"Hey, Tyler." Shiloh smiled as she greeted him, walking across the basketball court towards the school.
"Hey, Shiloh. Haven't seen you around lately." Tyler said, catching the ball he was dribbling and holding it at his hip. Shiloh slowed to a stop, standing a few feet from him.
"I know, things have been... crazy." Shiloh said. "How are you doing?"
"I know what Caroline is." Tyler blurted out.
"What?! I- what do you mean? Sh-she's not a..." Shiloh said, caught off guard.
"I know, she's not like me. But she is a... you know." Tyler said, quickly looking around to make sure no one was listening in.
"How did you know?" Shiloh asked urgently. "You can't tell anyone."
"I wouldn't tell anyone." Tyler said.
"Thanks, Ty. How much exactly do you know?" Shiloh asked carefully.
"Everything. I know what she is. What she can do." Tyler said.
"Look, Caroline mentioned... that you... Sarah." Shiloh said lamely.
"Yeah." Tyler said, dropping his eyes.
"Full moons coming up." Shiloh said, biting her lip.
"I know, I have a plan." Tyler said.
"Need any help?" Shiloh offered.
"I think I got it covered." Tyler said. "Caroline said she'd help if I needed it. At least she'll be able to get away if..."
"Okay. Let me know if you ever need anything." Shiloh said. "At all."
"I will." Tyler grinned.
"Well, I should go, I left my cell in my locker. Again." Shiloh said, heading for the school again. Once she was at her locker, she pulled out her cell phone, reading through the texts she'd missed, a few from Lexi and one from Jeremy.
Left my phone in my locker again :P Dress shopping this weekend? -Shiloh Shiloh hit send, sending the text to Lexi and opening Jeremy's text, replying quickly.
Text me asap -Jeremy
Hey what's up? -Shiloh Shiloh pulled out her bag and headed back to the parking lot.
Hell 2 the yea! C U then :) -Lexi Shiloh smiled, slipping her phone back into her bag as she approached her bike.
Stefan's house. -Jeremy Shiloh read the text as she headed down the street, pulling a quick left and heading towards the boarding house.
Otw -Shiloh Shiloh sent her reply, then refocused her attention on the road ahead of her. She couldn't wait to get a car. Shiloh finally appeared at the Salvatore boarding house, jumping off her bike without stopping and running at a slow pace along with it before dropping it carefully next to the house and knocking on the front door.
"Hey, Pup." Damon smirked, opening the door.
"Hey." Shiloh greeted, standing on her toes to peck his lips, then walked past him and into the house.
"You always seem to show up when somethings happening." Damon commented, walking with her into the living room where Stefan, Bonnie, and Jeremy were.
"When is something not happening?" Shiloh asked. "What is it this time?"
"We're getting the moon stone." Bonnie said.
"What? How?" Shiloh asked.
"I'm gonna open the tomb." Bonnie said simply.
"Are we forgetting about Katherine?" Shiloh asked, glancing from Stefan to Damon.
"Just long enough for them to get the stone and get out. Then I'll close it again." Bonnie explained.
"It'll work." Stefan assured. "We just need to be in and out. It won't take long."
"How will you get it?" Bonnie asked.
"She hasn't been feeding. She's weaker. We're not." Stefan explained. Damon pointedly raised the glass of blood he'd been drinking at Bonnie, as if to further the point.
"You wouldn't be underestimating her, would you?" Bonnie asked.
"It's a plan. Is it perfect?" Damon scoffed. "What plan is?"
" Let me do it. I've got my ring. I can get in, get out, no spells necessary." Jeremy said.
"Gee, thanks, you 16-year-old child. Why didn't we think about that? Why are you even here?" Damon asked.
"I could do it." Shiloh said. "Jeremy can give me his ring. I'll be faster and quieter and we all know it-"
"No. No, no, no, no. You are not going anywhere near the tomb." Damon disagreed immediately. "So not happening."
"Maybe I can help better the plan. Do you have anything that belongs to Katherine?" Bonnie asked. Damon gave Stefan a pointed look. Stefan sighed, leaving the room for a moment and reentering with a picture of Katherine in his hands.
