𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃, stefan salvatore

( 011 ) FORGIVE ME.

As the sun rose and the birds begun to sing happily, another beautiful day was set for Mystic Falls. As for Evelyn, she felt trapped inside a ball of gloom as she stroked Caroline's hair, too distraught to get any sleep. She stayed with Caroline the whole night, too afraid to let her go in case he came after her again. She felt stupid and naive to the fact that she couldn't even keep her younger sister out of harm's way.

As she continued to stroke her hair, Caroline began to shift beneath her, signalling that she was about to get up. "Hey," Evelyn whispered, with a half-fake smile on her face.

Caroline turned around with sleepy eyes as she replied, "hi. Did you sleep in here all night?" She asked as she got up in a seating position and rested her back against the bed rest.

Evelyn copied her actions. "I didn't want you to be alone." What Evelyn said was true, she would die for her sister in a heartbeat if it meant she was safe and okay.

Caroline smiled and grabbed Evelyn's hand. "Thank you."

A few hours had passed by as Evelyn and Caroline spent their time basking in each other's company and watching a few movies to kill the time. Bonnie was currently over, checking in on Caroline as she didn't hear about last night's events until the day after.

"I remember the party. Damon came up behind me, and he was kissing my neck, or biting my neck. I passed out. It's like there's holes in my memory lately. It's just weird. Maybe I let him bite me," Caroline explained but Evelyn wasn't having any of it. She knew her sister was trying to convince herself that what happened with Damon, was purely consensual but Evelyn knew he was using the best of his manipulation skills.

"Why would you do that?" Bonnie asked, incredulously.

"Can we just not talk about it, okay? Don't want to talk about Damon. I don't want to talk about any of it. Just want to go back to normal," she exclaimed, wanting to feel like an ordinary teenage girl and not worry about ex boyfriends who freakishly bite their girlfriends. "What are you doing with that candle?" She asked as Evelyn's attention turned to Bonnie who was holding a candle.

"Um...nothing," she replied, while she put the candle down, trying to act innocent as possible. Bonnie's attention was now on a piece of jewellery, as she held it up and examined it. "What is this?" Bonnie asked as Evelyn walked forward to get a closer look at it. It was a necklace with a giant, yellow stone in the middle of it, she noted.

"Damon gave it to me. Or he was going to give it to me. All I know is, it's mine now."

Evelyn lifted her brow at Caroline's words, wondering why she would keep something from the man who abused her. "I say throw it in the trash, where he belongs."

"It's ugly," Bonnie commented, right after Evelyn. Evelyn silently agreed, as she thought about Damon's poor choice of gifts.

"Well, get your grubby hands off it," Caroline commanded as she snatched it out of Bonnie's hand.

•••

They were currently at school and to say Evelyn wasn't concerned for her sister's wellbeing, was an understatement. She strolled down the hallways of Mystic Falls High with her two best friends as she watched over Caroline, who was acting as if everything was normal.

"The sexy suds car wash is tomorrow. The football team and the band have committed. Well, not all the band. Just the ones who could pull off the bikini. I want, in your face, sexy. I mean, it's a fund raiser, for god's sake," Caroline stated by her locker as Evelyn looked over her, incredulously.

"Unbelievable. It's like nothing happened." Elena shook her head, baffled. Evelyn knew her sister well enough to know that Caroline was just trying to push away the thoughts of whatever happened the other night, so for her sake, to get on with her life.