𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐲 | 𝐭𝐯𝐝

-6-

It's still here. Our tree was still standing. I examined it closely. I could nearly see our silhouettes, sitting with a blade and carving our initials. It was our promise to each other. We were supposed to be forever.

I rested my hand on the tree and wondered what life would have been like if he and I weren't turned. Would we have grown old together? The thought scared me. Even now, I'm not prepared for marriage. Being with the one person you desire for as long as you both shall live. What if one dies? Surely we'd be broken-hearted. It'd be difficult to ever remarry.

I have to admit, at 15, all I wanted to do was marry. Stefan knew that as well. "One day," He promised, getting on one knee. "One day, I'm going to have a real ring. I'll be able to love you forever and ever, River Maria Ambrose."

He pulled out a vine, which was cut and tied to make a circle. He slipped it onto my finger and I pulled him up and hugged him.

I chuckled at the memory and walked down the hill he and I once slid down. The creek was now filthy and I could barely see through the water. It made me wanna gag. The smell was musty and could only be described as rotten library books.

I shuddered and continued walking. I wouldn't recognize this as my home if it weren't for the memories. I really do need to keep out of my head, but it's the only good thing I have at the moment.

I finally climbed back up the hill and went back to the tree. Could our box still be buried? It seems nearly impossible but worth a try. I walked to my car and pulled out a shovel from the truck, which always came in handy when needing to bury snack evidence, and walked back to the site and began digging.

Almost 20 minutes later, I hit the metal box. My heart could have dropped from my ass at that moment. I picked it up by the handle and shook it off. I didn't want to open it. I don't want to. I can't.

I brought it back to my car and in the backseat, then put the shovel back and began driving. I can barely remember what we put in the box, but it was killing me to not open it. I promised Stefan we'd open it together. It would've been wrong to open it without him. I went back to the Boarding Home. No one was there. I went back to the Grill and sat next to Damon.

"Look who's back." He scoffed. "Yeah yeah," I mumbled. I grabbed his glass. "Why are you...dirty?" I looked at my knees. They had dirt stains on them. "I went into the woods today. What are you still doing here?" I questioned, taking a quick drink. "Why'd you go in the woods?" He dodged the question. "I went home. I haven't been there since I left. The ruins are...a lot. I found an old box Stefan and I buried." I let out a heavy breath. "What's in this "old box" that you found?"

"I don't know. I haven't opened it. Isn't that a bit pathetic of me?" I scoffed. Damon began laughing. "What's so funny, Salvatore?" I frowned. "I-I'm sorry but your accent when you say--" he began wheezing. I smacked his shoulder. He stopped and grabbed the area. "Ouch!"

"Wimp," I remarked. "Did you do it?" A familiar voice asked behind me. Elena walked around to Damon's side. "That seat's taken." He grumbled. "But there's no one here." She frowned. "Yes, that's the whole point." I nodded. She glared her brown eyes at me. I returned the gesture and her chest pounded. "Did you set off the explosion that killed the Town Council?"

"Am I wearing my "I Blew Up The Council" t-shirt, why does everybody keep asking me that? No. Anything else?" Damon sighed. "Yes, something's wrong. I can't keep any of the animal blood down." Elena told him. I fake gasped. "What a shocker. Sweetheart, just take a pick. Honestly, you should have just listened the first time around." I looked around the bar. "No. No human blood."

Damon rolled his eyes and got up. "Fine. Come on." He grabbed her arm and led her towards the bathroom. He isn't going to do what I think he is, is he? I let out a gasp. No way. He's blood sharing.

I sat with my arms crossed, waiting for them to come back. Eventually, she trailed out, seeming healthier than last time, and practically ran to her car. Damon strolled out with a grin. It dropped when he saw my facial expression.

-

Apparently, there was a memorial for a pastor that we had to attend, which was annoying but I agreed due to boredom. Damon and I went back to the Boarding House to change into respectable clothing and decided to drive there together. I wore a black dress that went up to about mid-thigh but wasn't revealing at all. I had black flats on and stood by the door, waiting for the oldest Salvatore. He returned with a paper bag and a black dress and opened the door for me. I decided not to judge him on this whole Elena thing. He already knew what everyone thought.

We waited outside for the doppelgänger. I watched people enter the church, most with no remorse or grief on their faces. I nearly felt bad for joining a funeral that was for someone I didn't know, but something told me Damon didn't know these people either.

We had to run downstairs for Elena after we found out she had thrown up Damon's blood in the bathroom. We left the bag and brought the dress. Thankfully, because a man was waiting outside. Damon tapped on the door. She opened it. "Oh, Damon, thank God. Sorry, I - I spilled coffee all over my dress." Elena explained to the man.

She and Damon exchanged nods and she shut the door. "We have not met. I'm Connor. Jordan." The man introduced. His skin was mixed and he had brown eyes and a bald head. He had small face scruff, but it suited him well. He held out his hand. I had a bad feeling. "River. My-"
"Boyfriend, Damon," He wiggled his fingers. "We don't do handshakes. Germaphobes." He explained. "Everything okay in there?" I asked Elena. "Almost finished!" She replied.

"So, what brings you to Mystic Falls? Bible salesman?" Damon joked. "No, actually I'm in the environmental cleanup. Heard you had a bit of a pollution problem." Connor said. "Really? Never heard of that." I mumbled. "I like your accent. Where are you from?"

Elena walked out. I forced a smile. "Looks like we've got to go. You know, the whole funeral and all. Nice to meet you, Connor." I began walking away. I walked outside and watched as Damon gave Elena the blood bag. She coughed it out. How?

Damon grabbed Elena's shoulders. What was going on? I pushed my brown hair behind my ear and listened closely. "Don't you think like that. Elena, you'll be fine. Okay?" He warned her. He caressed her face and she left. Damon cleaned up and I noticed Stefan watching. Shit.

He approached me first. "What is going on, River?" He was practically steaming. "Well you see, the funny thing is," I tried distracting. Damon walked over. "What's in the bag?" Stefan glared. "Mid-service snack. Church always gets me hungry. The whole blood of Christ thing, you know." Damon smirked.

Stefan wasn't taking it. "It was a snack for your girlfriend, who is starving Stefan. She can't keep down blood. Like Damon said, she's gonna go off the rails eventually, so the faster we can make it happen, the sooner we can get her back on track. Listen, she isn't my friend but I know she means a lot to you. She needs blood." I said. "She couldn't even keep my blood down," Damon said cockily. I sucked in a breath. Stefan looked hurt. "She drank from you?"

"Oops! I said that out loud?" Damon walked away. "Damn it," I muttered. "You knew?" Stefan whispered. "Stefan-" He cut me off. "Why didn't you tell me?! You waltz back into my life and let all this happen?! I-"

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare say another word. I didn't do jack shit, Stefan. You think I wanted to run into you?! You hurt me, Stefan. It's hard to even look at you! I kept a secret for Damon's sake. It wasn't my business to say. So before you say anything you might regret later, remember how that went the last time." I snapped. He nodded. "Now, are you coming or not?" I crossed my arms. I've learned over the years that Stefan can be stubborn. You always have to make him feel what you feel or he'll just be more obnoxious. Stefan nodded once again and walked to my side, then held out his arm. I wrapped my arm around him and we walked into the church.