The Vincentio II

Chapter Twenty-Two

Vampire Party Time

Val's POV…

Once at the police station it felt really odd. The sheriff, Caroline's mum, was staring at me oddly and the whole idea of being in the police after the night I had felt awkward. I didn't like the fact that most likely everyone here knew the truth about my brother's death while I hadn't known and most of the town didn't know the truth. What else was this town hiding from us?

I sat outside Sheriff Forbes' office because I just couldn't face her. But I told Jeremy that I stayed out here because he came to talk to them. I wouldn't know what to say.

Jeremy came out of the office with the sheriff in tow.

"I'm sorry we couldn't help you, Jeremy," Sheriff Forbes said.

Jeremy nodded slightly. She didn't seem to care that we weren't in school but I guess not attending school was a common thing for Jeremy and I to do.

After that Jeremy and I both decided to hide out somewhere. The cemetery was too awkward with the whole 'Vicki vampire thing' not that Jeremy knew. His place was too obvious. So we ended up deciding on my place. My mum was at work until late again and Tristan wasn't in town for the entire day.

Jeremy and I headed towards my place taking the shortest route. Jeremy and I sent up my X-box 360 – previously my brother's – in the living area so we had something to do. It was either that or get stoned but neither of us had anything and since I never got sick or injured I didn't have anything in the bathroom to help with that.

After an hour of playing some racing game Jeremy got bored.

"Hey you got any other games?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah, in the garage in a box marked X-box games," I said as Jeremy paused the game.

"Okay, I'll be back," he said before he left the living area.

As he went to the garage I went to the kitchen area to make something to eat. I thought about making something for Jeremy but I decided to wait until Jeremy came back from the garage but he never did. Well technically he did but that was after I went to the garage to find out what he was doing.

I stepped into the garage to find Jeremy looking a photo inside a wooden photo frame. In the photo James and I were lying on the bonnet of his car – which was still in the garage – wearing matching sunglasses. James and I were the only people to do this with his car because he didn't like people touching his car. James only cared about a limited about of things, family, his car and me. I was only a separate thing because we used to spend more time together than with anyone else we knew family or not.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," Jeremy said as he quickly put the photo frame into the box he had opened.

"It's okay," I said.

"Was that your brother?" Jeremy asked.

It made sense that he didn't know who he was because no one really cared that much about the new family after they realised that we weren't anything they wanted us to be.

"Yeah, James," I replied.

"I've never seen him before," Jeremy said.

"Yeah well he wasn't a big fan of making friends or socialising," I said. "Hence all the games," I said with a smile.

Jeremy smiled and we returned to the living area where we ate through some food, played more games and just talked.

Sometime during the day before lunchtime I received a call from Elena. I decided to take it outside because I was Jeremy and everything. I wasn't sure if it was because I didn't want Elena to know I knew where Jeremy was or I didn't want Jeremy to know that I was talking to Elena.

Once outside I answered my ringing phone.

"Hello," I said.

"Hey, Val," Elena said. "I'm going up to The Salvatore Boarding House and I was wondering if you wanted to come with," Elena asked.

"I'd rather not," I said. "I would rather avoid Damon," I added.

"Okay, I was just going to check on Vicki," Elena said.

"Hey about that, is she?" I asked. "You know," I added.

I didn't want to say anything more in case Jeremy was listening.

"Yeah she's a vampire," Elena replied with a hint of a pause at all.

She was starting to become comfortable with the whole thing. I was okay with it. I was only okay with it because the fact that my parents probably knew about vampires as well was bugging me more than vampires.

"Thanks, I'll see around," I said.

"Can you not tell Jeremy about any of this?" Elena asked. "I really don't him finding out about this."

"Okay, I promise I won't tell him," I replied.

I hung up and walked back inside. Jeremy looked over at me as I closed the back door and walked back over to him.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"Just my sort of boyfriend," I lied.

"Sort of boyfriend," Jeremy asked.

"It's complicated, I don't really know what's going on," I said as I sat back down on the lounge.

"He's the one from the cemetery that night," he said.

"Yeah," I said worried that this would bring up something about Vicki but it never did.

Eventually Jeremy went home and I was left at my place thinking how I should spend my night. I wanted to call Tristan and find out what he was doing but I also didn't want too. I knew the more I thought about him and what he was doing the more I will think that he is up to something and with all this vampire business I'll start to think that he was off with a vampire or was doing something that involved a vampire.

