Damon was feeling reckless. He knew not what was troubling him and the fact that he didn't was enough to enrage him further. He ran his fingers through his hair pushing them back and looked worn out. He absentmindedly started drawing on a paper with a pencil just to distract himself. 

The flashbacks from his past were haunting him again. Whenever he closed his eyes he could glimpse everything as if it was right in front of him. He had no idea how long he had sat there on his desk with his hand still flowing across the paper sketching something he probably didn't intend to. 

He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. It was unusual for him to have a headache but right then a constant hammering was going on in his head. "Stop. Just stop," he muttered under his breath as he clutched his head in his hands trying to shut out the pain. 

Screams rang in his ears, he could smell the fire and the blood and he could see the helpless girl standing terrified and pained, he could see the vampire who trusted him with his life looking up at him in disbelief and agony and everything was so clear in his vision as if it was happening currently. 

He was roused from his memories when thin arms encircled him as someone hugged him tightly from behind. Opening his eyes he saw it was Melanie. He tried to smile up at her as he didn't want to spoil her cheerfulness, "hey Mel when did you come?" 

She flopped down on the chair beside him and kicked off her shoes, "just about now. It's a blessing I had a spare key or else I would still be outside." 

He realized he has forgotten to pick her up from school, "how did you reach home?" Concern flickered in his eyes as he looked at her probably feeling bad that he forgot. 

She gave him a bright smile, "I took the bus." Seeing his mood she immediately added, "hey, its okay. Damon its perfectly fine with me. I know you must be busy or tired or whatever. It doesn't even matter." 

He mumbled, "it does matter. I was supposed to pick you up. I'm supposed to keep you safe. I... I... I'm just so useless." 

She slapped her palm on her forehead, "oh come on it's not that big a mistake. I mean I'm here. At home. Safe. So it's not a big deal at all, okay? And you're not useless. You happen to be the world's best brother who makes mouth watering pancakes and that reminds me that I haven't eaten since lunch. I'm starving." 

He looked at the tall blonde now fifteen year old girl and it somehow made him smile a little, "fine I'll make you your favorite chocolate chip pancakes." 

He got up to go in the kitchen. "And Damon," he turned around hearing her voice, "you're quite an artist. This sketch is beautiful." 

Seeing the paper in her hand his face paled. It was the same paper on which he had been drawing mindlessly without even seeing what was being sketched. And now when he looked at it he felt numb. 

His blankness surprised her, "what happened? I thought you deserved some appreciation. This sketch is really pretty awesome."

The sketch was of a beautiful girl with long flowing hair. The girl in the sketch appeared to be in pain but was infinitely attractive. 

Damon was staring at the sketch with wide eyes and shock took over his face. Melanie stood beside him and placed her hand on his arm, "hey what's wrong?" 

He shook his head, "nothing. I just had no idea what I was doing. I didn't even know I made this." 

She was looking at the sketch curiously, "now that's strange." 

He was confused, "what?" 

She traced her finger delicately on the girl's face, "I was thinking that if you just make this girl a bit more gaunt and age her a bit perhaps only a few years and draw a little scar on her left cheek, right here," she pointed on the cheek near her jawline, "then she would look exactly like my..." 

But he interrupted, "don't say another word, Mel." The frown lines were visible on his forehead and his eyes seemed struggling. 

She stared at him in surprise, "I don't get it. I mean I was just going to say..." 

He held up his hand for her to stop, "look if you're about to say what I think then its going to be a disaster. And I won't be able to deal with it. Please try to understand. Just don't say it." 

She asked, "what do you think I'm going to say?" 

His eyes pierced right through hers, "she does not look like your mother. Do you get it now? She does not resemble your mother in the least." 

Her eyes widened because that was exactly what she was going to say; that the girl in the sketch resembled her mother. 

She looked down at it again and then back at Damon who was stiff and breathing heavily. Then she asked, "can I know who is she?" 

He replied dismissively, "no one." 

