9. A Whole New World

            “…passed out like that,” I heard Elena moan. “Maybe we shouldn’t have told her.”

            “Hey, it was your idea,” Damon retorted smartly. “You made her pass out.”

            “Who can blame her? Look at what she’s been through tonight and ever since she got here!” Jeremy snapped. “We’ve had to tell her Jenna got murdered; she nearly got killed tonight; she saw someone get killed right before her eyes, and now we just sprung the existence of vampires on her! How can anyone handle all that?”

            “I probably could.”

            “Yeah, well, she can’t turn her emotions off like you can, Damon. She’s human. She feels things.”

            I did, like the damp cloth being pressed on my forehead. I stirred, blinking tiredly. Elena gave a relieved grin down at me.

            “Hey,” she cooed.

            “How long was I out for?” I whispered.

            “Not long—about an hour or so.”

            “Oh.” I took a moment to relax myself before I moved onto the topic that made me pass out in the first place. “So…about the existence of vampires…”

            “Fay, if you’re not comfortable talking about it, you don’t have to. I don’t want you passing out again.”

            “No, I can do this.” My voice got stronger. “If I don’t accept it now, I never will.”

            “Well, start accepting a lot of information, because there’s a lot to tell you,” Stefan said. I looked at him. “We’ll just give you the easy-to-remember details.”

            “Hold on. You realize I don’t believe this right off the bat, even if Elena told me that what she said was the truth, right? I need proof to help me accept it better.”

            “Faith, I don’t think you want proof,” Elena said uneasily. “For now, just believe us, okay? Whether or not you do at the moment, just please act like you do.”

            “I can try. So…what’s the story behind it all?”

            “Where to start…? There are vampires here in Mystic Falls, but you wouldn’t know unless you saw one feed. They blend in pretty well with humans.”

            “What about sunlight when it hits them? Do they sparkle?” I teased.

            “We’re not fairies,” Damon groaned, annoyed.

            My attention went right to him. “You’re one too?”

            “Should you really be surprised?”

I ignored the question. “Seriously, doesn’t the light burn them?”

            “It does. The only time it doesn’t is if they’ve got an enchanted ring that lets them walk during the day,” Elena said, showing me her blue-jeweled ring. “Or some kind of charmed piece of jewelry.”

            Despite the fact that I was still waking up, what Elena said clicked into my head. It didn’t take much for my brain to put two and two together.

            “You’re a…vampire?” I swallowed. Elena nodded solemnly.

            “So are Stefan and Caroline.”

            “What?” I felt woozy again. I guess I should have seen Stefan coming, but Caroline?

            “Don’t pass out,” Jeremy warned me.

            “I’m trying my hardest not to.” I patted the damp cloth on my forehead. “I don’t know how you deal with it, Jer, having your sister as a vampire who’s dating a vampire. It’d take me a long time to get used to. You aren’t one, are you?”

            “I’m not, trust me.” Jeremy chuckled.

“Tell me everything else; I might as well know a lot since I’ll be staying here for a while.”

            I felt like I was in a history class, with all the information. Vampires had ridiculous speed and strength, not to mention heightened senses. This herb called vervain weakened them—that was the odor I smelled all over Trevor. Apparently it burned too, when coming into contact with their skin. Vampires also had this extra power called compulsion—basically it’s mind control. Vervain protects people from compulsion as well. The herb seemed like the ultimate protection when it came to vampires compared to the silly legends that said that garlic or holy water would ward them off.

            “Wait, why weren’t you hacking when near him, or backing off from him?” I asked Damon. “He practically showered in the stuff.” I wrinkled my nose, recalling that smell—the scent of my almost-killer.

            “I’ve built an immunity to it. It takes a long time to,” he explained.

            “The smell, yeah, but not its effects when it’s in your system,” Elena retorted.

            Wooden stakes were another threat to vampires, as well as a werewolf bite. Apparently, werewolves had poison, and Tyler was one (they figured it was better to mention him rather than leave me in the dark). Also, Bonnie was a witch. They figured since I knew about vampires; why not throw in a little extra? I was just waiting for them to drop the bomb that ghosts existed next since almost everything else was considered real.

