Part One: Rin Yamamoto
Rin Yamamoto sat on her bed, meticulously examining her face in a black compact mirror. It was seven AM, and she was ready for school too early. Having not slept a wink last night, she'd eventually gotten sick of attempting to rest and gotten out of bed at six to shower. Now she didn't have to leave for forty-five minutes for her third day of senior year at Mystic Falls High and had nothing to do but pour over her appearance.
Snapping the mirror shut, she stood to view her full reflection in her full length mirror. She wore a green wrap top and black skinny jeans with a matte, leathery finish. Black leather ankle boots with three-inch heels completed her look. Despite the layers in her waist-length, jet-black hair, it was straightened to lay more or less flat, her side-bangs neatly pushed out of her face. Her eye makeup was carefully applied – liquid liner tapering to pointed wing tips beneath an exaggerated, heavy layer of mascara. She touched up her rose-hued lip stain and sighed, never quite satisfied with her appearance. It was safe to say that Rin was vain. Very, very vain.
After twenty more minutes of hovering around her room, unable to decide whether or not she wanted to change, she wandered into her kitchenette, opened the fridge, and delicately extracted a slice of Swiss cheese from the bag. She chewed it slowly, savoring the first half of her breakfast. When it was gone, she grabbed a strawberry from the counter and ate that as well, taking tiny bits and then throwing out the leaf. It was just about time to leave. She locked her apartment door behind her, went down the stairs, exited her building and got into her black Toyota Supra to drive to school.
Pulling into her parking space, perfectly on schedule, she got out of her car. Like clockwork, a bright blue Camaro pulled into the space next to hers. An impeccably dressed blonde got out of the car and walked towards her. "Sick of school yet?" she asked, pulling her hair over one shoulder.
"Not yet, Breeze," she replied with a flawlessly calculated smirk. Breezy French had been her best friend for the majority of high school. They were an excellent team – Breezy was the blonde bombshell who acted as a social liaison for the duo; Rin was the dignified and stoic genius behind the operation. Together, they had stolen more boyfriends, gatecrashed more concerts, and won entry into more twenty-one-up clubs than anyone else in school. They were notorious and untouchable.
But Rin had a secret.
"Well it's only day three. And I'm sick of school." The two of them marched into the building and went straight to their homeroom class just as the bell was ringing to announce the beginning of the lesson.
"Seats, guys!" said the twenty-something history teacher. He was new, and felt the need to treat the seniors like fourth graders. There was a strict seating chart policy in the class. Rin took her seat in the back next to Caroline Forbes, head planner of every school event ever to exist. She offered a small grin as a greeting, which Rin returned.
"Hey, Rin," Caroline whispered, leaning close to the girl. Caroline had always piqued Rin's interest since she was always somehow connected to the bizarre rumors that always seemed to hang around town – strange stories involving animal attacks and sometimes suspicions of supernatural activity. This was probably because she was the sheriff's daughter, and rumored to know more than she let on about the various 'situations' that routinely arose. She spoke quickly and discreetly. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but me and my friends realized there have been no good parties yet to kick off our senior year, so I'm having a little something at Tyler's place this weekend. You'll come, right? Bring your friends?"
Rin glanced at her, tucking her hair behind her ear so she could see her. "Sure, Breezy and I will be there," she replied in as low a tone as she could muster – the teacher seemed to have noticed the girls were talking.
"Something you'd like to share, girls?" he asked, still in fourth-grade-teacher mode. Rin met his eyes and offered her trademark grin – an unnerving smile, the sort of smile that made everyone wonder what she was up to.
"Nothing at all, Mr. Fairbanks," she said evenly. The teacher nodded and continued his lecture, satisfied. But Caroline wasn't done.
"Sorry about that. But Rin? Seniors only. So… in case you know underclassmen or something – they're gonna have to sit this one out."
Rin smiled again, this one not quite reaching her eyes. She was not in the habit of offering an excessive amount of warmth to anyone.
"Of course. Sounds fun. BYOB?"
"Nope. We've got it covered. Most people are gonna pay five at the door but I'll put you and Breezy on the guest list. Call it perks of being legendary – I've read some absolute gold about you guys on the Mystic High Confessions page."
