger, but there was no wound to be found. He stared down at it, his eyes widening as he second guessed what he had seen minutes before. He peeled his eyes off of her finger, bringing them up to her eyes and looking into them. His eyebrows were at a furrow, confused as to how she had healed that quickly.

It couldn't be, he thought to himself.

He waited for her to break the silence and explain that she had simply grazed the knife against her finger. But she didn't. She stood there, speechless and trying to find a solution for how to explain what he had witnessed.

And so he left the room.

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Okay, so to explain, Amalia's been trying to cope with the transition (which I didn't include last chapter) , but it is an important part of the story, so I thought I would incorporate it. Next chapter, however, things will be back to normal and she will start coping without having to shut out her friends in the process. As for her father finding out, we'll see what his reaction to it will be soon enough.

I know I've been writing short chapters, but I refuse to skip anymore chapters for this season, so these past two had to be shorter. However, I will be writing longer chapters from now on. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and gaining a little insight as to what Amalia thinks about being a vampire .

x