She spoke softly knowing that the girl wasn't a nobody, "you know you can trust me." 

He spoke sharply, "I know that. And I have to go make pancakes. You didn't forget that you were starving a few minutes ago, right?" 

She sighed in defeat and nodded, "okay. As you wish." And then she stopped talking about it.

She was perched up on the counter finishing the last of her pancakes. She was pondering over a lot of things; the girl in the picture, the sketch's uncanny resemblance to her own mother and Damon's sudden outburst. 

She glanced over at him and saw that he was gazing at the fireplace mindlessly. "I have eaten these pancakes. Now can you tell me who she is?" she asked stubbornly. 

He groaned and grabbed her shoulders firmly. "Melanie I don't want to talk about it," he said slowly staring in her eyes. He was trying to compel her. 

"Pity I don't get compelled easily," she replied staring back at him angrily. She couldn't believe that he had tried to compel her. 

He sighed and looked at her just as angry. "I told you I don't want to talk about it. Just leave it alone," he said grabbing a drink and gulping it down. 

"You don't trust anyone. And I don't trust anyone. But we've always trusted each other. You promised you won't keep any secrets from me and in return I didn't keep any from you. Why don't you just stop hiding? Just tell me. Who is she?" Melanie asked grabbing his hand and tracing circles on his palm in order to calm him down. 

"Mel I don't want to mess anything up. I don't know what will happen if I told you. I... I don't want you to ever leave me." 

She gave his hand a tender squeeze, "I won't leave you, I promise. And Damon if you share it with me it will definitely feel loads better. I just want to help unburden you, okay?" 

He gave a low nod. "Her name was Arianna," he said bluntly. She kept silent encouraging him to continue. 

He let out a sad sigh, "she was a human. And I would never have met her if it hadn't been for the Augustine campaign." 

She had never heard him talking about Augustine earlier but the word rang a bell in her mind as if she had heard it before but couldn't recall it, "what's that?" 

He spoke, "I couldn't tell you. You were too small at that time when I told you some parts of my life. The Augustine was hell on earth. And believe me when I say that. It was a living hell for us vampires." 

He clenched his jaw as the memories rushed to him, "there were some professors or scientists at Whitmore College who found out about the existence of vampires. They started experimenting for a valid proof. As they put it they were doing it for Science and the Progress of Mankind," his voice was laced with hate and irony as he said those words, "and so they caught some Specimens. Vampires. Me along with a few others to be precise. Me and... and Lorenzo." 

A fire was blazing in his eyes as he said his name. He could hear his screams, the torment and the misery. Shaking his head he continued, "it was a painful time for us. Painful doesn't even describe it. Five years in hell. The Scientists called this research as Augustine. In the name of research, they cut us up and sew us back again, they used to draw our blood for their experiments. To prove their goddamn theories. We were tortured. Weakened. Chained up like animals. Even worse than animals." 

He smashed his fist in the wall and she flinched. Anger and agony dripped from every single word he said. "I used to think that we were tortured because being a vampire was our crime. If we had been humans we would not be tortured but I was wrong. It was our fourth year in imprisonment. I was depressed and angry and I told Lorenzo about what I just told you. About the crime of being a vampire. But he showed me that those scientists didn't care for any human either. Across from our cell, a human girl was imprisoned. Arianna. It was then I realized that they didn't give a damn about anything be it even their own kind. Their own ilk. Humans. No, they just cared about their stupid experiments and damned theories." He slammed his fist again in indescribable fury. 

"But why was she there? Why did they need a human girl?" Melanie asked. 

He replied, "because they were never content with their findings. They wanted to find out more and more and more. What would they care if a few lives were sacrificed in their experiments? Nothing at all. They had no conscience. No feelings. And here people think that we are the monsters. Trust me, they were worse than monsters. They needed the human girl so that... so that they could...see what would happen if a human and a vampire were to reproduce." 

