stranded // d. salvatore au.

NINETEEN

Chapter 19

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FLORENCE WAS IN THE PLANE TRYING TO WRAP HER HEAD AROUND EVERYTHING. How guilty she felt about the whole situation, and how much she wished to see him again.

She never knew it was possible to feel what she felt for the vampire with blue eyes and a wicked smirk that made her legs weak.

But they both forgot he had a girlfriend that he loved so much. Maybe it was for the best. Florence didn't want to ruin their relationship because she wasn't a wrecker.

It still didn't mend the fact that she wanted to be with him. She wanted to feel his touch once again, for him to grab her waist, to kiss her. That's all the small framed art student dreamt of. But he was gone somewhere and she didn't know whether he'd come back. If he'd speak to her even.

Florence grabbed the bag of vervain before sliding down the slide. "Damon!" she tried to shout once again. "I'm throwing this away!"

When she got no answer, Florence sighed. "But not because I feel guilty of not doing so earlier, but... but because I trust you... I trusted you for a long time now, and I didn't carry vervain because I wanted to kill you. I carried it because well... you're a vampire, and you could've lost control..."

When Florence realized she wasn't making her case easier, she paused and shook her head. "I know you can hear me," she said in normal voice staring off into the clearing that they made from their continuous walking. "And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Damon, and I wish there was something I could do. Just tell me."

Getting no answer, Florence nodded to herself before she walked into the water and threw it all away. She watched her stash flow away and felt weird and even freed, because she always had it with herself since her grandpa passed.

She walked back into the plane as Damon sat in the tree house while drinking old whiskey. He just rolled his eyes at her words, not believing in her and took another swig of his drink.

Making him forgive would take a lot more.

~~~

EVENING CAME AS THE SHORE WAS INCREDIBLY CALM. Florence never came out of the plane at night because of all the bugs and other things Damon promised he would protect her from.

But she completely shook her fears away and slid down. The sand was soft and warm as she walked over to the water and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm breeze flowing through her face.

Sadness took over as the art student opened her blue ocean eyes and stared ahead of her, wanting to cry. She missed other people she thought she'd never miss. But most importantly she wanted out of warm climate.

Florence knew she would go somewhere cold if she came out alive out of the island. Constant warmth made her feel like she would forever feel it, and that she will be stuck forever.

Suddenly, she heard motors going in the distance and her eyes went wide. The boats were roaming towards the shore and she chuckled in surprise before turning to look back for Damon, but he wasn't coming out.

The boats stopped a little away from the shore and Florence raised her hands up, waving them and telling that there were survivors.

A few men jumped down the boat and into the water before noticing her. Florence lowered her arms, feeling unsafe without a certain vampire by her side.

The man calmly reached the shore and stopped a few feet away from the blonde. "Do you speak English?" Florence asked with a kind smile as the five men all stared at her weirdly. That made her gulp in fear but then one of them smiled and nodded his head.

"Yes," he said without any foreign accent so Florence nodded her head, feeling better. "I'm from Florida."

"Oh, that's nice," she said, her eyes practically shining because she knew she could get out. "We've been stranded her for over two weeks and—"

"We?" another one asked, having an accent as he glanced at the man from Florida. Florence paused as she focused on them. She wondered where was Damon and if he heard them.

"You're alone," the Florida man said calmly so Florence sighed. "Where are the others?"

The art student just pointed to the woods. "It's just a guy, and we had a huge fight, so he left. How did you—? How did you find us?" she was curious about that.

"Well..." the man trailed off before pausing as well. Something sketchy was going on and Florence felt afraid. "It appears to us that you invaded our land with this plane."

Florence furrowed her eyebrows. "You own this island?" she asked and they all laughed. Nerves kicked in and all Florence wanted was to get out of the situation. If Damon was punishing her by not showing, she hated him.

"Tom, she's been bitten," another man said pointing to her neck. Damon's bite marks were still there from one of their drunk night play things and Florence touched it before covering it with her hand.

The man from Florida or Tom walked over to her and took the hand away. "Who's the guy you've been staying with?" he asked curiously and she raised her eyes at the man. She didn't answer. "She's been staying with a vampire."

That shocked Florence. How did they know it was a vampire, and not some fetish her boyfriend liked? Why did they believe in that so quickly?

"Shit," they all then took out their rifles and guns so Florence widened her eyes as the Florida man grabbed her by her arm and pushed her towards three others.

"What do you mean... Vampires don't exist," Florence lied as she stared at them, trying to look dumbfounded.

"She's been compelled," one mused quietly and then Florence knew they definitely knew about vampires. "Yeah, they do, sweetheart. Sorry."

Florence's head snapped towards the Florida man, who cocked his gun. "We have a freaking vampire in our island. How are we gonna kill him and get our money?" he spoke to himself as Florence widened her eyes even wider.

They were corrupted, they were criminals and she knew she was gonna die because she's heard too much. Unless Damon would come out. "Where is he?" the Florida man asked walking over to Florence and grabbing her by the neck. "Where is he? WHERE IS HE?!" he yelled and Florence flinched.

"Bravo with the shouting," Florence smiled when she heard Damon's voice coming from behind them. All the men raised their guns up. "But I don't recall giving permission for shouting at her. For that you're all gonna die."

Damon then extended his fangs and attacked.

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