EDITED 06/05/2017

I opened the front door, closing it behind me quietly whilst fidgeting with the necklace around my neck. Jeremy had made me wear it again. He knew what it could do and insisted that I carried that protection- but after that morning's vision, I knew it didn't matter much anyway.

"Hey," Stefan said as I sat beside him on the sofa. He was flicking through TV channels boredly. "How was it?" he asked me.

"I quit." I grumbled.

He smirked to himself as he continued to flick through the channels. "Told you." He said in a condescending tone.

"Hey," I replied indignantly, unable to keep the smile from my face, "I'll have you know they were all very sad to see me go. It'll be traumatic for them when they see me walk back into the Grill as a customer, not a co-worker."

He raised his eyebrows. "Uhhuh."

I pursed my lips, debating whether or not I should tell him the reason why I was sacked. "... I broke fourteen plates."

Stefan laughed and shook his head. I tried not to smile, but Stefan's happiness had always been infectious. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, before he turned to me with a question.

"So, when are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" he asked me.

I sighed, shaking my head in exasperation. "How do you always know? I didn't even say anything."

"Because," he answered, looking at me pointedly, "I know you."

Biting my lip, I turned away from Stefan and sunk further into the sofa. "Something is happening. Something bad."

"Like what?" he asked, leaning forwards in equal parts curiosity and concern. "Ray, you can tell me."

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "I can't tell you because I don't know- not yet, but I'm close… It's just… Jeremy's dreams should have ended by now."

"He's a hunter. The five experience dreams that-"

"Not after they've killed their first vampire, they don't. These dreams we've been having, Jeremy and I… I don't think they're to do with the curse… I'm not gonna make it to graduation, Stefan."

"What? Rayna, what are you-"

"But Jeremy will. I need you to take care of him for me. Please," I begged him.

"Of course I will, but nothing is gonna happen to you. Why would you say that?"

I shrugged. "Prophets probably don't have long life expectancies."

He stared at me for several moments, not saying anything, until he said, "I thought you still didn't know exactly what a Prophet was. You said you didn't know your full potential because Prophets are so rare, so little is known."

"All I know is that I have witchy powers- but I'm not very good at magic, and I can sometimes see the future… But I don't have to see the future to know how much you're willing to risk for this cure." I added, my eyebrow raised, changing the subject.

Stefan shuffled slightly in his seat.

"It's the only way to save Elena from being sired."

"You still love her, don't you?" I asked, knowing the answer.

Before he could respond, the front door opened.

Elena and Damon entered the room seconds later. Elena looked down and avoided Stefan's eyes.

"I came to get my stuff." She muttered.

I felt as though somebody had punched me in the gut.

"I'm sorry," I laughed, "What?"

"She's moving in with me, Sunshine." Damon said cheerily.

Stefan did not move.

Elena watched me carefully, afraid of my reaction.

I stared up at her a long time, still on the couch with Stefan. I was searching her eyes for my sister, my twin- but I couldn't find her. She was somewhere else.

But it didn't matter where the real her was. She was still leaving. Sure, she'd not been here very often lately, but all her things…

Weren't we going to discuss this?

I wanted to argue. But what would that do? It'd only cause drama. She had clearly made up her mind. So instead of letting her know that this hurt- that this was the end of an era- that this was potentially a farewell, I decided to act like I didn't care at all.

"Okay. Stefan, you can have her room."

"What?" she asked, in shock. "You're just gonna let me leave? That's it?"

I shifted irritably in my seat. "Well, what do you want? Tears?" I asked her, harsher than intended.

"I don't know- any kind of reaction is better than signing my room away the first chance you get." She replied bitterly.

"Well, you've kind of made it too awkward for Stefan to live in his own house, so the least you can do is give him his room."

"You're guilt tripping me now?" she scoffed, shaking her head. "I'm not perfect and neither are you- you're the one trailing after the originals like some puppy."

"I'm not trailing after anybody."

"Then why did Matt see you and Klaus at the Grill together last week?" she questioned, folding her arms across her chest.

I stood up and mirrored her.

"I owed him a date because I had to get him to sacrifice one of his hybrids for your stupid cure." I bit back, narrowing my eyes. If she was going to try and make me feel bad about that day with Klaus- she had another thing coming. "At least I haven't torn apart a family."

"Don't talk to your sister like that." Damon said, glaring warningly at me. "After everything she's done for you, you won't let her live with me and be happy?"

I frowned, trying to remember Elena ever doing anything for me, but failing miserably. "I don't care if she lives with you." I lied. "I'm not the one who's started an argument. She is. I said 'Okay'. I don't see why we're still here having this conversation."

"You're horrible. I can't believe how you're talking to me. Are you trying to hurt me?" she asked, tears in her eyes. "You've barely been here for me at all since I became a vampire. What happened to us?"

