On My Own (TVD Series)

Patient Zero

Leaning up against a stool, I tilted my head the side trying to plan out my next step on the canvas. Splattered with muted colors, I held the bucket of blue paint in my hands as Art students passed the empty art studio I had closed down for the afternoon. With a song blaring through my headphones, I was lost in my own world for what seemed like hours until the music cut off and played again.

It had been a week since that night. Shadows crawled out from every corner, watching me as I went on with my days. Two of them had already passed through me when I was home with Damon downstairs. The pain was unbearable that I had to block out my room from any noise so that Damon wouldn't worry. Stefan, on the other hand, checked up on me every day of every hour asking if I had seen anyone. But I lied. I saw them everywhere, hiding among the crowd of students as I headed for class, their shadows waiting for me outside of the bathroom door, and lastly outside of my window as I was getting ready to sleep.

I tried to keep myself as normal as possible, staying with my schedule so that no one word ask. But today was different. Elena and Caroline planned a party celebrating Silas and Tessa's death, which involved a whole lot of drunk students and not enough booze to let me forget about the bodies waiting outside for me.

"You're still here?" David asked as he came from the ceramic class.

"Yeah, I figured I should finish this. Are you heading home?"

"No, I'm going to the party. You?"

"...I haven't really been in the mood to party, sorry. I heard there's gonna be a lot of booze though."

"That's my reason...I just wonder how if the girls that are hosting it are underage?" He laughed.

"Hmm...I'm sure they have their ways."

"Anyway...I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, have fun," I mumbled, dipping my hand into the can of paint before smearing it on the canvas.

Letting the paint dry in the closet, I started to clean up the room casually, tossing empty buckets into the recycling and brushes in the sink when I notice the screen on my phone flashing quickly. Damon's name kept popping up until the door to the Art room busted open.

"Really?" He blurted out.

"...great."

"You've been ignoring my calls since you've left the house."

"I'm busy, Damon. Trying to have a normal life after what you did." I sighed turning on the water.

"I apologized...you should move on, I am."

"Of course you are...because you do nothing wrong, right?" I questioned, scrubbing the brushes down.

"Look I came to see if you wanted to tag along on an important mission."

"Mission? Since when are you Batman?"

"Since Caroline's green-eyed friend, Jesse became a vampire...she wants me to find out who did it. So, I thought what better way to put our Batman and Robbin skills to the test on Professor Crazy Pants. Hmm."

"I'm no Robbin...your skills are more instinct to kill. And why are you so sure Professor Maxfield turned him?" I asked drying the brushes.

"Because Jesse said so...Maxfield kept him locked up for days, starving him until last night when he almost killed them."

"What-"

"I've already done the part of the job...didn't want to get your hands dirty. So..." He smiled, tilting his head to the door.

"...you coming?"

Standing at the sink, I took a look at the clock to see that Elena and Caroline's party was just about to start. Gazing at Damon, I started to think back to Professor Maxfield and I at the Monster Ball, threatening to expose all of us if I didn't leave campus.