Lisa Smith - The Awakening

There was a swelling murmur at this, and Elena herself felt a shock of realization. Of course, it was all ridiculous, it was just a coincidence. But what Tyler was saying was true. The attacks had started when Stefan arrived.

“I’ll tell you something else,” shouted Tyler, gesturing at them to be quiet. “Listen to me! I’ll tell you something else!” He waited until everyone was looking at him and then said slowly, impressively, “He was in the cemetery the night Vickie Bennett was attacked.”

“Sure he was in the cemetery — rearranging your face,” said Matt, but his voice lacked its usual strength. Tyler grabbed the comment and ran with it.

“Yes, and he almost killed me. And tonight somebody did kill Tanner. I don’t know what you think, but I think he did it. I think he’s the one!”

“But where is he?” shouted someone from the crowd.

Tyler looked around. “If he did it, he must still be here,” he shouted. “Let’s find him.”

“Stefan hasn’t done anything! Tyler—” cried Elena, but the noise from the crowd overrode her. Tyler’s words were being taken up and repeated. Find him… find him. .. find him . Elena heard it pass from person to person. And the faces in the Stonehenge Room were filled with more than distrust now; Elena could see anger and a thirst for vengeance in them, too. The crowd had turned into something ugly, something beyond controlling.

“Where is he, Elena?” said Tyler, and she saw the blazing triumph in his eyes. He was enjoying this.

“I don’t know,” she said fiercely, wanting to hit him.

“He must still be here! Find him!” someone shouted, and then it seemed everyone was moving, pointing, pushing, at once. Partitions were being knocked down and shoved aside.

Elena’s heart was pounding. This was no longer a crowd; it was a mob. She was terrified of what they would do to Stefan if they did find him. But if she tried to go warn him, she would lead Tyler right to him.

She looked around desperately. Bonnie was still staring into Mr. Tanner’s dead face. No help there. She turned to scan the crowd again, and her eyes met Matt’s.

He was looking confused and angry, his blond hair ruffled up, cheeks flushed and sweaty. Elena put all her strength of will into a look of pleading.

Please, Matt, she thought. You can’t believe all this. You know it isn’t true.

But his eyes showed that he didn’t know. There was a tumult of bewilderment and agitation in them.

Please, thought Elena, gazing into those blue eyes, willing him to understand. Oh, please, Matt, only you can save him. Even if you don’t believe, please try to trust… please…

She saw the change come over his face, the confusion lifting as grim determination appeared. He stared at her another moment, eyes boring into hers, and nodded once. Then he turned and slipped into the milling, hunting crowd.

Matt knifed through the crowd cleanly until he got to the other side of the gym. There were some freshmen standing near the door to the boys’ locker room; he brusquely ordered them to start moving fallen partitions, and when their attention was distracted he jerked the door open and ducked inside.

He looked around quickly, unwilling to shout. For that matter, he thought, Stefan must have heard all the racket going on in the gym. He’d probably already cut out. But then Matt saw the black-clad figure on the white tile floor.

“Stefan! What happened?” For a terrible instant, Matt thought he was looking down on a second dead body. But as he knelt by Stefan’s side, he saw movement.

“Hey, you’re okay, just sit up slowly… easy. Are you all right, Stefan?”

“Yes,” said Stefan. He didn’t look okay, Matt thought. His face was dead white and his pupils were dilated hugely. He looked disoriented and sick. “Thank you,” he said.

“You may not thank me in a minute. Stefan, you’ve got to get out of here. Can’t you hear them? They’re after you.”

Stefan turned toward the gym, as if listening. But there was no comprehension on his face. “Who’s after me? Why?”

“Everybody. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ve got to get out before they come in here.” As Stefan continued simply to stare blankly, he added, “There’s been another attack, this time on Tanner, Mr. Tanner. He’s dead, Stefan, and they think you did it .”

Now, at last, he saw understanding come to Stefan’s eyes. Understanding and horror and a kind of resigned defeat that was more frightening than anything Matt had seen tonight. He gripped Stefan’s shoulder hard.

“I know you didn’t,” he said, and at that moment it was true. “They’ll realize that, too, when they can think again. But meanwhile, you’d better get out.”

“Get out… yes,” said Stefan. The look of disorientation was gone, and there was a searing bitterness in the way he pronounced the words. “I will… get out.”

“Stefan…”

“Matt.” The green eyes were dark and burning, and Matt found he could not look away from them. “Is Elena safe? Good. Then, take care of her. Please.”

“Stefan, what are you talking about? You’re innocent; this will all blow over…”

“Just take care of her, Matt.”

Matt stepped back, still looking into those compelling green eyes. Then, slowly, he nodded.

“I will,” he said quietly. And watched Stefan go.

Elena stood within the circle of adults and police, waiting for a chance to escape. She knew that Matt had warned Stefan in time — his face told her that — but he hadn’t been able to get close enough to speak with her.

At last, with all attention turned toward the body, she detached herself from the group and edged toward Matt.

“Stefan got out all right,” he said, his eyes on the group of adults. “But he told me to take care of you, and I want you to stay here.”

“To take care of me?” Alarm and suspicion flashed through Elena. Then, almost in a whisper, she said, “I see.” She thought a moment and then spoke carefully. “Matt, I need to go wash my hands. Bonnie got blood on me. Wait here; I’ll be back.”

He started to say something in protest, but she was already moving away. She held up her stained hands in explanation as she reached the door of the girls’ locker room, and the teacher who was now standing there let her through. Once in the locker room, however, she kept on going, right out the far door and into the darkened school. And from there, into the night.

Zuccone ! Stefan thought, grabbing a bookcase and flinging it over, sending its contents flying. Fool! Blind, hateful fool. How could he have been so stupid?

Find a place with them here? Be accepted as one of them? He must have been mad to have thought it was possible.

He picked up one of the great heavy trunks and threw it across the room, where it crashed against the far wall, splintering a window. Stupid, stupid .

Who was after him? Everybody. Matt had said it. “ There’s been another attack… They think you did it .”

Well, for once it looked as if the barbari , the petty living humans with their fear of anything unknown, were right. How else did you explain what had happened? He had felt the weakness, the spinning, swirling confusion; and then darkness had taken him. When he’d awakened it was to hear Matt saying that another human had been pillaged, assaulted. Robbed this time not only of his blood, but of his life. How did you explain that unless he, Stefan, were the killer?

A killer was what he was. Evil. A creature born in the dark, destined to live and hunt and hide there forever. Well, why not kill, then? Why not fulfill his nature? Since he could not change it, he might as well revel in it. He would unleash his darkness upon this town that hated him, that hunted him even now.