9

I got to school the next day and dad was very distant. He was like that every once in a while because- well I didn't really know why but it happened and I was used to it.

I saw Caroline and I walked over to her. "Hey." I sighed lightly.

"Rough night?" She asked as I nodded. "Me too. Matts mom told me she hated me."

"That's definitely rough." I sighed lightly. "I need a girls night."

"Me too but tonight I'm hanging out with Matt. No matter what his mom thinks I'm still gonna be with him." She said trying to convince herself more than convince me.

"Fair enough. I'll see you later then." I smiled as I went to my class. I sat there trying not to think about everything which made me think about it even more.

"Earth to Emma." I heard as I looked to Tyler.

"What?" I said as I looked to him.

"I asked what was so important yesterday that you had to blow me off." He smirked.

"Well I went to visit my old family friend." I smiled lightly to him as I leaned on my hand. "Turns out Elena and I really are related. Long lost twins."

"You're kidding?" He asked as I shook my head. "Damn. Well are you up for celebration?" He asked as I laughed lightly.

"Maybe just a little bit of getting my mind off of everything." I suggested as he nodded.

"I'll meet you at the grill after school." He said as I nodded with a smile before going back to working.

I was walking to my next class when I saw Elena and I smiled lightly to her before walking by. "Emma." She said as I turned and looked at her. "How's your dad?" She asked.

"He's fine. Why?" I asked confused.

"Oh uh he didn't tell you?" I shook my head. "Damon killed him yesterday but his ring brought him back to life." Elena explained as I looked at her confused.

"Oh. Wow. What? Okay." I nodded. How else was I supposed to take that and why the hell didn't he tell me?

"Also something else happened last night." She said as she looked down worried.

"What?" I asked curiously. How bad could it be. 

"I found out where our mom is." She said as I looked at her eagerly. "She's a vampire."

"She- what?" I asked looking at her shocked.

"Damon didn't just kill her, he turned her too." She told me as I felt my eyes tearing up.

"I have to get to class." I spoke looking to her as I walked away and went into the bathroom. I sat on the toilet and I cried. God I hated crying. It made me feel weak because I was vulnerable.

My mom had the option of seeing me again but she didn't. She could've pretended to be the same and stay with me but she didn't. All this time I thought she was this amazing person, but she wasn't. She left me. She left Elena. She left dad. I hated it. All of it.

I thought moving would be good for me. How could I think that the bad would just stop following me? I wiped my eyes and walked into my next class late.

Not long after not giving a shit for a couple more hours I headed to the grill. My dad was still not talking to me but at this point I think it was because he felt bad. Either way I didn't want to think about it.

I saw Tyler by the pool table and I walked over. "Ready to get your ass whooped Lockwood?" I asked throwing on a smile. I liked being with Tyler because he basically didn't know anything about what was actually happening.

"Bring it on Flemming." He retorted as I chuckled lightly. We played for a while and it was pretty even.

"How are you so good?" He asked looking at me.

"I grew up with a busy mom and a lazy dad. This was my version of a tea party." I answered as he laughed lightly.

"You know you never really talk about your family. I mean you know all about my no good dad and my slightly alcoholic mom." He smiled lightly to me.

"It's a sob fest really. My mom was killed a few years ago so it's only been me and my dad. My dad might be an alcoholic but he's trying." I shrugged lightly. My dad did drink a lot but I never really thought much of it.

"Sorry I asked." He apologized sighing lightly.

"It is what it is." I nodded before I hit in the eight ball. "Yes!" I jumped lightly and looked at him.

"Mmm, I let you win." He said looking to me as he walked over.

"Yeah right. You're such a liar." I defended getting in his face. "Round two. I'll whoop your ass again." I challenged tilting my head lightly.

"Game on." He replied as our faces were super close. I backed away and we played again. This time he won but only because I accidentally knocked the eight ball in.

"It's inevitable. You were bound to lose." He shrugged lightly.

"Yeah right. What are you trying to prove?" I asked leaning with the pool.

"Um that I'm better than you." He boasted in an obvious tone.

I laughed lightly and pushed his chest. "Please you won by accidental default." I retorted as I looked at my phone. "My dad wants me home." I sighed.

"Leaving already?" He asked looking at me with a fake pout.

I rolled my eyes. "Please it's been like three hours." I looked at him and put the pool stick up. "We'll do it again sometime I promise." I smiled lightly to him. "Bye Tyler." I added as I walked out. He was the only normal thing I had going for me right now since Caroline was super busy with Matt.

I got home and my dad was drinking. "Did you need me for something?" I asked walking in.

"No I just wanted to keep an eye out." He replied as he looked at me.

"So I heard you died." I spoke as he looked at me surprised. "And that you have a magic ring that heals you." I crossed my arms. "It kinda sucks that I had to here that from Elena." I spat angrily.

"I was going to tell you." He sighed lightly.

"When? Dad you died and your first instinct wasn't to tell me!" I replied looking at him sadly.

"I didn't want you to have to think about losing me too!" He retorted back.

"Did you hear about mom too?" I asked looking at him sadly. He nodded lightly. I started tearing up. "How could she do that?" I asked about to cry.

"I don't know." He shook his head lightly.

"All this time I thought she was dead. All this time she could've come home. She could've been with us and raised me. She left." I started crying. I could barely breath thinking about it. "Why'd she leave, daddy?"

"I don't know." He replied as he hugged me tightly. I cried into his shoulder.

