Firework

Testing

I paid for my brand new car -which the sales man had told me was a 1967 Dodge Charger- with my shiny new card. Caroline didn't get my choice though, she kept asking me if I wouldn't prefer one of the newer sports cars, but I knew that the Dodge I'd picked was just right for me; it was old and used, some parts were in less than mint condition but it was still going. It reminded a bit of myself. Battered and bruised but still plodding along.

I climbed into it, after all the boring paper work had been done and started it up, smiling as it seemed to purr with power under me.

I followed Caroline's car out of Mike's and on to the road, she handled well, as we got onto the deserted forest lined road I decided to test my new car out.

My old Chevy truck back in Forks couldn't go over sixty without spluttering and dying, and as much as I loved the big old rust bucket, I loved speed, it was one of the reasons that I'd enjoyed riding with Jake so much, the speed, the adrenaline rush. So when I pushed my foot down on my new car I grinned at the fact it jumped straight to sixty without any hesitation.

I sped past Caroline and Elena with a huge smile, watching for a second as they both laughed in my rear view mirror. My happy mood only increased as a dark blue car came speeding up behind me in the mirror. It pulled along side of me, revved the engine and started pulling out ahead. I wasn't so naive that I didn't know the owner wanted to race. But I couldn't, I'd been brought up by a cop, I knew the possible outcome of street races, Charlie had been keen to show me pictures of twisted and mangled cars that had participated in such races as soon as I'd got my permit.

Well I couldn't till the jackass cut me up anyway. Then it was game on.

I pushed my foot down and drew along side the blue car, my heart racing as my car inched past seventy. The other car pulled ahead and I stomped my foot right down, I wasn't going to let this asshole get the jump on me.

For five minutes I raced the blue car almost neck to neck down the road, laughing loudly as I did. This was the most fun that I'd had in ages! I was doing it! I was living!

I was. Until I saw it. It was so brief that I could have imagined it, a blur at the side of the road. Moving so fast that it was almost un-noticeable were it not for the flash of red that accompanied it. Was that? It couldn't be, could it? Not here in sunny Mystic Falls where everyone was so nice, where no-one deserved anything bad to ever happen to them. There could not be vampires here surely?

My foot came off the gas as my heart beat wildly in my chest. My breathing became shallow pants as I quickly and carefully took in my surroundings. Just forest, nothing else.

I slowly travelled the road, letting my heart calm down as I did. It was nothing. I sighed to myself. My imagination and nothing more. I was being ridiculous.

Besides I would have seen the sparkles like a disco ball in this light. That more than anything put my mind at ease. I was being paranoid.

There were no vampires here, just my over active imagination.

~0~

Caroline, Elena and me unloaded our bags from Caroline's car once we got back and put them in my room before Caroline headed home, she had a date night with Tyler. She was so excited about it, which was sweet as they'd been together for a while apparently.

Elena helped me put away my clothes and books, smiling, chatting and laughing the entire time. She told me all about meeting Stefan and how in love with him she was, not that I couldn't have told by the shimmer in her eyes whenever she spoke about him. But all the time we were chatting I felt like she was holding back something, keeping something from me. I didn't mind, every relationship held something back for just those two people, it just made me curious.