My phone began to ring.
I glared at it, hoping it would burst into flames.
It didn't.
It stopped ringing, and I continued to attempt to complete my maths homework in peace, until it started ringing again.
Sighing, I threw my pen down before picking up my phone, seeing it was Stefan who wouldn't stop calling.
"What?! I am trying to get some homework done, here!"
"This is a little more important than homework, Rain. But hey, if you're not interested then I guess I'll call Caroline."
"Okay, then. Bye!"
"Wait!"
I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, so, you remember in Chicago there were other coffins besides Rebekah?"
"Yes. Elijah was in one of them, I think. They were filled with Klaus' family... Stefan, why are you asking me this?"
Silence.
"Stefan... You didn't do anything stupid, did you?"
"...Define stupid."
"Oh my God. Do you have a death wish?! Klaus is gonna kill you!"
"I'm already dead." I scowled. "Don't tell Elena."
"Last I heard she was out running." I said dismally. Cheer leading had always, always been Elena's thing. Running was my thing, the only activity I was mildly good at, and now Elena wasn't a cheerleader any more she was seriously stealing my thunder. "You know- because apparently she runs now... Because that's gonna help her defend herself against a vampire."
I heard something that sounded like an amused snort, but I couldn't be sure.
"I'll pick you up later."
He hung up, and I stared at my half finished homework with a depressed expression on my face.
"One day. Just one normal day... Is that too much to ask?!"
I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen as Jeremy entered the house.
"Lil' bro!" I yelled, as he high fived me. We walked into the kitchen and I was surprised to see Elena setting the table.
"Just in time." she said. "We're cooking."
Cooking was also my thing.
"We?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Elena you're setting the table. Ric is cooking. There's a difference."
I was ignored.
"Sorry, just passing through." Jeremy said, going straight for the fridge.
"Oh, stay in." Ric said. "Like a typical... atypical family."
"Why?" I asked.
"Maybe because Jeremy got fired and didn't tell anyone." Elena said.
Actually, he told me.
"So we're punishing him by making him eat Ric's food?" I asked, earning a soft whack over the head from my guardian.
"Look, can we do this later?" Jeremy asked. "I made plans with Tyler he's right outside."
"Wait," Ric said. "When did you start hanging out with Tyler Lockwood?"
"Oh my God. Okay, A, guys, he can be friends with whoever the hell he wants. B, if this is going to be a 'gang up on Jeremy because he's finally enjoying his life' type atypical family meal, consider me out." I received a 'look' from both Ric and Elena.
Honestly, it wasn't like Jeremy was going to listen to anything they said. He'd inherited the Gilbert Gene. Stubbornness.
I patted Jeremy on the back. "Good luck, bro."
He grinned, but another 'look' from Squidward made him try to pull a straight face and I left my sister to mother him.
I walked out the door and almost straight into Tyler. "Uh, hey." I said to him. I had spoken him alot over the phone lately, rather than face to face. I kinda missed him, but figured he was busy doing... whatever hybrids do. And whatever him and Care get up to... Ew. "You know, I think it's nice that you're getting to know Jere. After the Vicki thing... It's very grown up of you, Ty."
"You think?"
I nodded. "But if you do anything, anything to hurt him our friendship will be forgotten and I will cut out your spinal cord. Pip pip!"
"You've been reading Harry Potter again, haven't you?" he raised an eyebrow. "I thought Elena had to take those away from you because you read them too much."
"Tyler, we're talking about the girl who hides her diary under her pillow. It honestly wasn't that hard to find them."
He rolled his eyes.
"You see this?" I asked, gesturing to my face. "This is me not caring about your opinions and your judging. Those books are way more interesting than those Grimoires Bonnie keeps giving me. At least I can read the books."
He laughed.
I sat at the bar in the Grill, bored out of my mind. It was a weekend, and I had finished my homework and gone shopping for Caroline's birthday present. There was nothing left to do.
"What'll it be?" Matt asked.
"I want a big bottle of Vodka... and some cake."
"What'll it be?" he repeated.
Typical.
I rolled my eyes. "Matt, please... pretty please can I have a bottle?"
"Nope."
I'm a big girl now, Matt!
"Then I'll have a little bottle."
"No."
I groaned. "Then a really big glass of whatever will get me drunk!"
"Rain." he sighed.
"Matt." I gave him the puppy dog face.