"This belonged to Katherine. Found it with her things after I thought she was dead, but it was hers." Stefan said, holding the picture out to Bonnie who took it, placing it in a ceramic bowl. She dipped her fingers in a glass of water, then moved her hand over the bowl to let the water drip from her fingertips to the bowl. Flames sprung from the bowl as Bonnie closed her eyes and began to chant.
"What will this do?" Damon asked. Bonnie opened her eyes to watch the picture burn.
"I can turn the metal into ash. Blow the ashes on her, and it'll incapacitate her for a minute or two. Long enough for you to get the stone and get out." Bonnie said.
"Cool." Shiloh commented. "But... I could use that-"
"No you couldn't. Will someone get her out of here before she tries to single-handedly take on Klaus next?" Damon asked. "Why don't you go babysit your sister's little Lockwood mutt."
"Damon, I don't like the thought of you getting stuck in a tomb. Or Stefan." Shiloh said.
"They won't get stuck. I'll get them out." Bonnie said.
"We should get ready." Stefan suggested, getting up. Damon followed his lead, kissing Shiloh on the top of her head as he passed by and left the room.
"Bonnie... I'm not so sure about this." Shiloh said nervously.
"I told you, I'll get them out, Shiloh." Bonnie said.
"But what about..." Shiloh trailed off, pointing to her nose. Bonnie shook her head, pouring the ashes from the bowl onto an end table.
"It'll be fine." She said as Stefan and Damon re-entered the room with supplies for the journey.
"Still gotta get the torches." Stefan said.
"Alaric's stake gun's in my trunk. Bonnie?" Damon said.
"Go ahead. I'm almost done." Bonnie said. Stefan left, soon followed by Damon after he packed a few more things into his bag and paused at the door.
"You coming?" He asked Shiloh.
"Thought you didn't want me around?" Shiloh said.
"We both know if you don't come with me, you'll just catch a ride with Bonnie. I'd rather keep an eye on you myself." Damon said. Shiloh nodded, turning to Bonnie and putting a hand over hers.
"I'll see you soon?" Shiloh asked.
"Yeah. I'll be right behind you guys." Bonnie said, smiling back. Shiloh looked up at Jeremy with a pointed look. He nodded in understand and watched her leave with Damon.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Sorry I'm late. I had to grab the grimoire from home." Bonnie said, approaching the three.
"Where's Jeremy?" Shiloh asked.
"He said he'd be here." Bonnie shrugged. Stefan, Bonnie and Shiloh made their way down into the tomb, Damon was about to follow when his phone rung. He answered it, signaling Shiloh to keep going. Once the three made it down, Stefan dropped his bag and started rummaging through it, but stopped when he noticed something.
"What the hell?" He said, drawing the girls attention.
"Is that the moonstone?" Bonnie asked. The three hurried over to it, Stefan picking it up to examine it.
"I hate to interrupt," Katherine said, standing at the entrance to the tomb, her mouth covered in blood. "but today has just been full of surprises." She pulled Jeremy out so the others could view him.
"Jeremy!" Shiloh said, rushing towards the tomb before Stefan stopped her.
"I'm sorry. I took some powder." Jeremy mumbled.
"Don't worry, I know that he's wearing his ring, so no matter how many times I kill him, he'll just keep coming back for more. So, I'm going to be in the back playing with my new little toy." Katherine said, shoving Jeremy back into the cave. "And you guys just give me a holler when you've got the tomb open." Katherine smirked.
"Where the hell is Damon?" Stefan asked as Bonnie finished preparing the for the ritual.
"He answered a call and never came back." Shiloh shrugged, texting him again.
"We can't wait, we have to get him out of there." Bonnie said.
"She's fed, she has her strength back." Stefan said.
"We still have what's left of the ash." Bonnie said, handing Stefan the envelope with the ashes in it. "Do you think you can get close enough?"
"No. Stefan, no." Shiloh said, snatching the envelope.
