Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 14

I woke the next morning and stretched my mail outward, dejected when I touched nothing completely goose-down pillows. A slight indentation in the mattress next to me was the only proof that what had happened had been real, and not one of the fever dreams Id been having since Rosalyns death.Of course, I couldnt expect Katherine to have spent the dark with me. Not with her maid waiting at the carriage house, and not with the way the servants talked. Shed told me herself that this had to be our confidential, that she couldnt risk ruining her reputation. Not that she had to worry about that. I wanted us to have our own secret world, to pressher.I wondered when shed slipped away, remembering the feeling of her in my arms, a warmth and lightness Id never matt-up before. I felt whole, and at peace, and the thoughtof Rosalyn was just a shadowed memory, a character in an unpleasant story that Id simply put out of my mind. straightaway my mind was consumed with thoughts of Katherine how she pulled the curtains closed as the summer storm pelted apostrophize on the windows, how shed every(prenominal)owed my reach to explore her exquisite body. At one point, I was caressing her neck when my hands fell on the clasp of the ornate dingy cameo necklace she perpetually wore. I began to unclasp it when Katherine had roughly pushed me away.Dont shed say sharply, her hands flying to the clasp, making sure nothing had been disturbed. But then, once she patted the charm into place on the hollow of her neck, shed resumed kissing me.I blushed as I remembered all the other places she did allow me to touch.I swung my legs out of bed, walked toward the hand basin, and splashed water on my face. I looked in the mirror and smiled. The dark circles were gone from my eyes, and it no longer felt like an effort to walk from one side of the room to the other. I changed into my vest and dark-blue breeches and left the chambers humming.Sir? Alfred asked on the steps. He was holding a silver-domed plattermy breakfast. My lip curled in disgust. How could I have lain in bed for an entire week when there was a whole world to disc everywhere with Katherine?Im quite well, thank you, Alfred, I give tongue to as I took the stairs twain at a time. The storm from last night had disappeared as quickly as it came. In the sunshineroom, the early-morning light was sparkling through the floor-to- ceiling windows, and the confuse was decorated with freshly do it daisies. Damon was already there, drinking a mug of coffee while flipping through the morning paper from Richmond.Hello, brother Damon said, holding up his coffee mug as if he were toasting me. My, you look well. Did our afternoon ride do you some good, after all?I nodded and sat opponent him, glancing at the organizelines on the paper. The Union had taken Fort Morgan. I wondered where exactly that was.I dont know why we even get the paper. Its not like find cares about eitherthing except the stories he makes u p in his head, Damon said disgustedly.If you hate it here so much, why dont you just leave? I asked, suddenly harried with Damons constant grumbling. Maybe it would be better if he were gone, so that Father wouldnt be so frustrated. An odious voice in the backward of my mind silently added, And so I dont have to think about you and Katherine, swinging on the porch swing together.Damon raised an eyebrow. Well, Id be remiss if I didnt say things were elicit here. His lips sheer in a private sort of smile that made me suddenly want to grab his shoulders and shake him.The force of my emotions surprised me, so much so that I had to sit down and shove into my mouth a muffin from the overflowing basket on the table. Id never felt jealous of my brother before, just suddenly I was dying to know Had Katherine ever snuck up to his bedroom? She couldnt have. Last night, shed seemed so nervous about getting caught, having me promise over and over again that Id never breathe a word to anybo dy about what wed done.Betsy, the cook, came in, her arms laden with plates of grits, bacon, and eggs. My stomach rumbled, and I realized I was starving. I quickly insert in, reveling in the saltiness of the eggs combined with the impertinent bitterness of my coffee. It was as if Id never tasted breakfast before and my senses were finally awakened. I sighed in contentment, and Damon looked up in amusement.I knew all you needed was some fresh air and good food, Damon said.And Katherine, I thought.Now lets go outside and cause some trouble. Damon smiled wickedly. Fathers in his study, doing his monster studies. Do you know he even has Robert in on it? Damon shook his head in disgust.I sighed. While I didnt necessarily believe all the converseion about demons, I did respect Father enough to not make fun of his thoughts. It made me feel vaguely disloyal to hear Damons waiver of him.Im sorry, brother. Damon shook his head and scraped his death chair back against the slate floor. I k now you dont like it when Father and I fight. He walked over to me, pulling out my chair from under me, almost causing me to fall. I scrambled to my feet and good-naturedly shoved him back.Thats better Damon called with glee. Now, lets go He ran out the back door, letting the door slam shut. Cordelia employ to scream at us for that offense as children, and I laughed when I heard her familiar groan