            Between Elena, Jeremy, Stefan, and Damon, I was handed a lot of basic information about the supernatural world that I was just welcomed into.

In other terms of vampire knowledge, decapitation was a way to kill a vampire, so was a stake through the heart. And, in order for a vampire to enter someone’s home—if they were alive—they had to be invited in. Of course, in Elena’s case, since she was a vampire, any vampire could come in. That concerned me, but Elena assured me she, Damon, Stefan, and Caroline were the only vampires in Mystic Falls.

I wondered if Elena knew other vampires in the town and didn’t want to tell me their names, or she didn’t genuinely know of any more that took residency in the town.

 Now I began to wonder what the hell I brought myself into when moving here to Mystic Falls. I moved into another world rather than another state in the U.S. Maryland didn’t have witches, werewolves, or vampires.

            I kind of missed Maryland now, it was so normal. Mystic Falls was anything but.

            “I can’t believe Trevor was serious about the whole vampire thing,” I murmured, glaring up at the ceiling. “I thought he was delusional.” It took me a minute to realize what Trevor’s mad obsession meant. “He’s a vampire hunter.”

            “Was,” Damon reminded me.

            “Whatever. Are there more like Trevor?”

            “Yes,” Stefan admitted. “But they’re spread out. We used to have a problem with hunters around here until they left. Now it seems they’ve come back.”

            “Are there more here in the area?” I panicked.

            “We’re not sure,” Elena sighed. “But now that we know Trevor was one, there could be more around. He could’ve been relaying back to his leader that’s stationed here or somewhere close by. There had been suspicions about some around not too long before you called and asked to come here.”

            “So that’s why you sounded uneasy when I talked to you,” I whispered. It made sense now, why Elena hadn’t wanted me to come. She was afraid of the danger that she would bring me into. Of course, it kind of seemed inevitable, what with her being a vampire and all.

            I was in the danger now, no matter how much Elena didn’t want me to be.

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to bring you here because—”

            “Because they were around, and you thought that they’d think I’d be just like you,” I said gravely. “You are quite the actress if they haven’t figured you out yet. Now I wish I stayed in Maryland. I wouldn’t have gotten myself into this mess.”

            “I didn’t want you to be hurt if I rejected you coming, though. Really, it’s my fault you’re here. I let you stay.”

            “Eh, I’m not mad at you, Elena.” I sucked in a breath. “I’m just pissed because I was so stupid into thinking that Trevor was a nice person. Speaking of him, what are we doing about the body?” I looked at Damon. “You said that’d get taken care of.”

            “I’ll find a way to get rid of it as soon as I leave,” he assured me. “If other hunters come looking for him, I’ll make sure they can’t recover his body.”

            “There’s something else you should know too, Fay,” Jer said carefully. “Jenna was a vampire, too.”

            The wave of shock didn’t hit me as hard as it did when I heard that Aunt Jenna was dead. The shock did sting, though.

            “So…that story about how she got killed was fake?” I stammered.

            “Mhm,” Elena said gently. “Vampire hunters didn’t get to her, though, if it makes you feel any better.”

            “Not by much.” I hugged myself. “Don’t tell me how it happened. I’m going to need time to adjust to everything now that I’m in a world with mythological creatures that I only thought existed in books.”

            “Well, if she knows about us now, we can just heal her our way,” Damon suggested.

Elena gripped the couch and looked about ready to pounce on Damon. Jeremy looked uneasy. Stefan stayed neutral. Whatever Damon was suggesting made everybody tense.

            “No, I won’t let that happen to her. She doesn’t deserve it, Damon,” Elena snarled. “She’s been through enough.”

            “What?” I piped. “What is it? Tell me!”

            “Fay, that’s something you don’t want to hear. Trust me.” Elena’s brown eyes narrowed at Damon. “I’d rather have her heal the natural, human way than try it your way and risk her being condemned to a fate like ours.”

            “There’s a way to become a vampire?” I squeaked.

            “Of course there is. If there wasn’t, we’d be a dying breed,” Damon muttered.

            “If you tell her about it, I’ll rip your heart out,” Elena growled.

            “Elena, relax,” I whimpered. “Nobody is ripping anybody’s hearts out, got it? I’m not interested in learning how people become vampires. Besides, I’ve seen enough violence for one night. Let’s not have more tonight.”

