Stefan walked right past us. He didn't even glance in our direction. I watched him go, thinking to myself that I had nothing to fear from him, or his brother Damon, or any other vampire. With my Immortal Snake power, I could handle them easily.
My thoughts were interrupted when I turned and saw Elena. She was standing with her arms folded tightly, looking at me with a deep, questioning stare. I had been lost in my own head, ignoring her.
I couldn't afford to mess this up. I needed that system reward. I quickly put on an apologetic face. "Sorry, Elena," I said. "It's just... he looks like someone I used to know."
Elena looked at me for a long moment, her head tilted. Then one of her eyebrows rose slowly. "Don't do that again," she said, her voice firm. "I really don't like it when people ignore me."
I held my hands up in a peaceful gesture. "It just happens sometimes. I get lost in thought."
"Let's just go to class," she said, not fully accepting my excuse. "We're going to be late."
I nodded, and we started walking down the hallway together.
***
Sitting through history class was as boring as always. Mr. Tanner's voice was like a dull hum. I looked over at Elena. She was listening with full attention, taking notes. I shook my head slightly; I didn't know how she could focus so hard.
Then my eyes landed on Stefan. He was sitting in the front row. And he wasn't looking at the board. His head was turned just enough that he could stare directly at the back of Elena's head. He wasn't even blinking. It was creepy.
A bad feeling settled in my stomach. My mood, which had been okay, quickly turned sour. Not here, I told myself. Not in the middle of class. That would cause a mess I don't want to deal with right now.
Finally, the bell rang. I stood up quickly, my chair scraping against the floor. I walked straight to the front of the room where Stefan was slowly packing his bag.
He looked up as I approached. His eyes were a clear, calm greenish. "What's up?" he asked, his voice polite.
I leaned in close so only he could hear me. My voice was low and serious. "Stay away from Elena," I said. "She is not Katherine."
His whole body went still. The polite look vanished from his face, replaced by a sharp vigilance. His eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice now cold and demanding.
I just looked back at him, not blinking. "Just remember my words," I said slowly. "Otherwise, you will only create an unsolvable problem for yourself." I reached out and patted his shoulder twice. It was not a friendly gesture. Then I turned and walked away, leaving him standing there.
Elena's Point of View
I was just outside the classroom door when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I knew it was him.
I turned around. Alex was standing there with a gentle smile. "Leaving without me?" he asked.
I didn't smile back. "Okay," I said, crossing my arms. "The first thing you do after apologizing to me is lie to me again?"
His face scrunched up in a look of confusion. "I don't understand what you're talking about."
His confusion made me irritated, but I kept my voice quiet. "Don't you have something to explain? Why did you lie about not knowing him, but you were just talking to him?"
His expression changed to one of fake realization. "Oh," he said, "you're talking about Stefan."
"Look,you already know his name!" I cut in, my voice rising a little.
He held up his hands like he was being patient with a child. "Things are not like that. I was just giving him some advice about life. You know, so he doesn't do anything wrong here. And it's true, I don't know him."
I stared at him, trying to see if he was telling the truth.But looking at his face, he didn't seem to be lying."Oh," I said, my shoulders slumping a little. "It's like that. I'm... I'm really sorry. It's just hard to believe you after all the things that happened the past few days.
Alex Point of View
I looked at Elena's doubtful face. I have already explained to you clearly, I thought, my anger simmering inside. But you are still saying it's hard to believe? What a 'good' Elena you are. I made a promise to myself right then. I am 100% sure, after I complete this system task and get my reward, I will deal with you slowly. I'll make sure you forget how to smile.
But on the outside, I just gave her a small, forced smile. "It's okay," I said, my voice sounding calm. "This type of thing takes time."
Just then, Bonnie's voice called out from down the hall. "Are you two going to stand there and talk all day? Let's go!"
***
Any Suggestions