He gave in. "Fine." YES! "Just, don't tell your sister and don't get drunk."
"Fine." I said in the same tone. "I won't tell my sister that I'm going to get drunk."
He gave me an exasperated look, but gave up and disappeared around the back.
"Back on the alcohol, I see." a voice said. I didn't look up as he sat down beside me, and could tell he was looking at me.
"Yes," I said through gritted teeth.
"Bad day?" Klaus asked.
"Bad year. Rubbish luck. Typical atypical family... Terrible summer, though." I said without looking at him. "You know, not that it's any of your business. What do you want, exactly?"
"You've been ignoring my calls, sweetheart."
"No, I've just conveniently been absent each time you called." I scoffed. "And I am not your sweetheart."
"Rayna-"
"What do you want, Niklaus?" I looked at him, and I could tell I was pushing his buttons. I didn't care, though. He would've let Mikael kill me- and I understood why. But I was still pissed.
"Where is Stefan hiding my coffins?"
"Coffins? I don't know anything about any-"
"You're lying." he interrupted. "Do not lie to me."
"And you're interrupting. Do not interrupt me." I said in a British accent.
It didn't have the desired affect, though, because he laughed.
He actually laughed.
"I think you should leave the accents to me, love." he chuckled.
"Right." I said, quite at a loss for words.
"Do you know where Stefan is hiding his coffins?"
"No." I said. "Look, he called me telling me he had them and that's all I know. I don't agree with it, but- I could talk him into giving them you back. I could try, anyway." he looked at me, shocked. "And not just out of the goodness of my heart, or the fact that I actually like Elijah, but also because... If I do, will you promise not to hurt Stefan?"
"He took away my family. I can't just let him off the hook for that, love."
"Well, you know maybe if you ignore him that could be punishment. I hate when people ignore me." I told him, and he gave me an incredulous look, shaking his head at me. "What?"
"Nothing."
"What?"
"You're just... One of a kind." he said. My eyes locked with his for a moment, my blue eyes met his.
Someone cleared their throat. I looked at Matt who was looking at Klaus aggravatedly. "Thanks, Matt." I said, seeing the cake and the glass of... Coke? Seriously?!
"Coke? Seriously?!"
"Coke and vodka." he said, looking down at me.
"What, like two drops?!" I asked, outraged.
"Give me some credit, Rain." he said, then grinned. "I put in three."
I glared at him as he went around the black, but I saw him take out his phone first.
"He's gone to call one of your friends." Klaus said distastefully.
"Why? Because I'm here with you?"
"Exactly."
"Right." I nodded. I was in the Grill with Klaus. I had had something like a civil conversation with my MORTAL ENEMY WHO HAD LEFT ME FOR DEAD.
He's a bad guy. I need to stay away from him! I thought. But how do I do that?! I keep on running into him everywhere! I can't get rid of him!
"Well," I said, "You can't blame them. I mean, had it been up to you I wouldn't be here right now."
"Rayna-"
"Rayna." a voice said. Klaus and I turned our heads to see Stefan. Matt must have called him. I smiled, and Klaus glared venomously. "Come on, Rayna. We're leaving."
"You're not going anywhere." Klaus hissed. "Give me back my-"
"Threaten me," Stefan said, grabbing my arm and looking directly at Klaus. "And you will never see your family again. You wouldn't want to make a scene, would you?"
Klaus stood up and they had a stare down.
I pulled on Stefan's arm, hard. "Come on, Hulk." he flashed Klaus a smirk before leading me out of the Grill. I looked over my shoulder to see Klaus' fists clenched at his sides, still glaring at Stefan who was still smirking to himself.
Aw. That cake looked really good, too.
I stared at the coffins. Elijah was one of those four coffins. I wanted nothing more than to un-dagger him. He was hilarious, suave, and was just better than everyone ever. Before Klaus came to town, I had always tried to persuade everyone not to dagger him. I knew we could trust him.
But with Stefan standing annoyingly close, as though he knew what I was thinking, made me think maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
"Bonnie, when I die I don't wanna be buried in one of those things. When I die, I don't want to be buried at all, I want you to donate my body to science."
"What if I die first?" she asked.
"It's more likely that I will."
"I'm a witch. Witches tend to die younger."
"I'm a witch and a Prophet, and I live in Mystic Falls. I win." I stuck my tongue out at her, and she rolled her eyes at me.
"This is a cheery conversation." Stefan said dismally.
