IN JUST AN HOUR, the sun had disappeared.

Raven sat at the bottom of the bleachers, surrounded by screaming supporters. Coach Tanner's voice blared through the speaker, rallying the crowd by promising to crush the opposing team. Then he congratulated his new star player, eliciting even more whoops and cheers. Stefan stood among his teammates in a unified line. In response to the applause—and a few curious looks from his fellow players—he forced a humble smile.

Raven gazed at him, her hand instinctively reaching for the necklace. She'd received it an hour ago, and now it felt as a part of her as her own heart.

Unease rushed over her. If this gesture was romantic...she couldn't stand the thought. And not because she didn't feel...something for him. It was because she did. It was selfish. Stupid.

Raven couldn't afford to get that close to someone. And Stefan had been through so much. If he saw how distant she truly was, it'd only hurt him more. She needed to sever these semi-romantic ties before it trapped them both. But how could she when her new silver heart made her real heart flutter?

Sighing, she rose to her feet and weaved through the crowd. The game hadn't started, and maybe a quick walk to Jenna's SUV would ease her nerves. Besides, she hadn't eaten much today. That dream she'd had of Ryder and Damon the night before had shaken her more than she cared to admit. And the ride to school was torturous, but Raven had forced herself to drive so Jenna wouldn't worry. 

Raven rummaged through the trunk until finally, she settled on a bag of chips. She slammed the trunk shut and turned to leave—only to find herself mere inches away from Damon Salvatore. Her soul jumped from her body. His electric blue eyes widened teasingly, as if trying to bewitch her. She frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Damon leaned in like he was telling her a secret and whispered "I'm hiding from Caroline."

Her frown deepened. "Why?"

"I needed a break," He shrugged. "She talks more than I can listen."

"That could be a sign," Raven said, scowling. What an asshole.

"Well she's awfully young."

If she wasn't confused before, she definitely was now. "Not much younger than you are."

Damon chuckled. "I don't see it going anywhere in the bigger picture. I think she'd drive me crazy."

The way he said it, reeking with arrogance, like she was just going to agree made her body blaze with anger. Caroline was many things—a complete chatterbox, for sure, and she could be kind of tactless—but she was a great person and a wonderful friend. Raven wouldn't trade her for the world. And Caroline was so into Damon—she was wearing scarves to "try something new" which was definitely code for "Damon likes it when I wear these so now I'll wear them forever." And here he was, talking about Caroline like she was some sort of pest. As if he hadn't pursued her. And if he disliked her so much, why did he go on a sort-of double date with her just last night?

"I'm sure you understand," Damon went on.

Raven scoffed in disbelief. "If you really feel that way about her, then maybe don't be a dick and stop leading her on." He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "Caroline and I have been best friends since the first grade, and maybe you don't understand because you're too busy terrorizing Stefan, but that means something to me."

"Duly noted," Damon said coolly. "I'm sorry if I offended you, that's not my intention."

She scoffed again. "Yes, it is. Otherwise, you wouldn't put an alternate meaning behind everything you say."

Damon smiled, his eyes soulless and calculating. "You're right," He mused. "I do have other intentions. But so do you."

"Really?" Raven glared at him. Right now the only intention she had was to slap that arrogant look off his face.

He hummed in agreement as if he knew everything about her . "I see them." He leaned forward, his smirk deepening. "You want me."

She'd never scoffed so much in a single conversation. "Excuse me?"

"I get to you. You find yourself drawn to me. You think about me when you don't wanna think about me. I bet you've even dreamed about me."

She hated to admit it, but for a moment, her scowl cracked. Flashes of the dream invaded her mind. That sly look he'd had in his eyes when she'd pulled away from him...

Raven gazed at Damon, locked in place. How did he know? How could he see through her like that?

"And right now..." His voice was buttery and smooth, trying to slither his way into her mind and disarm her. "You wanna kiss me."

