Chapter Three

Kenna had silently stewed on the ride over to Elena's home where Alaric was supposedly meeting them. She had more than a few choice words for the hunter and a more than overdue goodbye. It was clear that Alaric had absolutely no intention in saving his own skin and instead was insistent on running after the Gilbert family and mixing himself with dangerous supernatural beings he had no business mixing with. Kenna had survived for as long as she had because she knew when to cut her losses and leave. She had absolutely no intention of breaking that streak for Alaric Saltzman, loyalty or no loyalty.

However she hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise from the moment she stepped through the door. Alaric steadily avoided her eye as if he knew exactly what she was going to say and was delaying the inevitable. Kenna kept her mouth shut for the moment, if only because the food Elena and Alaric were making actually looked pretty good and she figured a decent meal before she hit the road wouldn't hurt.

Jeremy all but bulldozed into the house, disturbing the peace and made for the fridge. He cast a curious glance at Kenna as he went but didn't say a word and ignored the other two occupants of the kitchen entirely.

Elena visabily brightened at the sight of her little brother, "Just in time! We're cooking."

Jeremy nudged the fridge door closed and grimaced, "Sorry, just passing through."

Alaric seemed to favour the guilt trip approach, "Ah, well I thought we would all stay in, have a meal together like a typical, atypical family."

"Why?"

Elena scowled at him "Maybe because you got fired and you didn't tell anyone."

Kenna raised a brow and coughed lightly, fully aware she should not be present for what seemed to be an intervention. Jeremy seemed like he was having absolutely nothing to do with it. Not that she could blame him, she'd be pretty pissed off if she was blind sided by this as well.

"Look, can we do this later? I made plans with Tyler. He's right outside."

"Tyler? He was sired by Klaus. He's dangerous."

Kenna gathered this was the newly sired hybrid from their little rag tag family and withheld a miserable groan. She was very rapidly regretting coming to this terrible little town. It was crawling with supernaturals linked to Klaus and she was still very much trying to fly under the originals radar. Every person that she came into contact with was another reason to bolt from Mystic Falls at her nearest convenience. She all but tuned out the rapidly heated argument that was taking place, instead choosing to sneak a few slices of red peppers and munching them. She couldn't ignore the new arrival that stepped through the door however, as his mere presence had her shoulders tensing. He seemed to share her sentiment as his gaze bore straight into hers. He was newly turned so his senses weren't as fine tuned as Klaus' but he could still sense something was off with her and she knew it. The somewhat tense moment was broken when Jeremy handed Tyler a glass of water and he finally broke eye contact with her. Alaric looked between them curiously but Kenna shook her head silently and he let it drop but he still looked interested.

Elena huffed , visibly upset with how the situation was turning out, "This is weird. Klaus has hybrids stalking me and now you're just sitting in our kitchen."

Tyler squirmed looking very much like he'd rather be anywhere else, "Look, maybe I should go."

Jeremy waved a hand dismissively, "Oh, stay. You're not doing anything."

"Unless you have to, you know, check in with your hybrid master." Elena sneered.

Kenna sucked a breath in through her teeth and awkwardly clasped her hands together, "Listen, this seems like a..family... thing so I'm just gonna go." She half heartedly saluated Alaric, "Good luck, Ric."

Alaric scrambled around the corner, "Wait, wait, what?"

Kenna laughed, a breathy little thing with no emotion behind it, "Listen,man. I owe you but I'm not sticking around to save someone that doesn't want to be saved and I'm certainly not gonna do it if it's gonna cost me my life."

"Please." Alaric pleaded, eyes wide and earnest, "Please. Just wait in the living room. Five minutes, please."

She rolled her eyes but shrugged. She stomped her way in the living room and all but flung herself onto the couch, "Five minutes!"

Kenna had given it ten very boring minutes before she stood up intending on leaving. She barely reached the door when Jeremy barreled into the back of her, all but shoving her out the way.

"Dude…"

He flung the door open and walked robotically out. Kenna frowned after him and stepped onto the porch. She could hear a car approaching around the corner and then seen it speeding down the street. She waited for Jeremy to notice and stop on the sidewalk but he kept going.

"Jeremy!"

"Jeremy, move!"

Alaric took off from behind her and Kenna swore as she took off not a moment after him. She didn't want to get involved but she also wasn't going to stand idly by watching a kid get killed either. Alaric was fast but Kenna as faster and she reached Jeremy first, mindful of her strength she knocked him out the way and onto the other side of the road. She figured she had enough time to get out of the way but before she could make a move, she felt Alaric slam into the side of her. The car hurtled into him at full speed and he thudded heavily beside her with a sickening crack.

Kenna takes no notice of the drivers quip though dimly she recognises the voice as Tony, Klaus' right hand man. Elena scrambles for Alaric's hand and fiddles with his ring. Kenna scowls for she knows that even if it heals him, it's just another black mark on Alaric's record. She reluctantly helps Jeremy haul the hunter back into the house, ignoring the siblings as they argue back and forth about blame and compulsion. Instead she focuses on Alaric, its taking too long to heal. She's seen him come back from worse much quicker. Something is wrong.

He comes to and she eyes him suspiciously. Elena is elated that he is back in the land of the living but Kenna is not so sure. He's swaying slightly on his feet, his brow is peppered with sweat and his eyes are unfocused as he speaks to Elena. She isn't particularly surprised when he up chucks a stream of blood all over Elena's rug.

Kenna kneels beside him when he falls, wiping a hand across his mouth to get rid of some of the blood. Elena flounders in the background phoning for an ambulance. Alaric wheezes, his eyes glazed as he clumsily tries to touch the older girls face.

"Is it time?"

He smells like death. It isn't strong but its there. It's always been there but she's never had the heart to tell him. Tell him that death for him is inevitable. Alaric won't reach old age without serious supernatural intervention and she's trying but with the life he'd leading she fears it'll never be enough. She owes him a life debt but she doesn't actually believe that she'll ever be able to pay it.

She's startled out her thoughts as the paramedics arrive and leave almost at the same time. She stands and spots the hybrid, Tony hoovering on the porch. She stomps over, nudging Elena out the way and gripping his wrist. Her grip is unrelenting and Tony wasn't expecting it. His knees buckle beneath him, his arm twisted to relieve the pressure. Elena gasps from behind her, her mouth opening and closing silently, a question poised on her tongue but she never gets a chance to ask. An arrow whizzes through the air and hits Tony dead centre in the heart. Kenna loosens her grip and he falls face first to the ground. Jeremy is standing behind him, crossbow in hand.

"He's not dead yet." He mutters as he passes by them to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

He emerges with a meat cleaver and goes out of the house again and without much hesitance lobs Tony's head off. Elena shrieks in terror and even Kenna flinches a little at the suddenness of it.

"Now he's dead." He stands back up, blood dripping from the blade, "We've gotta get Alaric to the hospital now."

Kenna startles when she feels a clammy hand slip into her own. Looking down she sees Elena has a white knuckled grip on her hand. Her eyes rise and she falters as she stares into Elena's wide and terrified gaze, the younger girl silently pleading with her. Reluctantly she squeezes her hand back and stares at Alaric, bloody and dying on the floor.

It would seem she would be staying in town after all.