The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 10

The future(a) morning Elena got up and dressed quietly in the motel room, grateful for the extra sgait. Damon was gone, scarce she had expected that. He usually got his eat early while they were on the road, preying on waitresses at all- night truck gelt or early-morning diners.She was divergence to discuss that with him someday, she thought as she put the piece of g travel of ground coffee in the little two- shape percolator the motel provided. It smelled proficient.solely more imperatively, she demand to talk to someone round(predicate) what had happened brave out night. Stefan was her commencement choice, of logical argument, tho shed represent that out of body experiences werent incisively to be had for the asking. What she understand to do was call back Bonnie and Meredith. She had to talk to them it was her right but now, of all dates, she couldnt. Intuitively, she felt that both contact between her and Fells Church might be bad.And Matt had neer checke d in. Not once. She had no idea where he was on the road, but he had better be in Sedona on time, that was all. He had by design swerve off all communication between them. Fine. As longsighted as he showed up when he had promised. justElena still needed to talk. To express herself.Of course She was an idiot She still had her faithful companion that neer said a word, and never kept her waiting. Pouring herself a cup of scalding black coffee on the centering, Elena dug her diary out of the sound of her duffel bag and opened it to a fresh, clean page. There was naught like a fresh page and an ink pen that ran swimmingly to start her writing.Fifteen minutes later there was a rattling at one window and a minute later Damon was stepping through. He had several paper bags with him and Elena felt unaccountably pleased and homey. She had provided coffee, which was rather good even if it came with dried cream substitute, and Damon had suppliedGasoline, he said triumphantly, raising hi s eyebrows significantly at her as he set the bags on the table. Just in case they try to use plants against us. No, thanks, he added, seeing she was standing with a full cup of coffee held in his direction. I had a service department mechanic while I was buying this. Ill just go lave my hands.And he disappe atomic number 18d, walking right bypast Elena.Walking right past her, without a glance, even though she was wearing her only clean couple up of clothes left jeans and a subtly colored top that looked uninfected at first glance and only in the brightest light revealed that it was ethereally rainbow-shaded.Without a single look, Elena thought, feeling a strange sensation that somehow her purport had just lapped itself.She started to throw the coffee away but then mulish she needed it herself and drank it in a few scalding gulps.Then she went and stood by her diary, drill over the last two or three pages.Are you officious to go? Damon was shouting over the sound of running water in the bathroom.Yes in just a minute. Elena read the diary pages from the previous entry, and began skim the one before that.We might as well go true(p) west from here, Damon shouted. We can make it in one day. Theyll say its a feint for one particular gate and search all the subtile ones. Meanwhile well go on heading for the Kimon Gate and be old age ahead of allone shacking us. Its perfect.Uh-huh, Elena said, reading.We ought to be able to meet Mutt tomorrow mayhap even this evening, depending on what kind of trouble they cause.Uh-huh. provided first I wanted to ask you do you think its a conjunction that our window is broken? Because I always put wards on them at night and Im confident(predicate) He passed a hand over his forehead. Im sure that I must have done that last night, as well. But something got through and broke the window and got away without a trace. That was why I bought all the the gasoline. If they try something with trees, Ill blast them all back to Stonehenge.And half the acquitted residents of the state, Elena thought grimly. But she was in a state of such stupefaction that not much could make an impression on top of it.What are you doing now? Damon was clearly ready to describe up and going.Getting unloose of something I dont need, Elena said, and flushed the toilet, watching the torn-up bits of her diary swirl round and round before disappearing.I wouldnt worry about the window, though, she said, coming back into the bedroom and slipping her shoes on. And dont get up for a minute, Damon. Ive got to talk to you about something.Oh, come on. It can wait until were on the road, cant it?No, it cant, because weve got to pay for that window. You broke it last night, Damon. But you dont remember doing it, do you?Damon stared at her. She could tell that his first temptation was to laugh. His second temptation, to which he gave in, was to think that she was nuts.Im sober, she said, once he had gotten up and started to pace to ward the window with a distinct look of wanting to be a crow flying out of it. Dont you dare go anywhere, Damon, because theres more.More extort I did that I dont remember? Damon lounged against the wall in one of his old, imperative poses. Maybe I smashed a few guitars, kept the radio on until four A.M.?No. Not necessarily things from last night, Elena said, aspect away. She couldnt look at him. Other things, from other days Like maybe Ive been trying to sabotage this trip all along, he said, his voice laconic. He eyed the ceiling and sighed heavily. Maybe Ive done it just to be entirely with you Shut up, DamonWhere had that come from? Well, she knew that, of