His voice had increased to a dangerous pitch, "the bastards wanted a miracle. They wanted to create something that was not meant to be. And then what? They would start torturing the poor child be it a human, vampire or a hybrid. And for that goddamn experiment they chose me. And her obviously. I had no idea about it until the night before the experiment." 

Anger was radiating off him and his voice shook, "they had locked both of us in the same cell. She was the one who told me about their intentions. She begged me to prevent it. She was young and didn't wish to endanger her life more than it already was. And even I wasn't in favor of the hideous experiment. I promised her and told her about the escape plan me and Lorenzo had been designing." 

He grabbed another bottle and gulped it down, "every New Year's Eve the Augustine people had a little cocktail party with a vampire buffet on the side. We were weak from vervain injections, half starved from living on a glass of blood a day, chained up like animals. This annual little shindig was where Dr Whitmore could show his Augustine friends what he had found in his research. He let his guests drink from us to demonstrate the healing power of vampire blood. But on the plus side that's how Enzo came up with his plan." 

He told her about the plan in which Enzo had suggested that if one vampire was to drink two rations of blood a day for the next year, he'd be able to build up his strength till the New Year's Eve and be able to fight back. 

"Enzo trusted me with his life. He only kept a few drops for himself so that he wouldn't desiccate. And while he starved himself, I grew stronger. And on the next New Year's Eve I was ready. Like he said I would. I told all that to Arianna. She couldn't believe it and obviously did not trust us to succeed. But this was the only chance we had. Take it or regret it." 

Melanie asked, "but what about that experiment involving you and her? Did you prevent it?" 

He shook his head, "unfortunately not. We were compelled, forced and had no memory whatsoever of what happened. But it did happen. A few days after when she realized she had told me. She was in tears. I could understand but there was nothing I could possibly do. It wasn't my fault nor hers. We had no choice of our own. They kept draining me of my blood and kept injecting her with it so they could accelerate the process. And in that case I had to be really careful because I was building up my strength to fight but if they continued draining me everything would be lost. But some things do turn out better than you expect. Like I said, on the next party I was ready. As per their routine, Dr Whitmore came to obtain some of my blood for their evening toast and he took me out of the cage thinking I was still chained with that handcuff which I had already broken out of. And it was then I set the plan into action." 

He downed another bottle of Bourbon so that he could lessen the intensity of whatever he was feeling. "I showed them what happens when humans mess up with things they should stay out of. I lashed out at them. Honestly, they deserved it. Amid all that commotion, fire broke out everywhere. I had to save Enzo and I had to save her too. I went to her cell first because it wasn't vervained and was easier to break open. But I couldn't save him. I tried. I tried hard but couldn't succeed. Either I would have burnt up there or they would have caught me again. And I could never get another chance of escaping. So I chose to save myself." 

Melanie was silenced by everything he had said so far. Merely thinking about Damon getting tortured in such an inhumane way was enough to give her nightmares. She realized it was better if he didn't talk about it. 

He let out the breath he had been holding, "he probably died because of me. The selfish jerk that I am. He trusted me but I chose to save myself." 

She went to him and hugged him tightly leaning onto him. It was one of her silent ways to show that he wasn't alone. That she would always be there for him. 

He stroked her hair gently acknowledging her gesture, "but I saved Arianna. And I hope she is happy with her life wherever she is. I made her promise to start her life afresh because she deserved another chance." 

She asked, "and the child?" 

He shook his head, "I hope it never came into being. I promised her to get rid of it because I wasn't sure whether it was dangerous for her or not. I didn't want her to get hurt anymore. I hope she kept her promise. And after that I never saw her again." 

She appeared to be lost in deep thought. Some puzzle pieces were fitting together all by themselves. But she was afraid to voice her thoughts to Damon. He was already in a vulnerable mood and she didn't wish to push him to the limits any further. 

She realized why he had deadpanned when she was about to say that the girl in the sketch looked a lot like her mother. And he was right when he had said that a lot of things would get messed up if he told her. But for the time being she laid the matter at rest not wanting to trouble Damon anymore.