For the past week, I had spent it in my bedroom at the boarding house. I didn't even go out to drink, and that made me incredibly hungry but I ignored my hunger and went along with everything. It came to the point where Caroline barged into my room and dragged me out to go with her. First, we stopped by The Grill, where she made me drink a blood bag in the restroom so that I wouldn't eat someone throughout the day. Bonnie arrived, then, a small and reassuring smile on her lips. She looked better than the last time I saw her, more healthier and livelier. Her eyes were back to the gentle brown, no sign of the milky white. She gave me a small smile when she saw me, then quietly thanked me while Caroline went to the restroom.

   "Stefan told me what you did," she softly said. "Thank you."

   I shook my head. "You don't have to thank me, Bonnie. I did what I did."

   "He also told me that you felt horrible after killing those witches," she continued. "Is that why we haven't seen you for the past week?"

   "I did what I did," I repeated. "Bonnie, you're alive and that's what matters."

   "Which is why I'm thanking you," she said, nodding. "Clara, let me thank you and shut up."

   I was surprised at her sudden words, at the snap that came out of nowhere. I was almost tempted to smile, but I pushed it back and nodded. Caroline came back with a big grin, pulled us up, and told us that she couldn't wait to try on her dress. She dragged out of The Grill and straight to the dress shop in the centre of town. While she and Bonnie talked to the store clerk, I walked around the store and passed my hands through each dress.

   I had been to exactly twelve proms in my lifetimes, all of them in different decades. My favourite was during the Fifties. Aside from the severe racism and sexism, fear of nuclear attacks, the beginnings of the Cold War and the Korean War, and the invisible dangers of rock 'n' roll, it was fun. We slowly danced to Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender" in the overly-cleaned school gymnasium, short dresses of every colour and hairs copying the latest film star. I recalled dancing with Klaus in one of those dances, may hair like Doris Day's and my dress a deep scarlet red.

   I let go of the dress I had been holding on to and took a seat in one of the chairs by the fitting rooms. Bonnie was talking about some dreams she's been having, dreams in which she sees Jeremy. The pair came from the fitting room, Caroline with dress while Bonnie wore her same clothes. Caroline's dress was pink, just like her personality. To be honest, I quite didn't like the dress, but kept my mouth shut since she liked it.

   "Well," she said as she looked at her best friend by the mirror, "you never got to say goodbye, Bon. You're grieving, that's normal."

   "When I woke up, the couch was on fire," Bonnie countered.

   "Oh."

   "I don't know if it's because I was emotional in my dream, or if Shane was right. Without his help, I'll lose control."

   "No, Bonnie," I spoke up. "You don't need Shane to help you."

   "Yeah," Caroline agreed, giving her best friend a grin. "You need a night off from mourning, and I'm gonna make sure that you have it."

   Bonnie smiled back at her, and nodded. "Um, you look super hot, by the way."

   "You think so?" Caroline asked, a grin appearing on her lips.

   "Oh, yeah," Bonnie nodded, smiling back. "I think Matt, Clara, and I are going to have the sexiest date."

   "Clara?" I asked, finally joining their conversation. "What do you mean Clara? Clara is not going anywhere, especially not to a prom."

   "Oh, yes you are," Caroline told me, nodding. "You're going to go, and you're going to love it. I already picked out a dress for you." She giggled, glancing from Bonnie to me. "You know what, I love friend-prom. And it's exactly what prom should be—friends and memories. Yes, it sucks that my boyfriend can't be here, but the four of us are gonna have the night of our lives." She glanced up just as the door jingle, and her smile faltered. 

   "Hey, Bonnie," the distinct voice of Elena Gilbert ran around the store. "Heard you got your mind wiped—that sucks. Pretty dress, Caroline."

   "I know," Caroline nodded. "You helped me pick it out months ago when we were friends—before you tried to kill my mom."

   "I thought it looked familiar," Elena sighed, crossing her arms.