course. From her feelings about last night. The problem was that she also had to get some other things settled seriously, if he would take them. Come to think of it, that might be a better way to go about this.Do you think that your feelings about Stefan well, have changed at all lately? Elena asked.What?Do you think oh, this was so difficult looking into black eyeball the color of endless space. Especially when last night they had been full of myriads of stars do you think that youve come to think of him differently? To honor his wishes more than you employ to do?Now Damon was openly examining her, just as she was examining him.Are you serious? he said.Completely, she said, and, with a supreme effort, she sent her shoot downs back where they were hypothetical to go.Something did happen last night, he said. He was looking intently at her face. Didnt it?Something happened, yes, Elena said. It was it was more of a She had to let out her breath, and with that almost everything went.Shinichi Shinichi, che bastardo Imbroglione That thief Im going to kill him slowly Suddenly Damon was everywhere. He was beside her, his hands on her shoulders the next minute he was shouting imprecations out the window, then he was back, memory both her hands.But only one word mattered to Elena. Shinichi. The kitsune with his black, scarlet-tipped hair, who had made them show up so much just for the location of Stefans cell.Mascalzone Maleducato Elena lost track of Damons cursing again. So it was true. Last night had been completely stolen from Damon, taken from his straits as simply and completely as the interval when she had used go of Redemption and Wings of Purification on him. The latter he had agree to. But last night and what other things had the fox been taking?To cut out an entire evening and night and this evening and night in particular, implied thatHe never shut take the connection between my attend and his. He still can reach inside me any time he chooses. Damon had finally stopped swearing, and stopped moving. He was sitting on the couch opposite the bed with his hands drooping between his knees. He looked singularly forlorn.Elena, you have to tell me. What did he take from me last night? Please Damon looked as if he might fall on his knees in front of her, withou t melodrama. If if it was what I think Elena smiled, although tears were still running down her face. It wasnt what anyone would think, exactly, I suppose, she said.But Lets just say that this time was mine, Elena said. If hes stolen anything else from you, or if he tries to do it in the future, then hes fair game. But this depart be my secret. Until maybe someday you break into your huge boulder of secrets, she thought.Until I tear it out of him, along with his tongue and his tail cracked Damon, and it was truly the snarl of an animal. Elena was glad it wasnt directed at her. Dont worry, Damon added in a voice so chilling that it was almost more frightening than the animal fury. I will find him, no matter where he tries to hide. And I will take it from him. I might just take his entire little furry hide off with it. Ill make you a pair of mittens out of it, hows that?Elena move to smile and did a pretty good job. She was just coming to scathe with what had happened herself , although she didnt believe for a minute that Damon would really leave her alone on the subject until he forced the memory back out of Shinichi. She realize that on some level she was punishing Damon for what Shinichi had done, and that was wrong. I promise no one will know about last night, she told herself. Not until Damon does. I wont even tell Bonnie and Meredith.This made things a lot harder on her, and therefore probably more equitable.As they were cleaning up the junk from Damons most recent fit of fury, he suddenly reached up to brush a stray tear from Elenas cheek.Thank you Elena began. Then she stopped. Damon was touching his fingers to his lips.He looked at her, startled and a little disappointed. Then he shrugged. shut up unicorn bait, he said. Did I say that last night?Elena hesitated, then stubborn that his words didnt fall within the crucial time limits of secrecy.Yes, you did. But you wont roll me away, will you? she added, suddenly anxious. Ive promised my friends not to say anything.Damon was staring at her. wherefore should I say anything about anybody? Unless youre talking about the little blonde one?I told you Im not saying anything. Except that obviously Caroline isnt a virgin. Well, with all the ruckus about her being pregnant But you remember, Damon interjected, I came to Fells Church before Stefan did I just lurked in the shadows longer. The way you talked Oh, I know. We liked boys and boys liked us, and we already had reputations. So we just talked any way we felt like talking. Some of it may have been true, but a lot of it you could take two ways and then of course you know how boys talk Damon knew. He nodded.Well and so pretty in short everyone was talking about us as if wed done everything with everyone. They even wrote wring about it in the paper and the yearbook and on the bathroom walls. But we had a little poem, too, and sometimes we even wrote it with our signatures on it. How did it go? Elena ringlet her min d back a year, two years, more. Then she recitedJust because you light upon it, doesnt make it true. Just because you read it, doesnt make it so. The next time that you hear it, it may be about you. Dont think that you can change their minds, just cause you know you knowAs Elena finished, she looked at Damon, suddenly feeling the urgent need to get to Stefan. Were almost there, she said. Lets hurry.