The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Nineteen

Nobody was passing game to lie to Elena Gilbert and ticktack past with it.Elena marched a desire the path to the program program library, indignation care her fling high and her steps sharp. So jam scene he could take a leak he didnt guess whatsoeverthing closely those V-shaped pins? The itinerary his look had skipped away from hers, the faint plastered of pink in his plump cheeks, everything ab turn up him had sh let bulgeed that thither was roundthing thither, nigh riddle ab let on him and her parents that he didnt want to tel her.If he wasnt termination to tel her, she would scrape up step forward for herself. The library obtainmed the correspondings of a logical settle to start.Elena, a vocalization cal ed, and she stopped. She had been so focussed on her mission that she had close to walked set by Damon, joust against a corner unwrap emplacement the library. He smi take up at her with an transparently inquiring bearing, his dogged legs stre tched in straw man of him.What are you doing here? she state abruptly. It was so spiritual, notwithstanding redeing him here in the daylight on campus, like he was part of cardinal go s afternoon teady superimposed upon an new(prenominal). He didnt belong in this part of her life, non unless she brought him in herself.Enjoying the sunshine, Damon assure dryly. And the scenery. The wave of his overtake encompassed the tree diagrams and buildings of the campus as Wellas a flock of pretty young charrs giggling on the other side of the path. What are you doing here?I go to this school, Elena verbalise. So its non weird for me to be hanging approximately the library. bet my point? Damon laughed. Youve disc everyplaceed my secret, Elena, he state, achieveting to his feet. I was here hoping to watch come in you.Or atomic number 53(a) of your dwarfish friends. I undertake so lonely, you go to bed, even your Mutt would be a welcome distraction. existing y? she asked. He cam stroke her a look, his unappeasable eyes am physical exercised. Of course I forever and a day want to see you, princess. plainly Im here for close to other reason. Im supposed to be spirit into the disappearances, remember? So I drive home to spend some season on the campus.Oh. Okay. Elena considered her options. Official y, she shouldnt be hanging around Damon at al . The terms of her legal separation or just break, she corrected herself with Stefan were that she wasnt red to see either of the Salvatore brothers, not until they worked out their own issues and this thing between the ternion of them had conviction to cool off. besides shed al show upy violated that by letting Damon recreation on the floor of her live, a overmuch(prenominal) bigger deal than going to the library to run shorther.And what are you up to? Damon asked her. Anything I tin assist with? unfeigned y, a propel to the library ought to be innocent enough.Elena start out up her mind. She and Damon were supposed to be friends, after(prenominal) al . Im attacking to find out some information just intimately my parents, she said. deprivation to help?Certainly, my lovely, Damon said, and as wellk her hand.Elena felt a smooth frisson of un slackening. But his palpates were reassuringly debauched in hers, and she pushed her hesitation away.The ancient tennis-shoed bibliothec in charge of the archive room explained how to search the database of school records and got Elena and Damon set up in the corner on a com honker.Ugh, Damon said, poking disdainful y at a key. I dont mind computers, tho give-and-takes and pictures ought to be real, not on a machine.But this way everyone can see them, Elena said patiently. Shed had this miscellanea of conversation with Stefan before. The Salvatore brothers competency look col ege-aged, incisively at that place were some things about the modern land they just couldnt seem to get their headers around.Elena clicked on the photo section of the database and typed in her mothers name, Elizabeth Morrow.Look, in that location are a bunch of pictures. She scanned by and through them, looking for the one that she had seen hanging in the hal . She saw a lot of heave and crew pictures from various theatrical productions. throng had t disused her that her mother was a star on the design side, but it looked like she was in some productions, too. In one, Elenas mother was dancing, her head flung digest, her hair going everywhere.She looks like you. Damon was contemplating the picture, his head tilted to one side, nefariousness eyes intent. Softer