Hey guys! Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I was not expecting that many! There's not much more to say other than my responses to my reviewers:
KickForever99, ELOVATE, the guest - Cloudrazor, BearKick15, EVanvicky, and one of my unknown guests:
Thank you so much!
HeartOfAFighter and my other unknown guest:
Thank you, and yes, it is very similar to the Vampire Dairies because that's where I got my inspiration from. I'm literally obsessed with that show, and I love the Kickin' It characters, so this story was born.
Again, thanks for the reviews and thank you anyone who read. You guys have definitely inspired me to right this chapter as well as continue this story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' It, the parts of this story that relate to the Vampire Diaries, or any other brand that shows up in my work. I only own the plot and my OC Rika.
...
Chapter 2: Secrecy Lies Beneath Desperation
Kim hesitantly took Jack's hand and shook it. She didn't really know what to think or say. This boy, whom she had never seen before, claimed to have known her from somewhere.
"I'm Kim." She introduced herself, her voice quiet.
Jack smirked. "I know."
Kim raised an eyebrow. "Um, I'm sorry, but I have somewhere I have to be." She turned away from him, feeling really creeped out.
Before she could get far, he appeared in front of her. Kim screamed and took a step backwards. She put a hand over her heart. "How did you do that?"
Jack tilted his head to the side with an amused expression. "What?"
"That..." She breathed out, her eyes wide. "How did you move so fast?"
Jack didn't answer her. All he could hear was the sound of her heart pounding against her chest. All he could hear was the blood flowing through her veins. All other sounds had drowned out. There was nothing else, only blood.
"Get the fuck away from her." A deep voice growled from behind Jack. Kim glanced up, and Jack twisted around, both of them now looking at Brody.
Jack smiled at the reaction he was getting out of his brother. Jack being this close to Kim was driving Brody crazy. Then, in one swift movement, Jack had gotten behind Kim, his arms restraining her in a headlock. "Hello to you to, brother."
Brody took a step forward. "Let her go, Jack."
"Why would I do that?" Jack taunted, tightening his hold around Kim. She squirmed in Jack's arms, her eyes wide with fear and her breathing frantic.
"Because you don't have to." Brody replied, a desperate look in his eyes. "Please."
"Fine..." Jack sighed, pretending to be disappointed when he was actually really enjoying this. "Guess we'll have to do this the hard way."
Still holding Kim with one of his arms, Jack brought his other to his mouth and bit down, creating to small holes in his wrist. He forcefully pressed it against Kim's lips. She coughed and helplessly thrashed around in order to get her mouth away from his arm. However, Jack was too strong, and a stream of blood was seeping out from his wrist into her mouth. Finally, she gave in and reluctantly swallowed the sticky, metallic liquid.
Brody glared at Jack and took another step forward. Jack removed his hand from Kim's mouth, and Kim choked out the blood that remained in her mouth.
"Jack," Brody warned.
"Just use your powers, brother." Jack nearly whispered. "Just use your powers to get her away from me, and she will be safe."
"Jack, don't make me do this." Brody pleaded, his eyes glassy with hatred for his brother.
Jack made a sudden movement, his hands now on Kim's neck. Brody gulped.
Jack's eyes darkened, and his voice lowered. "I'll do it."
"Please don't." Kim barely managed to get out those few words, her body trembling.
For a moment, Jack seemed to loosen his grip on her. Before anyone would notice, he tightened his hands around her neck again. His hands twitched, almost twisting Kim's neck when his body was suddenly colliding with the sidewalk.
Jack grimaced and looked up. Kim was in Brody's arms; her head nestled into his chest. Her hands gripped the grey sweater under his flannel, and tears slipped down her cheeks. Brody narrowed his eyes at Jack, his arms wrapped around the blonde.
Jack found himself smiling; it worked.
"Well," Jack began, getting to his feet. "I think you know what you have to do, Brody."
Brody sighed and peered down at the girl in his arms. He knew that he had to do it, but everything in him was telling him no. His mind was screaming at him.
"What would Rika think of you, Brody?"
Brody returned his eyes to Jack as Jack continued.
"What's Rika going to think of you when she finds out that Kim knows? You're supposed to protect her from all of this," Jack scrunched his eyebrows together in feign concern. "Aren't you?"
Brody clenched his jaw and placed his hands on Kim's shoulders, slightly pushing her away, so he could see her eyes.
Her eyes.
Those eyes would be the death of him. Her innocent, brown eyes were red and puffy, frightened and confused. She was lost.
Brody took a deep breath and transfixed his light hazel eyes deep into Kim's. "You're not going to remember any of this." Brody started so quietly that Kim could barely hear him. His voice was shaky, and it broke with every word. "Last night, you had a stomach ache, so you stayed at home. Then, you woke up this morning and went for a walk to get some fresh air." He stopped for a moment, and his mouth struggled to move. "You were on your way home just now."
