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CHAPTER TWENTY
the miss mystic falls pageant
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( miss mystic falls, pt. i )

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Monday, February 1, 2010

3rd Person POV.

*The Founders' Hall*

Damon is being invited to the sheriff's meetings more often. Jack supposes he's just going to have to get used to it. It's not like the man has done anything wrong. Damon is perfectly polite and is a great help when it comes to eliminating vampire threats. But still, there is just something about him that doesn't sit right with Jack. Maybe it's the way he so quickly came into town and was immediately accepted by Liz and the Founders' Council. Sure, he is a Salvatore, giving him every right to be involved in Founders' affairs, but no one even knew Zach Salvatore had any nephews until Damon and his brother showed up. Supposedly, Zach moved away, leaving the rights of his house to his two nephews.

Liz is speaking to Damon. "There was a disturbance at the hospital blood bank last night," she informs him. "Some of the supply was compromised."

"Compromised?" Damon questions. "You mean, stolen?"

Liz nods. "We almost missed it. The inventory records were altered, but when the night manager was questioned he had no recollection of changing them."

Liz looks over at John Gilbert, and he adds, "Meaning the vampire who stole the blood used mind control to hide the theft."

"I know what she meant," Damon says somewhat spitefully.

Jack can sense a very palpable tension between Damon and John. He can't blame Damon for disliking John. The man is very controlling and thinks of himself as above everyone else just because of his heritage as a Gilbert. Unfortunately, Jack has to put up with him and his ego because of his wife. John is the only brother Sarah has left, and family always comes before opinions.

Liz continues to explain the situation to Damon. "We wouldn't have noticed had John not alerted us to recent discrepancies at other hospital blood banks in the county."

Damon turns to John. "How lucky for us we have . . . John," he comments dryly.

Jack almost lets out a laugh at what Damon had said. He may not fully like the guy, but at least he can relate to him when it comes to his dislike for John.

Liz remains all-business. "We're stepping up security at the hospital," she explains, "giving the guards vervain to prevent this from happening again."

John takes a step forward. "Sheriff, might I offer a suggestion? Why don't Damon and I put our heads together? We could track down whoever's doing this."

"Truthfully, Jack and I could use the extra hands," Liz says, looking over at Damon.

Jack grins. The look on Damon's face is priceless.

"Is that something you'd be willing to do?" she asks him.

Damon composes himself. "Well, of course, I mean, if it'll help."

"I think we'll make a good team," John says. "Don't you think, Damon?"

"John, whatever I can do to help keep this town safe . . . even if it means spending time with you." Damon sends John a forced smile to which John returns amusedly.

When Damon looks away from John, his eyes meet those of Jack.

"Have fun." Jack grins.

"Thanks," Damon mutters.

Harper's POV.

*Outside Mystic Falls High School*

Elena and I catch Bonnie at the end of the school day. She came back to school today, and we want to make sure she's okay. Well, as okay as someone who just lost a family member can be. It's been nearly a year since Aunt Miranda and Uncle Grayson died, so I know how hard it can be.

"Bonnie!" Elena calls after her.

She slows down and looks back at us. "Hey."

"Hey, I, uh, I tried to grab you after class," Elena explains. "But you had already taken off."

Bonnie comes to a complete stop, and Elena and I stand with her.

"How are you?" Elena asks. "How's your family?"

"We're dealing. It's been hard," she answers simply.

Elena readjusts the strap of her bag over her shoulder. "Everyone here really missed you," she says.

"Yeah, we really missed your —" I start but stop myself immediately. I was seriously about to make a sarcastic comment about her rants about being a witch, the thing that got her Grams killed in the first place. How come when I finally open my mouth to say something it's never the right thing?

"Yeah," Bonnie says. "I just had so much to deal with after Grams' funeral, and honestly after you told me the tomb spell failed, I just didn't really wanna come back."

"I hope that you understand why I called," says Elena gently. "I wanted you to know before you came home."