He leaned in, smirking, eerily similar to how he had in her dream. Like he'd been thinking that she'd wanted to be held, undressed, and kissed by him—not Ryder—all along.

That's it. Raven's palm struck his face faster than she could comprehend. He slowly turned his face to hers, and she hoped the slap was as jarring as it felt. That stupid smirk was gone completely. She stepped closer to him, giving him the exact distance that he craved, and looked him dead in the eye. "I don't know what game you're trying to play with Stefan here, but I won't let you pull my friends into this. And I don't know what happened in the past, but let's get one thing straight: I am not Katherine."

She stormed off, her palm stinging, and didn't dare look back.

◇◇◇

Raven was still steaming as she joined the crowd at the bleachers. Bonnie caught her eye from across the field and waved enthusiastically. Raven returned a huge smile, but it quickly vanished as soon as the cheerleader looked away. She couldn't believe what Damon had done. Using Caroline? Trying to kiss her?

Memories of their first meeting sharpened in her mind. His weird staring contest with Stefan, how he'd seemingly tried to drive a wedge between her and his brother by mentioning Katherine, the way he'd kissed her hand with ulterior motives. He was toying with her. He was trying to get under his brother's skin. That's why he'd crashed the dinner.

Caroline could talk for ages—it couldn't have taken much to convince her to agree. She probably didn't even know what his intentions were.

Raven huffed. How had she seen anything human in him? She thought she'd had a heart-to-heart in her kitchen, but that was impossible. Damon didn't have a heart. He was a callous, spiteful asshole who saw pawns instead of people. She and Caroline were both just pieces in a game he'd concocted to beat Stefan. Last night, Raven had played along. But him trying to kiss her behind Caroline's back was her last straw.

Just as she felt the urge to scream, a sharp CLINKKK ripped her from her fury. 

Her blood turned to ice. The last time she'd heard that sound...

Chamomile splashing against the cold ground. Ceramic crashing against iron bars. Her shrieks when in the sweetness, she'd tasted something else—something thick, metallic, and...red.

"TYLER!" A girl's voice screamed. Vicki. Raven's head snapped toward the sound. But through all the red clothes, accessories, and pompoms, it was nearly impossible to see anything. Vicki's next words made Raven's heart pound. "Stop, you're hurting him!"

Raven pushed through the crowd, ignoring the dirty looks and sneers. Her brain latched onto Vicki's cries like it was a string pulling her to the scene.

"Enough, he's down!" Another voice shouted. Stefan.

Raven zipped across the field, running on pure instinct and adrenaline. A horde of people had crowded around the scene, desperate to get a view. She shoved them all aside until finally—

She stopped in her tracks. The color drained from her face. Jeremy was laying on the ground, blood trickling from his lips, smearing his face. Tyler stood over him. His eyes were wide and enraged, aimed at Stefan, who was trying to intervene. But all she saw was red. Literally.

How dare he make her brother bleed?

Raven surged forward, determined to give him a taste of her fist, when she noticed Jeremy flip onto his stomach. She hadn't even seen him grab the bottle—but suddenly he jerked to his feet. Everything happened so quickly, she couldn't tell who had done what—someone had thrown a punch, someone had spun around, and she thought she'd caught a glimpse of Matt's blond hair—but in only a split second, Stefan's hand had taken the brunt of the bottle, and Tyler Lockwood was on the ground. Warm, thick blood splattered on Raven's arm. Her stomach churned. But then you remembered where the blood had come from. "Stefan!" 

Raven rushed to Stefan, her heart in her throat. He curled his hand into a fist like he didn't want her to see the damage. But she had seen it. And it made her sick. 

"Raven!" Bonnie and Caroline screamed in unison, running toward her.

"What just happened?" Caroline exclaimed, her eyes hysterically darting around the field. Somehow, in all the chaos, Matt had intercepted, and was shoving Tyler away before he could do more damage.