Rin only widened her smile slightly in return and went back to doodling in her textbook. After having been responsible for a string of school pranks last year as well as multiple photos of the girls at Provocateur, a club in New York City, with no less than James Franco himself, circulated around the internet, Rin and Breezy had attained a whole new level of notoriety. As a result, there had been numerous anonymous confessions on the Mystic Falls High Confession page on Facebook about the girls. The small town didn't have a lot of exposure to the fast life, and Rin and Breezy sought it out like no one else.
That night, Rin lay awake in bed once again. This was the third night she anticipated having no sleep at all. Giving up on sleeping, she got out of bed. Pulling a silk robe around her chemise, she donned her slippers and went outside for a cigarette. The balcony overlooked a small pond behind the apartment building, but she preferred to stand at its edge, maybe dip her feet in for a while. Rin savored the summer heat.
She lit up and took a deep drag off her cigarette, a Marlboro 27 Blend. It was the only kind she could bring herself to smoke – nothing else tasted the same. Except, perhaps, Turkish Royals. The water looked enticing under the sparkling summer sky. I wonder…
As she finished off her square over the next three minutes, she glanced around. No one was awake. All the lights in the apartment building were off, and there was no one on the grounds. Dropping her cigarette butt in the grass, she shrugged off her robe and chemise, letting them fall to the ground around her feet. She was only her in her black cotton underwear now, and she took a step away from her clothing and dipped a toe into the water. It was warm, as expected. She continued wading in until she was submerged up to her neck. Her hair floated around her, forming a pool of solid black on the glistening water. Holding her breath, she dipped her whole head underwater with her eyes wide open. What she saw, however, she never could have expected.
It was a man, no more than ten feet in front of her. He had brown, slightly curled hair and an angular face with the slightest brush of facial hair. He was wearing only a pair of black jeans, and had a tattoo of birds flying off a feather on his left shoulder, in stark contrast to his pale skin. But she noticed his eyes first – they were shockingly blue and fixed on her. How long has he been underwater?! she wondered frantically, pushing her head through the surface to gasp out of breathlessness and shock. With the quick movements of a practiced swimmer, she rushed out of the pond and grabbed her robe, wrapping it around her as quickly as she could. The air was still warm but she shivered – had she been seeing things? Should she say something? He must still be under the water… but how? Still frantic, she extracted another cigarette from the pack in her pocket and lit it, backing away slowly from the pond. She maintained her composure but she was sure her heart was beating hard enough to break through her chest.
She glanced up at the stars momentarily, still unsure of what to do. When she looked back down, he was there. In front of her.
"Rin Yamamoto," he said. There was a clear English accent to his voice – the way he pronounced her Japanese name sounded unusual, almost forced. "I'd like to speak with you." Though her eyes widened slightly, Rin was careful not to seem surprised or scared even though he had miraculously snuck up on her without her even noticing him getting out of the water. She took a drag off her cigarette, refusing to take a step backwards or stutter despite his uncomfortably close proximity to her. After slowly exhaling the smoke toward the ground, she spoke.
"You couldn't just knock on my door?" she asked evenly, maintaining eye contact. This wasn't the first unusual guy she'd met and she wasn't going to let him get to her, despite his impressive stealth.
"I couldn't get into the building, of course," he replied, offering too wide a smile. It was the kind of smile that said, "I know something you don't know." Or, "I know many, many things you don't know."
"You could have asked the doorman," Rin replied, taking another drag off her cigarette, unfazed by his exaggerated grin. "Who are you?" At her inquiry, the man smiled even more.
"Niklaus Mikaelson. You can call me Klaus," he said offering his hand for a shake. Rin ignored it.
"Alright, Klaus, why the nighttime ambush? Can I help you?" Klaus retracted his hand, unperturbed by her lack of interest in his courtesy.
"In fact, you can." He paused. Rin noticed there was something maniacal in his eyes that glinted despite the darkness around them. "Tell me about your powers." At this, Rin was again shocked. She showed no physical indication of this, but her heartbeat began to race once more. How could he know about that? How could anyone know about that?