"I understand why," Bonnie assures. "I just shouldn't . . . know."

"I know it's been really hard —" Elena starts but never gets to finish because Caroline comes out of no where and interrupts.

"Bonnie!" our blond friend calls. "Bonnie! Thank God you're home!" She captures Bonnie in a tight hug then lets go. "I know we talked everyday, but I missed you. How are you doing?"

Bonnie smiles at her, but I know it's forced based on how she was acting a moment ago. Poor girl is still a mess, and she has every right to be.

"Better," Bonnie insists. "It's better, you know. Glad to be back and, uh, trying to keep myself . . ." She searches for the right word. "Busy."

"Well, I can help with that," Caroline offers, smiling widely. "Major wardrobe confab needed ASAP. You need to help me pick the perfect dress for the Founders' court."

Bonnie chuckles reluctantly at the sound of that, probably not what she had in mind. I'm honestly surprised Caroline hasn't picked out a dress yet. Usually she's on top of stuff like that, and I'm the one waiting till the last second.

"The Founders' court?" Elena questions. "Did I miss something?"

Surprised, I turn to Elena. "How could you forget?" I say in amazement.

I know we've been busy dealing with vampire drama these last few months, but even I couldn't forget about one of the biggest events of the year.

"The Founders' court," Caroline repeats for clarification. "You know, Miss Mystic Falls. They announced it today, and you, me, and Harper are all on it."

"Oh my God," Elena exclaims. "We signed up for that so long ago . . . I completely forgot."

Caroline laughs good-naturedly. "Yeah," she agrees before composing herself. "Oh, so are, are you dropping out, then?"

Elena hesitates. She shakes her head. "I can't."

"No?" Caroline asks, a bit confused.

Bonnie speaks up. "Her mom is the one who wanted her to enter," she explains.

Friday, February 5, 2010

*The Founders' Hall*

"This year's queen will have the special honor of taking center stage at the 150th Founders' Day Gala. Before we crown our winner, we'd like to get to know a bit more about each of you," Carol Lockwood explains to me.

Nervously, I clasp my hands together on my lap and cross my ankles. I'm sitting alone before the three judges for the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. It's my turn to be interviewed and say my piece. My mother was a judge last year and won the pageant back when she was in high school, so I kind of have an idea of what the judges are looking for. It also helps that I know Mrs. Lockwood, so I'm not too nervous.

"You may begin." Carol smiles at me.

"Hi, my name is Harper Lacy, and I am a junior at Mystic Falls High School. I am very honored to be here, and I hope you will see great potential in what I have accomplished this year. I am a member of the National Honors Society which has opened doorways to several service opportunities I have been a part of, such as filling boxes with food for poor families and wrapping Christmas presents for needy children. I have also volunteered in several other service projects, including picking up trash around the town square and cleaning headstones at the cemetery. I have a 4.3 GPA, and am on my way to receiving advanced honors credit. I just need to get at least a score of 1100 on my SAT. I have also taken a foreign language for three years, which would be Spanish. Last year, I received an award for having the highest grade average in English, and this year I am working towards doing the same in Precalculus. In my past accomplishments, I hope to show my strong work ethic and determination to push through. Thank you."

I let out a deep sigh, glad that I'm finally done. I hope I didn't miss anything. I'm sure I could have worded it a lot better, but, hey, I did my best.

*Later That Day in the Lunchroom at Mystic Falls High School*

I don't think I've hated anything more. Practicing the dance for the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant has been the bane of my existence. I didn't have anybody to be my escort, so my mother got Mrs. Lockwood to hook me up with one of Tyler's random distant cousins. His name is Carson Lockwood-Hamilton. He seemed interested in me at first until he found out I'm not much of a talker. Now we're just sorta awkwardly dancing with each other like two strangers stuck in an elevator.

Oh why, oh why, does life have to put me in these situations?