I thought about going to bed early because I really didn't have anything else to do. That was until Jeremy texted me about the Halloween thing at the school. My mum had mentioned something about she didn't want me to go. I think she thought it was the most likely place a vampire would attack someone.

I wanted to confront my mother about all this vampire stuff but I just didn't want to give them, meaning my mother and my father, another reason to protect me. I can do that myself. I swear if I told them they would just get themselves killed or worse. I didn't want to think about what was worse than death but the idea wouldn't leave my head.

From: Jeremy (J-Dog) Gilbert.

Message: Going to the Halloween thing w/ Vick, u in?

I stared at the message for a good half a minute before replying. I was mainly staring at the nickname I had put in for Jeremy. I needed to change that but first I needed to find something to change it to.

Reply: Sure, I'm in

I replied completely forgetting that Vicki was meant to be at the boarding house and that she was a vampire. It sort of slipped my mind until later that night, like a lot later.

As I grabbed my skateboard and started to head towards the school I thought about nicknames for Jeremy. Even though Elena and I were on an even playing field now I didn't want to call him Jer, because she did that. I needed something that was all me.

As I skateboarded to the school I started to make a list of nicknames. I don't know why I was even bothering but I guess it was because I didn't want to think about Tristan, vampires or anything that involved anything supernatural.

Remy

Jerz

Gilberty

JG

I gave up when I saw the school in the distance. I decided to just head inside but I had wished I hadn't.

GPOV…

A few minutes earlier…

Tristan stepped into the master bedroom of the lake house. He had stayed at the lake house all day so he could try and figure out what his sister was looking for and what she was willing to do to get it.

Roseanne stepped out of the bathroom wearing what appeared to be a vampire Halloween costume but it was slightly scarier than the corny ones you find all the time.

"What are you doing?" Tristan asked.

"I'm going out," Roseanne replied.

"Where," Tristan asked.

"You may be older but that doesn't give you the right to tell me what to do," Roseanne said. "You may have the daylight ring but I'm stronger than you."

"Where are you going?"

"To the Halloween thing at the school in town," Roseanne said.

"Why?"

"For some fun, I've been locked up in this house all day, I need to get out."

Tristan just stared at her harder.

"I promise I won't hurt anyone," Roseanne said. "Cross my heart," Roseanne added as she did the whole crossing the heart thing.

Tristan sighed. If he wanted to get inside her head he was going to have to let her be happy. She was good at hiding the things she needed to hide.

"Am I allowed to come with you?" Tristan asked trying to get in her good books.

"If you want," Roseanne replied before walking past him.

Val's POV…

Granted they had done a good job with the school but it was still not scary for me. Now that I knew that vampires were real I wasn't scared of any of this. Not that I ever was. The only time I was scared that didn't include recently with all this vampire business was the last Halloween I spent with my brother.

At that time he had a house of his own. It was small but it worked for him. He never lived in it because my parents didn't want to let him leave home.

Anyway we spent Halloween together after we turned his house into the scariest place on earth. It gave everyone a good scare.

As I thought about that Halloween house I tried to think if Elena or Jeremy was there since this was after we moved to Mystic Falls. I didn't remember seeing them there but I didn't remember much from that night because I was laughing too much at everyone's reactions.

I continued to walk around the school hoping that I would run into someone but when I actually ran into someone I wasn't who I wanted to run into. I just wish I knew who she was.

She stood in front of me and stared at me. She was roughly the same height as me but there was something about her that was scarier than anything else in this school. I took a step away from her and she took a step towards me. No one seemed to notice our little interaction but I wished someone had.

She went to grab my shoulder when her eyes flicked from me to behind me. I turned to look behind me and at whatever she was staring at now. I noticed someone standing much further away staring at us. I couldn't see their face because of their hoodie and because they were standing in the darkest part of the corridor.

I turned back to the girl that had appeared in front of me randomly. She was gone. This isn't good, was the first thing I thought.

I quickly turned back to find the guy or girl that was standing behind me at a distance and they were gone as well. I continued to stare down the corridor hoping I could find them again but they just seemed to disappear like the girl.

Suddenly someone grabbed my shoulder and turned me back in the direction that the girl has been standing in. I grabbed their wrist and twisted it and went to punch them in the face but then I realised I was holding Stefan's wrist.

AN: Hey, I'm actually having trouble with the nickname thing for Jeremy. I would really like it if you gave me some suggestions. I just can't think of one that would work for Jeremy and be something that Val would say. Since you've been reading this up to this far maybe you'll have an idea and if you're lucky I'll use it. Thanks

Seth out!