"You mean my infallible ability to escape the clutches of nosy stalkers? I can tell you all about that. In fact, I can show you." With that, she scooped her chemise and slippers off the grass with one hand and turned around, taking another drag off her cigarettes. Klaus only grinned again, acutely aware that he could see the outline of her body through her sheer silk robe. She was thin – very thin, with only the slightest hint of curves. She'd lost weight since the last time they met. Using his vampiric speed to catch up to her would be a little to suspect, so he walked quickly after her.
"That's actually not the one I was referring to," he said, an edge to his voice now. He grabbed her arm roughly and spun her around. "I want information about your powers. The ones of the supernatural variety. The ones you have tried so desperately to cover up." Obviously, there was no denying it – whoever this man was, he knew what she could do.
"How did you find out?" she asked, still maintaining her even tone.
"Did you forget about that little incident outside Provocateur last year?" he asked, his cat-like grin returning. Rin drew in a long breath, annoyed. The one time she had slipped up. She thought no one had seen that.
"Of course. Have you been following me for that long?"
"No, just happened to be in the area back then."
"Naturally. So I guess you managed to see somehow. Well, I'm not in the habit of sharing my personal life with strangers, so you're going to have to let me go," she said, refusing to struggle. She was going to wait for him to release her – these types of psychos loved feeling like they had control.
One year ago, outside Provocateur
Klaus waited in the shadow of the building for someone to wander outside. He was hungry, and New York was the place to hunt when one was looking for an easy catch. He missed the thrill – the blood bags in Mystic Falls simply couldn't hold him over for more than a few weeks. Before long, a woman walked out of the back exit and extracted her smartphone from her clutch handbag. She was beautiful – long, black hair and a dress that clung to her thin frame without revealing too much. She walked easily in her five-inch heels as she began dialing a number on her phone, giving off an air of sultry, yet refined dignity that he had only seen previously in the likes of Katherine Pierce. She would be perfect prey for the night.
But before Klaus could act, another human stepped out of the building. He, too, was well-dressed, in a flawlessly tailored suit. However, he walked fast toward the girl, almost urgently. Before she could complete the call, he grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her against the wall of the club, placing her other hand on her mouth. Klaus could hear him whisper with his extra-sensitive hearing – he told the woman not to scream, and called her a tease. Before he could reach for the hem of her dress, however, something strange happened.
There was a flash of dull, purple light – Klaus recognized it as blacklight as everything seemed to glow – and the man was on his knees. The woman was towering over him, having suddenly gained several inches. Her shoes and dress were gone, and her hair glistened, now stark white against the darkness of the alley. She was wrapped in a black shroud of some sort and said nothing. She only stared at the man, who was still as a statue. But Klaus knew pain when he saw it. He was in indescribable pain, judging by the look of utter shock and defeat on his face. The whole scene was surreal. He couldn't find his voice or move. The woman simply lifted her hand towards the cowering man and he slumped over, unconscious. It took only a few moments, and suddenly, in another burst of blacklight, it was as if it had never happened. The girl was back to normal – black hair, sexy sheath, and stilettos all in place.
He was shocked. What was she? A witch? No, witches didn't transform when they used their powers. He had never seen anything like it before, and he was intrigued. She was certainly not going to be his dinner tonight – he had to know what she was capable of. She glanced around the alley and started walking quickly towards where Klaus was hiding.
He walked out of his shadow and before she could react, he met her eyes and compelled her. "You won't remember my asking you this." She nodded, mesmerized. "Who are you?"
"Rin Yamamoto," she said in a dull monotone.
"What are you?"
"I'm a human," she replied, again monotonously.
"Then how did you transform just now and attack that man?" asked Klaus, even more intrigued. She couldn't lie under his compulsion – so she was human.
"I have no idea," she said. Klaus cocked his head, curious, but dropped the compulsion. She didn't know any more about her abilities, then, other than the fact that she could use them. He walked away quickly, not wanting her to remember his face now that she was no longer compelled. She walked away as well, in the opposite direction, to call her friend Breezy and tell her she wanted to go home. The guy she had just attacked had been following her all night and she was tired of it.
Klaus bent near his body after she turned the corner onto the street. He was still alive. Quickly ripping into his neck and drinking, he tossed the man aside after he was full. His mind went back to the strange girl. Rin Yamamoto. He would remember that – her powers may one day be useful to him.