"Honor your partner," Carol directs. She walks over to a small speaker and presses play.

The girls curtsy while the boys bow down to us.

As the music plays, Mrs. Lockwood continues her instruction. "Let's focus. Right hand around."

I lift my right hand, and Carson does the same. We start to walk around each other with our hands held up close to each other.

"Flirt with your eyes," Carol says.

Ugh, no way that's happening. I don't do what she says. It's not a big deal anyways. It's just practice.

"Left hand around."

We switch hands and continue going around in a circle.

"Both hands," Carol changes things up.

Suddenly, I hear Elena laughing loudly, and I stop dancing. I look over and see Stefan holding Elena in a dipped position.

At least she's having fun.

Carol stops the music and goes over to scold them."Oh, oh, no, no, no, there's no touching during this part. It's about the simple intimacy of the near-touch." She holds up her own hands just inches apart, demonstrating. As she backs away from Stefan and Elena, she turns to a girl named Amber Bradley and her partner. "Very nice, Amber," she compliments.

Amber smiles brightly. "Thank you, Mrs. Lockwood."

Carol then looks at me. "Try to keep your hand more steady and close to Carson's, alright, Harper? Don't worry. He won't bite," she adds with a smile.

I can feel my cheeks turn warm with embarrassment.

She turns the music back on, and we continue going around in a circle. Ugh, how much longer do we have to practice this stupid dance?

Luckily, once the song ends, we go on break. I escape away from my escort and into the safety of Stefan and Elena's comfortable presence. Just as I join them, Caroline and Bonnie enter the lunchroom. I was wondering why Caroline was so late to practice.

"Bonnie," Elena addresses. "Hey."

"Hey," Stefan greets her. "How are you?" He crosses his arms, waiting for Bonnie to answer, but she doesn't. Her gaze falls to the floor in silence.

Awkward. I thought I was sensing something earlier this week, but now I'm sure of it. Bonnie hasn't forgiven Elena or Stefan for what happened to her Grams. She still blames them.

Bonnie will get over it. I know she will, but in her own time.

Caroline breaks the silence. "I begged Bonnie to fill in for Matt. He had to work today," she explains.

Elena nods in understanding before looking back at Bonnie. "Bonnie, do you have a minute?"

The said girl hesitates. "We only have thirty minutes for rehearsal," she reminds, obviously trying to get out of talking to Elena.

"It'll only take a minute," Elena insists. "Please?"

Bonnie finally gives in, and she and Elena go out into the hallway to talk privately.

Caroline turns to me and mouths silently what is going on with them? She jerks her head in their direction.

I shrug. "I don't know."

Now, I know that's not true. I do very well know what's going on between my cousin and Bonnie. But it's not like I can just tell Caroline that Bonnie's Grams died trying to open a tomb filled with vampires, now, can I?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

*The Miss Mystic Falls Pageant*

*The Founders' Hall*

"Hold still," my mother commands, putting the finishing touches on my hair.

This is my least favorite part of any event, the getting ready part. While my mother is fixing my hair, she always snaps at me if I move barely an inch. And don't even get me started when she brushes the tangles out of my hair. It hurts like heck, and all I can do is sit there and hold back tears. I hate it.

Luckily for me, I've chosen a simple yet elegant hairstyle for the pageant. I'm wearing my hair parted to the side and down in loose waves. Nothing too outgoing, but I like it.

"I'll tell you one thing. Your hair would have a better chance if she was," comments Jenna's voice from behind us.

"And done," my mother announces proudly, setting down the hairbrush on the vanity table with a tap. In the mirror, I see her turn to Elena and Jenna at the vanity table behind ours. "Jenna, do you need any help with Elena's hair?" my mother offers.

"I think we're all good," Jenna responds.

"I'm gonna go put my dress on," Elena announces, starting to get up from her chair.

"I'm gonna go put my dress on too," I say, going to follow her.

