I lay on my بستر staring at the ceiling. Today had been…“fun”, as Damon had put it, but fun all apart from Stefan’s sudden reappearance at the completely wrong moment. It wasn’t that I wasn’t a little happy to see him again, I was. But the fact that he came back just after Damon and I had had…you know. And the fact that he’d fed on human blood. What had swayed him to the dark side? Lexi? I had to know. But he had gone when he’d begun to tell me what had happened. And who had he killed? It couldn’t have been someone close to me, I would have noticed if they were gone for a ماہ without calling me. Suddenly, the window blew open. I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Jeez…” I muttered, recovering. I got up and shut them again, putting the latch on. When I turned around, I nearly screamed. Stefan was standing behind me.
“Stefan! آپ scared me! What the hell?” I breathed and moved around him.
“Sorry, that wasn’t my intention,” he replied honestly. I looked at him from across the room. It wasn’t just his eyes that had changed I realised, it was the way he was standing. He was poised as though ready for anything out of the ordinary. His eyes took in everything about the room. He was tense.
“Stefan, why are آپ here?” I asked quietly, looking at the floor. He relaxed slightly, walked over to my بستر and sat down.
“I thought it would be easier to talk to you…if…Damon wasn’t here.” He looked up at me, his eyes still filled to the brim with the sorrow I had seen earlier.
“Stefan…you have to tell me now. I need to know what you’ve done.” I sat down اگلے to him.
“Ok, here goes…” and his story began again.
*
Lexi looked at me sternly.
“Stefan, we’ve got to go and do something! I have to go tomorrow and we need to do something fun!” She grabbed my hands as she begged me. I decided to give in.
“Ok, ok. So what are we going to do?” A huge smile broke across her face.
“I have an idea,” and she walked over to her bag and zipped it open. After a few سیکنڈ she pulled out three paintball guns.
“Paintballing? Lexi, you’re too cool, آپ know that?” She leaped gracefully across the room in a flash.
“I know how much آپ loved it back in ’88, and I came across a couple going cheap in China when I was there. I thought “what the heck?” and bought them.” She put one in my hands.
“Wait, why are there three? I thought آپ didn’t like Damon?” She laughed out loud.
“Stefan, it’s not for Damon, it’s for Michael! آپ thought I came without him?” Of course, Michael. How could I have forgotten Michael?
*
“Who’s Michael?” I inquired.
“Michael’s Lexi’s husband. They got married way back before I was even born. They’re tight as anything. Nothing has ever come between them.” He looked sadly at the floor. I knew he was thing about us.
“Stefan. I’m so sorry to have hurt you. Damon and I…I’m so sorry.” Tears started spilling down my cheeks.
“No, Elena. I’m sorry. I left آپ alone and I’m sorry. If I hadn’t…hadn’t…done what I did, آپ and I would still be together…” He seemed so pained and so heartbroken that I put my head on his shoulder and wrapped my arms around him.
“Shall I carry on?”
“Yes.”

*
“Michael’s out hunting right now, but he’ll be back soon.” She poured paintballs into her gun. “Lock and load, Stefan,” and she threw me a packet of yellow paintballs. I caught them and filled my gun with the colourful ammunition.
“Well this looks like fun, mind if I شامل میں you?” I whisked around at the familiar voice of my brother. Damon was walking towards us with a smile on his face. Lexi barely even looked up at him.
“Why hello there Lexi, long time no see,” he کہا with a smirk. He walked around me and knelt down beside her. “But it doesn’t look like you’re too happy to see me.” She stood up and so did he.
“When am I ever happy to see آپ Damon?” She picked up her paintball gun and walked away from him.
“Oh, well that’s a damn shame. آپ know that hurts me,” he put his hand on his heart, “right here.” He smirked again and looked at me.
“Quit the sarcasm Damon,” she sighed.
“Sarcasm? How could آپ even suggest that? That’s mean,” he was still smiling. Suddenly Lexi was in front of him and glaring at him.
“Oh, I’m mean? That’s a little hypocritical don’t آپ think?” She was older than him, therefore stronger, and he seemed to retract a little at her stern words.
“Ok, ok. Calm down Lexi,” he کہا smoothly. “Now, can I play یا not,” he asked, trying to look innocent.
“Of course آپ can Damon,” she replied. I was taken aback. Why was she letting Damon play when she despised him?
“As long as آپ don’t mind being my primary target,” she added and walked out into the hallway. I laughed as he recoiled a little, but he composed himself.
“Well, whatever. آپ know how much I love paintballing. And it’s not like I’m not fast.” He grabbed another paintball gun from her bag. “She’ll have to be able to aim pretty good if she wants to get me.” He held the gun at me. “And I wonder who my primary target will be…” he sneered. He stared into my eyes as he walked past.
“Great…” I muttered. I followed Damon out to the front lawn. Lexi stood with Michael directly ahead of us. Their rings shone like ours in the bright sunlight. They had been دیا them سے طرف کی a band of travelling vampires back in 1801. Damon walked up to Michael and they hugged.
“How are you, buddy? It’s great to see you,” Michael laughed and patted Damon’s back.