Present day
"I can offer you information," said Klaus, knowing this would at least pique her interest. "I can answer your questions about your… abilities." Rin narrowed her eyes, unable to detect any hint of a lie in the man's voice. But he was still holding onto her arm, and too tightly at that.
"Well, release my arm before you accidentally amputate it and we can talk," she said, letting a hint of annoyance into her voice. She didn't like being caught off-guard, and so far Klaus had managed to do just that a total of four times within the last five minutes. Klaus grinned and let go.
"Shall we go inside?" Rin turned around and began walking, assuming he would follow.
"If you try anything stupid, you know what I'm capable of." She led him upstairs and unlocked her door before walking in. She didn't notice that Klaus was still waiting outside.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" he asked. There was something in his tone that Rin couldn't quite place – almost as if he was asking for more than just entrance into her home this one time. She turned around and stared at him, remembering Anne Rice novels she read in middle school – vampires always had to be invited in. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she sighed.
"Come in," she said simply before wandering into her closet to change. She was still dripping wet from the pond and wanted dry underwear. After pulling on more black panties and changing into another black bra, she slipped into new sleepwear as well – a slightly more opaque, deep green chemise – and walked back out into the living room where Klaus was waiting. His quick glance down to her short hem did not go unnoticed, and Rin rolled her eyes. "Try not to gawk. It's not very becoming," she said as she poured herself a glass of water. Vervain-laced, thought Klaus. Rin took a seat on one of the barstools by the counter and crossed her legs as she sipped.
"I'll gawk at whatever I like. But that's not why I'm here. I'm going to cut to the chase, and if you don't believe me it's your own loss. I'm a supernatural being, and I suspect you are too. I'm a half-vampire, half-werewolf hybrid, and one of the oldest, most powerful beings on Earth. And you're probably some kind of telepath," he said quickly, waiting for her reaction. Rin only stared at him, slowly taking another long sip of her water. She liked to delay her reactions when people told her things they expected would shock her. Her mind jumped to the animal attacks and Caroline Forbes. Victims were always bit in the neck. She also thought briefly of how long Klaus managed to stay underwater. Having intimate knowledge of her own strange abilities, she was not in any position to deny the existence of vampires and werewolves.
"I believe it. A telepath, you say?" she asked, cocking a delicately arched brow.
"I see you're smart enough not to attempt to deny it. Though I was quite looking forward to convincing you," replied Klaus, amused.
"Sorry to disappoint. A telepath? You said you'd answer questions," she repeated, more interested in information regarding her own issues than Klaus' alleged vampire-slash-werewolf abilities.
"Yes. And all I'm going to tell you for now is this – talk to Bonnie Bennett at school. She can give you more information. I've got a proposition for you but I don't believe you'd be willing to hear me out until you know more, and she will provide more incentive than I can about why you should listen to me." He drew an index card from his pocket and placed it on the counter. "Essentially, you need me to survive. There's my phone number. Give me a call when you're interested," he said with a quick smile as he ran the back of his hand along her head for a moment. Her hair was softer than silk, and she was glaring at him.
"When did I say you could touch me?" she hissed, and he immediately drew his hand back and stepped away, toward the balcony.
"I'll be in touch," he said cheerfully over his shoulder, opening the doors to the balcony. Without another word, he jumped off the edge. Rin was annoyed, and more shocked than she would prefer. This complete stranger knew too much about her, and apparently about others she went to school with. He had told her to speak with Bonnie, a friend of Caroline's. Well, no surprise there – that whole group is just surrounded in weirdness, she thought, wondering if she should listen to Klaus. One of their friends, Elena Gilbert, had disappeared from school altogether for several months last year. You need me to survive, he'd said. The words echoed in her head. Was she in some kind of danger?
She crawled into bed to lie awake for a while. Her mind was racing. She'd find Bonnie at school – there was something eerily honest about this Klaus guy. And he obviously knew more than she did about her own strange abilities.
This was the third night she was going without sleeping, and her body finally couldn't handle it anymore. She drifted off into a restless slumber. As she tossed and turned, her silver hair became matted and tangled.
When she awoke in the morning, it was jet black once again.