from the kitchen. I ran toward the center of the lawn, where Damon had unearthed the oblong stumblebum wed been tossing two weeks before.Here, brother Catch Damon panted, and I turned and leapt into the air, just in time to ensure the pigskin in my arms. I pulled it tightly to my chest and began running toward the stable, the wind lather my face.Y boys a voice called, stopping me in myou tracks. Katherine was stand on the porch of the carriage house, wearing a simple, cream-colored muslin dress and looking so innocent and sweet that I couldnt believe that what happened last night wasn t a dream. Burning off excess energy? I sheepishly turned around and walked toward the porch.Playing catch I explained, hastily throwing the ball to Damon.Katherine reached behind her, braiding her curls down the back of her neck. I had a sudden fear that she thought we were tiresome with our childish spunky and that shed come out here to scold us for waking her so early. But she simply smiled as she settled on the porch swing.Are you ready to touch? Damon called from his position on the lawn. He held the ball far back behind his head as if he were about to throw it toward her.Absolutely not. Katherine wrinkled her nose. one time was enough. Besides, I feel people who need props for their games and sports are lacking in imagination.Stefan has imagination. Damon smirked. Y should hear him read poetry. Hes like aou troubadour. He dropped the ball and ran toward the porch.Damon has imagination. too. Y should seeou the imaginative way he plays cards, I teased as I reached the steps o f the porch.Katherine nodded at me as I bowed to her notwithstanding didnt make any other effort to greet me. I stepped back, momentarily stung. Why hadnt she at least given me her hand to kiss? Hadnt last night meant anything to her? I am imaginative, especially when I have a muse. Damon winked at Katherine, then stepped in front of me to grab her hand. He brought it to his lips, and my stomach churned. Thank you, Katherine said, standing up and walking down the porch steps, her simple skirts swishing down the stairs. With her hair pulled back from her eyes, she reminded me of an angel. She gave me a secret smile, and finally I relaxed.Its beautiful here, Katherine said, spreading her arms as if blessing the entire estate. Will you show me around? she asked, turning and glancing first at Damon, then at me, then back at Damon again. Ive lived here for more(prenominal) than two weeks, and Ive barely seen anything besides my bedchambers and the gardens. I want to see something new. Something secretWe have a maze, I said stupidly. Damon elbowed me in the ribs. Not like he had anything better to say. I know, Katherine said. Damon showed me.My stomach fell at the reminder of how much time the two of them had spent together in the week I was in my sickbed. And if hed shown her the maze But I pushed the thought out of my head as best I could. Damon had always told me about all the women hed kissed, ever since we were thirteen and he and Amelia Hawke had kissed on the Wickery Bridge. If he had kissed Katherine, I would have heard about it.Id love to see it again, Katherine said, clapping her hands together as if Id just told her the most interesting news in the world. Will you both escort me? she asked hopefully, glancing at us.Of course, we said at the same time.Oh, wonderful I must tell Emily. Katherine dashed inside, loss us standing on opposite ends of the stairs.Shes quite a woman, isnt she? Damon asked.She is, I said shortly. Before I could say anything else, Katherine came bounding down the stairs, holding a sun umbrella in one hand.Im ready for our adventure she cried, handing me her parasol, an expectant look on her face. I hooked it over the crook of my arm, while Katherine linked arms with Damon. I walked a few feet behind, watching the easy way their hips bumped each other, as if she were simply his younger, teasing sister. I relaxed. That was it. Damon was always protective and was simply organism a big brother to Katherine. And she needed that.I whistled under my breath as I followed them. We had a small labyrinth in the front garden, except the maze on the far corner of the property was expansive, built from a boggy marsh by my father, who had been determined to impress our mother. Shed loved to garden and had always bemoaned the fact that the flowers that bloomed in her native France simply couldnt withstand the hard Virginia soil. The area always smelled of roses and clematis and was always the first place couples would retr eat to when they wanted to be alone at a Veritas party. The servants had superstitions about the maze that a child conceived in the maze would be blessed for life, that if you kissed your true love in the center of the maze, youd be bonded for life, but that if you told a lie while within its walls, youd be cursed forever. Today it felt almost magical The arbors and vines provided shade from the sun, making it seem that the triad of us were in an enchanted world togetheraway from death and war.Its even more beautiful than I remembered Katherine explained. Its like a storybook. Like the capital of Luxembourg Gardens or the Palace of Versailles She plucked a calla lily and inhaled deeply.I paused and glanced at her. Y ouve been to Europe, then? I asked, feeling as provincial as any of the country bumpkins who lived in the shanty