"Tyler," Raven responded, not tearing her eyes away from the hidden wound. "Let me see your hand. Seriously, how bad is it?"

"I'm okay," Stefan said calmly, but it only made her panic more. 

Her head whipped toward her brother, his wild eyes all too familiar. She stepped closer to him, her lips parted in shock. Her nose burned with the stench of liquor. "Are you fucking crazy?" She exclaimed. "You could've killed him!"

"Well, I didn't," Jeremy muttered, shoving past her. Raven grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

"You hurt Stefan!" She shouted. "He was only trying to help you!"

"I didn't need his help!"

"So you stabbed him?"

"I'm fine," Stefan assured you. "Really." 

She gripped his hand. "No, look at what he did to your hand!"

She pried his fist open and gasped.

The blood...it was gone. There was a faint reddish stain where the blood was supposed to be. But it was like nothing had happened. Raven looked up at him, frowning. "What...? But...you were bleeding-"

"It wasn't mine."

"I saw it!"

"It's not my blood," Stefan swore, a strained smile on his face. "He missed."

He wiped his hand on his dark pants. Raven tried to think. The only ones close enough to draw blood were him, Jeremy, Tyler, and maybe Matt? But they hadn't been bleeding...had they? 

She swallowed hard and pinched her forehead, rubbing her temple so hard that her skin might peel off. Panic flared within her. The stadium lights overhead seemed to swirl.

After Jeremy saw that he hadn't hurt Stefan after all, he scoffed. Like she was just some liar making up stories to make him feel bad. "First Vicki and now this," Jeremy grumbled. 

"If you don't want sympathy, fine, but at least apologize!" 

"Well someone's blood is on me!" Raven shouted, frustration searing her insides. 

"That's nothing new," Jeremy hissed and stormed off. Raven sifted through her memories. No. This couldn't be right. She paled. Stefan getting cut was so vivid in her mind. Which meant two things: either he was lying or she was hallucinating. She wasn't sure which explanation was worse. 

She'd conveniently wiped the blood on her clothes, which were so deep red that she had no way of knowing if blood was on it—at least, she thought she wiped it on her clothes. 

"Raven...what's he talking about?"

Raven slowly turned around. Bonnie and Caroline were staring at her. Bonnie's eyes were as wide as saucers. Caroline frowned, as if finally seeing Raven for the first time. Her voice quivered. Fear spasmed in her narrow blue eyes.

"What happened with Vicki?" Bonnie asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper. She looked at Raven like she'd seen a ghost.

Vicki stood several feet away, her eyes glistening with tears. She looked at her frantically and started to explain, but no one looked at her. All attention was on Raven.

Raven shrank beneath their gazes. The horror. The confusion. She'd seen those faces before—on Jenna, Jeremy, and....Ryder. Under the spotlight, she was swept away in a current of images. The blood she was sure she'd seen on her arm....her mind flashed to the car accident...blood floating in the water...beating Vicki to a pulp until she was coughing off blood...blood splashing on her white hospital gown. "Raven?"

"Raven..." Stefan called out tenderly. He must've seen the panic on her face. She barely heard him over the pounding of her heart.

Her friends' gazes burned into her, demanding answers. Immediately, her brain went into overdrive, trying to think of anything—anything at all—to stop them from probing deeper.

"You need to break up with Damon." The words flew out before she could stop them. Maybe a part of her didn't want to. 

Caroline blinked out of her shock. Raven's shame slowly dissolved, but when Caroline's confusion morphed into hurt, regret slammed into Raven's gut like a ton of bricks.

"What?" Caroline's voice cracked. Raven's stomach twisted.

"Care, he's not good for you," She urged, trying to keep her voice steady. "You deserve so much better and-"

"Just stop."

"Caroline—"

"At least Damon actually wants me around!" Caroline exclaimed. Raven pleadingly glanced at Bonnie for support, but she was spaced out, ruminating on Jeremy's outburst. "Admit it, Raven! You just want us to need you!"