"I don't have a choice." Stefan said.
"It's gonna take me some time." Bonnie said.
"How long?" Stefan asked.
"I don't know, a while." Bonnie said.
"Just get me in there as soon as you can." Stefan said, walking away.
"Katherine!" Shiloh yelled into the tomb.
"Shiloh." Bonnie said.
"Maybe we should just let her out." Shiloh said.
"I like the way she talks." Katherine smiled, reappearing at the entrance.
"She doesn't want any of us dead right? We can just let her out and get Jeremy back." Shiloh said.
"Yeah, don't you wanna help Elena's little bro?" Katherine asked Bonnie. Bonnie sighed, nodding her head once and began to chant as the flames flared up, drawing Stefan back to the tomb. Katherine grinned, dragging Jeremy back to the entrance of the tomb.
"Ohhh, something's happening." Katherine smirked.
"Bonnie, no!" Jeremy said.
"You have to stop her, she's not strong enough!" Jeremy called to Stefan.
"Maybe she is." Katherine said as the flames shot up higher. Bonnie's nose began to bleed but she continues to chant the spell. Stefan walked over to her, concerned.
"Bonnie... Bonnie..." Stefan called.
"You gotta stop her!" Jeremy said. Katherine elbowed Jeremy in the face causing him to fall to the floor.
"You need to stop. Bonnie!" Stefan said, grasping her arm. "Bonnie!" Bonnie fell to the floor, fainting. Stefan dropped with her, attempting to wake her up by shaking her. "Bonnie. Bonnie, wake up, please. Bonnie, wake up. Bonnie."
"Yes, please because I'm still in here!" Katherine said
"Are you okay? You all right?" Stefan asked when Bonnie blinked her eyes Stefan was helping Bonnie, Shiloh kept her eyes trained on Katherine who ignored her up to this point but suddenly gave her a sly grin, reaching down and pulling off Jeremy's ring roughly.
"I think I'd rather your company." She said, pulling Jeremy up to sink her teeth into his neck.
"No!" Shiloh said, grabbing Jeremy's arm and pulling him out of the tomb as Katherine grabbed Shiloh, pulling her in.
"Shiloh!" Jeremy called as he came crashing to the ground safely outside the tomb.
"Let's have fun." Katherine said, pulling Shiloh into the darkness of the tomb. "You have five minutes and we'll be back." Katherine said, pulling Shiloh further into the darkness. "You seem like a fun little playmate for me."
"Don't I get the ring?" Shiloh asked.
"Actually," Katherine said, biting her wrist. "you get something better."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Five minutes up." Katherine said, reappearing with Shiloh.
"I'm not strong enough. Even with help, I can't do it." Bonnie was saying.
"Ahhh, that's too bad, I'm still hungry." Katherine said. "Maybe I should've kept little Gilbert. But I do like the company." Katherine shrugged. "Can you get me out?"
"I-I'm trying." Bonnie said.
"That didn't sound very promising. Maybe if you had a deadline. A reason to open the tomb." Katherine said with an evil grin. She quickly grabbed Shiloh, snapping her neck in a second.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Shiloh gasped, sitting bolt upright. "Shiloh?" Stefan asked shocked.
"Stefan... what...?" Shiloh looked around, putting a hand to her throbbing neck.
"I did say I wanted the company. And now the witch has a deadline. Twenty-four hours or little Shiloh fades away. Ashes to ashes." Katherine said, retreating back into the back of the tomb.
"I'm... I'm dead?" Shiloh asked.
"Shiloh... I'm so sorry." Stefan said. "We'll figure this out."
"No. No, I'm dead. Dead." Shiloh said, tears leaking from her eyes. "I can't be... I'm 16. I'm still in high school. This can't be happening." Shiloh said, brushing the tears from her face.
"Maybe you should decide... if you want to... stay dead." Stefan said.
"I don't really have a choice." Shiloh cried. "Twenty-four hours. Bonnie can't do it. I'm gonna die, Stefan." Stefan lowered himself onto the ground next to the blond and pulled her into his arms.