            “She’s right,” Stefan agreed.

            “So, what are we going to do now? I’m sure Trevor probably told his other hunter buddies about me even though I’m not a vampire.”

            “That’s if he’s told others. We’ll have to keep an eye out for more. That’s all we can do, really.”

            “None of you can read minds or anything? No special power like that or seeing the future?”

            “No.”

            “Damn. That would be awesome, to hear people’s thoughts.”

            “I don’t know about that,” Damon chimed. “Hearing peoples’ boring and annoying lives could give you a major headache.”

            “Oh, other things can give you headaches. For instance, you’ve given me one or two, and I barely know you.”

            “Easy, you two,” Elena called us to order. “Look, we’ll just have to deal with more hunters if they’re around. For now, I suggest we try to put this behind us—for Faith’s sake.”

            “I’m all for that,” I whispered, “but that won’t change the fact that I know you’re a vampire.”

            “As long as it’ll help you forget what happened tonight, I’d be grateful that that’d be the only thing you knew about this world.”

            “I think she’s kicking you guys out,” I said, looking to the brothers. “She’s just trying to be nice about it.”

            It wasn’t too long afterwards that Stefan and Damon left. Elena carried me up to bed; I was surprisingly light in her arms. That was because of her strength, she told me. She was careful to not bump my wounded leg into the door frame as she set me in her room. As I took my time getting changed for bed, Elena stood guard at the window, looking out it.

            “Thinking another hunter will appear at the door?” I teased.

            “I wish I could take this all like a joke,” she huffed. “But this is serious, Fay.”

            “I know it is. I was just trying to ease your mood a little.” I shrugged out of the jeans, one leg with a gaping, bloody hole. I tossed the jeans away. “How hard is it for you, Elena, to resist feeding on people?”

            “It’s not easy, but it does get easier the longer I’m a vampire. Damon and Stefan have been vampires for so long, but I think no matter how old of a vampire you are, you’re bound to fall into a small relapse.”

            “Relapse?”

            “Where you just can’t stand it anymore—you just have to feed.”

            “Sorry I asked.” I winced as I slipped a leg through the sweats. I didn’t want to see the wrapped part of my leg. “Is it hard for you right now, being in the same room with me?”

            “Actually, no. I may still be considered a very young vampire, but I know better than to feed on friends and family.” She had a faint hint of joking in her tone. “I could never feed on you, Faith. I couldn’t imagine using you as a blood bag and one day accidentally killing you.” She shivered. “I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt and grief. I’ve watched people die because of vampires. I don’t want you to end up like that.”

            Unless Elena was really driven crazy by her thirst, I saw no reason really be afraid of her at night. It wasn’t like she was going to feed off me while I was sleeping. I would definitely feel her fangs in my skin if she bit me. I shuddered, thinking about sharp canines ripping into my flesh.

            “Do vampires sleep, Elena?” I asked curiously. The idea randomly sprang on me.

            “Yeah. We don’t sleep in coffins or anything.” She cracked a small smile. “That’s just some crazy thing people made up.”

            “It’s funny how some people think of vampires and they turn out to be somewhat right,” I mused. I crawled onto the bed. “This is going to take some time getting used to.”

            “You’ll adjust.” Elena’s voice was hopeful. “Living amongst vampires isn’t as bad as you think. After all, you’ve been living around them for a bit now.”

            “That was because I didn’t know about vampires,” I corrected her.

            “Good point.” There was a brief silence between us. “Just so you know—you won’t be able to go back to Maryland now, not if Trevor told other hunters about you.”

            “I know,” I murmured. Somehow, deep down, I’d known that from the moment I was told that vampires existed, as well as their hunters. “The last thing I want is to go back to my grandparents and have vampire hunters track me there. I don’t want them to get involved with my life anymore than they are now. It looks like I’m gonna have to stick this out with you, Elena.”

            “Hmm…”

            “What?”

            “I just thought of something.” Her brows furrowed in concentration.

            “What?” I pressed eagerly.

            “Remember that man you thought you saw when you first came here?”