The moment the last word left Brody's mouth, he and Jack had fled to another street, more than far enough away from Kim's view.
"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Jack smiled smugly.
Brody slowly lifted his head up from the ground. A tear slipped down his cheek. "I will never," His voice lowered, his eyes transformed into an intense black. "I will never forgive you for this."
Jack's smile dissipated.
Brody shook his head. "Ever."
...
Kim arrived at the doorstep to her house and stepped inside. From the kitchen, Jerry glanced over at her. He was still in his sweats and was currently munching on a piece of toast for breakfast.
"Hey." Jerry's voice was muffled from the bread stuffed in his mouth.
Kim smiled. "Hey."
"Rika wants you to call her." Jerry informed her. "She came by looking for you this morning."
Kim knitted her eyebrows together. "I must have just missed her then."
"Not really." Jerry replied, grabbing the last slice of toast and placing the plate in the sink. "She was here more than thirty minutes ago."
"I meant before I left."
Jerry took another bite out of his toast and raised an eyebrow. "Before you left where?"
Kim tilted her head to the side. "Here." She responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Wait," Jerry began. "You were here earlier?"
"Yeah, why?" Kim wondered curiously. She didn't understand why it was hard for him to believe that she was here this morning.
Jerry put the last piece of his toast in his mouth. After a moment, he asked, "How long have you been here?" He was starting to worry. Kim might have seen Rika leave if she was there too early.
"Jerry, I've been here since last night. I only left the house to get some fresh air just now."
Jerry's eyes widened, and he choked on his toast. His hands slammed against the counter as a piece of bread flew out of his mouth. Suddenly, his face was very red, way too red.
"Are you okay?" Kim asked concerned, a nervous expression on her face and her hand on her brother's shoulder.
"Yeah," Jerry wheezed, his eyes looking anywhere but at Kim's. "Just fine."
...
"Are you sure you haven't seen her?" Rika asked into the phone.
Brody sighed on the other end of the line. He hated lying to Rika, but he couldn't tell her about what happened. If Rika knew the truth, it would be the last straw for her. She would be done going through shit that Jack always caused no matter the circumstances, and would no doubt devise a plot to kill him. Even though Brody wouldn't forgive Jack, he was still his brother. That being said, he would never let anything happen to him, and he didn't want to be forced to hurt Rika in the process of protecting Jack.
"Yeah," Brody replied. "I'm sure."
"Shit," Rika muttered. "Where the hell is she then?"
Before Brody had the chance to respond, a ding emitted from Rika's phone.
"Brody, it's Kim!" Rika exclaimed. "She just texted me."
Brody smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't prepared to keep on lying. "Good."
"I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. Bye, Riks."
"Bye."
Rika brought her phone down from her ear and read Kim's text. "Hey, Jerry said you needed to talk to me. What's up?"
Rika typed a quick reply, a smile never leaving her face. "Are you home?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'm coming over. Be there in a few."
Rika finished typing and placed her phone in her pocket, her legs already jogging to the Crawford's house.
Kim was safe.
Once Rika arrived, she knocked on the door. The door opened after a moment, revealing Jerry. They locked eyes and studied each other's faces in a tense silence. Jerry had been on his way to work, and had obviously not expected to run into Rika again. Actually, he really needed to hurry.
Five years ago, Jerry graduated from Seaford High and began attending art school in New York City to become a dancer. By the time he finished his senior year, he had been offered a job at one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world. Ecstatic about the news, Jerry hopped on the first flight to California. He was eager to surprise his adoptive parents and adoptive sister, Kim, with a visit and also the news for his future. However, the day he returned turned out to be the worst day of his life.
one year earlier...
Jerry knocked on the door to his home, a smile still on his face. He could not wait any longer. It had been months since he had seen his family. When no one answered after a few moments, Jerry knocked again, but there was no answer. Confused, he opened the door and let himself inside.
"Mom!" Jerry called through the house. "Dad! Kim! Is anyone here-?"
Suddenly, Jerry stopped talking. He stopped moving. He nearly stopped breathing.
There, on the kitchen floor, Kim was knelt over their mother. All Jerry remembered was the massive amount of blood. It was everywhere, splattered across the walls, covering the floor, oozing from the ravaged flesh of his mother. She wasn't even recognizable anymore.
Jerry fell to his knees, his mouth open and eyes watery. He reached out a hand and placed it on his sister's shoulder. Kim tensed at his touch, but quickly relaxed and twisted around. Jerry didn't hesitant to pull her into his arms. Kim's body trembled with violent sobs which were slightly muffled by Jerry's shirt. He tightened his hold on her, his eyes still on their mother's body.
After that day, Jerry had abandoned all of his plans in New York to take care of Kim. She had argued with him, not wanting him to throw away his dreams for her. However, leaving was not an option in Jerry's mind. He could never leave after such a tragedy.
