Try {One | Alaric Saltzman}

162 Candles

The supernatural were real, back in Mystic Falls, and very much a part of their lives. Abigail knew this would require her to lie, something that she never used to do. Lying, though, had become something she had to do.

Vicki's disappearance quickly became the priority of the town. Abigail knew they were lucky, as horrible as it sounded, that she had run away before. It made their story believable.

Still, she was nervous as they waited to be questioned by Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes. She couldn't stop herself from sharing worried glances with Elena as Stefan sat stoic in his chair, Matt sat with his hands folded neatly in his lap, and Jeremy paced the hall. Fiddling with her hands was her only distraction, one she took up without noticing.

She found it almost impossible to conceal her guilt by the time it was her turn to be questioned. Her fingers wrapped lightly around the sheriff's door, pushing it open tentatively. Liz looked up from her files at the sound the hinges made, giving her a small smile.

There was not a hello. Liz knew Abigail, so she knew that her smile was enough. It brought her comfort, the same comfort she found in her before Jenna moved in. She hadn't seen much of her since.

"How are you doing Abigail?" Liz asked with a tone she had mastered.

"I'm worried about Vicki." She was; she really was. "We all are."

"That's why I asked your aunt to bring you and your siblings in. I'm going to ask you a few questions about Vicki, and I want you to answer them to the best of your ability." Liz glanced at her notes again, even if she didn't need to. "So, first things first, did Vicki tell you where she was leaving town?"

"No." She spoke too quickly, she realized, as she folded her hands in her lap. "The only person she told was Jeremy, but she didn't tell him where she was going."

Liz wrote something down, the sound of her pen against the paper filling the room with the click of the clock. "Are you aware that Elena asked Stefan Salvatore to help Vicki with her 'drug problem', in hopes of helping your brother?"

"Yes, I was there when she asked him to." She was rewording everyone else's answers, using just enough of her expression to set herself apart from them. "We were worried about her, she wasn't acting like herself."

Liz jotted down what she said, exactly what she said. "What was her behavior like those last few days before she left?"

"Up and down." It wasn't a lie, not until she added, "Like she had been partying for days."

Liz had narrowed eyes when she looked up; narrow and pressing. "Any signs of aggression or violence?"

She hesitated. "No."

"So," Liz sighed. "You believe Vicki really has left town?"

"Yes."

Abigail led them outside of the sheriff's office with quick steps that she used to keep up with Jeremy's long strides. Jenna's efforts to herd them toward her car were successful, but she could not get Elena to keep up with them. No, Elena stuck to Matt's side.

Stefan was waiting outside of the sheriff's office. They didn't see him right away, but they saw him at once. The only person who did not stop was Matt.

"I was trying to help her, Matt," Stefan said. "That's all."

Again, he did not stop.

Elena turned to Jenna. "Abigail and I will meet you guys at the car."

Steering Jeremy away, Jenna nodded. "Okay."

It was with slow steps that they approached Stefan.

"You guys okay?" He asked as soon as they could hear him.