Saudade | D. SALVATORE

6 | solitude was the only answer

"Where is my ring?" Damon demanded with a groan.

"Won't be needing it anymore," Stefan replied.

"How long have I been here?'

"Three days."

"And counting," Evelyn added.

"What are you doing to me?"

"During the dark ages when a vampire's actions threatened to expose or bring harm upon the entire race, they would face judgment," Stefan explained. "They sought to reeducate them rather than to punish them."

"You know what will happen if I don't feed on blood," Damon reminded him.

"You'll grow weaker and weaker," Stefan replied. "Eventually you won't be able to move or speak. In a week your skin will desiccate, and you'll mummify. A living corpse. Unable to hurt anyone. Ever."

"So what, you're just going to leave me in the basement, forever?" he asked.

"I've injected you with enough vervain to keep you weak," he went on. "Once your circulation stops, I'll move you to the family crypt, and then in 50 years, we can reevaluate."

Damon groaned again, "I'm stronger than you think."

"You always have been. But you're not stronger than the vervain," he pointed out. "And we both know it. I'm sorry. Didn't have to be this way."

Evelyn followed Stefan out of the basement and he glanced back at her, "You can go home you know."

"As I've said the last hundred times you suggested that," she turned to face him. "I'm not going home until I know the people I care about are safe."

"I'm returning to school," he informed her. "You should too."

"No can do," she shook her head. "Not until I know for sure he's taken care of."

He let out a sigh of defeat, "Stay out of the basement."

"Here I was thinking I'd go down and give him a little snack," she replied and he shot her a look. "Have a good day at school, mom."

Rolling his eyes, he left the girl to the house alone.

After wandering around all day, boredom set in on Evelyn. She had settled down in Stefan's room however and started to read his journals. Was it wrong? Absolutely. But she had run out of reading materials awhile ago and she was pretty sure he knew she was reading them anyway.

She had made her way downstairs once she grew hungry but of course there was nothing in the house for her to eat unless she wanted to join Stefan on his animal blood diet.

"We're not family, Damon," she heard from the cellar and she grabbed the vervain shot from off the counter just to be safe. "Only in the most dysfunctional sense. In fact, I avoided having a living, breathing, loving family because of you."

"I don't guess I could talk you into bringing me a rabbit or something?" Damon inquired. "I'd settle for Stefan's diet at this point."

Evelyn made her way cautiously toward the cell, "You know I can't do that."

"You succeeded, Zach. I'm shutting down," Damon informed him. "You're like your grandfather. He didn't like it when I came to visit, either."

"But you don't visit, Damon," he countered. "You appear, unannounced, reminding me that this isn't my house, that you're just permitting me to live here. Hell, that you're permitting me to live."

"Someone had to mow the lawn."

"I came to say goodbye, Damon."

"Look out!" Evelyn shouted, pushing Zach out of the way. Damon's hands wrapped around her throat and Zach made an attempt at prying them off.