Potential (Book Four, The Vampire Diaries)

Chapter 7__My Brother's Keeper

At home, I walked downstairs, seeing Stefan walking down the hall with a bag over his shoulder.

"Where have you been?" I asked, walking closer.

"Ah, you know, out," Stefan told me, walking toward the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Out," Stefan told me.

Damon stepped in his way of the door. "Okay, I see shady Stefan is back." 

I walked toward them. "Please don't tell me that you're still working with Klaus." 

"You obviously haven't heard," Stefan said. "Elena and I broke up."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

Damon stayed silent for a moment with a blank, expressionless face. "Oh. Got it. Uh, well, I'll be quick, then. So, apparently, if we want to find the Cure, we have to find a vampire Hunter who can kill enough vampires to reveal the map on the Hunter's mark." He gave me a look. I gave him a sarcastic look in return. "Now, unless we want Jeremy to go all Connor 2.0, I suggest we find a different Hunter."

"Preferably not me," I told them.

Stefan looked between us in confusion. "Excuse me?" 

"You obviously haven't heard," I told him, using his words against him. "Apparently, I'm the only one that can see the new tattoo that Jeremy's sporting."

"So then that means, you're a Hunter," Stefan told me.

"Potential," I corrected. "If it means I'm gonna go crazy like Connor did, I don't want to activate it. Ever." 

"Okay, noted, never gonna let it happen," Stefan told me. 

"Well, I was gonna ask Professor Shane about it, but turns out, he's shadier than you are," Damon told him. "Matt Donovan connected him and the Pastor through phone records. Apparently, the two were very chatty the day that the Pastor blew up the Council." 

"Ah, so you're gonna confront Shane, threaten him, possibly kill him, that sort of thing," I said.

"Yeah, unless he tells me what he's up to," Damon told me. He patted Stefan on the shoulder. "What do you say? Should we tag team this?" 

"Nah, I'd say you're on your own," Stefan told him, taking a step toward the door.

Damon stepped in his way. "Or we could just blow it off and got get drunk. Family bond over some bourbon. If you--you know--want some quality time." 

Stefan grimaced, chuckling, looking at Damon. "Let's not pretend like this isn't the best day of your life." 

Stefan patted Damon on the arm, walking past him, opening the door and leaving.

Ouch.

~~~~

The Miss Mystic Falls pagaent was today, but I wasn't going. 

Besides here lately, I had never gone to a pagaent, or a Founder's Party.

They had always been too boring. 

But I wasn't going today because I just didn't feel like it. 

I never went out of my way to go to something like that, and I didn't see any reason to start now.