   "Can you press this for me?" Caroline asked the store clerk. "I'll pick it up later. Bonnie? Clara?" She turned and went inside the fitting room, Bonnie following behind. I stood from the chair and began to follow as well, but was stopped when I heard Elena call me.

   "Looks like you finally got out of your room," she said, a sly look on her face. "Was it because Damon and Stefan were so worried about me that they had no time for you?" She glanced at Rebekah, then looked back at me with a teasing look in her eyes. "By the way, I heard about the witches you killed. It must feel horrible since Elijah's compulsion wore off."

   I glanced to the side and scoffed, crossing my arms. "No-humanity Elena is actually quite interesting. Less of a prat than ordinary Elena, to be honest." I took a step closer to her, tilting my head to the side and almost giving her a small smirk. "I almost mistook you for Katherine." I gave her a small, innocent smile and continued on my way to Caroline and Bonnie.

   Instead of going back home, I spent my afternoon with Caroline and Bonnie. They got their make-up done, their hair done, their nails manicured, and a wide grin was on their faces. It surprised me that most of the things Elena said at the dress shop didn't bother them that much, but I was also glad. Bonnie went home, something about wanting to take her time and get ready for prom because Matt was going to pick her up. Caroline and I went back to the boarding house, which to my surprise Damon and Stefan were still passing a football among each other. They glanced at us as we walked in, then continued on with their game.

   "You're going to break something," I said as I walked up the stairs.

   "No, we're not," Damon said. "We're not that—okay, that was accidental!"

   I rolled my eyes and continued to follow Caroline. She went into my bedroom, dug into my closet, and pulled out a dress with a big grin. "Ta-da!" she sang. "I found this while you were gone, and I thought I could wear it to prom but red doesn't look good on me." She laid the dress on the bed and turned to me with a grin. "What do you think?"

   I stared at the dress for several seconds, then shook my head. "Care, I'm not going."

   Her smile dropped. "What do you mean you're not going, Clara?"

   "I meant what I said," I told her. "I'm not going."

   "This will be the best night of our lives!" she said, walking over to me. "Clara, this will be what we have wanted since we went into high school."

   "We?" I asked, arching a brow. "You met me the night Katherine killed you, the night you were turned into a vampire. I never went to high school with you, Caroline; I never had this experience with best friends and prom and high school and boyfriends—ugh!" I pressed my hands to my head and shook my head. 

   Caroline stared at me for several seconds, a clear sign of hurt in her eyes. She glanced to the side, bit the corner of her lip, then looked back at me. "I know that we didn't have this high school experience together, Clara, but you're family and I want you to be there with me." She moved towards me, crossing her arms. "You need to stop moping around about the death of those witches. They were gonna kill Bonnie, and as long as Silas doesn't have the cure there is nothing to worry about. Yes, you are allowed to mourn, but you are depriving yourself of everything else. Clara, did you know that Stefan and Damon are planning to take Elena to prom? They even bought her a corsage! Right now, she doesn't deserve a corsage."

   "Caroline—"

   She raised a hand to stop me from speaking. "You are going to prom with me and that is final." She turned and pointed at the dress. "I will come and pick you up at seven and I want you dressed, okay?" She grinned. "I'm going to go pick up my dress."

   I stared at the doorway as she walked away, a big grin around her lips, and I wondered how could she be so happy. There was something about her, this happiness, that made everyone that was around her be happy. Caroline was a human magnet of positivity and happiness. I couldn't help but feel at ease when I was around her, and maybe that's why I cared so much about her and her friends. Maybe Caroline was the reason why I saved Bonnie. She already lost Elena, and Bonnie was all she had, and I saved her because I hated seeing Caroline sad. Or maybe it was because she reminded me a lot of my sister, Charlotte.

   I took a deep breath and, with defeat, decided to get dressed. It was a long sheath dress in cobalt blue tulle, overlayed with a skirt, adorned with flowers and sprays of crystals. It felt soft against my skin, like feathers. I passed my hand through the skirt as I stared at myself in the mirror, the roughness of the crystals slightly scraping my palm as I tilted my head side to side. It looked good on me, but it was also horrendous. All I saw in the mirror was a monster with a beautiful dress, and it sort of scared me.

