The sheets were fluffed around her splattered body and once again, Billie found herself wondering how she'd found her way into a bed last night, or where she even was to begin with.
She didn't remember very much from the night before, only thoughts of walking in cold, dark rain. Memories of Alex hit her like a truck as she backtracked through the events carefully, trying to fill in as many black spots as she could. A bitter feeling swelled in her chest as she realised that nobody would really know what happened to him.
No doubt, Klaus had probably compelled some poor soul into disposing of both his and Dana's bodies. And when they were eventually found, the coroner would call it an 'animal attack'. Another in a long list of tragic and mysterious deaths in Mystic Falls.
Would she go to school? Billie had no idea how much longer she would even be in town before Klaus decided he'd travelled long enough and collected hybrids to his satisfaction.
Billie began to realise that not even the comfort of the Salvatore house could ease her tensions.
She needed to see Georgie.
⇴
Sometime over the summer, the landlord had apparently changed the door codes. Probably from all the random teenagers sneaking in to use the roof with the pretty view for their scandalous late night activities.
Billie huffed in frustration as she tugged at the locked doors, eventually sitting back on a stone bench to the side tiredly. She couldn't even get into the building, let alone Apartment 11.
Just as she pondered perhaps going to the hospital to surprise Georgie there, a man stumbled forwards down the small walkway, clearly a little drunk despite it being relatively early in the day. He punched in the codes, getting it wrong a few times before a positive beep sounded out and the door opened for him.
Billie's brows shot up and she quickly stood, catching the door before it closed and locked her out again. She smiled guiltily at the man as he turned to see her fumble inside, happy he quickly let it go and pressed the button for the elevator.
Deciding that she didn't particularly feel like having a short, but sufficiently awkward elevator ride with him, Billie walked past the waiting drunk, pushing open the door for the stairwell.
As she passed the second floor exit, Harper stopped in her path, eyes glued in a trance to a certain spot pressed in the corner. Unwillingly, she was transported to the last time she'd climbed these long, concrete steps. When she'd met a troubled teen smoking a lit cigarette wearing a thick grey hoodie to hide his scarring bruises.
Come to think of it, the man downstairs who had seen her sneaking in was that very same one passed out in the elevator that night, discouraging her from taking the easy way up and instead forcing her to embark on a journey up the stair where she met the man she fell in love with.
A small tear trailed it's way down her pale cheeks as she was thrown back.
On the second flight of stairs, Billie caught sight of a teenager with a cigarette hanging between his fingers. She only nodded when his eyes landed on her and kept going. He stared at her surprised, before his face hardened, just as she'd walked past, he called up after her. "What, you're not gonna tell me to piss off?" His drawl was deep, an edge was present in his tone, but Billie could sense a weariness there too.
Billie remembered the tenseness to his shoulders, mop of blonde hair peaking from beneath his raised hood.
She shrugged while continuing her ascent. "Nah, everyone has bad days. Not my job to make it worse."
Harper looked down at the spot once more from where she stood at the top of the staircase, hand laying hesitantly on the door to the third floor exit, as though opening it were to leave that part of her life behind.
Once she'd reached the top landing, her hand on the exit to the stairwell, she turned, finding the guy already looking at her. "I suggest the bedroom window. Being 'butt naked' tends to keep people out." Billie smirked mischievously, surprised to see the boy in the second floor landing smirk back.
Billie couldn't help but smile softly, thinking of all the circumstances that had led them both to where they met, right on this here lonely little staircase.
He nodded, a radiant smile on his lips that Billie guessed not a lot of people got to see. "I'll keep that in mind."
⇴
Staring at the gold number eleven on Georgie's front door brought nostalgia rushing in at her, wing Billie with each flitting memory.
The clairvoyant was beginning to think it was a bad idea coming back. Every turn of the corridor transported her away from the present and back to better times. Granted Billie had never been particularly happy in a very long time and this place reminded her of one of the only people that could instil that feeling in her, it brought a bitter sweet taste to her tongue.
He was gone, forever this time. There was no opportunity for Billie to show up in a few years to watch him live his life from afar and be happy without her. He was just gone.
And it was, beyond a shadow of a doubt in Billie's mind, completely her fault.
A light scurry to her left broke her consuming thoughts and Billie snapped her head in it's direction at the odd noise. Her eyes searched the floors for any rats of some sort that could have made the pitter-patter she'd heard, but she could not find any. Maybe they were in the walls she thought.
She heard it again and Billie turned from the awaiting door fully, subconsciously glad for the distraction so she didn't yet have to muster the courage to face her aunt.
On instinct, Billie lifted her eyes from the floor, allowing them to scan the walls and ceiling when suddenly, there in the highest, farthest, darkest corner of the whitewashed walls, Billie caught eyes with an unexpected surprise.
"Migrated upstairs, have you lil' buddy." She commented with an amused smile stretched over her lips.
It was Janice's lost lizard.
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