here, though, around the blab out one long finger gestured and her bet is more innocent than yours. His mouth twisted teasingly, and he shot a sidelong glance at Elena.A nicer girl than you, Id guess.Im nice, Elena said, hurt, and quickly clicked on to find the picture she was looking for.Youre too clever to be nice, Elena, Damon said, but Elena was scant ily listening.Here we are, she said. The photograph was just as she remembered it James and her parents under a tree, aegir and impossibly young. Elena zoomed in on the witness, focalization on the pin on her fathers shirt. emphatically a V. It was blue, a deep dark blue, she could see that now, the same shade as the lapis lazuli rings Damon and Stefan wore to protect themselves from sunlight.Ive seen one of those pins before, Damon said abruptly. He frowned. I dont remember where, though. Sorry.Youve seen it recently? Elena asked, but Damon just shrugged. James said my mother made the pins for al of them, she said, zooming closer so that al she could see on the screen was the grainy envision of the V. I dont guess him, though. She didnt make jewelry, that wasnt her diverseness of thing. And it doesnt look handmade, not unless it was made by someone with an actual jewelry studio.Thats some liberal of enameling on the V, I think. She typed V in the search engine, but it came keystone with nothing. I wish I knew what it stood for.With another graceful one-shouldered shrug, Damon reached for the mouse and zoomed in and out on different parts of the picture. privy them, the librarian thunked a book come out, and Elena glanced back at her to find the womans eyes dictated on them with disconcerting intensity.Her mouth tightened as her eyes met Elenas, and she looked away, walking a little farther along the aisle. But Elena was bring home the bacon with the creepy feeling that the librarian was stil notice and listening to them.She turned to whisper something to Damon about it but was caught again by the upright unexpectedness of him, of him here. He just didnt reconcile in the drab and ordinary library computer station it was like purpose a wild animal transfigure surface up on your desk. Like a dark angel fixing burgoo in your kitchen.Had she ever seen him under light lights before?Something about the lighting brought out the clean paleness of his skin, cast long shadows along his cheekbones, and fel without reflection into the black smooth of his hair and eyes. A couple of buttons on the col ar of his shirt were unthrough, and Elena institute herself roughly mesmerized by the deadly shifts of the long muscles in his neck and shoulders.What would a Vital Society be? he asked suddenly, breaking her out of her reverie.What? she asked, confused. What are you talking about?Damon clicked the mouse and shifted the zoom, focusing this time on the notebook in her mothers lap. Her mothers detention pretty hands, Elena noticed, prettier than her own, which had roughly crooked pinkies were splayed over the open book, but between the fingers, Elena could read Vit l Soci yI postulate thats what it says, Damon said, shrugging.Since youre looking for something that starts with V. It could say something else of course. Vital societal y, maybe?Was your mother a mixer queen bee like you? Elena ignored the question. The Vitale Society, she said s economic crisisly. I always thought it was a myth.Leave the Vitale Society alone. The hiss came from piece of tail them, and Elena whipped around.The librarian seemed curiously impressive border against the bookshelves condescension her tennis shoes and pastel sweater set. Her hawklike face was tense and cerebrate on Elena, her body tal and, Elena felt instinctively, threatening.What do you mean? Elena asked. Do you know something about them?Confronted by a direct question, the woman seemed to shrink from the almost menacing token she had been a second before to an ordinary, s softly dithering old lady. I dont know anything, she muttered, frowning. Al I can say is that its not safe to mess with the Vitales. Things lapse around them. Even if youre careful. She started to wheel her book cart away.Wait Elena said, half(a) rising. What kind of things? What had her parents been involved in? They wouldnt have do anything wrong, would they? Not Elenas parents. B ut the librarian and walked faster, the wheels of her cart squeaking as she round the corner into another aisle.Damon gave a low laugh. She wont tel you anything, he said, and Elena glared at him. She doesnt know anything, or shes too scared to say what she does know.Thats not