   My phone vibrated from the bed. When I picked it up, it was a brand new message from Caroline:

Elena stole my dress!! Going to Klaus to get a new one. See you at prom!

   I let out a soft breath and glanced around, wondering. If I went with Damon and Stefan, I would have had to spend the car ride with Elena also. I decided to call Bonnie and ask her for a ride, which was something I thought I would never do. It was Matt that pulled up in his red truck, a tight smile on his lips as I got on the back. The ride was slightly uncomfortable, since I could feel and see how uncomfortable Matt was with me. When we arrived, I let Bonnie go out first and stopped Matt.

   "I'm sorry," I told him. "I know you're uncomfortable with me here, but I appreciate that you actually let me in your car and gave me a ride."

   "I didn't do it for you," he said, glancing at me. "I did it for Caroline and Bonnie."

   "Like I said," I told him, "I appreciate it."

   Matt nodded and got out of the truck. I sighed and came out, watching as he pulled out his arm for Bonnie. She gave him a small smile and wrapped her arm around his. The red carpet leading to the prom was lines with screens playing slideshows of photographs. Inside, it was a spectacular sight of hanging fairy lights, a theme of calmness and memories. There were people dancing, students and chaperones alike.

   I moved to the corner of the venue, leaning against the wall to watch everyone who danced and laughed. There were a few students in the corners, drinking from flasks they had managed to sneak in. The dancers had wide grins on their lips, hands in their air, bodies swinging to the music. I watched each person, admiring how they were so carefree and didn't care about anything at that moment. They didn't know about a two-thousand year-old immortal roaming the streets in search of blood and a cure that would make him mortal. The people in that room didn't know about vampires, about witches, about werewolves, about any other supernatural being that existed in this God forsaken world. They thought we were part of stories, legends that were passed by to scare. But, we were real, and we were deadly, and they didn't care, and I was glad. 

   Someone in a suit suddenly clouded my vision. Damon stood in front, a small smirk on his lips as he stared down at me. "Look at you," he hummed. "You actually came to a prom after spending all week in your room. What has it been? Eight, nine days?"

   I sighed and rolled my eyes. "What is it that you want, Damon?"

   "Dance with me," he simply said, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the dance floor. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

   I tried to pull away, but he pulled me back and wrapped his arm around my waist. I groaned. "Why don't you ask Elena to dance instead, huh?"

   "She's too busy dancing with the better boyfriend," he said, glancing to the side. I followed his eyes. Stefan was entwining his fingers with Elena's, a small look of love in his eyes as he stared down at her. Damon scoffed.

   I looked back up at Damon. "You know what sucks?" I quietly asked, taking a quick glance at Stefan and Elena again. "I can see the love in his eyes when he looks at her. It's the same look you used to give me, the same one you used to give Katherine."

   "I already told you that I never loved Katherine."

   "No, I know," I nodded, turning back to look at him. "It's just the same look that you had: admiration, as if he can't believe that she's there, standing in front of him, just there."

   "Hmm," Damon hummed. "You want to know something? That's the look my brother has been giving you for the longest time."

   I turned to him and raised a brow, surprised. "What are you talking about?"

   He smiled, softly, sadly. "Stefan has been looking at you like that since you met. I think he's been a little angry at me since I was the one that swept you off your feet first." His smile widened into a little smirk as he pulled me away and spun me around. He pulled me back to his chest, the soft smirk still there. "I don't blame him; I am incredibly handsome."

   I scoffed and rolled my eyes, a small smile forming around my lips. "I can't believe you're actually telling me this."

   "Well, it did get you to smile," he said. "You've been pouting for what, eight, nine days?" He slowly dipped me, and held me there for a moment. "Come on, Clara, you have a beautiful smile. Let it show for a bit."

   I slightly pursed my lips and rolled my eyes again. "I can't believe you're actually telling me this, Damon," I said, another smile forming around my lips. "It's like you actually care."

