Vampire Diaries Blood Brothers

~Chapter Forty Four~

Dear Diary,
   Things with Stefan and I are good, better than before actually. It was hard to tell him that I had no desire to spend eternity with him, but I'm glad I did. He understands and is actually OK with it which is a relief. Keeping that secret only made me feel selfish and miserable and just all round awful. Now that he knew the truth things were good and I intended on keeping it that way.
   In saying that, we still had a little problem and that little problem was Damon. He was still hell bent on opening the tomb and freeing Katherine and there didn't appear to be any solutions. He certainly wasn't going to trust us again, and he knew we would do everything in our power to stop him so it was safe to bet he wasn't planning on letting the Grimoire out of his sight.
   I used to feel guilty for deceiving Damon the way I did, but after he threatened to turn me, the guilt had been replaced with fear. Every time I saw him in town, instead of going about my usual business or trying to maintain our bond we established in Atlanta, I did everything I could to avoid him. I had gotten so close to becoming a vampire, unbelievably close. The thought that one swift movement on his part could have turned me? It made me shiver and want to cry. When he attacked Bonnie I didn't purposefully avoid him, but this was different. Damon and I had an understanding of sorts. How could he do that to me? Oh good, and now I'm crying. 
   I am so sick of crying all the time! Maybe it would be easier if I was a vampire. I could just turn my emotions off and get on with life. I wouldn't have to feel the pain of loss or grief or heartbreak or hardship. I could be like Damon. I could flick a switch and live a carefree life free of regret and all things bad.
   Dad once told me that the only people who were capable of hurting us were our loved ones but I don't love Damon. Gosh, I don't even care about him. I mean, how could I? He almost turned me into a freaking vampire! He almost made my worst nightmare come true just to further his own selfish desires. How could I care, let alone love, a monster like that?

Splashing some clear cool water on my face, I tucked my diary back into my bag and joined the others in Grams's living room. Alaric, Stefan and Bonnie huddled around the coffee table while Grams handed everyone a steaming hot cup of coffee. Pulling me onto his lap, Stefan nuzzled his head in my neck as I wrapped my shaky hands around a pink ceramic mug. Kissing my cheek, he moved my hair aside to reveal the two red spots Ben had made with his fangs.
   "I can make that go away you know," he murmured in my ear.
   I shook my head, pecking his cheek lightly. "I decided stay human remember? You know me," I nudged him lightly. "I'm either all in or not at all. I'll be fine," I reassured him. "So, what's going on?"
   "I've been watching Damon closely," Stefan informed us. "He's been doing a lot of reading but he hasn't acted upon anything he's read. He takes the Grimoire everywhere with him, never lets is out of his sight. I don't know what it says about the tomb so I have no idea how he plans to open it," he explained.
   "I do," Bonnie admitted. "When Eva and I were trapped with those other vampires, the girl said something about needing a witch to open the tomb."
   "She's right," I confirmed.
   "The reversal spell isn't just some ritual any random could do. They need a witch."
   "So the vampires who took you want the tomb opened as well?" Alaric raised his eyebrows in concern. "And they kidnapped the two of you to do so? But why did they take Eva?" He queried. "Taking Bonnie makes sense, but what's the point in taking Eva? She's just a human."
   "Not just a human," I interrupted. "I don't know how much Stefan told you, but, I can't be compelled and I don't wear vervain... And I don't wear vervain because the slightest touch burns my skin. Just like a vampire," I added, deflated.
   Stefan squeezed my hand. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out," he murmured, kissing the tip of my ear. "Point is," he cleared his throat. "Eva isn't exactly normal in the sense that there is a reason she reacts the way she does. We don't know why and we are actively seeking answers but it may take a while. Anna, however, may know something we don't and since we haven't seen the spell, we can't know for sure that she is not a crucial piece to the puzzle."
   "So for now we assume whoever wants to open the tomb is not only after Bonnie, but Eva too," Alaric decided.
   "Correct."
   "Actually," I murmured, thinking back to Anna's conversation with Ben. "Anna said something about a doppelganger," I screwed my face up, trying to pronounce the word. "Maybe that has something to do with the vervain and compulsion thing."
   Alaric pursed his lips, shaking his head. "No, no a doppelganger isn't some mystical being. It's actually a pretty universal term," he informed us. "Uncommon and unusual, but not a vampire thing."
   "Well what does it mean?" Bonnie leaned forward, eager to learn.
   "By definition, a doppelganger is an apparition or double of a living person."
   "Sounds like a twin," Bonnie commented taking a sip of coffee. 
   "Right," he nodded. "So, technically, Eva, you are a doppelganger. Not because of your reaction to vervain or compulsion but because you share the appearance of Katherine."
   I nodded slowly, absorbing the information. I wasn't a vampire but I wasn't your average human either. In fact, I was the identical twin slash doppelganger of who I thought to be the most selfish and nasty vampire of all time. Great.
   "Is being a doppelganger... Bad?" I raised my eyebrows, hoping this didn't mean I was in anyway tied to Katherine besides the obvious identical face thing.
   "No," he reassured me, shaking his head. "It's extremely unusual but, it is what is it. Neither good or bad."
   I smiled, relieved. "OK, good. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about Damon," I suggested. "What are we going to do about his plan to open the tomb?"