"I gotta go." Bonnie said. She looked from me to Stefan un-surely.
"I'll be okay." I told her.
She nodded and smiled, "Just... Call me if you need anything. By, Rain." she said before leaving. I looked at the coffin which Bonnie had said was sealed with a spell, and it was silent. After a few minutes I spoke up.
"Stefan... Yesterday at Homecoming, why did you save-"
"I was still under Klaus' compulsion to protect both you and Elena." he interrupted, his body tensing.
But I knew I had seen some emotions in him. I still remembered the tear...
"But you were-"
"I was under his compulsion." he repeated through gritted teeth.
I swallowed, deciding to change the subject, ignoring the disappointment inside of me."This is a bad idea. These coffins. Stefan, Bonnie was right before. You shouldn't be making him angrier."
"He's taken everything away from me."
"No, he hasn't." I frowned. "Elena still loves you, you have Damon, your friends...Me. I just don't understand why you saved Klaus."
At first, I thought he wasn't going to reply, and then- "I did it to save Damon."
"The hybrids?" I asked, he looked at me surprised that I had figured it out, and nodded. I don't know why people still got surprised when I figured things out. "He can order them to do things after his death, can't he? So if Klaus died, then his hybrids would kill Damon... And you cared enough to save Damon's life? You certainly weren't compelled to."
He didn't answer.
"Stefan, what does this mean? Have you turned on your emotions? Stefan, are you pretending?"
"I think it's time for you to go." he said.
We drove home in silence. I felt more safe in cars since the last time he had driven me anywhere.
"I understand, Stefan. You love your brother." I said, not expecting or awaiting a reply. "I don't know what I'd do without Jeremy. I couldn't cope without him. You and Damon have your differences but you're still family. You still love each other."
We pulled up outside my house.
"I don't care about anyone or anything."
"I know." I said. But you will. I'll make you turn your emotions back on. I don't know how, but I will...
I opened the door and looked at Stefan. "Thanks."
He nodded expressionlessly, and I, suppressing a sigh, climbed out of the car and closed the door behind me. Stefan waited until I had gotten inside to drive away.
I walked into the lounge and was startled when I saw Ric sitting on the sofa.
"I've been waiting for you." he said, looking at me as I sat on the leather armchair.
"That's kinda creepy." I said, taking off my boots. "Why?"
"Rayna, there is something you need to know." he said. He sounded serious.
Uh- oh.
"Elena didn't want to tell you herself so I said I would. She just can't take it right now."
I frowned. "Ric, what's going on?"
"It's Jeremy. Damon and him... they had a little chat."
I unzipped the second boot but froze, before looking up at my guardian. The last time Damon and Jeremy had had a 'chat'... Damon had compelled him.
My eyes were wide and fearful.
"Rayna, Jeremy's leaving. He's going to spend time with your family friends in Denver." he told me, leaning forwards and looking at me understandingly. That's what I loved about Ric. He was never sympathetic- only empathetic. "It's for the best... Rayna, he shouldn't be surrounded by all of this. You know that. He'll be safe now."
"No." I shook my head. "Jeremy would never- he would never wanna leave."
"That's why Damon had to compel him."
"But- but I need him. Ric, I can't do this without him." Why does everyone always have to leave me? "Please don't make him leave me."
My voice sounded like I was crying, though I wasn't.
"He'll be safe with them."
"No he won't! If anyone wants him, they can find him. It wouldn't be hard. At least when he's here I can protect him. You're all just sending him away so you don't have to worry anymore! Out of sight, out of mind, right?! That'll be worse when he's gone! Please, Ric- I just need my brother."
"I'm sorry, Rayna." he said as he wrapped his arms around me.
I didn't move. I couldn't move.
My life was changing too much, too fast.
And it was only going to get worse.
FLASHBACK
"So," Klaus said, looking at Stefan. "What makes you think you could be so useful to me?" he asked, turning to me.
Stefan gave me a look, telling me not to say anything.
"You mean, besides my irresistible good looks and charming personality?" I asked, trying not to look at Klaus with the hatred I felt. I had come to negotiate the cure for Damon with a man, a monster who had just murdered my aunt several days ago.
I was pretty mad.
He raised an eyebrow and smirked. I wanted nothing more than to smack it right off his face.
