Mark walked outside the elevator and started walking while looking at the room numbers 3081, 3082, 3083, and 3084. He opened the door to the room no. 3084 and walked inside. The lights in the room was off, it was fairly dark in there but it doesn't bother Mark, he could see perfectly. The room was empty except Vicki was sleeping on the bed. He walked up to her and stood beside her bed.

Her skin color was pale because of the loss of blood and she had a dressing on her neck. Mark looked at her with a faint chuckle and said

"I know you're awake, no need to put on an act. I'm not here to harm you."

Vicki panicked and opened her eyes and about to scream but Mark puts his hand over her mouth, looked into her eyes and said

"Quiet. Like I said I'm not here to harm you, so don't scream."

Mark removed his hand over her mouth and took a step away from her.

"Now why don't you tell me about your attacker?"

Vicki looked at Mark with panicked eyes, she was sweating heavily, her expression further contorted and her heartbeat elevated. The Monitors beside her bed hooked to her was showing her blood pressure over 145/90.

"You need to calm down. Just take a deep breath. In and out." Mark said while looking into her eyes. After couple of minutes Vicki seems to calm down, her blood pressure was also reducing. It was now 105/80.

"Now tell me about the incident and remember, it can't hurt you here."

Vicki looked at Mark, still a little panic stricken and started talking

"I was with Ty in the woods. We were making out and after Ty left, I was alone for a couple of minutes that's when he attacked me. He came out of nowhere and stood in front of me. He was wearing a dark jeans and a dark leather jacket. His-his eyes was red, they glowed in the dark and then he bit me in the neck, that's all I could remember. I swear."

Mark placed his right hand under his chin and his eyes looked out of focus.

'What was he thinking leaving her alive, like this? Is he a fool? Or just a brave one. I do hope we meet in the future.'

Mark looked in Vicki's eyes and said

"You'll forgot ever meeting me here and will forget all about our conversation. All you'll remember is that the one who attacked you was a vampire."

After compelling Vicki, Mark walked up the closed door and grabbed the door knob then turned around while facing Vicki and said

"You should sleep now, you had a hard day. Just rest."

After that he opened the door and walked outside while shutting the door on his way.

==================

After finishing my classes, I was walking outside the school building towards my car when I noticed Matt standing alone near the parking. I walked up to him and tapped on his shoulder, Matt turned around looking a little dazed.

"Hey man are you alright?"

"Yeah man." Matt sighed

"I'm sorry about your sister. How's she-"

"Hey Matt, how you doing? Is your sister alright?" Elena suddenly interjected before I could finish my sentence.

"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection but she should be able to come home tomorrow." He said and then started walking towards his vehicle while we accompanied him.

"Yeah, that's good news" said Elena.

As I was walking, I noticed Stefan sitting on a bench nearby probably overhearing everything and decided to ask Matt about Vicki's attacker.

"Did she say what kind of animal it was that attacked her? If you don't mind me asking?"

Matt looked a little startled and said "Nah man it's alright." Then looked between both Elena and me.

"She said it was a vampire."

Elena left out a surprised chuckle and said "What?"

I looked at Stefan, he was startled for sure. I could hear his heartbeat elevating from up here.

"Yeah, she wakes up last night screaming about a vampire. The doctors have to sedate her to keep her in control." Matt stopped walking and continued

"Ok. That's weird." Said Elena

"So, what did the doctors said about her behavior?" I asked Matt while looking at Stefan, whose heartbeat was going through the roof at this point.

"They said that she's probably going through some trauma and recommended psyche counseling." Matt sighed while looking at the clear sky and said "I'm gonna go back to the hospital. I wanna be there when Vicki wakes up to get the real story about the last night."

After saying that Matt left us and walked towards his car and drove off.

Elena and I was left there alone, I noticed her looking around for someone and decided to ask even though I already knew the answer.

I waved my hand in front of her face "looking for someone? Stefan maybe? Where is he by the way?"

"I don't know he has a weird habit of suddenly disappearing on me" Elena sighed

"Um-hmm. My advice, take it easy, maybe he's adjusting." I glanced at my watch and said "it's getting late, do you need a ride?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"No, I'm waiting for my aunt, she's in meeting with Mr. Tanner but thanks for asking." Elena smiled apologetically

I walked towards my car while waving at her "see you tomorrow then" and drove home.

Stefan's POV

I was sitting on bench outside school waiting for Elena when I heard Mark's conversation with Matt.

"Hey man are you alright?" Mark asked Matt

Matt replied while sighing and said "Yeah man."

"I'm sorry about your sister. How's she-" but before Mark could finish his words I heard Elena come and Interjecting between the two.

"Hey Matt, how you doing? Is your sister alright?" Elena asked him

"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection but she should be able to come home tomorrow." Matt replied, his voice sounding closer. He was walking toward me.

"Yeah, that's good news" Elena said sounding a little relieved but then Mark suddenly asked Matt about Vicki's attacker.

"Did she say what kind of animal it was that attacked her? If you don't mind me asking?"

"Nah man it's alright." Matt replied his voice trailing off and then he said the words that I was most afraid of "She said it was a vampire." I was surprised my heart starts beating widely and then I heard their footsteps stop.

"What?" I heard Elena's voice a little flustered but Matt continued

"Yeah, she wakes up last night screaming about a vampire. The doctors have to sedate her to keep her in control."

'This is bad, this is what I feared, I knew that when 'He' gets involved things gets always messed up. I need to fix this before anyone finds out about us. I need to make her forget'

I stood up and started walking towards my car, got in and started driving towards the general Hospital. It took me 20 minutes to get there. I parked my car couple of meters away from the hospital and started running. I stopped and started walking once I was near the main entrance.