"I don't care anymore." I said as he looked at me confused. "I don't care about avenging her. She doesn't deserve it. I don't care about killing vampires. I don't care about her anymore." I explained looking at him but it was the opposite. I cared too much. So much that I wanted to not care. I wanted to tell myself to stop. "I wish I didn't find out." I sniffed.

"I know, baby, me neither. Everything's gonna be okay." He reassured as he held onto me.

"Please don't ever leave me. If I lost you I don't know what I'd do." I admitted holding onto him.

"I won't Emmie." He responded. "I promise."

I went to bed on the verge of depression. I hated how everything turned out. I didn't even know what I did to deserve all of this.

-----------

It had been a few days. Things had been dull. I talked to Tyler but I was too sad to hang out with him. I talked a little with Caroline and she felt really bad. Elena tried to talk to me but I avoided her. I guess I was jealous of what she had.

I was helping my dad sort through paper work at school when Damon walked in the class room. I looked at him and then the papers. "We need your help." Damon spoke as I continued going through papers. 

"I don't care. Go away." I replied as Elena walked in.

"Emma please. It's Stefan." Elena added as dad walked in.

"What's going on?" He asked looking at them. They all came in. Dad sat at his desk while Elena talked to him and Damon sat next to me looking at what I was doing.

"We need your help. Stefan is stuck in a house filled with vampires. There is a human living there so Damon can't get in. We need you to help us." Elena explained. "I would do it but-"

"Her life is valuable. Yours on the other hand-" Damon looked to dad.

"Stefan told me about your ring. It keeps you from dying." Elena explained. "That means you can help us get in." Dad looked at her blankly.

"And why should I do that when I can just try and kill you again right now and not miss?" Dad asked as he stood up and I looked to him.

"I like this plan." I admitted quietly as I looked to Damon.

"Guys please. It's Stefan." Elena begged getting in between dad and Damon.

"Sorry Elena it's not my problem." Dad replied sitting back down.

"Dang." I sighed lightly.

"Because the person in charge can find your wife." Damon spoke as I looked up to him and then to my dad. Elena looked at him confused.

"You're bluffing." I retorted looking at Damon.

"Am I?" He asked as he raised his eyebrow to me then turned to dad. "Why don't you go ask her yourself?" Dad looked at him still. "Coward. Come on Elena. Let's go." Damon said as he guided Elena out.

Dad looked to me and I shook my head. He looked at his ring and sighed. "All right. Wait." I put my pencil down and crossed my arms. "I'll go."

"Me too." I sighed angrily.

"No I-" Dad started.

"Hell if I won't Dad." I flipped my wavy hair. "Besides if you don't let me now I'll sneak there anyway." I shrugged lightly.

"Fine." He sighed lightly.

I smiled. "Great I'll go get my weapons." I stood up and went to my locker.

I came back and dad already had his laid down on a table. All I had was wooden knuckles which were like brass knuckles, 3 normal stakes, and a carved wooden knife.

"Teacher and student by day, hunters by night." Damon said looking at the windows.

"Because of you asshole." I retorted quietly looking at dad's weapons.

"I heard that." He replied looking to me.

"Good." I smiled before rolling my eyes and looking at dad. "These are tranquilizer vervain darts." Dad pointed to them.

"All you have to do is get me in and I'll get Stefan out." Damon explained.

"That's your plan you are just gonna take all of them on yourself?" Elena asked looking to them.

"Yeah that is a pretty dumb plan." I looked to dad.

"Eh I can be stealthy." Damon shrugged as I looked at him confused.

Elena started reaching for a vervain dart. "What are you doing?" Dad asked as he grabbed for it.

"I'm going with you guys." She answered.

"That's a bad idea. Do you have any fighting skills?" I asked looking at her and she didn't respond. "You shouldn't go."

"I agree with number 2. You aren't going." Damon added and I looked at him with agitation.

"Do you really not see all of these weapons I could stab you with right now?" I asked looking up at him holding one of the stakes as he looked at me with slight annoyance.

"Guys this is serious." Elena responded. "I'm going. I can help."

Damon looked to Dad completely ignoring Elena. "So when you get me in I can sneak around so no one can hear me." Damon explained to him. Elena looked to him with a 'seriously' look and I shrugged lightly. I didn't want to deal with Damon any more than I had to. "You'll basically just be in the way as a distraction." Damon shrugged.

"Damon now is not the time to be the Lone Ranger." Elena argued looking to him.

"Fine Elena you can drive the get away car." Damon sighed.

"And what am I doing?" I asked looking to my dad.

"You make sure Elena stays there. If she's like you then she won't." He answered as I looked at him.

"Are you kidding me?" I grumbled lightly.

"Do you have a magic ring? Didn't think so." Dad responded as I rolled my eyes.

"Look no one can stop me. This is Stefan we are talking about. You don't understand." She argued.

"Oh I understand. I understand. He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong. I get it." Damon mocked as he looked at her.

"Can you just not joke around for two seconds?" Elena said through gritted teeth.

"I can't protect you, Elena, I can't protect either of you." Damon said looking to both of us. He snapped his fingers. "That's how long it takes for you to both get your heads ripped off. If either of you are in there I won't be able to get in and get out." He argued. "If either do you decide to go inside everyone will surely die including Stefan." He looked at me as I looked away my arms crossed. "I get it Elena. I understand." Damon looked to her.

"If we are gonna go let's go." Dad said as he packed his stakes.

I started walking out and Damon was right behind me. I looked at him. "I wouldn't want your help anyway." I bit the inside of my cheek and kept walking.