"Rayna brought me here." Stefan said. He had just drank way too many blood bags, and I was surprised he hadn't tried to eat me. "She has nothing to do with this- she's just a human." Gee, thanks, Stefan, I thought. "Let her go, Klaus."
"I'm not just a human." I glared at him, and he glared back, obviously trying to prevent me from telling Klaus what I actually was. Klaus looked at me curiously.
"I'm also a little bit of a witch."
Stefan didn't look very happy with me.
"A little bit of a witch?" The original asked, both eyebrows raised.
"Well, yeah, and, uh," I looked at Stefan who was shaking his head at me. "Well, sometimes I see things. And then they come true."
"You can see the future?" Klaus asked me, eyes sparkling, looking at me like a hunter watches their prey, as though he was satisfied with his kill. I swallowed and looked at Stefan.
Stefan definitely was not very happy. But I had a mission- to save Damon, my friend.
So I turned away from him and back to the original.
"Yes... I can."
END OF FLASHBACK
THE NEXT MORNING
I groggily opened my eyes as I heard my phone ringing.
"Stefan! Seriously?" I yelled after accepting the call. "I'm not Bonnie or Elena, okay? I don't think it's normal to get up hours before school."
"We're meeting up with Bonnie at the old Witches' house in half an hour. You coming?"
"No." I said. "I was up until midnight last night so I could be the first to tell Care happy birthday... But you knew I wouldn't come. You woke me up to piss me off."
I could practically see him smirk. "Did it work?"
"Put it this way- I cannot wait for the old you to come back. You're a dick."
He hung up on me, and I glowered at the phone.
I had been ignoring Elena all morning, but when I walked past Caroline's locker, seeing my sister tape decorations to her door, I had to say something. I mean, Caroline was my best friend.
"Elena, honey, Caroline is not gonna wanna celebrate her birthday this year."
"Why?"
I gave her an incredulous look. "Elena, this is the first birthday she's had since she became a you know what!"
"So she could use some cheering up."
I just shook my head at her.
"Those have to be the tackiest decorations I've ever seen. At least put half as much effort as she would put in for you."
Elena whipped herself around, staring at me, frowning, before Bonnie walked up to us.
"Sorry, I'm late, I, uh- I got held up."
"It's okay." Elena said. "I just got here too. Can you pass me the balloons?" she asked.
The balloons were approximately three feet away from her.
I rolled my eyes.
We heard the front door open and close, and I watched bemusedly as Elena, Bonnie and Matt jumped out yelling, "SURPIRISE!", while I stepped out and watched my best friend's shocked expression.
"Happy birthday!" Matt grinned.
"What are you guys doing here?" Caroline asked not-so-happily.
"Well, you blew off school and missed our work of art," Elena smiled as she put a tiara on Caroline's head.
I snorted. "Yeah, Elena's very creative." I muttered.
"Get into some warmer clothes, we're going to the falls." Bonnie smiled. "Smores, camp fire..."
"Cake." I finished. Matt laughed.
"Like when we were little." Bonnie smiled.
"Except with tequila." Matt all but sang and we laughed.
"Aw, thanks, guys, really... I'm just not really feeling my birthday this year." she said.
I looked at Elena smugly.
"I'm sorry, what?" Bonnie asked. "You've already claimed your birthday as everyone's favorite day of the year."
"Yeah, and now it's just a reminder that technically I'm dead. Look, I don't even like seventeen. And the only point to seventeen was to get to eighteen, it's a filler year, I am stuck in a filler year."
"You're not stuck, Caroline." Elena shook her head.
"Yeah, I am. But it's okay. It's all good, I will be fine... But I just need some time to wallow in it."
"Then come with me, Dorothy," I said stepping forward. "We'll do what I thought we should do all along." I glanced back at the others before looking back at Caroline. She raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, then." I said as I dragged her to the front door. "We're not gonna find any rainbows inside."
"This is creepy." Bonnie said as we entered the small building in the cemetery. "Even for us."
"No." I said, walking through and placing the box with the cake on a stone table. "Technically, she's dead. No offence. But, Care you don't need a birthday. You need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life so that you can move on, with your new bad-ass vampire life."
Matt and Elena turned and grinned at Caroline, who smiled. "Okay." she said, taking off her tiara. "Here lies Caroline Forbes."
"Cheerleader," I said as Elena and I put the candles in the cake.
"Miss Mystic Falls." Elena smiled.
"Third grade hop-scotch champion." I grinned.