We walk across the hall together and into the designated changing room. Amber is in there, shaking her hands and inhaling deeply through gritted teeth.

"Are you okay, Amber?" Elena asks.

She shakes her head. "I — I hate being the center of attention." She laughs nervously before adding, "I get panic attacks."

Elena points behind us out the open door. "Do you need some privacy so you can change?"

"Actually, I'm just — I'm just gonna go get some air." She leaves and closes the door behind her.

"She'll be fine," I say hopefully.

To be honest, I'm not that nervous as I expected to be for this pageant. I've been looking forward to it for years now. While I'm not a big fan of the dance practices or speeches, I do so enjoy the idea of dressing up and being recognized by the prestigious citizens of Mystic Falls. Based on my personality, you never would be able to guess that I enjoy such attention being drawn to me. It's not that I don't like attention. It's just that I don't want too much attention on me all the time, and it also depends on whose attention I've drawn and why. As long as it's not for any bad or embarrassing reasons, I'm happy. Winning the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant would be a dream come true.

Elena takes her dress off the mirror, and I do the same. I hear her gasp only to turn around and find Damon standing there.

At the sight of him, I inhale sharply and take a step back.

What is he doing here? Doesn't he know this room is for pageant girls only? I swear Damon has no sense of boundaries.

Elena is the first to calm down. "Hey, you can't be back here," she says.

"We need to talk," he states firmly.

"Does it have to be right now?" she inquires, lifting her dress in her hands for him to see that we're busy.

He walks closer to us. "Normally, I would have a completely different outlook on what I'm about to tell you, but since it could really inconvenience me, I'll . . . squeal."

It's at this moment I realize he's wearing a black and white suit. I've never seen him in one before. He looks really handsome, dashing even. If he weren't such a terrible person, I would let myself stare, but since he's not, I have to resist that urge.

Elena shakes her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

He takes a deep breath. "Stefan's still drinking human blood."

A moment of silence befalls the three of us. Elena had mentioned that after she fed Stefan her blood to give him strength against the tomb vampires, he was having some difficulty controlling his blood lust. But I had thought he was over it since he came back to school last week. Apparently, we were wrong.

"Yeah . . ." Damon says, "a month ago I would have rejoiced but with the council back on the alert, it is not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle."

"I know he's been a little edgy," Elena says. "But he said that was normal."

"He has a fridge full of stolen blood-bank contraband in the house," says Damon.

Needing to sit down, Elena takes a seat on the couch against the wall. "Oh my God," she exhales.

Damon continues, "He has no idea what normal is. His entire existence isn't normal. Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood, but he spent all this time fighting it when he should've been learning to control it, and now it's controlling him instead."

Elena shakes her head in disbelief. "Uh, I — I can't believe this. I mean, it's Stefan that we're talking about here."

"Stefan on human blood, Elena. He'll do anything. He'll say anything because he's not gonna wanna stop," Damon explains. "Trust me."

Elena and I share a worried glance. She gets up from the couch and begins pacing back and forth. "This is all my fault. I'm the one who fed him the blood in the first place."

Suddenly, the door to the changing room opens, and Stefan walks in.

Oh shoot. I never thought I would be wary around Stefan, but after learning what he's been up to, I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable. Not to mention, he probably heard a lot of the conversation with his vampire hearing, so that's awkward.

"Uh . . ." Stefan hesitates. "Well, what's going on in here?"

Damon turns to his brother. "I'm just filling them in on your 'extra-curricular activities.'"

At first, Stefan doesn't respond, but then he scoffs lightly, "What are you talking about?"

It's very obvious that he's playing dumb. I can't believe it. This isn't Stefan. He's the good one. He's not supposed to be like this.

"I know about the blood, Stefan," Elena speaks up.

Before anymore can be said, Damon clears his throat. "I'm gonna, uh, I'll be downstairs, drinking."

When Damon leaves, I find myself wanting to leave as well. Elena probably wants to talk to Stefan alone.

