forgotten // Stefan Salvatore

01

The air was crisp and thin, the same it had always been. The only difference was the exhaust and smoke that now polluted the area. Alina, the seven-hundred year old vampire, strutted down the dark sidewalk. The only light source was the small flickering street light, so it was mainly dark.

Alina looked across the street at a bar which immediately got her attention. She was hungry and it was driving her crazy. The slightest smile crept upon her face as she began to walk towards it, her curls bouncing as she wiped the side of her mouth to clean her lipstick.

Her hand grabbed onto the cold handle of the door and she pulled it open and listened to it creak. The brown set of eyes darted around the room. Alina quickly adjusted to her setting before she walked over to the bar top.

"Haven't seen you here before. Welcome to Mystic Falls." One of the two bartenders spoke.

"I'm not stranger to this place. I lived here for almost twenty years. Then left. Now I'm back." Alina said as she flashed the man a bashful smile.

"What can I get you to drink?" The bartender—Jason—asked as he leaned over and kept his eyes glued to Alina's.

"Bloody Mary." Alina smiled before she looked over at the other blonde bar tender named Matt.

Alina's eyes went back to Jason and to his neck. She watched as he itched his neck as he made her drink. The sound of his heartbeat made Alina's eyes turn red and veiny for a second before she blinked and got herself back together. They then turned to the other bartender who was putting his phone back in his pocket. Jason set Alina's drink down and leaned back over to be closer to the girl.

"Maybe we can get drinks together sometime." Jason spoke bashfully as Alina watched Matt walk to the back as he answered his phone.

"Wouldn't count on it." Alina said as she slapped a one-hundred dollar bill down and walked to the back door to listen to Matt.

"She's one of them, Elena. I don't know how much longer I can take this town." Matt said stressfully over the phone to his friend.

"He's on his way. Just sit tight and act like you don't know anything." Elena replied back before the two hung up.

Alina opened the back door which made Matt jump.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was trying to find the closest motel and Jason said I should ask you." Alina lied as she flashed him a friendly smile.

"There's one right out of town. You shouldn't miss it." Matt gave a nervous laugh as his pulse quickened which made the vampire listen.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so hungry." Alina said as her eyes became veiny and red, but she didn't attack. "You know about me. I heard you on the phone with some Elena. I'm not going to hurt you. You see, I just got my humanity back on thanks to my old friend whom you've probably heard about. The names Elijah. And boy, I was off the rails for nearly a decade. I would feed and feed and feed until there was no one left. I wiped out a whole town in Nova Scotia. It's just hard to get back to normal." Alina spoke as she walked towards Matt and he walked back.

Matt cut his hand on a scrap piece of metal and he and Alina watched as the blood oozed out.

"Go!" Alina yelled as she turned around and listened to him run.

The struggling vampire clutched her head as she let out groans of pain. It hurt her to not hurt Matt. Alina turned around slowly, her eyes veiny and read, and took slow steps to where she heard the heartbeat around the corner.

"I don't want to hurt you, Matt. But something tells me that you want me to. I mean, you didn't run that far. You didn't scream for help. You're helpless. If anything, I'm doing you a favor." Alina spoke as she slowly approached the corner and stopped when she saw a shadow of a man standing perfectly still. "Helpless."

The man rounded the corner and stood in front of Alina with his arms by his side. It took her by surprise. Her face went back to normal and her mouth parted slightly in shock.

"It's been a while, Alina." Damon said with a smirk and a wiggle of his fingers. "Sorry for the short reunion."

With a swift movement, Alina's neck was snapped and her body fell onto Damon's.

"I've got you, sleeping beauty."

••••••••••

Alina's skin itched against the vervain ropes that bound her hands and legs to the metal chair. When the girl woke from her 'nap', as Damon called it, she popped her neck and winced.

"Seven-hundred years and it still hurts as much as it did in the beginning." Alina said as she let out a small scoff.

Right outside the door was a heartbeat. It only took seconds for Alina to hear it.

"Hello?" Alina called out tauntingly to whomever was outside the door.

The small peephole on the door slid open and a pair of curious brown eyes appeared and widened at the sight of the tied up vampire. Alina wiggled her fingers and smiled at the girl. The peep hole closed suddenly and Alina noticed how the girl's heart beat quickened.

"Damon." The girl said frantically, not expecting him to be home by then. "I—I was just looking. She's the girl in that picture. She's the girl he—"

"Elena, go upstairs. She's dangerous. It won't be pretty if you come back down here." Damon warned her as he gripped the sides of her arm.

"What are you going to do, Damon?" Elena asked sassily.

"I won't. But I have a hungry seven-hundred year old, blood thirsty vampire, sitting in there." Damon spoke before Elena walked away and back upstairs.

Damon opened the door and the two vampires stared at each other in silence. Alina pulled on the ropes and broke her arms free and then untied her legs.

"It's been a while, Damon. Also, thank you so much for snapping my neck last night." Alina spoke sarcastically as she stood up and dusted herself off.

"You're off the rails." Damon uttered as he carefully examined the girl whom he hadn't seen in nearly seventy years.

"Eh, I would say one wheel on, the other off. Kinda of like rocking side-to-side," Alina signaled what she meant with her hand, "mostly on, but then again sometimes off—"

"Okay. I get it. But why are you here? After seventy years of not hearing from you?" Damon asked as he watched Alina walk closer to him.

"I lost myself, Damon. I left strings of murders all across the globe. Unsolved cases that are being discarded. When all along, it was me. I took those people away from their friends and family." Alina spoke in all seriousness, with a furrowed brow.

"Is this you rocking back to the humanity side of the tracks?" Damon joked as a smile crept onto his face.

"Shut up." Alina laughed before Damon embraced her into his arms. "Can't a girl miss her best friend?"