town on the other side of Mystic Falls, the ones who pronounced the word creek like crick and who already had cardinal or five children by the time they wer e our age.Ive been everywhere, Katherine said simply. She tucked the lily behind her ear. So, tell me, boys, how did you amuse yourselves when you didnt have a mysterious stranger to impress with a tour of your grounds?We entertain pretty young things with real Southern hospitality. Damon smirked, falling into his overdone accent that always made me laugh.Katherine rewarded him with a giggle, and I smiled. Now that I saw Damon and Katherines flirtatious friendship as being as innocent as the relationship of cousins, I could enjoy their banter.Damons right. Our Founders Ball is just a few weeks away, I said, my spirits lifting as I realized that I was free to go to the ball with whoever I pleased. I couldnt wait to twirl Katherine in my arms.And youll be the prettiest girl. Even the girls from Richmond and Charlottesville will be jealous Damon pronounced.Really? Why, I think I should like that. Is that wicked of me? Katherine asked, glancing from Damon to me.No, I said.Y Damon said a t the same time. And I, fores, one, think more girls should admit their wicked natures. After all, we all know the fairer sex has a dark side. Remember when Clementine cut off Amelias hair? Damon turned toward me.Y es, I chuckled, happy to play the role of storyteller for Katherines amusement. Clementine thought Amelia was being too forward with Matthew Hartnett, and since Clem envisage him, she decided shed take it in her own hands to make Amelia less attractive.Katherine put her hand over her mouth in a gesture of magnify concern. I do hope poor Amelias recovered.Shes engaged to some soldier. Dont worry about her, Damon said. In fact, you shouldnt worry about anything. Y oure far too pretty.Well, I am worried about one thing. Katherine widened her eyes. Who shall escort me to the ball? She swung her parasol back and forth on her arm as she gazed at the ground, as if persuasion through a deep decision. My heart quickened as she looked up at both of us. I know Lets have a race. Wi nner may get to take me She threw her parasol on the ground and ran off to the center of the maze.Brother? Damon asked, raising an eyebrow at me.Ready? I smiled, as if this were just a casual childrens footrace. I didnt want Damon to know how fast my heart was beating, and how very much I wanted to catch Katherine.Go Damon yelled. Immediately I began running. My hands and legs flailed, and I propelled myself into the maze. When we were in school, I was the fastest boy in the class, lightning quick when the school bell rang.Then I heard peals of laughter. I glanced back. Damon was doubled up over himself, slapping his knee. I gulped air, trying not to seem winded. Scared to compete? I said, running back and slugging Damon on the shoulder. Id meant it to be a playful punch, but it landed with a heavy thud.Oh, now were on, brother Damon said, his voice light and full of laughter. He grabbed my shoulders and wrestled me easily to the ground. I struggled to my feet and tackled him, throw ing him onto his back and pinning down his wrists. remember you can still lick your little brother? I teased, enjoying my momentary victory.No one came for me Katherine pouted, wandering out of the maze. Her frown quickly turned into a smile as she saw us on the ground, breathing heavily. Good thing Im here to save you both. She knelt and pressed her lips first to Damons cheek, then to mine. I released Damons wrists and stood up, wiping the spot off my breeches.See? she asked, as she offered an arm to Damon. All you need is a kiss to make everything betteralthough you boys shouldnt be such brutes with each other.We were fighting for you, Damon said lazily, not bothering to stand up. Just then, the sound of horses hooves interrupted us. Alfred dismounted his horse and bowed to the three of us. It must have been a sight Damon lying on the ground, resting his head on his hand as if he were simply reclining, me frantically brushing grass stains off my trousers, and Katherine standing b etween us, looking amused.Im sorry to interrupt, Alfred said. But superscript Giuseppe needs to speak to Master Damon. Its urgent.Of course it is. Everything is always urgent for Father. What do you bet he has another ridiculous theory he needs to discuss? Damon said.Katherine lifted her parasol from the ground. I should get going, too. Im all disheveled, and Im due to visit with Pearl at the apothecary.Come, Alfred said, gesturing for Damon to jump onto the back of his horse. As Alfred and Damon rode away, Katherine and I slowly walked back to the carriage house. I wanted to bring up the Founders Ball again but found myself afraid to do so.Y dont need to keep railyard with me.ou Perhaps you should keep your brother company, Katherine suggested. It seems that your father is a man whos best taken on by two, she observed. Her hand brushed my own and she grabbed my wrist. Then she stepped on her tiptoes and allowed her lips to graze my cheek. Come see me tonight, sweet Stefan. My cha mbers will be open. And with that, she broke off into a spirited run.She was like a colt, galloping free, and I felt my heart gallop along with her. There was no question She felt the same way I did. And knowing that made me feel more liveborn than I ever had in my life.