   He smiled. Slowly, he entwined my fingers with his as we swayed side to side to the soft music. His other hand rested on my waist, so careful that I almost didn't feel it. "You know I do," he softly said, his voice almost a whisper.

   I carefully moved my eyes from our hands to his eyes, seeing the soft blue stare back at me. At that moment, forgotten feelings surge inside of me. The feelings I thought I had long forgotten rose with that single glance. No, not feelings that I had long forgotten, but feelings that I knew would always be there.

   Damon Salvatore was my first love: the first person I had ever kissed and the first man I had ever been with. He was comfort and warmth, the exact definition of love. Yes, he had his faults and flaws, but they were part of him. He wasn't the exact personification of love, of course, because one could mistake him for the devil at times, but he was perfect for me in every way. Or, he was. He used to be perfect, he used to be love, but now he was just Damon. 

   I would always love him, and there was no denying that, but I knew that it would never be as deep as it was before. I would never be in love with Damon Salvatore again, and there was a part of me that would miss that feeling.

   I let out a soft smile, almost in disbelief, and shook my head. "You're jealous."

   "Hmm?" Damon hummed, eyes glancing down at me. 

   "You're jealous Stefan is dancing with Elena," I said. "I don't blame you; I'm also jealous. I mean, he seems pretty convincing as a boyfriend, don't you think?"

   "And how convincing am I as a fiancée?" he asked, raising a brow and giving me a small smirk.

   I pursed my lips. "You need more practice," I said. "Maybe a hundred years more."

   "Ouch," he said, glancing away from me for several seconds. "That hurt, Clara."

   "You'll get used to it." I shrugged my shoulders and looked away from him. "Your heart will cure fast, and you'll be okay, trust me."

   "Okay, what is it?" he asked.

   "What?"

   "Every time you bite your lip and avoid looking at me, something bothers you," he deducted. "What is it?"

   I hesitated for several seconds, then sighed. "Okay, I'm curious," I admitted. "What... Okay, um, what made you fall for Katherine?"

   He rolled his eyes. "I told you, Clara, she compelled me."

   "No, I know!" I sighed. "But, what made her look so interesting to you? What attracted her to you?"

   "She compelled me," he repeated.

   "Damon."

   "Fine," he sighed. His eyes avoided mine as much as he could, just like I had done before. "What made Katherine interesting was her attitude. It was the opposite of yours; it was like she had this secret to her and I wanted to know what it was. 

   "You, well, I knew everything about you, Clara. You didn't have to tell me because I watched you, and I came to know everything about you, and of course I still found you interesting because I was so goddamn in love with you. And then when I thought I knew everything about you, I found some new little quirk that I had never noticed. But, Katherine was a mystery and I wanted to know what was hiding." He sighed and looked down at me. "I kissed her only twice before you died. She kissed me the first time. It was me that kissed her the second time."

   "Was it just a kiss?" I quietly asked, my voice barely higher than a whisper.

   He hesitated for several seconds, slightly pursing his lips. He sighed. "No," he said, softly, almost a whisper. "It wasn't just a kiss." He shook his head and furrowed his brows. "Why are we talking about this anyway? It's in the past, Clara, I thought we let it go."

   "Because every time I think I finally forgot about you, you always bring me back," I said, shaking my head. "Ever since I returned the ring to you, I thought I finally let go of you. I thought I could finally breathe and forget about the man that I fell so hard for. But, then you look at me, you care for me, and I feel everything again. I want to know because I want to stop feeling like this, I want to stop loving you." I shook my head and looked away from him. "I just want to stop having these feelings for you, Damon."

   He stared at me in surprise. I noticed that we had stopped dancing sometime while we were speaking. We were the only couple in the dance floor that stood still, that didn't move to the rhythm of the song. I shook my head and looked away, feeling every emotion right at my throat. If I opened my mouth, it would all spill out. No, it had already spilled out. My words flowed like the damn chocolate fountain on the snack table.