"That's not true–"

"Yes, it is!" Caroline shouted." It's why you left, isn't it?"

"I..." Raven tried to speak but her words faltered. How could she be so stupid? To abandon her friends and expect them to forget? She knew she deserved it—every yell, every insult—and when she'd first come back, she'd wanted Bonnie to hate her. But now that it was happening, her heart tightened in her ribcage. "Caroline...no-"

"Even Vicki knew you were going," Caroline said bitterly. Angry tears sprung in her eyes. "Vicki. Bonnie and I are your best friends and you left without saying a word. Do you have any idea how that felt? I tried to be understanding because I knew you were going through Hell but I was worried sick about you! Bonnie was losing her mind!"

"I-I didn't mean–"

"You didn't mean what?" Caroline snapped. Raven stepped back. "To abandon us for the entire summer? Because that's what you did. And when you came back, we had to find out from your little brother."

"I know," The black-haired teen whispered, shame clouding her eyes. "I messed up. I just...I didn't know how to approach you. I thought you would've moved on-"

"Moved on?" Caroline repeated, her voice sharp with disbelief. Fuck, how did she keep saying the wrong thing?  "How could you think we'd just move on?" Raven had never seen Caroline look so hurt and angry, not even when her dad had suddenly moved out with no warning. Raven's words failed her. She stood there, frozen in a stunned silence. Caroline scoffed and shook her head. Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Bonnie peered at Raven sympathetically...and it only made her feel worse. "You okay, Raven?" She asked.

"Yeah, um..." She nodded quickly, fighting back tears. "You should, um...you should probably go check on her. She needs a friend."

Raven turned away. Stefan stepped in front of her, his eyes soft with concern. "Hey," He said gently and reached for her hands. His touch felt like an anchor on glass. She pulled back.

"I want to be alone," She whispered, hoping that if she spoke quietly enough, he wouldn't hear the way her voice broke. She didn't wait for a response. She knew he would support her no matter what, but right now, she didn't want pity or kindness. She just wanted to escape.

And so she stalked toward the parking lot, moving as fast as her legs could take her.

 ◇◇◇

Raven's breath was shallow as her climbed into the SUV. She swallowed hard, struggling to hold back her tears, and slammed the car door shut. The whole van shook. She stared ahead at the empty parking lot, her mind racing from this night's events. Everyone was still at the stadium, probably summing up Tyler's outburst to typical Timberwolf aggression, and carrying on with the game. Meanwhile, she was trying not to cry her eyes out. 

She rifled through her purse for her phone and scrolled through the contacts until she found the name.

Holly.

Raven tapped on her name. The number dialed painfully slow. "Come on, come on," She whispered desperately. "Please pick up."

Click. "You've reached Dr. Holly Bernard. I'm afraid I can't get to you but please leave a message and—"

"FUCK!" Raven screamed, throwing her phone against the dashboard. Nerves prickled her face, her heart ached, and her gut felt like it'd been sucker-punched by Mike Tyson.

Jeremy hated her. Caroline hated her. Bonnie would probably hate her too once she heard more of Caroline's perspective. Hell, even Stefan must've been regretting giving her that necklace.

Raven had hurt them more times than she could count. Maybe she deserved to be alone. Maybe she deserved what happened to her in the trauma center. It'd only revealed what she'd always known: she was a shitty person not worthy of redemption. No one should be wasting tears over her. She wished she could fade away and give everyone the peace they deserved.

Knuckles tapped against the window.

Raven wiped her tears and looked up.

Damon waved at her innocently, but didn't even try to conceal his smirk. This was the real him. Not that good-natured, laidback, caring brother persona he'd projected at dinner. She scoffed. Unbelievable. God, he just didn't quit.

Wordlessly, she flipped him off with both fingers and turned away.

He knocked again. With an exasperated sigh, Raven rolled down the window. "What?" She snapped.

"You look like you could use some company," He said smoothly.

