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Chapter Eleven
Elena stumbled down the dim corridor, trying to visualize what was around her. Then the world
suddenly flickered to brightness and she found herself surrounded by familiar rows of lockers. Her
relief was so great that she almost cried out. She'd never have thought she would be so glad just to
see. She stood for a minute looking around gratefully.
"Elena! What are you doing out here?"
It was Meredith and Bonnie, hurrying down the hall toward her.
"Where have you been?" she said fiercely.
Meredith grimaced. "We couldn't find Shelby. And when we finally did find him, he was asleep. I'm
serious," she added at Elena's incredulous look. "Asleep. And then we couldn't get him to wake up. It
wasn't until the lights went back on that he opened his eyes. Then we started back to you. But what are
you doing here?"
Elena hesitated. "I got tired of waiting," she said as lightly as she could. "I think we've done enough
work for one day, anyway."
"Now you tell us," said Bonnie.
Meredith said nothing, but she gave Elena a keen, searching look. Elena had the uncomfortable
feeling that those dark eyes saw beneath the surface.
All that weekend and throughout the following week, Elena worked on plans for the Haunted House.
There was never enough time to be with Stefan, and that was frustrating, but even more frustrating
was Stefan himself. She could sense his passion for her, but she could also sense that he was fighting
it, still refusing to be completely alone with her. And in many ways he was just as much a mystery to
her as he had been when she first saw him.
He never spoke about his family or his life before coming to Fell's Church, and if she asked any
questions he turned them aside. Once she had asked him if he missed Italy, if he was sorry he'd come
here. And for an instant his eyes had lightened, the green sparkling like oak leaves reflected in a
running stream. "How could I be sorry, when you are here?" he said, and kissed her in a way that put
all inquiries out of her mind. In that moment, Elena had known what it was like to be completely
happy. She'd felt his joy, too, and when he pulled back she had seen that his face was alight, as if the
sun shone through it.
"Oh, Elena," he'd whispered.
The good times were like that. But he had kissed her less and less frequently of late, and she felt the
distance between them widening.
That Friday, she and Bonnie and Meredith decided to sleep over at the McCulloughs'. The sky was
gray and threatening to drizzle as she and Meredith walked to Bonnie's house. It was unusually chilly
for mid-October, and the trees lining the quiet street had already felt the nip of cold winds. The