   "I..." I continued. "I thought I was starting to fall for Stefan, and I know I am, but you... Why do I still feel this way for you?"

   "Like you said," he sighed. "I'm your first love. You'll always feel like that. I know, because I also feel the same, Clara. I try to let go of you, but... I can't." He laid his hand on my cheeks and stared into my eyes. "Clara, I will always love you. And that sucks, because I also want to stop loving you." He leaned in and kissed me.

   I kissed him back, enjoying the taste of his lips on mine. Slowly, my hand reached up for his cheek. It was like I wanted him to kiss me more. And it hurt, because I knew we shouldn't be kissing right in the centre of the dance floor. An image of Stefan appeared behind my closed eyes, and that was what made me pull away. I pulled away from Damon and gasped, shaking my head.

   "Shit..." I muttered, shaking my head. "I'm... Sorry. Sorry. I shouldn't... I shouldn't have... Shit!"

   "Clara, wait!" Damon called as I ran out of the venue.

   Outside, I took a well-needed deep breath and looked up at the sky, hoping that it would calm me down. It was perfect midnight velvet, clusters of faint and bold lights. The breeze blew cold, causing the skirt of my dress to ruffle perfectly. It was like a scene from a movie, and I couldn't help but let out a soft sob. To stop myself from letting out a cry, I took another deep breath and shook my head.

   "What are you doing out here?" A voice joined me. I spun around and saw Stefan walking to me with his hands in his pockets, an unreadable look in his eyes. "The party's inside, Clara."

   "I-I, uh, I needed fresh air," I said, looking back up at the sky. "It was stuffy inside."

   "Yeah," he said, taking a stand next to me. "So, Silas is appearing to Bonnie as Jeremy."

   "Hmm," I hummed, nodding, feeling as if he could hear my heartbeat. "Of course he would."

   "What do you mean by that?" he asked. 

   "Silas needs Bonnie," I said, turning my head to look at him. "Of course he would turn into the person she loves the most, the person she misses the most—Jeremy. He's her weakness, so why wouldn't he use Jeremy for that?"

   He nodded, slightly pursing his lips. "So, are you sure you're out here because you needed fresh air or is there another reason why?"

   "What do you mean?" I asked, raising a brow.

   "I mean, you saw me dancing with Elena." He stepped in front of me and laid his hands on my neck. They were warm, soft, and his thumbs moved up and down gently on my cheeks. Slowly, he leaned in and laid a gentle peck on my lips. "And you were dancing with Damon," he softly said, his tone filled with amusement. "I saw you kiss. And, I don't mean to be a dick, Clara, but Elena and I have history. Memories, laughs, ups and downs. It was a real relationship. I mean, what we had were just a few nights where we slept together, nothing more."

   I stared at him with surprise, with hurt. My hands shook as a lump grew in my throat. I wanted to throw up, to cry, to scream. My chest hurt, and I was disgusted with myself. Tears began to fall down my cheeks as I shook my head. "I'm sorry," I said. "I'm sorry, Stefan."

   He laughed. "Your mind is a dark and riveting place," he said with amusement, brushing his fingers between the curls of my hair. "You're so easy to manipulate, Clara, just because you want to be special to somebody." As I shook, he leaned his lips against my forehead and laid a gentle kiss. "The funny thing is you will never be special, Clara. Not to Damon, not to Caroline, not to me, not to anyone. You will never be special. That's why you're so easy to manipulate, because even you know that."

   I gasped out in pain and let out a small yelp. Glancing down at my stomach, I saw a stake protruding from my dress. Somehow, he had managed to stab me while he was speaking. I looked back up at Stefan, and finally realised that it wasn't him. It couldn't have been him. And there was only one other person that could take his form. 

   "Silas," I realised, gasping for breath as I wrapped my hand around the stake. "Where's Stefan? What did you to him?"

   "He's in the woods," he nonchalantly said, "where I convinced him I was you. He's probably in a bit of pain now, too." Like before, he laid his hands on my neck and stared at me, the smile leaving his lips. He stared at me with disgust, a soft look mixed into his eyes. "Clara," he breathed, "you really shouldn't look at me like that. It would almost make me want to forgive you for having that face." He smiled, then twisted my head to the side.