“I’m good, man. It’s great to see آپ too.” Damon was reunited with one of his best دوستوں too. Although Lexi and Damon hated each other with a passion, Michael and Damon got on scarily well. I, on the other hand, didn’t get on so well with him.
“Michael, it’s good to see آپ again,” I کہا as I shook his hand.
“You too, Stefan.” He coughed and didn’t look me in the eye.
*
“How come آپ guys are all like that? I mean, Damon and Lexi, آپ and Michael?” I asked. Stefan laughed.
“It’s nothing terrible, Elena. It’s just a personality clash thing. Damon and Lexi are completely different. Lexi is warm and friendly, whereas Damon is…well, Damon. However, Michael’s not like Damon, but they just seem to mesh. But Michael and I just don’t seem to. See, there’s nothing awful that keeps us from all being friends.” I nodded and he continued.
*
We entered the forest at different points and ran. I looked for a place to hide and came across a huge oak درخت that had hollowed out at the bottom. I threw myself inside and peered around the corners. Not a sign of anyone. The forest was still. I held my paintball gun tightly to my chest. Suddenly, I saw Lexi creeping through the trees about 50m in front of me. I held my breath. She hadn’t seen me. Yet. I locked my gun into shooting position and moved آگے silently, slowly. She hadn’t heard me yet either. I moved through the undergrowth, creeping as low as I could. I realised that paintballing was similar to hunting. Creeping slowly so the prey wouldn’t hear you, lowering your body so they can’t see you… This was fun. Lexi was looking around frantically, and she darted against a tree. She held her gun ready to shoot anyone she saw and I took aim. I pressed my finger down slowly and fired. She moved out of the way just before the paintball hit her stomach. It hit the درخت and exploded in a yellow shower. She glared at me through the trees before I’d even had time to hide. I knew she was coming for me now. I ran full pelt through the forest with paintballs flying past me.
“Oh Stefan, you’ve done it now,” she yelled from behind me. I laughed and continued running until I saw Damon crouched low سے طرف کی a rock. I skidded to a halt and he looked directly at me. He smiled and raised his gun. The paintball missed me سے طرف کی a fraction as I began to اقدام out of the way. He hadn’t got me. But, unfortunately for Damon, the paintball had hit Lexi in the face.
“Ah, um, I…Oh dear,” Damon کہا sheepishly, and began to back away slowly. Lexi was growling.
“Oh Damon. My dear, dear Damon. You’re dead.” And her face morphed into the vampire she was. Damon’s face whitened and he stepped back.
“Oh, come on Lexi, I didn’t aim at you! I was going for my brother…” But she wasn’t listening. She had Damon سے طرف کی the کالر and threw him against a tree. Of course he wasn’t hurt but she was enjoying it all the same. He sprang up and his face morphed too.
“Guys, come off it. We were supposed to be having fun, not fighting.” I moaned. They did this all the time, and it was beginning to get annoying. “We’ve only just started!” Lexi looked at me and her face reverted back to normal.
“Sorry Stefan. It’s just he irritates me so much!” She turned back to Damon. “Watch yourself. اگلے time I won’t back down.” Suddenly a scream erupted somewhere in the forest. We all turned in the direction that the noise came from. With that we were all running to the noises source. After about 2 منٹ of sprinting we had covered two miles. We were about 50m from the main road that ran through Mystic Falls, and we came across the screamer. It was a small girl, about four years old. She was screaming at a man crouching over a body of woman.
“Michael! What are آپ doing? We’re supposed to be playing a game, not having lunch,” Lexi joked. I growled.
“Lexi! آپ can’t joke about this! We’re trying to keep a low پروفائل here, آپ know!” She looked at me apologetically. “Sorry honey. Michael! Stop!” And she ran to him. The little girl screamed again as Lexi’s thirst took her over and she began to feed too. Damon sighed beside me.
“What are we gonna do about the girl?” he asked. Michael looked back.
“I know…” he کہا cunningly and threw himself at her. I roared and jumped at him. I threw him off but he’d already sunk his teeth in. The girl’s blood…it got on my mouth and…”
*
I gasped and moved away from him. “Stefan…you didn’t…Oh my God, آپ killed that little girl!” He looked at me apologetically and his face filled with guilt.
“Elena, the pull of human blood is very strong. I couldn’t resist, it was too much…” He اقدام closer but I sprang up and backed against the wall.
“Stefan…I don’t…I think I’m going to be sick…” I felt ill thinking about that poor little girl…having her blood drained from her body… “Stefan…get out. I…I can’t hear anymore…Not now.” He nodded and got up. I couldn’t look him in the eye.
“Elena. آپ told me to tell آپ everything. I told آپ that آپ might not like what آپ hear. But آپ wanted me to tell آپ anyway. All I can say is I’m sorry.” And with that he was gone. Tears poured down my face. The thought of the little girl made my stomach churn. How could he…I fell onto my بستر and sobbed. I sobbed for hours. I could never look at Stefan the same way again. But it struck me then that Damon had probably killed children too. I tried not to think about it. I knew it was the only way they could survive, but the thought was too horrible, too much…And I fell into a tense and stressful sleep…