helpful, Damon, Elena said tightly. She pressed her fingers against her temples. What do we do now?We look into the Vitale Society, of course, Damon said. Elena opened her mouth to object, and Damon shushed her, drawing one cool finger over her mouth. His touch was soft on her lips, and she half raised a hand toward them. Dont worry about what a choppy old woman has to say, he told her. But if we real y want to find out the secrets of this society of yours, we probably engage to look somewhere other than the library.He got to his feet and held out his hand. Shal we? he asked. Elena nodded and took his hand in hers. When it came to finding out secrets, to digging up what people wanted to keep concealed, she knew she could put her faith in Damon.Pick up, Zander, decorous muttered into the phone.The ringing stopped, and a precise automatonlike percentage informed her that she was welcome to leave a message in the voice mailbox. decent hung up. She had already remaining field a couple of voicemails, and she didnt want Zander thinking she was any crazier or more clueless than he inevitably would when he saw his missed-cal list. fair(a) was pretty sure she was going through the Five Stages of Being Ditched. She was almost done with Denial, where she was convinced something had happened to him, and was moving quickly into Anger.Later, she knew, she would slither into Bargaining, Depression, and eventual y (she hoped) Acceptance.Apparently her psych program was already coming in handy.It had been days since he had abruptly run off, leave her al alone in front of the music building. When she found out that a girl disappeared that same night, at send-off fair was angry and scared for herself. Zander had left her alone.What if seemly had been the one to vanish? thence she began to worry about Zander, to be afeard(predicate) that he was in trouble. He seemed so sweet, and so into her, that it was almost impossible for her to deal Zander would just be avoiding her al of a sudden.Wouldnt his friends have sounded the alarm if Zander was missing, though? And when she thought that, clean realized that she didnt know how to data link any of those guys she hadnt seen any of them around campus since that night.Bonnie stared at her phone as perfumed tendrils of worry grew and twisted inside her. Real y, she was having a very tough time moving on to Anger when she was stil not quite sure that Zander was safe.The phone rang.Zander. It was Zander.Bonnie snatched up her phone. Where have you been? she demanded, her voice shaking. at that place was a long pause on the other end of the line.Bonnie was almost ready to hang up when Zander last-place y spoke. Im so penite nt, he said. I didnt mean to freak you out. Some family stop came up, and Ive had to be out of touch. Im back now.Bonnie knew that Elena or Meredith would have said something compact and cutting here, something to let Zander know barely how little they appreciated being disregarded about, but she couldnt bring herself to. Zander sounded rough and tired, and at that place was a break in his voice when he said he was sorry that made her want to forgive him.You left me outside alone, she said softly. A girl disappeared that night.Zander sighed, a long sad sound. Im sorry, he said again. It was an abominable thing to do. But I knew you would be sanction. You have to call up that. I wouldnt have left you in danger.How? Bonnie asked. How could you know?Just corporate depose me, Bonnie, Zander said. I cant explain it now, but you werent in danger that night. Il tel you about it when I can, okay?Bonnie shut her eyes and telephone number her lip. Elena and Meredith would never have settled for this kind of half explanation, she knew. Not even half an explanation, just an apology and an evasion. But she wasnt like them, and Zander sounded sincere, so desperate for her to believe him. It was her choice, she knew trust him, or let him go.Okay, she said. Okay, I believe you. Zander let out another sigh, but it sounded like one of relief this time. let me make it up to you, he said. entertain? How about I take you out this weekend, anywhere you want to go?Bonnie hesitated, but she was starting to smile despite herself. Theres a party at Samanthas entrance hall on Saturday, she said. Want to meet in that respect at nine?Theres something peculiar going on at the library, Damon said, and Stefan twitched in bewilderment at his sudden appearance.I didnt see you there, he said mildly, looking out onto his dark balcony, where Damon leaned against the railing.I just landed, Damon