And to make things worse, that same day, their father had disappeared. They haven't seen him since.
Luckily, Jerry had managed to snag a job at the Seaford Dance Academy, which is where he was headed now. He couldn't be late because today was his first day in a new position. Last week, he had been promoted, and he didn't want to let his boss down. However, the attractive brunette, whom he had slept with the night before, was kind of making it hard to move. It was as if his feet had been cemented to the floor.
Jerry broke the silence with a smile. "Wow, two times in one morning."
Rika returned the smile and laughed lightly, looking at her feet to hide her face. Jerry stepped backwards and let her inside.
"Kim's in the shower." Jerry explained, shutting the door. "I think she'll be done in a few minutes."
Rika nodded, still not saying a word. She just didn't know what to say. How was this not awkward for him? He didn't seem to be nervous at all, while Rika felt her face heating up with each passing second. Every time she looked at him, her mind traveled back to last night. She could almost feel the tingles through her memory.
"Rika, about last night..." Jerry trailed off, his smile fading and a serious expression falling across his face.
"Kim can never know." Rika finally spoke.
Jerry opened his mouth, but quickly closed it and pursed his lips. "Yeah," He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "About that,"
Rika knitted her eyebrows together. "What?"
"Rika," Jerry began, looking right into her eyes. "Kim was here last night."
Rika's eyes widened. "What do you mean she was here?"
Just then, Kim appeared from behind a corner, her wavy, blonde hair damp and messily braided. When she spotted Rika in the kitchen, a smile crossed her face. "Hey, Riks."
Rika tore her eyes away from Jerry and tried her best to smile back. "Hey." Her voice was quiet.
"Do you just want to hang in my room?" Kim wondered.
"Um," Rika returned her eyes to Jerry one last time. He looked at her longingly. "Sure." She replied, walking past Jerry and following her best friend down the hallway.
Rika's head was spinning. If Kim was there last night, she must have heard them...And Rika feared what that would mean for their friendship. Although, Kim hadn't brought it up, which kind of confused her even more. She internally rolled her eyes at herself for over analyzing the situation and entered Kim's room.
Kim took a seat on her bed and leaned against the backboard, her legs crossed, while Rika sat on the edge of the bed.
"So," Rika started, assuming that Kim wasn't aware of her staying the night in Jerry's room. "Why didn't you come over last night?"
Kim thought about the question for a moment and responded with Brody's exact words. "Last night, I had a stomach ache, so I stayed home."
Rika noted the nearly monotonous sound to Kim's voice, and wondered why her best friend's voice sounded foreign to her. It was as if the line had been rehearsed for a scene in a movie.
Rika stared at the tips of her cocoa brown combat boots. "What did you do all night?"
Kim wrinkled her forehead in thought. Her brain wasn't able to give her a clear answer, and she wasn't sure why. "I don't know really. I mean," Kim didn't understand why the night seemed like a blur. "I guess I just stayed in bed. I don't remember it much, so I was probably a little out of it." Kim attempted to rationalize. Her brain needed some sort of explanation to grasp onto, whether it was true or not.
"Okay," Rika said slowly. Everything was beginning to come together a little. If Kim didn't remember much, maybe she hadn't been able to process the sounds coming from her brother's room because there was no doubt in Rika's mind that she had made some...special noises. Although, what kind of sickness would cause Kim to lose her memory to that extent?
Suddenly, Kim grimaced in pain and clutched her stomach. Rika looked over at her concerned. "Kim?"
Kim didn't respond. She felt as though her entire body was aching down to the last nerve. "Ah," She gasped, collapsing on the bed and her breathing quickening. Her eyes fluttered shut in a desperate attempt to make the pain subside.
"Kim, what's wrong?" Rika raised her voice and knelt beside her.
Kim trembled and twitched as the pain spread like poison throughout her body. "It feels-it feels like-like," Her mouth abruptly closed shut, and she winced.
"Kim,"
"It's like there's something coursing through my veins...like-like a searing burn." Kim's voice faded again.
And just like that, everything was clear to Rika.
"That little fucker." Rika muttered, peering out the window in Kim's room.
A groan brought her attention back to her best friend. "Kim," She shifted closer and put Kim's head in her lap. "Just hold on, okay." She sighed, playing with Kim's hair in a hopeless effort to ease her suffering. "It will be over soon."
...
Rika practically broke through the door to the house and stormed inside. All she felt was rage, deadly rage
"Brody fucking Brewer!" She screeched. "Get your little, fucking, lying ass out here right now!"
...
Just to let you guys know, I'm in the middle of the outlining phase for the story, and I literally have five gazillion thoughts and ideas running through my brain, so...updates may be a little slow until I can figure out exactly how I want to organize everything, like where which parts go and which ones that I will include. I have a journal where I write down every thought that comes to mind, and I need some time to figure out where I even begin. Anyways, thanks for reading, and please review!
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