At noon, Dad and I were sitting on the couch. A normal TV show flickered across the screen, its laughter track filling the quiet house. Caroline and Steven had gone shopping—or at least that was the excuse. In truth, Steven had wanted to plan a surprise for Dad, and Caroline, of course, had eagerly volunteered to help.
Dad broke the silence.
Dad: "So, you remember you said on the phone that you forgot a whole event from your memory?"
Aaron: "Yeah, I said that. I really can't remember a lot of things."
Dad: "Did you tell your mom?"
Aaron: "Mom is busy with the animal attacks happening."
Dad sighed softly.
Dad: "Listen, Aaron. No matter how busy your mom or I become, our first priority will always be you and your sister. You both are our life."
He reached for a small wooden box on the table and opened it carefully. From inside, he took out a locket.
Dad: "Wear it. Think of it as your father's love. And make sure to wear it every day. I had another one made for your sister. I'll give it to her once she returns."
I looked at the locket and couldn't help but chuckle. It was almost uncanny—first Elena, then Dad, both giving us ornaments and insisting we never take them off.
Aaron: "What is everyone's obsession with giving me jewelry and telling me not to take it off?"
Dad's jaw clenched slightly.
Dad: "What?"
I looked at his confused expression and lifted my wrist, showing him the bracelet I was wearing.
Aaron: "Elena Gilbert gave me this the other day. She gave a similar locket to Caroline. And she told us never to take it off."
Dad studied the bracelet for a long moment.
Dad: "Hey, Aaron… would you mind if I take a look at it? It looks gorgeous. Maybe I can give Steven a similar bracelet as a gift."
Aaron: "Okay."
I slipped the bracelet off and handed it to him.
Aaron: "Here. Take it."
Dad examined it closely. His expression slowly became unreadable.
Aaron: "Dad?"
He seemed to snap back to reality and handed it to me again.
Dad: "Well… that's a pretty bracelet Elena gave you."
Aaron: "Well, if you say so."
I turned my attention back to the TV, but I didn't saw it but Dad's face became tense.
Some time later, I fell asleep on the couch while watching TV.
Dad looked at me for a moment, then quietly took a blanket and draped it over me. His expression softened—only briefly. Then it hardened again. He took out his phone and called Liz Forbes.
After a few rings, Mom picked up.
Dad: "Hey, I called you to talk about our children."
Mom: "Why? What happened? Are they okay there? Did something happen?"
Dad: "I'm not sure. Aaron told me he doesn't remember a whole event. He can't seem to remember it no matter how hard he tries. I don't know if some vampire compelled him or not.But still just to be safe I gave him a locket filled with vervain."
Mom: "What? Wait—why didn't he tell me before? Is he okay?"
Dad: "Yes. He doesn't have any bite marks or abnormalities. That's why I thought maybe there was no vampire involved—maybe he's just being forgetful. He's still young. But when I tried to give him the locket, he showed me his bracelet. When I checked, I saw it was already filled with vervain."
Mom went silent for a second.
Mom: "Wait. I asked some people to get me vervain, but I still haven't received it. I couldn't give the kids any yet. How does he have a vervain bracelet?"
Dad: "He said Elena Gilbert gave it to him. I think you should ask Elena where she got a vervain bracelet."
Mom hesitated.
Mom: "Jonathan Gilbert is a council member. He could have given Elena vervain jewelry. Maybe she gave them to her friends as friendship tokens without knowing anything."
Dad: "Maybe. But why would she tell them never to take it off? Elena definitely knows something."
Mom: "I can't question her out of nowhere about vampires. If she truly doesn't know anything, it would put us at risk. I'll try to bring up the jewelry casually and see what she says. And I'll have someone keep an eye on her 24 hours a day. We can't force a child to talk about vampires—what if she really doesn't know?"
Dad exhaled.
Dad: "That could be true."
A heavy silence settled between them.
Dad: "Liz, our children have already gone through enough because of our divorce. They deserve to be safe, at the very least."
Liz: "Hmm."
Then he ended the call.
He looked at me once more before heading to his study, the door closing with a quiet click.
Steven and Caroline returned home late. One look at their faces and anyone could tell—they were hiding something.
They spoke in low whispers near the hallway.
Caroline: "We have to surprise Dad tomorrow morning. So we need to wake up at 5 a.m. at least to prepare."
Steven gave her a thumbs-up.
Steven: "Okay, ma'am."
Caroline: "And there has to be only pink flowers around the table—and red flowers on the floor."
Steven could barely hold back his laughter. Caroline's excitement alone was enough to give everything away.
Steven: "Yes, I'm sure Bill would like that."
Caroline smiled brightly.
Caroline: "Yes."
Even if Bill suspected they were planning something, he wouldn't ruin it. He would let them have their moment—their small happiness—in a world that rarely gave them any.