            “Yeah.” The thought occurred to me. “You don’t think it was—”

            “Trevor? Yeah, I do. It makes sense, Faith. He had been around the house the night of the sleepover. He had to be the one that you saw that morning after you came here. Who else would’ve been around here without me knowing?”

            “Damon? He has a knack for showing up out of nowhere,” I said irritably.

            “Trust me, if it had been him, I would’ve known if he had been snooping around, Fay. I think Trevor was your mysterious morning stalker.”

            I gulped. Trevor could’ve easily followed me home that day that I arrived here in Mystic Falls. Who knows how long Trevor had been keeping tabs on me to see if I was a vampire?

 I couldn’t tell Elena about seeing Trevor that one night. I deemed it unnecessary to tell her. She and I didn’t need to be reminded of him anymore.

“Does this mean this house isn’t safe for us anymore?” I whispered, dreading that Elena wanted us to move to another house, or town, or state…or—this was a long shot—another country or continent.

“I’m not sure. It’ll depend on if anymore are in town. If they know about all of us and know where we live, we’ll have to move. I don’t want to pick a fight, only because that’s what happened last time, and we still have them as a problem even now. Fighting them won’t make them leave us alone. Running might get them off our trail if it comes to that.”

“But wouldn’t running make them feel powerful, knowing that they had chased off their enemy?”

My question wasn’t answered.

Now part of me actually wanted to run away from Mystic Falls, only because I couldn’t stand the thought of staying and fighting vampire hunters. Just because Elena, Caroline, Stefan, and Damon had the upper hand in strength, speed, and probably everything else, didn’t mean that they would easily win against a hunter. I didn’t know much about hunters, but common sense told me that hunters weren’t stupid—they’d come prepared with the necessary weapons to take down a vampire.

“I don’t get how you’re not running away screaming right now,” Elena chuckled, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I mean, any normal person would look the other way or go screaming it to the heavens.”

“You don’t know me, Elena,” I retorted lightly. “When it comes to family, I’m with them no matter what—even though I really have no choice in this matter, not unless I want to risk lives down in Maryland.”

“I think if there are hunters around and you do happen to be attacked by them, you need to know how to protect yourself. They aren’t regular people.”

“You got that right,” I snorted. “They’re people with crazy minds.”

“I know you might not be willing to learn how to defend yourself, but since you’re human, you’re definitely going to need it. If the hunters are convinced that you’re like me, they’re sure to come after you. I want things to settle down for you first before we try anything, though.”

“I like that idea.” I yawned.

“I should probably leave you alone now.” Elena walked to me, squeezed my hand, and then left her/my room.

I pulled the blinds instantly even though I knew Trevor wouldn’t be peeping in tonight—or ever again. I burrowed into the sheets, trying to wrap my head around everything that I learned tonight.

First, vampires existed in Mystic Falls. They weren’t just mythical creatures made up in stories and movies. These were the real deal. They blended in well with humans, so well that I didn’t know my own cousin was one until she told me tonight!

Second, where there were vampires, vampire hunters weren’t far behind. They were just regular people with a dark purpose. I was an idiot, falling for a vampire hunter. I knew it would take some time to recover from the pain Trevor caused me for using me just so he could kill me because he thought I was a vampire. There were more like him out in the world, but where, nobody was certain. We were going to have to watch out for them now.

Third, Mystic Falls wasn’t a safe place for me anymore. Not even the house was safe. I couldn’t go back to Maryland, not if the threat of hunters was in Mystic Falls. I had more to worry about now in addition to my other fears. I wasn’t worried about vampires eating me, though Damon seemed to be a concern of mine still. Elena protected me from him, so if Damon knew not to cross my cousin, I was sure to be safe from his fangs.

Fourth, I was in a new, different world now…sort of. I had two worlds colliding: my normal world, and now the supernatural world. If I was to survive in both, I was going to have to learn self-defense. I had a feeling Elena would recruit a few others to help me out. There was no way she was going to teach me by herself.

I wasn’t sure how I managed to fall asleep that night with everything bouncing around in my head, but somehow I did. It almost seemed miraculous. 

**Looks like Faith has no choice but to hang around. Who's actually kind of happy about that? Who's wondering if it's a bad idea for her to hang around, even though no matter where she goes, she'll be in danger?**