'So you do admit that she's hiding something.'
'Yes,' Elena said reluctantly. 'But it's nothing that will hurt us, I'm sure. Meredith has been my friend since the first grade…' Without knowing it, Elena let the sentence slip away from her. She was thinking of another friend, one who'd been close to her since kindergarten. Caroline. Who last week had tried to destroy Stefan and humiliate Elena in front of the entire town.
And what was it Caroline's diary had said about Meredith?
Elena's eyes left the snowy landscape to seek Stefan's waiting face. 'It doesn't matter,' she said quietly. 'I know Meredith, and I trust her. I'll trust her to the end.'
'I hope she's worthy of it, Elena,' he said. 'I really do.'
Damon stretched out his long legs and spoke lazily, looking around the barn. 'No, I don't think it's dangerous, particularly. But I don't see what you expect to accomplish.'
'Neither do I, exactly,' Elena admitted. 'But I don't have any better ideas. Do you?'
'What, you mean about other ways to spend the time? Yes, I do. Do you want me to tell you about them?' Elena waved him to silence and he subsided.
'I mean about useful things we can do at this point. Robert's out of town, Mrs. Flowers is down—'
'In the basement,' chorused several voices.
'And we're all just sitting here.
Meredith broke the silence. 'If you're worried about its being dangerous for me and Bonnie, why don't you
'I don't see why anybody's going to be screaming,' said Bonnie. 'Nothing's going to happen there.'
'Well, maybe not, but it doesn't hurt to be safe,' Meredith said. 'What do you think?'
Elena nodded slowly. 'It makes sense.' She looked around for objections, but Stefan just shrugged, and Damon murmured something that made Bonnie laugh.
'All right, then, it's decided. Let's go.'
The inevitable snow greeted them as they stepped outside the barn.
'Bonnie and I can go in my car,' Meredith said. 'And you three—'
'Oh, we'll find our own way,' Damon said with his wolfish smile. Meredith nodded, not impressed. Funny, Elena thought as the other girls walked away; Meredith never
She was about to mention that she was hungry when Stefan turned to Damon.
'Are you willing to stay with Elena the entire time you're over there? Every minute?' he said.
'Try and stop me,' Damon said cheerfully. He dropped the smile. 'Why?'
'Because if you are, the two of you can go over alone, and I'll meet you later. I've got something to do, but it won't take long.'
Elena felt a wave of warmth. He was trying to trust his brother. She smiled at Stefan in approval as he drew her aside.
'What is it?'
'I got a note from Caroline today. She asked if I would meet her at the school before Alaric's party. She said she wanted to apologize.
Elena opened her mouth to make a sharp remark, and then shut it again. From what she'd heard, Caroline was a sorry sight these days. And maybe it would make Stefan feel better to talk to her.
'Well,
'No; I've got that much of my Powers left anyway. She's all right. I'll meet her, and she and I can go to Alaric's together.'
'Be careful,' Elena said as he started off into the snow.
The attic was as she remembered it, dark and dusty and full of mysterious oilcloth-covered shapes. Damon, who had come in more conventionally through the front door, had had to take the shutters off to let her in through the window. After that they sat side by side on the old mattress and listened to the voices that came up through the ducts.
'I could think of more romantic settings,' Damon murmured, fastidiously pulling a cobweb off his sleeve. 'Are you sure you wouldn't rather—'
'Yes,' said Elena. 'Now hush.'
It was like a game, listening to the bits and pieces of conversations and trying to put them together, trying to match each voice to a face.
'And then I said, I don't care how long you've had the parakeet; get rid of it or I'm going to the Snow Dance with Mike Feldman. And he said—'
'—rumor going around that Mr. Tanner's grave was dug up last night—'
'—you hear that everybody but Caroline has dropped out of the snow queen competition? Don't you think —'
'—dead, but I'm telling you I
Elena raised her eyebrows at Damon, then looked meaningfully down at her sensible black attire. He grinned.
'Romanticism,' he said. 'Myself, I like you in black.'