"Friend," Bonnie began, "Daughter... Overachiever."
"Mean Girl." Matt said. "Sometimes, no offence."
Caroline laughed. "Eh, non taken."
"She was seventeen," I began.
"And she had a really good life." Elena finished.
"So rest in peace, so that she can move forward." I said as Elena carried the cake towards her. "It's what you really need." I told Care, and she smiled at me.
"It's what we all really need." Elena smiled. "Amen, or, cheers or whatever." everyone laughed. "Bonnie," Elena held the cake out to Bonnie, who closed her eyes and the candles lit themselves.
"Nice." Elena laughed.
"Make a wish!" I cheered, and Caroline smiled, biting her lip as she stepped forward and blew out the candles.
Caroline handed Matt a paper plate with a slice of cake on, and he grabbed the bottle of tequila, only for the bottle to be snatched out of his hands by my sister.
Rude.
"I need it more than you do, trust me." she said, taking a swig.
Bonnie and I exchanged a look. Matt had been through just as much as we had, and was living alone, doing school work and football whilst trying to pay his bills alone.
If anyone needed a drink, it was Matt.
I held my tongue- for non other reason than it was Caroline's birthday.
"Caroline, what are you doing?" Elena asked.
"Huh, wh- nothing. Hm?" Care asked innocently.
"Okay, you're a bad sober liar you're an even worse drunk liar."
"I might have texted Tyler."
"Caroline." Elena sighed.
"What?" Care asked. "I'm delicate!"
"Give her a break you can't control what everyone does all the time." Bonnie said.
"Amen to that." I muttered, snatching the bottle from Elena and taking a swig.
"Wow." Elena said.
"Ouch, Bon." Matt said.
"Sorry," Bonnie said, "I know it's Caroline's birthday... Funeral, or whatever. But I just feel it's really wrong that you compelled Jeremy to leave town."
"Amen to that." I said.
"I'm doing it to protect him, guys. I'm giving him a chance at a half way normal life." Elena defended.
"And he should choose how he wants to live it," Bonnie argued. "You are taking his choices away."
"Guys, you can't tell him." Elena said.
I can do whatever I want to do.
"What, are you gonna compel me not to?" Bonnie asked.
"I knew there was a reason I was friends with you." I said, handing her the bottle.
"Guys," Matt said, "You're ruining a perfectly good funeral."
Bonnie sighed. "Sorry, I'm just gonna go sleep it off, or something. Happy Birthday." she said to Caroline before leaving.
Elena raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, don't look like that." I scowled at her.
"Like what?"
"Like you're superior to her and that she's in the wrong. At the end of the day, Elena, you're the control freak who wants Jeremy out of the way so your life is easier and you have less to worry about." I said. "Anyway, Caroline," I said, patting the seat next to me. "this is your funeral- we need a good funeral party game."
Caroline's head was in my lap and we were all laughing. Every once in a while Elena would make eye contact me and widen her eyes as though to ask, 'Are we OK?'.
I didn't want to start a fight with her, so I would just nod. I'd said what I wanted to say... I didn't want to fight with her because we would often have disagreements, but we'd never fight. And I needed at least one sibling.
Even if that one sibling had been acting like a bee-yotch lately.
The door creaked open and we all turned to see Tyler.
"Sorry." Tyler said. "Didn't mean to crash the party."
"So don't." Matt said.
"No, it's, uh... It's okay." Care said, standing up. "Hey."
"Can I talk to you for a sec? It's kind of important."
She sighed but nodded.
"Hurry back!" I yelled after her, knowing with her vampire senses she could hear me. "It's rude to leave your funeral early!"
Matt and Elena laughed, but I turned to them. "Look, I have a bad feeling about something." I told them. "I'll be right back."
"Be careful." Elena said and I nodded before leaving the cemetary and walking through the woods.
I had a really bad feeling.
"Caroline!" I yelled.
I heard the sound of someone flashing past me. I twirled some hair around my fingers before tightening the pony tail, looking around nervously. "Who's there?"
No answer.
I couldn't help the feeling that I was being watched.
"Caroline?"
I turned on my heel to see someone standing behind me.
"Stefan?!"
"I'm sorry."
Everything went black.
A/N- Thank you for all of the continued support, yet again!
Please Review and tell me what you think or PM me- Stefan or Klaus?
I love to hear what you think is going to happen and you reactions to my story.
