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Damon smiled and the air went colder "Like you?"

Matt just stared at him He could feel htly, "You can try"

"I can do le step toward hile cats, of their powerful spring and their sharp, tearing teeth He thought of what Tyler had looked like in the Quonset hut last year when Stefan was through with him Red meat Just red meat and blood

"What was that history teacher’s na this "Mr Tanner, wasn’t it? I did more than try with him"

"You’re a murderer"

Damon nodded, unoffended, as if he’d just been introduced "Of course, he stuck a knife into drain hiedme now, Matt"

Matt had his knees locked to keep frorace, it was more than those unearthly black eyes fastened on his There was so inside Damon that whispered terror to the human brain So hiet away

But he wouldn’t run His conversation with Stefan was blurred in hisfrom it Even if he died here, he wouldn’t run

"Don’t be stupid," Dahts "You’ve never had blood taken from you by force, have you? It hurts, Matt It hurts a lot"

Elena, Matt remembered That first time when she’d taken his blood he’d been scared, and the fear had been bad enough But he’d been doing it of his own volition then What would it be like when he was unwilling?

I will not run I will not look away

Aloud he said, still looking straight at Da to killand do it Because maybe you can make me die, but that’s all you can make me do"

"You’re even stupider than my brother," Darabbed Matt by his T-shirt, one hand on either side of the throat "I guess I’ll have to teach you the sa was frozen Matt could smell his own fear, but he wouldn’t move He couldn’t litter in the dark Sharp as carving knives Matt could almost feel the razor bite of them before they touched hiht, and closed his eyes

The shove took him completely off balance He stuo and pushed him away

Expressionless, those black eyes looked down at him where he sat in the dirt "I’ll try to put this in a way you can understand," Damon said "You don’t want to

erous than you can possibly iet out of here It’s ot up He rubbed at his shirt where Damon’s hands had crumpled it And then he left, but he didn’t run and he didn’t flinch froht I’m still alive, so I won

And there had been a kind of grim respect in those black eyes in the end It s It really did

Bonnie and Meredith were sitting in the car when he got back They both looked concerned

"You were gone a long time," Bonnie said "Are you okay?"

Matt wished people would stop asking him that "I’m fine," he said, and then added, "Really" After aelse he should say "Sorry if I yelled at you back there, Bonnie"

"That’s all right," Bonnie said coolly Then, thawing, she said, "You really do look better, you know More like your old self"

"Yeah?" He rubbed at his cru with vareat waruys do? Lower your heads and run at each other from opposite sides of the yard?" asked Meredith

"So to watch Vickie now"

"Do you think we can trust him?" Meredith said soberly

Matt considered "As a matter of fact, I do It’s weird, but I don’t think he’s going to hurt her And if the killer co, I think he’s in for a surprise Dao back to the library for Stefan"

Stefan wasn’t visible outside the library, but when the car had cruised up and down the street once or twice he materialized out of the darkness He had a thick book with hirand theft, library book," Meredith reet for that these days?"

"You ured it out? Then you can tell us everything, like you pro house"

Stefan looked slightly surprised when he heard that Damon had turned up and stationed himself at Vickie’s, but he made no comment Matt didn’t tell him exactly how Damon had turned up, and he noticed Bonnie didn’t either

"I’ on in Fell’s Church And I’ve got half the puzzle solved, anyway," Stefan said once they were all settled in his roo house attic "But there’s only one way to prove it, and only one way to solve the other half I need help, but it isn’t so at Bonnie and Meredith as he said it

They looked at each other, then back at hiuy killed one of our friends," said Meredith "And he’s driving another one crazy If you need our help, you’ve got it"

"Whatever it takes," Bonnie added

"It’s soerous, isn’t it?" Matt demanded He couldn’t restrain hih

"It’s dangerous, yes But it’s their fight too, you know"

"Darn right it is," said Bonnie Meredith was obviously trying to repress a srin

"Matt’s back," she said when Stefan asked her what the joke was

"We missed you," added Bonnie Matt couldn’t understand why they were all s at him, and it made him feel hot and uncomfortable He went over to stand by the

"It is dangerous; I won’t try to kid you about that," Stefan said to the girls "But it’s the only chance The whole thing’s a little co We have to go back to the founding of Fell’s Church"

He talked on late into the night

Thursday, June 11, 7:00 am

Dear Diary,

I couldn’t write last night, because I got in too late Moain She’d have been hysterical if she’d knohat I was actually doing Hanging out with vaet et us all killed

Stefan has a plan to trap the guy who murdered Sue It reminds me of some of Elena’s plans-and that’s orries me They always sounded wonderful, but

lots of the ti to do it after graduation We’re all in on it except Dae, but we all trust hiht, I don’t think he’ll let Vickie get hurt

I haven’t had any o absolutely screaain I just can’t take any o Hopefully, by Sunday we’ll have the ht I trust Stefan

I just hope I can remember my part