The sheer audacity of people never failed to surprise her. "You know, usually when a woman slaps you, it's because she doesn't want your company. So thanks. But I'll pass."

"Oh come on..." He coaxed. Raven made the mistake of looking into his infuriatingly charming blue eyes. "I promise I don't bite."

She stared blankly at him. Why did he always speak like he was trying to seduce her? And couldn't he read the damn room?

Before she could fire back a snappy retort, he help up a bottle of Budweiser. "I brought beer."

Reluctantly, she accepted the bottle. If this was Damon's idea of a peace offering, it was a useless gesture. But after the night she'd had, she longed to drink her misery away, though her mind whirled with suspicion. How convenient was it that he happened to have an unopened bottle of beer right on hand when she needed it most—assuming it was unopened?

Raven burned her hand twisting that damn cap off. At least she knew he hadn't spiked it. She raised the bottle half-heartedly just to be polite (which he definitely didn't deserve), and gulped it down. The sweetness danced on her tongue and burned her throat, but she didn't stop until the taste of liquor overwhelmed her urge to cry.

"Woah, easy there!" Damon laughed.

Raven dropped the bottle from her lips and exhaled. "Thanks."

She hadn't had a drink since the night of the bonfire. When Vicki was attacked...and Ryder died. She decided that if she thought of him again, she'd raid Jenna's liquor cabinet once she got home.

Damon leaned on the car door, watching Raven intently. Her throat stung, leaving a warm and buzzing sensation, but at least her eyes didn't. "So..." Damon drawled, a seductive edge to his voice. She rolled her eyes. "Raven Gilbert...defender of friends, drinker of beer...."

"E," She corrected. Damon squinted his eyes, puzzled. "If you're going to say my full name, you may as well get it right. It's Raven E. Gilbert."

"Your middle name," Damon realized.

She nodded. "It's Elena. It means light." Ironically, she could use some light right about now. "What's yours?"

He chuckled like it was a silly question. Raven stared at him expectantly, not letting down. He must've seen this as an "in" because a few moments later, he sighed. "Francesco," He admitted.

"Damon Francesco Salvatore," She enunciated. She couldn't help but laugh. That was the most Italian name she'd ever heard. "Wow. It has a nice ring to it."

Damon scoffed.

"What? I'm serious!" She giggled. A smile lit up her face. Later, she'd blame it on the alcohol. "Thanks for the beer."

"Any time."

"What's going on here?" A sharp voice cut in. Raven and Damon both looked up. Stefan was charging toward the van, his expression hard with disapproval. It was so unlike his usual smile around her. His eyes darted at the bottle in her hand, then to Damon's smug face. "Raven, did he give you that?"

And just like that, she remembered where she was...and who she was with. Oh, Caroline was going to be pissed. She hadn't meant anything romantically—obviously—but talking to him after telling her that Damon was an ass? She was sure to lose friendship points.

God, why did she keep messing everything up?

Damon sighed, irritated, and eased off the door. "Relax, brother. A little drink never killed anyone."

"Raven?"

"Yeah, he did," She said after realizing that Stefan was ignoring his brother. "But it's fine. I probably needed it."

"I thought you said you wanted to be alone."

"I did," She replied, glancing away. She should've peeled out of the driveway the second Damon slithered in like the snake he was. "I'm gonna go. See you tomorrow?"

Stefan nodded, still glaring—but Raven was pretty sure that look was for Damon. "Yeah."

Against her better judgment, she eyed Damon. He regarded her with mischievous eyes, like he knew where she'd look. She sighed quietly.  "Good night, Damon."

He smirked. "Good night, Raven."

With one last look at Stefan, Raven revved up the engine, pulled out of the parking lot, and rode home.

Admittedly, her hands shook the entire time.

And it took about half an hour to get there—even though there was barely any traffic and the house was ten minutes away—but she was relieved that she made it home in one piece. And that a deputy didn't pull her over to request her license. Or make her take a breathalyzer test.