said, and smiled. veridical y. Ive been flying around campus, checking things out. Its a howling(prenominal) feeling, riding the breezes as the sun sets. You should try it.Stefan nodded, keeping his face neutral. They both knew that one of the few things Stefan envied about Damon was his ability to change into a bird. It wasnt worth it, though he would have to drink human profligate regularly to have Power as strong as Damons.Elenas face blush up in his minds eye, and he pushed her image away. She was his salvation, the one who connected him to the world of humans, who kept him from sinking into the darkness. Believing that their separation was scarce temporary was what was keeping him going.Dont you miss Elena? Stefan asked, and Damons face immediately closed off, becoming sternly and blank.Stefan sighed at scum bag. Of course Damon didnt miss Elena, because he was doubtlessly seeing her al the time.Hed known Damon wouldnt stay on by the rules.Whats the matter? Damon asked him. His voice was almost concerned, and Stefan wondered what his own face looked like to get that kind of reaction from Damon. Damon who had probably just seen Elena.Sometimes Im a fool, Stefan told him dryly. What do you want, Damon?Damon smiled. I want you to come do some detective work with me, little brother. Real y, anythings better than seeing this sulking, forehead-wrinkling brooding expression on your face.Stefan shrugged. why not? Stefan leaped down from the balcony with perfect grace, and Damon fol owed swiftly behind.As Damon led the way to their destination, he fil ed Stefan in on the details. Or rather, the vague scenario Stefan could hoard up from Damons explanation. Damon never was one for ful disclosure. Al Stefan knew was that some research at the library had prompted a sketchy warning from an old librarian. Stefan inwardly chuckled at the thought of a decrepit old woman squaring against Damon over library fines.What were you looking at? Stefan asked, trying to get any more substantial information. What did she want you to stay away from? He shifte d on the rough weapon system of the oak tree they were both sitting on, trying to get comfortable.Damon had a habit of sitting in trees, Stefan realized. It must be a side effect of spending so much time as a bird.They were on a stakeout outside the librarians home, but what exactly they were looking for, Stefan wasnt sure.Just some old photographs from the schools history, Damon said. It doesnt matter. I just want to make sure shes human. He peered through the window nearest their tree, where an elderly woman was sipping tea and watching television.Stefan noted with irritation that Damon seemed a lot more at ease in the tree than Stefan did. He was leaning forward, resting graceful y on one knee, and Stefan could sense his sending questing strands of Power at the woman, trying to find out whether there was anything un plebeian about her.His balance seemed awful y precarious, and he was completely cerebrate on the old woman. Stefan inched toward Damon on the branch, stretched ou t a hand, and suddenly shoved him.It was extremely satisfying. Damon, his composure shaken for once, let out a muffled yelp and fel out of the tree. In midair, he turned into a wallow and flew back up, perching on a branch above Stefan and eyeing him with a baleful glare. Damon cawed his hatred at Stefan loudly.Stefan glanced through the window again. The woman didnt seem to have heard Damons pervert or the crows caw she was just flipping channels. When he looked back at Damon, his brother had regained his usual form.I would think playing a trick like that would go against your curious moral code, Damon said, fastidiously smoothing his hair.Not real y, Stefan said, grinning. I couldnt help myself.Damon shrugged, seeming to fill Stefans playfulness as good-natured, and looked through the librarians window again. She had gotten up to make herself another loving cup of tea.Did you sense anything from her? Stefan asked.Damon shook his head. all shes bril iantly privateness her true nature from us or shes just a peculiar librarian. He pushed himself off the branch and leaped, landing lightly on the grass far below. Either way, Ive had enough, he added silently.Stefan fol owed him, landing beside Damon at the bottom of the tree. You didnt need me for any of that, Damon, he said. Why did you ask me to come with you? Damons smile was bril iant in the darkness. I just thought you could use some cheering up, he said simply.Clearly, it wasnt the librarian Stefan should be worried about acting peculiarly.