"All right, we should head back now," Ron said to Sarah after Caroline went into her room.
"Are we taking Elena's car back?" Sarah asked, noticing Elena's parked car nearby.
"No, we'll run. Now that you've completed your transformation, you should have vampire speed. This way, you can get used to your new body on the way back," Ron replied.
"Come on, don't hold back — run home as fast as you can. I'll keep up," he added.
"Okay." Sarah nodded to Ron and began sprinting. Gradually, her speed increased, but no matter how fast she went, Ron stayed behind her, keeping pace.
"That's strange… I can't get in," Sarah said once she reached Ron's house. She had the keys as his former housekeeper, but she couldn't enter.
"Come in, Sarah. I was going to explain the differences of being a vampire anyway," Ron invited as he entered the house.
"I tried earlier, but I couldn't get in," Sarah said, standing at the door.
"Just come in. Since I invited you, there's nothing to worry about," Ron said, sitting on the sofa and motioning for Sarah to sit on the adjacent one.
"First, let me explain a few things about being a vampire. The reason you couldn't enter earlier is that this house has an owner. Vampires cannot enter without the invitation of the living owner. Also, vampires cannot be out in sunlight, so during the day, you have to be careful even indoors," Ron explained as Sarah sat down.
"Ron… can I drink a little more? I feel even hungrier after running back," Sarah asked shyly.
"That's fine. You probably burned a lot of energy running, which makes you crave blood more," Ron said, rolling up his sleeve and offering his arm for her to drink.
"You've just transformed, so it's best not to appear in crowded places. Being around many people makes it hard to control your hunger," he cautioned, watching Sarah drink.
"Being a vampire does have its advantages. You're immortal now, your speed and strength are greatly enhanced, and your appearance won't age. For girls, that's pretty appealing, isn't it?" Ron added, trying to shift her focus from just the downsides of vampirism.
"All right, that's enough for now. You need to learn self-control. Otherwise, if you ever bite a human out of necessity, you might drain them completely," he said, patting her head gently.
"I'll try my best to control myself," Sarah said obediently, letting go.
"Sarah, I owe you an apology. You got dragged into all this because of me, and even became a vampire. I promise I won't limit your freedom — once you can control your hunger, you can go wherever you want. I just hope you don't end up like Damon, losing your humanity and doing terrible things," Ron said, wiping the blood from his hands and pulling down his sleeve as he returned to the sofa.
"I won't. I'll control myself," Sarah assured him.
"All right. Get some rest now. Stefan will come by tomorrow to explain more about being a vampire. And remember to close your curtains at night — sunlight hitting the bed can be dangerous," Ron advised as he headed upstairs to rest.
"Okay, goodnight," Sarah said, entering her room.
Upstairs, Ron sat on his bed in a daze. In his previous life, he had never been in a proper relationship, so Caroline was his first love in both lives. Of course, a breakup would hurt.
But Ron had always been straightforward and inexperienced in love — the relationship began and ended with Caroline's decisions. He didn't know how to reconcile things with her, especially since he couldn't solve her immortality problem. Exhausted, he fell asleep without changing his clothes.
The next morning, Sarah knocked on his door.
"Ron, time for breakfast."
"Okay, I'm coming," Ron replied, realizing he hadn't changed clothes. He got up and went to wash up.
"Good morning, Sarah," he said when he saw the breakfast she had prepared downstairs.
"Morning, Ron. Mind if I have a little bite first?" Sarah asked with a playful tone.
"Of course, go ahead," he said, rolling up his sleeve again.
Sarah ran happily over and sat beside him like a well-behaved child.
"Come on, don't be shy," Ron said, amused, offering his arm. She bit down gently while he used his other hand to eat breakfast.
As breakfast neared its end, someone knocked on the door. Sarah, still holding Ron's arm, didn't notice.
"You got a little carried away," Ron said, tapping her head to let go.
"Oh… okay," Sarah finally released his arm to open the door.
"Better stay seated — we don't know if sunlight might come through the door right now," Ron said, opening the door to find Stefan standing there.
"So early! Have you eaten breakfast? Come in," Ron greeted.
"I've already eaten," Stefan replied, following him inside.
"Sit on the sofa for a bit. Breakfast is almost done," Ron said, returning to the table, extending his arm for Sarah to continue feeding.
Stefan then explained vampire abilities to Sarah and encouraged her to survive on animal blood like he did.
"To be honest, I don't hold prejudice against vampires — they were once human. If Sarah can control herself, she could survive on human blood with consent. But animal blood is better; it fits a vampire's needs without causing suffering," Ron suggested, thinking of Sarah's recent struggle with human blood.
After a while, Stefan left, knowing that with Ron present, Sarah was unlikely to lose control.
"Sarah, tonight we'll check out the Halloween party. It's a good way to test your self-control and your ability to resist mental influence," Ron said.
"All right. Do you have a costume in mind? Remember, it's a masquerade," Sarah asked.
"Uh… do you have any ideas? I've never been to one of these parties before," Ron admitted, feeling a bit at a loss.