I went inside and walked up to the counter, there was a lady sitting there, probably in her late 20s talking on the phone. I stood in front of her and said 'Hi'. She looked at me and puts down the phone, I could heart her heartbeat raising.

"Hello. How can I help you?" she said with slightly red tinted cheeks.

"I'm looking for a friend, Vicki Donavan. She was in an accident last night, could you tell me where she's staying?"

"Let me take a look." She said and started looking on her computer after a couple of minutes she looked at me and said "she's currently staying in room no. 3084"

I smiled and got closer to her. I could hear her heavy breathing and her loud heartbeat. I looked into her eyes, she was blushing hard.

"Thank you for your help and you should forget about our conversation. I was never here." I backed off and started walking towards the elevator and pressed the button.

The elevator opened up. I got inside and pressed the 3rd floor button. The door closed, after the elevator reached 3rd floor the door opened and I walked outside in the corridor empty. void of any patients and nurses. I walked up to the room 3084. The room's door was opened, revealing what was inside.

I went inside the room and closed the door. I looked towards the patient bed and saw Vicki lying on the bed with her eyes opened. I walked up to her and stood beside her. Vicki looked at me with wide open eyes and kept staring at me.

I walked closer to her and leaned on her while looking in her eyes and said

"I was an animal that attacked you. It came out in the…."

But before I could finish, Vicki screamed and tried to push me

"It was a vampire not an animal, a vampire."

I was shocked and tried again

"It was an animal that…."

This time Vicki started hurling her hands at me and started screaming.

"It was a vampire, a vampire attacked me. It was a vampire not an animal."

'Dammit it's not working. I'm too weak, I need his help'

I constrained Vicki and said "Ok-Ok, calm down. You need to sleep now."

Due to her screaming I could hear several footsteps rushing towards us, so I had to leave. I went up to the door and decided to take a one last look at Vicki. She was sitting on her bed, staring at me with the corner of her lips curled upward forming a chilling smile on her face.

I froze for a couple of seconds but decided to turned around opened the door and walked outside. I walked up to a corner and saw two nurses and a doctor rushing inside Vicki's room. I entered the elevator and went outside. I walked toward my car and drove it home.

After 30 minutes I reached home. I parked my car in front and went inside looking for Damon. I straight up went to the second floor and opened the door to my bedroom and saw Damon sitting on a chair reading a book amusingly, to the east side of my bed. I walked up to him and stood right in front of him. He lowered his book and looked at me with his usual mischievous smile.

"Hello brother. Back from school, so early? Not gonna follow Elena hmm, who's gonna protect her if you're not with her?" He laughed

"Enough Damon. We've a problem. Vicki remembers that it was a vampire that attacked her and I can't seem to be able to compel her."

"So..?" He chuckled.

"What do you mean 'So... '? You already compelled her, didn't you? This is all fun and games to you huh?"

He stood up laughing and said

"First I didn't compel her and second it's fun watching you cleaning up my mess, acting all like a saint."

"You need to help me Damon."

"I don't need to do anything, brother."

"I'm telling you Damon she can't be compelled, every time I told her to forget that it was not a vampire she would start screaming, something is odd about her."

He looked at me with an amusing smile and said "alright brother, for this once I'll believe you. We'll go to the hospital tonight."

*******************

Damon and I was standing on the hospital roof with Vicki. Damon compelled her to silently follow us. He looked at me and said

"Look how easy it was, if only you could stop with that rabbit diet"

"…" I squinted my eyes while glaring at him

"Ok-ok, stop with that look of yours and let me show you how it's done."

Damon held Vicki by her neck and looked into her eyes and asked

"Ok blondie, now tell me who attacked you yesterday night?"

"It was a vampire."

"Good that's good, now listen very carefully the creature that attacked you was not a vamp…"

But suddenly Vicki held Damon's neck by both her hands and looked into his eyes with her previously chilling smile and said

"How many time I've to tell you that it was a vampire that attacked me. It was a VAMPIRE."

Damon threw her couple of feet away on the floor and started walking towards her with his red eyes and his fangs out. I ran towards him to stop him and held him with both of my arms. He turned around and held me by my throat and lifts me off the ground

"How many times I've to remind you brother that I'm stronger than you. You lost our battle of strength the moments you stopped feeding on human blood. Now step aside and let me finish this."

He threw me towards the other side, turned around and started walking towards Vicki. He lift her off the ground by her neck and started walking towards the rooftop railing. I stood up and said

"Damon stop. We're not going to kill her."

He stopped a couple of steps away from the railing and looked at me with anger in his eyes and points towards Vicki

"Listen carefully bother, clearly something is wrong with her. The moment I tries to compel her about her attacker she starts screaming the word 'vampire'. Now if you don't want our identities to be found out, let me do my job because this town may have forgotten about us but there are still those who remembered." He said while looking at me.

"Damon, we have to..." but before I could finish, I froze as I noticed a soul chilling scene. Vicki's eyes started rolling back in her socket while bleeding, her lips pointed upwards revealing her bloodied teeth then her ears started to bleed and she started smiling.

Damon saw me looking at Vicki with surprised wide open eyes and turned towards her. He was startled seeing her state and dropped her on the floor and he took a couple of steps back.

Vicki's legs stated twisting in strange position as she stood up. She looked at us with her horrendous smile and shrieked

"Those who lay under the crimson vail would only bring disaster and mayhem, to seek shelter is to seek Athena's embrace."

Vicki then turned towards the railing and jumped off before any of us could stop her.

I turned toward Damon and he was already looking at me with several questions in his eyes.

==================

In a dark room Mark was sitting on a chair with a glass of red wine in his hand. He was staring at the crimson moon that was hung in the sky. Mark sighed and took a sip of the wine and closed his eyes.