I saw red. "All I ever do is protect this family!"

"Well, you've done a shitty job, then, haven't you?" I heard Damon snort.

"Why can't you just stay out of it?" Stefan asked, standing next to me and staring down his brother.

Damon raised an eyebrow and looked between us before smirking and making a whistling sound.

"Gone for the other twin, Stef? Didn't take you long."

Elena's eyes widened and she stared at me in dismay.

I rolled my eyes. "Can't you tell he's just stirring shit up?"

"Am I?" Damon asked. "You two have been real close since being with Klaus for an entire summer."

Of course we were going to be closer after that. But we were only friends. Stefan still loved Elena. It was obvious.

"Shut up, Damon. This is not gonna work." Stefan glared.

"Listen, Elena, if you're so hellbent on leaving, why don't you just go?" I asked her.

"Fine. I will. But we're having a meeting at the Boarding House tonight to discuss this cure."

"Oh." I laughed. "I'm not helping you with this cure, Elena. Not anymore."

"What?" she asked in horror, recoiling. "Don't you want me to be happy and human again?"

"You've already made Jeremy a murderer over this. I don't want anything to do with it. If you're smart, which I think we already know the answer to, you won't search anymore either. I'm done with everyone bending over backwards to save you when the only thing wrong with you is that you can't face facts. You're a vampire. Get over it."

"Oh, really?" she asked, laughing without humour. "That's what you think? Last I checked I'm the one saving your ass when-"

"Are you kidding me right now?! Get out, Elena, just get out. We don't need you. We have managed just fine without any help from you, Princess, for 18 years."

Damon held her back as she lunged for me, fangs bared, though he seemed very tempted to let her go.

Stefan stretched an arm out infront of me, shielding me in case Damon let her go.

"You think anybody wants you, Rayna?" she screeched, her eyes flickering to Stefan and then back to me. "I'm moving on with my life. I'm happy and I have somebody. You don't have anyone!" she yelled as she struggled against Damon's grip.

I swallowed past the knawing in my chest and tried not to let her see the effect of her words.

"Might wanna control your bitch, Damon." I smirked, angering her further, but it was so terribly fake. "You and me?" I asked, venom dripping from my words. "We're done."

She stopped struggling and stared at me, her eyes had widened almost imperceptibly.

"Go to hell, Rayna," Damon seethed as Elena's big puppy dog eyes filled with tears and she retreated into him.

"I'll see you there."

"She has only just turned and she needed you now more than ever."

"Just take me home, Damon," she said quietly, on the verge of tears.

They left me and Stefan alone. Well, me, Stefan, and a big Guilt Sandwich churning my insides.

"My life is just one fuck up after the last." I whispered, before turning to Stefan. "Go on, then, tell me what I did wrong."

"Nothing."

"Because everybody else has no problem- wait, what?"

"You didn't do anything wrong." He half smiled, but it was gone as soon as it had come.

He pulled me in to him, and I let him. He crushes me against his chest but I didn't mind. We stood there in one another's tight embrace, both of us more distant from our siblings than perhaps ever before.

"You still love her." I murmur. It wasn't a question.

"I don't know who she is anymore." I heard him reply into my hair.

There I was. A coward. I was in mine and Elena's car, my knees brought to my chest as I sat there- motionless- as I had been for almost half an hour.

Get a grip, girl, the voice in my head which sounded like Caroline told me. It was harder said than done. My mind had been swimming with regret ever since Elena and I had that fight. It didn't seem like something we could ignore anymore. But I had more important things to focus on. More important than even my relationship with my twin. With this thought in mind, I shook my head, trying to clear it, and unbuckled my seatbelt.

Sighing, I got out of the car and slowly made my way up the steps and towards the large house.

I paused, however, as I came to be in front of the door.

I had been avoiding Klaus, until today. But in some odd way I needed him right now. I needed to see his smirk, hear his wit, hear him call me love or sweetheart because that was normality. And normality was something non-existent.

I knocked on the door, taking in a deep breath.

I stopped breathing all together as it opened to reveal an original vampire. But not the one I wanted.

Wait- what?! Wanted?

"Elijah," I breathed in surprise. I smiled nervously, "I didn't know you were back in town."

"Only for a few days," he smiled genuinely. "It is lovely to see you, Rayna. I take it you aren't here to see me, however." He gave me a knowing look and tilted his head slightly.

I felt my cheeks flame crimson as I gaped like a fish. His smile widened to almost a grin.

"N-not exactly," I stuttered. "But I guess you could listen to what I have to say as well. I'd actually appreciate your more… level head."

"Of course," he said, gesturing for me to enter, his eyes ablaze with curiosity.

