"Originally discovered nearly 5 centuries ago, it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over 145 years. Now, the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration." Mr Tanner was droning on as Elena walked quietly into her history class.

She slipped into her seat, smiling slightly as Stefan caught her eye. 

"Are we bothering you, Ms. Gilbert? Mr. Salvatore?" Mr Tanner grumbled, eyeing the pair with a look of distain before turning to face Elena solely. "You're late, Miss Gilbert. I do hope you're not taking a leaf out of Mr Gilbert's book." 

"Her sister is in the hospital." Stefan defended, annoyance clear on his face and in his tone. 

Mr Tanner ignored them, but Elena shot Stefan a thankful smile.

⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅

"I told you I'd find it." Stefan smiled as he approached the Elena in the hallway. 

"Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell. You know, I can't believe she didn't use her real name."

"All the Bronte sisters used pseudonyms It was the time. Female writers weren't very accepted then." He explained.

"Where did you get it?" Elena asked curiously. 

"Uh, it was passed down... Through the family."

"Ah," Elena said, observing the cover of the book.

"I have lots of books. Go ahead. Keep it." Stefan offered.

Elena was quick to decline, "Oh, no. I... But I would like to read it again. I promise I'll give it back. Would you mind if I lent it to Lois after? I know she'd appreciate it a lot."

Stefan smiled "Of course. How is she, by the way?"

Elena shrugged sadly, "I haven't really heard anything, but she's alive which is what I'm grateful for. You know, I don't think you've even met her, have you?"

Stefan paused. He'd seen her when her body was pulled out of the woods after she'd been attacked by Damon. He'd also seen her when went back into the water the night of the accident and pulled her from the car. He'd seen her be taken away in an ambulance with Elena after he'd tried to resuscitate her. He'd seen her at her home after she'd be discharged, battling with inner demons no-one seemed to acknowledge as true. 

But, he couldn't say this to Elena, nor could those encounters be considered 'meeting' her, so he merely shook his head. 

"I'll be sure to introduce you when she's... better," Elena cringed at her own words, and Stefan struggled to hide his curious gaze. "Thanks again for the book." 

⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅

"Elena! Hey," Matt called, causing the brunette to turn. "How's Lois? I'm... I'm actually going to see Vicki in a minute if you want a ride."

Elena smiled lightly, another small wave of guilt washing over her, but she forced it back, "Hey, Matt. I, uh, I actually haven't gotten to speak with her yet. I think they've got her on a few meds that have her sleeping a lot. How's Vicki?"

Matt nodded slowly, "They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection, but she should be able to come home tomorrow."

"That's good news," Elena smiled at him as the duo began to walk.  "Did you get in touch with your mom?" 

Matt scoffed, "Called and left a message. She's in Virginia Beach with her boyfriend, so...we'll see how long it takes her to come rushing home."

There was an awkward pause, both of them continuing to walk. The energy was odd between them, ever since everything. 

"Vicki's lucky that she's okay." Elena murmured. 

On a picnic bench not far from them, Elena spotted Stefan. She glanced over at him, but he was facing the other way. 

"I know," Matt let out a breath. "And now there's talk of some missing campers..."

"Did she..." Elena paused briefly, working out the best way to ask. "Say what kind of animal it was that attacked her?"

Matt hummed, "She said it was a vampire."

"What?" Elena laughed lightly, but confusion laced her tone. 

"Yeah, she wakes up last night and mutters 'vampire' and then passes out." Matt chuckled, laughing at how ridiculous it sounded. 

"Okay, that is weird." Elena laughed in agreement. 

"I think she was drunk," Matt rationalised, watching Elena glance away. He saw her looking at Stefan. "... So what's up with you and the new guy?"

Elena glanced at Stefan once more before turning her full attention to Matt, sighing, "Matt, the last thing that I want to do is hurt you."

"You know, I'm..." Matt paused, clearly his throat slightly. "I'm actually gonna go back to the hospital now, like I said. I want to be there when Vicki wakes up, get the real story about last night. Do you want a ride?"

Elena shook her head, but thanked him as he walked away. She turned, ready to walk towards where Stefan was, but he'd disappeared. She looked around in confusion, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

AURA COLOUR CHART

red: energy, strength, anger, lust, passion, ego

orange: self control, ambition, thoughtfulness, courage

yellow: optimistic, happy, intellectual, naive

light green: peaceful, healing, compassion

dark green: deceitful, jealousy, moody

light blue: fear, indecisive, sensitive, skepticism

dark blue: spiritual, loyal, creative, kind

violet: wisdom, intuition, highly spiritual

indigo: benevolence, highly intuitive, seeker

pink: love, sincerity, friendship

grey: depression, sadness, exhaustion, low energy, skepticism

brown: greed, self-involvement, opinionated

black: lacking energy, illness, imminent death

white: perfect balance

______

a/n: 07/12/2022 - early update because christmas planning has me in a good mood! quick question for uk tvd fans, where can we watch tvd/to if they're being taken off of netflix?