   I gasped for air as I woke up. My hands reached for my stomach, where there was an empty hole on the dress where the stake was supposed to be. I glanced around and took notice that I was still outside. A hand on my shoulder caused me to jump and push whoever it belonged to away. 

   "Hey, hey, hey!" the person said, raising their hands. "It's me!"

   "Damon?" I questioned, taking a stand slowly. I still held a wary posture as I stared at him. "How do I know you're Damon?"

   "Silas got to you," he said, almost in a matter-of-fact tone. He nodded and pushed out his hand towards me. "Of course he would. Which form did he take: me or Stefan?"

   "Stefan," I said, grabbing his hand and standing up. "You?"

   "Stefan," he sighed, shaking his head. "Speaking about my dear brother, help me find him."

   "In the woods," I said. "Silas said he was in the woods."

   Damon nodded and began to walk, slowly at first, letting me walk next to him with my hand over the exposed part of my stomach. "Your conversation must have been eventful with the psychic freak."

   "Yeah," I mumbled. I brushed my hands up and down my arms, looking around. "It was... It was eventful."

   "He talked about Elena and Stefan, didn't he?" he softly asked, stopping. He turned to me and sighed, taking off his jacket. "Here." He handed it to me. 

   I stared at the jacket for several seconds before pulling it on. "Thanks," I mumbled. "Yeah, he talked about Elena and Stefan." I sort of lied, but I couldn't find it in myself to tell him what Silas actually told me.

   "Of course he did," Damon nodding, making a face. He raised a finger when we heard groaning in pain. "Stefan?" he asked aloud, glancing around. 

   "Yeah," Stefan answered in pain. He was leaning against a tree. "I'm over here. Agh!"

   Damon walked over to him and crouched down beside him. "Let me guess: an extremely handsome man came to you claiming to be me?"

   "Yeah," Stefan nodded. 

   "Yeah," Damon nodded in return, glancing around. 

   Car alarms began to go off from the parking lot, followed by a strong wind that carried dead leaves around us. It left as soon as it came. It was obvious that the wind wasn't natural, and there was only one explanation for it.

   "Bonnie," I muttered to the air. "Something's wrong." I listened in and began to hear someone chocking, then bones breaking. I sped to where I heard the sound, seeing Bonnie standing over Elena. Elena's bones were breaking and she was shouting in pain. I glanced at Bonnie, who didn't have an expression on her face. "Bonnie, stop!" I said, taking a stand behind her.

   Stefan and Damon appeared then. Damon crouched down by Elena, who slowly fell against him while she groaned in pain. "Damon," she groaned, "help me."

   "Bonnie," I said, softer, "you're killing her."

   "I know what I'm doing," she said, her voice filled with power. 

   "That's the magic talking," I told her. "Look at her, Bon. That's your best friend."

   Elena continued to writhe in pain. Damon glanced up at Bonnie and let out a soft groan. "Damn it, Bonnie."

   Elena glanced up a Bonnie, blood dripping from her nose. "Bonnie," she breathed. "Please..." She groaned for a moment longer, then stopped. The spell stopped. The vampire let out a gasp of relief. 

   I took a step closer to the witch. "You okay?"

   "No, I'm not okay," she snapped, turning to look at me. "I almost died, the shell of my best friend almost killed me. None of this is okay." She picked up her skirt and marched away. 

   Elena began to stand, Damon helping her. She pushed him away and began to stagger weakly, but then fell against Stefan. "Okay," Stefan hummed. "Hey, whoa." Before she got a chance to recover, Stefan stabbed her with a syringe full of vervain. She fell unconscious into Damon's arms. 

   They took her back to the boarding house and put her in one of the cells in the basement. She was still unconscious as Stefan laid her on the cot. Damon stood in the doorway, staring down at her. "She might not feel much, but she's gonna feel that in the morning."