Carrying my dress by its hanger, I walk up to Elena and whisper in her ear "I'm gonna go put on my dress." As I walk past Stefan out the door, it feels so weird basically ignoring him. But the way he acted a moment ago and blatantly lied to Elena is making it hard to act normal around him.

I close the door behind me and start walking down the hall. I'm not going to let vampire drama or anything else ruin this day for me. I already have enough problems as it is with an escort I don't like. I don't need anymore issues.

*Time Skip*

"Miss Tina Fell!" announces Mayor Lockwood from the bottom of the stairs, "escorted by Bartholomew Whitmore."

As Tina descends the stairs in her pink dress, the crowd claps from below.

A mix of nerves and excitement erupts in my chest. It's almost my turn after Caroline and Elena. We're going in alphabetical order by last names, which puts me last. I'm okay with it though cause that has allowed me to watch how everyone else does things first. I don't like to be the first one to go in these types of situations.

Standing here at the top of the stairs makes me feel like a princess. I'm wearing a floor-length golden beaded sheath with sparkly wedge heels. The dress is the most beautiful gown I have ever worn. For once I think I could even rival Elena, not the nicest thought, but still.

Elena leans over the rail, looking down at the people below. "Do you guys see Stefan down there?" she asks, sounding worried.

Caroline and I join her to look over the balcony. When I don't see Stefan, I get worried, but then I realize that I can't see my escort Carson either. Maybe they're just standing out of our line of sight?

"Ah," Caroline says. "Nope, just my boring fill-in escort."

Elena's brow furrows. "What happened to Matt?"

"Ah, they wouldn't let him out of work." Caroline rolls her eyes in annoyance. "Wait, what happened to Stefan?"

Elena shakes her head. "I don't know. He just disappeared somewhere. I don't know." She takes a deep breath. "What am I doing? I never should've gone through with this."

Seeing Elena start to panic is making me more nervous. It's rare that she gets flustered like this. Usually, I'm the one chickening out about stuff.

"You'll be fine," I encourage her.

"What's going on?" Caroline asks her.

"I need to find Stefan. This isn't me. I'm not this person anymore." Elena starts to walk away.

"Where are you going?" I call after her, thinking that it's crazy that she's just going to leave in the middle of the ceremony.

"Uh, no, no, no. No way. No," Caroline calls after her.

This gets Elena to stop and turn around.

Once she has her attention, Caroline continues. "Uh, you had your chance to drop out, and believe me, I was all for it. Because there is no way that I can beat you." She pauses. "Elena, you're doing this because it was important to your mom," she reminds her.

"Miss Caroline Forbes!" Mayor Lockwood suddenly announces, "and her escort Jeffrey Lockwood-Hamilton."

Excitedly, Caroline smiles at us and begins her descent down the stairs. The crowd claps for her all the while.

"Elena, you're next," says Mrs. Lockwood.

I almost forgot she was up here with us.

"Come on," she encourages Elena forward with her hand.

"Mrs. Lockwood, I'm sorry," Elena says apologetically. "But there's really something I need to do." She points behind her away from the stairs.

"Is everything all right?" Mrs. Lockwood questions in concern.

I can't believe what my cousin is saying. She actually wants to drop out of the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, one of the biggest honors to be a part of!

"Yes, everything is fine," Elena insists. "But I really need to go. It can't wait. I'm sorry."

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Lockwood asks.

Elena nods firmly. "Yes."

"I'll go let Richard know then," Mrs. Lockwood says as she heads down a different hallway to get downstairs.

"Where are you going?" I ask Elena.

"I need to find Stefan. I can't do this without him. If he's not down there, it means something happened to him." Before she leaves, she adds, "I wanted to do this because it was important to my mom, but Stefan is important to me. I have to make sure he's okay." With that, she goes, leaving me alone at the top of the stairs.

And then there was one.

( word count: 3.9k )