Ruins || The Vampire Diaries [2]

11: Original Sin

   Stefan's ring laid delicately in my hand, a contrast of darkness against light. I grabbed the ring with my other hand and stared at it. Each moment that my eyes stayed glued to that piece of metal, I thought of every outcome that had happen to Stefan. He could be dead for all I knew, and that was the thought that came running back whenever I thought of something else. It was as if it pushed every other thought of the way, presenting itself as number one in the race. 

   Stefan had been suffering for months. He was inside a box, in the quarry, dying over and over and over again. Somehow, he had gotten free, which was the only thing that gave me a small bit of comfort. But, he still didn't have his daylight ring, which caused my mind to go back to the theory that he could be dead.

   "So, I've found nine bars along Route 29," Damon said as he walked into the room, "and none of them are called Joe's."

   Elena, Katherine, and I had the same exact dream. It was about Stefan, in a bar with a red awning and a broken neon sign, and then he walked outside of said bar and screamed in pain because of the sun. It was one of the many factors of why I thought he was dead. Katherine, luckily, knew about said bar and its address. 

   "I had a feeling that there was something wrong all summer," Elena said, "and I ignored it. But I was right. Stefan was in a safe, and probably killed whoever it was that found him... I know it sounds crazy that I'm..." She glanced over at me and cleared her throat, straightening her posture. "That we're following a psychic dream, but it's the only lead we have."

   I stood from the sofa and walked over to her. "It doesn't sound crazy," I said as I crossed my arms. "It is crazy. But, Damon here is very open-minded, aren't you?" I gave him a smile, which he returned with a roll of his eyes and a nod. 

   "Shotgun," Katherine announced as she joined us. "What? I get carsick in the back seat. Another charming, human side effect you stuck me with."

   "Please tell me that she's not coming," Elena said with gritted teeth. 

   "Trust me, I have no interest in Katherine's well-being," Damon said, glancing between both girls, "but for some reason Silas wants her real bad, and if Silas wants her, I want her more."

   "Can we just stash her in the cellar?" Elena asked. "Or maybe a deep, dark well with a pair of water wings?"

   "Do you really think that I wanna take a road trip with you, America's most boring, self-righteous vampire?" Katherine had an amused smile on her face as she looked at Elena. "Just remember, Damon and Clara wouldn't have to play bodyguard if you hadn't shoved that cure down my throat."

   "You were trying to kill me!" Elena tried to reason. 

   "I will admit, though," Katherine continued, "I take great pleasure knowing that you wasted your one shot at a human life on me."

   "All right, play nice," Damon said as he stepped in front of Elena, "or I'm gonna revisit the deep, dark well idea."

   "I wanna find Stefan just as much as you do," Katherine said, her sarcastic smile forming into seriousness, "and not just because I don't wanna be a pawn that you can trade off for his life. I care about him—I always have. And since we've been having the same dream, makes me think you care about him just as much."

   Damon picked up the bag he had brought down with him and took a deep breath. "Okay, trains leaving the station. Choo-choo!"

   It was a roadtrip from Hell. Katherine and Elena bickered most of the trip, more the former than the latter. One teased the other, the other tried to stop herself from reaching back and killing her. I, thankfully, sat in the corner of the car, away from both of them in case they decided to start a fight at any moment. It wasn't until Katherine fell asleep that the car became peaceful.