When Raven arrived at the house, Jenna was busy running around frantically and burning a pot of macaroni and cheese in the kitchen. At least the smell of burning—well, everything—would mask beer on her breath.

Jenna blew hair out of her face and spun to face her. "Where's Jeremy?"

"He didn't come home?" Raven asked, frowning.

"No..." Jenna replied. He hadn't taken the SUV to the game. Come to think of it, Raven didn't know who had brought him. She'd been so excited to tell everyone that she'd dropped cheerleading for the art club that Jeremy being at the football game hadn't even crossed her mind. At least, not until he got pummeled by Tyler Lockwood and almost killed Stefan.

Guilt tugged at her chest. How could have she let herself be so happy that she forgot about her own brother?

Jenna narrowed her eyes and put a hand on her hip. "Why isn't he with you?"

"Ask him when he gets here," Raven muttered, brushing past her. Drinking on an empty stomach was a rookie move, and she didn't want to explain to Jenna that she was one step away from vomiting on the floors. Between the beer and all the stress, her body was too weak to support her. And passing out in her room was better than passing out on the kitchen floor.

"Wait– Raven–" Jenna practically tripped running in front of her. "What's going on with you? Bonnie called asking for you. She seemed upset. And Sheriff Forbes called as well—said something about a fight involving Jeremy?"

Raven pinched her forehead. "Um, yeah, he...I punched Tyler Lockwood. Then Jeremy wanted to defend me so they got into it."

Jenna's jaw dropped. "You did what?"

Raven braced herself. If Jenna knew the truth, the burned dinner would be the least of her worries. The last thing Raven wanted was to stress her further, but Jeremy was out of control. At least Raven had a grip...kind of. If Jenna thought that she was responsible for the fight, she wouldn't be as overwhelmed, knowing that Raven was reasonable, somewhat obedient, and likely wouldn't do it again.

Jenna started at her niece, her mouth still agape. "Okay, just so we're clear...Tyler Lockwood, Vicki's boyfriend? And Matt's best friend? The kid you punched in the second grade?"

"That would be the one," Raven mumbled, looking away. Everyone thought she'd done it because he rejected her. Really, it had been because he passed her love letter around the school, purposefully humiliating her. So she broke his nose in front of the entire school, purposefully humiliating him. Checkmate.

"Raven, what were you thinking?" Jenna pursed her lips disappointedly. "Do you know how much trouble you could get into?"

Raven glanced at the floor. "I know."

Jenna exhaled. Raven almost felt bad for lying. But Jenna would be stressed either away. At least this way, she could minimize the damage. "Are you gonna ground me?" She asked quietly.

"No, I just..." Jenna sighed again. "You're a good kid. But...what happened with Vicki was bad enough. This can't be a pattern. Do you understand, Raven?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"That's not all."

Her voice was strained, like it took everything in her to stop it from wavering. Raven frowned. "What is it?"

"Um...your history teacher...Mr. Tanner."

"Yeah, what about him?"

Jenna hesitated. "He's dead."

Raven blinked. "What?"

"The sheriff is saying it was an animal attack. I'm so sorry, Raven." She reluctantly pulled her into a hug, but Raven stood still, frozen in shock. She feared that one movement would send her to the floor. But if she couldn't even pull herself together by a comforting embrace, Jenna would know something was seriously wrong and spiral even further into self-doubt. So she swallowed hard and slowly returned the hug.

Everything suddenly became clearer.

Raven had written Vicki's accident off as an animal attack, but she couldn't deny the truth any longer.

Nothing seemed right—the two college kids mauled in the road on the first day of school, Vicki's attack at the bonfire. She'd thought that Ryder was responsible. But he was dead. There was no way he could've killed Mr. Tanner. This could only mean one thing.

There was a vampire in Mystic Falls.

-- 

Ignore the fact that I published this chapter twice. I had to do some last-minute editing 😅