   "So, what's the plan?" Stefan asked, sitting up. 

   "When Bonnie was whaling on her tonight, I could see it in her eyes," I said, glancing at both brothers. "Elena thought she was gonna die. She was scared."

   "Fear," Stefan said, as if he realised something.

   "Last time I checked, one of those pesky human emotions," said Damon.

   "So, Plan C, make her life a living hell," Stefan said as if he just realised the greatest plan ever.

   I rolled my eyes. "You two care to talk about our other problem?" I asked, glancing at both brothers. "You know, the one that can be anyone, anywhere, any time."

   "Silas still needs Bonnie," Stefan nodded. "And if tonight is any indication, she's no pushover. She's not gonna let him manipulate her, not anymore."

   "I wouldn't underestimate his talents," Damon said, walking it. "He fooled the hell out of the three of us." He turned to his brother as he shut the door. "What did he say to you, anyway?"

   "He led me out of the woods, claiming he saw Silas, and then he staked me."

   Damon hummed, "Hmm," and nodded. 

   "How'd he get to the two of you?" Stefan asked, glancing at Damon and I.

   Damon glanced down at me, then looked back at his brother, and after some hesitation, he answered, "Talked about his hair. Figured it had to be you."

   "Funny." Stefan rolled his eyes, then turned to look through the bars at Elena.

   I sighed and followed Damon out of the basement. At the top of the stairs, I stopped and handed him the jacket he so graciously allowed me to borrow. He stared at it for several seconds, then grabbed it with a nod. I nodded in return then continued to walk to my bedroom. As soon I stepped foot in, I took off my dress and threw it to the corner. Around the area where Silas had stabbed me, there was blood. I let out a soft groan and went to the bathroom, immediately decided to take a hot shower. 

   I scrubbed my skin until it turned pink until it almost drew blood. When I couldn't handle it anymore, I threw the soap away from me. I couldn't breathe well at that moment, and I felt as if something was choking me. It came to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and got out of the shower. I stared at myself in the mirror. As I stared back into my eyes, Silas' words repeated in my head.

   You're so easy to manipulate, Clara, just because you want to be special to somebody.

   I let out a scream and punched the mirror, panting with anger and sadness and pain. I covered my mouth and let out a small whimper, falling down on my knees.

   "Clara!" Someone yelled as they came in. "Clara, hey, what's wrong?" Their arms wrapped around me, gently pulling me to their chest. "Clara, it's okay, I got you. I got you."

   I cried against their chest, holding on to them as if I would fall if I let go. "I'm not," I cried. "I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!"

   "It's okay," the person that held me soothed, running their hand through my hair. "Clara, it's okay. I got you. I got you."

   "I'm not," I cried, shaking my head as I looked up at the person. It was Stefan. He looked at me with confusion, with sadness, with pity. "I'm not easy to manipulate, right?"

   He furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about, Clara? Of course, you're not."

   "He didn't speak to me about your hair," I began to confess. "Silas said... He..."

   "Whatever he told you are lies," Stefan said, shaking his head. "Everything he said are lies, Clara. He just wanted to get to you, he wanted to get to all of us. Everything he said are lies."

   "What if they're not?" I questioned. "What if... What if he's right?"

   "He's not!" he immediately said. "I promise you, Clara, he is not right."

   It was a few minutes after when I stood and got dressed. Stefan stayed in the room, watching me, making sure I was okay. I sat next to him on the bed, staring down at my bloodied hand with no emotion running through me. Slowly, his hand reached for mine. He grabbed my hand and entwined our fingers, gently, as if I would break if he did it any faster. 

   "Silas didn't appear to me as Damon," he said after a few seconds of silence. "He appeared as you." His hand squeezed mine, gently. It wasn't a harsh squeeze, but one that said that he was there. "He led me out to the woods and told me that, um, that you would never be able to love someone like me."

   "You should listen to your own advice," I said, glancing at him. "Silas' lies, and he lied to you, just like he lied to all of us. And he will continue to lie until he gets what he wants."