A Mirror's Reflection

Chapter 9 : Little Fires Everywhere

"Elena," he greeted.

"Stefan?" I tried, squinting at the way the sun was reflected off the windscreen of the car. Perhaps I'd imagined the moon's eyes during History. "Did you need something?"

"You and Damon," he started and for a moment I thought I noticed thin, almost unnoticeable spider veins pulsing around his veins. I stilled, my hands twitching. "What is going on between the two of you?"

"Nothing."

"What's going on between you and Damon?" He echoed harshly and I felt my face flush.

"Nothing!" I snapped back. There was a shiver of anger in the thrumming air and my cheek muscles ached from the strain of my jaws. Stefan looked ready to hurl something at my head and felt my shoulders tense. "Why would it be any of your business anyway?" I snapped and rubbed my temples several times, willing the headache building behind my eyes away. "I don't have to explain myself to you, Stefan."

"You don't understand. Damon is dangerous."

"That still doesn't mean you should get to tell me what I can and cannot do."

Stefan snorted. "Damon said something, didn't he? He likes to play games and cause trouble, Elena."

"This isn't about Damon, Stefan," I grumbled back. "This is about you not respecting my boundaries. Did I go to one dance with Damon? Yes, I did. Does that mean you get to give me crap about it? No, Stefan, it does not."

"I'm just worried," he replied defensively, "you mean quite a lot to me."

"Stefan, we're friends." I tried. "Just friends. I'm not planning on dating your brother."

"But—" Stefan started, looking ruffled, with the lack of a better word and I sniffed.

I wouldn't start dating Damon Salvatore, no more than I wanted to date him for that matter and I ground my jaws together. I curled my fingers tightly around the strap of my leather schoolbag. Besides, Damon Salvatore was hardly a suburban mother's dream boyfriend, nor was Stefan for that matter. Being vampires and all. I was still standing stiffly, probably looking very uncomfortable to all of the world and Stefan opened his mouth again.

"I didn't mean to overstep your boundaries," he tried explaining, "I just—" The shrill bell interrupted what he wanted to say next and in a rush of cursing under his breath, he turned away.

Beatific smile in place, I curled my tongue along my teeth. "I'm sorry, I have class. I see you later?"

"Sure," he muttered.

"Bye," I grumbled, curling my tongue along my teeth, I stepped past him and quickly made my way to the school building. My jaw slowly relaxed, even as I felt his gaze on me. His eyes following me, and I kept my eyes on the school building to avoid his glaring gaze, but it made me exceedingly nervous. Once inside, I reached for the pack of Tylenol in my schoolbag and popped two capsules out of the package and took them.

"He's so into you," Bonnie Bennett drawled, stepping up next to her.

"I'm not into him, though."

"I understand." She nodded.

"You do?

Bonnie fixed a smile on her face. "It's nothing."

"It is something," I remarked drolly and Bonnie fidgeted.

"It's stupid." She said as we pulled into the computer programming classroom.

"It's not."

Sitting down in the back of the classroom she twisted her fingers together, looking rather sick to the stomach. "When I touched him, I felt something bad."

"You felt something bad?" I echoed, feeling faintly amused. So she'd become witchy enough to pick up on his vampirism. "Is this a clairvoyant thing?"

"Witch thing," she corrected morosely and I smiled.

"I see. But you saw or felt something bad?"

"It's what I expect death to feel like," she breathed out and I licked my lips. Feeling my eyebrows furrow together, I curled my fingers tightly around the computer mouse. Did that mean, Bonnie would be able to pick up on me to if she were to touch me? It was an unwelcome thought and I stared at the screen monitor. However, Bonnie had touched me during cheer practice more than once, which would suggest she hadn't been able to pick up on me. Perhaps, she couldn't at all. It wasn't like I was death or some kind of supernatural being (except for being the Doppelgänger), but— I shook my head. If she picked up on me, I would cross that bridge when I got there.

The final lesson of the day passed similarly as History had, with me and Bonnie passing notes. It made for a far more interesting class than the actual lesson and did a fine job of keeping me distracted from the Jonas Martin problem. I considered trying the practice after my last class again, yet, as Bonnie kept to me like a barnacle to a boat, I reconsidered. Besides, I still had cheerleading practice.

Sunlight crept down the roofs of the houses, I pushed into the locker room to change for Cheerleading practice. The day had been long and I felt annoyed and irritated. Curling my fingers tightly around the strap of my leather bag. Caroline had been in her element, as she always was, twirling and grinning, bossing everyone around. Practising tumblers on the grass field, synchronizing our movements to the point of perfection, and learning to be 'a tad sexier' as Caroline called it, I was quickly tiring. My muscles were positively aching by the time practice ended. I dragged my feet over the earth, wincing guiltily when I noticed the dark muddy stains on the once-white cheer shoes. I guessed Miranda wouldn't like my shoes being ruined so close after purchasing them and robotically changed in the locker room.

The physical exhaustion was a welcome reprieve to my churning thoughts. Besides, there was little better than exhausted muscles after a good work out. Saying goodbye to both Bonnie and Caroline, I made my way to my car. When I reached the carpark next to the Grill, I gave a cursory glance up and down the street before unlocking the engine. You could never be too safe in Mystic Falls and I dropped in the driver's seat. Stretching my arms over the steering wheel, I squinted up at the sky, at the ruffled, multi-coloured, leafy tree cover.

The car park was flanked by full-grown trees, throwing dazzling strips of late afternoon light over the dark varnish of the car. The dirt on the windscreen shimmered and blurred in the warm orange sunlight. I had settled in when my cell phone rang. Searching for the BlackBerry, I fumbled with the old-fashioned buttons and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Miss Thomson?"

My breath got caught in my throat when I heard someone address me with my real name again and my fingers froze around the phone. "Yes?"

"What do you know about my daughter?"

"Mr. Martin?" I asked and, in case someone with super-hearing was listening in, started the car, bouncing my knee nervously. I had rehearsed my story carefully. Had watched my reflection as I forced out the 'how I know about your daughter' story, but now, for a moment, I drew a blank. Squeezing my eyes shut, I curled my fingers tightly around the wheel. "Jonas Martin?"

"Yes," he said condescendingly. "What do you know of my daughter? Do you know where she is?"

"It's a long story," I admitted and launched into the story I had rehearsed…

To be continued…

A/N: This chapter was so hard to write, I couldn't get it right. It might be revised at some point, however, I'm pleased enough by it. Like always leave a review! I'd love to hear from all of you!