The Fury

She would have thought she'd be terrified. But she wasn't, not as long as Stefan was there.

'The people at the dance—they'll be all right now, won't they?' she said.

'They'll be all right now,' Stefan whispered. 'You saved them.'

'I didn't get to say good-bye to Bonnie and Meredith. Or Aunt Judith. You have to tell them I love them.'

'I'll tell them,' Stefan said.

'You can tell them yourself,' panted another voice, hoarse and unused sounding. Damon had pulled himself across the floor behind Stefan. His face was ravaged, streaked with blood, but his dark eyes burned at her. 'Use your will, Elena. Hold on. You have the strength—'

She smiled at him, waveringly. She knew the truth. What was happening was only finishing what had been started two weeks ago. She'd had thirteen days to get things straight, to make amends with Matt and say good-bye to Margaret. To tell Stefan she loved him. But now the grace period was up.

Still, there was no point in hurting Damon. She loved Damon, too. 'I'll try,' she promised.

'We'll take you home,' he said.

'But not yet,' she told him gently. 'Let's wait just a little while.'

Something happened in the fathomless black eyes, and the burning spark went out. Then she saw that Damon knew, too.

'I'm not afraid,' she said. 'Well—only a little.' A drowsiness had started, and she felt very comfortable, but as if she were falling asleep. Things were drifting away from her.

An ache rose in her chest. She was not much afraid, but she was sorry. There were so many things she would miss, so many things she wished she had done.

'Oh,' she said softly. 'How funny.'

The walls of the crypt seemed to have melted. They were gray arid cloudy and there was something like a doorway there, like the door that was the opening to the underground room. Only this was a doorway into a different light.

'How beautiful,' she murmured. 'Stefan? I'm so tired.'

'You can rest now,' he whispered.

'You won't let go of me?'

'No.'

'Then I won't be afraid.'

Something was shining on Damon's face. She reached toward it, touched it, and lifted her fingers away in wonder.

'Don't be sad,' she told him, feeling the cool wetness on her fingertips. But a pang of worry disturbed her. Who was there to understand Damon now? Who would be there to push him, to try to see what was really inside him? 'You have to take care of each other,' she said, realizing it. A little strength came back to her, like a candle flaring in the wind. 'Stefan, will you promise? Promise to take care of each other?'

'I promise,' he said. 'Oh, Elena…'

Waves of sleepiness were overcoming her. 'That's good,' she said. 'That's good, Stefan.'

The doorway was closer, so close she could touch it now. She wondered if her parents were somewhere behind it.

'Time to go home,' she whispered.

And then the darkness and the shadows faded and there was nothing but light.

Stefan held her while her eyes closed. And then he just held her, the tears he'd been keeping back falling without restraint. It was a different pain than when he'd pulled her out of the river. There was no anger in this, and no hatred, but a love that seemed to go on and on forever.

It hurt even more.

He looked at the rectangle of sunlight, just a step or two away from him. Elena had gone into the light. She'd left him here alone.

Not for long, he thought.

His ring was on the floor. He didn't even glance at it as he rose, his eyes on the shaft of sunlight shining down.

A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Stefan looked into his brother's face.

Damon's eyes were dark as midnight, and he was holding Stefan's ring. As Stefan watched, unable to move, he forced the ring onto Stefan's finger and released him.

'Now,' he said, sinking back painfully, 'you can go wherever you want.' He picked the ring Stefan had given to Elena off the ground and held it out. 'This is yours, too. Take it. Take it and go.' He turned his face away.

Stefan gazed at the golden circlet in his palm for a long time.

Then his fingers closed over it and he looked back at Damon. His brother's eyes were shut, his breathing labored. He looked exhausted and in pain.

And Stefan had made a promise to Elena.

'Come on,' he said quietly, putting the ring in his pocket. 'Let's get you some place where you can rest.'

He put an arm around his brother to help him up. And then, for a moment, he just held on.

SIXTEEN

December 16, Monday

Stefan gave this to me. He's given most of the things in his room away. I said I didn't want it at first, because I didn't know what to do with it. But now I think I have an idea.

People are starting to forget already. They're getting the details wrong, and adding things they just imagined. And, most of all, they're making up explanations. Why it wasn't really supernatural, why there's a rational reason for this or that. It's just silly, but there's no way to stop them, especially the adults.

They're the worst. They're saying the dogs were hydrophobic or something. The vet's come up with a new name for it, some kind of rabies that's spread by bats. Meredith says that's ironic. I think it's just stupid.

The kids are a little better, especially the ones who were at the dance. There are some I think we can rely on, like Sue Carson and Vickie. Vickie's changed so much in the last two days that it's like a miracle. She's not the way she's been for the last two and a half months, but she's not the way she used to be, either. She used to be pretty much of a bimbo, running around with the tough crowd. But now I think she's okay.

Even Caroline wasn't so bad today. She didn't talk at the other service, but she talked at this one. She said Elena was the real snow queen, which was kind of cribbing off of Sue's speech from before, but probably the best Caroline could do. It was a nice gesture.

Elena looked so peaceful. Not like a wax doll, but as if she were sleeping. I know everybody says that, but it's true. This time, it really is true.

But afterward people were talking about 'her remarkable escape from drowning' and stuff like that. And saying she died of an embolism or something. Which is absolutely ridiculous. But that's what gave me the idea.

I'm going to get her other diary out of her closet. And then I'm going to ask Mrs. Grimesby to put them in the library, not in a case like Honoria Fell's, but where people can pick them up and read them. Because the truth is in here. This is where the real story is. And I don't want anybody to forget it.

I think maybe the kids will remember.

I suppose I should put what happened to the rest of the people around here; Elena would want that. Aunt Judith is okay, although she's one of the adults who can't deal with the truth. She needs a rational explanation. She and Robert are going to get married at Christmas. That should be good for Margaret.

Margaret's got the right idea. She told me at the service that she's going to go see Elena and her parents someday, but not now, because there were a lot of things she still had to do right here. I don't know what put that idea into her head. She's smart for a four-year-old.

Alaric and Meredith are also okay, of course. When they saw each other that horrible morning, after everything had quieted down and we were picking up the pieces, they practically fell into each other's arms. I