I thanked him and entered the huge building. I followed Elijah through the jungle and he led me towards the dining room that I had actually been in before, so the familiarity eased me a little, but as I entered and saw Klaus at, of course, the head of the table, and Rebekah and Kol also occupying said table, I realised that I was interrupting a heated family meeting. One which had Kol glaring daggers at Klaus.

Oh, the irony.

As Elijah and I entered, all eyes landed on me.

I tried my hardest to avoid his eyes, but I couldn't. I could not read his expression, but his face had softened somewhat from how it addressed Kol. I offered Klaus and his siblings an awkward wave.

"We have a guest," Elijah announced.

"Rayna," Rebekah smiled. I smiled in return.

"Hey, Rebekah."

"Long time no see, Gilbert," Kol grinned, leaning back in his chair arrogantly. "How is my pal Jeremy doing?"

"He hates you, Kol."

He seemed genuinely shocked.

"You tried to kill Elena." I explained.

"God, why has nobody succeeded yet?" Rebekah asked, shaking her head.

I glared at her, but it was half-hearted.

"Sorry." She said, but the small smirk on her face told me she was anything but.

"What brings you to this corner of town, love?" A voice that had been strangely quiet thus far asked. "Lost?" his voice was smooth and soft, the word love rolling off of his tongue like velvet.

"I need to talk to you about something." I said, getting down to business. I needed to focus on the objective, here. "All of you, really. Stefan and Damon, Damon at least, will ignore me. But you guys might just believe me. And I hope you do."

"Take a seat", Klaus said, his eyes never once leaving my own. "If our heads are level enough for you." He added, his tone changing ever so slightly. He had been listening in on Elijah and I. And he did not look too happy.

I took a seat besides Rebekah, shrugging Klaus' attitude off.

"What troubles you, darling?" Kol asked. "You know I hate to see such a pretty face be so-"

"Kol," Klaus growled. "Do you value your liver?"

"What is it, Rayna? What is it you have to say?" Elijah asked, looking at me calmly, ignoring his siblings. I silently thanked Esther for having Elijah, the peacekeeper.

"I had a vision. More than one, actually. This cure… It will do far more harm than good."

"See?!" Kol erupted. "This is what I have been saying!" he looked at Klaus pointedly.

"Kol, your paranoia and delusions of a being more powerful than I are quite difficult to believe, seeing as there is categorically no evidence to prove his existence." Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Silas is real." I said, looking at Klaus earnestly. "He's more powerful than the four of you combined. He will come, and you will all be forced to flee." There was silence as everybody absorbed this information, and Kol stuck his tongue out at Klaus as well as both middle fingers.

"What else do you know?" Elijah asked me whilst giving his brother a withering look.

"The cure, if you still think it is worth finding… There's only enough for one vampire."

"Then I give it to Elena, problem solved."

Rebekah gasped. "Nik, I want that cure. You know that I have never wanted anything more than to be human."

"Rebekah, if you turn human you will wither and die," he replied, "unless of course one of your countless enemies makes lunch out of you first, which is far more likely. This way I can make more hybrids and we shall all be protected."

I stared at him, feeling betrayed, but unfortunately, unsurprised. The latter feeling is what hurt the most.. "Do you not hear me?" I asked. "If you go after this cure, you don't understand the consequences! You do not understand them! How do you not… Okay, let me illuminate this, so you understand. If you do this, you get your stupid hybrids, but you know what else? You unleash Silas, who is far more powerful than yourself. You lose the trust or love of your sister, maybe both. In the end, Elena does not even get the cure, because of all the vampires attempting to steal it and along this path we both lose a brother. You think I want Jeremy to die for this?! I know you don't want Kol to!"

"So, in your vision, Kol dies if we seek out this cure? That is what you are saying?" Rebekah asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"How do I know you are not just saying this because you want to save your brother?" he asked, his eyes narrowed at me.

As though I am the enemy.

I looked at Klaus, tears stinging my eyes. "You think if you go after the cure I let him die? No. If you go after this cure, I take his place. Fuck you. Here I was, beginning to believe that you cared. I thought you were capable of caring of someone other than yourself and your own stupid obsession with making more hybrids and being invincible. What is the point in living forever if you have nobody left to share it with?!" I yelled. "I thought you would understand. I trusted you to believe me. To listen to me."

I stood from my seat to leave but wobbled slightly. "Rayna, are you-"

"I'm fine." I snapped at Rebekah as blood began to pour from my nose.

"Rayna-" Klaus started, his eyes filled with concern.

I glared at him. "Stay away from me." I spit, my voice filled with such venom that I did not know I had in me. He seemed surprised himself. And hurt. Good.

I ran out of there, not looking back. Not even when I heard the sound of a table being thrown against a wall in rage.